Twice a year, over 100 amazing women meet at the Power of 100, Chesapeake Women Who Care Giving Circle to give their support to local non-profits… and each other. Each member gives $100 to the organization, and then each member votes on where they believe the money would best serve our community. In only four meetings, Power of 100 has raised over $35,000 for local organizations. If you are interested in learning more or joining the Power of 100, visit www.powerof100chesapeake.com.
Once a month, we are honoring one of the many local women who make Power of 100 possible in hopes of shining a spotlight on our amazing membership and in hopes of encouraging others to join. This month we talked to Carrie-Ann Barrow, a local entrepreneur, business coach and best-selling author.
What inspired you to join Power of 100?
When women work together, we can do amazing things. While I’ve lived on the Eastern Shore for more than 10 years now, my work primarily has been in DC and Northern Virginia. I had been looking for an opportunity to meet other women in Queen Anne’s County and the Power of 100 was a great way to do that.
What personal or professional achievements and accomplishments are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my first book, The Queen’s Decree, which I launched on Amazon this past June. I’m most excited that it made the Amazon Bestsellers list in Women and Business. It was a two-year project, and every moment was worth it. It’s a book for women looking to reclaim their power to choose and prioritize themselves. So many of us spend decades doing everything for others… our partners, our children, our jobs. We forget who we really are or what we really want. My book shares my personal story of that journey along with the stories of several of my royal Queen clients in a fun and practical way.
Can you tell me about you being an Executive Coach?
As an Executive/Business Coach, I work with top leaders and entrepreneurs to help them become the best leaders they can be. The engagement starts with self-awareness work and leads to other aspects… awareness, goals, action plans, and accountability. It’s a journey of unlocking an individual’s full potential as a leader and then unlocking the full potential of their teams and organizations. As a serial entrepreneur, it’s incredibly fulfilling work. I love to build businesses so I naturally love to see my clients do the same as they become amazing leaders, which inevitably leads to greater success in their organizations.
How did you become an Executive Coach?
I sold my first company in 2006 (to take time off with my children). A few years later, the CFO from that company asked me to go to lunch. He told me that he had started his own business and heard I had started consulting again. He asked if I would be his coach, and I asked what he meant. He told me about a coach he had been working with who was retiring, and I loved the sound of what she had done for him and his business. The reality was that I had already been coaching other leaders but was calling it consulting and wasn’t using the full spectrum of tools available to coaches. I decided to go all in, enrolled in a coach training program, and achieved my certification through the International Coaching Federation, and I have never looked back. I absolutely love what I do. Since starting as an Executive Coach, I’ve narrowed my focus to female leaders and female confidence, which lead to my book, The Queen’s Decree.
Is it your own business? Where should anyone interested in learning more go?
I’ve been an entrepreneur since 1999 and have started and sold multiple businesses. My latest company and the one I’m building now is Scaling Strategies (www.scalingstrategies.com), and my work specific to The Queen’s Decree and women’s confidence can be found at www.queensdecree.com. The best way to reach me is at cbarrow@v3model.com.
Do you have any interesting stories about coaching to share?
This is from my blog post here; a condensed version.
In Chapter 8 of “The Queen’s Decree” titled Speak Like a Queen, I focus on the topic of language. The words we use and the words we allow others to use when speaking with us matter. They make a significant difference in how we make decisions, how we feel about ourselves, how we present ourselves to others, and ultimately, our confidence. And what I want for everyone is Queen (or King – whichever you prefer) confidence. The kind of confidence that speaks before the words even come out and says, “See that Queen over there? Don’t even try to mess with her.”
So how do we put the idea of Queen confidence into practice? How do the words we currently use stop us from getting that confidence ; and, how can we shake things up a bit to get it?
Let’s start with an example from a recent coaching session I had with an incredible professional who we’ll call Holly. Holly decided to make a career shift about four years ago into real estate and was absolutely killing it! She was fulfilled and happy. That is, until the negative self-talk would start.
You see royal ones, even when it seems we have it all together, there’s still an inner saboteur voice that visits most of us. You are not alone. It’s normal and it’s okay. What’s important is that you have the tools to adjust, rewrite and overhaul the language you’re using. And if you don’t have them yet, well, we’re going to make sure you get them!
During our session, I asked Holly when the last time was that the negative voice showed up. She explained that while at a realtor networking event, others were talking about their 20+ years, even 30+ years of experience, and the benefit that brings to clients. And she only had four years of experience. She asked herself, “Why would someone want to hire me as their realtor when I only have four?”
I gave Holly some homework. I asked her to make a list of all her accomplishments over the past four years. Then, I asked her to take the statement “I’ve only been a realtor for four years” and turn that into “In only four years as a realtor, I have accomplished…”
And it was magic.
In only four years, she had already received recognition for operating as the number one team in her county and for being one of the top 300 realtors in her region… and she is also a wife, a mother, a soccer coach and so much more. See the difference from “I’ve only been a realtor for four years” to “In only four years I have accomplished…”
The shift in language, specifically in self-talk, is important. Holly is a benevolent Queen who wouldn’t minimize her partner, children, friends, or probably even a stranger in the grocery store with her language. And now she is learning to treat herself with the same love and care. We could also have more positive self-talk.