Marisa: Welcome to the Uplift Unleashed podcast. If you're someone who has built a successful career and yet something feels off, you are in the right place. This is not about doing more or pushing harder. It's about stepping out of autopilot, understanding what matters to you now and making decisions that align with that. We are here to help you reconnect with yourself, realign your life and move forward with intention, not just momentum. We're here today to talk about the time of the year it is. Mid-year, are you secure or are you stuck? The goal of our podcast is to have real conversations to not hold back discuss the trends that are happening. when we think about the uncertainty that exists today, because success without alignment eventually catches up with you. Let's get into it. How do people actually decide whether or not they decide they want to stay or to move when things feel so unstable?

Scynthea: Most decisions are not made with complete clarity. They're usually made while things feel uncertain, such as these times. So the question becomes less about what is right, but more about what feels safest at times like this. When things feel unstable, we tend to default to what we know. We stay because we can manage it, because we understand it, and because it feels more predictable than the unknown. You tell yourself you're being responsible, that you are thinking things through, that things just need more time. But in reality, you may be avoiding a decision that requires you to move without uncertainty. I've experienced this personally. There have been moments where I told myself I needed more time. I was just being thoughtful and responsible. But looking back, I was extending something that I already understood. I was just not ready to act on it, honestly. I rationalized that my decision was grounded in responsibility. People are depending on me. And that made it easier to justify staying where I was. What shifted for me was when I asked a different question. Is this right for me? Was I truly thinking it through or was I avoiding what I already knew? Making conscious decisions felt very different than staying in something just by default. It allowed me to move forward with intention, whether that meant staying and being clear about how I move forward or choosing something different.

Marisa: Scynthea do you think sometimes you were avoiding the risk or did you feel that you were consciously making it by the time you made the decision? What was the biggest lesson learned?

Scynthea: I think the biggest lesson learned is awareness and being grounded in decisions and acknowledging the reality of the ⁓ even if it's uncomfortable. I think it's when I accepted what was happening and understood that there needed to be change, that I could clearly see what was working, what is not working, and how you're making a choice. and understanding that choice and being comfortable with it, even if you're uncertain. Avoidance keeps us in motion without clarity. You just stay busy, you keep your head down, you keep evaluating, but you're not moving closer to a decision when you ignore it and you don't ⁓ it for what it is. of the simplest ways to recognize ⁓ is asking yourself, As you're moving forward, am I gaining clarity on what I want to do next or am I just extending the timeline? If nothing has become clearer, I think you're just avoiding rather than deciding. So Henry, why do so many capable people struggle to clearly articulate their value?

Henry: Most people never have to define their value, if you think about it, until they're forced to. When things are going well, your title does the talking. Your company does the talking. ⁓ The momentum carries you does the talking. So you never actually stop and ask, what do I specifically bring to the table? What impact do I make? And then what happens over time is you start confusing activity with value. You think, I work hard. I'm reliable, I get things done. But none of that is actually clear value. That's just a baseline. And I believe this is essentially true if you've been successful for a while. Because success can mask the fact that you've never had to define it. If you've been progressing or getting promoted, but recently started feeling like something's off or hard to explain, this time it hits you differently. ⁓ this happens at some point in your career. Because right a lot of people are going through their mid-year reviews. They're being brought to the table and having performance conversations. some of them get shocked on the results, being asked to reflect on their impact. for the first time, it's not about how busy you've been. It's about how clearly you can articulate what you actually do that matters. there's a lot of pressure right now for those that are in the corporate world, those that are trying to climb the corporate ladder. There was a point in my career where everything looked like it was moving in the right direction, I started climb the ladder, I started getting to that where, I've earned trust. ⁓ I've let the work speak for but At some point, you hit a ceiling. then there's conversations that are being had at a certain level. I'm wondering to why aren't I in that room? Why was I invited? Why isn't my thought process considered? then it hit me. I couldn't clearly explain why. Not because I chose to be grounded. That would have been better if I was proactive. I just hit a ceiling. I can say I worked hard and I could say I delivered, but I couldn't articulate the actual value it created that made me essential to be brought into that table, to be brought to that room. that felt uncomfortable, if I'm honest. I realized that, I had been relying on my performance and my momentum, ⁓ but sitting down and actually asking the hard question around my value, Even bigger than the company that I worked for. I think that that's where a lot of high performing ⁓ professionals tend to to at some point. The environment's changing, expectations are higher, now more than ever. And moments like midyear reviews only amplify it because you're given a reality check. You're being asked to look into the mirror. Because when pressure hits, whether it's a review, a reorg, or a missed opportunity, no one's looking at your effort.

Scynthea: What happens when ⁓ you're ⁓ identifying value it comes to layoffs and reorgs and to your point, miss opportunities?

Henry: you start asked to look into a mirror and a hard deep look, you have to ask yourself what actually matters. What do people actually care about, The way I would look at it ⁓ is this company is my customer. What value do I bring to this customer? That's a different lens to look Because otherwise, I'm counting on I'm working hard, I'm delivering, I'm counting on that momentum. that's really not what matters. What matters is, can you articulate your value to whomever is across the table and doing your review? it becomes a real problem for people not being able to articulate that. then what happens as a result, the consequence of that, ⁓ is you stay environments where your strengths are invisible. You chase roles that don't actually fit how you operate. You wait for someone else to validate you before too late. that's how people stay stuck longer than they should. That's how years pass, still working hard, still doing well ⁓ on review, and not actually moving towards something that fits you, that fits how you operate, that aligns with your value, your beliefs. I think a lot of people get that wrong, unfortunately. I was part of that group that went through that. fortunately enough, I matured in my career to realize that and started building the clarity and the confidence to help move me forward. ⁓ your decisions get simpler you start gaining that clarity. Not necessarily easier, but they get more clear. ⁓ you stop asking, what I do? ⁓ What do they want? What's the safe move? you start asking what do I actually create impact? What is my impact? Where am I underutilized? Where am I forcing something that doesn't fit and that changes how you move? just to be clear, knowing your value isn't about you being great. ⁓ So there's some you need to bring into that. It's about being specific, specific about what you're good at, specific about where you create results, and specific about the environments where you actually perform at your best. Because without being specific with yourself, everything feels heavy. Every decision feels uncertain because you don't have clarity. you hesitate. you default to your old ways of working. ⁓ that's the part, right? I want to hear from Marisa. You've worked, mentored, coached several professionals ⁓ in position that you've been in. People today still come for advice. more importantly, you've also worked with top level executives, those that carry themselves with confidence and demonstrate that they know their value. from your perspective, what does it actually look like when someone truly knows their value and how they show up every day

Marisa: great Henry. It starts out with knowing yourself. Having clarity and confidence actually comes from inside of you and knowing who you are. ⁓ What your strengths? What do you bring to the table? as people rise to the highest levels, ⁓ what they well is they translate that ⁓ in a that delivers the real value and real articulation. ⁓ on the impact it has to the organization they're a part of, what they're leading. It aligns to the vision, the mission, and the goals of that organization. How do you do that? first it starts out with you. Can you define what you're good at, what your strengths are, and how you bring the teams together, especially as a high-performing leader? How many of you, early in your career relied on other people telling you in your reviews what you were good at. I'll tell you I have for sure. I didn't know because I kept always asking everyone else, what do you think? What do you think? Rather than saying, I know my value and this is what I bring because we honestly can see we have the EQ of our own self to see it. sometimes we hide behind it because we're scared.

Henry: Yep. Mm-hmm.

Marisa: Can you define what you're truly good at, what your superpower is? that's why we created Uplift All, To have those conversations that challenge each other in a safe space to say, what are your strengths? What do you like to do? Because ⁓ sometimes strengths falls in an area that completely drains you, and that's no good. You don't want to do something you hate just because you're good at it. How many people have done that? I'll lift the other hand, right? Like, yes, too far, too long. the articulation of the value ultimately helps you get that seat at the table. I've been fortunate in my career that people told me to go sit at the table. you deserve that seat at the table. And Uplift All exists to help you define and define your value proposition, how you position yourself, how you speak about your value. But let me take it back one second here, the clarity you need to bring to mid-year. as I led C-suite executives how often people talked about their accomplishments and the value that they bring and the impact they have. It is on a weekly basis. So if I let you in on that secret, this is a core skill. ⁓ to advance your career and your self-worth and your confidence to get you a seat at the table that you want to be at. This clarity comes from within. I've been there too where I've played the victim card saying that I didn't get the opportunity, but really it's me positioning and talking about and standing up for myself and the ability of what I was able to do and the impact I could have. Sometimes as leaders we view it as selfish because it's all our people. I'm a servant leader. It's all about them. And it is, but not without the right ingredients, which is resources, the right environment and culture to allow them to be their best self comes from the leader. The leader builds the environment around them that helps their team strive and achieve the things that they're meant to achieve and beyond. when you think about the work that we're doing here at Uplift All, we just finished our first cohort. I would love to hear from both of you ⁓ you think defining working on your authentic self does for this, especially around mid-year.

Henry: The word that keeps coming on my mind as we're talking about this is self-promotion. I don't know if everyone's really good at doing that, but I think ⁓ they're good at it. ⁓ One, people who humble don't like to about themselves. I think it's because of what we're talking about. They don't know how to articulate their value. what realizing with these cohorts that we're going through is that we bring that clarity. They're able to articulate not only their value, their strengths, but also what they believe in. the ability to do that, is very powerful. if you're able to articulate your thoughts and communicate your value to whomever is across the table, It just, it opens doors. It earns respect. you some self dignity to actually ⁓ act upon beliefs, Because you're acting upon them. You don't just believe them and you're able to articulate them and communicate them. I believe without being able to do that, ⁓ it's going to hard for you. you're going to be stuck and you're going to be frustrated. that's going to impact all areas of your life, Sen, what do you think?

Scynthea: I totally agree with you. I think that there's twofold. think that aspects of identity, I always introduce it as that space that grounds you. But I think it does more than that. It actually helps you work through your own limitations on yourself and to unpack what you really value and believe and what you need.

Henry: Mm-hmm.

Scynthea: not take on what others ⁓ of you when we look at aspects life, the impact of your right, and and aspects of life. do feed into how you perceive yourself as well as the world around you and how you act and react within it. unpacking all of that is what's most powerful for people. It's been powerful for me ⁓ and I wished it was something was around 20 or 30 years ago when I was starting out my career. I wouldn't be the person I am today. would be a better form of myself. And I think I would have been a much more confident and clear professional than I was ⁓ throughout career.

Henry: One thing I would plus one with everything you just said, but also I would add not only your needs, but your wants too. able to articulate that. How about you, Marisa?

Scynthea: Mm-hmm. ⁓

Marisa: I people underestimate the need to work on yourself. They're looking for the words career development, career advancement and everything that they do. although those skills are helpful, ⁓ the tone, the perspective, the things you articulate in your everyday life are shaped by who you are and knowing who you are. so if that's cloudy, ⁓

Scynthea: Mm-hmm.

Marisa: What you're articulating isn't as clear and you don't realize that you can negotiate everything in life, including your success. We wait for others to define that for us. at mid-year, what a great conversation to challenge your manager to define success together.

Henry: That's really funny. Yeah.

Marisa: You might view it this way, but I think there are these other things that we can shape that you might not recognize that I do today. ⁓ that kind of go and recognize. I always think about like the invisible impact. It's the worst. You work so hard to have invisible impact. Why have it? Let's have it be visible. Let's talk about it. Let's negotiate it. there are always things to be worked on, then we help to prioritize it in a conversation. ⁓ and you get the things on the table. It's like you're playing cards, right? The chips, get the chips, your chips on the table, what you want out of it. Okay, great. I'm going to work on this. Thank you for the feedback. It's like gold. But here are a couple of things I want. I want to learn this or I want exposure to this. I want to go to this meeting. These are all negotiable. Yeah.

Henry: It's a two-way street. Yeah, it's a two-way street because I think maybe most people, they probably join that table thinking it's one directional, But it's really an alignment, But you can't really align if you don't know where you stand. You're going to get from them where they stand and you don't know what you want, I need to understand your expectations, but I need to know where I stand with my baseline so that I can align with you, then move from there, move forward. Marisa, work together,

Scynthea: and you don't know what you want to your point.

Henry: to figure out a path forward.

Scynthea: that comes in with advocacy, most people to your point, Marisa, are waiting for others to validate them. But what happens is people are going to put you where they want you to go because you fit there. But that's not necessarily where you want to be. So that's where we get a lot of people that are in Uplift All because they're not in alignment. with who they are and who they're becoming and what they're living. this is where we unpack that and we understand what's driving us. Where do we need to take control and get our hands around the wheel again so that we can go in the direction that we wanna go on.

Henry: Yep. That's right. That's right. Love that.

Marisa: Oftentimes that's driven by the fact that you don't know where you want to go. So you're like, I wonder where they're going to put me. instead of saying like, ⁓ wait, I do know where I want to go. I like these things. I don't like these things. That seems interesting. Find the opportunity for you. Craft the path for yourself and be in the driver's seat.

Scynthea: Hmm.

Marisa: Yes, will there be other factors and considerations? Of course, always is. There's always other ingredients and things that need to be considered, constraints need to be considered. But knowing yourself helps you get to where you want to be and what matters most sooner than you think.

Henry: Yep. That's right.

Marisa: What's the thing someone should get clear on before the end of this season?

Scynthea: What they need.

Henry: One thing, the one thing, that one's hard to answer, right? One thing they need.

Scynthea: What they need to show up and be their authentic self.

Henry: To be their authentic self, I think values, knowing what you stand for. If you know what you stand for, then your actions will be guided more easily than not. But if you don't know what you stand for, you can't speak with conviction. ⁓ even when wrong is being done to you, you can't stand up for yourself because you don't know what's being done to you. So I think knowing where you stand and your values, I think is really important.

Marisa: Okay, given that you gave the ingredients needs, Scynthea, and values, Henry, I'm going to say fast forward to December, write the headline you want to happen. Anything's possible. then create the path towards it. But Uplift All exists, not only with the cohort, but with the community to help you figure these things out and to have these real conversations in a safe space. We hope that you found value in this episode. And if you did, share it with someone you care about and follow us on any of our podcast channels or social media. We're for you. ⁓ join our community community.uplift-all.vip. Thanks for joining us today.