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. Have you ever thought about what it means to be the CEO of your own life? I mean, really truly thought about it. And are you making CEO type decisions? Or are you just following the template that was given to you?

Erica: Now no matter where you are on this journey, I want you to be prepared to be inspired as we dive into today's episode with a powerhouse guest on a mission to empower 100,000 underrepresented individuals to be the CEO of their own life. Priyanka Agarwal is a tech exec turned coach, and she's here to share with us how we can start to make CEO decisions, the power of boundaries, and she's going to help you discover what your superpower is and how you can harness that superpower to shatter ceilings. I am so inspired by our guest today because her mission is to empower 100,000 underrepresented individuals. We're talking BIPOC, LGBTQ plus, and women to become the CEO of their own lives.

Erica: Welcome, Priyanka Agarwal, a tech consulting exec turned coach to the podcast. Priyanka, welcome. How are you?

Prerika: I am doing really well, Erica. I am so excited to talk to you, my fellow chief member. And as you know, this is a topic that I absolutely love, that I coach clients on all the time, and I'm thrilled to be here.

Erica: I also just love the fact that we're, like, Erica and Prerka. Like, we should be besties skipping the streets. But I would love to kick it off with just hearing a little bit more about your come up story. Who are you, and how do you get to this place?

Prerika: Yeah. So I will make it as short and sweet as possible, but, you know, a little bit about me is I was always a rule follower, Erica. So I did all the things that I was supposed to do. I was a straight a student in high school. I was on the path to getting going to a good college.

Prerika: I had a scholarship. I finished college in three years, and then I got working in the corporate world. I was a financial analyst for many, many years, and I did corporate strategy. And then I decided, okay. I'm gonna take that next step in my career, but I need my MBA.

Prerika: I went to Georgetown University, did really well there, and then got into management consulting. And, again, you know, from the outside in, it looks like everything was going well. It seemed like, you know, I was making the money that I wanted. I got to travel. I got the job that I wanted.

Prerika: But, you know, a few years after I started working in management consulting, I just started to feel this sort of, I would say, emptiness, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Right? I have the beautiful apartment in New York City. Like I said, I was traveling. I had so many fantastic friends.

Prerika: Everything was great, but there was something that felt really, you know, like something was missing. And so I really wanted to chase that and figure out sort of what is going what is going on. Why do I feel like this, I should be, you know, really honored, I have all these privileges. And that led me to a path of finding coaching, professional development coaching and leadership coaching. I did this weekend seminar, which was really about stepping into your leadership.

Prerika: And what I realized was there was this mismatch between having that kind of picture perfect life and what I wanted. And I realized that a lot of the things that I was doing, they were other people's wish fulfillments for me. Right? It was what my parents wanted. It was what society wanted.

Prerika: It was the right path, the right way to do things, and it was all about the shoulds. I should be doing these things, and that's why I was really feeling that deep sense of misalignment. So once I started exploring that, this started coming up for me, you know, sort of all over my career. I could see where the disconnects was disconnects were excuse me. But I felt like, okay.

Prerika: I am a leader. I have that leadership title, but I was really following the path that was set up for me. This was not an intentional path that I really had power and control over. I was on other people's schedules, other people's times, other people's demands. And then I really started thinking about what is it that I want.

Prerika: And from there, I started helping other women that were on my teams that would come to me and, you know, they needed mentorship and coaching. And I realized that everybody was sort of in the same boat of they're just sort of following the template and moving along. And so, you know, long story short, that is when I started thinking about how can I impact more people and more women who are feeling this way? And that led me to creating inspiration careers back in 2019.

Erica: I love this, and I was kind of snickering to myself because I had written down the word shoulds and underlined it seven times. Like, before you said, I'm doing all the shoulds. And I think it is so easy for all of us to just, like you said, follow the template. Do what we're supposed to do, and just everything is supposed to turn out the way we thought it was. So I love how you have this concept of becoming the CEO of your own life.

Erica: It's super powerful. Can you elaborate on what that means to you personally and how it influences your coaching philosophy?

Prerika: Absolutely. So when we think about a CEO, there's a sort of image that comes to mind, right, of a person that is owning things, that is in control, and they're really sitting at the top of things. Right? They have a purview into all different areas of the company. And so I love using this concept to think about becoming that for your life.

Prerika: So managing your life as if you are that CEO and really having that sense of empowerment. Right? So rather than going through the motions, like you're just an employee who's being given directions, such a huge shift in it of itself because a lot of us feel powerless. A lot of us are, again, going through the emotions, and so this is about saying, these are the four to five areas of my life, and I actually have control over every single one of those. And I get to decide what that looks like, and I'm charting the path, and I am dictating and directing.

Erica: I love that. That is so powerful. And you touched a little bit on kind of your story and how you went from corporate to coaching. But I would love to know, was there any specific turning point or realization that just really prompted you to pivot? So to be honest with you, I know so many people have this, like, one moment,

Prerika: this one pivotal piece. That didn't happen for me, Erica. It was a long time coming, but I think what I finally realized, which really made the shift for me, is that nobody else gets to call the shots in my life. And when I'm saying nobody, I mean nobody. Not my parents, not my partner at the time, not the person that I'm working for, not the company.

Prerika: And that was actually so powerful for me because I hear this so much and I felt like this, you know, is if I am busy during the day and I don't have time and I'm feeling overwhelmed, I would attribute it to the fact that I have this job, right, this demanding job. But guess what? I chose that job. I knew management consulting is, you know, is going to be that way, and I'm in charge of my choices. And so that simple shift of, like, I get to decide.

Prerika: It's not because of something that's happening outside of me, but everything that's going on in my life, if I'm feeling overwhelmed, stressed, it is a choice that I make, and I have a choice to decide otherwise. I could have chosen any other career. I could still move to a different company. I could choose not to be promoted. You know, there's all the choices there.

Prerika: And so I think having that realization that I have choice, I have agency in my life really changed everything for me. And I would say the second realization is that even though I get to decide and I'm saying yes to things and no to things, if things don't work out the way that I feel they should, that's okay too. And being okay with, hey. I might set my boundaries and say no to things in the corporate world or even in my personal life, and people may push back, and that is okay. And I'm okay with the consequences, and I can accept those.

Prerika: So I think those are the two big things for me, Erica.

Erica: Hey there, listeners. If you have ever felt like you're stuck in a place, held back by self doubt, perfectionism, or that pesky inner critic, you're not alone. We all face those sticky floors that keep us from reaching the heights we dream of. But guess what? It's time to shatter those limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities.

Erica: My book, Glassy Leads and Sticky Floors, is your ultimate guide to smashing through barriers, overcoming limiting beliefs, and stepping into your full potential. This book has been endorsed by none other than the great Mel Robbins, best selling author and motivational powerhouse. It's also been featured in Success Magazine, so you know it's packed with insights that work. Inside, you'll find real life sticky floor stories, practical strategies to help you navigate your own sticky floor moments, and a whole lot of inspiration to keep you climbing. This isn't just a book.

Erica: It's your roadmap to success, confidence, and freedom. Grab your copy of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors today at www.ericaandersonrooney.com. Whether you're in the boardroom, the classroom, or just starting out, this book is for you because no one, and I mean no one, deserves to stay stuck, no one deserves to feel small, and you have glass ceilings to shatter. Let's do this. So I wanna kinda take this discussion about the shoulds, and I wanna apply it to sticky floors.

Erica: And I wanna hear, like, where in this transition from corporate to to coaching, where did your sticky floors exist? And did they hold you back? Did you kind of attack them head on? What did this look like for you?

Prerika: Such a good question. So I think for me with the shoulds, it was a lot about what does success look like. Right? Success is supposed to look like this. Success should look like this.

Prerika: And for me, frankly, it was all about working for a prestigious, well known company and having a certain title and pay. And my sticky floor was really, what am I trying to create in my life? Right? What do I want my legacy to be, and what does my success look like, which for me actually was about impact. So I went and created that mission statement that you read out at the beginning of this of this podcast because that's my North Star.

Prerika: And I had never done that before. I had never thought about what do I want, what can I create, what is gonna light me up, and what is going to be the best thing for me, and why am I here? And I realized, you know, my ultimate purpose isn't just to be a successful leader in consulting. I want other people to feel empowered like I do. So I hope I've answered your question.

Erica: Oh, absolutely. And I love this because that simple question of what is success, I think so many people skip over it. They're like, no. No. No.

Erica: We all know what success is. And it's like, but have you actually done the work to think about what is success for you and what outcome? But, like, peel that onion back a little bit to think about why is that important. Because just like you, I wanted the title. I wanted dollars.

Erica: I wanted the house. Like, those were all of the check marks, which again ties back to your should. But, like, don't skip this very basic important question. Sit down, get a pen and paper, and do the work because, like you said, you come back to legacy. You come back to what impact do you wanna have on the world, and that is so powerful.

Prerika: And I love everything that you said, Erica. Sorry to cut in, but You're fine. It's a very simple question. You're right. And I think that's why people underestimate the importance and impact of it is because it feels so simple.

Prerika: It's like, of course, I know my why. Of course, I know my purpose. But, actually, if you dissect it and do the work like you said, you find out that so much of your purpose and your why has come to you from other people. Right? It could be what you've learned in school.

Prerika: It could be your, your peer group. It could be your parents, your upbringing, whatever it is, but it actually is not coming from you.

Erica: Yeah. It takes time to unravel that. Like and I feel like I'm still sometimes unraveling things where I'm like, I did not know I held so tightly to that belief or that idea. So totally get it. One thing I do wanna talk to you about, because you are so knowledgeable on this, is superpowers.

Erica: And I do feel a little bit like it's a buzzword. I've heard it a lot recently. What is your unique superpower, though? And then how has that unique superpower influenced your career?

Prerika: So I think one of my biggest superpowers is being able to uphold my boundaries. I think that is what has served me so well, and and I think it's not like the typical superpower like we think of, like, somebody might say they're super smart or they're analytical. But for me being able to uphold my boundaries, I think is a very important power, and a very important part of becoming the CEO of your life. Because, again, going back to that initial analogy, if we think of the CEO of the company, that person has such strong boundaries. And so something comes across their desk, they're not just saying yes to everything.

Prerika: They're not able to accept every social commitment. They have limited time. They have a specific mission in mind, and they are only accepting and doing things in accordance to that. And so for me, those boundaries have been so transformational, but I will give, you know, a warning, and I I alluded to this earlier. When you have strong boundaries, you are gonna get pushback from people.

Prerika: And I think that's something that I didn't I didn't realize initially or I was not prepared for. But for most of us in this world, we're taught to be flexible. We're taught to be adaptable. We're taught to basically be in that people pleasing and be likable. And so when you start saying no to things or you're not accepting everything that is coming past your desk, people are going to raise eyebrows.

Prerika: They're gonna find it strange, and you will get that pushback at work, you know, in your corporate life, and you will get it in your personal life. But in the long term, it will really, really empower you and create that confidence for you.

Erica: Okay. I love this because so many people struggle with boundaries, including myself. So how can we start to uphold boundaries? Because I think it is so easy. I am guilty of it.

Erica: I have said I'm gonna protect my peace more in 2024. I'm gonna watch my calendar. I'm gonna set time limits. And then I look at my calendar, and it's a freaking disaster. So how can we really be intentional with these boundaries and do it successfully?

Erica: Yeah. So I

Prerika: think the first place to start is always clarity and awareness. So if you take a look at how you feel throughout the day, your energy, that's gonna guide you. And what I mean is, like, where are you feeling drained and tired? And that is going to be where you're giving away your power and energy. Right?

Prerika: Because that is what's gonna create you feeling tired and exhausted. And so first, we wanna start tracking that. Right? And I like to just break it down simply so you have your relationships in your life, family, friends, partner, etcetera. You've got that one area.

Prerika: You've got the area of health and fitness, maybe. You've got your career, and then you might have another category. And so I want you to start looking at where are you spending your time and where are you feeling the most exhausted. And that is gonna be an indicator, first of all, where you're giving away your power. And then I want you to think about as you're making decisions and as you're saying yes to things, how many times are you saying yes when you really mean no?

Prerika: Mhmm. Right? And you'll know that because it's not a quick decision. It's gonna be like a back and forth of, like, I should do this, and that would be the right thing to do. And if you have that, it should be it's the right thing dialogue playing in your head as you're making that decision, and that's how you're being guided to say yes, you know very clearly that there is a boundary breach there.

Prerika: So that's number one of knowing where you're not upholding your boundaries. Right? The second place to, take a look, which you talked about, Erica, is I like to do a time audit. So I like to really think about, like, you you know, we're at the beginning beginning of the year now. A lot of people are thinking about their goals, personal goals for the year.

Prerika: And I want you to think about you've got all these goals for your life. How does that align with how you're spending your time? So I'll give you an example. A lot of people come to me. You know, clients will say, I really want to, have a robust social life.

Prerika: Right? I want to kind of turn my attention to family and friends. And if I look at their calendar, maybe 5% of their time is going towards the things that they supposedly say matters. Right? And I get it.

Prerika: We all you know, we need an income. We have to work. Of course, those things are true, but I want you to start getting honest with yourself about how you spend your time and how that aligns with goals because, again, that's gonna show you where your boundaries are not fully aligned. So I'm gonna pause there and see if that makes sense so far.

Erica: Oh, it absolutely does. And that is something that I'm working through, like, as the needle movers. And we'll take, like, a really high level example of even this morning, I had some choices. I could either go fold the laundry in the morning when I'm, like, at my peak creative time, or I could go and do some of the creative work for my business that I need to do it. Right?

Erica: Historically, I've been very bad. I'm like, I've gotta hold this laundry. It's gotta get done. And I really had to sit with myself, Priyanka, and I was like, okay. That's a should.

Erica: Right? Oh my gosh. We're having realizations as we go here. But I was like, can I move this laundry chore to the end of the day because it requires no brain power and then kind of move this around? So a 100%, I love a good time audit.

Erica: I think it is essential to really understanding if you are attacking the needle movers. Because for my business, is is laundry a needle mover? Absolutely the hell not. Right? Absolutely not.

Erica: But is the creative time that I got to pour into, you know, my business this morning, needle mover? Absolutely. So I love what you're saying.

Prerika: Absolutely. And I'm sure you didn't think about for this year, you weren't like, hey. One of the goals that I have is I wanna make sure that all my laundry is folded on time. I'm sure you thought about, hey. What is my business going to look like?

Prerika: Right? But then we get into the day to day of those shoulds and everything changes. Right? Now the second thing is what is the practicality of that? So you talked about, okay, we can shift it to a different time, which I love because I think that people do operate in certain flow states, and you want to make sure that you are optimizing your productivity according to what that looks like.

Prerika: Sure. The second thing, though, is getting support. And I mean this both in your professional life and personal life, which we really don't think about, especially as women and especially as underrepresented people. We have this huge burden and this narrative of we need to do everything. We need to do everything ourselves, and it has to be perfect.

Prerika: Right? And so it's breaking that down and saying support could look like so many different things. Support could look like you paying somebody else to do it. It could look like you asking for help from somebody in your household. Right?

Prerika: It could be that you let go of certain activities. Right? And so I'll be honest with you. When I'm really working, I'm not too worried about folding my clothes. I might just make sure that my laundry's done, and then I'm just putting everything in the closet, and then it is what it is.

Prerika: Right? And so you really need to think about your priorities because is it more important for me to be on a podcast and get the message out, or am I really thinking about all these little tasks that I need to do? Right? Or the other example that I love is, like, cooking versus Uber Eats. Right?

Prerika: Outsourcing that task of is it important for me to even though I want to cook and and, create meals, should I be doing that, or can I outsource that and then focus on what I want? And so that's gonna be an important part of becoming that CEO. And, again, going back to the analogy, think about the CEO of the company. Is that person doing every single role in the company, or are they mostly delegating and outsourcing those things?

Erica: It's such a powerful vision being that CEO. Right? And I'm just thinking back to all of the CEOs I've ever worked with and for. Like, hell no. They're not doing that stuff.

Erica: They're not even, like, entertaining doing those things. And you said, let go of things. And that is such a powerful tool, and it is going to be a struggle for all of my friends here who struggle with perfectionism and thinking that it all has to be a certain way. Right? Case in point, I love a nice made bed in the morning, but my husband gets up after me.

Erica: So does that bed ever get made? No. So, like, letting go of the things so that you can focus on what is actually going to matter. So powerful.

Prerika: Yes. And I love that example because, again, you see how that should creeps in because at some point, we have that narrative or we learned that, you know, if you are successful or you want to have these certain things in your life, you have to make your bet. That is the first thing that you do, and so it is actually coming from that place of should rather than something that aligns truly with what you want and what your goals are.

Erica: And, also, nobody's seeing my bed. Nobody sees that damn bed, okay, except for myself, my husband, and my kids. And do you think one person cares if I took time to make the bed? I'm a tell you. The answer is no.

Erica: They absolutely do not. So staying on the message of superpowers, because I love this, how if somebody's listening and they're like, I I just don't know what my superpower is, how can they figure out what that superpower is so that they can really go all in and use that to become the CEO of their own life?

Prerika: Such a good question. So first of all, I sometimes like to use lists because when we're starting from scratch, it feels, again, overwhelming and, like, a lot of work to think about that for yourself. But what I like to do is you can go online if you're part of chief. You know, chief has this as an activity as well. You can go online and take a look at a list of superpowers and just do a self assessment of what do I really feel like I align with.

Prerika: And you can also think about what do others say about you. Right? What do you hear the most? What do others say about you? And really use that list as a starting point and thinking about what your actual superpower is.

Prerika: And be careful not don't fall into the trap of what you think, again, it should be or what you want it to be. Because a lot of us are tempted to be like, I want it to be this thing, and so that is your superpower. But think about what is it really? What is it that has made you so successful up till this point in your life that you can really say is propelling you forward? And so I like to start at that place.

Prerika: And as time goes on, again, this is something that is dynamic. It's not that if you have the superpower, that's what it's gonna be for the rest of your life. It's gonna change and grow. But I like to have a couple that I identify with and that are working for me and pushing me forward for a certain amount of time. It could be a year.

Prerika: It could be six months. But I like to just check-in. I like to review the list and see, you know, where I'm at. And so I think that's a really good place to start.

Erica: Such a good point. Alright. So you're a boundary queen. That is superpower number one. I'm just curious.

Erica: What is another one right now?

Prerika: So I the other one that I love to talk about also is you know, I talked about this earlier, I think, more in a negative connotation, but because I have such strong boundaries, I'm able to be flexible in other areas. So what I mean by that is, you know, if I look back maybe even three, four years ago, I used to be so pressed for time. I was so stressed out, Erica. Everything was just scheduled back to back to back that if somebody was late at you know, to dinner or even for a meeting, that would just set me off because

Erica: it would throw up my whole Yep.

Prerika: It would throw up my whole schedule. It was just, like, the worst thing if somebody was late or they canceled. It was like, it's not gonna work. But now because I am so precise and so specific about how I'm spending my time, what are my priorities, what do I wanna give my energy to, that if somebody is running late, somebody misses a meeting, it really you know, it's easy for me to be flexible and be flexible with that person and adapt to the situation because I've got so much more time, and I've got that cushioning built in into my schedule. And so I think that's really my second superpower is that I'm able to adapt to different situations and just different needs that people have, again, as long as those people and those activities fall into my priorities.

Erica: I love that. And it actually leads me to this question that I have now, which is can we develop superpowers? Right? Like, I'm hearing what you say. Don't think about what you want your superpower to be, but, like, if I know I need to be a boundary queen like you, can I develop that?

Erica: Is that even a thing?

Prerika: 100%. Right? I think that you have everybody has certain strengths that they, you know, are born with or that they, you know, really feel comfortable using, but you can absolutely have a goal for yourself and develop any strength, any superpower that you want. Right? Again, it it's about intention and clarity around, okay.

Prerika: If this is my priority this year, this is something that I'm gonna have to work on. I'm gonna need this skill. I'm gonna need this superpower. So you absolutely can.

Erica: I love that. Right? It means not all hope is lost. It just means you gotta get intentional, and you have to be really focused and go back to your steps that you provide us. Right?

Erica: Awareness and clarity. Working on that time on it. Are you staying true to it? Oh my gosh. This is amazing because these are actual tangible steps that people can do, and they can start to really focus in.

Erica: And I'm just feeling like it's gonna create a lot more peace in people's lives.

Prerika: And I think that's the goal, Erica. I think you're so right. I think we ultimately think about all these things that we want. And at the end of the day, the value of having that peace of mind is, I think, the most important thing about feeling good about what you're doing, having that peace, being able to sleep well at night. That is actually, I think, what most people are really wanting.

Erica: It's so true because when you are doing those back to back schedules, you are stressed the hell out. Right? Like, you're not happy. You're not at peace. You are biting your fingernails, you know, just digging in, and things are hard when you go that way.

Erica: But when you kind of create that space where you can protect your boundaries and live with intention, I love it because that's how you become the CEO of your own life. Amazing. Mhmm. Well, Priyanka, I've got a question for you, and I love to end my podcast with this. But what is the one piece of advice that you would give the Priyanka who was doing the shoulds and following that life template knowing everything you know now?

Prerika: Such a good question. I would just say that no matter what choice you make, because I think this is the other part of perfectionism and being a woman and being someone who's someone who is underrepresented, is we always think that there is a right choice to make and a wrong choice. And we're burning so much energy. We're creating so much stress and stepping out of being the CEO of our life to do that because we think one choice is right and one choice is wrong. And so I would go back to myself and say, no matter what choice you've made or you're making, you're always making the best decision that you can in the moment given the information you have.

Prerika: Right? And so every decision is gonna be a good decision. Right? And hindsight is always twenty twenty, and don't waste your time and energy thinking about I could have and I should have and all of those things because every decision you've made till now was the perfect decision.

Erica: I tell people all the time, we will all have the gift of hindsight one day, but today is not that day. Right? Like, so you just you make the best decision that you can. Well, Priyanka, I don't know about you, but everybody who's listening should probably be real fired up about being the CEO of their own life. So if they wanna work with you and reach out so that they can start to take back their power, how can they find you?

Erica: How can they work with you?

Prerika: Yes. Thanks for asking. So my company is called Inspiration Careers with an s at the end, and you can visit my website, inspirationcareers.com. And I've got a couple of ways to work with me. You can sign on to be a private client.

Prerika: I also have a group program that is launching at the end of the month that is specifically around career. So come join me. Come work with me. And, again, thank you so much for having me as a guest on this podcast.

Erica: Oh, thank you. And I will link all of that in the show notes if you wanna work with her because, trust me, you don't wanna waste another minute not being the CEO of your own life. Priyanka, thank you.

Prerika: Thank you.

Erica: Wow. Wow. Wow. A massive thank you to Prerrika for sharing her wisdom and guiding us towards becoming the CEO of our own lives. Now it's time for action.

Erica: Y'all don't just listen. Seriously, dive in and start with that one simple question. What does success look like for you? 2024 is the year that we start embracing our superpowers, We set those boundaries, and we design a life that aligns with who we want to be, who our true self is. Now head over to inspirationcareers.com to connect with Prerrika and start that transformative journey today.

Erica: I want you to remember that the power to shape your destiny, it lies with you. You have the control. You are the one that also controls what ceilings you put on your life, and you have the control to break through them. Until next time friends, make sure you are shattering those damn ceilings.