This transcription is provided by artificial intelligence. We believe in technology but understand that even the smartest robots can sometimes get speech recognition wrong.

Hi, I'm Sarah Richardson, former CIO and President of the 229 Executive Development Community. Welcome to Flourish, where we delve into captivating career origin stories and spark conversations that inspire, inform, and foster community.

Join us as we explore the journeys that have shaped successful professionals and uncover the insights that can help you thrive on your career path. Thanks for joining us.

Sarah Richardson: Welcome to Flourish, where I am thrilled to host Dawn Whitney, dynamic entrepreneur and a seasoned leader in executive search and coaching. As the founder and CEO of ElevateX Leadership Collective, Dawn combines her extensive expertise with a passion for elevating brands, driving revenue growth, and creating impactful client experiences.

With a career spanning over three decades, Dawn is a shining example of how women in tech and entrepreneurship can empower others. Build lasting legacies and foster thriving communities. We're excited to dive into her journey and learn how she continues to lead with intention and inspire those around her.

Dawn, welcome to the show.

Dawn Whitney: Thanks so much, Sarah. So good to be here.

Sarah Richardson: It's great to be here because what, I don't know if people realize that you and I have only known each other this year, and yet it's such energy and so much passion around the projects we're pursuing together with many of our friends, but very specifically with Maureen Eileen and with Rebecca Woods and the Bluebird activity and the expansion of 229 and the.

launching of ElevateX, which is not your first company, we'll dig into that. But there's so much energy of when you meet certain people, it's just like a powder keg goes off in all the right ways.

Dawn Whitney: I know. I can't even tell you how crazy it was when I first met you because our friend Mike had told us, had been telling us separately that we needed to meet each other.

And I kept waiting for the introduction. I don't even know why I was waiting. But then I think I reached out to you, right? And didn't I say, Hey, I want to get to know you. I think it was, I'm going to take credit for it. I think I reached out. And then all of a sudden there was this call we had. And within a few minutes of that call, you looked at me and said, you need to be a keynote for Bluebird leaders.

I'm going to introduce you to Rebecca Woods. And then there it went. There was, there's our story.

Sarah Richardson: Yes, the mosquito factor. We have to make sure Mike gets to credit since I feel like so many relationships for all the right reasons come back to Mike Mosquito. So Mr. Mosquito, thank you. Yeah. A whole cadre of amazing women to one another.

And Dawn, I'm so grateful that you're on the show because what you bring to the table for all leaders and at all levels of their journeys is super impressive. And your journey to success is not one without a ton of, I'm going to call them hiccups along the way, which is exactly how we end up where we are.

Because if the road was easy, everybody else would be doing it and you continue to pioneer.

Dawn Whitney's Entrepreneurial Journey

Sarah Richardson: And so what inspired you to start the ElevateX Leadership Collective and how did your experiences shape your vision for the company?

Dawn Whitney: Oh, thanks for setting that stage there. So actually ElevateX is the third company that I've started, but it's a very unique company than the previous two.

And when I say unique, it's because when I started the other two, I didn't really, I fell into it. I didn't really know what I didn't know what I didn't know. And this time, three decades later, I certainly know what it's like to run a business. I know what it's like to sell one. I know all the mistakes that, that I made that actually shaped me.

And so this one felt different because I wanted this to be I something where I could serve others and that was the foundation of the business. And I wasn't focused on how do I get to X level in revenue? How do I scale it? When do I sell it? How many people should I hire? Should I have a partner?

Should I get a business loan? None of those things mattered. To me this time, because I don't have anything to prove, right? So for me, this felt very authentic, very vulnerable, and I couldn't have started this company now, three decades ago. So the inspiration really came from seeing how leaders often struggle with their mindset and the confidence when navigating complex challenges.

And it just felt like the right time to start it.

Sarah Richardson: What was that pivotal moment that defined your path as an entrepreneur and being able to put that hat on and wear it with authenticity?

Dawn Whitney: So I would say a defining moment was when I witnessed the transformational power of coaching in my life. A leader, a couple of different leaders that I worked with who turned a struggling team into one of the most innovative in their organization.

And they were really listening to a lot of the things that I was sharing with them, and that experience highlighted how I could expand my impact by guiding more leaders through similar transformations, which then solidified my desire to start. ElevateX.

Overcoming Challenges and Building Confidence

Sarah Richardson: There have been challenges along the way for sure, especially transitioning from a traditional role into being a business owner.

As you encountered those, what were some of the tactics you used to overcome them?

I have no fear around jumping in. I, bet on me every day because I know what I'm capable of doing. And if I'm always leading from a place of authenticity and serving others, then I know that I can lean into my support networks. I can seek out mentorship, which I still have quite a bit of mentors in my life.

And then I can stay grounded in the purpose of empowering.

Sarah Richardson: And yet fear and self doubt will creep into conversations. Those are what we coach others about, but that also happened to us on a regular basis as we're trying on new things and figuring out what will and won't work. How do you overcome fear and self doubt?

And when you also share those capabilities with others, the ability to overcome, how do you get people grounded in a space where they believe they also can too?

Dawn Whitney: I am so passionate about this topic. As when I spoke at Bluebirds, I have a saying, and it's, I wish it was my saying. I wish I had coined it, but everything that we desire is on the other side of fear

And I think that if we just take a minute to think about that, We're really realizing that it's our self that's in our own self doubts and our own limiting beliefs that are in the way. So I, for me personally, I really focused on the why behind my decision and my passion for helping leaders thrive and creating meaningful impact.

And I do Quite a bit of affirmations and journaling and reframing the self doubt that pops in as a signal that I'm continuing to grow and push forward by breaking any of the big goals and manageable steps that I want to take to, to actually Get to the other side of around the fear. So surrounding myself with trusted advisors and peers has given me the confidence to navigate the unknown.

And when I'm working with coaching clients, this is the number one thing that I hear is, what if I fail? What if I can't, show up the way I think I can show up? What if my boss doesn't want to support me? What if there's a lot of what ifs. And so what I like to do with the coaching clients that I'm working with is, have them create a list of all of their superpowers and all of the things that they know they do really well, that's unique and are differentiators as well as what other people tell them are their differentiators.

Because oftentimes we have one view of ourself and then. We don't realize how many other people are maybe thinking something completely different wait a second, actually, Sarah, you're really good at X, Y, and Z. Have you thought about that? And you might think, really, I didn't think I was that great at that.

And that person might say, no, actually that's one of your superpowers. So I love that kind of exercise in coaching people because it gains more confidence. It grounds them in their why and. their differentiators so that can help them propel past the fear. So I love that.

Sarah Richardson: I do too. Because one of the things that you've shared that I talk to people about as well, especially when they're just bogged down by the things that you're afraid of is writing all those things down and you have them learn it.

And I mentioned that to somebody not too long ago and they're like, I keep hearing this, write All the things down that are. Limiting beliefs or things you're and then go and burn them someplace. And. Moving that into a practice to be one of the steps that you take with clients or one of the ways to continue to grow personally.

How is that exercise or why is that exercise such a powerful one for people?

Dawn Whitney: That is something that I learned from some of the teachings that I follow around leadership, right? All of the big successful leaders who We all have read books on Gabby Bernstein, Brené Brown, Mel Robbins Tony Robbins, all of that is, it's all, it all comes back to the fact that we have to create some rituals around cutting the mindset and of the limiting beliefs.

So for me, I was noticing when I was Talking to a lot of my clients that we would, we'd have these great conversations and then we'd, meet again, we'd have some homework, we'd meet again. And a couple of them were just stuck. They were just in this space where they couldn't get past this one thing this, boss that, that that wrecked their life in their last job or the promotion they didn't get or something.

And I noticed a theme and I remember thinking, okay, You know what, I'm going to try this and let's just see how it goes. And a couple the women, it's interesting. The women oftentimes are very, they're like, okay, I want to do this. And the men sometimes tend to be like, wait a

but I have a couple of men clients that absolutely leaned into this exercise and it worked for them.

So I have them write down all of the things, and it's hard sometimes to go back to that time where you are trying to forget it, but the reality is you haven't forgotten it. So let's write it down. Let's get it on paper. Let's actually go back in time to those times when you felt the way you felt and just sit in it for a second, but write it, free write it.

And then once you have that piece of paper and it's been written, I want you to go and actually burn it. Go outside, make it a ritual go somewhere safe. Of course, I have one coaching client who has said, I was so scared to death. I'm I live in New York and I was afraid that I was going to light my apartment on fire.

So I went into the shower and did it, and it worked beautifully for her. But she, said to me, I did everything you told me to do. I said the affirmations and basically the affirmations were I am letting this go. This does not serve me any longer. And I want to be free from this because I know that I'm ready to take the next step.

And I can't hold on to this anymore. I, bet, on me. I believe in me and I'm ready. And. There's a whole bunch of other things that we do to actually let it go. But once you light that, I don't know what it is about lighting it on fire, but it's just this cleansing that happens. And if you're in the shower, then you're cleansed even more.

So it's even better.

Sarah Richardson: I get a twofer. We take all your things and then I'm on fire and then take a shower at the same time. Exactly. What's fascinating though is how hard it is for people to bet on themselves. I love that you say that because You and I are big fans of manifesting the things in your life that you want and paying it forward and treating others how we want to be treated.

Really, it's a more of a perspective about the influence of goodwill and the intentionality of goodwill.

Networking and Personal Development

Sarah Richardson: And so as you think about weaving social responsibility or really that goodwill into your business model at ElevateX, how do you share that with clients? And also, with others that may not be familiar with what you are bringing to the table?

Dawn Whitney: Oh, that's a great question. So because I do executive search placement, I'm often talking to a lot of candidates who either lost their job or they're about to leave, or they're going to be downsized and they know that it's time to, to make a change and I'm also coaching. Independently coaching clients who are doing just working investment or investing rather in their coaching with me directly, or I'm working with organizations, large organizations where I'm working with a team of people.

So I have these three different areas. For me, All of this is the foundation of my business model. So I embed empathy and personalization into every piece of the service that I offer. And I focus on really meaningful impact for individuals and organizations. So nothing changes. And the social responsibility for me is I'm always leading with serving first, because if you are, if you go, and you know this, Sarah, because you do the same, when you go into something and you're not thinking of yourself, which is really hard because most of us do.

What do I need? What do I want to go do? And how is this person going to help me? If you can have a conversation with someone and take that out of it and just focus on them, really listen to what's going on with them. What's, where's the pain? What are they saying that they're trying to mask in their conversation so that they come across and they look.

They maybe look and feel a little differently to me because they want to make a good impression. I like to rip that apart and get the really get them to be honest with me. And then in that we work together to create this vulnerability and authenticity. And oftentimes it's the very first call.

I can do it on the first call. And the only reason I can, that I'm successful with that is number one, because I. always lead with service. So for me, the social the, so actually weaving everything into the social responsibility and goodwill is listening, being curious and serving.

Sarah Richardson: And to your point, whether you're helping people that are going through a downsizing, they're on their own looking for something new, or they've literally just been eliminated.

It's pretty much the mix of things. And it's prolific. Today, how many times people say to both of us, I've been through six or seven rounds of interviews, or I was the second choice, these five or six times, or this company ghosted me, or I didn't have this one qualification. It is easy to continue to just get beaten down on that journey of finding the best version of yourself and in your career.

And with that being more of a trend, and I have often seen it over the last year, plus, of how hard it is for people to find the right next opportunity. And you're mentioning, write down those self eliminated beliefs, get that stuff out of the way first, especially with your coach or with your executive recruiter, because when you can cut through what may be holding you back, then you can present the way that you really want to be seen for the next role.

Doesn't mean you're going to get it, doesn't mean some of those aspects change, How do you recommend that people keep their confidence high when it can be incredibly difficult to find the next opportunity, especially right now?

Dawn Whitney: Oh my gosh, I love this question so much. This, if I can have this be the one thing, that people hear when they work with me, if they take it away as the only thing, I want this to be it.

Please forget about what you think you need and focus on how you want to feel, how you want to show up, who you want to be for the day. and who you want to serve. Because when we forget what we need, then we take the hands off the wheel. We don't have control anymore. And we're basically saying, you know what, I just want to feel this way today.

I just want to find a job or think about working for a leader that looks like this today. Or maybe This is how I want to feel, or maybe I want to serve someone else today. And I don't want to be thinking just about the fact that I'm out of work. So it's a really hard thing to do, but if you do it with practice and intention, it becomes a belief, a new belief system that you don't need anything.

It's about how you want to feel. And that's big for me. That's probably if I had to sum up my mantra of my business practice, I would say that is probably the number one thing. And of course, there's a strategy to find work. You can't send out hundreds and hundreds of resumes and applications and think that's going to work.

So the second piece to it is that And I know you know this really well, is your next job is in your network or in your network's network. So if your network is this small very tiny, your chances are very tiny. And you're not going to find a job just by applying to a position on LinkedIn. In the 30 years that I've done this job, I can tell you there's a very small percentage of people that do.

And why go that route? So forget about what you think you need. And think about how you want to feel. And if you tap into your network and your net, your network will then feed back to you and will serve you. And then you elevate your personal brand, which I know you know all too well. You're a superstar at this.

And that's when things start happening without you even trying. All of a sudden, one person in your network will say, Hey, did you hear that so and so's looking for work? Oh, I know her. I saw a post that she did. Let me reach out to her. And that's how it happens. So I really think focusing on less about going after certain job postings and really growing your network is where you're going to find your next job.

So that's my, opinion anyway. I don't know. You might, you, I feel like you might agree with that. I

Sarah Richardson: agree with it wholeheartedly because it's amazing how many people will say, I have a spreadsheet and I've applied to these 50 jobs and haven't heard anything back. How many of them were introductions from people inside your network?

And they're like, none. I'm like, there you have it. And yet we also come across Young careerists or early careerists. We've got several women in our universe and men who are in their twenties and they're like, I don't have a network yet. I'm like, you need to build a network and build a supportive and strong community.

So when you are 20 and maybe in your early thirties, what are some of the most effective ways to go out and build that network? How do you start to create the. People around you that help you get to that next right conversation.

Dawn Whitney: Oh, okay. This is exciting because I am coaching someone right now who is 25 and she's younger than my son.

And I love it because we had a call the other day and she said, I really want to know. What I'm going to become and I want to know what my path is going to be and I want to know I couldn't even believe this when she said it. She's like it because it was brilliant. She's like I want to know What it's going to be like, you know at the end of the road when I retire I, and she's already thinking about that.

You and I didn't think about that kind of stuff. At least I didn't

Sarah Richardson: from a 401k perspective. Yes. From the actual career journey. Maybe not quite the same level.

Dawn Whitney: No, not at all. Not at all. And so she said, how do I, go down that path and, what should I be doing right now?

And I just looked at her and I said, I want you to focus on the present. I want you to focus on the present and the present is you need to build out a personal board. And this is I'm preaching to the choir here. You know this, Sarah, building out a personal board of directors or advisors.

This still amazes me that so many men and women look at me when I tell that to them and they think I've, they think I'm crazy. They're like, what are you talking about? You mean like an actual board, like for my, I don't have a business. No, it's an unpaid board seat. It is a personal board and a commitment that you are asking the people around you to be a part of.

And I told her, look for people who. Have somebody in there you don't know. Have it be someone that you see on LinkedIn, that you admire, you like their content, you like what they're doing. Have it be someone that is a completely different thinker than you. So make sure you add someone in who isn't Exactly like minded, but can challenge you and push you and then find people that are in the business that you find interest in and that you are excited about and reach out to them and have them be a part of your board.

And so then we talked about how do you do it? What do you say? And we discussed all of those things. And it was so exciting because you could see her. It's almost like she thought she was too young to have a board of directors. I said, no, you're never too. If I had been your age and someone had told me that, it would just would have changed everything. So I really think focusing on yourself and your self development, forget about where you think you're going to go and how you have to arrive at

Forget about all of that right now. You're 25 years old. You want to make sure that you are finding the right people to help elevate you and lift you as you climb.

But you also want to be able to find, I would say, leaders that you admire and really pay attention to how they lead your life. from the front and how they make you feel because that will then show you what it will model what you need to go do when you actually are in a role like that. So this is 24, 24 to 30.

I think boy could if I could have done it over again. I don't know. Do you feel the same?

Sarah Richardson: The personal board of directors thing, I don't know that I learned anything about that until about 35 and then I was grateful because there was a level of intentionality maybe in the younger years of the career because hey I have to get a master's degree, hey I have to go do these things and so you did them or I did them and I don't know how much I enjoyed The, journey of it.

It was more like a box that had to be checked. So I'm always reminded like enjoy whatever you're learning or you're doing, especially the education components, because that's yours. Once you have it, nobody takes it away from you. Your job is always subject to the bottom line. Let's be honest, the best practitioner out there and it's time for cuts, or you just got bought, or you just got, lots of things happen that we do not have control over.

We have a hundred percent control with who we surround ourselves with. And the board of directors changes. Even this last year, I don't want to say I swapped people by saying, Hey, you're off and you're on. It was more adding new perspectives because of the next things that want to be able to do.

And it's a forever thing. And heck, I turned 50 this year and it's really about the next 10 years of enjoying that perspective, giving back to others all of the time. Influencers that I surround myself with very different than they would have even been two or three years ago. And it's such a game changer and yet so hard for people to embrace because There's lots of factors that go into it, and one of them is time.

So you'll hear a lot of talk about you have 24 hours in a day. That's the shared commodity everybody has. Nobody knows how much time they have, though, in general on earth. So when you consider what it takes to thoughtfully Grow the network, build your brand, be intentional about yourself, and probably taking care of kids and spouses and potentially parents and having these high pressure jobs.

What are some tactics that allow people to really balance that 24 hour day?

Dawn Whitney: Oh, that's so good. You have to put on your oxygen mask first. Number one, you have to take care of yourself first. And there are so many men and women out there who are doing all the things that you just talked about. And when I sit down with them to coach them, or they're a candidate for search, I say, So what do you do to take care of your mental health?

What kind of things do you take care of? And they look at me. And they say I don't have time to take care of that. So I will say let's fix that. Let's find some time for you. You need to have some time in the morning. That's just for you, whether it's reading, taking a walk, sitting in meditation.

Obviously, I am a huge believer of meditation. It has changed my life. So I will always encourage people to do that. Even the ones that say, oh, I'm too active. I can't think. I can't sit there and be quiet in silence. It's usually that's the best, you're the best candidate for meditation then. So meditation, journaling, affirmations, all these things are you pouring into yourself first to take care of yourself, working out.

That's a big one. And if you can have a morning ritual where you actually have a habit that you do every morning, that will really set you up for success. I have a few clients right now that they didn't have a morning ritual because they've been out of work. So when they were working, They had one and now they're out of work and it's all over the map so they don't feel productive or productive at all.

And what we worked on is, okay, you're going to get up in the morning and here's your mindfulness toolbox. Here are all these things in your toolbox that you can do. Let's pull them out. What do you like to do? And one person in particular said I really like to get up in the morning and have quiet time and go read or, Maybe do a little bit of five minute meditation.

Great. Let's do it. Are you working out? Are you doing any exercise? Are you walking? No. Okay. Let's add in 30 minutes of that. Okay, great. Then when I come back from working out, I we'll do something different that has nothing to do with taking care of me. I now feel like now that I've worked out, I'm done.

So I say, okay, no, now you're going to come back and you're going to spend 15 minutes journaling. And I want you to journal. First thing at the top of your page is three things you're grateful for every day, every single day. I want you to get your mindset thinking about what you are grateful for. That's going to put you in a place to receive the best.

What is intended for you for the day. And it's really strange, Sarah, because when people put together these habits and they really stick to them, it becomes a new way of thinking. Shocker.

Sarah Richardson: Not so much the shocker part. It's, the fact that. Anything that is worth having takes time. It takes intentionality, it takes practice, it takes being willing to your point to fail sometimes and be willing to be that vulnerable with yourself and figure out the way you're either going to write it down and burn it or write it down and be grateful for it.

Building a Supportive Personal Network

Sarah Richardson: How important though, the board of directors is one thing. That's to me a lot about the career based. Activities that occur in our lives. What about that personal network? What about that group of friends that is either shares your success, shares your failure, the day that you didn't go for a walk and you ate some of the ice cream, or you didn't get all your work done and you have a presentation tomorrow and you're just like laying there immobilized.

How important is a personal community as much as a professional board of directors?

Dawn Whitney: So equally if not more important and you know this because we are doing this with each other We have our group of women. We are all over the country But yet we're on a text chain together and one of the things we started that I'm very passionate about as you know Is the wins for the week wins for the day and you've noticed That is something that we all look forward to on a Friday.

Sometimes we have one win. Sometimes like my last week, I think I had 25. I'm sorry about that. I had a lot of wins.

Sarah Richardson: It was a big win week. You're like reading through the text chain. You're like, dang, I'm going to celebrate for her just because she had such a great week.

Dawn Whitney: It was so wonderful.

And it isn't it isn't about comparison comparison is always the worst thing in these types of relationships, but I don't think with your peer group, but we don't have that. And I would encourage so many women and men to make sure that they find the right tribe, find the right people that get you, that have no interest in competing with you or comparing themselves to you and if they do, that's their thing, that's not yours, and so you can just let that go.

And just hope that someday they do the work and they wake up a little bit. But for where you are, you want to make sure you call in the right people. And the energy that you put out is what boomerangs back to you. So if you are putting out energy to your friends and you're pouring into them, they will pour back into you.

And I think that's really important. And one thing I wanted to tell you, you mentioned because we were talking about a little bit earlier, I don't know if I ever.

Crafting Your Personal Statement

Dawn Whitney: I'm going to share this with you, but there was a woman that worked at, Oracle, Health. And I saw a post that she did on LinkedIn many years ago, and she talked about a personal statement.

And she shared what, how powerful a personal statement is. I adopted this, and I, into my own life. And I started really embracing this in my coaching session. This is another game changer. Have you ever done one? Do you,

Sarah Richardson: know? Recommended either through work events or through conversations like we're having.

And it does, it's another one that I'm hopeful that people are willing to go back and revisit and update. It's like a resume to a degree, update it as things are happening in your life. So you're always representing how you also want to be seen. But before you can be seen that way, you have to believe it yourself.

Dawn Whitney: So true. It's a, North Star document is what I call it. And I will give you a quick example. I was at a company prior to my starting ElevateX. And I knew, About maybe two years into the role that this was not where I needed to

And there are a lot of people that are listening to this right now that probably are thinking, yep, I know that feeling, but we stay and we.

You think, Oh, I can make it work and I'm going to try this other thing. And people need me here and all that kind of stuff. That's all ego based. And I remember I was, my health wasn't good and I have great health, but I was getting sick all the time. I was snapping at my husband constantly. I was working ridiculous hours.

I was fearful. I had all these things happening. And I knew instinctively. That it was the wrong place for Dawn, the wrong place for me to be. And I pulled out. No lie. I pulled out my personal statement that I actually should have had front and center next to my computer. I have all of my coaching clients do this now, but I had it buried in a box and I thought where the heck is that?

Where the heck is that personal statement? So I pull it out and I'm reading it. And as I'm reading it, Sarah, I'm thinking, no wonder you feel this way. You are so off base. You are, you haven't, you don't even know where your compass is to get you back to your North Star. You are completely lost.

devoid of all of the things that you held so dear to yourself many years ago that you wrote about what you believed in, who you are, what you stood for, and what your non negotiables are. And that was when I made the change. That was literally the moment when I said, Nope, this is not the place and I am out.

So personal statement is huge.

Sarah Richardson: Personal statement is huge. The Professional Board of Directors. The personal community that uplifts you, the ability to move past limiting beliefs, the ability to position yourself for what you want next in life and believe that you are capable of not only receiving it, but then really creating something amazing and paying it forward from all of that.

Those are things you and I talk about all the time. Those are things that we manifest for ourselves and for others all the time. If you are listening to this show and you're like, oh my gosh, I have this huge deficit in my life, then reaching out to Dawn, connecting with me, those are ways to begin to create that in your life.

And it starts with that first step. And that first step can be one of the hardest things. Dawn, so as we close out this portion of our conversation, if you had to recommend to somebody the first step to take on creating what you really want, and in some cases may have deserve based on the years of energy you've put into something, where does somebody start?

Dawn Whitney: So start with your strengths. Make a list on one side of the paper of all your strengths, and then from that list, and it should be a long list, I want you to find five superpowers, circle them, then I want you to go ask five people that know you. And, try to find people that have worked with you, not just like your mom, your dad, your husband, wife, whatever.

Don't do that as much. Maybe one of them, but find five people and ask them what your superpowers are. So you've got the two, you've got the strengths list. You've got that circled with the superpowers. You've got the list from the people that know you and ask them what your superpowers are. And then your third column is.

What lights you up? If you could paint a picture of the perfect job that you get excited for, the perfect thing you do every day, you get out of bed and you are like, I am ready to go. What does that look like? And just write it down. And interestingly enough, Sarah, it may not even line up with what you do in your job right now.

It may be something completely different. Which is okay, but I guarantee you there will be at least three of the five things that you circle that are your superpowers will show up there. And then that's where you want to start creating a game plan. How do I get there? This is clearly what I do well. This is clearly, these are clearly my superpowers.

Other people believe in me. Why am I not believing that I can have what I really truly want to do and I can feel good every day showing up for work? Because you and I both know that is the reality. When you love what you do, it does not feel like work. And we get to do this. Yes,

We get to

Sarah Richardson: do it.

And you're talking about the list, because I'm hopeful that people that are listening that do have a strong personal network can take that list. And also, there's a ton of humor that can go into that, because there's all the things that you're really good at work, and then you start asking your close friends, hey, what about this?

And these become pretty funny. You can have a heck of a good time going through that. Someone says that, and you're like. Except for that one time. And yeah, I hope that we get safe to figure out where you, do have some opportunity because when you add a sense of humor into all of the things that you're tackling, it's somehow is such a healing mechanism in life is find the like, but find the funny and you can pretty much get through anything, even when.

You have those days where it's just tough. Some days are just harder than others. Have those networks that allow you to be that person. So that the next day you can show up and be truly ready to go. And I cannot thank you enough for sharing the things you've learned in your career and also. Literally giving this audience tips and tricks that they can hear today and do something about it.

And then take those next steps by reaching out to you and others to make the things that they want in their life actually happen in a way that's meaningful for

The Choose Again Method and Final Thoughts

Dawn Whitney: Yes, and I want to say one last thing you were a part of this keynote that I delivered and one of the most meaningful things that I've learned in my journey is the choose again method.

We should talk about that for just a, for five seconds here. That's another really tangible, effective tool when you are stuck. And as you're making that list and you're thinking, what do I want to go do next? You might start thinking about all the things that you have deficits in. And I want you to push those aside because we're not focused on.

What you don't do well. We're focusing on your strengths and what you do really, well and what makes you unique. So the choose again method is beautiful because it's a three step method. When you first, the first step is you recognize the thought, you recognize the fear. Oh, I'm not good enough to do this or I don't know if I should apply to that job because I don't have all the pieces of, what they're looking for.

You choose, you, at that moment you, you go into the second step which, is you recognize or you recognize this, the thought at first, then the next step is you thank the thought. And you say, okay, thank you. I see that. I see that's a limiting belief that I have, and I want a different belief. And the third step is you choose a new belief.

Yes, I may not have all the pieces of this job on paper, but I've done a lot of the things that they're looking for. I'm going to apply anyway, because why not? So the three steps in the choose again method will literally stop you in your tracks, and when you keep doing it over and over again, it will rewire the literally rewire the neural pathways of your brain to move you into a parasympathetic nervous system where you are resting and digesting instead of this fight or flight and freeze where you're like, Oh, I don't have all the things.

I can't do this. I'm afraid. What if, The choose again method just brings you right back and aligns you. And it is so powerful, Sarah. It's so powerful. So I wanted to make sure we mentioned that because it's a really big tool that we can use in every facet of our life.

Sarah Richardson: And it's also when you and I are not artists because we did the artwork event at Bluebird, like again, no, choose a different career.

You're not going to be an artist. Oh my gosh.

Dawn Whitney: I had the worst. I did. I had the worst attitude. I had the worst attitude. Sarah, I'm going to call it out. It's somebody at my table was like, Hey Dawn, just choose again. I was like, Oh gosh. Okay. You're right. And

Sarah Richardson: yet you came out on stage and held up your picture and you're like, And this is exactly why I teach you tips and tricks on how to overcome.

Although

Dawn Whitney: I may have left it. I left it there, I

Sarah Richardson: think. Oh, I don't even think I was allowed to take mine home. It was so bad. But that's okay. It wasn't the intent. It was the camaraderie that was formed. And the fact that self deprecating humor goes a long way when it comes to things like artwork, which is, I'm good at picking it out, but I'm definitely not good at creating it.

This is perfect though. Takes us into speed round, which is meant to be super fun. So Dawn, your go to karaoke song. Oh Valerie, Amy Winehouse. Oh, very nice. See, now I want to go see you perform that song somewhere. We got to find a good karaoke spot. Yes, I'll do it. If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?

Dawn Whitney: Oh, Maya Angelou. I admire her wisdom, her storytelling, her ability to change and inspire through her words and life. She has a one of her famous poems about

it's not what you say. It's not what you do. It's how other people, how you make them feel. And I love that. I just, yeah, I love her.

Sarah Richardson: Yeah, her serenity is just one of those things you want to latch on to every time you encounter her work. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Dawn Whitney: I had a boss who is still one of my mentors to this day, 20 something years ago, who said, Be the kind of leader. You'd want to follow. And that keeps me really grounded and leading with integrity and empathy. And it also helps me spot the leaders that don't, so that I can help them.

I would say another one would be. Surround yourself with people who celebrate your wins and challenge you to grow. This advice has really shaped how I build my personal and professional networks. You're a great example of that, Sarah. You're always there cheering me on and hopefully you feel the same.

And then I would say third would be step into your power by embracing your worth and owning your voice and show up unapologetically as your authentic self. It's advice that has guided me through tough decisions, and I really know that there's this mindset that if I just do this, I'll arrive, I'll have a seat at the table, and I just want everyone to know that you have already arrived.

You are a wonderful person. motivating, inspiring, transparent, and authentic human being when you are not thinking about what other people expect of you and how you have to get to the next level. Just be who you are and own your own light. Step into your own power and you will have arrived.

And to your point it's a, Constant evolution. And so putting a timetable or a date on it may work for some. It's more about the continuous practice of the things that we've talked about. So my last question for you, for sure, coffee tea or something stronger. to fuel your creativity? I feel like this is a loaded question, especially with our friendship.

We tend to say, oh my gosh, I think I need champagne with that, except that coffee's a big deal too. So what's your favorite beverage to really get your mind going?

Dawn Whitney: All right. Obviously if I'm working and I am very focused on that, I actually love kombucha. Do you love kombucha?

Sarah Richardson: I love kombucha.

Dawn Whitney: Yeah, I do. And there's some great ones out there now, so I love kombucha. However, I love kombucha until six o'clock, and then I would like to have a straight up martini with the olive, with some blue cheese stuffed olives.

Sarah Richardson: And a little extra dirt. A little extra dirt.

Dawn Whitney: No, I don't like the dirt. I know. I know. I

Sarah Richardson: gotta go with dirty. All right. However, we have said, and this is something for, people listening to, you and I have a commitment to each other that for the biggest wins, when they happen we do, toast each other with a beverage of choice and say, Hey, when that happens, we're doing this.

Or when you get this, we're doing that. And having those like, The incentive to do certain things really well is partly about what's being accomplished. It's also about being able to share that victory with your friends.

Dawn Whitney: Yeah.

Sarah Richardson: Most of us our group is all over the country, but we get to do it virtually.

And you're like, Hey, you know what? I'm planning on two o'clock on this Friday. I get to celebrate. With my group and how important it is to have that. Thank you for being on the show today. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, years of experience and perspectives, the tactics that you bring things forward and your coaching practice, which then is truly a game changer in your executive search and how you serve your clients across the continuum and how lucky everyone is to get to hear those things headed into a brand new year.

Thank you for today, Dawn.

Dawn Whitney: Thank you so much, Sarah. It was great. Love you.

Sarah Richardson: Love you. And for all of you listening to Flourish, thanks for listening. That's all for now.

Thanks for tuning into Flourish, where we unearth the hidden gems of career journeys, illuminating paths to success and fulfillment. If you found value in today's conversation, please share it with your peers and leave us a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

We hope these stories catalyze inspiration within you, propelling you forward in your own career odyssey. Stay connected, stay curious, and keep flourishing.