Maria Mayes: [00:00:00] So I'm really excited to share with you Yvonne McCoy today. She's a woman's business strategist. Thank you for being here, Yvonne, and just share a little bit about your journey and then we'll get into the well being tip that you have for our listeners.
Yvonne McCoy: Well, I think like everybody else, you know, my business came crashing down in 2020, um, with COVID.
And so I needed to really take a look at what I'd done in the past to see how I could reinvent my business. And the one thing I think that became really apparent to me that had kind of, um, gotten me through a lot of things in my life was a concept called dead reckoning. Which is kind of like, um, it's actually a sailing term.
And so, because sailors can't go in a straight line. And I was one of those people who was like, I'm supposed to do this. I'm supposed to do this. I, you know, I'm going to get, and that never seemed to work out the way I wanted it to. And so, but if you [00:01:00] have your dead reckoning, that thing that's out in the future, that makes you look long term.
Then you can actually learn how to navigate all the constant changes that are in our life, whether it's business or professional. I first started really using it in my life when my first grandchild, who's now like 22, um, came along because I wanted to be a really active grandmother. Okay, 440 pounds. And so it helped me to lose almost 200 pounds because it was, it gave me a purpose and it made me really say, what are the things that I'm doing that are going to help me get to that?
You know, it gave me a focus. And that same kind of dead reckoning is the same thing that you want to do in your business as well.
Maria Mayes: Wow. Well, Yvonne, I'd like to just pause there for a moment and just honor, um, you know, the courage and the strength that it takes to not only share that piece of your story, but also to liberate others by sharing that.
I mean, that's a pretty [00:02:00] amazing feat to say, I want to be a more active grandmother. And in order to do that, I'm going to drastically change my lifestyle. Um, so I just want to honor you for that. Thanks for sharing that and impressed.
Yvonne McCoy: What I want to say to people is the beauty of that is. that you can stick to it.
It doesn't have to, it didn't happen quickly. It did. I wasn't one of those people who lost like a hundred pounds in, in, in one year or whatever. Um, you know, but as I, I would lose a chunk, get comfortable with that and go, I'm still not where I want to be. And then, you know, be motivated to keep moving. And the same thing can happen with your business.
Thank you for that
Maria Mayes: yeah. And tell us a little bit more about that. How that dead reckoning could be applied. Um, as that focal point to keep you driving towards that particular goal like you did by becoming a more active grandma.
Yvonne McCoy: Well, I think, you know, the first thing is one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs is [00:03:00] that we're always being challenged.
And so, you know, having a way, it's one of the things that has a way to get to be able to get you to get back up and keep going. Thank you. Because that really is part of the big success is that you don't give up. And so when, you know, for instance, I mean, one of mine is, is to help women entrepreneurs and heartfelt entrepreneurs have a business that's.
profitable to work with clients that they like, and that it's streamlined. Build a business they love. You know, it's kind of one of those sayings. It doesn't matter if you're going really fast if you don't know where you're going to end up. Do you know? So the idea is think with the end first. Where do I want to end up?
What kind of business do I want to have? You know?
Maria Mayes: And I think that's definitely Um, Yvonne apical to our listeners that aren't necessarily entrepreneurs, but that within their careers are looking to continue on a particular path, you know, where will you repeat that where you want to, um, it was sync with the end.[00:04:00]
Yvonne McCoy: You start with the end, start with the end. Okay. You know, so the, the idea is where do I want to end up? I mean, when you, when you get to be a hundred, you're not saying to somebody, you know, look at the great dust bunnies I got from under my bed. That's not, that's, you want to be able to say, look at the people I help.
What was my legacy? I mean, you know, and as I get older, You know, hints of that legacy keep coming back to me like, Oh my God, I would have never realized that something that I did 20 years ago is going to come to fruition now.
Maria Mayes: Yeah, that, that's beautiful. You know, I do do it with some of my one on one coaching clients.
We work through that impact, right? And the legacy frame of mind in terms of how we want to, how we want to be looked at. What, you know, what are they going to say at your eulogy? Um, and as much as we are kind of, uh, uh, fear culture around, uh, that transition or that death, it can be kind of scary for people to look down that path.
[00:05:00] Um, I think it can be easier when you look at it from this perspective of how does that change my actions today. So how do you lead people into that? What's an easy way for them to if it seems like I can't even think about that? That's too big a question. It's too much. You know, my legacy. That's just overwhelming.
How how do we make that easy to step into and say it doesn't have to be so So grandiose, it can just be really kind of simple.
Yvonne McCoy: Well, I think the first thing is knowing that it's a process that whatever your legacy is, it's going to continue to change. I mean, what I thought was going to be my legacy, you know, three years ago, I mean, and now I'm thinking about how can I license what I'm doing, which, you know, so it can keep living on past me was not at all in my So your legacy can change and there is no one right legacy.
I mean, even if, even if it's something, just the one thing. You know, and so one of the easiest to me ways is to think about somebody who [00:06:00] you say, I think they had a wonderful life. I mean, it kind of starts with your values, right? I want to be honest. I want to be giving. I want to be generous. You know, how does that translate?
I mean, you know, my father had a wonderful legacy. Um, and so I go, I use him as a role model all the time, you know, uh, he was one of these people who, um, as a black engineer. Who was when there weren't hardly any, um, said black children don't know about science and math early enough. And he went out and did this whole project to bring, you know, math and engineering to elementary schools.
Um, and when he died, all these people came out of the woodwork and told me stories that I never knew about my father.
Maria Mayes: Isn't that beautiful. I remember the same thing with my father at his. Funeral and after just the amount of lives one person can impact and I had no idea, right? I had no idea being his daughter knew he impacted me, right?
But [00:07:00] once you hear those stories, I mean, isn't that that's all we can ask for is to have that impact to make other people feel heard and seen, right? That's huge.
Yvonne McCoy: And I think the other thing is what I kind of stopped using the word legacy because I think people started thinking I'm going to have my name on a building or, you know, I'm going to have a road named after me or something like that.
And that kind of changed around. But you, if we have time, I have one other little short story. Yeah, please. Like, one of the things that I do, I mean, I used to say I teach children to swim, but I don't really I teach children to be safe in the water. I don't know why this is like a thing with me, but it is.
And. You know, I married a man from Florida who didn't know really how to swim, which really was amazing to me, but that had to do with, you know, systemic racism. And so whenever we went to Florida, I always taught all the nieces and nephews how to be safe in the water. Basically, I teach them how to hold their breath underwater and jump off the bottom and [00:08:00] locate the side of the pool so that they can be comfortable and they can get to safety.
So fast forward, you know, many years later, my grandson was... Um, going to be in a, in a public service announcement on safety for black children in a pool. Oh, wow. And it was like amazing to me because something that I have done for so long and tried to get out there. Of course, I taught him to swim, right?
Took him swimming when he was, you know, and, you know, now he's going to be in this PSA, right? And I said to him, and it has to do with business too, because, you know, I said, Was he the cutest? Was he the best swimmer? Was he the best kid to do it? Maybe not, but of the four kids that were picked, he was the only one who showed up.
And he had to jump off a diving board and he's petrified of heights. And I said to him, why did you do it? He said, for the money. So I use that all the time with my, as part of my [00:09:00] storytelling with my entrepreneurs. You just have to show up. You have to have a little bit of courage and show up. And know that it's never going to be perfect.
You're going to learn something from it. And you're going to be better because of it. And if a 10 year old can show up for the money, why can't you?
Maria Mayes: Right. Oh, that's a great, a great story and a great example of how that impact right that legacy of yours of teaching Children to swim early on teaching that safety, how to be safe in the water, then is carried through through.
Him being on a public service announcement was now,
Yvonne McCoy: you know, that that ad is going to impact thousands. I mean, I just, you know, it makes, it gives me the shivers every time I think about it.
Maria Mayes: Absolutely. So I really appreciate you sharing that with the listeners and I'm going to just circle back and just, uh, say to our listeners coming at this from a place of just self compassion and self grace and fun.
Don't get too serious on it. Know your legacy, your impact's going to change, but take the time. [00:10:00] To look at your life from that perspective.
Yvonne McCoy: I think that's beautiful and hopefully you don't wait until life knocks you down to do it because I really did it. I was like on the bottom. It was kind of like, well, I have to go in some direction.
So what direction is that you can? It's less painful if you make those self adjustments with your dead reckoning as you go through life.
Maria Mayes: There we have it. Yeah. Do the dead reckoning when you're in a good place. So that Yeah. When you are in a not so good place, maybe it can pull you through, right? Really, yes.
Wow, that's beautiful. So, Yvonne, I've got one more question for you. Before we get there, share a little bit about how people can get in touch with you.
Yvonne McCoy: Well, the easiest way is, can I do this, is book a call with yvonne. com. I also www. W productivity coach dot today. I have a, I also have a course. They are three that deals with dead [00:11:00] reckoning change in your limiting beliefs.
Beautiful. So I'll go ahead. Go ahead. Use for business or personal. Okay.
Maria Mayes: Yeah. I'll include those in the show notes. Um, So please, listeners, check that out, that's really generous of you, Yvonne, offering a free gift to the listeners, so thank you for that. And if they book a call, I'll give them a tool, so.
Okay, perfect, even better. So I appreciate your generosity and your vulnerability and sharing all your wisdom with the listeners. I have one more question for you, and that is, what is your favorite type of wine to mindfully sip?
Yvonne McCoy: I am a white wine drinker. I would love to know how to drink more red wine, but it doesn't seem to agree with me.
Okay. And how does it not agree with you? Does it give you a little stomach upset or do you get a headache? Stomach upset and headache. Okay. Okay. So yeah, there might be something going on with the [00:12:00] histamines in the body reacting to that within the wine. There's lots of reasons that that could be from.
What is your, if you had to pick one white wine, do you know the type of varietal that you enjoy? It has a little bit of a bubble to it. I like sparkling wines. Okay, beautiful. Lots of fun, sparkling wines out there. Well, yeah, so we'll, we'll, um, and with that, there's lots to talk about on those, uh, wine topics, and I'll be sure to include some tips on, uh, red wine and how, um, what to look for maybe to make it easier, um, on the system.
And just again, I really appreciate your time, Yvonne. Thank you so much for your time today. You're welcome. And my husband would love it if I could drink more red wine.
Oh, that's great.
