Budget Friendly Travel Hacks That Support Self-Care with Danielle Desir Corbett – Episode 27

Budget Friendly Travel Hacks That Support Self-Care with Danielle Desir Corbett – Episode 27

by | Apr 17, 2024 | Holistic Well-Being, Podcast | 0 comments

IN THIS EPISODE:

Our guest, Danielle Desir Corbett, discusses the connection between self-care and travel, sharing her personal journey of reducing student debt while still pursuing her passion for travel. She emphasizes the importance of mindfulness in personal finance and travel, and how aligning travel expenses with personal values can lead to more fulfilling experiences. Danielle provides practical tips for saving money for travel, including creating a separate bank account dedicated to travel and automating savings. She also highlights the concept of financially savvy travel, which involves being mindful of spending and pursuing multiple financial goals simultaneously. The conversation concludes with encouragement for those with debt and a desire to travel, emphasizing the importance of patience, persistence, and creating a plan to reach their goals.

Key Focus Areas:

  • 1:38 – Starting Point: Accumulating Student Debt
  • 4:50 – Origins of Travel Passion: Seeking New Experiences
  • 9:41 – Financially Savvy Travel: Mindfulness and Budgeting
  • 17:41 – Financially Savvy Travel Book: Aligning Values with Spending

Listen To This Episode:

Watch this episode on YouTube!

Unlocking Financial Freedom: A Guide to Budget Travel and Debt Management​

Are you a student dreaming of exploring the world but feeling held back by the weight of student debt? Do you believe that wanderlust and financial responsibility are mutually exclusive? Think again! In this episode of Wanderlust Unleashed, we’re diving deep into the realm of budget-conscious travel and student debt management, empowering you to chase your travel dreams while maintaining financial stability.

Budget Travel: More Than Just a Dream

For many students, the idea of traveling on a budget might seem daunting. However, we’re here to shatter that misconception and show you that budget travel is not only achievable but incredibly rewarding. From finding affordable accommodation options to scoring deals on transportation, there are countless strategies you can employ to make your travel dreams a reality without breaking the bank.

One key strategy is to embrace the sharing economy. Platforms like Airbnb and Couchsurfing offer affordable lodging options and the chance to connect with locals, enriching your travel experience while saving you money. Additionally, consider traveling during off-peak seasons and opting for budget airlines to further reduce your expenses. By adopting a resourceful mindset and thinking outside the box, you’ll be amazed at how far you can stretch your travel budget.

Student Debt Management: Taking Control of Your Financial Future

Student debt can feel like a heavy burden, but it doesn’t have to dictate your future or limit your adventures. The key to managing student debt effectively lies in proactive planning and smart financial decision-making. Start by creating a realistic budget that prioritizes debt repayment while still allowing room for occasional indulgences, such as travel.

Explore options for loan forgiveness or income-driven repayment plans that can help alleviate the pressure of student loan payments. Additionally, consider leveraging your skills and interests to generate extra income through freelancing, tutoring, or online work. Every extra dollar you earn can make a significant difference in accelerating your debt repayment journey.

Embracing Financial Responsibility: Empowering Your Wanderlust

At the heart of it all, achieving financial freedom as a student is about embracing a mindset of responsibility and empowerment. Rather than viewing budgeting as a restriction, see it as a tool that enables you to live life on your own terms. By taking control of your finances and making conscious choices, you’ll not only pave the way for future adventures but also set yourself up for long-term success.

Remember, the journey to financial freedom is not always easy, but it is undeniably worth it. Stay committed to your goals, celebrate your progress along the way, and never lose sight of the incredible experiences that await you. With dedication, perseverance, and a dash of wanderlust, you have the power to unlock a world of possibilities and create a life filled with adventure, exploration, and financial abundance.

So, fellow student adventurers, are you ready to embark on the journey to financial freedom and fearless exploration? Tune in to this episode of Wanderlust Unleashed and let’s set sail together toward a future where wanderlust knows no bounds and financial freedom reigns supreme.

 

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Gain access to three valuable videos designed to empower you in breaking free from the hustle culture and establishing your unique Balanced Rhythm™ for work-life equilibrium. Whether you’re a dynamic executive professional or a successful entrepreneur, these videos will equip you with the tools to develop a life strategy that places you firmly in the driver’s seat. Opt-in now to unlock this transformative content with  3 MOVES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH SANENESS!
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Get Connected with Maven Miara

Are you a dynamic female executive or women entrepreneur craving proven business growth strategies and leadership success? Do you yearn for more fulfilling work-life balance? Are you seeking unwavering leadership confidence as you navigate the complexities of life, all while maintaining your holistic well-being (spiritual, physical and mental)? Welcome to ‘Success with Saneness. This transformative personal development podcast is designed exclusively for high-performers who seek to excel in both their professional and personal lives with balance. Each episode features expert insights and thought-provoking discussions about building unshakable leadership confidence, business growth and designing harmony among them. Join your host, “Maven” Miara, a professional speaker, business strategist, leadership development facilitator and author. Embark on an enlightening journey towards success with saneness, where holistic care, confidence building, and leadership unite. To find out more, join the Maven Nation community by visiting miarashaw.com. Reach out to Maven Miara at: hello@miarashaw.com Website: miarashaw.com  /  Episode Website LinkedIn: @miarashaw  /  Instagram: @mavenmiara  /  YouTube: @mavenmiara

Follow Danielle on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

 

 

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'Maven' Miara Shaw (00:06.403)
All right. All right, Danielle, listen, I am excited to have you join us and really share. We're connecting how self care and travel go together. Like what's the marriage of those two things? I love that your podcast, the thought card really talks about luxury travel, affordable luxury travel and personal finances.

Because we're going to be talking a little bit more about how travel can support self-care And we definitely don't want to be going into debt around that type of thing self-care and debt for me That's an oxymoron that does not go together. I don't want that to stress me out So I read in your intro and your in your introduction that you originally started out with Your podcast and things around reducing

a good amount of student debt. That's so relevant right now as people are having to move back into paying for the student debt that they've, you know, it's been on pause for a while. So tell us a little bit about how you got started and what made you kind of focus on reducing or getting rid of that student debt.

Danielle Desir Corbett (01:24.338)
Yes, so I accumulated $63,000 of similar loan debt obtaining my bachelor's and my master's degree. I would say about $40,000 of that came from my master's degree. Undergrad, I had lots of scholarships. I've always been a go-getter. So despite all the scholarships, I still found myself in an extreme amount of debt.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (01:38.747)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (01:51.222)
And I always tell everyone to think about how do you feel with debt, having debt. For me, when I had student loan debt, it felt like a weight was on my shoulders, on my back. It felt like, yes, one route I could keep it as long as possible and do the minimum, but I would have this chains and shackles on me and I yearned for freedom.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (02:16.803)
Mm-hmm. Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (02:18.602)
So emotions are such an important part of our personal finance journeys. And I always find that my emotions help to fuel me. So emotions like anger, frustration, sometimes even doubt, those inspire me to get up and do certain things. So I knew with this shackled just mindset and just feeling all this pressure, I wanted to be debt-free as soon as possible. However, I've always had this

to personal finance when I am doing things, I have an and mindset, meaning travel and pay off debt, working a full time job and traveling. So it's, a lot of times society really pushes us to be like, you have to pick one or the other, either you're corporate and you're pushing corporate ladder and you're never missing a day of work and you're giving up travel and other things, right? So,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:02.119)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:14.031)
I'm sorry.

Danielle Desir Corbett (03:18.118)
I really believe in this end, right? This in between where we can do multiple things at one time, have multiple goals at one time, just understand that you may not be full force going all in and just really putting all that energy into one thing and excelling faster. So those are kind of the behind the scenes of like why I decided to work on my debt-free journey. It took me four years to be debt-free.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:42.15)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (03:45.414)
a lot of sacrifices. This is even before I had a side hustle or my or like actual side income. So which meant a lot of side hustling, moving back in with my mom, and putting a lot of energy into reducing debt. But without sacrificing that one thing that was really important to me, which was travel. So I always wanted to travel, I never had the finances to do it. And here I am

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:52.423)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (04:15.35)
pursue that one thing for me. It was that one thing that I felt like, if I'm making all these sacrifices in my life, can I have this one thing? Can I have this one trip a year? So that was really the emphasis of starting all of this.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (04:24.175)
Yeah. Great.

I love that. This is not even something that I have in my notes. Why is travel so important to you? Like where did that desire to travel come from? Because you've traveled to 27 countries. Like that's extensive. You've had this love for travel. This didn't just show up yesterday. You've had this for a while. Where did that passion come from?

Danielle Desir Corbett (04:50.774)
So I think my passion for travel comes from wanting to experience more, wanting to get more out of life, to get out of my bubble. Because our everyday lives, we are in a bubble, right? We see the same things. We are so familiar and we sometimes don't push ourselves to think outside of the box or outside of our comfort zone. So I love what travel does for me is that it makes me to step outside and to see how other people live.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (04:56.176)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (05:20.462)
and to see how potentially why they make certain decisions and how that could potentially impact me as well. So this worldview has been so important to me. But stepping back a little bit, my travel extent before I got a big girl job and really started working on my finances was traveling to Haiti every summer with my family. And I enjoyed that because I was with my family, I got to learn Haitian Creole.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (05:42.983)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (05:49.042)
see how Haitian people live. People think a lot that I was born in Haiti. And I'm like, I'm not, but I'm so close to the culture because I had this upbringing. But what I realized is that when you go to the same place every year, and that's the only place you go to, it made me wanna venture out and see more, right? It made me want to be like, this is great and amazing, but what else is there out there? So that also really

'Maven' Miara Shaw (05:58.471)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (06:18.986)
just inspired me to be like, okay, I want to see more. I want to do more. Even like, let's go to Dominican Republic, which is like right across, you know what I mean? So, I think right now also, that was like me, Danielle, back in the day. I think right now my feel for travel, I'm really like into history and culture, seeing how people live and gifting these experiences to my son. That right now is my huge motivation because...

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:25.103)
Right? Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:36.871)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:42.471)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (06:47.134)
I did not grow up again, like I mentioned, going to multiple places, multiple countries. It was just you going home, you going back home. But my son, I took him to France this year, maybe like, I think he was 15 months old. Like what? Like I went to France and I was like 25. So exactly, he's been to France already. So that world, gifting him worldview at an early age.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:54.961)
right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (07:03.287)
Okay. Right.

He's getting stamps already.

Danielle Desir Corbett (07:16.81)
I'm looking forward to seeing that impact on his life because I picked up all these things so later, so much later in my 20s and early 30s.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (07:20.423)
Thank you.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (07:26.031)
I love that. And we're going to talk a little bit about how do, um, listeners kind of get those finances under control. And then some of the travel hacks that, especially entrepreneurs, you know, I think entrepreneurs figure, well, I just can't afford to do that right now. I can't put it in. And one of the amazing things that I did for this calendar year, 2023 was, you know, I'm post 50, so I'm just not in a space of

needing more things, you know, another pair of shoes, another bag, another, whatever, I am interested in creating experiences. So I had a goal to travel at least once per quarter this year. We have exceeded that we've gone to more than once a quarter. But because I was intentional about it, to put it down as part of my business goals to include this travel.

And again, for me, it was really around the self-care component because I think that's something big for women when we can get away from home, right? Um, we get to relax a little bit more on wine, all of these things. And just the travel component, two of our, we have a, I call it an entourage of four, they're all young adults at this point that we raised. Two of them did, uh, travel abroad.

for college. One went to London, our daughter went to China. Some of the most life-changing, exploratory, life-giving experiences they've had, which has encouraged them to continue to travel now that they're young adults and got the big jobs and all of those things. So what are some things for that person listening to this podcast and saying,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (09:20.791)
loan debt, you know, I have a house and a car and a, all the credit cards and things. What are some ways they can begin to just, you know, not look at it as so overwhelming no matter what their number of debt is, but how do they start just kind of taking the steps to chip away at that?

Danielle Desir Corbett (09:41.618)
Yes, and that's a very complex question and every person will have a different strategy or approach to actually fulfilling that. And if you would have asked me the same question a couple years ago, I would have been like, here's this strategy, here's that strategy. But this year, I've been really trying to understand this type of travel I do, which I call Financially Savvy Travel. And despite me talking about this type of travel for eight years, I

'Maven' Miara Shaw (09:50.555)
right?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (09:56.184)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (10:10.654)
essence what it's all about. Financially savvy travel is all about mindfulness. And I believe that mindfulness is the most important thing that we can do to pursue our goals, one of which can be travel. Travel is a financial goal. You need money to travel. So let's put that out there, number one.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (10:11.975)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (10:34.416)
Right.

Danielle Desir Corbett (10:38.23)
that travel is travel, but travel is at the end of the day, a money goal. Ideally, we will have money set aside for travel expenses, right? But before you even get there, if you're mindful about your finances, meaning I'm aware I have debt, here's how much that I have. I'm aware I have an emergency fund or I need to work on my emergency fund. I understand how I feel when I walk into a bank and I open my big account.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (10:43.033)
Absolutely.

Danielle Desir Corbett (11:07.466)
and I see the number of how I feel, all those little bits and pieces are all things that honestly, when you are aware and mindful and you're not on autopilot, you are moving yourself in a better direction to be able to control your finances and pursue your financial goal. So those little things like taking stock of when you open your bank account and see how much you have and how you feel.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (11:18.768)
Right?

Danielle Desir Corbett (11:35.102)
If you have a negative feeling, understanding, have a negative feeling. How can I accept that and move forward with that? So that's, I think, very, very important. Next, I would say when it comes to travel in particular, especially for, I know your listeners are, they're executives, they are business women. Actually, if you are into speaking,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (11:35.426)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (11:43.813)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (11:58.075)
Yeah.

Danielle Desir Corbett (12:02.883)
You can find opportunities where your speaking engagements allow you to travel, and they pay for your travel experiences. And to me, that is like the blending of both worlds, right? Our work life and our travel life, because now you're being flown out to a speaking engagement, they put you in a hotel.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (12:09.392)
I love that.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (12:17.947)
right.

Danielle Desir Corbett (12:27.562)
You do your speaking engagement, you make your connections, and you have free time to go and explore. So that's something I feel like, especially your listeners can definitely take advantage of. I'm not gonna say that every speaking opportunity will do that, right? Some speaking opportunities, they will just tell you, hey, you're gonna do this complimentary, or they're gonna say, we're gonna provide you for certain things, but I've definitely tapped more into, as my career has grown,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (12:41.325)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (12:54.834)
opportunities where I am negotiating to add my travel costs covered and my fee, my speaking fee as well. So those are a couple of things I think that's very unique to your listeners and your audience. When it comes to just saving for travel, because there's different modes in travel. There's the pre prep work, right? There's the, okay, I got to get my layer, my money base correct.

Then there is I'm on the road traveling. And then there's the after trip. So you have the pre trip, you have the trip, and then you have the post trip. So pre trip, think about, okay, how do I want to save for travel? Because at the end of the day, we still need money in our bank accounts, in our wallets to do certain things. Regardless if you're travel hacking my credit cards or someone else is paying for it with corporate.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (13:31.655)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (13:48.219)
Right.

Danielle Desir Corbett (13:50.338)
You're going to need cash for yourself. So I love having everything separate. So I dedicate a separate bank account to travel and travel is now a part of my life and as a result, my budget. So it's not like, Oh, I'm saving for this particular trip. No, I'm saving for travel in general. So travel now becomes as important as my gym.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:00.336)
Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:14.215)
bright.

Danielle Desir Corbett (14:18.322)
as my mortgage, as my car payment, it's in line, it's a line item in your budget. When you're able to do that and you're mindful of that, now you can do things like automation. You can say, okay, I'm going to save X amount of dollars every pay period or every month towards travel. And I recommend automating that, especially if you have a nine to five job, because then it's set it and forget it. You're saving for travel without it hurting, without you thinking about it.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:25.008)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:42.693)
Right.

Danielle Desir Corbett (14:47.814)
I love, I love that. So creating a system for yourself, because a system is how your money moves, right? From paycheck to a bank account to automation, all of this is a system. So creating a system for yourself that works for you is one of those things I think unlocks a level, another level of being able to travel. So I shared like three things. I shared, okay, be mindful, be mindful.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:54.651)
Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (15:11.439)
I love it.

Danielle Desir Corbett (15:14.988)
leverage your corporate opportunities, your business opportunities.com, and then also create a financial system for yourself where you can set travel as important as all the other financial things going on in your life.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (15:27.075)
I love that, especially corporate space. I know when I was in the corporate world, a lot of my business travel, I extended it to personal travel. Like they've already paid for the airfare. I'm just gonna pay for a couple extra nights a hotel and go and venture into wherever it is that I am. Now for the entrepreneurs that are watching and listening to this, know that you can set up the same money systems to put money aside. Because if you wait until you think

Oh, when I just have some extra money, I'm going to travel. And we want again, this travel, if you love to travel to be thinking about it in the same vertical as self care way. And again, listen to me, entrepreneurs, do not plan to travel, take your laptop and be working poolside, travel to relax. We're talking self care. Now, if you're traveling for business, that's something completely different. But in the,

space of self care. I don't want you posting a picture of you poolside with your favorite beverage with your laptop and working. Ah, you you're going away from the self care thing that we're talking about. Um, Danielle, you recently published a book. Um, we are financially savvy travelers. Tell us about the book a bit. What are some,

things in there that really kind of like, Oh, that's a light bulb moment. And then we'll drop in the show notes where they can actually go and purchase the book. So again, that if you're, if your desire has been to travel, but you've always kind of been stuck with when I get to this number, I'm then I'm going to travel. We want you to just look at that differently, a new mindset around travel with self care. So tell us a little bit about

your book and how that helps set, create more savvy travelers.

Danielle Desir Corbett (17:29.746)
Absolutely. And like I mentioned earlier, for a lot of my like career, online career, creating content, I've always focused on strategies like find the cheap flights and save the money and, and free things to do and all those things. And I'm realizing that that's not as important as a few other things. Mindfulness is number one, which we talked about. Mindfulness comes

'Maven' Miara Shaw (17:41.031)
Mm-hmm.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (17:54.279)
Okay.

Yes.

Danielle Desir Corbett (17:59.154)
in different shapes, whether that's mindfulness in your emotions, in your attitudes, in your behaviors, that is number one. But secondly is your travel style. So a travel style is not like the fashion. It's more of like intrinsically in you. What do you enjoy when you travel? What brings you fulfillment when you travel?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:11.131)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:17.447)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (18:24.558)
That is important because we want to align our spending with what brings us fulfillment. This is called value-based spending, where our values are being met with our finances. This for me has been extremely eye-opening because when my finances were very small and I wanted to travel, I had no opportunities to pursue the...

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:48.944)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (18:52.642)
the things I valued because I did not have the money in my budget to do that. But now as I'm moving into financially savvy travel where I do have more finances to afford trips, I want to make sure I'm not being wasteful. I want to make sure that I'm going to things like spas, which I really enjoy. I enjoy dinners and culinary experiences. I enjoy group tours and educational opportunities when I'm traveling.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:57.772)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (19:22.686)
So those are where my money is going to be going to. On the opposite way, I don't really care about flying first class, but put me on economy, but just out on spirit. Just put me on economy. And make sure my seat reclines, okay? I want a reclined seat, okay? But besides that, I don't really put that much thought on the flying experience. So I want to reduce that cost. If I can...

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:25.9)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:30.551)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:33.735)
I'm sorry.

She said, there is a limit.

Danielle Desir Corbett (19:51.09)
Either travel hack or find a cheap flight or, or something. I don't want to spend money on the flight. I want to spend money on that amazing view or that tour or that culinary experiences. So that to me is what financially savvy travel is all about. It's about being mindful of who we are, our attitudes, our habits, and aligning our expenses with that when we are traveling.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (20:11.044)
Mm-hmm.

Danielle Desir Corbett (20:17.178)
because when we're reducing things that we don't like, now we have more opportunities to travel more, right? When I'm spending less on airfare, less on like transportation, for example, because I don't really value it that much, I have more that I can spend on that trip, or I have now more money for other trips. So those are the big insights that we talk about in the book, this mindset, this approach to travel. And finding yourself a travel doesn't end there.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (20:23.195)
I love that.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (20:29.808)
right.

Danielle Desir Corbett (20:47.366)
Unlike budget travelers and luxury travelers, they focus on travel and budget is known for spending less. Luxury is more on like more luxurious, more typically more pricey expenses, right? Financially savvy travel does focus on spending to a certain extent, but we also are looking at other financial goals we have because life doesn't stop when we're planning a vacation.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (20:56.199)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (21:13.758)
We still have retirement savings. We still want to put our children to college. We still are growing businesses, taking maternity leave. There's so many things going on in our financial lives and financially savvy travel goes beyond travel. It goes to our personal finances where travel is a goal and we are trying to pursue other goals in addition to that. And that's why I'm really proud that I can say that I've traveled to 27 countries.

I bought my house at the age of 27. I paid off $63,000 student loan debt. All these things didn't happen in a vacuum. They were not silos. They were intentional. They were like, I'm working on these things at the same time. Some things I can accomplish faster than others, but that's what makes me a financially savvy traveler are all of my pursuits and challenges that go beyond the 27 countries I've been to.

What else is happening in your finances? Cause I know a lot of people who abandon everything in their lives just to travel. And that's amazing for them. But for me, I have other things I want to pursue. I'm building generational wealth. I'm busy building a business. I have a son. So I have to make sure holistically I'm cared for, not just only travel. Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (22:16.334)
Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (22:29.955)
I love that. I love that. And that's one of those stories you hear with people sometimes that travel, like they're traveling strictly on credit card debt and they come back and I'm like, I don't want to come back home and be stressed about what I just spent. Like to me, it's like when I was still in corporate.

going on a business trip, extending it for personal, and then having a, like you come back on a Sunday and have to be at work Monday. Like I need a day to kind of digest, kind of just regroup and then get ready, which is one of the important things that I like to include in my travel, especially international travel, is a day to get there, kind of get acclimated, and a day or two when you come back home before you have to jump.

back into all of the things that are waiting for you. So I love these very practical tips, no matter the woman is in the corporate space or she's an entrepreneur, you can take these strategies, these tips, these hacks and really create a plan that works specifically for you. Now, grab the book and let that be kind of your guide.

to help you continuing to do this because I do believe that travel is a great way to support our self care. Great way to support. I know I've gotten some amazing thoughts and ideas around business because I've been able to slow down and just rest. And then the ideas start to really solidify, right? The plan starts to come together.

versus me kind of feeling like I've had five or six ideas floating. When I slow down on vacation, it all kind of like the path gets enlightening. You're like, Oh, I've been trying to figure that out for three months and just two days of travel of rest, relaxation, and self care. It all came together. So I love that you're sharing practical tips that no matter where we are in our journey, we can start to reduce debt.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:51.051)
include travel and really create let travel be part of our holistic approach Not just like travels over here and all the other things in my life are over here. So Give us something anything you want to wrap up with If a if a person's watching this and like, you know, well Danielle my debt is Double what yours was and all of these things

But I do love to travel and I know travel helps me with my self care. What's a little moment of encouragement to keep them from throwing in the towel and saying, I just can't do it right now. How do we get them on board to this wonderful part?

Danielle Desir Corbett (25:38.014)
I think the realization that travel can be as expensive as we want it to be. I wish I had the insights that I have now because I could have actually been traveling while I was in college, while I was even before my big girl job, if I had the mindset that I had right now. Because here's why, the reason why. My first trip that spearheaded everything was a solo trip to Paris.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (25:44.423)
That's good.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (25:52.257)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (25:59.547)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (26:08.27)
And for me to get to Paris, it was saving $25 every two weeks. That was all that I could afford to do. It took me a couple of years to get all the money together on that $25, but I did it. I did it. And once I was able to accomplish that goal again, trip to Paris was a financial goal, it was truly a financial goal. I had a repeatable process. I had a repeatable.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:14.983)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:24.903)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:32.486)
right?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:36.676)
Mm-hmm.

Danielle Desir Corbett (26:37.326)
process. So I will say that it doesn't matter how big or small you can save. What matters is getting into the habit of saying, travel is important to me. I'm going to put something away. It doesn't matter if it's 25, 100 or $500 a month, but I'm doing this for me. And when we're doing that, the act of saving for money means that we're forgoing.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:49.531)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (27:07.53)
something today too, right? Because we're saying, I'm choosing to do this, which means I'm not gonna order that Uber Eats today, or I'm not gonna go out a happy hour today. So you're making a sacrifice every time you save money, right? So those are the things that, again, the mindfulness things, it's just like, travel can be expensive, but it can also be not as expensive as I think it's gonna be, and I'm gonna get into the habit of

'Maven' Miara Shaw (27:09.34)
right?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (27:18.599)
Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (27:30.223)
Right.

Danielle Desir Corbett (27:36.25)
saving a little bit of cash on the side. And honestly, that can be very difficult to do, right? When you are trying to take care of your household and growing your business, it can be harder to be like, hold up. But that foresight, that knowledge, that habit that we're building, we're building habits right now, right? We're building a habit of saving, which will then allow us to again, pursue those other goals. So...

'Maven' Miara Shaw (27:55.079)
Right.

Yeah.

Danielle Desir Corbett (28:05.578)
Yeah, it's just been an incredible journey over the last eight years to see how travel has popped up, whether I was solo, whether I was now newly dating, whether I was a married woman now as a mom and an entrepreneur. All the things I've learned has been keeping travel as a habit, saving money, being mindful, thinking about what's important to me. All of those themes are what continues to help to fuel me, even when things are great.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:14.183)
Okay.

Danielle Desir Corbett (28:35.274)
and when things are also financially tight and things are hard as well. So I hope those ideas were helpful.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:35.695)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:42.263)
love that. And I love that it's, you know, really the, the focus and the patience with ourselves, that if this, this travel goal is not easily attainable today, that you can put a plan in place to start sitting money aside. So you've got, you've got to give yourself some grace that you're going to get there. You might not be able to go next month, but maybe six months from now, maybe it's even a year from now.

but we've got to be able to, as you said, create a plan that says, this is my end goal. I'm trying to get to Paris. I'm trying to go debt-free, affordably. So I'm gonna create a plan for that. And then all we need to apply at that point is patience, staying focused and being persistent to reach your goal. Listen, thank you so much. I've gained some new thoughts and some new ideas around.

traveling more. Now I don't know that my husband is going to be happy that I create a goal of traveling more than once a quarter. But I think, I think just from what I've learned, I think it's doable. I think I can do it. So listen, Maven Nation, if travel has been a part of your self care or you want it to be a part of your self care, be sure to tune in again, check in the show notes to get Danielle's book and create your plan. And remember, give yourself grace.

Be persistent, stay focused on the goal that you have, and you're gonna get there. We're gonna see you, we're gonna run into you in some of these wonderful places of travel. Again, thank you Danielle for joining us.

Danielle Desir Corbett (30:25.39)
My pleasure, my pleasure.

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3 Truths for Busy Women to Prioritize Their Health – Episode 26

3 Truths for Busy Women to Prioritize Their Health – Episode 26

by | Apr 3, 2024 | Holistic Well-Being, Podcast | 0 comments

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, Maven Miara shares three reminders for busy women on how to prioritize their health. She emphasizes that health is not just about losing weight but encompasses various aspects. The first reminder is to gather a team of medical professionals, trainers, and nutritionists to navigate the changes that come with age. Miara highlights the importance of having a support system to guide and provide accurate information. She then discusses the significance of preparing for doctor’s appointments by consulting with a health and wellness coach. Miara also talks about adjusting workout plans based on individual needs and the importance of having an accountability partner. Lastly, she encourages listeners to be gentle with themselves throughout their health and wellness journey.

Key Focus Areas:

  • 04:24 Preparing for Doctor’s Appointments
  • 05:21 Adjusting Workout Plans
  • 06:47 Having an Accountability Partner
  • 08:14 Being Gentle with Yourself 

Listen To This Episode:

Nurturing Health as a Keystone of Success for High-Performing Women​

In the bustling rhythm of corporate leadership and entrepreneurship, health often becomes a footnote in the story of success. Yet, in our latest podcast episode, “3 Truths for Busy Women to Prioritize Their Health,” we unfolded an essential truth: for high-performing women, health is not a luxury; it’s the bedrock of sustained success and fulfillment. This article delves deeper into the three pillars of health for busy professional women, offering guidance and inspiration to integrate these practices into your demanding lives.

Mindful Nutrition: Fueling Your Body and Mind

The ancient adage, “You are what you eat,” holds profound truth, especially in the high-stakes world of professional leadership. Mindful nutrition is about making intentional choices that fuel both your body and your mind, providing the energy and clarity needed to tackle your day.

  • Plan and Prepare: Amidst a tight schedule, planning your meals can be a game-changer. Dedicate a portion of your weekend to meal prep, focusing on balanced, nutritious options. This not only saves time during the week but also ensures that you’re fueling your body with what it needs to thrive.
  • Hydration is Key: Often overlooked, hydration plays a critical role in maintaining energy levels and cognitive function. Keep a water bottle at your desk and set reminders to drink regularly. Remember, when you’re well-hydrated, your entire system operates more efficiently.
  • Small Steps, Big Impact: Start with small, manageable changes. Swap out that mid-afternoon coffee for green tea, or replace a sugary snack with a piece of fruit. These small steps can lead to significant, lasting changes in your overall well-being.

Integrating Physical Activity: A Catalyst for Energy and Creativity

Physical activity is much more than a means to physical fitness; it’s a catalyst for mental clarity, creativity, and stress relief.

  • Find Joy in Movement: The key to consistent physical activity is finding joy in it. Whether it’s yoga, a brisk walk, or a high-energy spin class, choose activities that you look forward to. This makes exercise less of a chore and more of a cherished part of your day.
  • Schedule It In: Treat your workout like an important business meeting. Block out time in your calendar and honor it. Remember, this isn’t just about staying in shape; it’s about giving your brain the break it needs to come back stronger and more focused.
  • Movement as a Mindfulness Practice: Use your exercise time as an opportunity to practice mindfulness. Focus on your breath, the movement of your body, and how you feel during and after the activity. This practice can provide a much-needed mental reset in the midst of a hectic day.

Prioritizing Mental Health: The Silent Power Behind Success

In the relentless pursuit of professional goals, mental health often takes a backseat, yet it’s the silent power behind long-term success.

  • Cultivate Stress Management Techniques: Identify stress-reduction techniques that work for you, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or journaling. Even a few minutes of these practices daily can significantly reduce stress levels.
  • Set Boundaries for Work-Life Balance: Learn to say no. Setting boundaries is crucial for mental health. It helps in managing stress, preventing burnout, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
  • Seek Support When Needed: Whether it’s a professional therapist, a mentor, or a trusted peer, don’t hesitate to seek support. Sharing your challenges and gaining perspective can be incredibly relieving and empowering.

As a high-performing woman, your health is your greatest asset. It’s the wellspring from which your energy, creativity, and resilience flow. By integrating mindful nutrition, physical activity, and mental health practices into your life, you are not just taking care of yourself; you are setting the stage for sustained success, leadership excellence, and personal fulfillment. Remember, in the symphony of success, health is the harmony that brings the melody to life.

QUIT HUSTLE CULTURE & CREATE YOUR OWN RHYTHM!

Gain access to three valuable videos designed to empower you in breaking free from the hustle culture and establishing your unique Balanced Rhythm™ for work-life equilibrium. Whether you’re a dynamic executive professional or a successful entrepreneur, these videos will equip you with the tools to develop a life strategy that places you firmly in the driver’s seat. Opt-in now to unlock this transformative content with  3 MOVES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH SANENESS!
Get Free Access

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let us know! Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”

Get Connected with Maven Miara

Are you a dynamic female executive or women entrepreneur craving proven business growth strategies and leadership success? Do you yearn for more fulfilling work-life balance? Are you seeking unwavering leadership confidence as you navigate the complexities of life, all while maintaining your holistic well-being (spiritual, physical and mental)? Welcome to ‘Success with Saneness. This transformative personal development podcast is designed exclusively for high-performers who seek to excel in both their professional and personal lives with balance. Each episode features expert insights and thought-provoking discussions about building unshakable leadership confidence, business growth and designing harmony among them. Join your host, “Maven” Miara, a professional speaker, business strategist, leadership development facilitator and author. Embark on an enlightening journey towards success with saneness, where holistic care, confidence building, and leadership unite. To find out more, join the Maven Nation community by visiting miarashaw.com. Reach out to Maven Miara at: hello@miarashaw.com Website: miarashaw.com  /  Episode Website LinkedIn: @miarashaw  /  Instagram: @mavenmiara  /  YouTube: @mavenmiara

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Maven Miara (00:03.17)
Hey, hey, Maven nation. Welcome back to another episode of success with saneness So, uh, this episode, I'm going to be sharing three, three quick reminders for you on how busy women like you and I must prioritize or can prioritize our health. I know. And when I say health, trust me, I am not talking about just losing weight. Like we've become,

So program that health weight, health weight, that's a piece of the puzzle, but, but that's not the only thing. Okay. So let's jump into these three ways. So the first area of focus that I want to chat about is gather your team. Okay. What does that look like? Um, if you have your medical doctor, maybe you have, um, a trainer, a nutritionist, whatever that looks like for you, gather your team.

I will say is I've gotten older, the plus 50. I definitely can, I don't think I would be able to manage without feeling so overwhelmed and literally just throwing up my hands and quitting my health without a teen. Because as we get older, our bodies are changing, things are happening. Sometimes quickly, we don't understand, we don't know why. The things we've been doing no longer work. And...

the team is who's going to help me plow through the right information for me. Because listen, there's a lot of information out there on the interwebs. Okay. Um, and some of it's true. Some of it's absolutely false, but, but how do I, how do I know I'm not a medical professional or a medical practitioner? How do I know exactly what is right or wrong?

and what a plan would be to get it to work for me, right? So that's why I say having a team is so important. Now here's what my team looks like. I do have my medical doctor, my primary care doctor. I have a gynecologist and my gyno really has helped me more specifically with my hormones. What do we need to do to get those little babies back in some normal level, right?

Maven Miara (02:29.77)
We know as we start approaching going through perimenopause, menopause, the hormones are all over the place. That causes a lot of things to change and shift in our physical bodies, mental state, all of those things. And so my gynecologist helps me stay on top of that piece. Okay. I have a health and wellness coach. She's also my personal trainer. So here is how I use my team.

So, you know, my primary care, just, you know, the regular, regular things that I might need in the health space, sinus infection, let's call it that. Okay. My gyno, you know, your annual PAP, all of those things. And for me specifically around this hormonal balance. So my gynecologist is going to give some information and pieces and all of that. I then

And really I talk to my health and wellness coach before I go to my doctor's appointments. Because I want to have a bit more information on how, what the doctor might want to prescribe or give me. And how is that going to affect me in a more holistic way? How is that going to affect me physically, maybe mentally? All of those things.

So I will have that conversation with my health and wellness coach before going to the, okay, I'm headed to the doctor. This is the appointment. Here's what I'm going for. We have that conversation. So that when I'm at the doctor's office, if I have questions, I can get those questions answered while I'm in the visit and not have to schedule another tele-visit later or send an email or whatever needs to happen. I

Nine times out of 10, go into my doctor's appointment with questions spelled out in my notes app in my phone so that I can get those questions answered while I'm actually again in the session. I've kind of gathered those questions because I've already had a conversation with my health and wellness coaching, whatever research I've done on the interwebs and all of the things I want to have.

Maven Miara (04:51.634)
If I have questions, I want to take those into that session with my doctor and get those answered. So those are kind of the three primary pieces that make up my wellness team. Let's call it. Um, also, you know, what type of workouts I, my health and wellness coach literally changed my whole workout plan. I used to do the 60 minute big hit, full sweat,

workouts, which I absolutely love as much as you can love them. Right. So we had to completely move away from that and do more low impact 30 minute workouts just to get my stress levels, the cortisol, which causes your body to retain fat, get those levels down. And maybe in about, you know, so we've been on that for about nine months and we thinking about, you know, maybe another three or four months, we'll be able to

go back up maybe to 45 minute workout. But it were very, she's very intentional about the type of workouts, the plan that I'm on because the literary for me, I started one of my first indications that the pair of the men are all one of the policies was happening. I started gaining weight while working out. What does that happen? So, so that was my indication that something is happening, changing my body.

because the things I have been doing were no longer working. So yeah, it's a no-no to be working out and gaining weight that whatever. So that was a big indication for me that my body was doing something different. So that's number one, gather your team. Number two, get an accountability partner. Now, because I have a trainer, my health and wellness coach, she is my accountability partner because our workouts are on my calendar. They're scheduled, they're paid for. I have to show up.

on time, get my pre-workout done and stretch and all of the things. So that's a form of accountability to me, for me. And also, um, that group of women, we don't work out together, but there, we're all in a group. We can check in on each other, hold each other accountable, all of those things, because your wellness journey is literally a journey. Our bodies are changing, adjusting, life be life, and all of the things that happen.

Maven Miara (07:16.974)
Um, be flexible on that journey. What works this year might need some tweaking adjustments or complete abandonment for the next year. So be aware, pay attention to your body, what it's telling you, what it's telling you to do, not do when it's telling you to rest or since you need more water, you feel you're a little dehydrated, whatever those things are. Be attentive to yourself and have an accountability partner. If you need one. I know for me, I need one.

I have to have one to stay consistent at, um, trying to keep my health and wellness in a good space. Number three, almost most important as number one and two, be gentle with yourself on this journey throughout your health and wellness journey. Again, um, our bodies are going to be changing. Uh, life is going to life.

all of the things that we go through in life normally has some level of effect on our health, our total wellness. So be gentle with yourself. You're going to have to be flexible. You're going to have to make adjustments. There are things that might've worked for another maven that you tried that don't work for you. It is frustrating. It is annoying. You got to be gentle with yourself.

You got to stay on it and keep making the tweaks, the adjustments, so that you don't, you don't give up. You don't quit. Okay. So gather your team. Number one, number two, have an accountability partner and number three, be gentle with yourself on this health and wellness journey. You deserve it. Maybe you deserve to be able to live your best life with some level of good health.

for as much as you can. So remember, stay on this journey. Hit reset, gather your team and do the things you need to do to remain gentle with yourself. I wish you good health, great wellness and joy around all of those things. So until next time, Maven, even on this health journey, keep doing your BAM thing.

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How Women Can Navigate Corporate Mentorship – Episode 25

How Women Can Navigate Corporate Mentorship – Episode 25

by | Mar 20, 2024 | Leadership Confidence, Podcast | 0 comments

IN THIS EPISODE:

Our guest, Gina Cano shares her journey in the tech industry and the importance of support and networking for black and brown women. She emphasizes the need to ask for help and take risks, even when it feels uncomfortable. Gina also discusses the value of investing in personal development and finding a balance between work and personal life. She highlights her role at Dell, where she focuses on ESG and sustainability, and her commitment to inspiring the next generation of women in tech.

Key Focus Areas:

  • 00:34 Gina’s Entry into Technology
  • 02:55 The Power of Networking and Mentorship
  • 10:15 Personal and Professional Development
  • 16:37 Achieving Work-Life Harmony

Listen To This Episode:

Watch this episode on YouTube!

Embracing Opportunities: The Path to Success in Tech for Black and Brown Women​

In a world where technology shapes our everyday lives, black and brown women are making strides, breaking barriers, and leaving indelible marks in the tech industry. The recent episode of ‘Success with Saneness’ featuring Gina Cano, a tech leader at Dell, offered valuable insights into navigating the tech landscape as a woman of color. Here are three key takeaways from her journey that can inspire and guide aspiring professionals in the tech industry.

The Power of Curiosity and Continuous Learning

Gina’s journey into the tech world began in high school with a simple computer class that ignited her curiosity. This curiosity evolved into a passion for technology, underscoring the importance of continuous learning and development in one’s career. For many women of color in tech, the journey starts with a spark of interest that grows into a burning flame. Embracing every learning opportunity, from formal education to hands-on experiences, is crucial. It’s about being open to new ideas, staying updated with industry trends, and never underestimating the value of every educational experience, whether in a classroom or a retail store.

Navigating the Landscape: Networking and Mentorship

Gina emphasized the importance of networking and finding mentors in her rise through the tech ranks. Networking is not just about building a list of contacts but about forming meaningful connections that can provide guidance, support, and opportunities. For black and brown women in tech, building a strong network can be a game-changer. It’s about seeking out individuals who inspire you, joining professional groups, attending industry events, and engaging in communities that align with your career goals. Mentorship can provide direction and open doors that might otherwise remain closed. A mentor can be a sounding board, a guide, and a beacon, helping navigate the often challenging waters of the tech industry.

Investing in Self and Embracing Challenges

Gina’s story is a testament to the power of self-investment and resilience. Investing in oneself – whether through education, personal development, or self-care – is essential. It’s about recognizing your worth, understanding your potential, and giving yourself the tools and time to grow. This self-investment is particularly vital for women of color, who often face unique challenges in the tech industry. Embracing these challenges and viewing them as opportunities for growth can lead to personal and professional development. In conclusion, Gina Cano’s journey in the tech industry is a beacon of inspiration for black and brown women aspiring to carve their paths in this dynamic field. Her success story is built on a foundation of curiosity, continuous learning, strategic networking, mentorship, and a strong commitment to self-investment and resilience. These pillars not only guide aspiring tech professionals but also serve as a reminder that with passion, determination, and the right support, the glass ceiling can indeed be shattered. To all the aspiring black and brown women in tech, remember: your journey is unique, and your contributions are invaluable. Embrace every opportunity to learn, connect, and grow. The tech world needs your perspective, creativity, and innovation. Your journey may not be easy, but it will undoubtedly be worth it.

QUIT HUSTLE CULTURE & CREATE YOUR OWN RHYTHM!

Gain access to three valuable videos designed to empower you in breaking free from the hustle culture and establishing your unique Balanced Rhythm™ for work-life equilibrium. Whether you’re a dynamic executive professional or a successful entrepreneur, these videos will equip you with the tools to develop a life strategy that places you firmly in the driver’s seat. Opt-in now to unlock this transformative content with  3 MOVES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH SANENESS!
Get Free Access

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

Love the show? Leave a 5-star review and let us know! Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”

Get Connected with Maven Miara

Are you a dynamic female executive or women entrepreneur craving proven business growth strategies and leadership success? Do you yearn for more fulfilling work-life balance? Are you seeking unwavering leadership confidence as you navigate the complexities of life, all while maintaining your holistic well-being (spiritual, physical and mental)? Welcome to ‘Success with Saneness. This transformative personal development podcast is designed exclusively for high-performers who seek to excel in both their professional and personal lives with balance. Each episode features expert insights and thought-provoking discussions about building unshakable leadership confidence, business growth and designing harmony among them. Join your host, “Maven” Miara, a professional speaker, business strategist, leadership development facilitator and author. Embark on an enlightening journey towards success with saneness, where holistic care, confidence building, and leadership unite. To find out more, join the Maven Nation community by visiting miarashaw.com. Reach out to Maven Miara at: hello@miarashaw.com Website: miarashaw.com  /  Episode Website LinkedIn: @miarashaw  /  Instagram: @mavenmiara  /  YouTube: @mavenmiara

Connect with Gina Cano on LinkedIn!

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'Maven' Miara Shaw (00:01.714)
All right, Gina, listen, that was an amazing intro. Let's jump into talking about these guiding lights. We briefly talked, you and I, about the importance of black and brown women, all women, but more so we're focused on black and brown women of getting that support they need along these career journeys. So let's start out a little bit talking about how did you get your start in tech?

And really how has that led you to where you are right now with Dell?

Gina Cano (00:34.999)
Oh, thank you for having me. And that is a great, great question. And you know, my story, my journey into tech is probably one that many have, especially black and brown, but maybe we just don't share it enough to talk about it, right? So if I take back to when I first got into technology, it was probably when I was in high school, right? So this was many, many years ago. I still can't believe it's been that long.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (00:50.348)
Okay.

Gina Cano (01:04.151)
I took a computer class, right? It wasn't, I think before computer class, it was typing classes. Well, I actually took a computer class and I got introduced to the worldwide web. And I learned how to chat and we were chat or emailing chat, whatever the protocol was then I was just in awe. Like, this is the coolest thing that I've ever seen. I was talking to somebody at the time.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (01:09.483)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (01:17.037)
Okay.

Gina Cano (01:28.767)
I lived in Beeville, Texas, and I think I was talking to someone in Gregory, Portland, which was about maybe 45 minutes away. I was like, wow. And I'm not on a phone, like doing a phone call. I'm actually chatting with them. So I thought that was the coolest thing. So then I really had an interest, but growing up in a small town like Beeville, Texas, technology isn't, you know, something that you don't want to pursue, right? You see the standard, oh, he can be a teacher or a principal, fireman, police person.

work at the grocery store and things like that, right? If I look at my family, my dad didn't get to finish school. He's a general contractor and has done very well for himself. My mom was a homemaker. The rest of my family, nobody was in tech. So where was I gonna go? So I moved to Houston from Beeville after I graduated. I moved to Houston and I had some different jobs there. Then when I worked at Best Buy, I got into selling, right? I found out I can sell. I'm really good at.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (02:14.882)
Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (02:24.878)
Okay.

Gina Cano (02:27.087)
I have the gift of gab, if you will, so I can talk to a wall. It's a, I started selling and because I was so successful at selling appliances, I have no background in the plan. I didn't know what it was, but I could sell. They put me in computer hardware. So as soon as I got into the computer hardware, again, I'm not strong in this area, I didn't know what computers really were other than my short stint in high school, chatty, right? That was the extent of it. That's when I realized, wow.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (02:40.27)
Okay.

Gina Cano (02:55.555)
This is what I really like. So through my team that I had there, they started teaching me how to replace a memory stick. Right? How do I update software? How do I install an operating system? Which got me more and more and more intrigued. Fast forward. I start taking some certifications. I got my MCFC. I got my Cisco certification. I ended up getting a job at Geotronics, my first call center job, which then got me the network. Networking is key.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:03.438)
Wow.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:24.76)
Yes?

Gina Cano (03:24.995)
Made my friends, started making networking then, ended up working at Compec, which then changed to HP, which then fast forward or now rewind 19 years ago, got an opportunity here at Dell and I've been here ever since. So it all started because of a class that I took that sparked an interest that said, hey, this is really cool. This is something I wanna learn more of, which I continue to pursue, right, to do that.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (03:51.682)
I love that. I love that. And listen to all the moms that are watching this. It is important to, to let your students figure it out. You know, just because no one in your family's done it. Gina had that experience. I had the same experience. No one in my family had gone in a natural gas and was a trader. When I said I worked at Chevron, they asked if I worked at the gas station. I'm like, no, not.

Gina Cano (04:16.98)
No.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (04:17.506)
Not quite, not quite. But letting kids explore that because, you know, when I look back on my own journey, all of these different steps were navigating me to the place I needed to be for my future. Now I didn't know that. I'm sure you didn't know that. But what has that type of, and you touched on networking, what should a woman know that is

Gina Cano (04:31.77)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (04:44.582)
maybe in a role, maybe she's already in the corporate space. She's a bit frustrated that she's, she feels like she's stuck in a particular level. She doesn't have a mentor. She doesn't have a sponsor. What? And really trusting her skills, right? You know, women, and this is not me making up stuff. Studies show this women, we want all of the ducks in a row completely lined out before we take the step and men traditionally.

like are missing a lot of ducks and they're like, I can do it. Pick me taking that, that thought and applying networking. What, what do women, what would you suggest that women do that you are in the corporate space or even as entrepreneurs that want to keep going, maybe they're a little afraid and they don't have those connections they think they need right now.

Gina Cano (05:37.463)
Yeah, no, that is something on all of the different individuals I mentor and coach. Specifically, I focus a lot of my energy on women, especially Black and Brown, is where a lot of my interest is. And I would say the number one thing is you will always get a no for the questions you don't ask, right? Period. And networking, yes, it's going to be there, right? I guarantee, I could, there's one thing I can guarantee.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (05:49.25)
Hmm.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (05:59.002)
That's gonna be tweetable.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:04.034)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (06:07.243)
is that you will always get a no for the questions that you don't ask, right? You have to go out there. And being vulnerable to ask those questions can be intimidating because culturally speaking, especially for women, we are supposed to just kind of stay quiet in the background. You're not supposed to go ask for help. We're not supposed to go do a lot of things. It was probably, and I fell a lot into that too, right? We're not supposed to do this.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:10.051)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:26.434)
Right.

Gina Cano (06:32.995)
But when I started networking and finding mentors, and I didn't know they were mentors at the time, it was just people I would talk to, right? I was looking for people to talk to. I didn't realize that I was gaining knowledge from them because that's what a mentor does, right? I was just like, what do you think about this? You're like, oh, why can't I do this, right? So what we can sometimes consider like your girlfriend talk and you're just, you know, mingling and having a conversation with, you could actually learn a lot from there.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:40.226)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (06:47.319)
Right.

Gina Cano (07:01.171)
I also had to be aware of not falling into the negative echo chambers of allowing that to consume me. Right? So there's been a lot of investment in myself to get comfortable and being uncomfortable, finding the people that had similar or different, but similar in the sense that they were not just trying to be, I don't like this, this isn't the right thing, but rather I don't like this. What do I need to do differently? Right? So I started surrounding myself with that. So I would encourage all women.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (07:13.954)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (07:30.543)
to surround yourself with people that are thinking the same or are thinking a little differently but have the same goals to move forward. Different industries, that's fine, but you still wanna move forward, you wanna develop yourself. And finding a sponsor. There's a clear difference between mentors and sponsors. Mentors, yeah, mentors are gonna help guide you, give you that sounding board, you're gonna gain nuggets of knowledge.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (07:49.166)
Let's break that down.

Gina Cano (07:56.079)
How do I solve this or how should I approach that? Whatever that is, right? So think of them as that development to help you go. Your sponsors are making sure that your name is in every conversation, even when you're not in the room, when you're not there. That sponsor is advocating for you. If you're in corporate world, they may hear of an opportunity in another organization. You might wanna consider Gina for that role because she has this skill, she has this background.

they're going to help connect the dots for you, right? Mentors in some capacity do that, but that's not their primary focus. You need a sponsor that is purposely and intentionally going out there and advocating for you. So I think the biggest thing I would say to all women if you're doing this is get comfortable being uncomfortable. You are always going to get a no if you don't ask the questions and just go ask. And you're never ever going to be 100% ready for any role that you take. Any, whether you're in a professional corporate world,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (08:30.594)
Right.

Gina Cano (08:53.943)
or you're trying to start your own business, I can guarantee you do not have 100% of everything and you never will, and that's okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (09:01.378)
I love that. And I love that you broke down around the sponsorship because you can almost say mentorship can almost be informal. Someone you work with that's maybe in management or a higher level, and you just have conversations with them. They welcome it very friendly. You need to be very intentional about your sponsor. You need to make sure you're having a conversation with them so they are aware and you guys are in agreement. I'm looking at you to be my sponsor. So they are very aware of that. And again, women.

You have to take that actionable step. And even if that person says, I don't think I'm the right person. Ask them for, well, who do you think would be a good person for me? Keep asking those questions. Here's something I want to touch on. You, you, you talked about making the investment and getting on moving away from being so uncomfortable, right? What did that investment look like for you? And what would you suggest for a woman?

maybe who's never had coaching, any type of formal mentorship, you know, mastermind, what does that look like for a woman that maybe is getting ready to look at moving into the executive level?

Gina Cano (10:15.275)
Oh, that's a great one. I think back to like, when did I really make that decision to invest in myself, right? So throughout my journey, I've made investments by going to school, the certifications, but that was a different level of investment. I'm gonna say during the pandemic, is I had a lot of time on my hands, like probably many of you listening, couldn't go anywhere, couldn't do anything. So I'm hanging out at home and I really started to reflect and think to myself, well,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (10:34.314)
Yes. Right.

Gina Cano (10:42.499)
What do I want to do next? You know, what do I want to be when I grow up, right? As I continue to think through it. And I was frustrated because I felt stuck. Like many, many of you that are listening to this, you just feel stuck. Like what, what am I doing or not doing? Why can I seem to get past this level? Right. Why do I, you know, why do I keep doing this? And they tell me I need to be one, two, and three, and I've done one, two, three, four, and five, you know, what is it? So.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (10:46.582)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (10:56.352)
Right.

Gina Cano (11:11.411)
I sensed it and I recognized that I was extremely frustrated. And this wasn't something that a mentor was able to help me with. I got some nuggets of information. I even had my sponsors. I didn't have as many then as I do now, but it just wasn't right. So I went in on LinkedIn and there's a tool that's within LinkedIn that you can actually look for coaches. You can actually hire for coaches or.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (11:23.767)
Okay.

Gina Cano (11:39.403)
any other kind of mentors. I mean, there's different skills out there. So I put in a request and say, you know what? I'm just gonna go check it out. Right? And I talked to a few different people. And that's when I realized this, I was talking with them and hearing the services that these professionals like yourself offer for coaching and development. Basically, you're there to help us get out of our own way. Right? You really are helping us get out of our own way. That's...

'Maven' Miara Shaw (11:56.923)
Mm-hmm. OK.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (12:02.411)
Yeah.

I say that all the time.

Gina Cano (12:07.287)
You know, after I met with my coach, he's fantastic, Stephen English, and he helped me see so much, right? I was like, oh, wow. The little voice in your head that tells you you're not good enough, that famous imposter syndrome that you have to fight. We named my little voice. His name is Booger. And sometimes when Booger comes up, I'm like, look, Booger, I appreciate it. I, but no, it's, you need to stay quiet because I need to move forward. Right. So was I.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (12:29.783)
right now.

Gina Cano (12:37.235)
Hesitant at first? Absolutely. Right. Because let's be honest, it's not like it's, you know, $20 and you're on your business. Right. You know, one thing that I have learned also through my investment in my, my mental and physical with my trainer, cheap is expensive. So I could always go the cheap route, but I'm going to pay double, sometimes triple to go back and course correct, because I wanted to save a few pennies in the front end. Right. So

'Maven' Miara Shaw (12:55.272)
Oh wow.

Gina Cano (13:04.395)
It was making that decision to invest in me and recognizing I'm hiring a coach just like a professional athlete. They don't go in the NFL or the NBA or major league baseball, just on their skill alone. They have coaches, they have trainers, they invest the time, they invest all of that. We're no different. We are absolutely no different. It's just a different level of investment. I'm investing in me and my skills and it has paid off tenfold.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (13:12.128)
Mm-hmm.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (13:19.17)
Right.

Gina Cano (13:32.575)
It really has in doing that. And then investing in my time here at work and leveraging all of the network that's there for me, we have employee resource groups. I really invested in that again, COVID didn't have anything to do. I was seeking that connection with people. If you're in a corporate world or even in a, as an entrepreneur, there are networks you can get with it's built in for you, right? And so.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (13:42.882)
Right?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (13:55.831)
Absolutely.

Gina Cano (13:58.367)
I got more involved with those groups, which got me involved into a program, which connected me with a mentor who, David Olvenza, who is outstanding and one of my mentors helped me connect some of the stuff Stephen taught me with the stuff he had with all the other amazing people I've gotten. And it's just put this energy. So that's what I mean by investment. It's not just a monetary thing that is there.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:24.662)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (14:24.847)
but it's investing in you and seeing, well, what do I want to do next? And what's getting in my way? And nine times out of 10, it's you getting in your own way.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (14:31.914)
Yeah, I love that. And that all of these pieces came together, right? Like a coach is kind of a quarterback sometimes of, okay, you have this piece, this piece, and pulling that all together. And you said something so critical about these networks. Ladies, no one is coming to look for you. You've got to seek it out. You've got, and then just because you join a network.

If you never attend a virtual meeting, in-person meeting, make those connections you've got to do. There's a maven quote that I have that says, the work is not skippable. I made up a whole word, but you've got to do the work. And it does pay off. And even if it doesn't necessarily pay off in your next promotion, think about all of these connections you've made that you might not need them today, but a year from now.

Gina Cano (15:10.744)
Hey.

Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (15:28.974)
three years from now, you never know when you're gonna need those connections. Now of course, success with saneness is all about the undertone of helping women create success with sanity, without feeling like we have to run ourselves into the ground to achieve success. So what does that look like for you? And even if you don't have all of those pieces today, what is that?

future, work life balance, I call it balance rhythm, because life is always in motion. And so that rhythm, there's adjustments that are going to have to happen. What does that look like for Gina? That she is taking care of herself, she's doing amazing at work, well connected with her family. And I want women to hear this because it doesn't happen by happenstance. You have to be intentional with.

boundaries and all these other things to make sure that you are not seeking success yet sacrificing everything that really is important to you.

Gina Cano (16:37.055)
Absolutely. I called it harmonization, right? Finding the harmony between your work and your personal, because now with technology, it's all blended. It's like, none of us really have any off time because you're connected in some capacity, right? So for me, a couple of things are absolutely non-negotiable. So number one, I own my calendar. No one else owns my calendar. That's my calendar. It's my time.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (16:41.806)
about it.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (16:52.15)
Now.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (16:58.958)
Mm-hmm. Yes.

Gina Cano (17:03.895)
And that is the most precious asset that we have, because once it's spent, you never get it back. So I keep that front and center, right? My calendar, my time. Number two, which is kind of number one, tied in with it, my family. Work will always be there, but my family is my family and they are my priority, right? So I have a 13 year old son, he is my world. He is everything. And if I'm not healthy and I'm not happy, I am no good and I'm no use to him. So I gotta make sure that I'm mentally,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (17:09.496)
Right.

Gina Cano (17:33.243)
capable and I'm there and I'm present for my son, for my husband, right, for my parents, right? So family first, work second. That is how I operate, right? Family first, work second. But in order for any of those, family or work, to be able to be in harmony and good, I have to prioritize me. And so how do I prioritize me? I've got time on my calendar to go to the gym. I don't negotiate that time.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (17:41.335)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (17:44.663)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (17:56.055)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:00.925)
Mm-hmm.

Gina Cano (18:02.355)
I might have to shift my time, right? I was going to go in the afternoon, nevermind I'll go in the morning, it's on my calendar. And if I'm not able to go to the gym for whatever reason, sometimes stuff happens, it does. I find something else to do, right? Whatever that is. Sometimes it might be just endless scrolling on TikTok because I need to mentally disconnect from the work.

demands that I have or the demands of being a mom and a wife and a sister and a daughter and everything else that comes in. Oh yeah, and I also help run all of my dad's businesses. So if I'm not at work in my family stuff, I still need time for me. So foundation for me is family first. My calendar is my time, but I prioritize me because if I'm not right, if I'm not healthy, if I'm not there, I'm no good to anyone.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:37.848)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:46.69)
Yo.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (18:52.311)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (18:53.135)
And it took me a few years to figure that out, because I would work myself crazy working these crazy hours. I'm on the phone, I'm constantly checking, I'm constantly, the fear of missing out. I gotta do this, I gotta stay on top. And if I don't respond, and you're like, you know what, you'll be there. You know, when I go on vacation, I'm going on vacation, because I'm with my family, right? When I go to the gym, I'm going to the gym because it's for me, right? And I realized, that's okay, it's okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:02.859)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:08.074)
Yeah. Right. Yeah.

Gina Cano (19:20.439)
and they'll figure it out and if they can't we'll go.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:22.774)
Yeah. Listen, yeah. I say that while we're taking care of ourselves, the rest of the world is going to be fine. It really is. We, no matter what role we play, we are not that critical that the world's going to fall apart while we're doing so here. Thank God. Right. I don't even want to carry that responsibility. Um, and I, and you know, I do the same thing with my calendar, with my workouts. My workouts are on my calendar, like a meeting.

Gina Cano (19:32.536)
It will.

Gina Cano (19:38.199)
No.

Gina Cano (19:43.075)
Yes!

'Maven' Miara Shaw (19:53.078)
So if a client goes to look at my calendar, the book of time, they can't, they can't book during my gym time because I'm already have something in that slot. And, and, and ladies, I want you to hear a saying that this self care and the prioritization that's important to you is up to you. Your employer is not going to tell you, Oh, you got to make sure you take care of yourself first. That's your responsibility. And I'll often say,

Gina Cano (19:57.296)
I'm booked!

Gina Cano (20:12.579)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (20:22.582)
If the cap if you're the captain of your ship and the captain goes down then who's gonna man your ship We'll sort of make sure of your work and the business support you give to your dad and your husband and your son We have to be okay with that and ladies know that you still can have success You can still get there by maintaining your health your physical health mental health spiritual health all of those components

Gina Cano (20:29.734)
Yeah, everything goes down.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (20:51.274)
You can still get there. That fallacy that I'll sleep when I'm dead. Listen, I do not subscribe to that at all. I want to go to sleep at 10.30. I do, and it's very important.

Gina Cano (21:04.295)
No. I love my sleep. And don't you touch my nap time because I do have that in my calendar too. I got to have my nap in there. I got to recharge and get going. And you know what? It's okay. I've been doing it. Business is still functioning. I'm still successful as heck here at work. You know, the things are there and I'm rested. It's okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (21:10.637)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (21:16.426)
Yes. Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (21:23.8)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (21:27.786)
Yeah, I love it. I love it. Tell us a little bit about what you actually do it. Dale. That's how you and I got connected through the Dell network. Um, for entrepreneurs, which, you know, I'm scrolling on the platform and like, Oh my gosh, like how do I pick someone from this list of folks? Right. So it's going through and reading and I was like, Gina, Dell, Texas, like let's go with this. And like, again,

Gina Cano (21:28.577)
It is okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (21:57.302)
The journey when we're open to it will lead us to the places, the people, the things that we need. So tell us a little bit about what you do at Dale. I know you are a champion for women even there at Dale. So tell us a little bit about that as well.

Gina Cano (22:12.187)
Sure. So at Dell, I like to jokingly say, well, not fully joke, I'm a disruptor, right? So that's what I like to do. And I'm a builder. I build, right? I take a lot after my father. I'd again, he's a general contractor. So I said, dad, instead of building houses in these commercial buildings, I build organizations and I build people, right? So probably about a year ago now, I was presented with a new opportunity to build a new business here at Dell.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (22:18.914)
Okay.

Gina Cano (22:42.095)
focused on ESG and sustainability, right? Even though E is the environmental, but really specifically on sustainability. So I'm looking at it from the lens of, what do we at Dell do in regards to our ESG, whether it's our sustainability goals, our people goals, ensuring we have the right regulatory governance, what is Dell doing? And how can we help our customers achieve their own ESG goals?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (23:04.238)
Mm-hmm.

Gina Cano (23:09.547)
Again, right now, very focused on sustainability, right? So at the end of the day, we are a business, right? So is there a way we can monetize that? Yes, great. Or is it just the right thing to do through our different routes that we have, through some of our service offerings, through some of the hardware, or some of our own giving that we do, some of the nonprofit stuff that we help in, are helping other organizations to get to achieve their goals. So I'm looking at it from that lens, right? How can Dell, from a services perspective,

take all the goodness we're doing at a corporate level and help customers, our clients, with those same goals to achieve them. So it's been really exciting. It really has been exciting to do this, because it's good. It ties into the goals that I set back in 2020 when I first met my coach, right? When I met with Steven and we started figuring out, you know, what do I want to do next? And then as I worked with David, you know, what does that really look like? I had two main goals.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (23:49.294)
I love that.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (23:57.518)
Okay.

Gina Cano (24:07.759)
There's a lot of them, but two that stood out. Number one is I wanted to make the world a better place for my son. What better way than to make sure that we're being sustainable and ethical and we're doing things right, that we truly do make a change in this world, right? And being with Dell, we have, in my opinion, we have a responsibility to lead the charge in that, right? We really do. So yeah, let's do this. Number two is I want to inspire the next generation of me.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:09.902)
Mm-hmm.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:13.28)
Okay.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:22.859)
Right?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:28.194)
Mm-hmm.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:37.942)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (24:38.179)
Right? The young Latina growing up in a small town where you don't see a lot of black and brown at the executive's levels, uh, let's be honest, it's very vanilla in most of those levels. Right? So I'm, I want to achieve those levels just not only for my own career aspirations, but I want that next Gina that's learning and seeing is like, well, I can do that. So.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (24:49.366)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (25:04.351)
I do that here at Dell too. So that's why I go to different events and I'm talking and meeting with different students so they can identify and they can relate and they can see themselves in this capacity. So I do that through the ERG that I'm a part of. So I'm in a couple of ERGs. We have 13 here at Dell. Name the flavor. We probably have it based on your interest, right? Which is great. It shows how diverse we are and how open we are to seeing these different points of views and embracing and being inclusive.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (25:26.284)
It was like, yeah.

Gina Cano (25:34.711)
So the primary one I'm a part of is Latino connection, right? So through Latino connection, I get to talk to, and you don't have to be Latino to be a part of it, right? You can be a part of any of it. So I'm Latino connection, we got women in action, we have our Black Networking Alliance, we have pride, we have true abilities. So I'm a part of all these ERGs. And whenever I have an opportunity to go talk, I talk. If I have an opportunity to develop and share insights, I do, because again,

'Maven' Miara Shaw (25:57.836)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (26:03.271)
I want my story, my perspective to maybe help that one person, because then that one person will help the next person. So it goes from that. So at the end of the day, what I'm doing here is not only building a business, but I'm leading and being the change that I want to see in this world. And I'm using the power that Dell has to hopefully help influence it a little bit more.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:28.91)
I love that. And I love that, you know, when we talk about our professional lives, our personal lives, that when we get clear about our vision, what is it that you want? You sat down with your coach and got clarity around what does Gina want to do? What's the road? What does she want it to look like? Then we can really take that energy and positively connect those two in a well blended way. Because like you said, you know, I know for me as an entrepreneur,

Gina Cano (26:41.733)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (26:59.07)
my personal role in business all intertwined, but it's the same in the corporate. You spend so much time doing your work. It just brings such joy and fulfillment to the work you do when it is in alignment with also the personal goals that you have. So that thought brings us to kind of the end where I want you to give women your best piece of advice on if they're in that moment, and they're saying,

I'm stuck. I don't know where I want to be in this corporation. If I want to stay in this corporation, if I want to launch out and go do something else, I just feel stuck. And I feel like I don't even know what I need to be doing in this world. You know, we all go through those seasons of what the heck am I doing? What? Like what? Right? You just like, God, give me a sign, you know? And we, we want

Gina Cano (27:51.756)
Oh yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (27:54.47)
I always say we want the bright burning bush. We want the plane flying by in the sky to tell us, Gina, go do this. But that's not how it happens. Uh, what's that one step a woman needs to take if she's at that moment, she's like, I literally don't know what to do. What, what's your advice to get her to the next step of just do this one thing and then be open to the next things that will happen.

Gina Cano (28:21.431)
I would say probably the number one thing is at a minimum, at an absolute minimum, at least allocate an hour a week on your very busy schedule. And I know everybody can have the hour instead of mindlessly scrolling on TikTok or doing online shopping or whatever you might do. And those are my vices, that's what I do. So that's why I'm sharing it. But whatever it is that you're doing, you do have the time, there is an hour, at least once a week that you can find. I guarantee it's in there.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:36.694)
Right.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:40.97)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:45.294)
Bye.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (28:51.616)
Mm-hmm.

Gina Cano (28:52.795)
No disruptions if it's going for a walk or it's locking yourself in your office, your bedroom, your closet, go in your car, go for a drive, whatever it is where it's just you and you alone, you and your thoughts, right? Even if you have a little one, they're taking their nap time, whatever that is, you and really, really start to lay out, what are the things that I'd like to do? What are the things I don't like to do? What are the things that I wish I could have help with?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (29:04.674)
Mm-hmm. Yep.

Gina Cano (29:21.891)
What are the things I wish I could help others with? Start laying that out. Just start writing it. There's no rhyme, there's no reason. You're not going to have, it's not going to give you the answer right up front. But through that, it'll start to come up with the themes, the things that stand out to you. Like you're going to say, man, I am really good at X. I really want help with Y, whatever that is. And that'll help you then to that next step. Well, how do you go and tackle X?

'Maven' Miara Shaw (29:24.599)
Right.

Mm-hmm.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (29:31.959)
Right.

Gina Cano (29:49.807)
How do you go and embrace? Why, you know, where do you go? And then you can start researching. What's coming out of that without you realizing is by dedicating that hour, once a week, you're now forming a habit where you're now putting an hour a week for yourself to invest in thinking, just thinking, talking to yourself. Pretty amazing conversations I have with myself, some of the best conversations. And it's just that hour that I am dedicated to me, no interruptions. I'm not talking to anybody. I'm not texting. I'm not, no, me.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (30:10.902)
So, bye.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (30:19.086)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Gina Cano (30:19.567)
talking to hear, talking to hear, that's where you'll start to hear all of the signs that the world is trying to tell you, whether you're spiritual, whether you're religious, whatever it is, you are gonna get the answer, but you gotta turn the noise off. And the only way you can turn that noise off is to give yourself at a minimum an hour. The more you can do it, the better, but at a minimum, give yourself an hour. And if you're like, Gina, there's no way I could give myself an hour because...

'Maven' Miara Shaw (30:37.123)
You know.

Gina Cano (30:48.963)
We all think we're super busy and we all think we're super important. And like we said, hate to burst your bubble. No, really not. Right. It's you can find it. Then start off with the half hour. And then from there, expand it to 45 minutes and then 60 minutes, and then give yourself 90 minutes. And then you'll end up finding that the more you prioritize yourself and you really allow yourself to think. The sooner the answers start to come to you, cause they've been there. They're all along. It's just, there's a lot of noise. There's a lot of.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (30:50.7)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (31:00.119)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (31:16.31)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (31:18.011)
We don't have white noise in there. Let's get it out. That's what I would say.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (31:21.558)
Love it, love it, love it, love it. That would be some of the best maven advice ever because that's how it started for me. I started, I literally started with 60 seconds of quiet time. 60, and I wasn't even trying to have thoughts in that 60 seconds. I just needed to make myself be still, like, girl, slow down, slow down, right? And really in those moments,

Gina Cano (31:35.484)
Okay? Okay.

Gina Cano (31:45.919)
Yes.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (31:50.806)
The time kept growing and I think I had to also get past the fear of what am I going to hear when I really get steel. For me, I was afraid. I don't know even know why. Like I'm like, I'm going to hear something and I'm not going to be able to do it. Like what I was already talking myself out of what I didn't know.

Gina Cano (32:13.903)
That's booger. That's the little booger that we all have in there trying to tell you and protect you. And be like, no, don't start to listen. No, no, you need to listen.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (32:19.894)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't listen. And once I could get past the fear of being, of knowing that, again, another maven quote, that I'm CPR, capable, prepared, and ready for whatever it is I hear, I'm gonna be able to do it. Because I believe in God. God's not gonna ask me to do something I'm incapable of doing. Like, what would be the purpose of that, right?

So ladies know it's going to be uncomfortable. I still say that first year of me learning to get quiet and listen to my thoughts. I felt like my tear ducts were broken. I felt like I cried for a year. I felt like I cried for a year because it just was all of the really digging into what is it that I really want? Like we can keep waking up in this world and you know, kind of stomping through it and just doing the things.

other people put on our plate or we can get intentional and say, but what is it that I want to do? What's going to settle my heart and bring me peace and give me fulfillment. So ladies, we encourage you, like Gina said, start with 30 minutes. Just don't try to figure anything out. Just sit and be still. If it's driving, walking, laying down, whatever it is, just listen to what your heart.

is trying to tell you to do because here's the thing. Everyone in the world is not waiting for Myra or Gina. Someone's waiting for you and what you have to deliver. And listen, I'm gonna apply positive pressure. We need it. We need what you have in the world. Gina, listen, thank you so very much. I feel like just from us meeting a couple of months ago virtually, like we've known each other for several years and it's literally been about 60 days.

Gina Cano (34:09.687)
Yes, I feel the pain. Again, ladies, the beauty of networking, the courage of just reaching out, right? You took a chance, we connected, and you're right. I feel like I've known you my entire life, and this is, you know, I look forward to our conversations, and I'm sure this is one of many more to come. So don't be afraid. Again, stay comfortable. No, be comfortable.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (34:22.998)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (34:27.342)
Yeah.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (34:33.014)
Yeah.

Gina Cano (34:38.915)
being uncomfortable, right? Because that's where change happens. So this is a great example of it. So thank you for reaching out.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (34:40.398)
Absolutely.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (34:45.078)
Yeah, my joy. All right, Gina, hang on for me.

'Maven' Miara Shaw (35:20.435)
Alright, there we go.

Gina Cano (35:23.468)
I'm here.

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