WEBVTT 00:00:00.569 --> 00:00:03.250 Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast 00:00:03.250 --> 00:00:05.389 where we dive into leadership, small business, 00:00:05.629 --> 00:00:08.050 and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your 00:00:08.050 --> 00:00:10.310 host and the proud owner of White Puny Boutique, 00:00:10.750 --> 00:00:13.509 a space created to empower women, build confidence, 00:00:13.730 --> 00:00:16.190 and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're 00:00:16.190 --> 00:00:18.949 an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone 00:00:18.949 --> 00:00:21.730 just looking for a little inspiration. This is 00:00:21.730 --> 00:00:24.829 your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired. 00:00:25.109 --> 00:00:27.989 Join me as we share stories, strategies, and 00:00:27.989 --> 00:00:30.350 a little bit of life's chaos while navigating 00:00:30.350 --> 00:00:32.950 what it truly means to level up in starting a 00:00:32.950 --> 00:00:35.409 business, relationship, and personal growth. 00:00:35.750 --> 00:00:38.750 So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's 00:00:38.750 --> 00:00:43.070 level up together. Hey friends, it's Lindsey 00:00:43.070 --> 00:00:45.350 and today I want to talk about something every 00:00:45.350 --> 00:00:48.149 leader, every business owner or person who carries 00:00:48.149 --> 00:00:51.350 responsibility will definitely understand. Those 00:00:51.350 --> 00:00:54.750 days when the spark just feels a little dimmer. 00:00:54.950 --> 00:00:58.439 The truth is leadership is hard some days. Owning 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:02.460 a business is hard some days. Managing five or 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.260 15 different personalities, or even if you have 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:09.319 a team of 60 plus people's emotions as a business 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.700 owner or manager, their schedules and their needs, 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:16.099 it is a lot. And I think sometimes we assume 00:01:16.099 --> 00:01:18.799 that if you love what you do, it should always 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:21.340 feel exciting and fulfilling. But here's the 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:24.180 actual reality. Even when you're doing what you're 00:01:24.180 --> 00:01:26.780 called to do, there will be days when it feels 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.129 heavy. That doesn't mean you've lost your passion. 00:01:29.489 --> 00:01:31.810 It doesn't mean you're burnt out. It means you're 00:01:31.810 --> 00:01:34.890 human and you're leading in this real world. 00:01:35.269 --> 00:01:37.609 When people picture leadership, they often think 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:40.310 of the highlight reel, the wins, the big decisions, 00:01:40.489 --> 00:01:43.530 the passion and the drive. But behind every successful 00:01:43.530 --> 00:01:48.189 moment, are hundreds of quiet, unseen ones where 00:01:48.189 --> 00:01:51.530 you're balancing priorities, managing emotions, 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:54.530 making calls, or writing important emails no 00:01:54.530 --> 00:01:57.290 one else sees, and carrying weight that doesn't 00:01:57.290 --> 00:01:59.629 always show. Some days you're leading with full 00:01:59.629 --> 00:02:01.930 energy and clarity, and other days you're leading 00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:05.129 through exhaustion, uncertainty, or even the 00:02:05.129 --> 00:02:07.849 noise. And guess what? Both versions are still 00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:09.569 leadership. There are days when you feel the 00:02:09.569 --> 00:02:12.750 fire deep in your tummy. Everything just clicks. 00:02:13.389 --> 00:02:15.550 And there are days when you're running on grace 00:02:15.550 --> 00:02:18.229 and grit, trusting that it still matters. You 00:02:18.229 --> 00:02:21.530 know what? Both are part of the process. Over 00:02:21.530 --> 00:02:23.289 time, I've learned that leadership doesn't always 00:02:23.289 --> 00:02:25.930 look like fireworks. Sometimes it's a real quiet 00:02:25.930 --> 00:02:28.710 glow. The spark isn't gone. It's just changing 00:02:28.710 --> 00:02:31.289 shape. It shows up in the quiet moments. When 00:02:31.289 --> 00:02:33.930 you listen instead of react. When you encourage 00:02:33.930 --> 00:02:36.509 a teammate who's struggling. When you keep showing 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:39.330 up, even when no one is clapping. Those steady 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:42.889 moments are where real leadership happens. Not 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:46.009 the spotlight, but the small consistent choices 00:02:46.009 --> 00:02:49.229 that build trust and culture. If leadership has 00:02:49.229 --> 00:02:51.590 ever felt heavy, remember this, you were never 00:02:51.590 --> 00:02:54.069 meant to carry it perfectly. You were meant to 00:02:54.069 --> 00:02:57.990 carry it with purpose. Some days are about momentum 00:02:57.990 --> 00:03:00.669 and others are about maintenance. Some days are 00:03:00.669 --> 00:03:03.469 about growth, others about grounding. And none 00:03:03.469 --> 00:03:05.389 of that means you're failing. It means you're 00:03:05.389 --> 00:03:09.240 doing the work, the real work of leading people 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:11.819 and not just the processes. You know, it's easy 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:13.819 to talk about leadership in theory, but I think 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:15.680 the real lessons show up right in the middle 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:17.800 of everyday life. There was a day recently when 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:19.800 everything seemed to need my attention at once. 00:03:19.939 --> 00:03:22.240 A delivery issue, questions from different employees 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:24.060 that needed my attention right then and there, 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:27.860 a fraud case, an annual audit that must get done, 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:29.939 holiday details that needed to be worked on, 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:32.620 a counting list of to -dos, my college -bound 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:36.120 daughter eager to find a perfect fit, four voicemails, 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:39.939 18 text messages, and five messages all marked 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:42.969 urgent. In my personal email, all while I have 00:03:42.969 --> 00:03:45.710 a husband who works very full time, gone for 00:03:45.710 --> 00:03:47.750 the upcoming weekend. And guess what? We're short 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:51.050 staffed. That right there is owning a business. 00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:54.449 And for a moment, I caught myself thinking, this 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:58.289 is a lot. All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe. 00:03:59.389 --> 00:04:03.610 But then it hit me. This is leadership. I sat 00:04:03.610 --> 00:04:05.870 for a minute and thought, but Linds, you were 00:04:05.870 --> 00:04:08.770 made for this. It's the ability to stay calm 00:04:08.770 --> 00:04:11.629 when everything else needs your steadiness. It's 00:04:11.629 --> 00:04:14.169 not glamorous, but it definitely is real. And 00:04:14.169 --> 00:04:15.830 those are the moments that build trust more than 00:04:15.830 --> 00:04:18.129 any title ever could. Then there was a pivot 00:04:18.129 --> 00:04:20.550 day. Trust me, in the business I'm in right now, 00:04:20.569 --> 00:04:23.790 it happens so often. One of those times a plan 00:04:23.790 --> 00:04:27.370 we worked on so hard suddenly fell apart, or 00:04:27.370 --> 00:04:29.610 didn't work, or a piece of our plan was missing. 00:04:29.850 --> 00:04:32.170 Instead of letting frustration take over, it 00:04:32.170 --> 00:04:34.110 was a moment I sat for a brief minute. I wrote 00:04:34.110 --> 00:04:38.040 notes of what didn't work. I made notes of ideas 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:40.259 and brainstormed and by the end of the afternoon 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:43.000 I laid out a new plan. This plan that involved 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:45.759 my team in a completely different way, a plan 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:49.540 that I made was probably better for everyone's 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:51.699 growth and improvement from the very original 00:04:51.699 --> 00:04:54.939 idea. That day reminded me of this. Leadership 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:57.639 isn't about avoiding challenges. It's about adapting 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:01.509 with heart and strategy. The spark doesn't only 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:03.290 show up when things go right, let me tell you 00:05:03.290 --> 00:05:06.310 this. Sometimes it reignites when you remember 00:05:06.310 --> 00:05:09.110 what you are capable of under pressure. And then 00:05:09.110 --> 00:05:11.170 there are the quiet drives home. The ones where 00:05:11.170 --> 00:05:14.170 the store lights are off, the music's low, or 00:05:14.170 --> 00:05:15.870 honestly a lot of times in a car ride home it's 00:05:15.870 --> 00:05:18.290 off for me, and it's just me reflecting on the 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:21.610 day. That's when I feel it the most. That mix 00:05:21.610 --> 00:05:25.339 of exhaustion and gratitude. Because even on 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:29.220 the hard days I get to lead something so incredibly 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:32.480 meaningful. That alone, that thought alone, always 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.279 brings a spark right back to my soul. If you've 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.120 been in a season where leadership feels more 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:39.560 like responsibility than reward, I want to leave 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:41.939 you with something practical, what I call the 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:44.120 heart audit. It's three simple questions you 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:46.680 can ask yourself at the end of the day. One, 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:51.110 what actually mattered the most today? Two, who 00:05:51.110 --> 00:05:54.889 did I positively impact even in the smallest, 00:05:55.009 --> 00:05:58.290 smallest way today? Three, what's one thing I'm 00:05:58.290 --> 00:06:02.389 proud of that no one else noticed? When you stop 00:06:02.389 --> 00:06:04.810 to answer those, you realize your spark never 00:06:04.810 --> 00:06:08.569 left. It's been quietly fueling everyone around 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:11.750 you. So yes, leadership is indeed hard on some 00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:14.209 days. Wanting a business is hard on some days, 00:06:14.209 --> 00:06:17.050 but those hard days are proof that you care so 00:06:17.050 --> 00:06:19.470 deeply. They're proof that you're showing up. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:21.680 that you're invested in, that you're building 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:23.819 something that truly matters. You don't have 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.860 to feel on fire every day to make an impact. 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:29.180 Sometimes the strongest leaders are the ones 00:06:29.180 --> 00:06:32.100 who quietly keep showing up steady, faithful, 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:35.360 and grounded. Your spark is still there. It might 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.279 not always look the same as it did in the beginning, 00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:41.220 but it's wiser now. It's more intentional, deeply, 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:45.019 deeply rooted in purpose. Keep leading with heart. 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:48.360 The world needs your kind of light, steady, genuine, 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:51.600 and real light. Thank you for tuning in to Leveling 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:54.040 Up with Lindsay. If today's episode encouraged 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:56.360 you, share it with another leader who could use 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:00.100 this reminder too. Until next time, stay grounded, 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:03.980 stay grateful, and keep leveling up. Thank you 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:05.879 for listening. If you found this information 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:08.649 helpful, please share it with a friend. If you're 00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:10.370 looking for more information on the topics we 00:07:10.370 --> 00:07:12.810 covered, please head to the show notes below. 00:07:13.370 --> 00:07:15.730 And if you wouldn't mind leaving a five -star 00:07:15.730 --> 00:07:18.370 rating and review, this would help this mission 00:07:18.370 --> 00:07:21.589 and our journey to get started. Let's make today 00:07:21.589 --> 00:07:25.149 and every day an opportunity to level up. Until 00:07:25.149 --> 00:07:28.370 next time, keep dreaming, keep striving, and 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:29.870 keep making a difference.