Becoming the Real You

45:21

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

people, business, weaknesses, coaching, linkedin, learned, strengths, michelle, innate talents, life, bonnie, helping, happy, college, talking, day, clifton strengths, passion, money, coach

SPEAKERS

Damon Pistulka, Michele Gunn

 

Damon Pistulka  00:01

All right, everyone, Welcome once again to the faces of business. I’m your host, Damon Pistulka. We’ve got a special episode today, the last time, my guest today, Michelle Gunn. And I tried to get on stream and I didn’t like LinkedIn, and some of the other live channels that we are going to. So we had to we had to reschedule this one. And I’m glad that we were able to do it. And now I’m happy to say that it’s it’s running everywhere. So we’re live and and here today. So if you’re listening to us on LinkedIn, or Facebook, or, or Twitter or something like that, just go ahead and drop your comments, we’d like to see where you’re coming in from.

All right, the cat saying hello, right from the beginning. So drop the comments, where are you listening, listening from? We would love this. Love to hear about that. And if you got any comments, other than that, during the show, go ahead and hit it. And we’ll go from there. Well, Michelle, go ahead and introduce yourself and a little bit about your background now. But thanks for being here. Well, David, thank you so much for having me. And I have to say, Stuart, he’s missed me the last few days. So all right.

 

Michele Gunn  01:11

I am a Gallup certified strength coach, and I am building my business while I’m working full time for a church. I am a wife of over 30 years, I have three adult children, two grandchildren. And I love helping people I really love when I can help people see their value, to know their strengths. Some of the clients I’ve worked with, thought they had no strength, so to see the AHA in their eyes, even as I’m telling you 40 something adult, it’s just so amazing.

 

Damon Pistulka  01:49

Yeah, he’s because there’s no is it really I don’t I don’t think I’m wrong. But I don’t think there’s any time any age in life, to really make a significant improvement in your life, I think you can be you can be 90, if it’s your time to do it. It’s just when your mind is ready, and you found the right things and do that. Do you believe that?

 

Michele Gunn  02:10

I do. And we’re all in different stages in life. And we’re all at different stages in realizing who we are as a person. Some people, it takes a lifetime, because of the way they were raised, because of things that have happened in society. And oftentimes, we are judged by what we produce and the money it brings in instead of our innate talents to how we serve on a personal level.

 

Damon Pistulka  02:39

Yeah, yeah, that’s for sure. And I think you’re right, I think it’s really about when you’re when your mind is ready for it, you’re in the right point in your life for whatever point that is, could be high could be low, that that you are ready to make the changes or find the changes that you need to make.

 

Michele Gunn  03:00

Yeah, I think also having the right people around you. Yeah, oftentimes, there are people who, who they make friends with just whoever happens to be around or who approaches them. And they kind of are choosing to be a person they were told they should be. Yeah. Which doesn’t necessarily mess with their talents, and they’re not really happy. So they’re kind of miserable. And that’s the kind of people they attract. Once you actually get to know yourself and who you are. accept yourself and love yourself. You’ll start attracting the right people that can help bring out the best in you. And you’ll do the same for others.

 

Damon Pistulka  03:40

Yeah, yeah. That’s cool. That’s cool. Yeah. So we’re, you know, we were gonna talk about today about becoming the real you. So now you’re you help people do this to figure out what their innate talents are. So what are some of the some of the ways that you’re going to help somebody, we’re going to sit down, and we’re going to talk about this a little bit? And what are some of the things that you’re going to help a person do to find those innate talents that they in the special talents that the only they have?

 

Michele Gunn  04:14

Well, firstly, I’d like to say that there are many great coaches out there that use different tools, different methods. And I don’t think there is one way That’s right. Although I have a preference. It’s important that you work with someone who you mesh with who you’re good fit with, you feel comfortable, because you need to build that trust level because if you’re not truthful, about yourself and your feelings, you’re not going to get to where you need to go. That said, I myself have went through a path some of it was what I was told I should be doing what was expected of me. But really, I just read Recently really found my passion the last few years.

And that is because I took the Gallup strengths, Clifton strengths test, assessment sorry, assessment. People might know it as the strengths finders, when Don Clifton the founder died, they renamed it Clifton strengths in honor of him. And what it was, for me when I got my results, it was really a confirmation of who I am. And some of it was an explanation for ways that I know I was. And were told, maybe I shouldn’t have been that way, or people saw it in a negative way. And I’m really learning how to embrace my talents.

So I like to help people with that once I find somebody that we see that we’re a good fit, we of course want to discuss what their goals are, what their dreams are, what they’re trying to accomplish, because I want to make sure that I can help them get to where they need to go. And if there’s other issues, sometimes we deal with past hurts family issues that really maybe counseling or therapy needs to adjust. That needs to be dealt with first.

But once we can do that, I really love to use the Clifton strengths assessment, because it really points out what is right with people. And then we can build a program from there to see what they need to, to suit their needs. It’s it’s not I mean, we could do cookie cutter, a lot of people have cookie cutter to get certain results. But coaching is really more individualistic. And you can start out with a plan and figure out later that maybe that’s not really where you want it to go. You thought you did. Yeah, didn’t.

 

Damon Pistulka  06:38

Yeah, yeah. It’s it’s interesting that you say that, because there’s something in what what I do, helping helping business owners build their business or if their rate is home, get we get them to that point. So on to but one of the things that we concentrate on when we’re building businesses, it are the strengths of the business, because a lot of people talk about, oh, you gotta you know, work on your weaknesses.

And realistically, your weaknesses are your weaknesses for a reason, you know, right. I’m never going to be a creative writer, it just isn’t happening. I can help somebody else can do a much better job for that to me. And but if I, if I know that at least I think, and I’m kind of paraphrasing the question to you here. So if we at least kind of know our weaknesses, and understand them, is that good enough? Are we really need to do this whole trying to fix our weaknesses as much as in the past? Anyway, it was preached to us.

 

Michele Gunn  07:36

Well, first of all, who’s telling you is it’s a weakness? That’s the first thing you need to look at? Right? Yeah. Write somebody is not good at spelling, that’s a weakness and unique to perfect that right? or math, but some of us just that’s not our talent. That’s if we have other people’s to do that, right. When you run a business, you don’t hire one employee to do everything you hire, and different people with different skill sets. And the great thing about life, is that your personal life and your professional life, they’re really intertwined. So something is out of sync, and either it’s going to affect the other.

Yeah. So yeah, yeah. It’s, we I like to say instead of weakness, we’re taught through our Clifton strengths, it’s a challenge, right? It’s not a weakness, it’s a challenge. You can overcome challenges in their different ways. Right? One of the ways you can do it is by hiring somebody else to do it. Yeah. That’s, that’s a challenge that you don’t have to do. But you can delegate, hire someone else.

There are some things that you can learn to do. And that would be developing a skill. But those are, there are things that you naturally do well, that make you happy and enjoy joy doing it. That’s what you should be spending your time doing. Right? Just think if you went to work, or maybe you know, a lot of times people don’t leave the home now and they just work odier down the hall office or upstairs office work. And you look forward to it. Imagine if everybody looked forward to doing their work. What an amazing place it would be.

 

Damon Pistulka  09:14

Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m fortunate because I do look forward to my work. But I think that that’s one of the things that I’ve learned over the past it’s been about five years since I really and Jeff Graham was the one that first of all just brought it out. He said Why are we even worried about your weakness? Don’t think about that we’re working worried about what you’re really good at and be better at it and be better at than anybody else.

Focus on that. And and the rest of this stuff will come into play. And as we started teaching business owners more of that approach, it’s like yes, there’s basic fundamentals you have to cover but but the the reason why people really want to want to use you as a coach or the reason why someone want to do business with a certain business is probably because of those strengths in If you’re better at them than anybody else that only helps you.

 

Michele Gunn  10:03

Absolutely. Right. And when I got my results, they are some of my top talents. One of them is developing, and that’s seeing what people are naturally good at and help them be better at it. Well, that just makes so much sense to me. Yeah, I yeah. So that’s cool. Yeah.

 

Damon Pistulka  10:24

That’s cool. So as you as you’re doing this, now, you’re doing you’re doing this. A lot of people try to do this, they’ll stop another job, or they’ll try to try to build a build a practice and they won’t necessarily. You know, they get put full time afrodite. So you’re trying to do both at once. That’s it. That’s an undertaking.

 

Michele Gunn  10:47

It’s an undertaking, and there are issues of course, because life will get in the way and you have to decide what’s more important. Honestly, my husband was the I’m going to say the main breadwinner for many years, I stayed home with our children when they were young, we wanted our kids to have a parent at home with them. But you know, life happens he ended up becoming disabled. So now we depend on my income. And since I’ve found this path, so late in life, yeah, that’s the way I have to do it if I want to follow my passion, right? Yeah. Because I still still have to be paid.

 

Damon Pistulka  11:23

Yeah. But I think it’s an awesome it’s inspirational. It’s inspirational. Because Listen, listen, it’s it’s you found your path. And then then you go Okay, so some people wouldn’t go down that path because they’re a little bit later in life, but you are which is really cool. And then on top of it, you also have you are the primary breadwinner in this situation now, and it’s a double challenge for you to do and yet you’re going on so that speaks to the passion that you have to help people

 

Michele Gunn  11:55

Yes, I like you said you enjoy going to work I enjoy building my business and helping people. So instead of you know some people like to go out and garden and other things. This is it for me. So

 

Damon Pistulka  12:07

yeah, we got Chris wrangle here and I saw you commented back to them, and and we’ve got Elvin Eldridge, excuse me. I didn’t say their name right the first time eldraine. But glad to see you glad you’re listening on LinkedIn. But you’re right, it shows it speaks to your passion. And the reason and and the reason why I think that it just shows how serious you are about really doing this thing.

 

Michele Gunn  12:33

And given the Academy, I might not have a choice of whether or not I quit my day job and go full time. We’ll see. Yeah, yeah, God has planned for me. Well, that’s,

 

Damon Pistulka  12:43

that’s the thing. You know, it’s it’s one of these, all of these deals where you have taken the leap. You understand that your passion, you think it’s something that you can you can truly be good at. And that’s really you’ve taken the lead, you’ve prepared yourself to do it. That’s all we can do in being entrepreneurs. So we got Bonnie said, Hello. Hi, Bonnie, awesome to see you for Conrad is from New York, with the gold lids. Always like her Tick Tock videos, man. They’re they’re crazy popular.

That’s cool. So, um, couple other things is I look and look, you know, we met on LinkedIn and everywhere else because then Isaac’s got that great Tuesday night thing that I try to attend as much as I can, and you go to that, but you can excuse me, you on LinkedIn, you got 66,000 followers. That’s maniac level right there. So why I mean, what what was you think? What do you think’s The most important thing on LinkedIn for people to help find their find their calling on and find the people to gather around them? What What were you doing? You think that really got people to engage with you?

 

Michele Gunn  14:00

I think the biggest if we’re talking specifically about LinkedIn for me, because when I started really being active in LinkedIn, it was, I think, late February 2020. So my timing was great, because a lot of people were virtual, spending a lot of time so that in itself helped. But I find the I started out as an open connector. I’m not so much anymore. I tried to be but there’s so much sorry, out there now, and abuse.

But actually being authentic, providing value giving real content that people get something from and engaging with other people. It’s nice to just put content out there but when you go engage with people and their content, they really see who you are. And you really most of the people that I know. Better that live nowhere near me. Some of them out This country or because we started the conversation in the comment section. Yeah. And it goes from there.

 

Damon Pistulka  15:06

Yeah, that’s, that’s great. And Bonnie just reiterated, Well, okay, I’ve got the wrong one up here. But we’ll talk about that one from Chris, Bonnie, but it said, work on your strengths and hire others on your team for your weaknesses. That’s right. That’s right. And I’m lucky in our business with with my partner, Andrew, he is way good at the stuff that I am horrible at. And you know, when you got someone that’s in your business, you got 100% Trust in it, it just makes things so much nicer. And then, Chris, it’s a nice comment. Yeah, Thanks, Chris. I agree.

I agree. And, and then some weaknesses are lack of education, which can be fixed. Yeah. You know, I tell you what, the one thing and this is a this is a, this is a sticking point for me. And I don’t know how I went to college. But I don’t necessarily think that college is that important anymore in the whole scheme of things with the way the world is for some Yeah, right. Via doctor, right. I went to school for engineering. Yeah, yeah, to do something like that. But there and like your training and coaching and those kind of things, but there’s a lot of there are a lot of really good careers now. That technical training can give people a wonderful, wonderful life. That’s for sure.

 

Michele Gunn  16:23

Yeah, I have to say personally, I have a college degree. And it’s actually business with a concentration in marketing. And like I said, I stayed home from kids. I got married by last semester of college. We already knew our priorities. our priorities would be a family. So I didn’t start a career. I did management in retail, fast food, mostly ended up in nonprofit church management. Tried to I did some marketing for a church and Catholic school and now, well, marketing’s in me, so I still do it. I just don’t get paid to do it. But um, there’s different levels, different kinds of education. My son, my kids all know I talk about them. They know I tell everybody everything.

 

Damon Pistulka  17:04

Awesome.

 

Michele Gunn  17:06

Yes, he was diagnosed with ADHD in fifth grade. And when I started learning about it, he’s textbook. I mean, there was a time I thought I was worried the kid couldn’t hear. He’s sitting TV watching and I’m standing behind him calling him. It wasn’t listening, because he was so hyper focused. When it came time. for college. We knew it was sink or swim. We encourage all of our kids to attend, to attend to a to have attended one has graduated. Yeah. I signed the first year. He failed. He got the experience. Yeah, I think there’s a little bit of regret that he had it.

But there’s also he knows he wouldn’t ended up coming home working and then join the Navy, where he entered the second most difficult program in the Navy. Awesome. And was successful. Yeah, but the thing is, if I only knew now, then what I know now. Yeah, you know, my kids would have been raised differently. And he he, he might have had a different outcome. Although it came out well, the Navy gave him the discipline and structure that he needed to be successful. And now he’s out of the Navy. He’s got a great job. He loves it. So as far as education, I agree, but there’s different kinds of education. Education doesn’t necessarily mean college for everybody. Exactly, exactly. I

 

Damon Pistulka  18:35

guess. You said it much better than I did. It’s just one of these things. I think that we we’ve are I just really I’m, well, you know, I’m involved in manufacturing a lot. I really it’s one of my passions. I grew up in it. I love it. I think it’s it’s just it’s just so cool. And in fact, we got Christina Herrick, and on here she’s talking about your number of connections she says must really be resonating so from Christina with our Chris I guess I see Christina because it’s on her profile but from Jen alpha so cool. But it is it is really there are so many careers when you look at outside the school system says hey, you should go to college, blah, blah, blah.

But I think you know, in the in the budget cuts and everything that we see over the last 25 years, there’s not the there’s not the the shop programs or the construction programs nearly as much as as they used to be. Because, listen, if you can, if you can go to a factory and learn how to be a good machinist or a good welder or a good supervisor, whatever those are. Those are great jobs when you compare it to the other alternatives of I’m going to get out of high school and and not develop my skills beyond that and try to work and I think that I just it bugs me a little bit. I’m done. Getting But

 

Michele Gunn  20:00

But David really, if you if you know yourself know what your innate talents are, the Clifton strengths is not a tool to choose your career. But it can choose you in the direction because we’re happiest when we’re using our top talents. So if we pick something where we can’t ever use it, you know, you’re gonna be miserable. Just like someone who loves to be outside. They may be smart enough and have the skills to work in an office say counting or something like that. But if they don’t like being stuck inside in an office and not moving for eight hours a day there, they’re not going to be happy and they may not be successful. Yeah,

 

Damon Pistulka  20:41

yeah. So then part of part of what you’re doing then is really helping people see where they probably would be the happiest and helping them get there. It’s kind of a question and sort of are what what really is your role in this?

 

Michele Gunn  20:57

Well, we there’s the thing called depending on how you pronounce it, right, either niche or niche, whichever. Coaches generally, and I’m right up there. have a hard time pinpointing, because we just want to help everyone. Yeah, I’ve recently in my message.

 

21:15

Whoa.

 

Damon Pistulka  21:18

Whoa, I think we had a cat accident. There we go. We’re coming back. We’re coming back. That’s all right. I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you. We’ll get you back in a second. We’re good. So let’s see if we got you now. Nope. Can’t hear Yeah. Try one more time. That’s for sure, buddy. No, I can’t hear you.

 

21:57

All right.

 

Damon Pistulka  22:00

Go using go out and come back in again. I can’t hear you for some reason. I’ll let you back in while she’s gonna get our technical difficulties fixed. Real quick. It’ll be just a moment. She’s got to figure out what’s going on there. But you’re right, Bonnie, if you’re not, if you’re not fulfilled, title, money won’t matter. I mean, you’re a great example of that with your passions and your gulledge projects and products and how you’re open that and how you went when and are now with your ecommerce efforts through that and, and all the stuff that you’re doing there. It’s really cool. And then Alright, someone else stepping in to say hello. Great. See you. She will be back in here shortly. There we go.

 

22:45

Okay, can you hear me?

 

Damon Pistulka  22:46

Yes, I can see just like that.

 

Michele Gunn  22:49

My cat, not my laptop. Now, but I think for my headphones, so I don’t think it works anymore. That’s what happens when you leave your cat for three days they get back?

 

Damon Pistulka  22:59

Yeah, no worries. No worries. We’re good. We’re good. Well, you know, I filled the void as best I could. And then we were talking about Oh, Chris. Chris has had, oh, we were talking about your office talking. Bonnie said this. And I got a backup here. I got a backup. I’m not doing it right here. The chats coming like crazy. So Bonnie said if you’re not fulfilled title and money will ultimately not matter.

And I said yeah. And I was talking about her product and how she you know, you can just see the see the passion in what she does. And I see it in your face too, as you start talking about helping people. And then she followed up with this. She was thriving, but not happy. So yeah. And then Chris, Chris is agreeing to that’s that’s great. So Chris wrangles saying he’s liking it. So Michelle, what are some of the things that that you like most about what you get to do?

 

Michele Gunn  23:51

Fine. Uh huh. So often, I’m speechless. I’m really, because I can really see it in people’s faces in their eyes, that aha moment that they have value, or they’ve overcome or figured out something. And I just that that’s what does it for me. Just really seeing people understand what they’re worth. Because the world is always telling us what is wrong with us. What we don’t do, right. What we like. So to see someone actually be able to embrace who they are, and know that they’re, they’re needed, all of us are needed for who we are.

 

Damon Pistulka  24:39

Yep. That’s cool. That is cool. That was that that is if there’s one thing that I miss about leading people in businesses on a daily basis is that is the just to be able to get, show people that they all have value. They all have something to add and it’s so much fun. As you said, when that When that light turns on, and you and you stop and ask them what they think even this is simple sometimes is asking, What do you think? And they go, Well, what you really want to know what I think is the course, you know, and you know, it’s, it’s that engagement and what you get to do and how you get to help people see that in their life and then and then turn that on, and go forward with it.

 

Michele Gunn  25:24

Right? Because coaching is not about giving people the answers. It’s about helping them find the answers within themselves.

 

Damon Pistulka  25:33

Yeah, that’s a great way to say that finding the answers within themselves. have to write that down. Yeah. So what what have been some of your own learnings? Has, you’ve been doing this? Um,

 

Michele Gunn  25:49

I’ve learned a lot about myself, of course, I’m one of the things when I was being certified. Part of the certification process is coaching people and have them evaluate you, but you don’t get to see the evaluation. But so of course, I had my family members take it my spouse or my kids, because I want to see what they have, anyway. Yeah. What my husband, his there’s 34 talent themes in the Clifton strengths and Taylor themes are made up of different talents, and they group them together and themes. So his number one, so his strongest strength is my number 34, which is the very last one. So a lot of times we see that in couples, right?

That Yeah, one’s strength is is lower, more near the bottom of the other significant others challenge, which really, you know, says we need people who are not like us. So that was, that was one thing in a personal effort application Wait, I learned. I learned that this is what I like to say, my kids, I think, might disagree with me that I think they have. But my number three is input. And that’s really about gathering information. I am one of those people who will bookmark stuff, I love to have books, I don’t read them all. But I have them if I need them. When I find out something new, like when my son was diagnosed with ADHD, I go and research the heck out of it.

So I have a lot of information. When I was younger, I had often been told I was nosy. And I know now that’s just because I like to have the information. And that’s one of the things my kids, my kids tell me, I asked way too many questions. I said, you don’t ask? How can you not know that? So yeah, that was a big one. Um, I know, number one is belief. And that’s having a core set of values. Most times people who are high in belief, have strong connections with family family is really important. In our, in my class when I was getting certified, one lady asked me, she said, My son has belief in he’s so hard headed.

He’s hard to get to change his mind. And I always thought I wasn’t till I really learned more about myself through this process. That Yeah, sometimes I’m not as open minded as I should be. But she said, How should I, you know, address him? I was still learning. So I said, I don’t know. Because I have these core values and these core beliefs. And I have input, so I go research it. So if you tell me I’m wrong, I’m going to show you I’m right with the information I have. But luckily, you know, since learning more, I’ve learned that that’s that’s not always true.

Sometimes, we just have, I see people like me have these beliefs and core values that are really unchanging in it, they can change, but it takes a lot to change. So that’s another one. I also learned. My number two is responsibility. And I have had to learn how to use that as a strength and not a hindrance. Because when we have challenges that we’re strong in, you’re strong and using it as a strength when it gives you near perfect results when you repeat it over and over to be successful. If you’re not being successful with it, it’s getting in your way.

So you have to look at that. So me with responsibility. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. Now. It’s not going to necessarily be perfect because I just need to get it done because I set out to get it done. The only other side of that is if you ask me to do something I’m going to say yes So I have learned, I need to say no, because I can’t do everything. Neither do I have the talent to do everything. But it’s also not helping me be successful or help the other person.

 

30:15

Yeah.

 

Michele Gunn  30:16

So those are some of the core things. I’ve learned a lot. But those are some of the things I’ve learned. Yeah,

 

Damon Pistulka  30:23

that’s cool. Especially like you said, you know, the saying yes to too many things. I think that people that are that that want to really get a lot done and achieve things, they think we all get stuck in that trap. We just said yes, too much. And then before you know, it, it’s it’s over the top. And, and that’s good. The other thing I just think is I was giggling a little bit is, is when you said you’re your husband’s number one, or you’re number 34. And I bet that’s about my wife, and I am sure the pyramid is flopped.

It’s got to be it’s just like, but I think also that diversity is is telling too, I mean, you’ve you’ve been, you’ve been together with your husband for more than a couple years. And it’s, and there’s reasons because of that. And for that, and and that’s, that’s cool. The The other thing is interesting is gathering information. And I think that’s that’s one that it helps you in what you’re doing. Because when you’re helping people as a as a coach, you are gathering information, you’re gathering more and more information to develop, to understand and then be able to come back and return the help for those people. Yeah,

 

Michele Gunn  31:43

I’m sorry, I’d like to share information. Sometimes. I share too much. So I like together and then I like to give it to people.

 

Damon Pistulka  31:52

Yeah. Well, I mean, as a coach, that’s what you really need to do, though you need this gathering of information is really asking the right questions, understanding. And then if you need to understand further into a piece and are there they’re there, and then you formulate and then help them, like you said, find the answers within themselves. Hmm, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Very cool. So what’s what has been the most challenging thing about coaching that you found so far?

 

32:27

Um,

 

Michele Gunn  32:32

I guess the most challenging thing about coaching would be the business aspect of it, right. And I’ve always had a hard time, let’s say closing the deal. Because I want I want to help people, so we not being taken advantage of, and letting people know my own value when I’m worth it. So that’s really not a coaching issue. It’s really a business development issue, I

 

33:04

guess.

 

Damon Pistulka  33:05

Yeah. I think it’s common, I would Same, same, same problem. Not problem really, it’s a challenge, it’s not a problem, it’s just a challenge is because you like to help people, you’d like to help people. And that get that that overlaps that were business needed a business decision to be made. And if you go beyond that, because you want to help somebody.

And and that’s, that’s, I think that’s natural, a lot of people that are passionate about what they do, honestly do and I think that it, it is and there will be some people that will take advantage and there will be others that that if you just say this is this is where the where the helping stops and the business has to start so I can continue helping. I think it’s a good way to segue and it’s it’s people understand and if people don’t understand a certain point and this is another thing I’ve learned over the years is like if they don’t understand and they just keep taking taking taking taking taking probably it’s just not worth your time.

Yeah, my good fit there you go, there you go. Not a good fit. See, I don’t use the right words and you help that a lot. Awesome. So the when when we’re talking about the the the coaching and what are some of the most common things that you see that people are really struggling with this like I just and they come they’d like you know what, what is it is that they get to a point in their life and they just don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing is it that they not happy and I know some of this i’m not i’m trying to not be into the the counseling, but in the coaching part of it in their in their career, what they’re trying to find our life what What do you think people have?

Really is it that we’ve been told something and they were brought up that I’m, you’re a great figure skater. So you should be a figure skater, and you should go to blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then they wake up one day as a, you know, a mid 20s figure skater and they’re spending, you know, 60 hours a week doing this and they hate their life. Is that what we see? Or what do you what do you usually see?

 

Michele Gunn  35:23

Yeah, I think that the issue that leads people down that path, is because we don’t generally spend time thinking about who, who we really are and what we really want, right. So we go through high school, and depending on your parents how they were raised, and what their education level is, some kids are told it back in the day, and some places, now they still have the vote tech school, so they can take, you’re going to do that, or you’re going to take the college prep, because you’re going to go to college, I’m an engineer, you need to be an engineer, kind of like that. And students are taught to really think about what they want, what makes them happy to figure out what path they want.

So by the time we start thinking about what makes us happy, or that we’re not happy, right? We have a mortgage, we have car payments. Yeah. And it’s just hard to go backwards. Because it is hard. And I know a lot of people have gone and gotten, you know, their master’s degree while they’re working 40 plus hours and have a family. It’s not me, I can’t do it. But there are people who do that.

But by the time you have all that going on, your people are really just thinking about how to pay the bills, and still lead a somewhat happy life and be able to take vacations, if you stop all that and pursue your purpose or your passion. Something’s going to give, right? Yes. And the times we’re not willing to give that up, either for ourselves, or because we’re putting other people in our life first. So I know there’s a lot of coaches that now work because Gallup student a great job of helping people get into schools and universities, coaches, and they have programs to help students figure that stuff out.

 

Damon Pistulka  37:17

Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re is it’s funny that you said that, because I was about how people get into it, and they’ve got the mortgage and everything. And then they can’t really change what they’re doing, or it’s much, much more difficult. And I was talking to my son who’s going to graduate in college in December and from college in December, and I said, Listen, this is the time that I think he should decide if you want to work for somebody, or you want to have your own business. Like I don’t have experience as Yes, but you don’t have bills either.

Right. And if you get if you start working for somebody else, and you and you start making that money, and you start, you know, you’ve got to have an apartment, and then a car, and then vacations and all this kind of stuff. And you’re going to be down the road five years and try to do a business at that point, you have five years of all that stuff building up and becoming dependent on that income. Whereas when you come out of college, yes, you’re not going to have the experience right away, it’s going to take a little maybe take a little longer to generate whatever you want to generate.

But with the with, with some assistance, you probably can get your yourself off the ground in a reasonable amount of time, without trying to do it with all the baggage that you’re carrying, you know, the busload of baggage that you’re doing when you’re five or six or 10 years down the road. That’s a great point that you made, because I think so many people get down that and like you mentioned earlier, you can do something where you make a lot of money. And Bonnie said that to that you’d be highly successful but not happy.

 

38:45

Right?

 

Damon Pistulka  38:47

Right. You get to a point in your life. You go, listen, I’m successful, I’ve got money, that’s but I’m still just dreadfully unhappy. And that that’s a that you’re a great point that you make there.

 

Michele Gunn  39:03

I’m gonna make a little plug. There’s a podcast Actually, I did a recording so I think it’s gonna come out in a couple weeks. They’re gonna let me know. It’s a podcast called enjoy success. Yeah. Yeah, they the first question they ask of their guests is how do you define success? I recommend if somebody’s looking for something to listen to listen to that. The range of guests that they have on that show are remarkable.

People who are like you talked about have that classic success, right? And but most of those people still don’t define it by you know, I have so much dollars in the bank. My house is so many square feet. I have four cars. That’s really not what it is because that kind of success does not bring happiness.

 

Damon Pistulka  39:51

Yeah. Exactly. It it just doesn’t. It they probably talk about the people they’ve been able to help. I mean When you look at it and you go, let’s just take a real well, he’s kind of, you know, controversial a little bit but Bill Gates, right Bill Gates doesn’t really look at Microsoft as much as he looks at the Gates Foundation and and trying to eradicate like the the diseases he’s trying to eradicate the disease from the world, which is crazy, huge thing to do. But and and you just see that’s what they’re passionate about what they want their legacy to be. Absolutely. It’s not the bazillion bucks they made it’s the it’s the impact that they can do.

 

Michele Gunn  40:38

Right. Losses the vehicle to actually do yeah,

 

Damon Pistulka  40:42

that’s the that’s it. Yeah. That’s a it’s someone’s I forget who said it the other day, but I was reading something and it says, you know, money is not everything. Money is a vehicle to leave the impact, but it is a the thing that you that allows you to leave the legacy and impact you want. And and that’s if you use it the right way. It’s that or some like that. But that’s that’s a great point. So what should I have asked Michelle, that I didn’t ask Michelle.

 

41:19

I don’t know. What do you want to know?

 

Damon Pistulka  41:22

I don’t know. What do you like to do when you What do you like to do outside of outside of work and stuff? What do you like to do?

 

Michele Gunn  41:28

I like to coach people. Yeah. I love my cats.

 

Damon Pistulka  41:33

Yeah.

 

Michele Gunn  41:34

We’re down to seven. Most of them are rescues. Nice. A lot of litter pants. I’m just gonna say that. I like to spend time with family. I love love learning. I love talk shows. I love talking.

 

Damon Pistulka  41:51

There you go. Good stuff, good stuff. But it’s funny, you said the first thing you said I love coaching people, that’s great. Because I have to I have to hold myself back from talking about business with everyone because I’m kind of almost a savant in some ways. You know, it’s just like, my mind just goes there. So you have to, you have to stay outside of that when you’re when you’re with people.

But that’s, it’s just as your passion to show us your passion shows in what you love to do. And that’s cool. So Michelle, it’s been awesome having you on I’m so glad we had this time to get to allow you to share more about how you’re helping people more about how the coaching your your thoughts on coaching and help people really discover their in innate talents and find those within themselves and help and you helping them discover that and then and then helping them not only discover it, but start to utilize.

 

42:47

Yes,

 

Damon Pistulka  42:48

exactly. Because it’s it’s cool to find them. And then I bet when they start to utilize them. It really is something

 

Michele Gunn  42:58

right. Knowing it is just the beginning. Utilize to be successful in impacting other people. That’s that’s where you’ll find the most joy for yourself.

 

Damon Pistulka  43:08

Yeah, yeah, good stuff. Good stuff. Well, Michelle, what is the best way if someone wants to get ahold of you?

 

Michele Gunn  43:16

Well, I’m on LinkedIn every day, seven days a week, not 24. Seven, I tried to sleep. I do have a website. It’s still I’m still working on it. But it’s Michelle guns calm what else to end. On Facebook. I’ve not on Facebook as often because LinkedIn is the place to be. And I am on Instagram, my business is cultivate and thrive. And I have a LinkedIn page and a Facebook page and an Instagram page. So come follow. But with me, what you see is what you get. So I’m not sorry.

 

Damon Pistulka  43:53

There you go. There’s no reason to be sorry. But I just want to thank everyone else for listening. We have Bonnie and Chris and Chris wrangle Chris Harrington, we had some other people that were and I don’t mean to but it was rolling back through the chatter Aldrin and, and and others that were listening. Thank you so much for spending the time with us today. And thank you for listening. Thanks, Michelle, for being here.

It’s been great. I am so so happy to get to talk to you a little bit more. And we will be back again tomorrow. And tomorrow. And as I usually do, I completely blanked. Who’s going to be on tomorrow? I don’t know my mind just does this every time. I remembered you yesterday because it was a special episode, but I can’t I can’t remember who I have on tomorrow. But I know it will be somebody interesting. I do

 

Michele Gunn  44:47

need to make a sticky note and put it on your computer when Yeah, you have it right there.

 

Damon Pistulka  44:52

That that’s probably would be if I was organized I probably would do that. But now we’re having fun with it. And and We will be back here again tomorrow at 305. Like we always are, because a we want to start at three want to talk a little bit then we get on when we get ready. So that’s good stuff. Michelle, thanks for being here. Everyone else. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back tomorrow.

 

45:16

Thank you so much for having me, Damon,

 

Damon Pistulka  45:18

you bet. Have a great rest of your day, everyone.