Latest / Curiously Guided Podcast / Ep.21 | The Unexpected Benefits of Collaborative Marketing & Relationship Building in Business

Transcript

Ep.21 | The Unexpected Benefits of Collaborative Marketing & Relationship Building in Business · Curiously Guided Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, welcome back to season two of the Curiously Guided Podcast.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're your hosts, Shay and Mariah, two intuitive business strategists exploring what it means to be an online business owner that's dedicated to following curiosity, trusting the nudge, and building a life and business that feels good from the inside out.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you're interested in bringing the human back into business, having deep conversations, and exploring the intersection of strategy and energetics, then you're for sure in the right fucking place.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so this episode is technically episode 21, but it's the first episode in season two.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: And we wanted to kick this off with a bang.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we're about to do just that, to be honest.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So initially, when we started the podcast, I mean, we've said this a million times, but like we decided to do seasons.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: So we decided that we didn't want to create like evergreen podcast episodes like forever because it just felt overwhelming.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: So of course, we're just like, okay, fuck it.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're just gonna take a break in between the seasons.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be so great.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna be able to like have so much space on our calendar and like we can do like different passion projects, and like we're just gonna be so productive now that like we have all this space in between seasons.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is a perfect example of like human us doesn't know shit.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, like what actually happened during our off time is that like we missed the podcast, we missed collaborating, we could we miss the community aspect of these conversations.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: We missed reaching out to people and recording and interviewing, we missed having conversations with you guys in the DMs, we missed all of it.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And to be honest, like me and Shay didn't vox as much as we've done in the past.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So we kind of each got stuck in our own head.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it's funny because we were both going through like a similar thing without realizing that we were both going through a similar thing, and then we had a meeting to talk about season two, and I was like, oh my God, thank God that we're on a call because like yo, the self-doubt was multiplied being by myself.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was literally like it's never felt so intense before.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, holy shit, like I didn't realize how much I actually need collaboration and community.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I um I was sitting here just like nodding furiously.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting, like Mariah said, even though we weren't in as close of communication during the break, um, we were still, you know, as always, walking a very similar path and kind of going down the same thought spirals.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I wish that we had gotten on the phone or gotten on Boxer or whatever sooner because I forgot about how quickly Mariah can pull me out of that kind of stuff and how, you know, vice versa, I can pull her out of it.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's interesting.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we I do feel really great about our decision to have seasons for the podcast because I don't, I'm really not into consistency just for consistency and hustle sake.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I really want to keep these episodes really meaningful.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I really think of this podcast as us holding space for the conversations I want to see in the world.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: And so um keeping our content very intentional and meaningful over let's mass produce something and just get it out there, you know, it's kind of that quality over quantity over quality kind of thing.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: I want to do more quality and I want to focus on delivering this at a high level.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so I do think that happens best in seasons.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think having breaks in the middle is important, but where I think I at least went wrong was um around the first time we finished our first season, Mariah and I were in this really good groove.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: We had a really nice rhythm to the week with how we're producing the episodes.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: It was for me, it gave me a lot of structure in my weeks.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: I was feeling just really on top of my game.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm a person that really struggles with procrastinating and putting things off or avoiding things.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I just felt like something about having the podcast to do and knowing that Mariah was waiting for it.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked about that like wonderfulness of accountability and having a friend that's waiting on you.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: It helped other parts of my business too.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, I'm okay.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like I do okay at this.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've I've done pretty well for myself as a business owner, but I will say I noticed having a partner that is in this with me that I met with regularly, who was waiting on me to do things.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: It just helped me create structure and boundaries in my week that worked really well for me as like a human with my learning style and the way that I do things.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I we went full stop.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Season one ended, and we were like, We need space.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: I need space in my schedule.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: And with all of this, that's like, I feel like the advice you get is like, oh, you need space, and that's when true creativity comes in.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I was expecting, all right, podcast is gonna stop.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna have all this epic space, time for creativity and art, and I'm gonna be so, I'm gonna have so much clarity about my business and blah, blah, blah.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that is not what happened for me.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: As soon as the space happened, I didn't know what to do with it.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt honestly, I think a lot of us probably struggled to actually feel comfortable and allow ourselves to relax with space.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: What I found myself doing was like that old hustle kind of do-do-do.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm in a lot of like um containers with people.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: I like to be in community, like I'm saying.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was seeing a lot of other people go and hustle and get goals and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then I immediately start, oh, I should be doing that too.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: I should be doing that too.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: It was like, as soon as I made the space, I wanted to fill it back up with stuff because I felt uncomfortable sitting in like, hey, I have a lot of free time and can I let myself relax and enjoy it?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: No, I need to shame myself for not working hard enough and not knowing what I'm doing and not having complete clarity.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: So it was almost like the space, I wasn't ready for the reality of it, and it worked against me a little bit.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: I certainly went on my own um thought spirals, you know, just got kind of got caught up in my own stuff.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: I don't feel like I was super productive or I made a lot of progress forward.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely learned a lot, had a lot of time to reflect, and it's helped me realize how important for me having consistency in terms of my relationship with Mariah and like in the people who feel like sunshine.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And when I'm around them, it feels like they lift me up.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Make meaningfully incorporating that.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I don't need so much space from that.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe maybe that's a really important part of my process.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: So um I'm just so happy to be back into the podcast flow.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: Not that we won't have seasons in the future, but I think in the future I will be much more mindful about that space.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like maybe next time I would like to like go to Mexico and be off truly for two weeks instead of just like sitting here and kind of like spinning my wheels.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, or I don't know, I maybe Mariah and I still meet weekly and we're we kind of realize that we want to be um having these conversations and you know, batching recordings even more so than we already do.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you know, just every everything is an opportunity to learn and tweak and refine.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I I've just have been laughing at myself of like, I got exactly what I said I wanted, which was space in my schedule.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: And it turns out it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I think you you bring up a good point of like it not having the podcast, it created a lack of structure in my weeks too, a lack of structure in my schedule.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's funny, like I think we've talked about this before.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's finding that balance of structure and freedom.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: But it's I've always tried to rebel against the structure when really I think the structure allows me to get creative and get curious because it's it's a little bit more contained, but it's like structure doesn't have to be so fucking serious.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I think so good.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: And like I'm telling, I'm saying this out loud because I'm telling myself this like, structure does not have to be that serious.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Just because I enjoy structure of my week does not mean that my days are structured hour by hour.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: I don't do good with structured hour by hour, but like the week structure is really great.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I realize that like the podcast is such an amazing way for us to express our perspectives and it flows so easily and it's long form.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: So like when we were on break for the podcast, I was going hard in the pain over on Instagram because I'm like, I need some fucking way to express myself, right?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm creating these carousel posts and I'm dropping knowledge bombs like left and right, and I'm just like perspective, perspective, perspective.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And nothing felt satisfying because I didn't have the space to fully riff, to fully allow my perspective to meet completion.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so it didn't feel as nourishing as these podcast episodes.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like for me, I'm noticing that it's like the quick hits are cool, you know what I mean?
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like the quick hits of self-expression, but like it's really the collaboration and the length of content and the length of conversation and the depth that we can get to.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: That is the nourishing part of doing something like this.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you you you bring up a point of like, yeah, we could be in different communities and we can be in different networks, and you know, like I can join different group coaching programs and I can have a coach and like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: But like to me, it's not the same as having a partnership like we have, where it's like it's really we're on the same mission.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: We have a similar path that we're walking.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: We're each doing it in our own way, but it's like having somebody to walk the path hand in hand, somebody that knows you, that respects you, that understands and like genuinely just gets it.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's next level fucking support.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: And you can't find that when you're jumping from group program to group program or like intertwining in networks that you only talk to people like once every quarter or like whatever.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I I just I love this podcast, and uh it it hit so many notches for me that I didn't realize that it was hitting.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think when we ended episode or season one, we were like, Yeah, and we realized this, this, and this.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then little did we know that was only like the first layer of what we were about to realize.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's so funny.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: I I was listening back on that episode recently, and I was like, oh man, we were not that we were naive, but it's like little did we know.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: That was a good way to say that.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: I I want to circle back on something you said earlier because it was kind of like a brain, uh man, I am not my words are not coming to me today.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my brain exploded a little bit when you said that structure doesn't have to suck.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: I think for me, and this is part of my own learning and deconditioning, is I am like a rebellious person.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I really the idea of structure brings up a lot of feelings for me.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, quite honestly, my first business coach and I didn't work out because she wanted me to, like the first thing she wanted me to do was track every single 30 minutes of my day and then report it back.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, can't go.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Gotta go.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Literally, I'm running away.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Keep keep my money, I have to leave.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like, seriously, it's like my brain couldn't even do we're like, we can't do that.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's literally the opposite of what we want.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I think whenever I hear structure, oh, and then when I think it has to be this heavy thing that is a weight, and then I don't want to do it.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think I had a bit of that story going on, and that's why I needed the space.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Because why am I doing this for the space?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then I realized exactly what you said.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no, structure is actually wonderful.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: If I if I get to define the structure and how it works for me, it's actually a wonderful asset and tool that I can use to show up better in my business.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you keep reflecting on it.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think that I think that we fall into business so easily.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: We're like, I've and I do this literally.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is this is what I do.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I figured this out.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm gonna take this and run with this.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like I've figured it out forever, and there's no other layers that are any deeper.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: And like, this is the way that I am, and this is the way that blah blah blah.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then something happens where I'm like, here we go.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't know shit about shit.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, exactly.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know shit about fuckman.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I think I when I first a coach that I had that I really loved, when she was first, I met her through a group program, and her advice to me initially was like, Shay, you need a business friend.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, well, that's what I'm in this group program for.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: And at the time, really, none of my personal life friends, I have friends that are entrepreneurs, but they're not in the same world.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so, and there's, I liked what you said as well about um not that you can't make friends in a group coaching program.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: And quite honestly, I think that is the best value that I've ever gotten out of those investments, are the the people I've met in um in the community and built relationships with, but it's not until you get there, until you have the friendship, it isn't the same what you get in like a group container versus like a true friend where you can just show up with your mask off.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there is no positioning, there is no competition truly.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: Mariah and I were actually just laughing because a lot of, I feel like a lot of the group program kind of language out there is all around community over competition and the online world, but yet what we're learning in these programs still is a bit competitive and like kind of pitting us against others, and people are higher and lower and that kind of idea.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so there's something about a friendship where you're detached from any kind of goals or payment, or um, I need to show up in this way because I want to impress this person or the even the um facilitator of the program.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've never felt like I can truly show up in those spaces like mask off in the in a way that I can with Mariah.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, that advice of finding a business friend, like Mariah was saying, of someone who is walking the walk with you and then committing to that relationship and doing it consistently, that's the kind of consistency that like lights me up.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I was trying to rebel against that for some reason when it didn't need to happen.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, like you said, it all comes back to set up boundaries and think set up things for how you think they work for you now, but then constantly be shining your flashlight and be asking yourself, does this still work?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know, now that I'm in a new chapter of my life, is this still how I want things?
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And be open to changing and tweaking.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I am certainly learning a lot about myself.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is definitely the Raya loves making content.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: I don't.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so this has been my first foray into I love the long form nature of it.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: It I love the um conversation, the storytelling, the meeting people, giving people the opportunity to kind of shine a little bit and step into their zone of genius.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: All of that has felt so light and energizing to me in a way that is blowing my mind.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know that it could feel, I just when Mariah and I sat down, I was like, I didn't, this doesn't feel like work.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I didn't know that doing this could feel this good and uplifting.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so that kind of reframe is really um encouraging and validating for me to remember that business can be fun, it can feel like a joy, it can feel energizing if I let it and if I remove old stories around what it needs to be and what success looks like, and just constantly turn the flashlight back on myself, focus on myself, stop trying to adopt other people's.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know, a friend can help you decipher between like what's really you and what is other people's shit that whether from a group program, an Instagram post or whatever, that you've kind of let in and like you know, I don't know, is maybe knocking you off your path a little bit.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, for sure.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really helpful to strengthen our level of discernment when it comes to like when it when it comes to creating a business that's actually aligned for us because we do get hit with so much content, we get hit with so much stuff.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, one of the biggest things that I was going, I was like going off on Instagram about is like we think that we have to do business alone.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: We think that we have to put our head down, do the work, get it done, hustle.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: We can't ask anybody for advice or support, especially our quote unquote competitors, somebody in the online business, like another online business coach.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: I can't create a relationship with them because like they're gonna take my clients and they're gonna blah, blah, blah.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: But like everybody has our own zone of genius.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, there's so much fucking growth and support and collaborations of all kinds.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like that really is what makes the online business space so uh juicy is the fact that we don't have barriers to collaboration like you would in the physical space.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like me and Shay don't live anywhere near each other, but like we still get to show up and collaborate.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: The people that we interview live nowhere near us.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: We still get to show up and collaborate and to have conversations.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: And in the online business space, I just I feel like we're taught to put our head down and hustle instead of holy shit, like what if I just collaborated with somebody?
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: What if like I pitched myself to be on a podcast and had a conversation?
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: What if I was a guest expert in somebody's training?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: What if I did a newsletter swap with somebody?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: What if I did an IG, like an IGTV live or like just had a conversation and allowed myself to open up and be, I want to say vulnerable, but also like open up and just be my fucking self.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And allow people to see that because that's where the growth comes in.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: The growth very rarely comes in when we try to use our mind to figure out every nook and cranny.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Things just start to drop in and opportunities open when we start to lower the barrier and start collaborating with other people and like combine our zone of genius.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I just I feel like I could talk about collaborations all day because I think that's how both of us really grew our businesses.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: And like, I don't hear anybody talking about like using collaboration as like an actual legit authentic marketing strategy.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not talking about partnership marketing and like affiliate marketing where it feels really masculine and really like I need this, this person needs to hit this checklist and like this item on the checklist and this item on the checklist, and like you're only focusing on like what you can get out of it.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not talking about that kind of collaboration.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm talking about like the actual purposeful and fulfilling collaboration that doesn't need a checklist that like lights you up to have conversations and like you're both coming from a place of service.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's the difference.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's really good.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the place of service.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I wrote down collaboration is a legitimate strategy.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: I want to hit on that point because that was like certainly um a story that I had told myself.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I hear this, I've heard uh coaches and online advice say, don't rely on referrals only and like don't be a referral only business.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I always had shamed myself because that's how I have literally always gotten most of my business.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: And these days I don't have to do anything.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: I've built my referral network up so much that it is legitimately reliable leads, and um, it's because for me, collaboration has just always I've just done it.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even have to think about it.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: It comes for me naturally.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to networking events, I'm going to programs, I'm showing up with my Zoom camera on, I'm reaching out to people and getting on coffee chats.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: I do a lot of coffee chats.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: And it that feels natural and fun to me.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: And for a long time, I shamed myself around the lack of reels I was making, and I'm not getting on TikTok, and I'm not doing this, that, and the other.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I I viewed what I Was doing as less legitimate.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to emphasize that if you are on that same like spiral, it's not true.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: You especially, I think, where a lot of us get hung up is like a lot of the marketing advice we're hearing is more like mass market, like for Target and big nationwide companies that have this huge established following.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: They need to sell millions of things a year.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: For me and most of my clients, the people I work with, we don't have to touch that many people.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't need thousands of leads.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: I need a handful of really quality leads a year.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so for me, the way that that has happened is focusing on collaborations, focusing on people, meeting people, building relationships, um, showing up for them, letting them know what I'm looking for.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that has just always come to me really fun and easy and naturally.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: And now here sitting on the other side of it, I'm like, yes, it is a legit strategy.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: And absolutely it can be a really powerful tool that feels fun and easy.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's how I feel like the golden uh, like you can have your cake and eat it too.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: For me, is this actually feels like a joy.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it's something that I've told myself for a really long time needs to feel heavy, and I need to set aside four hours and batch out six months of content.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like that just makes me but like, oh, today Mariah and I already have a Zoom call, I get to hop on.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: Feels like a joy, feels so light and easy.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so I don't know, I just collaboration, like Mariah and I are really on this bender.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if there's so many think about it's how I built my business, it's how Mariah's built her business.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, one thing I've been working with my clients on a lot lately, a question I get asked a lot is how do I attract these higher quality leads and clients?
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_01: And the answer is be seen in a position of thought leadership by the people who are hiring.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: So, what are you an ex quote-unquote expert in?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: What could you talk about easily for five to 30 minutes?
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Find a container where you can go and be a be a guest expert.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Show up and talk about your thing that really lights you up.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: Be seen in the place where you are really lit up.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: And that is where the magic happens.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that can look like so many different things.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: It can look like right guest blog posting, it can look like going in somebody's mastermind and doing Mariah does um little expert SEO spots for people in their masterminds, which is awesome.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And the cool part is when you are seen in a position of thought leadership by a person that you maybe want to work with, you're shortcutting that whole marketing process of no like and trust.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: You're literally bypassing it.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: They're seeing you and they're like, oh wow, they know what they're talking about.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: I like what they're talking about.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's certainly a pain point that I have.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: And look at all these people, they this must be a trustworthy person.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: I trust the person who brought this girl in.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: So she must be trustworthy.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that is how you shortcut that process.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's not in a cold pitch.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: You cannot cold email someone six times on repeat and expect to get these better quality clients.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: I really think it comes down to, and this again gets back to collaboration marketing.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's get clear on what it is you like to talk about, what's that thing that lights you up and is going to kind of draw the people in.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then how can you be seen in that energy by your people?
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: That that's really the heart of it.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: And it again, collaboration, relationships that just in I call it watering seeds.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think I've probably talked about it on the podcast before, but uh for my marketing, I've always thought about it.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a practice.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm planting seeds with relationships and I'm water.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: I every day I'm like, did I water my seeds today?
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_01: Am I nurturing those plants, those relationships?
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's hard for people to really detach because when I when I talk about this kind of stuff, people are like, Well, I want to book three clients by the end of May.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, well, it relationships don't work like that.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's much more natural and organic.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard to say how all this is gonna come to fruition, but I promise you it does in weird ways you could have never imagined.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: And it's totally out of your control.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that is a part of the reason why people don't really latch on to like a relationship or a collaborative marketing, because it feels um a little out of control, you know, like, okay, I'm gonna make relationships with these people.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: So what?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: And for how long will that take?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: And will it lead to what I think my desired result is?
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I think people get tripped up there.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but really, if you can just like do it and allow and then see all the magic that happens, that's where like cool stuff really starts to show up.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that that's a really good point of like releasing the expectation of what's gonna happen after I do this, but kind of brings it back to what I said before.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's like if you're doing that, you're operating from a place of I want this, give me this, instead of a place of how can I be of service?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Because you show up in the energy really fucking differently.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure that we've all had friends where it's like they text us and you can feel it.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: You're just like, ugh, this person, I know what they want.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: I can feel it, they want something from me completely different than if I'm messaging Shay and I'm just like, yo, what the fuck is up?
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: How you been?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm just trying to like show up and actually connect.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: You can feel the difference.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like collaborative marketing, you really have to trust not only yourself, but you have to trust the process.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: You have to trust that getting in the habit of showing up is enough.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's that's when things, when, when the momentum builds, when the snowball builds.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like in business, I do think that one of the roadblocks that everybody has is like increased visibility.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: How do we allow ourselves to be seen by more people?
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like Instagram, you know, because we're on Instagram as a way to connect, but like we forget that we're being sold Instagram strategy by people on Instagram because we're on Instagram.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: And we forget that like Instagram, unless you're doing a specific real strategy, isn't really the best visibility strategy place.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's a way to connect, it's a way to nurture.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: But it's like if you're putting all of your eggs in that basket, you're gonna feel fucking defeated and burnt out because you need to branch out from that.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do we increase visibility on a platform that isn't fucking Instagram?
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do we allow ourselves to be seen, like you said, as the expert in a way that feels more authentic?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like before you dive into any of the shit, get really fucking honest with yourself.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: How do you want to show up?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: How do you want to show up?
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: And how that looked like for me, just as an example, is like I am amazing at teaching the foundations of things.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like this is the straight up one three profile in human design.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like me showing up and teaching like practical foundations, and then the three of like these are the mistakes that you don't want to make, y'all.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: That is my signature talk.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: SEO boot camp, how to get started with SEO and avoid the mistakes.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's that's what I knew that I felt really good and confident about.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's what I started pitching to podcasts.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I started pitching to be a guest expert on things.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: And like, that's what I show up and talk about in my YouTube channel, on my blog posts, in my Instagram stuff.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I'm talking about that so people see that.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: And like, that's how I choose to show up.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: And QA's, please give me QA's.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: I fucking love that shit.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: But if I didn't, I would not be choosing a podcast as a visibility strategy.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I would prefer to create written forms of content, I would choose either a newsletter swap or I would choose being a um like a guest blogger on somebody else's website, which yes, that still fucking works.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let anybody play you.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: I've seen it work this week, like literally.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like just get really clear about like how do you want to market your business?
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do you want to collaborate and connect with people and start there?
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: And like, what do you want to tell them?
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: How do you want to be of service for people?
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's something I've always uh I appreciate you highlighting that.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's one of Mariah's like zone of genius things is um breaking things down and helping me realize things I maybe take for granted.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, uh in the reason that I have gotten into this rabbit hole of selling for creatives in the first place is I always thought I always thought sales was fun.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a joy because I always have gone into it from a place of service.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know what do you want?
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: What are your visions?
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: What are you working towards?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: Can am I the person to help you get there?
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: Do I know people to help you get there?
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to know the same about me.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: And it's truly that is just who I am as a human.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: So that has always come very easily for me.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it was hard for me to realize that I think the problem is everyone is getting the advice of like form relationships, but all they're doing is uh it's almost like cookie cutter, like they have this like list of questions that they've been told to DM someone.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_01: How long have you been in business?
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, do you like your business?
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: What's the biggest challenge holding you back right now?
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I've been hit with that stuff before, and it just comes off as so insincere and like energy, don't lie.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: And and I didn't realize, oh, this is something you have to say.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, no, if you are gonna pursue a relationship strategy, you gotta really care about these people.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: Ultimately, at the end of the day, you prioritize their success above your selling something.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can make a person feel like I have your best intent in mind and I don't care, I'm detached from the outcome, whether or not I am involved.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: That is the secret, right?
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: And if someone can feel like you have that level of care for them, they're gonna buy anything.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's like magic.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: Reciprocity, right?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: Reciprocity.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's literally that is reciprocity of like if I'm showing, yeah, like if I'm showing up to give, yeah, naturally, people will want to give to me because they are receiving.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's energetics.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: It is absolutely.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that is something I've always um, you know, I've just always tried to really invest in people and whatever way that looks like, you know, my big dream is I want to be an angel investor and have millions that I can put into startups.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_01: But for now, I can certainly do it on my own scale, whether that's with my time or my mentorship or the resources that I have, the connections I have.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I am really always trying to pour in into that's to people that are I feel like are aligned with my values, right?
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_01: And walking the same walk.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I've always felt like, oh, if I can help other people bring their work into the world, you know, that is that's what I'm here to do, right?
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: That I think that's where big change comes from, is if we are all doing the thing that lights us up.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: So if I can be a person to help other people get lit up and make a sustainable living off of that, how cool does that feel?
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's always just first, it's a I want to serve, I want to be of support, I I really care about you.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: And and I don't, I'm choosy.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_01: I do want to say like I am choosy about who I get into relationship with um because I do take my relationships really seriously and I do my best to nurture them and spend time with them.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: And and I am not saying yes to every coffee chat.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's like a boundary conversation here too, about like you don't have to say yes to everything.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: And if there's someone that you're like, I had this happen the other week, someone reached out and like my whole body like had that like reaction of like, I don't want to.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's probably a sign that you know it you it's not in alignment right now.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_01: And that's cool.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: You can say, you know, like, you know, just not available for it right now, or sorry, I have to be really careful with my schedule.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: I have a lot of other stuff going on, or really careful about how I manage my bandwidth.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe in a couple months, let's revisit this, right?
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: There's all kinds of things you can say to be polite to people, but you do not have to, for all my projectors out there, our whole in human design, our whole strategy is to wait for the invitation.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so a lot of times it can feel like you have to say yes to every single invitation that comes your way.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not the case.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_01: Be choosy, but choose good relationships and show up for them and know that it may be years before it pays off and be cool with that.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: And that is really the ticket.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I've written down this term a couple of times as we've been talking of like, um, and this is like the lesson of my life right now of flow, not force, right?
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: You have to just at some point allow this stuff to happen and to unfold and to come through.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_01: And all it ever looks like is little baby steps, just showing up every day and doing what you think is right in the day, and then detaching from I need three leads this month.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: And instead, I'm gonna focus on my practice, which is nurturing these relationships, and I'm gonna allow the reciprocity to come to me in whatever way at whatever time, right?
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: And it's easy to say that when you have a sustainable income built, and I can get, and I even tell clients this like if you're in that survival mode where your base needs aren't met, you need to get the base bills paid before you can start thinking like this.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_01: I had to get kind of my base needs taken care of before my brain could even get out of survival mindset and like open up to bigger thinking.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_01: So, what we are talking about is certainly more of a long game strategy that is absolutely worth it, but it takes time, right?
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: So if you do need a client tomorrow to pay the bills, I can't guarantee that this is gonna happen like that.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: But if you are in this for the long haul and you know, like business is your expression and like it's part of the impact you're here to make on the world, starting with like really valuing this as a strategy and treating it with respect and carving out time for it is a very lucrative, high ROI practice to have in your business.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think that's that's a really good point of like quality over quantity, quantity, because as business owners that also like have to do marketing, we're we're often taught in marketing, like it's all it's all about the numbers.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's all about the numbers.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta reach out and like the more people you have for this, and the more you do with this, and the more you do with that.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: But it's like collaborations also have different magnitudes.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I mean?
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like different collaborations serve different purposes.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: And like relationship building is long-term.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, like word of mouth and referrals and things like that, it comes naturally, but also think about the short-term collaborations that you can do with people.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: Think about pitching yourself to be a guest on podcasts.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: That is a short-term collaboration that you can do that actually ends up creating.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: If you jive with the person, it can create a long-term relationship, which then ends up bringing in clients and stuff.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, just for as an example, I um I pitched myself to be on this podcast.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_00: To be completely honest, it was a completely cold pitch.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_00: Never, I didn't know anybody that knew this person.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: I just kind of cold pitched.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, This is my pitch, baby.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I want to talk about this on your podcast.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: And they came back and she was like, yo, I've never had such a great pit.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I usually say no to cold pitches, but like I would love to have you on the podcast.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: And but what helped me is like this foundation of content that I had so that I was stalkable, so that people could see my perspective.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: They could see what like what I brought to the table.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: So the cold pitch didn't feel as cold because they got to know me through my content.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: Well, also, let's talk about something you're kind of by passing over the secret.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_01: If you are going to do a cold pitch, same thing.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_01: Come with a place of giving, a place of service.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: Go with a place of how can I make this person's life easier?
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: So, what Mariah does really well is like in us as podcast hosts can appreciate this.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: She's like, hey, I've got this like perfectly tailor-made episode that's like awesome for your audience.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: Here are the bullet points.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm ready to go up and like just let's book a time, I'll make this happen for you.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, the podcast person is gonna stalk her a little bit, see she's legit, and like, yep, my that feels easy, right?
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_01: So if you are gonna do it, it's the same strategy.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_01: Come from a deep place of I want to make your life easy.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_01: And here's how I can be of service to you.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that it's funny, it sounds so obvious, but you wouldn't believe how bad all these cold pitches are.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's the same like regurgitated copy and pace.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, and you're a pro at you know how to even do the cold stuff from a place of um support, service, you know, higher intention.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you for that reflection.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_00: I received that.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, basically, yeah, you're right.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: I totally overlooked that.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: But so back to the story here.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, after we did the podcast, apparently it went super well, which like I knew it would because I completely put together this package of like genius information that, like, of course, it would go well.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: So she ended up offering me to be a guest expert in her like big membership program.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: So then I basically just did like a different, honestly, it was a different version of like what I basically did on the podcast.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: I ended up getting, I made$4,000 literally just from no$5,000, something like that, literally just from those two things.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like I had clients come to me and like a done for you client, a coaching client come from there.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then I got pitched, somebody pitched me, hey, I have a podcast.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: Can you show up and be on my podcast?
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: And then that podcast ended up being, hey, can you be a guest expert in my group?
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you don't know the opportunities and possibilities that are gonna come even from a quote unquote small collaboration.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like you could look at a podcast and be like, that's not gonna change my business.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_00: Being like a guest on one podcast, uh, well, human you doesn't know shit.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: And now I'm not saying you're gonna make five to ten grand from every single podcast, but it's not about that.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's about showing up, allowing yourself to be seen in a way that feels good for you, and allow you allow yourself to grow your business by collaborations because you don't have to do it yourself.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: You're allowed to be supported and draw people into you by allowing yourself to be seen in your zone of genius, and that's collaborations.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think the key point is it's really hard to have a smart goal, a very measurable, trackable, very, you know, normal cultured style goal with relationship and collaboration marketing, because you can't predict what is going to happen.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then the cool part about this kind of stuff, I've rambled about this before, is there's this time piece too, where you record it once and it becomes this asset that lives on, and somebody six months, a year down the line, or Mariah's example can come and stalk you and hear that same thing.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, maybe they're Google searching something, and then one of your podcast episodes or a blog post that you wrote and another container pops up.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's weird how connections get made and it's really hard to predict.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_01: I just talked to somebody the other day.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_01: She ran like um, let me teach you how to tell your story kind of thing, you know, the your positioning in your story.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then she got in contact with a podcast person that was like, you know, if they put together a really good story with you, I would love to have them on my podcast because they're kind of ready to go.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_01: And she's like, okay, that's such a cool value I can give to my people.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's mutually beneficial.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_01: I've been talking about, and we'll actually have a podcast episode about this later this season about like a win-win-win business of like, how can you really do something that is a win for you, a win for me, a win for the in community, right?
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so um that kind of stuff can happen, but is impossible to predict with a specific time and with a specific metric measurable KPI.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so I um I think that is why it is maybe I at least have heard shade around this style of marketing and taking it seriously.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_01: I think because it's a little less measurable and quantifiable, but I will say for me, it's more fun.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_01: I I love the weird connections and collaborations.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just tell Mariah, like, I've been having these crazy universe connection things happen to me lately that I never in a million years could have dreamt of.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: And like, that's part of the fun of this all for me.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_01: And if I get too rigid and again, we're getting back to that too much rigidity and too much structure and too much force, that's where things get very heavy for me.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_01: And and this is all okay.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_01: We're all if you love.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: That great, you can run a business however you want to run a business.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's the whole point of this.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_01: But for me, it's looked like so much allowing flow and not trying to force.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_01: Because when I am trying to force, that's when the spirals start, you know, and I'm looking at everybody else and losing track of my own path and getting swayed by other influences and shiny object and blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that brings up like an in an intangible benefit from collaborations and like partnerships is increased confidence.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: You're right.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's like when I show up and I share my zone of genius, let's say like I'm doing an SEO thing and I'm sharing it.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: My confidence skyrockets when I have people like, yo, that was the shit.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: That was amazing.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_00: That was blah, blah, blah.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: You're getting like live feedback.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: So that's in like a short term.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: In a long-term collaboration, like this podcast, it's also increased confidence because you're building that deeper relationship.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_00: That person knows you.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like it's getting you out of your own head so that self-doubt stops multiplying.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: But it's like when we put our head down and try to grow our business by ourselves, we're trying to be everything and we don't see the mirror of how much of a genius we actually are.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like by allowing ourselves to connect with people, we're allowing these mirrors to come up.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: And for us to realize that holy shit, like the stuff that I have to say is incredibly valuable.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's serving people because, like, like it happened probably three times on this single episode of like, yeah, and what Shay doesn't realize that like her zone of genius is, and like, oh, Mariah doesn't realize like this zone of genius.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, that's the intangible benefit of collaborations of any kind, is like you get to showcase your genius, your talents and your gifts to the people that need it and the people that can mirror back how valuable it actually is.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_01: Damn.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's really like the deepest level of we heal in relationships.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's healing that happens.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's certainly been uh, if I would say like my transformation of investing in a relationship with Mariah, just having Mariah reflect back to me, like, we're geniuses, you're a genius, you're good at this, blah, blah, blah.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: I, when we first started talking, I couldn't do any of this.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't be visible at all in a way that felt authentic, right?
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so she's really helped me heal.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I always think about um, they say we have like a problem.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_01: There's like three level, three layers to any problem.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: The first one is like extrinsic or like self, quote unquote selfish, like needs.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, that'd be like money, right?
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like the collaboration has certainly brought me more money, more leads.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's helped my business.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_01: But then on like a layer deeper, there's like this intrinsic, like how I feel.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_01: And collaborations has allowed me to now feel like I'm having fun and I'm excited about my business.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_01: So not only am I making more money, but now all of a sudden my feelings have improved.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then the third deepest level is really this like philosophical level of like purpose and like, am I here having the impact I need to make in healing?
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what healing needs to happen so I can step into that higher version of myself.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that has absolutely like all three.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sitting here like, yep, yep, yep, absolutely.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's cool that it like really hits all those different layers.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know, I feel like I am reinforcing to myself how powerful and nourishing this kind of stuff is.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_01: And like Mariah is kind of hinted at why is does it feel like this is counter-cultural?
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_01: Why isn't this the standard advice?
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like you can have fun with this.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_01: This can feel like a joy, it can feel nourishing, it can feel like a win-win for everybody.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have to be this.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm up on a pedestal and you're lower than me and blah in competitive, blah, blah, blah.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_01: I I always say this stuff and I feel like it sounds so obvious, but it is not the norm.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_01: And it's very feels very radical where it shouldn't.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_01: Does that make any sense?
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's because on a human level, we were literally created to connect.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like back in the tribal days, there were certain people that had certain jobs, certain zone of genius.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I just in my mind, I'm just seeing like a shaman.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_00: The shaman might sit there around the fire, but and like help you get deeper and connect with your soul.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_00: But the shaman might not be the best at going out to like find food.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe the fire.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like we all have our different skill sets, then that when we come together in a way that's authentic and purposeful, of course it's going to be fucking nourishing.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_00: And like, even the money, like, of course, money is going to come because now it's like a combination of hypothetically, like three people coming together and being of service.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_00: And now, in like a strategic standpoint, now I'm sharing it with my audience, you're sharing it with your audience, they're sharing it with their audience.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now their audience is now seeing me for the first time.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's increased visibility.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it is such an obvious way to grow a business, but like I didn't even realize this a couple of weeks ago.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when it dropped in of just like collaborations are the way.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just like, What the fuck are you talking about?
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, where did this thought come from?
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then I started allowing space to kind of go deeper, and I'm like, holy shit! Literally, I've built my entire business on collaborations.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: I've tried and tested almost every single kind of collaboration that there is, and it's like some of them flopped, but I learned something from it.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, did it really flop?
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_00: Or, like, did I just collect a data point to then see that that's not the collaboration that I like?
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it just it's so apparent the benefits of it.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_00: But because we don't hit this monetary benefit, which is actually a very small thing, like you pointed out, we write it off, but the benefits are so much bigger than that.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: Man, so the lesson of this episode is find a friend.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_01: No, for real though.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I I want, I think if I were to have people like walk away with something, it would be um if you are resonating with what we're saying, where like this type of building relationships and collaborating feels really fun and just feels like a no-brainer, but you've kind of, I don't know, been trying to force it on a TikTok or making reels.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're noticing that things are feeling more like force than flow, um, perhaps as an opportunity to explore where you could spend some more time um investing in relationships and and allowing cool things to start happening for you.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I would say just because this is kind of how I came to this realizations, like how I concreted and made these realizations practical is by looking at my human design chart.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I know that we've mentioned human design quite a few times in different episodes.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_00: We do have an intro to human design with Neha, which like she's a fucking genius.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I would say if you haven't looked at your human design chart yet, take a look at it.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look at like what your type is and take a look at your profile.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, like the different profiles, the profiles are kind of like how people see you and like interact with your energy and like how you share information and knowledge and things like that.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm a one-three, the one is foundations, essentially.
• 52:15
  SPEAKER_00: Really, like I need space to get deep into research.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_00: The line three is my unconscious line.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_00: So it's kind of like it doesn't come that easily to me, but it is like basically the testing and tweaking.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like me learning the foundations and then allowing myself to make mistakes and to learn from it.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like that is that's just the sauce.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_00: And to be honest, I've had to do, and even now, I still have to do a lot of healing around the perfectionism that I grew up with as a mask to protect myself from being seen as like a quote unquote failure.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_00: So, like stepping into that three line, like when I saw what the three line wanted and I was what the three line was, I was like, oh no, this sounds awful.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_00: But as always, if you've listened to past episodes, usually when I'm disgusted by something, I like have to, I have to explore it even more.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_00: But Shay is a two-four.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_00: So the two is the hermit of like, she needs time to like retract from society a little bit and to be like, yo, I need to like sit in my own shit and like figure out what feels good for me.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_00: But the four line is all about network and relationships.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like being able to look at these profiles and to just be like, huh, maybe I'm a six-four, but I haven't put any effort into my network and relationships.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_00: But it seems like the four that's all about network and relationships.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's in my profile.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_00: So like I'm allowing myself to get curious about it.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_00: I just think human design is just a really great roadmap for allowing yourself to get curious about things in a practical way, instead of like there's 45 things floating in the air.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_00: How do I choose which one to get curious about?
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_00: So that that would be my suggestion.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and then let me take it a step further because I do feel like the lesson of all human design is when you let yourself be seen doing the things that light you up.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_01: That is where success and however you define it comes.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: So reading your profile and your chart, it can give you a lot of like really practical tools about like for me, when I'm reading that stuff, I'm just like, yep, I love talking about that.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_01: That feels like fun, easy energy.
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_01: So it gave me a lot of clarity.
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_01: But it's funny, like I've heard my takeaway is always, okay, Shay, you need to follow what lights you up, what's sparking your curiosity, go do that and be seen doing that.
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what's going to draw people in.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_01: And even though Mariah has a different chart, that's still kind of the lesson of like, go do the thing that you were put here to do, or allow yourself the space to try to figure what that is and be seen, share, you know, don't keep it all to yourself, don't hoard it.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's Mariah and I've been talking about like, yeah, let's learn, but also let's practice and let's like integrate this learning and this knowledge and actually put it out in the world and verbalize to rationalize is something Mariah says a lot.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_01: But it's it's this like we all just want to consume all this information, but if we're not actually putting it into practice in our lives, it's really hard to actually like solidify it into your memory bank.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_01: So um I I think that it's cool now that we're tying this whole episode back to the purpose of the podcast, which is yeah, check out your human design chart.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_01: It helped me get a lot of clarity um around like, oh, this is it, but also do what lights you up.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_01: And can you let yourself be seen?
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_01: What feels like a safe way to let yourself be seen doing what lights you up?
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can start with that, that's can be really powerful.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_00: I was just gonna say that like human design, you don't even need it.
• 55:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's the permission that you never needed.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_01: I love I love it.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_01: I can't say enough about it.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's helped me tremendously, but that's it.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh yeah, I'm the shit at this.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've always known it, but I needed to read it here in this book.
• 56:12
  SPEAKER_00: I needed somebody else to spell it out for me, but I love learning the foundations.
• 56:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 56:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's hilarious.
• 56:19
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think, I think we're ready to close this episode down.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_00: How are you feeling?
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_01: Wonderful.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_01: We've covered a lot in this episode, and I like it because um a lot of the topics we've touched on, we actually have guest interviews lined up um to like dive a little bit deeper into, or like um just an episode with Mariah and I where we plan on um, I don't know, I feel like we touched on a lot of different ideas today that really is almost like um a highlights reel for what season two is gonna be.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just feeling very excited and I can't wait to dive in.
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 56:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think this episode was really great.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so if you guys listening enjoyed this episode, feel free to share it with somebody on social media, share it with a friend, share it with everybody, anybody.
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_00: If your mom likes podcasts and she's an intuitive business owner, share it with her.
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then let us know what you loved about it, or if there was like a certain aspect of it that you really want us to dive into, definitely shoot over to Instagram, DM us, hop over to the website, fill out the contact form, whatever feels easy and fun for you.
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_00: We just, we honestly just love hearing your feedback.
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_00: We love your questions and just like what you guys get out of these episodes.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_00: So definitely, definitely reach out and connect with us.
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_01: And um, as always, thank you so much for listening.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_01: And it and in the nature of reciprocity, if you are picking up what we're putting down and you really like this podcast, if you could please get into relationship with us, subscribe, share it with your friends, you know, leave a review.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_01: All that stuff really helps us, not only uh mentally, but uh in the big algorithm of life.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we would really, you know, we appreciate any kind of love and we want to get to know y'all even more so than we already have.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_01: So please reach out.
• 58:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we want to hear about what your goals are and any ways that we can support you too.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, all that stuff lights us up.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_01: So until next time, remember you have the power to create whatever the fuck you want.
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_01: Follow the nudge, ask questions, and let curiosity guide the way.
• 58:27
  SPEAKER_01: We are so excited for season two, and we will see you in the next episode.