Jana Day – How Jana Got Her Oomph Back | Conversations with Coaches | Boxer Media

Kevin Stafford 0:00
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the conversations with coaches podcast. I’m your you can probably tell delighted host Kevin, I’m delighted because I’ve once again I feel like a broken record but I’m gonna keep saying that once again gotten to meet someone who I’m both excited now to know after just a few minutes of chatting and also really excited to share with you so let me introduce you to Jana de Jana like banana. If I say it out if I say through my nose, I get it right. Shana is a career and leadership coach. As you might expect. She has worked with leaders on the fortune 100 and supported Academy Award and Emmy award winning cruise. She has credits on 25 animated feature films and a few TV shows. She has a cheerleader to her two sons, a sports enthusiast, which I’m going to have to resist talking about as best I can, as I my has a rescue pup named Sidney, which I wished that he could come on the pod but maybe maybe part two, Sydney will come in for a visit, and has been married to her forever and always her words for 30 years now, Jenna, is it’s lovely to meet you. It’s a pleasure to get to know you tiny bit, and I’m excited to talk to you on the podcast today. All three.

Jana Day 1:06
Well, thank you so much for having me, Kevin, I am absolutely thrilled to be here.

Kevin Stafford 1:11
It’s music to my ears. So let’s, let’s take it all the way back to the beginning at the beginning, beginning sometimes like, let’s not go back to like when I was born, and I saw sunny meadow and let’s go back to your beginnings as a coach. Now this is often I find that this story is a really good way to access what what really drives the purpose and the passion of someone who’s chosen to go into coaching, there’s often a moment whether it’s like a split second, or like a sort of moment that takes months or years to build up to where you realized or someone told you in the right way at the right moment that coaching was either what you were already doing what you would be excellent at and or would be the best way for you to impact the world in the way you want it to. So what was your superhero origin story as a coach

Jana Day 1:55
is all of what you just mentioned, really, you know, I as mentioned, in my bio, I have been working in entertainment for a while and primarily in the animation studios. And as part of one of the things that animation studios do is go on college campuses, and to different events or festivals, and we do so many portfolio reviews, and we talk to a lot of students and up and coming artists and provide feedback. And the industry itself is just a very generous industry, there’s a lot of give, you know, to the people that are trying to trying to break into it. And so, in that sense, I had been coaching for years, you know, without really the title, I had also been part of, you know, a production executive team, where we were helping people move from one position to another and helping them you know, a lot of times I would talk with people and how to get them to that next role. In so unofficially had been doing it for you know, for a while the transition or that light bulb, you know, moments I had worked on, had been with Sony Pictures Animation for 18 years. And we were just rounding into COVID where people were starting to lock down and everybody, you know, did that what am I doing with my life? You know, we were getting ready to work on a very large feature film. And I found out last night. You know, normally when you get to a project, I’m the type of person that rolls up her sleeves and ready to dig in and ready to go. And I just didn’t have it anymore. You know, done so many of them. And I was tired. I just didn’t, you know, I just didn’t have it. When I was talking with my boss and a couple things that were happening at the same time. I had seen in our local community there was YWCA group that was starting up a career strive program, which works with underserved members in our community, as well as women coming out of the domestic violence program. And they help them it’s a whole program and you you bring them we brought them really from start to resume to get them ready to you know, go out and interview to get them dressed to you know, helping them find jobs. And I was reading about that. And he said that, I want to do that. That is what I want to do.

Kevin Stafford 4:25
I feel the energy rising up in you again, when you when you encounter that, like if you reach into like get that go on. And if you feel a little bit empty, but then you can counter that and you can feel your energy rising. Yes.

Jana Day 4:37
Exactly. So much so that I bugged them. I called them three times to say, I’m here I’m in your neighborhood. I’m not in Los Angeles. I happen to be you know, Indiana, which is where I’m based because my husband’s job is here. I’m in your backyard. I want to take all of this experience that I have. And you know hopefully use it for somebody who you know just needs a hand you You just need a helping hand. And so I started doing that in my free time. And at the same time, I was talking with our pastor and said, you know, we’ve been talking about different things. And he said, You know, there’s a coaching program starting up, you’d be really great at this. So I started exploring, and I, the woman I was working for I had worked with her for a really long time and was talking with her. And she said, she just casually said, Are you giving me notice? And I said, Yeah, I think I am. And that’s, that was it. That’s how I that’s how I, you know, got started. It I stayed with Sony for about six months till they were, you know, till they found somebody to replace me. But at the same time, I was coach training and, you know, doing all the other things to ramp up to where, you know, to ramp up and ramp down. Sorry, that was a long, long answer. No, that’s

Kevin Stafford 6:00
perfect. It usually is. I mean, it was a long answer. But it was also you touched on so many points on the journey that I feel like, it’s kind of like I ended up accidentally framing the question in almost a perfect way for your story, because it really is like, it’s both a moment. And like the work of months and years, like when in hindsight, you look back, and it feels like it’s just the switch was flipped. But the actual flipping of that switch was, well, then this happened. And then this opportunity arose. And I had these feelings in my heart and in my gut. And then this person said the right thing at the right moment. And then this other opportunity opened up. And then someone else recognized what was happening in me and identified it before I even had words for it. And it’s like, all this stuff kind of comes together. And all of a sudden you find yourself doing the thing that you now in hindsight, realize, this is what I should be doing. This is why this is what’s really rolling up my sleeves for me and really got that oomph going for me,

Jana Day 6:53
I have my back,

Kevin Stafford 6:57
I might have to be the title of the episode how Janet got her back a little, a little play on a famous movie from the 90s. I think that might have to be the title. But I have so much I love about your story, because it is so it’s so unique to you. And it’s also there’s so much commonality and having talked about with hundreds of coaches, there’s just there are these these these moments, these very recognizable almost milestones where it’s like and and then the realization was that I wanted this is how I wanted to impact the world. This is how I wanted to serve, you see an opportunity to use what you’ve already gathered expertise and experience and know how and instincts and you know, emotional intelligence and the empathy that you’ve learned over the years and decades. And all that kind of comes together. And you’re like, This is where all of that do the most good. And then and then you and then that thought leads to action. And that’s that’s the difference. Because you can you can encounter those kinds of thoughts and feelings. But never, they never rise up to that moment of action, that moment of you know, pulling the trigger and taking the step, you know, whether it’s off a cliff or just on the next path. And that’s what that’s every coach is put that all of that into action with tremendous rewards.

Jana Day 8:08
Absolutely, yeah. Bigger than I could have ever imagined.

Kevin Stafford 8:12
Which is great, because you got a feeling, but you can’t see it. And that’s kind of scary. You’re like, is this gonna be as good as I think it’s gonna be great. But it’s almost like you have that too good to be true moment in your head where it’s like, Am I really gonna be dissatisfied? Is it really going to be this like, satisfying for me and good for me and good for my community and the world? Is it really all of that and a bag of chips, and there’s all of that and bag of chips

Jana Day 8:34
in it was scary. Let me tell you.

Kevin Stafford 8:38
Well, from fear into joy. Let’s talk a little bit about what your coaching looks like in the present day. Now. I try usually ask this kind of as a two parter, because I feel like it sounds a little bit like an interrogation, but it kind of gets at the heart of like the nuts and bolts of your coaching. Who you coach, and how do you coach them, the WHO being who you tend to focus on, whether it’s a certain demographic or certain person at a certain stage of their personal or professional development, whatever that might mean for you and your in your practice, and the how being not even necessarily primarily, but you can talk about all the very the variations on how like one to one coaching, where it’s just you and the other person in a room doing work together, you know, on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, whether it’s small group coaching, like masterminds, or even like collects classroom size stuff where you like lead people through a course. Are you have you written or are you writing a book, which is always a question I asked with bated breath, we’re gonna do usually, you know, either or both. And so who do you coach and how do you coach them these days?

Jana Day 9:36
It’s a great question. When I started I would say it’s a true two pronged sort of business model. And then what’s very natural and what comes very easy to me is career coaching, you know, in career advancement, just because that is what I’ve done forever. And so I tend to work with clients who are in that kind of in that like 30 This is range, they’ve ended their career for a little while, they’re not sure exactly where they want to go next, or how to get there. And so I do a lot of career advancement coaching around that. Also, recently, there’s been a shift in that, where I’m getting a call from kids, but young people a few years out of school, and they’re trying to figure you know, figure out that next step for them. I, I think we’re, this could be a whole different podcast, but I think we’re just starting to see the tip of the kids who were really affected by the pandemic, whether they were in school and our you know, they were graduating into, you know, a pandemic type world. And so I think we’re just starting to see that I think it’d be a while before we see the effects of, you know, of all of that. So lately, I’ve been getting a lot of that as well. And one of the things that I find with my career coaching is, we do very tactical things, which is a little bit more consulting of, you know, resume, LinkedIn branding, you know, practice interviewing, you know, all the way to salary negotiations. But what I partner that with is, I do a lot of Positive Intelligence protein, which has been fantastic. And so we I pair I figured it out lately, where you know, it kind of pair it up together. And so it really allows people Positive Intelligence, or PQ, allows people to get out of their own heads and hear, stop hearing that negative self talk or that doubt, that really helps them move forward. And so they oftentimes come for the tactical, but they end up and they get that, but they end up leaving, it was so much more, and that’s what they usually go wow, I had no idea even needed that

Kevin Stafford 11:47
that’s so good. It’s almost like it’s honestly it reminds me of like just an approach to just trying to care about people in a general way, it’s like you have to meet their their immediate needs first. And then you can begin to like, connect with them and see about what might help them you know, you can give, you can give them the fish. And while they’re eating the fish, you can teach them to fish, so to speak. Um, I’m sorry, I’m butchering that analogy a little bit. But it really is like, you got to give them what they need, what they can understand very practical, very, like, okay, I get this, I do this, I execute on that, here are my steps. And that gives you the opportunity to really get in and help them to, obviously, they come to you with questions, like I had great uncertainty, but they might not have been able to articulate the question properly yet, or the questions they have about themselves, their lives, the industry, they’re trying to move in or move up in. And then that’s where the coaching really comes in and shines because you help them to shape and coax the better questions out of them. So that then they’re like, Oh, this is what I’m looking for? To say that, but now I do. And that’s there you are?

Jana Day 12:48
Are they Yes, absolutely are they know where they want to go, they just are a little hesitant or timid to get there. And if they can get out of their own way, you know, we can really build them up to a place that they feel solid and strong enough to start making those, I guess my coaching style, then it’s also you know, baby steps, you know, to get people to, you know, make up those to reach out to those people and to make those network contacts and you know, and soar. Really, it’s been really awesome to see where people go. The ones I love are the ones where I think I know where they’re gonna go. And they completely surprise me and end up, you know, just what’s perfect for them, you know, and watching them watching them succeed. With that I do leadership coaching, that’s kind of the other side. The other prong of that is that having spent so much time in the industry, in the animation industry, you’re oftentimes on a team of people, and then you’re really good at your job. And they say we want you to lead people. And that can be really hard, you’d go from team member to team leader. And so I do a lot I do a lot of internal coaching for a couple of the studios were really guiding people and helping them through that transition and getting to a place where they’re comfortable. And so that they can, you know, they can go on and lead and succeed and their team also succeeds. And so that involves not only positive intelligence, but a lot of emotional intelligence as well. So I do one on one, I do some group I do some team leadership. Yeah, but it’s kind of a two pronged sweet spot, if you will.

Kevin Stafford 14:37
It’s perfect. And I really I I don’t think there can be enough light shone on this particular point because you have these people who are they’re great in their field, they’re so good and they get promoted sort of out of their their expertise and into something new because that in those those skills and it’s not just the skills, it’s also the disposition and the approach and like you said the emotional intelligence that goes along with being Being an effective team leader, even in an industry in which you’re already an expert, it’s just, it’s challenging. And I think I feel this is where the the PQ comes right into, because you’re used to being good to great in the industry, you’re now a leader in and so that feeling of, you’re good at what you do. But then you also have the self consciousness, and the self doubt that comes in from being in a in an unfamiliar position. And so you both feel confident, and terrified. And like and self doubting, it’s like, somehow we’re there like get tangled up in you somehow. And that’s such a that’s such a jungle to navigate, especially alone, or even with like, you know, that you can’t really like rely on the people you’re trying to lead because they’re, you’re now the team leader. And so obviously, there’s good give and take there. But there’s only so much that can come from that, it can be hard to get guidance of any real kind from from higher up. It’s not exactly like anybody that you go home and talk to even if they know you and love you completely and tremendously. It’s not like they can really help you through that. And so, honestly, I know, I’m like almost blowing smoke up your butt now, but like that you are the perfect answer to that need that gap? Well, unfortunately,

Jana Day 16:07
one of the studios I work with really gets that, you know, productions moves so fast, that there’s really nowhere for people to turn, you know, to get some of those questions answered, or they don’t even know what question to ask. Yeah, and so being able to, to help help transition that process, and not have somebody feel completely beat up. And also, you know, in the animation world, they’re used to, you know, drawing or painting or whatever, and that will they find themselves in a lot of meetings. And so they’ve lost, they’ve lost what they’re passionate about, in helping that, you know, helping find that balance as well as is incredibly rewarding. And humbling, and, you know, just incredible to watch.

Kevin Stafford 16:58
And like you like, like you said, like you identified how so much of what someone already needs is already there. Well, the ability and also the obstacles that might be in their way, you know, it’s like the doubt that’s crept in inside themselves, or the self talk that might be negative, at best you know about who they are and what they can do in this new role, or in this evolving role, most of what they need, and most of what’s in the way is already there, you just kind of come in and you basically direct attention, you’re like, what’s that about? And you’re like, you’re pointing at like some behavior that you noticed, or something that someone keeps saying in your meetings, or your your coaching your coaching sessions, and you’re like, super excited about, and then you just let them talk, or you let them you let them further illuminate thing. And you’re, you’re basically standing there like holding the light, you’re like almost like a gaffer or whatever, wherever, whatever the name is, or whoever’s holding the light on set, or whatever. It was like, What about, about that I’m making it sound so simple, but like, we were talking a little bit before how, how simple it is, and also how profound and how complex it gets. But like when you can, when you boil it down, it’s just those moments those those, those better questions that shining a little bit of light, that’s slight shift in perspective, that someone like you as a coach is best Far and Away best positioned to help someone with to guide someone to.

Jana Day 18:12
It’s it is it is wonderful and powerful to be a part of that and to watch somebody, you know, go through that go through that, that whole that process. You know, my favorite, my favorite coaching call is, I think I got this, you know, I’ll talk to you in a month.

Kevin Stafford 18:31
Oh, that’s perfectly said. And again, it is, it’s, it’s the reason we all do this. It’s like there really is. I mean, there’s, there’s, there are a great many joys in life. And I’m going to do that thing where I start to get almost poetic about it. But I’m very much in love with coaching if that’s can be said to be a thing, I almost every coach that I talk to is in love with it as well. And, like with love, there’s sometimes some poetry but there really is nothing like that feeling of watching that light dawn on someone’s face, like literally or figuratively where it’s just like, they’re, you’re in the room or you’re in the moment with them as they’re getting it. And then again, like you almost hear that that tone or you almost hear that like that music to it or it’s just like, you know, the the sun rising you know, now I’m getting very romantic about it, but you understand I mean, it’s you know, you’re in this for a reason to and I can tell that you’re in love with with coaching and the people that you coach and you just love being a part of that relationship and that experience and it really is like it’s almost contagious. Like I’m getting I’m getting like some contact joy just from this conversation.

Jana Day 19:30
You it for me it is is when you see the shoulders drop, you know, the light bulb goes off and the shoulders drop and they’re like, Oh,

Kevin Stafford 19:38
all right. I didn’t realize those were in my ears. But they were

Jana Day 19:43
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Kevin Stafford 19:46
I find that to be a very good physical analogy for me as well as like whenever I could, whenever my shoulders dropped down, they get out of my ears because they were blocking my hearing in the first place. I had too much stress, anxiety. I was way too much in my head about and I wasn’t really listening. I was or I wasn’t really keeping I was trying to listen, but it wasn’t really hearing anything. And so when the shoulders dropped, the message became a lot clearer all of a sudden, hmm, I wonder if I should really work on that.

Jana Day 20:13
Yes, I love that. That’s great. Yeah.

Kevin Stafford 20:15
Well, I’m doing the pseudo responsible hosting looked up at the Zoom clock where it did the perfect time to break away even though I feel like I could talk about this with you for for hours, I’m, I feel like a broken record again. But this is just, this is the stuff that gets me out of bed in the morning. This is the stuff that like we were talking about, rolls up my sleeves and gets my going. Before I go, I do want to give you a chance to talk about another two part question. And this one’s pretty simple. Where can people just find out more about you? Like, learn more about who you are as a coach, what you do? And if it’s different, where can people best connect with you if they wanted to start a relationship started conversation just kind of follow along on your journey? Or maybe just hearing you talk? And they’re like, that’s the person I need in my life. And they want to like they want to start that process immediately. Where can people go to do all that?

Jana Day 21:01
A best place is probably my website, which is really easy. It’s just Jana, jn a de da y.com JANA data calm, or I’m super active. On LinkedIn, I can connect with people there as well. But those are probably the two best places to reach out,

Kevin Stafford 21:18
reach out to me. Pretty, pretty usual answer. I’m finding LinkedIn to be the least toxic and most effective social media platform for me these days, I can actually build real relationships there. Whereas there’s so much noise everywhere else it can be, it can be hard to keep it keep it all keep it all signal and no noise. You know, LinkedIn has been quite a boon for that.

Jana Day 21:37
It’s I linked to this is probably another another topic. But yeah, LinkedIn has been has been absolutely fantastic in terms of AI in business development, and just really, you know, meeting people where they’re at.

Kevin Stafford 21:51
Well, I mean, we’ll talk about next time, I’ll as you know, I’m not afraid I’m not afraid to have a good guest backup back around back around again. So as you know, we have a mutual friend, a mutual coach friend, who’s been on a few times, I’ll probably have him on for a fourth episode sometime in the next few months, because I just can’t resist. And I gotta tell ya, you will definitely be a returning but I’ll slide into your LinkedIn DMS as it were, and, and invite you back on later in the summer and see how your, your journey is going check in with I

Jana Day 22:16
would love that. In fact, you could put both of us on at the same time.

Kevin Stafford 22:19
Oh, oh, okay. Now I’m gonna have to really think about that to have you on the same conversation. I might that might have to be a bonus, like an extra long episode, I might have to block up some extra time for that one. Well, thank you for today. Thank you for your time.

Jana Day 22:33
Pleasure. Thank you so much for having me on Kevin and I look forward to future conversations and definitely listening to all your podcasts. Thank you so much.

Kevin Stafford 22:41
Yeah, I’m an embarrassment of riches. We’re putting out three a week now just to keep up with all the conversations I’m having. And I was like, a part of me wants to start doing it daily. But then I’d been my podcast production crews gonna they’re gonna murder me if I tried to. But this is why this is the kind of this is the kind of real joy and purpose and passion that we love to share that I love to share in so thank you for being you and thank you for being on with me today. Thank you to the audience. Thank you for listening, reach out to Jana. Like shares, it’s gonna do all the usual stuff you do with podcast. But most importantly, if you’re a coach, if you are receiving coaching, if you’re thinking about coaching, if you want to learn more, do yourself a favor and just take action. Learn more about Jana learn more about other coaches we talked to here and take the next step. It’s awesome. It’s awesome. It’s even better than you can imagine. And I know that sounds fake, but it’s real. So I’ll leave you with that weirdly inspiring. No, because I’m feeling very feeling feeling very like sunny in my heart right now. Thanks to thanks to Jana. So thank you one more time before I sign off. Thank you. Thank you. It’s been a pleasure. And we’ll talk to you again here very very soon.