Podcasts about jess you

In our last SEAMSIDE conversation on Episode 5, quilt historian Jess Bailey aka @publiclibraryquilts and I discussed the role of storytelling in art history and the power of visual images to convey narratives, experience of feeling seen and recognized through images, and we talked about why Jess would rather her quilts be considered sturdy rather than soft.We catch up now a little over a year later to share our favorite quilt book recommendations, personal stories from recent quilting bees, and I share a vulnerable moment that Jess indirectly helped me understand one of my own blind spots in regards to the improv quilts of Gee's Bend.⤷ Subscribe to SEAMSIDE to get a notification when a new episode posts⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOKSHOWNOTES OF THE GODS (thank you, Jess)You can see the Ascott Martyrs Quilt if you visit the People's History Museum in Manchester or you can learn more about the Martyrs story and early union history through this resource. Big thanks to Fi Ashley at Gresshenhall for amplifying material culture histories of unions and first telling PLQ about the Ascott Quilt.Zak shared his copy of the standby of any well-stocked quilt library: A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories by Roland L. Freeman. Remember, if you can't find an out of print quilt history book, its always worth checking Worldcat - a search engine that aggregates the world's library collections!Two must read quilt history books of 2023: Out this June from University of Washington Press, Professor Lisa Gail Collins' Stitching Love and Loss: the story of a Gee's Bend Quilt promises to encompass the power and role of quilts across a human life. Professor Janneken Smucker's A New Deal for Quilts will be published by the International Quilt Museum in October. Jess has had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy and everyone needs to see the stunningly beautiful early 20th century photographs of quilts in this book. You can preorder it at the link above.Jess & Zak are a Sharbreon fan club in this episode! If you'd like to read Dr. Sharbreon Plummer's Diasporic Threads published by Common Threads Press, you can find it here. Jess & Sharbreon have some projects up their sleeve, in the meantime explore Sharbreon's quilt work.You can watch Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi's lecture at the International Quilt Museum here (and maybe spot Zak in the front row!)Oh and did Jess mention an upcoming quilt fundraiser & raffle? Stay tuned for more from Jess & her collaborator Ashley J. May (@grassrootsmorning) as they prepare for the Kin Folk Library Quilt fundraiser funding a library of children's books amplifying the rich histories of Black feminist writers and Lil' Free Bird story times at the Salt Eaters and other bookshops.

We wrap up Lantern Month with a case study in PTSD, Jessica Cruz! Lock yourself in your apartment and listen now!  Issue 167 - Jessica Cruz Intro Thanks to everyone who joined us for the watch party Background (1:56) Jessica Cruz created by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke, and Ethan Van Sciver in Justice League #30 (July 2014) Jessica was on a camping trip with her friends when they witnessed mobsters burying a body - the mobsters killed her friends to prevent witnesses, but Jessica escaped When she returned, she suffered from anxiety attacks and agoraphobia, and locked herself in her apartment for four years When the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 came to the planet and Power Ring was killed, his ring found Jessica and bonded to her because of her fear - the ring took over and led to her attacking the Justice League & Doom Patrol With the help of Batman & Hal Jordan, she learned to use the ring and control it, instead of letting it control her During the Darkseid War, his daughter Grail summoned the Black Racer to kill the Flash, she managed to overtake the ring's control long enough to jump in front and attack the Black Racer - it killed the entity in the ring, and left Jessica presumably dead, until a Green Lantern ring approached her and turned her into the newest Earth Lantern Hal partners her with Simon Baz, the other new Earth Lantern, and right after they start working together, they have to take on Atrocitus and the Red Lantern Corps, who are constructing a Hell Tower on Earth - they destroy the tower, but the Rage Seed was still implanted in the Earth She joins the Justice League, and helps them take on Doctor Manhattan (unsuccessfully) Gets stranded on an outpost alone in space for a year, and managed to fight off Sinestro Corps members when they came to the station in search of supplies - she earns a yellow ring after this, and joins the Sinestro Corps as the Lantern of 2814 Issues - Theme is “You got this… but what if you don't?” (6:48) PTSD - Agoraphobia PTSD - Anxiety (13:05) PTSD - Imposter syndrome (20:41) Break (31:31) Plugs for SNEScapades, Last Sons of Krypton, and Jeremy Whitley Treatment (33:25) In-universe & out of universe are the same -  Skit (feat. Lauren from Legends of SHIELD) (39:02) DOC: Hello Jessica, I'm Dr. Issues JESS: *deep breath & exhale* Hello Doctor DOC: What can I do for you? JESS: Well to be honest I'm a little creeped out DOC: Why is that? JESS: This isn't what I expected.  Your office is… unique DOC: I have to admit I've made some recent changes.  I have to keep up with the latest breakthroughs in therapy. JESS: It looks like you may have gone backwards instead. DOC: What do you mean? JESS: Well, first of all I thought there would be a couch.  Why is there a beanbag? And what is that lavender smell? DOC: I have come to realize that the environment is very important for patients to get better.  That beanbag is warm and comforting and lavender is known to be very soothing.  But I didn't stop there.  I'm sure you've noticed that tall lamp as well. JESS: Yeah, I think that's something that I should really talk to you about. It looks like something I've been… Researching. DOC: it's part of my new concierge model.  I want to be able to dedicate myself to my patients more and in a fashion that will allow for the best results while not stressing me out.  But I apologize, I just realize I haven't really focused on why you want my help in the first place. JESS: ‘Cause I've been through some bad stuff, that's why.  And there are some serious times I feel like I can't do this at all.  DOC: Well I can't blame you for feeling that way. That's pretty common.  What does that do to you emotionally? JESS: It makes me wanna jump out of my skin sometimes.  I become a nervous wreck.  DOC: Anxiety.  Got it.  But I notice with what you have, clearly you have been managing very well for yourself. JESS: What, the ring?  That's part of the problem. Everybody thinks I have it all put together.  *Scoffs* It makes me feel like an impostor.  DOC: What's that saying, “dress for the job you want?” JESS: You're one to talk.  *Sarcasm* You don't really dress like a DOCTOR DOC: You know, I used to dress up in a full suit, but then I became more comfortable with who I am so I dress the way I want. JESS: Is that why you went with this color scheme for the office?  To match your personal preference? DOC: If you must know, I actually picked this as a compromise.  My favorite color is blue, and my daughter enjoys purple, so somewhere in between seems fitting. *pause* Why are you so fascinated with the random intricacies of my decor?  I'm supposed to get to know your situation, not the other way around. JESS: *sigh* Is it really that obvious? DOC: You have been fidgeting for quite a while, you constantly look over your shoulder, and so far all you've done is critique me to the point that if I weren't so chill about all of this I'd be insulted. JESS: Like I said I've been through a lot in my life. It pays to be safe. DOC: I don't expect you to go into details, but if you could at least identify what type of trauma you've had it would be helpful. JESS: My face, rather my EYE, gives it away.  You're not stupid. DOC: That definitely looks like a source of pain and I'm sorry.  But there's more to it than that. You seem distracted.  Is there anything else? JESS: You're definitely perceptive, I'll give you that. *grunts* I can't do this, ok? *angry* I CAN'T DO THIS DOC: Whoa! I didn't mean to get you that upset JESS: Well you did…  Not you really…but…what you're doing DOC: I'm doing my job JESS: No you're doing someone else's job, and that's what I'm trying to figure out…this could have been simple…*changes to authoritative tone* this is official green lantern corp business.  This office has been on our radar for months.  We know who comes in and out of here but lately, something has changed. *sound effect for powering up* Please provide us with the appropriate information, or I may have to use force. DOC: Well at least you're nicer than the joint commission. *sigh*OK here goes.  I've made a deal with a private equity firm… Of sorts.  It's not a complete buyout so I still have significant control.  Heck, they didn't even want money.  They just wanted my office to be able to accommodate certain situations, along with my professional expertise. JESS: Is that how you brainwashed Guy Gardner into thinking you're the best psychiatrist ever? DOC: What?  No, I JESS: * interrupting* and is that how you survived ATROCITUS without being obliterated? DOC: He just left on his own! I thought I was going to die! JESS: *phone rings* This call is important.  Don't…move… DOC: *surprisingly calm* wouldn't dream of it JESS: Hello…what? That was never supposed to happen in our lifetime…I'm not… you can't …someone else …ANYBODY else…you're asking for failure! No! * hangs up* We have to leave now! *panicked* NOW! DOC: * phone rings* apparently it's my turn JESS: I don't care…it's not that important DOC: You don't know that *answers* hello this is Dr. Issues…  I didn't realize it was you.  Yes I do think that's relevant to what's going on right now.  I guess it fits in with being audited.  Okay I'll put in the orders JESS: We don't have time for this, we have to leave.  There's a creature that can destroy us all coming here right now and he is not about making friends.  It's another lantern…  The only orange one!  DOC: *interrupting* Nope actually we have to stay. More importantly, when I tell you, you have to open that door. JESS: The closet?  You're gonna have us hide in the closet? This is ridiculous. DOC: We're not going in. He is. JESS: You're not trapping the greediest being in the universe in the closet! DOC: * deep sigh* Please understand that I am terrified right now and the only reason I'm keeping calm is that this is what happens to me when I know there are things that must be done.  So for the sake of your life, mine, and everyone that we care about, just open the door when I say so. I'm begging you. JESS: And when this doesn't work…? DOC: Then I know I will have done everything I could and I know a hero such as yourself will fight to her last breath…  But I hope it doesn't come to that. JESS: Every day is a fight.  Every moment.  The choice to get out of bed.  To eat. To smile.  Everyone takes that for granted.  And you really think I could fight that…  whatever it is when it gets here? DOC: Thank you for fighting, and winning all of those so far.  So much anxiety is about “what if,“ and you have to keep proving yourself.  The good news is there will come a day where you don't have to ask that question anymore.  Maybe today's the day. ***chant of MINE IS MINE AND MINE AND MINE AND MINE AND MINE AND MINE *** DOC: NOW! ***scream of NOOOOOOOT YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUURS*** *** door opens then slams shut *** JESS: What was in- DOC: *answers phone again* Yes I was already putting them in…  I think the HalJordanol should work if it's administered as an inhalant.  I'll admit I don't know what the normal vital signs should be…  Not aware of any next of kin listed.  Estimated length of stay 5 to 7 days or epochs, whatever term is appropriate. *hangs up* JESS: What did you do? DOC: It will all make sense if you open the door again. JESS: Are you insane? We can't let him-  *stops abruptly* He's not in there, is he? DOC: See for yourself JESS: *opens door* It's empty…  And it looks like a hospital room? DOC: Crisis area.  I'm not a contractor but I'm guessing there is some inter-dimensional stuff at play. JESS: Then where is he now? DOC: To be honest I don't know how to describe it, but if a hospital is the best analog, let's just say he's being held for observation with a plan to return to his residence. JESS: There is no way the Guardians authorized this DOC: I'm no expert in those types of discussions.  All I know is, I have someone who can give a proper report of a system like this working for the first time. JESS: You'll need some official documentation DOC: Right now the best I can do is my card JESS: I can't read it…  It's like it's in some sort of alien language. DOC: Yeah I actually can't read it either but for some reason I can understand it.  They messed up my name though. It says “Dr. Ishigo.” They also said that this is only for Lantern situations. JESS: I don't think that's a mistake.  DOC: Nok. Ending (50:13) Recommended reading: Green Lanterns Next episodes: Ted Anderson interview, Animal sidekicks, Kang the Conqueror Plugs for social Apple Podcasts: here Google Play: here Stitcher: here TuneIn: here iHeartRadio: here Twitter Facebook TikTok  Patreon TeePublic Discord

Talking about the most famous woman no one has heard of, except you have heard of her because Elsie part of the Daddy Gang: Alex Cooper. Update on Apple Podcasts for Creators and their latest email, and finally Team She P shares all the love for Set App, which both of them love so very much!   Have you added your show onto Amazon Music? You are missing out if you have not! Add your show to Amazon Music. Thank you so much for your sponsoring the show

We all go through stages of anxiety. In today's episode, @nativebrows shares her ongoing experience of confronting her anxiety and provides tips on how to face your own. Through this, she aims to console and empower, hopefully helping you overcome your anxiety little by little. Tune in :) Meet Jess: Jess De León is the Artist & Owner of Native Brows Cosmetic Tattoo Studio. She has a Degree in Fine Art with a core focus in Human Anatomy, studying to become a Medical/Forensic Artist before moving to Texas from California in 2013 and obtaining a 2 year Apprenticeship for Cosmetic & Paramedical Tattooing in Houston. Jess pairs her creative, illustrative, & technical knowledge of Art & Human Anatomy to design a one of a kind set of brows and cosmetic tattoo enhancement that is soft, natural, & fresh for every unique client.“Inspired by my Love of Art, Nature, & Beauty!”~Jess You can find her on Instagram @nativebrows!

“It’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” Due to her bicornuate uterus, Jess was told that she could only ever have Cesarean births. When her first birth experience involved a rough surgery and brutal recovery, Jess was tempted to wonder if she even wanted to get pregnant again in the future. Then, she made a choice. Jess decided to trust in her intuition, in a supportive birth team, and in the natural process of birth. She chose to believe in her body and chose to take a risk. Jess’ VBAC story is fast, furious, and magical. She found the mental strength to fully commit and the physical strength to achieve the unmedicated VBAC she was told she’d never have. Jess is truly a woman of strength and so are you. *Additional links* The VBAC Link Facebook Community ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/VbacLinkGroup/ ) How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/product/how-to-vbac/ ) JessandBabe YouTube Channel ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv-KpKaYHRC__UQ9m9-GNvw ) *************** Full transcript *************** Note: All transcripts are edited to correct grammar and to eliminate false starts and filler words. *Julie:* Welcome, welcome. This is The VBAC Link podcast and we are really excited to be here with you today. I feel like it’s been a while since we have been recording. I guess it hasn’t really been that long, but it just feels like a long time since we have been talking to people. We have a really fun guest with us today. Her name is Jess. She is a full-time mom. She has two girls and she has a bicornuate-- however you say it-- uterus where it’s a heart-shape, right? *Jess:* Mhmm, yep. *Julie:* That can sometimes cause problems conceiving. It can cause problems with baby’s positioning. She has a really, really cool story about her VBAC with a heart-shaped uterus. I am just not going to try and pronounce it anymore. But I am really excited to talk with Jess today because we actually had her scheduled to record a couple of weeks ago, but they had an ice storm. She lives in Oregon and they had an ice storm in Oregon that shut down power and internet for days. At that time, we hadn’t had any more recording sessions planned, but then all of a sudden we decided to open this huge day. We are recording a ton of podcasts today and Jess, you are our very first one. We are so excited that you are not iced in anymore-- *Jess* : Me too. *Julie:* -- and that your power is back on and you can share your story with us. But before we do that, as always, we have a Review of the Week and Meagan is going to read that for us. ------------------ Review of the Week ------------------ *Meagan:* Thank you. Okay. So this is a review that is actually from a listener from Ireland which is super awesome. The title is, “So informative.” It says, “Hoping to have a VBAC in July. Listening to all the podcast episodes in preparation for my VBAC. Really positive and informative. I feel the more stories I hear, the more prepared I am for every eventuality. Fingers crossed. Thank you, Julie and Meagan.” And that was in May of last year, so I am assuming she has had her baby by now. So, “duffipe” *Julie:* Duffy- pee , duffy- pay , duh- fee -pay? *Meagan:* I don’t know, yeah. *Jess:* I like duh- fee -pay. *Meagan:* Yes. If you are still listening, we would love you to message us and let us know how things are going and how things went. *Julie:* I feel like if people tell us in their review that they are pregnant, they need to put their name so we can go and stalk them in our Facebook community ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/VbacLinkGroup/ ) because I just don’t like not having closure for these types of things. I can’t handle it. *Meagan:* Yeah. I know, right? I know. Okay well, I’m going to turn the time back over to you, Julie, so we can hear this awesome story from Jess. ------------ Jess’s story ------------ *Julie:* Awesome story. Okay. Jess, Jess, Jess. I am so excited. Let me just tell you guys a little bit about Jess. She came on here and she was so happy and so smiley, and her voice is just-- as soon as she started talking, I started smiling. I don’t think I’m going to stop smiling this whole entire episode. I think my cheeks will hurt by the end. She just is so fun and so cute. She is going to tell her stories about her Cesarean and then her magical, unmedicated VBAC. So Jess, without further ado, I’m just going to go ahead and turn it over to you. *Jess:* Okay. So my first pregnancy, I actually had a really smooth pregnancy. Very uneventful. The only thing was that after one of my earlier ultrasounds, we had found out that I had a bicornuate uterus. The midwife that I was seeing at the time, her main concern was me either not being able to carry to term and that there was always a chance that I could miscarry. Obviously, it freaked me out the beginning, but honestly, after taking some time to think about it, I just knew deep down that I was meant to have a baby and that everything was going to be okay. The midwife that I started off with only saw women up until we were about 20 weeks and then we automatically got transferred over to a different practice that was with a group of midwives. I think there were probably about five or six midwives that were working there at the time and whenever I transferred over there, they didn’t really seem that concerned about me having a bicornuate uterus. They said that there wasn’t any reason why I shouldn’t be able to deliver vaginally. We will just keep an eye on it and everything should be okay. So I took their word for it and I didn’t think anything of it. Throughout my entire pregnancy, I had this really hard bulge up on the right-hand side of my ribcage. Every time that I went in, we would see a different midwife. It was very rare that we would see the same one back-to-back, so every midwife that we saw would check the baby’s position manually. Every single one told me that baby felt head down and that everything was great, and I had nothing to worry about. Again, I didn’t have any reason to disagree with them. You know, first-time mom, I didn’t know. I didn’t know what it felt like at all. So we got up to our 38-week appointment and my husband had come with me that day. We were curious about belly mapping. We were chatting with the midwife about belly mapping and wanted to know how to do it and all that stuff because we were super interested in it. And so, the midwife checked my belly again. She feels that hard spot that has been there the entire time and she goes, “You know, I’m pretty sure that that is the baby’s bum, but it’s a really slow day today in the office. We have a portable ultrasound machine. Let me go and grab that real quick. We will take a look and see where baby is hanging out.” Gabe and I were obviously super excited because we hadn’t been able to see her since our anatomy scan. And so, she came in, and as soon as she put that doppler on the hard spot on my stomach, you could see on the screen the outline of a perfectly round head. Right whenever she saw that, the mood in the room definitely took a shift. Things got very serious very quickly and she was like, “Oh, okay. So that is definitely the baby’s head.” Immediately she was like, “Okay. We are going to send you in for an official ultrasound tomorrow to get it confirmed. If it is, then you’re going to have a scheduled C-section next week.” H onestly, as a first-time mom hearing that I was going to be having a C-section, I do have to say that in a way I did feel a little bit of relief at the time because I, you know, first-time mom, I didn’t know how to deliver vaginally. You can take all the birthing classes you want and I personally still didn’t feel prepared. And so, just knowing that a C-section I would know exactly the time, day, when, and how-- all of that stuff was going to be covered. That, in a way, brought a sense of relief. But anyway, we went in. We got the ultrasound. I don’t know if there is a specific name, but she was definitely breech. She was on the right-hand side of my uterus since I have the septum going down the middle. Her feet-- she was completely bent in half, basically. Her feet were all the way up to her back behind her head. So she had no room at all. There always was the option of having an inversion, but because I had a bicornuate uterus, they weren’t willing to even attempt it because they said that it would put too much stress on me and the baby. Obviously, I didn’t want to do anything that would put either of us at risk, so we ended up having a C-section the following week. The C-section itself was not the smoothest. It was actually a very rough procedure. I got a spinal block and I had to end up getting two because the first one didn’t work. The babe was actually stuck up at my ribcage, so my incision ended up having to be twice as long, so that way the surgeon could reach his hand up there to wiggle his finger into baby’s mouth to pull her head down a certain way in order to get her to be delivered. So because of that, she came out with a bruised tongue, really tight TMJ muscles and she was not breathing whenever she came out. Immediately, she was taken over to the warming cart. Nobody was talking. It was pure silence. There were probably about five or six nurses that were over there trying to get her going and at that point, I didn’t feel very good. I was, obviously, still laying flat on my back and I just wasn’t feeling very well. I didn’t trust myself to have her on my chest and to do the immediate skin-to-skin because I didn’t want to drop her, so she actually got to have the first skin-to-skin moment with Gabe. I am very grateful and very glad that they were able to have that special moment, but I do think that looking back, that is one of my biggest regrets is not doing the immediate skin-to-skin because the connection just wasn’t there. The connection wasn’t as immediate as I thought it would be. I wasn’t able to hold her until we got back into our room, which, I don’t know how long it was-- maybe a half an hour or so after she was born. It just lead to a whole bunch of other tough stuff. I had a really tough recovery. We had a horrible time breastfeeding. I had a really hard time with the connection and a couple of times in specific while we were there. This all happened while I was still numb from the surgery. I hadn’t even gotten up and taken my first steps yet, but I had the surgeon and a couple of other doctors come in and tell me that I am always going to be a C-section mom. There is no other way around it. One of the baby’s pediatricians came in and told me that if I ever wanted to have kids again, I would have to have surgery to have the septum removed from my bicornuate uterus, or else I would miscarry. *Meagan:* Whoa. That’s heavy. *Jess* : Yeah. So, yeah. That definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. In the end, I ended up struggling really hard with some pretty severe postpartum anxiety, and depression, and mom rage, and all that stuff. But, yeah. That’s basically how the first baby got here. So then moving onto my second one, by the time that I had gotten done with my recovery with the first baby, I still had the thoughts in the back of my head of always being a C-section mom and remembering how hard both mentally and physically the recovery was. There honestly was a really short time where I didn’t know if I wanted to have more kids because I just didn’t think that I could go through that recovery again. And so, I ended up getting pregnant with my second shortly after my first’s first birthday. I didn’t decide that I wanted to shoot for a VBAC until I was about 20-some weeks of my pregnancy. The practice that I delivered with, the midwife clinic, they were all very VBAC-friendly. They were the ones that kept bringing it up and saying, “Hey, do you want to try and have a VBAC? You’re a really good candidate. I think you would have a success,” and all of that. I was the one that was on the fence because I had it in the back of my mind that I couldn’t deliver vaginally because of my uterus, and just that my body was broken and that I wasn’t able to do this vaginally. So one of the main driving factors for me wanting to try and have a VBAC was because I remembered how difficult the recovery was and I just kept thinking to myself, if I had that hard of a recovery with just a baby, I couldn’t even imagine having to do it again with a newborn and a not even two-year-old at home. That was the main reason why I wanted to try and have a VBAC. Once I made the decision to have the VBAC, I dove in headfirst and did absolutely everything under the sun that I could to prepare. First and foremost, I found this amazing podcast, The VBAC Link, and I took your Parent’s Prep VBAC Course ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/product/how-to-vbac/ ) which I cannot recommend enough. *Julie:* Holla. Shoutout to the course. *Jess* : Yeah. If I had to recommend anything to anyone that wanted to try and have a VBAC, it would definitely be to listen to this podcast and take the class because like I said, I am the type of person where the more prepared and everything that I can be, the better for me. Literally, everything that I needed to know about how to have a VBAC, and all the medical terminology, and the statistics, and all that stuff was literally in that book. All the questions that I ever had were answered. So I did that. I started doing the Spinning Babies® daily essential stretches video every day. I was going on walks. I decided to do HypnoBirthing as my form of, I don’t know what you call it, but the way to cope through the contractions I guess I should say. Because one of the things that I had learned in your class was to go as long as I could without having any sort of medical intervention, that being an epidural. So those are all of the things that I did. There actually was one short moment whenever I thought that the baby was going to be head up again. I went in and I requested a couple of ultrasounds because I had to actually tell them, “This is what happened to me last time. I do not want it to happen again and I need to have some ultrasounds so that where we can clearly confirm that baby is in the right position.” Baby thankfully was in the right position. There was one midwife there that I really enjoyed. And she-- I don’t even know what it was called, but if I had to describe it, it was the perfect line between chiropractic care and prenatal massage where she would go through from head to toe and she would feel all up and down my body, baby included, to feel any points of tension in my body, and then she would hold just the slightest bit of pressure until the tension naturally released. I just knew that was another thing that was going to help my VBAC success because my body was in alignment, which meant that the baby was going to have an easier time getting into the proper position. As I got further along in my pregnancy, at the time were they start doing the checks to see how far you are dilated, I chose not to get checked very often. I think I only ended up getting checked twice throughout my entire pregnancy and it wasn’t because they wanted me to get checked, it was just out of pure curiosity. I wanted to see what was going on and if my body was doing anything yet. The first time that I got checked, I can’t even remember how far along I was in my pregnancy at this point, but I was already dilated to a 1. Now, I was super excited to be dilated to a 1 because with my first baby, I remember as part of the pre-op stuff, I had to get checked. I was 38.5 weeks and I was all zeros across-the-board. So the fact that I was already at 1, I thought that was a huge accomplishment for me because I knew that my body was actually doing what it was literally made to do. The midwife that I was seeing that day in particular, I didn’t exactly vibe with that much. She was nice, but she wasn’t my favorite and she didn’t seem to think that being dilated to a 1 was good enough. She thought that at this point, that my body should have been progressed more and that’s when she had started pushing more of doing all the things like the evening primrose oil, eating the dates, doing all the things to your body to get it ready for birth before your body is actually ready. And then, she just really got into my head. She started saying how if I didn’t do this stuff that they don’t do the Foley bulb, so that’s not an option. If I wanted a Foley bulb, I would have to transfer to a completely different hospital an hour away. She jumped off the deep end a little bit and I’ve got to say, she really got into my head. After I went home, cried to Gabe a little bit, I pulled myself together and I advocated for myself. I called the midwife clinic and I said, “I need to schedule out the rest of my appointments and I cannot see that midwife,” because I just knew that mentally, I didn’t need to have that negative energy in my space as I was preparing for birth. I did not do any of the induction techniques. I didn’t eat the dates. I didn’t take the evening primrose oil. I didn’t get membrane sweeps. I didn’t do any of that. I just completely and fully sat back, relaxed, trusted in my body, and knew that whenever it was ready to deliver this baby, that it would do what it was meant to do. That’s what actually happened. So the day that I actually went into labor, it was July 29th at 5:00 in the morning. My husband had just gotten home from work. He got stuck at work late, so he had only been asleep-- it was maybe only half an hour. I remember I was sleeping and I got woken up by some really light, deep cramps. My eyes shot open and I remember thinking, “My midwife said that this would happen whenever I was going into labor,” but it wasn’t super intense. I brushed it off and I went back to sleep because I was like, “Oh, it is probably just round ligament pain. I’m only 39 and 1 day. This isn’t happening. Not even five minutes later, I felt this really faint pop. It’s so hard to describe, but it’s almost like a water balloon inside of you is popping. I was like, “Wow, okay. That’s weird. I’ve never felt anything like that before.” I was like, “Oh my gosh. My midwife said that if my water broke, that this is what it could feel like. So I woke Gabe up, who had just fallen asleep, and I was like, “I don’t know for certain, but I am pretty sure that something might be happening.” I walked to the bathroom to go and scope things out. As I am pulling down my pants to sit on the toilet, my waters fall out. I just stopped completely in my tracks and I am like, “Oh my gosh. My water just broke on its own. We are doing this thing.” I am texting Gabe back-and-forth from the bathroom being like, “Oh my gosh. My water broke. We need to call the midwife. We need to call my mom to come and stay with Audrey.” I was just going down all of the lists of things that I had to do because I just knew it was go time. So we called the midwife. She had wanted me to go ahead and get ready to come into the hospital because I had tested positive for-- I think, is it Group B? Something like that. She wanted to get medication started. *Meagan* : Yeah. Group B Strep. *Jess* : Yes. So I had tested positive for that and she wanted me to come in so that way we could get the medication started. But we ended up calling her back because I really wanted to labor at home for as long as I could so that way the chances of intervention were smaller. Thinking back, I don’t know why I thought I had more time than I actually did. But right off the bat, my contractions were probably 2 to 3 minutes apart, 30 seconds long and it was just back-to-back-to-back. I guess I thought that I had more time than I actually did because they weren’t as intense as I thought they would be yet. I was still able to shower and all of that stuff, and get my stuff ready, and talk, and breathe through them, and all that. I guess I thought that I had more time than I did. I definitely did not. It was a very close call. The contractions immediately got really intense and at this point, we are just waiting for my mom to come. She lives about half an hour away from us, so we are waiting for her to get to the house so she could stay with Audrey. By the time my mom had gotten-- I mean, she said that she could hear me. She was standing outside and she could hear me laboring in the bathroom. It was super intense and I don’t even remember looking at her or talking to her. I just passed by her to get into the car. I told Gabe, I was like, “We have got to get to the hospital. I don’t think we are going to make it.” So, I had a couple more contractions before I was able to get myself into the car. I was afraid to get into the car because I didn’t want to sit. Sitting was extremely, extremely uncomfortable for me. When I tell you that that was the longest car ride of my entire life, I cannot even tell you how hard of a car ride that was. *Meagan:* It’s hard to sit there. *Jess:* Oh my gosh. It was so hard. The hospital we were delivering at was half an hour away, so Gabe was booking it. I was contracting so, so hard, but thankfully we made it. The hospital that we delivered at is actually pretty small, so there are only two entrances. There is the maternity entrance and then there is an emergency room entrance, and it’s just on either side of the parking lot. So obviously, we had pulled into the maternity entrance. After we got out of the car and walked up to the door, we see that because of COVID, everyone has to check-in through the emergency room entrance. I was like, “Oh my gosh. This literally cannot be happening to me right now. Gabe was like, “Okay well, do you want to walk over there or do you want to get in the car and do you want to drive over there?” You can see the other entrance, like I said, from the door where we were standing and I was like, “I am not sitting down again. Let’s just walk.” Thinking of that, it would have been much faster if we just zoomed right over there really quick, but for whatever reason, I wanted to walk. I was laboring so, so hard throughout the entire parking lot. Whenever people say that whenever you are in the middle of delivering your baby that you go into a completely different world, that is 100% true. At that point, I didn’t care who saw me. I don’t care what I was doing. I didn’t care how loud I was. There were people walking out to their cars. There were nurses and doctors everywhere and I was just in the zone trying to breathe through these tough contractions. So of course with COVID, before we were actually able to go to the maternity entrance, we had to go through this checkpoint and questionnaire for all of this COVID screening. I had to get my temperature taken. I had to get a badge. I had to answer all of these questions. Again, while not even really being able to talk. The nurse was very persistent. I know everyone has got their job to do, but I was like, “Come on, lady. I’m about to pop this baby out right now. I can’t.” Anyway, after we got done with all of the questions she was like, “Okay. Do you want to walk or do you want to go in a wheelchair?” I was like, “I do not care. Just whatever gets me there faster.” I ended up sitting in the wheelchair. Gabe pushed me and we sprinted down the really long hallway before we had to go through another checkpoint. They were like, “Are you the VBAC patient? Everyone is waiting for you.” At that point, after I heard that, I just felt a sense of relief like, “Okay. We are going to be okay. We are going to do this.” Because they were prepared for me and as soon as the big doors opened, my entire birth team was there. My midwife was there. The nurses, there were other doctors. Everybody was just there and they were waiting for me. *Julie* : Aw. That probably feels really good. *Jess:* Yeah. Yeah. I just-- I was like, “Okay. I’m not going to do this by myself. I am in good hands here.” As soon as I lay eyes on my midwife, the first words out of my mouth were, “I need an epidural.” She goes, “Okay,” super calm and collected. “Okay well, let’s go and get you back to your room. We will check and see how far along you are. Now, if you are pretty progressed, do you still want to have an epidural?” I was like, “I don’t know, but I have got to have something.” Giving birth is such an athletic event. It is so athletic. So at this point, I am so tired and I am sweating to death. I am like, “Holy crap. This is so much.” And so, we got into the room and there were so many people in that room. It was me, Gabe, the midwife, and there were honestly probably three other nurses and then eventually, I call him the epidural guy, the anesthesiologist. I don’t know. He was in there at one point. And so, I’m at the foot of my bed. I ripped off my pants. The midwife was already down behind me and she was checking and she goes, “Okay well, you are 8 centimeters dilated.” And I was like, “Okay.” So she is down behind me the entire time. I have another nurse who is in front of me who has a doppler on the tummy to keep an eye on baby. Gabe is sitting down in a chair being a great support for me, and then I am gripping onto the foot of the bed railing going through the contractions, and up in front of me are all of the nurses, plus the anesthesiologist, who are trying to get an IV in me and all that stuff in case I needed it. I was extremely dehydrated come to find out, so they had a very difficult time getting an IV started. I think I ended up getting poked probably, I don’t know, maybe eight times honestly. Every time they are like, “I am so sorry we have to do this. I am so sorry we have to do this.” In between contractions, I looked at them and I was like, “Literally, I do not care what you are doing to me right now because I don’t feel it.” Eventually, they got one started, but it took forever. The biggest thing that I was saying throughout the contractions was, “I feel like I am going to poop my pants. I feel like I’m going to poop,” and my midwife kept telling me, she’s like, “That’s good. That’s good. That means your baby is coming.” I was like, “Oh my gosh. I am literally about to poop myself right now. I can feel it.” She brought over a chair and I was still standing in front of the bed. She had me put one foot up on a chair. She checked again and she goes, “Okay. You are now a full 10, so baby is going to be here in just a second.” This was probably in the span of maybe half an hour. One of the things I remember is that I had a heart monitor, the finger heart monitor thing, on and I kept flicking it off my finger during contractions because I couldn’t fully grip onto the bed railings, so the nurse had to stick one on my pinky toe so that way she could keep an eye on me. After one of my last contractions, my midwife was telling me that she felt like I was clenching like I was holding my baby in a little bit. I was like, “Okay.” She was like, “How about next contraction, after that one is over, we have you crawl up on the bed on all fours and we will see if that helps?” I was like, “I don’t think I can crawl up on that bed right now. I don’t.” She is like, “It’s okay. We will bring the bed down. It will be easy peasy. You can just crawl right up.” So I crawled up on all fours. She was definitely coaching me. She was telling me how to breathe because obviously, I had to get very vocal throughout the contractions. She was telling me to really breathe and dig deep with the contractions and use the contractions as a way to push the baby out. I did that. I pushed one more time and out came the baby. It was the most magical, healing experience for me of my entire life. I was able to do the immediate skin-to-skin. We were able to do that delayed cord clamping. I actually cut the cord myself. I was able to see my placenta. It was just the most magical experience that I have ever had because I completely, 100% trusted my body to do what I knew it could do and it worked. So, yeah. Those are my stories. ---------------------- VBAC prep and planning ---------------------- *Meagan:* I love that. I love that you say, “I 100% trusted in my body and knew that I was able to do it,” because this is something that I even found so hard. *Jess:* Yeah. *Meagan:* Because I’d be like, “Okay. I know I can do it, but can I?” *Jess:* Exactly. *Meagan* : “Okay, no. I can. But really, can I?” You know? Even during the birth, I am like, “Wait. Okay. I can do this. I can keep going.” *Jess:* “Can I do this?” Yeah. *Meagan:* Unfortunately, I did not have a fast, intense experience. I had a slow, turtle-paced labor. There were times where I am like, “No. No,” and then my husband would look at me and be like, “Remember, this is what you wanted. You can do this.” I am like, “Oh yeah. Okay, okay, okay. I can do it.” You know? We have to believe in ourselves and even in the moments that we doubt, we have our teams. That’s why I think having a team is so important and I loved that when the big doors opened, your team was there and waiting for you because I truly can only imagine how that felt for you. *Jess:* Oh yeah. It was such a huge sigh of relief because like I said, I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have a choice except to just work through it and I was like, “I need a professional here that actually knows what’s going on to help me.” So, yeah. It was great seeing them there. *Meagan* : I love that. *Julie:* How comforting. That part of your story warmed my heart so much. You get there. You’re in active labor. You are really excited. Your whole entire team welcomes you and then you’re 8 centimeters dilated. What a high to keep going on. *Meagan:* I know. *Jess:* I know. Gabe and I would go, “Oh my gosh. What if there was a car accident or r road work?” Or it was during the summer, so we’d always have a bunch of farming equipment on the road. We were like, “Oh my gosh. I would have had my baby in the car if we showed up a minute later.” It was just crazy. *Meagan:* Yup. Oh my gosh. I love it. Something I love too is how you said in the beginning, “My provider is like, ‘Yeah, you are a great candidate for a VBAC,’” and you were like, “No.” You weren’t super on board and you weren’t for it at that time. We find that that is the case sometimes. It’s okay when those cases stay the same or they’re like, “Yeah, no. VBAC just really isn’t for me.” But I think something that Julie and I like to encourage people to do is, educate yourself on both sides so you truly know what the best route is for you. If it is the VBAC, awesome. And if it’s not a VBAC and if it’s a CBAC, yes. Great. Do what’s best for you. So, I love that you found out your options, and then eventually you were like, “Oh, this is totally what I want to do,” and you went with it. Because it is. There is something to say when you feel empowered for making the choice for you. When you are being told, “Okay so, you always have to have a C-section and you’re going to have to have surgery,” that’s daunting and scary. You’re like, “Whoa. That’s overwhelming.” *Jess:* Yeah. For sure. For sure. Yeah. I think something that’s really important is just because you can have a VBAC doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best option for you. And same goals with a C-section. I think that every woman is different and it’s just important for you to take a step back, go through all of your options, like you said, and pick what’s best for you. That’s why I honestly, truly cannot thank your VBAC prep course enough because it laid out all of the options for me. I knew how to have a C-section for my first time and I felt way prepared and more after going through your VBAC prep course. *Meagan* : Yeah. I love it. *Julie:* Well, thank you so much. Yeah. That’s one of the things we go over in the course is-- I don’t know. I am going to mush our course and what I go over with my clients in our prenatal visits for my doula work. Have a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C. Plan A is your perfect plan. If everything goes the way you want, what does that look like? Plan B is your backup plan. So if you’re planning to go unmedicated, what if you need an epidural? What if you need to be induced? Things like that, your backup plan. And plan C is your Cesarean plan. So it’s really funny-- funny is probably not the right word, but it is interesting as I talk to people because I don’t make them create a Cesarean plan. We always have a backup plan, but I ask them, “If you need a Cesarean--” whether it’s first-time moms or birth after a Cesarean or whatever. “If you need a Cesarean, do you want to know what options are available for you, and do you want to have information about that?” Some people are like, “Oh no, no, no, no, no. I don’t want to say the C-word. I only want good vibes. We are only projecting vaginal birth. I feel like if I talk about it and create that, it’s setting myself up for a Cesarean.” For some people, I think that maybe they just don’t have the mental space to go there, but it’s probably a sign that you need to do some kind of processing work in order to get your mind in a better spot because when you fear something and then it happens to you, it makes a possibility of trauma way more likely. But having a backup Cesarean plan, like you said, if your birth ends up that way, you can enter into all the different changes of labor and birth with confidence because you already know about them. You don’t have to tell your doctor to explain the risks and benefits of things to you, which you should still do because maybe there is something you don’t know about. But learning about all of the different options can help you be more confident. As Meagan and I work with our doula clients and every one of you at The VBAC Link, that is the number one thing that people say they wish they had more of going into their VBAC. It’s confidence. Confidence in themselves, confidence in their provider, and confidence that they will know how to make the right decisions if something doesn’t go as expected. *Jess:* Yeah. *Meagan:* Mhmm. *Jess:* I think that’s why it shows that it takes just as much physical prep as it does mental prep because you can do everything that you can under the sun to prep your body physically for birth, but birth is such a mental game. If you don’t have the preparation that you need and you haven’t processed the things that you need, it can be difficult. *Julie* : Absolutely. That’s why we go over all of that in our course, too. In fact, we start out with the mental prep just because it’s probably the most important part. Entering the rest of the course with a free mind can really open you up to more learning. Now, Meagan and I were texting while you were talking and we are like, “Wait. Her voice sounds so familiar.” *Meagan* : Yeah. I was like, “I know her.” *Julie:* We know you. *Meagan:* Well, I was like, “I know her.” When you popped up, I was like, “I know her face.” And I am like, “Wait.” So then 10 minutes in, I am like, “Julie. This is the YouTube girl that shared about our course on YouTube.” She is like, “Oh my gosh.” So we are like, “Oh my heavens.” I just love you. I am like, “I know I know her face and her voice.” Julie is like, “Yeah, I know. I remember.” *Julie:* I am like, “I think it’s that girl that made the cute YouTube video.” But Jess, why don’t you tell people where to find your YouTube channel because I am pretty sure everyone should watch it because she talks all about all of the things that she did to prepare for her VBAC both mentally and emotionally and on the educational side. So, yeah. Share it with everybody because everyone needs to go and watch this video. It is so fun. *Jess:* Yeah so, my YouTube channel is called JessandBabe ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv-KpKaYHRC__UQ9m9-GNvw ). It is all one word. I actually started it whenever I was postpartum with my first baby. Like I said, I got diagnosed with pretty bad mom rage and postpartum anxiety. I just found that creating videos that I wished I would have seen whenever I was postpartum would have helped me if that makes sense. I wanted to make the videos that I wish I would’ve seen. It was just a really great form of therapy I have to say, knowing that I am helping people. It’s not a huge YouTube channel yet by any means. It’s very small, but I know that the videos that I make are helping people. I talk about all things. The VBAC video is the one that I just recently had posted, but I’ve talked about sleep training, breastfeeding, we have got some vlogs if you want to see my adorable babies and all of that stuff. *Julie:* Yeah. It’s so much fun. So much fun. Oh my gosh. I am so glad that we have come full circle. But you talked about coming full circle before we started recording about how you were listening to the podcast and you were like, “Oh my gosh. What if I could be on the podcast one day?” You are full circle here and I feel like we are full circle now because we saw your YouTube video, and now we get to hear your story again on The VBAC Link podcast, and everyone else is going to hear your story, and you are just so uplifting. You are a great light and you’re going to inspire so many women. It makes my heart so happy. *Jess:* Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Before I say goodbye, I have something to share that I think would actually fit your whole vision for The VBAC Link and everything. It’s actually a quote that I saw yesterday and it says, “It’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” *Julie:* Yes. *Meagan:* Oh, I love that. *Jess:* I saw that and I was like, “I have got to share that tomorrow on The VBAC Link,” because that is exactly what you guys are sharing. I even had your “We are Women of Strength” card that came in your class. I had that set as my screensaver throughout my entire pregnancy. *Julie:* Awesome. Oh, I love it. *Jess* : I just thought it was fitting. *Julie:* That is really neat. *Meagan:* That makes me so happy. *Jess:* Yeah. *Meagan:* I just love you. We need to be friends when I come to Oregon someday. *Jess:* I would love to be your friend! *Julie:* Yes. Let’s be friends. *Meagan* : Oh my gosh. I know. I am like, “Can we go to Oregon just to come see you?” Oh my gosh. That would be so awesome. *Julie:* Oh my gosh. I just was really bummed because 2020 ruined plans for everybody, but we had these big plans. We were scheduled to go to three or four different cities in the country to teach in-person classes for parents and doulas. *Jess:* That would have been amazing. *Julie:* All of that got canceled because of COVID. *Jess:* Thanks COVID. *Julie* : I know. As soon as travel restrictions are more clear and we can have more people in a course at a time, then we are going to start traveling again. And Meagan, gosh. There are so many places that we need to go. How are we going to choose? There are so many amazing people, but I definitely think Oregon should be on our destination list. *Meagan:* Totally. I would love it. I have never been. I would love to go. *Jess:* You totally should. It’s great. *Julie:* Well, I hear it’s very beautiful. I got jealous from one of my friends posting pictures of going up there to the Pacific Northwest and I am thinking we need to make a little road trip up there. Or fly. *Meagan:* Back in the day when I did Worker’s Comp., I serviced Washington and Oregon. It was always so fun to talk to them about the weather and everything that was going on, so one day. One day I am going to make it back up there. *Julie:* One day. All right. Well, Jess. Thank you so much for sharing your story with everybody. We truly just absolutely adore you and are so grateful for you for sharing your story. *Jess:* Thank you. *Julie:* That YouTube video is so much fun and anyone that wants more information about our VBAC parents prep course, you can just go to thevbaclink.com/shop ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/shop/ ) and it will have the course right there for you so you can take it. Get enrolled. Get educated so that you can safely and confidently navigate all the twists and turns birth might take. ------- Closing ------- Would you like to be a guest on the podcast? Head over to thevbaclink.com/share ( http://www.thevbaclink.com/share ) and submit your story. For all things VBAC, including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Julie and Meagan’s bios, head over to thevbaclink.com ( http://www.thevbaclink.com ). Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jess Weiss is the Publisher and Co-founder of Trix, where she looks after the magazine's commercial, editorial and brand viability, strategic partnerships and overall business strategy. A full-time strategist for Google's Executive Leadership Development team, she leverages her organizational psychology background to steep Trix's editorial angle in research about media gender bias, stereotype threat and the positive impact of visible role models on young girls and women. Learn more about Jess. Learn more about The Passionistas Project.   Full Transcript:   Passionistas: Hi, and welcome to The Passionistsa Project Podcast, where we talk with women who are following their passions to inspire you to do the same. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington. And today we're talking with Jess Weiss, the publisher and co-founder of Trix, where she looks after the magazine's, commercial, editorial, and brand viability, strategic partnerships, and overall business strategy, a full-time strategist for Google's executive leadership development team. She leverages her organizational psychology background to steep Trix,' editorial angle in research about media, gender bias, stereotype threat and the positive impact of visible role models on young girls and women. So please welcome to the show, Jess Weiss. Jess: Hi, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. Passionistas: Well, thanks for being here. What's the one thing you're most passionate about? Jess: I would say in this day and age, it's really about giving women a platform to have a voice. And, you know, I think it's a really interesting time to be a woman today. We've seen these remarkable movements over the past few years, such as Me Too, the Women's March and then that has had global reverberations. Uh, so I think it's a, it's a really wonderful and interesting and challenging time to think about what it means to be a woman. Um, you know, we still have tremendous gaps of all kinds across the world, pay gaps, um, investing gaps, gender gaps in hiring, you know, positions of occupancy and executive, um, leadership roles. But at the same time, I think more than ever women and girls and allies are really raising their hand to say, let's change the dialogue, let's change how we speak to think about and, um, project power into the hands of women. So I'm very passionate about doing what I can through Trix and my, my work at Google to really elevate voices of women and girls around the world in a way that's empowering and, uh, demonstrates their agency in a way that is not necessarily tied to their beauty or their looks, which I think has really been the traditional way that we've, um, portrayed women in power. Passionistas: So talk about how that relates to the work you do at Trix. Jess: So Trix, um, has been my passion project and now official side hustle, functioning, small business that I run with my two founding partners and about a hundred freelancers all across the world. But it started from an idea a couple of years ago. Um, so as many things in life start as, um, Trix started to sort of, as a happy accident, I had been thinking about getting more involved in journalism, but, you know, being really mid-career and quite advanced in my field, which is not directly tied to journalism, I didn't really know how to get in. Right. I thought, well, I can't really go back and get a master's degree and started as an intern in the mailroom of CNN. That doesn't sound appealing. So I wonder if there's another entry point. So I had that in the back of my mind, then one day on vacation, just right after Christmas day, a couple of years ago, I happened to be sitting by a pool on vacation with my family and my phone died. So kind of being a busy minded, new Yorker, I not very good at sitting still and doing nothing. So I kind to scramble to pick up the nearest reading material, which happened to be a couple of magazines that I probably normally wouldn't have read. Um, but because I had time to kill, I picked up the first one and it was a typical women's fashion and beauty magazine. Um, but the title on the cover really caught my eye. It said "how to have your best year yet how to kill it in 2018." And I thought, Oh, okay. Maybe fashion and beauty magazines are creating more content for ambitious hustling women. Maybe there's something in here for me. And I'll never forget when I opened up the magazine, the first article I saw on this section of how to have your best year yet was called "An ode to liquid eyeliner." And it was like 250 words, praising liquid eyeliners ability to disguise your hangovers. And so if you're running low on sleep or I'd been out all night party, that all you had to do was swipe on this magical liquid eyeliner and all would be well in the world. And I just remember laughing and thinking like, okay, well, first of all, no judgment. I wear liquid eyeliner and I've been hung over before. So that's not really like a problem per se, but the fact that it's packaged as how to have your best year yet to be just felt like an incredibly low bar, almost comical to think about. So, you know, it really, that really stood out to me. Um, but I probably would have just set that aside and not thought twice about it because I'm so used to seeing women's magazines that really focus on this kind of shallow content, only talk about fashion and beauty and portray these really unrealistic standards of beauty through their models and their advertisements. But I happen to also pick up a men's magazine, a men's lifestyle magazine, which I had never read before. And I opened the pages and was immediately blown away by the variety and depth and intelligence behind the editorial. There were articles on activism and politics and extreme travel and leaders in their fields and the models were varied, you know, and didn't have these perfectly chiseled abs. And I just thought, wow, I want a magazine like that, but for me, for women. And does that exist yet? So that became the start of what turned into six months of R&D um, talking with friends, family members, our network, and really trying to figure out like, does that kind of magazine exist for women? And what we found out was, no, it didn't, you know, there are sort of some more truly feminist magazines like Gloria Steinem's Ms. mag. And then, you know, teen Vogue and Marie Claire have started to introduce articles occasionally that are more kind of political by nature, but there was nothing really like what I had seen in the pages of that men's magazine. So that, um, became our idea to start one and make one. And here we are two years. Passionistas: How did you come up with the name Trix? Jess: It's a fun one too. Um, so a little trip through history to explain the origins of the name. Um, you know, my co-founder Carly, our editor and chief and I were for months batting around different names for the magazine. We had all kinds of names, but we really wanted to make it not feel so on the nose about empowering women. Like we didn't want to use words like fearless, boss babes or, um, you know, moxie or something that kind of was labeling the fact that women had power. We really want to take like a show, don't tell approach to demonstrating women with agency and power in our pages. And I can talk a little bit more about the psychology behind that and why that's very intentional. Um, but we were sort of doing research and I was Googling things like, you know, words that are aren't frequently used that refer to strong women. And I stumbled upon a listicle of like 10 different words. And one that stood out was editrix. I thought I've never heard that before. And when I looked up the definition, uh, said that editrix was a female editor, and this took me then down a Wikipedia rabbit hole to figure out like, why have I never heard this before? And it turns out that any word in the English language that ends in T O R, which there are quite a few of like reporter litigator, administrator, doctor creator, editor aviator, those are all technically the masculine forms of the word. So, you know, if you speak Spanish or French or some of the romance languages, you you'll notice there's a feminine and a masculine, like an elle and a la version of the word and in the English language, we've actually simplified that, um, to exclude the Trix, which would be the feminine version of those words. So technically it's correct to say aviatrix or reportrix or doctrix. Um, and that refers to the female version. So we thought, huh, let's just call the name. And the magazine was called magazine Trix, which really is a nod to agency and action, you know, all of those words have some sort of doing or verb or action attached to it. Um, and yet there are so many different possibilities for what, uh, Trix can follow, um, in that word. So that's sort of the origin and we're certainly not trying to bring back, you know, people using words like aviatrix or reportrix, but it was a fun plan word and a fun sort of nod, um, to, you know, to language and history and how we think about, and talk about. Passionistas: Talk about the path that you and your partners took to actually get the magazine off the ground. Jess: When we thought of the idea, it actually started as a conversation on a Facebook group. So I was part of this private Facebook group of like 400 mutual female friends. And I had posted about my experience of the liquid eyeliner article and the men's magazine, and had posed a question to that group of, you know, does a women's magazine, like what I'm describing exist yet. And a bunch of people chimed in and said, you know, Oh, like the Atlantic or NatG"eo have some elements of that, but no one could point to a specific women's magazine that had the content we were envisioning. And my now co-founder at the time chimed in onto that thread and said, "let's start one side hustle?" But she always tells the story. Like she was very much kidding. She was a joke. I kind of took that and ran with it. And what's funny about that currently in our history is we happen to share an ex-boyfriend. Um, so we knew each other sort of as the other woman for many years. And, um, now we sort of have a laugh about that because our now, you know, ex um, is a subscriber to Trix and he loves the fact that we started a magazine together. It's a very positive experience overall, but it was sort of a funny, um, you know, again, kind of repeat accident of her chiming in and sort of jokingly saying, let's create this magazine. And then a bunch of our other friends chiming in and saying, I think you should actually explore this. This is a really good idea. So once we have the momentum there, Carly and I started meeting regularly, um, she also happens to work at Google. So it was easy for us to meet up over lunch and have a bite and shoot around some ideas. And what we decided to do to really test the concept was to do two things. We, one held a series of focus groups all over the world, including a few in London where we would get together kind of 10 to 15 women. Um, strangers usually that we would just sort of promote this over Facebook groups or Eventbrite, and we've got them together and we would pitch our liquid eyeliner story and our concept and said, you know, if you, if we were to create the perfect magazine for you, that felt relevant and interesting and engaging, and really spoke to you like you were intelligent, which you are, um, what kind of content would be in there. And that was really fun. Cause it got women really engaged in thinking about the possibility for content that would really resonate with them and speak to their more purpose-driven lines. And actually a few of our articles that we ended up publishing our first issue came from those focus groups. So that was kind of a fun way to really understand, you know, our readers before we had a product. And then the second thing we did is we wanted to understand the competitive landscape. So we actually hired a consultant to do some competitive analysis for us. And what we found was just jaw dropping. Now he found that 95% of women's magazines on the market in the English language are fashion and beauty focused. And I was just shocked by that number. You know, I sort of had a hunch, but seeing the reality, um, contrast it, you know, the fact that there were so few magazines targeted towards the many different things that women are interested in outside of fashion and beauty contrast it with the excitement and the appetite we were seeing in these R&D focus groups, um, to, to us that felt like it was really clear that there was a need for this. There was space for this in the market. And all of that really pointed us towards the realization that this was a need. And then the next part became figuring out, okay, well, how do you actually make a magazine? And neither of us had experienced doing that. So that's sort of a whole other chapter of the story as to how we sort of went about figuring out how do you find the writers? How do you create the layout? How do you get people on board, um, you know, to subscribe before you actually have a product? So that part of the journey took a little over a year, but once we had decided we had enough data and decided, yes, there's appetite for this, yes, there's a need in their space in the market. It was just a matter of finding the resources and finding space in our schedule, you know, to, to carve out for this on top of our full-time jobs. So the whole process, you know, from conception to launch, our first issue took about a year and a half. Um, and then of course when the pandemic hit, we completely changed our business model. So I see this year as of last March as being kind of the third chapter in Trix's journey, Passionistas: Tell us how has the coronavirus shutdown affected your business and how have you pivoted during this time? Jess: You know, it's been challenging. I think that we're seeing all over the world, some businesses not being able to adapt because their model, you know, like co-working spaces, you see organizations like the Wing or Albright, you know, these women focused co-working spaces and their model is so dependent on in-person gatherings. It's been really challenging for them to, to pivot with all of that overhead, um, for us, you know, because we are the perfect case example of a gig economy, you know, we, we don't have full-time staff. We actually just hire out, um, individual gigs to freelancers. And because we don't have a brick and mortar space, everything is done virtually anyway, we didn't have that high overhead sort of tr tying us down. And so what we really started thinking about when the pandemic hit is, okay, what are our readers going to need in this particular moment in time? And after serving, you know, a few folks and kind of batting around a few ideas, we really landed on the fact that, you know, most readers would be looking for information that was either relevant to their lives in the coronavirus, um, and or distracting, but not too expensive. You know, we, when we first launched, we had a really premium print product. Our magazine was beautiful, thick coffee table style magazine, that was like $15. And we thought, Hm, with all the economic uncertainty, some people losing their jobs, you know, really trying to strip back, spending people probably aren't going to be eager to spend $15 on an individual magazine. So how do we actually make a pivot to make Trix content more accessible to a wider audience and also affordable? So what that meant for us is actually, um, going completely digital. So we no longer have a print product at least for now, but what that's enabled us to do is to produce content on a more frequent basis. So rather than these quarterly issues, which we were at publishing prior to the pandemic, we're now releasing new articles every single week. And we're tapping into an international network of freelance journalists, people who write for, you know, the times in London or, um, report on the region of West Africa for the New York times or report on border issues in South America for the BBC. Now all of these journalists all over the world, um, now we can access and say, Hey, tell us what's going on in your part of the world. We can put that up on our website and actually move to an annual subscription plan. That's a lot more affordable than the individual magazine. So I think in a way, you know, I hate to say, I hate to say that there's any sort of blessing from such a terrible global pandemic, but I do think in a way it was sort of the best thing that could have happened for our business in terms of what we're able to now produce in the readers that we're able to reach that happened very quickly, that happened over the course of maybe a month or two. Um, but I'm very, you know, grateful to my team for being willing to say, okay, this isn't what we had in mind when we started, but this is what the time is calling for, and this is what our readers need. So let's just make sure that we're meeting those needs in this moment and we'll continue to watch the market and see how things change, you know, if, and when that can come out. The other side of this thing. Passionistas: That's great. I do think there are going to be blessings like that on so many levels for people and the people who can adapt and change are the ones that are gonna survive and thrive at the end of this. You know, so it's, it's really great that you were able to do that. Jess: I agree. You know, one thing just to build off of what you were saying there, we actually ran an interesting article on, uh, the common factor that surprised us when we did research into what businesses were actually thriving and able to adapt. Like, is there anything that they have in common? And what we found is really interesting, you know, most women owned businesses or small businesses are actually very, very few that have, you know, over 500 employees, um, which is a gap in and of itself. But so we really looked at surveying women, um, women, small business owners. And we found that the ones that are really thriving right now are meeting basic needs. So they're, you know, meeting people who are in a state of survival and they're doing things like, you know, whether it's food related or meditation, focus for health and wellness or connecting people in some way to online communities, those are the ones that, um, people really need products and services from. So to the extent that's helpful for any of our listeners out there, if you're thinking about pivoting your own endeavors, you don't really think about the fact that society is in survival mode right now. And how can you meet their most basic needs in this moment? Passionistas: We're Amy and Nancy Harrington, and you're listening to the Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Jess Weiss. To learn more about Trix magazine, visit Trix-Magazine.com. Now here's more of our interview with Jess. You mentioned the global network of journalists that you're working with. How do you find the journalists that write for Trix? And do you take contributions or pitches from women outside of that network that you have? Jess: Yeah, we do. So we in fact started finding all of our writers by posting to different Facebook groups that are designed for freelance around the world. So there are a couple, um, Binders Full of Writers is one that has kind of a fun name and, uh, the other is Study Hall. So these are listservs and Facebook groups that anyone around the world can join and are known to be sort of the go-to for sourcing freelance writers. And then in some cases, you know, we had our eye on particular writers that had a voice that felt very aligned with Trix, you know, not just writing about women's issues, but also very solutions oriented and can write in a very sort of elevated substantive intellectual way. So in some cases we proactively reached out to writers and photographers whose work we admired. And in other cases, we would just post to these listservs and Facebook groups with an open call for submissions. And so, uh, that has enabled us to basically fill out our editorial calendar, but we continue to accept pitches on a rolling basis. And, you know, while we look to really go to seasoned journalists to help build our brand credibility, and also just to make the editorial, um, part of the process lighter on, you know, our very small team, we tend to go first for those more established journalists, but because we so much believe in elevating women and lifting women up in mentoring, aspiring and emerging writers, we reserve about 25% of our stories for non-professional writers. You know, people who just do it for a hobby for guest author op ads, or for really the newer ones who are just trying to get their feet wet. And our editorial staff has a real passion for actually mentoring aspiring and new writers. So we do try to keep a little bit of room for those folks and coming, um, later this year, we'll be introducing storytelling workshops. So we actually can provide educational training for the newer journalists on the field while also producing that more kind of credible long form feature and investigative journalism. Passionistas: So now is that mentoring in addition to the coaching and consulting kind of stuff you already do now? Tell us about those services. Jess: We have not yet come out with our workshops. I'm, we're kind of right in the middle of a planning mode to expand our business model. And, um, since we've had to make this pivot, you know, away from in-person events, which we really heavily relied on, um, for, for income and also just to build community and have moved away from this print product, we have to think about diversifying our revenue streams. So the plans that we have for that involve what we call the three Cs. So content, which is the magazine, um, coaching and community. So our coaching and consulting services will be expanding to go beyond just one-on-one coaching with one of the founders of what, which is what we currently offer and is quite a popular, um, product that our readers really enjoy. Um, but what we're going to be doing is announcing plans to expand our network of coaches. So folks can tap into people other than just the founding team and then also offer consulting services. So we would like to work with brands more in a B2B model who have an interest in speaking to their female customers and maybe a more elevated, empowering way. And so we're really eager to really help brands and other businesses, um, rethink, you know, how they approach their female customers and then the community aspect. Um, we are really moving towards sort of the court's model of building in member benefits. So anyone who subscribes to the magazine will also have access to online workshops for personal and professional development, um, group coaching. So, you know, coming together with maybe a group of 10 other women, if they can't quite afford the higher premium individual one-on-one coaching and then also access to speakers. So we've had some really great fireside chats with people like Sally Krawcheck, who is the CEO of Ellevest, the first woman focused investing firm. We've also done great panels with senior editors from the New York times and vice and helping to post teaching women who have expertise in their field, how to turn that expertise into an op ed and actually get published. And I was so thrilled to learn that after our last workshop on that topic last year, um, three of those attendees actually had their op-eds published, uh, one in Newsweek, one in ProjectSsyndicate and one in Politico. So it's really exciting for us to see that this kind of training is working and helping writers and women to have their voice heard. So that will all be coming, um, probably this July, but we'll offer us a way to just reach different readers and really elevate women in a more direct skill building and development kind of way. Passionistas: While you've been doing this, you have also been working full time at Google. Tell us about your work there and tell us about how you do both of these things at once. Jess: So my background at Google is in organizational psychology. So I am trained in social organization, psycho organizational psychology, which is essentially the study of how groups interact. So group dynamics, group behavior, and my team at Google really looks after development for our leaders and managers, and thinks about how to apply best practices and organizational development to support them and being good stewards of culture in, um, really bringing out the highest potential in their reports in, um, getting into sustainable high-performance. So they're not burning out. And so I'm really interested in things like unconscious biases and stereotypes and how, you know, you can write an unbiased per for view, especially for minorities, um, women, women of color, marginalized groups, uh, that can be particularly impacted by these very invisible stereotypes that we tend to place on others. So a lot of my work is really focused on, you know, bringing down those invisible barriers that might be holding some back. And that links very nicely, I think, to our editorial for Trix. Now, in terms of, um, balancing both, you know, I feel very lucky that our work is so distributed, know we have a small but mighty army of so many freelancers who contribute both to our editorial and also to the operations. So we have, um, uh, you know, business associates, digital marketing folks, partnerships leads, um, and then a whole slew of advisors who really help us to, uh, share the burden. So it doesn't all fall on one person. So that makes it a lot more manageable. And so the other thing, which I'm sure you can relate to is when you're really passionate about something, it doesn't feel like work. You know, I can happily spend my entire weekend and evening hours after I get done with my day job, you know, really diving into, you know, editing an article for Trix or, you know, sourcing new content because it's, it's just so rewarding. And so I think, you know, when, when you find something, it sounds very cliche, but I think it's true when you find something that you really love, you know, it doesn't feel like you're working, it just feels like what you naturally want to do. And the, the space that you naturally want to inhabit. Passionistas: Is there something that you've learned while at Google that's helped you in building Trix? Jess: The thing that's applied to tricks most, I think is how I've been managed by incredible leaders at Google, you know, I've had the privilege of working with some incredibly strong, intelligent, talented, mostly female managers who have really, you know, brought out the best in me, brought out the best kind of work in me, um, really set the bar high, but do so in a supportive way. So, um, the growth trajectory that I've been lucky enough to have in my career is really supported by really great leadership and a certain kind of way of speaking to and treating women. And I think we really try to leverage that in terms of how we speak to our readers. Um, you know, I'll give an example. So I actually hate the word girl power, and that might be a controversial statement. And I, and I actually don't like to use the word empowerment very often. And the reason for that is because of this thing called Stereotype Threat. So the summary of that concept is, you know, there are certain stereotypes that are connected to aspects of our identity, and they're not obviously necessarily true in many of them are harmful, but they tend to impact the way that we behave and think. So, for example, psychologists studied this, for example, a stereotype that exists is Asians are good at math, or African-Americans are good at sports or women are bad at math. And there are many different versions of those stereotypes that relate to talents and abilities. And what researchers have found is that when you remind someone of their identity and then ask them to perform a task that has a stereotype related to that identity, they perform better or worse than those who aren't reminded of their identity. So, you know, if a woman takes a math test and is asked to mark her demographic before the math test and then is told, this is a test about your abilities, math, what happens is she thinks of herself as a woman is subconsciously reminded of that stereotype that women are bad at math. And that increases her performance anxiety, which causes her to do worse on the test than if she didn't think about the fact she was a woman at all before taking the test. And, um, research has shown that in those cases, those control groups, the women perform just as good if not better. So all of that is a learning for me in not speaking to women, always in terms of them getting empowered, because it implies that they don't have power. And that they're always in the process of trying to find it. And while I think it's true that there are plenty of inequalities that we need to pay attention to and plenty of, you know, rights and progress towards women's rights that still need attention. I think we also have to start to speak to women. Like they already have power and to not constantly be reminding them that they can be fearless or they can have power that they can get empowered, but rather to assume that they have it. And I know that that's really worked for me in terms of how my managers and leaders have treated me as, as a woman, you know, at Google. And that's what we really try to convey in the pages of our articles. Passionistas: Is there a word that you prefer to empowered or just no word at all? Jess: We actually take a show, don't tell approach. So whenever we talk about or tell stories of these incredible women, you know, thought leaders or leaders in their fields, I'll give you an example. We have an article on this ultra-marathoner, um, Pamela Reed, who's in her fifties or sixties now, and has won several 135-mile ultra-marathoners, sometimes outpacing and beating male competition. It's just this incredible story. But, you know, I think a traditional media outlet would take an article and a person like that and talk about how fearless she was and how, you know, what a bad ass she is. And to me that is almost, it almost works backwards because it's, it's put it's, it's like naming the thing. And just by comparison, like if you ever picked up a magazine about an ultra-marathon or man, or, you know, a really great businessman, you don't see words like fearless boss, bro. Yet we see things like fearless boss, babe boss babe, or girl boss, you know, all the time. And so I hope that makes sense, but for us, it's really important to just demonstrate how these women are remarkable and tell their whole story, including the challenges they faced, how they overcame adversity, how they overcame obstacles, um, rather than telling the readers that they're fearless or brave. Um, so it's, it's very subtle, but we think it makes a difference in terms of elevating the tone, um, and how we speak about, and to our female readers. Passionistas: Is there a particular trait that you think has helped you succeed? Jess: I always attribute, um, my career success to first of all, incredible opportunity and privilege. You know, I think it's important to name, um, those things, but I also really tried to adopt a growth mindset in everything I do. So Carol Dweck, who became very famous for this concept of growth mindset and this, this idea that most successful people don't think of themselves as ever really being done. You know, you never really sort of win or are best at something. Um, it's instead of mentality, that you can constantly improve and constantly grow and constantly learn. And that failure is actually a natural output of those things. So I really try to think about an approach, you know, a situation like with Trix. I had never made a magazine before I had no journalism background, but I didn't let that sort of get to be, even though like tons of well-meaning media veterans that I would have coffees with at those early days would really sort of subtly tried to dissuade me, you know, like, how are you going to get a journalism is dying. Print journalism is dying. You know, how are you going to make a magazine? You've never done this before. And, you know, we said, okay, those things might be true, but we know that we're resilient. We know that we love to learn. We know that we're passionate about this and we think we can figure out how to do it and learn as we go. So I think it's that, um, not being afraid to fail. That's really allowed for us to learn as we go and then grow and pivot where we need to and not sort of being held back by this idea that we don't have experience or that we'll fail. You know, I see failure as, as a sign that we're onto something and that we're, we're learning as we go. Passionistas: What's your definition of success? Jess: I love this question because our magazine tagline for Trix is a magazine for women who define success on their terms. And we came up with that as a way to, again, nod to women, you know, for me have been so held back by standards of, you know, what others think they need to be to be successful. You know, whether that's being beautiful or thin or a mother or a, you know, a homemaker or someone's girlfriend, you know, there's, there's so many expectations placed on women, you know, really around the world. And for me, the most liberating thing I think we can do for ourselves is to define success on our own terms and to, you know, it doesn't mean becoming like a social reckless, but essentially saying like society and external validation. Isn't what I need to feel successful. You know, success for me is based off of my values and what I care about and where I want to place my energy and time. So my definition of success is of course more personal than that, but I thought I'd just nod to the fact that, you know, we really think that women should be defining success on their own terms, you know, whatever that looks like for them. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to the Passionistas Project Podcast. In our interview with Jess Weiss to learn more about Trix magazine, visit Trix-Magazine.com. Please visit ThePassionistasProject.com to learn more about our podcast and subscription box filled with products made by women owned businesses and female artisans to inspire you to follow your passions, sign up for our mailing list, to get 10% off your first purchase and be sure to subscribe to the passionate Easters project podcast. So you don't miss any of our upcoming inspiring guests. Until next time stay well and stay passionate.

Marketing funnel or marketing path? Which term do you prefer? Either way, Michelle Evans is an expert on the topic. From creating strong business foundations, solid market research and solving real customer problems we discuss how you too can create a successful business. Plus in the 7 years since leaving her corporate role Michelle shares many self-proclaimed ‘learning moments’ on her journey to success, including financially significant business investments which didn’t deliver results.   In This Episode: Why Facebook ads can cause confusion Finding the strongest marketing strategy and path for your business The two things you need to make money Learning from ‘painful’ business investments   “Do you have a marketing funnel? Because if you don't, you might as well just open up your wallet and set it on fire.” - Michelle “The market has been saturated with people, who perhaps didn't give as much as they promised.” - Jess “You don't need to be the sleaze ball standing on the beach in front of a mansion with a Lamborghini.” - Jess “Market research is your friend” - Jess “A marketing funnel can work right from the beginning regardless of how big it is.” - Jess “I always take a step back and I say, okay, what can I learn from this?” - Michelle The Dotties https://smartleaderssell.com/the-dotties/   More Michelle! https://www.michellelevans.com/ More Jess! http://bit.ly/SLSGroup https://jessicalorimer.com/supersize-your-sales https://jessicalorimer.com/list-building-legend https://www.instagram.com/jess_lorimer/   Content Disclaimer The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator.

Sometimes we all need a good eye opener, I know I definitely do, so this week I’ve brought you an absolute boss lady, Sarah Kaler. She has heaps of wisdom that she’s picked up over the years as an executive coach, a leadership and business consultant and founder of Soul Powered and she’s here to dish those tips out. In This Episode: Not getting hung up on social media Knowing your strengths Staying in your lane The ‘too busy’ mindset Not following the herd “You need to know that you need to know the answer, you need to provide it or people won't trust you, and that's false.” - Sarah “People look for relevancy as how accessible am I? Can everybody see me at all times?” - Jess “You know, I think the ‘I'm too busy’ thing, it has a bit of an epidemic, it is a mindset.” - Sarah “We see this kind of trajectory of they post more on social media and they become omnipresent almost across every platform.” - Jess “Look at the Latin root of the word ‘decide’, it's about cutting off and what's so cool about that is that when you make a decision, you're actually letting go of what no longer serves you.” - Sarah More Sarah! Twitter - https://twitter.com/Besoulpowered Website - www.soulpowered.com   More Jess! http://bit.ly/SLSGroup https://jessicalorimer.com/supersize-your-sales https://jessicalorimer.com/list-building-legend https://www.instagram.com/jess_lorimer/ Content Disclaimer The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator.

I’m so excited! I'm legitimately being a fan girl for today’s guest because I have the pleasure of speaking with Ali Brown on today’s episode! Ali is someone I’ve trusted and looked up to since I was fairly new in the online business space. She was one of the only female entrepreneurs who was not only encouraging women to make money, but to do it on their own terms while still having the lifestyle they want. Years later, Ali is still showing us that it can be done, and it can even change from what you initially thought it would be or what you were doing before. She’s gone from doing huge events and massive things to taking a low key approach and placing her family high on the value scale, which is something a lot of women think cannot be done. We talk about some pretty amazing things including photoshopped business owners in Paris, dirty pool parties in Las Vegas, and even some business and branding! This one is jam packed, so get something to take notes with, and tune in twice!   In This Episode The great undoing of everything you’ve learned so far, and making the money you want Creating the Online Success Blueprint, and when formulas stop being useful 3 things you may feel before paving your own way Move slowly and find out who you want to listen to in order to get results How online business is becoming almost like a bad pool party Knowing when you’re ready to level up Worshipping false metrics as if they are gods Turning the page to your next chapter and seeing the evidence that it will be okay Disrupt your industry   “It’s time to now look at what you really want to create” - Ali “This is the great undoing of everything we’ve been learning for the last 7 years” - Ali “Finally someone was talking about making the money they wanted, their way” - Jess “If you wait too long, you will lose your positioning” - Ali “What is my unique category of one where no one can touch me” - Ali “People preach authenticity, or they preach being unique” - Jess “Most of what we see is a complete facade” - Ali “You don’t need branding or a really slick website to get your first client” - Jess “You know when you’re ready” - Ali “You have to take responsibility for your own happiness” - Jess   More Ali! www.alibrown.com   The Dotties https://smartleaderssell.com/the-dotties/   More Jess!http://bit.ly/SLSGroup https://jessicalorimer.com/supersize-your-sales https://jessicalorimer.com/list-building-legend Content DisclaimerThe information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio.Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator  

Shoshana Chaim works in a really interesting niche. She helps people with a full range of health conditions to access the tools they need to help create improved quality of life. She helps people kick meds, get increase mobility, improve their environment and life overall! She’s seen amazing results, and has experienced some big changes within her industry that she’s overcome. But one thing has been nagging at her. How does she tell her audience that the group doesn’t work for her anymore, and how does she let them know where else to go? This is a bit of a tricky one, but we love making complex issues simple here on Smart Leaders Sell. Shoshana and I discuss what’s currently working for her, and how to shift the attention of her audience away from the big blue Facebook world, and into places like her Instagram, and her Newsletter.   In This Episode Make sure people are ready to accept help! How do I re-illuminate my Facebook group? How to mitigate the demand of a group, and how to tell your audience Changing the way the group operates in order to suit your life When people invest, they implement.   “I’m driven by the carrot” - Shoshana “Sometimes we do have to live it in order to understand it” - Jess “The key is that I want to help people” - Shoshana “There’s a very big difference between doing things you’re passionate about and doing things just because” - Jess “You’ve got to build your own house on your own foundations” - Jess “People just don’t know where else to go” - Shoshana “We can all feel better again” - Shoshana “You’ve always got to do it from a place that works for you” - Jess More Shoshana http://www.planttrainers.com https://www.instagram.com/planttrainers/ The Dotties https://smartleaderssell.com/the-dotties/ More Jess! http://bit.ly/SLSGroup https://jessicalorimer.com/supersize-your-sales https://jessicalorimer.com/list-building-legend Content Disclaimer The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator

Playing the long game and having patience doesn’t sound very sexy, but as I sit down to speak to Amanda Bond, it’s apparent that she owes a lot of her success to patience and hard work. I’ve spent a lot of time stalking Amanda on the internet and reading through the emails I receive from her each week, and having her on the show is amazing! Amanda is brilliant when it comes to extraordinary Facebook Ads. So much so that she’s scaling her ads to earn multi seven figures in revenue and heading in the direction of eight! She was one of the first people who stood out to me online, and having her here to share her six-figure success story makes my day! She’s done the direct mail thing, she’s had an agency and decided it wasn’t right for her business, she’s learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t! We’re also thinking of starting a club for people who drink wine and say things on the internet. Serious inquiries only.   In This Episode Dropping out of university and landing a sweet job that began a whirlwind marketing experience Workings with other people and getting the inside scoop on online business Being the best kept secret and stepping into the spotlight Will Smith is building an empire, and he’s in it for the long run Lamborghini’s and sitting on thrones made of cash How do sales processes change and how do you market to someone who has been burned before? Put the foundations in place before chasing the big money. Take your time and do it right!   “You overestimate what you can accomplish in a year but you underestimate what you can accomplish in five” - Amanda “I could rapidly accelerate our results because I had the insider view” - Amanda “I invested six figures into the achievement of my goals” - Amanda “We all start from this place of ‘I’m going to really focus on helping other people. I’m going to get them great results” - Jess “I’m the best kept secret, people are coming to me but they’re coming to me last” - Jess “I’m a big believer in having extreme long term patience when it comes to business” - Amanda “You are here to serve people at the highest level” - Amanda “We’re only in it for the value that we can provide to others” - Jess “You can’t put your reps in with one client” - Jess “It is time to slow it down when it comes to creating your funnels” - Amanda   More Amanda! www.theadstrategist.com/sell   More Jess!http://bit.ly/SLSGroup https://jessicalorimer.com/supersize-your-sales https://jessicalorimer.com/list-building-legend Content DisclaimerThe information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio.Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator

Tony Harmer, the Design Ninja, joins Jessica on today’s episode of Smart Leaders Sell! Tony made his way from illustrating in the days before computers, to an expert in digital puppetry. With a career spanning consulting and training he is now a LinkedIn Learning author. His new venture is creating explainer videos through his new company Wizardry Ltd.   In This Episode The unique challenges of building a business around a full-time job The pressure to be everywhere online, and where to spend your time Digital puppetry and video platforms Podcasting as a platform Finding the right expert to help you Why consistency wins every time   “The perception of it as a hobby is a good thing” - Tony “A full-time job and a side gig was never easy to balance” - Tony “I think LinkedIn is the number 1 platform” - Tony “Producing a 12-minute video is too long” - Tony “Radio has always been a more trusted version of mass media broadcasting” - Tony “You pick the thing that works for you and you drop in other bits as and when you need” - Jess “You can absolutely scope out a market for anything” - Jess “I love it, but do I know it as much as I think I should know it?” - Tony Connect with Tony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyharmeruk https://youtube.com/thedesignninja More Jess!Join my free Facebook Community Create a simple, successful sales process to take your business to six figures with Supersize Your Sales Learn how I grew my email list FAST - which lead to my business hitting six figures within 6 months! Content DisclaimerThe information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio.Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator

Jess is changing things up on the Smart Leaders Sell Podcast! This episode is part of a new series that will showcase successful entrepreneurs, and how their sales process has evolved over time! Jess is excited to bring Tina Leigh McDonald back to the show for this in depth look into the growth of her business, and the lessons she’s taken away from it!   In this Episode Tina started off selling what no one was buying Joining the Dotties and being completely open and honest with the group Changing the audience instead of the product or service Taking risks and losing friends to do what you love The big world beyond likes on social media, and the rush that comes with it.   “It’s more important to be selling what you’re passionate about” - Jess “You naturally look at yourself with things go wrong” - Tina “I’d given myself ‘til Christmas to make some money” - Tina “What do I want to do? Who do I want to serve? How do I want to sell?” - Jess “I don’t have to search for credibility anymore. I post something and the right people see it” - Tina “What people want is the truth” - Tina   Connect with Tina! https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-leigh-mcdonald More Jess!http://bit.ly/SLSGroup https://jessicalorimer.com/supersize-your-sales https://jessicalorimer.com/list-building-legend Content DisclaimerThe information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio.Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator

Staying in business can be difficult at times. Critical skills that are required to build a business exist and grow year after year. All business owners, at one time or another, find themselves struggling to keep clients (retention), to keep up with what customers want from the company (experience), and to add people (increase products). Over the last 20 years, Jess Dewell has worked on many of these problems with companies and clients. When there is a chasm to cross, she points it out and cultivates the team to figure out how to build a way across. Professional and thoughtful, she brings to the table. Transcript of the Interview Hugh Ballou: Greetings. Welcome to The Nonprofit Exchange. We are into the fourth year of this now, Russ. Russ, I know we're on an audio podcast, but I don't see your smiling face. All I see is a picture. One of your better pictures. Russell Dennis: Well, I'll fix that. I should be live. Hugh: There you are. I'm traveling today. I'm at a hotel in Orlando. We have a live audience here. We are going to be watching with bated breath, and we will come in with a few questions. We do have a little background noise, so I'm going to mute myself. It's probably a popular notion with some people, so we will mute our end so it will be quieter. Russ has got some really good questions for what I think is going to be an amazing interview today with- Jess, you know me, so I am just getting acquainted with you. I am going to pay attention. Jess Dewell: It's great how that happened. You meet somebody, and they tell you all about you and how you think, yet you have never met them before because of the personality and the ways that we get to communicate. I totally understand being in that place. Hugh: Love it. Tell us about yourself and how come you do what you do. Then Russell will take it on and ask you some really interesting questions. Jess: That sounds great. I am Jess Dewell. I founded Red Direction 14 years ago. It started out as something slightly different than what it became. It became building frameworks for resilience. What came up on the radio show that I host, which was live streamed right before we are live streaming here, we were talking about bounciness. The more struggle we face, the more that we fall down, the more risks we are willing to take, we get bouncier. I love the concept of that and how that fits into businesses. Businesses can get that concept of bounciness. Pick ourselves up together, and go forward together. The last seven years have really been dialed into what we do for organizations that are growing and changing. They are in these critical points of development, and their leadership got them so far, their skills got them so far, and now it's time to infuse them with more. Turn them upside down. Look at them in different ways to maximize the work flow, learning, and experience that already exists to go forward with grace and determination and whatever words you use to describe your companies. That is what we do over here at Red Direction. Russell: It's all about establishing the great culture. There are a lot of things that go into culture. For our audience, what does culture mean to you in the sense that applies to organizations? Jess: You could look it up on the Internet and get the definition that Google or whatever your search engine is will tell you. I define culture as how we work together, and the strength with which we are able to work together and its effectiveness. Russell: Yeah. What are some elements of culture that make organizations successful? Jess: What makes an organization successful? I am getting cues that your volume, Russ, is not as high as our audience would like. Since I got that message, I am going to pass it on to you right here. Will you repeat the question? Russell: What are some of the elements that go into culture that make an organization successful? Jess: Are you ready for this? Are you really ready for this, Russ? Russell: Bring it on. Jess: People, people, people. There might be a few more p's, and we will just replace them with people and people and people. It's the culture. It's what do we look at, how do we react, and preferably, how do we respond, and of course, how are the other people that we are surrounding ourselves with doing those things? And an awareness of the fact that we play off of each other. Russell: Because you work with a lot of organizations of all types, what do you find are the biggest disconnects in organizations that have problems culturally? Jess: Are you ready? Russell: I am ready. Jess: People, people, people, people, people. So really, it's we think we are doing one thing, and we are being perceived as something different. There is a break in our communication. We think somebody is doing something, but we never actually asked the clarifying question. Even some people go, “I have a dumb question.” You know what? The dumb question that goes unasked just leads to bigger misunderstandings, so might as well ask that and get rid of the qualifier at the same time. “I have a question. Did I understand this right?” We are thinking of culture, and we are thinking of how to work together as a team. We all have different reasons for being in the roles that we are at. A wise man once told me, “The people who work here choose with their own two feet every single day to come to work for us.” I thought that was really a fabulous thing, and understanding that everybody has a different reason for being here, to work together. Yes, we have all agreed to this goal; however, if we haven't created some sort of an awareness of how all of us fit into that end goal, we end up getting bumps and scratches and slowdowns and stalls and U-turns also. Russell: Let's look at the term “rules.” My good friend Dr. Hal Dibner talked with me the last time I saw him, we were actually talking about rules and how to move people to action. There are a lot of internal rules that each of us has that shapes the way we approach things and the way that we live. I think these rules can become internalized in the culture with an organization. What are some rules that you have seen that have become part of the culture of organizations that have hindered their progress? Jess: I call those “elephants in the room.” The big elephants in the room. One of the things that Red Directions' programs are really good at is finding the elephants in the room, pointing them out, setting up a little station, and inviting them to break them. Just being aware of what elephants are in the room. Another phrase might be “unwritten agreements.” We have done it this way. It's worked all right, so this is the way that we do it. Whether that's the case, or we are avoiding something, the elephants in the room, either way, when left unexplored, it can cause so many big problems. I have been a part of a company that has imploded because of that. I have also seen companies really unfortunately breed distrust and really feel fear around, “Am I actually safe in my role?” because of the unwritten agreements and insecurities and unknowns they cause. All that gets in the way of decision-making, which really when we are in business, is the ultimate goal: make decisions, nonprofit or otherwise, move toward an objective, make decisions, move toward an objective. Hit those goals and those signposts along the way. Russell: I think that the way people view their work really impacts the culture. When organizations get stuck, in my experience, a lot of people don't really like to be told what's wrong. At what point do you find that organizations have hit a place where they are willing to have those conversations? How much does it generally take in your experience for somebody to reach that point? Jess: It really varies. I have witnessed some other outlying symptoms if you will. If we were to look at symptoms that you are on your way down that rollercoaster, and you're not sure if there is an up at the other side, is that everybody is tired. Everybody is behind. They are unable to keep up with the things that they have going on, with the commitments that they have made, and it becomes a drag. Those are the types of things that allow us to miss other cues. We are turned off from actually using our external perception, and it's only stuck inside here. It can manifest other ways, too, besides the “I'm stuck,” “I'm overwhelmed,” or “I can't meet my deadlines.” People leave. I'm burned out. People leave. “This is not what I thought it was going to be.” People leave, and then they are talking about their experience. They don't talk about their experience until they leave. Nobody inside knew because there was a gap between each of the people, and there was “seemingly” to have a connection, but it was actually missing or had been broken. Russell: A lot of our work focuses around leaders and how leaders interact and work with people and a common problem is leaders that overfunction. Jess: Yes. Russell: They take on a lot of things rather than train people. They find that it's “quicker” just to do it myself than explain how to do it. Sometimes there is a fear of letting go of some control, not trusting people to do it. But if you bring people on to your team, you hire people because of the skills, knowledge, and abilities that will serve you, they have talent, and letting people actually do what it is that they do is a little difficult for leaders. That can get grounded in the culture. That creates burnout because you have a few high performers who are not being built to be better leaders, and they are just trying to do things instead of spreading them out, delegating, and building. The leadership skills of other people. We see that in nonprofits. Are you seeing that with- Jess: In every organization. Every organization is susceptible to that. It's interesting because yes, we hire for skills, knowledge, and ability. Most of the time, in most processes for bringing people on, what is left out, or what doesn't have enough focus in that interview and onboarding process is what we mean when we say whatever we value. If service to a specific group, serving an underrepresented group in some way, if somebody comes on and they have the skills, the knowledge, and the ability, but they are only using this as a stepping stone, and they are exactly what you want for the job, part of the conversation becomes, “We know this is just a stepping stone on your path. Are you able to buy in? What do you like? What are we disconnected on what you're doing while you're here? Do you understand with where you're going how this actually helps you get there?” You know what? A lot of people don't want to face the fact that they are hiring someone who is going to leave. However, if we bring it up in the conversation, and we are talking about this, and it's part of what we believe in, we know- We know we're not going to do what we're doing forever. We know we haven't done what we're doing forever. We have all had different experiences in the past. So why not just put that on the table? Then it's never a surprise. Then it's your performance reviews, your check-ins we're having along the way, the conversations we are having before, after, and during meetings can still revolve around what are we doing in this organization? What is our mission? What is each of our parts in that while we are here? That type of collaboration is what is going to make somebody want to stay, but also it will prepare them to get them to where they want to go. As leaders, as employers, anybody with staff, it is our job to embrace and to love and get that person where they want to go because maybe this is the place, maybe it's not, but we can do really well for them, for us, for our community, for our donors, for the people that we serve because of that small thing: having that type of conversation up front. Hugh: Hey, Russell. We are having trouble hearing you. Russell: It's all about growth. That better? It's all about growth. If you have a conversation about values, it's important for both individuals and the organization to understand what it is that people want to get out of a relationship that you have. This is how you attract people, whether they are working for you, volunteering for you, coming to work as a staff member, coming to serve on your board. It's having congruent values that will drive the day. The idea of growth is something that is fundamental to everything. To get better at what you do, you increase that level of support that you get. Culturally, with nonprofits, one of the things aside from the fact that you have some leaders that may overfunction, maybe they haven't thought through all of their processes or systems or how they can actually get better at creating an experience because they are more effective and efficient at delivering their programs. Talk a little bit about your experience around that and some of the things that you would help people work around that. Jess: I wouldn't say work around, I would say work with and strengthen. The reason is that we all have a strength. When we can put a stake in the ground and say, “This is what I stand for,” wherever I work, whoever I work with, I know what I stand for in general. That allows me to have a guidepost when I show up in an organization and when I am working with other people. If other people are floundering around and are not sure, we put on that lens. What is important to me? What is my purpose here? What is my purpose in this situation? Maybe not my life purpose, but in this situation. How can I bridge that gap to move things forward? Those are the types of skills that we develop, programs that we create. The biggest reason for that is experience. Until we do it, we don't know if we are good at it. Until we do it, we don't know how to apply our personal strengths to the work that we're doing. When we find our strength and can focus everything through that, it becomes easier as managers, as directors, to find the strengths in others and be curious and be willing to try a few things here to be curious with others to find their strengths as well. Maybe it's a strength. A lot of people know that they can stay behind an idea. In a nonprofit, I come to work for a nonprofit, I volunteer at a nonprofit, I give money to a nonprofit because I care about the idea they are working on. When it comes to actually doing the infrastructure, taking the action to make all that possible- You mentioned your values, how do we bring all of our skills together to get something done? But also you talked about processes and systems. Processes and systems are great on paper. As soon as you add people to them, you add what they are thinking in that moment, what their past was, what their dreams are, and what is on their mind right now in that situation. It may not be those things that are most important to working on an organization to develop it. Processes and systems are really impacted by all of the things that we care about, all of the things that we face. I am all about efficient systems, efficient processes. However, when we stop, when we weave what we care about, how we do our work together here at this organization, allows us to then be able to have a deeper conversation, a quicker conversation, which improves efficiency in a whole different way than just pushing the levers of a process. Hugh: How about a question from Florida? Danna Olivo: Yeah, Jess. Jess: Bring it. Danna: Bring it on. It's funny that we're talking about this today because- My name is Danna Olivo, and I am a business strategist. I work with early-stage micro-companies and medium companies. I work on those processes, the systems, and things like that. But one of the things that was really fascinating to me was you were talking about communication styles and hiring and things like that, talking about skills and values. One of the things that a lot of companies don't take into consideration when hiring are the behavioral and cultural characteristics that are inbred in the people they are looking to hire and making sure that those cultural characteristics match the organization. Therefore, in order to do that, what we have done is we are trying to make a concerted effort to try and match those cultures to the behavioral characteristics to get a better understanding of their fit within the organization. Jess: May I ask you a question? Danna: Yes. Jess: When you're thinking about that, that means an organization really has to know. Danna: The whole thing just dropped. Jess: That means an organization has to really know where they stand. They understand that what they're doing is already working. Do you find that a company is going to need some other help and some other work actually figuring out where they stand as an organization versus just being able to put this on top of what already exists? Danna: Yes, I do find that part of the whole process is we have to make sure that they have those working systems and methodologies in place. Part of that process involves bringing the team on that will work with them in order to do that. If they aren't centered around the same cultural values that the company has set in place, you are going to end up with a divided approach to these systems and methodologies. Does that make sense? Jess: It makes complete sense. In fact, sometimes, in an existing organization that is going back, they are going, “We are having this problem hiring the right people. We are having this problem keeping the people we want who have the skills in our roles.” When we get to that, it's interesting because people are always like, it's the people. It's the talent we are facing. They forget to look inward. Those would be the things where I'd be like, How strapped are ya? Because you might be better off having somebody do some temp work just for a short period of time, stop to take a step back, and evaluate some other things. Those are the elephants. You're talking about the elephants in the room right there, Danna, and being able to recognize what we are willing to incorporate right now for where we are. One of the things that I hear in the work that you and I do, people want me to come in, and they think I can change everything. The answer is no, I can't change anything. I can only facilitate and create a program to educate to allow that change to occur within an organization. The other thing that people think, in all organizations, both profit and nonprofit, I get a lot of work done from people who have just done a rebrand, thinking that rebranding will actually solve the problems that we are unclear about what we stand for. You probably are unclear about what you stand for, but the way you look and describe yourself doesn't matter. It's a Band-Aid, isn't it? Danna: I love the fact that you're talking about this because we are all about education. What I teach my people is you can't operate in a vacuum. You don't have all the answers. You have to surround yourself with that team that will be able to help you reach those goals. You have to surround yourself with those people who will be able to say, “You're off base.” Jess: I keep pointing with two different colored pens because these are the notes that I take. Anybody listening is going to be like, “What is she talking about?” I have two pens to take notes on every conversation that I have because there are things I want in one color and other things in another color. All of my notes have been written on before by a third color. If I hold up pens at you, it just means I'm excited. Yes! Nonetheless, I hear what you're saying. You're right. It is about education. You said something that made me think about a program that we have. We talk about ThinkTime. This is a combination of words, think and time, that might be heard in the same sentence, that are squished together with no spaces. ThinkTime. This is something that we do at Red Direction. We have a process. How do I, as the steward of this mission that we're on, whether it's an entire organization, whether it's a business unit, whether it's my particular role, how do I in the stewardship of my position have time to actually allow all the chatter to get out? Because all that chatter has to get out to have new creative thoughts. More importantly, ThinkTime, a lot of people are like great. I like a whole day; however, I don't use a whole day. I use a half day to get started. I use four hours, once a week for four hours, closing everything out. This is how that system typically goes. I am going to give you all the steps. You guys can play with this as much as you want. That is first, put it in a calendar, and guard it fiercely. Four hours, one time a week. The first month, the first four, maybe the first eight, you are going to think they are useless. They will feel useless. All you will want to do is catch up on email. All you want to do is clear up the clutter on your desk. All you want to do is return those phone calls. All you want to do is write out a report that needed to happen or think about reports. It takes some time. But after about eight to ten sessions of four hours, all of a sudden, you sit down. I remember this so clearly the first time I did this. This is going to work; this is so great! You sit down, and it's like, Okay, I actually see the Red Direction vision. I actually see the actions that we're taking right now. I can just experience what that looks like and have an idea of what problems we're facing right now, where we're doing really well, and then what are the things that we could be doing better or different? When we have that space outside of our ThinkTime is when we go, Let's break it down into a problem. Do I have a problem here? What's that problem? Let's go through those four steps of problem-solving. Then we can go bright. When we get to the options, we get to make a decision. Being confident in a decision comes from not running around rapid, not thinking or knowing we are never going to have all the answers no matter how much information you know about it, but we spent the time upfront to decide what the decision was, what the problem is we are going to solve. We are evaluating the path, not just a solution, but the path to betterment, the path to what we want next. The more we get to do that, that's the second piece, the more we get to practice those steps, the more confident we become in our decisions, and we can make them quicker. We can evaluate and get rid of options that don't work right now. Tell me this, Danna, and whomever is sitting next to you, and Russ. When you are sitting here and looking at all these problems you're looking at all these things that are going on. I can choose any one of them. I don't know what this means; you have too many options. Does that happen to you? Occasionally, sometimes, all the time. Danna: Oh yes, even as a strategist, I find that I have to take a step back and decide, Okay, which one do I need to focus on right now? First of all. Secondly, what is the fastest way to come into a solution? By taking that step back sometimes and evaluating what is my talent, what is it, my talent that can help me come up with that solution? If I can't find the talent within me to provide a solution, then I have a resource of people around me who I reach out to. I am not afraid to bring them in. You can't operate in a vacuum. You said this. Our capacity as an entrepreneur only extends so far. Jess: That's right. Danna: This happens to me. Jose Belen here, has a new nonprofit that he is starting called Mission Zero. Great nonprofit. We happen to be meeting Hugh here so we can get some tips and learn and stuff like that. Do you have any questions for her? Jose Belen: No. Actually, this has been very informative. We have been around for about six months. Mission Zero is an organization dedicated to helping veteran suicide. That was part of the initial invasion into Iraq in 2003. Since I was honorably discharged in 2005, I have been fighting PTSD and suicidal thoughts. Every 80 minutes, there is a veteran somewhere in America committing suicide. We are dedicated to making a difference. So Mission Zero hopefully one day will stop veteran suicides. We appreciate any support and like-minded individuals. Thank you. Danna: So they took the advice that you are giving. They have been surrounding themselves with the people who can help them get this off the ground rather than trying to do it all themselves. Hugh: Jess, you probably know more about me than I know about you, but I'm quite amazed at the synchronicity of what you are talking about. I will give it back to Russell. I hijacked his questioning here. But it's the synchronicity of what you are talking about and what we teach at SynerVision. This whole culture piece is core to transformational leadership and how we empower leaders. Thank you for such a passion around this. Love it. So, Russell, remember the old age and mental condition? I will give it back to you. Russell: Almost escaped without that. He loves that one. That is his trademark thing. I don't know why. It's not true. He likes it. He entertains himself with that story. He's going to find out as he gets to spend more time with you and learn more about you how remarkable you are. We haven't known each other very long, but I love what you're doing. What you're talking about is creating safe spaces and collaboration. Collaboration is something that I think people are slowly starting to get. It's a really important piece of everything that we do. It's about people. I just had a mastermind this morning with other business leaders who were talking to me about helping me and my business. It doesn't matter how many people you meet. A lot of times, there is that little piece of us that resists. Talk to us a little bit about how you help businesspeople, nonprofit leaders, some of the tools that you use to help them face that inner resistance. That is the one thing an organization, it's all about people. We have this built-in resistance. Part of it is to change and some other things. Talk a little bit how you equip people to deal with that resistance and what they should look for. Jess: Such a loaded question. There are like 212 ways—that is when water boils—we could start this conversation. I think ultimately the point is that water will boil. If we resist long enough, we have no choice, just like water in a pan on a stove. It doesn't matter how long you leave it there. It will eventually reach 212 degrees and boil. I feel like when, so tools. Let's talk about tools. A lot of the tools that we teach are soft skills. The reason we teach soft skills is because I can come up with a process just like all of the other processes out there. Some would be good, and some would not be as good as the other ones out there. We all work differently. When we all work differently, and we are thinking about how we do what we do, we don't give ourselves grace. We resist what our own strength is and how we work. We are going to go back and use me as an example. There were five people in my family, three kids and two adults. Every Sunday, we would sit at the dining room table after dinner and we would look at the whole next week. If it wasn't on the calendar, it did not happen. It was the time to ask questions, get permission, do all of this stuff. I grew up with this time management concept. I grew up with this concept of, Okay, we know who the decision-maker is, the person who can drive. If it doesn't fit in their calendar, it can't work, so I have to make a really good case that my stuff is more important than my sister's. This happens in business. This same thing happens in business. We get together, whether we are using time management skills or not, it comes down to how persuasive are we, how passionate are we? Can we clearly communicate the beginning, middle, and end of an idea to move it forward? Some people use time. I am really good at time and time blocking, and ThinkTime is a part of that. I am also really adept, and the programs we teach around soft skills are also around time management because we can only scale so much. We can only scale so much with one person. Each person can only scale so much. The whole purpose of being in an organization is to be able to understand what is my purpose, how do I leverage my time? What is their purpose, and how do we leverage their time? Have a good time doing it. Enjoy being together. You mentioned the word “ collaboration.” I think collaboration fits in a lot of different ways here. We are talking about- By the way, everybody who thinks collaboration- I am going to stop what I was going to say and talk about collaboration. I have a bad taste in my mouth when somebody says collaboration because I remember when, and we can all do this, I remember a time I was on a collaborative cross-functional team, and I did all the work. Now you know- You're a driver. You're going to do what it takes. Right? So we have to let that go. Those of us who feel that way, and other people are like, Ooh, collaboration. I give ideas, give ideas, give ideas, and I don't have to do anything. Let me just be an idea machine. Well, that only works to a point, too. Then there are the people who will take different kinds of action and throw in what some of us would call kinks in the wheel, but they are trying to make it better. They are poking holes in it. Can we get this to a point where we are seamless, we have something that can stick that we all agree on? Those people are really necessary, too. When we embrace not everybody does well, not everybody thinks well, not everybody wants to be the devil's advocate, then we get to go, “Hey, we need everybody.” We can do this in a different way. We can have a conversation. Collaboration starts with a conversation. What are we doing? What can our parts be? How can we move this forward together? Hugh: Jess, you have opened up a lot of topics. Jess: I know, right? Hugh: You're in here because Russell invited you. I have to work hard so I can keep up with him. He's a smart dude. What I'm going to throw out here is I'd like to take a couple of these themes and come back around and dig into some of these themes a little deeper. You have a whole lot of stuff to unpack here. We are coming to the top of the hour for this particular show. I want to talk about the sponsor moment here that makes it possible and give you a chance to wrap people's heads around some of the major themes you want to leave us with. Then we will let Russell close us out. Does that sound good to you guys? Russ has been really diligent in helping us pull this together today with a whole lot of technical issues. *Sponsor message for Rock Paper Simple* Jess, how would you like to wrap this up and leave folks with? What is a profound thought you want to leave people with before Russ closes out this great session? Jess: All right, we just upped the ante. The most profound thought you want to leave us with, Hugh. There is no low bars here. Everybody, I have listened to a few of these in preparation for this conversation. Of course, I know Hugh, and I know Russ. There is no going back; there is only forward. I think that that's really a key piece of what culture and what we're talking about when we are talking about these elements of culture is that we are always moving forward. We can embrace it. We can resist it. Either way, it's coming. We can make it more fun. We can make it more effective, and we can serve more people when we get out of our own way and we recognize our own self and how we can show up and invite others to continue to join our party. Russell: Great stuff. In conversation with what's happening with anything that I touch has to start in the mirror. That is the X factor. That is the one thing I can actually do something about. The willingness to actually look at where we are as individuals energetically makes a big difference. We can find some compassion for ourselves in there and in other people and put ourselves in their shoes and say, “How can we create an experience? How can we get to the larger point? What are the things we need to put on the shelf to make this thing work the way it is built to work?” That is really where it starts. Jess, as always, it's been a pleasure. Danna, Hugh, all of our friends down at CEO Space, the July forum, wonderful organization. Being a part of that has changed my life. I have a contact in veteran suicide that is actually somebody that has been in Texas shining the spotlight on it. His primary thing is to get their stories captured. We will cycle back around and talk about that again. In the meantime, I'd like to thank all of our listeners out there every week who join us here at The Nonprofit Exchange. We got a really good guest next week. He is going to be talking about conversations. He has an incredible tool that can help us look at the way we have conversations on a personal and professional level. You don't want to miss this because he has got a brilliant tool called Conversations. Join us next week for that. Hugh. Hugh: Thank you, Russ. Thank you, Jess. It's been a great session. Thank you so much. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by The Kolada Group. Today, I’m talking about maximizing your Pinterest for business. My guest is Jess Freeman, who runs Jess Creatives as a graphic and web designer working with service-based entrepreneurs. Topics: (:31) Intro – Systems Saved Me Summit (2:16) Meeting Jess (2:58) Business before Pinterest (5:45) Having a Pinterest strategy (11:15) What to do? (15:44) Repurposed posts (19:28) Benefit of pinning others’ content (21:47) Benefit of having own group board (24:10) Big potential (27:54) Best financial investment (32:55) Finding Jess Quotes of the Week: “You want to have boards for all of the things that your business is about [because] it’s another way for people to find you.”– Jess “You want to constantly be re-pinning your content. You don’t just pin it once then never pin it again.” - Jess   Resources:   www.systemssavedmesummit.com  www.jesscreatives.com  https://www.pinterest.com/jesscreatives/    Social Media: @JessCreatvies   www.pingroupie.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.