From Frenzy to Focus: Rhonda Petit Of 3x5 Coaching On How We Can Cancel Hustle Culture And Create A New Sustainable Work Paradigm

An Interview With Drew Gerber

Get into the spirit of the game. Spirit is life, love and light. Show up authentically. You are a spirit. Spread and share your gift. Give — Grow — Invest — Transform!

“Hustle Culture” is an ethos often propounded by young self-proclaimed internet gurus that centers around the idea that working long hours and sacrificing self-care are required to succeed. This mentality may have gained popularity in the mid-2010s, but it has peaked, and now it has been sardonically renamed “Burnout Culture.” So why exactly is Hustle Culture the wrong path to take? What damage can it cause? What is a viable, sustainable alternative to hustle culture? How can we move from Frenzy To Focus? In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, mental health leaders, marketing experts, business coaches, authors, and thought leaders who can share stories and insights about “How We Can Cancel Hustle Culture And Create A New Sustainable Work Paradigm.” As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Rhonda Petit.

Rhonda is a Sales and Business Peak Performance Coach and the Founder and CEO of 3x5 Coaching, where she works with both corporations and individuals to grow, unleash and activate more of their true potential and power. Prior to launching her coaching business, Rhonda worked in sales for 35 years with clients at Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. Her book, The Spirit of Selling: Using Universal Laws for Sales Success, contains actionable insight into the universal laws that govern successful selling.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to know how you got from “there to here.” Inspire us with your backstory!

We didn’t have much when I was little, and I was certainly motivated for financial gain at an early age. Mom would worry about the price of butter; we ate meals of hot dogs, tuna casserole, and the worst was liver dumplings. Then came a transformation once my parents started building their Amway business. I watched them go from negativity, lack, and a scarcity mentality to an attitude of possibility and abundance.

My sales career started with babysitting when I was 12, but my first big break was a job selling salts, solvents, and acids. I’d been a chemistry major, and everything started falling into place. Life has a beautiful way of unfolding into new experiences. Those early jobs had been stepping stones that led me to a sales career that has spanned more than 35 years.

Now, I coach sales executives involved in B2B medical device sales. It’s an honor to work with corporations focused on improving the human condition and with individuals looking to grow, unleash, and activate more of their true potential and power.

Tell us about your typical day!

I wake up at 6 a.m. and start with reading and meditation, then I get some sort of exercise, whether that’s going to the gym or going for a walk or a run. I usually spend 10 a.m. to noon working on projects or meeting virtually with clients. I’ve been focusing more on holistic eating lately, for source energy, so I’m prioritizing that at mealtimes. After lunch, I’ll keep working until about 4:30 p.m. Then, in the evening, I do whatever else needs to be done and spend quality time with my family. If I’m working past 5 p.m., my husband comes into my office and starts flickering the lights, signaling it’s time to head downstairs. Time blocking and having those work-life boundaries are important.

What lessons would you share with yourself if you had the opportunity to meet your younger self?

Observe rather than react. I’ve talked about in my book, The Spirit of Selling, that it’s like you’re sitting in the movie theater seat and you’re just watching what’s happening as opposed to jumping into the movie and becoming part of it. This doesn’t mean taking a passive role in your own life. It means you’re not getting wrapped up in other people’s agendas,dramas, and problems. Be really aware of how you’re spending your time and energy.

For me, meditation is a key piece of this. You can also simply take some time to reflect and review your day, your week, or your year. Look at what you’ve learned and do some introspection on how you can leverage that knowledge. How can that information help shape your future? Doing this review regularly can keep you out of reaction mode, and it can be the antidote to being stressed and running on empty.

I had a customer the other day tell me, “Rhonda, I’m your biggest fan. I thought this problem was going to be a lot worse, but you just handled it.” Instead of getting into the drama of the whole situation, I had just asked: “What is it that we can do to resolve the problem?” If my mind wasn’t in a state of calmness, that may not have been my approach.

Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Let’s start with a basic definition to make sure that all of us are on the same page. How do you define Hustle Culture?

Hustle Culture is being trapped in a cycle of reacting. You’re just playing a part in someone else’s movie. I did this for a long time. I’d go to work and get wrapped up in the drama, the crisis of the day, and the heightened emotions. This saps your power and causes you to spiral out of control.

It’s an outside-in philosophy. You’re reacting to everything else around you, and you’re not being driven from the inside out.

Now let’s discuss an alternative to Hustle Culture. To begin, can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on the problems that come with Hustle Culture?

I’ve been in corporate sales for more than 35 years, and the corporate world is built around a lot of hustle. I’ve lived the hustle, and I’ve really pushed myself, which has led to a lot of stress and burnout.

I’ve asked myself about the source of the stress, and a lot of it stems from fear. In a sales environment, that plays out in a lot of ways: Am I going to make my quota? Is my manager going to come down and fire me? Will I be able to meet all my financial demands, from taking care of elderly parents to providing for my kids’ education?

Hustle Culture pushes your cortisol and your fight-or-flight responses to the brink. If you’re getting chased by a bear, you’d want all that extra energy to push you to run as fast as possible. But you don’t want to be chased by a bear all day long.

The specific term “Hustle Culture” may have been popularized in the 2010s, but the concept behind it and the behaviors that come with it can be traced back hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years. From your vantage point, experience, or research, what were the main drivers of Hustle Culture?

People in America have the opportunity to work like crazy. Anybody can come to the marketplace and contribute, and building a business requires a lot of hard work. That strong work ethic can easily turn into Hustle Culture if you are not balanced and in alignment with your intentions and purpose. Unfortunately, many people are working out of desperation rather than inspiration, and that’s when it’s just not beneficial anymore.

I work in the marketing industry, and so I’m very cognizant of this question. What role do you see that marketing and advertising has played in creating the frenzy caused by Hustle Culture that many of us feel?

One of the biggest problems today is the instant gratification mindset. You’ll see weight-loss ads promising that you’ll lose 50 pounds in two weeks. Or there’s some angel investor scheme where you put in some money and then become a multi-millionaire in six months, and it just doesn’t happen that way.

Many companies are looking for short-term gain. What’s missing is the awareness of the law of compounding. Your habits compound over time and grow, just like an investment in a bank. I always stress a three-part formula: serve, invest and transform. Solve a problem or serve a need. You have to plant the seeds and nurture them to have them multiply. This is true for many aspects of the sales profession, like prospecting. When you compound the right habits and actions over and over again, your efforts will multiply. The snowball effect of your efforts is unseen in the beginning.

Can you help articulate the downsides of Hustle Culture? Why is this an unsustainable work paradigm?

Hustle Culture is bad for everyone involved, from employees to their families, employers, and customers. It’s a lot of go-go-go without stepping back and observing the passions, the needs, and the big picture. Hustle Culture leads to never being satisfied in this moment and working too hard on projects that matter too little. Instead, we need to reconnect with our purpose and use that source energy to fuel the work that we’re doing. We’ll become calmer, more effective, and more grounded in the process.

Let’s now discuss Focus, the opposite of Frenzy. Can you please share one area of your personal or business life where you simplified things and then felt less frenzied and more fulfilled? Can you please explain?

I like to focus on one project at a time until it’s complete. As entrepreneurs, we want to do so many different things, so we have 17 projects open and nothing’s done. So I like to step back and simplify. What’s the most important thing that I need to finish right now? What’s the one thing that will move the needle the most? That helps me focus and keep my attention on that particular project. It’s like a laser pointer, and everything gets done faster. You have to finish what you start.

What life experiences have you adopted in your business or personal life that have left you more satisfied? Can you please explain?

I’ve created the space to pursue more of my own passions and to build my business. I have a great opportunity working with a company that I really like, working 30 hours a week. I’m never going back to 40. In fact, I want to go the other way where I can work just three days a week. For now, working 30 gives me the freedom to work on my own projects.

I’ve been very careful not to over-obligate myself. I knew it’d be hard to do the consulting work for 40 hours a week and then to work on my business on top of that. I had to carve out the space for what I’m trying to grow. Now, I have 10 sacred hours that I can invest in my business every week. I can spend that dedicated time on my dream.

Okay, fantastic. Here is the main part of our interview. In your opinion, how can we break the addiction to being busy or trying to find the next big thing? How can people truly focus on tasks that make THE difference to their business and lives giving them satisfaction or life purpose alignment? Based on your experience and your area of expertise, can you please share “Five Ways To Move From Frenzy to Focused”?

1 . F: First things first. Focus on what moves the lever. For example, if you are in sales, it’s about making connection calls and engaging in consulting calls. Don’t get bogged down in what does not move the lever toward your dream.

2 . O: Observation is key to staying in the present. Be in the present where your power is!

3 . C: Concentration of Attention & Intention. Energy flows to where your attention goes. Intention gives you order. When you stay focused on your intention and purpose and keep your attention aligned with your purpose, you experience flow and power.

4 . U: Align with Universal Law. Remember you are a component of the universe, connected to everyone. When you create, think “in addition to” instead of either/or. Leave the universe and everyone you meet with an impression of increase.

5 . S: Get into the spirit of the game. Spirit is life, love and light. Show up authentically. You are a spirit. Spread and share your gift. Give — Grow — Invest — Transform!

How would you describe a work paradigm that is a viable alternative to Hustle Culture? What would it look like, and what would you call it?

Contribute and solve problems with your talents while connecting authentically with others. Share your gifts in a way that empowers other people. I’d call this the Calm Confident Paradigm.

This is the opposite of hustling. You’re not going 5,000 miles an hour. Instead, you’re internally at ease and working from the inside out. You’re using your purpose to make decisions and to guide you, with help from your emotional guidance system. This shows you what you’re supposed to be doing to have meaning and fulfillment as we pass through life.

When you’re showing up with calm confidence, you’re much more resourceful for everyone who’s around you. You’re present. When you’re in the hustle, you miss a lot of things because you don’t observe the scenery on the journey. You’re not observing, and you’re not present because you’re thinking too much about the past or the future.

Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that have inspired you about working differently?

Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine

The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

I’m also in a course with Kelly Roach that I’ve really enjoyed, and she’s written a number of books such as Unstoppable: 9 Principles for Unlimited Success in Business & Life.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can inspire.

I’d inspire a movement of expanding conscious awareness. Everything stems from that. People need to wake up and become consciously aware of themselves. You will find more power as you tap into that awareness. As your conscious awareness expands, you get to take more from every new experience.

If you have a closed mind and a closed heart, you create resistance. Resistance blocks the flow of energy. Stop holding the pain; let it go and learn from it. Take that feedback into your next experience. Having a closed mind or a closed heart is the main reason you remain stuck.

With a closed mind, you’re not allowing any new ideas to enter into your world. You’ve eliminated the possibility of observation and curiosity. The same thing goes for a closed heart. The heart is 5,000 times more powerful than your mind — when it is closed your magnetism is rendered.

Open your heart and your mind. As you do that, you’ll understand who you are, the divinity that lies within, and your conscious awareness will grow, so you’ll get much more from every experience.

What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?

I help sales teams reach new heights through my coaching business, 3x5 Coaching. My book, The Spirit of Selling, explains how universal laws can help any sales executive create magnetism in their sales process and create deeper connections by being authentic in their communication . People can join my Facebook group and connect with me on LinkedIn as well.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world. Schedule a free consultation at WasabiPublicity.com/Choosing-Publicity.