Caroline (00:01.847)
Today I have Allie Stone with me. Allie is the founder of the Inspired Leader. She's an executive leadership coach, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator. So welcome Allie.
Ally Stone (00:12.362)
Thank you. I'm excited to be here. Yeah, excited to have a conversation with you today.
Caroline (00:18.359)
So you have extensive history in hospitality leadership, specifically in culture and leadership, and you've developed over 12 businesses into success stories. How did you do it?
Ally Stone (00:33.57)
That's a loaded question. Oh man, it was such a journey. So when I first got into, let's call it, entrepreneurship, when we first bought our first partnership in our restaurants and hospitality.
I believe I was 22 years old. I might've been just turning 23. So like not even really knowing what I was doing or what I was getting into. And so, you know, I often say now I have this PhD in business, but not through a degree, like through experience of building an organization, you know, from the ground up into.
uh, multiple units and really just like trial and error, you know, and getting dirty and getting my feet wet and getting in there and figuring everything out. Um, I had no idea would get as big as it did, uh, when I got in. So, uh, had I known I might've ran away screaming, I don't know, right? Um, but, uh, it was an incredible journey, incredible journey. And I just feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to
to build businesses like that. So, yeah, I hope that's answering your question. But.
Caroline (01:49.523)
It is. And when you're 22, especially you don't know what you don't know. I mean, you're young, you are just getting out into the workforce for some people. And I think the school of life, you learn so much more than in actual class.
Ally Stone (02:05.578)
Yes, yeah. And it's interesting, you know, because I used to think, okay, you know, so my husband and I were both partners in these restaurants, and we used to say things to her like, to each other, like one of us is going to need to go to school at some point here. And then we were just so busy, right? So we never really had time to stop. And so we'd sit down and laugh about it, you know, every couple of years and say, okay, well, I guess that's not happening. But I, I don't feel like there's anything I don't know that, you know, school could have taught me by this point, which
go out and get that real life experience. Sometimes it's so rich and it gives us so much in our life. So yeah, so I feel really grateful for my kind of first step into entrepreneurship through that. And I know you're in the US, but ours is ours. It was like a restaurant franchise, so I know there's a lot in the US.
When we got in with this restaurant franchise, there was two locations. And by the time I was done, there was 95. So you can imagine the growth and the expansion that happened, you know, in that 17 year career with that organization and with that group.
Caroline (03:14.135)
How did you do that? I mean, to go from two restaurants to 97, that is an insane amount of growth. And I mean, just when you talk about logistics with sales and customer acquisition and marketing and training talent, I mean, how did you learn and pivot and grow through all of that growth?
Ally Stone (03:35.098)
Yeah, I mean it was a really wild adventure. So, you know, the franchise ended up with the 95 restaurants. We ended up with 17 of those. So, I mean still massive growth even within our franchise group. And, you know, there was a lot of pivoting. There was a lot of learning. There was a lot of like...
trial by fire, if that makes sense, a lot of saying, okay, well, let's try this. Let's see if it sticks. And so sometimes that was really good. And sometimes that wasn't too, right? So sometimes that was hard on team members. Sometimes that was hard on us as leaders because there was so, I don't want to say turmoil, but there was a lot of uncertainty, right? And what we were doing. And so trying to figure that out was a journey in of itself. And I think as
As we grew, I think we were really lucky, number one, because my husband and I were both very passionate about leadership and understanding people and working with people. And that really became my role in the organization as we grew. So for the last decade, I was the director, and it was just leadership, development, and culture. That was it. And so I just got to.
identify people who maybe wanted to excel or grow or reach different levels of talent and then develop them. And it was incredible. And so I think taking like a bigger focus like that and working with, you know, a larger team, at one point we had almost 500 people on our team, thinking like that helps you keep expanding, right? You got to keep looking at the bigger picture and keep...
keep moving outwards if you can, right?
Caroline (05:16.689)
So, speaking of leadership, I mean, not everyone is cut out for leadership. So how do you know if someone's listening to this podcast, if they're on the fence and thinking, okay, I'm ready to take the next step, but I don't know what to do, or how to communicate to my manager that I'm ready for this, or maybe I'm a current leader and I want to learn how to be a better leader. I know those two separate questions there.
Ally Stone (05:39.142)
Yeah, that's okay. I'll start with the current leader and want to learn how to be a better leader. I think that when we're in that position and we're already a leader, we've kind of, we've already accepted, we've already kind of stepped into that role. So at that point, there's probably some sort of alignment. There's something calling you to working with people and helping people grow. But I think for leaders, the biggest thing, so there's so many...
tools, right? There's so many strategies out there. There's so many tips and tricks on how to be a better leader. And the one thing I always say is that I think we often miss the foundational piece, which is leaders first leading themselves, first understanding who they are, getting to know their values, understanding what they bring forth as a leader and what they aspire to bring forth. Because not very many leaders do that work and then...
and then are able to articulate that to the people that they lead. But I think that when we can do that, when we do that work and we lead ourselves, that we then show up in a way that's clear, it's kind, it's respectful. It creates understanding and collaboration and community.
and creates leadership that honestly, I think changes the world. And so I think if you really wanna be a great leader, you gotta stop and assess yourself. And so I would probably even say that to the person considering being a leader. Like, does that even align with your values? Do you want to be the person who steps in the line of fire for a team of people? Do you wanna be the person who always goes first, even when it's not ideal, right? Because leaders do need to do that. They need to show their...
their teams and their people that they're willing to go to bat for them, right? Really at the end of the day.
Caroline (07:27.755)
I think when you get into a leadership seat, a lot of what I've seen in corporate America is you are the advocate for your team, but that also creates sometimes conflict with other leaders or the executive team. And so there's this fine balance there of how do you do your job and fit in with this C-suite or management team or whatever that looks like, and then also serve your team.
Ally Stone (07:50.306)
Mm hmm. Yeah, it's super challenging. I have a couple clients in corporate America right now and I see it and it's an ongoing battle. And I so I really think Carolina comes back to like our authenticity as leaders and being willing to have conversations with the C-suite level leaders and with the people who are on your team and understanding the dynamics that exist in each company because, you know, I'm working with two large organizations right now and they
Their dynamics are different, but they do face a lot of these, what would you call them? Almost like container or a siloed kind of issues, right? So like we're over here and these are the decisions we're making. You're this kind of mid-level leader. You're leading this team. You're trying to make decisions for this team, but maybe, maybe the C-suite doesn't like those decisions or doesn't feel like they're aligned or... So there's, I think there's a really big piece around, you know, this idea of bringing humanity back to business, having real,
authentic conversations and trying to find common ground between all of our roles. Because at the end of the day, we all need to support each other to get it done, right? Like without the team, it's gonna be really hard to be successful, whether that's C-suite or entry level, it doesn't matter, right? We need all of it. And so when we start to think about business and team and leadership that way, I think it shifts our thinking a little bit. And we start to approach these challenging situations differently.
Caroline (09:18.467)
So what can leaders do to foster more connection with their team members and any tips or strategies on how to rise in that category or what not to do, what will set you up for, what won't set you up for success?
Ally Stone (09:38.53)
That's a good question. I mean, I think connection is everything. So that's what you will get from me, right? Working with me, I'm always like, I'm not really your strategy person. I'm not really your like leadership tool person. I'm your high emotional intelligence person. I'm gonna help you create connections, understand the power of relationship. And I think that from, if we go back to my experience in hospitality and being the director of that organization and specializing in culture for that decade,
I was able to really identify the importance of creating and developing and nurturing the relationships that we have all around in an organization and how that creates a better experience not only for the leader at work, but for the team member, for the client or the customer or whoever is purchasing from you, like all around.
And it creates this longevity that it just it's just a game changer, right? I think sometimes it's hard for leaders to focus on it, to put effort and money into it, because there's not this like instant gratification, right? We all want instant gratification these days and culture and people and that kind of focus is a long-term game. But that's a long-term game that really does pay off when you're
not turning people over when you have people who are happy at work, when you have people who will go to bat for what you're doing, right? It's actually a really inspiring place to be.
Caroline (11:10.807)
So how do you do that when, how do you have balance when you're busy and your company is growing or your team is drinking from a fire hose? I mean, how do you balance that connection and being authentic with your team when also you have a full workload on your plate?
Ally Stone (11:26.606)
I think it requires a vision. So I think leaders need to have a vision. They need to have something they're driving towards that's inspiring their team. Because I think when we have goals, we're excited, right? We're like, oh, we're driving towards something. This is really exciting. I wanna be a part of this with you. And in that, I think relationships are created. I think connection is formed. And so when a business is growing and it's really, really busy,
I think the vision, the purpose, the like, this is where we're going is everything. I think that really drives, really drives the company forward and drives the connection.
Caroline (12:08.343)
So you did an Instagram post recently about energetic alignment that I really loved. And I know that switching gears here from the leadership piece to energetic alignment, but it all goes in the same space of being authentic, knowing yourself, all of the things. And so can you unpack that further for our listeners? What exactly is that? And how can you use it to your advantage professionally?
Ally Stone (12:34.09)
Sure, I actually use it a lot as a leader. So I do think it ties in, but it really is this kind of idea of leading yourself first. So energetic alignment is getting clear on what brings you energy and what takes your energy away, right? So let's say, for example, as a leader, you are engaging in something every day at work that takes your energy, that drains you, that makes you feel like garbage. Well,
maybe there's a way to delegate that. Maybe there's a way to get creative about that task. Maybe there's a way to look at that differently. But my theory is that if we can find ways to do things that give us energy, that align energetically, that we're happier people, we're more engaged, and we're more like...
we're gonna go back to life, we're more engaged in the process of life, right? And so it's just like, I don't know, for me, I mean, I hate doing the dishes. So I'm not energetic, don't tell my husband, because he always does them for me, but I'm not energetically aligned with doing dishes. And I will do like lots of things in the kitchen. I love cooking, all of these things, but I just hate doing the dishes and they just drain my energy and I don't want to do them at the end of dinner.
And so I actually don't. And I'll do lots of other things for my husband and we support each other in different ways, but I don't really do the things that don't bring me energy anymore. And so, I mean, that's a really silly example, but it's not that silly when you're at the end of the day and you wanna relax and you wanna step into, you know.
relaxing and enjoying your evening and feeling good about the day that you had, doing something that drains your energy isn't necessarily going to put you in that place where you want to be, right? So you can think about that from the perspective of a leader, from the perspective of your career, how you're living your life, but I think it comes back to this idea of personal power and we all we all are able to choose.
Caroline (14:37.143)
So what do you suggest to the person who's listening to this and they're like...
Caroline (14:43.587)
They hate responding to emails and what do you say to someone who gets bogged down with stuff like that they're going on? Maybe they hate doing yearly reviews or they hate doing meetings with whoever filled the blank.
Ally Stone (14:56.786)
Yeah, totally. And so, I mean, I'm sitting here saying I don't want to do the dishes, but there are sometimes I have to do the dishes, right? So sometimes we have to, we have to do these things, and that is an unavoidable part of life.
And so how I personally manage, and I can only tell you from my own experience, is I minimize that time. So I actually hate emails too. And so I don't spend a ton of time in emails. So I'll spend 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes before I go to bed. And that's it, or before I finish my day. That's it, that's all I spend on emails in a day. And those are my boundaries around those two 30 minute blocks in a day that just don't really give me energy. They just don't really like fill me up unless somebody, you know.
gave me a million dollars through an email or something, I might get really excited. But you know what I mean, right? Like it just feels like, oh, they just never, it's one of those things that never ends, right? And I get that about, you know, the tasks in our roles, especially for leaders, there are things we have to do. Yeah, that maybe don't necessarily light us up, but I recommend that you pay attention to the times you do it, how much time you're putting into it, and then what you're doing to fill your energy back up after.
Go for a walk, have a coffee, have a conversation with your best friend. Go snuggle your dog. I don't know, do something right to like fill yourself back up. Don't don't deplete yourself and then leave yourself in depletion because again, we can be in control of that.
Caroline (16:22.627)
I'm with you on that, although we're opposite because I actually hate to cook, but I will do the dishes all day and my husband is great balancing that with me. So he'll typically get a protein and we'll fix that and then I'll do the vegetables. And then so that way we split it and then we'll take turns with the dishes. So I love the example that you provided. And that leaves me my next topic I wanna talk to you with you is the inner voice. Let's say someone is working in corporate America and wanting to start a business on the side or.
who is an entrepreneur and maybe needs to pivot or wants to pivot their business. Why is it important to listen to that inner voice?
Ally Stone (17:03.774)
Well, I've done a lot of work around this, so I have had my own personal experiences where I haven't listened to my inner voice. And what I know of that experience is that it has left me in places in my life where I have felt like inauthentic, maybe disconnected from myself.
maybe found myself in a place that wasn't aligned with my values or where I wanted to be in my life, my aspirations. And so this inner voice, first of all, I think there's two inner voices. I think there's the inner critic, who is not a nice person. I don't really like the inner critic, but then is also necessary in some ways. But then there's this inner voice of like your heart, right? Your authenticity of you.
And I think when we can connect with that and start to have a conversation with that voice, listen to that voice, speak to that voice, I think everything changes for us because we start to see the world through a different lens. We start to show up a little differently. We start to care about the people around us differently.
I think in today's world it is very easy to become disconnected. It's so busy, everything's happening, you know, social media, there's just like shit going on all the time, right? And some days you're just like, okay! I know some days by the end of the day I'm like, no more technology! Like I am done, right? And the pace of life moves like that too. And so this practice of listening to your inner voice or listening to your heart I think is really powerful.
because we've created a society around us that's really disconnected us from it. And when you do that, I think you live in your authenticity, and I think that's what we're most happiest.
Caroline (18:50.827)
You make a great point with it being like so busy. We have 50 million emails. We've got Instagram, we got a DMs, we got LinkedIn going. It's got like one more technology thing to check. How do we create a life that balances both being seen on those platforms or participating if you're not a creator? And then also balancing, you know, taking time for ourselves and listening to that inner voice and creating.
Ally Stone (19:13.55)
Thanks for watching!
Caroline (19:20.343)
things with that inner voice or taking action on that.
Ally Stone (19:23.166)
Yeah, again, really good question and has been a journey for me.
A lot of it has been boundaries for me personally. And I mean, I can only really reflect on myself, right? I hear things from my clients and help them with it too, because it can become very overwhelming. Creator or not creator, there are so many outside influences, right? That are coming in all of the time. And so you obviously know I'm somewhat of a creator. I put my thoughts out into the world. And so I have really strong boundaries around that. Again, I only check my emails at 8.30 in the morning.
post on Instagram at seven in the morning. And then I'm gone for the day. That's it, right? And I'll go on LinkedIn and I'll do a little messaging in the afternoon. But like, that's it. So I have very specific boundaries around the times that I spend in those, in those spaces. One of the things that kind of, that I've learned along the way, one of my certifications is heart math. Have you heard of, have you heard of heart math before? We didn't really talk about it. Okay.
Caroline (20:23.747)
I haven't, that's a new one for me.
Ally Stone (20:26.306)
So this is a really cool process and this has like completely changed my life. And it's this process of kind of making this like five inch journey from your brain to your heart. And it's all based in scientific study. And so what the, you know, the heart mass team, they started doing this back in like, I believe it's like the 1950s in cardiac units and they were trying to.
speed up the recovery time of people who had just had open heart surgery. So you can imagine how massive, I mean still massive surgery, but you can imagine at that time how massive that surgery was. And so they started going in, practicing this heart math method, which is basically a scientific mindfulness method, if I was to really just kind of condense it for you. And what they found was that they were able to speed up the healing time exponentially of these patients by practicing heart math. And then what they also found was that the doctors and the nurses in the room were having
side effect just by being in the room so their cortisol levels were coming down, their bodies were coming back into homeostasis, their nervous systems were recalibrating and so it was this really beautiful effect that started happening and so it was originally built to really actually heal people but now people use this process to come home, to listen to that inner voice, to speak to your heart and so I've been using it for quite a few years. I don't think I would be where
through some really challenging times in my life. And I feel like it came to me in a moment, on my knees where I really needed it.
and now I use it all the time. And so that's also part of my boundaries. So I wake up every morning and I give myself 20 minutes of alone time, whether I meditate or I just reflect or I journal, or I just sit and quiet with my dog, whatever that is. But it's kind of like my church, it's kind of like my time. And I think when we can give ourselves that space and time, I think everything changes as well.
Caroline (22:19.391)
Need to Google that and look into that more heart math that sounds like a game changer
Ally Stone (22:21.046)
Yeah, it's cool. It is. I love it. Yeah. Yes. My clients are always like, Oh my god, this is amazing. I know.
Caroline (22:31.375)
Well, thanks for sharing. And as we wrap up, how can our listeners find you?
Ally Stone (22:35.526)
Yeah, I mean, I think the best place to find me is on LinkedIn under Ali Stone or Instagram under Ali Stone, underscore underscore. Somebody had took my name. As of course, right? Yeah, and so they're kind of the two platforms I play around on. And I think if anything spurred up for you in the conversation today, and you're listening, I'm super happy to just chat with you about it. I mean, I just I love
I love business. I love this idea of bringing humanity back to business. And so if anybody has any questions, I'd be super happy to converse.
Caroline (23:10.251)
Thanks, Allie. Thank you.
Ally Stone (23:11.534)
Thank you.
