Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

Erica: We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Erica: Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. You already know that you were meant for more. But what if the only thing that is standing between where you are now and where you want to be is the decision to become the next version of you? Confession time, y'all. I have been a bit inconsistent here as of late.

Erica: Things have slipped through the cracks, and if I'm fully honest, I did not show up for you like I like to. Fully present, totally reliable. You know the drill, but I've got a good reason for it. And if you are listening to this on the day it drops, which is Wednesday, 10/02/2024, today is my first official day as an ex corporate girl. Oh my gosh.

Erica: Y'all heard it here first. I did it. I did it. I took the plunge. I bet on myself, and y'all, I'm off to the races.

Erica: I have officially shed the old version of Erica Rooney, the old corporate c level leader person who was confined by the golden handcuffs and working a nine to five as a means to an end, never really happy with what I was doing or who I was doing it with to CEO, founder, author, speaker, badass, amplifier of women. Y'all, whatever the hell I want. And all I can say is, wow, It took a lot of work to get here. A lot of work. And it's gonna take you a lot of work to become the next version of you.

Erica: The higher version of you. The you that you aspire to be. So today we're gonna go all in. No more holding back. We're going to talk about what does it mean to become and why is this crucial for you, the ambitious woman who knows that she is made for more?

Erica: You just haven't unlocked that next level yet. We're gonna talk a little bit about my journey, my story, and some of the challenges and the fears that I had to face head on because I know you have some of the same ones. And we're gonna talk about the three steps that you can start doing today that will cost you no money, that you can start doing. And I call these steps my steps to becoming because y'all change is the only thing that stays the same. And I'm a big believer that if you're not growing, if you're not stretching yourself, you're dying.

Erica: So my question for you today is who do you want to become? And then what do you have to do to get there? You are listening to the Glass Ceiling and Sticky Floor podcast, the podcast that will empower you to shatter limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities so you can live your best life. I'm Erica Rooney, and I'm on a mission to bring more women into positions of power and keep them there. I'm obsessed with all things growth and abundance, and I'm here to talk you through the tried and true secrets to get you to level up your career and your life.

Erica: We talk about the hard stuff here. Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear, and burnout. So pull up a c, pop it in the earbud, and let's dive in. So let's talk about this idea of becoming. Now becoming was my word of the year maybe two years ago.

Erica: I wrote a blog post on it, but it was all about me stepping into this new version of me. I was a leader in corporate America, but y'all, I knew that I was made for more. I wasn't happy. I could feel it in my bones. And I knew that this corporate rat race, it wasn't going to be my thing for long.

Erica: And I knew that during the time that it was just a means to an end. But I knew that I needed to become a higher version of Eric Rooney. I needed to become a stronger leader, a change maker, I needed to develop my skills, I needed to really lean in to gender equality. And what did that mean for me? And what I'm here to tell you today is that honestly, anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Erica: And when we talk about becoming, the first thing we really need to just own is that it is a constant evolution. Like, do we ever fully arrive? Do we ever fully get to our destination? And the answer for me is I don't think so. I think think our whole purpose in this world is to grow and change and evolve until we get to the end of our life.

Erica: Right? But think about it. We're changing roles, we're changing passions, we're constantly changing our thoughts and beliefs, what we know to be true. But the first thing I wanna tell you is that when you are in this process of up leveling, when you are in this process of becoming the new version of you, it takes time. It's not just this checklist of, I'll go get this certification checked on, or I'm gonna be a courageous person checked on, and I'm gonna start doing these things.

Erica: Like, it takes time. And for me to get to this version that I am today, this ex corporate girl version, y'all that started two years ago. And I finally, started two years ago. And I finally feel like, wow. I have arrived.

Erica: And it's really hard to describe, but it's just this deep inner knowing. It's this calm confidence. But what we're gonna get to later today, what we, you know, can totally explore and pontificate about is that there's always this next level of us. So we are always in this evolution of becoming, but, like, what is this next level? We take it one level at a time.

Erica: We don't have to become this truly full ass enlightened version of ourselves today. Just think about what is the next version of you. And when I think about it, it's really this two step process. Step one is all about shedding the old layers, old habits, old belief systems that are no longer serving you and leaving those behind. And then step two is all about what do we need to step into?

Erica: What do we need to move towards? What habits, beliefs do we need to adopt and really truly own? So starting with step one, when you're in this place of up leveling and, you know, change, I want you to ask yourself these questions. What beliefs do you need to leave behind? What beliefs are no longer serving you?

Erica: So maybe you have this belief that you'll never be a c level leader, or maybe you have a belief that you'll never make that much money, or that nobody's gonna care about what you think, or that your ideas don't add value. And y'all that was one of my beliefs was that whatever ideas I had that it it it had been there done that. People had already done it before. Why would they want to listen to me? So I really had to leave behind this belief that everything I had to say had already been done and that I was showing up to the world with a new spin on it, with a new perspective on it, with my own lens, which nobody else could possibly have.

Erica: Right? And it's one of those things that, like, these beliefs that you have to leave behind, your conscious brain knows they're total BS. But your unconscious brain is back there just spitting out these thoughts, telling you all of this BS, and it takes time to work through those limiting beliefs to really uncover them. And y'all, if you go by my book, The Snap Method, that really walks you through the four steps to shedding these beliefs that, you know, are all BS so that you can step into the you you want to become. And then I want you to ask, what habits do you need to leave behind?

Erica: What are you doing that's no longer serving you? Right? Super popular one these days. We're talking about the endless Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, social media scroll. That doesn't do anything for you except for give you dopamine hit after dopamine hit after dopamine hit.

Erica: Maybe you need to spend more time reading books, less time playing on the phone. I don't know. For me, the the habit that I needed to shed was wine. Y'all, I've talked about it on this podcast. I got into this daily habit of pouring myself a glass or a bottle of wine a night, and I wasn't functioning optimally.

Erica: I wasn't showing up as the wife, as the mom, as the friend and daughter and c level leader that I wanted to be. So I really had to work through that. Like, why was I drinking so much wine? The truth was because I was uncomfortable in my skin. I was uncomfortable in my corporate role.

Erica: So for me to then become this next version of me, I had to leave that behind. Right? Maybe you have a bad habit of talking shit about people. Like, I know first off, I have talked a lot of shit in my days. Right?

Erica: Like, it's just a natural tendency that we do these things. And when you kinda leave that bullshit behind, like, you open up so much room for expansion. Right? If you're doing all this negative, BS and talking crap about people and leaning into negative thoughts, like, that is literally drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. So then the third question that you need to ask is, who do I need to step away from?

Erica: Who do I need to leave behind? And y'all, this one can be really hard to do because a lot of times these people that we know and love and trust, they have their own limiting beliefs that they project onto you. So if you're constantly surrounded by negativity or people who live in a scarcity mindset, they very well could be putting their own belief onto you and keeping you small and keeping you stuck. Sometimes it really is hard to leave behind these people and places that we love dearly, but you have to recognize if you are outgrowing them. It's hard.

Erica: You know, you love them. You're comfortable. And you know what? They've been with you on this whole journey so far. Right?

Erica: But girl, if you are growing, if you are on the verge of an uplevel, you have to get serious about the beliefs in your head. You have to get serious about your habits, and you have to get serious about who you are surrounding yourself. Now I'm not saying just run out there and drop your bestie because she expresses some concern. Right? Some of that is valid.

Erica: But let me explain this. And this is the perfect situation with me stepping away from these golden shackles terrified than he's willing to talk to me about about me leaving corporate. And he's nervous because of the financial stability. I've been the breadwinner for so long. We've been making just stupid amounts of corporate money.

Erica: So when I leave, there's no reliable income on my end coming in anymore. Right? I believe in my heart, and I know that I can do this. I know that I will not not just exceed my corporate salary, but I will, like, double it with time. I really do believe that.

Erica: But my husband is not there yet. Okay? I have the knowledge that it takes to do what I wanna do. I have the most amazing communities around me of people who support me and really push me and, you know, get me to step outside my comfort zone and thrive in this new version of me. And y'all, I didn't have that two years ago, the amount of work that has gone into becoming this next version of me to be this woman that has the confidence and the knowledge and the support system, it has taken two plus years.

Erica: Now you can argue that, like, I've been working towards this my whole life, and I would probably agree with you, but that's going deeper than we want to in this episode. But now that we've really uncovered the beliefs we need to behind, the beliefs we need to leave behind, now that we've talked about the habits we need to drop drop and also maybe people we need to kind of pull back from, the next step is all about stepping into the version of you. And I had to get real serious and real introspective about what did I want this next version of me to look like? Who did I want Erica to be? And I want you to do the same.

Erica: Like, I am begging you. Please do not just wait for for life to happen to you. You have to get your hands on the steering wheel and you have to start driving the car. You have to get your off autopilot. And I want you to be intentional.

Erica: First of all, about who you surround yourself with. I want you to ask yourself, like, are these people kind? Are they also seeking growth and expansion? Are they also trying to uplevel? Do they believe in you?

Erica: Do they support you? Do they give you fresh ideas and perspectives? And I want you to be intentional about the thoughts that you think and this is a huge one. Are you stopping your negative thoughts? Those sticky floors that we talk about all the time.

Erica: Are you correcting yourself when you think those thoughts? Now, listen, I know and I know you know that you can't always control that first thought that pops into your head. And often when you're stepping into this new version of you, those moments of doubt, they're gonna rear their ugly head. They're gonna show back up, and you're gonna wonder, like, can I really do this? You're gonna wonder, am I made for this?

Erica: Like, do I have what it takes? And that's okay because what you're gonna do is you're gonna remember that you can always think again. That first thought does not have to be your last thought. So when you have those thoughts of self doubt, of fear, of imposter syndrome, of perfectionism, whatever sticky floors creeping in, I want you to stop yourself. And I want you to choose a more powerful, a more aligned thought.

Erica: And then I want you to leave that crusty sticky floor in the past. Now I can't tell you the amount of sticky floor thoughts that I've had over the past two years. We'll talk about I used to think no one would listen to this podcast. Now I have 200 plus episodes. Right?

Erica: I used to think I could never be an author. Now I've got glass ceilings and sticky floors. If you're watching me on YouTube, you can see it is an actual published book. Holy shit. And it's endorsed by Mel Robbins.

Erica: I used to think that I didn't have anything new to say, but now people actually pay me, like, real money to come and speak to their teams and their organizations. Remember, your first thought does not have to be your last thought. So, okay, you know it takes time. You know it takes work. And you might be sitting sitting there wondering like, okay, Erica, that's great.

Erica: But how the hell do I get started? Like, what is something that I can actually do? And I've got three things that have helped me. Really helped me that are tangible that you can start. And the first one we've already talked about, but it's it's about creating the space for growth.

Erica: So creating space for this new you to really take root. And that could be letting go of those bad habits. It could be just decluttering your environment or creating a new intentional morning routine. So I want you to think about what is one habit that I can add or what is something that I can leave behind starting this month? October, it's a fresh month.

Erica: It's a fresh quarter. It's a perfect time to start something new. Now the second thing I want you to do is take one brave bite a day. Now this is something that I talk about all the time in keynotes that I deliver and always, always, always with my coaching clients, but this is a great daily task to do every single day. And that's just to take a brave bite.

Erica: What's a brave bite? It's something that makes you uncomfortable. It's something that kinda scares you a little bit. So when you take these brave bites, this is important because every single time you do it, you are proving to yourself over time that you can step out of your comfort zone. You are showing yourself and proving to yourself that you can do hard things.

Erica: Right? Sometimes that break bite is just sending an email to someone you admire saying, hey. I would love to pick your brain for ten minutes. I want a piece of advice asking for help. Sometimes it's telling your boss you want more money because you've taken on all these responsibilities and direct reports.

Erica: Or maybe your brave bite is talking to your partner and telling them you need help around the house. Brave bites, y'all, they don't have to be huge. They can start small, and they can get bigger over time because this is the best part about taking Brave Bites. With every single Brave Bites that you take, your level of comfort, your comfort zone, it expands. And when you take that brave bite every day, you are literally building the confidence that you need and you are building the momentum that you need to become that next version of you.

Erica: Now I highly, highly, highly recommend keeping track of your brave Bites, whether you do that in a journal or in the notes app on your phone. But this is such a game changer because in those moments of self doubt and when you are really feeling the fear and questioning if you can do this, you can go back to that list. And you can see tangible evidence that you can do hard things and that you have survived hard things and that you are brave and that you are becoming. And then the third step that I've got for you is to start finding and cultivating your support system. Now I cannot stress enough the power of support in community.

Erica: And I will speak from my own experience about leaving corporate. Y'all, it is scary as hell. You start to literally question everything, and you wonder, oh my god. Is this a big mistake? What am I even doing?

Erica: Right? But let me tell you why this support squad is so key. I cannot tell you on my last day how many people outside of corporate have called me, have texted me, have sent me DMs on Instagram and LinkedIn to hype my ass up and to remind myself how awesome I am and how powerful I am and how I've got this. And so when you have that support squad, when you have people cheering you on and guiding you, those days where you're questioning everything, those people will pour into you and they will lift you up. They will hold you accountable too when you're not showing up as the woman that you want to be.

Erica: So find your people. And then just to wrap this up here, remember y'all, if you're not changing, you're dying. If you ain't growing, you're dying. So lean in to this woman that you want to become. This next version of you.

Erica: I want you to be so crazy intentional about it. I want you to fully immerse yourself in that person. I want you to challenge yourself and I want you to stretch yourself. And while you're leaning into this new version of you, this next level you, I want you to take a look around you. Are you surrounding yourself with the right people?

Erica: Are you putting yourself in the right rooms? And I want you to just identify who or what it is that you want to become, and then ask yourself if you are becoming that. And what do I mean by that? I wanted to be a more courageous person. So whenever I got into a place where I was feeling stuck or stagnant, I just had to ask myself, am I doing the courageous thing?

Erica: And then let that guide you. Now a couple reminders for you. You are in control of this journey. You are in control of the speed of which you move. You are in control of your thoughts.

Erica: You are in the driver's seat. You get to pick the road that you're traveling. So act accordingly. And just one last thing, on this whole journey of becoming, y'all have patience with yourself. Have grace because we are always becoming, and everything that is happening to you is happening for you.

Erica: Every challenge, every heartbreak, every dead end, every setback, all of those things are opportunities for you to show up as the woman that you want to be. As the woman you want to embody, as the woman you want to become, never forget that. So before you move on to the next thing, before this podcast ends and you flip over to something like my favorite murder, which let's be real, it's what I'm gonna do. I want you to ask yourself, what is the one thing? What is that one brave bite that you will take today to start yourself on the journey of becoming?

Erica: And then I want you to get your ass out there, and I want you to do it. Alright. Thank you for tuning in. Y'all, if you haven't already dropped that five star review, please do so today. It really helps this podcast land in the hands of the woman that needs to hear it most.

Erica: And don't forget, jump over to all my socials, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram. If you're listening to this on Apple or Spotify, check out the YouTube page. If you're checking it out on YouTube, check out the other links. Y'all, I've got really great freebies all over the place, Jump starts, success planners, leadership book lists, whatever you need, it's there, so don't miss out. But until next time y'all, stop putting ceilings on what's possible, and let's start smashing through them.