The Best Strength For Starting Something New?: with Natalie Becerra
What does it really take to start something new? In this lively and thoughtful episode, Sarah, Bill, and guest Natalie Becerra explore how different CliftonStrengths can help you move from idea to action—and why there’s no “best” strength, only the best one for you. Natalie opens up about her love of Ideation and Strategic, and how they create both brilliance and tension when starting something new. Whether you launch fast with Activator, build the vision with Strategic, research endlessly with Input, or analyze every angle with Deliberative, this episode will help you embrace your own starting style, ditch the guilt of “not doing enough,” and learn how to aim your strengths with more intention.
Main Takeaways
- There’s no single best strength for starting something new—only the one that helps you begin with clarity.
- Strengths like Ideation and Strategic bring depth to the start by connecting patterns and purpose.
- Activator may launch fast, but Strategic, Input, and Analytical provide crucial substance and direction.
- Starting isn’t always a confident leap—it can be a layered, messy process driven by intention and reflection.
- Balancing quick-start energy with long-game thinking helps avoid burnout or overwhelm.
- Overthinking can stall progress, but fear often hides behind “research” or “analysis.”
- Knowing your strengths helps you start better by honoring your natural rhythm instead of copying someone else’s.
Sound Bites
- “I see the patterns that nobody else sees—and then I can’t not do something about it.”
- “Starting strong doesn’t always mean starting fast.”
- “Ideation is a waterfall—you think it’s one drop, and suddenly it’s pouring ideas you didn’t know were connected.”
- “I always want to jump—but my Strategic whispers, ‘let’s think this through first.’”
- “Woo gets the room excited, but Strategic maps the way forward.”
- “Sometimes I’m chasing shiny new ideas, and future-me is like, ‘Really? You signed me up for that?’”
- “Deliberative and Input don’t stop you from starting—they help you start wisely.”
- “There’s so much power in pausing before you leap.”
- “Your starting line doesn’t have to look like mine.”
- “If you’re starting out of obligation, it’s not going to stick.”
- “It’s easy to mistake movement for momentum—Strategic helps me check that.”
- “I always come back to: is this worth my energy?”
- “Sometimes the best way to start is to write. That’s how I make sense of my brain.”
- “Even with Woo, I don’t want to just entertain—I want to lead somewhere.”
- “When you understand your own strengths, you stop trying to start the way everyone else does.”
Bill's Top 10 CliftonStrengths
1) Individualization
2) Developer
3) Activator
4) Woo
5) Restorative
6) Empathy
7) Harmony
8) Connectedness
9) Relator
10) Learner
Sarah's Top 10 CliftonStrengths
1) Positivity
2) Woo
3) Communication
4) Harmony
5) Activator
6) Developer
7) Input
8) Individualization
9) Responsibility
10) Arranger
Official Strengths On Fire Website: https://strengthsonfire.transistor.fm
GET MORE FROM BILL AND SARAH:
Bill's info:
https://billdippel.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamdippel/
https://www.instagram.com/billdippelcoach/
Sarah's info:
https://www.wearecollinsco.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcoachcollins/
https://www.instagram.com/sarahcoachcollins/
Bill's info:
https://billdippel.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamdippel/
https://www.instagram.com/billdippelcoach/
Sarah's info:
https://www.wearecollinsco.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcoachcollins/
https://www.instagram.com/sarahcoachcollins/
Creators and Guests
Host
Bill Dippel
Bill Dippel is a certified, professional Strengths coach with a 35-year career in nonprofits and higher education. His passion is working with organizations, teams, and individuals to ensure they are performing and communicating at the highest levels. As president of Bill Dippel Strengths Coaching, he travels frequently for large events and public speaking, as well as working with whole companies through their management teams.
Host
Sarah Collins
Sarah Collins is a certified CliftonStrengths coach and founder of Collins Collective, with over 12 years of experience in strengths-based coaching and leadership development. Her passion lies in empowering businesses, teams, and individuals to communicate and perform at their best by focusing on what they do well. As the leader of Collins Collective, Sarah combines engaging workshops, high-impact keynotes, and in-depth coaching to foster growth and connection. Based in Nebraska, she partners with businesses to drive meaningful change and create high-performing teams.
Guest
Natalie Becerra
Natalie is a Nebraska native who is passionate about leadership, personal and professional development, community building, and helping others grow. Currently, she is a Certified Gallup Strengths Coach and the Career Development Specialist at the College of Journalism & Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, her alma mater, where she coaches students 1-on-1 to prepare for their careers. She received her undergraduate degree in Advertising & Public Relations and is wrapping up her M.S. in Educational Leadership with a Certificate in Personal Leadership. She loves all levels of development - organizational, team, and individual - and hopes to use her advanced degree to continue to coach individuals and teams to reach their fullest potential and live joy-filled lives. Outside of work, you can find her chatting about all sorts of personal assessments, playing pickleball, out on a relaxing walk, or spending quality time with her husband Jake, cat Maximus, and dog Kiwi.
