July 3, 2025 • 34 mins
Sarena Diamond, with 30 years of corporate leadership experience, shares powerful strategies for thriving amid constant change and defining success on your own terms.
• The world is genuinely more chaotic than ever, requiring leaders to develop "new muscles" to thrive in continuous change
• Success should be defined personally rather than by traditional metrics of promotions and titles
• The "Power of And" helps leaders integrate different approaches rather than choosing between them
• Resistance to change typically stems from fear - of obsolescence, unknown paths, or losing expertise
• Building clarity in chaos starts with understanding the people involved and analyzing communication patterns
• Change is like ocean waves - sometimes you're at the calm shoreline, sometimes in deeper water, and sometimes in the breaking waves
• Women should embrace that they are "enough as they are" while recognizing their power to choose their paths
• Communication is leadership and leadership is communication - they are the same conversation
Schedule a free pathway preview at structureinnovations.com/preview and let's explore how your next chapter begins. Find Sarena Diamond on LinkedIn or visit diamondsolutiongroupllc.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Structuring Chaotic Minds, the
podcast where we turn the chaosof everyday challenges into
structured success.
I'm your host, melissa.
In each episode, we'll exploreinnovative strategies, real-life
stories and actionable insightsto help you navigate the
complexities of leadership,business and personal growth.
Whether you're an entrepreneur,a leader or someone striving
(00:21):
for personal development, thispodcast will give you the tools
to create clarity in the chaos.
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So, serena, thank you so much for joining me.
Before we jump into your story,I want to ask you what does
structuring chaotic minds meanto you right now, in this season
of your life and leadership?
Wow?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thank you so much for having me.
Melissa and I got to sayprobably the most common
conversation I have with leadersand I think it comes from my
own experiences right now isthat the world is really chaotic
, right, even if you do notwatch the news.
It is so hard to be focused onyour company's core value, your
(01:06):
mission, the objectives that youset up with your individual
teams.
There is so much chaos just inthought, process and things, and
I think that that's animportant acknowledgement that
we say that never before hasthere been something right,
acknowledgement that we you know, I we say that never before has
there been something right,this unprecedented thing, time
(01:28):
of change.
That is now, but it really is atime that that, if you think
about chaos, often there's sucha negative thought, but it
really is about constant change.
There's constant motion goingeverywhere in our world.
You can't go home and thinkit's not.
You know, turn the news on, youcan't stop.
(01:49):
There isn't any pause button,there isn't a place where you
can have quiet things that arenot.
So being able to find yourstructure or find your pace in
change is the part that's reallyan important thing, and I spend
a lot of time with leaders,helping them to say of course
you're distracted, of courseyour team is distracted.
(02:11):
It's part of the way we worktoday.
So the question is, how can youteam up on that, how can you
the structure that you talkabout right?
How do you find an ability tocome together and really look at
that as it's not a moment intime.
It is about developing newmuscles to allow yourself to be
able to change, to allowyourself to thrive amongst chaos
(02:36):
or continuous changes.
You know is really where, wherethat makes me think when I hear
it and when I see it, thatthat's really where the
superpower is going to be.
You know, certainly for thefuture.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I'm excited about our convo for our audience, my
whole concept of rufflingfeathers and in a previous
conversation it's in ourprevious podcast episodes, if
they want to check them out weliterally talked about ruffling
feathers to innovate changeinstead of just stirring pots.
But you brought insight to meon making sure that I'm
(03:09):
reflective in how I'm showing upand how that message is coming
across.
So one of the things I have tosay is you had a powerful 30
year long career in corporateleadership.
What was the moment that youactually realized you were no
longer in alignment?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
It's an interesting question because I think that I
was, sadly, I think I was alwaysaligned to what was important
to me.
So throughout my entire career,it was always about being true
to the people with whom I've hadrelationships, whether those be
work relationships or certainlyin the last half of my career,
(03:53):
it was always alignment to doingwhat was the right thing to do
for those people that I had mychildren and the people that
work for me.
So it's interesting my choiceto not stay in corporate America
and corporate leadership hadmuch more to do with the ability
(04:14):
to say I'm defining how I'msuccessful.
What success is?
You know?
There's that traditional youwant to continue to get
promotions and titles and allthose things.
I never defined success that wayfor myself.
I always looked at it as was Iraising good kids?
Was I having balance?
Did I feel fulfilled in what itwas that I was doing, in
(04:40):
alignment with what corporateexpectations were thinking for
me at the point at which I wassucceeding beyond what a more
senior level leader wasexpecting, and internal
difficulty, internalinsecurities, created an
opportunity for there not to bealignment.
(05:01):
Thus my company was formed andI think we hear stories of that
all the time.
Right, there's, there is.
I wish that I was some reallyodd duck, but the cliche it's
almost cliche at this point whypeople are out on their own and
I say you know what?
It's a great opportunity forpeople to define success on
(05:21):
their own and making sure thatthat's.
You know their words, that'sreally powerful.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I love that you yourself have already spoken
openly about overcomingcorporate and personal trauma.
What did the healing processreally look like for you?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Thank you for that.
I would love to say that it had, you know, some great
out-of-body religious experience.
It honestly came from going onvacation.
We had a family vacationplanned to Hawaii and a normal
human would have received theirwalking papers two weeks before
(06:00):
Christmas and said probably nota good time to spend that kind
of money.
But I didn't.
We went anyway and I openlytalk about being able to go for
a run in the beautiful nature ofHawaii and watching sunrise
over Oahu and getting claritythere.
(06:20):
That said, I'm going to work forthe one boss I can always trust
, and that was myself and thatwas really healing for me being
able to define my next step andchoose who I work with.
Making sure that I'm workingwith and for leaders, clients
(06:43):
who are value driven, that theyare growth oriented, that they
are very much about how do wemove forward together as opposed
to how do I succeed.
And if they're an individualleader that thinks that
delivering on this greatinitiative is going to earn me
more points with the board andput a boat in my, in my dock is
not my, it's just not who I amGood for them, right?
(07:05):
They're not going to.
They're not going to.
You know going to findalignment with my.
My approach is to to helpingleaders to transform.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Well, your chapter in becoming an unstoppable woman
is called the power of end.
What does that phrase mean inlife and leadership for you?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
So there's a whole backstory in the book about me
being very one, almost to apanic level, of needing to get a
job or find a job or get work,and it really came from an
approach that said, what ifthere were lots of options?
What if I didn't choose betweenone thing or another?
(07:52):
But that I truly focused onbringing things together and
merged different approaches.
I oftentimes will use theanalogy you know, putting a lot
of lines in the water.
Eventually you're going tocatch the fish, and some of that
power band is really about,about what it is that you're
willing to try differentapproaches, that you're willing
(08:14):
to try to succeed.
I will also say that a lot oftimes I share that with leaders
who are going through culturaltransformation is very hard for
some, and because lots ofleaders have been drilled over
and over and over again aboutmeeting objectives, delivering
against business objectives whatis it that your performance
(08:36):
objectives and metrics aresupposed to be?
And there's always this sidenote about how we show up, how
we do the work we do, not justwhat we do, and so I actually
have a whole program where Ihelp leaders to reconcile those
two, the what we do and how wedeliver it are not separate, and
(08:56):
making sure that how you areachieving the outcomes that are
the best for the company and, atthe same time, also building
relationships with your team andbuilding engagement that drives
greater success andpredictability for future.
Success is really what thatpower band has grown into.
(09:16):
For me, as I've gone on as well, it's gotten bigger and better.
You know, as I've from, evenfrom when I wrote the book.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I love that you help leaders bring visions to life.
What makes a vision worthexecuting in your experience?
Why get up and do it?
Speaker 3 (09:40):
You know what?
That is the best question thatleaders need to ask themselves
before they start anything,because if they are doing it for
a metric, for a number, for aboard approval, for some kind of
an aspect, it'll be very, veryobvious that it is not an
(10:01):
internally motivated reason.
I tell leaders all the time.
I almost always get called whenthings have gone south or
they're stale.
Right, they haven't really goneanywhere.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
And I often ask that question about what is it that
you've done and communicated tobring the vision to existence?
What's the powerful why behindthere?
And that aspect when leaderscan't necessarily do that.
I spend a lot of time then sortof pulling out some questions
(10:35):
why is this important to you?
And I always joke OK, sometimesyou need more than five whys,
right, but lots of times fivewill get you there.
But really it has to be abigger why.
And when you really trulyunderstand what that is, what
that vision, the reason, thepurpose behind the vision, and
(10:56):
you can articulate it.
I also will say to people at thepoint at which you think, oh my
God, if I have to say this onemore time, then we're one away
from being able to be done.
Right, you have to say it untilthe thought of saying it again
is going to make you roll youreyes or throw up a little bit in
your mouth or something alongthose lines.
But it really is truly abouthelping that vision be something
(11:20):
that really matters.
I love that.
It's not supposed to be for aposter, right?
If it's supposed to be just fora poster or the banner on your
hiring page on your website, youthink again, there needs to be
a better reason for that.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
No, I love that.
The only process I was justthinking was I usually ask three
wise, not five, and then fiveis like oh yeah, like keep going
.
Darn, if we can't align at thatpoint then it's a lot more
clear.
But if we are aligning, thenthat is that purpose, that is
(11:53):
the reason we need to change,and that kind of leads.
That next piece Like what doyou say to those leaders who are
resistant?
Speaker 3 (12:05):
to change, but just saw it's very necessary.
I don't often say it thisbluntly, but what comes to mind
immediately is what are youafraid of?
Resistance to change, in myexperience, is 99.999%.
Occasionally, every time, youdo get that one person who's
just like nope, nope, nope.
(12:26):
Curmudgeons still exist, butthe most common that I see is
it's the fear.
Now, it's not necessarily likefear of spiders, it's just fear
of I don't see it, fear of I'mgoing to be obsolete, fear of I
don't see what my place is or Idon't know what the path is
going to look like.
(12:46):
I've gotten very comfortablewith what I'm doing.
I really love being the expert,the mission, you know, of one
kind of perspective.
But when you ask that question,so what if it was to succeed?
That's a really important wayfor leaders to sort of get out
(13:10):
of their own way, and Ichallenge leaders a lot to say
if you are not a believer, right, the CEO says you'll do
something, the C-suite saysyou'll do something.
And now I'm sitting with thesenior leadership team that are
supposed to cascade this andbelieve it.
And if you don't really thinkthat this is flavor of the month
(13:32):
, but you don't really believeit yet, what do you do?
Right, and I talk to leadersall the time about the.
I'm not a big believer in fakeit till you make it, but I am a
big believer in fake it and goget educated.
Fake it and go figure out why.
Like, what are you missing inthis?
And, and if you really trulybelieve that this is flavor of
(13:52):
the month, what is that driving?
Where is that coming from?
Now, it does also rely on trust, right, you have to trust the
senior leaders and the visionthat's there, but I also I will
give leaders a series ofquestions.
If you don't understand it yet,then it's on you to go
understand why.
It's not the fake as you makeit, but ask enough questions
until you feel like you own itand make sure that the fear of
(14:16):
change or your resistance tochange doesn't come across as
fear or obstinance, but it trulycomes across as understanding,
so that you can embody thatchange and then cascade it to
your folks.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
I love that and I know it's probably the most
difficult thing for the seniorleadership when it's like but I
don't know the answer.
So how can I select it?
And I think that's it kind ofignites something that it just
makes our nervous system rattleand it makes us feel like uneasy
and such.
So that can feel like chaos.
That can feel great.
Oh my goodness, what do I do?
(14:52):
But you channeled it in and yousaid chaos isn't always a bad
thing.
I like to say that there'spockets of chaos.
So if we have pockets of chaos,then we can learn and we can
innovate.
In a business, there may bechaos.
What are the first things thatyou look at to build clarity and
direction in that chaos?
Speaker 3 (15:12):
It's funny I have sort of a hit list of things
that when I first land into anorganization, regardless of what
the scope of work is, I almostalways ask for the players.
I don't care if it's an orgchart, I don't care if you just
want to rattle it off, but Ialways want to know who and sort
of an official changemanagement, a stakeholder
(15:34):
analysis, right.
I would want to look at who arethe people and what are their
perspectives on if there's a newinitiative, if there's a driver
, where did they fit in?
That?
And not because, but again, Ithink because people are always
at the center, for me, oforganizational change isn't
about an org chart, it's abouthuman beings adopting new ways
(15:57):
of working, and so when I thinkof anybody being in chaos or
struggling with that, in orderto get clarity you need to
understand who we're talkingabout and who is there.
Then I also almost always lookat the communications that have
happened to date, whether thosebe verbal, written email,
(16:20):
newsletters, internal podcastsand video blogs or whatever
those things are.
I look at how is it that we'vebeen saying what we've been
saying?
Because people can only knowwhat they experience.
So and words matter, rightCommunication.
I have a whole workshop that Ido with leaders where I convince
them over the course of 45minutes that communication is
(16:42):
leadership and leadership iscommunication, and they are the
same conversation and it almostalways works, even with the most
steadfast.
It almost always works evenwith the, you know, the most
steadfast, because I really dobelieve that when we figure out
what it is that we're saying, wecan figure out what it is we're
thinking, feeling and doing,yeah, and that that's where we
start to build that clarity andwe get alignment around
(17:05):
direction and those kinds ofaspects no, I love that.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
I think when I first heard that, I was like so you
want me to be fake, I can't dothat, I can't say things, how
they made me to hear it.
But then I started realizingbut are they even going to
listen to you and are they goingto actually shut down?
Because that's how theirnervous system is built.
Why are you fighting it?
Why are you still beingresistant to that?
(17:28):
Ask yourself, being resistantto that, ask yourself.
And it was.
It was a very big eye openerand I think for a lot of our
listeners.
They're high functioning.
Most of them are highfunctioning women in transition,
successful on paper, but tired,exhausted, is more the answer
behind the scenes.
What would you tell them?
Speaker 3 (17:52):
I wish every woman, especially like young career
professionals with kiddos thatare in that you know older than
six or seven, because they stopbeing really sort of pliable the
point at which they get youknow that third grade time.
All of a sudden you're likewhere did my sweet child go?
(18:13):
And then they turn intoteenagers and you're like, oh,
this is why some animal specieseat their young.
I don't advocate any of that,but I do worry sometimes that
that thought goes through yourmind and yet you're still
needing to show up as aprofessional at work and if
you're going through any kind ofpersonal difficulty in your
(18:35):
relationships as well.
I was going through all ofthose phases of my children's
lives and then a verycontentious divorce and then
changes in work, and I will saythat probably the most important
thing is that it feels veryisolating, like you are the only
one who's ever gone through allof this, and I tell women all
(18:59):
the time reach out.
I don't say you need to pouryour heart out a lot over
LinkedIn, but being authentic,finding people that are also
going through what you are goingthrough and not to say let's go
find a wine fest Although,unless it's the red, go find a
wine fest, although, unless it'sthe red wine or white wine fest
(19:20):
, but not the whining, winetasting, but not wine tasting
Correct, because you don't needthis isn't a misery loves
company.
But I think that women lookingfor solutions is very powerful,
and so when you are strugglingwith something and you're tired
right, you're tired behind thescenes, sometimes you're tired
in front of the scenes right,but it still feels very alone
(19:44):
and the ability to reach out toothers and be trusting somewhat
and say how else have you solvedthis?
I have learned more things fromother women in the last three
and a half years since I foundmy business than in all of the
years previously, and I'm sorryto say, but corporate America
(20:06):
does not necessarily supportanyone, let alone women, who are
hypervigilant and wearing toomany hats already saying hey,
can someone help me here?
And that not being somehow anegative, but as an entrepreneur
and being okay publicly, I'msupposed to be a thought leader
(20:27):
and an expert and all the otherthings, and yet there are things
I just don't know how to do.
I had someone last week give mea really harsh and much needed
wake up call about what it isthat I've got on my website how
it is that I'm showing up in myentrepreneurs that I hadn't
thought about.
It's given me some additionalwork to do to make me more tired
(20:50):
, but had I not asked some ofthose questions, been able to
say what else could I be doing?
So I say to women all the timejust don't go it alone, right,
and I'm not saying thateverybody will have done it the
way you would do it, but theywill give you food for thought
and other ways, if nothing else.
Even on my worst days as anentrepreneur, when I'm feeling
(21:12):
most alone, I have a couple ofvirtual coffees, typically with
other women.
Instantly I feel better.
There is power in just talkingthrough and someone else will
have a different perspective.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
I love that.
I think I heard somethingrecently on how some of the most
successful businesses areusually very forced and it's
very masculine bros and it worksand it's fine.
But that might not always workfor women and there is a
different approach for us,because we still do need to
recharge, we still need to giveourselves the permission.
And that's so funny that you saythat, because for me, I've been
(21:49):
having to step back and say, asa mom, I'm showing up here for
my daughter, I'm showing up herefor my son, I'm advocating here
, I'm still trying to make suremy business grows now so that my
stakeholders and individuals inthe business are also making
money and growing and excelling.
But in all those spaces I'vehad to give myself permission to
(22:11):
be like hey, pause, you'rewearing a lot of hats and you
still got to give quality in howyou're showing up in some of
these other spaces.
And I don't think that usuallygoes the same way for both sexes
and it's often overlooked.
And it's not to bash anybody,it's just to shed grace on
people who don't give it tothemselves sometimes.
(22:33):
So, saying that you wear manyhats mom, partner, founder,
board member how have youlearned to integrate all of
those parts and not loseyourself in what society is
asking for.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
I love that question because it's so relevant.
I don't think you can ask anysingle person.
It's so relevant.
I don't think you could ask anysingle person fill in those
level of hats.
Nobody is certainly not anybodythat I have met that would say
oh, yeah, yeah, I have like two,right, it's always so many.
(23:10):
It's the thing that wakes youup in the middle of the night
and won't let you go back tosleep.
It's the things that make you.
I will say, though, I think thepiece that was really important
to me, and really it's why Ifounded the company and why I
have stayed with the company,each time I've met with a client
that has offered me full-time,which is very, very enticing.
It's enticing that the securityof it's enticing.
(23:33):
It's also very flattering, andit's also very firmly a no.
It is because one of thosethings I had to do before I
founded my company was to decidewhat it was that I wanted out
of this one.
As I've said, one precious life.
I get right.
This is all there is, and I canhope that I, my dad, is 91.
(23:55):
So I can hope that I've got hislongevity, versus my mom, who
passed away at 76.
I don't know Right, but how youshow up for yourself and what
is it that you?
I start every single day withthis unbelievable anticipation
for the great things that aregoing to come, the great things
(24:16):
that I'm going to do.
I, literally, every day, I'mthe to-do list person.
I'll write it all out and it'salways way too many things
because those many hats.
It's important to me at the endof the day, to feel a sense of
accomplishment, and it's one ofthe things that I help leaders
to understand about themselvesand about their people.
(24:38):
Right Is how you show up everyday in the morning with a sense
of anticipation for all thegreat things that you could
accomplish today and then givingyourself grace because
something's going to happen andyou're not going to accomplish
it all.
How many things didn't getchecked off the to-do list?
But there's also that whatsense of accomplishment and how
(24:59):
grateful am I for those thingscan really give you opportunity
to do that.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
I don't know.
You just said that we coach inour space, saying that we don't
do people serving religion,serving family centered, all
those other spaces.
Instead we're value centeredand value serving and in that
space it makes it easier todecide which ones you're going
(25:26):
and which ones you're doing.
But then you give yourselfgrace because you give yourself
three priorities that day andyour list has 75 things on there
.
But as long as you did thethree things well, you got it
done and you did that dopaminerelease for the day.
So that that was just kind ofsticking out to me about that.
But when you think about yournext chapter and the legacy that
(25:49):
you're focused on buildingthrough Diamond Solutions Group,
what is the legacy that youreally want to focus on most?
Speaker 3 (25:57):
You know I say this often that my whole reason for
creating Diamond Solutions Groupis to make leaders better at
creating change.
Resilience, creating change,muscle muscle, bringing teams
along and engaged through thechanges that happen in every
(26:18):
business, everywhere.
And what's interesting is, froma next chapter perspective, I
spent the first three yearsdoing what most consulting
experts do is, you know, landclients right, do projects, do
initiatives, and I have reallyfocused so far in 2025 on
increasing the impact that I canhave to create more legacy.
So I am doing much more publicspeaking.
(26:41):
I am on podcasts, I am workingon speaking Vistage workshops,
public conferences, in placeswhere leaders come to grow.
Leaders come to grow and, if Ican leave the stage, the mic,
whatever that is, with oneperson saying they got something
that will help them to be abetter leader through the
(27:04):
changes that are coming.
There is nowhere in the worldthat changes.
I wish that you could name acompany that's like no, we're
good, we're going to just pause.
're going to just pause today'sstatus quo day.
You know everybody wants astatus quo day, but it doesn't
happen, and I use this analogywith with teams.
I just did it last week andmaybe it's because I've just
(27:25):
recently moved to an almostbeach house, so I'm very much
all about the beach.
Standing at the shoreline right, you can stand with your ankles
deep and the waves are gentlylapping your ankles, but they
are coming every few seconds.
And then you can swim out pastthe break, where the water is
(27:46):
calmer but it's very deep andyou can't touch, so you're
really having to swim.
The hardest place to be inchange is at that break line
right, where the waves arerelentlessly knocking you into
you and sometimes you can touchthe bottom and sometimes you
can't.
Sometimes you go under and itreally is a point at which, for
change, where is it that you'regoing to be?
(28:07):
Sometimes you will be at theshoreline right, and it'll just
be under control, and sometimesyou'll be working hard, but
it'll be smoother.
Ideally, you want to try andget out of the wake, the
breaking of the waves all thetime, but it's really important
that leaders find a way tosurvive in each of the different
places, because change, likethe ocean waves, is coming every
(28:30):
day and it's coming.
It's a consistent change.
If you're in a growingorganization, right.
If you're in a growingorganization, right.
If you're in one that's notgoing out of business tomorrow,
and even then there's somechanges that are coming.
So, yeah, it is reallyimportant that that's what I am
helping leaders to be able to dobetter no, I love that.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
I think you basically said it's almost like a
decision of when you have tostand against the waves and when
you have to actually startswimming.
And I think, because a lot ofleaders, a lot of hyper
performers, high functioning menand women they're in that space
(29:12):
where they have so manydifferent hats the biggest
weight is when they decide toswim in each hat or like.
When they decide to like, nope,I'm still just going to stand
against and resist it and it'sfine.
Thinking of that.
That comes down to what's onetruth you've reclaimed that you
wish leaders, especially women,would have embraced sooner.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
You know, we talk a lot about things that imposter
syndrome, like things right,things where you don't feel like
you are enough that you'reconfident enough that you're
resilient, that you have enoughmarketing expertise or sales or
business development, whateverthose things are, entrepreneurs
or others, entrepreneurs orothers.
(29:52):
I wish that I had, and I never.
I will say I never had,probably because of my growing
up in a strong, independentwoman family household with all
sisters and girls.
It never occurred to me.
I know it's such an incrediblepower source for me to not
recognize I never got that Icouldn't do something.
(30:14):
It was much more about what didI choose to want to do, and so
I always thought that I waschoosing the kinds of things
that I wanted to choose allthose hats, and I think that
lots of women, myself included,at the point I was choosing
things that society said I wassupposed to be doing, things
that were supposed to happen.
(30:35):
I do think that I have chosenwhat it is that I want to.
You know, I now live in thisalmost beach house where most of
the people around are retiredor close to retiring.
I have no intentions of everretiring until someone says, oh
my gosh, well, that old womanstill leave us alone.
Because I love what it is thatI'm doing.
(30:56):
It brings me so much joy tomake a difference in leaders'
lives and see them reflect backsomething that they learned from
me or that we explore together.
I mean, I don't know everything, but I may ask questions and
I've seen the light bulb go onwith younger leaders when I'll
ask a question that I don't knowthe answer to, but they somehow
(31:19):
are able to work through it.
And I do think that ifespecially women, that ability
to say I'm enough as I am and Iam so able to be more than this
as I choose, right that it isabout our choosing.
(31:40):
You know, at one point I said Ijust wish every woman, every 30
year old woman, could be 50 fora moment, because there's
something about that sort oflater, that confidence that
comes, or the later that's like.
You know what.
This doesn't matter, thisreally doesn't, it doesn't
(32:02):
affect today, I'm not worryingabout tomorrow.
It is truly about that powerthat you bring and the ability
to be all that you are.
You are enough, you're morethan enough and it really is you
enough for yourself.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
And on that you've definitely inspired me enough
that I would hope that mylisteners could be able to reach
out and find you.
But they wanted to find you.
Where can they find you?
Speaker 3 (32:25):
The quickest way to find me if they actually spell
my name correctly Serena Diamondwith an S-A-R-E-N-A.
I am the only Serena Diamond onLinkedIn spelled properly.
Love it.
So I've said that.
I've thanked my mom everysingle day for having a unique
spelling.
There's plenty of SerenaDiamond spelled incorrectly.
As I say, the way their momschose, but LinkedIn is the
(32:50):
fastest.
I actually do believe that thatis the place to create a
business community and it isvery much the place that I am
there.
I show up there every singleday and I believe in that power
of building relationshipsthrough the community that
LinkedIn is creating.
So certainly, I have a websitediamondsolutiongroupllccom but
(33:11):
you can get to that from myLinkedIn as well.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I love that.
I will be sure to share that inthe show notes and thank you
again for being here, more thananything, for being transparent
and for showing us how to leadwith both excellence and
humanity.
If this episode hits home toyou guys, don't just sit with it
.
Act on it.
Schedule a free pathway previewat structureinnovationscom.
(33:35):
Forward slash preview and let'sexplore how your next chapter
begins.
If you're interested inlearning more about Serena,
please look in the show notes.
And until next time, staygrounded, stay growing and keep
structuring the chaos intosomething powerful.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Thank you for tuning in to Structuring Chaotic Minds.
If today's episode resonatedwith you, don't forget to
subscribe, share and leave areview.
Remember the key to success isnot avoiding chaos, but learning
how to structure it.
Stay inspired, keep growing andjoin me next time as we
continue to transform challengesinto opportunities.
Until then, take care and keepstructuring your chaotic mind.
Welcome to Structuring Chaotic Minds, the
podcast where we turn the chaosof everyday challenges into
structured success.
I'm your host, melissa.
In each episode, we'll exploreinnovative strategies, real-life
stories and actionable insightsto help you navigate the
complexities of leadership,business and personal growth.
Whether you're an entrepreneur,a leader or someone striving
(00:21):
for personal development, thispodcast will give you the tools
to create clarity in the chaos.
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So, serena, thank you so much for joining me.
Before we jump into your story,I want to ask you what does
structuring chaotic minds meanto you right now, in this season
of your life and leadership?
Wow?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thank you so much for having me.
Melissa and I got to sayprobably the most common
conversation I have with leadersand I think it comes from my
own experiences right now isthat the world is really chaotic
, right, even if you do notwatch the news.
It is so hard to be focused onyour company's core value, your
(01:06):
mission, the objectives that youset up with your individual
teams.
There is so much chaos just inthought, process and things, and
I think that that's animportant acknowledgement that
we say that never before hasthere been something right,
acknowledgement that we you know, I we say that never before has
there been something right,this unprecedented thing, time
(01:28):
of change.
That is now, but it really is atime that that, if you think
about chaos, often there's sucha negative thought, but it
really is about constant change.
There's constant motion goingeverywhere in our world.
You can't go home and thinkit's not.
You know, turn the news on, youcan't stop.
(01:49):
There isn't any pause button,there isn't a place where you
can have quiet things that arenot.
So being able to find yourstructure or find your pace in
change is the part that's reallyan important thing, and I spend
a lot of time with leaders,helping them to say of course
you're distracted, of courseyour team is distracted.
(02:11):
It's part of the way we worktoday.
So the question is, how can youteam up on that, how can you
the structure that you talkabout right?
How do you find an ability tocome together and really look at
that as it's not a moment intime.
It is about developing newmuscles to allow yourself to be
able to change, to allowyourself to thrive amongst chaos
(02:36):
or continuous changes.
You know is really where, wherethat makes me think when I hear
it and when I see it, thatthat's really where the
superpower is going to be.
You know, certainly for thefuture.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I'm excited about our convo for our audience, my
whole concept of rufflingfeathers and in a previous
conversation it's in ourprevious podcast episodes, if
they want to check them out weliterally talked about ruffling
feathers to innovate changeinstead of just stirring pots.
But you brought insight to meon making sure that I'm
(03:09):
reflective in how I'm showing upand how that message is coming
across.
So one of the things I have tosay is you had a powerful 30
year long career in corporateleadership.
What was the moment that youactually realized you were no
longer in alignment?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
It's an interesting question because I think that I
was, sadly, I think I was alwaysaligned to what was important
to me.
So throughout my entire career,it was always about being true
to the people with whom I've hadrelationships, whether those be
work relationships or certainlyin the last half of my career,
(03:53):
it was always alignment to doingwhat was the right thing to do
for those people that I had mychildren and the people that
work for me.
So it's interesting my choiceto not stay in corporate America
and corporate leadership hadmuch more to do with the ability
(04:14):
to say I'm defining how I'msuccessful.
What success is?
You know?
There's that traditional youwant to continue to get
promotions and titles and allthose things.
I never defined success that wayfor myself.
I always looked at it as was Iraising good kids?
Was I having balance?
Did I feel fulfilled in what itwas that I was doing, in
(04:40):
alignment with what corporateexpectations were thinking for
me at the point at which I wassucceeding beyond what a more
senior level leader wasexpecting, and internal
difficulty, internalinsecurities, created an
opportunity for there not to bealignment.
(05:01):
Thus my company was formed andI think we hear stories of that
all the time.
Right, there's, there is.
I wish that I was some reallyodd duck, but the cliche it's
almost cliche at this point whypeople are out on their own and
I say you know what?
It's a great opportunity forpeople to define success on
(05:21):
their own and making sure thatthat's.
You know their words, that'sreally powerful.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I love that you yourself have already spoken
openly about overcomingcorporate and personal trauma.
What did the healing processreally look like for you?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Thank you for that.
I would love to say that it had, you know, some great
out-of-body religious experience.
It honestly came from going onvacation.
We had a family vacationplanned to Hawaii and a normal
human would have received theirwalking papers two weeks before
(06:00):
Christmas and said probably nota good time to spend that kind
of money.
But I didn't.
We went anyway and I openlytalk about being able to go for
a run in the beautiful nature ofHawaii and watching sunrise
over Oahu and getting claritythere.
(06:20):
That said, I'm going to work forthe one boss I can always trust
, and that was myself and thatwas really healing for me being
able to define my next step andchoose who I work with.
Making sure that I'm workingwith and for leaders, clients
(06:43):
who are value driven, that theyare growth oriented, that they
are very much about how do wemove forward together as opposed
to how do I succeed.
And if they're an individualleader that thinks that
delivering on this greatinitiative is going to earn me
more points with the board andput a boat in my, in my dock is
not my, it's just not who I amGood for them, right?
(07:05):
They're not going to.
They're not going to.
You know going to findalignment with my.
My approach is to to helpingleaders to transform.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Well, your chapter in becoming an unstoppable woman
is called the power of end.
What does that phrase mean inlife and leadership for you?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
So there's a whole backstory in the book about me
being very one, almost to apanic level, of needing to get a
job or find a job or get work,and it really came from an
approach that said, what ifthere were lots of options?
What if I didn't choose betweenone thing or another?
(07:52):
But that I truly focused onbringing things together and
merged different approaches.
I oftentimes will use theanalogy you know, putting a lot
of lines in the water.
Eventually you're going tocatch the fish, and some of that
power band is really about,about what it is that you're
willing to try differentapproaches, that you're willing
(08:14):
to try to succeed.
I will also say that a lot oftimes I share that with leaders
who are going through culturaltransformation is very hard for
some, and because lots ofleaders have been drilled over
and over and over again aboutmeeting objectives, delivering
against business objectives whatis it that your performance
(08:36):
objectives and metrics aresupposed to be?
And there's always this sidenote about how we show up, how
we do the work we do, not justwhat we do, and so I actually
have a whole program where Ihelp leaders to reconcile those
two, the what we do and how wedeliver it are not separate, and
(08:56):
making sure that how you areachieving the outcomes that are
the best for the company and, atthe same time, also building
relationships with your team andbuilding engagement that drives
greater success andpredictability for future.
Success is really what thatpower band has grown into.
(09:16):
For me, as I've gone on as well, it's gotten bigger and better.
You know, as I've from, evenfrom when I wrote the book.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I love that you help leaders bring visions to life.
What makes a vision worthexecuting in your experience?
Why get up and do it?
Speaker 3 (09:40):
You know what?
That is the best question thatleaders need to ask themselves
before they start anything,because if they are doing it for
a metric, for a number, for aboard approval, for some kind of
an aspect, it'll be very, veryobvious that it is not an
(10:01):
internally motivated reason.
I tell leaders all the time.
I almost always get called whenthings have gone south or
they're stale.
Right, they haven't really goneanywhere.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
And I often ask that question about what is it that
you've done and communicated tobring the vision to existence?
What's the powerful why behindthere?
And that aspect when leaderscan't necessarily do that.
I spend a lot of time then sortof pulling out some questions
(10:35):
why is this important to you?
And I always joke OK, sometimesyou need more than five whys,
right, but lots of times fivewill get you there.
But really it has to be abigger why.
And when you really trulyunderstand what that is, what
that vision, the reason, thepurpose behind the vision, and
(10:56):
you can articulate it.
I also will say to people at thepoint at which you think, oh my
God, if I have to say this onemore time, then we're one away
from being able to be done.
Right, you have to say it untilthe thought of saying it again
is going to make you roll youreyes or throw up a little bit in
your mouth or something alongthose lines.
But it really is truly abouthelping that vision be something
(11:20):
that really matters.
I love that.
It's not supposed to be for aposter, right?
If it's supposed to be just fora poster or the banner on your
hiring page on your website, youthink again, there needs to be
a better reason for that.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
No, I love that.
The only process I was justthinking was I usually ask three
wise, not five, and then fiveis like oh yeah, like keep going
.
Darn, if we can't align at thatpoint then it's a lot more
clear.
But if we are aligning, thenthat is that purpose, that is
(11:53):
the reason we need to change,and that kind of leads.
That next piece Like what doyou say to those leaders who are
resistant?
Speaker 3 (12:05):
to change, but just saw it's very necessary.
I don't often say it thisbluntly, but what comes to mind
immediately is what are youafraid of?
Resistance to change, in myexperience, is 99.999%.
Occasionally, every time, youdo get that one person who's
just like nope, nope, nope.
(12:26):
Curmudgeons still exist, butthe most common that I see is
it's the fear.
Now, it's not necessarily likefear of spiders, it's just fear
of I don't see it, fear of I'mgoing to be obsolete, fear of I
don't see what my place is or Idon't know what the path is
going to look like.
(12:46):
I've gotten very comfortablewith what I'm doing.
I really love being the expert,the mission, you know, of one
kind of perspective.
But when you ask that question,so what if it was to succeed?
That's a really important wayfor leaders to sort of get out
(13:10):
of their own way, and Ichallenge leaders a lot to say
if you are not a believer, right, the CEO says you'll do
something, the C-suite saysyou'll do something.
And now I'm sitting with thesenior leadership team that are
supposed to cascade this andbelieve it.
And if you don't really thinkthat this is flavor of the month
(13:32):
, but you don't really believeit yet, what do you do?
Right, and I talk to leadersall the time about the.
I'm not a big believer in fakeit till you make it, but I am a
big believer in fake it and goget educated.
Fake it and go figure out why.
Like, what are you missing inthis?
And, and if you really trulybelieve that this is flavor of
(13:52):
the month, what is that driving?
Where is that coming from?
Now, it does also rely on trust, right, you have to trust the
senior leaders and the visionthat's there, but I also I will
give leaders a series ofquestions.
If you don't understand it yet,then it's on you to go
understand why.
It's not the fake as you makeit, but ask enough questions
until you feel like you own itand make sure that the fear of
(14:16):
change or your resistance tochange doesn't come across as
fear or obstinance, but it trulycomes across as understanding,
so that you can embody thatchange and then cascade it to
your folks.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
I love that and I know it's probably the most
difficult thing for the seniorleadership when it's like but I
don't know the answer.
So how can I select it?
And I think that's it kind ofignites something that it just
makes our nervous system rattleand it makes us feel like uneasy
and such.
So that can feel like chaos.
That can feel great.
Oh my goodness, what do I do?
(14:52):
But you channeled it in and yousaid chaos isn't always a bad
thing.
I like to say that there'spockets of chaos.
So if we have pockets of chaos,then we can learn and we can
innovate.
In a business, there may bechaos.
What are the first things thatyou look at to build clarity and
direction in that chaos?
Speaker 3 (15:12):
It's funny I have sort of a hit list of things
that when I first land into anorganization, regardless of what
the scope of work is, I almostalways ask for the players.
I don't care if it's an orgchart, I don't care if you just
want to rattle it off, but Ialways want to know who and sort
of an official changemanagement, a stakeholder
(15:34):
analysis, right.
I would want to look at who arethe people and what are their
perspectives on if there's a newinitiative, if there's a driver
, where did they fit in?
That?
And not because, but again, Ithink because people are always
at the center, for me, oforganizational change isn't
about an org chart, it's abouthuman beings adopting new ways
(15:57):
of working, and so when I thinkof anybody being in chaos or
struggling with that, in orderto get clarity you need to
understand who we're talkingabout and who is there.
Then I also almost always lookat the communications that have
happened to date, whether thosebe verbal, written email,
(16:20):
newsletters, internal podcastsand video blogs or whatever
those things are.
I look at how is it that we'vebeen saying what we've been
saying?
Because people can only knowwhat they experience.
So and words matter, rightCommunication.
I have a whole workshop that Ido with leaders where I convince
them over the course of 45minutes that communication is
(16:42):
leadership and leadership iscommunication, and they are the
same conversation and it almostalways works, even with the most
steadfast.
It almost always works evenwith the, you know, the most
steadfast, because I really dobelieve that when we figure out
what it is that we're saying, wecan figure out what it is we're
thinking, feeling and doing,yeah, and that that's where we
start to build that clarity andwe get alignment around
(17:05):
direction and those kinds ofaspects no, I love that.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
I think when I first heard that, I was like so you
want me to be fake, I can't dothat, I can't say things, how
they made me to hear it.
But then I started realizingbut are they even going to
listen to you and are they goingto actually shut down?
Because that's how theirnervous system is built.
Why are you fighting it?
Why are you still beingresistant to that?
(17:28):
Ask yourself, being resistantto that, ask yourself.
And it was.
It was a very big eye openerand I think for a lot of our
listeners.
They're high functioning.
Most of them are highfunctioning women in transition,
successful on paper, but tired,exhausted, is more the answer
behind the scenes.
What would you tell them?
Speaker 3 (17:52):
I wish every woman, especially like young career
professionals with kiddos thatare in that you know older than
six or seven, because they stopbeing really sort of pliable the
point at which they get youknow that third grade time.
All of a sudden you're likewhere did my sweet child go?
(18:13):
And then they turn intoteenagers and you're like, oh,
this is why some animal specieseat their young.
I don't advocate any of that,but I do worry sometimes that
that thought goes through yourmind and yet you're still
needing to show up as aprofessional at work and if
you're going through any kind ofpersonal difficulty in your
(18:35):
relationships as well.
I was going through all ofthose phases of my children's
lives and then a verycontentious divorce and then
changes in work, and I will saythat probably the most important
thing is that it feels veryisolating, like you are the only
one who's ever gone through allof this, and I tell women all
(18:59):
the time reach out.
I don't say you need to pouryour heart out a lot over
LinkedIn, but being authentic,finding people that are also
going through what you are goingthrough and not to say let's go
find a wine fest Although,unless it's the red, go find a
wine fest, although, unless it'sthe red wine or white wine fest
(19:20):
, but not the whining, winetasting, but not wine tasting
Correct, because you don't needthis isn't a misery loves
company.
But I think that women lookingfor solutions is very powerful,
and so when you are strugglingwith something and you're tired
right, you're tired behind thescenes, sometimes you're tired
in front of the scenes right,but it still feels very alone
(19:44):
and the ability to reach out toothers and be trusting somewhat
and say how else have you solvedthis?
I have learned more things fromother women in the last three
and a half years since I foundmy business than in all of the
years previously, and I'm sorryto say, but corporate America
(20:06):
does not necessarily supportanyone, let alone women, who are
hypervigilant and wearing toomany hats already saying hey,
can someone help me here?
And that not being somehow anegative, but as an entrepreneur
and being okay publicly, I'msupposed to be a thought leader
(20:27):
and an expert and all the otherthings, and yet there are things
I just don't know how to do.
I had someone last week give mea really harsh and much needed
wake up call about what it isthat I've got on my website how
it is that I'm showing up in myentrepreneurs that I hadn't
thought about.
It's given me some additionalwork to do to make me more tired
(20:50):
, but had I not asked some ofthose questions, been able to
say what else could I be doing?
So I say to women all the timejust don't go it alone, right,
and I'm not saying thateverybody will have done it the
way you would do it, but theywill give you food for thought
and other ways, if nothing else.
Even on my worst days as anentrepreneur, when I'm feeling
(21:12):
most alone, I have a couple ofvirtual coffees, typically with
other women.
Instantly I feel better.
There is power in just talkingthrough and someone else will
have a different perspective.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
I love that.
I think I heard somethingrecently on how some of the most
successful businesses areusually very forced and it's
very masculine bros and it worksand it's fine.
But that might not always workfor women and there is a
different approach for us,because we still do need to
recharge, we still need to giveourselves the permission.
And that's so funny that you saythat, because for me, I've been
(21:49):
having to step back and say, asa mom, I'm showing up here for
my daughter, I'm showing up herefor my son, I'm advocating here
, I'm still trying to make suremy business grows now so that my
stakeholders and individuals inthe business are also making
money and growing and excelling.
But in all those spaces I'vehad to give myself permission to
(22:11):
be like hey, pause, you'rewearing a lot of hats and you
still got to give quality in howyou're showing up in some of
these other spaces.
And I don't think that usuallygoes the same way for both sexes
and it's often overlooked.
And it's not to bash anybody,it's just to shed grace on
people who don't give it tothemselves sometimes.
(22:33):
So, saying that you wear manyhats mom, partner, founder,
board member how have youlearned to integrate all of
those parts and not loseyourself in what society is
asking for.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
I love that question because it's so relevant.
I don't think you can ask anysingle person.
It's so relevant.
I don't think you could ask anysingle person fill in those
level of hats.
Nobody is certainly not anybodythat I have met that would say
oh, yeah, yeah, I have like two,right, it's always so many.
(23:10):
It's the thing that wakes youup in the middle of the night
and won't let you go back tosleep.
It's the things that make you.
I will say, though, I think thepiece that was really important
to me, and really it's why Ifounded the company and why I
have stayed with the company,each time I've met with a client
that has offered me full-time,which is very, very enticing.
It's enticing that the securityof it's enticing.
(23:33):
It's also very flattering, andit's also very firmly a no.
It is because one of thosethings I had to do before I
founded my company was to decidewhat it was that I wanted out
of this one.
As I've said, one precious life.
I get right.
This is all there is, and I canhope that I, my dad, is 91.
(23:55):
So I can hope that I've got hislongevity, versus my mom, who
passed away at 76.
I don't know Right, but how youshow up for yourself and what
is it that you?
I start every single day withthis unbelievable anticipation
for the great things that aregoing to come, the great things
(24:16):
that I'm going to do.
I, literally, every day, I'mthe to-do list person.
I'll write it all out and it'salways way too many things
because those many hats.
It's important to me at the endof the day, to feel a sense of
accomplishment, and it's one ofthe things that I help leaders
to understand about themselvesand about their people.
(24:38):
Right Is how you show up everyday in the morning with a sense
of anticipation for all thegreat things that you could
accomplish today and then givingyourself grace because
something's going to happen andyou're not going to accomplish
it all.
How many things didn't getchecked off the to-do list?
But there's also that whatsense of accomplishment and how
(24:59):
grateful am I for those thingscan really give you opportunity
to do that.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
I don't know.
You just said that we coach inour space, saying that we don't
do people serving religion,serving family centered, all
those other spaces.
Instead we're value centeredand value serving and in that
space it makes it easier todecide which ones you're going
(25:26):
and which ones you're doing.
But then you give yourselfgrace because you give yourself
three priorities that day andyour list has 75 things on there
.
But as long as you did thethree things well, you got it
done and you did that dopaminerelease for the day.
So that that was just kind ofsticking out to me about that.
But when you think about yournext chapter and the legacy that
(25:49):
you're focused on buildingthrough Diamond Solutions Group,
what is the legacy that youreally want to focus on most?
Speaker 3 (25:57):
You know I say this often that my whole reason for
creating Diamond Solutions Groupis to make leaders better at
creating change.
Resilience, creating change,muscle muscle, bringing teams
along and engaged through thechanges that happen in every
(26:18):
business, everywhere.
And what's interesting is, froma next chapter perspective, I
spent the first three yearsdoing what most consulting
experts do is, you know, landclients right, do projects, do
initiatives, and I have reallyfocused so far in 2025 on
increasing the impact that I canhave to create more legacy.
So I am doing much more publicspeaking.
(26:41):
I am on podcasts, I am workingon speaking Vistage workshops,
public conferences, in placeswhere leaders come to grow.
Leaders come to grow and, if Ican leave the stage, the mic,
whatever that is, with oneperson saying they got something
that will help them to be abetter leader through the
(27:04):
changes that are coming.
There is nowhere in the worldthat changes.
I wish that you could name acompany that's like no, we're
good, we're going to just pause.
're going to just pause today'sstatus quo day.
You know everybody wants astatus quo day, but it doesn't
happen, and I use this analogywith with teams.
I just did it last week andmaybe it's because I've just
(27:25):
recently moved to an almostbeach house, so I'm very much
all about the beach.
Standing at the shoreline right, you can stand with your ankles
deep and the waves are gentlylapping your ankles, but they
are coming every few seconds.
And then you can swim out pastthe break, where the water is
(27:46):
calmer but it's very deep andyou can't touch, so you're
really having to swim.
The hardest place to be inchange is at that break line
right, where the waves arerelentlessly knocking you into
you and sometimes you can touchthe bottom and sometimes you
can't.
Sometimes you go under and itreally is a point at which, for
change, where is it that you'regoing to be?
(28:07):
Sometimes you will be at theshoreline right, and it'll just
be under control, and sometimesyou'll be working hard, but
it'll be smoother.
Ideally, you want to try andget out of the wake, the
breaking of the waves all thetime, but it's really important
that leaders find a way tosurvive in each of the different
places, because change, likethe ocean waves, is coming every
(28:30):
day and it's coming.
It's a consistent change.
If you're in a growingorganization, right.
If you're in a growingorganization, right.
If you're in one that's notgoing out of business tomorrow,
and even then there's somechanges that are coming.
So, yeah, it is reallyimportant that that's what I am
helping leaders to be able to dobetter no, I love that.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
I think you basically said it's almost like a
decision of when you have tostand against the waves and when
you have to actually startswimming.
And I think, because a lot ofleaders, a lot of hyper
performers, high functioning menand women they're in that space
(29:12):
where they have so manydifferent hats the biggest
weight is when they decide toswim in each hat or like.
When they decide to like, nope,I'm still just going to stand
against and resist it and it'sfine.
Thinking of that.
That comes down to what's onetruth you've reclaimed that you
wish leaders, especially women,would have embraced sooner.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
You know, we talk a lot about things that imposter
syndrome, like things right,things where you don't feel like
you are enough that you'reconfident enough that you're
resilient, that you have enoughmarketing expertise or sales or
business development, whateverthose things are, entrepreneurs
or others, entrepreneurs orothers.
(29:52):
I wish that I had, and I never.
I will say I never had,probably because of my growing
up in a strong, independentwoman family household with all
sisters and girls.
It never occurred to me.
I know it's such an incrediblepower source for me to not
recognize I never got that Icouldn't do something.
(30:14):
It was much more about what didI choose to want to do, and so
I always thought that I waschoosing the kinds of things
that I wanted to choose allthose hats, and I think that
lots of women, myself included,at the point I was choosing
things that society said I wassupposed to be doing, things
that were supposed to happen.
(30:35):
I do think that I have chosenwhat it is that I want to.
You know, I now live in thisalmost beach house where most of
the people around are retiredor close to retiring.
I have no intentions of everretiring until someone says, oh
my gosh, well, that old womanstill leave us alone.
Because I love what it is thatI'm doing.
(30:56):
It brings me so much joy tomake a difference in leaders'
lives and see them reflect backsomething that they learned from
me or that we explore together.
I mean, I don't know everything, but I may ask questions and
I've seen the light bulb go onwith younger leaders when I'll
ask a question that I don't knowthe answer to, but they somehow
(31:19):
are able to work through it.
And I do think that ifespecially women, that ability
to say I'm enough as I am and Iam so able to be more than this
as I choose, right that it isabout our choosing.
(31:40):
You know, at one point I said Ijust wish every woman, every 30
year old woman, could be 50 fora moment, because there's
something about that sort oflater, that confidence that
comes, or the later that's like.
You know what.
This doesn't matter, thisreally doesn't, it doesn't
(32:02):
affect today, I'm not worryingabout tomorrow.
It is truly about that powerthat you bring and the ability
to be all that you are.
You are enough, you're morethan enough and it really is you
enough for yourself.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
And on that you've definitely inspired me enough
that I would hope that mylisteners could be able to reach
out and find you.
But they wanted to find you.
Where can they find you?
Speaker 3 (32:25):
The quickest way to find me if they actually spell
my name correctly Serena Diamondwith an S-A-R-E-N-A.
I am the only Serena Diamond onLinkedIn spelled properly.
Love it.
So I've said that.
I've thanked my mom everysingle day for having a unique
spelling.
There's plenty of SerenaDiamond spelled incorrectly.
As I say, the way their momschose, but LinkedIn is the
(32:50):
fastest.
I actually do believe that thatis the place to create a
business community and it isvery much the place that I am
there.
I show up there every singleday and I believe in that power
of building relationshipsthrough the community that
LinkedIn is creating.
So certainly, I have a websitediamondsolutiongroupllccom but
(33:11):
you can get to that from myLinkedIn as well.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I love that.
I will be sure to share that inthe show notes and thank you
again for being here, more thananything, for being transparent
and for showing us how to leadwith both excellence and
humanity.
If this episode hits home toyou guys, don't just sit with it
.
Act on it.
Schedule a free pathway previewat structureinnovationscom.
(33:35):
Forward slash preview and let'sexplore how your next chapter
begins.
If you're interested inlearning more about Serena,
please look in the show notes.
And until next time, staygrounded, stay growing and keep
structuring the chaos intosomething powerful.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Thank you for tuning in to Structuring Chaotic Minds.
If today's episode resonatedwith you, don't forget to
subscribe, share and leave areview.
Remember the key to success isnot avoiding chaos, but learning
how to structure it.
Stay inspired, keep growing andjoin me next time as we
continue to transform challengesinto opportunities.
Until then, take care and keepstructuring your chaotic mind.
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