LeadingLane Podcast

Steven L. Burch (00:00)
All right, welcome to the Leading Lane podcast. Today Ashley's going to share school, you and me, on the snake and the horse because this is something she sent me. I've not been able to read it yet so I did not do my homework. I'll go ahead and put it on blast, I wasn't able to do it. So tell me what it is.

Ashley (00:16)
Not like you have anything going on.

Steven L. Burch (00:18)
not that I have anything at all going on, but tell me what it is, because truly I'm intrigued, because it's not very often that you send this like, you have to read this right now. Well, I'm just kind of used to some negative news happening right now, so didn't know which way it was gonna go. ⁓

Ashley (00:27)
Yeah, you're like, do I want to know? I was like, yes, you do. ⁓

Well, I try not to stir negative, but

⁓ I'm actually gonna write about it in my newsletter too so you'll see it there. But ⁓ I've seen it for whatever reason been like blowing up on my TikTok lately, so there must be some signs. But sometimes I pay attention to like lunar signs, whatever other things like I think are way too down the rabbit hole so I don't pay attention to them. But I kept on seeing these and then like two other people have brought it up.

Steven L. Burch (00:43)
Cool.

Hmm.

Ashley (01:00)
to me that they think that it is a sign of what's going on in my life. So I thought I would dive in a little bit. So as far as 2025, the lunar year, it was a year of the snake. So interesting is it doesn't actually like end right on the end of 2025. So it goes until February 26. But it talks about a slow, steady transformation and that changes may not happen overnight.

⁓ So more or less, if you think about a snake, what's one of the main things you think about a snake?

Steven L. Burch (01:37)
I was thinking venom like first off. But like, like going like shedding its skin is I mean, the other thing. Yeah, there you go.

Ashley (01:42)
I don't think you're tired of that.

Shadina skin. There you go, like transformation.

So I guess this year it's different too, because there's a wood year of the snake. So that is a year that ends in four or five. And so that means accelerated growth. So it says, picture a sapling, sapling pushing through soil and rising toward the sky to become a towering tree. Spring is also associated with wood, which makes 2025 a time for renewal, change and rebirth.

Interesting. So it says, more or less, it's all about the shutting. So it's shutting of what I think about like, right, like shutting of old habits, old thoughts. I even like was doing my Christmas cards earlier this week. And I know it's strange, but it's like, I don't think I'm gonna send it to that person or that person or that person, right? Like, there's been this season of shutting, I think, like,

Steven L. Burch (02:42)
Mm-hmm.

Ashley (02:47)
people and things that we now realize don't bring us happiness or growth or keep us on that right ⁓ path, if you will. So yes, 2025, I think we could both relate to some shedding. What you take out of the 2025 piece of shedding.

Steven L. Burch (03:02)
Mm-hmm.

No, I mean, I think it's the same thing. Like you're stepping into a new person, like you're evolving into a new person. You're moving forward. And I think for me personally, this last year, like there's been a lot of changes and a lot of things that.

You know, I'm so thankful that learned to say no and push it aside and continue to move forward and not allow others to drag me down because I can imagine being in the dumps on top of all of what this year has brought us. But I also think that this is a whole thing about perspective. ⁓

at least from what I'm gathering here, but like for me, it's perspective on life. Like what really actually matters, who really matters, and the things that I think that I've worked towards for so long, you know, success and growing at, you know, a great company and all these different things, like that no longer serves me. And I need to put that to the side because what truly matters, the foundation of it is the friends and family and the people that bring me happiness and joy.

Ashley (04:08)
Yeah, you know, the part of learning to say no, I think we've talked about that a lot this year. And I was kind of reflecting on which I mean, you can agree with like I've said no to a lot of things like a lot of things that maybe used to serve me but like giving up running from certain fundraisers giving up certain boards, you know, it's not that they didn't fulfill me or serve their purpose. But like when you're looking to do other things or more fulfilling things, and I have to decide to

Steven L. Burch (04:29)
Mm-hmm.

Ashley (04:37)
say no and I know that's really hard for a of people right like I've always felt guilty saying no but I've learned that yeah it's a it's a boundary thing and it have to do that in order to make room for what's coming. I think that we.

Steven L. Burch (04:41)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

I think it's about

the bandwidth, right? Like you have to protect your own bandwidth to be able to not spread yourself too thin.

Ashley (05:00)
Right, because I think that's just it. Like you can say yes to everything, but then I think at that point in time, you're kind of doing everything half-assed, right? So like things are just getting 25 % of your efforts instead of maybe 90 % of your efforts. And that's where things can start to fall through the cracks and then that starts to affect other things. So 2026 is the year of the horse. However, it is not just a normal horse. It is a fire horse, which I guess is also

Steven L. Burch (05:07)
Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Ashley (05:30)
different. And it says that that means wild independence and trailblazing momentum. Interesting. And now my computer is being slow. Also, I know that like moons are big for you. So it says the year of the horse galloped in on February 20. I'm sorry, February 17, the new Aquarius moon.

So it's 12 months of wild independence and trailblazing momentum until 2027. I kind of thought this was funny. It says, the zodiac's untamed wanderer, magnetic, determined and happiest with wind blowing through its tangled mane. The horse thrives when chasing horizon, but bristles at fences or rigid routines. Add the fire element and it's going to be hard to tame anyone's spirit. Old patterns can burn away in a flash.

clearing the field for what feels urgent, alive, and true. Take the reins of your own life and steer toward what it is that you truly want.

Steven L. Burch (06:37)
Yeah, it's cutting through the bullshit, right? Like, I'm here for all of that. Like, ⁓ I just feel like this last year has been just the only word I can I have right now is wild, wild ride up, down, left, right, like loop de lose, barely buckled in. Nope, just when you think that you're done with the ride and.

Ashley (06:59)
Never know what's gonna come next.

Steven L. Burch (07:06)
throw your ass right through the another loop. And, but you know, I think that's where too, like we have worked so hard on our systems and ourselves and our company so that we do have to step away and focus on what matters and take care of our own selves. And yeah, for a while, I mean, I did feel guilty. mean, before everything started happening, felt guilty for being away, but I don't care if, and at the end of the day, if we don't take care of ourselves.

There isn't going to be a business anyway because I won't be here. We won't be here. There's that potential. And why am I working this hard and not enjoying life just to work myself to death?

Ashley (07:46)
Yeah, I mean, I think there's definitely that part of it. But I also think like when you you shed yourself of kind of all of the negativity and the things that no longer serve you. I mean, that is where you have the ability to just leap that much more forward, because it's kind of like the dead weight, right? Like symbolically and for real, like is gone. And now you can move towards the things that actually serve you. And I think it's really to like a realignment of your purposes and

Steven L. Burch (08:01)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Yep.

Yeah.

Ashley (08:16)
a realignment of what truly matters time wise, people wise. And I think for me that just means like a faster response to the nose. So like, it's a lot I feel like it's a lot easier for like things that make sense or I feel like in the same sense, it's maybe faster for things that do make sense, right? Like, when I drive down and see Stephen and Ryan, yep, we're gonna do it because who knows, right? Like, it's short. We're gonna go on vacation because we don't know.

And I think there's just been a lot of ⁓ unexpected things going on with a lot of people. And it's just, I feel like every week is like a reality check.

Steven L. Burch (08:55)
And, you know, like hearing that it's freeing, like freeing for yourself, that you're not tied down. Like we're not, we're not stuck in this box that you thought, I thought that we were supposed to be in, right? And, you know, I can definitely see where moving that through and, you know, getting used to your, your new skin, if you will, how much easier it is to be able to just run with it and be on fire.

And I think with our personality, specifically, like we already know we're a force to be reckoned with, right? Like we already know that we're going to, when we put our minds to something, it's going to get fucking done and move out of my way. So I think that just having a taste of the freedom.

and getting that going even further and further. I think part of this too is who else you bring along in that journey. And now that you all are on the same page, how much quicker you all can be moving together.

Ashley (09:59)
Well, I think it goes

back to what you said too about like systems, right? none of us are new to this brokerage, right? Like I'm five years, you're what? 10? Yeah, I mean like, and we have like we've put in the time and that's just not, it's not just the five years, right? It's like all the experiences before that, the 10 years before that in corporate worlds, et cetera, that lean into this. But I think it goes back to like having the right people in place, trusting the processes that

Steven L. Burch (10:10)
10.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Ashley (10:29)
You've had like, feel like we are a quote unquote, well-oiled machine. ⁓ things will always come up. But instead of, guess I find like, I just don't get really upset about a whole lot. Like as I used to, like I don't fly off the handle, right? Because what purpose does that serve? And it's growing, it's growing experiences for the team, right? So like if they make mistakes, like they're going to learn and the more and more I put trust in them, like the more and more they'll be able to think on their feet. And I'm.

focusing on building leaders too, so that I can step away and everything will be just fine and I can come back and pick up as I want to. And I think that that's where it is to like talk about bringing people along and it's not just like bringing people along for the ride, it's bringing people along that chain of being able to think for themselves, for being able to be confident in making decisions when they can't get ahold of you. And I think that's where like real leadership starts to take place is like helping other people become leaders and they're in your.

own organization or in others.

Steven L. Burch (11:28)
Absolutely. ⁓ Where, how does it go? It goes from I to us to them is the way that we're trying to do this. Like I.

have been all the number one person as far as doing everything, then it's us, we're building a team and we both are doing everything together. Now the third transformation is going into them. Now it's us letting go, which is the hard part to me sometimes, to let go and let them now run with whatever they need to do. And so that allows you to be able to step back.

So as those systems evolve, you're going through each of those and always progressing forward. you can let them and you can focus on what you need to be able to do.

Ashley (12:13)
Yeah, I would encourage people to review their 2025. I did that. And I thought about things that I let go. And I think you had to actually like, I did do that things people, organizations, things that no longer served you, I think we actually take a minute and step back and think about it. And if you haven't, and if there's something that's been weighing on you as to whether you should continue it or not, it's great time to have that evaluation and figure out if it does serve your purpose. And if not, it's okay to let it go.

Steven L. Burch (12:41)
Absolutely. I watched a Mel Robbins clip a little bit ago and going into the new year and whatnot. And I mean, think this is great to always reflect, but I sometimes have a difficult time remembering all the things that I did well or that actually accomplished or, you know, even the opposite of that, like the things I did not like doing. Right. So her suggestion is first go to your camera roll and scroll back to the beginning of the year.

Take a moment to go through and reflect.

picture by picture, week over week, month over month, whatever your view is, and go through and be able to see what you really did accomplish and what already went really well before you tried to go and put more weight on top of it and add just this compact. You have to be able to reflect of and have the wins. And it's okay to sit back and have the wins. Even through all the shitty times, there still are wins. And find where those

moments of joy, what those true moments of joy really are, because that's really what you should be working more towards versus just adding more to your play. So I thought that was a really interesting perspective to look at.

Ashley (13:51)
Thank

think that'll be interesting too because I think sometimes the years blend together. can't remember what year it was. But I think you're right. If you sit back and think about accomplishments too, again, time can just go so fast that you forget that small business of the year, that was this year, that's amazing. Or additions to the company or trips, all those types of things. Someone asked me, like, you traveled a lot this year, didn't you? And I was like, then I kind of thought about it and I was like, what? Kind of quarterly, so yeah.

Steven L. Burch (13:58)
Mm-hmm.

Ashley (14:24)
It's okay and I'm fine with it and guess what? Nothing fell apart. Everything worked. Everything worked itself out. All will be fine.

Steven L. Burch (14:30)
Yeah.

I love it. So in the, is my maybe ignorance with the moons and all of this woo woo stuff as they call it. I do believe that there is something there. There's a, know, I do think that there are things that align. So what everything is and how it all works. I don't know. I'm here for the ride, but does it have any correlation to like tourists and how, how do we line into all of this on top of the way that they're saying that the year is coming through? Does it have anything on there?

Ashley (15:02)
⁓

it did say something about tourists. didn't deep dive into it, but not.

Steven L. Burch (15:08)
Yeah, I'm going to have to read it too. So maybe that will be for our next episode and see what we can dive into. So, um, but thank you for sharing. appreciate it. And I think it's always good to have these little moments of refresh, even though we don't understand it all. We may not believe in all of it, but just a glimmer of hope of what it could look like. And at the end of the day, regardless of what the

moons align or the horoscope says or what the stars say or whatever the case may be, you're in charge of yourself. And that's the only thing you can control is yourself. So be the best version of yourself that you possibly being. And hopefully the fire horse this next year is going to be running through wildly. Cheers.

Ashley (15:51)
Cheers to that.

Steven L. Burch (15:55)
Good.