Becoming a Better Leader as a Business Owner with Noelle Labrie

Sara Lohse [00:00:09]:

What is happening, everybody? I'm Sara Lohse and this is Branded. Larry is not here today. He's out of pocket. So our guest is actually gonna basically be my co host today. So this is my first solo episode of Branded. I'm really excited. Not that I don't miss you so much, Larry, but my guest slash co host is Noelle Labrie. And we her a couple months ago at the Badass Business Summit.

Sara Lohse [00:00:35]:

And I absolutely adore her. She talks about all things leadership and she is publicly known to be a streaker. So I'm going to let Noelle talk about that. But I'm really excited to dig into some leadership and streaking and all of it. So, Noelle, welcome to Branded.

Noelle Labrie [00:00:57]:

Thanks for having me. That is quite an introduction, Sara. It's a way to be known.

Sara Lohse [00:01:03]:

I mean, hey, I'm known as the girl with the penis tattoo. You're known as a streaker. We have a lot in common, you.

Noelle Labrie [00:01:08]:

Know, I think that we do, actually. I think that we do. Yes. I. I often do introduce myself. In fact, at the summit where we met, that's how I introduced myself as a streaker. In fact, as of today, I have effectively streaked for 3,000, 486 days.

Sara Lohse [00:01:29]:

That is insane.

Noelle Labrie [00:01:30]:

It is a little bit. That's a little over nine and a half years. And when I tell people that I'm a streaker, of course, you know, they get this image of the naked guy running down the football field. And I'm not that kind of a streaker. I'm actually. I know, but I. Yeah, nobody needs to see all this. So that's it.

Noelle Labrie [00:01:48]:

I'm better off closed. I'm a run streaker. I have run a consistent mile every single day for the last nine and a half years. Completely started as a lark. I never had any intention of running every day for nine years. In fact, when I was a kid, I hated to run. That was punishment to me and I didn't want to do it and I avoided it at all costs. But.

Noelle Labrie [00:02:15]:

But I decided for my 30th birthday that I wanted to go to Ireland. And I got this crazy idea that I was going to run a marathon.

Sara Lohse [00:02:25]:

Because, you know, in Ireland.

Noelle Labrie [00:02:27]:

In Ireland. And that's what you do, you know, just because. So I got involved with the Leukemia Society's team in training and I trained for the race and they had a great program. And I went to Ireland and had an amazing, amazing experience. And then I stopped running. And for whatever reason, I kind of sort of picked it back up again. I've Lived internationally. I've lived in a lot of different places.

Noelle Labrie [00:02:52]:

And I was living in Costa Rica and working there. And I decided when I found out that my contract was ending earlier than expected, I thought, all right, I'm just going to see if I can run every day until I leave. So I did. It was about 40 something days. Just a mile, single mile, every day.

Sara Lohse [00:03:11]:

Oh, just. That's it. Yeah. Easy, easy mile.

Noelle Labrie [00:03:15]:

Piece of cake. No worries.

Sara Lohse [00:03:17]:

I don't think I've ever ran a mile in my life. Maybe like collectively it's.

Noelle Labrie [00:03:22]:

A mile is actually a lot farther than, than people give it credit for. I mean, it's a significant distance. And you know, whether you're walking or running or, or hopscotching or whatever you're doing, I mean, it's like 2,000 plus steps. So I mean, that, that's a significant distance to go. But I did my 40 days, I came home to the US and I thought, all right, well, I've already run for 40 days in a row. I wonder if I can run for 100 days in a row. And then I did. And then since then, I just kind of haven't stopped.

Noelle Labrie [00:03:57]:

And so I have now been officially a streaker for nine years. I've run in airports, I run in the Grand Canyon. I have run in every kind of weather you can possibly imagine. And I do it, Sara, because I've realized that it makes me a better person, it makes me a better leader, it makes me a better friend, it makes me a better daughter. And you know, all of these things that I've, I've learned over the past nine years, some of them I wish I had known years and years ago. But I try to take everything that I can from these experiences, whether I'm in an. Stuck in an airport with my backpack. And I think, all right, well, if I don't run now, it's not going to happen.

Noelle Labrie [00:04:41]:

And then I break my streak. And what does that mean? You know, I try to take from all of these different experiences around me and running has given me so much. Now, all of that said, I am a back of the packer. When I ran my first marathon, somebody asked me if I was going to win and I laughed at them. I was like, are you kidding? Look at me. Do I look like an elite runner? Like, that's just totally not who I am. So I am at the back of the pack. I am what a lot of people would consider slow.

Noelle Labrie [00:05:12]:

And I don't care. I just, I get out there to do it because, like, I Said it clears my mind. It makes me a little more human, and it. Streaking feels good.

Sara Lohse [00:05:23]:

Well, I am about seven months from my 30th birthday, and I am far more likely to become an actual streaker than a runner. Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

Noelle Labrie [00:05:33]:

Never say never.

Sara Lohse [00:05:36]:

Anytime I've had to run, it definitely did not make me come off as a better person. I get very angry. And if I am running, you also should probably be running because there is a problem behind me chasing you.

Noelle Labrie [00:05:48]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:05:48]:

Yes. Like, and then. Even then, like, give me like, 50ft and then I'm just. Just take me. It's not worth it. I. I don't run.

Noelle Labrie [00:05:58]:

But at least you know this about yourself. And really, it's. It's not necessarily the running. It's the consistency, you know, it's. It's something healthy that I can do for myself that clears my brain. I tell people that running is cheaper than therapy. Not that I don't need therapy, because I probably could use that, too.

Sara Lohse [00:06:15]:

We all do, you know.

Noelle Labrie [00:06:16]:

Exactly. It cost me a pair of running shoes, you know, and I switch them out every few months, and therapy costs thousands of dollars. So this allows me to, you know, to clear my brain and kind of set my day and get myself organized. But, you know, whatever you do for yourself, to mentally and physically and emotionally take care of yourself, hey, if it's not running, whatever it is, more power to you.

Sara Lohse [00:06:39]:

I guess I kind of am a streaker because I'm on 29 and a half years of not running every day. I don't think I've ran any day that it wasn't, like, mandatory in gym class. So.

Noelle Labrie [00:06:49]:

Hey, you know what?

Sara Lohse [00:06:50]:

I'm on a roll, guys.

Noelle Labrie [00:06:51]:

Look at.

Sara Lohse [00:06:53]:

Gosh, I deserve a treat.

Noelle Labrie [00:06:57]:

You should have one. I mean, it's. Isn't today National Cookie Day?

Sara Lohse [00:07:00]:

Oh, my God.

Noelle Labrie [00:07:00]:

Is it Cookie Day? I think so. Today's that we're recording Thursday.

Sara Lohse [00:07:04]:

Yeah.

Noelle Labrie [00:07:05]:

Yeah, I think it is.

Sara Lohse [00:07:06]:

If that is true, then they're probably giving out free cookies at, like, Tiff Streets or Crumble or something, and I'm going to go look into that. So we're gonna end the episode here.

Noelle Labrie [00:07:16]:

You're welcome.

Sara Lohse [00:07:18]:

Yes. More things are more important. No, I. That's. I think it's really interesting what you said, even though I completely don't relate to it, but running makes you a better leader. And. And I love that. And when we're talking about personal branding and building a company, you.

Sara Lohse [00:07:39]:

You're basically the leader out of the gate. And even if it's only yourself that you're leading, but then you're leading your clients. Eventually you're leading a team.

Noelle Labrie [00:07:47]:

Be.

Sara Lohse [00:07:48]:

Having those leadership skills is important, and I don't think a lot of us take the time to really think about them or develop them. And I know I can't lead myself. I can't get myself to do much of anything. I need other people to yell at me. But you have that ability to be consistent and put yourself in those positions, and I think that's really amazing. So what are, outside of running for us lazy people, what are the ways that you can develop those kinds of leadership skills? And what are those skills that are really important to people that are just kind of starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?

Noelle Labrie [00:08:27]:

That is a fantastic question. And it all comes with. With starting exactly where you are. I have kind of developed this thing called carpe diem leadership. I, I absolutely believe that every person has the potential to be a leader. And you're absolutely right. When you're a solopreneur, when you run your own business, you're not only in charge of the business and your clients, like you said, but you're in charge of you. And, and how do you find that resiliency and that potential within yourself so that you can be effective in running your own organization? And it all starts with being.

Noelle Labrie [00:09:07]:

Knowing who you are to begin with. And everybody. I, I truly believe everybody has potential, like I just said, but not everybody has the same skill set. Not everybody has the same. The same traits and the same characteristics that could potentially make them a better leader. So I think a great place to start is to think about the people in your life who have been a leader for you. Is it a boss, a coach, a parent, you know, somebody that you're related to? Maybe it was a teacher that you had when you were in school, somebody who's inspired you and encouraged you, because that's what true leadership is. It's.

Noelle Labrie [00:09:48]:

It's the motivation and the inspiration and the encouragement. So who were those people for you? If you can identify two or three of those people and then think about, okay, what skills that did they have that I admired, or what skills that did they have that I felt inspired me? And a lot of times when I, when I do this exercise with people quite a lot, and when I ask them this question, you know, it's a very common list of things that come up. If it was a teacher, maybe they were really encouraging. If it was a former boss, maybe they had the ability to make people feel really welcome and they were open to ideas. So I mean, you could go through so many different things. Integrity, empathy, compassion, communication skills, decision making, being able to respond appropriately in a time of crisis. There's so many different things that if you look at the people in your life who have inspired you, those are the skills probably that you as a leader value the most. So then to look at all right, if I know that compassion and empathy is something that's really important to me, that's one thing that I learned from my mom.

Noelle Labrie [00:11:02]:

And she's definitely a leader for me. If I know that that's important to me, how can I utilize that in my own leadership style? And now if we're going to talk about leading yourself, how can I be compassionate with myself as a leader?

Sara Lohse [00:11:17]:

Just like I right that hit just.

Noelle Labrie [00:11:21]:

Like I would be with my best friend or an employee or my sister. Am I compassionate with myself? Am I talking to myself the same way that I would talk to them?

Sara Lohse [00:11:32]:

I talk a lot about that concept when I talk about imposter syndrome. And yeah, the ways that we are able to move past imposter syndrome. One of the things that I always say to do is just treat yourself the way that you treat others versus treat other people the way you want to be treated. And I love that in the kind of the perspective of leadership. And it's. I like when I think back on like bosses, I don't always think of them in the same terms as leaders. And that's like, those aren't the same thing. I feel like people assume that like whoever leads the company is the leader.

Sara Lohse [00:12:13]:

But like a lot of times they're not leading you anywhere, they're just telling you what to do. And I mean, there's that common saying of people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. And I mean, I never really was in a position to develop the leadership skills that I needed. And a lot of people probably in that. And when I started my company, I left a position that was kind of a leadership position. I was a director level, but I was my whole department. So I was only leading myself. And I had left because I just, I didn't feel like I was doing it well.

Sara Lohse [00:12:54]:

And I felt like I was letting people down. And so I'm like, yeah, let me just go start my own company and be my own crappy leader. And I can only let myself down. And I've done a great job of that.

Noelle Labrie [00:13:06]:

Don't you talk about my friend that way. You just did it. You just did what we were just talking about. Don't talk about it like that.

Sara Lohse [00:13:14]:

Oh, life imitates art.

Noelle Labrie [00:13:18]:

You're so right, though. And I think you know what you just described, you didn't have a leader, you had a boss. And there is a big difference. Sometimes they're. A boss can be a leader. But, you know, I, I, I have this amazing quote that I share with people a lot, and it's from Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, who, if you don't know her, look her up because she's freaking amazing. But she said you manage things, you lead people. What you had was a boss who was managing, not somebody who was truly leading.

Noelle Labrie [00:13:51]:

And it's so unfortunate because that happens everywhere. It happens across the board in every industry. And I think that's why I'm so passionate about this. And again, as a solo business owner, as a leader for yourself, I mean, you've got to know how to incorporate. Yeah, there's some things that you have to manage. You have to manage tasks, you have to manage your calendar, you have to manage phone calls, you have to manage all that stuff. Those are things when it comes to true leadership, you have to know how to guide yourself as a business owner in order to be productive and effective and prosperous. Otherwise, you're not going to make it.

Noelle Labrie [00:14:32]:

And it all starts again with having that understanding of, who am I? What are my strengths, what can I capitalize on? And then those spots where I'm not so great, who can I get to help me or teach me how to be better in those areas? So, yeah, you, you didn't have a leader, you had a boss.

Sara Lohse [00:14:51]:

Oh, no, I was not the leader. I was. Like, it was me. But no, thank you.

Noelle Labrie [00:14:56]:

Like, even if you had that in your previous role.

Sara Lohse [00:14:58]:

Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, but, like, I was the one that was supposed to be the leader. But, like, that company actually serves as a really good example for leadership from my experience. And I just, it makes me think of the few times I say a few times. Like, it wasn't all the time. Like, if I made a mistake and it was caught by someone that wasn't me, and then I'm suddenly like, I'm kind of in the spotlight of I messed up. And I would go to the, like, the person that was in charge of all the people, the manager, the leader, and I'd be terrified. And I'm like, okay, am I going to get fired? I'm going to get yelled at, like, this, this is the worst thing I could ever do. And it makes me laugh looking back, because I was working in wealth management.

Sara Lohse [00:15:44]:

So if like, people in wealth management make a big mistake. It can cost millions of dollars. But I was the director of marketing, so if I made a mistake, it meant I put a typo in the newsletter or something. So it was. My anxiety was not in proportion to the role. But I remember sitting down in front of the. She was the COO at the time. She's president now.

Sara Lohse [00:16:07]:

And. And just being ready. I'm like, she's going to go off on me. Like, I'm the worst person. I'm going to get fired. And she just looked at me, she's like, what can we do to support you so that mistakes like this don't happen again? What do you need? And I was just confused.

Noelle Labrie [00:16:23]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:16:23]:

I'm like, no, you're supposed to yell at me. You're supposed to be mad. And I think that was the moment that I realized, like, the difference between a boss and a leader.

Noelle Labrie [00:16:33]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:16:34]:

And it was so, like, eye opening and it was so refreshing. And I just remember thinking, like, if I'm ever in charge of people, that is who I want to be.

Noelle Labrie [00:16:45]:

And those are the moments that are. Are so that we can take so much from. Right. Like having that. That aha. Moment of like, wait a sec. Why is she not giving me such a hard time about this? You can learn as much from a good leader as you can from a bad one, you know, and from her you were able to learn, okay, if I ever have the opportunity to lead others and again, you know, going back to leading yourself, that you want to be collaborative, you want to be compassionate, you want to be understanding. And those are all characteristics that are so important.

Noelle Labrie [00:17:21]:

Again, when you're trying to inspire and motivate and, you know, create something amazing that, I mean. Yeah, that wouldn't. What an incredible learning moment for you to. To take away from that and be able to put into practice, you know, in. In your own professional, now business owning career.

Sara Lohse [00:17:40]:

What would. Yeah, no, and shout out to Lena. Thanks, Lena. What would you tell people who are just starting out in that business owner? Or maybe they've just, they haven't been at this for a long time and they have to grow into that leader, that leadership. What would you tell them? What is that, like, best piece of advice you'd give?

Noelle Labrie [00:18:03]:

Oh, gosh, again, I mean, I know I just said this, but it comes with allowing yourself being humble enough to know that you're not perfect, being positive and confident enough to know that you can learn what you don't already know and along those lines to recognize that you don't know what you don't know. You know, there's, there's a whole world of things that when you come into business ownership that you might have been great in the corporate environment, you might have been awesome at whatever your other job was, you might have succeeded and done really well for yourself. But as an individual business owner, there's a whole other world of stuff that you don't even know yet. So you have to be recognize that as wonderful and confident as you are in your ability to do what you're going to do, the humility to know that, okay, I'm open to learning as I go through this process and I'm expanding into my own business ownership, entrepreneurship, solopreneurship, that I am open to learning the lessons that life has to teach because they're everywhere, they're all around us. And every time, every conversation is a learning opportunity, every meeting is a learning opportunity, every email you send out and get back either a no or a ghost or a yes is a learning opportunity. And when you are stepping into that entrepreneurial role and starting, starting out as a leader for yourself again, you've got to have that self awareness to know I'm really great at this stuff, but somebody else is going to have to help me over here because I'm not so great at that part. And that can be a really tough pill for a lot of people to swallow. They feel really strongly that they're able to do well in a lot of different areas and they have a lot of trouble asking for help because it makes them feel weak or it makes them feel like if I admit to this person that I don't know what I'm doing right now, then they're not going to have the confidence in me for me to serve them as my client.

Noelle Labrie [00:20:25]:

And it's, it's tough to admit I need help, I need advice, I need guidance. But for heaven's sakes, I mean, we all do. And yeah, and it's, I think we need to get over asking for help or admitting that we don't know something is a sign of weakness and recognize that admitting that is actually a sign of strength.

Sara Lohse [00:20:46]:

Yeah, I actually just started working with a business coach and for me, it wasn't like I couldn't admit I didn't know the things it was I knew I didn't know so many of the things that I was embarrassed to admit to somebody else, how much I didn't know because I never planned on being a business owner. This was not on my bingo card. This happened like Almost by mistake. But you. You're talking about all of these learning moments and all these lessons. What was like, the best lesson that you learned?

Noelle Labrie [00:21:15]:

Oh, my gosh. Geez. Where do I even. Where do I even start with that? Well, I will tell you a very humbling lesson that I learned. It kind of set me on a path in my life that I. I really didn't expect. I got kicked out of college, and I was on a scholarship, and I was a straight A student. It had nothing to do with my grades.

Sara Lohse [00:21:41]:

They caught you streaking, right?

Noelle Labrie [00:21:43]:

Yeah, no, down that campus, actually. That would have been a whole lot better than what actually happened. Oh, goodness. The short version of it is that the police came knocking on my door one Saturday morning and told me that they were investigating me for trafficking narcotics. Sara, I had never smoked a cigarette in my entire life. At that point. I was 20 years old. And the whole story.

Noelle Labrie [00:22:08]:

We would be here all afternoon if I tried to tell you all about it. But as it turns out, I made some very poor decisions about a friend of mine, and it led to a series of events that ended up with me getting kicked out of school. I lost everything. I lost my scholarship, I lost my. My job. I was working as an RA in. In the building, and, I mean, I lost it all and had to go home. You talk about humbling and asking for help.

Noelle Labrie [00:22:39]:

I had to go home to my parents and admit to them that I was in major trouble and, you know, needed to come back home. From that, I first learned that I am, and we all are capable of way more than we think we are. We set these limiting beliefs to ourselves. I didn't know that word at the time, but we do. It's. You know, you talked about imposter syndrome a moment ago. We set these limiting beliefs for ourselves and have ourselves convinced, oh, I can only do this, or I'm never going to accomplish that. Or, you know, that thing that I want.

Noelle Labrie [00:23:15]:

Yeah, it's really never going to happen for me. It's not true. We. We put limits on ourselves that don't necessarily exist. So that was one thing that. That I learned is, wow, I really am capable of handling some pretty shitty stuff because it was. It was hard. It was really, really hard to come back from that.

Noelle Labrie [00:23:35]:

It also taught me that I was willing to work hard because as much as I love my mom and dad and still do, I have an amazing relationship with them. Living at their house after that experience was super, super rough for all of us. I mean, it was. I am sure that it could not have been easy for them either. And I wanted out. But I had no money and no car and no job, so I had to figure it out. Fortunately, they helped me on the car front and allowed me to, you know, borrow one of their cars and eventually buy one of their cars so that I could get back and forth to work. I got myself three jobs.

Noelle Labrie [00:24:15]:

I worked my ass off that summer, and because this happened in. In the spring, and I was determined by the fall to be in my own apartment, and I was. But that's what I learned out of that. And both of those things have taken me into the business world that I can do way more than I think I can. I am the only person stopping me from being successful, and I am willing to work hard to get to where I need to be. And again, both of those things from an entrepreneurial standpoint are so important to recognize because we each do that to ourselves, where we kind of put ourselves in this own little world. However, as an entrepreneur, as a solo business owner, you're already exhibiting that you're willing to take that chance, that you're willing to put yourself out there. Are you willing to do the work that's going to help you to be successful? That's the next step of it.

Noelle Labrie [00:25:11]:

So that was.

Sara Lohse [00:25:12]:

I have several questions, please. So you weren't trafficking narcotics?

Noelle Labrie [00:25:18]:

I was not.

Sara Lohse [00:25:20]:

Were you ever cleared, or is there still a warrant out there somewhere?

Noelle Labrie [00:25:24]:

No, I was clear.

Sara Lohse [00:25:25]:

It won't turn you in, I promise.

Noelle Labrie [00:25:27]:

Yeah, nope, I. I was clear. Cleared. It was. I mean, I went down to the police station. I had to make a statement. There were, again, a whole series of things that. That happened.

Noelle Labrie [00:25:39]:

And fortunately, I was not ever charged with. I could have been. And I look back on that now and think, thank you, God, that that didn't happen, because, of course, that would have been a completely different trajectory in my life. Yeah. But, yes, I. I was not ever formally charged, and I do not have any outstanding work.

Sara Lohse [00:26:00]:

Well, that's good. Yes. Did the school, like, apologize?

Noelle Labrie [00:26:07]:

What's so crazy about it? I mean, there was such a weird series of events afterwards that, you know, okay, so I got kicked out of school. I lost my scholarship, and again, that's what the police said when they came to the door. I ended up my. My jobs that I got that summer. Two of them where I had three jobs. I worked at a grocery store, and I worked at two different pharmacies behind the pharmacy counter as a pharmacy tech, because I had done that before. So I just love the irony. And working in a Pharmacy.

Noelle Labrie [00:26:41]:

Not really sure that those should have connected. So that was one thing.

Sara Lohse [00:26:44]:

I love the irony.

Noelle Labrie [00:26:45]:

Oh yeah, there were lots. I was not allowed to take my final exams. You know, it was. That was it. I was done. We were only like four weeks out from the end of school or five weeks out from the end of school, but I wasn't allowed to take my finals. I still managed to land on the dean's list, even with. With zeros, you know, on all my final exams, because I really was a good student.

Noelle Labrie [00:27:09]:

I had already accrued so many credits at my college that if I had transferred someplace else, I would have lost like two years of school. So I had already accrued so many credits that I ended up waiting. You know, they. They banned. I can't believe I'm saying all this. Holy cow. They banned me from the campus for a year. I was not allowed to take any classes or even step foot on campus, but I was allowed to re enroll.

Noelle Labrie [00:27:37]:

And so I did because again, I already had so much that I had accrued and I was getting pretty close to graduation. I ended up re enrolling and graduating from that same college with honors. And the dean who handed me my diploma when I graduated was the same dean who kicked me out of school.

Sara Lohse [00:28:03]:

What was her name?

Noelle Labrie [00:28:04]:

I don't remember. I think I blocked it out. I mean, it was. I can picture.

Sara Lohse [00:28:09]:

Come on, call them out.

Noelle Labrie [00:28:10]:

I know. I can totally picture her face because, I mean, when I. God, again, I can't believe I'm saying this. When I came back from the police station, she was standing in my dorm room and she.

Sara Lohse [00:28:21]:

Looking for drugs.

Noelle Labrie [00:28:23]:

I don't think so. I never. That never even occurred to me that, that we were doing. While they were there. Oh, my gosh. No. She told me that. I mean, she was there to tell me that I was, know, banned from campus and kicked out of school and couldn't finish classes and whatnot.

Noelle Labrie [00:28:40]:

But she was the same one who shook my hand and handed me my diploma.

Sara Lohse [00:28:43]:

Couldn't you like, sue? It's like innocent until proven guilty. Like that's unconstitutional.

Noelle Labrie [00:28:47]:

It was crazy.

Sara Lohse [00:28:48]:

This is a. This is a rabbit hole experience.

Noelle Labrie [00:28:50]:

Yeah. Yeah. I'm telling you, we could. This could be a whole other. Whole other conversation.

Sara Lohse [00:28:54]:

This is no longer branded. This is like Unsolved Mysteries and.

Noelle Labrie [00:28:58]:

Exactly.

Sara Lohse [00:28:59]:

False imprisonments.

Noelle Labrie [00:29:00]:

Exactly.

Sara Lohse [00:29:01]:

Amazing.

Noelle Labrie [00:29:02]:

You know, again, you talk about, you know, learning experiences and that was literally the worst day and the best day of my life because it changed so much for me and, and so often. And I. I feel very thankful. And again, Very humble to know that, that I was able to step to a completely different path from that experience. Not everybody would. Other people would have made different choices in that same situation. And I am humbled and grateful to know that I made good choices from that. And it has.

Noelle Labrie [00:29:36]:

That is a pivotal moment that has gotten to me to where I am now. And I love where I am now. It's, you know, it's an amazing thing. So, yeah, yeah. Best and worst day of my life.

Sara Lohse [00:29:47]:

But I feel like it's important to, like, note, though, you didn't know at the time that that worst day was going to be a best day. That must have taken a long, long, long time to realize. And I think that's important because a lot of people out there, they're going through those worst days and they think it's like, the end or it's rock bottom or whatever it is. But one day, hopefully, you can look back and see what you learned from it and how you grew from it and have it be one of those best slash worst days. And I'm glad that that's how it happened for you. And it doesn't stay as a. Only a worst day. And you're not in prison for drug trafficking.

Sara Lohse [00:30:33]:

That, that we would have never have been. That would have been a shame, but.

Noelle Labrie [00:30:37]:

Would not be good.

Sara Lohse [00:30:38]:

You, you love where you are now, so where are you now? Tell us about what you're doing now and how you got there from the wind.

Noelle Labrie [00:30:48]:

It has been a very windy road. I've. I've had some pretty crazy life experiences. And I am, I am fortunate now to be running my own business. And I, I work with, with young leaders. I say young. Not necessarily young in years, but young in experience. And I work with them again to find those strengths that they have and capitalize on, on the areas where they're really good.

Noelle Labrie [00:31:14]:

And then let's look at some other places where you need to level up. You know, is it a lack of knowledge? Is it a lack of experience? Is it competencies and skills that, you know, you need to identify and strengthen? And I get really passionate about it because I, I love working with those people who, again, think that they, they're putting these beliefs on themselves. They think that, oh, I'm not ever going to get to that next step or they don't realize the own, the potential that they have within themselves. And as soon as they start to see it and recognize that, oh, wait, I really can do this, you know, I, I can have a tough conversation, I can make a difficult decision I can provide somebody feedback and have it come out in a positive manner. Like those are the little aha moments. And when you start to see that in somebody, it, it inspires them to continue to grow. So that's what I get to do now with, with my company. And I'm working a lot in the restaurant and hospitality space because that's what I've done for years and years and years.

Noelle Labrie [00:32:21]:

Worked in restaurants for a really long time and had the opportunity to travel. Like I mentioned, I lived overseas. I was in the Middle east for four years. I was in Central America for a couple of years. And, and again with, you know, each of those different things, to be able to take different experiences from people and cultures and environments and all of that craziness has, you know, gotten me to sitting here with you today, which, you know, again too, Sara, even this we get to take from and learn from and it's gonna add to who we are just, you know, based on this conversation. And that's, that's really neat. I mean, that's just a cool thing to be able to take away.

Sara Lohse [00:33:01]:

Yeah, no, I, I love what you said about those aha moments. And that's something that I experience too with what I do and with helping people tell stories and figure out what their stories are. Because I get told like you get told. I can't do this, I can't lead, I can't run a business. I get told I don't have a story. And when I sit them down and have them really think about those pivotal moments and the things that they've been through and those little, like, I don't want the big life changing stories. I want the everyday, relatable ones. That moment when they realize like, oh, that story can be valuable.

Sara Lohse [00:33:36]:

Like, I can have value, I can share something important. It is that aha moment. And that is why I do it. Like, that is my favorite part. So we definitely are very similar in how we do things. Do you have anything that's like maybe a quick exercise that people can go through to get started on improving their leadership or figuring out where they need to improve or what they're really great at, what they're not?

Noelle Labrie [00:34:06]:

Yeah, I actually have, I do this with my clients. I have them do a self assessment and it's, I mean, it's a quick little. Literally, here's a list of kind of skills and characteristics with a brief description. And then, you know, where am I? Am I feeling really confident about this? Am I, you know, struggling with this thing? Do I need help in this area. Do I not know anything about this at all? And there's like, you know, four little areas to kind of check off and help you identify a place to start. You know, it's. Yeah. So super quick little self assessment.

Noelle Labrie [00:34:38]:

If anybody reaches out to me, I know we'll get to this. I'll be happy to share it with them because it's, it's kind of fun to think about yourself in that way and to really be, you know, honest with yourself instead of just checking all the boxes of, oh, yeah, I'm great at this. You know, if you're, if you're really honest with yourself, you're going to realize, oh, no, I probably need some help in a couple of these spots.

Sara Lohse [00:35:01]:

That makes me think. So my, my business goes. It's Andrew Lampa, and I've done exercises with him that are very similar to what he does with his clients. Like, I was asking the same questions, but he was still like, wow. Like, I haven't thought of that. He's like, I asked my clients to do this, but I have never taken the time or like, had the space to think about it, about myself and for, for myself. And so even if you, like, if you're a business coach out there or you are a leadership coach out there and you're not taking advantage of opportunities like that to go through those exercises for yourself, you're missing out on a lot because you don't, when you're doing it all for other people, you don't take the time to do things for yourself. And I think that's really important.

Sara Lohse [00:35:48]:

So I love that you offered that. And I definitely recommend people reach out to you. And how can they do that? How can people get in touch with you, learn more about what you're doing, get that assessment? What can they do?

Noelle Labrie [00:36:01]:

I'm really easy to find on LinkedIn because I am the only Noelle Labrie. There's, there's not a lot of Noelles out there and there's definitely not another Noelle Labrie out there. So I'm very easy to find on LinkedIn. Just my first and last name or my company, which is called Tri Skill Consulting. I do have a website, which is try-skill consulting.com and it's try with an I. So those are probably the two, two easiest ways if anybody's looking to get in touch. And I would be happy to share that assessment with them.

Sara Lohse [00:36:33]:

Amazing. Well, thank you so much for being here. And I wish I was as good as Larry at these cool little segues to end episodes, but I'm not. So if you are led to subscribe, I don't know, hit that subscribe button so we can keep bringing episodes to you every your week. Thank you so much, Noel, for being here. This was a lot of fun. And with that, I'm Sara Lohse this is Branded, and we'll talk to you next week.