Latest / Crafted Connections / EP 64: Alarm-Clock-Free Living with Nikol Toteva

Transcript

EP 64: Alarm-Clock-Free Living with Nikol Toteva · Crafted Connections

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, welcome to Crafted Connections.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: The Crafted Connections podcast is deeply seeped in storytelling.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a bit of interviewing people, learning their stories, hearing their stories, and a bit of solo episodes where we talk about how we cultivate our story, lean into creativity, and you know, I share some of my own stories.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a good time.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's a way for me to share my network with the world and to share my musings on how to tell stories.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: I've got over 10 years in video production under my belt, and I just think story makes the world go round.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: I believe that we share stories with each other, we make a connection, connections create community, and it's a great way to live.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a great way to live.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what we do here on Crafted Connections.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: And today's guest is Nicole Totiva.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: She is Awesome Sauce.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: I am so excited to share our conversation with you, and it's gonna be a good time.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: So, long story short, uh Nicole and I met through this group called Content Club.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: I've had a few other guests from Content Club on the pod.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's a group program where you get together every freaking day and you make content and you put it out and you share yourself with the world.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: And Nicole is a magical, magical, magical, magical human.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: So she runs a virtual assistant and fractional chief of staff business and partners with international entrepreneurs and manages their complexity behind the work and lives that they have.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: She has lived in many countries.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: We really connected over the nomadic nature of our living and also, of course, our stillpreneurship-ness.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: I love talking to someone who is very operations-minded, very good at getting things off the plate because I struggle with that sometimes.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think I'm bad at it.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna say I'm bad at it, but I do find myself, you know, procrastination station sometimes.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: This was like our first time actually like meeting.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: She is probably the guest that I knew the least before interviewing of all the guests we've ever had on the pod.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Holy goodness, I was not on my interview a game for this episode, so please, please forgive me.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but we had a lot of fun and we are never gonna forget each other.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it took us a second to get into it.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: We cut a good hour 45 minutes down to an hour for y'all, and it was a bunch of fun.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Join us for the ride.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, check Nicole out.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so grateful to have this woman in my orbit.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's a fun episode, so enjoy.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Best podcast experience ever.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't think I I don't remember when I left so much last time.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: This is great.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is great.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: Right, and this is real.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: We're here being real.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I and I love that it's not so serious.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, like whatever, you start over.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, yeah.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: This this is wonderful.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm obsessed.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I want to go and But you know, usually I have one cup of coffee, and I was like, today, okay, my energy needs to be on top today for the podcast.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I had two coffee and now I'm shaking.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like I should not have done that to go for a run, but then we both I think we both had too much coffee.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: This is a c this is a conversation fueled by more coffee than we maybe should have had.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's so good.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's so good.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean we could we should we could both get on our phones and do like a recording of us running together, and that could be the next step of the podcast, trying to shake it out.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: But we're not gonna do that.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just brainstorming.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: This is why I'm trying to get away from that question of like, tell me, tell the people about yourself.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, how do you show up real on the internet without like I hate corporate?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's I I left corporate because it was complete chit show, and now I'm feeling that I never want to go back to corporate.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and sometimes like I would not dare to say this out loud, you know.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, no, but it's also like I think that's what's hard about um you know, to go back to our conversation about like nerves.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: In my experience, like I'm afraid to say what's really on my mind sometimes because goodness forbid it's like heard or read the wrong way, you know, like and I think that's where like the nerves for me come from.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: And and You know that I started I started uh content club because of that, because I was like, I cannot live like this anymore.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then I was like, now I'm eight months into content club, now let's go to because like you know, you can re-edit your post, and I'm like, okay, let's do podcasts, yeah.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but like I'm I'm also like, oh my god, you will say like such a dumb thing, and everyone will say you're dumb, or that you're boring, or that like who does she think she is, and like Right, right.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: And like I think everyone experiences that, right?
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a universal feeling.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: But not a lot of I think not a lot of people talk about it.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: I agree, I agree.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Because goodness forbid someone you you like put it in someone's head that you're incompetent, right?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like, goodness forbid everybody thinks what you think about yourself.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and like like I don't want like okay, maybe I think I am small and like not doing my job correct, even though like probably I am, because otherwise I would not have clients.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: But then I would say a phrase that indicates it, and then like my self-picture will become the picture I put out there, and I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, we don't want this.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm reflectional chief of staff.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm super successful in like I hustle 20 hours today, blah blah blah.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm the best, I'm the best.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: I was literally on the phone with my dad this morning about how it was like maybe like six or seven years ago, a friend of mine said, You really like to sleep, don't you?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, Why would you say that about me?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: And it's almost like goodness forbid anybody, especially about five years ago, it hit me.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, Goodness forbid somebody see me not working or not hustling or like having a real life, you know, where you take the weekends off, right?
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: Especially when you like work for yourself and you want perception to be You super professional, like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like she's completely on it and she has no feeling.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean human being over here, right?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't I don't dare to say online that I don't like I don't have an alarm clock.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to talk about that because I wrote in my notes team no alarm because I love it, right?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: And and and that goes to like the I love that point.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: I love that point.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Now talk more about your lack of alarm clock.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: What's your experience been like with that?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: And are you comfortable talking about it?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, I think I have to become comfortable.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um the thing is I feel like my my like my mission is to be like more comfortable with myself, like just just how I am.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like so if I don't have an alarm.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's a very good mission.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have an alarm clock, and that's it.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's neither good or bad, it's just the way it is.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I do have sometimes because my boyfriend, he has hours, but it's like two two or three days a week.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um so and this allows me actually not to completely have like mixed up hours to like go to bed since like every other day is with an alarm clock.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I naturally actually get up around 8, 8:30.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: But the thing is also you can go to bed and you know, like uh even if you can't fall asleep, you don't have the panic that you have to get up at like in five hours.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh but sometimes I think it's uh it's a problem of every person that works for themselves.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like you your brain is like, no, like, yeah, we could sleep, but no, we won't sleep.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: And like you have like your to-do list, and you're like I'm like, okay, I could do it like from 1 p.m.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: until 4 p.m.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: and I would be like completely fine.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: But my brain is like, no, no, no, you need to do it right away at 8 a.m.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: And like you like dare you, you to you take your breakfast without your computer.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now I now I force myself now.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: I force myself to read like a a novel while I take it.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: In the morning?
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't do because otherwise I would be like jumping into work, and I think I don't know if it's healthy or not, but it's just no.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like it doesn't matter if I start like 15 minutes after it, right?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: Have you have you seen the the memes that are like I quit my full-time job so I because I wanted to work 60 hours a week?
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just like that, right?
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's like, why do we work for ourselves and also force ourselves to work through our breakfast, work through our lunch?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know, nobody's watching us.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: And and and yeah, but sphere of perception, like I don't, and it's even like I have never actually been in the corporate space.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: I had a uh you know, a big girl job um at a newspaper after after college, but then most of my career has been me driving me on my own.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but the fact of the matter is most of my career I've also been worried about like, am I working enough?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: This, that, and the other.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, did we get the job done?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like what what is this 40-hour week?
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but y yeah, it's it's the I quit my nine to five to work 24-7.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's so but I mean it's it's the same, it's the same logic.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but I think there's uh a huge difference actually, because I I didn't notice the difference after I left corporate or startup space, whatever, but because it's just a completely different energy when you work for yourself, like you're responsible for everything, so you have uh ownership over everything.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And but you have it by choice, yeah.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that by choice makes a huge difference.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas when you're employee work for someone else, and to be honest, I will not like I would not sacrifice a calm breakfast to work for someone.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's just not me.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Did you find that you had a calmer breakfast when you knew okay, I gotta be on the clock at like 9 a.m.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: or what have you?
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Did you find that so you weren't like trying to do your employer's work?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, but I I feel also like that it's uh uh more structured, you know, when you're incorporate like on a bigger team, there needs to be a structure, right?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um and now I work with European clients and with US clients, so there's like the time difference.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So most evenings, like I can't say like okay, like 6 p.m.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: or 7 p.m.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm done.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm closing the laptop.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because of the time 100%.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I saw, I saw like, and this is like again, my brain today has just been like terrible, like getting myself in someone else's shoes.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because I was, you know, reading through your intake form, being like, oh wow, 7 p.m.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: that's great, Gray.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: But I was like, oh yeah, duh, in this moment, I'm like, duh, if you're working with US clients, they're like, hey, we still need this, and to them, 7 p.m.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: is I mean, literally now, right?
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Which is 1 p.m.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: ish, depending on and depending on where they are.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: I had a client in California for a year and a half.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I bet that was a lot.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it I mean yes and no because uh he obviously knew my time zone.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's fair.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it's also um, I like when we decided to work together, you just know it.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: But it's like for me, it's like yeah, I mean, if it's 9 p.m., like okay, I do it because I yeah, like when we started working, it was okay, like that's what you expect.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: But then, like, let's say if it's 10 or 11 or midnight, if I see the text, I'm like, okay, yeah, great, I'll deal with it tomorrow.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now I try to be like it at 8 p.m.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: to at nine p at all.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Unless there's an urgency.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but still like tell the client I read your message, I'll deal with it tomorrow.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: Dang.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: When I'm I'm such a baby about nighttime, uh, like my brain turns off at 9 p.m.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: EST.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I just I really just tip my hat to you, knowing that like you do get those texts and and and yeah, how does that kind of fall into like what we were talking about with like the alarm clock and the like goodness forbid, like somebody know that you aren't working at a certain time, right?
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like and even when when I was in the thick of um my early days of freelancing, uh not even my early days, like I would I would say like I was five or six years into like freelancing.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: If I had a project I was working on, but like the deadline wasn't yet, but it was like coming up, and I knew I like wanted to keep working on it, I was like afraid people would see me out to dinner or like you know, you run into people, and I was like, goodness forbid, somebody like see me not in my house, not working on this project because the deadline's coming up, and that's my own probably neuroticism, but um totally because for example on Instagram I don't dare to post personal things, but at the same time, I feel like but you know, like a a bit of a different thing.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I I recently noticed, let's say I work 15 hours for clients a week, but like I do uh marketing and like social media and stuff for like almost the same time.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: But you have like the client work uh when you're freelance, but then you also have like uh everything around you as a business, like your taxes, your marketing, your yeah, everything, your podcast interviews.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: But oh what coming back to to the hours, I think sometimes there's like this magical hour.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know when it is, maybe 10, 11 p.m.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: ish, yeah, where like the world gets like very calm and like you have like suddenly this focus, like sharp focus face.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um the problem is that when I do that and like I work like super focused for three to four hours, yeah, and I go to bed at one or two a.m.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's come like my mornings out of the worst.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like the next day is like a hangover, like the adult hangover.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I've never maybe I've done it maybe once or twice at university and once for a client.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: Where you did like an like a like a full Yeah, yeah.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like a full night.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what is it?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: What is it called?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: All nighter.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: There we go.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: It is it is um I I heard this on a podcast.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think it was like some comedians were talking about when you stay up all night and then like you go out into break out to breakfast or you are out and about like among people um when you haven't slept all night.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: There's like a you're almost like you feel like you're like in a different dimension or like you know something that they don't because you haven't slept.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and I I just like loved how they described that because it is, it's this like I did I think I've done an all-nighter two times.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: One was when I was like my uh senior thesis at college was like I was writing a screenplay and I needed to get my draft done.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then um, and I remember like printing the script and not having slept and being like, this, I made this, you know?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: And then another time was like early in my freelance career, I was finishing some some edits for a client, and I just was like, you know what, this is just gonna be an all-night moment.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: I would love to hear about about those experiences for you.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it's like a whole twilight zone moment.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I I had it with my with my bachelor thesis to say like all nighter.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: And um and I and on top of it, I was um I miscalculated, oh my god.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I was thinking like, yeah, it's fine, I have 24 hours.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because like I don't know, deadline was like, let's say, I don't know, 14th March.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like 13th March, I was like, okay, it's fine, I have 24 hours, it's fine, I will get there.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: But then I forgot that the office of the professor is closing like at noon.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, no, you don't have 24 hours.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it was an all nighter, but um I and the thing is I don't remember because I probably have to not sleep.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because your brain was protecting you from the like the intense no sleep moment.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then I like I remember another all-nighter, it was for a client actually, but so it was his wedding, and the wedding was like a destination wedding, and it on top of it, it was in a small village with like no public transport, no taxis, no Ubers, nothing.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And he was like, Uh, would you mind to be like the emergency contact during the night?
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Yeah, okay, fine, sure.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so basically I had to be up all night during the wedding.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like I was not physically at the wedding, I was um yeah, just in case one of the guests has something and right, right.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Because there wasn't I mean, yeah, there weren't like any access.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: So you were basically there just in case somebody needed a ride or what had been.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like we had the transportation organized, but like in case something I guess like you're stranded, you know.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody needs to go to the hospital or like you know, or like and also weddings have so many logistics to them.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: So if they needed to like organize something, like, oh, we forgot this, we did that.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, uh but it and to be honest, like the the great thing about working for yourself in a situation like this, you actually know, like I don't really I think I don't have deadlines like you do.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think you have that.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: Right, yeah, I've got like editing projects and like yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and yeah, no, I talk more about how you serve people over.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because I yeah.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, uh like I rarely have deadlines.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, or maybe it's like my client has a newsletter every Monday.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like I know it's every Monday, right?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: So you're right, right.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um you would think that I would, you know, that because I have things like that, right?
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: You would think, and that's where my deadlines come from.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: They like the that like she puts it off.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: But that's why like people like you are so important too.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like people like you who like keep people honest and like on the thing and get it done for them or with them, you know.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's yeah.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: And my my one of my biggest fears is actually knowing like I have a deadline, let's say on a Monday, and I'm like, okay, I wait until Monday morning and then imagine I'm sick.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: I know, right?
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Or imagine my cat is sick and then I'm like, I can't do this.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then I what do I what do I say to the client?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: I can't.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: So you you get things done early, is what it it sounds like.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: That's very impressive.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Extremely.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: Right away.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: But also, because I've had like like when also when you're sick and you're a solopreneur and you have clients to like you don't, you don't, it's not you don't have a sick lease.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody's got your back on that, yeah.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: It blew my mind to I would like to hear a little bit about your corporate experience.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if only to remind me that I need to not ever like one of my New Year's resolutions this year is to not go down the LinkedIn rabbit hole of like potential like jobs, because I do feel like every 18 months I'll start like getting antsy and like look.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's a New Year's resolution for me, and I'm doing a great job.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I remember like the last time that kind of ignited me going down the LinkedIn rabbit hole for several months was my uh my sister's partner, he uh was said something about how he can just like call off work at 8 a.m.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: and not go.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, what?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: And like and he works in the corporate space, so like he has a legitimate paycheck, you know.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I was just like, What?
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: So not only do they pay you every other week a nice amount, but you also like can be like, I'm not available to and and granted, he's not like doing this left, right, and center, but the fact that you can call off sick just like blew my mind.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: So or like mental health days, you know, like uh I don't feel like or like I'm gonna take work off so I can go on a three-day weekend trip.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: Whoa.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: Whoa, mind blowing, right?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I I have I have exactly the same thing, and unfortunately, uh it's not I don't have this long period of 18 months.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's I mean I'm being yeah, I'm I might be talking myself up on that one.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like, let's not pretend.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I think it's 18 months and maybe it's just like 30 days.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I was I was thinking the other day if it's not um linked to like the hormone cycle.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because like, you know, like the oh yeah, this face is wrong, but like the face where you don't like yourself and you pay.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: You're talking about luteal right before your menstrual exactly, exactly.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm actually weirdly obsessed with hormonal phases.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm always like follicular and I like do dance party, like I'm raising the roof.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like and and also like I'm like, why am I so attractive?
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's like you know, ovulation.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm just like out here like doing my work.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, why do people just love me?
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I'm they're also I'm the best, like just the best.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh yeah, duh.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: Because literally it's like hormonally attractive.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then like three years, three uh days after you're like, oh my god, what am I doing?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone hates me.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm the worst.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, that's I think that's where the rabbit holes happen.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: You're right.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's a 28-day cycle, it's not an 18-month cycle.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I have not I've not taken notes, but I was actually thinking if this might be connected to the theoretical, it's a hypothesis, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's actually a really good point.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, um, back to your question.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: No, I love, I love a, you know, talking about thinking, like cycle thinking.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: I love a cycle thinking detour for sure.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because especially when you work for yourself and you're you're in your head all the time and you gotta like trust yourself.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: And it's always like, why am I feeling this way?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, let me just take a look.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then I look at the calendar, I'm like, oh duh.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, on the like on this topic, I've also blocked like several days, like the last two days and the first two days of my menstruation in my Google Calendar to like Yeah.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's a no-free.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: We're doing just the bare minimum.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: And that's also the beauty of um, you know, being a woman that works for yourself is like recognizing that and having the ability to do that.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: Because I I'm not officially diagnosed with ADD, but like anybody who's ever listened to this podcast, anybody who's listening to our conversation and like the way that I've guided this, like I'm all over the place, right?
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so whether or not it's an actual brain condition or adjusting them all over the place doesn't really matter because I've built my life in a way that I get to be, you know, I get to be alarm clock free, I get to like cycle sync, I get to, you know, work with my brain, which I'm pretty sure is neurodivergent.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's just kind of fun to like to have that and and live that way.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I had a question for you.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: Can you remind me what it was?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was to remind you not to go back to corporate.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: See, I distracted us because I was like, I do want an excuse to do that.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: But okay, yeah, so back to my question about um your experience leaving corporate.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: What was your experience like in corporate?
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: How long were you in there?
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: What does that all look like?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I got my first job right after uh my bachelor's degree.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: It was in France.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: I moved to yeah, to France when I was 25.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it was kind of uh an assistant role, but kind of for everyone.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Not just CEO.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a super assistant.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a lot of people.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: It was it it was it was a grants uh for a first job.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: It was um and I mean it was everything, it was uh pre-COVID, pre-remote, etc.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it was in the south of France, super beautiful setting, etc.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, that does sound nice.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh yeah, and then I was in a some kind of startup doing SEO and product management.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it was actually like the conditions were great.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like we had a four-day week.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, like this is also a thing like a solo printer.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I can work whenever I want, but then like there are companies that have like four-day weeks.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're like, oh yeah, that is pretty good.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: And like it was remote and everything.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, sometimes I don't know, the CEO decided something, and I was like, doesn't make any sense to me.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, but like I'm not in a position, like I was junior product manager, um, and we were 200 150, 200 people, so like yeah, I was not feeling legitimate to be like, I don't get it.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and like write a CEO email to the CEO, like what what's up with that, Jim?
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like what are you thinking?
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I I think I have like uh difficulties to do things that don't make sense to me.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I could see that.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but I I had an admin role I was in um as my like first big girl job, if you will, and there was a small portion of it at the beginning of that time I was in that role that had like was sales, and it was like selling little ads in the newspaper.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I like at the time, I mean like it was like 2015, and I was like, I don't think that newspaper ads really work, so I don't really feel compelled to like sell this or like promote this, and so but there were things I did like and so it's almost like I'm like but go back to what you're saying, like I there was a aversion to the thing, so I didn't really do the thing.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that's not what my job was.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's also um this creates like uh maybe it's called dissonance, like ways it like yeah, and it's just like uh but uh unfortunately that's the noise that defines it perfectly.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that if I could record that, that's exactly what I would say.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, and um, but it's different with clients because sometimes it's like I don't know, I don't have a specific example, but if I know that XYZ would make my clients like feel more comfortable, I would do it.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, but if it's a corporate thing and if it's sometimes I feel like in corporate little things don't matter that much.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's at least how I felt.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I felt like I I felt like even if I would not be there and would be doing the work, it would not have made a difference in a company.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and to go to like what you're doing now, there is something significant about because my first hire was just so amazing, and it was very similar to like what you do, which she was basically like operations manager, right?
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: And just like someone who is like a partner in the effort, right?
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Because there is so much to handle and so much on your plate as a founder, CEO, business owner that like to have someone basically in the trenches with you.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's where like versus like your role before in that corporate space versus like what you do for clients now, you're not you your client, like I imagine often like wants your ear or wants your feedback on like their decision making, right?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's really hard to be the one making all the choices and just to have a little bit of validation or affirmation from someone like yourself who's not only helping them, but like has seen it across the board with lots of different organizations, right?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: Totally, totally.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it's um you get like a real sense of your work and the impact you're having.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, right.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: And like I don't I have not felt that in corporate.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, really like at all.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: I had like I don't want to say at all because like I mean like the people I I I worked with were always great.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like I met like really great friendships in all of my workplaces.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um but if you look at the results or like the real work done, yeah, um yeah, there's no comparison.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: And um right, it's the um what like the ratio at which you make an impact is just so much greater when you're in a smaller medium uh type thing, for sure.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: And most of most of the people I work with are solopreneurs, so like they're on their own.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: So like when I have like client calls, like most of the time we brainstorm.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like yeah.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not just like reporting I this did and that and la da la.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: So and like it's like, hey Jim, we should do this and that.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: How do you feel about it?
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: CEO.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like delete, like who is this junior product manager, right?
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's like you want to make an impact.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and I don't know, that's I think that's something too, and I maybe that's you know something we connect over.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: The um, I mean, I want I want what I do in this world to to matter and like have, you know, somewhat of an impact, ideally, eventually a legacy, right?
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: As we get later on our careers, we're like, okay, what you know, that part's kind of done, so what what do we want to leave behind, kind of thing?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I think just those small impacts do create a big impact over time, kind of thing.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: So and it's also just even if it's like like a person, like an individual, like if this individual can say, like, 40 years from now, only call it, she helped me so much, like she took so much off my plate, like I'm happy.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like their life.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, like I'm I'm super like I alright, I like for me, like it's already made an impact.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, totally.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: No, totally.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm thinking about that and like the to go back to my own experiences having support, like the the folks that are like on your team and so excited to like be on your team and like take things off your plate, like you love those people because the relief, right?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: Especially because there's there's just so much that founders have to handle that like they can't be good at all of it.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so starting to pass off the things that they're not great at, like we just talked about deadlines, and like basically it sounds like you have deadlines too, but I just wait till the last minute is what it I really that breaks down to.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: And like to have people like who who support you through that and like get things off your plate so that there is no like rush to the deadline, right?
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's hilarious.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I think maybe I can just not handle the anxiety of being like last minute.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's so healthy.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's so healthy.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so proud of you.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like it took me years.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, handle is a are we really handling it?
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: That we being me, right?
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: Am I really there's something about two, like for my creative, like butt-in-chair energy.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think the deadline really gives me that last 12 hours, you know?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just it's it's it's not healthy, but it's what I do.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm I I guess like adrenaline is spiking, and then like you're like super focused.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: And actually you're being like super productive.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, getting the things that are.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: And then I had all that time to do whatever I wanted before.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm trying to like, yeah, I'm trying to like come to peace with with this existence that I've created for myself or or how I operate, right?
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um because I've also seen this too, where like in in like uh approaching a deadline or what have you, like I'll I'll be really tired and I'll be like, I could take a 20-minute nap and get this done in an hour or after, and then there you go, total time an hour and a half.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, an hour and 20 minutes.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do our math right.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, or I could push through as a tired person and get it done in three hours.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like, do I want that hour and 40 minutes back in my life?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's an extra, you know.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um we're mathing all over the place.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: I should have picked 30-minute nap.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: That would have really helped the math, bring it home.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we do what we can.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: We do what we can.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: Very cool.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_01: Very cool.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know that feeling at the start of the month where you want to hit the ground running, but somehow the first week slips by, and before you know it, we're on to the next month.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: This is exactly why I host the community co-working monthly kickoff on the first business day of every month.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: We come together on Zoom for two hours to reflect on what just happened, set real intentions for what's ahead, and actually work on something that matters together.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's part grounding ritual, part focus working session, and part community check-in.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: And it's completely free.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: Here's how it flows.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: We start with 30 minutes of intention setting, looking back on the month behind you, getting honest what you want to carry into the next one, then we drop into 60 minutes of quiet focus co-working.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: Heads down, no pressure, just you and your work.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: We wrap up with 30 minutes of sharing, celebrating wins, naming goals out loud, and connecting with people who actually get it.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's community building.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't end when the call does.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone who joins gets access to an accountability WhatsApp group to keep the momentum going all month long.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: If you've been craving a little structure, a little community, or just a reason to start the month with intention instead of inertia, this is it.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's free, it's monthly, and it might just become your favorite monthly ritual.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: Link to sign up is in the show notes, and I hope to see you there.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna give a little bit of context before we dive back in.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Earlier in the conversation, Nicole and I talked about her being born in Bulgaria and immigrating to Germany, and my own childhood experience of living in Singapore for a little bit.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_01: That earlier part of the combo did not make the final cut, so I want to make sure before we dig into all of her cool international experiences, that groundwork is laid.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: I am so grateful that we've had this conversation.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's so many other things about you, though, that I want to talk about too.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go to bring us back to this international life that you're living.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: So you Germany as a child, you immigrated to Germany.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um then there was a time in France where you were out here at a French company, I imagine.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_01: Was it a French company or just a company based had a French location?
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: It was a French company, it was a French language school.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: So cool.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so so French company, and then um, but you've lived other places too.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me where else you've lived.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: I did a short uh trip to Norway during my studies.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like we have like this uh exchange program in Europe where you can go like all over.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it was like very short, but it I learned a big lesson.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: I need sunshine.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna ask, how was the weather?
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: And did you go like the time of year where there's no sun?
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, because I did January until June.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I did 24 hours night and 24 hours day.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: And both were terrible.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: I honestly both sound terrible.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: I think people underestimate how much it would suck to have the sun non-stop.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like people people are definitely like, I love sunshine, I couldn't be in all night for sure.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: I I think people understand that, but I don't think I don't think I would do very well in the all sun all the time either.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I also prefer it all night because like you can get cozy, etc.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: You can still be candles, exactly precious.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: But when it's like sun, like 24-7, like you can't sleep, and then like you're sleep, like you slept but not slept.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: You're like, I don't know how this it's a very weird thing.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well it literally, like people literally, and I this is like where there's like torture experiences where like people just leave lights on and make noises all the time to keep torture people awake.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: Same thing, but like it's nature is doing it to you, and like that's not the same thing, right?
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: We're not here to dramatize things, but also like it's literally a thing that people use to torture other people in this world.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: And the fact of the matter is like that happens in Norway.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_00: And you have like the like the birds singing at 2 a.m.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: and like it's so it's you're you're like, okay, did like uh a bomb fall, and like I'm already dead, but it's like you're not like one of these movies where you have not yet realized what is happening.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, okay, so back to the question.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: So Norway wasn't that um but I wasn't part of it.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like I also want to like gather like your experiences in those places because it is making me interested to like go to Norway for like two days during a 24-hour period, you know.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: It would be cool to experience because it's trippy, but then like for an extended period of time, like you experience.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: But back to now, you you like like a recommendation go see the northern lights, like it's uh it it will make you cry, it's so beautiful.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: So for a vacation, it's it's it's it's it's amazing.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um but also I don't really count it as an experience because uh um when you do these exchange programs, you're a lot with like international students.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't really get to live the real well and that goes back to like my experience in Singapore as a kiddo, right?
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like the way they've set up like the the expat culture in Singapore is so prevalent that there's like little nooks, and so like there was the Singapore American Club, the Singapore American School.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: But it is interesting that like experiences like your exchange program, or like you know, how like an expat, like there's all these like resources to just stay immersed in your home culture.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's it's a whole thing, yeah.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: Versus like just going to Norway as like you know, a 25-year-old being like, hello Norway, take me on, yeah.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I th like I personally don't really like I prefer like really to submerge in the local culture because then I'm like, okay, why why am I leaving if I will stay with like everything I think?
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you learned that young, right?
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because you went when you were in in school.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it was also kind of like you like you would not have got in through school if you don't adapt.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like you can't, yeah.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like it will just not you you need to kind of fit in this new society with everything.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: Because you had to go to the grocery store and things like that, and like actually be yeah.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it was a bit of a bit of both, but you were like, I would prefer to fully immerse.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: So Germany, and then during my studies, uh a couple of months in Norway, and then I went back to Germany, finished my studies, then I moved to France for six years.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh damn.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was and then uh two years in Malta, and now I am betrayed.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: What brought you to Malta?
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so France was not I was feeling like I already like I learned the language, I learned the administration system, like I know how everything works, it's getting boring.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's let's move on.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you got that six-year itch.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta get out.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: And um also it was after I think it was in 2022, and maybe after like all the lockdown, like in in France it was very strict.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe like all the lockdowns are made like did something to my brain and where you need to get out.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I, yeah, we like we need something different.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: And Malta was sunshine, sea, and uh right.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and for those who need to Google where Malta is like me, it's uh it's an island off the coast of Sicily slash Italy, right?
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, yeah.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_01: The fra the phrase that I saw that I haven't heard in a while is uh Archip archipelago.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_01: What what is the do you know the geography?
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_01: Archipelago?
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_01: Archipelago?
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: Archipelago.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like basically it's this like several islands the little islands off of Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_01: Ah I I I want since we're already here in the space of trying new things in a public setting, I was like, I'm just gonna try and say the word.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but it's I think I'm missing a syllable in there.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know how to pronounce it in English.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but it but the idea, right, like a collection of islands.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: And this is like stuff, I don't know about you, but like uh like sixth grade, we were like reviewing like geographic features, right?
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_01: So like a peninsula or an arch archipelago.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: I guess that's a confidence.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was I was fascinated by peninsula, and it's like, oh my god, it's like an island, but it's not really an island.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_01: But it's attached.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, yeah.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_02: Whoa.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's crazy how that stuff forms, but yeah, so um that but that's so cool.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_01: So um what was it like there?
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh oh Malta is impressive.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's really small.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that I heard a lot of people saying that it's a problem for for them.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like you kind of get clustered.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's a problem that it's so small.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you get cluster problems.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: Especially, I mean, you were there for two years, which I'm sure you started to feel that, but somebody who like born and raised, I could only imagine.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um I don't like the thing was I did not go where most expats go and live.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's a bit of a like crypto hub, freelance.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: So and I was not in this hub and not uh and it's also the thing, like it has like Malta has cities, yeah.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: But since it's so small, it's like it's like you cross the street and you're in a different city.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, got it, got it, got it, yeah.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and like we choose to live a bit uh more with locals and in a more of like a rural like it was uh said it's a rural area, but it was uh also a lot of touristy things because there was a lot of nature and they were like autos and resorts.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um that was really beautiful and lovely in so many ways.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_01: It was, it was.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: But the climate is really hard.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's because it's you would think it's very hot.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's not that hot, it's just that it's very, very humid, which makes it yeah it well.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: I wonder like if it geographically falls on the same latitude as like the Midwest, because it's super humid where I grew up.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: I googled when I was back then, and the thing was that I think it was like it gets really hot because like this Sahara, like from North Africa, is like really, really.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was 200 kilometers.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then like the sea around Malta vaporizes, and this creates like the whole humidity thing.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_01: Nature is wild, like the earth and like how it all like breaks, like it's because where where I'm located right now is along um the Great Lakes.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so there with the snow, like there's uh what they call the lake effect, which is like the lake, because it's right next to you, you get a shit ton extra snow because the lake has a lot of water to provide for the like for the downfall, right?
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but then that's fascinating that the like the way that the wind probably blows from the Sahara to Malta creates like this heat.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it's not just about like the sun hitting the equator, but rather wow.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_00: But um, so I I I studied history and uh I'm very interested in in history, and Malta has like a very impressive history.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh they were they they were invaded, like everyone was there, like wars all over like all the time.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um and they're like also a mix of Italians, British, um yeah, like a mix of of everyone.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_00: So um and most of the island is also like very authentic, so like you get real ancient architecture.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_00: So for for someone like me, it was amazing.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, totally, totally.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_01: What an experience.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's so cool.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: But the thing was the like from October, November.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: It started to get nice to go to the beach.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: And right.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: So July, August, September is like it's just like hell on earth.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: From December.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: Dang.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: Dang.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_01: But you did have, um, because you were there two years, you did have like a few like nice seasons where you got to like enjoy in the fall.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: And and Maltese people are so nice.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm still in contact with like people I I met there.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um but yeah, like for us, it was just like the climate because I like to go outside to spend my time outside.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it was just like in Malta, it's comfortable like three or four months a year to be outside.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's funny because locals they don't have a problem with that.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: They're like yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, this is how it is.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not out here like traveling to different and maybe they do, you know, obviously travel, but like, but when you like are not to escape the heat, yeah.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_00: And also sorry, go, go.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, I was just gonna say I love snow in the winter because that's what I grew up with, you know.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_01: And so it would be weird to go somewhere where there's no snow in the winter time.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: And some uh some some of uh my Maltese friends they told me that they see it like very often that foreigners come and like they do one year, one and a half, and then they're like, It's so hot.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's much like it's more extreme than everyone anticipated, like me included.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_00: So Yeah, totally.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, very cool.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so you're just talking about um how uh in Malta, like going outside, you love going outside, but Malta was a little bit too spicy with the heat.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so let's talk about how much you love to be outside, uh, because I do too, and I know you shared that on your intake form.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, maybe this is just a moment where I'm just like, hey, let's talk about outside appreciation.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, what do you like to do outside?
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_01: What what what draws you to the outdoors versus you know, some sort of air-conditioned or temperature-controlled space with walls?
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I had this realization recently.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it was because when you accumulate working in front of screens and you're like, uh.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's just uh I feel like I need the time outside in nature, disconnected to be able to work connected.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you have to go outside, go outside, go outside, on a fresh shit.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, blah blah blah.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: And now I'm like Well, it's like, yeah, you have to like unplug to to plug in or to lock in kind of thing.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: And to like, and it goes back to what we were talking about, like too much coffee, needing to kind of move, move when there's too much like in you inside of you, yeah.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_00: And all these things I start to realize them like now in the past one, two years.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think you said you're 32, uh 33.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_01: 33, yeah.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_01: Day X of posting as a 33-year-old.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_01: I can't wait till the day where I get to be like day blank of or do I have to restart my days when I'm 34?
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like, do I have to be like day one of posting as a 34-year-old business owner?
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_01: Or do I I don't know.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm that's a good question.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I asked it.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, way to compliment yourself, Caitlin.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I actually that just hit me.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I am 33, yeah.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yes, uh so I'm the same age, and uh I I don't know if it's the age, if it's uh how we grew up, um, like technical-wise, but um uh I I also can't stand like city centers anymore.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like I like it, I enjoy it from time to time, but it needs to be my choice to go in there versus like living there.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_01: I wonder too if it was your experience um like in lockdown as well, though, because I I had a friend who was getting her PhD in Paris at the time, and like the French lockdown was much more intense than most, from what I understand.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it was horrible.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_00: It was like horrible in the sense mentally.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_00: You would not think it has such an impact on a human being when you're when you're locked in.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_00: And also, I was in the city center in an apartment.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like my partner and I we had like a like a normal apartment, like a three or four-room apartment, and but so it was not a studio, but just I don't know, like you I think human beings are not made for being inside.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we built these structures ourselves like that, like our own prisons.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know, right, right.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, yeah, no, like just just uh you like you feel like even now if I don't go out two days in a row, I feel like I'm like my mind is not working.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not as sharp as I am usually.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it's I mean like because on some level our brains are like computers, right?
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we have to like reboot our computers and like we have to like you have to like reset, you know, and like we have this system that we like run rapid.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: I um there's this book uh that's like a self-help book called You Are a Badass.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a visual she describes in there at one point about like, you know, if we just like run around and treat our bodies like they're just a skin bag, like you know, you just like you don't realize how much like just taking care of yourself, like because I'll I'll be like, Why do I feel like garbage?
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, when did you eat a vegetable?
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like when did you actually like put your face in the sun kind of thing?
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um it just there's something about it that's just we need it.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_01: We need it, and it's it's so simple.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_00: Also, and as as you said, like I feel like garbage, but like, shall we go on a walk?
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_00: Take a coffee by the sea, and like the world the world will be beautiful.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it is.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_01: I also the phrase take a coffee by the sea is the most precious phrase I think I'm gonna hear this month, and I'm obsessed.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_01: I only that's my life goal now, to as much as possible take a coffee by the sea.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_01: So good.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_01: So good.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_01: And there's something about sipping a warm beverage or sipping a beverage near water that is like cozy as can be.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_00: My my partner, he he's from Nice, so like he was like, I need to have like I cannot have something between me and the horizon.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_00: I need to have a space to have like free view.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I grew up in Berlin, like it's a huge city, and like I did not realize that until then, like how good it is, actually.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, with all the space.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, that's something that is lovely about the States is it does not take long to in most of the country it does not take long to find just a horizon or some land that you can just be like, it's just me.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you can uh what is it?
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, just run around and just I'm I'm putting my arms out for those, you know, who are listening to this in audio because it's an audio only podcast.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, but it is just like to feel so free is um is really it's really a big deal.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you have space in the US.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's that's great.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's what you don't have in Malta.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_00: I know, right, right, right.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_01: Right, are are people on top of each?
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because Singapore is known for um, they just build up, like they've got just apartments on apartments stacked.
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's not super skyscraper-y, but it is like you I don't think there's many like homes that are single or like you know, single family homes.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_01: Not that I you know I haven't been back since I was little, but um, I do know about the fact that they just kind of build on top of each other.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_01: Is it is it like that in Malta as well, or is it not as populated?
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um they do in some parts.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's not very popular because obviously local people don't like it.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_00: It takes away the sun and etc.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because they're like, what are we here for other than to see?
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_00: But also, um Yeah, actually, like when you think about it, it's kind of similar to Singapore, but it's not I think there's just not as much as demand because Malta doesn't have the same financial economic.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh yeah, it's an economical hub for sure.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's not the economical hub, I'm pretty sure.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that's a whole nother um yeah, that totally makes sense.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um that brings us back to after Malta.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_01: What what's next?
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_01: What did you do?
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_01: What did you do after that?
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh my partner and I we were very tired of moving around.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because I mean, until 25, okay, you have one or two suitcases and you're good to go.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you're like, I'm so fresh.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_00: But then you start to be like, I would like to have nicer things, I would like to pick up hobbies that are like a bit more complex.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so we started uh moving around, like logistically, it started to get very expensive and very complicated, and you start like uh preparing it six months in advance.
• 53:17
  SPEAKER_00: So you do your work and in your free time you organize this logistic thing.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_01: So you wanted to like not have your hobby be like you always planning travel and trying to figure out where you were gonna live.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 53:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then we were like, maybe we should have a base somewhere where we keep our stuff.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_00: And from there we can we can go wherever you we want for as much for as long as we want.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's also what is not to underestimate, which is a huge advantage in the US.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like every time you move, you need to register.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then you need to do all your business stuff.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: And since like being a solopreneur freelancer, it's like you can't really have like a home base, yeah.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas as an employee, like usually your employer does all the admin stuff for you.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 54:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's also like figuring out a new system every time.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_00: Running around, blah blah.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it's well and then also too, like moving around, there's like you know, international like payments and this, that, and the other, like figuring that out in a new country, potentially.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we were like, okay, let's let's pick a base somewhere where we can have our stuff, be registered, and then we can spend four months in Italy, yeah, four months somewhere else, whatever.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um, we picked Bulgaria for the base.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um right now we are renovating an apartment.
• 54:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yay, that's fun.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's fun too.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's also like that goes back to like the idea too, though, like about you know, as you start to get older, you're like, I want to like make something of a like a physical space.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I wanna and renovating is don't get me wrong, it's got its like, oh, this is exhausting.
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_01: I just want this renovation to be done.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_01: But there is something really cool about like putting in the work and being like, we did it, we did this.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, so we have our base now here, like um the business is registered here, and then uh whenever we want, we can pick up and go for a couple of months somewhere else and enjoy it.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_00: But to be honest, I feel like I'm a bit exhausted.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I think uh a couple of months will be like chill, chill, yeah.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_01: So you um how long have you had Bulgaria as your home base?
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's been so we're registered about a year and a half.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, cool.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_01: So you only left Malta like a year and a half, two years ago.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's not that.
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_01: But to be fair, that that tracks with like the being in France during lockdown.
• 56:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that totally tracks.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 56:08
  SPEAKER_01: Very cool.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_00: And then there were also a bit of a back and forth with Berlin.
• 56:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um but also Bulgaria has uh like as a freelancer, very good structure, um tax system, social security system.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it had like the administrational advantage.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_01: No, totally, and honestly, to the point where as we were navigating like our nomadic life and me being like, okay, well, I could technically register my business anywhere, um, and like just find like, you know, a representative in that area or have like a certain because there you can in the states you can, I do believe, like have a PO box, but it counts as a business address.
• 56:49
  SPEAKER_01: It just depends.
• 56:49
  SPEAKER_01: I and I didn't actually go down the rabbit hole, right?
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so you can register and all the states have different taxes and whatnot.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_01: So like they're just like um what you're kind of describing.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but I ended up just opting for the state where like my parents have an address and I just like my business address is is that uh but it works.
• 57:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because you also have to have the confidence for like the people who have I guess some people like outsource it to a lawyer or an accountant.
• 57:14
  SPEAKER_01: Which but that also costs money, right?
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's the thing.
• 57:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like the actual like thank goodness my parents don't charge me money to use their address, you know what I'm saying?
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like they they really are very generous people.
• 57:25
  SPEAKER_00: But I have to say, I have to say, like, my accountant was one of my best investments.
• 57:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_01: Right, that was yes, I'm out here preaching for an accountant, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because when when I arrived, like she was she was amazing, like she explained to me everything.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_00: And like accountants thinks you need to explain them to me like three times at least.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, totally.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_01: Wouldn't come in with all the questions and be like, hey, what's up here?
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then but they have the answers, they know, yeah, you know.
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know, my experience is like they are just they're so wonderful about making sure they comb through the details too.
• 58:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah so that so that you don't have to, right?
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_01: It goes back to like it's exciting to be curious and know lots of different things and like be like a jack or jill of all trades, but there is a level of like, and also you need specialists in certain categories.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um and and that's where like yeah, your your um professional services, those need to be specialized, like your lawyers and your accountants and your yeah, definitely, definitely, definitely.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you get a good one and all extra story.
• 58:29
  SPEAKER_00: They're not all great.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I mean sometimes with with my clients, uh like some accountants are not not great, but um they're not easy to work with sometimes.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_01: I've also found that you definitely get what you pay for.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um I because in my early years, I you know, I it's what I could afford, and then there are a few things that I'm like cleaning up as a result of of those early years, and I'm like, oh god.
• 58:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but we're doing our best out here.
• 58:56
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, and you see, you see the gamut, right?
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because your accountant is not all your clients' accountants, so you've seen like kind of the damage or the the benefit of like a certain you know service.
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, totally.
• 59:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and fun story actually, like um when I registered uh my business here, uh like I think it was two or three months after the registration, I had like a fiscal control.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, What does that mean?
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like a it's like a tax control, like the state is wants to see like every single paper of your business.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it's an audit.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_01: Got it.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_01: We call that getting audited in the states.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah, okay.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_01: But a fiscal control, yeah, that's also freaky sounding.
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I was like panicking, and I was like, oh my god, why?
• 59:43
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_00: What happened?
• 59:45
  SPEAKER_00: And like I I knew I like everything was declared, but you're like still like, did I do something wrong?
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_00: Did I 100% yeah?
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_00: Did I forgot to tell something my accountant?
• 59:56
  SPEAKER_00: Or like and actually the thing was that my parents never uh said the like they never uh deregistered me when we moved to Germany, so I was still registered in Bulgaria, like all this time.
• 1:00:10
  SPEAKER_00: And now I'm coming back, and like I apparently, like in the government, they see like something moving in my name, and I'm like, okay, like why did I move for 28 years and now something is happening?
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the funny thing is a chief of a chief of staff and assistant, um, or virtual assistant, executive, personal assistant does not really exist in Bulgaria.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_00: So everyone's not like not a job.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_00: And and I had like clients from France, from San Francisco, Silicon Valley, US.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_00: And like they, I guess they saw like all this money coming in, like from the city.
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, this is sketchy.
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_01: What are you doing?
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_01: What is this job?
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_01: This person, yeah.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_00: This person that like has never had a like for them, it's like I never had a job in Bulgaria.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like I have no traces in Bulgaria.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is this?
• 1:01:04
  SPEAKER_01: And then like her invoice is like virtual assistant, like what is so like almost it's like offshore account energy where it's like this is all made up.
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, okay, got it.
• 1:01:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I was a bit scared, but but the funny thing is like um so like the government communicated with my accountant, so it was fine.
• 1:01:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember Which is why accountants are great, because they advocate for you and they represent you and they know what to say.
• 1:01:28
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 1:01:29
  SPEAKER_00: And but the funny thing is the the guy from the tax office, like at the end he called me like but and I I noticed in his tone, like that he started to be because like usually they're like very professional, like natural tone.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like he started to become more human, and he was like, So um, may I ask you like what what what exactly do you do?
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_00: Because like I don't quite understand, and and I was explaining, and you know when when you when you feel that people don't understand, but they don't want to say but um it was funny because like he became like so interested in what I do, and he's like, ah, and oh my god, and you do this all with your laptop and like in your computer, and like your client is in Paris or Nashville, and oh my god, okay, wow.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_01: I love, I love, yeah.
• 1:02:24
  SPEAKER_01: It is one of my favorite things to like get um a customer service representative like vibe in with me.
• 1:02:31
  SPEAKER_01: I like to like get them excited about and like and it's hard to do because you you're right, like it's very formal, but and then what you do is interesting, and it's also if people don't own their own business or they or they don't like hire help, they don't know necessarily.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like, because I've talked to people about I was talking to a realtor about maybe helping him with this social media one time, and like I was like, we could get you a virtual assistant so that like I could handle this and they could handle that.
• 1:02:58
  SPEAKER_01: And he's like, I don't know what that is, but sounds great.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like he's like, sounds like you know what you're talking about, and like and I was just like, oh wow, I guess you wouldn't know if you've never hired any help before, or you've never like you know, met strangers on the internet and invited them to your podcast, you know?
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like if like and I'm all like especially, oh gosh.
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_01: Anyways, I'll go down a rabbit hole.
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_01: But but I but it is one of those things where I could see, yeah, like especially if it's not because in the states we have when filing for taxes, we have um not just taxes, but like if you're filing a business, which I'm under the impression that's what like registering is um on your end.
• 1:03:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um when you're filing, you um there's like a like a job code or an industry code.
• 1:03:42
  SPEAKER_01: So like there's and so it sounds like in Bulgaria they didn't have like a code or like industry for virtual assistance, basically.
• 1:03:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean consultants.
• 1:03:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:03:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 1:03:53
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like the industry is, yeah, like you have to find the most generic thing, right?
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because there was a while where I was like really only doing documentary and video work.
• 1:04:01
  SPEAKER_01: And in um in the States, like I don't, it's not that common of a job or like a business.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_01: So like it was very like um there's there's like a code for like video rental, and like they, and I'm just like, that's and so it was always hard to figure out like what is the code.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um this is the interesting stuff that the people come for, is talking about this code.
• 1:04:22
  SPEAKER_01: But it is fascinating to like hear the difference between um between the two spaces and like all the things that you don't think about, which is why like what you do is so is so important because like there's so much to think about, right?
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:04:38
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 1:04:39
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 1:04:40
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome, awesome.
• 1:04:41
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, I am so grateful for our conversation today.
• 1:04:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
• 1:04:47
  SPEAKER_01: We I don't I think I can confidently say that neither of us will forget this conversation anytime soon.
• 1:04:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um I would love for you to share with people um where they can connect with you, how they can reach you, and um, and anything that you have coming up or you want to sh wanna share with uh with the Crafted Connections audience.
• 1:05:13
  SPEAKER_00: So the best is to connect uh via LinkedIn.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh just write me a message and I I will probably be opening one or two spots very soon.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then it's um depends if it's a good match.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_00: And um yeah.
• 1:05:32
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 1:05:32
  SPEAKER_01: And even if you know you're booked out, we don't mind a wait list.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_01: We don't mind a wait list.
• 1:05:39
  SPEAKER_01: And we don't mind like, you know, if you've got a dream client coming, you know, it's it's a good it's a good thing.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:05:45
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I think out myself.
• 1:05:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like I never because there are also urgencies from other clients.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I 100%.
• 1:05:53
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to.
• 1:05:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you have it's a give and take of the business.
• 1:05:56
  SPEAKER_01: You have to like leave room for like if your client's like, oh gosh, I have this overload, can you help me with like 10 extra hours this week?
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_01: And you're like, oh gosh, I mean that's a big chunk of time for them to ask you for extra help, but still, like it's a very real possibility.
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_00: So and then it also always faces where it's higher demands, less demand.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_00: So totally, totally flow.
• 1:06:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's the beauty of the fractional and the beauty of having someone fractional like with you, and then just if the collaboration feels good, it feels good.
• 1:06:25
  SPEAKER_01: Nicole, thank you so much for your for your humanity, for your patience for us just working through this together.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you, and I'm I'm so grateful to be connected.
• 1:06:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 1:06:38
  SPEAKER_00: I had a great time.
• 1:06:39
  SPEAKER_00: It was uh conversation, chef's kiss.
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_01: Memorable, chef's kiss, what have you.
• 1:06:46
  SPEAKER_01: So good, so good.
• 1:06:47
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 1:06:50
  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.
• 1:07:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and connect with us on Instagram at Crafted Connections Bot.
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_01: Keep creating, keep connecting, until we meet again.