The View From Here – The One Where I Was Interviewed About Women In Leadership

Not that long ago I was asked by a dear friend and mentor of mine (Helen Cole) to do an interview about women in leadership roles.

I have to be honest, I never saw myself that way.

I do a lot of things, but I never saw myself as a leader.  Sometimes, you don’t even realize the difference you are making on others with simple everyday things.  Sometimes, you need someone else to point it out.  To remind you that you are making a difference to others.  To celebrate it.

I think that’s part of the reason she started her organization The Jean Collective.  To encourage other women.

“We empower women and gender diverse individuals to discover their inner confidence, enabling them to step into leadership roles and speak their minds. At the Jean Collective, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and support needed to confidently become a leader, make a difference in your community, and contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable society.”

I am all for that.  Couldn’t we all use just a little more encouragement?  A little more confidence in ourselves?  To believe that we can make a difference to those around us?

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to discount and throw away your achievements.  To think “I’m not capable of that.  I’m not a leader.  I can’t make a difference.”

The truth is – you are capable and you can be all that you want to be.

I can look at myself and say “I’m just a radio girl. I talk on the radio but I’m not a leader in any way.”

The truth is we are all more than our jobs or titles.  Helen saw that in me when she asked me for an interview.  She saw the girl I was over 25 years ago when I was first getting my feet wet in the radio world.  And she saw the change in me.  She saw my small group on Facebook that I started for women who want to work on their health and fitness and saw how I showed up in that group as a leader to the other women.  If you’re interested, you can join us anytime.  We call ourselves the Joy Seekers – Fueled on Faith & Fitness.  I’m not a professional at all.  I’m not a fitness expert and I’m certainly no nutrition or diet expert.  But I do enjoy taking care of myself and I absolutely love helping other women do the same.  I use the BODi platform (formerly Beachbody) and have been using it for almost ten years.  Through that platform, we workout, we follow a nutrition plan, and we work on our mindset too.  How we talk to ourselves, how we treat ourselves, goal setting, self esteem.  It’s been incredible for learning and growing.  It’s been a game changer for me in so many ways.

Helen Cole, who started Women Who Lead – through the Jean Collective, reached out to me because she saw the leadership in me.  She saw how I was helping and encouraging other women.

I was absolutely thrilled that I got to sit with Helen and have this conversation and I hope you enjoy it too.

Thank you Helen for seeing something in me that I did not see in myself and for believing in me all these years.

Find out more about the Jean Collective HERE.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan