In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about how the lone wolf mentality of handling everything ourselves can backfire and hold us back. In toxic situations, it can even be used against us. Refusing to collaborate and work with others is self-imposed isolation that keeps us from valuable insights and promotes burnout. Cindy explains how we can learn to open ourselves up and work with others.    

While Cindy isn’t suggesting opening the floodgates to allow everyone to weigh on every decision, she is advocating for understanding the value others bring to our work at key moments. She provides four reasons why it’s valuable: 1) Fresh perspectives mean better solutions, 2) Collaboration sparks creativity, 3) Shared workload means less burnout, and 4) Stronger relationships and better influence. 

Inviting others into our work isn’t just helpful but strategic. It’s not admitting weakness. Cindy explains how insights from others are like an expansion of our knowledge. It also increases our visibility within the organization and can be an advantage. How we approach obtaining collaboration and responses is key to how effective that input will be. Cindy has very specific advice for ensuring the collaboration benefits all parties and keeps us thriving and not retreating back into a lone wolf mindset.   

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Inviting Collaboration
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses one of the frustrating aspects of collaborative work: when not every person involved is as invested in pulling their weight and getting the job done as you are. While it might be tempting to go it alone, that isn’t the solution. The reality of collaborative work can feel like herding cats. Cindy dives into how to navigate the minefield of disengagement, obstruction, and conflicting ideas with teamwork intact and without losing sanity.   

Why is every person involved in a project not equally invested or competent? That’s simply the reality of workplaces and collaborative interaction. Cindy identifies the four main types of people we’re likely to encounter and how they operate. 1) the Doers, 2) the Observers, 3) the Drainers, and 4) the Saboteurs. She then offers three tips for handling everyone on a team, regardless of which type they are. 1) Set clear expectations from the start, 2) Encourage accountability, and 3) Use influence.

Cindy explores how to identify our own tendencies in a group project. It’s possible that we are actually disengaged or indifferent. If so, we need to find a way to contribute meaningfully. She lays out how effective communication works and points out how to avoid simply identifying problems without working toward solutions. Observers can be turned into active contributors using careful strategies, and saboteurs can be redirected without a showdown. This episode is key to learning exactly how to navigate group projects effectively when each team member operates differently. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Navigating Team Dynamics
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger explores the idea of putting ourselves to the test and stepping outside our comfort zones in this episode. There’s an allure to sticking to what we’re good at but if we only do what we’re good at, we don’t get challenged. When we accept a challenge, we trust ourselves more and build greater self-confidence. But how do we take those first steps? 

When we master something, we feel good about ourselves because it’s safe and we have a niche. But eventually, it feels like autopilot. The thing about comfort zones is that they feel like we’re progressing in what we’re already good at but in reality, we’re just spinning our wheels. What if there’s something else we should be doing or could be good at? Cindy talks about what happens when we take a risk and try something new. Something unfamiliar.

Cindy describes what it looks like to push ourselves and the potential successes and personal gains we could realize. But she also acknowledges the societal and workplace barriers that contribute to our self-doubt. Four big barriers come to mind: 1. Imposter syndrome, 2. Double standards, 3. Perfectionism, and 4. The glass ceiling. So how do we overcome these barriers to take a chance to develop our skills in a new area? Cindy talks about exactly how to confront self-doubt and barriers to see what we’re actually made of. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Boosting Your Confidence
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses having an intentional path and not leaving our futures to chance. What has to change in order to make what we want to have happen possible? Cindy leads us into exploration on how our stories are still being written, and how we can control the writing.

The question “what would have to change for me to be completely fulfilled” is posed early on in Cindy’s talk. The answer illuminates what we find unsatisfying or threatening and shows us what changes we can start to make to rewrite the direction of our own story. Are there experiments we can take on to find more open doors at work? 

Confidence and courage are skills Cindy says we can develop. It’s true that things don’t always go as planned, though, so Cindy offers five steps to help us find our way through setbacks: 1. Wallow if necessary, 2. Celebrate the result, 3. Shake it off, 4. Review, reassess, realign, and 5. Get back in the game. Cindy outlines how to avoid getting stuck in a blame game and to reassess our narrative. She guides us through using our time to write our stories our way.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Getting Unstuck
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about how facts and emotions intertwine. How we feel about a situation affects how we perceive the facts of that situation. Cindy wants us to understand how awareness and acceptance of where we are will affect our perception. 

The saying “it is what it is” bothers Cindy because it feels as though we are being told to simply accept the way things are instead of thinking they could be different. In truth, we do sometimes have to accept things but that means being at peace with them, not accepting them as the  upper limit. Cindy explains how different mindsets and emotions - gratitude instead of complaint, for example - can change our perspective and also the possibilities open to us.   

Cindy outlines five common reasons we rationalize our feelings of overwhelm and cynicism: 1) Fulfills an emotional need that’s not being met, 2) Allows us to feel more in control, 3) Gives us attention, 4) Gets us off the hook in terms of blame, and 5) It protects us. She then explores how acceptance and changing our fixed mindset are key to moving past the negative emotions. She guides us towards relearning our behaviors for the better.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Creating A New Habit
• Astronomic Audio
• Carol Dweck

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Cindy Esliger addresses the subconscious need to obtain permission to move forward on our goals. We are socialized from youth to seek permission from someone in charge. But now that we’re adults, are we letting that hold us back from making choices that benefit us?  

We don’t actually need anyone’s permission to make the pieces of our work and lives fit well together. Job constraints may not be as rigid as we tell ourselves or complain about. Cindy offers the idea that flexibility is the key to taking time we need during work hours to get things accomplished for ourselves. She explains how to navigate that idea.

Cindy points out that job results matter more than hours spent at work. Ensure that your work hours are truly spent working and productive, taking initiative for getting the work done in the hours you prefer, and caretaking your energy cycles. She gives us three signs to tell when we’re at the end of an energy cycle and offers a solution other than “powering through”. We don’t need anyone’s permission to be our best selves.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Optimizing Your Week
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Overcoming adversity is what Cindy Esliger addresses today. How we handle feelings of doubt and fear when we come up against obstacles is a necessary part of growth. Challenge is part of our roadmap to success so Cindy walks us through how to cope with adversity. 

We are more or less hardwired to avoid adversity. Our brains, programmed for survival, try to steer us away from adversity to help us stay alive. Now that we’ve evolved, however, avoidance is not the key to success in a safer world. What exactly are we avoiding, anyway? Cindy explains the three types of adversity we tend to face.

We need a plan for dealing with these things that appear to be clear and present danger. Cindy first highlights the four common pitfalls in our dealings with adversity: 1) Not making enough decisions, 2) Not taking necessary actions, 3) Not considering possibilities, and 4) Shutting down to escape. She then details how to get past these pitfalls with three secrets to overcoming adversity. Facing fears makes us stronger, after all.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Determining Your Adversity Quotient
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger asks us to look at who we are becoming by reflecting on how far we’ve come. Who are we really when our facades and defenses are down? When we can answer that, Cindy says, we can look ahead and make the right choices about who we are becoming. 

We are defined by the choices we’ve made so Cindy walks us through exploring what those choices have been. Our choices should be in alignment with where we want to be and what our strengths are. We can be thrown off course when we internalize critiques and let our insecurities prevent us from pursuing our purpose.

Cindy urges us to learn to take a compliment and not focus solely on critique. When we achieve great things, it’s okay to celebrate them. Letting ourselves feel capable and confident will help tear down the imposter syndrome that derails us on our path to becoming. Cindy offers three statements that fight imposter syndrome: 1) I am enough, 2) I worked hard for this, and 3) I make the most of opportunities before me. Become who you truly want to be with Cindy’s assistance.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Who You Are Becoming
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about second guessing ourselves at work. Are things said to us just annoyances to dismiss or are they things to take seriously? Or are we beginning to think everything is a sign? Cindy wants to address how making career decisions out of fear leaves us susceptible to gaslighting. 

What’s said to us is often neutral but we interpret the words with our own emotions based on past experiences. Cindy notes that this makes us create our own limitations which opens us up to the form of workplace bullying known as gaslighting. We question our ability to do the job that we know we are more than capable of doing. 

Cindy advises us to maintain a true, balanced, compassionate view of ourselves. She offers three steps to shifting our mindset: 1) notice our subconscious programming, 2) increase our awareness, 3) create a new belief system. She explores each of these in depth and shares stories from her career that relate in a powerful way. Cindy urges us to remember that we are not someone else’s opinion of us.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Early Waning Signs of Gaslighting
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger examines what we need in order to move out of toxic workplaces and into spaces that do not crush our souls. There are options besides simply suffering for a paycheque and part of the power to move forward already resides within us.  

Perhaps the toxicity is due to failures you’ve been part of in your work, perhaps it’s a poisonous boss or unsupportive atmosphere. We stay put, Cindy says, because we become paralyzed. We hate our jobs but see no way out. The toxicity bleeds into every aspect of our lives. Cindy wants us to assess where we really are, the recent successes we’ve realized, to shake us awake.

Recent changes are our best motivator for moving forward. Change is hard but believing in ourselves is a key part of working towards a better workplace. Cindy offers insight into four survival strategies to help us make the changes: 1) Listen to your body, 2) Gain perspective, 3) Face your fears, and 4) Set your boundaries. When we really recognize our situations, we are more ready to make a move.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Moving Forward
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about connection in this episode. She focuses on the ways in which people assess our communication styles for likeability and competence. Connection and charisma become very important tools that Cindy shares advice on cultivating. 

Likeability depends on how well we connect with other people and the easiest way to do so is through honesty and sincerity. Cindy’s advice encompasses active listening skills and the ability to disagree respectfully. Likewise charisma leads to being liked, trusted, and admired, so Cindy shares tactics on how to develop charisma by focusing on our own reactions to others.

The three ways we each have control over connections we forge and how we are viewed are through 1) body language, 2) presence, and 3) emotional intelligence. Part of what Cindy wants to share with us in this episode is how to let emotions flow through us like waves instead of bottling them which forces them out in negative ways at inopportune times. Cindy guides us through tearing down our walls in favor of connection. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Connecting With People
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger addresses workplace resilience in this episode. How do we manage our own behaviors more effectively so stress doesn’t take over? Cindy has advice for developing a resilience mindset, one that won’t allow negative thoughts to derail our work. 

The definition of resilience is the ability of something to bounce back to its original form after pressure or stress is applied to it. That’s what Cindy is encouraging us to develop emotionally. The ability to confront life’s hardships without being crushed and with the strength to recover completely. She shares four key ways to build that resilience: 1. Strengthen your foundation, 2. See challenges as opportunities, 3. Master Stress, and 4. Maintain perspective.  

We need to prioritize our own energy management and seek out restorative activities. Keeping energy in balance means we won’t exceed in output at work and leave ourselves exhausted and vulnerable. Cindy gets to the root of the issue by advising us to accept painful emotions and learn to view adversity as opportunity. She aims to guide us towards the resilience we need to not quit, to adapt and keep going.  

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Building Your Resilience
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about letting go of the fixation on how you’ll achieve goals and instead focussing simply on the next step in this episode. Requiring a full roadmap before embracing a new idea often stops us from stepping outside our comfort zone. Cindy has advice on how to break free of the fixation on how.

New projects and goals are unknowable paths and that lack of linear foresight can make us reluctant to step into those challenges. Cindy’s advice, however, is to simply embrace the next step. You can figure out each subsequent step as you go. She shares the three traits needed to master the how: 1) adaptability, 2) resourcefulness, and 3) flexibility.  

Risk and discomfort help us reach our goals. Cindy’s three reasons for embracing discomfort are that comfort is overrated, discomfort is a catalyst for growth, and discomfort signals progress. She expands on how the growth happens and shares four ways to prepare ourselves for the negative emotions that may arise on our journey. Let Cindy’s guidance lead us outside the comfort zone so we can truly realize our goals, without knowing the how in advance.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Mastering the How
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about reinvention and asks the question “What if who we are not isn’t who we need to be to achieve our dreams?”. Reinvention may be more a necessity than a possibility when we consider that in a changing world, we need to continue growing, thriving, and finding fulfillment. But exactly how do we do that? Cindy shares her guide to reinventing yourself with us. 

Reinvention challenges us to step beyond the boundaries of our old selves and explore the potential that lies beyond our comfort zones. When we find ourselves in a state of dissatisfaction or desperation with our careers, getting out of the stagnation sometimes requires that we embrace change despite how scary it feels. Reinvention is a process we should embrace and Cindy details exactly why it’s the key to advancement.

Cindy outlines the three key phases of reinventing ourselves: 1) Laying the foundation where we recognize where we’re starting from, 2) Creating the plan where we take dreams and identify the gaps in our knowledge, and 3) Putting the plan into action. She explores exactly how to lay the right foundation to support reinvention and how to commit to stepping outside our comfort zones. Her advice on how to not backslide into our old identities includes 1) Staying vigilant, 2) Surrounding ourselves with support, and 3) Celebrating our progress. This is an essential episode for learning what reinvention requires so we can finally achieve our dreams.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Reinventing You
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective
• Episode 35: Job Crafting

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger examines the inescapable nature of fear and how confronting and transforming it is the only way forward. Everyone feels fear, but successful people simply refuse to let it prevent them from doing what they want to do. So Cindy unpacks some ways to start managing our fear. 

Fear is essentially our body’s way of signaling that we’re venturing outside our comfort zone. It alerts us to potential danger so we can escape it, but many threats that arouse our fears today are not actually life-threatening. So when the fear rises, how do we reframe it? Cindy has five points for us to remember: 1. Trying new things is scary, 2. Fear isn’t going away, 3. After doing things repeatedly, the fear lessens, 4. Making things happen feels good, and 5. The stewing is worse than the doing.

What Cindy offers in this episode is a way to acknowledge that fear is something we always have in our lives but that it doesn’t necessarily mean we should not do something. She guides us through assessing our fears and pushing through them if they’re not actually signaling us about danger. Trying new things will always be scary but accepting the fear and doing the thing anyway leads to greater reward.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Reframing Your Fear
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about transformation and empowerment in this episode. She refers to the inner wisdom we all possess that already knows what to do if we’re only willing to tap into it. Are we ready to start playing big to work at living up to our full potential? 

Cindy shares from her own career journey and struggles; detailing how she never did find the mentor she desired, forcing her to rely more fully on her inner sage, and the real barriers she came up against in her industry. Her experiences led her to understand the external forces at work against women in their career path, but also illuminated how women can reframe their own power to greater effect. Her insight is enlightening. 

What do you want from your career? What’s stopping you from getting there? Why aren’t you playing big? These are the questions Cindy posits and she shares advice for addressing the questions and finding answers. One of the answers may be coaching: find out exactly how to start reaching your full potential and maybe decide if coaching can help you get there.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for What Is Your Why
• Astronomic Audio

—

Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger examines the disconnect between the increasing expectations of leaders and the lower levels of engagement in the workforce. Work is becoming less meaningful because leaders feel pressure to deliver more and there are fewer people to do that work. What part of this equation can we change so we can create the career we want?

The continuing trend of trying to do more with less was meant to increase productivity but instead overburdened workers. We collectively have too much to do and no time to enjoy our accomplishments. This divide is making us disenchanted with our work. When we are constantly told “When things calm down…” but nothing ever changes, how long can we continue the grind until we realize we need an intentional change? 

Cindy advises that the solution is not to work even harder or faster. Instead she details how we have accepted the undermining comments and pressure that continue to keep us stuck as cogs in the machine. Cindy shares four mistakes we make that keep us trapped and away from the careers we desire: 1) surrounding ourselves with the wrong people, 2) not thinking we are worthy, 3) focusing only on what we do not want, 4) holding on when it’s time to let go. She breaks all of these down in ways that illuminate a path out of the grind and into the fulfilling work lives we desire.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Your Moment of Reckoning
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger addresses the need to gain emotional distance from what others are going through and project onto us. We need to learn not to take things personally. Most things are not about us and Cindy has advice on how to obtain the calm needed to keep things in perspective.

People all tend to live in their own worlds, wrapped up in whatever they’re going through. When they lash out or project their issues and we take it personally, we’re allowing ourselves to be offended by something that isn’t about us. Cindy wants to help us learn to choose what to believe and how to become less affected by the opinions of others.

Cindy advises us to remember that we are not responsible for the actions of others, only for our own. She guides us into considering boundaries and deciding to commit to changing our lifestyles. She explains the five most common negative emotions that arise in the workplace - frustration, worry, disappointment, dislike, and anger - and details how we can work to change our reactions to each one.  

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for It's Not Personal
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger talks about our vision for our future in today’s episode. What is it that we want to do and where do we see ourselves? She has some sage advice on how not to let worry and disbelief get in our way when reaching for our futures.

We tend to get weighed down by the practical questions of ‘how’ when we envision our future and that realistic concern keeps us from truly dreaming. But what do we want for ourselves without the ‘how’ getting in the way? Cindy advises us to not get bogged down in the ‘how’ but to let ourselves believe in possibilities.

Cindy discusses how our confidence and willingness to try new things disappears as we grow older. We allow fear and disbelief in our abilities to replace our confidence. We put the word ‘impossible’ into our thinking and limit ourselves. Cindy shares how to conquer this thinking, how to drown out the messages that say we can’t do something, and how to believe that our success is possible.  

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for See What's Possible
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today’s episode Cindy Esliger talks about that feeling of job dissatisfaction, the slump, that often comes in the middle of our careers. She identifies why the initial excitement of the job fades and offers up advice on how to regain our original enthusiasm. 

There are many reasons for mundanity to settle into our job routine: that day in, day out feeling that pushes us towards unhappiness, stress, and diminished engagement. Cindy offers up that it’s maybe time to look for new challenges, expand our skill set, or push for promotion. She gives us two questions to ask at this point: What type of work makes us feel good? What are our strengths?

How do we reinvigorate our sense of purpose in our careers? Cindy walks us through five strategies for creating sustainable patterns to help us focus on what matters most. The goal is to fall in love with our jobs all over again. There are ways to craft our jobs into a better fit for us and Cindy’s four steps are to decide what we want to change, to look for a win-win situation, to put the changes into practice, and to ensure the changes have the desired effect. With Cindy’s advice we can reclaim that initial excitement and dive into a new purpose.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Job Crafting
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger addresses the stories we share and the stories we tell ourselves in this episode. Sometimes these stories become rigidly fixed in our minds when they’re actually only our perspective on things. Cindy shares how to take another view of our stories and open ourselves to more perspectives.

When a story we’re holding onto doesn’t serve to help us grow or open us to new options, it’s time to examine how we tell those stories in the first place. Cindy suggests that we shift dysfunctional stories into a more constructive space. To that end, she explores six ways to tell ourselves more useful stories: 1. Add complexity. 2. Invite curiosity. 3. Do something. 4. Take responsibility. 5. Design a better future. 6. Develop resilience. 

Power comes from not allowing ourselves to be the victims of our stories and in opening up to more choices with more balanced stories. If we can accept a version of events that’s more self-reflective, we’ll be open to more possibilities. It can be frustrating to make this shift, however, so Cindy offers a four step process for dealing with such setbacks. We will learn more about ourselves with this insight and Cindy is here to help guide us to something bigger.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for The Stories We Tell Ourselves
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger asks “Are you giving away your power?” at the start of this episode. The question sets the tone for addressing the ways in which we allow control of our lives and careers to be held by someone else. She then guides us through the steps to reclaiming our power.

The impact external factors have on our lives is only as great as we are willing to allow. We give our power away to the opinions, criticisms, and demands of others too easily, to the detriment of ourselves. Cindy explains how getting in touch with our true desires will define what we actually want out of life and work, and she shares five steps on how to figure that out. Focus on what we really want helps us assert ourselves.

Our power can also be challenged through the competitive verbal tactics others use to claim their place. Cindy details the three most common of these tactics - interrupting, stealing ideas, and using undermining comments - and breaks down how to address and deal with each one to our advantage. This episode encourages believing in ourselves, and with Cindy’s advice, will help us put that self-belief into action.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Finding Your Power
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger examines complaining that doesn’t strive for solutions in this episode. Those people who whine and complain about how things are but resist solutions are the people holding us back. Cindy talks about how to look for possibilities instead of complaints.

We all need to vent and get things off our chest from time to time, that’s healthy. But when we complain repeatedly about the same thing and never look for a way to address or solve the problem, we’re compounding the problems at hand. Cindy breaks down how complaining has a negative impact on our lives and psychology. 

Complaining is ineffective and useless if we won’t use it to seek out improvement and address issues. Cindy notes that we need to fix the balance of complaining more than we’re resolving. Negativity holds us back and Cindy has sound advice for turning our frustrations into positive action instead of repetitive misery. It’s time to examine why we’re complaining and what we can do to remedy it.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Misery Loves Company
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode Cindy Esliger talks about the blame game. We want to know why things go wrong and we like distancing ourselves from the problem, which often leads to blame. Cindy gets into how this causes issues and how to break the finger-pointing habit.

We lean into a tendency to talk in circles around a problem, passing the buck and assigning blame, when really we should know how to take responsibility for our actions when needed. Cindy details exactly how this erodes an organization or team. She gives good reasons for working to resolve an issue instead of simply targeting a scapegoat.

The blame game is played in many ways so Cindy shares four warning signs to watch out for. She then gives three steps on how to direct the discussion in a more productive direction. But even better than responding well to the blame game is avoiding it in the first place. Cindy lays out three ways to prevent the culture of blame from taking hold and challenges us each to ask five key questions about our own responsibility when something goes wrong.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for What's Wrong and Who's to Blame
• Astronomic Audio

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Cindy Esliger explores the difference between acting tough and demonstrating strength. They’re not the same thing, though women in male-dominated fields often put up a facade of invincibility in an attempt to appear strong. True strength is in our ability to confront challenges and make decisions that align with our values. Cindy breaks down exactly what a tough exterior prevents that true strength cultivates. 

Showing off mental toughness with a gritty exterior and emotions in check is not strength, it’s just an exhausting show that ultimately wears us down and keeps us anxious and in check for fear of seeming weak. True strength lies in recognizing struggles and admitting them, at least to ourselves, and in cultivating the ability to be honest. Cindy counters the tough exterior messages we get from the world at large with detailed examples of what real strength actually looks like. 

When we show true strength, we are prioritizing our well-being and following things that align with our values and passions. The tough act does not allow us to change direction or admit burnout which is why it ultimately leads to unsustainable demands. Cindy understands how we’ve been conditioned but she explains exactly how true strength flies in the face of this societally expected toughness. Strength is in knowing when to ask for help, finding balance, and embracing the growth that comes only from our imperfections.  

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Demonstrating Your Strength of Character
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger speaks to the reality of office politics in this episode. Women with high levels of political skill are more likely to achieve career progression in male dominated organizations. The workplace is not based on merit, so Cindy imparts advice on how to find savvy tactics that work for you.

It is possible to participate in the game of influence with integrity and it’s important to learn how to do so in order to succeed. Influence, specifically organizational influence, is how people sell ideas and get credit. Cindy explains how it involves collaboration, building alliances, and doing favors. She breaks down how to grow awareness in political situations and why knowing yourself is part of how you achieve the necessary savvy.

Cindy details how to play to your strengths while being adaptable. It isn’t necessary to become manipulative but you can’t remain naive or be a doormat in your workplace. She advises consciously deciding to get in the game and start learning integrity in influence. Listen to your inner sage so you can make a positive impact in your organization and for your advancement. Cindy shares practical tips and the wisdom of experience to assist you in navigating office politics.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Learn to be Savvy to Survive
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger discusses the art of persuasion in today’s episode. Everything is a negotiation and well refined social skills are a necessity for advancement. Persuasion is a key psychological component of life.

In order to persuade someone, Cindy details the three key characteristics related to persuasiveness: authority, honesty, and likeability. Confidence, eye contact, and honesty are all important but Cindy also stresses that people are more likely to agree with someone they like. Likeability often tips the scales of persuasion.

Cindy explains that the need to belong within a community often drives people to reject clear facts in favor of a stubborn perspective. Nobody wants to be seen as going against the crowd in case of losing social ties. She advises to form a community with the person you want to persuade and let the idea you’re presenting become their own idea. Study those at your work who advance and those who don’t. Listen to Cindy point out what to look for and how to apply it to yourself.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Persuasion is an Art
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger introduces the power of persuasion and influence in this episode. Cindy describes how honing good communication skills and learning to listen well will aid in gaining greater influence over someone else’s thinking.

There are eight common barriers we face in successfully influencing people. Cindy lists all eight and breaks down why each is ineffective. She suggests that with new ideas we will have better success packing them more closely to what people are already familiar with. This combats the fear of change. Work that into one of the five styles of influence Cindy names: reasoning, incentivizing, listening, finding common ground, and stepping back. 

Cindy stresses that because we all really want to be heard and feel that our point of view is understood, active listening techniques become a key way to establish connection. She describes eight techniques for active listening from body language to clarification. In order to influence others, the content of our message is as important as how it is delivered and how it relates to the person receiving it. Cindy’s advice will prove invaluable to all future conversations.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for The Key to Gaining Influence
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses the glorification of busy in this episode. She asks us all to stop bragging about how busy we are. Focusing on spending our time thoughtfully, and achieving balance in our lives with more personal time, will lead to being happier and healthier.

There has been a steady glamorizing of being busy; we love to tell each other how busy we are. Cindy says “being busy is a disease” and directs us to focus on what we produce instead of how busy we look. Managers can help create a culture that focuses on what’s getting done, not who sends an email the latest or arrives the earliest. 

Cindy details that letting go of the need to be and appear busy, and refocusing on being efficient with our work requires a shift in thinking. She has advice on how to identify the things we need to do to move the needle from busy to effective. It’s all about not wasting our time, realizing that pursuing ambitions does not need to be a struggle, and not being afraid to have a life outside of work. We need to stop praising the culture of ‘busy’ and start rearranging our priorities. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Stop Busy Bragging
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses failure and our fear of it in this episode. Failure isn’t pleasant and we try to avoid it, but it’s necessary for learning and progress. Cindy unpacks all the ways in which avoiding failure over the fear of being embarrassed or called out holds us back from our own success.

“Failure is life’s greatest teacher,” Cindy tells us. We dislike the negative feedback that can spring from failure but there are ways to navigate that feedback so it grows perseverance in us. Cindy advises to let go of our need to be immediately amazing in favor of just taking action. It’s okay to not succeed on your first try.

Cindy details how to not let fear run our lives by developing the all-important skills of adaptation and resilience. We often struggle with what others will think of us and that prevents us from moving forward. So we need to examine the roots of our fear and teach ourselves that we’re allowed to dream, we’re allowed to fail, and when we work through what faltering teaches us we are closer to success. Cindy encourages us all to believe in ourselves and shares how to allow ourselves to learn as we go.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Fear of Failure
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses doing the things we want to do in this episode. She asks why we’ve been putting off those goals, dreams, or plans we have for ourselves. Perhaps it’s a promotion or a new position that we desire. It’s time to stop thinking and make the change. 

Everyone has things they put off for another time. It’s not just you. But why are we putting things off and when will we do them? Cindy challenges us to ask what truly matters in our lives and make an action plan to achieve the dreams we have. Planning is well and good but to achieve success we must take action. 

Cindy lays out six ways to improve our capabilities and prepare for seizing that new job opportunity or role. One, complete work thoroughly and independently. Two, when asking questions, come with solutions as well. Three, expand your skill set. Four, find opportunities to continue your learning and education. Five, be aware of the economic pressures facing your organization. And six, use good judgment in carrying out your responsibilities. Let others know what your objectives are and go after them, don’t wait for an invitation. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for If Not Now, When
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode, Cindy Esliger addresses knowing your value and negotiating for the compensation you deserve. Women are more likely to be offered less than men and are discouraged from placing much emphasis on money. But Cindy has advice on how to change that mindset and navigate negotiations.

Cindy identifies five reasons for negotiating job offers. 1) Nobody is doing you a favor by hiring you, 2) You are supposed to negotiate, 3) The first offer is not the best offer, 4) Asking for more does not mean the employment offer will be withdrawn, and 5) You will be respected. Negotiation, done confidently and professionally, will greatly aid in your being compensated according to the value of your talent.

Cindy also addresses confidence and the importance of understanding that you offer valuable skills and knowledge that employers should pay for accordingly. To this end, she shares four key steps to getting exactly what you want at work: 1) Do the legwork, 2) Think outside your salary, 3) Be realistic, and 4) Keep it professional. Choose your words carefully and objectively assess your approach. Cindy’s sage advice will guide you to success in asking for more in salary or benefits.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Know Your Value
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger guides us through what it is that triggers our frustration. She reveals the surprising fact that what someone says or does may not be the thing that actually sets us off and gives advice on how to dig deep to identify our true triggers. 

Cindy identifies how things that trigger us are often rooted in a desire for control that’s been denied us, deeper wounds beneath that, and feelings of inadequacy or lack of worth. We tend to think it’s a combination of the person and situation presented to us that sparks our frustration, but Cindy advises us to “take that moment to get curious” and ask questions about our reaction.

In this episode Cindy explains seven common stressors that trigger frustration: 1) uncertainty, 2) lacking appreciation, 3) lacking creativity, 4) unpredictable environments, 5) experiencing overwhelm, 6) relying on others, and 7) resolving conflict. She unpacks each of these and offers some concrete ways to address them by rewiring our thinking about frustrating situations. And one thing she says is to “witness your thoughts with compassion”. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for What Are Your Triggers
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger tackles the understanding that our thoughts form our belief system, therefore it’s the thoughts we cling to as indisputable facts about ourselves that are truly holding us back. She dissects how to start questioning and changing these thoughts.

Cindy says that “a belief is just a thought you keep on thinking” and many of our victim mentality inclinations and limiting beliefs come from thoughts we latched onto at some point and never questioned. We hang onto these limiting beliefs out of fear but perhaps it’s time to really question where the thoughts originated and challenge them.

In this episode Cindy asks us to address our limiting beliefs one at a time. She asks us to take each belief that is holding us back and question it, ask if it’s really true, examine how we can let it go. She offers three steps for how to change what we believe: 1) Find out what we believe now, 2) Decide what you want to believe, 3) Practice believing. Cindy offers sage advice for every step of the process.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for What You Need to Believe
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses the sensitive subject of gender equality in today’s episode. Getting a seat at the proverbial table in the workplace is part of the battle but it isn’t the end goal, it’s just the beginning. Cindy lays out what’s at stake and how to reframe our thinking. 

Cindy directly acknowledges that women are still more frequently undervalued in workplaces and their contributions more likely to be ignored or not sought out. Hard work, which often got us through elementary school, is not enough in career settings. Now you must employ strategic thinking, organizational awareness, and political savvy. Cindy draws on her own experience in offering guidance.

In this episode Cindy unpacks how getting a seat at the table is more difficult for women. She highlights how that seat is important and offers four ways to change your thinking in obtaining it. 1. It’s more than just optics, 2. We’re not broken, 3. Take up space, and 4. Upgrade the stories we tell ourselves. But getting the seat is not the end goal, either. It’s how we reshape the balance of gender equality for the better, demanding that women be seen equitably so future generations can thrive with opportunity. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for More than a Seat at the Table
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger addresses change in this episode. Change is necessary to alter our career trajectories and meet our goals. But change also demands more than just ambition: it requires intention, perseverance, and the non-linear reality of doing things differently. It also requires facing things like systemic challenges and internal obstacles. Cindy offers guidance through the difficult, messy, and powerful subject of change.

One of the important points Cindy stresses is that change isn’t something that happens to us, it’s something we must actively pursue. It’s more than simply moving from point A to point B, it’s about taking control of our career and steering it ourselves. To help illustrate how to make significant life changes, Cindy explores the Stages of Change model developed in the early 1980s as a tool to describe behavioural change for addiction. It names the six stages of change as pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse, which Cindy unpacks.

Making a lasting change often feels like being in a labyrinth without a clear view of the exit. We will hit dead ends, take wrong turns, and sometimes find ourselves back where we started. However, none of those setbacks mean we’re on the wrong path. It’s just that setbacks are part of the process of change. Cindy shares four strategies for navigating change, how to accept that the decision to change will require sustained and flexible effort, and why it will be worthwhile in the end. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Embracing the Power of Change
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

—

Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today Cindy Esliger talks about all or nothing thinking and the pursuit of perfection. There is a give and take in life where some things must be good enough to allow us time to achieve perfection elsewhere. 

Perfectionism stems from fear of not being good enough and the need to be perfect in all things actually gets in the way of success. Cindy highlights how perfectionist tendencies contribute to procrastination and avoidance in addressing negative situations and emotions. Striving for excellence and wanting to be perfect are also different things.

In this episode Cindy gives the sage advice that not everything in life needs to be perfect, that some things are fine being ‘fit for purpose’. Allowing yourself the grace of doing some things well enough to suit the purpose will free you up to focus on achieving higher levels of success, and working to perfection, in other areas. She stresses that compassion for self is important. You don’t have to do everything at the utmost level of mastery.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Do You Have to Do it All to Have it All
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger focuses our attention on the mindset shift required to reach our goals. We set big goals but lose steam before we make it happen, so Cindy has steps and strategies to help with focusing ourselves on what needs to be done every day.  

When you think about your future goals, are you overwhelmed by the problems of today? Can you clearly see why you want your imagined future? Cindy offers four things to build into our morning routine to keep us focused on making progress. 1. Write your goal down. 2. Write down a few reasons why it’s important. 3. Write down why you won’t make it happen today. 4. Write down the one thing you will do today to move forward.

In this episode Cindy directs us to imagine our future self in their clearly defined goal and to start taking advice from that future self who has achieved success. She shares three reasons why our future self knows what we need to do right now to reach the goal, and why mindset really matters more than the plan we lay out. Our goals are within our reach when we decide to overcome our doubts and accomplish them.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for What Will Make This Possible
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Limiting beliefs and achieving hard things is the topic of today’s podcast. Cindy Esliger explores how the discomfort of doing hard things causes us to limit our belief in our own abilities. She has advice for how to approach difficulties with the mindset that we can overcome them.

Doing hard things challenges us in ways that cause us to grow. The more we accomplish the hard things, the stronger we will get. Cindy understands, however, that we will have to push against our own fear to make this happen. Our fear and doubt create our limiting beliefs and there are three kinds we must fight against: limiting beliefs about the world, about others, and primarily about ourselves.

In this episode Cindy identifies four ways to tell whether we’re falling into the trap of limiting beliefs: through black and white thinking, by blaming ourselves for random negative occurrences, by assuming the worst, and through universalizing. If we can identify these, we can start to work past them to foster our ability to achieve our goals. Cindy gives us a six step process designed to take us through exchanging limiting beliefs for empowering ones. Success is something we must believe is possible and Cindy can help us get there.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for You Can Do the Hard Things
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses decision making in today’s episode. She breaks down our tendency to avoid making hard decisions with strategic advice on overcoming our mental blocks about not knowing what we want.  

Our belief that decisions are right or wrong creates a lot of pressure for us to make the right ones. Cindy acknowledges that this is part of why we prefer to sit in indecision rather than be wrong. She advises to embrace decisions not as right or wrong, good or bad, but as the right choice in this moment.

In this episode Cindy presents four steps designed to help take the confusion out of decision-making. First, consider everything. Second, anticipate success. Third, what would you do if you couldn’t fail? And fourth, what would your future self tell you to do? She guides us to view outcomes not as winning or losing but as winning or learning. And she lays out mindset strategies that turn options from frightening obstacles into enjoyable opportunities.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Decide to Decide
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger examines silence in this episode: the times when silence can work in your favor versus the times when silence comes at a cost. She has advice on how to use silence effectively and how to overcome the impulse to retreat into it when speaking up would be beneficial.

Cindy details how silence is most useful when employed in conversations, where it makes the other person feel genuinely heard, and in negotiations, when it can be used as a strategic tactic. But silence also gets in the way of creating change when it’s used to avoid pointing out harmful or biased behavior.

In this episode Cindy offers three ways we can influence change and affect bias from where we’re at: become aware, speak up, and become an ally. She addresses both positive and negative potential outcomes of speaking up. Then she explains how to break your silence in ways that help reclaim your power and don’t just invite confrontation. Choosing against silence to be an ally to those harmed by bias helps everyone experience a better workplace.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Silence is not the Solution
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger focuses our attention on leaving the past behind us and looking forward to who we are becoming. She addresses how worry and our own limiting beliefs can derail our ability to make better choices for ourselves.

Cindy explores the reasons why we allow ourselves to dwell in the past. We embrace criticism and fix our attention on worst case scenarios. We keep ourselves in a comfort zone through fear or a chaotic life. But Cindy understands that the key to achieving dreams and greater success lies in turning fear into excitement and letting go of our worry.

In this episode Cindy shares why worry affects our decision making progress and the strategies we can employ to eliminate the self imposed upper limits that hold us back. She gives us two questions to ask ourselves about worry: is it a real possibility, and is there any action we can take immediately to make a positive difference? She then details a four step process for getting out of the worry trap. Ultimately she asks us to determine our values because the values we define for ourselves allow us to embrace important decisions that move us forward for the better. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for What's Done is Done
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger explores imposter syndrome in this episode - that persistent fear that people will somehow find out we don’t know what we’re doing. We all have it. Cindy breaks down exactly what it is, the common symptoms, and then lays out strategies to help us overcome that self doubt.

Cindy defines imposter syndrome as a psychological pattern in which we doubt our skills, intelligence, or competence to the point of fearing we’ll be exposed as a fraud. There are five common symptoms of imposter syndrome, which she lists as 1. Wondering why you were selected 2. Believing anyone could do what you’re doing 3. Disregarding compliments 4. Being convinced you don’t have enough experience, and 5. Working late on your own to avoid asking for help or being a bother. 

However, according to Cindy, feeling like an imposter is a necessary part of trying something new. Fear of failure, or even fear of success, is something everyone experiences. Rising above that fear is necessary growth for moving forward. Women also frequently feel like imposters in male dominated fields, but external societal perceptions of female incompetence are not personal and your qualifications earn you a place at the table. Cindy shares six key strategies to help combat those feelings of inadequacy so you can rise to success.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for No One Has It All Figured Out
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is about finding our people and the community we as humans so vitally need. Cindy Esliger talks about the key ingredient required for all relationships, why we are hardwired to belong, and explores the types of people we each need around us. “​​Connecting with people can be challenging, but your people are out there.”

Cindy acknowledges that we carry a lot of fear with us due to past betrayal or hurt. We seek the approval of others but are also afraid of giving others the power to injure us again. However, Cindy encourages us to take the risk with cautious open minds. There are five types of people we need in our lives that we should be on the lookout for: the cheerleaders, the allies, the mentors, the advocates, and the supporters. 

Friendships change as we age and not everyone is with us for our whole journey. Be ready to let friends go when it’s necessary. If you can’t depend on them, they don’t support who you are, or they demean you, take a step back from them. She has sage advice on how to find new people to fulfill us even when our instinct is to build a wall and not trust anyone. Listen to this episode and learn the importance of growth, embracing who you are, and reaching out to people who both share your interests and expand your perspectives.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Find Your People
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses the subject of fear in today’s episode. She acknowledges that fear is natural and something everyone feels, and she discusses how to move forward past the fears that may be holding us back. She has real insight about how to handle fear and how to learn to manage doubt.

Cindy first offers four tips for embracing your fear. One, get on with it. Two, show some compassion. Three, question yourself. And four, what can you learn from this? She goes into detail on what each step means. Part of achieving success in conquering fear is acknowledging that you are afraid. Then take one step at a time to move towards something scary in spite of the fear. Be afraid and do it anyway. 

Fear itself is broken down into four levels by Cindy. The fear of what could or will happen, which are largely things we have no control over. The fear of making the wrong decision. The fear of how you do or will feel. And the fear that you’ll be unable to handle what life throws at you. However, Cindy walks you through how common these fears are and how hanging back in comfort is essentially limiting yourself. She offers some real advice on how to trust yourself and develop a way of thinking that embraces change in spite of fear.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger addresses how to examine your career in terms of opportunities and advancement. She has sound advice on how to make yourself more competitive so you can take responsibility for your own career. It’s time to learn how to expand your skill set and work your interpersonal strengths to overcome professional setbacks. 

Cindy names three main career roadblocks that can stall any career. Derailment, or a change in career momentum; setbacks, where you’re overlooked in a situation; and stagnation, where you’re overlooked or ignored repeatedly. She suggests considering whether we might be unknowingly sabotaging our own careers and advises adding complementary skills to existing strengths to stay on top of professional success. It’s not just the technical proficiency that companies reward, it’s a varied array of skills including the all-important soft skills.

Cindy names leadership, communication, innovation, stress management, and interpersonal skills as some of those key soft skills that are fundamental to develop. Specialization is good, but a broad range of competencies is better and opens more doors. Building and maintaining a professional network is also important to success. Cindy details ten things that successful people do not do as a guide for how to expand your skill set. The goal is to build a strong, broad, compelling career for yourself by making your talents and skills impossible to overlook.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Expand Your Skill Set
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger talks about conquering the voice in our head that tells us we’re not ready for the career spotlight or big goal we’ve been working towards. Those excuses, while comforting in the short term, ultimately just hold us back from reaching our potential. But how do we confront those fears and step out of our comfort zones to claim the career success we know we actually deserve? That’s what Cindy will guide us through today.

There are a lot of reasons we have for not achieving our career ambitions at the moment. The excuses are plentiful and there’s always something we can point to that’s keeping us static. But the truth is that those excuses are what we use to protect us from the potential judgment or failure that stepping out on a limb may bring. Cindy knows we’re ready for the career spotlight and it’s time for us to take action to reach it. Time to meet the challenge and do something a little bit uncomfortable.

Cindy lists the four most common excuses for avoiding growth: 1) Comfort in familiarity, 2) Fear of rejection and failure, 3) The need for external validation, and 4) Waiting for the perfect moment. She then details three tips to help us break free from these excuses: 1) Do a self-assessment, 2) Take the first step, and 3) Make it about others. She elaborates on each step with sound advice. Our dreams are valid and we have every right to pursue them. Cindy wants to guide us into stepping up to achieve them instead of holding back out of fear.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Eliminating Your Excuses
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

—

Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cindy Esliger talks about the reasons why we undervalue ourselves at work and the toll that takes on our careers. She acknowledges that women have a harder time getting their work noticed and taken seriously. She offers sound advice on how to change our mindset about what we have to offer and on learning to self promote.

Cindy shares from her own past experience in feeling uncomfortable with speaking up about her accomplishments. She relates that, in hindsight, she understands that not speaking up about how she smoothed over client issues meant her work went unnoticed by her boss. It’s important to create visibility around your own success so your results get the recognition they deserve.

Cindy lays out four steps to unlock your potential. First, create your vision. Second, create your action plan. Third, make it happen. And fourth, amplify your impact to achieve greater influence. She explains in detail how to approach each step, how to change how you may feel about the negative associations tied to self promotion, and why these steps are so important to reaching your goals.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Great Work Doesn't Speak For Itself
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger addresses how we all share responsibility for how we are treated and why worrying about the opinions of others is wasted energy. She acknowledges the struggles and obstacles women face that are different to those of men, and has thoughtful advice for everyone on how to manage people’s perceptions.

Cindy understands that the social capital necessary for career advancement is often based in activities and attitudes not often available to women. She explains that the favorable conditions required for success, however, can be managed by us in the ways we use political strategies. She lays out three keys to create advantageous political strategies: frame ideas in appealing ways with influential people, manage people’s perceptions through clear response, and by arranging the right plan with the right support people in place.

Cindy also speaks to people pleasing and the worry we carry over the opinions of others. She provides four steps to guide us in releasing worry about what people think. Building relationships and partnerships is essential to success at work, but your own opinion of yourself is the most important. Worry about your opinion, not the opinions of others, and forge success by staying true to yourself and your own values.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Let Them Be Wrong About You
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

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Cindy Esliger discusses the subject of boundaries, both personal and professional, in this episode. She introduces the idea that boundaries are not limiting but are instead about managing the finite resources of our energy and time. We create more success for ourselves when we are able to set limits to the demands placed on us. 

Boundaries can include caring for our personal space, comfort, work efforts, time, and energy. Yet even though such limits are valuable, we find it difficult to set boundaries and say no to people. Cindy has two guidelines for setting boundaries: don't make boundaries from a place of anger or frustration, and take action from a place of self care. 

Cindy gives examples of her own boundaries, and former lack of limits in her job, and discusses how to gain control of our own experiences and feelings. We are not responsible for how others feel, but for our own feelings. Communicating and respecting our own boundaries is vital to our sense of wellness. Cindy offers sound advice on how to be committed to our own success through boundary setting.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide for Create Space to Succeed
• Tim Ferriss quote
• Astronomic Audio

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Contact Cindy Esliger - Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.