Episode 17: The Leader Within: Dawnyel Smink on Discovering and Strengthening your Leadership Skills

Dawnyel is known industry-wide for her leadership and steadfast resolve in understanding and empowering women. Throughout her work in the insurance industry and in her busy life, she has become a strong female contributor in a male-dominated industry. In the last two decades, Dawnyel has grown as a person and as a business owner. Dawnyel is the first to tell you that working on one’s self is never over. It is a lifelong journey of continuing to learn and remaining aware. Today, she is sharing these lessons with her Mom. When asked, “What still scares you,” she will tell you she still battles the fear of failure. Yet, through her conscious work on herself, she has learned that no one is perfect and neither is she. With this realization, she continues to strive to maintain a shit-free existence.  Dawnyel is married to her husband, Jason, and the two live in Northeast Mesa with their children, James Michael, Carter, and Savana, and dogs, Rea and Kronos. When not working or spending time with her Benefactors, she describes herself as a “crazy reader” with an eclectic mix of books on her Kindle. At any given time, she has a bedside stack of books, consisting of cookbooks (for her love of cooking), self-improvement books, fiction (for her book club membership), weird history books, and books on travel. She is also an avid golfer, often blending business with leisure by hitting the links. → Key Takeaways: You have every opportunity to redesign yourself and your wants and needs personally and professionally. Men and women not only communicate differently, but they perceive things differently. If someone is having a 'not so great' moment, we all need to give each other a little grace and give them the benefit of the doubt that it's just a bad day or moment in time. That's not who they are or always will be. Being underestimated isn't a disadvantage. Use it as your super power. Say, "They just don't know me yet" and live up to what you're capable of. Visualization is key. Ask yourself, "What would it look like if I completed what they thought I couldn't?" "How would that make me feel (if I completed it)?" "How can I make them feel awesome about it, too?" Always be thinking what the end result looks like. Check out Dawnyel's book, "Don't Project Your Shit On Me." Take on what's yours, but don't project it on to other people. → Key Moments: [0:00] How did you get into the Insurance Industry? [4:46] How do you stimulate conversations between men and women? [10:28] Learning how to communicate differently [14:17] Conflict between men and women in sports [20:18] Why being underestimated is not a disadvantage [25:16] Tips for being a female leader [28:56] The declaration of independence and mission behind it → Follow Dawnyel: Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CLISelectAgencies Website: https://www.canyonlandsinsurance.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/canyon-lands-insurance/ → Thank you for listening to this episode. If you liked it, share it, leave a rating or review, and subscribe! → Learn more about Success Without Sacrifice at https://linktr.ee/successwithoutsacrifice. We're on a mission to help women in insurance bridge the gap and align business, life, and leadership. → If you'd like to be a guest speaker on the Insurance Revolutionized Podcast, please email us at [email protected]  → Are you ready to take your business to new heights while maintaining balance and focus on your own self-care? Join us this October 2023 for our exclusive mastermind designed specifically for female insurance agency owners. It's time you took the first step towards achieving your goals while living a well-balanced and fulfilling life! Learn more - ⁠https://bit.ly/swsmastermind⁠