Latest / Daily Influence / 639. Pivot With Grace: Sarah Johnston on Micro-Change, Self-Trust, and Navigating Life’s Big Transitions

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639. Pivot With Grace: Sarah Johnston on Micro-Change, Self-Trust, and Navigating Life’s Big Transitions · Daily Influence

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Daily Influence, your daily dose of positive influence.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Brian Smith founder of IA Business Advisors and co-author of the Iain team series.
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Each day we share stories and insights to help you find be and build your influence in a positive and responsible way.
• 0:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm Greg Clino, partner at IE Business Advisors, and co-host of Daily Influence.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Be sure to follow, subscribe, and share Daily Influence with someone who could use a little extra positivity today.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And make us part of your Daily routine, whether it's during your commute on a walk or an quiet moment just for you, because you're influenced matters.
• 0:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome to Daily Influence.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm your host, Greg Clino.
• 0:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Today, I'm joined by someone who's worked truly embodies responsible influence and intentional leadership.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sarah Johnson is a coach and guide who helps people navigate major life and career transitions.
• 1:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: From starting or scaling a business to building sustainable wellness routines, to managing the emotional and practical challenges
• 1:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: With a deep focus on behavior change, resilience, and personal responsibility, Sarah has supported countless clients through meaningful transformation.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sarah, welcome to Daily Influence.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm excited to be here.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm excited to have you.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's begin with the beginning.
• 1:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Could you share a bit about your background and what led you to where you are today?
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, of course.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And my story is a little kind of winding of how I ended up where I am now, because I'm actually an ex-corporate girl.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I was in corporate for 12 years in the media, marketing, analytics space, and I truly did enjoy that.
• 1:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then I had a big shift myself in particular once I had my son.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: And a lot in my world changed when that happened.
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: And at my
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I call it my astrological sign, call it what you may, but I have a deep connection to wanting people to thrive and feel good.
• 2:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that was present in my corporate career as well, right?
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Wanting to make sure my team members felt supported.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I realized I wanted to pursue that passion and start my own business.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: But again, it was another life transition that I personally experienced, where
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I believe most of us at our core don't actually need this massive massive overall.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of us just need a little bit of direction and shifting and guidance through some of these pivots to be able to show up as the people that we are and do that with more confidence.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: So took the leap about two just over two years ago to start my own business as a performance coach to help people through this.
• 2:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: season or help people through what they need, and it's been a learning experience for sure, but it's been, I think, where my soul really has meant to be.
• 3:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, your coaching centers around behavior change and navigating big transitions.
• 3:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: From your experience, what do you see as the biggest barrier people face when trying to change?
• 3:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: And how do you help them move through it responsibly with ownership and intention?
• 3:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a great, great question.
• 3:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would say there's
• 3:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's biggies that come up, right?
• 3:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: So there's commonalities and themes.
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people really struggle.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I call it the F word failure.
• 3:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: The word failure, the feeling of failure, and what happens when something doesn't go according to plan?
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: People want to scrap it all.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: People think that they have just screwed everything up and that there's no path forward.
• 3:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so really looking at that, in particular, that feeling and that emotion that comes up when people feel like they have failed,
• 3:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: and actually asking people to consider a feedback, what happened, what happened in the situation, what were the details surrounding that and what is information that we can gather that we can actually use for your benefit.
• 3:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: We haven't lost at all, but also know whatever feelings are coming up for you.
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's valid, we're here to work through this, but I really encourage people to take the word failure out of their vocabulary because
• 4:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: most high majority of situations are a wealth of information.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, what can we do with this?
• 4:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: What can we change?
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: What can we do moving forward?
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is gonna be a different path and maybe something that will yield more success.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: So people are really scared of failing and I get that whether they're trying to start their own business or pivot to a new career, well, what if I fail?
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right?
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a very common thing that comes up.
• 4:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: So,
• 4:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: that's a big one that I challenge my clients to do is remove that word and replace it with feedback.
• 4:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people also think that changing or making improvements to their lives needs a insanely massive overall from the jump and that they have to do this all or nothing has to be a binary.
• 5:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a yes or a no where the majority of our world lives in the gray, the gray space I call it,
• 5:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: We don't need to have this binary thinking or these hard and fast rules because what that does is doesn't allow us the ability to pivot when we need to.
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: And those two work in tandem a lot right when people tend to have these very strict stringent things that they have to follow it doesn't go according to plan they feel like they failed.
• 5:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And get out of this all or nothing mindset because we also don't need to have like oh tomorrow I'm going to be completely different person I'm going to so say for example someone wants to start a fitness routine they've never worked out in their lives, but tomorrow every single day for an hour a day okay that's a little.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: that's a little much why don't we start with small steps first and really working with people that micro actions done consistently over time makes really big impacts.
• 6:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's so true and we like to look at them as smart like setting smart goals specific, measurable, attainable relevant and timely.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's exactly what you're telling them to do.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: It makes so much sense.
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: You've supported people through major life shifts, wellness transformations, career pivots, and building businesses from scratch.
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Can you share a moment or experience where you thought you made a positive impact on someone's life?
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, just I think because it's a lot of what I've experienced, a lot of my clients are new moms in particular.
• 6:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm a science-three, so I don't know when you get to stop calling yourself a new mom,
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's so pretty young and some of my most cherished winds are really helping mothers reclaim some of their identity because it can be all and all consuming when things first start and all of a sudden you feel like I lived one way for X money years now my identities completely different so I've really helped new moms in their transition back to work if that is something that they want to do.
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: trying to balance out how they can feel like they're doing something for themselves alongside this very new important role of being a mother.
• 7:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then work in the physical world, helping you moms transition back into something like movement exercise and wellness.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: And how does that now fit in?
• 7:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Where, yes, a big part of your day is now
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: taking up by other things, how can we adjust our goals, think about what we want to do and take a different path forward.
• 7:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I really love that work I do just because I connect very deeply with it because I've experienced it.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: And another really cool one was someone that wanted to quit their corporate job to start their own business.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And again, I've done that as well.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I think a lot of these I just find connection to.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: But helping guide her through what that looks like to take some of the fear out of it and allow her to show up scared but still do it and feel like she has some kind of plan and path forward that empowers her rather than makes her completely want to shut down and and flee.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's just the nature of who I am typically it's women that are drawn to me and a lot of my work with moms, but
• 8:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've had so many unique client experiences over the years and I think each one teaches me something in return.
• 8:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, those kind of stories really show the power of positive influence in our book series.
• 8:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: We talk a lot about responsibility as the foundation of influence.
• 8:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: How do you help clients take ownership of their choices, habits, and outcomes, especially when they're moving through hardships or uncertainty?
• 8:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think a really big thing I try to encourage people
• 8:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: to do is be human first.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think especially when we're trying to make big changes or establish ourselves in some way that we haven't done before.
• 8:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: This era, I need to be credible.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: I need to be the strongest.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: I need to present this front that I have at all together.
• 9:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: When in reality,
• 9:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Humaneness connects us to so many different people.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not weak to ask for help.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not, you know, weak to pause and rest.
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not a negative thing to rely on your systems, your support, your people, when things are really hard.
• 9:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not a bad thing to speak those emotions out loud.
• 9:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it doesn't mean that you're less than.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Or that you're failing, right?
• 9:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: We hear this word again, or that you're doing something wrong.
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: human connection and allowing yourself that vulnerability can really help ground you and allow you to move forward with more power and presence.
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I relate that back to as I'm human.
• 9:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not immune to this stuff too and sharing that with them.
• 9:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's a huge thing that people miss is I need to do it right.
• 10:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I need to be strong.
• 10:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: I need to be the leader
• 10:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Having a human touch to things can be really important and giving yourself that grace that we need to learn how to power with a pivot with grace that's what I call it we need to learn how to embrace those moments we go back to that it's not failure at feedback and really figure out how we can take ownership of what happened and how we can really start to digest what what went on and how we can actually use that for the better meant moving forward.
• 10:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, not saying that it's not hard, not saying that it's it's not something that shakes people, but pivoting with grace is is really big and allowing yourself to move through that and ultimately come out more empowered at the end.
• 10:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that mindset is so important.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there are tools out there that can be powerful support is a change are using AI in your work.
• 10:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so how is it supporting your clients or your business.
• 10:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's been an interesting conversation in my world because again we go back to this humaneness and I think a big part of what people are drawn to at least Drawing to me for is I am human and so I've been really careful to balance that of how can I use it because there are
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: so many incredible things that can help in your business and how you're supporting.
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I never wanted to take away some of that human touch, so I use AI for things like call recordings, right?
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I can be very present on the call.
• 11:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's taking notes for me.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: It sends me the recap.
• 11:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't have to be trying to write things down while I'm listening to some one.
• 11:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it gives me the key takeaways.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love my note taker.
• 11:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then I use a lot of, I don't know if it's considered AI, but automation in my business.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: In my CRM system, what can I be doing in terms of automation that allows me more space in my day to do more of what I love?
• 11:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: So is that something that when I move it to a different folder, it's categorizing it for me.
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's filing and it's doing all of these fun things on the back end.
• 12:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's my operational brain where it's not taking away my ability to have a human connection with someone where it's like clearly a spam candy mail or things like that, but making sure it's supporting me and freeing me up time that I can then spend making those connections with others.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's a fine balance because I think guys quickly taking over the world, but I do use it and I do find it very powerful.
• 12:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now, those are good examples.
• 12:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for sharing.
• 12:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's go a little deeper on the leadership side of your work.
• 12:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: You've helped clients start businesses, scale teams, and manage growth.
• 12:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: From a responsible influence perspective, what qualities do you believe makes someone a strong and grounded leader during seasons of expansion?
• 12:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Communications a big one.
• 12:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: So being open and honest about what's going on, whether that is someone that's managing a team, right?
• 12:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: So some of these businesses that I've worked with, they do have team members.
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: So being an established leader that is operating with authenticity and honesty goes a long way.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Goes a very long way or if you're a solo open and honest communication with a coach or with someone that you trust.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: everything's fine, and that comes back to bite you.
• 13:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: So open and honest communication being transparent to really help guide and support, whether you have a team or you're just guiding and supporting yourself.
• 13:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a game changer for sure.
• 13:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then I think taking the mindset of those micro changes, being open to being patient, patients.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not my best quality.
• 13:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'll tell you that.
• 13:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: But it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think really embracing that micro change mindset of what can I do right now and what can I do today and compounding those efforts starts to add up to bigger things and once you get the hang of that it's easier to incrementally add on rather than trying to bite it all off at once and then overwhelm yourself and feeling chaotic and that sometimes translating into stress.
• 14:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: and sometimes poor communication with your team.
• 14:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: So micro change brings massive habit when done consistently and systematically and planned, really embracing that even if you accomplished a five minute task at matters, yes it matters, it matters just as much as launching your business.
• 14:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: It matters because every time you do that, you start to trust yourself that you will do it more.
• 14:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that self trust builds and allows you to be the leader that you want to be, but it's hard a lot of people struggle with how I don't think it was enough wasn't enough it was just this it was only just an only those two words I also don't love.
• 14:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: because it adds sort of greater hold.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: We need to take a broader zoom out of what this impact will do over time.
• 15:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: But it's a tough one for people to start to get in the habit of doing of what I am doing at matters, whether it's a week long initiative or a five minute micro initiative, it all matters.
• 15:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: That is so true.
• 15:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: And for our listeners who are navigating their own goals, what message or words have been encouraged, what would you like to share with those who aspire to make a positive difference in their world, whether through their work, the relationships, or their personal growth?
• 15:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mm-hmm.
• 15:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: A phrase I like to give clients, especially starting out, is you don't need to be perfect, you need to be present.
• 15:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: What can you do right now?
• 15:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: What feels attainable right now?
• 15:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if that's, I'm going to go on a five minute walk,
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: beautiful, fantastic.
• 15:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is something that you can hold on to.
• 15:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: We can work with this.
• 15:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: We can work with that.
• 15:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you don't have to show up perfectly or be perfect.
• 15:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: You just have to be present.
• 15:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you have to be willing to look at everything you're doing from the biggest to the smallest and allow that to fuel you pivoting with grace again is huge in that world.
• 16:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that's one of my
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: a big one I use when people are starting out in particular.
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: That is a great quote.
• 16:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for sharing your insight, your energy, and the work you do to help people move through change with responsibility and purpose.
• 16:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Your approach to behavior change and personal transformation is such a powerful example of what positive influence really looks like in practice.
• 16:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I really appreciate you being part of daily influence.
• 16:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if our listeners want to get in touch with you, what's the best way to do so?
• 16:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can find me on my website is www.sara-jonstin.com.
• 16:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm mainly present on Instagram, which is at Sarah D. Johnston.
• 16:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: So those are the two places you'll probably get the quickest hold of me.
• 16:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's where you can find me if you want to learn more.
• 16:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Great Sarah, we'll put that information in the show notes.
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your stories and advice.
• 17:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for having me.
• 17:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in to Daily Influence.
• 17:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: I hope today's conversation brought you inside an inspiration.
• 17:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: If it's spoke to you, share it with someone who could use a little positivity today.
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Remember, small actions create big impact.
• 17:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Keep showing up, leading, and growing one day to time.
• 17:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Until next time, stay inspired and keep having a positive, responsible influence.
• 17:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bye-bye.