Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Isabella Clivilez-Wu is an image consultant and executive coach, specializing in impression management. Today, Isabella will explain the science and psychology behind first impressions and why the first seven seconds matters most when trying to build relationships, pivot and move forward.
Successes at a glance:
Chief Executive Image Strategist and Founder of Wu & Clivilez Executive Image Coaching:
Trained at the NeuroLeadership Institute.
Certifications in Brain-Based Coaching, Personal Branding, Menswear, Brain-Based Conversation Skills, Food Protection License.
Under 30 Contributor to Forbes.
Alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
How lsabella gets inspired to conquer the day:
For Isabella, setting the right tone for her day starts w/ a dose of mindfulness. Being in a frenetic environment like New York City, Isabella carves out that important me time which involves meditation and prayer. Isabella’s spirituality and religion are very important to her. Being a Jehovah’s Witness, she finds great solace and inspiration from a daily Bible verse. Isabella also gets inspired from her incredible networks. As she reveals, there are two important groups of people in her life that often converge. She has her network of family, friends and loved ones that help keep her grounded and she has her professional network of colleagues and mentors who will challenge her and critique her work; helping ensure that whatever she is putting out there is her very best. Moving Forward listeners, having that me time is so important. You need to carve out that hour or 30 minutes a day that is devoted to you, that allows you to center yourself. Whether it’s prayer or meditation or simply disconnecting from all of the noise that we get bombarded w/ on a daily basis, take that time to refocus, reenergize and re-engage so you can be ready to make the most of the day and to move forward.
Setback or failure that led to pivot and shift:
Isabella starts w/ this stark reminder that calls back to the title of this episode: sometimes doors will close before we even knew they were there. A year ago and prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Isabella was working in the corporate world. Isabella was at the point where she was ready for a promotion to a position that was within her skill set but deep down, she knew wasn’t her purpose. Ultimately, she was passed over for that promotion and someone else got the job. Isabella candidly admits that it hurt because she didn’t even get a chance to compete for the job. However, in retrospect Isabella also admits that it worked out really well and that the person who got the job was a very good fit for it. Moreover, Isabella came to terms w/ what she knew inside, that the job and staying in corporate America wasn’t for her. In fact, Isabella goes so far as to say that this painful moment was the pivot point that got her onto the path that she was meant for. From there, Isabella went back to school, attending the highly prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), launched Wu & Clivilez Executive Image Coaching and hasn’t looked back since. Moving Forward listeners have you recently experienced a painful moment in your career, where you’ve been passed over for that promotion or the job you knew you were qualified for? It’s a painful experience and a blow to the ego to know that you didn’t even get a chance to be considered, much less shine in that role. What do you do from there? As we get close to the end of the year, consider making this pain the pivot point so you don’t have to ever look back. As we learn from Isabella, the first seven seconds are sometimes all we get, less even. Sometimes doors will close before we even reach the knob. Allow yourself to feel the pain and grieve the loss but then use this as motivation to get you on the path to your purpose. Had Isabella gotten that promotion, she wouldn’t have launched Wu & Clivilez Executive Image Coaching which is her true purpose. As Isabella so poignantly frames it, “not every setback is a setback, not every loss is a loss.” Sometimes, it’s a redirection or what I refer to as a pivot. Incidentally, because Isabella is now an entrepreneuer, she has also become quite adept at social media and this is how we connected. This ripple effect is why she is on Moving Forward today to inspire you to move forward.
Knowledge Bursts:
Resource or cultural experience that inspired Isabella to move forward:
Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals by Heidi Grant Halvorson (Paperback | Kindle): a great source for coaching yourself; for developing growth mindset, setting goals and accomplishment them (from dreams to reality).
How Isabella stays organized and manages her time:
Old school to do lists with pen and paper: Isabella shares that when you write it down, it makes a difference in terms of how it’s imprinted and how our minds prioritize it (and she has the neuroscience research to back it up!). Isabella also finds pen and paper to be a better way to jog the creative juices than w/ by typing it out.
Favorite app / website / resource or productivity hack:
Lumosity (IOS | Google Play) and Train of Thought (IOS | Google Play): games that exercise the brain in memory, retention, recall and more.
Moving Forward listeners, I’m also a fan (and daily user) of Elevate (IOS | Google Play).
Support the Podcast:
The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book: makes the perfect stocking stuffer or white elephant gift.
Try out Audible (affiliate link).
Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate link).
Isabella’s Advice for you to Move Forward:
Start journaling: look at your routine on a daily basis and make an assessment of which activity or activities are moving you forward and which ones aren’t. Audit your time carefully and stop doing the activities that aren’t getting you to where you want to go. Prioritize and manage your time as you would w/ any other asset. Isabella also reminds us of this age old adage: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So if you’re spinning your wheels, getting passed over a promotion in a job (as opposed to a vocation) then make a course correction. Next, write down what you should be doing w/ the time that was taken up by the activities that weren’t serving you. Examples include: seeking out a mentor or a sponsor (learn the difference in Isabella’s Forbes article). Find people that are doing what you want to do and find out how they got there. Finally, chart out how to get to where you want to go. It doesn’t matter whether you get there fast or slow, all that matters is that you are moving forward everyday and will eventually get there. Moving Forward listeners, don’t wait until January 1, 2017 to start taking action. Don’t make a New Year’s resolution to pivot or shift course. Start now. Isabella has given you a roadmap on how to use journaling and time audits as your Moving Forward accelerators.
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