Welcome to my 1-Year Anniversary Episode of The Amber Stitt Show.
This episode breaks down the Pathways of Peak Performance to give you a little more insight into the history and how to participate in the 5-Steps.
This podcast episode takes you behind the scenes on how you can achieve Financial Freedom and happiness within and is hosted by yours Truly.
Thanks to all my listeners and supporters of the cause!
Don't forget to Take Action Today to Create your Own Happiness!
Welcome to my 1-Year Anniversary Episode of The Amber Stitt Show.
This episode breaks down the Pathways of Peak Performance to give you a little more insight into the history and how to participate in the 5-Steps.
This podcast episode takes you behind the scenes on how you can achieve Financial Freedom and happiness within and is hosted by yours Truly.
Thanks to all my listeners and supporters of the cause!
Don't forget to Take Action Today to Create your Own Happiness!
(Intro) 0:00 - 0:59
1:00
Hello and welcome to the Amber Stitt show. I am your host, Amber Stitt, and welcome to my anniversary episode. This actually marks one year of my show, so I thought I would share a little bit of my own podcaster story and take a minute to introduce myself as your host. I created this podcast to bring financial insights that I have gathered over my career from an employee to a business owner. If you want to get money smart your way, then you're in the right place.
1:27
I truly believe you can create your own happiness by leading a life of resilience by following my five step program. Anyone can set goals and save money but are you building goals and habits based upon how you view the world? Are you feeling happiness while you do so? If not, then I hope the episodes on my show will help you out and I want to help you get there. By the end of this anniversary episode, you'll learn why I started this podcast and how it ties into my business.
1:50
My business is traditionally working with medical professionals, business owners and nonprofits that sponsor financial literacy. So you'll learn about my Pathways of Peak Performance framework, and this can be implemented anytime. So before we dive into the foundational Pathways of Peak Performance steps, like I said, I have to step back and introduce myself because I think a lot of you might be brand new to my podcast, but may have been working with me whether you're a client, family member, friend, colleague, this could be your first chance to really get to know each other and why I have this podcast.
2:25
So, I'm very excited and the truth is my story really didn't start with this podcast at all my actual business life started way before the financial services industry and I will take you way back into my childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, Go Big Red, but I do want to start with my journey into the business world away and now and we can say at this point, it's probably about 15 plus years from 2023. So, there's a little bit of time on the books now and I really didn't start off my virtual online business as a financial consultant or a podcaster. I started off working in jobs and I assisted business owners eventually attorneys. I started my career in my mid 20s and the mortgage loan industry and then moved into paralegal work after the mortgage crash in 2008. And I always wanted to play it safe and not rely on commissions or production just because I felt like I just need a salary. I was not comfortable relying on the "what ifs". So, coupling that with my belief that I wasn't good at math, or accounting I couldn't be a business owner. So luckily though, my father and brother pulled me back into the industry at the end of my 20s and early 30s. And I quickly fell in love with it. And I tell the story a little bit more in a chapter in a book called "Uncommon Results" and you can find that on Amazon. A bunch of entrepreneurs share their story so I break that down a little bit in that book and over time doing work as an employee trying new things, doing personal development, I was able to understand myself more and really to see where I was talented and because of my studies and investing in myself whether it was textbooks personal books, and higher education. I saw that because of my studies and investing in myself, I eventually knew I was capable, and that I could be happier as a business owner, even if my safety net was going to be gone.
4:10
Now this isn't for everyone and through the Pathways model people find that maybe they're comfortable with the production based business, maybe they do need to be an employee and that is okay, too. I will explain more about this as we get to the focus areas of the Pathways of Peak Performance. The point is that I love the feeling of sharing information and experiences so whether you're an employee or owner if you find what you love to do, and keep developing your talents and doing what you love, I think you'll be happier. I have been on the other side of this and doing work that you aren't 100% in love with can be exhausting, mentally draining, and if you couple that with financial lows, it can be a ticking time bomb for many. That is why I found myself developing the Pathways model even before I really knew it was happening. While working with my clients and coaching them through insurance planning, and I did do some employee contract negotiations, I realized that I liked seeing the spark that my clients had once they had understood the concept it was "vibing" with them based upon the personality. I liked seeing that they learned something valuable in their own way. So, now over a decade heading closer to two decades, I've continued to help people find clarity and competency by transferring risk away from themselves and their families. And I'm not strictly speaking on insurance planning. It goes way beyond that. Although it started with being an insurance nerd the beauty of experience, trying different jobs, studying business, whether it's personal studies or higher education, it allowed for me to continue to add value to people I was meeting eventually helped me to create my niche and I've expanded it by listening to what are other people asking of me based upon my experience.
5:45
And so you can find a way to listen to what people are asking of you and build out maybe even a business that works for you in that regard. After being in the business for about 10 years, I noticed that I'd be asked specific questions in regards to topics and so that's where these Pathways categories were developed. And I'll share more about that Pathways model in a moment but you'll see that everything can be reverse engineered back into the five steps of the pathways model really from any step.
6:12
So, before toying with the idea of starting a podcast I knew that doing what you love was important to me and my family but I wanted to find another medium outside of working with clients to not only share my ideas, but the ideas of my guests on my show. That reciprocating circle of ideas while writing a podcast can really be enlightening. The Amber Stitt show was a great opportunity to interview more people like me, people that has something different to offer and it really all can plug into the categories featured on the show. I truly want people to not feel held back and to understand themselves and how they tick so they can allow themselves to like who they are. Trying not to continuously fix what they're not is so important to stop doing that. Let's build financial mindsets based upon talents and allow yourself to build successful habits with an awareness of who you are.
7:01 -- What are the 5 Steps to The Pathways of Peak Peformance?
So, what are these five steps at the Pathways of Peak Performance?
7:05 -- Step 1 "Focus On Talents"
Let's start with focusing on talents. Step one is focusing on talents. This is the foundation there's a number of ways to study personalities and have personal development and I mix up a number of methods from books and you can find some books on my book list on amberstitt.com. But mainly I'm speaking from the foundation of the Clifton Strengths, Gallup strengths. And that's because back in 2018, I decided to get certified in the curriculum because five years before that I had learned it on a team and I really resonated with it. Since I loved the material so much and if you know my top five that it makes sense. I have number one as input -- I will dive into information. But whatever method you choose, whether it's Myers, DiSC, Enneagram, -- any tested platform that speaks to you can work. The goal here is to find out more about yourself. Love who you are in find an opportunity to help and serve others making a living out of doing something you love.
7:58 -- Step 2 "Focus On Money"
The second step is focusing on money. I used to imagine a life where you could become smarter with money due to building a system that works around how you comprehend money and your personality. I now know this is possible and I'm living proof of that. If you know yourself and you couple that knowledge along with your spouse or partner, family and teams, building this common language within your business, or at home, wouldn't that propel you into a more successful and happier life? Back to my point about that whole mathematically inclined period of time and did not think I was smart enough for the financial services industry. My point is that you can be sophisticated and finance in areas that you enjoy. It can happen for you if you study information in ways you want to receive it, as well. Some people like listening to a podcast, some people like to read books. Some want to watch the information, maybe via YouTube. That is why incorporate multiple methods of learning so that any learning style can benefit.
8:54 -- Step 3 "Focus On Risk"
The third step is focusing on risk and that can sound scary and a little corporate. "Risk Management" sounds kind of awful, right? But we all should be treating our personal lives as a business. Why wouldn't we take our own lives and family needs more seriously? I have heard that neuroscientists study this and they know that people tend to just shut down and shy away from speaking about awful things that can happen to us. But this topic of something bad happening and planning for it is important and we can't hide from the possibility that things could happen to us. That is a recipe for disaster. So, if we start with our talents and understand how we comprehend materials, how we tick, then we find a financial system a process that helps us stay on track financially, then incorporate maybe other safety nets, maybe there's backup plans, maybe there's an online folder for your family insurance products, whatever you need to transfer risk. We can essentially take the drama and stress out of our lives. There will be things that we're going to face, so if we plan it in advance, we could feel better as we're going through some of these obstacles that are coming our way. Just like we can't predict another driver hitting us on the road. Just like we can't predict that we're maybe going to get a bad medical lab result, or have a job be eliminated. The point is to have some resilience as we face these obstacles that can come and just have a better mindset. Let's take the guesswork out of the "what ifs" and what we cannot control and take ownership and accountability in our lives. We start with steps one and two, and then you can assess personally what else you need to incorporate into your lives by transferring risk and you can reach out to coaches, mentors, independent brokers, and they can help you align with your proper planning devices, things that you'll need. Throughout my experience for the industry. I'd love to be the connector to those who do need a financial or tax advisor, attorney or coach. So let me know if you need the connection. Let's be sure we're not shying away but taking action today.
10:48 -- Step 4 "Focus On Marketing and Technology"
The fourth step is to take control of marketing and technology, technology and marketing opportunities that are available to us. There's so many. This category can go in so many ways but to really kind of keep it simple, let's focus on ways to be efficient in business and life, but to also recognize that we need to set up our systems and to walk away and to have less distractions. This fourth step has allowed for me to share not only what I have learned in my business and what I have used myself as a spouse, mother, employee and business owner, and this category allows for me to share these things with you. Additionally, this category is my favorite as I love learning about branding and ways to market business in a beautifully aesthetic way. And so because of my love for information and arranging details, I find myself loving to share ideas with others so that they can be the most efficient and to find beauty in their business. So that they can be their best selves and best people at home for their families but also for their business and their teams.
11:45 -- Step 5 "Focus On Community"
Finally, the last step of the Pathways of Peak Performance is to focus on community. What would we do as humans with our tribes and mentors? Keeping up with your community is so important. It gives you mental clarity, having a support system in a smaller setting, maybe that's best for introverts, a larger group setting for those extroverts, or maybe those that are kind of a combo of both. They can go virtually, or in person -- the sky's the limit here. Be sure to put yourself out there and reciprocate, too. In business if you need a break, you have something happen. You want to take a sabbatical beyond maternity leave, or if you just plain have an illness, if you have this trusted community, a place to refer clients, get some support, have friends and family. This community will help you through and give you that peace of resilience that you might need. Especially if you're having a problem with your health.
12:35 -- The reason behind this podcast.
So, there you have it -- the reason behind the podcast is a way to share and work with other like minded individuals to package information to my listeners -- to be helpful. I love to have such a great community of colleagues that also want to share and help others, to be financially free, to live life with resilience. So, as a host, it's been wonderful to have access to such great stories to share so far and we've only just begun. The foundation of what I call the Pathways of Peak Performance is really the collection of greatest hits from my life and clients experiences all packaged in to the Amber Stitt show. And this hopefully will provide lessons learned and that's really what's inspired me to start this. Because of the podcast categories, those five steps that we've already talked about, my trusted alliance and network has grown more than ever, along with my efforts to help others with their own podcast ideas. We share ideas on current technologies for business, but to also establish your own brand if you are an employee for a bigger company, or maybe even a smaller company. So, a year ago I started this podcast and I really appreciate those who have been supporting the cause and have been listening this whole time.
13:43 -- Get Started Taking Action for Yourself Today
But now I think that's enough about me for today. And what I really wanted to address on this anniversary episode is how can you get started taking action today for yourself personally. If you haven't listened to any of the previous episodes, you can simply start by downloading maybe the checklist off the amberstitt.com. Start with a checklist, look through and see if you can drum up some ideas on where you need to be more accountable and responsible to yourself and your family. And what's nice about the podcast is that you can actually interchange and hop in and not have to listen to this in a certain order. Some days you're just maybe not wanting to hear about risk management. Maybe you want to digest and comprehend information differently depending on your day and how you're feeling. So that's the point here rotate the categories so that you have new and relevant information as you need it. We hope that you learned from this podcast and then add it to your other investments in personal development. If you leave feeling empowered to launch new financial habits, either yourself, or with your team, I will be so happy. You'll be hearing from other industry experts as well as input from my experiences and we will have different topics to give you a well rounded approach to your financial life and get you closer towards financial freedom. Thank you so much for joining me here and listening to the foundations behind the Pathways concept. I do have a quick favor to ask before we go and if you're enjoying the podcast so far, I hope you'll let me know I love reading the reviews online. So you can share them on YouTube, leave a comment, subscribe, whatever you can do to help other listeners know that you've enjoyed our episodes, it helps us to expand our reach and it really does make a difference. Thank you again for joining me, Amber Stitt, of the Amber Stitt show and our anniversary episode. Until next time, podcasters, thanks for listening. Thank you for joining us on today's episode of the Amber Stitt show. For more information about the podcasts, books, articles, and more, please visit me at amberstitt.com. Until next week, enjoy your journey at home, and at work. Thank you for listening!