There is no doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic has presented all of us with new challenges and changes to our normal routine. For some, the word challenge may even be making light of the situation, as businesses and schools are shuttered and people in some parts of the country are mandated to stay home.
While we do not take any of this lightly, we do want to recognize that these changes also present, for some, opportunities. Coach and Founder of Corporate to Calling, Nora Luke joined us live on Facebook to share some ways that we can all ‘show up’ during a crisis.
Transcript:
Julie: Welcome to our special Facebook live series called expert connexions. I’m Julie Holton and I’m the principal strategist and founder of mConnexions, a marketing agency that works with a variety of client’s businesses and individuals all of whom are impacted by the coronavirus. So we started this special series on Sunday launching this series of Facebook live interviews to address the challenges and the concerns that we all have is our kind of new normal changes. We’re so glad you’re here to join us today. We’ve had thousands of people connecting with us since the series started on Sunday give us a thumbs up. Let us know you can hear us so we can know that all of the audio and video is coming through. I’m really looking forward to the conversation this afternoon. We are adding Nora Luke to the conversation. Nora thanks so much for joining us.
Nora: Oh of course. I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for asking me.
Julie: Absolutely so Norah is the founder of corporate to calling and she really lives this mantra that we are in it together, but if there’s one thing that I know about Nora is that she will give us a dose of real talk along with helping us to see the silver linings and so Norah I’m really excited to just kind of dive in here and get this conversation going. You spent 20 years in the corporate arena focusing on health care, focusing on serving our senior citizens and so I know that this really this whole situation is hitting you on a number of levels. Now you run a consulting and business coaching company which you’re just getting launched right now but you’re also a wife and a mom and your home like the rest of us so first of all how are you doing?
Nora: Oh that feels like a loaded question which should be easy to answer, but well I am doing well. I’ve chosen to take the path of positivity you know is every moment perfect? No, but you know it’s I’m doing well, we’re healthy, my family’s healthy, overall I’m looking at I think your previous guests have mentioned you know the new norm and the happiness and I’m finding joy in our new reality. As many of us are trying to do and I know for me some moments are better than others and there’s a lot to think about you know our families, our health, our communities, our financial impact, our businesses, so I want to start there Nora because I know that you were really mid launched with your business and suddenly coronavirus had different plans. So can you talk through even from your personal aspect, what is it like to have to pivot? Sure Oh pivot. Well pivoting. Well for me I’m actually walking through this so my business has been running in the background, but we’re gonna do our whole plan my business plan was doing this soft launch starting this week. Well our world got turned upside down this week and I’ll admit I froze at one point because like all of us have a different moments and it is okay it’s natural it’s a human emotion to feel all the feelings including part of the anxiety that comes along with that, but I knew I had to make a choice. So I said either I’m gonna put on the brakes, I’m gonna put this off and I did that for good 24 hours and then I was like no I still have the choice to put this out there and to continue to create what I have planned to do and to show up for who needs to hear the message that I’m gonna deliver and even to inspire others but it’s the coronavirus has the ability right now to make us all kind of just oh I can’t do anything and you have the choice to do that. I’m saying to people do that, feel that, sit in it for a minute, then you need to realize that you can then shift and that shift is gonna serve you, your family, the people, your audience, to people in your network, so much more than just sitting in the fear or the scariness peace. When it comes down to it we can’t control what’s going on with corona. There’s nothing we can actually do about it at this moment from in our homes. Now our wonderful nurses and physicians and people in the medical field and those that are serving us in various ways they’re giving in that capacity and they can continue to do that but for the majority of us we’re having to make the choice to kind of show up or stand on the sidelines and I feel like when this is over and we fast-forward and we look at ourselves in the future what side of that are you gonna be on? The person that showed up or the person that stayed on the sidelines?
Julie: I love looking at it from that frame of reference. I was talking this morning with John Mashni, an attorney at Foster Swift. After we got him off we were and we were just talking you know amongst the two of us he was talking about this idea of reinventing and taking the time to seize the opportunity to look at now that we have a moment whether we like it or not to slow down and evaluate reassess, are we getting joy out of our lives? Are we finding we are living our passions or is it time to reinvent? Is it time to look at our businesses and find ways to provide new services? To move our world forward. Nora I know that you share that mindset, so how do we start to refocus our frame of mind because let’s be honest if those of you watching are some that have been almost paralyzed from the fear of the anxiety or so busy with the kids or so busy with other things that you haven’t had time to really stop and evaluate for yourself. That’s okay. We’re not here to make judgements because that’s a perfectly normal human response. So Nora, how do you take that you know if I’m sitting there in that place, what do you say to me to help me look beyond that and help to start to move forward?
Nora: Sure I kind of went to two spots there. We have this new norm we keep saying that, but if we’ve given ourselves permission to make new expectations because trying to be who you were a week or two ago is realistically not happening right now. To be a hundred percent and you know business owner or an employee or a wife or mom, a sister, whatever title that you have to give yourself a little bit of grace that you’re not going to be a hundred percent of all of us all the time. So a new norm is new expectations and for the people that are sitting there going oh I wish a year ago I would have started a business, created a course, put together a podcast, or even just something on the side, created a workout plan, whatever it was, now is your time. Now is the time. It might take you a little bit to figure out how you’re gonna carve that into your day, but that’s what we get to do. We get to plan and then you start working at that plan and creating whatever that is that you want to put out there and some people like well I don’t know what to create. If you thought about one of those things let’s start on that. If not, you can simply create joy, humor. We all want humor, I do. You know creating support, writing, art, something that’s out there that keeps you creating and moving that’ll make you a feel better, it’ll help others, and it actually then gets you moving into action and then through that action comes more creativity. So I think it’s more not sitting still, taking that thing you’ve always wanted to do, and acting on the time now and if you are an entrepreneur and you’re out there going who times are a little shaky right now because realistically it’s not been the easiest time to quote haunch a business, but I can still offer value, I can create things behind the scenes, I can again plan for a future because the future is still going to be there, it’s still coming in and be ready to then serve people that need what I have once this is load over and be able to help them and I think it was Shari that you had on a couple days ago. I loved it but it’s something about you know people right now do not feel good but serving them in creating value there are people out there still buying. People want what you have to offer if you can help them, if you can transform, if you can give them something that they’re missing, that your product or service or whatever it is can offer them, there are people still buying and I know right now we’re in that scarcity mindset, but it’s shifting into the abundance and shifting into the fugitive piece and now holding yourself back today because you’re scared but then tomorrow we’ll actually be there and you’ll be able to then serve and help others at that time.
Julie: I’d love to hear you talk a little bit more about this abundance mindset because you know we were talking a little bit earlier and you just mentioned this now is the time for some, depending on what your business idea is, now might be the perfect time to launch. Now might be when your services are most needed, whatever your skill set is. Maybe there’s a way to turn that into something that can go from passion to a way to make a living. So talk about that abundance mindset. How do we start to shift from that doom and gloom and scarcity mindset, to a mindset of abundance?
Nora: Mm-hmm and I think it’s the scarcity sometimes can come in the form of, people think scare say I don’t have enough right now, but it could be you’re thinking that whatever you have isn’t good enough or if you share it with somebody it’s gonna they’re gonna take it and make it better. We need to protect and so you feel like oh you’re doing it from a good standpoint but actually that’s living into that scared peace and that scarcity of there’s not gonna be tomorrow. There’s not enough every one or the pie is too small. It’s not, maybe you’re focusing on that little pocket and that little piece. I’ll use myself as an example. Launching a business coach and strategist business right now, I could look at other people who are doing that and think Oh Who am I to go out there and do that right now, somebody else is already doing it. Somebody else has already written a book, somebody else has podcasts, everything that most things that you’re doing, somebody else is already done. Which is actually a beautiful thing, but nobody’s gonna do it just like you are. Nobody has your voice and this gets me excited because I like I go back to yes the time is now. Put your voice out there. I’ve always had that thought like oh if I put something out there, I need hundreds, thousands I think this big picture of people that have to hear it. No, maybe I only resonate with five people but that’s an impact I’m gonna make to those five people or if I would have kept my vision, my calling, my voice, that were that scarcely might have said I wouldn’t have put my thing together and I wouldn’t have impacted those five people. So I think it’s taking that shift I want to give. I want to be abundant, I want to serve, I want there is enough, there will be more, we will continue to create, and actually when you create you’re creating more and you’re creating abundance and it just goes that way. it’ll then make your business technically more abundant because you’re sharing it with more people and your message will land with the individuals that you were meant to actually serve and help.
Julie: That resonates so much with me. I know we both agree that what you put out into this world, the good that you do, the people you touch, it comes back. So I love that idea especially because right now I think what people are clinging to, what they need, is to know that they’re not alone. They need to know that they’ve got this community support. So what are some other first steps? How do you start if you have an idea and you want to start thinking through starting to maybe what are the first steps? Do you start journaling? What do you do?
Nora: And it kind of depends, if you have the idea a lot of people don’t even realize there I call it their thing, they’re calling their vision, because it’s either so close to home or it’s in their hearts so wrapped up inside of who they are, that they don’t see it as a value or an actual service or even something that they could monetize. So if you need help with that, that’s where someone who can help just bring it out of you and that’s what I do a lot with especially a lot of new people that are just like you know what I’m done with corporate, I’m ready to move on, I want more, I want to do X Y Z, but I don’t know what that X Y Z is. Help me. So we go through a procedure trying to just pull it out of them and sometimes it’s just simple questions. Opening in your heart, seeing in your heart you know get back to that service. What can you help someone transform to give but if it’s something it’s like I know I want to be in you know the health and wellness space let’s say. Well let’s narrow that down, who are you going to serve? You know this everybody thinks that their products or services are for everybody, but really for a niche of individuals, a niche if you’re listening elsewhere. It’s in and starting out with what you want to actually do you want to serve, what you’re actually gonna provide, brain dumping. Sinking in the heart just thinking of all the ways that you can do it. Think big, go crazy, think stages. Whatever it is and then once you have that list, then we think okay what can we do today that starts building on that and it might seem small, but you start taking action and that is where some people unfortunately get stuck because they feel like they need that perfect action and want everything to look beautiful.
Julie: I don’t know if I like that Nora.
Nora: It’s not right, it can be better. So you’ve let that go. Messy action will guide you better than no action.
Julie: Oh I love that. You have to be messy. Oh yeah. If you’re a failure too it’s the fear you know it’s not. I got through. Yeah it doesn’t exist or it’s the pressure from other people, it’s all the things in your head or that you think are going on or all those limiting beliefs that you just squash and you put it out there because it’s actually the method to clarity. And you’ve talked before with me about something you’ll come change skills and I think I could be wrong but I would imagine that there are a lot of people who work corporate jobs, who are working from home right now and maybe just a little part of them is thinking, this is kind of nice to have a little more time, to be home with the kids to – I mean again no one asked for the situation we’re in, we don’t have control over it, but I would imagine that as time goes on there gonna be people who really appreciate working from home, but talk about change guilt because I know that’s thing that holds a lot of people back especially women.
Nora: And step back really quick. I think a few of those women probably need more than this first week to feel that one because this first week has been interesting.
Julie: Little chaotic or a lot chaotic.
Nora: I don’t make it just women but change guilt is very serious. It’s for those of us who’ve experienced mom guilt. It’s very similar. I stayed in my little safe corner for a long time feeling how dare I want to change. How dare I not want what I’ve always wanted. So have it be that title, that corner office, that rule, whatever it was that you have always been striving for. You know for me personally I put myself through college, I took all the internships, had the job, had an office, was growing finally like at a point my life and career I was like okay I can see the path and then I no longer wanted that so whatever happened in my life you know something similar will happen in yours or you just I’m in a lot of groups and I hear in particular moms in the corporate world that say, I really just kind of don’t want what I’ve always wanted, how dare I. That’s okay and no one’s really giving those woman permission to do that and you don’t have to stay with those thoughts of if we all stayed the same and didn’t evolved you know and I have to say Gary Vaynerchuk, I know Gary V. if anyone’s familiar with him, a little bit of a potty mouth but he something so simple he says that I want to share is, are you happy and when you can say yes so that might mean your no not maybe having the same title or your income or whatever have it, are you happy when you can say yes to that, you’ve won. You’ve won at the game of life because so many people are sitting there not happy, continue to pursue or climb or chase or whatever it is that bigger thing and they’re actually not even happy doing it. So to me that was like so simple in a game of life, that simple question, are you happy and you can say yes to that is like what our goal should actually be. That was a long thing to your answer, but that’s where change comes from.
Julie: I love it because what better time. When have we ever been given this opportunity because we have to see the opportunities in all of this because otherwise we’re all gonna go mad. So we have the silver linings and the opportunities and when have we ever been given an opportunity like this. To really pause and even if only for a minute, but to pause and reassess and reevaluate and what you’re saying resonates so much with me. We’ve talked about this before I was 12 years in TV news, I was an executive producer, I’d won three Emmys, multiple awards, all around the country and it wasn’t what I wanted anymore. And you probably thought, how dare I? Right. Why don’t I want that? Isn’t that what a host to want? Even owning a marketing agency now? Well shouldn’t I want the biggest and largest, the biggest and best in or do I want work life balance? Do I want a team that’d be happy and fulfilled or do I want to know if I want to get back into the corporate life and so I really love your message Nora of evaluating what do you want? Why do you want it? How will it fulfill you? We’ve got a couple questions I want to jump over and they’re not showing up on our screen but that’s okay because I’ve got another screen I can look at. So Seth says, yes are you happy. Perfect question. Happiness isn’t found in things or titles but in purpose. Absolutely.
Nora: Oh you know how I feel about titles Julie.
Julie: Tell us Nora how do you feel about titles?
Nora: Title does not define you. That will go along with a change in guilt. Your title we all have different titles, we all wear them, it’s about what you do, and in fact you make. Your title we get so have you been of a networking event and someone asks you so what do you do and you’re either the oh I can’t wait to answer that one you know, I’m a whatever senior vice president director or you’re like oh I am I’m the administrative assistant or I just got in the workforce or you give up some crazy title and hope to confuse them. I’m gonna post the cute secure network liability officer. Oh what? I also make sure I note that for individuals in the corporate space, if it is making you happy, you enjoy it, I applaud you and support you.
Julie: Absolutely.
Nora: But it’s more for the individuals that are sitting there saying I wish I could have or why did or could I make a change? Yes, and right now should be a very exciting time to dream up making that change in making the plan to take the steps to make the change.
Julie: Absolutely and Terri says we need to support each other when we make changes, it is okay to change. Absolutely Terri. Stephanie said wow that completely resonates, how dare and she put in quotes how dare I want to change my career path or course. Been there many times and it doesn’t have to look a certain way and we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. Yes, there’s a huge, that’s a whole nother live comparison trap. Right we’ll do that one for sure. I want to find here, I’m looking through really quickly just because I’m not gonna be able to read it word for word but Katie had a question for us and Katie wanted to know is there such a thing as it sorry Katie I’m paraphrasing because I can’t see it on the screen but is there such a thing as too late in life to change things up, to switch careers.
Nora: Quick answer absolutely not. No, there is no expiration date on our calling. There’s no expiration date on how when we serve and when we step into what we’re supposed to be doing. You can there are people of every age and I’ll say gender there’s only two genders no can receive your message. So what you have to offer doesn’t expire by your age.
Julie: And I love Nora that you call it a calling. You’re not talking about changing jobs or even careers but calling how did you land on that word?
Nora: You know that’s what I do. It would really because that’s what it is it’s already inside of you. So it’s not something that we’re making up or creating. It’s some believe God-given, it’s loosely inside of your body it’s part of your makeup, and maybe your path and your history has defined your calling. You know a lot of times I’m serving individuals that are where I was a year, two, three years ago, which even goes back to that age question you don’t have to be a hundred steps or 20 years ahead of somebody, you can be a half a step or a week, a day ahead of somebody and you can help show them the way or give them clarity and where they’re confused. I mean that’s where it makes all of us lean on other individuals, to help us along because you don’t have to know everything to start in your calling. You start doing it again back to the messy action and it’s already there and it just keeps coming.
Julie: And I love that because that’s exactly why we’re doing this series. I mean we got it. I have to give my team some credit because we have been working hard to do about 2 interviews per day during all of this craziness and also working on our own business and working with our clients. So hats off to my team but for this exact reason because everyone even if you’re thinking well not maybe me but yes you everyone has this calling inside of them and that’s what we’re doing is really kind of tapping into our community, tapping into our network, to answer some of these questions and provide that information back. Nora I have, please go ahead.
Nora: You said you put this together because that’s what you could do. You could connect people. This is your way of creating, which is brilliant first of all. Congratulations this has been phenomenal.
Julie: I did not pay you to say that everyone.
Nora: No you did not and it makes you happy. You know what part you can do right now that makes it that you just make you happy and this is easy for you to do and that’s like you showed up and you did something that made you happy and it’s working and a part of it is your calling. It’s already in you to do this, it wasn’t hard for you to put this together because again let’s go let’s do what other people could sit around like I don’t know how to do that so I just and I have to ask you a question because you’ve been asking all the questions. Okay I think I’m ready. No I think you’re would love to know finishing around in a first week and you’ve gone through all the emotions as well and you’ve I know we’ve talking you know you’ve sat and some of them not so good, you’ve shifted, you’ve created, you made that choice and now you’re out here producing which just fantastic, but what has stood for the most or what has stuck with you or what have you learned the most this first week both professionally and personally.
Julie: That is a great question. The first thing that comes to my mind, one of the most positive things that I’ve seen this week is that everyone I’ve reached out to wants to help and I’m sure there are people out there who are not in that in that boat but what I have seen the strength and resilience in our community and this you know everyone who’s come on here has given their time freely no one has been paid to come on and do these interviews, myself included. You know we’re spending our time doing this and not a single person has questioned it. Everyone has wanted to help and I think that’s something that is so important and I think we see kind of you know the separation of the weak from the chaff and who lets up as you said. So that to me has been the most enlightening and the best part about what you know what we’re going through right now is seeing people step forward. I think recognizing that, as you did, we all experienced all of these emotions. There’s not a single one of us I would be willing to bet you know the doctors in DC, the ones who are you know giving these press conferences and updating us, they’re not sleeping at night either and so there’s not a single one of us that is not experiencing the full range of emotions, the worry, the moments of I mean I think it goes from both extremes like the one moment where it’s like worrying about tomorrow but then the other moment of like oh I’m so glad that I’m at home but then like but should I be glad that I’m home, should I be worrying about, you know should I be focused more on other people or just the whole range of emotions and so I think that and someone said in then I’m drawing a blank on which guest but someone made the comment that it’s really amazing that it’s taken something like this to really unify us especially when physically we are so separated from each other but I would say my long-winded answer to your question you know those are some of the things that that I’ve really noticed this week and I think it also helps this community support. I know it helps to fuel me, it helps to keep me going. By the end of each day I’m ready to just be done, you know as far as we’re done with the day like no more lives why am I doing this this takes a lot of work and energy but then we get back up and I’m refueled by the people who are stepping up and want to help.
Nora: I think at the end of every day is like it’s worthy of a champagne celebration. Okay we got through another day, Cheers.
Julie: Well and then as we kind of start to wrap up here I mean here we are it’s Friday afternoon we’ve made it everyone, we’ve made it through this week. Moms and dads who are at home with the kids, you’ve made it, I hope you know homeschooling can end for the day like your routine can wrap up if you need it to. Nora what is your advice as we head into the weekend?
Nora: I think some people that I talk to you have this mix of a feeling like they need to be running 24/7. Whether that be for their family or their business or whatever they’re pressing concerns are right now, but I know there also needs to be a balance so how do you recommend that we face this weekend that’s ahead of us? Sure I think it goes back to that you need to adjust your expectations and not try to expect this week to be like last week and know the weekend before because right now it’s just not gonna happen and find the joy in this slowing down. We’ve complained I know as a mom I run four nights a week to events on top of work and it’s you know my husband’s gone right now, tax season. Life can get a little crazy, but right now I don’t have to. Literally two hours ago I was in the woods with my kids so my advice is if you can get out there and get in the woods take a walk, connect with nature, which is not something we do very often and usually in a pleasant way we are usually forced to do. Enjoy it. I would just say take a moment and appreciate the slowing down that we have because we’ve complained about the opposite I know I have. So enjoy some of the little moments and take some deep breaths. We call them belly breaths in my house all right though we take them into mind. My son told me on whatever it was Wednesday when I had a rough day, mom you need a belly breath. So I’m giving your community the permission to take a belly breath and just slow down and enjoy the weekend.
Julie: Words from a four-year-old. Nora, what is the best way for our viewers to get a hold of you if they want to connect with you about your coaching or just have some follow-up conversations with you?
Nora: Sure I mean you can find me at [email protected] and you can find me on all of the social media just usually search Nora Luke, I will come up.
Julie: And we’ve got you tagged in this post so people feel free to reach out to Nora. Nora thank you so much for taking the time today, this was fun and we have some follow-up conversations we’re gonna have to have moving forward in some Facebook lives. So I’ll go ahead and promise everyone right now, we’ll go ahead and get some more of those scheduled.
Nora: And I think one thing I find my end with is we’re all there I might be a business coach, but I’m also a human being and we all are so if someone just needs to vent, to talk, to get something off their chest, I’m your welcome to private message me, email me and just want to talk. That’s I think one thing we can all do for people right now is to listen. lend an ear.
Julie: Absolutely. Thank you Nora so much.
Nora: Thank you I appreciate it.
Julie: Alright, so we have completed ten interviews this week, I just really feel as we were saying with Norah it’s really important to have trusted information from people you can trust. So we’re gonna keep doing this next week. We have where we’re pairing it down we’re gonna do one interview per day. Right now we’re looking at one o’clock every day so look for that lineup coming soon and make sure if you didn’t see the videos from this week, we have some really incredible experts who shared their insights. Health and wellness topics, business insights, you can find them all on the video tab right here on our Facebook page and we’re also putting them on our blog so look for that too. Okay if you have any topics you’d like us to cover, any questions you have, reach out to our mConnexions team at any time and have a great weekend.