I once spent an entire Friday driving across three states to pick up secondhand furniture for my kid’s college apartment.
I was proud of us. Resourceful. Practical. Smart with money.
Except when I ran the actual numbers – including my time, the gas, the storage, and what it cost to get it all moved in – it was 40% more expensive than just ordering new from Wayfair.
I had optimized for the feeling of being a good mom and called it a financial decision. Those are not the same thing.
In this solo episode of Possibilities, Monique breaks down why senior leaders who apply rigorous ROI thinking to every business decision often wing it completely when it comes to their personal choices – and what to do about it.
This episode explores:
→ Why we make business decisions analytically and personal decisions emotionally – and where that gets us in trouble
→ The two sides of personal ROI (and the one input nobody ever counts)
→ The non-profit board seat: when to show up and when to write the check
→ The conference you attend every year out of habit
→ The compounding cost of staying in the wrong role, relationship, or situation too long
→The hardest ROI calculation Monique has ever had to make – and what it taught her
→ Three questions that will change how you make every personal decision you have been avoiding
This is not about being cold or transactional about your life.
It is about being honest. There is a difference.
If there is a decision you have been making on autopilot – a role, a relationship, a commitment, a direction – and you have never actually run the numbers on it, this episode is for you.
Most of us never run the numbers.
Start today.
ABOUT MONIQUE
Author. Speaker. Strategic Navigator.
Monique de Maio helps women leaders and organizations move from chaos to clarity, in business and in life.
Founder of OnDemandCMO and an active CMO, Monique brings more than 30 years of marketing and leadership experience across global brands, Wall Street, nonprofit, and publishing. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy and humanity, cutting through noise, simplifying the complex, and delivering solutions that actually work.
As host of the Possibilities with Monique de Maio podcast, Monique explores the real conversations behind growth, reinvention, and decision-making. Through her Strategic Navigator work, she applies the same rigor used in business strategy to help women think clearly about their careers, wellness, and life design, without burning everything down.
Follow Monique for More Possibilities:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniquedemaio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquedemaio
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Book Monique as a speaker for your next event: https://www.moniquedemaio.com/contact
Grab her award-winning, bestselling book The 7 Secrets to Creating a Life You Love: A Practical Guide for Women in Leadership:
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Creating-Life-You-Love/dp/B0CLHV526G
Imagine taking a journey whose destination is confidence—being able to say with certainty that your life serves you, rather than the other way around. Listening to these podcasts can offer you affirmation, inspiration, practical advice, tips, hacks, and a sense of community with like-minded individuals. Join us on this journey!
Whether you are navigating a career pivot, refining your leadership identity, or repositioning your business, clarity comes first.
Stay in touch and receive Monique’s Three Words Worksheet, a simple but powerful framework to help you define your direction and make aligned decisions.
This is not about doing more.
It is about choosing intentionally.
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