Dr. Caroline Power: Spark the power within
Get ready to dive into a vibrant conversation that’s all about empowerment and the journey of transformation! Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson sits down with the incredible Dr. Caroline Power, a powerhouse in reshaping the future of work and inclusive leadership.
Right from the get-go, Dr. Power shares her most empowering thought of the day, reflecting on her remarkable journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a leading voice in corporate transformation. They explore the importance of self-worth and resilience, highlighting how personal experiences can fuel professional purpose. Plus, Dr. Power spills the beans on her entrepreneurial leap, the systems she believes are essential for budding entrepreneurs, and the inspiring legacy she aims to leave behind.
Trust me, you won’t want to miss this uplifting episode filled with insights, laughter, and real talk!
Takeaways:
- Dr. Caroline Power emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and gratitude in daily life, which empowers her to face challenges head-on and appreciate her journey.
- The conversation highlights the significance of sharing personal stories for empowerment, showing that everyone has unique experiences that shape who they are today.
- Building a supportive ecosystem is essential for personal and professional growth, as Dr. Power discusses the impact of strategic partnerships in entrepreneurship.
- Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson and Dr. Power discuss how the corporate landscape is evolving, especially post-COVID, with a focus on psychological safety and employee well-being.
- Dr. Power shares her journey from corporate success to entrepreneurship, illustrating the importance of taking risks and following one's passion for true fulfillment.
- The podcast emphasizes the necessity of creating systems in business that support growth, including CRM and billing systems, to streamline operations and enhance success.
If this episode resonates with you, then remember... SUBSCRIBE • 5-Star Rate • COMMENT • SHARE this Podcast!! 💚❤️🙌🏾🙏🏾
Book Recommendation: "Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukav
Find Caroline Online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colecaroline/
Websites:
- https://sensitivitytraining.ca/
- https://canadianhracademy.com/
- https://cdnhr.com/
Find us online: https://linktr.ee/nkechinwaforrobinson
Transcript
Great day, amazing human.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Welcome to Empowered at My Skin podcast where our mission is to help 1 billion people in this world think in more empowering ways.
Speaker A:Empowered humans empower humans.
Speaker A:So you are in the right place to become a lead domino for empowerment today.
Speaker A:My name is Nkechi Mwaho Robinson.
Speaker A:I'm not only your host, but I am a vibrant optimist obsessed to bring you empowering content with every single episode.
Speaker A:We will bring you weekly content, alternating between longer episodes with featured guests and a shorter episode called Empowering Bites, where I will be joined by my co host, Gabby Memone.
Speaker A:So if you're ready, let the show begin.
Speaker A:Great day, amazing humans.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Welcome to the next episode of Empowered, My Skin, the podcast.
Speaker A:This guest, our next guest is a powerhouse who has spent over 20 years reshaping the future of work, elevating leadership, building inclusive cultures, and champion talent across Canada and beyond.
Speaker A:A visionary entrepreneur behind national training brands, a creator of scholarships that open doors, and a voice recognized amongst WXN most powerful women in Canada.
Speaker A:So please join me in a gigantic, massive podcast.
Speaker A:Welcome for the amazing Dr. Caroline Power.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker A:It is such a pleasure.
Speaker A:And so transparently, I just have to say we.
Speaker A:I don't know how long we had.
Speaker A:We had like, incredible B roll.
Speaker B:So we're all fired up.
Speaker A:We've been.
Speaker A:And I love it.
Speaker A:So thank you so much for.
Speaker A:For feeding my spirit already.
Speaker A:So to get us started, my question, my kickoff question for you is what has been your most empowering thought of the day so far?
Speaker B:So far I.
Speaker B:The most empowering thought for me has been just a marveling of my spirit about the, the glory and the grace of God.
Speaker B:Because in.
Speaker B:When I.
Speaker B:When I think about my journey, my.
Speaker B:Where I came from, my.
Speaker B:My.
Speaker B:The circumstances of my birth and childhood to where I am today, it's.
Speaker B:It is, but.
Speaker B:But for the grace of God.
Speaker B:And so that's been very empowering for me today.
Speaker B:And I start every day with some time with God.
Speaker A:So you know what?
Speaker A:I'm just going to double click right there.
Speaker A:I'm just.
Speaker A:I'm actually going to.
Speaker A:That's not.
Speaker A:I'm just reading.
Speaker A:That's not our first.
Speaker A:That's not our first question.
Speaker A:So I, I do, like, I always know that the origin story matters.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:So I'm gonna just say, go, go.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Well, you know, it's over the last, I want to say, five years or so, I've picked up a meditation practice.
Speaker B:So every morning, one of the first things that I do is I spend some still time and.
Speaker B:And most of the still time has been around gratitude, just being grateful for what I have, not thinking about what I don't and not doing comparison, but gratitude for what I.
Speaker B:What I have and where I am and what I can do in while I've added to that, though specific still time in the Bible.
Speaker B:And so I use.
Speaker B:In my case, I use the Bible app and I.
Speaker A:The brown.
Speaker A:The brown icon.
Speaker B:The little brown icon look for you.
Speaker A:We're going to have to friend up.
Speaker A:Okay, go on.
Speaker B:And I have plans.
Speaker B:We do.
Speaker B:And we.
Speaker B:And I have plan.
Speaker B:I have the plan that you can use different.
Speaker B:Choose different plans that you go through.
Speaker B:And so I have different plans that I.
Speaker B:That I use from time to time.
Speaker B:And so that's how I start my day.
Speaker B:I don't spend a lot of time, but I.
Speaker B:But I ensure that it's.
Speaker B:The time is spent because I find that it really does settle me, give me focus, ground me, and gets me ready to take on anything that the world throws.
Speaker A:But I need more of your origin story.
Speaker B:Origin story.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, yes, yes.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So birth, a normal birth.
Speaker B:Born to a woman, though, who abandoned me as an infant.
Speaker B:And my father.
Speaker B:So I'm a daddy's girl.
Speaker B:So my story is a little different maybe than some of a lot of people are, you know, mommy's girl.
Speaker B:And you hear a lot about mothers, love mothers, nothing.
Speaker B:Mothers are great.
Speaker B:But my father is the person who was there when my mother walked away.
Speaker B:And he raised me until.
Speaker B:Alone with.
Speaker B:With, you know, paid help.
Speaker B:But he raised me alone until I was nine years old.
Speaker B:And then he put me in the care as a border with a clergy woman.
Speaker B:A clergy woman who I now and for a couple of decades have acknowledged to be my mother.
Speaker B:Really.
Speaker B:She loved me and she put everything in me that actually has created who I am today.
Speaker B:So a love, a love of education, discipline, grit, which.
Speaker B:Which is something that is at the center of who I am.
Speaker B:And so she was.
Speaker B:Sister Julia is her name.
Speaker B:And she was really the person who supported me at birth.
Speaker B:My mother was.
Speaker B:My father was there to financially support.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But at nine years old is when I met this clergy woman who raised me.
Speaker B:So I always think about myself as fortunate because, you know, an infant being abandoned by a mother like this is.
Speaker B:This is a tough start.
Speaker B:But yet here I am, you know, with being who I am because I was fortunate enough to have this woman in my life.
Speaker A:And where did you grow up?
Speaker B:Grew up in Jamaica.
Speaker B:Grew up in Jamaica.
Speaker B:Did elementary In Jamaica.
Speaker B:Did early high school in Jamaica, then came to Canada and finished high school and then.
Speaker B:Then everything else was here and so.
Speaker A:How old were you when you came here?
Speaker B:17 years old and went to high school.
Speaker B:Lived with my.
Speaker B:So over when I was in my late teens, was introduced to my mother, my biological mother and met my mother.
Speaker B:Lived there for two years only though had a stepfather and somehow was on my own after two years and so on my own.
Speaker B:Finished up high school, then managed to get myself into university and made my way.
Speaker A:And are you open to share how that was like meeting your.
Speaker A:Your biological mother and maybe, you know, emotions that.
Speaker B:That happy to share?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:So I was early teens when I underst.
Speaker B:I learned because, you know, I.
Speaker B:As a little girl I had always.
Speaker B:I was curious about my.
Speaker B:My mom because at school everybody else, you know, had a mom and I had a dad.
Speaker B:I had a dad and I loved my dad because my dad was my.
Speaker A:What did they tell you growing up when you.
Speaker B:Well, I was told that my mother left.
Speaker B:I was told that my mother didn't want me.
Speaker A:Okay, so you were.
Speaker A:You were.
Speaker B:Yeah, I was told.
Speaker B:I was told that and I, you know, when I met her at 17, Hearst side of the story is a little different, but at the end of the day, as a child you have nothing to do with that decision and that outcome.
Speaker B:And as a child you feel your.
Speaker B:Your emotion is abandonment somehow, whether you.
Speaker B:Whatever, however it went and so struggled with that.
Speaker B:And I want to say that that's behind me now because I sort of worked.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's something I've had to work through.
Speaker B:But, but, but I mentioned it as I speak with you and catch you because.
Speaker B:Because we all want to feel like we are wanted.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And even though we can.
Speaker B:Even though we can cerebrally think through maybe what she was going through or what he was.
Speaker B:The point is I didn't have my mom around.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I struggled.
Speaker B:So early, early, early teens I learned that my mother was, you know, she had relatives and so her.
Speaker B:Somehow my father reached out to her sister who was in Jamaica.
Speaker B:And so the connection was re.
Speaker B:Established that way.
Speaker B:And so between I guess 12 years old and 16 years old or so in my life, the.
Speaker B:We started to communicate.
Speaker B:And so then that's how I was sponsored by my mother to, to come to camp.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was the story then by then she had married and you know, there was a stepfather who understood, apparently was told by her that I was going to be the.
Speaker B:Come to help with their.
Speaker B:Their dog, their.
Speaker B:Their mutual Daughter.
Speaker B:Okay, I was not going to school, but she.
Speaker B:But, but, but I came to go to school, and so that was.
Speaker B:That was an issue.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:So a tough, A difficult time again, being in a household and not feeling.
Speaker B:Feeling that I wasn't wanted.
Speaker B:And I'm just, you know, I know your listeners are happy for your listeners to understand how difficult it can be for some people who want to have to go through the culture shock of going to a new country and then being in a place where a parent.
Speaker B:Well, a parent who abandoned them is married to somebody who doesn't want them.
Speaker B:So that was a very difficult time for.
Speaker B:For me.
Speaker A:And so I actually.
Speaker A:So thank you.
Speaker A:And it's interesting because we were kind of saying that you can.
Speaker A:You can look at somebody.
Speaker A:And I do truly fundamentally believe, which is the reason for this podcast, that there's.
Speaker A:Everybody has a story.
Speaker B:Everybody has a story.
Speaker A:And obviously, I don't know what I would have thought your story was, but I.
Speaker A:That is not what I had thought.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Well, this is it.
Speaker B:You look at people and it all looks nice and glowy and flashy.
Speaker B:And you don't know this story.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm not blind to the fact that everybody, like, for us, I think we'd have the audacity to think that.
Speaker A:That we'd go through life without problems.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like, who makes you.
Speaker B:So it's interesting and catchy because, you know, because of the, The.
Speaker B:I mean, coming up into Canada, no, very little support on my own put out because of all of the torque.
Speaker B:The torque.
Speaker B:Literally, the push.
Speaker B:The torque to achieve, especially based on the foundation that was laid in me from Sister by the sister Julia and the torque and what I was dealing with that actually made me push harder and strive to do better.
Speaker B:It's kind of like if you think about a pearl, a pearl becomes a pearl because of the scratching.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker B:Diamond becomes a diamond because of level of heat.
Speaker B:And I think that my early experiences have catapulted me to.
Speaker B:To.
Speaker B:To.
Speaker A:To where I am pressure.
Speaker A:All the push.
Speaker A:All the push.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:The diamond that you are on today.
Speaker A:And so how many of those.
Speaker A:How many that between sister Julia, your dad and your mom, is everyone still in your ecosystem of life?
Speaker B:Oh, yes.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker B:My relationship with my mother is.
Speaker B:Is.
Speaker B:Is always going to be a relationship that is.
Speaker B:That is.
Speaker B:That is.
Speaker B:That is growing because.
Speaker B:Forgiveness, of course, but.
Speaker B:But, you know, there.
Speaker B:It's always going to grow.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And my.
Speaker B:My father has passed and sister Julia have passed.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Sorry about that.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:To hear that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And you spoke about abandonment and just interesting because in the, in the journey of empowerment, abandonment is almost contrary.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because to be fully, truly empowered, I believe in your skin you have to feel extremely grounded.
Speaker A:That it's not the things that leave you or subtracted from you or that that make you.
Speaker A:It's like it's in, it's in absence.
Speaker A:Like it's an absence of those.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so how did you, when did you find out that you maybe had some work to do and, and where abandonment was something that you had to lean in to learn about and release?
Speaker B:Yeah, I realized it.
Speaker B:I didn't have language for it at the time, but I realized that my early 20s, so 21, 22 early 20s.
Speaker B:I realized that I somehow was always yearning this deep yearning to gain my mother's, my biological mother's approval.
Speaker B:And I, I felt, I felt at the time as though I was on a treadmill and that, you know, I was.
Speaker B:Would do more and just do more and just achieve more and achieve more and say, you know, look, is this good?
Speaker B:And nothing was ever quite good enough.
Speaker B:And so I realized that I needed to deal with being satisfied with who I was and that.
Speaker B:And when I got to the research and got to the therapist and realized that they gave me language, they said, this is, you're dealing with some, some of the, the outcomes of people who are, who've been abandoned.
Speaker B:So I needed to realize that I didn't need anybody to validate my worth.
Speaker B:My worth, My worth was fundamentally in place just as a human being.
Speaker B:And so I did work in that regard.
Speaker B:And so now I'm quite confident my self esteem is intact, especially because as a little girl, my father always had me feel that I could do anything I set my mind to.
Speaker B:He was instrumental in that.
Speaker B:That's one of the things I thank my father for.
Speaker B:I always felt loved.
Speaker A:Do you find it divine that the two people that saw you through your youth are both the ones that are gone and you're given all this time now with your biological mother.
Speaker B:It's interesting.
Speaker B:Yes, they are gone.
Speaker B:I hold them dearly in my heart.
Speaker B:My, as I said, my biological mother.
Speaker A:I should say physically gone because.
Speaker A:Yeah, physically, physically, physically.
Speaker B:No, no, no, no.
Speaker B:This is key.
Speaker B:This is key because the spiritually, they're absolutely absolute biological mothers here.
Speaker B:But I have one of the things, and this is a new thing and this, I say this to listeners to say that it's never too late for us to make shifts in our lives.
Speaker B:Only in the last.
Speaker B:Oh, I want to say a couple of years I have empowered.
Speaker B:Speaking of empowering, I have empowered myself to manage the boundaries between my biological mother and myself because for years, for decades, actually for decades I was myself accomplished all of this but still a two year old trying to and now, now I love, I forgive, I love, I do all of that but I also manage boundaries.
Speaker B:To keep me safe.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:To keep me.
Speaker B:To keep, to keep me safe.
Speaker B:To keep me.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Well, thank you for, thank you for sharing and I think that great context.
Speaker A:So out of that you have climbed the, I'm going to say the corporate ladder as far, for as far like from a societal perspective, you know, big roles in large organizations leading.
Speaker A:But you walked away from all of that which one would say is a certainty of corporate life.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like and, and so what was your turning point and the like and what was the moment you knew you had to build something for yourself.
Speaker B:I so post mba I landed my first people leadership role and I worked for Big Blue.
Speaker B:So at the time it was GE General Electric.
Speaker B:Many of your listeners know about GEG and GE Capital is the is a part of GI work for and promoted one thing to the next move down to corporate US corporate and came back and realized that I was doing very well professionally.
Speaker B:But somehow when I in meetings would say something some in sometimes, often more often than not, someone else would say the same thing that I just said.
Speaker B:But somehow it got more airtime when they said it and it was typically someone else who didn't look like me.
Speaker B:And so it was not lost on me that one, I was good and two I needed to find platforms that would allow me to shine to the extent of my talents.
Speaker B:And I sat with that for oh probably a decade because of to your point, the certainty of corporate and plus I was raised to be an employee, go out and get a good job and keep your good job not to be an entrepreneur.
Speaker B:At the time entrepreneurship was not seen the way it is seen today.
Speaker B:And so I stayed safe and secure, managed to conform, managed to do what needed to be done, managed to have the corporate look, managed to all of those things.
Speaker B:And then one year, not a day, one year because it took time one year it became clear to me that and this was the question if not now, when?
Speaker B:Because I knew, I knew that I was good and I knew that I had bigger and better things to do.
Speaker B:And so I stepped out.
Speaker B:I stepped out.
Speaker B:But I will be open to open and transparent with your the audience.
Speaker B:I launched my company but I Didn't leave corporate the same day I launched my company and had my organization on the side for five years and built it.
Speaker B:Did bits.
Speaker B:And I mean, not on company time, of course, but weekends, evenings, did my own thing.
Speaker B:Did, you know, built it, built it, built it.
Speaker B:And then there was one day that I said, no, that's it, I'm stepping out.
Speaker B:And so then I launched and by then I already had traction.
Speaker B:And I realized this is not the pathway for everybody.
Speaker B:Some people will wake up one day and quit and do the whole thing right away.
Speaker B:That was not my story.
Speaker B:My story was I launched my organization one year.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:Be completely open with your audience.
Speaker B:2011 I incorporated.
Speaker B:The next year I incorporated.
Speaker B: And then between: Speaker B: And then: Speaker A:Out, you know, and I love, you know, and I will be honest, I'm unapologetic.
Speaker A:People know, Empowered in my skin.
Speaker A: I Incorporated in: Speaker A:It is my side hustle.
Speaker A:And interestingly enough, I live empowered in my skin everywhere.
Speaker A:So even in corporate.
Speaker A:So I get to like corporate is probably really helped me hone what I want to do on that platform.
Speaker A:Even more so because I do believe my ministry is in corporate, you know, and helping more people in corporate become empowered in my skin versus conformity and this then the other.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so I encourage everybody that there is purpose in you and your purpose might be in corporate, but if it is, it's more than just waking up every single morning and going to have a job and getting a paycheck.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:It's, It's.
Speaker A:It needs to come alive in the meetings, your interactions, your.
Speaker A:Your.
Speaker A:The projects, the programs, the, The.
Speaker A:The text messages, the.
Speaker A:The phone calls.
Speaker A:Like all of the things that you do.
Speaker A:Wherever it is that you find yourself, it.
Speaker A:It should be expressing itself in some shape or fashion.
Speaker A:But my question to you, Dr. Caroline, is even making that move where you started something that was being fed from probably your purpose?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:How did that shift how you were showing up in corporate knowing that now you just.
Speaker A:And again, I'm just trying to provide value.
Speaker B:Completely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:To when you even just are moving in purpose, everything else becomes more purposeful.
Speaker B:Completely.
Speaker B:Completely.
Speaker B:Completely.
Speaker B:Well, what I.
Speaker B:No, no, I love your question.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Because what I, What I found was.
Speaker B:Well, when I first registered the business, even before incorporated, I found that it somehow put a kick in my step because all of a sudden I felt that I was doing something that I set out to do personally.
Speaker B:And professionally, on the other side, the other piece is I somehow felt that I had diffused the power base because no longer did one single entity hold the pen to my future.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I knew that there was corporate, the corporate paycheck, big.
Speaker B:And it was, I mean, I was the senior vice president level, so big dollars wasn't any match.
Speaker B:I mean, my business wasn't.
Speaker B:There was, it was very small.
Speaker B:But I knew that I had started down a journey where I was building something else that potentially could be the same size or bigger.
Speaker B:And today my business, now, what I pay myself today is a multiple, a multiple of what I made back.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But I somehow.
Speaker B:So, one, I was more confident.
Speaker B:But two, I also knew that I had diffused it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because when you, even when you, when you work in corporate, when you work for any, when you work for an organization, whether, whether it's corporate, whether it's government, whether it's not for profit, you have one client.
Speaker B:That's the clients.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:When you, when you're an entrepreneur, when you're, when you're running a business, you have multiple clients, some of which you can fire.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:For a company, an organization, you can't write, you fire them and you know you need another job.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I knew that I, I was diffusing that power base and that.
Speaker B:That supported me.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So, but, but still, even with all of that, was there any fear leading up to that day when you were like, it's time.
Speaker A:And if so, of course, of course.
Speaker A:What were the things that were the fear points and how did you get through them?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And what were the fair points and how did I get through them?
Speaker B:Yeah, there was always.
Speaker B:Well, I can't know if there's always.
Speaker B:But certainly with me, there was, what if it doesn't work?
Speaker B:Because, because the truth, the truth is, especially when you're a corporate animal, you know, you're raised to go to school and get a good job.
Speaker B:You're used to the paycheck every two weeks or whatever the frequency is.
Speaker B:And so now you're, if you've, you know, you've handed in your notice and you're gone, every day you wake up, you have a blank slate.
Speaker B:Like, a blank slate which you have to fill.
Speaker B:And so there was concern.
Speaker B:And one of the things that it did, though, how did I get around it made me realize that I had to land on my feet because this was.
Speaker B:I was it.
Speaker B:I was going to fill those, those spots in my day.
Speaker B:I was going to.
Speaker B:And so it made me, well, I wouldn't say more resilient.
Speaker B:I was already resilient, but it made me literally push harder than I ever had.
Speaker B:Because, because I, because, Because I had no alternative.
Speaker B:There was no plan B.
Speaker B:There was no plan.
Speaker B:This is why when I, I, you know, hear about people who start something but they're kind of half in half.
Speaker B:If you're going to fully, fully, once you decide to launch out and, and, and close the other gates, I call it go for go.
Speaker B:Go big.
Speaker B:Go big.
Speaker B:Don't, don't have a plan B.
Speaker B:Don't, don't go.
Speaker B:And I know not having a plan B sounds weird, but, but if you have a plan B, then you're going to be maybe falling back on it.
Speaker B:Say to yourself, this has to work.
Speaker B:I have to do it.
Speaker B:When you say to yourself, it has to work, it means though, that you're going to go where the puck skate, where the puck is going, right?
Speaker B:So it's, I'm not saying you, you go one way and the puck's showing you that you should be going another.
Speaker B:When you're not.
Speaker B:No, no, no, you pay attention to where the market's going.
Speaker B:So if the market is saying you need to, you need to shift.
Speaker B:If you're, if you're seeing that you need collaborations and you need this, then you need to do it.
Speaker B:But, but you, you say to your, yourself, I have to find a way to make this work.
Speaker B:This is why when we launch out, we have to launch out on more than just an idea.
Speaker B:It has to be an idea that the market wants.
Speaker B:And the market has told us that it's willing to pay for because we can have ideas that sound good to us and that we're in love with, but the market has not told us that it's looking for that.
Speaker A:So talk to us.
Speaker A:What problem are you out to solve?
Speaker B:The problem that I continue to solve is twofold.
Speaker B:It's one, it's to help organizations build better environments for their people.
Speaker B:That's one sentence.
Speaker B:Let me break it down.
Speaker B:It's to have, it's to help organizations build environments where people can feel psychologically safe.
Speaker B:They can feel less anxious or less anxiety about who they are, what they say, how they work.
Speaker B:That's the first problem to be solved to help organizations.
Speaker B:So my, a part of my business is B2B.
Speaker B:It's facing other organisms or other organizations, corporate, government or not, for profits.
Speaker B:The second problem I'm trying to, that I am solving successfully is helping people equip themselves with credentials to advance their career.
Speaker B:And so the, the people that I have niched down on are people who lead.
Speaker B:The people function.
Speaker B:So HR professionals, you can, you know, you can say people broadly.
Speaker B:In fact, in fact initially I said people broadly, you know, 10 years ago.
Speaker B:But I over the years have realized you need to niche down.
Speaker B:And so I've picked a niche and the niche that I do for that is the HR professional.
Speaker A:So those are problems.
Speaker B:Yeah, two problems that I, and then that's, and that's all that I do.
Speaker B:I don't do any recruiting, I don't do anything else.
Speaker B:I do.
Speaker B:And it's all to do with corporate training and development.
Speaker A:And doesn't it fascinate you because.
Speaker A:So you're talking about 13 years since you incorporated about.
Speaker A:Doesn't it fascinate you that those problems that you to solve are still if, if not more prevalent now, especially on the other side of COVID than ever before?
Speaker B:So they're different.
Speaker A:They're different.
Speaker A:This is good.
Speaker B:They have.
Speaker A:Can you shifted.
Speaker B:Shifted and evolved?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B: ed that caused a big shift is: Speaker B:So there's been a shift.
Speaker B:So we are, we've, we've had some, some interventions around that.
Speaker B:And then a second thing that changed is Covid itself pushed a lot of people to want to retool to build their careers.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Because during COVID a lot of people had time to rethink what do I want to do, what do I want to do?
Speaker B:And a lot of, and for a lot of people that meant going back to getting some training and getting some education.
Speaker B:And in that what we have done to support some of both of those changes is we've created learning that is just in time.
Speaker B:So it's bite sized chunks of training and learning that people can take that's immediately applicable to their work.
Speaker A:Oh, I like that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And so yeah, because, because leadership development and corporate training has gone to, has shifted to a place where things need to be that things that can be practically easily applied.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Right now.
Speaker B:So just in time, learning is what we call it for people and things that are socially, socially relevant.
Speaker A:And how are you tackling the sort of the techno, the like the technological change and advancement of technology and how it's, how it's influencing human Behavior, the work, this work.
Speaker B:So when I started at the way back, most of the training was in person through over the last several years we have now about 95 of our programs Live virtual.
Speaker B:Live virtual meaning there's a life facilitator with the group at the same time.
Speaker B:So sync in a synchronous way.
Speaker B:We do also a different.
Speaker B:Another part of my business, worldwide workplace learning.
Speaker B:Because my business is a portfolio of companies.
Speaker B:So worldwide workplace learning.
Speaker B:We do have online courses.
Speaker B:Online courses where a person can get a username and a password and they can sign on and two o' clock in the morning they can take a course any this kind of.
Speaker B:I call it my Amazon of courses.
Speaker B:We have online training and we have live virtual training and we have in person training and we now are actually coming out with some library catalog of seminars that are going to be in demand.
Speaker B:On demand.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:And how technology says technology.
Speaker B:Technology has helped us grow.
Speaker A:I was going to say.
Speaker A:So this is more like using you are.
Speaker A:You are leaning into tech to.
Speaker B:Very much.
Speaker B:Very much.
Speaker A:But on the.
Speaker A:But on another side of that the technology advancement is also impacting how organizations and how workplace workflow workplace is looked at.
Speaker A:And so how would is there any like.
Speaker A:I don't know if you've leaned in on that and can offer some insights in terms of what you're seeing happening in organizations today.
Speaker A:Like with the disruption of AI and.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker B: gs that we did and this was a: Speaker B:So how use it helping them see how they can use AI to advance the people function.
Speaker B:And also for HR professionals, courses around cyber security.
Speaker B:Because to the extent that the Internet continues to grow, cyber security is going to be relevant.
Speaker B:We believe HR professionals who are conversant and able to show that they have competence in AI, in the use of AI as well as cybersecurity, we believe those people will have an edge.
Speaker B:So we created courses in those areas and we've created a credential called the HR Tech Leadership Certificate.
Speaker B:That's one of the things we jumped on.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's one of the things we jumped on last year because when I looked at where the world is going, I realized we needed to have an answer for that to be able to support HR professionals.
Speaker B:We have the regular talent acquisition, succession planning and we got all of that.
Speaker B:But I realized last year that we needed to have a piece of training that supported people to give them an edge in that area because they're going to.
Speaker B:The HR professionals that are going to lead the function in the future are going to need to be conversant in tech.
Speaker A:And I love that you, I'm so aligned with you on that one especially so one of the roles I have is like in my corporate world is to help drive the adoption of of gen AI tools that the the organization can use to increase productivity and, and how they work and work.
Speaker A:And it's interesting because I recognize the, the key partner for me is in my opinion should be hr.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Because they are working on workforce planning.
Speaker A:They are working on completely on how do we look at talent and how do we maximize our talent.
Speaker A:And it can't be in the absence of any of that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The risks, the you know, I even like I am beaming.
Speaker B:I am totally beaming because one of, in our, in our fundamentals of artificial intelligence for hr, one of the big big or several of the segments talk about how to partner with it because, because to your point it has there has to be that leakage and cyber security.
Speaker B:Same thing.
Speaker B:Because most of the cyber risks are people risks.
Speaker A:Yes, yes they are.
Speaker A:No kidding, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Pre.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And, and even for myself I've been in tech my entire life.
Speaker A:It's, it's been interesting because I think the biggest language change has been over the years where it's like oh, tech's got it.
Speaker A:It's a tech problem.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like and this any and and not like we know that the best companies these days are having to like every employee is a tech employee completely.
Speaker A:Company's a tech company and every employee is a tech company and a tech employee.
Speaker A:So I love that.
Speaker A:So before I move on to like this has been so great so far.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:So one of the things I guess I admire about the work you've done is you had to build.
Speaker A:You built something really truly from the ground up.
Speaker A:And hearing you talk about it has me so excited to learn more about it.
Speaker A:But I think the biggest thing is success comes with systems.
Speaker A:And so having worked at such senior levels in corporate, you were exposed to how the organization probably worked like and that's through systems, right?
Speaker A:Like I think broken systems, broken organization.
Speaker A:So like what are some of like if you had to talk about like helping somebody who maybe wants to make that leap into entrepreneurship and this any other systems are going to be really important.
Speaker A:Even I'm learning that the areas of where I have stress and overwhelm if I look at the systems there aren't any or they're not, they're not optimal.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So what can, what would you suggest?
Speaker A:Fundament are the fundamental systems that people would need to lock in and start.
Speaker B:To build from if they're launching into entrepreneurship.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, sure.
Speaker B:So this one, I presume a lot of people get.
Speaker B:You need a strong billing system, billing, invoicing, tickler filed reminder or so forth.
Speaker B:So that, that's, that's, that's, that's absolutely key.
Speaker B:That one that you're comfortable with, one that doesn't have too high a fee rate.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because you know they, there's a fee.
Speaker B:You need strong customer relationship management systems.
Speaker B:Sometimes you can get that managing like.
Speaker A:Your people, like your customers, your man.
Speaker B:So managing the clients, contacts, the touch bases, the follow up, the following up is really important because a lot of times your follow up is your wealth is in your follow up, the fault, you know, so, so the CRM that can do that.
Speaker B:Some CRMs I'm saying though, might have a billing system associated with it as well.
Speaker B:One of the things that I find super important is to make this, the decision early on about whether you're going to bring people on as employees or people on as contractors.
Speaker B:This is, this is, this is a, this is a, this is an important decision.
Speaker B:A lot of times people, when they're getting started, think they have to hire everybody as an employee.
Speaker B:Not necessarily when you hire people, I'm talking as a business, when you hire people as employees because you can, you can bring people on that are not employees, you take a lot of risk.
Speaker B:The employment, the employee relationship is fundamentally a legal one.
Speaker B:So that's a decision that needs to be made.
Speaker B:You may decide that you want employees though, depending on, but know that you can have contractors or you can have independent contractors.
Speaker B:And that's a part of the system, the people side.
Speaker B:And then the last part of the system that I think about is the strategic partnership side.
Speaker B:What is that going to look like?
Speaker B:What kind of system do I have in place to support the business?
Speaker B:Because the business at the end of the day has to, to cross arms with other businesses in order to grow.
Speaker B:So think about it as linking, linking elbows with other business.
Speaker B:Whether it is associations or whether it is whatever the other businesses are, we need to somehow partner with them.
Speaker B:Not vendors, other businesses, other groups in order to leverage our strength.
Speaker B:It's kind of like the concept of using other people's money.
Speaker B:If you're for financial growth, it's the same as using other people's knowledge, other people's information by partnering.
Speaker B:So, so If I recap.
Speaker B:One system is the idea thinking of the strategic partnership systems you want to put in place that are bigger than the organization.
Speaker B:One is thinking about the CRM customer relationship management systems to help you see to automate your workflow.
Speaker B:One is to think about your decision and your strategy around how am I going to leverage human resources?
Speaker B:Are they going to be employees, are they going to be contractors?
Speaker B:Or are they going to be independent contractors?
Speaker B:And if yes to all of that, what's the proportion?
Speaker B:And then one is your bill billing systems.
Speaker B:What kind of billing system will I use?
Speaker B:And, and I mean included in the billing I will add is, is the, your strategy around how you're going, going to collect?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Because one thing to sell, it's one thing to get services out to the marketplace, but collecting is another thing.
Speaker B:So do people need to be, do I, do I need people to pay up front?
Speaker B:Do I need people, I take deposits.
Speaker B:Will I, how's that going to work?
Speaker A:And is this irregular irrespective of the size of the business?
Speaker A:Do you fundamentally believe like any, like.
Speaker B:This is just when you're, when you're getting started and up to mid size.
Speaker B:I want to say these, this is when you're really doing the foundation.
Speaker B:Because once you get to enterprise level.
Speaker B:Enterprise level.
Speaker B:So you know, enterprise level, typically 250 million or beyond.
Speaker B:I would say, I think that some of these decisions that you make early stage will tell you what you do next.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:You're welcome.
Speaker B:And there's no one, there's no one thing that fits every business, every business different.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so the final question before I get into rapid thrivers.
Speaker A:So when you think about like all you've accomplished, the work you're leaning into now, the passion that you, that you're leading in with your faith that you lock so beautifully into and bring into everything you do.
Speaker A:Like what do you believe is the legacy that you're already like?
Speaker A:I truly do believe there's legacy that's left in this episode.
Speaker A:So what do you believe has, is the growing legacy that you're, that you are leaving.
Speaker B:I will tell you that not a week goes by where I don't get a message, LinkedIn, email, whatever it is, phone call from somebody that says, I want you to know how you've affected my career.
Speaker B:I want you to.
Speaker B:And I'll give you one specific one that I got about two, two or three weeks before I went on vacation.
Speaker B:About three weeks ago, I was on LinkedIn and a woman posted about how she had you know, gone to New York City and launched her business and talked about all the risks she's done, she's taken.
Speaker B:Really Good, good story.
Speaker B:500 or so likes and lots of forwards.
Speaker B:I was so impressed by the story that I posted.
Speaker B:I put a little note that said, I don't know you, but I'm pretty impressed and good on you.
Speaker B:Go for it.
Speaker B:Thinking that was the end of that, she wrote back a few days later.
Speaker B:Dr. Caroline, I was in the audience eight years ago and heard you speak, and you will never know the impact you had on me.
Speaker B:And so I share, and I share that because this is just one random data point that just commented.
Speaker B:And she actually knew me and her.
Speaker B:And heard me and was inspired.
Speaker B:I mean, and so I personally didn't know.
Speaker B:But I'm saying to you, people who I know who will say, after taking your program, after taking your course, after working with you, after this.
Speaker B:And, and so to answer your question pointedly, the legacy is in the knowing that I am making a difference in people's lives, in people's, specifically people's careers, in having people feel like I can do this, this, I will do this, that, plus the fact that I am a philanthropist.
Speaker B:And so I do support education and people who are learning to become educators.
Speaker B:And I support that in a, in a fairly substantial way.
Speaker B:And so that's also a legacy that I leave because the last financial gift that I gave is, is to perpetuity.
Speaker B:It's an f. It's an endowment to perpetuity.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:Which means it's eternal.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:I'm so blessed.
Speaker A:I. I believe we met on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:Yes, I think I might have reached out to you on LinkedIn.
Speaker A:I think we met on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:You were posting about your gym and I was like.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And then our, our paths crossed.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And then we just had mutual, mutual connects.
Speaker A:It's very, very fascinating.
Speaker A:And I, I believe in the.
Speaker A:Like, we're going to stay on after we, we hit, hit, stop.
Speaker A:I actually believe that there might be another connect based on something you said on this podcast.
Speaker A:I can't wait to quickly ask you.
Speaker A:So I'm going to take you through some rapid thrivers.
Speaker A:You think of someone who inspires you, who comes first to mind.
Speaker B:Mandela.
Speaker B:Perseverance, grit, character.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:That's legacy.
Speaker A:Legacy.
Speaker B:All of it.
Speaker A:Massive legacy.
Speaker A:What's a daily activity that helps you with your thrive?
Speaker B:Movement.
Speaker B:Movement.
Speaker B:I work out six days per week and weights and weight.
Speaker B:I alternate weights, cardio and movement.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And I do.
Speaker B:This is not daily.
Speaker B:But I do intermittent fasting as well.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:What is a book that has helped you with this thrive?
Speaker B:Seat of the Soul.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So in the order of my personal development, I'm just looking here, I read A Return to Love.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Read that too.
Speaker A:Marianne Williamson.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Then I read.
Speaker A:I think I read the Power of Now first.
Speaker B:Read that too.
Speaker B:Read that too.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Then I read.
Speaker A:Then I read the Seat of the Soul.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker B:Yeah, that witness.
Speaker B:That witness that's there.
Speaker B:And checking in.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it's interesting because it's.
Speaker A:Even though I read it back then and I'm not sure if you've read anything by Michael Singer.
Speaker B:No, not that I can think of.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Because you said the Witness, you know, to any listeners, like, I've said this before, I actually have done an episode on this.
Speaker A:So Michael Singer helped solidify something that I read in that book years ago, because Oprah even had had a number of times on her on her podcast.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And she often quotes the Seed of the Soul.
Speaker A:But Michael Singer says, I am the one who sees from in here somewhere.
Speaker A:I am the one who looks out, and I'm aware of the thoughts, the emotions, and the experiences that are passing before me.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:Like that connected with witness for me.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Because really and truly, your biggest I am is a witness to the life you're living completely.
Speaker B:And that witnesses silence and that witnesses.
Speaker A:Right, exactly.
Speaker A:And if you can sit more in your witness.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You will.
Speaker A:You will keep yourself out of trouble.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:But we have to remember to check in.
Speaker B:That's the thing.
Speaker A:Well, that's it.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And sometimes we are.
Speaker B:Some of us sometimes are so busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy that we numb out the witness.
Speaker B:But if we're.
Speaker B:This is why stillness is so critical.
Speaker B:But if we're still long enough and intermittently we do hear what witnesses.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think.
Speaker A:I think, by the way, the way that you start your day is very similar to mine.
Speaker A:So I use the Bible app as well, and I love that it has gamification, because I think today I was checking my streak and I.
Speaker A: sh just went over and went to: Speaker A:And then the amount of days I've opened up the Bible app is some.
Speaker A:I don't know, like 13.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And it's only because I missed one day.
Speaker A: uld have been like, whatever,: Speaker B:I'm like that with my Peloton app, actually.
Speaker A:Gamification.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I think that, anyway, the point I was just trying to make is when you have the right system in place to support your personal and continued development.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You can actually grow the muscle of.
Speaker A:Of that.
Speaker A:So even in the busyness.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Stillness will be the first thing you reach to when.
Speaker A:When you start to feel some resistance to life.
Speaker A:Because I do believe that life is flow.
Speaker A:Even if there is disruption, you can flow through it.
Speaker B:Life is flow.
Speaker B:And that's why we need to go and understand even.
Speaker A:Even within flow disruption.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And even.
Speaker B:Even with flow.
Speaker B:Even with flow, there's resistance.
Speaker B:Because what makes us stronger.
Speaker A:Because the truth is you're.
Speaker A:You're in the disruption, but you're not the disruption.
Speaker B:Disruption.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so if you're feeling uncomfortable, it's because you've become the disruption.
Speaker A:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Anyway, we could do a whole episode on that.
Speaker A:What is an app that helps you with your thrive?
Speaker B:What is a sorry app?
Speaker B:Oh, the peloton.
Speaker B:And because it's.
Speaker B:It's silly.
Speaker B:It's silly.
Speaker B:Anywhere I travel in the world, I literally, one of the things I do when I land is to make sure that.
Speaker B:Especially if it's a long wi fi.
Speaker B:Do I have wi fi?
Speaker B:Because on that flight, did I miss my.
Speaker B:You know, it's another day here.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker A:You just.
Speaker A:You have to log in so that you don't get.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's at that level where it's.
Speaker B:It's become pedantic.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You don't want to set it back to zero.
Speaker B:Because when I went a couple years ago, we were in.
Speaker B:We got to eat, flew into Cairo, Egypt, and because of the time zones, I missed it.
Speaker B:So I started over.
Speaker B:So I'm still, you know.
Speaker A:Anyways, that's what happened with the Bible app.
Speaker A:But you know what?
Speaker A:And I wish more apps would lock into it.
Speaker A:The Bible app has a way for you to kind of argue your point.
Speaker A:Oh, really?
Speaker A:Ask for the reset.
Speaker B:Interesting.
Speaker B:And that we would take the time to do that tells you how much of a role it has on us.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I was like, that's brilliant.
Speaker A:Thank you, Bible.
Speaker A:And so lots of last.
Speaker A:Last.
Speaker A:Rapid Thriver is what's one misconception that people have of you as they see you in your thrive?
Speaker B:People think that it's perfect and it's easy.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It ain't.
Speaker B:It isn't.
Speaker B:Takes effort, takes discipline, takes grit.
Speaker B:Sometimes I don't feel like I want to do it.
Speaker B:Whatever it is.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But it's not about a feeling.
Speaker B:It's a Decision.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, it's a decision.
Speaker B:We're doing it and we have to do it and let's move on.
Speaker B:We're doing it.
Speaker A:It's not about feeling.
Speaker A:I used to do quotes.
Speaker A:I'm gonna rose hope you simplicity and I used to do quotes on there.
Speaker A:It's not about a feeling, it's a decision.
Speaker A:That's a powerful quote.
Speaker A:That's a powerful quote.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So where do we find more of you, Dr. Carolyn?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:So LinkedIn.
Speaker B:I'm there in a big way.
Speaker B:I have a very, very small Instagram presence and because I'm quite private, but LinkedIn is really the place to go and of course, any of my businesses, so sensitivity training Canada, Canadian Nature Academy, Worldwide Workplace learning.
Speaker B:Go to their website so you can write.
Speaker B:Write me.
Speaker B:Reach me through there.
Speaker A:Perfect.
Speaker A:And I will share all those links in the show notes.
Speaker A:And as a final question, please finish this sentence for us.
Speaker A:I am empowered in my skin.
Speaker B:When I'm empowered in my skin, when I think about how far I have come and how blessed I am.
Speaker A:That was such a beautiful.
Speaker A:That's such a beautiful statement.
Speaker A:I don't know if it's because of all that I've experienced of you, but to end it on that is so beautiful.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:And catchy for the opportunity.
Speaker B:It's been a real pleasure talking with you.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I, I, I, girl, look, we found out I'm not that far from you and I.
Speaker A:There's like coffee chats in our future.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:For sure.
Speaker B:For sure.
Speaker A:We're deepening this network of connections.
Speaker A:So to everyone that's listening, thank you so much.
Speaker A:I trust that you're extremely powered in your skin and.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:But sadly, this is where I have to say we're out.
Speaker B:Bye.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:There you have it.
Speaker A:I trust that you are feeling more empowered in your skin.
Speaker A:As the late Dr. Maya Angelou said, when you get, you give, when you learn, you take teach.
Speaker A:So it would mean so much for us at Empower to My Skin, Inc.
Speaker A:If you share this episode and tag us or teach an insight that you took from today's episode on your social and tag us.
Speaker A:Feel free to leave us a review over at itunes and follow us on social media.
Speaker A:Power to My Skin.
Speaker A:Finally, remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
