June 8, 2024 • 27 mins
Join host Lisa Andria in a transformative episode of "Ladies Who Leap," a podcast dedicated to honoring brave women who venture beyond their comfort zones. In this episode, Lisa introduces fellow Certified Life Coach, Barb Pastuszko, recognized for her inspirational work empowering women over 40 to exceed their boundaries, celebrate self-growth, and embrace their inherent power.
Barb recounts her personal journey of overcoming self-doubt, fear, and economic hardships that served as the catalysts for her pronounced leap into life coaching. Her shift from safety concerns and risk aversion to courage was a pivotal part of her transformation and passion to empower others. Following a layoff during the global pandemic, Barb and her compelling story serve as testament to the amazing results of taking controlled risks and evolving amidst challenging times.
Moreover, Barb’s deep-seated empathetic listening skills and supportive curricula position her not just as a coach but an accountability partner. Together with Lisa, they delve into how dedication, confidence and reshaping one's mindset can pave the path to success and self-fulfillment. Barb’s impactful and effective coaching program, 'Live Your Best Life,' illuminates the importance of investing in oneself through setting boundaries, habit alteration, and self-care strategies.
All listeners’ path to wellness is uniquely paved with personalized affirmations and strategies. Join the journey of women who dare to take leaps towards purpose, growth, and fulfillment. Be part of the community embodying continuous personal and professional enhancement.
Access Barb’s life-enhancing coaching practices on her Instagram @BestofBarbWellness, or connect on Facebook at Barb Pastuszko. Tune into this empowering episode to take your own leap of faith.
Subscribe to the Ladies Who Leap podcast on all podcast platforms to get alerted when a new episode is launched. New episodes come out every 1st and 8th day of the month.
Because Leaping out of your Comfort Zone is where the GROWTH happens!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, I'm Lisa Andrea, Transformation Life Coach.
Welcome to the Ladies Who Leap podcast, where guests share their inspiring stories
of leaping out of their comfort zone, confidence and power, and into a life
of purpose and fulfillment.
Let's listen to their life-changing stories so that we can all learn how to
(00:22):
gain the courage to take a leap of faith into a life that we love,
so that we can all be Ladies Who Lead. Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ladies Who Lead podcast. I am Lisa Andrea, Transformation Life Coach.
I'm happy to announce today's guest is Barb Bustusco, a certified life coach
(00:46):
working with women over 40 who are seeking guidance and moving away from overwhelm
and ordinary to a place of personal power and peak state.
She works with her clients as a team to discover what stops them from achieving
their goals, what stories they have been telling themselves over the years,
and recognizing the self-sabotaging behaviors that have been keeping them stuck.
(01:07):
Through her own journey, she brings an understanding and relatability to each conversation.
She is a supporter, cheerleader, and accountability partner who listens without
judgment, giving each person in a safe space to heal and grow.
Barb is a wife, mother, and most importantly, a woman who has found her voice
and whose sole passion is to give back to those who are looking for theirs. Welcome, Barb.
(01:34):
Thank you. Thank you very much, Lisa. I am so happy to be here.
You and I are quite similar in that what we do to help women.
So I'm excited to hear about your life journey and how this interview can resonate and help listeners.
I believe that we are all here to help others. And there's someone,
well, it's a quote from JFK, but it really has a meaning with all of us in the
(01:57):
coaching business, which is rising waters raise oil. Let me get the quote right.
A rising tide lifts all boats. So we shouldn't be competing.
You should just be here to help as many people as we can and do it together.
Absolutely agree. We're on the free page.
Yeah, and these stories that are being shared on the Ladies Who Lead podcast
(02:19):
are how people learn to get inspired and to go forward to do and be the best
person that they can be in their life. We're only given one life.
Well, right now in our physical sense, I guess.
That's correct. Can you tell me about your childhood and how that shaped your
beliefs about yourself?
Where it would cause any limiting beliefs or fears that you experienced?
(02:43):
I am an only child. So that in itself, I think, comes with a lot of different
pluses and challenges all at the same time.
I had very loving parents.
I never lacked for anything. thing. The one thing that I did learn constantly
(03:05):
as a child is that don't take risks.
My parents were not risk takers at all.
While everybody around them, like siblings and stuff, all had homes my parents rented.
My dad always said, just can't afford to buy a home.
And ultimately, Ultimately, I mean, as I grew older, I realized that maybe not
(03:30):
because unbeknownst to me, we were pretty much living under the poverty level.
Like we lived in a two-bedroom apartment and like I said, I never lacked for
anything, but that was the one thing that I took away is never take risks.
And my family laughs at me, like my husband and my kids, because,
you know, they always tell me, mom, you just, you never, you never take a risk.
(03:54):
You never step out there and do anything.
And I have been working on that so much over the last probably three, four years.
And maybe I saw bits and pieces of it throughout my life, but I always step back.
So that was the one thing, the limiting belief that I took with me is that you
(04:17):
have to stay down that safe road,
you know, get your education, find a job, make sure that you...
Get enough money, saved away, squirreled away for a rainy day.
And that was it. That was my belief.
(04:37):
And I'll tell you, there's got to be a lot of people listening because that is not uncommon.
I was also not a risk taker, so I totally understand. And I know it comes back
to, I mean, my parents did own a home, but they were not about taking risks.
They were about working for a company, staying a long time.
And that was kind of the norm. I mean, we're a little bit of the same age.
(04:58):
So that was the norm back then is to get your benefits.
You know, that's what you work for your pension, right? That was very much old
school at this point now in life.
But back then that was really important, which kind of goes into your working life, right?
You and I had the same, again, similar in the sense that we were right hamster
wheel, right? With our corporate job for quite a while.
(05:20):
And from what I understand, had the mindset, both of us for pleasing others,
We were that people pleaser, and serving them was a way to be successful is what we thought.
And then it played off, which, you know, that's an unexpected event change.
But I like to say, you know, congratulations. So how did that change your life
and kind of make you be forced to take a leap of some kind?
(05:42):
Well, so for as long as I can remember, probably since my mid-teens,
which is when I kind of maybe recognized it, I have this innate passion to be of service to others.
And I did a lot of volunteer work. I was a big sister for the Big Brothers and
(06:03):
Sisters organization, and I continued to volunteer throughout my life.
And, but having said that, I still maintain course in the corporate world because
it was like, well, that's where the money was.
So I just had to stay in the corporate world so that I can provide for my children
(06:29):
so that my husband and I can, you know, not necessarily live paycheck to paycheck.
Although, in retrospect, we ended up doing that in the end, living paycheck to paycheck.
And every once in a while, I would slip into something that wasn't corporate,
that was in the health and wellness industry, which was my passion as well,
(06:53):
is something that I wanted to get into but never did.
It wasn't until the pandemic where I was laid off, as many people were,
and because of this life-threatening thing that was happening to all of us,
(07:14):
it really gave me pause and.
Reflection as to what do I want to do with the rest of my life.
And when it came time to start thinking about going back, I had this conversation
with my husband and I said, there is no way that I see myself going back to a nine to five.
(07:36):
I just, I can't, I cannot do it. And if I don't do something now, it's now or never.
I'm quite frankly in the later stage of my life. And if I'm going to take the
leap, leap of faith, the leap of whatever, I need to do it now.
And so that's when I started my journey as a life and health coach.
(07:58):
So I'm certified as both a life coach and a health coach as well.
So that's where my journey began. Yeah.
So, and I understand, you know, getting laid off and this was something that
you were really interested in, but a lot of people don't necessarily still have
that courage to take that leap.
Where did you get that courage? Was, were there people that supported you?
(08:19):
Where, where did you get that?
Where did that come from? And again, thinking about, you have a background,
a little bit on scarcity of money from, from childhood, that had to be something
that you had to overcome come too.
Yes. So, I mean, as do most people, women out there, especially,
I think you live with a lot of fears.
(08:40):
You have fear of rejection, fear of failure, just fear of not being accepted or not enough.
Or in my case, those three phrases, I am enough, I'm capable and I'm worthy.
I didn't have those when I initially started out on my journey as a life coach.
When I made the decision, it was a really scary thing for me to do because number
(09:06):
one, I was giving up a source of income,
not going back into the corporate world because while I'm learning and being certified,
I didn't have a part-time job because we
were still kind of in the throes of like the tail end of
the pandemic and my husband said well as long as
I'm working you know we're okay let's you let's you just focus on the coaching
(09:32):
and so that's what I did and I just knew that I it was time for me to just step
out of my comfort zone and take that risk.
And now be called a risk taker and not only be proud of myself,
but then have my kids say, wow, mom, you know, good on you.
(09:54):
Yeah, you taught them so that they didn't have to go through life like most
people and like you had to go through. So how did you heal?
I guess you went into the health and wellness, but also how did you feel yourself?
I mean, taking the leap, taking that step, was that part of yourself kind of
healing yourself and feeling that you were enough and that you were capable?
And it's all part of my growth and it's still a part of my growth.
(10:20):
I mean, I'm still learning to take more leaps.
Do I have fears still? Yeah, I do.
And every once in a while, that little gremlin on the shoulder,
that little judgy, judgy person comes out and just says, you know,
I don't think you're capable of doing that.
(10:42):
Like, why don't you just hold on there and just leave it alone?
And that's when now I'm learning to just say, I hear you, but no thank you.
I'm just going to go ahead and do it. What have I got to lose if I go ahead and do it?
The worst thing that can happen is that I stumble, I fall, I fail.
(11:06):
Okay, well then just get back up and start all over again.
Again like nobody's telling you you only have one time one chance to do it you
can do it over and over again until you get it right until you feel comfortable
until you don't feel fearful and.
It just it is what it is and so that's every
(11:26):
day that's how I attack everything
that I do is knowing that there
is a possibility that I will stumble but that's
okay because it also gives me credibility
and relatability to those out there of those women out there who are afraid
(11:48):
to step out because they're afraid to stumble they're afraid to fall they're
they're worried about what anybody else is going to think of that's the one
thing that getting older and.
That I really love is at this point in my life, I do not care what others think
(12:08):
of what I do, of what I say, or how I do anything.
It's so freeing. It's so freeing. Isn't it though?
I mean, and I wish I could tell, that's probably one of the first things I would
tell my younger self is that don't worry because there will always be people
who don't like you. There will always be people that like you.
And don't worry about it. As long as you're kind and compassionate and treating
(12:31):
people well, that's what's important.
But as far as each little nitpicking thing that you question yourself about,
sometimes getting to the point of analysis paralysis, right?
That is when you really don't. You just need to be free of anybody else's opinion.
And when you fail, because all of us will, just learn from those mistakes.
(12:55):
Figure out a way to do it or figure out what you did wrong and adjust for next time.
I mean, I know it's taken me a long time to believe in that, but it is so true.
And it's really nice to have people that support us during these questionable,
like when self-doubt comes up.
Who do you have in your life that helps you and gives you support when that
comes up? Or what do you do when that comes up? Well, I do.
(13:18):
I mean, my husband, I'm going to say number one. And my kids,
my son, our son still lives with us.
He works from home right now, as well as I do.
And so they're, I mean, my daughter as well, but they're here most of the time.
Our daughter lives outside the home.
(13:38):
And they're my constant cheerleaders. I can bounce ideas off of them.
Sometimes my son will hold the camera and he'll help me with lighting and stuff like that.
But they are my biggest cheerleaders. But I also have a network of other coaches that I can rely on.
(13:59):
And we can hop on to a Zoom call or messenger video chat or
something like that, and just kind of give each other support and help each
other if we have a question or a challenge that we're having trouble getting
through, and we're there for each other.
(14:20):
So that's the wonderful thing that I love about this whole coaching industry is that you have –.
Other people who can really help
you it's a community boy isn't it though absolutely and
and most of us coaches have coaches so we
understand the value of having a coach because most of us have coaches whether
(14:41):
it be business whether it be you know on a personal level whatever type of coach
we need we have this great community to be able to tap into to hire and gain
news other coaches because we know and understand what the value is of that
it's like like you said in the beginning,
it's being a cheerleader, holding somebody's hand.
When that is so valuable, I don't think people realize it until they actually,
(15:05):
it's kind of hard because we have to explain to people how valuable that is.
And they don't really get it until they hire a coach and they understand.
And their strides and towards their goals and understanding who they are,
like being, understanding that they're enough and that they're capable enough,
really is important to have that support system.
It's great that you have a great family because again, not all,
(15:28):
you know, people don't always have a great support system.
So it's really important to have, especially your partner, your significant
other that understands your goals and is very supportive of it.
That's, that's amazing.
Yeah. And I mean, the one thing that we just, that if I can
just say one last thing that I think is really key
is I realized that when I started my journey to become a life I was investing
(15:53):
in myself because I knew that not only was I going to get the training and become
certified as a life and health coach,
but I knew that I was going to be coached.
Along the way, because that's just all part and parcel with the whole program.
And that was my way to work on myself, get my own personal growth,
(16:20):
so that in turn, I can have that experience behind me.
And in turn, do that with my clients.
Practicing what you preach. That's what I call it. Yeah.
As far as your clients are concerned, do you have an example of your life coaching
work with a client and how you change their lives?
(16:41):
Is there anything, can you give us any example? That would be fantastic to hear.
So one memorable example, and I mean, we're still working together,
not as like consistently, but we check in, I check in on her.
I had a client who the main
outcome was that she wanted to change her
(17:03):
environment in her mind it was her physical environment
she had so much stuff in her
house and she was tripping on things and she wanted to make that and she's a
single mom she wanted to make that environment a very zen space for her and
her son to be able to come home and just go I don't have to worry about anything
(17:27):
but But underneath it all,
there was just a lot of things that had created this environment.
And she came from a home that was a single mom as well. And her mom...
Had a very difficult time dealing with the divorce and life afterwards,
(17:50):
and so had accumulated stuff in her place.
And so, you know, you always mimic what you know.
And when we started out with our coaching, every question that I asked her,
her answer was, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Arms folded, yeah. Exactly.
(18:17):
That was exactly the way it was.
And it probably took, I'm going to say about seven to eight sessions where all
of a sudden she started giving an answer and then just the floodlights,
just like the waterworks just started.
And we had to end that session early because she just couldn't continue.
(18:42):
But then the session after that, her demeanor was completely different.
When I asked her the same questions, now she started to answer them.
And that was an amazing transformation, start of a transformation.
And sure enough, all of a sudden, the cleaning of her space became a little easier.
(19:07):
All of a sudden, she was starting to do the things. There were times where she
didn't even want to have a session because she knew that I'd ask her, so how was your week?
How did you do with the tasks that were assigned? She hadn't done them.
And so she never wanted to have sessions with me because she felt guilty that
(19:29):
she hadn't done anything. That's how stuck she was.
And then all of a sudden it was like she started telling me,
well, I tackled the closet.
And she was excited. I was like, it's only the small steps.
I don't want you to do everything, but every little step that you take is one
(19:53):
step closer to where you want to be.
Oh, I love those, those stories of breakthroughs because it does,
their whole demeanor changes.
Fantastic having those, that's where our satisfaction, you know,
as a coach, really, and it does, when you take steps and you see actual transformations,
not only does it give you more confidence as a coach, but the client feels more
(20:16):
confident about themselves. That's the whole point.
Taking those steps and accomplishing each of those steps makes them feel more
confident about themselves so that they can stop having the negative mindset,
the self-doubt, the little voice on the little side there that says, no, you can't do it.
It really does put it at rest, but it takes time and it's fantastic that you're doing that.
(20:38):
People forget to count all of their little victories.
They're only so focused on the end result. And if they're not seeing the end
result, then they've failed.
Whereas they could be halfway to the end result, but they're not giving themselves
the acknowledgement that they have come halfway already.
(21:04):
Yeah. Yeah. It's a journey. Like really think of it more as an enjoying the journey to get there.
Not necessarily the fact that it's just a destination because that's not necessarily the case.
Well, is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your work?
I'm going to ask you our final question, but I thought maybe if you had anything
else that you'd like to talk about that you do with your clients or anything that comes to mind?
(21:28):
Well, my program is called Live Your Best Life.
And really for me, that encompasses everything. It's,
It really is all about what can you do to live your best life.
And so each step in my program really focuses on what specifically,
(21:51):
and it changes for every client,
what specifically do they need to help them move forward.
Word, whether it's setting up boundaries because you are a people pleaser,
whether it's recognizing.
Your saboteurs because you're self-sabotaging yourself, whether you're being
(22:13):
too judgmental to yourself or too hard on yourself, or whether you're afraid
to commit, you avoid things.
So we work on these things. And sometimes we could be working on them for a
couple of weeks weeks until it's, it becomes a routine and it's recognized and
habits, patterns, behaviors.
(22:35):
When you change those habits, when you, when you understand your why,
and we really work hard on the why, because you could just say,
I want this. Well, why do you want this?
What's so important about it? And really dig into that because if you don't
have a why, then you don't have a reason to a change and you won't change.
(22:58):
It's as plain and simple as that. Yeah.
That why leads to what you care about because that usually is where your purpose
and your passion comes from.
And what you care about is what you work on and what you do.
And if you don't care about yourself, then that can be a lot of blockages.
You need to care about yourself as much as you care about either something that's
(23:21):
a higher purpose for the world or other people. You need to care about Absolutely.
And that's what I focus on is, is, is.
Showing women that just because they're focusing on themselves,
that they're investing in themselves, in their self-care, with the boundaries, saying no,
honoring their time, it doesn't mean that they're selfish and that they're going
(23:47):
to be ignoring everybody else.
But if they get these things in priority, then they'll have so much more energy
to do things for others when they feel that they have enough to give to others.
But you have to fill your cup first.
And that is what I focus on with a lot of my women clients. It's so important.
(24:13):
I always remember Oprah when, I don't know if it was just her,
but when they say, They put, you know, on the airplane, you put your mask on
first and then you put. Absolutely.
It's very, very true. You yourself have healthy to help others.
Yeah. Exactly. Exactly.
So lastly, I'd like to ask for your favorite quote, mantra or positive affirmation,
(24:34):
because I do believe that someone will hear that and it will change how they
think or change their life.
It's something that they need to hear at this given moment.
So what is yours to share? So I have three small ones and they're small,
but they're big in meaning.
(24:54):
And that is, I am open and ready to receive.
Good things are coming my way and the universe always has my back.
Those are positive affirmations. Yeah. And until I really realize that,
these things, if I'm just open, I will see them.
(25:18):
It will come to me. And that's just so key.
Yeah, it's true. It does. It does. It does. It is very, very true.
I cannot express to everybody who's listening how much it is.
It is your positive energy. It is the universe.
And as you think of that, that is so, so be it. That will be what comes to you. It really is so true.
(25:39):
Well, gosh, Barb, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your wisdom and your stories.
And I know that everybody that was listening in this Ladies Who Leap podcast
audience is going to benefit from that. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for having me, Lisa. And how can people reach you?
I'm all about, oh my goodness. I can be reached on Instagram.
(26:00):
So I have I'm in two different on two different platforms.
I'm on Instagram at Best of Barb Wellness.
And I'm on Facebook at Barb Pastusco.
So my first and last name, I've kind of combined both personal and life coaching,
because I really think it goes hand in hand for me.
(26:21):
I want others to see how I live my life, not just as a life coach,
but how I live my life and as I teach people to live their lives. Yeah.
And I'll have both of those, your name, obviously, in the description.
So if you're on any podcast listening, in the description, we'll have both of the ways to reach you.
(26:45):
And also, if this is on YouTube, I'll have it also information underneath in
the video and in the description also on YouTube.
Perfect. and be a little difficult to spell. So I'll make sure that everybody
has it so that they can reach you if they want to. Well, thank you so much for being on.
And I hope everybody enjoyed the latest Ladies Who Leap podcast. Thank you.
(27:09):
Thanks so much for listening or watching. Please subscribe to the Ladies Who
Leap podcast to be notified of new episodes.
And I would love to hear from you. Let me know what works, what doesn't.
And if you have a story to tell, please reach out.
Come join the Leap community at the Ladies Who Leap Club Facebook group.
(27:31):
Remember, leaping out of your comfort zone is where the growth happens.
Hi, I'm Lisa Andrea, Transformation Life Coach.
Welcome to the Ladies Who Leap podcast, where guests share their inspiring stories
of leaping out of their comfort zone, confidence and power, and into a life
of purpose and fulfillment.
Let's listen to their life-changing stories so that we can all learn how to
(00:22):
gain the courage to take a leap of faith into a life that we love,
so that we can all be Ladies Who Lead. Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ladies Who Lead podcast. I am Lisa Andrea, Transformation Life Coach.
I'm happy to announce today's guest is Barb Bustusco, a certified life coach
(00:46):
working with women over 40 who are seeking guidance and moving away from overwhelm
and ordinary to a place of personal power and peak state.
She works with her clients as a team to discover what stops them from achieving
their goals, what stories they have been telling themselves over the years,
and recognizing the self-sabotaging behaviors that have been keeping them stuck.
(01:07):
Through her own journey, she brings an understanding and relatability to each conversation.
She is a supporter, cheerleader, and accountability partner who listens without
judgment, giving each person in a safe space to heal and grow.
Barb is a wife, mother, and most importantly, a woman who has found her voice
and whose sole passion is to give back to those who are looking for theirs. Welcome, Barb.
(01:34):
Thank you. Thank you very much, Lisa. I am so happy to be here.
You and I are quite similar in that what we do to help women.
So I'm excited to hear about your life journey and how this interview can resonate and help listeners.
I believe that we are all here to help others. And there's someone,
well, it's a quote from JFK, but it really has a meaning with all of us in the
(01:57):
coaching business, which is rising waters raise oil. Let me get the quote right.
A rising tide lifts all boats. So we shouldn't be competing.
You should just be here to help as many people as we can and do it together.
Absolutely agree. We're on the free page.
Yeah, and these stories that are being shared on the Ladies Who Lead podcast
(02:19):
are how people learn to get inspired and to go forward to do and be the best
person that they can be in their life. We're only given one life.
Well, right now in our physical sense, I guess.
That's correct. Can you tell me about your childhood and how that shaped your
beliefs about yourself?
Where it would cause any limiting beliefs or fears that you experienced?
(02:43):
I am an only child. So that in itself, I think, comes with a lot of different
pluses and challenges all at the same time.
I had very loving parents.
I never lacked for anything. thing. The one thing that I did learn constantly
(03:05):
as a child is that don't take risks.
My parents were not risk takers at all.
While everybody around them, like siblings and stuff, all had homes my parents rented.
My dad always said, just can't afford to buy a home.
And ultimately, Ultimately, I mean, as I grew older, I realized that maybe not
(03:30):
because unbeknownst to me, we were pretty much living under the poverty level.
Like we lived in a two-bedroom apartment and like I said, I never lacked for
anything, but that was the one thing that I took away is never take risks.
And my family laughs at me, like my husband and my kids, because,
you know, they always tell me, mom, you just, you never, you never take a risk.
(03:54):
You never step out there and do anything.
And I have been working on that so much over the last probably three, four years.
And maybe I saw bits and pieces of it throughout my life, but I always step back.
So that was the one thing, the limiting belief that I took with me is that you
(04:17):
have to stay down that safe road,
you know, get your education, find a job, make sure that you...
Get enough money, saved away, squirreled away for a rainy day.
And that was it. That was my belief.
(04:37):
And I'll tell you, there's got to be a lot of people listening because that is not uncommon.
I was also not a risk taker, so I totally understand. And I know it comes back
to, I mean, my parents did own a home, but they were not about taking risks.
They were about working for a company, staying a long time.
And that was kind of the norm. I mean, we're a little bit of the same age.
(04:58):
So that was the norm back then is to get your benefits.
You know, that's what you work for your pension, right? That was very much old
school at this point now in life.
But back then that was really important, which kind of goes into your working life, right?
You and I had the same, again, similar in the sense that we were right hamster
wheel, right? With our corporate job for quite a while.
(05:20):
And from what I understand, had the mindset, both of us for pleasing others,
We were that people pleaser, and serving them was a way to be successful is what we thought.
And then it played off, which, you know, that's an unexpected event change.
But I like to say, you know, congratulations. So how did that change your life
and kind of make you be forced to take a leap of some kind?
(05:42):
Well, so for as long as I can remember, probably since my mid-teens,
which is when I kind of maybe recognized it, I have this innate passion to be of service to others.
And I did a lot of volunteer work. I was a big sister for the Big Brothers and
(06:03):
Sisters organization, and I continued to volunteer throughout my life.
And, but having said that, I still maintain course in the corporate world because
it was like, well, that's where the money was.
So I just had to stay in the corporate world so that I can provide for my children
(06:29):
so that my husband and I can, you know, not necessarily live paycheck to paycheck.
Although, in retrospect, we ended up doing that in the end, living paycheck to paycheck.
And every once in a while, I would slip into something that wasn't corporate,
that was in the health and wellness industry, which was my passion as well,
(06:53):
is something that I wanted to get into but never did.
It wasn't until the pandemic where I was laid off, as many people were,
and because of this life-threatening thing that was happening to all of us,
(07:14):
it really gave me pause and.
Reflection as to what do I want to do with the rest of my life.
And when it came time to start thinking about going back, I had this conversation
with my husband and I said, there is no way that I see myself going back to a nine to five.
(07:36):
I just, I can't, I cannot do it. And if I don't do something now, it's now or never.
I'm quite frankly in the later stage of my life. And if I'm going to take the
leap, leap of faith, the leap of whatever, I need to do it now.
And so that's when I started my journey as a life and health coach.
(07:58):
So I'm certified as both a life coach and a health coach as well.
So that's where my journey began. Yeah.
So, and I understand, you know, getting laid off and this was something that
you were really interested in, but a lot of people don't necessarily still have
that courage to take that leap.
Where did you get that courage? Was, were there people that supported you?
(08:19):
Where, where did you get that?
Where did that come from? And again, thinking about, you have a background,
a little bit on scarcity of money from, from childhood, that had to be something
that you had to overcome come too.
Yes. So, I mean, as do most people, women out there, especially,
I think you live with a lot of fears.
(08:40):
You have fear of rejection, fear of failure, just fear of not being accepted or not enough.
Or in my case, those three phrases, I am enough, I'm capable and I'm worthy.
I didn't have those when I initially started out on my journey as a life coach.
When I made the decision, it was a really scary thing for me to do because number
(09:06):
one, I was giving up a source of income,
not going back into the corporate world because while I'm learning and being certified,
I didn't have a part-time job because we
were still kind of in the throes of like the tail end of
the pandemic and my husband said well as long as
I'm working you know we're okay let's you let's you just focus on the coaching
(09:32):
and so that's what I did and I just knew that I it was time for me to just step
out of my comfort zone and take that risk.
And now be called a risk taker and not only be proud of myself,
but then have my kids say, wow, mom, you know, good on you.
(09:54):
Yeah, you taught them so that they didn't have to go through life like most
people and like you had to go through. So how did you heal?
I guess you went into the health and wellness, but also how did you feel yourself?
I mean, taking the leap, taking that step, was that part of yourself kind of
healing yourself and feeling that you were enough and that you were capable?
And it's all part of my growth and it's still a part of my growth.
(10:20):
I mean, I'm still learning to take more leaps.
Do I have fears still? Yeah, I do.
And every once in a while, that little gremlin on the shoulder,
that little judgy, judgy person comes out and just says, you know,
I don't think you're capable of doing that.
(10:42):
Like, why don't you just hold on there and just leave it alone?
And that's when now I'm learning to just say, I hear you, but no thank you.
I'm just going to go ahead and do it. What have I got to lose if I go ahead and do it?
The worst thing that can happen is that I stumble, I fall, I fail.
(11:06):
Okay, well then just get back up and start all over again.
Again like nobody's telling you you only have one time one chance to do it you
can do it over and over again until you get it right until you feel comfortable
until you don't feel fearful and.
It just it is what it is and so that's every
(11:26):
day that's how I attack everything
that I do is knowing that there
is a possibility that I will stumble but that's
okay because it also gives me credibility
and relatability to those out there of those women out there who are afraid
(11:48):
to step out because they're afraid to stumble they're afraid to fall they're
they're worried about what anybody else is going to think of that's the one
thing that getting older and.
That I really love is at this point in my life, I do not care what others think
(12:08):
of what I do, of what I say, or how I do anything.
It's so freeing. It's so freeing. Isn't it though?
I mean, and I wish I could tell, that's probably one of the first things I would
tell my younger self is that don't worry because there will always be people
who don't like you. There will always be people that like you.
And don't worry about it. As long as you're kind and compassionate and treating
(12:31):
people well, that's what's important.
But as far as each little nitpicking thing that you question yourself about,
sometimes getting to the point of analysis paralysis, right?
That is when you really don't. You just need to be free of anybody else's opinion.
And when you fail, because all of us will, just learn from those mistakes.
(12:55):
Figure out a way to do it or figure out what you did wrong and adjust for next time.
I mean, I know it's taken me a long time to believe in that, but it is so true.
And it's really nice to have people that support us during these questionable,
like when self-doubt comes up.
Who do you have in your life that helps you and gives you support when that
comes up? Or what do you do when that comes up? Well, I do.
(13:18):
I mean, my husband, I'm going to say number one. And my kids,
my son, our son still lives with us.
He works from home right now, as well as I do.
And so they're, I mean, my daughter as well, but they're here most of the time.
Our daughter lives outside the home.
(13:38):
And they're my constant cheerleaders. I can bounce ideas off of them.
Sometimes my son will hold the camera and he'll help me with lighting and stuff like that.
But they are my biggest cheerleaders. But I also have a network of other coaches that I can rely on.
(13:59):
And we can hop on to a Zoom call or messenger video chat or
something like that, and just kind of give each other support and help each
other if we have a question or a challenge that we're having trouble getting
through, and we're there for each other.
(14:20):
So that's the wonderful thing that I love about this whole coaching industry is that you have –.
Other people who can really help
you it's a community boy isn't it though absolutely and
and most of us coaches have coaches so we
understand the value of having a coach because most of us have coaches whether
(14:41):
it be business whether it be you know on a personal level whatever type of coach
we need we have this great community to be able to tap into to hire and gain
news other coaches because we know and understand what the value is of that
it's like like you said in the beginning,
it's being a cheerleader, holding somebody's hand.
When that is so valuable, I don't think people realize it until they actually,
(15:05):
it's kind of hard because we have to explain to people how valuable that is.
And they don't really get it until they hire a coach and they understand.
And their strides and towards their goals and understanding who they are,
like being, understanding that they're enough and that they're capable enough,
really is important to have that support system.
It's great that you have a great family because again, not all,
(15:28):
you know, people don't always have a great support system.
So it's really important to have, especially your partner, your significant
other that understands your goals and is very supportive of it.
That's, that's amazing.
Yeah. And I mean, the one thing that we just, that if I can
just say one last thing that I think is really key
is I realized that when I started my journey to become a life I was investing
(15:53):
in myself because I knew that not only was I going to get the training and become
certified as a life and health coach,
but I knew that I was going to be coached.
Along the way, because that's just all part and parcel with the whole program.
And that was my way to work on myself, get my own personal growth,
(16:20):
so that in turn, I can have that experience behind me.
And in turn, do that with my clients.
Practicing what you preach. That's what I call it. Yeah.
As far as your clients are concerned, do you have an example of your life coaching
work with a client and how you change their lives?
(16:41):
Is there anything, can you give us any example? That would be fantastic to hear.
So one memorable example, and I mean, we're still working together,
not as like consistently, but we check in, I check in on her.
I had a client who the main
outcome was that she wanted to change her
(17:03):
environment in her mind it was her physical environment
she had so much stuff in her
house and she was tripping on things and she wanted to make that and she's a
single mom she wanted to make that environment a very zen space for her and
her son to be able to come home and just go I don't have to worry about anything
(17:27):
but But underneath it all,
there was just a lot of things that had created this environment.
And she came from a home that was a single mom as well. And her mom...
Had a very difficult time dealing with the divorce and life afterwards,
(17:50):
and so had accumulated stuff in her place.
And so, you know, you always mimic what you know.
And when we started out with our coaching, every question that I asked her,
her answer was, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Arms folded, yeah. Exactly.
(18:17):
That was exactly the way it was.
And it probably took, I'm going to say about seven to eight sessions where all
of a sudden she started giving an answer and then just the floodlights,
just like the waterworks just started.
And we had to end that session early because she just couldn't continue.
(18:42):
But then the session after that, her demeanor was completely different.
When I asked her the same questions, now she started to answer them.
And that was an amazing transformation, start of a transformation.
And sure enough, all of a sudden, the cleaning of her space became a little easier.
(19:07):
All of a sudden, she was starting to do the things. There were times where she
didn't even want to have a session because she knew that I'd ask her, so how was your week?
How did you do with the tasks that were assigned? She hadn't done them.
And so she never wanted to have sessions with me because she felt guilty that
(19:29):
she hadn't done anything. That's how stuck she was.
And then all of a sudden it was like she started telling me,
well, I tackled the closet.
And she was excited. I was like, it's only the small steps.
I don't want you to do everything, but every little step that you take is one
(19:53):
step closer to where you want to be.
Oh, I love those, those stories of breakthroughs because it does,
their whole demeanor changes.
Fantastic having those, that's where our satisfaction, you know,
as a coach, really, and it does, when you take steps and you see actual transformations,
not only does it give you more confidence as a coach, but the client feels more
(20:16):
confident about themselves. That's the whole point.
Taking those steps and accomplishing each of those steps makes them feel more
confident about themselves so that they can stop having the negative mindset,
the self-doubt, the little voice on the little side there that says, no, you can't do it.
It really does put it at rest, but it takes time and it's fantastic that you're doing that.
(20:38):
People forget to count all of their little victories.
They're only so focused on the end result. And if they're not seeing the end
result, then they've failed.
Whereas they could be halfway to the end result, but they're not giving themselves
the acknowledgement that they have come halfway already.
(21:04):
Yeah. Yeah. It's a journey. Like really think of it more as an enjoying the journey to get there.
Not necessarily the fact that it's just a destination because that's not necessarily the case.
Well, is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your work?
I'm going to ask you our final question, but I thought maybe if you had anything
else that you'd like to talk about that you do with your clients or anything that comes to mind?
(21:28):
Well, my program is called Live Your Best Life.
And really for me, that encompasses everything. It's,
It really is all about what can you do to live your best life.
And so each step in my program really focuses on what specifically,
(21:51):
and it changes for every client,
what specifically do they need to help them move forward.
Word, whether it's setting up boundaries because you are a people pleaser,
whether it's recognizing.
Your saboteurs because you're self-sabotaging yourself, whether you're being
(22:13):
too judgmental to yourself or too hard on yourself, or whether you're afraid
to commit, you avoid things.
So we work on these things. And sometimes we could be working on them for a
couple of weeks weeks until it's, it becomes a routine and it's recognized and
habits, patterns, behaviors.
(22:35):
When you change those habits, when you, when you understand your why,
and we really work hard on the why, because you could just say,
I want this. Well, why do you want this?
What's so important about it? And really dig into that because if you don't
have a why, then you don't have a reason to a change and you won't change.
(22:58):
It's as plain and simple as that. Yeah.
That why leads to what you care about because that usually is where your purpose
and your passion comes from.
And what you care about is what you work on and what you do.
And if you don't care about yourself, then that can be a lot of blockages.
You need to care about yourself as much as you care about either something that's
(23:21):
a higher purpose for the world or other people. You need to care about Absolutely.
And that's what I focus on is, is, is.
Showing women that just because they're focusing on themselves,
that they're investing in themselves, in their self-care, with the boundaries, saying no,
honoring their time, it doesn't mean that they're selfish and that they're going
(23:47):
to be ignoring everybody else.
But if they get these things in priority, then they'll have so much more energy
to do things for others when they feel that they have enough to give to others.
But you have to fill your cup first.
And that is what I focus on with a lot of my women clients. It's so important.
(24:13):
I always remember Oprah when, I don't know if it was just her,
but when they say, They put, you know, on the airplane, you put your mask on
first and then you put. Absolutely.
It's very, very true. You yourself have healthy to help others.
Yeah. Exactly. Exactly.
So lastly, I'd like to ask for your favorite quote, mantra or positive affirmation,
(24:34):
because I do believe that someone will hear that and it will change how they
think or change their life.
It's something that they need to hear at this given moment.
So what is yours to share? So I have three small ones and they're small,
but they're big in meaning.
(24:54):
And that is, I am open and ready to receive.
Good things are coming my way and the universe always has my back.
Those are positive affirmations. Yeah. And until I really realize that,
these things, if I'm just open, I will see them.
(25:18):
It will come to me. And that's just so key.
Yeah, it's true. It does. It does. It does. It is very, very true.
I cannot express to everybody who's listening how much it is.
It is your positive energy. It is the universe.
And as you think of that, that is so, so be it. That will be what comes to you. It really is so true.
(25:39):
Well, gosh, Barb, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your wisdom and your stories.
And I know that everybody that was listening in this Ladies Who Leap podcast
audience is going to benefit from that. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for having me, Lisa. And how can people reach you?
I'm all about, oh my goodness. I can be reached on Instagram.
(26:00):
So I have I'm in two different on two different platforms.
I'm on Instagram at Best of Barb Wellness.
And I'm on Facebook at Barb Pastusco.
So my first and last name, I've kind of combined both personal and life coaching,
because I really think it goes hand in hand for me.
(26:21):
I want others to see how I live my life, not just as a life coach,
but how I live my life and as I teach people to live their lives. Yeah.
And I'll have both of those, your name, obviously, in the description.
So if you're on any podcast listening, in the description, we'll have both of the ways to reach you.
(26:45):
And also, if this is on YouTube, I'll have it also information underneath in
the video and in the description also on YouTube.
Perfect. and be a little difficult to spell. So I'll make sure that everybody
has it so that they can reach you if they want to. Well, thank you so much for being on.
And I hope everybody enjoyed the latest Ladies Who Leap podcast. Thank you.
(27:09):
Thanks so much for listening or watching. Please subscribe to the Ladies Who
Leap podcast to be notified of new episodes.
And I would love to hear from you. Let me know what works, what doesn't.
And if you have a story to tell, please reach out.
Come join the Leap community at the Ladies Who Leap Club Facebook group.
(27:31):
Remember, leaping out of your comfort zone is where the growth happens.
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