The Pursuit of Sweet Spots: Navigating Career Transitions with Josh Brammer
03/05/24 • 62 min
In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Anna Stumpf sits down with Josh Brammer, an entrepreneur, growth strategist, Storybrand Guide, and founder of Hello Lantern. Josh shares his profound journey of self-discovery, navigating the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship and finding his true "sweet spot."
From his beginnings in youth ministry to building a successful marketing agency, Josh's career has been marked by a relentless pursuit of clarity and impact. He vulnerably recounts the identity crisis that led him to question his passion for marketing and embark on a transformative path of exploration.
Through candid insights and hard-won wisdom, Josh offers invaluable guidance for professionals at any stage seeking to unlock their potential, reignite their joy, and align their work with their deepest values. His story serves as a powerful reminder that true fulfillment often requires courage, self-awareness, and a willingness to pivot – even when it means walking away from apparent success.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, creative professional, or simply seeking greater meaning in your work, this episode will inspire you to embrace your unique gifts and forge a path that sparks genuine joy and unlocks your full potential.
Episode Quote: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs
Collective Challenge: Reflect on your current professional role or business. Identify one aspect that aligns with your strengths, interests, and passion – your "sweet spot." Commit to focusing your energy on nurturing and expanding that aspect over the next week. Notice how it impacts your overall sense of fulfillment and joy. OR identify one aspect of your professional life where you may feel stuck or unfulfilled. Take one small, actionable step towards addressing this area. This could be as simple as scheduling a conversation with a mentor, enrolling in a short online course to develop a skill you're passionate about, or dedicating time to reflect on your career goals and writing them down. This challenge encourages you to take proactive steps towards personal and professional development, fostering a sense of progress and self-awareness.
Show Notes:
0:00 - 3:35: Introduction, quote from Steve Jobs
3:35 - 13:55: Josh's background and pivot from agency to consulting business
13:55 - 22:45: Discovering his "sweet spot" and mission of unlocking potential and sparking joy
22:45 - 30:10: Balancing work with personal life, managing scope creep
30:10 - 37:20: Biggest career challenge - starting his own business
37:20 - 41:25: The importance of narrowing focus for creatives
41:25 - 47:45: Keeping a narrow focus, avoiding shiny objects
47:45 - 54:10: Collaborating with a collective group, importance of trust
54:10 - 59:02: Josh's family life, final thoughts
Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay
In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Anna Stumpf sits down with Josh Brammer, an entrepreneur, growth strategist, Storybrand Guide, and founder of Hello Lantern. Josh shares his profound journey of self-discovery, navigating the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship and finding his true "sweet spot."
From his beginnings in youth ministry to building a successful marketing agency, Josh's career has been marked by a relentless pursuit of clarity and impact. He vulnerably recounts the identity crisis that led him to question his passion for marketing and embark on a transformative path of exploration.
Through candid insights and hard-won wisdom, Josh offers invaluable guidance for professionals at any stage seeking to unlock their potential, reignite their joy, and align their work with their deepest values. His story serves as a powerful reminder that true fulfillment often requires courage, self-awareness, and a willingness to pivot – even when it means walking away from apparent success.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, creative professional, or simply seeking greater meaning in your work, this episode will inspire you to embrace your unique gifts and forge a path that sparks genuine joy and unlocks your full potential.
Episode Quote: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs
Collective Challenge: Reflect on your current professional role or business. Identify one aspect that aligns with your strengths, interests, and passion – your "sweet spot." Commit to focusing your energy on nurturing and expanding that aspect over the next week. Notice how it impacts your overall sense of fulfillment and joy. OR identify one aspect of your professional life where you may feel stuck or unfulfilled. Take one small, actionable step towards addressing this area. This could be as simple as scheduling a conversation with a mentor, enrolling in a short online course to develop a skill you're passionate about, or dedicating time to reflect on your career goals and writing them down. This challenge encourages you to take proactive steps towards personal and professional development, fostering a sense of progress and self-awareness.
Show Notes:
0:00 - 3:35: Introduction, quote from Steve Jobs
3:35 - 13:55: Josh's background and pivot from agency to consulting business
13:55 - 22:45: Discovering his "sweet spot" and mission of unlocking potential and sparking joy
22:45 - 30:10: Balancing work with personal life, managing scope creep
30:10 - 37:20: Biggest career challenge - starting his own business
37:20 - 41:25: The importance of narrowing focus for creatives
41:25 - 47:45: Keeping a narrow focus, avoiding shiny objects
47:45 - 54:10: Collaborating with a collective group, importance of trust
54:10 - 59:02: Josh's family life, final thoughts
Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay
Previous Episode
Unlocking Your Unique Abilities: Coach Julie Downey on Life, Coaching, and Personal Growth
Join Dr. Anna Stumpf as she talks with Coach Julie Downey about living an energized and purpose-driven life. Julie shares her journey from real estate to coaching entrepreneurs, prioritizing self-care and wellness, empowering women, and embracing change and new opportunities. Gain insights on discovering your unique abilities, achieving mastery, and finding alignment between your passion and purpose.
The books mentioned in the podcast episode are:
"Unique Ability" by Dan Sullivan This concept and book have been adapted by a new author who offers this book and workbook. You can google Dan Sullivan and his many appearances and coaching business.
"The Gap and The Gain" by Dan Sullivan
Quote of the show: " Asking the right questions takes as much skill as having the right answers"- Robert Half
The Collective Challenge:
Our collective challenge for this show is to figure out some of your mastery in your innate talents, unlock some new levels, maybe of your confidence and some exploration.
- Ask five to 10 people across different areas of your to describe you or your impact may be on them. Ask them for five words, and then look for themes in their responses, maybe some patterns.
- The other thing you can do is make a list of activities where you get into that like flow state or you lose track of time or it doesn't feel like work and look for themes of where you're getting energy and enjoyment.
- The third thing you can do is identify tangible skills that come really easily for you. And remember, you don't have to love these. They're just skills that you have.
- Maybe even start like a journal page. Then, fill these skills, words, tasks, or themes over time as you run across them.
- Ultimately, take a look at all of these strains of genius where you have people's descriptions of you, you have lists of activities where you kind of get lost in you have some of your tangible skills, and take a look at the impact the energy, the skills, and what kind of unique ability, unique themes, tie these together, and then start to brainstorm ways to use these abilities more, maybe through a pivot, volunteering, a passion project, whatever that might be just some sort of discovery is always the first step. And living on purpose is the fun part.
Show Notes with Timestamps:
00:07 - Introduction by Anna Stumpf and overview of the episode
01:21 - Julie Downey shares her background and initial career choices
05:09 - The shift from real estate to personal coaching
10:42 - Julie discusses the challenges and breakthroughs in her journey
16:12 - The evolution of Julie's career and her move towards coaching
21:27 - Discovering coaching as a calling through self-awareness exercises
26:39 - Julie talks about the impact of coaching and her approach
32:28 - Strategies for work-life balance and personal well-being
39:09 - Future aspirations and the importance of community and connection
44:27 - Mastery and the power of saying no
48:01 - Julie's recommendations for personal development and resources
Next Episode
Humanity at Work: Brittany Fountain's Journey to Cultivating Corporate Culture
In this episode, I sit down with Brittany Fountain, Chief Humanity Officer of Britt Joy & Co. Brittany openly shares her story of growing up with a single mom, working her way through college, and spending 15 years in diverse corporate roles before courageously launching her own culture consulting business. We dive into the challenges and opportunities around workplace culture, preparing for the future of work, and the power of intuition in decision making. Brittany's candid and insightful perspective will leave you inspired to approach your own career with more curiosity, authenticity and intentionality. Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation!
Episode Quote: "Curiosity is the engine of achievement." - Ken Robinson
Collective Challenge: This week, make a conscious effort to cultivate curiosity in your daily life. Each day, identify one situation where you can pause and ask deeper questions – whether it's about your own thoughts, ideas, and actions, or those of others. Embrace the opportunity to lean in and learn more. Notice how this curiosity impacts your interactions, decisions, and overall perspective. At the end of the week, reflect on your experiences and consider how you can continue to integrate curiosity into your personal and professional life. Share your insights with others and encourage them to join you in this curiosity challenge!
Show Notes:
00:00 - Anna introduces Brittany Fountain and the episode theme of curiosity
04:36 - Brittany shares her childhood background and lessons learned from her single mom
09:46 - College experience as a first-gen student and entering the workforce during 2008 recession
17:33 - Overview of Brittany's 15 year corporate career across various industries and roles
25:01 - The launch of Britt Joy & Co in 2021 and identifying the need for culture consulting
32:13 - Challenges in getting leadership buy-in for prioritizing workplace culture
38:52 - Brittany's experience giving a keynote speech with her baby strapped to her
45:05 - The importance of staying curious and experimenting to identify gaps and solutions
51:50 - How organizations need to prepare for Gen Z and the future of work
58:16 - Balancing customer experience with employee experience and engagement
1:04:30 - Navigating ambiguity as a consultant and establishing metrics for success
1:09:59 - Learning to trust your intuition when making decisions about opportunities
1:12:07 - The value of reflective thinking and being the last to speak in a room
1:15:10 - Anna's closing thoughts on Brittany's openness and insights
Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay
Collective Energy Conversations - The Pursuit of Sweet Spots: Navigating Career Transitions with Josh Brammer
Transcript
Welcome to collective energy conversations, your inspiration for personal and professional growth in mid career. I'm Dr. Anna stump Your Guide to inspiring stories from a variety of professionals, a collective energy, we believe in the transformative power of connections and shared experiences. Each week we delve into narratives that spark confidence and self awareness. Join us as we elevate our growth through the power of shared stories.
<If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/collective-energy-conversations-316665/the-pursuit-of-sweet-spots-navigating-career-transitions-with-josh-bra-46178072"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to the pursuit of sweet spots: navigating career transitions with josh brammer on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy