Ep. 20: Bold Pivot Blueprint excerpt Part 1
Ever feel stuck between craving change and fearing what it’ll cost you? This one’s for you. Laura drops the mindset blueprint behind making bold, aligned decisions, without burning down everything you’ve built.
This special live edition of The Pivot Point features part one of Laura’s Bold Pivot Blueprint Masterclass, recorded with her community in real time. She opens up about her own journey—moving across countries, building a career in corporate, and eventually learning how to lead her life from the inside out.
From control-freak tendencies to learning how to let go, Laura shares how slowing down forced her to listen to her inner world and face what she’d been suppressing under all that ambition. You’ll hear how that awareness became the foundation of her coaching work and her signature framework: see yourself as the leader of your life and take aligned, intentional action.
This episode isn’t about quitting your job overnight—it’s about reclaiming your agency and deciding, “I choose to,” instead of “I have to.”
What You’ll Hear:
Laura’s personal “cha-cha childhood” and how constant change shaped her
Why overplanning can actually be a form of fear
The burnout behind performance culture
The moment she realized personal growth fuels career growth
What it means to lead your own life with intention
The two-step Bold Pivot Blueprint:
See yourself as the leader of your life
Take aligned, intentional action
The game-changing reframe: “I choose to” vs. “I have to”
“Replace ‘I have to’ with ‘I choose to.’ It’s the simplest shift that changes everything.” — Laura Dionisio
If this episode sparked something, grab your Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career or book a free 20-min call at https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation.
-
You are listening to the pivot point where we unpack the defining moments that shift careers and lives. I'm your host, Laura Dionicio, a founder of Lead Intacct, and my mission is to spotlight the raw real stories behind career pivots, the fears, the hopes. The messy middles and the bold decisions that follow if you're feeling stuck or quietly wondering what's next?
I hope these stories help you see yourself a little more clearly and inspire you to start moving toward your own dream life. Let's begin.
Laura: hey friend. Before we jump in, quick heads up. This isn't our usual pivot point format. It's a live recording of my Bold Pivot Blueprint masterclass, and I wanted to share it here because it's packed with the kind of stuff I wish someone had told me years ago. In this first part, you'll hear the mindset behind the framework I use to make big, bold, aligned decisions without tossing out the beautiful career you've already built.
Laura: We'll walk through how to see yourself as a leader of your own life instead of waiting for permission and what it really means to take action that actually feels right. This one's part teaching, part real conversation, and totally packed with aha moments that'll help you move from stuck to self-led and badass.
Laura: So grab your notebook or just listen in and let something land. Alright, let's get into part one of the Bold Pivot Blueprint Masterclass.
Laura: Hello? Hello. Wow. Digging the red on you. Laura. D sweet D. What's that? Dig in the red. It's my power. Color, y'all? Yeah. Okay. We'll start in like a couple minutes, but in the meantime I'm just gonna soak in. I feel like I'm in a reunion. This makes me so happy. Like, especially you Sean. It's been like, it's been years.
Laura: So we gotta catch up. This is so fun.
Laura: Okay, therea. Hello. You're muted, but that's okay. Hi Theresa. Yay. Talk about a reunion. I know. I know this is gonna be fun. Um, so I'm gonna give unmuted. Sorry. Hi. Hi. I'm gonna give it a couple more minutes, but in the meantime, I would love if you would share like in the chat, 'cause like not all of you know each other.
Laura: I would love if you would share in the chat like where are you calling in from and how you heard about this masterclass. Probably from me,
Laura: Utah.
Laura: Amazing. And Shanna. Or you could say how you either, like how you heard about this or how you know me.
Laura: I love it. Theresa, I can hear you typing. That means your, your answer better be good being into New York. Sean? Yeah, it's been a hot minute and she says, I lived to Laura and I lived together in the past. Yeah, I mean, why don't we do it in the present, is what I'm saying.
Laura: Theresa Oak Island Beach Fellow Master Coach, adult chair, master coach Shanna Sweet D is my play partner. Yes. Yes. If you have followed some of my uh, shenanigans, Shanna sometimes is in there it's so fun. Okay. Who else? Hey Cindy. I think Cindy's in here. Anyone else wanna share before we get started?
Laura: Alison in Virginia. Ease in abundance with AI classmate. Yes. Yes. Amazing. Okay, we're gonna go ahead and get started. I'm just gonna let people come in. As they come in, and I know a lot of people registered, they're gonna watch the recording. So for those who are watching the recording, hello, it's good to see you.
Laura: Please send me a message like, how are you doing? Because I wanna feel like a reunion with you two, even though you couldn't make make it here personally.
Laura: So let me go ahead and introduce myself. All of you know me, obviously, um, and maybe some of you don't, but for those who don't know me, or if you only know me in like a certain capacity, high Laura d short for Laura Dio.
Laura: I am the founder of Lead Intacct, and I actually founded this company four years ago, and it started off as a passion project. It was never meant to be a full-time thing. It was just kind of like my heart is in this. I care so deeply about leadership. I've always cared about leadership. I really believe that it's important to see ourself as a leader instead of waiting for someone to hand us the title.
Laura: And looking back through my life, both my career, even when I was like an undergrad, I got offered a lot of leadership roles. I didn't really necessarily have to ask, and now I know it's because I have always seen myself as a leader and carried myself differently. So we're gonna talk a little bit about that later today too.
Laura: So you may be wondering why the bold blue bold pivot blueprint. I would like to think I'm the queen of pivots and here's why. I had what I call a chacha childhood. I've been pivoting since I was young. What I mean by that is I was born in the Philippines, moved to the US age four, moved back to the Philippines, age eight, and then back to the US age 14.
Laura: So change became my norm. And as a kid I kind of felt out of control because obviously I wasn't the one who made the choice to move. But at the same time, I kind of felt good. 'cause every time we moved and I navigated the culture, the difference in school made new friends. I was just like, I'm pretty badass as a kid.
Laura: I didn't say badass as a kid. Okay. You know, my parents didn't raise me to curse. I got that on my own as an adult. Um, but I carried that through as an adult and my mindset at the time because change was such a normal thing. And I was like, well, if change is a normal thing, I'm gonna control the shit out of it.
Laura: You know what I mean? I was the person where if I felt a desire, I would go for it. But not only that, but I would have a plan A, a plan B, and then like 10 steps in between. I was just like a major planner. Can anyone else relate to that? Like I'm only gonna make the change if I can play, if I can plan all 10,000 steps.
Laura: Yeah. That was me, and it worked for a very long time. It worked like that skill of being able to see it, like the end goal, plan it out, steps one through whatever worked well, and I was always constantly like thinking ahead, very future oriented. What's next? Like literally, I remember even when I moved to Binghamton, Sean, I loved it and I was just like so in love with the place.
Laura: I know people think I'm crazy, but it's true. And even then I was like, what's next after this and what's next after that? Like it's just right, and I again rewarded for it, especially in corporate, you know, me always thinking two steps ahead. Like I would report to whoever they'd be like, wow, she is a go-getter, great thinker, et cetera.
Laura: Except I never slowed down enough to ask myself how I felt and if it was something I actually wanted or if it was like what I thought I should want. Anybody else, right? Sometimes when we're so go, go, go, it's like there's no time for feelings. What's that? So it all changed for me, really I would say the most pivotal pivot.
Laura: I'm gonna try to see if I can do like alliterations throughout this masterclass because why not? The most pivotal pivot, really the starting point of when I started to pay attention to my inner world is about 11 years ago. I got the opportunity, um, I was living in Southern California at the time and Sean probably knows the story already and I got the opportunity to to move temporarily to upstate New York, Binghamton.
Laura: And I was just like, that sounds like fun and Miss Planner over here. Couldn't plan it. Why? It was a temporary relocation assignment. No one knew how long I was supposed to be there for. They wanted me there yesterday, but no one knew what my role was, who I was supposed to talk to. I didn't even have a place to live.
Laura: Y'all. I lived outta my suitcase for three weeks, like in a hotel. And at the time I didn't know it was gonna be three weeks. It was just like, I don't know. And I had to let go. I didn't like it. Lemme tell you what, miss Control freak over here. I was like, what? But I had no choice. I had to stay present. I had to slow down.
Laura: 'cause there was nothing else for me to hold onto. There was no next step. I couldn't see beyond that day. And when I did that, I was like, oh shit. I like, uh, I like nature. I forgot. Look at how the sun reflects on the snow outside the window. Even I would eat breakfast. I would just take my time and be like, this coffee tastes amazing.
Laura: Wow, I forgot. I love coffee. It was so beautiful, and I wish I could say, and it was all butters, butterflies, and flowers. It's not true because what happens when you slow down, right? It's not just the happy feelings that come back up. It's all the shit that you've been pushing down. So all that time when I was being a go-getter, planning 10 steps ahead, I was pushing down my fear.
Laura: I was pushing down my feelings of like, oh, but it has to be perfect, my need to perform. And I learned. I had anxiety. I'm like, oh my God, why can't I breathe? When I look at my calendar? I started having panic attacks. Can anyone here relate to that? You slow down enough and you're like, what the fuck is this shit?
Laura: Why did I do that? Right? Like, maybe that was a mistake. I don't know. Yeah, right. I see a few of you nodding. And I was just like, okay. Now mind you, this was 11 years ago. I was still very much corporate, very performance driven. My reaction was, I really have to work and look into this personal development stuff because it's impeding my performance.
Laura: I was like, my career cannot be jeopardized because of my feelings. We can't have that. This is just who I'm, I'm being honest with you, because I'm, I'm just saying if you feel this way, I totally get it because we've been brainwashed in our culture that it's all about performing and who cares about our feelings.
Laura: Well, that was, and this is why I say it's the most pivotal pivot point, because it's the one that really got me to start exploring like, what's actually happening within me? How am I feeling? And I started investing time. Like I started looking into, I got really into Myers-Briggs. I got really into the Enneagram.
Laura: And then I found the adult chair, Michelle chant, A few of you on here. No, 'cause you're certified like me. And like the more I started working on myself, getting curious, I was like, oh, this is fun. This is a lot of fun. And I started noticing that I started feeling better and I started performing better at work.
Laura: At this point, I stopped doing it for the purpose of being a better performer. I was just like, this feels good. I'm gonna keep doing this. So then I started to make the connection, oh, the more I work on myself, the better my overall life is. It's not a separation of this is me work life, and then the inner world, let's just shove it down and pretend it doesn't exist.
Laura: So I just kept investing in myself. And then I would say the first bold pivot, not in a career standpoint. I've done a lot of that too. Was when I decided to invest in myself to become a life coach through adult chair coaching. That was crazy. 'cause again, I was still very corporate, very like, I was just like, what does this have to do with anything?
Laura: But there was something in my heart that was like really calling out to it and I was like, okay, I'm gonna say yes to me. And so that time I invested, not only time, but like I invested money in myself because I'm like, I am worth it. I probably invested at that point, like close to 20 k, which at the time was just like, but let me tell you, I wouldn't have found this passion.
Laura: I wouldn't have found a lead in tech if I didn't do it. I wouldn't have been able to help, like the number of clients I've helped, even just having this as a passion project, if I didn't say yes to me, if I didn't invest in me both time and money. And then most recently, because you know, this journey never ends.
Laura: I've done, again, a lot of career pivots, but most recently I decided to invest in myself even more because I could feel it. I was like, this was when I was still in corporate. I could feel it. I was like, whew, something's not right with the way I'm living. And I've done pivots before on my own and what would it be like if I could be supported?
Laura: So I invested in six figure coaching, private coaching, and when I tell you my stomach and my butt were like, eh. But my heart opened and blossomed because my heart was like finally. Yes. And I started thinking about all the times I invested in other things like college, that's several hundred my house.
Laura: And I'm like, why not me? Why not me? And I have to say, out of all the pivots I've done in my life, and it's been a lot, including the one in in childhood, doing this latest pivot of me deciding to leave corporate. Felt the easiest and the best because I said yes to being supported because it's like, oh, if I really want more for myself, then I need to give myself more.
Laura: I need to allow myself to receive more. And so through that support, when I got real, honest with myself and I asked myself, what do I really want? I was just like, okay, it's time. It's time for me to leave corporate, and it's time for me to say yes to me. Thank you. I'm, I'm seeing the, oh my God, these emojis are so fun.
Laura: So it wasn't I'm here to walk you through like the process. It wasn't truly, it wasn't like I woke up one day and I was just like, fuck this shit. No, that's not, it's not what happened. It's a process. I don't believe in making rash decisions. That's never been me. I believe in making bold decisions.
Laura: But I believe in like, really sitting with yourself and integrating like what your heart is telling you, and then using the mind to support, how can I make this happen? Not out of like fear, out of what you think is possible, but what you trust can be possible. All right.
Laura: So who's ready to learn about the Bold Pivot Blueprint?
Laura: I love this. Okay. Yes. All right, let me share my screen.
Laura: ' cause you know me I love a good graphic. Like, is it a Laura presentation? If there's not a good graphic,
Laura: the answer's no, by the way. Okay. Do presentation mode. Can y'all see that? Just gimme like a thumbs up. All right. Awesome. Awesome. I can only see two of you here, so if you have a question, just like speak up or put it in the, in the comment. I only see Shannon Theresa, so you all, you, both of you. You better give it.
Laura: No pressure. I'm just kidding. Alison, why are you doing a thumbs down? You want me to see you? Well, your, your camera's off. I can't see you. Do you want me to see your face? Oh, sorry. That was a blooper. Oh, bloop, bloop. Sorry. It's all good. I'm trying to find fire emoji for you. And I accidentally clicked the thought.
Laura: She was like, no, I wanna be, I wanna be seen. Well, you gotta turn your camera on. Okay. I love this. Okay. Here we go. The bold pivot blueprint is two steps. Number one, you. This is, I so, so deeply believe in this. You have to see yourself as the leader of your life. Like you have to, because if you are approaching life, like I don't have a choice.
Laura: I have to be in this job that makes me so deeply and happy 'cause I got bills to pay. People are responsible, like I'm responsible for so many people. That's a very disempowered place to be. Now, I'm not saying that those things, that there's no truth to that, but I'm inviting you to like even make a slight switch instead of like, I have to, I'm stuck.
Laura: I choose to. I choose to stay in this job and yes, I'm unhappy. Both things can be true, but it's a choice. Now why is that important? I'm not saying you need to say that to, to feel shame or feel guilt, right? That's not the point. The point is if you're saying I choose to versus I have to. That means you get the choice to choose otherwise.
Laura: Step two, take aligned intentional action. So from the place of I am the leader, like I know what I want. You go take aligned action from there. Don't take action from the place of fear or have to where, oh my God, or scarcity. It doesn't feel good. Have I done it? Yes. Shanna, yes. You're saying yes or do you have a question?
Laura: No, I, what you're saying here by, just by plugging in a different word, totally shifted the energy of I have to, versus, oh, I choose to, like the leadership energy totally shifted when you changed those two words for me. Right. It makes you just be like, yeah, maybe I'm not happy right now, but I'm, I'm choosing the situation, which means I can choose otherwise.
Laura: Thank you. Okay. That's the end of the talk. No, I'm kidding. Can you imagine. I'm totally kidding that it's not,
Laura: And that's where we'll pause it for today. Take a second to let that land the whole I choose to, instead of I have to shift, can change everything when you actually start living it. Next week we'll dive into part two of the Bold Pivot Blueprint Masterclass, where I'll walk you through the how. A short guided find Your Why exercise, plus real time coaching moments that'll help you turn insight into action.
Laura: So make sure you're subscribed. Share this episode with someone who's been craving a change and get ready because the next part is where the blueprint really comes to life. Alright, I'll catch you in part two.
All right, friend. That's it for today's drop. If this episode hits something deep, don't just sit with it, act on it. Share this with a friend who needs to hear it, and then head to www.leadinta.com to grab your free heart aligned career transition starter, or book a free 20 minute call with me. I'm here when you're ready to stop feeling stuck and start moving toward what you really want.
Catch you next time.