Imagine driving past a beautiful house and the words just come out of your mouth: "I bet he's a crook." You don't even know where it came from. You clap your hand over your mouth. And in that moment, you realize a five-year-old's belief has been quietly running your life — and your business — for decades.At some point you've probably asked: What beliefs am I carrying that I didn't even choose? And how much is an old story — one you absorbed before you had the words to question it — quietly setting the ceiling on what you allow yourself to achieve?Connie Whitman grew up in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of a Depression-era mother and an Italian immigrant father who worked construction, went to school at night to learn English, and jockeyed cars on weekends. The messages were layered in early: money doesn't grow on trees, hard work is the only way, and — from one unforgettable detour through a wealthy neighborhood during the riots — big houses belong to crooks. Her parents meant the mob. Five-year-old Connie heard: success is dangerous.That belief stayed buried for decades. Then one afternoon, driving past a 10,000-square-foot home under construction, she heard it come out of her own mouth. She was in her late forties. She'd been running a successful sales training business. And an energy healer had just told her she was afraid of success. Now she understood why — she unconsciously believed that if people perceived her as successful, they'd think she was a crook.Working through that belief took over a decade. But it was the foundation for everything that followed — including surviving the hardest financial season of her life. When COVID hit, every client paused. Her husband's company closed simultaneously. Two kids in college. Zero income. She burned through savings, spent tens of thousands on three coaches, and spent seven days a week for months rebuilding her entire business from live to digital — at 59 years old.GuestConnie Whitman is the CEO of Changing the Sales Game, a four-time #1 International Best-Selling author, speaker, and podcast host with over 25 years of experience helping business owners, leaders, and sales teams build powerful organizations. Her signature ESP (Easy Sales Process) framework teaches heart-centered selling through improved communication skills. She hosts the podcasts Changing the Sales Game and Enlightenment of Change.Connect with ConnieWebsite: https://changingthesalesgame.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conniewhitmanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/conwhitman/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitmanAndAssociatesTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/Connie_WhitmanResourcesFree Communication Style Assessment (gift for listeners): changingthesalesgame.com/communicationstyleassessmentESP (Easy Sales Process): 7 Steps to Sales Success by Connie WhitmanPodcast: Changing the Sales Game — search on your favorite platformPodcast: Enlightenment of Change — search on your favorite platform

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.