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
Part V: Shutdown But Not Shut Out - Resiliency with a Game Seven Mentality
Navigating Difficult Times with a Game Seven Mentality
In this episode of the Leadership Tea Podcast, hosts Shelby and Belinda reflect on managing personal and professional lives amidst the prolonged government shutdown. They discuss its impacts, such as the end of SNAP benefits and continued layoffs at major companies. Shelby and Belinda also draw parallels between the resilience seen in the World Series and the mindset needed to navigate challenging times. They emphasize the importance of mutual support, filling each other's cups, and maintaining a 'game seven mentality' to stay motivated and impactful. The episode concludes with a call for listeners to share their thoughts and strategies for approaching 2026.
00:00 Introduction to the Leadership Tea Podcast
00:10 Reflecting on the Government Shutdown
01:35 Personal Impacts and Client Success Stories
04:04 Mentees and Restoring Faith
07:42 Lessons from the World Series
14:11 Filling Each Other's Cups
18:15 Conclusion and Call to Action
Leadership isn’t easy and sometimes, the podcast isn’t enough. That’s why we’re creating The Leadership Lounge, a members-only community designed for leaders who want to go deeper, reflect more, and stay grounded.
What do you get? A monthly group coaching session led by the Leadership Tea Podcast hosts and monthly virtual community connection sessions, as well as leadership resources and articles.
We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.
Follow us on Instagram @Leadership_Tea for more inspiration and insights.
Get your FREE copy of our Strategic Change Workbook
Learn more about us at stirringsuccess.com
Hey everyone, welcome to the Leadership Tea Podcast, where we share tips on not only what it takes to reach the executive level, but how to thrive once you get there. It's hard to believe that this is the fifth in our series of the government shutdown, but not shut out. We're going into November. It's November 2nd at the time of this recording. And hard to believe that it's week five of the shutdown. And Belinda and I were just talking about some of the lessons we learned over the past week as we continue to manage ourselves, manage our families in the shutdown. It's it's really a trying time for our country when you think about the fact that SNAP benefits ended for a lot of Americans this week. There are continued layoffs at UPS, at CBS, Paramount. Um, where else? Amazon laid off a lot of employees. We are all going through it, no matter what sector you work in. The country is really in a precarious, difficult, and trying time. And interestingly enough, uh for me and Belinda, we were talking about the World Series and other events that happened this week that really influenced our mindset and our approach during these trying times. Uh so Belinda, I'll I'll kick it over to you to share your thoughts on how you've been managing and what did baseball teach us about surviving these crazy times.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, thank you, Shelby. I feel like the impacts of the shutdown, I feel like this week really started to impact like my life. Um, it's not that it wasn't impacting you before, but you really feel that sense of like, oh, this is still happening. This is going on for a while. It's really time to like make some adjustments, right? And some changes. So that was definitely a reality check. Um, on the positive side, I had some client meetings this week where I think that sometimes even coaches need a boost that, like, oh, the frameworks, the approaches, the ways in which we are trying to help people reach their goals actually like have an impact. And for several of my clients this week, I saw that impact in terms of new businesses that they're starting or new initiatives that they're taking on, or opportunities that have opened up for them, or mindset shifts that they have made. Um, you know, and the type of coaching that I'm doing, I really see those changes. Um, and so that felt really good this week. It was like, oh, you know, we're good at this. Yeah. Right. Do this. Like you, you were doing the things. Yes. Yes. So I I think that was really helpful. I'm still kind of right in the high of repose. Um, just like, wow, you know, that was a really great event, and we did a really great job, and it continues to have impact for the participants. They're still talking about it. And there's a lot of feedback that people want us to continue that kind of thing, and to continue to have those types of events where people can really come and ask themselves critical questions and really build a roadmap forward coming out of it. So I think I look forward to what the future holds in that respect, right? And the and the things that we built are building. Um, and I also feel like, you know, some of the other initiatives we have have gotten off to a good start this week. So I've been happy about that. In terms of the World Series, well, I'll save my World Series comment. Let me first hear how your week went.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Well, my week was similar to yours in the sense of, you know, remembering why we do what we do and um the gratification that comes along with seeing the impact, the positive impact that you're having on people. Um, I had two of my mentees pour into me this week. And what was interesting about my conversations with them was it was almost as though they knew that I needed a pep talk. Like they needed to hold up a mirror to me for me to see what I mean to them, and how, you know, despite everything that's going on in the country right now and with the economy, that the little nuggets, the little pieces, the little contributions that I'm making are still making a difference. And I think that was a good, it was a good reminder that we can each do our part, no matter how difficult and challenging our lives may seem, um, especially as people are facing layoffs and not sure how they're going to put food on the table. Like people are facing some real life challenges that are unprecedented. And at the same time, if we each just do a little bit to spread goodness, to to try and reach out where we can and to continue building community, it makes a difference. And in talking to these mentees, what was really um really pivotal or eye-opening for me is that these are two individuals who apply for fellowships to join the US government. And those fellowships are up in the air, and yet they are still committed to being public servants. And they were speaking glowingly about why they want to serve the United States, why they want to be the face of America overseas. And it was just really restorative to me that despite some of the cruelty and the dysfunction that we're witnessing, there are still committed Americans who want to make a difference and who want to serve, even though their own futures are like hanging in the balance. I mean, these two individuals, they have no idea if they're going to have a job in a few months or not, even though they signed agreements under the pretense that they would have jobs. They don't know what's going to happen. They're applying for other things in the meantime. But they both said, look, if if this comes through, we are still willing to serve. And that that was restorative. I'm I'm on my own like operation this week. You know how the military has names of operations for for different missions and different conflicts that they enter. I'm on an operation of operation restorative faith. This week has been about restoring faith. And as you mentioned, um, I'm still riding the high of repose, just seeing what we could do, seeing you know the possibilities that exist when you put your mind to something and you give it your all and you show up with the excellence that is within your DNA, and you just continue executing that excellence, even if you've had to pivot. You know, the sky is the limit for us. And I'm really I'm I'm in a good place emotionally and mentally, in spite of everything that is happening right now.
SPEAKER_00:No, in spite is this is the key. But look, that actually is a good segue to uh the mindset and the mentality of the Dodgers and the Blue Jays. Yes, girl.
SPEAKER_01:I don't even like first of all, I don't even like baseball. We watch sports in my household. We are mainly like basketball people. Well, I should say college basketball, pro football, soccer, swimming, all the things. Um, and I don't really pay attention to baseball until it's time for the World Series. So I just want to put that caveat there. But yes, please go ahead because you are the real baseball fan in this duo. So I'm curious to hear your your thoughts.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And for those who know, like I I love baseball, I grew up loving the socks, the white socks. I'm like, just as if everybody's from Chicago, right? The White Sox and the Cubs. And I also for a while worked for the Texas Rangers. I I just really love baseball. I can't really explain it. And um, so for me, particularly watching last night, was a reminder of having what I'm what I'm calling now a game seven mentality, right? And and this game seven mentality, I was like, I want to look and see what I wrote down because I was kind of pondering this to earlier today. First of all, everybody showed up ready to just leave it on the field. Like you could tell with each pitch, with each swing, with each everything, everybody was like, I am I'm gonna give this moment, I'm gonna be fully present in this pitch, this inning, this whatever, and I'm gonna leave it all on the field.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00:And so no matter what happens, I I did my best. But also that that idea of like having it all on your shoulders in game seven of the World Series is something that so many kids have done over and over and over again in their backyard. Like it's something that you've been preparing for for your whole life. You are ready for your game seven moment. Yes, you have everything you need for your game seven moment if you just be fully present. The other thing that struck me as I watched during different plays, different people move differently in the midfield, and then and like some some of the infielders moved to the midfield and outfielders moved in and da-da-da-da. Every role matters. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Every role, every role matters. You gotta have respect for every role. Uh and when we are putting it all on the field, everybody's job is critical. You have to, and and in, and so in order you need to respect that, but you also have to trust each other. Yeah, so that to me was apparent for both teams. And then finally, I would say that as part of this game seven mentality is that resilience always pays off in the end, right? That like, and there's a balance between resilience and like your mental health, and I like I'm not saying do anything crazy, but we weren't there in the off season when people were lifting weights and on the training. Right? We weren't there after games when people had to ice their knees and ice their shoulders, right? We weren't there when people were in the batting cages. Like both of these teams showed up to spring training fully believing that they could take it all the way to game seven of the World Series, and there were days that they lost, and there were days that they missed things, and there were days they struck out, and they're doing they made it, yeah. So it's like people don't always see you working hard, they don't see the struggle, but you got to keep moving forward anyway. Um, those were my reflections, but what do you think?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, girl, you just gave a sermonette um for real. I co-signed on everything that you said. There were so many lessons. Um, and I love what you said about approaching life or approaching 2026 with a game seven mentality. Um, I'm there with you. And just in watching the ninth inning, I started watching last night's game in the ninth inning, and it was interesting because the commentators were basically saying, yo, the Boujays, they're just a couple of outs away from you know having this in the bag. They're about to, you know, win the World Series. And I'm thinking to myself, okay, maybe, but there's still there's still enough time for the Dodgers to to pull this out. I literally said that to my husband. I'm like, this is about to be an interesting inning, you know, let's let's watch this together. We were initially going to watch a movie, and I'm like, nope, there's something special happening right now. Let's let's watch this. And sure enough, Manuel Rojas like hit a home run. And that was a game changer. And immediately in that moment, I'm like, yeah, don't count me out. That was my lesson of the entire like World Series and watching both teams really just like you say it laid it out all on the field, um, in that in that really crucial moment. But yeah, don't count me out. Like everything that's happening right now, when I look at you know, our journey with the podcast, and when I look at our respective life situations as we're each navigating tremendous changes in our personal financial situations, we are still you know fighting every day to rebuild, to restructure, to recreate, to reimagine. Like, don't count us out. And that would be my message to you know, our viewers, no matter how bleak things may seem, just don't count yourself out. You know, hang in there in the the final minutes of you know, the ninth inning, if it has to go into overtime, into you know, 10 innings, 11 innings, you know, find everything within you to keep to keep persevering. That was that was one lesson. The other thing that I'm taking away from the World Series and something that you mentioned about organizational culture and the fact that everyone has a role to play. Um, I watched a clip on LinkedIn earlier this week. It was posted by an influencer, uh Darren K. Roberts, and he was reflecting on, he showed a clip of Otani from uh the Dodgers. He was getting himself some water. I don't know if it was water or Gatorade, but it was in one of those, yeah, um drink containers uh in the dugout. And as he was pouring himself something to drink, he started pouring cups for his teammates and just leaving them there on the ledge. And it was just fascinating to watch him like, it's the World Series. Like we're in, you know, we're in prime time. Like it's it's all or nothing. And yet, and still he took the time to think about his teammates. You know, it's a small gesture, but still one that was very telling about, you know, who he is as a person and what his character is. And it just made me think like, you know, what are we doing to fill each other's cup? You know, he was filling the cups of his teammates. How do we do that on a daily basis? How can we do that in a moment like this of economic strife for the entire country? You know, there's always someone, you know, my parents used to say this to me as a child. There's always someone who is worse off than you. You know, be grateful for what you have, be grateful for the blessings that you're fortunate to count on, because there's always something happening to someone that you can't even imagine what their situation is. And I feel that that's applicable to what we're dealing with right now as we watch these waves of massive layoffs across the government as well as the private sector. And now, you know, the catastrophe that we witnessed in in Jamaica during the past week, where people literally lost everything. Everything. They have nothing. And, you know, again, the metaphor of Otani filling the cups of his teammates, it just really made me think about myself, like, okay, Shelby, yes, your personal situation is not great, but there are others who are suffering, you know, even more than you are. How can you be mindful of that and fill someone else's cup? What are you what are you doing, you know, to make a difference? And I know that might seem like a stretch, but that's that's what I was left with um from watching the game last night.
SPEAKER_00:No, no, that there were so many historic moments in the series. There were so many once in a generation players.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um, it there are many, many lessons. People will be talking about the lessons that we can all learn from this series for for a long time.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um no, and I I definitely think you're right in that we have to remain mindful about how we can support each other because there are so many people going through really trying times. And I appreciate you mentioning Jamaica. Like, I mean what happened there truly is devastating.
SPEAKER_01:It is.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Um with that said, we know that you know, as people organize and ask for help, whether it's here, whether it's in Jamaica, whether it's in other places where people are facing strife, um, the people are gonna do the right thing and rally together. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:They will.
SPEAKER_00:So with that said, I I think um that might be a nice kind of end to our fifth shutdown episode.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, man. I hope we don't have too many more of these to do. I mean, as much as I enjoy talking to you and bonding and whatnot, I'd rather us, yeah, not have this to talk about.
SPEAKER_00:But no, definitely. But do you want to thank our listeners or our viewers on YouTube? If you are listening on audio, come over and see us on YouTube. We've got really cute backdrops and nice lighting. We're fun. Come see us and like and subscribe. And if you have thoughts about things that you learned in the World Series um or learned from you know these players during during even last night's game. Um, what is your game seven mentality? Let us know in the comments. Yeah, right. Like, what are you taking from this series into 2026? And I know it's November and we normally don't talk about this till December, but I feel like this year it's worth starting early.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. I think we're all ready for this year to be over. Like let's let's pick up the pieces and start over.
SPEAKER_00:So, anyway, it's been great. Um, we'll see you soon. And uh thanks for sipping wisdom and staring success with us.
