ProductiviTree: Cultivating Efficiency, Harvesting Joy

Productivitree #14 Ditching the Corporate Ladder for Something Bigger

• Santiago Tacoronte • Season 1 • Episode 14

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In this conversation, Genevieve Piturro shares her transformative journey from a successful corporate career in television to founding the Pajama Program, a movement dedicated to helping children in need. She discusses the importance of listening to one's heart voice, the difference between work-life balance and work-life purpose, and the essential habits for building a purpose-driven initiative. Genevieve emphasizes the role of corporate leaders in creating social impact, the significance of human connection, and the need for joy in the workplace. She also addresses the challenges of burnout and the importance of overcoming doubts when pursuing one's passion. 

Takeaways 

  • Genevieve left her corporate career after realizing it wasn't fulfilling. 
  • Listening to your heart can guide you to your true purpose. 
  • Work-life purpose is about integrating passion into your life. 
  • Building a movement requires listening to your heart voice. 
  • Corporate leaders must connect with their teams' values. 
  • The Great Resignation reflects a search for meaning in work. 
  • Joy and fun are essential for a productive workplace. 
  • Burnout is common among passionate entrepreneurs. 
  • Everyone has a unique purpose, no matter how small. 
  • One person's idea can inspire a movement. 

 

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Genevieve Piturro's journey has taken her from TV executive in New York to a little girl's question in a homeless shelter, to Oprah to boardrooms and stages across America to talk about purpose, the human connection, and how to be a voice that moves the world. A successful TV executive, Genevieve dramatically changed the direction of her life and found her purpose when a six-year-old girl's question rocked her world. And she jumped off the corporate ladder. In 2001, Piturro founded the hugely successful national organization, Pajama Program, and has written two books on purposeful leadership and launching a legacy. Her seven times award-winning Amazon bestseller, Purpose, Passion, and Pajamas, How to Transform Your Life, embrace the human connection and lead with meaning. Hi Genevieve and welcome to Productivity. Thank you for this invitation. You went from a successful corporate career in TV, very successful, to founding Pajama Program, a movement that has changed thousands of lives. What was the moment that made you realize you had to walk away from the corporate world? Well, Santiago, it sounded crazy to me, still does to a lot of people, but it was a crazy workaholic life. I was single in Manhattan, climbing the corporate ladder for 12 years. And one day, in a quiet moment in my apartment, I heard a voice in me for the first time ever say, if this is the next 30 years of your life, is this enough? And I heard that voice coming from inside me somewhere. And it really frightened me because I trusted it was coming from me somewhere in me that was trying to tell me something really important. And literally within seconds, I knew the answer was no. I knew in 30 years, I might have more money, but I would still be racing, you know, like crazy, trying to get ahead alone and really, really burnt out. So many people have similar thoughts. I've heard many of them and they go like, okay, one day I'll do something meaningful. I'll fulfill my dream, but they never act on it. What make you actually take the leap instead of just thinking about it? And what do you recommend people to do to get the courage to do what they really love? Well, you know, I didn't think that there was anything else I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to be in the television business forever. But after a few seconds of really trying to just calm down from hearing all of that, I thought, You know, I never really wanted to do anything else, I thought. I just wanted to be in television. But seconds after that, voice asked me about the next 30 years, I immediately remembered a television news spot where social workers and police were taking children out of a situation in a home that was abusive. And for some reason, that memory of just a few days earlier came to me. And my first thought was what I felt when I saw that news clip. It was awful watching these children being dragged out, knowing what had been happening and feeling that pain of those children. It rushed back to me and I immediately said, I wonder if I could go and visit those kids or children like them after work. And you know, I don't know why things happen because sometimes they're out of the human realm. And I've learned a lot about having the universe support you when you're on purpose. And I did call the shelters and they welcomed me in. And slowly as I went to read every few nights once a week, my heart was there all of a sudden. It was very different and it was heart led and hard voice driven. And I just kept following that because it was a pull, some pull. I didn't know what it was yet, but it was soon to be revealed. Was there any fear of resistance when you left your career behind? Did you ever look back? And how did you push through it? Yes, there was a lot of fear, a lot of fear. And I didn't know what was happening to me because I I'd been slowly losing any passion and any interest in that career. And I know I was showing that in my actions because I could see the way my colleagues and my bosses at the time were reacting. They didn't know why I wasn't a workaholic anymore. They didn't know what was happening and I didn't let anyone know because I thought to myself, what if I tell them I really want to leave this and all I want to do is read to these children at night before they go to bed because of the situation they're in is breaking my heart. It sounded ridiculous even to myself. And I had a mortgage. You know, I had bills. I couldn't reconcile what was going on between my head and my heart and my dreams that I thought I had and this unknown emotional pull. So it was very, very difficult. know, I've written a couple of books. The first one is a lot about how I took the jump and it was financially a mess. When I finally told someone what I wanted to do, she laughed at me. She thought I was crazy. And I stopped telling anybody and I tried to lead a double life until I had to make that move. and I didn't know what I was doing. It was full of fear and doubt and worry and financial stress for a while. You talk a lot about the heart of the matter. What is that? That's what that voice I heard is your heart. We don't just feel emotion with it. It's talking to us. It's leading us and guiding us by how we feel physically a lot of times. And we need to pay attention and then train ourselves to go there first when we need an answer. when we're considering something, when something doesn't feel right, but we're doing it anyway. I've learned to stop and I teach people to stop and feel your body, understand your body's trying to tell yourself something and sit down and ask your heart, literally take a breath and just say, what am I meant to do in this moment? And what's going on here? And you will hear answers the more you listen and the more you ask because that heart knows a lot more about you than about us and we realize. We hear a lot about work-life balance, but you're championing work-life purpose. What is the difference and how can people shift towards a more holistic work-life purpose? I like that. I would say work-life balance feels to me like you work really hard and you get a massage. You work really hard and you take a break and you spend more time with people that you love. Similarly, work-life purpose, I would say, is you take a break from the work to find... and fulfill your purpose. Whether you make a switch and you decide that your purpose is more important as a career, or you're going to figure out a way to move into that career purposeful career, or you bring whatever is purposeful to you that you put on the back burner into your life. So you could decide midstream. You could be an accountant, you could be a doctor, you could be a teacher, and you could say, know, I've been doing this 15 years. I never paid attention to the fact that I love to dance. You know, I took dance lessons and I just never thought I was good enough. I never pursued it. And the longer I wait and the older I get, the sadder I am that I never gave it a try or included it in my life. That I teach people is a slide. You don't have to quit, but you have to slide that purpose from the back burner right up to the front and included in your life. So take some dance lessons, bring it in if that is what you were meant to do here. What you feel is going to give your life that meaning. So it's similar to the first answer, but now that you asked me that question, that's how I answered it. How do you respond to those who say, I'd love to follow my passion, but I have pay? Well, I know about that. Now you don't have to jump. You know, I teach a lot of things I did wrong so that I can help people also jump and maybe do them a little safer than I did. But if you can't quit your job, you have to do the slide. You have to figure out what that is. And you know what that is. We all know if we take time to be honest with ourselves, what we love, whether it's animals, whether it's taking care of someone who is sick or whatever that passion is, dance or singing or anything, to find a way to spend some time every week in that world. Find a way to slide it in if it's impossible for you to see how you could make a financial change into that world. It'll make you feel that you are giving a gift to yourself when you are in that for, because it is a gift to yourself to include that purpose in your life. You turn an idea into a national movement. What are the most important productivity habits that you use to build a purpose-driven initiative? Well, I have thought a lot about that and I do teach the four truths that I've learned. And so I will tell you what I have learned are the keys, the pillars to a successful purposeful movement and being a voice that moves the world. First, what we've been talking about, listen to your heart voice. You cannot inspire, you cannot fall in love with an idea that's not coming from your heart. They don't feel. is yours to do, is the gift that you were born with to share. The idea, the product, whatever it is, it can help more people and contribute to forward moving humanity. If you believe in your heart, this was yours to do, then you are on track. I think it's very difficult to turn something you don't feel that way about, you don't love with your whole heart into something that can honestly, authentically inspire people. So first, listen to your heart voice. That's what you move forward doing and being. Second, the human connection is our best and often underused tool. The way that we grow anything is by sharing and trusting that not Everybody has to support what we're doing and come and work with us and give their heart and be inspired. But you need your people, right? We all have our people. So I wasn't necessarily attracting people who wanted to give in the dog world, in the animal world, or someone who their heart was in helping cancer patients. But that's okay because you find your people who resonate with your story, with what you want to do. because something in them is touched. So concentrate on talking to people, finding your people who will resonate with you. That's all you need because they will speak louder and do more and take you further than the time you might spend trying to get numbers of people. Find those people that resonate with you. So the human connection. Number three is live with integrity outside of yourself. Do what you feel is going to move everyone forward or as many people, put them in a better place, make them feel loved, make them feel comfortable, make them feel heard and listened to. Do something for the world that includes more people being, feeling, loving, being loved more. So live with integrity outside yourself. And then the last one is You have to understand no matter how great your idea is, how hard you work, how smart you are, it is not the power of one that changes anything. It's the power of one another that moves mountains and moves people. And once we realize that and we let others in and maybe take a backseat ourselves sometimes because just trusting others who have ideas when we don't, that's the fourth key to to making the world a better place and being a voice that people want to support. very powerful framework, Genevieve. You've worked with corporate leaders who want to inject more meaning into their businesses, What's the biggest mistake companies make when trying to create social impact? I think they, again, they're leading from their head. I think if there are two things about organizations, getting involved in nonprofit, in giving, is first, what is your team? What do the people who work with you care about? Find out what everyone there cares about, because if you decide, for your purposes, you want to do this, whether it's something that's personal to you only, or whether it is an organization that's high profile, so you want to do it for profile reasons to be seen with that organization, bring it back to what is heartfelt, not only in you, but in everybody that works with you. Because in order for everyone to participate, everyone's going to have to feel that they want to be part of whatever that organization is. So talk to everyone. Look at the options that are in your community. See where there's a really good loving fit because growth over time means you'll be investing in what their work is and you want there to be this beautiful love story between your people and your organization and how you can benefit them and who they serve. And you want them to look at you as a partner, as a heartfelt partner, a partner who's doing this because it enhances lives, not only those they serve, but those who are giving. And again, with me, it all comes down to love, it comes down to the heart. And I think now, More than ever, we need that. We need leaders, you know, not the old fashioned bosses. We need leaders who are listening. We recently heard the term last year, a couple of years ago, after COVID, the great resignation, lots of people leaving their jobs. Is it because they found a meaning? Why do you think people is leaving so much corporate these days? I don't know that everybody found me yet, but they're looking. And I think that that's a process. There are some, of course, who realize that, and I did, it was a near death experience. We all thought, what if this is it? Have I spent the last 10 years, 20 years, five years in this job and I may never be able to make another choice? And I think that was the beginning of reflecting on our lives. So I think that there are some people who made the jump immediately, some people who took are taking it slow. But I think this is a big window for people to examine what they want to do for the next 30 years. And, you know, it's it's it's difficult sometimes to take that break and try to find it because you have bills to pay. and you've been invested in something for so long. But I think we have to do that self-reflection. And I think there have to be ways for people to find a successful, purposeful life, even after 10 or more years doing something that left them empty. You work with big leaders that drive big companies, big corporations. How do you convince these people responsible for hundreds of thousands of lifes shareholders, massive budgets that they need to do and use more of their heart and less of their head? Well, most of the people that I work with find that there's a disconnect. So if they're doing very well, they don't need to figure out how to fix everything. There might be things that they have to fix here and there, but I work with the people who are feeling that, as you said, people are leaving, they don't know how to communicate, and they have to be honest. You know, they have to be honest with themselves to say, I need to do something better. I need to rally people. I need to inspire people. How can I find that in me? Because sometimes I think we put this facade, you know, we act a certain way because we think we're supposed to act a certain way. When really people just want to be, want to know you, want to feel that you are interested in them, at least to some degree. not just to show up and be a body moving, you know, moving a product. So I think if they realize that they can do bigger and better things, but they're not connecting somewhere that they already want to find a better way. So if, if you're in that pain and you want to find a better way, you are open. And if you're open, then I can work with you and your team to figure out honestly who and why people are not responding. And then when that dialogue is open, then new initiatives can come into place and those misunderstandings could be cleared up. And there could be a real way for everyone to understand the vision the leader has and for the leader to understand that he or she needs to. bring people along, making sure that they are feeling they're contributing what they want to contribute to the big picture. What is one underrated leadership habit that creates a happier, more purposeful workplace? That's easy because I do a weekly tip sheet Leading with love tips from a friend and yesterday my tip was to bring joy to the workplace and have fun so I suggested have a game tournament announce a two-hour lunch order in and have games for everyone to play and Just loosen up and feel good and bring fun bring fun into the workplace and I quoted Richard Branson and his daughter who have said that Having fun at work for everyone is the key to their success and it's true. It's true I mean who wouldn't love you know, they're their boss their leader to come in and say two-hour lunch I brought in Monopoly checkers and you know cards Let's play and let me give you some updates on the projects and I'd love your insights and it just changes everything and it brings everybody back to a human people level and a heartfelt level and laughing and lightness. It's just an unexpected, wonderful surprise. I love it. People who care deeply in general, people that is very involved into something often suffer from burnout. You've built a very successful movement based on giving. How did you avoid burning out yourself? Well, I think all entrepreneurs, we burn ourselves out more than once. We get there because we're driven and because a lot of our passion comes straight from the heart, not from the head. And our heart wants so deeply to see it through. And even if we're faced with potential failure, we don't acknowledge that. We don't want to look at that. There's no quitting. You know, really, that's an option. Like if you have a job, you figure I could quit getting another job. I think that that's a different part of being an entrepreneur, even someone with a nonprofit work decision. I think we just, if we have to go down, we go down trying and we go down crying and we... We try to grab whatever we and whoever we can along the way to try something new. And I think, I think that's a natural part of being any entrepreneur. You know, we accept that we burn out and then when we're forced to take a break and to find that balance, then we do. And then we're anxious to get right back to the grind. What is your advice for someone who feels called to start something, but they have doubts, they don't know if to jump into it or not. Where can they begin? Well, everybody has doubts, all of us. So hopefully there's been enough talking about it and writing about it that we all realize we all have that in common. there's looking and meeting and talking with other successful entrepreneurs who are a little bit further along than the very beginning helps. I mentor constantly. I was mentored, I got coaches, I am a coach. I think knowing you're not alone and learning and even just talking, a conversation with someone who has been there. can't tell you how many times I've had a nickel for every time I say, know, I have been there. I feel it. I've been exactly where you are. That is very comforting for someone. And then often your advice or your guidance can continue and keep them off the ledge a little bit and help them take one foot in front of the other. As long as they know they're not alone. They need cheerleaders. We all need cheerleaders. What do you say to people who feel like one person can't really make a difference? Well, I told you one person is not about the power of one, but one person can feel something. And by sharing that one idea, that one feeling, because it always comes with a feeling, if we are vulnerable and we take a chance on sharing something that touched us or that moved us or that's just a crazy idea, but I think it can help people. by sharing that and talking to more people, slowly you will find your people and you will not be alone anymore. And one step at a time can grow a little, it can grow a lot. And it's just a matter of trusting yourself and understanding it is not unique to you to feel that you can't do this. We all feel that. Let's take some rapid fire questions. Answer each under a minute. Work-life balance, overrated or essential? Now it's essential. Why? Well, I think we are better all around and more productive when we are refreshed and when we have fun. You I always do better after I've watched a comedian or I've gone to something comedy. love certain singers I love. And I think I'm refreshed and I think it refreshes us and it takes our, gives our brain a rest because most of the time when we're doing something we love, it's our heart that's filled and our heart. needs to be filled and our brain needs to be emptied. So I think if we balance, we empty the brain and we fill the heart, when the heart is full, then the brain can get slowly back up to gear and take the next few steps. What is the biggest myth about finding your purpose? I think it's your passion, it's your purpose. I think a lot of people think that they don't have one and everyone does. And it doesn't have to be huge, it doesn't have to be an Oprah purpose, which is big and beautiful and she's sharing it beautifully. But if you love to work with animals. If you love to volunteer in a senior home, if that's what fills your heart, that's your purpose. It doesn't have to be grand, it just has to be yours. What is one book that changed your perspective on leadership? Well, I read a lot about Richard Branson because I think he's a model that I love. I read a lot of books about, nonfiction books about different leaders from the past and the present and how they lead. I think Simon Sinek is a great leader and he talks, I think he's writing a new book about friendship. You know, the power of why is certainly has been influential to me as so many others. I prefer to watch love stories on TV and to read business love stories in my books. What's one thing people should stop doing if they want to be happier at work? worrying, but I know that's almost impossible. I think the only way to do that is to have that balance, but it's not to have the balance where people say, okay, you have to do this to balance. Maybe you want to dance by yourself. Maybe you want to go to the library or the bookstore and sit in a corner with poetry books. Or maybe you want to listen to or watch 1940s movies. Be true to yourself. Find out what that is that you want to do. And if you have to do it alone because you think people will laugh at you, do it alone. I watch Hallmark movies by myself because everyone makes fun of me. I listen to country music in New York City. It is not even a country station anymore because not enough people want to listen to it. But I do. And a lot of times I listen to it in my car because my husband doesn't like it. My brother doesn't like it. You you have to find and be and be true to yourself. Find what brings you. that peace and joy. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would that be? No comparison. Don't compare yourself to anybody else. I think that's another flaw as humans that we carry. Besides being unworthy and all that, it all is the same thing, but we see someone else, another speaker, another leader, another author, another anything, and we want to do that and we're trying to do that and then we compare to the other person in such a a mediocre way and it's so hurtful and harmful for ourselves because we're unique. We're unique and we have to remember even that person who's made it still has those insecurities and it's such a waste of time to compare yourself to others. If someone listening is inspired by your story and wants to start making a difference, what is the first step that they should take today? Well, certainly they can reach out to me on my website. I offer a free hour consultation just to listen, brainstorm, whatever I can do to help and support. And also on my website, there is an exercise at the top. says how to find your purpose. And if you click there, there is an exercise for 90 minutes. And I know it helps people. And I think most people tell me they are pretty surprised at when they're honest with themselves and they spend that time alone and do what I say in the exercise. they find some revealing things about themselves. Tell us more about where people can connect with you, listen to your content my website is my name Genevieve Piturro dot com and everything is there and I said I write a tips Sheet every week on a tip or two of how to lead with love tips from a friend It's called but all the social media platforms. I shouldn't say all linkedin Facebook and instagram and on my website people can reach me Genevieve, I want to thank you for this very interesting time sharing your wisdom, your passion, and I hope that a lot of people will find purpose. I'm sure a lot of our audience will relate to your journey, and I hope they find the courage to be authentic, as you said, Well, I hope that there are some people out there who might rethink taking a chance on themselves now. Thank you so much, Genevieve Thank you, Santiago.