Harnessing Your Voice: The Key to Authentic Leadership

Intro Announcer: 00:00:00

Your voice is your superpower. Use it. Welcome to Ignite My Voice Becoming unstoppable. Powered by Ignite Voice, Inc. The podcast where voice meets purpose and stories ignite change.

Deep conversations with amazing guests, storytellers, speakers and change makers.

Simone Grewal: 00:00:20

We all have bloopers. Every day in life. We have things that go wrong and it's okay. It's okay.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:00:26

These days, we're told to show up perfectly curated feeds, flawless images, polished words. But perfection doesn't connect people, vulnerability does.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:00:36

When you give yourself permission to be seen fully, you know, mistakes, bloopers, all of it. You're not just being real, you're empowering someone else to do the same.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:00:46

Simone Grewal is a seasoned broadcaster, writer and producer with over 20 years in the media industry as a radio and TV host.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:00:54

She's a program director, a host of the Relaxing Reads podcast, and she's a leader who brings empathy, intention and creativity to everything she touches.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:01:04

And beyond the titles, Simone is a mentor, an advocate for inclusivity, and a passionate voice for the South Asian community. She talks about when you speak from your truth, when you stop trying to keep up and start tuning in, you.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:01:18

Create something much deeper than content. You create connection. She talks openly about imperfection, judgment, imposter.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:01:26

Syndrome, and the messy beauty of pivoting. And her message is, you don't have to be perfect to be powerful. You just have to be honest.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:01:34

We're so excited to share this one on one with a woman who's rewriting the rules of what it means to lead, to live, and to show up fully. This is Simone Grual.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:01:45

So giving back is really empowering, isn't it?

Simone Grewal: 00:01:48

Yeah. And that's kind of what I strive to do now is because I didn't have that leadership for me.

So when I know there's people in the industry or there's women of color who are struggling with certain things, I try to guide them and I'll set up time to meet with them, have time to chat with them and just help them any way I can, just to kind of feel that confidence.

But I think that also comes from being open and being vulnerable and being your authentic self and saying, hey, I might be in a certain place in my life, in my career, but it doesn't mean things came easily. Right.

And so I'm sharing these stories or my struggles to help you understand that we all go through things, and I think as humans, if we can just share our truths, we're a little bit more relatable. And being vulnerable doesn't make you any Less like, if you people think you're. Nobody lives the perfect world.

In the perfect world, no one is perfect.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:02:41

They do on social media.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:02:42

Yeah. Instagram shows me perfect all the time, doesn't it?

Simone Grewal: 00:02:45

But now we're starting to lose that. People are starting to block out the people who come across as having it all together, and they're leaning a little bit more into relatable content.

Show me your everyday. Yeah. Show me the amazing things that happen in your life. But also, you don't have to go really deep.

I know some people want to be private, but you can share day to day or how you get to certain places. So I think we might see that world quickly end because it's keeping up with the Joneses.

And I think that's why the younger kids do struggle, but it's letting them know that stuff is not real and just, yeah, we're all going to go through our experiences. But yeah, I do like kind of giving back in that sense.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:03:24

And that's relatable, too. You use that word when you share and you're vulnerable and you give of yourself, that helps someone else.

And then they realize, well, I don't have to be perfect. Well, I don't have to be this certain way. I can take what Simone has said and use that and grow myself.

So you're empowering other people around you, and I think that's really important. That's what we're working to do with Upgrade in Progress and Ignite Voice Inc. Is to help people make a difference in the world.

And we all have that power, don't we?

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:04:02

Well, it's trying to uncover the authentic person within ourselves.

But like, we started the conversation, you know, a lot of the technology works against that, whether it's addictive, keeping our mind busy and the next dopamine hit. And like you said, we're trying to help people get a little mindful, be calm, quiet. But there could be a lot of fear in there, in that.

I have no idea. I panic when there isn't all the influences going on and there's quiet. I want to fill the space. I panic.

So, interestingly, there's that fear we have to help people overcome before they can uncover their authentic selves. Right.

Simone Grewal: 00:04:44

Yeah. I noticed that with my kids. We do limit screen time in video games and things like that, and they're so busy with their sports and school.

But there are times where, okay, you've had an hour of gaming time to turn it off, and they'll come into the living room and they'll be like, bored. And I say to them, it's okay to be bored. And they take a little bit of time.

They huff and puff because they want to be on screens, but 20 minutes later, they're either playing together or they're outside. They've gone and knocked on some doors. Now they're playing outside with their friends. So I think it's hard to get to that point.

But once you get there, it's a freeing feeling because now you're open to just what you want to do. So say you are online and you're scrolling, you're scrolling, but maybe you'll stop to find the newest viral recipe.

Okay, now put your phone down, go into your kitchen, make a recipe. You're still doing stuff. There's a busyness to it, but it's a different kind of busyness.

So I think you can't completely shut things off and just sit in silence. But there is a way to say, okay, I have to set these restrictions for myself. Because for the kids, I tell them, we're your parents.

It's our job to set these restrictions. But as adults, when we don't have a restriction that we really need to set on ourselves, it's up to us to say, yes, you do.

You need to set timers for your social media and for other things. You need to put on the do not disturb modes.

And it will feel scary because we are in a world where we're so connected and we get messages and we get information. But being able to have that time without that information is so nice.

Like, yesterday, I went and watched a movie, and we usually watch movies at home. But then there's the constant, I need more popcorn, I need drinks, and then I'll grab my phone and a message has come in.

And now I'm responding to my mom or something. But when I was in the movie theater, you don't have your phone on. I literally was so present, and I enjoyed that movie so much.

And I don't remember the last time I felt that way, watching a movie or a TV show, because there are distractions. But it just. It was a reminder to me that, okay, every day, it's a work in progress for all of us, that what is the limit? What is the restriction?

And when you get to that place, it feels good, but it's getting there is the hurdle.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:06:52

I want to go back to movie theaters like you said. I want to go back in a dark room and have no influence in just getting the story right.

Simone Grewal: 00:07:00

So that's all you're doing for two Hours.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:07:09

I like your story of you found bikes. Just get on a bike. Because I think about that too in terms of bringing alive all the senses, right?

That you smell outside the fresh cut grass right now in spring, you see that blue sky we haven't seen in three months, four months in Vancouver, there are little.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:07:31

Feel the wind on your face.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:07:33

It's a different kind of an influence, isn't it? It's a whole body experience.

Simone Grewal: 00:07:37

Yeah. And I think we don't experience that as much because you said, we're so distracted. And these are the things sometimes I learned from my kids.

So we were walking into a grocery store and he said, oh, look at that bird's nest in the O. There was a letter O. And I said, what? And he looked up and he noticed a bird had created a little nest in the store sign.

And these are things that I forget to look at or they'll say, oh, look at that. Look at all those blooms that are on that tree now. I'm like, wa. And I'm like, this is it. It's the stopping to smell the roses and experiencing it.

And then when you take that few seconds to oh, yeah, that is really nice. Why am I letting life pass me by? I feel like sometimes you live in such a rush.

Every day rolls into the next and it's just, you're on this hamster wheel, especially if you're really busy with your career, you have young children, you're just spiraling, spiraling. So at some point it's like, stop, stop the wheel and just look around. And sometimes we learn that from kids.

Sometimes we learn that now from our elders who have slowed and they really have the whole day to kind of soak in and talk about eagles soaring by their house and things like that. But, you know, those are really beautiful moments in life and they're not to be experienced through a phone.

Was it the aurora borealis we had last year sometime? And we went outside, my husband and I, it was late, it was later than I like to stay up.

But just looking at the, like, dancing sky, I was like, we don't do this. Why don't we do this? This is nice. We sit in front of a tv, we watch movies.

But, you know, it's bringing yourself, I think, to rem yourself that, hey, you have to slow down and experience the senses.

And that's going to bring out a whole other side of you and maybe make you feel more free, more creative, a certain type of way, as opposed to just checklist every day what's on the List. What do I have to do?

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:09:23

It's really grounding.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:09:25

It's being curious, isn't it? I got to be curious for what's new. And like you said to a little kid, everything's new. You know, to my.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:09:35

Hilarious.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:09:35

My 7 year old is always dad, why is so many questions. You gotta stop everything and go back to the beginning, right. And try to explain things. And it's beautiful.

Simone Grewal: 00:09:45

Yeah, the curious minds. You have to have curiosity.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:09:47

You sure do. And we tend to lose that as we age because we get so overwhelmed with all the things like we have to do. You said, you know, the checklist.

It just reminds me of, you know, mantra meditation. Waking up and having a mantra to set your mood for the day.

And keeping that in the back of your mind then keeps you purposeful and focused and present, you know. Do you use mindfulness mantras? Have you heard of that?

Simone Grewal: 00:10:18

I have heard of it. I do start my day with gratitude and I do kind of set an intention for the day. So I try to do that every morning. Just take that time.

I like to get up before the kids. Like this morning I got up early and then I did a little workout. And that's the thing. I'm a big fan of Mel Robbins these days.

So it's the whole get outside, look at some sunlight. And now that we're getting that better weather, go do a quick walk, get a little workout in.

And during that time, you can kind of think about, okay, what does my day look like today? And blocking. I follow this thing called the Eisenhower matrix. It's the four Ds. And it really has changed my life. And it can come into that.

So it breaks down to like, it's in my work life, my personal life, everything. So there's the do it. The things we have to do every day in our day, right? And we have a certain amount of things.

Like for me at work, it's do my show, do some music programming, and those are my do it nows. Then there's the designate it. So designate it to later if you can't get through all your things in a day.

So whether that is you wanted to get a workout in or you wanted to do something else, maybe tomorrow you have more of an open window. So let's designate that to tomorrow at a certain time. Then there's the delegate.

I think so many of us put so much on ourselves, but maybe somebody else can take a little something off our plate. If you have a full list, you can say to your partner, hey, can you actually book Those appointments or can you look into this?

Because I can't right now. And then the fourth one is just delete it.

If there's something weighing you down that doesn't need to be weighing you down, maybe it's a person or a thing or whatever it is, just cut it out, block that noise and move on.

So this is what my kind of like, I guess a mantra would be, because I do use it in different aspects, but it really helps me declutter my life and find a little more purpose in the things that I really want to do and find more meaning in and then just kind of delete the stuff I don't need.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:12:09

Actually, Simone, you just found a fifth D. Declutter.

Simone Grewal: 00:12:13

Declutter, yeah.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:12:14

Added another D in there. Even how we connect with others. So now I'm thinking about your role in the media and as a programmer, worrying about the audience.

The other thing that Kat and I talk about quite a bit to try to help people when they first get in front of the mic and camera is think one to one. But for a lot of people, that's a big leap is to really try and get a connection.

When you're on mic and there can be thousands of listening or whatever, it's the one person, right? It's the one friend you're trying to connect with. How do you help? Help your people understand that?

Simone Grewal: 00:12:55

Yeah, it's something that we learned here. And that's just it. If you create that person in your mind, so is it for us? For me, say it's like a woman in her mid-40s who.

It's in my demo and I'm speaking to that woman. What matters to her? What matters to her in her world. Right now, for me, I'm picturing this person and I'm talking to her.

For me, because I went to school at bcit and it's always kind of ingrained in me. It's been easy. So I try to tell people that. Come on. Often you hear podcasters and people online like, hey, you guys, hey, guys. And it's that world.

And I'm like, we cannot say hey, guys, because then you're losing people. You have to just when you're talking to someone, you're not saying, how you guys doing to that one person. You're saying, how are you?

Tell me about you. What matters to you? What's important to you? So I think it's very important to learn ways to connect one on one with people.

And that happens if you're truly present in the moment with someone. You can understand them. You're having a one on one conversation. So when you're getting behind the mic, the mic is the mic.

And same with people would be so afraid of a television camera because people would watch you do news hits and stuff, but really you're looking through the lens and I think you just have a different level of focus when you're in front of these mediums and you're just kind of, you just kind of go. And it can take time to train yourself to be that way. But I think you truly have to create that person for yourself.

And I think you have to really be comfortable with who you are. And when you're one on one with someone, you're not sometimes as afraid to be yourself.

But say you walk into a room at a party, you might not act how you normally act. And so that might hold you back.

If you're thinking about the bigger masses and who you're talking to, because you're thinking of this person over here, what are they going to think about what I'm saying? What does that person think? But there's no other people there.

Think about the one person that loves you, loves listening to you, thinks the world of you, and that is the person you're communicating with, you know, making them care about the content you are putting in front of them.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:14:56

Well, it makes you stop thinking about yourself too, doesn't it? Because that's where all the fear kicks in, right?

And you start thinking about how you're moving and you get all stiff and you forget who you are and how to smile.

You get all stressed and a lot of it is because you're thinking about yourself, because you're right, you're fearing judgment from so many people that you imagine you're talking to, right?

Simone Grewal: 00:15:18

Hmm. Judgment holds so many of us back.

And again, when I was younger, starting my career in broadcasting, I did feel judged by a lot of people and certain opportunities you get.

But as you get older and you start to understand what you're meant to be doing and it's okay, you don't have imposter syndrome because you're exactly where you need to be in life and you got to certain places a certain way and maybe it was using your voice and speaking up and finding those opportunities. But the judgment and the fear, if that's holding you back, it's a hurdle.

But just keep at it because it won't forever be a hurdle if you continue to work on yourself and you truly enjoy who you are as a person. If you know you're A good person, a kind person, and you're truly doing the work that matters. It will come across because you're being you.

You have to be you. You know, back when people wanted to be a certain way, you thought a TV host had to look a certain way.

I remember going out and buying so many blazers and thinking I had to really short hair when I was on tv. And that's not it. You look at people on television now, they're themselves, they might have long hair, they might have really cool fashion.

And same with radio. It was like, this is my news voice. It has to be a certain perfect, polished way. Or people had the radio voices and things.

But I think if you unmask all of that and just be like, hey, this is who I am, this is how I sound, this is how I speak, and this is what I'm about. You can't. I feel like if you're your true self, you're not going to go wrong.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:16:52

But we've worked hard, Simone, we worked hard for that wisdom, right? We're a little older, we're pretty grounded people here, I think.

But what would you do if you could go back and give some tips or hints to that 19 year old Simone who had some of these, all these worries and stuff. What would you tell her? How can you get her to realize this stuff faster? What's your magic tips for her?

Simone Grewal: 00:17:19

Well, I would say, okay, you obviously chose an industry which is very public. You're putting yourself here in this position to be, to be a broadcaster.

You are going to get judged, you are going to get into situations where you've said the right thing and the wrong thing. You need to focus on, this is the choice you make. Continue with the choice or find a different choice. That's it.

For me, it was like, this is the path I chose. This is what makes me truly happy. So stick with it and keep exploring options for me.

Your career and your timeline will pivot into different ways and if you're not happy, find the direction that's going to make you happy. But keep trying things, be open, open to opportunities. Don't say no.

So I would say certain things that I turned down in my past or maybe thought I was not ready for or didn't want to do. I would go back and say, just give it a try, give it a try. And if it doesn't work out for you, don't even really see it as failure.

It just wasn't for you. Some people want a certain thing in life. I remember people would say, after I Left television. It was like, oh, why did you leave tv?

It seemed like such a big deal. And I was like, because I'm passionate about radio. I like being around music.

I like the whole vibe of all the things we get to do in the radio industry. And that was for me. So I think younger me was always trying to think I needed to be a certain place or a certain way.

But once I just let go of those kind of restrictions on myself, it got easier. And I think you can always pivot, try something. I think just be open to try everything once that's my thing, just try it.

If it doesn't work out, pivot, do something else. Keep opening the doors and the doors will keep coming and you just gotta keep trying.

And if it's not going in your, then push yourself out of your comfort zone. And if you had a dream and there's something you want to do and there's things holding you back, think about how you can get through those hurdles.

And if that's something you can't do, then maybe that wasn't the right decision you made. And it's okay. You can change your decision. We can all change our minds.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:19:19

Ah, change more. Rigidity blocks everything, doesn't it?

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:19:22

It really.

I think people like people who are imperfect because that's where the uniqueness is, that's where the unusualness is, and that's where they can connect and relate. We're not the same, we're different. And so to celebrate who you are and all your differences makes you more beautiful.

Simone Grewal: 00:19:51

I think so. I mean, now I know before if you did something wrong at school or work, you kind of were really like upset with yourself.

And now I think, you know, in my day to day, if I've messed something up, I forgot to answer an email or I forgot to send something. Taking that accountability is freeing too. Saying, oh, sorry, my bad, I didn't reply to that. That was on me. I will figure that out today and get it.

And that again makes you human. People who can admit to their faults and their mistakes, it doesn't make you a bad person again.

We get caught up with different things, but if you take ownership, I think that gives you more power because you're saying, yeah, I forgot to do something I was supposed to do, but I'm going to correct that and I'm going to fix that. So it's ok. Be afraid. I've been with people along the journey. They'll lie because they're so afraid to get in trouble or make mistakes.

And you're Going to get in trouble, you're going to get mistakes. Makes it worse. Yeah, but you're better off just taking ownership. And if it's a constant pattern, it's about figuring out why that's happening.

And people need to be managed differently. Some people need to be micromanaged and given things to do or else they forget. Some people need to be left alone.

So I think it's figuring out the type of person you're around and how they are and making them feel okay, that if they made a mistake, it's okay. We're going to make so many mistakes in life. And the mistake I made 20 years ago, those are forgotten already.

But at that moment, it's the biggest thing in your world. But you get past them.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:21:18

You're talking about empathy. You're talking about having empathy for yourself, having empathy for others. And that makes the world a kinder place.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:21:27

And not being perfect, that's not human.

Simone Grewal: 00:21:31

No, exactly.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:21:33

Our imperfections are part of our personality.

Simone Grewal: 00:21:37

It's a beautiful thing when you say to someone, oh, life is amazing. Life is great. How are you? They're gonna say, oh, I'm good.

But when you walk into a soccer field and you see the soccer moms and you're like, oh, I just spilled coffee all over my lap. One mom's gonna say, oh, you should have saw what happened to me this morning.

And another one's gonna say, oh, I forgot to take my kid to the right field. And it's suddenly we're all admitting to these little silly things. But again, it's real, it's human.

And we're looking past showing up thinking we're perfect. We're talking about life, everyday happenings. And there's going to be good things, there's going to be bad things.

But I think the more you share with someone, it's going to give you that more of a connect is just being open.

And I think it's easy to say as a broadcaster and people in radio, we don't have a tough time starting conversations with people or always having things to talk about. You know, sometimes working on the listening, that's the challenge. But I think, yeah, to just truly be your authentic, honest self.

And you will be engaging.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:22:46

Don't we all do this? You take a shot on your phone, you take six shots because you know one of them is going to be much better than the other five.

You delete the five and post the one. Because you gotta look your best all the time. Right? And in all our posting, everything you see online is kind of that, isn't it?

What we've talked about today is totally opposite that we're fighting that desire to find the perfect picture and post only what's good in our lives.

Simone Grewal: 00:23:15

Yeah. And I think I've seen people do this where they say Instagram and things like that are a highlight reel.

So often people who are in, say, the world of influencing and that's their brand to look perfect. That's how they get their deals and make money. They often show their imperfections in their stories.

Those are the people that you can connect with because they say, okay, that might look perfect because it's me and my cute little photos and my family and this all dressed up for Easter or whatever. But in my stories is what I'm going to tell you, how we had to get that picture, the struggle to get there and do that.

So I think there's again, that honesty to that, because we're not perfect.

But if you're able to go back and say, here I'm being perfect, or I have a polished radio show, but in real life, some days I'm struggling with my words. My kids will say, mom, you just said the wrong thing. Can you talk? What's going on? I'm like, I can't talk anymore. I've talked too much.

I think coming back to that is you have to get away from those distractions and understand not everything you see or read about online is real. Do your research.

And if you're looking at content and it bothers you because it looks so perfect and you're not really finding a connect with that person you're following, unfollow them, mute them, block them. Because you really should be following people that make you feel good or strive to do better.

There might be someone you see online and you like their posts, you enjoy their content, you think, okay, I want to be a little bit more like them in terms of a success story or how they've shaped their career, and you can get ideas for yourself. But again, be you don't try to be someone else. You can't be, you can't be. But people try.

That's the whole thing, is they see things and they aspire to be a certain way. So I think you have to, like we talked about, it's blocking the noise.

And again, it's hard with young kids on social media because they don't really know what's real or not. We're a pretty good judge of seeing what's put out there, and we can pretty much figure it out.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:25:10

AI is making that a bit harder.

Simone Grewal: 00:25:12

AI Is making it very hard. But again, you have to fact check. You have to do your research and. And just do that one step further to kind of figure out what's real. Yeah.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:25:23

And what isn't. I was just going back to a comment that you both made earlier. It just brought up something to me. This is why people love blooper reels.

They love to see the stuff that happens in the background when everybody's trying to be perfect. Right. Makes me giggle.

Simone Grewal: 00:25:41

Yeah. We all have bloopers every day in life. We have things that go wrong.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:25:45

It's okay.

Simone Grewal: 00:25:46

It's okay.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:25:46

My life is a blooper. What are you talking about?

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:25:50

Our marriage is bloopers. But that's okay. I love that Simone reminds us to stop, feel, and really experience life through all the five senses. That's powerful.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:26:06

And when she spoke about gratitude, the four Ds and decluttering your life, it's not just productivity, it's purpose.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:26:14

There's so much gold in what she shared about choosing curiosity over fear, embracing our blooper reels and taking ownership instead of hiding behind perfection.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:26:25

Authenticity breaks through the noise. Your voice, just as it is, is enough. And when you use it to lift others, that's legacy.

Co-host Kat Stewart: 00:26:34

Become unstoppable. Your voice matters.

Co-host Kevin Ribble: 00:26:37

Join our movement@ignitemyvoice.com.