23: Grow Your Business by Slowing Down with Heidi Weiland
What if growing your business didn’t require grinding harder, but actually slowing down, tending to your nervous system, and building something that feels human and sustainable?
Heidi Weiland is a holistic business coach and strategist who went from burned-out freelance web designer to someone helping entrepreneurs blend smart strategy with real self-care.
Her work sits at the intersection of nervous system support, authentic marketing, and human-centered business.
In this episode, she shares the turning points, hard lessons, and gentle reminders that helped her rebuild her business from the inside out.
From Burnout to Real Balance
Heidi’s story starts where so many creative businesses hit a wall: doing everything, being everything, and pretending it’s fine until it isn’t. Burnout pushed her into yoga, deep self-care, and eventually a whole new way of supporting clients.
“I got to a point where I was just so burned out. I didn’t know what to do with myself.”
Try this: Check in with your body before you check in with your to-do list.
Bonus: List three tasks draining your energy right now. What can be paused, delegated, or simplified?
Human-Centered Business Isn’t Optional
For Heidi, business work is human work. Your energy, your nervous system, your values are all the foundations.
“Business should be human-centered. We are the foundation of everything we do.”
Try this: Before taking on a new project, ask: Does this support the version of me I’m becoming?
Bonus: Rewrite one boundary that needs strengthening in your business.
Authenticity as the Strategy
One of my favorite things about Heidi is how simple she makes authenticity feel. It's not a branding exercise or a persona. It's just… you.
“I’m me and that’s enough. That’s great, actually.”
Try this: Notice a moment today where you filtered yourself. How would it feel to soften that filter?
Bonus: Share something real with your audience this week: a story, a lesson, a moment.
Blending Smart Strategy with Nervous System Support
Heidi’s approach is part intuitive, part tactical. She’ll talk funnels, then ask what your body is telling you. She’ll map your plan, then help you regulate so you can actually follow through.
“Blend strategy with nervous system support.”
Try this: Before planning your week, take three deep breaths and let your shoulders drop.
Bonus: Choose one strategic task and break it into the smallest next step. Your body will thank you.
Energy + Task Alignment
This is where so many creatives get stuck. You can do the work. But should you?
“What is sucking your energy? Are there tasks outside your zone of genius that we can shift?”
Try this: Highlight everything in your business: green for energizing, yellow for neutral, red for draining.
Bonus: Delegate or delete just one red task this week.
Relationships, Referrals, and Being a Real Human
Heidi builds her business the same way she lives her life—through genuine connection.
“Referrals are just what I call being in the world.”
Try this: Reach out to one person you appreciate in your creative circle.
Bonus: Share your work in one community space where you already feel comfortable.
Key Takeaways
- Burnout is often the doorway to a more honest business.
- Human-centered business leads to sustainable growth.
- Authenticity is your greatest marketing strategy.
- Your nervous system matters as much as your strategy.
- Alignment comes from knowing what energizes you.
- Relationships build stronger businesses than algorithms ever will.
Ready to Grow Your Business Without Burning Out?
Heidi’s journey is such a good reminder that you don’t have to choose between success and self-care. You can build something meaningful, aligned, and fully yours without sacrificing your wellbeing.
If you’re ready to grow your creative business with more clarity and ease, book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com. Let’s make your business feel more like you.
Transcript
When I started working in my web development business, I was also a DJ and I had two different websites.
Speaker A:I used two different names, two different businesses.
Speaker A:Like I felt like I had to separate myself.
Speaker A:I would never talk about my DJ stuff with my clients.
Speaker A:It was like I had to have two lives and two personalities.
Speaker A:And that's part of what led to the burnout, right?
Speaker A:I wasn't my whole self.
Speaker A:So now I, I'm, I'm like, no, no, you like be you at the core of your work.
Speaker A:Your values, your opinions, your personality.
Speaker A:If you're an introvert, embrace it and find like how do you embrace it?
Speaker A:Let that question guide you.
Speaker A:And versus modeling yourself after someone that you see that you like or you know what the cultural expectations are, oftentimes that'll just lead to dissatisfaction or, or ye olde burnout.
Speaker B:Welcome to the Standout Creatives where making money and creating meaningful work go hand in hand.
Speaker B:You're already passionate about what you create.
Speaker B:Now let's turn that passion into a standout business.
Speaker B:Marketing your work doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Speaker B:It can actually amplify your creativity.
Speaker B:I'm your guide, Kevin Chung, and this podcast is your roadmap to creative business success.
Speaker B:I'll show you how to turn your unique talents into a business that truly represents who you are.
Speaker B:Let's get started.
Speaker B:Welcome to another episode of Standout Creatives.
Speaker B:Today I'm on Heidi Weiland.
Speaker B:Heidi is a holistic business coach and strategist who helps heart led entrepreneurs scale in a way that feels sustainable and aligned.
Speaker B:With a background in online business operations and trauma informed coaching, Heidi blends smart strategy with nervous system support so you can grow your business without burning out.
Speaker B:Heidi, that's a great message in business that you're working on.
Speaker B:Can you tell us a little bit about more about it and how you got into it?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, thank you for having me on, Kevin.
Speaker A:I'm just thrilled to be here.
Speaker A: hole life and so that's early: Speaker A:I started off in as a freelance web designer and grew that into a business and like various, it just went through lots of ups and downs and was very successful and very stressful and I got to a point where I was just so burned out I didn't know what to do with myself.
Speaker A:I, you know, I be crying in the morning.
Speaker A:I, I felt like I had to, I didn't know what to do with my business to make it better and I tried doing things like bringing on more team members, working with higher Quality clients and looking for solutions within the business part of things.
Speaker A:But it wasn't until I started doing yoga and did a yoga teacher training about 10 years ago that I got on the path of like deep self care.
Speaker A:And that led to another business in yoga and holistic life coaching.
Speaker A:And so what I've really learned having those two, two different pathways is that for people like me, like we need to combine them both.
Speaker A:Because the way that I was being in business before wasn't sustainable.
Speaker A:I left out myself from the way I worked.
Speaker A:And so now I, I, I believe that business should be human centered.
Speaker A:We are the foundation of everything we do, our business as well.
Speaker A:So that's mind, body, spirit.
Speaker A:And the more that we can blend the two, then we can make business.
Speaker A:It's so much more than just a cash machine.
Speaker A:It's a way for us to really step into this next way of holistic being and impact in the world.
Speaker B:Can you talk about why you started with graphics and web design?
Speaker B:What did you like to do as a kid?
Speaker B:What, what kind of artistic or design style things did you do?
Speaker A:You know, I've got one of those brains that if you, if you do a personality test or like a skills test, I, it doesn't ever give you a good answer because I'm, I'm good at a lot of different things.
Speaker A:So I was very creative and quiet and loved making art and being in nature.
Speaker A:But I was really, really good at math and science and tech stuff.
Speaker A:So I think that the web development really spoke to that problem solving and I loved learning all of the new tech.
Speaker A:And then there was the, the front, like the front side of things, what people saw.
Speaker A:And I love that too.
Speaker A:So it was, in the beginning it was just so fun to explore all of these different things.
Speaker A:And you know, back then I didn't think too much about the business side of it.
Speaker A:So it wasn't really, it was, was just fun and I was getting paid for it.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What, what other options were you considering other than web design or starting a business?
Speaker B:I guess because you said you've been a business owner your entire life.
Speaker A:Yeah, you know, I, when I went to college my intention was to go into science and after the first year it became really clear that I was not enjoying the science stuff because my favorite class was humanities.
Speaker A:I loved like, I loved learning about the classic arts and I, and then I ended up traveling and taking time off from school.
Speaker A:So my degree is in studio art and after I graduated I was trying to figure out something in that realm to do to make money.
Speaker A:And the web development just fell in my lap.
Speaker A:I didn't ever really pursue it, but I was taking a class and people started wanting me to design websites and then I went, you know, went from there.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I don't think I, I was really thinking about a career path at that point.
Speaker A:I was just following my heart.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Sometimes I think things find us versus us finding something and when that does happen, you can tend to fall out of love with it because you didn't intentionally choose.
Speaker B:It kind of just chose you.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So it's, you did like it in the beginning and it was like a nice little adventure and creative outlet, but ultimately not the correct.
Speaker B:Just like your switch from science to arts, you kind of made another pivot.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think, you know, if I had thought about where is this going to take me 10, 20 years, I don't know if I would have done anything differently.
Speaker A:I just at, you know, 21, 22, my brain was not there.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker A:Now I would bring that into the conversation, knowing what I know and see, you know, what other people have gone through.
Speaker A:But you know, sometimes we need to just follow, follow the flow and that's, that's, that's okay too.
Speaker A:Like, I appreciate all, all of the lessons that I had, even though some of the journey was very hard.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think we, we should look more into things before we dive into them is usually one strategy, but also it can tend to pigeonhole you.
Speaker B:So there's like a fine balancing act between, you know, doing enough research and, you know, just going for something.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, 100%.
Speaker A:And, and I think it's hard to these days with, to know what's coming 10, 20 years down the road if you're doing something in tech, you know, so I think just, I think just being aware of, of that, that challenge is good.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:It's definitely a very different landscape than when I started developing websites.
Speaker B:You know, you used to have to do everything by, by hand because I also do web design, so I know the ins and outs of at least the basics previous to, I don't know, like maybe 10, 15 years ago when I switched out of that.
Speaker B:So it's like everything is evolving so quickly that you either have to keep up or you have to like get out and do something different.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And do you, Will you continue enjoying that?
Speaker A:I think one, like one strategy I like is to not put your eggs all in one basket.
Speaker A:So maybe you have something that is a little more standard and you can do part time and then you can have the more creative explorer like exploratory, unknown future work as well and still feel like you're, you're making enough to have a good life.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's all about following your curiosity, I think most of the time because one of the issues that I think I personally have is knowing what to stick with versus like having to choose something to explore because there's just like so many potential options that we can do and so many things that are interesting.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker B:But you have to choose at least one concentration at least to start to build on.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And different people are different.
Speaker A:I've gotten really into human design, which does a good job of, of clearly explaining this.
Speaker A:But if you are a person that by nature you, you thrive like you work best when you have multiple things to do that you're focused on, then having just that one career path can kill your soul.
Speaker A:Some people love that.
Speaker A:They love the stability they love.
Speaker A:You know, maybe they're, they're web developers, but they work for an agency and that, you know, that's a very different experience than running your own agency, you know.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:What is your human design?
Speaker B:I guess like.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm a 2,4 splenic projector.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Do you know what your, your design is?
Speaker B:I think I'm a.
Speaker B:It's a mix something manifestor.
Speaker B:I forget.
Speaker A:A manifesting generator.
Speaker B:Yes, yes, that one.
Speaker A:Okay, well yeah.
Speaker A:Then the basic, like the basic characteristics of a man, a managen, is that they, they like to do a lot of different things and.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So what does a projector do?
Speaker A:A projector is best as a guide and they, because it said that they don't have consistent energy to maintain work or projects that, you know, that means less implementation and more being being a thought leader, being a guide, being a consultant or a coach where you're not actually doing the work, but you're helping other people to do the work.
Speaker B:Is that something you discovered after looking into human design or you always felt you knew that about yourself?
Speaker A:I, I always felt I knew that about myself.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But when I learned about human design two years ago, I was like, oh my gosh, this explains a lot.
Speaker A:Because our culture is highly.
Speaker A:Idealizes productivity and getting things done, checking stuff off the, the to do list.
Speaker A:And so you know, you take that on and when it feels hard or you get burned out, which I've gone through various, like my cycles of burnout are, are much more contained than that initial one.
Speaker A:But I still will do that sometimes I'll push myself Too much.
Speaker A:And, and just having that like definition of or label of projector gives me permission to be like, oh, you know what?
Speaker A:I should really plan some time.
Speaker A:You know, I've.
Speaker A:After doing this, this hard thing, I should take the next day off or I should go on a road trip or it's okay if I finish at 3pm today.
Speaker A:That kind of thing.
Speaker A:And really I've built my business that way just naturally too, so that I have more spaciousness because I know that I like, I'm just not a great worker if I push too much.
Speaker B:How do you think we can as a society?
Speaker B:I know this is a big question, but as a society, more intentionally focus on what everyone is good at.
Speaker B:I guess that's.
Speaker A:Oh, I know.
Speaker B:Capitalism is like driving force of why, yeah, everything is the way it is and why everyone.
Speaker A:Oh, God.
Speaker B:Hits burnout, right?
Speaker A:It is.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I listened to a book that was an English blogger who lived in Denmark.
Speaker A:It was something like.
Speaker A:It wasn't the Happiness Project, but it was something like that.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:And she looks at why, why Denmark is one of the happiest places in the world.
Speaker A:And, and they don't have that, that capitalist need to always be making money for themselves, otherwise they're gonna go bankrupt.
Speaker A:And so it's like they, yeah, they don't get paid as much.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:They have a lot more taxes, but if they're, they're a doctor and they're like, I'm not feeling this anymore, I want to do something different.
Speaker A:They can take a huge amount of time off to figure it out and then get a new career and make almost like kind of similar money.
Speaker A:And that for me is just as astounding.
Speaker A:So I don't, you know, I don't think we'll ever do that here.
Speaker A:But it's, it is interesting to see that there are other ways of doing it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I was in Denmark a few years ago and you can just tell the difference between the way of life of the people really.
Speaker B:Some of just.
Speaker B:Even if you look at one aspect of when I was in Copenhagen, the, The like metro or train system was like amazing.
Speaker B:It ran smoothly.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:It was so clean.
Speaker B:Everyone was nice and it was quiet.
Speaker B:There's like no distractions anywhere.
Speaker B:It was just like.
Speaker B:It's just a different way of life, I guess.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It sounds very intriguing from the book.
Speaker A:There were, there were some things that was like, ah, that would be hard to.
Speaker A:For me to, to just culturally, the amount of like cultural rules that they have.
Speaker A:But yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:How do we do that in our own work and lives.
Speaker A:I think it's, it's, it has really for us, it has to come from us as individuals.
Speaker A:And it is a little bit of a privilege to be able to have that flexibility because I think the number one thing is that you're financially secure enough to be able to explore what you truly love.
Speaker A:And sometimes what you truly love can make a lot of a good amount of money, but sometimes like what if it doesn't?
Speaker A:Then how do you figure out that combination?
Speaker A:And that typically will require creativity and experimentation in order to figure out.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think the one difficulty at least here in, in the US is that the, the way that society is structured doesn't allow for this time.
Speaker B:Even if you look at, when you talk to Europeans, they have like a leap year or a gap year where they go year to explore whatever it is that they want to explore before time to take on a business.
Speaker B:It's not something that we have here.
Speaker B:It's just like go straight into the system.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I ended up doing that by accident.
Speaker A:In between my freshman and my sophomore year I lived in London and best thing I ever did just totally changed my life and.
Speaker A:But there are working visas that if you have been in college that you can get that I think are one way to, to one hack because that way you can live in a place like London or, or Ireland or Australia and you can make money so you can support yourself and you can do whatever it is that you can work for a restaurant, you know, work for, you know, in an office and just do jobs that aren't necessarily career related and have a lot of fun, pay for your travels and get to know yourself in a different way.
Speaker A:I highly recommend that.
Speaker B:Very cool.
Speaker B:What was your experience like living there?
Speaker A:I. I grew up in a small town in Alaska and when I left for college I was just like, I'm so ready to leave.
Speaker A:And college was like that first year was.
Speaker A:It was a little challenging of finding myself because like I said, I was in the science world and not really vibing with that culture.
Speaker A:I did make a friend and like she ended up becoming one of my best friends and we, she went over to London.
Speaker A:We actually went over to London together.
Speaker A:And so that was like a place where we lived with eight other folks from all over the world around 18, 19, 20 years old.
Speaker A:And it was just all about exploring.
Speaker A:And I loved being in a big city.
Speaker A:There's all of the art and culture went to all the shows, the museums, we would go clubbing, you go out all night.
Speaker A:You could take a like bus home.
Speaker A:It was so safe and easy and I felt very independent and really, you know, able to travel and do all of these things.
Speaker A:I had some like a little bit of support from home, but for the most part I made really good money and it was just, it was a life changing experience.
Speaker A:Yeah, really, really good.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker B:Can you talk about after graduating, starting up your, your business because you said you were approached by some people or it kind of fell into your lap.
Speaker B:So what was the actual process of like.
Speaker B:Okay, I guess I'm a web designer and graphic designer.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think what, I think at the time my mom was working like in IT and so she knew people and then I, I think of like they asked her or something like that and, and so then I would work with them and there was like a one agent, like one company.
Speaker A:It's really helpful when you find a company that has clients and you then you can do work for them.
Speaker A:And so they had other clients and, and then I think then my mom, we kind of continued with that relationship where she would find, find clients and then I would often do a lot of the design and then we started working together for a little bit.
Speaker A:And that was nice to have that like that pipeline of clients in that way.
Speaker A:While I also grew my own pipeline because that for me as an introvert is.
Speaker A:Even now it's still the hardest thing of creating a consistent flow of clients because I like to, I like to focus in on and do the work.
Speaker A:I love connecting and talking with people.
Speaker A:But, but it's.
Speaker A:When it comes to this, the sales piece, it's, it's been a more challenging for me.
Speaker B:And you said you tried a few different things to, to try and make it better.
Speaker B:How long was the, how long were you doing it?
Speaker B:When did you first realize the burnout?
Speaker A:Oh, it took me a few years to even know what the heck was going on.
Speaker A:I mean I think now with everything I've learned, I see that I had anxiety and probably since my early 20s and I, I didn't know so.
Speaker A:And probably some form of ADD adhd and then like people pleasing, very little boundaries, you know, low self confidence.
Speaker A:And so all of these things like you don't see, you don't really see it, but you feel the effects of it.
Speaker A:So I think, I don't know.
Speaker A:Honestly it did, it did take me a few years of.
Speaker A:And because I was, I was trying to solve the problem within the business.
Speaker A:So I would give that a few years.
Speaker A:You know, like changing partnerships had A merger, you know, then unmerged or had a business divorce and working with different like growing the team.
Speaker A:So once I noticed that those weren't solving the problem then, then I started to look at myself and, and that path took a, took a while to have the clarity that I have now.
Speaker A:But I mean I'm totally, I approach my work totally differently and yeah, and it's, it's, it's.
Speaker A:So even if I get burnt out a little bit, like this weekend I'm going to give myself a silent or not a silent retreat, but a digital detox because I can feel I'm feeling a little bit like overworked.
Speaker A:So yeah, take care of it as quickly as they can.
Speaker B:Was it a sudden switch?
Speaker B:Did you stop working for a while when you decided that you didn't want to own the company anymore?
Speaker A:No, it was so this, my second business H started happening organically too because I did a ayurvedic health counselor training and you have to have in an internship and you have patients and clients and that just naturally built into a practice.
Speaker A:So, so I had both for a while and was trying to figure out okay, well how do I like, like I know I want to do more of the coaching thing, but also the web development is decent money.
Speaker A:I could do it really well.
Speaker A:I had different partners I could work with and I like working with people too.
Speaker A:So that took like that process of, of disintegrating or changing and I sold off a big chunk of it too.
Speaker A:That happened over several years.
Speaker A:It wasn't until last year where I said for, with finalities like I'm not designing another website because I'd get a great like you know, the YMCA or a really cool non profit.
Speaker A:I'm like, yes, I love you, I want to help you.
Speaker A:So that felt really good to do.
Speaker A:I feel like there's still some little aspects in the work I do now that have some qualities of, of that past work, even though it's still different, that maybe someday they'll go away completely.
Speaker A:But I, I like getting in and tinkering still a little bit, just not as, as a full time thing.
Speaker B:I think that's important to bring every aspect of you into whatever it is you're doing because there's something that can be learned from anything else that you're doing.
Speaker B:Like one of the main aspects of being a creative person or having a lot of creativity is just being, bringing different ideas.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:That's what's fun no matter what field it is in.
Speaker A:It's like the Ideas.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:Figuring things out.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So when you were starting coaching, what, what kind of clients were you tending to find or work with?
Speaker B:Is it, and is it the same as what you're doing now?
Speaker A:Yeah, it's, it's different now.
Speaker A:I was working mostly with people who were wanting to improve their health and they were usually women like middle age to older.
Speaker A:And what I found with that is that I had a lot of information but the continuity to help them really implement and create change was not happening the way I would have loved to see it happen.
Speaker A:And that's why then I went and got certified in life coaching to really help help them figure out like what are the other blocks to making those behavioral changes.
Speaker A:And, and really my path has been like, from there then a lot of that coaching focused on the mind and my like mindset tools.
Speaker A:And then I notice, well, this is leaving out like trauma and the nervous system because a lot of people, they can't just think their way through.
Speaker A:And so then that led me to pursue like certifications in those areas.
Speaker A:And that's kind of how I've moved forward is I noticed something that I feel is lacking and I kind of fill it up, fill it and, and now here I am where in business.
Speaker A:Like I notice how much that human centered piece is lacking.
Speaker A:And that's where, you know, what I'm doing now is taking all of the business knowledge and the operations and combining it with the nervous system and self care and just awareness of your energy and who you are as the center of your business.
Speaker B:I think of what a pattern that I've found about you is that you, you tend to find the things that are either lacking or missing or that are affecting you and trying to figure your way out of them.
Speaker B:Which is great because a lot of people will just stay stuck in this piece where they're like, I don't know what to do and I don't know how to figure it out.
Speaker B:And I am just like stuck in this place forever, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And then I want to teach it, I want to share it with everybody too.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You nailed it.
Speaker B:So how do you currently find all your heart centered entrepreneurs?
Speaker B:Because they're definitely out there and they're looking for some guidance, that's for sure.
Speaker B:But how, how do you find these people?
Speaker A:Yeah, I, I, so part of my human Design, it's this 2, 4, which is relationships.
Speaker A:And I definitely find that referrals are just what I call being in the world.
Speaker A:Like there's my, like in my clients, like how did you, how did they find, how did they find me?
Speaker A:And one is being in the world.
Speaker A:So that's what that's like being at a barbecue or being in a Facebook group where there's people.
Speaker A:And I'm like not super active on Facebook.
Speaker A:But I found that to be the most effective because I think the people that I work with, they're not seduced by marketing, glitzy marketing.
Speaker A:They really care about the quality of the relationship and the person.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So it's through relationship that they tend to be the most ready like ready to, to work with me whether it's a referral or just meeting me in those spaces.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's definitely a double edged sword I think because obviously it's easier to build connection with those types of people but also it makes it harder because those people aren't paying attention to, to stuff online as much.
Speaker B:So you can't really use say your web design or graphic design skills in order to like draw them in or anything like that.
Speaker A:Mm.
Speaker A:And I, you know, I found when I.
Speaker A:So there was a while when I was doing life coaching where I was involved in, in a world that was a little bit more aggressive in its marketing that actually I see now I wasn't aligned with.
Speaker A:And so I felt like my marketing was, was reflecting that.
Speaker A:And my people do not go for that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And I, and I definitely.
Speaker A:And I, I noticed that like when I shift out of.
Speaker A:Shifted out of that, that the kind of connections that that I make are, are better.
Speaker A:And I also feel better too because I'm not like, like putting this like salesy stuff out there.
Speaker A:But I feel really good.
Speaker A:Like this is just the honest like me.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And if they like it then they like me.
Speaker A:I don't have to pretend or like try to be a polished real estate looking coach.
Speaker A:You know, I'm just, I'm me and that's enough.
Speaker A:That's great actually.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think that's something that probably existed for a long time for humans until probably recently like industrial revolution era and forward that where people were working through relationships because obviously the Internet was not a thing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B: ss beginning back then in the: Speaker B:So that's.
Speaker B:We're just tending to go back to the way people were and it, I think it feels better.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I, I really get a sense that a lot of us are, are tired of, of bro marketing of the pushier stuff and we just want to be real.
Speaker A:Especially because life is so stressful.
Speaker A:Everything outside is so stressful.
Speaker A:If we can work within our businesses, have them be a haven where we love the people we work with, we love the like areas that we network in, then that just like, it's a relief, you know, I feel like it's a relief.
Speaker A:If I had to go to a job that, you know, like I did not feel great about, life would be so hard.
Speaker A:I don't, I couldn't do it.
Speaker A:I could not.
Speaker A:I haven't ever really done that.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Oof.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So how do you think people can find, you know, that element of whether it's like a heart centered thing when they're kind of in this place where there's not a whole lot of time because the way that work is set up, they're, they're pushing us to work all the time and there's not really that space.
Speaker B:And when you're in that space with time off, you're tending to do stuff like passively like watching TV or you know, going out to drink or any of those kinds of things.
Speaker A:Yeah, it is a hard one, I think.
Speaker A:I mean, I think it really does start with you as an individual deciding ways to give that to yourself.
Speaker A:So how to nourish your soul.
Speaker A:And I know it can be hard when you're drained.
Speaker A:TV is so much easier.
Speaker A:Having the wine is so much easier.
Speaker A:But, but when you think about what that creates for you over the long haul, really not a lot could have, could have neutral effects, could have negative effects versus finding, you know, spiritual practice or even just a weekly yoga class or a place where you can like a drum circle or something that feeds you in a small way, in a different way, I feel like just one baby step like that can then have the potential to open you up to another step and another step.
Speaker A:And because once you feel more aligned and whole and in touch with that craving for being your authentic self or being in an environment where it's uplifting, then it's a lot easier to, to pursue and advocate and make the changes that change your environment so that you experience it on a deeper level?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:There's the advice where you're, you become the person you surround yourself with.
Speaker B:So if you're surrounding yourself with the people who are either going out to drink all the time or whatever and, or who tend to stay home and watch TV and do nothing else just to fill the time until they have to go back to work again, that's what you're going to do as well.
Speaker B:But if you surround yourself with some other types of people who are looking for Something a little bit more.
Speaker B:It tends to make you feel better about the decision to do more yourself.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, totally.
Speaker A:It becomes easier if you've got someone else who's going for a hike and they're going.
Speaker A:It's so much easier to just go with them than it is.
Speaker A:I mean, if you've been watching TV for the last year to just all of a sudden get up and go for a hike.
Speaker A:Yeah, totally.
Speaker B:Are there any communities or community centered types of things in any space really, like health or spirituality or any of that kinds of stuff that, that you're a part of?
Speaker A:Yeah, I am.
Speaker A:Definitely love yoga and any aspect of that, whether that's a class or yoga philosophy.
Speaker A:Here I teach yoga.
Speaker A:Right now.
Speaker A:I'm teaching restorative yoga once a week, which is a.
Speaker A:All about stillness and deeply relaxing your body.
Speaker A:And there's, there's a lot to it.
Speaker A:But that environment is so lovely because people come to, to, to heal, to relax.
Speaker A:And I like to bring community into it so that we talk a little bit.
Speaker A:There's connection.
Speaker A:It feels like you're in like a dark, warm space.
Speaker A:So it's so.
Speaker A:It's, it's very, it's.
Speaker A:It really.
Speaker A:For me, it, it's very nourishing.
Speaker A:And then I'm also involved in ecstatic dance.
Speaker A:I'm an ecstatic dance dj.
Speaker A:And that is really fun because it's like a spiritual approach to a rave, which I, you know, I love, I grew up going to.
Speaker A:But it's, it's like, it's healthy and really creative and expressive.
Speaker A:And the folks who go there are, you know, just a like special group of people, are all about like living life vibrantly.
Speaker B:So there's two elements to those communities.
Speaker B:Like there's the relaxation aspect, which feels like you would be doing when you're watching tv, but not really.
Speaker B:It's not emptiness or a stillness.
Speaker A:It's more of a. Oh, totally different.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And then there's also the play element of the static dance, which are both, I think, necessary parts of being like a more grounded person.
Speaker B:Because most of the time we're trying to fill ourselves with something to do and sometimes all we need to do is just like do nothing and like sit in it and just like be a human just for a moment in time just to, you know, take all that energy and let it just like be.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And see what that is.
Speaker A:That is for you in that moment too.
Speaker A:I think because we can fill our, all of our time up, then it can be a little uncomfortable to do and, like, that's a big thing about restorative yoga.
Speaker A:For some people, it's very, very uncomfortable.
Speaker A:But that is the healing process that is interrupting the.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:Those habitual way of moving through your day.
Speaker A:And when you do that, then you see, like, okay, like, what am I ignoring when I'm scrolling all the time?
Speaker A:Like, this is like, what am I actually feeling?
Speaker A:Like, what is.
Speaker A:Like, how is my anxiety?
Speaker A:Or I'm feeling depressed, or I've got some, like, weird trauma thing happening that I'm, you know, that's there that I've been ignoring that maybe I should.
Speaker A:Could do something about, and that could lead to me feeling better.
Speaker A:And, you know, there's just, like, so much in there.
Speaker A:If you give yourself some space to just be.
Speaker B:I. I started this project.
Speaker B:It's called Creativity Cards, and there's multiple decks.
Speaker B:One of them is called Creative Restoration.
Speaker B:It's like a burnout deck.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker B:Every week I'm trying to pull a new card.
Speaker B:Our prompt and this week's prompt was, what kind of container can you use?
Speaker B:Like a mental container where you can store your.
Speaker B:Your difficult feelings or something like that.
Speaker B:And the thing that I thought about for this is like a Zen garden, because you put your thoughts and feelings in the Zen garden.
Speaker B:You can have the rake, you know, move around them to maneuver your way with your mind through that particular issue.
Speaker B:You can have, like, stones where you pick them up and you place them around.
Speaker B:This is my feeling for this.
Speaker B:And then the aspect.
Speaker B:The third aspect is the wind that just slowly levels the sand.
Speaker B:So this is something that I just thought of today because of the prompt, and it's something that I think could be a useful tool for a way to, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Reflect and have, like, a moment of peace while, you know, dealing with.
Speaker A:Yes, exactly that.
Speaker A:That makes.
Speaker A:That's exactly how I feel.
Speaker A:Just like a sense of peace and imagining what you described, the described.
Speaker A:And then.
Speaker A:Yeah, working with the emotions in that way.
Speaker A:I love that I could see it as a guided meditation or, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Feels very safe and powerful, and you.
Speaker B:Can move them around.
Speaker B:So this.
Speaker B:Yeah, this particular issue is no longer serving me to focus on.
Speaker B:I can move it as a stone over here, and then I'll place a new stone if I'm having a different issue and just kind of focus on that and figure my way around that.
Speaker B:It's not something I've done yet, but I think I'm gonna try.
Speaker B:I've tried meditation in different forms before, but this seems like a good one for me because I Like the idea of like grounding myself and instead of not thinking, which is some.
Speaker B:A form of meditation, this form of meditation is like dealing with the issue at hand and kind of figuring out what is possible by just like thinking about it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And are you thinking about having.
Speaker A:Is it visualizing it or even potentially having a physical form of it?
Speaker B:I was thinking mental, but obviously a physical representation of your mental could also be.
Speaker B:You know, another great way that's probably what Zen gardens were actually intended to do is to.
Speaker B:Obviously it's used to relax, but I think sometimes people are probably using it as a way to think about things too.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I could imagine having one of those nice smooth stones in the sand and just kind of of like touching it and staring at it like, this is my shame.
Speaker A:Or you know, this is, this is my, my sadness.
Speaker A:And even just being like being able to hold it or touch it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Sounds powerful.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker B:It's not stuck.
Speaker B:It's not a permanent space.
Speaker B:You can deal with it, you can move it.
Speaker B:You can kind of use other.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Other things to help you kind of just figure out what it is that you need to do to break through whatever it is.
Speaker B:And sometimes there's no breaking through.
Speaker B:It just.
Speaker B:You just need to recognize it and acknowledge it and let it pass over time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:And seeing it as.
Speaker A:As something kind of outside of you.
Speaker A:So it's not you.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It's this.
Speaker A:That's this thing that's this rock.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oftentimes it's just a thought and usually it's just like a self reflective thought of ourselves holding ourselves down as opposed to, you know, a person or whatever it is outside of us.
Speaker B:Sometimes it is outside of us.
Speaker B:And you know, there's not really a whole lot we can do about that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Or the, or that feeling like we don't even have words for, but that's the.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:I lead people through kind of an emotional processing visualization where you visualize like a shape, a color, a density and so that you can also like give form to something that you don't maybe have a word to describe and like taking that and putting it into.
Speaker A:Into the rock or whatever that like feeling is or experience.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Very similar as far as like imagining a thing, giving it shape and weight and thought and then.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's helpful for processing.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker B:Can you talk a little bit about the, the play side, the aesthetic dance?
Speaker B:How did you get into that?
Speaker A:Yeah, that is, you know, it's.
Speaker A:It's a worldwide Phenomenon.
Speaker A:I don't exactly know the origins of it, but I, I guess probably seven or eight years ago I was invited to DJ for one.
Speaker A:And we didn't at the time really have local DJs who, who, who DJed in that way.
Speaker A:So it was real.
Speaker A:I was really intrigued because it, it's kind of like a combination of yoga and, and clubbing.
Speaker A:And at that point I was, I didn't.
Speaker A:I don't particularly like to go out late.
Speaker A:I like to go to bed early.
Speaker A:I don't like to drink.
Speaker A:You know, I don't like to feel hungover and all of that.
Speaker A:Maybe once a year I'll go to a festival.
Speaker A:But I was so, I was really excited about like the space.
Speaker A:It's, it's usually in a cool, like a church or some creative space.
Speaker A:It's all ages, it's sober.
Speaker A:You don't have any weird drunk guys like trying to hit on you.
Speaker A:And you get, and I get to play amazing music.
Speaker A:And what I love about ecstatic dance is that it is a journey from like, like it's deep sense of self all the way through, like, through different emotions.
Speaker A:So there, you know, there might be like an intense like dirtiness or anger or you know, a light summery feel.
Speaker A:And you kind of can bring people on this like exploration of emotion and, and they can, they can move however they want.
Speaker A:Sometimes you'll just sit, like meditate.
Speaker A:But like you just give them the space to make it what they need in the moment.
Speaker A:And so it's very therapeutic.
Speaker A:It's very freeing.
Speaker A:It feels really good in your body.
Speaker A:It helps you get like, get over lots of like negative self talk and you know, some social anxiety, I think.
Speaker A:So it's, yeah, it's a really cool experience.
Speaker A:I highly recommend it.
Speaker B:Yeah, it sounds like the opposite of a Zen garden, but it's also, you know, another form of release and way to express yourself.
Speaker B:Because I think society has told us that we need to for the most part like hide everything within ourselves instead of expressing it in a way that allows us to get it out.
Speaker B:And when we hold all that stuff in, it tends to build and build and build.
Speaker B:And it's similar to burnout where not necessarily work related but like all this stuff is piling on you and you just like, I guess you can.
Speaker B:It's one of the ways that probably leads to panic attacks, right?
Speaker B:It's just like all this stuff is just piling onto you and you, you're not finding a way to, to deal with it.
Speaker B:So it just like Shuts you down.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And you don't even really see it happening oftentimes because first of all, we're not taught to.
Speaker A:To see things in that way, and we're not taught to.
Speaker A:To process emotion or.
Speaker A:Or to.
Speaker A:To.
Speaker A:To express things.
Speaker A:You know, we have to learn these as an adult.
Speaker A:And how do we learn them?
Speaker A:Typically, because we go through some challenge where it's not working well, and we have to, like, figure it out, and so that then we learn these.
Speaker A:These skills.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:I'm hoping that's changing.
Speaker A:It seems like it might be, but it's like, it would be so amazing if, as kids, we learn how to process our emotions in a healthy way.
Speaker A:Like, how would that change.
Speaker A:Change our lives?
Speaker A:Like, I think it would be really powerful.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's one interesting thing.
Speaker B:Because usually when kids are growing up, they read all kinds of books, right.
Speaker B:About stuff.
Speaker B:About emotions and all this stuff, and then it just goes away because, you know, it's school time.
Speaker B:We can't be showing emotion anymore.
Speaker B:It's like to take the stuff that we're learning innately early on, and we're just, like, throwing it all away and just going with whatever it is the system is telling us to do.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And our.
Speaker A:And our parents to our families, like the older generations.
Speaker A:I mean, I. I am that generation now.
Speaker A:You know, my.
Speaker A:I don't have kids, but I have friends who have kids.
Speaker A:And so then it's like, you know, how well are we modeling what they're.
Speaker A:What the kids are reading about?
Speaker A:And I know in my, like, my own family, we didn't really talk about difficult emotions.
Speaker A:And so now I see, you know, I see that and I see.
Speaker A:I still see.
Speaker A:No, I've done a lot of work in that area, but, you know, comes out a lot in.
Speaker A:In my, like, my personality and the way I just kind of avoid conflict if I.
Speaker B:If I can.
Speaker A:And those types of things that.
Speaker A:My husband's Brazilian and.
Speaker A:Oh, it's way different in his family.
Speaker A:You know, if there's a conflict, you know, if someone's not liking something.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's one of the interesting cultural differences that when we encounter it, it's such a shock.
Speaker B:And some people don't deal with the shock as well as others.
Speaker B:And it's just realizing that every society has a different way of dealing with certain things, like Asian culture, obviously.
Speaker B:It's, like, also part of that, like, suppression of your emotions and stuff.
Speaker B:And it's very hard to break out of that.
Speaker B:I'm still having difficulty myself in that particular aspect.
Speaker B:But it's, I think, something we can learn from other people.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And alongside that idea of who you surround yourself with, I definitely found, I lived down there for a long time.
Speaker A:I go down there a lot.
Speaker A:I'm resident in, in Brazil that when I'm around them like I am, I.
Speaker A:It's easier for me too.
Speaker A:And it's definitely changed the way that I relate to especially, I mean like, like my husband and people who are in my inner circle.
Speaker A:Like, I'm, I'm very, I seem kind of Brazilian in the way that I'm open and warm.
Speaker A:And that was something that I picked up as an adult.
Speaker A:And I love, I absolutely love.
Speaker B:Can you talk about how you help other people through.
Speaker B:I know that burnout, since we've been talking around this issue.
Speaker B:Burnout or dealing with emotions, how you deal with your clients and some of these aspects.
Speaker A:Yeah, you know, I like to take it client by client.
Speaker A:Some people, they want to just focus on business stuff and I, I love that.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:But I love to bring in the, the healing piece of it.
Speaker A:So looking at for like why they're in this pattern.
Speaker A:So what, what are the habits, what are the beliefs that are creating that and then what can we do to support them to evolve, evolve those beliefs, you know, in terms of coaching and then energy, like what is sucking your energy?
Speaker A:Like is, are there tasks that you're doing?
Speaker A:Are there aspects of your business that are not in your zone of genius that we can, we can shift?
Speaker A:Is there a shift in the way that you schedule your work?
Speaker A:Like, are you doing too much work in chunks?
Speaker A:Would it be better to like to batch, to build in?
Speaker A:Like I take two hour lunch breaks because I need to refuel in order to get through the, not just refuel, but rest, get through the rest of the afternoon.
Speaker A:Like, what techniques will.
Speaker A:Can we utilize so that your energy is at its best?
Speaker A:And sometimes that might, yeah, it might mean radically changing your, your schedule or being really experimental and creative.
Speaker A:So it's definitely a process of self discovery and healing.
Speaker A:And I, I love to include those conversations in running your business because then you also want to get clients, you know, in the door and launch new things and, and keep, keep that moving.
Speaker A:But I think especially if you learned business from one like someone who's not like you in terms of energy or personality or values, sometimes you really need to do a rehaul to find what works best actually for you because it can be quite different.
Speaker B:Hmm.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think especially if you come from the business world, generally speaking, versus like solopreneur, small business world.
Speaker B:There's like one certain way that you're supposed to do business, right.
Speaker B:And this is something that everyone has inherited in the society.
Speaker B:Unless you've been outside of the specific world and in that world you're not allowed to figure out what works best for you.
Speaker B:Which is kind of crazy because if we want every business to operate as well as it can, I don't know why we're pushing people to do things in a certain way.
Speaker B:That doesn't work for everybody.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, I, I love the entrepreneur community, but sometimes when I tell people what I do, I mean, they just like, they just pause and look at me for a second and because they don't get it at, at all, it like it has not even entered their consciousness that thinking about your, like your nervous system and a holistic approach to doing business.
Speaker A:Because it's all about having the business plan and the projections and how much you need for your loan and like very mechanical.
Speaker A:And you never stop to think about the business owner and like, and like their role, how they work, their energy, their values.
Speaker A:Like that is as a solopreneur, that is, that is where it all, all starts.
Speaker A:Granted when you grow like that shifts a little bit, but you know, as a small, small one person, one to five person, ten person team, it's all about the solopreneur that or the owner, the owner, the founder.
Speaker B:In my opinion, it's.
Speaker B:If we were to rethink the way that we're doing all of business, it would be everyone is their own solopreneur within the business itself.
Speaker B:So everyone operates differently, obviously.
Speaker B:So why, why is the CEO and the CFO and cmo, they're all like acting the same way.
Speaker B:Even though we know in fact that there's almost 100% chance that they're all different personalities, they work in different ways.
Speaker B:And how do we adapt?
Speaker B:Instead of like this is always the way that we're gonna do it.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's an interesting, it's a tricky one where you have the needs of a role that in order for it to be sustainable, just on a financial level, and then in order to really play to the, the strengths of the person in the role, like what happens to if they're not totally aligned, so then what do you do?
Speaker A:And it takes like creativity, like what do we love about the old business model?
Speaker A:It's just like this little hierarchical box that, right, it's very clear.
Speaker A:It's like you just shove everyone into boxes and then move on.
Speaker A:So it's.
Speaker A:Yeah, but in, in reality and these days, I mean, when you want to work with great people, like they, they want to feel like they're able to be their best.
Speaker A:So I'm definitely not an expert on, you know, those, that level of business, but I, I hope and want that to be the, the way that we're, we're going.
Speaker A:And it seems like a lot of people are really sick of corporate.
Speaker A:They're just, I get the feeling that they're just like abandoning ship, you know, like, like jumping off the sides of the boat because they can't take it anymore.
Speaker A:The, the corporate working in corporate and they've like, there's so many people doing their own thing now.
Speaker A:So I hope that that means that there is a really a bigger shift in the way we think about businesses and, and roles within businesses too.
Speaker B:But yeah, helpful for you because you're the one that's guiding people towards.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, a different way of thinking about business and life and how they can be the same thing, especially if it's something that you're passionate about.
Speaker B:So if you're passionate about this thing and you, you know, how you work, the two can work together in order to sustain your life as it may not end up in like millions of dollars, but it also might, you know, you never know.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah, totally.
Speaker A:And why, why not?
Speaker A:Like, why not try, like, you can always go back to the, you know, corporate job or, or whatever, but it's worth, it's worth the journey.
Speaker A:It's hard.
Speaker A:Entrepreneurship's very hard.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's because that's, we're trying to find our people.
Speaker B:But I think all the, yeah.
Speaker B:The way that people are found is usually through something like social media.
Speaker B:And they've made it very difficult to be like a person who is like centered around other people.
Speaker B:They made it so that you're, you're paying for ads, you're, you know, posting every day, you know, all these different things in order to, to be found.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that's where, since that's where most people are anyways, that's like one of the, the most effective ish ways.
Speaker B:Like effective as in number of people, not effective as in strategy of using the platform.
Speaker B:So how do we work around that in order to find the people?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, that's where I'm really leaning into relationships.
Speaker A:And you know, not that I, I, I'm not definitely like, I, I'm not a marketing genius or a guru, but I know how I feel about social media and I know, there's a lot of other people.
Speaker A:There's like moments where I can actually connect, feel like I have a real connection and then if I don't, I don't want to be there.
Speaker A:Like I don't want to consume and scroll.
Speaker A:I don't want to spend my time there.
Speaker A:But I have some really awesome contacts and people that I want to see their stuff.
Speaker A:I go there and you know, whether it's about human design or holistic business, so it's.
Speaker A:And they don't need to give me ads in order for me to look at.
Speaker A:I go find them too.
Speaker A:They don't necessarily have to show up on my feet.
Speaker A:But yeah, it is hard.
Speaker A:It is hard.
Speaker A:That social media piece, I think a lot of people are burnt out and I'm like, I'm just an advocate of finding what you enjoy doing, syncing that with your energy.
Speaker A:You don't have to post every day because that's sucks.
Speaker A:And, and then you know, evaluate like try different things every quarter and see what, what's working and then water what is working and cull the rest because otherwise you end up just like spread out over all of the platforms doing all of the things and you're not actually working.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think one thing that solopreneurs, especially in the creative realm attempt is just try to do all the strategies and you know, be all the places.
Speaker B:And instead of hitting a bunch of people who are aligned, you're just like.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You're just being flat across everything as opposed to.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it becomes a massive waste of energy.
Speaker A:And then when you don't have a lot of energy, the way you show up reflects that and it just is not, it's not effective.
Speaker A:But if you can do less, show up in a place and where you're in a place where you have aligned folks and you bring your like authentic, excited, passionate energy for just that five minutes or that, that half an hour, then that is some way more powerful than some watered down posts that's been repurposed across all of the platforms.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Or if you're gonna do that, at least find creative ways in which to do that to make it fun or interesting.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It doesn't need to be boring and like static and all this stuff.
Speaker B:If you can figure out a way to make it fun for yourself and you start to enjoy it, obviously that's a different story.
Speaker A:Then yes.
Speaker B:100 I have to do it because this is the thing I have to do.
Speaker B:You have to do anything.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You can do anything you want as long as you know, it's aligned with what you want to do.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, totally.
Speaker A:And, and I think, like, hopefully that that product, we don't have to have perfect marketing, but that what you're putting out really feels like you, even if AI is helping you, that you can come back and look at that piece of marketing.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Like, that is, that is the energy I want to be putting out into the world.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think we, we all forget to, to make it like joyful or interesting.
Speaker B:We're just kind of, we're just trying to do it, to do it because somebody said that we have to do it all the time.
Speaker A:We have to do it, you know, do this.
Speaker A:Take a half an hour to do this AI thing and finish your post for the entire year.
Speaker A:I saw an ad like that once.
Speaker A:I'm like, oh, like that doesn't even give you time to review it to make sure that they're authentic in your voice.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, no, thank you.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:I have a few more questions left.
Speaker B:Do you know anyone else who, personally who runs a standout creative business and what do they do to stand out?
Speaker A:Yeah, you know, there's a local photographer, her name is Lena Lee.
Speaker A:And I, first of all, I love her photography.
Speaker A:The her, it's beautiful brand photography of small businesses here in Alaska.
Speaker A:But her marketing, like, she doesn't market a lot, but every time I see something from her, it's.
Speaker A:It's very authentic and it feels like she's speaking right to me, whether it is like a story or her maybe once a month email where she talks about recent projects like travels, getting outside.
Speaker A:So it's very personal and it's very local.
Speaker A:Like she does, what does she call them, City sessions.
Speaker A:So she'll go to different communities.
Speaker A:It's very smart.
Speaker A:And she'll connect with businesses there.
Speaker A:So she'll, you know, I don't know how she does that, but then she'll get clients in those places and she goes there and does a few shoots and then she's does that, you know, one, I don't know, a few times a year.
Speaker A:And she shares that on social media.
Speaker A:And that's really cool too, because then you're also traveling with her and seeing these communities and seeing these cool businesses.
Speaker A:So I, I love it.
Speaker A:And I think she's also taken photography and turned it also into like branding consulting too.
Speaker A:So she has some different offers to help people utilize the photos because sometimes that's the challenge.
Speaker A:They don't really know what to do with them once they get them.
Speaker A:So I love how she just how she runs her business and in the vibe that she has.
Speaker A:So she definitely stands out for me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:One of the things that we tend to lose focus on because we're all online is the local, hyper, local element of business and how you can, especially since you're near them and you can actually meet face to face.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker B:Yeah, there's just like a deeper connection that you can build with people once you actually physically have met them.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:It's true.
Speaker A:It's true.
Speaker A:It's really powerful because most of the people I follow are not here in Alaska.
Speaker A:And I definitely feel like, oh, yeah, she's a cool person.
Speaker A:She's here.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker B:And that's.
Speaker B:That's definitely something that makes you stand out specifically in the area.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because you're so local.
Speaker B:Everyone is going to know.
Speaker B:Oh, have you seen her photos and stuff?
Speaker B:It's like, oh, you can become like that.
Speaker B:That person that go to person for.
Speaker B:Oh, I know somebody who does photography because you do it so well in the same.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Specific space.
Speaker A:Yeah, totally cool.
Speaker B:What is one extraordinary book, podcast, documentary or tool that has had the biggest impact on your journey?
Speaker A:Oh, this is a big tool.
Speaker A:But yoga and Ayurveda, I would say so Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga.
Speaker A:And I mean, if there's an underlying, like, tool, like single tool, it's.
Speaker A:It's like a conscious lifestyle.
Speaker A:So where I'm choosing, the habits that I engage in are helping me to feel good and connected and healthy.
Speaker A:Without that, like, showing up in my business would be really hard, but then also influences how I show up and all and how I present and guide as a coach.
Speaker A:Like, these are underlying philosophies that.
Speaker A:Yeah, just beliefs about how we can be as humans and that our businesses can also.
Speaker A:There's.
Speaker A:There's room in our businesses for that too.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's kind of a big answer.
Speaker A:I hope.
Speaker A:Hope that works.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What was your life like before you discovered this?
Speaker A:I think I.
Speaker A:It was very out of balance.
Speaker A:I was a health.
Speaker A:I was always a healthy person, but I didn't understand the, like, various concepts of balance that Ayurveda has.
Speaker A:And that is.
Speaker A:That really changed.
Speaker A:That changed my health.
Speaker A:It changed a lot.
Speaker A:It's helped, really.
Speaker A:I almost have no anxiety today, which is amazing.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And they've brought a spiritual aspect to my life that I didn't have before.
Speaker A:And that is very grounding and helps immensely with all of the uncertainty in.
Speaker A:In business and in life as a human being and you know, this current climate.
Speaker B:Oh, never heard of it.
Speaker B:So that's, that's interesting.
Speaker B:I'll have to look into that.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, it's deep, it's, it's been around for thousands of years.
Speaker A:So there's a lot, a lot there.
Speaker B:Interesting.
Speaker B:So I'm wondering why yoga in particular and meditation in particular made it into the mainstream but this didn't.
Speaker A:I think it's coming.
Speaker A:It's, there are, it is more present in yoga studios and online.
Speaker A:So I think they'll, I bet you'll start hearing it now.
Speaker A:It's one of those things that like once you, once you learn about it then, then you notice it in small places.
Speaker A:But it is really powerful and very simple.
Speaker A:And the cool, cool thing is is that if you're feeling balanced in your digestion and you do some work to help balance that, it's balancing out you, your other aspects of you like your emotions and, and how your mind is working.
Speaker A:So instead of needing to, if you're anxious, needing to take a, take a pill or you know, take more time off, there's things you can eat, right.
Speaker A:There's different self care habits and Ayurveda has this all very well understood and communicated so it's, it's actually pretty fun to play with, with balancing your, your lifestyle with Ayurveda.
Speaker B:I'll have to definitely check that out.
Speaker B:What do you think makes a creative business stand out and what's one piece of advice you'd give to someone to help them stand out?
Speaker A:Oh, I'm sure people say this all the time, but authenticity.
Speaker A:I think that I've got a story for this.
Speaker A:So I, when I started working in my web device, the web development business, I was also a dj and I was.
Speaker A:So I had two different websites, I used two different names, two different businesses.
Speaker A:Like I felt like I had to separate myself.
Speaker A:I would never talk about my DJ stuff with my clients.
Speaker A:It was like I, I felt like I had to have two lives and two personalities.
Speaker A:And that is probably that's part of what led to the burnout, right?
Speaker A:I wasn't my whole self.
Speaker A:And so now I, I'm, I'm like no, no, you like be you at the core of how, of your work.
Speaker A:Like your values, your opinions, your personality.
Speaker A:If you're an introvert, embrace it and find like how do you embrace it?
Speaker A:That's like let that question guide you and versus modeling yourself after someone that you see that you like or you know what the cultural expectations are oftentimes that'll just lead to dissatisfaction or ye old burnout.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's definitely the most common response I've heard.
Speaker B:And I. I think it's also true because I think even if you think you're boring, when you start to tell other people your story and if you've done things that you know, you're passionate about, there's no helping.
Speaker B:But other people feeling like, oh, this is, like, kind of interesting.
Speaker B:I didn't know that.
Speaker B:Whatever.
Speaker B:So and so.
Speaker B:Because you're just like, oh, this is.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Or these are the people who are like, whatever, I don't care.
Speaker A:And they go away and you don't listen and you're so happy.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's always about alignment, authenticity.
Speaker B:And by being your true self, you're gonna find the people.
Speaker B:There's billions of people in the world, and you'll find the people who.
Speaker B:Who find you or your.
Speaker B:What you're doing interesting.
Speaker B:And therefore it makes you stand out to them.
Speaker B:And you don't need to stand out to everybody, which is one of the issues, I think, because society are trying to do.
Speaker B:We're trying to, like, be movie stars.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Flashy.
Speaker B:Not everyone can be a movie star.
Speaker B:And even now, movie stars aren't like they were before.
Speaker B:They're no longer like real movie stars because there's so many aspects of society that are now segmented.
Speaker B:There's no, like, monolith.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Can you give the listeners a challenge that they can take action on to stand out?
Speaker A:Yeah, I would something along the lines of, like, tell people why you're unique, like who you are, what you stand for, what your values are.
Speaker A:And you could do this.
Speaker A:You see this sometimes on social media where people will create a values post.
Speaker A:This is on my list to do.
Speaker A:Or just in some other way.
Speaker A:If there's something you feel like you've been hiding, that.
Speaker A:Find a way to share that and without, you know, feeling too vulnerable.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But be brave and, and share and.
Speaker A:And who knows?
Speaker A:Maybe someone will.
Speaker A:Will respond to it, maybe not.
Speaker A:But just practicing that and, and trying to identify it for yourself can be really powerful too.
Speaker B:I think it's oftentimes the vulnerable moments that, that people resonate with the most because we're all humans and we all have these things that happen.
Speaker B:And it's pretty universal as far as, like, having vulnerable moments.
Speaker B:And there's somebody out there who's going to be like, oh, my gosh, I feel so seen by you because we're.
Speaker B:We're like, bonded by this, you know, common thing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it really.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:Yeah, it can be really a good exercise to break out of.
Speaker A:Like, I am a business person.
Speaker A:I show up in a business way to be like, I am a human.
Speaker A:Like, I'm having a bad day.
Speaker A:Here I am with my kitty.
Speaker A:Just wanted to say hello.
Speaker A:You know, maybe something simple like that doesn't need to make you seem like you're superhuman.
Speaker A:It's just.
Speaker A:Just real.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Vulnerable real.
Speaker B:Because I think when we see that in the people we admire and look up to, that just makes us feel a deeper connection.
Speaker B:Like, if you think about anybody that you might admire or look up to and they.
Speaker B:They talk about those moments where you thought they were infallible or whatever, and we all know that's not true inherently, but when we actually hear about those, like, lowest of low moments, it's something that you can actually connect with.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's.
Speaker A:That's really powerful.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker B:Well, Heidi, it's been amazing talking to you.
Speaker B:I had a lot of fun.
Speaker B:Can you let people know where they can keep up to date with you or get in contact with you?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:My website is servicewithsoul.co, as is my Instagram.
Speaker A:So servicewithsoul, you can find me there.
Speaker A:I have.
Speaker A:Right now, I'm offering free business assessments.
Speaker A:So that's a really fun thing.
Speaker A:If you are a business and you're looking to grow, we get to have a lovely conversation together and get you some next steps.
Speaker A:And I'd love.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker A:Feel free to reach out and thank you so much for having me here, Kevin.
Speaker A:It's been fun to hang out.
Speaker A:I, yeah, really appreciate it.
Speaker B:Love talking about this stuff.
Speaker B:So it's always fun.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:When people have common interests.
Speaker B:Well, thanks again for coming on.
Speaker B:It's been great.
Speaker A:All right, take care.
Speaker B:Thanks for listening to this episode of the Standout Creatives.
Speaker B:If you're feeling stuck, let's chat and see how we can help you start standing out instead of burning out.
Speaker B:You can sign up for a free strategy call@thestandoutcreatives.com if you want to keep up to date with everything I'm working on, including interviews, essays, and upcoming projects, head to standoutcreativebusiness.substack.com and if you have any thoughts on this episode or just want to chat, you can follow me on Instagram @StandoutCreativeBusiness.
Speaker B:Thanks again for tuning in, and as always, lean into your creativity and curiosity.
Speaker B:I'll see you again on the next episode.
