E19: Who's Gonna Take Us to Jail? with Leadership Coach Parissa Behnia

When Does It Get Good?

“Who’s going to take us to jail for deciding to re-record a podcast episode?” Parissa Behnia asks Zovig Garboushian. “This is a beautiful invitation for us to walk our talk. If we tell other people not to be so hard on themselves, then why can’t we take that same invitation for ourselves?”

Parissa, who’s an executive coach, a speaker, and the author of “Modern Badass: Tales from the Leadership Front,” joins Zovig in this episode. They recount how Zovig felt uncomfortable with their original recording, unsure of how to address the issue. When she finally voiced her concerns, Parissa responded with understanding, suggesting they simply re-record the episode. This experience became a valuable lesson in self-compassion, flexibility, and perfectionism—reflecting the very coaching advice they give their clients.

They explore the importance of giving oneself grace and how embracing imperfection is essential for personal growth. Parissa and Zovig encourage listeners to shift away from rigid expectations and instead see mistakes as opportunities for learning. By fostering a mindset of self-compassion, they show how this approach can lead to greater creativity, resilience, and a healthier, more sustainable path to success.

Quotes

• “What if, in accepting our mortality, we actually perform even better than we would if we were trying to do everything on our own? What if we would allow ourselves imperfection in pursuit of something audacious, amazing, or that next big thing, because we’ve shared with everyone that we are mortal, that we are flawed, and that we don’t always do things as well as we could?” (09:52 | Parissa Behnia)
• “There isn’t a perfect tree in nature. So, if there’s no perfect tree in nature, why are we creating these unfair standards for us in terms of how we live?” (21:24 | Parissa Behnia)
• “The only way that you can get stronger over time is by having tiny tears in your muscle. That’s how you build muscle. What you and I experience, where we say, ‘Oh my gosh, I really screwed that up,’ or ‘This was a setback,’ or ‘I messed that up,’ what if we were to look at it as the way building strength actually looks? We had a tear in our muscle, and over time, that makes us stronger.” (31:15 | Parissa Behnia)
• “When you say, ‘What are your top three values or your top five values?’ or any number of exercises that you can do to figure that out, it’s, ‘All right, well, how do you create the environment that is consistent with those values?’ or ‘how do you be with people so that you’re with them and still align with your values?’ Once that stuff is identified upfront, the environment becomes easier to suss out. Understanding your triggers becomes easier to suss out because they’re always attached to what your values might be.” (45:18 | Parissa Behnia)

Links

Connect with Parissa Behnia:

Parissa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behnia/

Parissa's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Badass-Tales-Leadership-Front/dp/1957651210

Parissa's Website: https://sixensestrategy.com/

Connect with Zovig Garboushian:

Website: www.boldnessablazecoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoviggarboushian/

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