Podcast Summary: Shiny New Clients!

Episode Title: How to make decisions faster, and live in true alignment (with Caryn Gillen)

Host: Jenna Harding
Guest: Caryn Gillen
Date: January 19, 2026

Overview

This episode centers on the practical power of understanding and living by your core values—both to make faster, more aligned decisions and to create a business (and life) that attracts the right clients (and joy!). Jenna sits down with business coach and values expert Caryn Gillen to demystify “living in alignment,” exploring how conscious values shape every choice, from call schedules to social media, and why real alignment is a little bit rebellious. The conversation is lively and personal, offering actionable insights for entrepreneurs ready to get clear, magnetic, and unapologetic about how they show up.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Values Drive Everything

• Caryn asserts, "The reason that we do everything is values, whether we are conscious of them or unconscious of them." (01:51)
• Jenna gives practical examples: her husband’s obsession with hunting for value, and her own discovery that limiting client calls improved well-being—each choice rooted in values.
• Caryn uses the metaphor, "values are like the gasoline for our car—they drive everything." (02:49)

2. Aligning Your Business With Who You Really Are

• Both women share how creating boundaries (like only scheduling calls on certain days or starting work later) initially felt ‘selfish’ or ‘unprofessional,’ but actually enabled more aligned, effective client work.

• Caryn reframes alignment, saying, “To actually be aligned and to stay aligned is to live a very disruptive life. Because it's saying, 'this is who I am and this is how I'm going to show up.' And that means other people are going to have feelings and thoughts about it. But you still get to be who you are.” (04:00)

  Jenna: "So you're saying that in order to live in true alignment, you're gonna upset some people." (04:44)

  Caryn: "I've never met anyone or done values work with someone where we got to the heart of it, and they're like, you know what? I'm just here to make other people happy by sacrificing myself. It's never happened." (04:55)

3. How to Identify Your Values

• Feeling in your body: Caryn suggests tuning into expansion vs. constriction.

• Questions to ask yourself: Where do I feel most like myself, most energized?

• Separation from “shoulds”: Noting whether your values are toward something meaningful, or merely away from discomfort or someone else’s values.

  Caryn: "A lot of times it's when I am moving into my values, I feel expansive. When I'm moving out of my values, I feel constricted." (06:26)

4. Values in Personal & Professional Life

• Caryn argues solopreneurs’ business values are personal values—there’s rarely a divide (07:13).
• Example: Her own value of 'wholeheartedness' applies to committing to a project or relationship only if she’s all-in, or opting out otherwise.
• Jenna contrasts her ‘touchpoints’ style with friends who value long catch-ups—demonstrating that even love languages are about personal values (08:06).

5. The Challenges (and Power) of Alignment

• Authentic alignment can feel intimidating because of the power and self-trust it requires.

• Both hosts discuss battling imposter syndrome and social comparison in the early stages—Jenna hilariously notes, “I had played with this idea of being a little bit more aspirational or, like, wearing blazers and being more professional…” (10:39)

• Dropping this mask (showing up with ‘messy bun and house clothes’) actually led to rapid business growth and audience engagement.

  Caryn: “The more aligned we are, the more magnetic we are. And when we're more magnetic, it's what comes in and also what pushes itself away.” (11:29)

6. Values Shape Brand, Marketing, and Client Experience

• Jenna shares how her value of entertainment and experience shapes even the structure of her group coaching calls—curating energy and inspiration for better outcomes (12:03).
• Caryn helps parse the difference between values motivated by positive creation (toward) and those motivated by avoidance (away from), noting that knowing the source matters for true alignment (14:26).

7. Avoiding Performative (Corporate) Values

• Caryn cautions against hollow corporate ‘values’: “We're not talking about performative, pretty words…We're talking about who are you really? And how does knowing your values help you create more ease in an already hard life?” (16:32)
• True values act like an internal board of directors for every business decision, from offers to pricing to social media.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Caryn (on values as everyday fuel):
  “I have a value of spaciousness. So one of the things I like to do is, like, I don't like to have any calls until 10am…if I didn't know about my value of spaciousness, there's a line of judgment that could come in…” (02:49)

• Jenna (on early resistance to boundaries):
  "I felt so bad at first, like I'm taking away from my clients…to only have calls on a schedule that works for me." (03:25)

• Caryn (on living disruptively):
  "To actually be aligned and to stay aligned is to live a very disruptive life." (03:59)

• Caryn (on performative values): "We're not talking about performative, pretty words that look nice on the side of a police car. We're talking about who are you really?" (16:32)

• Jenna (on discovering her magnetic brand): “I changed all of that, started showing up like, this is my messy bun, these are my house clothes…And then it became my brand.” (11:15)

Important Timestamps

• 01:48 – Introduction to the guest, Caryn Gillen, and the central topic of values
• 02:49 – Caryn’s metaphor: values as gasoline for life choices
• 03:25 – Jenna sets boundaries in her business; initial guilt and later alignment
• 04:00-04:55 – Alignment means disruption; releasing people-pleasing
• 06:26 – Caryn on bodily cues for values (expansion vs. constriction)
• 08:06 – Jenna and Caryn discuss how personal relationship styles reflect core values
• 10:39 – Jenna’s pivot to authentic social media presence, results in engagement boom
• 12:03-13:09 – Jenna curates coaching calls based on value of entertainment and positivity
• 14:26 – Parsing ‘toward’ vs. ‘away from’ values for authenticity
• 16:32 – Avoiding performative values; values as decision-making support
• 18:12 – Caryn introduces her “Values Equation” assessment

Actionable Takeaways

• Identify your values: Notice where you feel most energized, alive, and like yourself—these are clues, not “shoulds.”
• Be willing to disrupt: True alignment may be uncomfortable for others (and even yourself), but it’s necessary for magnetism and ease.
• Integrate values everywhere: From calendar boundaries to your brand voice to client interactions, alignment breeds clarity and attraction.
• Avoid borrowed or hollow values: Your values should guide, not just decorate your website or office.
• Test and reflect: When in doubt, use your top values as a personal ‘board of directors’ to make faster, more confident business decisions.

Caryn Gillen’s Resource

• Values Equation assessment (with discount): “…how do I get my next three right fit clients? Because I know my values.” (18:12)
• Find Caryn on Instagram: @caryngillen

If you want values-driven business-building that attracts the right clients—and feels good—don’t miss this energizing, wisdom-packed episode!