In a corporate world dominated by men it’s refreshing to hear from C-level executive Rachel Pachivas, COO of Annmarie Skincare. Rachel chats about the demands of being in a leadership role, where her drive for success stems from and how she sets boundaries (even with herself.) Need to bring some balance into your life? Join the waitlist for Michelle’s Signature System at http://ShesGotPower.com/Spring2022
Check out Annmarie Skincare (Michelle’s favorite products!) at http://ShesGotPower.com/skincare
In this episode you’ll hear about:
- How stress manifests in Rachel’s role as a COO
- Rachel’s self-care non-negotables
- Where the pressure of succeeding stems from in her life
- How she’s developed boundaries with herself
Subscribe to the She’s Got Power podcast on Apple or Spotify. Love what you hear? Please share with your friends and leave a review so more women can finally overcome the health issues associated with chronic stress and burnout.
Avoiding burnout in a high-powered job
Michelle (00:50):
It’s time to stop being the victim of your overscheduled life and become the most powerful version of yourself. Welcome to She’s Got Power.
It seems like the numbers vary from source to source. But according to a study that IBM did last year, only 10% of c-level executives are women. Like really? Still? And and most of those, according to the study, are in human resources and chief administrative roles, only five or 6% CEOs. And there’s been a decline since the pandemic hit as more women than men left the workplace. So this is why I am just so pleased to have Rachel Pachivas on the show today talking about her role as COO. And she just happens to work for one of my very favorite companies, Annmarie Skincare. So if you, like so many women, are striving to do great things at work and still be able to take care of yourself and your life, this is gonna be a useful episode for you.
And you know what, in a couple of weeks, I’m going to be announcing the release of my she’s got power signature system. Keep an eye out for that because it’s an easy way for busy women to get at a boost, you know, take care of yourself while also increasing your capacity to do all the things cuz we gotta do all the things. And it’s the only way to work with me other than private coaching. So I’m looking forward to kicking that off with you. If you want to hear when registration is open, put your name on the interest list at she’s go power.com/spring 2022. Now, before we dive into talking with Rachel, I need to give a quick shout out to X V X goddess over there on apple podcast. She left this five star review.
Michelle (02:40):
She said, love this podcast and sharing with all my friends, oh, I love it. She says this podcast has been a real eye opener for me. I am hearing the stories and shaking my head and even agreeing out loud as I commute to and from work every day, the more I listen, the better I feel about not being alone in the stress to the max world. I am living in the more important part is that I can change this and it’s not hard. I wanted to say thank you, Michelle, for creating this very eye opening and informative podcast, you are a rockstar and I’ve shared this with several friends and family members who need to hear the messages. I cannot wait for the opportunity to work with you directly. Well, a really good timing on that X VX goddess, because with lift right around the corner, you can work with me.
Michelle (03:25):
And so can all your friends and family members who need this kind of support for real though. Thank you so much for the review. It helps us reach more women like yourself that are stressed to the max, living in a stress to the max world. So please E mail your mailing address to support at she’s got power.com reference episode number 64. We have a little thank you gift to send your way. Now, as I mentioned, Rachel pets is the CEO at Amory skincare. These are the products that I use on my skin. You guys like I only use Amory products. If you wanna check them out, you can at, she’s got power dot slash skincare. Anyway, Rachel has been there since 2012, working on product research, development, branding, and style budgeting and HR all while leading and growing the team. And as you gonna hear, it takes a real organized go-getter type lady to do a job like this. And it’s easy to burn yourself out. I know you can relate. So here we go. Hey Rachel, thank you so much for joining us today.
Rachel (04:32):
Thanks for having me
Managing stress as an executive
Michelle (04:33):
Me. So even though it’s such a lovely company and Amory skincare is one of my favorites and as a small all company, right? It’s not quite the same as working for like big corporate America. But I imagine there’s got to be a level of stress that comes along with managing, you know, and running a company of that size. What is it like for you? I’m wondering like what stress manifests as in your world and how you manage it.
Rachel (04:59):
So of course there lots of stress all the time. I think just little things that get to you also can be stressful. So it could maybe not be a huge thing, but just little things bubbling up here and there and constant little pieces managing in your brain can just get to you. So yeah, how I manage stress? I think having those little wins is really valuable for me personally, just because I think if you just, I guess for me, I feel like I need to just always do great. Like there’s this feeling of, okay, this needs to be the best and this needs to be the best and you also need to be the best. And so kind of moving my expectations to seeing the womens and seeing the things that are great, then also taking that time to feeling great with self care, you know, taking time to do a mask and taking time to do a bath and lay outside in the hammock and read a book and drink a cup of tea and like making sure you dedicate time to doing those things, like scheduling them out on the weekends or after work.
Michelle (05:58):
That all sounds lovely. Talk to me more about that. I mean, you already mentioned earlier kind of getting back to eating better. Now we have baths, we have hammocks. I like the sound of all of this. What are some of your non-negotiables when it comes to self-care
Rachel (06:13):
Masking? Masking is my 100,000. That was the Top one. No Kidding. Like I have to this morning, I did a mask. I just woke up and I’m like, I’m gonna do a mask. And sometimes I’ll make one. Sometimes I’ll do one that we have, but it’s kind of the thing that just sets my day up and makes me feel good. I feel like if I don’t do one for a couple of days, I start to feel like I didn’t dedicate that time, that ritual. So that’s probably my go to for self care.
Michelle (06:39):
How fun. I mean, I I’m there with you because even though it seems kind of silly and it’s not always necessary in the evening, you know, I think women, we, we go to the chocolate and we go to the wine and you know, I hear, and so many women like there’s the nighttime vice this. And one thing I have that I know is not actually a vice at all is I can, I can put a mask on. I’m like I’m doing this really awesome thing for myself. It feels indulgent. And it
Michelle (07:11):
Takes time. Like you have to actually dedicate 15 minutes of your day to like just observing yourself and like touching your skin and touching something that smells great and feels great. You know? So it’s, it’s that experience as well. That feels really good. You put it
The pressure to always be on top of your game
Michelle (07:26):
Very well. I’m always like, I can’t explain it, but I feel like it is a wonderful way to like, yeah. Wash off the day or just kind of undo the stress of the day. So I I’m I’m with you on the masking. Although I don’t think I usually to use that as a verb, but I like that masking masking. Yeah. Don’t don’t bother me. I’m masking. I love it. So that’s awesome. Tell us a little bit more about working at Amory. I mean the, the company is such strong values and I’m wondering how that filters down to company culture and you know, just what’s expected of you, like in a C level position. Tell us a little bit what, what it’s like on the inside there.
Rachel (08:03):
You know, we have a great team, we have a huge team that is amazing at what they do. And so luckily we that’s there, but I mean, there still is a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of pressure to always do it. Right. And always, I was, it’s interesting. I was trying my partner the other day or about just like appreciation and I feel like, oh, I had this, this idea and this, this and this. And I just feel like there’s limited appreciation for somebody who’s in a manager position. And he is like, but that’s your job to just do great. And you don’t get any appreci, like that’s okay. And I was like, dang, maybe you’re right. Like maybe that what it is. And so there’s a lot of pressure on you to know what to do know when to do it, know how to do it, know how to direct, to do it and to do it well. And then that’s it. And it’s, it’s a lot sometimes, but I think at the end of the day, it’s like, oh, that’s, that’s my job. That’s what I do. And it feels good. And hopefully we’re growing people to, to do the things too.
Michelle (09:03):
Now you strike me as someone that regardless of your job or position is always gonna try to do her best and succeed. And talk to me a little about that. Is that like a lifelong character trait?
Rachel (09:18):
Yeah, I think it is now that I think about it. I, I don’t know why. I don’t know when that started. I mean, I grew up with my brother and my dad and I guess when I was younger, I always did need to do things well and do them. Right. And I don’t know whether it is or where that stems from could just be my own internal thing of pushing myself and maybe critiquing myself, which probably isn’t the greatest thing. I’ve
Michelle (09:42):
Probably shared this before on the show, but I know for myself, one of my earliest memories of like having to be perfect and this was my way was when I was probably about 11 years old and I would keep track of what, of war to school every day, because I did not want to repeat the same outfit too often, you know? And it sounds silly, but that was like very, very important to me at the time. Can you think of anything from way back when that would’ve been an indicator? They might be someone to say like, you know, likes to be on top of her stuff.
Rachel (10:12):
I remember okay. When we were in the grocery store, so my dad, whenever we would cereal or things like that, or whenever we would wanna get anything, he’s like, no, it has too much sugar or it’s too expensive or it’s too this. And so whenever I would approach a situation with my dad at the grocery store, I would say, dad, can I get this? It has X amount of sugar, X amount of protein. This is the cost of it. It’s less than this product. And I would like give this cost comparison of the different cereals that I wanted. Like so ridiculous. I think I was maybe 10. So I’d say that’s probably the biggest thing that comes to mind. It’s kind of funny thinking of it, cuz I think of that often how weird I was.
Michelle (10:45):
Oh yeah. You showed up with a whole PowerPoint presentation about material and then on slide three, we’ll talk about the nutritional content
Rachel (10:53):
A hundred percent.
Resisting the urge to work constantly
Michelle (10:54):
Yeah. I think sometimes it can come from either expectations from our parents or just modeling ourselves after them in some way or living up to their whatever. But that, that sounds familiar. I know you’re type Rachel. I do. So here’s a follow up question. How do you think that? Cuz I know so many of our listeners are in the same position. Like we are a group of type a women who like to get stuff done, do it right the first time, be the best at whatever we put our sites on. How has it worked against you in your Life?
Rachel (11:27):
That’s terrible because you have these expectations that are unrealistic and it’s so silly and you end up working yourself to the bone to fulfill this thing. That’s not fulfilled. And I remember going to an event once and this older gentleman we were talking about just like things we’ve learned along the way. And I was super new to my position and this older gentleman was there and he’s like, I work too much. That’s what I’ve done wrong. And I was like, when I thrived on working Saturday night or early in the morning or after hours at 9:00 PM, like this was in the beginning of me being in Amory skincare. And I was like, that’s what I do. That’s that’s who I am. And when he said that, I was just kinda like, wait, why? Like what do you mean? And he was older and he was talking about his family and his hobbies and his things. You kind of lost touch on. And in that moment I was like, I don’t wanna be like that. No, that’s not healthy. And I think taking, taking that time because it could wear you down and realizing that it’s not healthy to do it, you know? And I, I can’t give like a specific example, but I think of five, 10 years of working myself so hard, like it does wear you down and you lose relationships and you get a little bit unhealthy eating cookies and coffee all day long for two years.
Michelle (12:42):
Yeah. You know, that can sure happen. So are there any ways that you temper that impulse or keep yourself in check? Like I’m curious how you organize your day or a week or, you know, boundaries that you’ve drawn.
Rachel (12:57):
Yeah. So definitely the small wins and meaning by that, I was reading an interesting article recently around not working the amount of hours that you think you should work, but like setting the goals that you have for your week, your month, your quarter and hitting those goals. And once you hit them, you’re you’re for the week, even if you’ve only worked 20 hours and like being okay with that. And we’re having a conversation about this, the executive team. And I think that’s an interesting point to adapt and, or adopt and adapt too. For me, it’s having those little wins where if I have a set of goals that I wanna do and I get one done, it’s a Thursday at two o’clock, I’m gonna sign off and I’m going to just really bask in the glory of that goal, getting done and go in the hammock and play with the puppies and do something and dedicate that time to relaxing and setting aside time.
Rachel (13:46):
And then for organization, Asana is, I don’t know if you’ve used Asana, but I, yes, I use it. Love it. It’s the best. I used it for my personal life. We bought a house last year and it’s just been renovation after next. And I was going mental during the first two months. I was really just like losing it. I’m like, what about this contr? What about that? What about all these tiles? What about this walk? Like just different things. And I couldn’t get it straight. I was like, what am I missing? I was the son. So I plugged everything in there and just organized it out. And it was gorgeous. And I think like taking the time to do that because I did feel better about it. I think anybody would. Oh
Michelle (14:21):
Yeah. So were you assigning your contractors tasks and signing?
Rachel (14:26):
Not to those specifically, but it was, it was helpful for me to have it like all listed out all the names, all the numbers, all the dates, the details, the timelines. So I can follow up with them and keep track of it all. You know, I do know
Michelle (14:40):
I use Trello for that in my personal life. So I feel You, I like that.
Michelle (14:46):
Lots of lists, lots of check boxes. That that’s a really good tip. I mean, we, we use this, my project manager and I, we use WASANA for my business, but I have never once thought about using it in my personal life, but that’s great. Any project, even a vacation, it helps. Yeah. Plan.
Rachel (15:01):
No, we put our vacation in there. So a friend of mine, we went to Europe one summer. We had it in a board view, but we had every single month or not month, every single country listed out. Cause we’re going to quite a few different countries, packed it in there. We had our Airbnbs, our, where we’re going to visit the things that we needed to do the restaurants we wanted to go to. Like it was AMA, it sounds very bougie, but very helpful when you only have a dedicated amount of time to relax, you need to make sure you relax hard.
Michelle (15:31):
Oh, I like that. I mean, it sounds like a lot of work initially to put things into a platform like that, but in the end you find it gives you more time off. Totally. Yeah. Oh gosh. All of our listeners right now are like salivating at this. I mean, there’s nothing we love more than like a good color coded spreadsheet or yeah. Any kind of these organizing tools. Love that. And I imagine that you need it. Like if you’re going to advance and be at a C level position at any company, you need to be able to organize your time and organize your yourself. Not to imagine what’s going on at work. What else do you think has helped you succeed in this role at AnnMarie Skincare
Rachel (16:13):
as you were saying that I’m like, that’s an such an interesting point. Cause I think like over the years, learning what you need to get yourself out of. So kind of making yourself obsolete. So making sure that you are training somebody else and exactly what you can do because the moment you do that you can grow and do something else, else, and grow in your role. And I’ve even, you know, tried to teach this to some of my team. Just why do you need to do that? Like I know you love it and you’re great at it, but you don’t need to do anymore. Pass it on, learn something new because that’s how we continue to grow. And so I think that has been a major thing. Kevin, our CEO always, you know, said that to me and still says it to me. Do you need to do that? Like, can you make yourself OB? I’m like, you’re right. I don’t need to do it. Like there’s some things I love and I won’t let go of, but other things like just constantly growing out of it and replacing myself with it.
Michelle (17:02):
That’s an awesome way of thinking about it. I know that applies to me as a solopreneur. Sounds like it applies to the team over at Amory. And then what about in larger core settings? I’m curious if it would apply there as well? I would have to think so.
Rachel (17:17):
Yeah. I would think so too, because if you have somebody at a, you know, more of a starting or entry level position and they start doing things that are more needed and making their things, unneed, they’re gonna get seen in that aspect and they’re gonna get pulled to do those things, you know?
Type A self-care advice from a COO
Michelle (17:34):
I do know. All right, well I’m, I’m gonna re-listen to that part a couple times. Cause it’s a lesson I know I need to learn. So thank you for that. Since we’re almost at time, I have one last question for you. If there’s one piece of advice that you could give any woman who’s looking to take better care of herself and succeed in her career at the same time, what would that be? Masking it’s masking. Isn’t it
Rachel (18:01):
Just mask? I would say honestly, not to be so hard on yourself cuz I feel like there is much pressure from everybody else on us. And I feel like we’re, we’re like our little cheerleaders. We have to be our little cheerleaders in the, you know, in our brains and cheering ourselves on. So just recognizing your, your strengths and recognizing what you’re great at and honoring those and celebrating those. That is one thing that I’ve learned to do a little, a bit more of over the years and that’s helped me
Michelle (18:31):
A lot. Amen. Rachel, thank you so much for being on the show.
Rachel (18:35):
Yeah, of course. Thank you so much.
Michelle (18:50):
I think my favorite tip from Rachel aside from masking is to try and make ourselves obsolete by training others, to do our job, freeing ourselves up, to grow into a new role. And I’m just like looking around me like, Hmm. There’s no one else here. It’s just me running this business. Maybe one of you would like to take over this podcast. I don’t know. I don’t know. I have to really, really think about that idea, but I like it. And I also realize that not every company culture is like Anne Marie skincare. So if you are feeling run down, stressed out, you’re dealing with the symptoms that come with stress like fatigue, anxiety, insomnia. My she’s got power. Signature system will be released soon. It’s affordable. It’s the same system I use with all of my clients. And you can put your name on the interest list at she’s got power.com/spring 2022. And I’ll let you know, as soon as registration is open this spring, I feel like I need this too. It’s been a really long winter. It’s been a long couple of years since COVID turned our world’s upside down. It’s really time to replenish until then. Let me know what you think about this episode over on Instagram. I’m at she’s got power or leave a review on apple podcast and maybe I’ll read it aloud next week. I’ll see you then.