Leadership Tea
On Leadership Tea, we talk about what it takes to reach the executive level, and how to thrive when you get there. Powerful leaders share their journeys, insights, and triumphs in conversations with hosts Shelby Smith-Wilson and Belinda Jackson Farrier.
Join us every other Wednesday to be inspired by the unvarnished stories of amazing executives who know what it's like to be "the only" at the table and who have succeeded regardless. They have proven leadership experience in their respective fields, from international affairs to the private sector to academia, and want to help others create their own success stories.
Leadership Tea
Building Bravery & Community: An Invitation to Grow | S3 EP9
Join Shelby and Belinda on May 31 for our first ever live virtual event: “Shoot Your Shot LIVE: A Celebration & Strategy Session to Keep You Bold.”
We’re wrapping up our month-long challenge with a celebration of YOU, our listeners, who dared to ask for what they want. Expect real talk, live coaching, audience celebrations, strategy sharing, and soul-nourishing tea. We’re creating space to keep the momentum going and help you step boldly into your next season of leadership and power.
Learn more and get your ticket!
In this bonus episode we discuss the importance of self-belief, overcoming limitations, and embracing your true potential. And we share highlights of our May 31 event. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.
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Hey, what's up everyone? It's Shelby and Belinda coming to you with a bonus episode of the Leadership Tea podcast. We know it's the long weekend and you may be in your car listening to this on your way to the beach, to visit family friends, whatever and we thought we would come to you with a little bit of information, really with two goals in mind. One, we want to remind you of an event that we're hosting next Saturday, May 31st, at 11 o'clock, and Belinda will share more details about that with you momentarily. We also wanted to do a little bit of storytelling about how the Leadership Tea podcast came to fruition and how it's a living example of how we shot our shots. Belinda, do you want to comment on that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know I've been thinking a lot about this and we thought like, oh, this would make a really good bonus episode.
Speaker 2:I've been reflecting on not only what I've learned from the podcast but really what I've learned from you and in our conversations on the podcast, on and off the podcast, I feel like you've put a mirror up to me and really reflected back like who I can be outside of the constraints of an organization.
Speaker 2:You know, I get a lot of feedback of what people's expectations are of me, what they think I'm capable of, and I don't always internalize that or believe it. And I think that this podcast our conversations, our dreams, reaching for our goals has helped me to finally begin to internalize that and then utilize it Right and to say like, actually I believe that I am those things that people say that I am, and but I'm them for myself not to meet other people's expectations. And so it is okay to dream like boldly, and it's okay if I don't meet expectations, like I'm learning to be a C student, I'm learning that it's okay to try, I may not get the A, but I still passed, I still learned something, and that failure is a really great feedback opportunity. It's a data point. So it's okay to dream, it's okay to try, and I should believe in myself, with the gusto of people who maybe don't do a lot of self-reflection, so I feel like that's what I've gotten out of that.
Speaker 1:I think you've also been a mirror for me. I mean, this entire exercise of doing the podcast with you has been a lesson in what it looks like to step boldly into who you are and to dream to dream big things. I mean, this started as a brainstorm in a coffee shop.
Speaker 1:Literally and a coffee shop literally, and was really more of a community service project. You described it, yes, knew that there was a need, and it has now evolved into something bigger and better than I think either of us imagined when we were talking about it at first and I think the last thing I would say on that is like slow and steady wins the race Right that we haven't.
Speaker 2:You've taught me that it's okay to slow down. It's better to have quality, not quantity or just to like. It's okay to be deliberative.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think that's made a huge difference, and I think that shows made a huge difference and I think that shows right, yep. So, speaking of from the heart, like that's actually a good segue into our may 31st event, which is really, I think, something that I'd like to convey to our audience is that this May 31st event is our first foray into trying to authentically build community, to dig deeper into some of the topics that we talk about on the show. I think some feedback that we get often is people listen to the show and think to themselves. I wish I could have a conversation with you guys about that. I wish that we could have an opportunity to dig deeper into that, and so we are pondering ways in which to do that, both in person and virtually, because our audience is global, right, but this virtual event is our first effort to coalesce community, a small community, around this idea of taking a chance on yourself and taking a chance on yourself being brave and putting yourself out there, and so I think what we hope to do in that event is to share more about our own experiences, to listen to what other people have done and learn from that, to also take an opportunity to coach a few people live right on the spot in the event and to share a couple of practical frameworks that I think we've used to take those chances and move the ball forward, or to reassess when we've taken the chance and it hasn't worked out, because it doesn't always work out.
Speaker 2:So I think for us, this is a beginning, a building block. We want to create a small, intimate event. We still have a few spaces available, and so what we're going to do is put a link to the Eventbrite that's associated with it into the show notes, and we encourage you to go ahead, especially while there's early bird tickets to take advantage of joining us. It's only like 90 minutes, but we hope to give you tools and other things that will help you to grow, and for we have like three tiers of tickets, there's a VIP level of tickets that will have a group coaching call associated with it with both of us later on this summer. You know, talk again about how you've taken those lessons and how we can help push you even further.
Speaker 2:So, with that said, I noted that there were three tiers of tickets, which means that there is a price associated with this. A labor of love costs a little bit of money right, like you made free. So I think you know also just keeping it like real, like that is why you'll see a cost associated with these tickets. I think we're again still open to your feedback, still open to your ideas, but again we're trying to keep it very small. There are still a few spaces available, so I wouldn't delay on this. Any thoughts, shelby?
Speaker 1:Yeah, really looking forward to the event and I'll just wrap quickly by giving you your flowers on this bonus episode and sharing what I have learned from you. A few things, first of all, I learned something every time that we have an interaction, but I would say you know your point on self-confidence and putting a mirror up to me of what is possible. That's the gift that you've given me for sure. Just watching your evolution as an entrepreneur I mean, the whole world already knew that you were a badass from the beginning, but you have, like, really taking the badassery to a completely different level in terms of just tapping into who you are and not being afraid or ashamed of just owning your power, and it's been amazing to watch and a powerful reminder to me that I need to do the same.
Speaker 1:You know I said in the last episode, or in a few episodes, that the question that you asked me about who am I when I'm unconstrained?
Speaker 1:I am this podcast co-host with you.
Speaker 1:I'm launching things without fear, without hesitation, and just being 100%, 10 toes deep into what I'm doing and not being afraid and just being confident about who I am, what I stand for and what I'm capable of am what I stand for and what I'm capable of, and doing this podcast with you has reminded me of all those things.
Speaker 1:You've also pushed me to explore my tech side. You know, putting the podcast together and coming up with content and trying to come up with creative ways to attract viewers and whatnot has been a labor of love, but also a labor of learning, because for years, I feel like the creative side in me was lying dormant, and you have reminded me that there is some creativity within me. Oh yeah, so I thank you for that. And then the last thing I would say, belinda, is that you have taught me to embrace my empath. I mean, our empathetic leadership style is what has united and bonded us over the years, and there have been times when I've been hesitant to lean into that part of me when it comes to leading teams, only because some people see it as a sign of weakness. I appreciate how you lean into who you are as an empath, and you have reminded me to do the same, and so I'm grateful for that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, thank you. I've spent so much of my career being like what would Shelby do. How can you be like Shelby when?
Speaker 2:I grow up the same Like. So like, bringing all this together has been an explosion in learning Right. So with that, I just want to thank everyone for listening. I hope you're having a great holiday weekend. I want to encourage you to check out our event and join us, but we just want to bring you a little inspiration during your travels and a little hope for the future. So thank you for joining us, as always, and for sipping wisdom and stirring success with us.
Speaker 1:And we hope you'll join us next weekend.
