An Interview with Maria Angelova
Birds of a feather fly higher, growth happens when you soar instead of pecking. Be careful of the birds that gather around you.
It feels most comfortable to stick with what we are familiar with. But anyone who has achieved great success will tell you that true growth comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. What are some ways that influential people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally? As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joe Detre.
Joe Detre is a coach, author, speaker, and trainer that has a passion to equip leaders to succeed at every level of life.
Joe is the host of “Leader Talk” podcast, co-host of the Ready, Set, Go! Challenge & creator of The Your Voice Matters Start Your Podcast Challenge. Joe delivers hope, healing, and transformation speaking on virtual youth summits, leadership groups, and podcasts!
As a coach and trainer, Joe works with authors, athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs to break barriers to scale their life and profession!
If you desire breakthrough in life and to uncover your God-given potential, then visit www.joedetre.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up in a small town called Florida City in the state of Florida. It was mainly a farming community south of Miami just before entering the Florida Keys. Although the town was small, we had a diverse cultural neighborhood due to having a military base nearby. I enjoyed our visits to the beaches in Miami and snorkeling in the Florida Keys.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
A life lesson quote from one of my supervisors was “stop complaining and do something about it”. Our business was not doing so well in 2008, I was still in the military, but we had a side real estate business, and we were losing money quickly. So much so that we were literally having to go to food lines to get food for ourselves because we didn’t have enough money to purchase food. The folks in the military really didn’t know what was going on because I didn’t tell them. But I was complaining About how the business was going bad and people were cheating us out of money and my supervisor just bluntly said “stop complaining and do something about it”. Her statement jarred my spirit, they reminded me to step out of the comfort zone of complaining and take action to remedy our situation. Now I’m not saying things changed but it was the beginning on a path of getting out of my comfort zone to take action and eventually yes, we did get out of that situation and we’re in a far better state right now financially.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Yes, John Maxwell’s book the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. This book was one of my first growth books that I’ve read and taught in a leadership meeting. John’s book had one of the first teachings in my journey as a coach and trainer on the subject of the law of intentionality. After the leadership meeting the Soldiers and the folks in the room give wonderful feedback about what they learned and experienced. Although I was nervous and scared in preparation for this training it was one of the first examples of stepping out of the comfort zone to be a trainer and coach. The experience helped me to be bold enough to step out and train another group.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does “getting outside of your comfort zone” mean?
Getting outside of your comfort zone can mean stepping out from not being challenged in life. Sometimes that can look like giving a speech or skydiving or writing that book you’ve been delaying. If by you taking action to do it makes you feel uncomfortable that’s getting out of your comfort zone.
Can you help articulate a few reasons why it is important to get out of your comfort zone?
It is so important to get out of your comfort zone because that’s where your life gets elevated. When we step out into the growth zone you learn more about who you are and experience life in a new perspective. We all have an internal wanting for purpose and meaning, to discover this, one has to move out of the comfort zone.
Is it possible to grow without leaving your comfort zone? Can you explain what you mean?
That is a good question. Growth happens outside the comfort zone! The best example to give is when a baby begins to learn to walk. No one ever tells a baby, “You will never be a walker, you keep falling on the ground”. The baby falls, gets bumps and sometimes bruises trying to walk. The baby is getting out of their comfort zone of crawling around to walk. This is a great metaphor for life.
Can you share some anecdotes from your personal experience? Can you share a story about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone and how it helped you grow? How does it feel to take those first difficult steps?
I am an introvert at heart, so conducting a speech to 5 people had me nervous but in 2020, I was invited to speak to hundreds to discuss overcome adversity. This event would take me light years beyond my comfort zone. One of the biggest reasons that pushed me to follow through was my faith in God to bring a message of hope in 2020. It was a difficult time for people around the world, so I asked God for strength to deliver a message of overcoming adversity. Although I asked God for strength, to conduct the speech, I still had some fear and anxiety.
As I continued to prepare for the speech, boldness started coming and the realization that I had a message to give and I should not be afraid to share it.
Taking the steps made the difference praying and preparing helped to reduce the fear of presenting the speech. I’m so glad I did not give up.
Here is the central question of our discussion. What are your “five ways to push past your comfort zone, to grow both personally and professionally”?
1. You were made for purpose, we all have different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, because of my faith I know we are all created with something special in us. Therefore, there is extraordinary value in you and me. Understanding and knowing you were created to be part of a greater journey in life that impacts the world around you, this changes everything. You have brilliance within you that the world needs. You may say, “Joe, I don’t know what my purpose is”, and I say that may be so. This is the beginning of getting out of your comfort zone. To discover your purpose, your first step is to try something new and allow the new thing to reveal your talents, skills, or abilities. Now is your time to grow beyond your comfort zone.
2. Difficultly is not a show-stopper, life sometimes gives us lemons but that’s when we make lemonade…, that’s how the saying goes. This saying has more truth than you think. Our perspective (mindset) of problems or failure can stop or propel our growth personally and professionally. We have two choices in life when faced with success and failure to learn from it or not. The majority of successful people, in the arts, sports, and business will agree, learning from success and failure is key to growth beyond the comfort zone. The greatest tool for growth is learning from failure. When failure happens learn from it. Be brave enough to learn, adapt, and make course corrections to be successful the next time you take a leap of faith!
3. Do it now with fun or fear, whether it is going on stage at an open-mic karaoke night or presenting a briefing in front of a meeting. Do it now. Taking action in the face of fear gives you the confidence to do it again. Success is on the other side of action! You can do this if you take the small steps needed to go on stage to sing or give a speech to an audience for the first time. When you grow beyond your comfort zone it can also be fun! Don’t forget that you have an opportunity to greater fulfillment and joy in life, by stepping out of your comfort zone! Stop living in regret, it does not matter if you think it’s too late, DO IT NOW! The best time to take action is today, you may enjoy the results.
4. Birds of a feather fly higher, growth happens when you soar instead of pecking. Be careful of the birds that gather around you. Do they uplift you? Are their conversations usually negative? Do they encourage you to live your dreams? I have learned that proximity is powerful when it comes to personal and professional growth. If you are wondering why you have not lived up to goals or dreams, it may be time to change the birds gathered around you. I’m not saying to unfriend folks, but it may be time to rethink how much your birds are influencing your life for better or worse. For growth to work, find birds that encourage flying above the comfort zone and they will encourage you to do the same! Time to fly higher!
5. Put me in coach, another comfort zone buster is having a coach or mentor! Did you know that Michael Jordan had multiple coaches? One of the best players in basketball knew the value of having a coach. MJ hired coaches to make sure he would not just be comfortable being average in his career. When I stepped out and hired a coach my comfort zone tried to keep me back, but I am so glad I invested in myself. You have the opportunity to invest in your growth…get a coach or mentor that’s where you would like to be personally or professionally. A coach/mentor is a great way to elevate your mindset, your income, and your standard of living. It’s time to put yourself in the game!
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that keep someone from pushing out of their comfort zone?
Fear of failure is a big one. I totally understand that concept, but if you never try you will never know the result. Unrealistic expectations can be another barrier to growth, expecting things to happen on their own without taking action leads to disappointment and no growth. Under valuing your self-worth is another big concern but I believe that you have more worth in you than you think, it just takes a mindshift to realize your wonderful potential.
There is a well-known quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Do something that scares you every day”. What exactly does this mean to you? Is there inherent value in doing something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it does not relate to personal or professional growth? For example, if one is uncomfortable about walking alone at night should they purposely push themselves to do it often for the sake of going beyond their comfort zone? Can you please explain what you mean?
For me, doing something that scares me is attending a networking event with a bunch of extroverts. Now I understand that pushing myself into that situation has benefits, and I survive in the end. I must be blunt, walking alone at night is not the thing to do regarding the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. She did not mean to place yourself in danger, and whether do I. Scary can be fun like rock climbing, scuba diving, or ziplining. Growth like I mentioned before can be fun. It is time to live, you are not too old or too young to dream again. Find your voice by stepping out of the comfort zone.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
My main mission is with each interaction I have, which is to help that person discover their potential in life. As I said before every person has God-given potential built inside. One of my joys is seeing my clients discover that potential during our calls. I ran an online challenge called Your Voice Matters Podcast Challenge, where the attendees’ lives changed for the better. People rediscovered their voices and some were healed from the hurts of the past. We are planning on another event this year. It is amazing when you step out of your comfort zone, to see lives change for the better. What is calling you out of your comfort zone?
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Ed Mylett comes to mind because of his boldness to encourage others has inspired me in recent years. Ed’s coaching has inspired me to continue moving towards living with purpose and intentionality. Additionally, no matter your age you can still make a difference.
How can our readers follow you online?
The readers can reach me at www.joedetre.com, IG @thejoeonthemic, and sociatap.com/josedetre
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Joe Detre On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone To Grow Both Personally and Professionally was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.