Do you yearn for a renewed sense of purpose and absolute clarity in your career direction? Are you in search of a solution that will help you achieve this result? Look no further, because in this interview, our guest Andrea Haas will be sharing the key to unlocking your true potential and finding your purpose. Get ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and receive the guidance you need to navigate through burnout and uncertainty.
"I stopped apologizing, I guess, for who I am in a way. And so that part, that was a lot of clarity for me. Like, this is it. So take care of Andrea by doing this." - Andrea Haas
Andrea's Top 5 Clifton Strengths:
Learner, Harmony, Responsibility, Achiever, and Input
In this episode, you will be able to:
Links mentioned in this episode:
A Courageous Crazy Journey from Pink Cadillac to Strengths Coach - Sheri Miter's True Calling Story
Andrea Haas website:
www.elmtreeed.com
Connect/Follow Andrea on Facebook at:
facebook.com/andrea.w.haas
Join me and 15+ other top female entrepreneur experts for the Rise of the Entrepreneur - Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape for Female Professionals 5-Day Summit! Click here for more details and to register for this free event!
________________________________
Elevate your 2024 with the Rise of the Entrepreneur – Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape for Female Professionals Summit!🌟
For a full 5 days, immerse yourself in cutting-edge training from over 15 leading female entrepreneurs, myself included! 😉
Claim your FREE ticket now Register for the Summit today!
______________________________
Join the Motivated for More Facebook Community
Ready to learn more about YOUR strengths or the Discovering Your Calling Academy?
Book a Coffee & Connect Call
Send me a Direct Message - https://m.me/sheri.miter
Social Media - @SheriMiter
Website - www.sherimiterco.com
Matthew 5:14-16 is the inspiration for this podcast.
Do you yearn for a renewed sense of purpose and absolute clarity in your career direction? Are you in search of a solution that will help you achieve this result? Look no further, because in this interview, our guest Andrea Haas will be sharing the key to unlocking your true potential and finding your purpose. Get ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and receive the guidance you need to navigate through burnout and uncertainty.
"I stopped apologizing, I guess, for who I am in a way. And so that part, that was a lot of clarity for me. Like, this is it. So take care of Andrea by doing this." - Andrea Haas
Andrea's Top 5 Clifton Strengths:
Learner, Harmony, Responsibility, Achiever, and Input
In this episode, you will be able to:
Links mentioned in this episode:
A Courageous Crazy Journey from Pink Cadillac to Strengths Coach - Sheri Miter's True Calling Story
Andrea Haas website:
www.elmtreeed.com
Connect/Follow Andrea on Facebook at:
facebook.com/andrea.w.haas
Join me and 15+ other top female entrepreneur experts for the Rise of the Entrepreneur - Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape for Female Professionals 5-Day Summit! Click here for more details and to register for this free event!
________________________________
Elevate your 2024 with the Rise of the Entrepreneur – Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape for Female Professionals Summit!🌟
For a full 5 days, immerse yourself in cutting-edge training from over 15 leading female entrepreneurs, myself included! 😉
Claim your FREE ticket now Register for the Summit today!
______________________________
Join the Motivated for More Facebook Community
Ready to learn more about YOUR strengths or the Discovering Your Calling Academy?
Book a Coffee & Connect Call
Send me a Direct Message - https://m.me/sheri.miter
Social Media - @SheriMiter
Website - www.sherimiterco.com
Matthew 5:14-16 is the inspiration for this podcast.
00:00:00
Our guest today is one of our. Discovering Your Calling Academy alumni, and she's a teacher who had quit her job, and for the very first time in her life, she didn't have a career plan or a clear next step to follow. And that didn't sit well with her, as she shared. She says, I had no idea what I was going to do next. I really was in uncharted waters, and I knew I needed someone to guide me through a process to figure out what was next.
00:00:25
And when we started working together this is so fun for me. She had no inkling at all or desire to become an entrepreneur. In fact, we had a conversation around that. She's like, no way, not for me. But after just a couple of sessions, she started blogging, and now she has formed an LLC, and she's super excited about what's next in her journey and her life, and I'm going to let her share more about that in the interview.
00:00:54
The other thing that she shared with. Me after working together was, I'm dreaming big. And that isn't something that comes naturally to me. So I think a lot of you are going to relate to Andrea's story because so many women out there have forgotten how to dream, or maybe you never gave yourself permission to dream. And I think the conversation today hopefully will allow you to start dreaming a little more.
00:01:19
And also, I know there are a lot of teachers out there who are burned out and don't know what to do next. So if you know a teacher like. That, why don't you forward them this interview after you listen to it? Thanks so much and let me know. What you think of the conversation.
00:01:39
Welcome to the discovering your Calling podcast. I'm your host, Sheri Miter. I'm here to help you unleash your strengths and get clarity on your calling. I believe when you find your purpose in life fulfillment, joy and success will follow. If you're ready, pop in those earbuds, hit that follow button, and join me on this journey toward discovering your calling.
00:02:02
Welcome back, friends, to the Discovering your Calling podcast. I am your host Sheri Miter, and I am here with one of my clients, Andrea. And Andrea is actually one of my A plus students, and I say that kind of tongue in cheek because she also comes from the educational world, too, so the A plus really means something in her world. But, Andrea, thank you so much for being here and just sharing your experience of being one of my clients in the Discovering Your Calling program. We actually worked one on one, but just if you want to introduce yourself and share a little bit about who you are, what you're doing right now, and then we'll go back and talk about your experience in the Academy.
00:02:46
Sounds great. Well, thanks, Sheri, for having me. As you said, I'm an educator. I spent about 20 years in public education. I was a teacher.
00:02:55
I was a leader of other teachers in professional development. I was a mentor. And then currently I am working on starting my business called Elm Tree Education Consulting. I actually have my own business license and everything and getting that kind of, like, up and running after we completed our program. Yeah.
00:03:18
Which is super exciting. And if you're watching the video, you see both Andrea and I kind of chuckle at that because when we first started working together, a question, and one of the questionnaires I send my clients has something about, have you ever thought about owning your own business? And you were pretty much a big, no, I'm not going to do it. And here we are. Here we are.
00:03:41
And I definitely want to come back to we'll come back around to the Elm and all that went into naming the business and a little bit about what that is at the end of the podcast. But I want to go back to where it was when you heard about the Discovering Your Calling Academy and what was going on in your life that made you think, oh, maybe this is for me. Yeah. So I'll go back a little bit further just because I think it creates a good context.
00:04:15
2022 March February, I guess it was. I started feeling really burnt out. I mean, we all lived through the pandemic and kind of know what that was like. I had two young children at home during that, trying to work from home and then also just what was going on in education, trying to navigate and deal with the pandemic and then yet trying to still instruct students. Plus the nature of my role of being a mentor for first and second year teachers is those people already have a lot of stress in their life because it's a lot of new at them all at once.
00:04:50
But then they also were dealing with the pandemic. And then I just had some other people that had some weird personal situations that were going on, and I was starting to kind of feel some compassion fatigue. I mean, there's just all sorts of reasons. And I went to my boss and I said, I don't think I can't keep doing this. There were some medical things going on there's, some big reasons.
00:05:13
But she was super supportive, and I dropped down in my hours. But then I also decided I'm going to take the school year off. So I'm going to take the 2022 23 school year and just take a leave of absence because I just feel like I am so burnt out right now and I'm not going to do myself or the people I serve any good continuing to do this. And I was fortunately in a position to be able to do that with my family financially. And that was an interesting experience, taking a step away when I didn't have anything outwardly wrong.
00:05:44
I wasn't needing to take care of an aging parent or I wasn't needing to have some sort of treatment for an illness. And so that also put me kind of an interesting position of trying to kind of tell people, this is why I need to do this, and I need to do this because it's not that common, really, in education that you do just take a step away. So I had that year off in this past year, and I just realized I still wasn't feeling any better. I wasn't feeling any lighter, and especially when the calendar ticked over to 2023 and I needed to make a decision because of the way our teacher contract works in my district, I had to say, yes, I'm coming back, or no, I'm not. And it was really heavy on my mind, and I was really thinking a lot about it, and I ultimately made the decision to not go back, but then I had no idea what I was going to do.
00:06:39
And I've always been the girl with a plan. And so to not suddenly to not have a plan and to not have a goal and to not have something I was working towards was super hard, and I was feeling super lost and overwhelmed, because usually I kind of knew the path, and I literally was in just to kind of be a little silly with the program. I was in uncharted waters. I really did not know what I was doing right. I had no clue.
00:07:06
And I pretty quickly realized I was going to need to get help with that. I just didn't know who. And very serendipitously you happened to interview one of my very best friends, Elise Enriquez, for one of your earlier podcast episodes. And after that conversation with you, she called me and said, I think you need to talk to I love her vibe. I think you should just connect all those things.
00:07:33
And so when I kind of looked a little bit into the program and kind of like what it entailed, I was curious. I also was familiar with Clifton strengths, so that wasn't like a new assessment for me. And I was like, oh, okay, well, I kind of know what that assessment is about. And then I don't know, I think I signed up for one of the calls just to see how we connected or that kind of vibe. And I think the biggest thing for me, because of the fact that this whole year I haven't had any income coming into the family, and that's been an interesting adjustment that I wasn't realizing I was, I don't know, maybe part of my identity a little bit.
00:08:14
And so I think the only thing that was holding me back because I feel like I'd sort of already decided I'm going to have to work with somebody because I don't know how to figure this out. I really don't know how to figure this out. Do I leave education? Do I stay in education? All these things was that spending money on something when I'm not making money felt was probably, like, one of the biggest hold ups, where I was just like, but I'm not making any money.
00:08:36
Do I have enough money to afford this? And in the end, it was actually very affordable, and my husband was very supportive and was like, yes, you should do this. If this is going to help you, you should do this. And it turned out to be one of the best decisions, for sure, because it really has changed my life, for sure, dramatically. Yeah.
00:08:56
Which I definitely want to go into that much deeper. But I want to just pause here for a minute, because I think the fact that you recognize that you just needed a break, and I think there's so many people I mean, you can look at any stats out there. So many people are in that position, whether they a lot of educators, for sure, in the medical field and just regular jobs. Today, everybody's got so stressed out, whether it was from COVID or they were already leading up to that, and some are in a position to be able to take that sabbatical, some can't. But I think I want to applaud you, first of all, just to say that you recognize that, wait, I'm not serving anybody right now, and that you had to take care of yourself first.
00:09:43
That's a huge decision to do, and I know that wasn't an easy decision to do. So I think just recognizing that, and I think for anybody listening, whether you do anything with the discovering your calling or not, to just be okay with that. If you need to say, I just need a time out, even if it's a month, 90 days, if you're not serving anybody, your family, you're at work, or yourself, then do what you have to do to get through that. Yeah. And I think your point about it being really hard, it was a really hard decision.
00:10:16
I might be saying, like, oh, I did this, and I did this, but that was not an easy decision. That was lots of talks. That was lots of conversation. That was lots of things leading up to it. And when you're in a helping profession, I think it's also really hard to take a step back because you're naturally there to help and serve others.
00:10:37
And so for you to say, I need to focus on me right now, sometimes feels really hard, because then who are you letting down? Or who are you abandoning? Or all those kinds of things. But ultimately, yeah, I wasn't well. I was not well.
00:10:57
I needed to stop. Yeah. And like you said, it's easy to make that decision if there's a physical, like, oh, I have this ailment. Not that we want to wish that we have an ailment but I have this or I have, like you said, elderly parents I need to take care of. There's a reason, but it's so hard when it's just like, I need a mental break or I'm going to mentally break.
00:11:17
Right.
00:11:21
And I would imagine, too, that well, let me ask you, I don't want to imagine how did that like, where you were when you decided you needed to take that sabbatical and then where you are now, how has all that affected your family dynamics and your kids and your relationship with your husband? How was it and then how is it now? Yeah, I would say that pretty big time. Well, as you know, I have a strong sense of responsibility. It's one of my strengths.
00:11:52
And so I wouldn't ever let my emotional state completely prevent me from being a parent. But was I showing up as my best self? Probably not, right? And then that would be a lot of other extra guilt that would just cycle to make me feel even worse because like you said, it was a thing where I just like, I need to take care of me so that I could take care of other people. And I just wasn't feeling like I was doing well in any one thing.
00:12:24
I just felt like it was all like little bits here and there and it was just so sporadic. So I think the one thing that I notice now for sure is that I'm able to be a lot more family. We were talking about this before we started the podcast, but my family just took like a two week RV trip through Wyoming. I live in Washington state, and so we drove through Wyoming and Montana and went to the Black Hills in South Dakota, Nebraska. And that whole really there was one day where I realized, oh my gosh, I'm really time last summer.
00:13:04
We didn't take that long of a trip last summer, but when we took a trip last summer, I remember that whole time I was kind of just like going through the motions. I was kind of on autopilot and I noticed it this last couple of weeks that, wow, I'm really here with my family and I'm not worried about what's going to come next. I'm not worried about I really didn't actually think anything about business stuff that I needed to do. I did a lot leading up to it, and then now I've kind of dove back into it. But really, I really did take a step away and I was not like that a year ago by any means.
00:13:41
That's awesome. That's so great to hear. That's what we should be able to do, right? I know, right? Yeah.
00:13:50
I'd say probably 90% of us don't do that. And I've been guilty of that, of having vacations where I really wasn't mentally present because I was so worried about everything else going on. But to be able to do that what a gift to really be present. Because our kids sense that. Yeah, for sure.
00:14:11
We may think that we're present and going through the motions and they don't notice, but they do. They totally do. Totally. Yeah. She's almost ten.
00:14:21
She's going to be ten in August, my oldest. I remember one day she was like, mama, are you stressed right now? That was like, actually, I am feeling kind of stressed right now because of these things that are going on. But like you said, she totally picks it up. She's very empathetic.
00:14:38
So she can kind of read a room too. But yeah, they're not oblivious to what's going on. No, they know way more than we give them credit for sometimes.
00:14:54
And then I also want to just touch you said something about just feeling that guilt of like, wait a minute, I'm not bringing in money. Should I spend money? And I think that's such a hard concept for especially I hate to stereotype it, but I feel like it is as women, we have a really hard time sometimes investing in ourselves, especially in something like this, where there really isn't. I was just talking to somebody else today about this, that the promise isn't a tangible, like, do this program and you'll ten X your income or do this program and you're going to have this podcast done. There's not really a tangible promise at the end, which I'm sure makes it a bigger struggle to invest in.
00:15:47
So what was it knowing that what was the promise that you heard from the program, whether it was in our conversation or what you read about it, that made you say yes to yourself and investing in yourself? I think it was one thing was you had also suggested I listened to one of your podcasts, I think, where your husband's interviewing you, and I read about the program, like, okay, there's going to be phases and you kind of had gone over it with me. But I feel like when I kind of listened to your journey and I kind of heard your story, while it wasn't same sector or anything, there was some similarities of how you weren't feeling right and those kinds of things. And I thought, I think because that just lent my vision. Like, this is a woman who's done this before and she did it.
00:16:45
And I think you even said, or maybe it says it on your website. Let me kind of show you what it took me three years to figure out in three months. So I was like, okay, here's somebody who's gone that path before, who's gone through a big change. Or you might have been in a different time of life than I am, but still you had carved that way. And so I think that to me, made me want to be part of this program versus there are some other life coaches that I actually happened to know through other people that I considered working with, but I think it was just the fact that I also like systems, as you also know, of consistency.
00:17:35
So I just feel like there was, like a clear there was something clear for me and that was what was helping me, because at that point in time, everything felt so foggy because I just really didn't know where to go. So it just felt like there's a GPS for it, I guess, is kind of what I'm going to say. And, yeah, you weren't promising anything. You weren't saying, like, at the end of this, you're going to know exactly what you're going to do. But I also kind of had some faith in myself that if I had a little help, I could figure it out, too.
00:18:04
I think that's also another piece. I love that. And, yeah, that's a huge piece. A huge piece that you have to know that there's a laid out curriculum. You get a workbook, I take you through the phases.
00:18:17
They are exactly what I did. Like, you just shared. It took me three years of doing these steps and I didn't know I was doing these steps as I was doing them. It took reflection back to realize, like, oh, yeah, there was a pattern that I did, and that's what I teach people to do. And it is effective, but you've got to step into it with like, okay, I'm going to do the work.
00:18:40
I'm going to follow the path. It is a proven system, and that's what's going to get you results to clarity. There's just some clarity. So let's talk about that. What do you feel like now that you went through it?
00:18:55
What's on this other side now for you? What did you get out of the program? Yeah, one of the biggest things for me, I think, was just that deep dive that we did into understanding who makes me Andrea, what is it that makes me? What are the things that I bring to the world? And also, I think maybe even more importantly was that part of me looking to see and then what do I need?
00:19:23
What is it that I need because of these things? Because I am a high learner. I need this because I'm a high whatever. And there was just like this light bulb moment of like, no wonder I have made the choices I've made. It makes so much sense when I see this, when I can now look back and then I see this information, I'm like, oh, well, of course I made these choices.
00:19:47
And when people didn't understand it, it's probably because that's not their not they would have been okay in that situation. I mean, I had some friends that were like, but you have a great job, Andrea. Why would you leave that job? It's such a great it's like one of the best jobs in the school district. I was like, you're right, it's fabulous.
00:20:03
But I don't want to do know. And so I felt like there was a lot of, like, at first, there was a lot of me trying to convince people why I was doing what I was doing or trying to give them reasons so that they could just understand. And finally I was like, you know, what? That's on them if they understand or not. This is who I am.
00:20:26
And now this is who I'm realizing what I need, and I'm going to work towards creating the space for that, that I will get what I need. And I stopped apologizing, I guess, for who I am in a way. And so that part that was a lot of clarity for me, right. Like, just to go like, oh, this is it. This is and so take care of Andrea by doing these.
00:20:56
That. And that helps me both personally and really. Yeah, great. And what Andrea's talking about? A big piece of this whole program is tied to the Clifton strengths assessment.
00:21:12
And I use that because, one, it's such a unique assessment that just really helps you see who you are. You are one in 33 million. It's not how you fit into a box. It's how you stand out. It's what makes you unique.
00:21:26
But one of the pieces that we use is a form that tells you, based on your unique talent, strengths, what environment, basically, do you need to thrive and are those needs being met? And to make sure that whatever you create in the future, whether it be at your current career or creating something new, is that it has that environment for you to thrive. And I'm looking at Andrea. Your plant. I don't know, is that a cactus behind you or what is it is.
00:22:00
Actually it's my husband's. But, you know, a cactus needs a different environment than a rose bush. Yeah, exactly. And if you try to dry out a rose bush, it's going to die. Whereas if you try to over water the cactus, it's not going to do well.
00:22:19
So we have to have just like the plants, we have to have the right environment in order to thrive. And when we can thrive, that's when we can be our best. And what I love is that it's not just me telling you that, or it's not just you telling yourself that it's in black and white, so you can't ignore the facts. Right. It's like, yeah, there it is.
00:22:39
There it is. So I'm glad that that part was impactful. And I do hear from most of the alumni in the suits, except that that really honing in on the strengths is huge. Yeah. Especially because I had taken that assessment a couple of times, but it wasn't until we dug in so deeply that I really got it, I think before I was like, oh, yeah, that sounds like me.
00:23:08
And it was a one day meeting where we looked at our results together as a team and all those kinds of things. And it's fun to do these personality assessments or work style assessments, but because we had done so much work, like just really slowing that down and looking at it, and I had time in between to let it sit. That's the other thing, too, is I think that sometimes when you get information, a lot of information in a really short amount period of time, you don't have time to let it just marinate and understand it. And because it wasn't like we did this twelve days in a row, this was over time. So I could really reflect and let that just, I don't know, be.
00:23:56
I think that's like the best learning anyway. It's not when you try to dump a whole bunch of information at people and don't let them have any time to process. Right. So talk a little bit more about that. I call it the self work because homework always has this bad nobody wants homework.
00:24:11
So talk a little bit more about what that was like for you to have self work. Yeah, it gave me that space to reflect and to think. And I would say that if you're going to invest in the program, you have to do that work. You can't not do it because then you're not going to get the outcomes that you want. No.
00:24:34
If you don't actually put the time into it. And there's things that you and I could discuss, but you're also not me. This isn't your life. There's things that I actually have to think about, but what do I really want? Or what is my vision or what kind of impact do I want to have on the world or all those things?
00:24:57
You can't tell me that. And just us having conversation necessarily doesn't always sometimes things came out just because I'm a verbal processor anyway, but I think I just to let it sit too. And I don't know, it just produces more thought and understanding. And you're able to set better goals. I think also, too, because you're not trying to rush your way through something or like the first idea that comes to you or those kinds of things.
00:25:25
Right. So each week, and again, this is where I say you are such an A plus student, because you did always do the work. You invested not just financially into the program, but you invested the time into the program so that you didn't waste, because it'd be easy to show up for the 1 hour conversation or the sessions, live sessions. But then if you don't do the work in between, like you just shared, you're not going to get the value. Because it is a lot of self reflection and a lot of answering your own questions that nobody else can answer for you.
00:26:06
So anything else about the program itself that kind of stood out to you that you want to speak to or any other parts that you enjoyed that we didn't cover yet. I think that for me, taking it individually was a value. I know that you have a group program as well. I feel like there's a space and time where you definitely love to be part of a group because you can kind of hear what somebody else is saying and then that kind of furthers your thinking. But where I was mentally when I met you, I feel like I needed to really just like, let's focus on me right now, not worry about other people.
00:26:46
So for me personally, I could see how some folks would really thrive off of a group setting, but I really appreciated the one on oneness of it because of just where I was. I don't know, having that individualized attention was pretty crucial. And the other thing I would say is, I don't know if it's like the learner in me or what, but those sessions really fed me. It was funny because after we would have our usually they were on Thursday, so we would have our talk on Thursday and then right afterwards, because my best friend is very invested in this, and she's like, no, I want to hear how it's going with Sheri. So I would usually get on Marco Polo, which is an app, a video chatting app on your phone, and I would do my weekly Sheri download.
00:27:40
And she would always say, your energy after you've had those sessions with Sheri is just so like you're so just animated and excited and just filled with just guess. I would say that that was also very helpful too. Or just something I enjoyed is that I just really dug it. I dug the time and obviously it showed because people noticed, right? Yeah, I love that.
00:28:15
And again, like we shared earlier, it's not necessarily a tangible XYZ result, but that's a tangible result in itself. Yeah, that the energy, what your friends notice, what your family notices, and how you show up. Again. I do remember Elise even saying something about, thank you for giving me my best friend back. Again, her energy.
00:28:43
Which just side note for anybody listening that has that thought of like, oh, do I want to invest in something for myself? But you're doing it for others because what you gain out of know, if you feel like Andrea and like I had when I did this, like that you've lost your soul, you've lost who you really are, and you know you're better than now. If you're feeling in that space, then this is a gift you give to yourself, but others around you as well. Really.
00:29:13
It's funny you say about the one on one versus the group. And as the person facilitating both, it's very interesting because I see the benefit of both. The one on one has definitely benefits and the group definitely has some benefits that the one on one doesn't get of having that. Camaraderie and other people going through it at the same time. There's definitely a benefit to that.
00:29:40
And I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how can I do both? How can there be, like, a hybrid? I really do think that is the ideal way for this to maximize the results is to have a piece that's grouped, but a piece that's one on one as well. So if you think of any ideas, Andrea, let me know. How could this be a hybrid that incorporates both pieces?
00:30:09
So as we start to kind of wrap things up, I want to give you time now to kind of share what became the thing that you realize is your current purpose that's going to give you that fulfillment and that you got clarity on. You already mentioned the Elm, but there's more to it than just like, I love the whole process you went through to create the name, too, and what that is and what's next, I guess we'll call it, that you're working on now, if you want to take some time to share about that. Yeah, well, as you mentioned the beginning yeah. As my friends know, I have strong opinions about many things, and the two strong opinions I had was I was never, ever going to work in food service and I wasn't going to be an entrepreneur.
00:31:00
How that all evolved of me going like, well, maybe I do want to be an entrepreneur. Wait, I hadn't thought about it from this angle. Was, like you said, that was part of the process, too, for me, was to say, okay, maybe I've been wrong. Maybe I do want to do this. So, yeah, I think when I came to you, I was thinking, like, I'm going to figure out what's next.
00:31:25
I just don't think it's going to be me starting a business, but it's like, going to be my what next? And then the more that we kept talking about how the things that were like, this is what I want to have in my life, and flexibility was a big one, and making sure that I can be present for kid things, my kid things, and finding some more. I think what you called it was harmony. Not necessarily work life balance, but harmony. I just kept realizing, like, well, but if I was working for somebody else, is that going to provide that for me?
00:32:04
And I was unsure that that would be the case. Plus, I realized pretty quickly, like, no, I want to stay in education. This is really important to me. This is part of who I am and some things that I'm passionate about, but I don't want to be an administrator. And there isn't a lot of growth in education unless you want to go that way.
00:32:29
There just isn't that many opportunities. You're basically just you're a teacher or you're like an administrator. I guess other people can be like they can move from being like a paraprofessional to a teacher, but that's pretty much it. So I also just kind of felt like, I don't think the grass is going to be greener for me any other place, and who I am needs new challenges and who I am again, coming back to my strengths and like, what do I need? I was like, I've kind of already explored all the options.
00:32:56
I don't really have any other options. So I feel like those kind of pieces, as they started coming together, made me realize, like, okay, maybe I really need to take a second look at thinking about being an entrepreneur through all that work. And I can't even remember exactly what phase it started clicking in, but like you had said, I'm putting all the pieces of the puzzle in the basket and collecting them kind of all along the way. And then there was things where I just started getting really clear whatever session that was, where we had, where I realized, ding, I don't want to work with teachers who don't want to work with me. And that came from a conversation because I've been kind of exploring other things and having other conversations about how could I use the connections I have in the district that I used to work for and still do some work.
00:33:50
But then I realized a lot of those things or those offers that seem that might be available were going to be me going and helping people who are struggling.
00:34:01
I'm not saying that those people don't need support and help, but for what I have been already doing for the last several years, it was going to kind of be more of the same. And I wanted to move away from that and get back to what I really care about, which is literacy.
00:34:17
For me, it meant thinking about how could I pull in all the things that I want to have, which is I want to have some challenge, but I also want to be helping teachers. And again, I don't mean to keep going back to the Clifton strengths, but that was such a big piece of my journey, is like, I am a developer. I am a relator. I do have empathy. There is that part of me that kind of all comes together to really want to support other people.
00:34:47
And so I wanted that to happen. But there's also this intellectual side of me and this learner and input side that you really highlighted for me and started making me realize just how much I get energy from having conversations about teaching with people. I really get a lot of energy out of that. So I didn't want it always to be me doing the output. I wanted to also have some of the input kind of coming in.
00:35:16
And so I don't know, through that whole series, I kind of eliminated. I was like, Well, I want people who want to work with me and I also don't want to have to travel, but I also want to be able to have a wider reach. So maybe I could create something that could be mostly virtual, but yet I could have room to do different things if I wanted to. And it all just came to me that one day where I was trying to sketch some stuff out of, like, what would this look like? What would that look like?
00:35:43
How would I be using my strengths? All these things. I just made, like, a whole chart. I know you remember this whole chart. I got done with all of it.
00:35:50
What are the pitfalls that I want to watch out for all these things. And I was like, okay, I do think I want, like, a Mastermind group, because I do want there to be some collaboration, and I want to create community, and I want to also use my strengths to consult and coach. And if I think of all those four things coaching, consulting, collaboration, and community and put them all together to provide something that would be ongoing, professional development, because just like your program, it doesn't have to be ongoing forever, but not a one and done workshop. And really helping teachers who are maybe feeling like I am, because there's either no resources to support them in their school or they are like maybe they're in a remote region where there just isn't, like a lot of PD around them for some reason, but they can totally get on a zoom. Or just thinking about trying to keep people who are good teachers in the profession, people who are just, like, hungry to keep growing in their practice.
00:36:57
So I pulled all those together. So when I started sketching this out in my journal, I was like, okay, so Mastermind, what could I do? And then all of sudden, A, I was like, elementary literacy Mastermind, and then I was like, Elm. Oh, my gosh. And then Sheri knows.
00:37:14
I did a deep dive into the Elm tree. I was like, It totally connects. There was just so many things that were just like, oh, my gosh, Elm is perfect. It's so perfect, and it keeps it so that it can still grow. Like, Elm right now means elementary literacy Mastermind, but people don't have to.
00:37:34
If I decide to move away from Masterminds or I do something else, it keeps it kind of open, but it's also really meaningful to my beginnings. So I think that it just felt very like I just love when things just all of a sudden start coming together, and you're like, yes, this is it. I'm very sure. I know that this is it, and that's where I am. So, yeah.
00:37:54
After we stopped working together, I applied for a business license.
00:38:01
I've set up a business bank account, and I've done some different things. I've reached out to a friend of mine who's a graphic designer, and I'm working with him, and he's helping me come up with a logo and just some little things. And then my big hope for the fall is that I can get going like a beta group of just like this is my idea of how this mastermind is going to work. Let's give it a try, and then I can make some tweaks and adjustments and see what works, what doesn't. But I'm super excited and just kind of like how the program that I have in my head that I think is going to meet different needs that aren't being met.
00:38:43
I'm so jazzed about, like, if I was still in the classroom, I would love this. I would want to be a part of this. And I know there's those teachers like me out there that would want to be a part of this. So that's why I think I've found something that's going to be filling a need that isn't met necessarily everywhere. Right?
00:39:01
And that's such a huge thing. It's when you create something that you would want to be a part of, then you know, like, okay, because like you said, there's other people out there that are feeling the same way. And I love that you're willing to just step into it. And we've talked about this, and I say this a lot to other people, too, and on the podcast, it's like, it's the first step. We don't know what it's going to look like five years, ten years down the road, and we're not supposed to know because it Will morph.
00:39:30
It won't look the same. No business ever does. If it is, it's stale. Your business looks the same ten years down the road that it looked when you started. You've gotten stale.
00:39:43
We grow, we adjust, we learn new things. We have other people that like, oh, have you ever thought of this? So it Will Morph and Tweak, which keeps it exciting and keeps it fresh and new. But to start here, I think is great, and I love just hearing your excitement, and it was so fun to watch. And we talk about in the program, I keep always saying to the students, you're just collecting puzzle pieces in the beginning.
00:40:13
We don't have a box. We don't have a lid. We have no idea what this puzzle is going to look like. And I know you all hate hearing that. You hate it.
00:40:24
That's not what you want me to say, but it's the truth. But it's so fun when I get to watch people's puzzles start to become a picture, to see the outline get formed, and then it's like, okay, I think I'm onto something. And now you could start putting the pieces in the middle, and it's not finished yet. The puzle is not, but it looks like something. Now you can see where it's starting to look like this elm tree.
00:40:49
And the teachers that are going to be impacted by your program, that's the exciting part of the journey. And the one thing I would say about that is that when you're in the process and you're in one of the earlier phases and you're just like you can't rush it, you cannot rush the process. And that, I think, can get frustrating for someone like me who wants to be working towards something, like you said, working towards something very clear. What am I going to have at the end of this? And so when it feels a little bit nebulous, you've got to just have faith and keep going through it because it will become clear.
00:41:26
The fog, like I said, it lifted for me. I knew what was happening and it was like, oh, this is it, this is what it's supposed to be. But if you don't kind of let yourself be a little uncomfortable, which I am saying this knowing it's like pot kettle here, because I don't like being uncomfortable and not knowing where I'm going. But if you do, it's going to come. But you have to go through the steps, otherwise you can't jump ahead and.
00:41:53
Skip because you're not going to have the clearest. And you got to do the work. Like you already said, you have to do the work or the puzzle pieces don't come together. Yeah, it's still muddy at the end. If you don't do the self work throughout it because I'm there to be the guide, but I'm just walking alongside you with the guide.
00:42:10
You got to tell me where to go. I'll shine the light for the next few feet, but it's a mutual process for sure. Well, Andrea, it was a joy to work with you in the program and I know we're going to continue to work now. We're creating your calling, which is so fun that get to go in that next step of the journey with you. The last question I have for you is what?
00:42:36
And you've already kind of answered this, but what would you say to that person who's maybe listening and they're wondering, is this possibly the right next step for me? But they're kind of nervous to invest in themselves and invest in the time. What would you say to that person? I think that if you are thinking that something is just going to come to you, if you're in a place like I was or something where you're just feeling really unsettled or unhappy or really struggling with burnout, it's not going to come to you if you don't put in the work. And again, if you're like me, I had no idea, well, then, but what do I do?
00:43:23
How do I figure this out? I don't know what work to put in. And so I think that that's what's the value of this program is. That, again, you've done this, you figured it out because that's some of your strengths. Figure it out and make the process.
00:43:42
But for most of us, that's not going to come naturally to us at all. And also, I think a lot of messages that we have about in our heads, the tape that we have in our heads about ourselves or about what it should be like or what I should be able to do, or a lot anchors. The anchors, yes, the anchors. The anchors. I love the anchors.
00:44:03
I was actually just talking to another one of your students this weekend about anchors.
00:44:10
If you're not clear that's why you need to have the help. Like you said, you can be the guide, but you don't have all the answers. You're just being that side by side in the journey and actually having that support, like some emotional support and just like mental support of it, as you're thinking at all, is super valuable. So, yeah, I know it can be hard, especially like you said, as a mom and a woman, and to try to invest in yourself instead of putting yourself first. I know that's always really hard.
00:44:45
It's like the cliche of all moms is like it's really hard to put yourself first, but you're not going to get the results if you don't put the time in and you don't put the investment in. Both just for the betterness of yourself. And like you said, how you then now present yourself into the world and how you show up for other people. Yeah, 100% to make that and have the steps. Because I think there are a lot of programs out there, like career change programs, but I feel like there's a lot of missing pieces to it.
00:45:16
And in the Discovering Your Calling, we hit on all the little missing pieces that seem very little like you'd mentioned. The one about just, what do I need on the needs, the bring needs sheet that was huge for you. So you never know which piece is going to be the thing that like, oh, that's what I needed. Yeah. So we hit on all those little things that a lot of other programs.
00:45:42
Yeah, I don't even know if there are other programs like this. There's a lot of life coaches, a. Lot of career coaches. But to have those step by step, okay, this is what you do next. This is what you do next.
00:45:53
Yeah. Not that it's easy, but it's yeah, yeah, exactly. For sure. Well, thank you again for sharing your experience, for trusting me, trusting Elise to say, yeah, listen to her, and then trusting me to be that guide for you and step into this journey with me. It was definitely a pleasure and to be a part of this.
00:46:17
And I really am excited to watch what happens next and all the teachers lives that you're going to impact with your Elm program because I think it's so unique but it's so needed knowing other teachers in my life that I can see where that's going to make a great impact on those. And that's the cool thing, that whole ripple effect too, that we can have on the world when you create that can because you do have an awesome blog and it's geared towards teachers, but the things you write I think other people even can kind of pick up on some things too. But how can they follow your journey? Andrea yeah, so right now, I do have a website. It's called educoachpool.
00:46:58
So it's edu. And then coach. Coachful.com. And that was honestly just because Sheri was like, just start a blog again. There was some other things, and I didn't have anything formulated of what else I wanted to do, so I just came up with a domain name, but it's called The Opinionated Educator.
00:47:20
And, yeah, I tried to post something weekly, except for when I was on vacation. And, yeah, you're right. Sometimes my audience is actually like, hey, people who are not teachers, this is for you to kind of see behind the curtain of what it's really like when you are a teacher. And also, sometimes it's like those of you who are in the trenches, here's some things to think about. And, yeah, I try to weave in pop culture because that's who I am, and I try to keep it light, but yet I am opinionated, and so I do share my opinions and strong feelings I have about things.
00:47:54
Yes. Which I love, I absolutely love. So I will put the links in the show notes for that. And I'm also going to put the link for the podcast that you mentioned where my husband interviewed I and that journey. So if anybody's curious about that, too, I'll have that in the show notes as well.
00:48:11
So thank you, listeners, for being here today and listening. Follow Andrea's journey. Reach out to me if you have any questions about the Discovering Your Calling academy. We do have the group is opening up, but of course, also the one on one like Andrea did, too, is always an option. And Andrea, thank you again for taking the time today to be here and share your experience.
00:48:33
Of course, because I feel like I owe you so much. Happy to do it. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that.
00:48:43
Thank you for spending this time with me. My hope is something you heard today inspires you to take action toward discovering Your calling. I just have two favors to ask of you before you go. One, if you found value and enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. On Apple podcasts or Spotify, and you might hear your review read on a future episode.
00:49:03
And two, can you share this episode. With three friends who will also enjoy it as much as you did? By doing these things, you will help us grow the podcast to make a bigger impact on the world. And until next week, remember you've been. Created to live a life of fulfillment, freedom, purpose, success, and joy.