Why Your Thought Habits Are Blocking Your Growth | Amy Kemp on CEO Mindset & Subconscious Performance

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn’t your strategy… but your subconscious thought habits?

In this powerful episode of Unstoppable Success, Jaclyn Strominger sits down with leadership coach, author, and Habit Finder expert Amy Kemp for a deep conversation about the hidden mental patterns shaping entrepreneurs, executives, and high achievers every single day.

Amy shares how subconscious habits of thinking can quietly drive burnout, overworking, anxiety, people-pleasing, catastrophizing, perfectionism, and even relationship struggles — often without us realizing it.

From leading large national sales teams to coaching hundreds of female executives and entrepreneurs, Amy has spent years helping leaders uncover the invisible thought loops keeping them stuck.

This episode dives into:

• Why high achievers struggle to slow down
• The subconscious patterns behind burnout
• Fantasy vs. catastrophe thinking
• How entrepreneurs become attached to their ideas
• Why overthinking destroys presence and confidence
• The hidden cost of always being “on”
• Leadership and emotional intelligence
• The power of relationship capital and authentic connection
• Why you can’t outwork unhealthy thought habits
• How to build more influence, impact, and income without working more hours

Amy also shares the emotional story behind her bestselling book, I See You, and the powerful realization that many successful leaders are deeply seen publicly… but rarely truly understood personally.

This conversation is honest, insightful, practical, and incredibly relatable for entrepreneurs, executives, coaches, leaders, and growth-minded professionals.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, mentally exhausted, disconnected, or trapped in overthinking, this episode may completely change the way you understand yourself.

Connect with Amy Kemp on Linked In
🌐 AmyKemp.com
📚 Book: I See You
🎧 Audible available narrated by Amy

Transcript

– Introduction to Amy Kemp & Subconscious Thought Habits

Jaclyn Strominger 0:02

Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Unstoppable Success Podcast where extraordinary leaders share their real strategies, turning points, and breakthroughs behind their success. I'm your host, Jaclyn Strominger, high achievement success coach and master connector. Each episode I sit down with founders, executives, and visionary leaders who are building something remarkable. And I ask them questions that most people maybe are afraid to ask. So if you're ready to think bigger, connect deeper, and lead boldly, you're in the place, right place. So let's go. And today I get to introduce you to Amy Kemp. Let me tell you a little bit about Amy. She is CEO and founder of Amy Kemp, and her work basically she helps leaders and business professionals understand how deeply thought habits impact every part of their work and lives, which is so true. As a certified habit finder coach, Amy has led hundreds of female business leaders through a four-month small group engagement called Encounter that is designed to replace unhealthy thought habits with more healthy ones. She has also worked through the habit finder curriculum with hundreds of leaders in one-on-one settings, in one-on-one settings and with leadership teams at small and large large companies. She is also the author of a great book called I See You. So welcome to the podcast, Amy. Thank you so much for having me, Jacqueline. It's so great to have you here. So I have to ask because you know, habits are so critical in our lives. So what got you down this journey to realize that

– The Hidden Thinking Patterns Affecting High Achievers

Jaclyn Strominger 1:45

you know you had a was there a habit you had to break?

Amy Kemp 1:50

It's a great question. A lot that I'm still breaking. Actually, so the work that I do is very specific to subconscious habits of thinking. So the grooves in our brain that exist because at some point in our lives they helped us survive, but are no longer serving us in maybe a new context, a new era, a new role. And so a lot of times these habits of thinking are so deeply rooted and they're so invisible to us, and yet they're impacting everyone. The story behind it is I was working in a sales leadership position. So the current company Amy Kemp Inc. started nine years ago, but before that, I worked basically in a sales leadership role where I was leading a very large sales team that was across the country. And I worked with a coach, I worked with several coaches, but one that had probably the greatest impact on my life and work used a tool called the Habit Finder that measures these subconscious habits of thinking. I did not have dreams of becoming a business coach in any way.

– Why Successful Women Leaders Often Feel Isolated

Amy Kemp 3:05

Rather, I kept having women who talked to me all the time in the in my personal life, who were these very intelligent, accomplished, successful women who also were very lonely, very much isolated. You know, they couldn't be friends with anyone at work because they're leading everyone. They go home and they're leading their families at home. Just very little time or bandwidth for like personal relationships. And then also it's hard to find people to talk about the things that they were dealing with. And so I kept thinking, oh, if I could get these women that were all talking to me individually together, something really magical could happen where they would know, oh, I'm not alone. There are other people out there like me. So I had this, you know, how you keep on when something like that happens, it's like something sticking in the back of your head.

Jaclyn Strominger 4:02

Yeah.

Amy Kemp 4:04

Yes. And every book I would read, every podcast I would listen to, every friend I'd have lunch with, it was like, it would come up. So I was out in Salt Lake City speaking

– Leaving Corporate Leadership to Build a Coaching Business

Amy Kemp 4:15

at an event. The coach that I worked with who used the Habit Finder tool lives out there. I reached out to him. We always connected periodically. Um, and he worked with a lot of people in my organization. Anyhow, had dinner. And I was telling him about this thing that was chasing me, and I was avoiding it and not wanting to, you know, I was like, I'm really busy. I'm I'm it was I was like at the pinnacle of my career. I had three busy kids. I was in the Uber era of parenting where nobody drives and everybody's in something, and it just felt like the last thing I needed to do was start another thing.

Jaclyn Strominger 4:52

Right. Besides the chauffeur hat that you have the chauffeur hat, which is different actually from the mom hat, by the way. Very different. Yeah. And then there's the work hat, and then there's the wife hat, and then there's the cook hat. There's all the hats. Yeah. And and your business, right?

Amy Kemp 5:08

Yes. And so he said, I think you need to take action. And Monday, this was on Thursday, we're starting a training for

– The Entrepreneurial Thought Habits That Create Burnout

Amy Kemp 5:20

people who use the habit finder assessment. And it was the craziest thing I'd ever considered. I mean, I just thought, what? I mean, I'd never, I had never ever thought, hmm, maybe I should use it, you know, it just wasn't like that. And so it was so crazy. I came home and talked it over with my husband, and he just said, every time we've invested in you, it's been worth it. Do it. And I was like, all right, you know. So I engaged in this lengthy education process, but then at the same time started with two groups of female leaders that led to really it grew so much faster than I could have imagined. This new iteration of my professional career, which is using this tool and curriculum with my clients. So yeah.

Jaclyn Strominger 6:07

That's right. So that's so so I'm curious. So I kind of go back when you first did the habit tracker. Was there a habit that you found that you were like would that I unlocked that was like, oh my gosh.

Amy Kemp 6:22

Yeah, I'll tell you a couple that still because the habit finder measures risk. So it measures how high your risk is of falling into certain patterns of thinking subconsciously.

– Overthinking, Obsessive Thinking & Attachment to Ideas

Amy Kemp 6:35

I and a lot of people who think like entrepreneurs have very high risk in one particular area where the the measurement is called obsessive. It means that our brains never stop thinking. Like we're thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking. Thinking about thinking, you know. And there are a few risks correlated with this. One is that uh we tend to get really attached to our ideas. Yeah, okay, yeah. I get that. We because we've thought about them so long, we can unintentionally plow over people because we're so attached to our ideas. And just to give you an example that's silly, but this happened last night. My son plays high school volleyball. So we're heading home from his game. My husband is in the car, and I have in my head been thinking all day, oh, the game will probably be short because the team we were playing wasn't very good. We can get home, and I have this project I'm working on in my yard. I love my flowers, and so I'm like, I really want to get to this project. So I'd been thinking about this all day. Well, then my husband, we my son is starving. He wants to stop and get food. We pull off, and I'm thinking, just go through the drive-thru. We got to get home because I got this thing, right? I'm I've been thinking about it all day. He's like, Well, let's all go in and sit down.

– Why High Performers Struggle to Slow Down

Amy Kemp 8:05

I'm just like, no, you know, and it's silly, but I can get real fierce quick. And like he didn't he didn't know that was my plan. I didn't talk to him about it, but I'm just like on a mission because my brain is moving so fast. Also, people with this habit of thinking tend to weigh over function at work. So, even for me, like I get done in four hours, what most people get done in eight. If I work eight, it's too much. I'm going too fast. People can't keep up with me. I create too much content. I'm working too much, like it's too much. So I've got to like really pace myself, right? So that's an example of a habit of thinking, this obsessive where I have a strong need to be right about things. I get really attached to my ideas, and I can plow over people just because I've thought about something so much.

Jaclyn Strominger 9:02

Yeah. I I've had somebody in mind.

Amy Kemp 9:09

Not that you would know anything about that, right?

Jaclyn Strominger 9:12

Nothing about that at all.

Amy Kemp 9:14

Oh my gosh. I know.

Jaclyn Strominger 9:16

Nothing. No, but it's so true. You know, it is, you know, certain habits I know, you know, that we that we do or not do, you know, it really it's a it's amazing how they really impact what we what we have going on, you know, and it could even be, you know.

– The Shocking Truth About Phone Addiction & Self-Awareness

Jaclyn Strominger 9:35

And I I would I feel like today it's like with today's day and age, you know, you don't realize the how that you've gotten into a habit of picking up your phone. And it was actually really interesting. I have a a networking group that we started here, and we did an exercise and we told everybody to go onto their phones and look at what their phone said, like how many times they picked it up.

Amy Kemp 10:01

And holding to see that number.

Jaclyn Strominger 10:06

Well, you could check it out on your phone.

Amy Kemp 10:08

I know, I don't think I want to.

Jaclyn Strominger 10:11

But what was really fascinating was is was the the oh my god, I didn't know numbers that people were just I didn't think like one guy was like, Oh, I barely pick up my phone. And he was something like 500 and something, and it was hysterical. And there was somebody else who was like, Oh, you know, I know I pick up my phone a lot, and she was not, and it and I remember thinking we're terrible at like our own self-awareness around these kinds of habits, yeah.

Amy Kemp 10:43

Our our self-perception is very skewed, right? So that's interesting.

Jaclyn Strominger 10:48

It's it was it was really it was so fascinating to me. And I was like, oh my god, I could like I felt like there could there could be like a whole study on this, which is a whole other different topic.

Amy Kemp 10:57

But so let me can I give you another example of like a really common, this is a really common habit of thinking that I see again, it's an entrepreneurial habit of thinking, but people, a lot of people

– Fantasy vs. Catastrophe Thinking in Entrepreneurs

Amy Kemp 11:10

who are leaders, you don't have to own your own business to think like an entrepreneur, I guess I should say. Another one that I'm seeing a ton right now is this swing between fantasy and catastrophe. So our brains, the very same habit of thinking that allows us to imagine a preferred future or outcome, set a goal, make a plan, right? That very same habit of thinking can also create fantasy worlds that we live in that keep us from taking the millimeter steps of creation, right? The the actual putting something into work and making it happen. We can go to fantasy easily and just live in the outcome that's in our head that's not really real, or we can swing to catastrophe. So we can very easily get a very small piece of information and then swing to catastrophe. So I'll give you an example. I had an offering that always sells out every time I've done it. And for whatever reason, last year it didn't

– How Overthinking Creates Fear, Anxiety & Paralysis

Amy Kemp 12:20

sell out. I had like two spots that weren't taken in this offering, and I got all in my head about the reason and catastrophizing, maybe this isn't working. You know, I just went, I could build this entire narrative around the outcome that I got. Well, so we did the event, which was spectacular. We launched always at the event the next years, because I do it once a year, and it sold out in less than 24 hours. And I I think to myself sometimes, like you've just got to be

– Why Leaders Must Stay Present Instead of Living in Fear

Amy Kemp 13:00

careful to live where your feet are in the present moment and to deal with what's right in front of you, the list of things to do that's right in front of you, the tiny millimeter steps that will create the outcome you want, and really as much as possible stay out of the fantasy and the catastrophe and be present where you are. But that's our really common subconscious habit of thinking.

Jaclyn Strominger 13:25

So I, you know, I'm fascinated by this because I totally like for like right, like don't go down the rabbit hole of like why. Like, and part of it I can see, you know, it's like self-protection. But at the same time, do you like what do you do you think that part of that people going into the fantasy is that so many people are in this, I need to manifest, I need to manifest it, I need to manifest it. So almost like we get stuck in the man, like I don't know, I don't know how to put that.

Amy Kemp 13:50

Like here's the distinction, because this is so people ask me this a lot because they're like, Well, what then? I'm not supposed to dream, I'm not supposed to have a goal. That's not true. Uh you can go to the vision and

– Manifestation vs. Real Action: The Missing Piece

Amy Kemp 14:05

you can create the vision. That's not, and I wouldn't even say bad, but that's not risky. Right. What's risky is living there. So you can go there for a short window of time each day, maybe imagine that, but then you sit down at your desk and you actually start to walk it out, right? You you aren't sure exactly how it will come together, but you take the millimeter step that's in front of you. I always say, like, eat the breadcrumb that's in front of you, and then the next one will appear. So there is to manifest something, yes, there's absolutely a vision, but then there's a come back to today where they are. The same thing for catastrophe. It's actually helpful for me to do some analytical thinking around that offering, the steps we took to you know, sell that offering, like to really kind of because if it is a dying offering,

– The “Millimeter Step” Strategy for Building Success

Amy Kemp 15:05

then get rid of it, right? Like pivot, do something different. I so it's not always bad to catastrophize either. It's do I live in the catastrophe and just spin and then be paralyzed with fear, or do I say, hmm, okay, then I'm gonna come back to today and really get to work on the thing that will prevent that from happening. Right. So that's the distinction. Like, how long are you staying there?

Jaclyn Strominger 15:30

Right. I totally I I actually love that because it actually, you know, one of the things that I think is so important, and listeners, this is really, really important to understand. Like, if you stay, like what Amy is saying right now, if you see yourself doing this in either one of those, like, like take a moment and like stop and think, right? But know that these are like the moments where we have to, I always say measure, monitor, and adjust, right? We have to be like, we have to be in that mode. So listeners, take the time to think. Like, are you going into the fantasy world or are you going into catastrophe? And and if you do, you know, track it as like, you know, like the habit, right? Like habit tracker if you're there, right? So do you have like you teach people to stay aware of that?

– How Your Brain Creates Stories That Sabotage Confidence

Amy Kemp 16:20

Yeah, well, one I'll tell you a fun story. So, this in my book, I would say I write, I kind of write about it this way. If you're going to tell yourself a story, you might as well tell yourself a good one, right? Because what can happen? So here's the story that will illustrate it. I had a call with a potential client, and oh, it was a great conversation. You know, when you really connect with someone deeply, and I just felt very confident that we were supposed to move forward and work together. So he said, I want to talk it over with my wife, and I was like, great. And then a couple of days passed. I was really busy. I didn't really think of it, but by like the third day, I hadn't heard back from him. And so I sent an email checking in, and then I didn't hear back from him. Well, here's okay, so my brain can quickly go to catastrophe. Did I misread the situation? Was I too forward with him? What happened? Did I

– The Leadership Lesson Amy Learned From a Client Email

Amy Kemp 17:20

miss something? Right, what happened? And I can go to this story that I'm making up in my mind. So, what happened is a couple days later, he reached out to me. He said, Oh my goodness, I'm going through my email boxes and I see in my drafts this entire email I wrote to you saying I'm ready to move forward. I never sent it. And he said, I'd love to move forward. You know, I'm so sorry. Okay, so here was my lesson from it. While I was all wrapped up in the catastrophe, I wasn't fully present with the person I was in front of that day. Or it impacted my confidence or my trust in my knowing. Because I do have a good, like instinctive, intuitive knowing about people. And it caused me to sort of question that. And so then I wasn't showing up fully aligned for the person I was with. And it wasn't real, right? It was a made-up story in my head. And so if you're going to tell yourself a story, I might as well have told myself a good one that, like, oh, maybe he's been out of the office, maybe he's on vacation, maybe, you know, there's a

– “If You’re Going to Tell Yourself a Story, Make It a Good One”

Amy Kemp 18:35

million things that could happen that would leave me feeling confident. Either one could be true, just as likely. So you might as well tell yourself the one that gives you more confidence.

Jaclyn Strominger 18:46

Right, right, right. You know, and I and I, and again, that's a huge point. That's a huge takeaway. Listeners, if the story that you're telling you is hindering you or stopping you, or stopping your confidence. You have to, we have to be present in our conversations. And as you just said, be present. And you could have actually told yourself a story that said, you know, he was in a car accident, so he can't get to his computer. Totally. Yeah.

Amy Kemp 19:12

I mean, there's nothing about that on somebody, but you know, just no, but any, but that's just as likely to be true as he thinks I'm weird and misread and I misread the situation.

unknown 19:24

Right.

Amy Kemp 19:24

So

– Why Difficult Conversations Build Stronger Relationships

Amy Kemp 19:25

I might as well choose the story. If I'm gonna make one up, I might as well make up a good one.

Jaclyn Strominger 19:29

Right. Yeah. And I will say, listeners, for me, as you guys all know, I'm a build big believer in relationship capital. You know what I would say is like pick up the phone, right? We should actually like right, like let's pick up the phone because you know what? That way we can if we have this question on our eyes, at least we can if the phone, right? That helped the phone or a voice message, right?

Amy Kemp 19:51

I always say move toward the awkward or the unanswered or the like uncomfortable. Yeah, just move toward it and just be curious because most of the time what you find when you move toward it, I I never this doesn't happen very much now because

– Relationship Capital, Trust & Authentic Networking

Amy Kemp 20:10

most of my clients don't live in close proximity to me geographically, they live all over the country. But it used to be where the business that I worked in, I saw a lot of people I knew like locally around, you know, when I was out and about. I never want it to be weird at the grocery store. That's what my rule is. Right. So if I see someone, like if there's an awkward, unanswered question or something linger in the lingering in the air, I want to clear it out because if I see them at the grocery store, I just want to be able to say hello and not have it be weird.

Jaclyn Strominger 20:44

Right. And right, not and not yeah, get rid of any of those awkward things. And it's so important. It's so true.

Amy Kemp 20:50

Just call, you know, like call them, send the email addressing it, whatever you need to do to like clear up those situations, I think is important. Yeah.

Jaclyn Strominger 21:01

All right. So I want to fast forward, I want to talk to you about your book. Okay. Yeah. So so I see you. Tell me a little bit about it. What made you write it?

Amy Kemp 21:09

Yeah. So I wrote the book for a very specific person. I work

– The Story Behind Amy Kemp’s Book I See You

Amy Kemp 21:15

with women who are, I've kind of mentioned this, but like they have big titles or advanced careers. They make a good deal of money or they have the capacity to. They have worked really hard to get where they are, and they have a level of influence that sometimes even makes people a little uncomfortable with them. Like they're sort of prestigious, let's say, or, you know. And this book was written for women who want more influence, impact, and income, but without more work. Like these women don't, they work ethic is not their problem. They're not, you know, they're not like just starting out. They they've kind of dug some. But they want more, but like they don't want to work more hours. And so then what do you do? Right. What is the what's the next thing? But I'll tell you also that the core message of the book is that you can't outwork your thought habits. So

– Why Powerful Leaders Often Feel Invisible

Amy Kemp 22:20

there comes a point in every person's professional journey, I would say, where you can't work any harder. You just you don't have any more energy, you don't have any more time. If you do, it's gonna tip you over an edge of really leaning toward physical sickness or you know, it there's just this capacity that we all reach where it's like, I'm out.

Jaclyn Strominger 22:48

Like I don't like when we say, Uncle, we're done, uncle, yes, yes.

Amy Kemp 22:53

But a lot of times at that very moment, that doesn't erase the ambition. And it doesn't mean that you can't have a greater income or impact or influence. It actually, most of the time, the path to getting that is to slow down and work less and to change the way that you think to address some of these underlying thought habits that are holding you back. So I'll tell you, can I tell you super fast of the story of the title? Because the title's really cool. Yeah. So I had met this woman at a local networking kind of community event, and she's someone who everyone knows. I mean, her name is in the paper a lot, she's very visible. She sits at tables

– “You Can’t Outwork Your Thought Habits”

Amy Kemp 23:40

where decisions are made that affect thousands of people, you know. Well, I really liked her. It was a very brief interaction. A friend introduced us, and so I just reached out and said, like, I'd love to have coffee with you. So we met for coffee. I I didn't really have any intention other than I think you're cool. Right. No, no, no preconceived agenda. I didn't care. It was just, I thought she was great. So I listened to her whole story. It was about maybe 55 minutes into this hour long where we were gonna meet for coffee at this local shop. And she interrupts me and she kind of brusquely says, Why did you invite me to coffee today? And I said the first thing that came to my mind, I said, because I see you. And

– How to Create More Influence Without Working More Hours

Amy Kemp 24:30

she put her head in her hands and just wept. And I I sat there, it was like, oh, oh, and it was a long time. And I just kind of sat there quietly, and then she kind of sat up, she wiped her eyes and collected herself a little bit, and she said, Thank you. So few people do. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is my person. Like everyone sees them, but no one really sees them. No one, because they're always in charge, they're always in front, they're always leading the thing, they're all you know, and so that really was the inspiration for the title of the book. And interest interestingly, the publisher didn't want that title because this is a funny thing. They thought people were gonna think it was like the intensive care unit when you heard it. I see you, like the I see you.

Jaclyn Strominger 25:29

I see I didn't even care. I neither. I'm like,

– Building Trust Instead of “Pitch Slapping” People

Jaclyn Strominger 25:35

totally. I was like, what? And then it made sense because they're thinking you say it differently. I see you versus I see you. It's it's I was like, okay, come on, people. This is where inflection in the voice really matters.

Amy Kemp 25:47

It matters, anyhow. But I that was the one thing I really fought the publisher on. I just said, like, no, this is the title. This will be the title.

Jaclyn Strominger 25:56

So I'm curious, did you end up working with her as a client?

Amy Kemp 26:00

Yes, I did. Yeah, cool, right? Not right away though. It was a long relational like process of just building trust.

Jaclyn Strominger 26:10

But okay, so key point that is a huge thing to build trust. And I'm just gonna put this out there. People, please build trust. Please do not, please do not slam people with offers or just assume. I'm sorry, I guess I've I'm I'm a little jaded this morning because I've gotten like 10 of them this morning on LinkedIn, and I'm like, really? Come on. So, anyway, so please build relationships, go the long, long, the long logging.

Amy Kemp 26:42

This has been such a critical part of my whole professional life, is that and not I will tell you genuinely, I often meet with people or connect with people, and you probably do too. I don't know where it's gonna lead. I didn't know if I was meeting with her because she had something for me. I didn't know

– The Power of Neutral Conversations in Business Growth

Amy Kemp 27:05

if I had something for her, I didn't know if we would just be friends. I I'm genuinely neutral and people can feel it. We're hardwired to survive. So, our mirror neurons in our brain, if you come in with agenda, people know they can feel it. Yep. If you're neutral and you can hold that space where somebody's wall comes down, then there's a moment where you get to decide do I have something to offer? Does she have something to offer? Is there something we're supposed to do together? Or was this just meant to be a great connection, a great conversation? Right.

Jaclyn Strominger 27:44

I and I I love that. So amazing. That is so amazing. It's and it's so important. I think that is, you know, you just never know when a conversation is going to lead to something bigger. Or, you know, as I I like to share this relationship capital, it's you know, the the number of people your relationship capital equals

– How Amy Kemp Attracts Clients Through Relationships & Service

Jaclyn Strominger 28:10

the number you times the number of people that you know times the number to the nth, to the the nth is to how many people they know. And so you never know how many times a conversation is going to lead to somebody that's going to connect you to somebody else. It may not be the the initial conversation. You I always say you're one conversation away from something from building relationship capital of greatness.

Amy Kemp 28:34

Oh, it's so true. People ask me that a lot. Like, where do your clients come from? And I'm like conversations, I don't know, like, but not from like a strategic campaign. It's very relational, it's very I don't know, it's almost like a spiritual following of just the next nudge or the next conversation or the next connection. I do know when I show up to serve, I've never run out of clients. You know, I know that when I show up with other people in mind and just to listen and

– Why Genuine Human Connection Matters More in the AI Era

Amy Kemp 29:15

hold space, and when I hold that energy, like my business always grows, not always from that conversation, either. Right.

Jaclyn Strominger 29:25

Yeah, it's so true. You know, somebody made some comment to me, or and I think, and listeners, I think this is I again, I feel like I could talk to I'm blue in the face about this topic because I it's something that's just near and dear. When you speak to other people, again, as Amy said, be neutral. If you go into conversations, go into conversations with the with if you have one thing on your brain, the one thing on your brain should be how can I serve and help? Yes, but other than that, yeah, take everything else out.

Amy Kemp 30:01

Yeah, yeah, and we do have a lot of noise that comes in our heads when we're trying to connect with people in those settings, right? Especially if we have pressure of a quota or we have financial pressure, or we have we're trying to build something or share something or grow something, right? There's this tension that you've got to kind of put that in a box and just put it on the shelf and not bring it to the conversation. Because truly,

– Final Leadership Lessons on Presence, Growth & Self-Awareness

Amy Kemp 30:30

you know, even through a LinkedIn message, you can feel the hunger, and it doesn't feel good. It's not, it's not attractive at all. Yeah.

Jaclyn Strominger 30:42

Yeah. I I'm gonna be perfectly frank and say because I want to get so freaking snarky with people, right? And I'm like, but I but it's not me. I'm just I don't want to be rude or disrespectful. So I actually have to ask now my friendly AI bot, please give me a nice response because I because I don't want to be I have to have I'm like, please soften the response because I don't want to be mean, rude, or disrespectful. And I appreciate the effort, I truly do. But at the same time, I'm like, oh, please, God, awful. I don't want to be sold. I don't want to be pitched. I don't want you know, we don't want to pitch slap people at all. At all.

Amy Kemp 31:25

So I also think in the era of AI, maybe one distinguishing characteristic that will determine that you can't you can't AI is that genuine connection with people, right? You can't fake it, you can't, you can learn to be better at it, but it has to come from a really rooted, grounded place.

Jaclyn Strominger 31:45

Right. It has to become from your heart. I I truly believe that. So, Amy, what are you doing? Like, what's happening next? Where where are you speaking any place? Talking about your book, what's what's coming up next? You know, any courses you can do?

Amy Kemp 31:57

My world. Yeah. You know, my work is interesting. I only really do two, well, I do two things really, which is groups and one-on-one coaching. I do speak, but not as my main purview. It's not the main thing I do. I'm mostly just working with people. The next big place where people can engage with me is, you know, either one-on-one work, but also the launch of my groups in the fall. Um, those are just for eight to 10 women. Those are groups of women that I work with, but mostly I would invite people into the foyer of my business, which is my book. So I designed this book to feel like my work feels. In fact, the reason I picked the publisher I did is because they said, Oh, this feels like a coaching session with you. And I read it. And I was like, Yes, that's it. Like, and so this book will give you, it will definitely sift out like whether you're my person, whether this work is ready, you're ready for this work. Um, but also it's just beneficial on its own. If you want to do some work on this, I'm I'm working hard, I've gotten somewhere, and I want to go to the next place, but I'm not gonna work more. I can't work anymore. That's not the answer.

Jaclyn Strominger 33:09

So yeah, yeah, that's yeah. We have to learn to work efficiently a lot. Very, very we have to learn to be efficient, you know. And I I was always say, like, is the work that you're doing associated with the actual goal that you have, or is it not? Right. So, best way to connect with you, your website?

Amy Kemp 33:34

Yeah, my website, which is my name, amikemp.com. So it's am y k e m p.com. Very simple.

Jaclyn Strominger 33:42

So very simple, easy, easy. I can't usually say that myself, but so great.

Amy Kemp 33:46

In fact, when we were naming my company, we were playing around with all these different names that it could be. And finally, the person I was working with was like, you know, you're kind of the thing. So let's just call it your name because your name is easy. And you know, I was like, great, that keeps it simple. But there is some fun, there's a couple of things. The habit finder assessment is a free tool that you can take on my website, but also there's a whole section about my book. There's great video content and just some additional resources that are referenced in the book that you would enjoy if you're digging in.

Jaclyn Strominger 34:23

So okay, awesome. All right, and the book is on Amazon. Amazon Audible.

Amy Kemp 34:28

It's my voice. So I recorded it on Audible if you're a listener. Anywhere you purchase books, you can get it.

Jaclyn Strominger 34:33

Well, perfect. I will make sure that we have direct links in the show notes to the book, both both print and audible. And please, listeners, do me the favor. Go and connect with Amy. She's absolutely remarkable, truly lovely. And listeners, then do me the other favor and share this episode because there are really great nuggets in here that your friends and business associates and colleagues need to hear. And lastly, we have a brand new episode. If you love this episode and you like what we are doing here on Unstoppable Success, please head over in the link in the show notes to our Unstoppable Success School community. It is brand new, so we've got a we're adding new members every single day, but it will eventually go from free to paid. But we want you in there so that you can get great wisdom. And we, you never know, we might even have Amy in as a guest to speak to everybody right then and there. Anyway, so thank you so much for Amy for being a great guest. And listeners, thank you so much for listening. This is the Unstoppable Success Podcast, and I'm your host, Jacqueline Stumminger. And until next time, keep leaping to your greatest success.