We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Toni Thrash a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Toni, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.
I am a 6 on the enneagram and discovered this about 4 years ago. It explained so much about who I am. I was a wishy-washy decision-maker. I began to understand the part of me that hated making big decisions. It brought such anxiety. I got divorced 10 years ago and that is where I was thrust into making decisions. Ninety percent of the time I did not know how to trust my decisions. I found myself doubting that I had made the right choice. It was a dance I did that wore me out. In the Fall of 2021, I begin to think about going on a two-week hiking and camping trip by myself. I began mapping out my route and where I would like to stay along the way. Now this caused immense stress because I had never done this before or been to any of these places. I began to book my campsites along the route, as well as an Airbnb for a couple of nights in the middle of my trip. I left on June 6, 2022. In my car, packed with everything I would need, and set off by myself. I was alone and for 80 percent of my trip, I had zero cell service. So every decision I had to make had to be made quicker than normal. I would talk out loud to myself going back and forth for a few minutes and then just do it. I began to trust my decisions and believe that I was capable of making sound decisions. That has crossed over to my life coaching and investing in myself to do what I love doing. It proved to be easier to start a weekly podcast helping people walk through life’s transitions, such as divorce, empathy nesting, and retirement. I was 59 years old at the time of that trip. I made more decisions in those 17 days that I believed changed my whole thinking process.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a certified life coach and business coach. As a former athletic coach, the transfer from x’s and o’s was a natural option for me. I love watching people develop. The joy of where they started to where they end up is a coach’s dream. As someone who has walked through both divorce and empty-nesting my desire to help those in similar situations became my purpose. Those roads are long and hard and we lose sight of what we are meant to do. I do some business and retirement coaching as well. I think what excites me the most is watching someone who is devastated by divorce and the realization in their eyes when they know they are going to make it through and be healthy and satisfied. Serving people this way brings affirmation that I’m truly getting to do what I love. I started the Podcast, “Start Your Comeback” as a hope to those who thought life was over after divorce, empty nesting, retirement, etc. It walks you through some of the emotions and the practical steps needed to get off the bench of your life and start a comeback. As long as there’s time on the clock, the comeback isn’t over. My branding came from @TheInspiredFoundry. Karla was huge in my rebranding and my style. She has gotten to know me and has perfected me digitally. I’m working on a product launch of a journal that is connected to a series of blogs I wrote a year ago. I’m hoping to have it ready for a late summer launch.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The one that comes to mind first is the art of listening. I can’t think of a more important skill to learn. I first learned this skill in a college class but it has served me well all these years. Most people hear but they don’t listen. That is a big difference. I’ve learned to hear what someone is not saying and then ask for clarification. I think being an athlete and the absolute hatred of losing, taught me to not ever give up. As long as there is time on the clock, the impossible can happen. Finally, I think empathy is key for anyone to have. It has been a difficult one for me because I’m not built that way. I’m a grit it out and finish the job person and empathy comes in and makes it even more personal. It has given me a new perspective on serving, listening, and coaching others.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Collaboration is key to success. There are many layers of things I’m not good at. I’m always looking for collaboration. It has been essential to starting my podcast. I have a collaborator that we share talents with each other. She is fantastic at breaking things down (I tend to go big) and she takes notes on everything I say. She’s the keeper of all my thoughts and reminds me all the time people need my podcast. I, on the other hand, hope I help coach her in ideas to grow her business as she starts to change her model a bit and add more services. I will meet with anyone to see if we are a good collab. I love working with writers, podcasters, social media gurus, website developers, and branding designers. Everyone needs someone to bounce ideas around, regardless of what lane you are in. They can find me: at https://www.tonithrash.com www.instagram.com/tonithrash
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tonithrash.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tonithrash
Image Credits
Photos by: brittanytinsleyphotography
