Using The Elastic Method For Navigating Midlife Transitions With Confidence and Purpose
Imagine you're a captain steering a ship. This ship represents your life filled with your goals, dreams, and responsibilities. Much like Rebecca Sutherns' journey discussed on the Social Chameleon Show, we all have our chosen ports of call – the significant milestones or big rocks in our lives, like career goals, family aspirations, or personal challenges.
Now, the sea you're navigating is ever-changing, much like life's unpredictable transitions. Some days the waters are calm, reflecting the times when your path seems clear and your priorities are aligned. Other days, you face turbulent storms of change, needing the adaptability skills that Rebecca emphasizes. Just as she had to adapt her career and family roles, you adjust your sails to catch the new winds and keep your ship on course, despite the shifting tides.
Your crew represents personal strengths and support systems. Each member, whether it’s grit, big-picture thinking, or social support, plays a crucial role in overcoming challenges and ensuring smooth navigation. Rebecca’s transformation journey involved harnessing these strengths to manage transitions effectively.
During this voyage, maintaining your ship, much like self-care, ensures you're prepared for whatever comes your way. Whether it’s ensuring communication among your crew or repairing sails after a storm, it's the self-awareness and readiness that keep your journey ongoing.
In the end, the journey isn't just about reaching your destination but also about embracing the adaptability it brings, learning from every wave and wind, and continuing to chart your course through new horizons with confidence and clarity, much like Rebecca guiding clients through the 'messy middle' of transitions.
Enjoy the episode!
YouTube: youtu.be/QkjVfB76nIs
Show Notes: thesocialchameleon.show/Rebecca-Sutherns
You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Substack, or your favorite podcast platform.
Key Highlights:
Transition Sparks Personal Growth: Rebecca Sutherns discusses how her personal life events led her into transitions, inspiring others through her journey.
Embrace Identity Shifts: Rebecca emphasizes the significance of identity changes, especially for women balancing family and career.
The Elastic Method Framework: Rebecca introduces her flexible framework for navigating life's messy transitions with grace and purpose.
Prioritize Meaningful Work: Rebecca shares insights on aligning work with personal values and making career decisions that foster fulfillment.
Adaptability in Transition: Rebecca talks about the importance of adapting to changes, highlighting its role in smooth transitions.
Navigating Emptiness Gradually: Rebecca emphasizes the gradual process of adjusting to an empty nest, offering a long-term perspective.
Gaining Clarity and Confidence: Rebecca helps listeners understand how to gain clarity and confidence amid life's major transitions.
Transformative Family Sabbatical: Rebecca describes her family's sabbatical that reshaped her work-life balance perspective and led to professional growth.
The Importance of Vulnerability: Rebecca discusses how vulnerability allows for authentic transition experiences and personal growth.
Aligning Actions with Values: Rebecca urges listeners to align their actions with personal values, ensuring a purposeful journey through life's chapters.
Meet Rebecca Sutherns
Dr. Rebecca Sutherns is an author and Midlife Transition Coach, helping high-achieving women navigate life’s most challenging transitions—whether due to career shifts, empty nests, or other personal challenges. She gives her clients clarity, energy, and confidence by aligning their values with their actions. Using her ELASTIC method, she helps women stretch into the next phase of life without snapping (or snapping back).
Rebecca’s journey began when she took an unconventional sabbatical with her family, sparking a more profound personal transformation. The turning point came when she was challenged to rethink her work-life balance and take bold risks, ultimately transforming her life and career. Through this journey, Rebecca developed the ELASTIC method. This structured yet flexible framework helps women navigate the “messy middle” of transition with grace and purpose and reimagine their next chapter.
Visit RebeccaSutherns.com
- Reimagine Resources
https://rebeccasutherns.com/podcast/ - Elastic: Stretch Without Snapping or Snapping Back
- Rebecca Sutherns Author Page
- Twitter: twitter.com/RebeccaSutherns
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebeccasutherns
✨ Weekly Challenge ✨
Challenge yourself to step outside your usual echo chamber. Social media algorithms and personal habits often reinforce the same perspectives, but growth comes from exposure to new ideas.Your task: Seek out content, books, or people you wouldn’t normally engage with. Read a book from a different genre, follow someone with an opposing viewpoint, or listen to a podcast outside your usual interests. The goal is to broaden your perspective and challenge your thinking.Step outside your bubble—growth happens when we expand our inputs!
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Elastic (Book by Rebecca Sutherns):
Rebecca mentioned her book "Elastic" while discussing strategic leadership skills. She used it to explain the leadership skills acronym, with 'S' standing for strategic. The book was mentioned in the context of how people can maintain big picture priorities while ensuring their day-to-day actions are aligned with their long-term goals. - Everything You Want (Book by Lisa O'Neil):
Rebecca brought up Lisa O'Neil's book in the context of realizing she didn't know what she wanted after focusing on her family for so long. This realization played a part in her own personal transformation and transitions coaching work. - AQAI (Adaptability Quotient Assessment Tool):
Rebecca mentioned AQAI as an assessment tool for measuring individual and team adaptability. She elaborated on how adaptability is becoming more necessary due to the pace of change in the world. The tool helps people find their preferred methods of adaptability. Additionally, Rebecca mentioned she would send a link to Tyson for inclusion in the show notes. - Several organizations offer AQ assessments tailored to different needs:
- MasterStart: Provides an Adaptability Quotient Assessment to help individuals understand their AQ and improve their adaptability skills
- HigherEchelon: Offers an AQ assessment and coaching services to build adaptive teams and organizations, using the AQai platform to measure adaptability across 17 dimensions
- Success Performance Solutions: Specializes in pre-employment tests and leadership assessments, including AQ assessments that provide personalized reports and roadmaps for improvement
- AQai: Provides comprehensive adaptability assessments and certifications for consultants, coaches, and HR professionals, focusing on adaptability intelligence to strengthen organizational relationships with changeThese tools not only assess adaptability but also provide actionable insights and strategies to enhance AQ, making them valuable resources for both individuals and organizations aiming to thrive in dynamic environments
- Rebecca Sutherns' Website Quiz: True For You
Rebecca referenced a diagnostic tool available on her website designed to help people assess their states of mind during transitions, identifying areas where they might need more challenge, contribution, clarity, or connection. This quiz was mentioned as a quicker, lighter resource compared to the AQAI tool, available for free on her website. Rebecca also mentioned providing a link in the show notes for this diagnostic tool.
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