Meet Erin Woodruff

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erin Woodruff a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Erin, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
I do quite a few things for self-care, but one thing that has been extremely effective for me is improving my relationship with my phone and technology in general.

I have placed specific boundaries around technology in my life. This includes my phone, laptop, tablet, and TV.

Technology is everywhere and it can consume our time and life if we’re not careful.

Since taking charge of the tech in my life rather than letting it run me, I have been so much happier and I can feel the state of my mental health go in waves and it is almost always directly tied to how much screen time I’ve had.

While I am not perfect at everything, these are some simple things that I have done:
-plug my phone in my bathroom at night rather than right by my bed
-don’t look at my phone for 1 hour before sleeping
-use schedule summary features in my phone to group notifications together rather than constantly pinging
-no phones allowed at the dinner table
-leave my laptop on my desk, it helps to separate my work and personal life when everything is under the same roof
-print out actual photos in a photo album and look through those instead

Overall, I have seen my effectiveness drastically increase when I stick to the boundaries that I’ve put in place. It has helped me to see where technology is a tool and where it is a crutch. It has helped me to feel empowered and create the home life that I want for me and my family.

It has allowed me to be more present with my toddler and husband. It has given us genuine time to connect with each other and communicate about the use of technology in our home.

This is a simple form of self-care that has drastically changed the way I show up for myself. I no longer feel like technology is running my life. I feel like it’s simply a tool to enhance my life.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a mom, wife, and CEO. All of these things keep me busy and I love it!

I am a certified life coach who helps high-achieving women stay happily married to introverts. As someone married to an introvert, I know how challenging it can be, so I aim to help you feel loved, supported, and understood.

As a life coach, I help you reconnect with yourself so you can create the abundant life you’re excited about. I teach you how to communicate with confidence, clarity, and curiosity, love unconditionally, and create time for yourself.

I help you to uncover limiting beliefs, pitfalls, and other distractions you may not have noticed in your life.

My goal is to help you stop holding yourself back and to stop self-sabotage. I believe that you are the only one who can change you, that you are the only one in your own way, and that it’s time to be yourself again.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First, trust your gut. Lean into your intuition and follow it. Even if it seems bizarre and illogical, do it anyway. If you have the desire, you were called to do it. I believe that God has given you the desire for a reason and as you pursue your desire you will uncover yourself and help millions of people.

Second, learn to be okay with the struggle. Whether you’re starting a business, growing a family, or saving for a new car, there will always be an element of struggle. Get good at feeling discomfort and doing hard things anyway, even when you don’t want to. Just know that nothing has gone wrong and that it will all work out.

Third, become a confident decision maker. It’s too easy to get tossed around when there are people telling you different directions to go. Become a person who can listen, take advice, and then ultimately decide and move forward. There will always be a “better” option. Gather information and make educated decisions, but don’t get slowed down because you’re stuck in indecision. Things will move faster when you can make decisions and stick to them.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents told me my whole life that when I turned 18, I would move out and go to at least one year of college. They told all 6 of their kids that.

I think it was one of the most impactful things they did for all of us because we always knew what the expectation was. They didn’t tell us at 17 that’s what they wanted us to do, they told us our whole life.

Because of this, I was trying to get good grades, look for scholarship opportunities, and apply to colleges. I knew that for at least one year, I would go to a university.

It wasn’t about the college degree, it was about moving out and experiencing life. Learning how to really take care of yourself and navigate the world as an adult. And it was the best thing they could have done for my growth.

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