IAM1395 – Speaker and Coach Helps Passionate People Unleash Their Inner Badass

Sandra Possing is a speaker, coach, and entrepreneur, who helps passionate people with big dreams and even bigger hearts unleash their inner badass. Through her 1:1 coaching, group programs, speaking, writing, videos, and social media platforms, Sandra is on a mission to wake more people up to the incredible power they have inside of themselves to break free from what's holding them back, seriously step up their game, and create extraordinary lives they love.

• CEO Story: After graduating from college, Sandra landed different jobs hoping to find her calling in life. She believed she just couldn’t a job. After so much soul searching and consulting with her mentors and finally found what she really loved doing, and that is in the field of coaching. Personal development was her obsessed career path. She took off and was unstoppable!
• Business Service: Helping people transform from the inside out. Help people figure out who they are. Coaching – one-on-one and group programs.
• Secret Sauce: Optimistic. Seeing clients’ bigger dreams or visions for their lives. And what makes them unique.
• CEO Hack: Positivity Brainwashing using Podcasts or apps like Audible
• CEO Nugget: “Keep going” aka persistence, resilience, commitment, or “being stubborn AF”
• CEO Defined: 100% responsibility for everything being a conscious creator of life and being a leader

Website: http://www.sandrapossing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandrapossing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandrapossinglifecoach/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomandbadassery/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandrapossing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrapossing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrapossing

Episode Link: https://iamceo.co/2018/09/24/iam070-speaker-coach-helps-passionate-people-unleash-their-inner-badass/

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Transcription

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00:02- Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:27 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Sandra Possing of sandrapossing.com Sandra, it's awesome to have you on the show.

00:37- Sandra Possing

Thank you so much for having me. I'm super stoked to be here.

00:39 – Gresham Harkless

I'm super stoked for you to be here as well. And what I wanted to do was read a little bit more about you so that people can learn a little bit more about all the awesome things you've been able to accomplish. So Sandra Possing is a speaker, coach, and entrepreneur who helps passionate people with big dreams and even bigger hearts unleash their inner badass. Through her one-to-one coaching group, programs, speaking, writing, videos, and social media platforms, Sandra is on a mission to wake more people up to the incredible power they have inside of themselves and to break free from what's holding them back. Seriously step up their game and create extraordinary lives that they love. Sandra, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:19 – Sandra Possing

Yes, please. Bring it on.

01:21 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. That was awesome. Well, the first question I have is if you could expand a little bit more on your bio. Tell us about your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

01:29 – Sandra Possing

Yeah, so I moved up to San Francisco pretty much right after I graduated college down in LA. I went to UCLA and I honestly spent the next, pretty much the next decade. Kind of like in a way it felt like I was wandering around, bumping into trees, trying to figure out what to be. When I grew up, I was doing all these different things and I was constantly searching and searching. And I worked in finance, I worked in tech, I worked for startups, I worked in the service industry, I worked in fitness.

And I just always had this nagging feeling that you know, I have to do. I can't just have a job. I feel like I have a calling. I don't know what it is. It was incredibly frustrating and painful to feel like I had this potential and not know where to aim it. And I eventually just kind of stopped the wandering aimlessly and I said, okay, this is my job right now is to figure out what my job is. And so I did a ton of soul searching, talked to mentors, talked to a bunch of people, and finally, finally stumbled across coaching. It was a little bit of a process of elimination.

And once I discovered coaching, it was like this massive light bulb went off and I realized, okay, personal development, self-help, all this stuff. I've actually been obsessed with it my entire life. I just didn't realize it was an actual career path. So once I found it, once I found it, it was like coming home and then it just took off and then it was unstoppable.

02:41- Gresham Harkless

There you go, there you go. That makes perfect sense. It's funny because we always are interested in certain things, but we don't necessarily know like, how that manifests itself in a quote-unquote job or profession or path that we're going to take. But it's great that you had like those seeds kind of set in place and then coaching kind of found you, or at least the term of it came around to you.

02:59 – Sandra Possing

Yeah, exactly. And luckily for me, I mean, San Francisco is such a great place in terms of it's very open and progressive and lots of people are doing this kind of stuff. So I had enough examples around me of people doing it where I could see, oh, wait a minute, this is actually a real thing. And the people who are doing it seem to love it.

03:15 – Gresham Harkless

Right. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to drill a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more about how you kind of serve and help out the clients that you work with. How do you make these badasses come out and play, so to speak?

03:26 – Sandra Possing

Yeah, so much of it, it really helped to be on that path myself. I feel like what I do is exactly the kind of process I've taken myself through. And so I'm using a lot of what I've learned along the way to do it. When I say I help people unleash their inner badass, so much of that, I think of it as a transformation from the inside out. So I really, at the foundation of it all, help people figure out who they are to connect to who they are deep down, authentically, like what makes them tick and what makes them so uniquely them. And then from there, we figure out what the heck they want.

And it's shocking, it's kind of tragic to me how much people don't actually know what they want because they've been too busy doing what they think they're supposed to be doing. And then once we figure out who they are and what they want, then we just go get it. And then it's a lot about goal setting and moving forward, taking tons of action, working on their mindset, and holding them accountable. And I do that mostly through private, private one-on-one coaching. And then I've got my group programs, which is a whole nother animal. And it's really amazing because then you have a community to lean into too.

04:21 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. And I'm sure, especially around the. I'm sure the one-on-one coaching is obviously great because you get that kind of one-to-one looking at, you know, what you're doing, where your mindset's at to be successful. But then I'm sure the group also helps out as well, because you kind of get that feeling that you're not alone, so to speak. And you have other people that are going through maybe somewhat similar things. They might have different gifts or passions, but you're able to kind of have that community feel.

04:43 – Sandra Possing

Exactly. And so many of the people I work with are, you know, I think of them as kind of the nonconformists, the people who are a little bit unconventional, a little bit maybe rebels, but they don't always know that about themselves. So they've spent years thinking there's something wrong with them. Why don't I fit in? I've ticked all the boxes, I've done all the things. I'm quote, unquote successful. My life and career look good on paper, but I'm not happy. Like, what's wrong with me?

And they feel guilty that they're not happy. So for them to find other people like them, other, you know, kind of visionaries and thought leaders or potential aspiring visionaries and thought leaders, a lot of them are aspiring entrepreneurs, but they haven't really been able to step out and claim that yet. And I love being able to kind of like coax them out of the cave and then set them loose in the world and give them. Help them find the confidence to really be that right.

05:26 – Gresham Harkless

And that's awesome. And that's very powerful, obviously, because you're helping out so many people, kind of change the world, and make a dent in the universe, so to speak. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and ask you for what I call your secret sauce. This might be something that you feel distinguishes you or differentiates you from other people who are doing something similar.

05:42 – Sandra Possing

Yeah. So one of the things about me that has always been very consistent is I've always been kind of this eternal optimist, and I've always been able to see the bigger picture and focus on what's possible. So not just focusing on what's possible for people in general, but specifically, when I'm working with someone, I'm typically able to see a much bigger dream or a much bigger vision for them than they are in the beginning. And one of my superpowers is being able to look at what makes them so unique.

And as we work together and I help them find those parts of themselves, I'm pretty good at connecting the dots and seeing patterns. So a lot of times I'll be able to kind of make suggestions or plant seeds for people in terms of what I think could be a possibility for them. And then when they explore that path, they end up finding things that they never have thought of before. So I think a lot of it is just seeing the potential and being able to dream really big dreams with and for my clients.

06:31 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Yeah. And that's huge. And especially, you know, as you said, having that superpower and you're able to kind of see that in somebody else, sometimes you need somebody to recognize certain things in you, and that's able to help you unleash, you know, exactly what you're supposed to be, what your purpose is, and help you to kind of go to an entirely different level.

06:47 – Sandra Possing

Exactly.

06:48 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. A CEO hack might be an app a book or a habit that you have, but the idea is it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

07:01 – Sandra Possing

So I'm obsessed with hacks and kind of life hacking and optimizing. I'm always looking for that kind of thing. I'm obsessed with performance and streamlining life and business and all of that. But by far, the thing that has been consistently the biggest one for me is I usually just refer to it as positivity brainwashing. What I mean by that, and I try to encourage all my clients to do this, is we are so completely inundated with negative crap from all sides all the time, right through the news and just society and, you know, lots of other people's negative beliefs, our own limiting beliefs and all of that. So my idea is to, as part of retraining our brain to think in more positive, helpful ways. We need more of the inspiring, empowering, helpful information.

And rather than just, you know, reading a book here and there, I want to have as much of that information going into my brain as possible. So the best thing I've found is because I'm busy. I'm not going to sit and read is to just use something like Audible or podcast app or something. And anytime I'm just, I'm walking, I'm running, I'm driving, I'm doing the dishes, whatever. I pop in the earphones and I'm listening to books on human potential, on manifesting, on performance, basically anything in the self-help category. But I listen to things on 2x or 3x. I'm not worried about retaining everything and implementing every single thing. I do learn a lot and I apply those things.

But the best part is I've got this steady stream of positive, inspiring, empowering information going into my brain and it really has changed the way my brain works. It's changed how I think and it puts me in this kind of excited, motivated, uplifted mood so much of the time. And then I show up differently in the work that I do and in my life with my friends, with my people. It's hugely helpful.

08:38 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I think that's a phenomenal hack. And a lot of times it's hard to fight because there's so much negativity out there. It's easier to say, hey, I want all this goodness, so to speak, to come in and I'm going to listen to, you know, like Audible or the podcast that you mentioned to make sure that you're filling your mind and everything up with those positive vibes, so to speak.

08:56 – Sandra Possing

Yep. I love it, Love it.

08:58 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Now, I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And a CEO nugget may be a word of wisdom a piece of advice or something that you might tell your younger business self.

09:08 – Sandra Possing

Yeah. So probably the thing that I have come to, I've been doing this for, been an entrepreneur for maybe 10 years, but I've been doing this business specifically for about six or seven years now. And at the end of the day, what it comes down to for me is call it persistence, call it resilience, call it commitment. One voice that I always hear. I used to do a lot of different workouts. Now I'm kind of CrossFit yoga running mostly. But I used to do some boxing and I had this one boxing teacher who, you know, we're doing like this grueling 90-minute class and people are just falling all over the place and dying.

And he just would calmly walk around the room and just say, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going. And that voice like still plays in my head because I think of, you know, of course, the Entrepreneurial journey is up and down and up and down, and you have breakdown after breakdown, hopefully, followed by breakthroughs. And all these things are important. Having mentors, having good strategies, training your mindset, your mind to think differently, and community and all this stuff. But at the end of the day, gotta just keep going if you're gonna make it work. I believe that the people who are most successful and who actually outlast all of the ups and downs and make it out on top are the ones who literally just keep going.

10:14 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Yeah. And it's funny because sometimes you think it's a lot more than that, but sometimes the people that are able to be the most successful, that are able to make it to the mountaintop, so to speak, are those people that just kept putting one foot in front of the other, even though they were down on the ground, and they stripped a little and maybe got, you know, a little bit bruised, but they just kept going. So I think that's a phenomenal CEO being stubborn af. Exactly, exactly. It's very necessary.

10:39 – Sandra Possing

I'm gonna keep going.

10:40 – Gresham Harkless

And there you go. You gotta have that. Rip it with my bare hands. So that's an incredible mentality to have. So now I wanted to ask you which is my absolute favorite question, which is kind of like the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different CEOs on this podcast and get an opportunity to hear exactly what it means for everyone. But I wanted to ask you, what does being a CEO mean to you?

11:01 – Sandra Possing

So when I think of being a CEO, I think of it in two different ways. Number one is kind of what that means for me. So just on a totally selfish and personal note, when I get to be the CEO of not just my business, but of my life, that is my way of saying, Look, I am 100% responsible for not just my life and my circumstances or, like, what's happening in and around me. I'm responsible for my thoughts, my feelings, my actions, and the impact of my actions. I'm going to take responsibility.

I'm not going to blame anything on anyone else. I'm not going to be a victim of my circumstances. And it's a joy because I get to choose how I work, when I work, how I live. I'm trying to be very intentional. And putting on my CEO hat, to me, is a mindset. It's a way of saying, like, I am creating my life. I'm the conscious creator of my life. I'm choosing that. It's amazing. And on the other Side. The second part is when I'm choosing to be a CEO, I'm choosing to be a leader. I'm choosing to have an impact.

I'm choosing to take responsibility, not just for my life, but for my world. And as much of you know, I hope to have a very big impact on the world. But in the meantime, like my world, and the people that I come into contact with, I want to take responsibility not just for my intentions, but actually the impact. So if I mess up, I get to go clean it up and do what I need to do. But I also want to have a big positive impact. And so I'm keeping that vision in my mind as something to always be called toward. It's part of my why it's part of my purpose. What gets me through all the ups and downs is to know, hey, I'm here to make a difference, and that matters. And CEO is where it's at.

12:30 – Gresham Harkless

Hey, I completely agree, and I think it's awesome that you do that. And by helping those around you, helping yourself, of course, it creates this domino effect. And next thing you know, there's this huge wave of positivity, I guess I can say, going on in the world. So, Sandra, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I wanted to do was pass you to the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and our listeners know and how best people can get a hold of you.

12:55 – Sandra Possing

Yeah. So I guess as my closing argument, I will say that I think that we are living in a very, very exciting time right now. As, I mean, there's so much negative stuff happening in so many places around the world. And I remain so positive and so hopeful because I truly believe that there are a lot of people, a lot of humans, and a lot of pockets all around the world who are waking up. And I mean waking up to, like you said, of what I do, you know, waking people up to their own incredible potential and the power, but also waking up to the power of what happens when we work together and when we work together in a more collaborative, creative, supportive way.

And so I think there are these pockets of people, communities, kind of starting to lift each other up. And the more we can connect those pockets and talk to each other and support each other, you know, close and far, the more I think that we can start to collectively shift the consciousness of our species, of the planet. And I really, truly believe. I think a lot of people are doing it, but I think that entrepreneurs make up a large portion or a large percentage of the communities that are doing that. So to all of the entrepreneurs out there who are already working, their staff, and the people who are thinking about it, aspiring to be entrepreneurs, flirting with the idea, I feel like if you have that calling in your heart, it's part of what you're meant to do.

And I want to encourage everyone to keep going and get after it. We have a lot of work to do and it's so possible we really, truly can make a difference. And entrepreneurs are going to play such a big role in that, I believe. And for anyone who wants to get in touch with me, the easiest way to find me is just to go to my website, www.sandrapossing.com. you can also just Google my name. There's only one of me as far as I know. I haven't found anyone else with my name, so I'm very easy to find. I'm on all the things, all the platforms and you can hit me up anytime.

14:32 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. We appreciate that Sandra. We'll definitely have the links in the show notes so that anybody can click through follow you and go to your website. But thank you for doing so much awesome work for the world. We definitely need it and I truly appreciate you for taking some time out and everything that you're doing.

14:46 – Sandra Possing

Likewise. Thanks so much for having me.

14:49 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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