Successful: The Podcast

In the finale episode of Season 3, Natalie and Karla reflect on their favorite moments with this season’s guests (spoiler alert: they were all amazing!) and look ahead to some bold ideas and aspirations for Season 4.  They also introduce a surprise guest who has been hanging out behind the scenes lately - Alissa Dias, who recently joined the team as producer.  Finally, the ladies share their appreciation for the relationships that the podcast has made possible, with their guests, the audience, and the friendship with each other.

Our guest this week is Sarah Valdez, a scuba instructor with a fascinating career journey and inspiring story of facing fears and overcoming adversity.  Opening a dive shop in a foreign country had been the hardest thing she’d ever done, until the pandemic hit less than a year later and she was forced to sell the business.  Sarah shares how she got through that tough time, what opportunities it opened up in her career, and how it’s helped her live a more meaningful life teaching people about diving while supporting the conservation of our planet.

Key Takeaways:

• Leap and the net will appear. So many of us get stuck in fearing all the negative outcomes that could occur, but what if something great could happen? You’ll never know unless you take that leap.
• Band together and achieve something great.  When we all work toward a common cause, our voice is louder and we can expand our reach to  take on some of really big challenges, like protecting our environment.
• Financial freedom and time freedom are key to success.  Everyone needs a base level of financial security, but once that’s secured, having control of your time to spend it in the most meaningful way for you is what makes life successful, according to Sarah.
• Tackle your fears by breaking it into smaller pieces.  If you have something big and scary that you want to do, break it down into small steps until they’re not scary.  This way, you can just chisel away at it, and before you know it, you have achieved something great.
  

Just like scuba diving, when you are up against something scary, like being deep in the ocean, just face your fear, breathe into it, and jump in!

About Sarah:  As a scuba instructor and YouTuber, Sarah Valdez uses her brand Azul Unlimited to educate scuba divers and spread the message of ocean conservation.Sarah is infatuated with nature and lives in her van with her dog Abby, exploring the land and sea throughout Canada, the US, and Mexico. PADI Courses and international expeditions run throughout the year, so Sarah and Abby may be coming to a city near you!Aside from her own brand work, Sarah also works as a freelance web developer, copywriter, content creator, and social media manager. 

This week, Natalie takes the mic for our very first solo episode.  With both our hosts juggling especially busy schedules during this third season of the podcast, the time couldn’t be better to dedicate an entire mini-episode to the importance of rest.  Tune in to hear what recently led Natalie to take two weeks off from work, how she spent her time (spoiler alert: not an elaborate vacation), and why rest is not a luxury, but a right.

Key Takeaways:

• Going away on vacation is not the only way to take time away from work.  Sometimes planning for and going on trip can just add to stress levels when what you really need is time to catch up on sleep, focus on health, and enjoy time at home.
• You don’t have to “earn it”. Rest is not a luxury or a privilege. Even though it may feel like it in our capitalist society, the purpose of rest is not to come back even more productive.  It’s about giving ourselves the time to reset, daydream, get creative, and just be human.  

This week, we welcome our guest Raanah Amjadi, a Health and Wellness Coach who specializes in Ayurveda—the sister science to Yoga. This ancient wisdom deeply influenced her own Persian culture's relationship to food as medicine. Ayurveda is about helping us understand what our unique balance looks like, and then how to counterbalance that unique nature with all forms of nourishment, whether that's food, water, breath - anything we take in from our senses.  Finding balance has been a key theme in Raanah’s story, especially when she found herself out of alignment in her career, having achieved professional success but lacking in personal fulfillment. When she took a step back and had some time to reflect, she started her business helping people realign with their well-being so that they can find self-sustaining joy, purpose, and vitalityKey Takeaways:

• The first step is awareness - really paying attention to the signals that your body and your mind are sending you throughout the day. How is the quality of your sleep, appetite, digestion, emotional state?  Journaling can be an effective tool to observe your experience of both mind and body.
• Give yourself permission to turn inward.  As women, there is often a sense of obligation to be in service to our kids, our partner, our job, our community - everyone but ourselves.  It can be something as small as putting everything else aside for one small habit, a sacred ritual to take care of yourself.
• Realign with your wellbeing by nourishing yourself to balance your system and correcting any imbalances that you may have.  It’s not about perfection, but about finding your way back to the things that keep you healthy and happy.

About Raanah:

If you love to be inspired by stories of courageous women, then you are in for a treat!  We are honored to bring you our guest, New York Times Best Selling author Allison Pataki. Her historical fiction novels focus on highlighting the stories of women throughout history who are not well known today, but who have helped to shape the world as we know it.  In this episode, Allison shares how she took a chance on a career that brings her joy, how she joined “The Club of the Bad Thing” when she almost lost her husband to a stroke at the age of 30, and how that shaped who she is today and her current definition of success. Tune in now and get inspired not only by Allison’s story but also by all the amazing women from history whose stories she brings to life. 

• Let Your Passion Drive You.  Fear of doing something new and different is normal, but when you follow your passion it’s a force that can help you overcome any obstacle along the way.  This is what helped Allison make the transition from journalism to writing novels, and it’s a common theme among the amazing women she chronicles in her books.
• Bad Things Breed Strength & Resilience.  It may be hard to see in the moment, but there is a gift in being faced with tremendous loss or adversity in your life.  Allison calls "The Club of The Bad Thing" a membership that no one wants to join, but that adds invaluable texture to you as a human - to your empathy, awareness, relationships, and perspective.  
• The Healing Power of Stories.  Allison wrote letters to her husband through his early days of recovery.  For her, it was a helpful way for her to process her thoughts in the moment, and it became the bones of her non-fiction book that she wrote to help others who may be navigating similar challenges.  Who knows, maybe your journal will become your first novel!

About Allison: Allison Pataki is a writer of adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and children’s books. Her work has been translated into twenty languages and is popular in more than twenty countries.

A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News and other outlets. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago and MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

Did you ever think that embarking on a fitness journey would lead you to find joy, empowerment and fulfillment along the way? This week, our guests are Claire Hurwitt, Founder and CEO, and Robyn Donovan, Head Coach, of Fulfilled Health and Fitness. They each share their personal stories of how they transformed their health and well-being through fitness, and how they’ve helped more than a hundred women do the same through their coaching business. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about counting macros and crushing workouts. The real transformation is in the inner work; that’s when the outer transformation follows.

Key Takeaways:

• Take back control of your heath in a way that is authentic to you.  In addition to moving and fueling your body, this can include understanding your mindset, metabolism, hormones, and more. Approach it from the lens of expansion, not restriction.
• Challenges and joys of entrepreneurship: Claire shares how focusing on serving her community and how she can have the most impact has helped her overcome some of the overwhelm and day to day stress of running her business.
• Breathwork is a helpful practice for slowing down, releasing stored emotions, and reducing stress and anxiety.  Claire recommends it as key foundational work before tackling a meal plan or workout program.  If you’ve struggled with meditation in the past, breathwork could be a helpful tool for you.
• Limiting beliefs, particularly when it comes to body image, can take your focus away from the things you actually want to accomplish. It’s important to figure out where they’re coming from so you can release them. Robyn has found success by reframing those limiting beliefs through gratitude. Where there’s gratitude, there’s no room for anything else. 

About Claire and Robyn:

Claire Hurwitt is a former bikini competitor turned lifestyle holistic coach and founder of the Fulfilled Health & Fitness coaching team.  Fulfilled is all about helping high achieving women get filled up instead of 'effed (messed) up by their fitness journeys and finding their true power in the process.  

In this week’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Joemmy Ramirez, a talent management and organizational effectiveness professional, who made the bold decision to take a career break when faced with some stress-related health concerns. Through her experiences, Joemmy emphasizes the importance of adopting a "me first” mindset when it comes to prioritizing your health and your values. Tune in to gain insights and inspiration… if you have been considering a career break, you don’t want to miss this episode!

Key Themes:

• Adopt a “Me First” Mindset: Taking back your power can be as simple as remembering to eat throughout the day, or logging off from work on time in order to make it to your workout; or it can be as foundational as taking a career break to honor your values over the societal expectations and pressures that that may be steering you away from prioritizing your well-being. 

• Prioritize Your Health: Joemmy discusses the impact of chronic stress and burnout on our overall well-being. Ask yourself, does the stress that you are subjecting yourself to align with the type of life you want to lead?

• Stay True to Your Definition of Success: For Joemmy, this means moving away from traditional markers of success like promotions and performance in favor of being in integrity with how she perceives herself and how she feels physically and emotionally.

About Joemmy: Joemmy Ramirez is a talent management and organizational effectiveness leader that specializes in helping hypergrowth organizations navigate through change. Her experience spans across public and private sectors in multiple industries. After serving as a the Head of Organization Development for a unicorn tech company, she decided to embark on a new path as a freelance contractor. Joemmy is currently training for her second marathon while leaning into content creation for her nail art and baking side businesses. 

We were so inspired to speak to this week’s guest, Yanet Borrego, a former engineer and consultant turned career mindset and clarity coach.  At a young age, Yanet learned about taking risks and personal reinvention when she and her mother left Cuba to seek asylum in the United States.  Come for her compelling story of new beginnings; stay for her equally incredible coaching tips about clarity, purpose, and reinventing yourself!Key Takeaways:

• Trust the process.  Making big decisions out of love, not fear, isn’t easy.  But resourcefulness and resilience are within us, and if we have the mindset, we can make anything happen.
• Don’t wait until crisis hits to find your intersection of success and fulfillment.  Clarity is a product of experimenting, taking actions, and seeing what connects with us (and what doesn’t)
• Start tapping into the emotions you’re after even before you’ve reached the desired outcome.  Neurolinguistic programming techniques can help us reprogram our thought patterns to align our behavior with our intentions.  

We are excited to share this week’s episode, a fascinating conversation with Ashalee Hurst, Professor of Social Psychology.  Ashalee shared that one of her top values is honesty, and for her, that means “being honest with other people, but really… being honest with myself and staying true to myself and representing myself as I really am.”  We think Ashalee completely embodied this value, lighting us up with her authentic self and unique experience throughout the interview.

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of checking in with yourself, from understanding how your hormones are impacting your behavior, to listening to yourself to stay close to your values and goals.

Key Takeaways:

• Hormones affect our behavior. This is Ashalee’s current field of study, and her research has uncovered some interesting insights, specifically on how women interact with one another during different parts of their cycles.  It’s helpful to recognize this and give yourself some grace!

• Psychology is not just about mental health problems, but also about what is going right!  Positive psychology is one of the subjects Ashalee teaches, and she highlights the power of focusing on your strengths and gratitude helps to maintain happiness.

• Becoming a mom is an experience through which our values are magnified.  Ashalee shared how becoming a mother has fueled her appreciation for her career - not only the flexibility it allows her to spend time with her family, but the opportunity for her to mentor students. 

• Check in with yourself and recognize that our values and goals change. Trust yourself to make decisions that are right for you in the moment, knowing that you can always shift direction to make sure you stay in alignment.

About Ashalee:  Ashalee Hurst is a full-time Assistant Professor of Psychology and a toddler mom. She has a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology and currently teaches a variety of undergraduate courses such as Experimental Psychology, Positive Psychology, and Psychology as a Career & Profession. Ashalee is passionate about mentorship; she loves helping students discover and pursue a career path. Ashalee is also passionate about family dance parties in her living room, scenic hikes, and toddler hugs. 

In this solo episode, hosts Natalie and Karla share important career decisions they’ve each made recently, how they've managed their mindsets through the process, and using “holographic thinking” to assess logic, emotion, and intuition as inputs for their decisions.

Key Takeaways:

• Find the little gifts in any situation. Approach circumstances with curiosity and use your creativity to open yourself up to learning and opportunities.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a tool that helps reframe the thoughts behind your emotions, remove the layers to get to the bottom of what may really be bothering you, and identify your root fears.
• Identifying (and writing down!) your fears helps to clearly assess them and keep your focus on the present moment.
• Always go back to your values to bring clarity to an important decision.
• The trifecta of decision-making: Holographic Thinking. Logic, emotion, and intuition are all equally important when making a decision.

If you like the show, we'd be so honored if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, more women can learn about us and, hopefully, feel more inspired to define and pursue their own success in ways that bring them joy.

We talk to Sarah Santacroce, Business Coach and founder of 'Humane Marketing' all about how to bring our whole selves to work. We talk specifically about why marketing in a more authentic way is kind to ourselves, our clients and the planet, and how showing up as our authentic selves can bring more ease to our day-to-day life.

About Sarah: Over a decade of running a successful LinkedIn Consulting business inspired a yearning in Sarah to create a global movement that encourages people to bring more empathy and kindness to business & marketing.

Health and wellness are integral parts of living aligned to our values. A healthy mind and body allows us to live life to the fullest and in alignment with our values - because when we feel good, we're more likely to do the things that we love and bring us joy.  Our guest this week is Dr. Michal Waldfogel, a naturopathic physician.  She shares how she has aligned her values and her training in traditional as well as naturopathic medicine to help her patients do just that.  Key Takeaways:

• Your health enables you to thrive in the ways that are most important to you. Improving your holistic health helps give you enough energy to align with your daily values.
• Naturopathy is a holistic approach to wellness.  This can include all aspects of traditional medicine, integrated with herbal medicine, spirituality and mindfulness, massage therapy, nutrition and more.  As Michal puts it, it’s about treating the whole person, meeting them where they are, and where their values are.  
• Co-create your health plan with your medical provider to set your whole self up for success.  Michal walks us through ways we can take ownership of our own health information and intuition to help our physicians provide the care we need.  
• The primary driver behind most of the issues that people come to their doctors with is stress.  Understanding how stress affects our physiology, bringing awareness through mindfulness, identifying sources of hidden anxieties and thought patterns to better cope with daily stressors can be an important intervention to so many health concerns, from sleep to GI issues.

Kicking off season 3 of Successful: The Podcast, hosts Natalie and Karla reflect on the first two seasons and look ahead to what they want to accomplish in season 3 and beyond.  We hear about their goals for the podcast (hint: it has a lot to do with YOU, the listener) and talk about how their personal definition of success has evolved since the podcast began. 

Thank you to all the amazing guests and listeners who have supported us in making this podcast dream come true! In this final episode of Season 2, we (Karla and Natalie) share our favorite moments of the season, what we're grateful for, and what we're looking forward to in Season 3.

Key Takeaways:

• We have so much to be grateful for, including surpassing 1,000 downloads of this show!
• Through “Successful: The Podcast” we're grateful to have the opportunity to shine the light on issues that women face and share the real stories of women who are redefining success to live more fully and with more joy.
• We're learning that while we're all on our own journeys, many things connect us as women, from the success we're achieving to the difficult emotions that get in the way (like impostor syndrome). We can take comfort in knowing we're never alone in those experiences.
• We had some incredible guests this past season; some key highlights included meeting some of our personal heroes and women whose courage and work we admire.
• In Season 3 (coming in early 2023), we're looking forward to expansion: Expansion in our outreach to more women who are redefining success in unique and joyful ways, and expansion in the ways we connect with our listeners.
• It's been a true honor to be on this journey with each other and with all the women who have tuned in and shared their stories on our show. We are absolutely humbled and grateful for you all. Thank you and see you in Season 3!

If you like the show, we’d be so honored if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, more women can learn about us and, hopefully, feel inspired to define and pursue their own success in ways that bring them joy.

Paulina Lainez, a former college professor, went all in on her 3D-printed jewelry small business during the pandemic (her side hustle at the time). Along with her husband, Alvaro, she runs "Eres Una Maravilla" ("You are a Marvel"), a company that celebrates LatinX culture and women through earrings and other designs. She shares why it's important to celebrate her culture and focus on everyday wins as a small business owner. 

Key Takeaways: 

On entrepreneurship:

• It's a difficult decision to jump into your side hustle. A lot goes on behind the scenes that can worry any entrepreneur. It's normal to have emotional breakdowns - we all have them!
• Social media is a fantastic way to get in front of customers, but it can also be intimidating, seeing other businesses become seemingly successful "overnight". Remember that everyone is on their own journey.
• It's helpful to have a partner or someone in your life that can help remind you of everything you've achieved and that you're on the right track.
• Always remember why you started your business and who your customers are. For Paulina, her customer is someone who, like her, wants to celebrate their culture on a daily basis. That's who she thinks of when she creates a product.
• Don't let what others are doing distract you and make you feel like you need to change what you're doing. Stay focused and stay true to who you are.

On designing jewelry that celebrates LatinX culture:

• When Paulina looked for jewelry that reflected her Mexican heritage and skin color ("morena" or "tan"), she saw a gap in the jewelry space. From then on, everything she created celebrated her Latinx culture.
• The creative process as a designer starts with realizing what already exists and what you don't want to do. Then, you can begin to think about what you can create that people haven't seen yet.

On success and celebrating the small wins: 

• Don’t make someone else's goals your goal just because you're trying to keep up with them.
• Every time that we reach a big goal that we set for ourselves, there's a different goal that awaits. With this mindset, you might feel like you're always chasing the next goal and it's never enough. Remember to focus on the small, daily wins.
• Success is different every day. For Paulina, it's about being content with what she's achieved that day.
  

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Heide Garrigan quit her corporate job of 20+ years to pursue a career as an entrepreneur and leadership coach. She shares her journey towards entrepreneurship with us, and notes that naming her fears - recognizing that they are there and acknowledging them - allowed her to take the first step into her new career path.

Key Takeaways:

• Surrounding yourself with people who are where you want to be in life gives you the ability to see yourself in that situation
• Recognizing and naming your fears can help you open up doors for yourself. Heidi didn’t take the leap into being a full time coach until she acknowledged her fear of leaving her past company
  Naming your fears can be as simple as speaking that fear aloud or writing it down
• Don’t ignore your fear or your saboteurs - if you name them and face them you can deal with them
• Aligning your work with your values as an entrepreneur may mean turning down clients who don’t align with your values
• Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, Heide recommends building a community for yourself so you can collaborate, brainstorm and connect with others
• Your environment influences your energy, so be sure to surround yourself with people who you want to be in your life
• Having a sense of purpose in multiple areas of your life (like career and motherhood for example) is important for a balanced life
• Continue to set yourself goals and live a life aligned to your values
• Heide’s definition of success: “Success is being confident and reaching your goals, being resilient. And when it doesn't work out that you can keep, pick yourself up and keep going and doing all of that while staying aligned to your values.”

Links:

Angela was living in and renting a New York City apartment when unexpectedly, her apartment was put up for sale. With no desire or ability to buy it, she and her boyfriend had to figure out where to live next. They loved to travel and spend time in nature, so they thought, "why not move into a van"? They downsized and gave away most of their belongings (including Angela's beloved tall plant, Heidi!), and embarked on an adventure that has taught Angela how to work to live, instead of living to work.

Key Takeaways:

• People are just like water: If we're put into a new situation and a new space, most of us are able to mold ourselves into those circumstances and surpass obstacles to find happiness wherever we are.
• Pursuing a life of adventure doesn't have to involve doing dangerous, extreme activities. An "adventure" can involve:
  -Exploring something that sparks your curiosity
  -Doing something new that is different from your regular day
  -Engaging in something that makes you smile
  -Doing something about which you can later tell a good story
• The key to living adventurously is not the activity itself, but rather, your mindset: If you think you're going to have an adventure, you will! If you don't see the adventure in your activity, then you may miss the adventure altogether.
• Living in a van isn't for everyone (it's a VERY small space!), but if it's ever sparked your curiosity, try it out, even if for just a month. You'll regret not doing it more than if you do.
• Success is simple: don't compare yourself to others and pursue whatever makes you feel fulfilled and happy. Do work towards goals, but make sure the pursuit of those goals provides you with a happy experience.
• Work smarter, not harder: give yourself breaks, even if it's with the smallest of things like grabbing a coffee, talking to a friend, or going for a walk. Not taking breaks is detrimental to your mental and physical health.

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Tara Stiles followed her calling to teach yoga in a way that feels authentic and comfortable after discovering the inner peace it provided for her. She observed that yoga could be intimidating, rigid, and intense for many, so, she set out to find a better way. As a co-founder of Strala Yoga, a best-selling author, and a well-being expert, Tara honors who she is by helping others feel good while prioritizing her own well-being as well. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Yoga doesn't have to be intimidating. It's meant to feel good and be an experience of community and connection. 
• It's easy to feel pressured to go after success one way because we see others (such as on social media) being successful in certain ways. But we can remain authentic to who we are and what interests us by asking ourselves:
  -Is this something that still excites me?
  -Is what I'm doing fun?
  -Am I still helping people?
  -Am I stuck in a job I created for myself that I don't want anymore? 
• Don't be afraid to change the way you're doing things if it doesn't feel good. The formula is simple: When YOU feel good, others around you will feel good too. 
• Being very busy can be hard, making it challenging to take care of ourselves. How can you unbusy your mind and unbusy yourself so you're not "double-doing" (achieving externally while simultaneously stressing yourself out internally)? 
• It's easy for most women to feel burned out and one point or another because we give so much or feel we need to prove ourselves more. But, self-care is not selfish. Taking care of yourself helps you get more of what you want to get done. 

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Maya Oren became the Creative Director for a boutique hotel after starting off as an entrepreneur making films and telling stories from around the world. She also has a substack newsletter called ‘On Holiday’ in which she hopes to inspire others to live more intentionally and find the sweetness out of everyday life experiences.

Key Takeaways:

• Creativity can be part of our everyday lives, it doesn’t have to be siloed to a large artistic pursuit
• Shifting from entrepreneurship to the corporate world can be empowering in that it can provide us with the resources to realize the full potential of our creativity
• Finding rituals that help to ground you can bring some slowness and intentionality to our lives
  -We can pull ritual inspiration from our cultural heritage and through examining how other cultures approach life
  -For example, Maya has taken to lighting Shabbat candles on Friday and using a Mezuzah over her door to honor her cultural background and find some moments of ritual
• Recognition in our careers will come when we’re living in alignment and from a source of joy

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Welcome to Season 2 of Successful: The Podcast!

In this season kick-off episode, we got to know Becky Daniels, a self-described “connector”, “master mainfestor”, and co-founder of Micropolitan Matchmakers, an organization focused on helping people find BIG love in small towns. Becky emphasizes that dating is not just another job, and yet many women turn dating into another project with deadlines, to-dos, and milestone markers. She reminds us that dating is supposed to be a journey of fun and self-discovery, two things that she also seeks to incorporate into her own life, not just in dating, but in her day job and side business.  We talk about finding flow as we pursue our passions, honoring our habits, and creating space in our lives to let “magic” happen.

Key Takeaways:

• Like Becky did, listen to what you’re passionate about and also have a knack for - what are you good at that you enjoy, and how might you turn that into a business that you take seriously?
• Dating is meant to be fun! It’s an opportunity to not only get to know prospective partners but also get to know ourselves, including what we value, what our love languages are, and how we want our future partner to make us feel.
• When dating, our mindset is key! It’s important to let go of defined constraints and formulas we create of how things “should” be. Rather, we need to welcome the process, let go of timelines, and “feel” our way throughout the dating journey.
• Honoring our habits is an excellent way to make room for “flow” and for “magic” to happen. For Becky, those habits include journaling, meditating, and getting enough sleep. If you don’t honor the daily habits that serve you, you’re robbing yourself of future energy.
• Routines are important but also make sure you’re listening to yourself. As women, we can’t assume that we’ll feel the same energy every day or every week. We need to plan around our unique circadian rhythms and cycles.
• Creating magic in your life is simple: relax! Tune into what you want and how you want to feel and put that vibe out into the universe. Things will happen when they’re supposed to happen.

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After being diagnosed with cancer a year after moving to the U.S. from Mexico, Aideé found herself dealing with a difficult diagnosis, language barrier, and cultural barriers all at once. In this final episode of Season 1 of Successful: The Podcast, Aideé shares with us how this experience led her to create Rosa es Rojo, an organization focused on making wellness and cancer prevention accessible to Hispanic women and their families in the United States. As a CEO, mother, and wife, Aideé also shares how her “inner mentor” has guided her ability to be still, listen to herself, and turn adversity into a sense of empowerment.

Key Takeaways:

-  According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics living in this country. One in three Hispanic women living in this country will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.

-  The good news is that 42% of all cancer cases have roots in an unhealthy lifestyle or unhealthy behaviors.

-  Rosa es Rojo is making wellness and cancer prevention something that is accessible to Hispanic women and their families through education and community support around nutrition, mental health, physical activity, and other healthy mindsets and behaviors in a culturally-relevant way.

-  Connecting with your “inner mentor” or “higher coach” (in other words, deeply listening to oneself) can support our ability to overcome adversity and feel empowered. Aideé’s inner mentor lessons include:

-  Instead of “fighting” our life battles (including difficult ones, like cancer), learn to embrace them; they’re all part of what allows us to value our life and grow.

-  Use the knowledge you have in your hands to empower others; keep growing your knowledge so you can empower others even more.
Know that you are not alone. When things get difficult, connect with those around you that can support and uplift you.

-  When it comes to figuring out your meaning of success, give yourself time to discover your guiding principles or values to live by; to do this, be patient and make time to be still and simply listen.

-  To incorporate stillness into your life on a practical level, first, know that “work-life balance” is a myth. Rather, you can think of your life as “rhythms” - some weeks will have a different rhythm than others. Make time every week to consciously decide which rhythm best serves you for a given period and incorporate those chosen rhythms into your life.

Episode Resources:

-  Learn more about and get involved with Rosa es Rojo: https://en.rosaesrojo.org/

Kristin found EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) after a traumatic accident and found out first-hand the healing benefits of this somatic (physical) therapy. She has turned her passion for this technique into a healing practice where she helps others heal their trauma through EFT and other integrated healing techniques - healing body, mind and spirit. We explore the benefits of this technique, Kristin’s experience with her current clients and she even walks us through a simple demo of the technique!

Ana quit her job at the beginning of 2020 without knowing that she’d soon become an entrepreneur and launch her podcasting consulting agency, The Podcast Space. Ana shares her experiences of living spontaneously and boldly, all while finding purpose in a life and business that align with her values of community and helping others.

As women, we don't always ask for what we want and deserve. In this episode, Sales Director Rocío León, shares the lessons she's learned in her career about why asking matters, why we don't do it enough, and how we can all ask more often so we can receive what matters to us. 

Key Takeaways:

• Identifying your values helps you figure out what you want in life. Once you've done that, then you need to go ask for it!
• Asking for what you want and deserve in the workplace doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes, it's as simple as gaining enough courage to just ask the question.
• Asking for what you want may involve negotiating. In those cases, don't just focus on what YOU want, but also consider what's in it for the other person. 
• When you're told no, take a  step back and reconsider whether you're talking to the right individual. If your ask really matters to you, find the right decision-maker and ask again.
• There are three key reasons why women don't ask more often for what we want and deserve:

1. Societal norms
2. Imposter syndrome
3. Lack of negotiating skills

• One great negotiation skill is to try to understand what matters to the other person and communicate. If you both want an orange, for example, take time to understand why the other person wants it and then express why you want it. You may realize that you're after completely different aspects of the orange and you can both get what you want in that negotiation experience. What matters is clear communication and a desire to understand what the other person values.
• When you go and ask someone for what you want, don't forget that the other person is also human. Most people want to help you and see you succeed!

Resources:

When we know our values, we can make decisions that feel good and that are in alignment with who we are. In this special episode, our very own life and career coach, Karla, shares a few tips on why values matter and how to identify yours.

Key Takeaways:

• Values are the principles we live by that are shaped by our experiences, our beliefs, and our upbringing.
• When we know our values, we can make conscious decisions about how to live our lives versus living at the effect of what happens to us.
• Once we know our values, we can evaluate how well our lives match our values. If they don't match, this may be a clue that it's time to make some changes in your life.
• Examples of values include friendship, loyalty, respect, freedom, abundance, and security, among many others.
• There are two types of values:
  a) Fear-based: the values, which we choose out of fear of losing something (for example choosing "security" because we're afraid of being poor)
  b) Conscious-based: these are values that we choose consciously because we want them, not out of fear, but out of desire (for example, choosing "abundance" because we desire an abundant life)
• It's important to beware of whether the values that we're choosing are our values or someone else's.
• Values are meant to change as we evolve.
• Here's a quick exercise to identify your values:
  1. Think of a time when things felt great for you. What might have been the values you were honoring at this moment?
  2. Conversely, when was a time that was challenging? What might have been the values that were crossed at this moment that made that experience difficult?
  3. Once you have a list of 8-10 values, narrow them down to 3-5 that are so important that you would defend no matter what.
  4. Rank your values from 1 to 5 (#1 being the most important).
  5. Evaluate for each value: On a scale of 1-10 (1=never, 10=all the time), how often are you honoring those values in your life? What might be some changes you need to make to better honor those values?

References:

Values-based coaching: Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

When the pandemic hit, many of us realized the value of our time and gained a different perspective on how we wanted to live our lives. This was the case for Emily Adair, owner of the event planning company Grey Pine Events & Design. What was different for Emily when the pandemic hit wasn't that she'd just lost her job, but she was also newly pregnant. And yet, Emily believed in herself and relied on her family's support to go after her entrepreneurial dreams and launch her event design company. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Your network and personal support system are powerful tools to help you go after your dreams, whether or not they involve starting a business. 
• Sometimes, we have to spend time doing work that isn't fulfilling. However, we can still choose to have perspective and appreciate those experiences for the skills they teach us.
• Finding evidence to support your self-belief is key (for example, your work ethic, your stamina, and the skills you have).
• Self-doubt is real, but it doesn't need to be an obstacle.
• Life is meant to be lived, whether or not you have children. Having children doesn’t have to take you away from your dreams and hobbies. Rather, you can bring your children along the ride with you, whether that means traveling or owning your own business.
• Do it scared. You can feel fear and go after your dreams anyway.
• What you want in life should change as you get older and as YOU change. Embrace those changing desires and keep going after them. 

About Emily Adair 

Emily Adair is the founder of Grey Pine Events & Design based out of the Austin/San Antonio area. After losing her Event Coordinator job due to Covid, she decided a year later that it was finally time to believe in herself and follow her lifelong dream of becoming her own boss. She is a mother to a bright and beautiful two-year-old boy, who after being born during a global pandemic, helped mold her into the confident business owner she is today. So much so that she named her company after him. Grey Pine offers an array of services from event planning, balloon installations, giant marquee letter rentals, and photo booth backdrop rentals. Along with her husband, they proudly have taken on the new hobby of woodworking and make all of their props themselves!

Get in touch with Emily via Instagram or Facebook: 

Turning your passion into a career can bring up all kinds of emotions with imposter syndrome and fear of the unknown being two of the most common. Our guest this week, Spanish language entrepreneur Megan Miller walks us through her journey from consultant to business owner, and how she’s conquering her fears and facing her doubts along the way.

Key Takeaways:

• You can battle imposter syndrome with certifications in your subject of interest
• Music is a great tool for accelerating the language learning process
• Being content and being complacent can be similar feelings
• Life is too short to show up any less than 100%
• For Megan, showing up 100% means having those ‘lightbulb’ moments with clients when she notices they figure out a concept or achieve a goal
• Your first year as an entrepreneur can be an emotional rollercoaster, but it will even out over time
• Success to Megan is the ability to completely serve someone else, and know what they need at that moment in time
• The motivation to learn is the ignition that allows you to make the effort to learn anything new
• Recognize that most people are trying their best in life
• You can feel fear, but do the scary things anyway - this allows you to accept it rather than to fight it

Megan Miller is the founder of Aprovechar Language Solutions, LLC, which provides personalized, habit-based Spanish language and culture coaching programs to busy adults around the world.

She also helps IT companies in Latin America and Europe tell their stories for a U.S.-based audience through translation, editing, and localization projects. Megan has over 20 years of experience in Spanish and has been obsessed with learning and teaching all of her life: from living abroad at 19 in Madrid, Spain; travelling worldwide; and being a training consultant and language coach.

It’s inevitable that we’ll face some criticism during our careers, but how do we handle it? Instead of thinking of criticism as something to fear, we can learn how to use these moments as opportunities to grow, learn from our mistakes, and question if the criticism was valid in the first place. 

Key Takeaways:

Handling Criticism

• If you feel emotional or triggered after receiving feedback, ask yourself why and investigate these emotions
  • Ask yourself what’s true and what’s perhaps another person’s interpretation of reality
  • If you find yourself triggered, notice if you feel safe in the situation and relationship 
• Notice your tendencies and fears that may have led to the feedback/criticism
• Stepping back from a situation helps you gain perspective. This will allow you to reflect, question the narrative, and ask yourself what’s really going on and if it’s true. This can diffuse the negative reaction you may have.
• Big ‘T’ truth, little ‘t’ truth: What is the reality (T) of the situation versus someone’s perception of reality or their truth (t)? Someone may have experienced the situation totally differently than you did. Investigate what’s true and what’s someone’s perception of the truth.
• We have a choice to internalize criticism or not; it can be dangerous to associate feedback with one’s identity

Giving Feedback to Others

• Make sure to set expectations of others at the beginning of working relationships
• Give "good" feedback frequently, as it makes it easier to give constructive criticism when needed
• Create a culture where people are expecting feedback on things that are working well (helps to remove fear around getting any kind of feedback)
• Define your feedback style. For example: ‘The Sandwich Method’ is an approach that starts and ends with positive feedback, with constructive feedback given between
• Remember: It’s not easy to give or receive feedback - it's all part of the human experience!

Do you ever feel like your reality isn't what you think it should be? 

Life coach Sarah Leslie lived with this feeling at her job as a clinical social worker before realizing that she could create her own reality by taking responsibility for her own happiness and living with intention. In this episode, Karla and Sarah discuss how we can shape our realities by changing our beliefs and thought patterns, and how taking action and listening to our intuitions are the antidotes for feeling unaligned in life.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s okay to talk about unfulfilling life situations, but nothing will change unless we take action and follow through with what we want to do
• It’s okay to change your mind about your path in life
• Our beliefs and thoughts create our reality
• We can choose the beliefs that serve us in order to develop the identity of who we want to be (i.e. Telling yourself ‘I am a person who works out every morning’ if that’s an identity you want to have)
• Question your beliefs to uncover which ones aren't true, and which ones were placed there by others
• Tuning into your intuition can help you uncover your life purposes (there isn’t just one!)
• Purpose doesn’t have to be one thing, and it can change over time
• Having someone to give you perspective and "hold up a mirror" to see what’s holding you back can be key to changing your life
  

More about Sarah:

What if we could view life as a dance - a journey where we immerse ourselves in dancing simply to dance?

In this episode, Natalie and Karla talk about the pressure we put on ourselves to achieve, which can often steal enjoyment from the activities we pursue (whether it’s dancing or something else!). They discuss ways in which they're both aiming to get healthier and how too much of a competitive streak has gotten in the way of their goals. They also talk about activities that they're both pursuing in order to learn and practice enjoying the process without an outcome or achievement in mind.

Key takeaways:

• Not everything we do in life is always going to be fun, but it's important to become aware of the ways in which we steal enjoyment from ourselves as we pursue goals and activities we like
• Use the 80/20 rule: if 80% of the activity is enjoyable, don't throw in the towel (i.e., give up on what you're doing) simply because 20% of it isn't as enjoyable
• Creative work takes time and effort, but it's important to look at the big picture of why we're pursuing our goals
• Life is not about the destination, but rather, it's a dance. "The point is not to finish the dance, but to dance" - Alan Watts
• Questions to ponder:
  • What activities can you immerse yourself in purely for the enjoyment of the activity versus the outcome or reward of it?
  • When do you notice yourself stealing enjoyment from the activities you’re pursuing? Why do you think you do it?
  • As you pursue various goals, what will help you feel supported to keep things fun? For example, would an accountability partner help?

Resources:

Can disliking your job be a good thing? It was for Jane Kim, our latest podcast guest. Disliking her HR corporate job "enough" led her to quit and leave it all behind. She didn't have a plan for what she would do instead, but she did know her passion: music.

In this episode, Jane shares with Natalie how she redefined success for herself to build a career in the music industry that lights her up. Jane shares the signs that told her it was time for a change and how her network supported her dreams as someone brand new to the industry. She also shares two key questions that have guided her decisions and that can support us all as we figure out what career path to pursue.

Key takeaways: 

• Disliking your job "enough" can be a blessing in disguise
• It's important to pay attention to the signs that tell you it's time to leave a job - like not being able to sleep because you're anxious about waking up for work the next day
• If you decide to quit your job, it's ok to not have a plan. You'll figure it out!
• To figure out a new career path, tap into your network, be honest about what you know (and don't know) and be ok with working for free to gain experience
• To redefine "success", also consider redefining "failure" 
• "Success" is an ever-evolving definition - keep exploring what it means to you!
• Trust that everything will work out in the end. It usually does.
  

What does it mean to be "gutsy"? In this episode, we discuss our experiences doing gutsy things at work and in other areas of life, including speaking up for what's right and being honest about mental health. Karla shares a few different tactics that can help to ease fear before doing something gutsy, such as getting curious about your thoughts and understanding your emotional "elephant".

Key takeaways:

-To be "gutsy" means to show courage, determination, and spirit.

-Gutsiness is not just about chasing adrenaline-driven activities (like bungee jumping) but also about doing the things that scare us in our day-to-day work and home lives.

-Our emotions can be equated to an "elephant", which can be hard to tame. We need to get curious about our emotions in order to gain mastery over the "elephant".

-A way to combat nerves before doing something gutsy is to get curious and write down the thoughts are that are making you anxious. This will help you notice the fear-based lies coming from your brain. Once you write down and recognize these lies, cross them out with a big marker. Now, write down new thoughts that create more supportive emotions (such as excitement, a sense of fun) so you pursue the "gutsy" thing with more ease and flow.

-We can shift to courage and gutsiness when we let go of our egos and shift to serving others.

Resources: