From Hiding to Thriving

Growing up shy, Rebecca Greenhalgh ran upstairs to hide in a toy box whenever someone outside her family came to the house. There she would stay until her mom came to fetch her a few moments later. The two repeatedly played this "game" of hide-and-seek for no apparent reason other than Rebecca's later explanation that people made her nervous.

Though she would eventually view this shyness as part of being an introvert, as a youth, Rebecca had to push herself to endure social situations so she could attend school, attend church, and get a job. However, when she entered college with education and career goals in mind, this timid teen decided she would need to adopt some outgoing characteristics to get where she wanted to go.

Rebecca recalls, "I would look around me and see other people being successful by being extroverted, and I thought I know what I want to achieve and I know what I want to do. ...And so I started putting myself in situations where I would have to practice being an introverted extrovert, and that started making a difference."

Now an accomplished content and course creator for Harvard Business School Online, Rebecca sees her more quiet and reserved qualities as superpowers because she uses these skills to interview and connect with people on a deeper level before retreating to her solo self to write and research after the meetings. "It literally is the perfect mix," she says.

Have a Listen: In this interview, Rebecca shares strategies she used to get "outside of her bubble a bit," the types of jobs she excels at, and how her career has evolved (and is still evolving) thanks to divine guidance and inspiration.

What You'll Learn In this Episode:

• How Rebecca got to Boston and how she discovered the HBS opportunity
• Why she quit working after having her first child
• How being an introvert is a gift she now appreciates
• How she and her husband make decisions together
• What calms her "forward thinking" mind when making decisions
• Why she said "yes" to an opportunity she didn't have time for
• A leap of faith she had to take to get where she is now
• An unexpected blessing that came from following the promptings
• How she's seen the hand of God in her career
• And so much more.

Mentioned on the Show:

• QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
• Harvard Business School Online

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PLEASE: Rate and Review this podcast so other women can be inspired in their faithful career moves.

Visit the website:
FaithfulCareerMoves.com: Faith-based Career Coaching for Stay-at-Home Moms

Get the book:
Return to Work with Confidence: A faith-based guide to help stay-at-home moms re-enter the workforce

Follow us:

• Instagram @FaithfulCareerMoves
• Facebook @FaithfulCareerMoves

The story of Jenny Doan and how she (and her family) created the incredibly successful Missouri Star Quilt Company.

Work Your Magic

Have you ever worked for a company that required employees to cross-train in multiple jobs in case someone called in sick or quit unexpectedly? I have, and it doesn't work very well.

At the start of my programming days--over 30 years ago--the organization required each programmer to rotate through the other job functions in the department. We all took the same leadership training classes, learned how to run applications on the mainframe, took turns doing production support, and more. When I got to do the rotations I enjoyed and excelled at, I loved my job. When I had to take my turn on the mainframe or do support, I struggled and felt deflated. I'm embarrassed to admit that when others rotated into my wheelhouse, I thought those who couldn't do the work lacked smarts and probably didn't belong at the company. Only later did I realize how silly it is to make everyone do the same job regardless of their aptitudes and interests. Doing so is not good for the employees or the company.

This week, I'm speaking to Jenny Doan, co-founder of the Missouri Star Quilt Company. In addition to telling us how she and her family started a business that transformed their lives, revitalized a town, and modernized the entire quilting industry, Jenny says that people work best when their jobs align with their "magic"--the things they are really good at and enjoy doing. She also explains how she discovered the power of sharing her own magic.

What You'll Learn In this Episode:

• What prompted the Doans to start a YouTube channel
• How the Missouri Star Quilt Company evolved
• Why Jenny says YouTube is the great equalizer
• What this business means to the people of Hamilton, Missouri
• How to work together in a family business
• What it means to find your magic and why it matters so much
• Stories of people who found healing through watching Jenny
• And so much more.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Read Jenny Doan's book: How to Stitch an American Dream
• Visit the Missouri Star Quilting Co: Website and YouTube Channel
• Discover your magic! Pick up my book: Return to Work with Confidence.
• Take my course: I'll walk you through the process.
• Connect with me: LinkedIn
• Find out when a new podcast drops: Join the Mailing List

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PLEASE: Rate and Review this podcast so other women can be inspired in their faithful career moves.

Visit the website:
FaithfulCareerMoves.com: Faith-based Career Coaching for Stay-at-Home Moms

Get the book:
Return to Work with Confidence: A faith-based guide to help stay-at-home moms re-enter the workforce

Follow us:

• Instagram @FaithfulCareerMoves
• Facebook @FaithfulCareerMoves

Dr. Susan R. Madsen is challenging the entire state of Utah to step up and ensure that Utah women and girls thrive in critical areas by 2030.

MAKING A BOLD MOVE

By her own account, Dr. Susan R. Madsen is unlike the role models of her youth. Raised in a traditional family with a dad who worked and a mom who stayed home, she expected to parent her kids similarly. And for a few years, she did.

But as much as she loved being with her children, Dr. Madsen felt unfulfilled as a stay-at-home mom. She remembers, "When I had my first baby, I thought that all of a sudden, I would enjoy being at home. It just didn't kick in for me."

Instead, denying the part of herself that longed to pursue educational and career goals led to situational depression and discontentment that continued until she made a big move.

Rather than solely being at home with her kids or spending her days at school or in an office, this then-mother of two (eventually four) dared to do both. En route to becoming Dr. Madsen, Susan cared for her kids while returning to school, working part-time, volunteering in the community, serving at church, and more--all with the support of her husband and encouragement from above.

"Through every single decision to go to school and to do all the pieces I've done, I have been on my knees and sought guidance from God... Sometimes you yearn to do things and think you can't, but then you figure out, maybe it's not either-or. Maybe there's a space in between," says Dr. Madsen.

Of course, finding that space and building a career while raising kids is challenging. But in her case, single-tasking was not an option. God needed her to move forward fast.

TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

Nearly 14 years ago, Dr. Madsen started the Utah Women in Leadership Project (UWLP) to research why so few women in Utah attend college and graduate. Though intended to last only a couple of years, the assignment evolved into more than a decade of finding ways to strengthen the impact of Utah girls and women. The organization now delivers research, resources, and training to "inform, inspire, and ignite growth and change for all Utahns."

But it's not enough.

Listen to the full interview to better understand the breadth of the issues, the depth of Dr. Madsen's commitment to solving them, and how you can get involved.

Mentioned in this Interview

• Utah Women and Leadership Project (UWLP)
• A Bolder Way Forward (BWF)
• How Change Happens by Leslie R. Crutchfield

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PLEASE: Rate and Review this podcast so other women can be inspired in their faithful career moves.

Visit the website:
FaithfulCareerMoves.com: Faith-based Career Coaching for Stay-at-Home Moms

Get the book:
Return to Work with Confidence: A faith-based guide to help stay-at-home moms re-enter the workforce

Follow us:

• Instagram @FaithfulCareerMoves
• Facebook @FaithfulCareerMoves