Finding Clarity Through To-Do Lists, Imposter Syndrome, And Heavy Metal–Interview With Nicole Dupuis

In this interview, we speak to 37-year-old Nicole Dupuis, a Productivity & Leadership Coach who has a passion for supporting successful leaders and solopreneurs, while truly keeping it real.

Nicole Dupuis, Productivity & Leadership Coach

So, Nicole, tell us about yourself? I grew up in New Hampshire and moved to New York to go to college. I studied Philosophy so I am excellent at overthinking haha! I have lived in New York ever since; first Manhattan, then Brooklyn, and now Westchester. I have been a coach, on and off, in my career, for about 9 years now. It was always something I enjoyed but didn’t realize it. Mostly because it was always part of my role, along with a lot of other responsibilities. I couldn’t give it my full attention. Then when I did, I understood how much I enjoyed it. When I am not coaching, I love yoga (I am a certified yoga instructor), baking (nothing healthy, I promise), watching horror movies, and listening to heavy metal music.

Wait... heavy metal music? How does that play out in your coaching? I have loved hard rock and metal since middle school. It was a phase that I never grew out of, I guess. I don’t bring up heavy metal a lot in my coaching but I do find the metal genre more empowering, motivating, and supportive than other music genres. I listen to other types of music and the themes are about lost love or pining for someone or partying at a club; that doesn’t resonate with me. I go to bed at nine! I am not partying at any club. Metal focuses on the power within. The themes are more about finding your true self, overcoming obstacles, dealing with tough situations, feeling strong and confident. That is what I need to hear, and most of my clients do too!

You are a Productivity and Leadership Coach. When people hear that, what do they think? People get the leadership part, but the productivity piece gets varied responses. Some people think I sell products, others think I focus on spreadsheets and to-do lists. People think I am going to analyze their calendar and pick apart how much time they set aside for this or that.

And sure, I do love to-do lists and being organized, but Productivity Coaching is about stepping back and asking, “what is working?” and “what’s not working?” Maybe someone’s calendar

looks like a crazy hectic mess, but if it works for them and they feel successful, I am not looking to change that. Productivity Coaching is about getting the client to feel as motivated, driven, and efficient as possible during the hours they need to be, so they can feel purposeful in their work and enjoy their hours when they are NOT working. It is all about having processes that support their success; processes for decision-making, delegating, prioritization, strategizing, planning ahead, and communication.

You're 37 and you’ve never been a CEO or C-Suite Executive so why would someone hire you as their Leadership Coach? That is a great question! First, I am a CEO and Founder of my current business so though it is dissimilar from a lot of C-Suite roles of clients that I work with, it has similar obstacles and roadblocks that we all have to face and overcome. Second, I have been on leadership teams in different facets so I have seen how teams work together (or don’t, for that matter) and what has effectively kept a team successfully hitting goals versus a team struggling and finding misalignment. Third, I am lucky to have the opportunity to coach many leaders who are higher up in the ranks so to speak, than I ever was. I learn from them, just as they learn from me. I can help them work through how to give an effective performance review, but I get to learn from them what their concerns are in having those discussions, what their thought process is like, how stress and imposter syndrome show up for them. Lastly, I may not have the experience, the hours, the expertise in outlining a budget or knowing what the best KPI is for a team member, but I do have the experience, hours and expertise in listening, in asking the best questions, in supporting a client in coming to a confident decision, in outlining a strategy and keeping aligned with a vision. That is what I bring to the table. What are the biggest misconceptions about coaching and coaches themselves? A HUGE misconception about coaches is that we have our sh*t together. We don’t. We have the same problems as you, we get stressed like you, we go to therapy like you, we have relationship problems like you, we get frustrated at our job like you. We don't have all the answers but we focus our expertise on asking the right questions, problem-solving, and creating a safe space. A misconception about coaching is it is for people who are struggling, worried about keeping their job, or in danger of being fired. Coaches tend to be hired by super successful folks. People who hire coaches know they cannot figure it all out alone. They know there are always ways to improve, to grow, to be more in touch with their best selves and they want a professional to help them do that.

What is one thing I can do to be more productive, right now? That’s a hard one because it is different for everyone but I would say be clear on your priorities. If everything is tied for first, then nothing is first. If you can look at what you need to get done today and highlight the three things that are most important, you can revolve your schedule around getting to those three things first. Everything else comes second. I would also say to start a morning routine. How you start your day sets the tone for all the things that come your way. Starting your day with things that energize you, motivate you, put you in control, are going to set you up for success. It can be as shortas a five-minute meditation or reading a novel for ten minutes.

What is one thing I can do to be a better leader, right now? Ask. More. Questions! Leaders tell more than they ask and strong leaders know the importance of getting everyone’s perspective. Strong leaders know that they don’t need to prove they have all the answers. Asking other people to come up with ideas, to share their concerns, their stressors, their goals, empowers them. And leadership is all about empowering others as leaders. So, let’s say you have a weekly check-in with your team member, this week, ask them, “What would be the best way for us to use this time together?”

Why is your company named Find Clarity Here? On one of my birthdays, it was a regular work day so to celebrate, I went into the city (I worked in Midtown Manhattan) early to take myself out for breakfast. It was a “treat yourself” moment where I was sitting by myself, celebrating myself. I brought an excerpt from a book, Traction by Gino Wickman which had been recommended by my boss. The word “clarity” came up A LOT and I had one of those a-ha moments reading through the pages. It is all about clarity. When we don’t have clarity, that is where we get stuck. Clarity is imperative to finding success, to having constructive conversations, to thinking strategically, to moving up professionally. I knew clarity was going to have a big part in my coaching but at the time, starting my own coaching practice wasn’t on the radar. A year or so later when it was, I knew clarity had to be in the name. Now, anytime someone says the word, I do a little dance in my head. What is your favorite part about coaching? Coaching sessions are like doing a puzzle. When we sit down for a session, the client dumps the pieces out on the table and we spend the time trying to sort them out and put them together in the right way to create the image on the box. I love working together on finishing that puzzle. I feel useful and inspired when my clients discover things about themselves, find solutions they feel good about, and feel a little more equipped to handle what they have coming their way. What is the most common obstacle your clients face? Confidence comes up a lot. Whether it is the confidence to speak up in a meeting, to ask their boss for more money, or even just to show up in the role they recently got hired in, confidence is hard to hold onto. We have a negativity bias where we can focus much more easily on what we

didn’t do, what we failed at or what we are struggling with. And our negative self-talk will just keep chatting away. A lot of the work we do in coaching is how to handle the negative voice we have. It isn’t going anywhere so how do we live with it? How do we talk back to it? How do you stay motivated and inspired? I seek motivation out daily. I make sure I am surrounded by people who are doing amazing things and who I can learn from. My parents and my husband motivate me to be the best I can be and to make them proud. I read a lot of non-fiction to get my creative juices flowing and get those sparks of energy. I am always working with a coach, or a therapist, or taking a workshop, or a class. As I write this, I am working with a mentor coach, a writing coach and I just completed a 4-day workshop on trauma. I never want to stop learning. I also write a lot which inspires me. I am working on a book of my own right now and starting the day off with writing for even just ten minutes puts a little spring in my step. What is your greatest achievement in your career? This is a hard question to answer because I struggle with imposter syndrome too! So to think of an achievement doesn’t come easy. I would say leaving corporate and starting my own coaching business. I hear people say this a lot but I can’t stress this enough; if you had told me five years ago I would be a business owner, coaching clients up to the CEO level, I would have laughed in your face. It’s really true. People think coaches and therapists and other mental health professionals always knew deep in their soul, their purpose and were driven by helping others. This is not true. Some of us took a while to figure out what we were even supposed to be doing with our lives. What do we want to be when we grow up? Who do you love working with? I love working with rising leaders who have been put in a role and feel like they are in a sink-or-swim situation. Companies don’t always have the resources, staff, time, or financial means to provide thorough support and training for their newly appointed, or consistently growing leaders. I enjoy working with these leaders in all industries but I have found a niche in the technology and software industries. I also love working with solopreneurs in more creative sectors such as graphic design, digital media, and marketing. Honestly, I enjoy working with people who are successful and are open to new ways of getting even more successful. They see their own potential and want to capitalize on it and see coaching as one of many ways of doing that.

And as a metal head, can you leave us with an inspirational heavy metal lyric? Absolutely! There are so many but I will leave you with a concise one from the song “The Light” by Disturbed; “Sometimes darkness can show you the light.” Interested in hearing more from Nicole or possibly working with her? check out her website, or connect with her on Instagram or LinkedIn.

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