Ep. 4.13 Releasing Hustle to Embrace Grace with Erin Harrigan

This week on the AU podcast, we share our time with special guest Erin Harrigan. Erin is a women’s business coach who is all about releasing the hustle and embracing grace. Do you ever feel like your ambition is a burden rather than a blessing? Well, you’re in the right spot. God made you just as you are, even ambitious! And He has a lot to show you about why that’s good and how to use it well. Jill and Erin talk through this mind-shift and how it can set you free.

Find out more about Erin here: https://erinharrigan.com

Follow Erin on YouTube @ErinHarrigan

Want to join Erin’s community? Do that on Facebook @TheHustleWithHeartCoach

Finally, find Erin on Instagram @ErinDHarrigan

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Hello, and welcome to today's episode
of the Authentic Uprising podcast.
I'm your host Jill Simons, and I'm
so excited to grow in the radical
art of standing in what God
says about you with you today.
The show is a place where we
pour into the sense of who God
is, who we are, and how we can
live more in the freedom that he has for us every single day.
Hello and welcome to the Authentic
Uprising podcast.
As always I'm your host,
Jill Simons and, you know,
that I just love spending
Tuesdays with you.
I hope you never get sick
of hearing me say that.
I am so excited for the conversation
that I'm gonna have today.
In the few minutes that I've
been talking to Erin Harrigan
before we have jumped on the call
I just have like met the most
kindred sister
in Christ ever,
and I know that we're both gonna
just go crazy talking about
this topic that we're
super passionate about,
which is really living in with
an unleashed mentality identity
where we're not looking to live
under the tyranny of hustle really,
We're gonna embrace the grace
that God has for us.
And so Erin that's gonna be having
this conversation with me.
Is a Christian
business coach.
She is an empty nester and just
has a ton of wisdom to share
with us today about where the Lord wants
to invite us to direct our focus.
So, Erin, thank you so much
for being here with me today.
I have to echo what you
said a minute go Jill.
Feel like we just met and yet,
we're so on the same page.
I love how God does that. It is
an honor to be here. Yeah. Absolutely.
So tell us how you got into this field
of coaching Christian business women.
Yeah. So I am a recovering driver,
striver, and achievement chaser.
So my whole life Was about tying
my identity to the outcome,
the progress, the promotion,
the dollars, all the things.
I was very driven And while I
now have learned to embrace that
God made me to be ambitious.
I simply have to lean into him
to direct that ambition. I spent
twenty five years in corporate
America and four years in
a multi level marketing business
where I was all about going
and making it happen.
Every every level every
incentive all the things.
Striving was what I like
ate for breakfast.
And in twenty fourteen, I hit
a wall and I out to took a mentor
because I woke up going
like, I have success.
Like the outward symbols of success,
but I am so empty and unfulfilled.
And I am constantly working
and my business is stagnant,
what is happening And that mentor
who I fondly call the velvet
hammer in my book "Pursuing Success
God's Way," said two things to me.
She said, I don't think you know
who you are or whose you are?
And she said do you have
a relationship with Jesus?
And quite honestly
at the time,
my relationship with Jesus was
very much like this new world,
new age universe, mash up. Law of
attraction, all the the things.
And I said, well, yeah. And she's
like don't think you really
know that Jesus gave his life
for you that that he's your
savior and he did
not make you
To live in this constant chaos and
running and driving and striving.
So October fourth of twenty fourteen,
I gave my life to Christ.
That completely
changed everything.
I like to say
that Jesus said,
why don't you let me drive for
a while and you hold this map,
which is the Bible. And then
after he peeled away and still
continues to prune
some strongholds,
He said now I want you to go share this
with with my other ambitious daughters.
Because I made them on
purpose for a purpose.
I made them with these gifts
and these talents but they're
killing themselves to to do this
work and and earn the accolades
and and follow the world's
definition of of success,
and that's not what I made them
to do. And so that's what I did.
In twenty eighteen I kicked
off my coaching business,
I launched my podcast
in twenty nineteen,
which is now called "Redefining Hustle,
Pursuing Success as
a Christian Woman".
And I really love the opportunity
to bring the Holy Spirit
into coaching to guide these
women in ways that they can be
successful and have
kingdom impact,
they don't have to run themselves ragged
doing it. So that's it in a nutshell.
That is so beautiful. I think
that that's so hearing the flesh
version of your story. I'm like,
this is why we're the same.
Like, this is why we just clicked so
instantly because that was very much
My story also was just that, you
know, life defined by hustle.
And when I started. I had I had
been a lifelong Christian.
But had really just lived under
that mindset of the older
brother in the Prodigal Son where
it was, you know, very much,
like a servant or employee kind of
mentality where it was just like,
you know, what what do
I have to do today?
Like, yes, sir kind of not that we
don't have the respect for God,
but that we have that, like both
our understanding of God as King,
but also as Father. And that was like,
the father's side of did like oh,
well, you could have just
asked me for what you needed
Was just so missing from my story
and I remember when I began
really diving into my identity,
saying to my husband, I just...
I can't think of any other
way to be a person.
This felt so ingrained
in who I was.
And I'm sure that there are
other women that come to you in
coaching that feel similarly
where it's just so baked into
who they've been maybe
their whole lives.
And so how do you start
unraveling that with women?
And how how do they begin
shifting in small ways to be able
to make the big shift. Well, what
I found over time that the Holy
Spirit had given me this framework. I call
it the four keys to redefine hustle.
And and the reason
that it's...
I believe the reason that it's
keys is because it's meant to
unlock us and un us from
overwhelm and over achievement.
And you are so right with what you said,
Jill like, it isn't right in us.
It's... We eat breathe and
sleep it. It's everywhere.
If you start listening,
you'll hear it everywhere.
And in fact, There's now a pendulum
swing to this idea of anti hustle,
but for some of us
ambitious women,
were caught in the middle
because we're like, well,
but I kinda like my my pace, and anti
hustle feels like kinda lazy to me.
And that's probably
a lie from the devil.
But the point is that what
the what the Holy Spirit gave me
was this this idea
of first defined.
How are we defining And are
we are we only anchoring our
identity to the achievements
to the roles, Right? Mom,
Wife, sister, all of those things.
And only god can define us.
So that first key that I start with my
clients is how are you defining success?
How are you
defining progress?
Because if you've been
successful to this point,
which is most of my clients have
been in in business for a while,
clearly, the way you've defined
it is not bringing you peace.
So therefore, you you must be
anchoring to something else, right,
to the world's way of this.
So we start with define and
understanding that only God can
define us only he has the authority
to define us. And only he can
define what he's made us to do
and what success is supposed
to look like for us,
which is really about walking out his
will. Right? We then shift to
Okay. If we can understand that
only God defines us then where
should we be taking
our direction from?
I mean, he already knows the beginning
and the end of our story.
So therefore, where do we turn? We turned
to him. He is our good good father.
When we
delight in him,
he He puts desires in her hearts
and then he directs our steps.
So that direction piece is important
because we've got to know that,
yes, we have a responsibility
to make plans.
But we also have a responsibility to
lay them at the foot of the cross.
And let them be his. Right?
That's that's the first...
And And I that that those first
two keys to me are really like,
this is how we align to
how God made us. Right?
The second two keys are kind
of how we apply that. Right?
So the third key
is discipline.
And discipline is all about So if how do
I take how god defines and directs me?
And I put that into action because
we do have to take action.
Yes, there are times
we are called to rest.
I was working with
a client yesterday.
She said I have a real problem with rest
because it feels like I'm being lazy.
And I said, hold on. How are you defining
rest? How is God directing your rest?
Right? If we think of rest
is pausing our brain,
then maybe rest for you isn't
lying down in the couch,
but it's going for a walk or maybe
it's working out or whatever
that looks like. Right? We've got
to have a discipline in place.
And that discipline
also includes...
We've gotta to be talking to
God all day long. Right.
I mean, Jesus is
our best friend.
So he wants us to be in conversation
and and we have to allow
for space in our schedule
to do that as well.
And then the fourth key is developed.
We have to allow God to prune us.
We know it's painful. We
know that he redirects us.
We know as women as as believers
and followers of Christ that
we ultimately want him
to rule our life.
Sometimes we're a little afraid to
let him do that we're thinking,
what if he ends my plans?
What if he redirects me?
And that development piece is all about
the ongoing pruning that happens.
Sanctification is not a one time
thing, and it's not a checklist.
That's what my mentor
had to teach me.
So therefore, we have to be open to his
molding and his development of us.
And so I utilize those four
keys in helping my clients to
understand that God's grace is
here for you. You can't...
You know, it's already there. So all
you can do is step away from it.
He is un changing regardless of the swirl
of what's happening in your life.
So how about let's hold on and
anchor ourselves to him and
that allows us to work from a place
of, you know, glorifying him.
It allows us to work from a place
of clarity and and serenity
and calm because we know that
ultimately, it's his way. Right?
So. Yeah. That's beautiful. I
love all of those keys where I
am in what I would call like,
a hardcore pruning season where
there's been so much beautiful
growth and now it only...
It only feels more comfortable if I
overlay it with like, my parenting.
So right now, my children are eight to
six months old, And I think about well,
you know, the eight year old has
a lot more responsibilities,
a lot more things that he's
supposed to be bringing to the table
old than the six month old, and
I lived so much of my life.
I kind of the six month old stage
with God where he was really,
like having to spoon feed me
pull me along, you know.
And now that we've had this beautiful
deepening in our relationship,
there's a lot more things that he's
asking me to be disciplined about,
like you were sharing. And I
was I like to pray when I have
my prayer time by writing the back
and forth between God and I.
And so I was journaling and about
my business and and something
that was a stressor in it and he's
like, why don't you let me do it?
And I try and be very just transparent
honest with God when I'm praying,
I was like, that
feels really risky.
And God was like, why
does that feel risky?
You know, is there something you
think you can do that I can't do?
And God was and I was like, well, I
could, you know, run an ads campaign,
etcetera, etcetera, and God was literally,
like, how's that going for you?
Yeah. I was like... Okay. Fair.
Guys enough. It's not going well.
But totally. You know, I say
to my client very often.
I'm not a marketing expert, and I
have a coach that that I work with.
Right? That no marketing plan
can outdo God. Like, honestly.
If God wants to put you in front
of people, he's going to do that.
That doesn't absolve us
from responsibility.
You know, the the Holy Spirit equips and
qualifies us. But we also can't sit back.
I think Christine Cain said
something like this.
Like, we can't just sit
back and be like, alright.
I'm a sit back and eat bonbons and you're gonna
take care of it. No.
Now we have to put, our feet in action.
Like, that's how we walk out our faith.
Right? So, yes, We have to
do things. But it's so...
I love love what you said about
being transparent with God
because I'm like I think about that
a lot. Like he already knows anyway.
So... Right? Yeah. Yeah. And my
my six month old actually just
pulled off my
necklace last night.
I've been wearing every day like
day and night for over a year.
So he finally, like, after his
thousandth poll on it, got the chain,
but it always... The one I always
wear says be real with Jesus.
And on the back of it, says,
you're never too anything for him.
And making that something that
I wired in my brain on a daily
basis has been life changing because I
don't shy away from those things now.
Just like, God I'm annoyed with
you. God, I'm this and that.
And because ultimately, if it's
something that brings us to him,
then it's a positive thing. If it's
something that we hold away from him,
then that's when it becomes
a negative thing, but to...
But to have those feelings and
reactions, is kind of neutral.
It's like a human response
to stimuli. Yeah.
And when we bring that into
submission of our relationship,
he can really shape that in in a into
something that brings us to him.
Mh. He redeems it all. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And so I I love to hear about...
And even if you have like,
an example of a client or something
that you wanna share, but but
what is kind of the before and
after look like for people who are
ambitious, successful, high paced.
And is it necessarily
where, like,
the outside looks different
before or after or is the majority
of the change you see internal
or kind of what does that look
like for people who go from hustle
mentality to more of a grace-filled mentality.
So from
my perspective,
what I often see is these women
come to me and they hire me
because They know they want
to do business God's way.
They know that they haven't been
fulfilled doing it on their own.
And at the same time, it's sort
of been ingrained in them that, like,
faith in business are like church and
state. Right? They don't they don't mix.
And the challenge that they face
is I have a faith community.
that doesn't understand what it
means to be a business owner.
And I have a business tribe
who doesn't understand what it
means I'm gonna go
pray about it. Right?
So what I see them come to me with
is overwhelmed. They've had...
Like I mentioned earlier,
they've had some level of success,
but they're kind of questioning,
like, was it worth it?
Like, what did it cost me to
gain that success? Right?
I mean, paraphrasing scripture. Like,
what will it cost you to gain the world?
Right? What I see start to happen
is they begin to understand
that letting God lead them
doesn't mean that they can't do
the work because many of us
ambitious, high-achieving women,
like we thrive on
the work. Right?
But is there a way to work that
is more intentional that is
more purposeful that is
really what I call emulating Jesus.
So the word hustle is not in the Bible.
I wanna be clear about that.
Nowhere in the Bible doesn't
say that Jesus hustled. But if we
look at Jesus life, and I think I read
this in a book by Melinda Fuller,
which I think is called "Obedience
Over Hustle" or she had a Bible
plan on you version. If we look
at How jesus worked, number one,
he worked with small groups,
he worked with large groups.
He was pretty much all
over the place. Right?
But he was steadfast
in his mission.
Number two, every word he spoke,
every interaction he had was
intentional and purposeful. Number three,
he worked with a sense of urgency,
not a sense of busy,
not a sense of hurry.
But what I mean is he knew he
had a short period of time. Three
years as far as we know. Right? So
therefore, he had to be very focused.
So focused in fact that
what did they do?
He very often left the disciples
and went off and prayed why?
Because he was was always seeking
his father's instructions.
And and it may seem strange that he would
do that because he is God incarnate.
And yet, he sought his
father's instruction.
So if we look at a definition of hustle,
like really in the dictionary,
we have been taught and ingrained
that it's very much this
negative, aggressive,
frantic pace.
But really, there are some of
the first definitions are about
working with intention and purpose
and a sense of urgency that
kinda sounds like Jesus. So when
I see women come to me it is
both an internal and
an external change.
The internal changes is sense of relief.
Don't have to do this by myself.
I wasn't made to
do it by myself.
My business is a way that I
administer the gifts and talents
that God has given me. So I
need to let him lead me.
So there's this internal view
of their work being more
intentional on
and purposeful,
very often their are things that they
need to let go of and their work,
maybe different services,
products or time,
and things that they need to
incorporate more because I feel
like when God gets
a hold of your time,
you are so much more productive
because you're doing it his way.
Right? So I see that internal
change, how they're viewing work.
How how they seem relieved and calmer
and even when they have challenge.
They're taking
it to the Lord,
and then and and even we're working through
that and and really understanding,
what is God
strategy for this?
But the external, the outside
that happens is that I don't I
I am not in for law attraction.
So I wanna be clear about that.
What I do though is, when
we get out of God's way,
and allow him margin that he will bring
us into situations, opportunities,
intersections with people,
that we are that he is already
aligned to us for the work
that we have to do.
Maybe it's just the right client
or just the right podcast or
just the right group. So that external
change that I see is they...
They're they're showing up more calmly.
They're showing up more joyfully.
They're enjoying your business
at a different level,
which then that
they'll say to me.
You're not gonna believe this
conversation I had today or
remember that client that that left,
well now they wanna come back.
They're making decisions
differently in their business.
They're showing up differently
in their business.
Those are the internal and
external changes that I see when
we allow him to show us
how to emulate Jesus.
And that's why I think that
hustle gets a little bit of a bad
rap because we've embrace
the world's definition of it.
If we look at it,
the way Jesus worked,
then we can be okay with being
ambitious and doing that work.
But doing it from a posture of
how do I mimic you, Jesus?
How do I show up like you? And
that difference has a ripple
effect kingdom impact. Yeah.
I have seen that so much in my
own life is that it's
not necessarily...
I guess the change is that
every time I'm, like,
get to a point of
frustration with something.
I'm just like, Lord, what the heck am
I supposed to do? And he was like,
ask me about it a week ago is
what you're supposed to do.
You let it go too far. And now we
gotta like triage the situation,
Which he will and
he'll walk it with us.
But, you know, that
model of Jesus,
like you're talking about where it's
just the constancy of the conversation,
and so much of that flows from
the overarching awareness of who we are.
And if we don't have that sense
of my primary self identification
is in relationship to God,
then we have any, you know,
the best identity in the world, I'm
a mom of beautiful children.
I'm a wife of a faithful husband,
whatever the situation is,
it is still going to leave us
feeling like being that mom or
being that wife is on us as opposed
to being under him in our identity,
where that really frees us from
that where we're able to self-define
as someone who was responsive
versus initiatory. Yes. So so much.
Yeah. When we allow him the space,
you know God can do anything.
I mean, he can. Right? He can
move mountains, and he will.
We've all experienced that.
To show us his will.
But man, when we are
working in lockstep with him.
You know, we we are so blessed to be
chosen. He doesn't have to involve us.
Like, the fact that he chooses
us to be his co-laborers that
he chooses us for a mission
in the marketplace.
I mean, my goodness, when you
think about it that way,
it's like this incredible, like, honor.
So how do I get out of your way Lord?
And I love what you said
that he will triage it.
But but what if we came to him
earlier in that process...
And at the same time he
he's such a loving father.
That he already knows that we're
going to have those moments.
And he he gives us so much grace in that.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely Absolutely.
Well I feel like we
could go all day, Erin,
but it's been such such a joy
to have you on the podcast.
If you had to leave women who are
really feeling like performance
is so ingrained in them with
kind of a parting shot.
Place to start, what
would you say to them?
I would say go read
about Paul in Acts.
Because here's Saul,
Right? Ambitious,
doing what what he
knows he's made to do.
Like, he's good at it, persecuting these
these Christians. Right?
And yet he meets Jesus on the road to
Damascus, and Jesus changes everything.
When Jesus steps in everything
changes and the beauty is you
can have that
every single day.
All you gotta do is say, I'm yours
Lord send me. Right?? Go read that.
Don't under underestimate
or or don't.
Don't be afraid to embrace that
the Lord made you ambitious.
And have that that
back and forth,
I love what you said you that back
and forth conversation with him.
Like, lord, I know you made me
ambitious I don't wanna wish it away.
Like, you gave me this gift,
Please show me how to use it.
Please show me how to
use these tools. Right?
Please show me how to show
up for you in my ambition,
direct my ambition like you did
for Paul because that's to me,
is this the perfect example of
what does it mean when Jesus
gets a hold of you and
redirects your ambition.
Start there, start there. Ask
the Lord to show you what to do
with your ambition. One of my
favorite scriptures is is
Psalm 25:4-5
Show me your ways that
lord teach me your past,
leave me in your
truth and teach me.
I can tell you behind me, I
very often am found face down
on the floor praying that. That's
what I would encourage them to do.
I love that so much. Yeah.
In the other aspect of Paul
I love is how much he's able to go on
his mission and be like you guys,
if me then all of you. Like,
there is no way that you're more
far gone than I was, and I
think that so often.
As I minister to
people as well.
And like, you guys, you don't
have anything worry about.
Like, we've... I I have done it. And I
know that God is still there at the end.
Yeah. So good. Awesome. Well,
we put links to where you can
hook up with Erin online where you
can follow her on social media.
And if interested in her coaching
where you can find out more
about that as well
as her podcast.
And I just hope that you all have the best
day. Thanks for being with me Erin.
Thank you. Thank you so much for
joining me on today's episode
of the Authentic Uprising podcast.
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