Meet Madison Salavec

We were lucky to catch up with Madison Salavec recently and have shared our conversation below.

Madison, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I used to think “toughening up” was the answer to bouncing back, but after a season of life filled with failure and loss, I have learned that staying soft, open and present is the secret.

The reality is, life will always include ups and downs and in most cases, we learn the most from the downs. So instead of ignoring what each challenge is trying to teach me, I get curious. Then, I prepare myself for a difficult experience by acknowledging my situation without judgment, and lean into self-care and comfort.

In 2022, I put my career on pause to tend to a health crisis that eventually led to a late-in-life autism diagnosis. My health had been deprioritized to the point of disease and now this new diagnosis brought on both fear and freedom. The label “autism” answered so many questions, but also highlighted major red flags in the way I was living. It was clear that my overall health would not improve if I did not embrace my neurodivergence.

I knew it would take a radical act to prioritize my rest and healing in a world that values productivity and output. I also knew my life depended on it. I decided to bet on myself, resigned from my former dream role, withdrew my life savings and made healing my full time job.

This path led to loss from almost every angle; physical ability, identity, income, relationships and more. But each day I woke up and chose to focus solely on me and my health, as rebellious and heartbreaking as it was. Much slower than I wanted, healing started to happen and continued to happen. Then, moments of joy started to happen again, too. Hope had returned to my life, which confirmed I was doing the right things.

In prioritizing my health, I built a relationship of care and compassion with myself. When things don’t work out, I have learned how to tend to and comfort myself through that disappointment and grief. This newfound self-love and tenderness allows me to trust that I can endure difficulty, which has given me the confidence to take risks that have led to some of my greatest growth.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a strategic consultant and advisor that helps people achieve more ease, success, and sustainability in their work and lives.

I’m backed by an accomplished career foundation in marketing and advertising, including a decade at a world-class advertising agency and a leadership role in a tech startup. However, the profound transformation and perspective shift I experienced when I put my career on pause to prioritize my health is what most informs my work today and inspired the launch of my consulting business in Fall 2023.

What makes my work special is my belief in the importance of aligning work with well-being in order to create sustainable success.

My personal experience with grief and loss, healing from burnout, and accommodating my neurodivergence has made me a more curious and compassionate problem solver. Now, in addition to my strategic expertise, I can support my clients with a kinder, softer approach to defining, executing and optimizing their personalized strategies. Further, I encourage my clients to incorporate a “whole human” view into their business by developing systems that account for their unique strengths, weaknesses, energy and work styles.

I am now accepting new clients for 3 and 6 month commitments. I work with solopreneurs and small business clients, and offer special pricing for those who are just getting started. Reach out at [email protected] to learn more and book a free discovery call.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Curiosity, confidence and compassion have been the most impactful qualities on my journey thus far.

Curiosity has been the driving force behind some of my greatest opportunities, and the compassionate place to land after some of my biggest failures. Curiosity is important because it allows for expansion over restriction. When we can look at every experience as a learning opportunity, the possibilities for growth are endless. To me, to be curious is to stay open and present to alternative realities. It means to embrace the unknown and believe that multiple truths can coexist. To be curious is almost like believing in magic, anything is possible!

Confidence is all about trusting yourself. It hasn’t always come easy for me, but when I can harness it, it’s one of the most powerful tools in my toolbox. Getting to know, accept and even love myself has been crucial for developing my confidence. In good times and bad, I meet myself with kindness through self-reflection and conscious meditation practices. Consistently showing up for myself in this way has built the self-trust to know that even when things fall apart, I will have my own back, no matter what comes my way. This rooted confidence allows me to take on risks that accelerate my growth.

Compassion is the quality that saved my life along my journey, and therefore, is the most important in my story. While I have always been compassionate towards others, it wasn’t until I experienced significant failures that I truly understood the power of self-compassion. Accepting and forgiving myself, even when I made mistakes, has been crucial for my resilience. I’ve come to understand that growth often involves dealing with grief and letting go, and the best thing I can do for myself when I face these difficult things is to show up in love instead of judgment. Acknowledging your human imperfections and giving yourself grace during tough times creates the safety and self-trust required to try again.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

This is a good question, and one I get asked often by my clients. Like many “this or that” questions, the strategic answer is: It depends.

At first glance, you can make the assumption that focusing on strengths can lead to faster growth and greater satisfaction, while becoming more well-rounded by improving weaker areas can make you more versatile and adaptable. But this isn’t the only question you should be asking.

First and foremost, what are you trying to achieve? A clearly defined goal acts as the north star when tracking progress and determining what “done” looks like. When defining this vision, it’s also important to consider the context of the challenge at hand. Make sure you understand the “why” behind your goal. What makes this challenge relevant right now and what factors will influence the process of solving it?

Finally, a step that often gets overlooked but can quickly tank a strategic plan, make sure you’re incorporating your personal preferences into your decision making. It’s easy to make a plan that reaches a goal, but if every step along the way breeds resistance personally, you have to ask yourself, “is this worth it?” Or better yet, “is there a better way?”

Alignment and fulfillment are personal, so the strategy you take to achieve those should be too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.madisonsalavec.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/me_madisonelyse/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madisonsalavec/

Image Credits

Jordan Quinn Photo – https://jordanquinnphoto.com/