Courtney Burton shares her journey from a stable corporate sales career to building a coaching practice and pursuing music after retirement. In this episode, she and Toby Myles explore late-career reinvention, questioning the stories we tell ourselves and choosing a life where you can truly thrive.
Check Out These Highlights:
If you’ve ever wondered what comes next after a long, successful career, this conversation will resonate deeply. Courtney Burton spent decades building a dependable corporate career before two powerful coaching conversations challenged her to rethink where she truly thrived, and what she wanted the next chapter of her life to look like.
In this episode, Courtney shares how those moments sparked major pivots in her life and career, including stepping away from corporate work, training as a coach, and pursuing her lifelong passion for music. She also opens up about navigating retirement transitions, caring for family during difficult seasons, and the surprising identity shift that happens when the structure of a traditional job disappears.
Toby and Courtney explore the power of questioning the stories we tell ourselves, why outside perspectives can reveal possibilities we can’t see on our own, and how it’s never too late to design a life that aligns with purpose, creativity, and joy.
About Courtney Burton:
Courtney Burton is a coach and singer who helps people reflect on their next chapter and create lives aligned with purpose and fulfillment. After decades in corporate leadership and sales, she now blends coaching with her lifelong passion for music as she builds a meaningful post-corporate career.
Connect with Courtney:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyaburton/
🌐 Websites: https://www.courtneyburtoncoaching.com/ and https://courtneyburtonmusic.com/
💬 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterhealthwithsarah
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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/
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Toby Myles: Hey Courtney, welcome to the podcast.
Courtney Burton: Oh, thank you, Toby. It's been a long time coming out.
Toby Myles: It's been a long time coming.
Courtney Burton: Been really looking forward to this.
Toby Myles: Uh, same here. We were having such a good conversation before we hit record. Um, not really part of this, what we're doing today, but still so good. And it just reminded me.
Why I really wanted to have you join me on this episode. Um, I, before we get started, I usually tell our listeners how we know each other. And it's always a funny question because I start this way and then sometimes I like, catch myself. Like, how do we know each other? Where did we first meet? And I, I feel like I wanna say.
Um, Theresa Thomas introduced us. Is that right?
Courtney Burton: I was thinking about that this morning. Yes, it was Theresa Thomas.
Toby Myles: Okay.
Courtney Burton: You met this woman. You need to
Toby Myles: Yes. Yes. She's an amazing, um, connector of women, um, who I actually need to have on this show. So Theresa, if you're listening like. DM me on LinkedIn.
Courtney Burton: Well, interesting that her name came up.
Um, I had a performance for Valentine's Day with Beasley's big band. Mm-hmm. And I got to see Theresa, she was there.
Toby Myles: Ah,
Courtney Burton: it was lovely to have her at the Valentine's. Oh. I hadn't seen her in a while.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I haven't talked to her in a while. So, so that's how we met. And we've been in each other's kind of world online for several years at this point.
And every so often we are like, Hey, let, we need a catch up call. Um, and so, um, we did that I think late last year, um, or fall even. Maybe. I know. Um. Yeah. And so I said, you have to come on the podcast. So here we are. We made it.
Courtney Burton: We made it. It might have been Spring now that I think about it, because I can't, could
Toby Myles: have been,
Courtney Burton: well anyway, sometime last year.
Mm-hmm. That's all.
Toby Myles: So, sorry, I'm losing my voice. Um, I would love for you to kind of take us back to a moment in time that you feel like really kind of like. Um, either caused you to pivot or maybe just kind of set you on this path that you're on right now.
Courtney Burton: Well, alright. There's more than one, but
Toby Myles: that's
Courtney Burton: fine.
Two come to mind. And they both involved me working with a coach. So there was a point in my career, this would've been early 2000 ish. That, um, I realized I was one of those steady at ease at work. People knew the quality of what I was going to, you know, produce. I was dependable, reliable. I knew what I was doing, and I also realized nobody was going to invest in my development.
Like, what can I learn now? How can I get better unless I did? So I hired a leadership coach. 'cause at that time, that's what I kind of thought was something that I was missing, a skillset I was missing. And we did a lot of work together. One day she puts down her pad and paper and she looks at me and she said, you are spending an inordinate amount of your energy trying to fit into a culture.
What if you were in a culture where you actually thrived versus survived? I was like, oh, now I did not come to her about changing careers or jobs or any of that. I really wanted to get better in place of where I was.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: That one stopped me in my tracks. I'm like. I didn't realize I was in kind of that surviving mode in the culture and how that fits into whole, your whole life.
I'm one of those that I've always said, you don't have a work life and a personal life. There's only one of you breathing through all those experiences.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And if one part of the system's not working, probably the whole system's not working.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Not at least not as efficiently or effectively as it could.
And um, now after that, I actually changed companies, changed jobs. Three times before I made the next big pivot. But that had me look at where I could actually use my leadership skills, where they would be appreciated, honored, and have an opportunity for growth. 'cause I realized it was, I was too comfortable in the job.
Mm-hmm. I got this down. I know the routine. And sometimes that's fine to actually enjoy the benefits of all your labor of, especially if you've like righted the ship on something.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: But at a point it gets too comfortable.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Um, then the second time happened, it sort of been in my late fifties. My sibling came to me and said, we know, stressed out, Courtney.
We have seen stressed out, Courtney. Right now our family doesn't need stressed out. Courtney, we need present Courtney.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: And what that means is we were in the, towards the end of my mother's dementia journey. So we had that as a family dynamic. But then we also, my, my, I was in sales at that time and things were getting pretty hectic at work, so it was kind of a double whammy.
And I thought, okay, hmm, I'm getting close enough to think about retirement. I'll just go find a coach and then I'll, you know, this was to placate the family. I'm taking action. I'm kind of thinking about my next move. Well, that's not what the reality of the experience with that coach was, but that was my brain, kind of like, yeah.
Okay. I'll, I'll take some action here. Um. And I will say sometimes taking action to plan for your next step is the right action to take. 'cause you start planting seeds about, mm-hmm. Next, and that coach specifically at that time had a whole program for people getting ready for retirement. Like really having you think through.
Not just, we think about the finances first, but like
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Purpose support in, um, relationships and community. There's, there's so much to actually think through. 'cause it's a major, major transition in life, especially for those of us who, for a big chunk of our lives, what we did for a living. And our titles were very much tied into our identity and our sense of self-worth.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: So we went through the processes and in that conversation, in those conversations with her, two things came out that this coaching that I was thinking about doing, that I've really kind of done my whole life, um, was going to be a possible quote, unquote side hustle. But I wanted to pursue my music full time because at 60 I still had my voice, which is.
You just don't know how long you'll have your singing,
Toby Myles: right? Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Don't know. Um, and so I was really working with her on kind of fleshing out what this coaching could look like, and she sat me, same thing. It was almost like this, it was deja vu. She puts aside all her paperwork. Just like the first coach did and said, I have never seen anybody more emotionally ready to make this move.
You should talk to the powers that be in your life, your financial dude, your family and all that, and see mm-hmm what's possible. Do you really wanna wait five years to do this?
Toby Myles: Right?
Courtney Burton: And that actually sparked an interesting trajectory. I, uh, worked out with the, um. Leadership of the company I was working for.
It was a small company. I'd left big corporate America to work for a company with, I don't know, I think we were maybe 20 people at the time, so very mm-hmm. And worked out a, a plan to leave over a year. When you're in a small company like that, key players leaving could have a big ripple effect.
Toby Myles: Sure, yep.
Courtney Burton: And the, um, the, uh, leadership of that organization was astute enough and willing to make the long-term investment of having that to be as smooth a transition as possible.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: So in January, 2019. My mother had passed in, um, 8th of August of 2018, January, 2019. On January 2nd, I was quote unquote retired, and it is still one of the strangest days of my life, even though I planned for it.
I mm-hmm. A month of chilling out reading. But the day that your phone goes dead like that mm-hmm. Is unnerving.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Unnerving. Um, so I spent 2019 working on my music business, but also getting all my, uh, coaching training done and building out that business side music. I was excited. And then 2020 happened?
Toby Myles: Yes. Say no more.
Courtney Burton: So not having planned on doing dual careers again, like full force, that's exactly what's happened since 2020. Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: So
Courtney Burton: music business is still there. The coaching practice has taken all kinds of twists and turns based on what people needed.
Toby Myles: Yeah,
Courtney Burton: it's all good. So there's been a lot of, when you said the two pivot points were really around the conversations that those coaches gave me.
To make me think differently about what's possible, what's next, and really what are you doing?
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I think it's fascinating when other people, um, mirror back to us what they see that we don't. I mean, surely you know that you're smart, capable, articulate that you've made a positive impact with the people that you've worked with in your.
You know, your corporate career when you were employed, but to have somebody that really doesn't know you that well, to say like, what are you waiting for? You're ready to do this now. Now you got a whole other bunch of things to be thinking about, right?
Courtney Burton: Yes. As you well know when you go out on your own.
Toby Myles: Yes.
Courtney Burton: But it is, it is. There is something powerful about having someone else not, how can I put this? I. Not buy into the stories that we tell ourselves.
Toby Myles: Mm. Oh my gosh. That's so good. That's so good. I, that is so timely. I feel like you have been, in my brain, I'm actually working on writing a keynote talk and it is about that very topic about these stories that we tell ourselves.
Some of them going all the way back to childhood. Mm-hmm. Um, that kind of. Maybe reinforce negative things about us. For me, it was very much, I'm an introvert and, and I don't belong center stage. And it was almost as if I took every little piece of evidence and said, see, there you go. There you go. And when I was nearing 60, I was like, uh, no.
Like, no, I don't, this doesn't have to be my story anymore. And so the, the fact that you just said that it's such a relevant. Conversation I feel like. So, um, I want, before we kind of continue down this road, I wanna talk about that, um, where you talked about like beginning of 2019 when the phone's not ringing.
Um, because I also remember I left at the end of 2019.
Courtney Burton: Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: And, but I also remember the beginning of. Not being at at my nine to five and not having those guardrails of like, okay, I gotta do this at this time and this at that time, and this meeting and that meeting, and all the things. And you know, I have to be at my desk at this time because that's what I always did.
And then realize I'm like. No, I actually don't have to. Right. Which is like a good thing and, but it can also be kind of unnerving. So what did that feel like and how did you, um, navigate that and kind of allow yourself to just keep learning and moving forward through that, those early days?
Courtney Burton: Well, as I mentioned, I had already started my coaching training.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: So I, I had that bit of discipline. Mm-hmm. Which, who knew in 2019 getting really familiar with Zoom was gonna be a really good skill. 'cause that's my, was online, we were in Right. International group of women that were training in that, that cohort. Cohort. Who knew?
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Um, I had planned to take the entire month of January off.
My family was aware of it. I'm like, I'm gonna sleep. I have a pile of books I'm gonna do. Right. And it's January in Minnesota, so even, yeah, right. No need to go out there. Where are
Toby Myles: you going
Courtney Burton: anyway? Not if you don't have to. Mm-hmm. But still. Even though I knew it was gonna be different, I just didn't really realize it and, and there was a lot of self-talk.
I'm like, mm. I literally was walking around my apartment pacing sometimes. Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: Telling
Courtney Burton: myself it's okay to lay down on the couch and take a nap.
Toby Myles: Yeah,
Courtney Burton: it's okay to turn the television on and veg for a an hour.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Read the book, right? Mm-hmm. Literally out loud conversations with myself.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Because I didn't realize the impact of that big of a change on the nervous system.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Right. In hindsight, I probably would've done more things to help my body also track with the change.
Toby Myles: Hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Needs to catch up as well. It's the pattern of sleep.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: I will say for about a year after I allowed myself to not start my day home, well, I called it no people in zones. I tried to have a no people in zone until about 9 30, 10 o'clock in the morning.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yes.
Courtney Burton: I needed to sleep for a while, I could, whatever that looked like.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Um,
Courtney Burton: and. I tell people coming out of corporate or even a, uh, any kind of really big job, it's about a four to five year recovery period.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: It's longer than you think, and it's not huge, but it's, and it's, it's gradual, but you mm-hmm.
Give yourself some time.
Toby Myles: Sure.
Courtney Burton: Yeah. It's a big change.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: And then there was the rebuilding of what schedule works for me and my body clock. Mm-hmm. What's, you know, not the forced schedule. Um, and that's still taken me a while.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: If anybody is thinking about starting a business, some of the. Best advice I got was, however you set your schedule at the beginning is what your clients are always going to expect.
So do it.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Be careful and planful about that.
Toby Myles: Yes. Yes. Boundaries. Boundaries are upfront, are huge. They
Courtney Burton: are
Toby Myles: huge. Yes. They're huge. I like you. I, um, so when I started my business, um. My husband was, he got a di a cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2019. And so we had kind of gotten into this, um, just routine of like really quiet mornings in, in the living room, drinking our coffee, watching something we both want to watch on tv.
And that time really became like very sacred. And so when I, you know, first. Started on my own and left corporate, um, I felt guilty about like not getting to my desk until nine 30, sometimes 10 o'clock. Right. And it took me a while to say like, no, that's actually okay. And um, I think to this day I have maybe one regular client call every two weeks that I do at 10.
But for the most part, like my calendar doesn't really even open up until 11 and. I'm very, very protective of those boundaries. I try not to do calls on Mondays. I actually try not to work much on Fridays at all. Mm-hmm. That's kinda like my overflow day or my content creation day, things I need to build for my business as opposed to client work.
Um, but that didn't happen on day one. Right.
Courtney Burton: No, it definitely 'cause I, I think I, that's such good, I mean, it's such a good insight to, because part of it is you don't know what your, you've forgotten your natural rhythm. Mm-hmm. When you, at your peak, uh, late last year, I stumbled across an article about a concept from the eighties called, um, strategic Capacity.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And, um, it's about. Looking at the asset, the resource of your time.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Handling it like you would like a, an investment, um, professional would money.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: How do you invest it?
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And so I've tried time blocking, but that, that subtle change in how you think about it
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Changed. So I've been in the practice now and I'm getting closer.
I've done time blocking, but it's more about where do I wanna invest my time based on where, in general, over a course of a week, my energy is best for that chunk of work.
Toby Myles: Sure. Yep. Yep.
Courtney Burton: And there's tweaks to it. So I actually blocked off, I color coded my calendar, but didn't block the time.
Toby Myles: Okay.
Courtney Burton: On the calendar with certain activities.
Based on Yep. I'm finding that Friday afternoons, as weird as that sounds, a is a good day to start thinking about my LinkedIn post for the next week.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: I don't know why, but that's, so, that's a, that's a writing block, a deep work. Mm-hmm. I have deep work blocks, these kind of things, and then mm-hmm. Take into account some other, um, activities I'm involved in.
I do some volunteer work for a couple of organizations that do require. Thought during most weeks. So I've got that blocked off too.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And the goal now is to match what actually hits my calendar as much as possible to that same color block.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: It's, it took me about. And I started this right around the holidays, so that gets a little tricky.
So it took me probably six weeks to get ahead of my calendar enough to start being intentional about me having the block colors me. But we're good.
Toby Myles: That's so smart.
Courtney Burton: Yeah, I, I love that because then I can track it like this was a client output day and I may not have clients in that time block, but what did I do?
For my clients. Sure. Time, right? Yeah. But it, it's, it's that, and then I had to make the calendar, um, you know, scheduler match that and those kind of things.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Been fascinating. It's like,
Toby Myles: yeah,
Courtney Burton: when it works, I'm more productive.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I think that's so smart and everybody's kind of different in what, how their energy is throughout the day and what tasks are better at certain times.
I worked with a coach last year who talked about, um. You know, if you have a project that you're trying to move forward, not for a client, but for your own business, that has to be a non-negotiable. You have to set aside that time and not let anything else get in the way. So, mm-hmm. I've been trying to do that more than I've done in.
In the past because my natural inclination is to want to serve. And so of course, like client work has to happen. Then you get to the end of the day and you realize, okay, like you know, when I was starting the podcast, well the podcast, nothing. I didn't do anything for that. You know, I'm working on this keynote, so I'm prioritizing that.
I'm writing a book this year, so I'm gonna be prioritizing that. But it doesn't, I think for a lot of us in service-based businesses who really. Care about our clients. We want to prioritize that. We wanna make sure we give them the best of us, but that doesn't always serve the bigger vision
Courtney Burton: of the business.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Um, so I'm really curious, um. About, um, this idea of like reinvention. I've been having this conversation about reinvention with women multiple times over the past couple weeks, including a podcast guest last year about how, um, when you decide to do something different, you're not starting over.
Especially for, um, you know, women, forties, fifties, sixties, who have already had like really big. Meaningful careers, right? You're, you're not starting over. Even if the direction you're pivoting isn't exactly what you were doing before you bring forward all of that with you, and yet some people on the outside.
Can look at you and think, well, I guess that didn't work out, so she's doing something else, or she couldn't cut it, or that failed, or what the heck is she doing now? Um, I had an experience when I left my nine to five after almost 15 years, um, where my boss said, well, I love how you keep reinventing yourself.
And I know she meant it in a positive way, you know, that I was taking a risk, but it felt just kind of like. Okay, well you couldn't do that. You couldn't cut it, so now you're doing something else. And I never have thought about it that way. I've done many different things in my life and in my career, and to me it was always just like the next right thing that was building on the previous things.
Right. So I, talk to me a little bit about that. What are your thoughts on that idea of reinventing yourself?
Courtney Burton: I like, I like the word better, evolving. Reinvention.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Re re anything with r re Sounds like you're undoing, right? Mm-hmm. Something and it's like, no, I, I, this is just the evolution of who I am. Um, words mean a lot to me, so I, I try to be as precise about, or especially labels like that.
Toby Myles: Yes.
Courtney Burton: Right. Um, so that they match what I'm about now.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: You know, there's this notion that there's. I don't know. We have infinite possibilities. That's a better way to look at it. Mm-hmm. So at any one vantage point from where you are today, you can go, well, what's possible from this plateau I'm on.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Yeah. Versus, uh, you know, that didn't work and it's tricky. To your point, you brought up something very interesting back to those stories that we tell ourselves.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: That interaction with her could have mm-hmm. Sent you down a very interesting spiral. Mm-hmm. I'm a basically, somewhere in there is I'm a failure.
Toby Myles: Right.
Courtney Burton: Right. Which is right. No, first of all, you're not a failure. You may have, there may, it may not have worked out the way you thought it would, but that's mm-hmm. A personal indictment first of all. Right.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yep.
Courtney Burton: But, you know, it's, it's really important for us to hold our ground
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: And say, no. Oh yeah, I appreciate that and I'm evolving X, Y, Z, and they'll either hear it or not, but then you've spoken it.
Yes. You open your truth in the process.
Toby Myles: Yes.
Courtney Burton: Um, so all that said, I've never been a, how can I, I live by my calendar, so I'm a planner that way. But just like you said a little bit ago, Toby, I don't, I've never really planned the big, big stuff.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Right. It's like, oh, that feels like there's energy there.
That feels like the next Yeah. Thing to do.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah, you're following the breadcrumbs. I like to say.
Courtney Burton: Yes. Yes, absolutely. That's kind of how I've led my life. So that's how the evolution has happened, like, yep. Okay. That feels right. Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. And your proof, like it's kind of worked out for you so far?
Courtney Burton: No. Still
Toby Myles: been still working out.
Courtney Burton: Yeah. And every day if it's not on my calendar, it doesn't ha you know,
Toby Myles: it's not happening. I know it's
Courtney Burton: not. So
Toby Myles: yeah. Here's that. Yeah, there is that. So I really, um, this is fascinating to me, and I remember very early on, probably even the first time we ever hopped on a call, um, just being so curious about like the music side of Courtney and the.
Coaching side of Courtney, um, and you really talk about like, it's all cor, it's all part of the same thing. Right. And so have you had to reconcile that these are kind of two different things or is it in your mind They're very much the same, just different medium.
Courtney Burton: Yeah, exactly. I tell people it is, um, they are different expressions of the same thing.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And that is, um. I bring a very calm presence to most environments that I'm in.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And there is something about the power of my voice that allows people to take a collective pause. Mm-hmm. So in, when I sing, in fact, I, I, for depending on the, um, event or the. The performance structure. Mm-hmm. I'll say, you know, my whole intention today is for everybody to be able to take a collective, huh
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And just take a chill.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. On
Courtney Burton: the coaching and facilitation side, I'd like to think I bring that same energy so that we ha can create a container of learning.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And introspection.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Uh, both of those help people get kind of back in touch to who they are inherently.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah, you talk about, um, like reading the room and, and creating that space for other people to shine.
And I can very much see that, um, being a part of both of your music, um, business and your coaching business. Um, and not everybody can do that. I think we all like to think that we can. Um, but, but not everybody can sort of pick up on some of those body language, social cues, verbal cues, things like that. So is that something that is, do you feel like.
You've learned through your coaching education or is that like something that, like, that's Courtney. She's pretty good at that.
Courtney Burton: Yeah. That's a good, that's a good question. Let me think about that. I think part of it is I'm naturally an observer. Mm-hmm. I don't tend to like, jump into things, social situations, whatever, if I'm there mm-hmm.
I'm, I'm kind of watching to get the dynamic. Yeah.
But, and I actually think it is an outcropping of the music business because, for example, if I'm working with an event planner. What is happening that most people have no clue about? If I'm working with an event planner, my phone is close to my music stand. I am watching for things like, Hey, this time has changed.
This is what's happening. I gotta be aware. Mm-hmm. Nobody's normally coming up to the stage to tell me that. Mm. At the same time, I am reading the room, making sure the set list that I've put together works for the energy that's there. We may have to make some changes. Mm-hmm. I'm also listening to my musicians and singing.
All at the same time.
Toby Myles: All yes, very much multitasking.
Courtney Burton: All that is happening in one failed swoop. Um, and so I think that that has, doing that for event planners, it happens frequently when you're playing at a restaurant or a bar, you've gotta room mm-hmm. What's going on and being very situationally aware.
There for a lot of reasons.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: You want that experience to be great for everybody that's listening. Yeah. But there are also people that may be in that building that aren't there for you. Right. Your experience and normally your background music, but you still gotta be situationally aware place, right?
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Um, and I have had to deal with people who have been overserved. In the middle of a paid ticketed show.
Toby Myles: Oh my gosh.
Courtney Burton: You're like, okay, guess we're all, the story was so funny. We were literally in the middle of doing a holiday show. Somebody had been overserved, another table was celebrating a birthday, there was gonna be a cake, brought out the person who had been overserved, decided they were going to start the Happy birthday, singing literally in the middle of a ticketed show.
Toby Myles: Oh my goodness.
Courtney Burton: And so I heard it start and I, we had not started our next number, uh, Uhhuh and I tell everybody, I guess we're going to sing Happy Bird people at this table. You just gotta roll with it.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: Like, I can't fight that at that moment.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: And to this day, I'm sure that table nor that person understood the impact they had.
Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: On
Courtney Burton: somebody else that had spent money
Toby Myles: to Right.
Courtney Burton: A ticketed show.
Toby Myles: Right.
Courtney Burton: The oblivious, but, you know,
Toby Myles: yeah.
Courtney Burton: You roll with it. I think that ability, and then also think about my coaching practice started online, so I've had to learn to mm, learn really to connect with people online in a very different way.
Yeah, I think those two things have really helped when I move into, like facilitating, um, something in a large group, I do mm-hmm. Everything. Disc facilitator.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Trainer. To read the room in a very different way. Mm-hmm. So I think it's an evolution.
Toby Myles: Long
Courtney Burton: story. Interesting. Long story. Long.
Toby Myles: No, I love the long stories.
I, I just have to say I love, uh, the term, um, overserved because it's so polite, you know, it's such a polite way of saying what we all actually, really know what, what was happening and that per the person whose birthday. It was, was probably thinking, oh my gosh. And the whole band sang happy birthday to me.
It was so cool.
Courtney Burton: Completely obl.
Toby Myles: Um, so I do wanna talk a little bit about your everything disc, um, coaching for people who are maybe not really familiar with what it is. Can you kind of walk us through what it is and how it's maybe different than other? There's so many, um, coaching frameworks and things like that.
Courtney Burton: Um, I. I was introduced to everything disc. When I asked a, uh, somebody I recently met online who's been a provider of that work for years, I said, my coaching clients are coming to me and they need something more. My business had was moving from life coaching, which makes sense. 2020, right? Mm-hmm. Like, my God, what happened?
Help me navigate this. Mm-hmm. So I've had time to think I wanna look at my career differently. So my one-on-one coaching tends to be more skill building based. Career change, focus based. I wanted something to ground the conversations and he said. Have you ever done everything Disc? I'm like, I have not. I could not tell you my Myers-Briggs number.
Uh, I could, I have no clue. Mm-hmm. There's been a bunch of those I've taken. Mm-hmm. They, you know, they're nice to nose, but I never knew how to apply them.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: He gave me everything disc, and my first response when I got the results back was, where was this? When I was a new manager? Oh my God. It opened my eyes to almost all the issues I had.
As a brand new manager
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Because of my communication style.
Toby Myles: Mm.
Courtney Burton: That's interesting. And how I process the world. I saw it.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: So what everything DISC is, um, there are lots of different people that have that use a DISC model. I happen to be part of the everything DISC group. Mm-hmm. That's by Wiley products.
Mm-hmm. Um, what it does is it looks at two aspects of human behavior. And the disc assessments, and there are several within that suite of solutions help you see how, how you interact and communicate with humans. Mm-hmm. What the impact of that is, how it can be seen, how it can affect your ability to be effective and and efficient.
And it's not just about, well, this is me,
Toby Myles: right?
Courtney Burton: It's more of this is me, here's my impact on others, and how do I stretch into a different communication style? Meet that person where they are, when that is the best response, the most effective, effective, and efficient response.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: In situation.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: So it helps broaden your view
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Of
Courtney Burton: what's happening. And I find it very practical.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Most anything that I, anything I try, I'm facilitating. My goal is that you walk out of there with something you can use to write immediately. Sure. I about skill training, so there's everything just for the workplace that talks about how you and people that are on your team would interact.
There's one for management to help you understand how your, your style affects your management style. There's one for sales teams, um, your agile eq, kind of your emotionally, you know, your brain, your fixed mindsets.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: How that can affect, there's one for conflict. I, it's, it's an amazing suite of products for me.
Mm-hmm. I use it both on my one-on-one coaching. Mm-hmm. And obviously I facilitate those for teams as well.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: I find it really beneficial.
Toby Myles: Mm.
Courtney Burton: Um, like I said, and it's simple to use.
Toby Myles: Yeah. I love that. I love the idea that it's, it goes beyond just, this is just who I am and that's it. Right. Because like a lot of those, a lot of the, you know, Myers-Briggs and the Clifton strengths and human design, you know, they're fascinating, but.
Okay, now what?
Courtney Burton: Now what? And, and I'm one of those, I, I do tell people who come to me, especially, you know, people that are looking for teams, I'm like, I'm not here for you to do disc. I'm here to help you learn how to use disc.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And everything disc is implemented well, it becomes the common language point for the team's interactions.
It can have found impact on a team's culture. Yeah.
Toby Myles: And
Courtney Burton: I love it when, uh, you might have two teammates that have worked together for years and then they go through this training and they go, oh my God, that's why you do that. You were just doing that to annoy the heck outta me. I didn't realize what you were really, you know, these aha moments and that commonality makes all the difference.
Toby Myles: Yeah,
Courtney Burton: right. Just that right there. Like, oh, that's what you,
Toby Myles: yeah.
Courtney Burton: Hey, you know my, when I get stressed. My style is, um, I, I won't go into too many of the details 'cause it gets a little, a little technical, but my, my stress response is I get really quiet.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And I go, in my head, I start
Toby Myles: trying to
Courtney Burton: think my way through something.
Mm-hmm. And I will typically forget about the humans in the room and that,
Toby Myles: yeah.
Courtney Burton: Now, this was before disc, but the last team that I managed. I told my direct reports that I said, this is what you need to know about me. If I get really quiet, it's not about you. Yeah. Do not, do not fill in the blanks. Do not make up a bunch of stories.
Mm-hmm. I give you permission. To point it out to me because I'm
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: In that headset and not realize it.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And we were in an extreme, well, second to the last team I managed, sorry, uh, we were in an extremely stressful situation. Extremely situation. Uh, bad, bad, bad. And I went in my head and one of my direct reports took the risk and said, Courtney, you told us this when we first met you.
I'm gonna trust you. Were right. This is what we're seeing. And I'm like, oh my God. Thank you. That was on a Friday. I went home that weekend, figured out my worst case scenario in this situation we were in.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: And came back and said, this is how we're gonna do this in order to keep the stress level down on the team.
For the handful of you, we will meet Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays 15 minutes. First thing in the morning. You ask me any question about the situation we're in, and I will tell you what I know. If I can't tell you, I will tell you I can't, I can't tell you.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: I will try to find answers for you. And our team sailed through that.
I, I think, way better than most on a both professional and personal level.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Situation was basically a company had put, moved everybody out to the, to a new state, set up new offices and everything, and within six months the company was up for sale.
Toby Myles: Wow.
Courtney Burton: Big stress level on the team.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah.
Courtney Burton: Stress level on people who just moved new schools for kids, all that stuff.
And I'm like
Toby Myles: mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Figure out. My worst case scenario was I'd sell a very sellable town home and move back in my parents' basement and find a new job. Yes. That was my worst case or Right. I'm like, once I got court, I'm like, okay, I know what I could do.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: I make sure my team will get through this.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: All and I, to this day, I am so. Honored that that person trusted me enough.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: I'm calling you on what you told us. I, I,
Toby Myles: yeah, yeah, yeah. But you put it out there to begin with, right? You knew, you were self-aware enough to know like, this is what I do and you can call me out on it.
Courtney Burton: And that's the kind of insight you get from disc.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. That's fascinating. I, um, I tell this story pretty often. I have a VA who really, I say she's much more than a VA because she edits my podcast. She does so many things that, that I didn't. Plan on, I needed someone to help with the podcast. That's why I hired her. Um, but I've had VAs before and they haven't worked out.
And I usually get so frustrated, like, why do they not understand? Why are they not getting right? And I realized that, yeah, maybe some of it was their skill level, but most of it was on me. Mm-hmm. Um, how am I communicating my expectations? What, how does this person know what to do step by step? You know, all these things that were issues with my leadership style.
Um. Not theirs. And so, um, that is a huge reason. I mean, again, she's amazing, but also I know better how to be a good leader for her.
Courtney Burton: Right, exactly.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. So before we wrap up a couple things. Um, if somebody's listening and they are thinking about retiring. Um, you know, some sort of evolution of what they're doing, um, starting something new, like whatever it looks like.
What if you could give them one big piece of advice, what would it be?
Courtney Burton: Hmm. Couple of things come to mind. One big piece of advice is if, you know things are not quite where you want them to be, right? Like something needs to change, take the time. To say, to really figure out, do I just need a small tweak, a small change? Is it maybe a skill-based thing that needs to change, or am I looking at making a major change in how I see myself in the world?
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Because
Courtney Burton: knowing that will help you discern the path that you need to take to make that happen.
Toby Myles: Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Because if it's, if it's a big change, like, like changing your sense of identity, that's gonna take time. And if you try to rush it, you're gonna get frustrated.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Courtney Burton: But if it's really like, you know, I just, I, I don't like the company I'm working for.
I need a different lifestyle in the com, you know, like. Flexible work or whatever, and it, but I love what I do. That's, that's kind of a minor tweak if you think about it. I'm just gonna change mm-hmm. Jobs.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: Right. But it, and if you try to make it a really big deal, then you're taking too long and that doesn't, that's not value added either.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah.
Courtney Burton: That's what I suggest.
Toby Myles: Yeah. There's kind of a fine balance between, um, taking that time to really understand what is really going on and what you really want, and then also like not overthinking for so long that you just. Or not making a move. Right. You're, you're, you become fearful and paralyzed of, of making a move, which I see a lot of, um, entrepreneurs doing.
Um, and if
Courtney Burton: it's a bigger tweak, a bigger transition, it's okay to experiment. Mm-hmm. Like, let me try this on, let me try this on. Sure. Does this work? I have, I don't know anybody who started their own business where, where they thought it, what they started out with is exactly where they are still doing it.
No. It will evolve. It will evolve. And if you doing experiments, whether you call 'em that or not.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah, for sure. You start out doing what you think you wanna do, and then over time you realize what you like, first of all, what you're really good at and what do people really need, you know, and, and how what you can provide can match what they need.
All those things are part of the discovery that you're not gonna know on day one.
Courtney Burton: Nope. It's, it is a journey, no doubt.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I also wanna let our listeners know where they can find you and connect with you.
Courtney Burton: Oh, perfect. Yeah, the best way to reach me is on LinkedIn. Uh, I'm very active out there.
Uh, Courtney Burton. I'm pretty easy to find on LinkedIn. Uh, there's also Courtney Burton Music, which is my music website, and Courtney Burton Coaching, which is my coaching website. So I keep that very simple.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Burton: But really just general inquiries. Reach out on LinkedIn to the dm. Yeah, we'll get back to you.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I would encourage everyone to follow you and to connect with you, um, wherever, wherever it is. Um, because you have so much, um, amazing insight and you're just a good human. You're a good human, and I'm, thank you. I'm, I'm, I feel honored to know you and that you said yes to this podcast. So thank you again for agreeing to do this.
I'm glad we finally made it.
Courtney Burton: And thank you Theresa Thomas for making the
Toby Myles: invitation. Yes, thank you, Theresa. Shout out, Theresa. All right. Thank you so much, Courtney.
Courtney Burton: Thank.