Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] You're listening to the Poised Powerhouse Podcast. My name is Dr. Sita Hood, and I'm obsessed with empowering women like you with practical life strategies to live authentically without compromising your wellness. I used to be caught up in the hustle hard mentality until I learned that my quirky little traits I thought weren't that important actually turned out to be the secret sauce. I needed to step boldly into my purpose and create impact not only in my life, but so many amazing women around me. Organizing your schedule, launching impactful programs, redefining leadership without code switching or compromise, and stepping boldly into your God given assignment are all topics we'll discuss here. Think of this podcast as that Sunday brunch with your girls that feels so therapeutic, you can't wait to get to it. But let's clarify, this is not a substitute for a relationship with a licensed therapist. All right, grab your notebook and your coffee or your tea. We don't discriminate over here. And let's start the show.
[00:01:22] Welcome back to another episode of the Poised Powerhouse Podcast. My name is Dr. Sita Hood, vision architect and licensed therapist. What's in your mug today? What's in my mug today is a basic air quotes here. Basic, Cuz. Not basic, but it is the Columbia Nespresso pod in a super cute mug that I found at Target. Like, come on, Barbie is so appropriate. I was supposed to record this episode yesterday and I didn't get around to it. And what's interesting is I had this Barbie hoodie on. Or not hoodie. It's a sweatshirt. I had this Barbie sweatshirt on and I just thought it was so cute because when I went to Target yesterday with this sweatshirt on, that's where I saw this cute Barbie mug. I used to love Barbies. Okay, let me know if you used to love Barbies, if you were a Barbie girl or not. Because what's interesting is not a lot of people remember being Barbie girls. Like girls that I grew up with. But I know one person in particular, me and her. Oh, we used to play Barbies. Like, and our Barbies was like Days of our Lives, General Hospital, et cetera. And it was something so comforting and cool about, like, creating your own world, being in your own world where anything can happen. Maybe that's where I kind of developed this big dreamer mindset. I don't know. But anyway, that's what's in my physical mug. I have to be honest, I am feeling a little bit sad because I woke up and discovered that somebody important in my life had passed away, but I am managing my emotions and practicing my wellness routines. If you are a born again spirit filled Christian holy spirit, to be clear, please keep my family in your prayers. We would greatly appreciate it. But moving on to the topic of today's episode, I am an introvert and I know a lot of people don't understand or believe it. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, first of all, just because people are introverts don't mean that they don't have personality. And I think that's a common misconception. Because when you see an introvert, they are not really open to doing a lot of talking. They don't really want to talk to people unless they are comfortable talking to people. But this episode is not all about what introversion is. Nevertheless. Okay, nevertheless.
[00:03:57] This episode is for my introverts. If this sounds like you, then this episode is for you. If you are an introvert and you don't want to force yourself to pretend like you are an extrovert in a leadership position, if you have a desire to create legacy, and I'm talking about authentic legacy that goes beyond passing down money. Even though money is important, let's keep it a Hondo. Real legacy is character and impact. Again, don't you dare get it twisted. Okay, Money is a good thing to leave, but if you don't cultivate the character of the person you're leaving the money to, there is a high probability that the money will be blown or wasted. So when we're talking about legacy, then we talking about both of those things. This podcast episode is for you. If you have an idea for a program or service or business you want to launch, but you're terrified because of how far outside of your comfort zone it's going to push you. Honestly, if any of those things sound like you, I got you, love. I got you. Stay tuned. First things first, I'm the realest. Hey. Hey. Okay, I'm just kidding. All right, let me know if y'all picked up on what that is like, because again, I'll be dropping all sorts of references. Are you following me? Are you catching me? Okay, just because you are an introvert doesn't mean that you can't be a good leader. And I think a lot of times introverts look. Look at extroverted leaders and say, ah. If I'm going to lead, then I have to make everybody laugh like that. If I'm going to be a good leader, then I have to show up in the networking circle like that. If I want my business to flourish and be a leader in the community, then I have to do rhyming tiktoks all day. Like you don't have to show up in a particular way. Introverts actually make some of the best leaders without doing extroverted things. Now sometimes, of course you are going to have to do things that are outside of your comfort zone but not outside of your character. You feel me? Things that are outside of your comfort zone but not outside of your character. I love the book by Susan Kang called Quiet and it's one of the many resources that I refer people that I give to introverts that are stepping into leadership roles because it highlights all the ways our introverted characteristics are not a crutch or a hindrance to our leadership. So let's talk about it.
[00:06:33] Hey. Hey. Aren't you tired of running around like a chicken with your head cut off? How many times have you promised to do better with your wellness routines only to let life get on top of you again? I want to invite you to pause and pour by downloading my app, the Lavish Haven, your sanctuary for cultivating daily wellness. It's completely free to use. You'll start with our Pause and Pour quiz and then access our signature daily and weekly wellness trackers, mood playlists, elevated emotions, collections, scripture based guided audios, and so much more. Hit the link below to start today.
[00:07:16] Some people. I'm not going to say all people. Some people act like introverts are weird or like there's something wrong with us just because we don't exhibit extroverted tendencies. And I hate that for us. I really do. I hate that for us. So the very first thing that you can do to kill it in leadership is leverage your strengths. I want you to get in the habit of embracing your introverted qualities. There's nothing wrong with the way that you were created. God knew who he created when he formed you in your mother's womb. And I think because the world praises people who are bold in extroverted ways, introverts tend to feel like something is wrong with them. Something is missing. You know, I am not enough because I don't show up this way. It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. Okay, a few of the introverted qualities that you need so you can kill it. Well, one. It's your deep thinking. Critical thinking skills are so important in decision making. Your creativity. Because you take the time to carefully think through situations, you leave more room for creativity and that is actually a gift. Your ability to reflect really thoughtfully, not overthink. I didn't say overthink, but to thoughtfully reflect. Thoughtful reflection is absolutely perfect for strategic decision making. In leadership, you have some leaders that just take off with the trends, do this, do that, and then some leaders that go at a turtle pace and never really make any innovative decisions and they're always behind the curb. So the ability to think really strategically and tap into your creativity are the things that will help you. And in my experience, introverts also tend to be really good at active listening and then reflecting back people's feelings to them. You know what I'm saying? Like when you be sitting there quiet, you be taking it all in in the environment and then you reflect it back, what you're hearing, what you feel like people are feeling and thinking. And that is excellent for company morale or networking when you're trying to get your business, your program, your service, whatever the case is, off the ground.
[00:09:41] And with that being said, we cannot negate the fact that most introverts have deep levels of empathy, very deep levels of empathy. And that's part of the thing that makes us so good at active listening as well. Because that empathy you can put. Put yourself in other people's shoes and you understand people. And understanding people is actually the secret sauce for understanding intricate team dynamics. So where somebody might show up as like the fun boss or the boss that is very boisterous and wants to take people out and has all these great ideas and wants to assign things, that's cool. There's nothing wrong with being that person. But the introverted boss is going to be the one who's going to actually talk to team members and see what they want. They're going to go deeper in the conversation to figure out, well, what are your goals? How do your goals actually align with the company? You have an uncanny ability to build deep, meaningful relationships with your team. And that is an extremely valuable trait to have in leadership. And you know how you never want to be in the forefront of nothing. You know how you behind when they be like, do we have any volunteers? And you are thinking that if you step into this leadership role, you have to be in the forefront. Well, that's not necessarily true. Well, at least not all the time. Introverts tend to give people the chance to be empowered and introverts will happily step back. And that's right in line with your character and your personality. Right? You love giving other people the chance to shine because you don't really prefer the spotlight and so again, that approach is really unique to introverts because we don't have to be the star of the show, we don't have to make everybody laugh, we don't have to appear a certain way. And because it caters to your specific personality, it also goes hand in hand with that. Building dynamic teams because you understand their needs, you think strategically, creatively, you can do the bird's eye view and you can support your team, making them feel empowered and validated in their gifts. And that is how you grow an empire. Okay. I always hear about these companies that are doing these things where they're like, oh, we're restructuring the organization, Great. So then you restructure the organization, but you talk to nobody on the ground level who's having day to day interactions with your customers or your consumers or whatever type of your community, whoever is purchasing from your business or the corporation that you work for. How are you effectively restructuring? Essentially, you're not. You are doing what the top dogs of the company want and failing to realize that a lot of times the answers that you're seeking for, for how to save your company, how to make some huge impact in the community, is right inside of your business. You just have to talk to the people who have the daily interactions. Those are the people with innovative ideas. I've said this before on the podcast, but I'm reminded of Richard Montane, the inventor of Flamin Hot Chips, who worked at Frito Lay and he started off as a janitor. He was a janitor, but he had a really great idea that was successful, took all the way off, and opened the door for so many other opportunities. Where did that come from? Right inside the company. But in order to get to Richard Montane's status, you got to be brave. Okay? The second way that introverts can kill it in leadership. Now, I'm going to just tell you up front, you're not gonna like it. You're not gonna like it, but it's okay because you still need to do it. And you know, we do nothing but real talk over here. Overcome your challenges. Yes. Yes, you heard me. Yes. Yes, yes. You didn't think I was gonna give you a full podcast episode? That didn't pull you out of your comfort zone, did you? Come on, come on, come on. You know me better than that. I'm gonna tell you the truth. I'm gonna tell you the truth in love. And then we go and do the work, right? So you're going to have to overcome those things that challenge you to grow. The things that you really can't stand. And if you thought I was going to just say that and stop there, it's a lie, because, you know, I got specifics, right? So the first challenge that you are going to have to overcome is going to be assertive communication and public speaking.
[00:14:17] Yes, public speaking. Public speaking. Let me tell you something. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. When God challenged me to start a podcast, I was like, lord, get somebody else to do it. I don't think I heard you correctly. No, no, Jesus. But then I was like, okay, I was just. I was just playing, Lord. I was just playing. I don't really want to do this, but I'm not in my Jonah era, so I'm not going to run away. I'm going to do what you said do. And so I was like, okay, cool, I'm introverted. It's okay. It's just behind the mic. Everything will be all good. About a year and a half after I launched the podcast, then the Lord challenged me to permanently make it a video podcast instead of just doing videos every now and again. And I was definitely shaking in my boots. Like, I ain't gonna hold you. I probably took two to three months to think about that. Like, God, I just want to make sure that I'm hearing you correctly, Lord. Lord, let me pray on it again. Let me see. Like, he was like, no, you heard me. I said what I said.
[00:15:21] And I was like, okay. So then after I made it a video podcast, I actually started getting more opportunities to speak. But honestly, God has grown me up so much with this video podcast. So you have to be brave. Start by practicing storytelling or just like a gradual push outside of your comfort zone, like slow little baby steps. Okay. Another scary introvert challenge that I had to work through. And you will have to work through. And every introverted leader needs this in order to kill it networking and relationship building. But the thing is, you get to do that in your own way. The way that you build relationships does not have to look like everybody else. But even beyond that, you are actually in a better position than you think. Because again, let's go back to some of your character traits. You love deep rooted conversations, and that is the exact gift that you need to establish genuine connections that last for a long time. If you think about it, that's what you need. You want to hear people's passion behind why they do what they do. So you make sure that you are connected to the right people for the program, for the service, for the business. All of that matters. And you have to have those skills of empathy, active listening, having those deep rooted conversations and connections with people. Another challenge you're going to have to overcome is telling people what you actually do with confidence, not whispering what you do. You've got to get comfortable getting visible. If you're really as passionate as you say you are about the work that you do, I'm going to need you to get comfortable talking about it. Okay? And I'm not saying be arrogant, but trust me, nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to know how amazing your program or your business is if you never talk about it. And you can practice getting comfortable with sharing your story by sharing it in a way that feels authentic to you. With a trusted friend, with your business bestie, with your homegirl. However you need to do it, just do it. Just because you're sharing doesn't mean you can't put your own spin on it so that it feels authentic to you. If you see people doing all these lives all the time, you don't have to do that. Do what makes you feel comfortable. Okay, Come on, come on, come on. But we got to get up out of our comfort zone if we want to grow, if we want to kill it, if we want to make an impact like we say we do. So let's talk about actual strategies to slay your role. Because intentional strategy for life and business and everything in between, you already know that's something that we talk about regularly over here. You have to be strategic and plan ahead. I think because of our nervousness around public speaking and things, we tend to do extended planning so that we don't end up in awkward situations where we just feel weird about things and then we shut down completely. But I want you to now flip that. Your ability to think strategically. We need to use that again. Right? So we already talked about a little bit earlier in this podcast episode, but we need to use that because it's the secret sauce to slay and to stand out amongst your peers. So, sure. Long range thinking, bird's eye view, all of the stuff that we talked about earlier, which is included in leveraging your strengths. But again, because of your ability to think strategically, you are really good at finding innovative industry trends that could change the game in your field, and this leads to automatically more favorable outcomes in the work that you do. Case in point, I am a member of Pixie Stock. Shout out to Alicia. Hey, girl. So Alicia, I think, is very much an introvert, and as the leader of Pixie Stock, she noticed how ChatGPT and AI was coming into the content creation space and everything else. That's an industry leading trend that she had been researching for quite some time. So then this year she released not only her content plan, which she has just absolutely amazing resources. I talk about her all the time, especially for business owners. So if you are a business owner and you need stock and you need content prompts to post on social media, you need email prompts. Whatever the case is, holla at my girl Alicia. Okay, that was a side note, but Alicia has been doing this for several years and in her doing this, she looked at the industry trend of Chat GPT. She talked to us as part of her community to see what our thoughts were. And then this girl changed the game when she released the content playbook. Why? Because the content playbook marries what she already had, which is a year of content prompts. And not just content prompts. You also get again the graphics that go with it and everything else. She upgraded it by putting in a template that you can use with Chat GPT to set her stuff apart. So where most people are doing one or the other, homegirl got it all. She got the complete system. I have never, ever purchased a system that was more complete than hers where she's giving you a prompt, she's giving you something detailed, she's giving you a caption framework, like there's just so much. And now on top of that, she's giving you a workflow and included chat GPT. How to tell it to write this. If that's not creativity, strategic thinking and ahead of industry trends, I don't know what else is. Okay, so that is an example of how you as an introvert can still very much kill it in your role and how it leads to favorable outcomes in your work. So you got that nerdy brain, you gotta use it. Okay? Ain't nothing wrong with having a nerdy brain. I got one too.
[00:21:42] I got one too. Another strategy that you should definitely be using that I see a lot of introverts reject in the workspace is alone time. We think that we have to show up in leadership roles like extroverts, but realistically speaking, it's okay for us to balance alone time and team engagement or alone time and networking, alone time and connecting with other people. This definitely makes you a more effective leader. Your productivity is going to be enhanced if you honor your boundaries. We are always talking about that over here on this podcast and today is no different. Honor your boundaries and your interactions with team members, your interactions with your customers, your interactions with People that you network with will inevitably flow that much more smoothly because you allowed yourself to be recharged. Also, it prevents burnout. It prevents burnout for you to be able to take the space that you need. Trust me, it is better for people to know that you needed some space and talk to you when you're in a good headspace, rather than you trying to force yourself to be okay with what they're saying or force yourself to have another conversation when you're actually over it already.
[00:23:04] So take the time that you need. I had a client who was bombarded consistently with work emails from the second she woke up. And then when she would walk into the office, she was bombarded with people's questions and she felt really overwhelmed. But she didn't know how she could create the space that she needed. So my challenge to her was to put an email app on do not Disturb until she actually walked into work. And there's ways that you can even offer automatically do that. And on the important days when she felt like she really needed to actually check the email app, she could just go manually check it. But between these hours and these hours, my work app is on do not Disturb or my email app is on do not Disturb. That worked really well for her. So then I also challenged her to create a canned email response and or several canned email responses to her most common questions and to create a living, editable document with answers to people's questions and or links to quick videos that she had recorded on like a software like Loom for somebody else in the past. And then she could just share that out to people who are asking the same question. So all of that linked in one document. And when somebody asks a question now she can send a can response with the link to the document for the people who asked the question. Come on strategy. Come on strategy. This strategy does a few things. So one, it trains her team to get used to going to that document first and foremost before bombarding her with questions. And it created some space for her because she was not spending all of her time answering the exact same questions from people so she could finally get to her own work. The final strategy that I challenged her to take was to tackle being bombarded started with questions. So I said, why don't you let your team members know when they see you walk through the door, you need at least 30 minutes to get settled, at least 30 minutes before anybody comes to ask you a question. But also if they plan to ask you a question, then they first need to check the living, breathing editable document, period. So we implemented those strategies for her and she was feeling so much more space to breathe to get things done. Her team also felt supported and she started killing it. She got a promotion after that. This was already her being bombarded after receiving one promotion. So once she successfully skillfully mastered that and leaned into what she needed for herself, she got another promotion. Like, come on, stop playing with us, stop playing with her.
[00:25:57] Another thing that introverts can do. Now this one is going to make you really happy. Use digital communications, okay? And I know that everybody likes to run away from digital stuff, but I promise in the right context, it really does elevate the experience for people, especially if you think ahead to questions that other people might have or things that they might need and create a solution before they even ask you. This will allow you to reserve, preserve, save that social battery for interactions that you really need to do. Like nobody wants to be asked the same questions over and over and over and over and over and over and over. So when we utilize digital communications and digital systems and things that are set up in advance, we preserve our energy, we preserve our battery for high quality in person interactions. So take advantage of digital communication so that you can maintain those strong relationships, those strong connections with your team. Your team feel supported. And again, you are pretty much marrying everything that we just talked about in this episode between creativity, pausing for the creativity strategy, bird's eye view, leaving space and time for you to recharge your batteries so that you can be engaging and empathetic when you talk to your team. If you take all of these strategies that we talked about today and you start to work on them one by one, I guarantee you gonna start killing it even more than what you're already doing in your role.
[00:27:40] It's time to talk about what I've been loving, product recommendations, shout outs to family and friends, and overall gratitude. Let's get into welcome back for another what I've been loving this week I have been loving this European spa source Shower spa mist, lavender and eucalyptus spray. I've talked about this before on the podcast, but I know when we talk about balancing alone time and things like that, you might not have a whole lot of time because I like taking baths, but sometimes I'm just not in a season where I could sit and take baths all the time. So spraying this shower mist instantly transports your senses or your mind, your mental to like you're at a spa. Now I want you to think about this. You might not have a lot of time, but let's say you light a candle in your bathroom, you spray this, you have music going. Or maybe you don't even light the candle, you just turn on some soft music and you spray this in your shower. That shower, however long it takes you, is enough to calm your senses. So I'm going to leave the link for this. You can find this on Amazon. I'm going to leave the link for that down below and hopefully you get a chance to check that out. Did you enjoy today's show? If you enjoyed the show, share the love, Share with your mama, share with your auntie, share with your best friend. Then head on over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five star review. Reviews help the podcast to grow. Well, that's all I have for you this week. I'll see you on these social media streets. Bye.
