Graced to Lead

S2/Ep.2 - Pause. Pivot. Realign. Career Wisdom with Amy Krymkowski

• Belinda Gaston • Season 2 • Episode 2

Share episode

When that persistent feeling of career discontent refuses to go away, it's often more than just a bad day—it's your internal compass signaling misalignment. Career and leadership coach Amy Krymkowski joins us to unpack the nuanced signs that it might be time for a professional pivot and how to navigate that journey with intention and courage.

Amy shares her powerful framework for understanding career transitions, revealing how we must move through distinct zones—comfort, fear, learning, and growth—to evolve professionally. She compassionately explains why that "fear zone" keeps so many talented professionals stuck, offering practical strategies to push through resistance and limiting narratives like the sunk cost fallacy that whispers, "I've invested too much to walk away now."

For those experiencing unexpected career disruptions through layoffs or organizational changes, Amy provides a refreshing perspective on viewing these moments as opportunities rather than setbacks. Through touching client stories and actionable advice, she demonstrates how pauses in our professional trajectory often create the exact space needed for greater clarity and reconnection with our true strengths and desires.

The conversation takes a meaningful turn when we explore how faith integrates with career decisions. "Faith doesn't always show up as certainty," Amy wisely notes. "Sometimes it's the decision to move forward without it." Her suggestion to ask, "Where am I being called to move with courage, not certainty?" offers a compelling invitation to trust our deeper wisdom.

Whether you're feeling that inner nudge toward change or navigating an unexpected professional transition, this episode provides the guidance, permission, and practical tools to honor your journey. As Amy beautifully reminds us: "You are not broken. You are simply in a season of becoming." Connect with Amy through her Realign and Reset Masterclass or Pause and Pivot coaching program to continue your journey toward professional alignment and fulfillment.

Mentioned during the show: 

 

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay connected and get updates! Thanks for listening to the Graced to Lead Podcast.


Belinda Gaston:

Are you feeling stuck in your career or sensing that it's time for a change, but not sure what's next? Listen. In today's episode, I'm joined by Amy Krymkowski, a career and leadership coach, who helps professionals navigate transitions. So keep listening as we talk about signs of misalignment, moving from comfort to growth and how to make intentional, faith-aligned career moves that lead to fulfillment. You don't want to miss this one. Welcome to the Graced to Lead podcast. I am Belinda Gaston, your host, and listen.

Belinda Gaston:

If you are a woman who leads in the boardroom, the church or your home, you are in the right place. On this podcast, you'll hear real conversations, practical insights and biblical encouragement to help you lead boldly and walk confidently in your God-given purpose. So are you ready? Let the journey begin. Welcome to the Graced to Lead podcast. I am Belinda Gaston, your host, and listen. I am so excited about our guest today. We have none other than Amy Krymkowski with us.

Belinda Gaston:

Let me just tell you a little bit about Amy. She's a career and leadership coach. She's a facilitator with over a decade of experience guiding professionals through pivotal transitions and leadership growth. She specializes in helping leaders and expert professionals in midlife who feel stuck. Can anybody relate to that Feeling stuck, stagnant or unfulfilled. She helps them to pause, reflect and reconnect with what matters most, and now more than ever. I think this is a timely conversation. She does that by addressing mental and emotional barriers that block action. She empowers her clients to realign with their values, rediscover their purpose and take bold strategic steps towards more meaningful work and lives.

Belinda Gaston:

Amy is the founder of Better Path Coaching and she blends holistic insight with actionable strategies to help her clients lead with intention, fulfillment and lasting impact. Amy is an ICF professional certified coach and holds an integral coach certification from New Ventures West. She also has a master's degree in human resources and labor relations and a certification in group coaching. Amy is an expert here and we are so happy to have you, amy. How impressive, I'm telling you. The time is now for us to hear you and we are so excited that you are here. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Amy Krymkowski:

Thank you, belinda. I'm excited to be here and I look forward to having this conversation and just hopefully giving some great ideas, advice, suggestions for your listeners so that they can feel seen and heard and motivated to take a step forward for their career, their future and really get closer to joy and happiness, as opposed to the doldrums that I think we're experiencing right now, unfortunately.

Belinda Gaston:

We all need that and I think it's beneficial for us to start a little bit talking about you. Tell us a little bit about you and if you've experienced a major pivot or shift that shaped your perspective, yeah, it's interesting.

Amy Krymkowski:

I actually often describe my path of really becoming a coach as a series of life stages and key events that led me to lean into what I already had natural curiosity and a deep desire to really serve others wholeheartedly. So a little bit about me is that I was adopted at about five weeks old and it was a transracial adoption. So my parents are Caucasian, but my adoptive parents were white, one was white and one was black essentially and I was raised in a racially segregated environment until age six, and that really sparked an early sense of wonder around my own identity. Right, I remember just kind of wondering who am I? I don't really look a lot like some of the people that are raising me or in my family. Why was I given up for adoption and who will I become? And that curiosity has not really ever really left me. And as I grew I realized that my strengths because I have a brother who's also adopted and he's somebody who excels in like the STEM areas, the traditional STEM areas science, math, technology, etc. And those weren't really my strengths Mine were more in line with humans understanding people, being very curious about them, being able to build trust and making connections.

Amy Krymkowski:

It took me a while to be able to see these gifts in myself and, as a result of that, I was really drawn to work with people in a way to help that would allow me to bridge gaps and really witness people more fully and create space for growth. And I did that in a few different ways. In terms of pivots, I started in social services, I moved into human resources and then I moved to coaching. For me, it took a series of events for me to realize this theme of that. I really wanted to be a person of service, and I will say that one of the major turning points for me was when I worked in the outplacement industry.

Amy Krymkowski:

So, prior to me working full time as a coach, I worked for a company in the industry where, just like today, when employers and companies lay people off, they often hire companies to come in and provide support, transition services, coaching, resume help, things like that.

Amy Krymkowski:

And I did that prior to working for myself, and what I saw were just how many professionals were so focused on doing their you know doing the job, reaching the goals, you know fulfilling their responsibilities, and they were so focused on performing that they had lost sight of who they were becoming, and so when somebody faced a layoff, it was like the parachute just got pulled for them. They didn't pull their own parachute, somebody else did, and so they were suddenly feeling faced with lots of questions that they hadn't had the space to ask before that, and that experience taught me that transformation often begins with a pause and with reassessing what you truly need and then shifting this way of doing to being, and so now that's what I do is I want to help others navigate that same shift, of course with more compassion, with clarity and with a wholehearted approach to their personal and professional change.

Belinda Gaston:

That is amazing and I'm so glad that you shared your story. I think that there are people who can resonate with feeling asking those questions who am I, where do I belong, why am I different? Even in sharing that your brother, for instance, was the person that excelled in STEM, when you are in spaces where people are excelling at things, you often compare yourself Well, maybe I should excel, or why am I not excelling? And so I love that. I also love that you said, amy, that the doing and the being. That's huge, because I think, as leaders, we kind of get in the motion of we have to do the things. That's the way we measure success as leaders, and your invitation for us to pause and say wait, what should I be? Not necessarily what should I do, but who am I and how does that connect?

Amy Krymkowski:

Yeah, it has a lot to do too with this idea of because we're busy doing. You know, time is passing and we wake up and we may not take the moment, take the time to assess the fact that who we were when we started isn't the same person as we are today. And when we're busy, I have lots of clients that are high achievers. They're going after those goals, they're reaching milestones, they're doing amazing work, but it's on to the next. There's no pause to celebrate or it doesn't happen at all. And, more importantly, how much reflection is happening in between? And so I share this, because these are key components of the work that I do when I'm supporting people. To start transition, to then navigate transition, is that it requires us to come back to ourselves and to recognize the opportunity to really listen more deeply to our true longings and what we want and what we value.

Belinda Gaston:

Yes, I love it. So one of the things that you said was that the pivot doesn't necessarily happen with one thing, like there may be multiple things happening that indicate that something needs to change right, and so I want to talk about that. And I think when I worked with you and so for those who are listening, I actually worked with Amy in her masterclass and hopefully she'll talk about that at the end of our interview today but it's that feeling kind of an inner nudge, almost, like something is just not quite right. I don't know what it is right, and I think that there may be leaders that are experiencing that. And so are there signs that people have when they're having this inner nudge, when it may be time to pivot. What are some of those common signs that people may experience?

Amy Krymkowski:

Yes, I love this question and it's so important because it's easy to just keep it moving. You know we hear that expression a lot and keeping it moving might mean that we're avoiding or we're not acknowledging something. So one of the biggest indicators that it's time for a professional visit is a deep sense of misalignment. That's something we talk about in my masterclass right. That can show up in emotional ways feeling drained, unmotivated, anxious. Maybe it's even feeling numb, just kind of existing in the world. Or it could be behavioral patterns like procrastination, avoidance or struggling to make decisions effectively. As a leader, I often ask my clients does this role fuel you or drain you? And that simple question can reveal a lot. So when your work is aligned to what truly matters, to you your values, strengths and purpose, you tend to feel energized and motivated.

Amy Krymkowski:

But when there's a disconnect, it can lead to stagnation, burnout or a growing sense that something just isn't working anymore, and that's when it's time to pause and get curious. I also think that what holds people back from making the shift, even when they feel the pull, often comes down to fear Fear of unknown, fear of not being good enough, even fear of success. So these fears create the inner narratives. Like you know, gosh, I've already invested too much to walk away. I hear that a lot from senior leaders that are at the top of their game. Or they've been able to really accomplish things that they want. They call that sort at the top of their game. Or they've been able to really accomplish things that they want. They call that sort of the sunk cost fallacy. This idea, like I've already invested enough, I can't just leave, I can't just walk away. Or maybe another question of you know what, if I can't figure this out which often can show up for some as imposter syndrome, where they just don't believe that they have the capabilities, the strengths, the skills to actually take the step in the direction of a pivot.

Amy Krymkowski:

So you talked about my masterclass. That's what I do in my realign and reset your career is. I have a tool called the alignment assessment that really helps people reflect on really six key areas their ability to learn the culture of the company, what is meaning and purpose. Visibility are they being recognized and seen? The ability to balance the demands of work, the demands of home and, more importantly, what is their team or collegial relationships like. So, whether there's dissatisfaction or misalignment in one of these areas, it's a signal that a change may be needed. The best part that I would add here, though, is I think that the good news is you don't have to have all the answers to start. You just need the courage to listen to these whispers before they become like a roar.

Belinda Gaston:

You said a lot and I want to go back to a few of those things. For me, one of my aha moments was when you said one of the signs was procrastination. And I didn't associate my procrastination with certain tasks, certain work responsibilities as perhaps a feeling of misalignment. And so the signs that you gave about procrastination, about not being energized, I think those are really great signs and I appreciate that you are encouraging us to kind of step back and look at that.

Belinda Gaston:

You also talk about the decision fatigue and not being able to make a decision could be tied to this misalignment. And then you talked about this fear and the feeling of, well, I've put so much time into this, I can't change now. And I want to talk about that a little bit, because I hear that a lot from leaders who are considering making a change. Somehow, amy, it's well, I've put so much time into this, or I've finally reached this particular level or this particular job title or whatever it is, and so can you talk a little bit about that? What is the value of moving forward, or at least what you'd say, of being curious about that, despite all you've poured into a particular place, a particular business, an organization, a ministry, whatever it is, what would you say? The value of pushing past that is.

Amy Krymkowski:

I would just say in a nutshell is that our mindset can play a huge role in what happens in transition, and so the fear factor there's this beautiful, when I was thinking about some things to talk about is this model I'm just pulling it up, they call it it moving from a place of comfort to a place of growth, and there's what we call the comfort zone, and that's where what we do is safe and familiar to us. So somebody who's highly experienced, who has lots of accolades and expertise in an area they're being told regularly you're great, you're wonderful, they're in a beautiful comfort zone and that's a beautiful place to be. But when you want to think about moving and evolving, that's something I want to talk a little bit about today. Evolution is that the longer we stay in the comfort zone, the larger that potential for the fear to change grows. Because who doesn't want to be comfortable? And as humans we're sort of wired that way we like comfort, we don't like to be stretched.

Amy Krymkowski:

But what's important to think about is that we need to move to the growth zone, and the growth zone means that we first have to get through the fear zone before we can get to the learning zone. And following, the learning zone becomes the growth zone. So the fear zone is coming up with excuses, all the reasons why we can't do something. Oh, I'm too this, I'm too that, or I've invested all this time, I'm too old. People can fill that in however they want, but really, yes, when we're in the fear zone, we're lacking in self-confidence. We may be experiencing some doubt, but really, for us to get closer to the growth zone, which is where we can thrive, where we can stretch, where we build and become more capable, is that we have to look at how can we move to the learning zone. So the learning zone sort of sits between the fear and the growth. It's the learning that's in the middle, and so what's beautiful about the learning zone is that we learn first how to deal with challenges that might be coming up as we see them as problems. Or maybe it's how we learn to extend our comfort so that we can stretch just a little bit right.

Amy Krymkowski:

Extend our comfort so that we can stretch just a little bit right. What's it like? 10% even? And acquiring new skills? And as we acquire new skills, what do we see? We see that we have capacity. We actually we come reconnected to or re-familiarized with our strengths, we just might see our strengths in action in a different way, and so I think that's really important that we move from this idea of I need to be comfortable, safe and secure to what does it mean to grow and extend. And so, when we think about making a pivot, that's what's required. Growth is required. Growth is what's calling us. When we're there, we can set new goals, we can really conquer the things that we want. We can have vision to the direction for which we want to go to.

Belinda Gaston:

Thank you for sharing that, and I just I have a question for our audience. Are you putting comfort over growth? That's something to think about. Are you putting comfort over growth? And so I think that is important.

Amy Krymkowski:

When we step out of comfort we actually begin to build our confidence. I call them the three C's. The things that I see the most people when they're in that comfort zone is they lack clarity because when they're thinking about what's next, they don't maybe know. They lack confidence and they lack courage.

Belinda Gaston:

Wow, the three C's.

Amy Krymkowski:

And so stepping out of your comfort zone begins to help you to build your confidence. You start to test and try and see things that are working for you, that you didn't know that you could do. But oh look, I did it and that really happened. And we can't negate truth. For many people, especially adults, the best way we learn is by doing, not by consuming and reading. It's literally by doing, because that's an experience, a felt experience that we've had. I think it also helps us to then create opportunities. We create new opportunities for ourselves when we begin to move out of comfort and move more towards growth, and the last thing it can do is that alone can fuel our ability to advance or move in whatever direction that might be.

Amy Krymkowski:

I want to be clear. I've worked with lots of leaders who are at the top of their game. There might even be at the C-suite, and they may be at a point in their life where they're like you know what I'd like to decelerate. So I'm not looking to add on more, I'd like to release and take on less. I still want to be in charge, I still want to lead, but I'd like to do less. That is also an opportunity for growth. Growth can be horizontal. Growth can mean I'm releasing something to create space for something new.

Belinda Gaston:

Thank you for clarifying that, because I do think it's important for us to say it's okay if you are comfortable, but if you feel, as if there are these inner nudges that Amy talked about, that there are these signs that perhaps you're out of alignment and you're holding on to comfort because you're afraid of the growth, the stretch, the change, then this is all really good advice to help you move forward.

Belinda Gaston:

I would like to pause for a second, though, to just put the scenario out that we're experiencing right now, amy, and so we do have people who are being forced to change right, maybe they've lost a job and I know that you said earlier that part of what you used to do was help people without placement services or their next step services but some people are in this space right now where their careers, as they know it, because of environmental circumstances, political circumstances, however you want to say it has changed. They've been furloughed, they've been impacted by reductions in force, their companies have changed, whatever it is, and so, while they may have been in alignment when they were working, they're in this place where it's wait. I not only have to find another job, but maybe this is an opportunity for me to pivot, and so I'll ask you for a moment to share some advice for those people. How do you pivot when you may have been forced to change and you didn't have this moment to really reflect? What advice would you give to people in that situation?

Amy Krymkowski:

Well, in the world of coaching, I used to use a, I still use it. It's a model. I'll talk about a model. And then I want to talk about how and what you can do when you're sort of in that in between, because the reality is is that when we make a shift, we're I always say transition is between. So you have point A and point B and the transition is the space between.

Amy Krymkowski:

I think that people think of transition and they just think I just got to get to B. That's the tender part of this whole picture. But before I mention that, I have a graphic that I can't show you right now, but it's about what we call the three phases of change or the change curve. Because there's truly what we call the five stages of change, which is that when somebody's thinking about a change, there's typically the pre-contemplation stage. So they didn't know that they were going to be told hey, we're going to no longer need your services, or your position is no longer going to be available, and so there was not even an awareness of recognizing that something might happen. Contemplation could be acknowledging that you know, I think I might want to change, or, in this case, contemplation was kind of forced upon them because it wasn't self-selected. It was told right, you were solid told. Is that one phrase?

Belinda Gaston:

I've heard.

Amy Krymkowski:

So you've acknowledged that there's a problem, but you're not ready to act. Preparation means, okay, I'm going to start to get ready to change, action means I'm actively changing. And then maintenance I've made the change. How do I keep this going? Those are five stages of change. I want to mention it because it's important for people to remember that change takes place over time and that there are stages. There's also, though, the emotional element of what happens during this process, and that's where the change curve comes in and we have sort of the loss your listeners, who may be in roles in the federal government where they were just told, or they read about it on the news, or however it was haphazardly communicated.

Amy Krymkowski:

What I want to do is acknowledge that the feelings that may happen in the beginning, of anything from denial, anxiety, shock, confusion that is all par for the course, or another way of saying it is it's normal to experience these emotions. That's important, because what happens is, as time passes, there will become some time where you have to move towards acceptance, become some time where you have to move towards acceptance, and I think that that can be very hard and difficult and triggering for people, but the ability so you may need to get through, be upset, have anger, have fear, like what we've been talking about, maybe avoiding, procrastinating or even something and what we want to get to is what we call the ability to recognize that. You know what. I'm past that initial shock, but I'm not quite to where I find clarity and that's where we call that second period sort of exploration, all right.

Amy Krymkowski:

I have energy, I'm realizing I need to make a change, but I don't know what direction. I don't have a destination, I'm not sure what to do, and this is where it's a balance Creat do I do it right? We fall in the how hole a lot, but as we can start to accept where we are and we can get the support and the help that we need, we can begin to move towards what's going to be our next step or our new beginning. And that's when the sense of hopelessness begins to fade. We begin to start to see movement. We might notice that our anxiety levels are less and we begin to trust the process and have even more enthusiasm about what's next, the future, what's ahead.

Amy Krymkowski:

I'm spending time here because people may vacillate through these areas, meaning it's not this linear process that it goes from here to here. You may find that you're back in shock and fear, but at the end of the day, what's important is to acknowledge that, as humans, we have an emotional reaction to change as well as the actual process of change, and they are aligned and they exist together. And when we can acknowledge that, we can to some extent normalize the reality of the experience, the beautiful thing about the world we're in today is there's an array of people like me who want to help and support, but one of the best things that individuals can be doing is recognizing they're not crazy, that it's normal and okay to have these experiences emotionally, so that it can then help lead them and guide them towards what's next. And as you incorporate that with the work. That's the beauty of transition and this is part of the experience.

Belinda Gaston:

Yeah, and it's almost like what I heard you say. I mean, there was a lot there as far as how we go through this process. But I hope, listeners, you're hearing this permission to feel what you're feeling as you choose your actions. I have someone who I admire says that all the time, if you feel the feeling, you choose the behavior, and it's something I've adopted.

Amy Krymkowski:

But it's okay to feel and it's okay to vacillate, it's okay to feel as if, okay, I'm ready, now I move forward, and then to find yourself the next day back right, amy, it's so important because I always like to say there's the process side of change and then there's the tactical side and there are coaches who I would say are more their services and gifts are to help you with the tactical. So what's my brand? Who am I? What can I do? How do I articulate this on a LinkedIn profile? How do I articulate this in a resume? The tactical things.

Belinda Gaston:

What am I?

Amy Krymkowski:

going to say in the interview, the interview process, networking, all these things. There's always the opportunity for something to not go the way you expected For you to have five interviews and then you get crickets and you find out the company hired somebody else.

Amy Krymkowski:

It's a messy period. So the ability to your point of waking up and saying today's going to be a better day and, more importantly, what were the lessons learned that I gained from that last experience, how do I leverage what I'm learning? When you're in transition, having a capacity for learning agility means that we can embrace. There's a lot we may not know and we may not meet every milestone or expectation that we set, but as we're moving through our journey, we are learning and we can leverage our learning to help us to refine, to help us to iterate. I like this phrase iterate your way to awesome, right, so we flex and we become more agile.

Amy Krymkowski:

One of the most tender parts of transition is this in-between stage, so that moment of being told the role is no longer available to I have something new. There's a whole lot that happens in the in-between. They call it the messy middle in some models that I've heard, when you've outgrown what was but you haven't fully stepped into what's next. And I've really coached, particularly women, to honor this space and to not rush it. It really requires a mindset shift from a sense of urgency, to trust, and I think this may be a little bit of where your sense of having a sense of faith and belief. That's where we have to acknowledge that some things that happen in our lives are unseen, we can't know, and we don't know that because we live in a culture that celebrates action.

Amy Krymkowski:

But I believe there's power in the pause. Pause is where clarity begins and it's where we can reconnect to who we are becoming, and that identity shift can take time. So I have a framework that I use a lot. I'll just call it really quickly. It's reflect, no-transcript. It could mean trying out new things or noticing what fuels our energy and what drains our energy right. So, as I mentioned before, we grow through iteration and I think that that's a really key point, and there's been studies and research about how do adults make transitions and learn. It's not so much about the how, it's more about the what. What are we trying? What's new? What are we experimenting with?

Amy Krymkowski:

I had a client, a gentleman that I worked with years ago. He had been laid off from a company and I'll just share this story. He had been working in a big, big role where he had a big team and he was leading and managing right, kind of making a lot of decisions, and I remember he and his wife decided that when it was, he had worked at a company for a good time, so he had a fairly decent package, severance package and they decided that it was going to be time that he wanted. He wanted to retire, and so they relocated. They left the West, they moved to a new state and he was rebuilding.

Amy Krymkowski:

And one of the things that he did, which really helped to lead and guide him toward a new opportunity that he never expected he would take, is he started doing things that he had always wanted to do. So he went and volunteered in this restaurant in his new community. He met the owner and it was through that experience that guess what happened. While he was being a shorter cook, he started noticing the processes that were happening in the restaurant and kind of why the owner's restaurant wasn't doing so well. I forgot to mention one of his expertise was process.

Amy Krymkowski:

He was an engineer, he was really good at that and so, yeah, that would be important to mention. The reason I'm mentioning this is because while he was experimenting, he was reconnected to his gifts, his talents and his strengths, and that is to look at something and say how do we make this better, more efficient and, in this case, better for the business owner so that he could grow and get more customers into his restaurant. From that experience, that's when he said you know what? I don't know, that I'm fully ready to just hand all that over, but what I do know is I don't want the big job anymore, I'd like to be the advisor to the leader. And so he started talking to somebody in his new community. He got connected to a nonprofit organization. The executive director at this nonprofit met him and she loved the way he saw things. She loved how he could, you know, see something that was broken and recommend solutions. Why am I sharing that? Because what happened is, when he allowed himself to explore, he got reconnected to what he really loves. And then he was able to say and I don't want to be the executive director, I'd rather be her right hand, and it was a female, actually executive director, his new boss.

Amy Krymkowski:

So not only did he find that he wasn't really ready to fully retire. He found and fell back in love with what his gifts and talents were in a way that he would have never seen in a structured kind of job, in a way that he would have never seen in a structured kind of job, but through just going off, on a whim of you. Know, I've always wanted to do something, and now that I have time and that's, I think, the beauty of where grace and faith come in right, it's this notion of what, if I just allow myself, give myself permission to do something that I've always wanted to do, I never had the time before. I can't tell you how much I hear that from people. It's hard to see in the beginning of the loss, because we're in that sort of emotional state. It's hard for people sometimes to see the benefits of the space, having the space to explore and it's, and so whenever I work with somebody I always say please don't not take advantage of this time. You've said you wanted to write a book, do it now. You said you wanted to take that trip or whatever. You have a severance, do it now.

Amy Krymkowski:

There's beauty and evolution and reconnection that happens in the spaciousness, but we have to give ourselves permission to do that. And if you're somebody who might say, well, I don't have the ability to do that, I don't have the funds, maybe it's not a trip, it could just be you journal for 10 minutes. It could be doing breath work. Creating spaciousness is what we all need because it allows us to settle, and then that's when clarity can exist.

Amy Krymkowski:

But without it, I think that what people stay in is that state of anxiety. They stay there and they build upon the what ifs. Well, what if this and what if that and what if this? The what-ifs are going to keep us in a state of anxiety. But if we could change that on the dime and say, what will I do? How will I embrace this? What if I just allow these other things to happen? So, changing maybe that nerve a bit can be valuable. I want to share also the reality of being human is that sometimes we aren't always right. Sometimes we need to listen to the inner voice, to that deeper message, and those messages come in signs, right. Something doesn't quite go the way we want it to. Maybe there's a reason for that.

Belinda Gaston:

Right.

Amy Krymkowski:

Let's not assume that that was, you know, a barrier. Maybe that was an open door that we just didn't realize, because our brain wants to tell us it's something else, right? Maybe that's a good thing that it didn't happen.

Belinda Gaston:

Yes, I love it. I love it. This was so good. Thank you for sharing. I just think that story was amazing, amy, about your client, and it actually gave me encouragement and hope. So let's talk a little bit about integrating our faith. You touched on this a little bit, but are there practical ways that you would tell our listeners that they can incorporate their faith in their decision making when they're in this space?

Amy Krymkowski:

their decision-making when they're in this space. One of the things that I want to say to your listeners is that I've learned that faith doesn't always show up as certainty. Sometimes it's the decision to move forward without it right. That's when moments of stillness or surrender really become essential. One of the most powerful experiences that I've had was during silent meditation retreat. This is where you kind of go off the grid, you are observing noble silence and you are moving through the world without speaking. And what I found is it took me nearly three days to fully drop down from my head to my heart and body, but once I did, I could truly listen, and that's when clarity emerges. So in my coaching, I integrate practices that support this kind of deeper listening. These are simple, inclusive practices. I've mentioned some already mindful breathing, maybe journaling but asking even deeper, reflective questions can be really valuable.

Amy Krymkowski:

I'd like to share a few with your listeners who may be experiencing transition or questioning what's next? So the first is what am I being invited to? Let go of what's asking to be trusted, even if it's not fully formed Right? And another one is where am I being called to move with courage, not certainty. To move with courage, not certainty, and so, in this case, faith becomes more of an anchor, not a prescription, but a way of being that allows for uncertainty, growth and grace, and for many of my clients that shift from needing all the answers to trusting the right. Next step is where the real transformation begins yeah, we need all that.

Belinda Gaston:

I need to know exactly. Lord, tell me where I'm going to be, what I'm going to be wearing, how am I going to do it? That's a really great point to cut to just when we get out of that place of wanting all the answers and just needing the certainty and just that's.

Belinda Gaston:

That's really really good, right. So we're going to wrap up. I feel like this went by so fast, but are there any practical tools or advice you'd like to share beyond what you've already shared? What you've already shared, and are there final things that you'd like to say to our listener, to that leader who is in the middle of transition, who may recognize that there's a pivot or have been forced to make a pivot? Are there any final thoughts you'd have to share with our listeners around those things?

Amy Krymkowski:

Yes, a couple of things. One is, I think that when women sense a transition is near but they're not sure where to start, I know that many of your listeners who've been impacted through the changes at the federal government level, the transitions here whether we wanted it to have that happen or not, the parachute was pulled. But being unsure of where to start is real and I always say start with curiosity, not pressure. One simple first step is to just pause and check in with what I call your internal compass, the sage power of navigate. That means it's part of you that knows how to make a decision that's aligned with your deeper values and your long-term vision, even when it's the next step can feel foggy With the Navigate Power. What we do is we in time and we imagine what would our wiser elder self say to us? So imagine myself at, let's say, age 90. When I think about the moment I'm in right now, what would my wiser elder self tell me? That's the ability to listen to our internal compass. Because often what people say is oh my gosh, this moment I'm in is just a moment. It's not the full definition of who I am. But this is important why I like supporting clients in clarifying their values, because those values become the filter through which you make aligned choices. When you know what truly matters to you whether that's creativity, stability, impact or freedom you can start making small decisions that point you in that direction. So getting clear on value that can be done through assessment, that can be done through conversation. Value clarity is key when you're just getting started Believing in the ability that you have an internal compass that can let you know more about the direction you want to go in, but then getting clear about what direction that is and start to make small decisions that point you in that direction.

Amy Krymkowski:

One last thing is to also consider journaling, which is you know, where in my professional life do I feel most energized? When has that happened in my professional life? Do I feel most energized? When has that happened and where did I notice myself feeling the opposite, feeling more drained? That can also be a really beautiful way to reconnect yourself with your vitality and begin moving from stuck to curious right. So getting more curious about what led to that energy, what was going on for me at the time when I was in that position or in that role or at that company? Was it my teammates? Was it my boss? Was it my work? What was it?

Amy Krymkowski:

See who gain momentum as they begin to step in and call in. What they want from this point is that they show up. So that's really key because it's in. You know, we talked earlier about being driven by fear, and when we get driven by fear, it's easy to operate then or stay in isolation, and that's probably the worst thing to do. People who show up, they stay in dialogue, they seek out feedback, they seek out support, they stay open to the process even when it's uncertain, and their willingness to stay connected to themselves and the work is what creates the clarity over time. Patience is key, but not allowing ourselves to fall prey to fear and fall prey to isolation. That does not help us.

Amy Krymkowski:

So what I'd want to say that, could you know, that may encourage your listeners is for women listening who feel stuck or scared or uncertain. I just want you to hear. You are not broken. You are simply in a season of becoming. There's something in you that knows it's time for change, even if you can't name it yet, but there's that yearning that you may feel right. That's your wisdom speaking. It's not to pressure you, but to invite you. This is an invitation for you to slow down and listen and give yourself radical permission to want something more. So just remember you don't have to leap today, but you do deserve to begin.

Belinda Gaston:

I think that is a great place for us to end, amy. There's a lot to digest here. I think that taking some time to reflect on the questions that Amy posed and even that invitation to start today is really good, and I know that I found value in it. Listen, if you want to stay in touch with Amy, I'd like for Amy for you to tell us how can we connect with you and share anything that you're working on that our listeners might find valuable. Sure.

Amy Krymkowski:

And thank you for the opportunity just to share some of those important nuggets. Ways to stay in touch with me is I have a mailing list and I'll make sure to provide you with that, but it's wwwamykronkowskicom slash. Let's stay connected with some dashes in between, so I want to make sure I send that to you, belinda, so you can share that. I want to share updates and events and reflective prompts, ways to help people stay, you know, guided and supported in what they're going through. Right, meeting you where you are.

Amy Krymkowski:

I also offer a masterclass, which you mentioned, my Realign your Career Reset Masterclass. I just got done offering it in March in honor of Women's History Month, and so I'm going to be looking to redo it again, either this later this spring or in the summer. So another way to say if you stay connected with me, you'll learn about that. And lastly, I have a group coaching program called Pause and Pivot, and so those are really for people who feel like it's really designed for professionals and leaders who are really ready to start aligning their work with what truly matters. So things that I'm saying today you're like yep, yep, yep, I'm all good, I'm ready. That's a six-week coaching program, pause and Pivot, and I'll be offering and sharing with you, belinda, the link for the wait list for that, so that I can begin to communicate with you to tell you more. So, no matter really where you are on your journey, just remember, clarity comes through movement, right, and you don't have to do it alone.

Belinda Gaston:

Excellent and for our listeners. I will put in the show notes all of the information that Amy shared, so you'll be able to find the link on how to stay in touch with her. Information about pause and pivot coaching program, as well as her masterclass, will all be there. So thank you again, Amy, for sharing. I think this is very helpful for those who are in transition, who are considering a pivot, who may feel a nudge and not know where to start. I think you gave some great information. Thank you for being on with us today and for our listeners, thank you for tuning into the Graced to Lead podcast. I appreciate you supporting us with season two. If you found this helpful, I'm going to ask that you do a couple things. One is, if you're listening to this on a podcast platform, go ahead and subscribe to the show so that you can get all of our notifications and also share this with others. Share this with others that you think might find value in the Graced to Lead podcast. So thank you again. Thank you, Amy, for being here.

Amy Krymkowski:

Thank you, belinda. Thank you for the opportunity. I'm hoping some of those key messages just around change how we change and really giving ourselves the space to evolve.

Belinda Gaston:

Thank you. Thank you and thank you again for listening to the Graced to Lead podcast. Until next time, remember, you are indeed graced to lead. Bye-bye.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Belinda Gaston

Host