Ep. 61 - Journey Junction with Lolita E. Walker

Transcript

00:03

Welcome to the Push Or Pivot podcast, a podcast that inspires you to trust yourself in the crossroads of life. I'm your host, Thea Charles. As a life coach, I know that when you put fear aside and trust yourself, you'll know when to push through adversity, and when to stop, reassess, and pivot. I believe magic happens whenever a push or pivot story is shared. And that magic is exactly what you'll find here.

00:41

Lolita, Walker is an author, coach, speaker and podcast host. I was drawn to Lolita when I heard about her book, the intersection of you and change, which is all about challenging crossroads. I knew that we would have a great conversation, talking about her pusher pivot story. Welcome Lolita to the Push Or Pivot. I am really excited to talk with you today.

01:08

Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here as well. Yeah.

01:14

So your fellow coach and a podcaster. And I would love for you to give people a little bit more background on yourself.

01:20

So I am Lolita Walker, I am a certified life and executive coach. I actually my story's kind of funny, not unlike a lot of other people's. But I started off in corporate America, I was working there for almost 20 years and had the opportunity to move to a new city. And I said no to that city, because of everything that was happening in my life and what it is that I wanted for my life. And when I did, I decided, guess what, I'm going to start walking on Walker enterprises. And it is a personal and professional coaching and consultancy. And what I do is I really empower women and teams to sit in the power of their paws. So I'm excited to be here today. Because when you think about, you know, pivoting, right, we think about in life, what do we do when we're at a crossroads in our life? And how do we choose? So I did just that. I'm an author. I'm a TEDx speaker, I'm doing motivation, but all of it is under the same umbrella of helping you really feel the power in your pause.

02:21

I love that the power in your cause I'm holding on to that one. That was really awesome. Yeah, one thing that was cool, when I was reading about you is that you actually named your crossroads.

02:33

Yes, I do.

02:35

Yeah,

02:36

so important, you know, and my book is called the intersection of human change, which is amazing, and the similarities with your podcast. And when you find yourself at a crossroads, one of the things I think is so imperative is that you name them, you give them life. And so whether it's that you're at, you know, I'm trouble, some Turnpike, or communication circle, whatever those are, what are they? Where are you finding your dilemma. And now let's sit in it. Let's pause in it. And let's talk about both of those. Let's talk about the pros. Let's talk about the cons. And let's talk about which way you want to go for the goals that you have in your life. And so it's really bringing those together. But when you name when you're able to name and put some life into where you're sitting or standing at this time, I feel like it makes decision making so much easier, more tangible and more fulfilling when you decide which way you want to go.

03:37

That's really awesome. What led you to decide to give it a name.

03:41

As I was writing my book, I recognized that everything I was writing, I'm big on a summary. Like what is this thing telling me? And I didn't have the the name of my book as of yet. But what I found is that they all were around choices that I've made in life, you know, my book journeys you through these 17 stops of self discovery. And as I was looking at these themes, I decided to name them I was at communication circle. I was at journey junction, you know, what is it that This stop is preparing me for? or What did I experience in them? So my book title came after I wrote my book, actually, and it was literally, it came to me, you're standing at an intersection of you, and a change that's happening in your life. And my book is not only me talking to you is in sharing my stories, right? It's also a workbook that helps you to discover you because we all find ourselves in that place right in that intersection of you and change. And that's kind of how I am where I am and I love using it as a talking point with my clients because it pulls so much out of you and it forces you to pause.

04:57

Hey, so What led you to write this book?

05:03

Mm hmm. I found myself at a crossroads. Like I said, You know, I had a decision to make when I was leaving corporate America. And after I made that decision, I oftentimes tell people, I was on my mini retirement, and I'm doing the things that you never get to do when you're working super hard. Um, you know, traveling a little bit, I had a young son, and I'm hanging out with him, I'm on a PTA. And after a while, you're like, Okay, now what? Now? What? And I never dreamed of starting my own business. That's interesting. And so I never dreamed of starting my own business. But when I sat, and I really contemplated, what are my strengths? And what am I really going to enjoy at this junction in my life, I started writing, you know, I started writing, I started coming up with programming that I was taking other people through my courses, I was taking other people through, I then went to get my certification and coaching, because I realized, I guess this is what I really want to do. And I believe that it's worth getting certified in so that I can really help people and know exactly what I'm doing. Because quite frankly, you can really hurt someone. Yeah, coaching them, if you, in my estimation, are not certified, or trained in what you're trying to lead them to go into. That's a personal preference. But the book itself just came out of writing just came out of pausing. Just came out of telling my story.

06:31

Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure a lot of people can really relate to that, especially now I feel like we're gonna force pause, absolutely, with, you know, everything with COVID-19. And, like, there's so much space to sit back and think, and really decide where are you going to go in this collective Crossroads? Like, are you gonna push through? Or are you gonna, like, are you gonna pivot and go in a different direction for yourself?

06:55

Absolutely. And, you know, I oftentimes tell folks, and I joke about it with friends, is that if you have not leveraged COVID, 19, for something good, and something creative, I'm wondering what you've done these eight months, right? I'm wondering what you've done during this time. And if nothing else, I mean, through the tragedy through the death through the craziness that's happening in the world. What is it that you can say that you have honestly done during this forced pause? During this momentary interruption, as I say, in my TEDx talk, but it's during this time that you have been given right now on this earth? What is it that you have done?

07:43

Have you been inspired by the story shared on the pusher pivot, but feeling a little stuck at your own Crossroads? If only there were a guide to get unstuck? Well, I've made one just for you. six steps to help you recognize what is keeping you stuck, and push you out of your rut. You can access it for free on my website, fear rebel.com. Slash rut. That's th e a, r e, n e l.com, slash ru. t. so many awesome things like stop and pause and think about? Yeah, I

08:31

love it.

08:31

Yeah. What else would you say that someone should? Or could think about when, when they're finding themselves at a crossroads?

08:39

You know, I take people through a couple steps. The first is to recognize that you are at a crossroad. You know, it's all about acknowledgement. So I am standing right here. And I say name it. Name, your challenge name where you are. articulate what is happening right now, right? I'm in this space of a gap in communication between a person and I, I'm going to make that up. So I will call that communication circle, right? Or I'm in a communication called a sack because you feel like there's a dead end, whatever it is that you're feeling at that point, I am here. So articulating what that is. Now what is forcing me in this position, what is happening, and say it aloud, right? Sometimes I talk to myself all the time, people saying, well, who are you talking to me? Just me. Right? It is okay to do that. Because sometimes you need to hear the words that are coming out of your mouth, you need to get it out. And that's why journaling is so important. But that's why just the power of articulating what's happening is so important. So after you've articulated it after you know where it is that you've gone. Now let's talk about what is in your control, right? Yes, change is happening all around us. Yes, you're standing in this circumstance but you are standing right here. So what is it that you can control and once We start working on what it is you can control and you take those things in chunks, you'll be so surprised at the awesomeness that results. Now that awesomeness might hurt. It might feel as though I'm losing something, I'm losing someone, I'm missing out on something, right? You could decide that you want to push forward, right? You want to push through that cul de sac, how much effort is that going to take? How much resources are going to take? How much of you is that going to take? Or you could decide to the name of your show, or you could decide to pivot? Right? Maybe the cul de sac isn't where you want to be. Maybe you don't want to be at a dead end. So you're going to turn yourself around, and you're going to go out and stage left. And now let's talk about what that could look like. Because now you're clear, right? All of those things is really you pausing, so you can assess, right? And then you can decide, am I willing to take the next step? Because guess what, it's a choice? It's a choice. Yeah.

11:02

It's a choice, you have your free will to decide which direction you go in and to be able to spend the time to, you know, explore those avenues and see what's right for you. Absolutely. Trust yourself and your intuition.

11:14

Absolutely. And, you know, it doesn't matter if you are an individual person who's struggling, or if you are a team who's struggling, right. And that's why I love the work that I do, because I work with women, which is my passion point, right? And then I also work with diverse teams, because sometimes it's clarity that you need in order to get you out of the weeds that you find yourself in. Right, the muddy waters can absolutely get clear. Once we are clear. Yeah. makes up a team individuals. So let's tap into everybody uniquely.

11:51

So how do you work? I guess how do you work with individuals in that setting? Like, is it talking with the group? Or are you working with people individually and bringing it together? How does that work?

12:01

Well, it's different, it depends on what the goal of the organization is, that's bringing me in. So some folks say, Hey, I would love for you to be a corporate coach. So we are struggling in our team. And this is what we're struggling in our team with. And I'll say, you know what I would love to work with individuals in order to really tap into the root cause of what's happening. And then by x time, I would love to get the group together, because this is the work we're going to do. So that could be one area. Another area that folks bring in is to say, Hey, we have a team dynamic. And we need to shift ourselves to move to this vision that we have, and everybody's not totally on board yet. Can you come in with that. And sometimes it's executive coaching, sometimes it's at the C suite. And folks need just a little bit of help inside of that space. Because when you're there, there's not really anyone to talk to realistically, right, push you over and beyond to really hear you to give yourself an even playing field in the sense of there's someone listening that doesn't have another agenda.

13:06

Mm hmm. Right? Yeah, the

13:07

push and the pivot is there because you're always finding yourself having to decide Am I gonna push because sometimes the push is necessary? Or am I gonna pivot and sometimes it's not an or sometimes it's an and, and sometimes you need a little bit of help to help you with that. And, and that's beautiful. Right? And that's,

13:28

that's awesome. Have a great work you're doing? Really a goodness. If you could give someone like a piece of advice or takeaway from this conversation, what would it be?

13:40

I think what I would say is that it is okay to absolutely give yourself a pause. And it's in this pause that you are your most creative self. It is in this pause that you find the greatness that is inside of you. It's in this pause that now you can push further and farther to the goals that you have not only for yourself, but of your organizations of your family. Right of those that surround you of your tribe. What is your goal and get clear?

14:14

Awesome. Oh, Lita, thank you so much. This has been such a great conversation. How can people find you the major podcast your book? How can we get more?

14:25

Yes, yes, yes, I would love to invite you aboard. Lolita is change train. And my podcast is coaching cocktails and conversations with Lolita Walker, and my podcast it is three layers. The first is coaching and I am always giving you an exercise of soul work that is imagery. So I'll take you on that ride so that you can understand and look differently through a different lens. Right. The next is cocktails and it's not about what you're sipping on. There is no judgement is more about celebrating your wins and the excellence that you bring At any table, and then finally there is conversations, there are conversations. And those conversations could just be you and I, or I have a special invited guest. So that's the podcast, everything you can find is at Lolita. walker.com. Okay. My podcast is on every single platform you could ever imagine I Heart Radio, Apple, Google, Stitcher, you name it. I'm there. And my book, again, Louise walker.com. That's slash the hyphen book. And you can get it online, Amazon, you can get it at Barnes and Nobles, you can get it right on my website. So there's that. And then I have courses. I have empowerment shop, I have my retreat, which I absolutely love it, I have a women's retreat and a corporate retreat. And it's really an in person, which I'm doing September 2021, but where we get only 12 women together. And I give you the power of your boss, I show you, I share with you over four days. Zoom virtual retreats. So I've already hosted two, my third one is coming on in February of 2021, which I'm so excited about.

16:11

That sounds awesome. And yeah, I've dove into your website. It's so great. And your podcast is really awesome. I've been listening to it. So I know that listeners here will get a lot of value out of it. And I'm just so happy that you're here today.

16:25

Oh, thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. Thank you so much. This has been amazing.

16:30

Lolita really made me think about what I would call my crossroads. I've always taken time to stop and think about what I was going through defining the fear that was holding me back and changing my mindset from what could go wrong to what could go right. But I've never given the Crossroads a proper name. I think I'd name one 101st dates. That's a story for another day. What would you name one of your Crossroads? Tell me by sending me a message on Instagram at push or pivot. Thank you for listening to the push or pivot podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button. And please leave us a review. To learn more about the show and to access the show notes. Visit our website, push or pivot.com I'd also love to hear from you. Share your thoughts and takeaways with me on Instagram at pusher pivot. Thank you for listening, and join me next time on the push or pivot podcast.