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. If you are a regular listener, you might have heard my episodes with Gabrielle Laura and Danielle Mueller, two amazing spiritual women who I've had on the show. And you might be asking, Erica, what in the world is up with all these spiritual posts that you've been doing lately? And if this is the first time that you're listening, but you're interested in the spiritual side of work, you are in the right place. Only recently have I dug into what it means to be spiritual.

Erica: And I wanna talk about it because I think this is the key to unlocking your true potential in your career and in your life. And it's also how I've been able to let go of comparison and learn to trust in the timing of my business. And I've got a simple four step plan for you that will really help you work on cultivating that trust with yourself and the universe that you definitely need to hear.

Erica: Let's kick this off by talking about what spirituality is. It is a deeply personal journey that involves seeking meaning, seeking purpose, and a connection that is greater than oneself. It's going to encompass beliefs, practices, values, and experiences that nurture the soul and promote growth. Now, whether that is religion, meditation, mindfulness, or anything else that you choose, spirituality to me is about finding inner peace and harmony while establishing this bond and a trust with the universe. And let me explain.

Erica: I never really considered myself a spiritual person. I didn't grow up going to church. I just really believed in being a good person, but really I just kept my head down. I focused on my work hitting certain milestones, all of those shoulds in life, like getting married, having kids, career success. And then I found myself at the top of the corporate ladder, all of this success sitting in the C-suite, looking around, and I was wondering, is this it?

Erica: Is that, is this all there is to it? Is this what success is? I'm in my freaking thirties. Y'all how can this be it? And that my friends is when I really started to dive into.

Erica: Purpose. A true meaning that was greater than just myself. That was greater than all of these shoulds that I had already accomplished. And my journey led me on a very interesting path. Probably one I never thought possible yet. So I really started to explore what the universe meant in my life plan.

Erica: And I accepted that I didn't know what my plan was. I mean, where I am today, certainly wasn't what I would have thought my plan was fifteen years ago. But I started to really acknowledge that there might just be more to it than what I've been thinking all along. And I started to acknowledge this interconnectedness with the world and with humankind. And I started to believe that there has to be some unseen force that guides our lives, that brings certain people in and out of our lives at just the right time and opportunities, all of those things. So I started reading books and one of my favorite books is called Signs, the secret language of the universe.

Erica: It's written by Laura Lynne Jackson. She is a psychic medium, which I will link this in the show notes. The book is freaking amazing y'all, but I couldn't ignore the fact that everything that we know about the universe, it fits into a symbol y'all. Yes. I said a symbol.

Erica: There is so much out there that we simply do not know that we can't even comprehend. So if you didn't listen to Danielle Mueller's podcast, go back and listen to it after you finish this one. She talks all about human design. And I wanna dive into this because human design is this fascinating concept that can have a massive impact on our lives and our careers, and who doesn't want that. But it is a system that integrates astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, and the chakra system to create a unique blueprint for an individual's life.

Erica: And y'all, you don't gotta know what all of those things are. I don't know what all those things are. But what I do know is that human design provides strengths, weaknesses, and how we can navigate the world in a more effective manner. As someone who is really all about time management and maximizing my time in my life, I absolutely want to know all about the strengths and the weaknesses and how we can navigate the world more effectively. Sign me up.

Erica: I'm in. But the concept is when you understand your own individual human design, you can tailor your decisions and your actions to align with your authentic selves, which then leads us to getting better results in a more fulfilling life. Again, sign me. Isn't that what we're all here for? Now I'm not the human design expert, so I'm not gonna go super deep into that, but I would love for you to go back.

Erica: Again, hit up Danielle's podcast episode and listen to me and her have an amazing conversation and do your own research. I would love to hear what you think about it. You know, if you're already all up in the human design world, I wanna know how it's working out for you. But what I really wanna dive in today, and where this is the real meat of the episode, it's in the four steps that I have for you to take to trust in the universe and how it can help guide you on your life. Even when you can't see the outcome.

Erica: Now, for me, this has been my biggest takeaway and lesson, and it has brought me so much more peace and trust in my own life and everything that I am doing, everything that I'm investing in, how I am spending my time and how I pour myself into my work. So what does it mean to trust in the universe? Basically, it means having faith that everything is unfolding exactly as it should, regardless of the challenges that you may face. And girl, that can be hard. How many times have you been knee deep in something and you just wonder like, should I give up?

Erica: Why is this taking so long? I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I'm not getting the results that I'm supposed to be getting by now. Like, why am I even doing this? Maybe it even led you to just give up on something, but not anymore.

Erica: Not you. Because these four steps are going to allow you to surrender control, to let go of resistance and allow the natural flow to guide you. Are you ready? Here's this four step plan. It will help you cultivate the trust in yourself and the universe.

Erica: So step one, surrender. Let go of the need to control every aspect of your life and surrender to the greater forces at play. So I get it. This is a simple concept, but it's not easy to do. So I wanna tell you how I do this in my everyday life. I practice compassion for myself.

Erica: If life gets too crazy and hectic, I miss sending out one of my Friday emails that I know every one of you is signed up for. I practice grace with myself. I forgive myself. I know that things are unfolding exactly as it should, and I can't be perfect. If LinkedIn goes down and I can't post my content for a day, which happened to me twice this week, I take a deep breath and I don't worry about it.

Erica: If I accidentally post the non edited version of a podcast, which I've totally done before, I just laugh at myself and I remind myself next time, slow down, just roll with the punches. And then I take little baby steps. That's all you need to do to let go of the control. If you're struggling to do this, I want you to sit down and I want you to make a list of all the things that really just irk you and get under your skin and just get you stressed. And I want you to write out what you're going to practice letting go.

Erica: The second step is practicing gratitude. Appreciate the present moment and express gratitude for what is, for what you have, and foster a positive outlook on life. So I do this by keeping a journal. You can keep a list on your phone, whatever works for you, but this is going to keep you on the right. And when things go wrong, don't forget to be grateful for that.

Erica: I'm sure you've heard the whole analogy of I hit a red light. I'm already running late. I'm gonna be so late for my appointment when you may never know it and you may never find out, but maybe you were late for that appointment because you're not going to get in a car accident that, and you made that red light, you would've gotten in. So you might not know how the stars are aligning for you yet, but you have to focus on that gratitude and trust. Now the third step is all about mindfulness and intuition.

Erica: So practice mindfulness to stay grounded and connected with your inner self and listen to your intuition, which often leads you in the right direction. So I do this through a core values exercise: minor growth, health and wellness, and courage. So if I'm feeling super disconnected, rushed, or chaotic, maybe I go back to my values and I make sure that my decisions and my actions are aligning with them. And then the fourth step is patience and faith. Cultivate the belief that the universe has a plan for you and have patience as you navigate your journey. Now, this is a hard one, but I go to my favorite quote of all time, which is remember that thing that didn't work out for you.

Erica: It really worked out for you. Now you may have to listen to that a few times before it makes sense. But remember that thing that didn't work out for you, it really worked out for you. Y'all, if you had asked me twenty years ago who I was gonna be married to, I would have told you my high school sweetheart.

Erica: And when I tell you that I was devastated when he broke up with me, I was devastated. It took me years to move on from the relationship, but that's a story for a different day. But now today, I am so grateful that it didn't work out because I have my husband, Dan, and my kids, Hudson and Valley, that I would have never had. I didn't with my high school sweetheart. So if you're struggling, I want you to think back to something that happened in the past, something that did not go as planned, something that was just heartbreaking and devastating that didn't work out.

Erica: Now that the time has passed, how grateful are you that it didn't work out now? I've got several stories that I could share and it always helps me when I'm really struggling with faith and patience and trusting in the timing, to get back to really root myself that you are exactly where you're meant to. So if you've got a story, I want to hear yours. Let me know, because I love these kinds of stories. They are so powerful in just reminding you to have faith, have patience, and to really trust.

Erica: So remember the four steps are surrender, practice gratitude, be mindful, and have faith and patience. Trust that the universe has your back and know that you are exactly where you are meant to be. You might not know it now. You might not have the answers today, but that is okay because you're working on cultivating that trust in that partnership with yourself in the universe. And when you have this trust, you can stay focused on growing your career and your success without losing your mind, without going crazy.

Erica: So thank you for joining me. Thank you for listening to this episode. Remember, spirituality is really whatever resonates with you. There is no right or wrong way to go about it. Take what you like from this episode, leave the rest.

Erica: Today's episode is really just another perspective for you to ponder. So friend, we'll talk next time, but until then, stop putting ceilings on what is possible and start breaking through them.