84. Assemble Your Crew

Episode 84: Assemble Your Crew

The Career Clinic Podcast

Host: Ronnie Dickerson Stewart

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Episode Overview

Welcome to Day Four of Week Two of The Career Clinic January Intensive.

In Episode 84, we name a foundational truth that often gets overlooked in conversations about leadership, growth, and execution: we are not meant to do this alone.

This episode explores what it means to assemble your crew. Not just people who help you stay accountable to what you said you would do, but people and resources who carry you and carry things with you — and who hold you to your truth, not just your plans.

A crew supports execution, yes. But just as importantly, a crew supports alignment. They notice when your words and your well-being drift apart. They help you tell the truth about what’s changing. And they walk alongside you as you grow and pivot.

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Why carrying everything alone quietly erodes capacity and joy
✔️ What a crew is — and what it isn’t
✔️ The difference between accountability and being held to your truth
✔️ Why support is a strategy, not a weakness
✔️ How crews carry you and carry things with you
✔️ Why every season of life benefits from intentional support

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The Core Idea: A Crew Carries You — and Carries Things With You

A crew doesn’t replace your agency or responsibility.

They carry you — emotionally, relationally, and energetically — when things feel heavy.
And they carry things with you — ideas, logistics, execution, and perspective — so you’re not holding everything alone.

Just as important, a crew doesn’t only hold you accountable to your to-do list.
They hold you to your truth.

They help you notice when:

• What you said you wanted no longer fits

• Your capacity has shifted

• The season has changed

• You need to pause, pivot, or renegotiate

We all need a crew — not to rescue us, but to walk alongside us.

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What a Crew Can Include ✍🏾

A crew isn’t limited to one role or relationship.

It can include a constellation of people and resources that support you in living and working with integrity and sustainability, such as:

• Mentors who help you see around corners

• Peers who understand your context

• Accountability partners who check in consistently

• People who celebrate you and ask honest questions

• Experts with skills you don’t have

• Technology, AI tools, and systems that reduce friction

• Contractors, assistants, childcare, and everyday support

Support doesn’t only come in human form — and this episode invites you to widen your definition.

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Examples of Crew in Action 🙌🏾

Ronnie shares lived examples of what intentional support can look like, including:

• A leadership retreat that evolved into an ongoing accountability and support crew

• Former MAIP interns who intentionally invested in group coaching and peer support as they advanced in their careers

• Using AI and technology as part of a modern crew — without outsourcing core thinking

• Hiring a virtual assistant during wedding planning to protect focus, capacity, and peace

Each example reinforces the same point: support is intentional, not accidental.

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Common Hesitations — Addressed Honestly

This episode also names why many people hesitate to assemble a crew:

• “I don’t have time.”
  Support reduces friction and unnecessary overextension.

• “It feels awkward to reach out.”
  Honest reconnection is usually welcomed.

• “I don’t want it to feel transactional.”
  Healthy crews are reciprocal, not transactional.

• “I’m already at capacity.”
  That’s often a signal that support would help.

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How to Be a Good Crew Member

Crews work best when care flows both ways.

Being a good crew member includes:

• Showing up consistently without overstimulation

• Being clear about how you can support — or asking how

• Celebrating wins and checking in during hard moments

• Practicing reciprocity without scorekeeping

• Treating paid support with respect and clarity

Strong crews are sustained through trust and mutual care.

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Your Three Actions from This Episode ✨

1. Name Your Crew
List the people and resources currently supporting you.

2. Tend the Relationships
Choose one small action this quarter to nurture each connection — a check-in, thank-you, or practical update.

3. Invite Support In
Identify one additional person or resource that would support your next season and define the next step to engage them.

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Links & Resources 🤎

📝 Ask OhHeyCoach:
Submit questions for Friday’s Ask OhHeyCoach episode.
👉🏾 https://form.typeform.com/to/ja89DHpT

📩 Join the OhHeyMonday Newsletter:
Weekly reflections and tools delivered every Monday.
👉🏾 www.ohheyjoin.com

🤝 Work With Ronnie / OhHeyCoach:
Executive coaching, leadership development, and career design.
👉🏾 www.ohheycoach.com

📬 Contact:
[e-mail]

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What’s Coming Next

Tomorrow’s episode is Ask OhHeyCoach Friday, where Ronnie responds to questions submitted throughout the week.

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Final Thought ✨

A crew doesn’t just help you get things done.

They help you stay honest.
They help you stay aligned.
They help you keep going.

We all need a crew.

I’ll see you tomorrow. 🤎