Angela McKay LLC

On the topic of dreaming: My deep and ongoing desire to embody the dreamer archetype in my career and life.

The dreamer is just as they sound. They romanticize life. They vision and imagine. They're guided by their intuition and soul wisdom. They see the potential and possibility in everything.

The 'real world' can strip us of our capacity to dream, to hold a vision and believe it's true. We naturally embody the dreamer as children, and then as adults we struggle to revisit the imaginary.

I want for my career to be a living, breathing example of my dreams. And I want the same for my life. When I allow myself to imagine and believe, to envision a reality where everything and anything is possible, I uplift my energy. I align myself with what I can create in front of me.

I don't want an existence where dreaming doesn't have a primary seat at my inner table.

More and more, as I've coached amazing folks, I've come to identify with my ability to hold a vision for others, to expand their possibilities, by way of holding their lantern as a guide.

It's easy for our dreams and visions to appear and disappear just as easily, to be seen and then dissipate. I can help to capture and hold dreams, to orient clients toward what they truly want so they can travel the unique path that is meant for them.

So, go ahead and call me a dreamer. It's a high compliment. And when you're ready, I'll call you one, too - so you can create in line with what you truly want, intentionally expanding into your dreams.

From the reading I did for my weekly newsletter to my personal practice this morning, a definite theme is emerging this week…

➡️ Your worth is not determined by your productivity. ⬅️

What feels so sneaky about this one is that we justify our push and hustle for many reasons. The reasons we state are never 'because this makes me worthy.' Instead it's reasons like having bills to pay, wanting a promotion, wanting to see something through to success, proving you're able, or even simply keeping your job.

What makes this so difficult is all of those reasons have roots in the bucket of realistic reasons. However, they're not the root of your attachment to productivity. The root is a fear that without productivity, your worth diminishes.

And, that makes sense. We live in a world that values productivity and success over most anything else. So, we push. But even when stretched to our limits, we're not remembering that our worth is inherent.

There will be times you push, when you hustle. The challenge is not to do it mindlessly.

Start building in time to evaluate your actions. Are you pushing yourself past what is healthy? Are you pushing forward and through because you absolutely need to, or because it will help to establish your worthiness?

This message is calling to me, and I've brought it forward because it's calling to the collective. What do you need to do, and what are you doing because you feel you should?

If you were a houseplant, what kind of condition would you be in? 👀

Want to be a more effective leader? Want to feel better about your career?

Start with your baseline.

-Water
-Nutrition
-Sleep
-Rest/Play
-Nature

I'm telling the honest-to-goodness truth when I say that I ask clients about the condition of themselves as a houseplant. It's an easy way to get a speedy glimpse of wellness.

Our bodies are a system, and our system needs specific care. Our care for ourselves has a direct translation into how we think, feel, and act.

When we care for ourselves, we're better able to emotionally regulate, think clearly, feel into a situation, respond rather than react, and more.

This isn't a shaming post, or a checklist you're failing at. It's just awareness. Choose one item on the list to pay attention to, to care for yourself in a better way. And then you can move on to another.

Think of the Happy Houseplant Protocol (yes, I'm serious) as a way of living, as integration, rather than just another to-do. One at a time.

Today I will meet with a new group of coaching students as they embark on their coach training with The Mind Rebel Academy. Over the next 10 months, I will gratefully guide them, serving as their mentor coach.

Coach training is so transformative. In learning to hold space respectfully and reflectively for another, you learn SO much about yourself. The way you see the world and people changes, for the better.

As we kick off today, I am spending time in reflection and ritual before we meet.

-I wrote the name of each student to consider their individual energies in our collective space. I crafted a blessing for their transformation, their support for each other, and for myself as their guide and a forever student.

-I lit a candle to hold my reflective space sacred and spent a moment in meditation for the group to honor our beginning and to hold us through the journey.

The image that came to me for this group is a wolf. A deeply intuitive and intelligent animal, strong and independent - yet also made stronger through its pack.

I see each student as that - deeply intuitive, intelligent, strong, and independent. And, through this transformational journey, they will be made better through their connections to each other, their support, and the collective energy.

Blending the practical and mystical in the work I do has been so enriching. Slowing down to intentionally acknowledge beginnings, messy middles, and endings. Tuning in to the folks I share time with. The ritual honors the movement.

I'm feeling so grateful for today and am looking forward to being so present with this new group of students.

‘The work I'm doing is worth more than the pay I'm making.'

Okay. Now what? It's time to evaluate and choose. For example:

-Are you familiar with the average pay for the role in the industry? Equip yourself with data.

-A tougher question: are you doing too much? Regardless of the pay, are you the type of person to give it all you've got? And then feel exhausted and resentful when the energy output doesn't match the monetary input?

-Are you doing the right amount of work, but the pay is, in fact, too low? If that's the case, before immediately looking elsewhere, ask yourself: what non-monetary benefits are there to your role and company? And how do those factor into your overall picture?

It's EASY to make a factual-feeling statement (a story) and then stew in uncomfortable feelings like frustration, defeat, anger, hopelessness, resentment, and more based on that story.

It's more difficult to evaluate your situation for what it is, rationally and factually, and then create your list of options, narrow your options to the best, and then choose - with empowerment, with alignment - you choose.

You could do less, advocate for a pay increase, find a new role, increase fulfillment with gratitude, and more…there are so many options. You just need to slow down to gather the options, the many paths, and then be self-aware enough that you don't immediately eliminate each one without proper consideration.

Your Inner Leader (your soul guidance, intuition, wisdom, truth) wants to play a role in your career. They want to nudge you onto the paths that are most meant for you and your unique purpose. But they can't get a word in edgewise if fear and control keep their vice grip on the wheel.

Don't stay stuck in a scenario, believing that you have to settle or throw it all away - evaluate and choose.

And if you could use support in approaching these situations with peace, calm confidence, and true alignment, reach out - that's what I specialize in.

A practical high-performer's mystical morning…

While you wouldn't necessarily guess it from my systematic, strategic, steady approaches and productivity, I'm woo.

I straddle the line of the practical and the mystical. I believe that both have a place in my life. As a spiritual being in a human experience, the practical keeps me grounded and the mystical keeps me connected.

I choose to be led by my soul, my inner wisdom. I am guided by that part of me so that my mind and body can create a life I feel good living.

I begin every day with quiet time for me, before the sun rises. Meditation, reflection, and looking ahead at my day. This morning was one of those 'this is so cool' mornings.

I tuned in to receive guidance from my soul, what that deepest part of me desires, yearns for, and is guiding me toward. From there, I chose a baby action step to take. (That cycle of tune in and take action, repeat, is how you strengthen your relationship with your intuition.)

It became clear that I'm being asked to breathe into life, to relax into presence. My everyday life has been very busy lately and I've been wearing the 'stretched too thin' cape like a dysfunctional superhero.

After tuning in, I pulled a card asking what I was best served to know about today. The card came with the same message. I'm at a point of imbalance, and I need to calm my senses and change my narrative to one that incorporates deep presence and reverence.

The 'this is so cool' element? It's those moments when you tune in to deeper wisdom and intuition and receive similar messaging across the board. It's hard for your mind to argue with it, you know?

It's this practice for myself, the impact and peace that it creates, that keeps me going in my work to help others do the same. To help practical folks incorporate their own inner wisdom, their truest guidance, into their everyday. In how they work, live, and love.

So, cheers to the woo and the woo-curious. I see you.

More than anything, I want to feel deeply at peace.

Like life is here for me. For me to experience, be grateful for, and to love.

What I do for work is part of that - it’s a piece of the puzzle. But it’s not the puzzle itself.

For sure I love to be productive, to create in a fulfilling and impactful way. Which makes it all the more important that my vocation feeds my spirit.

However, it’s my direct attention, my devotional attention, to being soul-led that creates my increasingly peaceful life and presence.

Soul-led in my career, relationships, growth - my life in total.

To be connected to the pulse of life, to the intelligence that connects everything.

Without that attention, intention, devotion, I become disconnected from myself and what I’m meant for in this life.

And, I choose to serve as a guide for others who want the same. Those who want to create an impact, while also feeling deeply connected and at peace.

If you want the same, I’d love to walk alongside you.

Walks up to microphone…

'Don't make big decisions when you're in your big feelings.'

…walks away from microphone.

--

So, I talk about intuition quite a bit. About how it NEEDS to be integrated as a decision-making tool. And I stand by that, I'll continue to stand firmly on my soapbox.

However, what I also work with folks on is emotional awareness and ALIGNED decision-making.

For your best decisions, the recipe is:

-Intuition (deep wisdom)
-Emotional awareness (they get to inform, NOT direct)
-A clear mind (calm confidence)
-Information (from appropriate sources)

I help those same folks cultivate their inner leader. Your inner leader is the one who can:

-Regulate in a tough meeting
-Respond instead of react
-Make difficult decisions for the greater good

Your inner leader knows how to:

-Care for themselves in and outside of work
-Enjoy the life they're creating
-Breathe and be present even when the going gets tough

Making big decisions in big feelings will bite you every time. Sometimes immediately, sometimes torturously over time. RARELY does a decision need to be made urgently.

Take a beat, neutralize, align, and then decide.

Your team isn't just listening to what you're saying.

They're listening to how you say it. They're reading your body language, your tone, your energy. Minus the body language, this applies to written communication as well.

They're taking in everything. Every nuance and every signal you're sending, consciously or not.

You can try to perfect your words and delivery. You can think that you're presenting them with what you want them to know or what they need to know (whether it's the whole story or not…usually, it's not). But what they take away is their interpretation, not yours.

And if you think they won't sense a different truth behind the message, you're mistaken.

How often do you craft your message to create a specific outcome? And when you do, are you considering what your people are picking up on beyond your words?

It’s important to consider both. The moment you write off their sensory intake and intelligent processing of your message, the closer you are to losing their trust.

Remember that you are a human speaking to humans. And, if a message would cause your spidey senses to tingle, you can bet it will do the same for others.

You can know every leadership framework. Every communication technique. Every delegation strategy.

And still be an ineffective leader.

Leadership isn't just about what you do, because you are at the center of your leadership ability. You need inner leadership before you can be an effective external leader.

Inner leadership is the work of deeply knowing yourself. Understanding how you function. Recognizing which internal voice is driving your decisions. Building emotional awareness. Learning to regulate your nervous system. Trusting your intuition alongside your logic.

This is the foundation of effective leadership. The frameworks, the tactics, those aren’t the foundation, they’re the finesse. The inner work is your base.

When you master inner leadership, the external skills have a solid ground to work from. You're then not just performing leadership - you're leading from a grounded, self-aware, intentional place.

You know when you're reacting from fear, so you can pause and choose differently. You understand your triggers, so they don't run the show. You can regulate yourself, so you can help your team regulate, too.

Traditional leadership training gives you tools. Inner leadership gives you the foundation to use those tools well. You can't skip this step. You can't lead others well if you haven't learned to lead yourself first.

The most important work you can do as a leader isn't to apply another surface level bandage on a situational problem. It's developing inner leadership.

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Let's connect for a free 30-minute consultation call to explore if Soul-Led Career is right for you.

➡️ Schedule your 30-minute connection call: https://calendly.com/angelamckayllc/consult

🎙️ A NEW EPISODE IS READY FOR YOU

Impatient. Easy to agitate. Irritated. Resentful. Snappy.

You've noticed an uptick in these feelings. It doesn't feel like you, you don't want to be this way. But you're having a hard time shaking it.

Moodiness is a signal that something is off, something is too much, something needs to shift.

With that, here’s three intuitive messages for you…

🎧 Episode 23: If You’ve Been in a Mood Lately

➡️ LISTEN NOW: The Unraveling Achiever podcast: https://www.angelamckayllc.com/post/the-unraveling-achiever-podcast-episode-23-if-you-ve-been-in-a-mood-lately