Latest / Crafted Connections / EP 34: Creating Choice with Brittany Scott

Transcript

EP 34: Creating Choice with Brittany Scott · Crafted Connections

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, welcome to Crafted Connections.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Kayleigh Calhoun, and this is a podcast all about storytelling and building genuine community.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Here we'll dive into the art of storytelling, unpack strategies for making meaningful connections, and hear from incredible humans who are using their story to create impact.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's craft some connections.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome back to Crafted Connections.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: I am so happy you're here.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: I am here every Thursday hitting you up with the stories.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it be we're interviewing someone, we're digging into their stories, whether we're giving you storytelling tips, whether we are we are being me are sharing stories with you, right?
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: From my own life, lessons, this, that, and the other.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: It is all about storytelling.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: It is all about connection.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: I am a deep believer that storytelling connects us and connecting builds community.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: So the impact of like telling a story to someone and be like, yo, me too.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Boom, connection.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Connections over time, collect them, then you got community.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: If it's a really deep, true connection, and I do do do do do do believe that that comes from storytelling.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: So you know, I started this podcast a little over six months ago, and I was like, let's just hit the gas on it.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk to my people that I've built connections with over the years, my community, and I'm also utilizing it as a way to build community by connecting with people maybe I've never met.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, today we are featuring Britney Scott, and she is not one of those people.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: She is a person that I've known since 2023, which doesn't seem that long ago, but it's starting to be like two, three years now, which is bonker sauce.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: So, anyways, I'll just say I met Britney in spring of 2023 when I was deep in my production life, and we were creating a video that was promoting the town of Muncie, and Britney was nominated to be featured in the video alongside many other folks that are in community building something special.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: So we stayed connected.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: Long story short, I ended up becoming the fractional CMO of Grow Wee Will.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: But this isn't just about Grow We Wo.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: We'll dig into it a little bit, but ultimately this is about Britney's story.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: She is such a fun, supportive human, and I'm so excited to share her story with you.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: We dig into her background and how she ended up being the founder and CEO of Grow, kind of what her mission is, what her vision is, and where it's all going, right?
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: I do want to say for anybody who wants to avoid any topics of domestic violence, we do talk a little bit about her own experience with that.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I will put the time code in the show notes.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's around the three-quarters mark.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: And if it's not what you need, go ahead and just avoid those parts.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm very, very grateful for Britney's friendship, her leadership, and her vulnerability today in this episode.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much for listening.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: As I mentioned, I am just so grateful you're here.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I hope that you enjoy this episode with the the the Britney Scott.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: Brittany.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Brittany, Brittany Scott, Brittany, Brittany.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: How can you say?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully it's not Britt.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully it's not Britt, though.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: See, this is where we can't we can't talk about that stuff because that's inside joke stuff, you know?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: But, anyways, Brittany Scott, thank you for joining Crafted Connections.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so grateful that you're here, and I'm so excited to talk to you about.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, honestly, I'm hoping to uncover some stuff I don't know about you.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh, that would be a fun adventure.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Let's do it.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see what we can do.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see what we can do and tell the world.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: So good.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're a pretty open book, so we'll see.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: But in the case of folks who don't have to go dig in, who don't know who you are already, can you tell the good people, the audience of Crafted Connections, a little bit about yourself?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: I would love to.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: I am the owner and founder of Grow Weewo, which you are the fractional CMO for.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: So that's kind of the context in which we see each other a lot.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_02: I also own a company called Mom Gets Moxie.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: That was my first kind of foray into entrepreneurship.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I still do a lot of one-on-one personal training and speaking around women's health and wellness.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_02: And then I co-own a company called The Whole Shebang, which is a women's wellness expo that we do here in Monsey once a year.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: Lots of awesomeness for women for sure.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: You're a woman of the women.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: A woman of the women.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's like when they say a man of the people, you're a lady of the women.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: You like it?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's your new tagline, Brittany Scott.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: A lady of the women.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's good.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Let's put it in my email signature.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: Ideas are coming out.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Very good.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: So that obviously keeps you pretty busy.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: But let's backtrack pre-any entrepreneurial endeavor.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: What was your life like?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: What types of experiences do you have?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm actually curious about your childhood.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: We've never gone there before.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Childhood.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Are you from Tennessee?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I was born in Muncie, but I mostly grew up in Wisconsin.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: So we moved from Muncie when I was two, grew up in northern Wisconsin.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_02: My mom is Canadian, if that tells you anything about how far north we were.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I grew up.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: My mom was a stay-at-home mom essentially.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: She did some Mary Kay stuff.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: My dad was a college basketball coach and professor.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, played a bunch of sports.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_02: I went to a small school, so I was able to do all the things like sports and theater and choir and all the band, all the things, which was a fun way to experience childhood.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then I went to the college where my dad taught and coached and played college volleyball and basketball.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: And my I got a degree in secondary education with a focus in history.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: So as a history teacher, I did my student teaching in England, which was probably one of the first like pivotal moments of my life.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: And it was really just on a whim.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, I want to do this.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: And my school didn't do it.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_02: And so they kind of created a program for me to go do it.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_02: And it was really fun.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_02: Met some really cool people.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_02: It really shaped how I was and how I taught who I was as a teacher.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: And then did that for four years, taught middle school, coached high school sports at a private school in Georgia, and then quit my job and went and lived in the Netherlands.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: So I nannied for a family over there and helped teach their kids English.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_02: And that was probably the second really pivotal experience of my life.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: I cried every day for three months because it was so hard.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_02: The kids didn't speak any English.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't speak any Dutch.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: And it was um kind of the first time that it was an extended, really hard thing.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: And then as I went through it, things came up that were like, oh, this is really great.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I really don't this person and this experience.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: And things just got better and better and better.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: And it was kind of the first time that I was like, oh, I can do hard things and it's always gonna be fine.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Let's pause there because that's a lot of information, right?
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: No, but I love it.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's good.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the thing that that is striking me, knowing you as I know you, is you carry an air of forgive me, but I don't know what I'm doing.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like you you often say that, and you're like, I just surround myself with like really smart people and this, that, and the other.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Or like, and so like when I hear you talk about, you know, your small college not having an like an exchange program so you could go learn and teach over there, and the fact that you still found a way because I mean, I think a lot of people will be like, oh, that program's not available.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna go for it, right?
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's interesting that you were entrepreneurial so late in life.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: And then I want to go back to your mom as well.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm just seeing these threads because your mom doing Mary Kay, that's very much like an entrepreneurial like hustle, right?
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's not, you know, you don't sell Mary Kay if you don't ask, like if you don't do entrepreneurial things kind of thing.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: So there's so much to that.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: And when I say going back to the phrase, I don't know what I'm doing, it's not even that so much.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think none of us know what we're doing, and I think that's the great thing about you is you really let people help people let their guard down by approaching things in that way and being very open about that.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: What was it like when like things like I want to go teach overseas or I want to go do my exchange program overseas came up?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what was like the tenacity behind that?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: How did those things come to be for you?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And what was like the experience as a young person?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: That's a good question.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_02: And people have brought up the word tenacity before.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I I think I have tenacity because I've been an athlete and and I don't think of myself as super tenacious when it comes to business.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_02: I think my blessing and curse is I have the mindset of like how hard can it be?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I mean, I just want to go overseas to teach.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like, surely all I have to do is find a school and somewhere to stay.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_02: Like, that's not that hard.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: There's like planes, people, people need education.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's fine.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like, surely, surely it cannot be that challenging.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they don't speak the same language as me.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: Surely it can't be.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I know England is not that, but right, yeah.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_02: We'll figure it out.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a I'm a little bit of like a jump and figure it out as we go.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that is probably more attributable to me doing lots of entrepreneurial type things than tenacity.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: I think the tenacity is what keeps me going when I'm crying every day for three months.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: But the just a quick 90-day cry, no big deal.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_02: No big deal.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think I just have the mindset of like, I love exploring, I love learning new things.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: I'm very curious as a person.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: And so any chance that I have to learn something or experience something new, even if it requires something on my part, my automatic response is often like, how hard can it be?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: And if it is hard, I'll find somebody who knows more than I do and bring them along with me.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you remember that first starting?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good question.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: Digging for me.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: We are.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: We spend a lot of time together.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: We gotta dig, and because I'm trying to make sure that it's like, you know, it's there.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: I think honestly, the first the first part of that was when I did my student teaching in England.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_02: I growing up, I was very much a rule follower.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: I did everything that was expected of me.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_02: I was very scared of making people upset.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um people pleaser by nature.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: And so that first experience in England was like, oh, I'm kind of defying some like expectations of me right now, and I'm okay.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: I survived.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: And some of the things that were told to me about what this experience might or might not be weren't actually true.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: And that was the first time I kind of like stepped into my own, I think, that senior year of college.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: And then to your point, I think things have just kind of like come into my life that has contributed to that feeling and helped me grow as a person into like being a little bit more entrepreneurial-minded.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: I love it, I love it, I love it.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: So you have this background of, you know, athletics, education, definitely some travel in there as well, some, you know, some cultural experiences.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not just like I'm going to, you know, Europe for two weeks, I'm going to the Netherlands for two weeks.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going for like extended months at a time, and I'm also like immersing with the children of that area and like, you know, really understanding these spaces.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: What kind of impact has that had on you?
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like just all those collective experiences.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_02: I think especially entrepreneurially and relationally, it has contributed to my curiosity is so much more than surface level.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to just go to a country to experience the highlights.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: And while I do want to see the Eiffel Tower and the Lube and all the things, I want to go to the little towns and villages and see what life is actually like for the people.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's what my experiences kind of helped me do in foreign countries.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I translate that into entrepreneurship because one of my like core beliefs as a person in business is that connections are one of the most important things.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: And you foster connection by being curious more than on a surface level.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_02: You foster that by finding out what makes people tick, what they care about, what they want to invest their time and energy in, what they don't want to invest their time and energy in.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I think that's that's translated really well from the experiences that I've had into being an entrepreneur.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: So especially since you've started working for yourself and like been entrepreneurial.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you you I think I think it's fair to just kind of be like, that's a Britney trait, right?
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: But since like being self-employed, working for yourself, and maybe this has been the case beforehand, but what I've observed is you keep your calendar quite full.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: And for those who don't know Brittany, she does identify as an introvert.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm curious because I I agree, I I love connection.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: I also identify as an introvert, and that's why I think that we love each other for so many reasons.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that's why we love it, because it's like introvert sees introvert being like a connector, uh a human that likes to build community but also needs their time.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm curious about what it looks like to be taking all that in, trying to take the time to figure out what makes people tick, and also knowing that like you have a little bit of a social battery that will wear out.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, can you kind of talk to me about what it's like to be to identify someone who's introverted in a space that requires a lot of human connection, but also the love of it, right?
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: I'm very routine-oriented, and so generally speaking, in the mornings, I have two to three hours pretty much to myself that I work out, I take the dogs to the park, I eat breakfast, all of that before I see or interact with too many people.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: And that is really helpful for me.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_02: I also go to bed really early because I get up really early.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: So a lot of things that are like at nighttime that might require a lot of people interaction, I miss out on because I go to bed pretty early.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I think there are certain interactions and human contact that I get energy from, and that is those deeper one-on-one type connections.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: So I love big groups of people.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, we work for the conference, a conference company.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_02: We do big event things, and I love those things, but those are pretty draining.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_02: But I do get energy from one-on-one where we're going deep, we're sharing things that are beyond surface level.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: I do find those things energizing.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: So I I try to scatter my day between personal training and things with Grow that I know something might be a little more draining.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna follow it up with something that I'm either by myself or it's gonna be an interaction that I know I'll gain energy from.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I think that's a perfect transition into, you know, you go over to the Netherlands, you are a nanny, and then how do you get from that to the founder and owner of a, you know, women currently, as it stands, a women's conferencing organization that is changing the status quo of how it's like to be a woman in the workplace?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: How what's that transition?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's a lot, right?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: That's a big, that's a big shift.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: It is a big shift.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: I when I came back from the Netherlands, I actually entered the corporate world.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I worked for an insurance company for almost seven years.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_02: And during that time, I started Mom Gets Moxie.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: So I did personal training and some speaking on the side.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: And through a series of events with the corporate job, I ended up getting fired for having personal training on the side.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so, and maybe this is where a little tenacity came in, but I was like, well, if they're gonna fire me for that, I'm gonna turn that into my full-time money-making thing as like a little bit of a screw you to them.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and to dig into that a little bit more, what did that actually look like?
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because the way you've shared it with me and the way that I've heard you share it publicly is very, you know, I got fired for having this, you know, side hustle, essentially.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: How did that that actually go down as far as like was it just like one day you're in, one day you're out, or can you kind of like give a little bit more detail?
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, essentially.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: So lots of people, even on my team, had side things.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_02: And my original boss knew that I was starting this.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: She got really sick and she had to take some time away from work.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: And whoever came in to replace her, apparently that knowledge was not transferred.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: And the day he found out about it, he fired me.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it was I was it an email?
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Did he call you into his office?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how'd that kind of it was an email that was like, hey, we need to meet at 2 p.m.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: on a Friday, right?
• 16:56
  unknown: Yeah.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um like to start a new project, boss?
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, he was like, Hey, is this true?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I said yes.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: And he's like, All right, well then we have to let you go.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: And that was basically it.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: It was hard in that I was really high performer on my team.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: I handled a lot of like white glove clients that we had.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't because I wasn't getting my work done, and it it was a really a little bit of a slap in the face.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like I've been working here for almost seven years, and there's no conversation around you firing me, and it's not for lack of doing a good job at my job.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: I do think about that a lot as Grow grows and as our team kind of has come together and grown.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I never want someone who works with me or for me to ever feel that.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: And Jill talks a lot about Jill Trimble, who's part of our team.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: She talks a lot about the gender pay gap and how the way the gender pay gap grows is because there's not a flexible work schedule for women, and there's not flexibility around like if they're getting their work done, why why?
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, it's it was a frustrating experience and enlightening and forms a lot of the way that I think as a business owner now.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: And what makes me so curious about the situation and why I wanted to dig a little deeper with you is that like we went back to this at the beginning of our conversation.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like you, you know, you follow the rules, like so.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like you've got a warning and then you're like, no, FU, I'm gonna keep going.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: You were like interesting.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I like I think my natural tendency is still a little bit to be a rule follower.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: I would say definitely less than I was, you know, pre-college or into college.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I mean, if they had given me a warning and been like, hey, you can't do this, I either would have stopped or I would have quit.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: But there was no conversation around it.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I just I find that just I mean, unfair, which life is not fair.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: But if we treated women, you know, I'm not even a mom with kids, right?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: And moms with kids get all kinds of negative interactions like that because their kid is sick or they have to take their kid to a doctor's appointment or whatever it is.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I just think there's so much more room for women to have flexibility around their work than they do right now.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Especially, you know, like you said, being a high performer, getting the, you know, getting the job done, or deciding what you want.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: I, you know, I know I've got friends who have negotiated for 35 hours a week because they're like, you know, hey, I'll I'll be here 35 hours a week, I'll do my 35 hours, but I, you know, I have got pickup schedules, this, that, and the other.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: And and it's what served them.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: And and, you know, and they still get compensated what they need to get compensated, but they're also like, well, this is what I need.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I think for me, the corporate job was fine.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: I always say it was simple, it was easy, but it was soul sucking.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I didn't feel purpose or passion for it.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_02: And what I was doing with personal training did provide me with that.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think that employers also need to hold space for that and recognizing that, you know, not everyone that works for me will feel super passionate about this.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_02: But if they have something in their life they do feel passionate about, and we can balance that out, they're gonna be so much better of an employee for me because they're gonna feel purpose and passion, even if it's not here at work, they're gonna be getting that life fulfillment.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's a really underrated part of work and life.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: I agree.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: So then you're not at this corporate job anymore, you're making it happen full time with mom gets moxie.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: Then then what happens?
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: So that happened in January of 2021 and 2023.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: 2023 and Grow actually started that same month.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: So um, yeah, and that started grow the whole shebang started at the end of 2022.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: So everything that I do now kind of all started within two to three months of each other.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, how long did you do mom gets moxie before?
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: I started that in 2018.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: So that's been going for a while.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so you had it for like four years leading up to you getting let go, and then and then as you were being let go, you just happened to be kind of starting to form some other organizations, some some empowerment type stuff.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, very cool, very cool.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so with that, can you kind of tell the story of how well give us a little bit more about Grow as like a snapshot of today, and then we'll rewind to the founding story.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: Grow we wove.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: So it's grow with women.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_02: And we are a networking and conference company that does events for women in a business to challenge the status quo around how women build their careers.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: And we do that by creating really awesome events and really powerful communities for people to connect with each other and find resources to build the careers and the lives they want.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: How did that all come to be?
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: Where did you kind of see that need back in uh late 22?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Early 23.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, as you said at the beginning, I'm very open about I don't know what I'm doing.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Is that I just it's too late now.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: I put it out there.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, but I you do say that, right?
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: Just like you do know what you're doing, and not any more or less than anyone else.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but and I'll come back to that in a second.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: But to answer your question first, both in a corporate setting and as an entrepreneur, I never felt like I had the resources to build the career I wanted, right?
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: I used to teach 12-year-olds.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_02: My degree is in education.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what I'm doing in the corporate setting.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know what I'm doing as a business owner.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_02: And so grow is really my attempt to give women what I wish I had in both those settings.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: I like that.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think I've just come up with a whole new marketing approach to grow where it's like, grow, we don't know what we're doing.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: I like that.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's true though.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: No, but that's the thing.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, and so in that, right, what comes from not knowing, what comes from curiosity, what comes from like because even with your educational background, right?
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like when kids don't know, they have the opportunity to learn.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: You have, but they have to like let you know what they're struggling with, what they're not learning, where where they're lacking, where they're hoping to go, right?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: You have to communicate that.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: You have to like build that in community.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: You have to let people know.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: Oof, earlier this week I was just like hitting people up left and right about this product that I'm developing that I like.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it was like, ow, chi, right?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: To like to share it.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then some people were not necessarily getting it.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just like, am I so dumb and wrong?
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: But like, but that doesn't mean these weren't like lovely humans that weren't willing to like have the conversation.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: And they were just helping me by playing devil's advocate, right?
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: They don't think I'm stupid, but you have to be a little vulnerable, you have to be a little dumb to like to put that stuff out there, right?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: And oh, I'm loving how this is all tying together.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that's that's the what I was gonna come back to is I spent the first six months of Grow feeling like I had to have all the answers.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_02: I had to, if I'm gonna help other women in business, then if they come to me, I better know exactly what they need to do.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: I better know what resources, I better know exactly who to connect them to.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: And it was so stressful.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it was about six months in.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_02: So it started in January of 23.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: It was in the summer, that I was like, I can't do this.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't have the answers, and I don't know.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it was when I let go and started being like, I don't know how to use QuickBooks, I don't know what the best marketing strategy is, I don't know what the best resources for this are.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: That other people who did know were like, Oh, you should try this.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: Why don't you do this?
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_02: This person over here is really great with this, then they're happy to help you.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it was when I started being vulnerable and more disauthentically myself that the things that I needed came.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think women especially have a tendency to hold it all together or pretend they have all the answers because they don't want to look stupid and because they don't want to be burdened.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: And so I like to create spaces by leading with, I don't know what I'm doing either, so that other people feel comfortable to also be like, I'm not sure how to do this, so that we can all figure it out together.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: Because inevitably, somebody in one of our circles is going to know, and then we're all better for it.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: When I first started working for myself, there was this talk that I went to, and the guy was talking about how two rafting groups went, and there was both of them had rafting guides, and the one rafting guide was very honest about like, hey, I can't see up there, and then like very, like, very vulnerable in like his what he's bringing to the table as a rafting guy, but then also like what he can and can't do as a rafting guide.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: And the other one was just very much acting like he's in charge, he's got it, blah, blah, blah.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it was two dudes or not, but this is the story we're telling it, right?
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: And in this talk, the guy talks about how like the rafting group that like felt like they're being led by someone who was just a little bit more open, vulnerable, this, that, and the other.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: They could point out, hey, big massive rock on the right kind of thing, and this, that, and the other.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: So the group itself was contributing to the actual rafting, right?
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a beautiful story.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: But it's funny as you talk about this, I'm like, I heard that in 2016, and I still, thus, since then have like done these things where I try and pretend like I know everything.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: And it just like we forget so easily.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: We forget so easily that like to lead anything, to build anything, you have to just like bring the best that you have and then let people know what what you need help with.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: And I think not only does it create space for everyone to be like, okay, we don't have to be perfect here.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: We can all bring the things that we do and don't know, but it also creates space for mutual learning because everybody's so much more invested when they're bringing their own part to it.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly what you're saying in the story, right?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: They're gonna be so much more invested in their journey when they're like, oh, there is a rock, there's a tree in the river, right?
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_02: Like everybody's invested in working together.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: Whereas if this guy in the back's just leading the way, everyone's kind of like, all right, well, I guess he's got it.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: You know, people are gonna be so much more invested when they feel like they're contributing to the overall outcome.
• 27:07
  unknown: Yeah.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: You were saying, like that first six months, you were like, Oh my gosh, okay, I gotta know everything.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: I gotta be perfect, gotta be perfect.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: Did that stem a little bit from like your corporate experience where you felt like you had to kind of know everything, or where did that kind of come from?
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_02: I think it came from childhood.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_02: I was I've always been a high achiever, got really good grades, was you know, star athlete, all the things.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the athlete mindset.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: I have found when I've gone to networking things, conference things, the women in the C-suite are usually like collegiate athletes.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like just like that mindset carries over very well.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: But continue.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: So you were saying you you feel like it was just kind of like a tendency to like be like, I gotta know, I gotta show up, I gotta have it together.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I think I was afraid of looking stupid if I didn't have the answers.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it's just been so funny that the opposite is really proven to be true.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: Once I started being like, oh no, I don't know.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_02: I don't I can't think of a time I anyone has ever made me feel stupid.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_02: Ever.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: When you're willing to be like, no, I don't know, can you help me?
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_02: People are generally very happy to help you.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean, you might get a negative experience here or there, but overall, especially if it's someone's area of expertise, they're more than willing to help or guide you in the right direction.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: Hey y'all.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know I love telling stories, gathering stories, and finding a way to help people connect their story with the people that will get it.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what my story strategy sessions are all about.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: So over at Calhoun Creative Consulting, my strategic storytelling firm, we do one-on-one and or facilitated workshops in relation to really honing in the strategy around your story.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's a bit of messaging, meets content creation, meets storytelling, and then how do we put that out in the world?
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: How do we show up regularly?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: There's a bit of mindset work around it, right?
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: To actually tell your story.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you're launching something new or trying to rework your brand or just feeling a little foggy on how to communicate with your people, this is how to get clear.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: We'll dig into things like your narrative, how to uncover what matters most, maybe map out a few content pillars while we're at it.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: You'll also get a recording of our session so you can revisit the conversation anytime you like.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: Let's shape a story that actually feels like you.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: So book yours today.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: There is a link in the show notes.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: And hey, while you're at it, use the code podcast, all caps, podcast for 25% off your session.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: I would be honored to spend time with you and suss out your story.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: Let's dive back into the episode, shall we?
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like, where do you see Grow going from here?
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you see and and and why is it so important that that it exists?
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: Well, the ultimate goal for Grow is that it's a nationwide company.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: We have networking mixers and conferences all around the country.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_02: I would love to have a national conference that comes back to Muncie every year.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it's so important because women crave and really need community.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_02: And there are a bunch of different ways you can find it.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_02: Grow is not the only way that they can find it.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: But if they're looking for community in a business sense and finding resources and connections to build a career or a business that they want, then this is the perfect place for that.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: There's kind of like what we're talking about, there's no pretense of we all have it together and you have to have all the answers and be perfect to be in this group.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's not that.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_02: It's we're all coming together to like learn and grow together.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I think something that makes grow really unique is we take a really holistic approach to business and really events in general.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, when you come to a grow conference, you're gonna get a keynote speaker, you're gonna get breakout sessions on marketing and finance and all those things.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: And you're gonna get things about menstrual cycles, you're gonna get things about your diet, you're gonna get self-defense workshops, right?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_02: Things that people don't think about.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_02: But the teacher and personal trainer side of me says, I'm not gonna be my best business owner, my best employee, employer or employee self if I'm not healthy, if I'm not taking care of my body, if I'm not taking care of my relationship, if I'm not protecting myself, I can't show up for work as my best self.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think it's really important to round out those experiences in a business setting and have fun.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: I think fun is lacking in a lot of business settings, and I think fun is a great connector.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and so if you ever come to a grow conference, you're probably gonna do something that feels silly or seems silly or makes you laugh, but you're gonna connect with people in a way you wouldn't just sitting in chairs being stuffy.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love it.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: Why is it so important to you?
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: Because you are, despite the fact that this is sarcasm, you don't know anything.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um I wanted to call it sorry, just so people know.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: You just crack me up.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so so like you're such a lovely connector that has, you know, I think in turn made you very connected.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like you could do anything.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: Why this?
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_02: There are a lot of reasons.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_02: Some because of what I said about being in both the corporate world and as an entrepreneur, I didn't have the resources I needed.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_02: A big contributing factor is my first marriage was very abusive.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: And there are a lot of reasons that I ended up in that relationship.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: There are a lot of reasons why I stayed for the three years that I did, and there are a lot of reasons why I left and am who I am now.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, through a lot of therapy and work I've done on myself, there were a lot of times in that relationship that I felt like I didn't have the ability to make the best choice for myself or what I needed.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm super passionate, not just with Bro, but even with Mom Gets Moxie and the whole shebang and some of the other things I do.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes women just don't know.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_02: They don't know things that are going on in their own body, they don't know their own ability to choose, their ability to leave, their ability to stay, what resources are available to help them get out of situations to get into situations.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'm very passionate about giving women as much information as possible, and then they get to choose what they want to do with that information that's gonna be best for their life, their family, the decisions that they want to make.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: How did you go from on this, like what I imagine was quite an empowering adventure over to the Netherlands to finding yourself in a relationship that you didn't feel like you had choice?
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I mean, abuse rarely starts really badly.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_02: And it it didn't, but it looking back, you know, you can see red flags now that I didn't know were then.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_02: And it went very quickly, especially at the beginning.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_02: And then it got progressively worse.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: And the thing with abuse is they do that on purpose because if it's just incremental changes, you don't feel it.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: And all of a sudden you wake up and you're being treated horribly, but that's been normalized to you, and so that feels normal.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: They're telling you it's normal, they're telling you that that's how everybody else treats their spouses or their partners.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_02: So you just think that that's normal and that you reacting to abuse makes you the crazy one.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_02: And with a religious background, there is a lot of submitting and obeying.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, we don't do divorce, we stick it out and we figure it out.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_02: And there wasn't a lot of talk about what abuse looked like or what to do about it or how to get out.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_02: So that it was a lot of having to figure it out on my own once I realized I was in a really abusive relationship.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then also, I mean, it's another thing too, like to go back to you know, the the religious background, if if you've never like had the discussion of like that divorce is potentially an option, right?
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then you find yourself in an abusive relationship, and then you're like, wait a second.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: One, how did this happen?
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then two, I do not have options because once I made this decision, I made this decision.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's wow, yeah.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of pressure of like, you know, like you said, you made this decision, you made your bed still laying it, kind of a thing.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's where a lot of guilt and shame comes in for abuse survivors, which is just so backwards to how it should be.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's so crazy to me that survivors of abuse end up with all the guilt and shame because odds are their abusers feel no guilt and shame.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it's stuff like that that perpetuates that, right?
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like, well, I made this choice, so it's my own fault that I'm getting abused.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_02: When it's it's not your fault for me, like they're the ones that are treating you that way.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_02: So I think abuse is so much more common than people think or know.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_02: Odds are you know someone who's in an abusive relationship.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_02: And in my experience, I I kind of experienced the gamut of abuse.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_02: So mental, physical, emotional, sexual, financial, any way you can be abused, it was part of that relationship.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_02: And for me, uh, the mental part of abuse was so much harder to heal from than the physical part of abuse.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think there's this misnomer with people who don't have a lot of experience with abuse.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like, well, if he's not hitting you, if he's not punching you, if he's not hurting you, if he's just being mean to you, then you know, you should put up with that or you should fix it or you should whatever.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, undoing the mental harm of abuse in my experience was so much harder than healing from the physical abuse.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: No, totally.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: That and that makes sense.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, because I I do also see like the I see like the connection between, oh, well, just mind over matter, right?
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's not, it's not physically um manifesting.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_01: So you can just get over it and you're like, that's cute.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's not, but that's a fun oh my goodness.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so then I think about this and I think about like who I know you are today, right?
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it just like not only does it break my heart, but it also like like the dissonance, right?
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_01: Or the the disconnect between this powerful person, right?
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then the fact that you experienced that.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember when I first met you, because we met while I was filming for uh, you know, a monthly related video, and and you were only like two years removed, I feel like at that point.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: And you like brought it right up in there and then, like in this monthly promotional video.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, first off, nobody does that, right?
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I just like I like I just like admire how much you bring it to the surface because because you can, right?
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_01: And and other people experiencing it need to do that.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's very uh you're amazing.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_01: This is um, it's just a good thing to highlight in the sense of I love how forward you are about it and how open you are about it because you're like, let's make sure that nobody's ever experiencing that.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I it's one of those things that unless you've experienced it, it's really hard to relate to anybody.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_02: And that's why I bring up the thing about physical and emotional or mental abuse, because when I even when I left my relationship, I felt like I had to be able to say, he's physically harming me.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_02: For everyone else to think it was okay that I left.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_02: When in reality, even if he had only been mentally and emotionally abusing me, that's a hundred percent valid reason for me to leave.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I think there has to be space for that conversation.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_02: I think there has light has to be shed on that because of the guilt and shame that survivors feel around choosing to leave.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_02: And if people, because that's usually the first question people ask, like, was he hurting you?
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_02: And sure, yes, he was hurting my mind, he was hurting my soul, he was hurting my heart, right?
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_02: Like, those are all just as valid reasons as he punched me in the face, right?
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_02: And so that is uh I answer your question, even though it was about grow, because I am so passionate about like shedding light on things that I think are misunderstood.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_02: And again, uh helping women find resources.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_02: When I moved to Muncie, it was to get away from him in the middle of COVID, and I didn't know what to do, I didn't know where to go, I didn't know who to talk to.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_02: I, you know, I've I figured it out, but it was through trial and error and a lot of crying because I got turned away from a lot of places, and so I don't want women to experience that.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_02: And while we don't do a lot of domestic violence stuff in our work with Grow, the mindset behind let me give you all of this information so you can make the best choice possible, that's the motivating factor behind it.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm seeing, like, I'm seeing the very clear connection between what you were talking about where you you felt like you didn't get to make a different choice.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_01: You felt like you didn't get to this, that, and the other.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like you felt like you didn't have choice, right?
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that can be as like, and I'm not gonna, I'm gonna use major and minor more as like a spectrum here and not like a one is more worthy, right?
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: But more just like, but that can be as like intense as like domestic abuse, like that you are experienced on a regular basis, or like you get to change your mind about something you said you were gonna do a year ago in relation to like your business, or like you said you wanted to do this in your career, and then you it's different than you thought it was gonna be.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_01: So you get to change your mind.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so I see such a clear parallel there in the fact of like what you're building for people, even what you're building internally within Grow.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you and I have have had so many conversations because you know, we all have our own businesses, and with Grow, right, it is it is a startup, right?
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we are like we are having discussions about what what that looks like behind the scenes as we put work in, just like what is fair for what we put in, where we are, what we need.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_01: And like all those conversations have just been so transparent for one, and no one has ever held anyone to anything because situations change, our needs change.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_01: I just love it.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_01: I just I really just love that that, and that's I mean, that's because of like the tone that you've set, the foundation that you're building, right?
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's really special.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: And and I just see how clearly that ties back to to what you've experienced and how you found your way out of it.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_01: And you want to like, I don't care what you're going through, if it's not working for you, I want you to help, I want to help you get out.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, 100%.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's exactly that's exactly how it feels.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_02: I know how it feels to not have a voice or to feel like you have autonomy over your own decisions.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so I want to develop that experience and feeling for people who attend grow events, and I want that to be the experience behind the scenes too, because that's how it should be, in my opinion.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone should have a voice, everyone should be heard, everyone should have autonomy over the decisions they make and making decisions that are the best for them and what they need.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it's interesting too, because I think I don't know, my own internal story when I hear everyone should have a voice, it it starts to get caught up.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, well, if everybody's got a voice, then like how are we gonna like find something that works, you know?
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_01: But there is so much complementary elements in there.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's also something about like getting to have a voice and getting to share what you think immediately kind of like calms any like intensity behind some of that experience.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_01: So one of like my recent coaching chats was one of my you know roster of coaches.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_01: She was kind of talking to me about how how I've been very mean to like the hustler part of myself, and how like and I have simultaneously like taken advantage of her and shoved her down, right?
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_01: And as a result, she has gotten very loud and there's no room for anybody else's voice, but also she's not being loved on, and so it's this whole thing, right?
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_01: She's just loud and she's hustling, she's like just flailing, right?
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I almost imagine that in like a group of people, right?
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like if if someone's being ignored, they're gonna get louder.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: And when you listen, it's a much gentler, calmer, it's almost like it's a beautiful feminine way of doing things, and I freaking love it.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_01: I freaking love it.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_02: And and I think it's really valuable to find spaces where your voice is not only heard but valued.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that's not the same for everybody.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody's circle is not the same, either personality wise or experience wise or interest wise or work wise.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_02: You need a Find where your voice is heard and valued.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's what the back end of Grow has done really well is we've built a really good team that values each other and values expertise and is willing to hear.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_02: And we've built a safe space where everybody has a voice, everybody can have input and decisions.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_02: And there's also space for like, yes, I love that.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_02: I appreciate that thought and that expertise.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I think we're going to go this way.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_02: And there's no, it just works.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_01: It really does.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, because it's also not that every time, right?
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like, yeah, cool, hear you.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to go this way.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like the value.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like you said, you're like, oh, that is a really good point.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_01: That in this case, yeah, that's the direction we go, kind of thing.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love, love, love it.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then also you leading in a way that is like, well, I don't know the best answer here.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then hearing a bunch of answers, and then us all like as a group, sometimes getting excited about a certain solution, right?
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then we're like, well, that feels like the one.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's not easy every time, but sometimes it does click and it's a beautiful thing.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's a beautiful thing.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_02: It goes back to what we talked about like a little while ago, where when people feel like they're invested in the decision-making process, they're going to be more invested in the outcome.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_01: Brittany, is there anything else that you wanted to share on this podcast chat?
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_01: This won't be the only one that we ever do.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_01: I might give some other people a chance, you know, before we bring you back when I do say.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I guess the only other thing that's coming to mind that is kind of in line with things that we've talked about, but um, networking and connection has with other people has changed my life, literally.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_02: So if we're just gonna kind of like follow the thread through the conversation here, find people that hear your voice and value you, be curious about them and build really good relationships with them.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that you'll be surprised at how far that will take you.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know what that brings up.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: Why don't we take like a few minutes to dive into your philosophy about when you do connect with someone and being curious?
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what does that look like?
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: When you, you know, I'm going first time ever meeting Britney Scott at a coffee chat.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_01: What can I expect?
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_02: You can expect a lot of questions.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_02: I try to talk as little as possible, in especially in any first time interaction in general, but especially in any first time interaction because that is how people feel heard and valued is when you ask them about themselves and really listen.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's something that's kind of the second step.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_02: So yes, ask questions, but to listen, not just to respond, listen to hear.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I often think about it as like listen to come up with the next question, not to respond, not to tell them about my own experience or my own thing based on that, blah, blah, blah.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: But like to take it a step further.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's what you do with your career.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_02: How did you get into that?
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_02: Who was the person who introduced you?
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it was your sister as she married, like whatever.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you just keep asking questions.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_02: The more questions you can ask from a person, I would say you want them to walk away from the conversation feeling really good about it.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_02: And the way that you do that is by asking a lot of questions and letting them do a lot of talking.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_01: And you've found that that's a a good way to go.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_01: It feels good for you and feels good for me.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: It makes it strong as far as the you know foundation of the relationship.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_01: I love it, I love it, I love it.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you sharing that.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_01: I totally agree, but I also love the way that you describe it.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_01: So thanks for doing that.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, Brittany, where can people find you?
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_01: What do you have coming up?
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_01: What's up with Grow right now?
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_01: This is the the download, the stuff that I'll have in the stuff I'll have in the show notes, but also like let's tell them at the end.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_01: Tag it up.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_01: Let's tell them.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_02: Let's tell them all the things.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_02: We have it's October 1st when we're recording this.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_02: So exactly 21 days from now, we have the Muncie conference.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_02: So there's a lot with that.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's the conference are made to 3:30.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_02: We've got a scavenger hunt in downtown Muncie, and then a fashion show in the evening.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a whole big day that we're super excited about.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_02: We've got big things coming in 2026.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if you want me to talk about that, but we're expanding a little bit.
• 48:15
  SPEAKER_02: We're looking at dabbling into our online community things.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, we've got our monthly networking mixers in Muncie and Anderson every month.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_02: You can find all of that at growweewo.com and everywhere on Grow Weewo on Instagram.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's still growing a markable opportunities with women on Facebook.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_01: One day we'll get it changed.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_02: We're trying.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_02: We're trying.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_01: Can you spell Grow Weewo for the folks?
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_02: G-R-O-W-I-W-O.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_02: So we take the W I from with and the W O from Women and get W-I-W-O.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_02: So Grow With Women becomes Grow Weewo.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna go that's we love it.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_01: I I love it.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm obsessed.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome, cool.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, so the conference is on the 21st.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_01: I I do think this episode will come out before then.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's why I was trying to sneak you in.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: So sneak it in.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yay! You're doing a code.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_01: Do we want to code?
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_02: Do we want a code?
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_02: Do we want to give them a discount code?
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, of course.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_01: What code do you want to use?
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_02: I think we can do Muncy 2025.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_01: So all caps Muncy, which is M-U-N-I-C-E.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_01: C-I-E.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_01: C-I-E.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: Lord.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: Let's say that again.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_02: We were close though.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_01: No, keep it in.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well, keep it in.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_01: Which is so funny because I went to Ball State, which is in Muncie.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_01: So chirp chirp.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_01: Shameful.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's not because of Ball State's education.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's just because of, you know, we talked about cycles.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_01: That's why.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_01: Anyways.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: Monstre 2025.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_01: If you want how much off of your ticket?
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_01: $50.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_01: Diddy.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_01: $50.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_01: She's like Oprah out here giving off this cash.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_01: Giving it away.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_01: Handing it out.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_02: You get a whole day conference for$100.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_01: Can't beat it.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hundo.
• 50:10
  unknown: Hundo.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just out here premium numbers.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to cut us off.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_00: You're the best.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_00: You're the best.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_01: Crafted Connections is lovingly produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm dedicated to helping people and brands tell their stories in a way that resonates.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and connect with us on Instagram at Crafted Connections Pod.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: Keep creating, keep connecting, until we meet again.