Work Besties Who Podcast
Building a bold community of work besties 💼👯♀️ to bond 🤝💞, banter 😂🎉, and bloom 🌸✨
🎙️ Listen to the Work Besties Who Podcast: where workplace friendships get real! From tea spills to relatable laughs, we’re unpacking everything about work life's ups, downs, and unforgettable moments.
✨ Join us for candid chats, relatable stories, and a sprinkle of chaos—because what’s work without a little drama and a lot of fun?
💼😄 Hit play, and let’s dive into the messy magic of workplace connections together!
Work Besties:-)
Work Besties Who Podcast
Self-Love & Resilience: How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Own Your Confidence with Mss Francois
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome & Embracing Self-Love with Mss Francois | Work Besties Who Podcast
In this uplifting Work Besties Who Podcast episode, Mss Francois shares her powerful journey of overcoming imposter syndrome, embracing self-love, and finding resilience through life’s challenges. Known for her vibrant personality and candid storytelling, Mss Francois dives into practical strategies for building confidence, fostering supportive relationships, and using humor as a healing tool.
✨ What You'll Learn:
-How self-love and resilience can pull you out of work slumps
-Why laughter is a powerful remedy for mental well-being
-The importance of surrounding yourself with positive influences
-How to tackle imposter syndrome by recognizing your achievements
-Why creating a "power list" can boost motivation and confidence
-How small daily affirmations can transform your mindset
-Why embracing your unique gifts leads to greater fulfillment
-How community support fuels personal and professional growth
Mss Francois reminds us that true success starts from within—by celebrating who you are, finding joy in the journey, and building a community that uplifts and empowers.
💫 Listen now and start embracing the most authentic version of YOU!
🔑 Keywords: #selflove #resilience #impostersyndrome #supportiverelationships #community #laughter #personaldevelopment #confidence #MssFrancois #mentalhealth
🎧 Subscribe, rate, and share with your work besties! Let’s grow together!
You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG and TikTok
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes
Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband
Hello work besties, welcome back. We have a very exciting episode today. Let's talk about when you have those work slumps. I'm sure you've had them. I know I've had them. Well, maybe it's that little voice inside your head that keeps telling you you're just not good enough. Well, we're here today to tell you that we have an exciting guest who's going to talk to us about self-love, self-resilience and even some of us who might deal with imposter syndrome Don't know who that is in this room. So we're joined by the one and only Ms Francois. She's a speaker, an entertainer, an author and just an extraordinaire. She talks about how to get your groove back and she's going to really bring this to light and also probably make us laugh a lot, and if you ever struggled with imposter syndrome or just need a boost of self-love, this episode is for you.
Claude:Hi, I'm Claude and I'm Jess. We are corporate employees by day, entrepreneurs by night and work besties for life.
Jess:Join us as we explore how work besties lift each other up, laugh through the chaos and thrive together in every industry. Work Besties. Hey, ms Frances, it's so great to meet you.
Mss Francois:Nice to meet you. I know I get that a lot from everyone, but thank you.
Jess:Why don't you tell us a little bit about?
Mss Francois:yourself. Okay. So, as you guys told everyone, my name is Ms Francois. No, I didn't spell the Ms wrong. It's M-S-S for multi-talented and super sexy, so let's just get that right. So, with that said, I'm an author, speaker and best-selling Amazon author. That recently happened, so I'm super excited, okay. Okay, so I am mostly known for I host a tv show called the Miss Francois show, which I have candid conversation, but the main thing about the show is I use humor to help others with their dysfunctional relationships. In addition, I'm the founder of Striving Goddesses, which is a community of women that are single, helping them heal from breakups or even consider those that are exploring new avenues, new relationships, or making sure, before they enter in those new relationships, that they are at their best and, when they enter into the next chapter of their life, that they're in confidence, the utmost confidence. Sign us up.
Jess:Even though we're married, I still need the confidence. Ms Fritzl, your energy is unmatched. I feel like I'm getting just like extra zelts of power just by talking with you, so I thought you could give us a little bit about your journey and how you got there. I know, based on your accent, that you're from somewhere the greatest island on earth.
Mss Francois:So I am from Trinidad and Tobago, just so you know. It's also one of the sexiest accents in the world and, yes, you can Google that people, so you're welcome.
Claude:I thought you were French.
Mss Francois:I have a French last name, so I can have a sexy last name. I'm sorry.
Jess:You're going to battle for who's the sexiest. It's definitely not me.
Mss Francois:So I came from Trinidad in my late teens and what the person you see today definitely was not the child that came here. Because when you come from a foreign country and maybe, claude, you might have some of this, but I had one of those. Really I call it the immigrant story, because most immigrant story is not positive. So when I came here, I stayed with family and a lot of times when you're coming from a foreign country, you're staying with your family First. They talk about all these amazing things, and when you come to America, clothes is free, everything is free, money is everywhere Right, and a lot of times, according to who you stay with, they mistreat you. So I had one of those situations that, by the end of it all, I only stayed there for about a year and I came home one day and they put all my belongings which was not that much because I was only there for a year in a black garbage bag.
Mss Francois:So think about being 17. You're still clueless about this whole country, because where I came from, everyone you would call your auntie and your uncle was a big family. I have eight brothers and sisters. To come to a country where everyone is Russian and I'm talking from my experience. It was not a friendly place to live. Everyone was Russian, no one is helping you, everyone is for themselves.
Mss Francois:So I didn't have that family oriented thing that I was accustomed to. So here I am on the streets with a black garbage bag, have no idea where to go, no idea who to talk to, what's my next step. So I say all that to say I'm glad I'm one of those people. Because of my upbringing I was always polite and respectful to strangers, because a stranger who I used to tell good morning every day and good evening every evening was a person who ended up finding me a place to stay for that night and was responsible for making me because I lived in New Jersey for a year responsible for helping me move to New York. So I always say be nice to everybody. You know it's all about forming relationships because you never know your situation. You don't, you really don't.
Jess:That's a very moving story and I'm glad it worked, you telling me it worked out positive. I was like where?
Mss Francois:are you going telling me it worked out positive. I was like, where are you going? No, but those are the things that actually help. I could either slow you down or build you up, and I'm glad that I was able to be built up because of some of those stories is the reason I do some of the things that I do today.
Jess:I was gonna yeah, I was gonna ask you. I was gonna ask you about that because it seems like you had somebody to help you in the very beginning. So is that what spun you to then turn around and reach out to other people and help them?
Mss Francois:No, definitely Cause. Um, steve jobs, I would say connected. That's going backwards. And I do that all the time because if it wasn't for all those dots, when I look back, even the show that I basically do is really everything is relationships. But I always tell people I'm not a relationship coach, I'm just the person that's going to help you be your best self before you enter into that next relationship or before you go into whatever new journey you might have. But because of all my bad relationships attracting all the people and I take responsibility I think that's something a lot of us don't do. We like to blame the other person. Yes, they are at some fault at some shape or form, but at the same time, what responsibility am I taking for myself in those relationships? What kind of person was I being? What kind of energy was I giving off? How did I feel about myself? And that's the reason I attracted certain people.
Claude:But because of these things again, I'm able to have a TV show, hopefully, and I know for a fact helping other people see the different dynamics of relationships, having coaches and other people come on your guests or your audience to break that very vicious circle.
Mss Francois:So it's. It's so many different things. It's just the simple, small things. It's definitely just simple thing as looking in the mirror. A lot of times when you look in a mirror you hate yourself. Or sometimes you get up in the morning every. If you think about it when you get up in the morning, if you think about it when you get up in the morning while you're brushing, you're teeth bathing your mind, all these thoughts come in. And most of the time, why is it always negative thoughts? It's always I'm way too much, my hair look this way, I need to exercise. It's just a bunch of negative things. So one of the things I do tell people start small.
Mss Francois:I don't know if you know Damien Amen. He's a psychologist, a brain doctor. He scanned like thousands and thousands of brains, right, and he said simple things of asking yourself a question. When a negative thoughts come to mind, you ask yourself five questions. The first thing you ask yourself is that true? So if it says, am I never going to get married? You ask yourself is that true? And he said a lot of the time it breaks the cycle of your negative thought. But even if it didn't, he said the second question would be that absolute, because sometimes people might be like, yeah, according to what's going on in my life, maybe I would never get married. But the second question is is it absolutely a hundred percent true? And a lot of times it's going to crack that whole thought and be like, well, not really. And then you start to think of, maybe if I did this more, if I do that more, and he said how do you?
Mss Francois:The third thing is how do you feel when you have these that particular negative thoughts? And he would go into well, I don't feel good because I don't feel like I'm pretty enough or I don't feel men are attracted to me. So we go into the fourth question is how would you feel if you could not have that thought right? And the fourth and I'm going to go straight into the fifth question is basically turn the thought around, cause if I'm saying I would never get married, first you're going to break it down. Why I say that? What are all the things I can do to put myself out there? Maybe I w I did go on dates, maybe it's just so many things you can turn around. So it's really asking yourself the right questions to break that thought and starting to talk to yourself in a positive way. And even if you all think five questions is a lot, believe me, by the first or second question you're like please. You know this nonsense. You're talking.
Claude:I'm trying to be nice.
Mss Francois:The politically correct I'm not good at, so I just get straight to the point.
Claude:Yeah, my first question would be why do you want to get married? That's a whole other podcast.
Jess:You have to talk to your husband. I think, though, let's bring it back to the element of imposter syndrome, because, in essence, that's what you're doing right You're doubting yourself. So similar type of things happen in work, where, like, you get potentially asked to apply for a position and you're like nope, I'm not going to do it because I don't know how to do everything. I think those five questions are similar, that you could push on yourself, too, to kind of overcome some of those things.
Mss Francois:Oh, because I do. I do a lot of personal development. I attend a lot of classes. One of the number one thing has helped me directly with imposter syndrome is I made up this thing called the powerless right. What you do in the powerless.
Mss Francois:You write down, you look in your past and all the things you have accomplished. So maybe you bought a house, you have a kid, you got married, whatever is amazing to you, Business, professional life, you had a degree, whatever it might be right. You write down all these things and anytime you start to feel a certain way, you remind yourself of all the things you have accomplished, Because at some point in time, when you was in school doing your bachelor's degree, you was like, oh my God, I'm never going to think I'm not making the right marks, I'm going to fail. And now you have a degree. So you look back. We all have these things that come up for us. But if you look back up all the things you have accomplished, big or small, it gives you that energy and push to be like, if I did this, at this time I can do whatever the new thing that comes in your life that needs to push you forward.
Mss Francois:So that's one of the things you do and one of the things I added to the power list, in addition is in that moment, what did you need to overcome? So, if it's in the past, it was your bachelor's degree and you were struggling. Who did you need to be in that time? So, maybe you needed to be resilient, Maybe you needed to be powerful, you needed to be consistent. So what did you have to be in that moment that you were able to accomplish your bachelor's degree? And maybe you could use some of that in the present moment for whatever goal or vision you have for yourself in this moment Sounds like what you're suggesting is to envision it.
Jess:So come up with whatever those characteristics or elements you want to lean your strengths in on and envision that and that will help you get through, right.
Mss Francois:But I would say write it down, because when you, when you go into certain things, you hold that list Like okay, I did this this and this this. And sometimes the feeling that you had when you cause we forget about all the things we have accomplished, you get yeah, yeah, yeah, and then two years pass, you forget about it Cause I have used it so much. When I look back Because sometimes, when you're going through something right now, it's frustrating, it's hard you think of oh, I'll never do it, but you accomplish so much and that excitement of I did a TEDx talk, I did my degree, I have my kid, I sent my kid off to college, I bought a house. You remember those times and, believe me, whatever you're working on now, it's going to give you that extra boost to go over that challenge.
Claude:I think that if you have imposter syndrome, you had it all throughout your life. And I love the fact that you say go back and say, ok, I had an imposter syndrome during my, let's say, my bachelor degree, but I did it syndrome during my, let's say, my bachelor degree, but I did it. So and I love this thought of going back and I did have that feeling at the time but I was able to overcome.
Mss Francois:And it's celebrating yourself, celebrating your small wins, your big wins. So in this moment, you could believe that I am going to win on whatever I'm doing right now and again, like you said, imposter syndrome is all through your life. Some of you have overcome something and like after I did this, I could do anything. And then something else comes up.
Jess:Yeah, you got to consistently. It's funny, though I don't feel like I've had imposter syndrome my whole life, but there are certain things that I know that's so selfish of me.
Mss Francois:Why I love it.
Jess:There are. There are certain things that do trigger it, though right, and it's certain specific ways I am managed.
Claude:I will say but you don't have one because you always tell me I usually don't. But you always say fake it until you make it. Yes, I, I love it. Meanwhile you don't have it.
Jess:Meanwhile I have the major one but I do in certain instances, and I think it's again, it's because, like, and maybe that's what is ingrained.
Mss Francois:So in Jess's case, maybe she does have it, but since she has tools and strategies to overcome it like this, therefore, she doesn't stay in it, but some people stay in it, and that's the difference.
Mss Francois:So sometimes you might be scared to do something and initially they're scared like, oh my God. And two seconds later, like one of the things I speak to, crowds right and people think, oh, you're confident, you, you've been doing this. I'm like, no, sometimes I want to pee, Like, like that little thing, you just want to pee yourself, Like you're so scared. Right, Keeping it real. Les Brown always says something and I took from him years ago. He said what's the worst can happen Are you going to die? So anytime I go to talk on stage, I'm like am I going to die? Most likely not. So then I just go out and I do it. So that is one of the tragedies that I use to overcome certain times, because people would not believe there's actors and movie stars and singers that panic just before they go on stage and they're superstars. So if that's happening to Rihanna and all these superstars, who are you?
Jess:Way to level set there. Yeah, I think that's probably one of the biggest myths. To your point is that confidence is just exuding all the time from everybody. But I think, to your point, everyone has some element that they have to re-remind themselves of, maybe some more than others, but that is something that you almost have to consistently unleremind themselves of, maybe some more than others, but that that is something that you almost have to consistently unlearn. Yeah, I love that. So let's talk a little bit about resilience, because I know that's an area of focus that you have.
Claude:Because, I ain't gonna lie right now.
Mss Francois:sometimes I've been struggling with that to keep going and bouncing back. It's hard Right.
Claude:How did you do it, though?
Mss Francois:yeah, because you know, you, you let me tell you something, since that that's what I feel I'm in right now, because I ain't gonna pretend. I mean I am cute and that's easy part, but the other part is harder. But, like even at the beginning. So last year, 2024 I had an amazing year. I've been on stages, I I have like a one moment show. I'm everywhere, flying everywhere. It's amazing, right. But then sometimes being multi-talented is sometimes not always the best, because I am great at most things.
Mss Francois:So, coming into 2025, I would say it's a mix, not really imposter syndrome, but lacking of confidence in certain things and deciding okay, I got this far, I've been doing this for so many years, I need to get to that next level. I started having that feeling of wanting to give up. How do I continue on and keep going with all these certain feelings? All right, and one of my biggest thing for me is the people that you surround yourself with and people you also start to outgrow, because I think the resilience and the outgrowing, the people it's like a mixture of those things. So in January, until now I've been battling with should I continue? Where should I go? What should be my next thing? Am I doing all the things I'm supposed to be doing. Am I too much all over the place like I was in 2024? So one thing I did was get quiet, pause on everything that I was doing. Like, when I say get quiet, like get quiet, because sometimes we're doing too much, pause. Get a book, not your tablet, not your computer, not all the technology. I mean it's even written that if you like pen and paper, you mean you remember more. You're going to review it. It's like so much better than typing anything, right, but like really jot down, like go over some of the goals and things that you had decide. Like I even redid. I call it a future board. It's like a vision board. I redid that, I looked on it, I realized what I did do already and redid that. So I'm in my thoughts, I'm writing the thing looking at my vision board, because vision is always in pictures. Don't write it in words, people, those that didn't tell you that because you don't, you don't dream in words, you dream in pictures. So all those things I got quiet on and just started redoing the things and I started going back. Also, I got to do all this See all the things that you have prior, what it is that you could reuse the people that you have in your life. But you have to decide exactly what your next step is right. So for me, instead of doing shows the TV show, the next TV show, the workshops I decided let me focus on one thing, and in this moment it's speaking. So decide exactly what you want to do in that quiet space. So that's one way you can refocus on some things and that's why I said I redid my future boards, view some things and got quiet.
Mss Francois:But one of the biggest things also, which is second to me right now, is the people you surround yourself with, like I mentioned, not who are your friends, because your friends, I don't trust those people. They sleep with your man Okay, they talk about you. So I focus on confidence, and it's two different things. You could have a hundred friends. That's wonderful. Put them in certain categories the friends I drink and get drunk with. The friend I hang out and party with and have sex with random people that's if you're into that, people. I'm not into that yet, but it's whatever you choose to.
Mss Francois:But your confidence is the people that you sit there with. You cry you boohoo. They don't tell you. I told you that guy wasn't good for you. I told you you shouldn't take that job. They don't do that. They sit there and they listen. They sit there and give you a shoulder to cry on. They shut up and they just there for you. Cause sometimes, when you're going through these things of wanting to give up and deciding if you should keep going forward, you just need to hear yourself cry, hear yourself talk for you to find your own solution Right, and you need that confidence that's going to encourage you and empower you, inspire you, not tell you. I told you so.
Jess:So who are your people? So it doesn't sound like it's they're still friends or potentially could be friends.
Mss Francois:It's just no you have lots of friends. You could have all your friends, but you don't tell them who you slept with, because they might hold out against you. Yeah, you.
Jess:these are the people like it's kind of like us, like it's like your work bestie, it's somebody who's going to hold you accountable, but also let you vent, come to those conclusions maybe on your own. They know enough to give you that pause, to your point, to regurgitate what you're thinking. And they can see, like you have a good enough rapport that you can see that the wheels are spinning.
Mss Francois:They have to love you and respect you. Because a lot of times I think we get in that whole girlfriend circle and then we talk into 10 people and again, no matter what circle you're in, these two are going to say, yeah, miss Francoise is like this, that's why we limit our time with those friends and they're saying, for a confidant, if you're're lucky, you have one or two or three in your lifetime, so is that person you could really pour out your heart to. And when you become famous, they're not gonna go on tv and talk about you because your regular friends would do that.
Claude:So I don't know if jess and claude is, confidants or just friends?
Mss Francois:definitely, oh, we are confident. Oh god you're. I love that, you see how quickly?
Claude:no, we're confident, we're or just friends?
Mss Francois:Definitely confidence. Oh, we are confident. Oh God, I love that you see how quickly. No, we're confident, we're not just friends, we're friends.
Claude:There's no, no hesitation right there. No, we are confident because. But then there is also for me you have, yeah, you have, the friends and you have, you're confident or you're very good friends, right, they all have a different role in it.
Mss Francois:Yes, and I think a lot of times the problem is people don't realize a lot of your friends have different roles, yeah, and sometimes people you see those reality show. Oh, we all are click and we all are group. Yes, if we're going to hang out and eat, fine, but you don't tell all your business, all your hopes, your dreams, your vision. You don't tell that to everybody. And a lot of friends go around like this is my friend. I've had people say aren't we friends? Now, if you know my personality, I don't sugarcoat stuff. No, we're not friends. Just because I saw you two or three times at the same place, why you think we would be friends and I hurt people's feelings. But I'm not your friend. But I think I have that personality that people think I'm their friend Because I'm jolly, I'm happy, I'm energetic. So everyone is like oh, I know, ms Francois, that's my friend. No, I ain't your friend.
Claude:But that's also where, like for example for me, I make a distinction between someone I am friendly with and then I'm friend, right, and my friends are my friends, Like I trust them, and then you have again you know another thing, where it's like your, your best friends, your work besties and everything.
Mss Francois:Right and all that's fine. Yes, and we need all of them, because I have lots of people at my job that I'm friends with, but they don't know all my business.
Claude:Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like you need them all for different elements and also I don't remember who said but it's also, you have a friend for sometimes you have friends for a lifetime, but you have a friend for a season.
Mss Francois:Yes, a reason, a season or a lifetime. Like TD Jakes broke it down to me the best he said, you have your confidants, your constituents and your comrades. So the confidants is the one like you, jess and Claude, then your constituents they look everything like a confidant, everything. So you get it confused sometimes, but a lot of times they're with you to how far you can take them. So we could go, we could do so many things together, but as soon as you cannot help them to a certain level they walk away. But again, they're great to have because they get you very far in life and then you have your comrades Right, and then you have your comrades, now you have a common goal, one goal Jess and Claude don't like Ms Francois.
Mss Francois:We're going to get rid of her and as soon as that job is done, you move on. That's, comrades. That's when you fight in war. You go to war against something else or you have a project to do. We align, get rid of a project. Now we go on with our lives. So we have lots of constituents, but one or two or three confidants.
Jess:So that's where I'd like pausing on, because I feel like I have more confidence and you're making it sound like you think only two or three in your whole lifetime.
Mss Francois:They say you can look it up. They say one, two or three in your lifetime. Because I've had confidence that I was like yes, that's my confidence. Ten plus years and for no reason the person stopped talking to me.
Jess:OK, so maybe that's the defining difference. It's like to your point. These are literally going to be the people until you die For the season, but they're more than a season, it's just.
Mss Francois:Right, because that's 10 years of friendship, sleeping in the same room, staying up all night, everybody knowing everything.
Claude:Well, what I mean is a season. No, I understand what you mean. It's not a season like fall.
Jess:I know I understand. I'm just saying, if you get to the 10-year mark, by that point you probably do think they're Well, yeah, they say seven years and you're like.
Mss Francois:And sometimes people use the years, as I've been in a relationship with my friend for 20 years, but are you really in?
Jess:a relationship with your friend for 20 years, you with your friends for 20 years. You're right. That actually blows it up too, because there are definitely some friendships that I have that I mean I love them. We've known each other for so, so many years.
Mss Francois:Yeah, because people like using the number and I've known someone for six months. Have she done more for me or we done more? I create win-win situations than someone I've known for 10, 15 years.
Jess:Because person for 20 years. That's my friend since grade school. Yeah, but are we friends? Friends, well, what do you think about then, those friends that you can like pick up? So I have one that I literally have known since I was born and we pick up the phone about once or twice a year and it's like no time has lost right, all right, but you see, we're still there but that's in a certain category.
Mss Francois:Then you have friends. You could you look like jessa. You look like you talk to Claude every day or every other day. Girl, look outside. Girl, I bought flowers. Right, I have my friend. We call each other once a year. Again, lots of friends. No one is saying nothing's wrong with that, because Jess has insisted she's like. I don't have imposter syndrome. I have a hundred confidants. You, let me tell you something, jess. Let me let you get super rich and famous. Right now, half of those constituents and friends will gladly write a book and throw you under the bus for money. And again, we only see these things when you reach to a certain level in life. You'll be surprised. Right now, claude is like paragraph two of the book.
Jess:Then Jessica did this oh, I'm confident. Okay, so you founded Thriving Goddesses and that kind of has a similar element to it where you're kind of bringing people together. How can our work besties create that same kind of supportive community that you're creating in our workplace? And also, what is it?
Mss Francois:Okay, so mine focuses on women healing from broken relationships and those exploring new relationships, right, because a lot of times I think with women in that context, we feel alone and we're like we're the only one going through it. So the whole reason behind it was everybody has their story, but we can help each other in the group, right? Simple thing, like the stuff that I post. I have a webinar, like once a month. Again, it's continue to encourage people and encourage people to comment on each other, the posts that I post, because, again, you don't know what someone is going through and something you say, someone might look at it and be like, oh my God, that's what I needed to hear today. I get that a lot with comments. I get that a lot with, like, some of the emails that I sent out. Like someone screenshot something and sent it to me like you have no idea the difference it's made in my day to day. You don't know. You know, and I think a lot of times everybody wants to go things alone.
Mss Francois:I dislike when someone say I did it all by myself. It's impossible. If you rob a bank, you had some kind of help. I'm sorry, good or bad. If you rob a bank. You had some kind of help. I'm sorry, good or bad, you had some kind of help. So I think I'm just providing a space for people to help each other and I'm also assisting when I provide, you know, and it is free, just Facebook Because, again, I remember there were times when I wish I had someone to just give me a hug or say it's going to be okay. And I think I'm just providing that in a different way, cause you never know who life you're touching. You have a podcast, you don't.
Jess:Sometimes you think you know who you're impacting just because they don't like or comment, that don't mean you didn't change someone's life, that's so true, yeah, and I think the thing that drew me to that and why I brought it up to the work bestie influence is the fact that we get that a lot with some of the quotes that you do, where people will comment and be like this just brought right into my day, my work bestie just left, I'm all alone. It's good to have you as like a backup. So I do. I feel like the element that you're providing to that is definitely something that the work bestie community can also contribute to as well. Maybe different spin right a little bit more on how do you have that support and love in your work environment? But there's definitely something to that for sure, cause it builds. It builds the instant support community.
Mss Francois:Yeah, and we all need support, and I think that's what people keep forgetting. We can't do everything by ourselves. We can start some things, but you need a team, you need a support system along the way.
Claude:Social Yep, you need that support.
Jess:Yeah. So you had a one-woman show called Frustrated right. Wasn't it a hit. You even won a Toastmasters. I hear how does laughter in your life?
Mss Francois:really change the way you show up. Girl, if it was not for laughter I think that's no number one thing I would not be here right now. And that's one of the things for me to be able to even make other people laugh. I only realized that was my gift a few years ago because of Toastmasters. Like Toastmasters allowed me the space to you know, have those speeches and hopefully, if you all don't know what Toastmasters is, toastmasterorg it will change your life because the people you meet there and you get to develop. It's just an amazing environment to be around. But even me looking up if you just look up laughter it's a resilience, build connection.
Mss Francois:It is a painkiller. It does so many things. I tell people a lot of times you wouldn't even need healthcare if you would just laugh each day. Also, it plays a huge element Even with my TV show, the speeches that I do a lot of times if you turn on a program and you just see everyone going Hi, my name is Ms Francois and today, remember, we have so many different channels to choose from. People just click through the channel. But if you provide someone, there's the energy alone. Like the energy I'm providing here, it will let someone stay on a little few seconds longer and give you you know, let's see what Miss Francois is talking about. But laughter is, yeah, laughter is definitely healing and even with my show, the one woman that frustrated. It sounds like an interesting title, but it's basically the journey of my relationships and even though I go through the journey, even though some of it is sad and heartbreaking, I add the humor and in the end of it there is a lesson.
Jess:So you use the lesson or the laughter to kind of help keep people on.
Mss Francois:Yeah, because you're going to remember, you remember so much more of it because you attach the laughter Remember when she said this that's crazy, but you're going to get the lesson out of it, Because the whole point of even though I went through all these relationships and I got hurt and cheated on and all, and some people, some men, made me feel less than all these things. At the end, what I failed to realize is that I needed to love myself more.
Jess:I love that.
Claude:I feel like everyone can kind of benefit from that and I think laughing is so important and as we get older we kind of lose a little bit. Sometimes, you know it's when you're younger you have those crazy laugh where your stomach is hurting.
Mss Francois:Yeah, you know, and I feel as you get older it's kind of yeah, because think about it when you're young, when, when you're a kid, when you're a teenager, I mean, the problems you have taught you how to is not real problems, but you're more fun, you're more free. When you get older, you have marriage and you have kids. You have bills to pay. Yeah, you ain't thinking. Let me stop and laugh. You're like, let me calculate, like it's so much more on your plate which is understandable. But this is why you have to give yourself and make yourself time. People like to say it's only 24 hours in a day. Yes, but it's what you do with those 24 hours Time management. How much is for you, how much is for other people? But think about it. People complain about the time we have, but then you realize how much time we've been wasting. We're watching TV, we're Netflixing and chilling for hours when you could be using that time more constructively.
Jess:Yeah, I laugh because there's so many people that will sit there and say I don't have time to watch a movie but then binge watch like 10 episodes.
Mss Francois:Exactly, exactly so. It's amazing to me we make excuses for what we want to make excuses for. We make time for what we want to make time for.
Jess:Right. So what's your advice for people that feel like they are surrounded by others that dim their light, whether in a professional or personal?
Mss Francois:environment. You're letting that person dim your light. You're choosing to be around that person. Let me tell you something when you decide to do the personal development work on yourself, find yourself in conferences, joining groups like Toastmaster I belong to a few different groups Elevate and Empower, like different groups, I join.
Mss Francois:Right, believe me, those people that were supposedly dimming their light, or those negative Nancy's, whatever you want to call them you naturally outgrow them, but you're the one choosing to stay around them, regardless of their friend or your coworkers. After a while, when people get your certain energy and they see when you continue to grow, you grow. They naturally fall off. Sometimes you're the one that wants to continue being around those people. That's your fault, that's not their fault. They, they, they, they who they want to be, yeah, yeah, continue, right, they continue being negative. They love coming to work and being negative 24 hours a day.
Mss Francois:I have some people at my job that they have different people. They're negative. Guess what that person get a good morning, morning, how you're doing, good evening, good night, whatever the case might be, and I move on. I don't have this long conversation with that person and after a while, they naturally will not gravitate towards you because you're not feeding into their negativity. People feed into people. Girl, you see that that dress don't look nice on that person and then you go. Well, I guess not. It doesn't look nice because that color made. Why. Why are you choosing that? No, that's so true I am super intelligent.
Mss Francois:I don't know why I don't have like two, three husbands already but that's why you're intelligent.
Claude:What's what's in that cup? I know. No, it's boring, watered down.
Jess:I wish it was, but it's not. So if someone's feeling stuck, I'm going to ask Ja, but you can relate it to relationships too. What's that one thing that they could start today to help reclaim their confidence?
Mss Francois:First of all, I would say focus on what your gifts are, because I don't know what job the person is in, right, so say, for instance, my gift. I would say one is laughter and I am good at organizing. Focus on your gift and whatever job you in Maybe. For instance, I work in a bank, right, we have community stuff. That goes on. And again, I found these things later on about myself because I continue to grow and learn about myself and I realize, ok, I'm good at planning stuff, right, I work in a bank, people wanting people here bank. They hear money, right, and they hear, right, they hear customers and people. But I'm good at planning. I'm good at making people laugh, so I focus on my gift. So when I have customers, I make them laugh. That brings me joy.
Mss Francois:I'm using my gift. I like to organize. I look with my surroundings of my job. I like to organize. I look with my surroundings of my job. What do they need? Help planning? We have financial literacy. I can offer my assistance because I'm using my gift.
Mss Francois:When you use your gift you tend to be happier. I am good at speaking. I find, oh, they have certain little events that my job might have. I ask to offer my assistance in those things. So I'm still at my job, but I'm doing things that I love because I'm using my gift. So, while you're in your job and if that's what you can do, it's still a choice to be there, people. But if that's what you choose to do in this moment, find out what your gift is, offer your gift in different aspects of your job and you will be happier. It could be for now, but you will tend to be happier because I know at some point I did not like my job If you're watching that, you all know but at the same time now I honestly could say I love my job.
Mss Francois:Some people hate when I say that because most people hate their job. But I'm like, if you hate your job, that's fine, then you should be looking for something else. But most people stay in their job and complain every day or look for nothing else. It's still a choice. I else, it's still a choice. I choose to still be in my job because I love my customers, I love using my gifts and elevating myself, and where I work in this present moment, in my job. So I get to say I love my job. So still a choice, people yeah.
Claude:So a question that goes with the, the what is it symptom, the imposter, imposter symptom. Right, how do you know, how does someone realize what they are good at? Because sometimes they will not know. So how do you come so it's easy.
Mss Francois:Your gift is something you do without having to think about it, without having to use any effort and even if you fight to figure that out right, because people will tell you. They tell you every day oh my God, jess, you're amazing at organization, jess. You're great at decoration, but you take it for granted. Oh, everyone does that. You're great at planning. Oh my God, you're so hilarious. You're great at cooking. I love when you make those desserts, but you're like oh, I do that all the time. Yeah, you don't look like you're cooking.
Jess:You're doing a lot until cooking.
Mss Francois:But it's so many different ways. But number one is really look at what are things you do easily.
Claude:And listen to the people that will tell you what you're at. Go back to your confidants.
Jess:If they're truly your confidants, they can tell you Confidants. If they're truly your confidants, they can tell you. You can say it out loud to them and then, like you'd be like giggling, like oh wait, no, I'm not good at it.
Mss Francois:Yeah. So it's different things. People just don't realize it. And if confidence and strangers will tell you what your gift is, but you, but you don't think it's that that important, cause you. It's so easy and it comes to you all the time. A lot of times when I plan events at my job, I'm like anybody could do that Simple thing as taking a photo. Have you ever asked someone to take a photo like you had an event and when you get the photo back, they took all the ceiling and the floor. Then you could give someone else and they say pose and they go left. They get it perfectly Right. That's that person gift without them even knowing it, and someone might take that for granted. You pay photographers hundreds of dollars to take photography.
Mss Francois:That's a gift. Yeah, that's true, I know. I told you I'm super smart. Oh my God, you know what it is to be this cute and this intelligent. I would not know it's a gift.
Claude:I know See again. San Francisco Imposter Syndrome's a gift, I know see again so that's one of the good things.
Mss Francois:That's why Jess is your friend, because Jess gets to tell you you're great, you're amazing, and she gets to remind you sometimes when you forget we do.
Jess:We literally had a text exchange a couple days ago where I was like wait, you don't know, you're good at this. How have you never figured that out?
Mss Francois:Yeah, and sometimes you have to shake up. Sometimes you need a little shake because sometimes people, they just don't see it.
Jess:I already forgot what it was. You're that good at it.
Claude:It was an organization Good organizer Messy, but I'm a good organizer actually, Because I'm messy.
Mss Francois:It's so funny. Claude is like looking up at the sky, like yeah, I think I remember when Somehow it'll come to me.
Jess:Oh, how about me? Ms Francois, this is your words of wisdom are like so encouraging. I feel like I could laugh with you all day long. And for those that aren't watching on YouTube, please do watch on YouTube, but you've got to see the background of Ms Francois, like it's showing her show, which I think I only saw a little bit Now. I'm like sucked in. I want to go watch it. This is gonna be my new show to watch. But thank you so much, I did want to ask you one last question. What's that? One simple thing our could change right this second, to start owning their confidence.
Mss Francois:I think the one thing they can do to change that is it could just be getting up in the morning. Zig Ziglar said this. I read a lot, okay, he said jump out of your bed and it's going to sound so dumb when you do it and just go. I love my life and I love everything about me Like something dumb. And he says it's going to feel so dumb the first time, the second time you do it, but you're going to start laughing at yourself just for doing it. And in doing that, he says, you'll be amazing on all these endorphins and things just comes up in you and you'll start laughing and start doing whatever you're supposed to be doing Something simple. I think that's people's problem. They always want this big, grand fix, grand course or something as just little things that we do each day. So I would encourage everyone just do something small to start you on and you'll be amazed at what these tiny habits could start doing.
Jess:I can't wait to enact that. To jump on the screen. You can just see it.
Claude:You're just seeing it, it's like, okay, she's gone, let's start the day. She's gone, for sure. Now I love that.
Jess:I'm really going to love it. I'm going to start doing that. This is fantastic. I feel like to all our work besties out there, let's try that. I know I definitely will. Please take a picture of you or a video of you, I don't think we want people taking videos of themselves.
Mss Francois:You never know, because even when you do it, you might laugh at your own self.
Jess:When you laugh, you're beautiful. I won't be doing that, but if everyone else in the WorkFesty world wants to hear that, regardless, let's put it into action. Whether it's showing up confidently or hyping up your WorkFesty, or jumping out of bed and having someone video it, let's just do something today.
Claude:Yeah, and thank you again so much for your energy and really helping everybody with self-confidence. No problem, please. Where can the our viewer learn about you, your handles?
Mss Francois:well, I make it easy for everyone. Once you all see my name it's miss francois you can go on my website on every social media and I do mean everyone, because I'm there for everyone. You can definitely follow me, like me, subscribe and support me in any which way.
Claude:Perfect. Thank you and Work Bestie. If you loved this episode, share it with someone who needs this message and don't forget to like, rate and subscribe and we'll see you next time. Thank you so much again, Miss Francois. You're very welcome and subscribe. Awesome, and, as always, we'll see you next time. Thank you so much again, Ms Francois.
Mss Francois:You're very welcome, my dear.
Jess:Remember whether you're swapping snacks in the break room, rescuing each other from endless meetings or just sending that perfectly timed meme. Having a work bestie is like having your own personal hype squad.
Claude:So keep lifting each other, laughing through the chaos and, of course, thriving. Until next time, stay positive, stay productive and don't forget to keep supporting each other. Work besties.
.jpg)