Join me as I speak with Courtney Turich, as powerful change agent. Courtney shares how relying on her strengths has helped her to overcome the challenges and changes that have come her way. You will be inspired by Courtney to draw on your own strengths in your own life.
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About Courtney Turich:
Leader. Motivator. Coach. Visionary. Achiever. Real. Authentic.
Courtney is a trained business coach that excels in sales, marketing, talent acquisition, and leadership who began her healthcare career at Stryker in 2004. Starting as a field rep on the Navigation product line, she was quickly promoted to a Global Product Manager, bridging the technology gap between surgeons, engineers, the field team, and overall corporate demands worldwide. Moving back out to the field, she joined the Stryker Biologics division, leading a sales team and distributor network on disposables for half the US until 2014. With innovation being at the forefront, Courtney took a leap into the entrepreneurial world, developed a product and company that was featured on Shark Tank to win a deal with Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban. Missing the healthcare dynamics, it was time to step back into Medtech with Veran Medical, where she led a top producing team, from capital to disposables, which became critical for the company’s acquisition (acquired by Olympus Corporation). Courtney is a risk taker who believes it’s never too late for the next challenge!
Transcription
Stacie Crawford
So Courtney, this is our second time getting together. The first time was interrupted by teenagers dumping ready to bake cookies and to the bottom of the oven, and we had to cut things short. So I appreciate you rescheduling and taking the time to come back and talk with me because we were having a really good conversation. And so there are a couple of things that I wanted to bring up and bring back. But first, since we are re recording, can you please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do, Courtney,
Courtney Turich
of course, well, happy to be back with you, Stacey, even if there was a cookie crisis before. But my name is Courtney, turmeric and I have been in the medical device industry for 20 plus years, primarily in sales and leadership roles. But I did take a small hiatus and did my own entrepreneurial stent on a show called Shark Tank, which was pretty exhilarating. But then quickly realize that I wasn’t gonna make million Stacey, I’m just gonna say it, you know, I’m gonna just lay it out. It was not everything I anticipated and realize that something was missing inside me, and got back to really what the root of what I enjoyed to do is and that was back in the medical space, helping others and bringing new technologies to life.
Stacie Crawford
I love it. I love it. Now you and I met through our coaching programs. So how does coaching fit into the medical device industry? And just how did that come to play into your world? It seems a little out of left field for someone who’s doing sales and marketing and you know, doing all these high flying things that you were doing? How did you get into coaching?
Courtney Turich
Great question. So it was really during COVID That this was brought to light for me, I’ve always enjoyed developing young professionals and coaching them and making sure they understood their strengths to really thrive when they’re out there in life and and personally and professionally. So COVID is I found this need to search for something more, I realized I had this gift with people. And that’s when I found the AIPAC coaching school that we went to and decided, you know, what, if I really believe that this is a gift I have, how can I make it better?
Stacie Crawford
How can I maximize my strength with this? And that’s really when I jumped to plead in with AIPAC. You know, it’s so interesting. We all of us talk about the hardships that COVID has created in our lives. And yet, what I’m finding is that so many people have found beautiful opportunities within it. And so many of us in our group that went through the training program, it we really have some kind of similarity that the fact that COVID was occurring was the thing that allowed us to take the time to put that personal development desire into action and get that training at that time, because there was no other time to do it. And so many of us in our group, were just like, Yeah, this is the perfect time, like this is the, you know, huge neon sign that it is like now is the time to make this change to go after it and get it done. So it’s interesting. And I’m of course, you know, me, I like hearing the good that comes out of the hardships because that’s why I’m here doing this podcast, I enjoy hearing what people have found that has blessed them. When I think about you and I think about that time, you had a lot more than just COVID going on, during the start of the pandemic and a lot more than even, hey, I’m in the medical device industry. I’m going to try out Shark Tank, see what goes from there. And then No, I think I’m gonna go back there. There was a lot more going on in your life at that time. Can you tell us a little bit about
Courtney Turich
that? Sure. So, um, so many things here that come to mind for me and first, it’s the coaching program, right? So not only did I have a lot of things going on, personally, I jumped into this coaching program really thinking that that I was going to learn how to make others better. What I didn’t realize I knew that before I can help others be better, I had to take a deep dive within myself. And now I know how I can make myself better. So it was a really like experience where I was opening up a lot inside my core and facing a lot of my Gremlins are demons and like, How can I become stronger, so I can know how to coach others. So that was one part of it. And then all of a sudden, throw in a bunch of life change that took place. You know, we had COVID, I look back at COVID. And reality, I think it was a blessing like you Stacy, I see the positive out of everything at the end, for the most part, because it gave me that chance to reflect on myself to know who I am or at my core, but also to embark on this new life adventure and change. I’m not gonna lie at the beginning, Stacy, it was probably there were so many moving parts that it rocked me to my core. And I just faced it head on, I had we had to move out of our house and Austin due to some foundation issues. At that point, I wasn’t happy with my professional career, or a new job I took. So I decided to leave. And with all that we picked up and we moved to cross country from Austin, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina, put our stuff in storage and basically lived the Airbnb hotel life for an entire year until we could get our feet back on the ground.
Stacie Crawford
Wow, wow. And it’s, uh, when you say we, it’s not just you and your husband, you also have a son who had to adjust to this and, you know, he falls into what I, what I categorize as little guys, you know, yeah, he’s a little guy. And so the little guy, big stuff going on, not just for you, you know, you’re not making these decisions just on your behalf. And you’re not making these decisions just on your and your spouse’s, you know, it’s not just affecting you guys, still, you’ve got this little guy that right to also figure out how this is going to affect him. And again, within the pandemic, where it’s like, we’re going to move across country, and we might not be able to leave our house, but we’re going to live in Airbnbs and hotels, and we don’t have all of our normal things. And, and, and there’s so much going on there. You know, for those of us that would be those of us on this side of this screen. That changes a little scary, you know, that’s, that’s big, big stuff. Now, I know you change is exciting to you, you Yes, change. I do. Did you like that though? I mean,
Courtney Turich
this change rocked me to my core. However, you know, it’s funny, I now passed all that adventure. And I’ve been in my house now for four months, my son is He’s in a great school here. I in my next professional phase, and I look back, and it’s like a blip against Stacey in life. I mean, it’s really like, oh, I went through that. But during that year, I am not going to lie, it was hard. There were moments, I didn’t know that I could make it the next week if we had to pack our bags up and move to another place. But I’d like to believe that the reason I enjoy change so much and consider myself a change agent is really focused on the strengths of who I am at my core. And I only know one way, Stacy and that’s to take action. And so when something hits me in the face, I put blinders on. And I have to charge Ford. Whether I am a, you know, a bull in a china shop, I only know to move forward. Because if I stop, and I let that fear take hold of me. It’s paralyzing. Yes. And that gets me nowhere. So I really when I reflect on why again, change is exhilarating to me. I do pull from those strengths from within that allow me to enjoy it. You know,
Stacie Crawford
that is really interesting, because I think that well, actually, let me ask you this. Do you think that you created that default mode of going into action because you didn’t like that feeling of being paralyzed and stuck in confusion and all that kind of stuff? Or do you think that like taking action is actually your default and that’s just who you have always been? Like when you think about being a little kid, were you a, I’m just gonna go for it? Or, or did you teach yourself to do that?
Courtney Turich
I believe it’s within my core. And I’ve always had it, Stacy. So I’m a big believer in the Gallup strength finder. And they say that your strengths do not change much throughout life. And what’s really unique about this, I took the Gallup strength finder, when I was 24. And I took it again, when I was 42. My top five strengths stayed the same except to arrange a little bit different within my top five. So based on their philosophy, and doing that own activity with myself, and kind of, of now looking back at my past, and how I handled situations, it’s who I am at the core. And knowing if I can just pull from those strengths from within those top five strengths. I really believe I’m unstoppable. And I can thrive and push through all these obstacles in life that are hard, doesn’t mean it’s too easy. Stacy does not mean it’s easy. For me, it’s so hard. But if I can really leverage those strengths and focus ahead, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you know what, we’ll get through it, and we’ll be stronger on the other end. And that’s what’s amazing. Yes,
Stacie Crawford
I love it. And, you know, with the people that I coach, I have really started to dig in to focusing on them finding their authentic selves, because I have come to realize, through coaching people, and through my own experiences. We’ve learned so much from what we experienced ourselves, I have learned that exactly what you said, relying on who we are at that core to push us forward to be that piece that allows us to get through the hard parts easier. It’s an amazing, amazing thing. To be able to look at your strengths and say how can I use this in this moment? Can be something that really gets us to be unstuck. And yes, for those of us that don’t like that feeling of being stuck, you know, for me, overthinking, I’m on the hamster wheel. Yeah, I’m on the hamster wheel. And I’ll be on that hamster wheel from 11 o’clock at night until four o’clock in the morning. That was not a good time to be on the hamster wheel. No, you know, so to find those strengths, and to be able to use those even in those particular moments. It’s so powerful, and it does allow us to tamp down those feelings of being out of control. No, it’s It’s really amazing. Now, you know, from from being in a coaching program, okay, well, what about is taking action, avoiding your feelings? And, you know, is there toxic positivity going on here? That’s not it. That’s not my experience. How
Courtney Turich
about you know, it’s not mine at all? I know, there’s pitfalls to some of these to my strengths, right. But I’m also aware of those pitfalls. And so it also makes me take another reflection when I am. So taking action, I put those blinders on. I do make sure I look to see if I’m not falling short of something. But that’s because I’ve trained my mind to do that. It’s not easy. Yeah. Yeah. And I would think that that takes quite a bit of time to train your mind to, frankly, stop in the midst of action and do a reevaluation and make sure okay, yes. Do I Do I keep on going?
Stacie Crawford
Do I keep on rolling? Yeah, right. Big, big stuff. Um, you know, there, there was something that you had said the last time that we had spoken, that I really wanted to bring up again, because I thought that it was something that is kind of related to this turning to the strengths piece that you have talked about. You had mentioned about someone in high school, giving you a little piece of advice, and I know that it stuck with you and that advice once I heard it from you, it has clearly stuck with me and been something that I’ve been like, Oh, this is such a powerful thing. So can you tell us the story I know you know what I’m talking about? Tell us the story, set us up, paint the picture and then tell us What you were told that was so impactful on
Courtney Turich
you? Of course, you know, it was back in high school, a gym teacher of mine, he was always somebody, I looked up to a role model. You know, when I had a problem, I would actually talk to him, he was just he provided so much wisdom. And I don’t remember the exact moment I was going through in high school. And who knows what that was at that point. So I probably thought my world was ending. But he did say something that stuck with me, that got me through some really dark times from that point forward. And that was tough times don’t last long, but tough people do. And it’s got me through I think back to a moment when my parents got a divorce shortly after high school and trying to figure out, what does this mean when you get dropped financially because of, of something like that. And you just, again, I take action and realize those tough times don’t last long and tough people do. And there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, stay strong, and believe in yourself, you’ll get on the other side. I love it. I love it.
Stacie Crawford
It’s so powerful. I think that a lot of people, when they’re going through change, have the tendency to get stuck in that feeling of, you know, why is this happening to me. And they forget all the things that they’ve been through before that they got through and that they are tough people and that they can get through this. And I think that having a little mantra of you know, tough times don’t last long, but tough people do. And you are tough. You have got this. That’s a huge, impactful thing that can change the way that people move forward and every change that comes their way in life. Yes, for sure. But you know, it’s okay to have pity for yourself for a moment. You just, you just can’t let yourself roll around in it for too long. Writing know, how do we know when it’s time to move on from the petty because we do have to be kind to ourselves, and we have to allow ourselves to feel the feelings. So how do we know? How do you know when it’s time for you to move on?
Courtney Turich
Um, you know, I laugh because one of it one of my top five strengths is positivity. Right? So believe it or not, um, so when I have those moments of feeling really negative. It’s, it’s not hard for me to pull myself out of it, because I don’t like that place I’m in. And it feels really, gosh, what is it? I think it’s different for everybody say, see it is and you’re right. What is that right moment? I don’t know. But I do know that if it’s a day and I’m in a funk, I better change my attitude, because I can’t be that way tomorrow. It’s not getting me anywhere. It’s not productive. And it’s not getting me to that next point in life. Right. So every day is a new day, every day is a new beginning. So if you need to take the day to have your pity party, have your flippin pity party and tomorrow, wake up and it’s a new sunny day.
Stacie Crawford
I love it. I love it. You know, when you’re going through something that when you’re going through a change that takes a lot of time. You know, like when I went through my divorce, the there were instantaneous changes. I went from being married to being separated. That’s an instantaneous change. I went from being separated to being divorced. That’s an instantaneous change. But it’s those pieces in between the like between separation and divorce. Well, for me, that was three years that was not instantaneous. Yes, the situation changed at you know, somebody signed a piece of paper and there was it was done. But that internal change took a very long time. Yeah. And while I would never wish a three year divorce on anybody else, I also think that it was exactly what I needed to learn how to beat myself during that time, learn how to grow and
Unknown Speaker
learn. What
Stacie Crawford
what does this mean for me? How do I adjust to this? How do I move into this next piece? And during that time was a very hard time for me of course emotionally I was rocked. But I remember being like okay. I don’t really have any clue how I’m Going to get through this. And I knew that because I had my children, that was my focus, if I just focused on them, and I just made the decisions on what was best for them. I knew that later down the road, Mae would sit there and say to me, You did your best, even if even if it was a wrong decision. Even if it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to you did your best because you had the right goal in mind. And that allowed me to have a lot of grace for myself. Yes. So I went from like, every single second of every single single day, I was feeling that Yuck, you know, and then I remember, like, oh, I had a moment of I forgot that I felt terrible. And then it turned into, Oh, my goodness, I just went an entire half an hour and forgot that I feel terrible. And, you know, this was not over the first week, this is over a long period of time. And eventually, it was like, oh, like, I forgot. And that’s because I was busy moving on in my life. And that was me being at the mercy of it, and not really taking a lot of conscious choice about how I’m going to be in the moment because I didn’t know how to do that at the
Courtney Turich
time. Right, right. Now make sense?
Stacie Crawford
Right. And then as I started to see, oh, you know, I actually have a choice about how I am responding to events, and really understanding that I don’t have to feel like cried all day, just because something bad is going on. Like that was foreign to me, what do you mean, I can choose how I feel? Or I can choose how I respond to this, like, aren’t my emotions just like my emotions? So getting to that point where you can be aware and be like, Oh, I’m feeling this way? Is that the way I want to feel? Now I’m going to choose? I think that that is one of the most powerful experiences that anybody can have. Yes, for those of us that don’t have maybe positivity in our top five strengths. So it doesn’t come as that default mode. Becoming aware, and using conscious choice is, is the next best thing.
Courtney Turich
For sure. You’re right, we all have a choice. Stacie. And it wasn’t until you know, I’m a big believer, everything happens for a reason. And I say that because when you take the time to go back and reflect on those scenarios that happen in your life, like you just did, guess what? It came to light that hey, you know what, I have the choice? Yes. Right. So you got to you got to dig into that process, you went through and realize, how did you get through? How did you make it through to the other side? Absolutely. The light bulb went off, we have a choice. We all have a choice. I love it. I love it.
Stacie Crawford
So let me ask you one more question. Was there anything that really surprised you about going through all these changes at once? Was there anything that really surprised you during that time about yourself with regards to change? Or were you operating truly at like, this was default, and I was just plowing through
Courtney Turich
twofold is default, it is default. I started to question myself through this past change, am I really good at change? Because it was grinding at my core so much, a little bit there towards the end. And to your point, it wasn’t just me. It was my son. It was my husband that I was also responsible for and I was trying to discover my new profession. Right. So I’m digging through a lot of what is next for coordinate to on top of this, like, what is my new identity? And, you know, getting through now getting through that change. It’s like, okay, I am so much stronger for it. I know who I am even more as a professional. But guess what? I jumped back into more change again, right. Like, there’s only a little bit of common Courtney’s world. Yeah. And then it’s time to shake it back up. And I just took a new role about two weeks ago. It’s foreign to me. And change is happening. I’m bumbling. I’m messing up. And I’m realizing no matter where you’re at in life, where you’re at in your profession, your seniority, guess what we all get knocked down. That And we don’t stop getting knocked down. And the moment you believe you’re not going to get knocked down, Stacie, guess what? Oh, with that
Unknown Speaker
big ones come in the big ones coming and you get knocked
Courtney Turich
hard, you get punched. And then guess what? It’s time to get back up and take learn from it, realize what the changes you need to make happen. And move forward.
Stacie Crawford
Courtney, you are so inspiring to listen to. And you know, of course, I adore you and think you’re an amazing human being back atcha. So think that, you know, you operate in a very different way than I do as a default mode. And the way that you operate seems so easy, and so out of reach for someone who is afraid of change. So what advice do you have for those people that are sitting there saying, Well, yeah, but this comes easy to her. What about for someone like me? I’m scared, I can’t do it like she does. She’s smart. She’s not afraid. What about for them? What do you have to say to them?
Courtney Turich
You know, Stacie, it is it is the default for me. And you’re right. In my mind, it comes easy, but it’s not always easy. And I have come to realize that it’s not easy for everyone. And we’re all different. And I have to have compassion for people who also don’t know how to how to pick up during those times. We’re at the same point I want. I ask people to look inside themselves, and what is it that’s really holding them back? What is that? What is that? I’m going to call that Gremlin that something that is saying you can’t move forward? We all have them. I have them is Oh, yeah, I’m I don’t know if you remember when I finally found my true Gremlin Stacy, it was really emotional. And still when I mentioned that Gremlin is still rock speechify core. Yes. Do I believe it’s true? No, I don’t. But I’m always out to beat that Gremlin. Because if that Gremlin takes a hold of me, I will not get up. Yes. Yes,
Stacie Crawford
I understand. I hope I answered your question. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Um, is there anything else that you would like to add that you think that people who are listening to this podcast should hear or think about,
Courtney Turich
you know, during tough times, and during these times of change for yourself, I want to go back to Yes, have grace for yourself. Take that moment to really give yourself the love you need. But I want you to lean into your tribe and those tribe or those people that help lift you up. Because Stacey, we can’t do it alone. No one can do it life alone. We’ve got to lean into the people who help to catapult us help us get over that fear that’s holding us back from that change. And if we can really surround ourselves with those people that can do that for us. It’s gonna help you get through that change. And no, no, no, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you will be stronger for it. Believe in yourself. Because you can do it
Stacie Crawford
correctly. That’s beautiful. Thank you.
Courtney Turich
Thank you.
Stacie Crawford
I want to thank you for being with me today. I so appreciate you this has been a really powerful time for me to spend with you. And I think that anybody listening is going to be inspired by you and be excited to maybe go in and figure out how they can go in and start attacking those changes from a new place of power using their strengths, using their tribe and of course, being kind to themselves. So thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your story and I appreciate you.
Courtney Turich
Thank you Stacie, this is great for me and it’s also good for me to reflect on this for myself. And guess what you’ve got me at my core there towards the end. So thank you.
Stacie Crawford
Thank you so much.