Coffee with Tamara: Your Roadmap to Being an Everyday Innovator (2025)

Tamara’s Everyday Innovator style is Risk TakerExperiential.What’s yours?

Sticky Inspiration: Your roadmap to being anEveryday Innovator includes 5 stages

Lesson & Action: To progress forward you mustremember these three key insights: don't compare yourself toothers, each stage is not created equally, and the end is never theend.

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Raw Podcast Transcript:

Hey everybody, Tamara here, your host, creator of the InnovationQuotient Edge Assessment Guide at the Everyday Innovators OnlineToolbox, and according to my kids average cook. All right, today Iwanna talk about your roadmap to innovation and influence. I'veworked with tens of thousands of everyday innovators.

They're in our global community through the clients that we'vereached, and one of the things that I've discovered is that thereare five stages to your roadmap, to innovation and influence, and.Three insights that help people move forward. And I wanna share thefive stages and those three insights with you today.

Cuz I think whether you're starting the journey in the middle ofit towards the higher levels of it, it's gonna apply to your workand to your life no matter where you are. So let me back up for asecond and just talk a little bit about what I even mean by theroad to innovation and influence to me.

This is really all about getting to that place where you liveyour life, make your decisions, guide your behavior, your mindsetthrough the lens of being an everyday innovator. That's someone whosees opportunities. CR, a strong creative problem solver, strategicthinker, great at making decisions when they need to be made.

An innovator is the one that leads in uncertain and challengingtimes. and influence is all about influencing others, makingan impact that ripple effect out, not just getting buy-in for yourideas, but also that's very important of course, but also beingthat rising tide that lifts all boats. So innovation is about youbeing that everyday innovator, unlocking that incredible talent youhave inside of you.

And influence is about amplifying your voice and your. . Andwhat we want in these five stages is to go through the journey thatmakes that innovation and that influence being an everydayinnovator, something that happens naturally. You know, oftentimespeople will say to me things like, oh, Tamara, um, I'm not theinnovative one.

It's um, Xander down the hall with his cool glasses and hispurple hair. Like he's the innovative one, not. What I know whatthey're really saying is, and they may not realize it is, I've not.Engage that skill that I have inside of me. And so it's hard andit's dormant and it feels exhausting and it feels not for me.

And I think unfortunately, we've developed this narrative in theworld that says that being an innovators for the select few, youknow, these elite geniuses with their, you know, people like SteveJobs and Elon Musk and JK Rawling, and they're all, don't get mewrong, they're all incredible. I. , but they're also geniuses.

And as someone said to me once, it was actually a neuroscientistI spoke to, he said, here's the thing, Tamara. He said, genius israre, but creativity is common. And I love that because what ourresearch and our work has discovered is that everybody ha is aneveryday innovator. But as you know, how we do it is unique to eachof us.

And what our research uncovered is that there's nine triggers orstyles, ways that we as humans innovate and what we all. Is thecombination of two power triggers our wellspring of innovation anda dormant trigger, and that's our least powerful play. That's ourunique everyday innovator style. And when we leverage that, we geton the road to innovation and influence.

So no longer do we say that's Xander down the hall. We say, yep,that's me. I'm an everyday innovator. I solve problems. I movefurther faster. I think sideways. I seize opportunities. Change anduncertainty are. Fuel for the recipes that I build. All right,let's dig into what those five stages to innovation and influencelook like.

Um, and I recently posted about this actually yesterday as I'mrecording this, and it got so much conversation. That's why I'mtalking about this on the podcast today. And I think understandingthe five phases really helps people move through them and then theinsights will help you. , I think help you go further faster aswell.

All right, so let's talk about 'em. So the first phase isdiscover. Discover is all about reframing your mindset anddiscovering this powerful new innovation framework that serves youand that's your unique everyday innovator style and the method thatgoes along with it. Here's what happens in this phase, this iswhere we recognize that business as usual, no longer works for.

So we're finally saying, you know what? How I'm doing thingsisn't working. The approach that I'm using, what got me to here isnot gonna get me to there. I need to make a change. That in itselfcan be very hard for people, don't you think? So at this point, wego, okay, what I'm doing isn't working, and I know that innovationcould be my greatest advantage.

I know that innovators are the ones that lead during change anduncertainty. , but I don't necessarily have the right framework tomake it happen, or Right. I would've done it already. So now we'regonna reframe the mindset around what it means to be an everydayinnovator and accelerate that success. So discover is all aboutuncovering the habits, the routines of behaviors, the mindsets thataren't serving you, and starting to really shed those.

Think about for a moment what it would be. , if you shed thatmindset, that belief, and the actions and behaviors that arekeeping you stuck, what would it be like to shed those? I think itwould feel pretty great, and what I've dis what I've found in thisdiscover phase is that reframe. Allows you to see the world througha different lens.

So once we get through discover, and we're reaming thosemindsets and we're discovering that powerful new innovationframework, what we have inside of us, we go to unlock. And that'swhere we start to actually shed old habits that keep us stuck. Andadd innovator habits that propel you forward. Think of it likethis.

If you've got a B, um, let's say you've got a bunch of bricksinside of you and these are holding you up. These are like yourbone. and you wanna remove the bricks that aren't servingyou. But you can't just leave blank space, you crumble. And infact, when there's a void, oftentimes the old habits, thenegativity, the things that aren't serving us are what try to shrush back in.

So in this case, right, we're going to take new bricks thatserve us, those innovator bricks, and we're gonna put those in. Sohere you're ready to unlock your hidden or dormant innovationskills. By unlocking your unique everyday innovator style, youknow, in this phase, and unlock number two, that diving deep intoyour natural innovation talent is the key to solving your stickychallenges, unearthing new opportunities, and feeling more joy andsatisfaction.

So in unlock, We're shedding the things that don't work for us,and we're starting to really explore and delve into thoseincredible natural talents and strengths that we have inside of us,particularly about being an innovator that do serve us. So we'vegone through discover where we're reframing.

We've gone through unlock, where we're shedding and adding newones, new habits. Now we move into activate. Activate is where westart to experiment, actually put into motion. Your powerfulinnovator talents, sharpening and strengthening your skills daily.Here's the thing, your brain, while not technically a muscle inthis way, acts like one.

So the more we sharpen it, the more we strengthen it, the morefuel we give it, the stronger it gets. So here as we experiment andbuild and test and grow, we are actively strengthening ourinnovator muscles. We've gotta do it consistently and with, in. Sohere you start to get excited to put who you are at your best.

That's what an everyday innovator is. It's you at your best intoaction daily, and you begin to explore and experiment with yournewfound innovation skills. It'll start to feel like things aregetting easier as you sharpen your natural innovation talents. Sono longer does being an innovator feel exhausting, hard for someoneelse, frustrating.

It starts to get a little easier and a little easier as yousharp. These natural talents inside of you. So the activate stageis all about practicing and bringing your style of innovation tolife daily. It's very, that's why it's called active. It's very inmotion. We are starting to take these things that we now understandabout ourselves and put 'em into practice daily.

Like I said, it's like going to the gym of Innovation everysingle day. And when we do that, you can't. , but get to the nextphase. Number four, which is command. Command is where you achievenew levels of innovation mastery as you heighten your abilities andthe success you're getting from it. Think of it like this.

It's kind of like being a black belt in martial arts. So you nowhave this new level of mastery, and it shows other people can seeit in you. You innovate daily with intention, applying your skillsto your challenges and opportunities, big and small, and youcontinue to invest in yourself because you recognize that in orderto maintain mastery, you must continue to learn and grow.

In this phase command, I mentioned being like a black belt inmartial arts. Well, if you've ever done martial arts or knowanything about martial arts and you know that when you hit blackbelt, you don't stop. It's not game over. You haven't learnedeverything there is to know. What happens at the black belt levelis you continue to train.

You just do it differently, right? You have to maintain yourlevel in your skill, just like any other skill in life. And we,we've done that and we are masters of being everyday innovators andwe're continuing to grow and. We move up to the final stage, whichis influence, and this is where you elevate your game as you becomean innovation influencer, amplifying your voice and value.

So in this phase, now that you own like truly own, from theinside out, from mindset to action, to environment, to all. Youreveryday innovator style, you can focus on how to amplify your VOvoice and value. Here you are moving from not just being arockstar, everyday innovator, but also in learning the skills tolead and influence others.

You elevate your game by igniting innovation, influencingothers, and making a massive impact influence. This stage is aboutthe ripple effect out that you can create. Remember I was sayingabout an everyday innovator that not just you get buy-in for yourideas? Yes, that's part of influence stage. Also, you become thatrising tide that lifts all boats so that people around you areimpacted in a positive way by you and they become strongerinnovator.

Because of you, your value is recognized. You have a strongvoice in your work, in your community, wherever it is. So lemme goback real quick and just highlight these. For you, and I want youto be thinking about where you are in the phase. And then I wannaget to the three insights because I think this is a part that'sreally important to remember as you start to really map out yourjourney.

So one is discover. So this is where you reframe your mindsetand discover a powerful new innovation framework that serves you.Two is unlock, this is where we actively shed those old habits thatkeep you stuck and add in innovator habits to propel you. , then wemove up to activate. This is where we start to experiment.

Start to intentionally go to that gym of innovation and use yourpowerful innovator talents, sharpening and strengthening yourskills daily. That moves you up to command, which is where youachieve whole new levels of innovation. Masteries, you heightenyour abilities and success. This is that black belt of martialarts.

Then up to the top is influence where you elevate your game asyou become an innovation influencer. amplifying your voiceand your value. So think about where you are on this. Now, I'veinteracted with tens of thousands of everyday innovators across theglobe, and I've learned some really important and very interestingthings about being on this journey.

And I wanna share three really important insights that have comeout of this that I. Can also help you move yourself forward. So letme share with you what they are and then I'll dig into each. Numberone is you can't compare yourself to others. Number two is eachphase is not created equally. And number three is the end is notthe end.

So number one, you can't compare yourself to others. You mightbe in the unlocked phase while someone you admire is in the commandphase. It's not better. It's just at a different phase of thejourney you'll get there and in the way that works for you, andthey got there in a way that works for them. I know in our socialmedia, instant gratification, let's all put our best self onlineworld that we live in.

It's comparison is very easy and it's very hard not to do. But Ireally, I've learned that people who don't compare and just dotheir. are the ones that win. You know, I'll tell you on aside note, I was swimming today. Um, My partner and I were, we wereswimming, we were training for an Ironman, and so we're in thepool.

We're doing the same program, so we're, we're doing the exactsame swimming, right, the same speed, same distances, all that. Andhe is faster than me. And I started getting really frustratedbecause I couldn't catch up to him, and I kept trying. I don'tthink he even knew I was competing by the way he was doing histhing.

And at one point about halfway through the training, I had torealize, okay, ta. You're not even competing against him in therace. You're doing this race for yourself. Why are you competingagainst him in the pool? Why are you comparing yourself to him?Now, I'm all about friendly competition, but I was comparing like,why is he faster than me?

Well, also, he's been doing this for five or six more years ofme. I didn't even have my first swim lesson until I was 49 yearsold. That's right, you heard it, right? 49. So why am I comparingmyself to someone who's been doing iron? For, I don't know, is it10 years now? I'm not even sure. And has done, oh my gosh, almost12 of 'em, and he's amazing.

But why am I comparing myself? It's not worth it. Don't do it.We all go through the journey at different phases, different paces.We experience different success. We hit different roadblocks. Whatbonds us all together in this case, and the innovation influencejourney, and what matters. is that we're all working towardsunleashing 1 million everyday innovators across the globe so thatwe can innovate, influence, and make an impact on the personal,local, and global scale, meaning the things that we wanna do.

So it's great to have that bond. It's great that he and I aretraining together towards this event that we're both doing, butcomparison is the enemy and your journey is your journey. Okay? Thesecond insight is each phase is not created equally. We often needmore time to shed old beliefs and eliminate the behaviors andpatterns that don't serve us before we can begin to build newmindsets and habits that transform us into everyday innovators.

So sometimes that initial discovery phase or even the phaseright after that, the unlocked phase, sometimes people need alittle extra time and attention. . And when we do that, the otherphases go faster. But you know, from being on other journeys inlife progress and the speed of progress changes as you move throughyour journey.

So don't get frustrated when one phase seems to be taking a longtime and maybe the one before move quickly, but now this one you'restruggling. That's how it works. Progress and speed of progresschanges. So each phase is not created equal. and it's defdefinitely different for each person. All right.

Third, insight is the end is not the end. So like I said, justlike playing a, being a black belt in any martial arts, you don'tstop training. When you hit that elite level, you just starttraining differently. So, in fact, not many people know this, but Ihave a black belt in TaeKwonDo, and I'll never forget my senseicoming to me when I got my black belt and after the ceremony, andhe said, you know that this now.

That you are gonna work harder and have more responsibility forothers in this community. I took that very seriously. He'sabsolutely right. I needed to continue to train. I needed tocontinue to perfect my skills or create pro. I don't know thatperfection ever happens that maybe as progressed my skills, but Iheard his point, right?

We just start training differently. Being an innovator becomes., but we have to continue to train so that we don't lose it andthat so that we get stronger as the masters that we are. So the endis not the end. And you know, I'm so proud of the thousands ofeveryday innovators in our community that have reached command andinfluence phases.

But you know what? I'm even prouder of the fact that theycontinue to grow and evolve. They continue to put in the work to beeveryday innovators because they know the benefit of it. They knowhow valuable it is. In their own lives when they do that. So don'tcompare yourself to others. Each phase is not created equally, andthe end is definitely not the end.

I hope. After listening to this podcast, you'll do two things.One is if you don't know your everyday innovator style already,take a second and go find out. I think you'll find it really worthyour while. It is. At your best, how you perform at your peak, howyou add value, all of it. And then I want you to go onto any of mysocial media accounts.

The links are on the website page, and if you type in originaltomorrow or Launch Street, you'll find us. And I want you to lookat the infographic I put up with this journey, and I want you tothink about where you are and what you need to. I bet you have theanswer. And sometimes I think that internal voice is there and it'scalling to us and it has the answers, but we never just sit downand give it a chance to speak.

We never just think about it. So discover your everydayinnovator style and then think about where you are in the journeyand how to map it out for success.

Tamara out.