Podcasts about beth yeah

What you'll learn in this episode: How Beth became a self-taught expert and collector of antique jewelry The definition of antique jewelry, and how it's different from vintage jewelry What separates an enthusiast from a collector, and why collectors have different goals for their collections How to enjoy Georgian jewelry while keeping it safe The meaning behind popular Victorian jewelry motifs About Beth Bernstein Beth Bernstein is a jewelry historian, jewelry expert and collector of period and modern jewels—a purveyor of all things sparkly. She has a romance going on with the legend, language and sentiment behind the pieces. Her love for the story has inspired Beth to pen four books, with a fifth one in the works, and to spend the past twenty years as an editor and writer on the subject of jewels-old and new. She is a die-hard jewelry fan, so much so that she has designed her own collection throughout the 90s and continues to create bespoke jewels and work with private clients to procure antique and vintage jewelry She owns a comprehensive consulting agency Plan B which provides a roster of services in multiple facets of the jewelry industry. These include building, launching and evolving designer brands and retail brick & mortar/online shops and curating designer shows and private collections. Additional Resources: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Pintrest Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: Diving into centuries of antique jewelry can be intimidating for even the biggest jewelry lover, but Beth Bernstein is proof that anyone can find their niche in jewelry history. A collector of sentimental jewelry across several periods, Beth is a jewelry consultant and author of “The Modern Guide to Antique Jewelry.” She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how antique jewelry periods are defined; what make a collector a collector; and how to keep antique jewelry in good condition without putting it away forever in a safe. Read the episode transcript here.   Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven't heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to heart part one. Today, my guest is jewelry author, journalist, historian and consultant Beth Bernstein. She is the author of several books. Welcome back.    Tell us about “The Modern Guide to Antique Jewelry,” your most recent book. I was a little put off  because I'm not into antique, but it's very readable and interesting. Tell us about it.   Beth: That was the whole point. I had read so many antique books, because I was given piles of them to read way back when. I have a library full of books on antique jewelry and vintage jewelry. There's really no difference between antique and vintage, which I write about in the book, but antique jewelry is 100 or more years old. From 2022, if you go back 100 years, it would be 1922, but we went up to 1925 because we wanted to get in some of the Art Deco period.   Anyway, I wanted to write it differently than the books I had read, and I had an aha moment in doing that. I was doing tours through seven centuries of jewelry at the Miami and New York antique shows that were produced by U.S. Antique Shows. They knew I knew a lot about antique jewelry, so it was the company's idea that I do these tours. It started out with one tour each show, then it went to two tours each show. Before the pandemic, it was going to go to three tours each show because people kept signing up.    I took people through seven centuries of jewelry, from the Georgian era all the way through the 70s, from antique to vintage. I would take them to dealers that specialized in those time periods, and we'd talk about it. Then I'd have a Q&A for an hour, which always turned into a two-hour Q&A. Then we'd go to the next tour. People would ask me to take them back to some places and help them pick out jewelry, because I do have private clients. I love dealing with private clients who ask me to find antique things for them. Sometimes they're also at the shows.    So, the aha moment came when I was doing these tours. I thought, “Oh, my god! I know all these dealers are very trustworthy. They all have different points of view. They deal in different time periods. Why don't I do museum-quality jewelry, but what's on the market today? Not what you can find only in museums, but what's out there today that's sold? Why don't I interview some of these wonderful experts I've been taking people to?” And that made it different and more readable because it was more interactive, more conversational.    The beginning of the book is how to define your collecting style, and the last chapters are how to mix modern and antique. I did that chapter with Rebecca Selva from Fred Leighton, who's a mastermind of mixing modern, vintage and antique. So, that was really fun. Then there's how to shop an antique show, how to shop at auction. There's a lot of how-tos and advice given. I also brought the dealers and the stores in to give advice, and I didn't stick to just the biggest stores. Of course, I interviewed Wartski in London; I interviewed Fred Leighton and Macklowe Gallery in New York, but I also interviewed smaller dealers like Lothar Antiques, who is at Portobello. It's different companies and it's global. That was the fun of the book. So, it's part travelogue because I interviewed people across the United States, the U.K., Paris, Amsterdam and Belgium.   Sharon: Wow! Did you write the proposal and then go to the publisher? Did they come to you? How does that work?   Beth: I've always written the proposal and gone to the publisher. For this book, I went to my publisher for “If These Jewels Could Talk” because I thought they did a wonderful job. He kept going back and forth. He wanted it to be not so conversational at first. He wanted it to be more like the old antique books he published, because he published a lot of antique books. It's called ACC Art Books. It was Antique Collectors Club originally, but now it's ACC Art Books. Then, all of a sudden, he came around. He was like, “No, we shouldn't do it like that. We should do it the way you originally suggested.” It took him a year to come to that.    Then I wrote it, and there was an eight-month lag after I wrote it because of the pandemic. I wrote it at the beginning of the pandemic and handed it in on deadline, but it took eight more months for it to be published than it was supposed to. That was kind of interesting. People had to be put on furlough, and then there was a paper shortage, and it wasn't getting to the ports on time. When it finally came out, I was holding my breath until it finally came in.    What I'm hearing from everyone that has read it and reviewed it—I write for Rapaport and Jewelry Connoisseur, and the editor-in-chief of those magazines, Sonia, read it. She said, “I read it straight through because it was so readable. It was like you wanted to keep going.” That made me feel really good.   Sharon: And you're working on another book now.   Beth: Yeah, I'm working on another two books right now.   Sharon: Can you tell us anything about those? I said this book was an overview, but it's very specific. It's not an overview like some of the other books I've read on antiques.   Beth: No, it's very specific because it has all different time periods. It's an antique book, so it could only go to the beginnings of Art Deco. Vintage starts after that. So, it was very specific. I did the grand period as a separate chapter because the Victorian chapter was so big. Because, as you know, there are three different periods in the Victorian era.    Sentimental jewelry is my favorite type of antique jewelry. That's what I collect the most of. That was its own chapter, even though it crosses over Georgian and Victorian. So, I pulled out some things from different periods and made them their own chapters. I also thought alternative materials should be its own chapter. Berlin iron went into alternative materials; rock crystal went into different materials, things that I thought would be interesting on their own and in their own chapters.   Sharon: Did you collect antique jewelry from the beginning, or did you collect all different kinds of jewelry?   Beth: I have collected antique jewelry for the past 25 years. Before that, I wouldn't call myself a collector; I'd call myself a person who wore jewelry I liked, and most of that was by modern jewelers. When I started collecting antique, like most people, I started with the Victorian era. It's easier to understand than the Roman period, which is the first period, and the aesthetic period, which is more fun. When Queen Elizabeth goes into mourning, it's very dark; it's very black. It's called the grand period. It's also where the archaeological revival period comes into play. I think all the things people are redoing today, the crescent moons and swallows and snakes—her engagement ring was a snake ring—I think are pieces with meaning. All those pieces from the Victorian period have meanings that align with flowers. All the different floral motifs have meaning. Those were easy to collect, you could understand them, and they were pretty. So, that's what I started collecting.   Then I went into the Georgian period, not so much the earrings, but the rings. I love Georgian rings. I have a whole collection of Georgian rings. It sits in a safety deposit box. You can't wash your hands with Georgian rings because there's a closed-back setting. During the pandemic, washing your hands so much, you cannot hold them.    I think you asked me if I have different parameters when I collect antique jewelry compared to modern jewelry, and yes, there are parameters for me. I don't really collect modern jewelry. I buy what I like from modern jewelers, from different designers. Yes, I probably have one, two or three pieces from a collection because I like their design aesthetic. If it's wearable, if it's versatile, if it's made well and goes along with my style, I will buy modern jewelry, but I buy antique jewelry mostly for the character and the provenance. I tend to like jewelry that will appreciate with time, which most antique jewelry will, but also for the authenticity, the rarity and the museum quality of it. I also like sentimental jewelry the best. I tend to stick with those or jewelry with symbolism and meaning.   Sharon: You must have dealers who run the other way when they see you coming because you know so much.   Beth: Actually, the dealers love that because they don't have to explain it to you. You just pick up a piece and you'll ask some questions, but people that don't know anything ask way more questions than I will. Quite frankly, antique dealers and people that own antique stores love talking about jewelry. That's why they're in antique jewelry. They love talking about the age and what it is, if they're honest and honorable like the people in my book.   Sharon: I was reading about how there are so many different definitions of collectors. Somebody in the book, I can't remember who it was, had a longer version explaining who has a collection versus who's a collector. There are so many different definitions.   Beth: I don't think it was a definition between who's a collector and who has a collection. I think there are different types of collectors. One type of collector might collect only for historical reasons and never wear it, like art for art's sake. Other people will combine and collect some things for historic importance. For example, I have some pieces I know are historical and really representative of the time period. I don't wear those pieces that much because I want them in perfect condition. That's kind of for art's sake, but mostly I don't believe you should keep your jewelry in a safe or a safety deposit box. Now, those pieces are in a safety deposit box for that reason.    Then there are collectors that only collect a certain period, like only the Georgian period or only the Victorian period. I'm a collector of different periods. I love Art Deco line bracelets with the different cuts of stone. I love the lacey feeling of Edwardian jewelry. I love Georgian rings. I love sentimental jewelry. So, I'm a multi-collector of pieces. Then there are collectors who want to wear their jewelry, so they only collect pieces they can wear every day. I don't think it's collection versus collector; I think it's the type of collector, and there are many types.   Sharon: When you said Georgian, that's my first thought. I have a couple pieces of Georgian, which are so delicate. I just couldn't wear them. A Georgian ring, as you're talking about, you can't wear it.   Beth: You can wear it once in a while. You have to be very careful.  Know how you can wear it and that you cannot get it wet. I've gone to shows where I've worn my Georgian rings. I put a bolt ring on a necklace and stuck it inside so when I washed my hands, I put the rings on the bolt ring so I didn't leave it on the sink. That's what I've always been worried about. You have to take it off to wash.   Sharon: That's a good way to do it. I hadn't thought about that. When does somebody cross over from being an enthusiast, which I consider myself? You might say I have a lot, but I've never discovered what I want to collect. I like bracelets, but I don't collect them. How do you cross over?   Beth: I don't know exactly how you cross over. I have two favorite stones, moonstones and rubies, I think because I'm a hopeful romantic. Moonstones are also lucky. They have a lot of meanings, and I love the fact that they change the light. A good moonstone will change the light. It's just magical. Rubies are all about passion, and I love the two together. They're beautiful mixed together, and I can enjoy antique jewelry or modern jewelry. Anyway, one of my first pieces was one of those slag moonstone necklaces from the Victorian period because I love moonstones.    The second was a turquoise forget-me-not ring. Forget-me-nots have two different meanings. They mean “remember me” from the giver to the wearer, or in mourning jewelry that's all black, they mean the remembrance of somebody that's gone. Mine was a more of a lover's token. I also have a passion for hearts if they're designed well. Not like holiday hearts; more like a double heart with a bowtie. That was a ring I bought from a dealer. It was a Burmese ruby and an old mine cut diamond tied together with a bowtie, which means two hearts together tied as one. Finding out the meaning of these things is wonderful.    I worked for a dealer at one of her shows, and she said to me, “You don't have to own everything you think is pretty. You can just look at it and think it's pretty. You don't have to own it just because you think it's beautiful.” So, I became more selective of what I was going to own, not just because it was pretty. Also having private clients and knowing what they like, I started to buy things to resell, so then I could own them and think they were pretty and then resell them. I didn't keep them for my own collection.    But I think it's a very fine line between being a jewelry enthusiast and being a collector and the type of collector you are. Like I said, I collect from different time periods. One time period I didn't collect from was the Art Nouveau period, except for some pieces that were plique-à-jour enamel that had romantic sayings because it goes along with sentimental jewelry. I thought it wasn't very wearable until I helped Macklowe Gallery and Peter Schaffer and realized there were different ways to wear them. It was a really good learning experience.   Sharon: I can see why. What do you look for? You say you became more selective. What do you look for?   Beth: Like I mentioned before, authenticity, verity. I don't see it everywhere. There are Victorian pieces that were made during the Industrial Revolution that you can find. They're either exactly the same piece or pieces that are like it that were made by the same maker. You can find the same snake ring by the same manufacturer again and again, even if it's a little bit different. I try and find the snake ring you can't find everywhere. I have five different snake rings. Two of them you can find in different places, I think, but I love them. I kept them because those are the rings you can wear every day.    Sharon: As your knowledge and your collection, whatever you want to call it, has grown, do you think you curate it more in a sense?   Beth: Yes, I do. I think it's been curated now to be very sentimental, very meaningful. I also love different styles of chains and charms, so I love creating charm necklaces that have different meanings. One will be the travel charm necklace; one will be the love lock and protection necklace; one will be only the protection necklace. When I collect interesting charms, I'll make different necklaces out of them. They'll all be on different chains so I don't have to keep changing it around.   Sharon: Thank you so much for being here today.   Beth: Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Hopefully I answered all your questions.   We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

What you'll learn in this episode: How Beth became a self-taught expert and collector of antique jewelry The definition of antique jewelry, and how it's different from vintage jewelry What separates an enthusiast from a collector, and why collectors have different goals for their collections How to enjoy Georgian jewelry while keeping it safe The meaning behind popular Victorian jewelry motifs About Beth Bernstein Beth Bernstein is a jewelry historian, jewelry expert and collector of period and modern jewels—a purveyor of all things sparkly. She has a romance going on with the legend, language and sentiment behind the pieces. Her love for the story has inspired Beth to pen four books, with a fifth one in the works, and to spend the past twenty years as an editor and writer on the subject of jewels-old and new. She is a die-hard jewelry fan, so much so that she has designed her own collection throughout the 90s and continues to create bespoke jewels and work with private clients to procure antique and vintage jewelry She owns a comprehensive consulting agency Plan B which provides a roster of services in multiple facets of the jewelry industry. These include building, launching and evolving designer brands and retail brick & mortar/online shops and curating designer shows and private collections. Additional Resources: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Pintrest Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: Diving into centuries of antique jewelry can be intimidating for even the biggest jewelry lover, but Beth Bernstein is proof that anyone can find their niche in jewelry history. A collector of sentimental jewelry across several periods, Beth is a jewelry consultant and author of “The Modern Guide to Antique Jewelry.” She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how antique jewelry periods are defined; what make a collector a collector; and how to keep antique jewelry in good condition without putting it away forever in a safe. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it's released later this week. Today my guest is jewelry author, journalist, historian and consultant Beth Bernstein. She is the author of several books including “If These Jewels Could Talk,” “My Charmed Life,” “Jewelry's Shining Stars” and the recent and very readable “The Modern Guide to Antique Jewelry.” We will hear more about her jewelry journey today. Beth, welcome. Beth: Hi. So nice to be here. Sharon: It's great to have you. Beth, can you tell us a little bit about your jewelry journey? Did you like jewelry when you were young? Beth: Oh, yes. My favorite thing was to wear a tiara. Most young girls, I would say, think they're princesses, but I have a cute little story to tell. I had my appendix out when I was six, which is really young to have your appendix out. For some reason, they made me a Frankenstein scar. I hated the scar. Back then, they kept you in the hospital for two weeks. It really was the most horrible scar, so my mom wanted to make me feel like I was beautiful. Back then, Bloomingdale's in New York was the store you went to. So, we go to Bloomingdale's—I always had dime-store tiaras, the plastic rhinestone tiaras—and in the window I see this tiara-like headband dripping with Swarovski crystals. Later I found out my mom described it as the most ostentatious headpiece or even worse than that. Anyway, we go in. I'm l like, “I want that. I want that.” So, we go into the store, and she pulls over the salesperson. I didn't know this at that time, but I heard the story later on. She said, “Bring her out a lot of jewels. I'll make up a story about this one, but bring her out something for her age, like a little tiara-like headband thing.” She said to me, “I have to tell you something the salesgirl just told me. The tiara you love is reserved for a duchess from a faraway land.” I went, “Oh, my god, I have such good taste,” and she said, “You have royal taste, right?” From then on, I believed I had royal taste, and I got a pretty seed pearl headband, quite advanced for my age. I've loved jewelry ever since I was young. My mom wasn't a big jewelry fan, but my grandmother was. My grandparents didn't have a lot of money, but she saved, and she'd go to secondhand stores. I think they were like pawn shops. She'd find these gorgeous Art Deco jewelry there, and she'd get them for a great price. She had some faux and real. I would go over to her house, and she'd let me stay up way past when my mother would let me stay up, and we would watch a Late Movie. Most people don't remember the Late Movie, but it had movies like To Catch a Thief and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and even melodramas like Madame X and Back Street. I would watch all these wonderful movies, Marlene Dietrich movies, and I loved the jewelry. So, we'd dress up in jewelry while we were watching the movies. She'd pour ginger ale in champagne glasses, and we'd drink like we were drinking champagne. The next day we'd go out and buy the jewelry at Woolworths, the five and dime, like we saw in the movies, but for 10 cents. It was all plastic and rhinestone jewelry. It was a lot of fun. So, yeah, I've always loved jewelry. Sharon: Would you say that's why you started liking jewelry? Because of the tiara and dressing up with your grandmother? Beth: Yeah, and the movies. I was always very into movies, which is why I wrote “If These Jewels Could Talk.” It connects the celebrities in the movies to the back stories. I'm as much of a jewelry geek as I am a movie geek. I think it was the fun and the glamor of it as a kid. I'll be very honest; it was at a time when I was probably eleven and my parents started talking about divorce. They got divorced when I was 13. So, it was a time in my life when I needed something to escape from all of that. It was a good escape to get into the glamor of those old movies and the jewelry. When I was six, having my appendix out and having that horrible scar, putting that thing on my head actually did make me feel pretty and like a duchess from a faraway land. I did start believing I had royal taste. Sharon: That's funny. I've heard several people say they liked tiaras when they were younger. I'm not sure I knew what a tiara was then. As you got older, did your education bring you to jewelry? Beth: Not really, because I was an English major and a psychology minor. Basically, I was writing poetry and short stories, wanting to be the great American novelist and poetess. I was doing really well in school. I was going to Boston University. I had some poetry and short stories published, and I was editor of the literary journal. My father owned textile mills in Italy and my mother, when she went back to work after my parents got divorced, became a senior vice president of a huge sportswear company. There were fashion and textiles in my blood. So, I was going to school, and my father said, “I'm not going to support you while you're a starving writer trying to write poetry or a novel. Write about what you know. Write about fashion.” I said, “Absolutely not,” even though I love fashion. But then I did start writing about fashion. My first story was actually for McCall's magazine about rust-proofing your car, because I was a non-fiction assistant editor. I got turned down from Condé Nast and Hearst because I didn't type enough words a minute. I was typing on a regular typewriter, and I was just under. But McCall's didn't give you a typing test, so that was my first job. After McCall's magazine, I started working as a freelancer. I wrote about fashion. I also styled fashion shoots, but my favorite thing to style was jewelry and, for some reason, shoes. When I went to the big houses in New York, like Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan, I loved to see what jewelry they were going to sell with their collections. Eventually, I continued to write about fashion for a bunch of magazines. Then, all of a sudden, I came up with an idea for a jewelry collection. Prior to that, I also became a wardrobe stylist for TV. I styled for MTV, Showtime, Comedy Central, all the cable channels. While I was doing that, because of all my contacts in jewelry through styling and by writing about jewelry and fashion, I had a sort of a collection. So, I knew who to go to to put the collection together. I went to this one company where I was very good friends with the owner, and he said, “Oh yeah, it's a great idea. I think it would sell great at Henri Bendel.” This was when Henri Bendel was really cool. So, I thought it would be a collection for Bendel. He helped me put it together, because I didn't know about castings and all that kind of thing. It sold at Bendel. Then a friend of mine, who was an actor and a comedian while I was in wardrobe styling, said, “Why don't you start your own jewelry company? You have really great ideas,” and I said, “You know what? O.K.” That was how my life went. I was like, “O.K., I'll go from fashion into wardrobe styling then to jewelry,” because I really did love jewelry. Sharon: You were designing it, too. Wow! Beth: Yes, now I'm designing it. I started a small collection, and it sold to over 250 stores. However, I was selling to Barneys New York, Beverly Hills and Chicago and Barneys Japan, but that was Barneys first Chapter 11. They owed me a ton of money, and I didn't know how I was going to produce for the other stores. So, long story short, they owed me a ton of money, but they kept us all in the stores and paid us up front to keep going, but we never got the money they owed us. I was really stretched to the limit because I literally wasn't making any other money. So, I started writing about jewelry because I knew more about it. Now, I knew about casting and setting and how to do waxes and all that. I wasn't doing it, but I knew all about that, so I started writing about jewelry for magazines I had worked with and other people in fashion had recommended. I was also very good at revamping magazines, making them more modern and into the future. So, I started writing while I was also designing jewelry. That's how it all happened. With Barneys, I got 30 cents on the dollar. Six years later, which is when I finally closed my business—back then, they rarely liked independent designers. There was only so much money to be made. I made so many mistakes with reps. A jewelry designer who was very smart said to me, “The worst thing that could happen to you is not having your own name on a collection,” and I said, “No, the worst thing that could happen is not having a volume, because I've been writing all my life.” He said, “So, you have the answer. Go design for these big designers. Get paid well and keep your bylines. Keep writing.” That's exactly what I did. Then I decided it was the smaller designers that needed my help. So, I started my own company to help small, independent designers with marketing, merchandising design and writing their press kits, as I was still writing for magazines. I'm answering you before you're even asking me a question. Sharon: No, this is free form. Go ahead. Beth: Basically, while I was doing all these different things, I started to collect antique jewelry. I had this feeling for antique jewelry. I love the idea of old mine cuts and the old rose cut diamonds. I didn't like a lot of bling or sparkle. I love the meaning behind Victorian jewelry. As I was collecting from the dealers, I was learning little by little. There were a lot of jewelers in New York back then. Eventually, I picked out a ring in the case at an amazing Madison Avenue shop, and she said, “It's one of my favorite rings in the case.” She and I had just met, and she's since passed away. I usually dedicate my books to my mom or my grandmother or both. My mom passed away young, and my grandmother lived until 97. They were the real inspirations in my life, but I dedicated “The Modern Guide to Antique Jewelry” to Hazel Halperin because she taught me so much of what I know. When I picked out the ring, she said, “It's a favorite in my case. I do layaways, so you can pay it off.” I'm like, “Great.” Then she said, “Do you want to come work for me?” and I said, “You don't know me. How do you know you can even trust me?” She said, “I know I can trust you. Every ring you picked out in the case is my best ring. It's like you have an eye for this.” She gave me books to bring home every weekend to read. I went to work for her on weekends. I was working seven days a week doing writing for magazines, still some consulting work, some custom work, and working for her, learning about antique jewelry on weekends. That really helped me learn how to collect antique jewelry. Through her, I was able to go to the big antique shows and meet other dealers, whom I still know to this day. A lot of them are still alive and are quoted in the book, because I've been dealing with them for 25 years. That's how that came about. Sharon: Did learning how to collect antique jewelry help you learn how to collect in general, or was it only antique? Beth: Only antique. Because I designed modern jewelry, I knew what I liked about modern jewelry. With antique, she taught me things to look for, like if something was repurposed, if something was put together, like if the shank was added later than the actual front of the ring. She taught me a lot of different aspects about antique jewelry. She taught me about the time periods and how to identify them. She taught me so much, and the books she had me bring home to read taught me a lot, too. She was a wonderful teacher. She'd always throw in a little story about my life as it was at that time, and how dating would relate to some jewelry stories. She was funny and I just loved her. She really helped. Sharon: Was she your inspiration? She was an inspiration for the antique jewelry book, but was she an inspiration for your other jewelry books, like “My Charmed Life”? Beth: Well, “My Charmed Life” isn't a jewelry book. It's a memoir. It's called “My Charmed Life.” Penguin published it in 2012. I'll tell you about why it's called “My Charmed Life.” It's “My Charmed Life” and the subtitle is “Rocky Romances, Precious Family Connections and Searching For a Band of Gold.” I was writing a memoir. It was a bit different because I also wrote first-person essays for women's magazines on dating, relationships and family. They always had to have some humor, so I knew that anything heartfelt also had to have a bit of humor. If it's grief, it has to have humor. So, I learned the combination of doing that, and I love writing those kinds of things. So, I was working on a memoir, and I kept hearing the word, “Platform. You need a platform.” I thought, “I have a platform in jewelry, but that's not going to work with this memoir, so I need to change it up a bit.” So, I connected different pieces. Every chapter starts with a piece of jewelry. There's love beads. There's solitary rings. There's the Claddagh ring from when I was going out with the Irish guy. There were a lot of different chapters. It was all metaphor for what I was talking about, and that was chapters from a young age up to age 50. It wasn't really about the pieces of jewelry; it was about what was going in my life and the jewelry related to that. People call it a jewelry book, but it wasn't. When you start reading it, you'll realize that it's really a book about life. It's universal. It's about parents divorcing, parents dying young, family relationships, relationships with nieces and nephews, being single when your younger brothers have kids, and all these different things women can relate to. What links do you like more than jewelry? It's the mosaic ashtray you make for mom in day camp that she still kept, or when she got divorced, how she traded in her Jackie O. pearls for love beads, which were my love beads. She was wearing my love beads because she was a young mom who got divorced. It was the 70s and she wanted to be cool. So, it was all about that. That was the first book. The second book was about emerging modern jewelers who I got to know from consulting and writing about them. I wrote about 38 designers who I thought really had it. These days, the market is saturated with modern designers. Stephen Webster was an amazing designer. I thought, “Who can write the forward for this book?” I went to Stephen because we were friends, and they knew he'd do a great job because he was once an emerging designer himself. He was funny, and he had all that heartfelt humor. He was a bench jeweler. He wrote a great forward. He said, “You're going to have to really fix this up,” and all I had to do was fix one word that I didn't think was right because it was very British, and I didn't think everyone would understand. Stephen had to fix one word. It was such a great book. The next book was “If These Jewels Could Talk: The Legends Behind Celebrity Gems.” That was about the stories behind celebrity jewelry and celebrity jewelry houses, like Van Cleef & Arpels, who made the jewelry for celebrities and films, and how the jewelry helped character development. I was very into the films, as I said. One of my friends said, “You wanted to write that book 20 years ago.” I said, “Yeah, I did,” because of my geekiness about film and because I could remember every line in certain films I loved. I learned more about who owned the jewelry as I was writing the book. Back then, a lot of the big stars like Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly—when she was Grace Kelly and before she was princess of Monaco—wore their own jewelry. Joan Crawford wore all of her own jewelry in films. Elizabeth Taylor wore her own jewelry in certain films. When it came to awards shows, when they were televised, they wore their own jewelry. It was really interesting. I loved writing that book as well. And then here we are with “The Modern Guide to Antique Jewelry.” I'm not only writing a book about antique jewelry, but I think—once again, I'm going on without you asking me a question. We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

In this week's episode, we chat with Beth Barnham, Technical SEO Specialist at Liberty Marketing about all things schema. Where to find Beth: Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethbarnham --- Episode Sponsor This season is sponsored by NOVOS. NOVOS, the London-based eCommerce SEO agency, has won multiple awards for its eCommerce SEO campaigns including Best Global SEO Agency of The Year 2 years running working with brands like Bloom & Wild and Not On The High Street. They are running an exclusive Shopify SEO roundtable for eCommerce leaders on September 23rd with limited spaces available. If you're interested, reach out to them via thisisnovos.com or message their co-founder Antonio Wedral on LinkedIn. Where to find Novos: Website - https://thisisnovos.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/thisisnovos Twitter - https://twitter.com/thisisnovos Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thisisnovos/ --- Episode Transcript Areej: Hey, everyone, welcome to a new episode of the Women in Tech SEO podcast, I'm Areej AbuAli and I am the founder of Women in Tech SEO. Today's episode is all about schema. And joining me today is the brilliant Beth Barnham, who is the Technical SEO Specialist at Liberty Marketing. Hey, Beth! Beth: Hey, Areej. Thanks for having me. Areej: I'm so excited that we had a pitch come through about schema. So, thank you for pitching yourself forward. Beth: No, that's cool. It's really exciting and it's one of my favourite topics. So, anybody who knows me will know that I talk about it a lot because it's just really fun. And I like to just have a lot of fun with everything. That's all there is to say. Areej: So, can you tell us a little bit more about you and how you got into the world of SEO? Beth: Yeah, sure. So, I'm a Technical SEO Specialist at Liberty Marketing based in Cardiff at the moment, but I've got an agency background. So, when I finished uni, I knew that I wanted to work in digital marketing but wasn't really sure where. So, I kind of you know, digital marketing is kind of a massive sphere, isn't it? So, I went to an agency that as a graduate style scheme, and I worked through PPC, content, social media and SEO. And originally, I thought that social media was going to be what I wanted to do and ironically, I hate it now. So, I found SEO was something that I. I liked understanding how people got to where they did online without having to kind of pay for it. So, I knew I didn't focus on that element of it when I was in that agency. It paved the way, as a lot of SEOs say, and you just kind of find your way. Then I worked at another couple of agencies before I ended up at Liberty. And Liberty is kind of carved out my technical side, which is something that I love. And I just want to get as much exposure and understanding of tech as I can. So that's why the Women in Tech SEO is brilliant, because it gives you that exposure to other women in the industry. But also, there's a lot of chat with the tech side of things as well. So, it's perfect. Areej: Yeah. And how do you find working agency side? Beth: Well, I can't compare it with anything because I've only really worked agency-side apart from other non-digital jobs. So, I love it. I love the variety and my mind is really busy. So, I like to I can work in one industry in the morning and another in the afternoon and I get that exposure to all different industries, and I learn loads of different things that I wouldn't do before. So, I like that. And I like the difference and speaking with clients and just having like-minded people around. Sometimes you don't get in the house if it's a smaller team. So that's kind of my reason for an agency. But yeah, it's quite biased because I've only ever really been an agency. Areej: I did agency for five years before moving in-house. And there's so much that you learn when your agency side. With SEOs who are starting, for example, I always advise them to start with the...

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we interviewed the MAÄT 1.0 Legging co-founders, Beth Godfrey and Fiona Devaney. The MAÄT 1.0 Legging is a yoga legging with built-in padding to protect your knees so that every yoga practice can be seamless and distraction-free. Designed with the fit and flexibility of wetsuit padding and the edgy aesthetic of motorcycle gear, the MAÄT 1.0 Legging provides comfort and is made to flatter. Learn how Beth and Fiona raised over $37,000 for their Kickstarter campaign with the support of over 220 backers. Topics Discussed and Key Crowdfunding Takeaways How Fiona's background inspired the design of the MAÄT 1.0 Legging The different ways Beth and Fiona drew inspiration during the design process How the MAÄT 1.0 Legging's Kickstarter campaign transpired Fiona's thoughts on pursuing entrepreneurship An inside look into the product design of the MAÄT 1.0 Legging Links MAÄT 1.0 Legging's Kickstarter Campaign MAÄT 1.0 Legging's Preorder Link Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Naomi Klein The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate buyer's guide for cool luxury gadgets and creative gifts. Click here to learn more and list your product - use coupon code ATOKK16 for 20% off! Transcript View this episode's transcript Roy Morejon: Welcome entrepreneurs and startups to art of the kickstart, the podcast that every entrepreneur needs to listen to before you launch. Roy Morejon: I'm your host, Roy Morejon, president and founder of Enventys Partners. The world's only turnkey product launch company that has helped over 2000 innovations successfully raise over $400 million in capital since 2010. Each week I interview a crowdfunding success story, an inspirational entrepreneur or a business expert, in order to help you take your startup to the next level. This show would not be possible without our main sponsor ProductHype. A 300,000 member crowdfunding media site and newsletter, that's generated millions of dollars in sales for over a thousand top tier projects since 2017. Check out producthype.co to subscribe to the weekly newsletter. Now, let's get on with the show. Roy Morejon: Welcome to another edition of art of the kickstart. Today. I'm super excited because I am talking with co-founders Beth Godfrey and Fiona Devaney. They are the co-founders of MAAT Legging. This campaign actually just launched, so they're super stressed out, but super excited. So I'm really excited to have you guys on the show and talk about this amazing product. So Beth and Fiona, thank you so much for joining us today on the show. Fiona: Thank you for having us. Beth: Yeah, thanks for having us. Roy Morejon: All right. So like I said, you guys just click the button. So how does it feel? Fiona: Relief. I mean, it's exciting, but I feel relief because I mean, Beth is on the west coast, but she was working later. We both worked till really late, just double checking, triple checking, and then this morning got back at it. So it just feels good. I think I'm speaking for all of us. We feel like we did the best we could. We checked everything. We took our time. We did our research and it feels good for me. And I think it's the same for you, Beth? Beth: Yeah, I learned more than I ever thought I could about dimensional weight and international shipping and how that all works. So that's been great. Roy Morejon: Nice. Beth: [inaudible 00:02:13]. Roy Morejon: Let's jump in I guess a little bit and give our audience a little bit of background, right? We're getting ahead of ourselves because we're so excited about the launch, which is active right now on Kickstarter. But let's talk about the product.

Beth Trejo is CEO at Chatterkick, a digital marketing agency that focuses on using social media platforms to connect businesses in a “real way” with their customers and drive to their businesses forward. Beth warns social media is complex. Time is everything on social and companies do not have the luxury of crafting content and sending it through committee approval processes. She cites studies that show that “about 80% of all businesses are not responding to their social media messages” – they only look at Facebook Messenger, skip the other places messages come in, and potentially miss out on big opportunities. Beth believes that many companies cannot effectively manage social media internally. They may not have the time to handle the volume of content needed to build relationships. Coordinating messages across the range of platforms customers may be using adds to the challenge. In addition, businesses often do not realize that these platforms are communication channels and can used for far more than just advertising and promotion.  Beth says, “It's a lot of time to manage a social account. And if you have seven channels and lots of content going out, that's a big job.” Chatterkick's role is to help clients forge strong social media bonds and execute outreach expansion strategies. These “real connections” help companies: build employee and customer loyalty  gain competitive advantages  understand and clarify what return on investment can really mean to them. Beth explains how important it is to get employees of a company to share their employers' content. Things that can impact employees “sharing” include: Are they proud of how the company portrays itself online as a business? Do they like the company's website? Do they like the content? (Put out content that makes them proud.) Do they even know the content went out? (Tell them what is going out, when, and where and remind employees to share it if it is something they care about. Make it easy for them to share.) Do they understand the underlying technology? If they share something, who it will go to? How will they do it? What will they say? What should they say? (They may need some training.) Do they feel “authentic” in their brand amplification conversations? (Chatterkick believes that authentic content and real photos are what work on social platforms) Beth believes a strong indicator of employee pride in their company and what it is doing is when they share the company's social media content, not only with potential clients, but also with their friends and families. She has also found social media platforms to be a cost-effective way to recruit new employees – and “it's not all just a LinkedIn game.” The biggest thing to think about when recruiting is not compensation, but the value proposition. Potential recruits are more responsive when presented with visual and digital representations of the company's culture.” Even subtle differences can make jobs “stickier.” Chatterkick had elements of distributed work long before Covid. Beth says remote work takes “constant work,” open dialogue, and a lot of thought about team needs, removing communication barriers, and preventing communication overload. These needs will change, depending on the teams involved, client needs, and community impacts.  Beth can be found on her agency's website at: chatterkick.com or by email at: beth@chatterkick.com Transcript Follows: ROB: Welcome to the Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Rob Kischuk, and I'm joined today by Beth Trejo, CEO at Chatterkick based in Sioux City, Iowa. Welcome to the podcast. BETH: Thank you so much. Great to have a conversation with you today. ROB: It's great to have you here. Why don't you start off by introducing Chatterkick and what areas of excellence the firm focuses on? BETH: Yeah, I'd be happy to. Chatterkick was started 9 years ago. We really saw the need to help connect our business partners with real humans on the other end of logos. We use channels and platforms that are relevant, which happen to be social media, and we believe the power of those connections can help drive business forward. Some of our partners use us to build loyalty on behalf of their employees or their customers; other times, they use our support to help gain competitive advantages or really understand and clarify what return on investment can really mean to them. We are often categorized as a digital marketing agency, which we definitely fit into that category, but really focus on the social media platforms and how they can impact business. ROB: Got it. It might help to dig into a client as an example, because it sounds like you are perhaps more focused on the conversation aspect of social rather than the broadcast side. I might not have that quite right. Can you get us into what this might look like with a client?  BETH: Oftentimes we find that businesses don't have the time or the expertise to handle social media internally. We started on that premise and still fulfill many of those needs today. A business will come to us and say, “Hey, we need support. We're just posting every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, and that's the extent of what we're doing on social.” So, we help them develop a strategy and then execute the strategy to form those bonds from two-way communication as well as with advertising, marketing. We're seeing a ton of digital recruitment need right now. These platforms are communication channels, and I think sometimes we forget about that as business owners. There's a lot of pushing of ads and promotion out there, and that oftentimes does work. But there is so much more that can be had on these platforms, and that's where we see an opportunity for our business partners to get ahead. ROB: That's a great point to push in on, that substitutionary effect of content and objectives focusing more on maybe recruitment than some traditional messaging. How are clients looking at that? Is that an easier ROI for them to get their heads wrapped around, or is it just different? BETH: I think it sometimes is easier. It really depends. There's two things we see from return on employee engagement or digital recruitment strategies. The easiest one is “I was spending XYZ a year in the traditional ways to acquire new candidates, and I was able to save money (XYZ percentage) using some of these social tools.” Sometimes it's just as easy and simple as that. When it comes to employee engagement, it's very similar to how you would measure your customer engagement on these platforms. The most manual and probably painful tracking way is to literally tag and count, tally up, who is engaging, how much they're engaging, and digitally what does that presence look like with your team and your colleagues. Then there are other softwares and tools we can use to speed up that tracking process. But ultimately, that's where we see the businesses have some of the most success, because your employees are already connected to your customers. If they're sharing your content, even if it is bleeding out to their friends and family, that's how you know you have really proud employees that care about what you're doing. They want to spread the word personally just as much as professionally. ROB: That's an excellent point. It can be such a tricky thing to thread because people really are often proud of the work that they do but can also feel inauthentic to an extent. We just had a team retreat, and one of my team's suggestions – certainly not mine – was that the team could amplify our social content. But it also feels awkward to ask them to do that. How do you think about helping employees to feel authentic in their brand amplification conversations? BETH: That's a really good question. You never want to force people to do it. I think there is a fine line. I see a lot of businesses try to give incentives or find ways to gamify that, and I do think the concept of gamifying that is interesting. I've seen it work. But if you want to stay authentic, the best way to do it is put content out there that maybe different business units or different teams are really proud of. A lot of the hesitation when it comes to why your employees aren't sharing your content, from what we've found, is technical. Some people are still really scared and they don't know how to do some of the technical things on these platforms. They don't know, if they share it, who it will go to. How will they do it? What will they say? What should they say? If you have people that are naturally not digital natives, there may be some learning. That's the biggest barrier they're having. The other barrier we see is they just aren't proud of how you portray yourself online as a business. Ask your employees: Do they like your website? Do they like the content you're putting on social? If there's a big gap, chances are they're not going to share it. Then the other thing is a lot of people miss things in your content. It's not a matter of they don't want to; it's just they didn't know it went out. There's eight different platforms they're following; they're not thinking about searching you out. So, you need to make it extremely easy for them, even if it's as simple as sending it out in your update, like, “This is the content that's going out this week. It's important to us because of this.” Maybe you hit up your Slack channel and say, “Hey, this post just went out. If this is something you care about, please share it.” Just little reminders make the biggest difference. ROB: That nudge there certainly seems helpful. When we're talking about recruitment, I've seen billboards for restaurant jobs; I've seen online ads for executive jobs. Is there a sweet spot for you? Is it more in a B2B context, white collar? Is it consumer and retail and that sort of thing? BETH: I think the beauty of it is we're doing everything from filling food processing manufacturing jobs to high level white collar leadership positions. Again, if you just think of these platforms as communication channels and not as solutions, different strategies definitely work on a lot of the platforms, honestly. It's not all just a LinkedIn game when it comes to recruitment. The biggest thing that businesses really need to think about is, what is the value prop you're putting out there on the job? So many people are still using the “We're looking for an energetic self-starter.” When you are in a very high demand employment category, you have to offer something different. You have to find that one little thing that makes your company unique as an employer brand and lean into that, because that is what will attract the right type of candidates and the ones that maybe you're having a hard time finding in other traditional ways of recruitment. ROB: And it's not going to be as transactional, either, as the “We have $13, $15, $20, $25, $30 an hour jobs,” because what you lead with is what you get. You're going to get someone who's chasing a dollar and they'll take $5 an hour more somewhere else when they can find it. You're leading with who they can be and become. BETH: Right. If you really have it dialed in – some of the employers we're working with that are recruiting both production type jobs as well as leadership positions really have a visual and digital representation of who they are from a culture perspective. Those little, subtle differences oftentimes will help make jobs stickier. It makes a big difference when it comes to – you'll get that passive candidate that's sitting in front of their TV watching movies. Your job has to be positioned well enough that they will take action. Very different than if they're searching on Indeed and actively trying to find a job. That's where social media is extremely powerful. It's that “Would you go to a job if you didn't have to work nights and weekends?” One of our best performing ad's copy units says something along the lines of “If you can't name one reason you like your job, it's time for a different job.” It's funny because we could put every incentive out there. You'd think that's what would really drive people – sign-on bonuses and all of these very attractive financial rewards – but that one is the one that actually gets the most people to apply. ROB: That's really, really interesting. Beth, you mentioned that Chatterkick's been around about 9 years. Take us back a little bit and maybe share, how did the business start? What led you to take this dive? BETH: I did not come from an agency world. I created an agency that I would want to work with. Prior to starting Chatterkick, I was at a regional Chamber of Commerce. I was an account management position where I would go out and visit with businesses and literally ask them, “How can I help you on behalf of the Chamber?” What that led to is a lot of answers that fit into buckets of they needed to communicate with their potential employees or their potential customers. They were kind of stuck at that time – this is 12 years ago, probably – about how to navigate the digital trends, how to understand the power of their website. I saw these conversations and they were happening more and more and more, and people were looking to me for the solutions, and I was saying, “Okay, there's Facebook. Try it this way,” plug and playing all of the different platforms. I was also in in-person meetings – committee meetings, coffees, lunches – and was watching the purest and oldest school form of social networking, handshakes and connecting with people in real life and forming relationships. I really saw the power of that. I was taking that same model and helping businesses move that to the digital world. That really was the premise on how Chatterkick was born, and why I still believe in that power of a real person on the other end of some of our digital elements and platforms. I think that is a differentiator in many categories today. ROB: And your clients will certainly see that as well when you have that personal touch, that personal handshake – although some of that has been limited a little bit over the past year, limiting even for teams. Have you been able to get together with clients? Has your team been separate? How have you thought about that personal touch when the physical touch has been maybe easy, maybe not easy to find? BETH: We're a remote team anyways and we've had different elements of remote over the last 10 years. But even in the last 5 years, we've definitely hired team members in different markets, and our clients are all over the country. So that wasn't a huge change, but one of the biggest changes that we had to overcome was our content captures. One of the ways that we're a little bit different than a lot of agencies is we believe that authentic content and real photos, regardless of the type of business you have, are the things that work on social. So, we include that with every engagement, whether they're in New York City or in the Midwest. That content capture – and this is content specifically designed for social media, so it's a little bit different than a commercial photo shoot – but we had to reconfigure what those looked like when the pandemic hit. What we ended up doing was we did them virtually. It was almost like a podcast episode, and we would take the audio and use it for content. We would take the quotes and use that for Instagram stories. We would take screenshots of the person and what they were saying and develop that for thought leadership pieces. It ended up working well for a lot of our businesses that couldn't have people onsite even if they wanted to. It still allowed us to get that real content from the leadership team and from the employees working at the business without having all of the work on them to source up the photos and the pieces of content that work on the platforms. ROB: You're in this somewhat unique – not completely unique, but relatively so – position where being distributed was nothing new to you. What have you found to be some of the key factors to making distributed work and cadences of gathering, if there are any? BETH: We were just having these conversations internally, too. I think the biggest thing that I've learned about remote work is it's constant work. You need to constantly be thinking, “How can I help my team? How can I remove communication barriers? How can I help prevent communication overload?” Because that is also a real thing that happens with everybody online all the time. So it's a constant conversation that we have, and I think it's going to continuously change on what that looks like depending on the team we have, depending on the client's needs we're addressing, and the different parts of what our communities look like. Some of them are wide open right now and others are a little bit less. What does that look like for different thresholds and tolerances of gathering right now? An open dialogue and communication is really where we're starting. We did open our office. We have one primary office that is almost like a co-working flex space that we're keeping right now to let people come together locally if they would like to. We're kind of leaving it in their hands. And then our remote team, which is probably 60% of the total workforce right now, are welcome to go to co-working spaces, but many of them are still working directly in their home. ROB: That's such an interesting dynamic even in and of itself: who chooses to go out and work somewhere and who chooses not to. You see trends emerge, but it's so much deeper and more complicated than that for everyone's situation. BETH: It really is. I think just having the mindset of flexibility is really important. I know I like that. Like, “My house is going to be quiet today so I'm going to work from home,” or on the other side of that, “My kids are going to be around and having their friends at the house, so I want to be at the office today.” [laughs] I think that is really nice to be able to offer and have that flexibility on where you work, because your days all look different too. ROB: Absolutely. Beth, you mentioned how this thing started. What did it look like when it started to grow? How did you think about what goals were key to bring on, when it was key to maybe bring on someone else essential on the executive team side, that sort of thing? BETH: I have an interesting story. I started out myself, and I had an administrative partner who was more than just administrative. Almost a key executive that was able to help me ramp up the business. She wasn't working full time in the business; more of a support system. I am great at speaking and leading teams, but the details are not necessarily my friend, especially as it relates to starting a business. So, she was really able to come in and help align some of those weaknesses and things that slowed me down. Because when you're starting, you need to get customers. We ended up landing a pretty large customer in the beginning. While I thought I would be cold calling all day long, I was really working directly servicing customers. Then we had an intern come in and hired her full time. That was our first full-time employee. It was one of the scariest things I had to do as a business owner, especially at that time, because it is scary to hire someone. Once we got to a three-person team is really where I felt like we could gain a top of opportunity and momentum. We were all on the same page. We had our defined skillsets. We were able to move quickly and adjust quickly and get a lot accomplished during that timeframe. Actually, when we scaled, we kept that model and, in some regard, reverted back to these three to four people dynamic teams that surround each of the customers. In social, time is everything. You don't want to spend 4 hours creating one Facebook post and then send it to four copywriters and approval process. Overwork is a thing when it relates to content. We didn't want to have these two silos like traditional agencies have in some regards of creative on one side and execution/implementation. It was too many account management barriers. So, we created these teams that can work quickly on content and have those conversations on a regular basis. If someone needs to change copy a little bit or an employee is no longer there and they need to take them from the website, that can happen a lot quicker than trying to make it through four different departments and leadership teams. ROB: I think that's a great takeaway, that pod approach. You're not having some sort of interchangeable copy team trying to learn brand voices they haven't seen in 6 months. It makes a ton of sense. As you reflect on the business so far, what are some other lessons that you have learned where you might have course-corrected sooner in the business if you had learned these lessons sooner? BETH: I think one thing that has always been challenging for me – and it still is, and it's one of those things I continue to work on – is I often avoid conflict. Because of that, I've probably avoided tough conversations a little too long, whether that's with clients or team members. Not addressing things in a fast and immediate fashion has let things dwindle and bubble up in ways that never really was my intention, but I have noticed that can really impact the organization, again, on both the customer and the employee side. That's one thing I am continuously working on, being able to move into an area of conflict in a quicker manner and address things – still kindly and not trying to be a jerk, but sometimes those tough conversations are the ones you need to have the most. ROB: It's definitely a balance in there somewhere. We all know the stories of the closely held business where the person in charge is just kind of a maniac. BETH: Right. [laughs] ROB: How do you reflect and find those moments where sometimes it's time to let something go a little bit, sometimes it's time to lean into it and address it? BETH: Oh man, if I had the answer to that, that'd be awesome. That is something that is really hard. I think a lot of agency leadership struggles with that because, you're right, you don't want to make hasty decisions, either, and you need to have the right information. But sometimes you won't have all of the pieces of the puzzle to actually make a decision. Sometimes you've just got to move on with it. I have looked at some awesome models out there, like “Is it urgent? Is it immediate?” and better prioritizing and planning on that decision-making, but it's still tough. [laughs] ROB: Sometimes we just need to know that, too, and that helps to know that it's tough for us, absolutely. Beth, as you reflect on what's coming up next for Chatterkick and your clients – I feel like we're a little bit away from the new and exciting channels conversation for the most part. It used to be the channel of the month or the week or the year. There are still new channels, but it feels like it's less about the flavor of the day. What's coming up that you're excited about? BETH: This is probably a unique answer, but I'm actually excited that some of these platforms and the people that are using them – businesses, agencies – are reverting back to “Maybe we should look at something a little bit simpler,” or “Maybe we need to answer all of our reviews in our comments” or “Maybe we do need to take a stand on something that's important to us as an organization and put it out there into the world, or showcase our people more.” I think that is exciting to me because I've seen things become so ad-heavy, so commercialized that we forget who we're talking to. We always talk about, “Would you click on that?” I mean, how many times do we as businesses put content out there and say, “I wouldn't click on this. This doesn't look interesting to me”? There's an element of that that I think we forget about. I have seen the trends of people – and there's data that supports it – that businesses are looking for customer experience and forming those intimate relationships with their customers, and that wasn't always the case, especially in the consumer goods category or the fashion industry. But there are brands that are doing it really well, and they're seeing market share shifts. That is what really excites me because I really do think we want to know what our lipstick brand is all about. We want to have that information so that we feel like we can narrow our choices when it comes to products or services, both in the B2B and B2C space. ROB: It sounds like it ties back a little bit to that differentiated hiring conversation. We're in, as you mentioned, various stages of reopening from COVID. We have companies that need employees, we have companies that are trying to reacquire customers, we have new entrants. It seems a little bit like the transactional commodity value prop. Maybe for the moment it's even being a little bit priced out of the ad mix. Everyone needs the same ad space, the same inventory. BETH: Yeah, I definitely think that. I see, again, businesses taking a step back and saying, “We have 500 priorities today” – small businesses as much as large entities. “How are we going to prioritize what really matters to our customers, what matters to our teams that will be supporting these customers? Is what we are selling or telling a good use of our time, and does it reflect what we're about?” I have noticed that shift a little bit. I've also noticed people ignore that, and they're struggling when there's a crisis. They're struggling when some of their employees post something bad about them. They're struggling when they get a negative review. If you can't get ahead of it, you're going to be in that scenario where you're constantly playing defense. I just think that's a hard place to be in the digital space. ROB: Absolutely. When you're talking about employee reviews, is that more Glassdoor or more Yelp? BETH: You see it across the board. You see it from people posting on their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts to people posting on your employer review sites – Glassdoor, Comparably, Indeed. But then you also see it coming in your comments on your platforms. Maybe it's on your Instagram post, maybe it's on your LinkedIn post. The statistics still say that about 80% of all businesses are not responding to their social media messages, and I think a lot of that is because they're just checking Facebook Messenger. They're not checking all the other spots that these messages come in. I always tell our partners, Step 1 for ROI is just answer your digital phone. You have to be there, you have to respond. It's just the way that people want to communicate these days, and if you're not there, you may lose out on a big opportunity. ROB: That's an interesting rise that you're alluding to. The consumer-facing social is what we've historically thought about as social, but it almost seems like businesses that are smaller than would usually need a CorpComms department now have a CorpComms function to their social. BETH: Yeah. We see that even with businesses that never thought they would be – their audience isn't on Facebook, their audience isn't on Instagram. What they don't realize is they're in different mindsets. Go grab your customer's phone. Is Facebook eating up their battery? Are they on Instagram? Chances are, they are. They're just maybe not in that same mindset, or maybe they're looking at it differently. But if you're not there to check the messages, you can miss big deals or customer service complaints or just contact requests that don't get followed up with. They'll come through those channels, oftentimes. ROB: That sounds more than a little bit overwhelming, but I'm guessing that's why people call you. BETH: [laughs] Right, exactly. That's the other thing we have really tried to educate people on over the last 9 years. I understand the allure of “This is an intern's job; let's go grab an intern. They can do all the things.” But if you've ever done all the things, you realize the width of how many platforms and how different the platforms are, and then the depth and how many steps need to happen before one Facebook post or one LinkedIn post goes out. So, I think it's really important for leaders and executives to understand that this isn't just a simple thing anymore from a technical perspective. It's a lot of time to manage a social account. And if you have seven channels and lots of content going out, that's a big job. ROB: Absolutely, it is. Beth, when people want to get in touch with you and with Chatterkick, where should they go to find you? BETH: They can go to chatterkick.com. It's spelled just like it sounds. My email is pretty easy to access; it's all over our website, but it is beth@chatterkick.com. ROB: Sounds great. Beth, thank you so much for coming on the podcast, for sharing the Chatterkick journey, for sharing the fits and starts of reopening and all that means for teams and marketers and businesses as well. It's been really helpful. BETH: It's been a pleasure. Thank you so much. ROB: Thank you, Beth. Be well. Thank you for listening. The Marketing Agency Leadership Podcast is presented by Converge. Converge helps digital marketing agencies and brands automate their reporting so they can be more profitable, accurate, and responsive. To learn more about how Converge can automate your marketing reporting, email info@convergehq.com, or visit us on the web at convergehq.com.

About this Episode Time Stamps Q&A About our Guests Resources Sometimes, hands-on learning is just what children need – whether it is to give them opportunity for self-direction, a break from the structure of the classroom, or in the case of the endeavors of The Edible Classroom in Lancaster County, PA, a chance at exposure to the growing process that sometimes results in a newfound enjoyment of eating their vegetables. On today's episode of Keystone Education Radio, host Annette Stevenson speaks with the non-profit's founders Grace Julian and Beth Horst on their group's mission to get kids out of the classroom and into the dirt. Skip to: 00:49 What is Edible Classroom and how did it get started? “We just knew the benefits of it and so, hence the Edible Classroom came to be formed.” Skip to: 02:14 What are the ways that you might work with a school district and K through 12 aged students? “We always incorporate the state standards and we're very fortunate to be able to do that in a way that happens very organically, because everything that we do is really covered by a state standard." “The beauty of it is a garden can cover so many different bases and there's so many opportunities for a variety of programs so we kind of have a little bit of everything.” Skip to: 04:45 How does involving children in gardening improve self-esteem? “And as children are in a controlled environment, many times where they are scheduled to do things, the outdoor environment allows freedom of exploration, freedom of observation, that culminates just good mental health as they're able to self-direct.” Skip to: 06:07 Is there a correlation between K-12 students being involved in such a program and then actually on the science achievement side? “We can see the learning take place in the garden through the students' hands-on application of a topic that they heard about and now they're actually seeing in real life.” Skip to: 09:29 What are some of the Edible Classroom's biggest impacts or accomplishments? “We are giving the children the opportunity to participate in the garden and we find across the board that their investment in the process will not guarantee that they like everything, but it will open the door to curiosity, to maybe trying what it is that they've been tending and watering.” “We see the impacts all the time and just, those are very meaningful to us and what we do and reinforcing that what we're doing is really good for these kids.” Skip to: 12:37 If a school district is interested in working with you to get a program started, how do they begin? “We love to meet with schools to try to facilitate whatever it is they want to do.” Skip to: 13:46 If parents want to begin gardening with their children at home, do you have any suggestions for how to begin that in sort of a manageable way? “Rather than head straight into a full-size garden, I think starting small will guarantee your success.” Skip to: 15:24 What is your favorite thing to plant and grow? “I love to plant and grow tomatoes and I always plant too many.” “I love ... gardening simply and picking something straight from the vine and popping it in your mouth is a very simple way to eat. And I appreciate that in our very busy lifestyles.” Q: So let's start by, if you wouldn't mind telling us a bit about Edible Classroom and how you got started. A (Grace): We're a nonprofit organization and we exist to teach children where real food comes from. We partner with schools and communities in the area to develop learning gardens where the students can see and touch and feel, smell, taste, whole foods. A (Beth): Yeah. So we got started, Grace and I had both independently started school gardens at our children's elementary schools and served as the volunteer garden coordinators there. So we were able to see a garden start to finish from the ground up, which was incredibly important and influential in what we did later.

Beth Pickens is a Los Angeles-based consultant for artists and arts organizations and the author of Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles (Chronicle Books, 2021) and Your Art Will Save Your Life (Feminist Press, 2018).  TRANSCRIPT: ZAK: Just saying the word...need, gives makes me hesitate a bit. Instead of coming out and telling someone, I need your help, I usually modify to, I could use your help. But, thanks to today's guest, Beth Pickens, I'm working on being more forthcoming with my needs. BETH: I think we have to always tell people everything that we need because we all float around we're just little children masquerading as adults...just assuming that nobody needs anything and we're the only ones with needs and we have to get rid of those needs or diminish them. But we all need emotional support. ZAK: What's a way that we can practice giving and asking for help? BETH: I like to do everything starting with a quantity. Just quantifying it. A goal of, I'm gonna ask for three things this week that are directly related to my creative practice. And here's what those needs are gonna be and here are some appropriate people I think I could ask. And I'm just gonna practice on the asking. I have no control over the outcome. Then I'm gonna avail myself three times to people. Maybe I'm asked for something or maybe I offer something or I connect with another artist friend and say, this is the kind of help I need right now. What kind of help do you need right now? Let's help each other find it. ZAK: And not necessarily a one-to-one where the help you're offering you're getting back from the same person? BETH: Right. Cause maybe the things you ask for maybe you don't know how to give or you don't have that resource to give. Or maybe the person you're asking for something from, they have a different thing to reciprocate with. Cause we all have different things to offer. Some are universal but many are very different. And we always have to identify, who do we ask...How do we match the ask, the request to somebody's who's appropriate. Rather than I'm gonna try to ask this person for emotional support who I know cannot or will not give it. But if I try hard enough, I can prove that I won by going to the hardware store for a gallon milk. They don't have it to give. So we have to think about who are we going to for which things and one person cannot meet every need which is the fallacy of marriage and modernity. ZAK: Totally. It's kind of like a creativity time-bank you're describing. BETH: Yeah, very much so.

Learn More About The Content Discussed...No Boss Talk:https://nobosstalk.comKelly Roach’s Website:https://kellyroachcoaching.comKelly Roach on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/kellyroachinternationalThe Camp Elevate Facebook Group:hereBeth’s Instagram:@bethholdengravesBeth’s website:https://www.bethholdengraves.comProfit HER Way Course:https://www.bethholdengraves.com/profitKeynotes discussed:Now I feel like I can like look you in the eyes, I can have a real conversation, we can connect with one another. I never once felt like I could connect with people. It's like it almost stole my superpower because I was so good at selling when I could connect with people. (07:16)If you decide that you want this to be a moneymaking venture, you can, you know, turn it into a business where you can quit your day job, retire your spouse, travel the world, retire, whatever the case. (12:34)She did a $300,000 launch her first month and unstoppable because she leveraged her existing Facebook group that she had never really understood how to get maximum value out of. (15:22)The way that you create that is when you deliver compelling content that really meets people where they are and serves them in a really high level. (16:52)And this is the big piece that sets you apart besides just personable, valuable content that works by the connection is the accountability piece is, I have someone in my inbox saying, Hey, Beth let's chat. (20:39)When Did It Air...January 20, 2020Episode Transcript...Beth:Welcome to ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’. If you are determined to break glass ceilings and build it your way, this show is for you. I’m your host Beth Graves and I am obsessed with helping you to not just dream it, but make the plan, connect the dots and create what you crave. Are you ready? Let’s get started.Hey bosses and welcome back. Another episode that I'm saying, oh my goodness, pinch me, how did I get this opportunity? I guess it happened because I visualized, manifested and just decided I will have Kelly Roach on the show. And it is happening! I'm excited for you to dive into this episode. A little bit about Kelly is, she is known as the Business Catalyst helping elite business owners become game changers in their field, achieving million-dollar breakthroughs in business. She has helped me to have my own personal breakthrough and you'll hear about that in this episode.She is a former fortune 500 executive and she transitioned from her big, big job in fortune 500 to working with online strategies for entrepreneurs. I am so grateful that she made this transition so that she could be accessible to all of us with her live launch strategies. She's been featured in every major publication on every major news station and now on You're Not the Boss of Me podcast. She has her own podcast too, which is called Unstoppable Success Radio. I listened to it without fail every single time when an episode drops. I cannot wait for you to hear what Kelly has to say. And trust me, you will want to hear about how the live launch method can help you grow your online or network marketing business. So, are you ready, bosses? Here we go.All right, everyone welcome. And you can't even imagine how excited I am to have like my girl crush idle with me. It's like when she said yes, I felt like, Oh my gosh. So, Kelly Roach, welcome.Kelly:Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.Beth:So, I found you when I was scrolling Facebook one day and I saw this perky video about how we could use live video, to sell without being weird, spammy, all of those things. And I was so curious because most of our listeners are network marketers who are looking to be more authentic and genuine. And I know with your live launch programs, you work with a ton of us. I'm wondering, coaching clients. So can you talk about what comes to mind when, let's go back to when you decided that the webinar or, and we do a lot of that even in network marketing was old school and how you discovered life being the way to create better community, create better connections and have more sales.Kelly:Yeah, definitely. Well, you know, if I dial it back to where all of my original business success came from, I was literally going door to door business to business, working for a fortune 500 company doing sales. I literally would come in the office; I would pound the phones for four hours straight. Like literally didn't even put the phone down. It would rest on my shoulder in between calls until I got a headset. And, and then in the afternoon I would go out every day to 20 to 30 businesses. So, this was like hardcore, you know, sell it. Right? And, but what was really, really cool about it was Beth, when I could connect, you know, face to face, eyeball to eyeball, belly to belly with someone. I made the sale, you know? And then when I started my own business in 2012, I'm like, okay, cool.Like social media is awesome. It's this amazing like interface and platform and all of that. But what I started noticing was happening was like all of these layers and layers of technology and barriers and things to manage were coming in, but I was new to the online space. So, as I grew my business, I was listening to the people that were teaching how to build business online. I was still taking the principles that I knew, but I was like, okay, how do I apply this to social media? How do I apply this to the online world? And so, I'm layering in all the tech and the funnels and the emails and the webinars and the prerecorded videos and the list goes on and it's just exhausting, and it just never really resonated for me. It never felt good. I never felt like I could show up.Like right now I feel like I can like look you in the eyes, I can have a real conversation, we can connect with one another. I never once felt like I could connect with people. It's like it almost stole my superpower because I was so good at selling when I could connect with people. And then I felt like when I got into the online world, I had so many barriers between me and people that I lost my superpower. And so finally one day I was just like, screw this. I remember, you know, the girls are still on my team now that were with me and I was like, we're getting rid of it all. I'm like, I'm not doing any of that anymore. I'm like, it's ridiculous. It doesn't work. It's not working. You know, we worked so hard. So, I said, let's just try, like us and the camera.Like let's just try like removing all of these obstacles and barriers and try to focus on connecting once again with people. And low and behold, the second that we made that change, our business started to grow and grow and grow exponentially because now all of my competitors are doing prerecorded videos and prerecorded videos and edited, you know, stuff with, you know, all this fake like, you know, you know what you see online. It's like all fabricated stories of the fairies and unicorns, right? And glitter and dust and then here I am, just this person that's teaching and sharing real stuff and people are getting value from it. And it just exploded. And then I was like, okay, this is too good not to teach. And that's how I started teaching the live launch method. It was really out of necessity because we were failing not out of like something so great that was working so well, but it's now really revolutionizing the way that people do business online. It's really cool.Beth:So, I'll share with our listeners because I've shared with you that I felt really called once. And I'm saying this to network marketers, that I see too many people attempting to coach before they've, what I think is the before you've made $1 million. So, I just thought, okay, I want to share what I've learned. That is not all of the magic tricks. Like I kept seeing like build your business with automation. Never get on the phone again. And I'm thinking we're changing people's lives. We've taken what we've learned from you, in terms of our network marketing team. We're now doing laser coaching sessions, so they get to work with a Million-dollar earner. We are, and we'll talk a little bit at the end. Kelly just challenged me to create a live launch. So, stay tuned for how we can share the business opportunity with more people using what we call the live launch.So, some of you are thinking, what is live launch? And I want to give a little background of, I had invested so much money into thinking about how I could build out coaching programs and always got caught up in the tech, could not figure out how to put the Facebook pixel for an ad. And then it was overwhelming. I thought, screw it. I make plenty of money in network marketing, but my message, the amount of women that I can impact and help now is incredible, because that's my mission. So, I took a leap into live launch and literally just started sharing the tools and techniques, built a group and have women that I'm already working with in a program, and paid back my investment within 48 hours, which was insane. It's insane. It's crazy. So, we know it's magical and if you're wondering what is live launch? I want to connect those pieces to what we're doing in network marketing.So, I'm going to give Kelly a hot seat right now because I've been in the hot seat. So, let's, let's just role play this. If I was going to, let's say I'm in the travel business, which I'm not, and people could make money with me either booking travel or setting up travel agents to work with them. Okay? And normally they'd hop on a webinar and I'd share all the slides, which took me all day to put together. I missed picking my daughter up from school because I'm putting together the slides and literally it felt like my drunk uncle was driving me around. But I've decided I'm going to do this, the live launch. Wait, we're like creating something right here on, on the spot. And so, what comes to mind if someone's listening and says, okay, I want to use Facebook Live to share what we're doing with this travel business. So how would live launch work for that?Kelly:Yeah, definitely. Oh my gosh, I'm getting so excited. So, if it were me, the way that I would design the live launch would be like I would have part one of the content be you know, how to get your luxury travel paid for. Right? And never spend a dime while staying in the best resorts around the world. Right? So, it would be like you would teach them, the first thing that people want to do is they want to travel more, and they don't want to spend their life savings on it, right? So, you have to meet people where they are. Right? And then it might be like the second piece of content might be how I went from, you know, getting my travel paid for to getting paid to travel. Right? And then the third set might be how I went from getting my travel paid for to quitting my day job and being able to retire my spouse based on my travel, you know, my side travel business and then in might be how I can help you launch your own travel business, even in the pockets of your spare time, so that you can first get your travel paid for.And then if you decide that you want this to be a moneymaking venture, you can, you know, turn it into a business where you can quit your day job, retire your spouse, travel the world, retire, whatever the case. But really what it is, is you start off by meeting people where they are and giving them the content that they really crave. Everybody wants to travel more. Everybody wants to get their travel paid for. How can someone do that? Right? They can get into a network marketing couple company that offers travel, right? Buy and do it. Start taking the trips themselves, get the trips paid for, invite other people to do it. How do you do that? You share content. When you travel, you show the beautiful pictures, you show the video, you do live streams from there talking about, I cannot believe it, but this is me working right now, right?This is me working, I'm, you know, on the beach and you know, blah blah blah. I think it's just what we have to remember is that everybody in this day and age wants to feel connected. That is why we're on social media 24/7. But the problem is that, and scientific research shows this, although people are more connected than ever, they feel more disconnected than ever, right? But when you come live and when you teach and you add value for people and you show up in perfectly, that's a really important part. Like I let my dog in with me, I let my five-year-old daughter and with me, you know, like showing up in perfect is a huge piece of your human connection. That's going to get people really excited to buy into your brand because it gets them to open up to you to say, Oh, you know what? Beth is like human, like she's cool. You know, she's someone I want to get to know, right? She's not just this, you know, talking head on a white screen, you know, green screen behind her that's trying to present as you know, this, that and the other. So, I don't know if that answers kind of what you were looking.Beth:Yeah. Oh my gosh. My brain like is triggering and I'm thinking, okay, so that, that was just one topic. So when you think about the pillars of what I've noticed in Unstoppable Entrepreneurs, and even in the free group is, this is where people stay in network marketing businesses is, you talked about community and connection. So, a lot of us out there have these groups where people are hanging out learning products and we're missing the boat. It's sell, sell, sell, special, special, special, buy my stuff, join my team. And it's turning people away. What would your suggestion be for people that have existing groups using some of these awesome live launch tools?Kelly:Oh my gosh. So great. And this is so huge because I just did an interview with Michelle Bosh. She's in our program. She did a $300,000 launch her first month and Unstoppable because she leveraged her existing Facebook group that she had never really understood how to get maximum value out of. So, there's probably listeners right here right now that could be doing the same thing that just don't know. Like, you know, how do I take these pieces and make it work? I think exactly what you just described though; Beth is exactly what's been happening in the coaching space to be honest. I feel like, you know, there's so much selling and so much marketing that people forgot that we're here to serve.So what I say is first of all, if you have a Facebook group, start doing a weekly live show, right? You know, obviously Beth works with me, so you know, I'm such a believer in this, but start doing a weekly live show where you're not selling anything. You're not asking for anything. You are focused on giving. You are showing up to serve. You are showing up to add value for the people in your group. You're setting the tone as the leader and the group of what your values are, what kind of leader you are and that people should come hang out in your group and spend time there because no one wants to hang out in a group where all they feel like they're getting promos and specials and sales and buy more, and you know, do this and do that. Like people want to feel like there's something in it for them, right?There's a reason to come spend time here and as you said, Beth, they want community, real community, not just being in the group because it just so happened that someone's prospecting you to join their downline or you know they're in the group because you know, maybe at some point they've expressed an interest in a product. They actually want to feel a real sense of community. And the way that you create that is when you deliver compelling content that really meets people where they are and serves them in a really high level. What will happen is people start commenting on your chat and they start engaging with one another. They start getting to know other members of the group and now all of a sudden you have this dead group that you feel like you're pulling along on your shoulders to try and get people to engage to people.Looking forward to your weekly live show, building relationships with one another, posting of their own volition in the group because there's like a dialogue going. I always say it's like playing catch, right? That's like you don't want it. No one wants to play catch with themselves. They want to play catch with someone else and if they feel like it's just a one sided, they're being hammered with offers and specials and sales and do this, and there is no reciprocity. You know they aren't going to invest. Whereas if you build that reciprocity and build it and build it, this is why you see me constantly. Every day I'm doing either a podcast video or podcast, a video, some piece of free content. I'm going in someone else's group. I'm going on someone else's show because you to build a brand, which you guys are not as network marketers, it's really, really important that you're building a personal brand. When someone thinks of you, you don't want them to think of the name of your company. You want them to think of you as a person and as a leader and how you're leading people that have the same philosophy and values that are in alignment with the company that you represent. Does that make sense?Beth:Oh absolutely. And that is, you know, it's going on six years since being in the industry. And I feel such a shift, that it is people are joining because it's, it's not necessarily, yes, people love the products, but there's a million products we could all love. But the thing that I think is so interesting is that you're given a distribution channel, right? So, if you looked at live launch as a way to create more interest, more excitement around your opportunity or product, the winning pieces, you don't have to build the website. You don't have to collect the money. You don't have to distribute the product. So, all you have to do is show up. And we did. We did this in a let's get physical challenge. You would had been so proud, like the proud coach. Because we did the exact pillars that you teach in your free content. Like you literally could watch and what is, there's one going on this, you know, timestamped now, but isn't there a way to get that content now?Kelly:Yeah, I mean anybody who wants to get in the tribe, the next one we're doing and just a couple of weeks. I mean, we do it every couple of weeks. So, you know, anybody that wants to go through that free journey and then they can come to you to help them customize that content. Right? How does this work in network marketing? Right?Beth:Right. So, it's the tribe of Unstoppables, and Kelly and I just chatted before we started is, I'm already shifting. I have the 25 women that are going through the Profit Her Way program. Now we are going to live launch every single one of them, test it, see it for either opportunity, because I have a big travel group in there, so we just literally just wrote up the travel. We have a lot of health and wellness and so I'm so excited. Because my brain, I've started since working with you, every time someone is talking, I'll think, oh they should live launch that. Oh, they should…Kelly:It's so funny, because now I get phone calls and texts and pictures and messages from people like every day saying like I just told this person they need a live launch. Look for them. I just told this person I need to live lunch because everyone's just realizing like Holy crap, we've been doing it the hard way. Like the tools are there for all of us. You know what I mean?Beth:The tools are there and what I love is, I watched it the first round. This is, you might not know this. I watched it the first round and then didn't jump in to really digging in and learning. And then finally it was, and this is the big piece that sets you apart besides just personable, valuable content that works by the connection, is the accountability piece, is I have someone in my inbox saying, Hey, Beth let's chat. How's it going with your live launch? Let's do this. Not just a cheerleader. I mean she cheers for me every day, but accountability, and that is a big piece that is missing and the network marketing space. So, where did you come up with this idea, that Oh, people will sign up and pay for my program and they're going to be assigned an accountability coach?Kelly:Yeah, I mean we want the Unstoppable Entrepreneur to be the best business incubator on the planet. Like I literally wake up every morning and I asked myself, how do I make this the Harvard of online business money-making? You know, I think everybody deserves to be able to have the freedom to, you know, put their family first and be financially free. And I've experienced the opposite. And then I've experienced where I am now and all I want to do so badly in my life is just bring people across that finish line, you know? So, what we realized is that it's not just about education, it's not just about information. It's not just about coaching, right? It's a coaching program. It's not just about coaching. It's also about the fact that life happens, right? We all have a lot on our plates. We all have families and other obligations.Some people work a full-time job and they're building a business. Some people are running two companies, right? You can be caring for a sick parent. You have kids at home, whatever it is. And so, we realized that if we weren't dedicated to being in your face and in your inbox saying, Hey Beth, I haven't heard from you in a week and a half, are you okay? What's going on? You know, your live launch is coming up, you know, let's make sure things are okay. Let's get you on a hot seat. It's been a while. Whatever it is. We want to make sure that that commitment on our side is as high as we expect the commitment on your side to be. And I feel like that's a lot of what's lacking in the online world. And so instead of complaining about it, we're trying to be the change that we feel will be the catalyst and making a bigger difference for people.Beth:I love it. And that was huge for me, was even doing it before the first of the year, which is exciting because now we're going to take that even further and help these women too. And one man, it's Profit Her Way. But I had to say Profit Her/His Way. We had to vote him on the Island, and he made it. So, when you think about how your life looks now, because I am all about preaching that we have to block time in our calendar for joy, for self-care, for time with our kids. Because I didn't do that in the beginning. I was literally burning the candle from both ends missing really, really, really big events. And one day I read something that said, you want your husband, your kids to remember you as holding your phone or holding their hand? So, I preach be wherever your feet are, your multimillion-dollar entrepreneur who is so, so everybody knows Kelly Roach. But the thing that I love most about you, you do not have the hustle grind mentality. So, can you talk a little bit about that shift?Kelly:Yeah, definitely. I mean I think coming from fortune 500 I've already experienced that burnout. I always say I feel like I lived a whole life in my twenties before I moved over, because I had such a high level of responsibility that I learned so much so quickly, and I feel like that really informed my decisions and my path when I started in the entrepreneurial world. And I joke all the time because people will be like, Oh my gosh, Kelly, you worked so hard all the time. Do you ever take a break? Do you ever take a vacation? I'm like, yes. I take seven vacations a year with my family. I take off on Fridays in the summer I'm at the pool. I feel like the difference between me and every other online entrepreneur is I don't pretend to take a vacation so that I can have a photo op and be working so that I can show that I took a vacation.When I go on vacation, I'm not on my phone, my phone is off. It is locked in the safe for the week. I am present, I am with my family. And I think that's so important, right? You have to have that downtime. You know, I go out to dinner with my family at night and I'll leave my phone at home on purpose, because I know I run two companies. If the phone is with me, there's someone that needs me, but if it's not with me it will be there, you know, when I get back. So, I think just being really intentional, we have one vessel, one body. I woke up at five this morning, I did not want to work out and I was down there doing my little workout video, you know, getting ready for the day because I knew I'm going to be going hard and going straight through for you know, 10, 15 hours.But it's those really conscious decisions about, you know, what do you want your life to look like? And I know for me, I want to make sure that when Madison is like graduating high school, going into college, getting married, like I want to be in great physical form. I want to be in really good energy. I want to be in a healthy mental state. And so, I'm thinking 15 years, Madison’s five, just for everybody. You know, I'm thinking five and 15 years down the road, and I'm making my decisions today based on the person that I want to be when that time comes. And I think it's really important that as entrepreneurs we're thinking that way because it will take everything from you, entrepreneurship and building a business, because you care so deeply, because it is your passion. It will take everything that you give. So, unless you learn to set real hard boundaries for yourself and have a high level of discipline around that, you will always succumb to that. So, it's a learning that I think we all go through. But I think it's one of the most important things that you can learn as an entrepreneur, because your energy is everything, right? And you can't fake energy. Like you can try to show up in a certain way. People see right through it.Beth:It's that whole vibration they sense the energy. So, I always like to end the podcast with one question and you guys, I gave her no pregame session here. So, everything like, learning that travel piece hot seat is, and this is the piece that is a big mystery for many. And I know that you work so hard and you help us so much, with not only the strategies, the tools, but also what really has to happen between desire, belief and commitment. So, many of the people invest in your program and you will see some do $100,000 launch and some just not take that action. It's just always something. They have the desire. At one point they had the belief, what separates the people that in network marketing, I see it too. I'm all in. I'm all in. And there are some that do and some that don't. What is your belief about that?Kelly:Yeah. And it's so tough. I mean, we could do a whole show on this, but I'll give you a couple things. You know, number one, it's total ownership, right? You either believe that everything is happening to you or you believe that everything's happening for you. Amen. And that is it. Period. End of story. I mean, I am in an of the belief that we are wholly and completely responsible for everything that is or isn't in our lives. And the actions that we take every single day are the outcomes that we create, right? And I think when you have that mindset, you couldn't possibly not get up in the morning. And do the work because everything is possible, but also everything is, is up for grabs. Like you, you can't expect it if you aren't working. Right? So, I think that that ownership piece is huge.But I think the second piece is people that are called to something bigger than themselves, right? Because I think that it's enough to drive short term behaviors when you want to, you know, get the next payday, you want to get the next client, you want to, you know, pay your mortgage for the month. Like that's one thing, right? And, there is a hierarchy of needs. Like we all start down at the bottom of the hierarchy. But to show up consistently every single day, you have to be fighting for something bigger than yourself. Whether it's your family, whether it's your legacy, whether it's the people that you want to impact, the causes that you care about, you know, whatever it is, there has to be something bigger than you that you're working towards and fighting for. And that way on the days when you don't feel like showing up and the days where you don't feel good or you don't want to get on camera or whatever it is, you have something that's like, now you got to keep going, right?There's something you're doing it for. So, you know, it's always so cliché because people always say you have to find your why, and like I hate that advice because I feel like it gets twisted and manipulated a lot. But at the end of the day, you do need to know that why? Like my family is my everything, right? Like I make every decision with family first. And so, like when I got up this morning and I was thinking about working out, I wasn't thinking about myself. I was thinking about how am I going to feel after working for 10 hours when Madison gets home from school today and what person am I going to be? And I know I'm going to be a better, happier version of myself if I work out this morning. Right? So, it's like something bigger than you even in the little thing.Beth:I love that. I love that. And it wasn't until that I pushed the beyond, that the money piece, the financial freedom and knowing what foundation I wanted to build, and what my bigger mission and larger mission and we'll, we're going to add yours in the show notes so people can read about the work that you're doing. That's way beyond how much, you know, being a multimillion-dollar entrepreneur. We'll add that for people to see. And also, one more time, because you have so much free content that network marketers can apply to, and we're going to rewrite it for you guys. Don't worry. It's coming. We're going to rewrite how you can look at your recruiting, how you can look at your product sales using the live launch method. I've just decided, I'm like looking at my blank whiteboard. It's going there. And so, explain again how to find you, how to find the unstoppable entrepreneurs. Well, it's the tribe of Unstoppables that is the free group, right?Kelly:Definitely. So, yeah, I mean, you guys can just go onto Facebook and search Tribal Unstoppables, we usually run the free workshop like once every six weeks. My recommendation for everyone listening is come through our next round and then immediately go to Beth and be like, help me make this work for network marketing. Right? And I think if you bring those two things together, and I know with what Beth has up her sleeve, she's going to be changing the face of how you guys launch. So, I'm very excited to see where that goes and where you arrive. But yeah, of course we would welcome anyone into the tribe. And you know, I'm excited, I think there's a massive opportunity for, you know, I always say, I know we're wrapping up, but I just want to make one comment before we wrap. I always say that if kids, as soon as they became a working age, were educated about the opportunity of network marketing, we'd have no homeless people. We'd not have no jobless people, we'd have no one that is graduating college with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. The opportunity in network marketing is unbelievable. And kudos to all of you guys that are listening to the show. They're taking that and bringing it out into the world because it really can change so many lives and makes such a huge difference for people.Beth:I love, I love that. And I always say too, it's the best training to become an entrepreneur because you get to learn about building community culture, marketing lives, money, though the energy…we have so many topics. We're going to have to have a part two.Kelly:I know…We'll have to set that up.Beth:So as soon as we get the live launch, I've got three that I think that we can get that ready to go. I'm going to check back with you because we could do some really fun things together on helping network marketers with that live launch method. So, I'm excited. Thank you, Kelly, for being on today.Kelly:Thank you so much for having me.Beth:Well that's a wrap and thank you so much for being with us today! Is Kelly not the most extraordinary human? I love hearing her speak. I wish I could just stay with her all day and climb inside of that brilliant brain of hers. So what we talked about today in the live launch method; using it to grow your network marketing business. This is one of our big pieces, our big modules and Profit Her Way, which is teaching you to build a business you love, that doesn't steal all of your time and joy, but gives you your own marketing, your own profit plan. This is my six month mastermind and doors are open. If you want more information, please go to bethholdengraves.com/profit. Thanks so much for being with us today, and as always be you bravely.Thanks so much for hanging with me today on the podcast and remember, you can create what you crave. If you're looking for a supportive sisterhood, I would love to see you over in our free Facebook group. As most of you know, I love camp. It's part of, 'You're Not the Boss of Me' because when we're building this thing, we're doing this thing. We need a supportive sisterhood and I also crave more fun and more connection. Join us at camp over in the Facebook world, thecampelevategroup.com or just click on the link above and we will see you around our campfire and help you to create what you crave.  

Learn More About The Content Discussed...No Boss Talk:https://nobosstalk.comTop Summit: https://www.thetopsummit.comInstagram: https://instagram.comThe Camp Elevate Facebook Group:hereBeth’s Instagram:@bethholdengravesBeth’s website:https://www.bethholdengraves.comProfit HER Way Course:https://www.bethholdengraves.com/profitKeynotes discussed:Why did I choose Network Marketing? Honestly, because of time freedom and if you know me, I'm a big jolly fellow who likes to help people. (01:55)It takes you getting out of your comfort zone and actually reaching out to people, and getting to know people, and asking people questions and telling people about yourself.(04:11)I did not get to be an almost multiple seven figure earner by not having conversations with people.(06:04)If you're listening and you're going into 2020 you're looking at your goals from 2019 and I want you to first of all, listeners, have some gratitude for what you have done. (10:14)It helps them really stay energized and the comradery and it fills people's cups.(14:22)When Did It Air...December 23, 2019Episode Transcript:Beth:Welcome to ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’. If you are determined to break glass ceilings and build it your way, this show is for you. I’m your host Beth Graves and I am obsessed with helping you to not just dream it, but make the plan, connect the dots and create what you crave. Are you ready? Let’s get started.All right, so I am so excited to have Santa Claus on the podcast today. I'm actually going to tell you who Santa is at the end, so stay with me and you'll be able to see the recording of this. Santa is at the North Pole in a full red suit, I'm not kidding you. And when you guys figure out who Santa is, actually I just got a text from Blair, I sent a screenshot of this...who is Santa? So you have to stage it, and some of you will recognize his voice. He's spoken on many stages, huge stages in the network marketing world. He is a multiple six figure earner, close to seven figures, and I'll tell you his story when we close this out. But for now, hello Santa! Oh cool. Oh my gosh. I mean you guys, what is the date that this is airing on?Let me look Santa. Okay. It is December 23rd. Oh my gosh you guys...now behind me, you will have to go over to YouTube, and I'm going to have this all over Facebook. But behind me, Santa's has his house. He has beautiful trees and wreaths. Oh my goodness. This is like my favorite podcast. So it's December 23rd and Santa...Most of the people that listen to the podcast are network marketers, or they build online businesses. I know that this might come as a surprise, that you, Santa, are involved in the network marketing industry. So why did you choose network marketing alongside your other gig?SantaI am involved in network marketing and I absolutely love network marketing. I chose network marketing because, you know, I have a little bit of free time on my off season and I figured why not help people and make an income. So I put my elves to work and we started working in network marketing. Why did I choose it? Because honestly, because of time freedom and if you know me, I'm a big jolly fellow who likes to help people. I just love everybody and I want to help people. And this industry is one of the only industries in the world that you can help people better themselves, whether it be a product or a product and an opportunity.Beth:I totally agree. So Santa's, I know that you're also live up in the North pole. So obviously building a business that just requires Wi-Fi and connecting all over social media is huge for you. And one of the the topics of today's episode is how to continue to always grow your list. And since Santa has lists and you know Santa, I gotta say you're a little, you're a little judgmental, but I'm just going to put that out there. I know you've told me I was naughty. I'm like, how are you to decide? But we're not even going to get onto that topic now it's open for discussion. I want to make sure I get a new ring light this year because mine is like all over the place and I've got other things that I really want, a Peloton. Do you think you could work that out for me?SantaYes, I think I can. You've been a very nice girl this year, so I definitely can work something out for you.Beth:Awesome. Okay, so Santa, I notice when, I'll tell you Santa's Hass, his real name over on Facebook. There's always new momentum and energy in your organization and that comes from having new conversations. And one of the biggest things, the biggest concerns that people will say to me as they get started, they get excited, they talk to their sister and their brother, they get to their warm market. They might even come out of the box and hit two ranks and then they're like, I don't have anybody else to talk to. There's so many different ways to grow the list. What are some of your best list building strategies of people that you know to have conversations with?SantaWell, for me, I'm open, right? So I'm stuck up here in the North pole. I have wifi, I have my social media platforms. Let's start with social media, right? Social media is a free platform that you can utilize to help build relationships and grow your network. It takes you getting out of your comfort zone and actually reaching out to people and getting to know people and asking people questions and telling people about yourself. In doing so, you build relationships and those relationships turn into people who want to either join you in your opportunity or take your product, depending on what it is, you know, they'll find the groove with you. But first things first is you have to be open to trying to connect with people and talk to people. And me being so far away from everybody up here in the North pole, it's easier for me to do it on social media.But from time to time when I fly over to the grocery store, I also put my head up, look around and smile at people, introduce myself, talk to people, be polite. I can't tell people this enough. For me personally, I have a product that I absolutely love and believe it and I love sharing my experience because it's helped me. In the past four years, it's helped me so much be a better person, feel better. It's given me opportunities that I could only dream of. But I go to the grocery store for a gallon of milk and Mrs. Clause is like, where'd you go? You've been gone for two hours. Did you milk the cow? Like no, I was talking to people. You never know who you meet.Beth:Yeah. This is a little bit of a trend. And I feel like Santa, when people start to, and you're hearing from someone, you guys I know that you're like, yeah, right Santa. Well this Santa has built an incredible business by having conversations all the time. Connection, serving, and then I see these new ways like, and I'm always up on what's innovative and using Facebook stories to grow your lead list and all of those things. But I will for the rest of my life say it. I did not get to be an almost multiple seven figure earner by not having conversations with people that were right in front of my face. And people will say, don't bother your friends and family. Never have to send them a message again. Like, what do you have to say about people that have the belief that you don't have something that your friends and family need? Like that just blows my mind.SantaYou know? I totally agree with you because here's the thing. If you're not going to help your friends and family first feel amazing, or whatever the product is that you're you have or the service. If you're not going to help your friends and family, why do it? Like for me, that's the first thing that I always go to is helping my friends and or family feel amazing. They're the first people you're going to talk to. That's what you would call your warm market because they know you, they love you, they trust you, and if you genuinely care and are really trying to benefit them and help them, it will come back to you and you will be benefited by it. It's a double win. You're helping them feel better or providing them a service that's going to make their life easier. And in return, you're building your relationship with them, getting closer to them and then not only that, you know you potentially are earning that you can turn around and help your family even more.Beth:Well, and one of the things that I watching you grow your business is that you have an all of the network marketers that I've ever seen, you have a team that has an, you guys, it's like Santa and his elves. It's like you have some of the best community and culture then I've ever seen. Like it is not just one person building a business and chatting online. Can you talk about how your team has built this community and this culture? I mean it's, I'm so envious, so envious in fact that I just like decided that I'm a part of it. I just said, Hey, they're having a pool party. Beth's on the way. Tell me how that grew?SantaYou know, we have a very different dynamic than most teams and we're really blessed to have it. We're a big extended family is what we are and we treat each other as such. From upline to downline. It's not about rank. It's not about anything. It's about really serving and helping people like a family does. I want you guys to think about your brothers or sisters. You will do anything for them within moderation. Of course, you're not going to bury a body, God forbid, but you know what I'm saying?Beth:Well, you might, you might, but you know that's another podcast.SantaBut no, seriously though, you would do anything for them. In creating a culture like that and getting people to really grow together and support each other and cheer each other on and just share moments with those people is very important to us. We're very big on events. Events is a huge thing for us. We plan a lot of events. We do a lot of events. I think the most events in one month that we did was 10 or 12, I don't remember the count. We have a team dinner, one of our leaders is hosting a team dinner today. I mean these are things that you know are important to us and we push. Well, I don't want to say push. We want people to do these events and be a good tight community. And to do that we lead by that way. We have an open door policy at our house.Beth:And here's the thing that people listening, because Santa, this is like, I love that our podcast is shifting. We're talking about growing a list, but how do people, this is when I watch, when I watch your team culture and I actually got introduced to you because we're sidelines. Your real identity is from Michigan and some of my team members, when you guys first came on, it was like, what the heck? Who are these people? They're growing so fast, welcomed with open arms, people from my team. And I kept hearing about this, this guy named Hass and I was like, I gotta know Hass, he's like Santa Claus. So this is what I want you to take away. If you're listening and you're going into 2020 you're looking at your goals from 2019 and I want you to first of all, listeners, have some gratitude for what you have done.Don't listen to Haas and go, Oh my gosh, I suck. I have not had an event. I want you to think about what have you accomplished, who have you helped? And then here's the thing is, you might want to shift how you're doing things. We've gone to this whole idea and maybe events aren't for you. And you might be saying, well, I built this business so I didn't have to leave home. What if I told you that you would make, Haas, just off the top of your head from, and we're going to start calling you Haas. Even though he is Santa, he's in the full Santa suit. Your income has dramatically increased from here. He's taking it off, he's taken it off. Now take it off Santa, take it off. There we go. I mean, look at that. Now he's like, okay, so you're watching this and we're going to pull this live.So some people will say, I don't have time to do those events, but when you look at retention of team members, and I like to say that if you have somebody that comes in and just as a thousand dollars of volume, but they know that they can show up at your pool party, they can show up at an event, they can show up at a retreat, they're welcomed with open arms. You guys have such incredible retention and is it worth it to be out of your house six nights a month, for probably quadrupling your income, that you had when you were working at Ford?SantaYeah, I mean, here's the thing. It's crazy because people, you know, people are like, well, you only hang out with top leaders. No, it's not the case. I don't care where you're at. In our organization, I don't care what rank you're at, how much volume you bring in. If you're a part of this, then you're a part of our family. If you want to show up, you show up. If you don't, there's no pressure. It's not forceful. Everything that happens, we try to make happen naturally.Beth:So if you are talking to somebody that's listening and they're just starting or they might have, let's say $10,000 of volume in a small team, what would be your advice for them to start building a culture in a community like you have?SantaHave events, go to events even if you're not ready to have them. Go to an event near you, right? Watch, listen, learn. Then also bring guests to these events or and or start conversations with people anywhere, whether it's in public or at the grocery store or online. Go on and do it. I promise you this, I can guarantee you this because I'm speaking from experience. The minute you step outside of that comfort zone is the minute you start to notice differences in how you are living, things that are happening to you, successes, doors, opening, relationships built. It's crazy to me. I remember our first event, I didn't want to do it and everybody's like, no, you got to do an event. My uplines are like, no, you have to do it. Jessica said just do an event. It's an hour from them. They're like, we'll come. I'm like, okay, cool.It was the worst snowstorm ever. One person showed up to our event, right? We call her the power of one. She's a rock star. She showed up to this event and sat in front of us like a deer in headlights. Jessica was talking, cause I didn't know much about the business. I was still very new. So a whole presentation went on and she listened and just took it in and took it in over the next few months. This woman absolutely crushed it and here's the funny thing is if I didn't do that one of that, that whole team wouldn't have started. You know what I'm saying? It was crazy because after the event we were like, Oh my God, it was an Epic fail. It was a disaster. We're never doing this again. But I ate those words very quickly. Now we do more events than you can imagine and it's been one of the best things we do, but not only for bringing people on and helping people, it's helped reinvigorate our teams, keeps them engaged.It helps them really stay energized and the comradery and it fills people's cups. I mean, it's just crazy how a couple hours out of a day, a one night a week can change your momentum if you were to start planning these events. Even if you don't do it every week, do it every other week. That will help you grow your momentum. It'll help people fill their cups. He'll give people energy or make them feel invigorated. It will re energize their business, especially if they're on a lull or a standstill, these are all ways to do it. But I'm telling you, just get out and talk to people.Beth:And that's what you've done is, you've talked to people locally and I love, I feel like it's like the revival of why people loved the network marketing industry. In the beginning, it was building community and you guys don't just do it like, it's not a boring flip chart meeting. You guys bring your families. I mean it's like, it's a family affair, right?SantaYes. It's my, our son. We have a three year old son. This was one of the reasons why network marketing has been such a blessing because of the time freedom and the ability to spend the time with our son. But we take our son to locals all the time. Don't ever make your why your excuse. So if your why is your children, don't make them their excuse for you not showing up, or make them the excuse that you can't be at an event or be on a call. They are the reason why you're doing what you're doing most of the time. And if that's the case, bring them, you're putting them in an environment that's safe. You're putting them in an environment with people that are loving, caring, and knowledgeable and are open to helping and they're learning those traits from you and making them better humans. I mean, for me, my son is a loving, caring kid that says, please thank you and you're welcome because he's heard it from all the people that we've surrounded him with and majority of them is our team in our family.Beth:And how about to listening to people that have the entrepreneurial mindset over and over again and being exposed to that?SantaYou know, we, we had the privilege of meeting somebody, you know, Pitbull. The amazing entrepreneur producer, songwriter, singer. You know that his mom used to listen to Tony Robbins in the car every single day for the majority of his childhood as she took him to school? He credits that to make him is what made him who he is because he found out who Tony Robbins is. He was in that environment. He was listening to that motivational, entrepreneurial spirit. He absorbed it all. And I'll tell you right now, kids are sponges and if you put them in the right environment, the odds of them being successful is going to be through the roof.Beth:And they see the vision boards, right? They see, Oh my friends are coming over for vision board party, right? Well Santa has a different background right now, but they see the affirmations, they see the morning routines and they see us working. My son said to me and he's 15, so we've got, you know you get the opportunity. He said, how can I have, I love that you have the freedom to choose when you want to work. He said you work hard, but I want to create a career or a business around what I love, and we started talking about the different options. And one of the things, he's got this idea, he wants to make these wakeboarding sweatshirts, but I talked about overhead building a website, manufacturing delivery and he's like, Oh no wonder network marketing was such a good fit, because you didn't have to build your own website.Like we just got to go, and you and I both are very much extroverted, like the ultimate camp counselors here, and just have conversations and take away all of the stuff that I call, it feels like your drunk uncle is driving. If you and I had to ship our product, build our website, and we get to do the thing of connecting, and that's what I'm hearing you say is whether you guys, you might be saying, okay, my team doesn't live locally. We'll start to build a team locally. You're missing out, and I'm going to say if you take one thing away from this podcast, from Haas and from me is, yes, you're going to have people all over the country. You're going to get on Zooms, you're going to meet up. We're going to share a place where you can meet both of us and where you can meet with your team by going to an event in February. But here's the thing, your local community is waiting for you, your next door neighbor, the person in line at Publix, is financially stressed, needs your product, needs your community. And if you're not Hass, and you're not looking up from your phone and you're not connecting, I guarantee you, you've helped someone put groceries in their car and had a conversation and invited them to an event, right?SantaYou know it, 100%! I've actually, I carry product in me. So if somebody is interested, I don't squander an opportunity. I'm out there pounding pavement, talking to anybody and everybody, and I give them an opportunity to try our product and really benefit from it.Beth:And here's the thing, I'm gonna say this and this is bold. And because I love all the strategies that we're out there teaching, but the most successful network marketers, when you look at Haas, when you look at what I've done, when you look at the seven figure earners, they are having conversations. Our job is to network. Our job is to connect. Our job is to change lives. So if you're only changing lives, typing on your computer behind Facebook messenger, hiding in a Facebook group, you're going to have a very, maybe a nice business. But when you ask, I've asked people this, your biggest builder in your company, did you know that person before? No. No. How did you meet? How did you meet your biggest person, your biggest earner?SantaIn-person, through somebody else. Because I opened a conversation, because I connected with that person and then met somebody through them, and being personable. Having conversations with people opens up the doors for you to meet people. I'm going to tell you right now, just because one person isn't the person you're looking for, I promise you that they could be a doorway for you to meet that one rock star that's going to blow your business out of the water. So every relationship is valuable, in my opinion, going out and meeting people and connecting with people in person. Look, we live in a society of computers and social media. The biggest successes and some of the most successful people in this business have, one of the reasons they're successful is because they've gone out, and physically in front of them, face to face, belly to belly, have talked to people, hug people, you know, shaking hands, whatever it may be out in public. I promise you if you do that, things are going to change. You're going to have a completely different dynamic. Not only that, you're appreciated more.Beth:Yes, yeah, of course. And so let's, in 2020 I'm going to encourage you, if you are looking to double, triple, 10 times your business, you are going to listen to Santa, to Haas, who says get yourself out the door. You're not going to feel like a encyclopedia salesman. You are going to make connections and go to that paddleboarding event. Go to the sledding Hill, have conversations, and like I mean carry your toolkit on you and you will drastically see your business change. The other piece that I wanted to talk about before we close out today is going to live training, in person events. And that's how Haas and I first met, at a leadership conference. I felt like we were already friends. But both Haas and I are going to be at an incredible event in Naples, Florida, called the Top Summit. Do you want to talk a little bit about that event? How about those people that are listening to this podcast? I didn't even run this by you. If you buy tickets for this event and you are going and you message us on Instagram, you can connect with Haas. I'll give you all his information over on Facebook. We will actually meet with you, and sit in a circle, and have a conversation and Hass will do a little training on how to have conversations in public. Only if you buy your tickets today, right? Haas, a free training with you at the Top Summit?SantaI will sit down and we'll have lunch, whatever it takes. Look before I get into the Top Summit, because it's an amazing event and I can talk about it all day. I promise because I went to the first one, but be genuine. Be you, care, you know? Be honest, not only with the person you're speaking to, be honest with yourself. These are things that you must, in my opinion, be truly honest with everything, and about everything, that you're trying to do when you meet somebody that's going to take you along the way. Now onto the Top Summit. I can't wait. I live in Michigan. You live in Florida, so you're very lucky. You know, You're already down there.Beth:I feel like I get to hang out with all my good friends. Like I have the best vacation ever. The Naples beach club. So here's the thing, when I saw that that's where it was, and then being asked to speak, what was like, what that was on my vision board. That's a dream come true. And my husband and I, before we had kids, his mom had a membership to the Naples beach club and we used to go over, and they have the best cheeseburgers, and I have so many great memories. We would just sit on the beach, read books. It was like the honeymoon phase actually. He's like, you're not going alone. So I was like, Oh, are you coming to the Top Summit? I'll meet you at the top honey. So tell us about the event. I know you were there last year. I didn't get to go to Mackinac Island last year, but I was watching the online streaming, having so FOMO, I'll never miss another top summit.Santa:I'll tell you right now, top seven, it was...oh look, I've been to a lot of events, it was very different in the dynamic of you were right there in front of everybody. The speakers were mingling with guests and people in the audience. I mean, not lost speaking outside of speaking, you were in the same hotel, so you were basically hanging out with these amazing top earners, trainers, leaders and teachers in around network marketing. But not only network marketing, traditional business as well. It was an awe inspiring. I was so motivated that I started doing...because I didn't speak at the Top Summit, not yet. Hopefully soon. It's on my vision board too. But, I will be there and I will help anybody. If you buy your ticket today, I will help anybody that comes up to me, and me and Beth will have kind of like...Beth:Let's have our own training. Yeah, we'll have a little mastermind for you. And if you go to the Top Summit website, which is https://thetopsummit.com, you'll see all the speakers. We've interviewed many, we've interviewed Ray Higdon, Rob Sperry, we have Frazier Bricks coming. Danelle Delgado. Who else is on that list? Like Cherry Tree, Courtney Epps for finance, Kimberly Olson. I mean we have so many and what someone said to me, it was Sarah Cole who had come to the first one, and she actually had just started with a new company when she came. Yeah, and left Top Summit and her business just exploded, and she said there was just something about the intimacy, like having Frazier walk up to you, having conversations, being able to ask these questions and then the connections. Some of my very best friends are with other companies, that I've met at masterminds or sidelines, and we just talk about things like this.Like I was able to save you Haas. We stopped doing some in person events. Tell me what's happening. Tell me how they're working. Tell me what you did to get them going. Again, those are the conversations that if you're going to build this like a real business, not just a hobby that you need to have, and you need to be open and there and invest in going. I was a teacher, I had to go to years and years of school, years and years of ongoing development, staff development, and we just come into network marketing and we're like, Hey, let's do it. Let's just do it. That doesn't work.Santa:No, it doesn't work and I'll tell you right now, it's an investment in yourself. You're learning amazing qualities, amazing techniques, things to save from some of the top earners and leaders in the industry and trainers. My wife and I, we invest a lot of money and time in growing ourselves in self-development. I think it's one of the most important things. If you do want to become an amazingly successful network marketer, one of the first things you need to do is invest in and the events like the Top Summit are really going to be events that are going to help you become the best and really get to the top. I mean, Top Summit's motto is 'I'll see you at the top', and I promise you if you invest in yourself, purchase tickets to this and now mind you, I have no affiliation with the Top Summit.I just absolutely love events like it, and it's the next big event that's coming up. I highly, highly recommend it. My wife and I will be there for sure. I know you'll be there. I'm super excited to see you in person. It's been way too long. But these are so critical and so important in investing in yourself. And if you take anything away from this podcast, other than you know, some of the tips that I offered or talked about from my experiences, I really recommend you take time to self develop and go to events like the Top Summit in Naples, Florida. Plus, look, I'm from Michigan. I woke up and it was nine degrees today.Beth:So I'm in Florida right now, complaining that it was like 75 and raining outside of my window today. So yes, we went from how to make a list. We went from going out and building in person and that transitioned us. Obviously I'm excited about Top Summit because I'm there, I'm speaking, and then I knew Haas was there and then suddenly it hit me. Hey, I want to get you guys there so that you can have conversations with them. Multiple six figure earner, top leaders like Haas who we'll take the time to sit with you and say, okay, I'm building online, but I want to bring that local community in as well. What are your suggestions? And even the genuine conversations that you have with people. That's the key. So I'm so excited Santa that you joined us today and I like cracked up when he showed up in full Santa's suit with like the the North pole and the backgrounds. If you're listening and you can't see this, you can go over, it'll be on YouTube, it'll be on social media.Santa:You took some pictures, right?Beth:I have pictures. I just put you up in the Instagram stories. Yeah, I've got it all.Santa:This is what makes this fun. Guys. You can do this from home wearing whatever you want. You know, today I chose a Santa suit because I wanted to play along and really make this fun for you guys. I appreciate you for having me. I appreciate all you listeners guys. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this podcast. I hope I have helped and added value. I am a servant soul. So if I do see you at the Top Summit, which I'm looking forward to, please don't hesitate to come up and just give me a hug and tell me you heard the podcast and you know Beth.Beth:Are you thinking, I want to maybe give a sneak peek? I heard a rumor there might be a podcast for you in 2020.Santa:Yes, my face turned extremely red right now, as red as my suit. My beautiful, amazing wife and I are in the midst of doing some recordings. We're going to launch our podcast in 2020. We're super excited about it. We just want to add some value. Talk about being a theme. Parents talk about being network marketers, talk about life in general and we hope you subscribe. I will give you a title, a name and I'll get with Beth on this and we'll do it. I'll hopefully be able to have her on one of our podcasts next year.Beth:Yeah, and I love your platform of showing how parents are raising a family in the network marketing world. I can't wait for that content. And also I like even the tip you gave today about listening in the car too, to Tony Robbins. My poor kid has heard, Think and Grow Rich so many times. But that's what you're going to get from the podcast, is how to parent, how to live the network marketing lifestyle, live the life of freedom with two awesome parents, Sydney and Haas. And so we're going to look forward to that podcast. We're going to wrap this up because I promised 30 minutes for all of you, Hass, thank you so much, and I'll see you at the top summit.Santa:Thank you. Thank you for having me.Beth:Thank you guys for listening. Yes, and I will see you at the top. I appreciate you.Thanks so much for hanging out with me today and ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’. I’m hoping that you’ve found one thing that you will do today that will allow you to move forward to that big, audacious goal. And I have a favor to ask of you, and that is leaving me a five-star review over in iTunes. Every single week I read your reviews. I love hearing what you have to say, and it allows me to bring you more, to get more people to interview that are doing the thing, breaking the glass ceilings, creating what they crave, and helping you with your game plan. So leave me a five-star review, and when you do, I enter you to win the, ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’ swag, so make sure you leave it and we’ll reach out to you if you’re the winner. Thanks so much for hanging with me today and we’ll chat with you soon.

Learn More About The Content Discussed...No Boss Talk:https://nobosstalk.comLori Bolen Website: https://www.ithoughtmind.comLori Bolen Instagram: https://instagram.com/ithoughtmindThe Camp Elevate Facebook Group:hereBeth’s Instagram:@bethholdengravesBeth’s website:https://www.bethholdengraves.comProfit HER Way Course:https://www.bethholdengraves.com/profitKeynotes Discussed:And every single time I tell someone what I do, the next thing is, is they ask me, so what does my vibration say about me? (05:35)So to be wealthy isn’t necessarily believing, yes I can do it. It’s about making sure that you’re vibrationally aligned. (09:43)Look at how many lives we’re going to change. When you’re looking at that, that sends an empowering broadcast message. (14:43)What do the billionaires do as a morning ritual? So we talk about, certain people like Mark Walberg who gets up at 4:00 AM. So why does Mark Walberg get up at 4:00 AM? (22:15)That’s the important thing when you’re working with vibration, is to get it to become automatic and readjust that vibe when you want to increase either your wealth or expand your business. (31:44) When Did It Air...December 16, 2019 Episode Transcript...Beth:Welcome to ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’. If you are determined to break glass ceilings and build it your way, this show is for you. I’m your host Beth Graves and I am obsessed with helping you to not just dream it, but make the plan, connect the dots and create what you crave. Are you ready? Let’s get started.Well, hello. Hello, my friends and welcome back to episode number 16. Can you believe it? Thank you so much, if you've been with me since the beginning. And what an incredible fun launch for 2019! I want to encourage you, if there's something on your list that you've been putting off, or that you've been thinking, ‘I don't know if I'm cut out for that, or, why would people want to sit and put the earbuds in, listen to me on their drive to work?’ Whatever that thing is, I encourage you to go for it. That was this podcast. It was a forever launch because I kept questioning the content, the tech, would people want to listen? Would people want to come aboard with me? And guess what? This has been the best way for me to connect with so many new friends every single week. I'm getting screenshots on Instagram messages on Facebook. Just letting me know that my words are helping you, or you're giving me feedback on what kind of guests you want, what kinds of content.And I get to interview some of the most incredible thought leaders in the industry, and today is no exception. I am going to introduce you to a friend of mine, Lori Bolen, who's a vibrational intuitive trainer. If you're not sure what that is, you are going to know by the end. She's one of the most sought after in the United States, and all over the world. And what she does is, she's going to help you consciously create and manifest so that you can build the business of your dreams and live the life that you want to live. So, she started a global outreach company called iThought Mind last year. And what I love the most that you're going to hear her talk about today is, vibrationally what that is and how that helps you to create a life filled with possibilities. So, I'm telling you guys, this is good stuff.But before we launch into the interview and my conversation with Lori, I want to read to you one of our reviews this week. And if you are KWN-Thriver, I want you to either send me an Instagram message and the DMS, hit me up over on Facebook because we want to send you a boss hat. We've got to know who you are and this review, and thank you for taking the time to download, to review and to share the love. And she or he says, ‘every week I look forward to my personal coaching with Beth and her friends. They are sitting in my car with me, coaching me on how to succeed in all areas of my life, not just my business. It's as if she knows what I need to hear. Keep up the amazing work. I am thankful for this podcast and can't wait for next week’. Oh my gosh. Thank you. And I love sitting in the car and being friends with you KWN-Thriver. It's as though I can read your mind, right? And, you said you're looking forward to next week. Well next week we have a podcast with none other than Santa Claus. I'm not kidding you, Santa’s coming live on the podcast and we're going to be talking about how Santa makes his list. So, look forward to that. I can't wait for you to hear from our guest today, Lori Bolen. So here we go.All right, so I just had this awesome introduction that I'm introducing Lori, and some of you listening are thinking, okay, vibration. I know all about manifesting. I've made my vision board. I'm listening to all the YouTube videos, I'm on this entrepreneurial journey. I'm looking back at 2019 and none of it happened. So, Lori is going to debunk some of the mysteries that you have out there because all of a sudden, I think Lori, that 2018 brought about, everybody was manifesting and cutting out pictures and doing all the things. And they're like, wait, but I still don't have it. So, I want you to just give an introduction of your…let's pretend like we're meeting at a party and you tell me what you do, and I'm looking at you like, what? So, let's go. We're at Nikki beach and I run into you and we start having a conversation. How would you describe to me who you are and what you do?Lori:Okay, well first off, I would describe that I'm a vibrational and Intuitive trainer. So, the minute I introduce myself, if you don't know anything about that, you look at me and lean in and go, what is a vibrational intuitive trainer? Now clearly everybody knows intuition. What? Vibration? What is that? So, everybody that is on this planet, 7.7 billion people, we all have energy. We run off a conscious vibration. So, we're always gravitating towards something. So, what I do is I help people understand if what they're gravitating towards is actually aligned to what their goal is or what they want to create for their life. So that's really important and that's what I would be telling you. And every single time I tell someone what I do, the next thing is, is they ask me, so what does my vibration say about me? What am I actually creating in my life? And so, then here we go, kicking in with the intuition for a moment. And the next thing you know, the introduction of maybe a minute or two ends up being like a half hour. And I end up adding another friend to my global outreach. So that's a perfect way that I would explain what the heck I do.Beth:Okay. I love that. So, I think that this audience tells me all the time that they love when we make it super personal. So, let's talk as though we're talking to Kaylee today and Kaylee is, she's imaginary. So, we can't really tap into her vibration. But Kaylee is doing all the things. She's showing up to the Zooms, she's doing some reach-outs, she's reading the big leap and she's doing all of the things, but she's still not hitting her goals. And I equate it in a way to not having a routine with the gym. Okay. So, if I skip the gym or I don't do my intermittent fasting, and all of the things that I know work for me, to make my body feels healthy. When I feel the most confident, when I know that all my ducks are in a row, I feel that Kaylee might need a routine that helps her with her vibration and also with these goals. And then it starts to feel, even when I'm describing it to you, that feels chaotic. Oh my gosh, is she reading this book? Is she waking up early? Is she manifesting in the afternoon? So, if you have an entrepreneur, a network marketer, let's use, that at the beginning levels. How do you start to work with this person to get some of these practices and get it working in Kaylee's life?Lori:Okay. The first thing that I explained is that we're always broadcasting a vibration, and we're always receiving a vibration. So, most people talk about the law of attraction. And I always say the law of attraction is always working. So is your vibration. So, you're always broadcasting something. If she was broadcasting all this kind of chaos and all of a sudden you received that vibration, you would go, Oh, my gosh, wait a second here. What can we do about it? So, the first thing I would do when I work with somebody is to recognize what kind of vibration they are broadcasting. Is it aligning with the way that they view being a wealthy entrepreneur, their goal setting, all of that? Because sometimes someone could have the best strategy in the whole entire world and just be awesome with our strategy, but yet not become a wealthy entrepreneur or hit their goal.And it simply is a level of looking at first, what vibration are they broadcasting? Now what does that mean? Your mind has a consciousness and then it has this subconscious. And in the subconscious we have all the familiarity. So, the longer you are familiar to your routine, the likelihood is it that vibration is going to always have that same outcome. So, if you think for a moment, let's say that you have a goal of increasing your lifestyle to $1 million, okay? And so now you've arrived to that million dollars and you want more. So, you have to up that vibration broadcasting to be able to have that happen. So, it's really important. Here's some simple tools and exercises that I tell people right away. Do you think a lot, are you stressing? Are you in this kind of negative mindset? Well then you automatically know what you're broadcasting.So if you're out there, what do you think people are receiving from you when you're trying to, you know, expand your business? So that's the most important thing. Even though a lot of people will be kind, represent themselves nice, but they're broadcasting a vibration that says, no thanks. So that's why I talk about there are so many people that are entrepreneurs that are poor entrepreneurs, and they really want to be wealthy. So, to be wealthy isn't necessarily believing, yes, I can do it. It's about making sure that you're vibrationally aligned and you're broadcasting that and you're 100% certain of what that vibration is. So, let's say for example, you're a very, very kind and enthusiastic person, which I know you are Beth. So, I know you're broadcasting out there and you're receiving people that are coming to you that are like, wow, what's going on? I'm open to learning more.So that's a really good vibrational signal. So that would be the first thing that I would be asking someone. Sit down and write down what are you representing? What are you broadcasting to people? Do you feel that way? Genuinely are your thoughts in that direction? For example, if you're selling something you don't believe in, what are you broadcasting? You're broadcasting people that aren't going to believe in that either. So that's the number one in everything that you're doing. Pay attention to your vibration. So, here's what happens when you're getting ready to let's say, upgrade your goal or expand your business. Simply because we're approaching 2020, so a lot of people are like, Hey, what's my business going to look like next year? When you take a look at that, you want to really think if you're putting limitations on your thoughts or you're letting your everyday life consume you in a way that's greater than your entrepreneurial business, then you're broadcasting more chaos than anything. Does that make sense?Beth:Yes. And so, because I have the opportunity to work with thousands of women in this network marketing space and in the coaching space, I'll receive messages all day long and something like, ‘I'm just getting crickets on my message’. And so immediately I think, well of course you're getting crickets cause you're projecting that, right? You're broadcasting that. And also, there's this other piece, because most of you listening are network marketing entrepreneurs, or you might be life coaches. I believe so firmly in the power of the network marketing model, in residual income, and that it was a business that was available and accessible to all, that I shared and people just would be like, ‘I got to know what you're doing’. Where I feel that so many people are out there are projecting, or putting out there, ‘Oh well it's this thing. It's not really, it's not really a pyramid, but it's kind of.’ Yeah. And so of course people aren't wanting to hear more about it. So how do we help people? And we all go down that path, whether it's at the gym, or in your marriage, or in your business, to get rid of this self-negative talk.Lori:Well, that's a good question. First off, you can focus on that, if you focus on it. So, think about the law of attraction. What you focus on, you'll attract more of. So, if you are like, ‘Oh, my gosh, the people I'm going to attract aren't going to really believe in what I'm doing’. Or like, ‘that's a pyramid thing. I don't want to deal with that’. Do you follow me? And instead, if you were broadcasting, ‘Hey, you could be an entrepreneur, not only be successful, but at a low cost even’. So that's something that, you know, if you're broadcasting, and like me, I'm very competitive, so I'm competitive with myself. So, it's always like I want to raise that goal, raise it more. Once I get to a level it's like, okay, I want to get to the next level. And so, if you don't put the pressure on your mind, so a lot of times people put pressure on that number, whatever that is, whether it's sales or that number inside their mind. And I don't think I can do this, but I really want to.Well then, they're broadcasting a disbelief. So, what kind of people are they attracting? Because those people are receiving the signal. So, it's really important to pay attention, take the fear out of it, take the negativity out of it, because you have no room for it. So, it makes it easier to hit your goal and sell when you have that winning mindset that you're broadcasting nothing but winners, that they see what you're selling as, ‘Yes, I need that. Thank you. Yes, I want to be a part of that. I want to talk about it. I want to spread the word’. That's how the vibration becomes automatic. You got a broadcast automatic wealth, and this is what I talk about all the time. Automatic sales. You want automatic sales, you want automatic connections, you must be broadcasting that. So instead of looking at the vision board, put a board up that looks at, what am I broadcasting? And read that message before you have reachable moments, where you're like, ’Yes, I'm getting myself in my vibrational alignment till that's what I'm broadcasting’.And then have that winning mentality. And then anyone, if you're an entrepreneur that has a team that you're dealing with, make sure they are understanding, what are we broadcasting as a team? Don't focus on the number and the level. Focus on the broadcasting of it. These were teachable moments as a team. Look at how many people we're going to connect to. Look at how many lives we're going to change. When you're looking at that, that sends an empowering broadcast message where you're like, ‘Yes, I want a part that, and I think that's what you did with Camp Elevate, right? Is you made it this beautiful space and once you broadcasted this wonderful space where people can care and share and say, ‘Hey, we're a part of the team.’ So, I think that's important. So that's what I would be telling anyone. Make sure you have that message and broadcast that out, and know when you receive it back, that's the most beautiful thing.Beth:Well, I always think about when I run into a friend who might have a new love in her life or in the beginning of that relationship, that people just, there's the sparkle and you're like, what are they doing? I need to be a part of that. So, I feel that way with, and I always talk about, when you're in a business for a long time that you have to continue to have those thoughts and yeah, have that energy around your business. Like the paydays, having the this moment of, I'm so grateful for this happening, and I'm falling in love over and over again with the mission. So, this is what happens to me a lot. So, I'm going to problem solve with you. Like you're coming in, we're doing a coaching session is I get people that have the belief, and they're right doing it.So they're believing that they're manifesting, and they're looking at all of the things, and they're doing the work, that you've given them. Maybe they're in one of your business intuitive courses, but they're not actually having conversations with people. They think that if the universe aligns, that they're going to make sales and hit goals. So, a lot of people will say to me, ‘Oh gosh, it must've been so easy for you because you attract these leaders that are, I attract 10’s. I attract tens all day long. And I always have. But I know why. But then there's this, ‘Oh, I don't want to be in the hustle grind mentality and sending these icky messages, while you're projecting the icky messages. But sales and growth as an entrepreneur requires people to actually have conversations. So, I think people get caught in this, I'm going to be in my meditation and manifesting and align my vibration with only these people that are vibrationally qualified. Yet, they're not doing shit behind the scenes. So how do you combine Lori's world and the world of…because you are also a sales Ninja. You also hit big goals. So, I have a group of friends that are, they love this space. It's, you know, and I always say, go to yoga, hang out there, but you got to come home and do the work. So how does it mesh? How do we create a world that were vibrationally where we need to be? We've got the breathing exercises you give, we've got the things on the board, but then we are having conversations.Lori:Okay, well first off there is the law of action. So, think about what you're broadcasting right now. If you're broadcasting, ‘Yes I want to be this wealthy entrepreneur. I love what I'm doing.’ You want to do the action dance. You don't want to walk away from it. It's like when you meet someone that you're in love with and what happens, so much of the time is, like what you said, the sparkle, and then all of a sudden you're in the relationship for a while and you're like, what the heck happened to the sparkle? Familiarity came in, and I talk about this when it's in relationships, business, whatever you're doing in your life. It's not really about meditation and staying in that kind of mindset of a Zen state. Because when you are wanting to attract things in your life vibrationally, you want those actions. You want to attract and do that vibrational dance that I talk about.So when you're in a relationship, you don't want to wait until that sparkle goes away. So imagine for a moment that if somebody was listening to this podcast and maybe they keep hitting the same level of goal and they can't get themselves out of this stuff because vibrationally what that means is that they've ran so much into familiarity that they can't even see, no matter how much they're broadcasting new words, their vibe is stagnant. So, they've got to raise the awareness. Raising the awareness let's take a different route. When was the last time you were in the car and you were on your way somewhere and all of a sudden there's road construction and you're like, ‘Oh my gosh, detour?’ Then you're taking this detour and you're looking around and you're like, ‘how did I not ever see this before?’ So, it's really important that if you are stuck in that level and you're like, ‘gosh, what do I do to get out?’ All right let's take a different approach. Let's take a different action. You can coach somebody all day long, but if they do not take a different action, this is how it is in relationships. If you continue to keep the same action and you keep going eventually, vibrationally, it's not going to be enough. You're not going to be passionate about it. You're going to rationalize and say, huh, well, at least I have this. I'm grateful for what I have. No, be grateful for what you are attracting and what's coming in for you. That's important.Beth:Oh, I love that. I love that. Okay. So, there's so much to get into these 30 minutes. I want to tell you guys that Lori's Facebook page is full of free content. She gives so much away and then we'll connect in the show notes how to connect with her because she's got all kinds of programs. You're like, I need to do this work and you all need to do this work. I need to do it. And that's how I connected with Lori was, I firmly believe if I'm going to go beyond, you might be listening saying, ‘Oh well, she did this, this and this. That's not enough. I have to stay in the work. It's like if you go to church and you're in that community and you detach from it and you're not staying in the word. So, we can do a follow-up, because I know that you guys, we tried to keep it 30 minutes because I think that's gym time. Most people put it in their ear buds for a commute so we can do a follow-up. But today I was on my app at the gym and Nick sent me a workout, and I can communicate with him, and I have my chat with my accountability friends, and I was like, I just killed it, and we're all cheering for each other. And those are the things that helped me to stay on track. So, if you are our trainer, a vibrational trainer, not a fitness trainer, and someone is pretty much brand new to this. They might have messed around with a couple of YouTube videos, maybe they cut out some pictures. Can you give us an assignment? A beginning workout, if we're new to this, that will help us in the first steps? .All of this work is raising the vibration. And I want to say to you guys, as you listen, just get started. It's never perfect work. You're never going to understand it totally. I can look at what Lori's bio, which you heard, and I've done the work and you just get started before you even have an understanding. Don't go into research mode. I got to see if this is for me. Just do a little and then more and then more and then more. So, what's our workout? What's our assignment from you?Lori:Okay, well first off, I'm sure a lot of people that are listening to this podcast are used to listening to other people. What do the billionaires do as a morning ritual? So, we talk about, you know, certain people like Mark Walberg gets up at 4:00 AM. So why does Mark Walberg get up at 4:00 AM?) Because you know he wants to maximize his time. He knows that the first two hours in the morning is the best time for the conscious mind. And so, what that means is that you don't have a lot on your mind. So, what you're doing is, the workout is building the endorphins. So, you need that, but you also need that mental vibration. And I would say think about the T for a moment. So, the T meaning and vibration is your thoughts. So, if your thoughts are negative or you're already prophesizing your day, or strategizing, okay, ‘how am I going to get through the clutter?’ Then you've already broadcasted a signal that says today's going to be a chaotic day. So, you want to make sure that those thoughts are nice and broadcasting what you want that day to be. Then we have the E, the E is about the decision making in our environment, which means our internal environment.So there's only so many decisions you can make in a day before you start to get overwhelmed. That's why someone like Mark Zuckerberg only wears a certain color or a certain outfit because he wants one less decision. So, he can focus on making sure that all the decisions he's making are towards his goal. So, if you've already over made the decision, so okay, you woke up, the thoughts are chaotic, your environment internally is like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ you're overwhelmed on the decisions. So now you're going to have an emotion that's going to broadcast frustration, perhaps disappointment maybe was set yourself already emotionally up for failure. And then that affects your attitude. Your attitude affects your actions. So, the wonder why most people think, ‘if I sit back in a meditation and manifest and I'm in the Zen mindset’. You get that? Well that's the kind of action. Don't want to take an action.That's why they're not getting the outcome. Do you follow me with that? So, the thing that you want to be able to do, besides putting your broadcast message on your board, is to pay attention to your T. The moment that you wake up in the morning, make sure you're vibrationally aligned to that. If you have a situation where you have to make a lot of decisions in your business, time to get an assistant so they can make some of your decisions for you so you don't get overwhelmed. So that's the difference between starting to accelerate. And if you're really wanting to make $1 million are multimillionaire or anything like that, you've got to know that you only have a certain requirement. So, I want to encourage you to put on your board that T and stay focused on that. That would be the very first thing that I would do.So if you are having something going on in your life that is emotionally affecting you in a negative way, you want to back away and not broadcast that into your entrepreneurial business because that's going to get setbacks for you. So, you want to be able to be for a set up in your situation. So, to be in that setup, you've got to number one; have your goal, make sure that you're following your daily T and put forth that wonderful action of that dance to be passionate about what you're doing. And yes, I tell people, sure, meditate. That's a way to fly it the mind. But that's not the way to elevate your business. That's a way to just quiet your mind. Does that make sense?Beth:Yes. And I couldn't help, as you were talking, thinking about the T of sending a 15-year-old son to school, because his first thought is Ugh. So it's a, you know, if you guys have teenagers, just see the contrast of, and when you think about the mornings that you wake up early, your thoughts, you start your day with those thoughts and everything seems to flow and fall into place. Start to pay attention to why that's happening. And then those other mornings when it may be chaos you've slept in, the backpacks are being thrown at each other, the dog is barking, the cat is, and then the vibration has gone, or is so low. So when we feel that chaos, when we feel like this is out of control and your husband's over here chewing on a peanut and you're ready to punch him in the face, and the kid is over here, you know, slumping around. How do we create the T? Because we all do it. Do you ever, I mean you're so trained in this, do you ever have those moments, that I am completely annoyed? I got to bring myself back and I know that you have some of your own methods that you use. So, for me right now, this is what I'm looking for. I'm looking for, I start to feel it slipping. The peanut chewing is annoying me. The dog is snoring in the corner and the kid is driving me crazy. And guess what's going to happen to everything for that day. What do we do when we feel the slip?Lori:Okay, first off, when all of that is happening, that's an indication that you've already used up all your decision power, because the minute you use up your decision power, your fight or flight, your stress responses are heightened. So even the most mild little sound, sounds like it's tremendously getting on your nerves. So when you're completely in that way, I tell people back away and start reading and relaxing and put some your earphones on or earbuds on, listen to something calming, start to relax to get that sensory of that nervous system calm and quiet. And the other thing I want to bring up too that I think is important. So if somebody's listening right now and you're broadcasting good stuff and your vibe, but you're receiving resistance back, I want to answer that because so much of the time when you're sending out good vibes and your broadcasting and you're like, yes, yes, yes. span>What the heck is going on? All these people I'm receiving are, gosh, they're negative, they're reactive. Or maybe you're putting forth those actions and like you said earlier, it's crooked. You're like, what the heck? I'm broadcasting. Where's my people? Come on. And so, what that means in receptive mode. So, if you're receiving a lot of negative people coming your way, you got that? What I encourage you to do at that point is, because your broadcasting message might be too high. So, hold on just a second and listen to me. So, a lot of times we put our broadcasting to a manifestation, perhaps an amount of money that you want. So, let's say right now someone listening is only making $100,000 a year and they want to get up to that million-dollar level. Okay? So you want to just, so if you're broadcast and you're like, ‘yes, yes, yes, I got this going, but what I'm receiving back is people that are negative’, that means you've got to spend time raising that vibration.So you want to back away from that. Backing away from that is easy. So, I give a simple receptive exercise. So just like when that E, you're all that decision power and everything is getting you unnerved. Okay? So, when you're sending out the signal to go from a hundred to a million, the people's actions are different. You've just adjusted your actions to say, wow, my vibration is yes, I'm broadcasting $1 million. Okay? And so, in this situation, you want to be able to back away, have some reflection time. Reflection time means sit back and take a look at what people are you wanting to receive that aren't up to the standard of what you're broadcasting. So, they may be halfway to that point. You follow what I'm saying? So, what would the message be? You can't make the message the exact same. This is what happens if you're $100,000 a year and how you're sending out your message and you are now deciding you want to be that millionaire.We've got to change the message. This is why Beth, I'm sure you can recognize this. You've expanded your toolbox of ways that you're reaching people and how you're doing different things. And so, as you're doing that, it's because you're recognizing, alright, what the people I need to receive has to understand my message. So, you have to change the message. Don't make it the same. So, sit back. If you're experiencing that, if nobody, nobody is addressing you and you're like crickets, then I want you to sit back and say,’ okay, how are they receiving my message?’ So, I may be broadcasting my vibe and my words may be like, Yes, these are million-dollar words, but how the people are receiving them may not feel that way to them. It may feel more like, who do you think you are? Like, why should I buy from you? So, it's important to look at that receptive mode. So, don't forget to do that. If you're having difficulty, sit back, relax, breathe, and what I call profiling, pull file, the people that you're wanting to reach and how they're receiving that message, then they'll automatically start reaching you without really having to do that hustle and grind. That's the important thing when you're working with vibration, is to get it to become automatic and readjust that vibe when you want to increase, either that wealth, or expand your business. So, I hope that makes sense. .Beth:Yeah, it does. And I'm taking crazy notes, because this is, you guys knowing that as you get information, as it comes in, hearing it over and over again, listening to the podcast, going and watching some of the lives, getting on Lori’s newsletter that you can find on her website. If you subscribe that talks about the T and consistently committing to this is every day. I would say to my husband this, it takes a lot of work because you know it's an investment of time, of money, it's a commitment of, I'm not going to live just in this space, in this ordinary space. And it's so beautiful. You start to really commit and do the work and you're honest with yourself of, am I really doing it? Like I know Lori. I know when I'm not up at 4:45 AM, the rest of the day. I know how that's going to go and I will not, I mean projecting this right here, but today everything's in place.I know without question, I know it's happening for me, and my sales site today. I was at the gym this morning and I'm like, I love Dixie chicks. I try to stay away from anything that requires thought at the gym that I have to process. I'm listening to Dixie chicks and I'm smiling at people and some guy is like, what are you listening to? Because I just was a totally different vibration today. It was so high. And then of course my weights went up. The results are starting to come. So, I encourage you guys to do this work. I get really excited about it obviously. So, there's a lot of ways, and I always share this, and we share it in the show notes. There's a lot of ways that you can connect with Lori where she's giving you a lot. If you don't feel like, ‘Oh Hey, I need to check this out, from just stalking a Facebook page. But you work with people at all different levels. Describe how if someone wants to connect with you, work with you in a group forum, work with you privately. I know that we're looking forward to a podcast maybe down the road. So how can this audience get more of you?Lori:Okay, well, currently there are a couple of ways. One of the ways is as I teach people how to put intuition into your business, and that's important because 40% of CEOs currently right now in the world, no matter how much knowledge they have, they're using their intuition. And that intuition then leads you to, let me use, for example, you might be right now on social media doing the hustle, broadcasting that vibe and going, yes, yes, yes, I want to be that millionaire. And then you're not listening to the instinct. Because maybe that's not the time. Maybe you are so unaware that the people that you're actually aligning with and attracting aren't the ones that are going to take your business from zero to a million. And so, it's important to recognize intuition in that. So currently I have a program that's kicking off in 2020 putting the intuition back in your business.And then if someone's reaching out to me on a one-on-one, which a lot of people do because they want things tailored, they want to recognize how much of my familiarity vibe, or I'd been stuck in this relationship for a long while. How do I get passion back into it? Or how do I resuscitate my poor entrepreneurial business into a wealthy one? So, this is things that I do in the custom tailor besides, you know, health and all of these things. So that's what I do. In a one-on-one. And also, you know, I do corporate things and, and different things like that. People are always reaching out to that. So, there's all sorts of ways. But I encourage people, if you're just listening to this podcast and going like, what the heck is this woman talking about? But man, it sounds so awesome. I want to learn more.Check on my video library and on my personal page on Facebook because I give so many tools the right way to manifest using your conscious mind and how to expand your vibe. So, I encourage people, that's a way that they can reach out. I love to give people the tools because the law of vibration is always working. So, whether you're doing the work or not, it's happening. It's happening as you're listening to this podcast right now. So, if you don't like your current reality or it's not enough for you, then clearly, you're attracting more of that vibration. So, it's time to get a new vibe, increase the vibe, broadcast things differently. So that's what I would suggest.Beth:I think it's so cool that it's a possibility, right? That, because I again go back to a 15 year old boy who doesn't want to go to school today and he's like, you know, I talk to him about the T and I have these conversations, and I have friends that had kind of a different, you know, we didn't talk about this when I was growing up. My mom had very high vibration and a lot of that is carrying over into my life. People say you're so lucky. So, if your parents and your listening, all of these things apply to being an entrepreneur, to being a parent, to being a spouse. Even imagine…I just had my giant golden retriever walk up. Your dog’s even feel it. It's so exciting to me. I know you guys; I get all excited about these things that happen. What a gift, right? That this is out there. Okay. One last question that I have for you is, and this is always a surprise question, so are you ready?Lori:Yes. All right.Beth:Okay. So, of all the things that you could have in the world, money is not an option. Is not an issue. Everything that you know, you could find it under your Christmas tree, or it would arrive via Amazon prime. What would you want today on your doorstep?Lori:Oh, for myself. For yourself. Oh gosh, that's a tough one because I'm such a giver, and I like, not to sound, you know, pompous in any way. I actually live such an amazing life; I haven't wanted for anything for years. So, I spend most of my time giving back. So, the one thing that I would want on my doorstep from Amazon is all everything from Amazon so I could turn around and give it to everybody that actually needs it. And that would bring such a joy to me. Just the same way with the tools that I give to help people understand more about how their mind works in the vibration. Because the more you know about how you work, the more these things will happen to you because people say this. I mean, I can remember the first time I went to a car dealer and bought three brand new cars and gave them away.I gave them away to people I didn't even know. And you know, I've bought several homes and gave those away. And you know, you give back when you arrive at a certain level. So, the thing under the Christmas tree that I would want is everything for everyone that at this moment is barely getting by in the world. So, it would give them enough resuscitation so that I could teach them how to increase their vibes so they could do the same thing and give back. I think that's the most important thing.Beth:That's wonderful. Sure, Amazon has delivery. I do love that. And so, okay, so let's start a chain on that. Because no matter what your financial situation is today, I want you to think about somebody in your life and you, you know, you have the intuition to know that even having some, having a gift card for whole foods would help their Christmas. And think of someone, whoever comes to your mind right now and use your intuition to say, I'm going to send this $20 book, or I'm going to send this Amazon gift card, because it's going to help with their Christmas, and don't sign your name. Just send it, let it arrive. Remember may day baskets back in the day? You'd leave a basket on somebody's doorstep. Just do that good deed today and go out and give something and you'll notice like it's like that whole thing when someone pays for your Starbucks. It feels so good. We do that all the time. We'll be like, let's pay for that today. So fun. Right?Beth:All right Lori. Well thank you.Lori:Thank you.Beth:Thank you! You are so welcome. You guys in the show notes, we are going to put all of the ways that you can connect with Lori. Grab her free videos on her page, look at the business intuitive, or the high vibe courses coming up, and of course we always end with Oliver walking up and he starts groaning into the microphone. Oh, and my podcasts are like, you're so professional. Until the dog starts growing. All right, Lori. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to stop this recording. And okay, you guys, if you're listening to this, I'm really serious about, I'm doing it right when we get off. Blessing somebody with a gift today that you are capable of giving, even if it's $10. And how good you're going to feel after you do that. And don't shout it out on social media that you did it. And, or do the hundred percent tip, and do it anonymously and we can raise this entire vibration of this crazy country that we live in. Right? All right. Talk to you guys all next Monday. Thanks for hopping on. And as always, go ahead and do a screenshot of this. Lori, are you on Instagram?Lori:I am on Instagram.Beth:Okay. And how can we find you on Instagram? Because I have them tag both of us so you can reshare it in your stories.Lori:Oh, you're asking me this? And the team that works with me does all of that. So, you put it in the show notes?Beth:I'll put it in the show notes, and I love this when she said she doesn't use right. The decision when we couldn't get the audio, she immediately, and I loved it, she was like, there's no room in my brain. I could see that. So, she called Lauren and Lauren solved the problem. It was so easy. So, we're going to put how to connect with Lori and Instagram. I'm at @Bethholdinggraves. Screenshot this, put it in your direct messages and up in your story so people will hear the podcast, and I'll connect with you that way. I'll catch you guys all next Monday.I want to thank you for hanging out with us today on the podcast. As always, screenshot this shared over an Instagram. I will chat with you over in the DMS. And there's still time to chat with me about the Profit HER Way mastermind 2020 program that we are just getting started in May. I tell you that we have the most phenomenal group of women that are going to be masterminding and working together, starting in January. So, let's get you on that list. Let's see if it's a fit for you. One of my best, best and biggest pieces of advice from an entrepreneur was surround yourself with women that want to see you succeed, that are pushing you to go a little longer, to reach a little higher, and that's what we're doing over in the mastermind. So, you can get on that list to chat with me at BethHoldenGraves.com/Profit and as always, we are doing amazing things in our free Facebook group Camp Elevate. Find us in the show notes or just go to thecampelevategroup.com and join us. We are finishing up a book exchange this week and we have some really, really, really, really amazing free trainings on the way that will be happening before the New Year, as we look at crushing our goals in 2020 and looking at our year in review. So, I'll see you all next week. Santa will be with us. I can't wait.Thanks so much for hanging out with me today and ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’. I’m hoping that you’ve found one thing that you will do today that will allow you to move forward to that big, audacious goal. And I have a favor to ask of you, and that is leaving me a five-star review over in iTunes. Every single week I read your reviews. I love hearing what you have to say, and it allows me to bring you more, to get more people to interview that are doing the thing, breaking the glass ceilings, creating what they crave, and helping you with your game plan. So leave me a five-star review, and when you do, I enter you to win the, ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’ swag, so make sure you leave it and we’ll reach out to you if you’re the winner. Thanks so much for hanging with me today and we’ll chat with you soon.

Today I am so excited to share with you, a very special interview, with the amazing Kristin Crockett. Once upon a time, Kristin Crockett was living the American Dream – she was making all the money, she was top in sales in her career. She had the beautiful house, she had the husband, she had a beautiful family. Yet she was overweight, she wasn't feeling fulfilled, she felt this missing piece in her life. I think this is something that many women can relate to. I had just turned 40, I had gained a bunch of weight, I had never had a weight issue before. I decided to cut my hair. After cutting my hair, my husband, who is desperate to figure out what was going on with me. He thought to himself, what can I do to help my miserable wife be happy? So, he's like, what do you need? That's what we all want, somebody to ask our needs. And I said, I need hair extensions. Like that was my answer to why I wasn't happy. So, I went out and spent $2,500 on hair extensions. I looked good for about three days, and then my friends had to do an intervention after a month. My hair extensions were not the way to make me happy, and it wasn't how I ultimately found that contentment on the next piece of my journey. Kristen shares with us how to create the mindset to gain the success that we truly deserve, and to raise the bar on what we believe we deserve. It worked for Kristin, she lost over 80lbs, gained the personal freedom of self-expression, and expanded her confidence and courage. Keynotes discussed: I had the kids, I had the husband, but there was just something missing and I couldn't put my finger on it. (04:45)My unconscious mind had its own itinerary. So when you've got this, almost like these two worlds that come together, it shows up in reality as resistance and it, for me it was resistance to action.  (13:20)So when you get your magic wand out, you get to take that and just kind of silence that inner critic, and that's what the magic wand does. And then be able to say, well, this is what I'd actually really want.  (21:24)So that's what I, I just today, let's all do something courageous that feels uncomfortable, that we know we should be doing. (28:31)These are all these ideas that come to me when I wake up in the morning, and I keep a journal next to my bed because anytime I have an idea or something, you know, floats into my brain, I write it down. (32:20) Learn More About The Content Discussed... No Boss Talk:https://nobosstalk.comKristin Crockett on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeserveLevelCoachKristen’s New Website: https://www.courageousdestiny.comThe Camp Elevate Facebook Group:hereBeth’s Instagram:@bethholdengravesBeth’s website:https://www.bethholdengraves.comProfit HER Way Course:https://www.bethholdengraves.com/profitBe sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and share it with a friend that would get some value!Beth's website: https://www.bethholdengraves.comCamp Elevate: https://www.bethholdengraves.com/camp-elevate Episode Transcript… Beth:Welcome to 'You're Not the Boss of Me'. If you are determined to break glass ceilings and build it your way, this show is for you. I'm your host Beth Graves, and I am obsessed with helping you to not just dream it, but make the plan, connect the dots and create what you crave. Are you ready? Let's get started.Let's get started. Welcome back. I am so excited. I have an incredible guest on this episode. Her name is Kristen Crockett and I am going to do a little intro and first of all, I love to tell people, because a huge thing about my life is I seem to get these awesome connections with women and it's because I always ask questions. So, a friend of mine, Yvonne, who gave me permission, met Kristin and started working with her and Deserve Coaching and I started to notice the shift with Yvonne. Like something was different, and I'm like, what are you doing? Like you know when someone has a new boyfriend or a new haircut or they've got something, she had this glow and I'm like Yvonne, like what is going on? Are you having good sex? Like what's the story?She introduced me to Kristen and yeah, so I am going to just read it. It's almost reading, but I'm looking at her bio because Kristen, when I first talked to her, she was interviewing me for a book she's writing, which she'll share, and she said she had it all, the American dream. She was making all the money. She was top in sales in her career. She had the beautiful house, she had the husband, she had a beautiful family, yet she was overweight. She wasn't feeling fulfilled. She felt this missing piece in her life. I know I can relate. Kristen doesn't know the story. I'm going to have Kristen continue to share what she did from that moment. But I think this, many women will relate to. I had just turned 40 and I had gained a bunch of weight. I had never had a weight issue and I also decided to cut my hair.And I'm looking at Kristen cause we're live together. She's got this adorable haircut, it is sassy. I cut my hair. So, I had gained weight. I cut my hair and my husband who is desperate to figure out what can I do to help my miserable wife be happy? So, he's like, what do you need? What do you need? Like that's what we want someone to ask our needs. And I was like, yeah, I need hair extensions. That was my answer to why I wasn't happy. So, I went out and spent $2,500 on hair extensions. I looked good for about three days and then my friends had to do an intervention after a month. Like this is not a good thing for you. So anyway, hair extensions were not the way to raise my Deserve level and it wasn't how I ultimately found that on that next piece of the journey. So, Kristen, hearing that, I'm sure you get clients that were in my position all the time. Can you share your story, your journey, and how you ended up leaving that corporate high paying job to help women just like me?Kristen:Absolutely. So, I love the hair extension story. I think it's a really great illustration about something outside of me is going to make me feel better. Right? It's something else. It’s kind of circumstantial. Something is going to make me feel better. And for me, that's really where my story started. So, I had the beautiful home and it was gorgeous, you know, 4,800 square feet, so the granite counters and the warming trays and that, this and the that. And I loved my house, but it's like I bought all of the things that people who are incredibly successful buy, and I put them in a house, and I was terribly unhappy and didn't know why. I have everything, I have everything that I've ever wanted. And yet, you know, I had the kids, I had the husband, but there was just something missing and I couldn't put my finger on it and I just kept gaining more and more weight. I was overweight my whole life. So, it wasn't like a matter of a period in life or right after I had my kids, I had put on 80 pounds, you know, I had actually carried 80 pounds upwards of 20 plus years. And when I met my coach, I was almost 40, so that turning point in my life where the triplets were old enough that they didn't quite need me as much. They were five. So, of course they did.Beth:I just have to pause. Did you hear that ladies out there? Triplets? I hear, I was on my bed crying and I had independent kids that were not triplets. This woman gave birth to three at once. Just want to point that out.Kristen:It was funny because that moment, because what was happening was for so long everything was one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three. You know, it's like change the diapers, make the bottles, do this, do that. There was no time to go, ‘Oh, who am I?’ You know, what is this world about? Why was I born? There was nothing like that in my life, you know. It was just one, two, three. And if I wasn't doing one, two, three, I was going to work and I was working at a technology organization and I just go, go, go. It was like at that hamster on the hamster wheel, you know, that just keeps spinning around.Beth:When did you go? So, one thing that comes to me there, and this is like off topic, is - don't you wish as a mom that's surviving motherhood and I know there's resources out there. I wish I had known about journaling and known about meditation and getting my brain in the right and even just the Breathe App for goodness sake. Putting that in while I was breastfeeding could have changed a lot. So, maybe it's because we're in a more evolved space that I think all moms know about those things, but that's something I always think, okay, what can I do today to contribute to someone else's life? And I have three young moms I'm thinking about, I'm just going to buy them the Breathe App for a year and say use this. Yeah. Okay. So, you're in this hamster wheel and you made a shift. Like, how did you come across the Deserve Coaching? Like how did it come across your plate?Kristen:So I did a lot of complaining in those days and I complained to a woman that I work with and she was one of these women who, you know, seemingly on the outside just had it all, you know, she was a pilot, she was amazing at sales, she was a yoga instructor. She, there was just no limit to this woman. And I love that about her. I had a lot of respect and she was also incidentally one of those people that doesn't allow you to complain to her without giving you something to do about it. And I'm so grateful for that today, because right. What I complained to her, she's like, I'm going to give you something to do. I want you to call my brother and my brother's a coach.Beth:Oh my gosh. Yes. Awesome. That's what I'm going to start doing when people start complaining to me, I'm just giving them your number. There you go. Okay, so you started on, that's a scary move for someone. And I know that our listeners, one of the big reasons that I asked you to come out and we were talking about your book, I ended up turning it into my own private coaching session. We never really got to the book, but one of the things leading a large group of women, that when I had a huge compelling reason, when I started in sales and even though it wasn't always comfortable for me to make those calls, get on the zoom, have gatherings in my house because you know, your house is never ready. The compelling reason was so strong that I didn't stop to consider what do other people think? Why shouldn't I do this? But when people get comfortable, like you are very comfortable, you're making the money, right? So, you obviously, your compelling reason for making that call was you felt like "Bleep"!Kristen:Right? Yeah. I really felt powerless. I mean, now I know, I didn't even know what that meant at the time, you know? But I felt powerless. I had, there was nothing that was going to change my life. In fact, my first call with my coach was, well, here you go. And I complained to him for a half an hour about how, you know, everybody out at work was against me. And you know, there was no time to eat healthy. And I can't even manage to brush my hair half the time when I'm getting the kids in the car and getting them out to school, let alone try to make an egg or prepare something healthy for myself. Are you kidding me? And so, I just, I had no power. I no power to change my life. And that is when after he listened, I don't think I've ever had anybody just listened to me. Like I just, Oh, like, I'm like, wow. And then he goes, okay, Kristen. He goes, I want you to consider something. He goes, we get in life what our unconscious mind beliefs we deserve.Beth:And wait, say it again. Because with bells and whistles. Say it again. We get in life…Kristen:We get in life what our unconscious mind believes we deserve.Beth:All right. And I want to like, I want to stop here because he gave you that message and I know I spent a lot of years calling bullshit on people like you and saying, Oh really? Come on. You just have to get in the game. You have to work hard; you have to do the thing. Like, and I used to say that about people. I would get up at five in the morning and run. I was at the gym; I was probably on the obsessive side of fitness. And my sister would say to me, don't be so quick to judge because you haven't been in the shoes of someone that is. And I got into those shoes when I had let the health side go. So, I used to always say, well, if they wanted it, it's almost like telling someone with a mental illness to just be happy.Right? And so, when someone's feeling like getting out of bed in the morning and putting on their running shoes, like they're not springing up at every step out of bed is like walking across glass because it's so painful to take that action. Some people might say, well, that's just lazy. You've just got to do it. You've just got to do it. When suddenly this door is opening and evolving in my head of, they can't figure out how to do it. How is the subconscious mind playing into that story? I love to give strategies and solutions. I've spoken on stages about, all you do is put a hundred sticky notes on a wall and you move 10 a day, and Yvonne, who introduced me to you, she's like, yes, I know I need to move 10 a day. But me as a coach was like, well, why aren't you moving the 10 a day?Which made me realize there's a reason and that's that subconscious mind. So how does that, you obviously went through the coaching you learned about the Deserve level and how to raise the Deserve level, right? So, somebody listening is like, okay, I know all the things. I have, all the checklists. I have all the diets. I mean, how many of us have bought $70,000 worth of diets? We even know what we need to do to get our marriages back on track, but we just don't freaking do it. And did the bell go off in your head that day when he said that about your subconscious mind, and can you explain a little bit behind the science about that?Kristen:I would be happy to. So, when he said that, and you got to remember I had complained to him, I was in my own head and he woke me up like it was like bam, I'm up. It was the way he said it and I knew I could trust him instantly when he said that because of the way he said it. So, a little bit behind the science of Deserve level, it's our unconscious 5 percent of the way that we think. So, our unconscious mind has its own, you know, it's handling our actions. You know, a lot of people say, Oh well I'm on autopilot. It's like if you wake up at 3:00 AM and your alarm clock goes off and you're used to waking up at 5:00 AM every day, it's like, have you ever heard the stories where people are like, Oh my gosh, I got totally ready for work.I got in my car and the next thing I know, I realized I had three more hours. I could have slept. Well. The unconscious mind takes over, right? Going through all the motions, and that's what controlling most of our actions is. Our unconscious mind. So consciously, I could look at an exercise program and I could go, Oh, well I know all the tricks. I've been on weight Watchers for 20 years of my life. You know, I know how much to eat. I know portion control. I know how to weigh food. I know how to exercise. I had been an athlete, but my unconscious mind viewed me as the big girl, just mine viewed me as somebody without self-discipline. My unconscious mind viewed me as somebody who was going to break every single rule that anybody who was a diet practitioner would give me. My unconscious mind had its own itinerary. So, when you've got this, almost like these two worlds that come together, it shows up in reality as resistance and it, for me it was resistance to action. Does that make sense?Beth:Yeah, because I resist authority.Kristen:Yes.Beth:I’ve resisted authority, but I was always…they don't really know I'm resisting them unless they're smart. Like you are well trained in it, so let's take that. I know that. So, if you are coaching someone, because I think that before people, like I know that listeners are thinking, Oh my gosh, she's inside of my brain. They did. They like crawled inside of my private sacred space where I hold all my secrets. I want to tell you if you're listening, that even if you, you look at somebody that has it all together, they're winning, they've got the car, the house, the marriage, the job at any level of success this comes to play in order to get to the next step, the next step or two. I think it is for me right now.When I started in 2014 it was hard for me to say I'm not happy because I didn't want to disappoint those people. My husband was like, how can you not be happy? Look at what we have. Or even my daughter came to me and said, mom, what you posted about 2014, like it makes it sound like you are sleeping in bed all day. We were a family. We were having fun. And to not disappoint those people to say I needed something more from me. And so that piece of it, but also there's so many people and women, and I'm thinking of one in particular, that she needs something more for herself and I keep giving her an action plan to take the steps. There's a big financial chaotic piece going on right now around money and there's no action being taken to make the money that they need.So, the missing ingredient to me is the total and complete Deserve level that she's experiencing. So, if you were to, and this is you guys get ready…because what would be the first step of someone if they're like, I'm not quite ready to do some coaching. I know we're going to give everyone resources. There's a lot of free things that you provide if people aren't just wanting to learn and there's a book coming out. But what are you going to tell? I'm going to call her Mary, what will you tell Mary today who is looking at the sticky notes, or the action plan, or the phone, and she's just not doing it and she knows that it's in her hands? But it's just this or me eating, you know, two years ago, I know I'm not supposed to be eating this mint chocolate chip ice cream out of the carton at night, but you know, screw my trainer Amy because I'll start tomorrow and then I'll fool her Friday because I won't eat carbs for three days and she'll never know about the ice cream, when like Amy didn't care about the ice cream. All Amy wanted to do was help me achieve these goals as a nutrition and diet coach. So, like that's a lot that I just threw at you. But that's all. That's all people sabotaging success and happiness because of the crap in our brains, right?Kristen:So, first thing that I would do is, give her to this person who knows not to eat the chocolate chip ice cream or knows not to do these things, but is doing them anyway. I give them my listening, you know, because I can listen beyond just the surface so I can hear where somebody’s ego becomes engaged. And the reason why I can share it so well is because I spent so much of my life in that place, and I worked really, really, really, really rigorously to get out of it. And I worked on really untangling my own ball of yarn in my unconscious mind, you know, and really weaving it out one decision at a time, that created all of the stories and contexts in my brain.Beth:So, I love that one decision at a time. So how does the work begin? How does Mary or Belinda or Danielle whoever, want to start with that one decision at a time? And I'm a true believer in this. I told you that before, my solution is to hire a coach. But you can't hire a coach and like build out. Let's say you want to build out a funnel to bring leads your way, but you don't do the work and you don't connect with the customers. Same thing here, but one decision at a time to raise that Deserve level that, yeah. Okay, I deserve to have a healthy, hot body and feel good about myself when I get dressed in the morning. How does somebody start? Like what do you do to start that process?Kristen:Well, what I did to start was, obviously I did hire a coach because I hired Ed, and then after three months of working with Ed, I tripled my sales and lost my thirst 30 pounds. I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, I got to be a coach. This is amazing’. So that's how I started. But you know, to start something like that is, I think it's really to identify what you want. Most people can't even identify a target of what they want because their unconscious mind already makes an impossible, you know, an example of this. And when they go to identify what they want, looking and observing what's in their way, you know? So, if I were to have said right when I began my Deserve level wasn't even high enough to be able to say I want to lose 85 pounds, that would have been like insane to me. I mean, my first instinct and my first conversation with my coach was, you know what, if I could just get my blood pressure down and I could feel good and I could lose 20 pounds, that would be good enough for me. You know? So, it's almost like to be able to identify your good enough's, where are you settling? Where am I settling in my life because I'm too afraid to even identify what I actually want.Beth:So, what is an exercise to help someone to identify what they actually want?Kristen:Well, one of the things I do on an introductory call, you know, or what I like to call a Deserve level strategy session is I have people create this, which is a magic wand and I want that…I was holding up my index fingers, I forgot, people won't be able to see what I'm doing on podcasts, but it's ...Beth:Here's...I'm going to throw this out there is, I have an actual wand, just so you know,Kristen:I do too!Beth:Oh my gosh. See, I knew we were like sisters from another Mister I bought a wand and I was like; I will wave that wand around. I used to do it when my kids were toddlers. I'd be like, okay, you are going to be exceptional humans today, that cooperate and play and get along, wave, wave, wave. And they used to think I was crazy but it kind of worked. Now I wave it on myself. So, okay, so you've got your magic wand.Kristen:So, your magic wand. What your magic wand does is, it helps you get rid of that inner critic. You know, the one that's going to be saying, because I'll never forget my coach saying to me, well, you know, you only want to lose 20 pounds, but that's it. You don't ever want to be on a beach. You don't ever want to, you know, you don't ever want to wear a, I don't know, a bikini or this or that. And I'm like, and I remember saying this as plain as day, I'm like, Oh, well sure I'd really want that, but that's fricking impossible. I'm a mom of triplets. Are you kidding me? I'm never going to have a body like that. This body has been stretched out to 300 plus pounds. You know, there is no way that that would ever happen. Just hear all those decisions. Those are all unconscious. So, even just that as the first step. So, when you get your magic wand out, you get to take that and just kind of silence that inner critic and that's what the magic wand does. And then be able to say, well, this is what I'd actually really want. And if somebody, I don't care what that thing is by the way, that you want because if you look out into the world, if somebody else has it, the only thing that's between you and somebody else is your decisions on what's possible for you.Beth:Oh my gosh! You guys write that down. Like that is huge. Go back click, you know, 15 seconds back, play it in half time, I listened to my podcasts at two times the speed because I need to get all the information. That is huge. And I have personally, on my own personal journey of, I don't know why this time, I just said, well it's available to me. Suddenly after I started the business at 47, it's available to me. And I think back to when I was at my fittest. It wasn't a, well I can't, it was of course I can. And so at those moments I didn't have the doubts, but then, you know, when I turned 50 I found myself saying, Oh well I'm 50 now, so my weight, my goal weights can be 20 pounds more or I don't want to live my life.I had all of the excuses or the interference, it's kind of like if you're playing catch and then you've got like a six-foot ten-inch-tall basketball player interfering with that ball and that flow. That's how my mind works is I always envision him, he's really tall and he keeps grabbing my damn balls. Like I'm trying to throw them, and he keeps interfering and knocking them out of my hands. I will visually, I don't even know if this is Deserve level coaching, but this is like, I call it my Beth coaching method, is I literally will stand up and I will punch him and I will say get the F out of my way. I am going forward and I have to then put on some Beyonce and dance it out. Like that's kind of.Kristen:Yes.Beth:So, my block, you know, is I'm working on a project now for creating a program for women and my vision and my dream is to bring women together and give them the resources and the connections.That's how this podcast was born. And I kept stopping with the production of the podcast because I kept thinking, well, there's already another podcast like that, or no one will listen. And that was obviously no. I had to take the interference dude and punch him. It'd be like, get out of my way. Because even if I share this, share Kristen today, that one person out there, hears this message and it's like I'm going to go to your website, I'm going to go to a free group. And one move is made, like one decision you guys, whether it's a humanitarian effort, whether it's just somebody that is in an abusive situation, they need to leave. Or maybe it's your like Kristen or me, that we are feeling powerless and we're like, you know, it sounds like a book; I was made for more, but to be okay with that.So, we gave you a glimpse of what's inside the Deserve level coaching and Kristen, I know that they can find you, connect with you. I want you to give us all of those details. We'll also put them in the show notes. But if today someone is driving to work or they're at the gym and they're listening to this and I know I've listened to podcasts and I've cried thinking that's where I am, and they're not quite ready to make the move to call you, or reach out to you, or to, they want to consume. What can you tell that woman today that's at the gym or she's driving in her car and life feels like it's just fallen apart? Like what's your message for her today? You were there, what do you wish someone had said to you before that? You know you had someone say call my brother and then, and we don't plan these questions and I do it on purpose. So, Kristen's probably like, Whoa, these are harder than I thought. It's not the typical what is Deserve level coaching. But you've got an audience. I want you to think of that one person she's driving, her tears are streaming down her face and she's like, crap, are they talking to me? What is your message for her today?Kristen:My message for her today. How my brand was born, my brand is Courageous Destiny. Okay. So, if you break apart, courage…cou means from the heart and then rage. So, from the heart rage, destiny, that's really what it means. And for that person who's in their car crying and feeling powerless, the way to grab your power back is to do something. So even though it's uncomfortable and it would be terrifying, then I would say challenge yourself to call me anyway because those are things that I actually understand. So, I wouldn't actually go to them and go, Oh, don't call me. It's okay. Do what's easy. I would say do what you're most afraid of first, and that will give you the most power. So, I would say call me.Beth:I love it. Yeah. And do, do what you're most afraid of first. And sometimes those are conversations and sometimes that's like going to the networking event alone or going to Bunco in your neighborhood. Even walking inside of, I'll tell you a quick story. My daughter, a brave move for her was walking inside of cycling class. She had never done it. She was on a health journey and when she got to college, she walked inside of a soul cycle, which was scary because like, I don’t know what's that, there's a movie where she falls off the soul cycle, but, someone message me on Instagram the name of the movie please, but it's a scary place to walk into. There's a lot of like perfection, and do you know how to get on the bike and clip yourself in, and whatever, it was that day that she decided, I'm going to make that brave move and walk through those doors of soul cycle and not worry about if I have the right outfit or if I know how to clip into the bike or if I know how to sign in.These are all things I've said to myself. She walked in and that one decision, but it's the compound effect of meeting a community of really amazing humans, changing the trajectory of what her focus would be in her life, and also feeling empowered by this body of hers that was able to, to move and grow and do all these things. And it was, and I remember she said when we were moving her in to her dorm, I'm going to go to soul cycle and like you are? It's so brave, but it's sometimes just one move, one call, one, one moment of courage that propels that forward. And I hope that when you take that moment of courage today, whatever it is, whether it's calling Kristen or walking into that fitness class or walking into church again, or calling your mom because you feel this disconnect, I hope you're met with love and not resistance.And even if you aren't met with love, that's okay too, because it's your step, right? So that's what I, just today, let's all do something courageous that feels uncomfortable, that we know we should be doing. And it might even be like sending a sexy text to your husband, and don't think, Oh, he's going to think this is weird. Did you do it when you were dating? Do you want to have a date night? Do you want to take your son bowling? Or you know, like all these things that come to my mind or make a brave call in your sales. So, do something courageous, because I love that you're courageous. Destiny is that push, right? So, tell us, yeah, that push, push, jump. Okay. If someone could take a look inside of your planner, are you digital or paper?Kristen:Digital.Beth:Okay. If someone could take a look inside of your planner, what is one thing that you do every single day that they would see that you do, and that is just a non-negotiable for you?Kristen:They would see that I have 15 minutes a day that I raised my Deserve level and I journal.Beth:Oh, non-negotiable. I love it. All right. I love to peek inside people's journals and their days and their daily plan. And Kristen, if someone wants to consume more of this and you, and learn more, where do they find you? Connect with you. Give us the goods.Perfect. So, I do moderate a group on Facebook called the Deserve Level Movement. So that would be an excellent place for somebody to join. And I'm always posting in there and posting Facebook lives. We have other Deserve level coaches and training that are posting in there. Clients of mine, people who know the work or just want to make a difference in the world are posting in there. So, find me there. And then also, if on Facebook, I'm also doing the lives, friend me, you know, reach out to me, you know, just reach out to me. I will have a website coming up, actually next week. It's being created, CourageousDestiny.com, and that is where you will find other videos and eventually have subscriptions and things like that. All to support people living their courageous destiny.Beth:I love it, and we'll put all those links in the show notes below. And are you also on Instagram?Kristen:I am not on Instagram. That's actually something that's on my to-do.Beth:Well, we'll do that together because, and I'll share it out, because our listeners love to screenshot the episodes. So, screenshot the episode, tag me, and then I will make sure that we get that over to Facebook because you can also put it in your Facebook stories that you've been on this podcast. And I'm going to encourage you. So, I'll put in the show notes below that, how you can connect with Kristen, how you can get a part of her free community when this airs, the website will be live. So, we'll also add that website, and I just want to say thank you. I have notes. I have learned so much today from your wisdom and from you sharing your experience, and I just can't wait to make more connections and do the work along with our community.Kristen:Beautiful, beautiful. It's really been an honor to come onto this show today and I do feel like we're like soul sisters or something, Beth, it's awesome.Beth:I know. I'm actually thinking that, hilarious. I'm going to do this today. If you leave us a five-star review over on iTunes and you'll let me know. I love to see it on Instagram or Facebook. I'm going to mail one person that's listening a wand. My favorite magic wand. Because I have extras. You get a magic wand today. I keep extras. I actually, yeah, I have some swag. I think that maybe a wand is going to have to be in my camp swag store. I have a camp store. These are all ideas that come to me that I wake up in the morning and I keep a journal next to my bed, because anytime I have an idea or something, you know, floats into my brain, I'd write it down and my husband will be like, you write in your sleep? I'm like, yeah, that's how ideas are born. That right brain side.Kristen:That’s how it gets created. If you don’t write it down, It's not real.Beth:I have like an overabundance of right-brain. Alright you guys, thanks so much for being with us today. As always, I appreciate all of you and I want you to have that moment of courage. Share it out on Facebook. Let us know what it is so we can celebrate with you and we will catch you on the next episode.Thanks so much for hanging out with me today on ‘You're Not the Boss of Me’. I'm hoping that you've found one thing that you will do today that will allow you to move forward to that big audacious goal. And I have a favor to ask of you, and that is leaving me a five-star review over in iTunes every single week. I read your reviews. I love hearing what you have to say, and it allows me to bring you more, to get more people to interview that are doing the thing, breaking the glass ceilings, creating what they crave, and helping you with your game plan. So, leave me a five-star review, and when you do, I enter you to win the, ‘You're Not the Boss of Me’ swag. So, make sure you leave it and we'll reach out to you if you're the winner. Thanks so much for hanging with me today and we'll chat with you soon. 

The Member Spotlight Mini Series continues as Jen and Annie interview Beth, a long-time Balance365 members whose daily gym selfies help keep other community members stay motivated. Beth is one of the amazing women in the Balance365 community - tune in for her inspiring, down to earth perspective on healthy habits and the good that comes from them that goes far beyond weight loss.     What you’ll hear in this episode: What was going on for Beth when she joined How Beth found the Balance365/Healthy Habits Happy Moms community Getting past when you get “stuck” The habit that made the biggest difference for Beth Meal planning for a season - Beth’s approach Why Beth does daily gym selfies How Beth found habits became wellness snowballs The role of mutual support between women on social media Feminism and weight loss The problem with goal weights Setting goals you can control vs goals you can influence Beth’s advice to anyone on the fence about Balance365 Beth’s advice to anyone feeling stuck about starting the program Weight loss of a byproduct and the other benefits of eating in a balanced way Moderation as a way to reclaim the body you were meant to have Balanced eating as a way to manage existing health conditions The role of the diet industry in weight gain   Resources: New Jeans And Vacation Without Shame: Sarah’s Story Small, Sustainable Changes: A Balance365 Journey With Danica How To Fall In Love With Exercise, Even If You Hate It Vivienne McMaster Episode 21: Before You Delete – How To Handle A Photo You Hate Beth’s Instagram Learn more about Balance365 Life here Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or Android so you never miss a new episode! Visit us on Facebook| Follow us on Instagram| Check us out on Pinterest Join our free Facebook group with over 40k women just like you! Did you enjoy the podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Google Play! It helps us get in front of new listeners so we can keep making great content. Transcript Annie: Thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Balance365 Life radio. We are back today with our mini series called Members Spotlights. This allows us to introduce you to Balance365 community members who are just killing it inside the program so you can take their wisdom and stories and learn from them. They are busy women and moms just like you who are changing their habits, their mindsets and reaching their goals. Today you're going to hear from one Balance365 member who is determined to find changes she could make that produce results without taking over her life. Beth is a seasoned member of our community and is a self-proclaimed member of the slow starter team but since deciding to take action she has made great strides towards her goals including more balanced dinners and consistent exercise. I can't wait for you to hear more about Beth's experience. Enjoy! Beth, welcome to Balance365 Life Radio, how are you? Beth: I'm OK. How are you guys? Annie: We are golden, we're so happy to have you, we as in me and Jen. Jen's here too. Jen, how are you? Jen: Hi, good. Yes. Annie: We woke you up. You are in a beautiful house coat this morning. Lauren: My Instagram audience is quite accustomed to seeing this housecoat so all good, all good. Not ashamed! Annie: Now it's a signature look and full disclosure, I put one on my wish list. Jen: You don't have a housecoat. Annie: I don't have a housecoat. We call them a robe- Jen: That's bizarre. Annie: Beth, do you call it a housecoat or a robe? Beth:  So I call it a robe but what I wear is a housedress. Jen: Oh, I love that. Annie: That's next level, is that like a nightgown? Beth: Yep. Annie: So Jen- Jen: That's my 1950s dream, like but with rights. Annie:  I don't know how you can not get twisted when you sleep in house coats. Beth: I don't sleep in it. Jen:  Sometimes I sleep in my housecoat. It depends what's going on in my life. Beth: I keep it next to my bed so I can throw it on when I have to go deal with things but no, I'm not wearing it to bed, no. Jen: No, I wear my nighties, they're these silky long things, I don't. I just, you should try it. Annie: No, I'm good in my tank top and sweats. Jen: It's like that meme that went around with the spaghetti straps and the boobs out. Annie: Boobs falling out. Jen: That is me sleeping in a tank top. Beth: Remember when we were like "We're going to stay on topic" Annie: I know that's what I was just going to say, before we started recording we were like, I was talking about how I am pretty good at staying on topic but Jen and Beth are chatty cathies in the most wonderful way possible, they have a lot to say and whereas like, I'm going to keep these ladies on topic and look at us now. Jen: I heard you going for, I saw you going for the B word there and then your lips changed to ladies. Beth: I really respect where they were going. Annie:  You know what, the B word in my vocabulary is a term of endearment. Jen: Yes. Annie: But we have also labeled this podcast as clean which is very, very challenging for me so I feel like I deserve snaps for that. OK so, Beth, you have a long, long time member of Balance365 and you have actually been one of those women we've kind of consulted on across the years, I've called you personally and said like "Hey, what do you think of this? What's the vibe on this? What's the community feel on this? And you kind of been,  I don't know, like a good sounding board because ultimately we're here for you and our community and you've always been really in touch with our community, so thanks for joining us on the show, it's like about time we have you on. Beth:  Yay! I don't know what to say. I'm just happy to be here. Annie: OK. Well, why don't you tell us the Cliff Notes version of how you found Balance365. Beth: Sure, so my sister-in-law, who was recently featured on your podcast, Sarah, she added me to the public group without telling me and this is back in the day when you guys added people in like large groups and so one day and just all the stuff was in my feed. And I was a little bit shocked but it was a message that I really felt good about and it was close to what I was already kind of following in my own social media. So I was in the public group probably, well, you know, 6 months or so and then you guys had a, at the time again Balance365 was going all at once, people were going in groups and so I joined in September of 2016. And yeah, that's the Cliff notes version of how I ended up with y'all. Annie: In hindsight, do you think adding people to the group without telling them is a good start? Because that comes up a lot, like- Jen: That still happens. Annie: And then people, sometimes people are like "How did I get in this group and what is this?" Because our message is quite revolutionary and our opinions so to get and it's big, it's active in a really great way but as you said, when you join the group it can be a little bit like "Whoa!" Like. Beth: Yeah so I think that that strategy can backfire or it can go well, right, so I think for me it was great but I think sometimes for the community it's hard, like people adding, you know, kind of drive by adding their friends to the community, especially if your attitude is "My friend really needs to do the program because she's so crazy and won't stop talking about her bizarre diet, I'm going to add her to this group" like that's horrifying to the community, right, like, because then this person is in there being like "Let me show you my before and after,  I lost 100 pounds in 4 months and I never ate any carbs " and you're like "Ahh!" Jen: Totally and then it kind of disrupts the community and some people feel upset even, because they say "I'm in this group to get away from that kind of stuff" Annie: And then the individual can often get defensive and- Jen: Yeah, it's really difficult. I think it's better if people organically find us. Beth: In general I would agree. Annie: Or you approach your person, your friend in real life and say "Hey I've got a group I think you'd really like, would you mind if I add you? Or can I send you a link to join?" Yeah. Well, I'm so happy that Sarah added you and if you haven't listen to Sarah's podcast. Sarah has such a wonderful story too. She's had so many wins in our group and you can find her podcast, we can put that in the show notes too, she's just a gem of a woman. Jen: I enjoy her. Beth: She's my fave. Annie: Is she your only sister? Beth: She's actually my sister-in-law. We're married to twins so I met my husband in college and then I set her up with his brother. We were high school best friends. Annie: Oh that's perfect. I see what you did there, you were just trying to curate your family with people you like. Beth: No new friends. Annie: I love it and now look at you, you're on a podcast with 40,000 women. OK. So, let's let's get to it. You joined Balance365 in 2016. You purchased it a while ago but honestly, as you have been open and shared with us in our community, that it took you awhile to committing to the process and since fully committing you've experienced quite a few changes including weight loss. Can you tell us more about your experience with that? Beth: Sure, so when I joined in September 2016 I was just finishing law school. And starting a career at 35 and I really thought, like, now I'll have too much to implement some habits and lose weight and that was crazy. I don't know what I was thinking. I was entering a new field I was going from having not work a full time job in 8 or 9 years to working 50 plus hours a week so like, it really was not a perfect time for me to focus on implementing habits but I just kind of slowly would implement, like, you know, one habit halfway for 4 or 5 months and you know, dabbled, I did a lot of dabbling. "Oh maybe this is the one! Maybe this is the one! Maybe this is the one!" And there is nothing wrong with that. I actually think that a lot of women when they join program they kind of need a time of doing that. Because they've been relying on programs that project, that portion of my growth. I was stuck there for quite a while, like just about 2 years. And for me that wasn't great, like, I think I was there too long. I needed to kick start something sooner and I think, I see a lot of women in our community who sometimes have that problem, like they get to this point where they're like, "I have to completely address my sleep problem before I can address anything else or I have to completely address this one thing that I'm worried about before I can address something else and for me, I was getting stuck there. Jen: We, it's sort of like, it's like you're waiting for things to be perfect before you can start or something like "My life must look like this and then I can start" and Danica addressed this in her podcast with us as well and I mean, she had the same realisation, nothing changes unless something changes and there is never going to be a perfect time. Beth: Yeah, I, you know, I think it was not the right time, like it was not a good time for me to start when I joined the program. I'm not sad that I did it when I did. I'm happy for the time that I spent allowing myself, because I think that's the other thing is I think some of the women come in and they're, some people who come into a group in any kind of group and they're like, I paid for this and now I have to do it, right? And I think that's relatively unproductive a way to think about things because this is a lifelong experience, right? I can change my habits from now until I die. I don't have to change them all right, you know. And so I think there was a positive to be had with sitting and being like nothing is really changing and that's OK but if you, for me I was starting to feel frustrated with that, that kind of for me was the moment of being like "OK" but then as Danica said, if I don't change something, nothing will change and so for me, some of it was just identifying what kind of habit I can change that would produce a change in my life but not take over my life. I don't want a program that takes over my life. I think that's really important to me. I can't think of anything less interesting than thinking about food and exercise all day and so I needed something that I could make small change and for me that was, I just planned my dinners and then I just ate what I planned. And it's so boring and so mundane but it's what I did and it immediately resulted in changes to my body. Jen: So you were, I guess, that would be your dinner habit which is just one section of Balance365 that we have you address and did it dramatically change what you were eating or how much you were eating or? Beth: So really it was a matter of just, I think it changed the macro makeup of my- Jen: Right, the balance of it. Beth: Yeah, the balance. I was already eating all the all the correct things, I just was kind of addressing, you know, how much protein I really needed at dinner. I was looking at my dinner as a whole instead of just like, well, here's the meat and your vegetable or whatever, like, I was kind of looking at it as whole, you know,  like, "OK, what can I change? What will help me stay full? What will be satisfying? What will I be willing to eat? I am known, I suppose, in the community I meal plan once for a whole season because I hate meal planning, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. So I meal plan at the beginning of a season and then we need the same 7 dinners for 13 weeks, which is not for everyone but it works for me and so by picking things that I actually knew I would eat and that were balanced I was less likely to be like "I don't feel like eating that! I'm just going to the drive through?" or I think one big thing for me is they were easy. I picked easy things, which I will say during the 2 years when I was not actually implementing the program, I for sure would see Lauren and Annie talking about hating cooking and I would be like, "Oh come on, ladies, like, it's just not that hard, like, just, like how hard is it, right? But as I implemented this career that, you know, required, like, I have to lean on my husband a lot more to do a lot of that stuff and so planning things that I knew that at the end of the day it would be, there was chicken in the fridge and I could just take a bagged salad and throw it on top of it, like, it made it so that I would actually do it and so I just did, I just ate the dinner that I planned. I think that's so boring but it's what I did. Jen:  The thing is studies show that one of the biggest contributing factors to our food choices is convenience and so this is not it's not necessarily a flaw of humans, it's something, you know, it's population wide but we are busy people, we are very busy people and that's why meal planning works. The majority of women who work with us are actually working women, like working outside of the home, women and you know and so you know, we get it. Like, I mean, Annie, Lauren and I work so you, when it comes to supper time, you know, it's just, you know, I don't have time in my day to sit down in the morning and decide what we're having for the day and go to the grocery store and get all those ingredients and you know, I used to do that. I used to really enjoy it, like, I really did enjoy that component of being a stay at home but working, being a working mom is a whole new ballgame and yeah, meal planning can be just such a stress reducer, in a working family, I shouldn't say woman, I should say family. Bring boys in close here. Annie: You know, circling back to when you're talking about how Lauren I hate cooking. Beth: Sorry. Annie: No, no, I can own that because I don't, it's not that I can't, I mean, I can follow directions and probably cook some meals but I just don't want to, like, just like some people don't want to run or don't want to exercise or just like that's just not how I want to spend my time so that's why I really love Balance365 is because I'm not like, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work period. And so for me to go out and buy this meal plan that requires all this cooking or all this meal prepping or all this like grocery shopping, like that's just not going to, like it to me it feels like me trying to fit a, what is it? A square peg into a round hole, like, I could maybe do that for a while, like  white knuckling, I could like stick to the plan for a little bit but eventually I'd like, that doesn't sound fun, like, that's just not like something I enjoy. So I can still balance my meals in a way that works for me that doesn't require a lot of cooking or a lot of meal prepping or on the flipside, someone that likes to cook can also do a lot of cooking with it if they want. If that's how they want to spend their time and it's like no judgment or no, neither one is better and worse than the other, it's just what works for you, period, is all we're really concerned with. Jen:  I wanted to circle back to those 2 years where you weren't inactive, that's the thing, it's not like you bought and then you were inactive, you were very active in the group particularly in, we have a spin off group and some spin off groups, I guess, it's the Facebook group that's attached to our strength program Arms like Annie and you were active in Balance365 as well as you were quite active in Arms Like Annie. So it's not that you actually didn't do anything. You implemented an exercise habit. Beth: That's true, yep, but as, I mean, we've talked about it in the community, many times, like, an exercise habit is wonderful and there's so many positive things you gain from an exercise habit, but you know, if I just change nothing about my dietary habits, my nutrition habits, you know, it may not make a big dent in my fat loss and it didn't but it did produce lots of other positives. Jen: Absolutely, there's so many, you know, I would say fat loss is the last reason to work out. I mean, that's me personally, I don't know how other people feel but there's just so many health benefits to it that you don't even have to throw fat loss on the list, so but that's so, that's wonderful for you, really, holistically to have an exercise habit nailed and then you moved on to nutrition and- Annie: You know, that's actually one of my favorite things about Beth is that she is posting her selfies, her gym selfies at ridiculous hours in the morning because sleep is, you know, a love hate thing with you sometimes, so you go to the gym in the morning by yourself and you post your selfie and half the time you're like "Look, I didn't want to do this but I'm here and now and now I feel better or now I know my day is going to like take off in a completely different direction had I hit the snooze alarm or turn off the alarm and not come at all" and I love that you own it, just like I own I don't like cooking. You don't really like exercise but you see the benefits, like, you feel better, your day goes better, the rest of your habits seem to fall in line, which you've said before, it's kind of a snowball habit, like, your day is just different when you exercise, right? Beth: Yes, that whole, yeah, there's a lot I guess I'm trying to stay on topic, there's a lot to say about my gym habit and my selfies and all of that.  I do find I don't enjoy exercise, it's not, I danced in, like, my youth, when I was pre-college I was a dancer and I loved that but I never really found that same level of enjoyment from any other kind of exercise, including like, people were like "You should take a group fitness class, that's like dance based." No thank you, I don't want to, I'm not interested. It's not the same. You know, and people are like "You should do the barre method." Please, no thank you. I will just not. I will just watch my daughters dance and I will get the same enjoyment from that and my sons. I get enjoyment from that but not with the exercise. So I am, I did, I don't like cardio at all, and so I bought Arms like Annie and I think when I bought it there might not have been a  spinoff group yet and it turned out the Facebook's spinoff group really helped me achieve consistency with my habit and I feel so ridiculous, I will be honest, like, the selfies feel ridiculous to be me most days. But so there's a couple things, I guess, on the selfie thing, one is, I was mentioned in a previous podcast about what if you hate exercise, so I do, I put selfies every day when I'm in the gym, partly to create a sense of accountability to the group that I've said I will do this and I will do it and I show up. And as weird as it feels to me because I don't think I've done anything inspirational, like, I have women both in our community and women who like follow me on Instagram who are like, they feel that it is inspirational that I get up and I go to the gym. Jen: It is. I find, sometimes I see them in the morning and I'm like "Oh, just go, Jen, just do it, Beth did it. Annie:  Beth did it, you can do it too. Beth: It's hard for me to see it as inspirational. I really try and treat my social media like, I try to treat it like a real, when I was coming, when I was having kids, I'm a little older than, my kids are older than y'all's kids and when they were coming up I found it really hard, there wasn't as much social media and I felt really alone in hating being a mom, like I hated it and I felt alone, so when I tried to put myself out on social media in any way, I tried to be really honest about who I am and how it feels. So I do say, I hate cardio, I hate that I'm here in the gym, I say "I had to talk myself into every single set I did today." And I feel like, I see that there are women who feel the same way and they do see it as inspirational that I went. It's funny because I kind of see it as just me like kvetching into the like universe but I see why people feel it's inspirational but also, I do the selfies for me. So a long time ago in the community, I think it was when I was in the public facing group, Jen had recommended something and I somehow came to to the work of Vivian McMaster, she's a photographer and she focuses on, she has programs focusing on self portraiture as part of, like, self acceptance and Annie said the same thing a number of times in the group, like, just taking pictures of ourselves and just seeing what we look like can get us to body neutrality. Jen:  We have a whole podcast, not a whole podcast but we've mentioned this in a podcast and it's the whole thing of if you don't like the way you look in photos, you shouldn't take less, you should take more and look at yourself more. You need to get used to the way you look. Beth: Yeah, so I am, I really have tried to, like, so I will say I don't post a lot of unattractive selfies of myself, I'm still extraordinarily vain. Annie: Yeah, like you're feeling yourself. Beth: But I take, literally, in a month, probably thousands of selfies, like, I met admit how narcissistic that sounds but whatever, here it is. And they are attractive and unattractive and they are from angle that look good for me and the angles that don't because when I take them and I see myself I become, like, inoculated against seeing myself. And there was a long time where I was taking a ton of gym selfies and I was feeling good because I was taking a specific angle and I was avoiding all the other angles and I went on a trip with my friends and somebody posted, you know, a picture of a group of us and "Ahhh!" It was like a wake up call that, like, OK, like, I've lost some of the honesty of this practice. And I needed to get back to taking pictures and seeing myself for what it really is and this is just my body, this is just the body that I live in and it's fine and sometimes I feel really great about it and other times I feel kind of ambivalence about the whole thing and neither of those is the right emotion, they are just how I feel in that moment and so, I, so, yeah, so I take selfies for me as well I don't just take them to be an inspiration to the community. Annie: I love it because, to me, to me it's an act of self-love and it's an expression of self-love and I think, it's, sometimes women need permission to do the same and when they see other women taking selfies at the gym from good angles, from bad angles, like, this is cute, I don't really like this but I'm going to post it anyway because this is me like it gives women the permission to do the same and in fact, along the same lines of kind of what both you and Jen were talking about is we don't really cultivate self love by just focusing on the stuff we love, it's also exploring the stuff that we maybe don't love or even the stuff we hate and like why do we hate this, what is it about this, where did this start, where did this come from? Like and how can we move through that or at least like not be so dang uncomfortable with it, like you said when you see that photo, like, "Oh my god, delete, untag, get rid of that, I don't ever want to see it again!" Like maybe just sit with it, which we have a whole another podcast on that we can link in the show notes too but yeah, so I love that about you, Beth, I love that you, you just own it and if you've ever posted a selfie on social media best sees it, she is your top hype woman. She is like, liking that stuff, she's commenting, she's responding to your story, like, "Yes, woman, yes" Jen:  Women should, they should do that for each other, we should be celebrating each other non stop because we are coming out of an era where we shamed, we were shamed and we've shamed each other. We are coming out of that era and it's time we women need to stop hiding, post all the selfies. Beth:  Absolutely. Annie: Beth will have, I'm just going to, I hope you don't mind me- Jen: I'm going to post one today now. And I'm going to wait for Beth to comment on it. Annie: I hope you don't mind me sharing, Beth but Beth, you even posted, because we're friends on Facebook, like, I think you said something like, I've had a glass of wine or something, post your selfies so I can hype you up. You were going to work, you're like "This is like, I'm going to spend, you know, X amount of time hyping up women in my life, like, telling them how awesome they are." Jen: We're doing a selfie now. Beth: Okay, sorry, i just needed to take one for the gram, I was doing it for the gram. So yes I, so I have a very boring career as a real estate attorney, it's not anything real super exciting and it's not the work that I, I mean- Jen: It's not Law and Order? Beth: No and I love what I do but it is not, it's not lifting up people, you know, the way that I want my life, the way I want my life's work to be and what I have come to realize is like, you can have a career and you can also have a life's work and they don't have to be the same thing and I really truly believe that my life's work is about helping people feel good about themselves and accepting themselves and so it's weird because, like, I'm not, I'm just a girl who has friends on Facebook. Like, I'm not, I'm not, I don't have a public facing Facebook page and on how that's not what my life is about, I can only touch so many lives because I am a busy mom but I have a community of, especially because I went to law school late in life, I have a community of women who are younger than me who, I'm like, you could do this before you're 35, you could be in love with the life that you are choosing, you could be in love with it now and you can accept yourself radically now, you do not have to wait until you're an old woman, you don't have to wait until you have gray hair to decide to love what you look like and so I do. I will, especially, it's true if I drink I'm especially likely to just troll my friends' Instagrams. Jen: Loving up on all of them. Beth:  But I will also, like, if I'm having a bad day I will ask people to post selfies in my comment sections so I can tell them how great they are because- Jen: Oh, that's so lovely. Beth: It really does make me feel better, like I feel better doing that and as Jen, I do think, I think loving yourself radically as a woman is a feminist act, like, I think it is saying to society that, like, you know, you can kick rocks, like, this is what we're doing now. Jen: Yeah, we're loving each other, like we are, this is not a woman against woman society anymore.. Beth: No and I saw a meme the other day day and it said something along the lines of "Who needs to send scandalous pictures to men when we can just celebrate each other" and that's how I feel, right, like, you don't have to, like I don't know, I don't care, you don't have to think I'm cute. Like, my girlfriends will hype me up and I am, I joke, I'm everybody's auntie on Facebook because if you post a selfie I am going to tell you how great you look. And I just, I, it's part of, I think, it's one of the things I love most about myself and so it matters. Annie: I love it about you too. Jen: I know that you have to go, Beth, so here's what I hear. I hear radical self acceptance, really bad A-S-S gym habit. Working out, building the guns every morning and as a byproduct of and you started implementing nutrition habits, balanced nutrition habits make you feel good and as a byproduct you have seen some weight loss that you are, I don't know if pleased is the right word, how do you feel about the weight loss? Because I know you are a very, you are, you've, you strongly identify with the feminist movement, I know that about you and so sometimes in the feminist circles weight loss is a touchy subject, right, because as you know it's been used to abuse women for so many years, so how do you feel as a strong feminist who has changed their nutrition habits and is losing weight? Beth: You know, I'm pretty ambivalent about weight loss, if I'm being really honest. I, some of that is because of all the things you mentioned, right, like how our bodies look has been such a weapon against us over the centuries. And so some of it's that and some of it is I have, well, I didn't do a lot of dieting in my life, I did do a lot of binge and restrict, just traditional trying not to eat the bad thing- Jen: Just the traditional- Beth: Just the traditional, you know, thing that we all do, I don't eat anything and then I eat all the things. So I have lost tremendous amounts of weight and been congratulated by the world and then have the experience of gaining it back and feeling like there was something wrong with me for having gained it back so I am a little bit ambivalent about weight loss for that reason, like, just that I want to make sure that I don't put too much of my value in it. Jen: Right. Beth: But, like, so I actually shared that my mother's in town right now and I shared this story with her the other day and I thought it was really, it's one of the things I gained from Balance 365 that I'm the most thankful for. I was in my doctor's office the other day and I told him I was, like, "Look, you know, I'm doing all this stuff and like the weight, really, like it's just, it's a slow slog. I feel like it's not coming off. I'm doing the things I'm supposed to do and it's not coming off."   And he told me, he said, "You know, you're an attorney who has 4 children. You live a very high stress life and it will be hard for you to lose weight,  like it's going to be hard, like the stress is going to make it difficult," and he said, "So, you know, I wouldn't put a lot of weight on that. I wouldn't put a lot of your focus on trying to lose weight because it may not happen, you know" and it felt really, at first, really discouraging. But there were lots of times in my life where if I had heard that message from a doctor that I would have been like "Well, I'm calling it. It's ice cream sundaes for the rest of the week and I'm staying in bed and I'm not going to the gym" and instead, I mean, this was probably 2 months ago, I have only increased my gym consistency and focused more on my eating because it really turns out weight loss is not my aim doing this, ultimately. I've stopped linking the things that I do for my health to how fat I am. Like I've just stopped linking those two things. Jen: Good for you. The weight loss is just a byproduct, like, it really, you know, it's and that's what Balance365 is about and that's what a lot of women's journeys have to be is that weight loss is not a driver, it's not like, you know, where for a lot of women it was, right? It was like wake up in the morning, OK, what do I have to do to lose weight today, right? Instead of going, waking up in the morning, saying "Hey, how am I  taking care of me today?" and the byproduct of that, you know, it is what it is and for some people that could be weight loss. Annie: And one of the kind of philosophies that we preach is that weight loss is not a behavior, it's not a habit, it's a byproduct or it can be a byproduct of our habits and that's not, that's, I mean, we're a habit based behavior change company, so we're focusing on behavior change that you're after, that's important to you, that matters to you, that works for you and if weight loss is a byproduct of that and you're comfortable with it, then we're comfortable with it. Beth: Yeah, and that was a big plus for me here because I've always been like "What's your goal?" "Well, my goal is to lose 50 pounds or my goal is to lose two pant sizes or my goal is to, you know, whatever" and it was like it was revolutionary for me for my goal to be "I'm just going to show up at the gym," like, I'm just going to show up and I may not have any strength gains and I may not lose any weight and I may not have any result, there may not  be a result, I'm just, my goal is something that I can control which is shocking because most of us have been in programs for our whole lives where the goal was something that in reality we have very little control over, right? Jen: Right. Beth: You can do all the things right, you can exercise perfectly and you still may not lose weight and you have no control over it so your goal is something you're like, I may never gets to, that's the worst, who wants that kind of goal? Jen: Yeah, I mean, I think you if you know your body well, you know, you can influence your weight, you know, that there are certain behaviors that influence weight loss but having, I mean this is why we have to be very careful with setting goal weights is that what if you, what if you are living a life you feel very healthy and balanced and you're not at that goal weight? Like, what are you willing to do, right and so it's sometimes it's just disappointing to set them, right, like? Annie: Right, well and even in our experience after coaching thousands of women, you know, the goal weight that many women have for themselves is like so unrealistic. "Where did you get that number?" "Well, that's what I graduated high school at. That's what I got married at 30 years ago." Jen: And you dieted for 6 months before your wedding day and now- Annie: Yes and I think, you know, Jen and I talk about this all the time, you know, Jen and I similarly, we're within a year apart with 3 kids, same height but Jen and I have like a 50 pound difference between us and so for me to think that like, "I could be Jen's weight," or for Jen to think "Oh, I could be Annie's weight," like that's just absurd. Like it's just, like, not realistic on either end of the spectrum and so yeah, I think that's just something to consider when, if you're listening and you have a have a goal weight in mind or if that's, like, in your back pocket it's like maybe give that some thought- Jen: Maybe focused on your behaviors and as an act of self-love you can let your weight be what it's going to be while you are pursuing behaviors that feel really good and really healthy for you. Beth: Well and I don't, I guess, I didn't, I don't want to sound like, you know, like, I sound like a Debbie Downer, like, I feel ambivalent about weight loss and you might not lose anything and I should say I have lost 15 pounds since the beginning of September so it's not as if, I'm not trying to say, like, it's impossible to lose weight or you you can't lose fat. Absolutely, it's possible but it's just for me, it's been very freeing to have goals that have nothing to do with my weight, that are just goals that I have control over so I don't want to make it sound like "Eh, lose weight" Annie: Beth, I enjoy you so much. OK, real quickly and then we'll let you get on with your day because, you know, it's a nice Sunday afternoon before the holidays, perfect timing for a podcast. If someone was on the fence and they were listening about joining Balance365 what advice would you give them? Beth: I think there is never, I don't think there's anyone who couldn't benefit from the program. So I will start by saying, "I think you should do it." And alternatively, as a second thing, if you are in a position where, like, you're worried, like, financially I don't know if I can do it, or you know, if you have reasons that you are holding yourself back that are valid ones that for you, then I do think, my experience is that there is certainly benefit to being in the group before you're ready to make changes but it's OK to wait, it's OK to wait until you're ready. So if you feel like it's not right then maybe it's not right right now but there's no one who I wouldn't say "Yeah this is a program that you can benefit from." So, you know do it, you can hang with me in the slow start club. There's a lot of us, there are a lot of us in the slow start club and I think now, kind of my purpose, it's not another life's work but like my goal in the group is to kind of try and help those people who are still hanging back, wanting to start, not knowing how to. Jen: We have a lot of Balance365ers who are listening and so if you and some of them are like, they're holding back from just getting started, so what would your advice be because I saw you tell somebody the other day in the group, I'm not sure what the post was about but you said "Hey look, I waited two years, I think, you waited two years to get started and that was a big mistake." Beth: Yeah. Jen: So what would your advice be to move people out of that zone of like- Annie: Contemplation. Jen: I've started but not starting, I've purchased but I'm not starting. Beth: I think I would say, "OK, so I think, my personal opinion is that starting with the balancing one meal is the right way to go. Now, that was what was right for me, not everybody is going to start the same way and  but I'm speaking to people that for whom balancing a meal would be a good way to start and here's what I would say to those people: you have to eat something for dinner tonight anyway. Jen: Right, you might as well balance it. Beth: You have to. It's not as if your stress means you don't eat dinner, in fact, most of us are here because our stress means extra dinner, so like,  if you are in a red zone and Annie and I, when we tried to record this in the past and I was so sick, we talked a lot about how I have ambivalent feelings about the red zone as well, like it's not, I kind of feel like "Eh, if you don't want to do it, don't do it. For me, that's a big part of what I love about the community is there's not this sense of like "No excuses," like, there aren't really truly, there are no excuses, you just, you know, you either do it or you don't do it, because you want to or because you feel like you can or whatever, it's fine. If you don't do it, you don't do it. Nobody is watching. Jen: And no one's judging you. Beth: Like, I don't care. I don't care if eat a balanced dinner, like, you're cool. I have met so many wonderful women in the community and you know what, if they don't eat a balance dinner,  I could give two, right? Jen: Well, some people don't take action because they feel like, especially in this sort of "wellness industry area" they they don't take action because first of all, taking action in the past has been this big thing, overhauling their life, it's not like, "Hey, just balance your dinner. It's just like this one thing." It's like this overhaul, right and number two is you feel like people are watching you and you're going to be judged and you're going to get this right or you're going to get it wrong and it's like, we're not here to judge you, we're not here, you can't pass or fail. This isn't a, you know, we're just working at change, all together. Beth: Yeah, I guess, so yeah, I guess my advice would be just pick a meal and balance it and it feels, I know it feels like there's 7000 things that are keeping you from doing it, I know it feels that way, because we all feel that way, we all feel like, like you said, it might be the judgment of past diets or it might be fear of failure or it might be actual things, right it might be a sick child or a marriage that's falling apart or it could be any number of things. I have interpersonal problems too. I have and that's not to say,"I have these problems and if I can do it you can do it." I mean, we're all going to live that way forever.I have yet to meet a mom who's like my day is just so smooth and I have nothing to do with my time except meal plan and make perfectly balanced dinners. Like, I've never met that woman. I've never met her. Jen: Yeah. Beth:  I don't think she exists. I think she's fake and so you're going to make dinner tonight. You are going to. You're going to eat something so choose to eat something that is closer to what you think would help you achieve your goals. So, for me that meant just planning, I'm going to be honest, like I said, I go to Pudova, I buy chicken and I throw it on top of a bag salad, that is what I eat like 3 nights a week when my children are not home because it means I don't have to do anything. It's my favorite and I probably would eat it 7 days a week if my children were not home and I didn't have to feed them. Jen: Beth, do you feel better? Like, I mean, is there anything, like, can we attach some feelings to this? So because eating balanced meals isn't about, we're not guiding women into eating more balanced meals for weight loss, that's not our primary driver, do you feel better eating more balanced meal? Beth: So yes, one, like, digestive health is better, obviously, when you eat vegetables, friends, like that's just true. Jen: It's just yes. Beth: It's just a fact about your digestive tract and my digestive health is better when I eat vegetables. I personally have some gall bladder issues and when I'm balancing my fats I feel better in that sense and I think my sleep has improved since I've been implementing more balanced eating, probably some of that is because if I'm not going through the drive through I'm less likely to drink caffeinated beverages late in the day. Jen: Right. Annie: Right. Beth: So there's a number of things that I think are positive and some of it, I won't lie, some of it is that fat loss has been a byproduct has also made me more comfortable in my body in a number of ways and so I think there's lots of positives that have come from eating a balanced dinner. Jen: Yeah, I mean, I heard from one of our members as far as the fat loss, she said you know it's the little things like bending down to tie my shoes and not having, you know, all this fat in the way, it's like physical comfort that she quite enjoys about losing weight off her body and I think that's OK to talk about, right, like there's only so much we can control each of us individually and as long as we're talking inside the constructs of what you, what is possible and achievable for you I think that's, you know, totally OK. And the other reality is that in the culture we live in that is so, so guided by diet culture a lot of women, a lot of women the bodies they are in are a result of years, decades of dieting and sometimes implementing these habits and seeing fat loss is about taking back the body you were meant to have before you got into this binge and restrict cycle that the diet industry pushed you into, resulting in actually living in a larger body than what is healthy and just your, what your natural body is, right and I'm here for that, too, right, so we say about Balance365, we're not trying to help women live at a body weight that's leaner than what's healthy for them, we're trying to get you to reclaim the body you were meant to have. Annie: I love these conversations with Beth because it's, like, not just about, like, this exterior, like, this has a very deeply rooted, deeply seated meaning of exploring, like, your relationship with yourself, your relationship, how your relationship with the world affects your relationship with your family and your other relationships and like, how, it just changes how you show up in the world on so many levels and so I just always love Beth's perspective. Jen: Me too. Annie: Yeah, OK, Beth, I know you have places to go, would you mind sharing your Instagram handle? Beth: Sure, my instagram handle is bethiclaus, beth like my name, i, claus, like Santa Claus and you can follow me, I think it's set to public right now but I'll probably get a private but if you ask to follow me and you're a woman- Jen: She'll let you. Beth:  I definitely will let you. If you're a man, who know, maybe not. Jen: We're going to link to your Instagram account in the show notes. Beth: Girlfriends only. And so yeah, I mean, yes, if you follow me and then you do an Instagram story, there's like a 90 percent chance if you put a selfie in there you'll get feedback from me. Jen: Praise emojis and heart eyes. Beth: Positive affirms only as I like to say. Annie: Yeah, it's, what a great, you know, it's like dropping a pebble into a pond and watching the ripple, like, expand out. It's wonderful. I think that's such a great way to spend your time. I can't, like how valuable is that, making other women feel good or just encouraging other women to feel good, so thank you both for joining, Jen, this was fun that you were able to join for a member spotlight. It was enjoyable. Jen:  Yes. Annie: Even in your house coat. Jen: Yes and now we can all go and enjoy Christmas. Annie: I know, I know but it's going to be way past Christmas by the time this comes out so- Beth:  Merry Christmas, y'all. Annie: Merry belated Christmas. Alright, thank you ladies, we'll talk soon. Beth: Bye. Jen: Bye.

Episode 127:  Small Budgets: Doing so Much with so Little For many drama teachers the dwindling production budget is an ongoing struggle. How do you put up a full production with limited funds? Beth Goodwin has the double whammy she works in a small school with a small budget. And yet her visuals are consistently stunning. Listen in to find out how she does it! Show Notes Alice The Absolutely Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair Episode Transcript Welcome to TFP – The Theatrefolk Podcast – the place to be for Drama teachers, Drama students, and theatre educators everywhere. I'm Lindsay Price, resident playwright for Theatrefolk. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening. Welcome to Episode 127. You can find any links for this episode in the show notes at theatrefolk.com/episode127. So, today, Beth Goodwin is who we're going to talk to and she is a guidance secretary with a love of theatre. She's been putting on plays for 16 years at her school and we've been lucky enough that she's done a lot of ours, and I say “lucky” because her production pictures are stunning. I'm going to include a couple in the show notes. They are filled with color. They are filled with vision. The pictures make the plays come to life and I can only imagine what it's like to be there in person. After seeing the latest pictures, I wanted to talk to Beth, and that's when I learned that what she does is she is in a small school and she has a small budget and I was doubly amazed by what I saw. I know this is something that a lot of you who are listening can relate to – small school, small budget. Even if you are in a big school, you might have a very tiny budget. How do you create visuals on a budget? So, let's hear what Beth has to say about that. LINDSAY: All right! Hello everyone! I am thrilled to be talking to Beth Goodwin today. Hello, Beth! BETH: Hi. LINDSAY: How are you? BETH: I'm fine. LINDSAY: Good, good, good. Tell everyone where in the world you are. BETH: Well, we are in Corinth, Maine. This is Central High School and we're a little northeast of Bangor. LINDSAY: So, are you a Stephen King fan or not? BETH: Hmm. I won't say anything. LINDSAY: You'll defer? You'll defer? BETH: Yeah, horror stuff is not my cup of tea. LINDSAY: Now, you have been doing plays for a long time at your school. BETH: Yeah, since 2000. LINDSAY: I was looking back; you've been a long-time customer of ours. That's how we know who you are. BETH: Good! LINDSAY: We're stalking you. No, no, no, of course not. Where we have really been blown away is with the pictures that you have sent us from your shows because they're so colorful and visual. And so, we're going to talk about, first of all, how you do that and, one thing you shared with me is that you come from a pretty small school. BETH: Yes. LINDSAY: What's your size? BETH: It's about 370, I think. LINDSAY: In total? BETH: Yes. LINDSAY: Okay, and how many kids do you usually get involved in your productions? BETH: Well, for Drama Club itself, I have about 60 kids. LINDSAY: That's awesome. BETH: Yeah. Usually, for plays, I try and do larger casts because I want, you know, as many kids involved as can be. So, it's usually anywhere from 20 to 30. LINDSAY: That's really cool. And then, also, that you have a small school and you also work with a pretty small budget or a small budget. BETH: Yes. LINDSAY: So, that's something I know a lot of people that are listening are going to be interested in. So, now, you're not a Drama teacher? BETH: Not a teacher, no. Just the director. LINDSAY: Well, not “just.” BETH: I'm guidance secretary. LINDSAY: And so, how did you get involved with running the Drama Club? BETH: Well, back in 2000, I was asked if I'd like to do a one-act play and I said, “Sure.” LINDSAY: Why did they ask you? BETH: Ah, I don't know.

Audio File:  Download MP3Transcript: An Interview with Beth Marcus Former Founder and CTO, Zeemote Date: January 22, 2010 Entrepreneurial Heroes Interview with Beth Marcus [music] Lucy Sanders: Hi, this is Lucy Sanders, I'm the CEO of the National Center for Women in Information Technology or NC WIT, and this is another in our podcast series with women who have started IT companies, very successful women I might add... Larry Nelson: Boy, I'll say. Lucy: ...that have started IT companies. With me Larry Nelson from W3W3.com. Hi Larry. Larry: Hi, I'm really happy to be here. This is going to be an exciting interview. Lucy: Well, and these interviews have been very well received at W3W3. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that. Larry: Well we host a special channel, "Heroes for NC WIT, " and we get a tremendous amount of traffic from, everything from small business owners to C level, high level executives from enterprise size companies and it's very interesting and the thing that we like about it so much it's really helping support a push for more young girls to get into IT. Lucy: Well, very good. Well, you know this interview is going to be no exception to our great interview series. Today we're talking with Beth Marcus, who is the CEO, the founding CEO of Playsmart, a new venture for her, she's a serial entrepreneur. She's founded a number of companies including Exos which she sold to Microsoft on the middle of nineteen nineties. And she is, I think easily one of the most technical people we've spoken to in this interview series with a history at MIT, and a PhD and patents and very, very impressive technical entrepreneur. Welcome Beth. Beth Marcus: Thank you. Lovely to be here chatting with you. Lucy: Well we are really interested first to find out a little bit about Playsmart, your new venture. And we understand it is really geared towards having safe environments for children on the Internet. Can you tell us more about it? Beth: Sure. It's a complete media solution for kids, ages one to eight. It allows them to be entertained, educated, connected to other family members around the world and allows the parents to control what's happening with the kids' interaction with those environments and make it totally safe. No commercials are passed to the kids. Once they get into the Playsmart system which can run on any PC or netbook they can't get out of it accidentally or otherwise and they can't get to any content or interaction that their parents don't pre-approve. Lucy: That's pretty interesting. Larry: Boy I'll say. I've got seven grandchildren, I'm happy to hear that. Beth: In fact, one of the features that some of our investors are interested in is Skyping to grandchildren that you can do through Playsmart. All you do is click on a picture of your grandparent and it makes the call for you. Lucy: Oh, that is really cool, you know. My mother's on Skype too and you know she, I mean I actually think the other end could use some help with that, you know? Larry: Yes, I agree. Beth: Yeah. Lucy: I mean she loves Skype. Beth: My daughter is how I got involved in this. I do a lot of advising of other start up CEO's and I thought I was going to be taking a break from being a CEO and just help a bunch of other people, and an entrepreneur came to me and said, you know, "Let me show you what I've got, " and it was for kids and I have a five year old. So I said, "Susie, let's play with this thing, " and she said, "Oh, this is so cool." You know and her interaction with it is what convinced me to get involved with the company and become a CEO. Lucy: You know, we've had a couple of people we've interviewed whose children have helped them form the idea for their next venture or at least encouraged them to get involved. That's really interesting. So Beth give our listeners a sense of how you first got into technology. I mean you have a very extensive technical background as I mentioned before. What first interested you in technology? Beth: A million years ago when I was in school I liked science and math and I played around with computers. And I'm probably going to give away my age, but wrote programs in Basic that ran on paper tape into a terminal. Lucy: I did that too. So don't feel bad. Beth: And then, I ended up going to MIT because they had a lot of interesting science and math. And what got me into more core technology was freshman year at MIT they have a seminar series that you do, typically in January and I took aluminum bicycle frame building because I loved bikes and I thought that would be cool. I had never seen a machine shop, I didn't know what welding was. I had never done any of the stuff and through that seminar I got fascinated by making stuff and ended up being in mechanical engineering. Lucy: Well and we noticed you were judge for First Robotics which I think further extend... Beth: Ten years, which is a lot of fun. Lucy: Yeah, you're love of making things. Larry and I both judge as well with First, so it's a great program. So what technologies do you look out there today across the technical space? What technologies do you find really cool and interesting today? Beth: Of course the last company I was in was the mobile space so I think the evolution of mobile devices into computers that you carry around with you is very interesting. I mean, when I started Zeemote in 2005, when I said, "These are the computers you're going to carry with you 24/7" the potential investors looked at me like I was from Mars. Larry: Yeah. Beth: And now people do. Lucy: They certainly do and in fact the number of people are looking at mobile devices as a real tool to help third world developing countries as well. Larry: Awesome. Beth: Well, they don't have land lines. Lucy: Exactly. Beth: And even though we have them, a lot of people don't use them anymore. Larry: Yeah, let me kind of switch gears here for a second. Two part related questions. One is, why are you an entrepreneur? And what is it about entrepreneurship that makes you tick? Beth: Well, I think it's a challenge. The first company I started, I remember we had built some high end controllers, exoskeleton controllers for robots in space for NASA and other people. And I got this idea that we ought to be able to take this technology and make it into a consumer product. And I was giving a talk at a Virtual Reality Conference and somebody from a not to be named defunct computer company said, "Well if you can't spend two hundred and fifty thousand dollars on a reality engine you shouldn't be doing VR." And I said, "We're going to do it on PC's and we're going to make a hundred dollar joystick and everyone's going to use them but they're not going to know that it's VR." And that sort of a challenge where somebody says, "Oh you can't do that." [laughter] Or even sometimes why would somebody want that. And then you put it in front of them and they go, "Oh wow. That makes my life easier"or "That makes my health better." You know. That exciting to me. Lucy: It's a very incredibly important point I think, you know, maybe I'll just digress a moment and say that you know there's always this tug of war in any corporation big or small between the business side and the technical side and often I think the business side can't necessarily see the power of technology until a technologist puts it in front of him. And... Beth: That's why I advise all the companies that I get involved with to get those prototypes built as quickly as possible with as little money as possible and get it into the hands of the end users. Because there's where you're going to find out are you smoking something and convincing yourself there's a market or does somebody really care about this. Lucy: Absolutely. Beth: And you learn so much that most entrepreneurs will tell you that the thing that they thought they were starting their company on is not the one they made money on. And it's the ones who iterate and spend time with the consumer whether they're a consumer or a corporate customer or whatever kind of customer, the ones that spend the time and listen to the customer are the ones that figure it out and succeed. Lucy: That is a really important point and I think, looking forward, we may have to ask you again a month from now but you know we do a Toolbox series as well and I think that it would be great to hear your advice for entrepreneurs because that advice around prototyping is excellent. Beth: I was going to be writing a book this year. Lucy: [laughs] Now you are running a company. Beth: Company...My God. I spent some time on it this summer capturing things like that and interviewing other entrepreneurs and then I said, "OK, I got to put this aside until I do this center and I'll come back again." Lucy: I think it will be fabulous because of your technical background. I'm sure you'd have some really valuable insights there. Beth: And I am a published poet. So... Right in the way that is intelligible to the rest of the world. Larry: So now there is a third interview. Lucy: A third... [laughs] Larry: A poetry. Lucy: Yeah. You are really digging yourself into a hole. So, along the lines of entrepreneurship, we found that many entrepreneurs can point to a particular person or a group of people who influence them or help them along their way as an entrepreneur. Who are your role models and how do they influence you? Beth: I think the first person who got me the sort of excitement at making stuff work was this professor in MIT Woody Flowers who was involved in the First Robotics Company. Lucy: Absolutely, I have seen him. I have never met him. Beth: But he was an early mentor of mine and I became a judge for this mechanical engineering design contest while I was still a student. And then that's sort of got me excited about the excitement of innovating and trying new things and testing your ideas. And then when I went to start my first company, I joined the MIT enterprise forum and there were a number of people there who I had no idea even what a business plan was. And I was going to write one to raise money. So I listened to other people talk about their businesses and I got some of those people to help me write my first business plan. And then later on, a man named Don Spero started a company called Fusion Systems down in the DC area that successfully flowed against the Japanese and the patent area. Kind of taught me about intellectual property and the value of it and also mentored me generally because of his long experience in running companies. And then when I was running Exos and I realized that I was out of my debts from a management point of view. I hired a guy named [indecipherable 10:03] to come in and run my company. And he became a mentor of mine and he is still to this day a friend. So all along the way, I think the lesson for an entrepreneur is to talk to anybody you can everywhere about what you are doing and try and connect with them because you never know when you are going to stand next to the person who is going to get you a deal like I did when I was in a party in MIT. And I stand next to Bob Metcalf who introduced me to the Logitech guys that told me what product to build for an Exos to get an exit. Or whether I am going to hire somebody who turns out to be my mentor and teach me about business that leaves the exit in the company. Larry: Wow. Beth, let me ask this question. First of all, you just mentioned about you are going to write a book this year but now you are running a company instead. It took me three years to write a book that I just had published called Mastering Change. So I just want to let you know that you can do that too. Beth: Yeah but I have a five year old and a puppy. Larry: Yeah, I got you. [laughs] Beth: So I said my daughter is most important, my business is second most important and the rest will just have to wait. Larry: There you go. I agree with that. Lucy: Although I could throw little barb in here and say Larry is a five year old but... [Larry clears his throat] Go ahead Larry I was... Beth: Anything about relationship in any of that. So? Lucy: [laughs] Larry: I have been married for 40 years. What are you going to do? Beth: Adolescence. I am not married so... If any of your listeners want to apply for the job, I take resumes. Larry: We make a little commission on this... Lucy: Yeah... [mumbles] Larry: Yeah. Speaking of all that stuff, what is the toughest thing that you ever had to do in your career? Beth: I think the first time I had to fire people was probably the worst moment because at Exos we started out as a medical company and we grew to a million and a half in revenues selling orthopedic rehab devices using our technology. And we realized we probably sold all the units that whatever be sold because we were teaching people how to turn on the computer not have a measure motions and force in patients. They didn't care about that. They use a plastic protractor and so we figured that out and we had to restart the company, went from 32 people down to about eight in one day. Lucy: That's tough. Beth: And I believe that I had helped outplace...anybody who wanted to be outplaced in great jobs elsewhere, and I am friends with some of the people who left the company at that point for years. And some of my hired again into other companies. I feel good about it. I remember at the end I closed my door and I just cried because these were my friends. Lucy: We hear that a lot from entrepreneurs. I think that is a very tough thing to...not just let people go but it is theirs loss and also downsizing the company and restarting it. That is all tough stuff. Beth: Yeah. Perhaps to tell you that I learned in that experience that if I had done it sooner, everybody would have been happier. Both the people who did not fit the business we are getting into and the investors and everybody would have done better. So, my advice to entrepreneurs is don't be afraid to hire but don't be afraid to fire the person who is the wrong person for the job. You are not doing them or you any favors by keeping them around if they are not working. Larry: Yeah. Lucy: It is the truth. We have learned that lesson unfortunately in the Telecom downsizing. Well that's great advice and it gets us to our next question about advice for young people about entrepreneurship and you have given us some perils already. And I wander around online and I found some presentation you made about naming your company. What I found was pretty interesting. Beth: That is a new one. [laughs] I give that to an MIT class because I am still on the faculty there. So occasionally faculty members will call me up and ask me to come, give lecture to their class and the senior mechanical engineering design class didn't have a clue how to name their product. So I came and I gave a lecture. Lucy: That's good. I can't wait for your book. And so, what kind of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs that you haven't already told us? Beth: I think the most important thing that I talk to any entrepreneur that I coached from day one is why are you doing this? What are your personal goals? What are your financial goals? How does that fit with your family? And if you evaluate that first and write it down and keep it in front of you and then say, is what I am doing today serving my goals, the company's goals and my family's goals? And when those things start to not match, that is when you get into trouble. And if you don't bother to figure it out first, then you don't have a road map because I made this mistake. I ran a company called Glow Dog which was a failure. It was a failure because we were just about break even and about a million plus in revenue and our Christmas shipments were on the water on 911. We had just grown to the size where we need to manufacture in China instead of the United States in order to compete and they were in the container on the ocean and they could not get in the United States so there was no Christmas. And we had to sell the assets and fold the company because I didn't feel like there was going to be a return on investment if I brought in more capital. But what I didn't think about when I started that company was what was the right size for this business and did that kind of a business match what I personally wanted to do? It was just interesting. People loved the product. They were reflective coating for people and pets. And you walking your dog at night, you don't get run over, right? Well, it turned out our customers were fashion stores in Tokyo who liked the logo I designed. I didn't even know it was reflective and it was a 33% margin business in an industry that is not very protectable and that I had no expertise in. What was I doing, doing this business? So, I raised a bunch of money to make a big play, before I realized that this really was a brand company, not a technology company. I raised the right amount of money for a technology company to get launched, but it turned out technology didn't matter, and to make a brand like Tommy Hilfiger or Ralph Lauren, you need tens of millions of dollars. Lucy: Absolutely. Beth: ... and you need expertise, which I didn't have. So, if I had understood my own personal goals and what kind of a work environment I wanted, and what the end game looked like at the beginning, I probably wouldn't have made those mistakes. Because Glow Dog could have been a very profitable, between $2 and $10 million dollar clothing company and pet product company, if that was its goal. It wouldn't have raised as much money. It wouldn't have spent as much money, and it might still be around today. Larry: You obviously didn't know all your life that you were going to become an entrepreneur and since we're... Beth: I thought I was going to be an academic. Larry: There you go, see... Lucy: Well, you're that too, so there you go. Larry: A little change. Beth: So, I'm an academic. I play at academia. [laughter] Beth: I actually have on one occasion taken money from MIT to teach a class, and I realized that it was not for me. Because along with taking the money, comes a lot of faculty meetings and policies and procedures, and entrepreneurs don't really love those things. What's good about a company that's under 25 people is you don't need a huge amount of that stuff to be successful. Larry: Right. Beth: Some people are really good at structure and organization and detail, and that's not me. Larry: Not you, no. Well, then, what were the characteristics that made you really become a successful entrepreneur? We want to reach out this way, because we have many young people and employers and parents, who want to know what secrets they should look at when it comes to entrepreneurism. Beth: Certainly, like anything else it can be taught, and it can be learned over time. So, if you want to be an entrepreneur and you don't really understand what it is, go get a job or an internship with an entrepreneurial firm and get to know that person who started the company and watch them. Do it a couple of times. You'll learn whether it suits you or not. But in terms of what I think gives me an advantage; first of all, unbridled optimism to the point of stupidity at times. [laughter] Larry: I love it! Beth: You know, "You can't do that! You can't do that!" "Sure I can! Sure I can!" You know there is a limit, you beat your head against the wall a few times and you walk away, but hammering on and being tenacious at getting your objective. If it doesn't happen the way you think, you think of a second way. If it doesn't happen that way, you think of a third way. Maybe you don't end up accomplishing what you set out to do, but in the course of trying to accomplish it, you figure out where the real value is. So, it's a combination of being tenacious, and also being aware and being willing to change, and willing to take advantage of what God, the world, whatever, has presented to you in terms of opportunity. So, if you're trying to build widget A, and nobody wants widget A, but in order to make widget A, you had to make a fixture. And it turns out loads of people want that fixture, well go sell a fixture. Don't keep trying to sell a widget that nobody wants. Lucy: Exactly. I like that, 'unbridled optimism on the verge of stupidity.' I am just going to have to remember that one. Larry: I was looking in a mirror when you said that, yes. Beth: Also, you have to be able to learn from everybody around you. Lucy: That's totally right. Beth: Willing to talk about what you do in a pleasant way, not obnoxious, but to anyone who will listen. Because you never know where you're going to learn something, or who's going to have, "Gee. I know the guy who started that company that you want to have buy your company" or "Gee. I had a company like that, and we made this mistake" and so you can learn to avoid that mistake. Lucy: Absolutely. Beth: Or somebody you want to hire. And don't be afraid to hire people who know a lot more than you do. Lucy: Totally. Beth: It's a matter of risk right. If you're an investor, and I've done some investing as well, you look at what's the total risk package for this business. And anything, absolutely anything you can do to reduce the risk is a good thing. And so the more experience you have that's relative to the business you're in, even if you don't know it yourself or understand it. It's going to reduce that risk. Lucy: Well and that's great advice I think. It's all pointing towards another interview I think Larry. Beth: You could have me talking for days. Lucy: I know. No, no ...I've got all kinds of plans for you know now. So you've already mentioned to us that you are a published poet and we know you're a judge for many years with First Robotics. What else are you doing to bring balance into your professional and personal lives? Beth: Well, I mean it's a struggle. I mean I'm a single mom, so there is no such thing as balance in my life. But, I do things like, I've got a calendar I just printed out this morning because I wasn't sticking to my exercise routine. And just like my daughter gets stars for reading books and she turns it in at school every month. I'm going to have her help me put stars on my calendar for my exercise. Lucy: Oh, that's nice. Beth: And I have family dinner night, where I cut off work early usually on Fridays, so that I can cook a meal. And we can sit down and eat together because it doesn't happen that often. And when I was growing up that was something that was somewhat absent and I wanted my daughter to have that, and I wanted me to have that too. Because, there is this idea that, when I was in the beginning of my entrepreneurial career, I obsessed about the business 24/7 and drove myself nuts. You know, I hardly slept, and that's not the best way to be productive. As I've gotten older, I work smarter. And so I do everything that I can do to make every minute of my time incredibly effective. If I'm having a bad day and I'm not productive. I'm not going to hammer my head against the computer or the telephone, which is where most of my work happens. I'll go and do something nice for myself for an hour. You know, call a friend, go have a coffee, or do an errand I need for my home. Go do some food shopping and come back. And then I'm refreshed and renewed. I listen to books on tape at night as I'm falling asleep so that I can't think about business at night. I love novels and I love fiction. So that for me blocks out my ability to think business. Lucy: That's a great idea. Larry: Yeah, it really is, wow. You know Beth, you have achieved so much in so many different ways. Going back to your first company that you ended up selling to Microsoft and all the other Wins and that challenges along the way. You've achieved a lot what's up for you next? Beth: I would like to have a huge exit in Playsmart. So if anybody is listening who wants to buy a company like that, that's the goal. To build this to where there is enormous excitement about the product and many, many families are using it. And then get a bigger company with huge resources behind it. And then I'll be happy to step back, finish my book and invest and advise in others. Lucy: Wow, and we would love to see you write that book. Larry: Boy, I'll say. Lucy: That would be I mean great, great advice here and we thank you for taking time to talk to us. I want to remind those who are listening to this interview that they can find it at W3W3.com. Larry: That's right and we'll have it up also on our blog as well as our podcast directory so you can download it 24/7. Lucy: Well, I'm pleased to pass it... Beth: And if there are there any moms of kids interested in Playsmart. That's at Playsmart send me an email, I'll make sure you find out about a product when it's out this summer. Lucy: Absolutely, and we'll have that as well in the bio up on the site. So everybody can find it when they come to download the podcast. Very good, well thank you very much. Larry: Thank you. [music] Series: Entrepreneurial HeroesInterviewee: Beth MarcusInterview Summary: Beth Marcus has been Founder and CEO of several successful startups, most notably EXOS, Inc., which was venture-backed and sold to Microsoft in 1996. Since then she has been involved in 14 start-ups in a variety of fields as a founder, investor, or advisor. Release Date: January 22, 2010Interview Subject: Beth MarcusInterviewer(s): Lucy Sanders, Larry NelsonDuration: 24:00