June 19, 2025 • 30 mins
What if the key to overcoming burnout and achieving success isn't hustling harder, but flipping a mental switch?
In this inspiring episode of the Executive Connect Podcast, Melissa Aarskaug sits down with Terri Maxwell, serial entrepreneur, growth strategist, and founder of Succeed On Purpose.
Terri has launched over 50 brands and now helps leaders and entrepreneurs reframe their approach to success, making it more aligned, sustainable, and purposeful.
In this conversation, Terri shares her story from corporate burnout to transformational leadership and introduces her science-backed "Success Switch" a three-step framework that can help anyone rewire their mindset and achieve prosperity with purpose.
• Why burnout is not a badge of honor and what to focus on instead
• The three pillars of aligned success: Persona, Passion, Purpose
• How to ditch hustle culture and find sustainable, purpose-driven growth
• Real-world examples of leaders redefining success in every industry
• The "ABC Framework" to flip your mindset and reprogram in 7 days
• And why the only limits are the ones you believe
Timestamps:
00:00 – What If Success Isn't More Hustle?
01:15 – Terri's Wake-Up Call After Corporate Success
02:20 – The 3 Pillars: Persona, Passion, Purpose
04:35 – Rethinking Success Beyond the 9-5
07:20 – Purpose is a Verb, Not a Noun
10:30 – Are We Entering the Purpose Era?
12:20 – Examples: Purpose-Driven CFOs and Engineers
14:36 – Why Personal Growth Drives Business Growth
17:03 – Terri's Childhood & The First Success Switch
20:32 – The ABC Framework: Acknowledge, Breathe, Claim
25:29 – Reprogramming the Mind in 7 Days
26:45 – Final Words: There Are No Limits But Your Own
28:22 – Where to Find Terri
Guest:
Terri Maxwell
Founder of Succeed On Purpose & Share On Purpose | Growth Strategist | Author | Purpose Pioneer
Host:
Melissa Aarskaug
Executive Connect | Website
YouTube: @ExecutiveConnect
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
everything that I do in share on purpose, which is kind of like the purposeful shark tank in the holding company.
(00:05):
It all started in 16 on purpose. It was truly the genesis of everything I started in 2009.
So I've been doing this for a while. And what I identified, first in my own life, it was like,
"I want to have more success, but I want to, I call it meaningful money. I want to have more success,
but I want to do something that matters and something that's meaningful." And so I realized that
(00:29):
purposeful success or meaningful money, you need three things to exist. The first is knowing who you are,
and I call that persona. For example, I'm a builder, and that's my persona, and I need to build something.
I can't just solve problems. I really need to build it. I'm not happy unless I'm building something.
(00:49):
So, you know, now that I know that about myself, I can build a strategy in my career and business to ensure that it includes building something.
The second is passion, and then finally, the most important of these three components of purposeful success is purpose.
What if the secret to success isn't more hustle but a switch? On today's Executive Connect podcast,
(01:17):
we're connected with Terry Maxwell, the gross strategist behind over 50 brands, and the founder of Share On Purpose,
which is like a purposeful shark tank, and she also founded the founder of succeed on purpose,
a training company for individuals and leaders who want to create more success on purpose.
(01:42):
She's flipped the traditional business model on its head, fueling purpose-driven companies that scale and serve.
If you've ever wondered how to build meaningful success without selling your soul, this is your moment to flip the switch.
Welcome, Terry. I'm so glad to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
(02:05):
Terry, your journey from corporate leader to purpose-driven entrepreneur and investor is incredibly inspiring.
Can you share with us a little bit about the success switch and what it means to you and really what sparked this for you in your life?
Yeah, a great question. It was a series of things that led to it. The first one was when I left corporate America and started my first business in 2002,
(02:32):
was right after 9/11, and I was like, "You know what? If life is this crazy, I'm going to go out and do my own thing."
Fortunately, I ended up being very successful with that business, grew it to about just under 10 million in revenue and then started
kind of this weird wake-up call that I've built my own business. I've got plenty of money, but I was miserable in my own business.
(02:54):
And that really led me to thinking there has to be a better way to have success, but do something that made the world better in some way.
So that's what led to all of this and ultimately what's behind the success switch.
Now, succeed on purpose has inspired thousands of business and leaders. Let's talk a little bit about what it takes to grow a business that's profitable and purposeful.
(03:24):
Walk us through that journey. Ready to lead smarter and invest wiser?
On the Executive Connect podcast, we unpack executive strategies for wealth and influence.
Hit the subscribe button now. Don't just watch, act.
Yeah, everything that I do in share on purpose, which is kind of like the purposeful shark tank in the holding company, it all started in succeed on purpose.
(03:51):
It was truly the genesis of everything I started in 2009, so I've been doing this for a while.
And what I identified first in my own life is like, I want to have more success, but I want to, I call it meaningful money.
I want to have more success, but I want to do something that matters and something that's meaningful.
And so I realize that purposeful success or meaningful money, you need three things to exist.
(04:15):
The first is knowing who you are and I call that persona.
For example, I'm a builder and that's my persona and I need to build something.
I can't just solve problems. I really need to build it. I'm not happy unless I'm building something.
So, you know, I now that I know that about myself, I can build a strategy, my career and business, to ensure that it includes building something.
(04:41):
The second is passion, which is really what do you love to do?
I mean, life is short. If anything, the last five years, we've realized is anything could happen.
So if anything could happen, I want to do something that I love to do.
And then finally, the most important of these three components of purposeful success is purpose.
(05:02):
The funny thing about purpose is most people get very confused.
They think purpose is a noun, like I'm a teacher and that's my purpose.
It's not a noun, it's actually a verb.
And when you make your purpose into a verb, so my purpose is to inspire potential.
When I treat it like a verb, I can be doing any job. I could have any business.
(05:25):
And as long as I'm approaching my actions from this larger, why, of inspiring potential,
then what happens is I'm more fulfilled. I make a bigger impact.
Wow, that ultimately causes my passions to go up.
And then ultimately, I have more success.
So it's persona, which is who you are, passion, which is really what you love in purpose,
(05:48):
which is why do you love it? And the key to purpose is it's a verb, not a noun.
And I love that. I think it really is a mindset shift because I know, like I think back to the old narrative,
go to school, get a good job, work the 8 to 5, 9 to 5, take your one hour lunch break.
(06:09):
But I think what I've learned is is the people that are kind of shifting from that mindset to more
of this purposeful, driven, whatever it is that they're passionate about.
They're less likely to burn out and wear out. And I feel like the ones that are actually doing
what you're talking about are the happiest people I know, the work they're doing.
(06:32):
They could do it all day, every day. And they're really passionate about it.
So what is the mindset shift you believe that is essential when you kind of switch and turn the
narrative on the head? You know, it's so funny because I think people really see it as a good, bad,
right, wrong. I got it. I didn't got it. And for me, what I found is it really was unpacking who I am
(06:59):
and why I'm here. And I've had incredible success and incredible failure. But what I found is that
when I'm doing something that matters and when I'm doing what I'm really meant to do, successor failure
becomes less important. And what happens is the meaning is what leads me to success. Now,
(07:22):
it wasn't easy for me to figure that out. It took me a lot of, you know, broken roads and over the river
and through the woods. But once I cracked the code and said, if I will focus on why am I here,
what do I love to do and who am I and really align my pursuits around that success is going to come.
(07:42):
If you get the mindset right, which I know we're going to talk about, if you get the mindset right,
success will come. Yeah, and I think if you can get the mindset right, you're less fearful to make
the jump. I feel like if your mind's in the right place, you're grounded in who you are and what your
purpose are is, I feel like you tell me, does it really shrink your fear to really like, and why does it
(08:08):
matter? Like why would that matter to somebody? Because a lot of times you're like, okay, these are my
skills. I'm going to find a job that is in this bucket. But when you pull that back, it's say, okay,
I may be a marketer or an engineer, but when you pull it back and say, well, I like building
brands because of this or I like, you know, building and designing bridges because of that and you're
(08:30):
grounded in your purpose, I think it doesn't become a job like you were saying. It's not, is it an
out is it a verb shifts, right? Great question. So if I use my purpose as an example to inspire
potential in my corporate career, before I knew purpose was a thing, those moments when I was inspiring
(08:52):
my team or speaking on stage or delivering some insight or challenging people to tackle a goal,
those moments I felt like I was on top of the world, the challenge was the rest of my job didn't
necessarily take advantage of that. And so what most people do once they have that awareness is they
(09:12):
start to treat their purpose like a noun. If I could just change my job or if I can just start this
business, then I'll be happy, which is what I did is I left corporate America. We had taken a company
public, you know, 9/11 happened. I'm going to go do something meaningful. So I quit this very
successful corporate career, go out and start a business, built that business and I was miserable in
(09:37):
my own business because I wasn't focusing on the purpose. I was focusing on what I knew how to do.
I was focusing on what I was good at. I wasn't really focusing on why am I here. And again, in my own
business, I would get these little flashes of moment when we'd have our consultants together and I
was teaching them something or we were doing a case study on a business and they were lighting up
(10:01):
and I was lighting up and I would have these moments in my own business where I felt that sense of
fulfillment and I was like, how do I get more of that? And of course, you know, that's the key to how
you really have to unlock who you really are and really work through the mindset because we're not
(10:21):
really taught to really listen to that internal inspiration. We're taught to chase the dollars,
chase the title, but when I can really tune into that internal vibration of joy, that's when I realize
wait a minute, I got to unpack this. It's not going to be instantaneous. I got to unpack
unpack who I am and why I'm on this earth and follow that. And I'm curious your perspective on this.
(10:48):
I know I feel like everybody's really looking for that and like everybody's really looking for what
is my approach. No matter, you know, in 2020 when the pandemic happened for the first time in a very
long time, we all stopped no matter what your job or how old you were or what your age was. Everybody
stopped and we had time to really unpack who we are, what are purposes. And those of us that were
(11:13):
traveling, you know, 50 or more percent of a month, it was like, oh my gosh, we have all this time now.
What are we going to do with it? What? So we picked up new purposes and new hobbies and new
interests that we therefore would not have had in in our life. So do you maybe just curious? Do you
think that we're moving into a phase where people are really questioning who they are and what
(11:37):
their purposes are or is it just kind of where are we with that? I feel like this has become more of
dialogue in my conversations with executives. They're like, well, I've been in corporate America and
I'm leaving to start this business because it's my purpose. Yeah, but what is that shift?
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(12:24):
Yeah, so that's where I feel like the disconnect is. Number one is people do just like you described,
which is what I did is I'm going to leave my job and I'm going to start this business and this
business is going to fulfill me. That's when we're treating the purpose like a noun. The business is
going to fulfill me. What I realized is it isn't the business. It's how I approach everything.
(12:50):
So for me, that's the purpose is a verb part is my purpose is to inspire potential. I do that when
I go to the grocery store and I can tell somebody is discouraged and I focus on your eyes are pretty or
wow, you know, that shirt looks amazing on you or wow, you just kind of light up the room and
and I'm bringing out their potential that is fulfilling and so that's the disconnect is people
(13:15):
treat it like it's if I get this job, it will be fulfilling. If I start this business, it will be
fulfilling. It's quote unquote on my purpose. It's not that. I mean, again, I started a business. It
was very successful and I wasn't fulfilled. But when I really cracked that nut and said it's how I
be and how I'm acting in my job or the business or whatever that you begin to really craft the life
(13:44):
that is purposeful and meaningful. And when you put that together with the belief that you can
also be make money on your purpose when you really, really believe that and I know we'll talk about
that later that you can have what I call meaningful money on your purpose. You put that together,
it's joy and success and prosperity and fulfillment. Yeah, that made me think of the quote that people
(14:10):
may forget what you say, but they're not gonna forget the way you make them felt feel and so you
just saying, wow, you have pretty eyes or wow, that shirt is so nice on you. You never know if they
ever get compliments or had a compliment and they might walk away feeling like, wow, look how great
I look and you're really, you're empowering them to feel good at that exact moment and inspiring
(14:34):
somebody to maybe make a shift in their life or maybe they were fearful to take the jump and host
the dinner or take the jump and apply for a promotion. But really what you're doing is you're
laying the foundation for them to take a step no matter what the step is is what I'm hearing you say.
Yeah, and I'll give you two examples. One of the folks that we worked with in succeed on purpose,
(15:01):
his purpose was to create value and he was an engineering and he was trying to find
job that he enjoyed more and when we unpacked that his purpose was to create value, I said,
it's not the job that's gonna be fulfilling, it's finding a job that allows you to create value,
that allows you to be who you are. Another example is our CFO, our CFO's purpose is crazy as it sounds
(15:28):
is to create love and you're like a CFO and their purpose is to create love. But when she's actually
working with the leaders of our brands and walking them through how you did a great job here and
look at that and you know, wow, I really want to pour into you here and let me help you understand
the numbers. She's using her gift for numbers but she's using it in a way that that brings
(15:54):
fulfillment to the people that she serves and so those are two great examples of don't treat your
purpose like a job or a business or a container. It's really how you approach what you do every day,
that's where the fulfillment is. It's a verb not an noun. I love it. So through succeed on purpose,
you've guided individuals to find fulfilling work and create their own abundance. So why do you think
(16:19):
personal transformation is such a big piece of the professional mission? Well, you know, I have a
belief that your business and your prosperity grow as you evolve. I really do believe that and I
teach a lot of entrepreneurs through succeed on purpose and other brands and I emphatically
(16:43):
can say your business grows as you evolve. The challenge is that we're also stuck in the imposter
syndrome and you know 70% of leaders struggle with imposter syndrome and so we have all these beliefs
that you know, I shouldn't do that or I need a degree to do that or it has to be this way or
(17:04):
it has to be that way and I just don't believe that. I believe that you have the ability to switch
your mind and focus on what it is that you want to focus on and be who you are and I think that's
really the key is is learning how to switch your mind away from the disempowering stories and turn
on the more empowering mental script. Oh, that's so so good. I love that because I think about all the
(17:30):
people that have been in my life that really have me focus on solutions and what is the goal? Okay,
you want to win the race? Okay, how do we let's get how do we win the race? What's our strategy? And
so I love that you said that I think there's so much in that I want to unpack it a little more. Like
(17:50):
was it something like that switch for you? Was there something in your life that you know,
happened that made you think that way because I do think as we get older, like you said, everybody
has imposter syndrome whether you're you know your first job, your second job, your first management
job, having kids, getting married, whatever we're doing in our life, all of it we don't we're not
(18:13):
experts in yet. So there is that beginning phase of imposter syndrome but the difference between
those in my opinion that have and those that don't are the ones that take the risk to step out and say,
yep, I don't have all the the answers to do this thing, but I'm going to learn every day and I'm
going to figure it out and I'm going to put my purpose and heart in it. And so I guess that was a long
(18:38):
winded question answer, but how do you think how do you think it works for people? Was it something
specific for you and maybe you could walk us through like how you coach your client specifically?
I'm so glad you asked that because the first time I felt that kind of power, I'm going to tell
(19:00):
a very personal story. I grew up with alcoholic and abusive parents, we were very very poor.
I would I've been abused in every way possible mostly by my parents, my father in particular.
And in one particular case, he was doing something very horrific. I was about 13 years old. It was horrible.
And I something inside of me shifted and I just said, I've had it and everything in my being, I just
(19:28):
basically went like pulled in and went like that and just shot him across the room. I don't know where
the power in me came from, but it boom. And I remember getting up and going never again.
And I felt this switch. And then I never felt it again. And I was an athlete and I was good,
(19:53):
but I wasn't great. I got decent grades, but I didn't think I was smart. I got lucky.
Went away to college and through some wonderful circumstances, had some help. My aunt and uncle stepped in
and helped me. And I remember when I think it was my first or second semester and I was struggling.
(20:14):
It was the class that I was really struggling with. And I walked out feeling defeated. It was one of
those professors that everybody in here is going to fail. And only five are going to get an A,
you know, kind of garbage that happens. And I walked out and I was feeling all of that failure.
And why am I here? I should never be on this college campus. I was seeing myself as that poor,
broken little girl. And I was walking and carrying my book bag and it was sun was shining. And I just
(20:39):
started looking up and something. And I felt that same thing happened again. And I said, no, I'm going
to figure this out. And instead of, I think I was going to go to the registrar's office and drop the class.
And something in me switched. And I said, no, I'm not going to go drop the class. I'm going to go
over to the library. And I'm going to find somebody that will help me. And I just marched up to the library
(21:01):
and started looking for solutions. And I shifted myself out of that victim mindset into, I'm going to make
this happen. Low and behold, I found a tutor. The next thing you know, I'm graduating with honors.
And was on the dean's list and the chancellor's list and the whole bit. And so I became obsessed as an
adult, you know, having these two instances, once at 13 and once at 19, how do I recreate that? How do I
(21:27):
make that switch happen where I can do it on command? And quite honestly, that's what succeed on
purpose is all about. It's teaching people how to switch. There's a way to do it. And I'll be happy
to do it with your audience if you want. There's a way to do it to switch the negative program off
and turn on the more empowering thought and mental script. And you feel it in your body and you feel
(21:53):
it in your mind. And once you align your actions with that mindset, you can do anything. Yeah, I totally
agree. I would love to run through it with you. But I do think there's so much negativity around us.
I everything in the world, our brains are kind of, you know, there's psychology behind that. There's
science behind it and how our brains are wired that way. And so I love to kind of get, let's run through,
(22:19):
let's do it. Yeah, so it's the success, which is really simple. And it's A, B, C. So the A stands for,
you have to acknowledge whatever the belief and the feeling of the belief is. So you say,
it's a prompt and you say not loud, the truth is I feel. And whatever comes up comes up. So you
(22:42):
can say the truth is I feel discouraged, the truth is I feel frustrated, the truth is I feel sad,
whatever it is, whatever that subconscious program is. And people are shocked when they take this first
step because they know that they're not in their power, but they know their stuff, but they don't really
realize the minute you truly acknowledge that some conscious belief, you know, it's shocking. Like
(23:07):
the first time I did it, the truth is I feel and I said, and I said a failure. And I had had a lot of
success, but at that particular moment, I was stuck in this failure program. So you say the truth is
I feel. And the cool thing is when you say that prompt exactly that way and when you allow yourself
(23:28):
to let that subconscious belief come up, the amygdala, which is the part of your brain that runs the
imposter syndrome, it runs the negative program, it starts to downshift. And it literally goes, oh,
okay, you acknowledge the program, I need to stop and I need to wait for new information.
(23:50):
And so when you say the truth is I feel so that's the first step, A, the amygdala starts to
downshift and it literally goes down, down, down, down, down. And you just wait about 15 seconds and
you'll feel your brain pause. And it's the coolest feeling in the world. The first time I felt it,
I was like, oh my god, it's quiet up there finally. Then you move to step two and step two,
(24:14):
you activate the prefrontal cortex and the parasympathetic nervous system by simply taking
four deep breaths. You breathe in through the nose and out of your mouth. We've all heard that
breathing and meditation helps, but here's why when you breathe that way into the nose and out of
(24:36):
your mouth, it activates the prefrontal cortex and it turns on the parasympathetic nervous system,
which then floods your bloodstream and flood your body with this reaction where you actually,
and it literally will create almost like a chemical reaction. You'll feel it. Like the first time
(24:57):
you do it, you'll feel your blood pressure come down with the second breath. You start to feel calm.
And then just four times in through the nose, out through the mouth nice and slow. And all of a sudden
you'll feel like light-headed, you'll feel calm. The really cool thing is after you've done that
second step, so A, acknowledge B, B, the really cool thing when you've got that all of those hormones,
(25:23):
serotonin and dopamine kind of flowing through your bloodstream, they start to kind of make the
amygdala very, very programmable. And anything that you tell of the amygdala at that point, when you've
got it serotonin and dopamine in your bloodstream, in your brain at that moment, anything you tell
the amygdala, it will believe. And this is the coolest part. That takes you to step three is step three,
(25:47):
you just claim a new and powering belief. And the belief is I have the power to create what I want,
or something along those lines. I have the power to overcome the situation. And some people say I am,
I personally have found it saying I have the power is more empowering. And you send that in there,
(26:08):
I take like a power pose in there and I kind of feel it in my body. Again, this whole thing takes
four minutes. And then all of a sudden you're like, yeah, baby. And when I go back to that moment
in college at 19, what was happening to me is I acknowledged I felt like a failure. I was breathing,
(26:30):
this was the thing that took me a while to remember. I was breathing because I was walking really fast
and you know, kind of pumping my arms feel you know, but I was acknowledging that I was a failure.
And then I claimed that new and powering thought. And then it was like literally you feel a switch
happen. And now you've activated all circuits in your brain and your body to connect energetically
(26:53):
mind body connection with that new powerful thought. So that's what I call the success switch. It's
unbelievably effective. I usually tell people do it twice a day for seven days. It'll break any
disempowering thought that you have. And you're really just using mind body connection to do it.
Oh, I love it. You even gave the recipe. That's fantastic. So twice a day for seven days.
(27:17):
Twice a day for seven days. It's unbelievable. How quickly you can reprogram your mind. And again,
I've studied this and I thought it would take forever and I had all the therapy. But I kept going
back to those moments where I felt the power flowing through me. And I'm like, what are they
having? Common. The first thing is I acknowledged it. The second thing is there was something about
(27:38):
my breath. And so I just practiced different breathing techniques. Ironically, it's forbreast
in through your nose and out to the mouth. Nice and slow. And then you claim a new belief. And
that connection, when you claim that new belief when your amygdala is juicy and very, it's not
busy, you know, thinking about something else, but it's really in that programmable state. You can
(28:02):
completely put a new pattern in place very quickly. That's fantastic. I think there's so much in
that I'm going to have to practice it. Usually what I do Terry is imagine the worst case scenario
and make sure I'm okay with it and work backwards. But I think I like this ABC much better than
(28:23):
imagining worst case scenarios. I want to ask, is there any final thoughts or any nuggets of wisdom
you want to leave with our listeners? You know, I think the thing that I would say is what I have learned
again grew up very, very poor abuse in every way possible. The only limits that we have are those
(28:47):
that we place on ourselves. And when I started share on purpose, I had been president of an internet
company that had gone public. You know, I had had a great corporate career. I had then built my own
business and sold it. When I started share on purpose, everyone told me I was nuts. They were like,
(29:08):
what are you doing? You know, you should go do XYZ. And I remember almost believing that. And
and I just started saying, no, wait a minute, if this is what I'm supposed to do, I'm going to find the
way. So the only limits that we place are on ourselves. And the last thing that I would say kind of
(29:28):
bringing it back full circle is when you really know who you are and you really know why you're on
your planet, why you're on this planet, which is purpose. And you act in accordance of that.
That is more powerful than any fear that you have. And that's what breaks the limits is knowing who you
are, knowing why you're here and moving forward on that. And I think the right people show up, right?
(29:55):
When you know what you want and know where you're going, it's amazing how quickly people, the right
people show up in your in your network. So I love that you said that Terry, how can our listeners
connect with you and what's the best way for them to find you? Yeah, succeed on purpose.com. There's
also a handout there under resources that walks you through the success switch. It's it's the simplest
(30:20):
thing I've ever done that gives people the most impact. And then you can also find us on Facebook and
then also on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your knowledge with our listeners.
That's the executive connect podcast.
everything that I do in share on purpose, which is kind of like the purposeful shark tank in the holding company.
(00:05):
It all started in 16 on purpose. It was truly the genesis of everything I started in 2009.
So I've been doing this for a while. And what I identified, first in my own life, it was like,
"I want to have more success, but I want to, I call it meaningful money. I want to have more success,
but I want to do something that matters and something that's meaningful." And so I realized that
(00:29):
purposeful success or meaningful money, you need three things to exist. The first is knowing who you are,
and I call that persona. For example, I'm a builder, and that's my persona, and I need to build something.
I can't just solve problems. I really need to build it. I'm not happy unless I'm building something.
(00:49):
So, you know, now that I know that about myself, I can build a strategy in my career and business to ensure that it includes building something.
The second is passion, and then finally, the most important of these three components of purposeful success is purpose.
What if the secret to success isn't more hustle but a switch? On today's Executive Connect podcast,
(01:17):
we're connected with Terry Maxwell, the gross strategist behind over 50 brands, and the founder of Share On Purpose,
which is like a purposeful shark tank, and she also founded the founder of succeed on purpose,
a training company for individuals and leaders who want to create more success on purpose.
(01:42):
She's flipped the traditional business model on its head, fueling purpose-driven companies that scale and serve.
If you've ever wondered how to build meaningful success without selling your soul, this is your moment to flip the switch.
Welcome, Terry. I'm so glad to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
(02:05):
Terry, your journey from corporate leader to purpose-driven entrepreneur and investor is incredibly inspiring.
Can you share with us a little bit about the success switch and what it means to you and really what sparked this for you in your life?
Yeah, a great question. It was a series of things that led to it. The first one was when I left corporate America and started my first business in 2002,
(02:32):
was right after 9/11, and I was like, "You know what? If life is this crazy, I'm going to go out and do my own thing."
Fortunately, I ended up being very successful with that business, grew it to about just under 10 million in revenue and then started
kind of this weird wake-up call that I've built my own business. I've got plenty of money, but I was miserable in my own business.
(02:54):
And that really led me to thinking there has to be a better way to have success, but do something that made the world better in some way.
So that's what led to all of this and ultimately what's behind the success switch.
Now, succeed on purpose has inspired thousands of business and leaders. Let's talk a little bit about what it takes to grow a business that's profitable and purposeful.
(03:24):
Walk us through that journey. Ready to lead smarter and invest wiser?
On the Executive Connect podcast, we unpack executive strategies for wealth and influence.
Hit the subscribe button now. Don't just watch, act.
Yeah, everything that I do in share on purpose, which is kind of like the purposeful shark tank in the holding company, it all started in succeed on purpose.
(03:51):
It was truly the genesis of everything I started in 2009, so I've been doing this for a while.
And what I identified first in my own life is like, I want to have more success, but I want to, I call it meaningful money.
I want to have more success, but I want to do something that matters and something that's meaningful.
And so I realize that purposeful success or meaningful money, you need three things to exist.
(04:15):
The first is knowing who you are and I call that persona.
For example, I'm a builder and that's my persona and I need to build something.
I can't just solve problems. I really need to build it. I'm not happy unless I'm building something.
So, you know, I now that I know that about myself, I can build a strategy, my career and business, to ensure that it includes building something.
(04:41):
The second is passion, which is really what do you love to do?
I mean, life is short. If anything, the last five years, we've realized is anything could happen.
So if anything could happen, I want to do something that I love to do.
And then finally, the most important of these three components of purposeful success is purpose.
(05:02):
The funny thing about purpose is most people get very confused.
They think purpose is a noun, like I'm a teacher and that's my purpose.
It's not a noun, it's actually a verb.
And when you make your purpose into a verb, so my purpose is to inspire potential.
When I treat it like a verb, I can be doing any job. I could have any business.
(05:25):
And as long as I'm approaching my actions from this larger, why, of inspiring potential,
then what happens is I'm more fulfilled. I make a bigger impact.
Wow, that ultimately causes my passions to go up.
And then ultimately, I have more success.
So it's persona, which is who you are, passion, which is really what you love in purpose,
(05:48):
which is why do you love it? And the key to purpose is it's a verb, not a noun.
And I love that. I think it really is a mindset shift because I know, like I think back to the old narrative,
go to school, get a good job, work the 8 to 5, 9 to 5, take your one hour lunch break.
(06:09):
But I think what I've learned is is the people that are kind of shifting from that mindset to more
of this purposeful, driven, whatever it is that they're passionate about.
They're less likely to burn out and wear out. And I feel like the ones that are actually doing
what you're talking about are the happiest people I know, the work they're doing.
(06:32):
They could do it all day, every day. And they're really passionate about it.
So what is the mindset shift you believe that is essential when you kind of switch and turn the
narrative on the head? You know, it's so funny because I think people really see it as a good, bad,
right, wrong. I got it. I didn't got it. And for me, what I found is it really was unpacking who I am
(06:59):
and why I'm here. And I've had incredible success and incredible failure. But what I found is that
when I'm doing something that matters and when I'm doing what I'm really meant to do, successor failure
becomes less important. And what happens is the meaning is what leads me to success. Now,
(07:22):
it wasn't easy for me to figure that out. It took me a lot of, you know, broken roads and over the river
and through the woods. But once I cracked the code and said, if I will focus on why am I here,
what do I love to do and who am I and really align my pursuits around that success is going to come.
(07:42):
If you get the mindset right, which I know we're going to talk about, if you get the mindset right,
success will come. Yeah, and I think if you can get the mindset right, you're less fearful to make
the jump. I feel like if your mind's in the right place, you're grounded in who you are and what your
purpose are is, I feel like you tell me, does it really shrink your fear to really like, and why does it
(08:08):
matter? Like why would that matter to somebody? Because a lot of times you're like, okay, these are my
skills. I'm going to find a job that is in this bucket. But when you pull that back, it's say, okay,
I may be a marketer or an engineer, but when you pull it back and say, well, I like building
brands because of this or I like, you know, building and designing bridges because of that and you're
(08:30):
grounded in your purpose, I think it doesn't become a job like you were saying. It's not, is it an
out is it a verb shifts, right? Great question. So if I use my purpose as an example to inspire
potential in my corporate career, before I knew purpose was a thing, those moments when I was inspiring
(08:52):
my team or speaking on stage or delivering some insight or challenging people to tackle a goal,
those moments I felt like I was on top of the world, the challenge was the rest of my job didn't
necessarily take advantage of that. And so what most people do once they have that awareness is they
(09:12):
start to treat their purpose like a noun. If I could just change my job or if I can just start this
business, then I'll be happy, which is what I did is I left corporate America. We had taken a company
public, you know, 9/11 happened. I'm going to go do something meaningful. So I quit this very
successful corporate career, go out and start a business, built that business and I was miserable in
(09:37):
my own business because I wasn't focusing on the purpose. I was focusing on what I knew how to do.
I was focusing on what I was good at. I wasn't really focusing on why am I here. And again, in my own
business, I would get these little flashes of moment when we'd have our consultants together and I
was teaching them something or we were doing a case study on a business and they were lighting up
(10:01):
and I was lighting up and I would have these moments in my own business where I felt that sense of
fulfillment and I was like, how do I get more of that? And of course, you know, that's the key to how
you really have to unlock who you really are and really work through the mindset because we're not
(10:21):
really taught to really listen to that internal inspiration. We're taught to chase the dollars,
chase the title, but when I can really tune into that internal vibration of joy, that's when I realize
wait a minute, I got to unpack this. It's not going to be instantaneous. I got to unpack
unpack who I am and why I'm on this earth and follow that. And I'm curious your perspective on this.
(10:48):
I know I feel like everybody's really looking for that and like everybody's really looking for what
is my approach. No matter, you know, in 2020 when the pandemic happened for the first time in a very
long time, we all stopped no matter what your job or how old you were or what your age was. Everybody
stopped and we had time to really unpack who we are, what are purposes. And those of us that were
(11:13):
traveling, you know, 50 or more percent of a month, it was like, oh my gosh, we have all this time now.
What are we going to do with it? What? So we picked up new purposes and new hobbies and new
interests that we therefore would not have had in in our life. So do you maybe just curious? Do you
think that we're moving into a phase where people are really questioning who they are and what
(11:37):
their purposes are or is it just kind of where are we with that? I feel like this has become more of
dialogue in my conversations with executives. They're like, well, I've been in corporate America and
I'm leaving to start this business because it's my purpose. Yeah, but what is that shift?
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(12:24):
Yeah, so that's where I feel like the disconnect is. Number one is people do just like you described,
which is what I did is I'm going to leave my job and I'm going to start this business and this
business is going to fulfill me. That's when we're treating the purpose like a noun. The business is
going to fulfill me. What I realized is it isn't the business. It's how I approach everything.
(12:50):
So for me, that's the purpose is a verb part is my purpose is to inspire potential. I do that when
I go to the grocery store and I can tell somebody is discouraged and I focus on your eyes are pretty or
wow, you know, that shirt looks amazing on you or wow, you just kind of light up the room and
and I'm bringing out their potential that is fulfilling and so that's the disconnect is people
(13:15):
treat it like it's if I get this job, it will be fulfilling. If I start this business, it will be
fulfilling. It's quote unquote on my purpose. It's not that. I mean, again, I started a business. It
was very successful and I wasn't fulfilled. But when I really cracked that nut and said it's how I
be and how I'm acting in my job or the business or whatever that you begin to really craft the life
(13:44):
that is purposeful and meaningful. And when you put that together with the belief that you can
also be make money on your purpose when you really, really believe that and I know we'll talk about
that later that you can have what I call meaningful money on your purpose. You put that together,
it's joy and success and prosperity and fulfillment. Yeah, that made me think of the quote that people
(14:10):
may forget what you say, but they're not gonna forget the way you make them felt feel and so you
just saying, wow, you have pretty eyes or wow, that shirt is so nice on you. You never know if they
ever get compliments or had a compliment and they might walk away feeling like, wow, look how great
I look and you're really, you're empowering them to feel good at that exact moment and inspiring
(14:34):
somebody to maybe make a shift in their life or maybe they were fearful to take the jump and host
the dinner or take the jump and apply for a promotion. But really what you're doing is you're
laying the foundation for them to take a step no matter what the step is is what I'm hearing you say.
Yeah, and I'll give you two examples. One of the folks that we worked with in succeed on purpose,
(15:01):
his purpose was to create value and he was an engineering and he was trying to find
job that he enjoyed more and when we unpacked that his purpose was to create value, I said,
it's not the job that's gonna be fulfilling, it's finding a job that allows you to create value,
that allows you to be who you are. Another example is our CFO, our CFO's purpose is crazy as it sounds
(15:28):
is to create love and you're like a CFO and their purpose is to create love. But when she's actually
working with the leaders of our brands and walking them through how you did a great job here and
look at that and you know, wow, I really want to pour into you here and let me help you understand
the numbers. She's using her gift for numbers but she's using it in a way that that brings
(15:54):
fulfillment to the people that she serves and so those are two great examples of don't treat your
purpose like a job or a business or a container. It's really how you approach what you do every day,
that's where the fulfillment is. It's a verb not an noun. I love it. So through succeed on purpose,
you've guided individuals to find fulfilling work and create their own abundance. So why do you think
(16:19):
personal transformation is such a big piece of the professional mission? Well, you know, I have a
belief that your business and your prosperity grow as you evolve. I really do believe that and I
teach a lot of entrepreneurs through succeed on purpose and other brands and I emphatically
(16:43):
can say your business grows as you evolve. The challenge is that we're also stuck in the imposter
syndrome and you know 70% of leaders struggle with imposter syndrome and so we have all these beliefs
that you know, I shouldn't do that or I need a degree to do that or it has to be this way or
(17:04):
it has to be that way and I just don't believe that. I believe that you have the ability to switch
your mind and focus on what it is that you want to focus on and be who you are and I think that's
really the key is is learning how to switch your mind away from the disempowering stories and turn
on the more empowering mental script. Oh, that's so so good. I love that because I think about all the
(17:30):
people that have been in my life that really have me focus on solutions and what is the goal? Okay,
you want to win the race? Okay, how do we let's get how do we win the race? What's our strategy? And
so I love that you said that I think there's so much in that I want to unpack it a little more. Like
(17:50):
was it something like that switch for you? Was there something in your life that you know,
happened that made you think that way because I do think as we get older, like you said, everybody
has imposter syndrome whether you're you know your first job, your second job, your first management
job, having kids, getting married, whatever we're doing in our life, all of it we don't we're not
(18:13):
experts in yet. So there is that beginning phase of imposter syndrome but the difference between
those in my opinion that have and those that don't are the ones that take the risk to step out and say,
yep, I don't have all the the answers to do this thing, but I'm going to learn every day and I'm
going to figure it out and I'm going to put my purpose and heart in it. And so I guess that was a long
(18:38):
winded question answer, but how do you think how do you think it works for people? Was it something
specific for you and maybe you could walk us through like how you coach your client specifically?
I'm so glad you asked that because the first time I felt that kind of power, I'm going to tell
(19:00):
a very personal story. I grew up with alcoholic and abusive parents, we were very very poor.
I would I've been abused in every way possible mostly by my parents, my father in particular.
And in one particular case, he was doing something very horrific. I was about 13 years old. It was horrible.
And I something inside of me shifted and I just said, I've had it and everything in my being, I just
(19:28):
basically went like pulled in and went like that and just shot him across the room. I don't know where
the power in me came from, but it boom. And I remember getting up and going never again.
And I felt this switch. And then I never felt it again. And I was an athlete and I was good,
(19:53):
but I wasn't great. I got decent grades, but I didn't think I was smart. I got lucky.
Went away to college and through some wonderful circumstances, had some help. My aunt and uncle stepped in
and helped me. And I remember when I think it was my first or second semester and I was struggling.
(20:14):
It was the class that I was really struggling with. And I walked out feeling defeated. It was one of
those professors that everybody in here is going to fail. And only five are going to get an A,
you know, kind of garbage that happens. And I walked out and I was feeling all of that failure.
And why am I here? I should never be on this college campus. I was seeing myself as that poor,
broken little girl. And I was walking and carrying my book bag and it was sun was shining. And I just
(20:39):
started looking up and something. And I felt that same thing happened again. And I said, no, I'm going
to figure this out. And instead of, I think I was going to go to the registrar's office and drop the class.
And something in me switched. And I said, no, I'm not going to go drop the class. I'm going to go
over to the library. And I'm going to find somebody that will help me. And I just marched up to the library
(21:01):
and started looking for solutions. And I shifted myself out of that victim mindset into, I'm going to make
this happen. Low and behold, I found a tutor. The next thing you know, I'm graduating with honors.
And was on the dean's list and the chancellor's list and the whole bit. And so I became obsessed as an
adult, you know, having these two instances, once at 13 and once at 19, how do I recreate that? How do I
(21:27):
make that switch happen where I can do it on command? And quite honestly, that's what succeed on
purpose is all about. It's teaching people how to switch. There's a way to do it. And I'll be happy
to do it with your audience if you want. There's a way to do it to switch the negative program off
and turn on the more empowering thought and mental script. And you feel it in your body and you feel
(21:53):
it in your mind. And once you align your actions with that mindset, you can do anything. Yeah, I totally
agree. I would love to run through it with you. But I do think there's so much negativity around us.
I everything in the world, our brains are kind of, you know, there's psychology behind that. There's
science behind it and how our brains are wired that way. And so I love to kind of get, let's run through,
(22:19):
let's do it. Yeah, so it's the success, which is really simple. And it's A, B, C. So the A stands for,
you have to acknowledge whatever the belief and the feeling of the belief is. So you say,
it's a prompt and you say not loud, the truth is I feel. And whatever comes up comes up. So you
(22:42):
can say the truth is I feel discouraged, the truth is I feel frustrated, the truth is I feel sad,
whatever it is, whatever that subconscious program is. And people are shocked when they take this first
step because they know that they're not in their power, but they know their stuff, but they don't really
realize the minute you truly acknowledge that some conscious belief, you know, it's shocking. Like
(23:07):
the first time I did it, the truth is I feel and I said, and I said a failure. And I had had a lot of
success, but at that particular moment, I was stuck in this failure program. So you say the truth is
I feel. And the cool thing is when you say that prompt exactly that way and when you allow yourself
(23:28):
to let that subconscious belief come up, the amygdala, which is the part of your brain that runs the
imposter syndrome, it runs the negative program, it starts to downshift. And it literally goes, oh,
okay, you acknowledge the program, I need to stop and I need to wait for new information.
(23:50):
And so when you say the truth is I feel so that's the first step, A, the amygdala starts to
downshift and it literally goes down, down, down, down, down. And you just wait about 15 seconds and
you'll feel your brain pause. And it's the coolest feeling in the world. The first time I felt it,
I was like, oh my god, it's quiet up there finally. Then you move to step two and step two,
(24:14):
you activate the prefrontal cortex and the parasympathetic nervous system by simply taking
four deep breaths. You breathe in through the nose and out of your mouth. We've all heard that
breathing and meditation helps, but here's why when you breathe that way into the nose and out of
(24:36):
your mouth, it activates the prefrontal cortex and it turns on the parasympathetic nervous system,
which then floods your bloodstream and flood your body with this reaction where you actually,
and it literally will create almost like a chemical reaction. You'll feel it. Like the first time
(24:57):
you do it, you'll feel your blood pressure come down with the second breath. You start to feel calm.
And then just four times in through the nose, out through the mouth nice and slow. And all of a sudden
you'll feel like light-headed, you'll feel calm. The really cool thing is after you've done that
second step, so A, acknowledge B, B, the really cool thing when you've got that all of those hormones,
(25:23):
serotonin and dopamine kind of flowing through your bloodstream, they start to kind of make the
amygdala very, very programmable. And anything that you tell of the amygdala at that point, when you've
got it serotonin and dopamine in your bloodstream, in your brain at that moment, anything you tell
the amygdala, it will believe. And this is the coolest part. That takes you to step three is step three,
(25:47):
you just claim a new and powering belief. And the belief is I have the power to create what I want,
or something along those lines. I have the power to overcome the situation. And some people say I am,
I personally have found it saying I have the power is more empowering. And you send that in there,
(26:08):
I take like a power pose in there and I kind of feel it in my body. Again, this whole thing takes
four minutes. And then all of a sudden you're like, yeah, baby. And when I go back to that moment
in college at 19, what was happening to me is I acknowledged I felt like a failure. I was breathing,
(26:30):
this was the thing that took me a while to remember. I was breathing because I was walking really fast
and you know, kind of pumping my arms feel you know, but I was acknowledging that I was a failure.
And then I claimed that new and powering thought. And then it was like literally you feel a switch
happen. And now you've activated all circuits in your brain and your body to connect energetically
(26:53):
mind body connection with that new powerful thought. So that's what I call the success switch. It's
unbelievably effective. I usually tell people do it twice a day for seven days. It'll break any
disempowering thought that you have. And you're really just using mind body connection to do it.
Oh, I love it. You even gave the recipe. That's fantastic. So twice a day for seven days.
(27:17):
Twice a day for seven days. It's unbelievable. How quickly you can reprogram your mind. And again,
I've studied this and I thought it would take forever and I had all the therapy. But I kept going
back to those moments where I felt the power flowing through me. And I'm like, what are they
having? Common. The first thing is I acknowledged it. The second thing is there was something about
(27:38):
my breath. And so I just practiced different breathing techniques. Ironically, it's forbreast
in through your nose and out to the mouth. Nice and slow. And then you claim a new belief. And
that connection, when you claim that new belief when your amygdala is juicy and very, it's not
busy, you know, thinking about something else, but it's really in that programmable state. You can
(28:02):
completely put a new pattern in place very quickly. That's fantastic. I think there's so much in
that I'm going to have to practice it. Usually what I do Terry is imagine the worst case scenario
and make sure I'm okay with it and work backwards. But I think I like this ABC much better than
(28:23):
imagining worst case scenarios. I want to ask, is there any final thoughts or any nuggets of wisdom
you want to leave with our listeners? You know, I think the thing that I would say is what I have learned
again grew up very, very poor abuse in every way possible. The only limits that we have are those
(28:47):
that we place on ourselves. And when I started share on purpose, I had been president of an internet
company that had gone public. You know, I had had a great corporate career. I had then built my own
business and sold it. When I started share on purpose, everyone told me I was nuts. They were like,
(29:08):
what are you doing? You know, you should go do XYZ. And I remember almost believing that. And
and I just started saying, no, wait a minute, if this is what I'm supposed to do, I'm going to find the
way. So the only limits that we place are on ourselves. And the last thing that I would say kind of
(29:28):
bringing it back full circle is when you really know who you are and you really know why you're on
your planet, why you're on this planet, which is purpose. And you act in accordance of that.
That is more powerful than any fear that you have. And that's what breaks the limits is knowing who you
are, knowing why you're here and moving forward on that. And I think the right people show up, right?
(29:55):
When you know what you want and know where you're going, it's amazing how quickly people, the right
people show up in your in your network. So I love that you said that Terry, how can our listeners
connect with you and what's the best way for them to find you? Yeah, succeed on purpose.com. There's
also a handout there under resources that walks you through the success switch. It's it's the simplest
(30:20):
thing I've ever done that gives people the most impact. And then you can also find us on Facebook and
then also on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your knowledge with our listeners.
That's the executive connect podcast.
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