269 It Starts With Belief In Yourself
Inspiration and independence often go hand in hand as we go through life, often making us feel that we are alone while trying to claim our own personal slice of life. However to try and do this alone is not only a daunting task but can nearly be impossible, which is why finding community and a helping hand can be the defining factor between success or failure.
In this episode Sarah Elkins and the esteemed Jenn Donahue discuss how important it is to find community and self belief as we go through life, in doing so we inspire those around us and make the road of life less lonely and easier for others.
Highlights
Adapting to uncontrollable circumstances and finding joy in them.
Find a mentor for whatever it is you want to learn and be passionate about, go to different ones until you find what resonates with you.
Striving to inspire someone so that the next person’s journey will be easier.
Quotes
“I’m just one of those really headstrong or independent people that just sort of throws myself into something, which is not necessarily the right thing to do and now I tell people, “Go find a mentor.”.”
“It’s so much easier to believe that you can be someone whenever you’ve actually seen someone in that position before.”
“There are others that are like you. You don’t have to be an island, go find the other islands and make an archipelago.”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
What evidence are you going to start pointing to that shows that you are resilient, that you are a badass? Collect a couple of stories tonight, the moment that you think about it, anytime something pops into your head, something you’ve accomplished, write it down. Collect the evidence so that that belief in yourself really starts to solidify.
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Jenn
Jenn Donahue PhD is a retired US Navy Captain and former Commodore for an 1,800 personnel Regiment. She is also a civil engineer who works on large scale, high profile geotechnical projects. Over her 27-year military career, Jenn has built a bridge across the Euphrates River in the midst of the Iraq war, commanded an 800-personnel Battalion in Afghanistan, and constructed combat outposts in the middle of deserts filled with insurgents.
Jenn has led earthquake and tsunami reconnaissance missions in places like Samoa and Japan; designed the seismic plans for a bridge over the Panama Canal; and built roads by blasting and drilling in the coldest climes of Ketchikan. Astonishingly, Jenn has even served as the seismology expert at no fewer than five nuclear power plants.
Along the way she mentored scores of young leaders. Today Jenn has founded JL Donahue Engineering, Inc. and Dare to Rise. She also lectures at UC Berkeley and UCLA.
Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn and Instagram!
Be sure to check out her website at JennDonahue.com!
About Sarah
"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."
In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.
My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.
The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!
Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.
Interested in No Longer Virtual? Check out the details and register at elkinsconsulting.com/nlv-home
Be sure to check out the Job Interview Storytelling Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!