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Unpacking 2024: Lessons to Launch Your Boldest Year Yet · The Bold Lounge

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bold Lounge podcast.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: My name is Leigh Burgess and I will be your host.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: If you're anything like me, you love hearing inspiring stories of people who have gone on bold journeys and made a positive impact in the world.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: This podcast is all about those kinds of stories.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Every week, we'll hear from someone who has taken a leap or embarked on an extraordinary journey.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: In addition to hearing their stories, we'll also learn about their bold growth mindset that they use to make things happen.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Whether they face challenges or doubts along the way, they persisted and ultimately achieved their goals.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: These impactful stories will leave you feeling motivated and inspired to pursue your own bold journey.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: I believe everyone has a bold story waiting to be freed.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Tune in and get ready to be inspired.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bold Lounge.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Today, I'm going to talk a little bit about 2024 and really dig into some of the insights, the things that I've learned and how you can set yourself up for an incredible 2025.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: So, first of all, I just want to thank all the listeners for taking time to be part of the Bold Lounge as we head into our third year.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: We'll celebrate our third birthday next year, in 2025, in the middle of the year, but we've reached some incredible milestones this year.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: So this is episode 135.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: So we passed the 100 mark for episodes.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: We've had over 10,000 downloads earlier this year, so we continue to increase our download numbers.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: We're on six continents and 71 countries and I'm just so excited to really think about the strategy for next year and how we're going to continue to evolve not only our guests, the things that we talk about, but all things bold when it comes to the Bold Lounge.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: So thank you so much for being part of the Bold Lounge and don't forget to leave a review and to let us know what you think as you listen to the Bold Lounge.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: We have continued to create opportunity for our listeners to engage with some of the most incredible leaders, strategic innovators and women and men who are making bold moves that are all inspiring.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: So some of the most incredible, I think, moments happen in the conversations that I have, and I continue to be interested in everyone's definition of bold and how they see it, and I think it is interesting as well to see the consistency between the definitions and how often there are things that cross over the definitions and how often there are things that cross over, but, at the same time, each person that we've heard their definition in 2024 has a unique way to define it, based on their terms.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: So I want to continue to make sure that you realize that your definition of bold is yours.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: You may pick up pieces and parts or connect to certain things that I say or some of the guests say, but ultimately you define bold for you.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: I think and some of you have heard me say this on the podcast, but I want to reiterate it as well the one thing that is really consistent across all of them is that being bold is a choice.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: It's a choice you make for yourself, for whatever it may be the next step, the next level, a change in a relationship, a change in how you talk to yourself, a change for how you want to work or operate in the world but ultimately it's your choice.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: No one can make you bold, no one can demand you to be bold, and it's just important for you to realize that it's on your terms and by your definition.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: So a few learnings for me from some of the top podcasts, although it's very difficult for me to pick one or two or three, but I certainly think there are certain things I've walked away from conversations this year that have really stuck with me.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: So one of the first ones was with Amy Edmondson and really her approach, not only with her book, to how we look at failure, but also just in general, that it isn't always the same from the perspective of what you see in a year or what you may see when you make a mistake.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: But I think there's a calibration that needs to happen when you're looking at a failure.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: So, in a sense of, I used to take them pretty hard in the sense of up I didn't fail, like if it wasn't perfect.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: That meant failure, which was something my little sister actually pointed out to me when I was talking about something around my book launch and she's like, oh, it didn't go perfectly, so you think it failed, which I had to laugh out loud because when someone mirrors that back to you, it becomes something that kind of sounds pretty funny when they say it.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: So I think one of the things that you know that came out of the Dr Edmondson Amy Edmondson podcast was how to approach failure and that failure isn't the opposite of success.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: It's a necessary part of actually achieving it.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: So I think that's just really, really important for you as you look at you know, going into 2025, and what has not worked and what did you learn from it.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: You know so, obviously, with Believe Own, Learn, design, learning quadrant or step of the BOLD framework is really, really important.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: But thinking about, like, if you failed this year or thought of something as failure, what did you actually learn from it?
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: And I think it's just really important to have that be part of your reflection for this year.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Another thing you know that came out of a podcast was really looking at performance or success and how you defined it.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: So Michael Gervais, when he was talking about mastering the mind for bold performance, really was talking about how our thoughts shape our reality, how a bold mind creates bold outcomes.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: So this stuck with me, too, because I think, in the sense of, we already know that mindset is important.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: But as you're setting yourself up for success for 2025, understanding and thinking through what is your daily mindset, how are you talking to yourself on a regular basis?
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: How are you visualizing the future connected to your boldest goals and really thinking about how to navigate your own mindset?
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: Because we can certainly have good intentions, but we have rough days.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: We have days we're tired.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: We have days that things happen that we didn't plan.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: We have days that we feel like everything went the opposite of what we expected, but I think it's just really, really important for us to really think through what important for us to really think through what is the mindset that you need to actually be at your best, to perform at your best and to reach your goals, and to be intentional about that in 2025, as you bring it into your goals, your goal setting.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: So just remembering that that that's important Because I think it's it's one of the boldest things that you can do is just taking ownership of that and being able to understand that it's something that you have to work at.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: It just doesn't happen automatically on some days.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: So another podcast was Bonnie Wands, and so that happened earlier this year, and I really do encourage you to go back, check out the sets that we have of podcasts this year, because they're incredibly helpful to revisit and even going back to last year as well.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: But I think one of the things with Bonnie Wands was really about being purposeful and intentional and a specificity around clarity.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: So, when you're thinking about 2025, we talked about looking at your failures and understanding what you learned.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: We talked about thinking about your mindset and how you align it to what your goals are, and being intentional.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: So there's a connection here with intentional, but I think what was so interesting about this conversation for me, on so many levels, was the focus on clarity, but realizing that things may be very, very messy before you get there.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: So, but ultimately, being bold is going to thrive on clarity.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: What is your goal?
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: Why, you know, why is it your goal?
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Is it aligned with your values?
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: And those are kind of the first three things I would ask myself when I was creating goals for 2025.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: I think next is, when you're launching into something new is to understand your willingness level to put forth the effort.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: So, when it comes to clarity or it comes to achieving anything, ultimately you're going to have to put forth effort and at times, someone else may also, in the sense of if you're working on a relationship or if you're even leading a team, there's going to be things that other people do.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: But I'm specifically talking about the clarity around what you need to do and the intentional steps and efforts that you're going to need to make.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: So the next thing I think, as you think about 2025, is you know what is unclear right now and why is it unclear.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: So should I stay or should I go?
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: And this could relate to lots of things.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: Should I be on that board?
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Should I join that club?
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Should I ask that person for help?
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: You know in the sense of clarity, like right now, what is not clear for you Should I start the side hustle?
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: So, when you're working through that, I think these types of questions can help you in a sense of if you are going to I'll just take that last example of starting a side hustle what amount of effort will you need to put forth for that?
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: What intention and willingness do you have to take those steps?
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: So, most likely, something else has to stop for that to begin.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: So I think we always, potentially may think first about what to add, but I'm going to just encourage you for 2025 is, if you have a bold goal, to think about your intentional steps and efforts that are needed and then to truly think about what needs to end for you to add or what needs to stop for you to begin.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: So the next podcast that really I think there were a lot of themes around this, so I want to make sure we include it is authenticity.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: So Dori Clark really talked about reinventing yourself and understanding how to craft your brand so that's authentic.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: And when you're reinventing yourself or kind of thinking about your next act or your next level or even thinking about your legacy, I think it is really claiming your narrative as your own and being someone who can tell the story and tell your story.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: So your brand is your story, is something that she shared and I think owning it is so, so important.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: So for me, one of the things around my brand that was big this year was Be Bold Today, so actually launching my book and it really forces you to reflect fairly deeply on your own narrative and how you want to show up in the world and how you don't.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: And you know, over the year I've done it in perfectly.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: I'll just say that.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: So, in the sense of like being me as I want to be every day, I mean I hit the mark a lot, but I won't say that I hit it 100%, and what that means is I'm human, and so for you just to realize that as well, meaning like some days you just may not feel like yourself or things might not go as you planned or you might just be tired, which I think a lot of that, I think for me is probably when I didn't feel like myself was when I was just extremely tired with just some of the pace that I've had recently.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: And I also have to remember to to take care of myself and that wellness is a part of my life that at one point, when I was burnt out in 2020, I really had really backburnered how I took care of myself on all levels.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: So this year was a good reminder of me that I can fall back into that.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: And just because you've left a place doesn't mean you don't.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: You didn't leave your habits.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: So I think some of those habits came back up and I think you know I went back into the just do more work, harder work, longer hours and again, for me and for most, that's not the way that you solve it.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: So, just remembering to own your brand, own your story and, you know, reflect on how you want to be seen in the world and then adjust your actions and your intentions and your behaviors and most likely, all connected to that are your habits of how you're going to approach it.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: So for me, those are just kind of the initial ones that you know came to mind of memorable particular podcasts, but I think there's so many more.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, we had Minda Hartz, we had Matt Abrahams talking about.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Minda was talking about navigating complex conversations for equity.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: I think these are things that are so, so important for us to understand so that we can create inclusive spaces not only in our world, but across the worlds that we work and interact with, and I think every conversation is an opportunity to create change and use your voice, and so that was a really interesting conversation to have with Minda and to learn from her.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: Matt Abrahams was really talking about empowering your words and the art of bold communication and ways that you can actually communicate, maybe with a little less pressure and with a little less, maybe, anxiety, more confidence and and really start to gain connection as you're telling your story.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: So I think, when it all comes down to it, I think there's a lot around the bold framework when it comes to our beliefs, which is really where I ask everyone to stop.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: First, when it comes to either communicating or navigating complex conversations, or how you filter failures in your life is really how do you believe failure is seen?
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: You know, how do you believe you're communicating?
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: How do you believe the possibilities of maybe being able to talk about tough conversations are for you in your life, so really thinking about where these come from, and there are really really good exercises in the Be Bold Today book for you to go through and really dig deep into your beliefs and understand how those will affect your 2025 goals.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: If you go through the entire book, you will, at the end of it, have your bold blueprint for the year and it will take you through all of those quadrants and for a solid launch, you can certainly do that.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: You could also just answer the questions that I talked through today as an initial start and get started.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: So I think, as we end, what I would ask you to really think through is who do you want to become this year and what will you let go of to get there?
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: Who do you want to become this year and what will you let go of to get there?
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: I think there are.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: As I contemplate this question, I think there's some things that I feel a little sadness about as I think about what I'm going to let go of or leave behind or move to, because I think we've all heard it but what got you here won't get you there, and so that may mean things you like to do, or it may be people you like to hang out with, or it may mean, you know, some of the things that you don't like to do become more of your regular basis, meaning maybe they're more connected to the next level of your goal and a lot of the times when we're reaching for that next level, we have to do things we actually may not like to do, because they're just part of the progress, because they're most likely hard.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: They're most likely something that's going to reflect either something you're going to learn or something you're going to need to do differently, or maybe it's just something altogether foreign to you, meaning different, that it's the first time you've done it.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: And I think, as I think about year four of our business and what we've done and thinking about 2024 compared to the other three years, it has been a very, very different year for me.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: There's been highs and lows and things that worked, and things that worked better than I thought they'd work, and usually not the ones that I would think of, and so I think it's been a year of learning.
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: So if I had to think of, like what happened for me this year learning about processes, learning about how people operate, learning about processes, learning about how people operate, learning about how I want to operate and stand in my value, and I think I continue to want to bring that into next year.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: But I think there are going to be some things that I leave behind, whether it's some habits or maybe it's how I've allowed people to treat me.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: I'm going to leave some of that behind and I'm going to take with me some of the things that I've learned about myself.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: I'm going to take with me positive talk to myself.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: I'm going to take with me positive relationships and people who value me, and I'm going to take with me standing in my own value.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: I'm going to take with me of standing in my own value, because I think one of my greatest learnings about myself this year was just my tendency to people please and to want to make sure I'm filling the gap for everyone, and I think at times that's just left me short of a lot of things in my own tank, whether it's energy, expectations of relationship or just equity in a conversation or maybe even just expectations, and so I think for me, the expectations I have are really going to be focused on me, because I really think that's where they should be focused.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: So, as you kind of think about kicking off 2025, I just wanted to kind of reflect on not only a few things that I've seen, certainly in our podcast and heard in our conversations, but really wanting you to be able to use some of those as you kick off 2025.
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: And throughout the year, I'll be dropping in and sharing some things personally, sharing some things along the way, giving some tips and resources around.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: You know particular areas that we've talked about, but I think one of the greatest gifts is you as listeners and being able to interact with you and and be able to provide these podcasts and these opportunities for you to connect with so so many bold people.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: So, as you move forward, just remember you don't need any permission to live boldly.
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: You just need to have the courage to take the first step.
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: So, as you go into 2025, just take the first step.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: You don't have to have all 50 planned out, just the first one.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: I'm excited to interact with you and I'm wishing you the very, very best 2025 and your best and boldest year yet.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the Bold Lounge podcast.
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: Through the continuum of bold stories, vulnerability to taking a leap, you will meet more extraordinary people making a positive impact for others through their unique and important story.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: By highlighting these stories, we hope to inspire others and share the journey of those with a bold mindset.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: We hope you've enjoyed this podcast and look forward to sharing the next bold journey with you.