598. Turn Your Energy Into a Career Superpower

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Executive leadership coach and former environmental lawyer Danielle Droitsch spent decades chasing titles before realizing fulfillment comes from what energizes you most—helping others reach their potential. In this episode, she and Lesley explore how identifying your superpowers can reignite passion in your current role without a career overhaul. Discover why tracking energy leads to clarity, how to “job craft” for more joy and impact, and why action—not overthinking—is the real confidence builder.


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In this episode you will learn about:

  • How Danielle’s career pivot revealed her true superpowers.
  • How to spot your superpowers by tracking what energizes you.
  • Why most people mistake learned skills for natural strengths.
  • How the 20% rule can transform job satisfaction and focus.
  • What happens when you overuse your strengths and feel drained.
  • Why “job crafting” lets you reshape your role without quitting your job.


Episode References/Links:


Guest Bio:

Danielle Droitsch is an executive leadership and career clarity coach with 30 years of experience in managing, directing, and leading. She is a trained lawyer who spent several decades working in the environmental law and policy space (and continues that work) while focusing most of her time on helping mid- to senior-level professionals level up so they can love their work and create positive impact wherever they go. Danielle works with people who want to love their work and feel passionate and driven by what they do but don’t believe they are on the right path yet. Her approach centers on uncovering and discovering each person’s superpowers and strengths. She believes we all focus too much on our skills and knowledge and forget that the secret sauce to life and fulfillment lies in our talents.

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Episode Transcript:

Danielle Droitsch 0:00  

Whatever you can do to minimize the stuff that's draining you, but you're basically paying attention to what energizes you. And chances are that the things that energize you are actually the things you're really good at, and that's where your actual career growth happens. So there's a correlation between things that bring you energy, so you feel more fulfilled at work, and it happens to be the places where you are that's your superpowers. 


Lesley Logan 0:24  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 


Lesley Logan 1:07  

All right, Be It babe. This is great, this interview, this episode, this whole thing has me lit up. And also, like afterwards, our guest today and I were just chatting, and I, she is just such a bright light and such as her superpower comes through this whole episode, and I can say that having talked to her before this episode, after this episode, and so we're actually talking about that. And I think it's really interesting, some of you might be like, oh, I don't have any superpowers, we talked about that too. We also talked about how you can start to find it, and how the ease of leaning into that can actually change your life, and it changed Danielle's life. So Danielle Droitsch is our guest today. She's an executive coach. She all she used to be an environmental lawyer, and so I'm just like putting that out there, because I think it's so interesting how we can so easily put ourselves in a box or in a track and think that we can't change it's too late for us. We just got to push through. No. The answer is no. There's support out there for you. There's help out there, and there's free resources for you. So here is Danielle Droitsch. 


Lesley Logan 2:09  

All right, Be It babe. This is really fun. I recently got to meet our guest today, and I was so excited talking to her, and then Brad got involved, and we just started chatting about life. And you know, it's going to be a great guest, if like, you can be fast friends. So, Danielle Droitsch, can you tell everyone who you are and what you rock at? 


Danielle Droitsch 2:24  

Hello. I'm so excited to chat with you today. So my name is Danielle Droitsch. I am Zooming in from Salt Lake City, Utah, but from the Washington, DC area. And I am an executive and leadership coach, and I'm all about superpowers. So I'm excited to dive in with you about that today.


Lesley Logan 2:43  

Oh my gosh, I love it. And like, what a big transition, like DC to Salt Lake. No offense to Salt Lake. It's so beautiful. But like lots of people to spread out, not so many people.


Danielle Droitsch 2:55  

It was quite it was quite a transition. I'm here to support my aging parents, but yeah, so like, parts of DC I'm happy to leave behind, and very love the outdoors here. And you know, we are part of a small enclave of progressive people that are, you know, trying to do good in the world. 


Lesley Logan 3:15  

I love it. I love it so much. Okay, so you said you're an executive coach and you are a big fan of superpowers. Is this what you went to school for? Like, is this something we can get a degree in? How do we get here?


Danielle Droitsch 3:28  

No, I totally, like, it was just such a, so I'm basically trained as a lawyer. So I went and had many years of doing what I thought I should do, what success I thought looked like did what my parents thought I should do. And I mean, I still love that I did part of that journey. But what happened was, I was 25 years into my career, working at a major organization, I was a manager, and I just had a wall, and that's when I had this big transformation of, well, if this is it, if this is my career, then, hmm, I don't know. This doesn't quite feel like it. That's not what it was I had aspired to. I was really looking to feel fulfilled. And so I went on this long journey, we could talk about it, but a journey where I eventually figured out that I was not putting my superpowers to work at all, and it wasn't until I figured them out that I figured out that my pathway, that's not true for everyone, but my pathway was not to be a manager and a lawyer and all of that. It was a completely different pathway, but I never would have known it until I figured out my secret sauce.


Lesley Logan 4:44  

Oh my gosh. I think, like so many of us, can resonate, you know, there's a certain there's a certain group of, especially women, who are, like, definitely told, like, do all these things, check all these boxes, and then you will feel fulfilled. And then we check all the boxes, and we're like, exhausted, check. Fulfilled, what does that mean?


Danielle Droitsch 5:05  

What does that even mean? Exactly. It's like, it sounds like a great word, but that's the thing you could and then you spend time searching and searching and searching, and we kind of look in all the wrong places. We look on LinkedIn, like, what did that person do? What did my neighbor do? Maybe I need to travel more, maybe I need more money, maybe I need whatever, you know, and we just, we kind of keep trying all these different things on I did, I mean, I was all over the map for years, like I was like, okay, maybe I won't work on this issue. I'll work on that issue. Or maybe I should do this, you know, role at my organization. Or, you know, there were certain things I tried that really, really worked. Meditation was something I tried, and it's been in my life ever since, exercise, same. But there's other things I tried that were like, absolutely no go's. And I remember talking to you and Brad about this, but a lot of what I was trying was like, around mission, like, purpose. And I was like, oh, I should volunteer here, and I should do that. And I actually figured out that spending time on passion wasn't the answer. I'm not at all about, let's not do passionate things. But it, you know, fast forward, it took me, like, three years to figure it out. I felt like, oh my God, like, how many, how much time is this gonna take? And I finally figured out that the answer was had to do with what I was naturally good at. And that's what I mean when I say superpower.


Lesley Logan 6:30  

Okay, thank you for defining that. Because I actually think that, like, think we even talked about this, but like, I sometimes think that, like, figuring out your purpose or your passion is like, such a heavy lift. It's like, because it kind of feels like there's no going back, like, once I figured this out, that's it, you know, and then you're like, but I haven't even tried trampoline yet. I don't know. It almost, I think some people have a hard time because it could feel limiting, like, once you figured out, also, there's so much pressure, and then, and then what? And then it has to make me money, which I disagree with. I don't think it really does, but I really I want to just go back to like, what you're naturally good at. This, this is something that I think is really hard for people to recognize, because we think it comes so easy to us. So why would it even be worthy? Why would it even be worthwhile? Why would it be valuable?


Danielle Droitsch 7:19  

Yes, oh my gosh, you just sort of nailed it. And this is, this is when I work with my clients. It's like the, one of the first things I work with my clients on, regardless of what problem or issue or challenge they have, is we start with, where are your superpowers? And that's because they don't know.


Lesley Logan 7:40  

Yes (inaudible) I already have 10 listeners going, I don't have any superpowers. I was gifted. None of those. My sister has them all.


Danielle Droitsch 7:50  

My sister would say that she would be like, I have no superpowers. And I've been spent I've spent all these years saying, yes, you do, but it is so natural. They are so natural, they're so innate, they are hidden to you. So if there's one thing that people are listening to right now, I can promise you that you actually unless you've gone through the exercise of actually figuring out your superpowers, you do not likely know them. And I'm telling this to the people who are like, oh, I know my strengths, and they'll say things like, I'm strategic (inaudible) and I'm a great communicator, and I'm like, that's, I mean, that's, that's like a that's like a tiny, tiny, tiny, little bit of a strength. It's really about your innate ability to create impact, and it doesn't have to do with a skill that's different. A skill is learned, like trampoline. You know, you can learn, you can learn word processing, and you can learn, you know, how to put out a podcast, and you can learn lots of like project management. I'm sure people on this call could say, oh, yeah, I can do all those things. That's not your secret sauce. Your secret sauce is in how you create impact in the world, and I didn't know it, and it was only in my 40s that I was actually able to figure out, oh my gosh, like I have been all wrong. I've been focused all this time on my skills and my knowledge, and thought that's how we're success, not saying you don't need skills and knowledge. I mean, for sure, but my fulfillment, my growth, my career directory, my clarity about who I am as a person, everything kind of comes back to that, and it takes a little bit of work, but you can figure it out. And I promise you, that's where you start to feel the energy that helps you feel aligned.


Lesley Logan 9:37  

Okay, I'm really in because, like so at this household, we're big fans of like string finders. We make all of our anybody we're gonna hire, we want to know what they're like, naturally inclined to do because I'm not going to put someone who is not detail oriented on on my on my assistant team. I am not detail oriented. Everyone who works with me needs to figure it out. But I also agree that, like some of those things that were strong at work are not necessarily things that we were innately born with. We kind of, like, learned them, skilled them over time, and, like, kind of really lean into those things. I also think that a lot of people busy themselves with all the things they're not good at, so they get the feedback at work that they're not a great communicator, and they take all these communicating classes, and they're like, working on these week that that's gonna make you feel so far away from your superpower. Because, like, at least, at least going into the strength skills you have, at least can feel good, at least feel accomplished, but maybe not fulfilled. So I guess, can we talk about, like, how we figure it out? I mean, obviously we need you, but like, can we talk about, like, a little bit of, like, what are some signs we have a superpower, or that we're working with it, or working what do we got?


Danielle Droitsch 10:49  

Yeah, it is, I mean, and, you know, I definitely encourage taking things like strengths assessments, because they'll just give you some bread crumbs. It doesn't say how you specifically are good, because these assessments can only take it so far, but it gives you some indications. And I did want to, like, quickly jump on this whole idea of weaknesses, because we are trained from like, itty bitty to focus on our weaknesses. Like the minute you come home with a C or even a D on your report card. Your parents are like, on you, they're like, you gotta move it up. You gotta move it up. And we're even doing that to our own kids. Like, now, I've kind of been reprogrammed for my own kid. It's, it's fine. We all when you're learning in school, it's good to build that basic skills. But when you're getting to, you know, your career, and especially in your middle or later in your career, you kind of have already have a lot of skills and knowledge. And so we have a lot of people who are like, oh, I got to figure this out and taking courses. And, you know, I don't, I don't disparage that. I'm all the time like, sure, constantly grow, but your actual growth edge, in terms of your full potential, whether you're thinking personally or you're thinking professionally, is not found in fixing weaknesses, period. We know this from the research. So what we want to do is we want to lean into a strength, and so the strength is not a skill. So I'll use myself as an example. I had a lot of skills in the legal space, in the policy space, and I would try to learn and take some continuing education. And I prided myself on, oh, I knew the latest and whatever is going on the law, and people would give me some feedback on that. So I think, oh, that's what I needed to do. But what was I doing around the office. I had a team. I would meet with them, I would learn about their lives. I cared about their growth. I spent time thinking, okay, how can we make this person better at what they do? And I never gave credence to that part of my role. I was just so focused on more knowledge and more information, and really all around me, I had been the person who actually is really good at helping another person in my office and eventually in my coaching business, help them actually really cultivate their own potential, and that's through conversation and through encouragement and through a whole bunch of like stuff that I would have ever given any sort of like value to I was like, doesn't everybody do that? No, not everybody (inaudible).


Lesley Logan 13:30  

Doesn't everybody get to know people? Doesn't ever, no, people don't, actually. You're right, I know, but to the point it's something so natural to you. Of course, I want to get to know this person. Of course, I want to hear what their goals are. Of course, wouldn't that be the thing a team leader does is, like, figure out how to help them out. Oh, this is so cool, this is so great.


Danielle Droitsch 13:41  

Yeah, so you don't so I didn't know that. I was like, literally, I mean, I was always helping my friends out, helping my family out, helping my colleagues out, and I was obsessed with becoming a better, whatever knowledge person in the legal space. And I wasn't really growing in that space. I was okay, but I wasn't extraordinary. And I remember there was a there was a time later in my early my coaching career, where somebody came to me and they after a coaching session, and they were like, you're amazing. You're so good at what you do. I had never heard that kind of feedback when I was in my profession. Never. No one ever came to me at work and said, You are the most amazing lawyer. I was like, you know, got some good reviews, but like, my when I noticed that actually I was I had leaned in to this part of me that I had kind of treated as not very valuable. I was like, Oh, you're just miss relationship person. Well, guess what? That's it. It's relationships, it's cultivation, it's all of that stuff. And so then suddenly I get the feedback that's where your superpower is. So it does take a little bit of time to figure out it's a great practice. And the key way to know your strengths is when you feel energy, you need to follow the energy. Anytime I ever, you know, connected with someone and sort of help them out. I was getting energy from that when I was trying to figure out a legal issue, I wasn't it wasn't even draining me. It was just bah, that's it. So you that's the place where you need to go. Is the energy that is a clue to your superpowers. And it's not just relationship strengths. There's all these different kind of strengths, but at the end of the day, it's when you feel energy and when you notice that you lose time. 


Lesley Logan 15:31  

Yeah, I agree with that. In Gay Hendricks' book, there's a chapter on the big leap. And I remember reading the book going this chapter makes no sense. Why is this chapter in this book. Like, why is there a whole chapter on Einstein Time and Newtonian time? Like, why is this here? And it took me, like, the fifth read. I was like, going through it, and I was like, oh, my god, this is what the book's all about. And the idea is, like, when we are really in the thing that we are meant to do that, like, we're just, it's just innately part of us. You can bend time. Time can expand. You can get so much out of it. You you can get lost in time. Time flies by. It's not like, my god, it's been seven minutes, okay, we're still here, you know, like, it's this whole it's kind of amazing. And so I think that's what a great sign everyone can take away is just to start tracking, like, what part of my day do I feel more energized, or the time flew by? Like, what was I doing? Just, just being an observer in your life. You don't even have to, like, do more than that, I would assume right now. 


Danielle Droitsch 16:30  

Yes, that's it. You just, you just nailed one of the first exercises that I do with my clients is journal, if you can, for like, a week, even better, longer, but just write down and what people, when my clients come back to me and say, I did this, there's usually, and I'm there, there's usually a, you know? Oh, I thought I hated all meetings, which many of us do, like we're just meeting down, right? We're just so tired (inaudible).


Lesley Logan 16:56  

I work from home, and somehow I'm in meetings all day. 


Danielle Droitsch 16:58  

So it's like I know that some of your listeners are like, yes, this is my debate in my existence. Like, I'm just sitting on meetings. But not all meetings are created equal, right? So what we want to do is sort of like, which makes sometimes you're in a meeting, you're having a strategic conversation with someone, and you're kind of really, you know, getting your brain active. You're thinking problem solving, and that conversation was pretty cool. And you're like, ooh, that goes into we call the lifts and the drains. You have a lift another call. You're like, going through a to do list, figuring out project management. Maybe that's a drain. You're like, I am so tired of going through the project management plan. And then there's other activities, which might be neutral, it's fine like it doesn't. But what we want, and this is the key thing, is the researchers who have kind of studied all of this stuff around fulfillment and engagement at work, if you can get to at least 20% of your day to be in that sort of energy zone, then you're what you're actually able to move the needle considerably on fulfillment. So you don't need for every single hour of your day. 


Lesley Logan 18:11  

Okay, well, that's mind-blowing, because I think that's the other thing, is that we think that, like, the whole day should be in fulfillment. I should just be in my strengths the whole day. I don't, you know like, and the truth is, is that I've even like thought, like, am I, am I, I like, created this whole thing that I love so much. And again, I'm in these meetings, like, did I create a disaster that I have to live in? But actually, like, if 20% if you're, if I spend 20% of my day in my superpower. Then even if the other 80% is not in, I'm still moving the needle forward towards towards fulfillment. I love that. That is so great.


Danielle Droitsch 18:48  

Yes, it is. And this is what you do. You start with just noticing. A lot of us don't notice. I mean, we're just kind of barreling through a life. And a lot of what I know you talk about Lesley all the time is just waking up to your life. You just got to wake up. You got to just start noticing. And that's kind of key to this whole exercise that I am talking about here, is you cannot just wake up and do your to do list and go through your meetings and then hope and pray that maybe things start to get more fulfilling. You have to start to notice, like, okay, that was draining. That was you don't have to, like, be judgy about it. You don't have to be like, Oh my gosh, I hate my job. You don't have to be like that. You can be like, okay, I'm going to take some time objectively and look, because sometimes people come to me, they're like, I hate my job. And then they realize there's one part of their job that they hate and there's another part of their job they actually really enjoy. They're just not paying a whole lot of attention to it. And they could magnify the part of the job they love, they may not be able to get rid of the part of the job they hate. Let's all be honest, like there's parts that we I don't love. I don't love administration of my business, you know, calendaring, it just drives me crazy, right? So we just have to kind of look for those things that we're able to magnify, that the things that bring us energy, and that is usually the first step to the creating, the creation of more fulfilling work. And what I mean by magnifying is more time, maybe, or just more attention in that space. And what start people have noticed, you know, getting back to the research, is that their actual levels of fulfillment, engagement go up in their jobs. And it doesn't matter what kind of job it can be the most restrictive job out there, and it still creates more energy, if you focus on the 20%. 


Lesley Logan 20:37  

Okay, this is, I do think this is great, because I think it's so easy for us to go, oh my gosh, I'm going to work and I'm stressed out. So work stresses me out. So we just have to, like, create a reason. And really what we're not exploring is like, actually, where my I face a wall at work, and actually, when I have this, when I'm in these meetings, I actually light up because, oh, I'm facing a window. So maybe I just need to change, ask for a change and view of my desk, or maybe I work in that meeting room as much as I possibly can, you know, like different things like that, because sometimes we're just it's all or nothing. It's an all or nothing mentality that so many of us are raised to have. If it's not perfect, it's not good, if everything isn't rosy and unicorns, then it's the wrong path. Like, if you have one door closed, then you're on the wrong path. Like, but I, Danielle, you're giving us so much permission, because first, we're just observing, and I think that's really hard for the perfectionist and overachievers listening, but my dears, like in just observation mode of how your day is going and where your energy is ebbing and flowing, and then it's trying to magnify where the energy flow happened, and then seeing what's going on, because maybe we don't have to quit the job. You know, like, I read this one book a long time ago. Think it was called, like, [Bright] Side Up or something like that. I remember the author's name, name is Amy Spencer, and there's a whole chapter on, like, parking the car or draw like, or driving away, right? But not idling. And sometimes we, like, have, like, think we have to, just like, get rid of the whole job, but, oh, it actually pays all these things I want, so I'll just kind of deal with it when what you're saying is like, well, what if we can magnify that? And that magnification might actually lead to another role, or it might lead to a whole other career. You might actually end up like you did, switching because you leaned in so much. But you don't have to know right away.


Danielle Droitsch 22:19  

No, and in fact, I would say a lot of people, we all fall into this trap, too, everyone. We all fall into it. But the trap is I will finally be happy when, dot, dot, dot.


Lesley Logan 22:32  

That's why this podcast exists, for that win. Stop doing the I will finally be happy when.


Danielle Droitsch 22:37  

Yeah, it's like we've got, and this happens with jobs all the time. I mean, people have most I mean most of the American workforce, 70% of the global workforce, are not happy in their roles. That's incredible. It is a staggering and very unsatisfying statistic. And that's not just pandemic. That is we have a workplace that is so different than our, whateve,r grandfather's or our parents from the 50s, 60s and 70s. So we're, you know, things are broken. I'm, I'll be the first one to say we don't have a great workplace for our people. But the thing I will say right after that is, you have the power, you have the flexibility to actually empower yourself to make that career actually work for you, and the way you do that is first by noticing what energizes you. And it could be something as simple as where you sit. It could be, I really like that person at work, and I'm going to spend more time with them. It could be, I really like this project and I'm gonna spend more time on it. There's a lot of different ways that you can do that, but that is called job crafting. That's the official term. And then you can, you know, whatever you can do to minimize the stuff that's draining you, but you're basically paying attention to what energizes you, and chances are that the things that energize you are actually the things you're really good at, and that's where your actual career growth happens. So there's a correlation between things that bring you energy, so you feel more fulfilled at work, and it happens to be the places where you are that's your superpowers. And then what happens is your job crafting, and you're not maybe you would need to change your job at some point. But you're not waiting. You're not waiting for some big change to happen, because, frankly, you're gonna find drains, lifts and drains in every job. It doesn't matter.


Lesley Logan 24:32  

Yeah, oh yeah, guys, no. I mean, even I have so many people who are like, I just want to work for myself. And I'm like, working for yourself. Is it is not like, like, I have a girlfriend who's like, hey, you want to do a pool day, and I'm like, oh, no, I'm working today. Like, I would love to do a pool day, but like, I also have a job that I have to do with a schedule, you know, so, like, I absolutely am unemployable. It's clear I've been asked to quit, but people like me, and they're like, we don't want to fire you, but you're not actually doing the job we want. I'm like, no, you're correct. I job-crafted myself out of a job, is what I did. But I think, like, it's, you know, we like to think the grass is greener, and it's just, it's not. But the people I've seen who who work at other places, who are have have really created a life that they're fulfilled, or like that just seems to be enjoyable and have a level of happiness. They are the ones leaning into their superpowers. I have, one of my best friends. You know, she'd been frustrated in her job for a long time, and she said, I just told my team, I'm no longer doing these things for you. You are capable of doing these things. Here's where I come in for your job. And she basically changed what her job is even though, because she couldn't change her job, like, she's like, I really can't go anywhere else, and I really can't change these things. I'm gonna do these things here. And she's having a really great time. Is it perfect? No, still have the same job, yes, but she's doing the things that she's like, I'm really, I'm really good at these things. You can't take these things away from me. Like, this is what I'm the strongest at, and I what I love, what you're saying is we're not waiting. You are more control of how fulfilled you can be than you think, and jobs are going to suck in a lot of places. But if you are aware of how you are in your superpower, you can really create your own path. 


Danielle Droitsch 26:15  

Yes, and I mean, we have, if you are a so called white collar worker, your ability to craft your job, as in, make shifts and changes to how you deploy your work. It doesn't mean you're you're saying I'm not going to do my basic job responsibilities, but there's just tremendous flexibility in how we conduct ourselves. So what your friend did was exactly right. There are, there are things I'm not going to do anymore. I'm not going to do that. You can do that. We're going to get it done, but it's not going to be necessarily on my plate. The kinds of things people are doing are they start to change the number of meetings or the nature of the meetings that they're having. If you're a one to one person, more one to one and less group, if you don't have enough time on your calendar to strategize you really enjoy, sort of getting into the data, then you need to like craft time around having that space and time, because you're going to actually bring a better strategic mind, because you're not sitting in meetings all day. There's lots of different ways you can job craft, but it starts with you. It starts with you knowing where am I energized? What do I enjoy? Where am I drained? What's neutral? And then you just move the needle. And you might be at you might say, Hey, I think I'm at 20% already, which is great, if you are. I want to be 30%. I want 30% of my week to be in that strengths or energy zone. And here's what I'm going to do, to do it. And I promise you, at 10% it might seem like a little number, it's like, oh, just 30% Guess what? You will notice it. You will notice it. You will start to be more fulfilled. You're going to be more engaged in the job. People are going to notice your energy. And then you're going to actually start to sort of deal with that career growth that a lot of people are seeking. They want to, they want to, like, when you said perfectionist, like, a lot of people, want to deliver high performing work. They're, they're, they're trying to bring their best to work. The problem is, is that they're bringing their best selves to work, in terms of, like, quality of work, but they're actually kind of, like, not really deeply engaged. We need to see your superpowers come out, and that's where the 20 to 30% becomes a complete sea change.


Lesley Logan 28:25  

Yeah, so. And also, like, I recently interviewed someone who is, like, helping people, like, prevent, you know, like, it's like, layoff proof or something like that. Like, if you get laid off, your life is gonna be okay. Because she had said, and I didn't, I did not double check this quote, but I it feels right. She said it by 2032 work will be different than we think, because of AI, right? And I like, I'm not someone who's like, AI is going to like be everything, because I really don't, really don't think so. I think there's a lot that they have to learn. They haven't even figured how to monetize it. I but I also think that, like, it's already here, like apps and tools like that already use it. We've been using a project management tool that basically has AI built into it with these different things. So I do think work is going to change, and where I keep coming back to something that I remember, I think, with Seth Godin, who said it, god, 20 years ago, I heard this. He's like, you know, you cannot like they even though AI is creating stuff, they're creating stuff off things that are existing you, if you are a creative person, if you like the if you are in your superpower, that is not something a robot can take away. Like that is not something AI can take away. And I think like now more than ever, the more we all figure out what our superpower is, the more layoff proof we really are. And because someone's gonna need to run the AI.


Danielle Droitsch 29:39  

Somebody has to run the AI. But I had a client just a few, few days ago. She was, been in fear of a layoff. And, I mean, it was a real, real fear. I mean, she was given time, like we have this much time. And then she came back to me proudly and said, I just made myself indispensable. So she figured out a way to bring her superpowers forward, so that she had to be the person on the team to help with something. And she's got all these superpowers, and she figured it out. So part of like, what we're talking about here is this idea of career growth, this idea of like, not being stagnant. I come at it from a perspective of, nobody wants to go to a job and hate it like we want to love our jobs. We do not want to go to work and just be like zombies. Do we? For most people, I'll bet most of your listeners, if not all of them, it is not just about a paycheck. And so we really, really want to have, I mean, ideally, love our work, and that's where I come from. But if you're also thinking, I want to love my work and I want to grow. I want to think about where my career is going. Then, yeah, by all means, figure out your superpowers and very quickly, because it is not about skills and strengths. When you're mid to senior in your career, everybody else has those skills and strengths too. And of course, AI is coming to pick them up. It's going to be found in this secret way, this unusual way, for you to manage people, to be a strategic thinker, to influence others. I mean, these are all what strengths are. They're soft, but they're crucial, and you probably don't even know you're doing them, which is why you have to figure them out. 


Lesley Logan 31:19  

Can you tell me, like, what are just like, like, what are some superpowers you've seen in clients? Like, just because, like, name them off, because I think some people are like, thinking of superpower has to be like, I can see, like, I only know that people can, like, articulate what they think a superpower is (inaudible). 


Danielle Droitsch 31:34  

It's a bit of a process. So I'll just pull out some of my big favorites. And these are ones I see in my regular clients, achievers. So achievers are people who they're basically laser focused on getting projects done. It is not just about the project. It's that they are tireless workers to reach a result and that, and they might have examples of that, like degrees they might have achieved or projects. But the achievers are the ones who are the ones who actually get the job done. And then you have the examples of that. Another example would be in the influencing category. We have a whole set of influencing. It's people who are great at activating new project, mobilizing resources, and mobilizing people to actually ramp something new up. Another example would be the developer, which is basically someone who is great at helping someone else reach their full potential. These are the managers. These are the leaders who are great at cultivating teams. Another example. 


Lesley Logan 32:34  

These are the managers. We hope that every manager has a developing.


Danielle Droitsch 32:38  

So many terrible managers out there, it's unbelievable, anyway. And so, yeah, if you're a great manager, my goodness, you are marketable. Like, that's a transferable skill, because we don't have enough great managers or the ability to bring a team together around a common goal. Yeah, it's great to be able to project manage, but it's the person who's really able to sort of bring a team together and say, we are all rowing the same way. And that's a lot of lot of special little powers you bring to get everybody, usually it's a disparate and very diverse group of people to say together we're doing. And then a final example, and there's, in my world, if there's 34 of them, so I'm not going to, you know, go through all of them, but the final couple would be one is the person in the room who's the strategic thinker who's really able to figure out that pathway. They're thinking, hey, you know what? We have this challenge or this problem, they're the one who just incisively, can cut through all the noise and figure out what the pathway is, and they might be getting there first before everyone else, and they don't understand why no one else figures it out. And then the final one I'll share is the person who is the ideator, the person in the room who is just great at generating ideas, cultivating new things, innovation. Sometimes that's the ad people and the sales people, but sometimes that's just, you know, it's, you're just a person in the room saying, I have an idea. Those are just at a smattering, and there was no skills or strengths. I mean, no skills or knowledge, and anything I just shared with you.


Lesley Logan 34:05  

I agree. I I'm the ideator around here, and the and Brad walks around going, no, that, we'll take we'll take this idea and that idea, we can do it. It's just, it's gonna cost us a lot of money. And, and I'm like, oh, like, I didn't want to spend that much money on that idea. Like, I just thought it'd be, like, this easy thing to do, okay, but, like, it's quite fun. And I had no idea, because I was someone like, why can't I finish anything? You know? Why do I have all these my head is full of ideas, and I just feel like I can't finish anything. And actually, it's because that's not my strength. It's not my superpower, to finish anything.


Danielle Droitsch 34:38  

Yeah, you're like, you're the person in the room who generates and I'm sure that in your life and your business, you could point to specific things you're doing that were generated by you, the thing, and this is a little bit of advanced thinking in the in the strength zone, but you may feel like you're weak at something, but actually, it's actually a superpower that's being overextended. So for my ideators, I'll say, they'll they'll come to me and say, I'm so weak at this, this mess. And what it is is that if you're ideating and you have a lot of ideas and you're just constantly throwing them out, the over extension or overuse of a strength is just to know that only a couple of your ideas are going to move forward, and that's it. So sometimes people come to me and they're like, oh, I'm so weak at this. And then we'll look at their strengths and talk, and I'm like, you know what? I don't think it's a weakness. I think it's just that you are trying to exercise a strength a little bit more. And what we want to do is we want to put the strength superpower in the strength zone. Sometimes we may be overextending something. So don't think you're weak just because, you know, I just see it too often, especially with my women clients, like they come in, they're like, I'm so bad. Like, I'll use myself as an example. That I used to think as my relationship strengths, as my weakness, that I was too soft, too emotional. And in fact, what it was was that I didn't have any space or time in my workplace, which is very, you know, kind of masculine and, you know, very corporate, that there was no space for me to be cultivating my emotional intelligence in there. It was just get things done. But in a coaching space, all of my emotional intelligence was really welcome. So you just want to be really aware that it may not be a weakness, it may be a strength. It's just you have to figure out the right place for it. 


Lesley Logan 36:24  

That makes so much sense, Danielle, because, like, it's the same as me telling people, like, well, you're not really supposed to overwork out, like you might actually be working out too much, and that's why you have aches, pains, injuries, high cortisol levels, terrible sleep. Like there is a balance. So that, to me, makes so much sense. This is really refreshing and quite cool and also approachable. And I just want to like highlight, like it really is a be it till you see it, because you get to start an observation mode, and then you get to play in a low percentage you guys have, and that's so, so great for the perfectionist who are practicing recovery to be like, just like, what's this percentage? And how can I dial it up a little bit more and a little bit more at a time until, oh my gosh, you are totally loving what your your day is like. And we I just, thank you, Danielle, for just highlighting all of this for us. We're gonna take a brief break and we're gonna find out where people can find you, follow you and find out their superpowers with you. 


Lesley Logan 37:02  

All right, Danielle, where do you hang out? Where can they learn their superpower? What do you have for us?


Danielle Droitsch 37:28  

I you find me on LinkedIn, connect with me. Please reach out. Connect with me on LinkedIn, I have a gazillion resources there on everything from leadership to confidence to superpowers. That's the best place to find me. Where I hang out. I also am on a couple of other places, and you can find me on my website at time4wellbeing, the number four, time4wellbeing.com.


Lesley Logan 37:48  

Perfect, wonderful. You all, go check her out on LinkedIn, and then go check her website for those free resources. We love that. You have given us some great stuff already, but bold, executable, intrinsic, targeted steps people can take to be it till they see it. What do you have for us? 


Danielle Droitsch 38:02  

Yeah, so just follow your energy. That's where your superpowers live. The clarity doesn't come from thinking harder harder. Confidence doesn't come from faking it. I know you. This is something you've said a lot. They come from activating what's true about you.


Lesley Logan 38:02  

That's beautiful. I couldn't agree more. I really, it's really someone at the end of another podcast, go, you're so confident. And I'm like, and like, how did you get to be so confident? I'm like, I think I just just keep trying to do what I said I was going to do each and every day it doesn't come, you don't you don't get deemed it, y'all.


Danielle Droitsch 38:43  

No, no. And I mean, honestly, I have led many people to this confidence journey, and we are waiting for this mindset to ship to show up. And we know, again, I'm a research-based gal. Confidence is not built through the mindset. It is built through action and failure and success and getting right back up. And I would say, I've been gone through that gamut, like many of your listeners have. It sounds like you have, too, but it's not through waiting for it. It is really about action.


Lesley Logan 39:18  

Yes, yes, yes, yes, all things, yes, Danielle, we are so grateful to have you like you just have been so wonderful. And I'm so excited that you figured out what your superpower is so you could be doing this with other people like, thank goodness. I mean, I'm sure you were a great environmental law lawyer, and the environment needed you. But I think all of us, ladies here, and the few good men who listen, need you too. So thank you all. You guys, how are you going to use these tips in your life? Make sure you tell Danielle on LinkedIn. You tag the beitpod, share this with a friend who needs to hear it. Maybe you got a friend who's just not really sure what their superpower is and until next time, Be It Till You See It. 


Lesley Logan 39:51  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.


Brad Crowell 40:33  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.


Lesley Logan 40:38  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.


Brad Crowell 40:43  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.


Lesley Logan 40:49  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.


Brad Crowell 40:53  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.



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