1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,040
Tell me about your vision for Leadrise and how you got to this point.

2
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:14,400
So I actually come from a corporate background myself. I was in tech at Google for a long time,

3
00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:18,560
almost 12 years. And before that, I was in management consulting. So again, a very,

4
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:27,680
you know, high achieving, if you will, and very speedy corporate environment that was great.

5
00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:34,880
And I learned a lot. But at some point, when I was myself a people manager and a leader and had a

6
00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:40,080
team, I realized, as I was saying earlier, that myself, I wasn't really positive to ask those

7
00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:44,400
questions to myself. And I was really focused on my team's growth, which of course, is very important.

8
00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:52,960
But I really hadn't done the work myself where I could, you know, go back to my own passion and

9
00:00:52,960 --> 00:01:00,640
my own strengths and my own values. So that's the work that I did with a coach myself. And that's

10
00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:05,920
when I also discovered coaching and the power of coaching and the impact that coaching can have.

11
00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:12,720
And I did my own certification on coaching to help my coaches that were again in the corporate

12
00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:19,600
environment, either my reports or some people who I advised on their on their careers and their

13
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:25,200
career growth. And again, I saw the impact that it could have and that I could have on other people.

14
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:31,920
And so that's kind of my journey into building, leaving the corporate world and building my own

15
00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:39,840
business. And my vision for it is to continue to multiply and continue to amplify that impact. So

16
00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:48,960
if I'm able to maybe be a thinking partner or be a mirror to somebody who's self discovering,

17
00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,200
and then discovering their environment around them and discovering their teams around them,

18
00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,680
they can then do the same thing for their teams and the people around them. And then those people

19
00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:04,880
you see where we're going with this. So it's that domino effect of people really looking

20
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:11,680
in and understanding what their flow state is, and hopefully doing something that is purposeful and

21
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,200
that's meaningful to them, that they can give back to the world.

22
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:22,240
Yes, yes. And so from the corporate world to the world of entrepreneurship and starting lead rise

23
00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:30,160
coaching, you have the experience of being in the corporate world, such as Google and other places.

24
00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:39,440
And so you now can can couple that with being able to lead someone else. We keep using the word,

25
00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:46,720
it's not on purpose. But that name is so catchy, Mervae. I'm like, Oh, my goodness, we're gonna all

26
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:54,720
say what we do is the whole goal is to lead everyone. And actually, the whole goal is to rise,

27
00:02:54,720 --> 00:03:03,200
right? We all have a vision of success. And it is often selfless, right? Because that's why you get

28
00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,600
into the business is to help other people accomplish what you've accomplished. How long

29
00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:15,600
have you been in business? I've had my business full time for a little over a year. Okay, okay.

30
00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:24,240
And how how's it going thus far? It's going great, actually, I'm loving it. I do have a bit of a,

31
00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:30,880
you know, too much to do not enough time syndrome, which of course is ironic, because that's

32
00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:35,200
sometimes what people come to me with a lot of the leaders don't say we have so many things that

33
00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,720
we're juggling, how are we going to manage our time? How are we going to be productive? How are

34
00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:43,680
we going to prioritize what's really important and what's urgent? So I do the work with the leaders,

35
00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:51,600
but then I myself am also in the same boat in a way. So, so yes, there's just so much that I

36
00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:58,480
want to do. There's so much that there is to do, I think, in the world that makes me really,

37
00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:05,520
really excited. And I just can't wait to have more time and more years in business to be able to

38
00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:13,280
experiment and trial and, and grow myself. Absolutely. So you know, your vision,

39
00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:21,840
you said it with ease. And, and I felt that the vision was definitely a part of your core value

40
00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:29,040
with this. So as you're in your first year, a little over a year, where are you going with this

41
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:39,520
vision? What's your, what do they call it? The, the big audacious goal, you know what I mean? What's,

42
00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:44,320
what's the biggest goal that you have for your next year? And actually, it's November 1, happy

43
00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:54,080
November 1. Where are you going with this vision? I would like to, so in leadership, we talk about

44
00:04:54,080 --> 00:05:02,240
two kinds of leaders. There's the diminisher type. They diminish what's, what's existing,

45
00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:08,800
that's, that's not what we want. And then there's the multiplier kind. And it's from the work of

46
00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:17,680
Liz Wiseman. And I would like to think and hope that I am myself aspire to be anyway, the multiplier

47
00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:25,280
kind. So that's what I want to do with my vision too. I want to multiply the impact and I want to

48
00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:32,400
multiply what I have right now. And that I want to do with scale. I already have some scaled programs

49
00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:38,400
that I offer. I'm also working on a digital course at the moment. I'm working on an academy

50
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:45,600
where I get to maybe teach a thing or two about leadership and about my experience also at Google,

51
00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:52,240
building high trust, high performance teams. And I also have some speaking engagements and some

52
00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:58,880
partnerships that I am working on. So through just different pathways, I really want to,

53
00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:06,800
as I said, multiply my impact so that people can one, offer grounded leadership and get to know

54
00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:14,400
themselves to then be able to present their whole self to their team and to have the most impact

55
00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:23,680
themselves. And then two, to be able to help others grow around them. So in a nutshell, maybe

56
00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:30,640
put your own oxygen mask first before you help others. So that's kind of the message that I want

57
00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:36,000
to give also to everybody who I work with or who I get to reach and touch.

58
00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:42,640
Absolutely. And I, if I may say, I'm super proud of you for even choosing to start.

59
00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:43,680
Aw, thank you.

60
00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:51,200
Super proud and excited for you that you're able to do what some people don't do.

61
00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:57,520
You had a vision and you threw yourself into that vision. And as you're going through helping

62
00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:05,520
other leaders, I think what you said is so empowering is because you too have some changes

63
00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:12,480
you're making so that you can make a bigger impact on the leadership that you have in coaching,

64
00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:18,320
which is exactly what you're teaching everyone else, you know? And so which pretty much says is

65
00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:25,840
we're all, the goal is growing, right? The goal is growing. The goal is to continue to keep learning

66
00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:32,640
and expand and just keep moving forward. And as far as your coaching approach goes, what's unique

67
00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,600
about your approach to leadership coaching?

68
00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:43,600
Yeah, I love that question. I think, you know, a few things. First of all, what you just said is

69
00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:51,440
really dear to me, right? That we are all maybe have that tendency, our monkey brains, our chimp

70
00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:56,320
brains have that tendency to stay in that comfort zone. It's so comfortable and, you know, we could

71
00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:04,080
eat bonbons and watch Netflix or something. I love a good comfort zone, but we have to push

72
00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:08,640
ourselves and challenge ourselves to be in that, in the stretch zone, which is the next zone, if

73
00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:15,760
you think in, you know, circles, and that learning zone. And then if we push ourselves too, too much,

74
00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:21,760
then we get into the panic zone, which is also not what we want. So it's that kind of balance of

75
00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:28,160
staying in the challenging learning stretch zone. And so to answer your question, what's my

76
00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:34,160
approach? That's kind of what I try to achieve with my coaches is to push them a little bit,

77
00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:39,840
challenge them a little bit, but without kind of pushing them off the cliff, like into the panic

78
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:48,400
zone. So to challenge them always, to validate, to support, to motivate, whilst also challenging

79
00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,720
and pushing them and stretching them a little bit so that they can get out of their comfort zone

80
00:08:52,720 --> 00:09:01,840
into what is possible and to what is nurturing. Secondly, I would say I'm pretty, I'm pretty

81
00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,880
results oriented. That's what people say when they give me feedback. And, you know, I take it, I take

82
00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:13,600
it with pride that I like to see results. So there's a, you know, a good bit of discussion, of

83
00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:19,120
course, that we have, especially in the self discovery part. But then I like to, to connect it

84
00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:26,000
to actions and to commitments and keep them accountable. And then thirdly, I would say I

85
00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:32,240
have a no fluff style. It was my style also in management when I was in the corporate. My

86
00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:37,840
reports always, you know, for the most part, I think in a complimentary way, they said, they said

87
00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:44,240
that, you know, I'm kind of no fluff, just let's, let's, let's get to it. Let's not let's not try to

88
00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:52,800
bath around, they say in Ireland. So it's, it's, it's, I think, something that I've brought with me

89
00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:58,000
into my own business and into my coaching as well, that I'm very direct and, and to the point, no

90
00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,400
fluff, let's get results. Let's, let's move forward.

91
00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:09,120
So definitely result driven. I definitely hear that. And you know, it just brought this thought

92
00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:17,360
to mind. I was in corporate, I'm now a real estate agent. And I hear the, hear leadership and

93
00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:23,200
everything and think about the corporate field. I think about having a meeting for the meeting that

94
00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:28,640
we had the meeting for, and then we need to have another meeting, you know, me. And that when I

95
00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:34,480
hear the no fluff, I'm like, ah, she doesn't do the meeting next meeting to have another meeting

96
00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:40,400
about the big meeting at the end of the month, you know, and so is being result driven is, is

97
00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:47,440
excellent because there's a plan and there's a point to reach and in between there's some time

98
00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,000
limits, you know, so I love that.

99
00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,640
Absolutely. Yeah, time is money. That's a great example, actually, because I always say, does

100
00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:59,280
this have to be a meeting? And you know, I love to meet people. I'm a very people focused person.

101
00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,760
I'm an extrovert. I love people, but it's not, if it doesn't have to be a meeting, maybe it can be

102
00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:09,520
an email, or maybe it can be an asynchronous video where I walk you through the meeting, you know,

103
00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,680
where I walk you through what I did so that you can take over, for instance, it's just that

104
00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:18,000
efficiency. And then eventually, let's have a meeting and let's hash it out and, you know, get

105
00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,640
the decisions out or whatever it may be. But let's not have a meeting about the meeting that we're

106
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,800
about to have. You said it perfectly. I make me laugh.

107
00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:28,960
In my mind, I remember going like this.

108
00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:37,120
In the meeting, I'm like, man, I have no control over this, but we will not talk about the same

109
00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:43,520
thing over and over again. And as you've grown, and as you've come into being this coach for

110
00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:49,040
lead rise your business, what was your most significant learning experience?

111
00:11:51,360 --> 00:12:03,040
Oh, that's a really hard question. You know, I think people have this romantic idea.

112
00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:07,200
Maybe this is my no fluff slides now talking but people have this romantic idea.

113
00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:16,320
Oh, now you have your own business. It's great, you know, you're gonna have all the money and

114
00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:24,800
have all the time and you're your own boss. And especially for my own business. Now I have to

115
00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:29,760
say that, of course, I started from experience, I was coaching in corporate, and then I was also

116
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:35,840
coaching as part of my coaching diploma and on the side as a side hustle. So it wasn't something

117
00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:43,280
completely new. So yes, it is true, you have the experience, you have, you know, your background

118
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:48,240
and everything. So perfect hit the ground running. And then it's all very kind of pink and rosy.

119
00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:54,720
You're gonna spend all the time with your kids and spend all the time doing your hobbies and

120
00:12:54,720 --> 00:13:00,240
also thrive in your business and everything. And, and you know, in a way, I am very lucky to have

121
00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:06,560
freedom because I am my own boss, I don't think that I would exchange that for anything else.

122
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:13,040
But when you have your own business, you're pretty much always working. And that's good,

123
00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:17,840
because again, this is my passion. And that's something that I love to do. And I have the

124
00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:23,120
freedom to take some time out during the day, for instance, to do something with my kids or to go

125
00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:28,880
to a yoga class, but then I might be working in the evening. And I just juggle a few things, right?

126
00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:35,360
You're in real estate, I'm sure you know, that it's very flexible, but it's not that you

127
00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:43,120
work less, make more, and also are on the beach in Bali all the time with your laptop,

128
00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:49,200
you know, working away. So I think that's one of my I don't think I was very naive to that. But

129
00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:55,520
I think that one thing that I didn't necessarily realize before specifically experiencing it was

130
00:13:55,520 --> 00:14:03,200
that you're always on and you're always thinking about your business. And the upside of that is

131
00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:08,560
it's super exciting, because I'm doing something that I'm very, very excited about, I get feedback

132
00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:13,360
from my clients, you know, and about some impacts that I had on them or something like that, or

133
00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:18,800
something that they wanted to achieve a goal they achieved. It just makes me so happy. And

134
00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:23,840
so happy. I was happy in corporate too, when I achieved something, but this is my baby. So it's

135
00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:29,360
just a different kind of happy. But then the downside of it is you're rarely just off. So I

136
00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:35,280
think you asked about the learning. That's the first thing that comes to mind that I think I just

137
00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:46,240
want to maybe to your listeners, put it out there that that that's challenging, and in a very, again,

138
00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:53,360
rewarding way, but it's, it's challenging. So once you experience that, I think that's, that's, that's,

139
00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:57,600
that's a big learning. And then, you know, what do you do about it? Again, I'm results oriented, so I

140
00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:04,720
asked myself the same question. And, you know, what can I delegate? What can I automate? How can I,

141
00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:11,920
again, have a team of support team around me to support myself, but also support my business so

142
00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:20,000
that so that we can grow in skill. So that's kind of what I'm doing right now, by hiring and recruiting

143
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:26,960
more people to be to be part of the lead rise community. Thank you for being here today. I'm

144
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:32,240
really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as

145
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:36,880
these episodes continue to move forward. This is going to get more and more fun. We'll have more and more

146
00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:41,120
engagement as well. We'll invite people to participate in the show. And thank you for giving

147
00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:46,720
us your time and attention. Have an excellent time building out your vision and becoming a Vision Pro yourself.