Speaking and Communicating Podcast

Communication and soft skills are crucial for your career growth and leadership development

>> Jane Applegath: You see a lot of the young people coming into the workforce. They are dealing with a totally different world. There's so much that's changing so rapidly. Communication skills are so vital today. We need to understand what is happening, not just on a world level, but on a personal level.

>> Robert Sandleila: Welcome back to the speaking and communicating podcast. I am your host, Robert and Leila. If you are looking to improve your communication skills, both professionally and personally, this is the podcast you should be tuning into. Communication and soft skills are, uh, crucial for your career growth and leadership development. Now, in this exciting month of May, we have an amazing lineup of guests for you. On Mondays, our special guests will be helping us with our inner communication. On Wednesdays, we have public speaking experts helping us with becoming better public speakers. And on Fridays, our, uh, guests will be showing us how to reach global audience. So stay tuned. Share these episodes with those who will benefit from them and log on to Apple and Spotify and leave us a rating and a review.

Jane Applegath is the founder of Epic Vision Zone. She's a creative intelligence coach

Now let's get communicating.

>> Robert Sandleila: Now, my guest today is a very good friend of mine. Her name is Jane Applegath, all the way from sunny, Arizona. Jane is the founder of Epic Vision Zone. She's a dream capacitor. We're going to hear more about that. She's a creative intelligence coach who is here to talk to us about her mission to help women entrepreneurs live the life they love and be more creative. Jane is certified in the VUCA certification for leaders, which we'll hear more about today as well. And before I go any further, please help me welcome her to the show. Hi, Jane.

>> Jane Applegath: Hi, Roberta. How are you? Thank you so much for having me here today.

>> Robert Sandleila: I'm doing fantastic. It's my absolute pleasure. I'm glad we're finally able to do this because I think there's so much that our listeners are going to learn from you.

Jane Applegath was award winning stockbroker before becoming creative intelligence coach

But before we get started, please introduce yourself.

>> Jane Applegath: Well, thank you so much once again for this opportunity. Again, my name is Jane Applegath, and just to give you a very short bio on my background, I have dabbled in a lot of different areas and industries. I was an award winning stockbroker. In my previous life, I have been a television producer. I have been a yoga instructor, done marketing for other companies in between and had a couple of companies. And now, as Roberta has said, I am, um, the founder of the epic vision zone and a, uh, creative intelligence coach and enjoying every minute of what I'm doing.

>> Robert Sandleila: That sounds absolutely fantastic. And I'm glad you mentioned your previous lives as well, because I think sometimes when people are in those phases of their lives where they change and they try different things. Sometimes they wonder, do I even have direction? Do I even look like somebody who's sane?

>> Jane Applegath: Yes, absolutely. I mean, that is the path of the journey, you know, that we take. And when we're younger, of course, it tends to get a little frustrating at times, and it can be exciting. But when we find our path, that is when the magic happens. And many times, it happens when we get older and wiser.

>> Robert Sandleila: I have found, uh, that to be the case as well. Now, the question would be, when you were just changing these different careers, like, for instance, stockbroking, award winning, why would anybody leave that and go to something completely different?

>> Jane Applegath: Well, that's a great question. And, in fact, Roberta, I had that asked of me by many of my colleagues because I was making a lot of money. I was one of the top producers, and I did enjoy doing it at the time. But after a while, there was something missing, and it was hard to put my finger on it. I understand what that is now, but I wasn't resonating with the business. It was something that didn't appeal to my heart, if you want to put it that way. And I didn't understand that at the time. I loved my coworkers. I, uh, loved the opportunity to talk to so many different people and my clients and share stories with them about the companies that I was promoting. And in those days, we didn't delve too much into the story. It was more about the balance sheet. But I was selling stories, which now I realized that I, uh, was doing. And so because there was that misalignment, and my heart didn't speak to the underlying current of greed that, unfortunately, tends to go with that business in every aspect. And I don't want to badmouth it, because it is a very good industry, and you can find very, very honorable investment consultants. But for me, it just wasn't my thing. And my, uh, colleagues were just like, wow, we think you're crazy. And I was, like, leaving money behind.

>> Robert Sandleila: Leaving money on the table. Jane.

>> Jane Applegath: Right.

>> Robert Sandleila: Yes. Just a quick question. Not to give your age away, but what era was that? What decade was that when you were in stockbroking?

>> Jane Applegath: I was in my twenties and early thirties. So at a very young age, I was making a lot of money.

>> Robert Sandleila: Right. Because the reason I asked, it's become more of a norm right now to say, I'm not happy. This place does not resonate with me. It's not in line with my values. But, I mean, I started my first corporate job in 1995. We didn't have that language. Even amongst ourselves, you just thought, am I happy or am I happy? Or if I'm not happy, but I need to pay my bills. And you stayed for 40 years, but now there are, uh, these conversations of, yeah, the money is great, but does it align with me internally?

>> Jane Applegath: Right, exactly. And that is something that has come through with a lot of our science backing. But also, I think the world now understands that there's more to life than working a job to make the paycheck but be unhappy.

>> Robert Sandleila: Yeah. And then when you made the transition, as you said, you had other businesses as well.

Another challenge that some of our listeners have is if I leave a job secure

Another challenge that some of our listeners have is if I leave a job secure, knowing what my income is going to be every month, and try a business idea, if it doesn't work, what next? Do I keep trying, or should I return to a job eventually?

>> Jane Applegath: Well, therein lies the mindset. Right. One of the things that I value was that I did come from an entrepreneurial family. My father was always a risk taker. In fact, way off the scale as far as I'm concerned. I grew up with the highs and lows of my father making a lot of money and then not making a lot of money. And so that part did not bother me as much, but that had to do a lot with my background. But there is that underlying fear of once you step out of the comfort zone of what you know, what you're familiar with, we all have that reptilian brain that says to us, you know, you need to be safe. You need to be secure. You need to know what tomorrow is going to bring, and therefore, I'm going to hold you back. And my personality was very much the opposite. I was the one to take the leap, and I figured my wings will grow on the way down.

>> Robert Sandleila: I love it.

>> Jane Applegath: But I do understand the fear that underlies, because there are responsibilities, and if you have a family, I don't have children, but I certainly understand that, um, if you have a family and you have a house and a mortgage, and there are so many aspects to that, there is that you want to weigh the scale, but at one point or another, you have to understand that we're only here for a very short time. There's a saying, roberta, that I'd love to share with your audience, because it's hard hitting, but it really speaks to what we're talking about. And it's this quote. It says, death whispered live, for I.

>> Robert Sandleila: Am coming, and coming it is.

>> Jane Applegath: And when you understand that, and, of course, as we get older, there's that wisdom. The years are going by and the decades are flying, and you're like, yeah, do I want to keep suffering? That's something I dislike. Or do I want to at least see what's on the other side? So there has to come a point in your life, and everybody has a different meter on that. When you say enough is enough, am I going to live and experience what this life really can offer, or am I going to just go along and take my retirement, maybe the last ten years of my life and enjoy it? And to me, that's not a life.

>> Robert Sandleila: And there's so many options right now. There's so much that whatever talent you have, whatever skill, you, you can even learn a new skill. There's so much that's available in taking some of those risks and not just sitting on the comfort zone. Because I think what tends to happen sometimes is not taking the risk. Is the risk.

>> Jane Applegath: Yes. Uh, very well put. That absolutely is it? And a lot of times I say people are comfortable being uncomfortable and they learn to live with that because if they don't know any different, because they haven't taken that risk, how are they going to know? Yes. So, absolutely.

>> Robert Sandleila: Mhm. We become comfortable with the uncomfortable because it's familiar. We call it the devil we know.

>> Jane Applegath: Oh, there you go. Exactly. The devil we know.

>> Robert Sandleila: Yes, for sure.

Jane Gap: VUCA stands for vision, understanding, clarity

So then how did you get started in helping female entrepreneurs? And why, of all the niches, as we say, you could have helped, that you chose to focus on them?

>> Jane Applegath: Well, thank you. That's another great question. Roberta and I come from a family of mostly girls. I have four sisters and two brothers. We were brought up to be very ambitious. We were brought up to go after what we wanted in life. And with that instilled motivation, we grew up to go after the Big Apple, so to speak. And I love to uncover women's genius because I do believe in my heart of hearts that it is us who are going to lift this world up to another level. And it's not necessarily just because we're female, but I think it's because all of the leadership skills that they are promoting today that are the top leadership skills in our changing world are female skills. There's empathy, there's communication skills. I've forgotten the third one, but they are all top skills that women have. And if you look at the world and who the people are that are out there learning, like you and I today, and the people that are out there growing from knowledge that's available to us, either on the scientific level or on the mindset level or on the psychology level, it's mostly women. We are the ones that are open to understanding how do we work in this changing world? And that's where the VUCA certification comes in, because that is the acronym for vision, understanding, clarity, and adaptability.

>> Robert Sandleila: Wow. I had it backwards, I guess it's interesting you say that, Jane. And by the way, when you say, they said, go for the Big Apple, it's interesting that your last name is Apple. Gap when you say that, because the first time I heard of the concept of VUCA, it was the volatile, ambiguous, um, uncertain, complex world that we live in that keeps changing. The tech changes every single second. And you've just described it differently and on a more positive connotation, which I find is a very new way of looking at VUca, because I was about to ask you about the VUCA that we've been accustomed to right now.

>> Jane Applegath: Right. Well, that. You're exactly right. The VUCA, um, it's a military based application, and the people that use it are those that are like the seals, the people that go into these really stressful and chaotic situations and have to make instantaneous decisions. And that is, in fact, where the first acronym, like you said, the volatility and the uncertain, that is where the acronym first started. But what they have done today is they have flipped the script on the VUCA. So today they are applying it for leadership in today's world. So the vision is to understand where we are going. The understanding is, how do we deal with this chaotic and changing world? And that has everything to do with not just the unrest in the world, but also the introduction to technology. We had the industrial revolution, but now we're going through a, uh, technology revolution, which is going to change the face of everything. And then there's the clarity, which is, how do we work with that? And then the adaptability once. Uh, again, that's about resilience. It's resilience to understand how we can work with the resilience, not just push it back, but how it can work as part of our day to day living. So, yes, you're absolutely right. The old VuCa was one that the SeaLs use, and it's probably still do today, but we have, uh, flipped the script. And for leadership, that's the one that we're using.

Empathy and communication are vital skills in today's workplace

>> Robert Sandleila: And speaking of leadership as well, thank you for explaining that. So well, let's tie it back to the skills that you said. A lot of females have. The empathy because we're seeing more and more in the workplace, those traits, if you possess them, you are more inclined to be put in a leadership position rather than someone who doesn't.

>> Jane Applegath: Yes, absolutely. And it is because what, um, we're dealing with today is you see a lot of the young people coming into the workforce. We have to understand that they are dealing with a totally different world. I mean, our world can change within a corporation or even as, uh, an entrepreneur in three months due to technology or due to some economic happening in the world. There's so much that's changing so rapidly. So the empathy is being able to listen. You know, I know that the communication skills are so vital today. It's something that I know you are very big on. And we need to understand what is happening, not just on a world level, but on a personal level, too. So the empathy is something that plays into all of our communication skills. That ability to listen, the ability to empathize with somebody, and then take the leadership role there and say, okay, let's go from here, this point, and move forward. The old days, where it's the hierarchy, it was more of a push, and this is what you're going to do, and we don't care how you feel, and this is your job, and if you don't like it, there's the door. But today, we need these people. We need to understand what is going on, because when you have happy employees, you have a much better return on investment, you have a much happier work environment. It benefits everybody and everything, the bottom line as well. So, yes, empathy and communication, that is huge. In our wheelhouse. Listening is one of the big things. Communicate, not to be dynamic, but to be a magnetism. In other words, draw people to you. How do you do that? How do you infuse your energy into others? And again, it's about being aware, listening, and then allowing your audience or your employees to feel what you're feeling. And then that's what magnetizes them to you, because that is so much more powerful than just standing up and giving a speech and just having everybody sit there like a lump of coal and think, wow, okay, that was pretty egotistical.

>> Robert Sandleila: And just absorb, you know, remember when we used to attend university lectures? Just dump the information we need to absorb it for the exam so we can graduate next.

>> Jane Applegath: There you go. That's exactly it. And that doesn't work anymore. It doesn't work anymore. People are becoming more attuned, like you said at the beginning, to what the needs are for them. What is it that I am looking for to create my genius to unfold as a human being. We're not the AI robots, and unfortunately, of course, they will take over some of those menial jobs, but use the human for what it is as a whole and to create that wholeness within a corporation, to feed that wholeness. Can you imagine the productivity and the culture that you would create if that were the case? It would be magical.

>> Robert Sandleila: Absolutely magical. But then the question becomes, we're talking about so our generation, you'll find that they are mostly in senior leadership positions right now, and you have this new generation of graduates coming in from a different world, as you said. I mean, I grew up without cell phones, so we had a very different communication style. We had very formal ways of writing business letters, business correspondence. How do we bridge that gap if someone from my generation, being a leader of someone who's graduating from university and they speak in text language and these abbreviations?

>> Jane Applegath: That's a great question, Roberta, and it's one that's still out there. If there was a secret formula, I'm sure we'd both make a fortune, because you're absolutely right. You know, I have a niece that's younger, and now they don't have to spell words out completely. And sometimes I'm like, well, what does that mean? You know, exactly what are you trying to say to me? Their vocabulary, their ability to speak like you and I are doing right now and engage in conversation is stilted because they haven't practiced. So it's going to take effort on their part to want to delve into the world of communication, because we still, as humans, need to be together. We need to communicate through language, through body language, through energy, which is coming together. And when you realize the level of brilliance that that produces and the aha moments that you have, all I would say is if you have a young person and they're not accustomed to that, get them to a seminar, somebody who they're interested in hearing from, someone dynamic, and let them experience that, because it's through the experience, through the emotion, through the energy that gets shared in the room, because there'll be others in there as well. A light bulb will go on and they'll go, wow, this is really great. And even if you can touch a few who say, I want to do that, or I want to learn how to communicate like that, we've done a great job, because it's through the experience that they're going to learn. They're not going to get that on their phone. They're not going to get that on their text. They need to experience it. So that's what I would say would be one of the first steps. I would be shocked if, depending on the speaker and the subject, if they didn't come out with some sort of aha. Moment.

>> Robert Sandleila: That is so true. You just reminded me of my first mentor in my first job. He's the one actually speaking of writing letters, if we write a cover letter for submitting a proposal, and he would change it, like, ten times, make it sound more formal, uh, more polite, more respectful. Because remember, back then, you do it on the computer, put the letterhead on the printer.

>> Jane Applegath: I remember.

>> Robert Sandleila: Manually. Done, remember? And I would think, I thought it sounded perfect last time. Why is it changing it again? But now when I write emails, people come to me and say, oh, wow, you sound very businesslike. It's almost like I come from a different planet because they are so used to this little more casual lingo nowadays, even though it's business correspondence.

>> Jane Applegath: Yes, that's true. You're absolutely right. Because I, in the day, like, you, would never write hi to somebody. I would say, dear. I mean, hi was like. That was only to my family and friends, you know, hi on a letter or an email would be like, oh, they, uh, must think I'm way forward. But you're absolutely right. But in that, though, lies the knowledge and the teaching, because I have learned so much from reading letters of great people who have written in the days when, say, Ronald Reagan or I've got a book that letters from great people and the way they used to write. And I guess it's something that just resonates with me because I love words, and I have to say to everybody, words are so important, but especially the words you say to yourself. But that being the case, the more you expand your vocabulary, the greater opportunity you have to not just influence those you're trying to touch, but to influence yourself, because your inner critic is always listening. So expanding your vocabulary, and it doesn't need to be from a book of well written letters, whatever inspires you to go and listen and to read. And because you're right, if I wrote a letter and it was edited, I was learning from that. And I'm sure your mentor, you learned from that as well. So we're very much alike, you and I. And I. Still, to this day, if I'm trying to reach someone really important, Roberta, to be on my podcast, I will go back to that way of writing, and I will edify them, um, in such an eloquent way, I have to say, I have had people respond to me that most people would never, ever. They'd say, oh, my gosh, they called you. They wrote you back. How did you do that? It was from the letter that I wrote. See, it comes back to serve you a hundredfold.

>> Robert Sandleila: Exactly. Because imagine being addressed that way, being communicated to in that manner. Mhm.

Using emojis can improve your vocabulary and communication skills

You will have a very different way of responding to just hi and emojis and lols.

>> Jane Applegath: And can you imagine sending emojis to CEO of some large corporation? They would just trash it. They'd be like, okay, I know where this person's coming from.

>> Robert Sandleila: Uh, don't know where.

>> Jane Applegath: We might be there long after you and I are gone, but we're not there yet.

>> Robert Sandleila: Yes. So it really helps to improve your vocabulary, as you say, in your communication skills.

Find your purpose. That's a big question for a lot of people

Now, one more question I'd like to find out from you. When your female clients come to you, what are the main challenges they say they have that they need help with?

>> Jane Applegath: One of the biggest things is that they feel stuck. I am very fortunate and grateful to deal with most women who are coming from either CEO positions. So they've been in business for some time, or they're entrepreneurs who own their own businesses, and there is something within them that they feel is missing. They know that there's something more to life, but they don't know what that is. And so they're stuck. And what I like to say is, I take women from stuck to stardom. Um, empowering them to step into their true identity, because we're all here for a reason. And I believe that we all have a gift that we came here with, but it all gets covered up by so much. By our culture, by our beliefs, by our upbringing, you name it. And, uh, I like to say that when our thoughts are no longer a record of the past, but a roadmap to the future, that's when we draw our vision to us. And that's the true self. So that's the issue. And I like to draw women's genius because we all have that within us. We just have it buried, and that is the biggest issue. And then, of course, unfolding what it is that that genius looks like and where it can take them. Because when we grow our wings, there's no stopping us. The sky's the limit. And that's exactly what I do.

>> Robert Sandleila: From stuck to stardom. Um, I like that because, yes, as you say, sometimes we might not even be aware, especially when we hear these speeches of, find your purpose. Find your purpose. Most people go, I don't know what my purpose is. Where do I go find.

>> Jane Applegath: Yes, exactly. Because we haven't given ourselves the chance or the space to feel what that might be or to see what that might be. Because, let's face it, life gets busy. We have responsibilities, and we have bills, and we have children, and we have mortgages, and we get on that hamster wheel, and it's like, when are you going to give yourself a chance to be you? And that, uh, unfortunately doesn't happen. So this is the space I created, because you need space to be creative. You cannot create in a world of static. And that's where we normally function from, is the static. And the static is all of the things that come in and keep us busy on a day to day basis. I call it static because I do believe that we're all energy. And when we're in flow, which means that when we're in a state of calm and we can see and we can feel what a vision might look like, and that might take some time, because if you're a high stress individual, you've got a lot of static that we have to flush out. But absolutely, you're right, Roberta. When if somebody asked me why I quit the industry and what my purpose was, I would have said, I don't know. I just know this isn't it, because it's not in alignment with my energy, but where I was going, I couldn't have told you then. That's a big question for a lot of people. And I bet if I asked my niece, who's just turning 20 this year, what her purpose is in life, she would say, I don't know. I'm just working. I know she would say, making money, but that's not a purpose. The money is to get you to where you want to go so that you can share it and be here to serve those that you're here to serve.

>> Robert Sandleila: Absolutely, Jane.

Roberta Kaplan: You host the Epic Vision Zone podcast

And you are, uh, the host of the Epic Vision Zone podcast. Please tell us more about it and what kind of guests or what kind of content that you discuss on your show.

>> Jane Applegath: Absolutely. And thank you for that question, Roberta, because the epic vision zone is my passion. I love to learn and gain knowledge. And the platform is to spotlight individuals who have something to share in the way of knowledge, inspiration, resources from all industries and across the world. And they could be male or female. It could be anything from mindset to how to start a new business. The subject matter is pretty open. It's about up leveling you as a human being and also how you create your journey and where that might lead to. So I have interviewed people all the way from individuals who are masters in feng shui, which was fascinating, by the way, because I didn't realize. I thought it was just about placing furniture in a nice position, but it's really about. Yeah, uh, that's exactly. But, oh, my gosh, she opened up my eyes to. It's about letting the flow of energy come through your space so that you create a place that becomes your virtual vision board. Basically, you're living within the energy zone that will help you be most creative. Fascinating to all the way to CEO's of a, uh, company. Cara golden, for example, she's the CEO and founder of Hint Water. And she was fascinating how she opened up the beverage industry to a, uh, drink that had no sugar in it, that was all fruit based. And people said to her, oh, honey, nobody's going to drink anything that doesn't have sugar in it. Here we are. Now they've got several people who are making drinks of that, uh, kind, and also people who have written books on leadership, you know, the mindset, how science is now teaching us what the ancients knew years ago. So I invite people to go on there and look at the different speakers and search out the titles and go to my Instagram page as well, because I have little short 62nd vignettes of some of the speakers that we have had. People who have been in wheelchairs and used their mind to now walk completely healed. Just amazing things that we can do as human beings. And this is what fuels me, because we are so magnificent, but we don't use our capabilities and our potential to the fullest.

>> Robert Sandleila: We are, um, magnificent indeed. Words of wisdom from Jane Applegath, the founder of Epic Vision zone, the creative intelligence coach, and VUCa certified. I knew this was going to be an amazing conversation, and you certainly lived up to that. Thank you so much for being on the show today.

>> Jane Applegath: Well, I thank you, Roberta. And I look forward to having all of these individuals come and enjoy the epic vision zone.

>> Robert Sandleila: Absolutely.

>> Robert Sandleila: Um, they will. All our listeners who are tuning in today certainly will.

Roberta: Thank you for joining us on the speaking on communicating podcast

But before you go, Jane, when I was on your show, there's one question that I loved, and I want to ask you in return. How would you like to be remembered.

>> Jane Applegath: Um, as a person of, uh, influence and impact to change the way you look at life?

>> Robert Sandleila: I love that. Thank, ah, you so much, Jane. And before you go, anyone who wants to learn about Epic Vision zone podcast or where to find you online, if they want to reach out to you, please give us those details.

>> Jane Applegath: Yes, absolutely. For Epic Vision zone. It's on YouTube, so just Google epic vision zone. One word. It also is on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and iTunes, etc. Etc. You can go to my website at uh, janeapplegath.com. that's Apple E and then G A T h. There you can pull up all the information. The YouTube, my Instagram, everything that you would love to connect with me is available there. And I have two free offers on the website as well.

>> Robert Sandleila: We love those. I'm going to put all those details on the show notes, Jane. Applegaff.com epicvision Zone podcast on YouTube. Those will all be there for our listeners to tap into. Thank you, Jane. This has been such a pleasure and an honor.

>> Jane Applegath: Thank you. Likewise, Roberta.

>> Robert Sandleila: My absolute pleasure.

>> Robert Sandleila: Thank you for joining us on the speaking on communicating podcast. Once again. Please log on to Apple and Spotify. Leave us a rating and a review and what you'd like for us to discuss on the show that will be of benefit to you. We encourage you to continue to get communicating and let us know how communication skills continue to improve your life professionally and personally. And stay tuned for more episodes to come

>> Robert Sandleila: close.