Energy Over Effort

Episode Transcript

Kelly Callahan-Poe: What if the reason you're exhausted isn't because you're not working hard enough, but because you're working against your own body's natural rhythms? That's our topic today on the Two Marketing Moms podcast. I'm Kelly Callahan-Poe, and today's episode is called Energy Over Effort with Joanna Zhang. Joanna is the founder of the Operations Genius and creator of the world's first fractional VA service. A global speaker and conscious leadership guide, she blends operational excellence with energy alignment to help founders lead with clarity, calm, and purpose. Welcome Joanna.

Joanna Zhang: Thank you, Kelly. Thanks for having me. I'd be grateful to share some insights with everyone with you today.

Kelly: Yeah, so your focus is on this idea of energy alignment, making sure that you are aligning your mindset to your body's natural energy and vibration. So for me, I suppose that would mean that I don't want to do any deep thinking before 9 a.m. Is that what you mean? Or can you clarify what you mean by your own body's natural alignment and energy?

Joanna: Okay, first of all I have to clarify one thing when I talk about energy is not on the brain. Because the brain is very logical. We're our mechanism as the ego part of the side to protect ourselves or guide ourselves with the logical. But the energy I'm talking about is from here. It's the most likely one would feel like intuition, inspiration, creativity basically just a feeling. So when I talk about the energy over the effort, we do things with a feeling over here for example we started to do something right and suddenly we feel really drained and happy over here feels so boring and it's so no energy. We all have those moments and those kinds of tasks. I believe everyone has it. That's what I mean. When we have that kind of feeling, what do we do? Maybe you can dive deeper later on about how, but I just want to explain and clarify what does this energy mean.

Kelly: Okay, well let's clarify then. So how do you take this idea of translating energy alignment and you bring it into business practices that are practical in terms of increasing your productivity and decision making?

Joanna: Yeah, I'll give you an example. So I used to work as a financial planner, which is very logical for you. I used to be a controlling freak and a planning maniac. My schedule was like, this time I'll do this, this time I'll do this, this time I'll do this. And my calendar looks very colorful and fulfilling and makes me feel really happy because I'm a worker, right? So, but the thing is that when I actually schedule a week, from a calendar point of view, it looks so full on the right. The one I literally do, it does not always fall into that category. Sometimes it might be some distractions, sometimes it's not feeling. To do this, I'll give you a little bit of a joke. I was a financial planner. I love interaction and collaboration with the clients. But whenever I write a final, I fall asleep. There's something just killing my soul. I know I planned really well, but I've made a lot of effort, tried so hard, but it's just the productivity is just not there. Since I had a soul awakening about four years ago, I started to tap into my heart more than my brain. Okay, so I started to respect my own feelings and understand what I need at that particular moment. I started to follow my heart flow to do things. Probably it's still the same task. Since I had a soul awakening about four years ago, I've started to tap into my heart more than my brain. Okay, so I started to respect my own feelings and understand what I mean by that particular moment. I started to follow my heart flow to do things. Probably just do the same task and I don't plan anymore. I used to find them but this time I have to check my emails. But this time I don't feel like checking my email. Then I don't check. Then I feel to myself, what did I feel like to do about it? It's still those tasks. And now I have an inspirational period of, I need to create something. Bang, bang, bang. It's very quick. What I found is when I go with my heart flow and I find a higher energy vibration. I'm still proficient. And I have a lot of moments, those moments, my body and my mind telling me to have a rest, even during the work days, I may have a power nap. So I started to go with my body and energy flow to work on my day. And surprisingly, I have a lot of extra time coming out.

Kelly: So how do you know when you're operating against your own natural energy flow?

Joanna: Hmm, very good question. First of all, you're not feeling that light. And then you struggle. And sometimes stuck. And the energy and the emotion of getting frustrated, bored and feeling like I had to do it. That kind of attitude. I'll do it anyway. That kind of feeling. So when you have those kinds of symptoms, it probably means that you're against the body or my energy flow because there are those tasks I hate to do, but I have to do right. We all have those moments. But I have at the moment in the day as well to do those things. It's not about a plan. It's about the flow. I hope you understand. Yeah. So I do, as I mentioned earlier, when I'm in a higher vibration, energy vibration, I can do things like this. Probably recognize our own emotional flow as well. Because one way in a very caring, loving, supporting, understanding, happy, joyful state, we can do things like this. Sometimes our emotions get triggered by something, probably this time for us to dive into the most lessons. Those are the dive cycles we call it in the energy field. Our body needs to rest. Just let it rest. Don't put too much pressure on ourselves. Yeah, so just rest. And then we find that after we rest for about 15 minutes, half an hour, we get up, we switch up, bing, bing, bing, we can do things again. That's what I mean, yeah. But that's one thing about our personal goal. Another thing is to really focus on our genius and that the concept behind our business is to operate on our genius side. Validate those parts you really know are good at focusing on your operational genius.

Kelly: Which is that thing that you do better than anybody else, correct?

Joanna: Okay, about that, that's a really good question because I personally experience exercise. Everybody can do that as well. Imagine there is a piece of paper. You can draw four circles, one outside each other, but there's four layers. On the external layer, we call it incompetence. You can think about anything about your work or life, anything, anything cooking, whatever, cleaning, whatever. Incompetence is something that you don't like to do and you're not good at it. For example, for me, I tell you straight away, I'm not excited. I don't like it and I'm not good at it. And then the second layer is competence. It's something like I can do it, I can do it well, but I don't love the theory. For example, when I did exercise eight years ago, I found my professional financial planning in that layer which means I can do it well, but I don't love it. There is something missing there. That's why it actually triggered me to think that that's not a profession I'm going to do for the rest of my life. That made me start to think. Then the third layer is excellence. Absolutely something that we love to do. I know we can do it really well. So that part is effortlessly we can do like this. And the last one, or the least, is the genius part. Genius is like our essence. It's uniquely different from this world no one else can replace. For us, it's just so effortless that it actually triggers me to think that that's not the profession I'm gonna do for the rest of my life. This made me start to think. So ideally, if we can delegate from the external layer, layer by layer, and idea and we create some genius, that's the ideal state. But that's a journey. We've got to start somewhere. From incompetence, competence, excellence, genius.

Kelly: So since you have mastered this concept, what percentage of your day are you focused on your operational genius versus your other tasks?

Joanna: Wow, I will say 85%.

Kelly: How long does it take you to get to 85%?

Joanna: You mean how many years? Yeah, I mean how long because you have to figure out what it is? What's a better way of getting these other things accomplished? They still have to get done, right? Yeah, and you either have to pay though to do them or figure out how to do them yourself more efficiently. See, when I started my business about eight years ago, I was a financial planner. I started to work with different VAs. I had my journey as well by working with them. I started to delegate in the competence part, my IT, marketing, I'm not good at it. I don't have to do it. Let them do it. But at that time, I was still a project manager. Project manager, probably I can say is my competence. I can do it, I can do it well, but I don't want to. So I'm actually delegating the project management trust down right now as well. And as an excellent part, would say probably as collaboration building the trust with clients, helping them to find solutions. I'm still doing part of it. Okay. So we can, I can collaborate with the team now to do it. That's I'm saying 85% of it, so 25% I'm still dragging in the area. But the essence, the genius part, is just as myself, as the present source creator for this world, being myself to deliver the gifts, as a helping team and members to grow. I'm doing that because I'm leading my team to grow day in, day out. So that's a journey though. That was the past eight years. You can think about the time I read them. Everyone has a different journey, but I think stuff somewhere is better than leaning there and feeling frustrated and stuff.

Kelly: So is it your theory that if and when you are actually operating the majority of your time under your operational genius that you're able to lead with more clarity with calm and purpose?

Joanna: 100% because it is one of the same for our energy, how we can lay into those moments with joy, peace, calmness, assertiveness. It's when we actually gradually layer out the other parts, which is draining our energy so we can actually stay in the high state. So that's the exercise or layer by layer going to our genius zone to keep the high state.

Kelly: That's a challenge for people who have children and partners and other parts of your life to work with, right?

Joanna: I know. I've got two kids as well. I think that a precision part of the exercise, I think every mom can do that too. With the partners, the certain areas, the kids. I found it a common symptom even when I, in the early years when my kids were young, even my mom was young. I had experience of I prioritize them first and I'm always the last.

Kelly: Of course. All women do.

Joanna: And after my spiritual awakening about 4 years ago, I realized my priority is draining my energy. Because what happened is that we all have a cup of water, right? And we give all the water to the others. At the end, it's empty. Of course, we're feeling frustrated and tired and drained. But now I actually reverse the priority. It doesn't mean I don't care about them. But the first person I should care about is myself. For example, if I do something with my kids, with my partner, I used to think, what do you want? What do you want? What do you want? What do you want? But now, I ask them what they want, but I also ask myself. Okay? So if the options align with my options, we can find a really, really simple solution for everybody. But I need to fulfill my own needs from now on because in that state I'll be happy otherwise everybody else is happy I'm trained and I can't really love them with that capacity. So that's what I've learned. My spiritual work actually helped me to really focus on myself first to love myself. But once again, I had a misconception about selfishness and self-love. That's totally two different ideas. Selfish is something good for me only, but it's harmful for others. But self-love is that something is good for me, for this person, for this world. It's like win, win, win. So it's totally different. I hope from now on, mom can, you like your podcast, I believe your audience is all moms, I hope from now on every mom can know like your podcast. I believe your audience, all moms, yeah hello moms, we can think about being our own cup first because since I did that I found out filling our own cup first. Because since I did that, I found out I had to imagine this vision in my eyes because before I was like a knight, now, fighting on the field. And at night, my heart is broken and I'm still in tears. I was like that. I look very strong and resilient, but I'm empty inside and draining. I'm so tired. But now after I've reversed my priority, I'm envisioning a lot of pictures that have unlimited possibilities. It's like I have a box with unlimited possibilities, all the energies and happenings popping out because I'm my own purpose. And I'm like very, very light flying around it and sharing this love and light. So that's totally two different kinds of state. With that, you know, fulfill the state, know, the energy we can share with others, otherwise we will be burned out for sure.

Kelly: So for those of us who are feeling overwhelmed, what are the steps that we can take to create more alignment and reduce stress in our careers?

Joanna: Logically, maybe you can try with the absent side. Really put out the things you're being competent with. Maybe start from there. Either delegate to others or find some suitable divine timing to do those things. Not pushing ourselves to do certain things, you know. And layer by layer, we will go to the hard flow to do that other thing, one logically the other side can be intuitively right to respect more about our own feelings and our own needs because we're so used to looking after others and I forgot the most important person. So, I found that we don't have enough understanding, support, patience, and acceptance for ourselves. We can't really truly give to other people. It's just on the surface layer, we're doing that for pleasing people or whatever, but it's not even the truth that we're doing that. So I think unless we do all those things for ourselves first, then we can truly give those things out.

Kelly: Are there any other thoughts that you have that might help people focus on energy over effort in their professional lives?

Joanna: I think it's about balance. Because as a human being, if you believe we are spiritual beings as well, we have both energy within ourselves, like masculine energy and feminine energies. A lot of times when we had a session the other day with our spiritual mentor, we find out that the majority of women, we actually have to be full of masculine energy. Especially when we are at work, or protecting our kids as a mom, you know we are there to support, right? But we forgot something very important within us is that feminine energy that allows us to simply accept and go with the flow. I'm still practicing here because for many years I default to Masculine. I'll give you an example. My son is 18 years old. The other day it was raining and he would park 50 meters away and he said, mom, let me run over there and grab the car over here so you don't get, you know, rain. Imagine what I said. How about I run with you? And I think we'll cut the car 50 meters away. And then he said, mom, let me run over there and drive the car over here so you don't get, you know, rain. Imagine what I said. How am I running you? I said that. I realized. Because I used to act that way. He's my boy. I got to protect him. I used to do that for him. But now he's grown up. He's trying to protect me. Why don't I accept? You know, that's the feminine energy. We got to learn to accept it. I used to look after others on the table, eat this, eat this. But if someone gave me... I was like, no, no, no. But why? But now I have started to accept my feminine energy. I started to be, thank you. Just accept. I feel really thankful for them. And also there's one thing I want to share with every woman. I actually divorced, right? One of the mistakes I had was that my spiritual mentor reminded me that because I used to be in a masculine energy, I used to be the provider. So while my ex-partner provided something to me, I wasn't happy because I wasn't in the feminine acceptance. So it's very hard for a man to make me happy. But for a man, their main goal is I make this woman happy. So that was one of my big mistakes in the previous relationship because I acted on the masculine energy, I didn't mean acceptance mode. So we apply that into our work as well. If we balance both energies, one we need to make decisions and one we need to take action to make certain things happen, we use that. But for some times if we don't feel right and our body needs rest, let's embrace our feminine and allow us to rest, allow us to go with the feeling that when we feel like to do something, we go with that flow. So if we can balance both actions correctly, well, in life, we're balanced. Life, the weight of our existence. So we can do things balanced in all respects. That's what I want to say.

Kelly: Well with that, I think I need a nap. Thanks for joining me today, Joanna. I appreciate it. You can find Joanna's contact information and listen and watch this episode on twomarketingmoms.com. Thanks for joining. Thank you.

Joanna: So we can do things balanced in all respects. That's a lot I want to say.