SPEAKER_01 0:02

You're listening to the Enneagram MVA podcast, a show of understanding people at work, including yourself, usually talking about the Enneagrams, sometimes talking about other resources and methods, but always bringing value and having fun along the way. I'm your host, Sarah Wallace, certified Enneagram coach, speaker, and workshop facilitator. And I cannot wait to see you inside. So we are here joined by Molly Lowe, who is a career coach. She has experience, and we're going to let her share a little bit more about that. But all the way back from talent acquisition, she has been a leadership coach. She has been the vice president of professional development for the board in Wisconsin, which I will have to hear a little bit more about that. And then now she is the founder and runs her own company as a career coach, helping mainly millennial women find land and then negotiate the salary for their dream job. So really excited to have you on the show, Molly. Thanks for being here. Oh my goodness. Thank you for having me. Yes. And we should also say that we'll definitely we'll probably start here. Molly identifies as an Enneagram type three with a wing two. And I know in some of her blogs, she has talked a little bit about working too much, balancing, that type of thing. So I'm sure she'll have some good stuff to share on that as well with us. So Molly, tell me where what gaps do you need to fill in? How exactly are you helping women now and why millennial women?

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Yes, that's the million-dollar question, right? Like how, how, who, right? So, all right. So if I were, let me start with the millennial piece first. Okay. Um, for me, I am all about relationships, the relatability, right? And being a fellow fellow millennial myself, who best to talk to my fellow millennials than me myself. Now I will share that, of course. I've got um in the past clients as young as 52. So we're we're not we're not just millennials, but uh case in point today I just posted a um an 80s remix dance TikTok on my LinkedIn profile. Like, come on, 80 babes, like we're all in it together. And I think that it's that um connectability, the ability to build rapport instantly, just based off of your generational similarities really sets the tone, right? Now, to the forefront of your initial question of the gaps, right? And and what that looks like for millennial women who are looking to elevate their careers. Most of us have been in our careers for 10 plus years, and we're coming to an end of our chapter where okay, I can do this in my sleep. I've got it down, I'm an expert. We're getting kind of bored, we're wanting something bigger, something better. But we're afraid, afraid of starting over. We're concerned about, oh my gosh, what are my colleagues gonna say? What are my leaders gonna say? My mom, what is she gonna say? You you built this 10-year career. Why are you starting from scratch? Why would you turn your back? And then some of us are moms. Oh my gosh, is this selfish of me to do this? To pursue a new elevation of my career. So there's a lot of things going on, in particular to the women that I support. There is not just fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of starting over. There is a huge, huge component of imposter syndrome that seeps in. Because how do you how do you pivot out of a career that you've worked so hard for to just start all over again? How do you how do you manage that? And more importantly, how do you how do I say this piece here? Um, I'm just gonna be Molly about it. How do you say, screw you people pleasing? I'm gonna do what is best for me. Because when you have a best version of yourself, everyone around you gets the best version of you too.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

So yeah, that's it. I love that. I'm gonna definitely come back to that best version of yourself. Now, I wanted to ask before we get into some of this career navigating navigation, and especially, you know, with the time that we just went through over the last few years. I think COVID had had has had a lot of us waking up. It's kind of asking those questions. What do we really want? Who do we want to be? What is the best version of ourselves? What's our best life? Um, I want to just tap into a little bit about your own personality, whatever you're willing to share, and how that has played a role and what you do now. So I know you mentioned type three is your dominant Enneagram type. What about that energy most resonates with you?

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Oh my gosh. I am like to the T, Annie I'm going three. One, I am so driven based off of my success. And that is why even my business and feeling in full alignment with being a career coach fit me. Because one, I am success-driven, I am goal-driven. When I set a goal, you better believe that your girl is going to hit these goals. But secondarily, I am someone, and going right back to the millennial like stereotypes, right? When we think about wanting a career that speaks to us, that is in full alignment with who we are, we want to make a greater purpose, we want work-life balance, we want all these things. For me, being an Aneagram 3 helps me to resonate with my clients that is also striving for that success, however which way you define that to be, right? And your career, it is very easy for you to become a workaholic because your career is, although it's not who you are, it is a pillar of your identity. And you take a lot of pride in your career, what you do. So when you're talking about personality traits, oh my girl, I am there. That is the reason why I do what I do, because my career is such a strong pillar of my identity that I have to be doing something that I am giving back, that I'm serving, that I'm I am in full alignment with. And that is the reason. That's my why, right? Is um is to to to give, to give and to do my best in that.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

So good. Okay, so I have a question for some people. This is a really hard question. Um, but uh I think based on our initial conversation, this will be a softball for you. But what do you love most about that energy and how has it helped you have the success? So I know you mentioned goal setting. Is there anything else that you see in your personality that is such a strength? And you know, it probably aligns with some of that type three energy that has helped you have that success and do the work that you get to do now.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Yeah, you know, I think that there is um for me being a type three, I naturally have self-confidence and I have self-awareness. And that I think is a huge strength because listen, if y'all have stumbled across my content or know me, I I recently just posted confidence sells. And it's true, right? For me, I naturally come out there. I'm like, hi, I'm Molly, what's up? Nice to meet you. Hey, hey girl, right? It it's just who I am, and I think the ability to be really um intuitive that self-awareness has really guided into my my success, uh, even in the corporate space, all the way through into today as an as an entrepreneur is is ensuring that I am still authentically who I am. I am confident, um, I leave a legacy, I know that. And uh I'm I'm aware. I'm aware of um the energy that I bring to the table, and I am here to influence the energy of the room. That I think those two core pieces is is I think what uh what I know, not think, but I know has yielded to part of my success.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

I love that word legacy. Okay, so let me ask you this too. And for you, it might be this might be a quick answer because of that self-awareness. But sometimes, and this is people have an easier time. Some people have an easier time talking about their gaps or their, I don't want to call them weaknesses, but their opportunities for growth. What has been a trait or maybe even a belief, a behavior that you have done that maybe wasn't serving you, maybe even sabotaging your work life, your career, or maybe just your life in general that you've noticed and have actively been working on growing through?

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Yeah, great question. For me, I think it's a toss-up. It's it's fair game between fear of failure and people pleasing. Like I just prefaced today's episode on people pleasing. Now, I'll be the first one to raise my hand. I am not perfect, I am a continuous, I go to you know, people pleasing anonymous every week, right? Like this is that is that self-awareness piece that I know, right? So there is that forefront thinking of okay, where am I wearing a mask that is not authentically who I am? Okay. And tying back to fear of failure, if I took my mask off and if I was authentically Molly, is it going to impact my success in some way? Am I am I going to be viewed as less of a successful person than what people perceive me to be? Right. So those would be the two toss-ups for me is fear of failure and uh people pleasing and having masks on for sure.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

I think uh yeah, I think a lot of us can relate to to all of those for sure. Um, especially as women, the people pleasing is is is that struggle is real regardless of what type you identify with. Um, okay, I want to move into a little of tapping into your expertise and your experience. And I have struggled with this myself. And then over the last two or three years, um, I've also worked with clients having the same struggle around, I don't know what I want to do. I just know that this isn't it. So I know that you help women in all places of your career, of their career process or job navigating process. But I thought we could start here with somebody who doesn't even know. I know what I don't want, but I I don't know what the next place is. So do I just continue to stay here and have the same year over and over? How do you help those people? What should we be thinking about? What should we be looking at in those situations?

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Yes. It's what I call what do you want to be when you grow up 2.0 version. Yes, oh, that's so good, Molly. Yes. And because real talk. If we, you know, and I and I'm talking, you know, um, traditionally speaking, right? We get asked, in my experience, twice in our life, what do we want to be when we grow up? Fifth grade career day, okay. You got your parents, you got the firefighters, you got, you know, uh someone's dad who runs a business comes in and they talk about what they do, right? So that's the very first time that I remember in my life that I had been asked, okay, Molly, what do you want to be when you grow up? Okay. Um, and then the second time is when we are declaring our major. If we go to four-year university, dun, dun, dun, time to declare your major. What are you gonna do? And yeah, you know, a lot of us we go into pursuing things that we enjoy as our undergrad, okay? But now we gotta connect it to a career. What? How do you do that? So it's really in those two times, in in my experience in my life, that we generally face that question head on. Little did we know, mid-30s. What do I want to be when I grow up again? What why am I why am I struggling with this all over again? Right? And so this is what I would recommend for those of you who are listening in and you're wondering, how do I where do I start? Where do I find what I call your North Star? Okay, think about your current or your former experience. What task, what responsibility, what environment were you in? How were you being asked to show up that actually brought you a lot of energy that didn't deplete you of like, oh, I'm dreading this, right? Think about that task. Let's just say, I don't know, um, let's say that you always loved when your leader nudged you and said, Hey, we've got a problem and I need you to solve it. Okay. Here's a project. I don't, there is no, uh, we have no real steps and process. We want you to lead it. And you're like, yes, yes, this is exactly my thing. Okay. If that is what brings you joy, brings you energy. Your goal now is to take that one task. So I'm just gonna call it problem solving or you know, project management, let's say. Do a search. Just put into the search bar problem solving, see what roles pop up. Listen to your intuition. Does this, oh, does this, oh my gosh, I could totally see myself doing this. Okay, right. And the reason why I'm encouraging to not search by title, but to search by responsibility and task is because nowadays, case in point, I paid my dues in corporate at HR. Okay. Back in the day, I say back in the day, like we're old, but back in the day, HR was HR. Like we encompassed recruiting, we encompassed culture, we encompassed engagement, we encompassed all this stuff. And today, we've now dissected all of those silos of HR to become its freestanding um centers of excellence. So don't go off of title, okay? Because HR today is now considered, you know, culture engagement manager. Oh, if you go off of responsibility and task though, it'll help you to generate the the roles, just meander around LinkedIn jobs a little bit, indeed, you know, research, see what populates, then see what themes you see that speaks to you and go from there. So that's what I would say.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Oh, I love that advice so much. And just whether it's the Enneagram or any sort of other personality assessment out there, I think that this also plays such an important role in even knowing what to search. Cause just like you said, problem solving, um, it's just kind of putting language when you get these, when the Enneagram specifically helps you identify things that you have a tendency to excel at that nobody else is really um that doesn't come as natural to everybody else. And I even think those things are kind of like, oh, wait a minute, not everybody likes to problem solve. Like that, that's unique or that that could be a thing. And then it's like, okay, well, yeah, let me look into that. So kind of going back to what you were initially talking about, your own awareness is so key in this whole process. And then I love your tip about searching responsibilities, not the title. Um, okay, so let's say that somebody has found some roles potentially that meet those exciting responsibility checklists there. What are some of the mistakes that you see clients or just people out there making when it comes to applying to those types of jobs? What should we not be doing?

SPEAKER_02 17:45

Self-sabotage, do not self-reject. Okay. And I'll give you Molly's method. Okay. So this is what I share with my clients that I work with. Okay. It's the 80-50 rule. And I know, like if you're doing the math, it's way past 100, but follow me here. When you are looking at a job, okay, a lot of the times the women that I support will sit there and they'll sit there and they'll sit there and they'll look for such a long time at this job. Do I hit 100% of these things? Oh, but I don't have this, I don't have that. Oh my gosh. Well, you know what? They're probably gonna reject me anyway, so I might as well save myself from rejection because rejection hurts. I'm not even gonna put my name in the hat, not even gonna go there because I already know they're gonna say no. That is what you should not be doing. Okay, so to fall back on the 80-50 rule, this is what I encourage for you to do instead. Okay. So I want for you to look at the bullets, the job description, and look at the qualifications. Now, you you can and cannot, and it's up to you to decide about the preferred qualifications. Some roles have those, some don't. If you hit at least 50% of the bullets, apply. That's it. Easy as that. Apply. Okay. But if you exceed more than 80% of that, so let's say that you hit 100% of every single bullet point posted. I would encourage you to not apply.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Really?

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Here's why. Okay, okay. You know the term overqualified? You start tiptoeing into the overqualified bracket if you hit more than 80%. Okay. That is gonna allow for you for growth and development into this position. You're not gonna get bored as easily. Okay, it's gonna give you an opportunity to step into your elevated career if you're applying to someone that's or a job that hits at least 50% of the bullets, but no more than 80. It gives you that 20% growth in the role. You are no longer underqualified and you're no longer overqualified. You hit that sweet spot right there.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Mmm, Goldilocks spot right there. Okay. And then you had also shared this really interesting post. Um, kind of like, oh gosh, probably cringy for some of us because we've probably done this about consistency is key. Yeah, except when you're doing the wrong things consistently. So, what were some of those things that we can get wrong in the job searching, job applying process?

SPEAKER_02 20:43

Yeah, that was definitely, let me just say that that commentary was a mic drop moment for a lot of people. Um, but it's accurate and true. So let me showcase some of the some of the um, I won't call them red flakes, I'll just call them warning signs, right? Here's some warning signs for you, okay. If you are only, for those of you who are on LinkedIn, okay, if you are only applying to easy apply jobs because you don't want to spend time submitting an application, yeah. As of always, that is not going to be in best service for you. So you sitting here being like, click, click, click, easy apply, easy apply. Ah, I just submitted 50 applications. Yay! Great job, self. Some of those roles are going to require and want for you to upload your resume, they're going to want to make sure that you are asked or you're answering those knockout questions. Okay. Another piece. Okay. If you are constantly submitting applications and you are not receiving any interview callbacks at all, something is wrong. Nine times out of ten, if you're not receiving interview calls. Callbacks, especially for the first round with a recruiter. The diagnosis for that is that your resume is not speaking to the role that you want. Okay. You may be regurgitating things that you've done, but if you are looking to elevate your career, you're looking to trans, especially if you transition into a different industry or different role, you gotta be able to have your tools work for you. So again, consistency. If you think you're gonna be submitting all these applications every week, but you're not receiving any kind of results, any conversions for that, that's a warning sign.

unknown 22:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

Your consistency is not working. Something is wrong. Stop doing what you're doing because it's not working for you, right? Figure out what the problem is.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Okay. And I just I'm on this kick right now about like all this advice that you've heard just forever and ever like wake up at 5 a.m., successful people work hard, effort, you know, all these kind of sayings that you hear. And there is truth to them, like consistency is key. And then it's really interesting, you can find these situations where that's not always the case. So um it forces you to reflect and to pause and to think. And um, so I absolutely love like, yes, consistency is key, but what are those things? Taking time to reflect on what's working and stop being consistent about those things. Um, you had mentioned, especially if you are making a jump to a different industry or maybe a completely different role. Um, I'm just curious. This is just more of a curiosity question. What have you seen with you know COVID, remote work? Just there's been a lot of changes in in our careers over the last two, three years. And what are some of those, I guess, differences that you are noticing that people are either looking for in a in a role, um, maybe even that companies are are asking that's different or requiring, just kind of just any new trends or or things like that that are that are that we should be aware of with the changes.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Yeah, yes, I love that. So, number one, let me just quickly say for us millennials, while COVID really highlighted it, of course, I mean, it was a scary time for for the world, the one time where the world all together was experiencing something, right? I am such an optimistic person. There's silver linings in all situations, and COVID helped us to realize what was most important. And I think as millennials, we have been pushing, we've been talking about remote work, we've been talking about work-life balance that we clearing my throat here because I want to be very clear and concise. Y'all, my fellow millennials, we manifested this into our existence into a point where our world had to offer us work-life balance, remote work. Think about that. Whether or not we wanted it to come directly from COVID, it has been a message that we, for the most part, that our generation has been asking for and trying to advocate for, and now we have it. So to answer your question about trends, remote work, work from home, uh, the ability to um be flexible and to prioritize the things that really matter to us, right? Things like family, health, all that stuff, mental wellness. More organizations, thankfully, are cognizant of that and they are using that as a way to attract top talent, top candidates to their organization, which is huge, which is great. Okay. You'll see that there are some organizations have now um, you know, encouraging their team to come back in person, doing more of a hybrid model, and that's okay. But more often than not, if you are in the in the right role, the right industry. So for example, um, I'm gonna use an exaggerated example here, but if you're a surgeon, right, probably couldn't do your surgeries remote from home, right? If your role allows it, the ability to find remote work has now been opened much more than it was ever before. The second thing that I would say from a trends perspective for candidates now in today's job market is you have to decide if you are willing to do the homework assignments, the projects, and the tasks that employers are now increasingly asking candidates to complete during the interview process. Never in all of my 15 plus years in talent acquisition, talent management, learning development, training, um, director leadership roles that I've been in have I ever experienced the significant amount of companies asking candidates to show what they can do before they get the job. So you gotta decide. Is that are you are you a yes for that? Are you a yes for specific companies like your dream job, or are you a complete no? And here's the kicker there's no right or wrong way about doing this. You just need to come to terms with what are you willing to do. So there's there's a lot of very good debate and discussion around this specific aspect itself.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Okay. Um, and maybe this is a good kind of it's a stretch tie-in, but I do want to tap into this other blog that I had seen that you write uh or had um read that you had that you had written about how your culture has influenced what type of jobs, what type of career that you want to do. So we have talked about your your personality, your past experience. And I love this idea of also your culture. So would you just share a little bit about what you shared in that article and some other things that others could be thinking about as well?

SPEAKER_02 28:18

Yeah, absolutely. So let me preface by saying the biggest thing, well, in addition to knowing what you want next in your career, you need to know who you are. And knowing who you are ties back to how you identify yourself as a person, right? So in my case, I am Hmong American, okay, first generation born here in the United States. My parents were immigrants from Laos here, okay. My dad was first generation college bachelor's degree, okay. So for me, my childhood was all about financial stability, okay. It was about prestige, and it was about family reputation as well as my gender and cultural norms. That as a Hmong woman, a girl, right? What am I expected to behave like, to reach the expectations I had? And then on top of that, I grew up in a Christian household. So I am a person of faith. So you layer on the, well, that's what that's not what a good Christian girl should be doing. That inadvertently, and I know my parents meant well, right? Paved the path for the limited career choices that I had available. At a very young age, the two career choices that I was given was to be a doctor or to be a lawyer, and that was it. That was it. Point blank. Why? One, it made a lot of the money, and two, so that my parents and my family could receive the prestige and the respect that those two titles and occupations would bring to our Asian household. Yeah. Plot twist. You already know I'm not neither one of those two things. How did that go? Yeah, that's and so when you think about what you want next, you really have to channel who you are. And I would I am so proud to be Mongol American. I am so proud to be a woman of faith. And my authentic self is not going to be a doctor or a lawyer. It's just not. So, what what did that require for me to be? It required a brutal sense of self-honesty and self-love to say that's okay. That's their definition of success, not yours. Just because they believe that doesn't mean you have to believe that. And thankfully, my parents um they understand now having a conversation about, hey, I'm making more money now than you ever thought I was. I want to die, the business owner. And now they're just like, yeah, well, you know, we need our sub pump fixed, smally. So are you gonna help win the bill? Now there is so much more freedom in my choices and standing firm and what I want and who I am without feeling this internal conflict of who I think people want to be, want me to be, right? The people pleasing piece and who I am authentically. So that's what I would share is is really just get to a point of I have this on my um on my profile and my LinkedIn profile. It says, know what you want, know who you are, stand firm in both.

SPEAKER_01 32:17

That's so good. You know, um, I have several friends who grew up in the church and um women, and they are just uh it kind of started in in our 30s, just kind of questioning the um the the money is a sin kind of the kind of thing, like having a lot of money. And it's interesting, they were in nonprofit jobs, um, you know, working $30,000 a year type of roles, but you know, 40 plus hours, trying to manage a family, and just like that was what they they should be doing. They felt like and money, having a lot of money was selfish or wrong or that type of thing. So I I love even just kind of questioning, just considering, just asking the question. Um, speaking of women, um, I am curious if you have, if you guide your clients to do something different than you might a male client based on their gender, because of some of the, I don't know, there's been studies that have I've read about where it's like, oh, you change their your name and all of a sudden, you know, your Robert instead of Rosie is getting the interview. And I'm sure you're aware of some of those things, but and maybe not. I'm just kind of curious if there's anything as a woman we should be paying attention to more than maybe a man might have to.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

100%. Literally had this conversation with my client in a coaching session yesterday, as I was helping her prep for interview, right? When we think about interview preparation, okay, it's about okay, well, how do I answer this question? But really, it's about the experience that you're giving someone in an interview, okay? Case in point. One, us women, I I okay, I say this with love and compassion, girls, ladies, babes, we talk too much on an interview. We overshare in an interview, okay. We go into things that a man would never share because their brains just don't really function that way. So if they ask, if an interviewer asks us, women, like, so um, is there anything about this role that you may be hesitant about? A man's answer is usually no. For us, it's, you know, that's a really good question. So, yeah, as I was reading the job description a little bit more, I was thinking that I see here that this is a senior manager position. So, does that mean that I'm managing managers? I just want to be transparent with you and very honest, right? Because I'm I'm a person of integrity and character. I've never managed a bunch of managers before, so I just want to make sure that you know what you're getting and you're signing up. So if I get the, if I get the offer, if I'm good enough and you give me the offer, I just want to, I just I don't want to, I don't want you to hire me and then for me to not be able to live up to your expectation. Stop sign. Yeah, we overshare because we do. We have we're we're so pure hearted for the most part, and this is where our imposter syndrome bleeds into the interviewing experience. Men are just like, Yes, I can. Yep, I do that now. Yes, I am, I will, I do. Where for us, we're like, Well, yeah, yeah, I think I can, and I I um I just and I kinda those words that we speak in our interviewing process deteers away from our self-empowerment and our confidence and our skill set that we have. So if there's anything that I can share in the interviewing process, men versus woman, be like a man in an interview. Can you do this? Yes, I can. Who are you? I am a career coach. This is what I do, this is how I help. Owning the power of your intentional word choice in your interview is going to take you a lot further than you think.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Molly, that is so good. I absolutely love that. Um, and you know what? You are with that some of that type three energy. I'm just thinking like threes tend to be pretty direct, concise, efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, get it done. So you are the perfect person to be teaching this to others. Um, what should so we have what to do in during the interview? Great tip there. What do we do after we get the job? And or we're we've been offered the job, and now we're talking salary.

SPEAKER_02 37:12

So let me just say this about salary. So salary actually you need to know, it goes right back to what you want. Okay, ladies, know what you want before you even start applying. Because as you know, there's pieces in your interviewing, your job searching process where you are indirectly sharing whether you know it or not, what your desired salary is. Okay, so for example, when you're filling out the application and if they're asking you for a desired salary amount, yeah, there's your very first opportunity where either you are gonna give your number or you're not, right? Other places in the application, such as uh share what you made in your previous roles. Little do you know, managers and recruiters are looking at that number to gauge. Are you within range? Are you within budget? Okay, how much are you asking for in comparison to what you're currently making? If you're respectfully making $75,000 and you want 115, they're gonna start questioning, like, why does she want such a huge leap, right? So fast forward through to the offer stage, okay. Always counter your offer all always. You can always make it sweeter. And what's the worst they're gonna say? No, offer stands? Great. You would much rather counter ask for anything more than can make the offer sweeter, knowing that you did not leave money on the table, okay, versus saying, okay, accept, done, excited, yay, and not taking anything else. Okay. So here are some creative things that a lot of people don't think about when they're negotiating. So negotiation isn't just about salary. You can think about a one-time sign-on bonus. You can ask for a retention bonus, which is very different than a sign-on bonus. You can ask for um benefits day one. If you have to wait for 30 days until health insurance kicks in, and then you're a mom and you've got kids, ask and negotiate for benefits to start day one right away so you and your kiddos and your family can have coverage. Uh, ask for a better title. If they give you some like specialist title and you're like, no, uh uh no, I'm a leader. Give me a leader title, ask for a lead, ask for a manager, ask for a supervisor title. You can negotiate titles, okay? Um, other fun things that you can negotiate. Um, oh, people are companies now are offering um um like acupuncture, massage stipends right for your overall wellness. Uh, there's a lot of things on the table outside of just salary that you can negotiate, but always counteroff. Always. Worst they're gonna say is no, and then you make the decision off of the offer that stands. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

And then I'm wondering if you would share a couple of examples of types of clients that you have worked with, because you know, I don't know why I never thought to reach out to a career coach because I've I've had all these problems that are on your website. And I just I was like, oh, that's for somebody who is probably like an executive or something like that. They're trying to get CEO. I don't know why I thought that. That was the story that was in my head. For anybody else who has a story that's saying, for whatever reason, you know, I'm not ready for a career coach, it's not for me. Would you just share some of the types of clients that you work with to get an idea for that?

SPEAKER_02 40:45

Yeah, absolutely. So I I work with anyone who is looking to elevate your career, right? And so in my previous roster, I've had number one, most recently, has been transitioning teachers and transitioning educators. Okay. So several of my clients are transitioning teachers. Okay. I've worked with individuals who are trying to get into an executive level position. So for example, I had a manager who was stuck at a manager level for 10 years, could not break into her first director level, and after working with me, was able to secure her directorship. Yes, yes. I have one right now who is a senior manager looking to get into a chief of staff position. So definitely still that executive level. Um, and then I have everyone from, you know, uh, I want to go from, and in case you're wondering, yes, my fellow colleagues in HR also use career coaching. Funny, because you'd think, right? Like I've had HR professionals want to pivot out of HR and not know how to do that. So I had someone go from yes, HR to event planning and marketing, helping with that as well. So this is all about whatever you desire and you want, however, which way you define elevation for you, whether it's an executive chief of staff or respectfully, you're a teacher looking to get into sales, or you are HR moving into event management coordination. I got you covered.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Yeah, I saw a success story on your LinkedIn profile from teacher to tech. And I thought I was like, oh my gosh, I could see so many teachers needing this, this kind of help. We all do. Um, so yeah, I I I would just any type of coach, right? We hire health coaches. If we're training for a marathon, we hire a marathon coach, a running coach, um, business coaches, sales coaches. And I just, you know, I'm kind of kicking myself, you know, five years later, um, that I didn't think to do this because it is hard to see outside of your own jar. Cause I was like, well, I guess I have to keep with sales or do something that I've done and just the opportunity to just blow open those doors and work with somebody who can help you identify transferable skills, prepare for the interview. Like there's so much to it, right? It's not just applying. So um I just, yeah, I was so inspired when I found I'm not looking for a job personally, but I was inspired by your profile on Instagram and LinkedIn. I thought we gotta get, we gotta get Molly on here because I know that um other people are very much. And my last question for you as we before we wrap this up, I have a couple of rapid fire questions. Is um I have worked with a lot of women um who are deciding yes, should I take this job or should I take this job? But also I want to start my own business. Or, but is that just silly? Should I just stay here? Should I find another job? Job? Like what am I doing? So I'm just curious because you are one of the few people I've had on that kind of has a really front seat look at entrepreneurship and also a really successful career path. What advice would you have to somebody thinking about starting their own company, leaving behind that kind of employee corporate type of lifestyle, jumping into entrepreneurship? Who would you like, what would you offer them to consider? Because sometimes it's like follow your passion and life is going to be amazing, and you're just going to just get all this flexibility and dream job right here. But I know for myself there's a lot of hard days, and sometimes it gets really lonely, imposter syndrome, all these other things. And sometimes I think I'm just gonna get a job. I'm gonna go back because it's not easy. So I'm just curious, kind of from your perspective where you're sitting, for somebody who's thinking, I want to start my own company, what would you offer for them? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 45:03

Um, the one thing that comes up to mind is based off into your point, thank you so much for for acknowledging that. Because yes, um, I am for people who want to stay in corporate and I'm for people who want to be an entrepreneur. It's it's I get the best of both worlds. But I recall almost being ashamed and feeling um less than for side hustling. And I don't think that, yeah, I don't think that people give side hustlers enough credit. It's either you're a full-time employee or a full-time boss, babe. Like you can't, and I think to myself, I remember having a conversation, and mind you, he was a man, so you know, man's plainin', but that's for a different story. Um, and I and it if there's one thing that I could share about this specific question, if you want to start your business and you're not sure, babe, there's nothing wrong with you side hustling first at all. As women, we we are overthinkers, we're planners, and for the most part, I think we all have some form of controlling in our personalities because we excel at things. When you are unsure if you're gonna go full-time entrepreneurial or if you're going to go and stay in the corporate world, side hustle first. There's nothing wrong with you trying that out first, and then you'll have some data points to look at. Was it what you envisioned, was it not? Um, what parts of this was more challenging than you thought? Um, there is a lot of unknowns if you are looking to start that business. So side hustling is a great way to do that, plus supplemental income. Like, why not? Okay, do it, do it. And the last thing I would say is when you are ready to make the full commitment to go full-time entrepreneur, you can get as much advice as you want to from anybody, everyone around you, but at the end of the day, it is your decision. You will know when it's the right time for you. And you gotta black out all of the extra white noise and just sit with yourself and say, Okay, is it my time to say yes? Because if it is, it will be your time. Okay, stop asking for advice, listen to yourself, make a decision off of what you want.

SPEAKER_01 47:57

That is what a great way to end. Um, the side hustle is it that is that is so true because it, you know, you don't know until you know. Like I thought I wanted to be an interior decorator, and then I I did one project, and I was like, no, thank God, you know, I didn't jump full into that one. So there is absolutely something to be said for that. Great advice. Um, before we get into the rapid fire questions, where can people find you? They're thinking about navigating a career change, wanting to make a career change. How do you help and where can we find you?

SPEAKER_02 48:31

Yeah, absolutely. Look, at the end of the day, my job is to help you see what is available and accessible to you, your greatness. You deserve and desire a career that is going to be in full alignment with who you are and what you want. Connect with me. I'm on the gram. I am, of course, living and breathing significantly on LinkedIn because that's where most of my audience is at. Feel free to connect with me and let me show you what is possible for your career and how simple and accelerated you can get those results.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

And we will include those links, but just for anybody who's like, I'm gonna jump over there right now. Where what is your username on those platforms? Yep.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

So you can find me under my company name, Lotus Mentoring. You'll be able to find me there.

SPEAKER_01 49:30

Okay, awesome. Um, and then as we wrap this up officially, a couple of rapid fire questions. They don't have to be rapid fire answers. I will try not to respond. Um, so they truly are rapid-fire questions. But what we have a lot of readers, people love a good book, a recommendation. What is a book that has impacted your work life or even your your life around negotiation, career, anything you want to offer to us? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:57

So I was just thinking about my book here. The work party by Jaclyn Johnson is the one. It's right there. The work party? Yep, the work party by Jaclyn Johnson. And that one speaks a lot about women in corporate. It talks about her own professional experience, going in corporate, elevating her careers, and really helping to just resonate with you. So I love that book. That's what I would recommend.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

Okay. And then what's a tool that you use to help make your life go easier? It could be a business tool, uh, something you use around the house. A tool that makes um my husband.

SPEAKER_02 50:35

He's probably the most efficient tool in my back pocket. Um, but you know, for me, I because I love to share my creativity and my content, later.com to schedule all of my marketing, uh, all of my content is um, it's where I put all of my creative outlet.

SPEAKER_01 50:55

Oh, so good. Okay. And then last question. Um, you know, there's especially as a three driven to succeed. We hear, I think as a country, we have a lot of type three energy in general. So we can all relate to that drive. Um, but I don't know the thing that gets talked about enough is what that actually looks like. Like what is success outside of just a title and a paycheck. So I'm always curious to know what does success look like for you, Molly Lowe, in your own life. Uh that struck a chord 100% there.

SPEAKER_02 51:30

For me, success equates to freedom. The best example of this is not having to set an alarm to wake up in the mornings. I am not a morning person. So the fact that I am chasing after the flexibility and the freedom of my time and the usage of my time is success. Real talk. Yeah. If my husband even said to me, like, yeah, you never turn on your alarm anymore. Because I for what? I base my life around what I want to do. So for me, success for Molly Lowe is freedom. Freedom to use my time however which way I so choose, please do, and without setting an alarm to wake me up at six o'clock in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 52:16

I think we can have some other people shaking their heads to that one. I feel that as well. Feel that. So, and freedom. Oh my gosh, yes, so much to be said for that. Um, so thank you, Molly, for everything that you shared. I feel like I'm hyped now. I'm just on lamp ready to go. Just your energy and you you didn't hear this and you can't see it. Um, most likely. I will put this on YouTube, Molly. But um, Molly is sitting in this gorgeous, what do we say, wing tipped or what do we wing back? Wing back, that's what it is. I can't I keep forgetting wing back chair. And I was like, you just it's the perfect office setup, the confidence. I just love your energy. And I'm so glad social media has brought us brought us together. So thanks for being an awesome guest and definitely reach out to Molly. Um let her know what you took away from this episode. And then if you need help, um, I mean, gosh, your energy, your confidence, your it's just infectious. So I appreciate you being here.

SPEAKER_02 53:09

Thank you for having me right back at you. Uh, I really firmly believe that um the universe brings the right people together, and here we are, and have an opportunity to talk. And thank you for for asking and listening and all that good stuff. So can't wait to continue to meet all of you out here and continue having the conversation.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Absolutely. Thank you so much, Molly. Thank you so much, Molly, for being a guest here on the NEA Grim NBA show. I know I'm feeling I'm feeling it all over again. After I hung up the phone with Molly after the recording of this interview, I was feeling, I was feeling hyped. I was like, I could walk through a brick wall. I was feeling motivated and inspired. I was feeling confident, I was feeling myself. I was like, yes, like let's go. Um, and then as I re-listened to the episode to get ready to share this, I was I was feeling all over again. I was getting inspired. So if you have also been inspired, motivated, have uh something that clicked for you from what Molly said, had found a golden nugget or two in there, um, probably more. I know she would love to hear about it and I would love to hear about it. So take a snapshot of this podcast interview, wherever it is you're listening to it on your on your phone screenshot, and tag us either over on LinkedIn or Instagram and let us know that you listened and something about the episode that you'd like us to know that really resonated with you. She is Lotus Mentoring over on um social media. I'm Aneagram MBA. Tag us, let us know. I know for me, two of my biggest takeaways was one around the application and feeling qualified. And if you have, if you feel that you're totally qualified, you're probably at that point overqualified. And I think that's excellent advice in the job hunting um journey. I also think it's excellent advice as an entrepreneur, right? How many times um have we kind of watched the boat sail by because we're waiting to be ready, but we've missed out on the opportunity, you know, feeling like we're 100% qualified to apply for the speaking opportunity, feeling like we are, you know, 100% qualified to pitch ourselves as a podcast guest or to pitch a new offer, to pitch a course, to write the book, to reach out to the client, to charge X amount of money, right? We're like, oh, I'm gonna wait until when. But, you know, taking Molly's advice, you know, it's we're probably ready right now. And then the other thing that I loved was when she was talking about the interview differences between um men and women, not always, right? Not always every time, but those tendencies between the two genders. And um I thought that was a great reminder as well. Absolutely, in an actual interview setting. We want to remember that. And then again, um, if we are working on a side hustle, if we are um growing our own business, taking that same energy and applying that yes, yes, I can. This is what it is. I am a speaker, I am a professional, right? Fill in the blank, whatever it is. I do this. Yes, I can. Energy rather than trying to overexplain or kind of let people know where our weaknesses are, why we might not be able to do it. And I was kind of cringing because I was thinking, oh my gosh, I have done this before. So um I know some of us do it more than others or have done it more than others, but I do think that that's something at some point we we probably all have been guilty of. Um, and so that was just a great reminder to, you know, just stand firm in your abilities and your strengths and your skills and know what those are and and really um believe in yourself. And I just I'm feeling um very, very motivated and excited by all of that. And I hope I hope you are as well. So thank you for being here, Molly. Thank you again for being a guest, and we'll see you back here soon for another episode.

SPEAKER_00 57:14

Thank you for listening to the Enneagram MBA podcast. Sarah offers Enneagram assessments for employees and entrepreneurs and workshops for company teams and women's groups. To learn more about how Sarah can help you or your organization better understand people at work, visit EnneagramMBA.com.