Hello there, and welcome to the aligned achiever podcast. I’m your host, Siobhan Barnes, and today I want to talk about something that has been coming up again and again in my coaching conversations, in my own reflections and in this season of the year. 

 

And it’s this idea of the pivot. 

 

When we hear that word, we often think about a career change, a new job, a complete reinvention, or a leap into something totally different. 

 

And while that can be true, and sometimes it is what’s needed, and something that we’re going through today, I want to offer you something a little bit deeper in that maybe a pivot doesn’t have to be something major. 

 

It can be something minor. 

 

It might be a choice you make to speak up in a meeting. It might be you saying, You know what, I want to go for that promotion, and I want to be a leader. And what if the real pivot doesn’t start with something that you do, but with who you’re becoming, you see a pivot isn’t always about leaving your job or starting a new business.

 

Sometimes a pivot is quiet. Sometimes it’s invisible to the outside world.

 

It can look like choosing to value yourself in spaces where you once doubted your worth. So maybe that means speaking up and saying to your boss, like, hey, I want this. This is my salary expectation, or this is what I would like for my compensation. How am I going to get there? It might look like speaking your truth in a meeting, maybe calling someone out for a microaggression. It can look like reconnecting with the why behind what you do, or redefining what success looks like in this particular season of your life, shifting your relationship to rest ambition or recognition to something that’s healthier. 

 

We are always evolving, and whether you’re preparing for a big move or navigating an internal shift, you’re still in a pivot. Next Level Leadership isn’t just about climbing higher, it’s about going deeper within you.

 

I’m actually going through this process myself in that I am. I’ve been working as a coach for more than a decade. I am collaborating with my dear friend and colleague, Elaine Champion, where we run The Pause Retreat earlier this year, and through this whole process of figuring out what my work is about, I’m really, really clear that my business and what I take a stand for is not necessarily you going for that promotion, or you starting that business, or you becoming a freelancer. The real area of passion for myself is to make sure that my clients make the right decisions on which way they want to go based on them, I truly believe that you know yourself best.

You have an inner intuition that might call you to something else or something more, and my job as a coach is to support you to make sense of that and to figure out how you might move towards that in really practical and sustainable ways. And so I believe we’re always pivoting into greater alignment, a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose. That’s exactly what my Pivot Pathfinders program is all about. And what’s so interesting is that we all have a different path. I really do not believe that there is one single path to success. 

 

I think there are many different ways that we can create success as we define it, and I’m really passionate about supporting you to figure that out. And if I could scream one thing from the rooftops, it would be, don’t focus on the how, and really lean into going deeper within you, understanding who you are. 

 

One of the truths I come back to time and time again is that we need to know who we are before we can lead others right. We need to know who we are before we can make the right decisions in our lives, whether that’s professional or even personal, and before we can lead other people and, you know, manage a team or look after a big group of employees, we need to lead ourselves, and that means, you know, understanding your nervous system and how it responds to pressure, getting clear on what you truly value and take a stand for healing old patterns or words that keep you stuck in self doubt or over giving and cultivating a connection to your inner wisdom and your definition of enough the outer world, like your job title, your achievements, the feedback from others.

 

It’s only a part of the picture, and it’s the picture that everybody sees, but truly leadership, it begins within, and that’s why self-mastery is the absolute foundation you need to know yourself in order to be able to pivot, whether small or big, and then to lead others. And I believe that self-mastery knowing yourself, it’s not a luxury, it’s not self indulgent, it’s absolutely essential.

 

Because when you trust yourself, you back yourself, and you operate from this a place of alignment, you become unstoppable in the most grounded way possible.

 

It’s what gets you through when you’re doubting and not sure of your next steps, because you’re connected to your vision, your why, and you’re motivated to keep on going and to set up the systems and structures to keep the momentum going as well. So let me share a couple of real world examples to bring this to life.

 

So there’s a woman I worked with recently. She had a senior role big responsibilities, and she came to me thinking that she needed to leave her role to be more fulfilling, but as we dug in. What she really needed was to reclaim her voice. She didn’t pivot out of corporate. She actually pivoted in. And she completely transformed how she showed up, how she led her team, and how she advocated for herself.

 

She really found her voice in how she had an opinion and took a stand for how she thought things should be done, how she wanted to protect her teammates, and how she led her team, and that, in and of itself, made her feel more fulfilled because she connected to her own sense of power.

 

Another woman thought she needed to find a new purpose, and it turns out, she already had it. She just needed to the permission to honour it in a new way, her way, right?

 

There’s so many ways that we can do what we want to do, and it’s not just what we do, it’s how we do it, and I think it’s really important that we create in the way that feels aligned to how we want to do it. So if you’re feeling stuck, uncertain or like you’re off, somehow maybe your next move isn’t about doing more, maybe it’s actually about returning home to yourself. So I’m gonna leave this as quite a short and sweet podcast episode, because, you know, we’re coming off the back of Easter, and I want you to have some time to really reflect as we shift into this new season. And if you’re listening to this podcast recording, and we’re not an Easter, it doesn’t matter, like you can still still play along here, but I want to leave you with four questions to reflect for yourself as you step into your next level leadership, and whatever that pivot might be for you, whether it’s small or whether it’s something big. 

 

And the four questions are this number one, where are you being called to pivot internally right now. Where are you being called to pivot internally right now?

 

So for me, I’ll I’ll share an example. I’m really being called to pivot internally right now, to really double down on what I want to help my clients with, and being more fierce and more strong in who I help and how I help them. So I’m really being called to honour that more deeply. What are you being called to pivot internally right now?

 

Second question, what are you ready to let go of?

 

So for me, I’ll share. I’m ready to let go of letting people down, saying no, not being able to accommodate someone when they they need my support. I have to be ready to let go of that need to be the one to help someone. And you know, I can always refer people. I can suggest books. There are many things I can do to help them, but letting go of the need of me being the one that has to help them. That’s what I’m ready to let go of. What are you being called to let go of?

 

Third question, What truth are you ready to own, even if it scares you? What truth are you ready to own even if it scares you?

 

The truth I’m ready to own is that what I want to offer and what I want to focus on in my business is what I want to focus on. And it’s scary, because I feel like I want to be able to help everyone and, you know, create different offerings, and like change and adjust what I have. But that’s not sustainable. That’s not tenable. And so I really am ready to own the fact that I’m an expertise in helping people pivot internally, developing their self mastery, and from there, figuring out their next steps. And it feels scary to claim that. And you know, if someone wants help in another area, to be like, You know what? I could help you, but that’s not where I’m focusing, or I’m not the best person for you. So that’s the truth. I’m ready to own.

 

Fourth question, what kind of leader do you want to be in this next season? What kind of leader do you want to be in this next season?

 

For me, I want to improve my leadership skills in going from idea to execution, and what that requires is for me to be better at delegating and communicating that early on. So I want to be the kind of leader that is clear up front gives more space and time to actually delegate things properly, so that I have to be the one doing everything. So that’s the kind of leader I want to be in this next season.

 

How about you? What kind of leader do you want to be in this next season? So you can take a moment to jot these questions down. I’m going to reiterate them in a moment, or you can come on over to the show notes over at siobhanbarnes.com/129 and copy and paste them so that you can journal with them. Maybe you want to take them on a walk, because I will tell you these questions, these are the breadcrumbs to your next chapter.

 

So if you’re in a season where you’re feeling the stirrings of something new and you’re like, What is this personal mastery that you speak of, I want to pivot, and maybe you’re not sure of, like, what is that? Something new, or how to move forward, then I’d love to invite you into the Pivot Pathfinders Collective community.

 

This is my signature 12 month container, where we focus on exactly this, the inner pivot that creates clarity, confidence and aligned action in your career without stress and overwhelm. It’s for professional women who are ready to lead differently, live more intentionally and create a career that actually feels like it’s theirs. You can check out all the details in the show notes over at siobhanbarnes.com/129.

 

Thank you so much for listening, and remember your next level isn’t out there. It starts from within.

 

Those four reflection questions for you. Those four questions are number one, where are you being called to pivot internally right now. Number two, what are you ready to let go of? Number three, what truth Are you ready to earn, even if it scares you? And number four, what kind of leader do you want to be in this next season?

 

Thank you so much for listening. Remember your next level isn’t out there. It starts from within. You are here for a reason beyond merely hustling, grinding and merely surviving, you matter.