One of the things that lights me up about the work I get to do is that I feel empowered to bring my entire self to the table. So much of what I do at OutGrowth is rooted in this idea of questioning old ways of thinking, challenging old ways of doing, and connecting at a human level to our stakeholders, partners and collaborators. This is why I love the concept and theme chosen for this month, Leaning Out. It invites us to holistically examine our lives and choices, reminding us that 1. We have an obligation to put the time and thought into building a life as much as we do a career, especially if we are seeking meaning and impact, 2. When we tap into our full human selves and bring pieces of ourselves into our work, we can become more effective and more skilled at what we do, and 3. Each of us has 100 lives within us, and how we structure our life doesn't have to be guided by the rule book we've been given. Leaning Out is such a unique and multi-layered topic, connected to life design, an ongoing work culture shift post-pandemic, and the question many of us continue to ask ourselves: 'What kind of life do I want to have lived?' Leaning Out is also closely tied to the ever-evolving role of women's leadership in the workplace and our potential to create a new path forward where women can bring their fullest selves to their careers and lives. We present perspectives on all of these layers throughout this month's issue, and are honored to feature two inspiring female writers who bring this topic to life.
Here's to continuing to build a life that lights us up. Happy reading, and happy leaning out.
Grow out with us. |
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OutGrowth Today Our Monthly Blogger Spotlight + OutGrowth's Top Tip for October The En Root Scoop On Building a Balanced Life Our Top Ted Talk, Podcast + Book |
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Having lived in Washington, DC for the past 25 years, I have felt the urgency to do more, faster, and harder. It is palpable as you ride the Metro and overhear conversations about world affairs. Sometimes it feels like I’m swimming upstream, but I have always managed to explore interests outside of work that are important to me and I think, make me a healthier, happier, person and more productive at work. In other words, I focus on leaning out. I have spent years learning how to sail as a shared hobby with my husband, I have cried on many mountain tops learning how to ski, I turned my childhood of piano and cello lessons into playing music in a band with friends, and I started practicing yoga in college and it has served me ever since. Each of the above has taught me how to concentrate, has instilled discipline, led to lifelong friendships, and connected me to vibrant communities. Whether or not you live in a part of the country or the world that embraces surfing before work, taking vacations, or hiking after hours, I believe spending time doing the things you get energy from is critical for mental health AND professional growth. This approach to work and life is important for several reasons: 1) Perspective: When you have hobbies and other valuable ways to spend your time, you can experience clarity of thought and it can provide you with perspective on what is important and when it is worth spending your “stress capital.” 2) Transferable skills: The meditation and breath work I’ve learned through yoga helps me get centered and prepared before giving a presentation or facilitating a meeting. |
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3) Connection: People light up when they talk about things they are passionate about. Whenever I’m conducting an interview, engaging with a new colleague, or meeting someone at a conference, one of my favorite questions to ask is, “What do you like to do when you’re not working?” If you discover you have an interest or hobby in common, that can jump start your relationship and lead to a deeper connection with that person over time. It can be a powerful way to have a productive relationship with a colleague or client. Grab that surfboard, take that Italian class, learn how to make dumplings…whatever inspires you. The next time you’re networking at a conference or chatting with a co-worker, you may find that your conversations are more motivating because you have something surprising in common and a topic you both want to talk about. Leaning out might actually make you a more interesting person. A person that people want to talk to and the type of person companies want to hire. Liz Matthews has spent over 25 years working in the public, private, and government sectors. Liz has held communications, outreach, and marketing positions at two national nonprofit organizations, a tech start-up, a fortune 500 company, and in higher ed. Liz has a Global Career Development Facilitator certification and is a Certified MBA Career Coach through The Academies. She received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When she’s not working, Liz can be found sailing, hiking, skiing, practicing yoga, reading, playing in Bitter Glynnis, or watching Modern Family at home with her 10-year old daughter and husband. |
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In 2016, when I was a senior in high school, I remember having a teacher tell our class that women should have to choose between investing in independence and a career, and pursuing a relationship and building a family. I was raised in fundamentalist religion, so those ideologies weren’t uncommon in that community, but I remember the feeling of hearing her say it so directly. I was confused, upset, and most of all, motivated to prove her wrong. To this day, I stand by my belief that women can and should be able to “have it all.” The issue I faced was, in a community that preached putting women in one of two boxes, I hadn’t been taught the tools to pursue both things. Balance was a totally foreign concept to me, so I fully leaned into absolutely everything, all the time. At 17 years old, I entered what would become a 5+ year relationship. By the time I turned 18, I had started a business as a wedding photographer. I was going to community college to learn the technicalities of running that business. I was working part-time jobs to pay bills. At the end of most days, around 11pm, I would drive to see my friends until 1 in the morning. And then I’d sleep for about five or six hours, and do it all again. For four years, I was sick all the time, my anxiety had become debilitating, my relationships with friends and family were suffering, and the job that I thought was the job of my dreams, I had come to hate because I was so stressed. When the pandemic hit, it felt like a brake check. The world as we all knew it came to a screeching halt, so I did too. The part time job I had at the time laid me off. The wedding industry was completely altered. My chronic illness was becoming unmanageable and the threat of Covid was terrifying. And perhaps worst of all, I was 21 years old and in a relationship that had been abusive for years- and I couldn’t see a way out. Having it all? Try drowning. |
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I don’t think I had ever even considered what it meant to “lean out” until then. I had equated “having it all” with “having no boundaries.” I thought that if I couldn’t make everything work at the same time, that it made me a failure. So often, we equate burnout with the workplace, but once it touches one branch of our lives, it can consume all of them. Since that time, I’ve learned that I can’t lean into all the good things I want to pursue without leaning out of the things that are holding me down. I spent 2020 fully leaned out of the wedding industry, and finally leaned into addressing my health issues. By the summer of 2021 I had established a support system that helped me feel safe enough to leave that abusive relationship. Today, I’m healthy, single, and self-employed full-time, doing wedding photography and brand management. I see my friends and family often, and before 11pm. I’ve been in therapy to make strides toward personal healing and pursuing healthier future relationships. My life has been forever changed by leaning out of the external, and redirecting my energy inward toward my physical, mental, and emotional needs. If that’s not “having it all,” then I’m not sure what is. Tia Bustanoby is a wedding and elopement photographer based out of Baltimore, with a passion for documenting the stories of people in love. Outside of her work, she maintains a passion for human connection and the things that bring people together. Tia loves to spend time with her people, loves to cook, and is a huge fan of 70's rock music. |
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| | Monthly Blogger Spotlight "Exploring the Space of the 'Funknown'" by Kari Ginsburg "So often when we think about goal-setting, there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and we're encouraged to be very focused on the end result. I disagree. That space in between where you are and where you want to be is a place of becoming. It's the messy middle." Kari Ginsburg nerds out about supporting people through personal or organizational transformation. She is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, and one of the first 500 recipients of the globally-recognized Certified Change Management Professional accreditation. | | |
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| | OutGrowth's Top Tip On Leaning Out: Find Your Moments of Flow Leaning out can feel like we are going against the culture we've been convinced to embrace. It can feel like unknown territory to imagine how we can craft a life where we are weighing our personal lives, interests and health equally with our careers and preconceived notions of "success." How do we get in touch with that other side of ourselves, especially if we feel like it's been dormant for some time? Our advice: Begin by finding your moments of 'flow.' Have you ever been working on a project, and the hours seem like minutes, and the minutes seem like seconds? When we are truly engaged in our work, time seems to evaporate. In order to tap into what ignites you, start by reflecting on times in your life when you experienced flow -- Where were you? What were you doing? Next, begin to map out ways that you can integrate some of those activities into your current life, even if it's just weekly or bi-weekly.
Small shifts in our routine can change the way we approach life and work, and can help us to build in opportunities where we feel alive.
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'Life patterns are constantly changing and evolving. In his TED Talk, Dan Thurmon explores how those patterns can be transcended by living off balance on purpose. Dan Thurmon is the author of two books, a renowned speaker, and a recognized expert in delivering peak performances -- on stage and in the workplace.' | | |
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'This weekly podcast is about designing your life in order to live it to it‘s fullest. Your hosts, Carlos and Susanne Hidalgo, have been applying Life Design principles for the last four years and will share the lessons they have learned, the approaches they take to continually design the life they want and also feature guests who have designed their lives and are living life to it‘s fullest.' | | |
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'Lean Out offers a new and refreshingly candid perspective on what it’s really like for today’s corporate underdogs. Based on both in-depth research and personal experiences, Orr punctures a gaping hole in today’s feminist rhetoric and sews it back up with compelling new arguments for the reasons more women don’t make it to the top and how companies can better incentivize women by actually listening to what they have to say and by rewarding the traits that make them successful.' | | |
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