Building the Roadmap to Her Dream Life (Angie’s Story)

Ep: 213

Do you often feel like you aren’t prioritizing yourself?

When you’re just going through the motions, it’s easy to identify with the roles you perform. Your job, your role as a wife, partner, or mother…

But somewhere under all of those labels is the real you. 

Career coaching won’t only help you land your next role in work, but it has the potential to help you truly reconnect with your authentic self again. 

Today on The Bridge to Fulfillment Ⓡ, Blake welcomes Angie to share her story. After 9 months of hesitation, she finally overcame the barriers that were preventing her from saying “yes” to her future. Her only regret? Not understanding sooner that this program would provide her with the tools & resources she needed to take action.

In this episode, you’ll hear about Angie’s process leading up to finally making the investment that changed her life (in only 4 short weeks!). She shares the full-spectrum results she experienced in both her personal and professional life, and how she came to realize that the problem wasn’t just her role, but it stretched back to lifelong limiting beliefs that she needed to overcome in order to make progress. You’ll hear how she discovered her secret sauce transferable skills™, and how that ultimately led her to rediscover her authentic self and become more fully present in her life.

With the right tools and support, things can change very quickly. 

Are you ready to pave the path toward your dream life? 

What You’ll Learn:

  • The breakdown moment that inspired Angie to reach out for help (3:44)
  • Overcoming the barriers to change (5:27)
  • Why career coaching is actually the cure for overwhelm (10:00)
  • What surprised Angie about the program’s holistic approach (12:59)
  • Angie’s biggest “aha” moment and how it has impacted her life (16:52)


Favorite Quotes:

  1. I felt like I should be happy and should be grateful for the opportunities that this job had provided me. But deep down, I wasn’t fulfilled, and I was unsure how to break out of that burnout cycle. –Angie
  2. Within the first month, it was amazing how much time I had created for myself, not just for the program, but for other aspects of my life. My family and my relationships, my self-care, my hobbies, and being able to just be really present. –Angie
  3. One of the biggest mistakes I see women making is not trusting their gut and not doing the thing they know they need to do. They believe that they have to exhaust every single option by doing it themselves before they get help. –Blake
  4. If you are in a situation where you are exhausted, wondering how in the world you can actually take on transitioning into something new, understand that things can change very rapidly for you with the right tools and support. – Blake

Additional Resources: 

Rather than hoping the grass will be greener, identify what the RIGHT next step is.
We can help you do just that.

Get clarity on where you are on your journey to career fulfillment, where you’re headed, optional paths to get there, and the right next step to take.

Start your complimentary, Personalized Career Fulfillment Plan by going to www.thebridgetofulfillment.com/plan

Want free resources to set your job search up for success? You can get them by going to: http://www.thebridgetofulfillment.com/mistakes

For other programs and opportunities to work with Blake, go to www.BlakeSchofield.com

Transcript

Angie Uh 0:01
I’ve learned through this program that I am more than my role. So I’m just really at a great place in my life right now where I get to follow the breadcrumbs and just have a world of opportunities in front of me, and have really, I think, just understand that my work is far beyond the role I’m working towards, again, making my dreams become a reality, which I would have never been thought I would have been able to do. This program is more than just career it is a holistic approach. And so that, for me is more valuable than just finding my next career. Because I know that regardless of whatever situation I may be in, I have the tools in place that I know how to create the time for myself how to take action, how to create boundaries, and really step into my worth and feel empowered to make decisions based on what is most important to me in my life.

Blake Schofield 1:02
Hi, I’m Blake Schofield, founder and CEO of The Bridge to Fulfillment®, mom to three, USA Today top 10 professional coach, and former corporate executive who got tired of sacrificing my life for a comfortable paycheck. My mission is to expand women’s perspectives and empower them to achieve greater impact at home and work without sacrifice. This is The Bridge to Fulfillment®.

Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Bridge to Fulfillment®. I am super pumped and excited to have my client Angie here with me today. You know, as we’ve talked about her personal journey, the clarity that she has around what her journey has been what she has learned and what she wished that she knew months ago before she started this journey together, I have zero doubt in my mind will be incredibly impactful to you. Because not only in many ways is her story. So similar to so many women that I work with and also run across. I think it’s a common thread. But her gifts and ability to be able to communicate that in a way where you can see yourself and I think is really powerful. And so my hope and desire for today’s podcast is that you are able to see yourself and Angie story. And you’re able to learn from her lessons to shortcut the process and move into a more fulfilling career in life with more joy, more ease and more efficiency than you likely even think is possible. So with that said, welcome, miss Angie, so happy to have you.

Angie Uh 2:44
Thank you for having me excited to be here.

Blake Schofield 2:47
So much fun, lady, this is gonna be so much fun. So would you mind sharing a little bit about how we connected and what was going on in your life when that happened?

Angie Uh 2:56
Yes, so I actually was connected through you. So we had actually previously worked at the same company. But it was through a referral from one of my old co workers, who was a friend of dear friend of mine who had gone through your program. And so at the time I had been with my company for about eight years, I joined when they were a startup. And so through that time, I kind of went through like a roller coaster in my career journey and experienced high growth as they went to become a publicly traded company. And so for me, it was I think the first few years of being in the startup world I really enjoyed and was really passionate about for was really energized about my role and the responsibilities as we shifted more into being a public company and kind of shifting into a corporate structure and corporate dynamics, I started to feel really stagnant and started to just be over consumed by work, where I was making a lot of trade offs with my personal life.

Angie Uh 3:53
And so I just honestly went through that roller coaster of like highs and lows and overtime just didn’t experience any highs anymore. And I just experienced a lot of lows. And so I was at a place where I was kind of treading water, I was feeling like I should be happy should be grateful for the opportunities that this job had provided me. But knowing deep down, I wasn’t fulfilled, and just unsure how to break out of that burnout cycle. And so my husband would always tell me, you know, I would go through kind of the standard process that most people do, I would ramp up and kind of revamp my resume. I would do job searches, like it was my second job, but never gain any traction. And my husband would always tell me, you know, I think it’s like an Albert Einstein quote, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. And that was definitely where I was at at that time. And I knew that it was because I was coming from a place of lack and scarcity. I wouldn’t really see the true progress that I wanted until I got down to the root issues that I was facing.

Blake Schofield 4:57
And so when we connected you So you had a little bit of background, one of my past clients, friend, mutual friends, right, referred you, and you had already done some of that work to your point and you weren’t seeing success. You were unfulfilled. Tell me a little bit about the process of you deciding to take the path forward and come into the bridge to fulfillment. What was that journey like?

Angie Uh 5:19
We had our discovery called, I actually had to look back, I spent nine months before I actually committed to the program after we had first talked. So I had just some of the things that I think were barriers were definitely one the investment. So that was something that I really had to come to terms with, because I had never invested in myself. It was also a conversation, I was really hesitant to bring up with my husband just because we’re going through a lot of like personal changes at that time. But he was immediately so supportive for him, he was just like, if you can really invest your time into the program, then I think it’s going to be the best decision you’ve made, which brought me to my second barrier, which was time, I felt like I had so little time for myself, I just didn’t have energy, I didn’t really have balance. And so I think for me, it was just like, how much time do I have to commit? And can I actually do it? And can I see the results. And I found that within the first month, what you had told me to you were like, within the first few weeks, you’ll you’ll get the rewards of time back. But yeah, within the first month, it was amazing how much time I had created for myself, not just for the program, but other aspects of my life, my family and my relationships, my self care, my hobbies, and being able to just be really present within just even that first month of the program.

Blake Schofield 6:34
I love that you asked to share with me and there was another barrier to you coming in? Can you share a little bit about that? Because I think it’s really common. And that’s an important thing to talk about.

Angie Uh 6:44
Yes. So after I had the call with you, I was still, I think, a little hesitant to fully commit at the time. And I think I was very independent. And so for me, it was I think I was just like kind of testing myself up. Let me just try to do this one more time by myself. And I actually I remember I actually had gone through again, the process of the resume the interviews, and I actually had found I remember getting a job offer that I really liked with a company that I was really inspired by, but it met maybe like eight out of 10 requirements that I wanted. And I remember you were so nice to have a conversation with me before I even joined the program. And we kind of talked through, you know, what is your worth? What do you feel you’re valued at. And if ultimately, those two things are really important to you, and aligned with where you want to be, if you try to kind of sacrifice those from the beginning, like ultimately, you might just end up being in the same place, you know, a year down the line two years down the line. And that really resonated me because again, I think I realized I needed to get down to the root cause. And so with that, I think there was probably just a lot of fear of change. Fear of could I do it, I can just a lot of self doubt around my abilities to make change for myself.

Blake Schofield 7:55
Yeah, for sure. And I think that’s so common. I actually just even recently had a woman say to me, I know I’m probably going to be one of those clients, like I know, I should join this program. I believe it’s right for me, but I know I’m probably gonna be one of those clients that regrets this, but I feel like I just need to try this one more time on my own. And that’s probably one of the hardest places for me to be in. Because I’ve now helped hundreds of women and 1000s of conversations. And one of the biggest mistakes I see women making is not trusting their gut and not doing the thing they know they need to do, and believing that they have to suffer or continue to exhaust every single option doing it themselves before they get help. And as a result of that, I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve had come to me after they come back and say, Well, I thought about working with you 12 months ago, but I figured I could just do this job search on my own, I changed career paths or change jobs, I took this big pay cut, and I’m miserable.

Blake Schofield 8:51
You know, it’s worse than it ever was. And now I make even less and or women who weighed and ended up getting put on performance plans or layoffs. And now they’ve lost 10s of 1000s of dollars not making money. And so it’s always hard for me because I always well, I’ve been in your shoes, I know what it’s like to have to, for the first time ever invest in a coach and the fear that comes with? Am I going to be able to do this? Will I be successful? What if I invest in this and I get nothing from it very black and white, all or nothing thinking. And on the flip side, I know what happens, results wise when women come in, and what that path looks like and how it can literally completely change the trajectory of your life and save you 10s of 1000s if not hundreds of 1000s of dollars, not just money, though peace of mind and all of the things so let me ask you looking back on that. Looking back on that journey for you of that nine month journey where you’re like yes, I feel like this is 100% the right thing to do but I’m going to still sit in this and continue to do what I was doing. What do you wish that you had known back then? How would you have changed your journey?

Angie Uh 10:00
I think I wish I would have known that this program would give me the tools and resources to create action. So before this, I mean, I took, I went through the motions of job search, but I think a lot of time was honestly spent in my head of kind of trying to analyze, get the data, the research to make a decision, and really create that path A to Z. But a lot of times that just created a sense of overwhelm an overwhelming sense within myself and just not having very clear direction on what I wanted, just left me in a cycle of like spinning my wheels trying to make change. And so I think, yeah, for me, it was through this program, I learned action is so important. So trust your gut, know that if you approach your goals, day by day, step by step, you’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish in such little time with that clarity and focus.

Blake Schofield 10:56
Awesome. Awesome. Thank you for that. So Angie, you mentioned that you ended up joining the program, nine months after we had had that conversation, what was it that finally convinced you to take the step forward?

Angie Uh 11:07
For me, it was probably just wanting to change, I knew that I had to dig a layer deeper than what I was kind of working on for myself. And so I think what I found through the program was just a really holistic approach. It wasn’t just career focus, but it really helped me with all aspects of my life, many felt like until I could figure out what my, like non negotiables are, what I need to be successful. What I even think about is what I find the definition of success, meaning for myself, I think was really important. And I think just I knew that I needed help and support and someone to guide me along my journey.

Blake Schofield 11:51
Awesome. So when you came in, what did you expect to get from the program? And what did you actually get from it,

Angie Uh 11:58
I expected to just find my next role, find the next company, the path I want to go forward with, what I gained was honestly, so much more, I think first was just time, time is so important. I know, women, I think tend to not prioritize themselves. And so I was really great at prioritizing my work in my career, but not in honestly any other aspects of my life. And I was able to get the structure I needed to create boundaries for myself, I know I shared with you, I most people get Sunday series. But I would be the person that got my series on Saturday morning, because I would just get so overwhelmed by the amount of like work that I needed to get done for the next week that I never was able to be really present in parts of my life. And so that is something that I think will help me and carry me forward beyond just my career of being able to truly kind of prioritize myself, my family, my relationships, based on what I find to be the most important for myself, and not just work. I also was really surprised about the self awareness and kind of like self development work that was included in the program.

Angie Uh 13:08
So I really appreciated the success and empowerment calls with Britt. Through that work, I found there were actually a lot of limiting beliefs that I had that I carried with me since childhood, that I honestly didn’t even know that I had that it was able to unblock. And I just want to say thank you to all the women on the calls, because they really inspired me it was such a safe space to be open and vulnerable men to hear other women share their experiences share how they were feeling. And in a lot of cases, there were examples of when they would be talking about something that I didn’t even think about for myself, but hearing them speak about their experience, I realized, oh, wow, like I’ve actually felt that way, too. I just haven’t been aware of it. And so that really helped me again, kind of create alignment within my own journey, and do the work kind of necessary.

Blake Schofield 13:57
One of the big things I always get as a question from women who are interested in the program is how do you get clarity? And what if I can’t get any? What could you share about that process? And how gaining clarity has changed your life?

Angie Uh 14:11
Yeah, so before the program, I was always in my head. So I would either go through times where I was just so narrowly focused of the role that I’m in is the only type of role that could get or my mind would go a million directions, and I had no sense of clarity on what direction I wanted to even explore. And so again, I would get into that decision paralysis of just being able to take action through the program work especially around defining clarity, your non negotiables your criteria, I was able to get such clear direction on what paths were most aligned with what I desired, what my true strengths and passions were, and then also the action to get to my goals. So instead of having it be this kind of like daydream or this idea in my head, it’s like now I have a very clear roadmap and know what I need to do to get to creating my dreams, or I guess sorry, making my dreams a reality.

Blake Schofield 15:09
One of my favorite parts about your journey was watching you uncover your secret sauce, transferable skills and work on. We call it your secret sauce pitch, which is basically your elevator pitch is how you communicate to people truly who you are, the value you bring, and where you can really align for the maximum benefit. And I loved watching that journey for you. Because there were pieces that were wrapped up in these childhood beliefs and experiences. There are pieces that you had, and there are pieces that you were completely oblivious to her and never even realized were opportunities. How would you say going through that process of identifying your secret sauce skills, has changed your perspective about who you are and how you feel on a day to day basis.

Angie Uh 15:55
I think over time, I got further and further away from my true authentic self, because I was so wrapped up in my job. And so I really found a lot of value, kind of taking a step back and looking at what I enjoyed as a child kind of what made me happy how I interacted, and really being able to kind of connect the dots with how that came through in my current life, and my current situation. And so I found that to be really important for myself to know that I bring so much to the table. And it may not look like anyone elses. But that’s why it is a secret sauce. That is what makes me uniquely me authentically me. And so that was really great just to be able to kind of reevaluate my worth and what my value is, and make sure that it is again truly aligned with my most authentic self.

Blake Schofield 16:47
And how has that change either how you interact with people today, or how you feel about yourself?

Angie Uh 16:52
So one of my biggest AHA, throughout the process was being able to recognize that when I wasn’t happy in my role, it wasn’t really about the role or the environment, versus about it being me I was misaligned with and I was reacting to environments or situations and how I handle things. And so now I’ve been really able to shift my mindset and be able to stop and think about why I feel certain things like frustration, and be able to recognize where it might be a limiting belief within myself, other than having it be about the other person. So I found that it was really important to recognize the work within yourself that has to be done, to be able to again, get in full alignment with your authentic self. And once that authentic self comes out, it’s I think it really just changes your interactions on a daily basis. And that’s been also really powerful for me, I just move through my days, but just so much more freedom and openness. And I think just a different shift in energy, just being able to make that slight shift.

Blake Schofield 17:56
I love it so much. Because I often say the reason we focus on gaining controls, the first step is normally most of the time women come to me in fight or flight. And when you’re in fight or flight, you can’t actually access the right information you need to because your brain has shut down. But secondarily, most of the time, we believe that we’re unfulfilled because of our circumstances. For me, I used to say it’s this industry, it’s this company, it’s this micromanaging boss. And I really didn’t learn until I became an entrepreneur and I started still seeing the same exact patterns. And there was no one else to blame but me that wait something else is going on here. And so I really love hearing you say that because often I see people changing jobs, believing that will be the fix, and then it doesn’t fix it. And they wonder why not. And many times it’s because we have these limiting beliefs or perspectives that or we’re missing habits or boundaries or knowledge to really be able to be empowered, regardless of our circumstances, in addition to misalignments and so understand both of those is super critical and asked, I love what you said, Angie, because I often say right, women come into my program three to four weeks in the program, just like you said, I felt like a different person, even though I’m in the same circumstances.

Blake Schofield 19:06
And so if you are in a situation where you are just like Angie was exhausted, don’t have any energy, wondering how in the world you can actually take on transitioning into something new, understand that things can change very rapidly for you with the right tools and support. And I’ve actually as a result of this, I had somebody asked me not very long ago, have you ever had any women stay in the same company after they work with you? And I was like, actually, yes, a handful very amazingly. And in doing so they were able to be empowered, show up completely differently, get promoted into a role that would give them the skills and tools that they want. And have they not understood the root cause of why they were unhappy, they would have given up or created far more risk or far more change than was actually necessary to be happy and be fulfilled.

Blake Schofield 19:53
And so I love hearing you just speak about how it’s changed your life on a day to day basis because at the end of the day, what I often talk about It is what we do is very different than what anyone else does in the career coaching space. And we are fixing the root cause of why you’re unhappy. Most people think it’s just the job changed. And yes, if you’re misaligned and the job or the career or the work, you’re doing 100%, we want to get that fixed. But I usually find it’s not just misalignment, it’s also gaining the skills personally. And it’s the combination of those two that was really opens up the doors of opportunity, and all of the things and gives you all of the benefits and the results that you wanted from changing a job, if that makes sense. So with that said, Angie, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked you, or anything that’s on your heart that you just feel like you want to share?

Angie Uh 20:46
I’ve learned through this program that I am more than my role, regardless of what that role is. So I’m just really at a great place in my life right now where I get to follow the breadcrumbs and just have a world of opportunities in front of me, and have really, I think, just understand that my worth is far beyond the role I’m working towards, again, making my dreams become a reality, which I would have never been thought I would have been able to do. But with your help, I have actually very clear direction, and the tools and resources to make that come true. So yeah, I would have never thought that I would have been able to do that. So that’s really exciting.

Blake Schofield 21:28
Earlier, you said one of the things that gave you pause or hesitation, and moving forward to get support was investing in yourself, and that this was really the first time you did that, now that you’ve invested in yourself, and you’ve experienced the impact of investing in a transformational program and what that can do for you. What do you wish that you had known then? And what would you tell other women who maybe have never invested in themselves before and feel the same like fear or uncomfortableness around will I be successful? And what does that look like?

Angie Uh 21:59
I would say take inventory of what you’ve done to get to the point where you’re at all the time and energy that you’ve spent trying to do this on your own or going through the motions or being stuck in your head. And know that by taking action with the right tools and resources, you can really create a whole new life for yourself. If I’m being completely honest. Again, I think this program is more than just career. It is a holistic approach. And so that, for me is more valuable than just finding my next career. Because I know that regardless of whatever situation I may be in, I have the tools in place that I know how to create the time for myself how to take action, how to create boundaries, and really step into my worth and feel empowered to make decisions based on what is most important to me in my life.

Blake Schofield 22:55
Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining me today, Angie. And for those of you who joined us today, we appreciate you. And until next time, I hope you have a fabulous week ahead.

Thanks for joining me today. Rather than hope the grass will be greener, identify what the right next step is. We can help you do just that. Get clarity on where you are in your journey to career fulfillment, where you’re headed, optimal paths to get there, and the right next step to take. Start your complimentary personalized career fulfillment plan at www.thebridgetofulfillment.com/plan. Again, you can get your personalized career fulfillment plan at www.thebridgetofulfillment.com/plan. Thanks again for joining and have a great week ahead!