Latest / Crafted Connections / EP 55: Meet Me in My Mess: The CEO Support Role with Jill Neuhaus

Transcript

EP 55: Meet Me in My Mess: The CEO Support Role with Jill Neuhaus · Crafted Connections

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: Hello! Welcome to Crafted Connections.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Kaila Calhoun, and this is a podcast all about storytelling and building genuine community.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Here we'll dive into the art of storytelling, unpack strategies for making meaningful connections, and hear from incredible humans who are using their story to create impact.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's craft some connections.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome back.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: I am Caitlin Calhoun.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: So glad you're here.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: If you are new, Crafted Connections is a podcast that centers storytelling and being a human.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: So what are our stories?
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: How do we connect with each other through those stories?
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: How do we connect with each other through our experiences?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: And there's always a little bit of a business twist to it because I've been working for myself for almost 10 years now.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got a lot of entrepreneurial friends.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: I've got a lot of I essentially built my work and my business through coffee meetings.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, today's guest, Jill, is no exception.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: So Jill Newhouse is just an amazing human.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll dig right into it.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: But essentially, she and I met through this group called Content Club, which is a group that would meet an hour a day and be some accountability to rock out your content.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, I've met a bunch of wonderful people on there, and I've already had some of them on the podcast.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: So super excited to have Jill on the podcast because honestly, she's the one that I've gotten to know the best and has become a very, very close friend.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll dig right into it.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Please enjoy Jill.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, share it.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Share it with a friend, share it with a fellow business owner, share it with someone who you want to be your business bestie or is your business bestie because Jill and I have those vibes, and she has such good insight on running teams and being a leader, and like also just her take on the CEO, kind of executive assistant slash support, like main support role is very interesting in this interview.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: So so excited for you to enjoy Jill.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for being here, as always.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: First off, thank you for being here on Crafting Connections.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we're out here.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: I've been explaining it to people and like on the pod recently as like we all are this circle and our story is this circle.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I really do think that that you can Venn diagram with anyone.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: You just gotta find, you gotta find the Venn diagrams, right?
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's what we're gonna do.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna like have those conversations about like those topics and things that we both find interest in.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm trying to avoid tell the people about you.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's so basic.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: So how do we how do we enter this in a way that people get to like know you, but they don't have to like have you give the like the little spiel.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, for sure.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: I was like challenging myself.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: What if we just like dive right into talking about how that question can be boring sometimes?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, because it is super boring.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, read my link.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard for you as like a guest to like, because it it'll be in the show notes, and it's hard for you as a guest to be like, okay, now I'm gonna just like take my entire so many years and like define them for you in two sentences.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it doesn't show my expertise, it doesn't show how I can't help you, it doesn't show who we are, if we're a good culture fit.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's literally just like the equivalent of slapping, you know, when you go to an event and you like write down, hi, my name is Jill on that little piece of paper, and then you just like slap that bad boy on, it's the equivalent.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone's got that little bio, everybody's got their elevator speech, but it's it's about the energy, it's about the vibe.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do we connect?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: I've noticed like you lose the the energy when that happens because people read their swiel to you.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, even though they're maybe not reading from paper, it sounds like they're reading from paper because they this is the swiel that they've got saved in their Google Docs, they copy and paste and they make it happen, kind of thing.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Chat gave me this jargon-filled nonsense to say out loud that has no personality and tells no one what I do.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: Which also that that's fun that you bring up uh Chat GPT, because that's gonna be a part of our conversation today, too.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I love AI, so I am in the world.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I like I also want to interrogate you about it.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: But let's start with co-working and how we became to be, you know, besties.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like it came out of nowhere, man, because we we were in this content club thing together and you randomly posted, so like we connected on LinkedIn through that, and during that time, like about a year ago, you randomly posted, hey, trying to trying to meet, make friends, you know?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so you had your like 15 minute, you had your 15-minute booking link, and then and then a year later, I mean, we've spent probably 50 hours together at least because of co-working.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because what's map, right?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: Five well, no, because yeah, what is yeah, five hours a day.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, an hour a day.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, on on weekdays, everyone.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we must be honest.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: But essentially, so co-working, I started after doing content club and realizing, yes, I while I love the prompts and all that.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: What was the most beneficial thing for me was the parallel play, the body doubling, and the like being other people were around at the same time.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm curious about your experience with it and like you know, why you ended up hanging out with this rando human and her friends for so long, right?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're so right.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it has been like such a joy.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: The last like such a joy.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we were doing the content club, and one of the prompts was like, ask for what you want.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I like it.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: I want friends.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: I want friends.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: I look around in my life, I'm like, okay, I don't know anybody else who works from home.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know, like most of my friends are teachers, actually.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: So like nobody understands this life.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: None of my friends are business owners, none of my friends are entrepreneurs, none of my friends understand what it's like to work for more than one person.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like when you're working with these like client relationships, it's complicated.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I've got no one to connect with.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I'm watching the comments roll in as we're in this clip.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, you, yeah, that blew up too.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like, or at least your post blew up.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I feel like you had blew up.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: It was so overwhelming, to be honest.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I do.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm out here wishing for like, I wish I had more engagement.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: I wish that, like, and then I when I start to actually like DM people and this, then you gotta respond to all their responses, you know?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, I'll set like a goal.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's some like rules where it's like, you know, what is it, 50 messages a week, or like you know, all these different like entrepreneurs, all these different teachers have like different, you know, things that you should should air quotes do, right?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then you're but if you actually keep with it, right?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: If you send 50 messages out a week to 50 different people, like try and maintain that.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: I dare you.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I just my I get overstimulated so fast.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's so much.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, but anyways, but it was a good thing in this case, right?
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was amazing.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: I met fantastic people, I met you.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: We were able to like really bond over co-working.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, yeah, that 15-minute link, and we just like clicked.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, you and I, yeah, for sure.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: We we went right into which we will if you know, and you I I've been calling this out a lot recently.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm loving when people are like, I'm an open book, and and you you shared that on your thing.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: But we immediately started talking about like fertility, right?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Not that, not that I'm even on that path yet, but like I'm I'm I'm clocking like what what like all my friends that like I might need to talk to in the future, right?
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so we we went right to it because I'm yeah, I don't know when it started, but I stopped caring about it being proper a second ago.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so we went right to it, and that's so essential and important.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, I'm over the small talk, I'm over the elevator speech.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, tell me who you are, what are you dealing with?
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I did a lot of those like 15-minute coffee chats in that time, and I don't want to slap a number to it, but at least 50% of those calls with other women had similar journeys.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like somehow we got on the topic, and all right, let's talk about family life.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: How do you juggle all of this?
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Which leads to fertility because that's it's and you were I mean, you were thick in it at that moment too.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like so it's like it's a bit of like, you know, we almost we attract what we need in the time.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um 100%.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because we met before I even got pregnant.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: So or you were just you I really do think it was like literally right around the time within that week.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like right now, not to which is how well we've gotten to know each other and co-working is like, I know when you conceived your child.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's fine.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 13 months ago, strangers on the internet.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: Give me let me tell you about it.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: I got a four-month-old baby.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, because it's we go through so much.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: You're not just an entrepreneur, but you're balancing, especially as a woman, your woman, you're balancing your personal life, your professional life, your family, whatever other struggles you have.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like your brain is uh holding so many different categories.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's so many tabs.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: You've been saying that a lot this week.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: So many tabs, so many tabs.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm keeping tabs for, I mean, personally, I'm keeping tabs for myself, I'm keeping tabs for my clients, friends, family.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: You end up just doing so much.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like, especially this season, the last year, like co-working has been nice because we're all body doubling and like like knocking out our professional tasks, but we're also supporting each other through all the others.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: 100%, 100%.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: And we, you know, we've got that, we've got that trust now.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that honestly, it I don't know if it necessarily took that long to develop though.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: No, yeah, and so, but we do we have that that trust and it's cozy and it's very like some, yeah.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Some days it's like, what do you need to talk about today?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like it's you know, sometimes it's like, yay, I submitted a contract, yeah, I put in a proposal, and other days it's like, you know, I I called my estranged symbol.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: There's that, you know, like stuff like that.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's just like can be challenging for sure.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: And and and and so, like, yeah, being an entrepreneur and then having like heavy weight weighted stuff at the same time, excuse me, that ain't it.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: I am curious, since we opened with the whole like cookie cutter or dry spiel being like a dilemma in like meeting people, elevator pitching people, what have you, right?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: When you had that experience with the 15-minute meetings, did you find there was like a percentage of them where it was a little bit like, oh, you're just literally you're like, or did you feel like your energy put out in that post, like, hey, I'm I'm desperate for real connection, bring it in, kind of thing.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: What it what did it actually like look like?
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm curious about those like those 15-minute calls and like across the board.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: You said some went deep, right?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: But did they all go deep?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: What what would that what was kind of the percentage there?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: No, they all went deep.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because you you literally, it was the intention of your post was real.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and it wasn't, was it like, did you find did people like not show up or was like everybody showing up too?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody showed up.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: If anything, the opposite happened, and I was like, I cannot take any more meetings right now.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like you're like, this is too much.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'd I I would need to go back now and like really read what I wrote, but even in the DMs, I wrote something about like, I'm looking for friends, I'm looking for people who understand like where I am, like in my mess.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Let's like talk about it and support one another.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And they were like, girl.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: And we just the stuff I learned about some of these other people was personal.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: They were like, all right, let's spend the next 15 minutes.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: How do we support each other?
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is your business?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: What is mine?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Can we be referral partners?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: How do I support you in life?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: What are your goals personally, professionally?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: What are you working towards?
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then we got deep on like fertility, family.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: I even heard one woman opened up about some childhood experiences that she had.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: And some deep child work.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: She's that's what it's called, right?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: Inner yeah, the inner child stuff.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: Inner child work, yes, thank you.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm well, I'm obsessed with it, so I need to calm down.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: She's unless I take over your interview and talk all about my inner child.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm here for it.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: But she and I was in that time too.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: She told me all about the work that she was doing.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: Her goal personally was that inner child work.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: And we just like, tell me about it.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Let's dive in.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not energy.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not here for like the surface.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: I want to get to know.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, but I mean, have you I'm almost interrogating you now because like I just because I have had the experiences and I don't want the like I don't want the surface level stuff.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: I want the real stuff.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so what do you do you think it was just the nature of like, yeah, show up in my mess with me?
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like this isn't gonna be cute and clean or corporate or or what have you.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: So actually then, ooh, this is where I want to go.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Are you so ready?
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, let's back up into your corporate life and and your your your past lives.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what what's the difference between this experience of like being like, yo, I'm a messy solopreneur, you better watch out.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go to the like maybe some more like masked button up versions of of the Jill I see before myself today.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I started in nonprofits and I worked in animal shelters, which is a whole thing.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a whole thing.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: How many different animal shelters do you work at?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: I worked at three multiple.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know if it was just the one or you're just like, no, no, no, she has done them all.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: No, three.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: I started at one where I was a volunteer and then I got a job.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then I moved up from like an admin operations role to like the manager of the animal shelter.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then my last role was a business development role.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it was really heavy on putting my most polished self in front of donors and asking for money and having these deep conversations and spinning the story of the pets and how they need things and what that looks like and why it's important.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's so much education that goes into that.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it really is one of the more buttoned-up corporate roles I've had.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: Even though it was the development role.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, because yeah, you'd have to charm people who have lots of funds to support to support what you're doing.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: Can you talk to me about that experience in the sense of uh what was the like the feeling in those meetings?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it was hard for me.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: I this whole conversation.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not a service person.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am all for supporting like accolades and reaching your goals and all of those things, but there's a certain sense of the entitlement.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: And is it like you're just like, I'm not gonna use your butt?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like I gotta come in here and compliment your work, your kids' work, notice all the accolades that you've made.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Did you donate?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Did you not donate?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Did you donate somewhere else?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is why you should give me your money.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: There was so much ass kissing and it was exhausting to me.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: It was not especially since I like people who recognize that they're just kind of people.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 100%.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not and you know, not to like cast like a like a generalization about folks, right?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: And not to like tell a story because I'm I'm always out here trying to make sure like I'm like I'm feeling good about like Caitlin Calhoun being rich one day, right?
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like absolutely.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Unless I like have judgment on like people who are well to do and can and can, you know, really support organizations.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: But but yes, I completely like it is it's the nature of development, right?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's the nature of of fundraising to like, you know, roll out the red carpet, treat them like, you know, royalty, essentially, so that they they will in turn donate.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it just wasn't, I don't know, it wasn't my zone of genius, I guess.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I like I love a gala, I love an event, I love a moment, but staying in there, I like to visit.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's not where I thrive, that's not where I live.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: I would much like rather and you know, some of these people are so accomplished, but I feel like I didn't see the side of them I wanted to see either.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'd rather you actually.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'd rather be in your living room in my sweatpants, helping you work on your dissertation, helping you work on your next accomplishment.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: Let's like go through your pitch deck, like like in the weeds, yeah.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I want to be in the weeds.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Interesting because that is what you do now.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like you do what I do now.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: Help people through the shit, frankly.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like, because it is, and it's entrepreneurs and organization, like it's like the thick of like the complicated, messy, right?
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so you're like, meet me in my mess, I want to meet you in your mess.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: And you don't want, yeah, you don't want to see people at the top of the mountain.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: Not because you not because you're like, get to the bottom of the valley, but rather you're like, rather like you're like, I want to help you from the valley to your mountain.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: And be a part of that.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: I love this.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love this learning this about you too.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Cause it doesn't shock me.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's not super surprising.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's not, but it's fun to like make that connection.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: And and to be fair, like Phil actually has uh a bit of a background in development.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think what he loved about it was like the strategy and like the, you know, and that's different, right?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: That's different than like, cause he's not like it's to him, it's like a the butt kiss is like, well, and he doesn't even, he's not a very good butt kisser either.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like he's very honest.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: But but it's like it's a strategy, right?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, what's the like like how can I stand out from other development people by being like strategic and like, but like if if you're not like strategy first and you're like, no, I want to be in the thick of it, I want to get you through the mud, that's so different.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's so different.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: And you said, you know, you've told me before, like just like supporting is your superpower, supporting people is your superpower.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, you were meeting with all these people who frankly didn't necessarily need support and you needed support, kind of thing.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like a weird position to be in.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: It was, yeah.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, Jill.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: It was definitely like, I know it was a muscle that I needed to learn how to stretch and build.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then once I got there, I was like, hmm, this is hard.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a good thing to have it.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: It is, right?
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because now, like working for yourself, like you know how to like make those connections and this, that, and the other.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so how did they when did were they like, oh, you should be our development person now?
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: Or like what, like, what, or or was there like a roll open in development, and you're like, well, I've been in this space for a while.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how what how what took you from like manager of an animal shelter to like I'm gonna help raise funds for this animal shelter?
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I could see where like you're like, I want to support the animal shelter.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, what's the most effective way to do it?
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: And you're like, I'm gonna grab the hands of this development wheel.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: Is that it?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I'm just telling you a story for you, and we haven't ever talked about any of this side of you, but I like this is us just being psychic with each other, I guess.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's what friends do, yeah.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: Just pulling it out of your brain.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, that's exactly what happened.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: I um not for nothing because I've loved, like, I loved managing the shelter.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: I loved working with volunteers, I loved being in the thick of it, but I got to a point professionally where I thought my resources, my skills, my education level about shelters would be better suited for the animals in this more external role than an internal role.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to be in the community more.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to meet more people.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to, I've always worked in kind of small shelters.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: So getting our name out there, I do and truly enjoy meeting people.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that is really easy for me.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And at the time, we were kind of looking around at the staff, and it was just a natural progression.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like you were the one who made the most sense.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: No, that and that totally makes sense because there are while you love animals, there are some people who are like, no, animals only.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't really care for people.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: I love my cousin to pieces, but she is classic black cat and you know, ended up being like a vet surgeon, you know, what have you.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it is, it's that, right?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: So that's exactly surgeons.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: They're like behind the curtain, they're dealing with the animal, they are not.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: And they love the pet parent.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: And she really likes I love her to pieces, but I would never be like, she's a pre people person.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: I would never say that, you know.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: And that's totally fine.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's totally fine.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, to the point where it cracks me up.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: I oh God, I really cannot express how much I love her.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: But it's her Instagram imagery is like her six dogs and her one, you know, two-year-old son.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, but it's like, it's never like the son is never like you are the human.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's like this is my pack of creatures, you know?
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: And and this one just happens to be a human being who he literally is a wolf boy, the way that he's being raised.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I love this for him so much.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm probably raising one of those myself.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you really are.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: You really are.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: I just don't know if I've seen it on Instagram as much as um, yeah.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: No, not yet.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: No, not yet.
• 21:01
  unknown: Not yet.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so with all this, you got to that place.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: What was the transition out of there?
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do like what was and feel free to like dig in more to like if you're like if there's personal life things going on, right?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: Because I don't want to just tell, like, I we are all about the behind the scenes and the forward-facing, right?
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I I don't ever want this podcast to be like people come on and just talk about how they serve people and and you know, this, that, and the other, but rather just like what is your like your your dark moments, your transitional moments, all that, um, personally and professionally.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I got let go very early on in COVID.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: That'll get you.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: That'll get you.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: That's how it ended.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: And when you were in the development role, or was it cool?
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: Not cool, right?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: But cool as in clocking it as a storyteller.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: So it's early COVID.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: Donations are not coming in, people are scared.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: Layoffs are Happening and it was bad.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure entrepreneurs and can like feel this as well.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I tied in so much of my identity into the nonprofit in animal shelter work.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: And like, who am I if I'm not doing this?
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I get laid off and I won identity crisis.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: Were you um married at this point yet?
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: And Ben and I moved down to this area of Virginia for this job.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: So we have no support system.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: We're down here by ourselves.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's the beginning of a pandemic.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: Not many friends, because when were you making friends at this point?
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: We had no friends, and we weren't making any because we were stuck in our apartment because the world was shut down.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm spending all of my time.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: It was also my first time getting let go.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Which is a whole thing.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Which was a whole thing.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm frantically trying to apply for jobs in this market.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: I actually got a few, which was nice, but then I went to like a few interviews or a few jobs.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: A few jobs.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: I got job offers, got onboarded, and then rescinded because of COVID.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I went through that process three times.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my God.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: How do you have trust?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: How can you ever trust again?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like so it's like an entrepreneur.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: So for then the next five months, I got really depressed.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I basically lived on our couch for a little while.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Because what am I gonna do?
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: My whole identity has been wrapped up in this thing that is kind of awkwardly, like it's just kind of shrunk.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not getting any jobs, I don't know what to do.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: My experience, it's not niche.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like a very much a generalist, but yeah, like especially fundraising, like having that background, like so and to the point where like when my like film experience really started taking off, I was getting hit up more to help others write grants for their films than actual like people being like, Oh, I see you as a filmmaker, you know, because like people hate fundraising, yes, grant writing, all that stuff.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, like people got their and it's because the nonprofit space has a such a such a weird like mindset around money, right?
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's nonprofit, but that doesn't mean you can't have a high operating budget, um, which I think is a misconception for sure.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: 100%, yeah.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I kind of sat down and I was like, okay, well, also in that space, you kind of just do whatever you need to do to get done at the end of the day.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, all right, this random issue popped up.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like this random issue popped up.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: So we need to figure out how to do it and then get it done because X, Y, or Z happens.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, every grantor has their own rules and you've got to learn their program and their whatever.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then I don't know, like something happens and you gotta McGyra this new thing.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is something, nothing is uniform, there are no processes, you're just kind of like rolling through.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm looking around and I'm like, I've got a bunch of experience with a bunch of random shit.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: How do I turn this into something?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I I became a virtual assistant, right?
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Which is that's the I mean, talk about 2020, 2021 being the boom in time for the the virtual assistant goal mine, if you will.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: And what was that like?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: It was cool.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: I worked for a virtual assistant agency, they did all of the marketing and sales, and they just find you butt based on your yes.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: It was awesome.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Skill set.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: It was very cool.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: I really liked it.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: I enjoyed it.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: I worked with that agency for a year and a half, I think.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then something weird happened.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: Hey y'all.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know I love telling stories, gathering stories, and finding a way to help people connect their story with the people that will get it.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what my story strategy sessions are all about.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: So over at Calhoun Creative Consulting, my strategic storytelling firm, we do one-on-one and or facilitated workshops in relation to really honing in the strategy around your story.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's a bit of messaging meets content creation, meets storytelling, and then how do we put that out in the world?
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: How do we show up regularly?
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: There's a bit of mindset work around it, right?
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: To actually tell your story.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you're launching something new or trying to rework your brand or just feeling a little foggy on how to communicate with your people, this is how to get clear.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: We'll dig into things like your narrative, how to uncover what matters most, maybe map out a few content pillars while we're at it.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: You'll also get a recording of our session so you can revisit the conversation anytime you like.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: Let's shape a story that actually feels like you.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: So book yours today.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: There is a link in the show notes.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: And hey, while you're at it, use the code podcast, all caps, podcast for 25% off your session.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: I would be honored to spend time with you and suss out your story.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: Let's dive back into the episode, shall we?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: I was let go from the agency for a weird HR thing that happened with a client.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: Wasn't my fault, but you know, small business owners, your business is so personal.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: And when something happens, you just want to protect what's yours and do whatever you want to do.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: Right, and you lash out.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: So my client at the time was in a hiring situation and we were combing through resumes and we were hiring domestically.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I was letting people know, like, hey, if I don't know if you want to go in the weeds on all this, but I was like, I mean, if you're comfortable, because honestly, I I was always curious about the story that you shared.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you're comfortable, because I know that there's I know that there's like reconnection a little bit with the episodes.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna like, so that's the thing.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, yeah, and I know you're an open book.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: So like seriously, if you're comfortable, I am more than okay.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it is it is interesting to me because also like it's so important to me like to share all these perspectives of like different life experiences.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think everybody knows what a virtual assistant is.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think even if you do know what it is, you don't necessarily know how it works.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I also think the way that employment ends sometimes can be so varied.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think it is like so good to give people like expansion around like, because this something like this, even though it's weird and fluky, and I don't even know what it is because you're about to explain it, but like even something weird and fluky, I think it's good for people to hear an odd experience to be like, oh my gosh, that like something like that also happened to my friend, cousin, what have you.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, you know, it just I don't know, it just gives permission when we like show the the muck and the weeds.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, and that's why I love my open book Joe so much.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, I've got no problem, but I was like, do you want to hear this?
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um I do, I do, I really do.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: Cause I'm curious, I really am.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm curious.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like, people are always like, Oh, how did it end?
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Right, like the other day, even I was voicing a friend and she's like, Oh, this person I know got let go, and I was got fired.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like in the voice note, like it was three minutes in of a four-minute voice note, and I was like, She better tell me what he did, you know, like because yeah, and then and then she did, right?
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's like, because it so it is curious.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's just you have already processed it so much that you're like, Does anyone care?
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: But I do because you brought it up to like us like a few weeks ago, and I was I have been wondering, like, not in my full free time, but every once in a while it'll pop in my head.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, um, we're in a hiring situation.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: We were hiring and we're hiring designers, and you know, creatives pop up from like all over the world for certain roles, and also creatives.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: You can there's like the the spectrum, especially with like content creator creatives and designers since Canva, like it's just navigating that influx of applications, and not for nothing, yeah.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like we're talking about combing through a hundred plus resumes for one role, right?
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's a lot, and it's also is it a contract role?
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: Is it a full-time role?
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: What does that look like?
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was a full-time W-2 role.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't a contract role.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: So we were looking for somebody in the United States for tax purposes.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm weeding through and I was basically responding a court, like to respond to the messages.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: And virtual assistants don't like you don't, I don't get to willy-nilly be like, all right, well, not you, you.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I get the directions.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: There's systems, there's also systems in place.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I I also don't think people who have never hired someone to be on W-2 or or to be a W-2 employee, I don't think people understand like you do have to have standard operating procedures.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there is like very much a format because you have to be.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: I also I like to call it um HR kosher.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like you have to like make sure your your butt is covered, if you will.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um have I done it, have I done it all over the place and done it like, you know, attached with zip ties and duct tape?
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: But there was a semblance of a system.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there is a semblance of documentation.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: Even if you're just using like a gusto system where you've got like, you know, the steps laid out for you.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not just like you got the job, and as a virtual assistant, you are following said protocol.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going through and I'm letting anybody international know that I appreciate the resume and I will keep it for another higher opportunity later in the year that is contract-based, but right now we're focusing on domestic WTs.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I get a resume, and everything about this person says that they are an international designer.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: Their home base is overseas, all of this stuff.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't clear anywhere that they were temporarily there and that they they consider their home base the US and that they have like their W-2 and they can like submit all of that paperwork and be good to go.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: They were just like physically somewhere else at that time.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think they were I think that designer was like bolstering that they're worldly and learning other cultures and other design techniques by like being over CCs and doing this, whatever.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I said thanks so much.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like keeping your resume for the future, and they came back with what makes you think I'm not a US citizen.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then it turned into an equal opportunity situation.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: So in order for my client at the time to protect their business, they let me go.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: Which totally makes sense to me.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like your business is your baby when you are a small business owner.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like we are farm to table in that situation, right?
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like your income becomes your mortgage.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like I totally understood.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_01: To the point where I like, I've got like Q2 goals to be like, okay, how do we make sure that because I I've I've been in a transitional few years, right?
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like, how do I make sure that like the accounts are so separated?
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: And that's like a goal because you need to like make sure the cash flow is there.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: You can't be waiting for certain stuff to hit if you need to pay this bill this day.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's a whole journey.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I get it.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: I took and I totally understand.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: And it was hard because I didn't hear it from them.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: They contacted the agency I was working for and they were like, hey, cut down.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Well, then my agency, the owner, also got scared.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: And that it would fall back on them.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: So they let me go.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: Mind you, this was my full-time gig at the time.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: I had seven clients.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: So she reached out to everybody and was like, hey, Jill's gone.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um Jill's gone.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: And my other clients freaked out.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're gone.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Where are you going?
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: Just like formed a table with the cash, it's also very, very delicate ecosystems with like who is moving things forward for you and the training that is required.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: And even if you're a contractor, as like a contractor who is smarting supporting a small business, like it's so necessary for like that to function, right?
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: And don't get me wrong, that's where fires happen all the time in small business because like you don't have necessarily the capital, or like contractors can go be busy, or like does that like I've got a podcast episode for next week that I'm like, I don't know when I'm gonna edit this.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that my assistant editor is available to like move it forward, you know.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: And and today I was like, should I start?
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I finally I did hear back and I was like, thank goodness.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, speaking of, thank you, Emmy, you'll be working on this as well.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for being available this weekend.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, but so all to say, right?
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's so delicate, you know, and you just don't, yeah.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: I did, I forgot, I forgot Emmy was gonna be listening to this.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Emmy.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, shout out my like my CEOs in particular are they they count on me to be an extra limb, right?
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like they can't and they're like, hey, we're taking your arm because this happened with another client.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_01: And and they wouldn't okay, but I'm gonna let you finish the story because I was about to jump in the story and others don't know this part.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna let you do it.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna let you do it.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: So after so everybody freaked out.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: They boycotted basically, and I started my own business.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like literally within 24 hours, all of my clients with the agency left to become my own clients, which was an amicable breakup with the agency.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: She was like, Your clients are really upset, you can keep them.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: She was a very a lot of integrity, very honorable, like a fantastic person.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: She understood that it was a tight spot.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then she slept on it, recognized that she was scared, yeah, and made a decision that was a little bit.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: So slept or did not sleep on it, maybe.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, either way.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then was like, actually, I'd like you, and now what is all of your clients to come back?
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wait, so then you were back?
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: No, I didn't go back.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, you're back because I just felt like I'm not sure.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: You're making these quick decisions and I need to feel trusted and safe.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 36:16
  unknown: Yeah.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody's thinking about me, which I get.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because you got to protect you and yours, and you got to protect other people.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know that there were like other VAs at the agency that you want to protect and make sure that everyone's okay under your entity.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: I totally understand that, but it just felt so rash.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't like, hey, we need to have a conversation about what happened.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, I'm gonna talk to my lawyer to make sure things are cool.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: I need you to do X, Y, and Z.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was this has happened and now you're gone.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I just like I talked to Ben about it, and it just didn't feel safe.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things I we've talked about with uh being a W-2 employee specifically is all of your eggs are in one basket.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not safe, you're really not safe.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_00: This it just really highlighted that I could have lost everything in that moment, and I'm so lucky that my relationships with my clients are strong that they jump ship with me.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: And they're strong.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like I still have them.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're going on six years with some of these folks.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's so much you take out of their brain, which goes back to like you having lots of tabs open, right?
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're you're handling your tabs, both business and personal, your family's tabs, right?
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because personal expands to not just like Jill the individual, but like Jill the, you know, the matriarch of the family, if you will.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: And then and then you've got like six, you know, clients, and then some as you take on more clients, that like it's so much to keep track of.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's a lot.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's a lot.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm but you're taking that, like you're taking those tabs off for them, which is like the beauty of like you helping them and why, like, that's wonderful.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: I love, love, love.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_01: How has how has like your your business like evolved over this these last six years, right?
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: Because that's the fun part, right?
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because you you started, you're like, cool, VA, extraordinaire, let's go.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: But like it's not like that anymore.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited, like the cool things that you're like developing to offer people and like play with.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_01: And this is this is me geeking out on business, unless like I'm always here to promote Jill, right?
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm not here to like, but like do you know?
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I hate on podcasts where they're like, talk about your pitch, right?
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: But like rather, I'm just like, I just it I'm geeking out as a business owner on like what you're doing and what you're educating yourself on and like what you're implementing for both yourself and others.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I would, I would love for you to share as much or as little of both like your LinkedIn strategy stuff that you're doing these days, and then also this AI dance that's happening.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like you, you had a big AI win the other day, and I want to hear about that.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_01: And if I stop asking questions, maybe you can describe it to the folks listening.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: So basically what happened is I built these great relationships with my clients and I work with you.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's like people say that like when you're talking to a CEO, if you really want the skinny, you go to their assistant.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_00: The assistants know things.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_00: The assistants know things.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_00: Everything.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_00: So we got to a point where I'm not just answering your emails and scheduling your meetings.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your strategist.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: I know Q1's goals, I know the KPIs we need to hit.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: I see what's going on with your staff.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we need to talk about a couple of triggers that are happening.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: Have you noticed XYZ performance-wise?
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm not just and not just performance-wise, but like the staff might come to you to talk about things that they're upset about.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_01: Potentially.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I don't know.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: It is virtual, but I don't know.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you it totally is.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's virtual, but it's not distant.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: Because we're in the age of voice notes.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_01: You better believe we're venting in those voice notes.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not, and I like the mess, you know.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: I have been very honest about like open door policy if you want to talk them here.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's also very hard, like being your friend, to like not overtake a conversation by like, because even the other day I was like talking to you about something I was stressed about, and I was like, oh my gosh, like I'm trying to shut up, but Jill makes me feel so safe that I keep going.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I was literally trying to stop.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_01: But you know what I'm saying?
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's the magic.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: I do have, I want to say, like, I have that face, but I that happens a lot in relationships.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's your energy.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's your energy and your response to things.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's just very like zero judgment and like, tell me more.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm actually genuinely curious, right?
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: So that's become my superpower.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like that moment that that relationship and supporting people and being able to have those courageous conversations without judgment.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, being a CEO is so lonely.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: Being a small business owner is so lonely.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_00: So being able to have somebody come right beside you and be like, hey, I see what you're seeing.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: You are not alone on this island.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: You have to make this decision because it's your business, but like I am here with you.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's also nice to have some stuff validated.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm there too.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know?
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: So one of my CEOs can be like, Hey, do you see this?
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or hey, can you look out for this?
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is this real?
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: Or am I just reading into it?
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: We can do all of that.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_00: And they can verbally or you know, whatever, like just, hey, I need to brainstorm for a second.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, I need to talk this through for a second.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I had one of those conversations yesterday.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: One of my clients was like, Can I just talk through this?
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, don't write anything down.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't an action item, but I just need to get it all out.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_01: But then it's also then in your brain, right?
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: So if later it does become an action item, you're like, Oh, I do remember you talking about this two weeks ago, remember?
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_00: And that is part of the thing.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really great at the follow-up.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: So be like, hey, did you notice this thing happened?
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, did you see this is going on?
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that comes into play in a lot of different ways.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_00: Leads, like, hey, you see, so and so is gonna be at this event.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, uh, when's the last time you talked to X, Y, or Z?
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, did you notice on LinkedIn that they got a promotion?
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_01: Or Jill, I want to hug you in the screen because that's it, right?
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_01: And like as, you know, and I I I have expanded my team and retracted my team, you know, as a result of cash flow in the past and the journeys and you know, old business, new business, what have you, right?
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: But there is something about the follow-up and the actions that are just like literally just the genuine sending ship actions being removing emotion from those experiences, right?
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a task.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because as a CEO, because you are again, it the business is your baby.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_01: The business is your an entity that you created that's so close to you to have someone removed from that emotion and be like, follow up, follow up, or even like be in your email and doing the follow-ups so that it's not like you writing this, like, hey, I know you're busy, but hey, maybe we could talk, hey, you know, like awkward energy versus like you're like, no, we just need to follow up because and that was actually something that was so amazing.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_01: I had an operations manager that was essentially my assistant slash confidant slash, like just so supportive.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_01: And like within the first week of having her on my team, clients started like hitting me up while I was on a shoot, being like, How can I pay this invoice?
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, oh my gosh, everybody just like wants to pay me today.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_01: And like, and then I talked to her on the phone later that day.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_01: She's like, Yeah, I've been emailing everyone and being like, we got to get this money.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_01: She's like, these are over too.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, she because she was in the accounts and she was just like, let's go.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I I was like, Oh, yes, okay.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Because those actions that actually bring the dollars in, we can get so on our heads as like owners of a business.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: Or on the flip side, you know, like you.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_00: You are so vulnerable vulnerable when you hire a staff, right?
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: And you're emotionally invested in them.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're a culture fit.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm bringing them into my baby.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're gonna be whoever.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: When I'm there to point out, like, hey, have you noticed this?
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, we're underperport, we're underperforming a little.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_00: Let's have a conversation.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, what's going on with this?
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_01: Wait, and are you talking you're talking to the the like the team members or the CEO or both?
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_00: I usually talk to the CEO.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times they don't see it.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're they're covering too many bases, right?
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: They've got a bunch of other things going on.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then they don't even see the pattern.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, okay, this is the fifth time you're complaining to me about so-and-so doing X, Y, or Z.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: Have you thought about that?
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know?
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's somebody and I help take the emotion out of it.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, well, here's the data.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do we need to have a conversation?
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then it becomes bigger.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, people costs are so expensive these days.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_00: When you're looking at your PL, right?
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: And you're like, oh shit, I am hiring all these people.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_00: People costs are so high.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then you're looking at your PL and you're like, oh, I gotta make a cut.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: What do I do?
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm there like, okay, well, what are the KPIs?
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_00: Who's underperforming?
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: Have you noticed this trend?
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because I have.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do we want to salvage the situation?
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_00: Or is this a natural opportunity to like cut and break?
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know?
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: Those decisions are hard and they're emotional.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's your team.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_01: So emotional.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_01: And also like the yeah, there is something about that support role.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you are just like hitting right home.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like if we had met five years ago, oh my god, my life would be completely different, right?
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're just like, that's exactly like that support role is there for you.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it's interesting because I I noticed a very clear difference between that role and other roles that I've hired for, you know?
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_01: And there's so much more layered, nuanced complications to this, right?
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_01: But when it comes down to my own experience, it was like, oh, this role and this, and and and it's like the person that was attracted to this role is on the team.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like and some of the other roles are here for the paycheck.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_01: And the significance between that and the lessons and the burns that I have from that, like is is and I you can't blame anybody for that.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like I do not like, like it just is what it is.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: And as a leader, I was not ready for that.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_01: To just to just talk about my side of the situation, right?
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like as a leader, I was not ready to hold boundaries, to be clear on my KPIs, to, you know, and and so like you're you're speaking my language is what you're doing.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_01: You're healing my past, Jill, which is another thing you do for people.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, because it's true.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard, you know.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_00: You don't, you're so passionate about it.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's almost a foreign concept that, like, wait, wait, what do you mean you're here for the thing?
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_01: Others don't want to work nonstop for this.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: Because, and especially in my case, I had been doing it, I think I was like six or seven years in.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_01: Working any hours, any means necessary to keep the boat afloat.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so it it just my perspective was so twisted, and like I couldn't understand that it that it wasn't end all be all my company for others, right?
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's okay.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's totally that's healthy.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like they shouldn't, they should it.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_01: And also now I know.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, yeah, but it's also so disappointing when you're like, oh, I thought you cared more about this.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_00: It is, it is.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_01: We do it, we go into the things.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_01: We didn't even get like there's so many things, right?
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm glad I'm glad we went down this direction.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_01: And that's also like as I'm having these conversations, I'm like, oh my gosh, there's because I've got I've got another interview with a friend that we've got really cool intersections, and there's some stuff that I'm excited to share about in her life.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_01: But like when it comes down to it, like I'm like, we can just talk about these topics, and I understand if you're not ready about that topic, and we'll get into that topic in the future, right?
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't say this because you have anything that you're like holding off on talking about, but I do say this because we are running out of time and I want to keep going for seven more hours.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_01: And the aforementioned wonderful Emmy doesn't deserve to edit an hour and a half or two, right?
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we love you.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_01: We love you, Emmy.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I would not know what I was doing without you.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I know how to edit, right?
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_01: But the the hours it it goes back to the emotion, actually.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_01: It goes back to the emotion because like the like the perfectionism, because I'm just like, hey, trim this for me and then I will finalize it, right?
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so otherwise I will go through and it's every frame, frame, frame, right?
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas like Emmy's like, this is a job.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna get it done.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_01: Also, I hope Emmy, you're okay with me using your name.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_01: We'll just have to cut it all out if you're not.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's I mean, I started it for sure.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_01: But you're again, you're here with me.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_01: You're like, sorry.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_01: To summarize, it ain't easy.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_01: It is not easy to kind of do your own thing, run your own show.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you've just done so many wonderful things and you you've gotten to the point where like this is what you're doing for people.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_01: And how are you feeling about it today?
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, maybe, yeah, maybe share some of like the like the new developments and kind of like what you're starting to implement and play with.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm obsessed with my clients, for better or for worse.
• 49:40
  unknown: I know.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, which is a downfall of that role, right?
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_01: Because to go back to my operations manager, praise be in it till the very and I wouldn't say bitter end because talk about a loving person, right?
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like in it till the end with me.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: It was bitter for me.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_01: She was lovely.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_01: She, I'm sure there were feelings, right?
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_01: But like she knew how much I was going through and just like held me up through that, right?
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_01: And praise be.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly how I feel.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like I have like I'm close with all of my clients, but some of my relationships are naturally just stronger than others.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like we've been through stuff, you know, they've been through my stuff, I've been through their stuff.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, it gets a little weird when you've got an assistant because they help you professionally, but inevitably I end up helping personally.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's a bit of therapy in it.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, and there's stuff that's hard.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and we've kind of talked about this.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I've dealt with stuff personally where I'm helping a family member through like medical things because they're just cumbersome and it's a lot of stuff.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: I end up helping my clients with those things too.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's like whatever to get off their plate so that they can get the job done.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_00: Even like applying for college, gathering all that stuff and just like getting it all organized and helping the family get ready for this.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's an emotional journey.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then the fact that you've got to get all the paperwork together is like, are you kidding me?
• 51:07
  unknown: I know.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_01: Why do I feel like it was easier when I was applying?
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I, you know, and maybe I just like didn't so much easier.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I don't know.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_01: Because literally I did, I think, like, you know, I didn't, I didn't end up like going to like I mean, I don't know.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_01: I just it was it felt very, very simple when I applied, but I only ended up really applying for like three, and and I don't think I really tried that hard for most of the applications, which is crazy because yeah, but open days.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're not talking about that.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_01: We're not talking about that.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's okay, but you're right.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then like somebody's holding you accountable to stuff.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like I've got a client who'll be like, Yeah, my blood pressure's been kind of high.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, Okay, well, did you schedule that doctor's appointment?
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_00: All right, well, it's on Thursday.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_00: You just show up, you know, like yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: I end up taking on a lot of those things and we're close.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like in your life when I work with you, and I can only take on so many clients like that.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_00: When emotionally and like there's only so much time in the day.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_01: You're like, there's only so much your brain can do with that as well.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also so passionate about like the mind of the small business owner and their initiatives and the stuff that they have to go through.
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I've learned a lot.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot about the sales process.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot about like personal brands and putting yourself out there for your business.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_00: And in those moments, and trying to figure out how to just stretch the expertise that is my client across their organization, right?
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you're a founder of something, for the longest time you're selling yourself, your methodology, your idea, your thought processes, your whatever that you've ideally trained your team on.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm here to stretch that for sure.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that's why I've developed these services that are a little less hands-on and more personal and specialized, like specifically the LinkedIn stuff.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like your LinkedIn CEO founder of small business needs is the driver, like that's your sales.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_01: Of personal brand, which you know, we're we're going on like I would say five to ten years of personal brand really making an impact for people, but it's starting to like flip where it's like personal brand first.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I really do think it's like it's no longer business brand that is actually like making the sale, but rather like personal brand and brand, brand, like, you know, there's a recognition to it, this, that, and the other.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_01: But when it comes to actual connection, like the personal brand is just like absolutely paramount.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, of course, these CEOs are gonna get in their in their DMs, in the the posts that they do, like it if they stand out, that's where it's gonna like hit.
• 53:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_00: I continue to challenge my entrepreneur friends and my clients.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, all right, where are your leads coming from?
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care what you think you're doing.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, is cold calls like actually working?
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, where are they coming from?
• 54:05
  SPEAKER_00: They're coming from referrals, they're coming from relationships, they're coming from networking events.
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's your LinkedIn.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_00: How do we make your LinkedIn profile a small community that will continue to get you engagement and referrals?
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we're talking about.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I want to be able to do.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_00: And along that line, you know, everybody's in AI right now.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody, but they have no idea what to do about it, or they're doing the wrong things with it.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want you to put like or they're keeping it like in my case, super basic, right?
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm just I'm just here chatter claude, you know, like I'm just playing with those two.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_01: And like, like good to do, right?
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like absolutely very basic.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_01: And and I say this not to like, you know, underplay that it is scary to like just make an account on either, you know, platform or what have you, but like, but that is kind of first step.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't personally gone beyond that.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of people don't know where to start.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_00: You get just decision fatigue, like, where do you go?
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_00: What do I do?
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_00: Or they want to do the fun thing, they want to like creatively write a book.
• 55:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, yeah.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_00: Start with the foundation.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of cool options that can keep your life afloat.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_00: Start with the basic admin stuff.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you you're a storyteller, you enjoy writing stories, you enjoy listening to people, you enjoy relationships.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_00: Why would you farm that out to a robot?
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_00: 100%, 100%.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_00: Teach it how to send your invoices, teach it to write proposals, teach it to help you with your email.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_00: What do you mean?
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I know.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_01: I know, right, right, right, right.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_01: Don't take those follow-ups that I like think about for for years.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_00: And that's one of the things I'm trying to bring to my clients.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's get that very, very basic stuff out of your head.
• 55:48
  SPEAKER_00: I want you building real relationships that are gonna bring you real money.
• 55:53
  SPEAKER_00: Focus your expertise.
• 55:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why are you spending an hour sending invoices when you're like, what is your uh billable hour look like?
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_00: Are you really gonna spend$200 of your time sending invoices when you can have a meeting that gets you, I don't know,$2,000 back?
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, come on.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to control your robots.
• 56:15
  SPEAKER_01: Just a little real quick.
• 56:17
  SPEAKER_00: Let me just let me just get that in there for you.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: I want to control all your robots and make sure they're working and taking all that little stuff off of your plate.
• 56:25
  SPEAKER_00: It just helps me as an admin too get everything running more smoothly.
• 56:29
  SPEAKER_00: Just boom, boom, boom.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: Then we can focus on the big stuff.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_00: Same with your LinkedIn.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_00: Build your community, bring more people in, have those deep conversations.
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like LinkedIn doesn't have to be like the AI slap of nonsense.
• 56:41
  SPEAKER_00: It can be your experience, your portfolio, your relationship builder.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_00: What are you working on?
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_00: What are you having struggles with?
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like meet real people in the same way I said I wanted real friends and got too many.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like too many friends.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_00: Shut it down.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_01: Shut down the friend machine.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 57:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why are we using it that way?
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_01: So with that, that's a wrap.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_01: So good.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's a that's a wrap on on like the convo.
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_01: But I do want to say, like, recorded now in this moment.
• 57:11
  SPEAKER_01: I've been clocking interviewees that I've had on that when the time comes for me to like really get serious about like my whether it be fertility or it be like the fut like when I know like we're on on that like trajectory, which wow, I'm just really overcomplicating saying this.
• 57:27
  SPEAKER_01: When it's like when it's time to like click into that mode for me, which, you know, not to put this out on the interwebs, but basically like I'm thinking like a year from now.
• 57:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I really want to do like a series of like all my tight people and like have that conversation of like their motherhood journey, especially those who are like professional women, right?
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_01: Or even not even, right?
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what like what is it like kind of thing?
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_01: And like do a series on that, right?
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_01: So like I'm clocking you as like we we come on back because I know you have so much to share with that.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I almost just to tease it, I know you've got a whole like to go back to like how you support people.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_01: You planned like a whole bachelorette party, bachelorette party happened, and then your little one was like, okay, cool, we can come out and be because right, because you were like full-fledged pregnant at the time.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_01: But that's that's a much longer story.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like stuff like stories like that are gonna be so interesting and fun to explore as I'm exploring because this is all like this is all for me, this podcast, right?
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's like people can listen in, but when it comes down to it, I just interrogated you about things that I'm really interested and excited about.
• 58:26
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, well, I do want to do a webinar on LinkedIn for the co-working group.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_00: I do want to do that, and I do want to dive into the fertility stuff because not that my story is like special, but I want the gambit between the medical stuff, the adoption stuff, then getting pregnant, and then doing all of that pregnant, like pre-eclampsia and having him early, and just like all of the things, and then being a mom while an entrepreneur, like we could time.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's so much to talk about.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why we're we don't have the moment right now, but because it's so good.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's what uh there was one last thing I wanted to say to you.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I do actually I want to invite people if they're interested.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_01: We do it every single day, weekdays, 10 to 11 a.m.
• 59:09
  SPEAKER_01: EST.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_01: Cute little co-working group.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you're interested in all, please hit me up because I I like to like have people come in and sample it for a few days so they can kind of feel out like if they're they're vibing with the crew, because I'm very intentional about keeping it cozy and lovely and like it is a space of trust.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really important that like that we maintain that.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_01: And if that's something you're looking for, have fun with us, kind of thing.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: So and we really do support each other through everything.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_00: We've got all the different certifications, the different products we're rolling out, the different services we're rolling out.
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_00: We are like yeah, boosting each other up.
• 59:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, even even this morning, someone else was picking my brain about like social media schedulers, and like I will pick y'all's brains all the time about stuff.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 59:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I just I really do love how how generous we all are with each other, but also respect each other's time.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like it is, it's very, very intentional.
• 59:58
  SPEAKER_01: So, Jill, I mean, not to like say this, but you're the freaking best, you know?
• 1:00:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I feel like don't forget it.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad, I'm so glad we met.
• 1:00:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad you did that LinkedIn post.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad that like I feel like I am like the best from those people that you met as far as like our friendship.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I when I say the best, I mean I feel like I'm like the most present in your life.
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because I mean an hour a day, five days a week, that's a lot of time.
• 1:00:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_00: No, like I literally consider you one of my best friends.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because we do, we we talk about it all.
• 1:00:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah.
• 1:00:33
  SPEAKER_01: I also consider you one of my closest pals.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_01: We're doing the thing, business besties.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for a new BFF gel, come to coworking.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_01: Crafted Connections is lovingly produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm dedicated to helping people and brands tell their stories in a way that resonates.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and connect with us on Instagram at Crafted Connections Bot.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_01: Keep creating, keep connecting, until we meet again.