March 24, 2025 • 11 mins
In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the real lessons that have come up since launching Conversations That Count—and the ones that keep showing up in everyday conversations. We talk about what it means to truly own your voice, why you don’t need permission to go after what you want, how to spot when you’re out of alignment, and how to embrace the cringe factor of being a beginner.
If you’ve been waiting for the right time, the perfect plan, or someone to give you the green light—this is your sign to stop waiting and start moving. Growth is in the reps. Cringe is part of the process. And permission? You give it to yourself.
🎙️ Let’s have a conversation that counts.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hi everyone and welcome to Conversations That
(00:02):
Count.
I'm your host, Jan, and todayit's just you and me for another
solo episode.
I haven't done a solo episodesince my very first episode a
couple of months ago, so I'mreally excited to be here and
share a few little things thatare both common themes that have
come up in podcasts and alsowant to share my perspective and
(00:23):
things that's happening as well.
Firstly though, I want to say amassive thank you.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your messages andyour feedback.
It generally means more than youknow.
When I first launched thispodcast, I didn't really know
what to expect.
I went feet first and I waslike, you know what, I'm just
(00:45):
going to figure it out as I goand I've definitely done that.
And what surprised me the mostthough is how much I've
absolutely loved it and love theinterviews.
It's not just the epicconversations that I've been
having with guests, but thegrowth I've felt within myself
and that's through the showingup, the leaning in, the learning
(01:07):
and refining as I go.
So today I want to talk througha few of those lessons that I've
learned so far and also sharesome common themes that I've
been noticing, not just withinthe podcast conversations, but
also outside that, whether it'schat at networking events and
with clients and with friends oreven just in passing
(01:28):
conversation.
UNKNOWN (01:29):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:30):
I want to break down what's been coming up and how
I've been reflecting on it andhow it also might apply to you.
One of my guests recently askedme what's my intention behind
the podcast and I realized it'spretty simple.
I want this space to feel likean ongoing real conversation, a
place where I show upconsistently and not perfectly,
and I'll talk through that in amoment, a space where we can
(01:53):
grow together.
And my goal is to release anepisode every week.
And I'll be honest, that feels alittle bit stretchy.
If you know me though, I'm allhere for growth and I'm all here
for the stretch.
So bear with me as we growthrough this together.
So I've got a little lesson thathas happened in real time in
regards to me recording thissolo episode.
(02:13):
So I am a little bit of aperfectionist in different
scenarios.
And with the podcast I've beengoing into the studio where I
have someone set everything upfor me and for the southern ones
I'm like do you know what I'mgonna attempt to set it up at
home I've got the microphone Ithink I've got the right things
to be honest um and yesterdaynothing was working for me I
(02:37):
wanted it to look and feel aparticular way however I was
like do you know what It'sprogress over perfection.
That main aim right now is forme to release an episode every
week and it doesn't have to beperfect.
So if it looks and feels alittle bit different to previous
weeks, that's the reason why I'mlearning as I go.
(02:59):
So as I continue to do with thesolo episodes, I'll refine that.
So anyway, I thought I'd justgive you that little lesson
there.
One of the other biggest lessonsI've learned so far is how much
growth happens when you embracebeing a beginner.
And because when you're startingsomething new, and for me, like
this podcast, you're going tocringe at yourself.
(03:21):
You're going to listen back tothe early episodes and think,
why did I say that?
And yep, I've had plenty ofthose moments.
I listen to each episode,sometimes multiple times for
editing and for marketing.
And I pick up on everything thatI say, especially when I notice
(03:43):
I have this little fillerphrase.
It's, oh, I love that.
And I say it all the time.
It's like my verbal safety netwhen I'm processing or buying
time to think of the nextquestion.
And now that I've pointed itout, you won't be able to unhear
it.
So sorry in advance for thatone.
But that's the thing.
That's the part of it, right?
Starting something new meansyou're you refine and you don't
(04:10):
wait until you're perfect youbuild confidence by being in it
by taking the action andadjusting as you go and that
leads me perfectly into one ofthe other common themes that's
been coming up not just in myepisodes but in the
conversations everywhere latelyand it's this idea of waiting
for permission it's like we'veall been conditioned to believe
(04:31):
that we need someone else togive us the green light to want
more to change direction to totake up space, permission to
pivot careers or permission tospeak up or permission to slow
down and do things differently.
And here's the personal part.
I've realized the reason I'vebeen noticing this thing so
(04:53):
clearly is because it's been areflection of what's happening
internally for me too.
So conversations andcircumstances, they always
reflect back where you're at.
And I noticed it so clearly theother week when I was sitting on
the couch meeting interview withNadine and she's on my episode
next week so make sure that youcheck that one out and I
(05:13):
remember thinking like fuck I amplaying it so small Like I still
fully haven't stepped into mypower and doing everything that
I want to do.
And yes, I've started thepodcast and I'm showing up more
online and I'm networking andI'm building my coaching
business and I'm building thecorporate business.
(05:35):
And yes, I have a lot happeningin my world at the moment.
And still I was sitting theregoing, I'm still playing it
small.
I could feel it.
There's this something in meholding me back.
And that's the thing.
We project our what's unresolvedwithin us and the world mirrors
it back in the conversations wehave, the people we attract,
even the opportunities wenoticed.
(05:57):
For me, it's about fully owningmy voice.
And it's not just showing upwhen it feels safe, but showing
up fully, even when it feels alittle messy or uncomfortable.
And maybe you're feeling thesame way.
Maybe you're ticking the boxes,doing all the things, but
there's still a gap between whoyou are and who you know you're
capable of being.
(06:18):
And maybe like me, you've beenwaiting for permission,
permission to go bigger,permission to ask for more,
permission to take up spaceunapologetically.
Here's how you can spot it.
And you might be waiting forpermission if you keep asking
for advice, even though deepdown, You know the answer.
(06:40):
You second guess your decisionbecause you're afraid of
disappointing others.
You shrink your goals and youdownplay your wins.
You feel a bit stuck orfrustrated but can't quite name
why.
Here's the shift.
(07:01):
No one is coming to give youpermission.
That's something only you cangive yourself.
And how do you do that?
Firstly, you get radicallyhonest.
You strip away the noise andwhat do you actually want, not
what others expect of you.
Secondly, you give yourselfmicro permissions every day.
You say no when you need to.
(07:24):
You speak up even if your voiceshakes.
And thirdly, You surroundyourself with people who lift
you up and reflect back theboldest version of you.
And that ties into another biglesson, alignment.
And I feel like alignment is abit of a buzzword at the moment.
Like, are you living your truelife and are you living in
(07:45):
alignment?
So I want to break it down alittle bit further for you as
well.
Because again, this is somethingthat's reflecting in my life at
the moment.
So alignment isn't about tickingoff a checklist.
It's when your external worldreflects what's true for you
internally, your values, yourvision, your energy.
You can feel when you're out ofalignment, you're drained or
(08:08):
you're pushing upstream.
You're going through the motionsbut wondering why something
feels off.
And I get it.
I've been there.
That was me a few years ago.
Everything looked great from theoutside.
Career, relationship, lifeplanned out.
But internally...
I felt heavy and disconnected.
It wasn't until I stopped andasked myself, is this actually
(08:29):
what I want?
That things began to shift.
And here's the thing, you don'tneed to wait for life to hit you
with the truck moment to change.
You don't need to wait for acrisis to realign.
It starts with self-awareness.
Start asking yourself betterquestions.
Where do things feel heavy?
Where do they feel light?
(08:50):
What feels like obligation?
what feels like desire.
Once you're aware, you can stripback the noise, simplify and
start taking small intentionalsteps back towards alignment.
I've been noticing thisrecently, even in my own life
where small things are startingto click.
People mentioning that they'reseeing my podcast everywhere and
(09:10):
it's not about the validationit's about seeing how every
little step every moment i'vefelt unsure uncomfortable has
been stacking up alignment feelslike momentum it feels like
energy it feels likeeverything's starting to fall
into place because you'refinally showing up in a way
that's true to you Somethingelse that I've noticed,
(09:33):
especially in the guests I'vehad so far, is that people often
wait until something majorhappens like a breakup or a
health scare or a loss beforethey allow themselves to change.
But you don't have to wait.
You can decide now.
You can choose now to stopplaying small, to stop waiting,
to start leading your life onyour terms.
(09:56):
The truth is change isuncomfortable.
It requires you to let go of oldversions of yourself, the
habits, the identities, thebeliefs that no longer fit.
But if your why is strongenough, your desire will
outweigh the fear.
The discomfort is temporary.
The growth, the alignment, thefulfillment, that's on the other
(10:17):
side.
So whether you're noticingyourself waiting for permission,
feeling out of alignment, orjust knowing deep down there's
something more, You don't needanyone's green light.
You don't need to have it allfigured out.
And yes, you might cringe alittle along the way, but trust
me, the cringe is part of it.
You'll listen back, laugh atyourself and realize that's
(10:39):
exactly where the magic happens.
So this episode is short andsweet.
just coming in to share somelittle insights, some little
lessons.
And as I mentioned, every soloepisode is going to be
different.
And I want to share just thingsthat I'm learning through the
process of all of this as well.
So thank you so much for beinghere with me today, for tuning
(11:02):
in, for walking on this journeyalongside me.
If something has landed for youin this episode, please share,
subscribe or send me a DM.
I genuinely love hearing whatresonates.
So next week, as I mentioned,I'm joined with Nadine.
Trust me, her story lit a firein me and I have no doubt it
will do the same for you.
So until then, keep evolving,keep owning your voice and
(11:24):
remember, every moment is anopportunity to create your own
conversations that count.
And if all else fails, pictureme saying, oh, I love that and
just keep going.
Hi everyone and welcome to Conversations That
(00:02):
Count.
I'm your host, Jan, and todayit's just you and me for another
solo episode.
I haven't done a solo episodesince my very first episode a
couple of months ago, so I'mreally excited to be here and
share a few little things thatare both common themes that have
come up in podcasts and alsowant to share my perspective and
(00:23):
things that's happening as well.
Firstly though, I want to say amassive thank you.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your messages andyour feedback.
It generally means more than youknow.
When I first launched thispodcast, I didn't really know
what to expect.
I went feet first and I waslike, you know what, I'm just
(00:45):
going to figure it out as I goand I've definitely done that.
And what surprised me the mostthough is how much I've
absolutely loved it and love theinterviews.
It's not just the epicconversations that I've been
having with guests, but thegrowth I've felt within myself
and that's through the showingup, the leaning in, the learning
(01:07):
and refining as I go.
So today I want to talk througha few of those lessons that I've
learned so far and also sharesome common themes that I've
been noticing, not just withinthe podcast conversations, but
also outside that, whether it'schat at networking events and
with clients and with friends oreven just in passing
(01:28):
conversation.
UNKNOWN (01:29):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:30):
I want to break down what's been coming up and how
I've been reflecting on it andhow it also might apply to you.
One of my guests recently askedme what's my intention behind
the podcast and I realized it'spretty simple.
I want this space to feel likean ongoing real conversation, a
place where I show upconsistently and not perfectly,
and I'll talk through that in amoment, a space where we can
(01:53):
grow together.
And my goal is to release anepisode every week.
And I'll be honest, that feels alittle bit stretchy.
If you know me though, I'm allhere for growth and I'm all here
for the stretch.
So bear with me as we growthrough this together.
So I've got a little lesson thathas happened in real time in
regards to me recording thissolo episode.
(02:13):
So I am a little bit of aperfectionist in different
scenarios.
And with the podcast I've beengoing into the studio where I
have someone set everything upfor me and for the southern ones
I'm like do you know what I'mgonna attempt to set it up at
home I've got the microphone Ithink I've got the right things
to be honest um and yesterdaynothing was working for me I
(02:37):
wanted it to look and feel aparticular way however I was
like do you know what It'sprogress over perfection.
That main aim right now is forme to release an episode every
week and it doesn't have to beperfect.
So if it looks and feels alittle bit different to previous
weeks, that's the reason why I'mlearning as I go.
(02:59):
So as I continue to do with thesolo episodes, I'll refine that.
So anyway, I thought I'd justgive you that little lesson
there.
One of the other biggest lessonsI've learned so far is how much
growth happens when you embracebeing a beginner.
And because when you're startingsomething new, and for me, like
this podcast, you're going tocringe at yourself.
(03:21):
You're going to listen back tothe early episodes and think,
why did I say that?
And yep, I've had plenty ofthose moments.
I listen to each episode,sometimes multiple times for
editing and for marketing.
And I pick up on everything thatI say, especially when I notice
(03:43):
I have this little fillerphrase.
It's, oh, I love that.
And I say it all the time.
It's like my verbal safety netwhen I'm processing or buying
time to think of the nextquestion.
And now that I've pointed itout, you won't be able to unhear
it.
So sorry in advance for thatone.
But that's the thing.
That's the part of it, right?
Starting something new meansyou're you refine and you don't
(04:10):
wait until you're perfect youbuild confidence by being in it
by taking the action andadjusting as you go and that
leads me perfectly into one ofthe other common themes that's
been coming up not just in myepisodes but in the
conversations everywhere latelyand it's this idea of waiting
for permission it's like we'veall been conditioned to believe
(04:31):
that we need someone else togive us the green light to want
more to change direction to totake up space, permission to
pivot careers or permission tospeak up or permission to slow
down and do things differently.
And here's the personal part.
I've realized the reason I'vebeen noticing this thing so
(04:53):
clearly is because it's been areflection of what's happening
internally for me too.
So conversations andcircumstances, they always
reflect back where you're at.
And I noticed it so clearly theother week when I was sitting on
the couch meeting interview withNadine and she's on my episode
next week so make sure that youcheck that one out and I
(05:13):
remember thinking like fuck I amplaying it so small Like I still
fully haven't stepped into mypower and doing everything that
I want to do.
And yes, I've started thepodcast and I'm showing up more
online and I'm networking andI'm building my coaching
business and I'm building thecorporate business.
(05:35):
And yes, I have a lot happeningin my world at the moment.
And still I was sitting theregoing, I'm still playing it
small.
I could feel it.
There's this something in meholding me back.
And that's the thing.
We project our what's unresolvedwithin us and the world mirrors
it back in the conversations wehave, the people we attract,
even the opportunities wenoticed.
(05:57):
For me, it's about fully owningmy voice.
And it's not just showing upwhen it feels safe, but showing
up fully, even when it feels alittle messy or uncomfortable.
And maybe you're feeling thesame way.
Maybe you're ticking the boxes,doing all the things, but
there's still a gap between whoyou are and who you know you're
capable of being.
(06:18):
And maybe like me, you've beenwaiting for permission,
permission to go bigger,permission to ask for more,
permission to take up spaceunapologetically.
Here's how you can spot it.
And you might be waiting forpermission if you keep asking
for advice, even though deepdown, You know the answer.
(06:40):
You second guess your decisionbecause you're afraid of
disappointing others.
You shrink your goals and youdownplay your wins.
You feel a bit stuck orfrustrated but can't quite name
why.
Here's the shift.
(07:01):
No one is coming to give youpermission.
That's something only you cangive yourself.
And how do you do that?
Firstly, you get radicallyhonest.
You strip away the noise andwhat do you actually want, not
what others expect of you.
Secondly, you give yourselfmicro permissions every day.
You say no when you need to.
(07:24):
You speak up even if your voiceshakes.
And thirdly, You surroundyourself with people who lift
you up and reflect back theboldest version of you.
And that ties into another biglesson, alignment.
And I feel like alignment is abit of a buzzword at the moment.
Like, are you living your truelife and are you living in
(07:45):
alignment?
So I want to break it down alittle bit further for you as
well.
Because again, this is somethingthat's reflecting in my life at
the moment.
So alignment isn't about tickingoff a checklist.
It's when your external worldreflects what's true for you
internally, your values, yourvision, your energy.
You can feel when you're out ofalignment, you're drained or
(08:08):
you're pushing upstream.
You're going through the motionsbut wondering why something
feels off.
And I get it.
I've been there.
That was me a few years ago.
Everything looked great from theoutside.
Career, relationship, lifeplanned out.
But internally...
I felt heavy and disconnected.
It wasn't until I stopped andasked myself, is this actually
(08:29):
what I want?
That things began to shift.
And here's the thing, you don'tneed to wait for life to hit you
with the truck moment to change.
You don't need to wait for acrisis to realign.
It starts with self-awareness.
Start asking yourself betterquestions.
Where do things feel heavy?
Where do they feel light?
(08:50):
What feels like obligation?
what feels like desire.
Once you're aware, you can stripback the noise, simplify and
start taking small intentionalsteps back towards alignment.
I've been noticing thisrecently, even in my own life
where small things are startingto click.
People mentioning that they'reseeing my podcast everywhere and
(09:10):
it's not about the validationit's about seeing how every
little step every moment i'vefelt unsure uncomfortable has
been stacking up alignment feelslike momentum it feels like
energy it feels likeeverything's starting to fall
into place because you'refinally showing up in a way
that's true to you Somethingelse that I've noticed,
(09:33):
especially in the guests I'vehad so far, is that people often
wait until something majorhappens like a breakup or a
health scare or a loss beforethey allow themselves to change.
But you don't have to wait.
You can decide now.
You can choose now to stopplaying small, to stop waiting,
to start leading your life onyour terms.
(09:56):
The truth is change isuncomfortable.
It requires you to let go of oldversions of yourself, the
habits, the identities, thebeliefs that no longer fit.
But if your why is strongenough, your desire will
outweigh the fear.
The discomfort is temporary.
The growth, the alignment, thefulfillment, that's on the other
(10:17):
side.
So whether you're noticingyourself waiting for permission,
feeling out of alignment, orjust knowing deep down there's
something more, You don't needanyone's green light.
You don't need to have it allfigured out.
And yes, you might cringe alittle along the way, but trust
me, the cringe is part of it.
You'll listen back, laugh atyourself and realize that's
(10:39):
exactly where the magic happens.
So this episode is short andsweet.
just coming in to share somelittle insights, some little
lessons.
And as I mentioned, every soloepisode is going to be
different.
And I want to share just thingsthat I'm learning through the
process of all of this as well.
So thank you so much for beinghere with me today, for tuning
(11:02):
in, for walking on this journeyalongside me.
If something has landed for youin this episode, please share,
subscribe or send me a DM.
I genuinely love hearing whatresonates.
So next week, as I mentioned,I'm joined with Nadine.
Trust me, her story lit a firein me and I have no doubt it
will do the same for you.
So until then, keep evolving,keep owning your voice and
(11:24):
remember, every moment is anopportunity to create your own
conversations that count.
And if all else fails, pictureme saying, oh, I love that and
just keep going.
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