[00:00:00] Episode 27. Welcome to the Aligned and Thriving podcast for ambitious female entrepreneurs where we align systems, strategies, and self for sustainable success. Hello and welcome. If you are new here. It is wonderful to have you. Thank you for joining me and if you are a regular here, welcome also. I absolutely love having you in my community.
My name is Jada and I cannot wait to dive into this week's episode. Today I wanna share around what aligned means to me and why so many of my offerings really pull back to that and have that word included in them, including this podcast, the Aligned and Thriving podcast, and share also what I feel it's not, or.[00:01:00]
What I, I don't mean by it, I guess, uh, because it's used quite a lot these days around business and in a variety of different ways, and I think that there can be different interpretations, which is totally fine. Obviously there are the actual. Meanings of the word, if you refer to the dictionary and et cetera.
And there are also different meanings depending on which context you're using the word in, or the meaning kind of behind that, or the meaning that is implied when used in that context. But I wanted to share on this because it really stems back to a lot of reflection thinking. Feeling experimentation over my 15 plus years as an entrepreneur across a multiple different businesses, including a period of time where I was running a business that I didn't really wanna be a part of and or not in that [00:02:00] capacity.
That's not true. I did wanna be a part of it and I love the business, but. I didn't wanna be in the position that I was in, and I was also very much in a period of time where I was taking on other people's ways of being the behaviors that I thought I needed to be having to create a successful business and that I needed to be doing.
To as the, the CEO and leader of that business because of what I'd witnessed, uh, and because of what was surrounding me and it didn't suit me. It wasn't comfortable. And also from learnings and that experience, that lived experience as well as reflection. And if you don't know me well yet, I am a deep, deep thinker.
One of my. Pros and cons is that I think deeply about things, which is very [00:03:00] powerful. It can also have me in overthinking, so I just have to be careful how I utilize that superpower. But I do see it as a superpower, and it also means that I tend to use a very strong sense of observation and kind of intuitive feeling around things, and that deep, deep thinking to analyze.
What's happening around me, what I'm experiencing, what other people are doing, and these are all really superpowers when it comes to my role as a mentor and a coach and someone who is in that position of supporting other people to grow their businesses anyway, from all of a lot of this learning or, or all of it really.
There were aspects that I realized were not aligned and that led me to looking for [00:04:00] before I really thought of it like this. To looking for ways that would be more aligned and really, I would say it started off with myself. So figuring out how to make changes in my behaviors, my ways of thinking, my day-to-day habits that would feel better for me, that would match the kind of person I wanted to be, the kind of life that I wanted to lead.
And the kind of business and businesses that I wanted to create. So it really started with that and. Then flowing through into the business side of things, as I learned more and more about business, as I looked at what was working and what wasn't working and what felt good in, in the businesses I was a part of, and then observing other people's businesses as well and what didn't and what some, some of those through lines were.
And all of these things [00:05:00] really started to lead towards, as I started to look at. Moving into this phase of supporting people with their businesses, what was most important and what did I really want to impart at the core of. Of my teachings, of my sharings, of my support, and it kept coming back to this word aligned because I mean, even if we refer to that align as a verb, and therefore having everything in a line, putting it into alignment.
Um, that kind of flows through. Although we know that life and business is certainly not a straight line. It's not linear, it's all over the place. But when we look at this concept of alignment, it is bringing things into a line, if you like, or into alignment. Probably it's not a straight line, but it is aligned when we are creating [00:06:00] a match.
And for me, I often come back to this other word which is a match aligned or something is feeling aligned or it is feeling like a match or it is aligned or it is a match. And what I kind of created was a model that to me create a happy, healthy, successful. Business and that model, it has three different sections.
And when we are aligned in all three of those sections, we create a really aligned, happy, healthy, successful business. And those three areas are yourself, your structure, and your strategies. And of course there are layers. Below and within each of those sections. But when we look at self, and what I mean by this is we need to align our [00:07:00] thoughts, our actions, our beliefs, our values, our way of moving through our days with the person we want to be.
Which flows into the life we want to lead, which flows into the kind of business that we want to have. And when that's out of whack, when it's not aligned, when we are doing things that feel out of alignment, when we are not looking after ourselves, when we are functioning in depletion, there are many examples and we are, we're not in alignment and therefore that part.
Of the equation of those three areas will fall down and our business will not be in alignment. It won't be feeling good. The other section is our structure, and this is something that I see often and it was also an area that didn't feel aligned for me in a previous [00:08:00] business for the kind of business that I personally want to run.
And that's why I've made changes and I moved out of that business and moved into creating other businesses for myself. So that is your structure, and I'd love for you to ask yourself this question. Does your business structure support the true life that you desire? Is your business structure aligned with the life you want to lead?
Which comes into the kinds of offers that you have, you know, is it course-based, membership based? Is it bricks and mortar? Is it ongoing? Is it open and closed doors? Which kind of gets into strategy a little bit more, but the structure, what kind of staffing structure do you have? Is it virtual? Is it in person?
How is it your business structure set up, and is that aligned with. Your ideal life, but then also [00:09:00] is that structure aligned with how you function best? Is that structure set up so that the team within that structure. Is going to be able to work and keep and stay aligned. So all of those aspects within the structure need to be aligned within that, and the structure needs to be aligned with the kind of life that you want to lead, because oftentimes there's a mismatch, and that's where people end up exhausted.
They don't feel good about their business. They feel resentful about their business because the structures that they've set up and the way that it is structured. Isn't a match for either their phase of life, that could be the case or their desired life that they're wanting to create. And then we have the strategies.
When we look at the strategies, are those strategies aligned to the kind of structure that is ideal? Are those strategies aligned to you? So they're also kind of all [00:10:00] interchanging and intermingling, these three different core areas. Are the strategies aligned with the people that you wanna serve? Are they aligned with you?
Are they aligned with your offerings? Are they aligned with your stage and phase of business? So there's so many layers and aspects that we can look at to. Define and refine what is aligned and whether or not something is aligned within your business. So these are three really big areas that you can have a look at.
If you are feeling like your business isn't lighting you up, if it's not feeling good, if it's feeling like it's a drain on the life that you wanna have, if you feel like there's a mismatch and something's not working, check in. Are your structures, are your strategies, and are you. Aligned. Within those areas and crossing over those areas and with the life that you actually want [00:11:00] to be leading.
So you can do a bit of a self-reflection and self check in. 'cause I always encourage you to not just kind of listen and learn, but to also take away and take action. Because one of my greatest passions is to support you in implementing and taking action, which is why I so love working with my clients one-on-one and in small containers, so that it is really about creating that implementation and that action.
Where I think sometimes this concept of alignment can get confusing or sometimes unhelpful, is when the idea is that if it's. Not comfortable, or if it's creating some stressor either in your mind or in your body, or if it feels hard, then it mustn't be in alignment. It mustn't be an aligned action to take, or it mustn't [00:12:00] be an aligned offer to create, or it mustn't be an aligned, um, you know, next step.
And. What I feel like we need to do is to be really honest with ourselves, because the truth is that if you create something new, which I'm gonna guess you're doing and you want to do because you wanna grow your business, which requires you to be doing something new all the time and stretching yourself all the time, you will have to move through fear.
Hard things, discomfort, uh, you know, feeling wobbly, uh, sometimes doing things when the energy isn't there. Now I am all about finding the most aligned ways to do things. Looking after your own energy and self and checking in with how you feel, whether that's, you know, [00:13:00] for you, really checking in on your gut response to something, whatever it might be.
Yes to listening to all of those things. However, we just have to be careful because. The fear, the discomfort, uh, those things don't mean that the strategy, the offer, the next move is not aligned, or they don't have to mean that You need to know the difference between those things being a, a normal.
Responds from your brain to try to keep you safe, as if they're lions coming to attack you and. The feeling of when something's really not the right match for you, that's not the right move. It's not, it's not in alignment for you, like they're different things. So we have to be really careful that we're not leaning into some of those feelings, which are a natural response to anything that is new, [00:14:00] that feels scary, that's out of your comfort zone and et cetera, versus something that truly doesn't feel like a match for you or truly is not.
Off in alignment with your energy, with your direction and et cetera. And that's why it's feeling off. That's why it's feeling like it's not a match for you. We need to be able to differentiate those two things because even when we are running, quote unquote, an aligned business, and we are using aligned strategies and we are aligning ourselves, our energy, our thoughts.
You know, the way that we set up our days and our weeks and we are really nailing our messaging to talk to aligned and perfect clients, and we have a business structure that is aligned with the life that we wanna lead and the way that we work best, and all of those different layers of the alignment.
Even when we have that, things will still feel hard. Sometimes things will still feel [00:15:00] uncomfortable. Sometimes things will still feel. Maybe even out of alignment sometimes when we are going into new territory, when we are testing and experimenting with something, when we're in that messy middle, where, you know, anytime we try something new, whether it's a new habit, whether it's creating a new offer, whether it's creating a new business, whatever it might be there, the beginning feels hard.
Very hard because we are breaking down old habits. We're breaking out old down, old ways of being and doing things. We're breaking. We're having to kind of move through old thought patterns and et cetera. Then we move into that messy middle where the new thing is isn't quite fully embodied yet. It doesn't feel quite like it's the new way in full, yet we're still a little bit.
Back in our old ways of being and thinking and acting and experiencing things or that old way of doing business or you know, an [00:16:00] older version of an offer or whatever it might be, depending on what we're talking about. And it's messy. We're like between the two. And it's uncomfortable. It's so uncomfortable and it often, that period often goes on for way longer than we imagine it would and way longer than we would like it to.
So then we move into. The last part, which is beautiful. And then it, it really feels fully aligned. It feels fully embodied. It feels like we have made it. It feels like that's the normal, like it's easier to be that way or to be speaking in that way or have that messaging or in that business or, um, delivering that offer than it is to be doing it in the old way because we've fully moved through that hard first part, that hard start, the messy middle.
And we've come out the other side to that full embodiment of the new way. And that can be a new learning level, uh, you know, a new skill that you are [00:17:00] learning, whatever it might be, we have to move through all of those different stages all the time. So just because we're experiencing some of those things doesn't mean that it's out of alignment or it's not an a aligned next move, for example.
So. This is really important I think, because it can get a little bit confusing. Uh, and so yeah, I just wanted to share where the concept and why I use the word aligned so often, and that idea of the happy, healthy, aligned, beautiful business with the three sections of self structure. And your strategies all being aligned to create that fully aligned business.
And then within that, the crossover of those things and all of the different ways we can check that they are aligned, but also make sure that we are still moving forward when things feel a bit uncomfy or a little bit hard. [00:18:00] You know, there's a lot around. I don't know, in society these days, it's like people want to just microwave things and you know, get this microwave results straight away.
But the truth is that most things take time that are worth having that old saying, right? And so it does take time to refine. It does take time to find. That alignment, it does take time to build a business, and it also is going to evolve through your different phases and stages of life as well. D, things that were aligned in a particular phase of business may need to shift when you shift your business into the next stage, for example, and things have to shift and change.
So it's an evolving alignment. So I hope that model concept is really helpful for you, and I really encourage you to check in with yourself. Are you as the self in that equation? Aligned in your behaviors, your [00:19:00] thoughts, your values, the way that you go about your days, the things that you're doing, and saying all of those areas.
Are the structures of your business aligned with the lifestyle that you wanna create, and are the parts of those structures aligned with each other and with you? And are your strategies aligned with the structure and you and your ideal people to create that holistic, happy, healthy? Aligned business. So check in about that and remember that sometimes things are gonna feel hard even when they're aligned.
Things are gonna feel uncomfy even when they're aligned. It is not about shying away from that. It's about moving through that and having the support, and sometimes we're so close to our business that it's hard to tell exactly what the next best step is or what exactly is aligned. A great way to think about this sometimes is to go in the opposite and kind of think about, well, what feels clunky or [00:20:00] uncomfortable?
Or see there's that word uncomfortable. Just because it's uncomfortable doesn't mean it's aligned, but we have to know the difference. We have to have that self-awareness, which is why self-awareness is such an important quality that we have to develop in ourselves as the CEOs, as the founders, as the business leaders.
But when things don't feel right, when they don't feel, when they feel clunky, when they are not working, checking in, is it because they're not the right match? Is it because they're not aligned? Or is it that they just need to be fixed in some way. So you can pull this back to asking yourself these questions, which are really helpful in creating a business that feels good, that lights you up, that supports you and your life.
'cause that is what we are here to do, right? So I hope that you've had some nuggets of gold, some takeaways, some things that you can ask yourself and take action on. Uh, and I hope that this has helped to share a little bit more [00:21:00] around. What my concept of aligned is and why it is so intrinsically a part of all of my different offerings from this podcast to my aligned launch coaching and consulting to this business model.
Uh, and just everything that I tend to do comes back to this idea of alignment and creating that aligned business, aligned offers in all of those areas and looking at how we can align all of those parts within our business. Together and also with ourselves and our life. So I'd love to, as always hear from you.
Any questions, any takeaways you've had, I would so appreciate it. If you would leave me a five star review if you enjoyed this episode or if you've enjoyed episodes in the past and I. Absolutely love it if you would share this with a business bestie as well. Uh, and of course I love to connect. I really do love to connect with other women in business and chat all things [00:22:00] business.
It is act. It is something I love so much. Business strategy, business growth. I absolutely nerd out on it all. Uh, call me crazy. That's fine. But I would love to connect with you if you are new around here. Come say hi over in the dms on Instagram. I'm Jada Business Mentor. Uh, otherwise, I'll see you around on next week's episode.
Have a beautiful week and keep aligning and keep thriving.
