What do you do when life looks successful on the outside but deep down you feel stuck, unfulfilled, and disconnected from yourself?

In this episode of Productivity Smarts, Gerald J. Leonard sits down with Anne Smith, a seasoned corporate trainer and HR expert who transformed her life after the end of a 29-year marriage. Instead of staying stuck, Anne chose to rebuild, turning her journey into her powerful memoir Gray Divorce: My Life, Rewritten.

Gerald and Anne dive into what it really takes to create meaningful change, not just externally but internally. From developing self-awareness and breaking lifelong patterns to using journaling as a tool for clarity, Anne shares how she moved from simply surviving to intentionally designing a life aligned with her values.

They explore the hidden cost of "hustle culture," why many high achievers feel stuck despite success, and how small daily practices like early morning routines, reflection, and creative thinking can unlock a completely new direction in life.

Anne also shares practical tools like the "Five Whys" framework, identifying core values, and asking the right questions to uncover what is really holding you back.

If you have ever felt like you are going through the motions or questioning what is next, this episode will challenge you to pause, reflect, and start rewriting your story.

What We Discuss

[00:00] Introduction
[02:03] Meet Anne Smith
[04:12] The secret sauce: making space for your own feelings
[05:57] Why hustle culture fails us
[06:38] Making time to write: waking up at 4:30 AM
[08:32] The role of self-awareness in divorce and productivity
[08:57] Being the common denominator in two failed marriages
[11:47] Journaling for self-reflection
[14:46] Advice for feeling stuck in your 40s and 50s
[16:24] The Five Whys (Lean/Six Sigma) for personal growth
[17:34] Limiting beliefs and the shadow self (Peter Pan metaphor)
[21:35] 95% of life is non-conscious how to wake up
[24:04] How to discover your core values (the dinner party exercise)
[26:08] Protecting your peace as a core value
[27:00] The importance of being creative
[29:19] FedEx, banks, and thinking differently
[32:19] "This I Believe" exercise from Jeffrey Berlin
[36:04] Where to find Anne's book and website
[37:18] Podcast outro

Notable Quotes

[04:12] "I think the core of it for me, I had to learn to listen to what I needed. And in order for me to do that, I had to make space for my feelings." – Anne Smith
[06:53] "I was never going to magically find the time, they were not going to be extra hours manufactured and added to my day or my evening that I needed to make the time." – Anne Smith
[09:00] "I was the common denominator in both relationships. It's easy to point fingers, but you miss out on learning about yourself." – Anne Smith
[15:16] " Whatever environment you operate best in to listen to yourself. Make space to listen to yourself and don't numb yourself. Don't stay so busy." – Anne Smith
[16:35] "The Five Whys is a fabulous tool for professional and personal life. It's like peeling the onion to get to the root cause." – Anne Smith
[20:24] "The shadow self that you created as a child that helped you grow up is no longer serving you, and you've got to unscrew your shadow." – Anne Smith
[26:08] "Protecting my peace became a core value. I realized I had sacrificed it for 10 or 12 years." – Anne Smith
[27:38] "Creativity takes many forms…connecting different dots is creativity in itself." Anne Smith
[33:13] "We tend to focus on all the things that keep us up at 3:00 in the morning that we can't affect or change." – Anne Smith
[32:41] "Oftentimes our fears when we put them down, when we acknowledge them, they're really not that big." – Anne Smith

Resource and Links

Annee L. Smith

Website: https://Anneelsmith.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Anneesmithauthor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnneeLSmithAuthor
Book: Gray Divorce: My Life, Rewritten

Productivity Smarts Podcast

Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com

Gerald J. Leonard

Website - geraldjleonard.com
Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com
Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard

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Episode 144 - Gray Divorce: My Life, Rewritten