In this episode, host Lorie Jones sits down with Kateri O’Grady, a fractional COO and the founder behind her own consulting powerhouse, Kateri O’Grady Consulting. Kateri shares the riveting story of how surviving five strokes forced her to recalibrate her life and career, ultimately propelling her toward entrepreneurship.
She gets candid about the grit required to build a business, the importance of advocating for yourself, and what it really means to honor your own value in the workplace. Kateri’s insights on setting boundaries, embracing your wins, and carving a space where impact truly matters are a rallying cry for ambitious women everywhere. You will walk away with practical strategies to boost confidence, find balance, and drive your career forward on your terms.
This episode is packed with inspiration, real talk, and a reminder that your greatest achievements are already part of your story.
Show Highlights:
- The power of resilience, realizing change and embracing impact. [05:25]
- Why systems matter in efficient and thoughtful leadership. [08:59]
- Lessons from life after serious illness and renewing purpose. [10:44]
- Set and respect boundaries. [18:13]
- Considering three sides to every mistake at work. [19:59]
- What are you not doing that hinders your growth? [26:43]
- The importance of celebrating your achievements. [29:13]
- Advice to value fun and live in the present while young. [31:23]
- How to overcome fear of failure and become teachable. [33:21]
- Navigating challenges as a lone woman in a man’s industry. [38:15]
- What should “know your value” mean for young women? [45:29]
Get in touch with Kateri O’Grady at kateri@kateriogradyconsulting.com. To learn more about Kateri O’Grady Consulting, visit https://www.kateriogradyconsulting.com/.
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave a review!
For more information about Lorie Jones, go to https://fearlessfinancialadvisors.com/fearless-females.
00:01.08
Lorie Jones
Good morning, Fearless Females. I’m so excited you’re with us today. Today we have Kateri O’Grady. She is a fractional COO and founder of Kateri O’Grady Consulting.
00:12.39
Lorie Jones
I’m so excited that we get to chat with her today. i know Kateri, I’ve been working with her for just a little while, and she has got some really interesting ideas and a great story. So thank you so much for doing this for us, Kateri.
00:25.27
Kateri O’Grady
No, thank you for having me. I’m very excited to be here.
00:28.74
Lorie Jones
So my very first question always is my favorite. I’m a reader. I love reading anything, everything. My, my stack is so big right now. I’d have to take probably a month off to read it all, but I keep going.
00:41.74
Lorie Jones
What is your favorite book?
00:44.33
Kateri O’Grady
i don’t think I have a favorite book. I love to read. And I’ve recently also gotten into listening to books because then I can actually have two books going at once. um I think Let Them by Mel Robbins was a great listen because she also added in her own thoughts throughout the book.
01:04.32
Kateri O’Grady
And do think it ah it not only helped me personally, but it helps me parent in a different way.
01:10.88
Lorie Jones
yeah
01:11.11
Kateri O’Grady
So when they are upset about something, i try to kind of teach them about the let them and the let me pieces of it. And so I think that book more recently has really stood out to me.
01:23.08
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I read that, listened to her podcast, and I kind of had the same idea. It’s like it maybe didn’t help me. um It’s really hard to do the let them piece of things, but it did help me to kind of pass that on to other people in my life that are having that problem and be like, ooh, read this, think about it this way.
01:45.31
Lorie Jones
Maybe, you know, so so I’m not good at it. I’m still practicing, but the rest of the people in my life are having a great time.
01:52.39
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah, no, I know I’m getting better at it.
01:52.32
Lorie Jones
So
01:54.60
Kateri O’Grady
So I, sometimes I do the like a hundred times, like I think at one part of she’s like, just keep saying it, you know? And then when you understand it, do the, let me, um and it’s helped me.
02:05.53
Kateri O’Grady
I mean, and it’s helped, it’s definitely helped at least one of my daughters because yeah when, you know, she’s like, well, they said this or this, well, let them say that you can’t control that, but what can you control, you know, and really walking her through it.
02:18.59
Kateri O’Grady
Um, And I wish someone would have done that for me when I was younger, right? I wish we all knew that when we were younger.
02:24.37
Lorie Jones
Yeah, simple lesson, but really powerful. I agree. So I love that book. I second it. And I don’t have to add it to my book list because I’ve already read it. So he so
02:33.72
Kateri O’Grady
You’re welcome for that.
02:35.99
Lorie Jones
tell me a little bit about your journey. how did you How did you get started? How did you get where you’re at now? like What do you do? like Talk to me just a little bit about you.
02:45.01
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah, so I have over 20 years of operations experience. I’ve worked in the big four. I’ve worked in smaller firms. And ever since I was younger, if someone would have asked me what I wanted to do, was always, I want to help people.
02:57.31
Kateri O’Grady
And how I really got to be on my own as a fractional COO is I had multiple strokes about three years ago. It’ll be three years this August. And I was paralyzed on my left side. I lost my speech. I was in the ICU for about a week.
03:12.91
Kateri O’Grady
um I had an incredible recovery. I probably should have been in bed for about a month. I made them let me try walking three days in since I could move my leg. And I shuffled my way around the ICU.
03:24.65
Lorie Jones
just
03:25.06
Kateri O’Grady
And I got out of there about a week, a little, it was probably about a week later. um and that probably should have been my wake up call, but it wasn’t, I went back to work to help with an acquisition and I was just suffering health wise every day from, you know, from the day I went back.
03:43.18
Kateri O’Grady
Um, And didn’t tell anyone, i not even my husband. And I just wanted to, you know, go back to the way things were. And i think it took me a while, but I realized the way things were, it will never be that way you know it will never be that way again And after I kind of finished the projects that I was working on and got out into everything to a good state, I did resign and decided I’m just going to take this break.
04:06.37
Kateri O’Grady
um And I do look back and I think my strokes is the way of my body and the universe telling me you’re not doing what you should be doing and just stop literally paralyzed me.
04:14.07
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
04:18.70
Kateri O’Grady
um And ah company called and said, Hey, I was told to call you you know, from a prior company. So and referred me. and that you could help my business. And it was a small local business.
04:30.20
Kateri O’Grady
And I loved it because the impact that you have into a small to mid-sized business is just so much more than working for a larger corporation.
04:41.08
Kateri O’Grady
And it wasn’t just the impact on the bottom line of a business, it was the impact on the people. And that is really my passion. So then I fell into fractional COO with all my operations experience, but also specializing the integration of the people and process from mergers and acquisitions.
04:59.40
Kateri O’Grady
And I’ll say like human capital management and resource management is also another specialty of mine.
05:05.30
Lorie Jones
Yeah, that’s so cool. So did you, did you go to school for this? Like, what did you go to school for?
05:11.18
Kateri O’Grady
ah Accounting.
05:13.78
Kateri O’Grady
So, and a little story with the accounting is I swore I would never be an accounting major. um And really it’s because, you know, my father was an accountant. And he pushed it on me so hard that like, no way. I was that like rebellious child of I’m not going to do what you tell me to do.
05:31.81
Kateri O’Grady
And then I fell in love with my accounting classes.
05:35.24
Lorie Jones
Oh, that’s funny. I bet that is the one thing I love finance with all my heart and soul and hate the accounting courses. So I love that you love those. Yeah.
05:45.02
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah, I loved them. And which is crazy because most people would never. And so it was a great stepping stone into operations because I understand the finance side and that’s very unique in operations.
05:56.28
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
05:59.00
Kateri O’Grady
I think, you know, you have to be explained, but I have experience in HR. I’ve worked with legal business development, the breadth and depth of those different areas.
06:08.47
Lorie Jones
And so you you liked working in big company, but um but after your strokes, you’re like, oh, the the little to mid-sized companies are the ones that I can actually make a difference in. Like, I see the impact.
06:24.55
Kateri O’Grady
Yes, and it’s not that you don’t have the impact in larger. I think you just have a greater impact in the smaller, mid-size.
06:29.38
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
06:30.26
Kateri O’Grady
And it’s really with the people. That is where I see the impact. And that’s the part I love because you’re affecting someone’s life and their work. versus just the bottom line or you’re just making something more efficient.
06:44.23
Kateri O’Grady
And I took over a process at one of my companies and had no experience in that area. And I had someone tell me he did not want to report to me. He did not feel that was fair.
06:55.92
Kateri O’Grady
And I agreed with him because I didn’t have any of that experience. And I said, but let’s do this together. And he was working such late hours because there was just no process.
07:07.50
Kateri O’Grady
And he couldn’t, you know, the whole entire team just could not get out from underneath it.
07:09.15
Lorie Jones
Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
07:12.24
Kateri O’Grady
And in six months, we got them out from underneath it, had it automated. And at the end of it, he came to me and thanked me. And he said, for the first time, I feel like i have a life. um and And I’m valued.
07:21.53
Lorie Jones
great
07:22.72
Kateri O’Grady
And I thought that that was the most important part. That is what I love. You know, it’s like you fixed this business piece, but like you also helped him feel valued that he has a life. Hopefully it will stay longer.
07:34.58
Kateri O’Grady
And, and those types of things.
07:36.80
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I love that. that’s ah but Operations is my passion as well. you know and that’s That’s how I grew up in finance was was making processes better, easier, ah more efficient so that so that you could spend time doing things you wanted to do as an advisor and talking to people.
07:53.01
Kateri O’Grady
Yes.
07:54.70
Lorie Jones
And i so I love that idea of of efficiency and growth. So let’s talk just a second before we move on about this ah stroke. So you had three strokes, five strokes in how long?
08:07.68
Kateri O’Grady
In
08:11.05
Kateri O’Grady
and matter of minutes, if not all at the same time. And they don’t know why. i did have a heart procedure, so there was a hole in my heart that they had to close. That’s how the clots got through, but it they’ll never know why I clotted.
08:23.17
Kateri O’Grady
um was doing yoga and fell over.
08:25.39
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
08:26.59
Kateri O’Grady
So um it was, you know, i people will think I’m nuts, but because of my recovery, I think I can say this, it was the greatest gift I’ve been given. i i just took spring break with my kids.
08:40.43
Kateri O’Grady
Every other vacation I’ve had, and this nobody has made me, but I am that workaholic. I’m like, oh, one minute. I just got to respond to this email. I’m just going to take this call. And i put my away message up.
08:51.54
Kateri O’Grady
I skimmed my emails. Nothing urgent was coming through. And I just, like, they got my away message. My full attention was my kids. um And they never once said, what are you doing on your phone?
09:03.32
Kateri O’Grady
You know, it was the best vacation that I’ve ever taken with them. And I honestly know it’s because I had my strokes that I feel like I need to take advantage of every moment.
09:18.10
Lorie Jones
Yeah, that is it does. It kind of wakes you up and you’re like, oh, but my question, Katari, is why didn’t it wake you up after the week long recovery?
09:31.67
Kateri O’Grady
So, I mean, and I could not like, when I say I was walking, I mean, we walk half a mile to our kids’ school.
09:35.32
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
09:37.65
Kateri O’Grady
Um, And I think that took me like half an hour um at least.
09:40.89
Lorie Jones
Uh huh.
09:42.16
Kateri O’Grady
And so it wasn’t even though like my health, like I was just back to normal right away. Standing up was hard.
09:48.55
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
09:49.71
Kateri O’Grady
But I think I was in denial ah because I was such a workaholic.
09:52.88
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
09:54.61
Kateri O’Grady
I, you know, if I look back, I think I just not didn’t want to think, you know, the worst and that this could happen.
10:00.32
Lorie Jones
It was going to be different. Mm-hmm.
10:02.77
Kateri O’Grady
um And to be honest, the first time I really recognized what I went through was my old boss actually is very big and at the American Heart Association and she got me involved.
10:17.07
Kateri O’Grady
And last year was the second year I attended this event that they have every April. It’s Women of Impact and I was a featured survivor. So it was just a poster and it’s a featured survivor.
10:28.16
Kateri O’Grady
I never viewed myself as a survivor before that day.
10:30.49
Lorie Jones
Hmm. Mm-hmm.
10:32.71
Kateri O’Grady
um And I e had sent in the picture, I knew about it um and it hit me so hard. I asked to bring the poster home and my husband’s like, you know what? I was like, I can’t explain it. I said, this is the first time I feel like I survived.
10:49.64
Kateri O’Grady
And I think that that really hit me in such a different way than anything else that I went through because I felt like I was going through the motions and I just had to get better um and stronger. Mainly I wanted my kids to see that I was resilient and that I was okay.
11:04.38
Kateri O’Grady
But that hit me like, okay, this was something serious that I survived.
11:10.11
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And, the and was, is that the point that you decided maybe like, I need to take a step back or was that up after you’ve already taken a step back?
11:22.13
Kateri O’Grady
I had already taken a step back and the reason being, um, but And the intent was to go back eventually.
11:28.62
Lorie Jones
oh Really?
11:29.03
Kateri O’Grady
So, yes. So, so I did not resign with the intention of staying out of corporate America. I resigned with the intention of just, I was having, um, so we’re three or four of the strokes occurred.
11:40.25
Kateri O’Grady
Now I forget how many, uh, um, was where migraine control is.
11:43.74
Lorie Jones
Oh, wow. Uh-huh.
11:44.44
Kateri O’Grady
And so from the day I really, the next day, like I had this awful migraine, um, and it never went away. And so I went back to work with that, um,
11:55.54
Kateri O’Grady
And honestly, full disclosure, I took a doctor saying to me, do you want to die? um You need to make a change.
12:01.13
Lorie Jones
12:03.16
Kateri O’Grady
And so that is really what triggered it. It wasn’t. And so instead, I’m like getting on calls, smiling and saying, I’m fine.
12:09.77
Lorie Jones
and
12:10.62
Kateri O’Grady
You know, um didn’t say anything to anyone except the doctors trying to just I tried multiple medications. Nothing was working.
12:18.56
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
12:18.77
Kateri O’Grady
um And they said to me, all you’re doing is trying to mask. it because that’s all that the medication will do. You’re not healing. um And I think when he said that to me is when I tried cutting back and only working four days a week and that didn’t work because again, I’m a workaholic.
12:34.86
Kateri O’Grady
And so, um so I think seeing that poster and starting to work with that first client is, is really what triggered me.
12:34.87
Lorie Jones
yeah
12:43.67
Lorie Jones
Huh. That’s so interesting. that i thought It’s yeah the stubbornness and and like just determination. can feel it out of you. You’re like, yeah, was I was quitting, but I wasn’t intending to stay quit.
12:56.43
Lorie Jones
You know, I was like.
12:56.84
Kateri O’Grady
Yes, exactly. And I think, you know, whether it was to go back with the same company or not, I really have always loved people I’ve worked with at every company.
13:06.14
Lorie Jones
Mm hmm.
13:07.00
Kateri O’Grady
And so i just, I think I just crave that one-on-one interaction also.
13:12.53
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. Well, and there is a sense of like, like, I love what I do. Like if someone told me that I couldn’t ever, you know, do finance and be a financial planner and I just needed to like rest and walk slowly to the school, I’m not sure I’d survive that.
13:29.04
Lorie Jones
I get where you’re coming from. Right.
13:31.12
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah. And I think when it’s all of a sudden, it’s nothing that builds up that I was able to adjust to.
13:38.23
Lorie Jones
hmm.
13:39.14
Kateri O’Grady
But now I look back and I don’t think I could ever go back into corporate America. I mean, maybe I will one day. I can’t say never. um But I think that having the time at home, ah you know, I found a new balance that was good for me.
13:51.04
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
13:54.61
Kateri O’Grady
And I think another piece, like when I look at the workforce and as women, and i don’t know how you feel about this, but
13:54.62
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
14:00.44
Kateri O’Grady
Everybody has their own approach. And I think instead of trying to say, you need to set the example, I think the example is we’re all individual women and what our wants are could be different.
14:11.93
Kateri O’Grady
So some women are okay not being promoted and just steady Eddie through their careers because of flexibility at home that they want. Others want to be from, I think it’s just respecting and honoring what each woman wants in their career.
14:25.24
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
14:25.63
Kateri O’Grady
Yes.
14:26.15
Lorie Jones
And in the each stage of their career, too, I find that, you know, like you go through different times when when I had young kids at home, you know, I needed to be off. i I wasn’t climbing the corporate ladder. I needed to be off when they were off. And that was my main priority.
14:42.12
Lorie Jones
Now that they’re, you know, all out of the house, I’m in a different stage, different priorities, different ways of life. And so I love that idea, Gatari, of like honoring where you are in your career, in your life, in your needs and wants, like, you know, like who you are.
15:00.12
Kateri O’Grady
Yes. And it took me a long time to accept, I think, you know, and I, and I, I do know part of my stubbornness. So I had, I put myself through college and, you know, and so I think it was always that survival mode and I’ve always wanted more for my kids.
15:14.02
Kateri O’Grady
I’m like, if I step back, are they going to lose out? Right. Like I can’t, I don’t want them to go through.
15:16.90
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
15:18.98
Kateri O’Grady
And I mean, that’s what most parents go through. So that’s not, um, anything unusual, but I think I just had it ingrained in me so much, um, But now that being home with them more, you see the value of that for my kids. You know, i’m not that, you know, I’ve always had help um up until when I resigned and that was, it takes a village.
15:40.15
Kateri O’Grady
um But that, that, and I see the value for, for my children right now.
15:46.91
Lorie Jones
So what about an investment you made in yourself through this career journey? Is there something that you’ve done ah you’re like, oh my gosh, I just, I would not be successful today if I hadn’t done that. I’m so glad I did.
16:01.15
Kateri O’Grady
Such a good question. I have to think about that one.
16:02.97
Lorie Jones
Well,
16:03.44
Kateri O’Grady
um
16:06.91
Kateri O’Grady
I think it’s taught me boundaries. And slowly I’ve learned them. So I was you know, allowing myself to be booked like up like from like nine to six o’clock and just trying to network and grow. And I realized I’m burning myself out.
16:21.04
Kateri O’Grady
you know, just to get clients and that’s not going to be beneficial.
16:24.20
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
16:24.39
Kateri O’Grady
So I think it really taught me how to balance. And, and I think that that is an investment in myself because I never was very good at that. You know, I, I would always say to my kids, not now, not now, right. If I’m on the phone or I’m on a call and nine o’clock rolls around and they’re in bed.
16:40.63
Kateri O’Grady
So it’s, it’s identifying that the now needs to come, whether it’s for myself to work out, it’s for them to do something with them, but that was a huge lesson and investment, which is you need to take those breaks to be more successful.
16:59.17
Lorie Jones
And did you, how did you learn that? Did you like take a class on it or you just noticed that you needed to do it or the strokes made you take that time off? Like, how did you do that?
17:09.46
Kateri O’Grady
I think a mix of everything. I mean, I think I’ve always known it. I mean, I’ve always worked a lot and not but by, again, not anyone making me by choice.
17:17.92
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
17:18.23
Kateri O’Grady
um But I think it was, I started down that path again and had to pull myself out of it. And that’s what I realized.
17:28.68
Lorie Jones
Uh-huh. That’s so interesting. I wish well, I’m going to say that knock on wood. I wish I would learn that lesson, but I also don’t want to go through five strokes. so
17:37.88
Kateri O’Grady
and no i And I have to remind myself sometimes, like you don’t want to go backwards, right?
17:42.88
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. What the worst advice someone gave you? Can you ever remember getting any really bad advice? And like, did you take the advice? Did you not take it? Did you learn from it
17:55.81
Kateri O’Grady
I mean, I can tell you what I thought was my most unfair advice, but I learned from it and still took it.
18:01.99
Lorie Jones
Mm-hm.
18:02.17
Kateri O’Grady
Um, was it was my first year of work in audit. And back then we did not have electronic files like we do now. And we were going, uh, we had to travel to Omaha for our client.
18:16.17
Kateri O’Grady
And i mean, we were photocopying. I was photocopying. I was the most junior person photocopying and photocopying. Got one piece of paper and it got written up in my review. And by the way, they emailed us that one piece of paper.
18:28.08
Kateri O’Grady
um One piece. But when we when I tell you we ship boxes and boxes of paperback, it was just, said, and I got dinged on that one piece and said I needed it to be more attention to detail. um I was devastated. I thought how unfair it was.
18:42.60
Kateri O’Grady
still think it wasn’t fair in full disclosure.
18:45.54
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
18:46.90
Kateri O’Grady
But I took it to heart, right? And I’m like, okay, so dot your like double check that your I’s are dotting, your T’s are crossed. And I think so I took that to heart for myself, but I also took it as a learning lesson as like to manage, which is people make mistakes and they don’t need to be called out on every mistakes, right? Some of this are take advantage of learning moments and take advantage what needs to be documented.
19:13.98
Kateri O’Grady
So really to be more thoughtful as a manager versus, you know, just calling everything out, if that makes sense.
19:21.31
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I think that probably affects how you do things now too, when you talk about making a difference in people’s lives. and And that probably, you know, like you’ve seen so many different situations that now you know which things you need to call out and say, hey, we need to do a better job.
19:40.38
Lorie Jones
Like there’s like there’s not a whole lot of room for error here, but other things you can let it slide. And I mean, you say, hey, do better next time, but you can let it slide, right?
19:50.36
Kateri O’Grady
yeah Yeah, I think, you know, when you’re putting something in writing, it hits harder. So and and not to have mentioned it prior, right, of like this was whatever it is. So I think that that really resonated with me. And there’s a way to communicate and have that open communication. and I actually, ah even with the teams that I’ve had underneath me, I’m like, tell me, give me feedback. I need to like know how to be better for you.
20:18.28
Kateri O’Grady
And so I’m always open to the feedback. I just um believe like there’s ways and to communicate at all.
20:26.23
Lorie Jones
Oh, that’s so, so give, give me an example. Like, uh, I had, you know, i always came at team growth from more like a positive point of view. I would always tell them all the things they’re doing right. And then I’d ask them, so what do you think, you know, where could you have done better? And they usually would give me where they needed to improve.
20:48.16
Lorie Jones
But I never did, i was never good at like helping like dial down in on that improvement area in a nice way. So help, help all of us.
20:59.06
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah, so I kind of take the approach at one, a lot of times I would do one-on-ones with my direct reports, and that would be weekly or every other week.
21:03.96
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
21:07.32
Kateri O’Grady
And that was just, let’s go through the to-dos, let’s see the priorities, et cetera. But also sometimes I would say, hey, so-and-so reached out because, and you know I know there’s two sides to this.
21:19.02
Kateri O’Grady
And I think that’s the other thing is that I’ve learned through my career, through managing people too, is there’s three sides to every story, right? at Both sides and then the middle, which, you know, cause everyone has their own perspective.
21:30.98
Kateri O’Grady
And I think it’s just taking that approach, which isn’t you were wrong. It’s this is what happened in my eyes. Like let’s walk through it. How could we have done it? How could I have supported you?
21:43.07
Kateri O’Grady
Right? So it’s not, it’s all on the individual, but how, where, where do I play that? I could have helped you more on this. Um, that is really kind of the approach I like to take because especially if you’re the manager at the end of the day, the buck stops with you.
21:58.44
Kateri O’Grady
So you have to kind of step up and say, if that mistake or that error, or whatever, you know, it was made that’s on you.
21:58.43
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
22:05.96
Kateri O’Grady
It’s, it’s, it’s on the person who, yes, who did it, but it’s still on you as well. um And I think the other piece I would say is always have your teams back.
22:09.78
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
22:14.13
Kateri O’Grady
Right.
22:14.11
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
22:14.59
Kateri O’Grady
So we had an issue on one of my teams, someone made a mistake. the partner was very upset and wanted a name. And I, because knew the reaction, i said, the name’s me, Kateri, right? Like ah you can take it out of me. It’s my team. They made the mistake.
22:31.20
Kateri O’Grady
I’ve already spoken to the person. It’s not going to happen again. It’s already been resolved. um But it’s me. And I just, and I didn’t, and I held my ground and I would not give the name.
22:43.41
Kateri O’Grady
And it was really, you know, because I wanted that my team to know, listen, you’re human. You will make a mistake. Everybody does.
22:51.79
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
22:52.91
Kateri O’Grady
And I’ve got your back, right? And did I not… but i mean Obviously, I had the conversation with the individual, of like, how did this happen? How did we prevent it going forward? Is this an easy mistake that others could have made and just haven’t yet?
23:02.35
Lorie Jones
here
23:06.60
Kateri O’Grady
And that actually answer was yes. So what is the process we need to put in place to avoid that going forward? So it’s really how do you… respond instead of being reactive, how can you take that lesson and be proactive?
23:19.42
Lorie Jones
I love that. I love that idea. We used to do something similar where we would go through a situation if we had a situation that just didn’t work out well. And we’re like, okay, what did we do? Well, that’s the very first thing we asked is what did we do? Well, and then, okay, what would we do differently if we could do it again? Is there a way we could do it differently? Could we have changed this situation in any way? But I like the idea that you said, like, what could I have done to better support you?
23:43.95
Lorie Jones
Because, yeah, ultimately it does come down. I’ve I’ve apologized for things that weren’t my fault a million times because it it is ultimately me. Right.
23:54.49
Kateri O’Grady
yeah Yes, agreed. and And I think when you do that, whether others agree with you or not, your team feels it and you’re retaining them.
24:04.63
Lorie Jones
hmm. Yeah. I love that. I love you’ve got their back. I think that’s the best thing ever. I wish I do wish more people kind of follow that theory. Like the I’ve got your back and you can’t can’t get that name for me.
24:21.56
Kateri O’Grady
I was not a fan favorite that day.
24:25.53
Lorie Jones
Yeah, that’s it’s it’s rough to be in that position, too. What about. um What about things that you would have done differently? Like, I’m not going to say regrets, but if you look back over your career, is there something that you’re like, oh my gosh, if I knew now, if I knew then what I know now, I would have done that so much differently the second time around.
24:50.66
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah, I don’t think I would have stayed as long in certain roles as I did. I, I do regret some of that. I regret not speaking up at times about things that I didn’t necessarily agree with.
25:03.76
Kateri O’Grady
Um, maybe I like, I wouldn’t go along with it, but I kind of also didn’t voice my opinion or, um and I think that that’s, and I think my number one regret is not knowing my value up until post strokes.
25:03.98
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
25:18.78
Kateri O’Grady
Um, because I think it’s so easy to let people tell you your value versus you recognize your value. um And I think that that’s a regret that I would love to help others kind of just come out of that and say, you know, i am good at what I do, right?
25:35.94
Kateri O’Grady
and and And you can get every review in the world, but for me, i was, you know, always top rated yet never felt I was doing well enough.
25:36.34
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
25:46.69
Kateri O’Grady
And, and looking back, i’m like, wait, this is my resume. This is what I’ve accomplished.
25:52.26
Lorie Jones
like I’m amazing.
25:52.38
Kateri O’Grady
And I never, im like I actually have done well.
25:53.85
Lorie Jones
Oh my gosh.
25:57.24
Kateri O’Grady
And i think getting there, right? Having that regret, always doubting myself and my success versus believing in myself is a regret I have.
26:05.41
Lorie Jones
So how would you, how would you have helped yourself to believe in yourself? Like, how do you do it now for others?
26:13.77
Kateri O’Grady
So Well, for, so this is gonna, I think what helps me is meditation.
26:18.64
Lorie Jones
Okay.
26:19.67
Kateri O’Grady
um because, and I actually was just telling my husband that he should try meditation because it’s taken me years and now I can actually start clearing my mind a bit more and now I’m doing better at it.
26:31.30
Kateri O’Grady
And I think you, instead of feeling that stress, you have, whether, even if it’s 10 minutes of this downtime, you come out feeling a bit refreshed. And I think that that’s part of it.
26:41.64
Kateri O’Grady
I think, when I went out on my own and had to promote my past of my success and my careers that I’ve had at different companies, that’s when I was like, wow, like, yes, you know, I’ve done this.
26:54.10
Kateri O’Grady
So it’s almost like put it in writing or say it out loud what you’ve done um and and kind of give yourself a pat on the back.
26:57.86
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
27:00.98
Kateri O’Grady
And so that is what I would tell someone, you know, if they’re feeling like, and then I think the other piece I would say is trust your gut. So I have taken on roles that, I did not want in my gut. I knew I didn’t want them and they didn’t go poorly, but they just, I was not happy in them.
27:18.90
Kateri O’Grady
And I knew I really going into them. Like, I don’t want to do this. So that’s the other piece I would say is just trust your gut. Um, and write down your accomplishments, like truly like, or speak them out loud, right?
27:33.35
Kateri O’Grady
Look at your resume and then speak it out loud.
27:34.08
Lorie Jones
Yeah. That’s a really good idea. Like maybe put it on your bathroom mirror. Like i i look, look at all these cool things that I did and write down your wins too.
27:44.86
Lorie Jones
Yeah. So that you can go back and kind of look and say, Hey, I, i am that I, I feel like we’re kindred spirits in that personality type, like, you know, just like always wanting to do better.
27:54.42
Kateri O’Grady
yeah
27:57.04
Lorie Jones
So I’ll make a goal. I’ll reach the goal. I’ll completely forget. I even reached the goal and make a new one to reach. And so I never really celebrate what I’ve done because I’m always reaching for something more.
28:09.45
Lorie Jones
And if, If you wrote that down and put it somewhere that you could kind of look through where you’ve, how you’ve grown and how, and what the cool things that you’ve done.
28:21.11
Lorie Jones
Right.
28:21.78
Kateri O’Grady
Yes. And I’ll tell you, so, and I am very good at celebrating everybody else. So, I mean, from like personal stuff to professional and love it and, but never celebrate me.
28:34.66
Kateri O’Grady
And so I just won a great engagement that i was very excited about. And I was like, I’m going to celebrate. My kids were home for spring break and I, we all went up to, we went upstairs and did a dance, um you know, like, I got it.
28:47.27
Kateri O’Grady
And I’ve never done that before. And I just thought, You know, it made me even more excited and more proud of myself that, you know, i did it.
28:53.42
Lorie Jones
i
28:54.61
Kateri O’Grady
And I think that whether it’s a promotion, it doesn’t have to be that you’re out on your own. And it could be something. It doesn’t have to professional. could be that you ran the mile that you just did for the first time in God knows how many years or ever.
29:06.88
Kateri O’Grady
Right. give Give yourself the credit.
29:09.81
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I love that. I’m going to, we do, we pop out like quotes and, and stuff for these episodes. And I’m going to tell my people to pop that out because it’s, I think that is so important.
29:23.57
Lorie Jones
to realize and celebrate yourself. i I love that you said that Katari. Thank you. So what about if you could go back to your early self, young you, 20 years old, you know, 21, just right out of school or just before you get out of school, like what would you tell that girl?
29:43.78
Kateri O’Grady
To have more fun. To have more fun. I’ve actually thought about this. Like, I wish I would have just. I was so worried. I was living paycheck to paycheck. I had to pay my student loans.
29:57.38
Kateri O’Grady
I was so worried about not succeeding that I didn’t enjoy that, like, post-life after college or even college for that matter.
30:08.12
Kateri O’Grady
um And I think I would tell myself have more fun. Like, yeah things will work out.
30:15.63
Lorie Jones
yeah live live in the present da stop stop
30:18.08
Kateri O’Grady
Mm-hmm.
30:19.74
Lorie Jones
I think younger people are a little bit better at that nowadays, at least my kids. They I am my young daughter after high school went to Costa Rica to teach English to um young kids in Costa Rica. And I’m I’m the financial advisor in the in her world. And I’m like, yeah, if you spend a little bit too many too much, you know,
30:42.90
Kateri O’Grady
yeah
30:43.92
Lorie Jones
traveling during that time period. Yeah. That’s like, what’s going to happen. You’re going to have to work an extra couple months or something like that in your lifetime. Like do it. Yeah.
30:52.86
Kateri O’Grady
yeah just enjoy it right and i know and that’s what i’m like try like and because i also see that some of my worry i’ve put into my kids at times and you’re just like no no no we’re okay you’re okay
31:06.98
Lorie Jones
ah Yeah, yeah ah is that is such a hard balance because you’d see it reflected in in the kids too when you say things that you’re like, ah you know, that’s not true. But yeah what I’m worried about nowadays, yeah, I love that.
31:24.84
Lorie Jones
Sometimes I feel like we’re better people because we’re trying to make our kids better, right?
31:29.74
Kateri O’Grady
Yes. Yeah. and and And because you think more about or you reflect, right?
31:33.23
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
31:34.91
Kateri O’Grady
So if you’ve said something, then you’re like, who shouldn’t have said that. I got to go talk to them.
31:39.47
Lorie Jones
Yeah. What scared you the most when you first started on your journey? um And does it still scare you today?
31:48.02
Kateri O’Grady
Not being successful.
31:49.78
Lorie Jones
hmm.
31:50.41
Kateri O’Grady
You know, and um it doesn’t scare me anymore. And I think because was always afraid to take a chance that I stayed doing, you know, exactly what I was good at and never tried anything on my own.
32:05.21
Kateri O’Grady
um And so someone actually once said to me, you’re afraid to fail. And that was feedback that I took to heart because he was right. um And he’s like, so you just try to perfect it all and perfect it all.
32:17.20
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
32:17.58
Kateri O’Grady
You know, like, it’s not that I slowed anything down. Everything kept moving, but as it moved along, like, oh, we got to tweak this or we have to fix this. And um because I didn’t want to be viewed ever as a failure.
32:29.51
Kateri O’Grady
And, you know, and in that way you are failing because you’re failing yourself for not recognizing those wins. And so, When I went into this, I’m like, what if I don’t succeed? This will be embarrassing, humiliating.
32:44.52
Kateri O’Grady
um Then I realized, how many people even try this, right? So I’ve already succeeded in that. I’m doing something that most people would never try. um and it’s not failure. If it doesn’t take off, it means it wasn’t meant to be.
32:59.83
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
32:59.97
Kateri O’Grady
And that really changed my mindset over the past few months as I’ve been taking off.
33:07.40
Lorie Jones
yeah I love that idea. And it is so hard too, staring down the barrel of like a bit of a perfectionist going, but what if I’m not perfect? But what if I don’t do well? And I, I think also, Katari, that there’s some power in admitting that, Hey, I might need some help here.
33:27.32
Lorie Jones
Like might not know what I’m doing in this particular instance.
33:30.96
Kateri O’Grady
Yes. Yeah. And asking for it. Um, and that’s also what I have to say I’ve learned through my career is always ask, you know, you don’t asking does not mean that you don’t know something cause you don’t, and you’re not going to be viewed as someone who’s not knowledgeable. You’re going to be viewed as someone who wants to do well.
33:47.64
Kateri O’Grady
Um, you know, and, and I feel like we should be taught that earlier in life.
33:53.55
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
33:54.11
Kateri O’Grady
Um, because I have a daughter who is very bright and she has decided that she doesn’t need help on anything, which drives me nuts. Um, and then when you do try to help her, she tells you why you’re wrong.
34:06.90
Kateri O’Grady
And so finally her T I asked her teachers of like, does she ask for help? No. And she needs to, I said, so you need to tell her. Cause I’ve been telling her this.
34:18.55
Kateri O’Grady
Um, and But it’s it’s really getting kids to realize that that ask for help is not saying you weren’t good enough. It’s saying that you want to be better.
34:28.37
Lorie Jones
Mm hmm. I like that idea. and And I do think, again, you know, watching what we want our kids to do mistakes we see them making, because we’ve made them, helps us to sometimes be like, if I expect somebody else to ask for help, if I expect a team member to ask for help, if I expect, you know, them to ask for, I need to be willing to do that too.
34:55.71
Lorie Jones
And that And it is, it is hard because sometimes you do feel like, oh my gosh, this, they’re going to think I don’t know what I’m doing.
35:05.96
Kateri O’Grady
I’ll call myself out, right? Just to make it a little lighter and say, listen, maybe I should know this, but I don’t. And can you help me on this? And I’ve called, especially when you start a new company, I’ll call someone like, can you help me with this?
35:16.89
Lorie Jones
Hmm.
35:19.58
Kateri O’Grady
I don’t know what, or can you tell me about this person? I have a meeting with them. And I would love to just get some insight before I meet with them, how to approach them, right? Everyone likes to be approached differently.
35:30.19
Kateri O’Grady
And it helps.
35:30.12
Lorie Jones
yeah
35:32.12
Kateri O’Grady
And it also builds that relationship with whomever you’re asking.
35:36.82
Lorie Jones
Yeah, there is nothing I like so much in this world is when someone asks me a question about finance that I can talk about for 15 minutes. My clients will come in sometimes and they’re like, oh I’m so sorry. Let me, you you know, I don’t mean to be a bother, but could you tell me about this? And ah my whole face lights up and I’m like, thank you.
35:57.85
Kateri O’Grady
yeah I know and the passion comes through and they’re just like okay
36:03.55
Lorie Jones
They’re like, okay, maybe I didn’t need 30 minutes on why a Roth was a good idea. Maybe that’s not what I was looking for. I love that.
36:11.05
Kateri O’Grady
but they see they’re like I can’t cut her off she’s so excited
36:15.10
Lorie Jones
yeah I can tell she really likes this. Yeah, I know. i know. So I i do think though that that just proves the point that there are people do want to help. They want to share their knowledge.
36:26.21
Lorie Jones
They want to, to, you know, they’re, they’re not being stingy with it, or at least most of the people that I run into. And if they are, you know, if they are like, oh I’m not answering that question.
36:38.48
Lorie Jones
You might do better than me or something like that. They’re probably not your tribe. You should probably find a different people.
36:42.97
Kateri O’Grady
Agreed. Agreed. I completely agree with you.
36:46.75
Lorie Jones
um What about any unique challenges as you were kind of coming up through your career? Were there any unique challenges because you were a woman?
36:56.16
Kateri O’Grady
Yes, definitely. There’s been multiple times where I’ve been the only woman on a call in the room.
37:03.74
Kateri O’Grady
that you’re doubted first. I actually had a situation where there was ah lead of a part of the business and he was telling me that he sold ah the work.
37:05.67
Lorie Jones
Hmm.
37:16.25
Kateri O’Grady
Well, he had a massive write-off and it was only one month in and he had completely overspent. was a three-month engagement. And um and he called someone in the C-suite who then called, him and I was trying to explain to him Yes, you’re bringing in X amount, but when you spend this amount, we now have a loss, not a profit.
37:37.74
Kateri O’Grady
And he told me I was overhead and that I didn’t know what i was talking about, that i the client’s still writing a check and the person in C-suite immediately assumed the worst and called me and said, don’t I understand how all this works? And I said, yes, but he doesn’t.
37:57.80
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
37:58.05
Kateri O’Grady
And had to like walk through it, but it was immediately believed that I did not know.
37:58.08
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
38:02.72
Kateri O’Grady
Now, do I know if that was because I was a woman? i don’t know, but it felt little like that at the time. I also had a situation um where I was at a dinner and an inappropriate question was asked of me and every man turned their head.
38:18.11
Kateri O’Grady
And it was a humiliating question that would only have been asked to a woman. That leader was told to apologize, which means that somebody else heard and nobody did anything about it. And it was a big victory dinner for us.
38:30.47
Kateri O’Grady
um And I was the only female there. So it just, it really brought it down.
38:37.63
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
38:39.34
Kateri O’Grady
i also have to say, like, I don’t mean to, but I think we also have to know when I say know our value, When I came back from both my maternity leaves, my comp, as it should have been, was prorated for that year.
38:52.06
Kateri O’Grady
um And I wasn’t there the whole year, so I understood that. But the following years, no one ever went back and said, where is she to her peers? I was um always the highest rated.
39:04.59
Kateri O’Grady
And… It never happened. And I think that that as a woman, when we look at inequity and pay that contributes to it are, you know, and yes, men have paternity leaves now and things like that.
39:16.08
Kateri O’Grady
But um we, you know, we are we ever then go back in a year later, right? And say, okay, well we did prorate her, but if I’m making it up, if Joe Smith is getting this at that rating and that level, we have to adjust her.
39:32.41
Kateri O’Grady
It’s not necessarily a comp increase.
39:32.69
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
39:34.09
Kateri O’Grady
It’s a comp adjustment. And I don’t know that all companies do that. And that’s also, I would say a challenge just as a woman that I faced.
39:42.22
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. that is always um I kind of thinking of that, like how do, because women in general earn less than men. And part of the reason they do is because we, we have things like they can’t have the babies.
39:58.99
Lorie Jones
We have the babies. We have to, we have to go.
40:01.17
Kateri O’Grady
have to recover by the way, need to recover.
40:01.56
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
40:04.49
Lorie Jones
Yes, yes. And so, and so, like, if you don’t ever look at that step, you know, that adjustment, then through the years, you know, that can get larger and larger.
40:20.03
Kateri O’Grady
And it gets larger, right? Because you do it on percents, right? so So if you’re not at a certain level, that percent is never valued as much.
40:23.10
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
40:28.42
Kateri O’Grady
And so it’s not, and I don’t think it’s intentional.
40:28.72
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
40:30.90
Kateri O’Grady
I just don’t think it’s seen. And then, and you don’t think to ask because that, you know, and at least for me, they’re like, oh gosh, you got X percent.
40:34.12
Lorie Jones
yeah
40:38.66
Kateri O’Grady
This is the highest we could have given. and so you’re just so excited. And then you look back, you’re like, yeah, but was I ever adjusted back? And you realize you weren’t. And there’s nothing to do at that moment. But, you know, I think it’s just bringing awareness.
40:50.97
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah, I agree. I think that at least talking about it, at least admitting that there may be a problem, that there might be something that needs to be adjusted for. Yeah, I agree.
41:00.06
Kateri O’Grady
Mm-hmm.
41:02.65
Lorie Jones
um What about, Katari, what is the thing you are most proud of? Mm-hmm.
41:10.25
Kateri O’Grady
So this my kids, you know, and I think, and I’ve told them before too, that um I think that’s my favorite job is being a mom.
41:18.31
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
41:18.71
Kateri O’Grady
I have learned more from them, you know, than my career, right? and And it’s funny because it’s like, you get what you get and you don’t get upset. And sometimes you have to think about that at work, you know? um And I’m proud that I never gave up, you know, on myself and and kind of my dreams because my kids are seeing me And I want them to believe in themselves, right?
41:41.51
Kateri O’Grady
as they
41:41.48
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
41:42.50
Kateri O’Grady
Versus, i again, like kind of doing it to work to earn money. Now I’m doing it because it’s what I enjoy. And it’s very that’s a just a different you know perspective to have.
41:55.23
Kateri O’Grady
So I think learning really how to be a mom. And I guess the other piece is, I judge less now. And I know that sounds crazy, but I’m proud of myself for that.
42:08.55
Kateri O’Grady
In that I think as humans, it’s so easy to judge. And I think a lot of judgment comes from jealousy or envy of what you don’t have or that you think you want.
42:15.10
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
42:19.56
Kateri O’Grady
um And I think after my strokes, you realize what you do have and the blessings that that is versus that person has a bigger house or they have a different career or If I would have taken that job, would I have been doing that much better? You know, whatever it is, you can just sit back and realize that life is good.
42:43.01
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Having that sense of gratitude for like, I’ve, I’ve lived my life well and I can be proud of me and my daughters can be proud of me. Right.
42:52.56
Kateri O’Grady
yeah Yes, yes. And I think I just want them to see a different world always than what we’ve had. And not that we’ve had it bad but i believe that it can always be better
43:05.57
Lorie Jones
yeah Yeah, I love that. That’s actually, you know, with the fearless females and with the podcast, I’m like, I’m, I’m hoping to inspire those young people to fix all the problems that we couldn’t get around to fixing.
43:18.53
Lorie Jones
So I have great hope for that next generation.
43:22.11
Kateri O’Grady
continue it
43:22.15
Lorie Jones
i have daughters of my own.
43:23.87
Kateri O’Grady
and she you
43:25.24
Lorie Jones
Yeah. I’m like, they are fierce and fearless. And i absolutely believe they can they can make this world 10 times better than we did. And we probably, hopefully make it 10 times better than those before us.
43:38.35
Lorie Jones
and And it keeps going down.
43:38.58
Kateri O’Grady
great
43:40.33
Lorie Jones
So I love that. I love that. So any advice for a young woman who is kind of starting down this path that you’re already so successful at to to help her be successful like you?
43:53.98
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah, I think that there’s always a push and a pull. So be mindful, right? don’t Pick and choose your battles because you can’t always be the squeaky wheel. um And I think sometimes people just feel like you’re always supposed to be speaking up, right?
44:08.29
Kateri O’Grady
And it’s like you have to find your what what and when you should be doing that and how, right?
44:13.64
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
44:14.46
Kateri O’Grady
Sometimes it’s in a meeting and sometimes it is not. and so right And so really thinking about that, right? Do something, whether it’s work or or personally, that you do have a passion at to find that balance.
44:28.80
Kateri O’Grady
And I think most importantly, what I was saying earlier, which is like know your value and believe in yourself. um I do want to add a caveat to that, though. You know, know your value is truly what have you earned, not what do you want, right? You have to earn what you want.
44:45.40
Kateri O’Grady
Because I had someone come to me once like, i i I feel like I should be making.
44:45.38
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
44:49.11
Kateri O’Grady
And it was like extraordinary amount of money. And I said, well, why? but And then I, well, it’s just that that’s what I think, you know, for my lifestyle. And I said, okay, but the company doesn’t owe your lifestyle, right? And I had to kind of coach them through, this is how I think you can get there. it might take three to five years, right? And I think just being aware of what your goals are and how to reach them, not the entitlement piece, if that makes sense.
45:16.42
Kateri O’Grady
Yeah.
45:16.67
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
45:18.04
Kateri O’Grady
But but know where you want to go then. Right. So know your value at the time and what you want it to be in however many years.
45:24.55
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. I like that idea because, because I do coach a lot to knowing your value and, and like understanding what you’re worth and not, and and fighting for that, you know, but, but there is that piece of like, if I’m not worth this, what do I need to do to become, you know,
45:44.38
Kateri O’Grady
Yes. Right, it’s it’s acknowledging both sides of it, I guess.
45:50.99
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I like that. Well, Kadari, thank you so much for spending some time with us and sharing your story. It was so interesting. And I just love chatting with you. So um if I have a young lady who has questions or just wants to um ask a few about your your journey, how do they get hold of you?
46:09.36
Kateri O’Grady
Sure, so my email is Kateri, K-A-T-E-R-I at KateriOgradyConsulting.com. And I also have a website that they could look and schedule a meeting with me.
46:21.52
Lorie Jones
like Well, thank you so, so much, Katori. really appreciate your time.
46:26.49
Kateri O’Grady
Thank you. I loved this. Thank you so much.