Latest / WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas / 2. Why You Need to Selfishly Put Yourself First as a WOC and Ally with Nicole Cruz

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2. Why You Need to Selfishly Put Yourself First as a WOC and Ally with Nicole Cruz · WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey legacymakers, you are in for a treat.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited for you to listen to this episode with Nicole Cruz, who's a life coach for first and second generation immigrants, and also one of my former clients and more importantly, friends.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: So in this episode, we talk about why you need to selfishly put yourself first as a woman of color and ally.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: And by doing so, you honor our ancestors.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: We also talk about how your worthiness and value is innate and you don't have to prove yourself to others and how to give yourself self-permission to put yourselves first.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: We also talk about how you can go from supporting role to all of your family and friends to being the lead actor slash actress in your own life.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: So listen in, you're gonna get so much golden nuggets and actions.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited for you to tune in.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: But in the Call Your Dreams Podcast, I'm here to challenge you to be your best self by creating a business and career that is sustainable, abundant, and enriching without playing by other people's roles.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have real talk on the deep inner work to create lasting transformation and the tactical strategies to create a profitable business and career.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: We both know you have a vision, roots you're proud of, and a legacy to create.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's time to do things your way on your own terms.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Now grab your coffee, tea, andor boba, and let's call your dreams to create your legacy.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Not really, but I am with a former client and more importantly, friend, Nicole Cruz.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome, Nicole.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me, Elaine.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is exciting.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: I just actually wish I was in Italy.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So for those of you that don't follow Nicole yet, but please do, it'll be in the show notes.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Follow her on Instagram.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: She's in Italy, eating all the amazing bread and pasta and drinking wine.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: And no, this is not like a podcast interview about Italy and her crib.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll go back to what we are here to talk about.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm excited because I wanted one of the first episodes for the Color Your Dreams podcast to really be about mindset.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I couldn't think of a better person, but Nicole.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And the focus on this topic is why you need to selfishly put yourself first as a woman of color and ally.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, Nicole, can you introduce yourself and what's your legacy?
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: What do you do?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thanks for having me.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: I love this topic.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, my name is Nicole Cruz.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: I am a life coach for immigrant and immigrant descendant leaders and change makers.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: And what I help them to do is to live liberated lives so that they can contribute to liberatory systems change in the world.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of liberation in there, but really I truly believe that liberation starts from within.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm so honored to help really create a legacy of liberated lineages with people of color.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I am pretty sure before you got into this work to be a life coach, you had your own personal story of liberation.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So would love for you to share about how you got here.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we know you took an airplane to Italy, but how you got to doing this work.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it definitely a transformation.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: I did not think I would ever become a life coach.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the daughter of Filipino immigrants.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so there was uh, you know, an expectation to kind of follow a certain path, you know, good college, good job, just like climb the corporate ladder.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I was doing that.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then I just realized that I wasn't happy, I wasn't fulfilled.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: I was putting others' expectations for me ahead of my own wants and needs.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And say that again because I know that you are not the only person.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: So what were you doing?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so people from the back could hear it.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I was putting others' expectations for me ahead of my own wants and needs, which is very appropriate for the topic we're talking about today.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I was doing that for a long time, like 30 plus years, um, without really being fully conscious that that was happening.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: I just thought it was what I was supposed to do.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I kept doing it.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: And while all those things and that and that path led me to, you know, getting the good job and having a stable income and all that, it didn't lead me to the happiness I was looking for.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so I had a moment where I really decided to put myself first.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I quit the six-figure corporate job in 2016.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Man, that was like what, six, six years ago now?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Quit the corporate job and traveled the world for a year with my and you're still traveling technically.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm still on the move six years later.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think so many of our listeners, uh, including myself, can relate to that where we're putting other people first.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And as first generation immigrants or descendants of immigrants, we really feel that pressure because we know our parents or our grandparents didn't have the resources and opportunities that we had, right?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: So nor do they even have safety and security, which is was their goal as parents and grandparents to us.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: So for us to have this luxury to choose how we want to live our life is just unheard of, right?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it is privilege, it is a privilege to be in this position.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and and a lot of what I support our community with is releasing that survival programming that we were brought up on.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Because while it's it serves us really well in surviving, we get to a point where we're we want more than that.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: And those same beliefs that got us to survive are not the same beliefs that are going to help us move beyond that and actually thrive.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: I love it because even following your journey, I've just noticed how you've gone through survival through through thriving, and not necessarily in terms of income, but just even not living by what our ancestors wanted, right?
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it could be different.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, which kind of goes to my next question about tips and advice you have for fellow women of color and allies, is what can we do to selfishly put ourselves first as women of color and ally and a perspective and framing that I've done that I've shared with my clients.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And this is more of your expertise than me.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I always refer people to Nicole when they're not quite ready for Mrs.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Coaching.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Me, we have a great symbiotic relationship with referring to each other.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know I'm like, I am not a mindset coach, but here's Nicole, who's a lot better at it than me.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: But a reframe that I've shared with my own clients is our ancestors sacrificed so much so we could have this life of choice.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: And we acknowledge and are very grateful that they have survived, put food on our table, a roof over our head.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: And what I've shared is I'm honoring their legacies by having this life of choice, by choosing to have my own business.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Or you don't even have to have your own business to have an amazing legacy.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: It could also be choosing to have a career, whatever it is.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I've changed that perspective and have shared that with my clients.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, what tips and advice do you have for our listeners to selfishly put themselves first as a woman of color and ally?
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that it's actually okay to.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I second that.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love that reframe.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's also what I share with my clients is, you know, I think there's this responsibility that we put on ourselves of, you know, honoring what our elders have gone through, what our ancestors have gone through.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: And we think how we need to carry forward that responsibility is by doing what they expect of us.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: When really the best way to honor that is for us to now use the position that we're in to really live based on our beliefs rather than fear.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so one of the things I want to share around looking at putting yourself first.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I know selfish has like a really, you know, there's a real negative charge to that word for a lot of us, because I think we also look at it as pretty binary of like you're either selfish or selfless, right?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're not being selfless, then you're automatically selfish, which uh I want to offer that there's an in-between there.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: There's an in-between where it's not black and white.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: So what is it?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us, Nicole.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Where it's really not putting yourself first and not caring about anyone else.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's really just adding yourself to your list of priorities.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's really just adding you in there.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of us also tie and have been taught and conditioned that our worthiness and value is tied to how much we can give to others.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: And one, that's a myth.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I want to be debunked that real quick.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um that your worthiness and goodness and value is just innate.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just in you.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so you don't actually have to prove yourself by giving more of yourself to others.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can release that obligation.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like that that doesn't have to be a thing that you carry with you.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: I really love that perspective or reframe of I'm just gonna restate it because I just want folks to know how important it is that your worthiness is valuable, like, and it's doesn't have to be attached to other people.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, what is the first step people can do so that they're not attached to that?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: That it's okay to put themselves as a priority.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the first up is really self-permission.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And what I mean by that is like giving yourself permission to even explore the possibility that it could be okay to put yourself first, that you don't have to be the last person on your priority list.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: I was working with a one-on-one client recently who's a mother, a wife, a business owner, and we started toying around with the concept of oh, what if it's okay that you get the first slice of the pie instead of the leftovers?
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that like blew her mind.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: So even just giving yourself permission to believe and just like just play that that could be okay.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: That that could be okay that you put yourself first sometimes.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: So that's really the first step, because I think there's a lot of resistance to putting ourselves first if we've already told ourselves that it's not okay to do that.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm I want to share with our listeners, and we were talking about this earlier before we hit record.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Nicole was asking me how my year has been.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I told her a personal way, and I'm like, I'm doing bikram yoga four to five times a week.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: And the classes happen to be in the evening, and my boyfriend and I just share Canon conversations, like, okay, you're going to cook this evening, I'm going to cook this evening, actually working around the yoga sessions.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: So LA of me, right?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because I am from LA.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: But just even the concept of doing that, and even asking the question of, can you wash the dishes or should I wash the dishes?
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: What do you need?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Rather than having these assumptions that we're meant to do certain things, whether it is gender roles or because we are a woman of color or an ally.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it's actually made our relationship amazing, even better to have these kinds of conversations.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I appreciate you mentioning the self-permission.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I love what you share there.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think we have some established dynamics in place, whether it's with our family or with our partners or with our friends.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: And if you identify as like the caretaker, the one that people turn to, then it might feel really weird to change that dynamic.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: But what I want to offer is that as much as you love being there for people, that they actually want to be there for you too.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: And that by accepting that and like asking for help, you're actually giving yourself permission to receive more love from them.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're you're telling them, Oh, you, yeah, you can love me in that way.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: And actually be able to receive instead of the one that always gives.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Even in our own careers and businesses, I'm sure you've worked on it with your own clients.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: I've worked it with my career coaching clients, where their boss or a colleague asks, can you stay later?
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: And you were meant to go home and cook, but you're like, No, I need to stay later because I want to show them that I'm worthy and I want to get the raise that's gonna happen.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: And there's an annual review and letting my clients know, I won't be able to.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'll help tomorrow.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: And guess what?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: You don't even have to share why.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you just want to leave because you want to watch Netflix.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't even have to be for cooking.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to justify it.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, one, or even for both of us as business owners, where if a client messages us, we don't have to respond right away.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And also you're enabling a behavior where you get to be accessible 24-7.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: You get to change your mind.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: You get to change your relationship dynamics, and it's okay.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I I do want to share that where you said it earlier, it is hard where you've been giving so much, where you start creating the boundaries and protecting your energy and letting our listeners know that it's not an overnight thing.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: You just completely you're constantly practicing it.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: One, and then two, also know that your audience, your community, your family, your friends will probably take a while to get used to because you're just changing into a higher version of yourself.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that can be painful, right?
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to dismiss the fact that, you know, some people might have reactions to your boundaries that aren't supportive.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: But really, when we set boundaries, it's because we care about those relationships.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's not that we want to push people away, it's that we actually want like we care enough about them to risk our own feelings so that we can have a more authentic relationship with them.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Because if we didn't care about them, then we would just, you know, let the relationship fizzle out and not tell them what we actually need.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: So boundaries are also great ways to strengthen your relationships.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I also want to say receiving feedback and boundaries from other people as well.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: I want to share it.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, literally happened right before this got recorded.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: A potential client was on the phone with me and she gave me feedback about a couple of things.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: And she was really nervous to give me the feedback.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then I always shared, thank you so much for sharing that with me.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because one, I know that takes courage.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: And two, it's also a compliment because you feel so comfortable to share that feedback with me.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because we could think about people we give feedback too, and they're like, people get very resistant, defensive, and and I just always share the gratitude.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: So anything you want to share with that scenario or even scenarios that people may experience that's similar to that.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, definitely.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think Elaine, you're a great example of someone who actually really solicits feedback and receives it.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, there may be some occasions where people, you know, share feedback or set a boundary where that's not the case.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: And if the other person is not as generous and receptive as Elaine is, that doesn't mean that you're that what you're asking for or what you're sharing is bad.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: That just means that's that that that is their reaction.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: But it doesn't have to mean anything negative about what you shared or about you.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think the hard part is just being completely unattached to their response.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: And what where you've been talking about selfishly putting yourself first is that by expressing how you feel, by creating those boundaries, you're putting yourself first because you should be one of those top priorities.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's again, a lot of times, and I don't want to like overgenerate generalize, but what I've seen in my work is that we have been conditioned to play the supporting role in our own lives and just be there for other people.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: So it can be feel really awkward to now start stating what you want and need, but you totally get to be the lead player in your own life.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, that might feel like a change, but doing what you're doing as a supporting character is not sustainable.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I I highly support and encourage people to really also give yourself space to ask yourself, what is it that I am wanting and needing in this moment?
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: And just see what comes up for you.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm such a business coach where I was like, Nicole, that's such great content.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: Learn how to go from supporting role to lead actor or actress.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's true.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we we get to we get to have power and agency over our own lives and enjoy our experience.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: When I think even my own journey, that was really tough for me.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: My first coach I hired wasn't even a business coach.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: It was a career coach because I didn't know how to be assertive.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to ask for a raise.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: I asked my parents because they're my role models, right?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: They said, Well, no, you don't need to ask for raise.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: If you work hard, they're just going to give you the raise.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Such an immigrant answer.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I learned to ask for help by hiring a coach.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't just the raise that I learned from her.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: I did get a 13K raise, but it was more so how to voice and speak out, how to manage up.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I was in a container working with her one-to-one for a full year because I knew what I wanted to be, but it took a while for me to even get used to it.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's big.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: Just learning how to advocate for yourself is a huge step.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: I hear that story a lot of, you know, just keep your head down, do the work, do it really well, and other people will recognize it.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I gotta tell you, unfortunately, uh, that's usually not the case.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, especially as women of color, we gotta toot our own horns.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we're gonna work hard, we're gonna go after it.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: And it's okay if you also share and advocate for yourself and tell people what you've created and celebrate yourself in that way.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, to celebrate.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yourself.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that's huge for both you and I when we work with our own clients.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: So with that being said, because I'm pretty sure everybody's in love with you.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you're one of my coaches in my mastermind, but everyone loves you.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I always joke around, like, Nicole's more of the feminine motherly figure.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm more of the masculine figure.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if people want to work with you, can you share ways on how you work with others or how people can find you?
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_01: So for sure, I uh I love working with this community.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: And if you are interested in working with me, I'd love for you to check out my Living Bravely group coaching program.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: It is for women of color who want to live liberated lives, who want to move past the survival programming and really just step into what you truly want.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: So you can check that out on my site, NicoleCruzCoaching.com.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure Elaine, you can put in the show notes link.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: And actually, if you email me at Nicole at Nicole Cruise Coaching.com with the subject Elaine, I will send you access to a free master class on how to get clear on what you want.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: So then you can get clarity on that, and you can start putting that, putting yourself first in the ways that you want to.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I know we're friends, you've been one of my clients, but I will say this, and you know what, I'll just say it's a fact, not an opinion, that you are literally the number one life coach for women of color.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I think.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not just saying that because we have a close relationship, but I've gotten to know a lot of your clients where they've either have come to work with me or even people in the Instagram community where they've shared, oh my gosh, Nicole's work just changed my life.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I just want to let you know that when I get to know people in your community, they've just shared that with me.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope you know how important your work is.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: And please check out Living Bravely.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why you wouldn't.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if not, do send Nicole an email with a subject heading, Elaine, so you could check out that masterclass.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: I just really appreciate the work you do for this community.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's so important.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for sharing that, Elaine.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm receiving it.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: I I so appreciate it.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: I love working with this community.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's been the most fulfilling thing I've done in my whole life.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I'm just I'm just so glad that I get to continue working with amazing people like you as well.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: I will continue to refer folks to you, Nicole.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I can't think of anyone else.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you we've worked together for years.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: So if anyone is interesting in doing business and career coaching with me, what tips or advice or insight you want to share?
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so yes, you were my first business coach, really helped me go from, I think I was making$500 a month.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: You helped me as I scaled to$200,000 in a year.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so you've seen you've seen the growth.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so for people who are interested in working with Elaine, what I really appreciated about our coaching relationship is that you really cared holistically about what was going on and not just business because you know that what's happening in the other parts of our lives is just naturally going to impact our businesses.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's really, it was really nice to have a space and an awesome community that was just really supportive of us as people and not just as business owners.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: And for fellow business owners who are hearing this, if you just find relationships like this, it's just it's beautiful, right?
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: Where we're just collaborating with one another, seeing how we could support one another.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: Just, you know, once I end this recording, I'm gonna ask Nicole what else she needs.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I can offer other resources and people to her.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think there's ever a time we connect where I'm not asking.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we just feed each other's seeds because there's no competition.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's just really how can we support one another?
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's so great.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I love ending episodes where I would love for you to share what is one great reflective question folks can think about, and what is one action people can take from this episode?
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: So one question, I just actually heard about this from a friend is like, what does your ideal average Tuesday look like?
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: Not like a vacation or, you know, a weekend trip, but just your regular ass Tuesday, you know, what would that look like for you?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: That can be really illuminating of just like, what do you want your day-to-day to look like?
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one reflection to also get a little clearer on what you actually want.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then an action is to just take a look at the areas in your life where you're feeling disconnected from yourself or feeling depleted and explore what it would look like if you put yourself first in those areas and just see what comes up for you.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: No wrong answers.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Let me just insert a little extra action.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if you need help because you're disconnected, insert Nicole Cruz.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Nicole, thank you so much for your time.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate it.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's evening over there in Italy.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: We all wish we were in Italy right now, but thank you for all the advice you have for women of color selfishly putting themselves first and allies.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you are feeling liberated from that call with Nicole.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: As Nicole mentioned, she worked with me in 2020, where she went from making$500 a month to$200K within a year.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: And Nicole was part of my high-level legacy lifestyle inner circle.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: And more important than making that$200K in a year, Nicole created her legacy that is focused on helping first generation immigrants and descendants of immigrants become more liberated.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to scale your business and create a legacy that is sustainable, abundant, and enriching without playing by other people's rules, go to ElaineLu.com slash inner circle.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: You could schedule a call with me to see if the inner circle is a good fit.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: And bonus for you, during this 30-minute call, I'll also give you three action items toward your goals.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: Want more?
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can find all the links and information mentioned in this episode in the show notes on my website, ElaineLou.com slash podcast.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: All right, legacymaker.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you next Thursday for our newest episode.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: Remember to call your dreams to create your legacy.