Dagmara Asbreuk (00:00.27)
Welcome to the Extraordinary Leadership Podcast. This is a place for you if you aspire extraordinary. Fueled with inspiration, meaningful conversations and valuable insights that are going to support your journey of becoming an extraordinary leader and making truly a difference in your organization and living a desired life. My name is Dagmar Asbrouk and I am your host in this show and I'm also a founder and CEO of Extraordinary Leadership. I'm bringing you exceptional leaders.
Change makers from different industries sharing their stories and above all, what made them more successful, impactful and happy. Also sharing my discoveries from navigating and leading 15 years in a corporate world, building my business and empowering senior and executive leaders to go to their next level with organizations and in their lives. I hope that you are excited and ready. So let us begin.
Welcome to another episode of Extraordinary Leadership Podcast. Today, I want to introduce you to Debbie Sluse, who is the CEO and founder of Dare to Declare, a company that is helping ambitious entrepreneurs to realize their dreams and desires and turn them into reality. Debbie has also been my coach. She is the lady that introduced me to the world of vision boards.
low attraction, she has helped me to expand my vision, make it more holistic. And above all, she also helped me to understand the transformative power of that vision boards that can definitely help you to faster realize your vision. And that is exactly what we want to talk about because vision is such an important piece of every leader. And when you know how to do it and how to use it, you're definitely going to be one of those extraordinary leaders on a forefront.
making the desired impact and living the life that you really want to have. And without further ado, I want to introduce the Debbie Sluis and welcome Debbie to the show. I'm so excited to be here. You are such a rock star and yeah, I'm just honored to be part of your podcast. Well, thank you very much. I'm also thrilled, you know, it has been awaited for some time and it's realizing it's a part of my vision boards running a podcast, right?
Dagmara Asbreuk (02:24.142)
sharing the voice and exposing change makers and external leaders like yourself. So Debbie, today podcast is dedicated to vision and vision boards. But before we dive into that important topic, let's get to know you. And I would love, you know, that you give backgrounds to listeners. Okay. So.
I've always been visionary. I didn't realize that, but it's even like in my high school days, that just felt natural to me. Like, Ooh, I have an idea. Let's make it happen. And so that's just been part of who I am since I was 15, 16 years old. I've always loved working. My dad was a minister. And so we lived off the church. And so that was always something that, you know, I did on Saturdays and
And then I went into a notorious, not well -paying profession within childcare. And I think that's a global thing. However, I love working with children. Then I became a leader. And so as a visionary, I really wanted to have the optimal environment for children to thrive. And that was really important that not only
were the children really happy, but also that my employees, because what I realized was I can have the most beautiful locations, I can have the best toys, the best of everything, but if the employees don't know their why and they don't have a vision for the reason that they've gone into the profession because it's not necessarily for the money, then it's going to be, it's going to fall apart. And that's where you see a lot of turnover in workplaces with childcare because
It's a lot of work. It's a very stressful occupation and very undervalued. So I really saw it as my role as the leader to infuse a sense of purpose and really create a beautiful workplace for my employees. And by the time I left, I'll be going two and a half years ago, we had a team of about 75. And we were voted actually 10 times, I think 10 years in a row is the best childcare within our organization.
Dagmara Asbreuk (04:43.181)
our area here in Ontario. And actually we were chosen by our province as one of the top seven to implement new way of being with children, which was play -based learning. And so we were one of the leaders in our province to do that. And what that did was it gave me an opportunity to start to share my story because it was so transformational, our culture of our childcare. That was so remarkable that I started to tell my story and do public speaking and that turned into workshops. And then I just knew that I was onto something.
but I also felt this inner nudge, like I meant for something bigger. And that's where I discovered vision boards, because as I said, it was something that was very natural to me already at a very young teenager age, but then also recognizing in terms of leadership, how can I support my employees? And I started focusing on where I was closest, like early child educators to discover their why and to create a bigger vision for their life. Beautiful.
So making an impact first in a child care, in education, right? And paving the way, creating that legacy and then having that, that not she mentioned, right? That not to, that you are meant for something bigger. Tell me more about that. What happened then? Well, for anyone that's listening, perhaps you've had this as well where you get an idea and it's scary and, and you think, well, that's crazy. You know, is that realistic? But it's this inner nudge and
The more research that I do, the more that I read and people that have stepped into something greater, they describe it as that, like an inner, it's like a push, a nudge. For me, I felt it in my bones. That's the only way I can describe it. It was like, almost like I didn't have a choice. I did, and I did decide to follow and we all have a choice, but it was like inner whisper, Deb, you're meant for something bigger, but I didn't know what it was.
And so I began to do the next thing. So just like one step. And so as I looked around to influencers and people that were up to big things, I noticed that they had professional photos, like to be, you know, for their profile pictures or for their business cards. So I thought, well, I don't know what I'm going to be doing, but I should probably just get ready. So I went and had a photo shoot.
Dagmara Asbreuk (07:10.157)
And it was a branding photo shoot. I went and had a branding photo shoot with outside of my own town to what was the best in my area. And I'm so glad that I did because that gave me the next step. And the next step was to take these photos that gave me this whole other image of myself that I was like, wow, look at that girl, who is she? And take those then to a marketing agency. And I didn't even know then yet what I was going to do.
but it gave me the courage to say to them, I have this inner nudge. I'm going to be doing something really big. I just don't know what it is yet. And I'm not quite sure where that courage came from to make that statement, but I felt it was my truth. And they were like, okay, well, let's start working on your brand. So they took my photos and they started to create a website for a career I didn't know what was going to be yet, if you can believe that. And...
Within a few weeks, vision boards came across my newsfeed. But also, it might have been there anyways, but I hadn't noticed it because I wasn't looking. But now that I was looking for what's next, the vision boards came in and then they kept coming up. And I thought that there's something here in terms of the visual that I just had these images, these branding photos taken. That's really my first vision board was the image of myself.
where I saw this bigger version, this woman that was making a bigger impact in the world. And I thought that's what I want to bring to other women. And so that's where the idea of creating a business out of vision boarding was conceived. And so I really trusted that inner knowing and my intuition. It's great that you follow that match, that inner voice that so many of us actually are surpassing.
when our logical mind takes over and want us to put it out, what are you thinking about yourself, right? Who are you here, right? I mean, come on, this is just another thought of your end. And I wanna acknowledge that you stayed focused and you went all in, you mentioned, and you were very curious in this process and that curiosity started to show you the path of, and kind of followed also your emotions when I hear, right? It was interesting.
Dagmara Asbreuk (09:33.197)
And even without knowing all the details of how you're going to realize here, tell us more about the Dale show before we dive into the vision boards for the listeners who don't know what there is. Well, the name also dare to declare it is a bit provocative. There is a sense of daring, like being, daring and really where it came from was daring, especially women to declare their truth. We need to give themselves permission.
to declare their truth. So daring to declare like, who am I? Who is this version of me? And more importantly, that future version of me, declaring her. It created a studio. So I actually have an in -person studio that's specifically built for vision boarding. And then I did go online because of COVID. So I actually started my company during COVID and I had a heart attack thinking that, how am I gonna do vision boards online? But that...
opened up a global platform. So it's truly what you decide to do with the events that you've been given. And I love this equation. So Jack Canfield co -wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul. He also was in this movie, The Secret, wrote the success principles and he gives this equation E plus R equals O. And you know, when I started my company during COVID, E, the big E was, you know, the big P, which was the pandemic. Like, what am I going to do?
And then the O was the outcome and a lot of businesses, you know, had to close and I could have just went back to my board of directors and said, give me my job back. Like, you know, I need to change my mind because I was two years into my business already, but then I decided to go all in and then the pandemic hit. And instead my response was curiosity, as you said, what's possible.
and I created an online workshop called a Power Word, which is a word for the year. And that little workshop, I had 65 people show up for Zoom and I created 10 paying clients and I thought, hmm, I'm onto something. And as I started to explore globally, vision boarding, I realized that Dare to Declare, which I'd only been doing in Ontario, Canada, was so unique that no one else was doing vision boards in this way.
Dagmara Asbreuk (11:52.877)
And I wouldn't have known that had I not taken it on a global platform. And then from there, I actually created an academy. And that's why Dagmara and I are connected in that I now train trainers. And I've created a legacy business where now, you know, if something were to happen to me, the Dare to Declare company and the philosophy and methodology still live on and carry on. And it's just been beautiful. I have 40 graduates so far in the last three years from five different countries.
Just remarkable how a single idea that nudge that I talked about now has produced this. It's like a seed that's germinated and grown into an oak tree. And I just can't wait to see what's next. Like it's just amazing. Yeah. Amazing because it is, it is an example of how you turned challenging situation and circumstance into an absolute opportunity that actually helps you to pivot and expand and globally.
with the business because that's what online possibilities and give rather than locally. Right. And another thing I'm noticing when I'm hearing you or listening to you is legacy. You see, you spoke about the legacy in your previous role in a childcare. And now you also creating your legacy. I see it's very important for you. This aspect of creating a legacy. Yeah. You know, you're giving me an aha here right on this call.
I because I just that pardon. I'm known for that. good. Good. Well, you just did it. So I just made, I just connected the dots. I'm adopted. And so when you said legacy is really important to you, I'm like, huh, I wonder if it has some connection to the fact that my ties were severed from my original biological family. And so creating a legacy.
within my own family, I have four children, is really powerful. So personally, that's really important to me. I got to have a conversation yesterday with three employees from my former organization. They've never met me. Like they know of me, because I was there for 30 years. So of course there's the talk. But when I listened to them speak about my former organization, with such pride to work there.
Dagmara Asbreuk (14:18.349)
and the culture of positivity, how children are put first, how they feel seen and heard in a sense of belonging, my heart just swelled with pride. I was so happy to know that the legacy, that the values, I created like the whole exercise of core values for organization with my board of directors and my employees. That was a year long exercise.
that those six core values are still upheld and respected and that even employees, I don't even know who they are, that they have and feel the same way and have that culture. Like there's, I can't put up, I can't even tell you how I'm right now. I'm, I'm emotional because it's just, it blows my mind and I'm so, it makes me so happy. Yeah. And that it's continuous, right? Despite you being there.
And, you know, I want to talk with you about the vision that we'll go to that in a minute, but I think it opened an opportunity to ask it. And, you know, curiosity question from my side for many leaders that will listen to that. Because you mentioned about the belonging that is such an important aspect in every company. This is basically what is forming the foundation of trust and, and enable collaboration. So what is maybe one.
two things that contributed to creating that space of belonging in this organization that you've been. Two things that come to mind and both intentional. The first actually was something I was not doing and it was brought to my attention by one of my supervisors. And it was when we expanded and we ended up with four locations. So I was sometimes running from location to location.
because I wanted to make sure that all the laws were being adhered to in terms of fire regulations and health and so forth. So I would just be looking at paperwork and not at my employees. And so one of my supervisors said, you know, when you go into a room, I think it would go a long way if you just addressed the employees by name. And so I made that a goal that every time I entered, I said good morning or whatever, and I would call them by name. And if I knew something,
Dagmara Asbreuk (16:33.965)
about them personally, I would say that, how was your daughter's wedding? Or, I'm so sorry that your dog passed away. Or anything that I could tie in. And that really shifted the culture and people felt seen. The other thing that I did was I implemented a mentorship program. And it was voluntary where I asked the employees, would you like to be, so current employees, would you like to be part of this mentorship program?
The only benefit is that you get to be a mentor, you know, and a leader, and we will pay for time for you to meet with a new employee. And so it was basically like having a buddy at work. And so it wasn't about discipline, accountability, any of that. It was more, it was all about the belonging so that when you walk into a staff, your first staff meeting and there's 50 pairs of eyes staring at you as the new girl,
that there's someone who waves their hand and says, I saved you a spot. And somebody that just checks in beside your boss and says, how's your week been? Have you found the parking okay? Are you getting lunches on time? Like just little things that slide, maybe fall between the cracks that are, but it's those small things that can chip away at the overall satisfaction. And I know as a director,
I am a visionary and I say big picture, but the devil can be in the details. And I actually really appreciated my daughters working for me at one point because they would be like, mom. I'm like, what? They're like, that's so old. That thing needs to be replaced. Like I didn't even, it wasn't even on my radar. I hadn't even thought about say the coffee machine and the staff room is, I mean, if somebody doesn't complain, then why replace it kind of thing.
you know, it's just, it's just really great to have a buddy. So, you know, it was, it was, a, a formal informal kind of program where it was intentional and it was endorsed by administration, but it had nothing to do with administration in terms of performance. It was strictly the whole ideal was the sense of belonging. Yeah. So how to make people feel welcomed and feel well.
Dagmara Asbreuk (18:52.781)
in especially the new environment and great idea on, you know, creating buddies for those that are new in your organization, such a thoughtful and intentional choice. Debbie, why business leaders should listen to our podcasts about vision boards?
Vision is really important for the corporation. So just like I said, I created the core values. So it's really important as an organization to have a vision and then share it with your employees so that everyone's working towards the same vision and you set goals. So, but that same framework is really critical for the individuals as well. So that it's their identity isn't
just wrapped up in them being an employee of the corporation. So I actually wore two hats in my role in that I was the leader, the director of the organization, but then I also led my employees through their own personal vision board. And by doing so, the message that was given to my employees was, you're more than a number here. We see you.
And we fully see you as in all the other roles that you have in life, in your relationships, in what you want to continue to learn about. Yes, professional and your career is part of that, but you are this whole person that there's all these other aspects. And when you, as an employer, see your employee in that way, holistically, that's truly where that sense of belonging comes in, that the person feels that they are,
cared for and that, you know, imagine where you don't have to silo that part of your life, like, okay, so I get cared for on the weekend. So then your employees aren't just, you know, waiting for the weekend to feel like they can have fun and be cared for. But what if they could have that and that the employer sets up that kind of culture already at work? And one of the ways to do that is by offering your employees
Dagmara Asbreuk (21:05.677)
a vision board experience. It's so progressive. It's just beautiful. And so if you want to think about self -care, think about a vision board. It's one of the highest forms of self -care where you're allowing your employees to have time to focus on, yes, their career, but all the other aspects of their life as well. Yeah, it's true. Actually, you reminded me really of...
of another idea of how important or how meaningful that could be for employees. Since I work mostly with leaders, but of course that's the next step into bringing that awareness, bringing that to their companies. And indeed it's actually is great connection with their, with belonging, with their appreciation, with the meaningful connection that what we look into, in the companies more of, right? Because we know that that nurtured a collaboration and business growth.
So thank you for actually mentioning also that part, how that connects with evaluating employees and why would that actually make sense also to bring to employees not only leaders. What would be the benefit for a leader to create that vision board? It supports you to get clarity and focus on what do I really want so that if you have a challenging day.
that you go back to your vision board and that helps you refocus on what is it that I want? Because the only things that are gonna be on your vision board are gonna be things that light you up, that raise that positive energy. It creates this beautiful positive emotion, this composite of positivity within you. So it's important for focus and clarity.
It's a beautiful tool to self -regulate. Maybe people have heard the idea of fight or flight, where if you have a challenging situation, you either go in fight mode or you turtle and you hide. A vision board will help you self -regulate. So if you think of your emotions like a house thermostat where you've got hot and cold and the thermostat continues to self -regulate.
Dagmara Asbreuk (23:25.677)
to regulate itself so that the temperature stays even. So here's a little example. I was at a retreat and the retreat host said, hostess said, here's a list, a scavenger hunt. And so we had to go find these things that are on the list and take photos of them. So something that was yellow and this is out in nature. So we had to go in out in nature. And I mean,
in Ontario right now, everything's pretty brown. Like spring has not come yet. We're just coming out of winter, so it's kind of wet and gray and brown. So something that's blue, something that's yellow, something that's not supposed to be there. And then one of the things I saw on there was find a heart. And I was like, in nature, like how am I going to find something that's not manufactured? But I just got really focused on this list. And I was like,
I like a challenge. So, Debra knows this about me. Like I'm like, okay, like how fast can I do this? And I'm gonna like check off everyone. Like, you know, I'm competing against myself, but against the others too, right? I'm like, you can do this. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. One after another. There's that, there's that, there's that. And there's a rock shaped like a heart. Boom. Had I not had the list, I would have walked right past it.
And so when you get clear on what you want, it manifests. It's right there in plain view, but we can get so busy with and distracted with everything else in our life that we don't actually see what it is that we want is right in front of us. That next opportunity, that person, that trip, that object, like, and that's how it manifests. I mean, I had that list done.
in record time and, and then I helped two other people find their hearts. there it is on the snow on the lake. there it is in the shape in the leaves. They're like, you're really good at this. I said, yes, I am. You sharpen the saw, you sharpen your, your focus ability, right? I think. So that's what a vision board does is it allows you to manifest into your life. What you want versus what you don't want, because we're all manifesting. Regardless, we are all manifesting all the time.
Dagmara Asbreuk (25:50.093)
Sometimes good things, sometimes things that we don't want. So when you get clear, like having a clear list, have those images, by the way, we process images 60 times more quickly than words, which is why we also want to have images that raise the emotion, because we can imagine ourselves in those pictures versus just having a written list. That's when you're going to manifest them into your life, because you've got intentional. It's like you're...
You're discovering your purpose with purpose, on purpose. Yeah. So what I'm hearing you saying is, you know, that the importance of clarity and focus, which is a great example, right? Helping us to see more of actually, and of course help us to take the right decisions. Usually when I had literally not so long to make all the conversation with one of my clients and he's
his findings from creating his vision and vision board. One of the first thing that for leaders comes is a clarity and focus what I really, really want because it's always a process connecting with your true self, right? And with your values and who you really are and what you really dream of. And it helps this decision taking. And the second is greatly the understanding, the interpretation of focus is also it helps you to see more of what you're looking for. So we...
We all have these biases, right? These different lenses, the different glasses we wear. And then where we actually are getting more clear is one of the way of getting more clear of what we want. We get more of that in our lives. So by naturally we're bringing, attracting more of that in our, in our leadership, in our life, in our business. So, and the third thing you mentioned is about pictures, which are one of the important aspects of transformative.
speeding up the whole manifestation and realizing we'll come back to that. But maybe before that, before the whole, you know, what we do with the vision board, let's just finalize, you know, what goes on this vision board. Why do we call it holistic? What is it all about? Well, I like to talk about seven areas that we have within our life. So we use seven different areas because otherwise, especially leaders, entrepreneurs,
Dagmara Asbreuk (28:12.941)
they may just get really focused on business. So I want to attract money and the business. However, like why are you in business? Like what is it that you really want? The freedom of time, the freedom of time to do what? to travel. So it's be like the business sometimes can actually be the how. Like, so because I want a life where like in my case, I get to work from anywhere. I just spent
you know, two weeks in the Caribbean and I'm still serving my clients. You know, I'm working an hour, maybe max two hours a day. And then the rest of the time I'm on the beach, you know? So when you have the picture, the image of the beach versus being in a cubicle, that's what raises the vibration that yes, this is what I really desire. So the seven areas, the one is leisure. As I said, it's travel.
Now people that I noticed that are very stressed, who've just been, you know, for periods of time have just been under so much pressure. When I say to them, what do you want? They'll say travel. Like they just want to get out of wherever they are and just travel. But I would say, okay, so travel to where? Do you want to travel by plane? Do you want to travel by boat? Do you want to travel by, you know, airplane? Do you want to take road trips with your car? Like what's your mode of transportation?
Then from there, like, do you want to be cold or warm or do you want to see history or like, it just starts to, it's like a pot, like it just starts to percolate and to stir up the imagination. The next one is education. So what would you like to learn about? That one can often sort of slide off the radar, but this, you know, if we're not growing, we're dying. And the way that we grow is by continuing to learn.
And then I know there's studies with seniors as well, like when their brains continue to be active with, whether that be puzzles or like it lengthens their life. So what is it that you wanna learn about? Is it a new language? Is it to play an instrument? Is to learn to grow your own food? Another one is spiritual. And sometimes people get that mixed up with religion and I don't mean it in that aspect. Although it can be, I had some people are like, I wanna go back to church. It's really important to me. I wanna sing in the choir.
Dagmara Asbreuk (30:36.813)
rate. But however, it could just be, I want to express more gratitude. I want to wake up with a sense of peace and gratitude. So what are the practices around meditation or prayer that you want to include in your life? Professional as we described that one. Now it can be the conventional professional career, but I also want you to consider volunteering. So where do you want to give back? And I work with a lot of people, especially women that are in this second
like I am, encore. So what does retirement look like? And having that sense of accomplishment, like you said, legacy is really important to me that I want, and many women as well, they want to have a sense of purpose and accomplishment and the satisfaction. And that can be accomplished in volunteering as well. And then the other is financial. So where do you want to give back? But also what does that look like to have a healthy bank account?
and savings and investments. Although I would discourage you from putting money on your board for a couple of reasons. Money, I think most people have some hangups with money. So it's usually it triggers something that's not positive. And the other is it can also trigger the getting versus the giving and it's also the how. So it's more of a goal versus vision. Whereas vision is big thinking.
Whereas money is more of in the present, which is more of a goal. And then personal. So what do you want for your mental health, your physical health? It's more about how do you want to feel when you're at your optimal weight or when you are working out like that increased energy and the sense of feeling sexy, feeling confident. And then the last is relationships. And so those can be relationships with extended family, with the spouse, a partner.
And also to yourself having that self love so all seven of those areas I would I encourage my clients to have images that represent that so it's truly this full beautiful life That is who we are. We aren't siloed You know, we do wear different hats, but if we truly are have all of that within us and so to celebrate that to create intention like that list to manifest that
Dagmara Asbreuk (33:01.837)
Because how we do something somewhere is how we do it everywhere. Hmm. Absolutely. And yeah, I think listening to you, this holistic aspect is important because as you mentioned, we are, yeah, same human beings just in different roles. So first of all, we want to, when we lead in a leader in organization, lead a team, lead organization, it's such in such role, you also, we want to be authentic. You want to act in alignment with.
who you truly are with what's your values, who you want to be as a leader as well. So, and that question cannot be answered only from perspective of looking at the business. I noticed that quite a lot of leaders that I have, you know, facilitating, creating a vision and vision board with, they are expanding their picture and taking time to reflect of what they really want because this is the moment where we slow down.
And where we start to actually ask ourselves these questions. Otherwise we just running very fast through life and are in execution mode in the doing mode. So it's also this aspect of reconnecting with not only what we want, but who we want to become is the process of seeing your own evolution of who you are becoming as a human being. And how do you show up in those different areas that you mentioned in your life that is so, so important. And.
And you also mentioned the importance of feelings, right? So all that I've heard you saying is about feelings. So why is that so important that our vision evokes feelings, Debbie?
Well, if you think many people think about a vision board as a someday. So, and even in setting goals, like I'm just going to put that off in the future and somehow it's going to happen. And let's go back to that equation about E plus R equals O. So the R is our response, which is our responsibility. And if we simply make decisions from the head, then we're not actually
Dagmara Asbreuk (35:14.477)
connecting into the subconscious, which is the driver for most of our decisions, which has to do with our values. And so emotion connects into the subconscious. And we only change our mind in two ways. One with emotional impact, like let's say a death or loss of a job or something like that, where it just completely wakes you up or repetition of thought. And so emotion also, but also these thoughts,
It's a choice that are. And so an example is when I was telling you, I went down south, we left early in the morning to go to the airport like 6 a and we drove my husband's truck. He was driving. And as we back out, I can feel myself get into the mode of vacation, Deb. Like she is like ready to have fun and relax. I'm still in Ontario, Canada. I'm still just backing out of my driveway.
but I'm already in vacation mode. Why? Because I have a vision for what's gonna be happening in about eight hours. I'm gonna have my toes in the sand, my bum in the chair, my toes in the water in the sand, drink in my hand, and I'm on vacation depth. But that's not my reality yet. I'm still in my driveway. I haven't even traveled the hour to the airport yet. I haven't even gotten through security. I'm not there, but I'm already deciding
that that's how I want to feel, that I'm on vacation. It's a decision. And so that's what a vision board will support you to do as well, is that you look at the images of who is that future version of me, that best version of me, say five, 10 years out, the one that's really successful, the one that's taking vacations regularly, the one who's having a fantastic relationship with a partner.
And you decide to embody that now. So you're not waiting for that, but that is truly an emotional response that you feel it within your body, but you're using head and heart. It's a choice. Does that make sense? Absolutely. And yes, I see that there are kind of two components to this emotion, because one is you mentioned that before is this every picture that you have there, you want that it evokes.
Dagmara Asbreuk (37:37.101)
positive emotions, right? Inspiration, passion, whatever it is for you. And by that, I find always the magic in a vision board as a tool itself already, because it helps you to put yourself in that state, the state of being that you want to be. It helps us to elevate the state to higher vibration, to a positive energy that we can then give to others. So we can first awaken that in ourselves. And that's how I always find fascinating that, you know,
When we look at it and we connect emotionally with that pictures on that selected pictures on this vision board, it also helps us to elevate the state that you talk about before. And yes, the second is this helping tool for your decision making, right? Is already envisioning that you're being there. And this brings this intentionality when we, for example, go into meetings, business meetings, different types of meetings, why not to bring that version of yourself and
what, how you want to show up, how does person showing up and what is there, how does this person feeling in this meeting? That's what I actually do. depending on a conversation type, I put myself in a different state that I want to be to serve best that person that I'm having a conversation with. And again, I'm using some parts of my vision board or whole depending on a situation in order to evoke that as well. And I think it will be important also to elaborate on the aspect of neuroscience.
not so long time ago, an article, thriving business owners are using vision boards, right? And I was with curiosity opening that knowing that, yes, it's correct. It's true. I'm living that. But what are they talking about? And they mentioned the suspect of neuroscience. Tell us more about that, Deb. What is this neuroscientific part in vision boards? Yes. So the science behind it, and if you want to
research more Dr. Joe Dispenza, he really dives deep into that. It has to do with the, that it changes your brain. What we know now is with focused attention, the brain can actually regrow leafy type branches. And so if we apply that to the same idea of the focus that we were talking about, that with repetition of thought, like I was saying earlier, you can create super highways within your brain.
Dagmara Asbreuk (40:01.261)
And so if you think of like a grassy field, I always use this example. If you think of like a grassy field and your brain and all the nerves and pathways are like grass, if you walk through that one time, that field, the grass is just gonna close back up and you won't see where you've walked. But if you repeat that for 30 consecutive days, you're going to see the path that you've been walking. An example that I had, this is going back in,
October 2022 was that my desire was that I wanted to be able to travel and offer vision boards live. So I'd only be able to do them, as I said earlier, globally, but online. And I had only been able to do them in person within my own geographical area because I was driving physical magazines, you know, using my husband's pickup truck or the back of my car. And I really want
wanted to be able to offer luxury retreats abroad with, and then I decided in order to do that, be my own magazine so that I could then also combine and create a magazine based on my clients, what I see as common, I don't mean common as in common peasant kind of thing, but as in something that is repeated that I'm seeing that people desire in their life. Well, I declared that actually out loud at a retreat October
second 2022. And I won't, there's more details to the story because I actually resisted what the universe was sending me. But five weeks later, I was on an airplane with 12 of my own magazines I had created, that are such professional qualities. Anyone that can see right now, you can see this is, I mean, it's just beautiful. And I was serving 12 powerhouse women in Cape Cod at one of the most prestigious resorts on the coast.
And it took five weeks to manifest. And then to further that, I actually then kept following just like I've been doing all along since the very conception of my company. I again had a connection with the Canfield Group and I went and did a luxury retreat, which as you said, I now I'm working with Erin Saxton to do a business program. So I got to meet her, but then the Canfield Group was so impressed with my magazine. They actually used it.
Dagmara Asbreuk (42:26.829)
October, 2023, to offer vision boards within the Canfield training in California. And what's so remarkable to me is that when I reflect back on that, I'm like, that was just an idea. It was something that I declared out loud, dared to declare. And then not only did it become a reality, it exceeded what I even imagined it would be. And that's what's so beautiful about manifestation is because I believe like,
What's received is from the divine. It's from the infinite supply. Well, I don't have infinite supply right here, right? Like that I can actually physically touch things have a limit, but what's received is from the infinite supply from the divine, which means it's always going to be bigger and better. And it's just, it always gives me goosebumps. Amazing. So how many weeks you said it took you from the, you mentioned this two success stories actually with how vision turned into reality. How many weeks did you say it took you?
from declaring that you want to retreat? Five weeks. So I had been asked already prior to the retreat when I declared it, I've been asked to do this other retreat and I said no. And I actually said no three times to this client. and I just, because I just felt like it wasn't right. And I had another commitment that I had paid money for and I was just hanging on really tight to that. And so when I declared it and then I had a mastermind,
And they said, Deborah, you crazy? Why are you saying no to this woman to do this retreat? Like you've been, you just said you want to do retreats abroad. I'm like, and you said you want to do luxury. And I was like, you're right. It's right in front of me. And I couldn't even see it. And so then I got really afraid because I was like, okay, so I just said, yes, to do this, how am I going to create a magazine? And I thought it must be challenging. It must be difficult. So I reached out to someone that I had been featured on their magazine and I said, she's in Australia.
And I said, how hard is this? She's like, I can teach you. And so, and she did. And I had it created and published along with my, my really awesome assistant and we had them printed. So I had physical copies and I was flying. It took five weeks. So that was October 2nd and the retreat was November the 5th, 2022. Yeah. And for everybody that is creating the retreats, usually take months until you basically put up everything together with marketing, get a client. So yeah, it's a fantastic speedy.
Dagmara Asbreuk (44:53.101)
And that's, it's a great example of what is it all about, right? It's about getting clear. It's about connecting with who is that bigger version of yourself that you want so much to become and you deserve it. And, and then it's, it's turning that in pictures because that's what evokes your emotions that we've spoken about. It does change the.
composition in your brain when you connect with it on a regular basis by repetition, by immersing yourself with these emotions, by choosing actions that are also in alignment. And I think the final piece that you just mentioned is this magic that is about letting this vision to guide you to some extent. And this is where I noticed a lot of leaders have biggest challenge and personally also had a
part of, you know, how do I incorporate now this mindset to the standard traditional way of planning, executing and making goals, da da da. How do I marry that? Because that can be actually a challenging aspect to let go, to let yourself be guided, to lead in on this vision. And as you said, it's always going to be bigger than what you thought, or at least as what you thought it will.
Probably look different than what you had your logical mind had in mind, but it's not your logical mind that created the vision, but it's your soul, right? This or highest potential. So the question I have for you, Debbie, is how leaders can let themselves be guided by the vision so that they can truly realize it even in a better shape and form than I thought. Cause that's usually what I noticed the challenge, the challenge of letting go and be guided.
I love these three words, ask, believe, and receive. Now ask and receive our cousins, because I think we all have a challenge to ask for what we really want. But then on the opposite end, we also have a challenge to receive, just like I did, like here, you know, I was being sent this retreat and I was like, no, thanks, you know?
Dagmara Asbreuk (47:12.749)
either of those are just a muscle that needs to be worked and that we just need to start asking for more things within our daily routine. Ask for someone to bring you a drink of water, ask for someone to hold open the door for you. Just get out of being so independent and asking. And then also when someone offers you a ride, a coffee to receive it graciously and not judge yourself, that's the other key.
What's sandwiched between those two is belief. And I think that's what you're really talking about is that, do I believe? How do I strengthen that belief? And that includes trust, trusting that everything is for my good. And I think one of the ways that you can do that is go back and take some inventory as I did even at age 16. What are things that you've been manifesting that have
worked out for you that you're like, I don't know how that worked out or, my goodness, like, how did I get through that? Or, and start to look at, I did this and then this happened and these amazing things have happened. So that's one thing is to look back at your past and take inventory of all the amazing things. And then that makes me think about gratitude and that gratitude is a choice. And so when you wake up in the morning, what's your first
feeling. Can you decide it's going to be gratitude? Can you have radical gratitude? That's truly belief where it's not just about the past, like I'm grateful for all these things that have come into my life, my children, this career, you know, the vacations we just took, but can you be grateful for a day that lies ahead that you don't know what's coming? Can you be
truly thankful and know that all things will work out and all things are for your good. That's radical gratitude. And when you are in that state, that's when miracles happen. And so it's truly a great thing. I love that. Yeah. And welcoming. Yeah. I can speak about myself. So including welcoming those challenges and being grateful that they show up because
Dagmara Asbreuk (49:40.045)
They are always for us and never to us, isn't it? Right? So that's again, requiring leaders to shift the mindset into seeing those challenges, opportunities and being grateful. And I think very important, what you mentioned is to believe. The trust. And I found that that's a whole different conversation because that's really part of realizing a vision is embracing yourself, trust, right? Self -belief, shifting many different.
limiting beliefs in our subconscious mind. That's another part. That's another conversation that maybe we need to have. But yes, definitely important into into bringing that letting go and letting yourself be guided. I think one of the recent thing in my journey is knowing that that vision comes from your highest potential and is from you being able to connect with the divine.
with a universe with God, whatever you are actually believing right in. And just knowing that gives you some sense of peace. That vision is, is, carrying much more higher potential. So trusting it is actually knowing that it comes from something bigger than yourself. So Debbie, we walk through what is the vision board, what division but contains what is important in, in, in, in realizing it. You just mentioned about the gratitude.
affirmations, choices, decisions that you take in alignment. Is there anything else that you would like to add for listeners to get fully excited about doing finally their vision boards, which is going to expand, you know, who they really are and the impact and success they can create in life and in business? Well, it's simple. What we think about comes about. And so
It's about getting intentional about what do I want to think about? And so putting that in images that you get really, and I'm gonna use this word obsessed. I love the word obsessed. That you get obsessed about this beautiful life that's yours. Also knowing that it's not a one and done. And so, is you're gonna want to do them at least every 12 to 18 months.
Dagmara Asbreuk (52:00.141)
And your vision is going to, it's like a moving target. It's going to continue as you said, Degmar, like it's going to continue to expand because we don't know what we don't know that's in our blind spot right now, that infinite supply. You don't even know what is possible for that next level until you have reached this level. And then it's like, well, what's next. And so dissatisfaction is.
the birthplace of ingenuity and that's from Bob Proctor. And so sometimes dissatisfaction gets a bad rap. But that's truly what the vision board is, is like, I am dissatisfied, not ungrateful, dissatisfied with the status quo. And I'm going to continue to grow. And that's what I'm committed to. And that's where, as you said, curiosity, creativity, and then you get to design.
design your life. Yeah, I think what I like the most is that what you highlighted is this hungriness for more while being grateful for what you have because we can't build on something bigger when we dissatisfied and always like judging, criticizing or not having feeling enough. That's where we're going to project is an attractor is more not enough. And yes, absolutely.
Honored with you. I absolutely love to expand my vision and I can just see going back. And that's the beauty again of the vision board. You can see it, right? Because it's tangible. You can see how your pictures are shaped and how much, even this year, my husband told me, wow, this vision board express much more emotions than before. And it's like punchy. So I can, you know, I can get even a feedback from some other person close to me. Yes, definitely. I love this whole aspect into, into helping you as a leader to
lead to lead first of all, in alignment with who you are, with what your dreams, with what's your potential and to make a bigger impact. Because as you mentioned, when we expand our vision of who we can become, we naturally serve better and we increase our impact, which in leadership is such an important aspect. So Debbie, I really enjoyed the conversation. I have a feeling that we could go on and go on on this topic. We're both passionate about that, right? So wrapping up.
Dagmara Asbreuk (54:22.605)
What is maybe the last message or invitation that you would like to, that you have for leaders listening to this show? Well, I think that many people think about a vision board in these three words. They think of have, do and be. And what do I want to have? You know, building the wealth, get the big boat, get the big house, get, you know, lots of money in my business. Well, what do I need to do to have that stuff? I got to hustle. This is kind of, at least in North America, this is
This is the way society is and work long hours, get to it, and then you're gonna have lots of stuff. And then someday I'll be happy. And so what we've been talking about here today is it's flipped on its head. And this is truly the secret of a happy life is that it begins with your being. Who do you get to decide to be? And a vision board will support you with that. So who do you get to be?
Then what do you get to do, which are the goals that break those down into small steps. And then the have, as we spoke about, that will arrive and be aware, be wide, eyes wide open, because it may come in a different form, because it may become bigger and better than you imagined. So you might want to share your vision with someone else that they could help you, just like I did with my mastermind, see what's being received and what's being sent by the universe. So B, do have.
That's what I'll leave that with you. Yeah. And that's a perfect, perfect summary of a completely, completely shifting, right? I love it. So thank you very much, Deb. How people can connect with you. My website is the easiest. So you can either get to it through my name, which is debbislues .com or through dare the number two declare.
And there's information there about the program, the certification that Dagmara has as well. Yeah. A variety of other valuable information and tools. Cool. Thank you very much, Debbie, for, you know, sharing with us all the wisdom about how to create a powerful vision board, how to understand its power and help or fast track actual realization of your vision and be
Dagmara Asbreuk (56:42.957)
do you have, I think that's really what we are going to close that with. And that's also my invitation to leaders listening, invitation also to step up and expand from within by starting with your vision, isn't it? Thank you very much, Debbie, joining us today from Toronto, me in Dubai. I really enjoyed this conversation and see you soon. My pleasure. Bye. I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Debbie and unpacking the power of the vision and
vision boards itself. And if you want to create your vision and put it in a tangible form, then I have two key information for you. Number one, 10th of September this year, I am reopening the doors for the most transformative signature program in my, in Extraordinary Leadership, which is called Transform From Within and embody the extraordinary leader. And as part of this well -rounded program, which focused on inner and outer game,
are and is holistic. You are getting an access to a fully digitalized program that is literally walking you every step on the way to connect with your authentic sense, discover who you really are at the core, tap to your untapped power and potential and craft that holistic vision of who you want to evolve to and what impact you want to make holistically. This is one of the most powerful way you can be supported into
creating or expanding your vision as well as executing it with far more ease, rewiring yourself from inside and getting those fantastic transformational tools that you need as a leader. So that's option number one. Number two, if you feel not ready yet to embark on this transformative journey that I so much want to inspire you to consider, then I have good news for you.
It's summer, it's time to reconnect with ourselves, it's time to slow down, to rejuvenate and to come back inspired. And this is a great time to connect with yourself and to tap to your essence, to your true self and paint that vision of holistic life and leadership. Paint that vision for yourself. And so with this in mind, I am releasing a summer offer.
Dagmara Asbreuk (59:05.869)
of this digitalized program that is called tap into your powerful self and craft your vision, which is also incorporated in this one year journey. As I talked about, this is one of the miles, one of the stepping stones that you need on this longer journey. And so you can grab it now at a summer offer for yourself. This is a limited offer. It's the time to do it because if not now, then when? Create your desired destination.
and North Star for yourself in your business, in your organization, in your leadership and in your life. So go ahead and visit my website www .theexternalleadership .com where you will find all this information literally on the first page. Both of these programs are visible there, accessible there to register. If you have any questions, please reach out to me and let yourself expand and step into a bigger version of yourself that makes truly
a positive and significant impact and thrive in all areas in life and transform the organization to the next level. Subscribe to this channel of the podcast, share it with others who needs to hear that message today and see you next time.
Dagmara Asbreuk (01:00:25.581)
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