Speaker Spotlight: Cleonie Mainvielle, Founder of Inspired Outcome
Cleonie Mainvielle believes in living a life in complete alignment to one’s values and goals. What’s more, she believes in leading from a place of courage, especially when it feels hard to do so.
As the Founder and Owner of Inspired Outcome, a productivity and organizing business that helps female leaders reclaim their personal freedom and have more time for their passions, Cleonie supports her clients on their journey to self-discovery. Whether she is leading a mastermind group or facilitating a workshop across the nation, Cleonie models the way of what it looks and feels like to lead from a place of compassion, vulnerability and authenticity.
We are delighted to welcome Cleonie to our virtual stage for our Oct. 28 leadership intensive, “Let’s Change the Leadership Game,” centered around how we can continue to fight for a better, more inclusive, more equitable, more psychologically safe workplace. We stole a few minutes with her to get her thoughts on following your passion and creating safe space for important dialogue.
To begin, can you tell our readers about your background and how that ultimately led you to starting your own business, Inspired Outcome?
Interestingly enough, I never imagined owning my own business. Instead, I spent a lot of my younger years designing my life around earning the right degrees, for the purpose of landing the perfect job, so that I could be a value-added employee. All my planning and strategizing paid off when I gained employment with the Federal Government through a highly selective, prestigious training and leadership development program. This program kicked off my 17-year career with the Federal Government where I worked with local governments and non-profits, throughout New England, to end and prevent homelessness.
However, in my 12th year when the government shut down and my schedule opened up, I found myself with free time. Free time to reflect and face the fact that I was overwhelmed by my role as a mother, burned out by my career and was disengaged as a wife, friend, sister, and daughter. These feelings of overwhelm, burnout, and disengagement were taking a toll and I was suffering from insomnia, joint pains, frequent migraines, and weight gain.
Over the next 4-5 years, I spent countless hours consuming, applying, and evaluating various productivity and organizing strategies. My focus and commitment helped me to successfully realign my time with my values and goals. Then I realized my passion… I could help others do the same.
So, in 2018 when I was "invited" by my employer to relinquish my four-day work week, I resigned in order to run my business full-time. Now, I am the proud Owner and Founder of Inspired Outcome, a productivity and organizing business that helps busy female professionals and entrepreneurs organize their schedules and ideas so that they can reclaim their personal freedom and have more time for what is truly important to them.
I deliver these services using the mastermind process, where I hand select 3-5 like-minded women and assign them to a curated support group. As I provide structure and teach each member how to uncover their own productivity and organizing system, the group lends support, brainstorm challenges, and celebrates each other's wins. In short, I started the EXACT business I needed when I lost myself in my roles of employee, mother, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. So, every time I enroll a new mastermind member and get an opportunity to wrap her in support, I am not only incredibly excited to introduce her to a new way of accomplishing her goals, but I am humbled to be able to join her on this journey of self-discovery.
How have your own beliefs about leadership shifted over the last few years? How do you define leadership?
Now that I am an entrepreneur with employees and the founder of a grassroots organization with 13 executive board members, I've come to embrace the idea that leadership doesn't mean that you are the most knowledgeable person in the room with all the answers. Instead, I now see leadership as a collaborative effort where you can openly demonstrate vulnerability and imperfection. When you demonstrate vulnerability and imperfection but still lead effectively, you make leadership look less intimidating and more accessible to others who would not otherwise step up. As a leader, I want to inspire others to find their courage to lead.
You have been speaking a lot this year with various groups on a number of topics from how to diversify your network to how to create safety in an unsafe world. What advice/insights are you most passionate about leaving audiences with today?
I'm so glad you asked this question. Yes, I have been speaking to various groups on a number of different topics. However, the common thread between them have been about the importance of community and effective communication.
Over the past two years, I have been taking group coach training to compliment my social work experience. Marrying these two skills together have made me a better human being, able to listen with intent so that I can understand what is being said and unsaid. This ability has given me the courage and competency to lean into difficult conversations with compassion because my intention is to really understand the other person versus being understood.
When you truly listen, you are actively creating space for a meaningful connection that can transcend opposing views and division. And when you approach every interaction in this way, then the world doesn't feel so hostile and you feel more connected to everyone who occupies it with you. So, I want to remind us all that everyone has the simple desire to be seen and heard, and I encourage you to be that safe space for that other person.
BONUS: What is next for you? What can we expect from you in the coming months?
I am really excited to share that I will be recruiting for my mastermind groups in the coming weeks and months. I have an ambitious goal of launching six new groups in 2021 to introduce this goal setting and achievement process to more women. To meet this goal, I am bringing on three amazing mastermind group co-facilitators. So, if you can relate to the following statements, let's talk!
Do you run from one activity to the next, then end your days exhausted, yet wondering what you've accomplished?
Do you have ideas about what you want to do but you can't seem to gain momentum?
Do you want to stop spending your time talking about what you want to do and take action?
Do you want honest feedback, advice and brainstorming from a group of like-minded women?
Do you want structure, support and accountability to get things done?
Because I have a limited number of seats, membership is not guaranteed. Therefore, I interview each member and only invite those who are the right fit. Then I assign them to the specific group that complements their goals, strengths, and challenges.
To connect with Cleonie, click here.
Nexus members, to register for “Let’s Change the Leadership Game,” where you will have the chance to hear Cleonie speak, click here.