January 28, 2025 • 41 mins
Kyle Goodknight chats with Brigitte Bojkowszky about leadership, diversity, and challenges in aviation. They draw parallels between paramedic work and entrepreneurship, focusing on vision, mission, and values in branding. The discussion covers emotional branding, mission evolution, and education's impact on Brigitte's career. She shares her setbacks, teaching transition, and entrepreneurial insights. Key themes include personal branding, mindset, and resilience, with Kyle discussing his business pivot. The episode wraps up with thoughts on rebranding, storytelling, and how to connect with Brigitte.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
You're going introspection first, either as aperson, as a leader or as a company.
(00:05):
It's about why am I doing what I'm doing?
It's about the higher purpose.
Yeah?
It's just the here and now and how do I getthere where I wanna go?
Hello, and welcome back to the Ignition Pathpodcast.
I'm your host, Kyle Goodnight.
(00:26):
And before we get into our guest today, I justwanna get take share care of some some,
secretarial things.
Make sure you like, share, subscribe.
If you hear something during this episode thatthat resonates with you, don't hesitate to
share it with your friends.
And my my puppy just joined the show.
She's I don't know what her deal is.
She just jumped I'm surprised you guys didn'tsee her right here.
But nonetheless, I've got her in my room withme.
(00:48):
She's my, she's my in in in house cohost todayoff camera.
But, today, we have Bridgette Boikowski.
She is an entrepreneur with a heck of a nicepath that how she got there.
I've never interviewed, someone who had donewhat she has what she did before she became an
entrepreneur.
So I'm excited to hear about that, that processand what she learned during those during that
(01:10):
time and and what made her want to become anentrepreneur.
So welcome to the show, Bridget.
How are you?
Hi, Kyle.
Thank you so much for having me today.
Besides Poppy as 1 of the most important guestsup the shore, you'll so I'm happy to be here
with you.
Thank you so much.
No no problem.
(01:30):
So yeah.
So just start off a little bit.
Like, I know in our pre call, you talked aboutwhat you did in the corporate world or slash
what you what you did as a full time job.
You know, that wasn't all on you.
Like, you worked for a corporation, and you,and and I'll let you tell the story.
I I kinda I know what what industry it is in,but but I'm excited to hear about that part of
the industry and how long you worked there.
(01:51):
So go ahead and tell a little bit aboutyourself, where you're from, what you're, and
and, basically, where you started and and kindajust talk about that, and we'll go from there.
K.
Okay.
Hi.
So my name is Brigitte Bekovsky.
I'm a brand identity strategist and businesseducator.
I'm located in Austria.
I'm operating from a very small country in themiddle of Europe, but I'm operating on an
(02:16):
international, level.
And what I am doing is that with, let's say,more than two decades of global expertise in
crafting and transforming brands, I'm now,yeah, an entrepreneur and help individuals, but
(02:37):
also organizations craft and create and shapeand reshape, brand identities, whether it's a
corporation as an identity and or it's a personand a person can be a leader.
So here we talk about leadership branding orpersonal branding per se, and that has
different many different facets.
(02:58):
But the core of it all is all about creatingidentities that are authentically shine.
So that's what we are.
And, yeah.
And my journey started somewhere, somewhereelse, let's say.
Somewhere completely different.
So it's it's it's a really funny, funny journeybecause at the end of the day, it's like a
(03:22):
puzzle and everything comes together.
So my journey started as a flight attendant,then I became a student, then a corporate
leader, then I became a student again, and thenI became a teaching professor and then an
entrepreneur.
And that's me.
So that's a rather unconventional, journey.
(03:43):
Especially when you start as a flight attendantand
Yeah.
And how that kinda shaped what you did.
Was it, you know, talk a little bit about thosedays where was there you know, I'm sure at the
beginning, there was excitement and travel andpositive, but was there anything inside of that
flight attendant world that you were like, youknow, I gotta get the hell out of here?
I mean, you know, it it was, I think, the mostfascinating and exciting time in my life.
(04:07):
I mean, it's a life in the sky.
I served as a head flight attendant at the endof the day.
It was an incredible experience, not just fortravel and getting to know the world because I
was mostly on long hauls, but it also taught meso much about leadership because as a head
flight attendant, you are responsible for acrew, for your passengers.
(04:29):
Sure, you have to report to to the cockpit, butstill, it's it's, it's a responsibility.
And then also navigating, through this culturaldiversity.
You're getting to know so many differentcultures and people and understandings and why
do people what and how do people approachdifferent topics.
So that that was really interesting and the wayof how they live and everything around that And
(04:56):
also about, yeah, the different brands in thedifferent countries and their origin and why
they became big.
So it was also, really interesting in thatregard.
But I think the most important thing was aboutcreating exceptional and memorable experiences
for passengers on board.
And that's where my passion for excellencefirst took root because I have a passion for
(05:23):
brand excellence.
At the airline, our slogan was service is oursuccess.
So it is about the service you provide.
And this is unique.
This is relevant.
This is specific.
And that has a certain excellence that's comingalong.
And then when you know what that is, what yoursuperpower is and what you're really good at,
(05:45):
you attract those kind of people, those kind ofclients.
Right?
And you want those.
You know what attract everyone because youcannot serve everyone.
But this is this is my recipe.
This is where my sweet spot is coming from.
And everything else after that just added ontothat path.
Yeah.
(06:06):
Because flying around the world is fun, but itit becomes a routine even though you have,
like, here is almost an emergency and here isan irregularity.
But it's it Troubleshooting all the time.
Right.
Yeah.
Exactly.
That's exactly what I was gonna say that youwere, like, we're we're kinda reading each
other's mind there a little bit because, youknow, my my full time gig is I'm a paramedic.
(06:27):
Okay?
There's a lot of troubleshooting in paramedicworld.
Right?
Yeah.
Like, we could get a dispatch that says you gotdifficulty breathing.
We get there, and it's really a heart attack,which also incorporates difficulty breathing.
And, so you've gotta troubleshoot things.
So having that background, it makes so muchsense that it added to your your overall depth
of being an entrepreneur because, like, I can'teven I mean, I remember a couple I mean, I
(06:50):
remember a I've had some interactions with,positive ones, you know, interactions with
flight attendants before, and I still rememberit.
You know?
I mean, there was a time when I called out tothe to the to the airplane that we had someone
unresponsive, and I grabbed him to the floorand started to do my assessment to do CPR on
the guy.
Right?
And the flight attendants are the ones thatengage with me and said, we're trained.
(07:11):
You know, what do you, you know, what are youwhat do you do?
And I said, I'm a respiratory therapist.
And because I was only a therapist at the time,I wasn't a paramedic.
But I knew all the cardiac arrests, you know,CPR stuff.
So we had a nurse, a doctor, and me, plus theflight attendants who opened up their kits, and
they had everything that I would need to run acardiac arrest for a little bit until they
landed.
Right?
And so it was just 1 of those things, like, Iremember those gals, and they were just so
(07:33):
thankful and and so accommodating and, youknow, with you know, they basically after that
after he was fine and everything, we only had,like, an hour left in our trip.
And I'll tell you what, they treated me and myfriends like we were royalty after that.
It was
it was I know that
that that's not what I was striving for, butthey really appreciated the fact that it wasn't
all on them.
(07:54):
And and to know what you have to be trained forin that situation, you have to be trained to
deescalate.
You I mean, you have to be trained in some formof of primary medical stuff.
You have to be trained in in in hospitality.
Like, it's such a cool industry, and it alwaysseemed intriguing to me, but it was 1 of those
things where I just couldn't be away from myfamily like that.
You know?
Like, it's definitely for me, it would've beenlike, okay.
(08:16):
When I was single, that'd have been a greatthing to do.
But but yeah.
So it's 1 of those I've I've never really knowntoo many, you know, flight attendants, so this
is really cool to hear how flight attendantactually shaped your entrepreneurial path.
Yeah.
I mean, it's a long time ago.
Yeah.
We're talking about here.
When did I start thirty three years ago?
But still, you know, and also working then inteams, like, you experienced that.
(08:39):
You know, everyone has protocol, has procedure.
Right.
And it's it's it's a way of how you do that.
Right?
So, you know exactly where you're coming fromand you you just, you know, you operate.
You operate and you're gonna solve thatproblem.
This is this is in the forefront.
Yeah.
Right.
And,
They gave you those tools that you need tosolve the problems for these companies and
(08:59):
these businesses that have branding issues.
And and that also you said some there's so muchthat you said that I wanna unpackage just in
your intro.
So, like, I told you we would have things totalk about because, that's how I think I think,
like, on the fly.
So 1 of the things that you said is you told mewhat the what the slogan was.
And, you know, I have a slogan.
It's Ignition Path podcast, igniting yourentrepreneurial path.
(09:21):
So it it's all in the name.
It's all in the description.
Another thing that we talked about last weekwas if you having a personal mission statement.
You know, I have a mission statement for mypersonal business.
My company that I work for as an EMT or as aparamedic has a mission statement.
So talk a little bit about mission statementsand what what what do you take to new companies
(09:43):
about mission statements?
Because I truly believe and you can tell methat you think they're crap.
But, tell me what you think about missionstatements and what they do and how they shape
a business.
Yeah.
So I think that, really starts with the core ofbranding.
And a mission statement is about is is you'regoing introspection first, either as a person,
(10:03):
as a leader or as a company.
It's about why am I doing what I'm doing.
It's about the higher purpose.
Yeah?
It's just the here and now and how do I getthere where I want to go?
And that's where I want to go is my vision.
A vision is always what do I want to achieve atthe end of the day or what's the legacy I want
(10:25):
to leave behind?
What is the like the overall goal you mightnever achieve?
Maybe you pass it down to the next generation.
It's something that is, infinite very often.
Yeah.
It just caused that is something that that thatis where your passion is and that's what you do
because you have to do it.
That is your why.
(10:45):
And a mission gives you all the little steps ofhow you're going to achieve that.
And I think every company should have a clearunderstanding what a vision is.
It's a short sentence is, a world of shiningbrands, for example.
When it comes to me as a as a brand identitystrategist, but also the mission, how you get
(11:08):
there.
And then you need the values, your fundamental,your core values that help you.
Yeah.
On this mission, to accomplish.
Yeah.
And, to get you to, to your vision.
That's what you are visualizing in your, foryour company, what you stand for at the end of
(11:29):
the day.
This all comes together.
You want to say something?
No.
No.
I just I I totally agree there because
I just reviewed I just pulled up my you know,I'm on my computer, so I pulled up my mission
statement.
I haven't looked at it for a while, but I'mlike, I just read I just kinda glanced through
my mission statement, and literally, as I'mreading it, everything you're saying is ticking
off.
I'm like, okay.
Did it?
Okay.
Did it?
Did it happen?
(11:49):
Like, when it core values, you're like, talk Italk about being a father, you know, like like,
this the my mission statement is me as a whole.
Right?
And it very much and it it very muchincorporates not only my medical background and
what I do for EMS and the community, but it butit all translates into what I do for my clients
when it comes to podcasting and growth.
(12:10):
I'm I'm right there.
I'm I'm compassionate.
You know, I am understanding.
You know, I have 1 client that lived inIreland, last week, or she lives in Ireland
now, but she they lost their power.
Like, Ireland had some really bad storms, andwe had to pivot.
We were supposed to do a whole bunch of projecttogether and and work on some stuff, and she
didn't have any power.
And then she's working out of a hotel, and I'mlike, okay.
(12:30):
She's still trying to get content out and dowhat she's doing in her coaching service.
Like, okay.
We're gonna we're gonna put a pause oneverything for my services.
And when she gets back on her feet again, oncepower comes back on so there's there once you
work with people, you know, part of thatmission is is your values and how you pivot
when something happens that that is that is,you know, different than what the path was.
(12:52):
We were supposed to record a podcast.
We were supposed to edit that podcast.
Mhmm.
And we were supposed to, produce that podcastaltogether so I could teach her how to do it.
And all of a sudden, that just blew up in 1day, and we haven't done it.
And it's been been a week.
So now we're a week behind in her schedule, inher brain, but I'm like, it's okay.
It's okay.
As long as you're safe, please be safe.
You know?
Like like, there's Yeah.
There's compassion and care that goes out aboveand beyond the time that I'm on a on an
(13:15):
ambulance, and I go and I try to help someonewith a heart attack.
It extends into this business.
And and everything you said there really,really resonated with me, and and I'm glad that
you shared that message because I think it's soimportant that anybody out there listening to
the Ignition Path podcast and trying to find,maybe they're at the beginning of their path or
in the middle of their path or trying to thinkabout pivoting in their path, and now they're
(13:37):
at a fork in the road, and it's still a path.
Like, what do I take?
The main thing is is go back to your missionstatement.
If you don't have a mission statement, go andsearch through it and create 1.
Yeah.
And and as I say, everything around it is likeyour vision and also your core values.
And it's not something that, is stays forever.
(13:58):
It also evolves with you as a person, with youas a business, because we are, not insulated.
We are exposed to external environment, topolitical situations, to consumer trends, to
innovations.
So there is always something that is going on.
So you revisit your mission statement.
(14:20):
Yeah.
You revisit your values because also yourvalues, can change over time.
Maybe the value stays the same.
For example, a good example of mine, you know,I had a value.
1 of my values was beauty.
Yeah.
Because beauty as a flight attendant, youalways had to be, you know, beautiful and take
(14:41):
care of your body and you
like that.
You represent an airline and and you behaveaccordingly.
You have a certain presence.
Right.
So, and then over time, beauty took on adifferent meaning.
For me, it's also the inner beauty that whatyou bring to the table for me now as an
(15:03):
entrepreneur is my experience, my expertise, myknow how, everything that makes me that person
to offer that service in my best possibleversion.
So the beauty has become different.
I use instead excellence, because it's it'smore professional and because you also have to
(15:25):
be careful working in different industrybecause they already put you in a box.
Beauty, ah, she's working with fashion, she'sworking with, you know, other body care brands
or whatsoever.
So I talk about excellence and in this andbeauty is a descriptor of that specific value.
And excellence for me is also something, thateveryone is should strive for because it means
(15:53):
you want to become a better version ofyourself.
You are operating in excellence.
That's that's that's what what for me isimportant because I want to give the best
possible service and that should not beconfused with perfectionism, perfection
(16:15):
perfection not that I get it out.
Perfectionism.
Yeah.
Because a lot of people are striving forperfectionism.
And that does not make us relatable.
No, we get first of all, we can't be.
We reach about to 80%.
The rest of the 20% is so much hassle and workand you never achieve it and then you're not
(16:38):
satisfied.
And that also resonates.
So if if if you're just striving forperfectionism, it takes away from your
authenticity.
And your authenticity is important in order to,to, elicit emotions from others, to connect
(16:58):
with others on this emotional level.
And that's where a brand really creates animpact.
You want to make others feel with your brand.
Right.
Just think about your favorite brand and whatyou feel about it.
It makes you excited.
You know, you want to have that.
You're proud of it.
You're using it.
You're showing it.
(17:20):
There's a certain passion coming in, right?
So that's what you want to achieve.
And, also this such a an emotional bond alsomakes you as a brain sticky because they
purchase you.
Yeah.
And I'm not thinking about exactly.
So the consideration set of other brandsbecomes very small because you want to stick
(17:44):
with that brand.
For example, I stick with Apple because I canrely on it.
It's my whole ecosystem here.
Even though maybe other other technology mightbe even better, other brands might be better.
So no.
Yeah.
I'm going with this.
It also looks good.
So we're coming back to that.
Yeah.
But it's all encompassing.
(18:04):
I'm on both sides of the fence on that 1.
So
Yeah.
Well, you know Yeah.
It's a very polarizing brand, though.
Right.
Right.
I have to say that.
Well, when when you when you mentioned strivingfor perfection perfectionism, that's actually a
really good lead in to, to my sponsor.
So 1 of my sponsor 1 of my sponsors that I havethat I'm getting ready to put up here talks
about specifically getting rid ofperservectionism when it becomes a problem and
(18:26):
it's holding you back.
So Yeah.
Real quick, we're gonna hear from my sponsor,and, we'll come back, and we'll dive into the
schooling part of what you mentioned earlierabout what schooling did for your
entrepreneurial path.
So real quick, we're gonna hear from DanielPackard and what he does when it comes to
anxiety, perfectionism, self self doubt, and,people pleasing.
So we'll be right back.
Let me ask you a question.
(18:47):
Would your life be better if whatever you'restruggling with, you could finally break free
of?
So what am I talking about?
The funky 5.
What's the funky 5 you ask?
It's those oh so familiar struggles,procrastination, people pleasing,
perfectionism, low self confidence, and the 1 Icall the big a, anxiety.
(19:07):
For years I struggled to manage my own version,I call them my funky 3.
I had 3 of these funky 5 weighing me down.
I've tried just about everything to deal withthem.
Then a guest on my podcast, Daniel Packard,shared with me a profound thought that I had
never thought of.
So Daniel, a UC Berkeley engineer, spent eightyears working with this team and over 3000
(19:29):
people to create an approach that doesn't justhelp you manage these issues, it actually frees
you from them by getting right to the root ofwhat's holding you back.
So after meeting with Daniel, I decided to giveit a shot, and within six short weeks, gone.
Truly gone.
I was so amazed.
The number 1 thing I was dealing with wasprocrastination, but miraculously a deeper
(19:51):
rooted struggle with people pleasing, somethingI'd been unknowingly battling for a lifetime,
lifted entirely.
And the anxiety that came with them both, goneas well.
Are you tired of battling any of your funkyfives?
People pleasing, procrastination,perfectionism, low self confidence, and the
biggest happy killer of them all the a wordanxiety.
(20:14):
Imagine how much better life would be if youweren't just managing these things but free of
them quickly and yes, permanently.
If you're ready for a real solution, head todanielpacker.com and get his free ninety minute
training.
Daniel himself will walk you through what makeshis approach so different and teach you a
technique you can use immediately to startfeeling the difference.
(20:37):
So if any of the funky five or maybe your ownversion of the funky five are holding you back,
don't wait.
Visit danielpacker.com.
You can truly get results and start living thelife you want.
Okay.
And we're back.
And once again, please, please, please contactDaniel if, if any of what he's I said during
(20:58):
that resonates with you.
You have anxiety.
You have perfectionism issues.
You have, people pleasing or or self doubt.
What a great I went through his program.
I'm a completely different person since then,and I don't have the anxiety that led back to
the people pleasing and all that anymore.
So, now we're back with Bridget Bukowski andand her entrepreneurial path.
(21:18):
We heard earlier before the break that she, wasa flight attendant and how that shaped her, but
she also mentioned that she went back to schoola couple of times.
So talk a little bit about what you did inschool and how that shaped your entrepreneurial
path at this point.
Yeah.
So it was really interesting because, at mytime when I was a flight attendant, I was not,
(21:39):
flying and studying.
I couldn't do both, so I had to choose.
And since I was intellectually a little bitchallenged and also knowing that my contract
ended with the age of 36, I knew I didn't havemuch time because what am I doing after the
year of 36 or the age of 36?
(22:00):
And at that time, it was like that, you know?
So I knew I needed to jump plane in, not jumpship, but jump plane.
And Hope I had
a first shoot on.
Because I knew there was something else and, Ihad to find it.
So I was searching for this higher purpose andI knew, I like to educate people.
(22:24):
I always like like to train people also on theplane.
So I did my master's in business education.
So I became a certified teacher, but also myspecialization was in international marketing
and management.
And that's where my love for the global brandsand also my my experience and history of being
a flight attendant.
I saw the world as a as a small little, youknow, planet.
(22:47):
And so for me, this was something I really
in the universe.
We are a small planet.
Yes.
We are.
We're we're just piece of dust in the windcompared to the whole universe.
So
Absolutely.
So that's where I saw I could kind of pursue,my my international experience and also then,
(23:08):
yeah, study that.
And then I, became a corporate.
I was working for different companies, but thenI was offered a position as a PhD student in
the in the for a doctorate to, to go for thedoctorate of international marketing and
management.
So I did that and always with, a clear goal inmind to go back to the airline industry because
(23:36):
that's, you know, once you are, with thatindustry, you kind of get infected.
It's like a virus.
You will always have that, you know, planes andtravelling.
And so but the airline industry was,consolidating, at that time and was firing then
hiring.
So it was a huge setback for me not being ableto go back.
(23:59):
So for me, the world somehow collapsed and Ihad to pivot and explore other opportunities.
So then I went into real estate and, during thetime of the financial crisis, you know what
happened?
So the whole.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Real estate, industry collapsed.
(24:20):
And I also, did the company that I worked foras a head of market research, went bankrupt.
And at that time, I really like I realized thatmy my professional identity had, had been too
closely tied to the company I worked for.
(24:41):
So, I kind of lost my own identity in so farbecause I was working and I was working.
I was just identifying myself with that job andwith that industry and with that company.
And so it dawned on me how viable it is tobuild a personal brand, a unique identity that
is disconnected from from a company brand toform a job or from a title.
(25:08):
And, yeah.
Then, I also did some further furthereducation.
I became a leadership trainer.
This is what I already started at theuniversity, but I did further, further training
in that as well.
And then as a side, to the job in the realestate, I already started teaching at the
(25:30):
university in global management, globalstrategy, global consumer behavior, global
brand management.
And then I was asked by the university, Hey,Bridget, don't you want to come full time as a
teaching professor?
We really need you.
So and then I ended up teaching full time.
I was able to educate, empower students andalso combining, you know, my corporate
(25:54):
experience also with my with my academic rigor.
So I'm really.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And now as an entrepreneur, when I offer myservices and the way of how I do it, I know
there are academic, scientifically provenmodels.
I come from the industry.
I know how people work.
And bringing this all together is reallybeautiful.
(26:16):
I think that also, is is a differentiationfactor that makes me very unique in the market
of having different paths coming together nowbeing an entrepreneur.
And Right.
Also So you won't
do so you're not doing any more teaching atall?
You're like Not until just teaching.
I was teaching until last year as a sideline,more on an ex on an executive MBA, global MBA
(26:41):
level.
Gotcha.
That was fun.
But I I stopped basically when COVID rolled in.
I did some online teaching for universities,but, I wanna concentrate really on my business
at the moment.
And, yeah.
Yeah.
Taking care
of that now.
Like, talk tell us all about your business nowand, like, what you're doing now, what your
(27:02):
model is now.
Like like like, this is this is the part of theshow where we get to talk about what you're
doing now and how people can find you and andwhat you're, you know, are you looking for
individuals?
Are you looking for for corporations or peoplethat are looking to grow their business or grow
their organization?
So I think what what's your ideal client rightnow?
Okay.
So, actually, I guide individuals and teams.
(27:26):
So I do 1 on 1 coachings.
I do workshops.
I do group coachings.
I work with executive teams.
It really depends on is it the company identityI'm helping them to revamp or, you know, to
refresh or is it elevating their executivepresence?
So I do a lot of, 1 on 1 coaching here or groupcoaching, for example, for big corporations.
(27:51):
I, do workshops for ERGs, employee resourcegroups, or personal branding for individuals
who are somewhere, you know, in their life,feather as in a pivotal moment where kids are
out of home, where they are corporates, theydon't know anymore.
Is this really fulfilling me doubtingthemselves, not quite sure how to move on.
(28:18):
So this very often there is a point in lifewhere you want to change, where you say it's
enough now.
I don't want this life anymore and I moveforward in a different way.
What is out there?
What is fulfilling me?
So this is about personal branding, andeverything starts from there.
And I'm a proponent.
(28:39):
And that's why I say branding starts withmindset.
It's all about what you think.
Yeah.
It's it's it goes so far beyond just the logoor tagline.
That is the end result.
How you address it, how you materialize it, howyou make your brand tangible.
But it starts with mindset and then withintrospection in, as we talked about,
(29:00):
uncovering who you are, what you stand for,your core values, your uniqueness, your
greatness, and aligning that with how you wantto show up in the world.
So greatness always starts with inside.
And we talked about this also this limitingbeliefs, right?
So it's it's really understanding where is thiscoming from and how can I turn that into
(29:25):
empowering beliefs?
And this is where when you feel this like whereyou are stuck, where you feel like this is not
okay, that is moving into the wrong direction,it tells you already this is a no go.
Think about what gives you a good feeling.
What makes you happy?
What makes you joyful?
And there is where the freedom is.
(29:46):
And when you act in this freedom, things willcome because then you're opening up, then
you're full of passion, then you want to dothat, of whatever you are thinking about.
And then you are also strong enough to reachus.
And coming back to to, I think, to resilience,an entrepreneur really needs that resilience to
(30:07):
bouncing back rather quickly from adisappointment, from a setback.
And this is so this also this limiting beliefsis something when you when you look at that and
when you go in introspection, it's where thegreatest leaps are, where they rest.
It's where you really leap forward.
(30:28):
It's where the biggest learnings are.
I think that's if you understand that, then therest is is pretty much easy on the parent
business.
Yeah.
Well, and
It's always a roller coaster ride.
Right.
Raul, for sure.
Well, and it's so it's so, it's so it's sorefreshing for me because I actually went
(30:49):
through 1 of those periods of time, about six,eight months ago where I was working on a
different business model, with my with my otherpodcast.
Well, before my other podcast was even in inenvisioned.
So I didn't even know about the podcast thoughtprocess of doing it to to support what I was
doing.
I was going after something in in mental healthfor first responders, and it was just not it
(31:14):
was just not getting off the ground.
And so I had to pivot.
I had to rethink.
I had to go back to what you literally justsaid.
I had to really search back to my core and say,how can I how can I take what's not happening
well for me right now and turn it intosomething positive?
And I was like, wait a second.
I'm a podcast producer.
I've never really been a a a host of a podcast.
I've helped with podcasts and been a cohost,but I'm like, I know how to do this, and I've
(31:37):
got new and, like, back to the technology.
I've got technology now that that speeds up myprocess.
And I was like, wait a second.
I can start a podcast that is meant for firstresponders.
And then that actually once I did that and Ifocused on that, that actually turned a full
circle three sixty
degrees
back into you know, I ended up meeting somebodyin the podcasting world that needs first
(31:58):
responder mental health help.
And I'm like, oh my gosh.
That, like, holy crap.
I just proved myself.
Don't freak out.
Just pivot, you know?
Yes.
Exactly.
And that's where the growth lies.
It's stepping out of our comfort zone.
So it really we need to take the time, sitback, relax.
You know, that's what they tell you on theplane as well.
You learn through that process.
Yeah.
(32:18):
Yeah.
Exactly.
And and step into the unknown.
As you say, you need to take action.
Step into the unknown because growth only liesoutside of the comfort zone.
Yeah.
And you need to have that resilience because
That's a great takeaway.
Yeah.
And and and just embrace this nothingness.
(32:39):
There is nothing.
You don't know what you're gonna step on whenyou 1 when you put 1 foot in front of the
other.
But you need to trust your instinct.
You need to trust it's happening for you.
Stretch your ability, discover this untappedpotential, and break your mental barriers by
doing so.
Yeah.
(32:59):
And then as you said, you did it, learn andevolve, learn and evolve.
Treat setbacks as these stepping stones.
Yeah, it's it's a challenge and it carriesalways a lesson experience and that adds up to
your experience.
So you you have, more ground in your comfortzone.
(33:22):
But then it's it's it's time.
So don't don't stay there for long.
Yeah.
It's not good.
Step out and and to up out to the next.
Start a podcast.
Yeah.
When you start a podcast and start gettingpeople on to talk about mental health and how
they can help people in their in their in theirstruggles, you I wasn't there very long.
Once I decided to do it, I think I had 5episodes up in, like, a less than a week.
(33:43):
So, real quick, I wanna ask you if you'll dosomething for me.
And this and if you don't wanna do this, I haveanother pivot that I'd like to see just how you
would coach somebody when because I and Ibrought this up strategically because that
podcast is now getting ready to be rebranded.
So that original podcast is possibly, rightnow, it's an early discussion, but how would
(34:08):
you go about if you're willing to to give somefree coaching?
It doesn't have to be in-depth, but just somehigh level stuff, just so people can see how
you work with someone.
But so I've got the mental health podcast, andit's called Elevate.
Okay?
And I'm getting ready to, I've talked to theleader of a, of a conference that does a yearly
conference for mental health in the firstresponder world in my local area.
(34:30):
Well, it's the name of it is called PhoenixProject.
So I presented to him, hey.
Have you ever thought about doing a podcast?
He's like, oh, we'd love to do a podcast, butnobody on my on my team has time.
And I'm like, I have time.
Can we rebrand?
We can call it Phoenix Project by Elevate, andwe can I can be the initial host and anybody in
(34:52):
your organization that would like to be a host,you know, would that interest you?
And he said, oh my gosh, Kyle.
He goes, so so I don't have to, like, startfrom scratch?
I'm like, like, no.
It would just rebrand my podcast and bring onand bring on a new a new flow.
What would you
what would
you, give as advice?
So this is a really good and interesting thing.
Then before I give advice, I mean, usually Idon't need to give advice because it comes from
(35:15):
then because I'm asking a lot of questions.
First of all.
Sure.
So you call your podcast Elevate.
So I suppose, it's written e double 1 e.
Okay.
Good.
So first of all, I want you
why it's double 1 why it's double 1.
Yes.
(35:35):
That's what I want to know from you.
What's the story behind it?
What does it mean?
Yep.
So what it meant was originally Elevate was apodcast I created from a Tony Robbins group,
and I really like the idea.
And the 2 ones was our our group number.
Okay?
That was the group we were on Zoom was thegroup 11.
(35:56):
So it
embraced our connection.
Well, then when I started looking at the nameand the the podcast that I created for for that
group kinda fizzled out and nobody reallywanted to be nobody really wanted to do it, I
reached out to him.
I said, hey.
I really like that name.
I can I have a way of pivoting into somethingpositive?
Can I have all your guys' permission eventhough I'm the 1 that created the podcast and
(36:18):
and bought the name?
Because Ibought.com and all that good stuff.
But they were very, very supportive.
They said, go ahead.
It sounds like a great plan.
So what I did was when I pivoted that podcastinto Elevate for first responders, the 2 ones
are the responder because we have to know bothsides of the first responder
(36:38):
Got it.
Before before we, yeah, before we
Love that story.
Mental health.
I love that story.
Now since you wanna, kind of, help bringingthis Phoenix project, to life and take off like
a Phoenix.
Right?
You said you need to create a story because,you need to create a story because you say
(37:04):
Phoenix spy Elevate.
When you do that, Elevate is endorsing phoenixas a brand.
There is a connection.
Yeah.
That means there is kind of a kind of a kind ofa co branding.
Yeah.
It's a certain branding relationship that youwith Elevate have with Phoenix.
So you need to tell this story here, the uniqueperspective you as Elevate bring to the table
(37:30):
so that Phoenix flies or takes off.
It's about storytelling.
This is the first thing you need to do.
Who you are is Elevate being able to supportPhoenix and what Phoenix stands for you and
what Elevate stands for Phoenix.
It's first of all, the relationship of the boththe story, the background, And with that, then
(37:54):
you can set up the next steps.
The vision of Phoenix, the mission of Phoenix,maybe also not maybe for sure.
Think about the shared values that combines theboth of you, Elevate and Phoenix.
Right.
Which is first responder mental health.
Right?
Exactly.
Yeah.
And, and then you go from there and set it uplike that.
(38:16):
And what is this going to be like, the Phoenix?
Is it is it interview style?
What is the why you're doing what you're doing?
So vision, mission, values.
But start with the story.
Yeah?
That's awesome.
Well, that's that's that's all, you know, we wedon't need to go any more in-depth about that,
but, yeah, that's so great.
(38:37):
Yeah.
And and, you know, what you wanna yeah.
Yeah.
What you wanna achieve is trust for theaudience and the connection.
Yeah.
Here we go.
And for our audience that's watching this andtuning into this, you know, you know, you they
just saw a little bit about how you work withpeople.
And that's a that's a great value.
You know?
That they they got a little miniature, like,oh, man.
That that's great.
(38:57):
Like, they help you know, she helps me pull outideas and it helps me, you know, think of the
different things that I never thought ofbecause I never thought about the like, what is
the story that combine us?
I never thought of that.
So that's great information.
Yeah.
And that is what I really love about my job isseeing how enlightening or, you know, the
(39:18):
Eureka or the of my clients because theyunderstand suddenly they have the greatness
always in them already, but just don't know howto bring it to the table because it it it takes
someone to have an understanding about that, toconnect the dots and trigger you and not you to
(39:38):
what is really relevant at the end of the day.
Right.
Right.
Well, real quick, tell people how to find you.
Like, what's your website?
What's your LinkedIn?
We'll put it all, of course, in the show notes.
Put it all together.
Yeah.
Me all that stuff.
Yeah.
But but go ahead and just verbally say wherewhat the best way people find you and and,
whatever you normally tell people, and thenwe'll we'll close things up and Yeah.
(39:59):
Get this posted today.
Yeah.
So people can find me under my website,bridgetbrints.com.
They can find me on LinkedIn.
The link is, Bykovsky b.
And, it's gonna be all in the show notes.
And I'm happy to hop on a twenty minutes freediscovery call if there are any questions, if
(40:19):
people wanna get to know me a little bitbetter.
And so I'm happy to do so.
Yeah.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Well, Bridget, thank you so much for coming onthe Ignition Path podcast.
I appreciate it.
It was such a a great, a great episode.
I feel, you know, you know, just that's why Ilove having these podcasts.
I get to know people and get to pick theirbrains and learn a little something, and you
(40:41):
get to learn a little bit more about me and andand my world.
So it's just a it was just great to to finallyand get dive deeper into your story and your
path.
So once again, everyone, don't forget tosubscribe, like, and share.
If anything that you you have a friend of yoursthat's struggling with entrepreneurial path and
you think this episode will help them, hit thatshare button and just send it right over to
(41:02):
them.
You can go to my website to find the episode orApple or Spotify and YouTube, of course.
So, Bridget, thanks so much for coming on, and,you have a great day.
And and, I'm not sure what time it is there.
You're probably, what, five or six hours aheadof me.
It's 04:30 right now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's 10:30.
So yeah.
For me.
Yeah.
(41:23):
Yeah.
But I travel.
Okay.
Good.
So thank you so much for having me.
It's so beautiful to have conversations with,people from all parts of the world and seeing
where we have things in common, but also seeingthe differences that makes us unique.
So I love that.
Thank you so much for having me.
You're welcome.
(41:43):
Take care.
Bye, guys.
Thank you for listening to Ignition Path,fueling the entrepreneurial fire.
You're going introspection first, either as aperson, as a leader or as a company.
(00:05):
It's about why am I doing what I'm doing?
It's about the higher purpose.
Yeah?
It's just the here and now and how do I getthere where I wanna go?
Hello, and welcome back to the Ignition Pathpodcast.
I'm your host, Kyle Goodnight.
(00:26):
And before we get into our guest today, I justwanna get take share care of some some,
secretarial things.
Make sure you like, share, subscribe.
If you hear something during this episode thatthat resonates with you, don't hesitate to
share it with your friends.
And my my puppy just joined the show.
She's I don't know what her deal is.
She just jumped I'm surprised you guys didn'tsee her right here.
But nonetheless, I've got her in my room withme.
(00:48):
She's my, she's my in in in house cohost todayoff camera.
But, today, we have Bridgette Boikowski.
She is an entrepreneur with a heck of a nicepath that how she got there.
I've never interviewed, someone who had donewhat she has what she did before she became an
entrepreneur.
So I'm excited to hear about that, that processand what she learned during those during that
(01:10):
time and and what made her want to become anentrepreneur.
So welcome to the show, Bridget.
How are you?
Hi, Kyle.
Thank you so much for having me today.
Besides Poppy as 1 of the most important guestsup the shore, you'll so I'm happy to be here
with you.
Thank you so much.
No no problem.
(01:30):
So yeah.
So just start off a little bit.
Like, I know in our pre call, you talked aboutwhat you did in the corporate world or slash
what you what you did as a full time job.
You know, that wasn't all on you.
Like, you worked for a corporation, and you,and and I'll let you tell the story.
I I kinda I know what what industry it is in,but but I'm excited to hear about that part of
the industry and how long you worked there.
(01:51):
So go ahead and tell a little bit aboutyourself, where you're from, what you're, and
and, basically, where you started and and kindajust talk about that, and we'll go from there.
K.
Okay.
Hi.
So my name is Brigitte Bekovsky.
I'm a brand identity strategist and businesseducator.
I'm located in Austria.
I'm operating from a very small country in themiddle of Europe, but I'm operating on an
(02:16):
international, level.
And what I am doing is that with, let's say,more than two decades of global expertise in
crafting and transforming brands, I'm now,yeah, an entrepreneur and help individuals, but
(02:37):
also organizations craft and create and shapeand reshape, brand identities, whether it's a
corporation as an identity and or it's a personand a person can be a leader.
So here we talk about leadership branding orpersonal branding per se, and that has
different many different facets.
(02:58):
But the core of it all is all about creatingidentities that are authentically shine.
So that's what we are.
And, yeah.
And my journey started somewhere, somewhereelse, let's say.
Somewhere completely different.
So it's it's it's a really funny, funny journeybecause at the end of the day, it's like a
(03:22):
puzzle and everything comes together.
So my journey started as a flight attendant,then I became a student, then a corporate
leader, then I became a student again, and thenI became a teaching professor and then an
entrepreneur.
And that's me.
So that's a rather unconventional, journey.
(03:43):
Especially when you start as a flight attendantand
Yeah.
And how that kinda shaped what you did.
Was it, you know, talk a little bit about thosedays where was there you know, I'm sure at the
beginning, there was excitement and travel andpositive, but was there anything inside of that
flight attendant world that you were like, youknow, I gotta get the hell out of here?
I mean, you know, it it was, I think, the mostfascinating and exciting time in my life.
(04:07):
I mean, it's a life in the sky.
I served as a head flight attendant at the endof the day.
It was an incredible experience, not just fortravel and getting to know the world because I
was mostly on long hauls, but it also taught meso much about leadership because as a head
flight attendant, you are responsible for acrew, for your passengers.
(04:29):
Sure, you have to report to to the cockpit, butstill, it's it's, it's a responsibility.
And then also navigating, through this culturaldiversity.
You're getting to know so many differentcultures and people and understandings and why
do people what and how do people approachdifferent topics.
So that that was really interesting and the wayof how they live and everything around that And
(04:56):
also about, yeah, the different brands in thedifferent countries and their origin and why
they became big.
So it was also, really interesting in thatregard.
But I think the most important thing was aboutcreating exceptional and memorable experiences
for passengers on board.
And that's where my passion for excellencefirst took root because I have a passion for
(05:23):
brand excellence.
At the airline, our slogan was service is oursuccess.
So it is about the service you provide.
And this is unique.
This is relevant.
This is specific.
And that has a certain excellence that's comingalong.
And then when you know what that is, what yoursuperpower is and what you're really good at,
(05:45):
you attract those kind of people, those kind ofclients.
Right?
And you want those.
You know what attract everyone because youcannot serve everyone.
But this is this is my recipe.
This is where my sweet spot is coming from.
And everything else after that just added ontothat path.
Yeah.
(06:06):
Because flying around the world is fun, but itit becomes a routine even though you have,
like, here is almost an emergency and here isan irregularity.
But it's it Troubleshooting all the time.
Right.
Yeah.
Exactly.
That's exactly what I was gonna say that youwere, like, we're we're kinda reading each
other's mind there a little bit because, youknow, my my full time gig is I'm a paramedic.
(06:27):
Okay?
There's a lot of troubleshooting in paramedicworld.
Right?
Yeah.
Like, we could get a dispatch that says you gotdifficulty breathing.
We get there, and it's really a heart attack,which also incorporates difficulty breathing.
And, so you've gotta troubleshoot things.
So having that background, it makes so muchsense that it added to your your overall depth
of being an entrepreneur because, like, I can'teven I mean, I remember a couple I mean, I
(06:50):
remember a I've had some interactions with,positive ones, you know, interactions with
flight attendants before, and I still rememberit.
You know?
I mean, there was a time when I called out tothe to the to the airplane that we had someone
unresponsive, and I grabbed him to the floorand started to do my assessment to do CPR on
the guy.
Right?
And the flight attendants are the ones thatengage with me and said, we're trained.
(07:11):
You know, what do you, you know, what are youwhat do you do?
And I said, I'm a respiratory therapist.
And because I was only a therapist at the time,I wasn't a paramedic.
But I knew all the cardiac arrests, you know,CPR stuff.
So we had a nurse, a doctor, and me, plus theflight attendants who opened up their kits, and
they had everything that I would need to run acardiac arrest for a little bit until they
landed.
Right?
And so it was just 1 of those things, like, Iremember those gals, and they were just so
(07:33):
thankful and and so accommodating and, youknow, with you know, they basically after that
after he was fine and everything, we only had,like, an hour left in our trip.
And I'll tell you what, they treated me and myfriends like we were royalty after that.
It was
it was I know that
that that's not what I was striving for, butthey really appreciated the fact that it wasn't
all on them.
(07:54):
And and to know what you have to be trained forin that situation, you have to be trained to
deescalate.
You I mean, you have to be trained in some formof of primary medical stuff.
You have to be trained in in in hospitality.
Like, it's such a cool industry, and it alwaysseemed intriguing to me, but it was 1 of those
things where I just couldn't be away from myfamily like that.
You know?
Like, it's definitely for me, it would've beenlike, okay.
(08:16):
When I was single, that'd have been a greatthing to do.
But but yeah.
So it's 1 of those I've I've never really knowntoo many, you know, flight attendants, so this
is really cool to hear how flight attendantactually shaped your entrepreneurial path.
Yeah.
I mean, it's a long time ago.
Yeah.
We're talking about here.
When did I start thirty three years ago?
But still, you know, and also working then inteams, like, you experienced that.
(08:39):
You know, everyone has protocol, has procedure.
Right.
And it's it's it's a way of how you do that.
Right?
So, you know exactly where you're coming fromand you you just, you know, you operate.
You operate and you're gonna solve thatproblem.
This is this is in the forefront.
Yeah.
Right.
And,
They gave you those tools that you need tosolve the problems for these companies and
(08:59):
these businesses that have branding issues.
And and that also you said some there's so muchthat you said that I wanna unpackage just in
your intro.
So, like, I told you we would have things totalk about because, that's how I think I think,
like, on the fly.
So 1 of the things that you said is you told mewhat the what the slogan was.
And, you know, I have a slogan.
It's Ignition Path podcast, igniting yourentrepreneurial path.
(09:21):
So it it's all in the name.
It's all in the description.
Another thing that we talked about last weekwas if you having a personal mission statement.
You know, I have a mission statement for mypersonal business.
My company that I work for as an EMT or as aparamedic has a mission statement.
So talk a little bit about mission statementsand what what what do you take to new companies
(09:43):
about mission statements?
Because I truly believe and you can tell methat you think they're crap.
But, tell me what you think about missionstatements and what they do and how they shape
a business.
Yeah.
So I think that, really starts with the core ofbranding.
And a mission statement is about is is you'regoing introspection first, either as a person,
(10:03):
as a leader or as a company.
It's about why am I doing what I'm doing.
It's about the higher purpose.
Yeah?
It's just the here and now and how do I getthere where I want to go?
And that's where I want to go is my vision.
A vision is always what do I want to achieve atthe end of the day or what's the legacy I want
(10:25):
to leave behind?
What is the like the overall goal you mightnever achieve?
Maybe you pass it down to the next generation.
It's something that is, infinite very often.
Yeah.
It just caused that is something that that thatis where your passion is and that's what you do
because you have to do it.
That is your why.
(10:45):
And a mission gives you all the little steps ofhow you're going to achieve that.
And I think every company should have a clearunderstanding what a vision is.
It's a short sentence is, a world of shiningbrands, for example.
When it comes to me as a as a brand identitystrategist, but also the mission, how you get
(11:08):
there.
And then you need the values, your fundamental,your core values that help you.
Yeah.
On this mission, to accomplish.
Yeah.
And, to get you to, to your vision.
That's what you are visualizing in your, foryour company, what you stand for at the end of
(11:29):
the day.
This all comes together.
You want to say something?
No.
No.
I just I I totally agree there because
I just reviewed I just pulled up my you know,I'm on my computer, so I pulled up my mission
statement.
I haven't looked at it for a while, but I'mlike, I just read I just kinda glanced through
my mission statement, and literally, as I'mreading it, everything you're saying is ticking
off.
I'm like, okay.
Did it?
Okay.
Did it?
Did it happen?
(11:49):
Like, when it core values, you're like, talk Italk about being a father, you know, like like,
this the my mission statement is me as a whole.
Right?
And it very much and it it very muchincorporates not only my medical background and
what I do for EMS and the community, but it butit all translates into what I do for my clients
when it comes to podcasting and growth.
(12:10):
I'm I'm right there.
I'm I'm compassionate.
You know, I am understanding.
You know, I have 1 client that lived inIreland, last week, or she lives in Ireland
now, but she they lost their power.
Like, Ireland had some really bad storms, andwe had to pivot.
We were supposed to do a whole bunch of projecttogether and and work on some stuff, and she
didn't have any power.
And then she's working out of a hotel, and I'mlike, okay.
(12:30):
She's still trying to get content out and dowhat she's doing in her coaching service.
Like, okay.
We're gonna we're gonna put a pause oneverything for my services.
And when she gets back on her feet again, oncepower comes back on so there's there once you
work with people, you know, part of thatmission is is your values and how you pivot
when something happens that that is that is,you know, different than what the path was.
(12:52):
We were supposed to record a podcast.
We were supposed to edit that podcast.
Mhmm.
And we were supposed to, produce that podcastaltogether so I could teach her how to do it.
And all of a sudden, that just blew up in 1day, and we haven't done it.
And it's been been a week.
So now we're a week behind in her schedule, inher brain, but I'm like, it's okay.
It's okay.
As long as you're safe, please be safe.
You know?
Like like, there's Yeah.
There's compassion and care that goes out aboveand beyond the time that I'm on a on an
(13:15):
ambulance, and I go and I try to help someonewith a heart attack.
It extends into this business.
And and everything you said there really,really resonated with me, and and I'm glad that
you shared that message because I think it's soimportant that anybody out there listening to
the Ignition Path podcast and trying to find,maybe they're at the beginning of their path or
in the middle of their path or trying to thinkabout pivoting in their path, and now they're
(13:37):
at a fork in the road, and it's still a path.
Like, what do I take?
The main thing is is go back to your missionstatement.
If you don't have a mission statement, go andsearch through it and create 1.
Yeah.
And and as I say, everything around it is likeyour vision and also your core values.
And it's not something that, is stays forever.
(13:58):
It also evolves with you as a person, with youas a business, because we are, not insulated.
We are exposed to external environment, topolitical situations, to consumer trends, to
innovations.
So there is always something that is going on.
So you revisit your mission statement.
(14:20):
Yeah.
You revisit your values because also yourvalues, can change over time.
Maybe the value stays the same.
For example, a good example of mine, you know,I had a value.
1 of my values was beauty.
Yeah.
Because beauty as a flight attendant, youalways had to be, you know, beautiful and take
(14:41):
care of your body and you
like that.
You represent an airline and and you behaveaccordingly.
You have a certain presence.
Right.
So, and then over time, beauty took on adifferent meaning.
For me, it's also the inner beauty that whatyou bring to the table for me now as an
(15:03):
entrepreneur is my experience, my expertise, myknow how, everything that makes me that person
to offer that service in my best possibleversion.
So the beauty has become different.
I use instead excellence, because it's it'smore professional and because you also have to
(15:25):
be careful working in different industrybecause they already put you in a box.
Beauty, ah, she's working with fashion, she'sworking with, you know, other body care brands
or whatsoever.
So I talk about excellence and in this andbeauty is a descriptor of that specific value.
And excellence for me is also something, thateveryone is should strive for because it means
(15:53):
you want to become a better version ofyourself.
You are operating in excellence.
That's that's that's what what for me isimportant because I want to give the best
possible service and that should not beconfused with perfectionism, perfection
(16:15):
perfection not that I get it out.
Perfectionism.
Yeah.
Because a lot of people are striving forperfectionism.
And that does not make us relatable.
No, we get first of all, we can't be.
We reach about to 80%.
The rest of the 20% is so much hassle and workand you never achieve it and then you're not
(16:38):
satisfied.
And that also resonates.
So if if if you're just striving forperfectionism, it takes away from your
authenticity.
And your authenticity is important in order to,to, elicit emotions from others, to connect
(16:58):
with others on this emotional level.
And that's where a brand really creates animpact.
You want to make others feel with your brand.
Right.
Just think about your favorite brand and whatyou feel about it.
It makes you excited.
You know, you want to have that.
You're proud of it.
You're using it.
You're showing it.
(17:20):
There's a certain passion coming in, right?
So that's what you want to achieve.
And, also this such a an emotional bond alsomakes you as a brain sticky because they
purchase you.
Yeah.
And I'm not thinking about exactly.
So the consideration set of other brandsbecomes very small because you want to stick
(17:44):
with that brand.
For example, I stick with Apple because I canrely on it.
It's my whole ecosystem here.
Even though maybe other other technology mightbe even better, other brands might be better.
So no.
Yeah.
I'm going with this.
It also looks good.
So we're coming back to that.
Yeah.
But it's all encompassing.
(18:04):
I'm on both sides of the fence on that 1.
So
Yeah.
Well, you know Yeah.
It's a very polarizing brand, though.
Right.
Right.
I have to say that.
Well, when when you when you mentioned strivingfor perfection perfectionism, that's actually a
really good lead in to, to my sponsor.
So 1 of my sponsor 1 of my sponsors that I havethat I'm getting ready to put up here talks
about specifically getting rid ofperservectionism when it becomes a problem and
(18:26):
it's holding you back.
So Yeah.
Real quick, we're gonna hear from my sponsor,and, we'll come back, and we'll dive into the
schooling part of what you mentioned earlierabout what schooling did for your
entrepreneurial path.
So real quick, we're gonna hear from DanielPackard and what he does when it comes to
anxiety, perfectionism, self self doubt, and,people pleasing.
So we'll be right back.
Let me ask you a question.
(18:47):
Would your life be better if whatever you'restruggling with, you could finally break free
of?
So what am I talking about?
The funky 5.
What's the funky 5 you ask?
It's those oh so familiar struggles,procrastination, people pleasing,
perfectionism, low self confidence, and the 1 Icall the big a, anxiety.
(19:07):
For years I struggled to manage my own version,I call them my funky 3.
I had 3 of these funky 5 weighing me down.
I've tried just about everything to deal withthem.
Then a guest on my podcast, Daniel Packard,shared with me a profound thought that I had
never thought of.
So Daniel, a UC Berkeley engineer, spent eightyears working with this team and over 3000
(19:29):
people to create an approach that doesn't justhelp you manage these issues, it actually frees
you from them by getting right to the root ofwhat's holding you back.
So after meeting with Daniel, I decided to giveit a shot, and within six short weeks, gone.
Truly gone.
I was so amazed.
The number 1 thing I was dealing with wasprocrastination, but miraculously a deeper
(19:51):
rooted struggle with people pleasing, somethingI'd been unknowingly battling for a lifetime,
lifted entirely.
And the anxiety that came with them both, goneas well.
Are you tired of battling any of your funkyfives?
People pleasing, procrastination,perfectionism, low self confidence, and the
biggest happy killer of them all the a wordanxiety.
(20:14):
Imagine how much better life would be if youweren't just managing these things but free of
them quickly and yes, permanently.
If you're ready for a real solution, head todanielpacker.com and get his free ninety minute
training.
Daniel himself will walk you through what makeshis approach so different and teach you a
technique you can use immediately to startfeeling the difference.
(20:37):
So if any of the funky five or maybe your ownversion of the funky five are holding you back,
don't wait.
Visit danielpacker.com.
You can truly get results and start living thelife you want.
Okay.
And we're back.
And once again, please, please, please contactDaniel if, if any of what he's I said during
(20:58):
that resonates with you.
You have anxiety.
You have perfectionism issues.
You have, people pleasing or or self doubt.
What a great I went through his program.
I'm a completely different person since then,and I don't have the anxiety that led back to
the people pleasing and all that anymore.
So, now we're back with Bridget Bukowski andand her entrepreneurial path.
(21:18):
We heard earlier before the break that she, wasa flight attendant and how that shaped her, but
she also mentioned that she went back to schoola couple of times.
So talk a little bit about what you did inschool and how that shaped your entrepreneurial
path at this point.
Yeah.
So it was really interesting because, at mytime when I was a flight attendant, I was not,
(21:39):
flying and studying.
I couldn't do both, so I had to choose.
And since I was intellectually a little bitchallenged and also knowing that my contract
ended with the age of 36, I knew I didn't havemuch time because what am I doing after the
year of 36 or the age of 36?
(22:00):
And at that time, it was like that, you know?
So I knew I needed to jump plane in, not jumpship, but jump plane.
And Hope I had
a first shoot on.
Because I knew there was something else and, Ihad to find it.
So I was searching for this higher purpose andI knew, I like to educate people.
(22:24):
I always like like to train people also on theplane.
So I did my master's in business education.
So I became a certified teacher, but also myspecialization was in international marketing
and management.
And that's where my love for the global brandsand also my my experience and history of being
a flight attendant.
I saw the world as a as a small little, youknow, planet.
(22:47):
And so for me, this was something I really
in the universe.
We are a small planet.
Yes.
We are.
We're we're just piece of dust in the windcompared to the whole universe.
So
Absolutely.
So that's where I saw I could kind of pursue,my my international experience and also then,
(23:08):
yeah, study that.
And then I, became a corporate.
I was working for different companies, but thenI was offered a position as a PhD student in
the in the for a doctorate to, to go for thedoctorate of international marketing and
management.
So I did that and always with, a clear goal inmind to go back to the airline industry because
(23:36):
that's, you know, once you are, with thatindustry, you kind of get infected.
It's like a virus.
You will always have that, you know, planes andtravelling.
And so but the airline industry was,consolidating, at that time and was firing then
hiring.
So it was a huge setback for me not being ableto go back.
(23:59):
So for me, the world somehow collapsed and Ihad to pivot and explore other opportunities.
So then I went into real estate and, during thetime of the financial crisis, you know what
happened?
So the whole.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Real estate, industry collapsed.
(24:20):
And I also, did the company that I worked foras a head of market research, went bankrupt.
And at that time, I really like I realized thatmy my professional identity had, had been too
closely tied to the company I worked for.
(24:41):
So, I kind of lost my own identity in so farbecause I was working and I was working.
I was just identifying myself with that job andwith that industry and with that company.
And so it dawned on me how viable it is tobuild a personal brand, a unique identity that
is disconnected from from a company brand toform a job or from a title.
(25:08):
And, yeah.
Then, I also did some further furthereducation.
I became a leadership trainer.
This is what I already started at theuniversity, but I did further, further training
in that as well.
And then as a side, to the job in the realestate, I already started teaching at the
(25:30):
university in global management, globalstrategy, global consumer behavior, global
brand management.
And then I was asked by the university, Hey,Bridget, don't you want to come full time as a
teaching professor?
We really need you.
So and then I ended up teaching full time.
I was able to educate, empower students andalso combining, you know, my corporate
(25:54):
experience also with my with my academic rigor.
So I'm really.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And now as an entrepreneur, when I offer myservices and the way of how I do it, I know
there are academic, scientifically provenmodels.
I come from the industry.
I know how people work.
And bringing this all together is reallybeautiful.
(26:16):
I think that also, is is a differentiationfactor that makes me very unique in the market
of having different paths coming together nowbeing an entrepreneur.
And Right.
Also So you won't
do so you're not doing any more teaching atall?
You're like Not until just teaching.
I was teaching until last year as a sideline,more on an ex on an executive MBA, global MBA
(26:41):
level.
Gotcha.
That was fun.
But I I stopped basically when COVID rolled in.
I did some online teaching for universities,but, I wanna concentrate really on my business
at the moment.
And, yeah.
Yeah.
Taking care
of that now.
Like, talk tell us all about your business nowand, like, what you're doing now, what your
(27:02):
model is now.
Like like like, this is this is the part of theshow where we get to talk about what you're
doing now and how people can find you and andwhat you're, you know, are you looking for
individuals?
Are you looking for for corporations or peoplethat are looking to grow their business or grow
their organization?
So I think what what's your ideal client rightnow?
Okay.
So, actually, I guide individuals and teams.
(27:26):
So I do 1 on 1 coachings.
I do workshops.
I do group coachings.
I work with executive teams.
It really depends on is it the company identityI'm helping them to revamp or, you know, to
refresh or is it elevating their executivepresence?
So I do a lot of, 1 on 1 coaching here or groupcoaching, for example, for big corporations.
(27:51):
I, do workshops for ERGs, employee resourcegroups, or personal branding for individuals
who are somewhere, you know, in their life,feather as in a pivotal moment where kids are
out of home, where they are corporates, theydon't know anymore.
Is this really fulfilling me doubtingthemselves, not quite sure how to move on.
(28:18):
So this very often there is a point in lifewhere you want to change, where you say it's
enough now.
I don't want this life anymore and I moveforward in a different way.
What is out there?
What is fulfilling me?
So this is about personal branding, andeverything starts from there.
And I'm a proponent.
(28:39):
And that's why I say branding starts withmindset.
It's all about what you think.
Yeah.
It's it's it goes so far beyond just the logoor tagline.
That is the end result.
How you address it, how you materialize it, howyou make your brand tangible.
But it starts with mindset and then withintrospection in, as we talked about,
(29:00):
uncovering who you are, what you stand for,your core values, your uniqueness, your
greatness, and aligning that with how you wantto show up in the world.
So greatness always starts with inside.
And we talked about this also this limitingbeliefs, right?
So it's it's really understanding where is thiscoming from and how can I turn that into
(29:25):
empowering beliefs?
And this is where when you feel this like whereyou are stuck, where you feel like this is not
okay, that is moving into the wrong direction,it tells you already this is a no go.
Think about what gives you a good feeling.
What makes you happy?
What makes you joyful?
And there is where the freedom is.
(29:46):
And when you act in this freedom, things willcome because then you're opening up, then
you're full of passion, then you want to dothat, of whatever you are thinking about.
And then you are also strong enough to reachus.
And coming back to to, I think, to resilience,an entrepreneur really needs that resilience to
(30:07):
bouncing back rather quickly from adisappointment, from a setback.
And this is so this also this limiting beliefsis something when you when you look at that and
when you go in introspection, it's where thegreatest leaps are, where they rest.
It's where you really leap forward.
(30:28):
It's where the biggest learnings are.
I think that's if you understand that, then therest is is pretty much easy on the parent
business.
Yeah.
Well, and
It's always a roller coaster ride.
Right.
Raul, for sure.
Well, and it's so it's so, it's so it's sorefreshing for me because I actually went
(30:49):
through 1 of those periods of time, about six,eight months ago where I was working on a
different business model, with my with my otherpodcast.
Well, before my other podcast was even in inenvisioned.
So I didn't even know about the podcast thoughtprocess of doing it to to support what I was
doing.
I was going after something in in mental healthfor first responders, and it was just not it
(31:14):
was just not getting off the ground.
And so I had to pivot.
I had to rethink.
I had to go back to what you literally justsaid.
I had to really search back to my core and say,how can I how can I take what's not happening
well for me right now and turn it intosomething positive?
And I was like, wait a second.
I'm a podcast producer.
I've never really been a a a host of a podcast.
I've helped with podcasts and been a cohost,but I'm like, I know how to do this, and I've
(31:37):
got new and, like, back to the technology.
I've got technology now that that speeds up myprocess.
And I was like, wait a second.
I can start a podcast that is meant for firstresponders.
And then that actually once I did that and Ifocused on that, that actually turned a full
circle three sixty
degrees
back into you know, I ended up meeting somebodyin the podcasting world that needs first
(31:58):
responder mental health help.
And I'm like, oh my gosh.
That, like, holy crap.
I just proved myself.
Don't freak out.
Just pivot, you know?
Yes.
Exactly.
And that's where the growth lies.
It's stepping out of our comfort zone.
So it really we need to take the time, sitback, relax.
You know, that's what they tell you on theplane as well.
You learn through that process.
Yeah.
(32:18):
Yeah.
Exactly.
And and step into the unknown.
As you say, you need to take action.
Step into the unknown because growth only liesoutside of the comfort zone.
Yeah.
And you need to have that resilience because
That's a great takeaway.
Yeah.
And and and just embrace this nothingness.
(32:39):
There is nothing.
You don't know what you're gonna step on whenyou 1 when you put 1 foot in front of the
other.
But you need to trust your instinct.
You need to trust it's happening for you.
Stretch your ability, discover this untappedpotential, and break your mental barriers by
doing so.
Yeah.
(32:59):
And then as you said, you did it, learn andevolve, learn and evolve.
Treat setbacks as these stepping stones.
Yeah, it's it's a challenge and it carriesalways a lesson experience and that adds up to
your experience.
So you you have, more ground in your comfortzone.
(33:22):
But then it's it's it's time.
So don't don't stay there for long.
Yeah.
It's not good.
Step out and and to up out to the next.
Start a podcast.
Yeah.
When you start a podcast and start gettingpeople on to talk about mental health and how
they can help people in their in their in theirstruggles, you I wasn't there very long.
Once I decided to do it, I think I had 5episodes up in, like, a less than a week.
(33:43):
So, real quick, I wanna ask you if you'll dosomething for me.
And this and if you don't wanna do this, I haveanother pivot that I'd like to see just how you
would coach somebody when because I and Ibrought this up strategically because that
podcast is now getting ready to be rebranded.
So that original podcast is possibly, rightnow, it's an early discussion, but how would
(34:08):
you go about if you're willing to to give somefree coaching?
It doesn't have to be in-depth, but just somehigh level stuff, just so people can see how
you work with someone.
But so I've got the mental health podcast, andit's called Elevate.
Okay?
And I'm getting ready to, I've talked to theleader of a, of a conference that does a yearly
conference for mental health in the firstresponder world in my local area.
(34:30):
Well, it's the name of it is called PhoenixProject.
So I presented to him, hey.
Have you ever thought about doing a podcast?
He's like, oh, we'd love to do a podcast, butnobody on my on my team has time.
And I'm like, I have time.
Can we rebrand?
We can call it Phoenix Project by Elevate, andwe can I can be the initial host and anybody in
(34:52):
your organization that would like to be a host,you know, would that interest you?
And he said, oh my gosh, Kyle.
He goes, so so I don't have to, like, startfrom scratch?
I'm like, like, no.
It would just rebrand my podcast and bring onand bring on a new a new flow.
What would you
what would
you, give as advice?
So this is a really good and interesting thing.
Then before I give advice, I mean, usually Idon't need to give advice because it comes from
(35:15):
then because I'm asking a lot of questions.
First of all.
Sure.
So you call your podcast Elevate.
So I suppose, it's written e double 1 e.
Okay.
Good.
So first of all, I want you
why it's double 1 why it's double 1.
Yes.
(35:35):
That's what I want to know from you.
What's the story behind it?
What does it mean?
Yep.
So what it meant was originally Elevate was apodcast I created from a Tony Robbins group,
and I really like the idea.
And the 2 ones was our our group number.
Okay?
That was the group we were on Zoom was thegroup 11.
(35:56):
So it
embraced our connection.
Well, then when I started looking at the nameand the the podcast that I created for for that
group kinda fizzled out and nobody reallywanted to be nobody really wanted to do it, I
reached out to him.
I said, hey.
I really like that name.
I can I have a way of pivoting into somethingpositive?
Can I have all your guys' permission eventhough I'm the 1 that created the podcast and
(36:18):
and bought the name?
Because Ibought.com and all that good stuff.
But they were very, very supportive.
They said, go ahead.
It sounds like a great plan.
So what I did was when I pivoted that podcastinto Elevate for first responders, the 2 ones
are the responder because we have to know bothsides of the first responder
(36:38):
Got it.
Before before we, yeah, before we
Love that story.
Mental health.
I love that story.
Now since you wanna, kind of, help bringingthis Phoenix project, to life and take off like
a Phoenix.
Right?
You said you need to create a story because,you need to create a story because you say
(37:04):
Phoenix spy Elevate.
When you do that, Elevate is endorsing phoenixas a brand.
There is a connection.
Yeah.
That means there is kind of a kind of a kind ofa co branding.
Yeah.
It's a certain branding relationship that youwith Elevate have with Phoenix.
So you need to tell this story here, the uniqueperspective you as Elevate bring to the table
(37:30):
so that Phoenix flies or takes off.
It's about storytelling.
This is the first thing you need to do.
Who you are is Elevate being able to supportPhoenix and what Phoenix stands for you and
what Elevate stands for Phoenix.
It's first of all, the relationship of the boththe story, the background, And with that, then
(37:54):
you can set up the next steps.
The vision of Phoenix, the mission of Phoenix,maybe also not maybe for sure.
Think about the shared values that combines theboth of you, Elevate and Phoenix.
Right.
Which is first responder mental health.
Right?
Exactly.
Yeah.
And, and then you go from there and set it uplike that.
(38:16):
And what is this going to be like, the Phoenix?
Is it is it interview style?
What is the why you're doing what you're doing?
So vision, mission, values.
But start with the story.
Yeah?
That's awesome.
Well, that's that's that's all, you know, we wedon't need to go any more in-depth about that,
but, yeah, that's so great.
(38:37):
Yeah.
And and, you know, what you wanna yeah.
Yeah.
What you wanna achieve is trust for theaudience and the connection.
Yeah.
Here we go.
And for our audience that's watching this andtuning into this, you know, you know, you they
just saw a little bit about how you work withpeople.
And that's a that's a great value.
You know?
That they they got a little miniature, like,oh, man.
That that's great.
(38:57):
Like, they help you know, she helps me pull outideas and it helps me, you know, think of the
different things that I never thought ofbecause I never thought about the like, what is
the story that combine us?
I never thought of that.
So that's great information.
Yeah.
And that is what I really love about my job isseeing how enlightening or, you know, the
(39:18):
Eureka or the of my clients because theyunderstand suddenly they have the greatness
always in them already, but just don't know howto bring it to the table because it it it takes
someone to have an understanding about that, toconnect the dots and trigger you and not you to
(39:38):
what is really relevant at the end of the day.
Right.
Right.
Well, real quick, tell people how to find you.
Like, what's your website?
What's your LinkedIn?
We'll put it all, of course, in the show notes.
Put it all together.
Yeah.
Me all that stuff.
Yeah.
But but go ahead and just verbally say wherewhat the best way people find you and and,
whatever you normally tell people, and thenwe'll we'll close things up and Yeah.
(39:59):
Get this posted today.
Yeah.
So people can find me under my website,bridgetbrints.com.
They can find me on LinkedIn.
The link is, Bykovsky b.
And, it's gonna be all in the show notes.
And I'm happy to hop on a twenty minutes freediscovery call if there are any questions, if
(40:19):
people wanna get to know me a little bitbetter.
And so I'm happy to do so.
Yeah.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Well, Bridget, thank you so much for coming onthe Ignition Path podcast.
I appreciate it.
It was such a a great, a great episode.
I feel, you know, you know, just that's why Ilove having these podcasts.
I get to know people and get to pick theirbrains and learn a little something, and you
(40:41):
get to learn a little bit more about me and andand my world.
So it's just a it was just great to to finallyand get dive deeper into your story and your
path.
So once again, everyone, don't forget tosubscribe, like, and share.
If anything that you you have a friend of yoursthat's struggling with entrepreneurial path and
you think this episode will help them, hit thatshare button and just send it right over to
(41:02):
them.
You can go to my website to find the episode orApple or Spotify and YouTube, of course.
So, Bridget, thanks so much for coming on, and,you have a great day.
And and, I'm not sure what time it is there.
You're probably, what, five or six hours aheadof me.
It's 04:30 right now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's 10:30.
So yeah.
For me.
Yeah.
(41:23):
Yeah.
But I travel.
Okay.
Good.
So thank you so much for having me.
It's so beautiful to have conversations with,people from all parts of the world and seeing
where we have things in common, but also seeingthe differences that makes us unique.
So I love that.
Thank you so much for having me.
You're welcome.
(41:43):
Take care.
Bye, guys.
Thank you for listening to Ignition Path,fueling the entrepreneurial fire.
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