04 | Power In The Pause (CEO Series)

03/29/23 • 29 min

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This episode is for everyone who is being pulled toward a new way forward. You are someone who has built something to be proud of, something people are taking notice of. After years of hard work and proving yourself, success is rolling in. It’s all you’ve ever wanted, but suddenly it doesn’t feel as exciting. Instead of rushing into the next opportunity, you’re asking yourself “What’s next?”
This is another type of crossroads. One where we are called to pause and step away.
I’ve dedicated this episode to a conversation about reframing what it means when we are called to restart. It is disorienting to feel like you are starting over or losing the passion for the brand and business you have built.
As entrepreneurs, we need to shift our mindset about quitting. You aren’t losing momentum because growth is not a linear journey. You are being called to recreate and expand into something else. The drive that lives deep within you isn’t fading. It is what will propel you into the next leg of the journey. And it’s time to get started.
GEMS DROPPED
“...subconsciously many of us are operating this way. Like, the only time I will stop, the only time I will pause, the only time I will take respite is when I get the terrifying diagnosis, suffer a major loss or blow in my life and everything comes crashing down...That is when it is okay for me to stop...We have to actually self-direct our pauses, our rejuvenation, our restoration, and our reinvention is what I'm inviting you all into in this conversation...”
“...when we build something so big, we have forged something so special and so bright and shining and powerful, that sort of the equal and opposite reaction required is a deep and powerful restoration, a deep and powerful aggressive recovery, and reinvention, space for reinvention, space for recreation, like the Phoenix, because it's drastic to go from being this bright and brilliant and powerful bird, this creature, this mythical creature, with all these powers to a pile of ash... the energy of those stages of this creatures lifecycle are...necessary”.
“...what that reworking requires many times, it's not the kind of work that we're used to doing, that kind of visible building, you know, revenue immediately driving work that we're used to doing, but it still is probably the bigger work, the biggest work of your life, and the biggest work of whatever you create, because what you create is going to be an extension of you.”
“... your potential is resting upon your ability to submit to this season that is calling you. Your potential is on the line, and you're holding it the wrong way. Your potential does not reside and you continue to power through, but something that does not feel aligned anymore. When you look forward and it's like this is not right. Something's not right for me. Don't ignore that voice”.
LINKS MENTIONED
Vanessa Lau - https://vanessalau.co/sabbatical/
Quit by Anne Duke - https://www.amazon.com/Quit-Power-Knowing-When-Walk/dp/0593422996
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].

Text Monique directly! Share thoughts, feels or feedback!

Previous Episode

00 | Welcome to the Ambition Without Compromise Podcast

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Hi and welcome to my corner of the podcast sphere! My name is Monique Shields. I'm an executive coach, a career strategist, a Black woman, a wife, a mom, and an entrepreneur.
I help ambitious women leaders move through fear and distraction to clarify, communicate and act on their unique definition of success without compromising what matters most.
For me, Ambition Without Compromise is based on internal rather than external metrics that we never built. And so in this space, I want us to focus on our individual visions, needs, curiosities, and how our ambitions can actually support us as we grow into the versions of ourselves that we desire to expand into.
I am so excited to share this space with you. Join me biweekly as I bring you solo and guest episodes to help you curate your path to success. No hiding. No Compromise.
I know you're going to enjoy this journey. Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields, and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected]. Let's go!

Next Episode

05 | Why We MUST Stop Isolating Ourselves - How To Connect Deeply With Other Women (CEO Series)

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How are you navigating and managing your path to success? The biggest challenge high-achieving women face is isolation. You are wired to be self-sufficient and have an overwhelming feeling of responsibility and ownership. Those qualities propelled you into a powerful leadership position, but is being alone sustainable?
In this episode, I share a story from my young adult life that was a turning point for me. At that moment, I realized how disconnected I felt from other women. That is also when I made a choice to start navigating life through relationships. That decision was the greatest shift I had made professionally and personally.
Now, I have gained the gift of personal connection. Relationships are essential to our basic well-being. No matter how much we fight it or insist, we can navigate the journey alone. Connections with other people bring clarity and motivation. Your advancement, your expansion, and your growth are absolutely dependent on your ability to connect and relate to others.
I encourage you to open up and pull others into your journey. I encourage you to experience the power of what it means to learn through relationships and to be exposed to another human being. Because if you’re not able to share your problems or not able to share your questions, you are never going to get new answers.
GEMS DROPPED
I've been able to shift my beliefs about myself about what's possible for me as a human, as a business owner, as a wife, as a mom, because I now know the power of what it means to learn through relationship, to be exposed to another human being, because if you're not able to share your problems, not able to share your questions or just the things that you're sitting with, you're never gonna get new answers”.
“...a big part of what I'm trying to share on this episode today is encouragement for you to find and tap into some bravery and belief around the fact that you can shift your entire existence, you can shift your being, by just deciding...to reveal that piece of yourself that feels messy or shameful or uncertain or not good enough. That's honestly the key. That's the thing that you're waiting on to be different. You have to decide to be different with it, which means to stop trying to hold it alone, to open yourself up, and recognize that, okay, I'm not meant to do anything alone in life. We're really not”
“If you are feeling isolated, and you are feeling like I know my high achievement... it's blocking me from connecting with other people from trusting other people from letting the other people in to actually see me and embrace me and hold me and help me, you're holding yourself back”.
STAY IN TOUCH
Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].