Day 148: Dawn Leitner
“I think before potential can be explored, there’s got to be an acceptance of being vulnerable and that it’s safe, you’re not being judged, and then knowing that somebody else believes in you. To me, that’s what helps to create, even for me, to want to explore ‘What else could I do?’”
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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Dawn, for agreeing to be with us today, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?
Dawn Leitner: Sure, and thank you for having me. My name is Dawn Leitner. I have a company called Coaching U 2 Lead, which I formed about three years ago and primarily started this company as a passion for wanting to find meaning and purpose in my own life after working 18 years in the corporate role that I loved. But I found that there was something missing for me which turned into I really love empowering people to live a dream that’s passionate. So I work with entrepreneurs, business professionals, teams, and I love what I do. I feel very grateful to be in this world just to do what I’m doing today. So thanks for having me.
Toni: Oh, absolutely. So Dawn, when you think about inspiration, who do you inspire and how do you do that?
Dawn: Well, you know, I gave that a lot of thought, because you don’t know if you’re actually really inspiring people. It’s the toot of a horn, but I think what I tend to do is use some techniques that I’ve used throughout my life for me to feel motivated and inspired, and I think that rolls off to other people.
So on giving that some thought, one of the big things that drives me is a big belief in anything is possible, and I tend to use a lot of that when I’m around people for the business I’ve been in, for the roles I’ve been in my career around there’s got to be a solution here. There’s got to be a way that we can figure this out that it’s going to work for everybody where there’s a win-win. Being able to stay positive in the midst of hard times tends to inspire people to want to tag along.
So using things like laughter and smiling and just hugging people — little things that I tend to do naturally — tends to draw people to me to want to now work with me, because there’s something in me that they’re seeing that they want to pull out of themselves.
So that’s what kind of people I tend to work with and how I go about hopefully inspiring them with the intention that they belong in this world just as much as anybody else does. Their dream is just as important as anyone else’s, and really helping them kind of find that focus and that passion in themselves and, more importantly, the belief that they deserve it.
Toni: Now, do you work this way also with your personal relationships?
Dawn: Absolutely. I think the friendships that I’ve built over the years is being … coming from a place of being genuine and really caring from the heart about what’s happening with that person and who are they. Just knowing that you matter in five minutes really can transform a relationship. So it’s something that I feel very proud of that I care with curiosity with both the people I work with, the people that are my friends. And believe it or not, a lot my clients become friends with me, because there’s a thin line on what are we going to focus on that we get really close together.
Toni: So when you have that mindset and you inspire people this way with that believing in anything is possible and staying positive — and I really like the words that it’s, you know, transforming a relationship when that happens – how do you think then that that helps people explore their potential?
Dawn: I think that’s the cornerstone. I think before potential can be explored, there’s got to be an acceptance of A) being vulnerable and that it’s safe, you’re not being judged, and then knowing that somebody else believes in you. To me, that’s what helps to create, even for me, to want to explore what else could I do? And watching other people take that and move somewhere forward in their lives, that in itself is so inspiring, so just being open to the world. I try to expose myself even though it’s challenging at times, but the more I can be vulnerable tends to allow them to be vulnerable to tap into “Oh, I could do that.”
Toni: Can you give an example of what you mean by being vulnerable? Because that may come across as different meanings to people that are listening to the interview or reading your interview; so just an example of what you would look for someone to become vulnerable in order for you to help them walk towards the path of being positive in their potential.
Dawn: Okay. Well, I think it’s a sense of very up front. You need to have some trust as you explore vulnerability, but it’s about somebody feeling comfortable enough to even think about where they’re challenged in themselves. So they might have certain fears about how to approach … even communicating with somebody like their spouse. Or they might have fears and “How do I take my role at my job to the next level?” and they may not believe that they have the skill set or even just the courage to try.
So, first creating that relationship where you’re curious and just asking very simple, open-ended questions gets them to probe their own mind on “Hmm, I hadn’t thought how I’m dealing with this.” So it doesn’t have to be something where they’re going to get upset; it’s more about them thinking about “How do I respond in the world around me?”
And more often what comes out of it, there becomes a responsibility that they acknowledge they need to try something, and in that discussion flourishes this discussion around “What am I doing to contribute to things, and what could I try next,” and that’s where that tender space … I kind of imagine that they’re in the palm of hand, it’s very tender. We have to encourage at that point and bring out some positive things that they’ve already done. So positivity comes with really good feedback at the same time of nurturing support.
Toni: Fantastic. Let me ask you, Dawn, for yourself, what do you need to be inspired?
Dawn: Well, probably the same things that I like to give out. It’s really surrounding myself … I mean, I’m a personal development junkie as long as I’ve known … I was like a big Anthony Robbins fan when I was in my early twenties with Unlimited Power.
So for me it really comes to fruition for me when I’m around people that are positive, people that challenge me that I can do better, that believe in me. But it is a conscious effort to put myself in that space. It’s not just something that just happens. It is … I am determined to only be around certain types of people that either are of a caliber that I aspire to be or are growing in the same space with me, and I can be okay sharing or pulling back the onions of myself of where I might have some fears. That space in itself inspires me to want to be better.
Toni: Now do you … did you always come to the table this way, knowing that, you know, “I think this vulnerability is working for me, that it’s okay to accept the fact that I’m vulnerable in this particular area so that I can grow in other areas?” Have you always thought about life that way?
Dawn: That’s how we get to more of a very deep kind of question for me. I mean, there’s been things that have happened to me in my younger years that I always felt shame for; just personal things that happened when I was much younger and took shame and, one day in my twenties, just decided the more I hold onto this shame and I keep it from the world, the more I feel like it’s my fault.
So just letting go and telling people about things, about my personal story in life, that in itself allowed me to feel okay, that it’s okay to be vulnerable. People are more accepting when they hear from you, and that seems to inspire them.
It’s very difficult. It’s not something that you just do one day and you’re done. It’s a constant growth process because you want to be good and you want to be good in the world, you want to be good at what you do in your job, and you tend to feel like “Okay, I can’t show everything I’ve got, but it seems to work better when you show your cards.
Toni: Well, there is a sense of being authentic, isn’t there?
Dawn: Absolutely. Genuinely authentic – that’s the aim. It’s the daily challenge on how do you let yourself do that?
Toni: And still stand.
Dawn: And still stand. And that’s the funny thing, because at the end of the day, you are still standing.
Toni: Exactly, exactly. And I would imagine just with your burst of honesty there with how you grew up to how it was important for you to turn that around. That’s … what you’re talking about, someone around the world is going to listen to this or read this and go “Okay, okay, maybe I need to pay attention here, you know?” That is so powerful.
So when you are feeling a bit of “Well, you know, I sure could use a little inspiration here,” do you reach for certain tools, methods more than others? Are there things you look for?
Dawn: Yeah, there’s definitely some specific ones I use. One is journaling has become more important to me over the recent … I would probably say last couple months. Journaling what I appreciate. Some people call it a gratitude journal; and it’s hard at first.
When I had somebody recently pass away that was unexpected, a friend of mind recommend I journal it. And what I focused on was everything I loved about that person, and releasing that felt so healthy for me that in that sense it started getting me out of that moment of fear, because when you’re losing somebody, there’s a big fear that comes out.
So journaling is becoming more important, but if I need a quick pick me up, I will put on my favorite dance music — whatever that song is of the month — and I blast it. It gets me into a positive space. This is if there’s nobody else around – and it gets me jumping and moving, and the minute my body is jumping and moving, that automatically creates that inertia that it’s very hard to stay in a bad space at that time.
To get inspired to do projects, that’s where I need to tap into other people that I look up to, that are out there doing it. And it might be some of these motivational speakers that are out there, or just somebody like my ex-husband who created a film festival here. Watching him do it gave me inspiration that “Oh, I can do that,” create it out of nothing and just watching somebody else do something where you’re observing it, that itself helps me.
Toni: Fantastic. So what do you do to explore your own potential?
Dawn: I think it’s constantly wanting to be better than who I am today and it’s looking at … you know, I have an intention this year. I have like seven intentions this year about my character building, but one of them is to learn with intention. It’s not just about going out there and taking classes. It’s about really in my mind, if I’m going to take the time to learn something that I can apply to being a better human being, a better coach, a better trainer, a better friend, what are those things that I want to grow within myself? So they’re usually what I call my “character muscles” based off of a Lisa Nichols book that I love. Integrity is really important to me. Being impeccable is really important to me.
So what am I doing? And I have it actually on my mirror, every day to look at that – what am I doing today that’s adding to that and growing myself? So it’s a constant awareness that you can’t just accept that you are who you are today and you don’t have to do anything else, that you’re now at your greatness. To me, being in your greatness is also taking on the responsibility to grow with awareness and intention.
Toni: Would you say that you know what your greatness is?
Dawn: I know what my passion is. I know what I want my greatness to be. That passion is really to tap into people and help them really see the magnificent person they really are. It’s a big passion of mine. I’m willing to go to the ends of the earth at times to work with somebody to help them get through that. So it’s a passion.
My being in my greatness feels like it’s that I have some natural abilities to tap into people and I need to own that, and that’s my progress in life. That’s my growth in life is to know that I really do have that talent, and it is a gift that I’m very grateful for and I need to share it more.
Toni: And that’s what I’m hearing in this interview with you is there’s moments in these interviews that give me chills, and it sounds as though you are incredibly passionate about believing in people and helping them believe in themselves, and you know, coaches … There’s a word that isn’t used a lot which is vulnerability, and you can work as a coach with someone who is vulnerable, but to admit as a coach that you are as well vulnerable is magic, and that’s what you’ve done.
Dawn: Well, thank you.
Toni: That’s what you’ve done. That’s what I’ve heard in this interview. Thank you so much, Dawn, for coming to this Get Inspired! Project and sharing who you inspire but how you go about it and also what you need. It’s pretty powerful stuff, and we really appreciate the time that you’ve given today to the Get Inspired! Project.
Dawn: You’re very, very welcome. I am actually very inspired by what you’re doing with this Project, so that should help answer it, too.
Toni: Thank you.
Dawn: I’m gonna be following you along, so … it’s amazing. I really am looking forward to seeing what this turns into. It’s a really great idea.
Toni: Well thank you very much and, as we’ve said before, we have no idea what this is going to look like, but …
Dawn: Trust the unknown, right?
Toni: That’s right, absolutely! Thank you so much, Dawn, and good luck with your coaching practice.
Dawn: Thank you very much. Good luck with your Project here. Thank you.
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For more information about Dawn Leitner: www.CoachU2Lead.com
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