PowerSister Method: The 5 steps to finding an accountability partner

The great thing about America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, Gina Rodriguez and Eva Longoria (aside from all being in our Latina Powerhouse issue!) is that they are a part of a fiercely loyal sisterhood. Instead of pitting themselves against each other in the highly competitive world of Hollywood, they use their commonality and bond together to be each other’s support system. If you also have that group or one person you go to and rely on, consider yourself lucky. If you don’t, then allow Café con Pam podcast host Pam Covarrubias to give you the steps necessary to finding your own PowerSister. “I had been doing it alone all my life,” she tells HOLA! USA. “Clearly it wasn’t working.” Ever since finding her first accountability partner, the San Diego-based photographer, who grew up in Mexico City, has gone from being a resident procrastinator to being on track with, well, life.

Scroll down for her five steps to her PowerSister Method and be sure to catch Pam weekly on her podcast that features fearless Latinx people sharing their inspiring stories.

The Café con Pam podcast host encourages her listeners to follow the PowerSisters Method Photo: Jon McCarthy

Step 1: The PowerSister Method starts from within. Evaluate your current situation. This is the time to evaluate your life as a whole. With the visual help of a life wheel, you can consciously score where you are in the following categories: Relationships, Business/Career, Health, Spiritual, Family, Personal Passions. Think about your current life situation and give each category a score from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest score telling you that you need to work on this category, and 10 being the highest score telling you that you are the happiest and fulfilled in this category. If you are using a life wheel, look at the final result and think how bumpy would the ride be if you had to ride on this wheel?

As we get clear on where we are in our life, the next step is to look at our big big goals. Do you have a dream of buying a house one day? Or taking that vacation? Make it a goal! Let’s stop dreaming and start creating. Lay out your big goals and write a powerful statement about them. Why do you want to achieve this?

MORE: ALL OF OUR LATINA POWERHOUSE COVERAGE

Step 2: Create or refine your Brand/Life Container. As a Brand Strategist, I have realized it is important to know where we stand and have a place that holds everything together. Whether you have a business or you are creating this for yourself, your container is the place where your Vision, Mission, Purpose statements live, along with your Core Values.

Step 3: The Pyramid of Growth. The Pyramid of Growth allows us to place ourselves in the landscape. There are five stages: Idea, Build, Growth, Expand and Exit. Depending on where you are with your goal this is where you will be on the Pyramid of Growth. This is a key step to figure out because you always want your PowerSister to be in the same stage as you, otherwise you risk becoming a mentor or a mentee and the PowerSister method would break. We want to make sure both of you are as equally fulfilled and you can support and grow together.

Pam at one of her speaking engagements Photo: Diana López

Step 4: The PowerSister Meeting. It is crucial to know how the meeting goes before finding your PowerSister. Accountability is key and following the meeting agenda is just as important to make sure the meeting flows effortlessly. Remember this is not a catch up with a friend meeting. This is an accountability meeting, and it should be treated as such. Allocate one hour per week, the first 30 minutes each of you will give a quick summary of the past week: gratitude, celebrations and lessons learned. Your current intentions for the week, and something you’d like to discuss (perhaps you don’t know where to go next and need your PowerSister to give you a different perspective). The next 20 minutes are dedicated to brainstorm and support each other. As you both present your current needs, you can allocate this time to talk about it. The last 10 minutes of the meeting you offer support for each other and make your accountability requests. Sometimes I ask my PowerSister to check in on me every morning to make sure I’m focused. A daily reminder is enough to hold me accountable.

Step 5: Find your PowerSister. Now that you know how the PowerSister Method works, you’re ready to find your PowerSister. Please note, ideally your PowerSister is not your friend. Otherwise, we could fall into the trap of chit-chatting instead of accountability. You will meet people at networking events, school events, etc. When you meet a potential PowerSister ask yourself the following questions: Do they pass the gut test? Is the conversation easy? Are we on the same stage of the Pyramid of Growth? Are we both committed to making our goals happen? Are they trustworthy?

Now go find your PowerSister, apply the PowerSister Method and crush those goals this year! If you happen to be in the San Diego area, Pam will be hosting her first mastermind class in June.