Welcome to Connect Inspire Create: The Mindset & Business Coaching Podcast. I'm Carol Clegg, your host and Progress and Accountability coach for women business owners.
Listen to conversations that delve into taking action, business and life coaching, creativity, and different ways to foster a positive mindset. Whether you're a woman solopreneur navigating midlife, seeking to overcome procrastination, or striving for balance in your business, you'll find an episode or two on this show that will be insightful and motivating. That's the plan!
Let's embark on a journey to connect, inspire, and create a space where our connections inspire us —welcome to Connect Inspire Create!
164 Transform Your Life with the CLEAR Framework with Dominiece Clifton
•Dominiece Clifton•Season 5•Episode 164
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My guest today is Dominiece Clifton, the founder of Move And Still, Nourish Wellness Collective, host of The School of Healing Podcast, and author of Hold Space to Heal.
Dominiece Clifton’s work lies at the intersection of connection, community, and change. She empowers women entrepreneurs to build aligned and sustainable businesses and supports organizations by offering tools to prioritize mindfulness and healing.
Imagine a world where deep breathing was taught in all schools, and kids learned at a young age how to regulate their bodies…
Imagine a world where mindfulness was incorporated into the workday and working professionals were encouraged to pause and regulate their bodies…
Imagine a world where first responders and police officers paused to take a deep breath in the face of a fearful situation...
Imagine a world where everyone had access to simple tools and resources to manage their physical and mental health more effectively…
In this enlightening episode, Dominiece shares her profound journey of self-discovery, spurred by a transformative meditation experience in 2017 when her late grandmother encouraged her to embrace her true calling. Together, we explore the importance of integrating mindfulness into schools and workplaces, and how ancestral guidance can help individuals reconnect with their gifts and navigate life's challenges with motivation and positivity.
Get ready to shift your mindset and tackle common hurdles like imposter syndrome and the scarcity mindset. Dominiece and I unravel practical strategies to maintain motivation and highlight the dangers of comparison and seeking external validation.
We also dive into the CLEAR goal framework, which stands for Cause, Level up, End game, Accountability, and Results, offering you a structured approach to goal setting and self-improvement.
From setting small, manageable goals to celebrating your wins, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you progress with confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.
A 5-day email course designed for ambitious but overwhelmed professionals. Each day you’ll receive a breathwork or sound healing audio + one productivity hack to decrease stress and achieve your goals. https://tinyurl.com/5daystressdetox
Hello from your host, Carol Clegg – your mindset and accountability coach for women coaches, entrepreneurs and small teams!
As a coach or heart led entrepreneur, you know all the right tools and strategies to support your clients—but when it comes to applying them to yourself, it’s easy to get stuck. You might find it hard to prioritize self-care, stay motivated, or maintain a positive mindset, especially when juggling the demands of your business. That’s where I come in.
I love helping women reconnect with their own practices. Together, we’ll explore what’s getting in the way, reignite your motivation, and put the right tools in place to support your well-being.
If you're ready to start prioritizing your own mindset and motivation, take my complimentary “Insights into You” (aka Saboteur discovery assessment” and follow up with a free coaching session to explore your results. Take your assessment here, or visit carolclegg.com for more details.
BOOK your ✅ 30-minute complimentary exploration call HERE
Well, hello and welcome to Connect, inspire, create. I'm your host, carol Clegg, a progress and mindset business coach, here to help you thrive and flourish and turn those challenges into opportunities for growth. So, whether you're looking to find balance, say goodbye to procrastination or just in need of a friendly nudge towards your goals, remember we're all on this journey together. So grab your favorite cup of something, be it coffee, tea or something else, and let's dive into this conversation today. Well, thank you everybody for joining us today on the show and welcome. Joining me is my guest, dominice Clifton, and Dominice is a business coach, spiritual guide, author, speaker and a lifelong learner which I can totally relate to, on a mission to guide others to remember their gifts and their power so they can live a life of freedom and fulfillment. And Dominique, welcome. I'm just going to talk you up a little bit because I've got so much wonderful stuff to share about you, but thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2:
Carol, thank you for having me. I'm excited to chat with you and be in conversation and community today.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and I've just so many things I want to share. So Dominique is the founder of Move and Still, the Nourish Wellness Collective. She, too, is a host of a podcast called the School of Healing and an author the author of Hold Space to Heal and I love the way you describe that your work lies at this intersection of connection, community and change, and that you work with empowering women entrepreneurs to build not only aligned and sustainable businesses, but also that supports organizations by offering tools to help them prioritize mindfulness and healing. And so I popped over to Dominique's website and I just pulled out their vision, because I thought this is just so beautiful. And so what she had there and I'm going to read it to you is our vision a better world for all.
Speaker 1:
Imagine a world where deep breathing was taught in all schools and kids learned at a young age how to regulate their bodies. Imagine a world where mindfulness was incorporated into the workday and working professionals were encouraged to pause and regulate their bodies. Imagine a world where first responders and police officers pause to take a deep breath in the face of a fearful situation. And imagine a world where everyone had access to simple tools and resources to manage their physical and mental health more effectively. That is just so powerful and so all-encompassing. I love it.
Speaker 2:
Thank you so much. Thank you for sharing, Gosh. You know, when you put a website together, it's like these things are on your heart and you share them. But I don't visit my website often and so my mission, my vision, like those things are very clear. But even just hearing you read that it made me smile because I'm like that, yes, like that is why I started moving. Still, it was really just about easy ways to provide access to people and practical strategies, nothing that's too complicated, and so hearing you, hearing you read that, and just reminding me of like that's why you're doing this every day, it made my heart smile. So thank you for sharing.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely, and that is so important. We often, you know, we lose touch with our why sometimes, and you know, reconnecting with our why does it just brings the joy and the motivation, because not every day is an easy day. I mean, we're not, all you know, on top of the mountain and on the top of the wave, but there are times that you sink to the bottom of that wave and you've got to pick yourself up and keep going. But, dominique, you shared and we just chatted about this briefly that your grandmother visited you during a meditation and you felt then that being on autopilot and not feeling worthy. Share a little bit of that with us. I'd love to hear more?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, thank you for asking that question. So I have a picture of my grandmother here on my altar and I come in every morning and greet her and speak to her, and she's been such a she's an ancestor now so she's no longer with us, but she's been such a pivotal part of my journey ago. She came to me in a meditation. It was 2017. And I don't know if that's eight years now, but end of 2017, december of 2017, I was meditating and I was at a point in my life where I had just been existing. I was really numb, you know, asking the question God, is this it Like? Is this really all that I signed up for? Like just not feeling happy with my job, my marriage, you know my financial circumstances. I was just tired of being tired and fighting the same battles and not winning at anything.
Speaker 2:
And I started meditating because I didn't really know what else to do.
Speaker 2:
I just felt called to stillness about a year before, when I was pregnant with my daughter in 2016. And so it was a new relationship with meditation, and she came to me just as almost as clear as you and I are having this conversation and sat with me and I joke and say that I was summonsed essentially to jump into the work that I'm doing now because for me I felt like it was a reminder of back and read that journal entry was it's time right? Like you feel not aligned and you're not fulfilled because you're not doing what you were called to do and what you are intended to do and what your soul came here to do. And so that conversation and that whisper that she came to me and visited me, it was really the start of the path that I'm on now. And so I joke and say my grandmother was. She had a very like bossy personality, so I'm like she summons me to get started, but she really did give me the nudge that I needed to get to get going.
Speaker 1:
To move. You know, and I love what you're just sharing now because that's such a beautiful picture. In the positive intelligence program that we use for helping you build a positive mindset, one of the powers that we invite you is to consult with your elder wiser self and you are blessed to have your grandmother have that interaction with you but just to empower people to, to spend some time that you could sit and try to visualize, or to meet with your elder wiser self and get some wisdom as to you know what is important and what do you need to let go of and find that joy to move you into the next step and what you want to do with your life. And I know one of the things that often becomes if we now look at with a business hat on and talking to our solopreneurs and our entrepreneurs that this comparison in business and this imposter syndrome. Why do you think so many people get lost and spiral down into this trap of comparison?
Speaker 2:
So it's interesting, your comment before this question. I will answer the question. But I was going to say I appreciate the framework that you use with consulting your elder self and really guiding people to be and sit with themselves for the answers, right Like I was going to say that. And then here we are with this question, which is a perfect segue. I think that I firmly believe that we have all the answers that we need within us and what we don't have, right Like the universe spirit will provide and give to us if we are open to receive it.
Speaker 2:
I think that oftentimes and I will speak from my own experience that when I was caught up in comparison and when I was caught up in the noise and distraction of what everyone else was doing, I didn't know myself well enough, I didn't trust myself well enough, and I hadn't done enough of my own self-discovery work to fully understand who I was. And so I was trying to. I was seeking answers externally, I was seeking validation externally, I was looking for the business coach or the mentor who could tell me what my purpose was and who could help me to figure out what I needed to do, and that's really not what other humans are like able to do, like no one can give you your purpose, because your purpose is your purpose, right? Like I believe that there's spirit or higher power source, however you want to identify, that higher power gives each of us a different assignment. And so, carol, I couldn't come to you and say can you help me, can you tell me my purpose? You can maybe give me tools and resources to figure it out, but that's for me to figure out.
Speaker 2:
And so I think that whenever we are finding ourselves lost in comparison and again just getting distracted by what everyone else is doing and trying to take a little bit from here and take a little bit from here and piecemeal it all together, that is a sign that you need to be still and be with yourself. You have to go inward to seek the answers that you are looking for and that you need. And again, right, I am a coach and so I believe in getting guidance from other folks. But as a coach, I can't tell you what you are intended to do. I can provide you with the resources that will help you to find those answers, and I think that's what any good coach or mentor does. They, essentially, are a guide for you.
Speaker 2:
But yeah, for years, carol, for years, like my first four years of entrepreneurship was being caught up and not feeling good enough and being an imposter and not being clear on who I was, and again scrolling social media and seeing what all the other coaches were doing and trying to do those things, and I was burned out and exhausted from it and really tired of just that work. And it wasn't until I quit, because I was so tired of it, I stepped away and went and started moving still, which we've talked about. I started working full time. It wasn't until I had that moment to be still and be with myself that those answers started coming to me, and so if you're looking for answers, the greatest thing that you can do is just be still, open yourself up to receive, and whatever you're looking for, you'll find it.
Speaker 1:
I love, dominique, what you shared then, because it's that feeling of losing yourself, you've lost your identity, while you are allowing these negative thoughts to spiral in your head that I'm not good enough and I can't do this, and stopping for a moment, as you said, just realize how unique you are, each person that's listening to this episode. You are unique. You do have gifts and bringing up some empathy, some self-compassion, some self-love, and you're good enough. So I agree with you. The coach helps you perhaps find a purpose or where you're going to put yourself, but there's enough space in the world for each and every one out there to contribute and to journey with others on their journey.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and that's another thing too Like when you are in a state of comparison, there's this scarcity mindset of you know, oftentimes not always, but there's this scarcity mindset which leads to jealousy and envy that this person is doing this thing. That jealousy and envy oftentimes is like a little spark in you that says, hey, you can do that too, right. And so we have to recognize that each of us has our own rhythm or our own secret sauce, and there can be someone who might be doing something similar to you, but no one can ever do what you do. There's going to be folks that resonate with your message and your energy, carol, and there's going to be folks that resonate with me.
Speaker 2:
And what we have to realize is that people need help. Like so many people are seeking answers and so many people want to come out of the space that they're in, and there's so many souls that are seeking guidance. And so we're not in competition, right. Like we are all here to liberate one another and to help one another be our greatest selves. And so when you realize that there's an abundance, there's enough for us all to win, like that is how the universe is designed, you stop feeling like you need to compare yourself to other people, because you realize the greater mission is that people come out of their struggles and they're in their situations and each of us offers a unique way to do that right.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. And the other thing I think of when you're sharing that is this imposter syndrome. It stops us in our tracks and therefore we don't make progress. We don't start because we then want the perfect business, we want the, the perfect, everything lined up perfectly, and so we allow that self-doubt to stop us from even stepping out there. And I think to remind yourself that there's always somebody out there that needs to hear from you and it's different people, for you know we don't all align with the same people but to not let this imposter syndrome stop you in your tracks and take the baby step and move yourself forward. Now I know you spoke about and I'd love to know you have an acronym CLEAR as a goal framework, because to me, setting goals and taking action is what can move you out of being stuck with the imposter syndrome umbrella over your head. Tell us a little bit more about this framework that you use.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so I am a very I have a lot of masculine energy in my astrology chart, like I'm just a natural doer, you know, achiever. I've always been that way. I'm actually learning to be softer, right, like I'm in a season of learning to soften, but I am a naturally goal oriented person. You know, if I set goals like if I'm, if I'm clear on what I need to do, if I'm clear, if I'm clear on what I need to do, I can execute that thing at a high level. And and so I used to follow the smart goals framework and then, a couple of months ago, I started getting this download for like a slightly different variation, which has now become the clear goals framework, and clear as an acronym. So the C and clear standsAR stands for your cause, right, and so what that means is, when you're starting with a goal, you first want to start with your why We've talked about that with the mission of moving still Before you start to think about all the things that you want to do, why is this goal important to you?
Speaker 2:
So I think getting really clear on the cause as the first part of goal setting is important, and then you move to the L, which is level up. And so that means how does this goal challenge you? Does this goal challenge you? Does this goal excite you right, like in a way where it stretches you right, because you don't want it to be too easy, where it's not out of your comfort zone? And so you move to L level up, making sure that the goal challenges you.
Speaker 2:
The E is, it's excuse me in-game, so be very clear about your specific in-game. A lot of times when we set goals, for example, I used to struggle with my weight. I just want to lose weight, but like what does that even mean? Like how many pounds do you want to lose? Or how do you want to feel? Or is it that there's a pair of jeans that are hanging in your closet that you want to get into? So you have to be very specific about what your end game is when you start a goal and really defining that, because fuzzy targets never really get hit right.
Speaker 1:
They don't motivate you.
Speaker 2:
They don't motivate you right Like the universe isn't really clear on what you want, so it can't support you the hot canoes.
Speaker 2:
Right, and so you have to be very specific about what the end game is and really outlining that. And then you have the A, which is accountability, and I think that this is what distinguishes this framework from some of the other ones out. There is that I ask you to think about your accountability, so whether that's a self-accountability system where you have some sort of weekly check-in and some sort of metric process if you're at this space where you can hold yourself accountable, or on the flip side of that, if you recognize that that is where you struggle, finding support and accountability and identifying that with the goal. So that might mean, hey, I'm gonna start trying to save X amount of dollars per paycheck. Can you help me to be accountable to this? Can we check in on this? Right, like identifying a person or people who can support you in this goal.
Speaker 2:
And then R is about the results and just making sure that you're tracking. The way that I do this is that I follow a similar framework as the 12-week year, where I set three goals for the quarter and then I check in on those goals every week for 12 weeks, and that allows me to remain accountable, to coming back to these goals and making sure that I'm moving the needle, and so I've been doing this framework. I've been sharing it with family, friends, clients and literally it's clear right. So once you get that clear on your goal, you are much more motivated to actually see this goal through and it's top of mind for you because you're checking in on it consistently. And I found it to be such a helpful goal setting process for me on a quarterly basis, to maximize on taking action on the things that I'm trying to achieve.
Speaker 1:
Wow, that is yeah and that sort of thing. So when people are struggling and they sort of feel, oh my goodness, this is all just too much, do you have a baby step where you suggest they can just start?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's a great question. So I think the greatest thing about like this, this word clear is really starting with again thinking there's a lot of goals, right, like we can. We can be setting goals forever. I like to start with the low hanging fruit, so like what are the?
Speaker 2:
what are the easiest things or goals that maybe two or three goals that you can start with, whether it's personal, professional, what can you start with? That's going to build momentum, right? So maybe if let's just say, if you are starting with weight loss and I'm always going to come back to this because this was something that I struggled with for a long time I believe in starting small and building momentum, and that's the way that I teach in my coaching program also, and so I would not advise someone to start with. I'm going to work out every day for an hour and a half and change my eating completely.
Speaker 2:
It's like just pick one thing to start with and do that consistently. And so it could just be I'm going to commit to walking for 10 minutes every day, or 10 minutes of you know a few days a week, and again being very specific about what the end goal is and what the actions are going to be that you're going to take, and then do that consistently, because once you start to keep your word, you're more excited, right Like you're starting to prove to yourself that I can do this, and that's going to make you want that you're going to have the momentum to take on the bigger goals, and so my biggest advice is to start small, with low hanging fruit, and then just allow yourself to build from there.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I love that Because when, dominique, when you share that I'm thinking and the other part to put in because you have to start small, you'll get yourself so discouraged if you put this huge, big goal and then you don't start and you put it off to the next day. But to also celebrate along the way and, you know, embody that in your body. And so it's interesting. We have something called Sage Steps and it's just 10 seconds of recognizing that you're being sabotaged and you're going off in a different direction.
Speaker 1:
Bring yourself back, but then celebrate the fact that you recognize that, and it could be something as simple as just smiling to yourself and going I did it, I did it, and if you're more energetic, it might be something like you're going to jump up and down and dance around, but remembering to celebrate those wins, I think you know helps to move you, to move you forward. So I love this that we've been talking about goals, because, as an accountability coach, you know there's so many different ways of coming at this, but it is so important. So how do you hold yourself accountable some way, whether it be within a mastermind, in a community, you know, on a WhatsApp chat with somebody, you know, just even telling your significant other but it's, we've got to do something, because if we don't put it out, write it down, do something, then we're going to let it go.
Speaker 2:
Can I share two more stats?
Speaker 2:
in regards to this clear goal framework. So when I was researching this, like I said, it was coming to me as a download and every week it was like a little bit more was coming Two things stood out. The first thing is when you when you also ask where can people start, start with writing it down, right, like a goal in your head isn't a real goal, that's just a wish, right. So with this framework, there's like an actual process of working through these steps that are like so identifying the why and like how does this challenge you? And like you're sitting down pen to paper or you know if you want to do it digitally, and you're writing it down. Just by writing it down, I found research that shows that you improve your odds of success by 20% just by writing it, not even doing anything else.
Speaker 2:
The second thing is, like you said, with the accountability. There was a 2007 Gale study that was done, where you know this guy looked at folks who set goals versus folks who kind of had the loose goals and they found that by having accountability, that increases your odds by 40%. And so there's all this research that's showing that if you just write it down and you find someone to help you like. You're already 60% and accomplishing your goal, and so write it down. Find someone and you're on a much likelier path to actually achieving that goal.
Speaker 1:
That is fantastic. So, dominique, as we're wrapping up with this episode, I would love for you to just share with us. I know I'm going to put a link in our show notes about your five-day email course, but this sounds fantastic. It's five days of stress detox. Tell us a little more about what they're going to get when they sign up for that five-day course.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so I am many, many things, and one of the things I am outside of being a coach and a business strategist and is I'm a yoga instructor and I'm a breathwork instructor and a meditation instructor and I have my sound bowls behind me and so I'm a somatic practitioner. That's a really nice way to sum up all of those things. So I have all of these passions and these loves, but I love the body and I love educating people about how we hold stress and trauma in the body and how our bodies hold on to fear. And you know some of the things that we talked about, and this was really the inspiration behind starting moving. Still, it was like the more that I learned about stress and trauma and how we hold it, the more that I wanted to shout from the rooftops to people about how we have to release it. And so, when it comes to stress, like unresolved stress unres that manifests into so many physical issues, so many mental and emotional issues if it's left unresolved, and so I'm very passionate about like working through your stress consistently. And another thing is, when we're stressed right, like that also stops us from connecting to our intuition, because the voice of ego and stress and fear is very loud and that intuitive voice, that guidance that we need, is very quiet. And so when you're stressed and you're in a survival state, you can't hear clearly from your intuition and get the guidance that you need.
Speaker 2:
And so I created this five-day stress detox to help people to turn down fear, turn down the voice of stress, and to turn up their intuition, to allow themselves to be guided, to move to a place where they do feel open enough to go inward for those answers and recognizing that they don't have to look around externally to find everything that they need. And so it's five days. Every day, I'm giving you a somatic practice, and so there's guided breath work, there's sound healing, and then I'm giving you some accompanying journal questions to just dig into some of the things that oftentimes hold us back and stop us. And so if you're someone who constantly feels like you're stressed, you're overwhelmed, and that's just the state that you exist in and you feel called to more, this could be a really great place to start with the somatic pieces, to help calm the body down and then allow you to ground in and drop into that intuitive voice. Well, that sounds like such a beautiful gift.
Speaker 1:
So I'm gonna make sure to have that link in the show notes. Where else do people find you? Do you wanna share your website with us?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so I have a new website that I've been working on for a few months that I'm super proud of now, and I started this new website because I do so many things and I had a website for this, and there's the website for moving still, and so domrcliftoncom brings everything together. You can go there and learn more about all of my worlds and all of the things that I'm passionate about, and so again, dom r and I know you said you'll drop it in the show notes that's the best place to learn more and also to get that five-day stress detox as well. Fantastic.
Speaker 1:
And then on social media, instagram you shared with me, so I'll make sure to have your instagram link and then thank you. If you are a linkedin person, you'll find dominique on there, but you'll find her first on instagram. So this has been a wonderful gentle, encouraging conversations. So, thank you, and yeah, I just I love the the clear. So I'm hoping that people are going to just put this on a slow, listen and just ponder over how they can do that, and then you know, writing it down and telling somebody is going to put you on the road to success. So, dominique, thanks for joining me.
Speaker 2:
Oh Carol, thank you for having me. What a beautiful conversation. You are an amazing host, Thank you.
Speaker 1:
So thanks to everybody for listening conversation. You are an amazing host, thank you. So thanks to everybody for listening. If this conversation has inspired you, I invite you to share it with others, because there might just well be somebody that you can think of that might need to hear this and to be able to grab Dominique's five-day course just to help get rid of that stress. So this week I encourage you to embrace your own unique way of connecting, inspiring and creating. Hence the name of the show Connect, inspire, create. Let your choices bring a sense of ease and flow and joy into your world. Until the next time, take care.
Speaker 1:
If you are looking for tools to build powerful habits around a lifelong positive mindset, then I'd love to explore what results you are looking for in your life and your business. Every coach needs a coach. I'm sure you've heard that before. As a mindset and accountability coach, I work with women coaches in midlife to find balance in their business endeavors and prepare their foundation for a positive mindset. By blending my personalized accountability and mindset coaching along with the powerful positive intelligence program, you'll learn about saboteurs and sage powers and gain lifelong tools to create a shift in all areas of your life, from personal to professional, and reduce the negative self-talk and discover more self-love. Curious to know what your own saboteurs are, I invite you to take the free assessment provided by Positive Intelligence that you'll find on my website, carolclaguecom, and then booka call with me and let's explore the results, because I am here to support you on your journey. You can.
