How to Build Your Tribe of Women with Chelsea Donaldson
Welcome to another episode of “Dream Job with Danielle Cobo”!
Today, I am blessed to be joined by Chelsea Donaldson.
After spending over two decades in Corporate America, Chelsea decided to make a change and become the CEO in her own life and career. Chelsea now runs a Multilevel Marketing business and has been able to build a business from the comfort of her own home that fully supports her family and inspires Chelsea to push her limits every single day.
In today's conversation, we talk all about how to overcome some of the mindset roadblocks that are holding you back, knowing who the right people are to surround yourself with and how to overcome your fears and show up in the online space. Tune into today's episode!
“Believing in yourself and finding people that will be there for you and push you are key to achieving your goal" – Chelsea Donaldson
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That Burning Desire to Be on Your Own
My background was brand marketing and brand management, marketing, sales—those kinds of things. So I'm very grateful for the career that I had. But I always had this burning thing inside me to have my own business. To call the shots. To create it, you know, the way I want it to be. I was always branding things for other people. And making them money with my ideas and my effort. And I just had this real desire to do it myself but wasn't really sure how to get there. Then one day, an amazing health and wellness company came into my life. I fell in love with the products and the community. And I realized that my skills really fused well with what's here. It's network marketing. I have just been in it for almost five years, and I've reached one of the top 25 businesses on the globe. I'm actually doing what I love, and I've quadrupled my salary annually, which is kind of amazing. But I want to show other people that you can get where you want to be. You can have your own thing, or if you want, you can stay in corporate America. I just want to show people how to be their best self, and how to get there. So that's where I spend a lot of my time and I feel very grateful to have this freedom. To be able to connect with people like you and your listeners—it's everything.
Yes, it's interesting, because you say that you had this burning desire to be on your own. I did not have the burning desire to be on my own. Like you, I also got a college degree. I followed my mom's footsteps and got into medical sales. And I pushed back on being an entrepreneur for a long time. I was terrified, quite honestly. I validated a lot of my success based off of the awards and the achievements that I had achieved in corporate America. And then when I branched on my own, I didn't realize how many insecurities I had about myself, which was interesting.
Mindset Challenges of Corporate America vs. Having Your Own Business
Some of the issues with mindset that I faced, I mean, I was certainly like you: I was fearful of how I am going to do this. What do I need to know? What, where am I going to learn what I need to know? How am I going to create something that not only takes care of me and my family but other people's families as well? I definitely had fear and insecurity—who doesn't have them? But I'm really big on facing that fear. Like it can sit there for a little while, but don't let it sit there long. You know, whatever it is, if you want the next promotion, or you're looking to grow into this particular role, you need to be constantly learning. And I think that was the mindset that really set in with me early. Once I decided what I wanted, and that's key, we all got to figure out what we want to be. Where exactly do we want to be? Are we taking steps each day towards those goals? For me, I need to be learning more, I need to be getting better at things. If I'm not really good at something, then I need to jump in, and I need to do it, do more of it. Practice makes perfect, right? So I think that was some of the issues too, I certainly had fear and worry. But I just wake up every day and make sure I'm headed toward that goal.
Like you said, lean into discomfort, right? Because when you grow—when you have your largest growth, when you grow the most in life—it's when you're really leaning into discomfort. And so often people stay stagnant in their careers, because they're just kind of doing the same thing over and over again, they're not leaning into that discomfort there. And when you invest in your success, when you invest in yourself, and you really invest in your personal development, that's when you get to accelerate your career. And whether it's starting your own business, whether it's a promotion—whatever it is—that's when you really get to achieve that success when you're developed, when you're investing in yourself.
I think it's so important to have belief in yourself. Like, “No, you are amazing. No, if you don't know exactly all the answers right now, and you'll figure it out. Figure it out as you go.” But belief in yourself is really, really the key. We've all been there where we don't feel like we have a great belief or how we're fearful we wouldn't be able to do it. So the key really is to do that self talk that we all do with ourselves. It needs to be really positive. And you need to surround yourself with people who encourage you rather than being around some of those folks who are like, “You can't do this; you shouldn't do that.” Belief in yourself is really key and surrounding yourself with people who are going to help you and push you along towards that goal, right?
The People Around You
I'm so glad you mentioned surrounding yourself with people who are going to hold you high, people who are going to support you and be accountable and believe in you. Because it first starts with you believing in yourself. And then when you believe in yourself, others will believe in you as well. But if you're surrounding yourself with people that are projecting their own insecurities onto you, then you're gonna start to believe them about yourself as well. Anytime you surround yourself with negativity, it just brings you down. And I don't know about you, but I just surround myself with positive people. I like to surround myself with people that are in higher positions and where I want to be and grow to, and are always striving to do more, be more and be the best version of themselves.
I surround myself with really positive go-getters. I love to be around health conscious people—people who want the best not only for themselves, their family, but the other people around them. I love to be around givers, people who want to make the world a better place. That's just my choice. You know it does go back here in my community with Isagenix, and what this is, my organization that I've built, they are just very much go-getters, and they are not wasting a single minute every day. I love to wake up and be around folks who are making change. How can I help that person on the other side of the globe? How can I help that person next door? You know, I just think we're getting to make the world a better place. And in my particular business, I think that starts with each person's health. That's really the key. For me, it's just being around people who want to be their best selves. And I think it's important. Whoever you meet across in life, you should leave them a little better than you found them.
I appreciate that. And I just feel like people need more light in their lives. They need more—excuse my language—a little bit of badass in your life. Believe in yourself, go after what you want. I feel like every day I just want to wake up and ask, “How am I feeling? What might have set me on fire today?” And I want to put that out into the universe. And I can see it's making a huge difference. People appreciate positivity. And I want to encourage people, “How can you help the world get a little better, or help somebody feel a little better?”
Social Media as a Bright Light of Wonderful Solutions
It's interesting, because I wouldn't say I fell into doing what I do now. Because, you know, I'm a believer of faith. I prayed every night, “God opened the doors, you want to open and close the doors you want to redirect me to.” But when I started, I had had LinkedIn for years, and I really wasn't entirely active on it. I'd be active on it when I was recruiting for open positions on my team. But when I left corporate America, and I was kind of deciding what I wanted to do, I just started posting on LinkedIn. I felt like where we were at with the pandemic, and just everything that was going on in the world, we just needed some more positivity, right? And so I started posting on LinkedIn. And it was interesting how it transpired into where I am today. It started with posting on LinkedIn. With just sharing knowledge and sharing positivity, to now growing my network of over 8000 people in under a year and now doing what I do now, just starting with posting.
It's so true. When you bring such light to people, don't you find yourself doing what you love? And when you put yourself in the place of doing what you really love, it inspires thousands. It's like you find your true fate—what you are destined to be doing. And so I just encourage people. I see it in you, so follow that intuition, your passions, follow those, those aren't just random thoughts and ideas. I believe what you're passionate about is what you're meant. It's your calling. And you have followed it. I'm so I'm so excited for you, and all that you touched in my lifetime, you really do.
Posting—it's interesting. I was I was doing an episode on developing your brand. And whether you're developing your brand for your career, whether you're deciding to open your own business, or whether you're staying in corporate America, you always should invest in your own brand. We are so comfortable posting on Facebook and Instagram. But not very many people are comfortable and competent in posting on LinkedIn, which was interesting. Because a lot of the clients I work with, they we're going through whether they're in their job change strategy, or whether they're looking to accelerate their career—whatever it is. When we get to the part of developing their brand, I asked them, “What's the last time you post on LinkedIn?” And they go, “I don't post in them at all.” A lot of people don't even know where to start. And it could be just starting with sharing a fun quote, or what inspires you. Or being yourself, telling people what you have to offer.
What people need to realize about all platforms on social media—I mean, today, more so than ever, we are such a small world: I wake up and I post on my platforms, and I build relationships, and I touch thousands of people that I would have never touched. I think people do have misconceptions about the different platforms, even about social media. You know, I tune out anything that's negative, and I let my social media be this beautiful, bright light of wonderful solutions that I offer, and motivation, and inspiration. And about your point with LinkedIn, those are people that platform are just like everybody else: they're looking to make themselves feel better, or they're looking maybe for a job, or they're looking for an opportunity. So I do encourage people: your perceptions—don't get it stuck or be narrow minded. Look outside the box. There are so many great platforms on social media. It's a wonderful way to grow whatever brand or whatever solutions or services you offer. It's spectacular. I love LinkedIn. I love all the platforms. It's a great place to be.
I feel like LinkedIn and all social media, through this pandemic, one of the silver linings and great things that's come out of it is that we are more connected as a world. I mean, I started posting on LinkedIn, and now I'm speaking for the Chamber. The India Chamber of Commerce has reached out to me and I'm doing a speaking engagement for them. I'm doing speaking engagements for women in tech. In New Jersey. I've been on podcasts with people that are in Australia. So you're connected with people all over the world that you would have never known if you didn't put yourself out there.
It's a spectacular place with such amazing people. I've made some wonderful connections growing my team now in Europe, Australia, throughout in the UK, and so many folks in Canada. It's really a wonderful way to reach people. And it's just important to realize that right now, relationship building is key relationship branding. Relationship marketing, that's the key. it's still just like anything else. You're walking down the street, building a relationship, and helping that person with your services or your solutions. It's just where I've made some of my best, great friends, some amazing teammates who have joined my organization. And you're right, it's, it's a lot of fun.
What Others Think
And here's something I remember when I would meet with some of the top performers on my team, for example, and I would talk to them. I would say, “Hey, you have such an amazing idea. Go share it with our team. This is such an amazing best practice.” And they say, “Oh God, you know, they're probably all doing it.” I'm like, “No, they're not.” So what we may think as something that everybody knows may not be what a lot of people know. And so, put yourself out there. Share your knowledge. Because there's somebody out there who is going to go like, “Wow, I never thought about it either that way. That's such a valuable tip.” Whatever it is, I guess what I would always say is like what we assumed to be what everybody does, or what everybody knows, may not be the case.
If I could leave your listeners with alittle tip: do not worry too much about what other people think. That's really the key. I don't care what you're doing—you gotta not worry about caring about what you think. You've got to know your values, your virtues, and what's important to you, and you drive towards it. If you sit back and worry about what this person might think—and I've learned firsthand in my business. I don't worry about the naysayers, or if somebody wouldn't like it, because I know I'm going to touch somebody who was praying for what I gave them. That's really important too. And no matter what you do, don't worry about what other people think, go do it and do it well, to your best ability.
I remember that I used to be so fearful of judgment. And when I started to really take in what other people were saying about me, whether it was positive or negative, when I really started to take in things, my mind would always focus on the negative and that could consume your brain and your mindset. And then you start believing it, then that affects your confidence. But when I started to just say, “You know what, there's gonna be people out there that don't like me, and that's okay. And for everybody that doesn't like me, there's probably five people out there that do like me.” When you start to not care about other people's judgments, that's when you truly get to find joy in your heart.
You don't want to necessarily be caught if you let one person's negative comment, “Oh, you can't do that” —whatever that comment might be. That's not showing you your limitations; that's showing you their limitations. They're really saying, “I probably can't do that. So you certainly can't do that.” And if you listen to that one person and you stop, you have no idea what you may miss out on a whole different future for yourself and for your family. So that's a key, and it's a good point you make: don't listen to all that stuff. You believe in yourself, you know what you're capable of. Go get it, make it happen.
Success in Failures
I have failed way more than I have been successful. You can look at anybody. If you take someone like Michael Jordan, how many three point shots he's missed to get to where he’s at. You got to take the shots. And then if you don't, if it's a failure, if it's not what it needs to be, just readjust. And you do it again, you do it again. I never look at failure as a bad thing. It's like, “Oh, I learned that's not the way to do it. Let me try this other way.” So on failure, that's just you gotta be able to accept that and keep trying and adjusting as you need to.
If I look back to that point where I decided to start my own business, that was scary. The saying that I love so much is, “Every master was once a disaster.” When I started my business, I had no idea what I was doing, I knew I would figure it out. I'm in network marketing. I coach people with their health, and I mentor people with their business, and I helped grow other entrepreneurs now. But then, I was just trying to figure it out. Put all the best practices together; craft that unique plan. And it took about a year. But then I got it right. But I definitely took some missteps. And what I love now is that I'm able to offer to other people, “Hey, I tried this, and it didn't work out right. So don't do that.” That's what I love to be a part of, and that goes back to surrounding yourself with people or where you want to be, because they've taken the steps they failed, they can help guide you.
I agree with you 1,000%. Because when you link arms with somebody who is an expert in their field, they have gone through the trials and tribulations. They've gone through that; this didn't work, that does work, you know. And so in your field, you really work with entrepreneurs who are looking to start their business. They're looking and you're working with people who want to get healthy and invest in their well being so that they can have the energy and motivation to do the things and accomplish what they want to. And for me, for example, I work with clients where they're looking to accelerate their career. And I can share with them what doesn’t work, what does work. And I can share not only from my own experience what worked and what didn’t work, but also when I was leading a team and leading the poorest performing team to number one in the nation. What were some of our failures, and what were some of our successes through that journey. And I believe everyone should have a coach. I have a business coach, I'm sure you probably have a business coach. Everyone's got a leader that's leading them in their business. It's valuable to surround yourself with people that have gone where you want to be that are going to link arms with you and guide you through that process. Those that are going to be your biggest cheerleader and support you and be there when those failures happen. They're going to be there to listen, they're going to be to support you, and they're going to be able to get you to that next level.
That's why I always say like, you're better together, you know, find those people that are where you want to be. And, you know, just just be open to learning constantly. In this marketplace today, what's happening in the last 24 months, what's gonna happen in the next five and 10 years, the business market and the platform we're all working in is going to change. It's changing quickly, and it doesn't feel like it but it is and so you need to be ready and you need to be taking in knowledge all the time about how this is changing and how you need to evolve with it.
So what are a few things that you would like our listeners to take away from our conversation today?
Have really big dreams.
I want you to think big, and then I want you to think bigger. I'm really about living your best life and having everything that you want for you and your family. And leaving a legacy is my goal.
Every master was once a disaster, so it's okay to start.
Just go after whatever that dream is, and believe in yourself.
Lock arms with other women, other men, like us, like yourself, that are where you want to be.
Never give up on your dreams.
You can have the life that you want, and you can make it happen.
Speaking of dreams, what was the biggest dream that you have accomplished? And what is your next dream that you want to achieve?
I have a multiple six figure company and I'm headed towards seven figures. That's huge for me. There was a time in my 20s where that was just what other people could do. Now I'm doing it; I'm making it happen. And I created all these in the last four or five years.
Now my goal has changed. My next dream and focus since my business is hugely expanding throughout Europe and on multiple continents is to have a second home in Europe so that I can spend six or seven months a year there and be here in Florida as well. There was a time when that wouldn't be possible; I never would have thought of it. But now, I'm going to be on two continents. I'm going to be growing my business across the globe, continuing to do that. And it's amazing to watch it happen and to be a part of it. And I'm so blessed that I don't feel like I work a day in my life. Because I get up every day and I do what I love. And I get to be with people like you. So that's, that's been my dream, and I'm still working on it. Keep moving the finish line. I'm that way, like, I'm never going to be done. I'm always gonna be looking for that next thing. Where do I want to go? Now? What do I want to do now?
