Latest / Why Not Today? with Leslie Kane / The Why Not Today? Podcast - Season 2 - Episode 24 with Stacey Abella, Wind In Your Sails Consulting
Transcript
- 0:00Hello, my name is Leslie Kane and I'm the host of the Why Not Today podcast.
- 0:05This is a podcast to celebrate people who have been courageous and said, why not today?
- 0:10I started this podcast in honor of my father, Patrick Kane, who often did say, why not today?
- 0:15I'm based in Reston, Virginia, a planned community right outside of Washington, DC, and thanks
- 0:19for joining us today.
- 0:21And so my guest today, Stacey Abella, is from Texas.
- 0:24And I always talk about where we connected.
- 0:26And through the process of the podcast, I've actually been watching social media and watching
- 0:31what people say and just stalking people and looking for people as guests.
- 0:36And although Stacey and I do have a mutual friend that you went to college with, I don't
- 0:42know, you're not in the area because so I don't know how we connected, but I saw your
- 0:46story and your book and reached out to her and she checked out the podcast and is a guest
- 0:53here today.
- 0:54We talked the other day.
- 0:55And when we were talking about it, she goes, oh, my sister-in-law lives in Reston.
- 0:59And she told me her name and I'm like, is she a dentist?
- 1:03She's like, she is.
- 1:04Well, she is not my dentist, but my sister and my mother and was my father's dentist,
- 1:08my other sister.
- 1:09Like my whole family's gone to her and love her and like almost family.
- 1:12I always talk about going to the beach and here at Stacey's sister-in-law and she's
- 1:15in Texas.
- 1:16Like that's a small world.
- 1:17That's a God wink and that is just meant to be, that we're supposed to be connected.
- 1:22So I'm excited to have you, Stacey.
- 1:23So why don't you introduce yourself and just a quick bio and a fun fact, fun fact about
- 1:30you that nobody might know.
- 1:32Yeah.
- 1:33So thank you, Leslie.
- 1:35I'm so excited for our conversation.
- 1:37I just love our connection that we have, but you just, you just never know.
- 1:41You just never know.
- 1:42You text me back when I told you about the connection.
- 1:44Something about when you know you're living your life in alignment or true values, then
- 1:49those things happen.
- 1:50All the time.
- 1:51Yep.
- 1:52All the time.
- 1:55And that's really my story, my bio is getting back to that alignment with myself because
- 2:04a fun fact about me is that I started writing and I started journaling when I was seven.
- 2:12And when I was 11, I wrote a screenplay and my dad, he borrowed this camera, you know,
- 2:21used to have the old movie camera and a video camera and things.
- 2:24And he borrowed that and we were down our basements.
- 2:26I'm from Ohio, right?
- 2:27We have basements, not in Texas, but in Ohio.
- 2:29We have basements.
- 2:31And so I invited some friends over and I had them act out my screenplay.
- 2:35Oh, wow.
- 2:36And of course, you know, it didn't really go anywhere, but still.
- 2:41And I feel like the rest of my life, you know, it just took all these twists and turns, but
- 2:47it was really about getting back to that authentic self that I knew who I was when I was seven
- 2:53and when I was 11.
- 2:55And I knew really more about who I was and what I wanted then than I ended up knowing,
- 3:01you know, that some several, you know, few decades later.
- 3:05Right.
- 3:06Yeah.
- 3:07That's really one of my my realization.
- 3:09So my right at this point in my life.
- 3:12So I've had a corporate career, I was in finance and innovation.
- 3:18And I then from the, from there now I have my own business.
- 3:22It's called Wind and Your Sales Consulting.
- 3:24Which I learned.
- 3:25And I'm an, I'm a clarity coach.
- 3:28So I help you get clarity on your life and where you're at and help you to integrate
- 3:34that into your life.
- 3:35And so I do some consulting for companies as well.
- 3:39So I've built a new life around this notion of, of gaining the clarity that you need and
- 3:47going out and doing it.
- 3:50Love that.
- 3:51And I love the name of your book, Secrets from Travel Diaries.
- 3:54I'm such a travel, I love to travel.
- 3:57And it's kind of a joke all my friends are like, where the heck is Leslie?
- 4:00And I love the name of your company.
- 4:03When Wind and Your Sales, and that's such an awesome name.
- 4:07And I love to sales.
- 4:08And so, cool, cool things.
- 4:11So all right.
- 4:12So let's start with what is your definition of courage?
- 4:16So my definition of, definition of courage is to actually go out and get the clarity
- 4:26on who you are, what you want in your life, what's most important to you.
- 4:31And then go out and live that.
- 4:33Go out and integrate that into your life and live that way.
- 4:37Because what I've found is that's really the answer to everything for you actually going
- 4:42out and doing what you really want to do.
- 4:45That's when you get the wind in your sales.
- 4:47You having the courage to show up as who you are.
- 4:51That's how you get the wind in your sales.
- 4:54And it's not about never having any wind or never having any rough seas, right?
- 4:58But it's being able to maneuver within that because you know certain core truths about
- 5:04yourself, who you are and what you want your life to be about.
- 5:09That's so true.
- 5:10And I think, you know, when you know your core and you know what you're supposed to
- 5:13be doing, then that's when the magic happens.
- 5:16And that's when you have the alignment like connecting us.
- 5:19Yes.
- 5:20Yes.
- 5:21But it requires intention.
- 5:22Absolutely.
- 5:23And the month that this podcast episode is coming out is actually January of 2024.
- 5:29And it is the theme is why not today be intentional.
- 5:33And that's why I love having you on this month.
- 5:35And you know, definitely have to be intentional about those things.
- 5:38Yeah.
- 5:39It has to be a daily, daily renewing of that intention as well, because I find it's so
- 5:45easy with all of the distractions, everything going on right now.
- 5:50And it's not going to change.
- 5:51It's only going to get more, right?
- 5:53And so I think that you got to renew it every single day and even periodically throughout
- 5:59the day to ask yourself, if there's something new coming up, you know, do I do this or
- 6:03do I do?
- 6:04Do I not?
- 6:05And it's all about knowing, okay, does this fit in with the vision that I have for my
- 6:10life and where I want to go?
- 6:12So true.
- 6:13And the last two episodes or in the last two episodes of December, we talked about with
- 6:19one person about the one word.
- 6:21And the other, we talked about your intentions.
- 6:26And Liz, you talked about, you know, what is it's a company that you can get bracelets.
- 6:32What's it called?
- 6:33My intent.
- 6:34And they actually have bracelets.
- 6:35And I had one made, it says, why not today?
- 6:39This one.
- 6:40And she said she had hers last year.
- 6:42I think it was here, like H-E-R-E.
- 6:46And so to be present.
- 6:47And so she wore it on a wrist and it reminded her, like when she was meeting with someone,
- 6:52she put her hand on a wrist to remind herself to be present.
- 6:56And so I love that daily reminder that we need to have it in front of us and keep reminding
- 7:00ourselves.
- 7:01It's kind of like that thing.
- 7:03You know, you can start a diet in the middle of a bag of potato chips, like, I'm on a diet,
- 7:07I'm eating healthy.
- 7:08And then you've, you know, noticing you're putting food in your mouth.
- 7:12So and that's my little puppy that wants attention.
- 7:14So talking about intention.
- 7:16So Stacy, tell me your courageous journey.
- 7:20I know you left corporate America, you wrote a book.
- 7:22So let's talk about the courageous things and how that tied into an intention.
- 7:27Yes, I feel like I was courageous through a lot of my twenties and the things that I
- 7:33did and like my book, Secrets for my Travel Diaries, that I wrote.
- 7:38It's based upon the diaries that I wrote at 21 when I was going off to study abroad.
- 7:43And I was going that big first step out on your own.
- 7:48And but, but I feel like there was a point in like my thirties where I began to just
- 7:56see life.
- 7:58It was like being on a treadmill, right?
- 8:00Being a part of the corporate grind.
- 8:02And I was doing all the things, checking all the boxes, but I wasn't really stepping out
- 8:09to do what I most wanted to do.
- 8:11I wasn't, I wasn't really moving forward as much as just doing in this constant cycle
- 8:18of doing.
- 8:19And aren't we all so guilty of that, of doing and I think, you know, living in the Northern
- 8:24Virginia area, we all kind of wear a badge of courage, a badge of honor that says, I'm
- 8:29busy and I'm doing all these things.
- 8:32100%.
- 8:33100%.
- 8:34So it's, it's such a common thing now that, now that I've come out and started talking
- 8:39about it, I just, it's amazing how this is just so common.
- 8:44But I think the first big step of courage that I took that was actually in a lot of ways
- 8:50more significant even at the time than even when I started my company, I left corporate
- 8:57all the things that happened after, but just based upon where I was at at the time.
- 9:01So in 2019, I decided to take myself to a weekend workshop.
- 9:08And I, why it was significant was that I had not invested in myself at all.
- 9:15In fact, I was always my lowest priority.
- 9:18It was my, it would be my work, my family oftentimes would get the leftovers of whatever
- 9:24time that I had.
- 9:25And then when you think about my own self, gosh, I would get maybe some scraps, right?
- 9:30Maybe, maybe if I had some time.
- 9:33And so I had started on a transformation journey, really starting to feel like there
- 9:39was more to life.
- 9:40I've got to find something different.
- 9:41Like I'm, my health was starting to not be so good.
- 9:45Like what is going on here?
- 9:47And that was a couple years before.
- 9:49So started around 2017 or so.
- 9:52And so I started doing some research and then this weekend workshop came up a couple of
- 9:57years later.
- 9:58And I just remember just torturing myself.
- 10:00Am I going to spend any money on myself?
- 10:02I'm going to take the time I was traveling overseas quite a bit with work.
- 10:06So am I going to be away from my family for this time and all this?
- 10:10And so finally, I just, I just, I knew this was for me.
- 10:14I knew like, I don't know why I need to go to this, but I know that this is for me.
- 10:19And so I was, remember that I was at the office and I was at a Starbucks doing like a, like
- 10:26a one-on-one meeting with, that was down, it was down the street with, with a colleague.
- 10:31And so I was walking back to the office and finally I just sat on a bench in between the
- 10:36office and the Starbucks and I just started getting, I got on my phone and I just booked
- 10:40the workshop.
- 10:41And immediately I just started feeling better once I did that because it's like, you know,
- 10:46how you just torture yourself when you finally make a decision.
- 10:48I'm like, you know, I can't believe I did this, but I'm doing it.
- 10:53And what was so beautiful that happened from that workshop was that I got some new tools.
- 11:01So it was Robin, Robin Sharma put it on.
- 11:04It was the personal mastery academy and he has a book called the 5 a.m. club.
- 11:10And so what he does is he gives tools on how you can get up early in the morning and do
- 11:16you know, exercise, reflect and, and, and read, learn.
- 11:23And so I did, I followed that, that, that regimen, that, that those rituals.
- 11:30And I began to actually slate some time to do the things I most wanted to do.
- 11:34And one of those, one major thing was writing.
- 11:37You know, I told you that when I was seven, I, I, you know, I had those experiences, right?
- 11:42So it was about reconnecting back to that writing.
- 11:45And so once I did, then it was like the passion became just resurfaced within me.
- 11:51I started looking and feeling different and starting moving through the world differently.
- 11:56And that's actually what then began to start my coaching business because people ask me,
- 12:01how did you do that?
- 12:03And so that's when I started to really ask myself that reverse engineering, you know,
- 12:08take the training and all that and then start my business.
- 12:12And so it just, things unfolded from there, but it was all about taking that first step
- 12:18through attending that workshop, being in a different environment, being having some,
- 12:23additional tools, having a new vision for my life and then going out and, and executing on it.
- 12:28Which is such a why not today message.
- 12:31Like you just like, okay, I've just got to do it, you know, and just sat down and do it.
- 12:36And those signs, we look for it.
- 12:38My sister just last week got a new puppy.
- 12:42Her dog unfortunately passed away a couple months ago and she went to a rescue, saw this dog.
- 12:46And she's like, I'm not sure.
- 12:47Actually, it is a puppy and it's deaf.
- 12:52And so she left there with her friend and she's like, you know what, I'm going to pray about it.
- 12:56I'm going to look for a sign, wait for a sign.
- 12:58And they went shopping at a craft fair and literally the first stop they went,
- 13:02there was somebody had a board that says, this is your sign.
- 13:06Oh, they went to the next place and it said, if you're looking for a sign, this is it.
- 13:12Sign God.
- 13:14And her friends like, oh, we're done.
- 13:17Yeah.
- 13:19But, you know, but it's making that decision and there's something I've been toying with the coaching program.
- 13:25And I keep seeing signs and I'm just like, oh, but I'm like, I think as soon as we're done,
- 13:29I'm going to sign up for it because yes, those signs.
- 13:32And, and, you know, it's that, should I, should I not?
- 13:35And, you know, we rarely regret the things we do.
- 13:39That's right.
- 13:40That's going to make a difference.
- 13:42So, yeah, that was definitely a why not today.
- 13:44And look where it took you to a whole new lifestyle and I assume you left corporate America.
- 13:50I did.
- 13:51I did a couple of years ago.
- 13:53Isn't that so freeing?
- 13:55Yes.
- 13:56Yeah.
- 13:57Why did I not do that?
- 14:00Well, it's a hard decision.
- 14:01It's a hard decision to do because the stability is nice.
- 14:06The steady paychecks are nice and you kind of know, OK, what you're, what you're doing from year to year,
- 14:12you know, you've got all the hotel points and the, and the airline miles and everything.
- 14:17But it ultimately, I now get to design my life the way I want to live it.
- 14:23And I get to have the time that I need for my kids and for my family, which is very important too.
- 14:29Well, and you can just see when you're talking about it, your smile and your face lights up.
- 14:33And what a difference.
- 14:34I mean, I made that leap, Leap in Corporate America 24 years ago, which is hard to believe.
- 14:40And it was a huge leap of faith that I talk about here a lot as part of the Why Not Today message.
- 14:44Like, I was like, what's the worst thing that's going to happen is I have to get another job.
- 14:50And six months after I did quit my job, my dad had a major stroke and I was able to be there and be at the hospital.
- 14:56I didn't have to ask anybody's permission.
- 14:58A lot of people I know that are close to my age are looking at retiring and they're like, you're going to retire?
- 15:03I'm like, no, like I would be so bored.
- 15:06I'm recreating.
- 15:07And I think a lot of people are doing that.
- 15:09Like, what's next?
- 15:11But the people that are working for somebody else, they're miserable.
- 15:15And they say the highest percentage of heart attacks happen on Monday morning.
- 15:20Like rarely do I set an alarm.
- 15:23Like, you know, I get up when I get up and get to go for a walk with the dog.
- 15:26And I was helping somebody do something on Saturday.
- 15:30And I said, oh, I should need to send something.
- 15:33I'm like, I got packing tape.
- 15:34I got an office.
- 15:34I can do all this.
- 15:35She goes, why don't you want you to work on Saturday?
- 15:36I'm like, I work probably a little bit every day, but I could take a three hour lunch on Tuesday.
- 15:41Like, you know, it really doesn't matter what day of the week it is, which half the time I don't know what day of the week it is.
- 15:48But it doesn't matter.
- 15:50No. So, so you do you wrote the book, you have your coaching.
- 15:56Do you do group coaching, individual coaching?
- 15:58Who would be a good coaching candidate for customer?
- 16:05Yes, yes, my, my, my market that I typically serve is mid or mid career professionals in the corporate environment who are just feeling like I was those several years ago because I can really resonate with that and really help you to in a very tangible way.
- 16:24I have a clarity method that I use that really appeals to you to, to, to you who are analytical, right?
- 16:33That like a basis for it.
- 16:36And I have a way of being able to take you through a journey that is essentially uses a sailing analogy.
- 16:43That's all about, you know, you're, you're kind of at you need to eventually you need to leave the port, right?
- 16:49And you need to be able to pack only what you need and shed what you don't need.
- 16:54And then go off and, and, and sail in a direction and figure out what that direction is as it becomes a beautiful unfolding.
- 17:03Yeah, sometimes you need to say yes to things, but also say no to other things.
- 17:07You don't want to load up your boat too much.
- 17:09Yeah. So if somebody's listening to this and thinking, that's so me, like what steps would you recommend for them to do some self discovery to see if, okay, what is the next step?
- 17:19Or what are things?
- 17:20What are other things I could do?
- 17:22Yeah, I think it's good to, as a baseline, start getting honest with yourself, you know, and start really thinking, okay, what, what, what do I really want?
- 17:31Or what, what did I want before all of the shoulds all got layered on and start to really, really, really think about that.
- 17:41And, and on the last day of my life, what do I want it to be, be about?
- 17:46What do I want people to say that I did or say about me?
- 17:50And if you don't, if you can't answer some of those, which I understand, there was a time when I couldn't answer because I was just so busy on that treadmill, then that's when you really know that it's worth the time to really to get some, some intentional clarity time to be able to, to really reflect on those questions.
- 18:10Because if you don't know where you're going, like, say, any road will take you there, right?
- 18:14But it is true.
- 18:16It is true, you're just rolling with the waves, as we say, and when, when, in your cells consulting.
- 18:21Yeah, and, you know, what is that?
- 18:24Alison Wonderland quote, like, if you don't know where you're going, you're not going to get there kind of thing.
- 18:31So I know there's a book that helps you find your career choice.
- 18:37I wonder if your book or another book helps people with what's next.
- 18:41You know, the book, have you ever heard what color is your parachute?
- 18:44Yes.
- 18:45Yes.
- 18:46I think that things like that are very, very helpful.
- 18:49What I was striving to do through my book, my book is a travel story.
- 18:53And it also contains all kinds of life lessons that I learned about two thirds of it is written in the voice of myself at 21.
- 19:03And the third is written and my current voice as a mid career professional.
- 19:08And so what I wanted to do is bring you just an entertaining travel story where you can go along and feel like you've
- 19:15been to Europe with the book.
- 19:18But you also then have this unfolding of an inner journey that it also takes you through.
- 19:25And I really want you to get a shift in your perspective because it's often just a tiny shift that makes all the difference.
- 19:35Like I mentioned, I sat on a bench with my phone.
- 19:38I booked a workshop, right?
- 19:40And it ended up changing my life.
- 19:42But because it's not just about the workshop, it's about just that one step that you take that you realize you can take another one and another one.
- 19:51And then you start to connect more dots and you start to get out there and meet more people, make more connections like you and I did.
- 19:58And so that's how it happens.
- 20:02And so I really want to inspire you to see new possibility in your life.
- 20:08That's awesome.
- 20:09And I mentioned with this podcast, it's not perfect.
- 20:12And literally the first recording, I record at three o'clock to post on the next day.
- 20:17And because I didn't know what I was doing and I was scared, I'm like, OK, I just got to do it.
- 20:21And sometimes it's just taking that one little step to do it.
- 20:24And God will unfold the rest of the steps and put you in connection with the people, just like you and I connected it.
- 20:33And what a perfect time to connect with the intention.
- 20:40And I love you sharing your story, by the way, that that first episode I just think is just so powerful as as as they all are.
- 20:48But just I just the fact that you were so vulnerable to say that you just you share your fears and share the things that you were you were feeling and how you got to this point.
- 20:59I think that helps so many people so much more than just step by step on a thing or something very analytical.
- 21:07You know, it's right and it doesn't have to be perfect. And, you know, you've just got to take that first step.
- 21:12And the Why Not Today podcast and brand is evolving to different things that I never in a match.
- 21:17Million years imagined when I was walking with that friend.
- 21:21And it's funny, you remember sitting on the bench.
- 21:24I remember walking with my friend to say, I think I want to do a podcast.
- 21:28And I remember the day we sat and I told her the Why Not Today story.
- 21:32And she's like, well, that's the name of your podcast.
- 21:33And I can remember exactly where I was.
- 21:36And yeah, those pivotal moments in our life are so powerful.
- 21:41So well, before we get to encourage how you'd encourage somebody else, we do have sponsors now for the podcast.
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- 22:14So Stacey, how would you encourage somebody else?
- 22:17And we've kind of talked about this, but how would you encourage somebody else that's listening today?
- 22:21They're like, I just have this feeling in my heart and soul.
- 22:25And how would you encourage them to be courageous and do the things?
- 22:30Yes, well, I think that we fool ourselves into thinking that someday everything will be all in alignment.
- 22:39Right? We're going to have all the things.
- 22:41We're going to have the perfect situation.
- 22:43We're going to have the courage someday.
- 22:45But you actually what really happens is you build courage and you build it through action.
- 22:50So one of the things in my book, I share these little life lessons at the end of each chapter.
- 22:56And one of the life lessons that I'll just quickly read to you is it says,
- 23:03radiate confidence to put in motion those first steps and build it as you go.
- 23:10And that's really what I found because the confidence I've gained is through taking action.
- 23:17And just thinking about it doesn't really doesn't build courage and confidence because,
- 23:23you know, you don't have a tangible result that comes from it.
- 23:27You know, you know, deep down you're still not being true to yourself if you just thought about it and not take an action.
- 23:34Right. Yeah, we definitely got to take that action and make those steps.
- 23:38So true. Well, I guess I'm going to have to order that book today and read it and get my life lessons looking forward to it.
- 23:46So I always try to connect this back to my dad and people in the question when I give the question to people that are like, I didn't know your dad.
- 23:52Well, so the first connection back to my dad is obviously the dentist, like your sister in law, like how crazy is that?
- 23:59And I was sharing with Stacy before we started that actually the day my dad passed away was actually his birth was in fact his birthday.
- 24:07And that's when I started the podcast, which is March 5th.
- 24:10I was meeting with somebody yesterday and I was she said that was her birthday as well.
- 24:14She started crying like, wow, all the Godwinks.
- 24:17But so on his birthday, he actually started his day at the dentist with your sister in law.
- 24:24How crazy is that?
- 24:25Now, the dentist had nothing to do with him passing away. We really don't know what happened.
- 24:30It just it was his time.
- 24:32But, you know, that's a great connection.
- 24:34Your sale analogy, he loved sale. He loved the water.
- 24:37We he was from California, so grew up near the water, but we lived on a lake most of my life.
- 24:45And his office was the other end of the lake.
- 24:48So we always tease that he skated there.
- 24:51He windsurfed there. He swam there and he sailed there and he would be on the sale.
- 24:55But we've got lots of great pictures of him sailing.
- 24:57And then when he got out of college, he traveled around Europe just like you.
- 25:01So lots of cool coincidences or beautiful connections.
- 25:07And I just and I love the connections with all this.
- 25:10So well, I'm going to share Stacy's information in the show notes.
- 25:14Of course, I'm sure you can get your book anywhere you can get books.
- 25:17And you said there will be an audio soon.
- 25:20Yes.
- 25:20And I'll share all her contact information.
- 25:22Anything else you want to share before we go?
- 25:27I just want to thank you, Leslie.
- 25:28I love what you're doing.
- 25:30And I I'm so pleased to be able to have this conversation with you.
- 25:35And I love the why not today concept because that is very, very congruent with with with with my book.
- 25:43You know, I I have, you know, it's the full title is Secrets for my Travel Diaries,
- 25:48How One Burnt Out Executive Reignited the Adventure Within.
- 25:52And so that's really what why not today is.
- 25:55Is it it's about reigniting the adventure with absolutely.
- 25:59Yeah. So well, thank you for being my guest and sharing your story.
- 26:04The why not today podcast you can find on all over social media on every place you can listen to a podcast.
- 26:11Our website is www.whynottaypodcast.com.
- 26:15If you go to the website, you can sign up for email list,
- 26:17which I'm going to have some newsletters and some new fun things happening with that.
- 26:21We do have why not today swag.
- 26:23We have t-shirts and cups and stickers.
- 26:25So if you want to remind yourself daily to just be courageous and say why not today with attention.
- 26:31Yes, exactly.
- 26:32So thanks, everybody, for listening.
- 26:34Thanks, Stacy, for sharing your story.
- 26:36And as I always close, make sure you're saying why not today every day.
- 26:41And thanks again, Stacy.
- 26:43You're welcome. Why not today?
- 26:45Sat.