Latest / Beyond Limits With Olivia Marie / The Truth About Authentic Branding and Living with Purpose Ft. Emily Paulsen

Transcript

The Truth About Authentic Branding and Living with Purpose Ft. Emily Paulsen · Beyond Limits With Olivia Marie

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Beyond Limits, the podcast designed to unlock your highest potential with powerful strategies, energetic frequencies, and mindset shifts to create a limitless life.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Each episode dives deep into what it really takes to build a life and business beyond the ordinary standard.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Expect unfiltered conversations, tangible takeaways, and mind-blowing insights to shift your reality.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: You'll hear from trailblazers who have shattered feelings and know what it means to live beyond limits.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: And they're here to share their expertise with you.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Get ready to redefine what's possible when you go all in.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: More than a podcast, this is your gateway to building a limitless life and business.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: Tune into the Beyond Limits podcast and step into all that is possible.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Hello everyone.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the Beyond Limits show.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: I am so excited to have an incredible guest with us today.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Emily is a powerhouse, a branding expert, a podcast host, all the things she's gonna introduce herself because I'm sure she would add to that.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't even articulate her incredibleness in a bio.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I hate being constrained to bios.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: So with that, welcome Emily to the show.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm honored.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: So can you tell us a little bit about you, what you do, yourself, your life, your business, your vision, all the things.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like who is Emily Paulson?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: What a simple but big question.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, okay.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if I had to summarize everything in a headline, which is my nature as a brand builder, I feel like my vision and what I'm most connected to right now all relates to intentional living, like living with curiosity and living with intention.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: So professionally, I own a brand studio.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: I've been in the brand and marketing space my entire career.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now I own Electric Collab, which is a psychology-based brand studio.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And essentially, we are building brands that are deeply rooted in who you are as an individual, a leader, a founder, a service provider, whatever your expertise is, but equally designed to emotionally connect with clients.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: So intentionality comes in constantly in that process of really diving deep into understanding what makes you special, what makes you unique, and what is your audience seeking on an emotional scale.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what I do in my day job, I guess.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then I also have a passion project podcast called Curious Life of a Child-Free Woman.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I am child-free by choice.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: So that is why that's part of the name.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: The questions and conversations are really centered through a child-free lens.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: But the goal, again, is to help people live with intention.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a huge fan of asking curious questions and taking time to get to know ourselves, even though that's really hard to do in our busy, fast-paced lives.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: But I think there's just so much benefit on any decision that we make, whether it has to do with having kids or it has to do with just what we want to wear today, getting to know ourselves and really taking time to establish that depth of understanding, I think just makes life so much more fun and fruitful.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what I spend most of my time doing.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and in there it in a lot of ways they're very different, but in a lot of ways they cross over.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, 100%.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: I see the crossover immediately.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like everything is just through the lens of intention, like how you live your life, how you dress, your brand, your business, your colors, like everything.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: And there's there's so much I want to dive into in that.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think where I'm gonna go first is because you started with the branding first, I'm gonna start with that.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd love for you to speak about like the intention behind branding and the importance of putting that inside and like maybe the misconceptions or the myths around branding about how important or not important, and really about like having that, like you said, come through and being intentional and like curating what to me it's kind of like an experience.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: When I feel like I look at you, I think of like, oh, like it's not just a brand, like you're curated an experience where like the work that you do, brands now feel like an experience.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't feel like just transactional or something you kind of see, like you can feel the intention.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: So can you speak to us like the value about all of that and like why it's so important when we're building brands?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad that you are feeling that come through because that's exactly what we are striving for.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think the misconceptions around branding is that it is a name or a logo or sort of a mark that um is just symbolic of what your business or your personal life is all about, right?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: We have business brands, we have personal brands, and there's a huge gray area in between.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: But really, branding is the way people understand you.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So when we stop and think about it, people often interact with your brand before they interact with you.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: They hear you on a podcast, they find your website through SEO, they somebody shares your social media page with them.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: They don't know you personally, which is important.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like most of us aren't just trying to reach our friends and family.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: We're trying to build brands that go bigger.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: So the brand is that first impression and also the lasting reputation.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: So on the first impression side, what is the language?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: What is the emotional resonance of the colors that you're sharing?
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Does the website feel really cluttered and text heavy?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Does it feel really airy and spacious and inviting?
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like there is, you know, we form an assessment of an individual or a business based on what we're experiencing with that brand.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then on the other side of working with you or buying from you or listening to you, we associate that experience, whether it's really positive or really negative, with the brand overall.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I use the example that if you're on a road trip and you stop at McDonald's and you get food poisoning, the next time you're on a road trip, you're not going to want to stop at McDonald's, even if that one is 300 miles away from the one that gave you food poisoning.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like we associate that experience with the brand.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So it's so much more than just like, what does the business look like?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Does it look pretty?
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's really about forming an emotional connection with the people who have that interaction through language, positioning, all design, right?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: The logo, the typography, the colors that you're choosing, how much white space are you using?
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is there animation?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, where is your digital presence housed?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: All those pieces combine to create an experience.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really our way to, I don't want to say control, but direct that impression that people have.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do we want them to feel when they get to know us for the first time?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: All of that can be achieved through branding.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: I love how you, and I know you touch on like the psychology aspect of it, but like everything is so intentional.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think people realize how like the font you use, like the typography, the size it is, the white space, the color, the shade of color is our animation, the tone, even in it.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's so much nuance and so much, like, not like you can control, and not ever from like um, and I don't think you do this, but like a psychologically manipulating way, but it's more like an understanding of like, oh, not like to manipulate to buy.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's more like, no, psychologically, like, how do I want someone to feel?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because all of those things like have a psychological component.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like, blue feels different than red, it feels different than like something flashing at you, or like I even like I think about the emojis we use or we don't use, and I think about you know, some brands are like red alert, big flash sale.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Other ones are like you walk by, I don't know, maybe like a Dior, and it's like sale in the smallest like a font on like the window, like you barely see it.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and neither is right or wrong, it's about what you desire for your brand.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: But like you said, there's so much intentionality that can be put.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: I think if you stop and you kind of like slow down and you are intentional and you do think about these things, and really cultivating that in, like you said, in a way that reflects like what you want your brand to do.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: But also, I feel like when you're intentional, a lot of that can do some more heavy lifting for you.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because when you land on something, and I'm sure we've all landed on some sort of marketing, it can be a product, it can be a person, it can be a thing, but we feel something probably because it curated it.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And when you cultivate that, I feel like it is just working harder for you than if you're kind of like slapping things together, you're not really intentional.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you're also not being intentional for your brand.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe you've picked up things maybe you think you should use, or Sally's using this, so you think you need to use neon pink because Sally's using, but that's not really your brand, and so it's not matching with who you are, so there's friction because it's not represented.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure you've seen this and you're gonna probably you're nodding, so you're probably gonna speak to this.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: But I feel like this is just so important and we can take this so far in like a good way, but also it can start to work really well for us.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, your brand should be working on your behalf.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: And what we want with branding is consistency over time.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: So even though it can sound overwhelming when I'm like, oh, every every font, every space on your website, every shade of every color that you have, like we have to get it right.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: I don't mean that to be scary or like an intimidating endeavor.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: The beauty of branding is that you get really intentional if you build those things and make those choices strategically, then you stick with them literally for years.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like we want people to be able to recognize your business or your personality when they're scrolling on Instagram or when they hear you speak or when they see something from yours out in the marketplace, you don't want to be changing your colors all the time or changing your messaging or who you're talking to.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we're not using emojis and we are using emojis.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: That confuses the market and it makes you just forgettable, right?
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're not giving them something that's sticky enough to hold on to.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: So the beauty of branding is that you can put in that intention up front.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't matter where you are in business, like very beginning, or you've been in business for decades, once you kind of build with this intention, then you can sort of set it and forget it, right?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: You're leveraging your brand all the time, but you're telling the same stories, you're using the same language, you're using the same headline, you're pointing to the same unique value that you deliver again and again and again.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's what makes the brand work.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: You want to be a little bit repetitive.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then, of course, you know, there may come a time where your audience has evolved, you've evolved, and you need to tweak things.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: But generally, it should really make your life easier.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to touch on the manipulation thing too, because sometimes I think people get creeped out by the fact that color does evoke certain emotional responses, right?
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, oh, are we sort of pulling all these threads?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like people are puppets out there and we can get them to do what they want.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's not manipulation, it's an invitation.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: No brand is meant to be all things to all people, but you have to believe that if you're out there in the market selling or offering something, that there are people who need it, right?
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it's gonna make their lives better.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: So branding is about inviting those people, resonating with those people to get the solution that is gonna benefit them.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about trickery or, you know, trying to get everybody to like fall into our trap of purchasing, not at all.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: We're building based on the value you're already delivering so that the people who could truly use that are able to recognize it and step forward.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I love what you said about like even the brand recognition, because I guarantee like there are things before I even know whose post it is, I like even if their face isn't in it, by their colors and their style, I know who it is.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: And if I see something at similar, I'm like, oh, you're just copying so and so, then you are forgettable because you're just copying the exact branding that someone quote unquote ahead of you has or someone else has, and like you're not building like your own, you're not gonna stand out.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: You will not only not dominate, but you'll get lost in that noise.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's also really important what you said about branding because there are so many different options, right?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: There is so many different like ways you can take it and things that you can do that I think sometimes people get overwhelmed by what they like should do, and they don't necessarily allow themselves to build a brand that has that presence or that voice or evokes that thing.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas people know kind of like what they're getting once they buy your product or they join your service.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like to me, there should be a congruency, right?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: There should be a match.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes I feel like when people are doing branding, what you maybe see on the outside, but then what you experience afterwards, you're like, oh, well, well, that didn't match, you know, what you had on the outside.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that would be very like weird to me because the branding isn't then reflective of the actual product or service.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: So can you like type?
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love for you to like dive more into that because I know you're gonna be like, yes, because like we want that congruency and that match, both from uh, well, if it's not matching, you might like quote unquote lose people or lose sales, but also if you're just like really flashing this and that, and then like behind it, you're actually very like that's not who you are at all, that you're more sound like this.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: To me, like that that should be a match.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: And you don't want to have any incongruency there.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: So yes, cohesion is so important.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when you have that disconnect, it feels like a bait and switch, right?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: You lose trust because it's like, wait a minute, I bought this thing because it looked extremely luxury and premium, and you know, in the way that it was presented and positioned.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: And now that I'm in, I feel like I'm not getting a luxury experience.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: I can barely talk to anybody.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's not one-on-one at all.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not getting any direct attention.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's a really negative experience.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you're right, branding isn't just what happens before somebody buys.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: Branding is like the soul of your business, and that includes the entire customer journey.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have something tangible, what does the packaging feel like?
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: What does it look like if you're talking about sustainability and your brand values all the time, and then you ship stuff in styrofoam?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's not really aligned, right?
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's all of those touch points.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't sell something tangible, but you deliver a service to people, or maybe you sell speaking or you sell books or something like that, how does it feel to be in your presence?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you have hot pink and red as your brand colors, and then you go up and you're very soft-spoken and demure, like the people who were drawn to the hot pink and red might be a little let down by that speaking style.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: But if you marketed that accordingly, right, with like luxurious beige spa branding, then people would probably be really happy because there's a connection in those experiences.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's important to think about your brand all the way through.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when we start assessing our brands or trying to rebuild, the tendency is to go outward.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: We look at what competitors are doing, we look at Pinterest, we get all over Instagram and then we're like, well, what colors is everyone else using?
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: How are they talking about their work?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: That is inevitably gonna make you sound and look more like everybody else.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: The key is to set all of that aside.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I understand the temptation, but instead of looking outward, go inward and really get clear on why do you believe your work is special?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: How are you solving a problem in a way that's different from everybody else in your industry?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: How do you do you have a unique um background or combination of experiences that are unusual for your field?
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like, do you have something around the industry that really bothers you?
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so you're intentionally doing something different.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like highlighting those pieces in your language and even your design, that's what's going to make you naturally stand out.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: But also it'll be easy to keep things cohesive because it's just what you're naturally doing and what you're naturally good at.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the best way to think about it versus getting too consumed by the rest of the world.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: I love how you said don't go out, go in, because otherwise, if you look to everything else, you're like you're missing your uniqueness, you're not going to pull that through, which is like you said, like the very thing.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: But I feel like you are right.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: The whole thing, when people are rebranding, like, oh, I want to do the branding like her or her voice or that thing, and it ends up diluting like the actual truth.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then, well, it just falls flat.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like the energy just flatlines.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that like you've also said that, and like that comes through, also not just from a voice perspective, but from the colors or the visuals or everything like that, because you want that cohesion.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: And you imagine it's like red and flashing hot pink, and then the words are like a poem that sounds like literature.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's even there's cohesion behind the scenes, but like and in front of there's cohesion between visuals and words, like words and like that there's so much that you want to make sure it is cohesive.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: So, what are some more things that like we should be thinking about when it comes to brand cohesion?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think starting with that looking inward instead of looking outward is really important to like get yourself into that mindset.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, it's okay if you've seen somebody do one specific thing, like, oh, they had a really cool animation.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: I would like to do something like that.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: But generally, when you think about what you're building on, you have to get clear on why you believe your work matters.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I hear a lot of pressure in the market these days about personal branding.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: I get a ton of questions, like, I have a business.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do I also need a personal brand?
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Do I have to make my business all about me?
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Is it bad to make my business all about me?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's all these shoulds that we feel like we need to be doing so that we're quote unquote doing it right when we're building a brand.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: But instead of worrying about any of that, like really get clear on what is important to you about this.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you want to be known?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you want to have a million-dollar business?
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you want to serve the specific audience that you believe you want to serve?
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like ask yourself why multiple times and kind of drill down into that and then use that as your direction.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if you, as an example, if you want to serve moms who are really stressed out and they have newborn babies and they're in postpartum feelings, okay, why is that important to you?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Did you experience those feelings and you know how miserable it was?
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: So you're like, I am not, I'll do everything I can to prevent any other woman from having to go what I went through.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like in that case, you can lean on your personal experience.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it has nothing to do with you, but there's something out in the world that really frustrates you.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was talking to a woman this morning who has this really beautiful ceremony brand where she goes and delivers these in-person ceremonial experiences to circles of women and everything that's happening with the uncertainty in the world and the political climate, she feels compelled, like her work is needed now more than ever.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: You can see the stress in people and the fear and the anxiety.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: She wants to step up and calm that in any way she can using her skill set and her expertise, which is delivering these beautiful, relaxing ceremony experiences.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I think getting clear on why you really care about the work that you're doing will naturally start to direct.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, well, then how would I talk about it?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: How would I feel really proud to present this on a website?
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, what should I be saying on social media that amplifies this mission that's so important to me?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of thinking, like, am I doing content like everybody else?
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: It all stems from what feels authentic to you.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: I love that because I think when you get clear on like the why it matters, you're actually then able to be intentional.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: But if you don't have the clarity on why it matters, well, how can you create with intention?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, all right, let's I'll use your mom newborn example of why okay, they're stressed out.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: All right, I'm now gonna be intentional.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm probably not gonna be like flash sale, red light.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, because the intention would be like, well, they're already stressed out.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: They don't want more urgency of that.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's not what they want safe, they want relaxing, they want grounded, they want chill.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I can now, because I know why it matters through that perspective, be intentional with the colors, the messaging, the branding.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: My invitation might be a little more grounded and soft.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's not gonna be like 72 hours, jump in or you'll die, like, or you're screwed forever.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: You will be the worst mom if you don't join right now.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like that exactly.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: And so I love that you said that because the why really creates that foundation from which then you can be intentional with the message, the the visuals, the colors, all of the other things we've been talking about.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly right.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it again, it does become easier.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think when we're considering every single color in the world as an option, you know, there's millions of fonts.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like you can go down a rabbit hole and accidentally purchase like 27 fonts, and then you're like, they all look the same, but they all look super different.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: I have no idea what I'm doing.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and of course, like you can you can get outside perspective and support to craft all these pieces too.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: But I think things kind of you naturally self-select into style and language and pieces like that once you have that clarity on the why.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, like you said, like the clarity, and that's why you have your support, is so that you don't try to like figure it out on your own and you have someone kind of like soundboard with or bounce ideas, and that can help really bring the why that matters you have internally, so that it's actually reflected externally of how you want it to look.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, we're so close to it.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, again, whether it's personal brand, business stuff, whatever, like we it is us.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's our ideas, it's our expertise, it's our background.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I often say it's not that you don't know, it's that you know too much.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if it's like, okay, summarize this in a brand hook or headline, or you know, put down on paper your brand values when you probably stand for and against a lot of things as an individual, it can just be hard to kind of get that perspective and identify not just what matters to you.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: You, but what's going to be really compelling to the people you want to attract?
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's a two-way conversation.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: Like we're not building brands just to pat ourselves on the back and you know put them out there like you would write a biography or something.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Branding is a tool.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: You want people to take action, whether that's buying something, subscribing, listening, downloading, whatever you want them to do.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to consider that side of the equation as well.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, getting that internal clarity is the most important first step, but either spending time and intention to keep yourself in the audience perspective or hire somebody who can bring that audience perspective, that's important too.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like we don't want to get into an echo chamber.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: We want to make sure the stuff that we're saying is landing with the people who we really want to absorb it.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I have to ask since we were talking about it.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: So why does this matter to you?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking about why this matters and like, you know, from with brand voice and why you're doing this.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: Why are you, like as Emily, doing the branding?
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why is branding so important to you?
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for asking.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, let me let me be succinct.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: I I primarily work with women, and through my business career, I started working in branding for other people, like for organizations and corporate companies.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really, in a lot of ways, it's easier to get clear on like what makes this brand special, what makes us better than competitors, what can we talk about in our campaigns and our you know consumer-facing stuff when it's not actually about you, right?
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's a detachment there.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: You can, it's just your job to be saying good things.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like I worked on as a Wendy's brand manager.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: It was my job to be saying good things about chicken sandwiches, right?
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: Things that made them juicy, tasty, crispy, like you want to stop swing through the drive-through at lunch to go get that.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: When it's about you, your expertise as a wedding planner, having somebody buy tickets to come and listen to you speak and share your ideas, buying a book that you wrote, um, hiring you to come and organize their home, hiring you to do their financial advisement and financial planning, it is really hard for women to see all of the amazing gifts and expertise that they have.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard for them to see it, and it's really hard to put it in writing and put it out there publicly.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: So when I can be the person who is that reflection and that perspective, and you know, say, no, no, press pause.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: You're incredible at this.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: You have a landslide of results and happy testimonials, and you've worked it for amazing corporations, or, you know, like there's always a bunch of stuff that you've done really well, but it's just hard for us to see that as women.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's a combination of conditioning and you know, all sorts of stuff.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's individualized as well, but it brings me so much meaning to help feel help women feel seen and paid for their amazing expertise.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: And branding is the vehicle I can use to help them achieve that.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's such a perfect answer.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just like nodding along.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, yes, because I can really see and like even feel that passion for you can see this amazing woman, you want to bring it to life so that the world basically sees what you see.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, how beautiful.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: I feel really lucky.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's an honor, you know.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like this work is intimate and personal, even if it is a business brand, like there's just so much of us that goes into the work that we do.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: So honestly, it's an honor for me to be kind of in this emotional moment with clients pulling out all these pieces.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for what you said.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly right.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna use that.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: And it is really an emotional moment because I feel like when you when you nail the branding, whether it's like a voice or like a design for something, and you feel like it's a reflection of you, it's like this giant, like, huh, like in your body, like, yes, like that's it, that's it, like that's me, or that's a girl.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it just you can actually feel it.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, I just I don't know, I think what you're doing is amazing and incredible because I know the impact of when you like nail it and that person feels like, oh, this is my expression, this is what I want to put out in the world.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, thank you for basically helping me nail it in that way and get people to see it.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: There's there's not another feeling like it.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah, and I love it when I get it for myself, right?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I still get outside help to give me that feeling too, because it is just feeling seen.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, oh my gosh, you get me.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you get what I'm trying to do, you get why this matters.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I think there's just that's such a powerful emotion for all of us to experience that inclusion and validation, and yeah, it's a joy.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: So, with that, you know, so much intention being your business, and you also mentioned like you live such an intentional life, and I know you mentioned like your podcast and everything like that, and you're mentioning like, oh, what you wear.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Can you kind of like dive in for us what else you mean in terms of living with intention?
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like you what you wear, like how how does your day basically look like when you picture living with intention?
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: I certainly do not do this perfectly.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: I have a long way to go.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I love that I get to meet people who kind of focus on different facets of this through the podcast, whether it's sustainability and how we can make more conscious consumer choices or style, like how we can really dress in things that meet our authenticity.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's another great area where we tend to look outward, right?
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are the influencers wearing?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: What's hot this season?
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then you kind of get into this loop where you have all this stuff that doesn't feel like you.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: And everyone looks the same because all the women are like, and I'm not gonna lie, like I wear like if someone posts the Amazon thing, like that's cute, I wear that.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: But it's true that we all kind of like look the same because we're all wearing the same trending Amazon set or this thing.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a hundred percent.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, the oversized blazer, like who doesn't, you know, you like and you go five yeah, I know.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Which no shade, right?
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, maybe oversized blazers are perfect for you.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: But the point is that like if they're allegedly out next season, you don't get rid of it because it's perfect for you, right?
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's about finding your style.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, style is a fun way to play with it because they're pretty relatively low stakes investments.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we can kind of think about what are we wearing every day as a reflection of ourselves?
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I think to me, what intentional living really means is having the foresight to pause just for a second, like for a micro second before I make choices and really just tune into like, is this something that I really want right now?
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: Is this furthering my life vision or my mission?
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even something as simple, like last night my husband and I went on a date, and then I was sitting there and I know that I'm my best if I go to bed at 9:30.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like I get up early, I like a lot of sleep, I want to go to bed at 9:30.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was like 9:40, and he started to put on a show.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, yeah, like that, I'm intrigued.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: I could sit here and watch this show.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then I have to be like, no, do I need like that's not gonna help me tomorrow morning.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's not even gonna help me tonight.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm tired, you know, I'm not paying attention.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, like that's a silly thing.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: But I think when you stack up those types of behaviors, and again, like there are nights where I sit there and watch the show.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not about being perfect, but I think when you just have those micro moments to yourself and you decide, like, is this choice the best for me?
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's going up and brushing your teeth to get that over with, or whether it is something really serious, like what type of role do you want?
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: What type of leader do you want to be in the world?
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: How are you raising a family or how do you view family?
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: How are you not raising a family?
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: How are how are you talking about that?
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: How are you sharing?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like from the little choices to the big choices, I think just making those assessments about what's right for us stacks up to a life that feels incredibly authentic.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even think that's silly at all.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm an early to I'm like an 830 person, so I'm like real.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: Good for you.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm an eight.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm jealous.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't even think like you said it's silly.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I don't think it's silly because to me, I think any moment of living with intention can be just as big.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like it all counts.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like you said, it all starts to stack, it all starts to compound, and it's really about taking that moment.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't think enough people, and I think enough women really slow down to give themselves the moment of that choice.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: And we tend to even get into habits that sometimes are good, but sometimes even like habits can be unintentional.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's almost like you get stuck in a routine that maybe it needs evolving.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe, like, sure, your intentions are good because you get up early, you work out, you have a good breakfast, but maybe you actually need to slow down and be intentional of the workout you're doing.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe the workout it is good for you.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: Let's take hit.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: You're doing a hit workout, it's good for you, it's moving your body, but maybe you actually need to slow down, be intentional, and pause.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know what, maybe right now I actually need yoga or I actually need a walk or I actually need something else.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I also think it's the permission to even slow down and not even get into, I would say, like a monotonous way where like your habits and your behaviors, while are positive or good for you, you know, maybe you just need to revisit that.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it needs some sort of change or evolution.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you need that one night where you're gonna stay up that extra hour, that extra half hour with your husband and watch a funny show.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Because that night, it's okay.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're just gonna, it's Friday night, you'll sleep a little bit on Saturday.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: And to me, that can also be intentional.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: So there's almost the intention, also without rigidity and allowing more flexibility and fluidity by slowing down for that moment and giving yourself a pause versus being like monotonous and almost too habitual, almost like disciplined, and like I feel like you get what I mean by like sometimes I feel like women can get trapped in this rigid structure of like, I need to be successful, make it wake up, do this, nah, nah, nah, nah.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, wait, okay, maybe I need something slightly different.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe like I'm on my cycle, maybe like uh, you know, I'm not gonna push this week, maybe I'm doing this.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and I think what you said about intention can also allow you to get curious about what feels good in that moment and allowing that to be different than yesterday or last week and to honor that.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: So well said.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I think rigidity, even though rigidity and routine can be a supportive tool sometimes to help us hold to our intentions, they can also constrain us, right?
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: And make us lose track of our intuition and what we actually need.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, like what you were just saying there, I feel like when I make choices with intention, when I take that extra second, even if it means today I'm not going to the gym.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like I always take a weightlifting class on Thursday when there's a Thursday that I'm like, no, what I need to do today is either get an extra hour of sleep or jump on this project because I'm so excited about this call that I have at 10 a.m.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to like have that extra time to really like soak up how exciting this is.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Or this past Sunday I was gonna work and then it was 60 degrees and I was out with my friend, and we were like, no, let's not go home.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go out for a glass of champagne.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Those are the choices I never regret because I made them on purpose.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_00: And what drew me to this whole idea in the first place is because I felt like I was living unintentionally.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: I had a very strict routine that I would follow all the time with like my timelines and my workout and sleep and all this stuff.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then it would be like, you know, oh, it's another weekend gone by and like here's what happened.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: And it was unintentional.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like I would say that, like, well, I didn't do it on purpose.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: Well, who is in charge of my life?
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's never gonna be somebody else who comes in and it's like, hey, let's reprioritize, let's let's assess what's going well, what isn't.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: If I don't do that, nobody's gonna do it.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: And do I want to have, you know, another year go by or multiple years and feel like, well, it's all unintentional, but like, here's here's where I am.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: No, I don't want to live like that.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: So then what's the alternative, right?
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: Having those pauses that you mentioned to sort of check back in with what we really want.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's like that groundhog day feeling.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: So like you're just living the same day over and over again because you're not being intentional.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's almost like you get robotic.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I think when you are more intentional, you can deepen into like the presence of your life.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like you would actually get more present, you can experience more of life.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: Life feels more rich, more alive, more full.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because as soon as you take that moment to be intentional, you drop into presence versus running around being disconnected.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: So then no matter what you choose, you'll automatically be just a little bit more present, a little bit more connected, and you'll experience life just a little bit more.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: And then when you compound that, you just really start experiencing life more, I feel.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: That is such a good point.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you're right.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I haven't even made that connection, but I think that is what makes it feel so good.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's the presence.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and like you said, like whatever choice you make, right?
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: And even if it's something where later you're like, oh, okay, next time I'm gonna do that differently, that's okay.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: You were present to really think about it, even if it was two seconds, you know, like again, I think that stacks up.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so many of us say, we want to be more present.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I hear that all the time at the start of the year.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: We're going around with friends.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_00: What are we working on?
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: What do we want to do this year?
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: I want to be more present, less disconnected by devices and work and like all this stuff.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like these micro moments, you're so right.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: It really forces us to be present because you have to stop and think only about that.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much value there.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_00: Such a good point.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, you'll you'll get you'll start to get to know like what is the thing you want to do, like what is more expansive, what is more contractive.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: You'll become aware probably of a lot more shoulds than like you know, the podcast called Beyond Limits.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: You'll probably become aware of like the limitations or the shoulds or the pressures or like that rigidity that you've probably created for yourself that you don't even notice because you know your days look the same, the week looks the same.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, Monday the same until we get to Friday, weekends look the same, and then your life is passing you by, and you're like, Well, and I'm sure we've all even had those moments where the week passed by.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what did I even do?
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what did we like?
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_01: What even happened?
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: But when you slow down, I feel like like time also expands, and you get to really like become more aware.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: That self-awareness, situational awareness, it does slow down time, which is also what we want.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, nobody's like, oh, good, 2024 is over and I accomplished nothing.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, we want to be there, we want to be part of it.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I guarantee when you went for champagne and you had that glass, like you were more present, you were more aware, and like it felt like something in your body versus almost like when you get monotonous, you don't actually feel anything.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's like not like you're numb out, but like that disconnected.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think so many women, especially, like you're doing so many things, it's like you're not even feeling life, like you're not even like experiencing the richness and the aliveness anymore because of that.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's sad.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like it, you know, and we've all experienced that.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: And there were still be seasons, right, where other things take over.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like this isn't, again, it's it's not a set it and forget it.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's building a brand, unfortunately.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I guess that's the whole point.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's the practice of being present.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, like nobody wants to kind of sacrifice all of this richness and joy and attentiveness that we could have for our routines or for our families, our partners, our jobs, whatever.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: But it's almost like we have to be on top of it, or that's the thing that naturally happens.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: There's just so many demands on our time and attention and resources.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_00: And most of us are givers, and it's natural to like meet everyone else's needs first.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then just as you described, at the end of the day or the week or the month, you're like, what did I do?
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: Did I, am I proud of the way I lived that month?
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, did I do anything that is moving me forward and what matters to me, not what matters to everyone else?
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, it's just, I think it's so worth trying.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Not that it's easy or we have to be perfect, but I just think embracing this a little bit day by day is just worth the attempt.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_01: And also like the energy behind, like, I think intention matters.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is something like I've talked about even back when I was like helping people not feel bad about their bodies and be healthy.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: And like eating healthy from a place of love and that intention will create a completely different result than shame and hating your body and wanting to do it that way.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I also think just the energy of intention itself just creates a ripple effect no matter what you do, because the intention behind it is more conscious.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: Totally agree.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the positivity, the consciousness, everything.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's I think the result is better and the process is more fun.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, what are some of the things through like living a life that of intention that you felt have been either pivotal moin points, pivotal points in your either business journey or personal life or or anything where you're like, wow, this really shifted things for me?
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a good question.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like there are a few, I'll touch on a couple that come to mind.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_00: Moving to Chicago, I lived in Ohio my whole life.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm from Ohio.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: I traveled a lot and worked a lot of places overseas and things, but my home base was always Ohio.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to move to a bigger city.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's hard.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like you have so many, you know, my family's there, my best friend is still there, so many connections that you want to hold on to.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it took me a year.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like back then, I was not as attuned to intentional living.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it took me actually probably more than a year to really like I knew I wanted to do it, but working up the courage to take the step that wasn't gonna, it wasn't not only not gonna please other people, it was gonna upset other people and people who I really value.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: I really care about their opinion, I care about how much time I get to spend with these people, yet I'm making this active choice to leave.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: That was very hard to wrap my head around.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: But I knew that it was the right thing.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like I just knew that I should be in this place, in this time, new things, new people, new energy.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: I knew it was the right thing, but to have the courage to kind of act on that intention took a while.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then yeah, professionally, I mean, going from corporate life to entrepreneurship, again, like that was never part of my plan.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: But then once you sort of feel the pull, it's like, okay, I have two choices.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_00: I can shut this down and ignore it and just try to like compartmentalize it within myself, or I can deal with whatever the perceived downside is and just try it, right?
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like just go.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: I feel intuitively that it's something I should do.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: And the podcast is the same way.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like there was a moment I had the idea and I had trademarked the name and I committed to myself that it was gonna happen, but I didn't really put a timeline to it, and months and months and months had passed.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then I was at this event in New York hearing other amazing women talk about, you know, how they live their lives and just the capacity that they're able to step into having multiple businesses or multiple homes or families or investment plans or you know, all these different facets of their lives.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_00: And one of them said, like, if there's a voice in your head, if there's something that keeps bothering you, something out in the world or society, like it just sort of irks you.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's because you're the one who's supposed to change it or bring a voice to it.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like the world is waiting, right?
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's getting on your nerves.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: You're noticing it over and over and over again because all those little nudges are like, do something, do something about it.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and just hearing her say that, I was like, Yes, like I have these feelings around this one idea, right?
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like I should just get out of my own way and try.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, and a lot of that you see in hindsight, right?
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like in the moment, you're just like, oh, I'm gonna take a chance, or someone gave me an opportunity, I'm gonna say yes to it.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then when you can look back, you see how all the pieces fit together that you're just getting more and more alignment with who you are and who you want to be and what feels right for you.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna come back to the second part of like the pieces looking back, but I want to jump back for a second to how sometimes living with intention might involve not people pleasing, it might upset other people, it might not be accepted.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like they're it might come at first with some almost like backlash or projections or upset people.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd love for you to dive a little bit more into navigating that, whether it's, you know, it could be a family member who doesn't agree, or maybe it's your partner that you're married to and you want to know this.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: It could be even, I don't know, religion apologies.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_01: It could be so many different things of like you're living in intention in this way, and it's not pleasing either like the people around you, or also as a brand, right?
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: You're living with intention and it's not pleasing a certain demographic or Karen the troll or this person, like, because not everyone's always gonna agree, that's gonna be there's a fact.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_01: How you kind of like stay in that intention despite voices around you.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think in personal stuff, like when you are, when somebody is genuinely upset about a choice that you made and you really care about that person, to me, that's like the ultimate hardness, right?
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's as hard as it gets because you feel guilty, you feel sad, you're continually trying to communicate, like I'm not doing this to you or because of you, like this is about me.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's hard.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there is like an amount of grief that happens if you do something and somebody is disappointed or you know, expresses upset with your choice.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_00: And in those situations, I think you have to come back to like, okay, I could live my life for me, like I could stick with this choice that you find so upsetting, or I can acquiesce on my choice and compromise what I actually want to make things feel better for you.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, even my most beloved people, like the people who are closest to me in the world, I am.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: Unwilling to make choices sp just because they want me to.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: I also believe that I will be a worse wife, sister, best friend, daughter if I'm living my life that way.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's the that's a recipe for resentment and your own disappointment and rage and all that stuff if you're making choices because somebody, because they work for somebody else when they don't work for you.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it, you know, so much of what we've talked about, like tuning into what you really want, can sort of be your anchor in those moments, but also accept that it is okay to be sad yourself and you know to express the downside.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like a lot of choices we make, it's not like this one has 11 cons, this one has 11 pros.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's a mix.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, there's nothing that's perfect and there'll be hard moments, but I think you have to know that it's better to go with what feels right.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then from the business perspective, you know, if you're doing things that are more kind of public-facing and your public persona or professional reputation, like it would just be a nightmare to try to please everybody out there, let alone like the Karen's or the trolls, you know, whatever we want to call them, but just all the people in the middle, right?
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like you would be trying to talk about a thousand things in a thousand ways to get on everybody's good side.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: That is a losing pursuit.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: You'll burn out and exhaust yourself, and then nothing will cut through the crowd and actually get to anybody.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I think using yourself as a filter, like what feels meaningful to me?
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: What is interesting to me?
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_00: What type of content am I engaging with?
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: Where do I like spending my time?
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like being able to filter things through yourself will cut out a lot of those channels that aren't necessarily bad or wrong.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: They're just not for you.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you just can't be all things to all people.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_01: I love how you said unwilling, because I'm like, oh, the standards.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, that's why we jive because I know like your standards are high, you're unwilling.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, yes, girl, like unwilling, doesn't matter who you are, you could be husband saying, like, I don't care.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can be my mom.
• 45:58
  unknown: Unwilling.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_00: Unwilling.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: This is why we jive.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: This is why I like you.
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um I like you too.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I love your brand answer too, because it will never be that for anyone.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_01: I think also when you do that, it goes back to what we were talking in the beginning in terms of diluting your brand voice and everything when you try to be everything to everyone or talk about, you know, trying to please them.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_01: And like, you could be like, oranges are the best fruit, and then some be like, How dare you say oranges are the best fruit?
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_01: My grandfather came to this country with one apple in his pocket, and we grew a family orchard of apples.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: And how dare you, you know, say that apples are not the best?
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, oh my god, like we'll be here all like if we don't do it.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: So don't try.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_01: So don't try, throw that out the window.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um sorry, go ahead.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_00: No, I yeah, I was just gonna agree with you more.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's right.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, even about looking back and like the intention that you'll see after the fact, and like, yes, you'll you'll see it at the end, but also really trusting that intuition and trusting that intention before you necessarily see the results, like trusting your intention with the move to Chicago, trusting your intention with the coming entrepreneur, trusting the intention of the podcast because you felt the pull inside, not necessarily, I have this intention because I have the proof or the certainty in front of me right now.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much faith-based decision making in this, and which feels weird because it's like, well, if it's all about me and it's coming from me, like what do I have to believe in?
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: I just do what I want to do.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_00: But we've all had moments where we're like, okay, I'm trying to listen to my gut instinct and like I can't hear it.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: I really don't know which way I want to go on this.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_00: And that can be a really unsettling feeling when it's like, do I not know myself?
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: Am I not tuned in to what's best for me?
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: But I think like even if it's just like a micro, um, a micro like step up, like you there will be one that feels better.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_00: And you might not know like how it's gonna play out.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it seems riskier, maybe you're like, you know, for all intents and purposes, this seems like the worst choice, but it really feels like the one I want to make.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, then make it, right?
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because everything else is just guessing.
• 48:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's no way to know.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we can, you know, we're educated people, like we can use data and past experiences and all of that, but you really don't know what's gonna happen next.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's like, you know, uh, that's a shock to humans continually.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_00: We make so many choices under the belief that like we have a plan, we have a strategy, we have control, and we actually don't.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: So once you can kind of lean into that and be like, okay, all I know is that right now this one feels one inch better to go down this path, that's reason enough.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, things will reveal themselves.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_00: It'll, it'll all unravel from there in a timeline that may be faster or slower than you want, who knows?
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_00: But just trust that that little tiny inkling when it is really small is still pointing you in the right direction.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_01: Always is, always, always, always.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: I like to say faith isn't blind, it's visionary because like you have to see that that vision.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so to me, like, even with some like, well, I can't see it, it's uncertain.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, you're not really blind.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you have a vision, you have a pull, like there is something that is calling you forward.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the more you listen to that, I think also the stronger it gets, the more you can discern it, the more you know your voice versus somebody else's.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it just becomes, like you said, like an intentional life, like a way of living, because you just get used to that voice until you know the texture of it, you know how that feels in your body, you know when that's like someone's projections or a lack or what you should versus like your own truth and how your truth feels in your system.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_01: And then you just start to like navigate life like that, and it becomes like a fun ride versus a contractive or pressure or a shoulds.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I know you were talking about your podcast, even like Curious Life of a Childless Woman.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, child free, but yeah, even like that decision right becomes so like intentional, and that becomes you know, a permission slip.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I think so much of just living with intention is a permission slip to even live with intention, and giving yourself the permission to do that in the first place is so huge for so many women.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's huge, and you never know who else out there you're giving permission to just by being yourself and living your truth, right?
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I had an instinct on the child-free topic, I had an instinct basically as from as long as I can remember, but I always thought, like, oh, maybe I'll want kids one day when I'm older, when I have a partner, when I have money, whatever.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_00: I knew instinctually that I did not want to be a parent.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: And there are few examples out there in society, in movies, in storylines, and personal circles, right?
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: We hear the motherline story more.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: If there had been literally nobody in the world who had not like chosen to be child-free just because they wanted to be child-free, would I have been the first?
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, would I have had the courage to do that?
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: Probably not.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_00: But there are other people, right?
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it felt so validating and inclusive and amazing to me when I could interact with somebody, especially somebody older, who had made this choice and could reflect back to me like how it's been for them and how they have no regrets and all of that.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, like with the podcast for me or with anything that any of us are doing, I'm proud to put that out there.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I do hope that it makes somebody else see, like, wait a minute, she's living life a certain way.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't consider that.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_00: Just like, you know, permission.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_00: Permission all the way around.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_01: And also, like, I love what you said, even about if it has been like portrayed, maybe it's been portrayed in a certain way.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, the childless person is portrayed as like, well, they must be unhappy, they must be miserable, they must be lacking in some kind of way, or like, do you know, even sometimes if there is an example, it's not necessarily always the best example or an example of all truth, right?
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_01: Or all aspects.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I think even what you said, even the permission and living, it's also the way in which you are doing it.
• 52:02
  unknown: Yeah.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_01: Even if the example out there, it could be an example that's not resonant for you or not your truth, and you could open up someone's way of thinking in a different example.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I like, I think the child is so big for so many women, because I just think there is so many, like somehow you're either lacking or like your life will not be as full as if you have a child.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, why?
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think that's necessarily true.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I could go either way, to be honest.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, so I love that you're bringing that forward in in your podcast and what you do in intentional living, and just like everyone, the permission, the more authentically I think we live, we just provide examples and open up other perspectives to how other people can live their life.
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_01: And whether they take them or not, that's perfect.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_01: But just living authentically just helps, I think, also everyone else live more intentionally and authentically, which is what we also just came here to do.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so true, so good.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like your authentic life is valuable to someone else, right?
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_00: It leads by example in some facet, the way you speak, the way you, the way you live, the way you drive, like whatever, it's valuable to somebody outside of you.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_00: It should be valuable to you first.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm a huge fan of, you know, relationship with self and prioritizing that because it isn't selfish.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's sustainable.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, like there, you know, there's value in it for somebody else.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't have the time or the courage or the whatever to step into that, it's not just hurting you, it's hurting that other person out there who could have benefited from seeing you live your truth.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like that really encompassed everything we've talked about from the beginning of this podcast in terms of the brand and the colors and all those things to like living a life with intention.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like we really come like full circle perfectly, as I knew we would in this episode.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_01: Is there anything else you feel like on your heart, you feel like you know, something you really want to speak to, you feel like it's niggling in your mind or it's come up during our talk that you'd love to leave the audience with?
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I would just say as a closing note, I hope, like for anybody listening who is curious about this or wants to embrace this, do it in a way that feels no pressure.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_00: I just feel like the pressure is sort of like we're in a pressure cooker a little bit with things that are going on culturally in 2025.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we don't need any more of that, right?
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_00: If anything, we need like the release valve.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, from my perspective, a lot of these topics we've discussed can be that.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like they can be that coming home to yourself, reconnecting with yourself and what matters.
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about adding more to-dos or more stuff to think about or stress about.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's about alleviating some of that because you're centered in who you are and who you want to be.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll just leave that.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_00: No pressure, just joy.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_01: That was so powerful.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I love like it, you're right.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's like that release valve, like you're releasing the pressure, not creating more by living with intention.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's just I love that.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_01: You ended on a powerful note.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, wow, damn, like mic drop moment.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_01: We're just gonna leave it there.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, we're gonna leave your links and the links to your podcast down below.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_01: I will also be coming on Emily's podcast.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_01: You'll have to come over to her podcast and hear my episode on there because it's gonna be filled with more juiciness like it was in here.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll also leave all her links for her branding support and really allowing that to come to life.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_01: If you're an entrepreneur and you want to build that really like that depth and authenticity in your brand as well.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, Emily, thank you so much for your time, your wisdom, your joy, your energy, all that you are in bringing it to the podcast for us.
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_01: It was such a joy.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a pleasure.