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. 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. Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Me, I'm Erica Rooney. And today, I have Shauna Griffiths. And Shauna, by day, is chief client officer for CMD, but she is also the founder of SLG Impact, a purpose driven platform born out of the need and desire to maximize impact, evolving both people and brands. Now Shauna is also a podcast host of the podcast This with Shauna Griffiths, real talk, real leaders. So I am super excited to have Shauna. She is a high energy individual just like me, so y'all may wanna turn the volume down. Just aint here right now. But Shauna, welcome. It's so great to have you.

Shauna: Oh, Erica, thank you so much. I was so excited when you reached out to me, and then I know we just hit it off on our call. I felt like we could have talked the entire day. So Oh,

Erica: we absolutely could have.

Shauna: Yeah. I love what you're doing, and I saw your post recently of having over a thousand downloads. So congratulations. Yeah. So thank you so much for having me. Hi, everybody.

Erica: Well, before we dive in, I would love to kinda go back to the beginning and just hear a little bit more about who you are and how you kinda got to this spot in your life.

Shauna: Yeah. Oh, goodness. How did I get to this spot?

Erica: How did how did we get here?

Shauna: No. I know really. How the hell did I get here? Not very pointedly, I would say. I think that I was actually had someone on my show recently, Jen Matthews, who was amazing, and she's vice president of brand strategy at FanDuel. And when she was talking, she was talking about how, like, how strategic all of her moves were in her career. And I was like, oh, wow. Or, like, I hear these people who they went to school for marketing, and and then that's exactly what they did. And I was like, I just was playing basketball in undergrad, and I was like, that's all I wanted to

Erica: do. Ball too. Not even.

Shauna: And then I mean, I literally didn't I mean, market I have my career has been in marketing and marketing related things like partnerships and but I did not take one marketing course in undergrad. I took a lot of psychology, which I think is very related to marketing. And then I, again, like, went to grad school. I got my MBA, but, like, I was running cross country at the time for the school. And so it was like, again, I was not really thinking about my work and where it was gonna land me as far where it was gonna point me as far as my career. And I actually ended up, like, following things that I was personally passionate about where with for me, it was, like, brands or areas of work. So at first, it was with Nike. I was obsessed. I literally had swooshes on my car in the windows decals. And so I did two I kinda call them, like, stint seasons with Nike. They would place you at a WNBA team, and that's how I got my exposure to working in the NBA family. And then from there, my kind of passions, aka obsession, went from Nike to wanting to work in the NBA family. I just again, I had played basketball since I was 10 years old, and it was so familiar to me. And so it was like I don't know. It was like a second family to me type thing. Just the game and everybody involved. So then so I made my way into working in the NBA family. And so and I was I'm really grateful that I was able to enter into the marketing side because a lot of times people do it through the ticket sales side. But I I started at what's now the G League, which is the minor league sort of for the NBA. But when you're at that level, you're doing everything. I was doing the marketing, doing the media buying, advertising. I was selling tickets, selling corporate partnerships. So I got a taste of everything, and I was like, oh, I love marketing. And then I think, again, it was like, I would get these sort of passions. So it's like, it's because I I would was able to be there. I was like, okay. The next thing I wanna do was actually get to the to the NBA because I was in the mind that the with it's like I said, it was called the d league. Now it's the g league, but it was, like, it was supposed to be developing people in the front office as much as it was on the play on the field of play. So I literally started calling, like, every single NBA team saying, like, the marketing department saying, like, hi. I'm Shauna. This is my story. And do you have an opportunity? Do you have any openings? And so that's kind of how I made my way, and I landed at the then New Jersey Nets. Was there for seven and a half years. And then I've always had a part where I'm I've been driven by wanting to be as evolve myself to be as valuable of a resource as possible. And so for me, it was like, how do I continue to add skills and experience that would add I I kinda call it, like, tools to my toolbox, I I think I said. So so so I looked at my resume one day. I was, like, in my well, I was writing rewriting it. I was in my early thirties, and I was like, oh, I'm a professional basketball marketer, which wasn't a bad thing. I mean, it's there. I was so proud, and, like, I loved what I was doing, but I felt I I wanted more experience. I wanted a, like, a wider kind of purview, so I went to the agency side. But nine and a half years in the agency side, lost my job rather abruptly because of the pandemic because I was again, I worked in the sports entertainment field that got that imploded. So yeah. So then so that's how I started SLG Impact and was first doing I actually started doing marketing and brand partnerships work for clients. I was able to do some really cool stuff. Worked with the Detroit Pistons to create their social justice platform. Worked with LEGO. Did their brand partnership strategy for their ninetieth anniversary. So and again, I again, I say these things not like I'm boasting, but, like, I'm actually I didn't have a it has to be a certain way, but I've I really was, like, aware, and it was a goal to evolve myself and to keep pushing forward. And so that's the way I made decisions, and that's the way I just kept for me, I feel like there's this finding a way to win is a bit of my motto. And so through that, I was able to through SLG Impact, I was able to start working in a contract basis for CMD. And it was funny because I I really wasn't totally sure. Was it it was a creative it is a creative agency. Yeah. And the role was to be chief client officer. And I was like, it's tangential to what I've done. But that's the kind of thing you're like, well, I'm gonna just throw myself into it and, like, build my wings on the way down. So but I think that's a big thing that I've done throughout is, like, you you jump. You you may not know that you how to do it or how you're gonna be successful. But, again, when I have the mindset of I'm going to find a way to win, that helps me to minimize the fear and just be able to go. So

Erica: You trust yourself enough to find that way.

Shauna: Yes. And sometimes it's even I don't trust myself, but I'm just gonna figure it out anyway because I think I I definitely have moments where I the imposter syndrome, all of that, and I'm very second guess and all. But I just really work to kinda try to turn that off, turn that brain off, and there's just no other option than to go and to find a way to win. And and I've not been someone who things have been, like, necessarily handed to me or done for me or things haven't, like, fallen in my lap. Mhmm. So for me, it's like you just work and find your way. So

Erica: One thing that through doing this podcast, almost all of the women that I've talked to, a lot of them are like, well, I don't know that, like, you I should be the one on this show because, like, I still have all these sticky floors. And I'm like, we all do. Like, that's the point. Exactly. Is that we're never really free from the sticky floors, but we become more aware of it, resilience, whatever you wanna call it. Right? Like and and you have the look back. Right? That look back period. And I've said it a couple of times on my podcast is, like, I sat on the idea of a podcast for six months because I was so worried about what other people would think of me.

Shauna: Mhmm.

Erica: Now I can look back and be like, okay. That was silly.

Shauna: Yeah.

Erica: Like, don't do that again. But inevitably, something like that will come up, but we can continue to evolve, which is kinda like what you were talking about as evolving self. Right?

Shauna: Yeah.

Erica: So next time, maybe it only takes me four months to sit on something. I don't know. The continual evolvement. And then there might be a totally difference to keep more than I never had before because I've never been in that situation. 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. My book, Glass Ceilings 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. 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.

Shauna: Yeah. Yeah. It's really interesting too because I think at this point, I'm able to if something changes, whether it's out of my control or unexpected, I it doesn't necessarily throw me on my heels. And I actually just had this the other day where with my podcast, I'm gonna need to to figure out a new solution for my editing. And in the moment, like, in that very first moment, I was like, shit. And feeling like, oh, do I even wanna keep going? And I was like, wait. Wait a second. Hold on. Wait. And and I I had this I didn't have to talk myself into it. It just, like, naturally happened where I was like, wait a second. This is a moment for me to actually go like, oh, I've been doing that for it's it's literally a year in September. I've been doing it that way. This actually gives me a moment to pause and be like, oh, well, how can I do it? Is there, like, something different that I wanna do with it? Not quit. Find a solution for the editing, but it also just made me go, oh, maybe there's a new discovery here. Maybe there's this is gonna allow me to, like, evolve it in a new way, bring a fresh mind to the table, something. Or I've learned a new school set of skills and edit myself or whatever the thing is. But I think it's that over time, you kind of I think that we do learn to when we do hard things, we prove to our we prove ourselves to ourselves, and you're like, oh, I could do more hard things. And like you, I thought of doing a podcast. When I started, it was only a content series, and I had somebody else do the hosting because I was like, I'm not a host. I don't know what I'm doing. And so and so I think again, I've done it. I've proved myself to myself, and then it's like, oh, okay. Well, I can, you know, keep going and and find the next thing, and it just gets it's it's almost, like, easier to do hard things once you've proven yourself you could do them.

Erica: It is. It absolutely is. And one thing we do in my family, I have two small kids, mainly right now with my seven year old because he's old enough to kinda grasp it. He gets very frustrated when something doesn't come naturally to him as most kids do. Right? Like, this is stupid. I don't wanna do it anymore. I've talked to him about we do hard things. We don't just give up. Right? Like, we don't have a meltdown about it, and I try to relate it to things that interest him. Like, remember when you first started baseball? Like, you weren't good at it then, kid, and you couldn't hit the bat. Now you're doing great. So but we talk about we do hard things in this family. But, like, things are going to be hard. Right? Like, you got a lot harder things coming your way, kid. You're only seven, and you live a pretty privileged life. But I'm hoping to instill that mindset in him so that, you know, when he's older and he's out in the world, he's like, okay. I'm not just gonna give up and walk away because I now have to find a new editing solution. Too hard.

Shauna: Like, so Yeah.

Erica: Well, when you think about it, Shauna, like because you've got a pretty, I don't know, unique career and, like, unique story. Like, I really love it. Thank you. What what was, like, your big sticky floor moment through all of this that really just jumps into your mind?

Shauna: Gosh. How many I could

Erica: The biggest one.

Shauna: No. I mean, I think you and I talked about this the way I had my version of talking about sticky floors, like, how I, like, got in my old way. And I think that there were so many moments along my path that I think that it was more about my my own oh my gosh. Your dog in the background is so cute. Sorry. Everyone is listening. She has the cutest little dog nose. It just popped up. Put a picture of her

Erica: up so everybody could

Shauna: So cute. No. But I think that that the the self doubt, the sometimes thinking that people think of me more than they actually do. Those moments of paranoia. And, again, for me, it's like how I just think about the ways that I got in my in my own way throughout my career, and that was, like, again, I think some of that was, like, fear. I think that was, you know, not like, I I stayed, I stayed at the nets for seven and a half years, and that's wonderful and great. And at the same time, by staying like that, I some of that was, like, fear of trying something new, didn't know if I could cut it elsewhere, which I know sounds kind of crazy when I think about it because I'm like, gosh. I was 30 years old and director of marketing for an NBA team. Like, I'm I'm

Erica: pretty badass. Like, that's pretty great.

Shauna: I wanna crowd up that, but but that's a perfect example where it was like, I was busily, like, feeling negatively about myself and doubting myself and and being so hard on myself. And I think that's something that I has been my sister actually reminds me often that it's a bit of my, like, one of the best things and the worst things about me for me is that I'm very hard on myself or I'm critical in those kind of things. And it was all it's interesting because I've not been someone who necessarily worries what other people think about me. I'm kind of my own I love actually being a little bit weird, but it's that that self doubt that that that I know has held me back in time. And, like, then I went to the next agency job, and I stayed there for nine and a half years. And there were a lot of things that were not healthy about the environment. And but I held myself back, I know, by staying and and doing some of those things. So, again, it's kind of a re reoccurring theme as I've talked about this. And and just being honest, it's not something that I'm necessarily proud of having meet these challenges. But I think that I do think talk about being honest. So I also think that I I've dealt with anxiety throughout my life.

Erica: Yeah.

Shauna: And there when I finally came to a point where I was like, I can't just breathe and do yoga and take sleep, those kind of things. I can't this is actually something I need to get help for. And because it's a chemical imbalance, and so I actually went to the doctor. And that was a huge change for me. And so and that was maybe, like, four or so years ago. And so I think that even that as an example, I was in my own way because for some reason, I didn't wanna take medication. Yeah. And but then when I just allowed myself to get out of my own way, stop being so hard on myself, gets these are things that kind of help me feel it's like if I think of an onion, peel the layers of an onion away, and then I can just be. And, yeah, I still deal with anxiety and things like that. But when I'm making choices, I can really dial into the self awareness Mhmm. Protect myself. I'm like, okay. Wait a second. Like, do I really actually need to be insecure in this moment? Do I really actually need to be hard as I am on myself? Or, like, oh, let me actually recognize where I am and what I'm doing and so I can be kinder to myself along the journey. Yeah. That was a long answer.

Erica: No. But that was great. And you touched on a lot of things that I think are super important. And one question and this is gonna lead to, like, another part question. But when you talk about your anxiety and the resistance, the initial resistance to go and seek medication and professional help. Right? Did you care if other people did or only you? No. It wasn't. It was just me, and it was more of

Shauna: yeah. It was not a judgment whatsoever. And, actually, like, I've I've think that I'm a proponent of people doing what they need to do to get help, and I've been in therapy since I was, like, a kid. And Right. Over time and stuff. And so but it was just my hang up for myself. I didn't

Erica: What I'm saying is, like, do you Yeah. It was this hang up of, like, I should be able to deal with this.

Shauna: Yes.

Erica: I should be able to work through this and not have all these feelings of anxiety. Well, I'm gonna keep trudging forward.

Shauna: I think that was part

Erica: of it. I also think part of

Shauna: it was, like, I didn't know how to go ask for help. And so what I ended up doing is just going and saying, I'm not here saying I need this and you need to do this, doctor. I'm here because I cannot take it anymore. Yeah. And I need you I need your counsel. Yeah. And so but I had to be open to it, and I had to because a lot of times somebody asked me this just the other day about, like, I I believe that the the first part of that journey is actually where you can that self awareness and then opening yourself up to that guidance, that healing, whatever the thing is. Because if we just immediately like, somebody else says, oh, you need medication or that kind of thing. Sometimes it feels like we're trying to probably fix something from the outside in. And so I'm grateful. I'm not really sure how I came to the, I guess, the route of, that approach, but I just, I mean, I went and I sat in his office, and I'm, like, crying. And it was simply because a bit of that, like, release of, like, I'm gonna let myself just

Erica: Yeah.

Shauna: I'm I'm here, and I'm I'm get to your point, like, sort of, like, put down the warrior warrior Shauna to take my armor off and feel like I can't fight this anymore. And so I think it's a really good point that you just made. I think it was that element where I was like, no. I should be able to fight through this. I should be able to fix this myself.

Erica: And I feel like that's so common for high achieving women. It's like that. If I admit that I need to get on medication or admit I need to see a therapist, which, by the way, I do all of these things too Yeah. That my mother loves to say better living through chemistry.

Shauna: Yeah.

Erica: Like, it it makes me someone who's less capable of dealing. Right? When let's say there's somebody out there who needs to go on blood pressure medication, we're not like, well, your heart can't deal with this. So Yeah. So it's it's a real thing, but it it does have a stigma. Right? Yeah. Whether or not you believe I think there's some deep rooted things that everybody has heard about if you have to do this and people have thoughts and other people are open to medication and therapy and all of those things, but it helps. And I actually I had a really great conversation. It's one of my earlier episodes with Adriana Crawford, and she says, you have to find your tribe. And I don't mean, like, your sister friends. She's like, your tribe of professionals. Yeah.

Shauna: She's like, you need your doctor.

Erica: You need your therapist. You need your coach. And I was like, that is a great way to put it.

Shauna: I got a lot

Erica: of great friends, but they cannot help me with some of those things.

Shauna: No. No. It's so true. And and kind of in a similar way, I often think about the fact that we get we we get, like, teaching and coaching and for so many things, but then when it comes to well, I don't actually when it I guess we get professional help for so many things. Like, literally, you go to a hairdresser. I mean, most people do. Many people do. I do. You might go to a nail salon. You might go all of these things. Right? But but but then someone's gonna pause on actually working with someone to help, to to help ourselves be operate at our peak performance or help us with our the just the journey and coaching and all of that. And it's like, it's it's it's when you think about it that way, it's actually kinda screwed up. You're like, wait a second.

Erica: Right. I'm getting help for my hair, or I'm getting my Botox, or I'm getting my pedicure, whatever, but, like, I'm not gonna go take care of my mental health.

Shauna: That's I

Erica: can do myself.

Shauna: Exactly. Something that's so critical to to the journey. And that's also the thing about coaching. I believe in coaching. I've had an amazing coach, Leslie Harrison, I've worked with for years. It's so helpful. And, again, it's like leader being a high achieving person, being a high achieving woman as as I am, you are, I I think that it sometimes it can feel lonely, and there's no real book. There are 50,000,000 books out there. That's not what I mean. But there is no, like, do it. The this is how

Erica: you prescriptive formula that's gonna get

Shauna: there. Exactly. And so there is an element of figuring it out along the way. You're literally as how how many times do you hear people saying in work or work situations that you're building the plane while you're flying it?

Erica: That's

Shauna: literally people do that all the time with companies that they're the service offering they provide and everything. Literally, that's what we're doing with our career journeys, with our life journeys. Yeah. And so I think we're like, it just to soldier on by yourself and figure it out all alone Yeah. And then be hard on yourself that you're not where you think you should be or you didn't do this on whose timeline. And that's again these are all things that I've figured out over time, but and I also can say these things now knowing that along the way, some of those things were my, as you call it, like, sticky floor type thing. I was getting in my own way because of not not having resources, not using resources, and then having a mindset where, you know, I had to figure it all out on my own, which I think just comes from, like, a my background coming up. Like, I just in in my life, I had to kind of figure out things on my own.

Erica: Yeah. I mean, all of that. Right? Like and the beautiful thing about sticky floors is a lot of them kinda intertwine. Like, you can name it any which way, and then you get to talking and you're like, wow. We have the same sticky floor even though I called mine anxiety and you called yours getting in your own way.

Shauna: But then you're talking

Erica: and they're like, but it's the same thing.

Shauna: It's the same thing. Exactly.

Erica: But I do I mean, all of those are huge and especially for women in these leadership type roles that they have that have the weight of the world on their shoulders, right, that are often leading teams that are responsible for other people. Like you said, it's lonely at the top too. I would say as I have climbed the corporate ladder, like, that's when my anxiety started keying up.

Shauna: Mhmm. Yeah.

Erica: And then also at the same time too, the higher you go, at least for me, I felt like the less I could show that. Right? Because I'm supposed to be a leader. I'm supposed to be calm under pressure. All of those expectations Yeah. It's like, well, where the hell do I go with all this? Like, I do go to bed with worries. So I do have a hard time shutting down because of things I'm stressed about. Oh. I'm thinking too much about how a certain interaction that somebody went. And like you said, I loved when

Shauna: you said it earlier earlier, and you're like,

Erica: I don't think people are thinking about me as much as I am. But it's like, I have to remember that a little bit more.

Shauna: My my coach, Leslie Harrison, said says that sometimes, and he actually said it the other day. I was telling that I had this moment where I had to realize, like, whatever was going on with someone else had nothing to do with me. And we just I'll tell you a lot of times we, like, make this up in our brain that if the person's quiet or the person hasn't gotten back to us, we've upset them. They're mad at us. We did something wrong, or or they don't like us or whatever the thing is. And that's what he he said it just yesterday. He was he was like, yes. I totally agree with you. We have a tendency to think people are thinking of us more than they actually are. And I was like, oh

Erica: my god.

Shauna: And and I loved it when he said it. It's such a good one.

Erica: It's kinda funny. But you're like,

Shauna: oh, shit.

Erica: My bad. Like, okay. I'll just back out slowly. I just put myself in there.

Shauna: But this is this is actually one of them. I'm glad we're talking about this because as as the audience is listening, I think that some of these things and why I'm as transparent as I am when I talk about all these things is because I believe that many of us suffer similarly. And I and I know that you you were saying that earlier. And so it's like, as we hear other people, they have these like, I tell these stories because I'm hoping that other people who are listening can go like, oh, okay. Maybe they remember that at a time. And then it helps other people get through those moments. And, I mean, there's so many time that's how I can get through a moment that I will allow myself to either not get in my way or more quickly get out of my way because I remember these little nuggets or these experiences that I've had. And then because, again, it's all about that movement forward, that impacting of the the the more I can do that, the more I can have what's hopefully a positive impact on. And that that's where the brand SLG impact comes from. It's just because I feel so passionate about it. It's like, hopefully, I could have that positive impact on evolving myself, about helping to impact others, their evolution, whether it's a brand I'm working with or a person that I'm working with.

Erica: Yeah. No. Absolutely. And, I mean, that's that's a big reason why I started this podcast is because I'm all about sharing those stories because they're the hard stories. They're the ugly stories, the stories nobody wants to talk about, the stories we're not necessarily so proud about. Right? But we've got all over LinkedIn, like, how we've just so gracefully gotten to where we've we've been with no problems either. It is savory. So I'd love I don't wanna say I love to share it all. Like but I do think that there is power in telling those stories, especially for people who may not have gone through it yet, who are going through it. But it just it just shows that, like, we all have connection and communities through these similar stories. Right? And expect these women, it's different for us. Like, yes, this does happen to men. I'm not saying it doesn't, but it is different for women.

Shauna: Yeah. Yeah. I just I I really value being able to be authentic. And then when I see other people operating as authentic leaders as as I see in you, I just I think we have an ability to relate or maybe cut through with people in a different way. I mean, how many times have you seen someone who's just being a mouthpiece or you're like, oh my god. That is not that's just You don't mean

Erica: dab Yeah.

Shauna: Here's a talking head. That's just something that you think sounds good, but just be real for a minute. And so I just think it's that's why I think it's really important. And sometimes that comes in showing your words. Like, you said something earlier that that really that that triggered me to think of this, and that's when working with staff, a lot of times, I will just say, I don't have all the answers. And because a lot of times, just as much as we're expecting ourselves to figure it out, if you're in a seat of leadership, other people assume that you've got it all figured out or that you've got all the answers. And, like, look at what's happened in the pandemic and in business, and we are all we're still

Erica: None of us knew what we were doing.

Shauna: None of us. But and there's, like, so many people who are coming up in our care that are looking to us being like, tell well, tell me what to do. Keep me safe. Yeah. And so it's been it's just been a I just it's been a really interesting time where I think that it's been even more helpful for me with staff and client partners and stuff just to be really as authentic as I can possibly be. Yeah. None of us are perfect, and I don't wanna I'm not striving to be. I just wanna strive to continue to evolve, and that's a never ending process, I believe.

Erica: Yeah. No. That's something that, like, for my team, we really try to embrace failure and own failure. Right? Because and I think we've done a really great job of it. And I have a girl on my team, and she'll call me all the time. And she'll be like, well, I think I effed up today. Let me tell you what I did. And I'm like, oh, is it a big one or a little one? Like, what are we talking about here? And most of the time, it's small, but it's like when you just address the situation Yeah. Fix it and move on. Right?

Shauna: Totally.

Erica: Those those cultures that create this, like, you have to do everything perfect, or we're gonna put a little ding on your on your file or whatever. And I also try to create a very real space for my team. Right? Like, my team, some of them are moms, some of them are pet owners, some of them all all different life circumstances. Right? But I try to just create the space of, like, you do what you gotta do first. Like, I trust you as a human being to show up, do a good job at work, but, like Yeah. I know you're a human. And Yeah. And part of that starts with me doing the same thing to be like, look, guys. Shit's falling apart at home right now. I'm gonna be dark for a little bit while I get this kid under control.

Shauna: Yeah.

Erica: I'll be back. Right. And then that invites anyone else on my team who may be a mom that has Yeah. That he's going off the handle to step away. Or if I miss a meeting for whatever reason, well, guys, totally missed that meeting. This is what happened. It invites them that it is okay if that happens.

Shauna: I love that you use that word invites, and it it's so important. I think part of it is the way we behave does, it it's, like, becomes be we have to remember that that's behavior that people may model, whether that's positive or negative. Right? But I think the word and I think that the tangential to that is the word invite. I think that the way we behave also gives that invitation to others to behave in a certain way. And I think sometimes we literally need to invite someone to, like, whether it's, like, giving us feedback. When it's like, no. I'm I'm inviting you. I'm asking I'm giving permission. And so I think that by you operating that way, by you talking with them that way, I think it's creates a much different reality for someone to actually feel like they can breathe and be human and not a robot in in your care as as with you leading them. And Yeah. I think that, again, I think you hear people talk about, like, a safe space, and that's so important. You create that safe space for your team and you to work in. And then chances are are people can thrive and really be when they can bring their whole selves to work, when they can and everybody's gotta keep it on there's there's limits, of course, right, to, like Yeah. But but I think that that's just, like, you can actually breathe and feel safe at work and not constantly on pins and needle that you're gonna get caught. Or I got caught taking my kids to the doctor. What the hell was that?

Erica: That's exactly, like, where my brain was going is I was about to say growing up. Coming through my corporate career, I all the time remember feeling like I had to lie. Feeling like I had to lie if I needed to be home early for something or if I needed to take myself. I I have a lot of dent dentist appointment. I just threw my pens everywhere. I got a lot of dentist appointments because I felt like it wasn't a good excuse if I had to leave early to go to a kid play. Or, god forbid, like, I have to go to a kid play one day and then a kid play the next day, and it's two days in a row. Like, I specifically remember, like, coming up with different excuses, and I don't wanna I don't number one, I don't that doesn't sit well with me. It makes me feel icky. I don't want my team to feel that way. Like, if you got a kid thing every day, go do your kid thing. Figure out when you're gonna do your work. That's all.

Shauna: Yeah. Yeah. No. It's it's so important because I think it's also and I I really appreciate the way you said. Like, it just feels icky. Like, I have this I don't lie policy in life. Yeah. It's just like because it makes me feel crappy because, like like, I'm try I wanna trust myself. I want other people that I'm working with to be able to trust me. And then when you start lying, like, when do the lies stop, and where does the truth start and all of that? Yeah. And, I mean, here's the thing too is, like, if your staff catches you lying to them, well, then thing.

Erica: That's the whole zip ball game.

Shauna: Yeah. You very quickly start to you're you're actually working as a leader, hopefully I mean, all of us. Right? To earn and maintain people's trust by the way that you're operating as a leader, by the way you're operating as a business person. And then also just that's the thing where it's like, alright. Let's have some self awareness and check ourselves because you can very quickly erode that trust, and then where do you end up? And you have and and then we have no one to to, I guess, point at other than ourselves.

Erica: Mhmm.

Shauna: And so, again, I just it's a whole ecosystem of, like, how we operate, that that give and take, and that element of self awareness, and and checking of how are we actually, like, conducting ourselves and showing up every day. So and none of us are perfect. And so that also comes with the, like, when we when we screw up, when I screw up, shit. I messed up. Yeah. Like but that's also something that I think comes with that people appreciate because it's like everything we talked about here. Like, again, behavior people can model. You can be proud of yourself as you're carrying yourself forward, and people also feel safe that if they screw something up, they're not gonna be canned tomorrow because they made a mistake. Yeah. And what else it does

Erica: though too, it in it invites people to I don't wanna say celebrate, but highlights, I suppose, their sticky floors with other people. Right?

Shauna: Yeah. Yeah.

Erica: So if I'm out here saying, I really struggle because I worry about what people think of me, like thinking of launching my podcast, then my team knows it. Yeah. If they can come to the table and say, I really struggle with admitting mistakes, then we can work on that together. Because to your point, we're not perfect. Right? And like I told you before, like, yes, it is an evolving thing, but there will be other times when I hesitate to do something because of my concern of what other people are gonna think. It's just it's part of who I am, and it's something I have to work on. Right? Mhmm. But when I have people around me who realize that that isn't a sticky floor area where I struggle, they can help me through this.

Shauna: And they

Erica: can be like, Erica, you mentioned doing that for a little bit now. Like, what's holding you back? And I'm like, okay. It's me. It's sticky floor again. Here we go. You're like, it's a new ending. Here I am again. It's my own way. Employee. Yeah. Or, like, why didn't you apply for that job? -huh. Hey. You've been complaining about that job for a whole year now. Like, what's going on? Right? Like, we can start to hold our friends, our colleagues, our sisters accountable

Shauna: Yeah.

Erica: And kinda do that lovingly, like, you're gonna stay there again, aren't you?

Shauna: Yeah. Yeah. It's so true. And it's funny, like, I actually the whole topic of as you've talked about a couple times, like, females and and, this call it, like, community of women. I actually gained more of a sense of that through the pandemic, which was a really interesting thing for me Yeah. Which I just have been really grateful for. And I don't know. I just, like, I think I I I understand or relate to what you're saying a bit more now, like, because of the last couple of years Yeah. Where it's been really nice to see. A lot of times people think that women are not supportive of each other or that whole thing, but it's been really awesome to experience, especially, like I said, in the last few years, that coming together, that sharing, that camaraderie, and, like, how are we actually working to be resources for each other and a bit of that support network. So

Erica: Yeah. Absolutely. Well, Shauna, one thing I ask all of my guests is now that we are here and we know all the things that we know, what would you tell the Shauna who is out there kinda winging it, playing street ball, going through life, just figuring it out as she goes? What advice would you give her?

Shauna: Be patient, be adaptable, and, like, you will figure it out. And I think those are all things that again, I was talking earlier about handling anxiety. If you really think about it, those are all things that very much relate to this, like, swirl of anxiety of, like, lack of patience to solve something, not wanting to go through all that. So that adaptability, getting really thrown in moments when things change, And then that fear, that intense fear that it's not going to get better. It's, you're not going to figure it out. So I actually, as I say it, I get a little bit like, it'll feel exciting just because it brings up those I felt like that for a very long time coming up. So I think that if I it and I know at times, it still comes up for me. So I think that if I I I would love to have known those things, like, truly felt those things earlier in my journey. I think I would have probably felt less, and I say this with air quotes, suffering because I acknowledge that I've been very privileged in life on this earth comparatively speaking. So, again, I think that yeah. I think those would be my elements.

Erica: I think we can all take a lesson from All of those, but well, awesome. Well, where can people find you if they wanna get in touch with you?

Shauna: Yeah. So I'm on LinkedIn and pretty active. So plea and I am someone who connects and follows and and reciprocal. So please reach out to me on LinkedIn, Shauna Griffiths. I do have my EMD that for my job at CMD. You can also find CMD on LinkedIn, and we're gonna be doing some really cool transformational stuff in the next couple of months, so you can check that out. And then I do have slgimpact.com features, the links to the podcast, the blog, and signing up towards a monthly newsletter.

Erica: Oh, awesome. And I will link all of that stuff in the show notes. But, Shauna, thank you so much. It was so fun talking with you today.

Shauna: Super fun. Thank you. And I'm so glad to count you in my crew, Erica.