Latest / Curiously Guided Podcast / Ep.69 | Finding Your Deeper “Why” & How it Impacts Everything, with Maggie Gentry, Mindful Marketing Strategist

Transcript

Ep.69 | Finding Your Deeper “Why” & How it Impacts Everything, with Maggie Gentry, Mindful Marketing Strategist · Curiously Guided Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the Curiously Guided Podcast, the show for intentional business owners and curious minds looking to combine the inner work and outer work to create a life, business, and career that feels deeply fulfilling and wildly aligned on all levels.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: We're your hosts.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Shay.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm Mariah.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: We're two business strategists passionate about rewriting the rules to success in a way that combines both strategy and energetics.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: So this podcast started with both of us being in the online business world, craving more deep, meaningful, and transparent conversations.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: So we decided to come together and create a space to do just that.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_02: Our guest interviews highlight cool humans doing cool shit, chasing their dreams, and going down their own rabbit holes to create a more sustainable and fulfilling life in whatever way that means for them.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: We see this podcast as everything that people won't share on social media.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: We don't give a fuck about highlight reels or proven frameworks.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: We love getting in the weeds, asking the tough questions, and doing the work to create a life and career we love, all while committing to ourselves and our personal growth.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: Because only through that lens can we truly create a lifestyle that feels good from the inside out.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the Curiously Guided Podcast.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: Are you ready to trust the nudge and let curiosity guide the way?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_02: Because we're excited to shake shit up and live outside the box with you.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, friends, welcome back.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: We are excited to have you here today.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: We have um, as I'll share, uh when we introduce her, Maggie Gentry, who has kind of serendipitously crossed paths with me through our online journey.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'll explain I've really admired her and her work from afar.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I was very excited to get her on here and share her story with you guys.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: She is a mindful marketing strategist, and her approach to marketing is very grounded and perhaps different than what I hear about mainstream marketing.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_03: So that um her uh courage to kind of speak about this stuff from a different place has been something that I've always really admired.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: And one thing in particular that she helps clients with is how to find their why.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: And so there's this famous saying in branding, we talk about it from Simon Sinek, we'll shared in the episode.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_03: We all hear your why.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: Why, why is finding your why so important?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_03: How important we all need our why?
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: You know, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_03: So I feel like as business owners, we are all aware of the importance of why.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: But then what's the next step?
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_03: How do you actually find it?
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_03: And then once you find it, how do you actually leverage it in your business and where does it show up?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: So Maggie's Zone of Genius is really kind of guiding people through that process.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: And um, this episode was really awesome to get to explore that.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: And it's very much opened up some doorways in my mind about how my own why can evolve and what it looks like right now.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think this episode was just a really great example of like you can fucking do this shit differently.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the conversation was so good.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_02: Like we went on so many kind of like different perspectives of looking at things, but it was really, really well rounded.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I like how all of us were kind of like verbalizing to rationalize.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like you hear us in the episode, like really trying to like work things out and like sharing our perspectives.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, Maggie comes in with her zone of genius, which is like using her process in order to help clients like untangle this.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: But then you also hear that like Maggie's interested in rediving into her why.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: She's like, you know what?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: Like I dove into my why a couple of years ago, and that's really what moved me forward.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: But now I'm getting the itch to like rediscover and redefine it.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: And like, what a beautiful example of like even an expert in their process and somebody that's like really good at what they do, like, we don't know everything.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it's okay to keep coming back and to keep relearning and keep rediscovering and like redefining what we do, why we do it, and like who we work with.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that Maggie is just such an amazing example of like doing business and marketing in a way that feels good.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_02: And like you hear me getting like really lit up when we start talking about like the old way of marketing versus like the new way of marketing.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm not gonna spoil anything, but like this conversation is really, really inspiring and grounding.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I just love the depth and transparency that we all really get to in this episode.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: So let me just read Maggie's bio and then we'll head into the episode here.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: So Maggie believes that heart and intuition are the keys to an impactful business.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: As the owner of Maggie Gentry.com and founder of Own Your Why, Maggie supports high-conscious entrepreneurs who are looking to intentionally grow their business with more ease through her unique blend of insightful business coaching and mindful marketing consulting.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Maggie aims to become a thought partner to her clients, acting as a confidant and co-conspirator, conspirator, gently guiding them towards their growth edges, pointing them back to their truth and redefining how they do business on their own terms.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, with all of that being said, including my lovely slip up here, let's just dive into Maggie's episode.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, Maggie, we're so excited to have you on today.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, when you reached out to me, it was a bit of a like one of those weird serendipitous universe moments because um Maggie and I have been connected through a former podcast guest, Amy Keretsky, who came on a few seasons ago and talked about breath work.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: Amy has been really um transformative in my life, um especially through the practice of breath work and just getting in tune with my body and uh more connected with myself.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so she's been a very big blessing to me.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_03: And as I was working with her, she brought your name up.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_03: I can't remember why, but she took me to your website.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_03: And your website is one of those sites that I've always gone back to.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_03: Like I just visit every couple of months.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_03: I love the language that you use, I love how you talk about your work, I love how you talk to your clients.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: I've always just had you as like inspo of like, oh, this is someone that's doing this well.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: And so when you reached out and said that you had listened to our podcast before, I was like so flattered.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, oh my gosh, a little fangirl moment.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_03: So would you mind sharing us a bit about like how did you get here?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: What is your origin story?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: How does one become like a mindful marketing strategist?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Also, this is so funny because I feel like I fangirlled for y'all.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: So when you actually wrote back of like, yes, we'd love to have you, I was like, oh my God.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, truly kids met.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but my origin story.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um marketing is my background, and that's what I got my degree in.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I worked for seven years when I first started my career, like client side for a few different businesses.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so I saw uh kind of the nasty underbelly of what marketing can be.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and my last full-time job was in a truly toxic workspace.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I was trying to figure out what to do.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just after being there a year, I knew I couldn't do it anymore.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, okay, I'm gonna quit.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just kind of gigging it, like picking up event work and trying to figure out what I wanted to do, had a part-time job.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I saw an acquaintance post on Facebook, like needing some marketing help for like 10 bucks an hour.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just like, sure, I'll do that.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so I was supporting her in transitioning from B2B to B2C.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So um developing a whole like wholesale pipeline and restructuring her entire business model.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so I started working with her in like June or July, it was the summer.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then in December, we had a meeting and she sat me down and she was like, I need you to look at my stats.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so she turned her computer around and she said, you know, I've tripled my revenue since working with you.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: And she was like, I need you to know, like, you can do this for other people.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know why.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: I just like hadn't thought about it.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: I needed her reflection or her, probably a little bit of her permission too.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: But it was something about that one conversation and that like one inquiry that like spurred something for me.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so then it was like within the month, I had bought my domain name and started my website and was just like going for it.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so that's like a longer backstory just to say that I think that was such a critical moment for me.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like that, it's the essence of that moment for me that I aim to provide for my clients is like if I can give them just the tiniest bit of clarity or inspiration or um like drive, I guess, uh, to do the thing that their soul is calling them to do that maybe they just don't have the words for yet.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like that is what I want.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so, and I think in doing so, kind of the mindful marketing strategist, that's been um something I've developed over the past few years of how can we do marketing in a way that feels good, that honors our nervous systems as the creators, but also honors the nervous systems of those that are on the receiving end.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, trying to think about marketing as an honest diet, like a true dialogue, a two-way conversation and an exchange rather than what has been traditionally this um what kind of felt like a force-fed one-way method.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, that's kind of the long way around.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, I liked what you said.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_03: It's funny, uh, Mariah and I just did a YouTube live.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: I'm my background is in sales, but all of those things you were just saying, I said a literally the same thing about sales.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like the traditional way feels like this like one-sided power over, like, let me tell you what's right.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_03: And it feels like the future is more of let me remove this wall between us and how do I bring you on this side of the table and we can have like a friend dialogue kind of relationship or conversation.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: So that definitely makes my heart flutter a little bit.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: Would you tell us a little bit more about like from your perspective, what is that old style of marketing that you saw versus kind of like what you would like to see us step more into?
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, traditional marketing really preys on, I mean, it's kind of this psychology of knowing human behavior.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: And and so it it feeds on our base impulse, which um it it so to me it's very manipulative and in it takes advantage of uh, and I think it's also pulling in these capitalist ideas of scarcity and urgency.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: So you see, like very practically, then what you're seeing is um you've got your like buy now or buy today or all these things about you know, you slash out the price and um or countdown timers, and like and if you even think about the marketing language where you've got exploding offers and tripwires and like all of these, like the words that we use are so violent.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so for me, it's like how can we instead stepping out of the scarcity and the urgency, if we can really lean into the truth that whoever is meant to purchase our thing, let's just like if we're gonna be very basic about it, um whatever, if it's a product or a service.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: But whoever is meant to have that thing, if we trust that they will find us, then for me, what feels like a better experience all around is if we can invite them in.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: So if we can say, like, hey, here I am, here's what I'm doing, I've got this thing.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Are you interested?
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and that's it.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's different ways, or we kind, you know, we can get creative with how we do it, but it's being honest about what it is and then asking them that question.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: So inviting them in rather than having them feel like if they don't buy this thing in this moment, they are somehow deficient.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I feel like there's so much, there's so much power there.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: And me and Shay have talked about this numerous times of just we we kind of see it as like it's the old way of marketing, and the old way of marketing is fucking dying because like we don't want to feel like shit anymore.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: Like we're tired of being talked down to, manipulated, like in order for somebody to get a sale on their belt or to see their numbers go up.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that entrepreneurs in the online space were really on the front end of this because we do have the opportunity to change the systems and the processes within our business.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: And for corporations, we all know things take 17 years longer in corporate because you have 45 different ladders and all of that stuff.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_02: So I think as online business owners, as entrepreneurs, it's our responsibility to fucking change the game and to kind of show corporate, like there is a better way to do this.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that we can be really good examples for this.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I do want to take it back to a little bit of the beginning of your story because I think that there is such a gem here that I want to highlight about how you were like, I didn't know that I needed like her permission or something like that.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's so powerful because when we think about that, it's like even you saying it a little bit, it was like a little hesitation of just like, I guess I needed her permission.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: And when you say that, it kind of sounds like, fuck, dude, did I need her permission?
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: And then it makes us feel like, well, do I not have the confidence within myself in order to give myself that permission?
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: But I think that it's such a human thing.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_02: And for us to be aware of like, we need outer validation and we need inner validation.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: And when it becomes too off, like either, well, what's what's the the spectrum, egotistical or like super hard people pleasing?
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's because we're falling too deep into one or the other.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think it's just a really good reminder that like as humans, we're created with this like dichotomy and we're created with these layers that can feel a little complex.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I just want to thank you for being honest about like that, like that you said that, because it's just another reminder that like it's not just about the internal validation.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: And we hear that in like the spiritual community and all of that of like validate yourself and like, yes, that's important.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: But like we also do we're fucking humans that like connect with people and like grow off of relationships.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: We also need that outer validation.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: So I just wanted to highlight that before we got too deep into the marketing spiel.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and what that reflection reminds me too a lot of what Laverne Cox talks about with the possibility model.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think really it was that for me, that moment of, oh, I hadn't even, it's like I don't know sometimes what I don't know, or it's just like expanding my perspective and my horizon just a little bit so that I can see a little bit more clearly in the periphery.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's like what that moment was for me.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that's always what I am hoping to create with with my clients.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's just expanding that viewpoint, whatever tiny bit.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we talk a lot about um, you know, confidence, how you build confidence comes through pre-proof or examples, right?
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: And so as we're getting into business, especially like what you're trying to do, Maggie, you're really saying something radical.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_03: It is something against this the way things are typically done.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_03: And if you're just getting started and you don't have a lot of proof or examples that this way works against this big, you know, common narrative, it can be really hard to every day, you know, boost yourself up.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_03: But when you can have as someone outside your jar kind of reflect back to you, like, hey, no, you're good at this and this works and this worked for me.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_03: That's the kind of thing that validates it.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_03: You're like, I thought something was here, but now I have the proof.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_03: And then when you can build more proof, that's what adds to your confidence and you can then go do it more.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: And so I think that that was such a cool piece of your story as well.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: I'm glad you went back there, Mariah, because I think that that was a big thing for me.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: Like as soon as you told that story, I was like, oh, I've had those moments and they were pivotal for me to show up and believe in myself.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: And it can be hard if you have an idea that is kind of against normal culture to stand up and be like, actually, I don't think this is right.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Actually, I think this could work.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: So collecting, we always talk about the importance of collecting those moments of proof.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_03: Save it, remember it, put it on a folder in your drive and go visit it.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: Cause I think those are the big things that kind of give you what you need to show up and kind of spread your message with the world.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, and I I think also like when you break down marketing at its simplest forms, it's kind of what you said, right?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's like it's a relationship, it's a two-way street.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_02: What a fucking breath of fresh air.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: Like for a business owner, because marketing, like for me, I don't have corporate experience.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: I've never worked in like a corporate setting.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_02: So when I got into my business, I didn't know what I didn't know, but it was also cool because I've also just like created my own processes and learned and like didn't have to unlearn a lot of things.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think that it's really nice for business owners, entrepreneurs, people doing their own thing to take the pressure off of like, you don't need to know like the ROI and like all of these corporate terms.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like you can just look at marketing, and it actually makes it more effective if you do so to look at it just as like a conversation that you're having with your people and look, oh shit, that also skyrockets your conversion rates, not in like a salesy or a manipulative way.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_02: It just happens because you're treating these humans as humans.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: Is that kind of like what you see with your clients?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like when people kind of shift it and they're just like, you know what, I'm just gonna own this and like see this as more of a relationship building.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: Like, do you see that get more results?
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I should name too that, you know, so my business is um is cert, I'm I'm a service provider.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, and I also work predominantly with other service providers.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, I will say for for me and my makeup, like um, it actually is a business model that suits me because I don't need massive quantities of sales, like I need a handful of clients.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I I just want to also provide that context before I go into this like next bit, because also it's um, you know, if I have if I were a product-based business owner, then there the reality is I need a higher quantity of sales in order to make my business viable.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I just want to like put that caveat out there.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: But that being said, for for um for my clients, what I have, and for myself too, is about having that relationship.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: And this is kind of going back to like the soul-led business is how do we ensure that whatever we are using to create that conversation, so whatever mechanism or channel, how is it one that we feel energetically called to exist within?
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: So with you know, modern marketing, it seems like a lot of people equate social media marketing with marketing.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: So if many new business owners, it's like they start and they're like, oh, I've got to be on Instagram and TikTok and whatever.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I have not been on social media in like three years, going on three years now.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what I always have to remind my clients is, but does that make sense for your business?
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so a lot of times, as far as like creating those relationships, it might be better suited that because it takes time to create content for social media.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so are you really being able, like, are you able to initiate and sustain the relationships needed for your business in that medium, or is it better suited with a podcast or with a newsletter, or with frankly just meeting people on LinkedIn and taking them for virtual coffee?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like there are many different ways for marketing to exist.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really understanding how do you show up as your most authentic self and how can we lean into that?
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I and I think because most of the clients that I'm working with are also service-based providers.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: They perhaps have a little bit of flexibility where social media can be optional for them.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: I love that about your business in particular.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: I've also kind of shied away from social media in my own business just because it didn't really light me up.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_03: Share with us a little bit about like what the step away has looked like for you and your business and what are you doing instead of social media.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: Because I do think that is like the number one misconception is everyone is like marketing is social media.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: It's like people have been marketing for centuries, right?
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: And we just recently got social media.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: There's so many other ways to get the word out about your business.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: So would you like to share what that looks like for you?
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: So um I I mean in I still have an Instagram account but that was always the one that I was using most often um in years uh prior.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: But now it's almost I think of it as like another like mini website.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just kind of a placeholder for if folks find me there, then really my hope is that they'll they'll use those links to find me elsewhere.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: And this year I have even transitioned so um I'm only doing I'm creating content quarterly instead of even monthly.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so again that is just for where I am energetically that fits my capacity.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: So what that means is I'm writing a blog post and I'm sending a newsletter once a quarter.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: And um that is as far as like content creation, that is what I'm doing.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: But I also just like reaching out to you all I've been focusing more on how can I potentially be a guest on podcast because it feels really good for me to show up in this way and share and connect.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's been really helpful for me to to be a guest on podcast.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's one networking group that I'm in that has been a really beautiful connector too.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so just having conversations um and I know that that sounds really simplified maybe but I think the other kind of big thing that happened for me in probably year three or four business is that previously I was so focused on trying to find my next client.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was working so hard to build these relationships with people who maybe one day might turn into a client.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it was like coffee dates and whatever and all these other networking events.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: And what really shifted for me was when I started focusing on building relationships with peers.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so people who you know copywriters and graphic designers and web designers and web developers.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so then that way if they perhaps have a project where somebody needs some brand messaging before they even do their branding or website they might bring me in.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so that has been pivotal.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so that way we can be really reciprocal in how we're exchanging projects and clients and that's been huge.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of how I think about marketing now there's a little bit of a content piece but really it's more about relationships through like conversations like these, through um like networking groups and then also just through these like really beautiful partnerships.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's fucking awesome.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh thank you thanks so much for sharing that and it's funny because you're like oh it feels like so simple and it's like isn't that what we all want like are we in business to build a business that supports our lifestyle and I think that people lose sight of that because we get caught in the rant race of fuck dude do I need like 10,000 Instagram followers in order to get XY and Z clients and in some businesses Instagram content and creating reels feels easier than building relationships.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_02: So just a heads up like one is not worse than the other.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: It just depends on like we said like where you want your energy to go.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: But I think that this conversation is so funny because I just posted on Instagram yesterday I got this I've been wanting to create a resource for relationship building and collaborations.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like I want to create something where I can have links to like networking groups links links to posts about like where people can start finding podcasts to pitch to and all of that.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I haven't found anybody else creating it.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'm looking I'm like Mariah you've collaborated with over a hundred business business owners like you're the you're one of the experts here.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm creating a resource about that.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: And if it's out by the time that this episode airs I'll put it in the show notes.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_02: But I started talking about it on Instagram yesterday and I was like I'm creating this because we are not meant to grow our business by ourselves.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what I'm realizing that stresses people out.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: They get into this thing we're all siloed this is what I'm good at.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_02: I need to find clients but the juice is exactly what you said.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: What if you connected with your peers?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: What if you started like being able to mesh and intertwine your zones of genius together isn't that the way that the world is supposed to work is through collaboration and connection and like isn't that why we all have our own gifts I just think it's like why is it taking business so long to like figure this shit out.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_02: Hell yeah.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think what's interesting too is like for me and maybe this is I'll say like a luxury but you know I've got this one um collaborator and now like friend in so she's a graphic designer and web designer and we've worked together on projects for like five years now and she is finally beautifully pregnant with twins.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so here's the other like fucked up situation when you are self-employed is what's your parental leap?
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's like then business sometimes stops.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so I chatted with her once I found out and so I'm like stepping in as a support for her.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: So we've hired and built you know a team of contractors so that we can still keep the you know certain things going.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: And um that's not something that I would actively promote that I do.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I guess I'm sharing it on this podcast now so you all know but surprise yeah and still but it's like but that feels really important to me where again this idea of collaboration Mariah where um you know I it it and also going back to like what feels important and what feels um yeah like I it is I guess it is that importance for me of like the value of building a business that supports our life yet the business that we've created especially if you're a solopreneur often doesn't have the resources to allow you paid sick leave or time off or parental leave.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway I felt really called to support her in that um and it's just I'm great that we've like established this trust and relationship over the years in which she feels comfortable for me to do that.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: Well what a beautiful example that collaborations can come in any way possible and you have no fucking idea how they're going to unravel or what opportunity is going to come through.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I just think that there's just like there's so much juice there.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_02: But what I do really want to get to is I know that you really focus on this idea of like owning your why.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_02: Can you take us into that like what does that mean?
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean it's I'm sure many of us have watched Simon Sinek's TED talk or perhaps even read his book Start with Why and so um and we can link to that in the show notes if somebody hasn't seen it or read it.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: But um you know the the idea that he shares is that effective businesses and he calls it the golden circle and that they will um have why in the middle and then there's how in the next rung out and then what is the outer circle.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: And um so he explains why it's more effective to start with a start with why as your marketing message and then work your way out.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so I won't go into too much like detail because you can find that elsewhere.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so that was it was helpful for me for sure but I what I was curious about is okay I'm always like well now what?
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: So once we've developed this message and we have this um you know brand message that feels really aligned then how do we use that as a tool that then impacts everything downstream in our business interrupting the conversation real quick to give a shout out to this episode sponsor, the contract shop the contract shop is a one-stop shop for any contract or legal template that your online business needs.
• 31:06
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• 31:12
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• 31:21
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• 31:23
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• 31:31
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• 31:41
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• 31:45
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• 31:54
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• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: Head over to curiouslyguided com slash contracts to get the details and to snag the discount all right let's take you back to the episode so this idea of owning your why is really taking that let's you know that phrase those few words your why and allowing that to be the filter through which you make every other decision.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: So for me my why is I believe where there's truth there's strength and that's right on like the home page of my website and it's an interesting thing where nowhere in that does that say anything about what I do or anything about marketing.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: But for me what's helpful is that what I try to do through my work is to help everyone get back to that point of their inner truth and then we build a message a business a system a program around that.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: So it's going back to finding that confidence that you were talking about Shay I think that when we are able to not only acknowledge but honor our truth there is an abundance of strength there.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so um that that becomes the pillar upon which like we can stand and build everything else.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: So umce you are able to determine your why then that can impact your marketing strategy, your pricing structure it goes back Mirai to what you were saying of like we are kind of distinctly positioned as entrepreneurs to use our businesses as tools to live out our values in the world that we want to see.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: So this is exactly what I mean by owning your why is like living and breathing and being in that value centered, soul-led business model.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_03: You know, Maggie, the reason you're kind of touching on like the lifeblood of this podcast or the reason that we started it.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_03: And so for me, I grew up in a city like our two big employers are Boeing and Monsanto and you know everybody I'm around is very detached from like how they spend their working hours versus like their values.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: And that always really bothered me like if there's what my why is is I want more people in the world that are fired up about what they're doing.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_03: You know, they're not just turning off every day and going through the motions.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_03: They they've spent some time getting to know themselves.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_03: They know they're here doing whatever that genius work is like whatever it is that lights them up.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_03: That's what I want this podcast to be is us sharing stories of how we've found that for ourselves and how we can find that for others.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_03: And so it's funny that we're talking about why I've been in marketing and branding for a while and I always Simon's a big deal and I've always said that to clients that phrase people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: So I've always been aware of like the importance of why but Mariah and I were kind of reflecting before we hopped on today like your why is really that's how we're bringing soul into business.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like when we are connecting with our why that is the connection to higher purpose or how we use our businesses as meaningful vehicles for change in the world, right?
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: It's when you can connect with what is your why and that's going to look different for everybody and that's kind of the hard part.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: And then how do you live that out and that action in and of itself is radical and different and it's kind of counter norm from what we see.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: So it does require a lot of confidence and like trust building but this idea of why goes so much deeper than making sales with your customers.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_03: When you find your why it's also your sustainability like Raya brought up when people are really detached from why we're clinging on to other goals like make a hundred K months or buy the Lambo or whatever that is and that just leads to burnout.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_03: But when you can really be like what you're saying using your why as like a true north or like a compass that every single decision gets filtered through that's how you avoid the burnout.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_03: That's how this becomes more sustainable and ultimately more fulfilling.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_03: So I think this idea of why is just so multifaceted but it kind of like brings everything together like it is the bridge to bringing soul into your business.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: Does that make any sense like I'm I'm kind of putting words in your mouth no but I'm like emphatically nodding along yes um yeah um yeah and I and I think that what what I think is sometimes beautiful and perhaps also infuriating at the same time in operating a business in this way is that because it's not this cookie cutter model, um there's space for us to define literally everything, which can be really freeing but also really scary.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: So the idea of like what are our revenue goals?
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well you know as a solopreneur maybe we hear about this like magic 10K month but is that true why like so it's it's also I I think about it like having this little toddler in your brain that's just like always asking why about every little thing.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah I mean it it it bleeds into everything.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that there's just so much potential in allowing that it I'll call it like a gentle inquiry.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: So allowing that gentle inquiry of why to just be a part of your daily operating that allows your soul to be heard.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: And what I think is also so beautiful about Simon's work and starting with why and having your message that is um you know this like why centered message is that there's something about that that it speaks heart to heart and soul to soul.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know how we were talking about the like the new way of marketing being a two-way street in a two-way dialogue.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that using why centered language has that ability to kind of break down this barrier where typically it's kind of it's very heady and very logical and instead if we can connect with heart language then it just allows people to pause for maybe a moment and check in if what they are reading or hearing resonates or not.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's also a really powerful brand move of that magnetism.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if something is really um you know you you want to you want people to have a strong reaction.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_00: So either they say hell fucking yes and those your people or they say hell fucking no and they can just go on their merry way.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really helpful to have that like very clear differentiator.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah and I think that it's extremely powerful in business but when you're first getting started I remember somebody was like what's your why at the time I was 22 years old my why just was to fucking make money dude like that that was my why what was my soul saying quit that job because it was shit and it was annoying like my why was like how does your girl start making money and build a business online so like just know that like the different seasons of your business if you're not at the point where you're like this is the juice right now that sets my soul on fire and your why is to build more sustainability in your family to have like another like a side hustle just to bring in some extra income for the family or just to test this idea that's been floating around in your head like just know that it doesn't have to be super deep at first because you're gonna figure it out as you take action towards it.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the question is is like in in a reframe and kind of what helps my little rebellious mind go with this like what can't you stop talking about what gets you fired up and what's really helpful for me is just noticing like what I'm feeling passionate about telling everybody about or when I'm having conversations with my friends like Shay and Miranda like what am I noticing in my voice that it like peaks up and I'm like oh there was power behind that.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_02: There's something in there and just know that like it can and it will take time in order to develop and you don't like you said have to like get really heady about it and like overlogical wise I don't know if that's a word but like overuse your use your brain with it because that's happened to me too.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_02: I've been like I need to sit down and figure out my why and then it felt super overwhelming when really it was like can we look at the shit that I care about can we look at these moments where I feel really passionate and lit up and try to find the string that's kind of connecting all of that.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_02: But then there's this other piece to where when your why in your business is so connected to your soul it becomes connected to your identity and that's not the worst thing like I'm not saying that that's a bad thing but it also comes the piece of like well if I'm sharing my why, I'm sharing my passion and nobody's listening, nobody's buying nobody's whatever that can take like a knife to your self-worth because you're putting so much soul behind this.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_02: So I guess like do you have any tips or advice for people in order to kind of balance those out because we need both you know what I mean like in order to make this balance properly but like that does become a thing when like our business becomes our identity yes oh that's such a tricky one.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you know because I I think also specifically for service-based entrepreneurs and that's a lot of who I work with there's this really blurry line between what is me and then what are these like ideas that I'm putting together that I'm also selling that are my business like so it gets really murky.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so I don't know that I have that like silver bullet answer.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think it's a quick answer.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't think that it's something that we can wrap up with a bow but like do you have any questions that maybe you would allow somebody to guide themselves or reflect on yeah I mean so for me what comes up a lot is that understanding that what I it's I don't it's like maybe it would be best to think of it as like a Venn diagram where it's like there's me and the business right how can I do this with my hands I don't know but you know what I mean.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like there are parts that are like distinctly my business and distinctly me and yet there's still some layer of overlap but it's not a full overlay.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so I mean because you do have to have a certain level of ego strength to be able to do this work.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: And there has to be a certain level of um I think so So you have to be willing to a certain extent to be visible too, because I know with a lot of clients that I work with, it's like we'll do all this work, we'll get ready to launch a website, and then they pause and they freeze because then it's like, ooh, this is real now.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, I mean, I some questions to go back to.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think that it's helpful to have some things or like what what are the things for you that are distinctly yours?
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_00: And that like for personal life.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: So what are the things that you do or don't bring into your business at all?
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it can be helpful to think about those boundaries.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so even if it is with like we can go to since this is kind of all under the umbrella of like marketing, and if we're thinking of content creation, and so often you think about having content pillars that you always speak to, but maybe there are certain things that are just off-limits so that they can be sacredly yours.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you can still be vulnerable and authentic and transparent, and there can be certain things that you just don't share in your business, and that is okay.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as far as the piece, you know, about if you're if you are sharing soulfully and um you are doing all of these things and yet it feels like cricket's out there, um I think it's helpful to remember that we are over inundated, all of us are, with information and with content.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so um I think that it's always just a matter of going back to yourself and really checking in about is this the platform that I want to be sharing?
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: Is this truly the message that I want to be sharing?
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and perhaps it is, and sometimes it's just like, well, you know, it was a Friday before a holiday weekend, like probably wasn't the best time or whatever.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I think sometimes we get really heady about, oh, it must be me, without considering that there are so many other factors at play.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that there are some times where um, and also allowing that friction point to be a way into an inquiry of what else could be at play here?
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_00: Is this really what I want to be sharing, or is how I want to be sharing?
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: Or just like perhaps this is the universe telling me that it's a quiet moment.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: How can I pause?
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what can I do to restore rather than feel like I have to double down and push harder?
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think that's kind of the crux of it is um I think where people go wrong is when they get that data point, it feels like crickets.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_03: You immediately go to my self-worth is less, you know, like, oh I just did it two days ago, dude.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_02: I just did it two weeks ago.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: I just posted something in a fucking flopped, and I was like, I'm a piece of shit.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then I literally like, no, I'm not.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'm just watching these thoughts in my head, and I'm like, this is fascinating.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_02: I've been in business for eight years.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_02: I know that I'm a genius in what I do, but it happens to all of us.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_02: The self-doubt comes in and it'll take you out from the knees, dude.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_02: So, like, if at anything, just know that none of us are immune.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's a good thing.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, and I mean, it happened to me.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this was like last fall where it was just like, I don't know what happened.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_00: And and and this is not my first time.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there are ebbs and flows.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_00: I've also been in business for almost eight years.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so, but what I started to do is in I'm in a full season.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's like I have a running list now of things where it's like, oh my God, I really just wish I had time to do X.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so I have this list because I know there's gonna be another time where it's just like work isn't coming in.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of me being like, oh my God, I have to like apply for all the jobs and I have to like freak out about all the things and like I'm the worst person on the planet.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, oh, but I have this list and I can start to do these other things that like build up my business that I wish that I had time to do right now.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, hell yeah.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I'm there with you.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: It happens all too often.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and just honoring the seasons.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_03: I like that of having the list of like, I can't get this to this now, but then it can be there for you later.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_03: That's like a lot of mental peace there.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but as you were talking, I really appreciated that visual of the Venn diagram.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_03: Like that makes a lot of sense to me.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_03: Of if you're at a place that feels like stuck, what you're saying isn't landing, you're kind of like questioning everything.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_03: For me, a lot of times I realize my two circles are totally overlapped.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_03: There's not a lot of separation.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like in my business, my worth is tied up in my business, all my thinking is spiraling around my business.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_03: How do I separate?
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_03: How do I go out in the park or get in my kayak or like what are those things that are sacred in me?
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_03: How do I get creative in a way that is not tied to money?
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_03: And a lot of times when you let yourself exit and go think about other things, that's when the new creative juices flow, right?
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's when you get reconnected and get new ideas and new perspectives.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_03: So for me, it's always been those circles have gotten way too overlapped.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like, how do I separate and like think about the Venn diagram?
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_03: I really appreciate that visual.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's um very helpful for me to like uh I think that is what it comes down to is when things get out of balance there.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_03: And and yeah, I think Mariah's point is so valid.
• 49:25
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's so easy.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_03: It every single thing is constantly like a reflection back at you and this self running your own business.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_03: So it is really easy to take it personally and to get down on yourself.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_03: And so I think also just knowing that we all struggle with this, it's a really normal thing, is also very helpful for me of like, oh, I'm not in this alone.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_03: This is something that Mariah also struggles with, and she's been in business for eight years.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's funny because as you're saying that, you want to know what's coming to my head.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_02: I'm literally just like, oh, if the two circles are overlapping, I'm just like, you should come back to your why, dude.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 50:00
  unknown: Yeah.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_02: I just think that it's like, it's just like that anger where it's like, obviously, if you take anything too far, if you drink too much water, you're like internally drowned yourself.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like, if you take anything too far, it can get into a place of like a little self-destructive.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think it's that balance of just like if you're overlapping both of them because you're trying to like logically figure this out and like push this out into the world, it's coming back to your why and your why doesn't have a timeline.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_02: Your why is like your soul, your soul shit that you're doing.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_02: And like, who said that this expectation that you, human you, has set of like, I need to make enough money to quit my job, or I need to make enough money to buy a private island, or even like I need to make enough money so that I can show people that I'm profitable.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_02: That's you putting expectations on yourself.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_02: That's not your purpose, that's not your timeline.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like, that's your human setting a timeline.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that your why just brings it back to like something that's so much bigger.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, so the other like big thing that we have to acknowledge is that like for the time being, we live under capitalism.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so this like fake thing of money is like a thing that we do have to contend with.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, there's the very real need.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't want to like there's also something about um Elizabeth Gilbert said at best, oh my gosh, is it big magic?
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: Why am I blanking on the book now?
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty sure it's magic.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_00: And she taught, yeah, okay.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but she talks about how she didn't want to um while she was writing and first starting out, like she also waitressed because she wanted to separate the thing that made her money with the with her writing.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I think that that's also something that should be stated here, where it's like we do most many of us have the very real need to make money in order to survive in this world.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_00: So if that means that there is another mechanism through which you make your money, so that what you're doing that feels very why-centered, if that's a side hustle or building this like side business, that's beautiful.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I just everyone's different.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I've gone through that in different times too, where it's like I, you know, year three of business was super hard for me.
• 52:20
  SPEAKER_00: So it was also like I kept it going, but I also had to get other work.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it was, I felt a lot of shame around that for a long time, but it helped bridge the gap for me.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I also just want to say that too.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_00: But that was a lot of like overlapping circles during that time period.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, absolutely.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_03: I that's one thing that we really I mentioned the seasons of business earlier, but you're gonna have, you know, we're talking about the balance of everything.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_03: There's gonna be moments in your life where things are really unstable, and maybe you need your business to be more stable.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_03: And so maybe you pick up a part-time job.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there can be all kinds of, and that doesn't mean your why is killed, and that doesn't mean you're never gonna get back to this, right?
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_03: It's just honoring being spent it always comes back to spending time with yourself, getting to know yourself, you know, what's going on with you, and then adjusting your business accordingly based on the season of life.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I think there's something beautiful about this world we're in where things can shift and change, you know, like just because you're in a quiet season, you're in a low season, you're doing something else, doesn't mean six months from now you have a spark of lightning and you're ready to run.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_03: And like that freedom, Mariah brought up the timeline.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I love the big timeline of all of this.
• 53:31
  SPEAKER_03: I love the spaciousness.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_03: It is frustrating in the moment when things aren't happening like I want.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_03: But to Mariah's point, like we've this is our fourth season of the podcast.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_03: We just now kind of figured out like what the why of the podcast is and like how to say it in a really pithy way.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_03: And that took time and it just took a lot of awkwardness and us trying things and saying things and voice notes back and forth to each other over and over.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_03: But it to Mariah's point, it doesn't happen, it happens on its own timeline.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_03: There is no forcing it.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that the best thing that we can all do is allow, like let yourself be a little awkward, put yourself out there, like just start speaking and putting your thoughts together, being creative, you exploring your curiosity in whatever way and let it come.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, unfortunately, there is no forcing it.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I, you're right, Mariah.
• 54:16
  SPEAKER_03: That is typically where things get derailed, where I'm like, I'm doing my why.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_03: Why aren't my 10k months lined up or whatever it is?
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, we're talking about this without having an example or working with a client in real time.
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like just we're just pulling together different perspectives of how you can start thinking about your why.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_02: But I did want to mention here is that like Kina that we had on last season, she talked about how this isn't talked about in the industry, but how difficult it is to actually create a business that supports somebody's life.
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's actually very, very difficult.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_02: And she was like, so people beat themselves up because they're seeing all of this stuff on social media about how easy it is.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_02: And then they start shame spiraling.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_02: And she's like, it's actually very tough.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like in a corporate world, you have consistent, you're making consistent income, even though that business might be taking the roller coaster.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_02: And she's like, and then you have benefits, but like as a business owner, you have so many more financials on your shoulders that people don't talk about.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_02: So if that's something that our listeners are interested in, we'll put the link to Kina's episode in the show notes too, because I feel like that just helps really ground this into.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_02: But that, like we said, like it doesn't mean that your why can't happen.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like the longer time that it's been, the clearer that I've gotten and more passionate I've gotten around my why.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_02: And mine is like closely related to growing a business, growing your visibility doesn't have to be as difficult as and overwhelming as everybody makes it.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the juices is that we have to market our business in a way that feels good for us.
• 55:53
  SPEAKER_02: But what that takes is just like this podcast, it takes the inner work and the outer work.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_02: If you slide too deep into outer work, you're gonna lose that that that quiet why, that little soul whisper in there.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_02: But if you go too deep into the inner work, you're not gonna take action.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_02: And we live in a we live in a 3D world, y'all.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_02: Like we can manifest and write shit in our journals all we want.
• 56:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that's very helpful.
• 56:18
  SPEAKER_02: But if we are not taking action towards them, it's very difficult for things to formulate.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think it's just through time, conversations, self-reflection.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I think that's really where the juice is of all of this.
• 56:38
  SPEAKER_02: And like as a human, we we want a formula.
• 56:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like, give me the formula to figure out my why.
• 56:44
  SPEAKER_02: But like, there is no formula, you're the formula, and like fortunately and unfortunately, you're different and unique.
• 56:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, even just go if we want to give like practical, so getting like how I found my why and how I encourage it for other folks is exactly what we're talking about about giving yourself time.
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_00: I do not believe that it can miraculously happen within like one hour session.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it does.
• 57:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what I have found more often is that um taking it day by day.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so for an undetermined amount of time, and if you have a meditation practice or a journaling practice, incorporating it there, but in starting with these two prompts.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_00: So sometimes just it helps me to say I believe, and then write down as many iterations to complete that phrase as I can.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_00: And the second one is what I really want to say is.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_00: And for some reason, that second one if I'm super heady that day, the I believe can I can get real caught up in my thoughts, versus the what I really want to say kind of like cuts to the quick.
• 58:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so between those two, I just free write until I feel like I'm complete and then I leave it.
• 58:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so I do that for as long as I feel like I have something new and fresh to say.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think for bodies with uteruses, um, you know, we show up as a different configuration every single day.
• 58:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so who we are on the page is different every day.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so I find it to be really incredible to allow the those variations in, and then in hindsight to see what's the thread, what keeps coming up, what words or phrases do I feel like really are the underpinning?
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then in hindsight, it's like we can kind of like pull from there to come up with one.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's how that's how I do it, and how I encourage my clients to do it too, just so we can kind of share all this kind of theoretical talk, like in an exercise that hopefully can help the listeners.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's really helpful.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_02: Shea, do you have any questions that you kind of reflect on?
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, oh gosh.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I love those.
• 59:09
  SPEAKER_03: I especially love what I'm really trying to say because that's what when you said I believe, I was like, oh gosh, I would go all over the place with it when what I really like to say.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_03: You're right, it like cuts right at that.
• 59:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'll reflect a little bit on questions.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, one question that is big for me, and this may just be me, is um first I want to say questions, just questions.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_03: What a beautiful thing.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_03: I have for years now struggled with like Julia Cameron style.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_03: Every morning I wake up and do morning pages free flow.
• 59:40
  SPEAKER_03: And so I have found instead what's more helpful for me is to ask a question.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_03: That's kind of a way to kind of bypass my thinking mind and using curiosity to kind of get deeper.
• 59:50
  SPEAKER_03: But one question that is very helpful for me is um, what am I avoiding?
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_03: Because in my life, uh, we had a guest on who talked about like what you avoid is almost like a tornado that builds behind you.
• 1:00:02
  SPEAKER_03: And when you don't turn around and face it, it kind of can get stronger and stronger and start fucking things up in your life.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_03: And so I've been trying to imagine myself, okay, turn around, face a tornado.
• 1:00:10
  SPEAKER_03: What am I avoiding?
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_03: And that has been very powerful for me.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that that's a question that really um brings some guidance in for me.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_03: How about you, Marie?
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_03: Writing that one down.
• 1:00:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love that visual that Melissa gave about about that.
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the question that I ask is just you uh you two have like these very lovely questions, I feel like.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_02: And mine is mine's more like, what do I fucking hate about my industry?
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_02: What do I hate about it?
• 1:00:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what are people saying that just pisses me off?
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm just like, you're giving people the wrong information, you're not helping them.
• 1:00:50
  SPEAKER_02: I'll go off in boxer to Shay and to um my other friends about just like yo, this is what's happening in the industry.
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_02: This client got sold into this stupid thing, and they went to the house.
• 1:01:01
  SPEAKER_02: Somebody recommended that they built their website on GoDaddy, and I cannot believe that that's happening.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_02: I was mortified.
• 1:01:08
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, oh my God.
• 1:01:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, over here, like now I need to start another podcast.
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_02: I need to start another podcast about why GoDaddy sucks for websites.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's the it's really the question of just like, what am I really annoyed about in terms of things?
• 1:01:23
  SPEAKER_02: And so I feel like that question allows me to stay in my topic in my industry, because otherwise, if we're talking about like what I believe, oh shit, oh it's like it's over.
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like, do you have 12 hours to listen to all of my theoreticals and my philosophy and like all of these things about life?
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I will be here for 30 years.
• 1:01:46
  SPEAKER_02: But if we're specifically talking about business, that's why I started my YouTube channel.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_02: Because I was like, people had all of these questions, and I was like, yo, this YouTube video sucks, this one sucks, this one sucks.
• 1:01:57
  SPEAKER_02: They're giving bad advice about this, they're forgetting this, or this is too confusing.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_02: And then I just have this thing where it's like, I feel like I can break it down better.
• 1:02:06
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's what really inspires me and makes me stay in my lane because otherwise it's over for me.
• 1:02:13
  SPEAKER_02: There's yeah, go ahead, Maggie.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sorry.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_03: No, go for it, Shay.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_03: There's this quote that keeps coming up.
• 1:02:18
  SPEAKER_03: There's this old comedian, and I don't think that he was the best about like re interacting with women.
• 1:02:23
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, don't his name is Bill Hicks, but he has this quote that's always stuck with me about um like what lights your what pisses you off, what lights your soul on fire.
• 1:02:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like, and I and I've all that always really like because I feel like when we talk about why it's like floaty and nice and I want to change the world, but he had the exact opposite opinion.
• 1:02:41
  SPEAKER_03: He's like, I'm paying attention to when I get pissed, when I'm mad, when I'm riled up, because I know that there's something there.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_03: And so to Mariah's point, I think that's the juice, that's the powerful stuff.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned it earlier.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like when you're talking with friends and you hear your voice get a little rowed, like a little more rowdy, you're like, oh, this, I care about this.
• 1:02:58
  SPEAKER_03: There's something here that matters to me.
• 1:03:00
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, for me, finding my why, it was really um shifting my frame a bit more to like, what am I pissed about in this world?
• 1:03:07
  SPEAKER_03: What do I think is injustice?
• 1:03:09
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what do I want on my deathbed?
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_03: I'm looking back, and I felt proud of myself for like trying to address with my working hours, right?
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_03: With my genius.
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_03: And so that I think is really powerful, Mariah.
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_03: I'm glad you shared that because we can get a little pissed off.
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_03: We can get a little rowdy, like there's some some righteousness in there for sure.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:03:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it goes like the other two questions that I often will pull up if I'm just like needing another way in.
• 1:03:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's along this thread.
• 1:03:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, what am I willing to commit civil disobedience over?
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, what's the thing that I'm like, I will be in a picket line or like go march for?
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's the thing that I'm willing to be arrested?
• 1:03:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the other one is a little more gentle, but like, what's the rock in my shoe?
• 1:03:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, what's the thing that just continues to like pull my attention?
• 1:03:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's the thing that is uncomfortable enough that I notice it's there?
• 1:04:04
  SPEAKER_00: And how can I pause to like actually address it and you know, take my shoe off, knock it out on the trail.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_00: And like that can sometimes like get me, can get away in.
• 1:04:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like what's the little thing that's nagging?
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_02: I think that that's that's another great reflection point too.
• 1:04:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I just want to point out that like this can show up in so many different ways, like allow it to surprise you.
• 1:04:29
  SPEAKER_02: I love the example that we gave of just like you can like don't feel bad or any shame if like you have to go and get another job to support you or whatever as you're building this, because like when you create shit with your why as a foundation, it has a specific potency that hasn't been created before.
• 1:04:48
  SPEAKER_02: And that takes time and it takes patience.
• 1:04:51
  SPEAKER_02: And we do live in a world where we need money in order to live.
• 1:04:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's like they don't have to live simultaneously, but also allow yourself to be surprised.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_02: I just want to give us uh a really quick example, really quick.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I ended up finding this girl on Instagram, Axe of Sourdough, that's her, that's her handle.
• 1:05:09
  SPEAKER_02: She creates sourdough bread, right?
• 1:05:12
  SPEAKER_02: I've been like, I have been trying to crack the coat of sourdough.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 1:05:16
  SPEAKER_02: I thought if you like, if you know me at all, I like mess around with like Pinterest recipes.
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm always cooking stuff, I'm always making stuff, whatever.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_02: And my friend was like, why did it take you this long to figure out like start digging into sourdough?
• 1:05:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, I didn't have the patience.
• 1:05:29
  SPEAKER_02: And it just seemed something that like I would have to really experiment with.
• 1:05:32
  SPEAKER_02: And then everybody said it was a pain in the ass and whatever.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I tried to figure this shit out myself.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_02: I found a recipe in order to create a sourdough starter, right?
• 1:05:41
  SPEAKER_02: And somebody was like, Oh, cool, it should take a week, it should take two weeks.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, Okay, cool.
• 1:05:45
  SPEAKER_02: So if you have created your own sourdough before, you know that you have to take a little bit of this flour and water out at a time, and then you have to keep feeding it every single day in order to build yeast and bacteria.
• 1:05:59
  SPEAKER_02: You have to To build this yeast and bacteria so strong that it can literally raise bread by itself without yeast.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_02: That fucking takes time, right?
• 1:06:07
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm watching YouTube videos and it's literally like, oh, it'll take a week, it'll take two weeks.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_02: I'm at six weeks, and my sourdough starter is the weakest thing I've ever seen, right?
• 1:06:18
  SPEAKER_02: They said you can test it, you can take out the starter and you can see if it floats in water.
• 1:06:22
  SPEAKER_02: After six weeks, did my sourdough starter float in water?
• 1:06:25
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 1:06:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I fed this little shit every single day, and it still didn't build the way that I want it to build.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_02: But through this process, I ended up finding acts of sourdough.
• 1:06:37
  SPEAKER_02: She shared, she was like, when I built my sourdough starter from scratch, I think it took her like six to seven weeks.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_02: And at this point, I was like, I'm over it.
• 1:06:44
  SPEAKER_02: I threw it in the garbage.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, I'm gonna buy somebody else a starter.
• 1:06:47
  SPEAKER_02: I ended up buying her starter.
• 1:06:49
  SPEAKER_02: You can like dehydrate them and then send them in the mail.
• 1:06:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I ended up doing that, fed it for three days, made a beautiful loaf of bread.
• 1:06:56
  SPEAKER_02: It was wonderful.
• 1:06:57
  SPEAKER_02: But the whole story is to tell you about acts of sourdough.
• 1:07:02
  SPEAKER_02: She started this because she wanted, I think that one of her children has um autism or something along those lines on the spectrum.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_02: And he was extremely picky about what he was eating.
• 1:07:16
  SPEAKER_02: And she was realizing that he really liked the texture of sourdough bread.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_02: But it was getting um, it was getting financially taxing to keep going and buying this bread.
• 1:07:26
  SPEAKER_02: And she was like, why don't I just try to figure it out myself?
• 1:07:29
  SPEAKER_02: But when she started, she essentially was super overwhelmed with everything.
• 1:07:33
  SPEAKER_02: What she ended up doing was just recording and starting an Instagram about her learning how to make sourdough bread and not following everybody's step-by-step instructions.
• 1:07:43
  SPEAKER_02: Instead, she just allowed herself to figure it out and to play and to experiment.
• 1:07:48
  SPEAKER_02: Now, her business, it's only been like nine months, maybe not even a year, of her sharing this journey.
• 1:07:54
  SPEAKER_02: Her business and Instagram has such a powerful following that she now has to get a commercial space and had to hire her mother in order to help her.
• 1:08:04
  SPEAKER_02: And like, what a beautiful example.
• 1:08:07
  SPEAKER_02: And she was like, guys, I don't think that you realize like this is my why of just like, I just want to share that sourdough doesn't have to be overwhelming.
• 1:08:17
  SPEAKER_02: You can do it.
• 1:08:18
  SPEAKER_02: And then she did this challenge of like not buying bread from the store for 30 days.
• 1:08:23
  SPEAKER_02: And it was through that challenge that she really found her why.
• 1:08:26
  SPEAKER_02: And now, through everything, she's like, I'm growing a business that I had no idea could even be a thing, from simply me starting out with just having a need for my son.
• 1:08:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I just thought that it was a beautiful example.
• 1:08:38
  SPEAKER_02: We live in a world where social media allows us to connect with all of these different people or relationships, like a lot of us kind of put a lot of time and effort into.
• 1:08:48
  SPEAKER_02: None of these things we have control over the outcome.
• 1:08:51
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like when you come to your why and allow yourself to figure it out, all of that to say, allow yourself to be surprised.
• 1:08:59
  SPEAKER_02: You have no fucking idea how much power and like where all of this is going to go.
• 1:09:04
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes you couldn't have even planned it.
• 1:09:08
  SPEAKER_03: That's really beautiful.
• 1:09:09
  SPEAKER_03: Trust the process, kind of detach from the outcome.
• 1:09:12
  SPEAKER_03: That's like sage wisdom.
• 1:09:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm just thinking, my um my therapist always says that the universe is conspiring in your favor.
• 1:09:22
  SPEAKER_00: And so like thinking about that.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_00: And um, and I think it's a lot of what Lindsay Mack, who I've um followed a lot of her uh tarot teachings, and they'll uh talk about how like life is happening for us.
• 1:09:37
  SPEAKER_00: So if we can think about that rather than life happening to us, um so I think that's a similar thing of just like being intentional in the purpose and intentional in the journey and releasing the outcome.
• 1:09:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 1:09:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's funny you bring that up.
• 1:09:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of my favorite quotes.
• 1:09:51
  SPEAKER_03: Have you read the book The Alchemist?
• 1:09:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, but it's been years.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_03: The the big quote in that book is the universe is uh like conspiring in your favor or whatever.
• 1:10:02
  SPEAKER_03: But that's been very like um transformational for me.
• 1:10:04
  SPEAKER_03: I visit that book like revisit once a year, but it's very along these lines.
• 1:10:08
  SPEAKER_03: So if you guys have that out sitting on your shelves, maybe pick it up after this episode.
• 1:10:12
  SPEAKER_03: But um, Maggie knows.
• 1:10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's where she got it from.
• 1:10:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, maybe.
• 1:10:15
  SPEAKER_03: I I'm sure other people say that too, but it's always been very encouraging for me, that kind of philosophy.
• 1:10:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but Maggie, this has been an awesome conversation.
• 1:10:23
  SPEAKER_03: As we're kind of like rounding it out, there's one more topic.
• 1:10:25
  SPEAKER_03: And I think this will be a nice way to kind of wrap up the conversation.
• 1:10:28
  SPEAKER_03: You talk a lot about radical generosity in your business.
• 1:10:32
  SPEAKER_03: Can you share a little bit more with us about what that means for you and what that looks like?
• 1:10:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, just as a business owner, what that practice, how it takes form?
• 1:10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, oh, I love that.
• 1:10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's a topic I really enjoy talking about.
• 1:10:47
  SPEAKER_00: So when I think of radical generosity, it's I want it to be this like 360 approach.
• 1:10:52
  SPEAKER_00: So it's radical generosity and what I can offer and give others.
• 1:10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and also it's a practice in and in how can I make sure that I'm also being radically generous to myself.
• 1:11:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's where a lot of my boundary work has come in.
• 1:11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so specifically for me, when I'm thinking about radical generosity and how it supports me, I'm really particular about my um inbox time.
• 1:11:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I only check my inbox twice a day.
• 1:11:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's so that it allows me to have deep work in the middle of the day to do everything else that I need to do.
• 1:11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um so that that's one example.
• 1:11:31
  SPEAKER_00: But when I think about radical generosity for others and how it shows up in my business, um, so you know, I have um these this bank of newsletter resources or just kind of resources that I've created for my newsletter list.
• 1:11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and they're all free guides.
• 1:11:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so really it's just in exchange for, you know, letting me send you a quarterly newsletter, you get access to all of these goodies.
• 1:11:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that feels really good for me.
• 1:12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also, it's like I have virtual office hours.
• 1:12:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so these are free 30-minute chats that are always on my calendar and anybody can sign up for.
• 1:12:11
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, those have run the gamut over the years from like swapping cat photos to having like a quick and dirty like strategy sesh, like it just kind of runs like it, it's whatever you want it to be.
• 1:12:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that feels really important to me.
• 1:12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I also have what I call an offering, it's called shift sessions.
• 1:12:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so those are pay what you're able.
• 1:12:37
  SPEAKER_00: And that also feels really impactful.
• 1:12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I think in this kind of coaching consulting world, there is a barrier to entry for many folks.
• 1:12:47
  SPEAKER_00: And just thinking about people who are starting out who perhaps might need some additional uh wisdom or reflection at that point or permission giving, um, it can be cost prohibitive.
• 1:12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so for me, it's really important to um have a mechanism through which cost hopefully is not a barrier, but there's still an equitable exchange.
• 1:13:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so those are some ways that I think about it.
• 1:13:12
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, with clients too, with radical generosity, it's how can we go back to owning our why and how can we lead with our values?
• 1:13:21
  SPEAKER_00: And what are ways that we can show either with our pricing models or with how we're showing up, being flexible with deadlines, understanding that life happens.
• 1:13:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what are these ways in which we can um allow our humanity to shine through?
• 1:13:39
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 1:13:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, a lot of I'm like thinking about trends are like something that we've come back to a lot in this conversation, and a lot is coming back to reciprocity.
• 1:13:48
  SPEAKER_03: Like I really like all these ideas that you've brought up.
• 1:13:51
  SPEAKER_03: It goes both ways.
• 1:13:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's for the client, but it's also for you.
• 1:13:54
  SPEAKER_03: So when I went into that generosity question, I was expecting you to talk about, oh, and this is how I give and give and give to my clients, but you immediately went to like this is how I give to myself.
• 1:14:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I love that you're thinking about the the way things flow back and forth.
• 1:14:06
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's important in marketing and in our business with ourselves, all that stuff.
• 1:14:11
  SPEAKER_03: So I really like that undercurrent of your message.
• 1:14:14
  SPEAKER_03: But you've mentioned, okay, so this is our big final question that we'll ask everybody that comes on the podcast.
• 1:14:19
  SPEAKER_03: I've heard you say, like, I was curious about this a couple of times on this episode.
• 1:14:23
  SPEAKER_03: So I think you're a person that follows their curiosity like we do.
• 1:14:26
  SPEAKER_03: Would you mind sharing with us like what has been sparking your curiosity lately?
• 1:14:30
  SPEAKER_03: What have you been finding yourself um falling down a rabbit hole about or getting interested in?
• 1:14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's interesting that this conversation is happening because um I actually feel like my why is needing to shift.
• 1:14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I'm hearing this little like pull or tug um to start this process again for myself.
• 1:14:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's been about four years, and I'm like, you know, and I think that that it speaks back to what we were talking to previously that, oh, you know, it doesn't mean that my why is any less powerful, but I do think as my business and as I as a human have evolved, um, I think there's an evolution there.
• 1:15:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that's been there.
• 1:15:14
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that I've been really curious about is um I read Sarah Jaffe's uh work Won't Love You Back recently.
• 1:15:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if it sounds like something I need to read, yeah.
• 1:15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting look at capitalism specifically and how that has shaped how we think about work.
• 1:15:37
  SPEAKER_00: And um so I think that I'm in this interesting space too of understanding or wanting to learn more about the systems that we are operating within and what we might have the power to shift within it.
• 1:15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I think I'm in one of those people that I'm, you know, I I want to be a part of the fight, but it's how do I find my place in the fight?
• 1:16:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, so I've been exploring that a lot more of just what is my role as a business owner within capitalism, but how can I be as anti-capitalist as possible within it?
• 1:16:16
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's really cool.
• 1:16:18
  SPEAKER_02: And it also just goes to show that like as a business owner, we do have that flexibility and we have that responsibility in order to be able to shift things in a way that supports us and supports the community and like supports the world that we want to see moving forward.
• 1:16:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think I think that that's really cool.
• 1:16:38
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for sharing that.
• 1:16:39
  SPEAKER_02: And then will you also tell our listeners where they can find and connect with you?
• 1:16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:16:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so my website is the best spot, which is MaggieGentry.com.
• 1:16:50
  SPEAKER_00: So um, as I shared, I'm not really on social media anymore.
• 1:16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, on my website, and we can share links directly to um to my newsletter list.
• 1:17:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then also if you'd like to grab a spot on my calendar, would love to chat with virtual office hours.
• 1:17:08
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, awesome.
• 1:17:09
  SPEAKER_02: We will put all of those lovely links into the show into the show notes, into the show notes below.
• 1:17:16
  SPEAKER_02: But Maggie, thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
• 1:17:20
  SPEAKER_02: But I think that we're ready to go ahead and close this episode down.
• 1:17:24
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, remember that you have the power to create whatever the fuck you want.
• 1:17:29
  SPEAKER_02: Follow the nudge, ask the questions, and let curiosity guide the way.
• 1:17:33
  SPEAKER_02: We'll see you in the next episode.
• 1:17:37
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for tuning in and listening to this episode of the Curiously Guided Podcast.
• 1:17:44
  SPEAKER_02: We appreciate you so much for being here.
• 1:17:46
  SPEAKER_02: Truly, this podcast is such a joy for us to create.
• 1:17:51
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• 1:18:05
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• 1:18:12
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• 1:18:18
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• 1:18:25
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see you in the next episode.