Leaders Remedy with Carrie Benedet

June 4, 2022

Carrie Benedet | Global Leadership Coach

GOOD leadership is an ingredient we all need in our life. Whether it’s at work, at home or with yourself – don’t dismiss yourself as a leader – we all need to know how to lead today.

Carrie Benedet is such an inspiration with her ability to lead educators through this new landscape, including teaching them how to lead their teams or students.

In today’s podcast, I loved speaking with her about her leaders remedy and of course I share my remedy as a leader.

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Transcription:

MRS V 00:00:00 We are AGERICH because we create remedies for life made by life. I’m Scarlet Vespa, a.k.a MRS.V and founder of agerich.co your go-to place for AGERICH remedies to help you find love, get rich, awaken your intuition and feel free. Now let’s open the remedy kit and discover why we’re all AGERICH.

MRS V 00:00:21 Hello and welcome to AGERICH; this episode is all about the leadership remedy, and it’s a big one because leadership is such an important element in all aspects of personal and business life. So what is my remedy for leadership? I have so many different aspects to it. And if I speak from my remedy and my own life, what I have learned is there are three parts to it. And the first part is really about collaboration. You know, the days of being very authoritarian have gone.

MRS V 00:01:01 Not that it doesn’t exist, but I think there is definite resistance. Now, as there’s a growing number of people leaving, you know, the great resignation because people want meaning in their lives today, and, hence the great resignation is they want to know when they go to work that they’re doing something that will benefit the world. And also that they’re gonna be seen, they’re going to be respected, and they’re gonna be appreciated and valued for what they do. So I think as a leader, you have to come to the party knowing that you have to collaborate with your team; you have to take them on the journey with you. You have to have a vision that they can be part of. And so that collaboration is, you know, the second part of that collaboration is allowing them to see what you have as a vision.

MRS V 00:01:55 And when they align with your vision and your value and purpose, they’re more likely to enjoy what they’re doing. They’re more likely to perform a lot better. They’re much more productive. So generally, it’s a better situation from all aspects. The other part of leadership, I believe, is working on yourself because often I think about what happens and I saw it actually with my dad who was a doctor, and he was not with us today, but you know, it was very black and white for him as a doctor because you’re going in, you’re doing surgery, and you have to be super clear. This is what works. This is what does it; there’s no grey area. And I was, of course, a nightmare because I was always asking why, and you know, what about this? And I was into alternative medicine. It was just a nightmare, honestly, because for him, how does he open what he has learned to be absolute truth?

MRS V 00:02:50 And when you’re dealing with someone’s lives, you, you cannot doubt is there a different way to this? You know, so I get that. However, I think today is, having the strength to be open and curious about everything is so important today. And I think it takes a strong mind, for example, to be a doctor, to be open as well, to keep the learning, being open, to learning and being curious and seeing how it impacts without it kind of moving your strength and ability to say, this is right, and this is the answer, and this is what I need to do because it is all in black and white, literally in medicine today. However, having that openness is a balance. So I think openness and curiosity, and keep working on yourself to stay open and strong, is a great way forward today.

MRS V 00:03:50 That’s my remedy. Today, we will be talking with the wonderful Carrie Ben, a leadership coach specializing in education. She is an educator. And I love speaking with Carrie because she has this wonderful combination of culture cause she loves to travel and the idea of global the global earth and how it all connects. And then she has education then leadership and that entrepreneurship. So she has a wonderful trifecta and alchemy of skills there. So without further ado, let’s meet Carrie. So I’m very excited to have the gorgeous Carrie Ben on the show in this episode. Welcome

CARRIE 00:04:36 How are you Scarlett?

MRS V 00:04:38 I’m good. I’m so blessed to have you on the show and in my life. So I’m grateful that you are here to share all your wisdom and remedies around your life and leadership. So firstly, tell me, what is your life remedy?

CARRIE 00:04:54 Hashtag, give it a red hot shot.

MRS V 00:05:00 I love it. I love it. And it’s so you it’s, so you, so how did you get to that? Where did that come from?

CARRIE 00:05:05 I think the essence of that sort came when I had a significant birthday, and around that time, we also had a huge movement in our children leaving home for various reasons. One was getting married; the others were going out to uni, living in different places. So we got four children, our living assets. So I have four, I don’t have a big shared portfolio, but I’ve got four living assets. I love it. I love it. And they’re called the sorts because they, you know, we’ve got two, two that look similar, they’ve lost all their hair, two, that I’ve got all their hair and have got the more olive skin that that’s great. But even though they’re different and were allowed to develop their voice as they were growing up, they still have very strong core values, and family’s one of those.

CARRIE 00:05:56 So I’d, you know, like many gals my age, we dedicated our lives. Our whole life purpose was around part-time work or working plus being the mother role. And, and that’s something about that’s not good or bad. It just is in how it was in those days. So when I had a significant birthday, and it started with a five and ended no in an O, I decided I was walking the Coco trail in Papua New Guinea, and it was to give; thanks for being able to bring up my four children, our four, four children in freedom. And when I look back over the last decade, I look back and go, thank well, number one, thank God I did it, then fitness-wise. But secondly, it stayed with me. So that whole notion of trying to stay fit in, in that wellbeing space for a remedy for yourself, as you’re getting older, you’re getting more and more creeks creaking. You get, you know, getting a bit greyer. There’s a lot of sagging going, all that sort of stuff. So to keep that in mind, that’s part of the Rooming; give it a red hot shot. So I love doing some weights. I love walking, all that sort of stuff. And I, and I love to have a drink with people. I like the people stuff. So that’s, that’s…

MRS V 00:07:18 If you look from when I first met you, just from when you left education, you stepped into yourself as an entrepreneur and got out there and doing the red hot shot. There’s been a, a big energy growth with you. And I think it’s indicative of the mindset that you have to have as we get older, you know, versus, it’s all over and downhill, you know…

CARRIE 00:07:43 And I’d even be honest and say to you; I probably didn’t know myself very well because I married fairly young and was pregnant within two weeks of being married. So a baby arrived. You know I, I left a full-time job and stayed at home for a decade. So I sewed and designed beautiful gowns and beaded all, and the kids all had mix and match outfits.

MRS V 00:08:12 of course they did.

CARRIE 00:08:15 And you know, you get into that. So, my voice was around the parent role, you know, and partner role. And so yeah, it’s stretched out, and that’s why I think this, you know, we get this notion of I’m older and wiser. Well, I’m happy to have found the time to be able to do it now, actually, I’ll tell you a funny story. My daughter said to me just after we put a deposit on her first unit, she, she said, thanks mom so much. Can I borrow your chequebook just for the deposit? Yes. I know that I’ll do that for you this, you know, and then she said to me, mom, I don’t want to be, you know, 50 in finding myself. And then she stopped, and she went, I don’t believe I just said that to you because that’s about the time. And I went lessons learned from the kids, you know, those beautiful creations that we have. You know, you learn so much from your kids, and now I’m watching her. And I get, you know, I said, yeah, I said, I sometimes wonder whether my age group of gals tried to do too much at my era. Maybe we were our own worst enemies, you know.

MRS V 00:09:27 And look, I think it it’s, I mean, it’s so different in the world too. I think we have the space and the kind of support to find yourself. And I mean, everybody at the moment is looking for greater meaning and, you know, you are seeing it certainly in the work you’re doing with people and leadership. So yeah, I think we’re just lucky that we’re able to have the time to find ourselves. I mean, I, I didn’t have the life. I’ve never worked in the corporate world; I did for six years, but I’ve always been an entrepreneur. However, I’m just learning on a whole other level right now. So it’s almost like, I think it’s a Rite of passage that you have to go through like nothing’s wrong. It’s just that we are in that. And that’s the whole AGERICH thing that we live this lived life, and we learn from it, and now it’s like, oh, we should love who we are and where we’ve become, you know, out of it. So, I mean, you’ve stepped into this leadership, you know, you’re leading yourself into this leadership coach role and expertise. So what do, what, what remedies do you have for leadership? What would you like to share?

CARRIE 00:10:37 Well, I think I’m just going to use this other notion, and I’ve been using it a fair bit lately. I think, you know, people are the profession, no matter what we are, we are in people are the profession. So the remedies I use are around people. People matter; thriving matters and thriving. It isn’t easy. So the way I look at life is, well, there are going to be days where it’s, you know, your daily habits are just probably getting just that touch boring, and you think, I won’t do it for today. Or you go seeking something else that you, you know. And so part of the remedy, I think, is to look at your habits and find the ones making all the difference to you that line up with your values. So if I talk about leadership, well, I have to continue to lead myself, right. So I can lead others to inspire or empower others so I can manage how I’m feeling. And some days that’s a battle because, you know, Carrie’s, Carrie’s unique. I’m unique.

CARRIE 00:11:43 It’s a bit of a battlefield with yourself, but it shouldn’t be. So I’ve learned in the last, CO’s been a blessing for me. I’ve learned that I have to take the time. I would say that I’m not particularly patient. I tend to be more impromptu, have great ideas, am a big thinker, and then go, why can’t we do this? Why can’t it go bang, bang, bang? Let’s move on to the next thing. So I’ve learned to be far more patient than I was, sit back and look at who I’m surrounded with and where they can inspire me and help me motivate myself, and how much I can receive love from them and give it out. So the more for me, the more you give out the love, and it doesn’t have to be people that, you know, really well, it can be that you, you know, you are, you, you do, you are intentional in how you look at the universe. So, a leadership remedy for me is bringing together the magic trifecta. I think that culture, education, and business are getting those three together because we need to have a global view. We need to have a bigger view than just our silo or the industry that we’re in. We can learn that collective intelligence that we can learn from each other and share and synthesize what we are learning. Putting it into action will only give us so much more richness. I love how we lead.

MRS V 00:13:17 And I think you’re so right with the global aspect because we’ve seen now more than ever that seeing it through a different lens, a different culture keeps you more open and less judgemental. And curious, as you’ve always talked about, that curiosity comes in.

CARRIE 00:13:35 Well, I think this, this whole notion of growth is, you know, what we learn, we all have different ways of learning. We find out what it is, but we stretch ourselves for the next bit. But one of the things I know that is a great thing is to remain curious. And I’m just going to show you this; it sits up here. Yes. Anyone who loves Dr. Suess knows. Yes. Oh, the places you go. So if you have an inquiring mind, you’re going to be the Explorer of yourself, the people around you, your world, the world, and the work that you want to play, play in. And we explore the people and the capacity of each other cause we’re unique and magnificent. So we’re a bit like stars twinkling in the constellations above us.

MRS V 00:14:27 I love it. I love it. So what do you, I mean, you work with many schools and educators. What do you think has been the biggest issue for them, and what, what, you know, what’s the solution you give them? Like, what is their pain point at the moment?

CARRIE 00:14:43 Oh, I think the main pain point at the moment is there’s fatigue. There’s fatigue about having to adapt to change, and I think the I’m pretty sure the fatigue is around thinking that you have to find the solutions yourself,

MRS V 00:15:02 Right?

CARRIE 00:15:03 And so that’s why I call this thing, the collective, you know, it’s the bigger than us and that we can learn from each other. And that’s why culture, business, and education go together.

MRS V 00:15:14 And it’s so true because you sometimes feel so alone. I have that cause I’m an entrepreneur, but I can imagine. And when I did work in a corporate environment or is that you, you feel that you have to do it because you might lose your job or people will criticize you, and you feel alone. So I think that’s such great advice to remember that you are a collective, and it’s okay to ask for help. Is that what you find that people are afraid to do that or?

CARRIE 00:15:41 Well, I also think it’s, they don’t know perhaps where to find the help or who to seek out. So, I always go back to values, values, beliefs, and assumptions that we make. So I’m very big on bringing together a coaching habit and some emotional intelligence with leadership work. So it’s understanding, you know, yourself to understand others. So when you peak that with curiosity, you get innovative thoughts, you get creations that are different to what you could just have thought up yourself. You bring it together for the benefit of the whole. So it’s for the good of the village. And now we’ve got a global village it’s in. I can instantly go to India yesterday afternoon, beautiful up the north of India and talked to my beautiful friend beneath. And over the last three years, I’ve explored the world. I’ve gone to Turkey one morning, or I’ve been in London in the afternoon or the USA or Canada. And it’s, there are so many good people. There are so many people interested in not just making themselves feel important, but being able, to pay forward and give forward for others. So relationships are important.

MRS V 00:17:00 And I love how you said that part of learning self and being innovative because sometimes you might be in that place of, I don’t know, how to ask for help or not even realizing you need help. So if you start getting those skills internally, you know what to do that next step makes sense.

CARRIE 00:17:19 Well, Many leaders feel at some point feel that there’s, they’re an imposter. And, and I’ve felt that over the last couple of years is there’s sort of waves of, of things going, how the hell do I do that? I’ve never done that before. New learning going, okay, you, you need to seek out the right people. And then sometimes you seek out people, and you think they weren’t quite right. So what have I learned? So we learned from our fails, our mini fails, our, you know, our tiny fails. And we learn these great resiliency skills.

MRS V 00:17:49 It was interesting when I spoke to someone who is a CEO, and what I realized, even from that role as a leader, it’s such a lonely role because, especially as a CEO, everybody has their agenda. There’s nowhere you can go to even unless you get a, you know, very good mentor, which I highly recommend. And I think that’s so true. It’s like you continually have to do the work on yourself and find that support, you know, right after you get that education. Incredible. And this leads me to share about your master classes, where you have interviewed and done presentations around different people in the world and offers, so tell us a bit about that.

CARRIE 00:18:33 Oh my gosh. Those master classes are just amazing. So we’ve brought together culture, business, and education, and we started in Australia, and then we’ve just been around the world. So there’s nine there. Now we’re just about to get another one up, Belize. The stories of the people who are your masters, your presenters, sharing their leadership secret sources with you are, are amazing. So the invite was for leaders who would be willing to share their sources, but the complexity of doing this meant that they have to like people. So I have a flavour of the profession’s people through this, no matter what industry you are in. And mostly, over the last three years with COVID, people are up front and centre everywhere.

CARRIE 00:19:33 Whether it’s, you know, what jobs have changed, whether there’s a job, there’s no job there anymore, or you’ve decided to leave, and you’ve been re contemplating your whole life. So the masterclass is, are snapshots. They’re fantastic. There’s good humour. You get to see, um, firsthand some of the cultural aspects of each country there. It’s a super-rich resource, and it’s, if anyone’s wanting to change what they’re doing, they’re looking to, they’re aspiring to leadership in another way. I mean, culture is all around us, and it’s not just the culture of a country that’s so important or a tradition. It’s all the things that go with it that it’s also the culture within the workplace you work for.

MRS V 00:20:17 It’s amazing. I’ve, they’re, they’re quite extraordinary. They’re unique. So if you get a chance, we’ll put the link below. So you can have a look at one. And so how do people find you, Carrie, and what services like, what are you doing at the moment?

CARRIE 00:20:32 I do individual coaching. We have programs

for leaders and leadership teams, the whole staff. We don’t just do education. We are looking at business as well. We have particular programs if you are looking for a refresh on your career that’s, there’s, there’s that opportunity as well. I have a podcast called thriving matters, where I talk to ordinary guys and gals doing extraordinary things in life and work. I’m not a Tony Robbins, but the aspiration is there. You know? And the people I interview are, are just amazing in what they’ve been able to do. And everyone has a special story, and that’s what’s underneath this. We all have a story, and we all matter. So Carrie benette.com is the easiest way to find my website on LinkedIn. But it’s easy to remember. So carry C A R R I E, just like carryon or carry a bag. You’ll remember me. I’m the gal that says, carry a bag, and it will be Chanel because you are worth it.

MRS V 00:21:39 That’s right. And don’t forget to give it a red hot show. Amazing. Thank you so much, Carrie. I loved speaking with you and such great knowledge and wisdom to impart to others on leadership.

I look forward to getting together again and talking about something else that we’ll be discussing and what other remedies you have.

CARRIE 00:21:58 So based on you, Scarlet, thank you for doing this. It’s a joy.

MRS V 00:22:03 Bye. Thank you. Bye.

Guest

Carrie Benedet

Global Leadership Coach

Her strong growth mindset and skill-set of social and conversational emotional intelligence (Genos Certified), coaching methodologies and leadership skills, Carrie relishes working with motivated leaders and agile teams giving them confidence to revitalise their purpose, direction, voice, mindset and relational skills.

Current professional certifications include GENOS International Emotional Intelligence Certification for Workplace and Leadership Assessments and Programs, IGNITE and The Mindful Leader Programs; Growth and Solutions Focused Coaching; DISC: Change 2 Master Facilitation. Globally, Carrie has presented at coaching and mentoring conferences in Oxford, UK, Wellington & Hamilton, NZ, Australia and USA. In June 2018, Carrie was honoured to share her insights on Emotional Intelligence in Education at the Game Changers Genos International Conference, Singapore. In 2019, an offer to teach Leadership to Chinese teachers of English in Changsha, Hunan Province, China was hugely rewarding. In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Carrie has designed, hosted and facilitated ‘boundary-breaking’ Leadership Retreats and Immersions in Australia and New Zealand specifically for leaders looking for a transformative edge to their purpose, performance and growth.