WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.080 Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:05.960 we explore the journeys that lead to success. 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.220 I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:13.859 Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you 00:00:13.859 --> 00:00:17.100 insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:20.820 and experts who will share not just their expertise, 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.120 but the milestone moments that have reshaped 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.059 their journeys and led to significant achievements. 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.379 So if you're looking for motivation, you're in 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:33.560 the right place. Subscribe now and discover the 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:40.359 milestones that mark the path to success. Welcome 00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:43.380 to another episode of Milestone Moments in Business 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:46.020 and Leadership. I'm Sheila Slick, your host. 00:00:46.219 --> 00:00:50.439 And today, my special guest is Cassandra Hamilton. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.020 Cassandra is a seasoned professional with over 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:56.939 10 years of experience in health quality improvement. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:00.780 coaching, business analysis, and implementation 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:04.799 of digital health tools. Her mission in life 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:08.560 is to identify and bridge gaps in systems with 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.819 the people they were designed to serve. And with 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:15.359 a background in global health, biology, international 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:19.480 development, and coaching, she supports high 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:23.900 achievers balance outer success with inner fulfillment. 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.379 She's also a leadership and alignment coach, 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:31.799 best -selling author, speaker, and founder of 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:35.680 Ready, Set, Realign. Welcome to the show, Cassandra. 00:01:36.299 --> 00:01:38.780 Thank you so much for having me, Sheila. I'm 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:41.480 so excited. Well, I look forward to learning 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:45.680 about you, your journey, and your work. What 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:50.599 led you to become an alignment coach? really 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:54.760 my own process of burnout. So I've always known 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:59.939 that I wanted to use what I could learn to share 00:01:59.939 --> 00:02:02.519 with others and create a positive impact in the 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:06.480 world. That has always been my mission. And I 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:10.300 went to India with my family when I was 13 years 00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:13.580 old, and I saw so many health disparities and 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:17.699 inequities between India and Canada, where I'm 00:02:17.699 --> 00:02:21.909 from. And I came home with just this inner fire 00:02:21.909 --> 00:02:25.449 to try to bridge gaps between what I was seeing 00:02:25.449 --> 00:02:28.150 there and what was happening at home. And I didn't 00:02:28.150 --> 00:02:29.990 understand why people weren't talking about it. 00:02:30.330 --> 00:02:34.669 So that led me to pursue a master's of science 00:02:34.669 --> 00:02:37.689 in global health and work in 11 different countries 00:02:37.689 --> 00:02:41.330 and come home and try to figure out how I could 00:02:41.330 --> 00:02:43.710 make a difference in my own context of Canada. 00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:47.150 So for the last decade, I've been working with 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:50.500 marginalized communities um first nations communities 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:54.639 in canada to try to bridge gaps in like a lot 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:56.919 of remote health centers will be using paper 00:02:56.919 --> 00:03:00.120 systems still to gather health information um 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:02.580 so you can imagine the duplication and the the 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:05.699 cracks that that you know lost information etc 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:08.800 etc so it was like how do we use digital tools 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:13.439 to bring bring them to these remote areas and 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:17.719 create cultural um appropriateness around the 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:19.599 documentation and health information management 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.280 needs of these communities. So it's really bridging 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:27.159 the gap between the needs of this community and 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:29.560 what was out there that could serve them should 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:32.639 it be implemented. appropriately and with a lot 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:38.060 of cultural appropriateness in mind so my own 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:40.419 burnout journey though started when I was in 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:42.840 that process and I was working for doctors of 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:46.139 BC in quality improvement right after my master's 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:50.219 my three of my family members passed away my 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:55.199 dog died and my relationship ended and this all 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.370 happened within a few months and I just fell 00:03:58.370 --> 00:04:00.810 on the floor one day, you know, as a high achiever, 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:03.569 I just, I kept going to a point where my body 00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:06.729 wouldn't let me. And I just fell on the floor 00:04:06.729 --> 00:04:09.810 and I like put my hands up and I was like, I 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:14.509 give up. I was so anxious and so depleted and 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:17.209 so confused because I wanted to make a difference. 00:04:17.230 --> 00:04:21.649 But the societal path before me didn't allow 00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:24.310 for that. You know, I got there, I had the apartment 00:04:24.310 --> 00:04:27.310 downtown, I had the job. I was doing what I thought 00:04:27.310 --> 00:04:30.689 was good work um though it was slow because it 00:04:30.689 --> 00:04:34.050 was with government um and I just I felt this 00:04:34.050 --> 00:04:36.970 emptiness this like this feeling of burnout and 00:04:36.970 --> 00:04:40.009 um since then I've gone through my own personal 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:42.310 growth journey while I've gone through my professional 00:04:42.310 --> 00:04:45.170 journey and I really started to journal about 00:04:45.170 --> 00:04:50.839 my my process and through reading back through 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:53.240 my journals, I recognize like, wow, there's a 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:55.079 lot of tools here that I've integrated that I 00:04:55.079 --> 00:04:58.199 can share with other people to try to support 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.379 them in a faster way from, you know, from a place 00:05:02.379 --> 00:05:05.079 of burnout and confusion and challenge to get 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:07.459 to a place of fulfillment with what they're meant 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:11.639 to be doing in life in a sustained fashion. Because 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:16.339 you can't push and be externally, you know, achieving 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:20.389 all the time without actually aligning with with 00:05:20.389 --> 00:05:22.670 what's going to sustain you as a person and your 00:05:22.670 --> 00:05:25.850 foundation so that's what I do now is I bridge 00:05:25.850 --> 00:05:29.129 gaps with people and systems and then what's 00:05:29.129 --> 00:05:33.149 in between just yeah super passionate about it 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:37.730 so is there like a formula to define high achiever 00:05:37.730 --> 00:05:41.930 I often wonder because if it relies on one own 00:05:41.930 --> 00:05:46.230 self -awareness to say I'm a high achiever what 00:05:46.230 --> 00:05:49.850 are some things that we can think about or reflect 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:54.129 about to decide whether or not we are high achievers? 00:05:55.069 --> 00:05:59.769 Yeah, well, I think that if you value productivity 00:05:59.769 --> 00:06:02.670 and achievement, and those are driving factors 00:06:02.670 --> 00:06:06.810 for you, and you're always trying to feel good 00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:12.579 about yourself, the more you achieve. then that's 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:15.779 a good sign that you're a high achiever. And 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:17.959 you also won't resonate with the word burnout 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.600 because you feel like you can do it all. You 00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:22.899 can keep it all together. You've got this, you 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:27.399 know, and you don't need help. So my challenge 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:30.019 has been, you know, reaching these people before 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:35.740 the time of burnout. and and helping people self 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:38.819 -identify that actually you know i could really 00:06:38.819 --> 00:06:40.879 use support because i know that something's missing 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.800 there's like this emptiness inside and there's 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:46.720 always this chasing and the anxiety of the future 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:48.860 rather than just like a feeling of peace and 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:52.860 fulfillment um so really it's just through conversations 00:06:52.860 --> 00:06:55.600 and education that People start to understand 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:57.680 like, hey, you know, I am experiencing these 00:06:57.680 --> 00:06:59.680 things and I think I do need a bit of support 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.519 to realign what's happening on the inside with 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:06.180 what I'm trying to achieve on the outside. So 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:08.620 tell me a little bit about how you lead with 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:12.579 your four phase inside out framework where you 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:16.319 guide teams and individuals. You help them identify 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:19.160 limiting patterns, strengthen their emotional 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:23.339 resilience and align with their inner world and 00:07:23.339 --> 00:07:25.920 their outward accomplishments, of course, because 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.660 they're high achievers. Yes. Yeah. So again, 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:31.500 this happened through the process of writing 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:34.560 out my journey and going through my journals. 00:07:34.579 --> 00:07:36.360 And so I wasn't actually setting out to write 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:39.189 a book. But what I recognized is there was four 00:07:39.189 --> 00:07:42.269 phases that I went through in order to get where 00:07:42.269 --> 00:07:47.829 I am now. And that I turned into my four -phase 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:51.149 inside -out framework. And that's the framework 00:07:51.149 --> 00:07:53.790 that I use now to guide people through my coaching 00:07:53.790 --> 00:07:58.430 programs, either individually or as a group. 00:07:58.569 --> 00:08:01.509 I love working with groups because we often think 00:08:01.509 --> 00:08:04.240 that we're alone. in the feelings that we're 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:07.120 having and the burnout process. But when you 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:11.079 can start seeing yourself through the eyes and 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.399 stories of other people, you start to understand 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:18.300 that we are all connected and we're all going 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:20.319 through this together. And so I just find it 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:23.480 such a supportive environment to facilitate and 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:28.459 I feel so humbled to lead groups that way. So 00:08:28.459 --> 00:08:31.939 my four -phase approach is the first one. is 00:08:31.939 --> 00:08:34.740 to observe yourself so to remove yourself and 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:37.399 look at things as an observer then to understand 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.559 where these patterns have come from usually it's 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:45.139 linked to messages of you know people like people 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:49.340 pleasing patterns or being told that achievement 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:52.159 was the only way that you had value that kind 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.059 of thing like identifying these patterns and 00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:57.370 understanding after you've observed the pattern. 00:08:57.570 --> 00:09:00.870 Then you go into the Break Free phase, which 00:09:00.870 --> 00:09:04.070 is about introducing new ways of looking at things, 00:09:04.289 --> 00:09:07.389 reframing things, trying new tools. And then 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:09.509 the fourth phase, of course, is starting to live 00:09:09.509 --> 00:09:13.370 from inside out and valuing the foundation that 00:09:13.370 --> 00:09:16.210 you've created, first and foremost, as a vehicle 00:09:16.210 --> 00:09:20.230 to then achieve sustainably. And so you have 00:09:20.230 --> 00:09:23.149 two books, you're a two -time published author, 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:27.259 From the Inside Out. That is the framework that 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:29.720 you're describing now and your coaching program. 00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:34.019 Yes, that's right. And so it's called the magic 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:37.279 of realigning from the inside out. And the magic 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:40.980 part of it is the idea that, oh, I get goosebumps 00:09:40.980 --> 00:09:45.480 every time I talk about this, but we are magicians 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:48.700 of our life. And this is why I went into biology, 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:52.419 because I was so... fascinated with the miracles 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:55.519 and the timing of everything that needed to happen 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:58.639 for even us just to take one breath, you know, 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:00.639 the thousands of processes that need to happen 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:03.919 in our body for one breath. So I felt like that 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:06.159 was magic. And so I've always had this sort of 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:09.879 magical, this perspective that life is magical 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:11.740 if we allow it to be, and if we can see it that 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:14.740 way. So I started to, I've always been fascinated 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:20.200 by words as well, and the word abracadabra. literally 00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:25.080 means with my word I create so I started to think 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:26.759 about that I'm like okay where do words come 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:29.919 from well they're thoughts with a thought the 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:33.100 thought becomes a word the word becomes an action 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:35.879 in our identity and that becomes our reality 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:40.320 so we are literally every day creating magic 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.980 through communication and through the words that 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:47.429 we're using Yeah, so that's where the concept 00:10:47.429 --> 00:10:50.789 of magic comes in, because I try my very best 00:10:50.789 --> 00:10:53.690 to be intentional about the words that I use 00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:59.029 and how I'm saying things and living life intentionally 00:10:59.029 --> 00:11:03.909 also very much, you know, impacts and frames 00:11:03.909 --> 00:11:07.049 the coaching that I provide, because it's all 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:10.289 about taking a step back, pausing and choosing 00:11:10.289 --> 00:11:14.600 to react differently than we have. So for this 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:21.539 year, what is your next milestone? Well, I had 00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:24.799 an epiphany recently because I'm a leadership 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:28.480 and alignment coach. And I was starting to, I 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:30.919 really put myself out there with this book. And 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.700 then I started to say to myself, okay, this, 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:36.700 the sales approach of like outreach and like 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:38.879 trying to like find clients, you know, to make 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:41.309 this a sustainable business. Like it just. There 00:11:41.309 --> 00:11:43.450 was something that was misaligned for me and 00:11:43.450 --> 00:11:46.250 it felt a bit crunchy and frustrating, if I'm 00:11:46.250 --> 00:11:49.549 quite honest. And I didn't quite understand what 00:11:49.549 --> 00:11:52.350 needed to shift. So I took a step back myself 00:11:52.350 --> 00:11:56.690 in my business and I was like, OK, what's important 00:11:56.690 --> 00:12:02.029 to me? Community, contribution, connection. What 00:12:02.029 --> 00:12:05.950 if I start there? So my mission this year is 00:12:05.950 --> 00:12:11.340 to create community and give other women. voice 00:12:11.340 --> 00:12:17.500 and support by hosting events that allow women 00:12:17.500 --> 00:12:19.419 to come and hear from other women who've gone 00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:22.299 through similar processes and be seen and heard 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.639 and identify with each other and also give platforms 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:28.059 for women leaders who want to share their top 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:30.419 tips from what they've learned on their journey. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:35.460 And from there, I would like to create a book 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:40.799 series to amplify and create more impact and 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:46.039 more reach with with these stories because many 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:49.559 hands make light work and the more we do this 00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:51.539 together and support each other they there's 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:54.259 like this collective support that happens and 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:56.460 that is the positive ripple effect that I want 00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:59.080 to create in the world and I just know that you 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:02.100 know from that place it feels so much more in 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:06.549 alignment than the approach of sales and you 00:13:06.549 --> 00:13:08.990 know everything else this feels so much better 00:13:08.990 --> 00:13:12.029 so I've had a big shift in the last week and 00:13:12.029 --> 00:13:15.490 everything is starting to fall into place so 00:13:15.490 --> 00:13:18.110 I know it's the right move and I'm so excited 00:13:18.110 --> 00:13:20.970 for this year and as a two -time best -selling 00:13:20.970 --> 00:13:23.950 author it aligns with what you're doing so it's 00:13:23.950 --> 00:13:27.250 just the next phase like an evolution of your 00:13:27.250 --> 00:13:31.730 own journey yes Before we wrap this up, what 00:13:31.730 --> 00:13:35.210 is one key takeaway that we can learn from you 00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:40.269 today and take a step towards living a better 00:13:40.269 --> 00:13:45.830 life? In this day and age, it is so easy to get 00:13:45.830 --> 00:13:49.330 overwhelmed and anxious about the future, the 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:53.289 state of the world, security, the climate, you 00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:56.070 know, anything. There's so many things to get 00:13:56.070 --> 00:13:59.080 worried about. And so it creates this feeling 00:13:59.080 --> 00:14:04.940 of reactivity to what's happening outside. So 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:08.960 if we can take a step back, I always say that 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:15.279 the power is in the pause. Your magic and the 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:18.379 way that you show up in the world starts with 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:21.960 taking a pause. Choosing how you're going to 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:25.539 respond. Because how we show up determines... 00:14:26.250 --> 00:14:29.230 how we feel on the inside, right? And it doesn't 00:14:29.230 --> 00:14:31.149 matter what's happening out there. It can be 00:14:31.149 --> 00:14:33.409 water off a duck's back if you're in the right 00:14:33.409 --> 00:14:37.529 headspace and if you're feeling good about where 00:14:37.529 --> 00:14:40.070 you are in your body, your nervous system is 00:14:40.070 --> 00:14:44.889 regulated. So I would say if there's one takeaway, 00:14:45.049 --> 00:14:49.490 it would be to start to take a pause. Every time 00:14:49.490 --> 00:14:52.889 you get reactive to something, Take a pause. 00:14:53.049 --> 00:14:55.070 And there's many tools you can use from that 00:14:55.070 --> 00:14:58.990 point, which I can share with you and guide you 00:14:58.990 --> 00:15:01.610 through. But that is the first step. And that's 00:15:01.610 --> 00:15:05.129 where life starts to become magical again. I 00:15:05.129 --> 00:15:08.059 love that. So where can we find you online? My 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:12.720 website is www .readysetrealign .ca. My book, 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:14.919 The Magic of Realigning from the Inside Out is 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:17.480 on Amazon and 50 other platforms. There's an 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.620 audio book coming out soon. And I'm super open 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:22.799 to just, if anyone wants to connect with me, 00:15:22.840 --> 00:15:26.580 I have a QR code behind me here and you can just 00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:28.500 book into my calendar. I just love connecting. 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:31.460 So virtual coffee is all over my calendar and 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:33.980 I love it. So feel free to reach out. And if 00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:35.580 you heard anything you liked today, I'd love 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:38.299 to. Talk about it further. I'm obviously very 00:15:38.299 --> 00:15:41.500 passionate about this. Thank you so much for 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:44.059 joining me. I will make sure to leave your links 00:15:44.059 --> 00:15:47.639 in the description of the show. Thank you so 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:49.759 much, Sheila. I appreciate you providing this 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:52.700 platform for me to share. And thank you all for 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:55.779 tuning in to another episode of Milestone Moments 00:15:55.779 --> 00:15:58.580 in Business and Leadership. Until next time.