Episode 206: Love Yourself First: 7 Ways to Invest in You Today

 
 
 

“Once you start to recognize all of the support that you have in your life, that anxiety, that worry, that fear is going to disappear.” – Erin Diehl 

 

In the moments when you feel most alone, it’s also the most essential to remember all of the support you have around you. In today’s episode, Erin gives you the low-down on how to fill The 7 Buckets. You’ll come out of this episode feeling inspired to invest in yourself and remember all of the love that surrounds you. 

 

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Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. 

This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. 

When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. 

You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online! 

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Episode 206 Transcription

Erin (00:00): 

Hi new friend. I'm Erin Diehl, business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, and keynote speaker who is ready to help you improve your it, it being the thing that makes you, you. So think of me as your keeping it real. Professional development bestie who is here to help you develop yourself into the best version of you possible so you can develop your team and lead with intentionality, transparency, and authenticity. Oh, and did I mention we're improving your IT through play? That's right. I'm an improvisational comedy expert who uses experiential learning to help you have your aha haha moments. Those are the moments when the light bulb goes off and you're laughing at the same time. So grab your chicken hat, your notebook, and your inner child because I'm going to take you on a journey that is both fun and transformative. Welcome to the Improve It Podcast, 

Erin (01:08): 

Improve It peeps. Welcome to the show. I am so excited to be here with you today. We are ending the month of September. I know that this show is airing in October, but the month of September was such a huge month for us on the Improve It Podcast. We talked all about investing in your self. That was what our solo episodes were about. That is what we brought on guests to talk about in this show. I have to let you know that I know this is airing in October, but I wanted to wrap up this month of September in a pretty little bow because I learned so much in my own struggles these past few months, and it's through those struggles that I really wanna teach you here today. So I know that investing in you is an inside job. You gotta do this for you, but there are external resources out there who can help you and guide you through this. 

Erin (02:13): 

Now, before we get started and know that I'm gonna give you seven tangible tips that you can take and start to apply to your life today. I have one ask. It's a housekeeping item. I gotta get off my chest. If you leave a review for this show and you send me an email, a screenshot, you can DMM me at its errand deal. You can send me an email at info at learn to improve it.com. Tell me the name of the reviewer that you left the review from on Apple iTunes podcast. I will send you a Starbucks gift card. It is that simple. We'll send coffee for reviews people. That is where I'm at. We have so many amazing, amazing guests coming up, and it's through your reviews that people see that we have this community, we have this, improve it peep family, and that is what keeps the show going. 

Erin (03:10): 

So if this show speaks to you today, if any show in the past has spoken to you, please leave a review for us. It would mean so, so, so much. So before we get in to this episode, I had to do that quick housekeeping item. I know you, it sound like a broken record and I always ask you to do it, but it really is the name of this game. The more reviews we get, the more high quality guests we can bring you on this show. And there is a long list of people that I wanna bring to your earbuds. Okay, so do the review, but let's get back to improving it. And let's talk a little bit about this idea of investing in yourself because you might feel like I did these past few months, you might feel very stuck. You might be worried about your future, your mental health, your physical health. 

Erin (04:02): 

You may stay up at night worrying about what's to come, things that you can't control versus feeling like you know what's you're being guided to and what's coming in your life. You sit in this feeling of scarcity versus this feeling of abundance. So I sat in that scarcity feeling for a while this year. I'm recording this at the end of August. You're hearing this in October. So there is a little lag time since you're hearing me record this show. We like to record about a month out just because we like to batch content, but I'm gonna give you an update as to where I am right now. Yesterday, August 22nd, I went to my second neurology appointment. And if you've been following along with the show, you might know that I had a concussion this year. I had what is called post-concussion syndrome. I was extremely burned out, fatigued. 

Erin (05:05): 

I would even call it depressed for a couple months. And I went to my first neurology appointment six weeks ago. And yesterday I pulled back into that parking lot where I sat six weeks ago, and I sat in the exact same parking spot as I did six weeks ago. And I sat there for a few moments and I had a wave of emotions because six weeks ago I felt extremely worried. I was extremely afraid. I lived in fear and I felt very hopeless. I literally cried myself to sleep at night and I felt very afraid about how I was going to get through this, how I was going to move on, how I was gonna show up for everyone else in my life, my son, my husband, my family, my team, my clients, the audiences that we serve, you, my improve-it peeps who show up here week after week. 

Erin (06:10): 

I was so concerned because I did not think that I could show up for anyone else because I could not show up for myself. For the first time in my life, I felt like giving up truthfully, I'm gonna keep it real. And I know that I went through that struggle to help you. I needed to feel what the most down low feeling could feel like in order to truly teach you how to help yourself through these funks. And after that neurology appointment, I got some medication which helped me with my headaches, which helped me with my pain, which literally turned my life around. And I started to see clearly, I started not clearly, let's just say this, my vision has been weird for the past few months, but I started to gain back my mindset that I've had my entire life that has gotten us here. 

Erin (07:23): 

And I started to remember that there are resources in this world because if you've been following the show for a while, there's an episode where I'm literally crying on the show because I felt so alone. Literally, I felt like no one could understand me. I felt gaslit by the medical industry, if I'm being honest. I felt like my own friends and family just thought that I had anxiety, which I do. But it was far more than that. I felt extremely alone and afraid because no one else could feel what I was feeling in my body. And once I have the epiphany that I'm not alone, that there are resources in this world, I got to work because that remembrance, that remembrance alone led me to feel less alone. So I broke my life down into seven different buckets, and I outlined the resources that I needed to move forward. 

Erin (08:37): 

Essentially, I reminded myself that I had to show up for myself first before I could show up for anyone else, but I would need people to help me along that journey to help me show up for me. This is a huge theme of the book that I have written that is launching in February of 2024. This theme of showing up for ourselves first is the first thing that we have to do if we want to be a great parent, if we want to be a great friend, if we want to show up as a selfless leader, as we want to lead teams and communities and people to be the highest versions of themselves. 

Erin (09:21): 

So know that that's coming and the book title will be released very soon. But these seven buckets, these seven buckets I wanna go back to that we're instrumental in helping me realize that I am investing in myself by investing in outside resources. So I broke them down into these seven buckets. My mind, my body, my soul, which is somewhat of a spiritual bucket. My health, my coaches, my mentors, and my family. Okay? Now here's what I want you to do. I want you to take these seven buckets and I want you to create a list of people who help support you in each one of these ways. Now, you can make a list on your phone, you can make a list on a Word doc. You can make a list on Post-it notes for me. What I did and what I found extremely helpful was I took a post-it note and I labeled each individual bucket at the top of the Post-it, and I kept the post-it on my mirror in my bathroom. 

Erin (10:29): 

So literally I had seven post-Its reminding me how supported I was every single day. All right? So this is a huge, huge opportunity, especially if you are feeling alone or you are feeling scared or you a feeling afraid. Are you feeling like no one's there to support you? Chances are my friend, you have so much more support around you than you actually think. So this exercise will blow your mind. I promised you. So now that you have your seven buckets listed, either on a Word doc, seven different posted notes, the note section of your phone, you are gonna go through each bucket and list the people, a, k, a, the resources that you have in each one of these buckets. So you could use these seven I highly suggest because it's really all encompassing. But if there's another bucket that you'd rather add, if you wanna add an eighth or if you wanna take away one of these, feel free. 

Erin (11:31): 

But I'm giving you the guide that will help you feel invested in because you've invested yourself in getting outside help. Okay? So the first bucket, the mind, I'm gonna give you my version and then we can talk about what you might have. So in my mind bucket, my resources include a therapist and a craniosacral therapist, which was a mind blowing experience. I will be back. So that's my bucket number one. Bucket number two, the body. My resources include my masseuse. Her name is Angel, and she is literally an angel. Her hands have angel wings on them, okay? Literally she's magic, my chiropractor. And then I also use the Peloton for exercise. I use the strength training, I use the apps, I use the bike, I use the bootcamps. It really helps me get out, move my body. All right? So that's my second bucket. The third bucket is the soul bucket or your spiritual bucket. 

Erin (12:30): 

And I have an online mentor I've never met in real life, but her name is Gabby Bernstein. She's an author, she's a speaker, she is a thought leader, and she is amazing. So I tune into all of her content. I also have a Reiki energy healer here in Charleston, and I have an intuitive coach who lives in Chicago that I meet with virtually for health. In this bucket, I have my general practitioner. This is the fourth bucket. I have now a neurologist, an eye doctor, and a vision doctor who help me get through this concussion. And I also have many friends who happen to be doctors. So I feel very blessed in that category. Okay, and then our next bucket, the fifth bucket, I think fifth, sixth, fifth bucket or sixth bucket is mentors. Okay? These are people that you don't necessarily ask for a service from, but these are people who you know that you can go to, who you can ask for advice. 

Erin (13:32): 

For me, it's my girl, Judy Holler. I love her so much. She has been on this show. She's a guiding light for me in the keynote world and the author world, Jill, a friend of mine who owns a company called Story Studio, also Jessica Zweig and the Simply Be Family, which was our branding agency and helped us rebrand ourselves in 2020. I also have our family, which includes my husband, my dad, my mom, my immediate family, my in-laws, my friends who feel like family. So giving you this idea is where I want you to start. I want you to listen to those buckets, those seven buckets. And I want you to list people underneath every single bucket who you have in your life as a resource. Here is step three. So that was step two. You're gonna go through all seven buckets. You're gonna list out everyone in your life who helps you with your mind, your body, your soul, who is a coach, who is a mentor, and who is family to you. 

Erin (14:36): 

These are people that you can go to who you know and trust, who can help you be the best version of you. Okay? So here's step three. You are going to paint a picture for yourself. You're gonna make this list visible. So for me, again, I had seven different post-its on my mirror. So when I get ready in the morning, these people are staring me in the face. These lists are literally look at me in the eyeballs, in my retina, and I'm sitting there thinking how grateful I am for having people in my life who I can go to for support. So maybe you don't wanna put these on your mirror, but maybe you can put this on a doc on your computer. You can put it in the notes section of your phone, but make it visible, all right? And if you even wanna get artistic with it, you could make it some type of vision board, because this visibility heads into step four, which is when you start to feel overwhelmed when the anxiety creeps in, when you start to worry and go down the shame spiral, the fear rabbit hole, you're gonna take a look at this list and remind yourself how many amazing people you have in your life. 

Erin (15:50): 

And this is so important, my friends, because this list, yes, is an external resource, but these people all tie back to you. They all tie back to your internal feeling about your self. They are the healers, they are the helpers, they are the teachers, they are the service providers, they are the coaches, they are the mentors, they are the friends who feel like family. These are the people who will help guide you and help you stay true to you. All right? Now, let me caveat this. I also realize that the list that I provided comes with a lot of privilege, okay? That I have access to a lot. 

Erin (16:38): 

I am very blessed to have amazing insurance that covers a lot of the items in my bucket list. All right? I wanna just say that for free. The insurance coverage provided by my husband's company actually is fantastic. So I get a great amount of these services provided for me through insurance at a very low cost. All right? Now, the things that don't get covered by insur or insurance that do cost money, for example, craniosacral therapy, intuitive coaching, I write off as a business expense because I am a business owner, and I use it as a tax write off because they're professional services that help my business because I am the product, right? Myself and team are the product that provides the service. So let me say that again, I understand this comes with privilege. I have great insurance, and I run a business. I've taken a risk, which let me tell you, is not easy. 

Erin (17:46): 

Some days are better than others. So I do have access to these. Now, if you are in a spot where you're like, I cannot pay for outside therapy, or I cannot pay for any type of massage work on my body, or I can't pay for a coach or a mentor right now, that is okay. You do not have pay for these resources. Actually, my friend, if you have access to the internet, I'm going to give you some free resources in each one of these categories that you can go to today. All right? So get your pen and pen paper ready, your pen and paper, your pen and paper, your pen and paper ready. We'll also link to a lot of these in the show notes, so you have them as a resource. Instagram is a great place to grab content. I'm gonna give you a lot of different Instagram pages, but I'm also gonna give you just names of people that I want you to search out. 

Erin (18:39): 

Okay? So for the mind bucket, you can go to Gabby Bernstein, who I mentioned is in my, one of my buckets. She's a spiritual teacher. She is fantastic. She has a ton of free content on her Instagram page to help you become more mindful. Alright? Simon Ong, who was a guest on this show, fantastic guest who is the author of the book, energize, also gives great tips and tricks on how to bring more energy to yourself, which is ultimately bringing more energy to your mind. And then if you are interested in some type of therapy, but cannot afford therapy right now, the holistic psychologist on Instagram is by far one of the best Instagram accounts I've ever seen in my life. It talks about trauma, it talks about childhood, it talks about people pleasing. It is so amazing. She's written several books. Her name is Nicole La Perra. 

Erin (19:40): 

She is the Holistic Psychologist. And that right there, those resources can help you reframe your mindset for free. All right, now let's talk about your next bucket. The body, the daily Victorian at the daily Victorian on Instagram is amazing. My team loves this account, okay? Because she is a poetry, poetry prone yoga teacher. That's a actor's warmup for you right there, unique New York. But her audience comes to her page because she knows she's gonna be sharing some type of deep life insight while doing yoga. So you get the mind body connection right there for free. You can also, if you wanna do a workout and you have access to internet, Google free app exercise, there's gonna be a hundred different videos that come up, free arm workouts, free guided glute workout, if you wanna get that butt muscle going. All right? So think about what it is you want and what you're having trouble with when it comes to the body. 

Erin (20:43): 

And I tell you what, it's a Google search away, my friends now for Soul and Spiritual, your third bucket, I've got two amazing guided meditations for you that are free from Gabby Bernstein. Okay? She is amazing and fantastic. Their first is called the Spirit Guide Meditation, and the second is called the Positive Affirmation Meditation. This is in your soul and spiritual bucket. I can promise you those will change your mindset. They will guide you to a more gentle, kind, loving place. And let's get to our next bucket, which is health. Dr. Ahman, who is a brain doctor, is probably one of the coolest accounts for your overall health, your brain health, your gut health, your anxiety. He is a psychologist, but follow him on Instagram. He gives amazing tips and tricks. And for your overall health, I wanna do this. I wanna just shout this out. 

Erin (21:41): 

If you are a person listening to this show and you do not have a general practitioner in your area, please find one. Okay? My general practitioner for 15 years was the C V S MinuteClinic in Chicago. And I was very blessed. I did not have a ton of health issues. However, as I've gotten older, I have had a lot of health issues, and I am so grateful that I have a general practitioner that I know and I trust. And yes, it's gonna be a cost to you, but having that person who knows your medical history, who has it documented, who can see what's going on with your lifetime and time again, I wish I had this years ago. I'm encouraging my husband to get a general practitioner, but having a doctor as you age is so important. So that is something is that is not free. 

Erin (22:34): 

But with insurance can help. And if you don't have insurance, just get a doctor for an emergency situation. That is my one ask. All right? The next bucket is coaches. And again, these are gonna come with a price, these coaches, depending on what type of coach you are seeking. For me, I have a speaking coach. I love my coach, Jane Atkinson, who has also been a guest on this show. She is fantastic. She helps me as a keynote speaker. I pay Jane, right? Like that comes with a heavy price tag because she's so good at what she does. The best coaches will not and should not work for free. I have an amazing list of coaches, life coaches, career coaches. I know a ton of people in this space. So if you are somebody who is looking for a coach, reach out to us. Send me a dmm, send us an email. 

Erin (23:33): 

I'm happy, depending on what type of coach that you are looking for to give you a resource. And a lot of these coaches, depending on what type of coach you're looking for, give out content for free on social media. So let's say you're looking for career coach. Go on social media in Instagram, in the tags section, put in hashtag career coach. You're gonna see so many coaches come up, and I have a long list, so I didn't wanna share with you one or two because I know so many amazing people in this space. But you can get content for free from them, from their social media. Or if you want somebody as a resource, again, reach out to me. I promise you, some of the best people in the world are here to support you in many different ways. And you have to pay for this service. 

Erin (24:20): 

It's for their time, it's for their expertise, okay? So this is something that is not free, but their content will be free online. Here is something that is definitely free, a mentor. Okay? The last bucket, a mentor, or actually the sixth bucket I should say. I want you to ask somebody in your field, your industry, who you greatly look up to to be a mentor. A great way to ask them to mentor you is to ask them to do so in exchange for something else. Hey, Susan, can I grab you? Can we get a coffee? I'd love your advice. I'd love to buy you coffee. And hey, I'll also write you a LinkedIn recommendation. Or, Hey, Susan, I am so interested in the work that you're doing. I too wanna do what you're doing. Can I buy you lunch? Can we talk? And how can I support you? What would be helpful? Can I leave a review from you somewhere? Can I write a letter of recommendation? What would be helpful? So you're helping them and they're helping you. It's a give and take scenario that is absolutely free, and all it takes is asking. And then finally, the seventh bucket, okay, is family. 

Erin (25:41): 

And let me say this, I know a lot of people struggle. A lot of people have very solid families. A lot of people come from families that might be broken. A lot of people have just interesting stories with family. Family does not have to be your blood. It does not. The people who you go through life meeting who feel like sunshine, those are your family. The people who make you want to smile and who light up rooms, that's your family. So I want you to find people in your life who will clap for you in a room, and then I want you to stand beside them and support them too, because this is how family friendships and support happens. You have to give a little bit there. It's not an exchange of money, it's an exchange of time. 

Erin (26:35): 

That is a very easy way to invest in yourself by investing in your relationships, by giving to the people in your life who give to you and who you wanna support. So I know that all of this seems like a lot. I'm asking you to create seven different buckets. Write a list of people who invest in you or who you can invest in to invest in you. Some of this comes with a price tag, some of it doesn't. I've given you paid resources. I've given you free resources, but promise that I will make to you. The promise that I will make to you, I should say, is that once you start to recognize all of the support that you have in your life, that anxiety, that fear, that worry is gonna disappear. So six weeks ago when I was sitting in that same parking lot at my neurologist office, terrified of my future, worried, fearful, hopeless, I drove into that same spot yesterday, like I said, and those words had completely changed. I went from worry and fear and hopelessness to feeling guided, to feeling abundant, into feeling extremely hopeful. 

Erin (28:05): 

And I gotta tell you, the reason I know that I switched those feelings in six weeks is because I invested in people who would help me invest in me. People who I knew had expertise in areas that I did not. People who I knew who were family mentors and coaches who would be there to support me. And I asked them to support me, and they did. And that feeling of support that just comes over you changes your mindset. So when I walked into the neurologist's office yesterday, I felt so much better. I had a different mindset. I told my doctor how I was feeling, and he said, I knew you would feel better. I still had a few lingering symptoms. So we are doing an M R I, and by the time this show is airing, I will probably, hopefully already have it complete. 

Erin (29:12): 

But let me tell you what happened. So I walked out of the appointment feeling grateful that I had a doctor who wanted to make sure that every I was dotted, every T was crossed by checking data, right? Like we have no data looking at me. We have to look at imaging in order to see if there is anything wrong. So I said, let's do the M R I. I walked out of the office. I was a little defeated if I'm being honest, because I didn't want to walk out with another to-do list. I wanted to say, Hey, I'm healed, but obviously I'm not completely healed. And that night, same night, we had some friends over, friends who are mutual friends who we know but don't know super well. And one of the kids is in Jackson's class at school, and I really liked the parents. 

Erin (30:06): 

So the mom was there, and then the dad stopped by a few minutes later, and we'd only met in passing once or twice. And here's the kicker. He is the head radiologist at the hospital where I will be getting this imaging done. He will be looking at this imaging, and his team will be the people that help me do the M R I. And he said, I will make sure that they take great care of you and I will help you. I will look at your results and go over them with you so you know what's going on. 

Erin (30:47): 

That miracle, that miracle happened because I completely changed my mindset. I invested in myself by investing in outside resources who could invest in me. It was this beautiful reciprocal relationship. And because I've let go of control, and I have completely changed my mindset into this abundance mindset, a miracle happened. And let me just tell you that miracle gave me so much hope. I feel so much better knowing that I have somebody who has my back in that room, who's gonna guide me through it and gonna make sure that I feel taken care of. What a miracle. What are the chances? The same day that I went to that appointment, that same night, the head radiologist of the hospital and getting the imaging done was going to be at my house. 

Erin (31:41): 

That is a miracle, and that is the power of releasing this fear and worry and taking time to invest in you. So by investing in these seven buckets, your mind, your body, your soul, your health, your coaches, your mentors, your family, you'll not only be investing in outside resources that can help you in your future, but those outside resources that can help you work through your past, like a therapist. But the outside resources that are gonna help you in this moment right now, and you'll have them for the next time in your life that you feel like you're at a low, because I'm sorry, we're gonna have a ton of highs. We're gonna have a lot, a lot of lows in this life. It's part of the lessons that we're here to learn. So take this, create your seven buckets. You can use mine or you can create your own. 

Erin (32:42): 

Write out your list of resources. Keep it in a space that you can see visually that reminds you every single day that you are here, you are supported, and you are guided, and you are right where you need to be. My family, my improve it peeps. Again, if you could save this show, send it to somebody who needs it, and leave a review for us on iTunes. That is my ask. That is the resource I'm investing in today. Because y'all, we have so much to do. We have so much work to do on this show. I've got so many more resources for you, so many more guests that can help you. So if you can leave that review and know that I am so proud of you for clicking play on this episode today, for investing in yourself, for giving yourself this time, for giving yourself energy, for giving yourself the gift of your own presence. So you know what I'm gonna say? I want you to keep failing. Keep improving, because this world needs that very special that only you can bring. I'll see you next time. 

Erin (34:06): 

Hey, friend, did you enjoy today's show? If so, head on over to iTunes to rate and subscribe. So you never miss an episode. Now, did I mention that when you leave a five star review of the Improve It Podcast, an actual team of humans does a happy dance? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>? That's right. So leave a review for us on iTunes, screenshot it, and send me an email at info at Learn to improve it.com. I'll send you a personalized video back as a thank you. Thanks so much for listening. Improve It Peeps. I'll see you next Wednesday. 

 

Erin DiehlComment