Episode 295
Career Conversations with Molly Woodhull
EXTROVERSION
Generally, a person who recharges or at least feels better and more composed while among other people. At the same time, it is important to note that the time one needs for themselves is also important.
Misconceptions about meditation Teachers
Most people assume that meditation teachers have every part of their lives figured out. This could not be far from the truth; it is important to note that they too are humans and are prone to anxiety and other mental challenges of life. The difference is that in some way they can deal with stress and anxiety much better than an average person.
Proving yourself as a meditation Teacher in the corporate world
Dealing with the corporate world is a bit tough since you will need to go the extra mile of having to sell your expertise and deliver what is expected of you. You will be dealing with different people from different fields. On top of this, all these people will need to feel your value. In short, they will need to see or feel value for their money.
This becomes even harder since you will be dealing with different people or different roles in a company and thus the way you handle them each time is different.
Improving oneself
You will need to be able to concentrate on one thing at a time and not get distracted by other things or chores on your to-do list. This brings about a lot of discipline in whatever you decide to do. This can be boosted greatly by self-meditation.
Breath Awareness
This is breathing in and out deeply while being aware you are doing it. This can help you calm down greatly. In case you are about to face a difficult conversation or you are straight from one, this will help you calm down greatly. This can be called micro meditation.
Advantages of Meditation
Mediation will help you sleep better; you will be more aware of when your mind is wandering off and thus help you bring your thoughts into control. It helps with the nervous system since you are more composed and less stressed.
Know your limits
Know when to say no to people and listen to your body more. You need to know your limits and get enough time to recharge. Your body needs to develop more and get some rest when you can.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks and can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, rash, joint pain, and fatigue. If left untreated, it can cause serious health problems. It is important to protect yourself from tick bites by wearing insect repellent, long sleeves and pants when outdoors, and performing regular tick checks. If you think you may have been exposed to ticks and are experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Authenticity In Life
As a person, you need to understand that not being yourself is much more stressful than just being you and people accepting who you are. Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert you need to be more aware of who you are than who people want you to be
Is a hot dog a sandwich? (Joke)
Connect with Molly at woodhullwellness.com
Mentioned in this episode:
300th episode
My 300th episode is coming up soon and I would love to answer your questions. Send them to janice@thecareerintrovert.com
Transcript
Hello and welcome to The Traveling Introvert. And today, I am here with Molly as part of our Career conversations segment.
[:So hi, Molly.
[:Hello. Hello. So happy to be here.
[:I love that the radio voice came out. Okay, so I didn’t know you have a radio voice but you have a radio voice, Molly.
[:I chose the right profession in meditation and mindfulness.
[:That makes sense. So, can you tell us a little bit about yourself before we get going?
[:Absolutely. So, again, my name is Molly Woodhall. I'm the founder of a corporate wellness company that I developed in 2017. We provide mindfulness, meditation and movement to people and corporations across the world. Our goal is realistic self-care. So, we want to support you to be a healthier, happier human, to show up fully at work, communicate effectively, perform productively, while also feeling less stressed.
[:Oh, the dream. And I could listen to your voice even as you were talking, I could feel my eyes just lift. Okay, so first question that I ask everybody is, “Hey Molly, do you consider yourself to be an introvert?”
[:No, I'm an extrovert for sure. But I'm often around introvert, so I'm familiar with them.
[:Okay, so then the follow up question is “What does extroversion mean to you?”
[:Well, I absolutely recharge when I'm around people, and that's what an extrovert is to me. A person whose energy comes from being around others, from feeling the energy of others. That's how I sort of recharge. I will say as I get older, the time I need for myself becomes more important. And I think that's a really cool, I think that's a really cool thing for me.
[:Okay. All right. And so, we're here to talk about career Conversations. And we know that you have your wonderful business, but I want to go back a little bit. And you have this wellness organization that you've created, what is a misconception about your job or your industry?
[:Sure. Well, I'm a person like everybody else and I have tools to manage, you know, my anxiety and my frustrations. But just like you, I experience ups and downs in my everyday life. And people say, “Oh, you're a meditation teacher, you must be so chilled out.” And I am like pretty chilled out, but I have my days. And the other thing that's really interesting is, I have to strike this balance of being a meditation teacher, talking about mindfulness on the daily, supporting myself in those tools. Because in order to be a good teacher, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk. But I also have to be a powerful businesswoman in this world because I'm working in corporate settings and I have to prove my value on a daily basis. So, I think people just sort of think of me as this chilled-out teacher, but I'm a lot more than that.
[:Okay. You said a lot of interesting things there. You said you have to prove yourself on a daily basis, please tell me more.
[:Yes. Well, I think that's a great sort of shout out. I would say in my career I want to make sure that all the people that work with me feel and experience value. And working with people in corporate settings, it's a bit different in terms of how I sell my experiences than versus just a one-on-one experience. When I teach people one on one it can be energetic and go with the flow. But when I work in corporate settings, it's still energetic and goes with the flow but I have to be able to make sure that the HR manager and the health insurance companies and the organization as a whole believes that what I do is worth the investment.
[:Ah. worth the investment. But to me, I feel that is something that is really subjective.
[:Absolutely, it's very subjective. And it's been really interesting to try and incorporate wellness into different types of corporations because the person I deal with is different each time. You know, I might work with an HR manager who's like, “Absolutely, let's do this. I believe in wellness and meditation and mindfulness and self-care and boundaries and burnout managing that” you know, which are also so so important. And other people, it takes a bit of time to get them on board and that's just because not everyone is quite as open to mindfulness and meditation at the start. But I've had a pretty good success rate on convincing people or flipping their opinions on meditation and mindfulness as we work together.
[:Okay, thanks. So, talking about the differences of how you work one on one and working with corporate, can you tell me something that I'm sure you probably agree with? Is that mindfulness and everything that goes with that, it should be a habit that you kind of do and gets ingrained into what you do? If I'm wrong, please tell me.
[:No, you're doing great. Mindfulness is a way of being.
[:And so, can you tell me something else that you do regularly that has improved either your career or your business?
[:Yes. So as I just said, and you just said, mindfulness is a way of being, right? It's a way in which we live our lives in the present moment, not thinking about the past or the future, but this ability to just focus on the task at hand without getting distracted by all the other things on our to do list. And that task at hand could be a conversation just as this one, or sending an email or having your tea in the morning. So, I would say my meditation practice is very dynamic because I have a seated practice where I sit on my meditation cushion each morning and I connect with the breath. But I also practice a lot of informal meditation, so joyful routines, something I talk a lot about. This idea of bringing intention to something you do on a daily basis that you enjoy, whether that's taking coffee in the morning or walking your dog. How do we incorporate meditation into activities that we already do, that we already enjoy? So, I would say my meditation practice is very broad and dynamic and it sort of follows me with me, where it follows me everywhere I go, kind of thing.
[:And how do you feel that's improved your career?
[:My gosh. So, in many ways I talk a lot about micro meditation. This idea of taking one breath to 1 minute of thoughtful conversation or 1 minute of breath to one breath throughout the day. So before or after a hard conversation, or maybe even during one, it can be really impactful to take a deep breath in for five, holding at the top and out for five. So, this is just an example of how my awareness of my breath can help me manage how I'm feeling and how I react in a moment, maybe of hardship or a tough conversation or somewhere where I feel anxious. Our breath can really help regulate the nervous system. So those micro meditations have been a really powerful tool for me and for many of my clients. So, I would say there throughout the day, I can help sort of manage my nervous system. Beyond that, I think meditation helps me sleep better, it helps me notice where my mind is wandering so that I can observe that and either choose to write it down, write the thought down, or let it go. It really could go on and on, but there are many reasons why meditation is helpful.
[:Okay. And so, meditation is something that you say yes to in your life. Can you give me an example of something that you say no to?
[:Well, okay. So I used to go, go, go way too much. Like I was not listening to my body, and body, heart or mind. I was just kind of going quickly and doing as much as I possibly could. And I think this is something many people sort of get wrapped up in our current society. It's like do more, be more, go, go, go. And we have to move in towards ourselves and remember that we have everything we need. So, I have to say no to overdoing it sometimes. I have to say no to going to a party with friends. Sometimes I have to say no to going out to dinner or whatever it might be. No to a client that doesn't feel in alignment with me. So, I think standing up for my value and really listening to what I need leads me to say no sometimes.
[:When did you first start saying no? Because you mentioned that you used to be go, go, go, go, go. So, what was the light bulb moment that made you go?
[:In high school, I ended up getting really bad case of Lyme disease and it was really intense. And I was on medication from sophomore year in high school through sophomore year in college. And that was a pivotal time in my life where I started to really understand the importance of self-care. Self-care is a hip word, but it's very important, too. It's not just a buzzword that's cool. Like, spending time and caring for yourself is foundationally important to living a healthy, happy life. And so, when I was moving through Lyme's disease in high school and in college, I started to realize I had to say no when my body felt too tired to do something or when I just needed to rest. And that was a powerful lesson, although not really the most fun way to learn the lesson, it was important for me.
[:And so, just quickly, can you let the listeners know what Lyme's disease is?
[:Yeah. So, Lyme's disease is like an autoimmune disorder that you can get from being bitten by a tick. You can also get it these days from different mosquitoes, but essentially it attacks your body in so many different ways. It shows up differently for everyone. It's a very mysterious disease that we're still trying to learn more about. But for me, it attacked my joints. And because it's an autoimmune issue, your body tends to not have a lot of energy to fight off other colds and such. So, I had a lot of inflammation in my joints and it rendered me like almost paralyzed for a few days at a time, and then my body would like release the inflammation and I'd be able to walk or you know, I couldn't even move my pinky. Like that was how, sort of, I wasn't technically paralyzed, but it was very hard to move. And then I ended up getting strep in my Lymph system because my body couldn't really fight off the strep. And then I ended up getting Epstein Barr or Mono. And so, I had all these really tough sort of issues all happening at one time, which made Lyme harder, but it was really intense.
[:It attacked my thyroid, which manages your hormones and your energy levels and the ability to even keep your body warm. And so now I have a hypothyroid, which means my thyroid doesn't work as efficiently as a healthy ones. I have to supplement that with medications and herbal remedies and such. So, it really changed my body forever.
[:That is a good reason to change your life. Yeah. It was just upon you. You did not pick it, but now you have figured out ways to live with it.
[:Yeah, it goes dormant in your body. So, I learned how I had to take medications, both herbal supplements and antibiotics, and then really, food. And the way I moved my body helped the healing process and so did meditation, and I really felt the importance of the power of the mind. Our mind is so powerful and it changes the way we move through the world. And so, understanding how our mind works and observing where it goes, and even meditations that are focused on loving kindness and growing internal fortitude, strength and wellness literally, physically affect the body. Like, there was this really interesting study on people who were in hospitals, who were chronically sick and those who meditated on visualizing their health, wellness, their healing, ended up having more white blood cells in their body and their systems and they ended up healing more quickly. So, this meditation process was a big part of my healing.
[:That makes me think of there are quite a few introverts out there who spend a lot of their time trying to be extroverts because of what society or company, culture or families or insert word here, tell them is the right way, the best way, the better way to be, and how it can show up for a lot of people. Have you had any experiences with, this is an off the cuff question, with people feeling the need to do will be something that they're not and how it's affected them.
[:Oh, absolutely. I think many of us, whether we are introverts or extroverts, have that issue of, at some point in our lives, maybe trying to show up in a way that doesn't feel totally authentic to ourselves because we think other people want that. The reality is the best person we can be is our true selves. And I think that takes conversations like this and connecting with someone who you feel comfortable with, and experiencing how it feels to move through the world in a way that's not authentic to you. And meditation and mindfulness and movement, everything that Woodhall Wellness focuses on provides all of us in different ways opportunities to reflect on what feels good for us. I work with people all the time, the career introverts, and I learn so much from them. And in fact, I think we all need each other. The extroverts need the introverts, the introverts need the extroverts. And for me, being around introverts in my life has helped me remember that I need to create space for listening and has reminded me that when we're quiet, we allow people to show up in ways that they might not have if the extrovert was always talking.
[:I think that people often actually rise to the level that like, people rise when you allow them to. And so, I think just, I've learned a lot from introverts and I'm grateful for them.
[:To share it to you, and thank you. I appreciate everything that you've said. And again, I can listen to your voice forever. However, I have one final question, well that's not true. Second to last question for you. And the question is, is a hot dog a sandwich?
[:Oh my God. Oh my God, never thought of that. I want to say technically, yes, but I don't consider it a sandwich. I don't consider it its own thing. Simply energetically. It’s just that, I envision a sandwich not in a bun with a hot dog. I don't know why I wouldn't consider a hamburger or a sandwich, it's its own category.
[:Okay, great. Thank you so much. But does a hoagie count? Does the subway count? Is it too small?
[:I just don’t wanna, I don't want to consider a hot dog a sandwich.
[:I just want to be close minded about this. No, that's fair. All right, thank you. That always people are like, what are the rules for this?
[:It's a very good question.
[:Thank you. It's a really good question for a bunch of engineers. You sit in the classroom with engineers and they just like, rules.
[:The question tells a lot about the person because I'm like it's energetic. I don't know.
[:And some people are like, but structurally integrity, like, it needs this. Yeah.
[:Right.
[:So, thank you. I really appreciate it. I did say it was a second to last question. So, the last question is, where can people find you on the interwebs?
[:Right, an important question. So, you can find me at woodhullwellness.com. Really? Anything? Woodhull Wellness. I've got an Instagram “Woodhull Wellness”. I've got a LinkedIn, “Woodhull Wellness”. You could go to my website, woodhullwellness.com. You can contact me on there if you have any questions or you want to work with me one on one, or if you're interested in bringing wellness to your company, I'm always here to talk about it. I typically connect with people in HR, employee wellness, people in culture. But honestly, whoever you are, if you're interested in bringing mindfulness and meditation to your corporation, just shoot me an email from my website and we'll get to the right person.
[:All right, thank you so very much. I appreciate you taking the time today. And let's say goodbye. Is there any last things that you would like to let our audience know about?
[:I just want to say thank you, Janice, for having me. And it's been really wonderful to chat, and these have been great questions, and I look forward to staying in touch.
