S1E1 - How to Strengthen Your Foundation (What Do You Stand Upon?)

S1-EP1-STRENGTHERING YOUR FOUNDATION

The Coaching, Cocktails, & Conversations Podcast with Lolita E. Walker

* May you read this transcript from podcast episode 1 and imagine me pouring into you. Should any nuggets resonate with you, please subscribe to Coaching, Cocktails, & Conversations and leave an amazing review so that others can also be inspired to hear and feel what you did.

Thank you so much, Lolita

Welcome to Coaching, Cocktails, & Conversations with Lolita E Walker, the podcast that coaches you up while meeting you exactly where you are. Grab your water, tea or something stronger, and allow this podcast to help you feel the power in your pause. Come on in and join the conversation. Let's go. 

Hello. Hello. Hello.  And welcome to season one, episode one, Strengthening Your Foundation. I am just so excited to have you here with me today on my first episode of my podcast. I'm so excited. This is absolutely my small win for today. I cannot even begin to explain to you how long I have been saying that I am going to be putting a podcast out into this world with the goal to just give nuggets of coaching while I'm having a bit of fun and some good old fashioned conversations, just like I do at my kitchen table. 

Now, don't the best conversations happen in your kitchen? I swear the answer for me is absolutely. Whenever anybody comes over, the place that we all gather is always the kitchen. That is probably because I'm usually cooking something but that is where the best conversations happen. Even when there's no cooking going on, everybody always gathered in the kitchen and we end up sitting at the table, standing all around and having the best conversations. So this is the vibe that I am setting for right here inside of this podcast.  And they always happen right one time.

So as a certified life and executive coach, a TEDx speaker and the author of, “The Intersection of You and Change,” My passion truly lies in meeting you exactly where you are to help you leap beyond where you even think you want to go.  That's one of my core strengths. I'm able to do that and I do it very well. But in everything I do, including my own personal and professional coaching and consultancy. I help women and teams to feel the power in their pause.  I help you dig deep, move distractions out of your way, and then shift to the best version of yourself. This podcast is an extension of me and all of my passion that surrounds my work. You know, the purpose of this new podcast is to shift your thinking and to help you truly feel the power in your pause.

If you don't mind, I'm going to use this inaugural episode to be a little different from what you're going to experience in future episodes. So today I'm going to help you strengthen your foundation, while I also share a bit of my own foundation and talk to you a little bit about what you can expect inside of this podcast right here. 

I'm going to do everything by leaning on my three-part methodology that I will use in every podcast. So part one.  Ready? Is coaching. I'm going to delve into our topic a bit and then leave you with a few nuggets to intertwine into your every day. Okay. Then there’s cocktails. What do you think about when you're having cocktails? You're relaxed. It's a celebration.  Typically, you're celebrating something, even if it's just a sit and pause – oh my gosh.  You're celebrating something. And it's that release. It’s that putting your feet up. It’s that ahhh. So whether you're drinking water, tea or something stronger, it's not about what you're sipping when you come to this kitchen table. No, it's about the celebration of who you are and all that you bring to the table. 

And then part three is conversations. So, sometimes it's going to be done with an invitation to an extra special guest to come on and give us another perspective on whatever the topic is that we happen to be talking about for that episode. And sometimes, guess what? The conversation is just going to be between you and I. And I will already warn you that sometimes it's going to feel uncomfortable and that's okay. But I want to challenge your thinking on where you are, again, to shift you further….to shift you so that you can soar. I hope that makes sense. And that is why you are here at Coaching Cocktails and Conversations, with Lolita E Walker. 

See, this podcast here is a mindset shift. It's a choice to upgrade your lifestyle just a little bit. Consider it like a personal maintenance staff that's here for you to help you strengthen any cracks that happened to be inside of your foundation. So why do you think I'm starting my first podcast with, Strengthening Your Foundation? It's really because I believe firmly that you have to know what you're standing upon. You have to know what you're standing upon so that you can know, is it strong? Do I need some work inside of that foundation? So let's get started. 

Now a reminder, this episode, the title is, Strengthening Your Foundation. Now, before we strengthen it, you have to first know what it is, right? So I want to start with this. When you think of foundation, what do you think of? Go ahead and say it out loud. You might be by yourself. You might be with other people. Don't feel silly. Just go ahead and say it out loud. When you think of the word foundation, what do you think of? Me, I think of a house. I think of the structure in the bottom most part of it, what is holding it up. I think of strength. I think of just the solid structure that's holding up all of this weight. What did you say? Now how would you describe your foundation? Would you say it was strong? Would you say, ah, there's a couple of cracks in it and I need to get those repaired? Hmm. Would you say that there's room for doubt and fear, anxiety, stress to seep into those cracks of your foundation? Does that happen, right? Yeah? But is there also room for joys, for triumphs and wins to help strengthen that foundation? Is there room for that? Are so many distractions and chaos in the way of strengthening your foundation? And when that foundation does crack, because it will happen, right? When that foundation of you does crack, do you have a list of resources that you can go to, to help repair it and strengthen that foundation? Huh? 

So I want to talk to you today about your foundation. Okay. I want to share this story with you. And this is kind of the foundation of this podcast and how we got started and how I got my butt in motion. 

So, it’s Corona-cation, right? It's just another day during this Corona-cation and my son, my mom and I are sitting at the breakfast table and I pull out one of my affirmations from my forty card deck of affirmations that I sell. And this one reads, I leap because my faith and strengths have wings to protect my fall. What? Powerful Right? Let me say that again. I leap because my faith and strengths have wings to protect my fall. 

So I'm sitting there in the power of this affirmation and saying it aloud. And as normal, we go around in a round table and say, how are you going to leverage this affirmation today? How are you going to live in it? So everybody goes and I get to my part. And honestly in my mind I'm like, I don't know the how, but what I know is that when I'm feeling butterflies or where I'm feeling this procrastination, I'm just going to say, listen, I'm going to fly. I'm standing on this foundation of faith and strength that's going to help me to fly. Really what those butterflies are…I didn't recognize that they were fear yet, until I tell you this next part. 

So, after we finish our breakfast, I go into my office.  I’m sitting at my computer that I started and while it's booting up. I look up and what do I see? BAM! Right in my face is my vision board and right at the top is my theme for this year. It says, Lolita, surrender to plenty in 2020. Yup. Right on my vision board, surrender to plenty in 2020. My eyes glance over to the right and what do I see is a white paper that's glued on there with a black artwork that says podcast. And there's an outline of a black microphone right behind it. I kid you not, I can't make this up.  This is a true story. And right there, I think back to my affirmation of, I leap because my faith and strengths have wings to protect my fall. I'm looking at this vision board that I have up for 2020 and I'm recognizing--- And guess what?  It’s May and I have done no work toward my podcast. Now that's okay because I have all year. But what I recognized is the reason that I haven't done the work is because of fear. I haven't leaped into my podcast because of fear. And when I sat there and I wrote out what is stopping me… what is in the way of me doing this podcast? What I'd recognized is that there's nothing that can't be overcome. There was nothing there that I can't grab some help for. Reach out for some help and assistance to get me beyond the barrier that I think is in my way.  That was fear.

I share that story with you because what I recognized in that moment is that I am standing on the foundation of my faith. Absolutely. I'm standing on the foundation of my strengths. One of them being a connector. So, who am I going to connect with in order to make sure that some of these barriers get out of the way that I've written down? Then I said, this is why I haven't started my podcast.  No.  That barrier has now become an excuse because I have someone there who was there to help me to patch what was now a crack of doubt; what was a crack of fear in my foundation.  You see what I'm saying? What I'm saying to you is sometimes we have to stand upon our foundation and be really clear on what the aspects are that have built our foundation. 

So I ask you again, how would you describe your foundation? Is it strong? What are you standing on? What are your strengths? Tell me two strengths that you have right now. Only two strengths that you have right now. I've already given you one of mine. I am a connector. I am a connector not only for other people, right? But I also am a connector in that, when I really dig down, I can associate myself with someone who possesses a strength that can help me in my time of need. My time of need in the example that I gave you was to create this podcast. So who am I going to connect with? What resource am I going to connect with so that this crack doesn't become a hole? All right. 

What are your two strengths? 

Good. How would you describe your foundation? See my foundation, I am passion.  I am power.  I am purpose.   I know that. I know that I stand on the foundation of faith. I know what I believe. I know that God will see me through any obstacle. And I know that I don't always feel great every single day. I don't always feel great. But what I know is that when I'm ready to leap, I have strengths that are holding me up. I have my faith that is holding me up. I have some resources in my circle that can also help me to be held up in this moment. Yes, they are wings. They are my wings that are going to help me to soar when I decide to leap. It is very important that you have a strong foundation. So how do you strengthen that foundation? How do you strengthen that foundation? 

What I want to offer to you today is to just do a little bit of soul work.  Do a little bit of soul work as your homework and this is about strengthening your foundation. I want you to write down what are two strengths that you have. 

Sometimes some folks struggle with what their strengths are and that is okay. That's okay. We are building our foundation. One of them you've got to know. One of them has to be from you. But if you struggle with finding another strength and knowing that it is one of your strengths, than ask someone, Hey, what's the strength that you think that I have. And give me an example of it. Okay? So you're going to have these two strengths that are right there for you. You're going to have two strengths. What else is holding you up? What are your core values?  Integrity, honesty, compassion. What are your core values? Sometimes you're going to have to think about it and I want to give you that time. That's why it's soul work. What are your core values? Because you're standing on that as well. 

How does it feel when you're free? How does it feel when you're moving in your passion? These are all the things that come together on what it is that you stand on.  You're standing on these core principles, your values, your faith, your strengths. How is yours made up? I want you to know.  I want you to feel it. I want you to believe it. I want you to trust it.  This is about setting up your foundation and then strengthening your foundation. 

I want you to be able to use this podcast as a resource to strengthen your foundation. We're going to have topics. Topics that are going to help you strengthen your foundation. We're going to have guests that will help you strengthen your foundation. And guess what? We'll have you, who is going to help you to strengthen your foundation. 

Cocktails:
I want to say cheers to you for recognizing what makes up your foundation. Okay? That's big work. Cheers to you for acknowledging that there are cracks in your foundation that allowed doubt and fear and anxiety and stress to peep on in, to creep in.  But when that happens, who are you calling on to help you?  Some people call on God right away. There's some people who call on a friend and some people who call on a parent. There's some people who call on a coach like myself. The value in that is that you're also having an accountability partner right there with you to help you push forward, to help you move those obstacles out of your way. And that is why coaching is so amazing. So cheers to you for digging deep with some soul work to get clear on how you will continue to strengthen your foundation. 

Conversations:
So in this conversation that we're about to have I'm going to ask you, again. How are you strengthening your foundation? How would you describe your foundation? I want you to dig a little deeper. How would you describe your foundation? What are your strengths? What are your core values? What’s sitting there? Who are you relying on to help patch these things up? Where do your cracks exist inside of your foundation?  I want you to sit in this place and feel the power that is within it. This is the place where I help you to solidify your foundation.  

Can you feel the coaching? Can you feel the cocktails and the cheering on, of you? The celebration? Can you feel the conversation that we're having? I love it. I absolutely love it. This is the place where I want you to feel the power that is inside of you. I want you to challenge your thinking.  How did that exercise make you feel? 

Sometimes it's uncomfortable and that's alright. That's why you come here to get a little coached up.  What is one win that you're taking away from this podcast today? What’s one win that you're taking away from this podcast today? 

I'd love to hear from you. So, email me at podcast@lolitawalker.com. I would love to hear from you. What did you learn about yourself inside of this podcast right here? What did you learn about your foundation? Where did you think that there were cracks, that maybe weren't there? Were there additional cracks that you thought about? Who's helping you to really strengthen your foundation? Take some time after this podcast, rewind, listen back, forward it to a friend. Talk about it with a friend.  This is here to be a tool to help you sit in the power of your pause.  I want to meet you where you are and allow yourself to open up and be coached. I love it.

I get so much out of these podcasts, the same way you get out. So this has been amazing. 

We have concluded another episode of, Coaching, Cocktails and Conversations with Lolita E Walker. Connect with me at lolitawalker.com for speaking, coaching and my book, The Intersection of you & Change. Next time, bring a friend. Cheers.

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**Lolita is a single mommy of a school-aged son.  She is the owner of Walker & Walker Enterprises, a personal and professional coaching and consultancy that helps busy women and teams to truly feel the power in their pause.  Through certified coaching, speaking, courses, her book, podcast, women and corporate retreats, and empowerment products, Lolita meets you where you are to journey you to where you want to be.  Please visit lolitawalker.com for additional information and please do not forget to gift a 5-star podcast rating if you were able to take any amazing nuggets from Lolita or any of her podcast guests.  It helps her grow organically and....also feels great to read and celebrate that win!  Thank you for listening, sharing, and reviewing.

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