If you want freedom over how you work, you need to first give yourself permission to listen to yourself.
Get ready to challenge yourself because Nita Baum and I spend a lot of time swimming in the deep end of the pool discussing how self-awareness, abundance, mindset and reflection lay the foundation for personal liberation!
Nita is the founder of b*free. Her company offers immersive collective learning experiences that ground freelancers/solopreneurs by equipping them with the mindsets, skills and tools to build sustainable businesses and live more freely with the support of community.
So many of us feel stuck in our work right now because we aren’t in harmony with ourselves. Nita has loads of great advice in our conversation including:
- Why you want to use the word “must” and not “should” when discussing your work. (I completely agree.)
- Why we avoid self-reflection, even though it’s a crucial component to our success.
- Give yourself permission to define your own version of meditation.
- How to tell you are out of alignment with your work.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Embrace discomfort.
- Self-directed learning.
- Self-awareness.
How Nita Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: About 7:00 am, but it varies.
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Be present in her interactions with co-creators. 2) Be present in interactions with her cohorts. 3) Build in time to stop her mind in order to listen to her deeper guidance.
- Ideal work environment: Sometimes in solitude, being in nature, taking calls while walking; sometimes in collaboration with people both live and over online conference calls.
- 90-day goal: To keep to the integrity of the company values in the face of their expanding opportunities and remember their priority to help every individual improve.
Inspirational Quotes
“If you’re investing in all the aspects of you, you’re going to be able to do what you’re doing sustainably.”
“We’re not just focused on survival, but we’re actually seeking something else, which is maybe thriving.”
“We don’t have to conform to be in community.”
Coaching Advice
To find people around you who would support you in exploring your wellness and self-awareness, Nita gave this advice:
1) Work with the ecosystem of you. Make a list of all the people and communities you already know and categorize them into categories that are meaningful to you.
2) Engage with those people with whom you have a strong affinity and start there.
3) Ask for introductions. If they have a high affinity for you, then they can help plug you into other people and communities to help you learn about yourself.
Resources + Bonus Materials
The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna
A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future by Dan Pink