Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Before we dive in today's episode, I want to take a moment to share something that's been on my heart, something I've been working on behind the scenes for a while now. I'm officially writing a book. This book is called let's Be A Practical Guide to Leading Through Change. And it's deeply personal to me. It's built from real experiences. The uncertainty, the challenges, the moments where I didn't have the answers but had to lead. This isn't just a leadership book filled with theory. It's about navigating uncertainty when there's no clear direction, building internal clarity when everything around us feels unclear, having courageous conversations, even when they're uncomfortable, and leading with value, especially when it's the hardest to do so. I'm also going into topics that don't get talked about enough, like what it feels like to be challenged, overlooked, and even bullied as an adult in a workplace. And how those moments shape the kind of leader you become. This book is for anyone who's ever thought, how do I lead when I don't feel ready? How do I show up when I don't have all the answers? And how do I stay true to myself in environments that challenge me? If this is you, this book is for you. I'll be sharing more about the journey behind the scenes, moments, and opportunities for you to be part of it as we go. So stay tuned, because this is more than just a book. It's a movement around how we lead through change together. All right, let's get to today's episode.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: Opinions expressed in this episode are personal. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this streaming platform.
[00:01:35] Speaker C: Good day, wonderful people, and welcome to another edition of let's Be Diverse. I am your host, Andrew Stout. This episode is dedicated to all my loved ones who've supported me through this journey. Those who have left us will always be in our hearts and will never be forgotten. Our topic today is selling without selling your soul. How trust, psychology and authenticity change the sales conversation. Our guest today is someone that I truly admire. Her name is Julie Jones. Julie, thank you so much for joining us today.
[00:02:06] Speaker D: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to chat with you today.
[00:02:10] Speaker C: Awesome. Same here. What has been energizing you these days, Julie? Give us the tea, give us the deets, give us it all. What's going on?
[00:02:17] Speaker D: What's been energizing me? You know, I am in this season of Satisfaction, simplifying everything.
So simplifying everything in my business, simplifying everything in my life.
And in that process, I've been kind of challenging myself to do a lot less and do everything. Like, my mantra lately has been like, quality over quantity, whether that's in, like, the social media I'm creating for my business or even the time I'm spending with my kids, you know, has kind of been everything. And so I've been geeking out on just, like, organization, and even in my home, like, I've been decluttering, and it's felt really, really, really amazing.
And I think, you know, as my kids go back to school and we're kind of coming out of the summer months, it's. It's felt really good to just kind of like, simplify and let everything start falling into our systems. And, yeah, that's been.
That's been feeling very energizing for me lately.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Wonderful.
[00:03:20] Speaker C: Well, I love the quality over quantity. That is awesome. And I talk to a lot of leaders, a lot of business owners, and we're overwhelmed. Is the. Is the key to. Or the conversations that I'm having? Overwhelmed and uncertain is kind of the words that I'm hearing a lot of. So quality over quantity is a kind of a really, a good lesson to learn because we can't do it all. We're not going to have all the answers. So let's just get the best work that we can done when we can, and everything else I think is going to get done.
[00:03:54] Speaker D: Yeah. And more is not necessarily better.
I've had to learn that one the hard way.
[00:04:01] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely. More is not necessarily better. Yeah, that's another good lesson for sure. We're not even like, three minutes in. She's already given us good lessons, people. Two good lessons. That's awesome.
[00:04:10] Speaker D: Mic drop. Keep listening.
[00:04:11] Speaker C: Keep listening. Exactly. Exactly. Well, listen, I'm glad to hear that things are going well for you. Before we begin, Julie, I always have a fun, thought provoking question that I ask all of my guests to get things going. Are you ready for yours today?
[00:04:26] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:04:27] Speaker C: Okay. Your question today is, if you were to produce a TV show about your life, what would the title be and why?
[00:04:35] Speaker D: Oh, gosh.
I were to produce a TV show about my life, I would say it would probably be the unconventional way.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: Oh.
[00:04:48] Speaker D: And I would choose that as my title because my husband and I choose to do things the unconventional way more often than the conventional way of doing things.
And I really love that about the life that we've created. And I also know that is why many of the relationships that I have and clients that I have kind of seek us out. And why we align is because we choose to kind of live life outside of the norms and choose to color outside the lines a little bit.
[00:05:24] Speaker C: I love that it's almost sounds like a diversity of thought mindset that you are doing things in a different way. And it doesn't necessarily mean that your way is going to be the best way or their way is going to be the best way. You're just doing it your way. If your way works for somebody else, great. If it doesn't, find something that does work for you. I love that.
[00:05:44] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah, I love.
[00:05:46] Speaker C: That would be a great show.
[00:05:49] Speaker D: I think so, too. Yeah. I think there's so much pressure to have things look a certain way or have success be defined by certain standards. And this conversation keeps coming up a lot in my life lately is like, what does success really look like for you?
And it's okay if it doesn't look that way to everybody else. And that's kind of what put me on the. What I said earlier on, like, really simplifying my life. I'm like, man, like, having a lot of spaciousness in my day, having a lot of flexibility, being able to adapt and change and not be stressed. And like, that is really success to me.
And that. That's a little bit different than it probably is measured for most people.
[00:06:35] Speaker C: That's amazing. Well, listen, thank you so much for having fun with me. I love your answer. It is definitely a show that I think that I would definitely tune into. So if you're ever deciding that you want to do that, you will have at least one viewer that will check that out for sure.
[00:06:49] Speaker D: My number one fan.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: Yeah, I will be the number. Be your first number one fan, for sure.
[00:06:54] Speaker D: I love that.
[00:06:56] Speaker C: Well, I know you kind of gave us a little sneak peek or snippet, but to get us started here, who are you and what really drives you to do the work that you do?
[00:07:04] Speaker D: Yeah, I'm obviously Julie Jones. I am a business coach and sales strategist for practitioners, and I've worked in the holistic health space for over a decade now.
And I'm very passionate, as the. As my hypothetical TV show title would suggest. I'm. I'm very passionate about holistic modalities and alternative healing. And I noticed along my journey that many practitioners really struggle to be successful in business and they end up not having kind of the impact and the reach that they are capable of. And that is really sad to me because I've had such profound transformation in my life from working with these amazing people. And so, long story short, along the way I found myself very good at business and business strategy. Strategy and feeling very passionate about working with this group of people to help them find more success and, and help
[00:08:13] Speaker C: more people so much to pack in there. So first off, I have to say that when someone is really passionate about what they do, you don't even have to see them for real or see their face. You could just hear it in their voice. So if I was having this conversation with you over the phone or anybody would, I could definitely hear the passion and the drive that you have for what you do. And that is definitely we're going to get into, I'm sure, as this conversation goes. But that is definitely a telltale of how you're leading your business and how you're leading your clients and how you're helping your clients lead their people and their clients as well. So that's super important. And I just love everything you're doing.
[00:08:54] Speaker D: Yeah. Thank you.
[00:08:55] Speaker C: So many people have passion, but not everyone turns them into purpose driven businesses. What mindset shift needs to happen for someone to move from simply having an idea to taking intentional action?
[00:09:08] Speaker D: Oh gosh. I mean, I can only speak from my own experience, but I think there's a huge amount of belief that has to happen.
Belief in yourself. And I was, I actually was just speaking with a client about this yesterday because she was saying, you know, I feel like I need a lot of reassurance from my clients, from my colleagues, from my partner. And I was saying, well, you can't expect them to believe in it more than you believe in it. Right. And I, and I think that is really the foundation of kind of shifting something from a passion or a hobby into a full on business is like nobody's going to believe in your business more than you believe in it. And, and you're kind of setting yourself up to be not in a good space if you rely on other people's input and feedback to drive you. And so I think you really have to ask yourself in the, in the beginning, like can I lead myself? If we're talking about leadership, like how much self leadership can I have when things are not going well or maybe the sales are not going well or I don't know where to get people and I don't know how to build these systems. And like business is full of question marks and problems to solve. And so I think you have to harness that energy within and stay firm in your belief that your purpose and your passion or your fulfillment is, or maybe even it's money. Some people it's driven by money. And that's great too. Survival, safety, all of these things. I think you have to root into what that is for you and stay firm in, in the belief that it's possible.
[00:10:46] Speaker C: When you talk about having belief in yourself, I think that's important. But you also talked about a client who was looking for support from their partner or their clients or what have you. And I think we have to understand too, that not everyone's going to agree with our idea. You're going to have a huge amount of belief in what you're looking to do, but not everyone's going to have that belief in what you're looking to do and that people that are working for you in the business, they're not going to maybe have those beliefs as well, and they're not going to understand the direction that you're going in. But I think communication is key and I think allowing people to be innovative and creative that are people that are surrounding you is super important as well.
[00:11:27] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah. I have a friend who always says, don't let people should on your business. And I, I think it, I love that and I think about it all the time because everybody has an opinion about what you should do or shouldn't do. And they're not all like equal opinions when they're not all right. Even if the thing that they're suggesting is, has worked for them. I think you have to really know who you are and trust yourself and be able to make those decisions. And like I said, lead yourself. Even, even if you're getting lots of input or you have team members who have lots of ideas and, and want to be collaborative, ultimately, at the end of the day, you're guiding the ship. Right. And so you have to stay firm in, in your vision for where the business is headed.
[00:12:14] Speaker C: I think it's okay to take other people's ideas or suggestions. You don't have to take any ideas that someone's giving you. If someone wants to give me feedback, I will take it anytime, any day, any place. But doesn't mean that I have to use those ideas. But I will never, I will never shy away or I will never tell someone I don't want to hear their idea. I will listen, I will take notes about what the stuff that they're saying. But doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to use everything that they suggest.
[00:12:41] Speaker D: Exactly.
[00:12:41] Speaker A: So.
[00:12:42] Speaker C: Entrepreneurship is often portrayed as freedom and success, but beyond the scenes, it requires resilience, uncertainty, and the ability to keep moving forward. What have you learned about navigating doubt, setbacks, and moments when the vision feels unclear.
[00:13:00] Speaker D: You know, I think to. To stay along kind of the same.
Same trail. I think I've really learned how to stay rooted in faith and. And a belief in possibility. And so I have this belief that I say to myself all the time that everything is figureoutable. And that is one of my, like, core mantras in my business is like, every. Every problem, everything that I haven't figured out, it all has a solution.
And I don't know what that solution is at this point in time. If I did, I wouldn't be having this problem. Right. And I think in the beginning, I used to feel like I had to figure it out. And so I'd put a lot of pressure on myself and to the point where my mental health definitely struggled the few years of my business, like most entrepreneurs, I think. And I remember my husband saying to me at a certain point, he was like, you have to separate who you are with who the business is, because it's not the same that your business is not you. And that was a huge realization for me of, like, I. I put too much of my identity into my business. And I think it's so easy to do this, whether you run a business or you're an employee and you've got your identity rooted in your title. Right?
And. And I think this can be why it can be so jarring sometimes if you get laid off or you get, you know, your career changes or. This happened to me when I had kids. All of a sudden I couldn't work in the same way as I used to. So I think it's. So. It's so important that we realize that we are not our business. It's a separate thing, and we don't need the business to make us feel a certain way. And once I kind of was able to separate myself a little bit and realize I don't have to do everything here and I don't have to come up with the answers. Then the mantra kind of shifted from everything is figureoutable to, like, everything's figureoutable. And there are lots of people I can ask for help in solving these problems or helping me along the way figure out what my own answers are to these problems.
[00:15:03] Speaker C: You said some really important things there. First of all, everything is figureoutable. I think that's amazing thought process and mindset that you've set up for yourself. I know a lot of leaders, business owners, they struggle with this because when a mistake is made, then they kind of worry about how they're going to fix it. And I think everything is figureoutable or fixable. I think anything can be fixed and it's just a matter of having a conversation. And I just find that we're afraid of fixing something or afraid of a mistake happening. I freed that people don't come forward quick enough because we're afraid of what the reaction is going to be or oh my God, this is a bad. I'm going to lose my job because of this whatever type thing when it could be just something very simple that could be that be done. But it's always better to bring it up then rather than waiting down the road a week later and then someone else notices it. And then you're like, then how do you explain that you knew and that you didn't want to fix it? So let's just communicate, say what's going on and what's happening. And then from there it's, it can be fixed.
[00:16:10] Speaker D: It can. And I think that's to that point why it's so important to have really a lot of psychological safety in the workplace. Right. So that people feel that they can come forward and they can admit when they mess something up or when they need help, when they feel like they're in over their heads, you know, on a project or something like that. And I think it comes back to us as leaders and business owners to really build that culture from the start and create those spaces where people feel open to communicate those things.
[00:16:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:16:44] Speaker A: Oh, for sure.
[00:16:44] Speaker C: And an open means if you say you're going to have an open environment, then don't be a leader that has their office door closed all throughout the day. If you're going to have an open door policy, then leave that door open. Because if it's closed, no one's going to approach you. They're going to feel shy to approach you.
So purpose is often what keeps entrepreneurs going when challenges arise. How can business owners stay connected to their why while also making the practical decisions needed to grow and sustain their vision?
[00:17:18] Speaker D: You know, I like to do. I have this like practice of, of sitting down at least twice a year in my business. But I think it's almost quarterly at this point where I do like I call it like the business alignment check. So I'm sitting down kind of re establishing what is my purpose here? What is my mission here? What are my values, you know, and am I actually really communicating those and acting in alignment with those. So what I do is I actually do like a full audit of my business, my offerings, client interactions. I Put out lots of surveys to the people in my programs to really do a, a sort of audit of like, am I, are all these things in alignment? Am I in alignment with my purpose and what I set out to do here? And often as we go along, these things shift and change. Right. And so the, the, the check is really there to go. Has this change?
Has my North Star like pivoted a little bit along the way, as I've learned. And, and, and, and I like that practice because I think it, it gives you time to step out of the day to day in your business and really get grounded again. And like I said, realign with what we're really here to do.
[00:18:35] Speaker C: I love when you talk about mission, vision, values. A lot of conversations I have a lot of leaders, business owners, they don't do that. And why I think it's valuable because like you said, you're doing a business alignment. You're checking to see what you're, what you're doing and then you're checking to see if your mission vision values match what you're trying to do or what match what your vision is trying to do and match how people see your business or see you as an individual. That's super important. And I think a lot of leaders don't understand that or don't see the value in that. They feel like if they're out there talking and doing that, then that things are going to happen and that's important too. But I think more and more people are reading and looking at websites. For example, if someone is looking to do renovations in their home and they're looking to hire a, a carpenter or a interior designer, well, the first place they're going to look is they're going to look at reviews and they're going to look at Better Business Bureau type things and they want to see what that person is all about. You can have a smiley face, you can have a great personality, but if you don't have those values to see what actually people are like to work with, you're not going to, you're not going to get the hire for sure.
[00:19:53] Speaker D: And you think like I think of alignment. I often think of like we check the alignment in our car on a regular basis, right. And what happens when you, when your tires are out of alignment, like you're going down the highway and the car's like, oh, you feel like it's going off the rails. And I, as a business coach, I come in often when people have gone off the rails. That's typically when they, when they Hire me. When they're having that experience of their vehicle clunking down the road and, and the oil needs changed and all the lights are on in the dashboard. Right. And I like, in my own business to take of a preventative approach of, of, okay, if I am checking these things on a regular basis, then we avoid getting to that point of like the full overhaul. Right?
[00:20:39] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, if you're going to be telling your clients what things to do and how to lead their business and how to focus on their business, how to set up what their mission, vision, values are and how to portray that, you have to be someone who does that as well. Right. Because if.
Then people are going to look at her, say, well, Julie's telling me to do this, but I don't see it. If she's doing that well, then how are you going to get people to, to trust in what you're. What you're telling them?
[00:21:07] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah. And I think the values to me are especially important because when you know what your values are, and I think people make the mistake of having like 5 to 10 values in their business, and then it's like, it's. You can't remember that, like, you gotta pick like three core values that are gonna run your business, run your workplace.
And I even have this exercise for a lot of my clients where we choose one word and this is going to be like the main core value in their business. And then we put everything, every decision through that value. So, for example, I have a client who, her core value is fun. Right? She wants her business to be fun. She wants to have a lot of fun with her clients, have a lot of fun with her team. And so every time it's time to make a big decision in her business week, we call it putting it through the fun filter. We put it through the fun filter. Does this bring us more joy and more fun? Does it bring the clients more joy and more fun? And if it doesn't, it's out. We're not doing it. And I think this, it's a kind of overly simplistic way of approaching business and decisions, but I think it actually makes decision making so much easier.
And you get that alignment in your business and the experience that the customer is having much more easily.
[00:22:22] Speaker A: For sure.
[00:22:22] Speaker C: You talk about fun. I'm going to age myself here probably, but I was thinking of Dolly Parton and I watched her movie just like two days ago, nine to five, and at the end they were talking about all the changes that they made within the company. This movie was done in the 80s and it was really ahead of its time. And they were talking about desk sharing and job sharing and setting up like a safe work environment is were the things that they focused on.
And I love that your client is thinking like that because you want your employees to be excited. I mean sure people are going to say who wants to be excited about going to work? But when you have a job that you enjoy doing, I talked about your passion for what you do earlier. When you have passion for that, you're going to be willing to and happy to be going in the next day and looking forward to stuff because you know what the environment is.
[00:23:17] Speaker D: Absolutely.
Yeah, I agree.
[00:23:20] Speaker C: So a strong entrepreneurial mindset is not just about building a business. It's about continuous growth, learning, adapting.
[00:23:29] Speaker A: We've just talked about a little bit.
[00:23:31] Speaker C: But what are the habits, beliefs and practices that have helped you evolve as an entrepreneur and leader?
[00:23:39] Speaker D: I think really it's one of my habits been outside of my business that have really made the biggest difference within my business and that is figuring out what are the things that really. This sounds cliche, but fill my cup outside of my business. And, and I think this requires really a high level of or a accurate view of who you are and, and self perception. And so I work with a lot of my clients on developing their self perception and having a very accurate view of themselves and a very realistic view of like what they need to be successful in their life.
And for me, I know what my needs are in terms of how much alone time I need and how much time I need to be in creativity and what my life and kind of the systems of my household need to be because I'm a part time business owner and a full time mom. And so we have to have lots of systems in the house for things to be functioning well. And really over the years of being in business it's been what are those, what are those everyday habits and non negotiables and boundaries that I've set up so that when I'm coming in to lead my business, I am not coming from a depleted place and I'm coming from a very energy rich standpoint. And that allows me to be much more effective with how I use my time, much more focused in how I use my time and I'm able to show up really present with my clients. And so I think it's a lot more about what you're doing outside of the work environment than it is what you're doing inside of it.
[00:25:16] Speaker C: For sure, you talked about boundaries and non Negotiables and being, being a parent, first of all, I would say job of a mom is probably one of the toughest jobs out there. I will admit it as a male here, I can see it. My late mom was one of the hardest working moms that you, that anybody could have. And I see it. And it never stops. It's a job, it just never stops. It's an a 24 hour a day job. So kudos and respect to all the moms. And that's why those non negotiables are super important, because both have to fit. If one's not working, then the other thing is not going to work. And there's times that your family needs you and there's times where your clients need you. And if both are not working, then one is going to suffer then.
[00:26:04] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:26:05] Speaker C: Or either one of them is going to suffer.
[00:26:06] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:26:08] Speaker C: So, Julie, before we wrap up here today, what is one key takeaway that you'd like our listeners to remember from this episode?
[00:26:16] Speaker D: You know, we didn't talk about this a whole lot, but I think one of the most important things that I think is that I like my clients to know at least is that there is no right or wrong way to do business. There's no right or wrong way to approach business. There's only the way that works for you.
And when we try to mimic what somebody else is doing or we see what everybody else is doing on social media, we see the highlight reel. When we try to use this strategy or whatever it is and it doesn't work, what tends to happen is we tend to make that like a us problem. Like there's something wrong with me because I wasn't able to make that thing work. And I have the belief that it wasn't meant to work for you because it wasn't the right strategy for you. Right. And so I think really, really knowing yourself and what's going to work for you.
[00:27:09] Speaker C: Julie, I wanted to take the time to thank you for coming on today. What I admire about you is your energy, your adaptability, your strength, your ability to create balance in your life.
And you're just your genuine personality and genuine nature. I just admire all those things about you and it's just been an absolute pleasure to have you on as a guest today. So thank you on behalf of myself and my guest Juliette, to thank you all for taking the time to listen today. Until then, be safe and remember everyone that if we all work together, we can accomplish anything.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: You have been listening to. Let's be diverse with Andrew stout to stay up to date with future content, hit Subscribe.
