Won Podcast Episode - Video
===
[00:00:00] Our guest today is Juan. She spent 15 years of stacking achievements in the corporate sales operations, you know, titles, salaries, and results. But she realized that being a world-class at overriding herself was actually a structural failure. Today we're talking about why grit got you started, but the internal systems will get you free, and how Juan rebuilt herself after her body finally made the decision to stop that her mind could refuse to make it.
Juan, welcome Thank you, Johnny. I'm so happy to be here. I'm so happy to have you, too, and I, I'm just gonna jump right into it because you have so much to share and I don't wanna waste one second. So one, you know that my audience is built on grit. We all have built our business on grit alone, right? And we're trying to implement some systems and, and you taught that overriding our feelings is, you know, the superpower that all of us try to do to hit our numbers.
You argued that this is actually what's destroying you as the business owner and the leader. What does [00:01:00] overriding yourself looks like as a high performing operator, and what is that long-term cost to that business owner and to the business? Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's a great question. So as you and I do, we, we know how to get shit done, and I think that's how we've been operating for our entire lives.
Because when we perform, then that's when we get feedback, and we love, you know, growing on feedback. That, that's like keeps our energy up. But one, when we actually overdo it, meaning when we override what's actually happening inside ourselves, whether that is your physical body or your emotional feelings, when we override it and not listen to it and just like continue to go, go, go and achieve, what we're actually doing is that we are accumulating debt in our bodies and even in our emotions that no one [00:02:00] could go on and on and on with ignoring those signals.
Because the body and emotions, they will start whispering to you when things are getting too much or you're starting to get disconnected from yourself. Um, they're gonna start yelling at you at some point. So we feel like when we are younger and we are in like high achievement mode, we think we can just go and go and go and then achieve and then rest, but you are accumulating debt, um, and taking it out of your future self.
I, I love the perspective, the debt. Like, you know, I'm a financial guy, CPA, I... and I've never heard that term using it on your feelings. And so, so take us back to the moment of how it felt for you, right? Like on paper you were successful in the pinnacle of that corporate career. But, but like I know behind the scenes, and we have talked offline about this, right?
Your body just finally shut down and your mind just refused to acknowledge that. And I think every single business owner out there goes [00:03:00] through that moment themselves, but they don't know how to describe it or how to identify it, right? Right. So help us d- with that. Yeah. So I went through multiple cycles of burnout throughout my career.
Um, but when I eventually, like, hit rock bottom where I couldn't go further was back in 2021. And I was in my dream job at GitHub, and I was performing really well, functioning really well. Um, but also I was probably working more than 12 hours a day. So I think I would, like- Yeah ... start at 8:00 AM, and then sometimes even go, um, up to, like, 2:00 or 3:00 AM and then- Wow
get ready for something that I was gonna present the next morning at, like, 9:00 AM. And, um, what eventually happened was, like, physically I was, like, tired, like extremely tired, [00:04:00] but I still just kept going because I had to meet the next deadline. And eventually I started developing this, like, chronic, like, dry cough in my body where I would just, like, cough for no reason.
Um, but I just, like, ignored that as well. And on an emotional level, I was personally, like, so disconnected and not present. Um, so I was not having conversations with my husband. My son was, like, two years old at that time. Um, I didn't, like, spend time with him either. I was, like, glued to my desk for over 12 hours and just going, going, going until I was so exhausted, um, and in, like, high anxiety and in almost, like, a level of depression that I couldn't physically go another day.
So I had to quit that job, uh, because I just couldn't handle it anymore, which was so unfortunate if I [00:05:00] think about it. Man. Yeah, so I, I have a similar story. I don't know if you know this, but, um, I, when I built, was building my CPA firm and I was working full time for, uh, a bank here in town and was doing part...
Like, I was starting from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM. I would work in the CPA firm in the computer here, and then go to my corporate job, come home to my wife, and then one kid at that point. Mm-hmm. And our kid, second kid was born, and I was doing that 5:00 AM all the way to, you know, 11:00 or midnight. Mm-hmm. And, and what you're describing there, it's exactly what I went through.
So I did that for three years and my wife was like, "I want my husband back." Mm-hmm. Right? And then it's like, ooh, it hit hard. Yeah. And so, and so since then, since at that moment, right, I've been trying to teach business owners about systems. Hey, you gotta, you gotta put some barriers around it. You have to be a little bit more efficient.
But you take systems into [00:06:00] a new level, which is you systematize stillness, right? Like- Mm-hmm ... you teach us business owners, which again, I want almost, like, a free coaching session with you right now- Yeah ... uh, um, of being still is okay. Which majority of business owners, when we sit still, we think that we're doing something wrong, right?
Mm-hmm. Right. So how do you systemat- systematize that process? Or, like, how do I don't make myself feel that I'm wasting time, or I'm doing something wrong, or I'm not being productive- Mm-hmm ... by just being still, enjoy the moment? Yeah. That's a great question, and I think, like, that's an answer that I got to understand after that severe burnout because I thought something was wrong with me and that I wasn't doing enough or I wasn't smart enough or, like, something in the doing, um, that I was doing wrong.
And the negative part of, like, when you [00:07:00] keep doing when you are in an unresource- resourceful state is that you think you're productive, but you're actually not being productive. So back then, if I go back, was one of the things that I really wanted to do was to get a promotion. And I was performing and delivering, but the energy and state that I was bringing to the table was not someone as a leader.
It was more of an operator energy. So people could see that. People could see when you're working off of exhaustion. You just, you're not showing up as the leader that people need you to see. So it was not only impacting my performance, but it was also, um, keeping me stuck to advance into my next level of leadership.
Um, and what I had to relearn and unlearn, I would say unlearn is the right word- ... is that the, the stillness, taking care of yourself, listening to your [00:08:00] body, taking a pause, listening to your feelings, like all of that that we continue to ignore, that actually is the sauce that actually makes you a better person.
And the, you being a better person, a holy person, that will get you to the next level that you wanna go in your career or leadership or family or money or everything that you're desiring. Man. Um, Juan, do you play basketball? Um, unfortunately not. But- Oh, so I, I'm gonna use a basketball- Yeah ... reference here and, and, uh, it's, the new generation of basketball players, LeBron James is the, the one that, that pushes this firstly, which is rest management, right?
Mm-hmm. You know, he's in his 40s, and he's, he's performing at the high level. Mm-hmm. And he, he, he every now and then in the normal season, he takes a step back and skip a few games and, and all that to recover his body, and he spends a million dollars on recovering his body. Yeah. He makes sure he's still [00:09:00] performing.
Mm-hmm. Right? You, you did that- uh, as you're going through your corporate career, and the people around you could see that. Yeah. Was there a specific moment, yes, you're having that cough, right- Mm ... that started, and the people around you starting to realize that, hey, this is not the Wan that we know. Mm-hmm. Uh, did you start to reada- realize that moment gradually, or it just kinda happened in a snap, and it's like, "I gotta do something different"?
Um, I think, so going back to, like, what I wanted was a promotion. And again- Mm-hmm ... like the work was delivering. I was getting the feedback. But one of the feedback that I got, like why am I not getting promoted, and the feedback that I received is that, "It just feel like you're operating, but you're not leading.
It feels like you're lacking the executive presence, which means that you're lacking the presence." Yeah. Um, so all of that feedback means is that it's [00:10:00] nothing to do with the work that you're producing. It's all about how you are presenting yourself in the environment. Um, and at that time, I didn't even know, like, what, what presence even meant.
Like, what, what does that even mean? So if I reflect back, like now I understand what the feedback they were giving me and how important it is to take care of yourself. And, like, similar to the basketball, it's not like resting is unproductive. It's actually prepping you for the next level so you can perform at your highest level.
That makes sense. So the people that saw the old Wan- Mm-hmm ... at those moments, and you're looking at an operator, not a leader- Mm-hmm ... have you s- got the chance to see them again? And, and have they seen the difference in you- Yeah ... and how you're now operating as a leader? Yes. Um, so funny enough, like I now coach my leaders that I used to report to.
Um- [00:11:00] That is awesome. I love that. No, keep going. I know. Sorry. Yeah, and they come back to me and say, like, "Do you even notice that you are a completely different person? Um, your confidence level has, like shifted so much. Like, now you just, like show up as not only being very comfortable and authentic with who you are, like how you show up, like builds trust."
So even the, the leaders that I used to report to, they would say, like, "I want the confidence that you have." Like, "Can you help me- Nice ... get that confidence?" And that was the feedback that I received from one of the clients that I used to work with, which was my former boss. Um, so like the work that I'm doing, like really makes a difference in your life.
That, I think that's one of the best testimonies you could ever s- talk about your job and your business and what you do for people. That, it's amazing. I, I, I love that story. Yeah. I did not know and it caught me so off guard. I was like, [00:12:00] "I'm over here, baby girl, yeah." Yeah. Um, so walk us through someone that is going through what you did, uh, back when you, you have the moments, right?
Mm-hmm. So, um, you know, think of me, Johnny. Hey, I'm working in a pantry office, you know, working at CPA firm. You have tax season. You just have output, output, output. We gotta meet the April 15th deadline. Mm-hmm. What are comes the f- the, the thoughts or feelings or trigger points that I, I can start to notice happening to my body or my feelings, or even the people around you start making some comments, right?
That, uh, some people out there that are listening and watching to this episode can start paying attention to and start doing some of those exercises that you teach on your coaching calls. Mm-hmm. I would say kind of going back to, um, who I was and then when I see my clients when they start the work with me, I think some signs that I see is [00:13:00] I think a lot of them have a hard time getting out of bed.
So I think like that's number one. Mm. They have really no motivation. Um, I think the second piece is that they tend to, like, feel more resentful or feel, um, that they lose themselves in whether that's a personal, um, relationship or even with, uh, a colleague where they would, like, lose their temper. Um, I think another thing is that they, they no longer have, like, joy in their life.
Um, they don't feel joy where they, they used to. Um, they don't, they don't go after the hobbies that they used to enjoy. That could be another example. Um, so they're like, I think most of them are just, like, going through the motions, um, like living like a hamster wheel life. Right. But [00:14:00] they're not really in it, you know.
Like you remember, like those days where you're like going and going and going, and it's like the, the days are going, but you don't really remember those days. Like for me, like it's really sad for me to even admit that, but sometimes I don't remember my child in his, like, younger years because I was just so focused on work that it's hard for me to remember those days.
Um, so that's the biggest regret that I have in my life, that I wish I was more present with my child when he was, like, a little baby. Oh, man. And how about your child now is eight, nine? Yeah. Did I do the math right? He's nine years old. Okay, I need Excel to make sure that my math is right. I'm sorry. Mm-hmm.
Um, he's nine, and then your husband, of course. How, h- how, how do they see you now? How do you see their presence? Because again, I, I feel confident [00:15:00] that, you know, doing what I do all day, in day out, from 8:00 to 5:00, and so some days extra hours, of course, but it's because my wife is behind the scenes taking care of the kiddos, taking care of the home, and I, I got full confidence, like I...
She got that part. Mm. Right? And for you and, and your chi- your kid now being nine years old, right? He's much older. He can take care of himself a little bit, but he's seeing mom. Mm. And your husband's seeing wife. Right. And I love to hear, like, when was the last things that they told you, like, "Hey, I love this version of you much better than, of course, six, seven years ago."
Mm-hmm. Yeah. And again, I w- I want to, like, call out that it's not, like, always, like, butterflies and rainbows. Um, there are moments, and I think again, I wanted to say that the work that I do is that not, like, a one-and-done work. Like, it's like there is always another level. There's always, like, things you have to work on yourself and, um- [00:16:00] Be real.
Um, so I just wanted to caveat that before I, I, like, share. Um, but I would say the biggest difference, um, with my relationship with my, my husband and son is that when I'm with them, I don't think about work. So I'm able to, like, fully disconnect from my work and spend the time with them. Whether even that's, like, even it's five minutes or 10 minutes or 15 minutes, like, I can be present with them.
And then the second piece is that because I am more emotionally regulated, and that's some- the f- that's a framework that I, I wanna teach your audience in terms of how do you regulate your emotions. When you are able to regulate your emotions, you can actually create space for the people you love and people you work with, where you can, like, hold their emotions and also process the emotions together rather than being, like, [00:17:00] overwhelmed with your emotions so you're always just, again, like, projecting anger or projecting frustration.
Having a short fuse, um, is, like, what I used to be, and I sometimes I still have that when I'm not... If my cup is empty, there's days that our cup is empty, then I have a short fuse, and I'm able to catch that before I project a feeling to them. Man, you, you use so many good things here, so let, let me, uh, let me bring it back some, some of the words you said.
So the first... The la- the last thing you said will be the first thing. So it's the, the filling the cup, right? Um, this is what I've learned having a personal coach last year And, and, and it's like you as the coach- Mm-hmm ... and you are pouring into your people, right? Yeah. You're pouring day in, day out to your private clients, to your group coaching clients- Mm-hmm
and to your peers, your friends, your husband, your kiddos. Mm-hmm. But how many times during [00:18:00] the week you have had people in your life that are pouring back to you to fill your cup, right, so you can have water and share it back to the people- Right ... that you need to share? Yes. And, and I love that analogy that you just said.
Yeah, for sure. And it's, like, really easy to... There's just so much going on in our world right now, and especially with AI, there's a lot of fear in the, the world. So it's easy to... A lot of people are running around with empty cups, and I didn't even ha- have that concept before I started this work. So, like, now I would know, uh...
And you can, you could... And, and the good thing is that you can plan ahead. Like, let's say that you're having a busy week this week. Um, then you know that, okay, I have, like, multiple meetings. I have a big, you know, deal going on, so by Friday I know that my cup is going to be empty. So then I proactively say, I, I [00:19:00] do, you know, activities, um, in, like, Friday afternoon that is going to fill my cup so that I could be present to my family on a Saturday.
Um, so I think this is something that you can always, like, plan out. And the key of this is that, like, connecting with yourself, and I think, like, that's the biggest piece that I talk about, is that when you're always overriding yourself, you don't even know whether your cup is empty or full, right? That's, like- Mm-hmm
not a perspective that you would have. So, um, I think, like, reconnecting to yourself, understanding, like, where you stand on, like, a physical, emotional, mental level, um, that's, like, the first step that you need to do so that you could take the, the right action, um, uh, in those times. I, y- you know, you talk about planning ahead.
So one, I still believe that people have not [00:20:00] recovered from COVID. Mm-hmm. The stress, the amount of stress h- uh, that happened and, and, and all at once across multiple levels and layers of yourself. Mm-hmm. People are still dealing with that, right? Yeah. Uh, but then two, you mention about the fact that people are still going and overriding their feelings, and they have not realized that, and you have to plan ahead.
Right. Um, do you, when do you plan in your week? Do you do that, like, on the... Because I do mine on Satur- uh, Sat- sorry, Sunday evening. Mm-hmm. Right? Like, after the kids go to bed. Yep. Everything is gone. The house is quiet. I sit down, and I start looking at my calendar to do those planning, right? Mm-hmm. And I have found that what y- what you just said is, for me, is working out more than just doing massages per se.
Like I was- Right ... I was doing massages once a month to kind of recoup, and then- Mm-hmm ... well, that works some but not enough. Mm-hmm. And [00:21:00] then I start working out, and, and it brought back the old Johnny basketball player- ... kind of feel. Then it's like, "Hey, I feel good about this." Yep. It's so much better. Mm-hmm. Do you do your planning on Sunday evening for the week ahead?
Mm-hmm. Do you plan your whole month ahead? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I do, um, there is a yearly plan that I do overall, like, as an annual plan. Um, so I like to move, um, with seasons, like, um, the four seasons. Um. Nice. So like all of us, like, we, we don't realize that, like, we are part of nature, right? We are, like, part of nature.
And following the seasons and syncing with the seasons, there, there's, like, so much power, um, that is actually going to help you, like, manifest more in your life when you follow the seasons. So on an annual basis, like, that's how I follow in terms of, um, like [00:22:00] spring is when you, like, plant your seeds.
Summer is when you are in, like, expansion. Um, so you, that's when your high energy is. Like, fall is when you start to really downshift, and then winter is when you are more inward. So you, I w- I wouldn't do any, like, big launches or any of that d- during winter. So on a macro level, I follow that season. Um, and then on, uh, a monthly level, that's when I align myself with the cycle of the moon.
And I won't get, like, too much detailed into all of this 'cause it's not a podcast that talks about all of this. Um, but I like to, like, plan with the moon cycle. Um, but the last thing is, like, going back to your weekly plan, like, yes, I look at my, my schedule for the week. Uh, but for me, I spend... So I don't do anything external in the morning until, like, 12:00 PM on Mondays.
So that's my personal time [00:23:00] where I That's when I actually fill my cup because, like, weekends is where I use a lot of my energy with, like, family and events and all of that. Mm-hmm. So Monday mornings is, like, my self-care time. So I do that to make sure that I am, like, aligned with myself for the week so that I can, like, get going, like, starting from Monday afternoons.
That makes sense. I, I love how you plan the year, divided them in quarters. Mm-hmm. And I think, you know, from a financial standpoint, ev- a lot of financial reports are done quarterly too, so that- Mm-hmm ... that's amazing because you can have the evidence if the plan worked or not with the numbers. Mm-hmm. And, and so yeah, I love that.
I love that idea. So you, about five, six minutes ago, you mentioned the word, the big word that everybody's using, which is AI, right? Mm-hmm. Um, how do you see AI being implemented now, and how are you implementing AI in your business right now to create those systematizing stillness that you, [00:24:00] that you said that you teach?
Yeah. So I see, like, AI as, like, such a big opportunity for us, you know, busy humans because as you know, AI is great at taking over the busy work, where you- we used to, like, spend so much time. Um, so I would like to see, and this is what I talk about a lot, is that how can we use AI to take over the busy work so that humans could spend more time being in more stillness or being in more thinking, um, or using that time to really connect with your intuition, um, which is really, I think that's where the superpower is because, like, knowledge is no longer, uh, a scarce resource, right?
We all- like, there's, like, so much knowledge out there. It's more about, like, what you wanna do with that knowledge and how can you [00:25:00] incorporate your wisdom and even intuition, um, and your experience and work with AI to be able to come up with something much more powerful. So I think that, um, as humans, we are gonna go into a phase of an evolution where it's no longer about working, working, working, um, because that's kind of comes from, like, more of the Industrial Revolution where we were made- Mm-hmm
to become factory workers. Um, I think, like, now it's gonna be an era of more, like, human intelligence where we can tap into something bigger than just, you know, knowledge, um, to, you know, be more, being able to produce things that are more creative. I, I, I love human knowledge and, you know, w- one of our slogans is that you scale like a machine but sell like a person.
Mm. I think that will never be replaced by AI, right? I agree. This, this conversation that we're having, the connection that we're [00:26:00] having- Yeah ... I think AI is great and I use it all the time and I, I enforce people to use it to be effective- Mm ... leaders so they can- Yeah ... go back to the non-busy work like you were saying.
Mm-hmm. I love that. And how are you currently using AI? So I know you mentioned a little bit of automation and, and so forth- Mm-hmm ... but, uh, are you implementing AI with your clients? Are you teaching some of that AI implementation with your clients right now? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I do... So mostly I work with corporate leaders.
Um, so I do, I do work with them so that they... 'Cause the, the first question that, like, when I, when I reach out to prospective clients, they would be, "Well, I don't have time to do this work." That's, like, the number one question that I get. Uh-huh. So then I teach them, you know, well, this is the way to, you know, buy back your time, and then use that time to do, um, more of the work that I do.
Um, but overall, like, for me personally as a business owner, like, yes, any [00:27:00] admin work, any operational work, I try to automate as much as possible, um, so that I could spend my time meeting with my clients one-on-one and being able to pour that energy to them. Um, and also I am also currently working towards building an AI coach.
Um, so- Oh ... it would be an app that my clients could use, so if they have any questions or they need coaching throughout the day, the AI coach that I built will have, you know, all of the knowledge and methodologies that I, I use to develop my program so they can have, like, on-demand access to me as well. I, I love that, the on-demand access.
I think that's key there. Mm. So when we get into the 30-two mark, what are questions and comments and things that I have not asked you that I should be covering that and I am not yet? Um, so I [00:28:00] would say, um, I wanted to, like, quickly talk about, like, how important it is to feel your feelings. Okay. Because we've been taught a lot about that feeling feelings is bad.
Like, being emotional is, like, bad. Um, so what we tend to do is we tend to either repress our feelings and, like, push our feelings down, or when we, um, can no longer push our feelings down, then we project our feelings. Um, so there are, like, three steps of feeling your feelings, which is feeling it, which is really feeling and naming your feelings.
Like, "I feel overwhelmed," or, "I feel, you know, anxious. I feel joy." Like, naming your feelings. And then the second piece is once you feel it, you wanna move your feelings because you don't wanna keep it and store it in your body. So moving it could be, as you said, like, you like to work out and run. That's a good way of moving the feelings.
Um, it could be doing breathwork, which I do a lot with my clients, or it could be just, like, journaling, [00:29:00] um, and reflecting. Like, that could be a way to move your feelings. And then after you've done that, then the third step is to learn it. Learn from your feelings. So it's like feel it, move it, learn from it, where I think, like, all feelings is there to teach you something and tell you something about, you know, what's working out or what's not working out in your life.
Um, so I think, like, that's one of the powerful tool that I use day to day. Um, so I think, like, that's something that I wanted to make sure your audience, like, gets as well. And not only my audience, but I'm gonna start implementing that right now. I love it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's feel it, move it, learn from it.
Feel it, move it, learn it. Yeah. Okay. Um, simple, easy, and effective. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Uh, I've started to use AI to have those conversations- Mm-hmm ... right? Like, I have taught AI to- Yep ... a little bit about Johnny and what Johnny struggles with and how- Mm ... Johnny responds to feedback and how- Yeah ... what's the best way to break through Johnny.[00:30:00]
And in having those conversations, and now that you can use your voice- Right ... um, I've been using some of that lately. Mm-hmm. And it has helped me getting stuck. Yeah. And then just feeling the fear of rejection right now or trying to outreach, do some outreach and cold outreach. Mm-hmm. Yep. Uh, very personal.
So- Yeah ... one, y- the- the- the last thing you said is amazing. Um, if... Here's my final, final question, and I just thought about this, and it's like- Mm ... hey, if you had to go back to Duong back in 2021- Mm ... and then know what you know now, what would you tell her? Hmm. I would tell her that you're not broken. Um, you're not lost.
You just haven't learned a new way. Um, and I want to share that with the audience, your audience as well. Like, if you're feeling stuck, if you're feeling something is off, it's really not because you are broken. [00:31:00] It's because you are just running, um, from a different, uh, a, a different fuel, and you just need to like learn how to manage that in a new way.
Um, so I just wanted to like give my, my, my 2021 version and then the audience a hope that, um, you will get out of this. Yes. Yes, you will. Uh, Oanh, I, I love what you shared today. I think every business owner should put this on, on the repeat once a week and listen to- ... and just learn what you just shared.
Yeah. Uh, if people wanna find out more about you and how, what you have to offer, where they can find you? Yeah, so I'm very active on Instagram, so my handle is oanhdailyshots. Um, and one of the things that I wanted to gift your audience is that I have put like a short assessment tool to, um, s- what are the seven signals [00:32:00] that you are either having your business override you or the other way around.
Um, so if you're interested trying that assessment, you can just, um, DM me, um, "override," and then I will send that assessment book to you as a gift. Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah. Uh, I love that. Uh, okay. DM Oanh Daily Shots "override" for the, the, the, the f- the free gift that she just gave. Oanh, once again, um, I, I love what you're doing on social media.
I'm so grateful that we met a month or so ago through the, the book signing event. Yeah. Um, I'm a, one of your biggest fans over here- ... just watching what you creating and watching what you're doing, and I love what you shared here today, and I app- truly appreciate your time and, and your efforts and your knowledge, and I can't wait to see what else you're gonna come up and create with.
Thank you so much, Johnny. This was a [00:33:00] pleasure. And, um, make sure you feel your feelings today. Yes.
