Speaker 1 00:00:05 Hey there, a thoughtful listener. Are you looking for introductions to partners, investors, influencers, and clients? Well, I've had private conversations with over 2000 leaders asking them where their best business comes from. I've got a free video you can watch with no opt in required, where I'll share the exact steps necessary to be 100% inbound in your industry over the next 6 to 8 months, with no spam, no ads, and no sales. What I teach has worked for me for over 15 years, and has helped me create eight figures in revenue for my own companies. Just head to up my influence. Com and watch my free class on how to create endless high ticket sales appointments. Also, don't forget the thoughtful entrepreneur is always looking for great guests. Go to up my influence. Com and click on podcast. I'd love to have you. With us right now it's Laura Nguyen. Laura, you are found on the web at Laura nguyen.com. Now that's Laura and Nguyen is new. Y e n dot seo.

Speaker 1 00:01:21 You are an executive coach, marketing consultant, and founder at Soul Solutions. And Soul Solutions is solely solutions. Com. It's great to have you.

Speaker 2 00:01:32 Awesome. Thanks Josh. Happy to be here. So excited.

Speaker 1 00:01:35 So share with us a bit about who you work with, what you do.

Speaker 2 00:01:38 Yeah. Happy to. So I've got two sides of my business. I've spent the last 20 years in digital marketing. That really has been the basis of my entire career. So working for large scale enterprise organisations on helping them with their performance marketing. So how do we help grow and accelerate their business in a healthy and as well as accelerated way? And then, you know, after 20 years of being a leader on the marketing side, I decided that I would take a step away. and take a career break. I was completely burnt out and needed to take some time to identify, you know, what I wanted to do next in my the next stage of my career. So I took a career break.

Speaker 2 00:02:16 I structured it in a way that, you know, I'm happy to share with you and your listeners today. And I wrote a book called Career Break Compass that is set to come out in November that will hopefully help give people a framework for career breaks and taking intentional time off. And I help coach people to make sure that they don't find themselves in a state of burnout, or being able to find ways to mitigate if they are in burnout, to find a way to have a healthy, happy recovery.

Speaker 1 00:02:44 Yeah, well, let's talk about burnout, because burnout happens to obviously, folks that are maybe working in a job that they're unfulfilled corporate America like, you know, again, I think those of us in the entrepreneurial world who had that in our past, we can resonate with that. But burnout absolutely happens for those who are at the helm of their own companies. And, you know, I would argue that we need to be just as diligent at setting ourselves up for success because I think, you know, in the entrepreneurial world, you know, we're often forced to do things that maybe we don't enjoy doing.

Speaker 1 00:03:21 I think that we're often forced with a lot of things to worry about. And all of these things, plus many more are big contributors of this. But I would love your take on the current state, or thinking around how burnout happens and how we can prevent it, especially, you know, kind of for that more of that business owner audience.

Speaker 2 00:03:40 Yeah, yeah. I think that the data is staggering, right. When you think about specifically founders, you know, half of founders have stated that they're burnt out, that they're experiencing overwhelm, anxiety and depression. And you take a look even deeper. And it says there was a recent report that came out earlier this year, in April, that said 49% of founders are actually looking to exit their organizations within the next year. And so a lot of that is rooted in are having to wear so many hats, having to handle the pressures of burnout, of being able to run your organization as well as keeping, you know, investors, board members, other stakeholders happy, and you're stuck in the middle.

Speaker 2 00:04:18 You're stuck in trying to figure out how can you run an organization, take care of yourself, and be able to grow your business as effectively and fast as possible? I think a few things that are most helpful for people, which really comes down to taking care of themselves. We talk a lot about self-care, but I think that what we need to get real on is what are the specifics around it? And so when I decided to take my career break and created a structure that I work with people on as a part of coaching is around really a four piece model? The first one is play, the second is pause. The third is plan and the fourth is pursue. So why do we start with play? And the reason why we start with play is because most of the time when we're in the grind and we're in the hustle, the first thing we let go of is joy. And there's so much science. Stewart Brown, Doctor Stewart Brown has a lot of great resources. His book on play and science, around Play is about the fact that, you know, typically around the age of 8 or 10, we as you know, as kids, we tend to we spend a lot of time in play at 8 or 10.

Speaker 2 00:05:19 All of a sudden it becomes about whether or not we got picked for that dodgeball team, whether or not we're enough, whether or not we feel like we can contribute, and then we start worrying about judgment. And that's when playing stops being fun. But I think I'd argue that when you think about being an adult, play allows us to be more creative. We can problem solve, we're collaborating, and there is a fabric of being connected and in a social component that is so powerful, especially for founders that may feel alone at the top of being able to look at how can we help infuse play and joy into our day to day life? And so what I work with clients on is let's make a list. Let's create a list of 1 to 5 things that you love doing. And we're going to schedule it out. And I'm going to hold you accountable to doing it. So it starts with wow.

Speaker 1 00:06:04 And and these are non-negotiable blocks. Like they are just as important as, you know, a critical meeting with a team member or a client that we schedule this out is what I'm assuming or kind of what I'm hearing you.

Speaker 2 00:06:16 Yes, 100% right. And it needs to be a part of your schedule. And that's, you know, in terms of infusing joy and play, that means that not only for you, but also to your point, your team being able to create a team that is psychologically safe, that can be creative, that is driving innovation, means that you have to infuse play as a part of your team structure and your organization structure. the second one is around pause, and that really comes down to when we are moving as quickly as possible to drive results. Typically what we need to do is take a step back, do a check in. Right. And so that is an introspective process of being thoughtful about how do you structure your ideal week? How do you make sure that you're taking time for yourself, that you're hitting the gym, that you're doing a meditation practice, that you're doing whatever you need to do to decompress as you're transitioning into different things? And so prioritizing. Pause comes down to a daily activity as well.

Speaker 2 00:07:09 So that that way you're using that time to be introspective and reflective of what went well today, what could be improved, and what am I going to celebrate today? That's one of the biggest things that I work with clients on, is we tend to move on to the next thing that dopamine hit moves on right. Once that reward then kind of trails off, we just move on to the next project. Instead of celebrating the effort and the win and even the learning that comes from any of our initiatives that we're running today.

Speaker 1 00:07:37 you know, with play, what happens if someone pushes back and says, you know, I feel like I just don't have any hobbies right now. Now I can I can speak from a position where, my kids have gotten a little bit older. I have stacked on so many hobbies at this point. It may be a stage of life thing. but I learned how to play the bass guitar. I picked one up about a year ago from when we were recording this, and now I can play over 100 songs right before this interview.

Speaker 1 00:08:09 I had ten minutes. My bass guitar is like ten steps away, so I.

Speaker 3 00:08:15 Love that. I love that.

Speaker 1 00:08:17 Yeah, and it is. It's such a creative outlet, and it's one of those things that, you know, it's an there's some hobbies where, you know, you can kind of hit some I don't know, it's like I'm, you know, kind of reached the end of of that or, you know, if it's just a collection or, you know, whatever. you know, learning an instrument, it's an unlimited hobby compared to my other hobby, which is I'm a plant daddy, which means, you know, I've got tons of flowers and plants and trees and fruit trees and all. You know, that does keep me busy. But at some point, my wife's like, I know we have more than enough out there. So that would be an example of like, okay, I've just got a little bit more time or cooking, for example. There's only so many meals I'm going to make.

Speaker 1 00:09:01 And still, you know, I want to be have these easy to go to hobbies. but you know anyone that is my stage. Sorry to to keep talking so much about this, but anyone who maybe is at my stage, you know, you've been in business for some time, you know, maybe you think, you know, I never picked up an instrument in my life, or art would be another one. I know a lot of friends, you know, do painting, would be another really great one. But just, you know, something like that. I mean, it doesn't matter what your age is. You can pick up and learn these new things and, you know, really just kind of the same atomic habits principles that you would use in business. You just do the same thing for your hobbies. And it's amazing how quickly we can learn, grow and get better at these things. And it's so emotionally gratifying. All right, Laura, back to you.

Speaker 3 00:09:49 I love I.

Speaker 2 00:09:50 Love it so much, Josh. It's fantastic. And so do your question around. You know, I haven't picked up anything I was in I was in those those shoes. I was like, I don't even have a hobby. I don't have time for a hobby. I can't even imagine having a hobby. And I think the truth is, is that, like, I love the fact that you, like, you picked up the guitar, you've been able the bass guitar, you've been able to learn all these songs and there's a progression to it. I think the other side of just finding something that you enjoy doing on a daily basis, on a weekly basis is okay to it doesn't have to have an end goal. Actually, when you think about the science around play, it's about the fact that it removes the sense of time and it also doesn't serve a purpose. Those are the two real components of what defines ourselves at play, because it puts you in a state of flow, and that flow state allows you to just, you know, you think about doing something that you just really enjoy and the time just passes by.

Speaker 2 00:10:42 Right? And that's that is the key for us to think about whether that's plants, whether that's doing puzzles, whether that's reading a book that you enjoy, whether that's knitting or crocheting. It could be anything that you might enjoy. It could even be admiring art. It could mean going to see a play, going to an art gallery. It could mean any of those areas. But what it comes down to is creating a list of the things that just bring you joy automatically by nature gives you the sense of, okay, this lightens me, and I'm going to lean toward it to make sure that I'm prioritizing it in my life.

Speaker 1 00:11:17 Another thing that that you talk about, and by the way, you are a great follow on LinkedIn. but you recently talked about fear, and, you suggested some steps to overcome fear. Fear is natural. Fear is normal. But how would you maybe address that topic?

Speaker 2 00:11:39 Yeah, I think one of the things I talk a lot about it, a lot with my coaching clients as well as I think about, you know, leading teams and even launching new initiatives when it comes to the consulting practice that I have.

Speaker 2 00:11:50 Right, which is the number one thing that holds people back. And honestly, organizations back is fear. And that fear comes down to what will people think of me? Will I get rejected? Am I enough? And what happens on the other side of this? And I think those are really the most common areas for us that we have to think about the fact that fear is so natural. And a lot of times fear is also coupled into imposter syndrome. Right. And I always talk about it as fear, as human as that's being humans as much as possible. And one of the things that we have to focus on is acknowledging that. So I think I've put together I share it on LinkedIn today, but really there's eight steps for us to overcome our fear. And the first one is to name it right. It's about identifying what is that fear. Let's name it. Let's understand what the root causes of it are. The second is about learning, right? Opening ourselves up to learning about our fear.

Speaker 2 00:12:38 Why is it there? And also, the most important piece of learning about our fear in ourselves is separating fact from fiction. So often the narrative in our mind deters us from being able to do what we really need to do. And it's that inner voice and that inner critic that we need to hear, acknowledge and listen to and be able to move on from that and recognize that most of that is fiction and not facts. The third area is being really deliberate, right, about creating a creating a plan. Let's say here's our goals, here's the timeline for it. And once you have that plan in place, you can start to say, I'm going to start small. I'm going to do the things that may not feel super intimidating for me, but I'm going to give it a shot. And then you start to increase your exposure around those areas. And a part of that comes down to visualizing your success. This is a huge one. You think about like morning visualizations of being able to see yourself, being able to cross that finish line, being able to do a presentation or a pitch, and being able to see the other end of that is really key and critical.

Speaker 2 00:13:37 A lot of the times, it's those mental models that end up holding us back. And then I would say the biggest one is finding a support system. I think loneliness is a major epidemic across the globe, and people and founders feel really alone. And I remember being an executive leader, feeling like the air was so thin that I couldn't really voice my concerns, or for fear of, you know, being seen as weak or or feeling a sense of failure. And the truth is, is that this fear is all about us being humans and connecting with one another and having honest and open conversations is really what's helpful for all of us. And that helps with the imposter syndrome piece that helps with the fear piece, and that honestly helps with the connectivity component.

Speaker 1 00:14:20 Yeah. boy, I could, I could, I could take this on a tangent about, you know, I think the way that many of us are told to market and sell in kind of an impersonal spray and pray method. And how I think that that causes further stress to that, because we start to not enjoy those human dynamics when we feel uncomfortable or we feel like we're supposed to sell in a way that violates our own values or the way that we would want to be sold to.

Speaker 1 00:14:50 and I think that there's that contributes quite a bit to that, too. you know, for, you know, those that we work with and are able to really lean into finding ways, I think, Laura, to engage in a very human, personal, friendship building way, I think is helpful if you can work that to our friend, that's listening. I mean, if you can find ways to work that in, lean into authenticity, lean into generosity, lean into, you know, building relationships and friendships first and then building business upon on top of that. that's just kind of my, you know, kind of my area of expertise on top of that, where my brain's kind of thinking about that.

Speaker 2 00:15:27 Yeah, 100% agree. You know, I focus on relationships, the relational components of our connections versus the transactional components of our. Yes, of of our interactions. Right. And and the people that we remember the most, the people who we want to show up for, the people who we want to continue to help grow.

Speaker 2 00:15:43 Right. And vice versa, are those that are invested in us as people. And that means that's not just, you know, let's say, you know, peer to peer type of relationships, but it's also with our teams being able to build real relationships with the people who report to us and work for us is really what drives, you know, our whole organization forward is because they feel connected to the cause, because they feel connected to us as people. And I think that's that's the difference maker.

Speaker 1 00:16:07 Yeah. Laura, tell me a bit about, how you work with your clients, like what that looks like. Obviously, you mentioned coaching. Do you mind maybe sharing just a bit about that, and then maybe even an example of someone that you've worked with and what that transformation that you were able to co-create with look like?

Speaker 2 00:16:27 Yeah, I love that question. So, you know, I think a few things that I've recognized as a part of my coaching experience has been I, I love to work with folks.

Speaker 2 00:16:35 Right. Who are, when you think about it, who are recognizing there's a change that needs to be had, but they just need a framework to be able to work through it. And so what I've created is I've taken the five piece framework that's included in my book as well as in my coaching practice, and they are provided with a complete achieve with success operating system. It's built on a platform that allows them to go in, they go in and they make, you know, they go in and they actually work through exercises. We work through those exercises together. And we first start with an introspective component, which is periscope. Then we infuse the rest of the piece that we just talked about, which is play, pause, plan, and pursue, and then allows them to be able to customize their own journey. Whether it is planning a career break, planning a pivot within their own work, or even opening up their own from an entrepreneurship perspective and being able to launch and lead their business.

Speaker 2 00:17:24 And so I'll kind of share a couple of examples in terms of, you know, where I work with clients and where there's probably the most success has been the clients who are in their roles, who are leading their teams and organizations, and they just need to figure out a way that allows them to feel like they can breathe. A lot of the words and language I hear from clients is, I feel like I'm suffocating. I feel like I'm failing everywhere. I feel like I can be better, I just don't know how. And and the reaction and the reality around that is one building a network, a connection for them, right? And having a community for them. And then the other piece to it is helping give them a framework that helps guide them through that experience. So I have this client who came to me similar to that had these sentiments. And what we worked through over a 12 week time period is here are the exercises we can work on really together that you can work on. But really the the meat of it all comes in our conversations.

Speaker 2 00:18:20 And the shift happens when they recognize that at the end of the day, these day to day actions, this confidence that I don't have and being able to show up the way that I want to show up is in shifted when they can understand what are their core values, how do they want to show a defining how they want to show up in the world? What are their core strengths and how does that align with their organization or the organization that they've created? Right. Making sure that it aligns with all of that. And then from there, what we do is it's about repeatable behaviors. So making sure that they have the framework, the systems and the accountability to continue to show up the way that they want to.

Speaker 1 00:18:57 Yeah. so your website, Laura, is, Laura Nguyen, Dot SEO. And again, it's new WinCo. to our friend that's listening. what would you recommend they do? Where do they go from here? Yeah.

Speaker 2 00:19:11 For sure. So coming to my site, I have a I have tons of free resources on this site under resources.

Speaker 2 00:19:17 and then I have a new book coming out later this year in November called Career Break Compass, which has exercises that help people really recharge and reset themselves, not just taking a full career break, meaning it's three months, but even mini breaks that they can take throughout their day to day lives that allows them to reset, recharge, and make sure that they're in alignment with who they are and what what life they want to make sure they're living.

Speaker 1 00:19:39 Yeah. Again, Laura Nguyen, CEO Laura, it's great to have you. Thank you so much. By the way. your book upcoming later this fall, career Break Compass, which at your website, you can actually sign up to get early access to that as well will be everywhere. So Laura, great conversation. Thanks so much for joining us.

Speaker 2 00:19:59 Thanks, Josh. Appreciate it.

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