Spring Cleaning Your Inner World to Reduce Mental Overload

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This 13-minute episode packs a punch delving into spring cleaning your inner world with tips to reduce mental overload. It prompts reflection on progress, adjustments needed, and implementing new strategies. Hilary also talks through tips for a digital detox and an easy way to tidy up quickly.

This episode is brought to you by Hustle & Grace Group Coaching. Applications are open through April 21, 2024. Learn more and apply here. 

On April 18, you're invited to a free virtual workshop called "Rejecting the Rat Race: a 30-minute roadmap to build a career, business, and life you love." Register free here.

  1. Review your goals. The first quarter of the year is behind us. ¾ to go. How has your progress tracked against your intentions? What needs to go? What needs to be adjusted? What needs to be implemented? 

  2. Review your time. Are you happy with how you’ve been spending your time? Reflect on what you want to start, stop, and continue. Review your relationships that are most important to you, does your calendar reflect that? 

  3. Schedule a social media break/digital detox. We have so much information overload. It’s so easy to compare and despair. At least once a year cut way down on your screen time. 

  4. Take a break from your vices. Got any bad habits? Commit to doing a 30-day fast from whatever that habit is. 

  5. Implement a gratitude practice. When you cut things out of your life, fill it with something beneficial instead. Maybe it’s a daily practice of reading the Bible or committing to 30 days of a gratitude practice–just writing some things you’re thankful for each evening before bed. 

  6. Look at your living space with fresh eyes. Is there clutter or a pile of stuff that you’ve stopped noticing because you’re so used to it sitting there? Put time on your calendar to address it. Will you use it? Sell it? Donate it?

  7. Implement a system for getting stuff out of your head. You can’t mentally keep up with all the things. When you think of something, write it down. I use the notes app on my phone to write down anything that pops into my head. I try to put it on a specific list for a specific day. I can always move it if it doesn’t ultimately work for that day.

Resources and Recommendations fro this episode: 

Time Tracking Worksheets with Laura Vanderkam

My favorite journal! 

Smart Pretty & Awkward on Substack

12 Financial Strategies I’ve Learned Over 12 Years of Adulting (Am I becoming a personal finance girlie?)

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Sponsor message: This episode is brought to you by Dun and Bradstreet
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  • Introduction: Hilary reflects on her journey from struggling financially to implementing smart financial practices and achieving success in her career.

  • Dollar-based Budgeting: Learn how to budget based on the previous month's income using a downloadable template available on Hilary's website.

  • Credit Card Usage: Hilary shares how she manages expenses by using a credit card with rewards and paying off the balance monthly for passive income.

  • Monthly Tracking: Importance of tracking income and expenses monthly for better financial awareness and preparation for tax season.

  • Tools for Wise Money Management: Hilary discusses using High-Yield Savings Accounts (HYSA), investing in I bonds, and exploring ETFs for investment opportunities.

  • Additional Tips: Increase rates as a service provider, research funding options for home purchases, and sell unused items for extra income.

  • Hustle & Grace Group Coaching: Hilary introduces the upcoming group coaching program and encourages listeners to apply for a chance to participate.

  • Recommended Resources: Hilary shares book recommendations and podcasts for further financial education and inspiration.

  • Conclusion: Wrapping up with a reminder to define financial goals and pursue them with determination and strategic planning.

Don't miss out on actionable personal finance and career tips in this episode of Hustle & Grace!

Resources and Recommendations from this episode:

Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps 

Think Like a Breadwinner 

We Should All Be Millionaires

How to Money Podcast

Money with Katie Show

Hustle & Grace Group Coaching application

Dollar-based budgeting template (Available on Hilary Sutton's website)

Chase Sapphire credit card (Recommended by Hilary for perks and rewards)

CIT Bank (Recommended for high-yield savings accounts)

I bonds (U.S. savings bonds designed to protect cash from inflation)

Schwab (Brokerage firm for investing in ETFs and stocks)

My Year End Ritual

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Every year somewhere between Christmas and mid-January, Hilary Sutton does a ‘taking stock’ ritual to wrap up the year and start fresh with the new one. In this episode Hilary is breaking down the process step by step and sharing what she does on a monthly basis that makes achieving goals, managing life, and running a business easier. 

If you're a fan of the show and want to support us, please visit the website of our generous sponsor! 

This episode is brought to you by Dun and Bradstreet

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Download the free New Years Goal-setting Workbook here.

Work That Matters: Seth Godin on Finding Significance in Your Career

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In this episode Hilary interviews renowned writer, entrepreneur, and speaker, Seth Godin. They delve into the profound shifts happening in the world of work, particularly accelerated by the pandemic. Godin emphasizes the fading of traditional industrialism and the rise of decision-making as a valuable skill in the digital age. They discuss the importance of finding work that is significant and making commitments that matter. Godin also shares insights on leadership, the power of projects in shaping a career, and the impact of AI on various aspects of work. This thought-provoking conversation offers valuable perspectives on navigating the evolving landscape of work and building fulfilling careers.

The Song of Significance

Follow Hilary on Instagram

Song of Increase

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital. Do you know what kind of marketing support you (really) need?

⚡️ Overcoming Creative Paralysis: 8 Tips to Break Free from Fear

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“What is creative living? Any life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.” -Elizabeth Gilbert

Could you use a pep talk to get you over the hump from thinking about doing something creative to actually getting out there? In this episode, we unpack eight practical tips to overcome fear in the creative process. 

Learn more about Hustle & Grace Coaching

Follow Hilary on Instagram

Resources mentioned include:

The Man in the Arena

Big Magic

Failing Forward

Daring Greatly

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital. Do you know what kind of marketing support you (really) need?

Closing the Confidence Gap: How Women Can Advance in Leadership with Kelli Rae Thompson

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Kelli Rae Thompson

In this episode of Hustle & Grace, host Hilary Sutton interviews Kelli Thompson, a women's leadership coach, speaker, and author. Kelli discusses how a lack of confidence holds women back in the workplace and shares tips for women to gain more confidence and lead with more authority. They also do a deep dive on salary negotiating, the Enneagram, executive presence, and leadership styles. 

This episode offers valuable advice for women looking to advance in their careers and become more effective leaders.

Learn more about Kelli Thompson

Closing the Confidence Gap

Take the Career Motivation Quiz 

Connect with Hilary Sutton on Instagram

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital. Do you know what kind of marketing support you (really) need?

How to Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul (A Quickstart Guide to Personal Branding)

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Is it possible to sell yourself without selling your soul? Absolutely. In this episode, Hilary discusses five tips to build a thoughtful personal brand that opens doors for professional growth. Grow your visibility and opportunities without feeding the beasts of narcissism or perfectionism paralysis. Here's how. 

  1. Determine your “why.”

  2. Provide value to your audience.

  3. Remember that your audience has Main 👏 Character 👏 Energy 👏!

  4. Don’t be afraid to celebrate.

  5. Remember you are (or you have) the solution to someone’s problem.

  6. Bonus: Don’t overthink it.

Learn more about Hustle & Grace Coaching

Building a StoryBrand 

How to Plan a Social Media Sabbatical 

Take the Career Motivation Quiz 

Connect with Hilary Sutton on Instagram

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital. Do you know what kind of marketing support you (really) need?

Bullet Journal Method Inventor Ryder Carroll On Embracing Analog and Intentionality

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Ryder Carroll is a New York Times best-selling author, digital product designer, and inventor of the Bullet Journal method. He's been featured by the New York Times, LA Times, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Vogue, Bloomberg, and others.

In this conversation Ryder and Hilary discuss intentionality around not only time management but energy management, what is unique about the bullet journal method, and Ryder's career journey from designer to inventor and author.

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital. Do you know what kind of marketing support you (really) need?

What All High-Achieving Creatives Have In Common: Writer Madeleine Dore Shares Surprising Findings on Creativity

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Madeleine Dore is a writer and interviewer exploring how we can broaden the definition of a day well spent. As a labour of love, Madeleine spent over five years asking creative thinkers how they navigate their days on her popular blog Extraordinary Routines and podcast Routines & Ruts. The lessons culminated in her first book, I Didn’t Do The Thing Today. Madeleine continues to write, speak and ask questions—but mostly tries to hold things lightly.

In this conversation, Madeleine Dore shares what she learned after spending five years interviewing creative thinkers about their routines and reflections. Her findings may surprise you. Madeleine shares the commonalities that she found across the board with these high achieving creatives, the freeing concept of the “day artist” and what we can actually learn from our impulse to “compare and despair.”

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital. Do you know what kind of marketing support you (really) need?

How to Get Better at Decision-Making with Decision Coach Nell Wulfhart

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Nell Wulfhart is a decision coach. She helps people make big decisions in a single session, getting them out of endless deliberation and into action. She's been doing this for ten years and has helped everyone from parents and poets to hedge fund managers and Olympic athletes. You can find her at decideandmovefoward.com.

In this episode Nell Wulfhart and Hilary talk about portfolio careers, living and working around the world, and Nell's expertise: helping people make decisions and move forward. They share their theories on why people struggle with decision-making and Nell offers concrete tips to improve the decision-making process and go after the life you want. 

Do you know your career motivation? Take the quiz here. 

This episode is sponsored by HSL Digital, a marketing and communications consultancy dedicated to helping small teams focus on their highest and best use.

How to Human with Carlos Whittaker: On Walking with People Rather than Standing On Issues

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Carlos Whittaker is bringing hope to humans all over the world. And he’s pretty good at it: he’s an author, podcaster, and global speaker backed by the power of a massive Instafamilia, his enthusiastic social followers who tune in daily to join forces with Carlos to find connection, do good, and be in community.

When Carlos enters a room, he makes people feel seen. His superpower is creating spaces—online and in-person—where people are safe to engage in conversation about the topics that matter most but are often avoided. His motto: don’t stand on issues, walk with people. That’s the professional stuff—but all day every day, Carlos is a family man. 

He and his wife Heather live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their three amazing children, where you can find them working on the family farm, planning trips aroundthe world, and dancing to Single Ladies (seriously, Google it).

In today’s episode we discuss how the last three years handed us ample reasons to disagree, but perhaps the one thing we can agree on is this: it’s hard to human out here. Enter, Carlos Whittaker with his brand new book: How to Human. This book is the essential, timely guide to sharing life beyond what distracts, divides, and disconnects us. 

In this episode, Carlos and Hilary chat over coffee about:

  • His backstory (he’s lived 9 lives)

  • The reason you shouldn’t give up even when it’s not working

  • Vocational identity

  • His experience taking a 9-week social media break

  • Practical ways to slow down

  • The value of walking with people rather than standing on issues

  • And *for the first time ever* he announces details about his NEXT book

Join us for a lively look at how to human in 2023.

What Is Your Career Motivation? Discover the 5 Types

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Everybody has a career motivation: that unseen factor that makes you LOVE your work. When it's missing, you are itching to move on. In this episode Hilary and Rachel introduce the Career Motivation Framework: five career motivations that impact how satisfied you are in your gig. Discovering which motivates you most will help you make strategic decisions in your work and can lead to a huge increase in career satisfaction.

In this season finale episode Hilary and Rachel unpack a powerful self-assessment tool, the Career Motivations Quiz which illuminates the "why" behind our career decisions. Everyone has a dominant motivation: flexibility, wealth, enjoyment, meaning, or prestige. Which one is yours? And how can this self awareness redirect your next step toward creating a career and a life you love? 

This episode is brought to you by the 12 Little Hacks for the Mindful Creative. 

Career Motivations Quiz

Top Gun Maverick 

Only Murders in the Building

Disney 

Anthropologie 

The Enneagram  

Practical Tips for a Satisfying Week with Laura Vanderkam

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Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books including Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters, Juliet’s School of Possibilities, Off the Clock, I Know How She Does it, What the Most Successful people do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the host of the podcast “Before Breakfast” and the co-host with Sara Hart Unger of the podcast “Best of Both Worlds”. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and 5 children and blogs at Lauravanderkam.com 

In today’s episode, Laura shares how 9 strategies from her book Tranquility by Tuesday can help you intentionally live the life that you want to live and become a better steward of life's possibilities. They discuss sustainable strategies like giving yourself a bedtime, one big adventure, one little adventure, taking one night for you, and embracing the maxim that three times a week is a habit.

How to Double Your Revenue, Impact, & Influence with Seema Alexander

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Seema Alexander is the founder of DisruptiveCEO, where she partners with growth-focused expert entrepreneurs and CEOs to guide them (and their teams) through her U.N.I.Q.U.E Method™—transforming their businesses to become scalable and sought-after—preparing them for their breakout year(s) in growth.

Seema is also a co-organizer and co-producer of DC Startup Week—where they support over 11,000 local entrepreneurs from idea to growth—and a strategic advisor for select growth-focused startups, an entrepreneur in residence at USG, and board member for a non-profit, Codespa America.

Her ultimate why is simple: your unique experience, conviction, and results matters, but without intentionally packaging, positioning, and amplifying it—you are limiting your own (and company’s) potential in becoming scalable and sought-after and most importantly—transforming the lives of the people, businesses, and/or communities you are meant to serve.

Seema Alexander, founder of DisruptiveCEO, co-producer of DC Startup Week, mom, and strategic positioning expert shares her proven approach to transforming the scalability of your business. In this episode, Seema (a first generation American) shares what it was like watching her parents open the first Indian restaurant in DC in the 70s,  her experience as an executive in NYC, launching her own business, and making a major move with her family. Seema also unpacks her U.N.I.Q.U.E Method™ which pinpoints the distinguishing elements that position your business as an esteemed source of expertise rather than just another commodity. 

Every Job Search Needs a Guide, Enter: Tim Lo, Certified Resume Writer & Career Coach

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Tim is from Fishkill, New York and went to school at Carnegie Mellon for both his undergraduate and master’s degrees. Tim has over a decade of experience in business strategy and process improvement. He has worked for several top-tier international consulting firms and has been involved in the hiring of many new team members. He volunteers as a mentor to many recent grads and moonlights as a serial entrepreneur. Tim is a PARW/CC certified resume writer and professional career coach. In 2020, he and a friend started Your Next Story, a non-profit organization that provides employment preparation and placement for formerly incarcerated individuals.

In the world of work, change is the only constant, so we might as well get better at it, right? But is it possible to be good at a career switch or a job search? Tim Lo says yes. Tim Lo is a PARW/CC certified resume writer and professional career coach. He is the founder of Your Next Jump, a career consulting company that offers resume writing services, career counseling, and job search coaching. Today Tim gives us his hot take on resumes, shares strategies for career switchers, and offers a gracious approach to job searching. 


7 Questions to Answer to Find More Meaningful Work

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Rachel and Hilary are back together behind the mic celebrating a big milestone for HSL Digital and analyzing the latest trend in work circles: quiet quitting.

Quiet quitting is the growing tendency of employees toward ‘coasting,’ or choosing to meet expectations but not necessarily go ‘above and beyond.’ It’s getting a bad rap out there, but we’re here to say it's actually a good indicator that you're made for something more.

If that’s you, then we are your people. We’ve even created a FREE download called 7 Questions to Answer to Find More Meaningful Work. And we spent this episode unpacking those calibrating questions together.

Links of Note:

Linked In Post- No More Monday Meetings! 

Bluey

The 4-Hour Work Week 

The Office 

Six-Figure Low Stress Freelancing with Melanie Padgett Powers of The Deliberate Freelancer

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Melanie Padgett Powers is the owner of MelEdits and lives in the Washington, DC, area. She is a freelance writer and editor, primarily for healthcare membership associations. She began her freelance business in October 2013. She has a journalism degree and was previously a newspaper reporter in her home state of Indiana. Melanie is also the creator and host of two podcasts: Deliberate Freelancer, which focuses on the business side of freelancing and has over 130 episodes, and her newest podcast, Association Station, which interviews membership association leaders about content and media.

Melanie Padgett Powers, freelancing expert, shares how she became a six-figure freelancer and how she moved from being an employee into owning her own business. She debunks the idea that to make a solid living as a business owner you have to work long hours. She also shares her approach to finding clients and networking as an introvert.

How to Play the Long Game with Harvard Business Review's Dorie Clark

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Dorie Clark has been named one of the Top 50 Business Thinkers in the World by Thinkers50. She is a keynote speaker and teaches executive education at Duke University. She is also the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the year by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she writes frequently for the Harvard Business Review. Learn more at dorieclark.com. 

Everyone is allotted the same 24 hours—but with the right strategies, you can leverage those hours in more efficient and powerful ways than you ever imagined. It’s never an overnight process, but the long-term payoff is immense: to finally break out of the frenetic day-to-day routine and transform your life and your career. Dorie Clark, best-selling author, Harvard Business Review contributor, and Duke Business School professor unpacks ideas from her latest book, The Long Game.

This week on Hustle and Grace Hilary dives into the brilliant mind of the author behind Wall Street Journal bestseller Long Game. Dorie shifts mindsets in real time with an innovative approach to strategic thinking for long-term success. We discussed thinking in waves, setting the right goals, and her 4-day work week. 

Links of Note:
Mary Baldwin College 
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
Long Game 
Daniel Pink 

Back to Work After Baby with Lori Mihalich-Levin of Mindful Return

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Lori Mihalich-Levin of the Mindful Return

Lori Mihalich-Levin, JD, believes in empowering working parents.  She is the founder and CEO of Mindful Return, author of Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave, and co-host of the Parents at Work Podcast.  She is mama to two wonderful red-headed boys (ages 9 and 11) and is a health care lawyer in private practice.  Her thought leadership has been featured in publications including Forbes, The Washington Post, New York Times Parenting, Thrive Global, and The Huffington Post. And she was my guest for a very “personal interview” about returning to work after baby,  mom guilt and mom FOMO, and how she made the flip to making Mindful Return her main focus. 

Mindful Return is a movement that helps new moms and dads navigate the uncertain terrain of working parenthood. Lori says it was birthed (pun intended) out of sheer desperation as she kept finding loads of snarky and unhelpful advice and almost no quality resources on how to navigate this personal and professional identity transition. “I spent way too much time crying on the kitchen floor not knowing how I was going to make any of this happen. And I wanted to give other people the chance to avoid that situation,” she said as she realized one key fact: she wasn’t alone. After watching other new parents burst into tears in her office, she birthed Mindful Return with a single blog-post. It grew into a course, then a “returning to work” community at her law firm, a book, and finally an international movement. 

And although this movement is much more robust than what we could cover in a podcast, she did share 3 foundational reframes for new parents. First of all, think of the return to work as an evolution not an event. “It’s a year-long process of return,” she said. Secondly, remember that you are gaining amazing skills in parenthood that are useful in your career. And finally, experiment: if it works, great! If it doesn’t, move on. Let go of the idea that what we pick today has to be perfect. 

Here’s where it got real for me. I struggle with mom guilt just like everybody else, but I also struggle with mom FOMO. When I asked Lori about this nagging fear-of-missing-out that I experience while working AND while playing with my kids she offered two paradigm-shifts. The first revolved around milestones. When we are away at work, we moms dread the idea that we might be missing that next “first.” Lori made a point that I’d never even thought about. “Your baby could learn to stand up in the crib at night, or while she’s with grandma, or while you’re in the bathroom. Even if you were a stay-at-home parent you may have actually missed that first milestone while you were in the shower and have no idea.” And conversely when facing the fear of missing out on some sort of career opportunity, consider the famous adage, “comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s never truer than it is in this space, and it’s what drove Lori to implement a daily gratitude practice. 

Finally, Lori expounded on the journey from full-time lawyer with a side hustle to CEO of Mindful Return who practices law in her own firm on the side. How did she make the flip?  As a self-declared “risk-averse lawyer,” Lori was never comfortable quitting her day job, so Mindful Return actually grew much like a third child, and that is how Lori refers to it. Eight years ago, when Mindful Return was just a baby, Lori only spent 20 minutes each night working on it. As it grew, she realized how much it lit her up, so she took a new position at a new law firm at 60% capacity. This allowed her to spend 40% of her work week with Mindful Return. Five years later she scaled that to 50/50. And in 2020 the pandemic dramatically highlighted employers’ need for guidance in supporting their employees who were also parents. So, she made the shift! And we are so glad she did. 

Links of Note:

Mindful Return: 
Parents at Work Podcast: 
The Abundant Mama Project Shawn Fink
FairPlay by Eve Rodsky: 
Brené Brown
Ruth Feldman, Neuroscience at Yale Medical School 
Maternal Gatekeeping
National Parks Program for 4th Graders 

Bonnie Kirby Founder and CEO of Well Dressed Nashville explores Friendship, Entrepreneurship, and Mental Health

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Bonnie Kirby is the founder of Well Dressed Nashville, an online elevated closet sale featuring the closets of Nashville’s most stylish and influential women and celebrities. In the past two years, Well Dressed Nashville has worked with women like Caroline Bryant, Brittany Kelly, Hillary Scott, Hunter Premo, Shawn Johnson East (yes, the Olympian) and many more. Before all of that she was a pediatric oncology nurse, and before that she was my best friend!

How is it possible to stay friends with someone who you got along with in preschool? Bonnie noted that when the other person changes or makes a pivot that we may not understand, that’s when it’s most important to champion them and love them through all their seasons. I can attest that she has walked that walk for the last 30 years as we’ve both strived to welcome the new versions of each other with open arms. 

One of those big pivots for Bonnie was her journey from pediatric oncology nurse to full blown entrepreneur with the launch of her successful business, Well Dressed Nashville. I asked her how she knew it was the right time to start a business and she replied with classic Bonnie candor, “I DON’T think it was a good time!” Let me set the scene for you: we’re on the eve of a global pandemic, Bonnie has a “not even one year old” at home, and she decides to dabble in an event-based closet sale thinking it might be a fun bi-annual “thing.” Proof of Bonnie’s entrepreneurial brilliance is that she was able to pivot the whole thing online just in time. “I thought, either this dies here or I figure out a way to make it work.”

We also explored how our greatest strengths can sometimes be the cracks in our armor. I’d say Bonnie’s “unfair advantage,” if you will, is the purity of her extroversion. “When I say that I really love people, I legitimately love people. The networking part of this is my most favorite thing. If I could be at a point in my business where I could only do that, that would be my dream.”  This is something I don’t hear a lot, but I can attest that it’s so very true of her. And it’s likely the reason her business has exploded. She’s gotten some major “Yes”es (like Olympian-sized) even though her business is only two years old because she’s not afraid to talk to anyone and can instantly connect. Bonnie was even gracious enough to share with us the downside of rapidly growing a people-based business. It’s been a huge success and an even bigger joy, but it came at a cost. As is common with FOMO-ridden, visionary-types, extroverted entrepreneurs (like Bonnie and myself) burnout hit her hard and took a toll on Bonnie’s mental and physical health. She shared how she’s overcome and what processes she’s putting in place so that she can bounce back full-force in a sustainable way. 

Links of note in this episode:

Well Dressed Nashville
Traction
Basecamp

Grab Hilary's latest free resource: the mini eBook, 12 Little Hacks for the Mindful Creative.