Introducing Inner Impact

[0:00] Hey there, welcome to this introductory episode of Inner Impact. I am your host, Giada Centofanti, but you can call me G if it’s easier for you. I am a coach and I am the founder of Care2Impact Coaching. I created this podcast to offer you tools, inspiration, and above all, space to take aligned action and create a business that brings joy and positive change to your lives and the world. So here’s what we’ll cover today. You will learn more about the overarching topic of this podcast, taking aligned action. You will find out what kind of episodes you can expect and what you’ll get from them.

[0:41] And I will leave you with a reflection to ponder.

[0:44] The Challenge of Taking Aligned Action

[0:44] Okay, so let’s start with the overarching topic of the podcast.

[0:48] So during my year as a coach, I found out that the most important and at the same time, the hardest thing to do for my clients was taking action. As solopreneurs and small business owners, they had a clear why that drove them and brought them to start their businesses. But often they couldn’t find an aligned way to turn it into reality or to make their businesses evolve as they would have loved. I started to see three main patterns that hinder them. We are going to explore them and I’m also curious to know if one of them or all of them resonate with you. But before we start exploring them, let me introduce myself since, well, this is our first time meeting. Hello again, I am Giada and as I mentioned, I’m an impact coach and I’m from Italy. I love learning new stuff, especially about the fascinating quirks of the human mind. And when I’m not coaching or learning or connecting with people.

[1:49] You will probably find me binge-watching some TV series or diving into a good book, especially if it’s a mystery or even better, a cozy mystery. Also, I care deeply about all living beings and our planet, and that’s what guides my business too, because I believe that we can nurture collective care and well-being through individual care and well-being. And I believe also that a business can be a form of activism to make an impact. Now, enough about me.

[2:22] Three Patterns Hindering Progress

[2:22] Let’s go back to those three main patterns that hinder my clients and maybe you too. Let’s start with pattern number one, unclear vision. So when your vision is unclear, you end up going in circles. You want to make progress, but you are unsure about your destination. So you try several paths, never knowing which one will bring you where you want. Because here’s the thing, you didn’t clarify enough what it is that you want and where you want to get. So in this case, you are taking action in a confused, frustrating way and you are exhausting yourselves and not getting anywhere. So I may say it can be normal when you’ve just started your business. You can use this time to playfully experiment to gather data and gain clarity on your vision, your offer, your clients. However, if this period is prolonged and you are not seeing progress, you may have some work to do.

[3:24] Let’s move to pattern two, not taking action despite having a clear vision. In this case, your deeper why is clear and your vision is too, but you are not following through to actualize it. Why? Well, of course, the answer varies for each person, right? But we could find a couple of common reasons. You may be confused and not know which actions to take, which projects, which collaborations or tasks would be the most effective to move your business forward. Or you may be scared. And I mean, fear is a natural emotion. Even though we don’t like to feel it, it’s there because at its core it’s helpful. It’s there to signal us something and protect us. We need to learn when we actually need protection and when we don’t. So in this second case you are not taking action and you may feel frustrated or even angry at yourselves.

[4:23] Finally, let’s look at button number three. Taking action that doesn’t feel good. You clarified your why. You have a wonderful, super clear vision and you have also started to take action, but it sucks. Insert said trombone. Yeah, so why the heck does it suck? Again, the answer varies for each person, but in this case too, we can find two common reasons. The first one is that you may have followed some external advice and later found out it didn’t feel good or aligned. We are bombarded with advice every single waking hour, so we all follow advice and it takes time to realize how much it does or doesn’t work for us. The second reason is that you may have fallen into the trap of your own internalized disempowering narratives.

[5:17] Capitalism, patriarchy or some other sociocultural conditioning may be working inside you and making you do things as you are quote-unquote supposed to, but not as they would actually feel good to you. So in this case, you are taking action, but it is misaligned with your deeper self and it’s not bringing you joy as you would have thought. It may be also getting you on the brink of burnout.

[5:43] Okay, let’s recap the patterns. Number one, your vision is unclear and you are taking action but not making the progress you want. Number two, your vision is clear but you are not taking action. Number three, your vision is clear and you are taking action but it doesn’t feel good.

[6:03] Finding Aligned Action

[6:03] Okay, so if those are the three patterns that hinder my clients and maybe you, does a better way to take action exist at all? Yeah, it does. Rhetorical question, right? It does, and it takes work, inner work. And that’s what usually brings people to work with me. Because to take action in a way that feels aligned and good and brings joy and creates impact and positive change, the groundwork that we need to do is internal. Yes, even when you are working on your business, because the main asset of your business is you. And you need and deserve to take care of yourselves, to connect and reconnect with yourselves, get to know yourselves, your needs, your desires, your values, your strengths, your unique traits, and then keep the conversation with yourselves open so you will guide your actions with intention and they will feel good.

[7:05] Episode Formats Overview

[7:06] So this is what this podcast is all about, and I structured the episodes to help you do exactly that. So let’s talk about those episodes, shall we? You will get a rotation of four different formats.

[7:20] The first format will bring you three to five or maybe more reflection prompts about a topic and the time to journal about them or ponder them in your mind or voice journal them, whatever you prefer.

[7:35] The second format will feature a guided visualization or meditation and some prompts to integrate your takeaways. And don’t worry, if you cannot visualize things in your mind, it will be more about imagination and perception than actual visualization.

[7:51] In the third format, I will share with you a key idea from a book or maybe an article and give you some related prompts to inspire you to reflect on creating a business and life that has a positive impact on the collective good.

[8:07] And finally, the fourth format will feature a conversation with a guest to bring you inspiration about creating a value-aligned business and taking action in a way that feels good.

[8:18] My goal for each episode is to create space for you to have a conversation with yourselves, get insights, and then turn them into aligned action. Because this way you will establish a practice of grounding and centering into internal alignment that will help you create the joyful and impactful businesses and lives that you want.

[8:41] Reflection and Connection

[8:41] Oh, and what about if we start now? Okay if you feel like it just take some time to ponder what taking aligned action and creating a business that brings joy and positive change into your lives and the world mean to you and if you want share your reflections with me so we can start getting to know each other send me an email at hello at caretoimpact.com. Hello at caretoimpact.com. Okay, I guess that’s it for today. I cannot wait to share the next episode with you. And if you want to make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe to Inner Impact on your favorite podcast player. So thank you for listening, bye for now, and until the next time.