Latest / Curiously Guided Podcast / Ep.120 | 2027 Online Business Predictions: The Trust Recession is Here (What to Do About it) with Shay & Mariah

Transcript

Ep.120 | 2027 Online Business Predictions: The Trust Recession is Here (What to Do About it) with Shay & Mariah · Curiously Guided Podcast

0:07
Mariah: Welcome to the Curiously Guided Podcast.
0:10
Shay: We're your hosts, Mariah.
0:12
Shay: And hey guys, I'm Shay.
0:14
Shay: We're two online business consultants passionate about rewriting the rules to success within both life and business.
0:21
Shay: We believe that curiosity is our superpower.
0:24
Shay: And trusting the nudge is a muscle that's meant to be strengthened.
0:28
Mariah: Especially if we want to create a life that feels good from the inside out.
0:33
Mariah: So if you're ready to open your mind and let curiosity guide the way, let's get into the episode.
0:41
Shay: What's up, my dudes?
0:42
Shay: Welcome to the final episode of our sixth season.
0:45
Shay: We are at 120 episodes of the Curiously Guided Podcast.
0:50
Shay: That's insane.
0:51
Shay: That's insane.
0:53
Shay: Five years ago, us could not have predicted that we would have made it here and be in such lovely spirits.
0:59
Shay: We are really happy to wrap up this season.
1:02
Shay: It's been a really cool season.
1:04
Shay: We were just kind of reflecting on who we've had on, what we've learned, how we've grown as people.
1:10
Shay: And um, as we were planning what we wanted to do on this final episode, Mariah had the genius idea of kind of taking what we've learned and what we've been seeing with our guests here, but also in our businesses and in the online space, like what we think is coming up, what's in the future.
1:28
Shay: I think both Mariah and I's Zone of Genius are that we're kind of always researching and pulling data points and thinking and thinking about the future.
1:37
Shay: And so kind of making future predictions and paying attention to trends is definitely something that we both just do naturally.
1:43
Shay: So this episode, we're gonna just share a bit about what we're seeing, what we think is on deck, what's coming up, how we're preparing, how we're changing maybe the way we do business or what we're really gonna lean into.
1:56
Shay: So with that, I'm going to ask Mariah, you know, right now it's November 2026.
2:03
Shay: Maybe let's start like in the SEO world and just in your world in general, what do you think are like some of the most pressing things or impactful things that are gonna impact you as we head into 2027?
2:14
Mariah: Yeah, it's interesting because I kind of see this trickling out into uh obviously I see it through the lens of the online business space, but because in the online business space, especially like where I am, like I'm B2B, business to business.
2:31
Mariah: And so I'm operating and talking to business owners.
2:33
Mariah: I'm selling to business owners.
2:35
Mariah: Business owners have the same um connection and need for software and tools like I do.
2:42
Mariah: We're online, we're chronically online all the time, like that type of thing.
2:46
Mariah: So I feel like we're noticing patterns and like as a business owner, we're shifting a lot quicker than maybe consumers.
2:52
Mariah: Like if you're selling to consumers, I think that you have a little bit more of a runway for this.
2:56
Mariah: But especially if you're selling to business owners or just like people that are paying attention to the online space, I think that trust is fucking huge.
3:08
Mariah: I think that we are in a trust recession.
3:11
Mariah: I think that people have gotten burnt out.
3:13
Mariah: I am hearing from people that are running like Facebook ads, meta ads, that type of thing to cold audiences, people that don't know them yet, people that don't trust them yet, that type of thing.
3:24
Mariah: And they're saying that it's getting really hard to get them to like take action, to actually engage, like that type of thing.
3:30
Mariah: So ads, you kind of have to spend like a lot more money on things.
3:33
Mariah: I think that's because of the trust recession.
3:35
Mariah: I think that AI has a whole lot to do with it.
3:38
Mariah: I think, especially if you're in the online business space, you can read a post and almost feel that it's AI.
3:44
Mariah: And then I don't know about you, but like I'm noticing that I'm completely turned off by it.
3:49
Mariah: Um, that I'm really leaning in and turning towards the people that I feel like I can feel their personality, I can feel their tone, I can feel like their perspective and their expertise.
4:00
Mariah: I'm really leaning into people that feel human, which is really, really interesting because AI is a tool that allows us to be more productive and to do more and to create more, quote unquote create, like more things, do more things, get more things done.
4:19
Mariah: And also it's speeding up the way that we're doing some of our stuff.
4:23
Mariah: And also it's keeping things surface level, where I feel like we're now wanting to zag away from that and we're craving more depth.
4:34
Mariah: I think that this was happening before in the online space, but the the AI boom has really turned up like the volume on it.
4:44
Mariah: And now it's I'm I'm craving human.
4:47
Mariah: That's essentially what it is.
4:48
Mariah: And I'm noticing that with um with my students, with my clients, with that type of thing, where it's like we're really craving experts, we're really craving like community.
4:59
Mariah: I think maybe like a year ago or at the beginning of this year, people were still kind of buying like AI tools, AI prompts, like things to speed up processes and workflow.
5:09
Mariah: And now we're just like, eh, we kind of understand this stuff, we can speed some shit up.
5:13
Mariah: But like, I actually want to build connection and trust with humans.
5:17
Mariah: I would say that like that's the biggest overarching thing that I'm seeing in the online space.
5:22
Shay: Yeah, it's interesting you bring up the word trust because that's kind of like the heart of sales and how I think about sales.
5:29
Shay: And you're right, like I think the average customer just continues to get more and more savvy.
5:35
Shay: You know, we have seen all of the techniques and the countdowns and the email blasts, you know, we're we've all been through like 12 launch cycles for other people.
5:45
Shay: And I think that the things that used to work are going to work less and less because we're savvy consumers now, you know, like we've seen it before.
5:55
Shay: And what I'm saying when I'm coaching people in sales is there, there's kind of this attitude in sales that, like, okay, if you can like learn all the scripts and how to handle all the objections, you know, you're gonna almost it's like a domination thing.
6:09
Shay: Like, I'm gonna dominate you and you're gonna submit and buy this product.
6:14
Shay: And I think that has kind of been how it's worked up until now, but I don't think that relationship is gonna continue that way.
6:20
Shay: I think it's more people are more sensitive to that these days.
6:24
Shay: They don't want to feel dominated, they've heard all of your you know, witty comebacks to their objections, they're sensitive to it.
6:31
Shay: That that actually is making people kind of shut down with their nervous systems, and they've been fucked over before.
6:37
Shay: They that's another piece of it.
6:39
Shay: A lot of us, Mariah and I included, have spent thousands and thousands of dollars with uh self-improvement with good intentions and been kind of disappointed in the end result.
6:51
Shay: So trust, I do think, is at the heart of all of this.
6:54
Shay: And it's interesting, like, I do think AI is eroding trust even more.
6:59
Shay: You know, the second we sense something is AI, again, that's the kind of that like nervous system response of like, shut down, I can't trust you, I can't feel safe.
7:07
Shay: So I think like in sales, your ability to be human with someone to kind of like remove that wall that exists between you two and get on their side, be their partner, be empathetic, be intuitive in the moment with them.
7:20
Shay: I've been thinking about sales calls more as like a meditation.
7:23
Shay: How can I be here present with you?
7:25
Shay: Kind of like going with the flow with the conversation instead of like this script and this really structured formula.
7:32
Shay: So I do agree with you about trust, and you brought up something about in general, I think it's harder and harder to stand out online, and I think that trend is going to continue.
7:43
Shay: Um, you know, but unfortunately with AI, what we're seeing is massive layoffs.
7:51
Shay: Like, I do think AI has a limit and there will be kind of like this retraction or reaction to AI, but it is reshaping our economy, it's reshaping how businesses do work.
8:01
Shay: I have a lot of friends that have these quote unquote cush jobs since COVID where they get to like touch their mouse a couple times a day to make it look like they're locked in, but they're like out in the backyard gardening and they're making six figures.
8:14
Shay: My prediction is that all of those jobs are gonna get eliminated.
8:18
Shay: Like companies are capitalism gonna capitalize.
8:20
Shay: Like, if you're not being valuable, if AI can do your job, we're already seeing it.
8:25
Shay: They're literally Microsoft is laying off 20% of their workforce.
8:29
Shay: Squarespace announced big layoffs this week.
8:31
Shay: Like, there are going to be more and more people losing their jobs and looking for opportunities to make money online and entering the online space.
8:39
Shay: So that can be an awesome thing.
8:41
Shay: You can be someone who sells shovels, but it's also gonna mean more competition.
8:45
Shay: There's gonna be more noise, more courses, more drop me a D or drop a comment below and I'll do DM you my free guide.
8:55
Shay: You know, like all the things we've seen, I think that is going to continue exponentially, especially as people lose jobs and try to start making money online.
9:03
Shay: So if you can be trustworthy, if you can be human, and then I think one thing that will start to come as a premium more is what does AI not have?
9:14
Shay: AI doesn't have creativity, AI doesn't have imagination, AI doesn't have super critical thinking beyond what it can source from us.
9:22
Shay: So those people, the critical thinkers, the ones who can be creative and think on their feet, the ones who can think outside the box, those people are gonna be rewarded.
9:31
Shay: And so I think the more that we, and those these are all muscles.
9:34
Shay: I think these are all things that we all can be building.
9:36
Shay: So the more we can be leaning into our creativity, into our imagination, and being visible out in those things, I think that's gonna build that trust with people and attract people to you.
9:46
Shay: Cause I think that's like the essence of the humanness, if that makes sense.
9:50
Mariah: Yeah, yeah.
9:50
Mariah: And I feel like it comes back to like human problem solving.
9:53
Mariah: Like AI can't, it can solve problems, it can create spreadsheets, it can create like all of these things, like apps and softwares and stuff like that.
10:02
Mariah: But at some point, you do need a human touch for a lot of this stuff.
10:08
Mariah: Like I was walking through a workflow, I had to do a brand-sponsored video for SEMrush and their MCP and like connecting to Chat GPT.
10:17
Mariah: Um, and basically, like I was showcasing the workflow of like being able to talk with ChatGPT and being able to use SEMrush's data in there.
10:27
Mariah: And so it was really helpful.
10:29
Mariah: But then at the end, I was like, okay, can you turn this into like a spreadsheet that I can use?
10:32
Mariah: Yada yada.
10:33
Mariah: And it did, and I just started laughing, and you can even like hear me laughing on the video.
10:36
Mariah: I go, This is fucking hideous, like so ugly, like that type of thing.
10:41
Mariah: And I feel like brand, like human touch in all capacity is just going to become so much more important because we've all seen the AI generated websites, we've seen the AI generated PDFs, we've seen the AI generated spreadsheets, that type of thing.
10:57
Mariah: And if all of these huge major companies are laying people off and everything is becoming AI, I think the customers are going to start revolting a little bit more because I am putting my dollars to a corporation, if I have any say in it, where it's like a corporation where it's like, I can't even hop on a call and get my fucking question answered.
11:21
Mariah: Like, I think people are gonna start to get fucking mad.
11:24
Mariah: And I think that these corporations and businesses in general, like, we're gonna have to find this middle ground of like, where can we infuse the human and where can we use AI for like what it's really good at?
11:35
Mariah: And I like the perspective that you're bringing of like it's almost gonna, I don't wanna say it's gonna be like a 2020 boom because I do think that like that was a very unique time with people coming online.
11:47
Mariah: But I think you're right.
11:48
Mariah: I think people are gonna start trying to bring their skills online.
11:52
Mariah: And to us, like, what could be better in terms of like possibilities?
11:58
Mariah: You know what I mean?
11:59
Mariah: Like me and you really see like the online space as like this untapped world of possibilities and a way to grow your strengthen your muscles and grow your skills and all of that.
12:11
Mariah: But this is a great opportunity for the people like us who have been in the space for a long time.
12:16
Mariah: We can turn around and now we can mentor, we can coach, we can teach skills, we can do all of that because there's going to be fresh people that don't understand how the internet works.
12:25
Mariah: And like, this is really what I've learned over being in business 11 years.
12:29
Mariah: I never worked in corporate, but I see corporate people trying to bring their skills online and like, y'all, they don't know the wild, wild west like we do.
12:37
Mariah: They're sitting here, they're creating AI generated fucking flyers and trying to post them on Instagram and then wondering why they get three likes.
12:46
Mariah: If that like they're still put trying to put 20 hashtags in an Instagram comment.
12:51
Mariah: You know what I'm saying?
12:52
Mariah: Like, all like we're we're on top of this.
12:54
Mariah: And so if you're in this situation and you're healing, hearing this, and you're just like, oh my God, it's gonna get so saturated, nobody's gonna listen to me.
13:00
Mariah: No, this is a perfect time, just like Shay said, where it's like share your expertise.
13:06
Mariah: There was a piece that you said there where it was really like, and you have to be visible doing this.
13:12
Mariah: This is the this is the whole point.
13:14
Mariah: I think the day what's the phrase that the day and age?
13:19
Mariah: I don't know, I'm pregnant.
13:20
Mariah: I can't fucking think.
13:21
Mariah: But like the the the time of just being able to like hide behind your computer screen and have people pay you tens of thousands of dollars is not going to work anymore.
13:33
Mariah: And you really have to, and I say this with love, get over your shit of being visible in some way or capacity.
13:42
Mariah: I'm not saying that it has to be on video, it can be a podcast, it can be audio, it can be like it can be in a whole bunch of different ways, but we have to allow people to see us and to find us.
13:53
Mariah: And that's really gonna come from like, are you doing the inner work to create safety within yourself so that you're able to hold this if you want to be seen as an expert in this space?
14:03
Shay: Yeah, absolutely.
14:05
Shay: I like that.
14:06
Shay: Um I am reflecting on like the people I've seen kind of leaving their corporate job and getting into the online space.
14:14
Shay: And I do think that the visibility piece I would say is probably the most common like roadblock for people.
14:20
Shay: It's huge, and I think people don't estimate how hard that is mentally, physically, everything.
14:27
Shay: Um, I I like that perspective.
14:37
Mariah: This season of the Curiously Guided Podcast, including this episode, is sponsored by Adobe Acrobat.
14:44
Mariah: Now, I'm gonna ask you a question, and it's gonna feel a little bit random, but stay with me here.
14:48
Mariah: So, what if your audience could actually talk back to your content?
14:53
Mariah: Not just consume it and move on, but actually get to ask it questions.
14:57
Mariah: They can get a summary.
14:58
Mariah: They can say, hey, which podcast episode talked about X?
15:03
Mariah: Or what was that book recommendation about Z?
15:06
Mariah: And actually get an answer because that's literally what Acrobats PDF Spaces is doing now.
15:13
Mariah: If you've been a listener for a while, you know that we built this whole podcast around the idea that curiosity is your true superpower, and that the best things happen when we ask the question, follow the nudge, and let curiosity guide the way.
15:29
Mariah: And now we have a tool that lets our content work in the same way.
15:34
Mariah: And here's the best part PDF spaces only pulls from the content inside of that space.
15:40
Mariah: So it's focused, it's private, and it turns your stuff into a curious conversation, not just the generic chat bot guessing from the whole entire internet.
15:51
Mariah: If you want to see what this looks like, we built a PDF space for all of season six of the podcast.
15:57
Mariah: Every episode, every guest, all the show notes and links, and you can interact with it right now.
16:03
Mariah: Ask it anything, see what comes back.
16:05
Mariah: So go ahead and test it out.
16:07
Mariah: Click the link in the show notes.
16:09
Mariah: This really has been blowing our minds lately, and we think you're gonna like it.
16:19
Shay: You know, I I don't want to be doom and gloom about the future.
16:23
Shay: I think it's really easy to be thinking about, oh my gosh, there's all this competition, and what I used to do is not gonna work anymore, and there's gonna be all these layoffs and like a recession is coming.
16:33
Shay: And, you know, I know in my secondhand world, like the value of items, like secondhand thrifted items, is like going through the roof.
16:43
Shay: Like you wouldn't believe people are searching for vintage clothing, people are searching for because it it's made of real materials, you know.
16:51
Shay: There's this, like, I think it's kind of similar to the idea, like even in the clothing we buy, we're wanting more real things.
16:58
Shay: We want in real life, we want real, like uh right now, sweater, it's sweater season.
17:03
Shay: So you wouldn't believe what people are paying for sweaters made of real materials.
17:07
Shay: But if I go to the store, even the nicest stores, I can't find that anymore.
17:11
Shay: And so I do think, like, in general, the the shift is we're gonna kind of swing back more towards real and human.
17:17
Shay: But what Mariah brought up there is this idea of like understanding how the internet works.
17:22
Shay: And that has been true this whole time.
17:24
Shay: And I do think it's gonna continue to be true of can people find you?
17:29
Shay: And when they find you, do they resonate with you as a human?
17:33
Shay: And one joke Mariah and I make a lot, but I want to keep bringing up is this idea.
17:38
Shay: I really think at the end of the day, the heart of the internet in understanding anything really is keywords.
17:44
Shay: Like, can you understand?
17:47
Shay: I just told you guys a really great example.
17:48
Shay: Like, I understand right now, people are searching for Argyle threaded sweaters and they're paying hundreds.
17:55
Shay: And so when I am sourcing out in the world, I am looking for those sweaters.
18:00
Shay: When I'm picking what estate sales I want to go to, I'm looking for the old ladies that had those sweaters.
18:04
Shay: And then when I am posting those things online, I'm making sure to use that word that people are using, my people, because it's almost like a magnet relationship.
18:12
Shay: And it sounds really basic, but this is true literally, Mariah can tell you, and I can tell you too.
18:18
Shay: Like in every aspect of making money online, you have to understand this idea of keywords, like, because that is like the glue that ties you with your people together.
18:30
Shay: And for me, like I'm a trends thinker.
18:32
Shay: So if you can think bigger picture, like I told you the vintage clothes is a good example.
18:37
Shay: I see the trend happening there.
18:38
Shay: Like older boomers are clearing out their houses.
18:41
Shay: We are all wanting their clothing because they were made of real materials.
18:45
Shay: You know, it's like it's like a the keywords are a reflection of what bigger is going on in our culture.
18:51
Shay: And so if you can understand whatever your skill set is, what is that word that your ideal person would be using to describe you or to talk about you or to ask questions about what you do?
19:02
Shay: That that is literally the juice of all of this.
19:05
Shay: Like I use keywords to make money, like that.
19:09
Shay: That is it.
19:09
Shay: That's the heart of all of it.
19:11
Mariah: Yeah.
19:12
Mariah: And I think that you're coming from a product perspective, which I think is like really, really, really helpful and noticing trends.
19:20
Mariah: And I do think that like service providers have even a little bit more of a leg up because we're talking with our people.
19:29
Mariah: Like, it's not common for you as somebody who's already selling thrifted things on eBay to like chit-chat with Jenny and the fucking DMs and be like, hey, Jenny, what did you type in to find me?
19:40
Mariah: Like, you're really looking at like the data and the trends and that type of thing, where it's like, if you're a service provider or it's like people in my membership, like if you have connections with people in your space, like me as a consultant, I'm constantly talking with colleagues, I'm constantly talking with customers and the students and members and that type of thing.
20:04
Mariah: I'm constantly sending out feedback surveys, that type of thing.
20:07
Mariah: I'm keeping a close pulse on my people, which then allows me to go even deeper into the keywords, into the content that I'm creating.
20:17
Mariah: And I'm not saying when I say content, I don't mean TikTok, I don't mean Instagram short form content.
20:24
Mariah: When I say content, I mean long form.
20:26
Mariah: I mean blog posts, I mean YouTube, that type of thing.
20:29
Mariah: Long form naturally builds trust a little bit easier than short form content.
20:34
Mariah: Short form content is typically more entertainment-based.
20:38
Mariah: Obviously, there's exceptions to the rule, but it's like it's using keywords to be able to not only get found from your people that are already looking wallet out to hire you to buy from you, but it's also using keywords and understanding what people's problems are because you have your finger on the pulse with them to then create a resource that they fucking need because they've said that they need it, or you can see in the data that they need it, and this is where the trends are going.
21:06
Mariah: And so it's wild to me that some people have like SEO is dead.
21:10
Mariah: And I'm just like, you don't understand the internet because this is exactly how it works.
21:15
Mariah: And don't get me wrong, we can go into another conversation about like how tracking SEO data is getting a little finicky, especially with AI, ChatGPT, Claude, all of them kind of like release this thing where they're like, we're not going to uh like kind of allow certain tracking parameters.
21:33
Mariah: And so, like, if you've been looking at Google Analytics and you see like your traffic coming to your website, kind of tanking from these AI tools, that actually doesn't mean that it's tanking.
21:42
Mariah: It just means that like they're not giving parameters for Google Analytics to be able to track this stuff anymore.
21:47
Mariah: But that's really important because this doesn't mean that it's not working.
21:52
Mariah: It just means that like we have to get a little bit more creative and being able to understand this information.
21:57
Mariah: And that's why I think S Is such an incredible skill to learn.
22:04
Mariah: Obviously, I'm biased, but like you see it with Shay's experience too, where it's like, it's patterns.
22:10
Mariah: It's noticing patterns.
22:11
Mariah: The more that you can notice patterns and the more that you can make dis make decisions, test things, experiment, and then be able to come back and look at the data and to keep your finger on the pulse of your community.
22:25
Mariah: You can't go, you can't go out of business.
22:29
Mariah: You can't because like there's no way that something is going to kind of like come out of nowhere because you're you're in it, you're doing it.
22:38
Mariah: I think the people that are really getting freaked out about this are the ones that maybe haven't been in depth or in connection with their people.
22:46
Mariah: They're not used to looking at data, maybe they're kind of rinsing and repeating the same launches over and over again, or they've bought a course or a program or a mastermind learning from somebody that blew up in 2019.
23:00
Mariah: And that shit's not working anymore.
23:02
Mariah: And so I think that maybe that's why we're both so excited still about the online space, is like we can see the potential because we've strengthened the muscle to look at the patterns.
23:13
Shay: Yeah, I love that point.
23:14
Shay: It is pattern recognition, and there's one pattern that I've noticed as you were talking, it was really popping up.
23:21
Shay: One of our most popular episodes this season was actually one we had with your colleague Rita from Simrush.
23:27
Shay: And it was all about this idea of play.
23:29
Shay: And I cannot tell you guys, I think there is such a big hunger for more playfulness, more silliness, more getting together in community and being playful and silly with other people.
23:43
Shay: Every time we have brought up this idea of play, every single person like perks up and they want to hear more about it.
23:50
Shay: I think it's very common, especially just like with the bigger world right now, we are just feeling beat down.
23:57
Shay: I think a lot of people are feeling jaded.
23:59
Shay: A lot of people are feeling like, oh, I've just been doing the same thing, trying to rinse and repeat and survive.
24:05
Shay: And everybody, it's almost like a brush, a breath of fresh air when you bring up this idea of I'm being more playful, I'm trying to be more silly, I'm trying to be more childlike.
24:14
Shay: Um, I have noticed that I have started making content over this past season and being seen and visible and working through all that with my reselling business.
24:23
Shay: And I found that the more playful I am and the more joy I am having and the more silly I am being, those things work better.
24:34
Shay: We are all just like magnetized to this levity because everything feels heavy.
24:40
Shay: Everyone's kind of like, oh, the world, blah, blah, blah.
24:43
Shay: And oh, look, it's more human.
24:45
Shay: I really think if you can really sit with this, what I loved about that conversation with Rita was that play doesn't have to look like getting your blocks out or doing cartwheels in the park.
24:58
Shay: For her, play was like getting really nerdy and in the weeds and in the rabbit hole of something she was interested in.
25:04
Shay: And I love that idea because I think to your point earlier, of what we are all drawn to is people who are curiously guided, people who are tapping into their intuition, they're following their inner guidance, they're knowing, and they're being playful, they're being silly, they're having joy, they're trying to get some fun and squeeze some juice out of this life.
25:25
Shay: We are also nourished by that.
25:27
Shay: And so I think the more that we can be those examples and encourage those examples in others.
25:32
Shay: And if there's more ways you can infuse this idea of play or being silly or joy in what you do, I think that is what Mariah is saying.
25:41
Shay: That's what builds that trust.
25:42
Shay: When people can feel that joy coming from you as opposed to I'm an AI robot, like that is your uniqueness.
25:49
Shay: That is really how you stand out.
25:51
Mariah: Yeah, I think so.
25:52
Mariah: And like if I'm just taking a look at like me as a buyer, what am I drawn to?
25:57
Mariah: I'm drawn to people that I feel like I can feel their their passion or their juice or like their zest of life, like through their zone of expertise, almost to the point where it's like if they like and they believe what they're doing so much, I might not even need it.
26:13
Mariah: But I'm just like, yeah, how much is that?
26:15
Mariah: I I kind of want that.
26:17
Shay: I just want that energy you're putting off, you know?
26:19
Mariah: Maybe maybe I'll I'll fit this into my business somehow.
26:22
Mariah: I mean, like, I don't really care, which is interesting because it's like before all of these decisions were kind of make made on like how much money is this gonna make me?
26:30
Mariah: What is the ROI?
26:31
Mariah: Like, what is the process?
26:32
Mariah: What's what's the AI prompt gonna give me?
26:35
Mariah: And now I'm like, yo, you're creating a business where like you fucking love your life and like I like the way that you think about it, and like I like the way that you're showing up and you're sharing, and you feel very convicted and passionate in what you do and you're sharing it in a way that feels fun, and you're gonna share your brain with me.
26:53
Mariah: Hell yeah, I'll pay for that.
26:55
Mariah: So it's interesting because it's like you can't put a dollar amount on play, you know what I mean?
27:00
Mariah: You and you also can't strategize it.
27:01
Mariah: You can't be like, wow, okay, so this YouTube video, I am going to turn up my play percentage and my joy percentage, about 25%, to be able to test the resonance and the views.
27:13
Mariah: Like, you can't do that.
27:15
Mariah: You kind of just gotta fucking wing it.
27:17
Mariah: And that's where I think this balance of growing a business that feels good to you, it's this balance of strategy and energetics always.
27:25
Mariah: You need both of them.
27:26
Mariah: I think that we've learned that over and over and over again.
27:29
Mariah: But what I've noticed as a buyer is also I'm more likely to buy an in-person experience.
27:35
Mariah: I'm more likely to buy a um a conference ticket.
27:38
Mariah: I'm more likely to want to buy a workshop ticket if I feel like, well, it's tough because locally I would love to go to more workshops.
27:47
Mariah: But the people in Buffalo, dude, I've said this numerous times.
27:50
Mariah: Like they're like five years behind.
27:52
Mariah: They give me no information.
27:53
Mariah: I'm still a fact finder bitch.
27:54
Mariah: Like I want to do in-person experiences, but I also need bullet points of like what the fuck am I actually buying?
28:00
Mariah: Because I need to validate my money and my time.
28:03
Mariah: Because that's the thing with in-person experiences.
28:05
Mariah: It's not just as easy as hopping on a Zoom call.
28:07
Mariah: Now it's well, who's gonna watch the dog?
28:10
Mariah: Who is gonna create, who's gonna make dinner?
28:12
Mariah: Like it's there's a lot more resources that come in.
28:15
Mariah: So I do think that like details matter a lot more, which details build trust.
28:20
Mariah: People forget about that.
28:21
Mariah: If I don't know you or we haven't connected in a while, and I'm reading to join to jump into your conference or to jump into even just like a two-hour workshop locally, I need details.
28:31
Mariah: Who are you?
28:32
Mariah: I need you to be very literal about like what I'm going to learn, what's included, that type of thing.
28:37
Mariah: But I'm also strangely enough, because for a long time I was, I don't want to say anti-community because that's not true.
28:46
Mariah: But I think that I was just in my own little bubble of like, hey, I'm building a business by my rules, and I can't be swayed outside of this.
28:56
Mariah: And I'm actually not looking for opinions or perspective on how to grow my business.
29:02
Mariah: And so I was really like, I don't want to be in communities where it's like, oh, tell me your problem.
29:06
Mariah: And then I'm getting 45 different opinions that don't matter to me because like I really want to go through my process.
29:11
Mariah: And so I think that that was the season that I've been in for a long time.
29:14
Mariah: And now maybe it's because I'm pregnant, I'm about to become a mom, I'm gonna be in the newborn phase, like in early 2027.
29:21
Mariah: And maybe it's that where I'm really just like craving community a little bit more.
29:26
Mariah: Like I'm actively looking for a possible online community to join, which surprises me because if you would have asked me this nine months ago, I would have been like, hell no, I ain't like I ain't got time for that.
29:37
Mariah: But after going to so many conferences and seeing so many people connect in person and use these conferences as a way to like connect with their online community, I'm a little jealous of that.
29:48
Mariah: I'm just like, hey, I don't have a place where like I get to connect with these people in between these in-person experiences, because although I'm willing to pay for an in-person experience, time, money, resources, situation, life, can't do it every month type situation.
30:05
Mariah: And so I'm really interested in like community, not for the sake of like, I don't want to say not for the sake of masterminding, but like not for the sake of masterminding.
30:16
Mariah: I want to chat with people that are in a similar stage of business as me, share what I'm learning.
30:22
Mariah: I want to hear what they're learning, and I kind of just want to like fucking kick it.
30:26
Mariah: Like I just want to hang out.
30:29
Mariah: I just want to get to know you as a human, that type of thing.
30:33
Mariah: And so that's what I'm kind of noticing, what I'm being pulled to a little bit more.
30:38
Mariah: Are you noticing like a similar shift with you or no?
30:41
Shay: Yeah, you know, as you were talking about, um obviously I am definitely drawn to like more human interactions.
30:49
Shay: I think that like, you know, I'm always thinking about this pendulum swinging.
30:53
Shay: Like in COVID, we both went hard with the online communities, and then I think we needed to like swing away from that for a while.
30:59
Shay: So then it kind of makes sense that we're kind of finding a happy medium because you're right, there's a lot of like I I had never heard this idea before, but and I'm gonna misquote it, but it's this idea of like staying close to the fire and like staying close to the people that light you up, that ignite you, and being around other people who are inspired and talking with conviction that fills my cup more than I realized.
31:23
Shay: And so I kind of needed to like have that swing away because I've definitely felt that like when you're on your own too long, it there's some awesome that's can be an awesome phase, but there is something about surrounding yourself with people who are also lit up by what they do.
31:38
Shay: It doesn't have to be what you do, but that like we've talked about that shadow, that energy is it makes me want to do better, it makes me strive for more.
31:47
Shay: I like that you asked the question about what am I noticing as a buyer?
31:51
Shay: Because one thing that popped up for me is this idea of like SaaS and subscriptions.
31:57
Shay: I am noticing, I am tired of the subscription model.
32:00
Shay: I am tired of people wanting to get me in for$5 and then bill me for for forever or whatever that looks like.
32:08
Shay: Like I am I'm kind of tired of that model and I'm almost like repelled of programs now where I have to sign up for some subscription service.
32:18
Shay: And I do think there's gonna be like SAS and this idea of getting people on monthly recurring revenue has been huge in this industry.
32:25
Shay: And I am I'm just noticing as a customer that I'm starting to get repelled by it.
32:30
Shay: So I'm kind of wondering if we're gonna see maybe some shifts in like how buyers are buying or how people are structuring programs, because currently I'm just repelled by it.
32:41
Mariah: That's really interesting.
32:42
Mariah: I um I'm willing to pay a monthly subscription to a community or to a membership.
32:48
Mariah: I'm not willing to pay a monthly subscription to a new software tool.
32:52
Mariah: And I think it could be because, and you're probably noticing this too, but like because they're all fucking pushing AI features that I don't want, and then they're like doubling their prices because of their AI features.
33:04
Mariah: And I'm like, I literally just want your tool to work for the initial thing that I wanted it to work for.
33:09
Mariah: And like the more that they push out AI features, the shittier the foundation of like what I signed up for actually works.
33:17
Mariah: Like, I don't know if you're noticing that, but like that's what I'm noticing too.
33:21
Mariah: And now I'm looking for like cheaper alternatives, smaller business alternatives where it's like, hey, we might have some glitches, but it's like we don't have investors making all of our decisions.
33:32
Mariah: We didn't change the messaging on our fucking homepage to be we're an AI powered blah, blah, blah.
33:37
Mariah: I don't want that.
33:38
Mariah: I literally just want you to be like a video editor and recorder.
33:42
Shay: Yeah.
33:42
Shay: Yeah, there's this idea of like in shittification where like all the services and stuff we've had are just getting worse and worse.
33:50
Shay: And I'm noticing that across the board, like online business space, but in real life too, like it just things aren't made as well.
33:57
Shay: Every most things have been bought by private equity, and so they've cut down on their ingredients if it's food or like their service, if it's customer service.
34:05
Shay: And everything is just getting shittier.
34:07
Shay: And I'm interesting, I'm kind of connecting this now.
34:10
Shay: It's almost tied to like the vintage clothes stuff.
34:13
Shay: I think we're all craving like quality.
34:16
Shay: Like, I'm willing, you even said it right there, like I'm willing to pay for something if the quality is there, because we are all being burned over and over.
34:24
Shay: And lately, I think SaaS has been a good example of like we're just kind of watching the quality go down and down and down, and then prices are going up and up.
34:32
Shay: And so I do think, like, even though we are maybe talking about tougher economic times, I think that people are willing to, people in the right mindset, maybe, are willing to spend a little bit more if the quality is there.
34:46
Shay: I mean, I kind of reference this a lot, but in my sales job right now, I'm still selling logos for$10,000, something that AI can do for free.
34:55
Shay: We are still selling because of exactly this.
34:58
Shay: Like, people are getting burned by AI.
35:02
Shay: We're realizing there it is smart, but it's only smart to a certain extent.
35:07
Shay: And we want the human, the value, the premium is actually going to become the humanness.
35:13
Shay: And so it's interesting how that's all kind of like coming together.
35:16
Shay: But I do think like this is why trust is eroding.
35:19
Shay: It's this inchidification of things, right?
35:21
Shay: So if you can really build this reputation of quality, and you brought up, I think before we pressed record of like, do you have testimonials?
35:29
Shay: Do you have track record?
35:31
Shay: Do you have people that can vouch for you?
35:33
Shay: Um, I've made the most meaningful connections business-wise in in person, in human, just one-on-one.
35:41
Shay: There is no scale to it, right?
35:43
Shay: And so I just think it's gonna be more of a shift back to again, human, real life, playful, creative.
35:51
Shay: Like, what are the things that you have that AI doesn't have that kind of like the bigger shitty and shittification of everything that doesn't?
35:59
Shay: It's it's that idea of like when they zig, you zag, right?
36:02
Shay: So notice what is everyone doing right now?
36:05
Shay: We're all getting tired of it.
36:06
Shay: So how can we be like a reaction to that moving forward?
36:10
Mariah: Yeah, it's just like it's trust, it's tangibility, it's authentic, like true authentic.
36:16
Mariah: Like, who are you?
36:17
Mariah: Like to your core, the silly, the playful, the fucking weirdo, like that type of thing.
36:21
Mariah: But I just saw actually, um, I I don't know if it was Denmark, if it was Sweden, uh, it was somewhere over across the pond over there, where a bunch of the refrigerators at this major grocery store chain were all connected to like Wi-Fi.
36:37
Mariah: They were like smart refrigerators.
36:39
Mariah: They got a hacker.
36:41
Mariah: They hacked the system in which these refrigerators ran.
36:45
Mariah: The hackers turned the temperature up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not okay for a fridge.
36:53
Mariah: All of the food spoiled.
36:55
Mariah: And it's like they're realizing that, like, yeah, smart things aren't that smart anymore.
37:00
Mariah: And even me and Andrew were talking about it.
37:02
Mariah: We were watching some YouTube video where it was like somebody was like, let's take a look at this refrigerator from the 1940s.
37:08
Mariah: Tell me why it was like actually built way smarter, not technology smarter, but like usefulness smarter than they are now.
37:18
Mariah: And so I think that that's also where trust is a like we're kind of getting just slapped in the face with this all the time.
37:25
Mariah: And it's like these big corporations, and then it trickles down, right?
37:29
Mariah: Because then even in the online space, people be like, oh, this is this is what the big corporations are putting money behind.
37:34
Mariah: So they must have done the research and then this is what people must be wanting.
37:39
Mariah: And it's like, nah, dog, like we're we're grassroots, like we're on the ground here.
37:44
Mariah: And the cool thing about us in the online space is we don't have stakeholders and investors and 400 hands in the pot that we have to make happy.
37:53
Mariah: Like we're like you're saying, we get to zig when people are zagging.
37:57
Mariah: So, like, don't get caught up in what these big corporations and the decisions that they're making.
38:01
Mariah: Like, I'm behind the scenes of some of these brands, and like some of the decisions aren't as connected to the customers as you would assume that they would be based on like the amount of resources and data they have access to.
38:19
Mariah: And so I do think that like obviously with running your own thing comes a lot of responsibility.
38:26
Mariah: We've talked about this in this season with Miranda, where it's like she um ended up closing down her online business and trading her online business for health insurance.
38:36
Mariah: And it's like, yeah, because there's a lot that you have to juggle being a business owner, but there's also so much freedom if you're willing to stay curious about it.
38:46
Mariah: So I think that like this is just gonna continue to blow up in 2027.
38:50
Mariah: Like moving forward, I don't see this shifting anywhere.
38:54
Mariah: Like we're not all of a sudden all gonna love fucking AI and just start trusting all of these things, especially with security and data breaches and just like people trying to shove things down our throat.
39:04
Mariah: I think that we are going to crave again the human.
39:09
Mariah: We are going to create crave the human.
39:11
Mariah: We are going to crave experts.
39:12
Mariah: And I know if you're listening to this and you're like, fuck, I'm not an expert, is there even a point in me, in me starting or just like in me figuring it out?
39:20
Mariah: Yes, because you are a human and like allow yourself to figure it out.
39:24
Mariah: I got an email from somebody on my email newsletter this week, and she was like, Hey Mariah, I um I was just wondering your opinion.
39:32
Mariah: I'm really interested in doing SEO copywriting, but I'm hearing everywhere that like it's not valuable anymore and there's no point with AI.
39:39
Mariah: I was just curious about your thoughts.
39:41
Mariah: And I was like, that's really interesting to me because I'm seeing my customers and clients and people that are willing to pay and want to create like a very good website that speaks directly to their people, are willing to pay even more for human-generated content that also gets them found and that is like driving action, like both of that together, because good SEO copywriting can do both.
40:04
Mariah: And I was like, but you have to be willing to be fucking shitty at first.
40:07
Mariah: Like that was the huge thing that I told her.
40:09
Mariah: I was like, because if you're brand new to this field, like you're not the expert quite yet.
40:15
Mariah: But it's like, if you can just go in there and try it.
40:18
Mariah: And here's the thing: I was like, I got into the space 11 years ago being a website developer.
40:23
Mariah: And then I heard even back then that SEO was dead.
40:25
Mariah: Imagine if I would have listened to them, I wouldn't be where I am today, where I think that SEO is even more important than it was 11 years ago.
40:33
Mariah: And so it's like you just never know the skills that you're going to develop.
40:36
Mariah: So, like if you're questioning if like you want to do this or if you want to keep doing this, obviously, like there's different things and different lifestyle choices and decisions that kind of have to come into play.
40:45
Mariah: But just know that like you get to reevaluate your opportunities with every move that you make.
40:51
Mariah: If you decide that you no longer want to do X, Y, and Z that you offer, you get to zig and you get to zag.
40:57
Mariah: And there's so much power in that that a lot of people don't have.
41:01
Shay: Yeah, I really like the point you made.
41:03
Shay: We've talked about playfulness, silliness, joy, but there's this idea of like simplifying, like every order we're seeing less screen time, you know, like we're realizing how addicted we are to tech.
41:13
Shay: And I I have a 2004 Honda CRV that I'm obsessed with.
41:19
Shay: It's the best fucking car.
41:21
Shay: I love it.
41:22
Shay: And now it's actually appreciating in value because all of these people are now trying to buy these old cars that are simple buttons and not connected to Wi-Fi.
41:32
Shay: And like when we bought our washing machine, I didn't want a bunch of tech.
41:37
Shay: I want buttons that's easy to repair.
41:39
Shay: And in the same way, I don't want a smart fridge.
41:42
Shay: I don't want uh because I think I've I've noticed like we're not hearing this so much in the US, but a lot of other countries in the world are releasing kind of educational materials to their population about like preparedness.
41:54
Shay: And they're specifically citing like cyber attacks.
41:58
Shay: The I think that's good, we're gonna see more and more like your fridge examples of like AI or hackers or scammers kind of hacking big systems like that.
42:07
Shay: And I think the more and more that happens, again, we're talking about trust erosion, trust recession is such a good phrase.
42:12
Shay: Like that stuff is going to make us trust this less.
42:16
Shay: So I think we are all craving, and I think we're gonna see more demand for.
42:20
Shay: We already are seeing this idea of like more simplicity, I think transparency.
42:25
Shay: Can you talk about what you do very clear and very simple?
42:29
Shay: I think people are just like, I'm tired of this overcomplicated.
42:32
Shay: You were mentioning about the SaaS.
42:34
Shay: I don't need overcomplicated.
42:35
Shay: I need something straightforward and I want to understand it and I want it to be simple.
42:39
Shay: I don't need all the Wi-Fi tech options.
42:42
Shay: I want the buttons, you know?
42:44
Shay: So I think you can think about this in two ways.
42:46
Shay: Like, yes, we are entering scary uncertain times, just as everybody throughout history has been.
42:52
Shay: There's certainly, I think the economy is shifting.
42:54
Shay: I think the way we work is shifting.
42:56
Shay: I think jobs, the idea of jobs and what their role is and how we relate to jobs is shifting.
43:02
Shay: And you can either jump on board with that or you can like dig your heels on the ground and resist it.
43:06
Shay: But like the opportunity here is curiously guided, lifestyle design.
43:11
Shay: You can literally, for the first time in history, create whatever the fuck kind of work you want.
43:17
Shay: And one trend that I have noticed is I am hearing, not to like pat us on the back, but I'm hearing more and more people talk about lifestyle design, talk about this idea of, oh, maybe I can structure my work around the life I want to live and not vice versa.
43:32
Shay: So to me, I it is we are scary on certain climate change, shifting political boundaries.
43:38
Shay: All of it is true.
43:40
Shay: But I am going to choose to think about this as this is the opportunity.
43:44
Shay: Like you and I have been talking about this for years, but just like you can really slice and dice it the way you want to.
43:50
Shay: And that can be scary if you have been on the nine to five teeth your whole career, right?
43:55
Shay: Like that can be absolutely terrifying.
43:57
Shay: But the flip side is it's an awesome opportunity.
44:00
Shay: Opportunity.
44:00
Shay: You can really like again create the life that you don't want to escape from.
44:04
Shay: Now is the time.
44:06
Shay: You know, it's cool.
44:07
Shay: It can be cool.
44:08
Shay: Like we said, it's a wild west.
44:10
Shay: You can kind of form it and it's play-doh.
44:11
Shay: And that is scary, but it's awesome.
44:13
Shay: Like we were here on the other side of it.
44:15
Shay: So I am seeing more and more talk, more and more people realizing like, hey, my life is the value here.
44:21
Shay: The time I have with my family is the value here.
44:24
Shay: How I wake up every morning, my nervous system, you know, that's the important stuff.
44:28
Shay: It's not working my whole life or some company, right?
44:31
Shay: And so I am seeing that shift in people.
44:33
Shay: And that is like a relief.
44:35
Shay: I think it's wonderful.
44:36
Shay: So I am excited about that side of it.
44:39
Mariah: Yeah.
44:39
Mariah: Yeah.
44:40
Mariah: I agree.
44:41
Mariah: Um, okay.
44:41
Mariah: So I feel like we did some 2027 prediction, probably 2027, 2028, 2029.
44:48
Mariah: Like I feel like this is just gonna keep kind of like building until something shifts, a revolution happens in whatever way that that kind of looks like.
44:58
Mariah: Um, but before we close out, I just am curious.
45:02
Mariah: Like, what about you personally?
45:03
Mariah: What are you excited about in terms of 2027?
45:06
Mariah: What are you looking forward to?
45:09
Shay: Yeah, well, we started out this season by I mentioned like I am climbing cringe mountain.
45:15
Shay: Like I am somewhere in the middle on the side of this mountain.
45:19
Shay: I, when we started out this season, wanted to share about my reselling business.
45:23
Shay: I had kind of like replaced my sales income with it.
45:25
Shay: I was doing really well with it, but I was terrified to even have my face on camera.
45:30
Shay: And so now what I did since we started this season is I literally just started like laying on the habits that a person who creates content, because me personally, what I think is the future is I need to be creating content about this.
45:43
Shay: It's an expertise I have.
45:44
Shay: This is how I'm gonna build my platform.
45:46
Shay: So that's my goal.
45:47
Shay: And so it's been cool.
45:49
Shay: Like I started out this season being like, all right, I gotta climb this cringe mountain.
45:52
Shay: I gotta get my face out there, even though it's making me want to kill myself.
45:55
Shay: And I'm doing it.
45:57
Shay: And it's fun, you know, talk about joy and play.
46:00
Shay: I am having a lot of fun with it.
46:02
Shay: Like I mentioned, the videos where I am letting myself be creative and be a little silly are the ones that are doing the best.
46:09
Shay: And as a data person and a research person, it's it is sucky when you have a video that doesn't perform well, that you put a bunch of time in.
46:16
Shay: But like the data point of it is interesting.
46:18
Shay: And I think like I'm learning, and every week we're layering a bit more in, and now we're, you know, doing a bit more, and now we're having long form and short form.
46:27
Shay: And so moving forward, I am really excited.
46:30
Shay: It's cool to be on the mountain.
46:31
Shay: Like I'm proud of myself for getting on the mountain and climbing up the mountain, and then I'm excited about where it's going to lead.
46:38
Shay: Um, I do think you're right.
46:40
Shay: Like the way that we have all learned about social media and sharing is changing.
46:45
Shay: Um, it's really hard to grab attention.
46:47
Shay: It's not as easy as it used to be to go viral.
46:50
Shay: And so I'm seeing that it's hard to start something from scratch, but I'm also surprised by how much I've been enjoying it.
46:57
Shay: So moving forward, I am hoping to keep keep the climb going, you know, like uh pushing myself a bit more, building these muscles.
47:06
Shay: It's honestly been fun to kind of retap into my creativity and just do something that I like had the vision for, and I get to like see it out how I want it.
47:14
Shay: Like it's like liberating or feeling free or something.
47:17
Shay: So, long story short, I've been surprised at how much I've enjoyed climbing cringe mountain, even though it has felt terrible at times.
47:24
Shay: And I'm looking forward to where the climb takes me because I've already been kind of surprised with like how quickly some things can pay off and you can grow an audience and you can get interaction.
47:34
Shay: So I'm looking forward to like what that leads.
47:36
Mariah: Um, I'm glad that you're having fun with it because like that's the whole point.
47:42
Shay: Right.
47:43
Mariah: That's the whole point.
47:44
Mariah: People ask me about YouTube all the time, right?
47:46
Mariah: I'm just like, you have to have fun with it in whatever way that means for you.
47:50
Mariah: And so if you guys haven't checked out Shay's YouTube channel, you have to.
47:53
Mariah: We're gonna put it in the show notes below.
47:55
Mariah: I um I joked around with her when I watched her first long form video.
47:58
Mariah: I was like, bitch, I know you waited too long because this is really fucking good.
48:02
Mariah: Uh, even my husband, like we were just looking at it the other day because every time, you know, we're obviously subscribed, and every time it comes across the feed, we like make sure that we watch and we and we give a thumbs up to a video.
48:13
Mariah: And even Andrew was just like, yo, Shay's thumbnails are like really good.
48:17
Mariah: They're like really good.
48:18
Mariah: And my husband's like middle name is YouTube.
48:20
Mariah: Um, he's like always on fucking watching things on YouTube.
48:24
Mariah: And so it's just it's cool to be able to see and notice that it's like you're having fun with it.
48:30
Mariah: And like in the beginning of the season, it uh it was cringe mountain.
48:35
Mariah: It was like, what do you mean?
48:36
Mariah: And like that buildup that we create in our mind, especially before like I'd say like the first three are probably like the hardest, and then it's like you'll have one do decent, one do shit, one do mediocre.
48:50
Mariah: And so you kind of get this sense of like leveling your expectations, and then you realize really quickly that if you don't enjoy the journey, you're never gonna fucking do this ever again.
49:02
Mariah: So then it makes it a little bit lighter.
49:04
Shay: I've also been able to just realize I was so scared of negative comments and what were people thinking of me, blah, blah, blah.
49:12
Shay: And then now I'm like, I'm trying to say this without sounding mean, but just like, I don't give a fuck.
49:19
Shay: Like, I'm really to a place where like I am doing this for me.
49:22
Shay: I'm doing this for me.
49:24
Shay: And like that has been the most rewarding and a place I didn't think I could get to.
49:27
Shay: And so that's kind of cool to feel like, no, I've always heard people say that like you need to do it for you.
49:31
Shay: And I'm like, yeah, sure.
49:33
Shay: Logically I get it, but like wasn't really there.
49:35
Shay: But it is cool to feel that, like, oh well, this one can flop.
49:39
Shay: Like, it was what I wanted to put out in the world, and like I feel great about that, and we'll do it for the next one.
49:43
Shay: Like, just enjoying the journey and not really having some particular destination to get to has been really fun and cool.
49:50
Shay: And I'm excited to see like where that leads.
49:52
Shay: But same question to you like, what do you you're obviously having a big chapter change coming up?
49:57
Shay: What do you see on your horizon?
49:59
Mariah: Yeah, it's crazy.
50:00
Mariah: Uh, I don't know if I've like given details about the pregnancy on the podcast yet, but I'm due January 5th.
50:07
Mariah: So the beginning of 2027.
50:11
Mariah: And, you know, with our previous episode, a topic pregnancy, very intense, whatever.
50:18
Mariah: It's wild to have made it like at the time of this episode coming out, I'm gonna be 32 weeks, which feels like what a gift, what a blessing, what a blessing to be able to make it this long.
50:29
Mariah: And I've also, um, to all my our mom listeners out there, I'm sorry.
50:36
Mariah: Like, I just there's so many things that I'm realizing about like now that I'm actually pregnant.
50:41
Mariah: Like, I used to, I didn't used to make fun of my friends, but like I used to be like, you're being extreme.
50:45
Mariah: Like they would sit in the car and be like, huh.
50:49
Mariah: And I was like, do you have to breathe like that?
50:52
Mariah: And now I'm literally like I'm not even like halfway through my third trimester, and I literally am huffing and puffing, getting in and out of the car.
51:03
Mariah: And I was like, oh my God.
51:04
Mariah: And now I get it, where people are like, listen, I'm at the end of this, I'm ready to meet my baby.
51:08
Mariah: And so it's it's funny because I feel like my perspective before was like, what do you mean?
51:14
Mariah: It's such a gift.
51:14
Mariah: I know nine months is long, but like you're creating a human and just like, what a gift.
51:19
Mariah: And like birth sounds so scary, like whatever.
51:22
Mariah: But it's like, once you deal with like your body being taken over by like a little alien punching you from the inside, you're almost like, oh, I can see in like two months where I'm like, yeah, girl, I don't care what birth looks like.
51:35
Mariah: You need to get here safely.
51:37
Mariah: I need to be safe, and we need to, we need to move on, and you need to, you need to hang out on the outside of me because I would like to be able to roll over in bed without feeling like a rotisserie chicken.
51:49
Mariah: Um, so it has been a very interesting journey.
51:52
Mariah: But in 2027, obviously, I'm very excited to finally be a mom.
51:58
Mariah: My God, that's crazy.
51:59
Mariah: I feel like my entire life I knew that I would be, but you know, with some pregnancy scares and some losses, it's just like you don't know.
52:06
Mariah: And I still pray, it's still early.
52:07
Mariah: You know what I mean?
52:08
Mariah: Like it's almost like I still don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.
52:11
Mariah: Like, I don't, I'm I don't want to feel like I have made it until this baby is 18.
52:17
Mariah: And even then, I'm still gonna be worried.
52:19
Mariah: So it's interesting to kind of go into this phase where it's like your heart is living outside of your body.
52:25
Mariah: And I've heard people kind of say that before.
52:27
Mariah: Um, and so for 2027, I'm doing maternity leave at the beginning of it, but I'm also really grateful for this business that I've built and the decisions that I've made because I've set myself up really well.
52:40
Mariah: Me and Andrew have have waited um to start growing our family and to like we feel financially stable and supported.
52:48
Mariah: So I'm really grateful that like I'm not stressed out about money, I'm not stressed out about maternity leave.
52:53
Mariah: I'm gonna be able to take some time.
52:54
Mariah: I think the hardest thing is gonna be like, can I not check my email?
52:59
Mariah: I got 11 years, baby, of checking this fucking email every day, 45 times a day.
53:04
Mariah: You know what I'm saying?
53:05
Mariah: Like I'm a I'm a freak.
53:06
Mariah: I'm a freak with my business.
53:08
Mariah: I love it.
53:09
Mariah: And so it's going to be really interesting to kind of take a step back.
53:12
Mariah: And I'm noticing it now as my energy kind of starts to zip and like nosedive a little bit.
53:19
Mariah: Like if I do too much, if I say yes to too much.
53:22
Mariah: But it's been an interesting lesson so far of like I get to say no.
53:28
Mariah: I was joking around with a friend the other day.
53:30
Mariah: I was like, Hey, did you know that this entire time I could say no and like not take more things on?
53:38
Mariah: And like not take on more clients and more projects, and like I could just tell people no.
53:43
Mariah: Did you know that?
53:43
Mariah: And then I was joking around because it's like it's gonna be such a lesson.
53:48
Mariah: And I was talking with somebody else that's my friend that's a business owner, that's a mom, and she was like, Yeah, like you're not gonna have a choice, like you're gonna have to say no.
53:57
Mariah: And I'm actually really looking forward to that lesson.
53:59
Mariah: And I think that it's going to be hard because I'm noticing that it's hard right now, and I'm really gonna have to be intentional about what I say yes to, and that's gonna be difficult when it's like I like to help people solve their problems, and my ego feels good when I'm the person that gets to do that.
54:14
Mariah: Um, so the intentionality of 2027 is what I'm really, really, really looking forward to of being able to be a mom in a way that feels good, that feels supportive for me, my family, and the baby.
54:26
Mariah: And like I joke around all the time off camera where it's like I'm strapping this baby to my chest and like I'm going to a conference, like we're we're hanging out.
54:34
Mariah: This baby's gonna explore the world with me.
54:36
Mariah: And like I'm just really excited to be an example of somebody, hopefully, knock on wood, where it's like, I don't want to say has it all because I don't think that that's possible.
54:49
Mariah: But I think my version of having what's important to me be prioritized in a way that feels good.
54:57
Mariah: And if it doesn't, I have the power to be able to change it.
55:04
Mariah: And so I hope that I carry that with me when I'm in the fucking trenches and when I'm crying trying to breastfeed at 3 a.m.
55:11
Mariah: We'll see.
55:12
Mariah: Um, but I think that's what I'm really excited about is being more intentional, being more strategic with my business a little bit.
55:17
Mariah: I've got all the time in the world to fuck around and find out.
55:19
Mariah: I've learned a lot and I've noticed, especially in the past two months, I'm becoming like laser focused on like what I want and what I don't want.
55:28
Mariah: Where before there was nothing on the outside that was like pushing me to become laser focused.
55:33
Mariah: So we'll see what happens, but that's kind of what I'm leaning into.
55:38
Shay: Well, I'm excited for it.
55:40
Shay: Um, where if people want to keep in touch with you, you know, we're about to go on a break for the podcast.
55:45
Shay: Um, we'll come out with season seven when the timing is aligned.
55:48
Shay: But where should people like follow along if they want to keep in touch with you in the meantime?
55:52
Mariah: Yeah, so even through maternity leave, I'm still gonna be posting YouTube videos for sure.
55:57
Mariah: Um, and then my newsletter, Building Momentum, that's gonna keep rolling out through maternity leave.
56:03
Mariah: Like that is like my number one.
56:04
Mariah: If I only do one thing every week, it's sending out an email newsletter.
56:08
Mariah: And so jumping on that, there's currently 3,000 business owners on that list.
56:15
Mariah: So you can join them, sending out SEO tips.
56:17
Mariah: I'll probably send out, you know, like little updates and stuff like that.
56:21
Mariah: And I will definitely let you know when season seven of the podcast is like ready to roll.
56:26
Mariah: But that's what I would say is definitely jump on jump on the newsletter.
56:30
Mariah: Cool, awesome.
56:32
Shay: Well, friends, if you've made it this far, if you've stuck with us this long, we appreciate you so much for listening.
56:39
Shay: Please, you know, we've always been surprised at how these episodes kind of grow over time.
56:45
Shay: That's the beautiful thing about podcasting, is it's not like a hit and quit it kind of situation like social media.
56:51
Shay: You know, they it's really evergreen, it really grows.
56:54
Shay: So if you love any of these episodes, please share them with your friends.
56:57
Shay: If you think they'd be helpful for anybody, please share them.
56:59
Shay: We really appreciate it.
57:01
Shay: We appreciate you guys supporting us and the opportunity to have this platform at all.
57:05
Shay: So thank you guys for sticking around for this sixth season.
57:08
Shay: We love you guys, we appreciate you.
57:10
Shay: We're excited to see you in the seventh season.
57:12
Shay: And with that, I think we're ready to wrap it up.
57:15
Mariah: Yeah, so remember, friends, that you have the power to create whatever the fuck you want.
57:20
Mariah: Follow the nudge, ask questions, and let curiosity guide the way.
57:25
Mariah: We'll see you in season seven.