025 | Procrastiperfection and My Unanticipated Podcast Hiatus

If you're a business owner, leader, or dreamer eager for transformation and ready for a reality check served with the side of hilarity, then this is your show. 

Remember that anniversary podcast episode I promised you two months ago? No? Good. Let's pretend I never mentioned it. Just kidding. In this, My Good Woman short, in this MGW short, we are unmasking the not-so-sneaky villain behind that delay.

In this episode:

• To recognize the significance of personal growth over the need for external approval.
• To acknowledge what slows your progress and get to the root of it
• The value of embracing your flaws and harnessing the power of imperfect action.
• How overcoming fear can inspire change on a global scale

This episode at a glance:
[03:48] The fear of not making it perfect; the fear of doing it wrong. I let listening to other people's examples get in the way, get in my head of making this episode.

[05:12] Because the longer we wait to start, the bigger that mountain is to climb the bigger it seems.

[05:49] There were a lot of things going on in the business. I was busy, there were things going on at home. And so it was very easy to justify my delay in recording. .

[07:20] So what if it's not perfect? The sky's not gonna fall. Chickens, won't start speaking French. And I won't be less of a boss. If it's not the most popular episode.  If nobody downloads it, then I'll have it to listen to for posterity

[08:01]  I wish I could like wave my magic Harry Potter wand over here and, and banish it forever. But let's be real, anytime we step up bigger. It's going to show up again.

Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:

• Free Range Thinking
• My Good Woman
• Dawn Andrews
• Follow me on my Social! 

You might also like:

• 3 Ways To Set Focuse Goals For Intentional, Sustainable Business Growth
• 5 Things I’m Doing Differently In My Business This Year
• Brave Conversations Workbook 

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast

My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by me, Dawn Andrews! Grab a seat at the table for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass-ceiling-busting, trailblazing women, leading enterprises that are changing the world. Follow along so that you can catch all of the episodes. And before you go, leave us a review!

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “My Good Woman” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Transcript

MGW Shorts Ep. 25 - The Art of Procrastiperfection and My Unanticipated Podcast Hiatus

Well, hello, my good woman. You trailblazer, you Maverick, you moneymaker. So remember that anniversary podcast episode, I promised you two months ago? No? Good. Let's pretend I never mentioned it. Just kidding. Today in this, my good woman short we are unmasking the not so sneaky villain behind that delay. 

Buckle up. This ride might get a little uncomfortable, but I promise you it's worth it.

Hello friends. Welcome to My Good Woman, the podcast for new and future female leaders. I'm your host, Dawn Andrews, a happily married hockey mom and the founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking Business Strategy Consulting. Grab a seat at the table with me each week for candid conversations with culture-shifting glass, ceiling busting, trailblazing, women leading impactful enterprises. We discuss what makes them tick, how they get it all done, and actionable strategies to help you lead with confidence and grow the visibility, reach, and revenue of your business. We're classy ladies, but we don't bleep the swear words, listener discretion is advised.

Welcome to the My Good Woman podcast. Your premier pit stop for business wisdom and belly laughs served with a set of SAS. I'm your guide, Dawn Andrews, CEO of free range thinking, executive whisperer, and Hollywood's best kept secret. This show is where strategy meets story, boardrooms meet Broadway, and fears meet their final goodbye. 

If you're a business owner, leader, or dreamer eager for transformation. And ready for a reality check serve with the side of hilarity, then this is your show. Buckle up and welcome to my good women, where building a business is an adventure. 

So I'm feeling a little bit embarrassed and a little vulnerable sharing this with you, but I know I'm not alone. So I'm going to come out and be real with where I've been for the last couple of months. Why have there been no my good women podcast episodes. Perhaps you think I've been sunbathing in Hawaii, sipping Mai Tai's, which is a nice image. Don't you think? 

But no I've been stuck here in a cycle that would make Hamlet look decisive. So let's talk about the missing episode mystery. 

Here's the truth. 

You may not be aware, but the end of May, 2023 was the one year anniversary of the My Good Woman podcast. One year, of creating content, of having conversations with glass ceiling, busting, trailblazing, business-starting, game-changing women. sharing with you the behind the scenes of what it's like to run this business. 

And I'm incredibly proud of it. I had planned to put together an anniversary episode. I'm a podcast nut. I'm a fanatic. I love listening to podcasts. I've heard so many examples of great roundup episodes, great anniversary episodes, and I psyched myself out. 

So spoiler alert, I wasn't trapped by a blood thirsty vampire or a pack of carnivorous seagulls. It was something far more mundane that stopped me from making this anniversary episode. And the culprit was good old fashioned fear. The fear of not making it perfect; the fear of doing it wrong. 

I let listening to other people's examples get in the way, get in my head of making this episode. And that's why this anniversary episode two months later than I planned it, I think is the perfect episode to share in a journey of making a podcast. And it's what stopped me from making a podcast at all for years. 

As entrepreneurs, we are gifted with ambition and a dash of control freakery we want it all, we want to be perfect. But surprise, surprise perfection is as elusive as a unicorn on a hoverboard. 

So what happens when we chase the unattainable? When we chase the ghosts of other people's work , of our future work of the perfection that we want our work to be when we haven't yet put in the time and energy to make it the way that we want it. 

Delays. Procrastination. And a podcast episode that's two months overdue. You see where I'm going with this? 

I have conversations with clients all day about how there's never enough time. I say it to myself. There's never enough time. And poor time always getting the blame. But truth, there's always enough time for the things that matter. The things that matter in our lives, the things that matter, like growing a business. 

 Or taste testing, looking for the best French fries. The trick is in the perspective shift. And that's what I want to share with you is how I got back on the mic. Because the longer we wait to start, the bigger that mountain is to climb the bigger it seems. I am not kidding you. It's Sunday morning, I'm recording a batch of podcasts. I planned to get up at 7:00 AM to be here and get on this mic. 

It is almost 11 o'clock. I have delayed and delayed and delayed because I was afraid. Because it just seemed too insurmountable to get back on the mic. So, let me tell you what I did to break through this and show up here for you. 

 So the first thing I did is just notice that it was happening. 

it took a minute, took two months actually, let's be real. Because there were a lot of things going on in the business. I was busy, there were things going on at home. And so it was very easy to justify my delay in recording. 

And when you're that busy and you share it with other people, they continue to support you in your belief that, "Oh my God. Yeah, you got a lot going on", there's you know, " Of course it's okay that you delayed no big deal. You'll get back to it", but they don't really understand what's going on behind the scenes. 

So the first step is to just acknowledge that you're delaying. 

And once you acknowledge it, then you can start to look at what's underneath it. What are you afraid of? What's happening? And I was afraid that I wasn't going to do a good enough job. Simple.

And then once you have that recognition, there are a lot of different ways we can go from here. The first place to go is the Goldilocks principle. Your work doesn't have to be Papa bear perfect or mama bear horribly wrong. Sometimes a little just right is all you need to get the ball rolling. 

And that's where this episode came from, just got on the mic and started sharing with you. 

The next thing is to add a little bit of scare time into your week, each week. 

I usually do this and for some reason, I just fell off the wagon. So if there's a time each week to do the things that scare you the most. Do it. It's like a bungee jump, the fear is usually worse than the jump itself. It's the anticipation  of it. 

The last couple of months. We're like being an Explorer in the Arctic afraid to leave my science lab, because there was a Yeti at the door. The fears just got bigger and bigger and then finally you just got to punch through them. So here we are. 

The last thing that helped me really get back on the mic. Is to have a "so what moment". 

 I asked myself. So what if it's not perfect? The sky's not gonna fall. Chickens, won't start speaking French. And I won't be less of a boss. If it's not the most popular episode. If nobody downloads it, then I'll have it to listen to for posterity. I'll share it with my kids. I'll force my kids to listen to it at some point. 

The bottom line is if we don't face our fears, we don't get access to making the difference that we can make in the world. And that's it. And I'm showing up on this mic because I want women to feel powerful,  magnificent, and to know that they can do what ever they dream of and all of that is on the other side of fear. 

So my good woman, that is my confession and solution all in one bite-sized episode. Perfectionism be gone. I wish I could like wave my magic Harry Potter wand over here and banish it forever. But let's be real, anytime we step up bigger. It's going to show up again. 

So remember the next time, fear and perfectionism, try to put you in the slow lane. Just channel your inner Dawn Andrews and sassed them back. Keep moving forward. And I'll see you next time definitely sooner than two months. 

Thank you for joining me this week. To view the complete show notes and all the links mentioned in today's episode, visit my goodwoman.com. And before you go, make sure you follow or subscribe to the podcast so you can receive fresh episodes when they drop. And if you're enjoying my Good Woman, leave us a review on Apple Podcast reviews are one of the major ways that Apple ranks their pods.

So even though it takes only a few seconds, it really does make a difference and helps our show grow. This episode was produced by me and Julissa Ramirez. Thank you again for joining me, Dawn Andrews in this episode of My Good Woman.