Interview with Life Coach Amy Snow

Jenny Swisher 0:05
Welcome to the SYNC Your Life Podcast. I’m your host, Jenny Swisher, certified personal trainer, nutritionist, hormone health expert and girl mom, I believe all women should be able to understand how our bodies are designed to feel. And I teach you how to sync your lifestyle to your cycle to reach maximum energy. You deserve to feel your best. And this podcast is going to teach you how. Let’s dive in!

This podcast is sponsored by the SYNC Digital Course, to take the free hormone imbalance quiz to see what your symptoms could mean about your health. Visit sync.jennyswisher.com That’s sync s y n c dot Jenny swisher.com.

Welcome Friends, to this episode of the SYNC Your Life Podcast. One of the things that I am so excited about when it comes to this podcast is being able to bring you guys the voices of people who have really built into me as a person and who have added value to me. And today that is absolutely the case. One of my very best friends in the world also happens to be my life coach Amy Snow is joining us today for this interview. I’ll go through some of her accolades here in a moment. But I just want to say, if you’ve ever thought about working with a life coach, and you haven’t really known what that would look like, please know this, it can be absolutely life changing, to have the right person in your corner. And to really help you apply the personal development that you need to get to the next level. When I started working with Amy, I was sort of a serial personal growth junkie, I liked listening to podcasts, I like to listening and reading audible books and leadership development books. But I wasn’t doing a lot of application, I didn’t have a sort of accountability partner in helping make sure that I was applying what I was learning. When I started working with Amy, I have to say that was probably one of the biggest, biggest takeaways and the biggest differences that my life had was really just having someone in my corner, who could really ask the right questions who could give me that space and that pause to really think through what I was, you know, doing and what I was living through and how to get better. And so life coaching can be a game changer for you as it has been for me, at the very end of this episode, we’ll give you some links to how to reach out to Amy, if you feel like you have a connection with her. But let me just tell you, this lady and I go a little ways back. We met, I don’t know close to a decade ago. And she started working with me one on one as my personal life coach, she is a John Maxwell certified life coach. She specializes in leadership development. At the time that we started working together, she also began working as sort of the resident life coach for my team. So I have a team of over 500 health coaches that I lead. And I knew that I wanted my team to really dig in, I wanted them to not just have physical transformation in their health. But I also wanted them to have internal transformation. And I wanted them to have the ability to have access to a Personal Growth Plan and to have access to someone who could help them reach that. So Amy has been that person for not only myself, but also my team. She’s the real deal. And so I’m so glad that she’s here. One thing that I did want to say is obviously this podcast is intended to be all about your overall health, right? Like we talked specifically in most episodes about your hormone health and syncing with your cycle. But for today, I want to make sure we’re working on the internal you. It’s awesome to work on the external you how you’re feeling, you know, your overall fitness level, that’s amazing. But I also want to make sure that we’re dedicating some time on this podcast, to the subject of personal growth. It’s something that’s really important to me, it’s played a significant role in my life. I do have a physical transformation, but my internal transformation is even more powerful. So I thought, why not just sort of digress a little bit from hormone talk this week, and really talk about just life in general and talk about the things that hold us back as a women, things like insecurities and perfectionism. What does it even look like to have a personal growth plan? We’re going to go through all of that today with Amy. I know she’s gonna crush it. She’s going to give us some awesome takeaways. So I hope you have your note notebook handy. And I hope that at the end of this podcast, you take her up on her offer for a free coaching session because she is absolutely incredible at what she does. So without further ado, Amy, I will let you introduce your story. Welcome to the podcast.

Amy Snow 4:39
Thanks. I’m so excited to be here, Jenny. You know, my journey is an interesting one. Just to give you a quick rundown I guess. I mean, out of you know, college and grad school. I was a math teacher for a couple years and then went into full time music ministry with a ministry called CRU. It’s the head keynote at the time and I’m a guitar Singer and I toured the world in the country for gosh, a lot of years, over I think over 13 years, you know, and I was with them for 16. And yeah, and I knew that there was a change coming, you know, and I got connected with a friend who had his own leadership coaching business. He was a solopreneur, and asked me to come alongside him and, and that was my first foray, I guess, into that, that world and was with him for a few months. Ipt kind of just gave me the initial, like, I guess, my initial love it for it. But it wasn’t necessarily the right setting for me. And then at that point, I actually ended up talking with a friend who was an executive coach. And she was like, man, you know, you just given your wiring and the different assessments that I had shared with her, she’s like, coaching seems like a great fit for you. And I said, I agree, I just haven’t found the right the right place yet. And it was very soon after that I found out about the John Maxwell team. And there was just so much about it, that what resonated with me, just who John Maxwell is, and the team and family environment that it that it offered, and also just top notch content, like I’m not a content creator, you know. So I’m all about wanting to come alongside people, and help them in their journey to become better in who they are better as leaders in their sphere of influence. And so being able to have access to such incredible content, and then be able to tweak it for whatever environment that I’m in has been such a privilege. So I became certified as a John Maxwell coach and leadership trainer, and speaker I zero in more in on the coaching and training. And I absolutely have loved. I’ve loved that because I love helping to develop people. I’m like I said, Amen. You You’ve said this to me before, it’s like my mantra is come alongside. That’s what I love to do with both men and women. But uh, particularly women, you know, because I and that sphere, not only in my, my business world, but personal world as well. And in people’s and women’s like spiritual journeys. I love being able, you know, they call that it’s mentoring discipleship. I mean, that’s really such a common thread and seen in my life of, of being able to come alongside people in their journey. So yeah, that’s, I guess that’s the overview of how I got into it.

Jenny Swisher 7:40
Yeah, I, you know, it’s interesting, because from the first time we met, I could sense this, there’s just sort of something about Amy’s presence that is very, you know, open. And I think because you have the way that I always like to say it is I call it the Amy pause, you have this, this sort of pause about you that’s like just almost inviting people to open up and to say, you know, to really share what they really feel or what they’re what they’re struggling with, and or even how they’re succeeding and how they’re thriving. And there’s just something about you that is like, so warm and welcoming and open that it just, of course, you would be a life coach, like in my mind, I’m like, Yes, of course, you fell into this, because you are just so good at listening and asking the right questions, even though most of the time those questions are just sort of a regurgitation of whatever the person is. So as an example, I’ll say, oh, you know, I’m really struggling. Sometimes in our life coaching sessions, I’ll say, Oh, I’m really struggling with XYZ. And, and then the question I get back as well, why do you think you’re struggling with XYZ? So a lifetime? The question is, like, really just digging deeper into the thought processes that people are having. So I’m excited to dive into this conversation. Okay. So you know, one of the things that I mentioned before was sort of my own story with not knowing what I didn’t know. And I think it’s safe to say that there are a lot of people there are a lot of women out there who don’t necessarily realize yet that personal growth is something that they initiate. So my question to you to get started today is, you know, what does it mean, to invest in personal growth? What does it mean to have a personal growth plan?

Amy Snow 9:18
Hmm, that’s a great question, Jenny. Because, you’ve heard me referenced this book a lot the 15 invaluable laws of growth by John Maxwell. The very first chapter is called the law of intentionality. And the little subtitle says, growth doesn’t just happen, you know, and because I think that’s what a lot of us can get into, right? We think, well, I’ll just, I’m just going to grow because I’m getting older or I’m gaining experience. And, you know, as John often says to is, you know, experience isn’t our greatest teacher evaluated experience is and I think sometimes we just need help and to and just, how do we evaluate our experience and just having some good questions to do that. So I think, you know, in my own journey, you know, I was pretty, you know, when I’m not telling like my, my transition, you know, when I was in full time ministry, and then I got into coaching, like, Yeah, I had to blow some cobwebs off my own brain and journey, because I mean, I had, I had invested in myself, you know, definitely physically I mean, you know, the whole fitness and nutrition piece is always been a passion, because, you know, I’m an athlete, and that’s just been part of my DNA. And then, you know, even the, from the spiritual sense, and when I when I was in, you know, in the ministry, those were two periods that were vibrant, but there were other parts of me, which there are a lot of other parts of me that had really gotten, hmm, I guess, on for lack of a better word week had weakened, because I hadn’t been developing them. And that personal growth piece, you know, whether it’s just personal development with it, gosh, I’d look back. And I think, gosh, if I’d only known then what I know now, if I had known to take the journey into developing myself as a leader, because I was in leadership positions, most a good portion of my time, and obviously, as a teacher, but then in ministry, too. And I mean, I did, right, you know, you do as well as you can, with what you know, and what you have. And so, even just getting involved with the John Maxwell team, it kind of reignited my passion, to learn and to grow. And it’s, but that can feel very overwhelming to because it’s like, well, where do you begin? Because there’s a lot of areas of our life, that that need attention, right, that need growth. I mean, we talk about, I mean, I have this wheel of life that I do with all my clients, that just kind of gives you a kind of an overview of your life, you know, it takes you how do you assess the ground? Where am I in my, my faith in my finances, in my, you know, fitness, or my wellness, friends and family? You know, it’s my personal growth, kind of fun.

There’s lots of different areas. And and I think, you know, we can’t, we can’t pay attention, like focusing on each of those areas all the time, but it’s, yeah, and I noticed that some of those places for me had become anemic, you know. And so it’s like, okay, I need to spend some very intentional time developing places in my life that I’ve kind of just let go, or just kind of kind of figured, well, it’s just, you know, it’s kind of the status quo, and I don’t want to live in the status quo, or in the inner staying average. So I think, to getting around other people who love to grow, and to get better, that that’s such an inspiration and, and keeps me wanting to learn and get better, and especially to as a life coach and a leadership trainer to keep growing myself because I want to be able to, you know, add value in ways that’s really relevant, and current, and that I’m constantly putting myself out there to learn things that can help benefit not only myself, but in the people that I’m serving. So, you know, the whole personal growth that can feel like, okay, where do I begin? And, and I really is kind of, you know, that’s part of the process, I take, take people through, whether it’s a personal on a one on one context, or in a group setting. And like masterminds, which, you know, we’ll talk more about later. But it’s a great way to just say, alright, you want to grow as a leader, let’s say, then there’s a specific place, I have people start, and we walk through that journey to get an action plan to just start taking steps, because that’s the thing, you know, it’s it doesn’t have to be giant leaps. Like, every taking time, every day to invest in me, is going to keep me moving in a direction that’s going to get me better, because that’s one of the things I think sometimes, especially for women, you know, we say, Gosh, I want to take some time out to invest in myself, women can feel like they tend to put themselves on the bottom of the list as far as priorities and gosh. It’s, it’s, that’s a misnomer. Because I think investing in yourself is one of the best ways that you can love the people in your circle in your family, in your friend group in the people that you’re working with, or serving with. Because as you invest in you, you know, it’s like you think about it, you have more to give you have, you know, your your impact grows because of that, versus kind of serving out of an empty cup. You know, as you as you pour into yourself, you’re able to pour more out and getting to work with your team and I’ve worked with a lot of teams that have, you know, write a lot of moms, and they want to love their kids well and And this is one of the ways that they can do that is by investing in themselves. And also, it’s just it’s setting an example, for their kids like it is important for us to be investing in ourselves. And that just sets a very cool example for their kids to follow.

Jenny Swisher 15:15
Yeah, I love that you said that because obviously, this podcast and what I teach is, it does encompass a lot of just overall health, right? Like I’m teaching women about their hormones, and I’m teaching them about how their bodies are designed to feel. And it just is a recurring theme that I keep coming back to on so many episodes where I’ve, I’ve said, you know, even when we look at health, right, when we look at our fitness and nutrition, so many women, the excuse that I get is, oh, my gosh, I could never have time for that. Because they’re prioritizing, of course, their kids and their, their spouse and their family and all the different hats that they wear. But at the same time, it’s exactly what you said, like, how can you pour from an empty cup? And I know for me, I think it’s, I think you’re right, I think you hit the nail on the head, like women in general just tend to put themselves on the back burner. And I think that’s what’s so powerful in having a life coach, whether it’s, again, somebody working with you one on one, or some some sort of mastermind setting, because you really, you can’t you have to kind of like step off that backburner a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, you kind of have to say, because there’s somebody holding you accountable, because there’s somebody saying to you like, well, aren’t you important? You know, aren’t you like, how can we bring you forward and really help you get better so that you can be better for everybody else. And so, I know, for me, like, I’m constantly preaching, you know, get your hormones tested, check that check engine light, like it’s not okay to live in a state of low energy, it’s not okay to feel bad, just because you want to make sure everybody else is okay. So I love that you just went there with the conversation?

Amy Snow 16:46
Well, yeah, cuz I think, you know, me being a, you know, especially I know, you bet you you serve a lot of moms, you know, and it’s wonderful being a mom, but that’s not all that you are. You’re not, quote unquote, just a mom. Right? It’s a significant role that you have, but there’s more to you than just, just being a mom and, and being a mom is phenomenal. And I think, as you continue to invest in yourself, and just developing a purpose, your purpose, you know, and those things will change and shift and over time, you know, as your priorities shift and change. And then that you’re that you’re feeding yourself, it’s only going to help feed your kids and your and your spouse, and, again, those that you interact with. So yeah, it’s, it’s, it seems like a selfless thing to do to put yourself on the back burner. But in reality, again, I think that’s the word misnomer, keeps coming to mind. But I think that’s just Yeah, it’s not, it’s not accurate. By constantly doing that. I know, your podcast is all about health. And this is part of your health, right? This is part of your, your mental well being and your emotional well being that you’re developing who you are the things that you love your passions, or maybe even discovering what your passions are, because those can change too. And sometimes just having somebody, again, whether it’s in a one on one setting, or in a group setting, just being able to ask some questions to giving you some space, because you mentioned how it’s like, I have the gift of pause. Right. And I think that is it is a gift to give somebody that gift of space, to be able even to think, because our world is right, we’re just so surrounded by noise, you know, the demands of family and work or just constant access, right, this phone and beautiful gift that that can be? It’s we’re constantly being bombarded. So just to be able to shut those things off to be able to focus on yourself to say, Yeah, who am I? What is it that I want? What is it that I want to do? Or be or become or? Yeah, accomplish? Yeah. So it’s, it’s having that yourself the gift of that time and space? I know sometimes feels like that’s impossible. But gosh, I think it it’s a gift that not only you give yourself, but those again, that you love.

Jenny Swisher 19:12
Yeah. Well, and you know, it’s interesting, because I think, you know, you just said this, but I think in our society today, like we are so quick, and I know myself included, so quick to want to respond. You know, when someone’s talking, your brain automatically starts thinking about what you’re going to say next, as opposed to how can I give this person space to finish their thought? And that really points us in the direction of something I wanted to talk about, which is self awareness. You know, when I think back to my world as a corporate employee, working my way up the corporate ladder, craving this, what I would call professional development, right, like looking for more in my career. I found myself sort of constantly in the environment of toxicity, there was a lot of toxicity in my work environment where People were just unhappy, you know, a lot of them were also inactive and not making the healthiest habits. And so I just felt like I was in this environment, sort of the, the water cooler mentality of like, you know, sitting in the break room and in hearing about everybody’s complaints. And I, that type of situation has not necessarily, it’s not like I stepped out of that into this, like, into the light right like that, that content, you can tend to find yourself in those types of situations throughout your life. But I remember like, there were so many days in a row that I was just showing up to this watercooler this this negative environment until finally, one day my my husband said, Why are you entering the room? Like why are you why are you going? Why are you, you know, inviting yourself in. And I’ve had that same like, he’s had to say that to me multiple times, like there have been other times in my life, like years later, where I’ve come out of situations feeling anxious or nervous or feeling like there’s this sort of negative environment that I’m, I’ve been involved in, and then having him say, as that source of accountability and to say like, Hey, you know, again, you just entered the room, like, Why do you keep entering the room? And so I’m using that analogy, because I think it’s powerful to think about, like, what are the rooms you’re walking into, whether it’s in your relationships, or in your work, or whatever, that are not serving you, that are not helping you grow? I mean, Amy just mentioned, you know, that, what is the saying, like, aging, aging is going to happen no matter what, but growth is optional, right. And I just blocked I just botched it. But basically, that’s the concept. But you know, and it’s, I think, for me, when I look back in my 20s, and I was in that life, I just assumed that getting older and, you know, grinding every day, and clocking the clock was going to get me to, to the next level, like over, you know, I was just going to constantly be rising, when in reality, I was just entering the same room that was not serving me, and it was not helping me level up. So I love that you mentioned it was brief, but it was powerful, like surrounding yourself with positive people. But what are some other things in your, in your mind that women in particular can do to really start to have that self awareness that maybe there are certain relationships or environments that they are part of that are not helping them grow?

Amy Snow 22:21
That’s a great, great question. And, you know, forgive me for referring but I it’s, you know, this is the 15 invaluable laws of growth is one of my favorites of John, John’s books. I mean, he’s written like 100 books, but I haven’t read them all. But there is one of my favorite chapters in that book is the law of environment. And it’s not just physical environment, although that’s a piece. It’s also people environment. And because the thing is, we are constantly, again, being bombarded by things. And so I think it’s, it’s taking time to pause. And because again, I think because our culture is so go, go go go go, we don’t take time to do this to to stop and say, Okay, what’s my physical environment? What is benefiting me? Or, and what is not like, if I’m in a, you know, five by five, whatever room or cubicle with no windows, right? And over time, that can be really draining, let’s say, so that just the physical environment, some of the toxicity can come even from that, on the air, you’re breathing? What you’re right, again, from the health standpoint, what am I eating? You know, what am I drinking? And I think the piece though, that can, you know, is the people environment to that so in, you know, when I do a mastermind, I will say, okay, there are two minute people two hour people, and two day people are in a can put any time frame on that, right? And so you think about, okay, who are the people in my life that I’m giving, you know, access to my life, to speak into my life, that I want to remain there, and some people on my gosh, I don’t, I don’t want them there anymore. I need to adjust who I’m allowing to speak into my life. So and the thing is to as you as you start to grow, and the people around you don’t, right, that gap is going to grow, and they’re not going to like that. And again, it’s not to say you, you know, you get rid of them. But it is like, you know what, but I need to adjust how much time I spend with them because they’re wanting to keep me where I was. So I think knowing that it’s okay to get new people, especially as if you’re if you’re wanting to grow and develop in an area it’s like and these people are are not a good influence, then making that tough decision to say, you know, I love you, and I’m going to continue to love you, but the amount of time I get, you know, I give to you is gonna He’s gonna change or that I give you access to. So I think too, it’s just really assessing, you know, to Who am I Who am I allowing to speak into my life? And again, that’s you can may not even be aware, I can we are no, we’re talking about awareness, self awareness. So really being able to pause and then there could be people in your two minute category that you know what I want to put them in my two hour category because and their quality and I want to I want to have them more speaking into my life and just being surrounded by them and being impacted by who they are. And because it does, it’s like, I think it was Jim Rohn, who was a, you know, a self improvement guru that talks about that we become the average of the five people we spend the most time around. So, who are those five people that you would say you spend the most time around? Yeah, and how are they impacting me? Because I think, you know, if we know when we’re feeding our body junk, you know, we know like, okay, that’s not good for me. But sometimes you don’t even realize the things that we’re allowing in mentally now in this piece. It’s like, okay, what am I listening to? What am I watching? Because those things impact how we think. And so, am I spending hours on Facebook or Instagram or whatever, again, it’s not to downplay mean, social media, there’s a lot of great things about it. But there’s also a lot of can be a lot of negativity, or how much news or whatever, right? There’s a lot of things that can affect how we, how we think and how we view life. And, and just being aware that those things are having an impact. So just assessing that and how much I’m allowing that to, because I think sometimes too, like, I can get feel agitated, and, and I’m like, gosh, I need to turn this off. I’m not even realizing how much this music or this, this constant negativity I’m hearing from the news is impacting me, I absolutely need to be aware of what’s going on in the world. But there is a limit to what I can handle and want to take in. Yeah. So again, it’s just I think, just being like you said, self aware of who I want around me, that’s going to help benefit. If I can quickly just because I’ve used this example with you, too, it’s like, when you’re growing, it’s like, there’s this example of how you have a bucket of crabs, right. And then as a crab that’s trying to get out of the bucket. And the other crabs will pull that crab back in, because they don’t want that crab to get out. And it’ll continue to try to get out and eventually they’ll kill the crab. And so in a sense, right, it’s like as you grow and are trying to get out of the bucket of where you’ve been, you know, you’re going to have people in your life that are in a sense, trying to keep you there and drag you back down. And so it’s just being aware of that. And it’s like, you know, I love you, but I’m going to release you and find a new group of people that’s going to continue to feed and foster this kind of growth environment I want to be a part of.

Jenny Swisher 27:49
Yeah. Okay. So that leads us perfectly into something that I I wanted to make sure that I have you say, recorded because I’ve heard you said so many times. Yeah, you like I, you said it so many times to my team. And hopefully you guys that are listening are getting value from this because I, I know, I can hear me say the same things 100 times, and it just every time it hits me differently. And so one of the things that she has continuously mentioned, you know, to my team through through virtual masterminds, which had been absolutely game changing for so many of us as individuals is this concept of the terror barrier. And what happens when we start to really say, Okay, now I have to self awareness, like all of a sudden, I’m starting to notice the environments in which are making me anxious, or they’re not serving me or the relationships that are pulling me back into the bucket, right, like, and so if, first of all, if I had $1 for every woman who has started their own business, or started their own endeavor, and they really start to believe in themselves, and then they’ve had even family members, and people close to them start to pull them back into the bucket. And they just they give into that thought process of like, of course, I’m not good enough. And so those insecurities start to come out. And I definitely want to make sure we get there too in the conversation. But for now, I want you to talk to us about what is the terror barrier? And and how can this apply to this? You know exactly what we’re talking about. Oh, absolutely.

Amy Snow 29:11
So anytime that right that we’re growing, going into the unknown, doing something new, getting to another level, right? Yeah, you come up against, like, we call this the terror barrier. And what that means is like, it’s like, okay, you start having all these these doubts, these thoughts that she’s going, oh, gosh, you know, you don’t know enough. You’ve never done this before. Who do you think you are? Right? Those thoughts that just, you know, nibble away at you those negative things. And that is so it is normal for that to happen when we’re going into something new and different and just unchartered territory. And there’s two responses that you can have, right? You can go back to your comfort zone, the status quo, right or you can press through the terror barrier to get to that next level of growth. And you know what we’ve experienced that throughout our life, you think about just even going to school for the first time kindergarten or whatever pre K and then going to your next grade or getting going from elementary to junior high junior high to high school, whatever, high school college, you get married, you have a kid, I mean, all these transition points create this kind of terror barrier. And that’s why it’s so important to have a group around you that’s encouraging you and fostering this, because that time when you want to just like oh, my gosh, I just I need to just stay where I am, right kind of wrap ourselves in that security blanket. And you know, you can do this. And, you know, you think about all the different territories you’ve kind of walked through in the past with didn’t even know that we were doing and you’re still standing, right, you’re still living. And you’re you’re you’ve grown as a result. You know, and there’s, there’s an example I share with this as well, like, when you know, there’s an airplane, right, that that can break the sound barrier. And when it gets to that point where it’s about to break through that the airplane is like vibrating violently. And if that plane were to stop, or to slow down, it would literally explode into a million pieces. What that plane has to do is to accelerate through that sound barrier to get to the other side. And so in a sense, that’s, you know, I know, sometimes we literally are physically, you know, shaking, because we’re just like, so nervous or scared. And again, that’s why you need people around you to just say, It’s okay to feel this way. It’s normal. But I want to continue to help press help you press through to get to the next side of growth. Because that’s what you know, that’s where growth happens is outside our comfort zone. I think it’s Abraham Maslow that says, you know, it’s like, either move backward toward safety or forward toward growth, you notice that there’s nothing, there’s not this thing still, there’s really isn’t because time keeps moving. So we’re either moving backwards, we’re going forward, and you want to keep moving forward. And it doesn’t matter. It can be the smallest steps, but as you continue to take those steps. And so I think it’s getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Yeah, you know, Yeah, cuz it is, it’s uncomfortable to get outside of that, that comfort zone. But yet, that’s, again, where growth happens. And when you get comfortable with that, I think it’s like or just understanding, you know, I’m feeling uncomfortable. That’s a good thing, because that means I’m growing.

Jenny Swisher 32:15
Yeah. Well, and I just want to say to just as a personal testimonial, but you know, I said at the beginning, I think that obviously, Amy, Amy was put into my life at the right time, because I think at the time that we started working together, I was finding myself up again up against these pretty large terror barriers for myself. And I think the biggest one that I’ve ever faced, that I’ve had to face multiple times is this sort of fear of success. And I see this happen a lot with women where it’s like, they they start to see, okay, I can see this sort of success in my career or whatever coming my way. Am I ready for it? Can I handle it? Right? And so just having that having you and having, you know, this, this just space to just slow down and to like, just sort of assess like, this is what’s happening. It’s almost like stepping out of your body and saying, okay, like, this is what’s happening in my life right now. It’s okay. And this is how I’m going to kind of break through that barrier. So thank you for doing for doing our little analogy for everybody listening, because I think it’s I know, my team of health coaches has constantly referred to that as being such a powerful feeling. Because now you know, now that you have that awareness, when you come up against it, you have words to put to it, you can say like this is this is what I’m experiencing,

Amy Snow 33:34
Wanting to know that that’s normal. Because Absolutely, it’s like when you’re growing. Of course, yeah, you haven’t done this yet, you haven’t. You may not know how to do it yet. But if you think about all the different things in your life that you didn’t know how to do, that you need to try because I know for me, and maybe you’re going to get here, Jenny, we talk about the things that can trip us up, you know, fear of failure is a big one for me. And because I don’t want to look stupid or foolish in front of people, and I’ve had to, I mean, I’m assuming that’s gonna be I’m sure a lifelong thing for me. But to continue to not worry about looking foolish because no one is good at something right away. So we just need to get over that because I know it’s like, I want to be great at something right away. And it’s like, that’s just an unrealistic expectation that I’ve placed on myself, and I’m getting better at just being like, no, let’s go have some fun and try something new. You get better at it by just doing it right and doing it over and over and learning and growing and all that. So it’s

Jenny Swisher 34:28
Yeah, it’s isn’t it funny, like the first thing that comes to my mind is the fact that you know, a grown adult woman right will try something new and just say, Oh, see, I wasn’t good at it. And they’ll just immediately resort to those insecurities and stop, right? But yet, they’re the same mother, who takes their kid to soccer for the first time. And when their kid says I’m so bad at it, they say, Well, you can’t quit. You have to keep going. You have to keep trying. Right? And so how many times in our life are we telling our children you know, not to give up on themselves? It’s okay to be uncomfortable and walking with them through transitions. But yet, we come up against those same barriers, and we back down and we

Amy Snow 35:08
Yeah, we need to listen to our own right, our own counsel. And you think about to like, when you learn even think back when you were a kid, and you were learning to ride a bike. Right? You didn’t know how to do it right away, but you you, you know, fall, get back up fall, you know, or even just learning how to walk. Right? You just kept trying until, gosh, if I quit the first time I tried to learn how to walk. I mean, I’d be still crawling today. So it’s, it’s, I think sometimes just to remind ourselves that Yeah, and that feeling that kind of scared. It’s a natural and normal way to feel but not allowing that to determine what we do or don’t do.

Jenny Swisher 35:42
Yeah, yeah. Well, we are going to go with this direction with this, because I think that, you know, I have mentored and coached several women in business. And it also feels like in life, right? Because especially in the network marketing business, it’s so intertwined into your life, like, it’s usually not the priority, right? Like women who are in a network marketing business are doing it because it fulfills something in them, and it helps their family potentially earn extra income. But usually, you know, it doesn’t always it’s not always the primary focus. And so, in mentoring women, I feel like the one of the things that I see, and also something that I struggle with, as well is perfectionism. And, you know, this idea that like, well, if I can’t do it 100% amazingly well or better than the other person, then I shouldn’t do it at all. And so can you just touch on for us, like I know, in the 15, invaluable laws of growth, which of course, we have link up in the show notes. John Maxwell talks about this. Yes, perfection gaps. So I would love for you to talk to our listeners about that, too.

Amy Snow 36:48
Yeah, yep. And that’s in the law of intentionality. He talks about these gaps, because the biggest gap is between what we know and what we do. And so he gave different gaps, different names and perfection gaps. And the mistake gap are my two top ones. And I, and I think a lot of women struggle with the same because I think for the perfection gap, right, we want it, we want to have it perfect before we get started. And there’s really no such thing. We can’t know what’s gonna work perfectly, ever right before we even get started. Because even with the plan that we create, once we put it into place, we realize, oh, gosh, I thought that was gonna work. And it didn’t, and we need to tweak it. And that’s just, that’s just life. But what happens is because we want to perfect, then we end up getting paralyzed. And we don’t do anything. And that’s, you know, that’s a tragedy too. Because I think there’s a lot of dreams that get stalled out. Because we feel like we don’t have the perfect plan in place, or you need it just so before we get started. And you know, one of the things a mentor, I’ve had, I even have a little sticker in my room, because he talks about, suspend the need to know how, and that’s helped me a lot. Because that can that can totally get me stuck because I you know, can dream up something or think this something’s a great idea. And then I start thinking about how to do it. And then I’m like, Oh, my gosh, especially if it’s something new and beyond me at the moment, right, I’m not going to know how to do it. And so then again, a dream can die because I’m stuck there. So I think as we dive in, it’s being wanting to step forward, even in the in the unknown, and knowing that the How will come, but just putting our putting that first step out there and taking the risk. Because I think you know, when we take that step, this is when the law of magnetism kind of comes in, in the sense that like, when we start moving toward a goal, we start attracting the people in the resources that we need. I think so many times we’re standing still expecting things to come to us first, the things that we need the people that we need before we get started, and it just doesn’t work that way. And as we start heading, just taking initial steps, then all of a sudden, to I think our awareness is looking for things and for people right and resources, but those things are getting drawn to us as well. So it’s it is it’s just, and it continues to grow and develop as we as we go along. So and really, you know, and this was an eye opener for me. I was reading there’s a book by Beth Moore called so long, what is it?

Jenny Swisher 39:26
So long insecurity,

Amy Snow 39:27
insecurity? Thank you. Yeah, so long insecurity. You’ve been a bad friend to us. And one of the things she said in that book was how perfectionism is actually an insecurity. And I thought, Whoa, and what you because when we feel insecure, in an area, we tend to get so zeroed in on something that we can be perfect at that so that it draws attention away from that. And so that was just a real eye opener for me like Okay, where am I? Where am I feeling insecure that I’m still needing to be perfect in this so that so that people don’t see this part of me. Because I think it is, it’s all part of being aware. And then also embracing all of who we are. Our insecurities and all, because we all have them. I know for me, that’s been a growth area for me to just being more vulnerable and open with the places I feel insecure or weak, because we’re not going to be good at everything. And again, that’s the beauty of having people come around you like whether it’s, you know, in a team environment and work environment, that you have people that are good at things that you’re not. And that’s the beauty. I think that’s that’s a beautiful thing, that I continue to develop, you know, that’s why it’s so important as you in the whole personal growth realm, knowing what you’re good at what you’re because I think also as women, we have a hard time saying what we’re good at, because we think it’s arrogant. And again, that’s one thing. I mean, again, it’s kind of the motive and the attitude of your heart when you speaking it but I think now there’s a difference between arrogance and confidence. And when you know what you’re good at. There is beauty in that, because that’s where you want to 00 in on developing and growing, because you’re going to get the greatest return there in the greatest, you know, joy and pleasure of being able to utilize those those strengths and gifts of yours. And yeah, surrounding yourself with people who are gifted in other ways.

Jenny Swisher 41:17
Yeah, it’s, it’s that whole, that whole idea of, you know, there’s no such thing as failure, you either succeed or you grow, right, like, and so how can you sort of do it afraid? How can you do it afraid? And how can you just be willing to, you know, live just a hair outside of your comfort zone so that you can constantly get better? My favorite quote of all time is actually a habit in my office and multiple places it is if you want something that you’ve never had, you’re going to have to do something you’ve never done. And I sometimes have to look at that every day to remind myself that if I feel uncomfortable, I’m probably in the right place. If it’s a healthy, a healthy, uncomfortable, right, right. But I think the other thing that I just wanted to mention too about this is, I know I speak for myself that sometimes what can hold me back. And what I see hold a lot of women back when it comes to this perfectionism idea is that they’re looking at the whole staircase. They’re looking at the whole staircase, and they’re so afraid to take the first step. And my mom used to say about me, when I was a kid, she used to say, oh, my gosh, Jenny doesn’t see the forest. She sees every tree, right? Like, she’s so worried. I’m so worried about all the little things that I don’t, I don’t, I just paralyze, it can paralyze me. And so, I think that’s the same thing for women. You know, obviously, I work with health coaches who are trying to spread the message of healthy living for their families. And a lot of times, especially in American society, they can be ridiculed for that they can start to share, you know, things about what they’re doing to further health and fitness, and people can start to shame them, like, no one wants to see your workout videos, or no one wants to see your food, right? Like, there’s so many different things that we can hear. And then we let that voice like, deter us. And at the same time, it’s like no, like, again, those are those crabs in the bucket trying to pull you down. But how can you just keep taking the next step? Like, keep taking, and I look back on, you know, my business was built on social media, and I look back at social media posts that I made 12 years ago, and I cringe like, oh, my gosh, why saying that, but at the same time, it’s what brought me to where I am, you know, and that’s the only way that you can get better is to grow through it and to take the next step. So well, as we wrap up. I mean, obviously, I knew coming into this interview that we would never touch on even just the surface of of all the things that I know you’ve helped me with. And I’m hopeful that we can have you back as a guest again, for maybe a part two. But for now, can you tell us You’ve mentioned a couple of resources. You’ve mentioned the 50 Bible laws of growth by John Maxwell, which I will link up and I also know that John Maxwell has a leadership podcast that is incredible as well. Yes. And then you mentioned the so long insecurity, you’ve been a bad friend to me by Beth Moore, are there other resources that you might mention specifically for women that you would check out?

Amy Snow 43:59
That’s a great question, Jenny. And I know cuz it’s, like kind of depends on what it is that you’re wanting to how you’re wanting to grow? I think, honestly, I think I would, I’ll add one more. And, and I read more than John Maxwell, trust me, but just because I think when I think about leadership, if that’s what you’re if you’re wanting to grow as a leader, I think one other great resource to have on your shelf is the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Again, it gives you just some, some tracks to run on, to start your journey. And again, there’s so much more and I and and that’s where I can, you know, it’s more having a conversation, and I can direct you in some other ways to, to give more specifics, you know, depending on what you’re you’re wanting to do and how you’re wanting to grow. But those are some broader topics that I think are would be great, but as far as the personal growth thing, I mean, that’s mean, John says the 15 invaluable laws of growth is kind of like the personal growth Bible. I mean, it’s a fabulous way I take everything that I work with through that book first, unless there’s another specific thing that they’re wanting to do. That’s why I always default to because it’s a fabulous place to begin.

Jenny Swisher 45:11
Yeah. And I’m glad that you just said what you said. Because it’s like, when people ask me, you know, what are the best supplements that a woman should take for her hormone health? I think I say to myself, like, well, I don’t know, it just depends on your imbalances, right? Where you’re struggling, right? And so the same, the same thing is true for personal growth. Like, yes, the 15 invaluable laws of growth is going to meet everybody where they are, and it’s going to be a great sort of, like she said, like a Bible or main reference. But when it comes to struggles that you’re having individually, it might just be worth reaching out to Amy to see, you know, where should I begin? And so Amy, can you tell us where can people find you?

Amy Snow 45:43
Yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, I have a website, amysnowcoaching.com, and there’s a place you can fill out some information there to, to get a complimentary coaching session. And and then from there, whether you’re interested in potentially, you know, just one on one, if you’re just wanting to know, hey, where could I start based on where I’m at, I’m happy just to have that conversation with you. If you’re interested in some coaching, or even becoming a part of genuine, I’ve mentioned the mastermind, you know, that’s a small group of people that, you know, want to grow and, and we we dive in deep into a book and not only study it, but then say, okay, how do I want to apply something I’m learning and really have accountability. And it’s just a phenomenal group, I have a local one that Jenny’s a part of we sometimes meet in person, sometimes virtually, if that interests you to become a party so that we know with virtual one, you don’t need to be local. Like, that’s the beauty of it, right? We have people from all over that can become a part of that. So or maybe you’re part of a smaller group or at work or something, you’d want to do something like that. I just, that’s things I love to do is to help facilitate those discussions and that growth in action. And you so yeah, so I think that’s the main place. I mean, I’m on I mean, I’m on Facebook, and Twitter, as well. So I can give you my handles on that. So okay, perfect. Well,

Jenny Swisher 47:01
We will link all that up in the show notes, but it’s amysnowcoaching.com, we’ll also put her social handles there. I know for me, and for everyone, the key to self improvement is application. And I was somebody who was listening to podcasts day in and day out, reading books, and not always applying what I was reading. And so working with a life coach working with Amy has been life changing for me just because it gave me accountability. And it gave me an action plan. And so I just want everybody to listen, that’s listening today to know that, you know, everything starts with self awareness, but it ends with intentionality, and you get better through intentionality. And so if you can apply what you’re learning, and if you can keep taking that next step. It’s totally worth it. So Amy, thank you so much for being with us today. I know we’ll have you back on in the new year. I love her so much. We’ll talk soon. All right, thanks, Jenny.

Alright thanks for listening to this episode of the SYNC Your Life Podcast. I hope you found value from today’s episode. If you did, please share it out to your friends or leave a review. Remember your cycles are your superpower and by aligning with them, you can live your life with all the energy needs to be a mom, Wife, Daughter and friend to those you love. Until next time!