Redraw Your Path

Best of 2024: 9 Things I Learned From 32 Redraw Your Path Interviews | Ep. 038

• Lynn Debilzen • Episode 38

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In this episode, Lynn recaps pivotal lessons learned from 32 interviews conducted in 2024 on the 'Redraw Your Path' podcast. 

Key insights include overcoming fear and starting imperfectly, creating space for clarity and creativity, asking questions to learn from others, trusting your gut, surrounding yourself with supportive people, recognizing and leveraging your strengths, understanding that choices are not permanent, acknowledging there are multiple paths to success, and defining personal success. 

Episodes mentioned: 


Resources mentioned: 

Connect with Lynn:

  • www.redrawyourpath.com
  • www.lynndebilzen.com
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynndebilzen/
Lynn:

Hey friends, I'm Lynn Debilzen and welcome to Redraw Your Path, a podcast where I share stories of people who have made big changes in their lives and forged their own unique paths. I talk with guests about their moments of messiness, fear, and reframing on their way to where they are now. My goal is to inspire you about the shape your life could take. So let's get inspired. Hey, y'all, I'm so excited to share some best of 20 24 with you. I'm digging back into the redraw of your path archives to share some of the best advice and best episodes from redraw your path so far. In this episode, I'll be sharing nine things I've learned from 32 interviews with amazing people who have redrawn their path. Let's kick things off with number one. Number one, have a fear. Just start. Try the thing, just do your best. And improve a little bit each time you will never, ever, ever, ever start. If you're aiming for perfection. an example of this Is this exact podcast. Honestly, from the moment I decided. I think I might want to start a podcast about this. Because I love talking about people's stories. People have incredible advice and stories honestly, I don't think anyone's boring, but even when we think that we are the most boring person ever. Our story. Is worth telling. And when you talk about all of the thoughts that come up. In your story and when you're making a change, it is worth hearing. It is worth sharing it with other people. So just starting this podcast. Is a great example. Of just starting and trying the thing. Even when you have a million fears. So between the time when I decided, I think I might want to start a podcast. And when I actually started that podcast. It was eight months. Eight months of continuing to fear and be worried that what if I didn't have anything to say? What if people were as annoyed with my voice as I get? What if, what if, what if, what if I started and didn't have the time to continue? What if I. Started and say something I regret. and in those eight months I was doing planning and I was starting to record, but it was really fear that is what caused those eight months to transpire. The number one. Lesson I've learned in 2024 of doing this podcast and talking with 32 different people is just start. Don't aim for perfection. Just try it, do your best and then get better each time. Number two. the number two piece of advice is if you are not clear on what you should do, you should just create space for yourself. That space is going to allow you to Get creative, make connections, and that space will help you get clear on what is getting in the way. On who might be getting in the way. And that space will help you set boundaries once you have that clarity. So if you're not sure what to do, go back to some of the things you've always wanted to do or try and see if trying them helps your creativity or your confidence. An example of this is Joy Batra. My guest on episode two. She created space for herself by going to India and taking some dance classes before she was supposed to start a big job at a law firm. And in that space that she created for herself. She was able to get clear on her values and what was important to herself. And what she wanted to do. if you go back and listen to episode two, you will learn, she didn't actually go back to that big job at a law firm. and that led her to her next thing and her next thing. And she ultimately. wrote a book. and the power of freelancing. so basically lesson two. Create space for yourself and in that space, just get creative. And do what brings you joy and that is going to lead you to your next thing and your next thing. The number three lesson that I've learned from 2024, redraw your path. interviews was, don't be afraid to ask the questions. Just ask people who have inspired you, how they got to, where they are. Ask them about what they were thinking and feeling. In those moments and in those turns that they were taking, it does not hurt to ask. And you may feel less alone if you know that the grass isn't always greener for everyone else. In this day of social media. It seems like everyone else has an easier time. Everyone else has this thing going for them or this thing going for them. And what I've learned from all these interviews is that is. Almost never the case. Yes, there is privilege. We can recognize there are definite advantages we can recognize, but don't be afraid to ask the questions and ask the people who inspire you, how they got there. Number four lesson is listened to yourself and your gut. if you don't know how to go back to that, number two lesson of create quiet and create stillness. An example of this is my. Interview with Krishna Kayastha in episode 36, she created space for herself through doing the artist's way. She created a space for herself recently through doing her FAFO month, her fuck around and find out month and then she talked about how she was taking August to create quiet for her, brain to integrate all of that. So like really, really listen to yourself and your gut. And if you don't know how to do that, Create that stillness. Our number five piece of advice. is be cautious of who you surround yourself with. Not everyone is going to understand or get your goal. And that is okay. And that sometimes the power of creating new community or tapping into a community. that's already created, your friends and your family may not see. What your trying to do. Ally Bubb and episode one talks a lot about this and the importance of who you surround yourself with. And, how they can really give you some of the best advice or they can get in your way. She created the best ever mastermind, which is actually a program that I've gone through. And it's the program that helped me. Launch a podcast or decide to launch a podcast. It's the program that helped me decide to finally. Get my children's book illustrated and out there in the world. Ally, through the best ever mastermind, really create space for you to dream and think outside of the box. And also helps you find people that are going to support you in taking those next steps. All right. We are onto number six! Recognize what you have going for you. So recognize your strengths and supports and privileges. And be creative in thinking outside of the box in how you might make something work. Dr. Sarabeth Berk in episode four, talks about using your strengths to your advantage in her professional identity research. She talks about looking at the intersection of all of your strengths and identities and how to figure out what that is. and I went through her. Book and her workbook and of course, many years ago actually, and figure it out. Who is Lynn? As a hybrid professional. was able to start getting creative in how I see myself and in how I might. think outside of the box to make something work. another great example of this in my own journey is. I had Left a full-time role in a really strong job market thinking it is going to be. Easy to take that next step. Like I had no idea what that next step was, but I knew it was a full-time job. Spoiler alert it wasn't go back. Uh, go back to my own journey. part three in episode 26 and I share exactly what that looked like. But during that time where job searching was becoming a struggle. I was like, oh crap, I'm going to run out of money. What do I do? And I really thought through like, What are the things that I have going for me? What are my assets? I owned a house. So that was an asset that I had that I started to get creative. around using, I also knew that one thing I had going for me was the willingness to ask for help. And I had really amazing friends. And community around me. So as I started to think about how I might use my house. In my favor to help me take those next steps and figure out what was next. I decided, you know, what? The worst thing they can say is no. And I asked a friend, Hey, would you ever consider having a short term roommate? and using that guestroom. And, you know, I knew that was vulnerable. And I knew she could say no. And she thought about it. And, I'm so, so, so lucky that I was able to, Have a friend that was willing to share her space. So that I could take an asset and leverage it and get creative about what was next for me. So, that lesson recognize what you have going for you, your strengths and supports and privileges and be creative and thinking outside of the box and how you might make something work. I hope that is helpful for you. Number seven whatever you choose, you don't have to choose it forever. You can always choose to stop doing that thing or to do something else. An amazing example of this is my conversation with Arden Evanson episode 16. She shared that reminder that if she tries something and doesn't like it, she can change her mind. it's so fascinating because how I've first connected with Arden. Was through her podcast that she had launched. You know, like I was listening to this podcast the way we work and I was like, I'm really loving this. I'm loving her vibe. I'm going to reach out and just let her know that I love her podcast. We connected. And she gave that advice like, Hey. If you try something and you don't like it, you don't have to do it forever. And I was like, what? Mind blown. Go back to episode 16, if you want to hear more of that conversation, but that is one major, major, major thing I've learned this year is. If I make a choice, I don't have to do it forever. So I hope that's helpful to you. number eight. Thing I've learned from all of these interviews. There is not one right answer or right path for everyone. This year, I've interviewed a lot of entrepreneurs. That I think is partly by nature of people who have taken big risks and redrawn, their path are often people that are starting their business, but not always right. not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur and not every path has to lead to that. Or end. In that, and my big takeaway. There is no value. On one path being better than any other path. you don't have inherently more value doing one thing or another thing. It's only about what is right for you. In this season of your life. I'm going to link actually, to one of my guests. Emily Johnson, who's an episode 17. We had a great conversation about her turns. she has a podcast called breaking burnout and she had a recent episode that I will link to in the show notes, where she talks about all of the different ways her life has looked. And in that recent episode, just shared about going back to a full-time role. While keeping her business and why that was the right next thing for her. it was really powerful for me to think, oh, like I might decide to start a business and I might decide to. Close a business. I might decide to keep that business while going back into a full-time role or a part-time role. there is not one right answer or right path for everyone. So it's only about what is right for you in this season of your life. the last, and I think most important lesson. of these 32 interviews I have done with amazing folks who have redrawn their path is you have to define what good. Or success. Looks like for you. No one else can define that for you. honestly, you could go back to any episode, from 2024 and you will hear that piece of advice. Somewhere in that episode, but two good examples. I'll share with you. My conversation with'Tine Zekis and episode 19, she shared about her career path and forging her way after studying. to become a teacher. And in day, I think it was day two, day three of being a teacher. she discovered she had zero desire. She did not want to be at teacher anymore. And what it has looked like since then in her career in tech and as an entrepreneur, only she can decide what good or success looks like for her. and then if you go back to episode 37, The most recent episode, Dr. Danielle Lindgrin gives that advice as well. she says that you need to determine. What success is for you. For her, she determined that success was not the career path she had chosen as a physician. Even though she had. Done all four years of undergrad done four years of medical school and done three years of residency. She determined that success for her. Was not continuing to practice in clinical practice. It was being a mom and being able to be there for her kids as they grew up. So that lesson of. determining what good or what success looks like for you is such an important piece. That I'm taking away from this year. And it's something that I've done this year for myself in working with my business coach. shout out to Kylie Peters. Defining what success was for me. And I still need to go back to that. So that I remember when I'm making decisions, what success is for me, because. It is very easy to absorb everyone. Else's. definition of success. Because I'm absorbing it through social media, I'm absorbing it through events I might go to, or a video I might watch or a community I might be part of. Only I can define what success looks like for me. So I'm grateful. to coaches I've had for helping me really learn that lesson of only I can decide what success looks like for me. And every day, I'm relearning and relearning that and reminding myself. So if you have struggled with that, you are not alone. Only, you can decide what success is for you, and you might have to do it over and over again. And remind yourself over and over again. So that's it folks this is the first best of 2024 episode nine things I have learned. From 32 interviews with amazing people who have redrawn their path. if you do enjoy this episode, please reach out to me. Let me know you did let me know what you loved. And can't wait to see you next week. Thanks for listening to Redraw Your Path with me, Lynn Debilzen. If you like the episode, please rate and review. That helps more listeners find me. And don't be shy, reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn and sign up for my e-newsletter at redrawyourpath.com. I can't wait to share more inspiring stories with you. See you next week.