This week’s “How She Finds Purpose” insight comes from Phyllis Dealy. She says -
“If you're always thinking about, oh, I could have made that decision or I should have done that, you're gonna miss the moment. So how can you be present for what's possible in this moment? And by holding on to that, number one, you can really tap into joy. Because in this moment, we can all choose to be joyful, and we can embrace what is right in front of us. And we have found a lot of power and clarity in that practice.”
Phyllis Dealy and Meaghan Benjamin are the co-founders of Reinvent the World and Studio Reinvent, where they guide executives and teams to communicate with purpose, clarity, and impact. Phyllis is a serial entrepreneur and creator of The Awareness Factor, having worked with clients like PepsiCo, FridaBaby, Aetna, and Susan G. Komen.
Meaghan is an executive communication coach with advanced degrees in speech and hearing science and psychology. She helps leaders strengthen their influence and connection using science-backed tools like storytelling, brain coupling, and conscious listening.
Here are 3 reasons why you should listen to this episode:
-
You’ll hear how saying yes to small opportunities can open unexpected doors toward your purpose.
-
You'll get real talk on how ambition and the desire for more is perfectly okay, even when others think you’ve “made it.”
-
You’ll pick up practical advice on how to create new connections and stay curious, even when you’re not sure what your next move should be.
Connect with Phyllis and Meaghan at: https://studioreinvent.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-reinvent/
Would you prefer to watch or listen to the podcast on YouTube?
Head on over to https://www.youtube.com/@leadershippurposepodcast
Want to connect? Connect with Dr. Robin on
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinlowensphd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinlowensphd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinlowensphd/
Email: Robin@LeadershipPurposePodcast.com
Thank you for listening! Rate, review, & follow on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast player. Talk to you soon!
This episode was produced by Lynda, Podcast Manager for GenX Creative Entrepreneurs at https://www.ljscreativeservices.co.nz
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Doctor Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin l Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in
(00:24):
their work. So So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership Purpose
(00:47):
with Dr. Robin podcast. I'm so glad you're here.
Take time to listen into the podcast. I really appreciate it.
And because you've been such faithful listeners of the podcast, we've
been ranked at the top 5% of all podcasts
globally according to Listen Notes. So thank you. Really appreciate
you for listening and and doing that. And it would be a
(01:09):
great help if you go ahead rate, review, subscribe. I
know you hear those words all the time, but it really makes a difference with
a podcast. Alright. Today, I'm talking
to two amazing individuals.
I am talking with Phyllis Dealy and Megan
Benjamin. Now let me tell you about them. They're the cofounders of
(01:32):
Reinvent the World and Studio Reinvent, where they
guide executives and teams with clarity, communication
with purpose, and align strategy with impact.
They approach and blend systems thinking, I'm already
fascinated by that, Normal science, storytelling, and
strategic facilitation. Imagine that. And
(01:54):
I'll say a little bit about Phyllis and then about Megan. Phyllis is
a serial entrepreneur and creator of The Awareness
Factor, which we'll hear more about that. And she has worked with
clients like PepsiCo, FridaBaby, Aetna, and Susan
G Komen. Alright. And Megan is an executive communication
coach who helps leaders elevate connection and
(02:16):
influence using science backed techniques
like storytelling, brain coupling, and
conscious listening. And I can't wait to hear more from
both. Welcome, Megan and Phyllis. Thank you so much,
Robin. We're really excited to be here. Yes. Very excited to talk with you
today. So glad that you're here. Alright. So now you are
(02:38):
cofounders of Reinvent the World and Studio Reinvent.
Alright. So help us get like, place them. Are one in each or
you're both both tell us how how it's situated. So
so, Reinvent the World is a consulting firm, and we do work
together there. But I sort of run that part of the business.
And, then Meg and I are cofounders of Studio Reinvent, which is
(03:01):
the communications and training and coaching firm. So,
we we work together across both businesses. But I think today, we'd
love to focus and talk about our communications training. Love
it. Okay. Great. Alright. So now I typically say
when there's one person, so I'm gonna do the same. Tell me a little bit.
I've got just a little bit, but tell me a little bit about who you
(03:22):
are and what you do specifically, and you guys can go whatever order
you might already have a system where who goes first. Sure.
So my I'm Megan, the blonde one. Yeah.
So my background, I think of myself as a communication scientist. I
have advanced degrees in speech and hearing science and psychology,
(03:43):
and I really found my way into communication first
by studying, but then ultimately, being a health
care provider working with head and neck cancer patients,
realizing that truly communication is so much more than just one
piece. It's not just your voice. It's not just your
gestures. It's not it's all the things that work together, and that
(04:05):
also lies in the mind that you have. So you can
imagine if you've lost your voice due to cancer,
shifting that mindset and being able to show up and connect with people in a
different way is fundamentally critical in communication. And so
that allowed me to really do a deep dive and ultimately
see the expansion, I'd say, of this beyond,
(04:28):
just one population. And that led to
this idea of working with Phillips at Studio re
Invent to bring together some of that science with the storytelling.
And so Yeah. I'd say that's where where we started.
Right? Right. And my background is I've spent about thirty plus years in
marketing, advertising, and brand strategy, and I
(04:50):
pivoted out of doing that full time about ten
years ago to really start to work more deeply with leaders
and with organizations, but partnered up with Megan
because I love to take that storytelling and that idea of how do you how
do you show up? How do you wanna show up in the world from the
brand space into the personal space and working with leaders to
(05:12):
help sell in their brands, not just do the advertising part. So we really
found some synergies together, bringing the science with the storytelling,
and we just love what we do. Yes. And we developed a
methodology called agile communication methodology
because, really, it is all about agility. It's not a
script. It's not a deck. It's all these levers that you can
(05:34):
push and pull that, we think we help people tap
into, really. Yeah. Yeah. That's going to push. It's a
little difficult to hear. We know. I think, I think my first
time, I know I interviewed a group of three before, but not
two business partners in this way. So I wanna focus in
on because I'm imagining there's somebody who could be thinking about,
(05:57):
hey. I wonder if I should partner with someone who have I have synergy
with. So let's focus on their that for a moment,
and then we'll go we'll take it from there. So how did you two decide
to come together to work together? Well well,
we by both being open. I'm gonna say that.
So Megan actually met my husband on an airplane.
(06:19):
And and he said, oh my gosh. You've got to meet my wife. And I
was like, here we go. But I was open. I was open. And then, you
know, he's always trying. He was like, you gotta meet this person and this person.
He's like, I met this woman on this airplane. She has four kids.
We have four kids. She, like, he he was just laying, and
you your energies are just so right. You've gotta meet her. And so
(06:40):
I called up Megan, and we talked, and it was kind of, like, instant
connection. Within ten minutes. Okay. Could we do this? Could we do
that? And then COVID hit, and
everything kind of went quiet because if you recall, as we all recall,
suddenly you're just trying to figure out what's next. And
for for me, I already had this communication and coaching business, so it
(07:02):
was how do you transition to Zoom? For Phyllis, it was
navigating with clients. How do you get into that? And then
I had a client come and say, can you help us build this
program on communication that we can do completely virtually?
And I had a dream, and I woke up in the middle of the night.
I said, I gotta call Phyllis Steli, and we're gonna do this together. And by
(07:23):
the way, eight kids between us, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving,
and I sent her a note. I said, hey. Do you wanna talk? I've got
stuff. She's I'm calling you right now, and bam. And
then that was started. And that's how we started. And we just dove
into it, and we got our we had our first client in two months, two
months, and we really haven't looked back. Yes. Well, yeah.
(07:44):
Awesome. We all said thank you. Yeah. I, you know, he,
he reminds me all the time, you know, I was the connection. I'm like, yeah,
I know. And he's in the mix. He's always sending notes like, hey. I thought
about this. You guys could do that. So it's awesome to have so much
support. And, he's got a great sense of humor, which helps.
Yes. I love it. Now, you know, the podcast is leadership purpose.
(08:06):
And so we're focusing on the career journeys and journey
to purpose. And so do you think this partnership is
part of your purpose, so to speak, in your work?
I would say it's 100% part of our purpose. I think we both felt
the passion separately. One of the things that's really
nice about having a partner in purpose, which is what Megan is
(08:29):
for me, and I think the same, like, is that you you
have a you have a thought partner. You have somebody to bounce things off. You
can you have somebody that you can call when you're like, you know, this is
a terrible day. And and she'll say, it's okay. You've got
this. You know, we we sort of coach each other back and forth in
different scenarios, and it is so helpful to keep us on the
path, to keep us on the road, to keep moving forward.
(08:52):
Because, you know, in life, if you're following your purpose,
like, if you do have days where you're like, I just gotta go get a
job, or I just have to go do this, or my kids had a really
bad day, so I'm having a bad day. And I and so to have that
partnership in that way is something if you can find the
right partner. Right? That's the hard part. It's really
(09:12):
magical. Yeah. I'll stay with this theme of purpose. So how
do you know you've gained your purpose? Because think of the women who are listening,
they're like, wow. Where I am right now and what where I am
in my life, necessarily the place, maybe the place where they're working,
but they're feeling like there must be more. And they're
having this sense of there's something missing, but I can't quite put my finger on
(09:35):
it. So hearing from you might help them get some clarity,
just little hints here and there to help put the pieces together for them.
So, like, what does that even look like for Phil? Like, how do you know?
It's well, that's a really interesting question. I think Phyllis and I
took different paths to get to where we are today, but I
think I found my purpose early, which is this idea that I can
(09:56):
work with other people to help them tap in to things they
didn't know they had and really deliver that. And
following that path through health care was really a critical
place for me to learn. What's interesting though is I
was thinking so early on, I was like, this is what I wanna do. I'm
working. I'm helping others, and I it's very focused on finding
(10:19):
your voice, finding your impact, finding your influence, and then what are
the levers you can push and pull. And then what do I wanna do to
expand that, or how do I wanna shift? And so what I'll say
is even if you find your purpose early, it might not
be you might do it one way for a while and then look and be
open to shifts that you can make that allow you to tap
(10:41):
into your own energy and yourself better. So
if there's women that are listening right now that are like, I'm not
sure if I'm doing the right thing, that's common and totally
normal. And maybe there's just some small shifts of what you're
currently doing that can be a building block that suddenly makes
you feel more fulfilled. It might not be a huge change,
(11:04):
but just, oh, I'm gonna take what I'm doing here, but I'm gonna do it
in a slightly different way or with a slightly different group. So I
would not underestimate the power of very small shifts to have
a big impact. Yeah. And I think for me, like, thinking about
purpose, you know, I mean, I went back. I actually saw in my yearbook that
I was like, I'm gonna be in advertising. I'm gonna do whatever. And then I
studied it, and then I went and did it. And as I got more into
(11:27):
it, it started to lose some meaning for me because it felt
it didn't have the depth of at the transformation that I wanted
to that I wanted to make and and the kind of work. And so what
I started doing is I knew I was making money
doing that. So you can't just walk away from that career. Right? I have a
I have four kids. I gotta put people through college. I gotta put all that
(11:49):
stuff. So I just started saying yes to
small things. People like, hey. Do you think you could come and teach them
improv at this conference? Or, hey. Do you think you could do some stuff? And
I started doing stuff for free. I mean, I I'm still I still to this
day, I do a lot of stuff, like, not as much as I as I
used to. But if somebody says that they've asked me to do something and kind
(12:09):
of it's interesting to me, I'll say yes. And it was through
saying yes to things that lit me up that seem kind
of interesting and challenging that led me to where I am today. If I
hadn't said yes to that conference twelve years ago,
I don't know if I'd be right here today. It was that one yes. It
kind of it's just a small pivot that puts you on a different path. Just
(12:32):
a little bit for both of you. But before you were invited to do that
conference, was there something in you that was already looking for something?
What were some of the signs that you were ready to make a change? Because
they might be having those signs. Well, I think it's partly we hear a
lot about the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset. But
I think it's if you have that growth mindset and curiosity,
(12:55):
then you're always looking a little bit. You're always interested. That's something
Phil's and I have in common. I say yes to a lot of things as
well that are interesting, get me excited, and are helping
someone else going to a conference, but also just say, hey.
Can you come in and help us think through this or do that? So if
you have the bandwidth to try something, it
(13:16):
oftentimes opens up that opportunity. And
so a little bit's about that. Don't lose the spark of curiosity,
even if it doesn't fit with exactly what you're doing right
now. I think many times people expect that they have to fit into this
box. Even for me, people say, oh, you're a speech pathologist.
You study psychology. How does that translate into storytelling for
(13:39):
businesses? Well, let me tell you. It does
because it comes down to this human connection piece. And if I
can help people be better at connecting with others, then
that's gonna drive them. But I could have done 10 other things with that same
degree and background. So maybe it's the idea of curiosity
trying things, even if it doesn't fit exactly with what you think you're
(14:02):
supposed to be doing. And just listen to yourself. You know, so many people are
willing to give you advice. By the way, much of it's
bad. Right? That's what they think you should be doing. So I think
we sometimes we turn outward for that instinct to, like, is this
the right thing? There's a lot of answers inside of us if we
tune in to our own instinct. And if you're having an
(14:24):
instinct, like, I don't know. I have a feeling, but I can't articulate it.
Like, just tune into the feeling and then allow that
feeling to get curious. And then take one
small step. One it doesn't have to be a big step. I I
those small steps just starts to open up maybe a slightly different
path, a slight pivot, and then you never know what's gonna happen.
(14:46):
Yes. Yes. I think neither of you or
maybe both of you experienced a sense of struggle
about it, or did you just stumble upon this, what you're
what you're sharing with us now about your purpose being fulfilled in
this sort of happy place, so to speak? Did you set up a plan and
say, I'm gonna do x, y, and z, and voila. Now I am
(15:09):
fulfilled with my purpose. Or did you stumble across
it? Or was there a struggle and you figured it out?
How did it happen? All the things. All the things, Robin. All the things.
So people it could be relatable to others. There was stumble. There
was struggle. And even when you find
excited about what we're doing, we love it. We just did a workshop yesterday.
(15:32):
We I mean, everyone's happy. They leave, and today, we're together
saying, okay. What could we do differently? What didn't we think about?
Is this and and I'd say, what, four times a year, we say,
are are we doing this right? Like, I don't know. Do we have to change
something? Yeah. We had that conversation a couple months ago. And I think if
you're not questioning and trying to figure out, is
(15:54):
this right? If you expect it to always be feel like you're in
the right spot, then you're probably not. Yeah.
And I think there's a there was a lot of there was a lot of
discovery and a lot of stumbling, and then something emerges and you're like,
okay. Like that. Right? And then that becomes something. And then you sort of stumble
around and trying to find your way and like, oh, there's another one. Like, we
(16:15):
now have sort of three products that we offer. But when we started, we're like,
let's just get a room and teach me. You know, it was very it was
it what it wasn't a clear vision. It was a feeling
that we acted on. And then over the last five
years, it has evolved. So if you look at our
business today, I don't think that we could have project we couldn't
(16:37):
we couldn't have said, oh, that's gonna be our business in five years. It it
just didn't work like that because it was very organic and
intuitive and instinctive, and, you know, we just allowed things to
emerge. And we let things go, and we probably said yes
to some things we should not have. That's how you
learn. Right? I mean so there's always a little bit of that stumble and
(16:59):
definitely a struggle in, is this right? Could it be different? Could it
be better? Sounds like you are able to move forward by focusing on
what you can do in the moment, Saying yes and doing that thing,
and then you would learn whether to keep going and and then yes
to the next thing and yes to the next thing. And before you now
before you know it, look, you have look, fear later what you have right
(17:22):
now. It sounds like it's a process, an ongoing process.
Yeah. We all we say a lot in our workshops. What we have right now
is now. It's it's right here today. Right? So if
you're always thinking about, oh, I could have made that decision or I should have
done that or maybe someday I'll be due. You you're gonna miss the
moment. So how can you be present for
(17:43):
what's possible in this moment? And by holding
on to that, number one, you can really tap into joy
because in this moment, we can all choose to be joyful, and we can we
can embrace what is right in front of us. And I and we have found
a lot of power and clarity in that practice.
Yes. And Phyllis taught me something which has been so helpful,
(18:06):
which is I tend to be I'm from New Jersey. Right? Like, I'm like, bam
bam bam. Let's do this. She said, Megan, sometimes we have to go slow
to go fast. And so I think that's a really
valuable lesson because sometimes it doesn't go as quickly as you
expected, but that slow part is where you're building. You're
trying. And then all of a sudden, you get to a place where, like, okay,
(18:27):
we can go. And I think that that showed up in our partnership and then
in some of the things that we pursued over the years. You two have been
dropping noise the whole way of just here's some it's based
on gold that we can take with us. And,
you've been generous with your time, and I know the time is getting close to
where you have to take off. But is there anything else that I didn't get
(18:49):
a chance to ask you that deliberately focuses on
that woman who's trying to find her way toward
fulfillment and purpose? She has the success.
She checked all the boxes. She has, by other
folks' standards, she has arrived, but now she's looking for
more. What's something each of you could leave her before we tell
(19:11):
people how they can get in touch with you? The first thing I always wanna
say is it's okay to want more. So many people
say, like, you have this, and don't you have enough, and isn't that enough?
And, you know, it's okay to be ambitious, and it's
okay to want more, and it's okay to say, I'm gonna push harder
and develop harder. So first of all, for anybody who's feeling bad that they want
(19:33):
more, don't feel bad. Grab it. Right? The other thing piece of
advice I would say is even if you don't have a partner, right, like, I
feel very fortunate to have Megan, There still are there are
groups out there. There are other women who are going through the same
thing. Find a cohort. Find a group of people. And if you
can't find one to join, create one. Invite some people who you
(19:55):
know are interested and who want more, who are looking for that
purpose. There something about community is just
it's just it's really powerful, and and, you know, we all need a we
all need those people who are rooting for us. And so that those would be
my two pieces of advice. Don't be afraid to want more and go find a
group that also wants to say love that. I think I'm gonna follow
(20:16):
that. And I would
say, in addition to what Phil said, I do think some
as you're trying to figure it out, communication
is a superpower, and human connection is really
what opens up opportunities that you didn't see coming. And so look
beyond your current circle. Who are the people you can connect with
(20:40):
beyond that? It doesn't mean you need something from them, but
making those connections, talking to them, engaging with them, joining a
club like there's the economic club in Chicago or something
like that, where you're just exposed and discussing different
topics, oftentimes opens up a path that you
couldn't have gotten to if you tried to go for it. I would
(21:02):
say just look for those points of connection beyond your
inner circle that are potentially gonna offer you something different than you
had. Yes. Megan, and tell us, who are the people
where they can be in touch with you if they wanna hear more? Yeah.
Well, you can check out our website, studio it's
studioreinvent.com, and follow us on LinkedIn. We we'd
(21:24):
love to have followers. We're putting content out all the time Yes. About
communications, about agile communication, about listening,
about the power of confidence. So so we'd love to have people follow us
and connect with us on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for sharing your
generosity and your insights. It was a delight to see partners
coming together and really making a difference. Thank you, Robin. Thank you,
(21:46):
Robin. Thanks for having us. Thanks for having us. Okay. Everyone and I
encourage you. I'd love to hear what you got from this
episode. Any insights and takeaways I'd love for you
to move on over to social media. I'm on all the channels, but I spend
most of my time on LinkedIn. So head on over to LinkedIn and let me
know. Follow me and send me a message. Let me know what you thought of
(22:07):
the episode. I'm at Robin L Owens
PhD, Robin l Owens PhD. And
until next time, this is doctor Robin.
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Leadership Purpose
with Dr Robin podcast. If you enjoyed it, head on
over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an
(22:30):
episode. New episodes drop every week, and
I can't wait to hang out with you again soon.
Meanwhile, this is Dr Robin
signing off. See you next time.
Welcome to the Leadership Purpose with Doctor Robin podcast.
I'm your host, Robin l Owens, PhD. I'm a college
professor. And when I'm not doing that, I am teaching others
how to find and stay in alignment with their true purpose.
And this is where we talk with women who've made bold career
transitions in search for more meaning and purpose in
(00:24):
their work. So So if you're feeling that pull toward more meaning and purpose in
your work or just curious about what's possible when you
pursue purpose over position, then these
conversations are here to encourage, inspire,
and guide you. Okay. Let's get started.
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Leadership Purpose
(00:47):
with Dr. Robin podcast. I'm so glad you're here.
Take time to listen into the podcast. I really appreciate it.
And because you've been such faithful listeners of the podcast, we've
been ranked at the top 5% of all podcasts
globally according to Listen Notes. So thank you. Really appreciate
you for listening and and doing that. And it would be a
(01:09):
great help if you go ahead rate, review, subscribe. I
know you hear those words all the time, but it really makes a difference with
a podcast. Alright. Today, I'm talking
to two amazing individuals.
I am talking with Phyllis Dealy and Megan
Benjamin. Now let me tell you about them. They're the cofounders of
(01:32):
Reinvent the World and Studio Reinvent, where they
guide executives and teams with clarity, communication
with purpose, and align strategy with impact.
They approach and blend systems thinking, I'm already
fascinated by that, Normal science, storytelling, and
strategic facilitation. Imagine that. And
(01:54):
I'll say a little bit about Phyllis and then about Megan. Phyllis is
a serial entrepreneur and creator of The Awareness
Factor, which we'll hear more about that. And she has worked with
clients like PepsiCo, FridaBaby, Aetna, and Susan
G Komen. Alright. And Megan is an executive communication
coach who helps leaders elevate connection and
(02:16):
influence using science backed techniques
like storytelling, brain coupling, and
conscious listening. And I can't wait to hear more from
both. Welcome, Megan and Phyllis. Thank you so much,
Robin. We're really excited to be here. Yes. Very excited to talk with you
today. So glad that you're here. Alright. So now you are
(02:38):
cofounders of Reinvent the World and Studio Reinvent.
Alright. So help us get like, place them. Are one in each or
you're both both tell us how how it's situated. So
so, Reinvent the World is a consulting firm, and we do work
together there. But I sort of run that part of the business.
And, then Meg and I are cofounders of Studio Reinvent, which is
(03:01):
the communications and training and coaching firm. So,
we we work together across both businesses. But I think today, we'd
love to focus and talk about our communications training. Love
it. Okay. Great. Alright. So now I typically say
when there's one person, so I'm gonna do the same. Tell me a little bit.
I've got just a little bit, but tell me a little bit about who you
(03:22):
are and what you do specifically, and you guys can go whatever order
you might already have a system where who goes first. Sure.
So my I'm Megan, the blonde one. Yeah.
So my background, I think of myself as a communication scientist. I
have advanced degrees in speech and hearing science and psychology,
(03:43):
and I really found my way into communication first
by studying, but then ultimately, being a health
care provider working with head and neck cancer patients,
realizing that truly communication is so much more than just one
piece. It's not just your voice. It's not just your
gestures. It's not it's all the things that work together, and that
(04:05):
also lies in the mind that you have. So you can
imagine if you've lost your voice due to cancer,
shifting that mindset and being able to show up and connect with people in a
different way is fundamentally critical in communication. And so
that allowed me to really do a deep dive and ultimately
see the expansion, I'd say, of this beyond,
(04:28):
just one population. And that led to
this idea of working with Phillips at Studio re
Invent to bring together some of that science with the storytelling.
And so Yeah. I'd say that's where where we started.
Right? Right. And my background is I've spent about thirty plus years in
marketing, advertising, and brand strategy, and I
(04:50):
pivoted out of doing that full time about ten
years ago to really start to work more deeply with leaders
and with organizations, but partnered up with Megan
because I love to take that storytelling and that idea of how do you how
do you show up? How do you wanna show up in the world from the
brand space into the personal space and working with leaders to
(05:12):
help sell in their brands, not just do the advertising part. So we really
found some synergies together, bringing the science with the storytelling,
and we just love what we do. Yes. And we developed a
methodology called agile communication methodology
because, really, it is all about agility. It's not a
script. It's not a deck. It's all these levers that you can
(05:34):
push and pull that, we think we help people tap
into, really. Yeah. Yeah. That's going to push. It's a
little difficult to hear. We know. I think, I think my first
time, I know I interviewed a group of three before, but not
two business partners in this way. So I wanna focus in
on because I'm imagining there's somebody who could be thinking about,
(05:57):
hey. I wonder if I should partner with someone who have I have synergy
with. So let's focus on their that for a moment,
and then we'll go we'll take it from there. So how did you two decide
to come together to work together? Well well,
we by both being open. I'm gonna say that.
So Megan actually met my husband on an airplane.
(06:19):
And and he said, oh my gosh. You've got to meet my wife. And I
was like, here we go. But I was open. I was open. And then, you
know, he's always trying. He was like, you gotta meet this person and this person.
He's like, I met this woman on this airplane. She has four kids.
We have four kids. She, like, he he was just laying, and
you your energies are just so right. You've gotta meet her. And so
(06:40):
I called up Megan, and we talked, and it was kind of, like, instant
connection. Within ten minutes. Okay. Could we do this? Could we do
that? And then COVID hit, and
everything kind of went quiet because if you recall, as we all recall,
suddenly you're just trying to figure out what's next. And
for for me, I already had this communication and coaching business, so it
(07:02):
was how do you transition to Zoom? For Phyllis, it was
navigating with clients. How do you get into that? And then
I had a client come and say, can you help us build this
program on communication that we can do completely virtually?
And I had a dream, and I woke up in the middle of the night.
I said, I gotta call Phyllis Steli, and we're gonna do this together. And by
(07:23):
the way, eight kids between us, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving,
and I sent her a note. I said, hey. Do you wanna talk? I've got
stuff. She's I'm calling you right now, and bam. And
then that was started. And that's how we started. And we just dove
into it, and we got our we had our first client in two months, two
months, and we really haven't looked back. Yes. Well, yeah.
(07:44):
Awesome. We all said thank you. Yeah. I, you know, he,
he reminds me all the time, you know, I was the connection. I'm like, yeah,
I know. And he's in the mix. He's always sending notes like, hey. I thought
about this. You guys could do that. So it's awesome to have so much
support. And, he's got a great sense of humor, which helps.
Yes. I love it. Now, you know, the podcast is leadership purpose.
(08:06):
And so we're focusing on the career journeys and journey
to purpose. And so do you think this partnership is
part of your purpose, so to speak, in your work?
I would say it's 100% part of our purpose. I think we both felt
the passion separately. One of the things that's really
nice about having a partner in purpose, which is what Megan is
(08:29):
for me, and I think the same, like, is that you you
have a you have a thought partner. You have somebody to bounce things off. You
can you have somebody that you can call when you're like, you know, this is
a terrible day. And and she'll say, it's okay. You've got
this. You know, we we sort of coach each other back and forth in
different scenarios, and it is so helpful to keep us on the
path, to keep us on the road, to keep moving forward.
(08:52):
Because, you know, in life, if you're following your purpose,
like, if you do have days where you're like, I just gotta go get a
job, or I just have to go do this, or my kids had a really
bad day, so I'm having a bad day. And I and so to have that
partnership in that way is something if you can find the
right partner. Right? That's the hard part. It's really
(09:12):
magical. Yeah. I'll stay with this theme of purpose. So how
do you know you've gained your purpose? Because think of the women who are listening,
they're like, wow. Where I am right now and what where I am
in my life, necessarily the place, maybe the place where they're working,
but they're feeling like there must be more. And they're
having this sense of there's something missing, but I can't quite put my finger on
(09:35):
it. So hearing from you might help them get some clarity,
just little hints here and there to help put the pieces together for them.
So, like, what does that even look like for Phil? Like, how do you know?
It's well, that's a really interesting question. I think Phyllis and I
took different paths to get to where we are today, but I
think I found my purpose early, which is this idea that I can
(09:56):
work with other people to help them tap in to things they
didn't know they had and really deliver that. And
following that path through health care was really a critical
place for me to learn. What's interesting though is I
was thinking so early on, I was like, this is what I wanna do. I'm
working. I'm helping others, and I it's very focused on finding
(10:19):
your voice, finding your impact, finding your influence, and then what are
the levers you can push and pull. And then what do I wanna do to
expand that, or how do I wanna shift? And so what I'll say
is even if you find your purpose early, it might not
be you might do it one way for a while and then look and be
open to shifts that you can make that allow you to tap
(10:41):
into your own energy and yourself better. So
if there's women that are listening right now that are like, I'm not
sure if I'm doing the right thing, that's common and totally
normal. And maybe there's just some small shifts of what you're
currently doing that can be a building block that suddenly makes
you feel more fulfilled. It might not be a huge change,
(11:04):
but just, oh, I'm gonna take what I'm doing here, but I'm gonna do it
in a slightly different way or with a slightly different group. So I
would not underestimate the power of very small shifts to have
a big impact. Yeah. And I think for me, like, thinking about
purpose, you know, I mean, I went back. I actually saw in my yearbook that
I was like, I'm gonna be in advertising. I'm gonna do whatever. And then I
studied it, and then I went and did it. And as I got more into
(11:27):
it, it started to lose some meaning for me because it felt
it didn't have the depth of at the transformation that I wanted
to that I wanted to make and and the kind of work. And so what
I started doing is I knew I was making money
doing that. So you can't just walk away from that career. Right? I have a
I have four kids. I gotta put people through college. I gotta put all that
(11:49):
stuff. So I just started saying yes to
small things. People like, hey. Do you think you could come and teach them
improv at this conference? Or, hey. Do you think you could do some stuff? And
I started doing stuff for free. I mean, I I'm still I still to this
day, I do a lot of stuff, like, not as much as I as I
used to. But if somebody says that they've asked me to do something and kind
(12:09):
of it's interesting to me, I'll say yes. And it was through
saying yes to things that lit me up that seem kind
of interesting and challenging that led me to where I am today. If I
hadn't said yes to that conference twelve years ago,
I don't know if I'd be right here today. It was that one yes. It
kind of it's just a small pivot that puts you on a different path. Just
(12:32):
a little bit for both of you. But before you were invited to do that
conference, was there something in you that was already looking for something?
What were some of the signs that you were ready to make a change? Because
they might be having those signs. Well, I think it's partly we hear a
lot about the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset. But
I think it's if you have that growth mindset and curiosity,
(12:55):
then you're always looking a little bit. You're always interested. That's something
Phil's and I have in common. I say yes to a lot of things as
well that are interesting, get me excited, and are helping
someone else going to a conference, but also just say, hey.
Can you come in and help us think through this or do that? So if
you have the bandwidth to try something, it
(13:16):
oftentimes opens up that opportunity. And
so a little bit's about that. Don't lose the spark of curiosity,
even if it doesn't fit with exactly what you're doing right
now. I think many times people expect that they have to fit into this
box. Even for me, people say, oh, you're a speech pathologist.
You study psychology. How does that translate into storytelling for
(13:39):
businesses? Well, let me tell you. It does
because it comes down to this human connection piece. And if I
can help people be better at connecting with others, then
that's gonna drive them. But I could have done 10 other things with that same
degree and background. So maybe it's the idea of curiosity
trying things, even if it doesn't fit exactly with what you think you're
(14:02):
supposed to be doing. And just listen to yourself. You know, so many people are
willing to give you advice. By the way, much of it's
bad. Right? That's what they think you should be doing. So I think
we sometimes we turn outward for that instinct to, like, is this
the right thing? There's a lot of answers inside of us if we
tune in to our own instinct. And if you're having an
(14:24):
instinct, like, I don't know. I have a feeling, but I can't articulate it.
Like, just tune into the feeling and then allow that
feeling to get curious. And then take one
small step. One it doesn't have to be a big step. I I
those small steps just starts to open up maybe a slightly different
path, a slight pivot, and then you never know what's gonna happen.
(14:46):
Yes. Yes. I think neither of you or
maybe both of you experienced a sense of struggle
about it, or did you just stumble upon this, what you're
what you're sharing with us now about your purpose being fulfilled in
this sort of happy place, so to speak? Did you set up a plan and
say, I'm gonna do x, y, and z, and voila. Now I am
(15:09):
fulfilled with my purpose. Or did you stumble across
it? Or was there a struggle and you figured it out?
How did it happen? All the things. All the things, Robin. All the things.
So people it could be relatable to others. There was stumble. There
was struggle. And even when you find
excited about what we're doing, we love it. We just did a workshop yesterday.
(15:32):
We I mean, everyone's happy. They leave, and today, we're together
saying, okay. What could we do differently? What didn't we think about?
Is this and and I'd say, what, four times a year, we say,
are are we doing this right? Like, I don't know. Do we have to change
something? Yeah. We had that conversation a couple months ago. And I think if
you're not questioning and trying to figure out, is
(15:54):
this right? If you expect it to always be feel like you're in
the right spot, then you're probably not. Yeah.
And I think there's a there was a lot of there was a lot of
discovery and a lot of stumbling, and then something emerges and you're like,
okay. Like that. Right? And then that becomes something. And then you sort of stumble
around and trying to find your way and like, oh, there's another one. Like, we
(16:15):
now have sort of three products that we offer. But when we started, we're like,
let's just get a room and teach me. You know, it was very it was
it what it wasn't a clear vision. It was a feeling
that we acted on. And then over the last five
years, it has evolved. So if you look at our
business today, I don't think that we could have project we couldn't
(16:37):
we couldn't have said, oh, that's gonna be our business in five years. It it
just didn't work like that because it was very organic and
intuitive and instinctive, and, you know, we just allowed things to
emerge. And we let things go, and we probably said yes
to some things we should not have. That's how you
learn. Right? I mean so there's always a little bit of that stumble and
(16:59):
definitely a struggle in, is this right? Could it be different? Could it
be better? Sounds like you are able to move forward by focusing on
what you can do in the moment, Saying yes and doing that thing,
and then you would learn whether to keep going and and then yes
to the next thing and yes to the next thing. And before you now
before you know it, look, you have look, fear later what you have right
(17:22):
now. It sounds like it's a process, an ongoing process.
Yeah. We all we say a lot in our workshops. What we have right now
is now. It's it's right here today. Right? So if
you're always thinking about, oh, I could have made that decision or I should have
done that or maybe someday I'll be due. You you're gonna miss the
moment. So how can you be present for
(17:43):
what's possible in this moment? And by holding
on to that, number one, you can really tap into joy
because in this moment, we can all choose to be joyful, and we can we
can embrace what is right in front of us. And I and we have found
a lot of power and clarity in that practice.
Yes. And Phyllis taught me something which has been so helpful,
(18:06):
which is I tend to be I'm from New Jersey. Right? Like, I'm like, bam
bam bam. Let's do this. She said, Megan, sometimes we have to go slow
to go fast. And so I think that's a really
valuable lesson because sometimes it doesn't go as quickly as you
expected, but that slow part is where you're building. You're
trying. And then all of a sudden, you get to a place where, like, okay,
(18:27):
we can go. And I think that that showed up in our partnership and then
in some of the things that we pursued over the years. You two have been
dropping noise the whole way of just here's some it's based
on gold that we can take with us. And,
you've been generous with your time, and I know the time is getting close to
where you have to take off. But is there anything else that I didn't get
(18:49):
a chance to ask you that deliberately focuses on
that woman who's trying to find her way toward
fulfillment and purpose? She has the success.
She checked all the boxes. She has, by other
folks' standards, she has arrived, but now she's looking for
more. What's something each of you could leave her before we tell
(19:11):
people how they can get in touch with you? The first thing I always wanna
say is it's okay to want more. So many people
say, like, you have this, and don't you have enough, and isn't that enough?
And, you know, it's okay to be ambitious, and it's
okay to want more, and it's okay to say, I'm gonna push harder
and develop harder. So first of all, for anybody who's feeling bad that they want
(19:33):
more, don't feel bad. Grab it. Right? The other thing piece of
advice I would say is even if you don't have a partner, right, like, I
feel very fortunate to have Megan, There still are there are
groups out there. There are other women who are going through the same
thing. Find a cohort. Find a group of people. And if you
can't find one to join, create one. Invite some people who you
(19:55):
know are interested and who want more, who are looking for that
purpose. There something about community is just
it's just it's really powerful, and and, you know, we all need a we
all need those people who are rooting for us. And so that those would be
my two pieces of advice. Don't be afraid to want more and go find a
group that also wants to say love that. I think I'm gonna follow
(20:16):
that. And I would
say, in addition to what Phil said, I do think some
as you're trying to figure it out, communication
is a superpower, and human connection is really
what opens up opportunities that you didn't see coming. And so look
beyond your current circle. Who are the people you can connect with
(20:40):
beyond that? It doesn't mean you need something from them, but
making those connections, talking to them, engaging with them, joining a
club like there's the economic club in Chicago or something
like that, where you're just exposed and discussing different
topics, oftentimes opens up a path that you
couldn't have gotten to if you tried to go for it. I would
(21:02):
say just look for those points of connection beyond your
inner circle that are potentially gonna offer you something different than you
had. Yes. Megan, and tell us, who are the people
where they can be in touch with you if they wanna hear more? Yeah.
Well, you can check out our website, studio it's
studioreinvent.com, and follow us on LinkedIn. We we'd
(21:24):
love to have followers. We're putting content out all the time Yes. About
communications, about agile communication, about listening,
about the power of confidence. So so we'd love to have people follow us
and connect with us on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for sharing your
generosity and your insights. It was a delight to see partners
coming together and really making a difference. Thank you, Robin. Thank you,
(21:46):
Robin. Thanks for having us. Thanks for having us. Okay. Everyone and I
encourage you. I'd love to hear what you got from this
episode. Any insights and takeaways I'd love for you
to move on over to social media. I'm on all the channels, but I spend
most of my time on LinkedIn. So head on over to LinkedIn and let me
know. Follow me and send me a message. Let me know what you thought of
(22:07):
the episode. I'm at Robin L Owens
PhD, Robin l Owens PhD. And
until next time, this is doctor Robin.
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Leadership Purpose
with Dr Robin podcast. If you enjoyed it, head on
over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an
(22:30):
episode. New episodes drop every week, and
I can't wait to hang out with you again soon.
Meanwhile, this is Dr Robin
signing off. See you next time.
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