Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Couple of Nukes. As always, I'm your host, Mr. Whiskey. And if you're just listening, not watching, I am exuding a radiant glow. That's a little hint to today's topic, glow leadership. This is not me saying I'm a divine being. I just wanted to put that out there.I'm not claiming to be Jesus. But I am glowing because when you Are a successful leader or business owner or just wherever you are in life You're almost glowing with with success and energy And we have a guest today who is going to help you do that who is going to help you thrive and to most importantly Optimize and perfect what you're doing because so many of us are successful, but it's at the cost of our health, of our work life balance.We are succeeding, but we haven't optimized it. You know, it's working, but it can be better. And we're here with someone who can make it better. A speaker, an author, a life coach, Ms. Diane Taylor. It's so great to have you here. And would you please tell us a little bit about yourself? First of all, thank you so much for having me.I did notice that your beautiful glow does very much resemble the cover of my book. So thank you for that. Um, I'm Diane Taylor. I'm the founder and principal of Glow Leadership. And I'm very passionate about helping people reach their highest potential. And like Mr. Whiskey said, not at the cost of our health and our well being.And, you know, we've really become a success driven culture in North America, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, we're missing the part where we have the balance so that we don't create the reality of what we're in today, a stressed out society. You know, a very unhealthy, unwell society. Um, that, that, you know, the disease rates are going up through the roof, you know, we are in a mental health crisis, you know, it's a kind of sad state for the cost.And what I do is I help people find the way to success through optimizing their wholeness and their balance. Yeah, it really resonates with me what you said because Maybe two months ago about we did an episode called the Unexpected consequences of overworking where we talked about these symptoms and physical ailments that can result from overworking We had a guest who ended up hospitalized because you know stress we talked about cancer and its relation to work to You know, bed sores to stiffness to all these little tiny things that add up over time that you might not notice And so I'd love for you to talk about how you got to where you are today Give us a little backstory on you and how you were able to Optimize and thrive and now be in a position to help others do so Absolutely.So it's a it's kind of a two fold Combination of both my career, but also my personal story. So, as an HR professional in the corporate world for 20 years, and now in my own business, being a strategic HR consultant with several businesses, I have the privilege of being at the table when promotional decisions are being made.And what the pattern seems to be is, There's a disconnect between what people think they need to do to get promoted versus what the reality is. And so people think, oh, I just got to go get that extra MBA or extra certification and then I'll be good enough to get the promotion or if I just do my job better than anyone else, or if I work more hours than anyone else.But that's not what is holding people back. What's holding people back is their inability to create influence, buy in, build a team that actually gets results is what is holding people back. And my philosophy on that is that it goes back to our unhealed emotional wounds. And those unhealed emotional wounds create impacts in our life.So if I take my own story, I had a normal family growing up, beautiful family, and I was the second born. I had an older sister who was 14 months older than me that took care of me, spoke for me. She was the boss. And I just was living my happy life, being all taken care of and all adored. And when I was just before my fourth birthday My sister died of cancer.So in that whole experience, my world turned upside down and I felt very alone and I felt like I had no control. Fast forward 13 years to the age of 17. And at that time I thought, well, if I found my sister's birth certificate, I could get into the bars and go to the bars early with my friends because where I live, the drinking age was 18.I didn't find the birth certificate. I found a book of sympathy cards. And that blew up my world. That was the grenade in my life. And within the next three months, I tried to commit suicide three times. I never processed my grief. I never processed the emotion that I experienced because people in that era thought that I was just too young to notice or to know what that would be.So, at that age, after three attempts, I started my healing journey, which I've been on ever since. But there's still things in the way I show up or have shown up over the years based on that experience, like being a control freak and being a high achiever because of the survivor's guilt. You know, she didn't get to live, so I have to be the very best I can be to be worthy to be the one that got to stay.Those impacts on the way I over control, I don't want the rug pulled from out of me. Again, the way it shows up in my relationships, um, you know, I've been divorced twice. That's impacted my personal relationships as well. It's because I didn't do the healing. So that has really informed me much more from a holistic perspective in terms of.We are not just physical bodies with minds that think, think, strategize, strategize, work, work, work. But in North America, we've been uber focused on the physical and the mental parts of us. The differentiation happens in the emotional and spiritual or your belief, whatever your beliefs are and your connection to something bigger than yourself and your emotions.If we approach life with our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well being, we're unstoppable. So in my book, I actually walk people through a process. To help them, um, unfold, unpack and actually heal some of those pieces so that they can be set up to have the everything they desire and deserve in life.So I just want to go back to make sure I'm understanding properly. You said you found sympathy cards. Is that correct? Yes. Yeah. What, what are those as in like people who had wrote to your sister when she had cancer? Those were cards that were given to my parents after my sister died and my mother had this red binder that she had pasted them all in that back in the day they had these scrapbooks and so she kept all of those sympathy cards and Had had this book set aside Okay, and so I'm trying to stand what about it had affected you so much you just Realized like the the sorrow and grief around your sister's death that you hadn't processed Beforehand Yeah, like we just soldiered on, right?We just carried on and in the moment reading through, you know, a sympathy card and it just took me back to right directly to the emotion and the grief and what we, not just me, but my mother and father experienced at that time and it just, I didn't know how to process it. It was all there stored somewhere within me.Right. Right. And it just kind of burst and overtook me and brought me to a really dark place. Right. No, I understand that. So, but you talked about how you healed from that eventually, how it affected your personal life. And you mentioned a book that you want to make as a guide for others, Elevate Potential.Could you please tell us about this book, you know, kind of what went into it and what people can get from it and really who should read it? Yeah, well this is my book Elevate Potential Conscious Approach to Success, and it's really for anybody that desires more in life that feels either out of balance or feels like they're very excited and know they can just achieve more, but they're not quite sure how.The first part of the book is My story and the Impacts. And then I go into some generalized things. And then the last quarter of it is it's more like a some exercises and things that will actually help people move towards and to create an intentional life where they feel happy and fulfilled. And that is where the success comes with ease, you know, like you said about the overwork thing, you know, I remember back in 2012, I was working for Canada's largest retailer at the time.And I had to lay off masses of people and I just got her done. I just, you know, made that happen and I didn't understand until later that that had a significant emotional toll on me, which started to manifest in my body and my couldn't sleep on one side of my body. We're all, there's all that connection within that.So I talk about that and I talk about the wholeness. how to unfold it so that success comes with ease. Yeah. And then on top of your book, I know you've developed a couple of different programs and courses. If you want to tell us just a little bit about what went into that and you know, what they're there for now.Yeah. So I am really passionate about creating learning opportunities that work well for people and actually can make change. So I have, um, My signature program, Blow Online, Elevate Leadership Performance, is usually done in groups of cohorts of about seven to eight people in each cohort that spends four months together.And it's a combination of online learning and group coaching calls and email individual. And then the students wrap up to do a presentation at the end. And that's it. There's wellness pieces built into that because that's my signature approach and the feedback that I get from students is that, wow, I've taken a lot of leadership programs over the years, but this one was different from me because it put me as a topic of learning.So, you know, I think the big, best leadership quality that really sets great leaders apart is self awareness. So that's one program. Then I have Thrive Women's Leadership Mastery, which is a four week program. Um, and then I have also coaching retainers and, and different packages like that. Yeah. Right. And so this is all under Glow Leadership.So. How did that branding come about that you chose the idea of, of glowing and glow leadership? Good question. Um, when I was deciding on my company name, I, you know, wrote down a lot of things and it was difficult for me to come up with a name that was authentically me. I came from the corporate world and the first iteration of, of glowleadership.com was like red and with some yellow in there because I thought, well, I'd have to show up as this, you know, firm results driven person, which I am, but there's this other side of me that is a very spiritual, that loves astrology, that sees the things that we can't see. And so now I'm much more whole and authentic.And glow is really reflected in that. So, first of all, um, there's some lyrics in a Katy Perry song, Firework, um, that refer to glow. Yeah. And I think of glow, you know, I think about the energy centers in the body, um, the chakras. And one of those centers, energy centers, is our solar plexus chakra, which is right in, right under our ribs.Right. Right. And that is our Chakra that is about our power, our personal power and our trust and, you know, our connection really to our divinity and our greatness. And when I think about that, and I look at you and I see, you know, the background, that's, that's glow. When we're stepping fully in our power and taking back our power instead of saying, Oh, well, I'm not here because of this, or there's a glass ceiling, or this happened to me in my life.Or. For me and we get into victim when we're glowing, we're champions, right? Know that each one of us has stuff in our life that life is hard, period. But it's how we look at that, how we reframe that, how we use that as a divine gift to create who we want to be and who we can be. Is that's where the magic happens.So that's where glow came from. Yeah, no, I completely agree. Like I said in the intro, it's kind of, you know, I was on a virtual event once and they were saying, you know, if you're good, you have to tell people you're good, but if you're great, people tell you you're great, you know, that kind of thing. And, and when you're glowing like that, and it doesn't obviously have to be a physical glow like this, but you kind of, you can just sense that energy and that and that confidence.And so, moving from that, we'll talk about your glow, uh, and, and what you're doing nowadays. I know you also work as a speaker, so. What kind of events do you speak at and who should look into having you as a speaker? I am really looking forward to 2025 to really ramp up my speaking career. So I'm looking to speak as a keynote speaker at different conferences.Anywhere, anywhere that someone needs a speaker that can ignite the fire, send their people away, feeling inspired and taking their power back to really own it and choose to create a better life. Um, you know, I'm very emotional person. Um, I'm very, um, vulnerable. So I do share. My story. Um, you know, I, I do evoke emotion from people.So and laughter like to have a good time too. So anybody that wants a speaker that really can touch their audience's hearts and maybe invoke the change, um, so that they leave, they're feeling inspired and want to move forward better from there. That would be who should contact me and I'd love to speak at their event.Yeah. And just. Thanks. Speaking of emotions and, you know, personalness, I know you talked about your suicidal ideation and attempts, and you mentioned survivor skill and kind of some of the thoughts that got you through that. What would be your biggest advice to people who are feeling suicidal, for whatever the reason may be, what would be your biggest advice to them right now?You know, whether, to both them and the loved ones around them. Yeah. Well, first of all is, I know that in that moment you can't see it. You don't see anything and it's hard to see something when the pain has you down that low and you just You're, you're swallowed up from that pain. So you need a lifeline.You need someone else to reach out to, um, to contact and, you know, there's, you know, different resources. And I don't know if the 988 or in, in the US, the number might be different, but reach out, um, and get the help because the, what your, your experience now and what you're seeing in your mind and what you're feeling in your mind.Every cell of your body can and will change, but you're not going to be able to do it by yourself. So reach out to the experts that will guide you. What the answer to get out of that space is different for everybody, but you have to just make one small step. Reach out for that lifeline and get on a path and there are better days ahead.I know that, you know. I went on to become the CEO of my own company and have two beautiful children that are thriving and, you know, I, I live my life in joy now. So, life is about dualities. When we feel something so deeply that we're in a position where we're having suicidal ideation, that means that the joy that is to come is so great.Because that duality will swing back in the other form, and that's yours to experience if you feel those emotions so deeply. So when you got this, hang in there, find that lifeline, because there's more. It's not the end. Thank you for that. I completely agree, you know, in that moment. And during that you're blinded by sorrow and anger and frustration and so many different emotions at once.Because I've been on other shows and on my show we discuss suicide and people will say, I can't believe it, you know, they had kids or a wife or a husband. And I say, they don't see any of that, you know, we don't see any of that. Uh, so it's definitely good to have some outside perspectives. Um, You know, to help you take a look at that and in life in general, when you're feeling frustrated with situations, it's always great to get some outside eyes and ears to look at the situation and help advise you, you know, be careful who you have advising your life, you know, but definitely take into consideration a lot of different options and opinions to make the most informed decision.And so, Diane, we're going to have your decision. website in the description below for everyone so they can check out your speaking, your book, your programs, and everything you have to offer. But in general, if you could leave us as we close off here with just some advice on how to optimize our successful lives or our lives that we are building up to be successful, what would be one work life balance, one work based kind of piece of advice you would want to leave us all with?Well, first of all, I just want to tail on to what you said about there. I want to also mention that, you know, the reality is our suicide rates in young men are crazy. And the challenge with young men is their brains are still developing their prefrontal cortex, which allows them to deal with their emotions is not fully developed yet.And yet our men and young and boys are young men and boys. Have been socialized to believe that they need to tough it up, be a man, you know, don't cry. So they struggle even more so, but we are changing. It is a new era. And for any of the young men out there, I just want to say there is strength in vulnerability.There is strength in reaching out. There's strength in processing and understanding your emotion. Because as you do that, you will become a better, stronger man than you ever were before. So, just that message for the, for the men. And then for everybody else. The biggest tip that I can give you is to take your power back.The answers all lie within you. And when we're leaning outside of ourselves, looking for the answers, we're off balance. So you know, there's exercises in my book, it's on Amazon, if that appeals to you, definitely reach out and get a copy and that will get you on a great path. But go within to find the answers because they're all there.You are a divinely created, beautiful human being, and you're meant to shine bright. Yeah, I completely agree with that. So, ladies and gentlemen, again, all the information is in the description below. Diane, thank you so much for coming on the show. I appreciate what you do and your vulnerability and strength in sharing what you went through.And sharing that I can, you know, sense and see the emotion when you speak and it, it is there. And I appreciate what you're doing to help others succeed in their lives and paying back and forward what you've been able to achieve. So thank you for coming on the show and sharing all of that. Thank you so much.It's been my pleasure. I appreciate you taking the time.
