📍EEA: Leadership Unleashed with Cara Jean

RJ Redden:

Happens, and then nothing happens. And then you're live just like this. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's it's interesting. Hello, everyone. Hold on to your goggles, because today, we are taking care of business Hi. With Cara Jean. Oh my god.

RJ Redden:

Listen. Every time this woman and I meet, it's, like, at least an hour's worth of just Being in each other's presence, if we were to actually physically get together in 1 room, I'm pretty sure the roof would blow Off.

Cara Jean:

You're welcome.

RJ Redden:

Yeah. Listen. She has an excellent business Coaching leaders, and doing amazing things. And I've asked her to be on the podcast today because one, She's my sister from another mister. And 2, I think she has a whole lot to share, Both with the coaching style and with the way she engages her audience, everyone, please let us give a proper engagement welcome to Cara Jean. Cara Jean, welcome to the party.

Cara Jean:

Oh, I'm excited. I am every a 100%, every time we get together, it's Like, there's just not enough time in a day to spend just basking in your deliciousness.

RJ Redden:

I'm basking right back. Action. So tell the world, who you are, what you do, and, where you're from?

Cara Jean:

Sure. So I'm Cara Jean of Taking Care of Business. Yes. It's my name. It's also my framework. We clarify, assess, realign so we can achieve. It's really that simple, And that's what I do. I make leadership really simple.

Cara Jean:

Unfortunately, simple is not easy, the same way that knowledge is power, but not transformation. Right? That's Kinda how that works. Luckily, you're an expert because you've been leading yourself to this point, so you already have all the skills, tools, and mindsets you need. You just might need a buddy to bring him out, and that's what I'm here for. I like to be your buddy. I'm up in Washington state right now. However, in a Totally sideways, Cher. I am launching next year in April or May into r and d for an eco village, So I will be doing coaching from the road.

Cara Jean:

I know. I'm so excited.

RJ Redden:

Alright. Alright. That sounds exciting. Well so who who do you coach? Who are your peeps?

Cara Jean:

You know, I so I've just discovered the one thing that all of the People have in common is they wear comfortable shoes. I work with leaders who wear comfortable shoes.

RJ Redden:

Mhmm.

Cara Jean:

I was on another podcast, and they asked me that question. I was like, not entirely sure how to answer. Like, would you work with small business or big ones? Yep. Well, do you do individuals or groups? Yeah.

RJ Redden:

Mhmm.

Cara Jean:

Well, do you tend towards, like, CEOs or solopreneurs? Yes. Yep. Yes. Leaders.

RJ Redden:

Mhmm.

Cara Jean:

So what we discovered was sensible shoes. They do tend to be in, like, diversity, equity, inclusion, the Dem Fields. But, typically, they just wear comfortable shoes.

RJ Redden:

K. You know, it's important to know because when you're searching for that Christmas gift, shoes. Yeah.

Cara Jean:

Comfortable ones.

RJ Redden:

Yes. Well, because when you say leaders, I I call I always think executives in the corporate world. Absolutely. Yeah. But you I mean, also individuals Yep. Running a coaching business.

Cara Jean:

Yep. Yep. Speakers. I've worked with speakers. I'm partnered with a university right now, so we're actually doing coaching for and below from operations to executive for agriculture right now, which is super exciting.

RJ Redden:

Interesting. Are there any, like, psychographics that unite the people that you work with the best? Or is there is Is there anything that they they, you know, they feel or see the world differently or anything like that?

Cara Jean:

Yes. I tend towards the neurospicy. Hi, my friends out there. I see you. They're already doing the work, And a little bit of support goes a long way with people who are already doing that work. So the neurospicy that tends to be in that in that category. And anyone who and this is amazing because you'd be surprised how many CEOs fall into this category, But they still think of themselves as losers, weirdos, freaks. The ones that never could quite fit in, I think it's because you were born to stand out.

RJ Redden:

I might have to stitch that into a sampler and hang it onto the wall of the bot cave. Yes. Absolutely. Well, that's interesting that a lot of CEO types Still, you know, kind of think of themselves as, you know, the weirdos who, you know, couldn't get along. I'm definitely there, but I would not I would not be a a great CEO with too many rules for me. Too many rules for me, Cara Jean.

Cara Jean:

I I get that. I make up my own rules. Yeah. That's my favorite hashtag adulting. But it is it it is shocking how many times I work, One of my favorite stories is working with the CEO of a restaurant and multi multiple restaurants that this person is in charge of, and they still think of themselves as just that weird bartender dude. I'm like, that was a good 40 years my friend. You are much further along than that, but I love that kind of humility. Let's hold on to that and grow.

RJ Redden:

Humility can be a good thing. It just can be. Boy. Yeah. So, you know, was there, like, a morning when you woke up and you thought to yourself, That's it. My neurospicy individuals, my leaders. Like, were you drawn to that Crowd over a period of time, or did you just, you know, wake up one day and go, this is the time people that I really love working with?

Cara Jean:

Well, so the DE and I and the STEM, I have I have intentionally moved into that space because I believe that that is the direction of the future, and I want to support that because it's selfishly the future I want. The neurospicy sort of showed up, that they all had that in common, that in Sensible Shooz, you know, which Fair. Kind of aligns right there. The moment, though, I it was literally this last month. There was a moment when it all came into Clarity, and I was working with this amazing neurodiversity teacher, and we were just having a chit chat thinking about where we collaborate, and I was talking about my ecovillage, this big dream, this giant plan that we are launching into. Part of why I do leadership Development is so that I can support that community. And if we want to build a community that's truly designed around inclusiveness, Who better than to help build that than the neurospicy, than those who are considered minorities or the others of society who have not had access because what kind of a place would it be if it was designed with them in mind for them, And how much better it'd be for everyone else involved?

RJ Redden:

Listen. I mean, we got the Starship Enterprise on our hands at at this point. Don't wait

Cara Jean:

for me.

RJ Redden:

I'll wait

Cara Jean:

for it. Yes. Yes. Yes.

RJ Redden:

My gosh. That's the dream, isn't it? You know, to include others in on the design process.

Cara Jean:

Yeah.

RJ Redden:

You know? I mean, Because as people who you know, I'm a coach. I design programs for people. I, you know, I design lots of stuff. And, like, when So way back in the day, I used to do scene design, way back in my theater days. Yeah. Not a stunningly lucrative career, but Super fun. Anyway, way back in the day, like, yeah, you can totally do your design work, but you need to get together with The director, the lighting person, the set you know, like, there are so many other people to coordinate with who are also designing. And in order to make a coherent product, you had to get feedback and develop things with a lot with a big group of people.

RJ Redden:

Yes. And yet, when we're, like, coaching, we think we gotta do it all by ourselves. Soup to nuts. I've gotta make everything about this work before a person even hears about it.

Cara Jean:

Yeah. Which is If you just look at a basic human life cycle, that makes no sense. We all do it. We all absolutely do it. But you didn't learn to walk on your own? You didn't learn to talk on your own? You didn't learn to cut communicate? You didn't learn to eat? If you didn't need any of those basic things on your own, why as an adult do we feel like, well, now now I have to do it? Stop.

RJ Redden:

Stop. Stop.

Cara Jean:

Mm-mm. That's not necessary. It's better with the buddy. It's just better with the buddy, period.

RJ Redden:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Cara Jean:

Oh, and the craziest thing is somebody else loves doing the thing that you don't wanna do.

RJ Redden:

Oh, Ain't that the truth? You know. Yeah. Well, it's All that I just think that's that old mentality of pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. Now What does that even mean? I don't know. Like, if you imagine someone trying to pull themselves up while yanking down on bootstraps. I don't understand where you're trying to even get, and yet That thing is ingrained into everything. I was talking to somebody just the other day. We're talking about AI, And she was talking about it feels like cheating.

RJ Redden:

And I'm like, I I get it. You know, I get why you feel that way. We're supposed to We're supposed to make everything that we use by hand and, you know, and sweat while we're doing it. And, you know, like, You know, supposed to do all these things. Meanwhile, those mentalities drive our leaders into burnout so fast.

Cara Jean:

So fast. Yes. And it doesn't even make sense because it's not like, especially as a leader, that you are ever doing anything alone, at best, you are herding cats.

RJ Redden:

Yeah.

Cara Jean:

At worst, the cats are hurting you.

RJ Redden:

Sometimes the cats do take control. You know, just saying. Yeah. So tell me a story of, a wild customer success.

Cara Jean:

Oh, so this one, I'm I'm super it's really fresh, so I'm super excited about it. I started chatting with a gent over in Nigeria a couple years ago, And it started as one of those, like, is this is this a scam call? It wasn't really clear, because immediately, the first question was send me money, and then it was, can you, sponsor me to come to the States, and I said no and no. And then we started talking about, like, really, what were your dreams, visions, and goals? What are those things that are driving you? Why are those things important? And Kinda hashing some of those things out. And so at that time, it was an unrealistic goal for this person to be able to be a chef. That was this Big goal. They loved food, and they love bringing people together, and they wanted to be able to make money doing that, but that seemed absolutely ridiculous. Like, the furthest thing from possible, and they are now running a kitchen. Nice.

Cara Jean:

I just yeah. I'm like, Bro, like, 2 years ago, you dreamt of being you today. Yes. Imagine who you're going to be in 2 years from now.

RJ Redden:

That's astronomical. You know, my one wish for myself is that I will leave my legacy. I hope that I will leave behind something better than what I found. And, You know? And that idea drives me in my daily work, and here you are making that happen.

Cara Jean:

It was yeah. Incredibly, he he empowered his roommates to do and thrive. I mean, it's just you know? That's the thing is that These teeny little ripples. I mean, I would not even have known except he came to one of my complimentary events and wanted to share, and I'm super excited to hear. But those teeny ripples that you don't even notice are actually creating tsunamis further out in the world. So keep doing. Keep doing.

RJ Redden:

Oh, boy. I just this is the inspirational Cara Our I mean, you know what I mean? Sometimes it's a little hard as an entrepreneur if you don't have support around you, If you don't have the right support around you, to keep going in those moments where things are Either looking scary or just looking boring. It's hard. It's hard sometimes to remember, you know, what that What what it is that drives you and tap into that energy. Do you support people in doing that a whole lot as, you know, part of your working with them. Are you kind of are you the cheerleader?

Cara Jean:

Absolutely. Absolutely. One of my most Favorite recent compliments was, one of my media friends says, you're better than a bump of Coke. That's fantastic.

RJ Redden:

There you go.

Cara Jean:

It's not even me, really. It's The clarity. It's getting back to your why. I mean, I I say this literally every week. I do a review every Monday in my Facebook group for this that So because connecting to your why allows you to motivate, and we often get those things backwards. But I think of, like, a Newton's cradle. Right? So to be able to get those balls bouncing forth, you gotta pull it back. That's like your why.

Cara Jean:

Why am I doing this? So once you release that why and you're aware of it, then the energy starts going on its own.

RJ Redden:

I just learned that the proper name for those balls is the Newton's Cradle. I didn't you said Newton's Cradle, and I'm like, what should you talk about? I've I've I've learned something today. Thank you, Karaj. I always learn something when we talk. I always learn something when we talk. Well, now I've got another question for you. Talk to me if you've ever have you ever had a time where you kind of were going down a road with a client And things got messed up, and you were able to turn that back around.

Cara Jean:

I'd love to say yes, but the answer is no because I don't turn the things around. So I I guess it's nuanced that no. But I I unlike other coaches, I'm not gonna take you down some transformative journey. I think that coaches that do that are amazing. What I do is allow you to transform yourself. We recognize how far you have transformed already, and we leverage that to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. So when things get uncomfortable, to me, that's actually a win. That is one of my KPIs, my key performance indicators with clients is that things get uncomfortable, and they're still doing.

RJ Redden:

Mhmm. And

Cara Jean:

we may change what you're doing. We may realign to new things, but you keep doing Because even though it's uncomfortable, we're leaning into that experience. Yeah.

RJ Redden:

Yeah. I I've often think that the transformation isn't the big, the big summit of the mountain. That it really transformation for me lies in every step the intention behind every step you take.

Cara Jean:

Yes. It's the re of life. It's that messy middle. If you are feeling like life is messy, odds are it's because you're doing a thing.

RJ Redden:

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's, your brain going, wow. We're really doing something here. Yes. Yes.

Cara Jean:

Yes. Literally creating new life inside your brain. Neurogenesis happens When you do and stretch into places that are unfamiliar, you're literally creating new people inside your brain to communicate for you. That's exhausting. I made a human once. That's exhausting work. Time to make teeny tiny little humans in your brain is also exhausting. You need a break.

Cara Jean:

That is why self care is business care. It's irritating, but it's true.

RJ Redden:

Oh, that is irritating. Gosh. Well, tell me more about that. Do you you know, how do you help help your people practice self care?

Cara Jean:

So I have what I call the the BAMs for energy, the bare ass minimums. I got that from another coach, Amanda Kaufman, genius human. And the bare ass minimums, I don't remember where she said she got it from, so I'm just gonna give her the props for it. But the bare ass minimums for your energy, it starts with, I call it the three s's. Those are the soup, suits, and stardust. We are essentially a meat suit full of hormone soup, Controlled by Mush Management and made of stardust. If you don't take care of your meat suit, the soup gets Spicy and Mush Management is gonna shut down no matter how much stardust you're bringing.

RJ Redden:

Yeah.

Cara Jean:

Welcome to humanity. Yeah. So we acknowledge. We track. We make sure we're aware of. Not This is where we we use really good judgment and work really hard to not get judgmental. And it's just the 2 little letters, But it makes all of the difference. We are designed for judgment.

Cara Jean:

It is how we have survived through to today. Your brain is a dynamic genius who thrives on that kind of judgment and choosing and being decisive. Also, it's an idiot, and he gets stuck in ruts. And, one of those is judgmental where instead of making a good judgment about the situation, we internalize that and decide I'm a failure because this thing I did failed.

RJ Redden:

I've never experienced that. I have no idea what you're talking about right now.

Cara Jean:

Oh, gosh. Because I experienced it already this morning.

RJ Redden:

Mhmm. Uh-huh. Don't we all, though? Don't we all, though? Because there's there's the judgmentalness, and then there's the meta of stepping back and going, I shouldn't be judgmental. And then being mad at myself because I'm judgmental. Yeah. It's the whole you know? Like, Sometimes I talk about, like, a rolodex. You know, it's like my rolodex of failures. Like, My brain will just, like, wanna pick out a card and go, oh, yeah.

RJ Redden:

Yeah. That was that was a bad one. Stick it back in, roll it again, Pick out another card and go, oh, this one was bad too. This one sucked bad. Now, chillins, If you're listening to this, you may not have ever seen a rolodex before. That's fine. I wanna tell you that, basically, what I want you to picture is a little randomizer where you press a button, get a failure to look at, and you keep pressing that Okay. Yeah.

RJ Redden:

I had to take a minute out. I had to take a minute out because my nephew, who's 18 years old, saw a picture, a family picture. We're going through a photo album. People kept those at one time. Anyway, he saw a picture of a, and, Like, behind the person was a phone on a wall, and he said, what is that?

Cara Jean:

Tell friends that 1950 is closer than 1980 2050 is closer than 1980.

RJ Redden:

And now without a weapon. I mean, like, it is, it is it is absolutely crazy. Well, So this is a rough transition, but I'm gonna say it anyway. How do you engage your audience?

Cara Jean:

Well, that's fair. I think the short answer to that is I wave my freak flag as high and loud as I can.

RJ Redden:

Tell me everything. Give me the details.

Cara Jean:

So I it started when I first started into my business, and, you know, all of the things. So you gotta be on the socials. You gotta do this. You've all the things you gotta do. Right? And I tried doing them because I had to do them, and I failed epically, beautifully, Continually, till I decided, you know, it's always about those small shifts. It's never a big one. It's just those little small things where You're going along, and it's kinda like this. And then you get that one thing in spot, and you're like, oh, oh, I get it.

Cara Jean:

So I started using the posting that you're supposed to do as a way to just sort of practice being me and getting comfortable being around me. What do I know? What do I like? What do I trust in? Because if I know what I know, like, and trust, it's way easier for others to also know, like, and trust me.

RJ Redden:

Ain't that the truth? Ain't that the truth? The minute that I Start here's here's the the the great irony of what I do for a living. You know, reaching out to people and Connecting with them and all that kind of stuff until I have connected with myself. No. Unless I have embraced Whatever fabulousness is going on today. Without without the judgmental weirdness, I can't I go I wanna go after other people to hug me. I wanna, you know, I wanna I wanna go get that. I've got stardust happening in here. I've got fabulousness.

RJ Redden:

Come take advantage of this. But if I haven't accepted within myself, who I am. You know? If I haven't connected to that, it's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen.

Cara Jean:

And it allows you to create the space. I mean, you you create amazing space around you, and it's because of the goggles and because of the cape. Because that Weirdness, that differentness makes it safer for someone else to also be weird and different. Yeah. And what a gift.

RJ Redden:

It it is a gift. It is a gift. I'll tell you. I'm going on a I found a human who, like like, followed my stuff and attended one of my little events. And, from Omaha, Nebraska this week. I live in Omaha. I have not had a client in Omaha in 10 years. You know? I do bleeding edge stuff.

RJ Redden:

Nobody in Omaha is interested in this.

Cara Jean:

Makes sense.

RJ Redden:

So anyway, we're gonna meet together. I'm I'm like, well, we we need to we need to meet. We need to get together. And, she's like, well, why don't we do it real live? And I'm like, Like in a, like in meat space. And she's like, yeah, I'm in meat space. So I'm going to a coffee shop next week on Monday, and I am gonna be the 1 in the cave. And I do not care if people stare, if they laugh. You know what? So many people have laughed at me in my life, And I used to just bring that in and let it hurt thinking that's gonna change things.

RJ Redden:

Now gosh. You know what? I'm glad I spread some joy today. Whatever. You laugh at me if you wish. Underestimate meet your own risk. I'm wearing a cape. So welcome welcome, Odin, to the broadcast. Anyway, that engagement by, you know, embracing that that freak flag.

RJ Redden:

You know? Letting it letting it fly. That's maybe my favorite answer. I ask everyone who comes on the podcast that same question, and you just gave me my favorite answered to that question. Yes. Yes. Gosh. Eddie, You know, give me give me anything you wanna say to somebody out there who's a leader, Wearing comfortable shoes right now. Wanting to sling stardust, but not being able to make that quite happen.

RJ Redden:

Have you got a message for those kind of people right now?

Cara Jean:

Get a buddy and get out of your head. Here's the thing. Keep going. I'm listening. When people are I'm just gonna go back to you going out To have coffee wearing cape and goggles. Right? When people laugh, they're not laughing at you. They're laughing at how they feel about what that brings up for them. It's not about Here's the thing.

Cara Jean:

We're the center of our own universe. 100% it has to be that way. You are an entire meat suit universe. You're just not the center of the universe. Again, small difference. Big deal. And everybody else is really busy being the center of Their universe. And if you can get comfortable allowing your universe to exist wholeheartedly without caveats, You allow that for somebody else, but you can't do that alone.

Cara Jean:

You have to be able to be witnessed. You have to be heard. You have to be seen because you have to know that you belong, and you do. The world is better for you being here. You you matter. You matter so much that the choices you make create new things in your brain, new little critters That can actually impact your genetic makeup. The science is cool. I'm such a nerd.

Cara Jean:

But literally, we have science that says it's not what you come with. It's what you do with. And that is true. So get out of your head, get a buddy, and figure out where you wanna go, because the world needs you.

RJ Redden:

What if people are looking to make a make you their buddy? How would they get ahold of you?

Cara Jean:

Let's just email me, carajeanat taking care of business. You can go to my website, taking care of business.com, and set up a date. Let's hang out and chat. I have, I have arranged for multiple level accesses to coaching. I absolutely believe that coaching is worth 1,000, tens of 1,000 of dollars because of that hand to hand Support through transformation, I suppose, is the way I would say that. But we're in a post pandemic reality, and there are a lot of big dreams and not necessarily Tens of 1,000 of dollars to throw at them. So I have $100 coaching packages that allow you to get 1 on 1 weekly work. 15 minute segments, but here's the thing.

Cara Jean:

I've done 7,000 of them, and I have a 3 times ROI on this. So if it takes more than 20 minutes For us to get you from a roadblock to a step of action, I will gift you 45 more minutes. But 7,000 of these later, no one has needed that because you're actually a genius. You're actually an expert. And if you want expert For advice, you just need to take some time to ask yourself, and I'm here to help you do that. Yeah.

RJ Redden:

Listen, folks. Avail yourself of this marvelousness. I put the website in the in the Comments there. And that's taking care of business. Is that with a g, taking care of business, or is it taken? Okay. K. Kara, like Kara, Jean, business.com. Listen.

RJ Redden:

Go go get my friend, Kara. It's it's time. It really is time to stop. It's time to put the backpack Down. It's time to put the shovel down of trying to dig yourself out of your own hole. It isn't going to work that way. I know we've been taught that. The bootstraps methodology.

RJ Redden:

Listen. It's never worked, and it's never going to work. But get yourself a buddy. Get out of your own head. This is the advice, and this is the advice that I take myself. So I wanna thank you for coming and freaking brightening my day. Thank you for the sunshine, Cara.

Cara Jean:

RJ, I would literally spend any amount of time with you always. Okay.

RJ Redden:

We're gonna have to do a retreat. Mhmm. Okay. I'm actually

Cara Jean:

Thinking about what okay. So we're I'm not here. We're we're gonna have I've got people that you need to connect with, and we're gonna have to have a whole conversation because, yeah, I'm thinking that that yes.

RJ Redden:

Okay. Alright. Well, we'll we'll shut off the broadcast, and then we'll talk about it. Well

Cara Jean:

Teasers for everyone. That's coming.

RJ Redden:

Yes. It's coming, babies. Everything is coming. Hey. Listen, everybody. Thanks for joining us today. We'll be back. Same same bot time, same bot channel next week.

RJ Redden:

You know where where to find me. We'll be on another epic engagement adventure. Until then, you know, take care of yourself and take care of each other, And, I will see you on the flip side. Thanks, everybody.