How to 'Own The Room' - Take Control of Your Career and Be Recognized for Your Brilliance with Sharon Ehrlich

Want to be seen as an authority in your field? It won't happen with a "do it all, all or nothing" beliefs and behaviors.

Yes, you read that right.

Many high-performing experts and leaders believe working harder and taking on more tasks is the key to recognition and promotion. This often leads to burnout rather than respect or advancement.

If you want to 'own the room," you must "own yourself"—first taking stock of what's important, setting boundaries, focusing on high-impact activities, and creating space to think and lead effectively so your best and brightest self leads the way.

Each episode of the Own Your Lane® Personal Branding Podcast highlights one of the four steps of the Own Your L.A.N.E. personal branding roadmap to help you gain clarity, confidence, and a clear path to growing your influence and impact.

L: Launch Your Vision – Lead with clear intention and purpose
A: Assert Your Difference – Define what uniquely sets you apart
N: Navigate Your Presence – Shape your personal brand foundation
E: Elevate Your Authority – Grow impact and influence with publicity

This week, we're focusing on "L- Launch Your Vision" with host Michelle B Griffin and expert guest Sharon Ehrlich, the CEO and Founder of Living While Leading, a premier executive coaching practice for deep talk, real talk chat for those who want their professional journeys to be on their terms and timelines.

Tune in for the actionable framework and practical ways to own the room and "own your lane" of fulfillment, opportunity, and influence.

LINKS
Sharon Ehrlich on LinkedIn
Sharon Ehrlich's Website

Ready to Own Your Lane? - The Brand Leaders® Podcast

Michelle B. Griffin is a keynote speaker, personal brand and PR strategist, author, podcaster and LinkedIn® visibility expert who helps high-achieving professionals elevate their visibility and influence for business growth.

As the founder of Brand Leaders® Executive Branding and creator of the Own Your Lane® Recognition Roadmap, she helps B2B founders, leaders and industry experts position their personal brands and leverage LinkedIn + PR to grow influence, increase demand, and become top-of-mind authorities to accelerate business growth.

Book a chat with Michelle to discuss speaking, advising or workshops to scale visibility, influence, and business growth. MichelleBGriffin.com/chat

WEBSITE: MichelleBGriffin.com
EXECUTIVE BRANDING ADVISORY: Brand Leaders
READ: My Personal Branding Books
LISTEN: The LinkedIn Branding Show
CONNECT: With Me on LinkedIn

Transcript

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Welcome! I'm your host, Michelle B. Griffin. As an author, speaker, and certified personal brand and PR strategist, I'm here to empower you to get visible, build your personal brand, and own your lane as a visible brand authority and thought leader in your space. I'm super excited you're here. Now let's get going with today's show!

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Welcome everybody to another episode! I am your host, Michelle B. Griffin. Today is all about owning it. I'm excited to introduce Sharon Ehrlich. Hi there, Sharon!

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Hey, it's so good to have you here!

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Sharon is the founder and CEO of Living While Leading. She has been someone on my radar for the last year and a half, and we share a vision of helping women really own it. She with "Own Your Room," and me with "Own Your Lane." But we're going to dive into this topic today. So if you're ready to own this season of your life on your timeline and your terms, Sharon has this brilliant framework all about owning the room. So let's get into it. What does "own the room" mean, Sharon?

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Well, first off, thank you for having me as a guest on your show, Michelle. You know that I've been a fan girl for quite a long time, so it's quite a stunning moment for me to be here with you and have an opportunity to speak to your guests. I created a framework a few years ago in response to something I started to see with my clients. Many of them were going through their careers on automatic pilot, saying yes to any promotions, taking on responsibilities without really being strategic about it. My framework is about saying, "Hey, you own your time." It's about empowering yourself. If you want to move the needle on living your life in balance, you need to take control—and that means owning the room.

And the acronym OWN stands for Observe, Weigh, and Negotiate. When I work with my clients, I tell them to do an inventory of how they’re spending their time. And this exercise can be challenging because finding the time to take inventory can feel almost impossible.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Sharon, I kind of feel like this is like nodding to the proverbial oxygen mask theory—you should put your oxygen mask on first so you can help others. Is that kind of what you mean?

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Exactly! I can tell you from my own experience as a global corporate executive—every week I woke up in a new city, I had a school-aged son, a disabled mother to care for, and let’s not forget a husband who also needed attention. I kept piling on more responsibilities until I reached a breaking point. I'm not proud of it, but I lost control for a moment. My mission now is to help women avoid that by recognizing when they’re on a path that isn’t sustainable. You can do it for a while, but eventually, it reaches its breaking point. You need to take control of your time. So yes, I suggest doing an inventory of your time and seeing if it aligns with how you want to live your life.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Yes, we often go through the motions, just accepting life until one day we wake up and wonder where the last decade went. You're here to help women catch themselves before they hit that breaking point, which I love.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Exactly! So, let me break down the OWN framework again. "O" stands for Observe—this can be very introspective, where you take an inventory of how you're spending your time in all areas of life—career, relationships, health, community involvement, and more. It’s not about work-life balance because that pits work against life. Instead, think of your life as a portfolio. You have many aspects to manage—career, family, health, community.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
I love the idea of viewing life as a portfolio, Sharon. It’s a much better perspective than the typical "work-life balance" cliches.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Yes, exactly! And I want to add, you don’t have to find a huge chunk of time to reflect. You can do it in small increments throughout your day. Everyone has at least 30 minutes in a 24-hour period for themselves. Whether it’s journaling or taking a walk, we need that time and we deserve it.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Yes, and social media can easily steal that precious time. I love the reminder to reclaim those moments. So let’s talk about the “W” in OWN—Weigh. How do we figure out where we need to spend or let go of our time?

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
The "Weigh" part is critical. After observing your time, you need to ask yourself—where am I spending my time where I don’t really need to? If you're a leader, this may mean delegating more or shedding the fear of perfectionism. Many of us have so much crystallized intelligence—we already know how things work, so we can eliminate tasks that don’t serve us anymore.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
That's so simple and clear! You're telling us to evaluate our time critically. This is a no-excuses framework, which I love.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Exactly. Once you weigh where your time is best spent, you need to negotiate changes. The hardest part for most people is saying no. We often feel guilty about letting go of commitments. But this is about making choices that benefit you and everyone around you.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
I love the way you frame this—it's about offering a value statement. Negotiating not just for ourselves but for the greater good of everyone involved.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Yes! One example is with family. If you’re doing everything yourself, have a family meeting to discuss what others can contribute. Ask for their help so you can pursue your own goals. Lead with the why—show them that you need their support to reach your purpose. This is about contribution, not just unloading everything onto others.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
So you’re framing the conversation in a way that makes everyone feel involved, and the whole family works together. This is such a helpful reframe, Sharon.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
It’s about delegation, whether at home or at work. We often don’t realize that small tasks—like ironing shirts—can be outsourced for minimal cost. By freeing up time, we can focus on things that really matter and align with our larger goals.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
It’s all about quality over quantity! I see how this applies to professional women too. We often hold on to things out of perfectionism or because we’re used to doing it all ourselves.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Exactly. And part of the negotiation is renegotiating your relationship with perfectionism. You have to be okay with "good enough" in order to let go of tasks that don't serve your greater purpose.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
That’s so true. It’s a hard lesson but an important one. Now, how do we sustain this shift long-term?

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Sustainability is always challenging. I encourage my clients to have quarterly reviews. Look back at your goals and ask yourself—what stood in my way? What did I learn from the last three months? This prevents procrastination and helps maintain momentum.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Grace and personal accountability are key. And that ties perfectly into your portfolio analogy—treating your life like a financial portfolio.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
Yes! Personal accountability is crucial for sustaining change. You need to track progress and stay connected to your greater why. By regularly reassessing, you can stay on track with your goals.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Sharon, you’ve dropped so many gems today. I know our listeners will want to connect with you. Where can they find you?

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
I'm active on LinkedIn, and my podcast is called Living While Leading—I have two episodes a month, one of which is live with accomplished women leaders. You can also visit my website at livingwhileleading.com to get in touch directly. I respond to messages within 24 hours.

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
Everyone, go check out Sharon! She has so much to offer. Sharon, thank you for being here today. This conversation has been truly inspiring.

Sharon Ehrlich (Guest):
It was my pleasure. Thank you so much!

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
That’s it for today’s episode. Until next time, keep putting yourself out there. You have a brand to build, a message to share, and people to impact. Take care!

Michelle B Griffin (Host):
That’s all for today. Are you ready to grow your visibility, personal brand, and thought leadership? Head on over to michellebgriffin.com for free resources to get started. Thanks for listening!