Podcasts about brad how

In this episode, Patrick tackles thought-provoking questions from callers, addressing topics such as guardian angels in purgatory, the meaning of "grasped" in Philippians, and the sin of attachment to human respect. He also delves into a critique of Pope Francis's recent document and ends the segment with an enlightening discussion about praying for the intentions of the pope. Isadore - Does your guardian angel guide you even in purgatory? Paul - In the Philippians, what does the word mean 'grasp' mean when it says Jesus didn't grasp for divinity? Joe - Regarding Blessing of Gay Marriages: I think that there are two narratives of the document and you missed the mark on it a little. Brad - How can I practice conscience congruency and listen to the Holy Spirit better? (20:08) Mary - My mom is Catholic but hasn't been to confession because she isn't sure if she has received the Sacraments as a child. What should I do? Manny - If I notice someone who pockets the Eucharist, what should I do? (35:55) Jimmy - Could you explain in the Creed what the 'Communion of Saints' means? Bernice - I watched the movie Padre Pio and am wondering if it was accurate?

Dive with Lesley and Brad into the intricate world of cults and their underlying psychology. Gain insights into the red flags and concept of bounded choices that hint at cult-like behaviors.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Key red flags to be aware of when entering a group.Traits of cults and steps to take if you're entangled in one.Strategies to ensure your group or business remains cult-free.Tips on selecting trustworthy people to associate with.The significance of visualizing your desired future and planning in reverse.Episode References/Links:Join Our Coaching Team For Seven Days Of Tackling Your Biz StrugglesCambodia Pilates RetreatJoin our email list!Free WebinarDaniella Mestyanek Young's websiteEp 27: Is Your Hustle Now Just a Hassle? (ft. Kareen Walsh)  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.Get your 15% discount for Toe Sox – use coupon code LESLEY15Be It Till You See It Podcast SurveyBe in the know with all the workshops at OPCBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship Join us at our Cambodia Retreat - Oct. 8-13, 2023FREE Ditching Busy WebinarAmy Ledin - Episode 5: "How to take fast action against limiting beliefs" ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  One of the things to like be aware of is they do things in a coercive place, and she called it bounded choice. So you think you have fear, you start you think you have freedom, but really, there's this coercive control. There's this like pressure, like you think you could, like, maybe not come on a Thursday, but then everyone's like, "Why aren't you here?"Lesley Logan 0:12  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:19  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It Interview Recap where my co-host and my friend and I are going to talk about the illuminate (Brad: The what?)Lesley Logan 0:20  Leave it in. The illuminative. I saw that and I was like this is not gonna go out (Brad: Illuminative.) Illuminative? (Brad: Yeah.) You're gonna put that before her name? (Brad: Yeah.) Convo I had with Daniella Mestyanek Young. In our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now. Go back and listen now. And like, I know I said this every week, but fucking go listen to that one.Brad Crowell 0:47  Oh, it's a great episode. Lesley Logan 0:48  She is amazing. And since then, she has been quoted in the, it was it was the Washington Post or The Wall Street Journal. Either one is still like, like badass like, not just like one quote, like, they did a whole profile on her because of like, like, because of the expertise she has in this topic. And so anyways, we're gonna get a little culty here. Well, actually, we're gonna get unculty is what we're gonna do in this episode.Brad Crowell 1:16  So congratulations. You're all cult members now? Lesley Logan 1:20  No, no, we are not a cult. We are a group. We are just a group.Brad Crowell 1:25  I know what it's the opposite of everything that she stands for. We are a group. That's what she stands for. We're just a group. Brad Crowell 1:32  We're just a group. It's a good group.Lesley Logan 1:33  You know, I think we talked about this in the podcast, we're going to do a segment she asked like, before we hit record, like, is Pilates like culty? And I said, oh, it can be (Brad: And you laughed.) I laughed. (Brad: Yeah.) I totally laughed. I said, it can be. It's like a scuff. Like a true scuff, right? And recently, I was traveling somewhere and it like, there are some people that might think that they're like part of a group. But like, if you can't go to another person's thing, because of the group you're in, that's a cult. (Brad: That's a cult.) You should be able to go and explore other groups without offending people in your group anyways,Brad Crowell 2:10  No, in no way shape, or form is one person 100% correct. (Lesley: No.) Literally not possible.Brad Crowell 2:18  I am on a fucking mission when it comes to the Pilates industry. And I'm, you know, I'll I'll probably die trying but I just I want people it's supposed to be fun. It's a fucking workout. And like you're never supposed to stop learning. And you can not agree with someone who could not like something that they do or the way that they do it. That doesn't mean you could only like someone else. Anyways, today is September 21, 2023. And it's World Gratitude Day. And this day aims to remind us of the importance of expressing gestures of thanks and appreciation. (Brad: I'm grateful for the 12 apostles of Pilates.)Lesley Logan 2:57  Hear you now. I actually really like this, because ways you can express gratitude, just like just just maybe like, maybe for maybe for the day, like, just set a reminder, like set a note that when you're procrastinating to just text, anybody in your contacts list. Hey, you know what, thanks for saying that one thing a month ago, I just thought of you. And I really remember when you said that, like, just try for one day to sending random acts of gratitude in your text messages. You have no idea whenever I get those from a friend. (Brad: Yeah.) It's like they always come at the time where you're like,Brad Crowell 3:31  You need them the most. Lesley Logan 3:32  When you're like, why the fuck do I even exist?Lesley Logan 3:36  So anyways, not to be dramatic. But seriously, it's really true. And, you know, and something that I did while I was traveling is I was like, waiting for a door to open. So I was scrolling through stories, which is like something I never do. And there was people who are posting things that are friends of mine or tangentially. And like, instead of responding in their DMs I texted them, my response would be in their DMs. Oh, that's fun. Yeah, because it's way more fun to text back and forth you know I did some voice text messages. Anyway, I could have done it. I could have done it, the DMs but it's complicated. And so I just, I also want people to see in there. I don't want people to scare their text messages. Like, you know, anyways, (inaudible) today. Brad Crowell 4:15  Yeah, I mean, even even if you don't have a specific thing that you're grateful for about them, just texting them and say, hey, I was thinking about you. Yeah, is magic. Yes. You know, so and I really encourage you to make a habit of if somebody pops into your head, tell them and you don't have to tell them what you thought about you can but it could just be like, hey, I was thinking about you hope you're loving life. Lesley Logan 4:41  Did we talk about this on the podcast about Tasha? Brad Crowell 4:43  We, actually we have, a couple weeks ago, Lesley Logan 4:47  Okay, yeah, I'm not kidding. Like me just thinking I just we we made a funny little voice note. I'm like, we're in my dreams. And it was like the thing she needed for that. Brad Crowell 4:57  Yeah, that was uplifting. Yeah. anyways, today's World Gratitude Day so you know, (Lesley: Go be grateful.) Do it. Be fucking grateful. Lesley Logan 5:05  This is your cult leader speaking. (Brad: Be grateful.) It felt like you were doing the as you wish.Brad Crowell 5:19  Yeah, right.Lesley Logan 5:21  We also we literally just wrapped up Agency Mini 9. Wow. Wow. Wow. So much fun. And I am going to have to learn how to like voice to text my computer for at least a week to get my finger.Brad Crowell 5:34  Oh, that's my jam. That's what I do now.Lesley Logan 5:36  I know I just don't think that any of the things understand my words at all. At all. Brad Crowell 5:44  Well, you can blame Siri for that.Lesley Logan 5:46  I don't know, maybe I don't speak English well.Brad Crowell 5:49  I think you're just fine. I think you're just fine.Lesley Logan 5:52  Well, Siri doesn't understand my accent. Anyways, we just wrapped it up. It was phenomenal. It was fucking amazing. It's brilliant. If you're like, Oh, my God, I missed it. You did? And the next one isn't until probably in six months. I don't actually have the dates in front of me. I don't think we've set them. And the truth is we do it twice a year. But we've been constantly only doing once a year. And we're where are we got a big team meeting coming up. So get on the waitlist. And we'll let you know when the next one is, it's profitablepilates.com/mini. And I'll put you on the waitlist for that. Anyways, you guys were amazing. You're awesome. And my only ask is that you take some action this week, take messy action. Take that information, because once you start to take action with it becomes less overwhelming.Brad Crowell 6:34  If you're wondering what Mini is it's a seven day brief snippet of our fitness business coaching program.Lesley Logan 6:41  I thought they were all on the cult. Brad Crowell 6:42  Yeah. No, we're not speaking a language that only cult members know. And it will help you lay the foundation of who you are, what it is that you do what you actually offer, who you're trying to connect with. And then how do you communicate that in a way that attracts those clients to you? And that's the key. You know, once you understand those things, what do you do with it? It's how you put that all out there and the way that you're speaking and the things that you're saying are going to attract the clients that you want to work with. So it's like an amazing week. It's absolutely worth you like exploring that. Whether you've been in business for two months or 20 years. You should do agency mini. So get yourself on the waitlist go to profitablepilates.com/mini.Lesley Logan 7:28  Yeah. And then we're a couple weeks away from getting our passes on the plane. Yeah, going to Cambodia, we'll be there for a while. (Brad: I could not wait) and it's actually gonna be really exciting because they've been making some massive changes to the infrastructure there. (Brad: Yeah, crazy changes.) Part of me is like, I really I'm grateful for the sidewalks it does mean I won't get ran over by tuk-tuk. But also, like there was something cool about like, walking (Brad: Field adventures.) while massive, like, huge buses like just like going by. (Brad: It totally do.) So anyways, we are so excited to be going there. We've got an incredible group, our house is full. If you are like someone who's like makesBrad Crowell 8:10  We're taking one of the two rooms that our manager has. (Lesley: Oh, we are?) Yeah. (Lesley: We moved her out? (Brad: Well, not moved her out. But she sent her kids to her dad's their dad's place.) (Lesley: Oh, that's amazing.) Yeah. Because we needed the rooms. Lesley Logan 8:25  Yeah. Well, that's so cool. So anyways, we'll be there for a few weeks. And if you are wanting to go on the next one, because the reality is, is that unless you really love flying (inaudible) and booking a trip across the world in two weeks, or maybe you live in Thailand, you want to come if you visit LesleyLogan.co/retreat.Brad Crowell 8:43  Very easy to come from Singapore, PS.Lesley Logan 8:44  Yeah, and also like (Brad: Singapore, India, you know, it's all very quick.) Yeah, it's all very, very quick. You can also come from any other place in the world. It's just a little longer. And then November, we'll be I'll be in Chicago, with Erika Quest. So we've got some workshops going on over there. Brad Crowell 9:04   And stay tuned on the Instagrams for that. Lesley Logan 9:06  Yeah, or our email list. So you can do that.Brad Crowell 9:11  Go to opc.me/email. Lesley Logan 9:13  Oh, perfect. Do that. And then we'll on December, we'll be back on our winter tour. We're actually in meetings as we, as this episode drops on what that tour is going to look like and cities and all that. So we should have those details out. And they will be of course announced here, but mostly if you are on that, if you're on the email, Brad Crowell 9:32  Yeah, but it's actually opc.me/emails I got that wrong. It's plural,Lesley Logan 9:36  Plural, plural. This team will get it. Okay. We want to get all into Daniella but firstly, the audience question. Brad Crowell 9:44  We do, we have a question. So this week, we had a question from when you were recently in Poland, and you were there teaching a workshop and it was basically was mostly about Controllogy right. I mean, it was a, it was a classical Pilates conference. Yes, it was you and Karen Frischmann. And then also Jay zoomed in, right. Yes. Jay zoomed in. So fun. Yeah, amazing. Lesley Logan 10:10  It was so fun. I thought he was just gonna like do a Q&A. Because Jimmy Buffett died. I wouldn't had margaritas with a couple girls for like, I don't know, Jimmy Buffett is like, Oh, my God, we must have margaritas. And we had a margarita upstairs. We came downstairs, I jumped into the mat class.Brad Crowell 10:25  Oh, like you do?Lesley Logan 10:27  I was so sore the next day, but I think it actually helped me relax.Brad Crowell 10:32  Well, the question that you got there was, how is it possible that you do all the things that you do and still have a life? How do you balance your work and your life?Lesley Logan 10:41  So I love this question. Shout out to Ivana, she asked, actually, she asked Jay, a really awesome question similar to this. She asked him like, what do you do about the clients who just want you to like, work them out? You know? And so he was on us? And then she was just like a question. Like, I think people have these questions, and they don't ask it. So clearly, people think I have work life balance, and I'm gonna tell you right now, balance is a lie. And when I told so here's just, here's the thing, our yoga teacher, Brad, he told us that balance is the art of not falling over, right? Like in a handstand, or a headstand, the ability to hold that is you maneuver in between, like leaning too much one way and then you correct and then you might overcorrect and things like that. And so what what I try to get people to understand is like, stop striving for balance. Also, what balance is to you on a Monday is very different to what balance to use on Friday. Or if you have kids, maybe there's a different version of balance when they're in school versus when they're at home. And so, so I don't search for balance, I search for making sure my schedule fills my cup, every single day. So I can show up for what the task is at hand. And I tried to make sure it's really hard for us, because there's two of us. And so sometimes when you're working it's different than when I'm working. And sometimes you have a question about work. And I'm like, but I'm not working right now. The answer is this is first, we actually do have a free webinar about how I create a schedule, which also talks about my scheduling tool, but you can just you can enjoy that or just watch that. I think it's called I think it's is it ditchingbusy.com?Brad Crowell 12:25  Yeah, I was just looking that up almost positive. That's what it is. Yeah.Lesley Logan 12:28  So did you ditchingbusy.com. It's a free webinar. It's all my business stuff. But like, it explains how I created a schedule, (Brad: It is. ditchingbusy.com) So it's free, go enjoy. It's how I create a schedule. Yeah. It's also something I teach in Agency Mini, but what every morning has in it are the things that helped me fill my cup, so I can show up for the rest of the day. And I also know the signs that I'm out of balance. And I think that's very important. What are the symptoms that you like? Are you cranky? Do you snap at people? Are you exhausted at the end of the day? What are those signs, so that you can actually look at the next day and see if there's anything you can take off your plate. And ladies, I know you don't like to cancel your friends, like you want to be that person. But you can just say, I'm actually really overwhelmed right now. And there's nothing more I want to do is see you but you don't want to see me right now. Because I'm not going to be the best awesome person. That is way better than us showing up. What Why are you laughing?Brad Crowell 13:24  Just remembering that dinner? (Lesley: What dinner?) The one where we had someone tell us that they just weren't ready to be present in this exact moment. So I'm gonna excuse myself.Lesley Logan 13:37  Yeah, she already called an Uber by the way. I you know, it's part of me and like, it's like,Brad Crowell 13:42  I look preempted, don't show up. And then pleaseLesley Logan 13:45  Try to do it before you get there. Anyways, because like also, it just is so weird. But the reality is you have the more you get to know yourself. And the more you acknowledge like that, when you just say like, I am not imbalanced right now I am out of balance that can take a whole load off and then ask yourself, what are the what what happened to get you here? Are you maybe like when we have a launch going on? You think Agency Mini is balance? No, no. Here's what we do, though. So we can show up. We have our morning routines are on point, we have our food delivered. We do not miss our workouts, but we do not go out to dinner with people. We do notBrad Crowell 14:27  We try to we try to remove everything else that from the entire week if we if we possibly can.Lesley Logan 14:32  Yeah, if we possibly can. We're really clear like the beginning of the week, we can probably have a meeting or two but towards the end of the week. It's an absolute zero, no, nothing other than that. But the week before and the week after we are we're giving ourselves we'll also give ourselves an opportunity to get things ready so we can be so we're sleeping where we're making sure we have time to ourselves. In fact, we take days off. So the point of this is to sum it up too long to read watch the webinar and to stop trying to find balance. And just be honest with yourself. Are you in a season where you're building something up? (Brad: Yeah) If so, what are you going to do to rest and repair and refuel. And if you're in a season of like, hey, everything's flowing smooth, then enjoy that, and let your creativity juices fly, but stop going, oh my God, I've gotta like, every days with the perfect day, this is not the 1950s. And by the way, y'all they were not actually that happy. All the movies make it look, they're so happy. They were having Manhattan's every night, and like not telling each other was going on. SoBrad Crowell 15:32  I think I think the the idea of like, balance with work and life, ultimately, it comes down to the decision you make in and what's going to what, what's too much you'll know, because you're very unhappy, your fried or your you know, all those things. And realizing, you know, when you've crossed that threshold of holy cow, because like, you know, I mean, we are business owners, right? We, we work all day, work all day, every day. But we don't think about it that way. I'm not like if something breaks at 10pm. Guess what I have to fix it, have to, you know, so but, you know, I might take two to 3pm and take a walk, you know, so it's your choice of what you're doing and when you're doing it, and what you need to realize is that you're that's what that balance is is like, hey, you know what, I have a light afternoon, I think I'm gonna take advantage of it. Like last Friday, I went out to lunch with our neighbor. And I mean, I haven't seen him in like six months. So it's weird that we will live next to each other and we never get the chance to go out. But I didn't have any meetings booked, which is abnormal. And I was like, let's take advantage of this and actually take the afternoon. And we went and we just hung out. Right and so sometimes that happens and other times I have to work during the afternoon and that's okay. Brad Crowell 15:54  Yeah. And then just like a quick tip if you are someone who's an overscheduler you see an empty space in your calendar, you're like yes, I can fit that in. Then you to block in like actual like schedule actual rest breaks. You also cannotBrad Crowell 17:12  I had to put lunch directly into my schedule. I don't remember to do if I don't have lunch in my schedule. I forget to eat. Lesley Logan 17:18  I think we did that two years ago. And it was like one of the best things that ever happened for either one of us. Yes, No body books calls. Anyways, there's just different hacks you have to do and then also just because the people around you are hustling like crazy, doesn't mean that you're hustling something different. That reminds me what ended on this Kareen, Episode 53? She was at 53.Brad Crowell 17:39  I'm we're gonna find out.Lesley Logan 17:41  She said might have been 23 but I feel like it's 53 I feel like she wasn't as early as everyone else. My friends, but she saidBrad Crowell 17:51  You were definitely off the mark, 27. (Lesley: 27. 20 was my second guess.) She was early. Episode 27 Kareen Walsh.Lesley Logan 18:00  She said, "Don't let your hustle become a hassle." And I think when she said that, that's kind of like a like a thing. Like if I feel really big, I'm working really hard. If it starts to feel like a hassle, like, oh my God, then I go, okay, what's going on here? Yeah. When did I say yes to these things? I think ladies, we tried to do everything like that, that I, somebody just followed, posted something because like, I don't know which magazine but Paris Hilton was on the cover. And they're like, look, she's like, rock and being a mom and a full-time business owner and this she's got all the things figured out. And I was like, What the fuck? When are we going to stop telling ladies that that's possible? No fucking way Paris Hilton has it all figured out? No offense, Paris. You're awesome. But there's, you have nannies. You have housekeepers. You have chefs, you have cooks, you have someone organizing your sets. The way they wrote the title was a Paris Hilton is like doing it all. And she can because she has a team. So if you are solo, you cannot do it all. You can only do what is possible in the amount of time you have. And the more you take care of yourself, the more you can get things done, period. Okay, now.Brad Crowell 19:11  Let's move on.Lesley Logan 19:13  Send your questions into the pod. We love them.Brad Crowell 19:16  Yeah, ask those questions. Lesley Logan 19:17  We love them.Brad Crowell 19:18  Okay, now let's talk about Daniella Mestyanek Young, a former intelligence officer, renowned scholar on cults and the compelling voice behind the memoir, Uncultured. Her life journey from the confines of a religious sect cult to the frontlines of the US Army is a testament to resilience and the power of transformation. (Lesley: She's a badass.) She's badass. (Lesley: She's an intelligence officer in the military)Brad Crowell 19:43  In her like mid to late 20s. Lesley Logan 20:04  Yes, yeah. Yes. And that's, by the way, (Brad: who is in the field) who is in the field. She was one of the first women allowed in field. And also she ran a virtual Boston Marathon and she won for the military. (Brad: Really?) And like, yes, yes. (Brad: How do you do that?) And she met Obama, and she was one of the few officers like invited. Yeah. Oh, no, no way. Yeah, you gotta listen to the book. You got to do it. We like we have like, this is, by the way. This is badass. Like, like, you know, fucking amazing human being. I listened. I found her on a cult show I listened to and I DM-ed her and she was like, Yeah, sounds so fun. And she like, I was just like, oh my god, I'm getting Daniella on the show. So great. Anyways, um, she's just really honest. And also she had all of that without having a formal education guys. She didn't go to school until high school. So, yeah. (Brad: Oh, I didn't know that.) No, the Children of God don't teach them how to read anything. Yeah, anyways. Okay, you gotta read the book. Warning, it is difficult. They're like, if you there's a trigger on like, the sex abuse that is in there. But it's also so important that we actually know what these places are doing. Because you got to know the science guys, you gotta know the science. So go read the book. So okay, I love so many things. But she she gave advice on what a cult disguise could look like. And of course, she said nobody joins a cult. And that's true.Brad Crowell 21:34  Yeah, that I found. I found really interesting. You know that you don't realize that it is what it is.Lesley Logan 21:41  Well, everyone else say I would never join a cult. (Brad: Right.) Like, okay, (Brad: Well, me neither.) Well, me neither. Of course not. But like, in L.A. there's so many cults. Brad Crowell 21:51  There are so many cults.Lesley Logan 21:52  Oh my god. There's so many cults. Brad Crowell 21:54  Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's a Erawan cult.Lesley Logan 21:58  Shut up. I mean, maybe there's a small one that I don't know who's leading it. But I will say like, there were some books there was there. First of all, NXIVM was notorious for doing their workshops in L.A., there was landmark that everyone in their mother was like trying to get you to come to their graduation, which by the way, was a cult. Sorry, there. But don't sue me. But like there's so many in L.A., obviously, Scientology being the biggest one. (Brad: Right.) Every time we drove by that church, I just like oh, my god, can they see us? Do they have our license plate number? Drive fast. But anyway, she said no one joins a cult, they join a group that is doing something that is feeding their soul. And even there was like yoga classes that were so cultish.Brad Crowell 22:45  I just, I gotta hop in here. I just found a Yelp listing for the top 10 Best religious cults near Los Angeles, California.Lesley Logan 22:58  Oh, my God is (inaudible). Brad Crowell 23:00  No, I mean, but it's funny. They're like, it's it's a lot of churches.Lesley Logan 23:04  Yeah. So but the but people join a place that feeds their soul, they join things that are doing like this. They join things that are like making an impact on the world that aligns with your values. And so she actually said that people listening to this podcast are likely to be people who could end up joining a cult because you are seekers, seekers of information, right. So. So they give you these big missions. And of course, you're a part of it. Now, there are just groups. I like to think that we are just a group. But she said like there are some red flags that you should look into, especially in the recruiting thing. So, we'll kind of get into that in a second. But like, one of the things to like be aware of is they do things in a coercive place, and she called it bounded choice. So you think you have fear, you start you think you have freedom, but really, there's this coercive control. There's this like pressure, like you think you could, like, maybe not come on a Thursday, but then everyone's like, why aren't you here? For example, one of my clients went to this weekend event, and she decided she didn't like it on day two. So she decided to come to my class. And in my call during my class, her phone was texted four times, or four times in an hour going, where are you why didn't you come? Why don't you get on a call with us let's see if we can get you back? It's like, if she can't miss the third day, that she paid for. It is her choice to not be there. If you are like, dragging her back. And there's something weird going on.Brad Crowell 24:35  Yeah, I mean, I just wanted to rip rip down the top the 10 things that she does, like how she considers a cult, defines a call. So, number one, there's a charismatic leader. Number two, there's a single sacred assumption that all of the people assume. Number three, there's a transcendent mission. Number four, there's self-sacrifice required. Five limiting access to the outside world six, unique language meaning like, like we were joking about at the beginning of this episode about Agency Mini. And if you don't know what that means, then you're not in the cult, right? Like that's the unique language. Then the next is an us versus them mentality, then exploitation of the members, high exit cost. Maybe you lose your community, your friends, all that you're ostracized. And then lastly, it. It should eventually shifts into an ends justify the means mentality.Lesley Logan 25:33  Oh, yeah. So here's what's interesting. While I was in Poland, one of the people was talking to they had, they had stopped working with one of the groups, I won't name it in the Pilates world, because they had this like summit where they brought in all of their teachers. And they said, Well, these things are the things that you can teach. But if you want to teach these things, you have to be part of the inner circle, because we have to trust (Brad: There's a fucking inner circle?) She said, she's got a fucking said inner circle, and like, oh, do they not know how to build a cult, you're not supposed to actually say that. That's the quiet part. You don't say out loud.Brad Crowell 26:08  By joke, seriously, like,Lesley Logan 26:12  and someone else we coach was like, I want to do this thing. But like, it's not clear if I can do this thing. And there have been people who've done this thing, and they've been kicked out. And there's other people who didn't do this thing. And they didn't get kicked out nice. And the particular thing that she was doing Brad Crowell 26:23  The reality of kicked out, that's the that's one of the problems. I mean, that's a problem. Lesley Logan 26:27  And I said to her, I said, you're in a cult. Now, it might not feel like one but the fact that you can't provide this thing that is in no way a threat to them. And in fact, all it's doing is propelling the mission that should be theirs forward. That scares me for you. (Brad: Yeah.) And the fact that you're worried that you could be ex like excommunicated ex, is that the right word? (Brad: Yeah, basically) that makes me nervous.Lesley Logan 26:27  That's very religious, but yes, excommunicated.Lesley Logan 26:35  So some people say Pilates is a religion. But at any rate, like it shouldn't, if you have those fears, that can be your own family, by the way, like if there are things you can't say or do or be in your own family, because fear of like them, not speaking to you. That's a little bit culty.Brad Crowell 27:15  Yeah, I mean, we were just in England, and we were with one of our members who married someone from India. Oh, and she is from England. And she's not the same religion. (Lesley: Oh, she's Australian) oh sorry, she's Australian living in England, but she's not the same religion. And his family cut them out. (Lesley: Yeah) that's fucking cult. Lesley Logan 27:39  Yeah. So um, so you're probably wondering how can this be it till you see it, because you are a seeker. And I want to make sure you're armed with the right information so that as you're being until you see it, and as you're getting information out there, you don't end up accidentally in a group that is using you, using your amazingness. And we'll talk more about that in the next week's episode. Because that guest on narcissism is amazing. Anyways, I can keep going, but you should tell us what you loved.Brad Crowell 28:05  Yeah. So I thought this was interesting, in that she had a couple of examples of cult leaders that you would know that I don't remember their names. But she said, I know the mom. Yeah, I know, you know them all. If people are self-proclaiming that they're a guru. Be cautious. Be aware of this. Because they, you know, when someone puts themselves up on this high pedestal, and then tells you, you know, I am the authority, or I am the guru of the thing. Lesley Logan 28:42  I have all the answers here. I'm the one who knows, I'm the closest to right, you know, yeah.Brad Crowell 28:48  Yeah. You know, she said, actually, in fact, coaching can become this. Teachers can become this, you know, anybody that you put in a place of authority, it is, you know, it's she was talking about, like, you could be doing everything right. And then like, somehow it shifts and suddenly it like, becomes a cult and not like a group. Right? So the reality is that if they are out there telling you that they're the only authority that they're the only one or that they know what's right. And they can, they can, they're the only one that can help you like all major warning signs. Yeah, right that you've got somebody who, you know, is totally a narcissist, which we are going to talk about on our next episode, and they are effectively trying to manipulate you. Yeah. Whether they realize they're doing it or not, they're doing it. Right. Whether you realize they're doing it or not, hopefully you can identify that they're doing this. Lesley Logan 29:47  I think after we ended the podcast. So I'm gonna help like, you know, you do sales calls with people. And we're very clear with people like, this might not be the right group for you. And it's not because we don't want to help you. But if we're not the right person, like I've joked on the podcast before like, I'm not a taco not everyone's gonna like me. Sure, that's okay. Because like, there is someone out there who can lead you in all the different things that we do. If it's if I'm not the right one, or it's not the right time. And it's important that people know that. And I think like, I just think it's a little. I know that like, when you're lost, you just want answers. (Brad: Yeah.) But you have to also remember, like you have everything you need inside you. And really just surrounding yourself with people who want to support and guide versus be the hero (Brad: That's key. That's exactly right.) Someone who can guide you from this point to that point. And that doesn't mean once you get to that next point, that they're still your guide, you might pick up a different guide along the way.Brad Crowell 30:44  Yeah. And I think that's the that's like, the language that they're using, the way that they portray themselves the way that they perceive themselves, you might not be able to understand all that right away. But you're exactly right, like the person who wants to be there to support you and your growth, and be a guide along a path that they may have already taken. That's a win. But a person who is like, oh, I can show you how I'm the only person that has been where you are, I know how this works. You need to listen to me. That's a problem. You know, so she actually like what are the things I was talking about the 10 things and the 10 definitions, like how she defines a cult. And she said the second one, which I thought was really interesting, is a single sacred assumption. So all the people in the group have this single sacred assumption. And you can't you better not say the other way, because then everyone's gonna be like, What are you saying? Right, the single sacred assumption. So she was talking about NXIVM and Keith Raniere, and he told all of his NXIVM people, I am the smartest man alive. (Lesley: Oh, yeah.) And everyone fucking believed him. They just went along with it. So as a group, everyone was like, oh, yeah, Keith. Yeah, he's the smartest man alive. He's the smartest man alive. And it just was like, inherently, indoctrinating all these people with this weird decision that he's like, I'm the smartest man alive. So guess what, everything he says they're gonna fucking do. Because why would you defy the smartest man alive? (Lesley: He's so smart.) Right? So you know, that's like, you know, yeah, it's kind of crazy. It's just really fascinating to listen to this conversation. And then, you know, she talks about how, why she didn't become like a life coach, and instead decided to get degrees was because of her experience, being in cults, and seeing how it's very easy for, like life coaches, or coaches or teachers in general, to cross that boundary and become like cult leaders. Lesley Logan 32:55  I also think that like, it's, it's probably not intentional in the beginning.Brad Crowell 33:00  I don't think it starts off intentional, no. Lesley Logan 33:02  In the beginning, because like, I think like, first of all, especially if words of affirmation or your love language, like people are telling you, oh, my God, this helped me and we got this help me and you're like, Oh, my God, if you get this out to everybody, and then like, you keep going. And then at some point, you don't have anyone around you telling me telling you like, no, like, I'll have these ideas. And you guys are very quick to go. I love that idea. Not for now, or actually, like, let's we do that we do this. And not to say that I'm gonna become a cult leader, but I, but like, it's important to have people around you who will like challenge you on your ideas. It doesn't mean I won't fight for them. But it also keeps me from like, just continuing to go as if I'm the only person who knows what the fuck does the right thing to do. Yeah, and then bringing people along with me. And so I don't think people are born going to be a cult leader. But if they can't go that way, becauseBrad Crowell 33:56  Unless you watch the Umbrella Academy, but yes, no. (Lesley: Oh, really? I did not watch that.) You didn't. It's okay. The Umbrella Academy is a sci-fi show where this one of the characters inadvertently becomes a cult leader. And he's like, I love that I'm a cult leader. This is the most amazing thing. It's ridiculous. Lesley Logan 34:12  I watched how to become a cult leader. (Brad: Yeah.) Which is like just like a little satirical, because it's like, obviously it's it's really about like how these people became leaders. And I think it's, I really enjoyed it because in case anybody in your family is in one that can be extremely stressful and it can also take you off your path of like what you're doing on this planet. Because you're you can't snap them out of it like it like you telling them they're in a cult is just going to make them stay. So at any rate, like again, I really wanted to haveBrad Crowell 34:44  I think I think like liberating people from cults is a whole another conversation. Lesley Logan 34:50  Oh, that's a whole another (inaudible).Brad Crowell 34:54  If you're wondering if you're starting a cult right now, chances are unlikely that you are since you have that self-inflection.Lesley Logan 35:01  Go. Yeah, it's like the narcissist thing. Go and look at her top 10 things. Read her book which is so so good.Brad Crowell 35:08  Oh, which is called Uuncultured. Lesley Logan 35:09  Uncultured. Read her book because I also (Brad: Or listen to it.) I really loved how she shared she used the things that she saw in the people of her of the Children of God, when mistakes happen. And she saw it in the face of the men in the military when something happened. She's like, something's wrong here. Like she knew. (Brad: Yeah.) So like, I think that's really good information. And I again, I wanted to have this person on because I, as you listen to this, and you get inspired by people we've had on the podcast, or and you're working on taking the next step in your life. It's so easy for you to end up go going off your path of being it till you see it and being on someone else's path of a cult. So anyway.Brad Crowell 35:52  Yeah, well, let'sLesley Logan 35:57  Let's do the Be It Action. Brad Crowell 35:58  Yeah, hang out real quick. We'll be right back. Brad Crowell 35:59  All right. So finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Daniella Mestyanek Young?Lesley Logan 36:14  What are your favorites? Brad Crowell 36:45  Yeah, so her bold advice was? Imagine yourself like so. Okay, just to clarify she is, I can't remember what she studied, when she went to school. When she went to Harvard. And anyway, I can't remember exactly what the degree she got. But it was something to do with like, sociology and and the study of people. And she said, imagine yourself when you're 80 and ask, how do you start to backwards plan your life so that you can get to that place? And you know, this is like old school advice. I you know, I've heard about this when I was when I was younger, but it's something that you kind of forget about. Yeah. And I like bringing it back and be and like looking at it and saying, well, what does 80 look like for me? Do you want to be surrounded with like, 8000 grandchildren? Do you want to be on a sailboat sailing around the world? Do you want to be retired in Asia? Do you want to, I don't know, whatever. Like my parents' version of this would innocent me guessing. But my dad has always loved the ocean. And my mom loves it, too. And so they've always wanted to be at a house near the water. And they've been planning for it almost their whole life. Like literally, it took them like 20, almost almost 20 years to get a house near the water. They got a house 20 years ago, that was two miles from the water. And 15 years later, or 16 years later, they finally were like, this isn't close enough. And they were the whole time they were there. They are shopping for the right house. Right? So they were thinking about these things decades ago. Right? And so what do they need to do in order to retire near the ocean? They need, clearly a place to live. So they worked backwards from this ultimate dream that they have this vision that they had of themselves when they were retired. And like it continues, right? Like my mom got this. This, she had this idea where they got this house that about three or four years ago now. And it was not in great shape. But my parents love projects like this.  Lesley Logan 38:58  They do. And your sister picked up another project, she got, it's in the blood.Brad Crowell 39:02  Oh, geez. Yeah. Well, my mom's mom is now in her middle 80s. And, you know, there may come a point where she needs like in home care. And so my mom thought, well, what if we took this house that we want to retire in? And we created, like a first floor plan, where we could have like a guest house on the same level as the primary plan before so that, you know, if you're 89, you're not going up and downstairs basically. Right. And so they've been already thinking ahead, planning, maybe we could support you know, grandma, and then someday, that might support them in that same house, right? Yeah. So they're just you know, thinking ahead, working backwards from this ultimate vision that you have for yourself and this takes inflection, time to sit down and actually think through it. Lesley Logan 39:54  Do you want us to go about this also bold advice? (Brad: Tell me.) The way fitness works is like, if you want to be able to pick up your grandkids at 80, you have to be training your body for that now.Brad Crowell 40:07  Yeah. Yeah, like the age of eight. So yeah, you might have already missed the boat. Lesley Logan 40:12  You did. No, I'm kidding. But like, but like, seriously, because Brad Crowell 40:17  I think I started around 32. Lesley Logan 40:18  Yeah. So if you had, like, if you picture yourself in your old age, like, if you do want to go up the stairs, if you want to, like have your beautiful house, like beautiful master bedroom suite with a balcony, whatever, then you have to be able to go up the stairs at 40 without even thinking about it. Yeah, maybe 50 flights of stairs. So that like as we age, like things like decline. But it's really incredible. Because I have seen people in this, you know, age is really just a number because like, I've seen people at 80 who can do things that like, you're like, whoa, that's phenomenal. Like there's a 63 old woman who was like doing this like, crazy deadlift that like Brad Crowell 40:58  200 pounds, 230 pounds? I saw it.Lesley Logan 41:00  There was another woman who was dead lifting as much as you and my dad was, and I was like, okay, I need to step it up if I want to be because I'm 40 she's 23. So like, 23 years older than me. I better get going if I wasn't able to do that at 63. Anyways, I love that advice. Okay, Brad Crowell 41:15  Yeah, well, so if you're stuck and trying to figure out what life could look like for you at 80 Daniella's advice was, go through all your senses. Okay. Focus on your senses. What are you seeing? What are you hearing? What are you smelling? Tasting? Feeling? What is what is that? What is happening around you? And then how can you plan your life backwards from there? She said, that we only have one life to live. We all know this. But she asked, What do you want out of it? And, you know, I don't know. I think it's funny. Like, we have these ambitions and these goals and these things, but like, do we actually sit down and say what do I want out of life? You know, so do that. Do that. Okay. All right. What about you? Lesley Logan 42:08  Well, after that, I don't know. I actually really loved this, she said, in relation to like bold advice or getting advice from others. She said, listen to all of it. And I was like, okay, like when she said that, I'm not gonna lie. Instead, I was like, should you go like, (Brad: Should you what?) listen to all the advice, listen to all the advice, getting advice, like, you know, getting advice from others, she said, listened to all of it. And I was like, Ooh, I disagree on this. But then she said, however, yeah, if it's negative advice, only listen to the people who've done what you're trying to do. Brad Crowell 42:46  Which is like, drop that fucking microphone that is humongous. Like it's such a, that was such a lightbulb moment for me when she said that I was like, Oh, my God. How come? I've never thought about that before?Lesley Logan 42:56  Right? Like, you know, we, we talk like, we have people who want to do on demand memberships. And since we do them, yeah, I say hello. I think it's a great idea. I can absolutely reach those needs. Here are some things you need to keep in mind. And it's not to deter, but it's to actually like, if I could do it all over again, knowing those things, what would I have done differently? And because no one's gonna get it right the first time. You can learn from that. Yeah. And so anyways, I thought that was really, really, really great and Brad Crowell 43:27  Well, I think so. So here's a good example.Lesley Logan 43:30  Well, she had a great example of her own life. (Brad: Oh, go ahead.) Is it okay if I share it? (Brad: Do it.) So she wanted to write a book. And she wanted to write it, like at the book Educated inspired her and she's like, oh, I want to write that. And there's all these naysayers (inaudible)Brad Crowell 43:44  It's an epic book about cults, PS. Educated.Lesley Logan 43:47  It's less about cults and more, it's, it's more about (inaudible)Brad Crowell 43:51  It's the story of a woman's experience where she grew up in what didn't know was a cult. Lesley Logan 43:58  It's a cult of her family. Yeah. Was a family cult. So you know, but, and she is about like, people who are living in rural areas who are not educated. You know? So anyway, she wanted to write that book. And people were like, you can't do that. There's, that's not going to work.Brad Crowell 44:15  Well, no, they said that there's no way you can be Educated, Educated was such a box office hit as far as books go, you know, don't even bother trying.Lesley Logan 44:26  Yeah. And but four years later, she actually did it. And, and it was along the lines of Educated. Yeah, and The Glass Castle. And what's really funny is Roy Vaden, who was on a couple weeks ago, he actually has a really big thing that like you when you're pitching an idea, you actually should pitch it in the vein of comparing to something like say, it's the educated book, but for cults, or like, it's this for about like the American Idol version of this and it's because people can't envision something that's brand new if it's ever happened, they need to hear it how it's like something else. So but If she listened to the people who'd written books, who were like what their advice was so that she could still do what she wanted to do and not like the people around her went, oh my god, you'll never be the number one best selling book on this topic. Right? You know, which was like, Well, how do they know but like, especially when it's your idea and it's baby and this goes back to Nikole Mitchell's episode, like you have to like, be mindful of who you're telling information to, you know? Lesley Logan 45:44  Daniella, you're phenomenal. Congratulations. You are just getting started really on this incredible journey and the impact you're going to make on this planet not as a cult leader, but as a guide on like, how to make sure that we show up as boldly as we can and have the effects we want to have on this planet but without getting involved with a cult. I'm Lesley Logan,Brad Crowell 46:06  I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 46:07  Thank you so much for listening. Make sure you listen to our interview recaps our FYF's and how are you going to use this in your life? Who are you going to send it to? We want to know so tag Daniella, tag the Be It Pod and oh by the way if you don't watch the pod on YouTube, this one is got multiple things going on because shout out to Daniella who can knit without even looking down. (Brad: Oh yeah.) and talk the whole time. Brad Crowell 46:34  Yeah. And look true supporters of the pod watch the YouTube channel. Okay? (Lesley: Just saying.) That is self-sacrifice. (Lesley: Brad!) Just watch the YouTube, though and if you don't watch the YouTube channel then you're out.Lesley Logan 46:45  There's a JK in all of that, you guys. Have a great day and Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell 46:45  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 46:45  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. Brad Crowell 46:45  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 46:45  It is produced, edited by the epic team at Disenyo. Brad Crowell 46:45  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music, and our branding by designer and artist Gianfranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan 46:45  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals and Ximena Velazquez for our transcriptions. Brad Crowell 46:45  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all the content to our website. And finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We like to think we put out some of the best financial independence content for you as a podcast listener. But it's hard to argue that Brad Barrett has influenced more podcast listeners than just about anyone else in the financial independence space. Brad is the host of the wildly successful podcast, ChooseFI. ChooseFI has been downloaded over 65 million times with 4,700+ 5-star reviews. In today's episode, we touch on some of the following with Brad: How he discovered financial independence His main takeaways after hundreds of interviews How the FI space has changed over the last several years Why the small details don't matter Designing your dream life on your FI journey and much more If you enjoyed this episode, check out the links below for more content, and don't forget to share this podcast with a friend! Links From the Episode ChooseFI The FI Weekly Newsletter YouTube Interview https://youtu.be/PVmZN9nkVaE Join the Community We'd love to hear your comments and questions about this week's episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Grab the Ultimate FI Spreadsheet Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFiShow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating/review! >> You can do that by clicking here 

Patrick answers listener questions about praying the St. Joseph Prayer, how to best baptize my almost adult son, and is there a connection between Eve telling Adam to eat apple and Mary telling Jesus to make the wine? - Karen - I prayed the St. Joseph Prayer after learning about it from Fr. Rocky; we were carless and now my husband has a job and a brand-knew truck! Thank you Relevant Radio! Brad - How should I go about baptizing my 17-year-old son? Leslie 6-years-old - I listen to you often. Thank you for everything! Fr. Rocky joins Patrick to share his experience carrying the scapulars on the 21 mile Walk to Mary this past Saturday Mary - How do I talk to my adult son about why he should not receive communion until he goes to confession Margaret - Is there a connection between Eve telling Adam to eat apple and Mary telling Jesus to make the wine?

Who told you couldn't do the thing you want? Who shaped your belief about money, faith, and relationships? This episode is a deep dive into helping you rediscover the why behind what you believe and the encouragement to become the person you want in this life. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:How do you plan for the next year?Decide what you don't want in the new year to lead what you do wantStarts acting as if you already are the person you want to beThe impact of the vulnerability in conversations You never have to go through your struggle aloneHow to ask better questions with intention The separation of Depression and AnxietyWhy you need to be clear on why you believe what you believe.New Year, New You is a lie. Episode References/Links:Join us on Tour!Get on the Cambodia Waitlist!Elevate mentorship Program If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.Be It Till You See It Podcast SurveyUse this link to get your Toe Sox!ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Brad Crowell   Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan  Welcome back to the interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to talk about the emotionally available convo I had with Jeremy and Zach in the last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that one, pause this now, go back and listen to that one, or listen to this one and then listen to that one. I mean, honestly, I think you could do either order on all of our episodes. I also know from the download that some of you just do the recap. So I feel like everyone's on the got a lot of people who enjoy the short version.Brad Crowell  Yeah, I mean, it's, it was a good recap. Those guys seem pretty cool. I'm a big Star Wars fan myself, so maybe we'll be hanging out and doing Star Wars talking someday.Lesley Logan  I feel like whenever I interview any men, they bring up Star Wars. I think there's very few interviews with men that have not brought up Star Wars. (Brad: Many men) So maybe (Brad: wish death upon me) like, like maybe Michael is the only one. (Brad: Yeah, right.) So anyways, yeah, I thought they were really amazing. And it was a really neat conversation to have and there's some very awesome BE IT action items that we get to talk about. But I just want to say it's so nice to be back from Dallas on this like really short opportunity to be in our house together. That's been a crazy, like we were we were talking about this in Arizona, or maybe it was in Cambodia. But how since end of August, we really haven't been home for a full two weeks ever.Brad Crowell  You have clearly stated find the fact that you can remember where we were when we were talking about this.Lesley Logan  No. And then also when we were home, there are people here at the home. So like, right now we have like, seven, six days together in our home for the first time since (Brad: In a long time.) August. I don't think we've had six days in our home (Brad: Oh really) together without anyone in our home. No. Five is the longest. (Brad: Wow.) Yeah. And that was between photoshoots and we had to go. Anyways, so I just got back from an amazing time in Dallas with Erika Quest. She is just I mean, she's a fucking amazing person, one of my best friends. And we have now made this an annual trip to teach in Dallas and we're actually going right back there, Brad and I exactly to where I just Pilates for our tour.Brad Crowell  I was feeling left out. So (Lesley: Yeah, well you know ...) you know I felt like crash the party and actually just take over and do it on my own.Lesley Logan  Our Pilates lovers there were missing Brad and specifically also a workout. So we are going on tour and our first stop is in Frisco and ... (Brad: Frisco) If there are any spots left in any of our classes that are tour, you can find them at onlinepilatesclasses.com/tourBrad Crowell  Yeah, we'll be doing two in Frisco and then Houston the next day.Lesley Logan  Houston and then we head to Nashville. Hi Lauren Zoeller. And we've got a bunch of fan favorite people in Nashville. And then we are going to Atlanta to Joel studio. Just actually outside of Atlanta, it's called Duluth. Don't complain about the drive. If you live in Atlanta, you can do this. And then we go to Greensboro, which is like (Brad: North Carolina) hey, first time doing that. (Brad: Yeah it was first.) And then we're going to do a little Christmas time. Then in Cleveland, then in St. Louis. And then we are home in time for New Year's for our ...Brad Crowell  But we will be stopping through Denver for lunch. So (Lesley: Yeah, Denver keeps ...) on the way home at post Xmas we'll be fooding in in Denver.Lesley Logan  We'll be fooding in in Denver for lunch. (Brad: Yeah) We're gonna pick a spot where maybe this spot we went to last year where people could just find food anywhere, that (Brad: It was perfect actually.) was pretty great. So (Brad: Yeah) we'll figure out whatever the place that was. But if you are in Denver, and you want to be on that invite list, we'll just watch out for emails and stuff. You want to go on the tour, go to onlinepilatesclasses.com/tour. Also a couple things if you'd like hanging out with us, we have actually announced our presale for the Cambodia retreat next year. Remember, we're only doing one and we let our waitlist there's no first so if you were not on the waitlist and you really want to go, well I hope there's a spot for you. I'm sure there will be and if not just DM me and I will help you get that information. So you do not miss out on the opportunity to go to Cambodia with with us because we're only going one time next year. (Brad: Yeah) So there's that. And then finally, I'm so excited about this. You probably haven't heard me talk about it for a while. And that's because honestly, it keeps selling out. So, I haven't even like brought it up. But if you have been following this path for a while you know that I have a mentorship program for Pilates teachers. It's called eLevate, and we decided to do our first round here in 2022. It sold out with amazing, amazing crew. So we did a second round which are sold out. And then the third round, we're actually going to kick off in May, and that of 2023, which I know you're like, "Lesley, it's only December." Yes. But you know, mentorships are a big commitment. And we like to give people a lot of time to plan for them. And it does start in May. And there's only a couple spots. So if you are a Pilates teacher who's wanted to dive into the classical method, more understand how I was taught, become like a more of a master teacher, third generation instructor, things like that, if you're wanting to, like, teach more, but not be burned out, this is the program for you.Brad Crowell  Yeah or even explore classical, (Lesley: Yeah) you know if you're coming from anonclassical foundational training, you know, this is a great opportunity to get into all that too.Lesley Logan  Yeah, so you don't have to be classical to do this, you don't have to be contemporary to do this, you can be either or you just have to have been a teacher already.Brad Crowell  At the time, we're recording this, there are three spots available. But if they are filled full, by the time you hear this will be will will add you to the waitlist for the next round, (Lesley: Yeah) round four. SoLesley Logan  So you'll go to lesleylogan.co/elevate. And I it's one of my passion. I frickin love this group of people. It's just so fun for us. So anyways,Brad Crowell  And you get the join the RAD alumni group.Lesley Logan  I know once you graduate, there is a alumni group. (Brad: Great group of ladies.) And there's like, you know, we're we're secretly behind the scenes planning, like a retreat just for Elevators. And so, (Brad: Yeah) yeah, anyway. Well, it's not a secret that I told you about. You don't know where it is or what's going to happen. So that's the secret. Anyways, (Brad: anyways) do we have an audience question to respond to before we start talk about Fit Mess.Brad Crowell  We do. So we were asked, with all the things that you have going on in your life, in your business and your friends and family. How do you make decisions about the upcoming year? And how do you plan for the next year?Lesley Logan  Yeah, well, that's like, this is a great question.Brad Crowell  Also a very broad question but ...Lesley Logan  It super broad. Well, well, well, this will gonna narrow it in to the Be It Till You See It podcast as the filter. (Brad: Sure) So first of all, very important that you ask yourself this, because if you don't plan for yourself, you were you will be planned. Don't worry. Like, (Brad: Yeah) it's not like (Brad: It happens whether you plan it or not.) Yeah, it's the same thing like when are, when Hilary says if you don't brand yourself, other people will brand you. Like, if you don't make goals. (Brad: Hilary Hartling) Yeah, someone else is gonna go, make goals for you (Brad: Right) like, so it's important that you take time to set aside like what you want in your next year. And if you're like, "I don't know what that is" because some people like to do that. How do you want to feel then, like, what is that look like? So make sure you're setting aside time. I like to journal, draw, go for a walk, think about things like that percolate on it a lot.Brad Crowell  She was on episode 57.Lesley Logan  Yeah. And so I'll let Brad answer how he likes to plan his upcoming year. But first and foremost, I definitely throughout the current year, do retrospection that Kareen Walsh has taught us. She was episode, Brad will tell you in a second, and she has a free resource that you can learn how to do this retrospection. But I do it throughout the year, because I like to know how as the years going, like what I don't want in next year, so that when the new year comes, I'm not like, "I'm doing the thing. I don't want to do anymore." And often what you when you know what you don't want it to let you know what you do want. And then I well before, we're probably actually probably plan the next year around beginning of Q four. Because we have to, and some things that we do happen the same time ish every year. So those things happen on that, like they're already planned. But then the next thing I like to think about and it's hard, this is the hard part, this is why this podcast exists is who do you have to be to have the thing you want to have next year and how can you start acting like it now so it actually happens, hello, be it till you see it.Brad Crowell  Well, let me jump in (Lesley: Yeah) because that that's a perfect segue. I'm in the middle of a book right now called The As If Principle by a guy named Andrew Wise... So Richard Wiseman.Lesley Logan  If you guys know him, can you help me out? Because y'all I have been trying to find this man's information. (Brad: Information) And I want him on the podcast.Brad Crowell  Yeah, totally. Richard Wiseman, and a general summary of the concept is to make decisions as if you already are where you want to be. Right? So if you want to be here's a here's a great example. Let's say you want to run a studio that has a team of 10 instructors. Today, you don't have that, but you know that that's where you're going. So if you were going to set up a studio, how would you set up the studio? You would set it up as if you already had 10 instructors? (Lesley: Yeah) Right. So like, would you have a lot of space for a lockers? Would you have a, you know, like a spot for shoes? And like, you know, what are the expectations? How are they checking in? How are they clocking in as an employee? All these kinds of things, you make these decisions as if they're already in place.Lesley Logan  Yeah. And that doesn't mean you spend the money on the clocking and machine or the lockers yet that might ... (Brad: Yeah, not necessarily.) you hold that you you make sure that you have, you hold the space, and you consider that as you're looking for spaces.Brad Crowell  Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, a lot of entrepreneurs will talk about this act as if you are already the seven figure business you want to be. You know, if you are looking to start a family, act as if you already have kids, how would you make a decision? I think, Lesley, (Lesley: Well ...) talked about this before, in your personal life, when you were looking to meet someone and start a relationship, you were acting as if you already had a relationship happening, which was making coffee for two.Lesley Logan  Making coffee for two people. Also making sure that I had evenings or time blocked off that I could not work in case I would go on a date or spend time with that person. (Brad: Sure) And I literally went to New York, my first Christmas being single, so that so that I wouldn't go to my parents house for Christmas, because I was like, "No, I'm going to meet a man who soundly celebrates Christmas and will celebrate Thanksgiving with my family." (Brad: Right) And so I'm not going to go home for Christmas, which really pissed him off. Sorry, guys. But I went to New York and said, and then guess what? We spend Christmas with your family. (Brad: Yeah) So worked out.Brad Crowell  So you know, this concept of acting as if I think it's really cool. I think it's, it's a, I think the hardest part is remembering to do it, to be honest. Because it makes sense to it's very logical. I like it.Lesley Logan  It's because it's easier to do the thing you already been doing and be the person you already are. And because that's, you know that. So I think like, first of all, if you start acting as if and then you revert back to who you once were, it's like, it's okay, because you don't need to be perfect. But also, if you notice that you did that, then you can make a change. Okay, what would I do next time? How can I like, (Brad: Sure) if you set an appointment based on the person you currently are not the person you want to be? Can you cancel the appointment? Can you reschedule the appointment? Can you block your calendar out so that that appointment doesn't exist anymore? You know, there, it's ...Brad Crowell  It's constantly be it till you see it. I think it's like a perfect parallel here. And I mean, it's obviously why we'd love to get ...Lesley Logan  Yeah, so I want it. (Brad: Richard on pod.) So who knows it. (Brad: But um yeah.) But I love this question. I hope that that helps. I feel like it could be a little esoteric, but it's like, think of it ... Sometimes it is easier to think about, you don't want to have happen in your life next year, to figure out what you want to have happen in your life and sometimes easier to figure out how you want to feel in your life next year at the end of it. And then what would be the things that have to happen to make you feel that way? And then finally, who do you have to be to make those things happen? How do you act like that person today? It is a consummate be it till you see it. It's also like, how would Oprah do this? Like sometimes I have like, that's what I have to think. (Brad: How would, what?) Oprah do this. (Brad: Oh, Oprah, Oprah.) Yeah, like, we have a big goal that we want to hit in our business. And I had to make changes in my life, in my routine and in how it worked to make us get closer to that this year. If I want to do it next year, next year. I like up the goal a little bit because you know you have to and because because you need we will I want more. And so it's like okay, well then who do I have to be to that? And sometimes I think Oprah or I, I picture other female business owners who have done things that I want to do but it's not exactly the same, but like it's the it in the most general term, it's the same thing. And then I'm like, "Okay, well, how would how would they do it?" Because they're already there. And I could probably look back at examples of what they did, and then interpret it for myself. So anyways, I love these questions, y'all can send them in to the @be_it_pod on Instagram or you can send it into my team. You can send it anywhere to say this is for the Be It pod, you can also send in your bold moments. It's where you take a BE IT action item.Brad Crowell  Yeah, tell us your bold moments, yell us what's going on for you. We'd love to shout that out.Lesley Logan  Yeah.Brad Crowell  (Brad claps) All right. Hold on. I'm gonna get the dog bed for the dog so she doesn't keep scratching.Holy Cow Gaia surprise. Look. Yeah, good girl. Okay, okay, that's better. All right, so (Brad claps)Okay, now let's talk about Jeremy and Zach from The Fit Mess introduced by through their wives, because I, they said their wives both had daughters at the same time. So (Lesley: Yeah) I'm guessing they met at like, you know, something to do with the kids.Lesley Logan  I know. It's made me, this totally made me think of like you and Eddie and all these friends because it's basically because of Chanda Ashley, myself and a couple other wives that you all got together and expanded and made your own friends.Brad Crowell  Well, Jeremy and Zach formed a quick friendship because of their love of Star Wars. They began to move to have more intentional conversations about their challenges and their struggles, mental, physical and emotional, which led them to the creation of their podcast, The Fit Mess. Zach and Jeremy are on a mission, to share their stories and struggles to empower men to discuss their feelings and emotions and to motivate them to take small steps each week towards a more fulfilling life. And then they also said that a large part of their audience is actually their girlfriends and wives of the men that they're speaking to. But I thought it was really fun to, to connect with them to listen to them talk about their experience.Lesley Logan  You know, I most like, not my football players, but many of the men that I taught in Pilates, I taught them because of their wives. So like, I would teach their wives and their was like, "Husband should be doing this." And I'm like, "Okay, send them in." And, and they would and so it's what I had for a long time, I had more male clients than female clients. Because when you add like the the football players, and then the husbands, I was like, "Well, that's all the intention that I had." But you know what, there are great people that introduce great people. And I think that's what's really cool. So I really, they were talking about, you don't have to go through your thoughts alone, other people in the same place. And you know, it's so this happened when they realized that they were all like, sort of talking around how they were feeling and not really engaging. But when they finally just did, and were just like honest about it, they're like, "Oh, wow, this person feels the same way too." And, you know, I know that they were to my, how, like a lot of men go through this. But if you listen back to the episode, the recent episode with Jessica Valant, when we brought her back, she's like, women are in the school line and they're not talking about how they're really feeling either. They're not talking about what they're really going through either. And so I love that they have a podcast, that they're basically sharing this idea so that other men know you don't have to go through this alone, that you can share your real feelings. But I think in general, what it sounds like is most people are not sharing their authentic feelings with other people in their lives (Brad: Yeah) until it's like this big thing. And like, what if we actually did it throughout the day, throughout the week with the people that we see often?Brad Crowell  Yeah, I think it's, I think that's a good observation. I think that's funny that I didn't actually I listened to it twice. And I didn't actually think about that. But you're right. If if the conversation is about sharing their feelings, genuinely sharing, you're right. The implication is that people don't do that especially men. So I I also thought they kind of had a laugh about their like, you know, oh, yeah the first time we went out to lunch, it was like, I guess we'll talk about cars and sports and stuff that generally, I'm not into, you know, and I was laughing because I was like, "Oh, yeah, okay." I mean, I'm into motorcycles, but I don't really nerd out that much. I couldn't like tell you about some 1965 motorcycle or something. I don't know. You know, so.Lesley Logan  Yeah. I did think of you on that because it's true. Like, I think people have the assumption that that's what men want to talk about. (Brad: Right) Just like they assume women want to talk about these other things like (Brad: Yeah) kids.Brad Crowell  Family, marriage, wedding, wheeLesley Logan  Like no one would actually wants you to ask her about the next wedding date, or when are they gonna have kids? Or if they're gonna have like, no one, you know, one of my friends recently asked me because we're talking about her kid, and she just said, hey, like, it came up in a way that was not actually like, "When are you gonna have kids?" You know what I mean? It was like, "Have you guys thought about that?" I don't know how we would talked about it. And we had an honest conversation around it. But like, I definitely think that people have these like standard questions that they ask people at events, and none of them go deep at all. And it's so (Brad: Right) and that's why no one wants to go to anything. (Brad: small talk) No one wants to have small talk. So what if like one of my Breathwork coaches, she sends out an email every week and it says, "Hey, so and so how are you, really?" And I fucking love that. Because every time I read it, I'm like, "How am I really?" (Brad: How am I really?) You know what I mean? No one's actually asked me that this week. You know, people ask me, "How are you?" But they're expecting, "I'm good." They're, because they're already on to the next sentence. (Brad: Sure) They're not listening. So like, I love that email so much, because it lets me think like, "How am I really?" So, I don't know, I feel I feel like whether it's men or women or even non binary, I feel like we can all do a better job being it till we see it in the conversations that we want to have, asking better questions that actually allow us to, to learn more about the people that we're having a conversation with. You and I are in a Mastermind and there was a couple girls that I've really never like I've I've talked to, but in this group of four, but then we like actually ask different questions. And I'm like, "Oh, my God, how come we've not talked for the whole year? We do the same thing. (Brad: I know) We're going through the same thing?"Brad Crowell  Well, it's it's definitely funny, you know, it's one of those where, I don't know, we, I guess you find yourself in the same group, or the same clique, or the same, you know, conversation over and over and over again. And this time, it was just the the it was very, it was happen instance. We were supposed to go to dinner with a group. And then plans changed, and we shut up the restaurant and then surprise, a whole another group was already there. (Lesley: Yeah) We bumped into them inadvertently, like, who knew.Lesley Logan  Well, this guy is so crazy. So we made a reservation for five. (Brad: Yeah) And five people at six o'clock. And then, like, 20 minutes before, we're supposed to have dinner, three of the five people. So well, two of them weren't gonna come to that because one of them already been in the restaurant. No big deal. We didn't call the change reservation we just showed up. (Brad: Yeah) We walk in. There are three girls from our Mastermind that we had not planned with. They did not have reservation, I'm like, "Great. You're having dinner with us."Brad Crowell  Yeah. And we and we actually, like, you know, of course we know them. But like, we haven't had a chance to hang with them to have like, one on ones and all the things and that was lovely.Lesley Logan  It was so lovely. And like we'll have to figure out how to have some of them on the pod because ...Brad Crowell  Yeah, we definitely went deeper than that's the thing that gave us an opportunity to actually go deeper than casual like, "Hey, cool. How's it going? What do you been up to?" whee next.Lesley Logan  Yeah, well, we got down to like, we knew each other's food allergy. So we're literally at sushi dinner like, "You can have this. I can't have that. You can have." (Brad and Lesley laughs) You know what I mean? (Brad: Yeah that was fun.) Anyways, I just I love that their podcast and their relationship stemmed from this idea that they both had this problem. And they realized that they weren't going through it alone. So they decided to go through it together and be the example of what they want to see in this world. They fucking love that. So what did you love that they said?Brad Crowell  Yeah. Well, so I thought there was something really interesting about the very, very beginning of the pod. They, I can't remember which one actually mentioned, the separation between or the difference maybe, between depression and anxiety, which I mean, obviously, they're different. But what was what was really like, wow, I never thought about it like that before, for me was depression focuses on the past. Anxiety focuses on the future. (Lesley: Yes) And it was very casual. He just kind of threw it in when they were talking about the two things because one of them suffers from depression, the other suffers from anxiety. And they were like, "Oh, yeah, well, he's always lived in the past. And I'm also in the future." And I was like, "Wow, I never thought about that before." (Lesley: Yeah) That's very interesting.Lesley Logan  That's why we've been given today as a gift. It's a present. Right, to be present. Like it's a gift.Brad Crowell  Yeah, there's that. I mean, I ...Lesley Logan  Good luck with being present. But ...Brad Crowell  I've definitely gone through like moments of depression. But I think, for me, consistently through my life has been more anxiety. (Lesley: Yeah) You know, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, you know, fear of the pressure, the pressures of life that, you know, I have to meet these expectations, or, you know, I don't know, pay the bills, even something as mundane as that, you know, and it creates that anxiety where one of my dear friends has suffered from depression. And I've always, I've actually, I've not been able to connect with that nearly as much because it's not something that I struggle with as much. However, listening to them, just throw that one sentences was very revealing for me, oh, wow. Depression, you're focused on the past, anxiety you're focus more on the future. Very interesting.Lesley Logan  Yeah. I think that's interesting. I think some people know that without knowing that and I think some people need to be reminded of that because it can be, it can be hard if you've if you are more one than the other to relate to someone like you just mentioned. But also, if you are with someone who focuses more on the past, asking them questions that just keep taking in the past is not actually that helpful versus like someone who focuses a lot on the future talking about their future. When is your wedding? Are you gonna have kids? (Brad: Right) Are you gonna ... what are you doing that? Like ... Brad Crowell  Oh, this is, (Lesley: you know) very inte... good good observation. Lesley Logan  So this is really funny, because I have some friends who always want to ask things about the future. And like, I love that because obviously be it till you see it like, of course, I must be thinking about the future a lot. But if I live in the future ....Brad Crowell  No, actually be it till you see it is focusing on the present.Lesley Logan  Well, correct. (Brad: Yeah) No, that's the point. But like, you have to know who you want to be in the future to be present in the thing during the be it. Right. (Brad: Yes, yes.) So which I do, but when people like I have a couple of friends who are always asking about the future, "When is this? When is this?" And I'm like, "Oh my God." I just like, "You have no idea what you just put me into these are the things..." Because I can lean (Brad: Sure) anxious, more easily that I can lean depress. I'm not a depress, I don't really. And that's like, sometimes I wonder I'm like, "Is there so much I think about the past little bit more." But like I don't, I like you know, I've moved on, healed from it, dealt with it, decided how I feel about that. I'm good. And so I tend to shy away from people where the questions are all futuristic. (Brad: Interesting) And how are you to do that? What do you do that? What is this going to be? And I'm like, I actually can hear myself try to make the question shorter, or change the subject, because some of those questions can create anxiety, and I'm at a party and now I'm anxious. (Brad: Right) And I'm a high functioning introvert. So I'm already like, "I want to see all of you. I need to go lay down."Brad Crowell  That's a great observation about the questions, you know, and I wonder, like, I wonder, I wonder about the psychology behind that. If it would make more sense to ask future questions to people who are suffering from depression, as opposed to (Lesley: Maybe we'll bring my ...) past questions vice versa, like asking past questions to people who are more prone to anxiety.Lesley Logan  Yeah, so we should have a little like checklist like or a badge. This is my name. And I prefer questions about this. (Brad and Lesley laughs) Like, you know, you have your pronouns and then you have like I lean ... anxious, I lean depressed. (Brad: Right) Please ask me only questions about ...Brad Crowell  Ask me about my future. Ask me about my past.Lesley Logan  Oh, my God. It's like, I think about my Uber profile that I haven't filled out but I want to go like, "I don't want to talk to you."Brad Crowell  Yeah, yeah. But if you have to ask, asked me about my future.Lesley Logan  Yeah. Oh, not me. But yes. So well, maybe we'll have maybe we'll have one of my therapists on. I don't like what my past therapists on to like answer. See if we're on the right track here before.Brad Crowell  Interesting, interesting stuff Physician.Lesley Logan  This is a hypothesis right now, everyone, please don't go like performing an experiment and blaming us. So.Brad Crowell  Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, that's really funny that you say that, because one of the comments that I want to say was Zach hat was my biggest fear is that I will give advice on our podcast that will actually hurt someone.Lesley Logan  Because he's so like, it's so perfectly aligned with his anxiety.Brad Crowell  So, you know, the disclaimer that you just gave that made me laugh. Yeah.Lesley Logan  Well, I think I resonate with him a lot. But I it's true. I'm like, please don't like, you know, go, don't, don't go jump off a cliff. You know what I mean? (Brad: Yeah) Like, like, let's experiment first in a safe place.Brad Crowell  So funny. All right. Okay, now let's talk about those BE IT action items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items, can we take away from your conversation with Jeremy and Zach from The Fit Mess? So I'm gonna hop in real quick they're, they each had one that worth, that they shared that was really, really great. I thought it was, I thought this one was really reflective of my life, and it was question your own beliefs. And this is a tough one, I think, you know, especially if you were raised religious, or had a very opinionated adult, you know, in your life, parent, or teacher. And I know, for example, that had I met you prior to my first marriage, there's not a chance that we ever would have been together.Lesley Logan  Oh, for sure. Don't worry, same thing.Brad Crowell  Yeah. Because I had a very specific conceptualization of right, wrong, rules, life, this is how it should, should not be, all those things.The only reason that that changed was because I had an incredibly traumatic event happen, my divorce. And it caused a massive introspection, like reflection, internal reflection of like, what I do wrong, what could I have done better? I think I've reviewed every fucking conversation that she and I had ever had ever, you know, ever. And I analyzed it and thought about it and like, looked to see, what did I miss? How did I, how did I get to where it was? All this kind of thing. And there was so many instances of me deciding I wasn't happy with myself in the situations that she and I had gone through that forced me to look at me. And that was like a unique moment in my life. I don't know that I would have changed or reviewed or questioned my own beliefs. Have I not gone through this emotionally devastating event. Otherwise, I probably would have just, you know, kept on, keeping on. And I would have been the same person that I was. And my life wouldn't be anything like it is today.Lesley Logan  That's true. Well, (Brad: That's true.) I actually really loved when they said that. Because I think people say that, like you should question like, you know, because thoughts become facts, and then facts become me think let me know if you believe it. And like, we think we know, on certain levels, we hear that. But like, have you ever actually written down what you believe? And have you ever there's like thought about like, do you know why you believe that? I'm not saying what you believe as you're listening is wrong, or that should be like, like ...Brad Crowell  I think that's key to clarify.Lesley Logan  Yeah, cuz I actually don't, I think a lot of people most of their beliefs have good intentions. But I do think ...Brad Crowell  Well, I mean, I don't even know if they have intentions or not. (Lesley: Yeah, well, that's ...) It just their belief. (Lesley: Yeah.) Why do you believe what you believe?Lesley Logan  And so not to like, look at your beliefs and go all these are wrong? These ... your beliefs are not wrong, inherently. But do you know why you believe them? And is that belief aligned with who you want to be in this world? (Brad: Yeah) And who you who you want people to think you are in this world? And so I know ...Brad Crowell  And past who, you know, it's also about yourself, like, are you comfortable with those? And why why I think that the asking, why do you believe what you believe? And (Lesley: Oh yeah) actually going back and, like, do you believe what you believe? Because that's what you were told, you read in a book because of personal experience. I mean, there's like only a few options of why you believe what you believe.Lesley Logan  Yeah, I mean, like, think about what you about how you feel about money, your beliefs around that. Who told you that? Your beliefs around yourself, who said that? (Brad: Yeah) Um, your beliefs about other people and how, what their intentions are to other people? Who told you that? Because you grow when you are born, you don't have beliefs. (Brad: Right. You don't.) You are, you know, you want to eat, sleep and pee. Like that's what like that's what your whole intentions are. You know, and then they are passed along and like ...Brad Crowell  They are learned from somewhere.Lesley Logan  They're learn... and I have to say, like, I I don't know how some some of the beliefs that my family had. I thought I didn't believe but like my actions were otherwise when, especially when it came around money, but certain beliefs that like I remember certain family members having around types of people and kinds of people and things like that. I really disagreed with, but and I had to like ask myself was what I, why was, why was I in conflict with that? And what is going on there? And like how do I how do I feel about that? And I think as we get as adults, especially as like everyday, it's feels like the world is burning down. It is challenging your beliefs. (Brad: Yeah) Now, if your reaction is instant, like oh, whatever, that's okay. If you have taken the time to ask yourself why you believe that way, and why you're reacting that way in the moment.Brad Crowell  Yeah. And I think right now, what we're what I'm envisioning in my mind is, you know, very foundational beliefs like religion and, you know, society, you know, other rising people and all that. However, it can be, it doesn't have to be quite as foundational as that. Although this is foundational, not the minimalize it. But I again, I think it was Zach's example was he was overweight as a kid. And so he was always told, you know, you're not good enough. You're the fat kid. And now he's 43. And he's not, you know, overweight anymore. But he still sees himself as that. He's still in, like ...Lesley Logan  That's a complicated, that's it ... That's a complicated belief, because it's, his, his, his thoughts, his beliefs are because what people told him ...Brad Crowell  Yeah, yeah. And when he was talking about this, he was saying, you know, why do I believe that? You know, and like, what, like, where did that come from? And is that something that I should still be holding on to?Lesley Logan  And for the record, overweight or not? No one gets to tell you, you're not good enough. You are good enough by being a fucking human being like, (Brad: Yeah) it doesn't actually matter what the scale says, like, you are good enough. (Brad: Yeah) And I think like ...Brad Crowell  So it's interesting, because, you know, I guess what I was saying was the pe... you know, like, the beliefs that I was challenging were beliefs that that I learned, people were sowing into me with the intention of good, whereas the beliefs that he was, has, has (Lesley: Yeah) learned and embrace were sown into him with the intention of hurt and negative and bad. Either situation you're still embracing beliefs, and why are you doing that? And on should you be.Lesley Logan  Yeah. This is, y'all that's a tough, that's a heavy BE IT action item. And and we gotta just stop there. But we have one more. (Brad: We do.) So good luck with that one, I think it's important to do it around the holidays, specifically, before you hang out with your family. (Brad: Yeah) Because you're going to hang out with your family and you need to, you need to be like really apparent, like, you need to do something really quick. You're going to have conflict with them, whether you say it out loud, or in your head, if you are clear on why you believe what you believe, you will have less anxiety, depression, frustration, like inner turmoil, because you will be found, you will be like, this is this is what I believe. And that's, and they believe that but like, I don't have to believe that.Brad Crowell  Right. You'll be secure in your beliefs.Lesley Logan  In the early part of this year, I, there was a situation that happened. And I called my therapist and I was like, "This happened. I can't believe I did this ... I thought I was over this." And she said, "It's actually okay, you got angry about that. What's not okay is that you got mad at yourself for being angry about that. Like, it's not okay that you judged yourself." That's where the work is. And so, if you do this BE IT action item homework, and you have a moment when you want to punch a pillow at your parents house at Christmas time, that is okay. (Brad: Yeah) Don't get mad at yourself. Don't punch them and don't get and also don't judge yourself.Brad Crowell  Don't touch them and don't judge yourself for getting angry. It's okay to get angry. That's normal. That's life as humanity.Lesley Logan  You are, you're supposed to feel your feelings. (Brad: Yeah) And it is part of the process. Just because you have done the work to figure out what your beliefs are. And then you go and put yourself in a situation where you're frustrated by other people's beliefs because you're like how can you believe that. I love this person and they believe that I don't believe. It is okay to be upset at that. It's not okay to get upset at yourself for being upset that because you're a human being who is in process and you will eventually get to a place where like you can let that go because you know that you're doing the work in other places where it makes a difference. (Brad: Yeah) Anyways, my favorite action item after that heavy one which I don't think that was our attention. But I'm just thinking about the person listening to this and I'm and not time of the year that they're listening to they're like, a lot, guys (Brad: Yeah) Good luck, let me know how it goes. One of, they said, Jeremy said, when, when you when you want to see change in your life, it's more than just a desire, it is a decision. And so you have to see and believe that you are the person that can be and want to be that. So his example was he wanted to be a bike guy. So he didn't just think I want to be a bike guy, someday I'll be a bike guy, and like, look at bikers and go, I want to be a bike guy. I think there was like a cycle, actually versus like a motorcycle. But ...Brad Crowell  Yeah, bicycle. Lesley Logan  So instead of just like wanting to be a bike guy, and someday being a bike guy, he like, rode his bike to work. So guess what? He made the decision. I want to see this change. I want to be this person. I'm going to do this thing to do to have that thing in my life. And I ...Brad Crowell  Yeah, he took took action on it. But also, before even he took action on it, he was specifically he was like, "Oh, it'd be cool if I was the bike guy." And then he's like, "No, it needs to be more than that." It was, I am the bike guy. I am, I'm the guy. I'm the guy who gets up at five in the morning, and gets the, you know, bike, you know, uniform on and rides, you know, 10 miles to get to wherever he's (Lesley: Yeah) going, you know, "I am that guy." And he and he, like, he (Lesley: Yeah) made that decision before he even took that action.Lesley Logan  Which goes back to the question we answered today, which is like, if you are that person who has these goals achieved at the next year, then what like what does that person do? That person puts on that? I think it's like a singlet. That person you know buys these things, that person like has the fancy backpack that has all the things in it, like that you make decisions based on that person. And then you do the, then the actions follow and boom, you are that bike guy. (Brad: Yeah) And so I hope that like especially now everything that's going on if there are changes you want to make in your life, make the decision to have the change happen now and then allow yourself to take action based on as if that change has happened before you seen the results of that change happening and that's what makes the result.Brad Crowell  I think we're talking about New Year's resolutions right now. (Lesley: No, we don't do resolutions ...) I'm aware (Lesley: We do ...) but my point is the process of making change.Lesley Logan  Well, because we we are we be it till we see it, we take messy action and we are we are not making resolutions because of who we want to be next year is just like getting like the up, the new update on the iPhone. There's a new update. Okay, you know, download, implement let's go like all of a sudden your phone has new things it can do because it's like oh like like for example what is ours like a 13 plus or whatever. So but it has the operating system of something something point something, my phone isn't go, "I'm a 13 plus." It goes. "No I'm operating with this system." Like it doesn't doesn't go, "Sorry guys can't upgrade to that." Like you know what I mean? Like it just goes, "Now I have these capabilities," boom. So that's to me ...Brad Crowell  You're speaking my tech language here, Babe.Lesley Logan  I, thank goodness because I was really just like riffing that. You know me, I don't know anything about my tech but I have I wrote that blog years ago with Clare Solly, my slingshot friend. And I wrote like you're there's no such thing as like a new year, new you. It's just the upgraded version of yourself based on the experiences that you have, and the decisions that you've made. (Brad: Yeah) The changes that you do, to be the person you want to be. Boom. I think you're awesome. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell  And, I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan  How you use these in your life? What are you gonna do? Which one are you going to take action on right now? Which when you take action on the future? We want to know. And so what you need to do is share this with a friend, tag the @be_it_pod and tag The Fit Mess so they can see what actions you're taking and until next time, Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell  Bye for now.Lesley Logan  Be It Till You See It is a production of Bloom Podcast Network. Brad Crowell   It's written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan. And me Brad Crowell. Our associate producer is Amanda Frattarelli. Lesley Logan   Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing. Brad Crowell  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan   Special thanks to our designer Mesh Herico for creating all of our visuals, (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all the video each week, so you can.Brad Crowell  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each episode, so you can find it on our website. And finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on timeTranscribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A cosmic-focused convo that is your beginners guide to all things Astrology and Feng Shui. Step into the concepts behind what astrology truly is and the reasonings behind society's obsession with the stars. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Lesley and Brad are going on tour! Astrology signs don't define your behaviors.The perception of astrology in society.The difference between Feng Shui and astrologyHow the energies and stars can make senseWhat in your life are you becoming desensitized to? Episode References/Links:Join Brad and LL on tourThe Source Book by Dr. Tara SwartKate Wind WebsiteMom & Me Astrology Podcast  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.Be It Till You See It Podcast SurveyUse this link to get your Toe Sox!ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the cosmic convo I have with Kate Wind in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now, go back and then listen to that one and then come back and join us. Okay, I really loved this interview. I just have to say this before we get into anything else because I was like, I really want to have her on but I don't want her, I don't want it to be like to woo and people like freak out. But like, I really felt like it. It made a lot of sense. If you haven't listened to it, you should like listen to it. Because it's a it's a precursor. It's definitely like, a pre 101 you know, and (Brad: Yeah) it makes me feel like I understand a few things. I started listening to her podcast with her mom. And yeah, I feel like I actually know some of the words. I'm still learning things. And it's all very interesting. It's all very fun. So anyways, Brad just got back from Philly. And he was visiting his grandfather and family for the holidays. I don't even know the last time I spent Thanksgiving with them, Babe, but you got to spend Thanksgiving with them.Brad Crowell  Yeah, before we go on there, I had a comment about the conversation as well. You know, I'm I've never been a big fan of astronomy. Just kidding. Astronomy is the study of the stars. Astrology has always been weird. I always thought it was like, I don't know, just kind of that thing that you read in the newspaper that tells you that the world's coming to an end every single week. And I didn't know anything about Feng Shui either. And this was a really enlightening conversation for me because I I learned some of the concepts behind what astrology you know is and why there are charts and all this stuff. And I thought it was interesting to hear that the idea that it's like, I mean, she's got a psychology degree. (Lesley: Yeah) Right. It's this isn't like she just like read a couple books and became like a fairy who reads a crystal ball. Because in my head that's what other movies are with this kind of thing. The conversation wasn't like that at all it was it was really grounded. I thought so. I really enjoyed that. (Lesley: Good. Well ...) Anyway, my my my trip back home was really good. My grandfather is getting old and I really wanted to spend some time with him when it was possible to do that. So taking two weeks out of our crazy life was really important to me.Lesley Logan  Yeah, and you know, we don't really do a lot for Thanksgiving around here anyway, so I think it was really good that you got to spend Thanksgiving. I'm not gonna be, I'm be really honest like because Claire came to visit me and that was so exciting. But I like nothing brought me more joy then going, "I don't have to cook any thing."Brad Crowell  Except for bacon.Lesley Logan  I'm not even do it. I didn't even do that. I'm like I ordered in. I got to be by myself until my family like I mean like it was glorious. I love it. Um I am also on my way to Dallas (Brad: Oh yeah.) for it's coming becoming an annual event. (Brad: Yeah) Erika Quest and I are doing a WeLL weekend, well it's our second WeLL weekend. But it's definitely ...Brad Crowell  You've been down there three times but (Lesley: Yeah) this is the second, (Lesley: Yeah, this is ...) December.Lesley Logan  With Erika Quest. (Brad: Yeah) And it's just, it's gonna be a lot of fun. I really enjoyed working with her, we're gonna do things like that, if you don't know who Erika Quest is, you gonna listen to her episode. It's probably in the teens. And, and when we come back, we quickly get ourselves situated, close the house up for the winter and hit the road (Brad: Yeah) where it's our first stop being in Dallas. Well, one of the first class we're gonna do, so I'll be back in Dallas teaching some workouts, and then Houston and then we're going to spend a night in Memphis and then a day in Nashville, sometime in Atlanta with our friend Joel. Well, actually be in Nashville with our friend Lauren Zoeller. You've heard her episode. (Brad: Yes ...) And it's me so much fun ...Brad Crowell  It's gonna be an incredible tour. (Lesley: Yeah. And the Greensboro.) Yeah, we're gonna be doing multiple classes in a few cities. But I think we have. Yeah, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, just outside of Atlanta, Greensboro, North Carolina, (Lesley: Cleveland) Cleveland, Ohio and then St. Louis. (Lesley: Yeah. So so fun.) So seven stops.Lesley Logan  Seven stops. (Brad: Yeah) Yeah. And so anyways, if you are wanting to join any of those cities sound like something fun. You want to work out with me onlinepilates.classes.com/tour is our third official tour.Brad Crowell  Yeah. And if you're in the Philly area and you want to hang we're going to like get together for coffee. You know, in the Philadelphia just north of Philadelphia. SoLesley Logan  Yeah. And that and it's at night time that coffee might be a drink and and then ... (Brad: It might be a hot toddy.) And then Denver, yes loves of course, we're going to hang out and have lunch for you guys.Brad Crowell  Yeah. Denver we're gonna have lunch on our drive thru.Lesley Logan  We have a wedding to be at (Brad: Yeah) on December 31. So this tour is hot like hit it hard before the holiday. (Brad: Yeah) A couple days a family, get our ... back home. Yeah. So super, I'm just so excited that people love this tour so much that we keep doing it because it really is fun. And I just saw the art for the tour. And I can't wait to see what the merch is because we all need a tour shirt. (Brad: Yeah, you do.) We all do. (Brad: Yeah, you do.) Now ...Brad Crowell  Anyway, onlinepilatesclasses.com/tour.Lesley Logan  Yes. Okay. So instead of a question this week, we have a bold moment, right, Brad?Brad Crowell  Yeah, we totally do. It's exciting. We love hearing from y'all. So if you ever have any bold moments, you know, we are very excited to share with your permission, of course. SoLesley Logan  I got permission from Alison. She's an Agency member of ours. And she wrote lots of stuff on my mind this week. But there's a channel we have an Agency by the way, it's called Blow My Mind. "First, LL's podcast episode on fall routines and mindset helped me realize that for as long as I can remember, I have not wanted to do anything from roughly October to December. And yet also for pretty much my whole life, I have resisted that because I believe I should push on no matter what. And this October has been no exception. So as I look ahead to November and my business goals, I'm considering what kind of actions will cultivate a sense of nurturing rather than effort. Also, I started reading The Source recommended in that podcast episode. And the first journal exercise helped me realize how disconnected I feel from pretty much everybody since moving. Even though I'm still in touch with wonderful people from Austin and I love my partner's family. I still feel alone. This is definitely something to journal more about." So I loved this moment because it's all inspired from the pod. (Brad: Yeah) And and that's the whole point of this whole podcast is to help people, help you listening, understand yourself more and (Brad: Yeah) figure out how you can be it till you see it and like you cannot be it till you see it if you're pushing through when your body is saying it slowed the fuck down. So and I have, I have been watching what Alison's been doing. And all of her goals have been things to help set her up for a Q1 where she can go off and hit the ground running so she's not doing nothing, but she's not pushing. She's actually like it's it feels a little bit more like polling like what is what do I need to do over here. So thank you, Alison, for letting us share this and also for sharing it with us because it y'all podcast is so much fun. I love doing it. I love the interviews I get to do. It's like a really fun thing. But hearing how it affects you makes it like is like the why behind doing it. Like it's the fuel for it all. So thank you for sharing this and if you want to share yours, you can DM us at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. You can send it into the team, any place that you want to do that and will help us share it with other people.Brad Crowell  Yeah, we want to celebrate your bold moment. (Lesley: Yes) So awesome. Okay, now let's talk about Kate Wind. As a second generation Astrologer, Tarot reader and Feng Shui consultant. Kate has been raised around the language of the stars. But it wasn't until after she pursued her degree in psychology, that she got fed up with the corporate life and doing a decade in the corporate life, that it started that she started to recognize the cycles of astrology in her own life and circle back around starting her own business. So she got out of the corporate world and started her own astrology business. She now works to bring these tools to people in a digestible manner. Kate works with one-on-one clients with both astrology and Feng Shui and reads Tarot for events and is a co host of the podcast called Mom & Me Astrology.Lesley Logan  Yeah, it's a fun podcast. Can you just say how you read, reader before? Can you just say that again? I just want to hear how you said it.Brad Crowell  I don't have any idea (Lesley: Oh, okay.) what she talking about.Lesley Logan  At the top you said Tarot reader and I just thought that was really special. It's like tarjay, it's just Tarot. (Lesley laughs) (Brad: Oh) Yeah, you say it Tarot. And I was like, (Brad: Tarot reader) that is such a beautiful way of saying it and also a big (Brad: tarjay) a big light. Brad does not do I don't think he's ever had a Tarot reading before.Brad Crowell  I've definitely not had a Tarot reading. (Lesley laughs)Lesley Logan  I would have stopped you if you said (Brad laughs) Tarot. Okay, so this is a really fun conversation. This was really, I really wanted to have her on talking about this because I find what she does really interesting. I also it sounds like I've I've I know other astrologers and I haven't brought them I specifically brought her on because I love the way that she and her mom, look and use astrology as she mentioned, it's like, like can be like a therapy thing. And so I just find that to be really cool. Like, back during the US election, they had a whole episode on astrology and the election. And so they, they use it in an applicable sense as opposed to like a psychic sense. And I think that that's really unique. So one of the (Brad: Yeah) things that I loved, and this is, this is like super key as like your signs don't define your behaviors. So I say this, I'll just keep going with like, one of the things she talked about was like, talking about how your how you shouldn't use your sun sign as an excuse for behaviors. She like she, have you ever had this, like, "Oh, I'm a Virgo. So that's just who I am." Like, anytime you say (Brad: Totally) it's just how I am, and then you refer it to your sign. That's not how astrology was supposed to be used, or is actually used. It just just as much as like, one of my strength is WOO. And I ... I stayed in a relationship too long, because I was trying to win this person over. It doesn't mean like, I constantly put myself as a doormat because I'm trying to win others over. That would be like, I have choice there. I have I know who I know this about myself. (Brad: Yeah) And I know that I can do that. So I put boundaries in place. And so ...Brad Crowell  Well, we I mean, it's the same like we talk about strengths all the time, especially Strengths Finders, you heard us talk about that a lot. Every strength has a flip side, you can be empathetic, and it can be a benefit to you. That same empathy can be an anchor (Lesley: Yeah) for you, you know (Lesley: Yeah) on you. And so I think that in the same way, you know, why what how Astrology can define a possible character trait of yours, that character trait doesn't have to be negative.Lesley Logan  Right. Well, and also, it doesn't just go back to it's not an excuse for poor behavior, (Brad: Right) period. (Brad: Yeah) End of story. You don't get to be like, like a dick about something go that's just my like sun sign. Like, because (Brad: Yeah, or...) I'm a Taurus, I blow up at people. No, you have fire in you. But that doesn't exclude you, excuse you for like, blowing up on people just because you're upset.Brad Crowell  Or you're talking about being a doormat, you know, you don't necessarily like you could be prescribing yourself a negative situation, thinking that this is just the way it is because I'm X Y Z, you know, (Lesley: Yeah) because I'm a Cancer. You knowLesley Logan  Well, I mean, I lose things all the time. And yes, I am an Aquarius. And I put things in different places. That being said, I don't get to every time I lose something of ours and go, "Let's kind of have an Aquarius deal with it." Like no. (Brad: Right) Is he some people like you, I put things away on purpose, so that that are yours anyways. You know, so anyways, just to like sum that up, I really love that she brought this up, because I really do think a lot of times, we can use some qualities about ourselves or characteristics about ourselves that are unbecoming. And go, well, that's just who I am based on this sign ...Brad Crowell  And write it off, and then expect everyone to just be like, okay with it.Lesley Logan  And guess what, you know, you still are responsible for the actions that you take.Brad Crowell  Yeah, totally. Yeah, you know, one thing, actually, I have a couple things. You know, like she said, you ask her how do people take you know perceive, perceive you when you explain to them what you do. And she said, people either have two reactions, they are really excited about it, or they avoid it. Because they don't really understand it, and I don't know what to do. And we went out to dinner with her and her partner. And like, and I think I avoided it. You know, I wasn't like ...Lesley Logan  Oh you did. I was like, "Wait, tell me more."Brad Crowell  Yeah ... It just kind of got like, kind of made me glassy eyed where I was like, I don't know what that means. Okay, moving right along. Right. And it was a you know, you know, that said, with that in mind. I, it was a an awesome dinner. We had an amazing time and the conversation was fantastic. But what I didn't understand at the time until the interview that you just had was that there is a difference ... while they go hand in hand, there's a difference between astrology and Feng Shui. (Lesley: Oh, yeah.) And I didn't know that. I mean, I just heard a Feng Shui too, but like I don't actually know anything about Feng Shui. I just knew that like, it's a thing and people like you know, change ...Lesley Logan  My mom is going to call you up because my mom was so big on Feng Shui. She watches us on YouTube, shout out to mom, and she is going to teach you all the things and you're ended up with a crystal somewhere.Brad Crowell  I mean, I'm not opposed to that. But my point is I didn't know that there was a difference. Just kind of lumped it all into whatever. And I thought, you know, this conversation was still a merge of the two and I was trying to understand like, what's what and what's the other but I was, I was definitely drawn to the actionable steps that are possible with Feng Shui. I still don't really understand all the things with astrology. But I thought, I thought with the idea of like, there's a, you know, there's a clear timestamp in space and time when you were born. Okay, no problem. And when you were born, planets and things were in a specific space, and like they were, they were, where they were when you were born. Okay, totally get that. So I thought that was interesting. But then from there, there wasn't too much like, I didn't really understand action steps that could be taken from that. And then the conversation shifted over to Feng Shui where I did, where there was a lot of actionable steps. And I thought, okay, cool. So I was kind of learning about the practicality of Feng Shui, and how you can be setting yourself up for failure without even realizing it simply based on your environment. (Lesley: Yeah, well, I mean, and I think ...) Or you can be setting yourself up for success in that same environment.Lesley Logan  Yeah, I think like, that's the like, there's, and some people might even be doing some Feng Shui things not even knowing about it, because (Brad: Yeah) it's doesn't, when you actually look at it, it's it kind of as some of it is a little more common sense. Like, I wouldn't have known that the the money like that the girl's picture was in the wrong corner. But the girls had our picture that she talked about the back is turned towards her (Brad: Right) and your your clients are women, and they're not buying for you, like put that picture away. Right. Like ...Brad Crowell  Yeah, the most practical application of Feng Shui, from my experience growing up is you laugh about it, but the lipstick on the mirror in the bathroom in the morning of like, you got this, right, the positive messaging of like, you're a good person. And like the concept of a mantra, you wake up and you have this thing that you repeat to yourself, and you start the day, the day is amazing. And, you know, and I never really thought that there's anything weird about any of that, because I understand the story we tell ourselves is how we're going to experience the day. Right? So if I'm willing to embrace that idea, why would I not be willing to embrace these ideas of like, the way you've positioned the room can actually have an effect on your mindset.Lesley Logan  Well, and so I love that you brought that up. Because when you as you're talking earlier, and you're like, I didn't know about this, the I didn't put it together with the stars. Y'all you're most many people who might be like a little bit like, "I don't know about astrology. I don't know about this Feng Shui stuff. I don't know about this." But then you go to Machu Picchu or you go to the the pyramids, or you go to the temples of Cambodia (Brad: Temples of Angkor with us. Yeah.) How do you think these things got created and exactly where they are? Okay. I think we talked about this in, you know, when we were in Cambodia, some of these temples were built at the exact same time as other things halfway across the world were being built. And like, the only thing I can think of is like, well, what was going on at that time? Because there wasn't cell phones, there wasn't email, there wasn't someone chartering a boat, and like telling people this we're building. It's po... it had to been what was going on in the stars, because they could you know what I mean, like, there's just these energies things. So I, I know, it can sound like triple woo, when you talk about energies and stars and all and the Feng Shui. But some of it just makes a lot of sense.Brad Crowell  Yeah. And I thought that there was, I was, you know, what, also, I thought was really interesting was, she grew up in this environment, or, you know, parents are both astrologers, and her, she was fielding phone calls of like, you know, my triple Moon is jumping backflips over the rainbows of Mars, you know, like, as a 10 year old, and I don't, I don't speak that language. So I didn't really understand. And I was kind of making fun of it right there. And I hope she doesn't give me too much shit for that. But, you know, that's kind of what it sounds like, to me. And I'm like, "Ah, I don't really get it." But I also don't, you know, like, when she started to get nerdy about it, she was like, here's the relationship of the planets and the stars and the things and how they affect each other. And then when the, you know, as the Earth rotates, and we move around the sun, and all this stuff, and the position that we are in that, you know, it affects things and I was like, "Oh, get it, got it. Got that. That's kind of cool." You know, and her psychology degree, when she was looking like at her own life, experiencing her corporate life that she was living, you know, having speaking the language that she grew up with, and then applying the, you know, her knowledge from going to school, you know, allows her a really interesting get a bridge, like she speaks a language that I could connect with, because, you know, I can relate more to psychology that I can't do astrology, and she is connecting the dots there and I thought that was really helpful for me really revealing.Lesley Logan  Yeah, yeah. Well, basically, Kate, we love you and the way that you look at these things because it's approachable (Brad: Yeah) and easily to understand. And that's why I'd have her on. Brad Crowell  All right, so finally, let's talk about those BE IT action items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted items can we take away from your conversation with Kate Wind?Lesley Logan  Yeah, so she had one kind of one BE IT action. I mean, I really love this because it's, you should be doing this annually, if not more often, but she says, take a look at your home. What is your home saying? And if your home is an apartment, or ...Brad Crowell  Yeah. There's a little more on the Feng Shui than the astrology side.Lesley Logan  Yeah, so look at the artwork, look at the pictures, are they current, any dead trees or plants, anything broken, remove the dead energy.Brad Crowell  Clutter. I mean, I'm, I'm such a culprit of this where like, things just build up on my desk behind, you know, my zoom camera. And then all of a sudden, I turn around, and it's been like, a month since I've moved things around on my desk. And it's just a pile of stuff. You know.Lesley Logan  Yeah. And then she and this is like, also, I thought this was a really actionable thing. She says, take note of where you walk around and curse. Where are you spilling your four letter words? Because I think sometimes people go, "Oh, it's fine. No, my plants are fine, or actually I don't have a lot of things. I'm a very clean, like, I have like a clean look." Or whatever you call that minimalist look. And it's like, okay, but then are you constantly like tripping on a table? Or are you like, are you avoiding like, do you even sit in your living room, like, what go in and do an inventory around how you use your house, and if it is actually bringing you any joy? Or like what the energy is (Brad: Yeah) because, you know, we do move things around a lot. Because we that's how we are. And that's kind of how it but it's really easy. Like I'm looking over at this like shelf and over here. And I don't even know why those things are on there. And if we chose for them to be on there, and maybe we should move those things around. Because maybe like, maybe they belong to somewhere else.Brad Crowell  These are my decorating skills, Babe.Lesley Logan  Yeah. I clearly, you know, take over on that. But anyways, I thought this is really cool. And I'm wondering, Brad, if there's if there's anything in your spaces that you're wanting to like, take a look at.Brad Crowell  So I'm not going to answer that question. No, I'm just kidding. Well, I thought I really connected to the idea of dead trees and plants. Because as you all know, I've been really excited about cactuses. And I never gave a shit about that before, for the first time in my life, like I actually walk around and water them and check on them and make sure that they're, you know, doing well. And, and like talk to them, which is weird, but I do. And, you know, so the I certainly wouldn't want a you know, if something has died. You don't leave it there. Seems pretty straightforward to me. But maybe you do because it's not important to you. But what I think the idea is, whether you think it's important to you or not, it is affecting you. Right? Whether you realize it or not, it is affecting you. Right. And you almost become I become desensitized to it. Until there is a boiling point. I remember I was thinking about this when I was listening to the interview. I remember at my old job, I had a desk and the desk was in a room with other people. And you know, unsurprisingly, my desk started to get clutter, right. And I didn't realize it but you know. And then over a period of time, it was clutter and clutter, clutter. And then I had like an epically bad day, like so bad that I wanted to throw my laptop, break things, scream, yell, and all this stuff. And I couldn't do any of that. But I literally, I just took my arms and I just went flew and I switched everything off my desk on the floor. And everyone in the office was like, "What just happened?" Right. And I was because I just needed space, I needed ... you know, all of it was there and ... And I just remember throughout basically throwing stuff against the wall, right? And and I don't know why, but it was very relieving for me. It was really weird for everyone else in the room. I created a lot of tension in that public outburst that I didn't scream and yell. But suddenly my desk was clean and it allowed me to go like ... right, so I didn't even realize all of that clutter was affecting me. But it was.Lesley Logan  Oh, it's like that having the tabs open on your computer. (Brad: Same thing.) It's the same thing. It's got things running in the background. And so I like that I um, I'm actually super excited because we're gonna be back in time for our New Year's day anniversary like (Brad: Yeah) and our thing that we have, we try to do every year at New Year's and what I'm hoping happens is we redo the closets. (Brad: Yeah) It's a little hard to do every single room in the house in one day but I believe in us and the closets and the kitchen drawers I think. So follow up with us y'all on January 2nd and ask us (Brad: How we did?) how we did on removing room like moving some energies and also where all cuz I definitely curse in the closet because I can't find things (Brad: Sure) and they're missing. (Brad: Sure) And I then I buy them again, because I forgot that I already own them or something similar. Like, "Why do I have four hot pink pair of pants?" Oh, because I couldn't find the other three. And I was like, "Oh, look at these. I already have that." So anyways, I thought this was really special. Let us know how this conversation worked for you. What parts of it were intriguing, which parts were like, oh, and it makes you understand, which part you're like, not into that. I'm happy to hear and also what you're going to remove or move around in your place like how are you doing? (Brad: Yeah) Take a picture or show it, like share you got any create a reel, create a reel of you like change the energy in your house. (Brad: Yeah, that's a great idea.) And tag ... (Brad: Tag us. Tag Kate.) And tag the @be_it_pod, tag Kate. She'll love it. (Brad: Yeah) And also take a listen, if this was really interesting to you, because I would love to have her back. But you don't have to wait for that you can actually go to Mom & Me Astrology and listen to their podcast. They have an episode every week, and I find them all very fascinating. So anyways, I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell  And, I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan  Thank you so much for joining us today. We are so so grateful to have you here and so until next time, Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell  Bye for now.Lesley Logan  Be It Till You See It is a production of Bloom Podcast Network. Brad Crowell   It's written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan. And me Brad Crowell. Our associate producer is Amanda Frattarelli. Lesley Logan   Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.  Brad Crowell  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianranco Cioffi.  Lesley Logan  Special thanks to our designer Mesh Herico for creating all of our visuals, (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all the video each week, so you can.Brad Crowell  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each episode, so you can find it on our website. And finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on timeTranscribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Would you dance alone? Would you take a step forward just through instinct? This conversation has everything from creating a sleep routine and sunset alarms, to allowing the universe into your decisions. After this convo, maybe you will dance alone.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:How to build a better sleep routineHow to become an invitation for others Can you make a wrong decision? How to include the universe into the choice  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.Be It Till You See It Podcast SurveyUse this link to get your Toe Sox!ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the questioning convo I have with Joanna Vargas in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to the interview, feel free to pause this now. Go back and listen to this one that one, then listen to this one. And the ...Brad Crowell  And then join. I'm Brad.Lesley Logan  I'm Lesley Logan. (Brad: Whoa. Just sneak it in.) We're working on this new idea of introducing ourselves at the beginning instead of the end. You know, it didn't occur to me that like it was weird to have the names of the end until I was listening to podcasts where they like, like they say their names of beginning I was like (Brad: Right) "Oh, we don't do that." (Brad: Yeah, maybe we should.) But I mean, it says Be It Till You See It with Lesley Logan. You should know who I am.Brad Crowell  ... you did sort of just introduce me when you mentioned your co host in life, Brad. (Lesley: ... you're introduced. I'm introduced. So I'm covered.Lesley Logan  So I'm the only one who is never introduced because I don't introduce myself on an interview and I don't ... If you're new, let me know if it's confusing as to who I am in any episode. That's what I like to know. Because if it's not then this is not an issue. We can keep moving on. Anyways, we are still in Cambodia. (Brad: Yes.) Which means we are recording this as if it's happening when you're listening to it. But really we're recording it before, we going on a flight. And so I'm I'm I'm manifesting how fucking awesome Cambodia.Brad Crowell  Yeah, right now I am, I am, I'm half, I'm up to my knees in the Cambodian River. No ...Lesley Logan  No, he's not. We don't get in the water.Brad Crowell  ...river. It's gross. (Lesley: We don't get in the water.) But we are probably hiking through a jungle.Lesley Logan  Oh, well, we're supposed to be in a waterfall.Brad Crowell  Well, it's a Thursday ... (Lesley: So we have already ...) But it's Wednesday here. Thursdays? Yeah, yeah, we will be out of what, we might actually literally be at a waterfall while this is happening.Lesley Logan  Yeah, there's a waterfall in Cambodia. And if you are on our retreat, you already know that we're doing this for you. But it's a surprise. (Brad: Surprise) Because we don't usually do the waterfall. If we're a big group, we just can't (Brad: Yeah) there's just not enough time. But with a small group we can. So it's so friggin exciting. And then we come back and Brad goes to Philly. No, we don't, we come back together. (Brad: And we will go to Arizona.) And we go to Arizona. Yeah, then I might to TBD on the actual scene of the Grand Canyon since I have only seen it from a plane. And if you don't know the story in 2018, when I was like, I'm not going to East Coast unless we drive. And so we were in a really tiny SUV and drove cross country. And we were driving through the south and I were going the Grand Canyon. And I said, Brad, I just heard in the bathroom that we're driving in a blizzard that unbeknownst to me, so a little crazy weather but I was just like, I guess this is winter. I'm not from, I'm not from any place, but California. It's the Grand Canyon. You can't miss it.Brad Crowell  It's like you can see it from space. It's the Grand Canyon.Lesley Logan  Let me just tell you, y'all. It was a whiteout. You could not, you could, I don't know how to show you this because this is a podcast and I also don't have to show it to you on YouTube because we're not putting it here. But maybe Amanda can post on the @be_it_pod Instagram, the pictures of me seeing the Grand Canyon in real life for the first time with my feet on the ground. You can't fucking see the Grand Canyon. (Brad: Yeah) Not even on the near side. Even we like tilted it like look, here's the Grand Canyon 10 feet from us. You can't see it. So it's like run because I'm not getting snowed in this place.Brad Crowell  I know it was coming down so hard. It was literally like if we don't move right now we might not be able to leave.Lesley Logan  Yeah, yeah. So at any rate, um, the hope is that I get to camp one night at the Grand Canyon. And then we come back (Brad: Yeah.) And Brad leaves me to go to the Thanksgiving at his parents place and see his grandfather and (Brad: Yeah) his family. And then he comes back and I leave for Dallas, Texas with Erika Quest.Brad Crowell  Yeah ...Lesley Logan   And then we come back, I come back, and then we drive to Texas.Brad Crowell  Yeah then we ... (Lesley and Brad laughs) Yeah, you come back out. You're we're here for less than a week. And then we hit the road.Lesley Logan  If I did want to see New Mexico and I and I had a way to like have my own place in Dallas for 10 days. I probably just stay there but that's not really I really want to see New Mexico. So anyway, I'm coming back. So it's a very busy winter for us. And it's because we're going on tour. But just to go back if you are like, "Wait, you're gonna be in Dallas with Erika Quests?" Yes, we are. And to be honest, how can you get on that? (Brad: You're gonna have to DM us.) You gotta DM me because the reality is is well ...Brad Crowell  Well you there for some workshops.Lesley Logan  I'm there for some workshops. It's only workshop. We are teaching classes on the tour. We'll be back in Dallas at each class on the tour. But the space is very limited. And so you got to hit me up to get this special link.Brad Crowell  I think Dallas will be teaching class on like 13th, 14th or 15th of December, I can't ever exactly ...Lesley Logan  One of those is Dallas and one of those is Houston. (Brad: Right.) Yeah.Brad Crowell  Yeah. So anyway, stay tuned.Lesley Logan  But the workshops, let me just like be like really quick like, toot my own horn. It's my fucking podcast, its what we do. But Erika Quest and I, are teaching how classical and where classical and contemporary collide, which is not where we compare classical and contemporary exercises, we actually are colliding them together. It's a really fun, empowering workshop. We are, we did it in Chicago, we're making it a four hour workshop this time. So we're super excited. And then the next day, she's got a really fun workshop going on. And then I go solo on like building your tower up, because so many people are like, how do I make a tower class? So I'm super excited the first time I'm gonna teach this workshop. (Brad: Cool) I love building tower classes up. This is where I get created. (Brad: Yeah) So we're doing that. There's anything that interests you and you are in the Dallas area, you can hit me up. And if you are wanting to work out with me in Dallas or Houston, then you should hit me up anyways, because I'm the only one who has these links. (Brad: There you go.) Do we have a question?Brad Crowell  Yes ... So we got, we've love this question kind of was a spinoff from the question from the last recap. So ... (Lesley: Oh, way to go team.) And the reason is because I actually had a whole conversation with one of our retreaters about the ... of the idea, the process of falling asleep. And she said, I have trouble sleeping, I can climb into bed, and I leave myself enough time. But then I find that I'm I just can't sleep, I can't sleep. And so I asked her like, "Okay, why? Are you, are you thinking?" And she's like, "Yes, I'm totally thinking the whole time. And I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking and I'm not sleeping, sleeping, sleeping instead. And ...Lesley Logan  And by the way, thinking when I'm not sleeping, and looking at your clock makes it worse, don't look at the clock, don't count down.Brad Crowell  So I have spent a lot of time studying sleep, which is ironic because I don't sleep very much. And it's ...Lesley Logan  I am making him sleep more because (Brad: It's a constant battle.) I need him to live as long as me or longer. I don't wanna be the first to go.Brad Crowell  And one of what I figured out, I'm just gonna let you keep saying those things. That's great. I love you and I'm not dying. But the point is, the point is for me, for me, and probably for most, sleep is actually a decision. Okay, so the problem with the thinking is that you have not decided to sleep.Lesley Logan  Oh, that's interesting. I think that's true. Because how many times are you talking to me and I in the middle of a sentence, I just, I'm asleep. (Brad and Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell  Hey love that so great that we're gonna .... you're asleep. So so like, you get in bed, because you have to get in bed. It's an obligation, Okay, I better go to sleep now. Instead, it's like, I got to do it, because I have to do it right now. And, you know, instead of the idea that I am going to sleep. When you can hear that in the background. Our dog is literally digging up the new carpet that's she uses for workout. (Lesley: The new, new carpet.) The new carpet (Lesley: And so...) that she's deciced it's not comfortable enough. And she's pulling it off the floor.Lesley Logan  It's not comfortable. I don't care. It's a beautiful rug. Brad Crowell  Yeah. Anyway, the point is, you know, there are a handful of tips that I can absolutely recommend. That will allow you to go to sleep the and there's a bunch of stats, the average person takes seven minutes to fall asleep. The tips that I can give you are this, if you find yourself thinking, thinking, thinking, remember you are not only are you going to make a decision of when you fall asleep, but you're going to make a decision of when you're going to wake up. Okay? Because this is going to help you not sleep through your alarm, which I'm so good at doing. But when I make the actual decision, I literally say to myself, tomorrow I'm gonna get up at 8:30 or 7:15 or 6:53, it doesn't matter. But if I specifically say I'm going to get up at x time, then when that clock rolls around, I actually do it. I actually get out of bed. If I don't literally say I'm gonna get up at x time. When that alarm goes off. I'm like, "Oh, I'm probably okay to sleep for another 10 minutes." Right. And then I sleep 20 minutes. So there's decisions that are being made here. So but there are some suggestions that I can make for you about actually stopping your mind from spinning. Get a pen and paper put it next to your bed every time you have a thought. What we talked about in the last episode is that you're probably worried you're going to forget something you have to do. So write that thing down. Now you can give yourself permission not to try to remember that you don't need to remember it is written down, you can now relax. Because you're not stressed that you have to remember this, that stress is going to keep your mind going. So that you remember to do the thing tomorrow, don't forget, right? So that's a huge thing. If you are an ideator, like me, when I go to sleep, I've what I used to find myself, like, that's when I was writing a new song. I don't know why, why is that the time I don't know. But that's when my brain is like, "Wow, I got this really cool idea." I would then record a voice memo on my phone. So then again, I don't have to try to remember it, because I won't remember it. And that stresses me out. And then I would stay away, try to remember it. Right. Another thing you can do is focus on your breathing. Okay, and the breathing in through the nose. And it could be out of the nose or mouth.Lesley Logan  It should be in and out through the nose for sleep. It's grounding.Brad Crowell  Yeah. But the what when you create an even breath, in and out through your nose, I find it allows my mind to wander and the wandering, not the thinking. The wandering is actually my secret sauce for how I go to sleep. I literally put myself in my own movie in my head. Okay.Lesley Logan  I can't wait to tell you about how I fall asleep because we have a different way to fall asleep.Brad Crowell  I put myself in my own movie in my head, where I'm the, I'm either like the lead character or I'm falling along as like, third party, but I'm envisioning the scenery. I'm feeling it, smelling it, seeing it, like I'm actually in an environment that I'm creating. And I let my mind continue to create that, that environment and that scene and that thing that's happening. And literally, I find myself dreaming about that.Lesley Logan  I love these things. (Brad: Yeah) They're all really helpful. A couple things. There are tons of studies about sleep you like if you ever hear me talk about ideal schedule. The first thing I'm going to tell you that goes in your schedule is when you go to bed when you wake up, when you go to bed, and when you wake up. You, I don't care what else you think is the most precious thing. I don't care if it's your amazing children, I don't care if it's brilliant job, I don't care, I don't care. I don't care how much it pays you. When do you go to sleep and when you wake up is the first thing goes in your calendar. And it's very important. Because there's so much that sleep is in charge that you cannot be it till you see it if you aren't sleeping. And I promise you this because if you're not sleeping, you're not going to prepare your body for digestive cycle. If you don't go through digestive cycle, you don't absorb nutrition, if you don't absorb nutrition, it doesn't matter how (Brad: Stress) positive you are, you have high stress, you'll stop producing stomach acid, your B12, your vitamin D, your absorption rates are gonna go down. You can be the most positive person in the room and you'll become the most depressed person in the room ... (Brad: How do you know this?) Because it was me. (Brad laughs)Brad Crowell  Actually ... it became a vicious cycle (Lesley: Yeah) because she ...Lesley Logan  I had stomach issues which causes sleep issues. Which cause stomach ...Brad Crowell  And sleep issues cause stomach issues. Right. So it was now the chicken or the egg.Lesley Logan  Yeah, and it was, it was, it was insane. So Arianna Huffington has a book called Sleep. Cuz home girl probably should read this book. Home girl also was like, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." (Brad: Yeah, that's literally I used to say. I'll sleep when I'm dead.) She broke her jaw of her nose. She broke her face because she ... she had her head like her face on her hand. And she was reading and she literally slipped and her whole face hit the desk. (Brad: Yeah.) And she broke her body. (Brad: Yeah.) So she ended up studying sleep. And there's a lot of things you can do. First of all, a sleep routine. And this is really important, just like a morning routines important, a sleep routine is actually really important. You could, you you should sleep in the same clothes or as close to the same clothes as possible every night. This is going to help you so like literally it's just sleeping. So unless you're sweating, like you probably wear your sleep clothes a couple of times a row or by by five of them and like habit there and so you have the sleeper ... do your brushing teeth, face washi whatever your stuff is in the same order at night, it will literally prepare your brain for sleep because it no... "Oh, when I do this, I go to sleep." So it's it's the same as like training an animal. Like there's these things that happen and then your brain goes okay, like's routines. Second, you should not be looking at your screens, ideally two hours before sleep but like please, please, please at minimum one hour. One hour before bed, my dog and my dog is a little loud. (Brad: He's growled up.) I know. Because I'm waking up his sleep. (Brad: Yeah.) So one hour before bed, no screens. It's like, I cannot tell you how many studies are out there. Like literally ladies who are in love with Huberman. He even says it. Okay, so if you're not going to take my word for it, if you're looking for a handsome doctor, he says it. So it's really really important. That is why if you missed the last recap episode, you heard me say my phone doesn't come with my dog walk. Because that actually gives me at least 90 minutes before bed sometimes two hours before I go to bed to go, one of my sleep routines is actually fall asleep to the same music every night. How do I do this? My phone's not with me. Guess what? Google Voice, Google Play, whatever, Siri, all these things are amazing. You all technology to do this. I literally just press play on it. If we want to walk, it's playing in the room. So when I walk into the room, the room is already set up for sleep. And it goes off at a certain time. If I said that, that's a new thing I have to have have happened. But ...Brad Crowell  But also you can talk to Google Home. (Lesley: Yeah, I just thought ...) And you can say hey, (Lesley: turn the music off) yeah, turn off the music in 25 minutes ... I also have a sunrise alarm clock. And just so that you understand she actually keeps her phone in the living room. And then it's Bluetooth through the wall, to our Google Home speaker in the bedroom. And then so she sets it playing the mute her sleep music before we go into dogwalk. Then we walk for I don't know, an hour, and then we come home. And then she has her sleep routine. And once she's climbed into bed, the music's still been playing this whole time. Then she tells Google, turn it off and you know, 25 minutes (Lesley: Yeah) or 15 minutes or whatever. And ...Lesley Logan  Yeah, I like to give myself a little, I like to give myself more time than I know that I need because there's nothing more stressful than the music going off because I fall asleep and you're like ...Brad Crowell  But how do you wake up with your alarm (Lesley: Okay) on your phone and it's in the other room? How does that work?Lesley Logan  So I have a sunrise alarm clock that by the way also has a sunset thing. This is also a proven thing and I am not a napper, I hate fucking napping. But I've had a nap occasionally. And I use my sleep routine to help me nap. So I have on the music that I play. And then by the way, I hate to go on a plane I have the same music as downloaded to the phone so that if I'm on a plane, I can play it, so I can get some amount of sleep on a plane because I freakin hate sleeping sitting up. But I have this sun set alarm at sunsets on me even for a nap. And then a sunrise I set the sunrise to go and the room just gets brighter in my face. And I wake up and I don't wake up groggy, I wake up like it's time to get I can't even hit snooze. Even when I want to, I sometimes like I don't really need to get up on the via rebel like Brad I'mma snooze this. I can't, every time I try, I'm like, fuck I sneak it up.Brad Crowell  We will put a link to this sunset or the sunrise sunset alarm (Lesley: This people should ...) in the show notes because it's it's a really cool device. And when Lesley goes out of town, I will literally sleep on her side of the bed and use this to wake up. It's pretty cool.Lesley Logan  It's so cool. I'm obsessed with it. And we stay at the Vidar Hotel. And by the way they had and I was like, (Brad: Yeah) "Oh my God, the hotel has my alarm, my alarm lamp. And that's amazing." So asleep routine is going to help you go to sleep as why I don't even take seven minutes. I take 13 seconds. (Brad: Yeah) I'm like out. (Brad: She's like, out.) And by the way, I'm out he can pull the air pods out of my ear for the podcast. (Brad: Exactly.) And I don't even move. I don't even know what happened. I like don't I didn't even know that I fell asleep when we're talking. So and this comes from someone who slept three hours a night for many, many years. So I I'm not saying this from someone who's always had a good time sleeping. That's not who I am. I never napped as a child. My parents hated it because they are nappers and they're like just sit in your room. So so please please please if you need scientific evidence, check out Huberman podcast on sleep. Check out Arianna Huffington spoke on Sleep.Brad Crowell  We'll also link to both of those things in the show notes.Lesley Logan  Yeah. Have a sleep routine. And if anything happens have a sleep routine, it's going to be great. You'll love it, your brain will love you for it and yes to everything Brad said about writing it down and the decisions all that is true. But get away from your screens. But I don't care if your blue light blue blockers on you know I love those. You have to get off screens and out before bed if you want your brain to stop thinking. Brad Crowell  Okay, now let's talk about Joanna Vargas. (Lesley: She's back.) Serial entrepreneur Joanna Vargas has built two brick and mortar Dance and Fitness businesses and multiple event businesses covering dance, running and more. She brings together over 10,000 people every single year at these events that she hosts. Her podcast teaches women how to live fully by asking questions and being curious so they can live longer and make more money. And she is like a Spitfire lover.Lesley Logan  She Spitfire. We love her. She's got a great course on Profitable Pilates about filling your classes for life. She's just a rock star like she really, really really is. And also I just had to say, I think this is coming out on her birthday, Happy Birthday, Joanna. We couldn't be at your surprise party because we're in Cambodia. (Brad and Lesley laugsh) So anyways, that just came to me. One thing that I love that came up in a story she shared about dancing should be an invitation for others who was dancing alone, inspiring others. So this has led this event with all these women. (Brad: Yeah) And she was out there ...Brad Crowell  ... 200 women, (Lesley: and no one was dancing) And there was a DJ kicking ass, and no one was dancing.Lesley Logan  And we were descending Chicago, and there was a dance floor with an incredible DJ. By the way, I don't even know why I interview him except for just to like, just because I wanted to be his friends. (Brad: He is fancy. He is good.) We have the same shoe. We love sparkles. (Brad: Oh yeah) But he was amazing DJ. (Brad: It was great.) And, of course, no one was dancing by themselves. And no one's danced by themselves. So everyone's like waiting for the crowd to start. And it starts with someone and but Joanna had no other crowd, she just danced by herself. It turned out because she did that she was having a conversation and then getting a gig out of it. And it's by being herself. So she was an invitation for others to do something that was scary. And then it (Brad: Yeah) ended up becoming an invitation for herself.Brad Crowell  Yeah, I mean, I think I think the the, have you ever been in a classroom? And someone else asked the question that you have. And you're like, "Oh, I'm so happy that they asked a question. That was my question." But you didn't want to to ask the question. Well, the person who asked the question was giving, they were being the invitation for you to ask that question. And to be honest, ask other questions too, right. And when you be the invitation for other people, you're you're actually showing that you're a leader, you're you're an authority, you are confident there's all these kinds of things that are that people then look at you they also and and what I thought was interesting about this, Joanna talked about the conversation she had with herself. She's like, these people probably think I'm drunk. I'm dancing alone. Right? How am I am I being the awkward girl right now? And she had to have that mental conversation with herself. Like, you know what? It doesn't matter what they think. I'm, I'm here enjoying this music having a good time.Lesley Logan  Well, and I think that goes to like, it's a be it till you see it kind of thing. Because she was like, "Okay, I'm going to be out there. I feel like doing this, I'm going to do it. I'm gonna just get an answer here until I feel comfortable to dance out here by myself." And, you know, sometimes ...Brad Crowell  That's a character building right there.Lesley Logan  Oh, my God and insane, but like, I, we were at a comedy show. And you could tell that, like, someone had to laugh so other people could feel like, as a ... Am I allowed to laugh at that, like, I gonna laugh . And so I think like, being limitation for others is not only character building, but it's also sometimes the thing that so many people just need to see, they need to see that it's okay to do that. (Brad: Yeah) You know, when we were in Chicago, at Pilates on tour, I was teaching this workshop. And at the end, Erika was like, any last words, I'm like, "Yeah, just like, it's okay to do the best you can." You know, like, it's okay to not be perfect at this. It's okay to, to take a guess sometimes and see where it leads you. If the clients gonna come back the next week. And you could just see everyone go. (Brad: Yeah.) Right. Their shoulders dropped. They exhaled. And, and what happened afterwards with the table. Some goes, "That was the best workshop I ever attended. Is the best workout I've ever attended." And it was a great fuck yeah, it was amazing. I'm great. But I also know because I invited people. (Brad: Yes, you are Babe.) Thank you. (Brad: Yes you are.) Thank you. Toot my own horn. But I also know is because in an everything I do, I really tried to like create an invitation for other people to not be perfect and do the best they can. (Brad: Yeah) It's good enough. It's good enough for today. (Brad: I love that.) What do you love?Brad Crowell  Great. So she had a whole nother conversation about choices that I wanted to weigh in on because she basically said, you can't make a wrong choice. And she said, making a choice creates awareness. Which I thought was very interesting, because conversely, we think we are typically taught awareness creates the quote unquote, "right choice." Okay, so she's saying, make a choice. And then you're gonna have more options. You'll see the options in front of you, as opposed to where like, weigh all the options and then make a choice. (Lesley: Yeah.) Okay. So so,Lesley Logan  I mean, I really do think it comes back to action creates clarity.Brad Crowell  Yeah, I mean, I think the the idea of the weighing all the options first creates analysis paralysis, can create analysis paralysis, right? If you are, if you have, I mean, think about this, this is like classic sales. Three is enough choices. If you have 10 choices in front of you, it's more likely, statistically more likely you will not make any decision, you will make no choice, then if there are three or less choices, two is even better. One is like, okay, then you either take it or leave it, right. But three, you can like mess around with pricing. And like, there's some psychology there. But but you start to get more than that. And it becomes like, I don't actually know what decision to make, because I can't I'm having a hard time comparing them all to each other. So I don't know, what is the quote unquote, "right choice." And anyway, I thought that was really amazing. Because she her argument is, you cannot make a wrong choice.Lesley Logan  Yeah. Well, I completely agree with that. I think so many people are like what if I make the wrong decision. It's like, everything is happening for you. You have to believe that. And I know you're like what, Lesley there's so much shit happening. It's like, it is happening for you. I was homeless. I totaled my car, the studio that I rented from closed, my job transferred me. And it's the best thing that ever happened. (Brad: Yeah) Best way... And then I'm not I'm not saying that I'm happy that the pandemic happened. I am not saying that at all, because so many people lost their lives. But it was so scary flying back from Cambodia, and knowing that my entire year's income was completely shut down. (Brad: Yeah, it was scary.) Like the old because because even teaching in person was there's so much uncertainty who is going to want to do virtual? And if they don't do virtual, then what do we do? And that was the best thing ever happened to us. So having to, to do that. So I just want to tell you like you can't make a wrong choice. She can't be she's so right about that. Because the choice you make is oftentimes like, it's like this gut instinct of like, you want to do like a little nudge, little nudge, do that thing. And then even if it doesn't get you the results you wanted. It's never the worst case of the best case scenario. We've all we've already talked about that it's usually somewhere in the middle. And it brings clarity around what you need to do next, and it takes away a lot of fear.Brad Crowell  Yeah, I think and I was thinking about this a lot, because I was I was trying to, like, come up with some kind of an analogy or comparison. And it made me think all the way back to the the I think episode two with Rob Lowe. No, Rob ...Lesley Logan  Rob Lowe, we've never interviewed him. But Rob Mack is really amazing. (Brad and Lesley laughs) Rob Lowe if you're listening. (Brad: Yeah. Rob Lowe we have to have you on the pod.) Tell me your be it till you see it story. (Brad: Yeah) Well, he has to apply. (Lesley laughs) (Brad: Yeah, we'll consider you.)Brad Crowell  Rob Mack was talking about the staircase. And he said, you pretty much put one step one foot in front of the other here. You know, you might actually see all this staircase, but you still can't get to step 25 until you've gone through step 2 3 4 5. What if you cannot see step 25? What if this is like a video game and you're holding a lantern, and you can't see more than two steps in front of you. You literally don't know what else is happening. And right. So so Joanna's argument here is you still have to take a step, make a decision. When you get one step further, you're going to see oh, what's up there? Maybe there's a fork in the road. Now you have a choice to make left or right. Okay, let's go left. Okay, after you've got left now you have another decision to make.Lesley Logan  Is a choose your own adventure, which you know, I love. You know, I love it a chooser adventure.Brad Crowell  I love it. And honestly, like when you are putting one foot in front of the other that that stops this analysis paralysis, it allows you to continue to move forward, even if you aren't 100% sure. Here's the other thing. Chances are, you can actually turn back and take the right fork if you need to. (Lesley: Well. And can I just say ...) Not always the case, but more often than not.Lesley Logan  Yes. And because we had a couple of Agency members say like, I'm gonna two steps forward one step back, and I hate it. And I'm like, you know, It's not that bad you think who's it for? And then you take a step back and you can look back at like, how did it go? And you can actually decide if you want to take that step forward again, or if you want to go somewhere else.Brad Crowell  Well, it creates more awareness, (Lesley: Yeah) which is exactly Joanna's point. (Lesley: Brilliant.) Yeah. All right. So finally, let's talk about those BE IT action items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Joanna Vargas? Well, she she said to make the demand of you and then ask the universe. Okay. This is a bit woo for me to be quite frank. But, but I think that, well, the way I'm going to interpret this is to make the demand of you, okay? And it's actually kind of very similar to what we were just talking about. When you make a choice, right, then you can evaluate, okay, so make the demand of you. And then and there's belief here in this like, asking the universe, you know, asking God, asking, you know, (Lesley: source) higher power, (Lesley: Yeah) however it is that you see it. The you have to know that you're moving forward with purpose, okay? And that's where it's like, make make a decision, make a choice, and you're applying that to you.Lesley Logan  Well, actually, it's very Pam Grout ish, which is also very law of attraction, which is very Abraham Hicks, which we are very into right now. Morning rampages are the new morning routine. (Brad: Yeah. Awesome.) But um, in Pam Grout's book, she literally says, you have to actually ask for something, you're very specific, which is like making a demand of you. It means it requires you to go, what am I going to ask the universe to show me? And then you have to tell show me, show me it. And then you have to be willing to look for evidence for the universe answering that question. And ... something Scoble Shah, we talked about her a couple episodes ago, but she has that same thing in her book. And on my phone, so I can't tell what it is. But anyways, she's got a great book, go back to a couple episodes, you can tell what is in the comments below. So sorry, I can't remember off the top my head. But anyway, I do. I do think that this is a bit woo, it's also it's also allowing you to go okay, this is the choice I'm going to make. And then I'm going to have the universe participate in this choice, boom. But my biggest takeaway is learning to choose as you go. If you are, if you ever study Talk Less Teach More with me. There's a workshop I did on Level Up MVMT, which is Erika Quests website or if you take eLevate, then you will hear me talk about this. You cannot teach, you cannot talk Pilates into a body, you actually cannot, you actually have to choose exercises that will teach the body what it is that you wanted to do. And how you do that. Sometimes you have to trust your gut. And so that is how I'm interpreting this because it's the that is the actual only place that I feel super comfortable in and actually just going I don't want to be told what exercise to put this from, I can actually listen to my gut and my gut will tell me. And here's what is so cool about that. You don't do how you do one thing that you everything. So if I can actually just lean into that. (Brad: Say that one more time.) How you do one thing is how you do everything. How you want your Pilates mat is how you are like, if you judge yourself in a Pilates mat that you're judging yourself all over the place. So what I get to know to be true is when I am teaching Pilates, I do trust my gut. I really do. When I get in the moment, when I get out of my head and I get into the session when I'm teaching someone. I literally am like listening to like what I'm being like these little thoughts in my head, call me to do right. So I know that I can do this in other things I really do. And when I'm in a when I'm in a not a perfectionist state is actually really easy to do that. (Brad: Sure) I do love this question, will it create more or less in my life because I asked myself something similar when I was in Brazil. I wanted to I was told I should go hang gliding (Brad: hang gliding) hang gliding over the to hook a forest, to hook a forest. I think it's what it's called. It's beautiful forest.Brad Crowell  Near the statue. Near the very famous statue ... Lesley Logan  Yeah and you go over the river. And by the way, (Brad: Rio), it's a Rio, Rio de Janeiro. And you they don't teach you how to hang glide, just so you know, my guy did. Because I saw he said you see all these people? They're jumping, don't jump that will bring the paraglide down, just run off, run off the end. Like might keep running when those he's like yes, I do. And we land. You're going to keep running and I'm like, Oh my God." But before I did it, I was kind of out of money. And my trip I didn't actually I didn't really have anything on the trip at the first place. But as a flight that I was gonna lose, I had to go. So I was like, will I regret not like when I go home and people ask me how was Rio? What did you do? Will, I regret not hang gliding? Or will I will say no big deal. And I was like I'm gonna I don't have a good enough excuse for not hang gliding. I'm gonna regret this.Brad Crowell  I'm not gonna lie. I would love to do that. (Lesley: Oh, we should do that.) Yeah, but my point is, every time you tell the story, I can see the hang gliding And the adventure and excitement and I think that is brilliant that you did that.Lesley Logan  It's so fun. Y'all we surfed our way in, like, we like literally rode a wave, but above the air of the inertia of the weight onto the ground. And I had a green smoothie, it was so freakin great. And also, my pilot is the pilot with the number one on his name. And he was hired by the today show to do this. So I like really, I mean, like I had the best experience. But it goes back to this question, will it create more or less in my life? So if you are unsure how to trust your gut right now, just ask yourself that question. And that is like, I don't know what that means. Will I regret it like, well, I look back when I'm 100 years old. Will I be like, "I should have have fuckin' done that."Brad Crowell  Yeah.Lesley Logan  And you know let us know. I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell  And, I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan  Thank you so much for being here today. I am so happy to have you as part of our community. This is incredible. (Brad: Yeah) Happy 150th episode. (Brad: woohooo) Happy birthday Jonna Vargas. And to our retreaters. We're having the best fuckin' time with you. (Brad: Yes) We really are. I want to know how you use these. I want you to tag Joanna, tag the @be_it_pod. Send us a DM with your questions, your comments, your concerns. We actually have a survey on the newsletter we send out every week if you're not getting that newsletter. Well, get the newsletter.Brad Crowell  Yeah, go to go to lesleylogan.co. You can join the newsletter there.Lesley Logan  Yeah. And we'll catch on the next episode, Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell  Bye for now.Lesley Logan  'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'.Brad Crowell  It's written produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.Lesley Logan  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing. Brad Crowell  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all videos each week so you can.Brad Crowell  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How can you finally stop repairing the same negative relationships? Brad and Lesley recap somatic dating coach, Lauren Zoeller, discussing past relationships, red flags, and how to transform your dating life or current relationships. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Upcoming things to note: AGENCY MINI, Cambodia retreat, Las Vegas RetreatThe best Book recommendations for personal growth and bizHow do you give and receive love? And is it keeping you in unhealthy relationship patterns?Boredom as a driving factor and running from relationship to relationship to chase the high.The difference between a life coach and a therapist Exploring your past red flag relationships for growthWhy has every relationship ended? Episode References/Links:Follow Lauren on IGLauren's WebsiteProfitable Pilates RetreatAGENCY MINIBooks: We Should All Be Millionaires, Rachel RogersChatter. Ethan KrossRejection Proof. Jia JiangE-Squared Pam GroutGetting the Love You Want, Harville HendricksBrad Crowell PP Course How to be rejected to success with 200 noesTELL US YOUR THOUGHTS  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.Be It Till You See It Podcast SurveyResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the aligning convo I have with Lauren Zoeller in our last episode. If you haven't yet listen to interview, feel free to pause this now. Go back and listen to that one, and then come back and join us. If you don't know about somatic coaching. You should listen to the interview.Brad Crowell  Yeah, if you don't know the definition of somatic, she explained it. (Lesley: Yeah.) Lauren because it was actually great as your very first question. Like, "Hey, cool. I'm all about life coaching. What's the somatic part mean? Can you explain that?" And they dug in pretty deep. So yeah.Lesley Logan  Yeah, I know. Well, it's because I have a somatic therapist, and I didn't really understand what that title was. And she would do her therapy. And it had somatic stuff, but like, I didn't really I just was like, "Oh, we're in the woowoo world. We're just doing this." But it's actually not. It's not woowoo would all it's like totally legit science. You should totally... So go listen to it. But I love Lauren, and ...Brad Crowell  She, she's powerful.Lesley Logan  She's powerful. (Brad: Yeah.) She's super cool. And at the time that we're recording this, I'm on the eve of hanging out with her for the weekend here in Vegas. (Brad: Yeah.) So talk about, do you mind, I just say I want to say this, because it's nothing to do with anything. But if you're trying to make friends, like, do the things that just that people do want to like, share and experience together. She is coming here with a couple other women. Because I was like, "We should all hang out. I live in Las Vegas. It's a great place to come visit."Brad Crowell  Wait, really? (Lesley: Yeah. That was I said.) They came because you, you just invited them to come. (Lesley: Yeah.) That's so cool.Lesley Logan  I know. I said we should, well, I will, I won't take all the credit. They know a mutual friend, they know Tori Gordon, who is a coach because who was a coach, and she was on our podcast earlier. (Brad: Yeah.) And they're like, "Oh, yeah, Tori was talking about how we should all come to Vegas." I said, "Well, now you've two reasons to come because Tori and I live in the same neighborhood. (Brad: Great.) And you should come." And boom, set some dates. And now they're coming.Brad Crowell  That's really cool. I didn't know that. That's fun.Lesley Logan  Take action ... I'm so excited. By the time you've heard this, I've already hang out. We've already had our women's weekend and it's going to be amazing. I'll be talking about it on another episode. Anyways. We are also one month away from the time that you're listening to this. From the PP retreat. The Profitablie Pilates business retreat here in Las Vegas. (Brad: Yeah.) So if you are wanting to hang out in a very intimate, not in like a sexual way, but just like small, that's what I mean it by a small group, private event.Brad Crowell  I don't think anybody took it as sexual but but that's fair to clarify.Yeah, it's it's a, it's an intimate setting, that's a fair way to describe it. It's, it's actually a lot of fun and very transformative when it comes to digging into the customer journey that you may or may not be presenting to your customers. If you run a fitness business, or any kind of service based business, really, the principles do apply, and that we'll be recovering that weekend. And our first one that we ran earlier this year was amazing. It was so amazing. So we're really excited to be hosting a second one this year. (Lesley: It will be amazing.) It's going to be amazing. (Lesley: I'm just gonna put amazing in there one more time.) Also, amazingly, I'm not sure that we haven't set a date yet for next year. So it's not 100% that we're going to do it for next year. So if you're thinking I'll just do the next one. Just talk to us now because (Lesley: Yeah.) because it may not actually be one we want you know like we've got a lot going on next year like a lot.Lesley Logan  A lot. And I'll say I just want to say like putting off the growth of your business for next time. Can we just like talk about like ...Brad Crowell  Why wait nine more months to get started?Lesley Logan  The people who are at our first retreat, several of them made their retreat investment back within a couple of months. Of just using our project management training, of using our launch training of all this stuff. (Brad: Yeah.) They are now working on things this right now, as second rounds of things that will have (Brad: Yeah.) even better outcomes. If they had not come if they waited till next time they would not they would literally be where they were way before March making what they, making what they made before March in a time when you make more money. So I'm just saying don't wait till next time and Brad is right. We have not set dates and it's pretty unclear whether or not we will have another one in the 2023 dates we ...Brad Crowell  Look, we're hoping that we can do but (Lesley: We love it.) but but actually I also love going to Cambodia. So, yeah.Lesley Logan  We love going to Cambodia but we also love vacation.Brad Crowell  Yeah, there's that. I would like to take ... (Lesley: Yeah, so anyway ...) and idea. (Lesley: That's one month away. So ...) That's happening. Yeah, in the month. And then but what's happening is before then.Lesley Logan  Oh, Agency Mini. (Brad: Yeah.) Two, so it's like about two ish weeks away. It starts on the 18th. And ... (Brad: How it was a different than the retreat?) Okay, so Agency Mini, first of all, fold is very different. The retreat is at our house in person curated, very small group, very small group. (Brad: Yeah.) Agency Mini is not to say that it's a big group, but it is a bigger group. And ... (Brad: Yeah, it's a couple hundred people.) It's also online. We do one workshop, and we do one Q&A session, and then we answer your questions throughout the week. Whereas at the retreat, when you're on our house, we have several workshops, several times where you guys are in coaching settings. It's a very curated experience around what you're gonna be learning. Whereas inside of Agency Mini, we have a very curated webinar and homework for you. But then the rest of the week, you can really ask us anything, we'll be really honest with you.Brad Crowell  But bigger, bigger picture, though. The retreat, we're going to dig into, like I said, your customers journey (Lesley: Yeah.) and what you're putting in front of them, when to graduate them from your first product, your second product, your third product, whether that's digitally on your website, you know, or whether that is, you know, in your brick and mortar store. (Lesley:Yeah.) Where Agency Mini is a, it's a seven day taster of our ongoing coaching services, where you can we are going to dig into, we're going to help you clarify, you know exactly what it is that you offer your clients, how to connect to those clients, who those clients actually are. Right. And and then we're going to open it up for questions about anything throughout the week. So you know, and that's going to be virtual.Lesley Logan  Yeah. So profitabliepilates.com/retreat is retreat and profitable, profitablepilates.com/mini is for Agency Mini. (Brad: Yeah.) So you should sign up for that. (Brad: Yeah. Join us.) Also, by the way, if you join Agency for Mini, you get a lots of goodies. So just saying (Brad: True.) you've been thinking, "Oh, I want to coach with them," and you sign up for that. This is the time. So anyways, I'm so excited. September is, September, October are like going to be so ... (Brad: They're very so fun.) We're going to be like we're going to be in several states ... (Brad: It's gonna be a whirlwind.) It's a whirlwind.Brad Crowell  Yeah, it's gonna be crazy.Lesley Logan  Gotta get my sleep on. Anyways, we have an audience question.Brad Crowell  We do. You've answered this before, but it's been a long time. I just inserted that. What are some books that you recommend? Do you have any new ones?Lesley Logan  Yeah, so I don't recall which recap we answered this question. But I would say it's probably 100 episodes ago.Brad Crowell  I was gonna say, I think it's been like a long time.Lesley Logan  Yeah. So of course, I have been reading a lot. And by reading I mean listening. But I actually am reading a couple books like physical books. Currently, as we're doing this. So here's my new top books that I've been talking about a lot. And I've read it. There's they're not in, like, inclusive of all the books that I've read, but like what I think listeners of this show would really love. We Should All Be Millionaires, Rachel Rogers. Rachel Rogers, if you're listening this episode. Hi. Big fan over here. Want to be on the show? If you know Rachel, please do the intro. I'm just putting out there. I'm asking for it. I want I want Rachel Rogers on the show. That book is amazing. It's so good. I and Brad, love reading it.Brad Crowell  Yeah, we're I'm like, I don't know, third of the way through it right now. Halfway, I'm not sure.Lesley Logan  Yeah, it's so good. Chatter. I believe it is by Ethan Kross. I think that's who it's by. Yes. And I have DMed him, he has not responded to me. So I am not, (Brad: Ethan Kross.) I'm not rejected yet. And I will not take no for an answer from that man because he is amazing. That book is so it's so awesome at identifying why you're talking to yourself and the thoughts you say. And then also how to like snap yourself out of it, which I just frickin love. You know, I love action. So, Action Steps so that's a great book and then Rejection Proof. Oh my gosh, he did reject me for right now. Not permanently, he said to come back to him later. He's just not doing podcasts right now. That's okay. Jia Jiang, I got you. My peeps are gonna find you. We're gonna get you on the show. Anyways, Rejection Proof is so good. If you're afraid of being rejected. Brad has a course about being rejected (Brad: I do.) on our Profitable Pilates website.Brad Crowell  Yeah. We'll put the link to that in the show notes. (Lesley: Yeah.) It's called How to be rejected to success with 200 noes.Lesley Logan  Yeah, so and then this book was just like so so good. I'm really into it and then I've talked about it before actually talked about it with Coach Lee a couple weeks ago on that episode, but I started doing E-Squared again, and it's Pam Grout. Hi, Pam. Hi, hey girl hey. (Brad: Hey girl hey.) I tagg you on a post or three. Not a stalker, but just same (Brad: Big fan.) big fan, big fan over here. Anyways, um, I had I read Pam Grout's book, eight years ago, seven years ago, and I actually did one of the experience I put Brad's name now. And then he called me. (Brad: I did.) And then the other woman's name down, I just put the two together. She's the woman from the other company that's been hitting us up. (Brad: Oh, that's crazy.) How crazy is that? But she did also call me while we ran into each other. Anyways, you'll hear that on on Coach Lee's episode. But the point is, I've been doing all the experiments and I did the experiment one. I started on a specific date at 11am. And then I decided to meditate on like receiving abundance. And at 11:03 during the middle of my meditation, the experiment came through. Oh! So you all have to do E-Squared. Okay, those are the books. Do you have anything add to that?Brad Crowell  Those are, those are great. No, I've been reading political books, and also some novels. (Lesley: Yeah.) So yeah, less if you if you if you are looking to find a new world to experience that has nothing to do with reality. There's a lovely, incredible, 20 something books here series (Lesley: Oh, are you doing YA?) No.Lesley Logan  No, young adult, you're listening to a young adult?Brad Crowell  I don't know what that is. (Lesley: Oh.) So no, it's his name is Michael J. Sullivan. And he is a he's like a, he created his own fantasy world where he's got different, different times of the timeline. So like, you know, he started off, (Lesley: Oh) he started off with a thief and a soldier and the two of them get paired together and have to go to that. And he wrote, like, I don't know, 12 books around this. They're still out ...Lesley Logan  So not necessarily like a book for 20 somethings. It's just a 20 year long.Brad Crowell  No, no. He's written 20 novels. (Lesley: Yeah. Okay.) No, (Lesley: Sorry.) 20 books.Lesley Logan  20 books. So not YA at all?Brad Crowell  I don't know what YA is? So, no.Lesley Logan  YA is a ti... is like a section of books. It's called Young Adult. It's like your twilight ...Brad Crowell  Oh, yeah. I never I never got out of that. Yeah. (Lesley: Yeah.) No, it's a ...Lesley Logan  Like not goosebumps. But you know, something like that. Like ...Brad Crowell  I mean, sure, these are these are applicable for all ages, actually. The but but then, in that, in that timeline, he was referencing, you know, the history 3000 years ago. And then the next set of six books he wrote was from 3000 years ago. (Lesley: Oh, my God.) And then now the new books he's writing are in the middle, between these two timelines on a ... (Lesley: I can't handle it.) It's amazing, actually. And you fall in love with the characters and yeah, I mean, he is, he's mind blowingly good at what he does. It is incredible. The books are just fantastic. So (Lesley: Okay.) yeah.Lesley Logan  Let's talk about Lauren. (Brad and Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell  We don't go to the same movies, y'all. Just saying.Lesley Logan  We don't. We also don't go to bed the same time or wake up at the same time. We are an anomaly. If you are like, "I want to be married like Brad and Lesley." I'm just gonna go out right now you have to be very secured ...Brad Crowell  We have so much in common when it comes to being entrepreneurs.Lesley Logan  Yeah. And we ... like, like the things that we love to do for fun. Our so opposite. (Brad: Yeah) We just do them on our own.Brad Crowell  So, Lesley's got a green thumb. No, she doesn't.Lesley Logan  No, no. She doesn't. (Brad: I'm teasing.) But my Mammillaria by not touching it whatsoever is doing great. (Brad: Yeah, yeah.) My plant in the window. It's not doing so good. I don't know what to do about it. Anyway. Hi, let's talk about Lauren.Brad Crowell  Let's talk about Lauren Zoeller.Lesley Logan  All I can say is Lauren ... as like our guests listening to these recaps ...Brad Crowell  I know. They're probably, "What the hell?" (Lesley: When did they talk about me though?) Okay, cool. So, Lauren, helping women and men find conscious partnerships. Lauren Zoeller is a Somatic Relationship Expert, aka Dating Coach who overcame her own patterns of shame to now lead women into aligned lives. Lauren is more than a matchmaker. She's here to guide individuals to keep the relationships they find, and in the process, discover a deeper love for themselves.Lesley Logan  So aka better than a dating coach. (Brad: Yeah. Better than a dating coach.) Just to like, help my new friend out. She's more than a dating coach.Brad Crowell  Well, yeah, well, I think I think that, again, if you go back and listen to her definition of somatic, it will help you understand how different she is from you know, just, you know, she's not Hitch you know, I think you you probably had the best example, I'm just going to pull it back up. You said, people who date the quote on quote, "date the same person over and over and over again, until they learn their lesson." Right? She helps you, like understand why you might be repeating things, but just in a different time and a different with the different people. (Lesley: Yeah.) But you're still repeating the same thing.Lesley Logan  If you're watching us on the YouTube channel, you got the air quotes. If you didn't, Brad, his inflection should hopefully help you understand the air quotes are in there.Brad Crowell  Yeah, Brad is very good.Lesley Logan  It's better than Joey from Friends that air quote. I'm sorry. (Lesley and Brad laughs)Brad Crowell  What was one thing that you love that Lauren said?Lesley Logan  Thank you for asking. One thing I love that she said was "how you receive love as a child shapes how you expect to be loved today. Often those who had a frenetic childhood are chasing the high of chaos". And she went on a little bit like how do you give and receive love? And is it keeping you in unhealthy patterns is a question she's having (Brad: Yeah.) she's haveing you ask yourself. So take a moment. How do you give and receive love? And is it keeping you in an unhealthy patterns? So, you know, we all know The Five Love Languages and things like that. But like actually think about it like the way you're giving and receiving love. Is it actually helping you? Have loving relationships? Or is it in this chaotic, unhealthy pattern? Like these are important things. And then she also had some other examples like boredom as a driving factor and running from relationship to relationship to chase the high.Brad Crowell  Well, that's good. So so what she was talking about, which I thought was really amazing because I, I don't I never I never thought this way. But she said if you had chaos in your childhood, and actually she specifically was talking about helicopter parents. And she said, if your you know, parents were in, and then out and then in and then out and there was this chaos happening. You often expect that later on in life. So if you end up in a stable, you know, relationship, it doesn't mean stable is good or bad. It just means it's the opposite of what you expected. So more often than not, you're inclined to feel like, this is boring, or this is safe. Or this is kind of ... you know, and ...Lesley Logan  It's like when Carrie broke up with Aidan, everyone. She broke with Aidan because they didn't fight. And ...Brad Crowell  I don't actually know any idea ...Lesley Logan  Sex in the City. Everyone who's listening is knodding their head, we all know, because that was a big deal. There was a whole thing.Brad Crowell  So glad I wasn't there for that one. Okay. Yeah, it's like, guys, it's like, Oh, my God. It's like when Carrie broke up (Lesley: Stop.) with Aidan (Lesley: Okay.) because they didn't fight all the time.Lesley Logan  No, but it's I think people need examples sometimes ...Brad Crowell  I think it's a perfect example. I just was not there with you on that one.Lesley Logan  It's fine. Everyone who's listening is with me. (Brad: Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.) They're all with me ...Brad Crowell  No, it's a perfect example because, you know, and then conversely, if you had a relatively stable, you know, or quote unquote, "boring", you know, like, like childhood love from your parents, and you find yourself in a chaotic relationship. You may be like, "I can't do this," you know. And anyway, I thought that was really interesting. I never thought about that before ...Lesley Logan  Yeah, yeah. And also, so first of all, Lauren has an incredible course. And she has a bunch of services. There was also the book, Getting the Love You Want, which is a very interesting book about explaining the old brain, the new brain, and like, how, when you first get a relationship, you fill all of your own holes. So ... (Brad: Harville Hendricks) Yeah. So you fill all your own holes to so people like look, "I'm this like, perfect, amazing being and there's nothing crazy wrong with me here. Don't like I'm so good. And your partner, by the way, is doing the exact same thing." And then after a few months, it's so exhausting trying to fill those holes. But you don't even realize that you're doing it on a subconscious level. So (Brad: Right.) you think that that person, the person you're with is filled the holes like they've solved the problem. So and then when both of you start filling your own holes, you're like, "You change. They change, blah, blah, blah." Actually no, you both just started to be your fucking selves. (Brad: Interesting) Yeah, and so a lot ...Brad Crowell  Well she does, Lauren talks about that, at the very beginning. She talked about like, you know, being lonely and filling that loneliness with someone who you know, you shouldn't be with.Lesley Logan  Yeah. Oh, totally. Who hasn't done that, (Brad: Yeah) like 17 times not personal. Just, I just know, I'm still I'm watched. But I think it's like, it's ... (Brad: Calling you in behalf of a friend.) Yeah, calling for a friend, actually. Anyways, it's a great book, if you're like, "I don't know, if I'm gonna read the book." He was on Oprah. And you can like get the Cliff's Notes version, or you can just work with Lauren. But the reality is, is like, we have to stop pretending that how we were raised is um not affecting the lives and the choices we have now. And then also we have to understand that like we are making choices. You may think things are happening to you. And this is just the people that are around you. And these are the only options but we all actually have choices and when you start to recognize that like how you are choosing to give and receive love is a choice. (Brad: Sure.) Even if you feel it's subconscious, it can actually be a conscious decision. When you make those changes, you can actually start to change the patterns of the day you have and find the person you want to have and look at Lauren, look where she's at right now.Brad Crowell  Yeah. Interesting. Wow. Yeah. And what she's referencing is having moved through a very tumultuous time in her life to finding a place where she can be herself. (Lesley: Yeah.) With someone that she loves in a business that's functioning and all good things. (Lesley: Yeah.) So again, worth listening to. One thing I loved that she said, was she helped define the difference between a therapist and a life coach. (Lesley: Which I knew you would love.) Yeah, well, she is a life coach, therapist, generally speaking, has degrees in therapy, and they, you know, like help you dig into the past. Right. And so you're really breaking things down and trying to uncover, you know, where you came from. Whereas a life coach is helping you plan and look at your future. And I thought that was such a clear distinction, such an easy way to understand the difference between the two ...Lesley Logan  I knew you love it. (Brad: Yeah, that was great.) I was like, "Oh my gosh, Brad's and I fucking love this definition." And also, by the way, you could have a somatic therapist, (Brad: You can.) life coach, (Brad: Yeah.) and so you, like somatics is really amazing. Again, if you like, "What's somatic?" Listen to the other episode, just gonna make you do it. But you can have both and like, you can also have a therapist and a life coach, because one could be dealing with one thing and one you could be doing. (Brad: 100%) So you know, just that there are different things. But I loved how she explained it. I agree with you on that love.Brad Crowell  Yeah. All right. So finally, let's talk about those BE IT action items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your conversation with Lauren Zoeller? She summed it all up with one, one solid action BE IT action item. She said, look at the patterns that have shown up in your relationships, and write them down. Why has every relationship ended? And is there a common thread?Lesley Logan  Yeah, and I think you can look at friendships, as well as in family relationships, as well as love relationships. Like I think like, you know, we're not, we are different, with different people ish. But we all kind of wrote this thing. So like, if you look at how you how maybe a family member and you had a falling out, or a friend you had falling out, I bet you there's some common threads. And I think that can be worth journaling about. I'm not saying shame and judge all yourself, please. That's not what I'm saying ...Brad Crowell  But it's still a hard thing to dig into and look and review. And, you know, I mean, I think that it's easy to avoid. Let's just say it can be easy to avoid thinking about this stuff. (Lesley: Oh yeah) So when you start to uncover it, it may be a little bit uncomfortable. You know, because if you're honest with yourself, you know, how much a part of the ending of those relationships where you? Obviously, it takes two people to be in a relationship. So you were clearly a part of it. How?Lesley Logan  Yeah, and I think like, it's not like we're saying you should take all the blame, because that's not it at all. (Brad: No) But you should just actually look at like, what was your role in it? And like, if you're like, "Well, listen Brad, my person cheated on me." Okay, that's fine. I do not blame anybody who was cheated on, like as the reason for that, because that's a whole other ball of wax. But you can look at the red flags, that you ignored at the begining of the relationship that (Brad: Yeah) got you in relationship with someone who cheated on you. (Brad: Sure.) And there, and so you looking at those red flags that you ignored, those are choices. And you made those for specific reasons. (Brad: Yeah.) And there's nothing wrong with the choice you made. But then you can actually have this like, red flag marker. So when you're on a date, and you see that red flag and you go, "Oh, here I am with the same pattern of dating this person who is doing this out of spite..." (Brad: Exactly. Yeah.) And one thing, put a stop sign up. But you get to say, "Hey, you know, you said something. I just would like to go back to that. And just kind of explore that a little bit. (Brad: Yeah) Could you mind like, like, just give me a little bit more from that." And if they like dig a hole that's just like, wow, that's red flag just became a frickin fire, run. (Lesley laughs) (Brad: Yeah) Run away.Brad Crowell  Yeah, I mean and it may be, I mean, there's, you know, in a yet last steps, so we were talking about or so in our last recap, we're talking about clients and firing a client. Same thing, I mean does, we're not necessarily talking about love relationships here. We're talking about relationships, right? So it could be you keep taking on clients that you, you know, I don't know, maybe, you know, we teachers, as a teacher, we all feel like we can help someone, but maybe we think we can help them emotionally in addition to physically and maybe that is like consistent issue. Because after a while you're fried, you're ready to move on to the next person, but now they're your client, you know, and it's possible that you've been doing this over and over again. You know, who knows? There's just a It's interesting to go back and take a look. And like what what Lauren said, look at the patterns that have shown up in your relationships and write them down. Why has every relationship ended? And what is that common thread?Lesley Logan  Well, I'll be really honest. Like we would not have dated had I not like looked at the red flags and like been playing that game. And like looking at how all of the people I dated before you ended, I was like, "Oh, wow, there's a common interesting theme." And so when you came on, like, I challenge you a couple of times, like, ... you relate to something I said, "That doesn't, I don't like that doesn't work for me." You know, and like, we had to talk about it. So like, it's not like, if you see it, you're like, "I have to run away right now." No, you can actually have a conversation around it, (Brad: Sure.) and then like, say things and it really does allow you to have an adult relationship where yes, there's vulnerability. But what ...Brad Crowell  I don't even think I asked you like things, you know, in that sense, I, I actually, I don't, I didn't have a plan when I was going through my divorce. But I did write things down. Because I couldn't keep it in my head anymore. I just couldn't juggle it all. Because it's so much as thinking about, you know, it's like replaying every conversation I ever had, ever. And, you know, you know how it is, it is right, and but what it allowed me to clarify, were the things that were important to me. And so when I went when we began to date, I literally had a list. I actually ...Lesley Logan  I had a list. I had a list. I deleted my list after you dumped me because I was so mad at you. Because okay, so he came over with beer, and I'm fucking gluten free.Brad Crowell  Oh, I did that.Lesley Logan  And he came over with beer. This is not the first time I told him I was gluten free. This is the third time I had to tell him I'm just gluten free. And he brings us beer like, "Hey, I brought this beer." I'm like, "I'm gluten free. I can't drink it." And he's like, "Oh, yeah, that's right." And then he proceeded to take two hours of telling me everything he liked about me, and then why we couldn't go on a date. And I had this list and you checked off everything on the list, but I literally had written out remembers I'm gluten and dairy free. And I was like, "Fuck this list. It's not fucking working. I he meant everything and he fucked this up and he fucked that up." And I deleted the list. And then 10 days later, you're like, "Hey, I'm at Trader Joe's. I know you're gluten and dairy free. So I got you some veggies and hummus." I'm like, "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"Brad Crowell  You know what? You know what I did. I actually went home and looked up. What is gluten free? Because I didn't know. You were like, "Yeah, I can't eat bread." I was like, "Oh. Well, okay, I guess she can't eat bread." So I didn't bring bread. But I actually looked it up. I was a dairy was pretty straightforward.Lesley Logan  Yeah. (Brad: But gluten that I didn't know.) and Yeah. But that's if I didn't know you had a list. I have, I have a list anyways, obviously it worked out for us. But it's because you both ... reflected on past relationships and how they ended. (Brad: That's pretty funny.) And hey, I'm so happy we're together. We're celebrating seven years this fall. (Brad: What? That's crazy.) Yeah. Anyways, I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell  I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan  Thank you so much for joining us today. First, I'm grateful you're here. I hope you enjoy these. You can always give us feedback on our podcast at beitpod.com/tellme and we want to know how you're going to use these tips in your life. Give us a tag, tag @laurenzoeller. Let us know and please share this with a friend who is having needs in their relationships that need to be met. (Brad: Yeah.) So we can help them out with Lauren's amazing tips and we'll catch you in the next episode.Brad Crowell  Bye for now.Lesley Logan  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others BE IT TILL YOU SEE IT. Have an awesome day! 'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'.Brad Crowell   It's written produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli. Lesley Logan  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing. Brad Crowell  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all videos each week so you can. Brad Crowell  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In today's podcast we hear from Brad White from VxP Tech.  Brad  shares a proven and profitable compensation program for distributor sales teams.Topics covered:The key drivers of financial performance: Gross profit, volume and finished product lossHow to link these key drivers to sales compensationHow to automate compensation programs using technologyResourcesLearn more about VxP Listen to our first podcast with Brad: How to Pay Your Sales Team on Gross ProfitSign up for the finance newsletter for Beer Wholesalers

Where are our basketball players out there? Maybe not just basketball, but any of my sport fans that know the lessons learned on the court or field. Recapping an amazing episode with WNBA player, Amy Denson, LLa and Brad discuss the lessons of determination, acknowledging what your body is telling you and being brave enough to begin without being the expert.  If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Cambodia Retreat doors are open!A WNBA player journey to her next stepA hiring tip for employersOptimal health shouldn't be a dreamYour body is communicating to you What it means to identify and get over fearEpisode References/Links:Retreat InfoRecording Materials  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:01  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast, where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the empathetic convo I had with Amy Denson in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that episode, feel free to pause this now and go back and listen to that one. You will definitely laugh, we definitely talked about a colon sitting on a couch watching Netflix.Brad Crowell 1:03  Pretty sure poop came into the conversation like three times. Yeah.Lesley Logan 1:06  Everybody poops. (Lesley and Brad laughs) Well, anyways, this is a really important topic for me. And I think more and more people should talk about it. (Brad: Not the topic of poop.) No, but digestion. (Brad: Oh) Thanks for being more specific. (Brad: clarifying) Thanks for, that's why you're here. (Brad: Got you covered.) So, but I do think if especially for women, the more we talk about different things going on our health, the the more easily accessible results and support are for that. So, so I think when we keep it to ourselves, we end up suffering in silence for a really long time. And you don't realize that people around you suffer from the same thing or something similar and can have connections and support for you. So anyways, go back and listen to that one. And then come back here and join us and listen to, how we want to talk about it. (Brad: Yeah) (Brad and Lesley laughs) So because that's what this ...Brad Crowell 1:58  So, it really matters. (Lesley: Yeah) Yeah, you know.Lesley Logan 2:00  ... hear our opinion of our own podcast. (Brad: That's so funny.) Anyway, so we announced this last week if you are on the waitlist, and or on our email list at all, and that is that the Cambodia Retreat is up for sign up.Brad Crowell 2:17  Yes, it is. I am really, really fired up. We only have 20 spots and ...Lesley Logan 2:23  Well at the time we open it up, at the time you're listening to this, we could have no spots. (Brad: Oh, yeah that's true.) ... you could have 5 spots.Brad Crowell 2:28  It could be sold out. I don't think so. (Lesley: Yeah.) But but just hit us up, go to lesleylogan.co/retreat. And, you know, you'll you'll be able to check the whole thing out. I know you all heard us talk about Cambodia 100 times. So ...Lesley Logan 2:43  But maybe this is your first episode and welcome.Brad Crowell 2:45  Oh, okay, then really, really briefly. We have been going to Cambodia for many years, taking groups there for many years, we actually have our own place there. And if you were listening earlier this year, I just spent a month in Cambodia with Lesley's Dad. Basically, had been two years since we've been there because of COVID. And I got together with our team there. And we did some major construction stuff, which was super, super amazing. And now the place looks even cooler. And I can't wait to come back with you as a guest (Lesley: Yeah) to join us. We're going to take you through the Temples of Angkor, we're going to take you through some workouts, some meditation, some breathwork, you're going to eat some cuisine, is going to be an incredible experience. (Lesley: Yeah) Trust me if you've ever wanted to go to the jungles and see the Temples of Angkor and if that was on your bucket list, you need to join us.Lesley Logan 3:40  Come with us. Come with us. So get all the details at lesleylogan.co/retreat. Oh my God, I can't I cannot even wait. We we are literally going to be leaving a conference early here in Vegas so that I can go early because I'm super jealous that Brad got to be there for as long as he did. And I just want to see all of our friends and and also like there's just some things that you can like massage and ...Brad Crowell 4:03  And meet the girl that we're sponsoring.Lesley Logan 4:05  I know. Well, I've met her. But I also ...Brad Crowell 4:07  Oh, you have met her in person. Twice, three times. (Lesley: Yeah. So ...) But like get to know her.Lesley Logan 4:13  I make it to know her more, which is really fun. Because we'll we'll get to that in. But also, there's some things that we do with retreaters that I will partake in the week before as well which is daily massages. (Brad: Oh, yeah.) And they wash your hair like, like better than like the head massaging that happens when you get your hair washed there is just phenomenal.Brad Crowell 4:35  Pretty amazing.Lesley Logan 4:35  So I really, I can't wait. And then ...Brad Crowell 4:39  I can vouch for that because I've also taken, a partaken.Lesley Logan 4:42  And then the coffee and then the coffee. (Brad: Yeah) Our friends at the Little Red Fox. I'm so excited to see them. So anyways,It's like that one time I showed up on on Saturday morning to get some coffee. And you were hanging with everybody, (Lesley: Oh yeah, you caught me.) drinking. (Lesley laughs) (Lesley: Well ...) Drinking a Gimlet. (Brad laughs) (Lesley: It was, it was ...) I was like, "What coffee is this?"It was like Gamlet with coffee. Anyways, he was supposed to be doing other things. And I was entertaining retreaters, who arrived way early. So it was part of, it was part of the concierge service that I was providing.Brad Crowell 5:20  Well, all right, so this week, we had a great question. The technical, technical question. (Lesley: Oh, yeah.) And the question is, "What microphone do you use when you're filming your OPC classes?"Lesley Logan 5:37  Yeah, I get this question a lot. And I'll just tell you, neither Brad, or I actually remember the exact name of the microphone, but we are so freakin organized and amazing. (Brad: Oh you know what?) No, no, where's so, we'll think we're so organized and amazing. We have it in a PDF for you.Brad Crowell 5:52  Okay. We'll just came through my head. I'm not gonna say it now.Lesley Logan 5:55  Yeah, no, not just and not and so it's better than this because the mic we use is great for me, but it might not be great for you and what you're doing and so in this PDF guide that we made, because we get this question so much including our lighting, including, like there's like I don't know a bunch of other things in there. If you go to profitablepilates.com/livestream, so profitablepilates.com/livestream it has all of our tips on filming and recording for videos. And it also has the connection to our our audio guy who got us that mic and that is not the first mic that I've used as the third or fourth like that I've used. I kind of go through mics because well unfortunately, mics are built to be perfectly great if you are dancing around or sitting still but not if you're rolling around on the wire which I do like 15 hours at least a month and (Brad: Yeah) then times by 12 so I pretty much wear them out but um but they're great quality and the audio is amazing so profitablepilates.com/livestream will get you the answer to that question and all your recording questions that you've ever had for me on that. So ...Brad Crowell 7:04  Yeah, that we cover all this stuff. Like basically it's a snapshot of all of the equipment that we (Lesley: Yeah) use all around her when she's working out.Lesley Logan 7:13  Yeah, it's super, super thorough. So thanks for the question. You can send your questions and honestly, they can be anything. Like literally you can ask anything, personal, business, Pilates, just tag a, DM the @be_it_pod or ask it in a comment for the next podcast so we can get to it. And we'll answer your question here. Okay, I think it's time that we talked about Amy.Brad Crowell 7:35  Yeah, like hello.Lesley Logan 7:36  Hello! She is waiting to hear we have to say about her.Brad Crowell 7:40  Let's talk about Amy Denson.Lesley Logan 7:42  Can you image if every single guest is just like, "Are these people ever gonna talk about me?" (Brad: Yeah) (Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 7:47  Amy Denson is a professional basketball player who went from battling professional fatigue and to autoimmune diseases to now being certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, specializing in thyroid health. Amy Denson is on a mission to help other women not feel alone and is and to instill empathy into the medical care system. (Lesley: Yeah) And that is quite a, quite a mission. It was really inspiring to first off, how cool that she played for eight years (Lesley: Oh, my God.) internationally. You know professional basketball player.Lesley Logan 8:26  Okay. I'm just gonna say, as we hit unrecorded, hit the non record button. I asked her all of the WNBA questions I have. (Lesley laughs) I was like, "Okay, let's talk about, what about this?" Because, you know, the episode was not about the WNBA. But I was like I have someone who's an insider, I need my questions answered. (Brad and Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 8:47  It was a lot of fun to listen to her talk about that. And Poland and I think she said Spain, now I'm drawing a blank. But she she basically got a chance to bop around doing basketball. And then I thought, "What the hell when she came back home and nobody would hire her?" (Lesley: I know.) That blows my mind. Like ...Lesley Logan 9:10  Can you imagine if we had, watch now someone is gonna apply, but like if somebody told me professional athlete who has been a leader on teams, whose done all the stuff and they want to be on like my team and be like, (Brad: Sign her up.) Yeah, you can you know what, I'm not doing really good job. You can be the team...Brad Crowell 9:26  Well, I find it so unimaginative (Lesley: Yeah) for people to look at a resume of someone saying, "I've been a professional basketball player" and be like, "You're not qualified." You know, like, and I know that there's contexts of course, but like the amount of tenacity determination, like, like you have to, you are the ultimate fighting machine to be able to make it to a level like that.Lesley Logan 9:35  Well and also clearly dedicated because (Brad: Yeah) you have to, like you have to show up every day and do the workouts whether or not there's a game. Like it just this happened to me when I was, when I was in corporate and I and I ran stores like I would see something a skill set someone had from something else and they go, "Oh, but they've never actually sold before." I'm like, "Ah, this right here tells me that they've been selling themselves (Brad: the whole time) the whole time." (Brad: Yeah) Like people if you are bosses, hire for the personality, you can train the skill, hire for attitude, (Brad: Yeah) you can train the skill ...Brad Crowell 10:24  Well, and I'm not I'm not to diminish the the achievements of a professional basketball player. But when comparably in a in a small way, running a retail store like you did and then transitioning into fitness. (Lesley: Yeah) You were using all the skills you learned in retail to sell your fitness like slots. (Lesley: Yeah) "Okay, I've got open room for a private session. Who wants it?" Right. And so like those se... like that, that's where I feel like it's unimaginative. (Lesley: Right) Like look at like, everything they had to go through to get to where they did, you don't think that they can apply any of that stuff to like, I don't know anything else, like insane to me.Lesley Logan 11:07  It is, yeah. It's Amy's like ...Brad Crowell 11:11  She's like preaching to the choir, bro. (Lesley: Yeah) Preaching to the choir.Lesley Logan 11:13  We are, we are. But, but if you are listening to this, and you are all in the power of hiring anybody for anything, can I just give you a little? You did not ask for this advice, and I'm giving it to you anyway. (Brad laughs) And we charge a lot for this shit. But the reality like, you have to hire for the attitude you want on your team. Not that they're like typing some extra words a minute, and they've done the job. You're hiring them for 1000 times. In fact, I often think those are the worst people because they're like, "This is how I always do it. This is how it's always done." (Brad: Yeah) Like, (Brad: Yeah) anyways, okay, well, I'm so glad she like went through this journey, because she wouldn't be who she is today if that didn't happen to her. So one thing that I loved, let's just get to like her actual words. Should we talked a little bit about she brought up like start teaching sharing before you become an expert. And I, you know, I think this is really I mean, like, hello, it's be it till you see it. But it's, I think a lot of people get they, there, they can, first of all, you're comparing yourself to like the experts you follow. And the experts you follow are often probably someone you've heard on Oprah. (Brad: Yeah) Or like, some are Good Morning America, or whatever your Today show version is in your country. And so you're like, well, they've been doing this for 30 years, and I just did this one training. So I'm just gonna sit here and be quiet about it. And it's like, the people that are around you that you could be helping. They don't even often. I met people who don't know who Tony Robbins is.Brad Crowell 12:34  I was literally just thinking about him. He's kind of the pinnacle example of this, like, try to compare your, you know, baby career to somebody like Tony Robbins is is like overwhelming.Lesley Logan 12:45  Yeah. But you know, a lot of people don't know who he is, and or a second, they couldn't afford to hire him. (Brad: No) Or maybe they don't feel deserving of it, whatever. (Brad: Sure) He's not to knock you and say that, like they deserve a lower level, but like to say, a lot of people would prefer ...Brad Crowell 12:59  Oh, it is a mindset thing.Lesley Logan 13:01  Yeah. And they would prefer to hire or work with someone who is someone that they can relate to, someone that feels attainable, (Brad: Sure) and you're they can't even hire you or work with you. Because you're busy went, "Oh, I don't have 30 years." How do you think you're gonna get 30 years? You think? Where do you think that 30 years comes from? So I just I really love this and you can hear our conversation about like, we talk about comparison, things like that.Brad Crowell 13:24  Well, I I really, I thought it was really helpful when you were talking about having received advice from someone who's done a thousand podcast episodes. Right? We're at we're at a little over 100 here. And you you were like, Yeah, I got this advice for someone who has thousand and it was like, that's insane, a thousand episodes, that's if that's even only one per day. That's still two and a half years of doing one a day or yeah, (Lesley: Yeah) almost three years... (Lesley: And that's no breaks.) Yeah. And, and and that that is like a mountain to climb. Right.Lesley Logan 14:00  I think that's like more than three years. That like 300 or something days in a year, it might be closer to three years. Brad Crowell 14:04  Yeah, it's three years. Okay. So but basically, that's like a mountain to climb. Right? That seems like, insurmountable. And, and then you said, which the advice is probably still perfectly sound and really helpful and obviously inspiring, but it comes to someone where you're like, "Whoa, when, am I ever gonna make it to that point?" As opposed to you said, "I just got off the call with someone who has about 300 episodes." And somehow probably similar advice. That seemed a lot more attainable. (Lesley: Yeah, yeah.) That's when you two started to talk about, you only need to be one step ahead of the people that you're teaching, training, coaching, you know, (Lesley: Yeah) really.Lesley Logan 14:45  Well and you want to know something? I just told this story to someone the other day, I don't know who I was talking to. But I was sharing that my first clients, I was already teaching Mat Pilates for over a year and then and then this teacher at the studio, she I just started my teacher training on the, the equipment. And so I was like two months in, and she was like, "Hey, I can't teach these people anymore. Can you teach them?" And I like asked the studio owner, if that'd be okay. She's like, "You're, they're beginners, you're just gonna teach them what you just learned." (Brad: Right) And I'm (Brad: the foundation) I have been doing they're beginners, they've been doing Pilates for years, like, trust me, they're beginners. And sure enough, because just what they weren't given permission to understand. They were, they were two, three steps behind me. And so I brought them along my journey. There, oh, I was coaching someone Agency. That's where I came up. And I brought them along my journey. And so eventually, I was learning more than their body could go, because, you know, it takes time for those connections to happen. But if I had waited, I wouldn't first of all, I wouldn't have had them as clients. And I had them for 12 years until the pandemic happened. And I wouldn't have had any of the referrals they sent me. So my entire business would have stalled over a year. If I was like, "Oh, I have to wait till I'm an expert." (Brad: Right) Like come on, no (Brad : Right) one is going to, no one is coming around. And like knighting you an expert, it's not happening.Brad Crowell 15:29  No, it is it is funny. I do understand that. You know, I don't think that anybody, I don't think that anybody dubbed me an expert to run a team inside of a company. (Lesley: No) It wasn't like, like, "Congratulations, here's your, you know, certificate, you pass them the mile marker line, you know, now you get to go do it." It just kind of happened innately. And, and, you know, organically because I don't know, because I had already, I guess really it did come down to like the vision. And then the understanding of like putting the puzzle pieces together so that people could do step one through whatever, and directing traffic, but (Lesley: And you ...) had I had I waited? I never would have become anybody in in the company, I just would have been behind my desk the whole time.Lesley Logan 16:04  Right. Because how do you think like, how are you supposed to learn that you don't go to college to learn that they that's not happening. (Brad: No, no) So anyways, I to all of you, whatever it is that you're dreaming of doing? You are start now, start don't wait until you're an expert. I'm not saying like go perform surgery if you haven't gone to medical school yet, but like you know, (Brad: Well, don't do that.) see yourself in the story. See yourself in the story. And without being doing anything illegal. (Brad: Yeah) Get out there and start helping people.Brad Crowell 17:29  Yeah. Well, one thing I really loved about your conversation was that she talked about your optimal health shouldn't be a dream. Right. And one thing is particularly poignant that I thought she said was, "Oh, well, you know, my mom always had a really hard cycle. So the first couple days were like, super painful for her. So I must also have a really hard cycle. And this must just be normal for me." (Lesley: Yeah.) Right. And it's like this. It's a strange story that I not only, you know, women dealing with their cycle, tell themselves but me, Brad, like, I've also told myself the same exact story, "Oh, my mom always had gut issues. So I must have gut issues." It's just in the family. "My mom's really bendy. So I must be really bendy." It just in the family, it's genetic. I don't know, we make this up. Like I just think, I don't actually know. Right?Lesley Logan 18:26  I'm just because that's true. Just because maybe it is but that doesn't mean that you can't have optimal health. Like ...Brad Crowell 18:31  It also doesn't mean that there isn't a solution. (Lesley: Correct) Maybe your parents literally didn't know how to figure out the solution. Or maybe medicine wasn't approaching it or being approachable. Who knows? Like we all have heard a lot about your story of 10 years figuring out gut health and it wasn't until you found the right doctor. (Lesley: Yeah) That things actually began to change. And you know, maybe when my my mom was growing up, there wasn't a you know, (Lesley: Yeah) gastro doctor that put the pieces together. (Lesley: Yeah) I don't know.Lesley Logan 19:01  Well, so what's really, what this is like serendipitous. It's very interesting. But one of my, one of our dear friends, she has been complaining of some aches and pains in our body for a while. And, and like, honestly, they don't make sense together. But like, it started with her hip and this or with her lower back, and she's like, "Well, maybe it's because I fell." But she's really strong person. And so I fall all the time, it doesn't mean I'm like, have this like lingering thing going on. Anyways, she got to the point where it's like, unbearable. And she did some research. She did the thing. She was able to get a surgery, the surgery date was not optimal. And she was like, "Maybe I should wait on this." And I was like, "I wouldn't, but it's, you know, it's your journey." And we're, like, at the time that we're recording this. She has two weeks out, and she's like, "Lesley, she's like, they told me it would take six months to feel all of the differences." She's like, "But I feel like I feel healed already." Like, I feel. (Brad: Wow) She's like, "I had no idea." She's like, how (Brad: How she could feel.) she could feel could feel like this? And she's like, "I can't believe I went as long as I did." (Brad: Yeah) Because I was just like, "Oh, well, maybe, maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's nothing." Y'all, if you've got something on your body stop trying to excuse it away. (Brad: Yes) Really truly like, yes, of course, like, we don't need you to be a hypochondriac to your doctor. But it also, you need to be an advocate for yourself. (Brad: Yeah) You're not meant to just like, "Oh, I guess I'm getting older."Brad Crowell 20:29  But I think that's the hard part, right? Because I think, you know, your conversations centered around the idea that your body is communicating to you in a in a, in a manner, which I find really funny because your body clearly can't, you know, talk to you. But it's, you know, like, an, it's not talking but it's giving you hints all the time. You know, like I know, and I've mentioned this before, I know when I'm past the point of I need to go to bed, because my nose starts running. (Lesley: Yeah) You know, and it's crazy. It's like when I'm exhausted, tired, like, my body's like, "Bro, you're done." Literally, nose starts running. And that's, you know, it took me years of abusing my sleep cycle to put those pieces together. But it's amazing that that happens. And I'm like, "Oh, God, yeah, okay. It's time." You know, and, but that's an extreme case, really, probably when I started yawning and getting bleary eyed is also signs from my body saying, "We're ready, dude." But I just kept pushing through, you know, and the same thing happens with, you know, your, your Amy, she she talks a lot about discomfort, even the idea of discomfort, which, like, you know, okay, we just got to brush those things aside, that is your body communicating to you. Burping, you know, gastrointestinal, anything, all that stuff, your body's talking to you. And she's she said, every day, your body's talking to you every single day. And being a professional athlete, she was particularly in tune with her body because she had to be for her job. But, you know, she talks about how most people just, you know, excuse (Lesley: Yeah) those things. And, oh this just must be how it is? And she's she would argue, no, that's not how it has to be.Lesley Logan 22:16  Yeah. So um, you know, we have, we actually have a course on Profitable Pilates about being an advocate. It's also to help other people be an advocate. But like, if you struggle with standing up for yourself at the doctor, I highly recommend it. (Brad: Yeah) If you have someone in your life that's going through something and you're helping them, I highly recommend it because there was our old assistant who created it. And that's what she does now. (Brad: Yeah.) In her little baby and her are like little lobbyist. It's really, really their frickin amazing.Brad Crowell 22:42  We'll, we'll put the link to that course in the show notes. (Lesley: Yeah) It is a really helpful course by someone who's very passionate on the subject. And,Lesley Logan 22:51  And she said to be on both sides of advocacies. So ...Brad Crowell 22:54  Yeah, she's gone through the experience.Lesley Logan 22:55  Yeah. So but you know, I'm just y'all please do not just go, "Oh, you know, I'll deal with that later." Like, it's really important. You would be sup... you'll be surprised my I can. My friend is like, she's like, Lesley. She's like, "I can't believe" like, her body looks different. And she likes she's like, "These are things that I've been." Like, even though I'm not suggesting everyone needs to lose any weight, but she's like, "Lesley, I lost six pounds of inflammation (Brad: Oh wow) in two weeks." She's like, "I was carrying that around." So this is not about like, losing weight. But like, that isn't weight, you should be carrying. Weight of inflammation is very different than like, the weight of your genetic body. (Brad: Right) And so like, and that stuff, is stuff that inflammation is not good on the rest of your organs. It does not, it's not supposed to be there. So anyways. (Brad: Wow.) Yeah. (Brad: Yeah, that's amazing.) Yeah, I'm excited for her. Okay. BE IT action items.Brad Crowell 23:46  Yeah. Let's talk about those bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items we could take away from your convo with Amy Denson.Lesley Logan 23:54  Well, she said, one amazing statement that we can get like and then there's a bunch of bullet points. So I'm gonna jump in because it's my show. (Lesley laughs) Identify and get over the fear of failure. Oh, okay, first of all, like right there that's like a friggin sign on our office wall.Brad Crowell 24:13  Okay, it is a sign in an office wall. It's also like, not exactly helpful. (Lesley: Right. So she ...) Right? Because I read that and I was like, "Okay." (Lesley: Yeah) But then she got super specific. (Lesley: Yeah. So ...) That was amazing.Lesley Logan 24:28  So get to know yourself. Pursue with intention and there is no failure. So pursue with intention and there is no failure. (Brad: Right) Open more doors in your life and creates momentum. Want to keep going?Brad Crowell 24:41  Yeah. Well, I was just want to talk about that pursue with intention and there is no failure. I really think she, her argument here is it's mindset. (Lesley: Right) Right. And because if you're pursuing with intention, even if you do come across literal failure, the fact that you're pursuing, means that you're, you're embracing growth, change, you know, finding the solution to whatever it is. And even when you fail, it's not true actual failure. Right? It's the pursuit.Lesley Logan 25:13  Yeah. And so I think like, you know, we talked about this a lot in other things. But so if you've heard me say it before, you need to hear it again, nothing ends up being the worst case scenario or the bet... like it's kind of in the middle. So like your failure that you're afraid of, probably won't be what ends up happening.Brad Crowell 25:33  Oh. The the tragedy that goes through our mind. (Lesley: Yeah) Yeah, it's rarely that extreme.Lesley Logan 25:38  Yeah, it's, it's really rare. And you always end up learning something from it. And so you won't let that happen again, so you may as well just go through it. And she kept going. There's some other good ones, but like,Brad Crowell 25:48  Yeah, well, she, she said that pursuit opens more doors in your life, it creates momentum. (Lesley: Yeah) Right. And as you're being it till you see it, which is literally what she's talking about here. You're eventually going to get to that point where you are it. (Lesley: Yeah) Right. She said, look through, oh, look through the lens of pursuit instead of failure. That's the mindset thing. And then she said something, which I thought is so funny, because it's classic. She said, "It's about the journey. It's not about the outcome." (Lesley: Yeah) Right. And ...Lesley Logan 26:18  I know I need to glue that to my head, cuz I'm ...Brad Crowell 26:21  Yeah, let go of that failure and frame each of these steps as an opportunity.Lesley Logan 26:26  Yes, I know, these are all things that I'm like I cosign 100%. And then my own life currently, I'm like ... (Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 26:33  Yeah. It's not easy when you're in it. (Lesley: Yeah, it's not... So ...) You know, like, I was thinking about her journey as a professional athlete, a basketball player, when, you know, imagine the coach being like, "Alright, team, I know, we totally lost. It got our asses handed to us, but it's about the journey, not the outcome." I'm sure everyone's like, "ahhh whatever."Lesley Logan 26:53  Actually, actually, speaking of basketball. UCLA famous coach, John Wooden, John Wooden. His ...Brad Crowell 27:01  Yeah, the Wizard of Westwood. It must be UCLA.Lesley Logan 27:04  Yeah. So John Wooden, he was notorious, if I understand correctly for not focusing on winning. He was focusing on how like ... how they practice and how they played always. (Brad: Yeah.) Oh, it was listening to this guy that he is my, that he is on my dream list. I'll get him on for you. But But basically, like, the best coach in like, our like, he was a coach, y'all for UCLA from 1940 to 75. Okay. (Brad: Yeah. That's crazy.) So he, and he has like 12, I think there's like National, 10 National Association, like 10 championships. 10. So just amazing person, but he he's notorious for not actually focusing on the winning and the scores. (Brad: Yeah) It was really focusing on how they played, how they played as a team. (Brad: Yeah) And so, of course, the basketball player would have to remind us that it is about going through the pursuit, as opposed to the outcome. So thank you, Amy, for reminding us (Brad: Yeah) that everything we need to know we could have learned a basketball.Brad Crowell 28:05  All right. Well,Lesley Logan 28:06  Thank you so much for being here. I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell 28:08  And I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 28:09  How are you going to use these tips in your life? What are you going to do? What is your favorite takeaway? Tag us at the @be_it_pod, tag @coachamyrae and let us know. We cannot wait to hear from you. And remember, until next time, Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell 28:21  Bye for now.Lesley Logan 28:24  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day!'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'.Brad Crowell 28:57  It's written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.Lesley Logan 29:08  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.Brad Crowell 29:12  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 29:21  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all video each week so you can.Brad Crowell 29:33  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Brad Spencer is a serial entrepreneur responsible for the success of countless businesses. Brad helps dozens of people “escape the office” by realizing their potential through strategy and consultation. His podcast, Office Free Entrepreneurs, is building a brand of people who want to live a better life. Gaining relationships that lead to people finding the fun in life and unlocking opportunities is his number one passion.    Today's episode might just change how you invest in others and how you see yourself. Brad really hones in on what it looks like to build on those kinds of relationships and how “going all in” on someone could change their lives.   Let's get inspired by his story!   [00:01 - 06:28] Opening Segment Limitless opportunities for impact-driven entrepreneurs brought to you by the Tribe for Leaders! Be a part of the Preferred Partnership Committee, where we've made millions and millions of dollars and introductions that have allowed our members to grow their businesses and make a far bigger impact in this world. Again, it's only by invitation! Don't miss this great opportunity; check it out now at www.tribeforleaders.com, and see if you qualify! Get to know my guest Brad Spencer Check out The Office Free Entrepreneurs Podcast hosted by Brad How people and connections are the number one assets in life    [06:29 - 18:44] What Happens When You Go “All in” On Someone How one relationship (made on a cruise ship) impacted the trajectory of Brad's life  The value of investing in someone  Breaking the 7-figure glass ceiling - The ceiling stays open  The positive of ‘Dyslexic-Thinking:' seeing things in a way no one else sees them    [18:45 - 26:08] Let's Play the “What if…” Game Friendships founded on business are stronger and last longer  Brad explains how opportunity is waiting for you outside of your comfort zone Brad dispels the myth of the self-made man in favor of standing on the shoulders of others   [26:09 - 27:43] Closing Segment It's time you Escape Your Office Reach out to Brad through LinkedIn and Facebook. Get a lot more content on ofepodcast.com.   Thanks for tuning in!   If you liked my show, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, and subscribe!     Find me on the following streaming platforms: Apple Spotify Google Podcasts IHeart Radio Stitcher   Tweetable Quotes   “I want to be able to pick up this phone and get in touch, within one person, one degree of connection, to anyone on the planet; including the president of the United States.” - Brad Spencer    “The only source of wealth that exists is people and connections.” - Brad Spencer   “Friendships founded on business are a lot stronger than businesses founded on friendship.” - Brad Spencer 

Brad Loncar Biography Brad Loncar is a biotechnology industry investor and CEO of Loncar Investments. He is the creator of two Nasdaq-listed biotech focused exchange-traded funds. Brad previously worked in the financial services industry at Franklin Templeton Investments where he was a member of the Management Training Program, and was appointed to serve in a Senior Advisor role at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He currently writes biotechnology commentary at www.LoncarBlog.com, Nasdaq.com, and contributes opinion pieces to Endpoints News. He's also the co-host of Biotech Clubhouse, which recaps the week's biotech news every Sunday at 4pm EST. On this episode we discussed with Brad: How he first became interested in China biopharma and his advice for getting ‘smart' on the industry as a foreign investor. Key players in the China biopharma ecosystem, including investors as well as founder and company profiles How investors should think about regulatory and geopolitical risk when it comes to investing in China biotech

There's a wall keeping you stuck. How you climb that wall may be easier than you realize. Dive into today's convo with LL and Brad to discover how and simple mindset shifts to change behavior.    If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe. In this episode you will learn about:Finding your missionCreating your reality with your thought processHow to believe you are enough Hypnosis vs hypnotherapy  The line between where your conscious and subconscious The five fears and getting to the other side of the fear wall  OPC Flashcards:OPC Flashcards are on AmazonOPC Flashcards are on our site  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.  ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable Pilates Social MediaInstagramFacebookTik TokLinkedIn Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:01  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the elevating convo I have with Taylor Carr in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now. Go back and listen to that one. And then come back and join us. (Brad: Join us.) So Brad is going back to Cambodia soon.Brad Crowell 1:07  Yeah, I'm really fired up. I can't wait to be back there. And now that things are settling down with all the travel requirements and all this stuff, you know, plus being vaccinated. You know, basically I get to go fix everything that the jungle has destroyed over the past two years.Lesley Logan 1:27  I know. I'm so jealous and also not because I want to go so bad (I want to go so bad.) But I don't want to fix any doors. (Brad laughs) I just want to be there. So, I'm going to let you and made my Dad, go.Brad Crowell 1:40  I think it's a combination of doors, electricity, washing machine. You know, what has really gone incredibly well in the past two years as we have an incredible building manager who loves gardening. (Lesley: I know.) Loves it. (Lesley: It's a freakin' beautiful.) And she has turned our property into a jungle, all on its own. And it's (Brad laughs) she was just showing us around. (Lesley: I know.) And it was like, "What? There's a tree there now?" (Lesley: Yeah) How that... It's only been two years.Lesley Logan 2:10  Yeah, she planted it two years ago. So that's what happens in the jungle things grow really quickly. (Brad: Pretty cool.) The ear flapping you are hearing is... (Brad: That one was Gaia.) Uh-huh. And Bayon did the ear flap. (Brad: Yeah.) And also... (Brad: He followed.) Oh, we have to put his bed down. That's what's going on here. (Brad: Hmm) Okay, there you go bud. So anyways, um, Brad's gonna be going there. And I don't know, I guess if we haven't recorded episodes while you're gone. I'll just have to have like, past guests take your place.Brad Crowell 2:38  Oh! Or I know, I know one person who volunteered.Lesley Logan 2:42  I know, Clare.Brad Crowell 2:44  Yeah, she's (Lesley: Clare) so excited. She's like ... (Lesley: which is so fitting.) "He could totally take a break and I could take his place. (Brad laughs)Lesley Logan 2:50  Well, and it's so fitting because today's guests we're recapping is actually a friend of Clare Solly. She's the reason (Brad: Oh) why we talked to her. (Lesley laughs) (Brad: How about that?) Yeah. So anyways, well Brad can do that. And then we'll hopefully be back to tell you about some amazing retreats we're gonna have in Cambodia soon.Brad Crowell 3:09  Yeah, (Lesley: fingers crossed) we're planning one towards the end of this year. So stay tuned. If you're interested in more info on that. Go to onlinepilatesclasses.com/retreats. (Lesley: Mm-hmm, yeah) And you will be sent to the waitlist.Lesley Logan 3:24  Wonderful. Did we have an audience question this week?Brad Crowell 3:27  We totally did. Which is a really a great question. Somebody DMed saying, "I'm working on knowing my mission. Is there a specific episode on the @be_it_pod covering this subject? If so, which one? If not, would you please record one?"Lesley Logan 3:43  Well, luckily, we have some episodes that are gonna be, really great. And, and again, this dogs are doing things they were sleeping until we hit record and then of course (Brad: Literally, yeah.) they are like, "Oh, we should make noise in all the rooms." (Brad laughs) So anyways, here are the episodes for you who was wanting to know about know your mission. Sandra Chuma, episode 17.Brad Crowell 4:06  Yeah, she talked about, "How do you know if you've been chasing the wrong thing?"Lesley Logan 4:11  Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I really love how she discovered that for herself. And I think it's a really inspiring story. And ...Brad Crowell 4:17  Well, I think it's inspired how she discovered it was through a full blown breakdown. So that part of it not so fun, but, you know, the advice that came from that, fantastic.Lesley Logan 4:29  Yeah, but I think also like, you're not supposed to take anyone's rock bottoms away. So you know, like that is, yeah, so I think it's really great. I hope the person listening to this is not trying to hit a rock bottom to find their mission, but there you go. Okay, so then we have Kareen Walsh, episode 27 - "Is your hustle now just a hassle?"Brad Crowell 4:50  Yeah, anything that comes to like business or mission or future, you know, like, like trying to figure things out. We we always go back to Kareen. She is one of our coaches. Oh, my goodness, she is just brilliant.Lesley Logan 5:08  She really is. So listen to her on that and then dive into all of the two things like go to both those ladies on Instagram and just deep dive on them. And (Brad: Yeah) I promise you, you'll be like, "Oh, oh, yeah, this will actually be ..." (Brad: They'll be like, "Oh.") Oh, (Brad: Oh) Oh. Anyways, (Brad laughs)Brad Crowell 5:25  I love it. All right. Now let's talk about Taylor Carr. Taylor Carr is a clinical hypnotherapist and a success and manifestation coach. After healing herself from an incredibly incurable, an incurable disease, (say that three times fast) (Lesley: I know) in her early 20s, she dove into the world of natural healing and discovered the law of attraction, energy, mindfulness, sensual healing and the power of the subconscious mind. She now helps people around the world infuse their work with the feminine, and create the success, confidence and love they desire. So this was a very interesting episode to listen to her, talk about how she really felt like the, the, you know, life had pulled the rug out from her (Lesley: Yeah) in her early 20s. When she was like just getting to LA, it was just about to go do her thing. And then it was like, "Congratulations, incurable disease."Lesley Logan 6:21  I mean, but also talk about another week of like things happening for you. Because if she hadn't gone through that she would never have made that video and then she wouldn't be on the path that she is. And now she loved what she's doing. And so it is, you know, you can like, "Woe is me." And just like go, "have an incurable disease," or you could take some action and, and go for it. And it's just kind of it's really inspiring.Brad Crowell 6:44  Well, I mean, she said it, she actually said, it's the best thing that ever happened to her. And I thought, wow, that ... that is an incredibly powerful statement to to hear, "I had an incurable disease and it's the best thing that ever happened to me." (Lesley: Yeah. And I ...) Changed her life dramatically.Lesley Logan 7:01  We have an episode come out in a couple of weeks, where and another similar thing like, injury illness issue that like, basically put her on the path to her career. So super excited to hear that. So, I really loved that she taught ... just about so many things. There's so many things. Of course, I am a SHE-EO, working on it. (Brad laughs) You know, (Brad: Heck yeah) even though I'm not the CEO, but I want to be a SHE-EO. Yeah. But I really did love the knowing you are enough. You're strong enough, you're courageous enough and you can get through it. And I think like, if you are like, "Yeah, yeah, people say that time." No, like, would help. Like, I just finished with Elevate weekend number two, and I had them, we had them on, we had them on mute and I did a breathwork session with them. I had them to say out loud because no one can hear them but themselves, "I am enough," over and over again. And you know how hard it was for them to say it. Some of them were not saying as I can read lips. Either move your lips or you're not moving your lips. And when they started even to saying that, "I am enough." That's when it gets really emotional. Like when you actually say the words out loud, not in your head out loud. And so I think, um ...Brad Crowell 8:06  "I'm enough."Lesley Logan 8:07   Mm-hmm. Yeah. And say it again, (Brad: I'm enough.) And again, (Brad: I'm enough.) And like, things change in your body like ...Brad Crowell 8:14  ... (Lesley: Right) I literally feel like it does ... that was weird. (Brad laughs)Lesley Logan 8:20  Right. It's like, it's like, it's like, all of a sudden, it's you are, and now you can't unfeel that and you can't unknow that. You can pretend, (Brad: Yeah) you can pretend and then that's when things get out of alignment.Brad Crowell 8:31  It's very vulnerable.Lesley Logan 8:33  Yeah, I know. I know. So, but, but that's like, hello, St. Brené - vulnerability is the way. Like, so I just I really love that she brought that up because I think if if even if nothing else resonate with ... in her interview with you like just trying each day to just tell yourself you are enough and remember that (Brad: Yeah) you are going to be, you're going to be unstoppable, unstoppableBrad Crowell 8:58  I think that's where the lipstick on the mirror kind of thing comes into play, you know. When you wake up in the morning and it's written right there, you literally cannot avoid it. You can't, you can't unsee that. And you know when I think that it will strike a chord with you again, each time you see it. You know, having gone through that vulnerability with yourself.Lesley Logan 9:21  Yeah, yeah, and maybe I'm gonna change I was just thinking I was saying that like as I pour the water from our new pot that takes over a minute and I had to switch my morning routine because it takes a minute to pour this water. I don't know why it takes a minute but it does. So I started doing a gratitude practice while I'm like, "Okay, I'm really grateful for this." And I'm like, "Do you like know how many gratitude you can put in a minute? A lot even talk slow." So ...Brad Crowell 9:44  It's got the gooseneck, (Lesley: It's really beautiful.) a thing. And it's, it is but ...Lesley Logan 9:48  And it heats water up so fast. I love it. But (Brad: Yeah) anyways, I think I'm gonna write out a bunch (Brad laughs) of like these mantras and put them on the frigerator and then as I'm pouring to say those because (Brad: That's cool.) that I think I've been doing my gratitudes and my morning pages. And so now I'm like, "Well, I already did my gratefulness." And so now I'm just watching water pour (Brad laughs) We're changing it up. Thank you, Taylor. All right, what did you love?Brad Crowell 10:14  Okay. Well, okay, so she kind of glossed over this in the middle of the interview, but I, I latched on to it because I didn't quite follow it. And I literally pulled up a bunch of, you know, "Doing what Brad does." I Googled a bunch of shit. And I came back and I was like, "Okay, this is way more clear to me now. And I wanted to pass this along." So she talked about stage hypnosis. Right? And then, and I was a little confused, because I thought, like, that's what she was saying that she does. And I started reading stage hypnosis versus, you know, and then it came down. There's hypnosis and there's hypnotherapy. (Lesley: Okay) Right? And so the stage hypnosis is what you might see in the movies, it's more of an entertainment kind of thing. And I copied all this down here because I'm not an authority on the subject. So according to hypnotic.com - A stage hypnotist aims to put on a show for the volunteers and audience to have fun, have a fun, entertaining time and stage hypnotists give suggestions that only last for the duration of the show. And then they are removed after the volunteers are awakened at the end. Right? As opposed to what Taylor Carr does and what she is, she's actually a Clinical Hypnotherapist. And so it's, it's it's almost, it's a similar methodology. But it's got a completely different end game. It's completely different purpose. Right? A hypnotherapist gives suggestions that are intended to remain beyond the session. Post hypno... hypnotic suggestion this is again, according to hypnotic.com. In order that the client experiences long term change in various aspects of his or her life. And as, as Taylor actually put it, hypnotherapy aims to take long term effects, it takes roughly 20 minutes or so to get into the wavelength right before you sleep, you feel really safe, you're and this is where when your subconscious mind is actually able to come forward and really absorb the line, she says is at that point that the line between the conscious and the subconscious dissolves. And then what she does when you are in that state as her client, all the conversations that the two of you had discussed about the things that you're struggling with or that you want to feel. She is then basically telling your subconscious, those things which are kind of like what we just did. "I am enough." (Lesley: Yeah) "I am enough." Right? But the point is to do it when you're in that, that like phase between conscious and subconscious, so that you're speaking directly to your subconscious and and it can be absorbed. Right? So she then regurgitates the words back into their subconscious mind that they've told her that they want to feel.Lesley Logan 13:13  That is, um, I really am grateful. This is our second hypnotherapist we've had on and now I feel like I understand. Now, I feel like I understand hypnotherapy even more. And I mean, it does make me think of like the office, not the office. What's the movie called? The Case of the Mondays. So also the office? (Brad: I have no idea.) Everyone listening knows but you know, like, he was put into hypno...nosis and the guy was like, you know, telling them like all these amazing things to remember. And then the hypnotherapist had a heart attack and died and like left them in that state. He like slept for like days. It was not the office the show, but it was like a movie - Office Space.Brad Crowell 13:55  Oh, it's Office Space. It's the beginning of (Lesley: Yes) Office Space.Lesley Logan 13:57  Yes, yes. So now I feel like I understand that whole scene more. (Brad laughs) I feel like ... but life is complete. Okay, well, I love, I think there's just go back and listen, if you haven't listened episode, there's so many other points in there because she really does like tell you a lot of things about what she's doing and how she got there. (Brad: Yeah) I think people will resonate with different talking points. And so I love to hear which one you resonate with.Brad Crowell 14:24  Alright, so finally let's talk about those BE IT action items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Taylor Carr? I'm going to jump right in and say she talked about evaluating your thoughts because they create your reality. So she said looking at your, look at your thoughts to change your reality because thoughts create your feelings and your feelings create your reality. And this, I read this, resonated with me I really connected with this because when I was younger, I I had, like a whole sequence of like, you know, then it turns into what you speak, you know. So you're like, your thoughts create your feelings, and then your feelings are creating reality. But your, your thoughts are creating your feelings, your feelings are going to change how you speak. Right? And your, the way you speak is what comes into existence and it becomes the reality that you're that you're creating. So it's kind of, it's kind of crazy to (Lesley: Yeah) think about that.Lesley Logan 15:27  It's like a whole confirmation bias, you just put yourself in a loop and you just stay there and (Brad: Yeah) you prove yourself correct. And so then it becomes a belief (Brad: Yeah) that is really hard to undo.Brad Crowell 15:37  Yeah, so if you know, like, like, mull that over, like, think about that, how do we, how we think ultimately shapes our own reality. Right? And so what influences how we think?Lesley Logan 15:53  Well, things that we hear, things that we see, people we hang out with, you know ...Brad Crowell 15:57  Yeah like everything that we're influenced by, whether that's from, you know, TV, to books, to magazines, to movies, to you know, people to where we you know, how we grew up, you know, the environments that we put ourselves in, all of that stuff shapes how we think. So it's very, very, (Brad laughs) I mean there could be a whole podcast on literally this topic, (Lesley: I know. Let's find the guest.) all by itself.Lesley Logan 16:20  Anyways, I real... I agree, I like that one to. (Brad: Yeah) My BE IT action item that I loved is leaving fear behind and doing the thing anyway. She said, "You're never going to be ready. If you wait to be ready, you'll wait for your entire life." I think, like that. I think that you wait so long that it goes by whatever you were trying to be ready for. And so you're like, "Oh, I can't do that. Now. It's been done by a million people. No one wants it anymore." And so then you, then you're almost scared with another idea like you and going back into the (Brad: Yeah) this like vortex you put yourself in and you ... (Brad: Right) The reality is is that like, you know, you're just gonna be ...Brad Crowell 16:21  What exactly this, it ties in directly to what we just talked about.Lesley Logan 16:30  Yeah, you're you're gonna be scared. You're doing something that you've never done before. You're going to be scared. If you're not scared. You should go see someone I think you might be like a sociopath, narcissist, psychopath. Like, there's something else going on there, you know, like to tell like, I know if you've listened to podcasts ever before. You've heard me say it. But like, I literally do things scared. I'm scared all the time. I'm afraid it's gonna be like, like when Maya Angelou said that quote, like, "Someday, they're gonna find out that I'm talking about." I'm like, "Yep, all the time." (Lesley laughs) And I'm like, "If Maya Angelou was afraid of being found out," then like, y'all, like, she was one of those confident, powerful, like women in the world, right? So I think we've just need to get over the fact that you're just not going to feel ready, you're going to be scared and like, okay, but how, like, what is something you can do to get over that and practice doing that? Because everything you want is on the other side of fear. You remember that guy, Michael Goodman, I think we talked two years ago, and you talked about the five years, we were in that one coaching group with Lori and Chris. And he came on and talked about the five fears. And, and I think you've been said like, "I don't think I'm afraid of anything." I think like he figured out like you were and like because we all have it. But he said, "Literally think of fear as like a wall. And on the other side of that wall is everything you want. And all you have to do is face the fear and you can climb the wall, and you get the thing." But like, we're literally just sitting there on this side of the wall, like hanging out with our fear, instead of having the thing that we want to have on the other side of the (Brad: Hmm) wall. Seek to climb the wall. And then so I just I think like, please, please, please, whatever you're afraid of doing, like just do it. What's the worst case scenario? Probably that no one even knows you did it? Probably like, like, I mean, like, just give it a try and see what happens if as long as you're not gonna die. You're gonna be here another day to try it. (Brad: Yeah, yeah) That's a really ... (Lesley laughs) stiff type duck, you're not gonna be dead. So you can (Brad laughs) still (Brad: So you might as well just try.) might as well try it. (Brad: ... you're not gonna die.) You're not gonna die, (Brad: So, you know,) and then do it again because you didn't die. (Brad and Lesley laughs) Well, they get it, they get it.Brad Crowell 16:30  Yeah. I have 100% like, no recollection of that conversation with that guy. (Lesley: I know. I'm looking at you.) I don't know who even that is.Lesley Logan 19:15  Guys, I'm looking at him. And I like kept telling the story thinking that it would come. (Brad: No ...) I was in Australia in a hotel room, you were in LA. And I'm going to pull up my notes because I took all these notes. He had the five fears. He's five fears. You're scared of fear of rejection, fear of success, fear of responsibility, fear of failure, fear of loss. And like ...Brad Crowell 19:36  Hmm. I'm impress she just rattle those up.Lesley Logan 19:37  I share them all the time. I share them all the time, every single fear you have falls under one of those categories. (Brad: Hmm) You know what, let's reach out to Michael Goodman say, "Hey, remember, like three years ago when you gave a free talk in another group. (Brad laughs) We want to have you back for a free talk on these things?" (Brad: Yeah.) All right. (Brad: We're bring him on the pod.) Someone on the team needs to find Michael Goodman. I'm sure that's a very common name. (Lesley laughs) We'll get on it. (Brad: I'm in) Anyway. I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell 20:02  And I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 20:03  Thank you for so much for joining us today. We're so grateful you're here. How are you going to use these tips in your life? Let us know by send us a DM on the pod on Instagram. Tag us, tag Taylor Carr, text it to a friend. And until next time, Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell 20:16  Bye for now.Lesley Logan 20:19  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others BE IT TILL YOU SEE IT. Have an awesome day!'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'.Brad Crowell 20:52  It's written produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.Lesley Logan 21:03  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.Brad Crowell 21:07  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 21:16  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all video each week so you can.Brad Crowell 21:28  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This eye-opening convo exposes the reality many foster care youth face and shows what following passion instead of a path can achieve.  If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe. In this episode you will learn about:The backstory to Barely Canadian Tackling a large problem and believing in the impactThe foster care system and “aging out”Learning as you go and learning with othersLeading with your heart for success Finding something that you want to be a part of Episode References/Links:IG @barelycanadianWebsite Barely CanadianIG @kellyslatteryIG @marisapolvinoIG @straightupimpactEchoes of Hope WebsiteKidsave WebsiteGuest Bio:MARISA POLVINOCo-CEO/Founder STRAIGHT UP FILMS and STRAIGHT UP IMPACTWith a career spanning over three decades, Marisa Polvino is a prolific producer and entrepreneur with a skill for identifying, packaging, and producing quality, star-driven entertainment across all genres and budget levels. Presently, Marisa is Partner and Co-CEO/Founder of STRAIGHT UP FILMS a fully integrated multi-media production company that has worked alongside top-name Hollywood talent, including Natalie Portman, Rosario Dawson, Jesse Eisenberg, Gina Rodriguez and Johnny Depp.Polvino identifies and shapes projects that align with the company's ethos. Presently, she oversees a top flight feature slate which includeHow to Set a Fire and Why, directed by award winning director/actress Lisa Edelstein, Dissonance, a YA love story set in the multiverse directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Joseph Merrick - The Elephant Man to be directed by Rupert Sanders and a film adaptation of Viktor Frankl's iconic memoir Man's Search for Meaning.Recognizing the profound effect cinema can have on culture Polvino co-founded Straight Up Impact. The companies mission is to create, produce and finance thought provoking content that appeals to human emotions, shifts perspectives and inspires positive social change.Polvino uses her entrepreneurial spirit and know-how and focuses on forging relationships with likeminded partners while also overseeing much of the company's business strategy, development, marketing and operational structure. In 2019, she created the “Power On” series for Google's computer science in media division which was a short-film series directed by leading actresses and designed to promote greater gender and racial diversity in STEAM fields. Polvino is currently producing the "Meaning in Madness" film series which centers around the systemic issues contributing to the mental health crisis facing young adults and teens today and the importance of meaning and purpose in their lives.Marisa is inspired by her two children and encourages them to follow their passions, pay attention to what matters most in life and to always work hard and be nice to people.KELLY SLATTERY Kelly Slattery, a native Canadian and songwriter by trade, made an interesting progression from writing music for such companies as Lionsgate, CBS and Disney, to writing screenplays and producing for film, to philanthropy and now, Barely Canadian, her social enterprise clothing line.Down for Life which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, was Kelly's first feature, followed by subsequent Lionsgate projects like House of the Rising Sun and Cougars Inc, with Hijacked and Breaking Wind soon to follow, released by Anchor Bay.Kelly was a founding partner of Therapy Content, the production company for Dave Grohl's Sound City and Sonic Highways, and was fortunate to touch so many impactful products, although she eventually ventured off on her own after selling one of her TV comedies she co-created with Lee Aronsohn (co-creator of Two and a Half Men) in the room to ABC networks, along with signing a surf drama to Legendary Pictures. Whilst in development on her own projects, Kelly works as a consultant in the Film and TV space; developing, packaging and setting up projects at various studios.Kelly felt inspired to step into the nonprofit space years later, when she and her husband adopted their then 16 year old daughter from foster care. Starting at Venice Arts as the Director of Advancement, Kelly was quickly recruited by Film2Future as their Executive Director and went on to increase their operating budget by 83% in her first year while deciding to complete her family, Kelly and her husband foster to adopt her then 16 year old son.Barely Canadian was created to show their children that an idea can become a business and how to see an idea through to fruition. The moment friends and family got their hands on Barely Canadian, they quickly knew this business training idea had just become a company. As a Social Enterprise company that supports foster youth, it was important for the brand to feel as "home" and cozy as possible to align with their messaging about helping foster youth find their forever homes, hence Barely Canadian's mainstay of super soft clothing. Barely Canadian is proud to share that they source and hire all locally and donate 20% of our profits to foster youth organizations like Kidsave and Echoes of Hope.  OPC Flashcards:OPC Flashcards are on AmazonOPC Flashcards are on our site  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.  ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable Pilates Social MediaInstagramFacebookTik TokLinkedIn Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  Hey Be It babe, what's up? Okay, I this is just I'm like glowing. I'm like can't stop smiling. I have two guests on today's interview. Two women who, gosh, their, their passion and purpose, like what they care so much about. It's like, freakin' like, it's contagious and like, like the only best way can get a contagion can be. Anyway (Lesley laughs) anyways, like it really is though like every time I get off a call with them I am sitting a little taller, flying a little higher, buzzing a little bit faster. And, and Brad actually joined today's interview as well. So we have a foursome. In fact, I met Kelly, because of Brad. And Kelly and Brad go way back in time. And Kelly is such a connector, which is why we're probably like, just to like kindred spirits there. But um, Kelly and Marisa have this amazing company Barely Canadian what you're gonna hear about. And I really can't wait for you to hear how they answer all their questions. Because I think that too often we're trying to figure out how do we organize all the thoughts? How do we organize all the dots before we start something. And that's not how things work. And even if you could connect all the dots, even if you had everything in place, and you're like, "Okay, I've got the plan. I've got the plan, here it is." Something is gonna come and rip that plan right out, water is gonna spill on that plan you're gonna miss, you're gonna lose a couple of those dots. And that's okay. And that's what makes that but it's also what makes you realize what's worth fighting for. And so these two women are super, super passionate about foster youth, and the organization's could save and echoes of hope. And they have a social enterprise, which is like they created a product that I can't wait for you to touch in your own lives. And it supports these organizations. And, you know, now more than ever, I think it's really important that we follow our passions and our purpose and it really does make you light up and make you want to show up when you're scared to death, to do something. So these two women are really doing something for a great cause. And they don't have all the answers to how they're going to do things but they are being it till they see it as they do it. And I'm really passionate about what they're doing. Brad and I are so freakin' stoked to be working with them and find different ways to collaborate with them and I can't wait for you to also witness that journey because we are still figuring it out. And that is what makes it super super fun and I can't wait to see how we can continue to support them in all our ways with our Profitable Pilates business and with OPC. I just the more more time and more excuse I can do to spend time with these women and what they're doing I will. So without further ado, here is our first two guests interview and with Brad joining in so it's special treat and I hope you enjoy it and I really can't wait to hear your takeaways. Please tag us, tag @barelycanadian. And let us know how this affected you? How this helped you? How this show do some light and some inspiration? All right, thank you so much. Here it is.Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.All right, Be It Till You See It listeners. We have a very exciting adventure for you right now. There has there's not only one guest, there are two guests and Brad's joining us. So we have (Brad: What? woot woot woot) we have an actual foursome happening (Lesley laughs) on this podcast. Um, you've got Kelly Slattery and Marisa Polvino, I hope I said their names correctly. And I am just really delighted to bring these two women to you. They are doing something so amazing. And there just proof that like taking an idea and just going for it no matter how many obstacles or what people might think about going into a somewhat crowded market. And they're doing it because they care so much about a special cause, I'm not let them tell you about but I just I had to have these women on because they're I think they're going to inspire you to Be It Till You See It and not let, not let anything get in your way. So Kelly and Marisa said thanks for being here. Can you each introduce yourselves?Kelly Slattery 4:37  Yeah, Marisa so you go ahead (Marisa: What?) and you'll talk... I always talk first. (Lesley laughs) You have to realize that I'm gonna be a gentle lady and say, "You talk first." (Lesley laughs)Marisa Polvino 4:46  Good morning Be It Till You See It people. Um, my name is Marisa Polvino. I am a film producer and content creator. I have a company called Straight Up Impact which creates thought provoking gain content around global issues that are most urgent. I also make films but I've been over the years moving more into the social impact space because my heart and my soul needs to be a little more fulfilled than what the customary film industry can do to one's heart and soul. (Lesley laughs) And Kelly and I've been friends for a long time and I and when she launched Barely Canadian. As a social enterprise company, I immediately wanted to jump on board with her and help build out one some of the most snugly, softest, comfy where ever but also one that provides money towards foster youth and supporting foster youth. And I happened to be making a short film about uncovering the systemic issues in the foster care system. And what we can do as a community to come together and help these foster youth live a fruitful, powerful, beautiful life after the foster care system after they age out. (Lesley: Oh) So that's about me and you can find me on Instagram at @marissapolvino and at @straightupimpact.Lesley Logan 6:07  Amazing. Okay, I want to dive into that but we have to we have to hear back from Kelly first. So Kelly, tell us how (Kelly: So many) got here.Kelly Slattery 6:15  Gosh such a tale. I'm a, I'm Canadian. My name is Kelly Slattery. And I came to America because I had a song in a Lionsgate Soundtrack, American Psycho 2. And I was an artist in Canada. So I was like, "I'm gonna move illegally to Canada, I mean to America," (Lesley laughs) to your country. And so I made the journey. It was interesting that later on in life, I actually wrote a TV show about that experience of being an illegal alien, it was about, it was about an illegal Canadian who lives in with illegal Mexican family and works in construction. We did sell it to ABC. I had the co-creator of Two and a Half Men and Big Bang, as you know, my showrunner. So I went from like, then I started producing films. I was a founder of a company that we produced for Dave Grohl. We did Sound City, we did Sonic Highways. But I left actually pretty much when I sold that show that I had written. And then we had another... Anyways, I've always been involved in entertainment, as a as a songwriter, as a singer, as a producer, and as a writer. And when we adopted our kids, initially, my daughter from foster care at the age of 16, I decided to convert my life to service and so I joined the nonprofit space, which was really interesting. And, and really challenging. And, and it's unique. Let me, let me just leave it there as calling it a very unique space, you know, but I learned a lot. And I learned that what I really want to do is something that makes a difference in the world. I always reference this film I had done for Lionsgate that I produced in Michigan, it was overnights, it was winter, it was exterior, it was awful, because (Lesley laughs) it was freezing and just like like physically traumatic, I would say just the cold even as a Canadian, which is why I'm called "Barely Canadian," because I'm always freezing. But anyways, I realize this ended up in the Walmart bin for 2.99 on sale. I gave two years of my life and my heart to this, I'm not doing this anymore. So trying to really find purpose in my life. When we adopted our son, we're actually in the process of adopting our son, we brought him into our family, we wanted to show them that an idea can become something and just with little steps and progression and just like due diligence of basic, you know actions every day or every week, you can build something. So that was the purpose of Barely Canadian was to show them how to be entrepreneurs, how to acquire basic business skills. And anyways, long and short people really liked the product and boom, it's it became a company. And we give 20% back to foster youth. And Marisa started coming to the pop ups I was doing and she just was like, "I love everything about this. Can I participate?" I'm like, "Hell yeah."Brad Crowell 8:59  Did you know, did you know each other prior?Kelly Slattery 9:01  Yeah, we had been engaged in some film projects together and and just became really fast friends. When Marisa moved out here from New York. SoMarisa Polvino 9:11  Yeah. I moved in New York, Kelly was the first one of the first people that I met outside... Well, wi... within industry, but outside of the industry friends that I had when I moved here and we fell in love immediately. It really was love at first sight.Lesley Logan 9:24  Well, (Kelly: Yeah) you all have that because I, Brad's known Kelly for a long time. But as soon as I got a call with you both I'm like, "Oh, I'm in love with these women. These women are amazing." (Marisa laughs) We are donating to their cause... (Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 9:35  She was talking about you both for like a day and a half later. (Lesley: Yeah, yeah.) (Kelly: Oh my ...) It's really a great convo.Kelly Slattery 9:39  Well, we can find kindred spirits, right. Like I think we connect because we were connected already. (Lesley: Yeah) I think, you know, and we're taken by your gorgeous red hair. So that's why we're here. (Lesley laughs) Yeah, and then with Marisa the whites of her eyes were so white and I didn't want to shoot you know, but honestly the whites over eyes are so white. It's extraordinary. (Lesley: Oh my gosh) I remember that when I first met her.Lesley Logan 10:04  Oh, ladies, I love you... I so I want to go, Marisa, you said something. And maybe the two of you can talk about this, I kind of feel like working, doing a social enterprise, working in a nonprofit space trying to make an impact, you almost have to be like, act as if what you're doing is making the difference that you are hoping to make some day because it is so I don't know, I won't answer the question for you. But I feel like it's so hard to show up every day for a cause that has so much systemic problems, that if you don't act as if it's like, what you're doing is making the difference on a daily basis. It's kind of hard. So can you speak to that? Like, what is it take to? I think a lot of people want a part of social impact. And like, what does it take to do that? Like, how do you start?Marisa Polvino 10:50  You want me to start? (Lesley: Yeah) Well, I mean, I think everything is hard, right? Whatever, whatever you endeavor to do, is, it is like pushing that boulder up the hill, and finding certain projects, be it in the film side of the things, or in an apparel line. If you have a passion around what that product is bringing to the marketplace. And if you strongly believe that that messaging, that brand messaging around it, any kind of a product is one that the world needs, and that it can enact a change that is most vital, then it's easy to get behind it. Because everything, everything is difficult. And you know, somebody, many, many years ago, you know, one the persistence of vision, but two like, if you do what you love, the money, the success, whatever it is that you're hoping to achieve from it will follow. And to not just lead with your passion, lead with what you love to do. And what the messaging is and what what that content, that material, that peril, whatever that is brings to the world can add value to your soul and add value to your audience that you're presenting it to. And I think what's really easy is you know, like I'm wearing this sweatshirt. Yes, it is like shameless promotion. But it's also like really super comfortable. I was taking my dog for a walk earlier, I had the sound like, "Oh, I'm just... I was not intending to wear it." but like, "Oh my God, it's so comfortable. I don't want to take it off." (Lesley: Okay...) And ...Lesley Logan 12:22  I have to say yes because I have three Barely Canadian sweaters and I wore them five days in a row. Like I just, I went through a cycle ... (Lesley laughs) (Marisa: I can't take it off. I was waiting) Kelly Slattery 12:31  You know actually ... Lesley texting you need one for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, (Lesley: Yeah) Saturday, Sunday, like the designated and I thought we should do that. Remember how they used to do underwear? (Lesley: Yeah)Marisa Polvino 12:41  It has the labeled underwear? I was just thinking. Lesley Logan 12:42  ... I'm so glad you picked up on that because I was like, "I hope she knows I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you were a kid, the underwear." (Lesley laughs)Kelly Slattery 12:51  Yeah. Yeah, (Brad: That's a...) But a kind of, I think it's a great idea - is a fun little throwback though, you know. (Marisa: I love it) Why not?Brad Crowell 12:57  I think somehow I missed that one.Lesley Logan 12:59  I don't think they had it for the boys. I think it was a (Lesley laughs) 80s girl thing.Kelly Slattery 13:03  ... wonder rose. We had wonder rose. (Marisa: We had wonder rose.)Brad Crowell 13:06  Wonder rose. No idea what that is.Kelly Slattery 13:08  It gotta be in northeast thing. (Marisa: ... underwear)Lesley Logan 13:11  So um, so you know, Kelly, you you started Barely Canadian. Before that you mentioned you wrote songs. And you know, you have this incredible story about like, a vision you had you you were in your grandmother's house? And can you actually talk about that? Because I do think, you know, Barely Canadian came from the all the little steps along the way. So can we go back in time a little bit.Kelly Slattery 13:35  It's so funny. You should say that too because I do think that Barely Canadian is everything I tend to do is like an ode to my country, to my country. (Lesley laughs) Like it's always like a salute, some kind of call back, some kind of like love letter, you know, to Canada. But but when I was, I had wanted, ultimately I, I'll go back even a little bit more just to disappoint you in lengthening the story. But so I... had moved to Ottawa. I had heard about an open mic across the street. A friend of mine said, "You should go." I said, "No, I'm not, I don't sing anymore." Long and short she made me go. The place asked me to start playing there the next day. I hadn't like sung in forever. My sister came down heard me playing at this residency. Bought me a guitar. And she said, "You need to actually learn how to play the guitar because you cannot depend on other people." With from that moment, nine months later, I recorded my very first album. I'd written all the songs. I recorded the album, and suddenly I found myself in HMV superstore. I was the, I was the only album blockbuster carried nationally. But I did all of that myself, right. So, I believe in, I think that was the empowering moment. You learn how to learn, play the guitar, you learn how to record yourself, you learn how to do all of this shit. Because if you think you can bank on anybody else, you cannot and it's really empowering is as disabling as that might feel. So for me, I had received this guitar my grandmother had passed. I'm sitting as I offer didn't say amongst a garden of clothes on the floor, just kind of distraught but watching the Grammys on this really shitty TV. And I thought, "I'm going to go there." Like, "I'm going to go there one day for sure." You know, and I wrote this song called My Life. This life is on its way, it's actually on my first album, and, and it was like this kind of up, happy, happy song. Cut to two years later, I'm invited to the Grammys by EMI, which is pretty incredible, you know, then cut to about 15 years later, and we had done a film with Dave Grohl, that the album was nominated for a Grammy. And so we went to the Grammys. And coincidentally, I brought Marisa as my date.Marisa Polvino 15:40   (Lesley: I love it.) That's right, I remember that ... (Brad: How about that.)Kelly Slattery 15:44  So you know, manifestation, I totally believe that it comes from a deep rooted place, and that what you focus on will most certainly reveal itself. But at the same time, if you if you don't focus on it for a moment, don't worry, like your path is there. The road is windy, the road is rough. I feel like there's a rhyme in there somewhere (Lesley: Yeah) that I should finish with ...Lesley Logan 16:06  Thank you for sharing that because I do, I do think a lot of people think it's so linear. I don't know why we think anything is linear, and nothing is ever done that way, like, (Lesley laughs) you know, but we anticipate that and so when we hit an obstacle, or we get distracted or something in life happens, and we have to take a pause from that. Thank you for sharing that, like, you know, don't worry, it's your the path is there. Because sometimes it picks up in a spot we didn't realize, you know, so. Okay. I want to talk about you both got involved, maybe for different reasons. And I would love to hear it in helping foster youth. And I want to hear like, what, what was that? Because I think some people we've had people on before talking about working with charities and thing like things like that. It's like, there's so many things you could be focusing on. Like Marisa said, "She wants to make an impact." There are so many problems in the world. How did you choose this? What what led you to that? And, you know, can you share more about that?Kelly Slattery 17:03  I've always had an obsession with this notion within America, which is family is everything and this obsession that there's a whole population of young kids, if family is everything, and I don't have it, where does that leave me? Right? (Lesley: Yeah) So I've always just kind of really focused on that. And when I first moved to America, I start tried to start a charity called Home Base. And it was you don't have to make a commitment to have children live in your home. But how about you just become a home base? How about at Christmas, on their birthday? They have somebody that they can connect with, somebody when they want to buy their first car? How do I go about doing that? So that was what home base was about. And in the process of trying to put this together? A friend of mine was on the board of Echoes of Hope, which is coincidentally one of the charities that we do support through our efforts at Barely Canadian, and said, "Why reinvent the wheel?A really good friend of mine has this nonprofit. Why don't you meet with her?" Her name is Stacy Robitaille, who I now call sissy, because she is like my sissy. And we first met, we just had this immediate connection as as you do, as we do, you know, with those people that are meant to be in our lives. So I started volunteering with foster youth. I'd always wanted to adopt a foster child. And coincidentally, I think what helped put that into place was meeting my husband on our very first date, learning that his mother was in foster, and learning that he also wanted to adopt a foster child. So that was a big deal for me, because as you get older, and you decide to focus on career, instead of personal life, you think, "Gosh, I've missed the opportunity to have a child. But I, I've always wanted to adopt and have a child, I hope I can meet a guy that is okay with me not being able to have my own child." Right? That's the big fear for women as you get older. And so to actually have that first date with him, and that was very important to him. And a goal of his as well in life was incredible. So cut to what I guess three years into our marriage, we started to begin the process of becoming a foster parent, which is a very long process, but a very worthy process. And like anything else, little steps, and suddenly you're there, you know, after a year's time, and of course we we are a foster adopt family, we have fostered a couple of other kids and adopted or adopting our son and we have adopted our daughter. So you know, the whole population of foster youth out there is important to us. We helped our kids and our help kids helped us, find our forever home because truly kids save created our family for us. But within barely ...Brad Crowell 19:35  Kidsave as the organization?Kelly Slattery 19:37  Yeah, Kidsave is how you can meet older kids to adopt. Because otherwise they're going to age out. And so yeah, it was just ...Brad Crowell 19:46  Can you talk a little bit more about this age out thing and just, you know, (Lesley: Yeah) what does that mean? I think, I think a lot of people ... like we (Kelly: I'm okay) I grew up hearing about adopting and then I sort of heard about fostering but didn't really I understand the concept of it. And I certainly never understood the ramifications of aging out.Kelly Slattery 20:05  Yeah. So if you don't find it forever family, by the time you hit 18 years old, even if you're in a foster home that you might have been domiciled for five years, but that family more often than not go, "Okay, you're 18. See you later." And they don't have ...Brad Crowell 20:20  Domiciled means actually living with family.Kelly Slattery 20:23  Living within that home, within that family. But by the time they're 18, it's like, "Okay, sorry, but we're not kind of covering this anymore." I think some people quite sadly, foster because it's an income for them, versus wanting to really help a child ... Brad Crowell 20:40  So (Lesley: Yeah) while, so while the kids with the family that they're getting the families getting a check?Kelly Slattery 20:45  The family is. And by the way, it's it's a minuscule check, it's nothing that's going to be substantial. But if you are super low income, (Brad: mm-hmm) and, you know, maybe even disabled, sometimes, like, you know, it's extra income for them. And, (Brad: mm-hmm) and I've met people that were super low income and not necessarily physically capable, who are incredible foster parents, you know, (Brad: sure, sure) so it's not to say that that's always the case.Brad Crowell 21:10  Yeah, yeah, I don't want to paint a bad light, but that there is (Kelly: Yeah, not at all) there there is, you know, some ...Lesley Logan 21:15  But the way the system (Brad: room) works, when they turn 18, no matter, no matter, like, you know, unless the person that is with them is able to afford to keep taking care of them and has the space, they're going to age out because they're no (Kelly: Yeah) longer being supported by the system.Brad Crowell 21:29  Yeah, I guess that's, that's fair. I mean, it may simply be a matter of finances as well, maybe they cannot continue to afford to support them.Kelly Slattery 21:37  Well, that's the there you go, you know, there's a plethora of reasons. And so it's when you age out that the state does give the child some money, depending on the state is how much money they're going to give them. They do have healthcare till their, you know, 25, they do have, you know, a train ticket or bus pass or whatever. But think about, what is it maybe $1,000 that they get a month, you're 18 years old? Think about, you know, yes, our generation also, we, if you had parents, we felt very capable of leaving the house at that time, we also knew we had this amazing safety net behind us. These kids do not, (Lesley: Yeah) not at all. So so yeah, so we, we want to help kids, we want to encourage people to be open to learning about Kidssafe, which is you go in the weekends, you meet these kids, you play board games with them, make vision boards, get to know who they are. And you might even feel inspired and think I think I could be that child's parent, you know, and that's what those meetings are about. Kidsave actually has a Emmy winning documentary on A & E that we were actually featured in, but the process of adopting. And it's really, really interesting, some kids get adopted, some kids don't. But part of what we want to do at Barely Canadian is if you don't find your forever home with the family, it doesn't mean you can't create your own forever home. And so we want to help with that. Hence, our fosterpreneur program that we're developing. Here's how you can do it on your own. You know, you don't have to bank on other people, right, kind of coming back to that if you don't have the family to bank on, bank on yourself, and still always bank on yourself. (Lesley: Yeah)Marisa Polvino 23:09  Always think that yourself. (Lesley: Yeah, Marisa ...) I think what's interesting, just to add on that is, you know, these kids in foster care, they have a staff of people, you know, they have their casa, they have their social worker, they have their therapists, (Kelly: attorney) their attorneys, they have a whole staff, (Brad: Wow!) but they don't have a person, (Kelly: Right) like who's that person that's in their life, that is without economic gain. Right? Who's that person that's not there to get the paycheck to be there for that kid? And where's the community around that child or those groups of children that can give them the love, the self worth, the community, the skill set, so that when they do age out, they have a shot out there. And they are not then repurposing the foster care system because a lot of these kids that don't have that come out with substance abuse problems, they're teen mothers, those kids go back into the foster care system. And so it's a vicious cycle. So getting these kids like through this fosterpreneural program, giving them the skill set, and the self value, the self worth to actually follow a dream, see it through and create a life for themselves outside of a system is a real huge goal. And we think what we can do as just individuals want a couple of people providing this, this life for kids outside of a system to give them something so much more than living off of a system that's not really there to support them.Kelly Slattery 24:39  And to kind of piggyback on that, just that we're just learning ecommerce. We're just figuring this out, and it's new to us. So, I think there's value to that when teaching a young person, you know, gosh, I'm you know, how much older than you and I'm just learning this you're young with a fresh mind. You grew up with technology. So also kind of like I think adults show that vulnerability like we're just figuring this out too. And I think (Marisa: Yeah) it's a great way for anyways has been a great with for my kids to learn, you know, as Marisa knows them well. Just seeing how they've found growth and knowledge through this process.Lesley Logan 25:11  I think you're 100% correct there, because so many times I work with people, and they're like, "Well, who am I to teach? So and so I'm just started." And it's like, you just have to be one step ahead. And, (Lesley laughs) you know, like, you don't, you know, like, um, this one woman I listened to on a podcast, I can't I can't remember which episode it was... But she said, "If you want to learn the piano, you're not gonna hire Billy Joel to teach you." Right? Like, you're gonna hire someone who knows the key, like the first few keys, like, that's who's gonna teach you and then you'll, you know, like, have an either they'll grow and you grow with them? Or do you find the next one, but like, I think, I think that vulnerability is so great for kids to see and also see that like, not everyone knows everything. And the people doing it are often making big guesses. And so it kind of allows them, maybe it ditches imposter syndrome, or allows them to see possibility, I think that's really cool.Kelly Slattery 26:03  Yeah, and it's funny, you should say that too, because it's also fun to do things together. So even though what will be a little bit step ahead, when you have somebody doing it with you, it feels safer, it feels like you have that team, you have that support. And that's something I'm really enjoying, with Marisa wanting to get involved in the company. You know, it's, it's, it's fun to bounce something off somebody, and it's fun to have that support. And also even, you know, adults tend to be, parents tend to be accountability coaches. So that's the other thing that you kind of offer when you're when you're teaching a young person. So but yeah, we're, we're, we're excited. We're building this out, and we're pumped, and we can't wait to talk to you guys more about it as well, knowing that you also do business coaching, you (Lesley: Yeah) know, in a really, really unique way.Brad Crowell 26:49  Before we get into the fosterpreneur concept, which I think is really exciting. And I can't wait to hear more about the the adoption or the excitement of the customers looking at Barely Canadian. Do you think that the social aspect of the company as a whole and the story behind it are what are lighting people up? Or is it really like the sweaters are just that amazing? Or is it a combination of both?Kelly Slattery 27:22  I, okay, first of all, when people feel our product, they literally go, "Oh my God, this is so soft, relevant, soft and cozy, and the feeling of home." Right? Because we're all about finding forever home. So it's all about feeling at home. But I definitely think that our kind of unique proposition as it were, is that we are in fact, an authentic story. I mean, we we started this to teach the kids, we really are a foster adopt family. You know, coincidentally, Marisa is doing this documentary on foster care and learning so much about it. That she's she's feeling fired up. So, I think when we, I do think when we share the story of how we came to be, why we came to be which, if I might make mention, we're Barely Canadian, because I am always freezing this I kind of intimated off the top. But additionally, my husband was like you are, we just need to make you some summer mittens, summer sweaters for California summer, because (Brad laughs) you just cannot handle it. And that was that's our first product are these super soft sweaters and super soft mittens that Lesley was wearing. And she gave us this great line. She was like, "I've been smitten." You know and (Lesley, Marisa and Kelly laughs) "we're starting to use that. I love it." (Brad: That's funny.) But but I think all of those really authentic pieces make a difference that that is what makes us stand out. So in answer to your question, I think it is definitely those pieces folded in and presented in the package of real and heart directed, which is would you agree, Marissa?Marisa Polvino 28:50  Absolutely. Absolutely. I think you know, in talking about a crowded marketplace, like you know, there's a brand that continues to come up every time I'm not going to give them any kind of nod on this because it's all about Barely Canadian. But you know, there's the brands that come up and there's the cops. Like, well, is it this? Or does it fit like that? Or, (Brad: sure) you know, how much of it is sustainable? And there's, you know, all the things that come up and it's like we can, we are our brand. The it's super soft. It's very comfy. We're giving back to foster youth. We love it. You're gonna love it and it's for everybody. There's not just one demographic that's being targeted. Everybody wants to feel soft and cozy and warm and feel like family. (Lesley: Yeah) What the brand is all about.Lesley Logan 29:35  Your sweatshirts are unisexy. Correct? (Marisa: It's unisexy.) (Brad: Yeah, they are.) (Lesley and Brad laughs)Marisa Polvino 29:40  And luckily, it's okay for boys to wear rainbows today. (Lesley: Yeah.)Brad Crowell 29:45  So when, when I, when I first saw Barely Canadian, it was through I think an email or maybe it was a post by Stasia and I just clicked it and open it and I saw you know that you were I think I don't know if she was too talking about you or somehow I knew you were involved Kelly. And, and I just opened up your Instagram and I was looking at it. And I was like, "This is so cool," you know, and I was really connected to the colors of it. And I, you know, I saved it and I showed it to Lesley. And it wasn't for like another month that I actually looked at your website. And when I went to the website, I didn't actually know any of the story. And, and I, I started reading a little more, and I and I started to understand like, Oh, wow, it's, it says, it's almost as if the, the profit of it is was like the last thing. It wasn't driven by this idea of like, "I'm gonna start a business so I could go make money." Like it wasn't, it doesn't come across that way. And that was really interesting to me, as an entrepreneur who I've started, like, a lot of businesses to do exactly that. And and this was, was really a surprise. And then the more I started understanding, I thought what a cool example for, you know, some kids plus, you know, what a cool project to have with them. Because it made me then begin to wonder like, "Who built the website? Was it you or was it the kids?" Or like, "Who wrote the copy? Was it them?" Like, "Who picks the products? Was it them?" Obviously, they're in like the photos and they're trying the things on. I thought, "Man, this is a really interesting journey." And I think it's really amazing, you know, and when we got the products, I was like, "Okay, (Kelly laughs) alright, this is cool."Kelly Slattery 31:27  I love that observation, because I hadn't framed it that way before. But that is exactly how it happened. So I just love that. You're kind of helping us even understand what you're right. We kind of went backwards, right? We started with "Let's do this for the kids. We want to do something for the kids. Oh, right now, this is a business. How cool is that?" You know, and so no, I love that. I really appreciate that insight. You guys are very good at perspective, (Lesley laughs) marketing and cool things like the smittens. (Lesley: Yeah)Marisa Polvino 31:59  I think also like do the, you know, this is a new thing, as you're talking just about being being an entrepreneur. Right? And trying a lot of different businesses. I think a part of one is like, figuring out what is our competitive edge? We don't know. So it is, it's about trial and error, and getting products and maybe, you know, the rainbow on the back of this sweatshirt isn't big enough. So yesterday we were together. And how can we like augment, like turns into lemonade, right? It's not perfect, but let's make it, let's add to it. That just enhances kind of what our messaging is. Let's take it and evolve it and learn as we go. And we're like, "Oh, next time. We'll, we'll do it this way." But by the but then maybe the zippers won't be right. So then (Lesley: Well, so ...) figure out how to make the zippers right. And the whole thing is a good entrepreneur and building the business. It's like, shits gonna go wrong (Brad: Yeah) and have to pick up and roll roll with it and figure out how to make it right.Brad Crowell 32:55  And now you got a hundred sweaters that have the thing wrong. You're like, "Oh my God, what do we do with all these? We put the money in, we got to get rid of them somehow." (Marisa laughs) (Marisa: Yeah) Like, yeah, it's a journey.Lesley Logan 33:03  Yeah, I mean, we've we've gotten to the... what we do create product. And it's always, it's an interesting process, I'll say, but we around here like to say, "Perfect is Boring." And like all of our (Marisa laughs) all of our merch that says that people look at it weird because it's on backwards. And I was at the TSA (Lesley laughs) and I was like showing the guy my ID and he's like, looking at me and like, you never want the TSA guy to look at you funny. Like, that's not a good time. (Marisa laughs) And I was like, well, he goes, "What is your hat say?" And I was like, "Oh, it's like, perfect is boring, dude you had me scared." (Lesley laughs) It's like, "Oh my God, I'm getting pulled into a room." (Marisa: Yeah) Um, but but we say that be I say that because like, the rainbow might not be perfect. But like, is there a perfect rainbow? No, like, all the rainbows are different like, and I do think you know, what I love what you're talking about. I hope everyone who's listening is hearing this, they didn't actually have all of the plans in place. They're like, we love helping this group of people. We want to create something that helps this group of people. And we like soft things. So this is what we're gonna start with. And so like ... (Marisa laughs) I think ...Kelly Slattery 34:06  It's exactly it. (Kelly laughs) (Lesley: I think ...) (Marisa: And I'm always cold.)Lesley Logan 34:09  Yeah. You know, I've been wearing my spins around the house. And (Lesley laughs) I'm like, I'm like, "This is perfect because it's a Vegas house." It's either it's too cold, it's too cold. You have AC on or now it's, you know, 40 degrees outside. So, but I think people get stuck on why have to have it all figured out. I have to make sure I have all the things in place. And like, more now more than ever, I think it's actually just about getting started and, and putting the thing out there and hearing what the questions are because then you hear people go, well, you know, like, what's your, what's this is like this and then you can like, however you argue back or whatever you say back helps you identify another answer.Kelly Slattery 34:48  Yeah, no, it's so true. It's so true. And then it's funny because when we do introduce Kidsave and Echoes Of Hope to other organizations or companies like your incredible company, both of your companies and your multiple companies. It people are inspired and they want to get behind it, you guys made an actual substantial donation. You know, in December, it was really incredible. And so for us, that was our big we'd been alive for all of three months, we kicked off end of September, I had some serious health issues in October. And, and then, and then by December, we were able to donate to both, you know, nonprofits (Brad: Wow!) and but but but that was just one piece of it. But then you guys did this massive surprise of like, "What Kidsave? What oh Echos?" And giving these donations anyways, that that that those are the those the fields, that's what it's all about for us, you know. So you're right, when you're leading with, with with the heart, when you're leading with the true messaging purpose, and derivative of why this all began, that's when you'll always win. It's almost like when you're writing. Like in television, you have that log line. That log line is so hard to do, right? It's such a hard succinct thing to really pack everything into a sentence or two ...Brad Crowell 36:03  Yeah. As was I say for Tracy out there. (Lesley: I know ...) (Lesley laughs) I'm stealing, I'm stealing (Lesley: It's from Smartlace) from Smartlace here. (Lesley: for Tracy in Milwaukee) Explain to us what a logline is.Kelly Slattery 36:13  All right, let's talk to Tracy .... (Marisa: Let's talk Tracy Milwaukee. What do you want ...) Yeah. What's up Milwaukee? (Brad and Lesley laughs) As you're, as you're going along, it's always go back. What is that logline, you can't completely depart from that. And that's similar to if it's all about the heart, it's all about doing something that makes you feel like you're doing something right in this world. Stick with that, you know, always make certain you stay at the core of it. That's what is the goal because ...Brad Crowell 36:36  I think we would call our our listeners probably be more familiar with an elevator pitch where it's like, you know, (Marisa: Right) how do you explain it in one or two sentences?Lesley Logan 36:46  (Kelly: Right, right. Yeah and it's true.) I want it. So Marisa, you're working on a documentary? Is that how you got attracted to this particular cause? Or like, because I think, you know, you saw this and you're like, "I'm jumping on board with that." And I, and I want to point that out, because I do think sometimes people maybe don't know how to get become part of something. And so I want to kind of go into that, like, how did you go, "Okay, Kelly, I'm in." (Lesley laughs)Marisa Polvino 37:15  Um, well, one in terms of foster care in, in general, I've been watching Kelly and have gone to some of the fundraisers. And I've also been with her through this process of her adopting both of these kids. And it's really incredible, what, what it takes to become a foster parent. How, how much and how difficult if they don't make it easy. Right? And these kids are also coming from a place of trauma. And, and, in taking that in and taking that on is something really incredible. I think like I honor Kelly for creating such a beautiful warm home for both of these kids. And I think she's created that kind of a home for everybody that's in her life, right? She's has just the widest network and the most incredible group of friends and family and loved ones and created family that that surrounds her. So I've always been inspired by her. I mean Kelly changed my life and I know you (Marisa: Yeah, me too) know that. But you literally took me down a different path because of a text message from like, after like a year later, after we had met. Changed, literally, that's like a very defining moment ...I kind believe that. (Kelly: I love connecting. I love it.) Yeah, she's, she's really a wonderful, beautiful, powerful spirit. And we've been for years wanting to work on something. And it has always been in the film side and the content side. (Lesley: Yeah) Let's find a project to do together. And we have some projects that we've been dancing around for a really long time. And so just this the opportunity for Barely Canadian, you know, just to be with her and to help her I mean, started off with like, "Hey, let me just help you. I want to come help sell... sell a sweatshirts. And I love these, I want to promote it." And, and I'd also been thinking like, "What, what do I want to do ... in two years, three years in the making?" And of like, "What do I want to do in addition to being a filmmaker? I want to do something. I don't know what it is. I have all these skill sets. What do I want to do with it?" And when this popped up, it just was something that felt right. It felt something like I'm just just soulfully, naturally, authentically felt like something I wanted to become a part of. And we had already had this friendship and a shared vision and love of have the similar similar things, similar people. So that was an easy thing. In terms of making a film about foster care is. It's an overall series about the systemic issues that are contributing to the mental health crisis of our (Lesley: Yeah) youth today. And so we've already done two films. One of them was, "Have you, have the education system?" And the other one was "The pharmaceutical drug industry and the overprescribing of drugs for our youth today." And then, because of what Kelly was doing in foster care, we were like the foster care system is such a broken system. And it's a view of like, "What are we doing to our kids? (Lesley: Yeah) And how can we tell a story through the voice of a child," because all of these films are through the voice of kids, to let them share their experience and give them a voice, empower them to take control of their destinies. And so I think it all like I think everything was very symbiotic because that's the right word. (Brad: Right) (Lesley: Yeah) Like, is it all synergistic in terms of how it all happened. Lesley Logan 40:47  But I also just want to point out, in case someone, like, missed it. She'd been looking for something for a couple of years, she was like, "What (Marisa: Yeah) else am I doing?" And I think we get stuck on I don't know the answer, I need, like, need to like, and you I'm sure you weren't sitting around twiddling your thumbs, you were working, you're making these films and you but you had this question in your mind, "What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" And so then, when this came up, your body was like, "This, this is, this sounds really good. This feels really good." Oh, so it happens to be really soft. So, I think I thank you for sharing that.Marisa Polvino 41:17  So it was also... Can I just add like, it was also like it this is for everybody, cuz it gets like it can, you can start pulling your hair out. Like, "I want to do. I don't know what I want to do. I have to do something." But it was also like, "I want it to be a product, like a physical product that I can get behind and sell like a product that people are going to want, a product that people are going to need, a product that they don't even know that they need that they want." And when this happened, I was like, "This is so weird." Like, this is actually the product and I never viewed it as, "Oh, this is the product." It just felt like, "Oh, my God, light bulb. Hello." This is what you've been putting out to the universe, (Lesley: Yeah) energetically.Lesley Logan 41:57  Yeah. That's I mean, and that's just it goes back to what Kelly's saying earlier. It's like, the path will find you. Like it's okay, it's like you're not focused on it 24/7. It's going to find you. I have got chills. Ladies, you guys are... Your lines are friggin' amazing in powerhouses. And I, I have I cannot believe that Barely Canadian is only from September, I feel like I'm like this been around like, I'm in. (Lesley laughs)Kelly Slattery 42:18  I know, it's it's ... (Marisa: ... summer line) Yeah, we, um, we launched in September, by October, Nov... No by November, we had like a winter line. (Brad: Yeah) Let's get into the next season real quick. (Brad laughs) And it's been, it just kind of happened really quickly. It was so organic. It's really everybody's reaction to the product is really and it's not just the product. It's the, I daresay community, because we don't have that yet. We're so new, you guys have built this gorgeous community, you know, and you guys are so authentic with what you're doing. And I can't say we have a community yet, but we have, there's just an energy when people get engaged with us. (Lesley: Yeah) (Brad: Sure) And what we want to do, they want to also you know, participate and and so it's not, when you buy one of our products that that helps you know, a kid find a forever home. And that's a wonderful thing. But it's kind of, I don't know, where I don't know how or why. And this isn't speaking very much to what you're trying to kind of touch on because, you know, you're trying to help people understand how to get to where they need to go. Right? And so, so just kind of letting it be and whatever it's going to become, I feel what it's going to become, I just can't name it yet, right. But I do hope it's the kind of community that you guys have. It's just so flush and full of heart and authenticity.Lesley Logan 43:35  I think that you actually just explained what I'm trying to help people do. So you're literally being it till you see it meaning, you're just being you're you're the love, you're the drive, you're the, you're the feeling you want people to have around you, you're already doing that and tell we see where this is going. So actually think you're exactly what I want people to hear, what exactly what I want people to see because sometimes it's not as easy as acting like a CEO, you know, sometimes as easy as acting like, you know, you are the business owner. Sometimes it is a little bit more complex, a little convoluted, but you have the passion, the story and the love. And you're you're literally just being all of those things to see what comes next. What comes next for Barely Canadian? What comes next for all these charities and these kids? And so I thank you for (Lesley laughs) for sharing that because like I said what I hear I don't know, Brad, what do you think?Brad Crowell 44:25  Yeah. Well, and also I think we haven't touched on the fosterprenuer bit. So I think we're gonna have to have you back on to dive into that a little more, you know, down the road. But you know, I think well, I'm going to ask Lesley's question here. We ask every guest this, if you were to give our listeners one or two BE IT action items. BE IT being bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items that you have been doing or that you have tips for them when you were starting this pro... you know, Barely Canadian. What would you offer them?Kelly Slattery 45:10  For me, be bold, is just be you, you know. You can't, you can't please everybody all the time, let alone every time, let alone any time. So do the best you can and be you. I always like to reference that, as I always put the great American poets Nikki - "You do you," you know. You do you, I mean, the most kind of perhaps ill equipped person to give life advice at that time when this girl (Lesley laughs) was on Jersey shores. But nonetheless, that is the most succinct way I could think of, you know, to how to live your life. But I would also say, you know, my dad always said, "The harder you work, the luckier you get." And that's what you tend to find, you know, in Canada, where we like to align ourselves with our great hero - Terry Fox, and you just kind of put your head down and work. And when you look up, you're often surprised what you built, you know, but just focus on what you're doing, put your head down and do the work. And every time you look up, you're going to be shocked, like, "Wow, and now we're here." This whole working thing, this diligence, this, just focusing on the task at hand really works.Lesley Logan 46:17  That's so true.Marisa Polvino 46:19  Love that. I love your snooky. Something that I think about often is this quote, "Fear Eats the Soul." And so I think a lot about that, because it can be really scary to start something new, and put yourself out there. And so I always put fear in the back in my back pocket. So that would be one thing I would say is, "Don't let fear guide you." It's a false narrative. Show up. That's the first step. Just show up. Show up for yourself and follow your gut. And stay true to your vision. Like persistence of vision is there and allow yourself to fall down, make mistakes, learn from, learn from the mistakes and just keep showing up every single day.Brad Crowell 47:05  I already feels like that's been happening with Barely Canadian in such a good way because of the way it's taking shape. It's really exciting.Lesley Logan 47:15  Yeah, and that's so beautiful. Just I mean like that, just like put your, put your stuff at the market, go to the thing, like get in the room like (Lesley laughs) (Kelly: Yeah) sometimes the universe ...Marisa Polvino 47:25  It's the people that show up, that win. Truly most people don't show up.Kelly Slattery 47:30  Yeah, just like buying a scratch and win. (Lesley and Kelly laughs)Lesley Logan 47:36  Oh my gosh. Ladies, okay, real quick. Where can people find you? On Instagram, it's @barelycanadian?Kelly Slattery 47:43  So at @barelycanadian on Instagram. I'm at @kellyslattery but really I just care about at @barelycanadian and then barelycanadian.com is our website. And if you happen to spell it with a bear instead of a bear so b e a r versus b a r e l y. Don't worry, you'll still land with us. We still will catch you. We got you. (Lesley laughs)Lesley Logan 48:04  Way to, way to grab the URLs. And Marisa, you're @marisapalvino at Instagram, on Instagram?Marisa Polvino 48:10  Yeah, in Instagram and at @straightupimpact.Lesley Logan 48:14  Okay, I'm with Brad we're having you back. We'll have to do the fosterpreneur and and just also here like what's going on because, um, y'all we are very much going to be involved with these women and what they're doing... I'm really, there's it's so many different passions and impacts I've wanted to make in this planet that you know, not always teaching Pilates can help. (Lesley laughs) So being involved in different ways and collaborating is huge and, and we'll share those things as they come up. But um, definitely take the, check out the links in the show notes. And check out Barely Canadian and grab yourself some smittens and a summer sweater and, and y'all until next time, Be It Till You See It.Marisa Polvino 48:51  Be It Till You See It. (Brad: Bye now.)Kelly Slattery 48:53  Be It Till You See It. Thank you.Marisa Polvino 48:55  Thank you so much. Bye.Lesley Logan 48:58  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day!'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'.Brad Crowell 49:31  It's written produced, filmed and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.Lesley Logan 49:42  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.Brad Crowell 49:46  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 49:55  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all video each week so you can.Brad Crowell 50:07  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode 50?? Wow! Thanks for joining us on this journey so far! Today Brad and Lesley recap her freeing interview with Emily Coffman, covering everything from the "domino approach" to how to start without the commitment. Sprinkled in is some Thanksgiving traditions and why to say "thank you" to yourself.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co .And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Thanksgiving traditionsdrinking cavitiesSaying thank you to yourselfTransitioning your competitive nature into something else after sports"It" might look a little different than you thought (and that's OK!)The domino approach to your dayWhatever you've been putting off... start it today!Start WITHOUT the commitmentEpisode References/Links:Home For The Holidays (movie)Emily Coffman's podcast, Live Your Personal BestElite to Everyday Athlete: 9 Steps to Getting Off the SIDELINES of Life, by Emily CoffmanMichael Phelps' Documentary, The Weight of GoldIf you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookTik TokLinkedIn Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:01  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring Bold, Executable Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:46  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co hosts in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the freeing convo I had with Emily Coffman in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now, go back and listen to that one. And then come back and join us here. Because this is episode 50.Brad Crowell 1:04  50! (Lesley: What?) (Brad laughs) That's kind of insane.Lesley Logan 1:08  I ... nuts. (Brad: Yeah) Insane.Brad Crowell 1:11  Yeah. We're at like five months, I guess.Lesley Logan 1:14  Yeah, I think so.Brad Crowell 1:15  June, July, August, September ... Six months.Lesley Logan 1:19  What? Oh, my gosh. Well, (Brad: How ... is that?) there it is. So, um, y'all, we turned 50 because of you. I mean ...Brad Crowell 1:25  We at least 25 weeks if we did two per week. So yeah.Lesley Logan 1:28  Yeah. Good job, good using your math. So ...Brad Crowell 1:30  That's how I do. (Lesley: That's great) Six, six months and change.Lesley Logan 1:33  So it's episode 50. And unlike other podcasts, where they are perfectly aligned with knowing what number they're at, and they have edited all the best of their first 50 episodes, we've done none of that for you. In fact, we're just gonna do enough more episode. But we ...Brad Crowell 1:50  Oh like like recapping greatest hits (Lesley: Yeah, we do) from our episodes.Lesley Logan 1:53  So let us know if you want that for episode 100 or 75. Or just if that matters to you, like we want to know. I mean, we might probably do that because it is kind of fun. But that requires a producer which we are in the process of onboarding. So we will see what she has the ...Brad Crowell 2:09  It also requires a dog not whimpering in the background because he wants to go for a walk.Lesley Logan 2:14  Oh my God, he's an hour or oh, we fell back.Brad Crowell 2:17  Oh (Lesley: So he's ...) they're on time.Lesley Logan 2:20  He's on time. (Brad laughs) Oh ... what's wrong with these dogs. Y'all, these dogs are like, trying to get our attention. They're like army crawling across the floor. But they clearly don't know it's episode 50. (Brad: Oh, yeah) 50, 50, 50. So anyways, just can I just say big thanks to each one of you who listens to this podcast, because otherwise we be talk... talking in a dark void to the ethers. But I know you listen to this. And your share ...Brad Crowell 2:46  We know that you know, because you chat to us on the Gram. (Lesley: The @be_it_pod and at ...) So thanks for that.Lesley Logan 2:52  And at my personal Instagram and just all that. So thank you so much. Thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends. Thank you for your written reviews. Keep them coming if you haven't written one, and, you know, keep Being It Till You See It. Happy 50th episode. (Brad: Whoa!) Okay, what's our audience question this week, Babe?Brad Crowell 3:07  All right, I think that it's time appropriate here. What are your Thanksgiving traditions? (Lesley: I know) For those of you who live in the United States, we obviously celebrate Thanksgiving in November ... Lesley Logan 3:17  Yeah. Canada already had their Thanksgiving. (Brad: Yeah) And I don't know if anyone else has something similar. So if you do (Brad: Couldn't tell you) let us know what the name of that is. We'll forget but it's nice to know what's going on up there. And we'd love to know your tradition. So, um, you know, I grew up going to my dad's family's house for Thanksgiving, sometimes. And sometimes I went to my mom's Thanksgiving house. And let me just tell you a little difference, just so you could understand the life I grew up in. So my dad's family has like traditions with Thanksgiving like the same person made the stuffing and the same person made the turkey and like everyone had the dish was like, couldn't have been more perfect with the football games in the background. And like don't interrupt the games and we ate at a specific time because it was like with whatever the I don't even understand it all. But then there was that, right. And then my mom's family, whatever they want for Thanksgiving. I'm not really sure how they won but somehow ended up at their house. This was a Raley's dinner. So they would go to the grocery store. And they would get the dinner and they would make it and I will never ... do all you know what do you call it Martinelli's. What's that sparkling? (Brad: Yeah, yeah. The apple ...) This sparkling an apple. It's like so much sugar. It's like ... (Brad: It's just like drinking syrup.) It's like drinking cavity. It's like putting cavities in your mouth as you drink it. (Brad laughs) Anyways, so my grandparents like had the plastic, you know, fancy shampoo ... (Brad: Oh) you know when the ones you put the top to the bottom, the top to the bottom on ...Brad Crowell 4:40  Yeah. And when they fall apart while they have liquid in them, it doesn't go well.Lesley Logan 4:44  Well, how did you know because they did it throughout all the Thanksgiving plate. So the turkey ended up floating in Martinelli's. And anyway, so do I have Thanksgiving traditions as an adult? No, no, I do not.Brad Crowell 4:58  I have a story to share ... Well, Thanksgiving traditions is definitely how I got in with your family.Lesley Logan 5:07  Oh, yes because there was this one favorite dish ...Brad Crowell 5:10  Because there was this one recipe. It was grandma's recipe. It was an artichoke recipe. (Lesley: Like a torta. An artichoke torte) It was an artichoke torte. And, and no one in the family had the recipe (Lesley: I have it) except for Lesley had it.Lesley Logan 5:22  I also have the chocolate cake recipe.Brad Crowell 5:24  And she never talked about it. She never told anybody. (Lesley: No) And then the first year that I went to the family dinner that I didn't know anybody. I made grandma's artichoke torte recipe and everyone freaked out. They are all like, "Where did you got ..."Lesley Logan 5:39  Tears everywhere ... tears.Brad Crowell 5:40  Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So I made it for a number of years in a row. And that became my dish that I had to make. (Lesley: Yeah) Until we stopped going to Northern California for Thanksgiving altogether ...Lesley Logan 5:50  Because we stopped. Because traditions are also made to be broken. Y'all, like, let me just tell you the pressure of making this artichoke thing and also the nine hour drive that should only be five hours. (Brad: Yeah) it just became a lot. So our Thanksgiving tradition has been the last several years. We sit at home. (Brad: Yeah) And we make our list of things we've been wanting to buy. And we enjoy every single sale online. We are big on it. And then we make up the list of things that we need to buy for the holidays. And we watch Home For The Holidays. Which you're freakin' welcome. Best holiday movie ever made. I promise you it's 90s glorious in it's and it's prime.Brad Crowell 6:30  But we might we might start some new things here because we now have had some family move to town. Ah, so we shall see ...Lesley Logan 6:36  Well, my brother already was here. So in full, like, we have to give him props. He brought us here. (Brad: That's true.) Then my dad came. (Brad: Yeah.) And so I think this will be the first Thanksgiving in a long time we will listen to football games on an iPad cuz we don't own a TV. (Brad: Yeah.) And we (Brad: That's true) my dad suggested Chinese food. So (Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 6:56  Love it. I'm so in on that. That's amazing. (Brad laughs)Lesley Logan 7:00  So, we're maybe this year is the start of new traditions. At any rate, whatever you do for Thanksgiving, please remember to be grateful for what you've done for yourself. (Brad: Yeah) And you can also be grateful for what others have done. But I think often we do not say thank you to ourselves. So please give yourself some gratitude because you are amazing and you're here because of you. And then also to take care of those in your life and give them big hugs this Thanksgiving. Okay, or if it's Thursday, where you are and not a holiday at all. Be grateful for what you've done for you. (Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 7:31  Okay, now let's talk about Emily Coffman.Lesley Logan 7:34  I know, she's so cool ...Brad Crowell 7:36  Emily Coffman is the fastest growing advocate for athlete wellness in life after sports. She's a former NCAA division one athlete, creator of the top one 1% health and fitness podcast, Live Your Personal Best. And she's the author of Elite to Everyday Athlete. She educates and encourages others on how to live their best and healthiest lives.Lesley Logan 7:58  Yeah, I, I find I I met her randomly, like on a zoom call. So weird. And then she reached out to me in a random email from a different site. And we ended up on a podcast for her podcast, I'm looking at her face and like, "I've seen this girl before." And then when we were done recording, I'm like, "Were you on this such and such zoom call?" And she's like, "Yeah," and I was like, "That's hilarious." And so you know, the world is small. But I think that's really cool. Her book is really great and I really do... There's a lot of conversation about elite athletes becoming you know, everyday people. And there's a lot of pressure and a lot of ...Brad Crowell 8:36  Especially after the Olympics, this past (Lesley: Oh my Gosh) you know, this past Olympics.Lesley Logan 8:40  Y'all, if you haven't watched Michael Phelps' documentary, it's going to depress you. But it's also like so, so important, because if you are ... (Brad: It's called "The Weight of Gold") Yeah, if you are raising children, or if you have an elite athlete in your life, there is this like expectation hangover that happens. And I think it's just really important. So I'm really grateful that she wrote this book, because I think it really does help people who maybe didn't make it all the way to the pros, or maybe they didn't make it there, have some sort of structure and ideas of how they can funnel that energy and that commitment.Brad Crowell 9:10  Whether or not you made it all the way to the pros is irrelevant. If you've dedicated your life to becoming an athlete and did that from you know, like t-shirt league through college and then maybe even beyond, (Lesley: t-shirt league?) yeah, you know, when you're like six, right? (Lesley: Oh ... t-shirt on a Jersey got it ...) Yeah. So, you know, the point is, if you've lived your entire life that way, that transition for like, suddenly it's over and you're like, "Um, I guess I'm not going to play competitively anymore because of..." whatever the thing might be. And so but how do you how do you like take that, that intensity that you had brought to your sport, and transition that into another activity in your life and find fulfillment in it? So, you know, that's, I think that's exciting. That's kind of what her book is about. And, and anyway, we're excited (Lesley: Yeah) the book is out. It is now out as of the last episode, I think at the beginning of last episode, we didn't know if it was out yet, but towards the end we realized yeah, by the time the episode was airing, it was gonna be out (Lesley: Yeah) so you can find it. The link is in the show notes.Lesley Logan 10:18  Yeah, it's out now. Sorry, y'all, we interview some of these people way back in the day, and now they're coming out. It's just how it goes. Welcome to the podcast world, I'm always shocked. Lesley Logan 10:29  Anyways, I think that brings me to something I like that she said it might look a little different than you thought and that's okay. And for my recovering perfectionist and overachievers. And those of you who haven't yet put recovered in, in front of those two words. This is so important. This is something that's so it's still so hard for me. It's still something I'm still practicing. Because I also have a team who does things for me. So I'll tell them something, and then it comes out. And sometimes it looks different in the best way and sometimes looks different in the "Oh my God, I'm gonna cry way," and, and it's okay! It's okay, because it's really, really important that we get, we do things so we can get to the next step. And not try to like, just continue to mold it till it looks exactly the way you thought because you know what I didn't, I had no clue that I would live in Vegas. Be married to a musician and have three dogs, two of which are like really trying to go for a walk right now. (Brad: Yeah) So ...Brad Crowell 11:27  I have a head on my leg. (Lesley: Yeah, yeah) He's staring at me forlornly. (Lesley: I know.) Yeah. But you know, it's funny. I think that I one of my recent rel... relation connections to, to what you're saying is when we hired the artists to paint our mural in the back. (Lesley: I know) And you know, it was lovely ...Lesley Logan 11:49  I really, we wanted her to do what she already did.Brad Crowell 11:54  Well, so we hired her to paint this mural that we designed with her and she started off she said, "I think it's going to take me about a week." We're like, "Okay," and because it's hot here she decided she wanted to start at like 9pm. And she would work until two in the morning. And so, I mean, I my guess would be four five nights, she spent five plus hours on it. So 25 hours or so. And, you know, I mean, it's a it's beautiful, it's lovely. But the last night, I was watching her nitpick. Right? Noodle the ... (Brad laughs) Sorry ...Lesley Logan 12:29  Sorry. August is losing his mind. He wants the blue cheese bottle ...Brad Crowell 12:34  I was watching, I was watching her nitpick the colors on the wall. And she, you know, she would go in. She would "pssht" and then she would back up and then she would go in and "pssht" write and we started we started a conversation "pssht" (Lesley: Spray paint) Yeah, that's a spray paint "pssht" That's what that means. And the we we started a conversation about that. And she said, "You know, I really could, I really could stay here and keep tweaking this forever because I'm never satisfied. I can always see, I can always spot something else that could be better, could be, you know, adjusted, or, or whatever." You know, and she and I started to talk about music being similar to that where you can always noodle with a song a little more or make the lyrics a little better, adjust the production, whatever. And but there comes a point where you have to go, "Okay, I'm putting it out into the world now." It is, it is as good as it should be. It is as good as it needs to be. You know, and provided that something catastrophic isn't tied to your work, like, you know, then then you can you can feel satisfied.Lesley Logan 13:42  If you are a surgeon listening to this, please do the best you freakin' can always but if you are not ... (Brad: Right) You know, I just think, "Done is better than perfect" and ... (Brad: Right) Also, you will always be able to see those things. I can't see the things that that she could "pssht" more on...Brad Crowell 13:42  Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I look at it on websites, too. Like there comes a point where I'm like, "Oh my God, like we need to stop because I'll just nitpick this to death."Lesley Logan 14:09  Yeah. So, you know, I think that for those of you who practice Pilates, the beautiful thing is quality over quantity. And yes, you could always do an exercise better, but that's what the next rep is for. And if you hit three reps and you still haven't gotten there, move on, because that's what the next time is for. So anyways, I hope that ... helps you get your shit done.Brad Crowell 14:30  So, I really loved what she was talking about when she said the domino approach. I thought this was really clever. And I almost named the entire podcast after this, this conversation, or the episode I mean, because she was talking about how you you pick one thing in your day, and that's the top domino the first domino and she said it's better ... She she prefers to start with the first domino, then try to make you know, starting with like, all the dominoes at the same time where she's like, "I have to do these 75 things tomorrow," you know, and instead she said, "I start with one and that one domino for me is my workout." And she said, "When I work out, then all the things topple after it in a positive way," after she works out, she gets a shower, then she can feel refreshed. And then she goes and gets her coffee. And then she does this and then she whatever. You know, and it becomes this marker that you can use if you know what your first domino is, and what you were talking about last episode was your workout when we travel. So you know, she starts, you start you were talking about you're waking up with the sun when we travel. And basically, you know how that can how you get your workout in. And that will allow you to still have a solid day even though you don't have the rest of your normal morning routine. (Lesley: Yeah) And I just thought that was clever to think about it that way. Like the domino approach, because I don't actually, I don't really have a marker in my mor... in my day, in my morning. That's like, "Okay, cool. Now I can, you know, now the rest of my day is going to follow."Lesley Logan 16:14  I mean, your coffee. I think I mean ...Brad Crowell 16:16  Yeah. Okay, I coffee. That's true.Lesley Logan 16:18  Well, I will you know, there's very interesting actually, because Amy Ledin who is one of our original, like, first guests, who is a dear friend of ours. She recently put a post on her podcast when for like five minute downloads, which is like, "Don't hit snooze in the morning." And so for those of you who wake up to an alarm clock, if you refuse to hit snooze, by, like, by committing to waking up when you said you're gonna wake up, it is a domino effect of competence in your day that you keep commitments to yourself. And so I think that just goes along with this. Like, it doesn't have to be a workout. It can just be something small that you do every every morning that you're like, "Okay, this, this sets the domino, have an amazing day." You know, BJ Fogg has his Maui habit where he puts his feet on the ground and goes, "Today's gonna be an amazing day." And then he celebrates that right? So it could be your workout like, it's for me and Emily, I, I definitely beat the sun this past week with the fallback, I'm gonna be honest. I was ... an hour before the sun. So there's that and that was amazing. But find something to be your domino, give it the name of the domino and let us know how that goes ... (Brad: Love that.) Okay.Brad Crowell 17:31  So let's talk about the BE IT action items that you discussed with Emily Coffman. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items, can we take away from your convo with her?Lesley Logan 17:40  I'm going first. (Brad: Do it.) My biggest takeaway is whatever that one thing is you've been wanting to do. Maybe you've been putting it off or you don't feel ready for it yet. She says, "Just go for it now." And y'all, I mean, could we not pick a better BE IT action item for Be It Till You See It podcast. (Brad: I know) I was like, "Ah, yeah. Hired you want to host with me? Okay." (Brad laughs) Because y'all, I swear to you, life is really really really is like trying on a pair of new jeans and you're wondering if they're in style or not. I was just opening up one of my emails and there's this like high waisted baggy jeans. (Hello, 90s.) It made me think of Sister Act 2, you know, Lauryn Hill, and those baggy jeans. And I was like, "Look at those jeans, maybe I need those jeans." Here's the deal, because I'm not going to do put those jeans on my vision board and hope that those jeans someday they are on my body, I'm going to go try the jeans on and see if they look good or not before I find after them. Too often, we're like, "Someday, one day. I will, when I have this. I'm gonna do. Blah, blah, blah." Do the thing and see what happens. Just see what happens. You may go, "Oh my God, I hate that." And I don't know maybe these jeans I'm gonna hate but we're gonna find out because I'm going to order them and try them on. (Brad laughs) Alright, what's your BE IT items? (Lesley laughs)Brad Crowell 18:54  That is amazing. All right, so just kind of actually hand in hand with that. You can just start now, start basically she was talking about how you don't have to make it this massive mountain of a thing. You can start now start without the pressure, start without the commitment and just start just because you're interested in it. (Lesley: Yeah) And I thought wow, that is a that's really interesting. I remember I mean think back to when we were teenagers or in middle school or whatever. And you know, we we liked music or we liked art or we like sports or whatever and we're like reading or like video games whatever it is you you ended up dedicating more time to because you enjoyed it not for any other reason becau... just because you dug it. And so when it comes to this bigger stuff, I know that we have finite amount of time, but maybe you know it's maybe you wanted to learn sign language. Start! You know, maybe you wanted to learn another like spoken language, maybe you whatever maybe you wanted to, you know, start building a studio in your house, maybe you know, whatever it is, you know, (Lesley: Yeah) you can start it without the pressure and what she was talking about, (Sorry to cut you off.) She said she started her podcast this way. And, you know, half dozen episodes in she was like, "Actually, I love it. I'm gonna keep doing it."Lesley Logan 20:16  Yeah, well, and I think like also without the pressure, it's like, you don't have to go, "Okay, I'm going to like learn sign language and I'm going to teach it in front of like, the entire city" and go, "I'm just gonna like, put go on YouTube and like start it and see if I like it and see if it's good." And just keep the pressure off of it because it's way more fun. Like, especially what you brought when you were kids. We, we didn't go, "Oh my God, when I am the star pitcher of a team," we like went out and pitch with our friends. Like ...(Brad: Right) and maybe you thought someday, "I'm gonna be the star pitcher." But you didn't go, "Oh my God, I can't throw this pitch until I'm the star pitcher." (Brad: Right) That doesn't happen when you're like take ... be a child when it comes to things people because (Brad: Also to you know ...) the way more fun.Brad Crowell 20:58  Think about especially the athletes in the room. I would bet any amount of money that you didn't just pick one you were like and baseball and then next to soccer and then next is you know, track and then next is volleyball and then next is and then it was cycle back and forth and back and forth. And there came a point where you were like, "I'm just not into you know, baseball, I would rather focus on..." whatever.Lesley Logan 21:20  Yeah, my Dad put me in every sport hoping that I would get a scholarship. I did not, (Brad laughs) I'm not that athletic, but there was not a lot of pressure on any of it and that's what made it really fun. (Brad: That's good) So anyways, I just really enjoyed her, her outlook on all this and I really excited about her book that it's out there and I hope y'all enjoyed this. (Brad: Awesome.) Okay, well, I'm Lesley Logan.Brad Crowell 21:43  And I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 21:44  Thank you so much for joining us today. We are so grateful, like so grateful for you. So keep us posted on how you're using these tips in your life by screenshotting of this episode. Tag us and the @be_it_pod and our guest and let us know how you are using these takeaways in your life. And until next time, Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell 22:02  Cheers.Lesley Logan 22:04  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And, follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others BE IT TILL YOU SEE IT. Have an awesome day!Lesley Logan 22:33  'Be It Til You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'.Brad Crowell 22:37  It's written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 22:44  Kevin and Bel at Disenyo handle all of our audio editing and some social media content.Brad Crowell 22:50  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 22:59  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all the video each week so you can.Brad Crowell 23:10  And the Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Brad: If 20 dozen alien races arrive on their beautiful ships, and they are all what we would refer to as straight, there's no fluidity among the genders, how would that impact your view of yourself? Jaye: I'm out. I would just take a ship, and I would fly away. Brad: But they wouldn't let you on the ship, because… Jaye: No, they would. They would, though. Brad: How? Jaye: … I'm very charismatic.

About BradAuthor and Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg TechnologyBrad Stone is the author of four books, including Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire,published by Simon & Schuster in May 2021. It traces the transformation of Amazon into one of the largest and most feared companies of the world and the accompanying emergence of Jeff Bezos as the richest man alive. Brad is also the author of The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, which chronicled the foundational early years of the company and its founder. The book, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, was translated into more than 35 languages and won the 2013 Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. In 2017, he also published The Upstarts: Uber, Airbnb, and the Battle for the New Silicon Valley.Brad is Senior Executive Editor for Global Technology at Bloomberg Newswhere he oversees a team of 65 reporters and editors that covers high-tech companies, startups, cyber security and internet trends around the world. Over the last ten years, as a writer for Bloomberg Businessweek, he’s authored over two dozen cover stories on companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Softbank, Twitter, Facebook and the Chinese internet juggernauts Didi, Tencent and Baidu. He’s a regular contributor to Bloomberg’s technology newsletter Fully Charged, and to the daily Bloomberg TV news program, Bloomberg Technology. He was previously a San Francisco-based correspondent for The New York Times and Newsweek. A graduate of Columbia University, he is originallyfrom Cleveland, Ohio and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wifeand three daughtersLinks: The Everything Store: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Store-Jeff-Bezos-Amazon/dp/0316219282/ Amazon Unbound: https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Unbound-Invention-Global-Empire/dp/1982132612/ Andy Jassy book review: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1Q4CQQV1ALSN0/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00FJFJOLC TranscriptAnnouncer: Hello, and welcome to Screaming in the Cloud with your host, Chief Cloud Economist at The Duckbill Group, Corey Quinn. This weekly show features conversations with people doing interesting work in the world of cloud, thoughtful commentary on the state of the technical world, and ridiculous titles for which Corey refuses to apologize. This is Screaming in the Cloud.Corey: This episode is sponsored in part by Thinkst. This is going to take a minute to explain, so bear with me. I linked against an early version of their tool, canarytokens.org in the very early days of my newsletter, and what it does is relatively simple and straightforward. It winds up embedding credentials, files, that sort of thing in various parts of your environment, wherever you want to; it gives you fake AWS API credentials, for example. And the only thing that these things do is alert you whenever someone attempts to use those things. It’s an awesome approach. I’ve used something similar for years. Check them out. But wait, there’s more. They also have an enterprise option that you should be very much aware of canary.tools. You can take a look at this, but what it does is it provides an enterprise approach to drive these things throughout your entire environment. You can get a physical device that hangs out on your network and impersonates whatever you want to. When it gets Nmap scanned, or someone attempts to log into it, or access files on it, you get instant alerts. It’s awesome. If you don’t do something like this, you’re likely to find out that you’ve gotten breached, the hard way. Take a look at this. It’s one of those few things that I look at and say, “Wow, that is an amazing idea. I love it.” That’s canarytokens.org and canary.tools. The first one is free. The second one is enterprise-y. Take a look. I’m a big fan of this. More from them in the coming weeks.Corey: This episode is sponsored in part by VMware. Because let’s face it, the past year hasn’t been kind to our AWS bills, or honestly any cloud bills. The pandemic had a bunch of impacts: it forced us to move workloads to the cloud sooner than we would have otherwise, we saw strange patterns such as user traffic drops off but infrastructure spend doesn’t. What do you do about it? Well, the CloudLIVE 2021 virtual conference is your chance to connect with people wrestling with the same type of thing, be they practitioners, vendors in the space, leaders of thought—ahem, ahem—and get some behind the scenes look into various ways different companies are handling this. Hosted by CloudHealth by VMware on May 20, the CloudLIVE 2021 conference will be 100% virtual and 100% free to attend, so you really have no excuses for missing out on this opportunity to deal with people who care about cloud bills. Visit cloudlive.com/coreyto learn more and save your virtual seat today. That’s cloud L-I-V-E slash Corey. C-O-R-E-Y. Drop the E, we’re all in trouble. My thanks to VMware for sponsoring this ridiculous episode.Corey: Welcome to Screaming in the Cloud. I’m Corey Quinn. Sometimes people tell me that I should write a book about Amazon. And that sounds awful. But to be sure, today, my guest is Brad Stone, someone who has written not one, but two books about Amazon, one of which coming out on May 11th, or as most of you will know while listening to this, today. Brad, thanks for joining me.Brad: Corey, thanks for having me.Corey: So, what on earth would inspire you to not just write a book about one of what is in many ways an incredibly secretive company, but then to go back and do it again?Brad: Yeah. I’m a glutton for punishment. And Corey, my hair right now is completely white way before it should be, and I think that Amazon might be responsible for some of that. So, as you contemplate your own project, consider that this company—will you already know: it can age you. They are sometimes resistant to scrutiny.So, to answer your question, I set out to write The Everything Store back in 2011, and this was a much smaller company. It was a cute little tiny internet company of about $100 billion in market value. And poor, impoverished Jeff Bezos maybe had, I’d be guessing maybe $50 billion.So anyway, it was a much different time. And that was a great experience. The company was kind of flowering as the book came out. And to my surprise, it was embraced not by Bezos or the management team, who maybe we’ll talk about didn’t love it, but by Amazon employees, and customers, and competitors, and prospective employees. And I was really proud of it that this had become a kind of definitive account of the early years of the company.And then a funny thing happened. The little cute little internet company became a juggernaut, a $1.5 trillion market cap. Bezos is the wealthiest guy in the world now with a $200 billion fortune, and Alexa, and the rise of AWS, and the Go store, and incursions into India and Mexico and other countries, I mean, so much had changed, and my definitive history felt a little out of date. And so back in 2017—also a different world, Bezos is a happily married man; he’s the CEO of Amazon, Amazon’s headquarters are in Seattle only—I set out to research and write Amazon Unbound. And as I was writing the story, yeah, just, like, the ground kept shifting under my feet.Corey: Not a lot changes in the big sphere. I mean, one of the things that Bezos said is, “Oh, what’s going to be different in 10 years? I think the better question is, ‘what’s going to not be different in 10 years?’” but watching the company shift, watching it grow, just from the outside has been a real wild ride, I’ve got to say. And I restrict myself primarily to the AWS parts because well, there’s too much to cover if you go far beyond that, and two, it’s a very different place with very different challenges around it.I viewed The Everything Store when it came out and I read that, almost like it was a biography of Jeff Bezos himself. And in some respects, Amazon Unbound feels like it hews in that direction as well, but it also goes beyond that. How do you approach separating out the story of Amazon from the story of Jeff Bezos?Brad: Yeah, you’re putting your finger on almost the core challenge, and the adjoining challenge, which is how do you create a narrative, a linear story? Often readers want a chronological story out of a miasma of overlapping events, and initiatives, and challenges. Amazon’s really decentralized; everything is happening at once. Bezos is close to some things, he was very close to Alexa. He is really distant from other things.Andy Jassy for years had a lot of independence to run AWS. So, how do you tell that story, and then keep Bezos in the center? I mean, Andy Jassy and Jeff Wilke and everyone, I mean, those are great business people. Not necessarily dynamic personalities as, Corey, you know well, but people want to read about Jeff Bezos. He is a larger-than-life figure.He’s a pioneer. He’s an innovator. He’s controversial. And so the challenge all along is to, kind of, keep him in the center. And so that’s just, like, a writing challenge. It’s a narrative challenge.And the lucky thing is that Amazon does tend to orbit around Jeff Bezos’s brain. And so in all the storytelling, even the AWS bits of the book, which we can talk about, as an author, you can always bring Bezos back just by following the facts. You’ll eventually get, in the evolution of any story, to an S Team meeting, or to an acquisition discussion where Jeff had an impact, said something insightful, walked out of a meeting, raise the bar, had impossibly high standards. So, the last thing I’ll say is, because Amazon’s so decentralized, when you write these books you have to talk to a lot of people. And then you get all the pieces of the puzzle, and you start to assemble them, and the challenge as a writer is to, kind of, keep Bezos, your main character in the lens at all times, never let him drift too far out.Corey: One of the things that I learned from it was just the way that Bezos apparently talks to his senior executives, as far as, “I will invest in this project, more than you might think I would.” I guess I’ve never really heard of a budget meeting talking about, “I”—in the first person—“Will invest.” Like, that is what happens, but for some reason the business books never put it quite that starkly or frame it quite that way. But in hindsight, it made a lot of things of my own understanding of Amazon fall into place. That makes sense.Brad: He’s got a lot of levers, ways in which he’ll back a new initiative or express his support. And one of them is simply how he spends his time. So, with Alexa in the early years, he would meet once or twice a week with that team. But another lever is just the amount of investment. And oftentimes teams will come to him—the India team is a great example—they’ll come to the S Team with a budget, and they’ll list out their priorities and their goals for the coming year, and he’ll say, “You know, you’re thinking about this all wrong. Don’t constrain yourself. Tell us what the goals are, tell us what the opportunity is, then we’ll figure out how much it costs.”And his mindset is like you can kind of break up opportunity into two categories: one are the land grabs, the big immediate opportunities where he will go all out, and India was a great example of that, I think the failed fire phone was another example, Prime Video, he doesn’t cap the investment, he wants to win. And then there are the more greenfield opportunities that he thinks he can go slower on and groceries for a long time was in that category. And there the budgets might be more constrained. The other example is the much older businesses, just like the retail business. That’s 20 years old—I have a chapter about that—and the advertising business, and he recognized that the retail business wasn’t profitable and it was depending on advertising as a crutch, and he blew it up because he thinks that those older divisions shouldn’t require investment; they should be able to stand on their own.Corey: One quote you had as well, that just really resonated with me, as far as basically my entire ethos of how I make fun of Amazon is—and I’m going to read the excerpt here. My apologies. You have to listen to your own words being read back toward you—Brad: [laugh].Corey: These were typically Amazonian names: geeky, obscure, and endlessly debated inside AWS since—according to an early AWS exec—Bezos had once mused, “You know, the name is about 3% of what matters, but sometimes 3% is the difference between winning and losing.” And I just want to call that out because I don’t think I’ve ever seen an AWS exec ever admit that names might be even 3% worth of important. Looking at how terrible some of their service names are, I would say that 3% might be an aspirational target for their worldview.Brad: [laugh]. Let me throw this back at you, Corey. Have you ever figured out why certain AWS services are Amazon and why others are AWS?Corey: I did. I got to sit down—in the before times—with then the VP of Global Marketing, Ariel Kelman—who’s now Oracle’s Chief Marketing Officer—and Jeff Barr. And the direction that they took that in was that if you could use an AWS service without getting into the AWS weeds of a bunch of other services, then it was called Amazon whatever. Amazon S3, for example, as a primitive service doesn’t need a bunch of other AWS services hooked into it, so that gets the Amazon moniker. Whereas if you’re dealing with a service that requires the integration of a whole bunch of AWS in the weeds stuff—Brad: Mmm, right.Corey: —then it’s AWS. For example, AWS Systems Manager is useless without a whole bunch of other Amazon services. And they say they don’t get it perfectly right all the time, but that is the direction that it’s gone in. And for better or worse, I still have to look a lot of them up myself because I don’t care nearly as much as their branding people do.Brad: Right. Well, I’ll tell you in the chapter about AWS, that quote comes up when the team is contemplating the names of the databases. And they do go into long debates, and I remember talking to Charlie Bell about the search for Redshift, and they go back and forth on it, and the funny thing about that one was, of course, Oracle interpreted it as a competitive slight. Its corporate color, I guess, being red, which he intended it more as a physics term. But yeah, when they were launching Aurora and Redshift, they contemplated those names quite a bit. And I don’t know if it’s 3%. I don’t know if it does matter, but certainly, those services have become really important to a lot of businesses.Corey: Oh, yeah. And once you name something, it’s really hard to rename it. And AWS does view for—better or worse—APIs as a promise, so when you build something and presented a certain way, they’re never going to turn it off. Our grandkids are going to have to deal with some of these decisions once they get into computers. That’s a problem.And I understand the ethos behind it, but again, it’s easy to make fun of names; it’s an accessible thing because let’s be very real here, a lot of what AWS does is incredibly inaccessible to people who don’t live in this space. But naming is something that everyone can get behind making fun of.Brad: Absolutely. Yep. And [laugh] it’s perhaps why they spend a lot of time on it because they know that this is going to be the shingle that they hang out to the world. I don’t know that they’re anticipating your ridicule, but it’s obviously key to the marketing process for them.Corey: Some of the more aware ones do. But that’s a different topic for a different time. One question I have for you that I wrestle with myself is I’ve been spending the last four years or so basically studying AWS all the time. And there’s a lot of things they get right; there’s a lot of things that they get wrong. But for better or worse, it’s very difficult not to come away from an in-depth study with an appreciation for an awful lot of the things that they do. At least for me.I’m not saying that I fall in love with the company and will excuse them their wrongs; I absolutely do not do that. But it is hard, bordering on impossible for me, to not come away with a deep respect for a lot of the things that they do and clearly believe. How do you feel about that? Looking at Amazon, do you come away with this with, “Ooh. Remind me to never to become a Prime member and get rid of everything with an Amazon logo in my house,” versus the you’re about to wind up wondering if they can hire you for some esoteric role? Where do you fall on that spectrum?Brad: I think I’m probably with you. I come away with an admiration. And look, I mean, let me say upfront, I am a Prime member. I have a Alexas in my home, probably more than my wife and kids are comfortable with. We watch Prime Video, we have Prime Video.We order from Amazon all the time, we ordered from Whole Foods. I’m an Amazon customer, and so part of my appreciation comes from, like all other customers, the fact that Amazon uniquely restores time to our lives rather than extracts it. I wouldn’t say that about the social networks, right? You know, those can be time-wasters. Amazon’s a great efficiency machine.But in terms of my journalism, you know, now two books and this big in-depth study in Amazon Unbound, and you have to admire what they have built. I mean, a historic American institution that has not only changed our economic reality, in ways good and bad but over the last year and a half, in the pandemic was among the few institutions that functioned properly and served as a kind of lifeline. And there is a critique in Amazon Unbound and we can talk about it, but it’s hard to come away—I think you said it well—it’s hard to come away after studying this company and studying the top executives, and how Jeff Bezos, thinks and how he has conceived products without real admiration for what they have built over the last 25 years.Corey: Well, let’s get into your critique of Amazon. What do you think is, from what you’ve seen with all of the years of research you put into this company, what’s the worst thing about them?Brad: Well, that’s a good way to put it, Corey. [laugh]. Let me—Corey: [laugh]. It’s like, talk about a target-rich opportunity. Like, “Oh, wow. It’s like my children. I can’t stand any of them. How in the world could I pick just one?” But give it a shot.Brad: Right. Well, let me start this way, which is I often will listen to their critiques from Amazon critics—and I’m sure you might feel this way as well—and just think, like, “Do they get it?” They’ll argue that Amazon exercised its size and might to buy the companies that led to Alexa. As I write in the Alexa chapter, that’s not true at all. They bought a couple of small companies, and those executives were all horrified at what Amazon was trying to do, and then they made it work.Or the critics will say, “Fifty percent or more of internet users start their product searches on Amazon. Amazon has lock-in.” That’s not true either. Lock-in on the internet is only as strong as a browser window that remains open. And you could always go find a competitor or search on a search engine.So, I find at least some of the public criticism to be a little specious. And often, these are people that complained about Walmart for ten years. And now Amazon’s the big, bad boogeyman.Corey: Oh, I still know people who refuse to do business with Walmart but buy a bunch of stuff from Amazon, and I’m looking at these things going, any complaints you have about Walmart are very difficult to avoid mapping to Amazon.Brad: Here’s maybe the distillation of the critique that’s an Amazon Unbound. We make fun of Facebook for, “Move fast and break things.” And they broke things, including, potentially, our democracy. When you look at the creation of the Amazon Marketplace, Jeff wanted a leader who can answer the question, “How would you bring a million sellers into the Amazon Marketplace?” And what that tells you is he wanted to create a system, a self-service system, where you could funnel sellers the world over into the system and sell immediately.And that happened, and a lot of those sellers, there was no friction, and many of them came from the Wild West of Chinese eCommerce. And you had—inevitably because there were no guardrails—you had fraud and counterfeit, and all sorts of lawsuits and damage. Amazon moved fast and broke things. And then subsequently tried to clean it up. And if you look at the emergence of the Amazon supply chain and the logistics division, the vans that now crawl our streets, or the semi-trailers on our highways, or the planes.Amazon moved fast there, too. And the first innings of that game were all about hiring contractors, not employees, getting them on the road with a minimum of guidance. And people died. There were accidents. You know, there weren’t just drivers flinging packages into our front yards, or going to the bathroom on somebody’s porch.That happened, but there were also accidents and costs. And so I think some of the critique is that Amazon, despite its profession that it focuses only on customers, is also very competitor-aware and competitor-driven, and they move fast, often to kind of get ahead of competitors, and they build the systems and they’re often self-service systems, and they avoid employment where it’s possible, and the result have been costs to society, the cost of moving quickly. And then on the back-end when there are lawsuits, Amazon attempts to either evade responsibility or settle cases, and then hide those from the public. And I think that is at the heart of what I show in a couple of ways in Amazon Unbound. And it’s not just Amazon; it’s very typical right now of corporate America and particularly tech companies.And part of it is the state of the laws and regulations that allow the companies to get away with it, and really restrict the rights of plaintiffs, of people who are wronged from extracting significant penalties from these companies and really changing their behavior.Corey: Which makes perfect sense. I have the luxury of not having to think about that by having a mental division and hopefully one day a real division between AWS and Amazon’s retail arm. For me at least, the thing I always had an issue with was their treatment of staff in many respects. It is well known that in the FAANG constellation of tech companies, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google, apparently, it’s an acronym and it’s cutesy. People in tech think they’re funny.But the problem is that Amazon’s compensation is significantly below that. One thing I loved in your book was that you do a breakdown of how those base salaries work, how most of it is stock-based and with a back-loaded vesting and the rest, and looking through the somewhat lengthy excerpt—but I will not read your own words to you this time—it more or less completely confirms what I said in my exposé of this, which means if we’re wrong, we’re both wrong. And we’ve—and people have been very convincing and very unified across the board. We’re clearly not wrong. It’s nice to at least get external confirmation of some of the things that I stumble over.Brad: But I think this is all part of the same thing. What I described as the move fast and break things mentality, often in a race with competition, and your issues about the quality, the tenor of work, and the compensation schemes, I think maybe and this might have been a more elegant answer to your question, we can wrap it all up under the mantle of empathy. And I think it probably starts with the founder and soon-to-be-former CEO. And look, I mean, an epic business figure, a builder, an inventor, but when you lay out the hierarchy of qualities, and attributes, and strengths, maybe empathy with the plight of others wasn’t near the top. And when it comes to the treatment of the workforce, and the white-collar employees, and the compensation schemes, and how they’re very specifically designed to make people uncomfortable, to keep them running fast, to churn them out if they don’t cut it, and the same thing in the workforce, and then the big-scale systems and marketplace and logistics—look, maybe empathy is a drag, and not having it can be a business accelerant, and I think that’s what we’re talking about, right?That some of these systems seem a little inhumane, and maybe to their credit, when Amazon recognizes that—or when Jeff has recognized it00, he’s course-corrected a little bit. But I think it’s all part of that same bundle. And maybe perversely, it’s one of the reasons why Amazon has succeeded so much.Corey: I think that it’s hard to argue against the idea of culture flowing from the top. And every anecdote I’ve ever heard about Jeff Bezos, never having met the man myself, is always filtered through someone else; in many cases, you. But there are a lot of anecdotes from folks inside Amazon, folks outside Amazon, et cetera, and I think that no one could make a serious argument that he is not fearsomely intelligent, penetratingly insightful, and profoundly gifted in a whole bunch of different ways. People like to say, “Well, he started Amazon with several $100,000 and loan from his parents, so he’s not really in any ways a self-made anything.” Well, no one is self-made. Let’s be very clear on that.But getting a few $100,000 to invest in a business, especially these days, is not that high of a stumbling block for an awful lot of folks similarly situated. He has had outsized success based upon where he started and where he wound up ending now. But not a single story that I’ve ever heard about him makes me think, yeah, that’s the kind of guy I want to be friends with. That’s the kind of guy I want to invite to a backyard barbecue and hang out with, and trade stories about our respective kids, and just basically have a social conversation with. Even a business conversation doesn’t feel like it would be particularly warm or compelling.It would be educational, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who really understands empathy in any meaningful sense. I’m sure he has those aspects to him. I’m sure he has a warm, wonderful relationship with his kids, presumably because they still speak to him, but none of that ever leaks through into his public or corporate persona.Brad: Mmm, partially agree, partially disagree. I mean, certainly maybe the warmth you’re right on, but this is someone who’s incredibly charismatic, who is incredibly smart, who thinks really deeply about the future, and has intense personal opinions about current events. And getting a beer with him—which I have not done—with sound fantastic. Kicking back at the fireplace at his ranch in Texas, [laugh] to me, I’m sure it’s tremendously entertaining to talk to him. But when it comes to folks like us, Corey, I have a feeling it’s not going to happen, whether you want to or not.He’s also incredibly guarded around the jackals of the media, so perhaps it doesn’t make a difference one way or another. But, yeah, you’re right. I mean, he’s all business at work. And it is interesting that the turnover in the executive ranks, even among the veterans right now, is pretty high. And I don’t know, I mean, I think Amazon goes through people in a way, maybe a little less on the AWS side. You would know that better than me. But—Corey: Yes and no. There’s been some turnover there that you can also pretty easily write down to internal political drama—for lack of a better term—palace intrigue. For lack of a better term. When, for example, Adam Selipsky is going to be the new CEO of AWS as Andy Jesse ascends to be the CEO of all Amazon—the everything CEO as it were. And that has absolutely got to have rubbed some people in unpleasant ways.Let’s be realistic here about what this shows: he quit AWS to go be the CEO of Tableau, and now he’s coming back to run AWS. Clearly, the way to get ahead there is to quit. And that might not be the message they’re intending to send, but that’s something that people can look at and take away, that leaving a company doesn’t mean you can’t boomerang and go back there at a higher level in the future.Brad: Right.Corey: And that might be what people are waking up to because it used to be a culture of once you’re out, you’re out. Clearly not the case anymore. They were passed over for a promotion they wanted, “Well, okay, I’m going to go talk to another company. Oh, my God, they’re paying people in yachts.” And it becomes, at some level, time for something new.I don’t begrudge people who decide to stay; I don’t begrudge people who decide to leave, but one of my big thrusts for a long time has been understand the trade-offs of either one of those decisions and what the other side looks like so you go into it with your eyes open. And I feel like, on some level, a lot of folks there didn’t necessarily feel that they could have their eyes open in the way that they can now.Brad: Mm-hm. Interesting. Yeah. Selipsky coming back, I never thought about that, sends a strong message. And Amazon wants builders, and operators, and entrepreneurial thinking at the top and in the S Team. And the fact that Andy had a experienced leadership team at AWS and then went outside it for the CEO could be interpreted as pretty demotivating for that team. Now, they’ve all worked with Adam before, and I’ve met him and he seems like a great guy so maybe there are no hard feelings, but—Corey: I never have. He left a few months before I started this place. So, it—I get the sense that he knew I was coming and said, “Well, better get out of here. This isn’t going to go well at all.”Brad: [laugh]. I actually went to interview him for this book, and I sat in his office at Tableau thinking, “Okay, here’s a former AWS guy,” and I got to tell you, he was really on script and didn’t say anything bad, and I thought, “Okay, well, that wasn’t the best use of my time.” He was great to meet, and it was an interesting conversation, but the goss he did not deliver. And so when I saw that he got this job, I thought, well, he’s smart. He smartly didn’t burn any bridges, at least with me.Corey: This episode is sponsored in part by our friends at ChaosSearch., you could run Elasticsearch or Elastic Cloud—or OpenSearch as they’re calling it now—or a self-hosted ELK stack. But why? ChaosSearch gives you the same API you’ve come to know and tolerate, along with unlimited data retention and no data movement. Just throw your data into S3 and proceed from there as you would expect. This is great for IT operations folks, for app performance monitoring, cybersecurity. If you’re using Elasticsearch, consider not running Elasticsearch. They’re also available now in the AWS marketplace if you’d prefer not to go direct and have half of whatever you pay them count towards your EDB commitment. Discover what companies like HubSpot, Klarna, Equifax, Armor Security, and Blackboard already have. To learn more, visit chaossearch.io and tell them I sent you just so you can see them facepalm, yet again.Corey: No. And it’s pretty clear that you don’t get to rise to those levels without being incredibly disciplined with respect to message. I don’t pity Andy Jesse’s new job wherein a key portion of the job description is going to be testifying before Congress. Without going into details, I’ve been in situations where I’ve gotten to ask him questions before in a real-time Q&A environment, and my real question hidden behind the question was, “How long can I knock him off of his prepared talking points?” Because I—Brad: Good luck. [laugh].Corey: Yeah. I got the answer: about two and a half seconds, which honestly was a little bit longer than I thought I would get. But yeah, incredibly disciplined and incredibly insightful, penetrating answers, but they always go right back to talking points. And that’s what you have to do at that level. I’ve heard stories—it may have been from your book—that Andy and Adam were both still friendly after Adam’s departure, they would still hang out socially and clearly, relationships are still being maintained, if oh, by the way, you’re going to be my successor. It’s kind of neat. I’m curious to see how this plays out once that transition goes into effect.Brad: Yeah, it’ll be interesting. And then also, Andy’s grand homecoming to the other parts of the business. He started in the retail organization. He was Jeff’s shadow. He ran the marketing department at very early Amazon.He’s been in all those meetings over the years, but he’s also been very focused on AWS. So, I would imagine there’s a learning curve as he gets back into the details of the other 75% of Amazon.Corey: It turns out that part of the business has likely changed in the last 15 years, just a smidgen when every person you knew over there is now 10,000 people. There was an anecdote in your book that early on in those days, Andy Jesse was almost let go as part of a layoff or a restructuring, and Jeff Bezos personally saved his job. How solid is that?Brad: Oh, that is solid. An S Team member told me that, who was Andy’s boss at the time. And the story was, in the late 90s—I hope I remember this right—there was a purge of the marketing department. Jeff always thought that marketing—in the early days marketing was purely satisfying customers, so why do we need all these people? And there was a purge of the marketing department back when Amazon was trying to right-size the ship and get profitable and survive the dotcom bust.And Jeff intervened in the layoffs and said, “Not Andy. He’s one of the most—yeah, highest ceiling folks we have.” And he made him his first full-time shadow. Oh, and that comes right from an S Team member. I won’t say the name because I can’t remember if that was on or off the record.But yeah, it was super interesting. You know what? I’ve always wondered how good of a identifier of talent and character is Bezos. And he has some weaknesses there. I mean, obviously, in his personal life, he certainly didn’t identify Lauren Sánchez’s brother as the threat that he became.You know, I tell the story in the book of the horrific story of the CEO of Amazon Mexico, who Jeff interviewed, and they hired and then later ended up what appears to be hiring an assassin to kill his wife. I tell the story in the book. It’s a horrible story. So, not to lay that at the feet of Jeff Bezos, of course, but he often I think, moves quickly. And I actually have a quote from a friend of his in the book saying, “It’s better to not be kind of paranoid, and the”—sort of—I can’t remember what the quote is.It’s to trust people rather than be paranoid about everyone. And if you trust someone wrongly, then you of course-correct. With Andy, though, he somehow had an intuitive sense that this guy was very high potential, and that’s pretty impressive.Corey: You’re never going to bet a thousand. There’s always going to be people that slip through the cracks. But learning who these people are and getting different angles on them is always interesting. Every once in a while—and maybe I’m completely wrong on this, but never having spent time one on one with Andy Jassy, I have to rely on other folks and different anecdotes, most of them, I can’t disclose the source of, but every time that I wind up hearing about these stories, and maybe I’m projecting here, but there are aspects of him where it seems like there is a genuinely nice person in there who is worried, on some level, that people are going to find out that he’s a nice person.Brad: [laugh]. I think he is. He’s extraordinarily nice. He seems like a regular guy, and what’s sort of impressive is that obviously he’s extraordinarily wealthy now, and unlike, let’s say Bezos, who’s obviously much more wealthy, but who, who really has leaned into that lifestyle, my sense is Andy does not. He’s still—I don’t know if he’s on the corporate jet yet, but at least until recently he wasn’t, and he presents humbly. I don’t know if he’s still getting as close from wherever, [unintelligible 00:32:50] or Nordstroms.Corey: He might be, but it is clear that he’s having them tailored because fit is something—I spent a lot of time in better years focusing on sartorial attention, and wherever he’s sourcing them from aside, they fit well.Brad: Okay, well, they didn’t always. Right?Corey: No. He’s, he’s… there’s been a lot of changes over the past decade. He is either discovered a hidden wellspring of being one of the best naturally talented speakers on the planet, or he’s gone through some coaching to improve in those areas. Not that he was bad at the start, but now he’s compelling.Brad: Okay. Well, now we’re talking about his clothes and his speaking style. But—Corey: Let’s be very honest here. If he were a woman, we would have been talking about that as the beginning topic of this. It’s on some level—Brad: Or we wouldn’t have because we’d know it’s improper these days.Corey: We would like to hope. But I am absolutely willing to turn it back around.Brad: [laugh]. Anyway.Corey: So, I’m curious, going back a little bit to criticisms here, Amazon has been criticized roundly by regulators and Congress and the rest—folks on both sides of the aisle—for a variety of things. What do you see is being the fair criticisms versus the unfair criticisms?Brad: Well, I mean, I think we covered some of the unfair ones. But there’s one criticism that Amazon uses AWS to subsidize other parts of the business. I don’t know how you feel about that, but until recently at least, my reading of the balance sheet was that the enormous profits of AWS were primarily going to buy more AWS. They were investing in capital assets and building more data centers.Corey: Via a series of capital leases because cash flow is king in how they drive those things there. Oh, yeah.Brad: Right. Yeah. You know, and I illustrate in the book how when it did become apparent that retail was leaning on advertising, Jeff didn’t accept that. He wanted retail to stand on its own, and it led to some layoffs and fiercer negotiations with brands, higher fees for sellers. Advertising is the free cash flow that goes in Prime movies, and TV shows, and Alexa, and stuff we probably don’t know about.So, this idea that Amazon is sort of improperly funneling money between the divisions to undercut competitors on price, I think we could put that in the unfair bucket. In the fair bucket, those are the things that we can all look at and just go, “Okay, that feels a little wrong.” So, for an example, the private brand strategy. Now, of course, every supermarket and drugstore is going to line their shelves with store brands. But when you go to an Amazon search results page these days, and they are pockmarked with Amazon brands, and Whole Foods brands, and then sponsored listings, the pay-to-play highest bidder wins.And then we now know that, at least for a couple of years, Amazon managers, private label managers were kind of peeking at the third-party data to figure out what was selling and what they should introduce is a private Amazon brand. It just feels a little creepy that Amazon as the everything store is so different than your normal Costco or your drugstore. The shelves are endless; Amazon has the data, access to the data, and the way that they’re parlaying their valuable real estate and the data at their disposal to figure out what to launch, it just feels a little wrong. And it’s a small part of their business, but I think it’s one where they’re vulnerable. The other thing is, in the book, I tried to figure out how can I take the gauge of third-party sellers?There’s so many disgruntled voices, but do they really speak for everyone? And so instead of going to the enemies, I went to every third-party seller that had been mentioned in Jeff Bezos’s shareholder letters over the past decade. And these were the allies. These were the success stories that Bezos was touting in his sacrosanct investor letter, and almost to a one, they had all become disgruntled. And so the way in which the rules of the marketplace change, the way that the fees go up, and the difficulty that sellers often have in getting a person or a guiding hand at Amazon to help them with those changes, that kind of feels wrong.And I think that maybe that’s not a source of regulation, but it could be a source of disruptive competition. If somebody can figure out how to create a marketplace that caters to sellers a little better with lower fees, then they could do to Amazon with Amazon years ago did to eBay. And considering that Marketplace is now a preponderance of sales more than even retail on amazon.com, that can end up hurting the company.Corey: Yeah, at some point, you need to continue growing things, and you’ve run out of genuinely helpful ways, and in turn in start to have to modify customer behavior in order to continue doing things, or expand into brand new markets. We saw the AWS bleeding over into Alexa as an example of that. And I think there’s a lot of interesting things still to come in spaces like that. It’s interesting watching how the Alexa ecosystem has evolved. There’s still some very basic usability bugs that drive me nuts, but at the same token, it’s not something that I think we’re going to see radically changing the world the next five years. It feels like a hobby, but also a lucrative one, and keeps people continuing to feed into the Amazon ecosystem. Do you see that playing out differently?Brad: Wait, with Alexa?Brad: Absolutely.Brad: Yeah. I agree with you. I mean, it feels like there was more promise in the early years, and that maybe they’ve hit a little bit of a wall in terms of the AI and the natural language understanding. It feels like the ecosystem that they tried to build, the app store-like ecosystem of third-party skills makers, that hasn’t crystallized in the way we hoped—in the way they hoped. And then some of these new devices like the glasses or the wristband that have Alexa feel, just, strange, right?Like, I’m not putting Alexa on my face. And those haven’t done as well. And so yeah, I think they pioneered a category: Alexa plays music and answers basic queries really well, and yet it hasn’t quite been conversational in the way that I think Jeff Bezos had hoped in the early days. I don’t know if it’s a profitable business now. I mean, they make a lot of money on the hardware, but the team is huge.I think it was, like, 10,000 people the last I checked. And the R&D costs are quite large. And they’re continuing to try to improve the AI, so I think Jeff Bezos talks about the seeds, and then the main businesses, and I don’t think Alexa has graduated yet. I think there’s still a little bit of a question mark.Corey: It’s one of those things that we remain to see. One last thing that I wanted to highlight and thank you for, was that when you wrote the original book, The Everything Store, Andy Jassy wrote a one-star review. It went into some depth about all the things that, from his perspective, you got wrong, were unfair about, et cetera.And that can be played off as a lot of different things, but you can almost set that aside for a minute and look at it as the really only time in recent memory that Andy Jassy has sat down and written something, clearly himself, and then posted it publicly. He writes a lot—Amazon has a writing culture—but they don’t sign their six-pagers. It’s very difficult to figure out where one person starts and one person stops. This shows that he is a gifted writer in many respects, and I don’t think we have another writing sample from him to compare it to.Brad: So, Corey, you’re saying I should be honored by his one-star review of The Everything Store?Corey: Oh, absolutely.Brad: [laugh].Corey: He, he just ignores me. You actually got a response.Brad: I got a response. Well.Corey: And we’ll put a link to that review in the [show notes 00:40:10] because of course we will.Brad: Yes, thank you. Do you—remember, other Amazon executives also left one-star reviews. And Jeff’s wife, and now ex-wife Mackenzie left a one-star review. And it was a part of a, I think a little bit of a reflexive reaction and campaign that Jeff himself orchestrated at my—this was understanding now, in retrospect. After the book came out, he didn’t like it.He didn’t like aspects of his family life that were represented in the book, and he asked members of the S Team to leave bad reviews. And not all of them did, and Andy did. So, you wonder why he’s CEO now. No, I’m kidding about that. But you know what?It ended up, kind of perversely, even though that was uncomfortable in the moment, ended up being good for the first book. And I’ve seen Andy subsequently, and no hard feelings. I don’t quite remember what his review said. Didn’t it, strangely, like, quote a movie or something like that?Corey: I recall that it did. It went in a bunch of different directions, and at the end—it ended with, “Well, maybe someday he’ll write the actual story. And I’m not trying to bait anyone into doing it, but this book isn’t it.” Well, in the absence of factual corrections, that’s what we go with. That is also a very Amazonian thing. They don’t tell their own story, but they’re super quick to correct the record—Brad: Yeah.Corey: —after someone says a thing.Brad: But I don’t recall him making many specific claims of anything I got wrong. But why don’t we hope that there’s a sequel review for Amazon Unbound? I will look forward to that from Andy.Corey: I absolutely hope so. It’s one of those things that we just really, I guess, hope goes in a positive direction. Now, I will say I don’t try to do any reviews that are all positive. And that’s true. There’s one thing that you wrote that I vehemently disagree with.Brad: Okay, let’s hear it.Corey: Former Distinguished Engineer and VP at AWS, Tim Bray, who resigned on conscientious objector grounds, more or less, has been a guest on the show, and I have to say, you did him dirty. You described him—Brad: How did I—what did I do? Mm-hm.Corey: Oh, I quote, “Bray, a fedora-wearing software developer”—which is true, but still is evocative in an unpleasant way—“And one of the creators of the influential web programming language, XML”—which is true, but talk about bringing up someone’s demons to haunt them. Oh, my starts.Brad: [laugh]. But wait. How is the fedora-wearing pejorative?Corey: Oh, it has a whole implication series of, and entire subculture of the gamer types, people who are misogynist, et cetera. It winds up being an unfair characterization—Brad: But he does wear a fedora.Corey: He does. And he can pull it off. He has also mentioned that he is well into retirement age, and it was a different era when he wore one. But that’s not something that people often will associate with him. It’s—Brad: I’m so naive. You’re referring to things that I do not understand what the implication was that I made. But—Corey: Oh, spend more time with the children of Reddit. You’ll catch on quickly.Brad: [laugh]. I try, I try not to do that. But thank you, Corey.Corey: Of course. So, thank you so much for taking the time to go through what you’ve written. I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction once the book is published widely. Where can people buy it? There’s an easy answer, of course, of Amazon itself, but is there somewhere you would prefer them to shop?Brad: Well, everyone can make their own decisions. I flattered if anyone decides to pick up the book. But of course, there is always their independent bookstore. On sale now.Corey: Excellent. And we will, of course, throw a link to the book in the [show notes 00:43:31]. Brad, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. I really appreciate it.Brad: Corey, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you.Corey: Brad Stone, author of Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire, on sale now wherever fine books are sold—and crappy ones, too. I’m Cloud Economist Corey Quinn, and this is Screaming in the Cloud. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please leave a five-star review on your podcast platform of choice, whereas if you’ve hated this podcast, please leave a five-star review on your podcast platform of choice and then a multi-paragraph, very long screed telling me exactly what I got wrong.Corey: If your AWS bill keeps rising and your blood pressure is doing the same, then you need The Duckbill Group. We help companies fix their AWS bill by making it smaller and less horrifying. The Duckbill Group works for you, not AWS. We tailor recommendations to your business and we get to the point. Visit duckbillgroup.com to get started.Announcer: This has been a HumblePod production. Stay humble.

Summary: In today’s episode we break down the process of selling creative services. How you not only make the initial sale, but sell the concepts as well. We share experiences with past clients, challenges we’ve met along the way, and strategies to overcome those challenges. Helping your client think practically and objectively about something that is potentially so tied to emotion is the key. And having a clear process on how you walk someone through this in a consistent way that is profitable is even more important!   Top 3  Curtain Pulls in this episode:  Your brand is NOT your logo or your name, but the values you build into those things. Foundational, should be obvious, but important to remember. The more you can remove subjectivity, the more you can bring clarity. When pitching strategy and concepts to your client, back every decision up with research. Let them know that you care about who their customer is and how their brand will bring value to those individuals. Create a process that consistently produces creative success. It must create results in a consistent way and ensure you’re profitable. Consider reverse engineering the process of a client, especially if they are not sure how they go to their success. This will reveal tactics you can use in the future, and help further define that client’s strategy for the future.    For more tips, discussion, and behind the scenes: Follow us on Instagram @AgencyPodcast Join our closed Facebook community for agency leaders   About The Guys:  Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob:  Bob on LinkedIn twitter.com/BobHutchins instagram.com/bwhutchins Bob on Facebook Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad: Brad on LinkedIn Anthem Republic twitter.com/bradayres instagram.com/therealbradayres facebook.com/Bradayres Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken:  Ken on LinkedIn Metacake - An Ecommerce Growth Team Growth Rebel TV twitter.com/iamKenOtt instagram.com/iamKenOtt facebook.com/iamKenOtt   Show Notes: [1:53] Brad introduces this week’s episode- we’re talking about selling creative to your clients. That’s creative services, not just sales. “I’m talking about selling the creative strategy to your clients- how do you get them to see the vision?”  Communicating your creative strategy to clients can be challenging, because so much of creative is subjective and opinion-based.  [3:15] Bob asks Brad for his insight into this topic, he’s the Brand Guy.  [3:54] Brad reflects on the fact that his parent’s generation don’t care as much about the brand, and it’s an interesting difference. “There’s people in that age and demographic who don’t seem to care as much about the brand… they don’t see it almost. They don’t see the packaging of the product. They don’t see the way it’s positioned very well.”  He talks about products (and brands) that don’t have a unique selling proposition, saying they don’t shine when compared to other products. There are even brands who aren’t that much better, product-wise, but shine due to their brand recognition.  [5:00] Ken talks about how oftentimes, building your brand is the only competitive advantage you have. He asks Brad “How does the creative connect to brand, in your mind?” [5:27] Brad responds. It depends on your customer. When you’re working with a client who’s brand has been established for many years and they’re protective of it- that’s when you know the guardrails and how to sell to them. But if you’re working with a younger client who’s brand isn’t as solid, you know there’s going to be more of an uphill battle.  [6:25] Bob says that you’ve got to be the one that brings clarity to your client- “The sales process is to convince them that you can take it to the next level that will result in higher market shares and higher conversions and sales.  He talks about other factors that can complicate the sale- if the brand is older but outdated and in need of a refresh, but the client is attached to the name or the vision and won’t budge on creative changes. That is an opportunity to speak with clarity to them about their brand and the vision for their future.  [8:10] Brad: “Your brand isn’t your logo or your name, right? It’s the values you put into those, the name and the identity and how you communicate those values.” Nike spent $30 for their logo, and their brand hasn’t diminished because of that- their success is built on the values they bring to the table and how they add value to the lives of their customers.  [9:28] Ken calls out the aspiration factor, saying it’s encouraging to see things from Nike. “If you can help your customer see themselves where they want to be, then that’s powerful.”  [10:00] Brad shares that sometimes startups have a great product but don’t think about who their customers are, which makes it difficult to position a brand to everyone. He talks about walking through that process with clients, saying they outline brand guardrails before even beginning the creative process. Including the client in that process and introducing them to the strategy is key to success in that process.  [12:00] Ken reflects on this process, saying it’s a very analytical approach to selling creative. You’re not selling just one thing, but selling every step along the way.  [12:50] Bob says that sharing data and research about your decisions with the clients along the way builds trust and buy-in from the clients.  It’s as simple as taking 3-5 concepts and doing some qualitative analytics.  [14:07] Brad “One of the more frustrating things about watching a creative pitch creative and there’s zero data and zero strategy in why they made the decisions they’ve made… They didn’t really understand the strategy going into it.”  [17:31] Bob says that the more you can remove subjectivity, the more you can bring clarity. “I think our job as an agency is to continue to remove subjectivity. Not that you remove the best art and design, but you remove the subjectivity so that everyone at the table can say Why do I need to trust you.”  [18:24] Ken reflects on sometimes being too connected with the creative you’re delivering. He talks about a recent experience with a client who moved a deadline forward a couple weeks and then weren’t appreciative when the team responded quickly and on time-  “Somehow we need to protect ourselves from our source of energy coming from the person you’re giving it to- we need to get our source of energy from other places… there are tactics and guardrails that you have to avoid being too connected to what you’re delivering.”  [20:42] Brad “I was taught early on that I had to provide a few different roads to the same destination. And so I never got too connected, I always could feel more objective.”  [23:00] Brad says that he and his team work with mood boards to get as close to those creative guard rails as possible. [24:58] Bob shares that developing a good process can help your team get on board and not become too attached to the creative they’re producing.  [27:00] Brad says that sometimes the client CEO will take a bit of creative to an outsider for an opinion, and that outsider doesn’t know the strategy behind any of the decisions that have been made. And so it then becomes your job to wrangle that client back on board without the influence of outsiders who don’t know the brand the way that you do.  [32:30] Ken “Rarely should the person that created the thing be the one that’s pitching it or selling it to the client, because I think it’s most like a different skill set.” He stresses the importance of bringing clarity to the client when presenting creative, of having someone in that role who’s skill set matches that clarity.  [34:21] Bob reiterates “Try to remove subjectivity, have a clear process, and bring clarity to the client. So that your value is not another voice that says this is a good idea… Your job is to bring clarity and purpose and see how it fits into the overall strategy.”  [34:59] Brad talks about working with clients who have multiple stakeholders who don’t see eye to eye. You have multiple decision-makers with the clients and they all have pull, so pitching creative relies even more on clarity and vision.  [36:19] Ken switches topics to strategy. “How do you guys define strategy and how do you make sure that what you’re talking about is actually what someone is thinking? What is the thing you’re trying to do?”  [38:24] Brad says that really, strategy is the path to be able to market a product or service. It starts with a lot of understanding of what makes their product or services unique, a lot of research to define guardrails. [39:32] Bob says strategy for him is based on 3 things: What’s the plan? And how are you going to do it? How are you going to measure that success?  Ken says it can also help to focus on the end result and work backwards from there. Then you begin to identify tactics that make up that path.  [41:54] Bob “If you’re going to sell strategy to a client and get them to give you money to execute on it, you have to provide very clear documentation of what’s the idea, what’s the end result, what are the steps you’re going to do? And what are the expected results? If you don’t do all those things, it’s not a strategy, it’s just an idea.”  Brad says that the measuring is a great addition- because even if things don’t work out as you predicted, you can show the client exactly what you can change and tweak to produce different results in the future.  [45:00] Ken says that often in ecommerce, he sees companies that are having massive success but aren’t really sure why. They’re doing things that seem to be working, but there’s no real strategy around it. “More often than not we’re reverse engineering a strategy so that this success that someone found isn’t by accident in the future.”  Brad shares the example of Adidas running a lot of ecommerce discounts and deals, which in the long term has diminished their brand. It’s important to keep strategy in mind when you’re trying something new! Even for big, established brands.  [51:13] Bob talks about how nebulous words like “strategy” and “brand” can come to mean nothing over time. “It just gets back to bringing clarity, and removing subjectivity.” 

Summary: Bob Hutchins, Brad Ayres, and Ken Ott are back with Episode #3 of Agency Exposed! Today they’re talking about funding agency growth- both fiscally and psychologically as well. They break down how important it is to have your team on your side and be profitable. We discuss the difficulties of maintaining a long-term vision with your team as they complete short-term goals, and how keeping your team motivated makes a world of difference.     Resources Mentioned:  The 4 Disciplines of Execution Resource The 3 Business Archetypes by Tony Robbins https://www.anthemrepublic.com/- Brad’s Ad Agency https://metacake.com/- Ken’s Ecommerce Agency Metacake’s Ecommerce Growth YouTube Channel   Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode:  Fail Fast- When you make a mistake, learn to pivot quickly to an alternative solution. Self-Capitalization means being highly profitable with your current income/clients. Get your financial health in check so that you can lead people with authority and vision.  As a business owner, it is YOUR responsibility to cast a vision of your company’s future, encourage your employees to believe in that vision, and give them certainty through it all.   About The Guys:  Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob:  Bob on LinkedIn twitter.com/BobHutchins instagram.com/bwhutchins Bob on Facebook Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad: Brad on LinkedIn Anthem Republic twitter.com/bradayres instagram.com/therealbradayres facebook.com/Bradayres Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken:  Ken on LinkedIn Metacake - An Ecommerce Growth Team Growth Rebel TV twitter.com/iamKenOtt instagram.com/iamKenOtt facebook.com/iamKenOtt   Show Notes: [1:45] The Guys Discuss the name Agency Exposed and what interested them most about going the Podcast Ken: In the agency world, it’s common for people to struggle in silence. “I would have loved to have been able to hear other people talk freely about… pain points.” Brad: Fail and Fail Fast- this will teach you more in the early years than anything else.  “Your company can be disrupted overnight… and we need to be more open to change.” Bob: “This is a biz of putting the best foot forward at all times.. This is what we’re selling… the other side of that coin is that you can easily take on that persona and thought process in your agency… it’s a facade. Talking about failures is what people are hungry for!” [6:25] Brad: “Fail fast. Get back on your feet. And that’s where you learn and grow.” Learning from others going through the same pains is the point of this podcast! [10:47] Last episode The Guys discuss marketing your business and getting new clients, and this week they’re unpacking how to finance it all. What are they using to market and promote their businesses right now? Ken: Facebook Ads are a heavy part of Metacake’s mechanism. At the end of the day, MC relies heavily on teaching and content. MC has a particular philosophy, and that’s what we teach.  [15:21] Brad: How much of your resources do you spend on new business?  MC is invested in a LOT of educational content- what are the mechanics of how this works for Metacake’s business model?  [18:55] The Guys discuss Social Proof and the value of that in today’s social media-fueled world.  In this space, it’s a challenge to get people to talk positively about you. The community tends to be tight-lipped about who they’re working with and what they’re working on. Ken likes to disrupt this tradition! Asking clients for testimonials, asking customers for reviews, etc.  [23:12] Bob asks Brad how Anthem uses his strengths in visual and creative aspects to make his agency memorable. Strong case studies within different industries can be challenging but rewarding.  Highlighting these so that all companies can see themselves in the results, not just those in the same industry.  LinkedIn has been a focus to publish content and ideas- algorithm works better for your business because roughly 50% of people are seeing those results- much higher percentage than anywhere else. [26:27] What specifically is Brad doing to use LinkedIn to the fullest? Industry-specific blog posts, thought leader  Repurposing content from other platforms Starting an ad campaign on LinkedIn soon- will update us on how that goes.  [28:12] Bob asks Ken how Metacake uses YouTube for content creation. On YouTube you can get views for fractions of a cent if done well.  MC strategy: Videos as ads to interrupt the viewer’s experience- get them to remember your name.  Measure of success is seeing Google searches for Metacake; ultimately attempting to get Google Trends up- playing that game for name recognition. [33:26] Discussing and even showing off your other specialities to clients is always a good idea- you don’t want to find out that your client is using another company for a service that you provide.  [37:30] “People make 80% of their buying decision before they talk to you.” - Bob Strachan, Sales Coach @ Metacake There’s an idea that the only way that clients can get anything from their vendor is if they beat it out of them- flipping this mindset changes EVERYTHING. [39:20] Brad talks about the 4 Disciplines and how it has impacted his daily work within Anthem Republic.  Making self-promotion a Goal through the 4 Disciplines has helped him to put his business in front of more of the right kind of people.  Don’t be afraid to look at what your company is doing already and bolstering those efforts.  [43:40] Talk about how you capitalize on your own business- how to take advantage of the funds you do have and what you have struggled with in terms of capitalizing.  Brad: How are we doing and how are we able to grow? Growth takes money “We can only grow as fast as we can have the funds and the means to do it.” Current struggle is adding staff wisely as business grows “I don’t want to get access to money and not use it properly… I want the business to run on it’s own in a very healthy way… without that constant cash infusion via debt.” [49:24] Ken shares the ways that Metacake has approached self-capitalization. According to Tony Robbins: In a business, you’re 1 of 3 people: the entrepreneur, the artist, the manager- most agency owners are likely artists. Being aware of your place here and who else in your organization might be able to fill in for the rest.  Self-capitalization means looking at your profit margins. Ken hired a CFO consultant who helped direct MC through specifics of net profit of every project.  [54:51] Brad talks about Time Tracking, and how important that is in terms of keeping real track of how your time is being spent.  [55:57] Bob shares advice from his mentor Weekly reports from your staff every Friday that list 5 goals achieved for the week, 5 goals in place for next week, their quarterly goals, etc.  This allows you to be in tune with your team in a more sustainable, growth-centered way and serves as a check-in for them to re-establish their purpose and overall objective in the business.  [59:11] Brad speaks on the challenges of being the sole business owner, and being responsible for the long-term vision of the company.  Using processes like weekly/quarterly goals that Bob mentioned will help every member of organization buy into long-term goals and have an eye on the horizon as they fight daily battles. [1:03:09] Ken speaks on staying inspired for the sake of the team. “The challenge is… casting that vision, believing in it, and giving them certainty through it.” Basic human need of certainty is one of the things that any long-term thinker should consider when expecting support/agreement from a team.  [1:07:25] Brad speaks on allowing your team to understand the value of long-term goals/growth  “If I’m going to Mars, they need to see the value of why we’re going there. And they need to value that so deeply that they’re behind it 100%.”  [1:08:37] Ken talks about developing your own passion before expecting passion from your team.  What is your REASON for running your business.  “As long as your intentions are true… that can come through.”

Brad: If you're not scared, like if you're not making a promise that makes you go "Jeez! Can I say that?" You're probably not making a big enough promise. Welcome to Breaking Down Your Business Episode 343. Jill: Yes it is. Brad: [crosstalk 00:00:15]. Brad: I'm [Brad 00:00:18] from Anchor Advisors. Jill: I'm [Jill 00:00:21] from the Founding Moms. Brad: How's the eggnog going? Jill: It's delightful and delicious. Brad: Do you want some? Do you have some left over for tonight? Jill: We'll see. We'll see. I don't know. I don't know. It's delicious. It's delicious. Are you going out tonight? Brad: No. Jill: Partying? Brad: Amateur hour. Jill: What? But it's going to be a whole new year in like a couple of hours. Brad: It is, yeah. And I'll be asleep. Jill: All right. Brad: Because I'm... Whatever.

Special Music by Tim Driver Sermon Bro. Brad-How to be a Follower of God

Do we like wine or basketball better? Does Marcus Smart drink Hennessey? Is Doc a better coach than Brad? How long can they keep this win streak going? We answer your questions on this episode of Wine & Basketball!

On this very special bonus episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we bring you an episode we recorded on the floor of the 8th annual Kansas City Paracon. Brent and Dave met up with Sam Kulper on the first night of the conference, and after hours, they were allowed in the Kansas City Masonic Temple to hunt for ghosts. This four story, massing, 110 year old building was dark, empty, and creepy as hell, and we poked around in it with nothing but a few flashlights and cell phones. We had to strip a power cord to fit ancient plugs in the Temple's library/antechamber of the Blue Lodge, and we can't promise audio perfection based on the jury rigged recording equipment. But you know what we can promise? An awesome show! On this episode, we discuss the details of that ghost hunt as well as our thoughts on Kansas City and Paranormal Convention. We met some really cool people, and there are few special drop ins such as Jason Kupzyk from the Ectoplasm Show. As an added feature, we've included the raw recordings of Dave's EVP sessions where he talks to ghosts in the Masonic Temple, hoping for replies. If you have the audio chops, feel free to tweak this and see what you can hear! So, what happened at the ghost hunt? Did we experience anything supernatural during our paranormal investigation? What is on Dave's recordings? What happened to Brad? How does the show go when Brent doesn't have a wall of whiskey to clink from? Listen, laugh, learn.

What’s In This Episode: We get a voicemail from Nedra Rezinas who talked to us on ep. 133(!!!). She really loved listening to our episode 311, "How do I build trust with prospects?"and thought it was helpful. "I see a lot of people using email like it's a text message." - Brad How do you go about making your content last and last? You want to get your blog posts out in front of a lot of people - can you repurpose it? And how do you promote it? "When you say the word 'LinkedIn,' my brain goes to mush." - Jill Is Twitter dead? How do you use Instagram for your business? And is LinkedIn great or is LinkedIn GREAT? Jill and Brad give some tips on what you're creating and where to share it in order to make what you're putting out there last and last. What tips do you have for making your content last?

What’s In This Episode: What's the value of going to a conference? Brad just spent over $1000 for a ticket to a conference in Boise, not to mention airfare and accommodations. Is it worth it? "If you know 'we make the most money doing x,' immediately, you know what the focus is." - Jill Web developer Nicole Guzman calls in to discuss how her web design studio has been catering to general interests, but she thinks it may be time to focus on one area. Jill and Brad talk about the pros and cons of working within a niche and how to market effectively. "Conferences are really great for the 'stuffing your head full of ideas' phase." - Brad How do you evaluate what a conference is worth as an attendee? Is it worth it if for nothing else than to get away from your business for a few days? Plus, when you're attending the conference, you're focused on it, rather than it and also a million other things. Do you think conferences and offline events are worth it?  Listen in!» Guest: Nicole Guzman is the founder of GooseWorks, a full-service branding and web development agency based in Newburgh, NY. Find her on Instagram.

What’s In This Episode: Today, Brad's not handing out money, but he and Jill are brainstorming ways to make business owners more of it. "That's your moment to shine and tell them why you're more valuable." - Jill Pat Porrey calls in to talk about hiring staff. The women who work for her are going from 1099 contractors to actual employees. As this happens, she's not able to compete well with other agencies in her area. So how can she handle it? It all comes down to mindset. "Every deal that you don't close is a missed opportunity." - Brad How many different ways can Jill and Brad think of for business owners to make more money? RAISE YOUR PRICES! Offer multiple price points. Customer retention Get creative in your offerings Close more deals - get better and sales ... and more How can you make more money?  This episode is sponsored by Spoka.com. Spoka Meet is a video conferencing tool perfect for small businesses for those who need to get more done with less. Anywhere you can find an internet or phone connection, you're simply able to meet. When your signal is spotty, Spoka's eco-mode fixes it like magic. You get unlimited meetings, unlimited recordings, and dial-in/dial-out capabilities for 45 countries all for $11.99/month! Try it for free for 30 days at Spoka.com.

This episodes guest is Dr. Brad Scheonfeld.Brad is an assistant professor in the exercise science department at Lehman College in the Bronx, NY, and acts as director of their human performance laboratory.Brad earned his masters degree in kinesiology/exercise science from the University of Texas and his PhD at Rocky Mountain University where his dissertation focused on elucidating the mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles on exercise and sports nutrition, many in high impact factor journals, as well as several textbook chapters. He acts as the Assistant Editor-in-Chief for the NSCA's Strength and Conditioning Journal, as well as serving on the editorial advisory board for the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition and the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.Brad is a best-selling author of multiple fitness books including The M.A.X. Muscle Plan (Human Kinetics, 2012), which has been widely referred to as the "muscle-building bible," and Strong and Sculpted (Human Kinetics, 2016), which details a cutting-edge body sculpting program targeted to women. Brad also has authored the seminal textbook Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy (Human Kinetics, 2016), the first text devoted to an evidence-based elucidation of the mechanisms and strategies for optimizing muscle growth. In total, Brad's books have sold over a half-million copies.On this episode Brad and I discuss: Brad's background & Influences What are the good and not so good things that Brad currently see's with the physical preparation and sport science professions, and what solutions would he offer for the not so good things he is seeing I ask Brad about the role of muscle damage within hypertrophy I ask Brad about training volume prescription for hypertrophy I ask Brad about hypertrophy adaptations from training with lighter loading schemes I ask Brad about role that time under tension per set plays within hypertrophy training I ask Brad for his take on rest periods and hypertrophy training I ask Brad about the role of loaded stretching and hypertrophy gains  I ask Brad for his opinion on hyperplasia I ask Brad about the truth about myofibillar vs sarcoplasmic hypertrophy I ask Brad about training to failure and is it necessary to maximize hypertrophy gains I ask Brad about for his thoughts on concurrent training I ask Brad for his thoughts on Dr. Michael Scally's work with Testosterone I ask Brad what are the biggest lessons he has learned so far in the life I ask Brad for his top resources I ask Brad for his top and current book recommendations I ask Brad - How does his learn? I ask Brad if he only had 1 year left on Planet Earth - how would he spend that year and why? I ask Brad if he could invite 5 people to dinner, dead or alive, who would he invite and why? This was an outstanding episode and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did! Stay Strong, RB   Show Notes: Website - lookgreatnaked.comFacebook - Brad Schoenfeld Twitter - @BradSchoenfeldInstagram - bradschoenfeldphd   Books Mentioned: People and Resources Mentioned: Bret Contreras Alan AragonJose Antonio Mike RobertsCody HaunPer Tersh Pub Med Show Sponsors: Ultimate Performance Online MentorshipTo get INSTANT ACCESS to almost 20 hours of World Class online video Strength and Conditioning Information go to upmentorship.com ALTIS ALTIS 360ALTIS Education   Ultimate Athlete Concepts Ultimate Athlete Concepts is a multi faceted company, providing the most sophisticated scientific material in sport science. UAC is the worlds leading resource for translated sport preparation educational material.    National Sports Performance Association Certified Program Design Specialist Certified Speed and Agility CoachCerfitied Weightlifting Performance Coach Certified Sports Nutrition Coach   Athletes AccelerationComplete Warm UpComplete Speed Training Complete Speed GamesComplete Jumps TrainingComplete Olympic Lifting Complete Youth TrainingComplete Guide to Training the Female Athlete Complete Core Complete Sports Conditioning Complete Sports Nutrition Complete Program Design Sports Camp Empire   Patreon Help support the podcast by becoming a Patreon to the show here - Patreon 

Brad Yates feels blessed to be known internationally for his creative and offered humorous use of Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT.He was trained and certified at the respected Hypnosis Motivation Institute in California, where he served on staff.Combining this background with training in energy psychology and various schools of thought in the area of personal growth and achievement, he coaches groups and individuals in achieving greater success, health and happiness in their lives.Join me as I ask Brad:How did he get into EFT?Why do people fear change, and what we can do about it?He'll share with us:What EFT, or tapping, is.His definition of success.He shares a tapping session with us!Brad's sense of humour and sincerity is very endearing, and it was a privilege to have him on the podcast to share his enthusiasm for helping, and his wisdom:“It was such a stunning result that the lab technicians threw out the first result because they said something must have gone wrong!”“Self sabotage is simply misguided self love.”“You're not being stupid, you're being brilliant based on poor programming!”To find out more about Brad Yates visit https://www.TapWithBrad.comI'd love to know your thoughts and experiences - join the conversation on my Facebook page.For more episodes of Recipes For Life, find us on iTunes at https://apple.co/2NpsIba, Spotify at https://spoti.fi/2NpSiN0, Whooskhaa at https://www.whooshkaa.com/shows/recipes-for-life-with-pete-evans, click the link on https://peteevans.com, or just look up "Recipes For Life" in your favourite podcast app.I'd love to spread the knowledge in these podcasts far and wide. If you liked this episode, I'd love it if you could share it with your friends, and perhaps even leave a review on iTunes.This podcast is proudly presented by The Institute For Integrative Nutrition, or IIN for short.I've completed this amazing health training course through IIN, and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone wanting to start a career in the health coaching and wellness space.This course is conducted over a year long period and it's constructed in a way that if you're a full time worker or a busy parent or wherever you are in your life you'll still be able to complete all the required curriculum and modules.Please see the link included in this post on my Facebook or Instagram page or on iTunes, to access the free sample class and first module of the program, to get a great taste of the format and structure as well as utilise my special discount that I can offer you if you decide to sign up.Just go to https://geti.in/2K2QcAw, email admissions@integrativenutrition.com or call +1 (212) 730-5433 outside the US, (844) 780-3300 within the US.Make sure you tell the admission team that you're part of the Pete Evans tuition savings to claim your very substantial discount. More info is at https://www.integrativenutrition.comTheme music by Mandharu. Audio production by Andy Maher.  See /privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brad Yates feels blessed to be known internationally for his creative and offered humorous use of Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT.He was trained and certified at the respected Hypnosis Motivation Institute in California, where he served on staff.Combining this background with training in energy psychology and various schools of thought in the area of personal growth and achievement, he coaches groups and individuals in achieving greater success, health and happiness in their lives.Join me as I ask Brad:How did he get into EFT?Why do people fear change, and what we can do about it?He’ll share with us:What EFT, or tapping, is.His definition of success.He shares a tapping session with us!Brad’s sense of humour and sincerity is very endearing, and it was a privilege to have him on the podcast to share his enthusiasm for helping, and his wisdom:“It was such a stunning result that the lab technicians threw out the first result because they said something must have gone wrong!”“Self sabotage is simply misguided self love.”“You're not being stupid, you're being brilliant based on poor programming!”To find out more about Brad Yates visit https://www.TapWithBrad.comI’d love to know your thoughts and experiences - join the conversation on my Facebook page.For more episodes of Recipes For Life, find us on iTunes at https://apple.co/2NpsIba, Spotify at https://spoti.fi/2NpSiN0, Whooskhaa at https://www.whooshkaa.com/shows/recipes-for-life-with-pete-evans, click the link on https://peteevans.com, or just look up "Recipes For Life" in your favourite podcast app.I'd love to spread the knowledge in these podcasts far and wide. If you liked this episode, I'd love it if you could share it with your friends, and perhaps even leave a review on iTunes.This podcast is proudly presented by The Institute For Integrative Nutrition, or IIN for short.I've completed this amazing health training course through IIN, and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone wanting to start a career in the health coaching and wellness space.This course is conducted over a year long period and it's constructed in a way that if you're a full time worker or a busy parent or wherever you are in your life you'll still be able to complete all the required curriculum and modules.Please see the link included in this post on my Facebook or Instagram page or on iTunes, to access the free sample class and first module of the program, to get a great taste of the format and structure as well as utilise my special discount that I can offer you if you decide to sign up.Just go to https://geti.in/2K2QcAw, email admissions@integrativenutrition.com or call +1 (212) 730-5433 outside the US, (844) 780-3300 within the US.Make sure you tell the admission team that you're part of the Pete Evans tuition savings to claim your very substantial discount. More info is at https://www.integrativenutrition.comTheme music by Mandharu. Audio production by Andy Maher. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

029 | In today's podcast we go through a discussion of the mindset differences between a 'reluctant frugalist' like Jonathan and an aspiring minimalist like Brad. In Today’s Podcast we cover: The reluctant frugalist (Jonathan) vs. the mindset of the aspiring minimalist (Brad) How both these mindsets are valid and strong approaches to the concept of Financial Independence How do you talk to your spouse or significant other about financial independence? Voicemail from Royce about how he can get his wife on board with FI? You need to have a conversation with your significant other about what you want out of life and where you want to go as a team The pursuit of FI can bring you closer together as it can make you wealthier and happier Jonathan’s story about FI and his wife plus a story of the ‘addictive nature’ of buying stuff How Jonathan changed his entire life with the pursuit of FI FI as the ultimate life hack You need to see the other person’s motivation and incentives when trying to persuade them Being near or at FI transforms your relationships with your family and friends How Brad aspires to be a minimalist and live in a hotel Excerpt from Physician on Fire’s article: Minimalism vs. Frugality Frugality and the scarcity mindset How people outside the FI community have to deal with a cash flow scarcity mentality The differences between a minimalist and a frugal person How free your brain becomes when you remove the clutter from your rooms and your life How Brad’s daughters are different by nature regarding minimalism and clutter Would you throw out all the items in your house that you haven’t used for some set period of time? 90 days?  1 year? The sharing economy has changed the value of ownership Jonathan’s board game obsession and the value he gets from buying things What a week in Jonathan’s FI future life looks like A minimalist buys one item that fulfills multiple purposes, but is quite expensive and high quality Brand names: Is there any value? Can you actually find a break-even point on certain purchases? The wardrobe differences between minimalists and frugal people How your brain operates better when you don’t make as many decisions and avoid ‘decision fatigue’ A minimalist doesn’t want a lawn/yard whereas a frugal person enjoys doing it themselves