PODCAST EP.31: Anna Morgan - Radical Honesty and Building Career Insurance

Episode Summary: ​​Join Tim Sweet and Anna Morgan, founder of CAREERBFF, as they share invaluable insights on career resilience and success. From battling imposter syndrome to building a robust career insurance plan, discover transformative strategies for your professional journey. Learn the importance of radical self-care, honesty, and seeking help. With analogies to yoga and personal anecdotes, Anna empowers you to take control of your career trajectory. Don't miss out on this empowering conversation that's sure to inspire you to take control of your career journey.

Episode Notes: 
​In this episode of the Sweet on Leadership podcast, Tim Sweet and Anna Morgan, the founder of CAREERBFF, join forces to explore strategies for career resilience and success. With Anna's 15+ years of talent acquisition expertise, they delve into battling imposter syndrome, recognizing signs of a career shift, and the power of networking and continuous learning. Anna advocates for radical self-care, honesty, humility, and seeking help to thrive in today's competitive job market, drawing parallels between yoga practice and career development. 
Together, they stress the significance of investing in your "career insurance" and taking proactive steps to secure your professional future. From tracking professional wins to cultivating a supportive network, Anna's insights, enriched with analogies to yoga, inspire listeners to take charge of their professional journey, whether they're job seekers, entrepreneurs, or seasoned executives.

About Anna Morgan
"Anna Morgan, the driving force behind CAREERBFF, is not just a recruiter—she's a lifeline in the professional world. From career misfit to becoming a top 5% recruiter, Anna's journey is a beacon for those feeling overlooked in their career paths. Her company, CAREERBFF, stands at the intersection of recruiting, consulting, and coaching, specializing in turning career stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
With over 15 years of experience in talent acquisition, Anna has screened over a million resumes, conducted interviews with over 11,000 job seekers, negotiated thousands of salaries, and collaborated with nearly 2,800 hiring managers across diverse industries—from Retail and Healthcare to Technology and Sports & Entertainment. Her all-encompassing experience has not only positioned her as a top talent in placing job seekers at all levels but also as an empathetic ally for those navigating the challenges of mental health, ADHD in business, and alcohol recovery.
In addition to her work with job seekers, Anna also advises recruiters and HR departments across North America, sharing her wealth of knowledge and innovative strategies to enhance their recruitment processes. Her unique CAREERBFF Method is distilled from extensive hands-on expertise, helping thousands fast-track their way to promising opportunities. Recognized as a "Top 16 LinkedIn Expert in Atlanta" and one of the "Top 25 Job Search Experts to Follow on LinkedIn," Anna's influence is undeniable. Whether you're seeking to jumpstart your career or need strategic business advice, Anna Morgan can be your career or business BFF—guiding, inspiring, and transforming your professional journey."

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Ella Lowgren
• Claire Davis
• Marie Forleo

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence: 

• Website
• LinkedIn: Tim Sweet
• Instagram
• Linkedin: Team Work Excellence

​Contact Anna Morgan | CAREERBFF: 

• Website
• YouTube: Anna Morgan
• TikTok: Anna Morgan
• Linkedin: Anna Morgan
• Ask a Recruiter Audio Event
• Rise of the Recruiter Audio Event

Transcript:

Anna 00:01
It's really important to do like monthly or quarterly and be saving, you know, your snapshots of where you've been highlighted or celebrated and making sure you're tracking those wins. And so, when you need to update your resume or your profile, it's so easy, and you're consistently doing that. And again, it's not such a heavy lift.

Tim 00:26
I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you my friend are a leader, and this show is all about and all for you. Welcome to the Sweet on Leadership podcast. 
Tim 00:56
Well, hey, everybody, welcome back to the Sweet on Leadership podcast, thank you very much for taking the time to invest in your own leadership development and join us here today. Joining me is my good friend, although it always had been a virtual friend, Anna Morgan. Anna and I had a chance to meet during COVID, and I originally ran across Anna on clubhouse and would listen to her speak. And then later it turned out, we were connected. And then I had a chance to reach out and we were running in the same circles with Tracy Borrison and a few others, right? And Anna was kind enough to have a meeting, a few years later, you know, my business was changing. And I remember having this period where I was, you know, just in one of these periods of questioning, and I needed a friendly ear to hear me out and to soundboard and Anna, you came to the rescue. And it was just something that I won't forget. And I really appreciate you taking time for a person that you knew very little about. But to just give me some simple guidance that was just so meaningful in the moment. So thank you very much and thank you so much for joining me today.

Anna 02:08
Well, thank you for sharing that story with me, I didn't realize that I had that kind of effect on you. And so that just makes my heart expand. So, I’m glad to be here. 

Tim 02:21
Anybody who gets a chance to work with you is going to feel the same kind of energy and excitement that I feel every time we talk. Your handle, your catchphrase, of CAREERBFF is so accurate. And I just love it, for you taking the time to be with me today is just a real treat. And I can't wait for people to experience Anna Morgan.

Anna 02:42
That’s right, your CAREERBFF, a rescuer of careers and also a rescuer of dogs, which is how the name came about. But it's all about that helping someone feel like they are speaking to their best friend where they know that they are going to encounter compassion and grace. But also get a little bit of that tough love and someone that understands them, but also needs to push them a little bit. So, it's a delicate dance, but everybody needs someone in their corner, rooting them on and you know, part of my story is, underdog to top dog. And I always tell people that every setback is a setup or a comeback. 

Tim 03:27
Awesome, I love that. So, when we were talking today a little bit earlier, you were telling me that you are into a bunch of things. And please fill the listeners in on anything that I missed. But one of the things as we were setting up for this, as we were talking about how much time we had, and you're on your way to a yoga class, tell us a little bit about why yoga is so important to you. 

Anna 03:49
I was really lucky to get into yoga about four years ago, four and a half years ago. I was headed to a retreat in Costa Rica. And part of it was going to be yoga-ish. And I was like, Oh, I don't know much about yoga. So, I went to a local studio and I became obsessed. And I loved it so much. Because I am ADHD and yoga is about your time with yourself and breath and movement. And it was really the only time that I was allowed and able to quiet my brain because I had to focus on my breath and my movement and so everything else just faded away. And then in those beautiful moments at the end of class, the Shavasana as they call it, is where I would have the most powerful like downloads and insights and aha moments and tears, all kinds of things that have really helped me overcome various challenges in my life and in my business. And, you know, it's something that I've taken for granted and I'm in the process of kind of making my way back to my mat, as I am set up for a comeback with some of my health challenges. And it is just a wonderful practice. I mean, yoga is for everyone. And it is, you know, something that I try to prioritize now and just get my body moving a little bit each day and stretching. That's another big piece, especially for women, as we get a little bit older, your mobility can go really quickly. So, working on that.

Tim 05:30
Well, I hear you and anybody who has been following me for any amount of time knows that that was a double knee replacement. You know, I turned 50 this year–
Anna 05:37
Me too.
Tim 05:38
–And sometimes the body feels like it Oh, samezees. Sometimes the body feels like it's kind of falling apart, and I fell on my can over the Christmas break. And so I've been dealing with, you know, sciatica and stuff and whatever I mean, but yoga is one of those things that you know, a little bit of investment in a sound routine, practice sure saves us from a whole bunch and gives us more benefit. 

Anna 06:06
I don’t know, it's one of those practices where I tend to see things that I've experienced in that class, or I've heard in that class that show up in my everyday life. And that for me makes yoga, a little bit of a spiritual experience as far as the messages that you just kind of receive along the journey. And it's just so important, as an entrepreneur or job seeker or a busy executive, to take some of that time to have some quiet and allow yourself to breathe, and maybe turn upside down, get the blood flowing, or maybe get your legs up in the air. So, your blood flow kind of re-circulates a little bit. And yoga helps you heal from the inside out, which I think is really powerful.

Tim 06:55
I think it's such an interesting metaphor. And dear listener, don't be confused. We are going to be talking about careers. And we're going to be talking about how we really create a practice around career. And that's what Anna's going to talk about. But I think yoga provides this interesting, especially the idea of a practice is really this interesting metaphor that we can use. It also gives me a chance to put you on the hot seat. So, one of the games that we've been playing lately is every time we have a guest, either right at the end of the episode or sometimes in the post-credit, I ask my guests to come up with a question and at the end of this, I'll be asking you for one, that we put a future guest on the hot seat with. Your question comes from Aaron Ashbacker who a few episodes ago. She's the health consultant here at Teamwork Excellence, who helps my leadership clients deal with the physical goals that they have because we have to be building the life at the same time as the career. And as the leadership impact improves, we want to make sure that any barriers in their way if they're physical or family or whatever, we put an expert against Aaron's that for us. Aaron, though when we were talking about the importance of investing in your health, asked the question for a future guest, which is you. When does the imposter syndrome end?

Anna 08:20
Great question, Aaron. Did she have the answer? The answer is, it doesn't. And I'm going to invite you into a part of my story and we didn't talk about this Tim earlier. But part of the reason I go to yoga and I do the work that I do is also that I've been alcohol-free for almost 12 years. And part of my recovery story. When you're an alcoholic, you know it's alcoholism, and it's not wasm. And I feel like imposter syndrome could be a little bit like that ism, versus the wasm. There are ways to keep myself healthy and sober and spiritually connected by doing certain tasks. The same applies to minimizing the loud ugly impostor syndrome voices. And a lot of that looks like radical self-care, radical honesty, humility and the ability to ask for help. I think those are the four things that help keep you healthy and minimize the imposter syndrome. Just like my alcoholism will never go away, I know that if I do certain activities, I will stay healthy with my recovery. And I feel the same is true with impostor syndrome. If I speak my truth, if I ask for help, if I solicit coaches and trust my intuition. And, you know, have that reflection of radical honesty with self, about my career, about red flags, about relationships in my professional environment, then I have the best shot of overcoming impostor syndrome for today. And I feel like it's the same thing just one day at a time.

Tim 10:24
Stellar, stellar answer. Okay. I feel very much the same way. I was joking. That was my that was how I responded to Aaron, you know, it doesn't. But I'll ask the question. I remember somebody telling me at one point, you have to love that imposter within it's there for a reason. The act of asking those questions, it's just yourself trying to keep yourself safe. But often, it can be your brain lying to you in your own voice. And saying, you know, that sometimes it can be that you're not ready for this. Whereas, actually, there's a lot of data to say you already.

Anna 11:00
Right, you're not smart enough, you're not worthy of having access to that. Those types of opportunities don't come to you. I mean, I've heard it all. I've experienced it all. And like I said, it's a daily reprieve, and I think it is a bigger issue for women. And I applaud you, Tim, for bringing up that conversation, because it is a lot for us to carry as we continue to break through barriers as business owners, as executives, as thought leaders out there alongside of our peers.

Tim 11:39
Yeah, it's I appreciate that. I follow an influencer on TikTok, Ella Lowgren. She's an advocate for ADHD and feminism. And she had this awesome thing to share. Microfeminisms, they were calling it, and that this particular, she's an Australian social personality, what she does now, is demonstrate this little push back, if she is talked over in a meeting, or something like this, she won't really let it stand. If somebody takes credit for her work or coworkers' work, she won't let it stand. And she just makes sure that she announces in my language, she announces the game. Or and it might not even be malicious, you know, it just might be a really bad habit. Or it might be an entitlement that a male coworker feels, she brings it out. And I love it. And it's a practice that she goes through. 

Anna 12:41
Speaking of careers, and why people come to see me, is for some of the similar reasons that you just mentioned that they are being passed over, they have toxic leadership, they're not advancing, their work is being taken, other people are taking credit for their work. Very much a part of why people reach out to have a CAREERBFF in their corner and peel back those layers, look at the imposter syndrome, look at their current assets, look at what's possible moving forward.

Tim 13:18
I was thinking as you were, as you were sharing about, I'm sorry, just so we can–

Anna 13:22
Radical self-care helps minimize impostor syndrome. Radical honesty with self, right, being willing to fully turn the mirror on yourself and look at your assets and your liabilities and also being able to receive the brilliance that you do have. And this is a lot of where my experience in recovery comes into my coaching, is that we oftentimes need someone to believe in us until we can believe in ourselves. And just because some crazy old sober ladies believed that I could have an awesome life and I could heal from a lot of the damage I had done. That gave me just that bridge and just that hope that got me to the next day. And that's the same thing with healing from making a job transition, from being laid off, from working through impostor syndrome.

Tim 14:27
And we're gonna go there, I think that's great. And it's so important to have those mentors that really are willing to advocate for us and reinforce our vision for what can be or even introduce it. But radical self-care, radical honesty with self, radical approaches to asking for help, and number four was?

Anna 14:46
Well, I had said the humility and the willingness to ask for help.

Tim 14:50
What's cool about this and we're gonna get into the career thing is that we think about the practice of yoga, very much the same approach, self-care, being honest where you are in your practice, ask for help when you need to, being humble when it comes to and demonstrating humility when it comes to where you are in your yoga journey. This in terms of fighting the imposter syndrome. And then so much of this seems directly transferable to when we want to prepare ourselves for being resilient and break-resistant when it comes to our careers. And so now we transfer all of this, and it gives us a great map and a kind of a good substrate for us to go into the awesome stuff that you offer. Right? So, when we were talking, you know, I would ask you the question, all of us can go through periods where we find ourselves in need of a career shift, either by choice or because something is happening to us. When do people typically reach out to you?

Anna 15:58
Usually about six months too late. And here's why. People, unfortunately, don't think about their next career move, when they land in their role, which people don't want to think about this. I've worked so hard to get this job, I don't want to be thinking about my next move in two and a half, 5, 10 years from now. However, you know, if you're not aware, and you're not queueing into the, you know, signs that there may be some instability, if you're not keeping up with the economic impacts and news, and you are not safeguarding yourself from layoffs, or having trouble being honest with yourself about relationships with leadership, or, you know, should you be on to that next level as the Senior Director versus a director, you know, are you able to play the internal equity game, and if that's not working, oftentimes, those are the symptoms or the indications that now is the time and always is the time to be really networking and building what I call career insurance, so that you always have options. So, that if, and let's be honest, since COVID, it's not a matter of if it's a matter of when, unfortunately, the rug gets pulled underneath you, you find yourself in this career fender bender of sorts. And just like insurance, you want to be able to withdraw, that currency to support you in recovering, right? And most people are not putting in the deposits into their career insurance bank. And so when they come to me, they're like, oh, I don't know how to do this. Modern-day job searching scares me. When I last applied for my job, I faxed my resume over. So, there's so many moving parts, and it's overwhelming. Marketing yourself, and selling yourself is complex and if you're starting from ground zero with a shaky foundation, it is certainly hard to launch from.

Tim 18:35
So, being radically honest about where you're at. And then taking that step to give yourself a little bit of love in this space and do it for yourself so that you can build this career insurance, so that you can build this pipeline–

Anna 18:51
Yeah, humble yourself and also care about yourself enough. And this is the other thing I see, especially at the manager to executive level, is people get so wrapped up in their identity as a small company CEO or as an executive. And it takes me so much time to unwire and alchemize a lot of that identity that if I don't have that, I am less than or I'm not enough, and it's balancing out and making sure that you have hobbies and side hustles and things that bring you joy outside of that 40-45 plus hour workweek, so that you are just not in that rabbit hole of you know, work which and then you look at your life because nobody on their deathbed is going to be like, I wish I worked more. Right? They're gonna say I wish I spent more time with my kids. I wish I went on more trips. Like my husband and I got teary the other day on the last day of Spring Break thinking, we only have three spring breaks left with our daughter before she goes to college. Right. I’m glad we take those trips.

Tim 20:13
It's over before you know it. And so taking that breath before you need to, before you're forced to, to just take a look at your career, see how you're set up in terms of having some insurance, and maybe even just taking the time to reflect and really do that balance point. I was looking at it from a work-life design perspective, is the design getting you what you want, we can change anything, you're not broken, everything you've got today is a product of the design that you're using. You want something different, we change the design, right? And so taking a chance to get up to 10,000 feet, take a look at how we're doing, go through and really do some deep questioning, look at what we need and make sure that we get to that place where we feel like we're enough, A. to deserve taking that time and B. to have confidence around what you're going to do professionally. 

Anna 21:11
It’s really important to do like monthly or quarterly and be saving, you know, your snapshots of where you've been highlighted or celebrated and making sure you're tracking those wins. And so, when you need to update your resume or your profile, it's so easy, and you're consistently doing that. And again, it's not such a heavy lift and kind of going back to yoga. I mean, I love it, my yoga teacher says like, you can just come here and be in child's pose, or in Shavasana, and just lay here and breathe, and that's still Yoga. You can still go at your own pace, and the same with your career, right, it's just only you know, how far you can push that edge, how much you can twist, or you know, how long you can find that Drishti, that focal point that you're going to look at too, you know, ground you as you do a tree pose. And that's your own pace, that's your own game. But if you don't have that humility, and that radical honesty with self, then the imposter syndrome is going to get heightened, the what everybody else is doing, the noise, it's gonna be really loud. And it makes it harder to find your way through. And really take that breath for yourself. You know, you talked about the airplane recently. And so many of the people I work with, they're healers, they're coaches, they're, you know, heart-centred people like me, and they forget to put that oxygen mask on themselves before they do for others. And it's just a very common problem in massive working world and in entrepreneurship too.

Tim 23:04
Yeah, just to expand on that from a previous episode. I think what you're referring to is, we have this weird thing going on in the modern world right now, where people will not take time to invest in their own health, they won't take time for, you know, there's an interesting study where people can be diagnosed with a serious illness, they can be diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, or something, and they will not, sometimes they'll fill the script and not take it, sometimes they won't bother filling the script. They don't love themselves enough to think they're worth it. Whereas, if their dog and you've got that, you know, beautiful Frenchie–
Anna 23:42
–and four others. 
Tim 23:43
–and four others, and they will bend over backwards, they will go without eating in order to get the dog the medication they need. Not everybody, but a lot of people because they will extend life to a pet or a child or friend. And they won't let them get away with what they let themselves get away with. That's where we need to kind of give ourselves a shake and make sure that we're balancing and–

Anna 24:13
–And breathing, and getting CAREERBFFs before it's too late. And it's hard to invest in yourself. Right? And it's hard to ask for help. And, you know, by the grace of a power greater than myself, I have learned time and time again that it is just such an easier softer way. When I get support when I outsource. When I can humble myself to say I'm too close to everything. Can you pull me back and help me objectively, honestly look at where I was, where I am and where I want to be?

Tim 25:00
I mean, good coaches have coaches and therapists and whatnot. I have lots of coaches.
Anna 25:05
Me too. 
Tim 25:06
I have a therapist I appreciate. And I think it's one of the most powerful things that you can do for yourself. I mean, we talk about personal and moral courage, moral courage to stand up for the job you're in, or your family or whatever group you're part of. That's moral courage, upholding them, the moral code of that it's not about morality, it's about moral code. But there's the personal or the vital courage, the courage to be humble, ask for help, invest in yourself. And that takes courage. And it's going to take people courage to reach out to you and say, Anna, how can you help me? And I think what's to get us sort of back into that track, people wait until they're six months too far back to help you and we'll get on to the what can they do? But before we do, we've talked about what they need to sort of move forward. But what are the typical excuses that they're using to wait for six months? We talked about the imposter syndrome, we talked about them investing in others before themselves. What other excuses do they have for not putting time into making sure that they're career-ready?

Anna 26:18
Denial. It won't happen to me.

Tim 26:23
Yeah, and so they could see the company falling apart around them. But you know, I'm gonna hope I'm safe.

Anna 26:30
Or they think that they're playing the game well enough and that they'll be spared any layoffs. I think also, it's fear. Making a job change is a life decision, I equated just as important as choosing your spouse, choosing to have a child, or choosing to buy a home, it affects every aspect of your life, where you work, what your hybrid or remote situation is, you know, can you make it to your kids baseball game, or drive to a swim practice, right? And that overwhelms a lot of people. So, I would say fear. And remember, fear is false evidence appearing real. And that is part of my job to help my clients overcome that fear. And also find that clarity, right? Again, looking at success, career assets, really getting into the heart of if this was a magic wand, and I was your career fairy godmother. And, you know, we could create that next utopian role. Nothing is off the table, what would that look like? And then we build, brand and like reverse engineer our way into those opportunities, those conversations, that do diligence, those situations that they can connect core competencies, experience, their process to being able to do that in a new industry, in a new sector or something like that. So.

Tim 28:23
And do that heavy lifting before they need to. And I mean, that's really one of the key barriers here is, the person may see things falling apart around them, they may not, but when they need to do this work, is it comfortable? Has it been done? Can they step into it? Or is it now they're in a crisis, and now they have to they have to play catch up? 

Anna 28:43
And the whole energy changes, just like in sales, right? If you are like, Oh, I gotta close Tim right now, I gotta get that, you know, $20,000 sale. And if you're going to sell differently from a place of desperation, and fear, then when you are gainfully employed, and there's a little bit of red flags, you have some confidence and you can still be like, fully in yourself and embodied and moving forward in those bigger bolder goals that you want, and still have that stable income, but be building that rock-solid foundation, in case you know, they're like, peace out, Tim, then you have this currency, this foundation that you can launch from, and that is all about just like going to yoga, building that practice every day of, you know, how can I show up? How can I network? How can I take a deeper breath and twist just a little bit more to that edge that you know, and then the next day or the next week, you find yourself that Oh, wow, you can get into that kind of pose. Oh, wow. I actually can speak with another small company CEO, and she can tell me what it's like running that type of company and give me insight into, is that something I would want to do.

Tim 30:12
You know that that, that ability, and you call it career insurance, that ability to take the time to do that before you're under duress because what you said there about having to make, you're on the back foot. And there's nothing worse than if you're having to consider an offer. And it's the only offer out there and you haven't worked for three months or something like this. In fact, there's a great another great piece of research, which I'll put into the show notes around, you know, it only takes three months for people to be without a steady paycheck to reduce their mental health substantially. Right, and it doesn't even matter if you are somebody that is fairly affluent, and has money in the bank, it's that uncertainty of where, you know, heaven forbid, you're living paycheck to paycheck. But you know, what is your role in the world, and where's your next paycheck coming from, what are you built to do, it only takes three months of uncertainty for even an established professional, to have a lot of self-doubt just become debilitating and take them over. 

Anna 31:20
Absolutely. And it's a mental health issue, which is also why I feel so passionate about unlocking career insurance for other people because it's been my lived experience. And it has provided me such, you know, release and comfort because I have options. And that's what I want to give to everyone, especially those that I coach. So, they have those tools in their tool belt, they have, you know, they know the poses, they know where they're going in the flow so that they can always have access to health, to opportunities. 

Tim  32:06
And operate in that way that's both safe and functional practice, so that they're not ripping muscles. One of the key, you know, in this world, love it or hate it, LinkedIn is the place to be when it comes to managing your career. It's the modern resume. It's the modern Rolodex, it is the most professional of the social medias. It's what we're out there representing ourselves. And yet so many people that I run across, especially when I'm in sort of not necessarily common areas of business. But a lot of my clients are in higher ed and things like this, sometimes they're not even aware of it. And so a lot of your help manifests in getting a person ready, not only for a job search and be searchable, but actually, so that they can be connected with the right people. And the people who need to know them are finding them naturally. Right. 

Anna 33:07
And it's just like, you know, how I mentioned in Shavasana, where you get these, like unexpected, just aha moments and have these big ideas. Like, I tell people with LinkedIn to just stick around until the miracles happen. Because it's not only are you building career insurance and a strong foundation so that you always have options. But you're gonna get to meet really amazing humans like Tim, that you become friends with, that inspire you, that say nice things to you and make your heart explode and give you that, you know, nudge that you need to, you know, go on one more day. And, you know, I can't tell you just how many incredible mentors and champions and friends that I've made, and then just the blessing of hearing other people's stories, even if they are hard, and just being a little bit of a bright light in their day, in that moment to give them that little oomph, you know, to the next recruiter call, to the next interview.

Tim 34:10
Yeah. And that little bit of that sense of abundance, right? And that when we're in that scarce place, where we don't know where things are coming from, or we're doubting ourselves, or we're not operating on fact, because I run across this all the time with my leadership clients where, you know, it's not about what they know, they know. And it's not about what they know, they don't know. And it's not about what they don't know, they don't know, it's about what they forgot they already knew, you know, how am I going to do this? Well, let's go to the history books. You've done this a whole bunch of times, in other formats, and we just need to remind ourselves and that's why when you were talking about keeping that portfolio of work of accomplishments, that's one of the first things that I do when it comes to, I’m not in a career recruitment perspective, but if I'm getting a person square on who they are and how they're going forward, one of the first things we do is we use card statements. And some people use star statements or whatever. But what's the challenge? What was your action? What was the result? Take a moment and log it when it happens, take a moment and step back through time. And think about all those pivotal moments, all those times you knew you were adding value. And often, if you're feeling any kind of doubt, just cast your eyes over all of the great stuff that you've put in the world already. And usually, there's a lot of evidence, where you've done what you're scared, you can't, if you haven't done it directly, you've done it in the aggregate. 

Anna 35:43
Exactly. And I think Claire Davis, we're both fans of hers, she calls it the brag book, and Marie Forleo, I think called it the upward spiral notebook. Or, you know, I just keep a love folder, and it's got loves and sparkles. And anytime I get an awesome comment, or a shout-out from a hiring manager, or a special recommendation, to your point, you know, I put that in there. And you know, if I ever need to update a resume again, or create a bio, or write a book one day, which is kind of a thing that's coming up for me that I have places to come, you know, to spark that memory, because in the moment, we think we're gonna remember it. And then I don't know about y'all, but for me, a couple of days later, I'm like, what, what's that?

Tim 36:35
Yeah, Oh, totally. Well, I often am reminded, and I think I've probably talked about it on the podcast before. But when we talk to children, you know, one of the things if you're, if you've got kids that are squabbling or something, we used to use the think model, we used to say, Hey, before you say that, try to have the practice of thinking is what I'm about to say, you know, true, helpful, inspiring, necessary or kind. Good luck with that, as a parent, if they're often not thinking about that, but it gives you some good talk. But then when we're more rational, we're adults, we've learned not to talk, we've learned not to speak. And so with leaders, when it comes to helping others fill their brag book, don't forget to speak when it's true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind. Because we often don't give praise when we should. And then the third step is don't forget to you know, write it down for yourself when it's true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, kind, even if you were the one to do it, I think that's a great acid test to add it to your car statement list or your brag book, right. 

Anna 37:48
And you know, if you are in leadership, right, and/or if you're in conversations with people that are struggling, the power of telling someone that you believe in them, and what's possible for them, is so powerful. And so that is another thing to just keep at the forefront of your brain that is something that could just mean everything, especially to someone who's going through an extended job search or a difficult job search. Again, you know, I'm all about that little spark, that little light, that little bit of hope that we can give others until they get to that next spot. And then, you know, kind of going back to being prepared for the future. It's about like, making yoga, a priority, booking that, you know, that appointment and holding yourself accountable. But also, you know, booking that time for yourself to be active on LinkedIn, to network with the people that are doing super cool, awesome stuff that you want to do, that you're inspired by so that you're building community of like-minded people, so that you have options, you have conversations that you can start that will fast track you to your next opportunity and future proof your career so that you're not in that instability, in that unhealthy place starting from ground zero, because that's a hard place to be and it's humbling, you know, and I think about it, and you've had knee surgeries, and I've had knee surgeries as well. But when you're, you know, set back, come back, but sometimes it gets to that point where you're looking at the mountain and you're like, so unmanageable, right? But it's all about just taking one step, one step, one day at a time, in service of your highest self, the woman that you want to be, the man that you want to be, the person that you want to be, and making that a priority, and if there's anything that people take away from our conversation today like, my hope is that they just take a minute, get quiet, take a breath and think about what do they want for themselves professionally? And how can they take that one breath, that one step towards making that happen? And if that involves reaching out to me, they can reach out and I’ll be of service.

Tim 40:24
There you go, well you jump, you beat me to the punch, but that's something that as we sort of round off towards the end of our conversation here, again, I was gonna ask, what's your hope for people? And so it’s take that moment, take a breath. And, really, you know, invest in yourself and, and take that time to reflect. I didn't say it as nicely as you did and I may even have a producer cut that out, because I wanted to very useful summation. All right, Anna, a couple of things as we finish off here, if people are ready to feel more secure, and know that they've got that career insurance at their back, how can they find you? 

Anna 41:10
On LinkedIn, AnnaMorgan-recruiter-careerBFF is my handle. And just under my name, under my headline, under my recruiting top voice collaborative article batch, you will see in all caps, book a call. And that is an open calendar link, for amazing humans like you that are ready to take a breath of radical self-honesty with yourself about your career and where you want to go. And we can have a chat, and I will do all that I can to support you. And we can go from there.

Tim 41:48
Awesome. If I was to ask you, what you've got on the go, that you are really excited to share, what things lately do you want people to be aware of that you're involved with?

Anna 42:03
So, I am the host of the Ask a Recruiter audio events and audio events, essentially. It's on the third Thursday of the month. And I gather myself and other recruiting vendors and superheroes to rapid-fire answer questions from job seekers. And it is a way for the job search community to get relevant real job search tips from recruiters who are directly working with hiring managers. It helps turn down the noise from all the creators on LinkedIn that are giving out not-so-great advice. So, that is something that we do to be of service to the, you know, the job search community. And then I also just launched with a partner, Tabitha Cavanaugh, the rise of the recruiter audio event, which actually happens tomorrow, April 10th, which won't matter when this is lunch, but it happens the second Wednesday of the month. And we have various recruitment experts, or we have different conversations to level up the recruitment industry. And this is a place that I tend to coach is recruiters, sourcers, talent leaders, HR and HR-related departments. So, it's super fun to have that peer levelling-up experience. Because let's be honest, not all recruiters and talent people were raised equally. So, it's such a cool opportunity to learn from each other. So, if you're in TA or HR, please join us.

Tim 43:41
Okay, right on, I will do my best to co-promote, so reach out to me. So, all of those links will be in the show notes. And I would encourage anyone in the recruitment community to really join that powerhouse. 

Anna 43:56
Yeah and, you know, I'm a generalist as far as a recruitment leader. So, I do take on clients that aren't in the TA/HR space. And I do offer, you know, a certain number of slots per month, you know, for folks to book those complimentary calls where you get 30 minutes of plugging into my brain and my experience so that I can help kind of jumpstart things for you. If you're stuck, kind of or– 

Tim 44:26
And I can speak from experience, 30 minutes with Anna can change your life. So, there you go. All right. So, we've covered the wish. We've covered the how-to contact we've covered what you're excited about. Last question, if you were to put the next guest or a future guest on the hot seat. What is the question that you're curious about and doesn't have to be related to recruitment, it can be anything, it can be just any music. If I was to ask you what would that be?

Anna 45:00
Intuitively the thing that came up for me and maybe this is part of what I'm working on in my career and my entrepreneurial journey is, what is the the one thing that you're avoiding doing that you know could offer the greatest ROI in your business or career a year from now?

Tim 45:28
Yeah, so what's the thing you're avoiding doing that you know would have immediate payback a year from now? But you're just for whatever reason, despite that logic, and that knowledge, you're not getting on it. Love it. Okay, awesome. Anna, did you have some fun? How do we do?

Anna 45:46
If I ever get to Canada, I'm gonna come to visit. Although, Canada's very big.
  
Tim 45:53
Canada is very big, but we're not that big.

Anna 45:55
What part are you in again?

Tim 45:56
I'm right next to the Rocky Mountains. I'm right next to Banff, Alberta.

Anna 46:01
Okay, I travel quite a bit. I just don't know if I'll make it there.

Tim 46:07
At one point, Banff was considered the most beautiful place on the planet. So, you gotta get up here. It's got to happen. 

Anna 46:17
I love it. Thank you so much for having me.

Tim 46:19
Anna Morgan, thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate it.

Tim 46:27
Thank you so much for listening to Sweet on Leadership. If you found today's podcast valuable, consider visiting our website and signing up for the companion newsletter. You can find the link in the show notes. If like us, you think it's important to bring new ideas and skills into the practice of leadership. Please give us a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps us spread the word to other committed leaders. And you can spread the word too, by sharing this with your friends, teams, and colleagues. Thanks again for listening. And be sure to tune in in two weeks time for another episode of Sweet on Leadership. In the meantime, I'm your host, Tim Sweet, encouraging you to keep on leading.