April 1, 2024 • 37 mins
In this episode, Gia interviews Anna Lundberg, an expert in designing successful careers and businesses prioritizing personal well-being. Anna shares her personal journey from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of work-life integration and redefining success.
The conversation delves into the challenges high-achieving women face in breaking free from the conventional 9 to 5 and creating their own paths. Anna highlights the significance of taking small steps towards your goals, practicing self-compassion, and being present in the moment.
Listeners are encouraged to explore their dreams, take action, and redefine success on their terms. Don't miss out on this empowering episode filled with valuable insights and practical advice for women ready to step into their next chapter with confidence and authenticity.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now, the go-to podcast for
extraordinary women who are ready to step into their next chapter with
authentic confidence. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua empowerment coach,
motivational speaker, children's book author, and girl mom. Whether
you're a corporate powerhouse or an entrepreneur, this show is
designed for you. Your Future Starts Now is more than
(00:20):
just a podcast. It's a movement, a movement towards rewriting
the rules of success for high-achieving women. Are you ready
to get unstuck and step into your next chapter? If
so, you are exactly where you need to be. Your future starts
now. Welcome to Your Future Starts Now. I'm your
host, Gia Lacqua. I want to thank you for tuning in today. I am so
(00:43):
excited to introduce you to Anna Lundberg. Anna
is an internationally recognized authority in designing and building successful
careers and businesses that prioritize personal well-being and
fulfillment. As the founder of One Step Outside, Anna
empowers experienced professionals around the world to achieve a lifestyle
of freedom, flexibility, and success unconstrained
(01:04):
by the limitations of the conventional 9 to 5 and without sacrificing
health and personal relationships. Anna is the host of
the Reimagining Success podcast and the author of Leaving the
Corporate 9 to 5 and Outside of the 9 to 5. Anna,
(01:25):
I am so excited. You and I both have a passion for
talking about reimagining success in the work that we do. So
I'm really excited to jump into that topic. We're
also going to talk about work-life integration. But before we do, tell
our listeners a little bit about your backstory, your personal journey,
(01:45):
Yeah, absolutely. So as you can hear, I'm, well, at least I grew up in
the UK. I lived in Geneva in Switzerland for some time. I'm actually Swedish.
My parents are Swedish, so a bit of a mix. But I'm talking to you
now from our newly renovated house here in Poole, Dorset,
which is on the south coast. of England. So the last
few years, my partner and I moved out of London, thanks to a
(02:05):
combination of young children and COVID and flexible
working allowed us to do that. So we're now in this beautiful space. I
love this office. I work so well here, compared to years of sort of
being squished into a corner somewhere. And I've got a view
of the ocean there. So I'm very happy to be where I am now. I
started my career in marketing, corporate marketing, in
(02:26):
the big American organization Procter& Gamble. I sort of landed there
accidentally, as a lot of people do in their careers. I'd studied something
completely different. There was always a bit of a disconnect between where
I thought I should be and where I ended up. I never regret those years,
though, because it really was what opened all the doors to everything I've
done since. But I left there in 2013, so over a decade ago. And
(02:49):
I have been through a few twists and turns since then. I initially landed straight
into digital marketing consulting. That was basically what I'd be doing
within the company. And I did that for other clients, which was amazing.
But it felt like it didn't quite give me the things that
I had left my job for. So, you know, I was actually doing contracts
and then traveling in between. So it gave me flexibility in an amazing way.
(03:11):
And I was earning as much, if not more, as in my corporate salary. But
I still was missing a bit of that kind of freedom and fulfillment that I talk about.
So I've been on quite a personal journey to understand what's
important to me, what really drives me. And I
discovered coaching along the way, integrated that. So,
you know, fast forward without telling you my entire life story. Today,
(03:32):
I really find a way to combine that old business
brand marketing background with the newer
passions I have for positive psychology, organizational psychology, and
so on. I've written a few books, which is always a life goal of
mine. And as I said, I live by the sea. So you know, it's it's a
journey, a roller coaster, as they say, but I wouldn't have it any other way. So
(03:53):
I've really enjoyed the process of getting here. And it's quite exciting now to think, okay,
So incredible. What a beautiful story. I love that. And I love
how you said you still cherish the time that you did
spend in your corporate career and those building blocks, right? Because it brought
(04:14):
I think that's so important. Especially, you know, you mentioned my books are
talking about historically leaving that environment, but most
of us, I think, Well, that's a bit then it's difficult to
express, but I think it doesn't mean that we have to leave that environment. First
of all, there are some incredible organizations now, not all of us are
designed to work for ourselves. And it can
(04:34):
be a very challenging thing to do, right? So the answer is not quitting your
job. And I'm really passionate about helping people find fulfillment
and joy and satisfaction and balance and all these really hard things to achieve,
but within the nine to five structure in a
strange way. So it's a really interesting dichotomy and
sort of complex thing to get into, but I think one that's so important to
(04:59):
Yeah. And, and to your point, there's so many women who feel
that sense of, you know, I refer to it as overwhelmed
and unfulfilled, right? We're doing all the things constantly
busy and, and meeting, you know, society's definition of success.
But we're feeling like something is lacking. We're feeling like something is
missing. And, you know, we're not quite sure what it
(05:21):
is. And so, you know, then we find ourselves chasing, but what
are we chasing? And so, you know, I would love to dig into this
topic of the concept of women can
have it all. This is a big one. It's a tough one. And there's
a lot of different opinions on it. And I think at one point,
you know, obviously it served us in our evolution. But
(05:43):
I would love to know your take on because you mentioned, you
know, having all these things now, but right,
it took you a while to get there. And so I'm curious
Yeah, absolutely. I think to pick up on what you were just saying about this sort of busy work
and so on, I think this strikes at two levels. One is the big picture when
(06:06):
we talk about definition of success, purpose, meaning of
life kind of things, which is very exciting, but also quite overwhelming. Then
you've got the day-to-day drudgery of admin and
busy work and stress and so on. I think there's two levels that
you kind of need to address and there's an impact on both. Having
it all is such an interesting one. I have this debate with
(06:27):
people. I had a friend, I stayed with some friends earlier this week when I was in London delivering
some workshops and the husband there is in
private equity and works incredibly hard and
a lot of money and doesn't share my beliefs, I think, around work-life
integration and so on. On the other hand, you have, yeah,
you have the extremes of the spectrum, right? And I think what's important
(06:49):
and I never, and it makes it harder to sort of really fly the
flag for something, but I never want to impose my way
of life and philosophy on other people. My whole point is you
decide. So if that is for you, if it's important to you to
earn a load of money to provide your family, and you think this is the best way
to do that, then please do that. People who don't want to have children, those
(07:11):
who don't want to work and want to stay at home and only be with
their children, you know, there's the full range. And that's why you just
need to be intentional and proactive about making the decisions
that work for you. Having said all that, I really do
believe that it is possible to
achieve incredible ambitious career goals and
(07:31):
fulfillment and so on, and be a parent.
I believe it's possible to pursue those ambitious goals without
burning out, without divorce, without, you know, not seeing
our children. And, you know, it might mean
that things take more time than you want them to. being
kind to myself and compassionate and not working
(07:53):
late into the night when I'm too tired and stopping when I have to pick the
kids up from school and managing my time and energy in
a more gentle way. I can see how that can seem
like I'm not as ambitious, but at the same time, I'm able
to exercise and go for runs and be with kids and
also write books and earn money and talk to you
(08:14):
and so on. And that's the ongoing delicate
balance that you need to get right and sometimes you know I went through what I call my
hippie phase when I was living my best life and not earning a lot of money and
then it can swing and you're earning a lot of money and then the balance has gone too much
and sort of stress and and you know that end of
the spectrum and so it's it's never a one
(08:35):
and done hey I've achieved it it's an ongoing negotiation
of those things but to answer your question once and for all yes absolutely
I believe we can have everything that
is important to us. So not everything, we can't
have it all. But if we really truly ask ourselves,
what are the things the people that are really important to us? What really matters?
(08:56):
Yes, we can absolutely have those things, those people being
Totally agree. I think it's such an important distinction. It's not necessarily about
having everything and having it all. It's about, to
your point, really identifying what's important to us, what is
meaningful to us, and then building a life around that,
(09:18):
And you know, in the context of being a mother, it's such an interesting time
for me as it is for everyone. My kids are three and four now so my daughter started
school here this year and my son is sort of finally sleeping a
bit better and has you know is at nursery and
kindergarten like four days a week so I have more time and energy now
for work which is great and obviously they're out of
(09:39):
the hardest sort of newborn phase Having said all that, pre-kids and
pre-meeting my partner, I was living my
best life. I was paddleboarding down the Mississippi.
Somebody said they're getting married in Istanbul. Sure, I'll be there. I was
so spontaneous. I didn't get any migraines. I tend to
get migraines when I'm stressed. I was
(10:00):
happy. I had good posture. from
physically, mentally, emotionally, everything was just amazing. And
it is a, you know, I look back on that time fondly. And
I know that lifestyle is not compatible. I know lots of people travel and
backpack with their kids. And so and that's not what I want for
myself right now. But there's definitely sort of a longing, maybe for
(10:22):
a bit more adventure and a bit more of that kind of thing. So right now, I'm
not doing those things. But I'm choosing not to because
I don't think it's the right moment for me. So I think that's where there are compromises and
trade-offs and I can't both travel the world and
be spontaneous and carefree and have children and a partner and a
business and so on. I think that's quite hard to get all those things right. But
(10:44):
there is sort of a time, a moment, a season in your life when
the sort of balance swings more in one way or another. And
I think that's okay, as long as again, you're sort of making those choices consciously and
recognizing that maybe now is not the time to travel
all around the world or now is not the time to, you know, write a bestselling
book, perhaps if you're not sleeping well, because your baby's just been born or
(11:05):
whatever. So I think those choices are important. And yeah,
Yeah, absolutely. And reassessing your priorities
based on where you are right in those different phases of
life, and it's okay for those things to change. And I think sometimes
that change is hard. But I think it's important to
(11:27):
take that step back and really be intentional about what
are my priorities right now and how am I defining success? So really,
really great advice. You talk a lot about, well,
we've heard it called different things over the years, but work-life balance, work-life
harmony, work-life integration. Talk to us about, you
know, for those of us who are, those women who are
(11:49):
working in the corporate nine to five and struggling with doing all the things, What
Yes, it's an interesting one. I was just doing a personal productivity
workshop for a team of salespeople in corporate earlier this week and
Yeah, there's such an interesting mix of attitudes and thoughts
(12:11):
and what is and isn't possible within that framework. Again, I
perhaps naively believe that we are ultimately able
to make these decisions and set boundaries and be responsible for
our own time ourselves and I think that's really important even in the
corporate context. And of course, ultimately, you could choose to leave that employer if
that balance that we're looking for, the flexibility is not available. But
(12:34):
I think there's a lot that can be done within that framework, too. And
I mean, the idea of work-life balance, and as you hinted at,
you know, harmony, synergies, integration,
and so on. For me, the work-life balance scales image
is what a lot of companies sort of subscribe to in the idea that, okay,
well, more life means less work, or
(12:56):
more work means less life. And first of all, I think it's impossible to
separate those two things, because work is a part of life. It's
not this separate thing, right? So yes, it is an important part. But
it's not sort of completely separate. And they're also not mutually
exclusive. I think there's a lot of positive reinforcement and
synergy that comes from if I am fulfilled, I
(13:17):
have clients who maybe start a side hustle, or some new course
or hobby, whatever it is, new relationship. And
that brings a whole new energy and happiness in
their personal life, exercising, of course, all these things, then
has really positive effects at work. And of course, at work, you
can absolutely have fun relationships with your
(13:38):
friends and colleagues and and thrive there
in a way that then has positive repercussions on
your personal life. The idea that one detracts from the other, I
think is a very cynical and not very helpful way of
looking at it. Again, it takes, as you said, taking a step back
and looking at what is my version of balance
(13:58):
or integration, whatever you want to call it, and then how can
I go about designing that intentionally? do
I need to make changes in the environment in the place I'm working? And if I
can't, or if I don't need to, then what is the thing that I could focus on,
even just a small change, and to make those shifts move a
little bit more in the right direction. But just thinking of as I am one person, and
(14:19):
I have all these interests and people and things that are important in my life. So
how can I prioritize that? And how can I really focus proactively
on the things and again, the people who are important? rather than just let myself
be kind of, you know, dictated by my inbox or
by the meetings that keep landing in my calendar. Really
thinking about, hang on a second, is, you know, how should I be spending my time to
(14:47):
Yeah, it's great advice. And it's so easy to get caught up
in the external noise and that chaos, right,
to get sucked into that vortex of your calendar and the
inbox and the texts that you have coming in. And reclaiming
that power is so important. And, you
know, we talked about managing your time, it's also about managing your energy, right,
(15:09):
and how you feel and where you're spending your energy. And
so I think You know, that's that's another really
powerful shift that I see for people. You
talk a little bit about well-being, and I love this concept also of
like, you know, how you show up at work influences how you show
up at home and vice versa. It is. It's so true. And I think sometimes, you
(15:29):
know, we forget about that or we're just now really starting to fully understand the
impact of that. Talk to us about the role of well-being and
personal well-being and the role that that plays in success
I think it almost should go without saying, but it's such a foundation of
everything we do. So if you think, of course, most people will be familiar with
(15:51):
Maslow's hierarchy, you've got kind of the basics of food
and shelter and security. Those of us listening
to this podcast are probably lucky and privileged enough not to have the
threat to our life and safety and so on. But there's
still, you know, cost of living, economic situation, I need to
be able to pay for my mortgage, my rent or whatever, all
(16:11):
those worries. and taking care of your kids and so on
can have a huge impact. So physical and mental health, and
then you know, feeling that you're part of society
that you're belonging that your relationships are thriving. There's so many
aspects to that health. And I find that so fascinating,
because it's so simple. And yet so difficult. We all know what
(16:32):
we need to do sleep, is a hugely important
factor. And when you have young children, unfortunately, it's not
something you have control over. And that's hugely debilitating. So
I think a bit of compassion for that, but also trying to find ways to
rest and recuperate that needs to be a priority. And
then, you know, eating well, drinking lots of water, again, we
all know it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if we don't do it, that
(16:56):
can really have huge repercussions further down the line.
I've worked with a personal trainer and coach for the last few years. And
I can't now imagine not working with her because it's sort of having her there, always,
you know, giving me a new program for the gym every six weeks, but supporting
me, okay, I'm going traveling, how can I manage that? And I'm having a
hard time here, I'm starting this new medication, how can we juggle that? And
(17:17):
that's been such a help to me to have that support. and I
think I finally after years of kind of being sporty
but not really and sort of being aware of my health but again
not really I think maybe the older we get this happens and but really
understanding I need to rest, I need the sleep,
I need to nurture my body thinking of the nutrients I need and so on
(17:38):
and strengthening exercises and fresh air and
movement and all these things you know it's just so so important and
I think knock on wood that's how I've managed to you
know, the last couple of years, certainly the kids haven't been as ill as they were
when they were little. I haven't been, again, knock on wood, knock on wood, touch
whatever superstitious things I have to touch, but I've been healthy for the last year or
(17:59):
so. And, you know, hopefully that's not an accident. It really is that
I'm prioritizing these things. So, you know, I just can't, I'm not
a, you know, a medical expert or even a fitness wellbeing
coach, but it's sort of inextricably linked to everything
you do, whether it's your productivity or career development, your
relationships, you know, if you're tired or anxious and
(18:21):
unwell, then none of those other things can possibly happen.
Yeah, and I think with all the external demands, it's easy for
us to let our own personal well-being
slip, right? And, and Another thing you
talked about are kind of the daily habits. They're all basics that we
(18:42):
know, sleep, hydrating, movement, all of
that. And they do seem like little things, but
it's really the cumulative power, right? When you are doing all
of these things or most of these things, the impact that that
has, I know personally for me, on your wellbeing and
how you feel can be really significant. So great,
(19:03):
great point. Talk to us about some of the most common challenges
that you see, or in the work
that you do, the most common challenges by professionals who
are looking to break free from the nine to five and
create their own path? What are some of the biggest challenges or barriers that
I think one of them is, you know, I just don't have time, or I'll
(19:26):
do it when and it's so linked to everything we say, right? Because it's,
you get these memes and Instagram saying, oh, we all have the same 24 hours
in the day. And you know, that's completely unfair. Also kind
of true. But it's it's about making the
decision what we're going to spend our time on and whether it's subconscious or
even to some extent, kind of necessary,
(19:48):
we are making choices. So it's
easy to blame my parents for making the
XYZ. But it's hard to say that when I'm 40 to still blame my
parents, or you know, Oh, my boss, he did it. Yes. But you
could say no to your boss, you could leave that, you know, I'm just, you
know, being the devil's advocate. So I think the The
(20:08):
challenge is taking back ownership and responsibility and
realizing, no, actually, I do have some power and agency here,
I can make changes. And it could be a drastic move that
you need to take. But actually, you know, my business mentoring is
called one step outside, it's about taking little steps. And so
it could just be a week underway or a week away just to
(20:30):
get a bit more perspective and look at things differently. It could be, you
know, if you're considering a new business or job or something, is
there a way that you can find out more about it, do a little course, a
taster, experience it before you go further down that line?
You don't have to run an ultramarathon right away, right? You can start by
walking a little bit, doing a little 5K, whatever. So
(20:50):
I think that I don't have time. it is okay
if you really don't have time, and that's perfectly fair, and probably you don't, let's
be honest, because none of us has time. However, if that's
true, but you really are, you know, unwell, close
to burnout, incredibly unhappy in your role and fulfilled, then
perhaps we need to reframe that and think about, okay, how could I
(21:13):
reprioritize? What things can I say no to? Some things
will take longer to say no to, if there are obligations and responsibilities you
have, you can't just drop them in one day but where can you
start saying no creating more space and capacity so
you can make some different choices. I think that's the biggest one really and so
difficult as you said relentless demands on our attention personal
(21:34):
life and professional life and but if we can start reframing
and questioning that then I think so much of
the rest will follow. Once we have a bit more time then
my next step would be to really think about what
you want because we get so caught up in the how, oh my gosh
I could never start my own business or how could I
(21:56):
possibly move into that new industry because I don't have experience or I don't
know anyone, I don't have a network or again I don't have time or whatever. But
there's no point in getting up in the how until we know what we want and
why it's important. So really give yourself the time to
explore and be curious about what really matters
to you, what are your values, what is that vision for what you want your life to
(22:17):
look like in the future? And then once you know that, I think the how,
the roadmap, the steps fall into place much more easily. Because
then you know, wow, you've got kind of your north star, you've worked out this is what
I want to work towards. And then you can find a way to get there. Whereas
if you start by going, Oh, no, how could I possibly I don't know
how and so on, then you have that kind of fixed mindset. And you'll just
(22:39):
never do anything because everything if you kind of look
at it through that practical lens is going to be far too difficult or time
consuming, whatever it is, there'll always be an excuse not to
do it. So I think really getting excited about what it
is you want and why it's important to you will help you then find a
Yeah, it's there's a couple of things there I want to I want to
(23:01):
just hone in on. So one is you talk about the sense of personal agency and
being that we are in control, right, for a lot of things
that we think we're not. So taking that step back
into your personal power and reclaiming that power is is an important step.
You know, the other thing is I don't have time. It is the
most common. I call it a limiting belief. Right.
(23:23):
And this is a hard pill to swallow, but it's an excuse. right?
Because we have to sort of create the time for the things that we think are important.
But it's easy to throw that around. I don't have time. And so is
it that you don't have time? Or is it that you're not
making it a priority? And the way I help people to
reframe that is to say, in the context of your well-being,
(23:46):
I don't have the time to take care of myself. that's
a really hard thing to grapple
with. And so I think it is important to look
at, well, where are you spending your time and where are you spending your energy and
how do you want to shift that? The other thing that you talked
about is kind of like following that sense of purpose. And
(24:07):
so, you know, just from personal experience, I remember sitting in
my corporate office many years ago saying to myself, I
want to start my own business. I think I want to start my own business." And then,
you know, the other is like the angel and the devil on my shoulder, right?
And I had the other one saying, no, no, you can never do that. Stop being crazy, right?
(24:27):
And so it is this inner sort of fight we have
with ourselves. And so I think it is important to explore whatever
that itch is for you, whatever that feeling is
that creeps up. instead of suppressing it,
just exploring it, right? And asking yourself, getting really
curious with it and exploring what it is that's calling you.
(24:49):
I think there's nothing worse than knowing you want to do something and
not doing anything about it. Whether it was, you know, I was in that marketing
job and I told everybody because I'd studied international development and
economics and I wanted to work at the United Nations and make an incredible
impact and instead I was selling perfume and makeup and so on. And
so I kept saying, oh yeah, I really want to work at the UN, but I wasn't applying
(25:11):
to work at the UN. I wasn't doing anything, doing a course, networking, doing
anything at all to get there. Funnily enough, then I was telling
someone, I really want to go to South America. And he was like, why
don't you? And then I asked my boss to take a
sabbatical, went to South America three months and then quit my job, which then
led to, you know, all these amazing things. And I really want to
(25:31):
write a book. It sounds exciting when you say
it, but then you do nothing about it. And I think that's really interesting, the big picture
versus your day-to-day. If I say I want to be a writer, I've
written several books and this still happens to me. I then look at my calendar.
When am I actually writing? Oh, not at all. So there's no
alignment between my goal and my identity and who I think I
(25:52):
want to be versus what I'm actually doing. So I think it's,
in corporate speak, we say walk the talk, but it's really doing having
the integrity to listen to what you're saying and do
it. By all means, if now is not the right time to quit
your job, start a business, write a book, don't do it, but make a conscious choice
again. Oh, yeah. In a few years time, I'd really like to write a book. I'm
(26:14):
going to revisit that in a few years time. But if it's something really that makes you feel
sort of hugely like we talk about the comfort zone, it's actually very
uncomfortable to be in a place you're feeling stuck and unfulfilled and
so on. And that's when taking
action, any action, is going to be so powerful. And funnily
enough, the clarity and confidence that we're so desperate to get comes
(26:35):
from taking action. We're never going to sit here, you know, I've got
a standing desk, but still, I'm never going to stand here. And then suddenly, ah,
here's the clarity and confidence you're waiting for. It comes with me. You
know, if you're starting a podcast, that confidence comes from running
a podcast. It doesn't come from just sitting at home, let's say, I don't know, doing podcasts,
courses, let alone thinking about starting a podcast, you have to do
(26:57):
the thing. And that's really scary. I always say scary and
exciting comes together, unfortunately. So but I really encourage
you to, as you say, follow that it to do something. If you decide you
don't want to do it, that's fine. But at least then you won't have those regrets, which
Yeah, exploring, exploring it, right? So yeah, great advice.
(27:17):
So million dollar question, how do you define
success for yourself? And I would love to know how that definition has
I ask everybody that on my podcast and I feel like I should have this really pithy
like thing that you could put on a mug or a t-shirt and I never have that and
I think hopefully that's role modeling to everybody listening that you
don't need to have this beautiful poetic literary definition.
(27:42):
The point is that you have this sense of what and
who is important to you. So it could be knowing your values. It
could be knowing that, you know, freedom, flexibility, fulfillment, I always talk
about, and I think really kind of captures, sometimes I add family,
fun, financial security, you can add all sorts of Fs to that
table, right? Yeah, more and more, it becomes being present.
(28:04):
and feeling like I am where I want to be. So exactly what
we're just saying, I don't want to be standing here talking to you thinking
or hearing my kids screaming downstairs, right, they're at school now. But
if I, oh, I kind of want to talk to you, but oh, I should be with my children, that's
a really uncomfortable moment. Or You know, living here in
this house and wishing I could be backpacking in South America, that's
(28:25):
a horrible place to be. So I think the more I can really focus
on, wow, I'm excited about my business. I'm talking to Gia about
redefining success. This is where I want to be. This is where I should be.
That's really empowering. So I think that's my definition now is being
present and being, you know, my, my actual actions and
current state is aligned to the
(28:50):
So beautiful. I love that. And I love what you said about presence, right?
And it's not always possible, but to the extent because we always feel pulled
in different directions. And, you know, it's that that mom guilt,
the working mom guilt of when you're at work. You feel like you should be with your kids.
And when you're with your kids, you feel like you should be doing something for work. And
so I think that's a very real tension for a lot of women. And
(29:11):
so recognizing that, you know, being
able to shift into being present and fully present where
you are and appreciating what you're doing in that moment and
not feeling that tension is is really
important. So I think that's beautiful. And also, as
you were talking, the visual that came up for me is almost like the
you are here on a map. And,
(29:35):
you know, just looking at it and saying, yeah, I am here. Like,
this is where I am. And this is where I want to be. Not maybe
not forever. To your point. Right. Maybe there's there's
a different spot on the map in the future in a year or five years, 10 years
That's huge. And you know, it comes back to the question of having it all that you were
(29:56):
saying before, with social media, which, by the way, of course, is the way we
get distracted from the present as well. It's so easy to have
that comparison syndrome, paranoia, whatever. Oh,
my goodness, she's traveling in China right now. And
however, not China, maybe, but somewhere else. And they are having
children, they're getting married, and got a promotion, earning
loads of money, working in private equity, writing a book. And
(30:20):
we can't possibly, we piece those things all together. together and
think that's some kind of ideal that we should be living up to. And that's a
hundred different people that I'm seeing achieve one thing. And I'm putting that together
as you're on the map maybe and go, Oh, I've got to go here and there. And it's just completely
overwhelming and makes me feel terrible. So,
you know, I think it's, it's again, centering and being present in who you are
(30:42):
and reminding yourself of your journey. And yes, it'll
be slower than the other person. Actually, I made the conscious choice
not to go into investment banking or whatever it is. You
just have to kind of remind yourself of your choices. Maybe
sometimes you regret the past and unfortunately, there's not much we can do about it. But what
we can do is certainly we've got full control over the present moment and
(31:07):
Yeah, being intentional about your path, right? And
what is one thing that you want our listeners to consider doing differently or
It's a good question because I always worry I can give people so many exercises and
things and I don't want people to be overwhelmed because we started by saying that
(31:28):
we're all overwhelmed and overworked already. I
think an easy one to say would be compassion, just
for understanding where you are right now. So whatever
you're dealing with, if it's care and responsibilities, young children, an
illness in the family or your own difficulties, you know, just kind of recognize, as
you said, I'm here on the map. That's where I am. No judgment. And
(31:51):
at the same time, I can recognize, you know what, I would like to start
moving in this other direction. If you don't know what that other direction is,
then of course, it starts with trying to explore, be curious,
ask some of those questions, no drastic actions needed, but maybe
read something, go along to some interesting conference
or event that kind of piques your interest or listen
(32:13):
to a podcast that might inspire you to do something, just start a bit gently
and see where that takes you. And I think that's a really exciting place
to start. So it starts with that curiosity and exploration. If
you know exactly what you want to be doing and you're not doing anything about it,
then I can only try to give you permission, not
that it's mine to give, and a little nudge to do something,
(32:34):
anything, so that you're not stuck anymore. Just take an action, pick
up the phone, send an email, sign up to something, do something
so that you get out of that kind of inertia of just being really frustrated. Then
you just don't know the snowball of little actions can
Yeah, it's great advice. Even though it might sound
(32:54):
a little cliche, it can be as simple as
picking up that phone or sending that email to get
more information on what it is you're looking for, or
reaching out to a coach that can support you in your journey, or
a therapist if you're along your
(33:14):
healing journey, whatever that is. To your point,
it's taking that first step, that next step. It
doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be significant, but it's allowing yourself, giving
yourself permission to take some sort of
And one of the things is I think it's easier, it's a bit of a cop out to
say that I have this dream and it's kind of sitting there gathering dust
(33:38):
on the shelf, like I want to be a writer. The reason why that's so
unachievable, but also very aspirational is that, oh, I'm going to be on the New
York Times bestseller list. I'm going to be like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or
Simon Sinek or someone, Brené Brown, massive TED talk,
all this stuff. And actually, I, of course, admire
them incredibly and so on. And I aspire, but I also don't
(33:58):
aspire to that level of fame and the significance. You know, I have
slightly more tempered ambitions. But nonetheless, that
becomes an impossible goal. How do I get from where I am now to
getting to where they are? I can't. So then becomes an excuse along
with I don't have time and so on not to do anything. Whereas if you go,
I want to be a writer, well, what should I do? I should write. So you
know, I started a blog, or you can start an email newsletter, or you
(34:21):
can journal. You can write a little e-book, you
can self-publish these days, right? It's not necessarily going to be probably a
bestseller, but you're writing and you're being an author. I have, you
know, piles of books that I've written because I've written them and
published them. And that didn't just happen from me sitting
there kind of going, oh, I wish I could be a writer. It was hard work and I
(34:42):
got help from other people and it took time and they're not the
most perfect things in the world. But my goodness, it feels incredible to
have that achievement. So yeah,
taking that kind of dusty dream off the shelf and breaking it apart and
making it small steps, more
realistic, dare I say it. Start there and then again, who knows where
(35:02):
it will lead you. But you know, just again, get started, take a little step
Such powerful advice. Anna, where can our listeners learn more
Oh, thank you. Well, the books are on Amazon. The best place, obviously, if
you're a podcast listener is to have a listen to my podcast, Reimagining Success
(35:23):
is a great place to start. There's a huge back catalogue. Now, if you go right
back to the beginning, it's five years of episodes on all sorts of topics. Wow. And
if you go to onestepoutside.com, as I mentioned, that's
my business that has everything there. So the podcast, the books and everything. So it
comes from a quote, everything you've ever wanted is one step outside
your comfort zone. I think that nicely brings together everything we've talked about today.
(35:46):
Absolutely. And I thank you so much for being here for sharing your
insights and expertise. I absolutely love the work that you're doing.
Thank you. And of course, you can visit my website at GiaLacqua.com. Don't
forget to reach out on Instagram at GiaLacqua. Don't forget to subscribe, rate
and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. This is
(36:08):
Gia signing off with gratitude for your time and energy. Our mic drops
but the movement continues. Until next time, your next chapter is
waiting. Take care. That concludes another empowering episode of
Your Future Starts Now. Before we wrap up, I want to thank this
incredible community of high-achieving women. Your energy, resilience,
and commitment to growth are the driving force behind what we do.
(36:30):
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate it, leave a review, and don't forget
to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your feedback fuels our
mission to empower high-achieving women just like you. And of
course, share Your Future Starts Now with the extraordinary women in
your life who are also on a journey of healing and empowerment. Connect
with us on social media, share your thoughts, let us know what topics you'd like to
explore in future episodes. Stay connected on Instagram at
(36:53):
Gia Lacqua. I encourage you to carry the energy of this conversation
into your day and keep on supporting the incredible women around you.
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now, the go-to podcast for
extraordinary women who are ready to step into their next chapter with
authentic confidence. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua empowerment coach,
motivational speaker, children's book author, and girl mom. Whether
you're a corporate powerhouse or an entrepreneur, this show is
designed for you. Your Future Starts Now is more than
(00:20):
just a podcast. It's a movement, a movement towards rewriting
the rules of success for high-achieving women. Are you ready
to get unstuck and step into your next chapter? If
so, you are exactly where you need to be. Your future starts
now. Welcome to Your Future Starts Now. I'm your
host, Gia Lacqua. I want to thank you for tuning in today. I am so
(00:43):
excited to introduce you to Anna Lundberg. Anna
is an internationally recognized authority in designing and building successful
careers and businesses that prioritize personal well-being and
fulfillment. As the founder of One Step Outside, Anna
empowers experienced professionals around the world to achieve a lifestyle
of freedom, flexibility, and success unconstrained
(01:04):
by the limitations of the conventional 9 to 5 and without sacrificing
health and personal relationships. Anna is the host of
the Reimagining Success podcast and the author of Leaving the
Corporate 9 to 5 and Outside of the 9 to 5. Anna,
(01:25):
I am so excited. You and I both have a passion for
talking about reimagining success in the work that we do. So
I'm really excited to jump into that topic. We're
also going to talk about work-life integration. But before we do, tell
our listeners a little bit about your backstory, your personal journey,
(01:45):
Yeah, absolutely. So as you can hear, I'm, well, at least I grew up in
the UK. I lived in Geneva in Switzerland for some time. I'm actually Swedish.
My parents are Swedish, so a bit of a mix. But I'm talking to you
now from our newly renovated house here in Poole, Dorset,
which is on the south coast. of England. So the last
few years, my partner and I moved out of London, thanks to a
(02:05):
combination of young children and COVID and flexible
working allowed us to do that. So we're now in this beautiful space. I
love this office. I work so well here, compared to years of sort of
being squished into a corner somewhere. And I've got a view
of the ocean there. So I'm very happy to be where I am now. I
started my career in marketing, corporate marketing, in
(02:26):
the big American organization Procter& Gamble. I sort of landed there
accidentally, as a lot of people do in their careers. I'd studied something
completely different. There was always a bit of a disconnect between where
I thought I should be and where I ended up. I never regret those years,
though, because it really was what opened all the doors to everything I've
done since. But I left there in 2013, so over a decade ago. And
(02:49):
I have been through a few twists and turns since then. I initially landed straight
into digital marketing consulting. That was basically what I'd be doing
within the company. And I did that for other clients, which was amazing.
But it felt like it didn't quite give me the things that
I had left my job for. So, you know, I was actually doing contracts
and then traveling in between. So it gave me flexibility in an amazing way.
(03:11):
And I was earning as much, if not more, as in my corporate salary. But
I still was missing a bit of that kind of freedom and fulfillment that I talk about.
So I've been on quite a personal journey to understand what's
important to me, what really drives me. And I
discovered coaching along the way, integrated that. So,
you know, fast forward without telling you my entire life story. Today,
(03:32):
I really find a way to combine that old business
brand marketing background with the newer
passions I have for positive psychology, organizational psychology, and
so on. I've written a few books, which is always a life goal of
mine. And as I said, I live by the sea. So you know, it's it's a
journey, a roller coaster, as they say, but I wouldn't have it any other way. So
(03:53):
I've really enjoyed the process of getting here. And it's quite exciting now to think, okay,
So incredible. What a beautiful story. I love that. And I love
how you said you still cherish the time that you did
spend in your corporate career and those building blocks, right? Because it brought
(04:14):
I think that's so important. Especially, you know, you mentioned my books are
talking about historically leaving that environment, but most
of us, I think, Well, that's a bit then it's difficult to
express, but I think it doesn't mean that we have to leave that environment. First
of all, there are some incredible organizations now, not all of us are
designed to work for ourselves. And it can
(04:34):
be a very challenging thing to do, right? So the answer is not quitting your
job. And I'm really passionate about helping people find fulfillment
and joy and satisfaction and balance and all these really hard things to achieve,
but within the nine to five structure in a
strange way. So it's a really interesting dichotomy and
sort of complex thing to get into, but I think one that's so important to
(04:59):
Yeah. And, and to your point, there's so many women who feel
that sense of, you know, I refer to it as overwhelmed
and unfulfilled, right? We're doing all the things constantly
busy and, and meeting, you know, society's definition of success.
But we're feeling like something is lacking. We're feeling like something is
missing. And, you know, we're not quite sure what it
(05:21):
is. And so, you know, then we find ourselves chasing, but what
are we chasing? And so, you know, I would love to dig into this
topic of the concept of women can
have it all. This is a big one. It's a tough one. And there's
a lot of different opinions on it. And I think at one point,
you know, obviously it served us in our evolution. But
(05:43):
I would love to know your take on because you mentioned, you
know, having all these things now, but right,
it took you a while to get there. And so I'm curious
Yeah, absolutely. I think to pick up on what you were just saying about this sort of busy work
and so on, I think this strikes at two levels. One is the big picture when
(06:06):
we talk about definition of success, purpose, meaning of
life kind of things, which is very exciting, but also quite overwhelming. Then
you've got the day-to-day drudgery of admin and
busy work and stress and so on. I think there's two levels that
you kind of need to address and there's an impact on both. Having
it all is such an interesting one. I have this debate with
(06:27):
people. I had a friend, I stayed with some friends earlier this week when I was in London delivering
some workshops and the husband there is in
private equity and works incredibly hard and
a lot of money and doesn't share my beliefs, I think, around work-life
integration and so on. On the other hand, you have, yeah,
you have the extremes of the spectrum, right? And I think what's important
(06:49):
and I never, and it makes it harder to sort of really fly the
flag for something, but I never want to impose my way
of life and philosophy on other people. My whole point is you
decide. So if that is for you, if it's important to you to
earn a load of money to provide your family, and you think this is the best way
to do that, then please do that. People who don't want to have children, those
(07:11):
who don't want to work and want to stay at home and only be with
their children, you know, there's the full range. And that's why you just
need to be intentional and proactive about making the decisions
that work for you. Having said all that, I really do
believe that it is possible to
achieve incredible ambitious career goals and
(07:31):
fulfillment and so on, and be a parent.
I believe it's possible to pursue those ambitious goals without
burning out, without divorce, without, you know, not seeing
our children. And, you know, it might mean
that things take more time than you want them to. being
kind to myself and compassionate and not working
(07:53):
late into the night when I'm too tired and stopping when I have to pick the
kids up from school and managing my time and energy in
a more gentle way. I can see how that can seem
like I'm not as ambitious, but at the same time, I'm able
to exercise and go for runs and be with kids and
also write books and earn money and talk to you
(08:14):
and so on. And that's the ongoing delicate
balance that you need to get right and sometimes you know I went through what I call my
hippie phase when I was living my best life and not earning a lot of money and
then it can swing and you're earning a lot of money and then the balance has gone too much
and sort of stress and and you know that end of
the spectrum and so it's it's never a one
(08:35):
and done hey I've achieved it it's an ongoing negotiation
of those things but to answer your question once and for all yes absolutely
I believe we can have everything that
is important to us. So not everything, we can't
have it all. But if we really truly ask ourselves,
what are the things the people that are really important to us? What really matters?
(08:56):
Yes, we can absolutely have those things, those people being
Totally agree. I think it's such an important distinction. It's not necessarily about
having everything and having it all. It's about, to
your point, really identifying what's important to us, what is
meaningful to us, and then building a life around that,
(09:18):
And you know, in the context of being a mother, it's such an interesting time
for me as it is for everyone. My kids are three and four now so my daughter started
school here this year and my son is sort of finally sleeping a
bit better and has you know is at nursery and
kindergarten like four days a week so I have more time and energy now
for work which is great and obviously they're out of
(09:39):
the hardest sort of newborn phase Having said all that, pre-kids and
pre-meeting my partner, I was living my
best life. I was paddleboarding down the Mississippi.
Somebody said they're getting married in Istanbul. Sure, I'll be there. I was
so spontaneous. I didn't get any migraines. I tend to
get migraines when I'm stressed. I was
(10:00):
happy. I had good posture. from
physically, mentally, emotionally, everything was just amazing. And
it is a, you know, I look back on that time fondly. And
I know that lifestyle is not compatible. I know lots of people travel and
backpack with their kids. And so and that's not what I want for
myself right now. But there's definitely sort of a longing, maybe for
(10:22):
a bit more adventure and a bit more of that kind of thing. So right now, I'm
not doing those things. But I'm choosing not to because
I don't think it's the right moment for me. So I think that's where there are compromises and
trade-offs and I can't both travel the world and
be spontaneous and carefree and have children and a partner and a
business and so on. I think that's quite hard to get all those things right. But
(10:44):
there is sort of a time, a moment, a season in your life when
the sort of balance swings more in one way or another. And
I think that's okay, as long as again, you're sort of making those choices consciously and
recognizing that maybe now is not the time to travel
all around the world or now is not the time to, you know, write a bestselling
book, perhaps if you're not sleeping well, because your baby's just been born or
(11:05):
whatever. So I think those choices are important. And yeah,
Yeah, absolutely. And reassessing your priorities
based on where you are right in those different phases of
life, and it's okay for those things to change. And I think sometimes
that change is hard. But I think it's important to
(11:27):
take that step back and really be intentional about what
are my priorities right now and how am I defining success? So really,
really great advice. You talk a lot about, well,
we've heard it called different things over the years, but work-life balance, work-life
harmony, work-life integration. Talk to us about, you
know, for those of us who are, those women who are
(11:49):
working in the corporate nine to five and struggling with doing all the things, What
Yes, it's an interesting one. I was just doing a personal productivity
workshop for a team of salespeople in corporate earlier this week and
Yeah, there's such an interesting mix of attitudes and thoughts
(12:11):
and what is and isn't possible within that framework. Again, I
perhaps naively believe that we are ultimately able
to make these decisions and set boundaries and be responsible for
our own time ourselves and I think that's really important even in the
corporate context. And of course, ultimately, you could choose to leave that employer if
that balance that we're looking for, the flexibility is not available. But
(12:34):
I think there's a lot that can be done within that framework, too. And
I mean, the idea of work-life balance, and as you hinted at,
you know, harmony, synergies, integration,
and so on. For me, the work-life balance scales image
is what a lot of companies sort of subscribe to in the idea that, okay,
well, more life means less work, or
(12:56):
more work means less life. And first of all, I think it's impossible to
separate those two things, because work is a part of life. It's
not this separate thing, right? So yes, it is an important part. But
it's not sort of completely separate. And they're also not mutually
exclusive. I think there's a lot of positive reinforcement and
synergy that comes from if I am fulfilled, I
(13:17):
have clients who maybe start a side hustle, or some new course
or hobby, whatever it is, new relationship. And
that brings a whole new energy and happiness in
their personal life, exercising, of course, all these things, then
has really positive effects at work. And of course, at work, you
can absolutely have fun relationships with your
(13:38):
friends and colleagues and and thrive there
in a way that then has positive repercussions on
your personal life. The idea that one detracts from the other, I
think is a very cynical and not very helpful way of
looking at it. Again, it takes, as you said, taking a step back
and looking at what is my version of balance
(13:58):
or integration, whatever you want to call it, and then how can
I go about designing that intentionally? do
I need to make changes in the environment in the place I'm working? And if I
can't, or if I don't need to, then what is the thing that I could focus on,
even just a small change, and to make those shifts move a
little bit more in the right direction. But just thinking of as I am one person, and
(14:19):
I have all these interests and people and things that are important in my life. So
how can I prioritize that? And how can I really focus proactively
on the things and again, the people who are important? rather than just let myself
be kind of, you know, dictated by my inbox or
by the meetings that keep landing in my calendar. Really
thinking about, hang on a second, is, you know, how should I be spending my time to
(14:47):
Yeah, it's great advice. And it's so easy to get caught up
in the external noise and that chaos, right,
to get sucked into that vortex of your calendar and the
inbox and the texts that you have coming in. And reclaiming
that power is so important. And, you
know, we talked about managing your time, it's also about managing your energy, right,
(15:09):
and how you feel and where you're spending your energy. And
so I think You know, that's that's another really
powerful shift that I see for people. You
talk a little bit about well-being, and I love this concept also of
like, you know, how you show up at work influences how you show
up at home and vice versa. It is. It's so true. And I think sometimes, you
(15:29):
know, we forget about that or we're just now really starting to fully understand the
impact of that. Talk to us about the role of well-being and
personal well-being and the role that that plays in success
I think it almost should go without saying, but it's such a foundation of
everything we do. So if you think, of course, most people will be familiar with
(15:51):
Maslow's hierarchy, you've got kind of the basics of food
and shelter and security. Those of us listening
to this podcast are probably lucky and privileged enough not to have the
threat to our life and safety and so on. But there's
still, you know, cost of living, economic situation, I need to
be able to pay for my mortgage, my rent or whatever, all
(16:11):
those worries. and taking care of your kids and so on
can have a huge impact. So physical and mental health, and
then you know, feeling that you're part of society
that you're belonging that your relationships are thriving. There's so many
aspects to that health. And I find that so fascinating,
because it's so simple. And yet so difficult. We all know what
(16:32):
we need to do sleep, is a hugely important
factor. And when you have young children, unfortunately, it's not
something you have control over. And that's hugely debilitating. So
I think a bit of compassion for that, but also trying to find ways to
rest and recuperate that needs to be a priority. And
then, you know, eating well, drinking lots of water, again, we
all know it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if we don't do it, that
(16:56):
can really have huge repercussions further down the line.
I've worked with a personal trainer and coach for the last few years. And
I can't now imagine not working with her because it's sort of having her there, always,
you know, giving me a new program for the gym every six weeks, but supporting
me, okay, I'm going traveling, how can I manage that? And I'm having a
hard time here, I'm starting this new medication, how can we juggle that? And
(17:17):
that's been such a help to me to have that support. and I
think I finally after years of kind of being sporty
but not really and sort of being aware of my health but again
not really I think maybe the older we get this happens and but really
understanding I need to rest, I need the sleep,
I need to nurture my body thinking of the nutrients I need and so on
(17:38):
and strengthening exercises and fresh air and
movement and all these things you know it's just so so important and
I think knock on wood that's how I've managed to you
know, the last couple of years, certainly the kids haven't been as ill as they were
when they were little. I haven't been, again, knock on wood, knock on wood, touch
whatever superstitious things I have to touch, but I've been healthy for the last year or
(17:59):
so. And, you know, hopefully that's not an accident. It really is that
I'm prioritizing these things. So, you know, I just can't, I'm not
a, you know, a medical expert or even a fitness wellbeing
coach, but it's sort of inextricably linked to everything
you do, whether it's your productivity or career development, your
relationships, you know, if you're tired or anxious and
(18:21):
unwell, then none of those other things can possibly happen.
Yeah, and I think with all the external demands, it's easy for
us to let our own personal well-being
slip, right? And, and Another thing you
talked about are kind of the daily habits. They're all basics that we
(18:42):
know, sleep, hydrating, movement, all of
that. And they do seem like little things, but
it's really the cumulative power, right? When you are doing all
of these things or most of these things, the impact that that
has, I know personally for me, on your wellbeing and
how you feel can be really significant. So great,
(19:03):
great point. Talk to us about some of the most common challenges
that you see, or in the work
that you do, the most common challenges by professionals who
are looking to break free from the nine to five and
create their own path? What are some of the biggest challenges or barriers that
I think one of them is, you know, I just don't have time, or I'll
(19:26):
do it when and it's so linked to everything we say, right? Because it's,
you get these memes and Instagram saying, oh, we all have the same 24 hours
in the day. And you know, that's completely unfair. Also kind
of true. But it's it's about making the
decision what we're going to spend our time on and whether it's subconscious or
even to some extent, kind of necessary,
(19:48):
we are making choices. So it's
easy to blame my parents for making the
XYZ. But it's hard to say that when I'm 40 to still blame my
parents, or you know, Oh, my boss, he did it. Yes. But you
could say no to your boss, you could leave that, you know, I'm just, you
know, being the devil's advocate. So I think the The
(20:08):
challenge is taking back ownership and responsibility and
realizing, no, actually, I do have some power and agency here,
I can make changes. And it could be a drastic move that
you need to take. But actually, you know, my business mentoring is
called one step outside, it's about taking little steps. And so
it could just be a week underway or a week away just to
(20:30):
get a bit more perspective and look at things differently. It could be, you
know, if you're considering a new business or job or something, is
there a way that you can find out more about it, do a little course, a
taster, experience it before you go further down that line?
You don't have to run an ultramarathon right away, right? You can start by
walking a little bit, doing a little 5K, whatever. So
(20:50):
I think that I don't have time. it is okay
if you really don't have time, and that's perfectly fair, and probably you don't, let's
be honest, because none of us has time. However, if that's
true, but you really are, you know, unwell, close
to burnout, incredibly unhappy in your role and fulfilled, then
perhaps we need to reframe that and think about, okay, how could I
(21:13):
reprioritize? What things can I say no to? Some things
will take longer to say no to, if there are obligations and responsibilities you
have, you can't just drop them in one day but where can you
start saying no creating more space and capacity so
you can make some different choices. I think that's the biggest one really and so
difficult as you said relentless demands on our attention personal
(21:34):
life and professional life and but if we can start reframing
and questioning that then I think so much of
the rest will follow. Once we have a bit more time then
my next step would be to really think about what
you want because we get so caught up in the how, oh my gosh
I could never start my own business or how could I
(21:56):
possibly move into that new industry because I don't have experience or I don't
know anyone, I don't have a network or again I don't have time or whatever. But
there's no point in getting up in the how until we know what we want and
why it's important. So really give yourself the time to
explore and be curious about what really matters
to you, what are your values, what is that vision for what you want your life to
(22:17):
look like in the future? And then once you know that, I think the how,
the roadmap, the steps fall into place much more easily. Because
then you know, wow, you've got kind of your north star, you've worked out this is what
I want to work towards. And then you can find a way to get there. Whereas
if you start by going, Oh, no, how could I possibly I don't know
how and so on, then you have that kind of fixed mindset. And you'll just
(22:39):
never do anything because everything if you kind of look
at it through that practical lens is going to be far too difficult or time
consuming, whatever it is, there'll always be an excuse not to
do it. So I think really getting excited about what it
is you want and why it's important to you will help you then find a
Yeah, it's there's a couple of things there I want to I want to
(23:01):
just hone in on. So one is you talk about the sense of personal agency and
being that we are in control, right, for a lot of things
that we think we're not. So taking that step back
into your personal power and reclaiming that power is is an important step.
You know, the other thing is I don't have time. It is the
most common. I call it a limiting belief. Right.
(23:23):
And this is a hard pill to swallow, but it's an excuse. right?
Because we have to sort of create the time for the things that we think are important.
But it's easy to throw that around. I don't have time. And so is
it that you don't have time? Or is it that you're not
making it a priority? And the way I help people to
reframe that is to say, in the context of your well-being,
(23:46):
I don't have the time to take care of myself. that's
a really hard thing to grapple
with. And so I think it is important to look
at, well, where are you spending your time and where are you spending your energy and
how do you want to shift that? The other thing that you talked
about is kind of like following that sense of purpose. And
(24:07):
so, you know, just from personal experience, I remember sitting in
my corporate office many years ago saying to myself, I
want to start my own business. I think I want to start my own business." And then,
you know, the other is like the angel and the devil on my shoulder, right?
And I had the other one saying, no, no, you can never do that. Stop being crazy, right?
(24:27):
And so it is this inner sort of fight we have
with ourselves. And so I think it is important to explore whatever
that itch is for you, whatever that feeling is
that creeps up. instead of suppressing it,
just exploring it, right? And asking yourself, getting really
curious with it and exploring what it is that's calling you.
(24:49):
I think there's nothing worse than knowing you want to do something and
not doing anything about it. Whether it was, you know, I was in that marketing
job and I told everybody because I'd studied international development and
economics and I wanted to work at the United Nations and make an incredible
impact and instead I was selling perfume and makeup and so on. And
so I kept saying, oh yeah, I really want to work at the UN, but I wasn't applying
(25:11):
to work at the UN. I wasn't doing anything, doing a course, networking, doing
anything at all to get there. Funnily enough, then I was telling
someone, I really want to go to South America. And he was like, why
don't you? And then I asked my boss to take a
sabbatical, went to South America three months and then quit my job, which then
led to, you know, all these amazing things. And I really want to
(25:31):
write a book. It sounds exciting when you say
it, but then you do nothing about it. And I think that's really interesting, the big picture
versus your day-to-day. If I say I want to be a writer, I've
written several books and this still happens to me. I then look at my calendar.
When am I actually writing? Oh, not at all. So there's no
alignment between my goal and my identity and who I think I
(25:52):
want to be versus what I'm actually doing. So I think it's,
in corporate speak, we say walk the talk, but it's really doing having
the integrity to listen to what you're saying and do
it. By all means, if now is not the right time to quit
your job, start a business, write a book, don't do it, but make a conscious choice
again. Oh, yeah. In a few years time, I'd really like to write a book. I'm
(26:14):
going to revisit that in a few years time. But if it's something really that makes you feel
sort of hugely like we talk about the comfort zone, it's actually very
uncomfortable to be in a place you're feeling stuck and unfulfilled and
so on. And that's when taking
action, any action, is going to be so powerful. And funnily
enough, the clarity and confidence that we're so desperate to get comes
(26:35):
from taking action. We're never going to sit here, you know, I've got
a standing desk, but still, I'm never going to stand here. And then suddenly, ah,
here's the clarity and confidence you're waiting for. It comes with me. You
know, if you're starting a podcast, that confidence comes from running
a podcast. It doesn't come from just sitting at home, let's say, I don't know, doing podcasts,
courses, let alone thinking about starting a podcast, you have to do
(26:57):
the thing. And that's really scary. I always say scary and
exciting comes together, unfortunately. So but I really encourage
you to, as you say, follow that it to do something. If you decide you
don't want to do it, that's fine. But at least then you won't have those regrets, which
Yeah, exploring, exploring it, right? So yeah, great advice.
(27:17):
So million dollar question, how do you define
success for yourself? And I would love to know how that definition has
I ask everybody that on my podcast and I feel like I should have this really pithy
like thing that you could put on a mug or a t-shirt and I never have that and
I think hopefully that's role modeling to everybody listening that you
don't need to have this beautiful poetic literary definition.
(27:42):
The point is that you have this sense of what and
who is important to you. So it could be knowing your values. It
could be knowing that, you know, freedom, flexibility, fulfillment, I always talk
about, and I think really kind of captures, sometimes I add family,
fun, financial security, you can add all sorts of Fs to that
table, right? Yeah, more and more, it becomes being present.
(28:04):
and feeling like I am where I want to be. So exactly what
we're just saying, I don't want to be standing here talking to you thinking
or hearing my kids screaming downstairs, right, they're at school now. But
if I, oh, I kind of want to talk to you, but oh, I should be with my children, that's
a really uncomfortable moment. Or You know, living here in
this house and wishing I could be backpacking in South America, that's
(28:25):
a horrible place to be. So I think the more I can really focus
on, wow, I'm excited about my business. I'm talking to Gia about
redefining success. This is where I want to be. This is where I should be.
That's really empowering. So I think that's my definition now is being
present and being, you know, my, my actual actions and
current state is aligned to the
(28:50):
So beautiful. I love that. And I love what you said about presence, right?
And it's not always possible, but to the extent because we always feel pulled
in different directions. And, you know, it's that that mom guilt,
the working mom guilt of when you're at work. You feel like you should be with your kids.
And when you're with your kids, you feel like you should be doing something for work. And
so I think that's a very real tension for a lot of women. And
(29:11):
so recognizing that, you know, being
able to shift into being present and fully present where
you are and appreciating what you're doing in that moment and
not feeling that tension is is really
important. So I think that's beautiful. And also, as
you were talking, the visual that came up for me is almost like the
you are here on a map. And,
(29:35):
you know, just looking at it and saying, yeah, I am here. Like,
this is where I am. And this is where I want to be. Not maybe
not forever. To your point. Right. Maybe there's there's
a different spot on the map in the future in a year or five years, 10 years
That's huge. And you know, it comes back to the question of having it all that you were
(29:56):
saying before, with social media, which, by the way, of course, is the way we
get distracted from the present as well. It's so easy to have
that comparison syndrome, paranoia, whatever. Oh,
my goodness, she's traveling in China right now. And
however, not China, maybe, but somewhere else. And they are having
children, they're getting married, and got a promotion, earning
loads of money, working in private equity, writing a book. And
(30:20):
we can't possibly, we piece those things all together. together and
think that's some kind of ideal that we should be living up to. And that's a
hundred different people that I'm seeing achieve one thing. And I'm putting that together
as you're on the map maybe and go, Oh, I've got to go here and there. And it's just completely
overwhelming and makes me feel terrible. So,
you know, I think it's, it's again, centering and being present in who you are
(30:42):
and reminding yourself of your journey. And yes, it'll
be slower than the other person. Actually, I made the conscious choice
not to go into investment banking or whatever it is. You
just have to kind of remind yourself of your choices. Maybe
sometimes you regret the past and unfortunately, there's not much we can do about it. But what
we can do is certainly we've got full control over the present moment and
(31:07):
Yeah, being intentional about your path, right? And
what is one thing that you want our listeners to consider doing differently or
It's a good question because I always worry I can give people so many exercises and
things and I don't want people to be overwhelmed because we started by saying that
(31:28):
we're all overwhelmed and overworked already. I
think an easy one to say would be compassion, just
for understanding where you are right now. So whatever
you're dealing with, if it's care and responsibilities, young children, an
illness in the family or your own difficulties, you know, just kind of recognize, as
you said, I'm here on the map. That's where I am. No judgment. And
(31:51):
at the same time, I can recognize, you know what, I would like to start
moving in this other direction. If you don't know what that other direction is,
then of course, it starts with trying to explore, be curious,
ask some of those questions, no drastic actions needed, but maybe
read something, go along to some interesting conference
or event that kind of piques your interest or listen
(32:13):
to a podcast that might inspire you to do something, just start a bit gently
and see where that takes you. And I think that's a really exciting place
to start. So it starts with that curiosity and exploration. If
you know exactly what you want to be doing and you're not doing anything about it,
then I can only try to give you permission, not
that it's mine to give, and a little nudge to do something,
(32:34):
anything, so that you're not stuck anymore. Just take an action, pick
up the phone, send an email, sign up to something, do something
so that you get out of that kind of inertia of just being really frustrated. Then
you just don't know the snowball of little actions can
Yeah, it's great advice. Even though it might sound
(32:54):
a little cliche, it can be as simple as
picking up that phone or sending that email to get
more information on what it is you're looking for, or
reaching out to a coach that can support you in your journey, or
a therapist if you're along your
(33:14):
healing journey, whatever that is. To your point,
it's taking that first step, that next step. It
doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be significant, but it's allowing yourself, giving
yourself permission to take some sort of
And one of the things is I think it's easier, it's a bit of a cop out to
say that I have this dream and it's kind of sitting there gathering dust
(33:38):
on the shelf, like I want to be a writer. The reason why that's so
unachievable, but also very aspirational is that, oh, I'm going to be on the New
York Times bestseller list. I'm going to be like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or
Simon Sinek or someone, Brené Brown, massive TED talk,
all this stuff. And actually, I, of course, admire
them incredibly and so on. And I aspire, but I also don't
(33:58):
aspire to that level of fame and the significance. You know, I have
slightly more tempered ambitions. But nonetheless, that
becomes an impossible goal. How do I get from where I am now to
getting to where they are? I can't. So then becomes an excuse along
with I don't have time and so on not to do anything. Whereas if you go,
I want to be a writer, well, what should I do? I should write. So you
know, I started a blog, or you can start an email newsletter, or you
(34:21):
can journal. You can write a little e-book, you
can self-publish these days, right? It's not necessarily going to be probably a
bestseller, but you're writing and you're being an author. I have, you
know, piles of books that I've written because I've written them and
published them. And that didn't just happen from me sitting
there kind of going, oh, I wish I could be a writer. It was hard work and I
(34:42):
got help from other people and it took time and they're not the
most perfect things in the world. But my goodness, it feels incredible to
have that achievement. So yeah,
taking that kind of dusty dream off the shelf and breaking it apart and
making it small steps, more
realistic, dare I say it. Start there and then again, who knows where
(35:02):
it will lead you. But you know, just again, get started, take a little step
Such powerful advice. Anna, where can our listeners learn more
Oh, thank you. Well, the books are on Amazon. The best place, obviously, if
you're a podcast listener is to have a listen to my podcast, Reimagining Success
(35:23):
is a great place to start. There's a huge back catalogue. Now, if you go right
back to the beginning, it's five years of episodes on all sorts of topics. Wow. And
if you go to onestepoutside.com, as I mentioned, that's
my business that has everything there. So the podcast, the books and everything. So it
comes from a quote, everything you've ever wanted is one step outside
your comfort zone. I think that nicely brings together everything we've talked about today.
(35:46):
Absolutely. And I thank you so much for being here for sharing your
insights and expertise. I absolutely love the work that you're doing.
Thank you. And of course, you can visit my website at GiaLacqua.com. Don't
forget to reach out on Instagram at GiaLacqua. Don't forget to subscribe, rate
and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. This is
(36:08):
Gia signing off with gratitude for your time and energy. Our mic drops
but the movement continues. Until next time, your next chapter is
waiting. Take care. That concludes another empowering episode of
Your Future Starts Now. Before we wrap up, I want to thank this
incredible community of high-achieving women. Your energy, resilience,
and commitment to growth are the driving force behind what we do.
(36:30):
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate it, leave a review, and don't forget
to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your feedback fuels our
mission to empower high-achieving women just like you. And of
course, share Your Future Starts Now with the extraordinary women in
your life who are also on a journey of healing and empowerment. Connect
with us on social media, share your thoughts, let us know what topics you'd like to
explore in future episodes. Stay connected on Instagram at
(36:53):
Gia Lacqua. I encourage you to carry the energy of this conversation
into your day and keep on supporting the incredible women around you.
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