Prioritizing Authenticity

Debbie recently blogged about priorities and “Big Rocks” – concepts that we believe in at Seasons Leadership. Big rocks represent your important priorities such as key relationships, big responsibilities, important projects and critical meetings – things you must absolutely accomplish. To demonstrate that we really do practice what we preach, I want to share some of my big rocks and what I have been doing over the past few years to prioritize to hopefully inspire you on your own journey.

Earlier in my career, my highest priority values were safety and security. During that time, I was raising my children and focused on providing them with the resources they needed. Now with my children grown my priority values have shifted. Working as an entrepreneur, adventure and fun have a bigger place in my jar. At the same time, I continue to believe in the interconnectedness of life – that our unique value can positively impact others and the world around us.

Transitioning to my own business I wanted a path that would allow me to give back and appreciate the wonder and awe of others’ journeys. This is reflected in our shared vision for Seasons Leadership – to change the world, one leader at a time. In this way my partnership with Debbie and Seasons Leadership aligns with my personal priorities and big rocks and both fulfill me in ways that I couldn’t have imagined when I started this journey.

The transition to leadership coach and entrepreneur has been exciting, unnerving, challenging and fun – and that is just a taste of the variety of emotions I have experienced! As I build my businesses, I reflect on who I am now, or better yet, who do I want to become and where do I want to be? My intentions are evolving and with that comes the drive to make some changes to cultivate my development. I’ve connected better to my true essence with the help of my coaches (yes, I have more than one!), because I’m growing beyond “corporate” Susan. I am grateful and appreciate the experience that my work in corporations has given me, but there is more I want to explore.

I want to show up authentically
As I explore these questions for myself, I want my business to communicate to the outside world who I am and what I am about. I want to show up authentically and accurately so that clients can connect with me. I want my business to be a source of continual learning and growth. This will bring connection as well as adventure and fun – for myself and my clients. I want my reach to expand so my goal is to coach globally. My dream is to live outside the U.S. and coach. I love connecting with people from different countries and cultures and being able to do it in person is my stretch goal – maybe for 2023? There is so much to learn!

I have been working on this for several years and I know it is a work of a lifetime. I also know it is important to celebrate the wins along the way, so I do have results that I am excited to share. I’m delighted to announce the relaunch of my private coaching and consulting website and to share my beautiful new brand with you: susanireland.coach.

This new and rebranded website better aligns with who I am as a coach and a person, and where I want to grow my business. This work has taken a lot of reflection over the past year resulting in better clarity for myself and hopefully, for the people I serve. Please take a look, subscribe to my mailing list (I promise you won’t get a lot of emails!) and let me know what you think.

As a sidenote, you might ask, “What about Seasons Leadership with Debbie?” Good question! Debbie and I are continuing to partner with Seasons Leadership and have some new offerings that you will be hearing about soon. In addition to Seasons Leadership, Debbie and I both have our separate private coaching businesses, and this new website represents my personal brand. You can visit Debbie’s website at www.debbiecollard.com/.

My process of self-discovery continues. As I fill my jar with big rocks and prioritize to meet my goals, I hope you are inspired by my journey to see a path forward for you. Defining your authentic self takes work but it is well worth it. When your values align to your priorities the big rocks in your life become treasures in your jar.


Read more about setting priorities and Susan's brand journey in the Seasons Leadership blog The Almanac:

The Most Organized Leader Manages Priorities

Communicating My Brand of Values