“It’s all testing and all fighting through the limiting beliefs and the thought that your ideas aren’t good enough, and then realizing you can create anything that you want.” – Kristen Aldridge
“If you want to be a leader today, it’s not about whether or not you like people. If you want to be a leader today, you have to LOVE people, period.” – Seth Mattison
This episode of Finding Brave will undoubtedly inspire you to go out and find brave to do the amazing things you dream to do and be in the world, much like guests you’ll meet today.
Kristen Aldridge and Seth Mattison are the co-founders of Luminate, whose mission is to connect, support, empower and inspire leaders and entrepreneurs to create work experiences that fill people up, rather than run them dry. In addition to founding Luminate, Kristen is an Emmy-winning journalist who has created content for hugely recognizable brands like Entrepreneur, ABC, CBS, Yahoo! and ESPN, and Seth is an internationally renowned author and expert on the future of work and leadership.
Seth and Kristen share their real-life stories and experiences of the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly of what it is to refocus and combine their respective talents as a husband-and-wife team to launch a huge passion project that they’ve dreamed and designed to positively impact the world.
In the show, Kristen shares openly about the unexpected and sometimes raw and vulnerable aspects of the entrepreneurship journey, and Seth describes all that he’s learning about how leaders can (and must) illuminate their work and their organizations through the power of love.
Highlights from this Episode:
- Kathy’s Finding Brave Tip for living your best life possible [1:44]
- The mission and motivation behind Luminate [4:29]
- Why launching before ready is often a necessary (but painful) strategy [8:04]
- Seth’s background and how he’s now transitioning his experience to the digital world [10:00]
- Kristen and Seth’s mission statement and who they look to attract and support now [15:54]
- What Kristen’s Project Luminary is all about and how she decides who to spotlight [21:59]
- How to be a true leader today and the role that love plays in that journey [25:12]
- An example of how powerful kindness and empathy can be [28:19]
- The biggest challenges in entrepreneurship each of them faced and what they did to overcome them [31:34]
For more information:
Luminate:
Connect with Kristen and Seth:
https://www.facebook.com/justluminate/
https://www.facebook.com/kristenaldridge/
https://www.facebook.com/sethmattison
https://twitter.com/justluminate
https://twitter.com/kristenaldridge
https://twitter.com/sethmattison
https://www.linkedin.com/company/justluminate/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenaldridge/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethmattison/
https://www.instagram.com/justluminate
https://www.instagram.com/kristen.aldridge/
https://www.instagram.com/sethmattison/
Resources Mentioned:
Kristen’s Project Luminary
Seth’s Book, The War At Work: A Tale of Navigating the Unwritten Rules of the Hierarchy in a Half Changed World
Kathy’s Amazing Career Project 16-week online course & 6 Dominant Action Styles Quiz
When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work by Lynn C. Lancaster and David Stillman
QUOTES:
“There’s a vision of what we think and want Luminate to be about, but we are continuing to refine that message and what that purpose is, every single day.” [Seth, 5:13]
“Here we are putting out inspirational articles about how to live your best life, and your best career, and be empowered, and I’m going through the very same thing.” [Kristen, 7:25]
“We can support leaders inside large organizations, and entrepreneurs either for themselves or in small teams, to ultimately influence the experience we’re all having on Planet Earth by creating better work experiences.” [Seth, 18:26]
“I think I’m personally attracted to people that I can really resonate with their journey.” [Kristen, 23:54]
“At our deepest levels, we just don’t want to be separated from the tribe.” [Seth, 29:56]
“When you start something, unless you’re lucky enough to get funding right out of the gate, you’re grinding from wherever you can grind from.” [Kristen, 32:20]
“I can totally resonate with anyone trying to build something by themselves and doing it from home. It’s really not easy.” [Kristen, 33:56]
“You’ve got to just be able to own what it is that you are great at, and ask for help in the places you’re not.” [35:55]
Kathy, I appreciated learning about Kristen Aldridge and Seth Mattison and Luminate, and I had so many takeaways from the interview. As always, the way you masterfully guide the conversation and bring out the best in your guests is fantastic. Here’s one takeaway that’s a great reminder: we can learn how to be great communicators by truly listening – by not reacting and not trying to win – and when we do that, we get into the “magical middle ground” in any relationship (no matter what your zodialogical sign!) 😉 Love it! Thanks, Kathy!