Hear from a recent corporate escapee and her journey so far.

Adrienne Farrell is a corporate wellness consultant and the founder of the InnovateHerLab, a community for women exploring their career paths. She focuses on women's health and well-being in the workplace, recognizing the need to elevate this issue. 

Adrienne's journey to becoming an escapee started when she experienced layoffs and a toxic work environment. She decided to take a leap of faith and prioritize her own voice and values. 

She is passionate about advocating for women's health and believes that the corporate world needs to change to better support women. 

Adrienne is currently balancing her corporate wellness consulting work with her side project, the InnovateHer Lab. 

The conversation explores the opportunities and challenges of transitioning from corporate life to entrepreneurship. They discuss the benefits of being your authentic self, the rise of fractional work, and the importance of networking and finding a supportive community. They also touch on time management and prioritization as key factors in the success of solo entrepreneurs. The conversation ends with advice for those considering the entrepreneurial journey.

Adrienne’s Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennel-farrell/

Website: adriennefarrell.com/ 

Takeaways

• Adrienne's transition from corporate to escapee was motivated by her desire for work-life balance, flexibility, and the ability to advocate for her own values.
• She is passionate about addressing the gap in women's health and well-being in the workplace and believes that organizations have a social responsibility to prioritize this issue.
• Adrienne's experience in setting up wellness programs in corporate roles has informed her current work as a corporate wellness consultant.
• She emphasizes the importance of having a support network and community when navigating the transition from corporate to escapee. Being your authentic self brings the most value and happiness.
• Fractional work offers flexibility and cost-effectiveness for companies.
• Building a supportive network and community is crucial for success.
• Time management and prioritization are key skills for solo entrepreneurs.
• Give yourself grace and embrace the learning process.

Sound Bites

• "There's a real need to elevate women's health within the workplace."
• "Finding your community allows for authentic, transparent conversations without jeopardizing your current career."
• "Having the freedom of voice and advocating for what's important to me is incredibly rewarding and empowering."
• "The opportunity, I guess more than anything"
• "There are opportunities to create the work that you want"
• "The future of work is heading this way"

Keywords

corporate wellness, women's health, career exploration, escapee, toxic work environment, work-life balance, flexibility, support network, entrepreneurship, corporate life, authenticity, fractional work, networking, community, time management, prioritization, advice

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:37 Adrienne's Work: Corporate Wellness and the Innovate Her Lab

05:07 Transitioning from Corporate to Escapee

08:29 Finding Your Voice and Advocating for What's Important

12:45 Addressing the Gap in Women's Health in the Workplace

15:30 Balancing Corporate Wellness Consulting and the Innovate Her Lab

20:00 Approaching Time and Focus as an Escapee

22:10 Transitioning from Corporate Life to Entrepreneurship

23:06 The Opportunity of Fractional Work

25:14 The Future of Work

27:36 The Power of Networking and Community

29:17 Challenges and Rewards of Going Solo

33:32 Time Management and Prioritization

37:23 Advice for Early-stage Entrepreneurs

Hi, Adrienne. Welcome to the Corporate Escapee Podcast.

Hi, thank you so much for having me.

No, it's my pleasure. We've been talking about this for a little bit, so I'm glad that we could get you on here. And I think for folks, well, when they hear your story, one, I think it's super interesting what you're working on. And two, I would still call you fairly fresh out of the corporate realm. earlier on in your journey, so I just, thought it would be interesting to share with listeners that are still thinking about their journey to bring somebody in that's, again, it's still really fresh.

We'll get into that in a second, but first, why don't you share with the audience what you are working on today? I know you've got a primary and you're working on kind of a passion project as well, and we'll get into those later, but I just to help set the stage, why don't you share with the audience what you're working on.

Sure, yeah, thank you so much. So when I transitioned out of corporate, I began focusing on fractional work specifically as a corporate wellness consultant, focusing on women's health. So that's what my main focus is right now. And then I have a side project called the Innovate Her Lab, which is a community for women who are exploring the next steps in their career.

who also want to prioritize their health and wellbeing and not sacrifice one for the other.

Yeah, which is super. It's, really important. And again, I love, I love your side project too. I know it's your side project, but I think that eventually is going to become your, your, your core thing over time, just based on needs and passions, those types of things. So, the corporate wellness. yeah, doing the fractional now and you're working with mid -size startup. What size companies are you? Well, two things. Tell me on the corporate side, who you're working with your ideal customer.

you

and then who are you working with on your side project?

Sure. So I'm working with small to mid -sized companies and my ideal customer, that's a really good question. I think any company that cares about their employees and recognizes that we have a huge gap when it comes to women's health and there's a real need to elevate that within the workplace.

for sure and your background's a little bit in that. We'll get into that here in a second because I'm going take you down memory lane. And then what about on the passion side? Who are the folks that you're targeting or who's targeting you, right? Maybe a better way because didn't this kind of start with some people reaching out to you?

Yeah, it did actually. Thanks for the reminder. So who am I targeting? I mean, it's really anyone who's looking for community and support, advocacy, encouragement, all the things because nowadays so many women are transitioning in their careers, whether it's due to layoffs, ageism, becoming a parent and realizing you can't stay in corporate anymore. It's not a good fit.

There's just a lot of transitioning happening. So I think anyone who that sparks interest in and wants that community and also the education and the networking. mean, we have just incredible women in there already from across industries who are just powerhouses. And it's great place to kind of build your, I know you mentioned it in the past, like your internal board of directors to help you navigate your journey.

Yeah. And the complexity and it's it is a brave new world. And like I said, we're to go back to your transition from corporate to, you know, solo or escapee. And I just think having that support network is so important. You know, and I've shared on this podcast before when I left, it was probably two years before.

very many people knew that I left corporate and started my own thing. And in hindsight, I'm like, what an idiot. What was I, why would I not? I don't know if it was a stigma or I just didn't want to tell. I don't know. can't tell the reason why I didn't do it, but I get it why people are, you know, are, anxious and hungry for community and just look what we're doing with the, the escapee community. I think we're close to 900.

people in six months, right? It's not like we're advertising or any of those things. So I think just having a group of folks to be able to talk things through is so important.

especially when you are still in corporate and you want to talk about what's out there and most of your professional network is your colleagues and you can't really say like, hey, I'm thinking about leaving or, you know, I'm exploring other options. And so this way, finding your community, you're able to have all of those really authentic, transparent conversations without any of the repercussions of jeopardizing your current career as well.

Yeah, and quite honestly the judgment sometimes, right? You're gonna do what? You can't sacrifice that's too risky or those. Yeah, we'll get into that in a second. So, all right, so let's go down with you. It's not gonna be too far down memory lane. Because you were in corporate and if I remember correctly early on you had helped set up a wellness program at Newm, is that right? Newm and then moved on to a different company.

Yeah.

You. huh.

So kind of walk through, right, you're in corporate, everything's going well, but what happened to lead you to the escapee path?

that's a good question. So I've definitely always had a really present entrepreneurial side that I put on hold when I entered the remote work of health coaching after school. And I transitioned to Noom in the early days. We had a lot of creative freedom there. I absolutely loved it. Excellent company. And they went through some major rounds of layoffs. And unfortunately, I was caught up in that. And then I moved on to a new company and it was, you

polar opposite. I had my dream job. I was so excited. It was a real milestone for me. And then it just went downhill fast. It was such a toxic environment, such a hostile environment to work in. And so I chose to leave there, which I never thought I would ever do. You you don't think that when you get your dream job, but

I chose to leave and it was a good decision and it sort of catapulted me into like, okay, what's next? You know, do you want to look for another job and maybe end up in another organization that's going to look good on paper, but just be a mess behind the scenes? Or do you want to really try to go out on your own and also, you know, have your own voice? Because when you work for a company, you can't always have your own voice or advocate for your own.

beliefs and what's important to you. So I had seen you on TikTok and I was thinking about leaving this job for a long time and then finally it just, the straw that broke the camel's back. And so I kind of took that leap of faith. I'm still in the air leaping, but yeah. But yeah, it's been incredibly rewarding and empowering just to be able to advocate for what's important to me.

We all are in one way or another, right? mean, that's kind of the beauty of it.

Yeah, and we'll get into some of the specifics too, but I mean, you said something there, I think that it wouldn't have resonated with me early on, but having that voice, right? Because in corporate, can't, some people do and do it effectively, can communicate on LinkedIn, social, whatever channel that you prefer, but it's really usually around the corporate, Is it helping to get my next job or the next customer? But now once you are out and free, it takes a while to get comfortable actually.

you know, talking about what you want to talk about and, yeah, it was, it's free. like, like I said, I've shared on this podcast before my, when I left, was purely to, to replace income actually was to make more money. knew I could make more money, but you know, something you figured out early on to me, it became about the time it came, you know, about the mission, all the things that I didn't think that were important to me were a lot more important to me than I actually realized. And so.

I'm always a little bit envious of folks like you that figure that out pretty quickly, right? Or even folks that left three or four five years ago when it got to that point. So I just wanted to kind of reemphasize the freedom of voice and what you do is such an underappreciated part of this.

Yeah, thank you. Absolutely.

So, all right, so you got to the point and you're like, all right, I'm leaving. What was your plan? Did you have one? And again, there's no right or wrong answer to this because I didn't have a plan when I kind of was asked to leave, you left, but others have gone detailed and some folks have to like, I'll figure it out. So would love your perspective on this and then we can kind of talk through it.

Yeah.

Sure. I'm just trying to think back what my plan was. You know, I ended up leaving pretty abruptly, as many of my peers, fellow coworkers did as well there. did I have a plan? I think in the background, I had been thinking about things for a couple of months, but no solid plan. I had some ideas and I, you know, had become aware of the option of fractional work through.

finding you. So I thought, okay, here's some support, some guidance, some mentorship, and a community that can help figure this out with me. And that's just been invaluable.

Yeah, and it's, again, it's, people always will talk, I say people, but there's folks, haters or whatever you want to call them, that say, it's too risky to go on your own and corporate's more secure. I'm like, have you been in corporate? Have you tried to find another job? And quite honestly, if you go down this path solo and you don't like it, you can always go back to corporate, right? It's not like you're walking away forever. Did you think, because I had Kate,

We see you.

Great.

not too long ago and she was a self -described risk -averse, right? Super ultra conservative when it comes to risk, but yet she's now has absolutely, she had no hesitation when she, well, I shouldn't say she had no hesitation when she left, but she made the decision to leave without customers, without really a full plan. And her opinion was it.

If I was going to take on customers while I still in corporate, then I wouldn't be doing a hundred percent job with either my job or the thing. So just curious with your mindset, did you know that you 100 % never going back to corporate or was this, hey, just to share, again, I think there's people in the audience who would be curious to see where your mind was at.

Yeah, so I definitely at first was not opposed to going back. And I'm still not entirely opposed. You know, I think it just depends on who you land with. That really makes all the difference. So yeah, I would say for the most part, I just was like, all of sudden, overnight, kind of like, okay, here I am, what's next, and then began the steep learning curve. And, you know, every day I think about the pros and cons of

being on your own and being with an organization. And there are pros and cons with both. So it really just depends on the individual. It might depend on your season of life. One of my motivators to stay out of corporate is I have a two and a half year old and as a relatively new mom, you know, I really need more flexibility than I had. And I think what I realized after leaving is that a lot of women are in the same place.

The way that corporate is set up now was not designed for women. It was designed by men, for men, when they had wives at home taking care of all the domestic things and childcare. So now you have women entering the workforce, but they're also doing all those other things. And we also have specific health experiences such as pregnancy, postpartum, all the female specific.

everything else.

illnesses or diseases like endometriosis and PCOS and PMDD. And then of course, women go through perimenopause and menopause. So we're still navigating a system that was designed, you know, not for us. So I think the longer I've been out, the more I've been like, okay, I can actually have work -life balance. I can spend time with my child. I don't need to be extremely stressed out, you know? So I'm not opposed to going back. I'd like to stay out though.

Yeah, no, I get it. And I was talking to somebody just the other day at a networking call and she was going, plan is, well, she's solo, but not by choice at the moment, right? That the corporation quit on her. And she's, she's definitely loves the idea of the flexibility. She does have one client she's working with, but there's an opportunity to nonprofit that, you know, she's been a big.

Advocate of and so they've got a full -time opportunity So I'm like in that case when they're wondering to give you the flexibility to continue to work on what you're passionate about on this side and you have the flexibility to do that it's a remote position so you build it and you're working for a company that you've known and have You know admired in the past. So to me that make that makes sense. It's it's when we take that corporate job We got to put in the you know, 40 to 60 hours for a job. We don't like with people We don't like we may not like

Mm -hmm.

All in return for the paycheck. So I'm with you. I want I'm not going back because I don't think that that role exists for me anymore and I'm okay with that. But I 100 % you know a few years ago would have thought yeah that makes sense if I could find that right combination to give me the flexibility of the freedom but yet still be a company that I believe in. Yeah I think it's hard to do that with big corporate roles. I think it'd be probably in a smaller startup company but

Yeah, and over time, know, even the small ones grow and turn into big ones and there's more bureaucracy. you know, I think our careers are so dynamic as is our well -being and our needs and our life, you know. So again, for a lot of people, transition is happening frequently and the old way of staying with a company for 30 years is no more. Right. So I think there's a lot of people right now just trying to find their way and figure out what's next.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think one of the things I encourage folks to think about, even if you are pursuing going or staying in corporate, still consider yourself right, the CEO of your company of one. And even if you're in corporate, you've got your company as one customer, it's your corporate client and you're doing this work and instead of getting a retainer or something else, you're getting a salary and you just kind of measure all that the benefits are you willing to give everything they need you to give and return for what you're getting and make a decision that way of where I never thought that way. I don't know if you did when you were

corporate, right? The job sound cool, looks interesting. I could get promoted. I can make more money. Whatever it was, was the motivator. wasn't, you know, how does this strategically fit into my, you know, the career plan? yeah, the one, the one thing I want to go back because you speak with the passion of the,

Absolutely.

the women and the challenges in the workplace. can say, you can always tell already tell where you're you're you're passionate. But it seems like that's a huge opportunity in the market as well in the sense that nobody's really addressing it. Right. Is that accurate? And the reason I want to go there is I think a lot of us made obviously different challenges that we see, but there's things that we're passionate about that, you know, you can find those things. So I don't want to go too far without hearing.

back to how you became passionate about this. Is it just because you experienced it, then all of sudden it just gained momentum?

Well, actually, it all began many moons ago. I started sort of a side hustle when I was still in school on the West Coast and it did really well and it kind of surprised me. It was just really offering programs and opportunities that I was interested in. So we had women's groups, health education and support groups, and we had acupuncture for women and outdoor outings for women and

financial wellness for women. would collaborate with other professionals who had anything to offer women. And it did well, I still get calls about it to this day and that was almost 10 years ago. So like I said, I kind of, put that on hold when I entered corporate and have always still had that passion and that interest. But then getting out, you know, it just, I was able to just find that voice again and run with it.

You know, it's a little bit tricky because we don't want to sound like we're discriminating against men if we offer employee wellness focused on women. But the thing is, there's so much overlap. know, a lot of this benefits men as well. And also, if we take a step back, we do need to acknowledge there is a social responsibility there of organizations, of corporate, to make workplaces more accommodating for women. We're focusing a lot on inclusivity these days, but we're not

We're not changing a structure that doesn't support women. So, you know, where am I going with this? It'll be interesting to see how things evolve and hopefully there is more and more prioritization on women's health and employee wellness and in advisory. Yeah, time will tell.

Yeah, I mean, I think too, you know, I've talked offline about this before that, but it kind of marries what you were doing in corporate. It may not seem like it, but you know, the wellness program that you had helped create at Noom and then with the new company.

Again, it's still kind of centered around that same passion, right? To improve things. And again, in modern corporate right now, it's just an absolute mess. At some point, I'm guessing it'll hopefully stabilize and people will get back to investing in programs and the wellbeing of employees. It's right now, it seems more tilted towards the profit over the people. But again, some companies can prove me wrong. Please do. I haven't seen it, but.

Yeah.

But again, I think that's what is the other potential escapees are out there thinking about what you're doing during your day job, right? You may be, I don't care if it's CRM, it's sales, it's marketing, customer success, whatever it is. There's also on the flip side of things that over your career, you've helped develop people or, mentored, right folks or help teach trends in whatever it is. There's that kind of that dual skill set that I think we all have that when we don't realize that we have, maybe some do. didn't.

Right? This escapee thing came out of nowhere in the sense of, this is what I really, really, really like to do. Right. But I didn't know. So my rambling answer to that, just for other folks to think about, you know, what you're doing in corporate, type of companies you like to work for. And is there two sides to that? Right. Because the beauty of not being in corporate is there's no boxes, right? There's no wrappers on how to do things and where you can make money and spend your

time. maybe talk just a little about that as you're and I know it's still new as you're working through it. So but you know, how are you now approaching that with you know, between the corporate and the the call it the consumer the personal side.

Can you be more specific?

Yeah, I mean, think as you, because you touched on earlier thinking about your business and where you want to spend your time and you know, where the money is going to come from. Cause we still have to pay bills, those types of things. So as you've got these two pieces that are complimentary, you know, right now, how are you thinking about spending the time, and where your focus is? And because again, I think people out there and what I'm trying to show is we're all thinking through the same things, right?

Yeah.

how do you go through that process and maybe kind of just share where you're at right now and knowing, you know, in six weeks it could change, but kind of how you're thinking about it right now.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's such a good question. I mostly feel like a kid in a candy shop that I get to spend my time and attention on corporate wellness, focusing on women's health and on the side project with the Innovate Her Lab. And I think having this community of mentors and peers to talk things out with has really helped me figure out where I do need to put my focus, even if it's just like, OK, this month I'm going to

focus on XYZ and then next month maybe I can shift over back to this thing or I'm going to dedicate three hours a week towards this project, everything else is going over here. So right now I'm mostly focusing on the Unfraction of Corporate Wellness Consultant work. And it's really hard not to focus on the Innovate Her Lab because I do love it so much but...

You know, this is one of those challenges of getting out of corporates. Like you're your own boss. You have to decide how to spend your time and, you know, where your own ROI is coming from. So that's my most recent plan. And yeah, in a couple of weeks, it'll probably shift.

No, but it makes sense. that is the other thing too, that if we approach these as, you know, experiments, right? I mean, I'm definitely guilty of taking or chasing too many shiny objects at times. I've gotten much, much better with that and trying to stay focused. But I've also kind of learned that, these are all experiments that we're working on.

Mm -hmm. Absolutely.

Right now, you, like I said, you may be, you're focused on the fractional and corporate wellness side of it. And, you know, maybe it becomes an offering for, right. Or an agency type of model for those corporates or really want you to start to figure out what they need, what those corporations need and where they're investing their money. but I do like the fact that we can work on the personal side or the side projects. Again, I think.

Mm -hmm.

I'd love to hear your opinion because when I'm building this is for you know kind of forever, right? I'm not don't want to work forever. Well, I probably will work forever but doing what I want when I want and so if I can create this where I can build all that flexibility and still take care of things would be be the dream so So, don't know where my question was going to you with that but more of just a rat down a rabbit hole of you know, the opportunity I guess more than anything

Absolutely.

haha

but

Yeah. sorry. Well, it just reminds me of a conversation we had in the corporate escapee community last week. It was about just like being your authentic self, which can feel uncomfortable when you're used to being like your corporate identity. And that's the hat you wear. But when you're working for yourself, it's like, OK, what is my my own identity here?

No, go ahead.

And it got me thinking that, and to your point about doing this forever, I really think that when people are able to be their authentic selves, they're going to bring the most value to the world, and they're also going to be the happiest. So it's like a win -win for everybody. You get to do what you truly love, which is also what you're probably going to be the best at. Of course, it's going to be a learning curve and a continual learning process. But ideally, that's what we all should be shooting for, I think.

And now with the world changing, there are these opportunities to create the work that you want instead of trying to fit yourself into a position that may not align with your values, your goals, or your long -term plans. So yeah, it's great that there are these different initiatives happening, these different communities popping up that can help people find their way.

Yeah, I think it's such a good point on being your authentic self, right? Because we are our corporate personality for our, had to be right. You had to play the game. had to play the politics. Some were better than others. That was really never my strong point, right? But you know, the people that get promoted most of the time were the ones that played that game really well, but it's probably not anybody that you'd want to hang out with or have dinner with right outside of.

outside of work and you're right, it's just so much easier to get up every morning knowing you're going to go be yourself and work on what's important to you versus somebody else. And I think that the good part is the world of work is we're moving this way, Small businesses are starting to adapt with fractional, but I think other...

services, right? If they've got problems, you know, people like escapees can solve those problems in different ways, but they don't need to have a full -time employee to do it. And so I think as the world moves more and more that way, we can become more flexible and be CEOs of one and control that because even the big companies are going to realize, why do I have to pay? You know, I think that I've mentioned this asana survey before the 27 % of knowledge workers.

or actually, or 27 % of the time of knowledge workers is actually spent on knowledge work. And every corporate employee is a knowledge work, knowledge worker, right? So we're only spending 27 % of our day doing the job we were hired to do. That's a lot of waste, right? And if I'm companies, big companies, you're going to figure out why do I want to pay the, you know, the 73 % extra and small businesses, we can offer it now because they can cut through the red tape. so, another long -winded answer to say that I think the future of work is heading this way now pretty quickly.

Mm

Mm -hmm. Yeah.

And so being out in front of this will give us those options and be kind of the leaders as we transition through this phase of it.

Definitely, and it's such a win for companies as well because like you said, they don't necessarily need to hire someone full time. But yeah, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. You you can hire someone fractionally and still get your needs met and not have to, you know, overstretch your budget.

Yeah. And still, think the part where I think some small businesses and maybe even big businesses missed the fact as well, when I've hired a company in the past to do my marketing, they didn't really get me. said, well, you're missing, there's a better way of, cause that to me is a transaction where like fractional and we can get into the definition of fractional is different for folks. But to me, fractional is leadership of a role or a position within a company. And if I'm in a small business and we need CRM help.

right and nobody in that company knows how to do CRM. You know, you can be a fractional leader of that CRM. doesn't have to be C -suite. You don't have to do these things. It's just somebody that can provide leadership within that company for a specific need and it just makes, again, it makes just way too much sense for companies to leverage this and then you get to know that company, right? You're working on their behalf, not just a one of 25 or 50 customers you're working on that you can't provide that level of service.

Right.

So I think it's the other thing that people don't appreciate about the escapee world is you only need a few customers, right, at a time to make this work. We don't need tens and hundreds of these things. So it can be super personal.

Absolutely. And they might and they do come back as repeat clients and customers, which is nice too. So it's not like you're necessarily always on the search for a new client.

Yeah, and referrals and all the good stuff. All right, so I'm going to put you in the hot seat a little bit as, again, it's been relatively new. So what has been some of the biggest challenges that you've faced as you've gone solo and did any of them surprise you?

Mm -hmm.

I mean, I would say they all surprised me because like when I left, you don't know what you don't know, right? So I would say the biggest challenges which I welcome into my life because I enjoy learning have just been figuring out what I need to learn about. So for example, networking, I never in my life had to network before, you know, like this. So that was the steep learning curve.

Fair enough. Right.

marketing, know, website design, all the things. And I look forward, this is a side note, but I look forward to the time where I can mentor other people through this process and kind of give them a to do list or an order of operations, because there's a lot of bit like kind of fumbling around in the dark. But, you know, it's been incredibly exciting. And when I look back at how much I've learned in just the last few months, it's

It's exhilarating, you know? I don't know how else to put it. So I would say the biggest challenges have also been the most rewarding experiences.

Yeah, that's awesome. I've heard a lot of folks also say it's one, it's not easy, which I don't think anybody's pretending it's easy, but it's hard, but it's your hard, right? It's, it's for you. You're not working for somebody else and you know, spending that time, time for you are you are spending the time on you and what you want to work on versus, you know, some other corporations goals. So, yeah. And I love, ahead.

Mm -hmm.

Absolutely. And when you have a is what's been the most helpful for me is that I can talk about things like imposter syndrome or corporate identity versus your identity, all these things. And sure enough, there's usually a few other people who are like, yep, I'm experiencing that too. People with all sorts of incredible careers behind them who I would never think they have that experience too.

It's really nice to just feel like, okay, this is normal and there are ways to get through it and sure enough you do. So I think that support is just super helpful.

Yeah, agreed. Yeah, it's definitely an underappreciated. Don't do it alone for sure. Did you find, shoot, I just had a question for you.

No, don't do it alone.

I'll come back to it because it was just more along the lines of getting started. I don't know. I can say I really liked your idea of the to -do list, right? As I've talked and met with more and more folks, it's clear. But again, I'm finding no two paths are the same, right? And no two things you're doing, but it comes down again, it's super corny little thing that I've come up with is, you know, the bam, you got to believe in yourself, right? You got to have that confidence, take action. That's one of the hardest things for people after they

It's true.

you sort of kind of believe, take action and just find a little bit of momentum. You get that first client or that first, even if it's not exactly what it just builds on it versus, because I think when you're thinking you're sitting in corporate and I want to run my business, it just seems like this gap is so overwhelming at times. But at some point you just don't care. I was at the point I don't care if it's that far, I'm going anyway. But it's not that bad if you actually break it into

you know, more bite size steps. I'm curious if you've seen that so far what you thought when you left where you're at. It's probably a bigger golf than you want it to be, but you can see the other side.

and

Absolutely, and I think, you personally I love mantras or affirmations or just, you know, things you tell yourself. one of them, I mean, I've heard you say it too, that like done is better than perfect, I think is one of the things. And so there's a few things I say to myself often. And that's one of them because, you know, especially when it's your own work, you can sit back and like analyze it and rewrite it and redo it, you know.

for eternity. And so there is this point where it's like, all right, just got to get it out there, you know, get the ball rolling. And then also that point about, you know, being comfortable in the uncomfortable is so important too, because when you are, at least for me, I've never, like I said, had to really do a lot of networking. So now if I'm emailing somebody or all these things are a little bit uncomfortable and exciting. And so

Yeah.

When I find myself coming up against some resistance, I just have these few sayings that I say to myself, or like, think about where you're going to be in a year, you know, and that helps get me through.

Yeah, that's so good. maybe we should start in the community, the escapee affirmations, right?

Absolutely.

I'm a hundred percent with you. Curious. one of the things that I really struggled with initially when I went solo was the time management piece, right? I could always do client work well, cause it's prioritized. You knew what had to get done. You had deadlines. Also, and you get this entire world in front of you where you own the to -do list and executing against it. How did you, was that a challenge for you or was that something you are comfortable with?

Well, I have a two part answer. On one hand, it was like absolutely glorious just having freedom. And I started this habit of walking in the morning wearing my weighted vest that I learned about from Michael Easter's, Easter's Comfort Crisis book. Going for a walk and listening to podcasts or an audiobook. And it's just changed my life. It's such a great way to start the day. I get super motivated.

I get really encouraged by the material I'm ingesting. You know, my blood's flowing and everything. So then I'll come home and just be like, ready to go, you know? So in that way, motivation hasn't been an issue. The piece that I find hard is that there's so much I want to do and I only have X amount of hours in the day. And, you know, the last time I was at this intersection of like building my own thing,

I didn't have children yet and now I do. And so I have to really end my work day. I can't plow through until 10 o 'clock at night. So there's this element of just eagerness to get back to it. So time management. mean, I would not say I struggle with that. If anything, it's really trying to understand what's the most important thing to focus on next. then.

Yeah, so more prioritization then. Yeah, that's a good point. It's funny because my journey, went from complete chaos, right? All these hours to just scrambling. And then I found a couple of books kind of like you, time rich and processes the product. I got Uber.

Detailed on my time management like down to the 15 minutes slot and that just didn't work for me It did for a bit, but now I've kind of segmented my day like early mornings. I still get up really early I like the coffee and for like the first couple of hours That's really my good thinking creative type of work, but then by mid morning or like nine o 'clock That's when I'll hit the walk or go to the gym

listen to the podcast, get the inspiration, and then that's good for the next three hours, gets me to lunch, and then afternoons tend to be more of the administrative type tasks. So that's working well. So I know I've got my three different slots to get work done and then just figuring out how to prioritize what I'm doing with each of them. Now I know it's never perfect, know, client calls or, you know,

Brett Trainor (36:05.943)

when you do some of the podcasts, I'll make sure that I type. But that's become a much better, and I know everybody's got a different system, but it took me a while to figure out what's the right system for me.

And I think that's just it. People do operate more effectively at different times of the day. And when you do have that freedom to put your efforts in, when you have the most energy and brain power, you're going to be a lot more effective instead of having to adhere to someone else's schedule and requirements.

Yeah, it just doesn't work. again, you touch on one of the benefits, at least you and I like the workouts, right? Being able to do that in the morning. There's other people like, I don't want to work out. That's not important to me. I'm like, well, just replace that hour or 90 minutes with something else that is important to you and that you couldn't do while you're sitting in a corporate job. So, awesome.

Absolutely.

Well, Adrienne, time is flying by. Is there anything we didn't touch on or any other words of advice you'd have for folks that are thinking about early on? I want to encourage people, everybody should explore it, even if it's not for you, educate yourself. But what are some tips and advice that you'd have for folks early on in their journey? No pressure.

make friends, connect with people so you can have your support system and that camaraderie and fun at the same time. And yeah, I think give yourself some grace that it is a process of exploration. And there's a lot to be learned and a lot to discover along the way, which is exciting and, you know, all the other emotions that you feel. So.

Yeah.

Yeah, find your tribe and give yourself some grace.

Yeah, it somebody in the community last week maybe is your Bible find your tribe or I'm just butchered that. Yeah, it's so good. And it goes back to being your authentic self, right? You find be yourself be what you want to talk about. I guarantee there's others that want to learn and hear that are behind you where you are in that journey. So.

Mm -hmm. I love that.

All right, Adrienne, well, we're going to, as I've told some recent guests, I'm going to continue to do Where Are They Now updates. So I know you're early in your journey, so maybe another six months, we'll check back in with you and see how it's going, if you made any pivots or where you're at. But I definitely appreciate you spending some time and sharing your journey so far with the audience. I just think it's so helpful. And I think what you're doing is super inspiring too. So continued success with that.

Absolutely.

Thank you. Thanks so much for having me on. I really appreciate it.

And lastly, I'll put in the show notes, but what's the best way for people to connect with you if they want to learn more, network with you? Like said, I'll put in the show notes. What's the best way?

So yeah, LinkedIn, Adrienne Farrell. And I do have a free like 30 minute strategy session or connection call or whatever it's called. If people do wanna connect about anything really, career, health and wellness, all that. And then my website is the same name. So, and the Innovator Lab is a different website. It's innovaterlab .com.

Yeah, we'll put it up here.

clever that he actually got that URL is kind of cool too. So awesome. All right. Well, folks go check her out. Like I said, we'll bring her back on here in a few months to do a little touch base. But thanks again for spending the time and have a great rest of your day.

Yeah, I know, I was surprised.

Thank you, you too.