Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Erin Baker. Dr. Erin believes that people don’t always have to be hustling to be successful. She is a phenomenal coach who helps leaders and entrepreneurs who are feeling burnout launch their next act and make an impact in the lives of people in the way that they really want.
However, Dr. Erin who is also the founder of Erinmbaker.com, did not always know that she wanted to be a coach. She used to work for a company that had a culture of always being in hustle mode. And though she got titles, money, possessions—things people typically dream of—she ended up not having time for people who are important to her, feeling burned out, and questioning if that’s really the way she wanted to live.
Does this sound like you at one point in your life? If yes, then it’s time to overcome it! Let’s dive into Erin’s story and find out how to start creating the life we really want.
[00:01 – 10:52] Opening Segment – You don’t Always Have to Be Hustling
Whether you’re working in the corporate world or running your own business, Dr. Erin has lots of fantastic advice for you about overcoming burnout and being successful without hustling. She starts by telling us about that time when she left the academia which she considers her ‘safe place,’ to when she was working for Facebook and Microsoft, and finally, to when she realized how she’s going to change her life and make an impact to people in the way that she really wants.
[10:53 – 18:59] The Feeling of Burnout
Although she was experiencing a lot of stress from her work since she was always hustling, it still took Dr. Erin a little while to realize how burned out she really was and how bad things already were. She tells us how important it is to have people in our lives who can help us have our moments of self-realization. In her case, there were three people: 1) her Mom, who became really sick, which made her feel guilty because she was still thinking about work instead of being with her, 2) her wife who told her that “Facebook is killing you” and 3) her coach, who helped her peel layers and layers of stress away, and who eventually made her realize that she wants to be a coach herself too so she could help people.
[19:00 – 24:39] Overcoming Burnout Using a Positive Reframing
As a coach, Dr. Erin Baker helps her clients overcome burnout by making them figure out their created life versus their recorded life. For your recorded life, all you need to do is to identify all the things that are happening to you, and which of those things are really really draining you, and then start exploring alternatives. She tells us to also not ignore seemingly small, insignificant things. After all, some things seem insignificant at first, but in reality, shifting those can shift everything else. It’s just really a matter of how you frame and interpret things.
[24:40 – 32:13] Building a Strong Foundation for Success
There are lots of myths about success that can hold us back. In this segment, Dr. Erin gives us three—that we have to hustle, that business is about working 24/7, and that people who are hustling all the time are only the ones who are successful. Quoting her, “Those who set boundaries and give themselves space are the ones who are really successful.”
If we really want to be successful, Dr. Erin also tells us that it’s okay if we plant some seeds with no immediate return. What is more important is that we get to build the foundation. And let her words be a reminder for us: Going too fast can also mean missing the opportunity of making things go well.
As a bonus question, I asked Erin if she will change how she did things before if she will be given the chance to redo them. Keep on listening to catch a very valuable on lesson why she will still choose to go through the very same bumps that she encountered and not change a thing.
[32:14 – 39:03] The FOCUS FIVE Segment
The FOCUS FIVE are five questions I ask every guest on my show. Keep on listening to find out what book Erin gifts most often; who would she talk to if she can get an hour of any person living or dead, and why; that one thing she believes but most people will disagree with; her morning routine; and lastly, where are the best places we can connect with her online. (See the links below for Erin’s social media links!)
Tweetable Quotes:
“The truth is, we have a choice. We don’t realize we have a choice all the time” – Dr. Erin Baker
“So many people believe that they just have to go through life by default” -Dr. Erin Baker
“People who are really good about setting their boundaries and giving themselves space are the ones that are the most successful” -Dr. Erin Baker
“Business takes time, there’s a lot of seeds that need to be planted that don’t have an immediate return” -Dr. Erin Baker
“You need to slow down in order to speed up” -Dr. Erin Baker
Resources mentioned in the episode:
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath (Amazon)
You can connect with Dr. Erin Baker on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook or visit her website:
https://www.erinmbaker.com/
LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes.
A few last words
Are you working HARD but not really moving the needle on anything? You should check out my POWER LIST and find out how you can get more done to move your business, project, or relationship closer to where you want it to be. Let’s go!