The Power of Our Thoughts and Mindset

Our thoughts and mindset determine the quality of our lives. My podcast guest, Peggy Sullivan, is a true believer in the power of mindset. She’s a high energy results-driven woman who’s passionate about raising the bar for herself and others. She loves a challenge and believes the pride that comes from achieving a stretch goal is intoxicating, like running her first marathon at 50-years. Peggy has enjoyed executive positions in marketing communications, operations, and customer experience at national/international companies like BlueCross/BlueShield, United Healthcare, Materion, and Benderson Development. Peggy’s blueprint for success is to work hard, be humble, and give back. When not at work, Peggy loves anything active, spending time with friends, and helping others. She is also on the board of Directors for the Jewish Center of Buffalo.

In this episode of the Woman of Value Podcast:

– Why it’s vital to have ‘she time’ every day

– Get yourself some bubbles…learn why

– The keys to having a fulfilled life

– The power of our thoughts and mindset

– The importance of giving back

AUDIO

VIDEO

WHAT DOES WOMAN OF VALUE MEAN TO YOU?

She is someone who helps people rise up and step into their personal power. My purpose is helping women step into their fears and challenges and rise up. Women are caregivers, which can stop us from achieving our goals. Life is challenging, especially now. We teach women ‘she time’, time for themselves so they can better take care of others.

YOUR ‘AHA’ WOMAN OF VALUE MOMENT

The first happened early on in my life. I realized how powerful my thoughts and mindset are in impacting the quality of my life. About thirty years ago, my mother had a brain tumor. She had to learn to walk and talk all over again. After surviving the brain tumor, she got pancreatic cancer. She had sunk into a deep depression. She was in hospice, and I tried everything to get her to smile, but she withdrew more and more. Nothing I did seemed to help.

One day, I walked into her room, and she was smiling. She said she realized she had a choice to be unhappy or have gratitude and be happy the rest of her life. It showed me I had a choice over my happiness. I keep that with me every day.

The second ‘aha’ moment was when I had resigned from my job as executive director at a great company so I could take care of my mother. After she passed, I took a position at Blue Cross that felt like a step down for me. I was given one task…to send an email to everyone introducing myself. I had trouble figuring out how to do that. Someone introduced himself, and told me he was also new, and how frustrated he was with the communications in the company. I learned the next day that he was the new CEO, and if I could help him, that would be a great thing. I spent a lot of time developing a solution to his frustrations. I met with him, and he loved my solution. He gave me a promotion within a week, and six months later, I got another promotion.

Lesson learned: if you listen hard and provide solutions to problems, amazing opportunities will come your way.

HOW YOU LEAD

I love to make the workplace enjoyable. I love to help people with their challenges. At United Healthcare, I listened to everyone in all positions to find out what their challenges were so I could help relieve some of their stress.

We installed five-minutes of fun, and we’d get together several times a day to do something fun; make ice cream cones, tell jokes, something to breathe and take a step back.

THE PRESENT

I manage a non-profit, The She Can Network, which I started two years ago. Its mission is to empower women to become the best version of themselves. What sets us apart is we focus on three pillars: 1. Positive mindset 2. Good health 3. Tools for professional development.

THE FUTURE

I’m 60 years young, and I’m determined to reverse age by staying physically active. I’d like to take The She Can Network from a regional to a national organization.

THE LIGHTNING ROUND

• I used to think I wasn’t ENOUGH. I thought I didn’t have the resources I needed to overcome my challenges.
• What was the #1 thing holding you back from becoming a woman 
of value? When I stopped thinking about what’s in it for me and how I could help others, the rewards became epic.
• What’s the best advice you can give to a woman who wants to 
become more empowered? With every challenge comes opportunity. You may feel like you’re in a rut, but if you can pause and learn from the challenges, you will become a better version of yourself.
• What advice would you give to your younger self? Work less, play more!
• What’s something people get wrong about you? I have been called a white middle-aged woman of privilege. Yes, I am, but I worked very hard to create that. I did not lead a charmed life.
• How would you like to be remembered? As a woman who made a difference in many people’s lives. I was someone who gave people insights on how to be more successful and find their blissful happiness.

Connect with Peggy

Please Subscribe/Rate/Review the Woman of Value Podcast!

► Apple Podcasts http://bit.ly/womanofvalue
► Spotify http://bit.ly/wovspotify
► Stitcher http://bit.ly/wovstitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts!