Living in Your Zone of Genius as a Catholic Woman in Business
“If you are what you ought to be, you will set fire to all Italy, and not only yonder” (St. Catherine of Siena).
Over the last decade-plus, in the various chapters of my career, the pivots it’s taken, and the time I’ve spent as an entrepreneur and business owner, something has become clear through so many conversations with women from all walks of life and careers: We feel tugged in so many different directions and can feel pressured to do or be something that doesn’t resonate with us.
Maybe it’s the push for a big promotion when we’re still with small children at home. Maybe it’s the job that looked good on paper but isn’t allowing us to put our gifts to use and leaves us feeling drained, small, and uninspired. Maybe it’s the big opportunity we see right in front of us that we’re fearful or unsure of taking, because we don’t know if it aligns with our bigger goals and vision.
Your Blue Flame
So many of the decisions we make as Catholic women—leaning into our career with a perspective that it is meant to be an avenue to share our gifts, light up others, and change the world—can be better understood in the context of our Zone of Genius.
The term “Zone of Genius” was coined and made popular in Gary Hendricks’ books The Big Leap and The Genius Zone. A similar concept also made waves in the Catholic community in 2020 in Jennifer Fulwiler’s book Your Blue Flame.
It takes us back to the St. Catherine quote, “If you are what you ought to be, you will set fire to all Italy, and not only yonder” (commonly misquoted as, “If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire”). God gave us each deeply unique callings and talents, and a big part of our life’s work is discovering what they are and activating and leaning into them in our primary professional role, hobbies, or some combination of the two.
Truly, you can sense it when a woman is leaning into her blue flame. She’s inspired, energized, joyful, and grounded, and she lights up the people around her, inspiring them to become similarly deeply connected to their true mission and purpose.
In the Zone
“In your zone of genius, work doesn’t feel like work and time flows by effortlessly.”
Some might consider this experience too good to be true, but it’s what we’re all called to. If you feel that you’re still on the journey, I challenge and encourage you to lean into the process: Seek to discover where you can make the most impact personally and professionally.
It might require some hard looks in the mirror, some soul searching, or even a career pivot, but it will be worth it. The world needs you activated, engaged, and using your talents in the ways that only you can combine and share them.
Some questions to ask yourself are below. Start with journaling your answers; then, ask a family member or close friend—someone who knows you well—to help you uncover layers that you may be less aware of and could benefit from an outside perspective on.
What do I most love to do (something you can do for long periods of time without growing tired or bored)?
What work do I do that doesn’t seem like work (something you can do all day without breaking a sweat, so to speak).
In my work, what produces the most abundance and satisfaction compared to the amount of time I spend on it?
What is my unique ability or calling? (Your unique ability is usually camouflaged inside of a skill you already possess, something you’re passionate about, or work that feels joyful and effortless when you’re doing it.)
As I’ve leaned into my blue flame, it’s caused several important pivots in my own career. First, I moved from a financial/accounting role with limited flexibility and growth to an entrepreneurial coaching and website creation creator role. From there, I shifted to focusing on health, personal development, and finance as the main areas where I coach clients. Along the way, I’ve always embraced speaking, leadership, and writing opportunities.
The framework of a zone of genius or blue flame takes us beyond a narrow field, career path, or set of predefined skills and unlocks a wholehearted approach to bringing our skills together in a new, unique, and specific way. It’s how we can make that great impact that St. Catherine modeled for us.
The call to be a light and salt to the world (Matthew 5:13-16) requires leaning into this important personal discovery. Our blue flame is something real, something powerful, something that we get to unlock in order to make our biggest impact as Catholic women who are in the world but not of it (John 15:19).
St. Joan of Arc is my confirmation saint, and her fiery response to her unique call and mission (to literally change the course of history) is what inspires me every day to wake up with courage and passion and lean into my blue flame through my work and how I spend my time.
This is your invitation to do the same!
If you enjoyed this article, look for an upcoming workshop on this topic, which I’ll be co-hosting with Lauren Sawyer of Rise & Come Alive.
Maddy Pidel is a financial advisor, health & life coach, and loves supporting individuals towards living balanced, joyful & successful lives. She started in a traditional finance career, pivoted towards entrepreneurship & being a business owner for a decade, and is now nicely nestled in between the 2 worlds; leveraging financial tools to support small business owners & successful individuals. She is always reading a personal development book, loves working with clients, and in her free time, you’ll find her cooking, running, gardening & planning adventures with her 6 kids. She blogs over at www.maddypidel.com and chronicles her daily life and inspiration on Instagram @maddypidel.