1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,160
Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success.

2
00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:14,000
I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you

3
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:21,520
insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise

4
00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:27,440
but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements.

5
00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:33,120
So if you're looking for motivation, you're in the right place. Subscribe now and discover the

6
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,160
milestones that mark the path to success.

7
00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:46,480
Welcome to Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership. I'm Sheila Slick, your host. And

8
00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:55,520
today, my special guest is Teresa Rand, founder and CEO of Teresa Rand Consulting and the boss lady,

9
00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:03,520
Women's Leadership Community. Teresa specializes in career consulting, coaching, and training for

10
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:10,800
organizations and individuals and communities. As founder of the Boss Lady Community and the

11
00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:18,720
Boss Lady podcast, Teresa focuses on women's empowerment, gender equality, and women's issues.

12
00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:25,280
Welcome to the show, Teresa. Thank you, Sheila. I'm excited to be here. I love the name of your show

13
00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:32,240
and we could talk all day long about milestones. This is going to be a great episode. Can you tell

14
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:39,360
us about a specific moment or experience that led you down this career path after many years

15
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:45,840
of working corporate? Yeah, I worked corporate for almost 30 years and really never thought I

16
00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:54,880
would leave. And being an entrepreneur, I'd never thought about it. And I was at a women's

17
00:01:54,880 --> 00:02:01,760
retreat and we were all talking about next stages, what we were working on. And it just was almost

18
00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:08,080
like this epiphany that I announced to that group of eight or nine women that weekend. It was called

19
00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:17,760
a work away weekend that I was going to retire and leave my career. I was 55 years old. I still had

20
00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:22,480
plenty of time to work, but I worked for an organization. So I had some retirement. If I

21
00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:29,200
wanted to retire early, I could go out at 55. And I remember saying it going, looking around like,

22
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:34,800
who just said that? But it just came to me at that moment in listening to the other women,

23
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,360
most of who were entrepreneurs, that I really wanted to do something different. I'd been

24
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:44,880
working with the same organization. I'd moved cities and states and jobs and all of that,

25
00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,520
but with the same organization for all these years. And I wanted to try my hand at something

26
00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:56,160
different. So I told the ladies and I came home. I hired a business coach that helped me come up

27
00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:01,440
with a business plan. Cause I had a moment where I knew I wanted to do something different, but I

28
00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:08,640
didn't really know what that was. So I needed some guidance in figuring out what that path was for

29
00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:15,760
lack of a better analogy, what pain point I could solve for other people. And I created my consulting

30
00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:23,040
company in about the next nine months and left my job within a year. Well, I'm glad you did. Cause

31
00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:30,160
you motivate and educate so many women in our thank you. So looking back at these years, what

32
00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:36,480
are some of the most valuable lessons that you've learned along the way? You know, I have learned so

33
00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:43,920
much in the last six years. It's been six years since I went out on my own. And I learned that even

34
00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:48,720
though I'd been with the same organization, I think the first thing I learned is that I actually had

35
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:55,200
a lot to offer outside of just what I had been doing. And I needed someone else to help me see

36
00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:03,680
that. And often as women, we don't see the value that we bring to other women. And I needed that

37
00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:09,760
guidance from a coach. But what I've also learned is that the business I put on paper six years ago

38
00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:15,360
is not really the same business I'm running today. The women's membership leadership organization

39
00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:20,720
was not part of that business plan. I was going to consult with businesses. I was going to do career

40
00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:27,280
counseling, coaching, and I'm still doing that, but I'm doing a lot more keynote speaking, a lot

41
00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:34,240
more business workshops. I use a lot of personality assessments that I've become certified in. And,

42
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:40,000
oh, by the way, I started the women's leadership organization. So I think the most valuable lesson,

43
00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:48,160
and you know this, is that we have to be open to evolving and get out of our own way, right?

44
00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,960
Yes. And that support that you talk about is really important. It's almost like you're giving

45
00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:58,640
back because that's exactly what you're doing with the boss lady community, which keeps growing.

46
00:04:58,640 --> 00:04:59,520
Right.

47
00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:00,960
So how did that evolve?

48
00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:08,160
That evolved because there was a group here probably 10 years ago now called Boss Lady,

49
00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:14,560
and the young lady that started that moved, and she had done a retreat, hosted a retreat,

50
00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:20,960
and I was not part of her group. It was for young entrepreneurs that were mostly under 40.

51
00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:26,480
And she had a retreat though and asked me to come and be on a panel and talk about, you know,

52
00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:34,160
my career and overcoming obstacles and being a mother and a working mother, all of those things.

53
00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,400
All mothers are working mothers, but a working outside the home working mother.

54
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:45,120
And so I did, and ladies started coming to me and said, you know, Lacey has moved and we really

55
00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:51,040
missed this group. So I took about 10 women to lunch and said, okay, what do you miss?

56
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:57,760
What was it about this group? And we recreated Boss Lady and made it a little different.

57
00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:02,800
Number one, it was a membership. You have to join. Number two, it wasn't just for young women.

58
00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:08,800
And number three, it wasn't just for entrepreneurs. So we have women from all walks of life,

59
00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:16,640
all ages, and we're over 100 now. This will be our fifth anniversary. So we did start it five years

60
00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:23,440
ago, a year into my living in corporate America. So it's been one of the most fun things I do,

61
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:29,520
because like you said, it's fun to give back. It's fun to say, and I say this all the time,

62
00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:34,880
if you're coming up in your career, you're going to make mistakes, right? Everybody's going to make

63
00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:42,720
mistakes. But if I can offer up some guidance and advice on the mistakes I've made, maybe you'll

64
00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:47,520
make difference. And we don't have to keep repeating the same mistakes as women in the

65
00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:54,080
workforce. So it's been a lot of fun. It's been a great road. And it continues to grow. Yep,

66
00:06:54,080 --> 00:07:00,960
continues to grow. So talking about mistakes, we all know setbacks are inevitable. What are some

67
00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:08,320
strategies you use to cultivate resilience and to stay motivated? Cultivating resilience and

68
00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:15,600
staying motivated is very different for everybody, I think. Some people are what we call quote unquote

69
00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:22,800
self motivated. Some need an extra push. It's different for every individual. And so the first

70
00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:29,680
step is finding out what motivates you. And when I coach a client on career clarity, that's an

71
00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:34,400
exercise we go through. What is it that motivates you? What kind of people do you want to be around?

72
00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:42,320
What kind of environment do you want to work in? But what motivates me is seeing accomplishments.

73
00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:48,720
I am an action oriented person. And I love to set a goal and meet that goal. Doesn't mean I always

74
00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:54,240
meet the goals I set every year. But that's what drives me. They're right here on my bulletin board.

75
00:07:54,240 --> 00:08:00,400
They stay in front of me all year long. I speak them out loud. I record them and listen to them

76
00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:07,440
every day. And I try to make steps toward making those goals reality. Even when you get knocked down,

77
00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:13,680
resilience really is just about getting up and going forward. You may have to go forward in a

78
00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:19,840
different direction, but it's getting up and going forward. And the best thing I like to tell people

79
00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:26,800
and I tell myself often is give yourself some grace. Everybody's going to make mistakes.

80
00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:33,040
Everybody's going to get knocked down sometime. Just take a deep breath and just move forward.

81
00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:38,640
One way or the other, just take a small step forward. And then all of a sudden, you've got that

82
00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:44,080
motivation back and that back and you're ready to go again. Maybe a different direction, but you're

83
00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:49,040
ready to go again. I love that. Maybe I'm going to put my goals up so that I can visualize them.

84
00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:54,880
I've got them and I've got them printed, but like in a file. But that's a great idea. Yeah, I keep

85
00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:59,840
mine right in front of me because and I've had years where somebody will say, well, what goals

86
00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:07,040
did you set for the year? And I couldn't remember. So they're right here. I write myself a 30 day

87
00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:13,360
letter every month talking about where I am in the goals. And I listen to that on my way to gym

88
00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:21,680
every day. It really helps sink it into my head is what I'm working on today. Is it intentionally

89
00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:27,840
helping me reach one of my goals? And if not, that's OK. But at least I'm aware that I'm working on

90
00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:34,720
something that's not one of my goals. That's great. Keep them visual, but also do that recap. Yeah.

91
00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:44,320
So what is your next milestone? My next milestone is on that sheet of paper. And I have been working

92
00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:50,800
on a book for a year and a half. I wrote the last chapter last Monday. So I am in the middle of

93
00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:58,640
so I am in the process of interviewing publishers and doing the final edits. So my next milestone

94
00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:04,800
is to get my book published. My hope is it'll be ready to go by the end of the year. My book coach

95
00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:10,400
says it will more than likely be the first quarter of next year. But at least the chapters are written.

96
00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:16,880
It took me a year and a half to do that. It's it's a lot. Congratulations on that huge milestone.

97
00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:22,640
Thank you. Can't wait till it's finished and out there. It's a business book and it's talking about

98
00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:28,800
changes. How we talk about resilience and motivation. You know, we have all the best

99
00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:34,880
life plans, but when something hits us, how do we adapt and how do we change? Because in 30 plus

100
00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:46,160
years of working, not everything went as I planned it. Right. I always say the only constant is change.

101
00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:54,000
Always. And you best learn how to deal with it. Right. Because it can knock you to your knees.

102
00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:59,760
And we we don't always expect it. We don't know what change is going to happen. We're better

103
00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:05,600
equipped if we can figure out on the front end how we adapt to change. And we all adapt differently.

104
00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:12,640
But how do I adapt to change? So when it comes again, I'm more prepared. You can be prepared

105
00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:17,520
for the unprepared. Right. Or the unexpected. You can be prepared for the unexpected.

106
00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:23,360
And how to deal with it and have those strategies and those steps that you're going to offer in that

107
00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:34,320
book. So I'm very excited about that. And that's my next big baby. Get to the finish line. Book one.

108
00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:40,800
Yeah, I know my book coach mentioned a second book and I was like, Chrissy, please, you're stressing

109
00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:46,240
me out. I just have to get through one. Just let me get through one and we'll see what happens from

110
00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:50,640
there. Well, I think now that you've gone through the process, it'll probably be easier for you.

111
00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:55,840
And you'll just think you're right. I think you're right. Just like, you know, you mentioned earlier,

112
00:11:55,840 --> 00:12:02,640
you did with the book, like what's missing or what can I expand on? So I think the hardest one is that

113
00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:13,120
first book. Yeah, I agree. So where can my listeners learn more about you, hire you, learn more about

114
00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:18,960
the community, which I think anyone can join virtually. Right. Yeah, you can. Thank you. We

115
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:23,600
do have a virtual membership. You can join Boss Lady virtually. You can show up for meetings.

116
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:29,920
We have mastermind groups that meet in person. We do virtual education workshops, a lot of different

117
00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:35,840
ways to be connected. And then we have a conference in the fall of every year, September 19th, 20th,

118
00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:41,920
and 21st for this year. And you can find out everything about me more than you want to know

119
00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:52,880
at Teresa T E R E S A, no H, Teresa Rand, R A N D dot com. And the conference is in Daytona Beach.

120
00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:59,360
It is in Daytona Beach, Florida. Members, including virtual members can attend, correct?

121
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:07,120
Any woman can attend. We usually have about 50% members and 50%. We call them future members.

122
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:13,920
So because we have women come from all over the states to our conference, so anyone can attend

123
00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:21,440
the conference. It's open to any woman. It really is about leadership strategies and lessons and

124
00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:27,520
things to learn. We bring in keynote speakers and it's a really great couple of day, re-energizing,

125
00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:32,400
re-motivating type of setting for women. Anytime you get a bunch of women together,

126
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:38,080
it's a lot of fun, right? Can't wait. And you can find all that on the website.

127
00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:47,600
Okay. Well, before we wrap this up, can you offer one key piece of advice to any listeners,

128
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:55,520
specific female listeners, so that they can become the best CEO or boss of their own life?

129
00:13:55,520 --> 00:14:00,080
Absolutely. I said it earlier and I'll say it again. Give yourself some grace.

130
00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:08,320
I do a keynote speech called Superwoman is a Myth. We are not expected nor should we expect

131
00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:13,520
ourselves to be super women. Some days things go well at home. They don't go so great at work.

132
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:19,600
Some days they go great at work. They don't go so great at home. And that's okay. Thinking that we

133
00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:27,760
are going to have perfect balance in our lives every single day sets us up for failure and

134
00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:33,360
disappointment. And as women, we tend to internalize that and beat ourselves up.

135
00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:37,600
So give yourself some grace. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

136
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,680
Love it. So I want to thank you for joining me today.

137
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:47,600
Yeah, you are so welcome. And thank you. I'm so glad that you are a Boss Lady member. Excited

138
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:53,200
for you to get involved and get connected. I know we do a lot of things together in the community

139
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:59,760
and I enjoy working with you and the wisdom that you have to share to other women in our community

140
00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:05,040
and people in general, business people. You have such a wealth of knowledge. So I was excited to

141
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:12,000
be here today. Well, thank you. And I invite all of our listeners to tune in to the Boss Lady podcast.

142
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:19,600
The Boss Lady podcast. You have to have to put the the in there. You have a lot of episodes. You've

143
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:24,400
been doing this for a couple years. Almost four years. Started during the pandemic. You know,

144
00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:32,000
boredom causes you to do things sometimes. So that was one of my things. And that's actually

145
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,880
one of the most fun things I do. And you know this, it's just fun. You meet such fascinating

146
00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:42,720
people, right? And just have good conversations. Yes. So I invite all of my listeners to go check

147
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:50,320
her out. She's got probably over 100 episodes out there. I do. And thank you for joining us

148
00:15:50,320 --> 00:16:07,280
on another episode of Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership.