In this honest and energizing solo episode, Lori invites you to explore the quiet (and not-so-quiet) nudges that tug at your heart—the ones you’ve been ignoring, postponing, or rationalizing away. She opens up about the fears she had to face in order to reinvent her life: leaving her corporate VP role, claiming the title “Joy CEO,” and launching this very podcast.

This episode is a practical and heartfelt guide for anyone standing on the edge of a decision—big or small—and feeling the tension between fear and purpose.
If you’re craving clarity, courage, or momentum as you close out the year, this conversation will give you exactly the push you’ve been waiting for.

🔑 Key Takeaways

Your Inner Nudge Is Your Inner Knowing

Those persistent thoughts you keep circling back to? They’re not random. They’re invitations to grow, evolve, or take aligned action.
Audience follow-up → What nudge has been following you around this year?

Three Core Fears Hold High Achievers Back

Lori breaks down the most common fears she sees in leaders and clients:

• Fear of failure
  

• Fear of judgment

• Fear of disappointing others
  Recognizing them is the first step to disarming them.
  Audience follow-up → Which fear shows up most often for you?
  
  

Doing It Afraid Is Still Doing It

Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s movement despite it. Lori shares deeply personal examples of the moments she took the leap before she felt ready.
Audience follow-up → What’s one decision you’ve been waiting to feel “ready” for?

December Is Your Untapped Strategic Advantage

While the world slows down, you can use December for reflection, recalibration, and intention-setting. It’s a powerful month to step back, listen inward, and prepare to leap.
Audience follow-up → How will you use these quieter weeks to align with what’s next?

A Four-Step Framework for Taking Action

Lori introduces a simple, repeatable process to help you respond to your nudge—even if fear is sitting beside you.
Audience follow-up → Consider one nudge you have right now. What’s the next tiny step?

🔎 Mentioned in the Episode

• The Connect – Lori’s group coaching program for women leaders seeking clarity, confidence, and connection.
  

• Lori’s own transition story—from Corporate VP to Executive Coach & Joy CEO.

• The moment she claimed “Joy CEO” as her identity and let it guide her work.

• Her behind-the-scenes thoughts about launching this podcast.
  
  

✨ Reflection Prompts

• What nudge has been whispering to you lately?
  

• Where have fear and “what ifs” been holding you back?

• What small step could you take this week toward your inner knowing?

• How do you want to enter the new year—reactive or intentional?
  
  

🧠 Who This Episode Is For

• High achievers who overthink their next move
  

• Leaders craving clarity and more aligned action

• Women navigating career transitions

• Anyone who’s been “waiting to feel ready”

• Listeners who want to lead with more joy, courage, and authenticity

📩 Want to Go Deeper?

Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation

• Book a Leadership Strategy Call with Lori: loripine.com

🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast

⭐️ Leave a review to help other heart-centered leaders find the show

📲 Share this episode with someone who’s navigating pressure and wants to do it with more grace

Transcription

Hello and welcome to the Joy CEO podcast. I'm your host, Lori Pine. I am so glad to be here with you. Listen, if you haven't heard anything about my new group coaching program [00:01:00] called the Connect, then you are for sure going to wanna check out either my Instagram page or my LinkedIn page.

Check the link in the bio and. I promise the connect is something for you to take a look at. I am putting together a group of amazing women who want to come together and support each other. It's all about when the tide rises, all the ships rise, and I've priced it so ridiculously low that you are gonna wanna say, hell yes, Lori.

I'm in. Okay, let's get started with today's episode. Today we are talking about doing it afraid when the nudge inside of you, that little intuition, that whisper just will not leave you alone. Are you ready? Let's get to it. So likely there's something you've been [00:02:00] thinking about, something that is just.

Inside of you nagging. Maybe it's a business idea, maybe it's a career pivot, a conversation you need to have with somebody. A dream that you've quietly been caring for months, maybe even years. And every time you think about it, fear also shows up. What if I fail? What if people think I'm crazy? What if I'm not ready?

So you push it down and you tell yourself maybe next year, maybe when I have more times, maybe when the kids are grown, maybe when I retire, I'll do that thing. Maybe when I have more clarity, maybe when I have more confidence. And what happens is. That thing, it keeps coming back. And no matter what [00:03:00] you do there it is the nudge that wondering, that quiet voice that just won't leave you alone.

And today I want to talk about what that actually means and why December might be the exact right time to finally listen. So I once heard Glennon Doyle say something that really stuck with me. She said, people who are not writers don't constantly wonder if they're writers. People who are not writers don't constantly wonder if they're writers.

And I was like, yeah, it wouldn't even occur to them that they might be. A writer because they don't even want to be a writer. Like it would never occur to me that I am a neurophysicist because I'm not made to be a [00:04:00] neurophysicist. She went on to say, if you are a human who wonders often, if you, you're a writer, then to me, that means you are for sure a writer.

How about that? I thought, well, heck, that applies to everything that if you think you're the thing, then you must be the thing. So if you keep wondering if you should start a business, well, you should probably start a business if you keep thinking about having that really difficult, hard conversation. You probably should have that really difficult, hard conversation if you keep coming back to that dream, that pivot, that leap.

Well, it's on your heart for a reason. The wondering is the answer, yet fear has a way of drowning out the nudge. [00:05:00] So today I really want to name the fears that keep high achievers. You and me stuck and I wanna share what happened when I finally listened to my own nudges. And I wanna tell you why December is actually the perfect time to do the thing that scares you.

So let's talk about the three fears that keep high achievers stuck. I. Coach, amazing, brilliant women. They're accomplished. They have achieved so much in this lifetime, but they are paralyzed by specific kinds of fear. So let's talk about them. Fear number one, the fear of looking stupid. When you are highly intelligent, highly competent, the expert in most rooms that you walk into, the one who has it all figured out.

[00:06:00] You really hesitate when you might have to be a beginner again, it can be terrifying. It can be downright paralyzing. What if I'm not good at this? What if people are going to see me struggle? High achievers hate to be bad at things. I mean, let's be honest, you've spent your whole life building this expertise, getting to this level, and you've built your entire identity around being capable.

So what do we do? Well, we wait and we prepare, and we go and get another degree or a certification, and then we tell ourselves, well, we'll do it when we are ready, or we get that extra degree or that extra master's degree. But ready never actually comes. Fear number two, the fear of wasting resources. So you have worked so hard.

You cannot throw it all away. You absolutely cannot. [00:07:00] You've invested time, you've invested money, you have this re reputation that you've built, and you have credibility. So what if this thing doesn't work? What if you regret it? What if you look back and think, oh my gosh, I made a really big mistake. So you stay and you stay really safe and you optimize what you have instead of building what you really want.

Fear number three, the fear of being seen, like really seen. This one's sneaking because it masquerades as humility. Who am I to do this? What will people think? What if they judge me? What if they're right? The higher you climb, the more visible you become. And visibility feels dangerous when you're doing something new, [00:08:00] especially if you might fall down, scrape your knee, have to get up and dust yourself off again, especially with something unproven and something that potentially could deeply matter to you.

So you keep it really small and you keep it quiet and you keep it safe. So small, quiet, and safe, but yet still unrealized. And here's what all of these three fears have in common. They're all trying to protect you from something that won't actually kill you. None of this is going to kill you. And so while this is trying to protect you, they're also keeping you from the very thing that won't leave you alone.

This nagging, this pulling this tucking at your shirt all the time, wondering about the thing that you want to [00:09:00] do. So let me tell you about a few different times in my life when I've had this nudge and what happened, even though I might have been terrified. So one, leaving my VP roles. I had spent 25 years climbing the corporate ladder.

I was finally a VP at a Fortune 500 company. I was running a billion dollar business. I loved my team. I had one of the best teams in the company. We called ourselves the A team. For so many reasons, but really because we were close, we worked well together, we were accomplishing things that just seemed impossible and you know, for a period of time there at the end, I had this very persistent nudge that I was no longer in the right place.

That this [00:10:00] just wasn't right for me. I was on airplanes every week. I was missing out on my family. My boys were growing so fast and the fear was really massive. What if I throw everything away that I built? What if I can't make it work outside of corporate? What if people think I'm crazy for walking away from this?

And you know. I had some personal things going on in my family that really became the catalyst for why I left and the impetus. And so when I asked for a sign and I got that sign, I was very clear that that was my time and that the door was closing and the window was opening. But you know, the nudge to build something different still wouldn't leave me alone.

And so I did walk away. Yes, I was terrified. I [00:11:00] wasn't sure what would happen, but on the other side of that, I was tremendously relieved. I was able to create a plan to hire a coach of my own. And with that came tremendous clarity. And with that came a whole lot of joy. And so then let me tell you about story number two, calling myself the joy, CEO.

This was a really big deal. I started my coaching business. I had all sorts of other names picked out, but the more and more I worked around who I wanted to be as a coach, the things I wanted to coach on, kind of my specific niche, the more and more joy kept coming to me and. It was as though it was my calling, and I kept thinking about this statement that Glennon Doyle had made.

People who are not writers don't constantly wonder if they're writers. Well, [00:12:00] somebody who's not meant to be the joy, CEO doesn't constantly wonder if she's meant to call herself the joy. CEO, like it was just meant for me. But here's what I thought. Oh my gosh, who is ever going to take me seriously? Who is ever going to think that that is a real job title?

Who is ever going to think, what is she possibly doing? She was a vice president running a billion dollar business and now she's talking about joy. And I didn't think anybody would take me seriously, but I couldn't shake it every time I tried to go in a different option or have a different name or play it safe.

It felt off. I couldn't do it, so I did it. Afraid I claimed the name. That felt so true to me, even though it felt so risky and now. It's the one thing people remember. It's the one [00:13:00] thing people will call me for and say, can you please talk to me about being the joy CEO? And it attracts the right clients.

Anybody who's grouchy, miserable, or wanting to stay stuck in their own, you know, disposition of. Unwillingness is not calling me to be their coach. So it fits me and it suits me and it's so deliberately my brand. And then the third story is starting this podcast. I'm going to be honest, I'm launching this podcast scared me.

I have been in rooms with executives for decades. I have been. At the highest levels. I've been in boardrooms meetings on private planes with executives, but being vulnerable on a platform where anyone can listen, where my voice goes out to the world and I have no idea who hears it and [00:14:00] als like that was terrifying.

And also this idea that. Everybody has a podcast now. So why would anybody listen to my podcast? What do I have to say? That would even be so interesting that somebody would tune in. And so these thoughts kept running through my head, but the nudge was still there. I would have daydreams about podcasting.

I would have daydreams about interviewing people. And so again, back to Glen and Doyle, I kept thinking like. Well, if you have something to say, say it. And I suppose that the people who don't think about podcasting like aren't meant to be podcasters, but I think about it, so therefore I must be a podcaster.

And so I did it and within 22 weeks we hit the top 5% globally and. Not because I was fearless, I promise you, [00:15:00] but because I did it afraid and I did it anyway. And I just share all of that with you because here we are, rounding the 11th hour, the 11th month, winding down 2025, and why would December possibly be the right time to, to do something that is really on your heart?

You might just be like, Lori, shouldn't I just wait until January? I'll just get through the holidays. I'll just be fresh and ready. Come January one. Here's what I've learned. January is loud. Everybody is launching. Everybody's doing New year, new you. Everybody's trying to make a move. They're going to the gym and they haven't been there since last January and they're making resolutions that we know they're probably not gonna be keeping by January 15th.

All sorts of things are like in your inbox about January [00:16:00] and new, but December, December is quiet. Nobody's making a splash. And in that quiet, you can actually hear yourself. You can hear the nudge without all the noise reverberating. Now granted, you're gonna have some holiday noise, you're gonna have some family, but things typically slow down in December.

Where work might get a little bit lighter, people might be on vacations, Q4 might be closing. And so you can start to sit with the wondering the wonder. I wonder if, I wonder what could be and not have all the pressure of everyone's timelines. December is the space between what was and what is coming, and that makes it the perfect time.

So [00:17:00] as 2025 starts to close and 2026 is beginning, you get a little bit of a pause and a reflection in there, and this permission to kind of marvel at what's ending and the wonder of what's next. I love that for you because that wondering is where courage lives and you might need a little bit of courage, not in like the big, bold, public declaration way, but in this quiet decision of your own.

To finally listening to this thing that just won't leave you alone. And this idea that goes back to Glennon Doyle that says, you know, people who are not writers don't constantly wonder if they're writers. So you know, if you're a human who wonders often, if you're a writer, then to me that means you are for [00:18:00] sure a writer and.

Here's how to actually do it. Afraid. You know, you have the nudge, you've also got the fear. So now what? This is the framework that I use and I teach my clients, and we're gonna talk through these four steps. So one, you have to name the fear, you have to absolutely name it. Don't let it stay vague and massive because if it's vague and massive, it just becomes so big.

It's like a fire breathing dragon big, so name it. I'm afraid people will think I'm crazy. I'm afraid I'll fail and everybody will laugh at me. I'm afraid I'll waste a year of my life on something that doesn't work. When you name it, you take away some of its power. Okay, step two, separate fear from danger.

Most of what scares us won't actually kill us, you know? And fear [00:19:00] was intrinsically meant to save us from what would actually kill us on a human-centric level, like the lions that were going to eat us. So what you want to ask yourself is what's the worst that could actually happen? And then could I survive that?

Nine times out of 10, the answer is going to be absolutely yes. You could survive that. Then step three, make the smallest possible move. What are the micro moves that you could start to make? You don't have to make this big leap. It doesn't have to be a big splash. It could just be one simple step and what's the 1% version of this scary thing?

So say you wanna write a book, well. Could you just start to write the outline or write a page, or write a paragraph and see how it feels? Say you wanna launch a business, could you just have one [00:20:00] conversation with somebody who's maybe doing a business that you are interested in, or somebody who you know has a successful business?

Say you want to pivot careers, could you just update your LinkedIn headline? Or could you have a conversation with somebody who's pivoted in a way that you are considering pivoting? And then step four, can you build support around it? I don't know about you, but I can't do anything alone. I need support. I need community.

So find one person, just one who gets it, who believes in you, who will remind you why this matters. Especially and underscore, especially when the fear gets loud, because it will get loud. The fear is gonna wanna come back and take you out. So you're going to need this person to remind you why you're doing it, [00:21:00] and you're going to need that person in your corner.

Momentum will build the courage and not the other way around. Courage is not going to build momentum. Momentum will build the courage. Baby steps will help with that. Okay, so here's your assignment. Should you choose to accept it, one name, the nudge that just won't leave you alone. What keeps coming back?

What do you keep wondering about? Two, write down the fear that keeps you from it. Get specific. What are you actually afraid of? And then three, ask yourself, what's the smallest move I could make this week? This week? Smallest move you could make. Here's the truth, if you keep coming back to it, it is meant for you.

Isn't that such great news? It is meant for you. The wondering really is the answer. So if you are looking for something [00:22:00] concrete, it's the wondering. In December, December is your invitation to finally listen. I think this, this is exciting because sometimes with the unknown. It brings about this possibility of hope and change where we can stretch and grow.

I cannot tell you how much I have stretched and grown in the last three years since launching the choice, CEO, the amazing experiences I've had, the impact that I get to make every day, every week, and how transformative that has been. So let me tell you about the connect. I am doing something right now that scares me.

I have launched a small coaching circle, which is. So intentional on my part. It's really been on my heart to have this space, this community of brilliant, amazing women [00:23:00] where we can show up, we can be whatever version of ourselves we are the unpolished version, the unapologetic version, the real deal version, and we can show up in a group of women who are doing the exact same things we are.

Growing, learning, pivoting, changing, leading, and we can support one another because when the tide rises, all the ships rise. And that's the type of community I want to be in. I want to be in a community where we all build each other up and we help each other build whatever is next, whether it's the next promotion, the next pivot, the next.

Wonder, whatever it is, we're gonna be there for each other. So the connect is live. In fact, I've had such an incredible response to it. I've already filled one group. I'm in the middle of filling [00:24:00] group number two, which just pinch me that I'm gonna get to work with. Unbelievable women who have already signed up.

I have priced this so ridiculously bonkers, low because I want to make an impact. So if you have an interest, now is your time before the second cohort is sold out. I invite you to go into the show notes, find the link, and click on the connect if you feel called to be a part of this. If you wait too long, you'll have to get on the wait list for the next session in the spring of 2026.

It has been a pleasure being here with you today. I would love to hear from you. I would love to hear what's on your heart. I would love to hear what your fear might be or what baby steps you are taking to move in the direction of your wonder. I'm Lori Pine, the joy, CEO, and I'm so glad to be doing it with you.

Everybody. Have a great day and I'll see you next week. [00:25:00] Thanks for listening to the Joy CEO. I hope today's conversation left you feeling seen, stretched, and a little more grounded in your own joy. If something resonated, be sure to hit subscribe. Leave a five star review and share this episode with someone walking a similar path.

And if you're ready to take this work deeper, connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram at Lori Pine, or head over to my website, lori pine.com, to learn more about coaching retreats and how we can work together. Because joy isn't just personal, it's powerful. And when you lead with joy, you don't just rise, you bring others with you.

Until next time, keep leading with heart and don't forget to claim your joy.