How Your CliftonStrengths® Shape the Way You Work, Serve Clients, and Build Your Career S6E2

What can your natural strengths reveal about the way you work, serve clients, and build your career?

In this episode of Discovering Your Calling, Sheri sits down with Laura Niebauer for a real CliftonStrengths® debrief conversation. Laura helps women transition back into the workforce after taking a career break, and in this conversation Sheri walks her through what her top strengths reveal about how she works, builds trust with clients, and approaches her business.

You’ll hear how strengths like Achiever®, Consistency®, Relater®, Learner®, and Responsibility® show up in real life—and how understanding your natural talents can bring clarity to the way you work, lead, and make decisions.
If you’ve ever wondered why certain work energizes you while other things drain you, this episode offers a powerful glimpse into what strengths-based coaching looks like in action.

In This Episode You'll Learn

• What the CliftonStrengths® assessment reveals about how you naturally work
• Why understanding your strengths brings clarity to your career or business
• How strengths like Achiever® and Responsibility® influence your work ethic and service
• The tension many high achievers feel between learning and achieving
• Why knowing your strengths helps you stop forcing business models that don’t fit

Start With Strengths Session

Curious about your own strengths?

Sheri offers a Start With Strengths Session — a 90-minute conversation designed to help you understand how your natural talents shape the way you work, lead, and make decisions.
Whether you’ve already taken the CliftonStrengths® assessment or you’re just beginning to explore strengths, this session will help you gain clarity on how you're uniquely wired.

👉 Book your Start With Strengths session:
https://portal.sherimiterco.com/public/form/view/64248d35889f4a3c76eda46b

 Start with Strengths Session-
90 Mins  to unpack & navigate through your CliftonStrengths Report. Learn what it means for success in your career & life! 

Let’s continue the conversation beyond the podcast.

🔗 Connect with Sheri

 Facebook & LinkedIn: @SheriMiter

Website: www.sherimiterco.com

Additional Resources:

📘 Get your copy of the Discovering Your Calling Book

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Matthew 5:14-16 is the inspiration for this podcast.
Gallup®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsFinder®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder® theme names are trademarks of Gallup, Inc.

Transcript

Sheri Miter 2:01

What happens when you take a closer look at the natural strengths that have been shaping your life all along? In today's episode, I'm sharing a real conversation with Laura, who works with women returning to the workforce after taking a career break. Laura recently took the Clifton Strengths Assessment and we sat down for a mini strengths debrief to explore what her results reveal about how she works, connects with people, and serves her clients. You'll hear how strengths like achiever, relater, and learner show up in the real world. From the way Laura builds trust with the women she works with to the tension many high performers feel between learning more and actually taking action. If you've ever wondered why certain types of work energize you while other things drain you, or why you naturally approach challenges the way you do, this conversation will give you a glimpse into how powerful it can be to start with your strengths. Welcome to the Discovering Your Calling podcast. I'm your host, Jerry Mitter. 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. So welcome, Laura, to the Discovering Your Calling podcast. I'm excited to talk with you today because we scheduled to go through your Clifton Strengths assessment and do what I call the mini debrief of it. Normally I do this in 90 minutes. Today we're gonna condense it down to around 30 minutes and share one, your reaction to Clifton Strengths, share some things I saw in there that just makes you uniquely you and powerful. And then also we're gonna play a little bit with the new Gallup AI and what Gallup AI showed about or, you know, told me about your unique talent themes and how they show up. And before we do that though, I would love to just have you share, you know, this is discovering your calling. And I love to have people share. We all have a calling story. What do you do today and how did you get here?

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Yes. So currently I help women as they transition back to the paid workforce after their career break. And this is something that I've been doing for about a year at this point. Prior to that, I started my career in HR. And then after 17 years in HR, I took my own career break to raise my son. And then when I was looking to return, I realized just how overwhelming it felt. And that was with me already having the knowledge of the hiring process and how it works on the employer end. And, you know, I did land a position. I actually received multiple job offers. I pivoted careers, but it always stuck with me that if I went through this, that there has to be other women who are also facing these same thoughts and feelings and obstacles that I was. So at the end of 2024, I said, okay, you know what? I'm going to once again step away from my job. But this time I'm going to focus on building something that can help women who are currently looking to return just as I had years before, because now I have both the knowledge of the HR side, but also my own experience. And it was something that just laid on my heart and my mind. And I gave myself a year. I said, you know what? If I can make even $100 in a year, that just shows me that there is a need. And last year was a lot of growing and discovering and failing and successes. And currently I've actually started to build something that I can see becoming really tangible, you know, in the future. So I work one-on-one with clients. I lead in-person workshops. I'm a freelance writer who writes specifically on the topic, as well as I have a YouTube channel about career breaks and job search tips in general. Awesome. What's your YouTube channel called? Laura Niebauer. Okay. Very original. It's just my name. There's a lot of pressure to come up with a perfect name and I couldn't. So I just said, we're just gonna go with my name.

Sheri Miter 6:15

Yes. And that that's why my business is called Sherry Mitre Co. Exactly. And and honestly, I think when you're first starting a business, it's smart to do that because you will shift a little bit. You will pivot a little bit. And that's just to me the natural transgression of starting something. And I applaud you for just starting last year and saying, I'm just gonna see where it goes, because we do make those little changes as we start working with clients and realize, oh wait, this is what they really need, or I don't like doing this, I like doing this. And, you know, having those little changes.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

I will say one of the biggest yes that I did correctly in the beginning, because I, as I said, there were a lot of little, a lot of big and little mistakes, because that's just part of growing a business. But one of the things I'm very proud of that I did is before I even started, I held a lot of focus groups to understand the needs of the people that I was serving rather than assume that I knew because of my own personal experience. And that was so eye-opening because some of the things that I thought I was only experiencing, I was like, oh, I'm not the only one. And so I was able to tailor a bit of how I approached things because I had a better understanding. So while the, you know, I take it, but there are a lot of things I did right, but that was one of the biggest ones.

Sheri Miter 7:33

That's brilliant. Yes, yes. Focus groups are so helpful and just really finding out what do people actually need and what are they saying they need? Because we we tend to have those tech terms. We speak in our terminology that means nothing to anybody else out there. And that's a whole marketing class we could go into. It's not the purpose of today's, but that is a brilliant thing you did. Wow. And I also love in your story that, you know, part of my whole discovering your calling academy, one of the steps we get to is I call it your purpose or your problem is your purpose. And that's exactly what you did.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Right. And I do think that's what a lot of businesses are born out of, right? You've reached a point of frustration, or you know, just like, why doesn't exist? And then you take that step to make it exist. And I mean, that is something that I think all of us in some capacity in our lives have something that needs to be solved.

Sheri Miter 8:34

So yes, the problem that we've experienced or we see in the world, and you know, that usually can relate to our purpose, what we're designed to be here, but it's not many. And I don't know the percentage. That would be an interesting, I don't know if the data is even out there for this, but how many people actually do step up and say, you know what? I see this problem, I've experienced this problem, and now I'm going to be the one to do something about it. I don't think that's many. And I applaud you, Laura, for doing that.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

I don't think it's many either, because you know, there's one thing to say, oh, I recognize a problem and I've myself have created a solution. And then the other is the other side of it is how do I build something from this? What's the next step that I take? Where do I begin? There's all of these questions and it can be overwhelming.

Sheri Miter 9:20

Absolutely. Absolutely. I know you and I've had a couple conversations around that. And that's what we both do is help people figure that out and take the little steps. What are the next steps so you can do that? And one of the first steps I do with all my clients is the Clifton Strengths Assessment. And I say everything starts with strengths because when we do know how we're wired, what we're created to do, what our natural talents and abilities and strengths are, what our superpowers are, then it helps us kind of get through the muddy parts a little easier because we can see clearly, oh, wait, yes, that idea would work for me. Oh, nope, that idea is not in alignment with my natural talent. So I don't want to go in that direction because that's where burnout happens. That's where we get exhausted when we're trying to build something. And, you know, yes, there's going to be times that we have to do things that aren't in alignment, especially if you're building a business. But if we can stay in our lane most of the time, that's where it's beautiful. That's where it's fun and energizing.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

And I do think that's where you can go really wrong because innately, I believe a lot of people start with the right intent and purpose. They want to help other people, but then they realize there's a lot of things they don't know about how to achieve that and they get derailed with, I don't know how to do that. And then they get overwhelmed. And it pulls away from, like you said, what their calling is when you have to deal with all of these other aspects. And unfortunately, when you're beginning, yeah, it is gonna fall on you. But to your point of figuring out like what your strengths are and even recognizing that it's okay if this is more challenging for me because this is not where I'm aligned. It might be a temporary thing until I can outsource it or do something. But even recognizing that that there's because I think you can get stuck into the I'm not good at this, I'm not moving forward in this. Instead of saying, this is not naturally where I'm aligned and it's okay, I'm still gonna figure it out because I have to right now, but I am going to also focus on all that I am aligned with and that I do enjoy. And having that recognition of that is is for me really key.

Sheri Miter 11:22

Right, right. And that brings me to where I want to start with your Clifton Strengths report. Because as I shared earlier, I do have some fun things that AI, Gallup AI, said and what I noticed in there. But I want to hear what was your first impression when you received your assessment back? And then the quick follow-up is just were there any burning questions you have before we jump into the details I have to share. Okay. So my first impression was just me nodding along.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

It was reading it and be like, yep, yep. And and we talked a little bit about this, but it's also like you, you know, but you don't necessarily express it in words. So to see these feelings, but they're actually tangibly on a piece of paper, it just makes it more solid of saying, yes, that is me. But more so than that, you can say, okay, how have I seen this in my past? How can this help me in the future? And really, especially those top five, like, okay, if those are what I lead with, then how can I use them to my benefit, but also see where those points are that maybe I'm trying to make something fit that's just not a fit. And there was something in mine, it said something about, you know, I really develop deeper connections with one-on-one. And that was really interesting because within the business that I have, I absolutely love leading in-person workshops, small groups, and working one-on-one with clients. I attempted one time to do like an online virtual thing and it just fell off. And I felt like, oh, what's wrong with me? I didn't do it right. But now, like when I I read this and I realize, well, me being on camera with a bunch of people whose cameras are turned off, the the connection isn't there and it's not what I gravitate to. So why am I trying to force that? So that was interesting to look at in the lens of what areas am I trying to force it and maybe saying no.

Sheri Miter 13:25

Right, right. And I love you ask the right questions of yourself and even the report and even preparing probably for today, you know, because it does, it's affirming, first of all, like you said, to just read through our reports and say, yes, that is me. But it's also the question of then what do I do with that information? And that's where we kind of want to go today is like, all right, you have this. Now what do you do with this information? You've already started doing that, which I, you know, that's brilliant. That you're an achiever. So true, true. Yeah. So so which leads me. Let's talk about your top five. So your top five strengths, and I this is again, I'm gonna give you the AI version. So Gallup AI is new to us. And again, I have just been having a ball playing with it because it's just mind-boggling brilliant on top of already Clipton Strengths, which I think I find just mind-boggling brilliant. And Gallup AI is a closed AI. Okay. So it has been fed everything Gallup has ever studied about what makes people successful, what is right with people, what is how does Clipton Strengths work? Yes, it will address our blind spots and areas of lesser talent or weaknesses, some people might want to call it, but it has been fed that. So it's all real information. It's not like, is that real? Is that fake news? It's not. It's like all from Gallup. So it really gives really great insights around our Clifton strengths. And Laura, your top five, as you know, and for our listeners, we have achiever consistency, relater, learner, and responsibility. And I love that Gallup AI calls you the reliable champion. Oh, that's fun. Yeah, isn't that? You can tell your son and your spouse that, like, I am the reliable champion. And your achiever drives, you have a drive to accomplish and check things off. That's probably no surprise. I love a good, I love a good list. Yeah, love it, love it. Consistency equals fairness in treating everyone by the same rules. Relator equals depth over breadth in relationships. You already addressed that a little bit. Learner is energized by the process of learning itself. And responsibility equals psychological psychological ownership of commitments. And we're gonna get into a lot more of how, and actually, actually, I'm gonna do it now. How achiever and responsibility. So number one's achiever, number five is responsibility. What that means for you and for your clients, and your probably your family, even, is you will move heaven and earth to deliver for your clients, for your friends, whatever. And your consistency ensures everyone gets your best. Your relator builds the trust women need during vulnerable transitions, and your learner keeps you current on what's actually working in the job market. And that isn't common. This is Gallup AI telling you this. That is not common. Most people don't have this combination of drive, fairness, relationship depth, and continuous learning. So when you hear all that, Laura, I would love to know like what's going on through your brain right now. Yeah, it's just like a click, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:07

So if you would have asked me what makes me unique, I could have told you certain things, like, okay, the reason I work so well with women is because I understand, you know, their their emotions, their feelings, all of that. But I I couldn't put it in the terms that you just did. And I think that is so helpful. I can see it at a broader scale of like this is how they fit together. And because they fit this way is what sets me apart. Because what I do, it's not as though you can't get this information from a lot of different people. If unfortunately, I think sometimes within the coaching or even strategist type of sphere, a lot of people say that, right? And you can get generic information, get high-level information, but that is the exact opposite of what I want to do. And to see how all of these play together is just fascinating. And what you said is that is what I actually have a client right now, and she's in a space that I'm honestly not as familiar with. It's more of a clinical research background, and I don't have extensive knowledge. I have worked in a healthcare facility, but I don't have that knowledge. And you are right. I have been learning all about her space. I have been staying up late nights, understanding. And when she said, Hey, can we do a mock interview? I have an interview coming up, and it was on a Saturday, which I normally don't offer us. I was like, of course. And then, like the two days leading up, I was preparing for every possible scenario. And I do, I want to build that trust. I want to do my best for her, anybody who trusts me enough to give me their time and their money. You bet they are going to get the best service, the best relationship that they can possibly get from me, because I want them to achieve. I want them to have the results that they want. And it's interesting just to hear that. You can know that about yourself, but to hear it, you're like, yes. It was just so incredibly fascinating. And also the learner, when I was doing a little bit more digging, like the learner and the achiever can sometimes be at odds because you want to learn, learn, learn, but you also want to achieve, cheap, cheap. And I do. I find myself doing that. I'm like, oh, but if I like step away from this, then I gotta like give that up. And then it's like this push and pull. And yeah, it's just it's very I give I'm gonna keep using the word fascinating because that's the best descriptor I have.

Sheri Miter 20:40

I I agree with that. I agree with that. And I can so hear your reliable champion in the way you were working with your client. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

And but that's the thing. And and to see, yes, now it makes sense. That is what I lead with. And I do, I lead with that. And and that's a that's a that's a genuine gift to give. And I love seeing that.

Sheri Miter 20:59

Yeah, definitely. I go through and mark up your Clifton Strengths 34 report, which is the most important report in there, in my opinion. It is the 30, the 34 report is the one that really breaks down your top five unique to you. And it's what makes you that one in 33 million. One, we say that in Clifton Strength and Gallup, because the chances of somebody else in the world having the same top five talent themes as you in the exact same order is one in 33 million. That's wild. Yes. And that's one of the reasons I love this assessment because, and I am an assessment junkie. Like I've I've always been obsessed with, you know, professional development, personal development, self-help, all those things. So I've taken a lot of assessments. And I feel like so many other assessments kind of put us in a box. They're like, oh, and disc, you're a DI, so am I. We're alike. Or in Myers Briggs, I can never remember what my four letters are. So Enneagram, you know, we're all sevens, we're all threes, we're all alike. Whereas Clifton Strengths really, to me, yes, there are common themes that we will have. Like you and I share some themes the same, which makes a fun discussion. But the way your learner shows up looks different than the way my learner shows up because of all where the other 33 themes fall. And that's where this Clifton Strengths 34 report gets so totally cool because what is highlighted in there is unique to you. Your achiever description looks different than anybody else's achiever description. Okay. That's interesting. I didn't realize that. Okay. Yeah. And I I know I shared this with you earlier before we hit record, but the cool thing is, as a coach, I have the privilege of actually seeing this and seeing how unique everybody's is. And there might be some overlapping pieces. Some of the, you know, lines might be the same in somebody else's, but the whole piece of it that's in the highlighted part is unique to you. And those are the pieces that I love to then go in and pull out for when I do these debrief sessions. And so that you can really see that yes, you've already seen your qualities and your talents and and all of that in here. But then I get to point out, like, oh, let's go a layer deeper. This is what really makes you Laura. This is what really makes you amazing. And yes, strengths is built on positive psychology. That's what Don Clipton, the founder of this study, he's known as the grandfather or father of positive psychology. But yes, we will also get to a few blind spots in here, cautionary things, because there are the downside. Not everything's, you know, all positive. We do need to be aware of blind spots. So a couple of things that caught my eye with Achiever is where it says, because of your two things here, because of your strengths, you certainly make ideas plain and understandable for people. You probably help them interpret facts that are not entirely apparent, obvious, or generally known. Then, driven by your talents, you often catch yourself working hard to ease the anxieties of others. When you can show them a way to reach their goals, most individuals behave much more reasonably and much less emotionally. So I'm curious, how does that show up in the way you work with your clients?

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Well, it's really interesting because I want to go back just a second to my former life. So while I worked in HR for 17 years, I also did a stint. I went back for my master's degree in literature and I taught freshman level English at a college. And the part about me taking these concepts and like making them relatable and breaking them down, like there's no better example than taking an obscure piece of literature and connecting it to an 18 year old and what they're going through. And when I read that, I was like ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Because every time at the end of The semester, and I would I would keep all of the reviews, they would be like, Oh my gosh, you made this so interesting. We actually understand this now. We never thought that, you know, Death of a Salesman had any relatability to anything that we did in our lives, and now we see it. And when I read that, I was like, yes. And I always think, like, I can if you can get an 18-year-old at 8 a.m. to relate and care about something written, golly, at this point, we're talking like 80 years ago. I can pretty much handle making anything relatable and understandable. And that is something that has really worked with my clients. One, because I don't believe we do a good job in, well, at least here in the US, of preparing people to find a job. We say, here, you've graduated, congratulations, now go find a job. But there's a whole spectrum of things you should do in between that, you know, networking, resume writing, interview skills, all of that. And so for some people, it's like a foreign language. And me not only being able to explain it, but having lived it, I did the hiring for years and years and years, was something that I was like, okay, yeah, I can do this. And around that, there is a sense of putting other people at calm too, right? Because it's it's such a big thing. When you are looking for a job, a lot is writing on the line. And I want to show up as that person who both says, here's what it means in plain English, but also like, I've been there, I've done it, we're gonna get you there too. And so that's where it shows up a lot while I work with clients one-on-one.

Sheri Miter 26:46

So it works with both students and adults, apparently. Right, right. And again, I applaud you for taking the time to really put, because that's exactly when you take the assessment. What I recommend people do is like try to take what you're reading and then pause and think about when has this shown up in my life? Look for your own examples of where your strengths have shined. Because your strengths, I totally believe, and this is what Don Clifton believed, it is your thumbprint, it's your DNA. And I mean, I like to take it even to the religious realm of that God designed you, He put these talents in you when He created you. So you've had them your entire life, but you may not have realized that they were a talent. And most of us don't develop them into strengths until we really become aware of them because this difference is like a talent, it's in it's in there. It's there waiting for you. It's like muscles. But a strength is when we take it and we see that, like, oh, this is where I've used it before. This is how I can use it now. You develop it, you work at it, and then it becomes this strength and superpower of yours.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

It's so interesting that you say that. Because I when I read that, I found that so just eye-opening. Because yes, like we all innately have talents. And when I was in third grade, we had to do these, we did a time capsule and you had to write what you wanted to be when you grew up, like where you saw yourself, all that. And I was like, I want to be a teacher. And it was because one, I love learning. And I guess if if I had my perfect, like ideal job, it would be to be a student forever and get paid for. Like I just love learning.

Sheri Miter 28:18

But you're kind of doing that now. You get to learn about your your clients and that's what I love it.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Yeah, like I mean, I love what I do, but I also love that component of no kind of like with it. I I've realized no person is the same, right? Every single client I work with has their own unique story, skills, abilities, interests, what they have professionally done, what they've done as on their career break, because to me, experience is experience. I don't care if you're paid or not paid for that. And then learning about how to craft what they did, what they want, where they're at, to where they want to be. So you're correct. Like the learning is something that I continue to do and is super fascinating to me as evidenced by.

Sheri Miter 28:59

The other thing that stood out to me on your report, and again, this is was really one of the ones, like, oh, that's an interesting thing that they put in here, where it says, when the assignment demands extra time, you would be wise to honor your body body's natural rhythms. In other words, if you're a morning person, work in the morning, work in the afternoon if that's when you hit your stride, work in the evening if that is when you think better, work around midnight after everyone has gone to bed, if you are someone who usually stays up very late. And I know sometimes our life doesn't allow us to work. You have a seven-year-old, and you know, sometimes we can't do that. But I'm curious how that shows up for you. Like when you think about what is your do you know when your peak time is?

SPEAKER_01 29:47

So that's an interesting one, and that's something I struggle with. And reading that actually made me think more about it. Because if you would have asked me, I'm like, I'm fine, whatever, right? But then that's kind of a blanket, easy answer to say. And when I really drill down into it, I'm not a morning person. I am a morning person, the fact that I do have to get up early. I have a kiddo and I do my workout before he's even awake because it won't get done. So inherently I'm fighting against what I naturally am anyway, because of my life circumstances. And so what that means for me is that I am forcing it in a in a way, which, healthy or not, it is what it is. But the good thing about that is what I would have considered early morning before isn't early morning to me now. So when he gets off to school at nine, you know, by nine o'clock, I'm I'm working. Would I say that that's my most optimal time? Well, given the fact that I've already been up for four hours, it actually kind of is because it's moved my morning from like I get up at nine when I'm in my 20s to it's a later time. So if I were to look at it in totality, my morning time is not my ideal time, but I use that for my time, like working out, going for a walk with my husband, setting my intentions for the day. And then I get into it. And I honestly, this is where I do struggle a little bit because from nine to like nine at night, I'm go, go, go. And I don't feel a dip. I don't feel like my rhythm is off. Do I need to incorporate more breaks? Yes. But at no point am I like, my husband is very much like, it's three o'clock, I'm dipping, I'm dipping. And I don't I don't have that. I've never have. So I found that fascinating. Maybe I need to do a little bit more like internal like reflection on that. But yeah, I'm I'm really good. But I will say I'm not a night owl. So count me out after nine. I'm done.

unknown 31:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:34

Yeah. 12-hour work day.

Sheri Miter 31:39

Yeah. And honestly, I think that is a common thing for a lot of people I know who have achiever in their top 10, seem to have an abundant amount of energy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

And well, and so, you know, it I think it stems from just you you talk about talents, what you innately have. And it also has to do, I think, with your rhythm of your body too. You innately have your wake up, your but at the same time when you forced it for so long. So, like for grad school, for college itself, I work full-time and I went to school full-time. So for eight years, I was making myself be nine to nine. That was just my day. And I think that's just kind of, you know, continued through the years. Yeah.

Sheri Miter 32:20

But I think there is that innate thing that you had that because I look back, I don't have achiever in my and I have always been one sleep is important to me. And like I have to have my little afternoon, even before we got, I got on this. It's like, don't have a lot of time. I'm gonna take a 15-minute power nap. Like, I'm a huge, I need my power naps, I need that. And and I am the first to admit I am like a toddler if I don't have my nap. And God forbid, if I'm hungry and I haven't had my nap, I am useless to the world and nobody wants to be around me.

SPEAKER_01 32:56

So but it it did make me think because what I do is I will gladly go at this pace until I can, until my body literally, and this will happen, I would say maybe once every six days, where I tell my husband it's like 6 p.m. I'm like, my body can't. And I'll go to bed and I'll sleep a good 12 to 13 hours. Uh, once again, not saying that's healthy. Um it's just kind of how I operate. Like I have my I do have my crash points. Yeah. And perhaps if I were more intentional with the way that I do structure my time, I wouldn't have that crash point. Right. So that is work I have to do.

Sheri Miter 33:29

Right, right. And that's just something now that you're aware of it, like pay attention to that because again, that's where I look at that like excellence again without exhaustion, is really honoring whatever our body's telling us. And hopefully we listen before we crash of what does it need. And maybe for you it's not that you need the nap, but maybe just to take a break and allow yourself time to learn because high learners, learning could be the energizing piece for you.

SPEAKER_01 33:57

Oh, it is like, and there's a piece in there that said, like, you when you get a book, like you just can't stop reading it. And that's to me. Like I I literally like, I have got to finish this. But it also, yes, you're right. To me, learning is not work. Learning is a fulfilling endeavor that energizes me and I feel relaxed and excited after. And so, yeah, to your point, I think that's a very valid point of what rest looks like to me might not look the same to you. I mean, if you need, I don't know the last time I had a nap outside the time I sit, right? But that is energizing for me in a different way and resets me in a different way.

Sheri Miter 34:32

So you're right about that. Right, right. So I think that's that's the whole point is like knowing what do you need, you know, you Laura, me, Sherry, anybody listening, what do you need that your body is telling you you need and to honor it? Because a lot of people listening may be higher achievers and may have that energy, like you have, Laura, and they they can go nine to nine, but yet what is it during that day? If you did this, it makes that nine to nine feel better for you. And then there's others of us that have lower energy levels that we need to honor that too. And it's again goes back to one of the things you said initially is like we can't fight it. If I tried to do nine to nine, I could, I could get away with that for probably three days. I've done it, I've had to do it, you know, especially my direct sales days in June was the end of our year. I did a lot of a lot of late nights. But when July first hit, I was useless to the world for about a week.

SPEAKER_01 35:28

Yeah. Yeah. And and I do think to the point of kind of what I don't want, I don't like the term downside, but but something to watch out for is that I it I can't turn off. I can't I mean I say I can't, you can do anything.

Sheri Miter 35:40

It is very, very difficult for me to turn off. Right. And that's the combination of you have the achiever with responsibility. And that is a great combination, but it is a combination that you definitely want to be have the know when the caution signs are going, you know, because those two talent themes together are saying, like, oh yes, I can do that and I can get it done right away. And you can count on me to get it done. Yep. And a lot with responsibility, one of the things I share with people is, and I'm married to somebody with high responsibility, is for every yes you say to someone or something, it is a no to someone or something else. You know, it's really funny.

SPEAKER_01 36:23

I'm taking some notes as we talk. And I literally just wrote down say no. Yeah.

Sheri Miter 36:31

Yes. And and I love, I don't know who to give credit for it. I've heard it many different times, but no is a complete sentence. It's true. Sometimes hard to do, but it's true. But the cool thing with responsibility, people with high responsibility, we're kind of jumping down there now because it just fits so much with Achiever. We're just gonna jump, we're just gonna go there, is the fact that once you are aware of that, it saves you so much energy and stress. Because when you can discern the yeses, pause before saying yes to anything in life, then it frees you up that the right yeses are the energizing yeses. They're the yeses that you really, you're glad you say yeses versus those like, yeah, I can do this. And then you're like regretting.

SPEAKER_01 37:17

To your point about that, specifically with business. So when I started my endeavor beginning of last year, I was saying yes to everything because I didn't have a presence. I had the knowledge, I knew I could help, I knew this, but if you don't have proof of it, it's hard to get people to say, I trust you. So my theory was I'm gonna say yes to everything that comes my way. I don't care if it's paid, I don't care how small it is, not any of that. And this year, I'm having to, I'm reassessing that. Where do I say yes and where do I say no? And I just had this come up where where a place is that I gave a yes to, but in no way does it serve me monetarily. It's it's unpaid. And that's okay for certain things, but they're not my ideal client. It's nothing, right? I'm having to say no to that. And I had to say no, and I felt really guilty about it because I felt like I was letting them down. But I had to realize I've also said yes to opportunities that I wouldn't have been able to say yes to if I didn't say no to this, but also realizing within my business, there are some areas I still will do for free that are close to me. As in, I worked um pro bono with a client because she's not my target person. She is a new grad, but she was going into HR. She was having those struggles that I saw. And I was like, you know what? Yes, I can say yes because I said no to this. Or within my own community, I will, my local, local community, I do free events because I want to serve my community. But yes, I have to be intentional with those. And that has meant to say no, but that has also opened up so many more opportunities where I have grown like financially and client-wise because I have said that. But it's hard. It's like I don't, I feel bad. I do, I just don't want to let people down. Oh gosh. Mm-hmm.

Sheri Miter 39:03

Yeah. And I think most of us feel that way, but high responsibility like really weighs. And the the difference too is if you say yes, you will you are then committed because you said yes, even if it doesn't align. So that's where with responsibility, what you are already doing so well of pausing before the yes. Because once the yes is said, it's said, it's done.

SPEAKER_01 39:27

And then and as an achiever, I will give my absolute all, absolute all. And that takes it. And so that's the thing. It's not just an event, right? It's all of the work that leads up to that. The hours and hours of prep. Well, that is that the best use of my time for my business. Right. And so it's interesting to look at the Clifton strengths through that lens too, because you look at it personally, but then when you have a business, looking at it through that lens, it it just is very helpful.

Sheri Miter 39:54

Mm-hmm. Right, right. And a lot of times too, the responsibility is, and I know you would, I don't remember if it was before after we hit record, but that that you're, you know, you have the day off and you promised your son. And that's a really good thing to do too in the personal life, is make a promise. Yep. Especially if you high high achieve a real, you know, responsibility in there because you want to work, you want to do things. So to take a day off to just have fun, that is the check box. That's the goal of the day. Is we're gonna do blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Have your goals for the day for fun. So you can still fill like I check boxes, but promise that day far in advance because now you're committed to your family member. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 40:37

And yes, we did, I think we talked offline, but yeah, my my um son has spring break next week. And so it's hard because as a parent and as a working, if you have any type of whether it's paid, unpaid, whatever, you have to balance being there, but also like you can't just take a whole week off, especially if you're trying to build something. But I also realize he's seven years old and this is he's only being seven for one year. This is the spring break when he's seven, and I want to show up for him. But that meant I had to build it in. And and that's okay. But I and I I think I told you this before, the look of excitement on his face when I said, I'm going to be completely off that day and spend it with you. It was like that is worth it. Yes. And then that's how I have to frame it like that's my it's my responsibility isn't just to work, it's it's to him, obviously. But you kind of lose sight of that when you're building a business because it takes a lot.

Sheri Miter 41:26

It is right. There's a lot that demands our attention. For the sake of time, I want to move down to learner. Okay. And it's so interesting because I hear and you share this that how powerful learner has been in your life. And when I was originally looking through your strengths report, that is the one thing that just caught my eye, caught my attention that like learner is your superpower. It is your standout strength here that makes you unique, it makes you different. It is your competitive advantage. It really is, because it's going to help you stay current on what a, you know, what the job market looks like. You know, a lot of coaches get what I see out there too is that a lot of times if a coach has been around a while, they kind of stagnate. And oh my gosh, in today's world, we cannot stagnate like this. Stuff is changing so much. So the fact that you love to learn, I think that's so powerful for you. But how do you feel like learner has helped you become a better coach? Well, I'm going to help you connect.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

I'm going to go throughout the world's most obvious one, the AI. Mm-hmm. Because if you're not saying current with AI and you are in the job search space, then you are doing a disservice to the people that you work with. AI is changing the landscape and it's not all for the good. And I need to be, I'm not, and the thing with AI is it's so new that nobody can say, well, I've been working in it for, you know, 30 years. I mean, except the people who originally designed it. But so it's so new and it's changing so quickly that what you said even six months ago could be out of date by the time you, you know, meet with a client, you know, six months later. So that has been where I've actually thrived because I am providing that where some of my clients aren't even thinking in that way. They're like, oh yeah, AI, I didn't even realize you could use it in your job search. Or if they are using it, they're using it the wrong way of being very generic. And so I've actually kind of delved into writing very specific prompts for my clients. I'm not talking those three-line, I'm talking like in-depth with structure that gets exactly at the issue that they're trying to solve, whether that's looking for hiring managers' emails, whether that's trying to figure out how to craft a cover letter, but within their parameters. So that's where it's really, really helped me is because I enjoy it. It doesn't feel like a chore. And every time I learn something new, I'm just like, ooh, how can I implement this to better serve my clients? But also in all respects of what anybody does, to your point, like you could get stagnated, but even if it's not AI, things are always changing and shifting. And so that's why I I mean, I I'm very happy that I enjoy that aspect of it. It's because it does serve me and my clients very well. Because if I hated that, then we'd have a problem.

Sheri Miter 44:18

Right, right. And I think, yeah, probably people that it's an interesting concept because learner again is my top 10. And I'm the same as you as like I could spend hours, I I do spend hours between Chat GPT and Gallup AI, you know.

SPEAKER_01 44:34

But to your point, too, that there's there's a two, there's so much to learn. And so I have to be very intentional because I enjoy it so much that I can learn about something that's not related to anything, which I do believe is healthy in its in itself, right? I shouldn't all I'm learning shouldn't just be the work I'm doing. I need to learn for fulfillment and all of that. But then I get sucked into that rabbit hole and I'm a true story, I'm learning what it was like to live in the depression and how people survived on the farm because I'm fascinated.

Sheri Miter 45:03

Right, right. And there does become a a spot too where we can go in, and I'm totally guilty of this, going into learning mode so much that we forget to activate.

unknown 45:13

Yep.

Sheri Miter 45:14

We forget to take what we've learned and then put it into action. So that's the cautionary side of the learning. You can stay in learning mode for just the sake of learning something versus whether it'd be for relaxation.

SPEAKER_01 45:26

Yeah. And well, it's interesting that you say that because I think there's a weird balance between learning and achieving that isn't talked about a lot. And that's when you when you learn, you feel as though you did achieve. But in reality, if you're not putting what you learned into action, then you're not. But there's that little cocoon of like, I learned something. Okay, I've achieved something. But in reality, you still need to take that next step. So it feels safe to just learn. Because I know there are people who've like taken a lot of programs. I think that's the curse of like courses and programs is you keep buying another one, you keep buying another one because you love that cycle of learning so much that you just get not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with programs or courses, but if you just use them and take action.

Sheri Miter 46:04

Right. If that's and and again, I know I've been guilty of that as a new when I was a newer entrepreneur in the different space. And I see that a lot with some of the women I've worked with, that it's one course after another, course after another, course after another. It's like, whoa, you know enough to get started. Get stuck, you know, do something and then take another course later. Because the other part about learners that we do need to be learning something. Otherwise, we don't feel like even on vacations, I have found if I'm not learning something, and whether it be that I'm reading a good book, but more likely than not, I like to do something. I'm not a big museum person necessarily, but there's got to be something I learn, whether it's a new skill or I learn something about the town we're in, or I I have to feed my learner even on vacation somehow, or I don't enjoy myself. It's weird, you know.

SPEAKER_01 46:52

It's a funny thing. My husband makes fun of me that wherever we visit, I have to do a tour or I have to do a museum that covers the history of the the city or town. I have to. That's my non negotiable. Yeah, that's your learner.

Sheri Miter 47:05

Blame it on your learner now. Now you blame it all these talent thieves. That's my magic, you know. One last little thing I want to I highlighted here about your learner, because it's not just your learner, and I think this is what makes it so powerful. It's not just about you learning something. It is also, this skill is huge, is it says occasionally you listen to other people regarding other people, I should say. Occasionally you listen to their stories, ask them questions, pay attention to their answers. In some instances, you might go out of your way to find common interests. And I love that phrase because in there, I see your relator, I see your achiever, your responsibility, connected, like so many other elements playing in there in that one, or I guess technically two sentences. Where have you seen that show up in your life?

SPEAKER_01 48:00

Okay, this is so perfect that you asked this. I was on a call with a potential client last week. And so when anybody talks, I let them talk. I'm taking notes, but I also take notes of those words that they say that they're not aware of. And they're those little words, and it can be just one, but it makes a big difference. And so I was talking to this client and she's like, Yeah, you know, I'm looking for full time for the most part. And here's what I'm looking for, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, for the most part. And so I went back and I'm like, what do you mean for the most part? She's like, oh, you know, good question. And then that led, and it's these little things that people say because when you get them talking, they might not realize that all that internal stuff is just showing up a little bit because they're not generally gonna share it all with you off the bat. But if you listen close enough and you take the time to learn about what they're saying, you're gonna notice those things that you can then build a true relationship on. One, because it shows that you're listening to them, but two, that you're actually, I want to say challenging, but like tell me more. Let me get me to understand. And inherently that builds trust, that builds that connection that you need to be able to then serve that person in the way that they need.

Sheri Miter 49:16

I love that. And again, such beautiful gifts to how you use that learner to then go into the relator, because no, you know, it's you've been such a good example too of just no strength stands alone.

SPEAKER_01 49:29

Yes, but this I didn't really understand that as I didn't until we're talking right now, and I've read that. I kind of looked at them as pillars. They stand in isolation when in reality that is not the case at all. And it's more of like a beautiful web of this is how it works together to create this very strong foundation. I just went with a web analogy, didn't I? But I'm thinking it's a good outgo with that. Crisscrosses, but then at the end, it's like this is like a good thing. But I do think I looked at it incorrectly. I was incorrectly, I didn't understand the full scope of how to interpret it, but I saw I know I'm really good at keeping my word. I know I'm really good at being a student illuran. I know I'm really good at, you know, and it was siloed, but they're not.

Sheri Miter 50:18

No, no, not at all. And and even a couple quick little tidbits about Clifton strengths as we wrap things up here, but is that even the order, some people get so fixated, like, that's my number one talent. And yes, is it your most dominant? Is it the one that probably shows up the most in your life? Absolutely. And again, strengths is how you naturally think, feel, and behave. People probably see it in you. If you share your report with somebody, they're gonna say, oh yeah, I see that. Sometimes more than we see it in ourselves, depends on our self-awareness. But sometimes it's there's something I keep I teach is dial up and dial down. Meaning there are times in our lives where maybe like when you take that day off with your son, you need to dial down responsibility, dial down achiever, and dial up. Maybe it's learner, maybe you go do something fun where you can both learn something. I don't know, you know, but it's dial up, you want to mentally dial down some talents and dial up some other ones. And they can be the ones to shine in that thing. And the more you are aware of your talents, the more you can recognize, like, ooh, in this situation, this talent theme is not going to help me. It's gonna get in the way and I need to dial it down. And which talent theme do I need to pull from and dial up?

SPEAKER_01 51:31

And it's very interesting that you say that because as I'm looking at them, I know we didn't really talk about consistency, but that's number two. And that's interesting of the way I like treat people the same and how I need to be more cognizant of that because not everybody is the same, but I'm like, hey, like that's how I go about it. But dialing that up or down because I'm very high level with that. I'm like, if I can do it, you can do it. But that's not, I mean, not everybody is the same. So being aware and like I love that dial um method of of thinking about it.

Sheri Miter 52:01

Yeah. And, you know, continue to study, you know, look through things. Gallup has a ton of information. They have the Gallup 2.0 book. You know, it's virtual book now or online. Virtual's not the right word, but what's the right word? See, afternoon's not my my strong book. My brain dies around this time, but it's not a virtual book, but you know what I mean. It's a digital book, digital book, ebook. Yes.

unknown 52:28

Yes.

Sheri Miter 52:30

It's fun to read because it tells you about all the different talent themes. The other thing I recommend people do, Laura, is go through, it highlights your top 10, specifically your top five. You get all the nitty-gritty details, how it shows up for you. Then I recommend just go through and read on, I'm pulling up page, starting around page 23. It gives you a brief definition of every single talent theme in your order. And I recommend start reading through starting at 11, 12, 13, read the little description and just ask yourself, yeah, does do I show up, does that show up in my life? Does that sound like me? Yeah. Because they're your little like players in the wings. You know, if you think of like a play or something, they're there waiting for you. They're not star players, they're not highlighting in the show, you know, but they're there for their little part. So when you need them, you can pull them out. It's like, ooh, I need a little analytical here. I need connectedness here. They're there waiting for you. And most people, you'll read through the descriptions and you're gonna get to one, you're like, nope, that is definitely, I don't see that in me at all. And that's where you kind of stop. And most people, that's like third, can be a 13, 14, 15. Some go around 16. Somewhere in there, you usually like, nope, that's not me anymore. And all talent themes are good. It's just a matter of how you use them and how you can compensate for the talent themes that are lower, you can usually compensate with one that's higher and get the same results. Um you partner with somebody.

SPEAKER_01 53:59

If there's I mean, there is value of that, of finding that person who compliments you and yeah.

Sheri Miter 54:07

Any last burning questions you have for me regarding your strengths or strengths in general or anything? What is your take on sharing these strengths with people in your life? Oh, totally think you should. And I would have your spouse, I think it's I don't get into marriage coaching, but I've always said I think every couple, both coup pieces, both partners should take the assessment and read each other's assessment. You will understand why your spouse does those things that drive you crazy a little bit better. And that's coming. I've been married 40 years, and this has been, we have learned things. My husband and I about each other since I've become a strengths coach that we had no idea about each other. So it's powerful.

SPEAKER_01 54:49

Okay. Yeah. You know what? I love that. Maybe I'll have to be like, happy birthday. Here's a strengths finder. Yes. All right. Thank you so much. I mean, this has been so insightful. And like you said, I mean, this is so beneficial for everybody, whether or not you have a business or not, this is just great information to know about yourself. And I appreciate that you're doing this and really honing in, like specifically, because it's one thing to get a report and it's another thing to have a conversation around that report from somebody who like really knows their stuff. So thank you.

Sheri Miter 55:19

Oh, you're welcome. Well, thank you for allowing me this time and space to share those things with you. And like I said, I will share the, I'll send you over my marked up copy here of the things so you have the things we didn't cover and our time together. But I appreciate you, Laura, for being here and letting us record this conversation too, so others can hear what it's like to have take the Clifton strengths and then, like you said, kind of dive into it with somebody. If listening to this conversation made you curious about your own strengths, I have something that I offer called Start with Strength Session. This is a 90-minute conversation, not just the 30 minutes I did with Laura, where we explore how your natural talent show up in your life, your work, and the way you make decisions. Some people come into this session having already taken the Clifton Strengths Assessment and wanting help understanding what the results really mean. Others are hearing about strengths for the first time and want to begin discovering how they're naturally wired. Either way, the goal is the same to help you see the unique combination of talents you bring to the world and how to use them more intentionally. If that sounds like something you'd love to explore, you can learn more and book a Start with Strength session using the link in the show notes, or head over to SherryMiterco.com forward slash services to learn more. 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. 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 have been created to live a life of fulfillment, freedom, purpose, success, and joy.