Kevin Stafford 0:00
Hello, everyone and welcome to another episode of their special episode of the conversations with coaches podcast. This is another part two, but this one is unique for me. This is a part two with someone I hadn’t met yet. Previously and this was over a year ago now there was a host of this podcast, Michael Pacheco, who’s gone on to host a different but very similar podcast called The remarkable coach which we can talk about some other time. But we’re here today with Bernadette bolus bolus, yeah, two syllables. Okay. Bernadette boas and she’s been on the podcast before and she spoke with Michael. And in the intervening year and a half, almost a year and a half since she’s been on. There’s been a lot of there’s been a lot of developments, a lot of great changes. And I am the lucky one who gets to talk to her about all of that today. Let me give you a little bit of an idea of who Bernadette is, and then she’ll give you the rest because she is fantastic. Let me tell you, I don’t want to spoil anything. But this is going to be a great conversation, known as a ball of fire. Bernadette is a renowned business and success coach, speaker, author and CEO a ball of fire coaching. She uses her decades of corporate savviness combined with her entrepreneurial spirit, to help corporate professionals create riches in their careers, and their lives. Bernadette, thank you so much for coming back. Thank you for meeting me. I’m really, really excited to talk to you for the pod.
Bernadette Boas 1:15
Oh, well, it’s my pleasure. It’s my pleasure. And it’s great to meet you as well. So thank you for having me.
Kevin Stafford 1:22
Yeah, let’s let’s let’s dive right back in, we got got a little warm up before I hit record. And we really started talking about all the different pivots. So let’s start, let’s start with the pivot in your business. And in your coaching, what has changed slash evolved, maybe evolved as a better word in the last 12 to 18 months for you?
Bernadette Boas 1:42
Well, it’s, it’s, it’s interesting, it’s how life works, right? You know, the universe turns and pivots. And so my whole kind of approach to my business, and the work that I’m doing also did that. When I, when I left corporate and went out on my own, I focused on the entrepreneurs. You know, even with writing a book that was geared to corporate, you know, I just didn’t want to go back there. And so I said, No, I want to, you know, take a new path, pivot it, take a new path, and hit up the entrepreneurial world. And I loved doing that for good many years, it’s been since 2008. But about, I would say, really started in 2018. But about a year and a half ago, I just found my whole world kind of making a full circle in that. The next thing, you know, through referrals, not even through my reaching out to anyone, I started really getting a lot of corporate work, corporate executive leadership, work training, and overall, you know, coaching. And so I found myself kind of shoulder deep in all of that over the last couple of years, and absolutely loving it. Because it was really addressing kind of the person in the workplace as opposed to we all think that we’re robots in the workplace, but the person in the in the workplace, and just the struggles that they have, but yet that huge potential and opportunity that they have, and helping and guiding them through that. So it’s been a lot of fun. And I also leverage, you know, multiple assessments and multiple practices out there like The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. So it’s just been a blast and I just have absolutely loved it. So I’m, you know, kind of finding myself close to 100% corporate as opposed to the entrepreneurial work
Kevin Stafford 3:48
that’s been done it’s I love I love the way so much can come full circle like that. I feel like that’s a story of so many so many coaches. Not that the once the circle closes, that’s the end because I feel like we’re just making these beautiful circles all throughout our lives. That’s that’s that’s such a common story amongst all the all the great coaches I get to talk to is that there are these these moments where you come full circle, there’s a reason that’s afraid, and you realize that everything that had happened before was leading you up to this point. And there’s this beautiful like moment, it’s honestly like a sunrise. I love it.
Bernadette Boas 4:18
Right. Yeah, I you know, there was a reason why I didn’t want to go that direction to begin with, when I left corporate, you would think a 25 year corporate executive would then go back to where they’re comfortable. But you know, I left corporate for a reason that you can listen to my last interview. The reason that, you know wasn’t pretty when it comes to leadership and being a really powerhouse leader as I as I advocate today. So yeah, so I needed to kind of move away from it and then find my way back. And so I’m back.
Kevin Stafford 4:54
Look at everybody. And I honestly I think the break bringing this around and people are looking out in the corporate realm now, because I feel like we are, we’re still deep in the midst, we’re still all shoulder deep in the midst of a serious pivot and change in the way that we look at and value leadership, in particular in the corporate space. And you, I believe, you’ve identified a number of different, I believe you call the myths, that that really, and I think I use the word expired to describe them, these concepts that, to put it at most politely have really expired and they’re useful is in regards to how we view leadership, especially in the corporate realm. So talk a little bit about some of those some of those myths that are we’re a, we’re embracing and expelling,
Bernadette Boas 5:38
which, and I call it shedding in my world, but, and it’s and it’s also coming from my own experience of the type of leader I was, which was not the type of leader you want to be. And now even the world is making a full circle with that as well. And I do I call them the three must have MIPS, because there, there are things that you have been told, you know, for decades that, you know, that you need to do or need to have. And yet at the same time, it’s just, it’s such bad advice. So the three myths are that life is life and work actually is 80% skill set. So how many of us have said, Oh, I just have to work on my skills, I just have to master my skills, I have to fill up my resume. And it’s BS, it’s not, it’s actually 80% mindset, what you’re thinking about feeling, and you know, your beliefs, your emotions, and how you’re projecting those into, you know, whatever it is that you’re doing at work or at home. But it’s 80% mindset, and then you know, what, if you happen to have the skills I need, awesome, because someone will advance you hire you do business with you, just because they like who you are, and they’re willing to invest in you getting the skills that you need. Exactly. So that, you know, that’s just something that you know, anyone needs to really pay attention to is, you know, put investment into working on your mindset each and every day, whether that’s with someone professionally or not. And then the second one is that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Now this I kind of took on as a flag of how I was going to go about my leadership style, which was very loud, as you can tell, very, very abrasive, very curt, very demeaning, very much dictating, delegating, commanding or actually not even delegating, dumping, and commanding and controlling. And it’s just not the way you’re gonna get people to follow you. Because leaders lead from leaders lead from the back, you know, kind of guiding their people forward, they don’t lead from the front going, you’re gonna follow me, you’re gonna follow me know, they influence people through the support and development and coaching, to then walk through a fire for you, because you’re there to support and develop and grow and enrich them. So the squeaky wheel idea is something that if you want to be a squeaky wheel, do it through service, do it through compassion, empathy, do it through the kindness, authenticity, and transparency. And then the last one is, which was beaten into me from a very early age on one to 12 children. So you know, so I was raised to believe that you have to work hard, you know, to deserve anything, and you know, and you have to get those results, no matter how hard and long you have to work and that’s just BS. And actually, you know, it was my sister, just maybe 10 years ago that kind of called BS on that as well, in a conversation that we were having. And, you know, you hear the term work smarter, and it just sounds so like, almost placating, but it’s true. But it’s, it’s really true. It’s you don’t have to kill yourself and work yourself to the bones. To be successful, to get ahead to really enjoy your life. What it takes is you doing the work that really turns you on, really, you know, to go in and get you excited. And you know, and you’re you’re it’s almost like the same that’s also used often is when you get up and you absolutely love what you’re doing each and every day. It’s not a job. I mean, I love what I do. And so I jump out of bed and I’m excited except when I’m going on vacation like I am tomorrow, but I’m I’m in excited, you know about working with my clients and doing the work, you know that that we do. And so I no longer and having for years, kind of, you know, felt like I had worked with to the bone. I work hard, don’t get me wrong, but I was smart. But I work smart.
Kevin Stafford 10:18
That’s one thing that I really like, what what I what I what I was able to learn about that whole work smarter, not harder thing that it’s, it’s not something that’s encouraging you to not work hard. It’s work smart. So that when when the time is right, when it’s called for when it will make the most difference that you ready to work hard. That’s what I love. And that’s all it really does. Like, I mean it, they tell you that what’s that saying? Like, if you love what you do you never work a day in your life, I think isn’t it’s how I often hear it’s like, and that’s true, but it’s also it’s still work. It’s just that I love it so much. And it’s so rewarding. And so uplifting to my own self and the people around me that I’m just I’m just buoyed out of bed in the morning. You know, I except when there’s a vacation pending, in which case, I’m just looking for that hammock and maybe like a Mai Tai on the beach or something like that. So who knows what, who knows what I’m looking for on that vacation? But yeah, it really, it really is that simple. There’s, there’s, there’s some work to be done. There’s a mindset, some serious mindset change has to happen. And that mindset Won’t Go Quietly. If you’ve been holding on to it for a while it will fight to stay around.
Bernadette Boas 11:26
They will absolutely will. So don’t expect changes to come overnight. Just be patient and work on yourself, you know, each and every day.
Kevin Stafford 11:34
Man, I feel like I could talk to you about this all day. But no, you dangle that little vacation carrot. And I was like, Oh, you got so much to do before, you could just lay it down for a little while and have yourself a good time. So before we go, you have anything else you want to add, I feel like you’ve just laid the perfect amount of stuff on the audience, anything you want to message you want to leave anybody with. Before we go,
Bernadette Boas 11:54
I would just say, you know, you have this one life to live, it goes really really, really, really, really fast. So you know, don’t spend a minute an hour a day, let alone a month or a year. Kind of, you know, kind of draining yourself and dragging yourself through and find what it is that really turns you on. And go for it.
Kevin Stafford 12:15
I love it. Oh, also, before we go yeah, I think you mentioned that you have a new website coming soon. So I want to make sure that you let everybody know where you like to be found. And then where you like to connect, like if there’s a social media that you’d like to make, make connections on. So just let everybody know where they can like get to know you a little bit better. Yeah,
Bernadette Boas 12:31
ball of fire coaching.com will be updated. You’ll see it very soon. And at the same time. LinkedIn is where majority of people find me so you can link in with me and then shoot me a DM and say hi, and let’s actually build a relationship.
Kevin Stafford 12:47
I love it. All right. I’m going to let you go a little bit a little bit. I don’t want to but this has been fantastic and short and sweet is the mission of the podcast. So I was almost called you Bernie. Bernie. Bernadette, I just feel it’s a testament to my comfort with you. Thank you so much for being here tonight. I really appreciate it.
Bernadette Boas 13:07
Thank you for having me.