Ask the Expert with Winn Clark - Business and Mindset Coach
What would make this year spectacular?
Watch as Winn walks us though an exercise to find our own joy and purpose.
Winn Clark coaches creative entrepreneurs, coaches and executives to bring their unique brilliance to their work. Her coaching includes 1:1 and group work. She’s the creator of All-In With Winn, a group coaching program for coaches, creative entrepreneurs, and consultants to help them go next level in their work.
Winn’s a Certified Integral Coach. In 2016 she completed the year-long Professional Coaching Course at New Ventures West in San Francisco where she’s now adjunct faculty member.
Before becoming a coach, Winn spent 20+ years in the corporate world in sales, marketing and business development at places as diverse as a Fortune 500 company, a financial services start-up, and the world’s largest CRM/direct marketing agency. She followed her career to Miami, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Southern California, and earned an MBA from The University of Minnesota.
Winn lives with her partner in the wine country of Paso Robles, California and works with clients across the US and the world. You can follow her on Instagram @winnclark or on LinkedIn.
Elaine:
Hi, everyone. Welcome. I'm really excited today to have Winn Clark joining us. She is a business and mindset coach, and I also consider her a very dear friend. So today we are going to be talking about journaling for 2022. What is it that you want and desire for the new year? So while we're waiting for when to join us, go and grab a piece of paper or a journal, or even the back of an envelope grab a pen and you don't want to miss this. She will be walking us through some prompts. We will sort of take a look back over 2021, and then also start to dream and plan for 2022. So get ready, grab a pen and let's get ready to plan for the new year. What are you excited about? You can drop in the comments.
Elaine:
How are you feeling about the new year? I know some of us are feeling optimistic. I know I am feeling optimistic, but there also is a little bit of hesitation out there in the world, which is perfectly understandable. Given the last couple years that we've had. So drop a comment and tell me how you are feeling about the new year. How were your holidays? What are you dreaming of for the new year? So I would love to know and love to be able to connect with you. So we're just waiting for when to join us. Welcome. And there we go. I see her coming on.
Winn:
There she is. Hello.Happy new year.
Elaine:
New year.
Winn:
I saw you asking earlier if it was too late to be wishing people a happy new year. And I don't think so. I think we get the entire month of January. Thank you. It's nice to be here.
Elaine:
Winn is a mindset coach. I also get to call her a very dear friend and I'm just so happy to have you here. If you're just joining us, go grab a pen, go grab a piece of paper, a journal. Doesn't have to be anything fancy. Rather than a conversation back and forth, when has come prepared with some prompts to give you. And I know this is a really valuable tool when you're in the new year, thinking about what is your vision and really getting clear on what your vision is. So this isn't about, you know, making resolutions and things like that. This is getting a bigger vision, so when take it away.
Winn:
Perfect. Thank you. And thank you for this opportunity. I really appreciate it. It's I haven't done live in a while, so it's, it's fun to be back on and to be back on with you specifically. So thanks again.
Winn:
Well, one of the things that I've been noticing and I'm so glad that you commented about this, is about resolutions. You know, all the research supports the fact that resolutions just don't work. And, you know, here we are a couple of weeks into the new year and I'm sure a lot of people can already attest to they just, just don't work. They don't have staying power, they don't have legs. And so I don't set resolutions anymore. It's been a long time since I have, and that feels really good. And but one thing I'm noticing this year is that everybody seems to be easing into 2022 and I'm not, I'm not exactly sure why that is. I don't know if it's COVID fatigue or what, but I feel like the first two weeks of the year, everybody was like, not quite ready to commit.
Winn:
And now I'm, you know, people are really starting to get some traction towards what it is they want this year to be all about. So I have a process that I take clients through that takes a couple of hours. But we don't have a couple of hours on Instagram. So I thought it would be fun to just pull out a couple of the key questions and give people a chance to kind of reflect on those questions. And then if they wanna geek out and spend a couple of hours, they can, at the end of the call, we can tell 'em where they can download the worksheet and get a couple of friends and do it together, or do it on their own, whatever works. So I love it. The first step in the process is to really look to the past year for the lessons and the learnings. I think it's really important. Yeah. I think it's so important before we'd like move full steam ahead to really reflect. Some of the questions that I have people pondering and that I pondered for myself is, you know, what felt really easy this past year? What, what are you most grateful for? But the question I love the most is what were three instances, three examples of when you felt most like your best self?
Elaine:
Ooh, I like that. Yeah.
Winn:
Yeah. And that's the kind of question that I think people, you know, whenever I ask anybody to step into doing a year end review and then setting a vision for the year ahead, I always encourage people to do it after they're in a really positive head space. So for some people that might mean meditating or doing some yoga or going for a walk or going for a run, but it's really essential to do this when your head just feels really clear, you know, and you can feel as optimistic as possible. This first question in particular, like what were three instances where you felt most like yourself takes a little bit of pondering? And one suggestion that I give folks is to look back at their calendar, like month to month, you know, and some of the big events and little events, the highlights to kind of see what, what comes to mind. And I'm curious, Elaine, if you would share one of the times last year, when you felt most like your best self.
Speaker 3:
Oh my goodness. You know, I think I've tried when I'm with my mom to be really present and especially because as you know, I have like three different jobs that I do so I'm always juggling like so many things. Yeah. And I'm always going, going, going, going, going. And I really like, even I'm mindful when I get to her community and I turn the car off of like, okay, it's time to slow down.
Winn:
Yes.
Elaine:
And don't bring all that energy yeah. Into her space and just be present with her. Yeah. And it's, it's really nice. Put the phone on, go for a walk and just spend time with her. And that, that actually feels like the person I want to be.
Winn:
That's interesting that it wasn't anything like big or, you know, it wasn't like a big milestone or celebration or that it was something so simple.
Elaine:
Yeah. My mom, I realize my mom has taught me to appreciate nature. She finds the beauty in nature and to walk her community. And to really, we love to look at everything that's blooming and this and that, and she will make you not make you, but she's so excited about seeing what's happening. You know, what's blooming this and that. I mean, this sounds so simple, right. Yeah. But it just brings you back to yourself in a way mm-hmm,
Winn:
It's so interesting to hear you say that. Cause you know, there's, I'm sure you've read the research. I mean, you are so active in the wellness space about how, when people spend time in nature, they, they physically feel better. Their blood pressure comes down. I mean, it's just such a simple thing, you know, and yet we're online and on our phones and on our computers more than ever. So I love that. It's something so simple that, that you've been able to identify. Yeah.
Elaine:
Yeah. I mean, I can think of business things where it's like, yeah, I was, I was so resilient. Right. My supplier ran had no more collagen to sell me. I literally was sitting on my couch. Like I'm, I'm about to go out of business this year.
You know, but what are you gonna do? Okay. So you get online, you figure it out, you find a new supplier, you keep pushing forward to complete, you know, resilience, grit, determination.
Winn:
I love that. I love that you can acknowledge that about yourself, but you've got that grit and resilience.
Elaine:
It's only at this, in this last year that I've been able to say that I have now.
Winn:
Yeah.
Elaine:
Yeah. I think with a bit of your help
Winn:
Oh, you're very kind I'm I'm curious, Elaine, another question. I'd ask everybody to ponder and that I've been pondering for myself as well as you look to 2021. What advice would the year of 2021 have for you in 2022?
Elaine:
Oh, wow. Probably, don't, don't sweat, the small stuff. Like things will work out. It can be hard when you're really way down in, in the weeds of it. It's really important to prioritize your own self care. If you're gonna function in this world, you can't keep kicking that can down the road and putting yourself last
Winn:
So it's, it's interesting that you shared that because I know I've been guilty of this. In the past, I was really guilty of this in 2020 for sure. And I've heard some of my clients, you know, talking about this, this past year where they missed doctor's appointments. They haven't had checkups, you know, missed the mammograms. And I think women are particularly guilty of, of putting other people first or putting their businesses first. And it's like, can't do that, you know? You can't show up and do the work you're meant to do if you don't take care of yourself. There's those simple ways of just yeah. Nurturing self care. Anything that's restorative.
Elaine:
Yeah. Walking. I'm trying to, I'm trying to do better at just moving your body cuz I think that's where the answers come a lot of the time.
Winn:
Yes. There's something there's some research that I was reading about in Cal Newport's work in the book deep work, if you know that book. That's so good. But there's something that's like research has proven that there's something about when you're moving your body, it allows your brain to get more creative. And so he encourages, and I've heard other people that, that do this where they kind of take a business problem with them on a walk, you know?
Elaine:
Yeah. Because I think you get in a bit of a hypnotic state. I also figure things out when I'm driving. So I have Post It notes in my car because that's where I figure out things.
Winn:
There you go. Here's your million dollar idea come up with waterproof post-it notes for the shower. So when you have ideas in the shower,
Elaine:
I know people who have some sort of waterproof thing, like a pen because an hour, right. That's you're in a more hypnotic state, nothing comes to you and you're sitting at your laptop, at least
Winn:
For me. Yeah. It's like, where's my brilliant idea. Yeah. Right, exactly. Right. Exactly. Yeah. So, so that's the, you know, a big, one of the big questions is, you know, what advice would 2020 have for 2020 or 2021 have for 2022? I know for it was to work less and take, take more time for fun. For vacation, you know, for being in nature. I just, I just worked too many hours, you know, I fell into that trap and you start to lose creativity and you know, you just know good for anybody. So that was that's that's my voice for myself for the year ahead. Good. So the next thing is to shift then into 2022 and the, the primary question I'm turning the pages here so I can read it. The primary question is to spend some time in this kind of, you know, open form visioning where you write down, whatever comes to mind, as you imagine the year ahead, and this is the question to ponder before you dive in and start writing things down look into the future one year.
Winn:
So a year from now and imagine that you're living your best possible life. What would you be creating, doing, experiencing feeling, who would you be with? What kinds of things would you be doing, as you reflect, write down your thoughts and be as specific as possible, assume that money is no object. And that is a really hard thing for most of us to assume, and especially, you know, women running their own businesses or women managing families. It's really hard to think that way, but I encourage people like if money were no object, your family is supportive, your friends are supportive, your health is off the charts, your energy is high. Like just think as big as possible. And then I like people to think through the different areas of their life to make sure that everything's covered you know, I think a lot of people, especially at the new year, they think about their health goals.
Winn:
Right. And you might be hearing this from, you know, a lot of your clients in terms of, you know, how do they improve their health and, and all of that. But to be thinking about work, finances, family fun, learning, spirituality, adventure personal development. So just kind of like make sure they're thinking about themselves as a whole person and not just, you know, business, woman, mother, whatever the case, the case may be. That's the most important question to spend time on. And I really encourage people to write it in the present tense so that it's, you know, versus the theoretical. And, and it's funny,I did this exercise with a group of women that I coach in my all in program. And so, and we, you know, we blocked off two hours and we went through all the questions because there was a whole bunch of them.
Winn:
And I woke up that night after the session and literally the middle of the night. And it was like, I think I could almost consolidate it down into one primary question and that is what would make 2022 spectacular. Okay. I would just make it spectacular, you know I posed that to the group, you know, I put it in our slack channel and people came back like, oh boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Like it just really brought clarity to you know, what's out there. Right. So I love the vision document. I love all the detail. I think that's great. And I encourage people to do a weekly check in with themselves where they reread it. Yes. And then give themselves a bit of the score. Like how am I doing against this? You know, am I moving in the right direction? How'd I do this week. Right. but to not lose sight of something super simple, like what would make this year spectacular? And it's usually just two or three things, four things. It, it's not convoluted, it's not difficult. So those are the questions I'm inviting people to really contemplate. As they think of the year ahead.
Elaine:
I love that. If anyone wants to comment, write, write a comment, we'd love to know.
Winn:
Would make it spectacular? Don't be shy.
Winn:
Oh my goodness. You know, I would, I'd like to, to have even more impact in my work, you know, I love this one-on-one connection with people. And I, but I'd love to serve more people in a way where it services, what they're up to, you know, I'd love, I love when my clients have success and I just, you know, I wanna be the best coach I can be and I'd love to have more impact on the clients that I work with. I keep talking about a podcast, so I know if I launched my podcast this year as plan, that would make it spectacular. Yes. And more vacation time away.
Know, more vacation time. We Ted and I, my partner, we took our first vacation in three years, like our first proper vacation together. Right. And it was just, it was like, wow, this is insane. Like what's we need to get back on track with that. So yeah. Those are, those are things that would make this year spectacular for me. How about you?
Elaine:
Those are awesome. Well, you know, you and I have been talking, so I really haven't said anything on Instagram, but I really want to serve women. I get so many questions around health, especially in midlife. So how do you get through perimenopause and menopause with minimal symptoms? I've gone through an autoimmune disorder, not realizing it was gonna really set me up for this transition in life. So I would love to really educate women. There's not enough conversations. It's still kind of a topic that isn't talked about and there's not a lot of clear information. So if I could really contribute to women's health in midlife that is something that I'm deeply passionate about and working on. And more balance, honestly. I work too much. I don't take enough time off. Part of that is me just not even allowing myself to take time off. So yeah. Yeah, I wanna do more of that.
Winn:
Well, I, I love hearing you talk about wanting to serve, you know, women in a broader way. I mean your product is amazing and I love it. And I had my collegen and coffee this morning as I do as part of my morning routine. But I you've always been that person who's like a go to for so much more than just a collagen product, you know so much more. And I mean, and I know you, you walk the talk related to, you know, your Pilates and, and the way you bring women together. So naturally, I mean, you just, I feel like you're encoded to do, to do this kind of work. So I'm, I'm super excited for you. There's there's so much out there that's available to buy or participate in related to how we look on the exterior. Yeah. You know, our, our makeup, makeup, tutorials, hair, pair products, skincare products, you know, right. Botox, all the things, you know, and I'm, I'm a fan of doing whatever it takes to feel good and all that kinda stuff to look good. Right. But it's like all the other stuff that all comes from within, it just doesn't get much attention at all. It's insane. You know, if we spend a fraction of our energy on those things and talking about, like you said, people don't talk about it. It's, it's like, there's, there's shame around not being 30. You know, it's crazy.
Elaine:
It is crazy. Someone I follow here on Instagram who talks a lot about it as Paulina Porizkova. She gets people all stirred up talking about
Elaine:
Midlife and her choice not to do Botox and things like that. I've, you know, people have to do what works for them but I really do think food matters, which you eat matters, exercise matters. And there's a whole narrative in our culture that aging just means this it's just down hill in fact, I even had this woman say recently that her doctor had said, well, you just can't lose weight in midlife. And that's just the way it is. Yeah. And you can't lose fat and you're just gonna be fluffy and that's a technical term. None of that is true. And I also think there's a lot of mindset, a lot happens in, in midlife. And I think you start to reevaluate whether you're doing a yearly evaluation or I know I've a lot about, well, what legacy do I wanna leave and what do I want to contribute? So if there's
any ladies out there listening certainly message me, cuz this is a topic that is near and dear to me. And I know a lot of women are craving conversation around this in midlife.
Winn:
So there's such a need for that. Elaine. There's such a need that's that's fantastic. I can't wait to see how this shows up in the world. You know, it's really
Elaine:
Cool. You put a bug in my ear about.
Winn:
I do that.
Elaine:
Yeah. Yeah. I'm grateful for and support that you have given me so
Winn:
Well, you brought up a really good point by sharing sharing. What is percolating for you and what make this your spectacular? Because I really think the final question people have to ask themselves when, when they have a vision for the year ahead that excites them and it lights them up and, and that they can almost feel and taste, even though you know, they're not fully there yet. They're like leaning into it is, you know, who and what can support you in helping to bring this vision to fruition. And I think communities of women in particular, you know, like if you're hanging out with a crowd that's aiming low, you know, thinks, oh, you know, you're gonna physically decline or you're over the hill. You can't do good work over. Nobody's gonna hire you or nobody's gonna hire you, whatever. It's like, you gotta find a tribe of people and the resources who are positive and action oriented and supportive. So I know that, I know you're up to stuff like that. And I just think that's, that's essential. Otherwise we like create these visions or vision boards and then they sit on a shelf and they don't actually, we don't attend to that. You know, we need a supportive community,
Elaine:
You know? Right. Or I think like I've often gotten into like analysis paralysis or overthinking or, oh, it's not gonna be good enough. Or my, my big one right now is imposter syndrome. I'm not an MD. I don't have medical degrees and things to be. So I agree completely. And I think women are wired for community and to really support each other and figure things out together. So I'd love for you to tell people about what you do and how can they get in touch with you.
Winn:
So for, for a download of the the worksheet, the PDF worksheet on setting your vision for the year ahead you can go to my profile here on Instagram and click through on the bio and it's right at the very top there. So people can download that. But fundamentally I work with men and women, but predominantly women on helping them step more fully into doing their best work. So helping people have a vision for the work they wanna do, where they can really, you know, unleash their strengths and their skills and their passions and what lights them up and then support them in growing their businesses, but not getting burned out in the process, you know, and that's a challenge, you know, because growing businesses can be difficult and takes time and all that. So kind of walking that line of defining success on your own terms.
Winn:
Right. And I like to support clients in stepping into that, but then also making sure they're taking care of themselves at the same time. And so I, I do a lot of work, one on one with clients. And I also have a group coaching program that I do a couple of times a year. Then next one starts March 1st and it's called All in With Winn. And we meet weekly as a group. And I was just on, you know, right before this, with the group today. And we were working on establishing some new habits in support of our vision. So it's really fun. It's part classic coaching and then part learning some new information. So if people wanna learn more please go to www.winnclark.com. They can learn more about the All in With Winn program or working with me one on one.
Elaine:
I love it. Yes. I, if anyone out there is listening, I highly recommend working with Winn. I had the privilege of working with her in a group. It's been about two, two years ago,
Winn:
Two or three years. Yeah, it was right. COVID hit during that time. Everybody was pivoting.
Elaine:
I highly highly recommend, you know Winn has quite a background in the corporate world. She's an MBA and she's just very heart centered and has lots of wisdom and experience. So highly recommend.
Winn:
Thank you so much. You're so sweet. You're so sweet. And I can't wait to see your your new baby come to fruition.
Elaine:
I know, I just keep telling myself one foot in front, front of
Winn:
The other that's right. Bird by bird by bird, Annie Lamont calls it that like in the, in her writing book, bird by bird, just one at a time, one at a time, one at a time. Yeah,
Winn:
Definitely, definitely. Yeah, in my experience, it takes about two hours and people can either do it alone or get a group of people together. I find it could be a really fun thing for a couple of women to do together where you can answer the questions, but then talk about it and support each other, encourage each other and how to, you know, move forward.
Speaker 3:
Definitely, definitely. Well, I wish everyone a wonderful 2022 and Winn I hope to see you in person
Winn:
Soon. Yes. 100%. So, yes. Yeah. Looking forward to it. Thank you again. Okay.
Disclaimer: The conversation between Winn Clark and Elaine Morrison is for educational purposes only. This is not business or therapeutic advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health, mental wellbeing or business. Never disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website or watched in the video.