Hey, wonderful to be here with you all. I'm so glad you're here. I'm Denise, and I am your catalyst to reconnect to your calling, whatever that is, if it's to lead your people in a nonprofit organization, or maybe it's to lead your people in a movement. Maybe it's to lead your families. Maybe it's to lead your communities. Maybe it's to help others step into their power. Welcome. You belong here, leader, because we're going to talk about purpose and power today. Purpose and power. There's a third P in that, but I'm just going to stick to P square right now. Purpose and power. I'm so excited about this. So welcome. I'm happy you are here. Listen, if you're watching this video podcast, you're going to see I washed my hair, so it's So if you're listening to this on audio, check your show notes. There's a link for you to watch the podcast videos. I'm also having some skin issues today. So some of you have been asking, what's that on your forehead? What is happening? Oh, that's a reason for you to go watch this on video. Yeah. So in true form... I'm a fire snake in Chinese astrology, and this is the year of the wood snake. I happen to be fire snake. Wood and fire, yikes. I think we go hand in hand. I mean, really, wood just, you know, just regenerates fire. I mean, without fire, I mean, excuse me, without wood, fire is not going to go very far. And so it's a good year. It's a powerful year. So in true form, like a fire snake that I am, I'm shedding. Like something is happening to my skin. I've seen two dermatologists. And if you're in Austin, I go to Westlake Dermatology. And that's the dermatologist who's going to help me treat some things that are happening on my skin right now so that this fire snake can get her shedding in order. Um, so Westlake dermatology, I have no affiliation with them. I just absolutely, um, love my Durham. Uh, she is the best. I mean, fellowships like in all areas and she is, I'm in good hands. Let me tell you. So if you want to know who I'm actually seeing, you're going to want to DM me and I'm, I'm happy to share with you her name privately. Cause you know, um, anyway, we don't want any issues with, um, with affiliation stuff. So just know I'm in very good hands. So this fire snake is excited about talking about purpose and power. I'm so psyched about purpose and power. I think everything centered around my life since I could remember, since I was a little girl, has been about power. Not so much purpose in my youth. I don't think I knew what my purpose was until probably my thirties and most definitely anchored in my forties. But when I was a little girl, power is something I did not know what it was. I knew I lacked it. I knew I didn't have it. because of how I felt most of the time. I'm a middle child and know what you have heard about the middle child has now been debunked because there's a study that just came out like literally a week ago. My husband sent it to me and he said, oh my God, redemption, babe, redemption. This study shows that the middle child is the smartest in the family. I'm just saying, I mean, if my sisters are listening to this, they're going to chime in and go, you're crazy. Anyway, I don't know. That's what the study mentioned. I haven't looked into the validity of that study, but I'm excited that finally a middle child study has come out to prove me right. Finally, confirmation bias exists. But anyway, so this middle child who happened to be a fire snake, who happened to be a Gemini, who happens to also to be a manifestor in human design, was put in the middle of things. And, you know, I was silenced. I like to think I was silenced because I was too much. And then as I was watching the bookends of my sisters, I'm like, oh, well, I don't want that attention. And I certainly don't want that attention. So I'm just going to fly under the radar. And I'm just not going to say anything. And I'm just going to be right here in the middle, you know, neutral always. Sure, I'm not too hot. I'm not too cold. I'm not too wild. I'm not too quiet. But I'm just right here in the middle. And that was my whole youth. And because of that, because of the conditioning and the programming, right? Because as a kid, you are watching behaviors. You're not necessarily intellectually understanding what's happening, but you're watching behaviors. And so then you learn pretty quick. And at least I did because pattern recognition has always been a very strong superpower of mine. I think that's what makes us leaders very powerful. We look for cues. They're either verbal, nonverbal, right? They're implicit, explicit, but we're on to people. We're watching behavior all the time. It's like we're at the zoo and we're watching the animals play and we're like, whoa. well, I don't want to get into their pen right there because that's a grizzly bear. And I've seen that grizzly bear eat a few people already. So I'm just going to stay right here and keep watching at a distance, right? Or, oh, okay, here's the reptiles on this other end. And Oh, OK, I won't touch that snake because that snake likes to eat mice. And I'm just going to be over here because I'm probably as small as the little little rodent. And yeah, OK, so I'm just going to watch their behavior. And so we watch behavior. And I think that's something, you know, our kids do very well. Right. They're sometimes even better than us because we're sometimes very clueless and we're very busy sometimes. Which is why we're clueless on what's happening with our kids. And so they've got pattern recognition down, right? Well, we're, we're one of them will say, you know, um, when dad comes home, he's going to be so tired. I'm going to ask him then because he's just going to say yes. Cause he's like so tired and he's not going to want details. He's just going to like say yes to me. So, okay. I'm going to wait. I'm going to wait. Cause I can't ask mom because if I ask mom, she's fresh. Fresh mind. She's going to ask a lot of questions. And that's just how she is. That's what mom does. Mom does that. It's just part of her behavior. It's part of her pattern. So I'm just going to ask dad instead. At least that's who I was as a kid. And so our kids do the same thing. And so pattern recognition is very important. But I, as this kid, middle kid, whatever, and all the labels that I just shared with you, power was something that I didn't know I had inherently. I didn't know. that I was powerful. And I didn't know that, again, because of the family unit that I was in and the actions and behaviors of the adults and my siblings. I just stayed Switzerland. I was neutral. I didn't want to rock the boat because I saw how attention worked in my family. And I thought, well, I don't want that kind of attention, so I'm just going to be right here. And so I did that for most of my life at home until I moved when I was seventeen, graduated from high school and went to UTSA, yes, University of Texas in San Antonio, and started my college journey. And that's when I realized, oh, hold on. I don't have all of these extra layers of beliefs and extra layers of conditioning. You mean I can take off these ten layers of jackets? You mean I can like just drop them on the floor and actually expose who I really am? What? And that's when I realized when I was a freshman in college. and really start and you know lived in my apartment with I shared it with my older sister at that time um and so I started to really come into my own and that's when I realized oh power And I have to be honest with you, coming from a childhood where I was told I was too much when my second grade teacher put tape over my mouth because I talked when she said not to talk, when I was told that I wasn't good enough in violin playing or piano playing. and that I'd never be as smart as the older sister or as cute as the smaller sister. I was told so many things and didn't really know who I was. And it's not until you go off on your own, well, on your own in college, quotations, if you're not watching this on video, because obviously, you know, I still was under parental guidance from my parents, you know, all the way through college. But I have to say, that's when I started to really come into my own and really truly understanding, oh, I'm, I actually have a voice. And the voice I have is really powerful. And I started to notice that when I started to work. I mean, I've been working since I was sixteen. In order to be in the DECA club in high school, you had to have a part-time job. And I did. I worked in the student store. I loved this club. Because I wasn't an athlete. And I wasn't in GT, gifted and talented. That was not... who I was. And so for me, it was, well, I love to work, and I love to be employed, and I really like my paycheck. And so for me, working since I was And so when I go off to college, I wind up working in retail in many different places. Old Navy was one of them. Banana Republic was another. And of course, you all know the Bath and Body Works story. And if you don't know it, wow. Listen, I was nineteen years old and someone said, you are incredible. Work ethic is insane. You can sell ice to Eskimos. Would you consider coming into management here? And I'm like, oh, yeah. course. At nineteen, someone gave this little girl the keys to the kingdom. But someone saw something in me that I hadn't seen for myself, but I just said yes. I said yes a lot when I was in college. Yes, yes to this. Yes to that. I will do it. Let's go. Because I was so empowered to really step into my own. And so for me, it wasn't until I started to work and You know, full time in this retail space in San Antonio. And so I finally felt normal because all of my youth, I felt so unusual. I felt like I didn't belong. I felt disempowered. I felt defeated. And because I didn't want to speak English anymore. well enough until maybe six or seven years old, I only spoke Spanish and my sisters and cousins and everyone else spoke English. And I didn't want to speak English because my grandmother spoke Spanish and I wanted to be her, her, you know, her, her special granddaughter. And I thought, well, if I keep speaking Spanish, I'm going to be really special to somebody. I'm going to be loved even more. I'm going to feel powerful and in purpose for my grandmother because all these girls will be here. And it's a family of a bunch of girls. And I just thought, I'm just going to wait. I'm just going to wait. I don't need to speak English. It's okay. It's okay. I spoke English. I just didn't want to because my grandmother was my everything. So while mom and dad were having their issues, grandma was taking good care of us and I loved her so much. And so, but fast forward to our conversation today about purpose and power. And so, like I said, it wasn't until my thirties, forties that I really anchor my purpose and And so that takes some time. You know, that's not something that, you know, some of us know. I know some of you all know, right, really early on, well, what my purpose is. And some of us are like, well, you know, I don't exactly know my purpose, but I know I'm called to lead. And that's what I want to talk about. Purpose and power and helping you reconnect to your calling, to your calling to lead your people. It's not my calling. My calling is to lead just like yours, but it's in a different context. It's in a different way. So I want to remind you that you were put on this earth with a purpose and that purpose is a calling. What is it for you? Now, listen, if you're listening to this, you're watching this, you are following me, then you're a leader. And like I said early on, in whatever capacity, you are leading. You don't have to have a formal title, although mother is a title. Nonprofit leader is a title. So is a grandmother, that's a title. You have power. power and authority in these informal titles that we take for granted, right? Because I serve so many high powered, high performing leaders in organizations, their formal titles with a formal salary and some serious responsibilities. And so that's a given. It's like, oh yeah, they're pretty powerful. Yep. It's in the title. It's in the title. But for those of us out here, who think it's informal to be a mom, a full-time mom, a stay-at-home mom. You're mistaken. That is serious work and it is formal. You are a leader, right? Some of you are working as activists in your communities, right? Some of you have started nonprofits. Some of you volunteer in your church. Some of you are PTA volunteers. Some of you are homeroom volunteers, right? but you are leaders. And so if this is resonating with you, you belong here. I'm going to keep reminding you, you belong here. So my job is to help you reconnect to that calling. And that calling, I believe, is you are put here on this earth to lead your people, not my people, your people. There's not like a piece of pie that if you run out, that's it. You can't be called a leader. And we all have a certain amount of followers and that we can't overlap each other. That's bonkers. Listen, you have your specific calling to lead your specific people. Like I have my specific calling to lead my specific people. And that's the purpose part that I want to remind you of. And so what is that for you? What is your purpose? You tell me, tell me what that is for you. And if you're on Instagram, head over to Dr. Denise Simpson and let me know, DM me and tell me what your purpose is on this planet. Is it to lead your family? Is it to lead your business, your small business? Is it to lead your organization or your department? Is it to lead a movement? Is it to lead your church even? What is your specific purpose? And then tell me who you're leading, who are your followers? That's what I want to know. So we're so disillusioned in leadership. You know, a lot of us go into leadership thinking it's nothing but power, that it's all about status and it's all about that salary and it's all about the material things you're going to buy with that salary. And it's about telling people what to do and controlling people into doing what you want them to do. At least that's what it was for me early in my career. Because I came from a youth of being defeated and powerless, I thought, well, this is how I can control the circumstances. If I'm in power and I'm a leader and I have a title, I'm able to control what people think about me. I'm able to control what they do. That's not power. Power is showing up in your purpose and fully embodying this power and put on this earth to do this. And I'm put on this earth to lead these people. And when you do that, you allow others to do the same for themselves. I know it's a little meta, but we're doing that right now. I'm doing that right now. I am fully connected to my purpose to lead my specific group of people, right? Whoever they are, wherever they are around the world. I don't know who they are unless you join me in the membership and I can lead you there. But I want to more importantly, as I'm showing up as myself, as I'm showing up in my purpose and power, I'm opening up that energetic sphere for you to show up in your power and in your purpose. I don't want an AI version of me. I don't want for you to be part of an echo chamber. I'm not creating echo chambers. I'm creating other sovereign, free-thinking, powerful, purposeful leaders out here. So as I show up in this way, in this energetic field, you get to do the same. For your people, for your tribe, for your organization, for your family, for your communities. You see what we're doing here. I know it's meta, but I just broke it down for you just now. Purpose and power. So my job is to help you reconnect to your calling to lead your people. But not only that, that's the purpose part. But let's talk about the power part. I want to help you fully embrace your power. And your power is to serve them. So reconnecting to your calling to lead your people and fully embracing your power to serve them. To serve them like I'm serving you. Serve them. Without attachments, without control, without abuse of power, right? That's what purpose and power is about. And this is why it's exciting for me to talk about power in this way. Because when we step into roles of leadership, we think it's, again, it's solely power. But wait a minute. Did you forget your purpose? Did you forget your calling? Because if you have forgotten your calling and if you have disconnected from that calling, then your purpose is futile. It falls flat. It's useless. So we want to connect the purpose and the power so that you can fully embody who you were meant to be. Let's talk about that. Who are you meant to be? So if you're in leadership right now, awesome, right? Just by the word leader and a formal title, yep, you got the power because you have authority, right? That's just, those are facts. But now have you disconnected from that purpose? That's what I'm interested in talking about too. Purpose. Because power alone is useless. So here's what I want to do. I want to invite you in to a very special program within Amplify Leadership. If you don't know what Amplify Leadership is, let's get in there because Amplify Leadership is a membership. You pay monthly, cancel any time, but you're not going to want to because of how powerful this program is. And within Amplify Leadership, We're putting on purpose and power as a program. That's right. It's going to be a very special program within this gorgeous membership. And let me tell you a little bit about Amplify Leadership because amplifying, the word amplify is my twenty twenty five word. Really, it truly is. But in order for me to amplify my power, amplify my voice, amplify my purpose. I have to simplify some things. Listen, because the days of overcomplicated leadership strategies and philosophies and styles is over. When you simplify leadership, you can amplify your impact. And isn't that why you got into leadership in the first place? So in Amplify Leadership, we take care of you in your career, but we also take very good care of you in your life and in your spiritual work. Huh? Who would have thought of that? What? You mean you're giving me the practical tools and resources to show up every day in my leadership practice because I get measured. I have to quantify my value as a leader and quantify my impact. So yeah, I'm very much in the three D world here. And you know, these are the things that I'm being measured by. So yeah, give me those tools. But then also you're going to take care of my, my spirit and my mental wellbeing and You mean you also have a way to support me holistically, not just in the practical leadership space, but also in the mental well-being spiritual space? What? Yes, we get to do it all for you because that's who I am. I'm not just linear myopic in leadership research, which by the way, doing a ton of training, a ton of contracts for corporate clients and their leaders and their executive teams. But now I'm like, let's go world. Let's also pull in the side that is maybe even more important than the practical leadership tools that I give you. It's the spiritual well-being. Because my new obsession is Kathy Heller, by the way. She has an incredible book called Abundant Ever After. Kathy Heller is, wow, she is now my everything right now as you're watching and listening to this podcast episode. And she talks about having financial wealth and spiritual wealth. And I like to think of doing that in the leadership space where our spiritual wealth is as important as our leadership value and what we bring into the organization. But how about taking care of us on the spiritual level, on a mental well-being, on a physical well-being level? But yes, give me all the tools. Yes, give me the career track. Give me all of the professional development. Yeah, give me the research. Love it. But I also love this too. And many of you out here have been lopsided into more of the rational reasoning research space like I have been, honestly. and really neglecting nourishing our spiritual wellbeing. And I believe that this program Purpose and Power that's inside Amplify Leadership is going to kick off the year in helping you in all aspects of who you are as a leader, because that's most important to me. This is why you cannot have power without your purpose. This is why we have to take care of the purpose. Let's nourish that part of who you are, who you're meant to be, who you are inherently. But because society and culture and our well-meaning parents have like submerged that from us. And so it's time now to excavate it out and start getting curious about what that purpose looks like. Is it staying in your organization or perhaps it's you leaving it? Maybe it's transitioning out. Maybe it's doing something that fills your heart and your spirit with purpose. Because I believe that when you find that purpose and you're dialed into that purpose, power is inevitable. It's undeniable. And I want to be the example for you. So as you're coming in and you're watching these episodes, either watching or listening to them, you will be inspired to move towards finding that purpose so that you can embody that power. Oh, it's going to be a lovely journey. And I'm inviting you now. You're going to want to head into Amplify Leadership right away because we're starting very soon. And if you're like, well, Denise, I don't know if this is something I should do yet. That's okay. Follow along right here. We're going to invite you to some free events. We're going to invite you to some other things. But listen, why wait? Why wait when you can have it all now? So join me inside Amplify Leadership. You're going to go to drdeniessimpson.com forward slash Amplify or check the show notes. You'll know where to find me. And then when you're ready, you jump in and let's get to work. But more information is coming on this new event, Purpose and Power, exclusively in the Amplify Leadership. Leader, listen, I'm here to help you reconnect to what it is you were put on this earth to do. Because I have been told all of my life that I'm too much, too loud, too proud, too Latina to have it all. But I have some strong desires. And God put those desires in my heart and in my soul. And so I'm here to do more, be more, give more. And I want to help you do that. And I want to help you find your purpose so that you can fully step into the power that you have always had inside of you. All right, leader, I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode. I know I did. I'm going to see you real soon. Make sure you head over to Instagram and say hello to me over there at Dr. Denise Simpson. All right, take good care. Have a fantastic day. Bye for now.