The Exchanges

Q All right. Thank you for that. Uh, what made you want to do this? Especially if in the past you had other businesses that it sounds like were more profitable.

A Yeah. Great question. So one was just the natural evolution of things. And two, um, my seven plus figure business had employees. It was manufacturing. It was brick and mortar. And primarily we were, um, B to B and selling wholesale. So very different, um, processes. And stress levels. So I think you'll remember that that's when I experienced burnout because it was just this push grind hustle. And I really wanted to change. And I also felt to be an integrity to who I wanted to serve. I actually had to embody what I was helping them to do. And so that's like, I am so much more balanced and grounded in this particular, um, income bracket. Not to say that I don't believe that the sky's the limit, but I, I do believe that there is a level of scaling and team that comes when you get to seven figures that I'm very happy to have independent contractors and a VA every now and then at the six figure level.

AI assessment note: “I experienced burnout because it was just this push grind hustle. And I really wanted to change.”

Q handle my own burnout. I think I'm very fortunate. I've learned to be self-aware of my own systems and how I think and feel and act, and so I can tell when I've had too much. And I think, though, it's probably one of those things that you have to experience before you can learn how to understand it. So when did you first realize that you were burnt out?

A I was getting regular migraines and they were just, again, kind of part of the, the weekly ritual, so to speak. And this was back when I had my confections company. So we were very busy. We, you know, had 25 employees and We were selling internationally. So it was like, we were on seven days a week. And when I first started being like, Hey, this doesn't feel normal. I still was like, I don't have the time to go home and like sleep this migraine off. So I ended up putting a small little couch in the back of my office because I would end up losing my eyesight. I would get visual migraines, but you're not going to be able to work through blurred vision because you can't see anything. I couldn't read. I couldn't see my computer screen. And they would last about 20, 25 minutes, so I was like, okay, well, I'll just put a little couch in the back and close my eyes for that 20 minutes until my eyesight came back, and then I went right back into it. So I was a little bit more of a hard nut to crack. I don't recommend that way that I did it, and that's why I'm so passionate now, really helping people understand the signs of it, getting help, and like, exactly like you said, recognizing your system to nourish it before it gets to that point where you're crossing the line and Where it does definitely takes longer to rebound. So now I feel like when you can tune in and really start to kind …

AI assessment note: “this was back when I had my confections company. So we were very busy.”

Q Why do you think, uh, why, uh, what questions are more powerful than how questions?

A Because I feel what allows the person to go in the direction that their soul wants them to go. How is tactical, how they're thinking about the five-step process, the one, two, three, the bullet points on the to-do list, and that's not going to give them transformation. That is transactional coaching. So there's a huge distinction. So If you're in the business of transformation and empowering coaching, your what questions are going to like maybe be in a completely different direction than your mind was going. I think it also helps you not lead as an effective coach because you may be able to puzzle piece their situation together and be able to point out, hey, this is the gap. This is what I think you should do. But when you're open and curious and you allow the client to lead these what questions open the door to Where they want to go, where they want to travel, where they know that there's like a basement fear or a dark corner that's holding them back.

AI assessment note: “Because I feel what allows the person to go in the direction that their soul wants”

Q How can we establish a routine then that is meant to create self-care so that we can minimize burnout or hopefully even prevent burnout?

A It really, for me, it was a retraining, you know, and really feeling the difference, like a physical and mental difference of kind of being on that go, go, go frenetic energy and just thinking that was the normal way of life. So definitely a stillness practice is something that can help flip the script and allow you to realize, oh my gosh, like this is such a better way and whatever that is for you, whether it's meditation or, you know, journaling or yoga, but something that definitely stills the mind and brings in more of a silence and a stillness that we can go within. I think that that's really step one. We all have intuitive wisdom. But we can't necessarily hear it when there's chatter and chaos going on all around us. So the very first thing is to create that space, because that's where really the magic is, and that's where we can start to recondition what feels good to us and what is our normal. So getting a baseline of normal is so important. I think the second thing, Sean, is boundaries and learning to say no and learning to be able to be like, Does this serve me? Why am I truly doing this? I do a lot of work with core values, and once somebody really kind of embodies their core values, their decisions come so much faster. So they're not on the yes train, but they can actually be more conscious of what they say yes to, and also be super aware of if they're saying yes to…

AI assessment note: “definitely a stillness practice is something that can help flip the script”

Q Okay, so what made you want to start that?

A You know, it was interesting. I felt at the time that I really needed to increase my visibility. Uh, I definitely hid behind the introvert label myself. That's That's probably why I attract those people and can help them through. Uh, it really took me an entire year to press the go live button on Facebook. I was terrified of video and putting myself out there. And I was afraid of judgment, um, like you, you know, had in your own personal life. And so I thought, well, how can I, you know, have a bigger impact and also stay in alignment? If I'm helping other people increase their visibility, then I have to be visible as well. And so it was an integrity thing for me. And I felt like, how can I do this and not feel so exposed? And so I started doing interviews first and I interviewed over a hundred female entrepreneurs and it was an excellent way for the conversation to be there and to provide value. And then literally just this year, I was looking through my social feed and I was like, wow, I look like a PR agency. And I realized that I have still been playing small and being the cheerleader and not the leader. And so this is kind of this new iteration where I'm doing more solo casts and calling myself out. And as I change, my audience changes as well. And so I'm seeing as I start to step into my own leadership that I'm attracting more leaders who want to up level. So I love how t…

AI assessment note: “I felt at the time that I really needed to increase my visibility.”

Q So how are you applying your knowledge of human design to yourself and your business?

A So interestingly enough, um, what I have found is I am a manifesting generator. So I have a lot of energy and, um, can create a lot of things and I can have a lot of things going on. So that's been really helpful and informative because it's like, oh, okay. You know, cause sometimes it can feel like popcorn brain because like, like, oh, here's a great idea. Oh, this is trademarkable. Oh my gosh. You know? So understanding like that's how I'm built is super interesting. The other two big pieces is, um, I have like a fixer personality and a problem solver, and on the flip side, the continuous learner piece. And the continuous learner piece, I was like, great, totally, totally there, able to embrace it, yes. And the fix it piece, I'm still trying to see how that plays in, because problem solver, fix it, always finding the glitches in, in things and being able to dissect it. Well, that now that overlays on my consultant persona. So there's a little resistance of like, wait a second. So I haven't quite gotten there yet. It's, um, something that is, uh, fairly new and I'm still trying to see how these lenses overlay, but, um, but man, is it interesting.

AI assessment note: “I'm still trying to see how these lenses overlay”