Stories From Women Who Walk

Kultivate the Change You Desire and the Freedom You Crave in Your Life With Koach Ann Konkoly. Part 2

Episode Summary

Ann Konkoly kultivated the life change she desired when she envisioned how a certified nurse-midwife could transform into a respected speaker, writer and koach supporting women. Join us for Part 2 of her inspiring story of personal change.

Episode Notes

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk: true-life, practical, funny, heart-breaking, insightful human experience stories from women who are walking their lives while their lives walk them and the lasting difference these journeys have made. You’ll recognize yourself in stories of adversity, challenge, fear, discovery, adventure, expression, and more. Why? Because, the sorcery of stories is this: they help each of us to be seen and heard, to understand and be understood. I’m your host, Diane Wyzga.

Welcome back to my conversation with my guest Ann Konkoly, certified nurse-midwife turned respected coach and speaker for women looking to cultivate what they desire. When last we spoke I asked Ann how a decade of nurse-midwifery or, as she says, catching babies, informs her role as the woman who helps you get unstuck from your life. Let’s listen to the continuation of this wonderfully rewarding conversation that will have you agreeing, “Of course I can!”

Minutes 47:16

00 to 2:10 Intro

Coaching With a K

Minute 2:10 to 5:10 MBA and Coaching Certificate

Many of us head back to school when we don’t know what we want or are looking for and might be drawn to teach what we need to learn. How true was this for you?

Freedom and what it means
Freedom is a top personal value
Ah Ha! Moment: I can do something wonderful as an entrepreneur
Further informed by exercises: How Do I Show Up In the World, and Brene Brown which became backbones of her personal koaching practice
Wanted freedom from being told how to do X, be here, go there - exhaustion had set in
Freedom was the value: from the rules, the To Do List, I’m not winning, lack of control
What I can control: work, income, meditation, yoga, life, lifestyle, and so on
Ann asks her clients, "What does freedom look like to you?" Especially from family, jobs, professional growth, COVID, and so on.

Minute 5:10 to 10:30 Cross-overs Between Nurse-Midwifery and Koaching With a K

We are not in Kansas anymore. Women do not typically transform from wholeheartedness but rather from fatigue, exhaustion, uncertainty. What happened to move you from working *with* a coach to becoming a coach - with a K? What are the cross-overs between midwifery and Koaching with Konkoly?

Brene Brown podcast episode (Your Body Is Not Apology)
How we show up and the apologies we make to conform when we go up the ladder
Ann’s work designed around helping women transition through chaotic moments/decisions
We were never meant to go it alone and in isolation
We were built for community
Community at its finest: an absolutely phenomenal opportunity for connection, community, understanding, being heard
Midwife & Koaching: Ann supports women through what’s going on with them
Okay to reach out for help!
Even introverts crave connection
Offers customized tools and exercises, space and human Sounding board
Storytelling calls this: holding the space

10:30 to 16:25 Genius and Skill Sets - Coming to Terms With Controlled Chaos and Freedom,

Your testimonials are full of very well-deserved high-praise. What is the single-most skill you lean on as an effective coach?

As a midwife learned to assess, plan, taking objective data into usable information, decision tree - this is her genius
Loves Koaching because can listen differently than as midwife: Ann doesn’t have to know all the answers
When Ann shows up she doesn’t have to have “The Plan” but rather explore with her client
Confirmation Bias and yellow VWs: Ann is the space-giver, the tool sharer, the re-programmer, and belief shifter
There is Freedom in the opportunity to explore and see what’s around the corner of that belief system, is it helping or not
To sit, be present and align the themes is her work for her client

Kultivating Change

What change do you want to kultivate? Where did the idea come from? Who welcomes this service?

16:25 to 24:08 Tips to Make the Leap, Take a Risk For You

Ann is on Facebook and Instagram
Women will say to her: I don’t know what I want but “this” isn’t it
The vision is not in place but will be clear-er after working with Ann and her koaching

What thoughts do you have for someone who would like to take a risk, make a leap, but may feel unsure, uncertain?

When you know yourself and how you show up in the world it’s clear
Ann’s place on earth is to show up and support women and nurses
When purpose becomes clear it’s easier to construct a vision
Checklists are not realistic in real life
Instead of list-ing, better to create the quiet space to look inward
I need, I’m ready to change - trust yourself - your answers are most likely inside you
Tune out the noise enough to hear
What comes up for you when you look at, say, the treadmill? A place to exercise and feel good or hang your clothes
Shoulds are all well and good; but they don’t work
Explore: how do I want to feel? What happens when I get on the treadmill? Book that time for yourself
What other ways can peace come into your life: make soup, listen to a podcast, take a walk, etc.
“Truth whispers and everything else shouts.” Step outside and breathe - that will give you the space to hear the truth

Koaching For Women and the APRN Academy

24:08 to 28:15 Koaching For Women and the APRN Academy Is a Bridge

How come it was important to you to bridge both roles in your life?

APRN Academy: began as hosted classes early March 2020 as COVID ramping up to help nurses craft a CV, start a side hustle, and so on
Created a membership platform on Zoom with tools, support, and other personal/professional helps became APRN Academy
Started Facebook Group: Side-Hustle For Nurses: Wildly popular!
Both elements allow Ann to contribute to her profession even though she’s not in clinical practice which she exited June 2019
COVID is not Ann’s reason to return to the bedside; her purpose is to support those Advanced Practice Nurses who are there
Build community while get professional tools

28:15 to 35:00 Themes of Ann’s Life Continue and 4 Tips to Wholeheartedness

Ann can figure out how to do and for whom to do: spinning straw into gold
Virtual retreat for Ohio Chapter of Nurse Midwives
Skill set: bring people together, build community, feels really good doing that

Antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness: fulfillment and satisfaction follow. How does one live a wholehearted life?

#1: Recognize what *you* want, what’s important to you, what’s calling you; don’t wait because indecision will win. Listen deeply to the little voices
#2: Tune out the Noise. There will always be You Can’t, Haters; You’re Not Enough.....Choose to tune it out
#3: Do not under-estimate that 1 conversation, 1 moment, 1 experience can change your life. It happened to Ann and everything changed!
#4: Fear is there for an evolutionary protection reason; but is it real? Act in accordance with your desire despite Fear. I see you there fear, sit down, and I’ll call you if I need you.

35:00 to 38:50 Who Is Our Work Really For?

SFWWW guests are invited based on Life Story: who are they, how did they get from X to Y; how did their journey make a difference to them, and how will it make a difference to listeners? At the end of the day the host does this for her own learning, support, encouragement, and so on.

Likewise, Ann’s Instagram feed is curated for her own personal mindset battles, to have conversations
Whether we have gratitude journals, vision boards, chalk drawings on concrete sidewalks we create a way of looking back: this is where I was, this is how I got here, and now I can support myself. See where you were? See where you are? Keep walking!
Camino: One day the sign said 800 km and then it was 0.0 km
The opportunity for women to pause, pull on 1 image that says: that’s where you were, here’s where you are, tomorrow will come

Legacy

38:50 to 44:00 What Lasting Result and For Whom?

Cleveland, Ohio a pediatrician died from pre-eclampsia
How can Ann make an impact? Generate revenue so Ann can support organizations she believes in as well as personal pleasures
Supports Village of Healing - designed to target systemic racism
What am I going to do? We have a problem, I have the means, I can help funnel resources to them
“Of course I’m going to!” A good reason to get out of bed and talk to women about koaching

Before we end, is there something that was left unsaid?

Ann's gratitude to be heard, to share, to be in community with authentic conversation

Before I say thank you I want to mention that all social media links and all the connections to Ann’s website will be posted in the Episode Notes following. Make sure you drop by and check out the many resources, images, and free videos available to you.

Thank you very much, Ann, for walking along with us and sharing your life story which, I trust, will be of very good use and inspiration to those who are ready to step out.

Here we are, at the end of the road but not the journey. Thank you for listening to Part 2 of this episode of Stories From Women Who Walk with your host Diane Wyzga and my guest Ann Konkoly. I hope you feel ready to say, “Yes! Of course I can! I need a little help. I know just the woman who can Koach me to the life I desire to live.” Please remember to visit Ann on her website, sign up for her newsletter, and stay in touch on her social media platforms. All links are in the Episode Notes. Come for the stories - stay for the magic! And speaking of magic, I hope you subscribe, leave us a nice rating and review on social media, and rejoin us next time! You will have wonderful company as we walk our lives together.

Ann Konkoly BIO

Ann Konkoly, MBA, APRN-CNM, is a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Coach, and Speaker whose mission is to support women. Ann is the founder and owner of both Authentic Koaching LLC and The APRN Academy where she creates time, space and tools for women and nurses to get unstuck, #rekonnect to who they are and #kultivate what they want. Ann hosts retreats to give women and nurses an opportunity to pause, explore, discover and grow while obtaining continuing education credit. Ann's work to date honors her purpose and passion: supporting women on their journey.

How to Stay in Touch With Ann:

Website: https://www.annkonkolycnm.com/

Ann’s social media handle is @annkonkolycnm; you can find links here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annkonkolycnm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annkonkolycnm/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annkonkolycnm/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnKonkolyCNM

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga: Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Entering Erdenheim from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

Sound Editing: Dawin Carlisle & First Class Reels