Latest / Finding New Waters / Getting from Stuck to Structured with The GOALDEN System: Kate Wade & Krissy Metzler
Transcript
- 0:00That it's not necessarily that there is one particular group of
- 0:04individuals that we would say is more difficult to work with
- 0:06because it's we can work with anybody.
- 0:10Executive function skills are for everybody.
- 0:13So but we look a lot at mindset of like, Are you ready to make
- 0:19change? Are you willing to put yourself
- 0:22in a position where you might feel a little uncomfortable,
- 0:24right. Because changing things is
- 0:26difficult and our brain likes to take the path of least
- 0:31resistance, which tends to be the actions we've always been
- 0:34doing all. Right.
- 0:38Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Bea Reeves.
- 0:40I'm the Director of Business Development here at New Waters
- 0:42Recovery in Raleigh. And today our special guests are
- 0:47Kate Wade and Chrissy Metzler. I had the pleasure of meeting
- 0:52Kate Reese Kate recently at a conference in Charleston and I
- 0:59just was really interested in what she what she does.
- 1:03And now I know that she and Chrissy do it together.
- 1:07And so I just thought she'd be a really good guest to have on
- 1:09here today. And so I'm going to kind of just
- 1:12say welcome to you 2 from the Golden system.
- 1:15That's GOALDEN. And I just want y'all just to
- 1:21say, you know, just tell us what you do.
- 1:23I'll start with you, Kate. Of course.
- 1:25Yeah. So we are executive function
- 1:28coaches. And when we say those words
- 1:32together, oftentimes people tend to be a little confused, right?
- 1:36Like, oh, you're executive coaches, you work with high
- 1:38level folks and yeah, we work with them, but we work with
- 1:41everyone. Executive function skills tend
- 1:45to confuse people because it's a word we don't usually associate
- 1:48with what they are. So when we talk about executive
- 1:51function skills, we're talking about planning, prioritizing,
- 1:54time management, organizing all of the things we do on a regular
- 1:59basis from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed.
- 2:02And for some folks, and in fact for many folks, a lot of these
- 2:05skills can be difficult depending on the situation in
- 2:10which we have to implement them. So for example, you know,
- 2:14organizing your work desk might be really easy for you, but
- 2:19organizing your house might not be easy for you.
- 2:22And it's the same skill, but it's two different places that
- 2:26you're actually trying to do those things.
- 2:28So things like that, our executive function skills and
- 2:32what Chrissy and I do is we make people feel confident and
- 2:37empowered to try new systems and strategies to make their day
- 2:40better because we all deserve to have a really good day and not
- 2:44be stressed out, not be overwhelmed.
- 2:47So we say we help people from 16 all the way up to 60.
- 2:51Cool. Yeah.
- 2:53How did you all meet? This is a good one.
- 2:57We worked at another company together and branched off and
- 3:01did our own thing. The Golden System is turning 3
- 3:06this month, so. But we have been executive
- 3:09function coaches for a decade, so we've been in this world.
- 3:14We can talk about EF skills for days.
- 3:17We are ridiculously passionate about it.
- 3:19So we our paths crossed and we started the Golden System and
- 3:25here we are. Yeah.
- 3:27And fun fact, Chrissy and I actually did not meet in person
- 3:31until our business was already established.
- 3:34That's amazing. Yeah, that's another positive
- 3:37from COVID, I guess. Well, funny enough, we actually
- 3:41worked together before COVID. So we had been working digitally
- 3:45then virtually before COVID started and we continued and
- 3:49even started our business fully virtually.
- 3:52So it's kind of a fun little tidbit about us and our
- 3:57experience together that we worked really well together and
- 4:01just knew that we wanted to start a business too.
- 4:04That's amazing. I when we talked Kate one day,
- 4:10you know, I mentioned that I'm, you know, I definitely have ADD
- 4:13just kind of live with it. I mean, is, is a person like me
- 4:17who's, you know, quote UN quote normal functioning human being,
- 4:24Do I fit? Am I the kind of person you're
- 4:26looking for? Or do people need to be kind of
- 4:29or they can't quite get from A to B?
- 4:31What what what? What's your ideal client look
- 4:34like? So our client, yeah, it's you,
- 4:37it's anybody. It's anybody who wants their day
- 4:40to look different. And it doesn't mean that you are
- 4:43stuck and can't proceed or that you're not high functioning,
- 4:47that you can't get through your day on a regular basis.
- 4:49We really help people. We are the golden system, right?
- 4:52So we help people who specifically have something in
- 4:56mind that they want to be different or a thing that they
- 4:59want to accomplish. And having those milestones,
- 5:02having those things to work towards really encourages that
- 5:06behavior because you are going to change it.
- 5:09So Chrissy and I always say, we're not experts in what you
- 5:11do, but we are experts in behavior change.
- 5:15So we understand what it takes to make small modifications
- 5:19throughout your day, to think about something a little bit
- 5:22differently, or to try something new.
- 5:24We know what that takes, and we also know what it takes to be
- 5:27successful and to continue with that new strategy or skill.
- 5:31That's our expertise. So, Chrissy, I, I saw when I was
- 5:36doing some little bit of research on you, I usually like
- 5:38to just do a little bit, but I want this to be fresh and not
- 5:41seem rehearsed. So I did notice you that, you
- 5:44know, you have the golden system, which is a play on
- 5:46words, but then you have your that the acronym itself system.
- 5:50Can you go through that and kind of talk about what each letter
- 5:52stands for? Yes.
- 5:54So our system that we have built is based on science.
- 6:00Everything we do, we love science, everything's based on
- 6:02science. So we kind of took an extended
- 6:05model of the growth system, which some may be familiar with,
- 6:10but our system is the foundation of everything that we do.
- 6:14So we want to look at, you know, setting the goals, setting your
- 6:21goals, looking at where you're at right now, The I'm like
- 6:28blanking on spelling. Right now, we strategize after
- 6:32that. We are looking at the different
- 6:37techniques, the strategies of what can actually get you to
- 6:43remaining motivated, but we also have to evaluate what's
- 6:47happening. So that was one piece that we
- 6:49need to look at the grow model. We kind of were like we're
- 6:52missing a piece here. We need to be able to evaluate
- 6:56what we're actually doing and why things are or are not
- 7:00working in order to really make things stick.
- 7:03Because our goal is always going to be to help people get that,
- 7:07to use this system as a foundation to be able to apply
- 7:12to other areas of their life, to be able to reach different goals
- 7:17by using the same proven system. Yeah, well.
- 7:22I think go ahead. Oh yeah.
- 7:24So it really is. So we have kind of two things at
- 7:27play in the golden system, right?
- 7:29So we specialize in executive function behaviors.
- 7:32So when we're talking about when Chrissy is talking about
- 7:35strategizing and taking action and really putting things into
- 7:39play, like actually trying to do things.
- 7:42That's. When we're actually being able
- 7:44to identify the specific executive function area that
- 7:47we're working in, right? So if somebody wants to get
- 7:51better at managing their household schedule, right, we're
- 7:55going to say what things can we actually do?
- 7:58What have you done previously, right?
- 8:00So that's the year now what have you done previously that's
- 8:03worked or has not worked? And then we're going to say,
- 8:05well, here maybe let's try this. And when we do that, let's try
- 8:10this. That's in our strategizing and
- 8:12taking action space. We're actually following up with
- 8:16our clients. There's accountability there.
- 8:18And then that evaluation piece, right?
- 8:20So our clients try something and then they're like, wait, that
- 8:23didn't feel good. I completely forgot about it,
- 8:26right? So if some people who are not a
- 8:28divergent, you need to be able to see things.
- 8:30And if you don't see it, you're not going to follow through with
- 8:33it. You're not going to go back to
- 8:34it. It just kind of disappears.
- 8:36So we want to make sure that we evaluate what we're actually
- 8:39doing to ensure that is working for our clients and then they're
- 8:43going to continue wanting to use it.
- 8:45So we kind of, so goals are our foundation.
- 8:49We have this system of behavior change, but within that we are
- 8:54addressing those particular skills that bear to be improved
- 8:58upon. They're like muscles, right?
- 9:00You want to build up your muscles, make yourself stronger,
- 9:03make your day better. Well, and there's no one size of
- 9:06the reasons. I'm so sorry.
- 9:08Go ahead. No, no, I'm keep interrupting
- 9:10each other, but I, I just wanted to say when I, when I met Kate
- 9:14and then we had a, we talked again.
- 9:16I just remember thinking, this is such a nice it.
- 9:20It's a good fit for the general recovery, behavioral health,
- 9:25mental health treatment sort of add on, if that's the right
- 9:29word. Because speaking from personal
- 9:32experience and what I see in my life in recovery, in my
- 9:35professional life, working for a treatment center where we do
- 9:38detox in the mini residential, but also diagnostic assessments
- 9:41for people who may or may not even drink or use drugs at all.
- 9:44But a lot of times, and I'm talking about myself too, but
- 9:48you know, we we get sober, get through like a really tough part
- 9:51of our lives. And then all of a sudden we're
- 9:53living in this new way. But we still don't really know
- 9:56how to do some of the simple things that just are that are
- 9:59come second nature to seemingly everybody else.
- 10:03You know, I mean, one of the things that we hear, you know,
- 10:06in recovery is people say, you know, I, I feel like I didn't
- 10:10get the map or the map was upside down and that kind of
- 10:12thing. And so that's, that's sort of
- 10:15what it was like, what it was like.
- 10:17And then we, it get better and then I'll, but then it's life is
- 10:21still there. And, and it becomes really
- 10:23frustrating when we're like, wait, I'm, I'm in my, I'm
- 10:27speaking for me. I'm sober now.
- 10:29How, how come I'm not dialed in in every aspect of my life?
- 10:33We kind of think that everything just magically falls into place
- 10:37and even if we in in and just working hard at it is great.
- 10:41But if we're working at the wrong thing or or or looking at
- 10:44it the wrong way. So I guess kind of speak to that
- 10:47and who what you see from coming in your world from my world.
- 10:52Well, and that's, I can see Kate kind of nodding along with me
- 10:55because she knows where I'm going with this.
- 10:57Because what you're saying is really normal for what we hear.
- 11:01And one of the best things that I tell people is that like we
- 11:04have to take the word just out of our language, mainly because
- 11:09it gets used in such a will just use a Google Calendar and you
- 11:12can manage your time. No, that's not how it works.
- 11:17And I I do tend to crack the joke of like just do it has made
- 11:20Nike billions of dollars. It doesn't work for brains
- 11:24though. It works for Nike and they're
- 11:26awesome slogan. It does not work for our brains
- 11:28because with everything we do at the golden system through the
- 11:34evaluation process of did this work?
- 11:36Did pieces of it work? How did you feel?
- 11:39How can we help move forward with this?
- 11:41That's because there is no just do this kind of mantra about it.
- 11:47There is no one-size-fits-all. So every tool and strategy can
- 11:52be adapted to you, but we certainly hear that a lot of
- 11:58like, well, I wish I could just insert anything from leave the
- 12:02house on time to be able to remember all the things in my To
- 12:06Do List. Or there are 1,000,000 different
- 12:09things you can fill in that sentence with.
- 12:11But there's an understanding that the people who seemingly
- 12:17have all of that stuff together, they don't.
- 12:20And if they do, that's because they've built a system that
- 12:23works for them. But the thing about executive
- 12:25function skills is, most of the time people aren't ever taught
- 12:29explicitly how to use them to their advantage for.
- 12:34Their brain and because so often, right, a lot of the so
- 12:40executive function skills. Let's get brain sciency for a
- 12:42minute, right? So it's housed in our prefrontal
- 12:45cortex. It's the front of our brain.
- 12:48You know, we're born with our brain, but we are not born with
- 12:52all of these skills intact, right?
- 12:54Our brain is not fully developed until we're between 28 and 30
- 12:57years old. And even then, right, we can
- 13:00still develop new neural pathways, but that really
- 13:04critical time and, and so much right of, you know, childhood
- 13:10trauma and addiction and things like that, that can really
- 13:13affect your brain development. And.
- 13:16And how you move into the world. So the your prefrontal cortex,
- 13:20you do not automatic. Like there's no button.
- 13:23That's like, I'm going to be really good at planning boop.
- 13:26No, we actually developed these skills through observing
- 13:30behaviours, having people around us model how to do that.
- 13:34But again, like Chrissy said, if you, if your brain does not work
- 13:39the way the brains around you work, trying to learn those
- 13:45behaviors from those people, it's not going to be helpful to
- 13:49you. And right.
- 13:50And that's also when we have this perceived notion of all
- 13:53these other people can do this, they're doing all this stuff.
- 13:55I tried to do what they do and it's not working for me.
- 13:58Why? What's wrong with me?
- 14:00And it's not necessarily about blaming ourselves or taking that
- 14:05weight on. It's learning.
- 14:07Let's learn about what my brain needs, right?
- 14:11So, and if you are in a recovery space, you have probably had a
- 14:15conversation some at some point about why you're in recovery in
- 14:20the 1st place, what your brain was doing and the things that
- 14:23you were using to make your brain feel better.
- 14:26You no longer have those things. So really, Chrissy and I are
- 14:30really intentional about helping people understand how their
- 14:33brains work. And we also discover that in our
- 14:36partnership with our clients when we talk about, OK, So what
- 14:39worked for you? What makes you feel good?
- 14:41What makes you feel productive? What makes you feel happy?
- 14:44What you know, let's lean into the things that work for you.
- 14:48And we are just going to elevate and we're just going to push you
- 14:51down the road and we're going to follow that Choo Choo train to
- 14:54success. You know, like we're going to
- 14:55make sure that we lean into whatever works for you.
- 14:59You mentioned the word the term neurodivergent.
- 15:04Yes. What, what just tell us what it
- 15:09means because we, we hear it a lot.
- 15:10It's sort of AI don't want to say buzzword, but it kind of is.
- 15:14And the same way at the beginning of this conversation,
- 15:17you said a lot of times people say, oh, executive function, you
- 15:20must be working with CEOs and maybe that you can.
- 15:23But sometimes we lose sight of what the definition really is.
- 15:28So what? What?
- 15:28What is it? Neurodivergent?
- 15:30So really the word neurodivergent really didn't
- 15:34come about until the mid to late 90s was when it first started
- 15:39being coined and used. It is generally used now and
- 15:43it's kind of a umbrella term for people who have different types
- 15:50of exhibiting different types of neuro developmental needs,
- 15:55right. So if you have people who are on
- 15:59the spectrum, so within the autism spectrum, and we also
- 16:02know again, right, a lot of definitions have been changing.
- 16:06But in terms of diagnostics, so I'm treading carefully here, but
- 16:11people who are diagnosed or identify as having ADHD or ADD,
- 16:15again, the language there has shifted within the past, what,
- 16:19five years? Chrissy?
- 16:20Yeah, So neuro divergent really just means that people's brains
- 16:28really process things just differently.
- 16:30And so it's kind of an umbrella term that covers a lot of
- 16:34neurodivergence, right. So autism spectrum, ADHD, people
- 16:40with, you know, people learning differences.
- 16:42So help me this calculus and all these kind of different things.
- 16:49It's kind of an umbrella term. It's kind of people who learn a
- 16:52little bit differently and their brains need something else to
- 16:55learn. What's the of the, of the, the
- 17:01of the diagnosis or the diagnosis, what are the, what is
- 17:06the toughest or the what are the toughest diagnosis, diagnosis
- 17:10under that umbrella to, to sort of for you to work with
- 17:15basically and to help. Well, so Christy and I really
- 17:20are very much upfront. We are not therapists, so we
- 17:23don't do diagnosis. That's not our job.
- 17:26Often times we will partner with counselors, therapists and that
- 17:30space. We have worked with people of
- 17:33all different abilities. You know, we work with
- 17:36neurotypical individuals as well, so working with people who
- 17:40are neurodivergent. Christy and I both are
- 17:42specialized. We come from an education
- 17:44background, so that is kind of our specialty.
- 17:47I would say it's not even a neurodivergent that's difficult
- 17:51to work with and someone who's resistant to change.
- 17:54That's what I was going to say is that it's not necessarily
- 17:57that there is one particular group of individuals that we
- 18:00would say is more difficult to work with because it's we can
- 18:05work with anybody. Executive function skills are
- 18:08for everybody. So, but we look a lot at mindset
- 18:13of like, Are you ready to make change?
- 18:15Are you willing to put yourself in a position where you might
- 18:18feel a little uncomfortable, right.
- 18:20Because changing things is difficult in our brain likes to
- 18:25take the path of least resistance, which tends to be
- 18:29the actions we've always been doing.
- 18:32So they're certainly not a group of people or a diagnosis that
- 18:36is, you know, you cannot be helped through coaching.
- 18:40That's not the case by any stretch of the imagination.
- 18:45It's really being able for us to meet people where they're at.
- 18:48And we focus very heavily on the positives of like, OK, well,
- 18:51what are the good things that you are experiencing?
- 18:55Because many times people who may be neurodivergent will
- 19:01qualify themselves as, you know, well, I do XY and Z, that makes
- 19:06me a worse employee or that's a weakness.
- 19:10And really, it's not necessarily a weakness.
- 19:13It's how can we frame it and use those strengths to your
- 19:16advantage. Because you should be able to
- 19:19have all of the same opportunities and gain these
- 19:22extra skills and strategies to lead the life that you want to
- 19:26lead. I can imagine you're talking
- 19:29about the are they willing to be uncomfortable and like life in
- 19:34general? And I mean, it could be anything
- 19:36from playing golf where you where I'm not a great golfer.
- 19:44It's a golf. But what happens is if I, if I
- 19:47take lessons and it's kind of whether somebody's going into a,
- 19:52you know, a 12 step meeting, coming to treatment, going to
- 19:55see you going to get a golf lesson.
- 19:57On some level, that person is asking for help and then.
- 20:01I go to the golf lesson and the guy shows me what to do on the
- 20:04driving range and it fixes my grip and my swing and things go
- 20:08really well. Then I go play golf and I hit
- 20:12two shots with my new grip that the guy taught me and and it
- 20:15doesn't go well. So I go back to my old ways,
- 20:18which was not working very well, but it was comfortable.
- 20:21I mean, that sounds like that's what you're talking about.
- 20:24Absolutely. And it's, you know, that's
- 20:26again, like that's brain science.
- 20:27That's how our brains are are made to work.
- 20:30It's the path of least resistance.
- 20:32It's finding comfort in the comfort of our old routines and
- 20:37being able to really say, I might have to be uncomfortable
- 20:42here. But we find that most often
- 20:45happens when times of transition, right, because times
- 20:49of transition cause chaos in what do we not like in chaos?
- 20:53Trying things that are new and like pushing our boundaries and
- 20:57like pushing ourselves to do what we, you know, that use the
- 21:00grip that you're, you know, instructor told you to use.
- 21:04And you're like, but I'm getting frustrated and you can like feel
- 21:07that emotion build up And it's like, I don't want to think
- 21:10about that. I want to just go back to what I
- 21:12feel most comfortable with. That's that's a natural
- 21:16behavior. And sometimes the chaos is
- 21:19what's comfortable. Exactly.
- 21:21Yeah. And, and like you said, right,
- 21:23if we stay along that path of the analogy, it really is your
- 21:27muscle memory. It's your body.
- 21:29Like you feel most comfortable, you know, when you switch your
- 21:33grip, you know, put your left hand on top of your right or
- 21:35vice versa. It feels weird.
- 21:38Like there's that like discomfort there.
- 21:41And it's that muscle memory of just automatically leaning into
- 21:45what's normal. Well, this is my normal.
- 21:47I exist in chaos or I exist in clutter, right?
- 21:51And and you just accept it as maybe what you deserve, right?
- 21:54And that's not true because you deserve to have a killer swing.
- 21:58Let's try something new. Let's, you know, practice that
- 22:01and let's do it in a game. You know, when you're doing a
- 22:03round of golf with your friends. I'm just going to make sure I do
- 22:06this the whole time and sticking to it, right?
- 22:09And Chrissy and I rely a lot of the time on accountability.
- 22:12So you go golfing with your friends.
- 22:15You're like, hey, I'm going to try this new thing.
- 22:17Can you keep an eye on my hands to make sure I'm doing this and
- 22:21that way right? Like all of a sudden you're
- 22:24changing the dynamic of this change, you're taking control of
- 22:27it and you're asking for support.
- 22:30You're saying, hey, just keep an eye on me.
- 22:33Like call me out if I like swing a little funky or whatever it
- 22:36is, you know, cuz. I exercising that control and
- 22:42having that clear communication, the chances are you're going to
- 22:46be more aware of it and you're actually going to improve.
- 22:50Yeah, yeah. I mean just kind of actually,
- 22:53but not to go back to Nike. But in this case, we we need we
- 22:57do need to do what we even be be uncomfortable.
- 23:01Yes, yeah. You do have to do it and there's
- 23:03also a difference and sometimes when we talk to clients, there's
- 23:05a difference in the language we use, right.
- 23:07Like that can also impact your mindset.
- 23:10I have two kids that play sports and sometimes when we try to
- 23:13help them make changes towards things, we get the line of this
- 23:17feels weird. I don't like it.
- 23:19It feels weird and I'm like, it doesn't feel weird.
- 23:21It feels different. It's different because when you
- 23:25like there's. I'm a former English teacher and
- 23:28special Ed teacher. So like the, the language, the
- 23:30linguistics of it matter because weird has like this negative
- 23:35connotation of like this is, oh, it's icky, it's weird.
- 23:39It's like, well, this just feels different.
- 23:41Like there's not the same kind of heaviness to that word.
- 23:46So when you talk about things and especially when it's
- 23:49struggles, it's like, well, how are we talking about?
- 23:52Like, how are we talking to ourselves?
- 23:54Because, you know, fun fact, we're usually a lot harsher in
- 23:58ourselves than we are other people.
- 24:00Yeah. So we owe ourselves that
- 24:03kindness that we give to other people too.
- 24:06How long do you typically work with clients?
- 24:10So we usually behavior change takes time, behavior
- 24:15modification, right? It's not an overnight thing.
- 24:20Oftentimes people get started with us and try out a month just
- 24:23to kind of experience it, right, because it's what is coaching.
- 24:26It's this kind of a morphic thing that you can't really
- 24:30describe until you're in it and you're experiencing it.
- 24:32We do our best by outlining kind of what it looks like and what
- 24:36we're gonna talk about and using our system and how that works.
- 24:41So people often try it. They'll start with a month and
- 24:43then really genuinely behavior change to see the initial like
- 24:49those feel good moments, those little glimmers of yeah, I did
- 24:54that thing. And having the space to have
- 24:57repetition and actual implementation is usually about
- 25:003 months when you'll start seeing that.
- 25:03But it's a different experience for everyone.
- 25:05It depends on what are you working towards?
- 25:08What kind of goal is it? Is it a long term goal?
- 25:12Are you kind of in this short term space where you just need
- 25:14like a little boost, a little help?
- 25:17And Christy and I always joke we have a terrible business model
- 25:20because we want people to not meet us.
- 25:25We. Want people to work with us and
- 25:27then we want to push them out into their world with their
- 25:30toolbox. But know that we are always here
- 25:34cheering them on and so often times our clients who work with
- 25:38us for long periods of time will actually start tapering down
- 25:42their work with us because we want them to feel independent,
- 25:46live some life. We only see them once a week,
- 25:49but in between that there's a lot of life that happens.
- 25:52So we're really intentional about communicating with our
- 25:56clients and ensuring that they're getting enough support
- 26:00or maybe it's time for them to start being more independent
- 26:03with these skills and kind of using us as a reflection space.
- 26:06So it really depends on the person.
- 26:09And Chrissy, so you were a English and education.
- 26:14Just look what you've studied. And what about you, Kate?
- 26:18So I was a marine science educator for about 13 years.
- 26:21My Really. Yeah.
- 26:23So I, I have a pretty, I, I've been a lot of places and I've
- 26:27done a lot of things, a lot of it underwater.
- 26:31But I kind of through that experience, I essentially worked
- 26:35with teeny tiny news to old folks in all different types of
- 26:39settings. And I learned from that, those
- 26:43experiences rather that I was really fascinated by how people
- 26:47learn, like how, how, how do we learn?
- 26:52What is that process of learning?
- 26:54And I decided to go back for my masters in education psychology.
- 26:58And that really pushed me into that space of understanding
- 27:02behavior change and recognizing what it is to be aware of your
- 27:08behaviors, be aware of the things that you do, whether it's
- 27:13with intention or without intention.
- 27:15And then that brought me into my career of being an executive
- 27:18function coach. So it all kind of stacked,
- 27:22right? Because I got to see all levels
- 27:24of development and then that kind of pushed me into the next
- 27:28phase. And then I think for Chrissy,
- 27:31it's so cool because we all came to this kind of from a different
- 27:35but similar background, right? We were all seeking something
- 27:38kind of similar. Interesting how we get places
- 27:45and I one thing I know is when I was in fifth grade and we went
- 27:48up in front of the class to say what we wanted to do when we
- 27:50grew up, I didn't imagine that I would be doing business
- 27:54development for a treatment center.
- 27:56I didn't even you know, this was a job, of course, but but what?
- 28:01So how do people know it? I mean, I can see people are
- 28:06maybe know that they're not as organized as they want to be or
- 28:09they're not, you know, things are sort of slipping through the
- 28:11cracks. And, but how does someone know
- 28:14they need your services? What, what, how does that kind
- 28:18of, how do they, how do they find you?
- 28:19And I mean, I want to know, we'll get to like, Hey, what's
- 28:22your website later? But like, what, like how does,
- 28:24what's, what's the progression like where somebody kind of
- 28:26finds their way, you know, to a phone call or, or, you know,
- 28:30reaching out to you. I.
- 28:32Think people that you know, you can typically think of, oh, I
- 28:37feel I'm disorganized or I, I don't know where the time goes
- 28:40and I'm kind of have that timeline, this thing going on or
- 28:43those kind of very general ideas of, you know, what executive
- 28:46function coaching could help with for us.
- 28:50A lot of it is individuals who have this vision of what they
- 28:56want their life to be like. And that usually involves some
- 28:59sort of like emotional feeling of like, I don't want to feel
- 29:01stressed out or like I've lost the 5th To Do List that I've
- 29:05written down today. The people that have this vision
- 29:10of like, this is what I want to be able to accomplish and it
- 29:15doesn't align with where they're at right now.
- 29:17They're not there yet, but they like have that inkling of like,
- 29:20I want to be there. I want to live out that vision
- 29:24of the person who's able to strike kind of that life harmony
- 29:29side of things. We've tried to stop saying work
- 29:31life balance because there's not ever really a true balance.
- 29:35Balance is actually. Well, and that's not fair out of
- 29:38out of fashion. Yeah, so.
- 29:40We're, you know, this, but this life kind of like this harmony
- 29:43side of things or, you know, they want to be able to feel
- 29:47like they are in control of their day rather than their day
- 29:49being in control of them, that they are taking the action
- 29:53steps, that they are doing what they need to do for themselves.
- 29:57And there are other obligations too.
- 30:00Yeah. And a lot of people, you know,
- 30:02find us, we're a small business, right?
- 30:04We're very intentionally small because we want to be able to
- 30:09provide services for individuals who really want to do the work.
- 30:13You know, we are really mindful of the workload that we take on
- 30:16and who we're working with. And again, right, if people
- 30:20aren't a good fit for us or if they need to take care of some
- 30:22other things first before they come to us, we're here for it.
- 30:26So a lot of the ways that people find us is by word of mouth,
- 30:30right? So what the work that we do is
- 30:34very personal. So it comes from relationship
- 30:37building. It comes from finding partners
- 30:40and people who are in the same field, people who are supporting
- 30:44other people. So that's how I found you,
- 30:47right? Being in a space of people who
- 30:52are very intentional about wanting to make other people's
- 30:55day better. So therapists, counselors,
- 30:58Wellness centers, people who are doing assessments right, We
- 31:03build partnerships because that's what it takes for people
- 31:07to find us, you know, having conversations.
- 31:09And often times people who are going to have those vulnerable
- 31:13conversations are going to have it with people that they trust.
- 31:15So we try very hard to ensure that all of our connections,
- 31:21regardless of industry or space, that, you know, we're being our
- 31:27true authentic selves because that's who you get.
- 31:29You know, This Is Us. And not only, you know, do we
- 31:33help people who might be struggling in terms of, you
- 31:36know, who on one side might be working on mental health issues
- 31:41and you know, we're kind of on the other side and, and
- 31:43supporting in that really nice collaborative way.
- 31:45But we also help people who are entrepreneurs, people who are
- 31:49trying to get started in their career because we're there.
- 31:53And as an entrepreneur, you're always trying to do something
- 31:56and then you realize that there's a lot more that goes
- 31:59into it than you planned. So we're kind of in the space
- 32:02and we connect with people who support people in transition.
- 32:07And so do you, do you the 2 of you have different roles or do
- 32:11you kind of, I know you mean you do coaching you do, Yeah, group
- 32:15sessions. I mean, tell us all what you do
- 32:17and what who does what. Well, we both do it all because
- 32:22that's how we roll. I mean, Chrissy usually does the
- 32:25newsletters. I'm gonna put that on her.
- 32:27If you sign a party, what are is there Chrissy?
- 32:29English major. They're.
- 32:30So good. She knocks them out of the park.
- 32:32I just proofread, but those are Chrissy.
- 32:34I'm I'm putting those on her because she does a phenomenal
- 32:37job every night. Yeah.
- 32:39But in terms of kind of like coaching itself, we both do
- 32:43coaching and we make it a point that when someone starts talking
- 32:47to us about coaching, we always know that who they are being
- 32:53coached by makes a difference. Meaning we ask the hard
- 32:56questions. We ask the questions of tell us
- 32:59about people you work well with, tell us about, you know,
- 33:02anything that's going to help us delineate out who the best coach
- 33:08is for that individual. Kate and I are alike in a lot of
- 33:11ways, but we're all so different in a lot of ways too.
- 33:13And we really enjoy that about ourselves.
- 33:16So we do take that step. It's not just a coin flip or
- 33:20anything or like Next up kind of situation.
- 33:22It's definitely what's in the best interest of the specific
- 33:26individual in front of us and their goals and their needs and
- 33:29who they work best with. So in that regard, we, we both
- 33:34coach, we both host workshops. We love to do them together in
- 33:38person because we have fun together.
- 33:41But we, you know, we'll host them individually if need be as
- 33:45well. So we're in it together.
- 33:49We really do, you know, have our own strengths and weaknesses.
- 33:53But overall, it's it's a joint effort here at the Golden
- 33:57System. And so how often do you actually
- 34:01get to see each other IRL, as the kids say?
- 34:05Not often enough. I was there last week though, so
- 34:10I don't think we preface this. Chrissy is in the Chicagoland
- 34:13area and I am in the Charleston, SC area, and we support people
- 34:20all throughout all of our states.
- 34:23Whoever wants to call us up and have a conversation, we support
- 34:26them. So we have clients in many
- 34:28different states at this point. So yeah, so we are
- 34:33geographically separate. We work very frequently online,
- 34:38though. We do tons of online webinars
- 34:40and have lots of resources available online for folks.
- 34:44And then, yeah, we usually get together about once to maybe
- 34:47twice a year, many times. Interesting, I mean, I think the
- 34:50the genesis of the company being virtual.
- 34:54So a lot of times people had to pivot to that and make that
- 34:57work, but that's how you start it.
- 34:58So there's I I I could see that's that's really cool.
- 35:03How do how do people find you? Like what, what's because people
- 35:08are going to listen to this. I mean, I the reason I wanted
- 35:10you on here is because you're great to talk to and what you
- 35:13did. But I'm really interested.
- 35:15And I know that the, you know, we have an audience and they
- 35:18they are interested in more than just hearing about recovery.
- 35:21This is yeah. So how do we find you?
- 35:24You we are we're everywhere. I mean, the only thing we're not
- 35:27on is TikTok, but I just can't I'm sorry guys.
- 35:31So we have our website sothegoldensystem.com and it's
- 35:35GOALDEN and that is our handle for all of our social media.
- 35:40So we are on Instagram, we are on Facebook, we are on LinkedIn.
- 35:44You can connect with us individually if you one as well.
- 35:49We are all over the place so we're wherever you want us.
- 35:52You got us except for TikTok. That's all I place well.
- 35:56Before we go is what are a couple of tips for people who
- 36:00maybe to look at in their own lives, like would say that maybe
- 36:04they would need your help or and then just maybe a tip or two if
- 36:08you got them about little things people can do to help
- 36:10themselves, you know, until they actually reach out to you.
- 36:14Yeah, of course. Well, I will give one of my
- 36:17favourites. It's a really easy entry to kind
- 36:22of changing habits. And it comes from people saying,
- 36:26you know, oh, I thought I would remember that.
- 36:29Oh I, I forgot it. It's living in my head.
- 36:32So we always tell people things can't live rent free in your
- 36:35head. Nope, they got to pay rent.
- 36:37They got to pay up like you can't live rent free.
- 36:40So one thing that can really be beneficial is just taking a
- 36:45timer for 5 minutes and picking up a pen and piece of paper or
- 36:49the notes app in your phone and dumping everything that is
- 36:52living in your brain rent free out onto that medium.
- 36:57Mainly because it gives your brain the space to know it
- 37:00doesn't have to hold on to everything because that's asking
- 37:03too much of our brains. And it gives you the opportunity
- 37:07to then kind of progress. And you know, there's a whole
- 37:09bunch of tools you can do with that, you know, dump of
- 37:12information that you have. But that's really the first step
- 37:16is to start to see what you're dealing with and then being able
- 37:20to kind of make plans from there.
- 37:22But and. You're saying write it down?
- 37:25Write it down. It can.
- 37:27Be on your phone. Yeah, it doesn't matter where it
- 37:30can't be. It's just living in your your
- 37:32brain like, oh, I don't forget. Go to the store and pick up
- 37:35cheese for our tacos. So the power of making a list
- 37:39and checking it off it it's, you know, feels really good to do
- 37:43that. I know I will say I have a
- 37:45client who she's always, she always laughs to me.
- 37:48She goes, Kate, I just tossing it off doesn't do the same thing
- 37:52for me that it does for you. And that's OK.
- 37:55And that's what you know. So we are all about digital or,
- 37:59you know, concrete copies, paper, pen, whatever you need to
- 38:03do, whatever makes, again, whatever makes your brain happy,
- 38:08find that space. And but just getting it out, it
- 38:13really helps you see, if you do it in the morning, it helps you
- 38:16see kind of what's coming for the rest of the day.
- 38:18If you do it in the evening, it kind of lets you know, OK, how
- 38:22far did I actually get today? Is this why I feel like I'm
- 38:25treading water? Is this why I'm feeling, you
- 38:28know, frustrated, you know, because I still have all this
- 38:31stuff just in my head, all of these tasks I need to do.
- 38:36So, yeah. So whether it's virtual, whether
- 38:39it's digital, whether it's, you know, analog, one of those is a
- 38:43pretty good. What you just said reminds me of
- 38:46a, a quote I was told when I was working in a job 1012 years ago
- 38:51where. And so I think the quote is from
- 38:53Lee Iacocca, the former automobile CEO, as the CEO
- 38:58brought Chrysler back from the, you know, death's door,
- 39:01whatever. But his whole, his thing was
- 39:03plan your work, work your plan. And all those days where I do
- 39:06get up, you know, and because of what happens is I wake up with
- 39:09the intention to kind of know what the day's going to look
- 39:11like and be ready for it. And then all the, you know,
- 39:13texts and emails and this and that and, you know, usually gets
- 39:17derailed. But when I do do that, when I'm
- 39:19like, here's what I got going on today, prepared to do it.
- 39:21And then I can kind of methodically check the stuff off
- 39:25and go through the day, you know, in some kind of order.
- 39:28But that's usually not going to happen for pretty much anybody.
- 39:31No, we can. We can still have the plan and
- 39:33still work it. Well, and it's all about, I
- 39:35mean, one of our favorite words is pivot, right?
- 39:38We got to, we got to learn how to pivot.
- 39:40And there's a lot of things like, I mean, Christina, we keep
- 39:42talking for a very long time about all these things, right?
- 39:45But it comes into these are all fires that are popping up in
- 39:48your day. How you know, and what burns
- 39:51faster? Some things don't burn as fast.
- 39:53Some things take a little bit longer.
- 39:56Yeah. So learning how again, right?
- 39:59This is learning how to plan. This is learning how to
- 40:02prioritize. And when our day gets drawn off
- 40:06track by a fire that pops up, that's being cognitively
- 40:10flexible again. Cognitively flexible.
- 40:14Right. All of those, those are all
- 40:15exact, those are specifically executive function skills in one
- 40:19scenario that you gave me, right.
- 40:21So these executive function skills, they rule our day and
- 40:25they really are an umbrella. They really are all
- 40:27interconnected to every single thing that we do.
- 40:31And. Sometimes my, you know, you ask
- 40:33for tips. The one I was going to share is
- 40:37if you're in a space where you're feeling like things are
- 40:40just a mess just before you get to us.
- 40:43Because again, we're the biggest cheerleaders you'll ever have.
- 40:46But just celebrate a small success.
- 40:49Celebrate a win for yourself because you know what, you made
- 40:52it through the day and that's really important.
- 40:55I hear you. And I think that is an absolute,
- 40:59absolutely perfect place to end because sometimes just making
- 41:02through the day is, you know, that's why one day at a time is
- 41:05a thing. Yeah, it's enough.
- 41:07Awesome. Well, hey, thank you both so
- 41:10much for being here. That was really, really
- 41:11interesting and really cool. And we look forward to talking
- 41:15to you soon and working together.
- 41:16Yes. Of course.
- 41:18Well, you. Thanks so much, and you can find
- 41:21us anywhere at the Golden system.com.
- 41:23Awesome. Thank you.
- 41:24If you liked what you heard today or just want to know more,
- 41:27give us a call on 9196708119 or visit us at
- 41:32newwatersrecovery.com. Thank you.