Episodes
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Cindy Esliger talks about the inner dialogue we all have that is often driven by stress, fear, and anxiety, and why we shouldn’t believe everything it says. The things we tell ourselves are shaped by past experiences, current fears, and future worries and the stress we carry can make these inner voices very unreliable. So how do we start believing a better story about ourselves?
While our inner narrative can sometimes be encouraging, it is more often negative and self-sabotaging. It combines a series of conscious thoughts, unconscious beliefs, and personal fears into a dialogue that keeps us stuck in unproductive patterns. Cindy advises awareness as the first step in combating these negative inner thoughts. Becoming aware of our thoughts allows us to replace some of them with more positive ones consciously.
Cindy discusses four strategies to help us become more aware of our thoughts in order to kick the unhelpful self-talk out of our heads: 1) Monitor our thoughts, 2) Notice patterns and identify self-sabotaging behaviour, 3) Challenge our inner critic, and 4) Replace negative thoughts with empowering beliefs. As she delves into each point, she offers insight into how the limiting narrative forms and why it’s so important to disrupt it so we can live our fullest lives.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Imagining a Better StoryAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger explores the idea of putting ourselves to the test and stepping outside our comfort zones in this episode. There’s an allure to sticking to what we’re good at but if we only do what we’re good at, we don’t get challenged. When we accept a challenge, we trust ourselves more and build greater self-confidence. But how do we take those first steps?
When we master something, we feel good about ourselves because it’s safe and we have a niche. But eventually, it feels like autopilot. The thing about comfort zones is that they feel like we’re progressing in what we’re already good at but in reality, we’re just spinning our wheels. What if there’s something else we should be doing or could be good at? Cindy talks about what happens when we take a risk and try something new. Something unfamiliar.
Cindy describes what it looks like to push ourselves and the potential successes and personal gains we could realize. But she also acknowledges the societal and workplace barriers that contribute to our self-doubt. Four big barriers come to mind: 1. Imposter syndrome, 2. Double standards, 3. Perfectionism, and 4. The glass ceiling. So how do we overcome these barriers to take a chance to develop our skills in a new area? Cindy talks about exactly how to confront self-doubt and barriers to see what we’re actually made of.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Boosting Your ConfidenceAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Episodes manquant?
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Cindy Esliger talks about reinvention and asks the question “What if who we are not isn’t who we need to be to achieve our dreams?”. Reinvention may be more a necessity than a possibility when we consider that in a changing world, we need to continue growing, thriving, and finding fulfillment. But exactly how do we do that? Cindy shares her guide to reinventing yourself with us.
Reinvention challenges us to step beyond the boundaries of our old selves and explore the potential that lies beyond our comfort zones. When we find ourselves in a state of dissatisfaction or desperation with our careers, getting out of the stagnation sometimes requires that we embrace change despite how scary it feels. Reinvention is a process we should embrace and Cindy details exactly why it’s the key to advancement.
Cindy outlines the three key phases of reinventing ourselves: 1) Laying the foundation where we recognize where we’re starting from, 2) Creating the plan where we take dreams and identify the gaps in our knowledge, and 3) Putting the plan into action. She explores exactly how to lay the right foundation to support reinvention and how to commit to stepping outside our comfort zones. Her advice on how to not backslide into our old identities includes 1) Staying vigilant, 2) Surrounding ourselves with support, and 3) Celebrating our progress. This is an essential episode for learning what reinvention requires so we can finally achieve our dreams.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Reinventing YouAstronomic AudioConfidence CollectiveEpisode 35: Job Crafting—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger explores the difference between acting tough and demonstrating strength. They’re not the same thing, though women in male-dominated fields often put up a facade of invincibility in an attempt to appear strong. True strength is in our ability to confront challenges and make decisions that align with our values. Cindy breaks down exactly what a tough exterior prevents that true strength cultivates.
Showing off mental toughness with a gritty exterior and emotions in check is not strength, it’s just an exhausting show that ultimately wears us down and keeps us anxious and in check for fear of seeming weak. True strength lies in recognizing struggles and admitting them, at least to ourselves, and in cultivating the ability to be honest. Cindy counters the tough exterior messages we get from the world at large with detailed examples of what real strength actually looks like.
When we show true strength, we are prioritizing our well-being and following things that align with our values and passions. The tough act does not allow us to change direction or admit burnout which is why it ultimately leads to unsustainable demands. Cindy understands how we’ve been conditioned but she explains exactly how true strength flies in the face of this societally expected toughness. Strength is in knowing when to ask for help, finding balance, and embracing the growth that comes only from our imperfections.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Demonstrating Your Strength of CharacterAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger addresses change in this episode. Change is necessary to alter our career trajectories and meet our goals. But change also demands more than just ambition: it requires intention, perseverance, and the non-linear reality of doing things differently. It also requires facing things like systemic challenges and internal obstacles. Cindy offers guidance through the difficult, messy, and powerful subject of change.
One of the important points Cindy stresses is that change isn’t something that happens to us, it’s something we must actively pursue. It’s more than simply moving from point A to point B, it’s about taking control of our career and steering it ourselves. To help illustrate how to make significant life changes, Cindy explores the Stages of Change model developed in the early 1980s as a tool to describe behavioural change for addiction. It names the six stages of change as pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse, which Cindy unpacks.
Making a lasting change often feels like being in a labyrinth without a clear view of the exit. We will hit dead ends, take wrong turns, and sometimes find ourselves back where we started. However, none of those setbacks mean we’re on the wrong path. It’s just that setbacks are part of the process of change. Cindy shares four strategies for navigating change, how to accept that the decision to change will require sustained and flexible effort, and why it will be worthwhile in the end.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Embracing the Power of ChangeAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger talks about conquering the voice in our head that tells us we’re not ready for the career spotlight or big goal we’ve been working towards. Those excuses, while comforting in the short term, ultimately just hold us back from reaching our potential. But how do we confront those fears and step out of our comfort zones to claim the career success we know we actually deserve? That’s what Cindy will guide us through today.
There are a lot of reasons we have for not achieving our career ambitions at the moment. The excuses are plentiful and there’s always something we can point to that’s keeping us static. But the truth is that those excuses are what we use to protect us from the potential judgment or failure that stepping out on a limb may bring. Cindy knows we’re ready for the career spotlight and it’s time for us to take action to reach it. Time to meet the challenge and do something a little bit uncomfortable.
Cindy lists the four most common excuses for avoiding growth: 1) Comfort in familiarity, 2) Fear of rejection and failure, 3) The need for external validation, and 4) Waiting for the perfect moment. She then details three tips to help us break free from these excuses: 1) Do a self-assessment, 2) Take the first step, and 3) Make it about others. She elaborates on each step with sound advice. Our dreams are valid and we have every right to pursue them. Cindy wants to guide us into stepping up to achieve them instead of holding back out of fear.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Eliminating Your ExcusesAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger talks about the transformative power of vulnerability that we often find difficult to embrace in this episode. Our natural instinct in the workplace is to keep our guard up, to protect ourselves from judgment and criticism. But vulnerability is not a sign of weakness, it’s a key to growth and connection. Cindy outlines how to start seeing vulnerability in a different light so we can unlock that growth in our careers.
It’s understandable that in a world seemingly thriving on jumping on exploiting our missteps we’d be guarded and protect our self-worth. But paradoxically the natural reaction of being wary and guarded to make ourselves feel secure is the same thing holding us back in our efforts to protect ourselves from judgment. Vulnerability builds trust. And trust is the key to a workplace where everyone can contribute and grow together. Cindy describes just how vulnerability can unlock our greatest potential with advice on how to be vulnerable with awareness.
Guardedness is skepticism. The skeptic in our lives may convince us to stay home Friday night to avoid anything bad happening. And sure, we’re safe, but we also don’t get to do anything. We don’t have any adventure. Curiosity, on the other hand, isn’t about reckless abandonment but rather opening our minds to exploration and seeing questions as opportunities. Curiosity lends to vulnerability and is a great asset in the workplace. Cindy unpacks all the ways in which being too protective limits us and shares four tips for embracing vulnerability in our professional lives. Her guidance will help us become more open to the growth potential around us.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Embracing VulnerabilityAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger explores the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. The right relationships can fuel growth, support, and challenge you to reach new heights, while the wrong ones may hinder your progress. Being selective in professional relationships requires choosing quality over quantity. Cindy encourages listeners to consider who they allow into their inner circle. She encourages finding trusted truth-tellers who offer honest feedback and alternative perspectives. She also highlights the importance of finding those people who share a growth mindset and are invested in your success.
While the topic of ending relationships can bring up anxiety and fear, Cindy examines the positive impact of distancing yourself from problematic people. This doesn’t mean throwing aside commitments or cutting people out cold turkey. Instead, thoughtfully pruning relationships that no longer serve a purpose can break the cycle of having them drain your energy or stagnate your growth.
Cindy also warns against the lingering influence of negative voices from the past, advocating for discernment when it comes to whose advice you follow. Ultimately, Cindy advises being mindful of the people you allow into your life, ensuring they inspire growth and align with your personal and professional goals.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Building your inner circleAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger addresses difficult conversations in this episode: those dreaded conversations that involve challenging subjects or conflicts that need resolving. We would often prefer to avoid them but they’re necessary for preventing larger difficulties and problems down the road. Hard discussions are a part of growth and resolution and can’t be avoided forever. So learning to navigate difficult conversations like a pro is the easiest way to deal with their inevitability.
Avoiding difficult conversations will only make the issue worse in the future and addressing things early can prevent a much larger blow-up later. But broaching the subject is tough. We’re often afraid to address the problem and initiate the hard talk out of fear that we may make things worse. Cindy shares five tips for approaching these situations without making them worse: 1) define the problem, 2) identify what is wanted before starting the conversation, 3) decide how to address it, 4) stick to the facts and feelings, and 5) use the power of validation.
Cindy explains that while not every problem has a solution, addressing the tension is still important. She advises asking ourselves “Do we need to solve this problem or do we need to solve how we feel about this problem?”. Shifting perspective from finding a resolution to managing emotions and reactions to the problem can sometimes be more productive. Regardless of solutions, starting a difficult conversation is the most courageous thing we can do and will put us on a path towards fixing certain issues and forging stronger relationships. Cindy is here to shine a light on exactly how to navigate this rocky terrain.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Finding the Courage to Address Any IssueAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger discusses closing the gap between where we are in our careers and where we want to be in this episode. She looks into using the discontent we can feel in our careers, sometimes unsettling and distracting, as a catalyst for advancement. Harnessing our professional discontent requires a careful strategy so we can use it to strive for a higher standard of excellence. Cindy breaks down exactly what is needed to channel it properly and guides us through how to bridge the gap we see.
It may be surprising to learn that the discomfort we feel when looking at the gap between where we are and where we want to be is natural. It’s actually necessary to keep us striving for excellence. But Cindy cautions that there is a balance between unhealthy anxiety and healthy discontent. She urges us to challenge the traditional narratives of success and define what is important to us. Setting a deliberate pace to cross the gap will change the trajectory of our careers more than a grand gesture. And there are three main types of gaps to close: 1) the effort gap, 2) the skill gap, and 3) the quality gap.
Cindy explains what it takes to close each gap and what to expect in terms of overcoming complacency and feeling discomfort. Finding balance and making strategic choices is key. We will hit obstacles as we move towards our goals and sometimes will feel stuck. When we are, Cindy unpacks five strategies for getting unstuck: 1) divide and conquer, 2) set micro-goals, 3) seek feedback, 4) focus on learning, not failure, and 5) assess progress. Join Cindy as she sets out a plan for how to bridge the gap on our career paths to success.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Propelling Yourself ForwardAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger addresses the arrival fallacy in this episode. That belief that once we reach a certain milestone in our careers everything will fall into place, as if by magic, and we will arrive in perpetual happiness. We will have “made it” into the mythological destination where we enter reward and leave the struggle. This fallacy doesn’t actually work because rewards, experiences, professional growth, and fulfillment only occur as part of the journey, not as an arrival bonus. Cindy breaks down how to see the journey as fulfilling and abandon our obsession with instant gratification.
When we are only focused on the destination, the goal, and the end result, we tend to miss the transformative work in between. We tune out more, we rush things, we don’t want to learn. We simply want to arrive and be recognized. Cindy describes how to view the process of working as a reward in itself because of how it enriches our lives. She explains why going through the trials and grind of daily work to learn and flourish is ultimately better for our careers than immediate reward.
It’s difficult to shift out of the finish line mindset, so Cindy has three tips to make shifting into enjoying continual improvement easier: 1) Set process goals, 2) Celebrate the wins and learn from the losses, and 3) Reflect regularly. Cindy wants us to recognize that satisfaction in our career journey is kind of the point of our work. Fixating solely on the destination means we are never living in the now and are not learning how to grow beyond expectations. Join Cindy as she breaks down exactly why the arrival fallacy is exactly that, a fallacy.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Reshaping Your Career OutlookAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the messiness of life and how what appears to be a series of obstacles is an integral part of our career journey. Navigating life’s messiness isn’t just about bouncing back but about embracing the new opportunities the experience may offer. It’s our reaction to the chaos that matters and Cindy is here to guide us on how to embrace the unexpected.
Rolling with life’s punches and working through life’s chaos can feel like a disheartening setback. But resilience is connected to confidence, so when we endure, our confidence grows when we realize we can survive whatever happens. Confidence is vital for career survival and Cindy has three strategies for maintaining confidence in the workplace: 1. Know our stuff, 2. Celebrate the wins, and 3. Speak up in meetings. Confidence and resilience are interconnected and we’ll need both to succeed.
It can still be difficult to embrace life’s messiness, however, and Cindy understands the struggle. Telling ourselves to enjoy the ride even if the journey is chaotic is one thing, but actually doing that is another. So Cindy offers three strategies for embracing the possibilities within the mess: 1. Look for opportunities in the unexpected, 2. Make flexibility our new best friend, and 3. Embrace the learning even when it’s tough. Cindy unpacks her strategies and lays out a solid plan for surviving and thriving through life’s messes, guidance useful no matter what stage of career we’re in.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Embracing the MessinessAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about the stroke of brilliance ideas we sometimes have that we dismiss because it’s something that came too easily to us. Our sudden insights that we feel are too obvious to be of real value. It’s that self-discounting tendency that Cindy examines in detail because the truth is that what comes easily to us can be a genius revelation to someone else. We don’t all share the same skills. So what we think is simple may be a monumental insight to another person. Cindy wants us to start sharing those ideas instead of dismissing them.
Part of the complexity of human cognition is this belief that what seems effortless to us is of no value to anyone else. We fail to recognize that things we find obvious and easy may in fact be groundbreaking and valuable to someone else. Because we are all born out of different environments and experiences that shape us into being adept with some things and not others. We’re all different. So how do we overcome the paradox of thinking things that are easy to us are useless? Cindy says 1. Acknowledge that what’s obvious to us is not obvious to everyone, 2. Cultivate an environment that encourages the sharing of ideas, and 3. Challenge the desire for complexity.
Not everything valuable must be challenging. And not everything we innately understand is obvious to everyone else. Cindy urges us to start sharing those simple ideas to further our careers and our representations of our unique qualities. What we need is to learn how to communicate effectively so our ideas are received well. So Cindy unpacks how to speak up, why complacency is a dream killer, how making a mark involves breaking away from the status quo, and why our unique insights have immense power. This episode is our guide to learning not to stifle our individual gifts.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Recognizing Your Obvious BrillianceAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger examines the trifecta of our work, our identity, and our self-awareness, breaking down where they complement each other and where we should define boundaries. Self-awareness allows us to distinguish between who we are and what we do. The value of our work is different from our worth as a human being. The distinctions between our professional and personal identity require a deep dive into self-awareness, a journey Cindy is here to guide us through.
Part of self-awareness is understanding ourselves on a deeper level, and one of the great influences on our journey is how we respond to stress. Cindy asks four questions to help us gauge our stress response: 1. When things get tough, do we step up or step back, 2. How do we handle criticism, 3. Do we reach out or shut down when the going gets tough, 4. What’s our conflict style? She then offers four strategies to help us manage those knee-jerk stress reactions.
With introspection of this type, we raise our self-awareness. That, in turn, allows us to define exactly who we are. It shapes our knowledge of our personal identity. Understanding who we are can then reflect positively on our professional identities, creating more opportunities for challenge and growth. Cindy highlights that our developed personal identity prevents us from over-identifying with our work. If we allow work to define who we are, we put our self-worth in the hands of a business decision or a boss. Cindy guides us through the perils of allowing work to become our identity and offers keen insight to aid us in self-awareness in this episode.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Your Work and Your IdentityAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger addresses the inevitability of workplace conflict by differentiating between using discernment over judgment to navigate the tension. Since workplaces are comprised of people and people each have their own struggles and lives going on unseen, tension is inevitable. Not taking things personally and approaching conflict with a desire to listen and get to the core issue are some of the strategies Cindy encourages us to adopt.
As strange as it may seem to the conflict-avoidant, challenges aren’t just inevitable, they’re necessary. Challenges drive us to push the envelope, innovate, and keep the office interesting. It’s how we go about disagreeing with each other that needs attention, not the fact that we do disagree. Cindy offers advice on how to step back from reacting personally to things that simply aren’t personal and instructs us on how to approach healthy conflict that seeks true resolution.
Leadership requires dealing with storms head-on. Tension must be acknowledged and the root cause must be unearthed so the tension can ultimately become a tool for growth. Leaders must learn how to address issues rather than letting them fester but also how to work for truth in resolution rather than rush to smooth things over with false comfort. Cindy guides us through learning discernment in conflict and holding back judgment until we can truly understand what a conflict is about. Her advice makes conflict less of a terrifying notion and more of an opportunity to learn.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Reckoning With TensionAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about how to break free of mediocrity and create a personal through line of success in our careers. Settling for good enough is the easy choice but it won’t lead to the career we dream of. We need to craft that career by defining our goals and taking risks. Cindy examines how to move past adequate into extraordinary in our journey.
We can feel like a cog in the machine at times, just checking off boxes and tasks to embrace the illusion of progress. But if we don’t understand where we personally want to go in our careers, this mediocrity cycle feeds itself through increased demands and our inability to imagine doing more than the bare minimum. Cindy urges us to push past our comfort zones to understand our mission and shares insight on how to define what we truly want to start working towards that goal.
The path to success is not a straight linear line or a single corporate ladder. Cindy points out that it involves zigzags, meanderings, and bold choices that may not seem connected to a goal but that we know are right for us in the moment. She offers three questions to ask ourselves to determine our next career steps: 1. What are we genuinely interested in? 2. What unique skills do we possess that are in demand? and 3. What emerging opportunities or trends excite us? With Cindy’s guidance in this episode, we may find a way to shake ourselves off a mediocre path to embrace a new through line.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Not Settling for AdequateAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger explores the fear surrounding taking risks in our careers in this episode. Our perception of risk is deeply personal, informed by our experiences, biases, and the professional landscapes we navigate. Since our perceptions of risks are colored by our self-confidence, how do we assess the actual risk? And what is the right amount of risk to take? Assessing and moving past the fear of risk in all its variations is what Cindy unpacks today.
When we’re new to a situation, a career or a job, we tend to be more willing to take risks due to an overabundance of confidence. With experience comes the knowledge of consequences and memories of times when risk-taking pushed us backwards instead of propelling us forward into success. Our self-confidence takes a hit and we become more risk-averse. Cindy explains that the key is not to avoid risk but to learn how to assess it properly, gather as much information as possible, and understand the risk we’re facing as well as the gains it could deliver.
Cindy shares three tips to boost our confidence and help us get comfortable with taking a bit of a risk. 1) Become informed before leaping, 2) Make a few small bets on ourselves, and 3) Cultivate a growth mindset. She illustrates the value of sharing the knowledge gained from risks taken with those coming behind us, becoming a source of information for those facing similar situations. She reminds us that each of us has an individual threshold for risk that we need to both understand and challenge as we grow. There is a way to face the fear of risk not by shying away but by informing ourselves and preparing for the best approach to the risk.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Balancing Risk and RewardAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger addresses changing our negative mindset about work to one of appreciating small victories and noting positive experiences. We’re often pushed hard in the daily grind and aren’t encouraged to stop and note what’s going right. When we focus only on the negative, we lose sight of how far we’ve come and what possibilities exist in the future. Cindy has advice on how to change our mindset to one of appreciation.
This isn’t advice to slap superficial cheerfulness or false positivity on top of things, rather Cindy is encouraging us to take the time to notice every small thing that goes right. She notes the difference between gratitude and appreciation to demonstrate the foundational quality of appreciation. We tend to skip over positives in favor of highlighting errors in ourselves and each other which makes us feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Noting and appreciating things gives us space to celebrate achievements and feel valuable which in turn leads to more job satisfaction and openness to accept new challenges.
Cindy shares four tips on how to take notice of and appreciate something positive today. 1. Start the day with a positive inventory, 2. Pause any interaction or accomplishment, 3. Create a brag folder for compliments, and 4. End the day on a high note. Cindy explains why these tips are beneficial and what outcomes they can lead to. We need to understand that starting to appreciate things in ourselves and others is like a pebble in a pond: the ripples extend far beyond us and improve everyone’s experience.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Appreciating the GoodAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger talks about making a major career change in this episode. When do we decide to change course in our career path, quit our job, or move to a new endeavour? How do we know if it’s the right choice? Cindy examines what to evaluate when making career direction decisions, from how to gauge our current job satisfaction to what aligns best with our values and future career goals.
The desire to alter our current job situation is one that requires careful consideration. Sometimes the choice is between staying or jumping ship, but before we make such an enormous choice, have we really evaluated our current job satisfaction level? What if there were other things we could change to improve our current job and align it more directly with our overall career ambitions? Cindy asks us to consider small-scale changes to improve things in the present. She offers three steps for evaluating what changes to make.
If a complete job change is what is needed, oftentimes it’s fear that holds us back from making the choice. Fear of quitting, of losing the time already invested. Cindy explains how to navigate that fear and how to prepare for the extra work that creating new opportunities brings. Ultimately, the decision to stay put, implement smaller changes, or leave for a new job altogether should be made out of a position of strength, not desperation. Cindy’s advice lays out all the reasoning to work through to make an informed and empowered decision.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Considering A Bold StepAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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Cindy Esliger addresses the self-care craze that has become less about caring for ourselves and more of a quick-fix industry. She explores setting healthy boundaries to reclaim our power and encourage us to manage life’s stresses. Self-care is important but it means more than a scented candle or something we can buy. Part of self-care is doing internal work to determine what we want and need, and what limits we have to set.
The rage and frustration we can feel while pushing back against an oppressive or toxic work culture while balancing too many stressors is what leads to burnout. An externally applied fix, something we buy or a ritual we perform, may make us feel slightly better in the short term but does nothing to protect us from future harm or continued stressors. Cindy’s definition of self-care is a process, not a product. It involves setting limits and prioritizing personal well-being over productivity.
As Cindy points out, true self-care is not always comfortable. It can be challenging and messy as we work through emotional upheaval to change our life situations in order to thrive. She offers insight from her own experiences with change, boundaries, and reclaiming our power as a survival skill. What she shares explores how boundaries safeguard mental and emotional health and lead to long-term shifts that bolster self-care and create sustainable relationships in the future. Boundaries aren’t as easy as a bubble bath but they’re much longer lasting in their effects.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Guide to Reclaiming Your PowerAstronomic AudioConfidence Collective—
Contact Cindy Esliger
Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email
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