After the Summit: What Comes Next
When you finally reach the goal you’ve been working so hard for…what’s next?
In this episode, we tackle how to think about this tricky question.
If you’re a performer, creative leader, event organizer, athlete, writer, speaker, or goal-getter of any kind, this episode will resonate with you. Jessica reflects on the days and weeks after hosting The Ampersand Summit, and how to use the time after a peak experience to your advantage.
We talk about how…
Achievement is not the endpoint
To embrace the “in-between” time
To move from reflection to action
Regeneration (not just recuperation) might be what you need
Why Ampersands have a unique advantage
We want to hear from you!
Leave us a voicemail at theampersandmanifesto.com/voicemail or email us at j@jessicawan.com.
~
Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals.
For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh – while also building a performing career as a singer. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it’s like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.
As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.
Visit jessicawan.com or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching
Credits
Produced and Hosted by Jessica Wan
Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by Carlos Schmitt
Want to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it at theampersandmanifesto.com, or buy me a coffee: coff.ee/jessicawan
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Have you ever felt like you live
in two worlds?
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You're leading teams at a tech
company by day, but at night
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you're choreographing dance
pieces.
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Or you're a venture capitalist
who's also producing music, or
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an engineer who performs opera?
You're not alone and you're not
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weird.
Welcome to the Ampersand
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Manifesto, the podcast for
people who make their mark in
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multiple fields.
I'm Jessica Watt and after 50
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00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:48,040
interviews with Multi Passionate
Ampersands, I'm sharing the
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00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:53,480
manifesto, why we keep doing
what we do even when it's hard,
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and what it means for how we
live, lead and create.
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Last month I Co hosted the
Ampersand Summit in San
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Francisco.
For 50 people who, like me,
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straddle multiple careers and
passions, the event was magical
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and one-of-a-kind.
The room was buzzing with energy
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and the 3 1/2 hours we shared
flew by.
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We brought together leaders,
creators and change makers who
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refused to be boxed into one
path.
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The conversations were alive
with curiosity and connection,
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ideas bouncing, experiences
shared, and that quiet
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acknowledgement that we all
understood each other's
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complexities.
Don't just take it from me.
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Here's what one of our attendees
said.
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I've attended many events over
the years, and this one was
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truly one of the most valuable
uses of my time.
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I had the opportunity to
showcase my own work and watch
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others share theirs.
It was inspiring from start to
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finish.
You know the word Summit has a
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few meanings. 1 The convening of
a group of people who have a
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common purpose, and two, the
highest point of a hill or
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mountain.
For me, this event hit both
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meanings.
I first got the idea to have a
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larger public ampersand event
back in April.
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I researched venues, formats and
grappled with questions of
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scale.
How could we maintain intimacy
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while also increasing access?
By June, I'd found my
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collaborators, Reichi and Steph,
and we'd booked the date and
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venue of the San Francisco
Community Music Center.
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We climbed the mountain and it
was a thrilling journey.
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And then on the day of the
summit, we were up there looking
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out at the clear sky and
beautiful view.
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As the last hugs were exchanged
and the space emptied, I felt a
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familiar shift.
The high of performance day.
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The summit itself was giving way
to that tricky, all too familiar
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question.
Now what?
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I've learned that for me, and I
suspect for many high achievers,
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the days after a big goal are a
roller coaster performance day.
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Pure elation, the kind of joy
that makes you stop and think,
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wow, is this real?
I actually did it.
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But then the next day there's a
full body exhaustion.
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You replay the events in your
mind, trying to savor the
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contentment but also wondering
if it really happened, if it was
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all as perfect as it felt in the
moment.
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And then comes day three.
That's when the absence of
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structure hits.
The routine I built to reach
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this goal is gone, and suddenly
I feel untethered, unmoored.
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Wait, am I in a rut?
This pattern isn't just a quirk
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of my own personality.
I've heard that some Olympic
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athletes have their hardest year
after they win a medal.
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I'm not an Olympian, but I can
relate.
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The days after the summit, I
found myself wandering through
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my schedule, looking for purpose
in small ways.
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That's when I got a request from
my kids.
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School volunteers needed to
assemble yard signs.
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This was it, the perfect
opportunity to leave my house
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and put together 50 signs with
my hands.
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For the first time in a few
days, I felt grounded again.
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It wasn't recuperation in the
passive sense that I needed.
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It was regeneration, The kind of
energy that comes from doing,
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from creating, from making
something tangible in a
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completely different arena.
What struck me in that moment,
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and what I want to share with
you, is that being an ampersand
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isn't just about juggling
multiple interests or careers.
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It's about having somewhere else
to go when the main event is
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behind you.
It's having that freedom to
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shift focus, to apply your
skills in a new way and to find
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meaning in doing other important
things.
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After the summit, I found myself
reflecting on what those post
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peak days really revealed.
Here are a few of the most
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important lessons I walked away
with.
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One achievement is not the end
point.
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We often treat big goals as
finish lines, but the truth is,
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the climb doesn't end when you
reach the top.
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You got to get down somehow.
Yes, the peak is exhilarating,
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but it's also temporary.
What comes afterwards, the
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pause, the reflection, the what
now is where growth continues.
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The summit reminded me that
achievement is a moment to
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celebrate, but it's not a
permanent state.
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And that space afterward can
also be rich with possibility to
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embrace the in between the days
after a big achievement can feel
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uncomfortable, even
disorienting, But they're the
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perfect time for reflection and
learning.
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We sometimes forget about these
liminal times in between the big
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moments, but that's really when
life is happening.
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Life always continues to happen,
so why not make the most of it?
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The Monday after our event, I
went to the Berkeley Rose Garden
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with my notebook and turned off
my phone for about an hour.
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I wrote down everything in my
mind so I could capture these
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reflections while they were
still fresh.
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From tiny tactical things to big
existential questions to all the
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feelings I was feeling in the
moment.
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I needed to write that all down.
Three from reflection to action
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for me after a peak experience.
Reflection alone can feel
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isolating.
Moving into action no matter how
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small.
Jump starts momentum and keeps
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you from getting stuck in a post
peak lol.
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Remember, action begets action
and I knew I needed to take that
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first small Step 4 Regeneration
instead of recuperation.
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After the summit, lots of people
gave me well intended advice to
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relax, chill, bask in the
afterglow.
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But I have learned that what I
need most isn't just rest, it's
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also regeneration.
Doing something useful with my
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hands, helping in a different
context, or shifting my focus to
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another area of my life
reignites both my energy and my
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inspiration. 5 The Ampersand
Advantage One of the most
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underrated benefits of living a
multi passionate life is having
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multiple arenas to apply your
skills.
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When 1 milestones achieved,
there's always another place to
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explore, contribute, or create.
As an ampersand, you can move
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fluidly between worlds and
prevent stagnation.
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Being an ampersand isn't just
about juggling interests or
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careers, it's about building
resilience and adaptability
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within your life.
As I reflect on the Ampersand
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Summit, I realize it wasn't just
about reaching a peak.
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It was about the entire journey,
from the spark of inspiration to
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the long climb up the mountain,
to taking in the extraordinary
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view and basking in the joy and
also enjoying the climb back
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down and seeing things from a
new perspective.
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The highs, the pause, the
restlessness, the small acts of
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regeneration, they're also part
of the journey.
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Being in Ampersand means knowing
there's always another arena to
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engage, another way to create
meaning, and another path to
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explore.
So here's my question for you.
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When you reach your highest
highs, where do you go next?
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Do you pause, reflect, and
regenerate, or do you rush
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toward the next goal?
And if you do take the pause,
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what small, purposeful action
could reignite your energy in a
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completely different way?
I'd love to know what resonates
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with you from this episode.
Leave me a voicemail at the
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00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:16,960
ampersandmanifesto.com/voicemail
or send me an e-mail at
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j@jessica1.com.
Hope to hear from you.
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If you liked this show, share it
with your friends and fellow
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ampersands and make sure to hit
the follow button to be notified
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when new episodes drop.
It would mean the world to us if
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you took two minutes to rate and
review the show.
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Just go to the main show page on
Apple Podcasts or Spotify and
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look for the stars.