Chief Change Officer Podcast Episode #267: Rebecca Sutherns – Building a Life That Flexes—Not Breaks (Part One)
Release Date: April 1, 2025
Host: Vince Chen

Introduction to Rebecca Sutherns

In Episode #267 of the Chief Change Officer podcast, host Vince Chen welcomes Rebecca Sutherns, a seasoned strategy coach and facilitator with 27 years of experience as a solopreneur. Rebecca brings a wealth of knowledge from her diverse career path, which includes international development, raising a family, and continuously evolving her professional endeavors.

Rebecca's Journey: From International Development to Solopreneurship

Background and Early Career
Rebecca began her career in international development, spending the first five to six years traveling extensively, primarily to Africa. This period was both professionally fulfilling and personally challenging, especially when she decided to pause her career to start a family.

“I was at a job where there was nothing medically available to be able to take against malaria... that was also safe during pregnancy” ([06:44]).

Transition to Solopreneurship
Balancing family responsibilities led Rebecca to shift her focus from her dream job to building a flexible solopreneurial practice. She took on various projects that fit her new lifestyle, allowing her to continue working while managing family obligations.

“If it sounded interesting, if the people that called me sounded like folks that I would enjoy spending time with... I'll say yes” ([06:44]).

Major Turning Points in Rebecca's Career

Embracing Intentional Growth
Rebecca emphasizes the importance of intentionality in her business journey. Over the years, she has made strategic shifts to align her work with her evolving personal and professional life.

“Every three to four years there have been some very significant... shifts that I've made in the business to suit where my head was at, where my life was at that time” ([06:44]).

Joining Thought Leaders Business School
A pivotal moment came seven years ago when Rebecca discovered the Thought Leaders Business School in Australia. This encounter inspired her to scale her business significantly while maintaining a lean operational structure. Her involvement with the program not only increased her income but also expanded her network of mentors and colleagues.

“I think that can give me a pathway to what I want the next chapter of my business to look like” ([12:20]).

The Philosophy of Reimagining

Creating a Clear Vision
Rebecca underscores the necessity of having a vivid, detailed vision to successfully reimagine one's future. Without a clear picture, the likelihood of pursuing and achieving new goals diminishes significantly.

“If you have a really detailed picture... the likelihood of you being able to achieve that or move toward it is much, much higher” ([20:16]).

Overcoming Challenges to Reimagine
Before individuals and organizations can embark on the journey of reimagining their future, they often face significant obstacles such as mindset barriers, fear, financial pressures, and feelings of being stuck. Rebecca highlights these challenges and shares her approach to overcoming them.

“People can speak in generalities about what they want their future to be like, but they may not be able to describe it in detail” ([20:16]).

Tools and Methods for Transformation

Future-Oriented Strategies
Unlike traditional methods that focus on past experiences, Rebecca employs future-oriented tools to help clients envision and build their desired outcomes. She believes that relying solely on past data can anchor individuals and organizations, preventing them from moving forward.

“We are not using future-oriented tools, of saying, who could I become? What could I do in the future?” ([27:55]).

Normalizing the Transition Experience
Rebecca draws on the concept of "life quakes," introduced by Bruce Feiler, to describe the profound and often prolonged impact of major transitions. She works to normalize these experiences, helping clients understand that feeling unsettled is a natural part of the transition process.

“You will feel solid ground again. This is what that liminal threshold space feels like” ([23:07]).

Identifying and Naming Aspirations
Through coaching, Rebecca assists clients in identifying what they truly crave, often categorizing these aspirations to provide clarity. This process enables clients to articulate their goals more effectively and take actionable steps toward them.

“Helping people kind of name what they're craving is, I think, a really helpful offering” ([23:07]).

Reimagining for Individuals and Organizations

Personal Growth and Identity Shifts
Rebecca emphasizes the importance of personal identity in the reimagining process. Transitions can shake one's sense of self, and she helps clients navigate these shifts by providing language and frameworks to understand and embrace their evolving identities.

“Helping people grow into that rather than out of it” ([27:55]).

Organizational Transformation
For organizations, Rebecca applies the same principles, aiding them in discovering what needs to change and guiding them through the transformation process. Her approach ensures that both individuals and organizations can adapt and thrive in rapidly changing environments.

“This can be a collective experience organizationally and sectorally in communities, but it also can be an individual experience” ([23:07]).

Conclusion and Teaser for Part Two

In this first part of the conversation, Rebecca Sutherns shares her extensive experience and methodologies for helping individuals and organizations reimagine their futures. She highlights the importance of a clear vision, overcoming transitional challenges, and employing future-oriented strategies. Vince Chen wraps up the episode by hinting at the next installment, which will delve deeper into drawing the future before chasing it, finding momentum when motivation wanes, and exploring why midlife might be the optimal time to undertake significant reimagining.

“We have this pace of change speeding up... and transitions taking longer than we think” ([20:16]).

Join the Conversation
If you’re a growth progressive, a visionary underdog, or someone boldly rewriting the rules, this episode offers invaluable insights to help you outgrow yourself and unlock unimaginable outcomes. Don’t miss Part Two, where Rebecca delves deeper into actionable strategies for transformation.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisement segments and focuses solely on the core content of the episode to provide a comprehensive overview for those who haven’t listened.