If you’ve ever felt like community just isn’t for you… this episode might just change everything.

Episode Highlights:

• Carrie’s journey with social anxiety and building inclusive, "quiet" communities
• Belonging without active participation—research and real-life insights
• Using bodily awareness and boundaries to stay grounded as a community creator
• Self-leadership and support systems to prevent burnout in community work
• Practical tips for both hosts and participants to feel more confident and aligned

Key Concepts Explored:

• Self-Regulation in Online Spaces: How digital communities offer spaces for thoughtful connection for introverts and neurodivergent people.
• Quiet Communities: Community spaces that don't demand constant engagement and allow people to participate on their own terms.
• Meaningful Engagement vs. Engagement for Engagement's Sake: The importance of connecting community activities to purpose and growth rather than arbitrary metrics.
• Body Awareness as Community Evaluation: Using physical reactions and feelings as guidance for whether a community is a good fit.
• Belonging Without Participation: Research findings on how affiliation alone can create a sense of belonging without requiring active involvement.
• Self-Leadership in Community Building: Managing internal dialogues and anxieties that arise when creating and managing communities.
• Community as Healing Practice: How creating spaces for others can help heal our own relationship to connection.
• Distributed Leadership: Inviting others' contributions rather than trying to do everything yourself.
• Community Building as a Long Game: The importance of patience and persistence in both building and participating in communities.

Notable Quotes:

"If there's a place that you wish existed... why not be the person that starts that?"

— Carrie Melissa Jones [00:13:00]

"You cannot do it alone. It's not a solo activity. To really create a community, you've got to see, recognize, and invite in the gifts of others and others' contributions."

— Carrie Melissa Jones[00:42:32] - [00:42:54]

I start everything I do scared and then once you get rolling it gets fun. Nothing starts fun. Everything starts with anxiety.

— Sara Lobkovich [00:46:45]

Chapters:

[00:00:00] Introduction and Meet Carrie Melissa Jones

[00:05:51] Social Anxiety and Career: Turning Challenges into Expertise

[00:11:22] Redefining Community: "Quiet Communities" and Meaningful Engagement

[00:15:38] Challenging the "Not a Joiner" Identity and Finding Your Fit

[00:19:53] Body Awareness: Using Physical Responses as Your Community Guide

[00:25:32] Advice for Shy Community Creators: Boundaries and Sustainability

[00:29:42] Research Insights: Belonging Without Active Participation

[00:39:03] Self-Leadership and Distributed Responsibility in Community Building

[00:44:30] Practical Pre-Launch Strategies and "Doing It Scared"

[00:48:10] The Long Game: Advice for Participants, Hosts, and Closing Thoughts

Upcoming Events:

• Q3 Strategic Achievement Intensive is now waitlisting!...

Are you struggling to maintain strategic focus in today's unpredictable environment?

In this lo-fi, candid episode, Sara shares her insights on navigating strategic planning during persistent uncertainty. Whether you're impacted by shifting tariffs, changes in public funding, or volatile market conditions, this episode offers practical frameworks to maintain strategic momentum when forecasting feels (or is) impossible.

• The Twin Traps: Why both over-planning and strategic abandonment are dangerous reactions to chaos
• OKRs as an Antidote: How focusing on outcomes rather than activities creates strategic flexibility
• Three-Step Framework: A practical approach to maintaining strategic momentum during turbulent times
• Building in Public: The strategic advantage of quick launches during rapid change

• How do you create strategic plans when the environment is constantly changing?
• What should replace detailed action planning when circumstances shift frequently?
• How can leaders maintain team focus during periods of high uncertainty?

[00:00:00] Introduction to Thinkydoer Shorts

[00:00:36] Current Challenges in Strategic Planning

[00:01:49] Upcoming Workshop: Strategy During Chaos

[00:02:46] Adapting Strategic Plans to Uncertainty

[00:03:06] Avoiding Over-Planning and Abandonment

[00:06:49] Three Steps for Strategic Resilience

[00:08:07] Focusing on Immediate Priorities

[00:09:26] The To-Done List Approach

[00:12:03] Conclusion and Upcoming Events

• Strategy During Chaos Workshop: May 7th at 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Pacific. Just $19 (scholarships available). Register at findrc.co
• No-BS Strategic Achievement Intensive: May 15th-16th (two half-days). Create chaos-proof strategic plans with structured exercises and supported coworking. Register at findrc.co

"You Are a Strategist: Use No-BS OKRs to Get Big Things Done" will be available in print (hardback and softback) on May 6th. Get the ebook now wherever you buy books. More info: youareastrategist.com

• Join Sara's newsletter at findrc.co/newsletter.
• Send questions through findrc.co/contact.
• Find Sara @saralobkovich on most social media platforms.
• For show notes and the full episode transcript, visit

In this episode of Thinkydoers, host Sara Lobkovich welcomes self-development and executive career coach Jessica Manca to discuss perfectionism, overthinking, and intrinsic motivation. Jessica shares her journey from management consultant to coach and offers practical tools for overcoming limiting beliefs. We discuss the difference between professional coaching versus advising, the impact of negative self-talk, and how to shift from an over-focus on external (or extrinsic) to internal (or intrinsic) motivation. This conversation provides valuable insights for Thinkydoers who struggle with perfectionism and overthinking, who need some professional development support to unblock their potential and get unstuck.

• Jessica's transition from management consultant to self-development coach
• The difference between professional coaching and advising
• Jessica's four inner limits that block perfectionists: stories, excuses, limiting beliefs, and fears
• How to recognize and shift negative self-talk patterns
• The importance of intrinsic motivation and "motivational buoyancy"
• How challenging career setbacks can become opportunities for growth

[00:00:00] - Introduction to Thinkydoers podcast and Jessica Manca

[00:02:00] - Jessica introduces herself and her work with perfectionists and introverts

[00:03:00] - Jessica's journey from management consultant to coach

[00:05:00] - Early signs of Jessica's coaching abilities within her consulting firm

[00:07:00] - Discussion about professional coaching vs. disciplinary coaching

[00:08:00] - The difference between ICF certified coaching and other forms of coaching

[00:12:00] - The importance of active listening in coaching

[00:13:00] - Jessica's goal setting workshop approach with three columns

[00:14:00] - The four inner limits: stories, excuses, limiting beliefs, and fears

[00:17:00] - How mindfulness helps notice your stories and patterns

[00:19:00] - How language reveals mindset and creates barriers

[00:20:00] - Example of how the word "but" can sabotage ideas

[00:22:00] - Discussion of Jessica's ebook "Self-Motivation is Your New Superpower"

[00:24:00] - How setbacks can be valuable for personal growth

[00:25:00] - Where to find Jessica's resources and upcoming workshops

[00:27:00] - Announcement about Sara's new book "You Are a Strategist: Use No BS OKRs to Get Big Things Done"

Jessica Manca is a self-development coach, executive career coach, speaker, and author of "Finding Passion" who helps perfectionists and introverts unlock their best selves without overthinking. With a background as a former management consultant on the partner track, Jessica experienced burnout firsthand and discovered coaching as a path to personal transformation. She specializes in helping people align their work with the person they want to be, addressing limiting beliefs and negative self-talk patterns. Jessica is ICF certified and works toward helping clients develop the tools...