Her Hollywood Dream Didn’t Work — But It Changed Everything

What happens when the dream you thought would define your life… doesn’t work out?

Today’s guest, Jenn, originally moved to Los Angeles with a degree in theater and a dream of becoming an actress. But after several years pursuing that path and realizing it wasn’t going to unfold the way she had hoped, she made the difficult decision to move back home — unsure of what her next chapter would look like.

Instead of letting that moment define her, Jenn learned something powerful early in life: how to fail forward.

That mindset eventually led her into leadership development, where she now helps professionals build confidence, manage overwhelming workloads, and create high-performing teams. Today Jenn runs her own leadership development company and works with leaders who want to create healthier, more sustainable relationships with work and time.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why failure can actually become your greatest teacher
 • What most people misunderstand about leadership
 • Why so many professionals feel overwhelmed at work
 • How confidence is built through behavior — not titles
 • One simple shift leaders can make today to reduce overwhelm

If your career path hasn’t been perfectly linear, this conversation will remind you that sometimes the detours shape the most meaningful outcomes.

Because the question isn’t “Why them?”

It’s “Why not you?”

Connect With Jenn Recla

Jenn helps professionals and organizations build leadership confidence, improve communication, and create high-performing teams.

Learn more about Jenn and her leadership development work:
 🌐 https://www.jenrecla.com/

Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn:
 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferrecla/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I'm Jenny Blackwood, a small town mom of four who refused to settle for a life that didn't light me up. When everything felt uncertain, I didn't run back to a nine to five. I bet on myself. I took a simple idea and turned it into an almost seven-figure business my first year, all while being a mom first. Now I'm here to help you trust your own power, chase the dream that keeps tapping your shoulder, and build a life that feels like you. This is Girl Why Not You. Hello, hello, everybody. Welcome back to another great episode of Girl Why Not You? I'm your host, Jenny Blackwood, and this show is all about the moments where people decide to bet on themselves, even when the path forward isn't perfectly clear. Because so many of the women we bring on the show didn't follow a straight line to success. They pivoted, they failed, they took risks, and those moments ended up shaping everything. Today's guest is someone who has spent her entire career helping people become better leaders, manage their workload, and lead in a way that actually works in the real world. It actually started with a dream of becoming an actress in Hollywood. After earning a degree in theater, she moved to Los Angeles chasing the dream. And like many people who pursue something bold, things didn't work out the way she expected. She eventually moved back home, unsure of what came next. But that experience taught her something incredibly powerful early in life. How to fail forward. And those lessons ultimately led her into leadership development, where she now helps others navigate challenges, build confidence, and create healthier relationships with work and time. Jen, welcome to Girl, Why Not You? Thank you so much for having me. And what a cool opening.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Just you captured all that. Yeah, I'm glad this is re being recorded, so I can come back and use that in the future.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Well, it's all you. It's all you. It's just showcasing your great efforts and work throughout life. Thank you so much for being here today. I am so excited for everybody listening to get to know you better. Obviously, after the intro, they're probably amped to understand who Jen is. Um, I kind of would like to start with uh something that really captured my attention when learning about you. So you originally moved to Hollywood to pursue acting.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Can that is so wild. I can't wait to hear about this. Can you take us back to that time in your life? What did that dream look like?

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Yeah, I mean, this was a dream since I was a kid. I was always a performer. I'd been dancing since I was three, got into theater at a really young age, was singing. I'm not that great of a singer, but I did some singing as well. And so it was always my dream. I got scholarships to go to school, I got my theater degree, and I knew that I was gonna move out to California. Yes. So when I got there, I was excited. I had big stars in my eyes. I my first job was probably not the best job to have for an actor. I was working for America's Funniest Home Videos. Gosh fun. I know. It was like a nine to five job, but I just really needed money because I grew up paying for everything for myself. I paid for school, paid for all of the things, paid for getting out there, and I needed some money coming in. Um, and I actually I remember having this job and I was in a class or some kind of session with a casting director talking about tips, yeah, like how to get seen, what to do. He asked what kind of work people were doing, and I shared that I was working for America's Fanny's Home Videos. And he's like, Well, how do you go to auditions? And I'm like, Well, I just got here, so I'm not really getting auditions that far yet. Right. And he's like, Well, auditions happen during the day. How are you gonna do that with a nine to five job? And he just grilled me and grilled me and grilled me and embarrassed the crap out of me in front of a hundred or so people, and I'm in the front row. So after he shames me and makes me feel terrible, I'm just sitting in the front row and we had a break and I went to the bathroom, and I thought to myself, oh my God, I could just leave. Like, why am I gonna sit there? Why did I do this? Exactly. And then I was also like, Well, you know, if I can't handle this, there's gonna be a lot more rejection happening. And this is only my first month or so here, until I did. I went back in the room, had a girl in the front seat. And he actually apologized to me, I think, when I came back and I just said, you know, you're just you're trying to make an example. Do you want this to hit home for people? And and I get that. Um, and honestly, it just it prepared me, I think, a little bit better, gave me a bit more Teflon to be able to navigate some feedback like that in the future.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Because it was tough. They are a different weed. They are just not very uh, they are very blunt about everything. There is no fuzziness or softness. So good for you. I mean, that had to have been somewhat crushing, you know. I mean, here you are, you've come all this way, you're like, I'm gonna live my dream, and like one of the first people is not not very nice, making you feel stupid. So you go back in that room, you pick yourself up, and you're like, I got this, I got this.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Yeah. And I sat through the rest of it. I have no idea what we talked about the rest of the session, but I sat through it. And I mean, that's just kind of the next three years were going to auditions, doing as much as I can, taking classes, constant rejection. And after a few years, I just thought, you know, I don't know that I'm ever gonna make it. And the people that I do know that are doing really well, it takes a really long time. Yeah. Some of them had been there since they were 15. I know. And I just did I wanted connection, I wanted relationships with people. I wanted something more than just um trying to struggle through. It it started to lose its luster for me. And then I said, you know, this feels terrible, but I think the best decision for me is to go back home and regroup and figure out what the next step is for me. And I remember calling my dad and crying about this decision and feeling so much shame. Um, it uh now in hindsight, it was 100% the right decision for me. But in the moment, it was it was really rough. And but man, did it teach me a lot about resilience? Resilience. You have to be. I mean, now I don't care. I don't care what people think because I've I've been through so much of the stuff and um and I've worked in hospitals and I've seen some really tough things. Yeah, it's not that tough, right? Like, right? Like it's not that tough, and I I can get through it. I've gotten through the other side before, it might feel icky, but I've really embraced that growth mindset. Can we always get a little bit better? Tomorrow's another chance. Yeah. All of that.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

So it taught you a lot about risk and rejection.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Oh, 100%. Yeah. And if I hadn't tried, yeah, right, like that would have been the worst thing. If I had um never even tried, I would see that as a bigger failure than trying and failing spectacularly.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

Totally. Absolutely. What do you so yeah? So you went through a lot of, you took a lot of risk doing that. You went through a lot of rejecting times. Like you said, there were so many different things you got told no. How do you feel like that kind of helped shape you along the way?

SPEAKER_02 7:14

Yeah. So for me, uh, when I came back home, I am a move to action person. I am nothing. Yeah, sit and stew in it. Yeah. Recognize that there's some emotions around that. And then, okay, what can I do about it? What's within my control? Because if I focus on all the things that are outside of my control, I'm just gonna stew and I'm gonna spiral. And that's not helpful. We need to just pivot. Yes. Then it's what is within my influence, and then what's one or two things I can do to move forward? Sure. That action that builds momentum, when we can see momentum, when we can see some progress, it's motivating, and then it motivates you for the next step. So for me, it was okay, I need money. I need to get a job. Let me get a job. Temp had worked for me in the past, so I got a temp job at a hospital. And it was that decision that sort of catapulted and spiraled into other things, ended up working for this great woman, took a full-time job with her, could care less about the work, but they paid for me to go back to school. So I went back to school. And she was a great leader and a great mentor. And so it was helpful that my first temp job back was ended up working for this woman. And it just it continued the trajectory of my career. And because I had done the performance, gone through the rejection, being in front of people and presenting has never, I mean, I still get nervous, sure, but I'm gonna do it. I don't even think twice about it. Right. And I know that's something that a lot of people are very fearful of. Yes, and it's something I do all the time in my business now, too. Yeah. So that was another skill coming from Hollywood that really shaped my direction and what led me into the leadership development space eventually.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Isn't that crazy? Because way back then, like you said, when you were a little girl with sparkles in your eyes for acting, you had no idea that yes, you would try that journey, but it's really just helped to develop who you are as a person, as a businesswoman, all along the way. I think that's what people sort of overlook in life, is that every little thing is just another stepping stone towards where you're meant to be, where your true alignment is. And so for you, you went back home, you got this job, you had this amazing mentor and woman. So did you ever like look back? Was there ever a time where you were like, man, maybe I should have stuck it out? Or were you just like so crystal clear, like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be?

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Uh there are certainly times when I'll be watching something and I see someone I know. Yeah. Or I'll be, I take my kids to shows, theaters, all the time. I want, I want that to be a part of their life. And and I think to myself, oh man, I wish I was up there. Cause when I came back, I still auditioned for things. I thought, well, this'll be uh, I still love doing theater. I love acting. Let me do it as a hobby. And I did a couple of auditions and um and didn't work out really well. And my heart just wasn't in it. I lost the passion for it, and I just said, you know, I'm not gonna force it. It is a lot of effort to be part of of shows and things like that. So yeah, it just kind of went by the wayside, but I didn't regret it either. Yeah. I felt it you, yeah. Exactly. And I felt good being on the other side to support other people for doing it. So will I ever go back to it? Maybe I live vicariously my kids. I mean, you just never know once you grow up and and what have you. But they do theater camp every summer. They I go take my kids to shows all the time. So I'm living vicariously through them.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

And as a mom, that feels good. It feels good to be able to. I'm glad that you're doing it this way. I tend to do stupid things like buy miniature horses and things, and I always wanted as a child. By the way, it got out last night. Everybody, the year of the fire horse for me means a tiny, stubborn miniature pony that got out, and I was literally chasing through, I mean, probably an hour. Yeah, muddy, like barefoot feet through. Just imagine this craziness. So, yeah, that's my fire horse. But I'm glad that you're sticking to that because that's my my childhood vicariousness through them. But I I love this. Okay, so this is just to me, it just really is a huge statement. You know, hey, like I had a couple doors closed, or I realized like maybe this dream I had put so much pressure on wasn't really where I was supposed to be. You were open, you were open to new beginnings, you were open to a door closing, but you weren't willing to just crumble. You opened multiple doors moving forward, which kind of leads to where you got now. So, how did you eventually find your way into leadership development and organizational learning? Like that's a big difference. It is.

SPEAKER_02 11:53

So, when I was working at that hospital, I went back to school, and some of the classes that I took were around leadership development, the MBA program. Yeah. And um, the hospital also offered professional and leadership development courses. It was amazing as really cool. And that's when I learned about this whole thing there's like a department that's focused on professional learning for people. How do I get involved in that, right? I have to be the person that's up there. And I was doing a lot of coaching and teaching in my role, but it was more informal. It wasn't my my full-time job. And it was in that I made friends with somebody that was working in that learning team. I expressed to my leader that I wanted to shift. So she started helping me transition into other roles. And I went from operations leadership to process improvement, okay, which again wasn't exactly where I wanted to be, but I was facilitating. I was training and I was teaching and I was coaching. So I was doing a lot of the things to gear me up for that learning and organizational development role. And when a when a position opened at a different hospital where I had a friend working, she got me an interview and they hired me. And so that was my first goal as an organizational development specialist. And the woman that I was working for, she was really open to teaching me. Wow. You have a certain level of skills already. You just need to know about the frameworks. You need to know about adult learning theory and all of those things. So she paid for certification for me. Um, she she helped mentor me and coach me. And so I ended up working there for a couple of years, and that was back in Maryland. And ultimately, my husband and I, we met there and said, you know what? We want mountains, we want the outdoors. So we moved to Colorado. And in that transition to Colorado, I got a new role leading a learning and organizational development team with the state of Colorado. Did that for a few years, and that was amazing. Um, for public sector, just like this whole different mentality, different way of working. It was just fascinating, going from healthcare to that. And then uh got a role as a director of learning and organizational development for a nonprofit Medicaid company. And I did that for five years. And all along the way, in the back of my head, yeah, I knew I wanted to do something on my own because I love leadership development. I love the coaching, I love designing workshops, cool, love facilitating. And when you get in higher levels of leadership, you do less of that because you're the one that's guiding your team to do that. Right. So a couple years ago, I said, okay, I'm gonna start my own little agency practice for myself for you on leadership development. And I help smaller, mid-sized organizations doing one-to-one coaching, workshops, speaking around leadership development and then team development, team building. This is so nice.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

You have like a certain niche, like, is there a certain like type of company you tend to be drawn towards? Yeah, well, initially it was healthcare and nonprofit.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Yes, that was really exactly. And what I found that um it it's we're span' spanning. So I'm working with a commercial um construction company right now. I'm working with a nonprofit um company that's in the propane industry. I'm working with um convenience store retail. Um, in the past, I've worked with tech companies, project management software. It's really spanned. Yes. It's not so much the industry, it's these smaller organizations, maybe 500 people or less. They don't have learning and development. They don't have a leadership development person, or they have a really small HR team that's trying to do that, but it's hard to do that with everyone else.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 15:31

That's where I've really found my sweet spot is working with these smaller organizations. So cool. And the ideal situation is we do some one-to-one coaching at the executive and senior leadership level, and then we also do some teamwork with that group, and then we start spreading it to the rest of the organization. Wow. So there becomes this common language and culture around how we work. It affects bottom line, it affects engagement, turnover, retention, all of those things. And so that is so cool.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

It's been so rewarding. It's been very rewarding. Proud of you for starting your own agency and deciding like, hey, you know what? I could do this better for myself. That's a really big step. And I'm sure, you know, you felt ready. I mean, obviously you were already putting in the work, but for somebody else. So for you to be like, hey, now I have my wings now. I can fly and do this all my own, that is huge. I will tell you, like, something that was like really bumping into my brain when you were talking is I think a niche or two that could be really amazing is uh mortgage and real estate. I have worked for real estate companies in the past. And boy, did they need some help with leaderships. But they're willing to pay. So just food for thought. Uh thank you. I it really struck me uh when you were talking about when you got that hospital job and how you kind of just saw, wait, there's this department. This is what I have to do to get there. The fact that not only does it seem like you kind of low-key manifested that, but you also worked hard and took the steps to move from the position you had up into this role, something you knew nothing about, something that had never even been on your radar, but you were like, Hey, okay, I'm I'm getting a feeling about this. I have this like intuition that this is a good draw for where I'm meant to be. So I really, really give you so many kudos for actually following through with that. Because I think that's what a lot of people miss is like they feel it, but there's no follow through. And that's where people get stuck. So I love hearing that.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

It's hard to make the first step. And this is where I really think being so young and put in situations where I was in front of crowds.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

And I just, you know, had to perform. And if I may messed up, figure out how to fix it.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Right.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Uh, right. I I mean, I went from Maryland and drove across country, no family, barely anybody in my count. I just it is super hard and super scary. But what's scarier to me is to never have done it. Right. To not even know. Yummy. And I do think every decision I make might not be the right decision, but it takes me down a new path. Yes. It opens new doors for me. I almost don't think that any door ever closes. It's all about just keep moving forward. Right. Keep opening doors. I would say for me, the thing that I try to focus on more is the present. Right. Don't go so ahead, Jen, right. That you're not also recognizing and celebrating the present. Yeah, it's just seeing. That's so true. That I'm really trying to be more mindful of.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

I do you listen to anything with Tony Robbins?

SPEAKER_02 18:45

I haven't. I mean, I probably a little little things that have a little here and there.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Nothing. Yeah, a little here and there. Like I've dibble dabbled in it, like nothing major. But that's one thing I know he says is that you have to stop and celebrate because if you don't, it just runs you over like a train. So it I totally agree with you. It's like we are like women on a mission, but if you're just constantly like, what's next? What's next? What's next? And you don't celebrate where you've come from, yeah, it can get a little um heavy and and burnout can just fulfilling.

SPEAKER_02 19:15

Yes. You've never fulfilled. And this is another thing I've been talking with a lot of leaders who have been coaching. They're overwhelmed. They have so much on their plate. And so what they do is move faster. I just have to move faster to get it all done. And that's the exact opposite of what you need to do in this moment. We actually should slow down. Slow down. Pause, zoom out, yeah, and really be strategic with our energy, our efforts, and our attention. Yes. Because we can't do it all. And that stuff's gonna keep coming. So true. We have to be very intentional about what we're saying no to, yes, what we're delegating and passing on, and then the things that we keep really need to be the things that we are the absolute best at. No one has to do it, even close to what I'm doing right now.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

Yes, that is such a good point. Something that you mentioned that I think a lot of people struggle with is confidence. So, for you, why do you think that so many people are struggling with confidence at work from what you see?

SPEAKER_02 20:13

Yeah. One of the things that I have seen is not being the expert.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

We're all beginners a lot, right? Of coming into a new organization. I might have experience as a leader, but I don't have a experience as a leader in this space. Right. Um, so I need to be an expert. I need to know everything. I need to put my hands in everything. No, you don't. Yeah. You're in a leadership position, right? You are the guide. You need to understand the big picture. You need to understand the current state. You don't need to know every single person's jobs. You need to be a space where they can talk through things with you. You can help remove barriers and you give them the space to be able to do that. So, expertise, not having the expertise, not having all the answers. Um, I think people feel like they need that to be confident. No, confident is not having all the answers. It's not being the expert. It's um being okay with saying no. Or sorry, not no, being okay with saying I don't know. That's what I meant to say. Yeah. Yeah. Being okay with saying, well, I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. That's where the confidence is. Figure it out. That I can figure it out, that I can talk to people, um, that I can even ask for help. Yes. That's confidence. I don't know. Help show me. Yeah. I don't have that answer. That's not my expertise, but I think that's your expertise.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

So I think it's being okay with not having all the answers, being okay with being a beginner and making mistakes. Um, it is not perfection. And I do think sometimes people equate confidence with being perfect. Yeah. And I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

Yeah, because I think, you know, anything that's new feels unfamiliar, it does bring a lack of confidence. But you're right. The only thing that's gonna make you feel better is having kind of that relentless pursuit of finding the answers. And so uh, I mean, I I can think of many different times in my life where that right. True. You know, don't just kind of get paralyzed by the unknown. Go and figure it out. Be tenacious. Seek answers that you don't have already. So, one thing that you've mentioned is that leadership development used to be associated with like lunch and learns. But what do people misunderstand about leadership training today? Like what does that look like?

SPEAKER_02 22:20

Yeah, I mean, I still think it's kind of this big uh idea that I see in organizations I've worked with in the past that training, any kind of training is extra. Yeah. I don't have time for leadership development. You don't have time not to develop yourself. Actually, if you invest in your development, it's gonna save you time in the long run because you're gonna be able to be more efficient at making decisions. You're gonna have um more effective and productive conflict or tough conversations. It's gonna save you so much time in the long run. So this extra, instead of this actually needs to be integrated in my work. Sure. So that's I think something. Um, and that's where the lunch and learns kind of come into play. It's like this extra thing if I have time to sit and have lunch and eat and absorb that information, and then I'm gonna be better. That's the other misconception is I can just do that leadership development and I'll be better.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:18

No, that is that's a foundation, right? When you work with a coach, when you go to a workshop, when you listen to a podcast, when you read a book, any of these resources out there, they set a foundation. It is up to you to make the magic happen. You need to apply it. Absolutely. So it really is um you having an active role in your development and not waiting for someone to bring it to you. Right. Being an advocate for yourself to develop, not waiting for your leader to say, Hey, why don't you take this opportunity? Go and find the opportunities. And if you're in a place where resources are strapped, because that happens, there's a lot of free stuff out there. Yes. I use my library, I read a ton of professional and leadership development books that cost me nothing because I can get a library. There are free podcasts that you can listen to on a variety of different topics. There are free communities, there are free webinars out there that you can join as well. So I think that's the other piece is we get in our own way. There is no excuse for any person in any organization not to be investing in their own development. And it's a forever thing. Yeah. Never ends. And when we get in higher levels of leadership, we should be leaning more in that development. It isn't, oh, I have this position. Now I'm a director. Now I'm a manager. Now I'm an executive. I'm done. I can't relax. No, no, right? You still have to, we can always get a little bit better. It's this idea that you're a work in progress. Sure. You're always in progress.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Always a work in a whip, right? In progress. Yes. That is so true. I um it just seems like people think that they hit a certain point in life and that's where they just kind of like idle. But I don't think there's ever a time to idle. I don't care what it is that you're doing. I don't care if it's professional, personal, relationships, whatever it is, there's always room for growth. And it doesn't mean that we're not good enough. It just means that there's always something to learn. There's always a way to improve. Uh, we should give ourselves credit for the things that we are good at and the things that we achieve. But like there is always growth to be had. And I like what you said about podcasts, resources. There's so many different things out there that can truly help you to get that growth, even when it comes down to leadership, confidence, all of those things. I think what you're doing is great. So, you one other thing I wanted to bring up is you've said you love helping people create a healthier relationship with time. Time is hard. You know, we're busy. We uh if you have kids, there's so much going on. So, what does that mean to you and and how do you help people with that?

SPEAKER_02 26:01

Yeah, you know, I often don't think we even think about that. Like, what is my relationship with time? Do I have a healthy relationship with time? Does it control me or do I feel like I have control over it?

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

Do I wear busy like a badge of honor? Do I think of it as a friend or a foe most of the time? So these are the types of questions I dig into with people to understand. Where are there points where maybe they have a healthy relationship and where might they have an unhealthy relationship? And I usually talk about two different mindsets we get into that can help us on either side. Do we have an abundance mindset where time is endless? Or do we have a scarcity mindset where it is a scarce resource? Because when we think of it as a scarce resource, again, we start to speed up. We go faster, we make more mistakes, we're in this high stress space versus time is endless and it is really about being strategic with how I use it. Right. I have control over. That's huge. So, how do I lean more into that abundancy and then urgency and importance? Am I led by urgency where everything needs my immediate attention? If everything's urgent, nothing is urgent. Yeah, everything can't be urgent. You know, even when you work in a setting like an emergency room, not everything is urgent. They triage things and they know which are the medical conditions that we need to stop what our do we're doing and take care of right now. And then what are the ones that we can delay? Yeah. If it's okay, they'll be okay. Right. So am I led by urgency where everything, all every notification, every email, I need to respond right away? Or am I taking that pause? Am I taking a step back to say, is this important? Is this aligned with my values, my purpose, our goals, the key performance indicators that we're driving? Because if it's not, then why am I focused on it? Or if it is important, is it also urgent? Actually, no, it's not. I can schedule it for two days from now. I don't need to stop what I'm doing. So that's part of that relationship with time is how do I shift more into abundance? Right. And how do I shift more into leading with importance as I'm looking at my work instead of urgency? That is so powerful.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

I mean, I I what you just said, everybody. More of that.

SPEAKER_02 28:11

That's where it needs to start. You know, there's tons of time management tools and habits and strategies and all of those things I talk about, and they are important. It starts with mindset. You've got to shift your mindset if you want to sustain some kind of system or strategy. All of that comes second to your relationship with time and your mindset.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Ah, girl, preach. I love that so much. So if someone listening feels overwhelmed with work or responsibilities and leadership expectations, where should they start?

SPEAKER_02 28:43

Yeah. So I would say here is my number one tip. This is the number one thing that I tell people to do that has helped me and I see it help other leaders. Okay. Take 20 to 30 minutes once a week and have a planning meeting with yourself. I love that. This is a recurring thing I put on my calendar. I choose 8:30 Monday mornings. Okay. From 8:30 to 9, every Monday morning, it says planning time. And that is my time to pause and look at my week. What do I have going on this week? What are all the responsibilities I have? What don't I really need to be part of? Right. It could be an email or it doesn't have to happen this week. I've got some other things that are becoming more of a priority. Can I reschedule this for next week or the week after? Or could it be 30 minutes? Or do I even have to be there? Yeah. Can someone on my team go? Or why are there four of us going to this one meeting? One person could go instead. Yes. So it's really being thoughtful and deliberate about where you're where you have your time. And then any white space I have, block. I block for work. I block for thinking time. I'm going to review this. I'm going to do design work. I'm going to reach out to these three people I've been wanting to do. That is that. And some people like to do it on Fridays, Friday afternoon. Um, I try to look a week, a couple weeks ahead too, so I can see, oop, I've got this deadline looming. I better block time on Friday to start this through or start working on this now. But that planning meeting, it is a deliberate pause. Must do. Must do to map out the rest of your time, knowing that each day I might have to shift some things, but at least I have some structure in my week.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

That is, shouldn't we all be able to do that? Our lives would become so much more efficient. Because you're right. It's like I think everybody's just so like minute to minute. But if you take time, especially like what you said, the beginning of the week, to look forward, then that is so helpful. And probably, like you said, there's a lot of boundaries you can actually set with things that maybe don't make sense you get time back for, the things you should be spending your energy on and maybe kind of push aside the things that don't. You know, I love that. So please, everybody, really take that with a large grain of salt. Um, because I I think that that maybe that's what you guys do today. Maybe that is like you're okay, this is my one small step. I'm gonna start carving out that 30 minutes for myself. I'm gonna start doing that. I am the queen of like, I swear I'm I'm self-diagnosing myself with ADHD. But like my brain is like a pinball. It's like bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, you know, but it's hard to make sure that the most important things got finished, that I wasn't just opening a whole bunch of cans of worms and then not really getting anywhere. So I love that idea. And and I'm gonna say, you know, if this episode resonated with you and you're looking to build stronger leadership skills, reduce overwhelm, and create a more sustainable approach to work, you can connect with Jen through her leadership and coaching programs. So can you tell everybody a little bit about how you could help like an individual versus a corporation? Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Um, well, I will say I have something coming up. I have I'm opening it to the public. I actually ran a cohort of this in January. It's a workload reset boot camp. So three days, an hour each day virtual. It's March 31st, April 1st, and April 2nd. And it is all about resetting your focus, your energy, your time. We get into the mindset stuff. You we get into the relationship with time. We pick out targets and a vision for yourself as a leader. We get organized. So the planning meeting, that's just one of the things we talk about to really get organized. We use a model to help prioritize things. We talk through distraction techniques, like how do I manage all the distractions and notifications coming in, resiliency strategies? And then it ends with a 90-day sustainability plan. Now that you've gone through this whole thing, what are you going to do for the next 90 days to sustain this and get time back in your calendar so you don't feel so overloaded? And what's great about it is you partner up with somebody who becomes your success partner for the three days. And I've talked to people who continue to meet on that to help hold each other accountable. That's like one of the feed great feedback I've gotten from it. One woman told me I would not have survived this last week if it had not been for the boot camp. I'm delegating power, I'm able to manage things, my stress has gone down because of this. Yes. So that's a great opportunity, I think, to um start off right. And then there's more in-depth programs I have. I have a coaching program and we start with that. We really go into how do we navigate your workload? And then how do we build your confidence and presidence as a leader? And then how do we build a high-performing team? That's more for the individual. And then uh I do team workshops. I'll go in, we'll do a half day, we'll do a full day session, either in person or virtually, working with a group on these kinds of things. Um yeah. That's incredible. Yeah. So there's a lot and navigating your workload, managing your time, your effort, that's just one piece of it. There's so much to leadership. Yeah. I just think that's an important place to start and get that right. Then we have space for creating a healthy culture of feedback, psychological safety and trust, um, having tough conversations. That's all within the realm of things that I will do with organizations as well.

SPEAKER_01 34:15

That's amazing. Okay, so remind us again the dates of the upcoming workshops. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

The workshop is March 31st, April 1st, and 2nd. And it's on my website. And I have limited space. It's only for 20 liters. Like, too big. Um, and the first cohort did fill out and sell out. So, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

Okay, so everybody, we're not gonna sit on this, we're gonna be the fire horse that we all have inside of us. And I'm gonna link the uh URL to this workshop, your website, everything below, so that people can jump on that. But if this resonated with you at all, if you're ready to gain more confidence, obviously learn how to be more efficient and have that growth that maybe you didn't realize you even needed until you heard from Jen today. Please look into it. I think it could be extremely valuable for everybody. And Jen, I'm just so grateful for the work that you're doing. Helping inspire and create growth in other people is like, you know, the Lord's work. So thank you for what you're doing. I appreciate you, and thank you for your time here today. Thank you so much for having me. This was just such a fun conversation. Appreciate it. Absolutely. Well, I can't wait to keep up with what you've got going on. Everybody, I want you to look in the mirror today and say, girl, why not you? You could become the leader you've always wanted to be, and Jen's just the gal to get you there. Have a great day, everybody. If something in this episode made you sit up a little straighter or dream a little bigger, don't ignore it. That's your future nudging you. I'm living proof that you can start messy, start scared, start in the worst timing, and still create something beautiful. Thank you for listening to Girl, Why Not You? Now go take one small step towards the life you've been craving. Hit subscribe, leave a review if you feel called, and share this with someone who's ready for more.