JULIE MALONEY

Julie Hayden Maloney is an executive coach, teacher and author with 17 years of experience in leadership development and organizational change. Her past and present client list includes Microsoft Corporation, Merck & Company, The Coca-Cola Company and AT&T. Julie believes the day has come to forget the myth of midlife women on the decline and open our eyes to the reality of women who are just ramping up.
She and Shannon Wallis will co-present at the Gulf Coast Women’s Expo.

BELLA: What will you discuss at the Expo?
MALONEY: “Heroes Among Us” is a workshop my friend and colleague Shannon Wallis and I designed to reveal the real the path to power for women. This workshop is built around three big ideas. One, women must begin to see themselves as the heroes of their own lives, not the superheroes of others’ lives. This simple, but radical shift in thinking that can mean the difference between realizing the lives we want or burning out in the lives we have. Two, that the myriad of challenges we face as women actually have one, underlying and predictable pattern or path. When we know the pattern, we can anticipate and manage those challenges more easily and with greater success. And finally, three, the gift of female friendships is the key to turning the corner on our challenges and finding our way home.

BELLA: In your bio, you mention that women are underestimated in mid-life. How do women avoid that, and why does this happen?
MALONEY: We are underestimated in society because we first underestimate ourselves. As girls we were trained to self-edit (to be nice, let men have the spotlight, don’t outshine someone else, don’t make waves, avoid confrontation). At midlife, many of us are just beginning to discover the joy and the power of self-expression. We can be a little awkward and unskilled as we try on these wings, maybe for the first time. But consciously learning how to self-express our opinions, dreams, passions, and talents is what allows us to soar and be recognized. And be a force to be reckoned with.

BELLA: I noticed at the end of your bio that you said "She has no idea where she'll end up." That struck me. So it really is OK to not know where you're going to end up?
MALONEY: Not only is it OK, it is a hell of a lot more fun. As a career-focused woman who came to marriage and children later in life (at 35), I’ve always been a driven worker (whether in managing my business or managing my household). While my drive is partly due to my personal dreams and goals, it also included a heavy load of feeling responsible for the health and success of whatever situation I was in — including putting the needs of my company, my job, my parents, my husband, my children, etc. before my own. Learning to let go of feeling responsible, to let myself just be in the present moment (not to judge it or try to control it), and to trust that whatever is the “next best” for me will present itself, has made me a much happier person.

BELLA: What are three pieces of advice you can give to women:
MALONEY: I’ll put these in the form of three questions we women should ask ourselves, regularly: What do I want to let go of? Where do I self-edit? What part of me is longing to be expressed?

BELLA: Who or what do you credit with your success?
MALONEY: My mom – for being a role model of holding faith and for never giving up, despite the odds
My dad – for teaching me the values of commitment to family and the willingness to work for what you want. My husband and my two stepdaughters, for always being in my reminders of what really matters in my life. Myself – and whatever Higher Being gifted me with my passion for learning and self-evolution, and the courage to change.