“Women don’t recognize how valuable what they bring to the table actually is” In today’s episode, we decided to tackle a topic that we’ve mentioned in a lot of other threads. It’s such an important topic in the conversation of modern business, and we believe that this episode will truly help women step into their true value and full potential. “I Am Valuable” With women, in particular, value is at the core of most challenges in business. From pricing to leadership to setting boundaries to how we communicate through our marketing, everything boils down to whether or not we truly value ourselves. In my experience, women consistently undervalue themselves, their gifts and what they bring to the table. &nbsp; “Stop Personalizing What is Systemically Broken” This is a personal issue and systemic issue. Systemically, we are constantly told that the qualities we possess as women are less valuable than those possessed by men. This is reflected in how we are compensated, treated, and valued by those around us. It isn’t just in the corporate world. It can show up with our family members, clients and community. This is a systemic problem, but the first step is valuing ourselves. This was the core topic in my TEDx talk, Moving Beyond #Empowerment. “Every moment that you are not valuing yourself, you are trapping yourself. You are compensating for this lack of value, and allowing all of these ideas in the world tell you what you’re worth. That is a trap, and what you’re losing is freedom.” In this episode, you’ll find some amazing insights and tips that will help you take back your freedom and recognise how valuable you are just by breathing. Some Topics we talk about in this episode:  Introduction - 1:15 Examples of Issues with Value - 2:45 Reframing our Value - 9:30 What is it Costing Us to Not Value Ourselves? - 14:45 Intention vs Practice when Running a Business - 18:05 Some Reference Points for Recognising your Value- 23:35 The Wisdom of Awareness - 27:15 The Power of Your Own Body - 28:58 Find Your Community - 33:10  Books mentioned in this episode - The Price of Motherhood by Ann Crittenden  https://www.amazon.com/Price-Motherhood-Important-World-Valued/dp/0312655401 How to get involved  Join the Women in the Business Arena Group on Facebook and continue the discussion starting next week!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womeninthebusinessarena Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you’re at in life and business! Find out more at www.womeninthebusinessarena.com  &nbsp; If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP56: Why Value is the Core Issue Getting in the Way of your Success

“Women have a really special connection to timing” &nbsp; Today’s episode is all about timing. Is there a “right time” for things in business? Does sequence matter? As women, we often talk about things cyclically, and follow our rhythms. Do women have the sense of right timing? Are we following it? Is it possible that this timing and rhythm may actually be a benefit for women in business? &nbsp; “Women have power, and that power is intuition. Part of that power is us being to able to feel timing and follow our rhythms” &nbsp; As women, our lives are built off of cycles. Some say that our intuition comes from the different phases of the moon, and others believe that women have a special “sensing” that men don’t possess. Either way, this can be a massive benefit to women in business. If we find our rhythm and tap into the natural state of who we are intuitively, it actually gives us a competitive edge. From interacting with prospects, to helping clients in a deep and real way, Sonya and Laura tell their own stories of how they use timing to their advantage. &nbsp; “We’ve gotten disconnected from our sacred cycles” &nbsp; If you feel like you’re out of sequence in your business, or you’re having a hard time finding your rhythm, you may want to get back to basics and create an environment to let time unfold. In our society, we’re constantly pushing ourselves and obsessing over time. If we can learn to create the space we need to let time unfold and lean into our natural rhythm, we can all find our optimal timing to create the success that we desire. &nbsp; “Are you being ruled by your intuition, or by your logic?” &nbsp; Some Topics we talk about in this episode: &nbsp;  Introduction - 1:05 The Science of Timing - 6:25 Allowing Yourself to Connect to Your Rhythm - 9:10 Using Timing as an Excuse - 10:40 The Practice of Intuition - 15:58 The Trusting of Time 18:15 2 Reasons Why Women are Out of Sequence - 24:08 Are We Pushing Ourselves Too Hard? - 28:30 Create Space for Time to Unfold - 31:50 Finding Your Optimal Timing - 34:15 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 36:05    How to get involved  Join the Women in the Business Arena Group on Facebook and continue the discussion starting next week!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womeninthebusinessarena Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you’re at in life and business! Find out more at www.womeninthebusinessarena.com  &nbsp; If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP57: Is There a “Right Time” for Things in Business?

“A bigger vision pulls you up and makes you to think differently” &nbsp; In today’s episode we are talking about vision, but from a deeper viewpoint. It is not enough to just think of a vision, we have to embody our vision, feel it and allow space for it to become real. In business, we are always busy doing. We spend so much time in action we often lose sense of our big vision and our actions take us way off track. The more you embody the vision, the more you focus your mind and actions. You actually have to do less to accomplish more. &nbsp; “Women need to let themselves have the space to envision their real dreams and goals” &nbsp; As women, we’re constantly doing. We rarely give ourselves the space to just explore what we want in our lives and businesses. We often create our vision from a concept, an idea, an indoctrination...but rarely do we create our vision from feeling. How many of us are pulled by everyone else’s desires, fears or truths? If we are ever going to have the kind of impact we truly want to have in the world, we need to be getting back to our own truth and that can only be found when we create space to envision what we really want. &nbsp; &nbsp; “I try visions on like clothing. I need to be able to determine which one fits.” &nbsp; A massive step in creating a vision is actually embodying that vision. There are ways to feel in alignment with your bigger vision, rather than just hoping that you’re on the right track. In this episode, we give practical tips on how to feel and embody your long-term vision, so you can achieve it. &nbsp; Some Topics we talk about in this episode: &nbsp;  Introduction - 1:05 Why it’s important to have a bigger vision - 4:50 How to get away from a survival mindset - 7:22 Allowing yourself to be grounded - 10:05 The most effective ways to create a bigger vision - 14:18 What it actually feels like when you’re aligning with a bigger vision - 22:32 Choosing to work from the correct blueprint - 28:40 You have to create for yourself - 31:35 Your vision is a living thing - 35:59 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 38:00    How to get involved  Join the Women in the Business Arena Group on Facebook and continue the discussion starting next week!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womeninthebusinessarena Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you’re at in life and business! Find out more at www.womeninthebusinessarena.com  &nbsp; If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP58: How Do We Create and Embody a Bigger Vision?

“Being in business is about being with people” &nbsp; In today’s episode, Sonya and Laura shed light on what it means to find the “right” people to work with in your business. Whether you are hiring staff, finding contractors, or looking for new clients, you need to be able to discern when someone is a good fit or a bad fit for your business. Ignoring the early warning signs causes more trouble than just saying “no” in the first place. We have to learn to listen to our gut when something feels off. &nbsp; “If you recognize that something is misaligned, just remember that it’s not a bad thing to let that person go” &nbsp; As women, it can be difficult to let people go. We tend to pride ourselves on being able to help everyone by saying “yes” to every person that comes our way. Once we are wrapped up by this way of living, it’s much harder to be the best version of ourselves and fulfill our potential. Prevention is the key to being able to discern our relationships before they hurt us and our business. &nbsp; “The only power we have with others is to create agreement” &nbsp; When looking for the ideal person to work with, it’s easy to operate out of scarcity. This causes us to work with people we don’t fully align with, and it will eventually drain us and run our business into the ground. &nbsp; Clear Agreements and contracts can be a great way to keep yourself (and others) accountable. Often times, we end up selling ourselves short to hide the guilt that we feel for getting into a bad situation. If we can learn to discern these types of situations before we get into them, we can create the business that we actually want to run and help people in the best way possible. It starts with us. &nbsp; “The first thing we always have to start with is ourselves” &nbsp; Some Topics we talk about in this episode: &nbsp;  Introduction - 1:05 Being Clear About Good Fit vs. Bad Fit - 5:00 Feeling Bad About Letting People Go - 6:40 Respecting Yourself and Others - 9:58 Over-Delivering and Over-Promising - 15:46 “Conscious Uncoupling” - 21:02 The Trap of Feeling like a Failure - 23:35 Creating Good Relationships in Our Business - 28:00 The Importance of Prevention - 36:45 How to Get Out of a Bad Business Relationship - 41:23 Giving Yourself Permission to Change an Agreement - 47:18 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 50:22    How to get involved  Join the Women in the Business Arena Group on Facebook and continue the discussion starting next week!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womeninthebusinessarena Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you’re at in life and business! Find out more at www.womeninthebusinessarena.com  &nbsp; If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP59: How Do You Discern Between a Good Fit and a Bad Fit When it Comes to People in Your Business?

After working with women in business for the last two decades, Sonya started Women in the Business Arena podcast to talk about the issues women face and the juicy topics no one else is talking about. Joined by Laura Shook Guzman, a somatic psychotherapist working with women in business, they have honest conversations about the path to success, fulfilment and freedom. They also talk about the ups and downs of business and how to navigate it all more effectively and easily.