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  • 248: 3.5 Months to Go: Introducing a Better Way to Achieve Year-End Business Goals Without the Burnout

    248: 3.5 Months to Go: Introducing a Better Way to Achieve Year-End Business Goals Without the Burnout

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Hey there, amazing moms and dream chasers! This week, I opened up about my journey as a mom and entrepreneur, and I can't wait for you to dive in. We’re chatting about why keeping your energy and momentum high is key, especially as we near the year’s end. I’ll share my go-to tips for handling the distractions and pressures that come with balancing mom life and business. Plus, get ready for some savvy strategies to craft a year-end networking plan that helps you build valuable connections without zapping your energy. From my quest to become a top Amazon bestseller to my dream interviews with big names like Gary Vaynerchuk and Suzy Batiz, I’m here to prove that you can totally chase your dreams while still rocking your mom role. Don’t miss out on this fun and insightful episode!

    Plus, discover Never-Before-Shared Secrets I've Used to Help Moms Like You Tailor Success to Your Business and Family! Join My FREE LIVE Masterclass on September 23, and also 24th exclusively for Mom Business Owners—Sign Up Today!" Master Your Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    In this episode, you will hear:

    How to keep your unique essence of both a mom and business leader while going after those big entrepreneurial goals.

    The real talk on the hurdles we face and how to tackle them.

    Why staying pumped and on track is a game-changer for hitting your goals.

    Tips for building awesome relationships without draining your energy and avoiding burnout.

    How to ditch those self-doubts and own your business superpowers.

    Why having a clear picture of your goals is crucial for both business and personal success.

    How to stay healthy and happy while juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship.

    The power of community and collaboration among moms in business.

    We’re halfway through September, and if the thought of the months ahead is draining your energy, stick with me—I’m going to show you how to stay energized and finish this year strong. Avoiding burnout is the name of the game and I have found a solid way that is rarely discussed. What if I told you that profitable networking is not just another task on your to-do list, but actually the most energy-efficient way to grow your business and finish the year strong?

    Hey, everyone! Before we dive in, as promised all the details about my masterclass are here—in the show notes. If you’re ready to take action now, just head over to www.melissallarena.com/masterclass to sign up. But first, a message from our sponsors i.e.

    This episode is brought to you by: Master Your Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    A LIVE one-hour masterclass for visionary mom business owners: Close the year strong with the proven "Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ" to manage time, energy, and stay focused through gatekeeper-free networking. 👉The key to rapid business growth spurts for mom business founders is a clear focus on building business networking relationships that pack a punch, allowing you to achieve maximum results in your limited time. Join me to craft your own focused year-end networking strategy that you'll actually execute. We'll unleash creative thinking for both your strategic approach and ways to keep your energy high, not drained! ​Now, let’s talk about (Mom)entum—a word that starts with “mom” for a reason. We all need it to hit those big business breakthroughs. But let’s be honest, this year feels a bit more challenging than the last. I’ve been running my coaching practice for 13 years now, and trust me, I’ve seen how unpredictable things can get, especially during a political season.

    Between the craziness of creating endless content to feed the social media machines and the competition heating up as everyone scrambles to hit their year-end goals, it’s easy to feel drained. And let’s not forget all the other demands on our “mom” time from now until December. Seriously, who’s in charge of everyone else’s calendar? Finding the energy to keep going—and maintain that momentum—is tough, especially for us moms running a business. But here’s the thing: managing your energy is key. It determines whether you achieve your goals or settle for less than what you secretly want.

    Early in my business journey, I realized I didn’t have to sacrifice my vision if I could find the most energy-efficient path to boost my credibility, expand my reach, and earn greater income. Instead of relying on ads or algorithms, I focused on building profitable relationships—a much more reliable path to income.

    And that’s when I developed my Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ. It all starts in an unlikely place for moms—our imagination. It’s the most untapped source of energy for adults, and our kids know it well. I’ve used it to achieve tangible goals like becoming a #1 bestseller, landing incredible podcast guests like GaryVee and Suzy Batiz, getting featured in major media like the Wall Street Journal, and hitting five-figure months—all while being a mom.

    This is exactly why I want to invite you to my masterclass, "Master Your Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout." I’ll be giving you a step-by-step roadmap so you know you’re doing the right things to get and keep the attention of even the busiest high-profile contacts. You’ll stay moving forward, even if you’ve struggled with impostor syndrome. Plus, you’ll discover an energy source you never imagined possible—one inspired by your mission and your kids! This is the same method that has worked wonders for me.

    In this masterclass, you’ll learn how to:

    Reimagine your company vision to energize you so you can exceed your 2024 goals and still have the energy to thoroughly enjoy the holidays.

    Find a clear relationship-building focus for your business, allowing you to harness your energy on things that have a longer-lasting impact than those 5-second posts that disappear into the void.

    Navigate impostor syndrome proactively and become unstoppable, sparing yourself the energy drain of feeling bad about what’s actually a normal feeling.

    So, pick a date and time that works for you, and you’ll automatically be registered:

    September 23 at 12 pm CST

    September 23 at 7 pm CST

    September 24 at 10 am CST

    Remember, all the information is in the show notes, and you can sign up right now at www.melissallarena.com/masterclass.

    P.S. Show up LIVE to my free class and you will get a BONUS 30-Day Profitable Networking Action Plan and Tracker that connects your vision to daily actions! It’s a smart, actionable, and mom-friendly planner to map out your 30-day networking activities to keep you focused on the right things. It also sees to it that you replenish your energy to prevent burnout.

    EXTRA bonus for showing up LIVE is that you will be entered into a drawing to be a podcast guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub.

    Can’t wait to see you there!

    About Melissa Llarena

    Melissa is a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).



    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    “So here's what I realized. I didn't want to dilute my dreams. I also never wanted to amputate myself and pretend I am not a mom. It is integral to my identity. I am both and more.”

    “But one thing I do know is that we need momentum to achieve business growth without feeling burnout and seldom do we feel that lift because we have so many things coming at us, grabbing and vying for our attention.”

    “And not just like responsibilities, we're talking about things that at our cellular level, we feel it. Like we know, when we're not paying attention to what matters.”



    SHARE this episode and boost to finish the year strong! Dive into the tips and strategies that will help you stay energized and rock your business goals. Head over to www.melissallarena.com/masterclass to sign up and get the step-by-step roadmap to building profitable relationships. Let’s harness that (Mom)entum and make the rest of this year your best yet!



    Supporting Resources:

    Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

    Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/

    Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.




    TRANSCRIPT





    00:00:00 Melissa: I didn't want to dilute my dreams. I also never wanted to amputate myself and pretend I am not a mom. It is integral to my identity. I am both and more. Don't get me started on my zodiac sign, which is a Gemini. And so for me, I didn't wanna change what I wanted to pursue. I wanted to be a number one Amazon bestseller. I wanted to have Gary Vaynerchuk on this podcast in episode 10. I wanted to interview Suzy Batiz, the inventor of Poo-Pourri. And so for me, I had to figure out another way because I wasn't gonna let go of my mom obligations.




    00:00:43 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're gonna get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going, and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how Mom Founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.




    00:01:36 Melissa: We are halfway through September. Like where does the time go? I mean, for me, this is the moment in the year where I start to really reevaluate how I want to achieve my year end goals. And maybe that's the same for you. And we're gonna talk about the number one way that I've been able to really figure out how to get some energy, maintain my energy through the end of the year and knock out my business goals. Alrighty, so before I say anything, I just wanna be really upfront. If you're watching me on YouTube, you're gonna see, I might be referring to some notes because today's episode is ultra important.




    00:02:21 Melissa: And yeah, I might look a little bit like a newscaster, but bear with me because I promise you that this conversation can change your life, your destiny, and the way that you get to the end of this year. Alrighty, so here we go. I wanted to just also say that in the show notes, I'm going to be mentioning the same URL that if you're watching on YouTube, you're going to see right underneath me, MelissaLlarena.com forward slash masterclass. So you'll be able to absolutely sign up for what I'm about to share with you right in the show notes, wherever you're listening or watching this episode.




    00:02:59 Melissa: Alright, so now let's get to something that I realized just, I would say, two years ago. This word, momentum, have you noticed, if you look at the word, it starts with mom. And oftentimes, as a mom, it is really hard to gather the energy and maintain the energy to get to the end of the year. And there's a lot of reasons why, but one thing I do know is that we need momentum and seldom do we feel that lift because we have so many things coming at us, grabbing and vying for our attention, especially now through December. And so I also started thinking, okay, what's different about this particular year?




    00:03:49 Melissa: Here we go. This is a political year. It's the year where if you wanted to pour all your effort to ad spend, you're going to be paying more for ads because we have a lot of campaigning going on. This is also a time when we can get lost in trying to figure out, once again, how to really take advantage of the algorithms on social media. And I'm not even going to get into the fact that now Google might be changing the way that you can get that SEO juice on our business. Don't even get me started because that's another change that I've heard and I'm just not here for it. This is not my Melissa has to figure out something new era And if you feel the same way Definitely pay close attention to what I'm about to say.




    00:04:40 Melissa: So, you know, I've been in business for 13 years and I have noticed a lot of people who started when I did let's say 2013 or 2011 now and they might look very far ahead of me like any given year, if you were to look at like Louis Howes, or if you looked at, you know, Rami Sethi, or anyone who's killing it online, and I just mentioned men, but there are women too, moms specifically, like they just seem to be like nailing it hard every single year. And as a mom, and maybe you can relate, it's really hard to keep up that pace if you are also in the middle of growing your family.




    00:05:24 Melissa: Maybe you have other ambitions and you relocated to another country. Maybe for you, you have a child that has different abilities and you have to go to a lot of medical appointments. Like we got a lot of stuff coming out at us that make us different than other people who might not have the same sense of responsibilities. And not just like responsibilities, we're talking about things that at our cellular level, we feel it. Like we know, when we're not paying attention to what matters. And so that's why I wanted to just share with you something that I realized over the last 13 years, having had my coaching practice and being a mom to three little boys, identical twins in that mix.




    00:06:08 Melissa: So here's what I realized. I didn't want to dilute my dreams. I also never wanted to amputate myself and pretend I am not a mom. It is integral to my identity. I am both and more. Don't get me started on my zodiac sign, which is a Gemini. And so for me, I didn't wanna change what I wanted to pursue. I wanted to be a number one Amazon bestseller. I wanted to have Gary Vaynerchuk on this podcast in episode 10. I wanted to interview Suzy Batiz, the inventor of Poo-Pourri. And so for me, I had to figure out another way because I wasn't gonna let go of my mom obligations. And that's exactly why I came up with a method after a lot of trial and error and walking my clients through the same concept that is called the imagination to impact to income method. Here's the thing.




    00:07:12 Melissa: What I realized was integral to actually getting to where I wanted to get to at any point of the year, in any season of motherhood, was this idea that I needed to use my imagination. And if you read my book, I refer to it as a fertile imagination, which is the ability to envision something you may have never seen a mom do before, certainly not in your circles, which is why I've had to go outside of my circles. Because I can't say I was raised in a community of mom podcasters or mom authors.




    00:07:45 Melissa: So for me, this is completely new territory and I didn't want to bump and save myself along the way. And what I realized also in that method, it is something that other moms can go through and repeat and tailor for themselves.




    00:08:03 Melissa: And the place where I have put this method to the best use, when it comes to my business growth goals and my ability to be a present mom, has been in what I call 'profitable networking.' You know how everyone else is chasing after, as I mentioned the algorithm, or join those ads, or trying to figure out, like, what's hot and heavy in terms of content marketing these days? Well, I have been on my end, building relationships with some of the most beautiful and most powerful individuals in the world.




    00:8:38 Melissa: I mean, you could just check out my guest list on this very podcast. And I've used my method in order to secure those relationships in a genuine and authentic and long-lasting way where there's value on both ends, where I bring my whole self to the table. I don't pretend I'm not a mom. I am both, and I am myself. And I might even crack some jokes to build that rapport with individuals. So here's where I'm going with this. This method is something that I want to share with you. I wanna tell you all about it. And today, right now, this moment is a big one. Are you ready for it? All right, get listening'.




    00:9:26 Melissa: I wanna invite you to my masterclass. This is the name of the masterclass, 'How to Craft a Focus Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days.' And here's the thing, you can do that and be drained at the end of the year. But no, in this masterclass, here's the big difference. I'm gonna teach you how to do this without, without draining your finite mom energy.




    00:09:56 Melissa: What if you get to the end point of this year feeling exhilarated and enthusiastic? Because enthusiasm, you need that if you're having these amazing conversations with prospective investors, clients, partners, podcast guests, you name it, right? So that is gonna be core to what I'm going to teach you during this live and free master class for mom founders.




    00:10:20 Melissa: So here's the thing, here's what's gonna happen during the actual live masterclass. And attending live is going to have its rewards, listen for them. But here's what we're gonna do. So I'm gonna give you a step-by-step roadmap. So this way you know that you're doing the right things, right? And also, so this way you know what it takes to get the attention of even the busiest, high profile contacts. Because a lot of the times you're one relationship away from true business growth.




    00:10:52 Melissa: And I mean, for me, it's happened on several occasions. One business relationship away from being a best seller, one business relationship away from moving to Australia where we expatted as a family, you name it, you could be one conversation away from changing your life. And I wanna help you understand how to position yourself during this live masterclass on September 23rd.




    00:11:18 Melissa: Check out the link in the show notes. Check out the link under my face, if you're looking on YouTube. Sign up right now. Okay, so here's what else we are going to do. You're gonna understand how to do the impossible, even if you feel like a fraud. You know, imposter syndrome, I did a poll on LinkedIn the other day and I asked, does it ever go away? It was unanimous. Everyone said, "No, it does not go away." So why are we trying to suppress that feeling? I'm gonna teach you a method that has worked for me that's part of my own overarching method, imagination to impact income method that helps me do things even if I feel nervous or awkward or weird, or just like I'm not made for that just yet, right? I don't have all the credentials.




    00:12:10 Melissa: So you're gonna learn that also in the masterclass, and 'focus'. That is the third idea. That is a third really big idea that as a mom, we need to figure out. Because if we are not in control of where we place our attention, where we place our focus, then everyone else is going to grab your attention and distract you. So that is important if you really want to make strides in terms of your goals at the end of this year and beyond, okay? While not draining your mom energy. That is the biggest, biggest difference. While not draining your mom energy because there's no use in accomplishing so much and then ending up in a hospital or ill or drained and unable to care for your family. That is not worth it.




    00:12:58 Melissa: So join the masterclass. It is free. Sign up in the link below. And this is part of what we will do. So this method that I speak of, right? We could call it the 'I.I.I. method,' right? It has worked for me and I have seen it in practice work for moms with very different life experiences. So in this masterclass, I have full confidence that you're gonna be able to take away insights that are going to be actionable and you can tailor for your family, for your business immediately.




    00:13:28 Melissa: So here we go. What is it you're going to learn with a little bit more specificity? So you are going to go through an exercise that other business leaders go through. I'm going to help you reimagine your company vision so that you're energized when you read the mission, think of the mission. And let me tell you right now, it is not the mission that you might have on your company website, nor is it a manifesto of any kind. It is a personal mission. I did the exercise myself. I was crying after I wrote my version of the same method, the same exact framework and exercise you will do live in the masterclass.




    00:14:07 Melissa: Here's the second thing. During the masterclass, you're also gonna learn how to be focused on the right relationships to build. You only have 30 days, right? Let's imagine you want to really sprint and you wanna end up at the end of the year with more revenue. This is what you need to be maniacally focused on. Who do you need on your side to help you, to give you access, to really amplify your message? That's what we're going to talk about. How to find that focus.




    00:14:40 Melissa: So this way, again, you're getting to your goal or exceeding them without draining your mom energy. This is really big. Third idea, again, Impostor Syndrome. That is something that is so difficult to erase and that is a use of energy. So why not work with our natural ways of being and how we feel? Why not use as an example, if you're an introvert, why not use that to your benefit?




    00:15:07 Melissa: There are ways, happy to answer them in the live Q&A during the masterclass. So this idea, Impostor Syndrome, that's the third concept that we're gonna go through during the masterclass. So I'm gonna make it super easy for you. I wanna be sure that I am present and available for you on two days. So you're gonna have some options. Go to melissallarena.com/masterclass. You're going to see some options for every single one for us to participate, be together in a virtual room, live, okay?




    00:15:42 Melissa: So I will be live. I will be running this master class on September 23rd, two time slots and also September 24th, two time slots. Please go to melissallarena.com/masterclass.




    00:15:56 Melissa: And here's what is also important. When you sign up, I'm gonna give you a gift. We're gonna talk about gift giving. It's going to be holiday season right now in September. So sign up melissallarena.com/masterclass You're going to get a downloadable workbook. This workbook is going to help you instantly. If you actually open it up and do the same exercise that I referenced early that made me cry and gave me energy to keep going.




    00:16:17 Melissa: You're gonna be able to do it immediately once you sign up because you're gonna get the workbook. So you're gonna get the workbook, whether you could attend live or not. You're gonna get it immediately when you sign up and you can get started in that exercise. I made it very self-explanatory. However, however, there are so many other steps to my process. There are so many other things that we're going to talk about during the live masterclass, and there is no, no swap for attending a master class live because you get to ask your questions.




    00:17:00 Melissa: Okay, here's something else. I want to make this so no-brainer for you. Not only, immediately when you sign up do you get this workbook where you'll be able to do your own exercise on your company vision, which is one of the core things that can energize you to get you going and keep you going. But then on top of that, as a bonus for showing up live and you're welcome to invite a friend, a mom founder as well, so they can participate too. But for being there live, you are also going to get a 30-day profitable networking action plan and tracker. And we're going to be able, or you will be able, to connect your vision to daily tangible actions, which is so amazing, because sometimes we get really lost in the weeds if we're just doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, doing, but we don't have a reminder of why every single day.




    00:18:00 Melissa: And in this 30-day planner that you get for showing up live to the master class on the date that you sign up for, you are going to be able to have a very easy, easy, easy visual so that you can track exactly what you're doing and how you can continue to improve over the course of 30 days as you build those profitable...relationships. It is sensational. I cannot wait to get it in your hands and you just have to show up live to the masterclass in order to get it.




    00:18:30 Melissa: On top of that, I told you it's like holiday season for moms in September, right? On top of that, for showing up live to this masterclass, you will also be put in a drawing to be a guest on this very podcast. This is huge because here's what happens if you are on the same platform as someone who is famous for example as many people who have been on this podcast are for example Zibby Owens, you have Gary Vaynerchuk, James Altucher, Suzy Batiz, Beth Comstock, if you're on the same platform as these individuals imagine what that's gonna do for you. It's almost kind of like osmosis in the sense that people are going to presume that you're more credible than maybe you, yourself had originally thought you were. People are going to assume your prices must be higher then, you know, someone who is not associated in any way with one of these famous individuals.




    00:19:31 Melissa: So please, please do your very best. I know you're a mom. I know you're busy. I know things change last minute. Speaking of every single mom who's listening to this, and I know this myself as a mom with three children, this is a really huge opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime. You do not wanna miss out on this master class. It is on September 23rd. You will see other dates there in the actual URL, melissallarena.com/masterclass And the focus is about, you know, having you get to the end of the year, feeling like you put it all on the table and you got it done and you did not have to drag yourself to the finish line. It's all about getting to the finish line and being able to like grab your award or your medal with energy and enthusiasm and being able to have fun and enjoy it and be in bliss with your family.




    00:20:24 Melissa: I think that is what for me is a new definition of success. It's not just, you know, a goal quote unquote, like, okay, you know, like get this many, you know, this much in revenue or this many downloads. It's not that, it's not juicy enough. It doesn't have the pull that I need as a mom who's busy and has a lot of things going on. And I'm sure it's the same for you. And that's why I want you to attend this masterclass. So before we end, I wanna just read again the name of the masterclass. I actually put out a vote to mom founders. And this was the title that you guys came up with because this is what is going to help you get to the end of this year's finish line.




    00:21:04 Melissa: The masterclass again is called How to Craft a Focus Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days without Draining Your Mom Energy. Go to the link,melissallarena.com/masterclass Sign up immediately, invite a friend, it is free. It will be live and there are perks for attending live. You, yourself might be next on this podcast.




    00:21:31 Melissa: You're gonna be entered into a drawing for attending live. You're gonna get the 30 day planner and tracker for attending live. You're also gonna get to ask me anything related to profitable networking or being a present mom, anything that's on your mind. That's gonna be the key to your success so that the end of the year, you feel sensational because you deserve it. You work freaking hard and I want you to get the results and I want you to feel like you've got everything back and more in terms of all the effort you're putting out for everyone else. It's your turn.



    00:22:03 Melissa: Alrighty, so I even wrote this down because I was like, you know what, I cannot forget to say this. So if you enjoyed today's episode, they drop every single Tuesday. If you're watching this on YouTube, be sure to hit that bell to subscribe so that you have instant access to these conversations from mom founders who need to use their imagination to get to where they're going. Also, if you're listening to this on audio, let's make it official. Let's just change our relationship status from listening to like officially following. So click follow if you're on iTunes or Spotify, please go ahead and do that wonderful deed.




    00:22:47 Melissa: And here's the thing, thank you. Okay, from the bottom of my heart, from the essence of who I am, I wanna thank you for listening. I wanna thank you for being here. I wanna thank you for opening up your business. You're doing a service to the world. And I know it's gonna be a better place because of it.




    00:23:05 Melissa: And I also wanna say thank you because the listeners, you guys, you guys are giving me the energy and enthusiasm I need to like put my makeup on for YouTube to have the guts to invite these podcast guests on this podcast for anyone on audio, and just, you know, to get to another place in my mind to change my gear to on and fully out there. And it takes a lot and you're giving me a lot. So I appreciate you and I wanna see you. I wanna meet every single one of you and invite your friends. Again, attending live has its perks. Go to melissallarena.com/masterclass Thank you and until next Tuesday.

  • 247: Entreprenista Co-Founder Stephanie Cartin: Communities for Business Growth This Fall! (Hot Off the Press News! Join Melissa on Sept 23rd for a FREE LIVE Masterclass: Master Networking for Business Growth without Burnout!)

    247: Entreprenista Co-Founder Stephanie Cartin: Communities for Business Growth This Fall! (Hot Off the Press News! Join Melissa on Sept 23rd for a FREE LIVE Masterclass: Master Networking for Business Growth without Burnout!)

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Do you ever find yourself spinning a million plates while trying to rock both motherhood and business? 🎡 You’re not alone, mama!

    This week, I'm diving into a super insightful chat with Stephanie Cartin, co-founder of Socialfly and Entreprenista. We’re talking all about the magic mix of motherhood and entrepreneurship. Stephanie’s got some killer tips on how to stay laser-focused, juggle all the pieces (without turning into confetti), and still have time to chase your little ones around the house.

    Plus, she’s sharing how her daughter, Molly, sparks her creativity in ways that only a mom could understand. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the things and need a little extra oomph to keep going, this episode is for you!

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Prioritizing tasks that align with business goals to avoid distractions and stay focused.

    How maintaining focus on core business activities is essential for growth and success.

    Community and networking’s role in business success, especially for women entrepreneurs.

    Asking for support and leveraging community resources to grow your business.

    Strategies for creating a productive work environment at home.

    Finding the right mentor who aligns with your goals and trusting your instincts



    This episode is brought to you by my Free LIVE Masterclass on 9/23, 9/24 for business owners who are moms. The title is: Master Your Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout

    A LIVE one-hour masterclass for visionary mom business owners: Close the year strong with the proven "Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ" to manage time, energy, and stay focused through gatekeeper-free networking.

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    But first, let’s talk about computer tabs. How many do you have open? I have 20—some for my three sons and a ChatGPT tab I keep open. Then there are the open loops and micro-decisions popping up as a mom and business owner. Some projects are 10% done, others 90%. It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, especially since the moment of bravery when you first started your business might feel distant.

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    · Reimagining your company vision to reignite your passion, helping you surpass your 2024 goals and savor the holidays with the energy you deserve.

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    · Proactively addressing impostor syndrome, empowering you to overcome self-doubt and conserve your energy for what truly matters.

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    Let’s get you focused,

    Melissa

    P.S. Show up LIVE to my free class and you will get a BONUS 30-Day Profitable Networking Action Plan and Tracker that connects your vision to daily actions! It’s a smart, actionable, and mom-friendly planner to map out your 30-day networking activities to keep you focused on the right things. It also sees to it that you replenish your energy to prevent burnout.

    EXTRA bonus for showing up LIVE is that you will be entered into a drawing to be a podcast guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub.




    About Stephanie Cartin
    Stephanie Cartin is a serial entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, community builder, and a champion for women founders. She created The Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, to provide resources and support necessary at all business stages. She’s also the Co-founder of Socialfly, one of the first social media marketing agencies, as well as Entreprenista Media and Pearl Influential Capital which was recently acquired by Cherub. Stephanie has shared her journey managing her health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis, Infertility, and a complicated pregnancy and is an advocate for women going through similar challenges. Her story and businesses have been featured on the Today Show, Bloomberg and Forbes. Consider Stephanie your biggest business cheerleader.





    Quotes, that can change your perspective:



    “Entrepreneurs still really came to be because so many women started reaching out to us with needing help, you know, growing their business and wanting to hear how we were able to grow Socialfly.” - Stephanie Cartin



    "If you don't ask, you don't get." - Stephanie Cartin

    "When you try to do every single thing at once, doesn't always work out.” - Stephanie Cartin

    "You need your tribe. You need that community in business to really be able to move forward." - Stephanie Cartin



    “And things that don't align with those specific goals are probably the things not to focus on until you get your business into a place that can actually run and make money. So for us, it was very important that we focused on revenue generating activities that were going to be able to drive actual business results.” - Stephanie Cartin



    SHARE this episode with the mompreneurs in your life who are juggling motherhood and business and discover how to focus your energy, build profitable relationships, and find support within a thriving community!



    Supporting Resources:

    Website: https://entreprenista.com

    Instagram: @stephjillcartin
    @entreprenistas

    Twitter: @stephjillcartin
    @2entreprenistas

    Facebook: Facebook.com/entreprenistas

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    TRANSCRIPT



    00:00:00 Stephanie: Entreprenista really came to be because so many women started reaching out to us with needing help, you know, growing their business and wanting to hear how we were able to grow Socialfly. And we realized it just became impossible to go out to coffee all day with everyone and run a business. So we started thinking, you know, how can we help as many women founders as possible, but actually do it at scale?




    00:00:22 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business. Find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how Mom Founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out. And stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm going to give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.




    00:01:15 Melissa: How do you know what to focus on? How do you know that what you're doing are the right things in terms of revenue generating activities for your business? So in today's conversation with Stephanie Cartin of the Entreprenista League, I wanted to share with you some of the insights that Stephanie has garnered over the last 13 years or so, just the same amount of time I've been in business as far as really understanding what to focus on, when to focus on it, and how to even come up with your own focus plan. And I think this is so, so important, especially if you're a mom in business and you have several things that you have to focus on because you're a mom and you care so much about your kids and you care so much about your business. So enjoy the conversation and definitely let me know what you think and let me know what you think about Stephanie's focus plan very specifically once she became a mom.




    00:02:11 Melissa: I also wanted to just share this. So this episode is brought to you by a master class that I am doing on September 23rd. You can absolutely sign up. The link is in the show notes. The link is in the description. Go to melissallarena.com/masterclass. During that class, what we're gonna go through are three things. Your company vision. What if it could energize you so that this way you could effectively achieve your year-end goals. The second point is going to be focus which is the topic that we talked about today with Stephanie and the third idea is imposter syndrome. Oftentimes when we become moms we might feel a little bit extra insecure, unsure of ourselves and it's something that I don't want to stop you as you pursue your business growth goals.




    00:02:59 Melissa: And here's the big picker what we're going to be contextualizing the conversation around is building profitable relationships. So building relationships with people who can help you go further, faster, and with fewer mistakes. So go ahead to https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass. I am excited to bring this conversation over to you. Just to make sure you have the official name, it's how to craft a focused year end networking strategy to build profitable relationships in 30 days. And here is the kicker, without draining your mom energy. And that is the biggest reason to attend because we can drag ourselves to the end of anywhere.




    00:03:45 Melissa: But what if you could feel energized, you could feel on purpose, intentional, and like you are streamlined towards your efforts of business success? That is what we're going to talk about during this free masterclass. Just go to the link, sign up. The moment you sign up, you're going to get something because the gifts will keep on giving at this point. You're going to get a workbook that you can use during the live session. The live session, there will be benefits for attending live. The first benefit is that you're also going to get a 30 day action plan and tracker that is built with your energy in mind so that what we discussed live during the masterclass, you can implement and activate in 30 days and you can begin to build profitable relationships immediately. Here's the thing, sometimes we attend these masterclasses and we're like, okay, so how am I going to implement this?




    00:04:43 Melissa: Well, if you attend live this masterclass on September 23rd, the link will be below https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass Attending live, you will get the fundamentals, you will get the foundation of how to build profitable relationships in a way that is energizing so that you can achieve your year-end goals. And then for showing up live, you're going to get an actual planner. And this planner is going to be with you, a mom in mind. And it's going to help you build out the profitable relationships you need to grow your business this year so that this way you have achieved your goal.




    00:05:16 Melissa: I am so excited. On top of that for showing live, here's what I want to do just for attendees. I will enter you into a drawing. And in this drawing, I will pick one winner and that winner will be featured on this very podcast, the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Imagine that being featured alongside someone like today's guest, Stephanie, someone like Liz Tennedy of Motherly, someone like Zibi Owens of the Zibi Media. I mean, it is sensational the amount of visibility that you can have for attending live and winning that drawing. So one, podcast guest spot, two, someone that attends live on September 23rd. You will also notice I am also doing it on September 24th.




    00:06:06 Melissa: So you get to pick the dropdown on the website and select the best time for you and you will want to show up live. So showing up live brings its benefits. Number one, the 30-day planner, so that you can really, down to the tactic and daily amount of effort, figure out what needs to happen to build profitable relationships, and also do it in a way that is not draining to prevent burnout. And again, for attending live, this masterclass on September 23rd, you will also be entered into a drawing to be a podcast guest.




    00:06:37 Melissa: So the name of the masterclass, just so that you have it, how to craft a focused year-end networking strategy to build profitable relationships in 30 days without draining your mom energy. We need energy, we need enthusiasm in order to accomplish what we want. That is what makes it worthwhile. That is why when our kids see us, we want them to see us high on life and excited about what we are pursuing because that is a model to them. They, we will want to see them high on life and excited about what they are pursuing. So join me on September 23rd.




    00:07:11 Melissa: You pick the time and go ahead and get ready to understand everything it takes in order to build profitable relationships in 30 days without draining your mom energy during this free live master class. I am so excited about it. I wanna tell everyone and scream it from the mountain tops, which is why I wanted to share that with you before we get into the conversation with Stephanie.




    00:07:37 Melissa: Again, all of this is in the show notes. Just go to the link, https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass above and beyond that. The conversation with Stephanie is really exciting if you have a business right now and you feel unsupported. So I really encourage you to take Stephanie's guidance and wisdom to heart and apply it in your mom in business life. Enjoy the conversation, all of her bio, her official bio will be in the show notes. Check it out again.




    00:08:05 Melissa: She is the co-founder of several organizations, Socialfly, she's also the co-founder of the Entreprenista League. And I want to leave you right there with Stephanie. Enjoy the conversation.




    00:08:20 Melissa: Stephanie Cartin, I am so excited to have you on the podcast. How are you doing? How's Florida feeling? Tell me everything.




    00:08:29 Stephanie: Oh my goodness, well, I love living in Florida. There is palm trees, sunshine, no state income tax. What else can you ask for?




    00:08:37 Melissa: Yeah, I think, you know, the ocean, right? So I'm in Texas and I think we have palm trees, no income tax and sunshine, but we don't have an ocean.



    00:08:47 Stephanie: Yes.



    00:08:48 Melissa: I'm an ocean baby. Oh my goodness.




    00:08:50 Stephanie: Well, come on, move on down. I'm an unofficial state recruiter for Florida, I feel like.




    00:08:57 Melissa: I love it, I love it. Yeah, easy to recruit, let me tell you that. But Stephanie, I'm so excited to have you here because I feel like the last time that I bumped into you was Podcast Movement or PodFest.




    00:09:09 Stephanie: PodFest in Orlando, yeah.




    00:09:11 Melissa: In Orlando and you were up on a stage on a panel sharing your wisdom around, you know, growing a business. And you know, I think you also got a chance to share a bit about being a mom and Molly and all that. But in this conversation, we're going to get so mom, it's gonna be unbelievably mommy. But also mommy and money, right? So there's two sides of that. So here's where I want to kind of gauge your perspective though. How have you changed as a business leader now that you are a mom? Because that can be very personal.




    00:09:49 Stephanie: Yes, well, I would say I'm just even more efficient and cognizant with how I spend my time because every single second counts. And for me, the way I'm able to, you know, optimize and execute everything that I'm able to do is by really relying on that Google calendar that I have. So I calendar every single thing that I have to do, whether it's a meeting, a podcast recording, driving my daughter or picking her up from school or camp or activities, every single thing has to go on the calendar and that's how I'm able to optimize and stay organized and get everything done.




    00:10:29 Melissa: Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it. And so I'm so curious. So, okay, so here you have you know, multiple businesses, right? You're like a serial entrepreneur, angel investor. I believe you've also been, or experienced an acquisition as well. So many roles, so many hats. I'm wondering which, like how do you, not just make it work as a mom and a business owner, but do you just make sense of all these pieces? Because there's so many pieces. And what I have found is once you move forward in any direction, then more pieces come up and they're like, oh, another this. So how do you
 how do you in your mind, like, not, I don't know, blow up like confetti or something?




    00:11:16 Stephanie: Some days I feel like that. Absolutely. So really it's not doing every single thing at once. So I'll share a little backstory of how Courtney and I actually started our first business and how we went on to start other businesses. So we started Socialfly, which is a full service social media marketing and influencer agency initially back in 2011 on the side of our full-time jobs. So we were both working in the corporate world in New York City. We partnered together and started taking clients on the side, really working nights and weekends for about 10 months before we said to each other, all right, this is gonna be an actual business, we have to go all in and do it, or we just can't keep doing this. It just became too much to be working full time and trying to start this business.




    00:11:59 Stephanie: You know, we had no time. We weren't parents at the time. I mean, I wasn't a parent at the time, but we just had no time to like eat or breathe because we were trying to do two things full time. So we decided to take that leap. It was May 4th, 2012 and we quit our corporate jobs and never looked back and were able to actually focus on building and growing Socialfly. And I share that word focus because it's something that has been really challenging for us over the years, but also very important because I know a lot of entrepreneurs can relate to this.




    00:12:36 Stephanie: It's like when you have entrepreneurship like in your DNA, you're always thinking of new ideas, how to make things better, how to build things. So like if you're focusing on building something and you have this other idea, it's like, oh, I wanna try that, I wanna start that. But when you get distracted from the core thing that you're initially building, it can become a distraction. So trying to figure out when does it make sense to like go after this next thing and when does it make sense to stay focused? So this is something that I battled this, I battled this a bit more than Courtney because I was like always like, thinking of these things that I wanted to start. And I'd be like, Courtney, let's do this. She's like, Stephanie, stay focused. So also great to have a business partner.




    00:13:17 Stephanie: I'll go back, we start growing and scaling Socialfly. And, you know, Entreprenista still really came to be because so many women started reaching out to us with needing help, you know, growing their business and wanting to hear how we were able to grow Socialfly. And we realized it just became impossible to go out to coffee all day with everyone and run a business. So we started thinking, you know, how can we help as many women founders as possible, but actually do it at scale? So that was our initial idea to start our podcast, Entreprenista, to share all of these incredible stories of women like yourself that are building businesses and have so much insight and advice to share.




    00:13:55 Stephanie: So, Entreprenista started as our podcast, really on the side of running our agency business. And from there, it wasn't until 2020 when everything happened with the pandemic. And so many of our listeners and followers were reaching out to us needing more help and feedback and advice and support because of the pandemic that we realized at that time, we really needed to build Entreprenista into what we've now done over the past four years, which was built into our media company and a membership community for women founders and leaders.





    00:14:24 Stephanie: But, Courtney and I were years in business at that point where we had already built out our management team at Socialfly. We had the support, we had the resources. So I was essentially able to step away from running the day-to-day operations of Socialfly with Courtney. She was able to continue running that business and I was able to then focus on Entreprenista.




    00:14:44 Stephanie: So with all of the other ventures and businesses and projects that we've started, we've always tried to do things at a time when it just made sense based on where the core business was at that time and based on specific priorities. But when you try to do every single thing at once, doesn't always work out.




    00:15:05 Melissa: Oh yeah, I think I've been there a thousand times actually. This is so interesting. So the word 'focus', the word 'distraction', I almost feel like those two things are like kryptonite for a mom with a business. And also the word 'core'. Because here is the reality at least from me, and probably you might think this way too. It's kind of like, “What's my core?” Like for real, for real. And for me, core is being a mom to my three little boys. And I choose to really be super present when I'm with them. But at the same time, there's a lot of lack of focus, a lot of distraction, when it comes to working on my business, if I'm with my kids. I'm just wondering, have you had to reimagine that word 'focus' for yourself now that you're a mom with a business?




    00:15:57 Stephanie: Absolutely. And being able to prioritize the times that I'm focused and present and there with Molly and then the times that I'm focused and present on my work. Everything I feel was very blurred during the pandemic, of course, because at that time, my daughter was nine months old at the time when the pandemic first started. And now I had been going into my office for a few months in New York City at that time. As I mentioned, I'm down in Florida now, so things look a lot different.




    00:16:26 Stephanie: But I was going into my office and my husband was staying home with my daughter at the time. So I was able to go in and focus on work during the day and then come home and be present with Molly. But then when the pandemic happened, now here I am working from home at the time in New York City in a small apartment with a little baby. And it's like, it's very hard to figure out how do I focus on my work where there's this little baby that's right here that needs me too even though my husband was staying home with her. It was very hard. It was very challenging and really just trying to figure out how do I make a plan and figure out how to make this work and somehow I did.




    00:17:04 Melissa: Yeah. And I'm so curious just because I feel like I'm cheating off a test but what did your plan look like? How did you start thinking about that? Because I think listeners would love a perspective of how to get started in their focus attack plan.




    00:17:19 Stephanie: Yeah, so I'm going to fast forward a bit. We left New York City. We ended up actually going down to Tennessee to stay with family for a bit before we moved down to Florida. And once we were down here in Florida, we were living in a house. So I had space here. So I was able to actually have a room for an office and have separate space from Molly. So during the day, I was actually able to come into a physical office. And even though I was working from home, be focused working in my office, the door was closed and my husband would be there with Molly during the day. And I would have, especially when she was younger, and I nursed for many, many years, so I would take times to go out and nurse her or Greg would bring her into my office. But that's what really worked for me. It was being able to have that separate space in our house that made it a lot easier.




    00:18:10 Melissa: Yeah, I think that's something that, it just depends, right? If you're in an urban environment, maybe you don't have that available. But if you're in like a little bit more of a space situation, then it's possible. So okay, you had a plan. And I think that is something that a lot of moms, it's almost like we're flying by the seat of our pants as moms and in business, right? And so I'm just kind of wondering like for you, as far as building out your practice, focusing on the right things at the right time, how do you even decide what to focus on? What comes first and what comes never or what comes next?




    00:18:44 Stephanie: Well, in business, when you're running a business, your goal is to build a profitable, scalable business. So being able to focus on the things that you need to do in business to achieve that is absolute priority. And things that don't align with those specific goals are probably the things not to focus on until you get your business into a place that can actually run and make money. So for us, it was very important that we focused on revenue generating activities that were going to be able to drive actual business results. And then, a lot of the other things that we wanted to do that were nice to have that weren't going to essentially move the needle to build the business, we couldn't focus or prioritize those things.




    00:19:30 Stephanie: So again, you really have to be sure that when you're building a business, you are making a plan, have a business plan, have a strategic plan and focus and execute that plan and make sure that you surround yourself with a community and people around you who are gonna help you, who can advise you, who can lift you up, who can provide you with guidance, which is one of the reasons why we created our Entreprenista League community to make it a lot easier, to make it more accessible, and for people to have the support they need when growing and scaling a business.




    00:20:00 Stephanie: Courtney and I, as we were growing our first business, Socialfly, we joined groups, networking groups, organizations, leadership groups, groups where we had coaches. We were always seeking out people who could help us and could teach us and who could help us move our business forward and where we could learn as much as possible. So when we set out to create the Entreprenista League, in the middle of the pandemic, we knew we had to bring together everything we wish we had when we were first starting out under one roof, because so many times I even see now founders reaching out, they're just like, who are not yet part of our community trying to figure everything out. “How do I do this?” “How do I find this person?”




    00:20:37 Stephanie: And it's like, you got to get in a group. You got to get in a community to support you because it's hard to do everything by yourself. But when you have people around you to support you, just like in motherhood, right? You need your tribe. You need that community in business to really be able to move forward.




    00:20:53 Melissa: Yeah, and you know what I've noticed is I've been part of different groups myself is that there is that support, but maybe we don't ask for the support or we don't ask for what we really, really need. We don't look for it. We don't actually make it happen within those communities. And so I'm just wondering, what have you noticed in terms of the people that have been able to create their own opportunities within Entreprenista or people that maybe haven't as much like any tips there?




    00:21:20 Stephanie: Yeah, if you don't ask, you don't get. And you should be asking for absolutely everything. The power of growing your business is asking questions, building relationships, connecting with the right people, learn from people who are a little bit ahead of you, who can teach you the things you might not have even thought about. Like they might, they do know things that you don't even know what questions to ask because you're not there yet. Ask them what questions do you wish you asked when you were at my stage in business that I might not even know to ask at? That's the power of a community, right? You have that access.




    00:21:59 Stephanie: And again, if you don't ask those questions or you don't ask what you should be asking, you're not gonna find out the answers. And I can tell you, like in our Entreprenista League community, everyone is there to help support each other, to give feedback, to build relationships. It truly is this community where there is only collaboration over competition. No one is trying to take business from each other. Everyone's like, how can we help support each other? And how can we help make the best connections to really support everyone? Because that's what it's all about.




    00:22:30 Melissa: Yeah, I would agree. And I think, to kind of go back to the whole focus thing versus distraction and being a mom with a business. Here's something that is a real struggle that I have found because I tend to ask a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot. So sometimes different people give you different answers and they take you off focus or they might send you down a distraction path. Any sort of wisdom around how to discern what information or who to listen to when you're on your path.




    00:23:03 Stephanie: You know, you wanna be sure you're listening to people who do have the expertise, who have either done what you're trying to do, or they... You can definitely validate that they have the expertise to be giving you that guidance. Ultimately, you need to trust your gut. You know, if someone gives you advice and you're like, that just does not feel right. That does not sit right with me. That goes against everything I would typically do. Don't do it.




    00:23:31 Stephanie: Listen to that voice inside you, to that feeling inside of you. That's something I've always done. Like I've always really tried to sit with things. If something doesn't feel right, or if someone doesn't feel right to build a relationship with and something feels off, there's a reason we all, especially as moms, have this extra sense and just know things, listen to that voice, go with that feeling.




    00:23:58 Melissa: Yeah, that's totally true. And it's something that translates, whether it's in your mom life or it's in business life because it's kind of almost how we could perceive our kids' friends. Like, "Oh is that the right influence?" "Isn't that the right influence?" We kind of have a sense. So along the same lines because you have such experiences with the co-founder, right? Using the same level of discernment and 'spidey sense', how can one who wants to build her business alongside someone else find the right co-founder, a co-founder in terms of you work well, you trust each other, complimentary skills, et cetera.




    00:24:27 Stephanie: Yeah, so having complimentary skill sets is definitely something that has been very powerful for myself and Courtney. We really do have completely opposite skill sets, but what we have is value alignment and vision alignment and complete trust in each other. So those are the three things you want to be sure that you have, your values are aligned, and you really are aligned on your mission and where you wanna build and grow the business and that you absolutely trust each other.




    00:25:07 Stephanie: I know that no matter what, Courtney and I would never do anything to hurt the business, hurt each other. We are so committed. And look, we've been in a business relationship. It's like a marriage, right? For... Since 2011, essentially. It's been many, many years. And any relationship is going to grow and evolve over time. We essentially grew up together in business. Our lives have evolved and changed so much over the years. We've both been through so much professionally and personally together. But we have that trust in each other. And we have this vision of what we want to do and what we want to build. And we know we're always gonna be there for each other.




    00:25:51 Stephanie: So if you're thinking about going into business with a partner, you have to have these conversations when you're just getting started. And I remember in one of the coaching groups that we were in, we talked about having these fierce conversations and these uncomfortable conversations. If you're afraid to have those conversations in the beginning, you're definitely gonna be afraid to have them when something actually happens and you really need to be able to talk to each other and feel comfortable.




    00:26:19 Stephanie: So have those uncomfortable conversations upfront. Talk about if certain things happen in the business, if certain things happen in your lives and things change, like “What are you gonna do?” And something that we always recommend that you should have with a business partner is you need an operating agreement. And we recommend, of course, you speak with a business attorney about having an operating agreement when you get set up. And it can be uncomfortable to have those conversations about the what ifs.




    00:26:48 Stephanie: Look, I was, you know, basically could only work part time for six months when I was on bed rest during my pregnancy. And there was so much that was riding on Courtney. And we had to have a lot of these really hard conversations to figure things out. So you need to be able to have trust and open communication with your business partner and please have these conversations upfront before you go into business.




    00:27:11 Melissa: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the same can be said just as you mentioned, you know, like a
relationship, a romantic relationship, right? If you're not going to be able to have those conversations up front, it's like, hello, please have them before you sign any contracts. So Stephanie, this has been amazing. I think anyone that's listening can have, you know, some clarity around what they might want to do this very week in terms of their business building efforts. But let me ask you this from your perspective as a mom, because a lot of what I do is help people really get their creative juices going. And I believe that as parents, especially if we have little ones, like we can learn from our little ones because their imaginations are like fully turned on. So here's my question to you. How has your daughter inspired you in terms of getting your creative juices going?




    00:28:01 Stephanie: Oh my goodness. My little one, Molly, inspires me every single day. And there is nothing more magical than watching these little kids and their imagination and the things that they think of. We have started doing a lot of different classes. I say we, I take her and get to watch her and it gets my imagination going just watching her. But actually yesterday it was wonderful because we started, she started piano lessons. I say we, because I'm literally sitting there with her, but she started piano lessons and really just seeing her learn and grow and just watching her experience life now, like through the eyes of this like innocent, magical little human, there's just nothing better. So I absolutely feel so lucky to be her mom and she was our little miracle baby and there's nothing better.




    00:28:55 Melissa: Thank you for that. I think you know, a lot of us, you know, especially we are navigating just motherhood and entrepreneurship, we kind of feel like, wow, if I only had more time, if I only had more resources, support, et cetera, but at the same time, it's like, we actually have some really dope competitive advantages. Like we have little people around us that we could hug if we feel stressed or like we could feel inspired by if they're doing something pretty cool. And so I wanted to just bring that point to the conversation, cause I think it's important. And I think that we need to really understand that there's so much value that we have right under our noses that we can just unpack and leverage, right? Thank you so much, Stephanie. So in terms of Entrepreneurista and everything else that you've got going on, where can people follow you and continue to learn more about you?




    00:29:43 Stephanie: Of course, yeah, feel free to reach out to me. I'm on LinkedIn and Instagram personally at Steph Jill Cartin. And you can follow Entrepreneurista at entrepreneuristas with S at the end on Instagram. And to join the Entrepreneurista League, which is our community of founders where we have lots of mama [unclear] in our community, you can head to entrepreneurista.com/join.




    00:30:05 Melissa: Thank you so much, Stephanie.




    00:30:07 Melissa: Here are three things that really captivated my attention with regards to my conversation with Stephanie. Point number one, focus. I think the fact that Stephanie had a focus plan is what stood out for me. What is your focus plan? Do you have a plan? Again, you are totally invited to come on September 23rd to my master class and we will work through what you need to have on that plan that is actually going to help you build profitable relationships.




    00:30:35 Melissa: The second point is with regards to finding the right mentor. It has to be a gut check. Not everyone is your person. And I think in terms of finding someone who's ahead of you, in terms of, for example, someone that knows a lot about SEO or someone that knows a lot about relationship building, you have to just gauge for yourself. Is this person someone that I can rely on in terms of having information I could use and it's timely, right? So again, follow your gut instinct with regards to the people that you follow and the advice that you actually [inaudible].




    00:31:10 Melissa: Point number three is this notion of feeling supportive. I think it's really important as a mom, we think about our villages for our children and raising our families. However, what about for building our businesses? So at this point, I would definitely want to encourage you to attend the live master class on September 23rd because you're gonna realize that there's so many other mom founders who want the same thing. You want to have the energy to hang out and be really cool with your kids. You wanna have the energy and give the best you can to your business and you don't want there to be a conflict.





    00:31:45 Melissa: And so many of us feel the same way. And for that reason alone, attend the Masterclass on September 23rd. The link is in the show notes, melissallarena.com/masterclass. The name of the Masterclass and it's totally free and it will be live, it is how to craft a focused year-end networking strategy to build profitable relationships in 30 days without draining your mom's energy. And that is so important. I don't want to drag you to a finish line. I want you to sprint there and feel excited and enthusiastic. And then I want your kids to see you excited and enthusiastic. And I think that's the point of differentiation, but I don't want to get lost.




    00:32:23 Melissa: I want to see you on September 23rd. I want to see you there. And I want to see the whole you. The whole me is going to be there, both mom Melissa me and business leader Melissa me and I think when you realize that there are valuable lessons learned from either role that is when you can actually produce outstanding results and I want us to be part of your success story. So join me during the master class melissallarena.com/masterclass all of this is in the show notes. Thank you so much and until next Tuesday, you are beautiful. You're amazing. You're capable and I love you and thank you so much for listening. This means the world to me. Thank you again.

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  • 246: Overwhelmed Mom Founders: Discover Playful Strategies to Combat September Back-to-School Stress

    246: Overwhelmed Mom Founders: Discover Playful Strategies to Combat September Back-to-School Stress

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Feeling overwhelmed by the constant juggle of running a business and raising kids? You’re not alone!

    Today, we're diving into something that every mom entrepreneur can relate to—overwhelm. If you've ever felt like the to-do list just keeps growing, this episode is for you. I’m sharing my personal strategy for nipping that overwhelm in the bud by tapping into something we often overlook—playfulness.

    We’ll take a look at how taking a moment to laugh at a funny video or doing something light-hearted isn’t just procrastination—it’s a quick and effective reset. These playful breaks can recharge us, making it easier to tackle the day’s challenges with a fresh perspective.

    Plus, I’ll explore how we can learn from the natural playfulness of our kids. They’re experts at finding joy in the little things, and by embracing their spirit, we can create a happier, less stressful environment for ourselves and our families.

    Finally, I give a sneak peek into my upcoming masterclass called: How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy designed specifically for mom founders. P.S. the name was tweaked to Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout It’s all about building profitable relationships and crushing those year-end goals, complete with a 30-day action planner to keep you on track and burnout free!

    So, if you're ready to bring more joy and creativity into your life and business, this episode is for you!



    In this episode, you will hear:

    Acknowledging overwhelm, especially during busy times like the fall season.

    Utilizing children's natural playfulness to reduce overwhelm and boost happiness.

    Why cross-pollination (borrowing ideas from unrelated fields) is a game-changer.

    The benefits of play in business, including reducing anxiety and fostering calmness..

    Challenges of maintaining momentum as a mom entrepreneur and overcoming imposter syndrome.

    If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stretched, join in my free LIVE masterclass called: How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy. Sign-up HERE: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    Get ready to learn a proven strategy that can help you regain control and create lasting change!

    First a confession, I’ve always dreamed of a photoshoot with my three sons. Picture this: I'm in an ultra-stretchy dress, and each of my boys is tugging at the material in different directions, making me look like a splattered wad of gum on the floor. It’s a funny way of highlighting the real struggle of being pulled in so many directions.

    Your kids need you, your business needs you—especially when you’re aiming for growth. It can feel overwhelming, right?

    So, I asked myself: What’s one thing I could do well, on my own schedule, while working from home? For me, it’s focusing on building the right profitable relationships using my Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ.

    That’s what I’m sharing in my masterclass, How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy.

    Early in my business, I found an energy-efficient path to boost credibility, expand reach, and earn more income. Building profitable relationships proved more reliable than ads. Reimagining my company vision as an energy resource led to my Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ.

    This method starts with our imagination, an untapped energy source for adults. Our kids know it well. I’ve used it to become a #1 bestseller, secure podcast guests like GaryVee and Suzy Batiz, garner media (WSJ, etc.), and achieve five-figure months. These wins required my energy and being a mom.

    Join my free masterclass, How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy. Get a roadmap to capture busy contacts' attention, navigate impostor syndrome, and unlock energy inspired by your mission and kids!

    In this masterclass, I’ll guide you through:

    · Reimagining your company vision to reignite your passion, helping you surpass your 2024 goals and savor the holidays with the energy you deserve.

    · Discovering a clear focus for relationship-building in your business, so you can channel your energy into strategies with lasting impact, beyond fleeting social media posts.

    · Proactively addressing impostor syndrome, empowering you to overcome self-doubt and conserve your energy for what truly matters.

    Click here to grab your spot.

    In future episodes, I’ll share how using your imagination for a focused, profitable networking strategy can energize you. Sign up to get an immediate sneak peek into one of my top energy-boosting secrets (the secret to my pep) with a downloadable workbook sent straight to your inbox.

    Sending you energy,

    -Melissa

    P.S. Show up LIVE to my free class and you will get a BONUS 30-Day Profitable Networking Action Plan and Tracker that connects your vision to daily actions! It’s a smart, actionable, and mom-friendly planner to map out your 30-day networking activities to keep you focused on the right things. It also sees to it that you replenish your energy to prevent burnout.

    EXTRA bonus for showing up LIVE is that you will be entered into a drawing to be a podcast guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub.

    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    “Our children are imagination experts in residence. Why not learn from these wonderful individuals who are right there on how they are able to visualize completely random things?”


    “If you are in a moment of a lot of stress and a lot of steps and a lot of moving parts to anything in your life as a mom in business, then it is really important for you to take a step back every once in a while.”

    “Adopting a playful spirit is a tool for you so that you can use it, and you have people around you, i.e., humans that are kids, who are really great at it. So why not leverage their expertise so that you can get farther?”

    “I encourage you also to just imagine for yourself: what would be possible if you could do anything that you wanted to do without having to struggle with overwhelm?”

    SHARE this episode and reignite the joy of play and creativity to conquer overwhelm. Let’s empower our fellow mom entrepreneurs to embrace play and confidently manage stress. đŸ’Ș

    About Melissa Llarena

    Melissa is a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).

    Supporting Resources:

    How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Energy: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/

    Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.



    TRANSCRIPT




    00:00:00 Melissa: If you feel overwhelmed, let's say that you are writing your origin story and it is a sensational one, I know, but you feel overwhelmed. What are the words I should say? What can I include and exclude? How does my business differentiate itself? Here's what I suggest you do. Ask your child for help.




    00:00:00 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. Ever wonder how they do it?




    00:00:45 Melissa: Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs, who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.




    00:01:14 Melissa: This episode is brought to you by my masterclass: How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days. It's happening on September 23rd and the 24th. You can check out the link and sign up right below, melissallarena.com/masterclass. Here's what I know having been in business for 13 years, momentum. Have you ever noticed that it has the word mom in the beginning of it? Yet it's really hard to get and feel because we've got so much going on as parents.




    00:01:48 Melissa: And the reason why I wanted to just share this masterclass with you is because this is an opportunity for you to understand what you as a mom founder can do to revitalize and re-energize yourself so that you could achieve your year-end goals and also how you will want to focus your efforts to get the biggest bang for your buck and how you can navigate something that pops up often, which is imposter syndrome again, so that you are unstoppable.




    00:02:21 Melissa: On September 23rd or the 24th, you'll notice there's a couple of options in terms of the live 60 minute masterclass for mom founders. You will have an opportunity to also, with me, alongside walk through this three step process that I've come up with that is part of a unique method called the Imagination to Impact to Income Method. This method has helped me build profitable relationships and has helped me feel energized once I've done so instead of totally and utterly drained. You know what drains me? This is what drains me. Figuring out algorithms for social media, total drains me.




    00:03:04 Melissa: In terms of also figuring out, you know, Facebook ads or “meta ads,” that drains me. Also traditional networking activities that are sleazy and transactional, another drainer. And I want to take you through my process of building profitable relationships in a way that you leave the experience feeling more energized, you leave the experience feeling more capable and certain that you can actually implement the insights that I'm going to give you on September 23rd in your business and your life and produce massive results through the art of building profitable relationships.




    00:03:43 Melissa: So I want to be sure that you sign up for that. It is free. It is an hour. And I want to give you a couple of ideas in terms of why you should. So this master class, what I've decided to do is offer an opportunity for those who attend live very specifically. If you attend the masterclass live, you will have the opportunity to have my 30-day action planner and tracker. And here's the kicker with that planner that you get for attending live. That's all you got to do. Just show up live and you get the planner in your inbox.




    00:04:14 Melissa: You will have an opportunity to map out your 30-day activities in terms of building profitable relationships, but also map out how you intend to refill your cup every single one of those days. And I see both things, energy in, energy out, as equally important and seldom do we see it on one page. That's just part of the planner. There's more to it, but I wanted to give you that as a highlight.




    00:04:42 Melissa: Also for showing up live on September 23rd for this masterclass, you will have a chance to enter a drawing and become a podcast guest on this very podcast. So I want to be sure that you have everything that you need and to do that, go ahead to melissallarena.com/masterclass and you will have an email from me with your further instructions. I hope you enjoyed this conversation and I am really, really excited and honored to be in your ears or you're looking at me on YouTube, however you are consuming this content.




    00:05:14 Melissa: So again, I hope to see you there during the masterclass. You'll notice a couple of dates and you'll have an opportunity to sit there and really have the actionable insights that have helped me build out my practice for 13 years right there available to you within a 16 minute timeframe. How's that? All right, hope to see you there. Thank you again so much. Bye.




    00:05:36 Melissa: Let's talk about overwhelm. I wanna share with you how you can reimagine this idea that you can adopt a more playful spirit in your life, whether it's in business, whether it's in networking or as a mom. And that is how you can nip overwhelm in the bud. And this is as we start a new academic year. Alrighty. So welcome to the show. I am Melissa, your host, and I am so excited about this topic. Here's why.




    00:06:09 Melissa: When I have really engaged in professional courses out there for creators, founders, entrepreneurs, whether it is learning how to publicly speak or how to market myself, I have found that the missing part, the missing element of a lot of these programs, these business building or leadership skill building programs is this idea that why can't we just be ourselves? Why can't we approach things with a certain degree of levity so that we can actually have some fun as we're building our businesses or we're just exploring and walking around this planet?




    00:06:51 Melissa: And on that note, I want this conversation to be fun for you and fun for me in the moment, even though I'm the one right here with my notes. And if you see me on YouTube, maybe they'll come in and out of the frame. But I want you to really like, take off your shoes if you can, grab a cup of tea, and just enjoy this conversation for what it is. And it's this, it is a tool for you to actually get through this year in a way that you are unscathed and that you can really, really not any longer have to be bogged down by that feeling of overwhelm.




    00:07:30 Melissa: Because a lot of things are going to continue to pile up as we get into this new year, this new fall season in terms of our business. So on that note, let me just explain a little bit further in terms of, where playing and this playful attitude comes into place in the way that I partner with moms who are founders of businesses. So I have a method called the Imagination to Impact to Income Method. It is through this method, I would say over the last 13 years, that I have been able to figure out how to really, really make a dent in my little corner of the universe.




    00:08:13 Melissa: And when I've dreamt of having big name guests on my podcast, I've applied this exact same method. When I wanted to become a bestseller on Amazon, I applied this same method. And those endeavors were very overwhelming at first. Why would they not be? These are really big undertakings, especially if you're a solopreneur and you have a team that is virtual and not an employee.




    00:08:45 Melissa: So here's the thing. I would say that this idea of playing is one that is natural to my personality. And I really enjoy, I feel like it could cut the tension in any room when I go and I'm just myself and I share something that's relatable or I talk about my life as a mom, obviously in a respectful fashion, given the topic of our, you know, conversations will be business building, but it just really helps anyone with whom I'm coaching feel like, okay, I could be myself with this person and I want you to feel that way. So here we go.




    00:09:23 Melissa: When it comes to using your imagination to be more playful as you approach how you are going to handle, overwhelm this new fall season, I want you to really just hone in on the benefits and see if there's something that you really wish you could start feeling right now, through the art of playing as a business owner, as a mom, even when you're out there networking with different individuals.




    00:09:52 Melissa: So the benefits of play, I know that there are so many articles out there in all of the best journals in the world that say that playing is beneficial to our children. It is how they learn, it is natural to them, and it helps them just stay very curious. But I have personally never, and for sure, please send me a DM if you have, I have not seen how playing benefits a mom.




    00:10:19 Melissa: And so I'm about to tell you right now what I have realized over the course of the last 13 years, how it's helped me in my business journey, keep overwhelmed, totally like away from me. So here we go. Benefits of Play in Business. And I'm just going to key into one benefit. As someone who has our MBA, you could take me out of B-school and out of a corporate environment, but there will always be a presentation deck inside of me.




    00:10:44 Melissa: So I'm reading from some slides and so in terms of a group coaching program that I'm going to offer and I want to just be sure that I grab your attention with this. So I'm going to do my best to make this as entertaining and playful as possible. Here we go. So the Benefits of Play in Business. First one that really, really makes a big difference is that it reduces anxiety and fosters calmness. Have you noticed when you are really just focused, keyed into a moment with your child and you're playing with them.




    00:11:16 Melissa: For me, for example, the other day we were listening to the song, The Floor is Lava. And I'm not gonna play it because who knows, you know, if it's protected. But the point of the matter is, for me, I could have been just looking onward and seeing my three boys having fun, jumping on the sofa without shoes, of course, or I could partake in the adventure. And I decided to do that because it was fun and I'm in the middle of a launch right now. And I decided that that moment I needed to stop the overwhelm that I felt, i.e. codeword anxiety that I felt by doing The Floor is Lava.




    00:11:54 Melissa: And if you haven't checked out that video, absolutely go ahead and do so. But that is one of the benefits of being playful in terms of business. It's going to help you in terms of this anxiety that we feel this, like I should be further along. I wish it was last week, but this much work had been done. I've got those same sensations and being playful has helped me in terms of that. Here is a benefit of playing as a mom. And this is really interesting. So here's the thing.




    00:12:24 Melissa: I believe firmly in my heart down to my pinky toe that our children are imagination experts in residence. Here's why. Because they are literally going to clock in about 10,000 hours by the age of 12 or so in terms of imagining. And why not learn from these wonderful individuals who are right there on how they are able to visualize completely random things, how they are able to, you know. navigate the world and see things that we totally ignore and miss out on, right? And so why not leverage this opportunity of being playful as one where our kids can teach us how to live better lives.




    00:13:10 Melissa: And if we do that, you know what it does? Our kids end up feeling confident. So that's the benefit, right? If all of a sudden we're taking a note from our children and they notice that we are doing what they're doing, then all of a sudden they say, holy cow, mommy's doing what I'm doing. I must have something important to offer or show her. I really think this is just the beginning of confidence building and I think it's worthy of an exploration.




    00:13:40 Melissa: So here's the third benefit of play. So we went through the benefits of play in business. Trust me, I've done my research. There are bullets upon bullets that I could share, but that's just one as far as anxiety. The second one is in terms of the benefit as a mom, which is you're boosting confidence in your kids because now all of a sudden they are your teachers. And the third benefit of play, and this is where it's unexpected, and I've applied my method to the most, which is in helping mom founders build profitable relationships, so networking intentionally and unlike the sleazy traditional old ways of networking, this is where we go.




    00:14:21 Melissa: So playing is going to help you be more adaptable. It's going to help you be more nimble. I once was coaching the CEO or chief growth officer of Citi Bike. And she told me that the number one quality that is necessary when it comes to startups is this ability to be nimble. Why not play more? It is going to help you flex that muscle. So there's so many benefits to adopting a more playful spirit in your life, right? Whether it is in business, it is as a mom, or it is while networking or profitable networking.




    00:14:59 Melissa: So how do you do it, right? How do you do it? Let's make this tangible, Melissa. That is what you're here for. And I wanna give you some very practical ideas that you can execute on immediately so that this way you nip overwhelm in the bud. Please don't let this year be the same thing like last year and the one before, where you feel like your calendar is out of your control. I want you to have a tool to nip that feeling of overwhelm and playing is a great tool. It is useful and it works for me and it's worked for my clients.




    00:15:31 Melissa: So here are very practical ideas, four ideas for you. Are you ready for them? Alrighty, you don't have to take notes, but I do want you to just consider adopting some of these ideas. One idea so that this way you can nip overwhelm in the bud. Let's say you feel overwhelmed. You have 16,000 emails in your inbox. And I'm just speaking in terms of a friend. That's not me. So let's say you do, right? And you're like, I don't know which one to tackle first. And I feel overwhelmed. I feel anxious.




    00:16:04 Melissa: One idea for you might be, take your kids out to that science museum that is not far from your house. What you will notice is that you're going to be on a, artist date. We can reimagine what these events are, what these experiences are. An artist date is something that Julia Cameron, who's quite famous for her books on creativity, mentions is a signed play. And it just exposes you to like pretty aesthetics. It exposes you to new concepts. If it's a science museum, you'll see how gadgets work and you'll be enjoying that time with your child.




    00:16:41 Melissa: I'm not saying allout-avoidance of your inbox. I am saying that you can absolutely, rather than being bamboozled by overwhelm in that moment of that inbox read, you can absolutely decide that you're going to opt out of overwhelm and you're going to take your kid to a science museum. And while you're there, this is the point of differentiation, while you're there, that is going to make you a better business leader.




    00:17:08 Melissa: Because now you're on an artist date. Now you're getting new ideas. Now you might be able to imagine, you know, how to, I don't know, incorporate your branding colors in the next Instagram post. So a lot happens when you're not thinking about your business. Isn't that funny? You get your best ideas in the shower. I'm not calling that an artist date, but I'm just saying. Okay, so that's one.




    00:17:34 Melissa: Second way that you can play and nip overwhelm in the bud, especially as this year unfolds. So in terms of a kid, you have one because you're a mom and I want you to just really think about this idea. So you know how people say, tell me like I'm a fifth grader, tell me like I'm a five year old? Yes, I invite you if you feel overwhelmed. Let's say that you are writing your origin story and it is a sensational one, I know, but you feel overwhelmed.




    00:18:08 Melissa: What are the words I should say? What can I include and exclude? How does my business differentiate itself? Here's what I suggest you do. Ask your child for help. That's it, that's a simple, playful answer. Ask your child for help. Why does this work? Because they are that five-year-old for whom you must simply explain your business. So why not try to explain it to, like legitimately a five-year-old and have them help you cut the fat out of all your language, right?




    00:18:38 Melissa: I myself am definitely someone who uses big words oftentimes and if someone doesn't understand me, I would like to know upfront. That is why you can absolutely turn to your child if you feel overwhelmed with writing your origin story as an example. They will ground you and they will say, mommy, that sucks. They'll be honest with you. Or they'll say, what does that mean? And then you have to explain it in simple terms, which is perfect for web copy language.




    00:19:05 Melissa: Okay, third very, very practical idea in terms of using play in order to cut down on overwhelm as you continue on this year. So in terms of cross pollination, okay, so this is fancy and I'm so gonna nerd out and I really hope that you still love me at the end of this, but here we go. Cross-pollination has to be my world famous, most amazing thing in the universe.




    00:19:33 Melissa: So when I was working in Corporate America or in corporations around the world really, what I realized was that a lot of people who work on completely different things do not talk to each other. And I thought to myself, what if they did? What if they actually borrowed ideas from different categories, different countries, different industries? And that was, for me, it's always been a blast. And my goodness, to really nerd out, I even did an independent project on this idea of cross-pollination. But I'll stop with the nerdy, nerdiness right there.




    00:20:08 Melissa: So here we go. What is it? How can you use it as a playful way to nip overwhelm in the bud, quite simply? Let's imagine, and you could see this in terms of how you're tracking your Amazon book orders, or you could see this in terms of your search history, but let's imagine that you are really into gardening, and that is where you go to, at Barnes and Noble's. You'll go to the gardening section every single time and take out those books.




    00:20:35 Melissa: Here's where cross-pollination comes into play, and this is how to, again, be more playful about the way you approach solving business problems, as an example. Go to a totally different category. Go to a category that has nothing to do with gardening. Let me tell you, this has real business implications and I count this as being very playful. So here we go. For example, one of the best Nike sneaker designers, his name is Jason Mayden. He actually would absolutely take out books in totally different categories than he was accustomed to in order to come up with better Nike shoe designs.




    00:21:15 Melissa: And so that is where you get innovation. You're taking from one place and then you're just cross-pollinating, kind of like a bee, and you are coming up with an innovation. Be playful about it. Beth Comstock, she went to Korea, she went to a K-pop concert for ideas on loyalty building efforts for GE. That is cross-pollination. Again, playful. Let's be playful about it and super practical. You don't have to go to South Korea, although you absolutely can.




    00:21:45 Melissa: You can go to the library tonight and just get a book from a totally different category. And just think in a different ways, fire off those neurons in different ways. And you're gonna definitely bring a renewed spirit and like some fresh ideas to whatever business challenge or thing is overwhelming you.




    00:22:06 Melissa: Fourth and final, here we go, how to bring play into your life. So there's this idea of, growth mindset. And here's the thing, because I feel like, sometimes, and, me too, like I could be a hypocrite when it comes to growth mindset, for sure. For example, let's say there's a new platform. Do I really wanna learn it? No, not at all. I decide to really be like, fixed in my thinking when it comes to learning a new platform, right? I don't wanna get on the computer. I don't wanna know where you put the buttons now. I just don't.




    00:22:40 Melissa: But growth mindset is something we can learn from our kids as well, here's why. So they're learning all the time. They have to do things they've never done before because they just came to this planet. So it's so cool when we adopt the same practice of a growth mindset. So how do you do it? Super simply right now to nip overwhelm in the bud. Okay, so let's imagine that right now you are trying to figure out new logistics this fall season, right? All of a sudden, your three kids are in three different schools. I send you my prayers if that's the case.




    00:23:14 Melissa: Well, let's imagine, so you're feeling overwhelmed. You're like, you know what? This really bites. So you might want to, in the spirit of a growth mindset, in the spirit of being playful, honestly just start listening to YouTube videos or watching YouTube videos. Again, I'm not saying procrastination. I'm just saying to, kind of, cut at that tension. Start watching those break dancing YouTube videos, right? From the Olympics that just passed.




    00:23:40 Melissa: I'm not saying that you're gonna wanna focus on the Australian breakdancer, although you're gonna laugh and laughter is a playful thing, but do something in that moment of stress and anxiety where you don't know how you're gonna get child A, B, and C to their respective spots and then approach your logistics challenge.




    00:24:03 Melissa: So these are four ways that you can use different playful methods to nip overwhelm in the bud. And I really encourage you to imagine this for yourself. I know that it's possible because I've done it myself and I have not let go of being productive. It is not so much a source of procrastination because for me, it's something that's just quick. It's like, okay, I'm watching a YouTube video, I'm laughing and now I can get on with this logistical challenge or whatever it might be for you.




    00:24:34 Melissa: And for me, it's also where I find the balance, right? So if you are in a moment of a lot of stress and a lot of steps and a lot of moving parts to anything in your life as a mom in business, then it is really important for you to take a step back every once in a while. First, think about why you're doing everything that you're doing. And then second, think about how you can add some levity to that moment so that it doesn't feel so hard.




    00:25:02 Melissa: Because here's what I know, as far as entrepreneurship, you've got to enjoy the process. And that sounds so like, I don't know, sterile, but let's add some pizzazz to that. It is just a lot more fun and interesting if you adopt a playful spirit to anything that you do. And again, you know when you can be playful and when it's inappropriate. So you are way smarter and I don't need to go there.




    00:25:28 Melissa: But I just wanted to share this idea that adopting a playful spirit is a tool for you so that you can use it. And you have people around you, i.e., humans that are kids, who are really great at it. So why not leverage their expertise so that you can get farther and you could also be happier in the day and the moment. So that, I would say, is something that is so important this year as you continue on with your business goals and you really want to end the year strongly.




    00:25:59 Melissa: You don't want to end the year in a way that you're totally zapped and fried and not able to enjoy the holidays. No, you want to have a tool in order to nip overwhelm in the bud because it is something that is so common in our mom, life and our business life. And I want you to be able to have a proactive plan because it's so common, right? We know it's common, so we wanna be prepared and playing is the answer.




    00:26:30 Melissa: And that is what's helped me as far as having a coaching practice and having three children and also having a podcast where there are so many moving parts. And trust me, this can be a source of overwhelm. And for me, I have figured out how to be more playful, such as The Floor is Lava. And I promise you, that is a really kick butt song. And I encourage you also to just imagine for yourself, like what would be possible if you could do anything that you wanted to do without having to struggle with overwhelm.




    00:27:07 Melissa: And I really do believe that while the world might suggest other options for anxiety and overwhelm, such as meds and all these other options, I do believe that we actually have some resources locked up inside of us and so do our kids. So this is an opportunity for you to leverage this resource, this spirit of playfulness. And honestly, it works. It just works. It really does when it comes to business, when it comes to networking and when it comes to my mom, life.




    00:27:40 Melissa: So here's something that I want to be sure that I always say. Okay. If you are watching me on YouTube, this is the moment where you absolutely tell me that you got value out of this conversation. Please hit the bell notification. You are going to then instantly get next week's video. Also hit subscribe. That is going to make me so happy and you can be playful about it. You can sing and hum as you do.




    00:28:07 Melissa: So if you are listening to this, let's be official. Let's change your relationship status from just listening to following. Go ahead and click the follow. I would love to know that this is a nice weekly ritual for you. Again, mom founders, this is about our imagination. Playing is critical to our imagination. Our imagination likes to play. And this is a tool you can use at the drop of a dime the next time that you feel like you're on the edge of overwhelm. Thank you again. And until next Tuesday.

  • 245: Boost Your Revenue: Must-Know Tips for Female Entrepreneurs to Monetize Podcast Appearances

    245: Boost Your Revenue: Must-Know Tips for Female Entrepreneurs to Monetize Podcast Appearances

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Ever give your all in podcast interviews but wonder why they’re not boosting your business? Imagine if you could take those appearances—even the ones gathering dust—and turn them into powerful, revenue-driving assets. Sounds pretty good, right? Today, I’m chatting with the brilliant Beth Nydick, a media expert and mom founder, to get all the juicy details on how to turn those podcast interviews, even the ones from years ago, into powerful tools for growth.

    Beth and I chat about everything from the art of storytelling to making sure you stand out as both a podcast guest and host. And trust me, if you're juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with actionable tips to make sure your time spent on podcasts is actually moving the needle for your business.

    Plus, I share some of my own experiences (yep, even the messy ones) because I’m all about keeping it real. So whether you're a seasoned podcaster or just thinking about hopping on a mic, you won’t want to miss this one. Let’s make sure every podcast appearance counts, shall we?

    Tune in, and let’s get those creative juices flowing! đŸŽ™ïžâœš

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Using podcast interviews strategically to drive traffic and boost revenue, even from years-old episodes.

    How storytelling can create a deep emotional connection with the audience,

    Being relatable and authentic to create meaningful connections with your audience.

    Revisiting, resharing, and collaborating on old podcast interviews for renewed promotion.

    How to engage the audience effectively rather than just looking good or using hard sales tactics.

    Using checklists and routines to consistently maximize podcast benefits.

    Breaking from conventional rules and staying true to what feels authentic for your brand, both in podcasting and business.

    This episode is brought to you by a LIVE free masterclass How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy. Back to school for moms? Join me LIVE on September 23, 2024 or September 24, 2024! Sign-up HERE: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    Be the first to hear when the DOORS officially open to this FREE masterclass for mom founders. You’ll get a workbook upon signing up so you can start to warm up your profitable relationship building skills before you need them and for showing up LIVE you’ll get my very own plug-and-play 30-day networking planner! How’s that for a gift?

    More about this LIVE free masterclass: How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy.

    You want to build profitable relationships without draining your energy for family and business. Imagine if family time and business could fuel each other rather than deplete you. Maybe you’ve been filling your cup instead of depleting it?

    I faced the same challenge. I learned to balance being a great business owner and mom while building profitable relationships in my 13-year career. I can help you make this a reality.

    Hi, I’m Melissa Llarena, bestselling author, podcaster, mom of three boys (including twins), and CEO of a coaching business in Austin, TX. I started my business with my firstborn at six months and, later with twins, struggled with distractions.

    I discovered that while some founders might reach goals faster, I didn’t need to sacrifice my vision. I focused on building profitable relationships, a more consistent path to income than ads or social media algorithms. This approach expanded my reach, boosted my message, and increased my credibility. Plus, my method saves time by skipping gatekeepers, eliminating the need for warm intros or happy hours. This is what sets my method apart.

    I created a repeatable networking strategy for moms using my "Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ." This strategy transformed how I manage time and energy and will be the focus of my LIVE masterclass entitled How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy.

    My mission is to help moms creatively build their business while embracing motherhood. Profitable relationships align with both your business and family goals. I’ll show you how in the masterclass to close the year strong.

    Attend LIVE and get a 30-day Profitable Networking Plannerℱ! No more guessing how to connect with the right people.

    By the end of the class, you’ll learn to:

    - Reimagine your company vision to energize you.

    - Find a clear relationship-building focus for your business’s potential.

    - Overcome impostor syndrome to become unstoppable.

    Learn a proven plan to turn contacts into connections, even if you’re an introvert. It helped me land GaryVee on my podcast, write books, and secure major sales, including a collaboration with the world’s first IVF baby. I’ll share this in the masterclass.

    Ready to add this to your calendar! Sign-up to be the first to know when the doors OPEN for this LIVE free masterclass! https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    Let’s turn ON your superpower LIVE!

    -Melissa Llarena

    About Beth Nydick

    Beth Nydick is the founder of The F.A.M.E. LAB and a top media expert specializing in helping coaches, experts, and authors amplify their brand presence. Known for her strategic approach, Beth turns media exposure into profitable opportunities, ensuring her clients not only gain attention but also achieve significant financial success. Her expertise spans crafting niche strategies at the intersection of media and monetization, driving traffic, and converting exposure into tangible results. Featured in major outlets like OPRAH, Forbes, and The Drew Barrymore Show, Beth is also the co-author of the popular cookbook Clean Cocktails: Righteous Recipes for the Modern Mixologist.

    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    "Women that I was speaking to said something to the effect of like thank you for getting on the phone with me or I'm so honored or I can't believe you're talking to me. And I was like why? Like I'm not above you. I just know different things." - Beth Nydick

    "How are you engaging them enough to engage with you? And that's what I think people don't focus on, especially on podcast interviews." - Beth Nydick

    "It doesn't matter when it happened. It doesn't matter when you did it. Promoting it over and over again, if it's good content, is what I want you to think about and what I want you to focus on." - Beth Nydick

    "We tell stories so that people can take away certain points. Because for me it really is all strategy. I'm telling you a story because I want to evoke a feeling and it's something I've sat down and intentionally thought about." - Beth Nydick

    SHARE this episode with anyone aiming to boost revenue through podcast appearances! Discover how to make the most of every interview, drive traffic, and turn guest spots into profit. Don't keep these insights to yourself—spread the word and help others elevate their podcast game!

    Supporting Resources:

    Website: https://www.bethnydick.com

    Instagram: @bethnydick

    Twitter: @bethnydick

    Facebook: @bethnydick

    Beth Nydick’s $10K Podcast Interview Checklist

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

  • 244: Genuine Connections vs. Traditional Networking: Strategies for Mom Founders Without the Sleaze

    244: Genuine Connections vs. Traditional Networking: Strategies for Mom Founders Without the Sleaze

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Ever wonder why networking events feature few mothers starting businesses? I have been thinking about this for the past 13 years and am ready to explain why it is so important to me. Often feeling like the lone mother in the room, I started to wonder why more amazing mother entrepreneurs weren't out there networking?

    Here’s what I’ve heard:

    "The kids are getting ready for bed, and happy hours are as sleazy as a meat market," is what I've overheard. 🧐 "I don’t have time to schmooze, and as an introvert, I stick to the hors d'oeuvres table." 🧐 "Networking feels awkward, and I never follow up with people I meet." Send me a DM https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ if you’ve ever had one of those thoughts stop you from going to a networking event?

    These incredible moms are running businesses with a purpose, and they want to change the world through the products they sell, the organizations they support, and the lives they touch. They are, however, passing up networking chances that may prove invaluable to the development of their businesses.

    I go into detail on how networking has changed my career trajectory. Networking has done wonders for my business, opening doors to virtual coffee conversations, podcast guest spots, and public relations chances. I’ll share personal stories about how connecting with new people and stepping out of my comfort zone made a huge difference for me—and why I believe you can experience the same benefits. Join me as I explore ways to make networking easier, more enjoyable, and more effective for all you amazing mom founders out there!



    In this episode, you will hear:

    Why conventional networking events often feel impractical and inauthentic for mom entrepreneurs balancing business and family.

    Insights into alternative networking approaches that resonate more with mom founders, such as virtual coffee chats.

    The journey to pure authenticity and its pivotal role in effective networking.

    Power of stillness, playful interactions, and creative expressions in reawakening imagination for genuine connections.

    A compelling story of a powerful attorney who overcame her networking insecurities through personalized strategies.

    Concept of the “lifetime value of a connection” and its importance for mom founders.

    Strategies for fostering non-transactional, mutually beneficial relationships over time.

    A heartwarming case study of a relationship that evolved from a simple survey response to a lasting friendship.

    Advantages and challenges of being an introvert in the world of networking.

    How introverts can effectively leverage their unique strengths to build true connections.

    Significance of reconnecting with old acquaintances who share similar business goals.

    Encouragement for mom founders to confidently reach out and establish connections, even if they feel they have little to offer at the moment.

    Practical advice on creating your own networking opportunities and embracing your authentic self in business interactions.

    This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, my 9-week group coaching program for visionary mom founders who have decided they are going to become power strategic networkers because they do not want to miss out on one more opportunity for maximum business growth! A program for a founder who wants a step-by-step process that works. My approach which I have used over and over and helped my client use too is called the Imagination to Impact and Income Method ℱ and it will help you connect with right people, lead the right conversations, and swing open the right doors to success.

    If you want to learn more, then schedule a free call on www.melissallarena.com/sessions today.

    DM me on Instagram @melissallarena just type the word SESSION and I’ll share the link if that’s easier to see my calendar availability for this free call where you will get all the details you’ll need to know if this program is the perfect fit for you and to hear about the extra bonuses available only this summer to the first mom founders who join. Here’s that link: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    About Melissa Llarena

    I’m a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).



    Quotes from Melissa , that can change your perspective:

    "Genuine connections. I think that's what a lot of mom founders are striving for."

    "More than that, they're also open to having a sincere conversation with the real you."

    "So when it comes to forging a genuine connection, and it comes to making networking work for you as a mom. Really, it's about bringing your personality and your enthusiasm beyond your business’ capabilities but including your mom-side too."

    "So the spark for me to think how I could introduce myself to then create a genuine connection, it comes from a place of expansive thinking and that is step one as it relates to the networking that actually works for a mom founder."

    "If you feel like you're getting hugs from people, if you feel like you're yourself, you're going to make it a habit. A recent client was met with HUGS at a networking conference and it took all the nerves out for her. Imagine what’s possible for you if you applied some of the pre-networking research and outreach guidance in this episode?" - Melissa Llarena

    "Your relationship, because again, if you're going to be reimagining it as less about you and more about others is going to be long-term and that’s the beauty. You can create a genuine connection today that can even help your kids later. This reframe is why I want more mom founders to intentionally network.” -Melissa Llarena

    "If you feel that networking is sleazy and transactional, you're freaking right." -Melissa Llarena

    SHARE this episode and schedule a free session with me this week if you believe your mission deserves more. Discover how to turn your networking struggles into opportunities that can transform your business and life.

    In our 30-minute call, you’ll gain insights into how you might be approaching networking incorrectly and how to improve. Learn how to own your networking approach, be bolder, and feel confident.

    Visit melissallarena.com/sessions to book your complimentary session and start making impactful connections today!

    Supporting Resources:

    Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

    Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/

    Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

    TRANSCRIPT




    00:00:00 Melissa: This relationship is going to be long term and the sort of value that you might add up front might not be the same as what you can add later on. So don't cut yourself out of those opportunities and also don't stop yourself because you don't think you have anything to contribute.




    00:00:00 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business. Find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing, so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have re-imagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. Ever wonder how they do it?




    00:00:40 Melissa: Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs, who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.




    00:01:09 Melissa: Genuine connections. I think that's what a lot of mom founders are striving for. I was talking to a mom founder the other day. I think she's been in business for like 15 years and I mentioned the word Networking. And for her, it was like something that was sleazy, it was transactional, inauthentic, and it just didn't align with why she had a business. She was led by a mission, she had an ambitious mission, she also had a lot of, you know, heart and soul in terms of the message that she wants to put out in the world. And so there was a conflict there, right?




    00:01:45 Melissa: So let's talk about in this episode, specifically for you, a mom founder, someone who nurtures her family, someone who nurtures her business, someone who absolutely has opted to create something that is deeply meaningful because again, it is time away from your kids. So it has to reach a certain criteria. Let's talk about how networking is getting a bad rap and how what I help mom founders do is nothing like traditional networking. I mean, it is the reason why I got into this.




    00:02:19 Melissa: Here's a story, and let me know if this resonates because I think a lot of us as we go out there and go to these happy hours, there's so much that is just left to the imagination; hoping was actually there. One of them is authenticity. That is what I've noticed in a lot of happy hours, just like the regular run of the mill, after work situations, right? So you know, when it comes to what I have been doing over the last 12 years as a coach to mom founders, ones that I want to really get good at building connections with the right people faster while skipping gatekeepers and not relying on warm intros, which tend to take a ton of time, is this.




    00:03:04 Melissa: I have been, you know, in attendance of, a lot of these happy hours. I have been really scouring the earth, it feels like it, since I lived in Australia and now I live in Austin, that, you know, there are communities for just about everyone when it comes to physical in-person real life events. But when I go to these events, which are amazing, there are not a lot of mom founders there, and here are the reasons why a lot of us are not out there. Some of them are, like, so obvious, and that is why I wanted to approach networking in a totally different way, where we're using our imagination, hence the name of this podcast.




    00:03:45 Melissa: So here are some of the excuses or reasons, again, they're just valid. They're totally valid if you're limited by what you've heard about networking. So here's one, it's my kids' bedtime and happy hours are just meat markets. I totally get it and I totally, been there. Here's the other thing, I don't have time to schmooze and as an introvert, I just stick around with the hors d'oeuvres all night. I get that too. I know a lot of introverts personally. I'm an ambivert, which I talk about in my group coaching program, which is someone who can adjust according to situations.




    00:04:26 Melissa: But I understand how you might want to prefer staying home than being around people that you don't know, and that you have no idea are going to actually help you. Here's the other reason why a lot of mom founders do not network in the traditional sense. So again, I'm thinking about going to golf courses or going to BNI meetings or attending whatever other, you know, local community events that there might exist. So networking feels awkward and I never follow up with the people I meet.




    00:04:57 Melissa: Have you ever dropped the ball? I wanna say that in like, this like blast format because I feel like a lot of us, myself included, so I'm imperfect when it comes to traditional networking, you know, really, we drop the ball sometimes, right? You meet all these people, maybe you didn't bring a pen, you didn't bring a pad, maybe you didn't figure out a way to actually get all those QR codes synced up with LinkedIn or whatever other database you use. And then you just don't follow up with really amazingly interesting people.




    00:05:27 Melissa: I get that, and that is the reason why over these last 12 years, I was like, there has got to be a different way, a better way, a way for me, for you as a mom founder, to use our imagination so that we can find another pathway to talk to the right people who could really help us take our business to the next level, so that this way, we can not miss out on those opportunities that are happening out there in the field.




    00:05:54 Melissa: Instead, what about creating your own opportunity? What about inviting someone to your little office or little kitchen corner and having a coffee chat over Zoom? And that is a lot of what I do. And oftentimes people are so surprised that people who are, and it feels like above your weight category, are open to those sincere conversations. More than that, they're also open to having a sincere conversation with the real you.




    00:06:28 Melissa: I know a lot of people who have launched businesses because when they worked for corporate or they worked for someone else, they were slapped on their wrists for being themselves, for bringing that loud laugh, for bringing that belly laugh, for being someone who, you know, just was themselves, right? And I wanna be sure that now that you have a business, my goodness, you have a business! It's your own business. Your name might be on the shingles outside metaphorically, that there's an alignment like you have never experienced in your past.




    00:07:00 Melissa: So again, when it comes to networking, I really want to just drill deep into the fact that traditional networking, you're right, does not work for mom founders. Those excuses, they're real, they're legit. For a mom, as an example, if you're gonna network at a conference and you have to take a flight, and you have to then get a hotel, you also have to, almost like, run your family through a telephone call here, there, and everywhere. So there's a lot of nuance and the bar is higher when it comes to deciding whether or not to network traditionally for you.




    00:07:41 Melissa: And so I get it, and that's why I wanna fix it. I wanna be sure that you are in a position of power and maximum creativity to actually find your own way to network. Even if you're an introvert, even if you're someone who, you know, doesn't have all the outfits because you just had a baby, even if you feel like, you know, you don't even know where your iron is because you lost it or something, I mean, I want there to be a way. And when there is a will, there is a way.




    00:08:08 Melissa: So here we go, okay! So why is networking so important to a mom founder very, very specifically? So here's what I have realized. I have had conversations with mom founders who are in different incubators, who are out there, you know, creating products, could be a skincare line that is natural because they found some sort of need for that in the market. And they have shared with me that they hate networking and that they feel like it's a boys club and they feel like all the opportunities, you know, to get funding are given to men and all they have to do is draw a little, you know, icon or whatever, or a business model on a napkin, right? Think about Southwest Airlines.




    00:08:54 Melissa: And then, I thought to myself, well, I don't believe that to be true. I don't believe it to be true that there's this like, captive audience that is privy to opportunities, that a mom founder cannot figure out a way with the use of her imagination and my method, into even before those conversations or those beautiful napkin drawings. And I think it takes a lot of persistence.




    00:09:20 Melissa: So I'm not going to lie about that. I do know that it also takes a lot of creativity and you cannot leave your personality out the door. Because when you are at your most stressed out moment, the real you is going to come out. So you want to be sure that up front you introduce yourself as the real you.




    00:09:38 Melissa: So let's talk about networking and let's talk about how through my process and the way that I approach networking, you can have those genuine connections that are not transactional, not sleazy and actually produce a lot of fruit.




    00:09:53 Melissa: So here we go, I was scouring LinkedIn the other day, and I noticed that a wonderful person, his name is [Vinny] and I'll share why I named his name in a bit. He basically was celebrating his birthday and on LinkedIn, he decided to do something that was so, so, so generous. And so his act of generosity was inviting all his contacts to just list in the comments on the day of his birthday what it is that they needed and maybe, someone in their network could help them.




    00:10:22 Melissa: And when I saw that, I saw that as an opportunity to network. And when I say network, what I mean by that is to talk to the right people, have the right conversations, and see if there's some sort of alignment between what that person wants and what I have to offer. And so I decided, again, this was all proactive, all taking the initiative, a lot of you, mom founders do the same thing in different categories of your life.




    00:10:51 Melissa: And I decided to introduce myself to this complete stranger. So happens that he has a podcast, doesn't so happen because I looked at his profile on LinkedIn, but he has a podcast that is for small businesses, and it is by Experian. And so you may have heard Experian, and he was basically not actively looking for guests on that small business podcast. However, I presented myself and I basically said I would like the opportunity to be a guest on your podcast.




    00:11:21 Melissa: And that was all because, a shared connection, the guy named [Vinny] had put on his birthday on LinkedIn, this opportunity, you know, chime in and say what you need on LinkedIn. And when I saw that, I acted upon that. So that is part of the networking that I teach my [mom founder] clients. It is not like, let me talk to this person totally from nowhere and absolutely not say why I think they're like, so, so cool.




    00:11:48 Melissa: So this is how I approached this guy from Experian. And the reason why I'm gonna share this story with you is because that person I have a podcast interview with in like the next half hour. And he pointed out my process in a way that I had not realized before. It was this. So again, the guy was [Vinny] that we both knew and my outbound email to this person, this podcast, included the following. We both know [Vinny] and know he is not my cousin. That was a joke, right?




    00:12:21 Melissa: That is how I led the conversation with someone that works for an organization, who is not an entrepreneur, but with whom I would like to do business. How is it that I had the confidence to be myself in that initial interaction? Here is how. Having partnered with so many mom founders in the past, I know the sort of email spammy pitches we get on places like LinkedIn. I also know being a podcaster, how a lot of these like top notch head honcho people, our approach on different, you know, channels, right?




    00:12:55 Melissa: So for example, when I interviewed Beth Comstock, the former CMO of GE, I know that the prior emails that she got on LinkedIn were super spammy and authentic. So I knew that I could cut through that noise and be myself. And as a mom, as someone who's so genuine in her at-home life, it is so hard and so much extra energy to play someone that you're not just because traditional networking would have you be someone that you're not. And I don't want that for you.




    00:13:29 Melissa: So when it comes to forging a genuine connection and it comes to making networking work for you as a mom, really it's about bringing your personality and your enthusiasm, not just for what you sell, but for that person that you're reaching out to, and it's gotta be legit. Otherwise people smell b*llshit and you don't want to have that out there.




    00:13:51 Melissa: Okay, so let me share with you a little bit about my method because I think it's gonna really help frame the entire context. So in my method, it is called the imagination to impact to income method. And so it's a step-by-step solution that is gonna help you create genuine relationships consistently and quickly for mom founders, just like you. And so when it comes to imagination, that is where your personality comes into play right? So you want to be yourself. How can you get to that place of pure authenticity?




    00:14:26 Melissa: Well, sometimes when it comes to, like reawakening my imagination, which for a lot of us, it's a sleep because we've got a lot going on and we're distracted. For me, sometimes it's a moment of stillness. Sometimes it's just, you know, singing in my shower. Sometimes it is playing with my child and explaining to my child who I am, what I do in very, very simple terms, so the spark for me to think how I could introduce myself to then, create a genuine connection, it comes from a place of expansive thinking. And that is step one, as it relates to the networking that actually works for a mom founder, right?




    00:15:05 Melissa: So for someone who's so passionate about her product or service, to then follow this like, totally like predictable, conventional way of introducing yourself and being super boring and not distinguishing yourself, it doesn't make sense. And it's not going to work, and it's why you won't do it consistently, because oftentimes you think to yourself, this doesn't feel right. This feels sleazy, but there's another way. And through my method and with my support, I can help you actually figure out how to use this new way of networking, which is about being authentic and being super intentional and thoughtful and planning it out based on the real you.




    00:15:43 Melissa: Because again, as a mom founder, you are very specifically stretched, stretched beyond capacity oftentimes. The bandwidth that we have that we're operating with, is very limited, and if you have to pretend to be someone you are not, that is taking up your bandwidth and you don't have enough to go around. So you want to be sure that you optimize your approach, whether it is in networking, business development, going and pitching yourself to media. The same concept applies and I could help you throughout any of those scenarios.




    00:16:15 Melissa: So let me share with you this other idea. So I love this. This is when, like there's like the mom difference in how to approach networking and make it not sleazy at all, like totally warm and fuzzy, but so effective and very profitable. So a client of mine was really, really thinking about this whole idea. Okay, I'm going to a conference. I really don't know, kind of, how to approach it. I feel a little insecure in terms of, like the outfits I'm wearing, I haven't gotten out in a bit and I am just like not knowing what to expect, this is the first time away from my family. So that was the scenario.




    00:16:51 Melissa: And what we did was, I applied a multi-step process. So before you actually attend a conference, go to an event or talk to someone, there is certain research that needs to be done so that you don't waste your time, so that you can squeeze the juice out of that situation, right? And again, this is so tailored for a mom founder. You have limited energy and when you go somewhere, it needs to actually prove out an ROI for you. So you wanna be sure you do all this research upfront.




    00:17:21 Melissa: Part of that, and this is such a sneak peek into my group coaching program. So Fertile Imagination to Networking Success is the group coaching program that I run. But what I do is I have my clients look at, like, the speaker list at an event or like the people that are going to be on panels. And also, you know, if there's an app for the event, look to see who's going to go there, but I have my clients pre-introduce themselves to the people that make sense, given the alignment with their goals or just your curiosity because you're human. There are some people that are really interesting and why not, like pre-introduce yourself.




    00:18:02 Melissa: So she attends this event and I had not seen this because I had not attended events with my clients. But I saw that, like people wanted a hugger. People wanted a hugger. People felt like they already knew her. And you know what it did for the client? She used to be scared of attending these networking events. And I wanna just add some context here. She was a powerful attorney, so she was scared. What does that tell you? That tells you that when you are mission-driven, when your business is so personal to you, even if you have, like, the world's fanciest degree, or you might have, like, all the money in the world for whatever reason, like, some of these little insecurities, they pop up and they could hold you back.




    00:18:45 Melissa: So imposter syndrome, it is real. Even if you have, like, a JD, LLM, MBA, whatever sort of alphabet you wanna put after your name. And so for her, she was getting hugs. Like how is that traditional networking? It's not, it's not. It's what I teach my mom founders through my group coaching program, and one-on-one coaching programs too. And I love it, I love it because if you feel like you're getting hugs from people, if you feel like you're yourself, you're going to make it a habit. You're gonna be more consistent because it's gonna feel more like, with ease.




    00:19:18 Melissa: And I think that's a big difference because I know a lot of times you start networking. You're like, all right, I'm getting really good at it. I'm doing it, I'm doing it, I'm doing it. And then you stop. And why is it that you saw? Because it's taking extra energy, because it's outside of your comfort zone, because you have to now think of things that you never thought about before. I get it, and that's why I wanted to fix it for mom founders. You know why? Mom founders, the ones that I've helped and I supported, they have the most wonderful products and services. And oftentimes it comes out of a need that I'm in alignment with.




    00:19:50 Melissa: For example, if you go and build out a TV show that is to help children eat more nutritiously, like I am all for you. Or if you go and you decide to do a nonprofit because you see that there's a challenge in the world, like I am so there. Like it's really interesting. The bar is high when it comes to a mom who decides to actually lay the foundation of a business, because it's time away from your kids. So oftentimes, the degree of fulfillment that you seek in terms of your business is super, super high.




    00:20:24 Melissa: And in those cases, I want to help you because that means that you want to make an impact. That means that you're not just selling something that's a throwaway item, you're selling something that means something to you, means something to the person that's purchasing it or donating. And I want to be part of that. And so that's why I was like, you know what, I'm not seeing enough moms in these situations; and whether or not they're right for you or you can do it in this season of motherhood, there's always another way.




    00:20:48 Melissa: The other day I was talking to a mom who is a bookkeeper and she has this wonderful agency and she's like so streamlined. And what I thought was really fascinating was, there was an event that was happening at a particular time. She's a single mom and she could not attend the event. And so that invited me to then tell her, well, is there another way that you could get in touch with those event organizers? Is there another way that you can get that information? There is another way.




    00:21:14 Melissa: And again, that's where the imagination piece of my method comes into play. So what is that other way for you? And I gave her a, insight. If you wanna hear that insight, a little bit about that more later. Okay, so here's the whole thing. You're different. You're just different. You just are, you have all these obligations and you have a lot of things that are outside of your control. So what does that mean? That means that when you're gonna go and build a relationship, for you, it has to be a high value relationship.




    00:21:42 Melissa: And let me explain exactly what that means. You know how a lot of businesses, they have the lifetime value of a customer, or you know, how they have, you know, this notion of like one person can keep shopping, you know, your products and services. Well, I have taken that concept and I've turned it around. And for me, it's really about the bond or the connection. So instead of the lifetime value of a customer, the lifetime value of a connection. And I think that is how a mom can make networking work for her. What does that mean?




    00:22:13 Melissa: That means that when you are there and making a
 forging a connection with a human being one time, the idea is that you're gonna stick around for a long time, right? So it's not just, like, transactional. Right now you're gonna help me and I'm gonna say, peace out, thank you for the help. That's not it at all. That is not how you're gonna optimize all that effort it takes to even like, find the right people and make the right connection and have the right conversations. Instead, you have to consider the long view, the long term, right? So how is it that you're going to increase the value of that bond?




    00:22:47 Melissa: And that's what I call, this idea of having a relationship with someone when you start to network with them. What does that mean? So that means that, I want to be sure that partnering with me, being with me, hanging out with me is better for the two of us than us being apart, right? And so I say that in my group coaching program, Fertile Imagination to Networking Success. It's really about thinking to yourself, okay, so here we are, it's, you know, 2024, and I might not yet be like this, like, fancy schmancy entrepreneur. And I might not be able to reciprocate or pay you back for whatever favor or situation that we're in right now, but I've got the long-term view in our relationship.




    00:23:27 Melissa: Again, it's about being genuine, not sleazy, not transactional, not one-time. And I have a sense that I'm going to be able to help you later on in time, and that should give you some confidence, right? A lot of times people are hesitant to reach out to people that are outside of their weight category, so to speak, in terms of networking, because you don't feel like you have enough to contribute right now. But if like a mom, you started thinking about every situation that you're in and relationship that you have in the long term, you will always be able to make it up in the long term. Let me share a case study with you.




    00:24:00 Melissa: So this was early, maybe like 2013 or so. I put out a survey to my newsletter and I asked questions pertaining to entrepreneurship, very long time ago. And I got a survey result back that was like mind blowing. It was so detailed, so helpful that I had to get on the phone with the person who filled it out. Here's the best part. I think I was, yeah, this was like my kid, my first kid was a baby and I was not sleeping still. But I was like, you know what? I have to talk to this person. So I got on the phone, her name was Shadiah, and I wanted to just find out more about her. I didn't know her.




    00:24:39 Melissa: And at the time she wasn't an entrepreneur, but she had the guts to reach out to me. She knew, she was like, you know what? I'm probably gonna stay in touch with Melissa, right? And I felt the same way about her. So when I was in San Francisco, I decided to see her in person. Again, this was after her filling out a survey, being super helpful, getting on the phone, and then me going to San Francisco. So, building upon the sincere, genuine relationship. And so I went, and Shadiah, just to kind of update that. So Shadiah, I met with her in San Francisco. And again, she was at that time launching HoneyBook, I believe, and you may have heard of it. And she was amazing, right?




    00:25:18 Melissa: So I made the time to meet her in person, again, building that relationship, that bond. So slowly but slowly. She was speeding up in her entrepreneurial journey and I was slowing down at the time because I was then gonna have identical twins. And so it kind of felt like the roles were a little turned, right? So now she starts, like increasing her perceived value even though as humans we always come into this world with value, but from a business perspective right? The relationships that she had, the conversations that she was having, her success entrepreneurial. So it was changing.




    00:25:48 Melissa: Then recently, I noticed that she now has a company called Kinside and she is on the ink list of top 100 most inspiring companies out there. And I know she's funded and there's some sort of valuations out there that are like over a billion dollars. So at this point, you know, I say this because, you know, Shadiah early on had the guts to reach out to me, right? We were in different situations at the time. Now she's a mom, and now we get to talk about mom stuff. And I also want to just say that your relationship, because again, if you're going to be taking networking and you're going to be flipping it around for yourself, and I can teach you how to do it, this relationship is going to be long term.




    00:26:34 Melissa: And the sort of value that you might add up front might not be the same as what you can add later on. So don't cut yourself out of those opportunities. And also don't stop yourself because you don't think you have anything to contribute. So there are lots of ways that networking can be reframed for you, a mom founder.




    00:26:53 Melissa: And I wanna invite you to the very next step, which I would welcome a conversation to get to know you. I wanna hear on a free 30 minute consultation, just go to MelissaLlarena.com/sessions. This is gonna be in the show notes, wherever you're listening, it's gonna be in the description on YouTube as well. I invite you to go ahead and apply for a free consultation. They're 30 minutes, they're exclusively for mom founders. And I want to hear what your networking plan is for the rest of this year.




    00:27:24 Melissa: I want to know, like, how you're also embodying the real you when it comes to networking. I also want to know where there might be a little hesitation, right? So I feel like I could totally help you clear that out during that 30 minute session so that this way you could be a lot more enthusiastic about talking to strangers as you are about the product and service that you're bringing into the world.




    00:27:48 Melissa: On this session, 30 minutes, complimentary, but there is that application. I also want to hear from you in terms of, you know, what do you struggle with, like specifically when it comes to putting yourself out there and networking? What relationship do you have with that word? Is it something that's really hard for you to do consistently? Have you been told maybe in the past that you shouldn't be, you know, that loud or you're a little too much, or you know, maybe you're some sort of undesirable characteristic that you're insecure about going out there, or if you're an introvert. If you're an introvert, we have got to talk.




    00:28:26 Melissa: So go and head to the link, MelissaLlarena.com/sessions. If you're driving or running or moving around, just take notes when you have an opportunity. It'll be in the show notes, as I mentioned. And if you're on YouTube, you get to see my hat. I feel like I have, like a networking hat, which is a really fun tip. If you do go out there and network, have something that distinguishes you and is memorable, just like a visual cue. That's this hat I'm wearing, this beige hat. Some people that know me have seen me before with it.




    00:28:57 Melissa: But for sure, I wanna have a conversation with you, a mom, founder, especially if you really think that networking is sleazy because it hasn't worked for you and you haven't been consistent with it because it doesn't feel authentic. The way that I can teach you to break free from that is through my method, the imagination impact income method. In that method, I also want to just leave you with this thought.




    00:29:25 Melissa: I get that you might feel insecure about putting yourself out there with people that you don't have a warm intro to, or I get that you might think that, you know, being stopped by a gatekeeper is going to be part of your path. But with my method, I figured out a way around both. I also want to just leave you with this thought. The way that you feel is the way that you feel. I don't want you to feel wrong or bad about the way that you feel.




    00:29:54 Melissa: So if you feel that traditional networking is sleazy and transactional, you're freaking right. Or if you feel that being an introvert is not advantageous for being, you know, a networker, then I actually wanna question you there because I know differently. I know that there's some superpowers that introverts have when it comes to networking that an ambivert like myself, and I could totally share that definition if we get on the 30 minute session, or an extrovert might not have.




    00:30:23 Melissa: And so I am actually going to make that an episode on this podcast. So be sure that you follow me officially on whatever podcast platform you're listening to, this or subscribe here on YouTube. Either way you slice it, I want to hear from you. So go ahead, MelissaLlarena.com/sessions.




    00:30:45 Melissa: Thank you. And until next Tuesday, be sure to share this, if this was of value. And you know what? It's a great excuse to reconnect with someone, maybe someone that you haven't spoken to in years, but who's going in the same direction as you are in terms of business. So I invite you to take this as your opportunity. So next step, let's hop on that free 30 minute consultation. Signing off, Melissa Llarena.

  • 243: Building a Venture-Backed or Lifestyle Business: Mom Founders Share Burnout-Free Strategies

    243: Building a Venture-Backed or Lifestyle Business: Mom Founders Share Burnout-Free Strategies

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Feeling stretched thin as a mom and entrepreneur? Let's talk about burnout and how to beat it! For me, finding that sweet spot between work and family fun is a game-changer. Imagine shooting hoops with your kids or diving into books you all enjoy—it's all about blending joy and quality time.

    Next up, we're super excited to have Liz Tenety join us! She’s the brilliant co-founder of Motherly and the mastermind behind Founding Women. As a mom of five, Liz knows all about balancing the chaos of a big family with the grind of running a venture-backed startup. She’s here to drop some major wisdom on managing your energy, why it’s crucial to prioritize your well-being before chasing profits, and how to get creative with childcare and household support.

    Liz is all about a holistic approach to avoid burnout. She cautions that focusing solely on work and parenting can lead to neglecting friendships and personal wellness. Her advice? Blend work and home life seamlessly, involve the kids in chores, and don’t hesitate to get help when needed.

    We’ll also explore how to balance life and business, with Liz sharing tips on building a support team, from hiring a virtual assistant to arranging childcare swaps with other entrepreneur moms. Ready to learn from the best? Let’s dive in!



    In this episode, you will hear:

    Actionable insights on managing energy and aligning family and business needs.

    Methods to keep burnout at bay, including investing in well being and child care before turning a profit.

    Creative ways to blend personal interests with parenting through enjoyable activities.

    Exploration of energy management techniques and the balance between narrow focus and holistic well being.

    Hiring resources early and fostering a collaborative family environment to reduce personal burnout.

    Liz’s experience in creating supportive communities for female founders and translating business skills into effective motherhood.

    Identifying and managing daily parenting tasks and logistical challenges to prevent burnout.

    Ideas for reimagining work-life balance and parenting to create a sustainable and fulfilling life.

    Encouragement to build a support network and invest in well being for a successful business and family life.

    This episode is brought to you by a LIVE free masterclass How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy. Back to school for moms? Join me on September 23, 2024 or September 24, 2024! Add your name to my newsletter HERE: https://fertileideas.com/ - this will do two things: you'll instantly receive my free networking playbook and be the first to know when the doors to my masterclass officially open!

    Be the first to hear when the DOORS officially open to this FREE masterclass for mom founders. As when they do, you’ll get a workbook upon signing up so you can start to warm up your profitable relationship building skills before you need them and for showing up LIVE you’ll get my very own plug-and-play 30-day networking planner! How’s that for a gift?

    More about this LIVE free masterclass: How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy.

    You want to build profitable relationships without draining your energy for family and business. Imagine if family time and business could fuel each other rather than deplete you. Maybe you’ve been filling your cup instead of depleting it?

    I faced the same challenge. I learned to balance being a great business owner and mom while building profitable relationships in my 13-year career. I can help you make this a reality.

    Hi, I’m Melissa Llarena, bestselling author, podcaster, mom of three boys (including twins), and CEO of a coaching business in Austin, TX. I started my business with my firstborn at six months and, later with twins, struggled with distractions.

    I discovered that while some founders might reach goals faster, I didn’t need to sacrifice my vision. I focused on building profitable relationships, a more consistent path to income than ads or social media algorithms. This approach expanded my reach, boosted my message, and increased my credibility. Plus, my method saves time by skipping gatekeepers, eliminating the need for warm intros or happy hours. This is what sets my method apart.

    I created a repeatable networking strategy for moms using my "Imagination to Impact to Income Methodℱ." This strategy transformed how I manage time and energy and will be the focus of my LIVE masterclass entitled How to Craft a Focused Year-End Networking Strategy to Build Profitable Relationships in 30 Days Without Draining Your Mom Energy.

    My mission is to help moms creatively build their business while embracing motherhood. Profitable relationships align with both your business and family goals. I’ll show you how in the masterclass to close the year strong.

    Attend LIVE and get a 30-day Profitable Networking Plannerℱ! No more guessing how to connect with the right people.

    By the end of the class, you’ll learn to:

    - Reimagine your company vision to energize you.

    - Find a clear relationship-building focus for your business’s potential.

    - Overcome impostor syndrome to become unstoppable.

    Learn a proven plan to turn contacts into connections, even if you’re an introvert. It helped me land GaryVee on my podcast, write books, and secure major sales, including a collaboration with the world’s first IVF baby. I’ll share this in the masterclass.

    Ready to add this to your calendar! Sign-up to be the first to know when the doors OPEN for this LIVE free masterclass! https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/

    Let’s turn ON your superpower LIVE!

    -Melissa Llarena

    About Liz Tenety

    Liz Tenety is a dynamic founder, digital entrepreneur, and transformation coach dedicated to empowering ambitious women. As the co-founder of Founding Women, she supports female founders through expert-led small groups and accelerators. Liz previously served as the Chief Digital Officer and co-founder of Motherly, where she played a key role in growing the venture-backed startup to 30 million monthly users and significant revenue. With nearly 20 years in media and startups—including a decade at The Washington Post—Liz now leads Growth Mode, her growth consulting firm, and coaches at Blue Engine Collaborative and Georgetown University. Her passion lies in using design thinking, storytelling, and data to uplift women and mothers in business.



    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    "Not having friends is actually a recipe for me for burnout, not focusing on pleasure and rest and play." - Liz Tenety



    "I realized, okay, wait a minute, instead of paying someone to watch my kids so I can clean, I should hire house help with that extra funds that I might have so that I could spend that time with my kids." - Liz Tenety



    "I don't know how to keep up with the competition if I'm not up front hiring resources before I make one dollar. Any other mom found a better way?." - Melissa Llarena



    "I feel your pain, and it's not easy to make these numbers work." - Liz Tenety



    "No great company is built alone. And in a lot of ways for me, I learn better how to run my family and think about what it means to lead a family by running a company" - Liz Tenety



    "You might get so much energy from hanging out with your loved ones. And why would you avoid that source of energy? You're a mom, there's finite energy." - Melissa Llarena

    SHARE this episode with anyone who’s juggling the demands of motherhood and entrepreneurship! Whether you’re seeking tips on avoiding burnout, balancing work and family, or building a support network, Liz Tenety’s insights are gold. Let’s spread the wisdom and help each other thrive—don’t miss out!



    Supporting Resources:

    Website: https://foundingwomen.co

    Instagram: @liztenety




    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

    About Fertile Imagination – www.fertileideas.com

    You can be a great mom without giving up, shrinking, or hiding your dreams. There’s flexibility in how you pursue anything – your role, your lifestyle, and your personal and professional goals. The limitations on your dreams are waiting to be shattered. It’s time to see and seize what’s beyond your gaze. Let’s bridge your childhood daydreams with your grown-up realities. Imagine skipping with your kids along any path – you, surpassing your milestones while your kids are reaching theirs. There’s only one superpower versatile enough to stretch your thinking beyond what’s been done before: a Fertile Imagination. It’s like kryptonite for impostor syndrome and feeling stuck when it’s alert!

    In Fertile Imagination, you will awaken your sleeping source of creative solutions. If you can wake up a toddler or a groggy middle schooler, then together with the stories in this book – featuring 25 guests from my podcast Unimaginable Wellness, proven tools, and personal anecdotes – we will wake up your former playmate: your imagination!

    Advance Praise

    “You’ll find reality-based strategies for imagining your own imperfect, fulfilling life in this book!” —MARTHA HENNESSEY, former NH State Senator

    “Melissa invites the reader into a personal and deep journey about topics that are crucially important to uncover what would make a mom (and dad too) truly happy to work on...even after the kids are in bed.”

    —KEN HONDA, best-selling author of Happy Money

    “This book is a great purchase for moms in every stage of life. Melissa is like a great friend, honest and wise and funny, telling you about her life and asking you to reflect on yours.” —MAUREEN TURNER CAREY, librarian in Austin, TX










    TRANSCRIPT






    00:00:00 Liz: I try to set up opportunities for play with my kids that I enjoy. I don't like board games. I just like, I don't like that. And I don't like terrible cartoon character books, the little books with Paw Patrol. Like aesthetically, like it offends me. So I try to like play a basketball. I love playing basketball with my son. So I'll try to do something with my child that I enjoy and read choose the book that is going to bring me pleasure to read with my kid.




    00:00:33 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business. Find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm going to give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.



    00:01:25 Melissa: Welcome, beautiful mom founder. So in today's episode, we're gonna go through burnout. Is there a way to avoid it? Is there a way to keep it at bay through energy management solutions that work for you and your family? Also, we're gonna go through building a business and how that might actually make you a more empowered mom who can design a family life that is almost like run like a business with heart, of course. We're also gonna go through investing in your wellbeing and why you might want to pay for the child care, pay for the VAs before you turn a profit. So the conversation today is something that I personally really needed. Today's guest is none other than the co-founder behind Motherly, current founder of Founding Women, a career community supporting female founders through expert led small groups and accelerators. The name of today's guest is Liz Tenety.




    00:02:21 Melissa: I am thrilled to have her perspective. She's a mom of five and she knows what it takes in order to run a venture backed startup. She also knows what it takes in terms of the requirements that having a big family have on our energy levels and sources. So enjoy the conversation. Definitely. Let me know what you think in terms of the possibilities for you to almost piece together your own childcare solutions, piece together your own resources so that you can have that opportunity to invest in your wellbeing upfront, so that you can actually launch your business, build your business, scale your business, and make whatever vision you have for your business turn into a reality that you are better off for, you and your family. That's what it's about here. So enjoy the conversation.




    00:03:17 Melissa: This episode is brought to you by a masterclass I want to formally and cordially invite you to on September 23rd. We're gonna go through a focused 30 day networking strategy that is gonna help you end the year strong. It is about having a company vision that energizes you. It is about, and we're gonna go through how to focus, where to apply your finite focus as a mom, and also how to actually navigate feeling like an imposter at times so that you get billed and really enhance the profitable relationships that are going to take your business to the next level. This is happening on September 23rd. I know, I know, right now we are just getting our kids back to school and that might not be on your top of mind list, but I want to just give you some of the details that we're going to run through. And I want to invite you to sign up today for my newsletter so that you're the very first to hear of when I opened the doors for this masterclass that will be live for one hour on September 23rd, which is a Monday. So just go to fertileideas.com. Go ahead and grab my free networking playbook while you're at it, and that will instantly put you on the list. So on September 23rd, here's what you're in for.




    00:04:45 Melissa: You are going to 100% have a really good idea on how to make your company vision, which a lot of you might call your origin story or that description on your website that describes what you do, who you are and why, and have it work for you. Have it energize you, have it feel more aligned and have it almost like contribute to that pep in your step. The second thing we're going to do is we're going to narrow your focus. And here's what I mean by that. It is not about, you know, not, it's not about being in monk mode. It's not about going to a retreat in some cottage in Canada. No, it is about understanding what you need to accomplish to make the end of this year, 2024, align with what you had originally intended this year to look like in terms of your revenue, in terms of your business, in terms of whatever creative endeavor you have out there. And the third point, which I mentioned a little earlier is, you know, on a path to building a business, there are moments where you might start second guessing yourself. You might encounter self doubt that mental chatter that I don't know if I'm ready might pop up. I want you to have a proactive plan this year so that the end of the year, you don't have regrets. I wish I would have, I wish I would have pressed send. I wish I would have published my book. I wish I would have, you know, launched my podcast, I wish I would have asked for, you know, bigger donation dollars for my nonprofit. I don't want you to have that on your heart.




    00:06:11 Melissa: I want you to be totally prepared and ready for a strong end to 2024. So quick, quick, quick to do go to fertileideas.com. That'll be in the show notes and sign up. Get the playbook while you're at it. I have a networking playbook that also helps you start to build profitable relationships and it is so useful whether you are an introvert or an extrovert or somewhere in between There's such a thing as an ambivert. So go ahead to fertile ideas comm get the playbook. Here's the thing I'm gonna be pricing it about $14.99 so you could totally wait and get it later, but today right now it is free for mom founders to go to fertileideas.com, that is how you get in my email newsletter and that is also how you have first persons access to the details around this masterclass that will be live will be on September 23rd and will be all for mom founders who want to end the year strong.




    00:07:09 Melissa: So go ahead right now. I'll give you a second hit pause and sign up for the playbook. So you get on the newsletter and you're the first to know about this masterclass is going to change the way you end 2024. I look forward to seeing you there and enjoy the conversation with Liz Tennedy. I'm so excited that she joined me on The Mom Founder Imagination Hub. So Liz, I am so excited to have you here on the mom found her imagination hub. I love that you're putting on chapstick. That is so mom of you in the morning. How are you?




    00:07:41 Liz: I'm great. I slept well last night and kids are healthy. The babysitter's here. We're nearing the end of summer break. So I'm feeling hopeful about the future, even the next couple of weeks.




    00:07:56 Melissa: Yeah, I think they call it summer break, but I feel like we end up kind of breaking, if we don't have everything like structured out and our resources in place. And so I get it. I get it. But here's here's something that I would love to speak with you about in great depth, right? For as long as we have the time. Burnout. Let's let's like dive deeply into burnout. I mean, in terms of your experiences and now with what you're doing with Founding Women, I know that it's top of mind. I know that it's part of, you know, wellness as a solution, but here's kind of my thought on burnout and I wanna hear what you think. So I feel like having a narrow focus is one way to kind of proactively address burnout or not get to that place. But then I also think, so I have lots of thoughts, but I'll just share my second and I'll stop there. I also think that we have different points at which we reach burnout. So I might reach burnout after X hours of work sitting down at my computer, whereas someone else might have a different burnout point. So here's the question I asked myself legit. How can I work really hard and long right before my burnout point so I don't get to that place where it's hard to get back?




    00:09:22 Liz: I mean, it's such a huge, huge topic. I think something I always personally love to do is to zoom way out. And by that, I don't just mean for my own life. I actually mean like on the horizon of time and human history, how are humans doing work and life in other cultures, in other times, like a hundred years ago, 10,000 years ago? Because my own like little life hypothesis is that we're living in unbelievably unprecedented times, particularly for mothers in the West who, you know, live these nuclear family lives. They have less sort of social support than ever, right? And we also have in its place no structural support, no political support, no corporate culture support for motherhood to kind of put my own struggles and the struggles of other parents, but especially moms that I encounter like in this context of, sure, by a lot of measures, we have things better than in human history.




    00:10:36 Liz: But if you look at other groups of measures like social support, belonging, meaning, I think we're actually really struggling. And so just knowing that helps me not feel so alone and feel like the struggle is real, like it's not just all up in my head. So that helps. And I'm always zooming out for my own problems and the daily struggles, because it really helps to put things in perspective for me. You mentioned narrow focus, which I find really interesting. And I don't know that I have like one answer. And frankly, I think any productivity guru who's giving you one answer or one framework is lying to you in different seasons of life. And I think that's particularly true for women and those who bear children that there's literally seasons that happen in your body and we need to respect them, but there's also seasons throughout the year. Capitalism acts like everything is always upward on the trajectory and it's not. We do need those seasons of rest and recovery that are just natural to being a human, especially being a woman, especially being a mother. So pushing back on that idea that it's always, you know, upwards. Anyway, get back to narrow focus. When I heard you talk about narrow focus, it reminded me of Greg McEwen's book, Essentialism, which I read, let's see, six years ago, and I found it so helpful, and I found it like such a relief.




    00:12:10 Liz: I was running my startup at the time or venture back startup, we were in total growth mode. I mean, it was so intense every single day. I read it on vacation that I took. And one of the one of the anecdotes in that book is about a large family. I think I think it was a stay at home mom and like a traditional working, you know, in the office dad. I remember that they had six kids. And the story was that that couple had decided that for that season of life, they did not need to focus on their friendships, their social lives, okay? And they went really narrow. It's about raising the kids and running this household. Again, I get that. And that was so logical. So I kind of bought it into this idea of narrow focus, right? The only thing I told myself at that time that I had capacity for, the only things were taking care of my kids and running my startup. And I bought in on that. And what happened was I burned out. And I realized why.




    00:13:12 Liz: And actually, Greg McEwen has written a follow-up book called Effortless, like critiquing his own framework here because then I realized, you know, in the pandemic and in the years that followed, as I approached 40, not having friends is actually a recipe for me, for burnout, not focusing on pleasure and rest and play. That I got so narrow that I didn't even allow myself to do things that were actually holistically good for me as a human being. So, and yeah, I'm attracted to the idea of like going narrow and not and letting certain things fall by the wayside. I do think depending on your season of life though, really looking holistically at like, what do I, what do I actually need to be refueled for this journey?



    00:14:03 Liz: And kind of doing that 360 view of it is really critical. And I think for me, being too narrow and saying, oh, I don't have time for friends. I don't have time to work out. I don't have time for wellness. I'll prioritize that in a different season. That's actually ironically the thing that led me to burnout and then decide like, okay, I need a hard break with what, you know, the life that I've been living in a big reset, which is what I did about three years ago.




    00:14:29 Melissa: Yeah. And it's interesting because when I talk about focus, what I mean is focusing on what gives you energy. And it doesn't necessarily mean taking everything off your plate. You might actually want to add things to your plate that energize you, like in your case, friendships, right? Or playing with your child, you know, playing pretend and things like that. That magical moment and experience can make you more excited when you're out there marketing, you know, your solution. And so I totally get what you're saying. I think our focus for what helps us avoid burnout.




    00:15:11 Melissa: It's different. It's different from me. It's different for you, you know, like maybe, maybe I have social anxiety. I know some clients of mine, they suffer with that. And so the thought of them like going out in the world and such is draining on them, you know, but like virtual coffee chats as an example, might be really uplifting and helpful. So I think your point is perfect. Absolutely perfect. So let me ask you this question, because I feel like it's like the elephant in the room, right? For a lot of moms that found a business. So you mentioned two big, big, big things that were going on in terms of mothering your children, of which you have five, right? You have five. And running a business. So those two things, like I feel like the other side of it is, okay, how do you prevent burnout? I think we also have to be honest about the things in our lives that contribute to burnout that are not just you know, pitching clients or getting investors, but also untangling fights between siblings or schlepping someone from point A to point B and you know, there being traffic. And I don't have a spreadsheet that says, here are all the things that I think about that drain me from a family perspective, but I do have a list of to-dos from a business perspective.




    00:16:34 Melissa: So looking at both sides, would you say that you have found in talking to founding women and learning about moms, through motherly and other means, have you found that maybe we're not being honest enough with the things that are really on our list? There are some invisible things that are not on our list that drain us.




    00:16:54 Liz: I love that. Yeah, that makes so much sense. I love your framework around energy management and I think it's sort of surging as a concept and people are growing in their awareness of this idea of focusing on what you have energy for and the sources of energy drain so that you can be in that zone of genius more frequently. And also, you know, you mentioned playing with your kids. I got some great advice a decade ago from a friend and I've tried to practice it, which is that I try to set up opportunities for play for kids that I enjoy. I don't like board games. I just like, I don't like that.




    00:17:36 Liz: And I don't like terrible cartoon character books, you know, the little books with like Paw Patrol, like aesthetically, like it offends me, you know? So I try to like play a basketball. I love playing basketball with my son. So I'll try to do something with my child that I enjoy and read, choose the book that is going to bring me pleasure to read with my kid.





    00:18:00 Liz: So even in parenting, looking, taking inventory of how do I use that, even in the car. I want to put music on that I'm going to enjoy, that I'm going to get energy from. And, you know, they're kind of whining in the background because, like, they don't like my weird music. Like, I'm fine with that. I, you know, I am the driver. I am the parent. I'm going to decide that, you know, we're listening to music that I enjoy. You know, you also are reminding me of. Something that I talk to my husband about all the time, which is that we're trying to build a life for ourselves and an integrated work and life work business family that we haven't quite seen modeled in our you know, micro communities.




    00:18:44 Liz: You know, we've seen it kind of out there vaguely with like influencers who kind of live that more integrated family lifestyle. And by that I mean like family businesses or having a unique work family blend or being digital nomads and that kind of thing, which we're not, but I find that general concept interesting. And that is this, that if we want to live a little bit more intentionally, a little bit more unconventionally, we are going to have to find solutions for our family that we haven't seen modeled. And so something I love about your work is just your appreciation for creative genius and outside of the box solutions.




    00:19:30 Liz: But to get very specific, I realized a few years ago that I was hiring babysitters at nights or on the weekends so that I could catch up on housework or paperwork, you know, all the like logistics. So I realized, okay, wait a minute, instead of paying someone to watch my kids so I can clean, I should hire house help with that extra money. funds that I might have so that I could spend that time with my kids. And similarly, I recently hired a VA, a virtual assistant, right? So it's 600 bucks a month. I don't pay my bills anymore. They get paid, but my VA pays the bills, plans activities, buys tickets and airfare for trips.




    00:20:18 Liz: Anything that's like weighing on me, even something this week I asked her to do was make sure the kids were signed up for the right bus for their school, all of that long, long, long, long list. I think of it like building scaffolding around our family where there's that long family list and I'm able to get support in things that aren't bringing me energy and that are taking away from my capacity to be focused on my kids at that time or on my work. The last part of where we are as a family with this I have to give my husband a lot of credit. We're working really hard in this season of life to get our kids much more actively involved in like solving the problems or the work of the family.




    00:21:05 Liz: So having a heavier chore list for them, having them make sure they're doing their own laundry, having very clear assignments. In fact, last night my daughter was working on the meal plan and adding the ingredients to our grocery card on my phone. And so we think of it like a team. And when we think of our family as a team and as your kids get older, I'm finding it helpful and instructive and good for them to be more involved in making this team like function as a group. So those are some of the creative ways that I found to over time make this all work in a way that decreases my personal burnout.




    00:21:49 Melissa: That makes sense, a lot of sense. I mean, I've definitely had someone that was talking about fair play and just, you know, making sure that everybody picks up different responsibilities and the mom, for the most part, doesn't feel so like, you know, out of control. So I totally hear what you're saying. I have to ask this question. It's something that is really pressing on my mind because a lot of the clients that I've supported.




    00:22:14 Melissa: It's almost like they wait until a certain magic number from a revenue perspective or a certain magic age of their kids to start hiring any resources. Yeah. Right. So I heard and this could be totally fictional, but I heard one mom say, oh, I had a coach that said, you know, before, like, make $100,000 in your business and then hire a VA, for example. And so she split it in half. She said, how about $50,000 and then I hire a VA. Here's the chicken and egg question. It's like, as a mom, to be very brutally honest, I don't know how to keep up with the competition if I'm not upfront hiring resources before I make $1. Like help me untangle this.




    00:23:11 Liz: I couldn't agree more and I don't presume to speak for other people's budgets and you know people have a wide variety of needs and things that they're paying for. I will say that you know as we've become parents, we were 27 when we became parents, we're about to turn 40 this year. So we make significantly more money today than we did you know when we were 27 and we had our first child and the vast majority of that income, the extra income that we made has been reinvested in quality childcare that makes our lives easier as parents in some housekeeping support. We have less now than we've had in the past because our kids are more capable.




    00:23:53 Liz: But when I was working at the start or running my startup full-time, you know, I was not doing any housework. That was like a weekly job and or someone was coming in to do the laundry. We have looked at like school budgets, right? Like our kids haven't necessarily gone to the preschool that we really wanted them to go to because literally my husband showed me if you choose this preschool, we choose this preschool, like we can't have housekeeping support. So we chose like the more affordable option so that we could put that money back into having a housekeeper and help us with the laundry and the maintenance of our home.




    00:24:34 Liz: So, and we don't take many vacations, if any, will go travel to visit our families. We've even started driving 10 hour trips, 12 hour trips to go visit family to cut down on the cost of our vacations because I truly believe that early investment in my wellbeing is the thing that's gonna allow me to build my next business and kind of align my professional life with the integrated family life that I really want.




    00:25:03 Liz: That being said, like it's so, so hard out there for working moms. We lack affordable childcare. We lack maternity leave policies. So I have nothing but empathy and I want people to know that if they are just truly looking at their budgets and saying like, I can't make this work, it's not your fault. You know, we, we have to pay, is it in some cities, you know, twice the cost of housing for our childcare. And there's no other country on earth that asks this of families.




    00:25:34 Liz: So, you know, I feel your pain and it's not easy to make these numbers work. That being said, reinvesting yourself is absolutely the best thing that you can do and, you know, do it flexibly. I've had certain VA services that didn't work out and I no longer work with them. The one that I'm using now is phenomenal and I'm recommending them to others. But there's a book called Design Your Life, which is out of the Stanford D school and this whole idea of using prototypes, right? Lightweight prototypes to find solutions is one that I think my husband and I have tried and applied. And we keep trying different solutions to make this work in our various stages of life.




    00:26:15 Melissa: Yeah. I mean, I, it's so interesting because I think so much great thinking comes out of these world-class institutions, right? I know you're at Georgetown and for me, I have relationships with Tuck but what I will say the one really big missing piece of the puzzle is okay. So that's nice if you wanna work in a big corporate environment, go up the ranks, et cetera, or have a startup, I'm thinking about Stanford, right? With its entrepreneurial leanings. But then what happens when you've had no sleep? Or what happens when you have one child and then you have five, you know, there's all these changes that are not just logical spreadsheet solutions, but they're emotional conversations that a lot of founding moms have in our heads that take up our finite energy.




    00:27:04 Melissa: Okay, so here's something else that I was super curious to hear your thoughts on. So asking for help and just, you know, resources. I was having this like conversation with a mom, you know, over me with the margarita, her with the tea, and she said, you know, I've met all these like moms that have these fabulous businesses and they have legions of support, legions. And that's not what I heard you say right now. I heard that it's quite the adjustable team building setup. Say more on maybe the first step. Like how can somebody just incrementally build a team so that they don't have to like go all out and think, oh, it's all or nothing. But you know, there's this one resource and second and third.




    00:27:51 Liz: So I guess over the decade of that, I've been a mom and an entrepreneur, I've learned how to think really creatively about time. And you know, all like working moms know that all of a sudden we can get a whole day's worth of work done in just a few hours. And that kind of may have seemed impossible before motherhood, but we just get this incredible focus. So I have been there. I mean, when I was a first, when I was a new working mom, I could not afford full time childcare. So I had four hours in the morning, I had lunch with my son, and then I worked as hard as I could during his two hour nap, right. So I kind of got to seven hours of work, working that way, just working around nap time.




    00:28:36 Liz: I also have joined gyms where there's two hours of childcare and a little cafe that you can sit in. And so for like 200 bucks a month, you get two hours of childcare a day, whether or not you work out, which is a pretty great deal. You know, YMCAs have free childcare and are really affordable in a lot of communities. So I would think, you know, I would not bat an eye at doing that. I've also heard of entrepreneur moms setting up childcare swaps with other entrepreneurs. So one mom takes the kids one day, another mom, the next.




    00:29:13 Liz: I also just, you know, encourage people to think about what they really need help with. Cause sometimes I think, do I really need more childcare and to spend a thousand dollars next week on full-time childcare or do I need to assign this project? To my VA or hire someone on Upwork to get this job done, right? I also think looking at the weekends, which I can often get taken over by kid activities, but my husband and I are working hard now to make sure that we each have designated time on the weekends to ourselves so that we can recover a little bit from the week and be able to be more intentional with, with our kids. So I guess not that I have an easy answer, but trying to think really creatively about your team, your time, where to find really dedicated pockets of time.




    00:30:06 Liz: Lastly, I work from home. I've worked full-time from home for 12 years since becoming a mom. But this afternoon, I'm going to a cafe because talk about the space-time continuum. I can somehow be so much more creative and productive and I can put my headphones on and get a latte and sit down and crank workout in a cafe environment. Like that energy is really good for me creatively. And so again, it's like, it is about energy, it is about time, it is about money and all those things kind of intersect and just encouraging people to use their creativity.




    00:30:41 Liz: Also, ChatGPT is blowing my mind every single day. And so when I have like thorny questions of how do I solve this weird problem that I've never even talked to someone about? ChatGPT is surprising me with what it's able to suggest. So even AI tools and things like that are able to kind of introduce serendipity into our lives when we realize that, you know, no great company is built alone. And in a lot of ways for me, I learned better how to run my family and think about what it means to lead a family by running a company and seeing no one can, I can't scale a startup by myself. I need talent to be in their zone of genius and we need to work together on a shared mission. And that over time is how I've tried to operate our family more and more intentionally, learning from running my company.




    00:31:32 Melissa: I love that. That's the opposite direction or the other direction that Zibby Owens suggested. So Zibby Owens was on Mom Founders Imagination Hub. And she was saying how being a stay at home mom has helped her build out her business and the Zibby verse. Right. So that's like one direction. And then now you are sharing how it helps in the opposite direction too. Right. So founding the business, building the business, being a mom. And I feel like I'm kind of in between because I literally launched my business with my firstborn on my chest. Like I went to that first sales meeting with my baby in my Ergo baby. And he had a diaper blowout and I closed the sale. But Manhattan is all the better for that experience.




    00:32:25 Melissa: [unclear] I love this. I love this. And you know what? You have a fertile imagination to say the least. And I think that is, it's huge. It's one worthy that anyone listening should totally check you out. Totally check out Founding Women, go to the website. And just use that expansive thinking to figure out the best solution for yourself, because your energy needs might be different than Liz's energy needs and my own. And so we need to each do our due diligence to see what works best for us and our family. So thank you so much, Liz. And so I appreciate you so much, Liz, for this conversation. And I would love to just hear more about where listeners can... follow you and learn more about what you're building for us.




    00:33:15 Liz: Sure, well, thank you for that. My husband went to Stanford Business School and I did not attend but I did start motherly while he was in business school. And I'm on a list serve with all these women who are moms coming out of Stanford GSB, right? So high powered business women and they're about seven years post MBA right now, seven to ten years post MBA. And all of these high powered women are wrestling with this exact thing. So it's just really interesting to have like a sneak peek into that.




    00:33:44 Liz: I am building a new support community for female founders. It is the community that I did not have. I think, you know, there's awesome career communities out there for ambitious women. Chief is, you know, the big famous one among them. But in my experience, founders, entrepreneurs are... much more motivated by this idea of freedom, of building an asset, of controlling your schedule. And the challenges that we face are quite different as female founders trying to build in that way. So people can go to foundingwomen.co. You can also look me up on LinkedIn, where I share more information about our community and also just supportive resources for female founders. So my name is Liz Tenety, T-E-N-E-T-Y. I'm hoping eventually to launch my own personal Instagram.




    00:34:34 Liz: But I'm also the co-founder of Motherly. So if you are a mom and kind of in the midst of intense, you know, motherhood seasons, we provide expert support and resources on Instagram and our website, and you can find us at @mother.ly.




    00:34:49 Melissa: Here are the three things that you will want to really think through pertaining to how to make your life better, how to feel more energized, more enthusiastic about what's ahead. Point number one, investing in your wellbeing before you turn a profit, understanding that everyone's budget is going to be different, and also understanding that you might feel uncertain in terms of what is coming up in the markets, et cetera. It is still a choice that you can make if you already are using some dollars for other sort of components of your childcare experience, right?




    00:35:24 Melissa: So what I loved about Liz was that she didn't necessarily come up with some extra magic money. She instead with her husband made a decision. Either the kids go to childcare or go to a preschool that is higher priced, or we figure out a more affordable solution for their childcare or for their preschool and use the remainder or what's leftover or the extra for whatever it might be, cleaning the house. And so that is very inventive in the sense that it's not so much like asking for more, but doing different with the dollars that you intended to spend anyways.




    00:36:03 Melissa: Second point, and again, this is before turning a profit if that is available to you. It is an investment. It's a different way of seeing things. The second point that I think is really worth thinking through for yourself is that burnout is not necessarily about being in monk mode, going to a retreat and being secluded from family and friends. You might get so much energy from hanging out with your loved ones. And why would you avoid that source of energy? You're a mom, there's finite energy. And if that is important to you, it is important for you to include that in terms of your, you know, avoid burnout plan.




    00:36:43 Melissa: Here's the third point in terms of building a business. Zibby Owens actually in another podcast, which I will link in the show notes. She said that she learned how to build her business and be a team leader from being a stay at home mom. Here, Liz provides the opposite. She shares how building her business, so co-founding Motherly and now founding Women, is helping her really navigate motherhood and build a lifestyle and family life experience that is quote unquote sustainable and I don't know, maybe scalable if that's the right word in that instance. Either way, I would encourage you to really reimagine how you approach your life experience and how you intend to build up or scale your business given this conversation with Liz.




    00:37:34 Melissa: I think there was a lot here that can be shared with other moms. I think anyone that is starting or thinking about launching a business needs to hear this conversation. So go ahead and share this episode with them today. You could share it either on iTunes or right here. Be sure that if you do share it on YouTube, which I would love, be sure that you share it with them and you just give them a heads up that they're about to change their perspective on whether or not it's possible to avoid burnout with few or limited resources. I think this conversation offered enough food for thought.




    00:38:12 Melissa: So thank you so much. And until next Tuesday, did you subscribe? Did you actually hit the notification bell on YouTube? And if you're listening on iTunes or anywhere else this podcast is heard, did you hit follow? You just have the tiny little things that make a really big difference and encourage me to continue to pump content out like this for other moms. Moms who we have to use our imagination in order to carve a path that we may have never seen laid out for us before. Thank you so much.

  • 242: How to Manage a Full Plate and Still Grow Your Business and Enter to Win a Guest Spot on This Podcast!

    242: How to Manage a Full Plate and Still Grow Your Business and Enter to Win a Guest Spot on This Podcast!

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Ever feel like you're running at full capacity and still not getting everything done? We've all been there! This back-to-school season will also come with new things to consider adding to your already full plate. If you’ve had a business for more than three years, you know it’s coming
 opportunities to fill up your calendar with new trainings, activities for the kids, and business trips to plan and close out your year. Given this common fall flurry of evaluations and additions to your already full plate, I wanted to share with you my personal filter system. There are three things that I have been asking myself over the last 13 years that have helped me decide for myself based on my priorities: what to participate in, purchase, or remove from my plate. There are so many examples.



    However, before I share my three filters for evaluating what to add to my plate or remove, I want to give you one heck of an opportunity today that ends on Monday, August 12, 2024, at 5 p.m. CST. You have a chance to enter to win a guest spot on this podcast! Sign up for my newsletter, and you will be entered!

    Imagine being a guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, sharing your story, and inspiring thousands of fellow mompreneurs. This week, I'm offering you a chance to win a spot on my podcast!

    All you have to do is visit www.fertileideas.com and sign up for my newsletter between today and the next six days. By signing up, you'll not only stay updated with the latest tips and strategies to grow your business, but you'll also be entered into a drawing for a guest spot on my show.

    There are a host of sections where you can sign-up on my website from the networking playbook, to grabbing a chapter of my book fertile imagination, or taking 5 minutes if you are stuck to take the quiz.

    Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to elevate your brand and reach a wider audience. I'll announce the lucky winner in next week's episode. So head over to www.fertileideas.com right now and sign up. Rules apply: listen to the episode for those rules to win.

    Let’s jump into this episode. Today, I share a personal story from my book Fertile Imagination about the time I invested in Tony Robbins' Business Mastery live event. It was a big investment—$10K for five days, plus travel to Florida and time away from my three kids. But the chance to feel reinvigorated was worth it, so I jumped on the early bird discount.

    I'm diving into the idea of having a "full plate" and how, as mom founders, we can navigate the flood of opportunities that come our way. I'll share three key filters – alignment, better way, and transferability which I use to decide whether to take on new opportunities, even when things feel overwhelming.

    So, before you say, 'I have too much on my plate,' consider these filters. It might not be about adding more, but about replacing what doesn't align with your current goals with something that does.

    Tune in to hear how these filters can help you make informed decisions, prioritize what's important, and grow both personally and professionally. Whether you're navigating a busy schedule or looking to seize new opportunities, these insights are here to help you thrive!



    In this episode, you will hear:

    How you can enter a drawing to be a podcast guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub i.e. sign-up for any of the free resources on www.fertileideas.com by August 12th, 2024 by 5pm CST to be eligible to win this drawing. Winners will be emailed. Listen to details today. You can be my next podcast guest! Mom founders you want visibility. Enter the contest by simply signing up for anything on www.fertileideas.com

    Using specific filters to evaluate new personal and professional growth opportunities, such as urgency, alignment, and growth potential.

    How to periodically reassess what’s on your plate to ensure it reflects your current priorities and goals.

    Ideas on creatively rearranging commitments to manage time zones and deadlines effectively which requires expansive thinking i.e. your imagination.

    Ways to see whether new business growth strategies can enhance your current methods and whether they are justified to go on your plate.

    The key to determining if learning a new skill is worthwhile especially if you have lots of other options available to you i.e. are there key skills that are higher value like networking?

    An easy decision-making framework Melissa has used over the last 13-years to determine whether to invest in a particular course, community, or event when her plate has been busy i.e. three kids, global relocations, and life.

    Imagine being a guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, sharing your story, and inspiring thousands of fellow mompreneurs. This week, I'm offering you a chance to win a spot on my podcast!

    All you have to do is visit www.fertileideas.com and sign up for my newsletter between today and the next six days. By signing up, you'll not only stay updated with the latest tips and strategies to grow your business, but you'll also be entered into a drawing for a guest spot on my show.

    There are a host of sections where you can sign-up on my website from the networking playbook, to grabbing a chapter of my book fertile imagination, or taking 5 minutes if you are stuck to take the quiz.

    Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to elevate your brand and reach a wider audience. I'll announce the lucky winner in next week's episode. So head over to www.fertileideas.com right now and sign up.

    About Melissa Llarena

    I’m a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).

    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    "Networking is so transferable and it is not going away and it is how deals are done." -Melissa Llarena

    "Your capability is constant. But how much of it you use depends upon who you think you really are." - Tony Robbins

    "I know that you're going to have a lot on your plate. This is not going to change. There are ways however to reimagine what gets to be on your plate and what doesn’t." - Melissa Llarena

    "I don't want you to miss out on an opportunity that makes sense just because you have a lot on your plate. THIS is where you can use your superpower --- your fertile imagination." - Melissa Llarena

    SHARE this episode and head over to fertileideas.com and sign up for our newsletter within the next six days. You’ll gain access to valuable insights, a chance to participate in our raffle, and the opportunity to be featured on the podcast. Don’t miss out—act now to unlock your next big opportunity!




    Supporting Resources:

    Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

    Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/

    Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

  • 241: Imperfectly Perfect: Dr. Kathy Zhang’s Key Strategies for Leveraging Authenticity and Achieving Impact

    241: Imperfectly Perfect: Dr. Kathy Zhang’s Key Strategies for Leveraging Authenticity and Achieving Impact

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Are you feeling trapped in the cycle of perfectionism, preventing you from sharing your work with the world? If so, you're not alone in your struggle. Discover how to embrace imperfection and unlock your true potential as we explore an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Kathy Zhang at Podcast Movement. With her background in end-of-life care, Dr. Zhang provides a unique perspective on embracing authenticity and imperfection. As a certified life coach, hypnotist, and host of The Purpose Filter podcast, she offers valuable insights on overcoming perfectionism to lead a more fulfilled and meaningful life.

    Drawing from her hospice care experience, Dr. Zhang highlighted that end-of-life regrets often stem from not being genuine, not from failing to achieve perfection. Our discussion emphasized overcoming perfectionism and embracing authenticity for greater personal and professional growth. Tune in to learn how letting go of perfection can help you execute your business ideas and focus on what truly matters.

    If you have an important project saved on your laptop that you’ve been meaning to start or complete but haven’t gotten around to, I want to hear from you! DM me on Instagram at MelissaLlarena with details about your project, and let’s work together to bring it to life. Your ideas deserve to be shared, and I’m here to help you make it happen!

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Impact of near-death experiences on perspectives and actions Finding inspiration and motivation from external sources Pattern interruption and transformative change Avoiding pain and seeking pleasure on behaviors Making peace with doing things imperfectly Impact of perfectionism on taking action Authenticity in relationships, mental and emotional health, and physical well-being

    This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide For Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower For Maximum Impact – My book is now available on Amazon in its paperback version and Kindle format. Grab a free chapter on www.fertileideas.com.

    DM me on Instagram @melissallarena just type the word FERTILE and I’ll share the link if that’s easier to get to fertileideas.com for all the details you need to celebrate your own Fertile Imagination! Here’s that link: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

  • 240: The Mom Founder's Handbook: Overcoming Challenges and Avoiding Common Outreach Mistakes for Successful Business Growth

    240: The Mom Founder's Handbook: Overcoming Challenges and Avoiding Common Outreach Mistakes for Successful Business Growth

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Hey there, welcome back to another episode of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast! Today, we're diving into three super common mistakes that mom founders often make when they're reaching out to prospective investors, partners, alliances or even internal sponsors of their business ideas. Trust me, these are totally avoidable!

    So, let me tell you about this one mom founder I know. She had this amazing idea for a TV show, but when she pitched it, she made a few missteps that could have been easily avoided. First off, she didn't really understand who the decision maker was. Big no-no! It's so important to know who you're talking to and what makes them tick.

    Next, she didn't take the time to figure out what actually mattered to the person she was pitching to. You gotta know what their priorities are! And finally, she didn't contextualize her pitch. You can't just throw your idea out there without showing how it fits into the bigger picture i.e. how does your solution fit into your target audience’s portfolio or performance goals.

    Being a mom founder comes with unique challenges, especially when balancing entrepreneurship and family life. I understand completely. That’s why I’m here to provide practical advice and support to ensure your next pitch gets you to the bargaining table (vs. is ignored).!

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Understanding the decision maker and contextualizing the pitch

    Unique challenges faced by mom founders in balancing entrepreneurship and family life

    Challenges of navigating family life while pursuing entrepreneurship

    Failure to consider the perspective of the person being pitched to

    Lack of understanding of what matters to the person being pitched to

    Contextualizing the pitch to fit the specific industry or sector

    Need for thorough research and due diligence before reaching out to potential partners or investors

    Thoughtful and strategic communication in building successful business relationships

    In the car driving? Pause this episode and write this down. Book a free consult with Melissa this week. Go to www.melissallarena.com/sessions. Let’s role-play one conversation you intend to have this week. You are a founder with a baked idea and you are currently in the pitching process whether it’s for investment dollars or after you’ve gotten investment dollars and now you are on the hook for speeding up your business development efforts!

    You can tell me who I should be in this role-play, and I’ll tell you what red flags I hear and whether a VIP day is right for you.

    Here’s what you can expect during your VIP day and I want to be transparent. Spots for my VIP Days are extremely limited. I'm offering just 3 spots this month, and after that, this opportunity may never come around again. This is your chance to fast-track your connections and propel your business forward in just 3 hours.

    Here's what you can expect:

    Tailored Strategy Session: Before the VIP Networking Day, you'll receive a simple questionnaire. This prework is designed to optimize our time together, ensuring every minute counts. We'll dive deep into your business goals, target investors, potential podcast guests/partners, or media contacts, and current networking challenges, setting the stage for maximum productivity.

    Real-Time Guidance: Once we're live on Zoom, it's all about action. Together, we'll roll up our sleeves and dive into the heart of networking. I won't just talk strategy; we'll implement it in real-time. Using the insights gathered from your prework, we'll identify and reach out to potential investors, podcast guests/partners, or media giants on the spot. You'll witness firsthand how to craft compelling outreach messages and make meaningful connections that matter.

    Strategic Outreach: Cold outreach can be daunting, but not anymore. With my guidance, you'll confidently reach out to potential investors, podcast guests, or media contacts during our session. Whether it's through email, LinkedIn, or other channels, you'll have a clear plan of action and the confidence to execute it in real-time.

    Follow-Up Mastery: The conversation doesn't end with the initial outreach. I'll equip you with a follow-up strategy designed to nurture relationships and keep investors, podcast guests/partners, or media contacts engaged. From timely follow-up emails to strategic touchpoints, you'll have all the tools you need to move prospects closer to funding, secure podcast appearances, or establish relationships with influential media personalities.

    By the end of our VIP Networking Day, you'll feel empowered, energized, and ready to conquer the world of networking. Say goodbye to wasted time and missed opportunities. With our tailored approach, you'll unlock the door to funding success, captivating podcast episodes, or media exposure and propel your business forward.

    Because this is SO important and so easy to fix
.the elevator pitch itself
for starters
..I want you to sign up for the 30-minute complimentary session before you step out there and start pitching yourself to anyone
..let me give you quick tips that can be the difference between getting to pitch your idea or being totally shut out and ignored
..so go to www.melissallarena.com/sessions today....the VIP day are limited and may not be right for you right now but the free sessions are available today
no reason not to share your pitch with me.



    About Melissa Llarena

    I’m a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).

    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    “First impressions happen one time, and yes, you can totally turn it around, but you're a mom founder. The time you spent making that first impression, the guts it took to put yourself out there, is something that you're now going to have to work up to yet again.”



    “When it comes to being a mom founder or being a mom with a business, it is urgent that you really, really stay sharp in terms of coming up with unexpected or new or shortcut ways to reach out to everyone and anyone.”



    “If you want to do business on your own terms as you have opted to as a mom founder, you don't want to not be yourself when you're doing business. That was part of the purpose of owning your own thing along with solving a challenge, being mission-driven, and heart-centered.”



    “I know the effort it takes to think through a product, I know the effort it takes to see a product market fit, and I know the effort it's going to take to implement whatever it is that you promise to the people on your list.”



    SHARE this episode and elevate your business! Master effective networking and pitching by avoiding common mistakes and adopting personalized communication strategies. Make a lasting impression and build meaningful connections and start transforming your pitch today!




    Supporting Resources:

    Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

    Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/

    Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.




    TRANSCRIPT




    00:00:00 Melissa: First impressions happen one time. And yes, you can totally turn around, but you're a Mom Founder. And what distinguishes you versus someone that might not have kids is the fact that that time you spent in making that first impression, the guts it took to put yourself out there, that is something that you're now gonna have to work up to yet again. And it is way harder to constantly fall down and get back up, fall down and get back up when you're navigating family life in parallel.




    00:00:39 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going, and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood.




    00:01:01 Melissa: Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm going to give you the mindset, methods and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.




    00:01:32 Melissa: Hey there, it's Melissa Llarena, your host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. So we're gonna tackle today three avoidable mistakes that often mom founders make right when they begin to outreach their network or talk to complete strangers so that their business can grow. So three avoidable mistakes. Let me share a story first.




    00:01:57 Melissa: I had a wonderful conversation the other day with a mom who was so psyched about this TV show that she wants to put out into the world. And she has an outreach list of organizations and different individuals in those organizations that she wants to pitch her idea to. So she's thinking companies like Lego, companies like Hasbro, you get the drip. And here's the thing. She was so excited about her elevator pitch. I mean, she was just so ready to roll with it, and I wanted to hear it.




    00:02:32 Melissa: So of course, she went ahead, she memorized it, and I can tell that she spent probably hours upon hours really refining it with her peers. And she said it, and then I kind of felt these like internal crickets. And that brings me to today's episode. I don't want you to make the same mistakes that this super excited, well-intentioned Mom Founder made.




    00:03:00 Melissa: The mistake was the following. Once I heard her pitch, I was like, okay, first of all, who was I supposed to be? Like there's some key questions that as you are putting yourself out there, pitching your business idea to potential investors or partners, that you've got to ask yourself. And if you don't actually think about what you're going to say and whether or not is going to resonate with the other person, then you've completely failed. So that was point number one.




    00:03:32 Melissa: Who was I supposed to be? I had no idea. I was just listening to the pitch and I was like, wow. My hair felt like wind was blowing, but it was kind of like hot air because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to prioritize in terms of the information that she shared. The other question was, okay, so now that I'm this person in her case, marketing director, let's imagine, then what do you perceive to be so important to me? And in terms of the pitch that this person shared, I didn't really catch that. I wasn't able to discern what she perceived to be important to me.




    00:04:08 Melissa: Some other questions. Why would I, someone working for an organization, want to bring on or support a TV show that's not addictive? Now, this was super specific to the sort of content that she had worked really hard on. However, you have to understand, there might be one or two words in your pitch to an investor or a partner that simply don't make sense given that person's key performance indicators. I would want a TV show that's addictive so that this way kids watch it over and over again.




    00:04:46 Melissa: But again, if you hadn't done your homework prior to pitching, you might miss that point. And here's something else that came up when her and I were on a 30-minute complimentary session where I was listening to her pitch, this idea. So what problem are you trying to solve in my company? And I think that is something that we often do not think or consider prior to working on our super fancy put together pitches. It is so contextual. And that's why we are here today.




    00:05:20 Melissa: So the three avoidable mistakes that you will want to be mindful of if you are pitching a business idea to an organization or to someone that you admire, begin in this very, very clear manner. Know the decision maker. That's one of the three mistakes. So I originally began sharing a bit about the questions I was asking myself after she shared her pitch and I shared with her and I helped guide her.




    00:05:51 Melissa: But at the same time, that is the most important thing. You might think to yourself that, okay, my product is amazing, my service is compelling, but at the end of the day, you're talking to a human being that has a filter that is quite precise. Now, if you've pitched an organization, and you have considered an investor profile as like your go-to, who am I pitching sort of document. That's amazing. It's a start, but every single human being with whom you interact is going to have a completely different set of priorities. And you want to be mindful of that.




    00:06:32 Melissa: So you want to really know what are the job titles that you're going to encounter pertaining to this pitch? What's common. For example, is this someone that's going to be in a job for two years, 10 years, or six months? You can tell really depending on the functional area of expertise, there's some functions like marketing where the timeframe is really low. What might that mean? That might mean that whatever outcome or whatever sort of impact you intend to make has to be in the very near short term. All of this is to be considered in your pitch. And all of this is to be considered as you go through an outreach networking list.




    00:07:15 Melissa: Now, I might be calling it networking. You might call it biz dev. You might call it sales, looking for strategic partnerships. I really see it as one in the same. Why is that? Because you want to find someone with whom you're almost going the same way. It's almost like a hitchhiker. Not to say you do that and that is not safe, but let's just imagine that you're there and you're on a highway. Think locally, wherever you might be, and you're heading in one direction. You're heading north. You want to be sure that you figure out who else is heading north. You would not want to get into a car and start chatting with the driver and saying, oh, hey, why are we going south? I want to go north. That is a lot of effort.




    00:08:05 Melissa: So what does that mean? That means that you have to know the person that you are reaching out to on that long list that you probably spent hours trying to put together as a Mom Founder, which i.e. is time away from the kids. And you want to be sure that you're both going in the same direction and you are speaking their language. That brings me to the third big mistake I have noticed when it comes to going through a list of contacts that you would like to pitch your business idea, whether it is for funding or it might be for media placement.




    00:08:40 Melissa: It's really interchangeable in terms of the people that you are going to reach out to. But at the end of the day, every single person has something that matters to them that might not be so obvious to you, especially. And this is what I've noticed so much because these are the mom founders that I have partnered with through these years. It's folks that are entering a brand new market, folks that for them, maybe you know, their background was working in one sector, and this is a new sector.




    00:09:11 Melissa: So what does that mean? That means that you have to understand what matters to that person and what matters in that market. And what does that mean? That means that if you're talking to someone in procurement, they have a different set of words that they use to quantify success versus if you're talking to someone in finance, versus if you're talking to someone that is at a different level.




    00:09:37 Melissa: So I think it's really important that not just knowing who the decision maker is and actually looking up whether it's LinkedIn, and that's just surface level. There's a lot more research that needs to go into this if you're going through a list where you're asking for thousands of dollars or millions of dollars in investment, but asking at least, let me look at their career background to have a good sense of how they might approach this particular project. Right?




    00:10:07 Melissa: Okay, so knowing the decision maker, the second mistake is not understanding what matters to that person. And it could really rely on their functional area of expertise. Again, you're the mom founder, you're an expert in your product or service. However, here's the thing, the person that you're talking to, they have a lot of priorities and they have a lot of different ways of calling success and you need to speak the same language. Otherwise it is like straight up a tower of babble situation.




    00:10:37 Melissa: And you do not want that because we all know what happened. Things crumbled and things did not go so well. Okay, so again, what does this person really care about? Right, so knowing what really matters, what do they care about? What is it that they actually call what they care about? So that is mistake number two.




    00:10:58 Melissa: So these are the three mistakes that I want you to avoid. And I'll get to number three. When you have a list of contacts that you're going through because you just came up with an invention or you have a business solution or offering that you are ready for funding or to get funding, right? Okay, so mistake number three, contextualizing your pitch. So back to the first story.




    00:11:22 Melissa: So there I was listening to this beautiful pitch. I mean, we're talking about perfection. The words were exciting. Everything that she said was compelling to the right person in the right context. However, this person didn't have the expertise of a particular industry. So as you go through your list of contacts and you're there pitching your idea to different organizations or people, there's different things that are going on in different sectors.




    00:11:55 Melissa: For example, let's just imagine that you are pitching to one sector and in that sector, you have no idea that this concept that your TV show would not be addictive is absolutely not going to work and not at all the key to success when right now you have a lot of people who's attention is disparate, right? Is in a lot of different places. So here you are saying that, yeah, they're gonna get like one hit of my TV show and that'll be enough and it won't be addictive. Meanwhile, let's imagine as an industry, you need to get people to keep coming back because that is how you organize your ad campaigns with your advertisers, then it's not gonna lay quite right.






    00:12:46 Melissa: Okay, so let me get to the point as clearly as possible. Here's the third mistake, so contextualizing your pitch. I wanna share something with you that I learned back in advertising. So I used to work in ad agencies. This was now at least 13 years ago. And I remember working on the IBM account, working on the SAP account, and I remember being told back then, you need to know more about what's happening and what's important to IBM and the tech space than your clients. Same thing with SAP.




    00:13:18 Melissa: What does that mean to you, a Mom Founder who has this glorious list that you want to go through but you don't want to burn because you just spent so much time figuring out who the right people might be to shepherd your idea in a big organization. So what does that mean? That means that you need to understand if you need to understand what the drivers are in that sector. You need to understand if there's like new competitors that are just really eroding or just really eating into a market share. You need to also understand how to contextualize what it is that you're offering in the context of their existing portfolio of offerings.




    00:14:03 Melissa: Okay, so I said a lot there. There's a lot that needs to happen before you start calling people. I totally get that you might have an investor profile. I get that you have partners that believe so much in your product that they've desired and they've worked for free till this point. But you're going to waste your time, waste your effort and your energy. And I know as a Mom Founder, particularly, you don't got a lot of energy if you do not do this due diligence to a point where at nauseam, you know more about someone's business than they might.






    00:14:41 Melissa: However, back to my advertising days, you don't want to show up as arrogant because we always would say, you know more about your business than we do. But that wasn't always the case if I'm being really honest about it. And in your situation, if you're looking to really make a great impression on an organization because you want to partner with them, again, you both have to be going in the same direction. You need to totally understand who you're talking to in terms of how long they're going to be there, how you might want to angle the value that you bring to the table and where you fit in terms of the context of their portfolio.




    00:15:20 Melissa: But at the same time you just want to be sure that you have done your homework to a point where again you feel confident and competent that working with you is gonna leave them better off than not working with you in whatever capacity that might be and It takes a lot of practice and I wanted to just kind of go to the very top, your elevator pitch might not be enough. It might not be what is necessary. Every single person that you're talking to, it might completely throw someone off because they'll think that you're talking into some sort of recording, especially if you've recorded it.




    00:15:57 Melissa: So you want to be sure that you also bring some stories because oftentimes those resonate a lot more than just statistics and having the right leadership team in place, which I tend to hear a lot. Okay, so here's the story. So risks of not doing your homework. This is personal in the sense that as a podcaster, I'm sure you can imagine how many times I am pitched in terms of podcast guests. And the other day I was looking in my inbox and I noticed someone was pitching me. They were a PR professional so they should have known better. However in terms of time budget, etc., they provided a very generic pitch.




    00:16:43 Melissa: So imagine in your situation, right? Again, back to you being a Mom Founder, having a list, having finite time and energy, having spent so much effort upfront, trying to figure out who you're gonna reach out to, but not having done enough effort in terms of researching the three things that I shared with you in terms of the actual people that you're talking to, what actually matters to them, and then also how you fit in the context of like a company's portfolio as an example, and why partnering with you is better than not.




    00:17:19 Melissa: Let's imagine this, with this person, this PR person, she was pitching me, again, this is the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast. She was pitching me a guy, which 100% I have had men on this podcast, like James Altucher, Gary Vee, et cetera. But she was pitching me a guy that was really all about financial market solutions, having nothing to do with entrepreneurship. And I was just like, what the heck is this? Like, is this even for me? Like you don't want to be that person that emails someone a pitch or jumps on the phone, I know old school, but hey, it still works, and you completely are talking, but the person on the other side is like, why are you calling me?




    00:18:08 Melissa: So that is what was happening to me. And that story basically wants to just like reaffirm in you the fact that don't waste your time by not knowing who you're reaching out to at the individual level. And I know it takes a lot of work, a lot of effort. But here's the thing, if you don't do it, this is what happens. All that money, right? And if you think about your time as money, is wasted in terms of the effort that you put to just creating that outreach list. That's one.




    00:18:41 Melissa: Here's the other thing, you're gonna burn a bridge because it's going to show that you're not as thoughtful as you truly are. And if you're a Mom Founder, one thing I know about the ones I've worked with, like you are so thoughtful. I mean, when it comes to like the logistics of your family and how you went about, you know, doing market research for your product or figuring out market product fit, I know you're thoughtful. So you wanna be sure that that reputation precedes you, right? So again, you've gotta do that extra research. You wanna be sure that you are resonating with the person. So you don't want to burn through that contact list if you don't have to.






    00:19:21 Melissa: Here's the other idea. Let's imagine that you make that mistake, kind of like that PR agency, right? That was sending me a very random podcast guest proposal. You're gonna have to then, if you're really interested in partnering with a Lego or with a Hasbro, et cetera, you're gonna have to then go back and do some triage. And it's not always possible to like resurrect from some blow paw like that.




    00:19:44 Melissa: So I wanna just say, here's the other thing. First impressions happen one time. And yes, you can totally turn around, but you're a Mom Founder. And what distinguishes you versus someone that might not have kids is the fact that that time you spent in making that first impression, the guts it took to put yourself out there, that is something that you're now gonna have to like work up to yet again. And it is way harder to constantly fall down and get back up, fall down and get back up when you're navigating family life in parallel. Just this morning to give you an example.




    00:20:27 Melissa: So I have all these podcast episode recordings today. And my son then says to me at 5:00 AM, mind you, mom, I think I have a fever. And I looked at him and I was like, please do not have a fever. That's just like one of the ups and downs. We'll call that a down that is so natural to you that other people might not experience, but your business has to keep going on. So, you know, we have finite energy and finite abilities to get back down and get back up, figure out new ways, different patterns, right? Use our imagination and try other or alternative paths forward.




    00:21:08 Melissa: If you've got to do the same thing for being a mom as you do an entrepreneurship, you've got to be sure that you are somehow preventing all of that struggle where you can. You need to be a sane mom. That's what I'm saying. So again, this is avoidable. That's why I have it in this episode. And I really hope that you take it to heart because there's so much that's at stake. If you don't actually consider those three mistakes that I share.




    00:21:40 Melissa: So I don't wanna leave you hanging. I think this is so important. I wanna be of service to you because I think that it takes so much guts to just like leave your job, for example, or start a business, especially as a mom. It also is absolutely beautiful that you want to do something that's mission driven. Those are the moms that I work with and I help in terms of really navigating networking and building relationships so that you're in the right rooms, having the right conversations, getting the money that your business idea deserves, that I wanna do this for you. So hear me out.




    00:22:17 Melissa: Okay, now let's just imagine that you are in a car right now, so you're driving. So what I will have you do is absolutely bookmark this conversation, but write this down when you have an opportunity in the event that you're on the move. So I offer something called a VIP day. It's a three-hour Zoom session during which time we are going to work through your contact list. But here's the thing. It's even better than that.




    00:22:45 Melissa: Not only are we going to work through your contact list, but prior to jumping on Zoom, I'm going to give you some homework that's going to help you thoughtfully not just put together that contact list, but approach your research so that this way you can avoid these three mistakes. I'm also going to make sure that as you approach the different people during our time, that three-hour Zoom time frame, that you're leading with what is going to resonate the most based on a number of criteria that for me and in use with my clients have worked in the past.




    00:23:24 Melissa: I mean, it's so predictable in terms of some of the priorities that people actually have, but it's not always obvious on LinkedIn because sometimes people are not that upfront in terms of their agendas. And I'm not using that in a negative way, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying. So there's other sources of research that I will share with you also on that three hours Zoom session. It's a VIP day. Also, it's really about making sure that we have woken up your imagination. That is the name of this podcast. And I stand on that.




    00:23:58 Melissa: When it comes to being a Mom Founder or being a mom with a business, it is urgent that you really, really stay sharp in terms of coming up with unexpected or new or shortcut ways to reach out to everyone and anyone. And again, relationships is absolutely critical when it comes to building your business and making sure that your message gets out to as many human beings as possible. So you wanna be sure that you're doing it from a place of expansive thinking. You're doing it from a place of, okay, this person is gonna expect me to reach out to them on, as an example, Instagram, but I'm gonna come in through this side door, right? Which has worked for me and my clients as well.




    00:24:44 Melissa: So let me share an example. I had a client that actually wanted to reach out to insurance companies. And it was really interesting because this was completely new to her. She owns a nonprofit. And so she reached out to an insurance company and she was baffled that the person on the other side of the email got back to her almost like in an hour, okay? He got back to her in an hour. Why was that? It was because she realized that this person would be, A, in a position of power.




    00:25:13 Melissa: So people do want to be helpful. So you want to make sure you're asking the right people who can help you. But then at the same time, her email was personal. It resonated, and it was thoughtful. It was in alignment with what's important to an insurance organization. And she had to do some research in order to uncover precisely what that was in this market. Sorry to say, but sometimes different times of the year, different things are important and different trends will influence whether or not what was important, you know, last trend is in season this trend.




    00:25:45 Melissa: So again, there's a lot that needs to happen, but we can cover that during the three hours together over Zoom. Here's what else happens during that three hour session, the VIP session with me for Mom Founders. So you and I are gonna roll up our sleeves. Like literally, if I have long sleeves, or metaphorically, if I do not, we're going to actually start emailing and reaching out to people live because I need to see, like, what do your subject lines actually say? Are they generic or compelling? How is it that you're positioning what you intend behind the conversation with that contact, right?




    00:26:20 Melissa: So it's about authenticity, but it's also about being direct and infusing your personality. Because if you wanna do business on your own terms, as you have opted to as a mom founder, you don't want to not be yourself when you're doing business. Like that was part of the purpose of owning your own thing, along with solving a challenge, along with being mission driven and heart centered and wanting to see impact in the slice of the world that matters to you.




    00:26:51 Melissa: So here we go. Call for you to reach out to me so I can help you so that you do not make those mistakes. You do not burn through a list of contacts if you have a business idea or already a business in market that you want to get funding for, or you want to leverage some sort of strategic partnership, be sure that you take advantage of this. And it is the following. So I do have those VIP days, but this offer right now is for free.




    00:27:20 Melissa: Go to melissallarena.com/sessions. You will have an opportunity to apply for a 30-minute complimentary session, during which time I'm going to help you by role playing and hearing what you have to offer in terms of your business pitch, in terms of your origin story, in terms of what you intend out of a conversation with a decision maker, right? All pertaining to your business. So go ahead to melissallarena.com/sessions. There is an application and here's the reason why an application is going to be absolutely helpful to you.




    00:28:02 Melissa: When you start to put pen to paper or technically type out your answers in the application, you also start to clarify what you need to happen in terms of the people that you wanna talk to, in terms of your very best next steps. And in terms of your own business, putting pen to paper has been the absolute life-giving solution for me when it comes to ironing out my thoughts. And it's better for you to do that on my application than to do it in front of someone that can give you money.




    00:28:38 Melissa: So go ahead, melisallarena.com/sessions, and you will see the link here. What I invite you to really consider is, okay, bring forth your story, bring with you your idea in terms of the investor profile. Be sure that you tell me who I'm supposed to be. I want you to know also what is going to be important to me and how whatever it is that you've got is going to help me and fix in my existing portfolio. So have that already in mind, be prepared. It is going to be a great session. And that is for free. That is 30-minute session for free.




    00:29:20 Melissa: At that time, at the very end, after you have your answers, I will absolutely invite you to join me during one of the VIP sessions. Those VIP sessions, I only do three spots every single month. I'm sure you can understand as a mom with kids yourself, what I do is really, really important in terms of helping moms specifically as flexibly as possible. So it could be an evening time or a weekend time or chunk of time. And for me, three hours each month is what I can do in terms of VIP days.




    00:29:58 Melissa: You get to choose if it's the right fit, I get to choose if you're the right fit and I can help you and we will take it from there. So I'm really excited about these VIP sessions, but more than that, I wanna hear from you and I don't want you to make a mistake in terms of burning through a contact list. I know the effort it takes to think through a product. I know the effort it takes to see a product market fit. And I know the effort it's going to take to implement whatever it is that you promise to the people on your list.




    00:30:29 Melissa: So be sure that you take advantage of the 30-minute session with me. It is complimentary. You'll have the link here. It'll also be in the show notes if you are just listening to this conversation. And then we could certainly talk about whether a VIP day is the right next step for you. No strings attached. You are very welcome to attend a 30-minute session with me. I want to be sure that we avoid as many mistakes as possible when it comes to working through an outreach list. I want you to have so much success.




    00:31:03 Melissa: And until Tuesday, let me know what you got out of this conversation, you are more than welcome to leave some comments. If you're watching this on YouTube, you're also welcome to share this with a friend, because here's the thing, Mom Founders know other Mom Founders. And if anyone is interested in actually pitching investors or securing strategic partnerships with people in different organizations or different organizations, you want to be sure that they have the greatest odds of success.




    00:31:31 Melissa: So go ahead and share this episode. It's also in audio. And if you're interested in that 30-minute consult, it is available to you. And no strings attached, as I mentioned. So thank you for this conversation. And thank you. Until next Tuesday, go ahead and subscribe. Follow me officially, because next Tuesday, we're going to go through an actual interview with an investor. Stay tuned. Signing off, Melissa Llarena.





  • 239: Summer Sanity: Tami Hackbarth on Fair Play Strategies and Self-Care Tips for a Harmonious Family Life

    239: Summer Sanity: Tami Hackbarth on Fair Play Strategies and Self-Care Tips for a Harmonious Family Life

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    In this episode, we dive deep into the secrets of a balanced, harmonious family life with our special guest, Tami Hackbarth. Tami introduces us to the Fair Play method, inspired by Eve Rodsky's transformative book "Fair Play," offering practical strategies to manage household duties equitably and ease the mental load, especially during the chaotic summer months.

    Join us as Tami shares her powerful journey from burnout to well-being through guilt-free self-care practices like regular exercise, meditation, and setting healthy boundaries. Learn how these changes not only improved her personal well-being but also had a profound impact on her professional life and those around her. Explore the dynamics of implementing the Fair Play method within relationships and family structures through Tami’s real-life examples, from managing summer activities to everyday chores.

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Importance of equitable distribution of household duties.

    Strategies to manage household logistics for a balanced environment.

    Setting healthy boundaries and prioritizing self-care.

    The concept of domestic labor and its unequal distribution.

    Encouraging partners to take initiative in household management.

    Dividing tasks and involving children in decision-making.

    Open communication about household responsibilities.

    This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide For Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower For Maximum Impact – My book is now available on Amazon in its paperback version and Kindle format. Grab a free chapter on www.fertileideas.com.

    DM me on Instagram @melissallarena just type the word FERTILE and I’ll share the link if that’s easier to get to fertileideas.com for all the details you need to celebrate your own Fertile Imagination! Here’s that link: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

  • 238: Turning Networking Woes into Wins This Summer: A Step-by-Step Guide for Mom Founders

    238: Turning Networking Woes into Wins This Summer: A Step-by-Step Guide for Mom Founders

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    How to network with confidence for mom founders..... ever been disappointed in yourself that you missed an opportunity to talk to someone you admire or to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to a major investor or prospective client? If you said yes, then this is the episode for you! Come this fall, are you going to be ready to do this with confidence, or are you at risk of disappointing yourself because you didn't feel ready or didn't do everything you could when you had the opportunity? If you do not want to feel in-ept as a former client told me, she originally felt then this is the episode for you!

    I had cold feet myself when I first saw Shelly Lazarus and Beth Comstock however... I knew what to do once I was in front of GaryVee. I rehearsed my stories, questions, and asked. There was prework, follow-through, and strategy. No PR team, no big following, no former c-suite position. I knew how to work with my impostor syndrome.

    What was different? What did I do that produced different results in me? How did I build my own confidence to have the guts to perform when the time came? How do you get your podcast guests? This is the number one question I’m asked by podcasters who know how hard it is to land a guest like GaryVee, much less as your tenth guest! The second question I get often came most recently from a client in the fitness industry who asked: how did you have the confidence to interview GaryVee? My answer to both is my three-step method.

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Importance of shifting from transactional to genuine connections.

    How genuine connections lead to more meaningful and lasting relationships.

    Understanding your goals and the value you bring to the table.

    Building relationships based on genuine interest and mutual benefit.

    Research and rehearsal to build confidence.



    My Imagination to Impact to Income Method ℱ gives me a reliable process to identify who to talk to, where to find them, and what to do once we connect. It helped my client like yourself go from feeling intimidated to talking to people like GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, Zibby Owens to saying hi to them and pitching your ideas without hesitation. The method is your step-by-step solution to networking anxiety. When you join now as a member of the five mom founders this summer I will be offering an exclusive one-on-one session role-playing their biggest encounter! I’ll look for their elevator pitch, see if their stories would resonate with their contact, and even help them with their delivery! You want to look confident around confident people.

    This unexpected approach to networking will change your life just like it has for this doting parent in North Carolina

    “At the core of it, for me, it was about re-building and projecting confidence. I doubted myself. This program was critical to re-build my confidence and realize that I was not doing the right things to stand out. With this confidence, rejection has not been an issue, and now I am looking at opportunities without any hesitation. Melissa knows how to motivate people to make those things happen. I will continue building my brand and networking. This new habit will allow me to continue growing and reaching my potential.” -J. Hernandez, Artificial Intelligence at Sales Factory

    Inside of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success you get access to:

    ‱ 9 weeks of live networking coaching and community

    ‱ Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal.

    ‱ 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change

    ‱ Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm

    ‱ Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More!

    I’m also offering an exclusive bonus for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur and/or delegate or farm out things in your business so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar.

    Click HERE to schedule a 30-minute call with me to learn more about Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders and jump in on this exclusive summer offer for the first five mom founders. Join this cohort now and get your productivity bonus and your free role-playing private session when you are in. Class starts very soon and will be capped this summer to only 5 mom founders.



    About Melissa Llarena

    I’m a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).



    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    “Intention matters. If you feel shaky on your intention, if you are faking that you intend to have this person on your podcast, to ask this person to invest in your business, if you feel like it's transactional, it is not gonna work. You're gonna flop, it's gonna come through and your insecurities are gonna catch you. And chances are you're not gonna say what you had originally intended to say. So your intention matters.”



    “I was in an elevator with Shelly Lazarus... I was not the most confident person in the entire building. It was something that I eventually learned and I came up with a method that I teach my clients to also use in their lives so that this way, they network with a lot more confidence than that example right there."

    “When I started going outside of my comfort zone, it was something that I had to make a very deliberate choice on doing, and doing a lot, and doing it in parallel with feeling the butterflies in my stomach. It was also something that I had to feel ready before I opened my mouth.” - -Melissa Llarena

    SHARE this episode with your fellow mom founders and anyone looking to transform their networking skills! Learn how to move from a nervous novice to confidently connecting with influential figures and make networking a natural, effortless habit!



    Supporting Resources:

    Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

    Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/

    Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

  • 237: Mastering Entrepreneurship and Motherhood: Leadership, Resilience, and Imagination with Randi Rubenstein

    237: Mastering Entrepreneurship and Motherhood: Leadership, Resilience, and Imagination with Randi Rubenstein

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    In this episode, we delve into the intricate dance of balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood, especially when raising a strong-willed child. Join us as Randi Rubenstein, parent coach, author, and founder of Mastermind Parenting, shares insights on maintaining structure, accountability, and firm yet loving boundaries. Discover how the principles of pack leadership can transform your parenting approach and draw parallels between the challenges of managing a business and raising resilient children.

    Embark on the emotional journey of entrepreneurial motherhood, from the lows of failed launches to the highs of tangible success. Reflect on how jealousy can serve as a catalyst for uncovering hidden dreams and transforming envy into motivation and actionable steps. Tune in for expert advice on navigating turbulent times with resilience and grace, and learn how to move beyond talking about change to actually taking action for personal and professional growth. Whether you're dealing with a strong-willed child or running a business during challenging times, this episode offers the mindset, methods, and tools to thrive.

    In this episode, you will hear:

    Challenges of juggling business responsibilities while raising children.

    Parallels between managing a business during turbulent times and raising resilient children.

    How mom founders can leverage their superpower of imagination to dream bigger.

    The dynamic relationship between working moms and stay-at-home moms.

    Identity shift and emotional challenges that come with leaving a secure job to start a business

    Self-reflection and turning envy into motivation and actionable steps toward goals.

    Emotional regulation and leadership in both parenting and business contexts.

    Necessity of mental preparation, accountability, and setting clear boundaries.



    Quotes, that can change your perspective:

    “What if you have a strong-willed kid and then you have another kid or multiple other kids? How are you supposed to get a handle on this? I would say it's the exact same thing, you know. The accountability piece and learning how to have that structure and have those boundaries into and to say what's okay with you as the pack leader.”

    “A lot of women who are working many, many hours are still the ones responsible for what are we going to eat this week and what about those school forms and we need to go through your closet. You look like you're waiting for a flood.”

    “You get out what you put into something, but it's doing the reps of whatever it is that you learned, you know, in business or in personal and holding yourself accountable for, okay, I made the investment. You could make the investment or you could have made the investment a decade ago, but you're so capable of still implementing what you learned.”

    This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, my 9-week group coaching program for visionary mom founders who have decided they are going to become power strategic networkers because they do not want to miss out on one more opportunity for maximum business growth! A program for a founder who wants a step-by-step process that works. My approach which I have used over and over and helped my client use too is called the Imagination to Impact and Income Method ℱ and it will help you connect with the right people, lead the right conversations, and swing open the right doors to success.

    If you want to learn more, then schedule a free call on www.melissallarena.com/sessions today.

    DM me on Instagram @melissallarena just type the word SESSION and I’ll share the link if that’s easier to see my calendar availability for this free call where you will get all the details you’ll need to know if this program is the perfect fit for you and to hear about the extra bonuses available only this summer to the first mom founders who join. Here’s that link: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    About Randi Rubenstein

    Randi Rubenstein is a renowned parent coach, author, and the visionary founder of Mastermind Parenting. With a deep-seated passion for helping parents navigate the complex journey of raising strong-willed children, Randy has become a trusted voice in the parenting community. Her expertise lies in teaching parents how to implement structure, accountability, and firm yet loving boundaries, all while fostering a nurturing and growth-oriented family environment.

    Randi's approach is rooted in the principles of pack leadership, emphasizing the importance of consistency, personal growth, and accountability without resorting to permissive or punitive methods. Her work rejects shame, blame, and spanking, focusing instead on a balanced strategy that combines firmness with love. This philosophy not only helps parents manage their households effectively but also draws insightful parallels to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the business world.

    SHARE this episode and discover strategies to transform your parenting and business, fostering resilience and consistency. Explore entrepreneurial motherhood, turn jealousy into motivation, and learn about our new group coaching program. Enhance your networking skills and navigate challenges with resilience. Tune in now to thrive at home and in business!




    Supporting Resources:

    Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/
    Podcast: MastermindParenting Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mastermind-parenting-podcast/id1362773053

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mastermindparenting



    Subscribe and Review

    Have you subscribed to my podcast for moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators? I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

    I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

    About Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, but first about a recent client


    Michelle founded a non-profit six years ago and has since raised over $1.5M. During our first conversation she told me she spent the first year just getting the word out so she could get families to apply. And now she was shifting to really try to fundraise and grow her program. Michelle knew that this wasn't necessarily her strongest suit, she said it's hard, and I'm not great at asking for money, and I'm not great at all these things. But I knew I had to do it, and I knew I had to network, and I knew I had to do everything.

    That was when Michelle decided it was time to ask for help. We spoke on a 30-minute call and Michelle took a leap of faith to partner with me in my Fertile Imagination to Networking Success program.

    Fast forward a few weeks Michelle grew bold, bolder, ultimately her boldest self. She had this to say: And then during our time together, I just started putting myself out there saying it. My goal is $50, 000 by the year saying that to people and explaining why that was the case and what that was coming from. There wasn't an arbitrary number. It was a very well thought out plan and in terms of the numbers. That was the boldest thing I did during our time together and ask the first IVF baby to wear our merchandise. Are you at this stage, is it time to grow your business? Is networking not yet your strongest suit?

    Join me inside of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success: A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level.

    ‱ 9 weeks of live networking coaching and community

    ‱ Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal.

    ‱ 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change

    ‱ Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm

    ‱ Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment

    Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More

    I’m also offering an EXCLUSIVE bonus for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur and/or delegate or farm out things in your business so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar.

    Go to www.melissallarena.com/sessions to schedule a 30-minute call with me to learn more about Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders and jump in on this exclusive summer offer for the first five mom founders. Summer school is starting soon. Be one of the first 5 mom founders to join.

  • 236: Feel the Pressure When Attending Networking Events? Anticipating Some This Fall?

    236: Feel the Pressure When Attending Networking Events? Anticipating Some This Fall?

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    You've joined so many associations, networking associations, maybe even membership groups, you've attended conferences, you experienced networking, quote-unquote, societies, tried happy hours, gone to Toastmasters.

    So why is it that just the thought about going to networking events is still scary? Here's something that I've realized. It's because there's something missing. There's something missing from your strategy, and in this episode, I want to share with you exactly what that is. Now, if you're like a lot of my clients, usually you might be in a relationship, for example, where your partner is really good at schmoozing.

    They are great at going to events, connecting the dots, connecting people, and you might be a little jealous of that. The simple fact that it comes so naturally to them, but maybe not to you. Yet as a business owner, you might also realize that whether it comes naturally to you or not, it is so important and critical to your business growth.

    And this might be exactly what you want to work on and be ready to do and execute upon by this fall. So listen up. Here's the thing. This is how you know that you're not yet prepared to take full advantage of all of these things that I just mentioned. Again, those events that are coming up, those membership opportunities, those associations that you want to be a part of.

    This is how you know that you're not really ready and not really going to extract the real value of connecting with people who could accelerate your business. This is how do you still feel like networking is transactional? Have you felt that maybe networking is sleazy? Or do you just feel like there's a lot of pressure?

    A lot of pressure when you think about going to networking events. Because if that is where you are right now, then that's not the actual problem. The fact that a networking event is a sleazy place or it's a place of only transactions. That's not the real issue. Going to these events, it's not like exposure therapy that the more you go to them, the better off you'll feel.

    Chances are you'll still feel nervous before going to them if you don't yet have a solid strategy. Okay. Let's talk about this strategy. So the solid strategy that you need in order to no longer feel scared or nervous about attending events has to include these things. This strategy must help you prepare.

    Before going to events so that this way, when you're at the events, people already know you, this strategy also has to help you feel more confident and be more approachable and armed with topics related to small talk that don't feel random or pointless like the weather. This strategy that I'm talking about also needs to arm you with knowing exactly when and how to follow up without feeling like you're pestering people.

    So let me share with you a little bit about my strategy, a little bit about my method. It is called the imagination to impact to income method, and it solves for everything that I just listed out. Imagine this, imagine going to a networking event and already knowing who's going to be there, what stories you're going to share and how you're going to show up in addition to even how you're going to dress.

    What if having that pre-thought out and already curated is what it actually takes to no longer have to feel nervous or hesitant or unsure, or like there's a lot of pressure when you attend a networking event, a networking event that you may have already paid for, right? So those conferences that you have to fly to and then figure out the logistics for the kids that you leave behind.

    Like, what if you had this method that could help you really, I mean, just like own the room and feel completely like you belonged in the room as the leader of your business. That is what my method helps you do. This method, the imagination to impact income method, that's the centerpiece of my group coaching program for mom founders. And if this episode resonates then let’s connect: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    The program is called fertile imagination to networking success, and we could absolutely have a conversation this week. So that this way you have a really clear understanding for how this program can help you completely set yourself up for success come the fall. Once you have these events to attend, once you have these opportunities that you should be emotionally ready for.

    And literally ready for, as in like already predetermined on your calendar right now. All of this is covered during the group coaching program with me, during which time you and I and a group of five mom founders will figure this out in time for the fall.

    This episode is brought to you by the "Fertile Imagination for Networking Success" Program

    Are you tired of attending networking events only to feel overwhelmed and underprepared? Do you crave meaningful connections but struggle to navigate the networking landscape effectively? It's time to revolutionize your approach to networking with our exclusive program designed for mom founders like you.

    Why This Program Is For You

    Imagine stepping into any networking event with confidence, knowing exactly who to connect with, what to say, and how to make a lasting impression. Our program, "Fertile Imagination for Networking Success," is your roadmap to mastering the art of networking and unlocking new opportunities for your business.

    What Sets This Program Apart

    Unlike generic networking advice, our program is tailored specifically for mom founders, recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities you face. Led by me (a mom of three with 12-years in business), my comprehensive curriculum combines live coaching sessions, on-demand resources, and a supportive community to ensure your success.

    What You'll Learn Strategic Preparation: Discover how to prepare effectively for networking events, ensuring you make the most of every opportunity. Confidence Building: Overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome, empowering you to present yourself confidently and authentically. Meaningful Connections: Learn how to forge genuine connections with key individuals, turning brief encounters into valuable relationships. Follow-Up Strategies: Master the art of follow-up, ensuring you stay top-of-mind and nurture your network for long-term success. What's Included Nine Weeks of Live Coaching: Join our expert-led coaching sessions to receive personalized guidance and support every step of the way. On-Demand Curriculum: Access our library of resources at your convenience, tackling everything from networking strategies to mindset shifts. Exclusive Community: Connect with like-minded mom founders, share insights, and celebrate your successes in our supportive community. Special Bonuses for 5 Mom Founders This Summer Only Exclusive Podcast Opportunity: Be featured as a guest on a top-rated podcast, gaining exposure to a wider audience of industry leaders and influencers. Private Bonus Sessions: Receive exclusive one-on-one sessions focused on calming pre-event nerves and implementing your networking strategies effectively. Limited Time Offer

    Enrollment is limited to the first five mom founders, who will receive a 30% discounted rate and access to our exclusive bonuses. Don't miss this opportunity to supercharge your networking skills and propel your business to new heights.

    Ready to Transform Your Networking Experience?

    Join us for the "Fertile Imagination for Networking Success" program and discover the power of strategic networking tailored for mom founders like you. Reserve your spot today and take the first step towards unlocking a world of opportunities for your business.

    How to Join

    Ready to take your business to the next level? Here's how to get started:

    Visit melissallarena.com/sessions Fill out the application to ensure it’s the right fit. Schedule a conversation with me this month to secure your spot.

    Remember, only the first five mom founders will receive the exclusive bonuses, including the 30% discount, productivity resource, two private sessions, and the podcast guest spot.

    Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your business and make meaningful connections. Visit www.melissallarena.com/sessions and apply now!

  • 235: This Austin-Based Community Builder Will Teach You How to Make Mom Friends

    235: This Austin-Based Community Builder Will Teach You How to Make Mom Friends

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Do you wish you had mom friends who would push you, who would get you out of a rut? Do you feel like you don't have a community that you belong in? I know this pops up oftentimes during the summer season. And so I wanted this conversation to soothe your soul and give you a chance to change that.

    Let’s connect if this resonates with you: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    Do you ever feel lonely? I can relate. As a mom in those early days, the feeling of loneliness was all too familiar. I remember nursing my son, waiting for my husband to get home, and feeling the weight of solitude. Similarly, when I launched my business, I found myself at my kitchen table grappling with business challenges without a sounding board. Loneliness is not uncommon for moms or entrepreneurs, but it has certainly been amplified by the pandemic.

    However, amidst these challenges, we now have the option to connect online. That's why today's conversation is so important. Allow me to introduce you to Cherie Werner, a proud Austinite for 35 years and the founder and CEO of Fiesta, an inclusive startup community. Cherie brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering success and connections.

    I'm thrilled to host this conversation because I believe connecting with others who share similar experiences or have advanced perspectives in motherhood or entrepreneurship is crucial for success.

    So, enjoy the conversation with Cherie and notice her “fertile imagination”, a guide for maximizing every mom's superpower for maximum impact. That's the title of my book, by the way. Cherie exemplifies this imagination by creating unique connections and community, especially when she decided to homeschool her daughters. You'll hear how she achieved this, involving dads, kids, and families in a vibrant community. It's a testament to what's possible when you awaken and stretch your imagination, a process I detail in my book, which you can find at www.fertileideas.com.

    Also noteworthy is that this episode is brought to you by: From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur’s Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87

    Download my step by step networking and follow-up process, as well as out-of-the-box proven ways to build relationships with the busiest of influencers, prospective podcast guests, and mentors! WARNING: this is for ambitious AF moms with growing businesses. AND BONUS: 30-second elevator pitch template included!

    The free playbook helps you:

    -Write an elevator pitch that will be memorable and distinguish you from everyone else.

    -Improve your networking skills, especially if you’re a mom founder who can’t go out and leave it to chance that she’ll meet the business investor, mentor, or partner of her dreams.

    -Learn how to become a better networker without feeling like a fish out of water.

    -Write your emails to introduce yourself to strangers without overthinking how to begin an email or how to prove in the email that speaking with you will be worth their time.

    -Push beyond the fear that often holds you back, thinking “Oh, I can’t do that” or “Who am I to approach that person?”

    -Think strategically about your outreach goals by considering why you want to talk to specific people, along with what you need to know so you don’t get caught out there feeling like a deer in headlights without the right words to say.

    -Think ahead about how you intend to make it worth their time and how you can use your platform to feature them as an expert, among other things.

    -Calm your networking jitters beforehand by guiding you on how to research the event and its attendees before heading out.

    -Gain fresh ideas for follow-ups that will feel good to you and the recipient, instead of just emailing the person over and over again.

    -Use a timeframe to conduct your networking or outreach efforts so they become a habit.

    -And includes email templates galore!

    Official bio for Cherie

    I'm Cherie Werner—a native Texan and a proud Austinite for 35 years. As the Founder and (CEO) Chief Empowerment Officer of FIESTA, an inclusive startup community, I bring a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering success and connections. With 38 years of marriage to Jon Werner and our three daughters as my top priorities, my journey in mentoring began in college. It evolved into a rich history of community building, exemplified by the growth of the Austin WholeHearted Home School community (1995-2001). Collaborating on startup ventures like Bones in Motion (2001-2008) and KOYA Innovations (2018-2023) has equipped me with unique insights and empathy into the founder's journey. At FIESTA, we've hosted over 50 events, welcoming 7,000+ attendees since July 2021, and achieved a remarkable 65% growth in 2023 and 2022. As a certified life coach, I am dedicated to creating a dynamic environment where entrepreneurs can thrive, forge meaningful relationships, be seen, and succeed. I am excited to bring this spirit of collaboration, empowerment, and drive to the vibrant Austin Tech community.

    Links:
    https://fiesta.community

    https://www.instagram.com/cheriewerner/

    https://www.facebook.com/cherie.werner

    Transcript:

    Cherie, I wanted to just launch the conversation around the idea of seeking connection and community.

    So I know that for moms, it feels, it feels lonely, especially those early days when you're a new mom. And when you're just like wondering to yourself, how did I, how am I going to do this? How am I going to survive? And then entrepreneurship is kind of the same thing. At least. At first, it's a lonely endeavor.

    And so you're at a different mom stage than me. I have school age kids. You have adults. So first, like, are we going to survive? And then second, share some wisdom that can help us feel connected. And like, we're part of something bigger than ourselves.

    Yeah. Wow. Wow. Great question. Yes, you will survive at times.

    You might feel like you're not surviving and just remember that it's a season and it too shall pass. And I think the other thing is you never, you're never not a mom. I mean, my adult children have said, yeah, but I need my mom, even though they're adult children. And then I think that you have your biological children, but then you also have the chosen children.

    So I'm known in this ecosystem as a startup mama. And I think it's because a lot of these young millennials and startup founders that are coming here to Austin, they, they need a mom. They need someone that they can call or just it sees them and is cheering them on. I think that's the biggest role for moms is that you're involved in your kiddos lives and you're cheering them on and you want the best for them.

    One of the mantras that we had and I, and this came later in the teen years was that our ceiling is their floor only as much as we're investing in ourselves and growing our children have higher grounds to stand on.

    I love that. I really love that. And so I'm wondering more about your motherhood journey.

    So early on, just to give us perspective, because right now a lot of moms are having to make that tough choice between full on entrepreneurship. Let's get some funding. Let's just try to outsource a lot of motherhood so that this way we can like be that at the helm of business. Right. And for some of us, like myself, it's kind of like, well, that's scary.

    Like I have these three little boys and I kind of like them and I want to really help shape their, their perspective on a lot of things. I want to be there. I want to be their people leader, you know? And so I'm curious, like when you first became a mom, like what were the decisions that you had to make and looking back, like, how do you feel about them?

    Another great question. I was a mom. It seems like so long ago And it was a long time ago because just for perspective my daughters I have three daughters and they're 35 33 and 22 and yes, there's a 10 year gap between the youngest and the middle one and Same marriage i've married going on 38 or 39 years.

    I can't remember exactly which one but When we, when I was pregnant with my first child, I always intended to go back to work. We were living up in the D. C. area, and I mean, there was no way we could afford the home that we were in and stuff like that, unless both of us were working. And after having my daughter, I had maternity leave, and once that was over, and I had to go back into work, I didn't anticipate having this strong emotional attachment to my daughter.

    I mean, to the point where I'm like, I can't leave her. I don't want to leave her. And my husband and I made a decision that I would stay at home. And, and I really, I mean, like, I was really scared to be a mom. I, I had, I mean, I, I have a good relationship with my mom today, but my mom. Did the best that she could with the knowledge that she had just like I think all moms need to give themselves that grace and you're doing the best that you can with the knowledge that you have at that time, because me as a mom with my older daughters and my youngest completely different.

    I was more relaxed with the youngest. But when Karen was was born, I stayed at home and I loved it. And, and then Courtney came along and we moved like two weeks after she was born from Virginia to Austin. Now, something nobody ever told me about, there are high stressors in women's lives and you need to be careful in how many stressors are going off at one time.

    And so we were moving, I was leaving this amazing chosen family, like that brought meals over, they cleaned my house, they helped me because I was on bed rest with my Second child and and she came, she was like four weeks premature and so then we take off. We leave Virginia. We drive, we drive to Texas and we're in a house.

    My husband goes to work. I'm left alone. And I kind of had what I thought was a breakdown. But like looking back, it was postpartum depression. And uh, Yeah, and I didn't have the support so like moving to a new place and not having support that so that just goes to show you the value and the importance of having that community.

    I mean, we all need it from very early on from our family of origin into all these different seasons of life.

    Yeah, and I think it's, it's interesting because I think it's something that before I hit record, we were talking about, which is this whole idea of relational poverty. I had never heard of that.

    And I know that you do a great job in the Fiesta community in terms of making sure that people know one another. We actually like get to see one another, have like mini little groups together, the breakout sessions. And I appreciate that. And so I'm just wondering, okay. Just to kind of like walk listeners through this.

    So you started out, you had a chosen family, you had like what I'm envisioning, like this ideal scenario where somebody brought you food. Like, that's like amazing. And then now you're like driving all the way to Texas. You don't know anyone, but you have two children at the time. And then you land there, your husband goes to work.

    And then you're like, Oh my goodness. Like that, that to me does sound a little bit like relational poverty. Is that kind of like in reference to the similar thing? Well, I mean,

    relational poverty, as I defined it, it's a deep lack of connectedness with others. So I didn't have the connectedness. I, we knew nobody here in Austin.

    John was, took a job with IBM. So he knew the people he was working with. And we need that deep connectedness with other individuals. Like, just to give you a contrast, I knew nobody at first, like for the first month, we were staying in a hotel room with two little ones. And then compared to Virginia, when we were up there, like I said, we, I met together with this group of women and couples and, and we were involved in a church up there at the time.

    And so like, it was, it wasn't just going to church. It was like, we had this really intentional community with several of the guys that my husband was working with in, in there. Wives and I was always really nervous about being a mom because my parents divorced early on and my mom Had an aneurysm when I was like eighth grade and I had always wanted to be close I'm I'm I'm I'm a loyalist and eight on the in a six on the enneagram and I just wanted that close nurturing relationship But I remember when she had the aneurysm and she was in the hospital, she kind of drew me close to her.

    And she said, this is why I never got close to you and your sister. And I was thinking, like thinking about that. I just think, gosh, that's so sad because we missed out on, on, on this fear of, of what could happen versus being in the moment. And Making the most of that moment and so I think that was like a real pivotal time in my life because I never felt that connectedness with my mom early on and and so I wanted to provide that for my kiddos.

    I wanted them to know as a as a family. We had a Oh, I I'm trying to think of, but it's, it's like a thing that we put, these are our models as a family, we will be connected no matter how big or, or far apart we are from each other. And, and, and that is just that intentional intentionality of reaching out, letting them know that, that we're thinking about them.

    And we we've done that. I mean, we started the, the Koya company together, which was all about it. Helping to end relational poverty. And this is before COVID, COVID accelerated and, and, and, and really brought that to light, like the importance and what loneliness does to individuals. So if anything good came out of COVID, I think that that's one thing that it's okay to talk about mental health and the need not to isolate and be around other individuals, because it's important.

    And we're made that way.

    Yeah. I, I, I mean, it's evolutionary, right? So it's like, if you're not in a group, then you are at risk for, for death. So that's, that's a lot of times why people have this like massive fear of abandonment, because it's like you that if you don't have your clan, or you're not in a clan, it's kind of like, wow, there's, there's a lot that you have to do to fend for yourself.

    And so it's, it's interesting in the sense that when I think about a mom who has to make, you know, A similar choice now, right? And we're in a different era, but kind of feels familiar in the sense that society is set up in a certain way, granted now internet speeds are fast and everything. But at the same time, you mentioned that whole deep, deep, deep connection.

    And I can't really say that when I'm on a Zoom call, I feel like this, like, deep connection. Like, it's like, you, you might meet the person, but on the surface, kind of get to know them, facts and figures, things like that. But there, there is that beauty of like in person events, which I know that you definitely create that atmosphere.

    And, and when you were a mom early on in Austin, you still figured out a way to build that sense of community and in person deep connection. And I think it's, it's a good use of your imagination. You have a fertile imagination, which is the name of my book. So why don't you share? With listeners, kind of like how that idea of like connecting with other moms or homeschooling came about and what did you learn about that that maybe you use in Fiesta?

    Yeah, so I, I, I'm like, it's so funny, the things that I've done in life, I, I, I, I would say I'm the least likely person to have done that. So when my daughters, we moved from Austin to California. And when we moved to California, my husband took a job and he was traveling a lot. And because of his travel schedule and, and, and also my experience in, in being in school, like, I can remember not really liking school, especially elementary school and being very, I, I was diagnosed with ADD, but that's a long time ago.

    And, but people who have ADD, what I realized is that we're super creative, think outside the box kind of folks. And, and one of the, the, the problems with the educational system is that it makes you, it puts you in this box that kind of follows you along and have a hard time seeing yourself outside of that.

    It wasn't until I got to college that I could see myself differently. And anyway, while I was in California. My, my daughter's Karen and Courtney, they're so opposite. I mean, Karen came out and I mean, laughing and just bubbly and, and Courtney is more introspective. And at the time was more sensitive. I mean, I can remember if you raised your voice and I I'm, I'm expressive.

    So I raised my voice. I it's not yelling, but she would cry. And I thought to myself, and I have no idea why, but I'm like, man, I feel like if she goes to school, who she's created to be is going to be warped. And, and I, I'm like, kids are going to like tear her to pieces if she cries on the playground for everything.

    And, and so I started looking into homeschooling and I went to a meeting and when I walked in, unlike here in Texas at the time, the people who homeschooled that I knew, I mean, like, They made their own bread and they wore jumpers and I'm like, I will never homeschool. That's what I remember vividly saying.

    I would never homeschool. And, and, and so, but in California. It looked a lot different and, and, and I, because I, nobody was wearing the jumpers and I went to this event and they brought out this big boa constrictor cause it was like a kids zoo day and the kids were all sitting around and families and stuff like that.

    And I just thought, wow, that looks, this looks really cool. And so that I started looking more into it and reading about it. And then I came across. A gal named Sally Clarkson, who for moms, I mean, but it's from a, a Christian perspective, her books were, she was my mentor from afar. So people, moms are like, If, if you can't have a in person mentor, books can be your mentor's podcast.

    She has an incredible podcast. I mean, she used to do conferences and then I got really involved in that. And I was on, on their board for about 10 years and they were out of Colorado and they would do these conferences in Dallas and Colorado and all over. And. So that's, that was my mentorship into it.

    And when I came back to Austin, I'm like, I don't want to be like that as, as a homeschool. I want, I want homeschooling to look exciting and have a way to bring not just the moms together, but couples together and the kids together, like for a PE co op and like a library day. And so I created the wholehearted.

    Austin wholehearted homeschoolers, and we had probably 75 families that were part of it over the course of seven years, and it wasn't until 2001 that I stepped away, which is when I was pregnant with my youngest, and the reason being is because I again had some preterm labor type of issues, and, um. And I, I mean, I enjoyed it because it was a way everybody talked about socialization while we were socializing.

    I mean, we were like my daughter, Karen, probably wouldn't be the photographer she is, but at the age of 14, we gave her a camera for her birthday and at 15, she and I went to Dallas and she took this. Week long photography course, did her first wedding at 15 and, and, and started her career that way. I think with the kids, they were able to experience life based off of what they were really interested in.

    And to this day, I don't know if my daughters would have traveled as much as they traveled, had they not had that experience. So yes, that's how homeschooling came about. I, I, and Kaylee, when she came in, it came time for schooling her. We put her in a private school for like two or three years and she was struggling.

    And then I homeschooled her and she continued to struggle. And then we had her tested and we realized that she had something called dyscalculia, which is like dyslexic, but for math. And had she been in a school setting, that would have never been diagnosed, number one, probably, and number two, I, at that point, didn't make math a big issue, because it's like, okay, she's not going to be a mathematician, we're going to figure this out, and I remember going to a counselor and them saying, well, she might not ever go to college, you know, and I'm like, The labels we put on kids and the things that we say about kids really impact them.

    And that's one of the problems, like with the school system I had was I saw these kids that were in reading groups and this is the, the advanced reading group. This was the normal reading group, but these were the kids that were behind and that would follow them in elementary school from grade to grade.

    So that's why I like the idea of. Just bringing people of all ages, I think together, the one, the one room schoolhouse to me is very appealing. So,

    yeah, my, my twins actually had like a one room schoolhouse, but it was Montessori, right? So different years and then there was like a leader and then like they got to choose their own work and practical life was part of it.

    So like, I totally understand like the whole, like some of the nuances. And I know people who ironically are actually. Teachers in the school system who homeschool their kids. It's like, okay, wait a minute. Hmm. Why is that? You wonder. I have to share something with you. A lot of moms that I've partnered with, mom founders, have told me that following up after going to networking events tends to be hard, awkward, and a lot of them really don't know how to do it.

    And that's why I decided to write a playbook that is absolutely free for you to download. If you've ever felt awkward or like networking has been transactional or following up has been impossible to kind of do consistently, it's called From Contact to Connection. It's the Mompreneur's Go First Networking and Follow Up Playbook.

    I wanted to just share why is it go first? It's go first because I've heard from moms that hey, I actually do like networking as long as other people approach me. And my whole thing is that it is important for you to create your own opportunities and I want to empower you to do so. So my gift to you as a listener of this podcast is my playbook.

    You will have an opportunity to download my personal step by step networking and follow up process, as well as out of the box proven ways to build relationships with the busiest of influencers. with perspective podcast guests and mentors too. And you don't have to just be a podcaster to get the benefits.

    You have to be a mom founder though, to really see the results by way of your income, by implementing my strategies. Now, I do want to say that I also offered a bonus 30 second elevator pitch template. I share with you my pitch. I give you a Mad Libs style Template that you can fill in the blanks and my intention is really to be sure that you have a starter kit to help you go out there and network, whether you're doing it now or come this fall.

    Now, this playbook really, really packs a punch of value. It's going to help you improve your networking skills. Even if you're a mom founder, and maybe you're in the season where you can't go out there and schmooze with people at happy hours, maybe you're the type of person that is going to have to figure out how to get people to Zoom with you one on one.

    And I've got you covered in this playbook. In this playbook, I'm going to help you become a better networker. So this way you don't feel like a fish out of the water. So you'll see some templates and ways that I have approached pretty big name people. And you'll want to use my language and edit it to your tone so that this way people have a good idea for who you are and you could feel more authentic about your emails out.

    In the playbook, you're going to have an opportunity to really push beyond the fear that often holds you back. For example, Oh, I can't do that, or who am I to approach that person? No, I will be encouraging you. I will be that person in your little pocket telling you, go for it, in this playbook. You'll also have an opportunity to think more strategically about your outreach goals.

    So let's just imagine this September, you want to reach out to prospective investors. I give you some questions to really think through of who exactly you would want to connect with. So there's a lot that happens in this playbook. Again, the elevator pitch is also part of it. I would encourage you to head on over to the show notes today, and you will see a direct link for the playbook.

    Or you could simply type into, um, any browser, fertileideas. com. So head on over to fertileideas. com for your copy of this playbook. It's specific for mom founders. You're also going to have an opportunity in the playbook to calm your networking jitters because I'm going to share with you how I research before reaching out to people.

    And that has made all the difference for me and my clients. You will also have a good sense of a good timeframe to actually do these follow up activities. A lot of times we tend to feel like we're being annoying or we're being persistent, but honestly, there's a right and wrong way of doing it. So I want to share with you what's worked for me in my playbook.

    So head on over to fertile ideas. com. I so appreciate that you're listening to this conversation and enjoy the rest of the episode.

    I, I think the thing I've learned is, is I really, I think it really depends on, on you and why you're doing what you're doing. So, as I said early, it was a way for us to be together with my husband when he was home and then when he was traveling and then I really, school became fun for me.

    So like, as I prepared and learned things. I was excited about it. The kids really grasped it. They understood it better. But if I didn't like it, they didn't like it for the most part. So teacher really does impact the love that I, I think the most important task is to teach a child to learn, and they will always learn.

    As young adults, even now me doing what I do, it involves so much computer stuff that Technology. I didn't have those skills. I've had to kind of teach it my learn it myself and go on and look at videos and stuff. So

    Yeah. Yeah. And I think a lot of what you're sharing is the fact that. There's, there's like these like misunderstandings about connection and community.

    And I think one misunderstanding, and for me, it's something that I'm getting from this conversation. And it's this, it's like somebody else doesn't have to actually create that community for you. Like, you actually can take ownership. Of creating your own community and in a situation like you just shared, like homeschooling, like I've heard, like, oh, the kids are going to not be socialized and it's so lonely and blah, blah, blah.

    But what I heard you say is that even in that situation. When other people specifically were like, Oh, socialization there, there goes that like you still manage to use your imagination to create community and like get the deep connections that you were looking for. And you moved again. Like I didn't, I didn't not notice that I'm like, wow.

    Okay. So I think it's, it's interesting because something that I know a lot of moms. Struggle with now is this lack of making mom friends. Like, I know it's a little bit off topic, but it's still like connection and deep, real conversation. Like, so you moved from Virginia to Texas, to California, or something like that.

    Virginia,

    Texas, Texas, California. And then like two and a half years later came back to Texas. And so like, okay. So that in

    my opinion, I'm like, okay. So. Sheree, what is the key to establishing and keeping great mom friends, especially if you're moving around? Yeah,

    you know, I, I think there's season. So everywhere I've gone, I've had friendships and, and I mean, I still keep in touch with him.

    I tend to be the one that picks up the phone and calls. I think that life. So here's the deal. When I was raising Karen and Courtney, we. There were clear boundaries like in there was those in between moments to be with others and you would drive 30 minutes or whatever to be with a friend like we what was really interesting about our homeschool group was they were from all over Austin and and I had people driving 45 minutes in for events.

    I think once technology became more widely used and stuff like that, people like you didn't meet in homes anymore. You met out at restaurants and you were, you never had those boundaries because you had a phone ringing or pinging you or, or, and things like that. And, and those are all distractions. I think two relationships, deep relationships, because time.

    Is, is the one commodity that we can't get back. And, and there's so many things competing for our attention. And I know for myself. You have to be super intentional, like how and who are you gonna spend time with? And, and again, right now I'm in a season of life that is really different than most people because we just moved my in law, my husband's an only child, from New Orleans, where they flipped all of their life, 50 years, in the same four bedroom house to a one bedroom apartment, and they're going to be who we invest and spend more time with right now because it's, that's a season of life that we're in.

    And, and I have my other obligations. So I think it's better to go deep with one or two people who really get you and understand and put it on the calendar, like that intentionality and say, okay, this is what I want from the relationship, kind of defining it. And I, I, I, I just, there's. Life is so complex, right?

    We all need counselors someone to talk to because like when that becomes the focus of a friendship and it's one sided the other person will eventually like I And I, I need something else because it's about giving and receiving. And, and so it's like, make sure that you're comfortable with who you are and that you have something to give to somebody.

    And the saying that says, you know why I like you? Because you like me. And then you want to spend that time together. So, I mean, yeah, it's, I mean, You tend to want to find friends that are close by because the idea of having to drive, especially when you have two, three kids is, is hard. I think finding mentors in your life as you're going through these different seasons.

    And my husband and I always said, you know, look for the next season of life for you. So if, if you're newly married and know you want to have kids, finding a couple that has kids that you can hang out with and watch them, because that. Hugely impacted my desire to want to have kids for the, for the longest.

    I didn't think I wanted kids or children. And then I was around this one couple and I watched them interact with their kiddos. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, is that what parenting looks like? I mean, I just, I, I was mesmerized by how they interacted with their three boys. And it just was like, Wow. Okay. I can do that.

    I want to do that.

    So that's amazing. I think, I mean, it's, it's important to just kind of have a good sense of what's, what's possible. What's something that maybe you never considered was within your cards and, and might actually bring you joy and happiness, right? You can't tell if you're not in the room and kind of experiencing that laughter, you know, yeah.

    It's inviting for sure. So let's imagine that not from a spaceship, although that was the thought that came in my mind, but let's imagine there's like this mom, brand new mom, she just got here to Austin this year and she has a business idea. And she's just like, okay, I'm here. I heard this is where technology is buzzing.

    And there's all these like startups and app people. What should she do first so that she starts to kind of get to know what's available to her in terms of support and resources in Austin? Wow.

    Well, so part of why I started Fiesta was to make things more easily accessible. I really feel like communities.

    I don't know if you've traveled abroad, but I've gone to Germany. And one of the things I love is that you have these town centers and everything centers around this town center. You have your baker, the. Everything and into one another. And so. I mean, Austin is big and trying to find those resources online is, is, is important.

    It depends on what type of, I mean, what she's trying to build. Is she wanting to focus more on work type of relationships? Then I would say finding time to network will be important. And, you know, I've created a calendar to help folks find events easy. And there's, there's mom groups, there's co ed groups.

    There's so much here in Austin. I mean, I literally, you can be busy almost every night of the week doing stuff. If you're, I mean, finding groups that maybe you're based off of, of cultural interest, I think that's also helpful. And. Meet up event. Right. You can Google it these days. It's so easily accessible.

    And then the places that you hang out because I do think that spending time in the car with kiddos that are screaming and not happy that just kind of grates on you as a mom. And it's like, by the time you get there, you're just like, Where, where you're going and it's not so like finding that happy in between place where you don't have to spend hours or in the car because of the crazy traffic here.

    And I think that's the case in other places. It's nice. One of the nice things about COVID is that. We're more aware of how to use virtual stuff. So I think using that, if you have a friend from another place, keeping that relationship going, because you get each other in and putting it on the calendar, again, intentionality, you have to be intentional, put it on the calendar because if it's not on the calendars, Likely not to happen, but if you put it on the calendar and something comes up, you can always change it.

    So that's why I, I say put it on the calendar and yeah, so, and have a support. I mean, like, I think this is a conversation before having kiddos that couples need to have is, is knowing what. Your desires are because I think some women really are created to be career women. They, they, they've always wanted to be an attorney.

    I, I think of this one gal that works over at Perkin and Cooey and she just got a nu some kind of a, a award for what she does. But she just had her fifth child of Alaska. She was at the event we were at on Wednesday night and. She has worked as an attorney all of this time and, and, and her baby is probably two months old.

    And I mean, she just flew in and, and, but again, that's a conversation I'm sure she and her husband had that this is what I want to do. This is why I went to school. I want you to. Will you support me in this? And, and what will that look like? So for couples, it could be the husband picking up a lot more of the load, or it could be that you hire folks to come in to help with the childcare and then when they're old enough, I mean, you do childcare.

    So those are all decisions I think to make ahead of time as a couple, you know, before you get there. Would help. And then if you have family close by, can they help out? I think I love the conversations we were having on Wednesday that as women are involved in companies in advocating for child care on premise with them, that's things are going to start to change and they are changing.

    I mean, it's a lot different than when I Was having kiddos. So, I mean, I think it's only going to get better. And I jokingly say, I think the Barbie movie has done a lot for, for, for that too, like the, the whole stereotyping that, you know, you can work, but can you work and have a family? And I think you can, it's just a discussion that needs to be had.

    Yeah, Cherie, thank you for this. I think this is important. A lot of, a lot of moms are, and I, and I find it slightly hilarious, if I'm being honest. It's kind of like, I don't know, I kind of feel like women have always been having babies. Like, this is not new. Yeah. It's like, Why are we still talking about the same thing?

    Right. But I mean, there's, there's a lot of things that are involved and a lot of different priorities that have to be decided upon ideally by the woman herself. And then there's also choices. And, and I just want to caveat, like if you're high powered in your field and you have those hours, I think every mom needs to just be really, really honest with herself and understand that.

    There's some, there's a support system behind that sister, like, like there's no way on this earth that you could like duplicate yourself yet until AI really gets advanced, but, but I think there's, there's options, there's also options in, in not having to feel lonely, whether you're a mom or an entrepreneur.

    And I think as far as. Your experiences early on with like homeschooling, like you, you share the fact that you could use your imagination to really figure out what you need, everybody needs something a little different. Some people don't want to be smothered and some people want a lot of love. And some people want, you know, something with a little bit more.

    I don't even know, like something that's a little more defined, for example, in terms of a relationship. So, Cherie, let's say that people want to continue to follow you, learn more about you, learn about Fiesta. Where should they go online? What website should we point them to and social media?

    Yeah, so fiesta.

    community. com, community. And is the website, if you are an entrepreneur, if you're looking for events and things of that sort, you can find me on Sri Werner on Instagram and Facebook. And it's Sri at Fiesta dot communities, my email, if you want to reach out to me and yeah, those are the big things. And I just want to encourage moms.

    I mean, like, remember this is a season and I think that being a mom. Actually best prepared me for what I'm doing today. I learned so much because there's that one image out there that shows if you paid a mom for everything that she does, cause she, she's a caregiver. She, do you know what I'm talking about?

    Have you seen that? Okay. Good driver.

    Everything. Exactly.

    And, and we need to, I mean like we need to remind each other of the fact that we do a lot and we have a lot to offer. And, and instead of judging one another, if we're, this is where it goes back to emotional generosity that we were talking about earlier on.

    Like, Pointing out something to a mom and, and encouraging her or a working woman, just saying, Hey, you bring so much to this arena. I'm so glad that you're choosing to work and offering, like, is there anything I can do to help you? Or do you need anything? And, and just being that person to, to ask. And then I think as women, it's okay to vocalize it's hard.

    I'm struggling. I, I, I'm not doing a good job. I need help. I mean, like, learn those words and, and use them because that only way that other people can be let in is if you let them in. So to all the moms out there, if, if you need somebody, reach out, let them know. And, and I, I, I mean, we're such a supportive community.

    I know. You will find somebody that will step up to be there for you.

    Absolutely. Thank you, Cherie. Yeah, thank you. When it comes to some of the first people that I met here in Austin after our time in Australia, Cherie was one of those individuals who had and offered a very warm smile. So here are the three things that I want to share with you as it relates to finding community wherever you are and not feeling so lonely as a mom, nor as an entrepreneur.

    So this is what I got from the conversation with Cherie. So the first point is you have to be intentional, be intentional about creating connections, understand what you need from those relationships. But be intentional, put it on your calendar or it won't happen. The second one is go for deep connections.

    And if you are just zooming with individuals, then that is going to be pretty surface level unless you've been in the same room and shared a cup of coffee, for example, which is something that here in Austin, we do a lot. And that's actually a little new for me as a New Yorker. So deep relationships really make a difference.

    They're awesome and helpful for your mental health. And then the third point is the one that I love about. Finding friends or people to connect with who are ahead of you along your mom stage or motherhood journey. I think having a perspective of what it looks like to be the parent of a teenager or having the perspective of what it looks like, or it can look like to be an empty nester when you're a mom like me with kids in school is a good thing to seek.

    So those are the three things that I think are really important as it relates to the conversation with Sheree. And I really invite you to connect with Sheree, go to a Fiesta event. If you're here based in Austin, say hello. Cause I will probably be there too and have a wonderful, wonderful day. Again, you're not alone.

    You're totally not alone. If anything, you have me here on the other side of this microphone. So definitely reach out to me, [email protected] And I will say hi back. Pinky promise.

  • 234: Need Outside Motivation for Your Business Growth This Summer

    234: Need Outside Motivation for Your Business Growth This Summer

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Struggling to stay motivated and keep your business on track during the summer? Discover how you can transform these months into a powerhouse of productivity and growth. Join us as we dive into actionable strategies tailored for mom founders, ensuring you hit the ground running this fall. Don't let another summer slip by—tune in now to learn how to leverage this time for maximum business impact.

    Let’s connect if this resonates with you: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    And if this opportunity is what you need this summer then


    Join My Exclusive Summer Group Coaching Program for Mom Founders

    This summer, I'm inviting five dedicated mom founders to join me in my exclusive group coaching program, Fertile Imagination to Networking Success. This program is designed to help you develop a clear, actionable plan to grow your business. You’ll know exactly what to do and how to do it, ensuring you’re on the right track for success.

    What's Unique About This Opportunity?

    Only the first five mom founders who join me will get access to an incredible range of bonuses, making this a truly exclusive and transformative experience.

    Exclusive Bonuses for the First Five Enrollees:

    Private Session 1 for Implementation: A 45-minute session where we’ll develop a ready-to-go networking strategy for the fall. You won't feel lonely in this; we'll work side by side to plan and execute your strategy. Private Session 2 for Elevator Pitch: Overcome nerves and anxiety with a private session focused on perfecting your elevator pitch and confidently introducing yourself to new contacts. 30% Discount: For the first five mom founders, a special discount on the program fee. Productivity Resource Guide: Tools to help you take tasks off your plate, allowing you to focus more on valuable networking activities. Podcast Guest Spot: Be a guest on my podcast, you’ll be in great company given awesome my prior guests like Gary Vaynerchuk, Beth Comstock, and Suzy Batiz. This will instantly boost your credibility and visibility.

    Program Details

    Fertile Imagination to Networking Success is a comprehensive nine-week program that requires just three hours per week, two of which can be accessed on demand. Here’s what you get:

    Live Networking, Coaching, and Community: Nine weeks of live sessions focused on building a supportive community and providing actionable networking strategies. Value-Packed On-Demand Curriculum: Topics include overcoming imposter syndrome, identifying and connecting with key contacts, and planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar. Lifetime Access: Access to my proven Imagination to Impact to Income method, tools for seamless networking, and resources tailored specifically for mom founders. Specialized Tools and Resources: Including meditations and strategies to manage mom guilt and overwhelm, ensuring you stay focused and motivated.

    Why This Program is Perfect for Mom Founders

    As a mom founder myself, I understand the unique challenges you face. This program is designed to fit into your busy life, providing practical, executable steps to ensure you’re ready to hit the ground running come fall.

    Success Stories

    Hear from one of my former clients, Lily Ibarra, CFO of a Fortune 500 financial services firm: "With Melissa, people will find an open forum to air their concerns and receive very clear guidance on how to prepare themselves with confidence. Know that her method really works."

    How to Join

    Ready to take your business to the next level? Here's how to get started:

    Visit melissallarena.com/sessions Fill out the application to ensure it’s the right fit. Schedule a conversation with me this month to secure your spot.

    Remember, only the first five mom founders will receive the exclusive bonuses, including the 30% discount, productivity resource, two private sessions, and the podcast guest spot.

    Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your business and make meaningful connections. Visit www.melissallarena.com/sessions and apply now!

    Thank you, and I look forward to helping you achieve your business goals this summer. Until next Tuesday, check the show notes for more details and links to sign up.

  • 233: FOMO: Working Moms vs. SAHMs - Insights from Sharon Macey, Host of the Mom to Moreℱ Podcast

    233: FOMO: Working Moms vs. SAHMs - Insights from Sharon Macey, Host of the Mom to More™ Podcast

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    In this enlightening episode, we delve into the unique perspectives of stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) and working moms. Our special guest, Sharon Macey, host of the Mom to Moreℱ podcast, shares her journey from being a SAHM for 20 years to reinventing herself professionally. This conversation offers working moms a chance to understand the other side of the coin and see that no matter the path chosen, there's no missing out or falling behind. This episode is perfect for you if you wish to uncover the profound wisdom that moms—both working and stay-at-home—can impart to each other to enrich their motherhood experiences.

    Do you want to ask me or this week's guest a question? Send in your question today: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    Key Points:

    Understanding Different Mom Experiences: Gain insights into the stay-at-home mom experience from Sharon Macey. Learn how SAHMs navigate daily challenges and find fulfillment, providing a broader perspective that can enhance your own parenting journey. No Right or Wrong Path: Discover how both SAHMs and working moms face unique but equally valid challenges and rewards. Sharon’s story highlights that choosing either path is about finding what works best for you and your family, without fear of missing out or being left behind. Shared Wisdom for a Balanced Summer: Learn practical tips from Sharon on how to make the most of your summer with your kids. Whether you're a working mom or considering a shift, this conversation provides strategies for balancing enriching activities for your children with personal growth and career aspirations.

    Actionable Takeaways:

    Embrace a new perspective by understanding the experiences of stay-at-home moms. Find reassurance in knowing that whether you work or stay home, you're making the right choice for your family. Implement shared tips to create a summer that is fulfilling and productive for both you and your kids.

    Join us for this insightful conversation with Sharon Macey, and discover how understanding different mom experiences can enrich your own parenting journey and help you make the most of your mom summer.

    Listen now and gain a fresh perspective on motherhood!

    Official bio:

    Sharon Macey is a content creator, blogger, speaker and host of the Mom to MORE podcast. A real "mother of reinvention", Sharon created Mom To MOREℱ, a podcast and community for women rediscovering themselves beyond motherhood.

    Sharon enjoyed a successful career as an award-winning copywriter and marketer before proudly embracing the role of stay-at-home-mom. During the years of raising her 3 kids, she realized while doing all of the expected mom things, she had developed a wealth of skills that served as the foundation for her own personal reinvention. Sharon knows that moms of any age can use their talents, wisdom and unique gifts to create their empowering and fulfilling next chapters in life. Sharon holds a BA in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin and a Digital Marketing Strategies certification from the Kellogg School of Management. She competes in Latin ballroom dance and lives the empty-nest life in Connecticut with her husband and comedic dog, Comet.

    In this episode, I shared a resource you can use today to initiate conversations with anyone! Grab it this week and let me help you take the first step to building a powerful network that can help you grow your business (and even connect with other moms too).

    Links:

    Podcast: https://apple.co/46XAhPB

    Website: https://www.momtomore.com/

    From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook

    Download my step by step networking and follow-up process, as well as out-of-the-box proven ways to build relationships with the busiest of influencers, prospective podcast guests, and mentors! WARNING: this is for ambitious AF moms with growing businesses. AND BONUS: 30-second elevator pitch template included!

    The free playbook helps you:

    -Write an elevator pitch that will be memorable and distinguish you from everyone else.

    -Improve your networking skills, especially if you're a mom founder who can't go out and leave it to chance that she’ll meet the business investor, mentor, or partner of her dreams.

    -Learn how to become a better networker without feeling like a fish out of water.

    -Write your emails to introduce yourself to strangers without overthinking how to begin an email or how to prove in the email that speaking with you will be worth their time.

    -Push beyond the fear that often holds you back, thinking "Oh, I can’t do that" or "Who am I to approach that person?"

    -Think strategically about your outreach goals by considering why you want to talk to specific people, along with what you need to know so you don’t get caught out there feeling like a deer in headlights without the right words to say.

    -Think ahead about how you intend to make it worth their time and how you can use your platform to feature them as an expert, among other things.

    -Calm your networking jitters beforehand by guiding you on how to research the event and its attendees before heading out.

    -Gain fresh ideas for follow-ups that will feel good to you and the recipient, instead of just emailing the person over and over again.

    -Use a timeframe to conduct your networking or outreach efforts so they become a habit.

    -And includes email templates galore!

    Meanwhile, this episode is brought to you by the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders Program: A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level.

    What's included in this program:

    9 weeks of live networking coaching and community Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal. 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment

    Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More

    I’m also offering exclusive bonuses for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar, two private one-on-one (to implement networking outreach, to role-play your elevator pitch), and a 30% discount.

    Where do you want to be 9-weeks from now? There are two options you can feel excited, intentional, and prepared to hit the ground running in the fall ready to pitch, connect, or partner with absolutely anyone who can help your business skyrocket into next year or you can play smaller, stay stuck in the same day-to-day monotony of business hiding from the people and places where the better opportunities can be created?

    You are bold. You are the type of founder who will do anything for your clients! It’s time to do this for yourself! Treat yourself the same you have committed to treat others. Go for option 1. Bold you!

    Believe in yourself as much as you believe in others! Imagine if you believed in yourself as much as you believed in your kids! You’d knock yourself out of every and any park!

    The fastest way to get to option 1 is by investing in Fertile Imagination to Networking Success today.

    Sign-up now for the 15-minute call for the details and summer start date--> https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

    Let’s talk here so that you won’t miss out on all of the bonus exclusive to this round of five mom founders. If you have questions email me melissa [at] melissallarena.com

    TRANSCRIPT:

    What if stay at home moms and working moms got together and helped one another and imparted some really useful wisdom that could help us each be better moms? That is what this conversation is about. I have here quite the special guest, Sharon Macey. She's the host of the Mom to Moreℱ podcast. She's the mother of reinvention.

    Former stay at home mom for almost 20 years, Sharon intimately understands the journey of motherhood, its joys, challenges, and the inevitable question moms all ask themselves. Is this all there is? And what's next for me? These moments of introspection led Sharon to her own aha moment and inspired the creation of her podcast, a podcast and community dedicated to supporting women rediscovering themselves after motherhood.

    In this episode, we'll Sharon and I talk about what is it that we should be doing and can be doing with our kids during these summer breaks. And so I thought that Sharon would have a wonderful perspective seeing that she had about 20 summers with her children as a stay at home mom. And I think asking a friend with that experience is absolutely invaluable.

    Also discussed in this conversation was a chapter of my book, fertile imagination. So in my book, I share how as working moms, we might want to phase out our approach to business building. Or just the way that we tackle our goals. And so I wanted to get Sharon's perspective pertaining to her life as a stay at home mom for the last 20 years.

    And I wanted to see kind of like the other side of things. I wanted to know if she had been building out her interests in phases as a stay at home mom. And so that was something that we talked about as well as this very unique and very cool concept, which is that She was plugged into the community of advertising as a stay at home mom, so although she may have not been, you know, working for an agency at the time, her mom friends in agencies and friends in general would still reach out to Sharon.

    As she may have been, you know, driving a child from hockey practice to back home. And that continuation of building those relationships, even when you are not working, per se, or looking for a job, I thought is such a wonderful example to share on this episode. So truly enjoy the conversation. If this really adds value and helps you reimagine what this summer could look like, having spent some valuable time with your kids, but also still plugged into your interests, then share this conversation with your mom bestie in particular.

    And I want to challenge you. If you're a working mom, share this with a stay at home mom. And if you're a stay at home mom, share it with a working mom. I promise that we have more in common than we could possibly imagine. So please share this episode. And now for the wonderful conversation with Sharon Macey.

    Amazing. Sharon Macey, thank you so much for being on Unimaginable Wellness. How are you? I am great. My friend. How are you? I'm really excited about this. I'm really excited about you. I'm excited that you're in a library. Oh my gosh. Do you know internet problems today? So we're in a library with this heinous yellow background behind me.

    So But you know what, Sharon, this is emblematic of making it all work, making what lemon sorbet out of lemons. Here's the best part. I love libraries. So you're actually in like my Haven, right? So your library, fun fact, when I was living in new Canaan, we were very library envious. of people in Westport, right?

    And so you are in a really great library looking at what a river or something. So yes, yeah. Overlooking I'm not overlooking a river, but yes, this library is overlooking a river. Yeah. So shout out to libraries. You guys are saving graces, especially if the internet ever conks out. And, and also for those mom friendly rooms, right?

    With all those beautiful children books and such. So Sharon, I am so excited to have you here and we can absolutely launch into the regularly scheduled conversation. So Sharon, let me just paint the picture here, right? So. A lot of us want to spend more time with our kids, especially when we're in school break during the summer.

    But the, the challenge is if we have our own businesses, if we're working moms, is that at this point we already feel behind, like behind on life, behind on our to dos, on our dreams. And so this idea that, okay, kids are out and we want to spend time with them. It just feels Card, and it feels like something that might take us away from building the skills necessary to like make progress on our business.

    So I would love you to help us all better understand how time spent with kids. For example, maybe thinking about your years as a stay at home mom, 20 years or so, how did that better prepare you? For when it was your turn or time to launch your own platform or business, like help us rationalize, like, okay.

    Time spent with my kid is going to help me for when I'm back at it in the fall. 100%. I love that question, Melissa. Thank you. The beauty of having been a stay at home mom, at least for me, and I realize that is a privilege to be able to spend that time, is that I realized later that everything you do as a stay at home mom builds a skill set and Or superpowers, whatever you want to call it, that will help you manifest, create, be whatever it is you want to be in your future.

    Or if you are trying to get this done while your kids are, maybe your kids have finally entered kindergarten or elementary school and you do have a little more time. In your day, you've got more daylight, it will help you build those skills. And so every moment that you're with your kids, you're learning so many things and we blow these off, right?

    You think about how you act in an emergency, the leadership roles, the, the infinite questions in your ability to multitask and be a communicator and a negotiator and we'll throw in Dr. Mom, cause we've all been there. You have these innate abilities to do so many things and all of those skills are going to inform you.

    They will help you get to whatever your next chapter or what I like to call my podcast, your more is going to be. And so I, I, I sort of challenged moms to say, think about all the things that you do, write them down. I mean, think about all the parties you've done. You're an event planner. Think about nonprofits that you've raised money for.

    You are developing a skill set that is rich and varied and marketable, and those will take you far. I have to share something with you. A lot of moms that I've partnered with, mom founders, have told me that following up after going to networking events tends to be hard, awkward, and a lot of them really don't know how to do it. I completely agree, and I think, as I think about time with my child or my children, I also think about the fact, and what I'm hearing you say, Sharon, is that I could almost, like, reframe it, right? If, if I'm feeling that, That complexity of the decision, the fact that it is time that I'm not going to be working on my business, quote unquote.

    So one reframe that I'm hearing is that maybe the summer season, maybe these breaks, quote unquote, are like opportunities for me to work on like my soft Skills, right? So soft skills as a leader is certainly something that if you're a business owner, like a solopreneur, like myself, like you tend to forget the fact that you too need like a development plan as well in terms of your leadership skills.

    So maybe time with your child can be time spent focusing on some key soft skills, and maybe it's something you do together. A hundred percent. And this, I think this time with the kids, summer is fun. It's creative. It's imaginative. It is, it's sort of where you can try to give your brain a bit of a mental break because the kids are on break and listen, your kid may go to camp.

    So you'll have a little more time there. Just, I'd say really enjoy that time. And, and drill down on all of these life experiences and see what comes up from there because it's not wasted time at all. It's incredibly valuable time. Absolutely. And, and I mentioned that because I remember when I was coaching a client, she had spent one morning going to some sort of science museum with her son and her husband, and in the back of her mind, she was like, But I should be really working on building my business.

    But then she got back to the whole point of like, but wait, like, why did I actually build my business? It was to have the flexibility to be with my child. And so I think all of it can be rationalized. If you need that rationalization, just so that this way you feel great and actually present when you are with your child.

    So I love what you said there, Sharon. So let me, let me ask you something because here's the thing that's super cool. So when I've interviewed people, not everyone has like checked out my book, fertile imagination, but you have it in your hand. And so I think it's, it's amazing. So I want to just reference it and get your thoughts on this idea.

    Yeah in the book In the book Thank you so much In the book sharon. I reference a working mom who I admire so so so much martha hennessey who's Like a rock star and she's like a grandmother at this stage, too And she told me before I became a mom that I would never regret the time I spent with my kids It was really hard to think about Think that through because I was not yet a mom, but now I like I get it, right?

    Cause a lot of us, for example, especially if you're a working mom, you only have these like windows of time, right? Of mom exclusive time. So here's my question, Martha, I mentioned in my book, she worked on her professional dreams. In phases while being a mom, right? And so my question to you, because you were a stay at home mom for 20 years, like, did you, on the other side of this coin, explore your interests in phases during your stay at home mom time?

    Ooh, interesting question, my friend. So I didn't think that I did at the time, but in retrospect, I I absolutely did, because I realized everything I was doing with my kids, all of the information I was absorbing and the knowledge that I was learning and the skills that I was honing, all of those things helped me eventually get to where I am right now with mom to more with the podcast and the community for women rediscovering themselves beyond motherhood.

    And what was interesting, Melissa was when I was a stay at home mom, it was a little more black and white then. Right. I've got a, got a couple of years on you. It was a little more black and white, and it was either you were working or you are not. And I had some freelance clients. My background is advertising and marketing.

    I'm a writer. So I did have some freelance clients for a while until I had too many kids and then they outnumbered me and I was overwhelmed, but. What I, what I tried to do is keep my fingers in the things that I like to do. I, my friends know that I'm creative. I would have friends who were working, who would call me up and say, need a headline.

    I need an idea. Talk to me about whatever. And so during those years, as I had in the back of my head, I knew that There was a lot of questioning inside of me going, well, is this all there is? And what do I want to do when my kids grow up, which definitely led me into my mom to more chapter. And then during the pandemic, I was able to go back to school, which really helped to launch a couple of things, which then ultimately led in into what I was doing.

    So I. Definitely different phases, although I might not have been as aware of it at the moment when things were happening, but in retrospect, when you really look at that pool of experiences and knowledge and highs and lows and disasters and successes, everything sort of helped me to get to where I am right now.

    It's so interesting how originally I'm gonna this is actually something I've never told anyone. So like, I remember when I was first pregnant, me and my husband, okay, this was before becoming parents. Well, I guess I was with my first born in me, but I remember. We got all analytical about what we wanted our firstborn to be.

    We literally started writing down, like, we want them to know all these languages. We want them to be, pick a word, kind, ambitious, whatever. Like we were almost like scientifically writing out like the recipe that we wanted to then bake. And, and so it's interesting because obviously that was like, To shreds because reality, you become a mom, but what I'm hearing from you is that maybe we don't need to be so like, I don't know, methodological about how we want to approach our lives.

    Maybe things will happen. Events will happen. Situations will present themselves that in hindsight, we can then connect the dots and make something out of them that. Helps us feel fulfilled, you know, and so again, we were not creating our child, but we're manifesting his personality. So this was, this was beyond manifesting.

    We're like two MBAs. We got Excel on this whole thing. And, and honestly, I had no time for Excel that first year. But the whole idea is that there's, there might be something else at play that really just helps guide us in, in a logical way that we will only know after the fact, right? So 20 years later, it makes sense that your friends in the creative feels, we're still asking you for your insights and wisdom.

    It makes sense that maybe now at this stage, Sharon, and I don't know if this is true. Maybe you also like reached out to them and ask them about your mom to more stage. Maybe there's, there's some sort of, right. Exchange there. So how did that work? Like at this point, at this stage, I'm just curious, like, did you plug back into those former friends, former colleagues, people who knew you when?

    Absolutely. And, and a lot of that, they've just been in my life. Throughout the continuum, right? They never left. And I feel blessed to know as many people as I do in as many different stages of life that they're in. And so knowing that I have people that I can connect Reach out to and connect with, or sometimes reconnect with, has been incredibly powerful.

    And I've found moms from my podcast, from, from knowing, from people that I've known for a long time and realizing things that they have done in their life. And I think also you have to, like in your book, Melissa, you have to allow for those moments of creativity and those moments of imagination and those moments of, I'm just going to go with the flow and see where it takes me.

    And. Oftentimes, when you have these unexpected moments that were unex, these unexpected moments, you learn so much about you, about something that you love to do, about something that you think you might want to look into in the future. So I just say, Like what you said in the book, allow your imagination to be and be able to take chances.

    And I, and I think that's also something that I'm, I'm actually really comfortable doing. I don't know why, but I'm cool with taking chances. I feel like I started the podcast before I was really ready, although I had done a lot of research and I was as ready as I was going to be at that moment. But was it perfect?

    God, no, you just, sometimes you just jump in and you do something because you know that you have something that needs to get out and it's going to resonate and you just need to do it. So that's kind of sort of where I'm, I'm coming from about that. Yeah. And I love that. I love that. I love how there was this continuing this continuity, I guess you could say of relationships.

    It's like, I noticed that in terms of circles. So like, you know, where I have lived and where I live now, like there's a lot of moms who might not be a purist. Stay at home mom because right now I would say the lines are blurry to your point Especially with the advent of hybrid work and just working from home It's like like I do everything at home But so does my husband which is really interesting and he's not a stay at home dad, right?

    So I I love how you Stayed connected to people that were still in the work of of commerce right at the time and how and I also love how they respect you so much for your talent and skills, even though maybe at that moment, you may have been literally like driving someone to hockey practice or something.

    Right? Like, And yes, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Right. You know, for mom, some, sometimes some of your most creative ideas happen behind the wheel of your car. Yeah, that's, that's very true. Actually, Sarah Blakely, by the way, just today on Instagram did a reel on how she used to feel. Fake a commute so that she could come up with her best ideas while driving nowhere, like around the same sort of set of blocks in Georgia.

    But that being said, it just supports what you just said, Sharon. Yeah. Driving, showering, all of these moments where you're not thinking about a campaign or whatever, where that is when you get the tagline, right? That's when you get that soundbite. So I love that. I'm super creative. It just moments of when you're sort of like falling asleep or maybe you wake up in the middle of the night because at a certain age, yes, everybody's waking up in the middle of the night and oftentimes I find my brain just starts going and ideas just start popping and I have to open up my phone so I could just jot myself a note so I don't forget it.

    Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, that's actually when my imagination was in full gear, like when I would put my head to the pillow and when I became a mom, because I was not putting my head to the pillow very often, that's why I felt like there was this pause on my imagination. And that's why I wrote the book so that I could rediscover my imagination and, and help moms and readers do the same for them.

    And, and so let me ask you this question, cause I think I think this is really going to be common in terms of a lot of the listeners here. And I think your perspective, Sharon, would be amazing. So, okay, we have this idea that we are missing out on the lives of our kids. And And I, I am, I wonder from your perspective, when you were a stay at home, mom, did you feel like you were missing out in the world of commerce?

    Like, was that ever like an inner conflict for you? Like, Oh, I'm not in the glitz and glamour of that. Things I heard this from a mom. That's a stay at home mom who was in, in communications before. That's why I'm curious about your thoughts and how you either untangled that conflict or worked through that conflict.

    Cause we have it on the other side. We feel like we're missing out on the lives of our kids working mom. So I'm just curious your thoughts. Yeah, it's really interesting. You mentioned that because I absolutely felt that I was missing out, but. At that moment in my life, I had my it was a joint decision with my husband and myself that I had decided to step back and focus on the kids because they were only young ones and also recognizing that I had the privilege of being a stay at home mom.

    But I would advise. Moms who are home to stay connected. And it's so much easier now than when my kids were younger, right? Having come back from, you know, the mom 2. 0 summit, so many women are really engaged in a, in a part time way. They've got younger kids, they're content creators that didn't exist when, when my kids were younger.

    And so I'd say. My advice would be stay connected to the things that you love, the things that resonate with you, anything in your form or career, stay in touch with the people that you worked with. You can take an online class, you can meet up with other like minded moms, and I know that there are, are groups all over the country of women who, Our home who are gathering together and they're talking about how do they stay relevant?

    How do they stay informed? How do they stay with their fingers sort of still in the pie of their former careers? So then when they have the opportunity to be able to go back to what they did or interestingly, maybe start something totally new that they had no idea that they were going to do, that they feel that there was still that connection.

    I'd say for the moms who are working and they're feeling like they're missing out with their kids, that, that is, is maybe not PC. That's, that's obviously a choice that you have. Now, I will also say, That there are women who have to work and I respect the hell out of them for doing two really incredibly hard jobs at the same time, raising kids, having to make that decision to put them in daycare or have someone in the family look at them so you can go make a living.

    And that is, that is an incredibly hard journey. And I applaud all those moms who do that. And. And so they're not missing out because it's really interesting. Melissa, from the kids perspective, my kids would say to me, we can't imagine having a mom who wasn't at home. But I know other women who were working and their kids have said to them, we can't imagine having a mom who wasn't working.

    And so kids will glean. Information and and experiences from how they lived and that will inform I think who they're going to become. So I think both sides of the coin are valid and true and real and they happen every day. And I think we just really have to embrace where we are able to be at this moment in time while we are embracing our kids and just trying to take every moment that we gain from them and grow from it and love it.

    I would agree. And I think, as I think about some of the clients that I've had who, who technically have a choice, that's, that's the part that's kind of interesting. And everybody has to decide for themselves, like what it is that they want out of their one precious life. Right. But, but some of the, uh, Some of the individuals who do have a lot of choice and, and opt to be very ambitious in terms of their careers, even when their kids are only going to be five, one time or 10, one time there's the other side of it is that you poured in so many years, a lot of times before becoming a mom, right?

    So there's so many people that I've gone to school. School with, for example, that before they became a mom, which a lot of people now become moms later in life, they poured in decades to go up the ladder and to accomplish whatever dream was on their heart. And so it's very, very valid that that dream doesn't just go and it doesn't get thrown in the toilet with our placentas.

    Again, I wonder where my placenta is. It's all. And it's really interesting, Melissa. I was just speaking with a cousin, a cousin of mine, and it's actually my cousin's daughter, and she just had a baby last fall. She's got a really big time job. And I think the pandemic really changed a lot of things. She is able to work from home two days a week.

    And so she can be with her daughter. She can work, she can take time out and, and. And have that mommy time, which is so important, but she also has this like really big job at a really world renowned firm. And so I think moms today have so many more options, so many more options than what I had when my kids were younger.

    And so I, I think that's really important. I think that's terrific. You can sort of do both, right? You can have the time with your kids. You can have time at work. Sometimes they're overlapping at home. And, and it's just a whole different world in that regard, whether who's going to be a home parent, working parent.

    It's, it's, it's, there's a lot of, you know, We may want to edit this out right here. Cause I just had a senior moment. There are, there is much more optionality that exists today than exists before. Absolutely. Sharon. I think that people definitely can re imagine what. A day can look like where they are present with their child, and they're also super focused on their work during another slice of, of the day.

    I, I do, I do know there's, it's such a complex thing. I think having been a coach, like I appreciate also a lot of the realities, which is just one thing. Like. I still do think even though we have the option to work from home, I still do think that people that are physically based in a headquarters area might get picked for a C suite job a little more readily and easily.

    Or if you show up to the office, it might convey extra commitment. And I'm not saying that's right. I'm just saying that I understand. And I appreciate the reality you. But I also understand that anyone that's listening has the opportunity at this time to really figure out for herself what she wants.

    Like, what do you want out of this life experience? Some, some listeners may. May have always thought to themselves, like, I've always wanted to be a mom. Like, like this, this being the CEO of an organization, that's for the birds. I'm being so silly right now, but like not everyone wanted that. And so for some people, I think it's just a matter of seeing the fact that if your dream was.

    To be a stay at home mom and you have the opportunity to do so that is as valid and worthy and honorable as being the CEO of a billion dollar organization or whatever. And yeah, I mean, you're representing the next generation of humans and I think the world is definitely more amenable to the whole work from home concept and we'll, we can thank the pandemic for that really.

    And. There are, I think you can have more of it both ways than we could in the past. And, and the other thing that's really interesting, Melissa is what I've learned from some of the women that I've had the privilege of interviewing for my podcast is that I find that women who have spent a period of time home with their kids, they, they have become.

    Far more entrepreneurial than they would have ever imagined. And so if you had said to many of the moms that I've spoken with, if someone had told you five years ago that you're gonna be doing what you're doing at this moment, they would have said, no way, would have said, that's not me. I'm never gonna be doing that.

    And so I think that just, The experience that you gain as a mom, the experience that you gained from working first and then being a mom and taking all those things that you went sort of putting it in the washer and the dryer and saying, okay, how's it going to come out on the other end? There's women have really this extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit and creativity and imagination, which leads them places they never thought they'd go.

    And, and that, I mean, that's what happened to me. And I think that is just beautiful because life. Is you never know what's going to happen in life. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. So to be able to take that creativity and move it forward, I think is a real gift and a blessing to, to have that opportunity.

    Absolutely. Sharon, thank you for this. I think anyone listening is going to want to keep up with you. Keep up with Sharon. So like, where can we, yeah. So where can people find you hear more for about being a mom and, and just. Living in that moreness, like, how can we be part of your world? I love that. Living in my moreness.

    Thank you for that. You can find me, well, my website is MOM2MORE, so M O M T O M O R E dot com, and on there, You'll have links to the podcast. The podcast is mom to more. It is on Apple, Spotify, YouTube for the video cast, really, wherever you do your podcast, you can find me. And on Instagram, I am at mom to more also on Facebook, also on LinkedIn.

    I'm at Sharon Macey and talking about all things just from a slightly different perspective on LinkedIn that are relevant to, to moms. So I think also what's interesting for moms is. Using your creative flow and, and, and having that idea exchange continuing on in your life, whether it's with friends who are moms, friends who are working, but that that whole sort of your creative flow, your essence, exchanging of ideas, building bridges, and, and it's something that I think is, is helpful in helping you just sort of try to figure out what your next chapter is going to be.

    Absolutely. Thank you so much, Sharon. Have an awesome one. Thank you, Melissa. Thanks. This has been great fun. What a wonderful conversation with Sharon. Here are the three things that I am going to reflect on myself and you might want to consider as well. So that this way, this summer season is A present one, and it feels completely nourishing, whether you are a stay at home mom or you're a working mom.

    Point number one, there is beauty in being a stay at home mom. There are skills that you will learn that you can absolutely use now and later. And so just appreciating the beauty that there is, is my personal to do. I mean, there are moments when I am definitely very focused on my three boys, especially the summer season.

    When I might lose sight of the fact that, you know what, we're out here having frozen yogurt together. How often is this going to happen? I don't know the answer to that. And so appreciating the moment and being in the beauty is absolutely something that I will take to heart. The second point is phases.

    So in my book, fertile imagination, Martha Hennessy is someone who I feature. She's outstanding, had various positions in the government, and she is actually someone that I admire in terms of phasing out her professional ambitions. Sharon mentioned how moms stay at home. Moms can do the same thing. You can do the same thing.

    If you are on a career pause, you can absolutely Think about what is interesting to you and start exploring this in a very like phase by phase basis. So if your children are, you know, just starting school, you could absolutely approach your love of dance. If your children are now in middle school, you can absolutely approach your love of song, whatever it is that's on your heart.

    You can absolutely Think about how to experience that interest and Definitely check out my book because there's some ideas there pertaining to how you might want to Reimagine how you actually explore an interest so check out fertile imagination Third point. So this relationship between stay at home moms and working moms, I want more stay at home mom friends.

    I want more working mom friends. I want us to get together and talk about the reality of our life experiences. There's so much more that we can learn from each other. than there is in terms of judging each other or even like judging ourselves. You know, I know for me, there have been moments when I've been like, okay, wait, was I supposed to be a stay at home mom?

    Or was I supposed to be a, you know, working girl out in corporate America? Like there's all these thoughts that we often share, but we do not to one another about. So we share it in terms of we're thinking it. But we're not expressing it. So what if we actually got together over a cup of coffee and we actually had these conversations?

    So definitely thank you so much for listening to the conversation and until n

  • 232: I said I would spend more time with my kids this summer

    232: I said I would spend more time with my kids this summer

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    In this episode, I'm here to help you tackle the challenge many mom entrepreneurs face: balancing business growth with family time during the summer break. I'll share practical strategies to maintain momentum in your business while spending quality time with your kids. Drawing from my experience and my signature three-step method, you'll learn actionable advice on leveraging the summer months to refine your company vision, boost energy levels, and enhance storytelling skills. By involving your children in these activities, you not only strengthen your bond but also tap into their imaginative perspectives. Together, let's ensure you feel empowered and supported as you navigate your entrepreneurial journey. Today's episode is my answer to this listener question below.

    Q&A: It's time for growth in my business. This fall I plan to hit the ground running. I know I will have to network more to take my business to the next level but I feel rusty and fear coming across as inept. What are some things I can focus on this summer while respecting that I also said I want to spend more time with my kids during this break?

    Do you have a question? Send in your mom founder question today: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    Key Points:

    Summer Challenges for Mom Entrepreneurs: Balancing business growth with family time during the summer break can be tough, but I'm here to help you navigate it. The Imagination to Impact to Income Method: Let's dive into my three-step method tailored for mom entrepreneurs: accessing a fertile imagination, making impactful decisions, and creating pathways to income. Practical Strategies for Summer Success: Revamp Your Company Vision: Involve your kids in reimagining your company vision, leveraging their fresh perspectives and creativity. Boost Energy Levels: Focus on essential self-care practices like nutrition, movement, and emotional well-being to increase productivity and capacity. Enhance Storytelling Skills: Practice storytelling with your kids to refine your communication and articulate your business narrative effectively. Networking and Confidence Building: These summer activities contribute to enhancing your networking skills and boosting confidence in business interactions. Opportunity for Growth: Consider joining my group coaching program, "Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders," where you'll find support, mentorship, and a community of like-minded mom entrepreneurs like yourself.

    As you navigate the summer months, seize the opportunity to invest in your personal and professional growth. By implementing these strategies and participating in my coaching program, you'll be equipped to tackle the challenges of entrepreneurship with confidence and purpose, achieving success while cherishing precious family moments.

    This episode is brought to you by the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders Program: A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level.

    What's included in this program:

    9 weeks of live networking coaching and community Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal. 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment

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    I’m also offering exclusive bonuses for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar, two private one-on-one (to implement networking outreach, to role-play your elevator pitch), and a 30% discount.

    Where do you want to be 9-weeks from now? There are two options you can feel excited, intentional, and prepared to hit the ground running in the fall ready to pitch, connect, or partner with absolutely anyone who can help your business skyrocket into next year or you can play smaller, stay stuck in the same day-to-day monotony of business hiding from the people and places where the better opportunities can be created?

    You are bold. You are the type of founder who will do anything for your clients! It’s time to do this for yourself! Treat yourself the same you have committed to treat others. Go for option 1. Bold you!

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    Let’s talk here so that you won’t miss out on all of the bonus exclusive to this round of five mom founders. If you have questions email me melissa [at] melissallarena.com

    TRANSCRIPT:

    Three things you can do this summer that are going to help you feel like you're ahead of the game come this fall. This is a question I got from a listener. She says, it's time for growth in my business. And this fall, I plan to hit the ground running.

    Now, I know I'm gonna have to network more in order to take my business to the next level, but I feel rusty and honestly, sometimes I'm scared that I'm gonna come across as inept. So what are the things that I can focus on this summer as a business owner? While respecting the fact that I also said that I want to spend more time with my kids.

    Okay. I love this question. And if you have your own questions, absolutely send it over. I'm on Instagram at Melissa Lorena. I love this question because it comes up every single break, whether it is a winter, spring, or a school break of any kind, anywhere you are in the world, this is something that is uniquely a challenge for the primary caregivers of their children or family members who might be aging.

    And I want to be sure that you have. All the tools you need this summer in order to feel supported and to know that there are things that you absolutely can do in order to make progress on your business. So I wanted to just share this idea with you. A recent client who participated in my group coaching program, fertile imagination to networking success for mom founders, Michelle.

    She actually pointed something out pertaining to what is the point of differentiation of partnering with me versus someone that doesn't acknowledge the fact that you are a mom first. Here's what Michelle had to say. She said, it made me feel, the program that is, as if I wasn't always failing. I wasn't always failing.

    Um, having to feel disappointed when things were not going my way or when things were not the way I imagined or hoped. So in the program, Michelle goes on to say that there was so much context around this idea that as long as you are moving. Towards your dreams, even if it's at a snail's pace, you are doing what you can, and that's more than enough.

    So here's the thing. During the summer months, our schedules completely change for a lot of us. And we have to reprioritize what comes first, but here's something that I know personally and I also know having helped a lot of mom founders who have very different circumstances. If you decide not to do anything pertaining to making progress on your business, then there are absolutely consequences.

    And here's some of them. Come September, when all of our peers are out there full force, marketing their programs, marketing their podcasts, marketing their offers, we often will feel left behind. Like we are way behind the eight ball come September. And what then happens is this pattern. You end up doing.

    Everything that you should have been doing little by little over the summer in the beginning of the fall, in September. And so that is what then brings about burnout. That is then what brings about this idea that our business and motherhood is an all or nothing game. It's something that either you're all in, Or you're fully out of, and I want to really, really emphasize that it does not have to be the case.

    There are absolutely things that you can do this summer that are gentle, that are purposeful, that are intentional, that will keep the ball rolling in your business. And I really, really encourage you to think through. What you want to feel in September once the kids do go back to school once the kids are back in their Regular routine and you have a bit more time to yourself to think so something else that is a consequence of not doing anything that is strategic and quite Intentional over the summer that is going to give you the biggest bang for your time Buck is this idea that It is going to be so important, irrespective of where you are as a mom to really, really keep your kids engaged over the summer.

    I know, right? I heard you from the left field. So here's why that matters. As it relates to our children during these summer months and at any point, they are what I like to call imagination experts in residence. Thanks. And we lose sight, oftentimes, that a day spent with them can actually help us gain access to our own imagination.

    A day spent with them playing around can help us feel fresh, give us the opportunity to think differently about things, give us this sense of fresh enthusiasm that plugs us back into why we started our business in the first place. For And so you will be missing out on this opportunity that's quite special during the summer to hang out with the kids and actually learn from them over the summer, see how they might consider certain challenges and approach certain things, right?

    So that's something else that if you decide to completely let go of your business over the summer, you might miss out the opportunity to bring that fresh sense of enthusiasm, fresh perspective, a fresh playfulness. To something that you've been struggling with or thinking about in the year before while the kids were in school, like now you have these amazing humans that are around you who can help you rethink, reimagine what's possible for you in your life and in your business.

    So why not leverage that unique time during the summer to bring them on board your own sort of team, right? So that's something else that you will miss out on if you decide to not do anything business related over the summer versus figure out a way to bring your kids into the loop. Here's something else that tends to happen.

    So we get rusty. That listener mentioned that her networking skills are already rusty. So now imagine a summer spent where you are at home or you are on vacation and you are a hundred percent not in a business mindset and not using that way of thinking. What ends up happening is that you're going to have to warm yourself up come the fall and you're going to be warming yourself up come the fall when everyone else is.

    Would have already been warmed up throughout the entire summer season. And this is not to say at all that you don't get to decompress, relax, not think about business. But what this is to say is that there are huge benefits for making progress on your business, even at a snail's pace. And I would argue that that is the reason why over the last 12 years as a mom founder with three children, I have been able to do some pretty kick ass things, such as bringing amazing guests to my podcast, like Suzy Batiste, Beth Comstock, I mean, amazing humans, and it's because I never really fell asleep, like a comatose on my business, never, never, never, even when I was tandem nursing, my identical twins, I've I continued to make progress and again, we're not talking about rockstar progress.

    We're talking about snails pace, but snails pace might be the way that you achieve your big bold ambition. All right. So now let me share with you three things that you can do this summer that are not going to put you in a place of conflict. Where you're going to be telling yourself, but I promised that I was going to be spending more time with my kids, and then of course I also promised myself that I would hit the ground running come September.

    That is the conflict that I want us to really nip in the bud right now on this episode. Okay, so here's where we will begin. I want to share with you my framework. This is the framework that I teach my participants in my group coaching program. And this framework really comes from experience and having partnered and worked with so many working moms just like you.

    It is called the imagination to impact to income method. So three step method for mom, business owners. Here's why this method works for a mom founder, and it is specific for someone. Okay, so the first step of the method is about having access to a fertile imagination. That is also the title of my book, my bestseller.

    The reason why this is critical and key and cannot be skipped for a mom business owner Is because oftentimes we find ourselves in the most complicated and gnarly experiences and we need to figure out how to keep going, whether it is figure out who's going to pick up Jake versus who's going to pick up Mary or figure out how we're going to stay, stay in terms of And the best, keep our best foot forward when we are exhausted and we're trying to complete our launch marketing plan, whatever challenge you have as a mom, if you do not have access to your fertile imagination, you are limping your way through business and life.

    What this means is if you do not have the ability to think expansively beyond what you may have seen another mom. Ever do as a business owner or as a matriarch of her family, then you are greatly limited because modern society comes to you at a fast rate and thinking expansively and beyond what you have seen is the name of the game when it comes to maintaining your mental health and still kicking ass in business and being an amazing mom.

    So that is step one to. Everything and anything that I teach my clients who are mom founders who want to find business success on their terms, on their timeline and alongside their kids. Now that's step one. Step two is impact. So at the end of the day, a lot of us go into a lot of things and we end up feeling scatter brained.

    This is impossible to actually make your maximum impact. So once you have access to unlock these fresh ideas, because now you have access to your fertile imagination, which is step one of the three step method, it is then that you can choose from all those ideas, the one idea you're going to go all in on.

    Okay. After you have decided to go all in on that one idea, That is when we could start talking about step three, which is what are the possible roads to income for you on your terms as a mom founder and the pathways to income have everything to do with the things that are within your control, the things, the skills that you need to get very good at, including storytelling, including networking, including productivity.

    I mean, there's a plethora of skills that I do teach my clients. But then on top of that, there's also this ability and desire to communicate your story and communicate why you are the person to actually help someone else solve their challenge, right? So as a business owner, that is why we opened up our business, our businesses in order to solve challenges.

    So this three step method, I https: otter. ai into precisely what it would look like to begin this three step method alongside your kids during this summer, and in a way where you do not feel like you are robbing time from your kids, nor robbing time from your business. So, let's get to it. So before we get to the nuances here, overall, the reason why my three step method works for mom founders is because oftentimes we have gears that are just stuck in our minds, right?

    And so again, we're starting with the imagination, so we have to unlock the ability to come up with fresh solutions, fresh ideas. Then we're filtering, we're going from scatterbrained to focused by having one thing that we're going to focus on. And ultimately that is what's going to help you save time and money.

    And so now let's go back and see what that looks like for a summer well spent that you absolutely are proud of and excited about come the fall when you're ready to run fast towards your goal. So, this idea of a fertile imagination. Step one, as I said, you have got to turn on your fertile imagination.

    Here's how you know that your imagination is dead, is in a coma. Well, let's imagine that you have the same challenge this summer as you had last summer and you don't have a new solution. That is how you know that your fertile imagination is turned off. So we've got to be sure that that's step one. Our kids are the best human beings.

    to help us turn on our fertile imagination. Think about it this way, right? Our kids, they clock in about 10, 000 hours of using their imagination when they're little. Imagine having access to an expert who has clocked in those 10, 000 hours and is not shy about sharing what is in their imagination, right?

    All right. So here are the three things you can work on with your kids that are related to your business over the summer and not feel guilty about doing so either. First thing, and this is something that I have worked on with my clients in my group coaching program, and I have invited them to actually bring their kids along for the ride.

    So point, the first point, you can work on your company vision with your kids. So let's imagine you've been in business for six years, for 12 years. For more than one year, chances are your company vision might not be pulling its weight. Your company vision has got to be re imagined with more expansive thinking.

    Your company vision needs to energize you. Why is that? Because moms, we have finite energy. So we need all of the. Energy levers we can get right in order to keep going. So over this summer, what I would encourage you to think about is your company vision. Your company vision is not a one pager business plan.

    It's not what you might have on your pitch deck and share with your investors. A company vision is deeply personal. It should be visual and it's okay if it is totally unreasonable. I actually encourage you to make it unreasonable. Thank you. And who's often unreasonable? Our children are often unreasonable.

    That is why I would invite you to actually, age appropriate, speak with your kids and work on your company vision together. Have them present some dares to you. Have them stretch how you think about what's possible as a business owner. Have them Encourage you to simplify your language pertaining to what makes your business different.

    So I'm a hundred percent sure you have not thought about this. The reason why I have thought about this is because there's a lot that we say we can't do because we have kids. And I want to flip the script on things that we can do and we could probably do better because we have access to these imagination experts in residence over the summer.

    So working on your company vision, that is where it's at. And I remember when I was partnering with Michelle, she has an organization that's a nonprofit. And in terms of the work that they do, it's something that you wouldn't imagine talking about with your children. It's about NICU stays, pregnancy, and the loss of children.

    But even in that scenario, there's a way for you to share your story with your child. And there's a way. For you to really refine your messaging and have them help you focus or hone in on one point of differentiation, where it feels like a good experience. It feels like a meaningful experience. It feels like a quality time spent with your child over the summer.

    So that is one thing you can totally do over the summer with your kids. You can absolutely whip out the crayons, do what you got to do and think about your company vision. Learn And your vision needs to energize you. If it is not energizing you, then what you just did was come up with like a boring website company description.

    And that is not what we're going for here. So company vision with your kids, leverage your imagination, make sure you're tapping into your expansive thinking. This can be a fun thing. This is something you could write on a post it note, put on your laptop every time that you feel a bit exhausted, but it'll get you over that hump.

    That is one thing you could work on over the summer with your kids. There's a process behind them. There's a criteria, a five prong criteria for a company vision. All of that, those are the things that I share with my clients during the group coaching program, which effectively only takes about three hours of your time every single week.

    And most of it would be on your time because there's an on demand training component too. Here's a second thing you could work on over the summer alongside your kids. And this is, again, having to do with the three step method that I presented earlier. So these are like pieces of the method that I want to bring to life for you, for someone who wants to spend time with her kids, but also wants to continue with her work.

    Making progress on her business. I encourage you to work on your energy levers with your kids. What does that mean? So in order to be very productive You need to increase your Capacity in order to increase your capacity as a leader of a business It is important that you have the essentials down packed.

    What do I mean by the essentials? Well, when it comes to your nutrition, when it comes to movement, when it comes to your emotional health, all these things and sleep all need to be worked on in order for you to feel like you have more in you to give to the world. And these are the things you could work on over the summer with your kids.

    Personally, my kids still go to bed at 8 PM. I don't care if it's a break or not. Because ultimately, mommy doesn't want to break and so for me, when it comes to these energy levers with my children, I mean, I'm very much so well practiced over every single break and that is something you could work on over the summer with your kids and you can feel like you're making them.

    Major progress pertaining to your business goals in the fall. Why is that? Because right now you need to gather energy. You need to figure out like when you are best, are you a morning person, a nighttime person, do you get more output before your kids wake up or when your kids go to sleep in terms of your business?

    Figuring those things out now over the summer will pay off in the fall. You don't want to spend the fall season thinking about how to organize yourself. You want to think about and plan these things over the summer and you can absolutely do this with your kids. Here's one thought for, for food or food for thought, right?

    Imagine if taking a nap with your kid over the summer, like one day, imagine if that would actually be a great investment into your business. Like, is that possible? I know it is. And so I want to encourage you to think about that over the summer. Here's something else that you can work on. This is the third one.

    Third thing you could work on over the summer with your kids and feel like you're making progress on your business. This idea of storytelling, when it comes to storytelling, it is so urgent that you are able to articulate a story that is going to resonate with the right person. Who can help you take your business to the next level come in the fall.

    So why not practice the art of storytelling with your children? A, they're going to be honest. If you're telling a story and it's boring, they're going to tell you. B, they're also going to challenge you so that you can really, really have some sort of focused message. You can really be more innovative in terms of the way that you articulate a story.

    You can speak more clearly, maybe a little faster, make it a bit more punchy. I mean, they can absolutely help you communicate and they can even help you Draw on a napkin your story, draw on a napkin what makes your business different, draw on a napkin your business idea. Why is that important? So here's the thing, when I've spoken with a lot of mom founders who have business ideas and want to bring on investors.

    They, they have shared with me how they feel that oftentimes a man who has the same idea could just draw something on a napkin and then he'll be cut a million dollar check. And so that is why I encourage you, a mom founder, to actually, over the summer with your kids, again, break out the crayons, the markers, or what have you, and draw on a friggin napkin your ideas.

    Leverage the art of storytelling, practice this with your children and you will be better off come the fall. Now these are very practical ways for you to optimize your summer days so that this way in the fall you don't feel as rusty. And these are core skills pertaining to networking. And here's what I want to really say about that.

    When it comes to networking, you need to have a kickass company vision, period. If your company vision doesn't light you up like a Christmas tree, then there's no way that you're going to magnetize the sort of investors, partners, or clients that you would want. That's step one. Two, when it comes to selling anything, enthusiasm and illustrating high energy, again, those energy levers you'll be working on over the summer with your kids.

    If you don't have that sense of energy and this ability to just like bounce from enthusiasm pertaining to talking about your business, you're just not going to get the attention that you deserve on your business, nor on Your own story. And so again, this is going to be helpful in terms of networking.

    I'll tell you what, when I interview my podcast guests, for example, when I interviewed Beth Comstock, former CMO of GE, something that she shared with me and on a lot of my podcast guests have shared with me is that they love my energy. And this is not about inflating my ego at all. What it is is it is a strategy I can teach you to grow.

    But let's start getting the basics down in terms of practicing these energy levers that I just shared earlier with your kids over the summer. Then, when it comes to storytelling, how does this help you with regards to networking? You want to be interesting. Otherwise, who's going to want to hang out with you?

    And the bar for interesting? Is totally doable. I don't want you to feel like, Oh, I'm not that interesting. I'm just a mom. I just do like regular things like that is absolutely ridiculous. You and I can have the most fun time humanly possible by just talking about something that we have both experienced over the summer.

    I'm pretty sure we can. And honestly, you are interesting. I just want you to just see that as a fact. I want you to just not even imagine that that's impossible. And at the end of the day, you're so interesting that you decided to create a family and create a business and create a life that you absolutely want.

    to cherish. So I believe you are interesting. So yeah, interesting people tend to network with interesting people, interesting people hang out with interesting people. And so that is going to be important pertaining to things you could do over the summer to actually go ahead and feel like in the fall, you're not so rusty.

    You have some very relevant networking skills and you have an idea of what works best for you and your family by way of energy levers. Okay, so what does this all mean for you? I just shared with you a sense of how you can make this summer freaking amazing pertaining for being with your kids and also making progress on your business.

    I just shared with you things that you can absolutely sneak into the day and leverage your imagination expert in residence at the same time. And these are things that you can do on your own. I mean, you could effectively devote about three hours a week this summer working on these things. Thanks. But, here's the thing.

    If you don't have the nuances behind my step by step method, my three step method, as in, what each step contains, then it is going to be way harder to get the juice out of this lemon over the summer. The other thing is if you don't have access to other moms that are trying to do the same thing, then that means you're going to be hoping to find motivation to keep going versus having that group experience and that group encouragement available to you if you join me and four other mom founders this June in my group coaching program, fertile imagination.

    To networking success for mom founders. We kick off in mid June. Now, am I nuts to kick off in mid June for mom founders? Absolutely not. I'm not, because what I know to be true is that all you would need is to dedicate three hours a week for nine weeks through the necessary steps that I have shared with you in this episode, along with the steps that we would go through together.

    In my group coaching program, this is what I know to be true, to be the case that you need in order to feel so ready in September to speak with the right people and to have the right conversations that can truly take your business to the next level. Let me give you an example with regards to my client, Michelle, something she shared with me, which I'm so proud of pertaining to her experience in the program is the following.

    She had known about the first IVF baby for years before partnering with me in this program. But having gone through this program and gone from feeling hesitant to put her big dreams out there, too bold about asking for what she wants, she had the guts to actually approach the first IVF baby and ask her to wear her merchandise.

    And she's like a huge influencer. I'll share the testimonial that Michelle has after this episode, so you can hear what else she got out of the program. But what I encourage you to do is really just imagine, imagine if you used this summer to get so ready for the fall, that in the fall, you didn't feel like you were behind.

    You didn't feel rusty anymore. You didn't feel like you never get to win and you also got to use this summer in a way that filled your heart as a mom who could be present with her kids and also share with her kids a piece of herself, her business. And I think that's important. I really do think it's important.

    So here's the action step for you. I want to speak with you. I want to speak with you soon because of the following reason. This cohort of five mom founders in total who are going to be part of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders this season, so this mid June, this cohort is going to have things that are exclusive opportunities.

    The investment level for this cohort is going to be at a 30 percent discount for participating in this round in terms of having a private midpoint coaching session that is going to be a bonus for someone that participates in this round starting mid June. You're also going to have an opportunity to be a guest on my podcast.

    If you're starting in this round again, starting in mid June, and you're going to have my eyes on your business so that you have a sounding board for whenever you want to approach a investor, you want to approach a partner, you want to approach a podcast guests or someone that's going to sponsor your business, you're going to have the opportunity to ask me, Hey, Melissa, am I being direct in what I want?

    Hey, Melissa, is this email going to get. Opened and is my message on target with what you and I talked about or hey, Melissa, if I do this in the fall, am I going to reap the most rewards or am I going to be like stretching myself thin again? Like I did last year. These are all the sort of questions I have answered for my mom founder clients in the past in my group coaching program.

    So I want to be sure that. If you are curious about participating in a program with me, this is your shot. This is your shot to participate with me over the summer. And really, I am so, so committed to making sure that when you're partnering with me, we are honest about the motherhood season that you are in.

    We are honest about the business season that you are in, because that is how we can make it work. It is important that you do spend time on your business, but it is obviously even more important that you're a present parent. And I make sure of it pertaining to my group coaching program. So I will leave you with that.

    You will hear Michelle's Q& A with me right after this. And I really encourage you to do that. To reach out to me, the link will be in the show notes. You can absolutely schedule 15 minutes with me for free. We'll go through the program details and I will answer everything that's on your mind in terms of the group coaching experience.

    Again, it would just require three hours of your time each week. Most of it is on your own time from your, your couch or anywhere you are in the world. It'll be about one hour. That is a Q and a session and I'll give you all those details on our 15 minute free call. So go ahead and call me or schedule that time with me.

    And we will absolutely go through the details. You can also email me melissa. lorina at gmail. com. Everything is in the show notes, and I hope you have the best summer ever. I never do this, but I wanted to just share a conversation between Michelle and myself pertaining to her very specific experience in the fertile imagination to networking success.

    Group coaching program, certainly, if you have any questions pertaining to being one of my five mom founders this summer, so that this way in the fall, you are as confident and competent as Michelle is in distinguishing her organization versus anyone else and the confidence that she had to reach out to the first IVF baby.

    If you want some of that confidence by this fall, Go ahead and send me an email, Melissa dot Lorena at gmail. com or sign up for 15 minutes with me on my calendar. You can see all this information in the show notes right on your device. All right. Enjoy the conversation. It is really raw and candid, and I hope that it really answers any questions pertaining to what it would be like to partner with me and to have me as a mentor, I would love to have the conversation and I'd be honored to support you and your company.

  • 231: How to Answer Your Calling featuring Non-Profit Co-Founder Michelle Valiukenas of the Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation

    231: How to Answer Your Calling featuring Non-Profit Co-Founder Michelle Valiukenas of the Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    What's your calling? Ever thought you might be called to something more? What if your calling is waiting to be answered today? This could be the most inconvenient time for a calling to come your way, yet it can also be the perfect time for you to rise up and show up for yourself and others. If this resonates with you, then this is the episode you won't want to miss. Join us as we dive into a conversation with Michelle Valiukenas, a mom founder who answered her calling and created an incredible impact through The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation.
    I'm thrilled to introduce you to Michelle Valiukenas, an extraordinary mom founder whose journey and accomplishments are nothing short of inspiring. Michelle is the founder of The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and infancy, as well as supporting grieving families through financial assistance, education, and advocacy.


    But this episode is about more than just Michelle's impressive achievements. It's about you and the unique calling in your life. My intention for this conversation is to encourage you to answer that calling, to find the courage and inspiration to pursue your purpose just as Michelle has. Throughout our discussion, which feels as much like a mentorship session as it does an interview, you'll hear the powerful story behind The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation and the critical needs it addresses—needs that often go unmet by insurance, social workers, and government organizations.


    Michelle's story is a poignant reminder that the problems you see and the passions you hold might be signs pointing you toward your own calling. You might think that someone else is already tackling the issues that matter to you, but as Michelle's experience shows, there are gaps that only you can fill. This episode is your sign to step up and make a difference. So, let's dive in and explore how you can answer the calling in your life, just as Michelle has.


    Let’s talk about your calling. https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/


    This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination to Networking Success: a LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass designed to fast-track your connections with the right people to elevate your business.


    Before we continue today’s conversation with today’s guest Michelle, a participant of the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders program I want to ask you a question.


    Are you a visionary mom founder who knows that she needs to get better at networking because the growth of her business depends on it? Has feeling awkward, or uncomfortable ever gotten in your way from putting yourself in the right rooms and stepping forward to talk to the right people who can cut you a huge check that can change the trajectory of your business and take your business to its rightful next level?


    This is an exclusive call for 5 mom founders to join FI to Networking Success this summer. By dedicating just 3 hours a week, you'll be prepared to hit the ground running this fall. You'll get better at networking, identify the right connections to propel your business forward with clarity, and develop a mom-friendly strategy that works regardless of your kids' needs. My proven three-step method—Imagination to Impact to Income—will help you confidently and competently put yourself out there, ensuring you stay connected to your business and dreams in a manageable way, even as you spend more time with your kids this summer. You can have both.


    But here's the catch—you need to act fast. If improving your networking and selling skills is a priority, now is the time. This transformative program is available at a 30% discount for those who join my June cohort. To secure your spot, we must talk in May. If you wait until June, the investment level will increase and spots may be filled. Will I offer this program again? Not in this way and not with these exclusive add-ons:


    An intimate, five-participant cohort of mission-driven mom founders. This means personalized access to me, similar to a VIP one-on-one mentorship, which could be valued at 10X the investment level of this group coaching program.


    As an added bonus, you will be featured and heavily advertised as a guest on my podcast, Unimaginable Wellness, alongside trailblazers like Suzy Batiz, Asha Curran, and Beth Comstock.


    For a limited time, you'll have direct access to me for personalized feedback on your outreach efforts—an invaluable opportunity to accelerate your progress and maximize your results.
    Exclusive to securing your spot in May for June, you'll receive a midpoint private session. This working session will focus on executing your outreach plan—it's about immersion and action.
    Move quickly to take advantage of this unique opportunity and transform your business while nurturing your family. Secure your 15-minute program details call today!

    Book a 15-minute call HERE: https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena

    Let me know if you have questions about the program via email Melissa[.]Llarena [at] gmail.com

    Official bio

    Michelle Valiukenas, once described as a "social worker trapped in the body of an attorney," began her career representing domestic and sexual assault victims in litigation. After a decade, she was called in another direction after losing her second baby, Colette. She remains the proud mom of two angel babies, Sweet Pea and Colette, and her only living child, her son, Elliott Miguel.

    Michelle now runs The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation, which she founded to improve outcomes in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and through infancy as well as support grieving families through financial assistance, education, and advocacy. Since its launch in 2018, the foundation has helped over 2,300 families and distributed more than $1.5 million in grants. Their ability to give is dependent on the generosity of donors, partners, and supporters and any help is always appreciated.

    A writer, speaker, and advocate, Michelle addresses topics like infertility, pregnancy loss, and parenting after loss. She advocates for reproductive rights, health equity, infertility awareness, and the needs of families. At home, she enjoys relaxing with her son, husband Mark, and their dog, Nemo.

    Links:

    Donate: www.colettelouise.com
    FB: https://www.facebook.com/colettetisdahl
    IG: https://www.instagram.com/colettelouisetisdahl/
    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellevaliukenastisdahl/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTisdahl
    You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbanq9_1LEX6hoxGeLGU3Zg

    Transcript:

    So let's start with. With you. So Michelle, share with us, share with the listeners who you are and a bit about your organization and really, really let us know like what makes your organization distinguishable versus other organizations in this space.

    Absolutely. Well, thank you. So I'm Michelle. I'm a mom of three. I have two angel babies, Sweetpea and Colette, and an almost four year old who I think has the energy of all three of them. And our road to parenthood was It was tough. We struggled with infertility. I've only ever gotten pregnant via IBF and we lost our first pregnancy and then with our second, our daughter Collette made it past the scary first trimester and when I was 21 weeks pregnant, I was hospitalized with severe preeclampsia.

    And told you'll be here until you deliver. And so just talk about the world sort of just coming to a pause and thinking, what is it, what are we going to do? And once I was hospitalized, I was in the hospital about a day or two, it occurred to me how blessed and how lucky I was that we could actually afford.

    to handle this hospitalization and what was likely going to be a NICU stay. And I also realized in that same vein is that I knew I was definitely the minority that could do that. And so I remember turning to my husband and saying, we need to do something about this, all of that. And he, he turned to me and he said, please, for the love of God, could you please just worry about yourself once?

    And I said, well, that's not really what I do. Who are you married? What are you talking about? But really it just sort of stayed with me and throughout the whole process it kept coming back to me in my head. Ultimately I was in the hospital just over three weeks and then the doctors recommended delivery.

    So Collette was born at 24 weeks and five days and went straight to the NICU. And we spent nine days in the NICU before she died and I always call it she gained her angel wings. In that whole process, going through NICU and seeing the whole, the toll it takes on parents, right? And I was being told by doctors and nurses, and I was hearing doctors and nurses tell other parents, you might want to save your leave time, go back to work now, and save your leave time for when baby comes home.

    And I had a very difficult postpartum recovery, and I couldn't imagine. I was in no shape to go back to work. There was absolutely no way that I could have gone back to work. And Just thinking about that and thinking how much time they were losing with their kids and not being participating. And so all of those kinds of things just kind of sort of making this idea and this thought process to provide financial assistance for families.

    And when I got out, so I had worked in nonprofits my whole life, and when I got out, I had always sworn. I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever start my own nonprofit. And so funny things never say never. And so I thought somebody else was doing this. And what I found was I'm still to the state. I don't see that anybody is touching the pregnancy part in terms of financial assistance.

    And that to me was very important. So organizations were hitting NICU or law and or loss. But nobody was helping pregnancy. There were very specific locations, so it might be a certain state, a certain county, certain hospital. And there was very formulaic, this is what we provide, are these things. And so I was looking at it and I was thinking, first of all, On the location idea, I've always been a proponent of health equity and fairness, and I thought why should it mean that, like, just because I deliver at a certain hospital, I can get financial assistance, but if I deliver at another hospital, I can't.

    So that was very much a thought process. The fact that pregnancy wasn't included, and I felt like that was a big piece of not only our story, but of a lot of people's stories, right? And, and it's just kind of. Makes sense. If you're helping in pregnancy, you have less there's less chance of long NICU hospitalizations and less chance of loss.

    And so doing that. And then I didn't want to be very formulaic. I wanted to know for me, it's always like every family is different and has different needs. And so I really wanted something that would Allow us to look at each application, each family independently and adjust what we were doing based on their need.

    And so we launched on CLED's due date, so September 7th of 2018, and it's just been amazing to see the, the takeoff and the need that is happening. So we are. Right now we have helped over 2, 300 families. We've hit all 50 States and we've given away a little over 1. 5 million. And it's just been crazy. And we're not, we're not meeting the need.

    I mean, the need is so great. And so many people just really find themselves in these situations that become crises. And that there's no planning for a lot of these.

    So I was curious, that thought somebody else is doing this, somebody else must be paying attention to this cause. I think that's something that happens oftentimes when, when we feel like, okay, there's a little bit of media coverage, as they say, like maternity leave, paternity leave, like these topics are like spoken of, right?

    Like in media, social media and all of that. And so it's, it's very easy. For us to assume, well, someone else must be handling that. There must be someone who's the advocate of this message and this cause. And so my question to you is the following. So in your world, right? Like where does the book stop? So like certain organizations are handling.

    What sort of expenses, and then where do you like close the gap or meet the need that is not being fulfilled by those entities or other entities?

    Right. Great question. So I think one of the biggest things is that there's a cap on services. So there's organizations that, for example, will give to families that qualify under their guidelines, they will give 100 gift card.

    And that could be gas, that could be food, that kind of thing. And that's great. And we still, we have a lot of our families who have also requested that help or received that help, depending on how it is. And so that's something, again, like the pregnancies piece is not a problem. Being taken into, into account, some organizations, they have X amount of dollars and they give them out where we're very fiscally responsible about how we're giving them out throughout the year, but there are some organizations that might get X amount of dollars.

    And then once that's up, they're done until the next budget cycle. And so not loving that where we're not stuck to. A certain dollar amount, we're not stuck to what people might need. And we've been very adaptable to what our families need. We didn't think about just because it wasn't something that really factored into our experience, but we didn't think about the cost of transportation and that being a really big request and that remains our number one, number two request.

    And it makes sense because we have found that our average family is traveling 62 miles one way to the NICU. And so that's a. Huge cost that adds up really, really quickly, right? And that's the average. I mean, we've had people who are driving, driving 200, 300 miles to do, to get to the NICU. And so I think we've been very much like, let's hear from families.

    Let's see what they need. We also spent a lot of time talking with social workers to say, what are the things coming up? But really it's trying to get a little bit of support so that a family could it. Do a pregnancy bedrest or limitations that they can be seen their babies as much as they can, that they can do the memorialization of their loss.

    And so it's really been, I mean, we sit and we review every single application and really read it and, and really try to find where it is that we can help. And what are the things that we can do that gets Things accomplished. And I think that that's really unique. We, we don't have formulaic anything. I mean, we look at it.

    There are things we've never covered that will come up. So for example, I'm thinking of, we had a girl who was 16, had a baby in the NICU and what she had told her social worker, her biggest fear was that she was sort of stuck in this cycle. Her mom had gotten pregnant very young with her. Her grandmother had gotten very pregnant with her mother.

    And neither of them had finished high school. And so for her. She was like, I want to do better for my, for my child. And so she said, I would like to finish my high school degree. And so they worked with us and the hospital was able to find a laptop that she could use to do online school while she was sick.

    at the NICU, so with her baby, being able to do that. And we helped with her tuition to finish that degree. And so it's not in the grand scheme of things, like it's not necessarily that her being able to do this meant her baby did better, but it also meant she was starting something and, and doing something and breaking a cycle, which I think is a huge issue.

    And so those are the things that we want to hear about too. All of those like unique one off things. Situations that may only happen to one family ever and really taking the time to look at those.

    Okay. So again, on that thread, right? Somebody else is doing this because I think, like, let's say like watching TV and seeing current events and seeing things on TV and we're kind of like stuck in our own lives, right?

    We're like, okay, well, I have food. I have water. I have resources as an example. And I imagine a lot of the listeners might feel really, really confused. Blessed and also just like, not in the same state of needing donations, right? In order to get through a really rough and emotionally trying moment. So, okay.

    Along that thread of somebody else is doing this. It sounds to me, Michelle, that. Somebody else was not going to help that girl feel a sense of accomplishment and then carry that, that positive feeling and emotional state as she was with her NICU baby, like, and babies Feel us like they know, right? Like they know if mommy is okay, like they can tag.

    So, okay. So somebody else was not doing that in terms of tuition for this one person. So same idea. Why don't you share a couple of other instances that might not feel so obvious to someone that's never been in that situation, but would like to help you, especially Mother's Day just passed. And obviously.

    We don't really need just one day to be celebrated and respected. This should be like annual all the time forever. So, okay, what's another thing that somebody else was not doing, but through the foundation, you guys were doing and you guys are a lean team. I just want to say that right now. Like when, when, when we're saying when Michelle is saying like somebody else is doing this, it's like legit, like a.

    Family in a house with a child, with a bunch of energy and trying to do something that's so amazing. Right. So go ahead. Give us another, another moment. Yeah, I think

    we've done things like a family who has lost a baby and maybe was able to come up with the money for a cremation, but might just have ashes in a box and don't have them in a really pretty urn.

    Right. And, and it's not that urns are super expensive, but. If a family has been through a lot and may not be able to afford the 400, the 500 that an earn could be. So those are things on the last thing as well. Sometimes we have families who, again, they've, they've had something covered. It might be that.

    Their particular community has a, has a program, has a plan. Sometimes funeral homes just donate the whole thing and they, they like recoup the expenses, things like that. But then they want memorial jewelry. They want something that they can hold onto their baby as they go forward. And especially in really early pregnancy losses, they don't get the, they don't get the funerals and services and things like that.

    And so that might be the only way that they can really remember their baby and remember what that means. And so some people will sort of look at it and say, why are you covering jewelry? And what we know is that that's. That's not just a piece of jewelry, right? This is not, this is something that is really important and that reminds people.

    I mean, you talked about Mother's Day and I think anybody who has ever lost from the earliest pregnancy all the way through an infant knows that a lot of people, especially the earlier in the pregnancy that it is, don't really look at people like moms and dads. And so that's something that I think is saying.

    Even if the world doesn't see me, that I know and I'm recognizing my motherhood, my fatherhood, and I think that's really important to do. On NICU, it's been, sometimes it's medical equipment that they're sent home with that insurance doesn't cover. So it might be the, I'm trying to think, it's like there's an oxygen concentrator that a lot of babies are sent home with that they might need and it could be a couple hundred dollars and insurance doesn't cover that or they're deductible.

    And so we're helping with those kinds of situations because we don't want kids going back to the NICU. We don't want parents Because they have no other option, skipping doctor recommended steps and things like that because they can't have another option. Helping with post NICU, right? So sometimes we have a family who has already been discharged, but when I talked about the distance, Of a NICU that also means that once they go home, they have a distance of doctor's appointments and they may have a lot depending on NICU babies can, can run the whole spectrum of things.

    Right. And so if they have to see multiple doctors pretty regularly and they're doing that drive, we want to help with those situations. We want to help when they go, if they have to go back to the hospital, which is always terrible, but some, we will do that too. We've had. Family is where baby is sent home, but then needs heart surgery or some sort of surgery and they need to be older and weigh more and be a little bit healthier.

    So they'll go home for six months and then come back and then the costs are the same, but they're not NICU, they're in a different situation. And for us, we use NICU, but very, very adapted kind of things of what that really means. And I think that that's really important. Anything in the pregnancy sphere can be childcare.

    If you think of a stay at home mom who hasn't really needed to use childcare and then is put on bed rest, any parents, anybody who's been around toddlers and kids knows bed rest with children around that's not happening. Right. And so is it childcare so that the pregnant person can. Actually have some bed rest or in situations where they can't lift a lot with that child care help doing that, all of those kinds of things that just I think are so useful and so helpful.

    We had, we had a story of a woman who, and luckily her doctor was really responsive. She was missing. She was a high risk pregnancy and she had to be going to weekly visits pretty early in the pregnancy. Okay. And the doctor started noticing that she would miss appointments last minute and cancel last minute or not show up or show up an hour late, all this.

    And luckily the doctor reached out to a social worker and said, I don't know what's going on, but something clearly is happening. And so the social worker reached out and it turned out she didn't have reliable transportation. She was relying on not a great public trans, not a really great public transportation option or relying on friends and family for rides.

    And that wasn't. Reliable. And so we were able to set her up so that she was using, she could use lift rides that were charged to our account to go to and from prenatal visits. Right. And so, you know, you look at that and you think she ended up giving birth to, I think the baby was either full term or very close to full term.

    So baby was in the hospital a couple of days and then released. Right. And did her going to regular prenatal appointments help that? Absolutely. Absolutely. And so I think it's really just being gracious and understanding. And I think that one of the things that also separates us from a lot of places is we've been through all three of these stages.

    And so we know, and we can think of things. I mean, we're talking about the distance of NICU. Colette was in a NICU that was, 10 to 15 minutes from our house and that felt so far for us and that we actually looked into do we get an Airbnb right here? The reason why we didn't was because the way that the hospital is set up, there was hotel options was still going to be like a five minute drive and things like that.

    And so we ultimately were like, well, we'd rather be in our comfort in our home if we're already going to have this. But if there had been a hotel across the street, We would have been in that and that was very something. So when you start adding up long distances where people can't go every day, can't, they're going once a week or whatever, that's really difficult.

    That's really something else. So

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    And then go ahead and write my email address. It is melissa. larina at gmail. com m e l i s s a dot l l a r e n a at gmail. com. I could've given you my business email, but I wanted to give you one that was 100 percent straight to me. And this has to be done in May so that you can be guaranteed one of five spots in June so that you can absolutely have the answers that you need real time practically so that you can be part of an intimate group of women who want to be and bring the best of themselves to both of their worlds.

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    I will help you every week you have a question. Something is getting in your way from the growth of your business or achieving a networking win. I will help you if you have anything that has held you in the past from investing in yourself. I invite you to consider this an investment in your legacy.

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    This is not about me. The program is not about you. This is an investment in your legacy. So let's go and have that conversation. 15 minutes and the link is available for you. Enjoy the rest of the conversation. Yeah. I mean, what I'm hearing you say, Michelle, is that. What distinguishes your organization versus the big name organizations that I'm sure a lot of people have heard of that are in a similar space, maybe not specifically pregnancy, but kind of thereabouts, is that the dollars that are donated to Your organization are going to actually get through to a patient or a parent.

    And then on top of that, there's something very distinguishable, which is the simple fact that a lot of people have lost touch. With what other people who are emotionally incapable of expressing what they need, they've lost touch of what someone actually needs, like only, only someone like yourself and your family, Michelle could read an application and say, you know what, no, this person is asking for a piece of jewelry with their child's name, birthday, whatever it might be, not because they just want to be flashy, but because they Because this is like the emotional connection that they get to have, like literally just softly on top of their heart.

    You know what I mean? Like, I don't know that someone who hasn't been through it would read an application in the same way. And I also don't imagine that a big organization that has been around is going to be as sensitive because it's, it's a reality, right? So different organizations have different. KPIs and they have different commitments that they have to make to different people.

    But this organization is, is so grassroots. It's so real and it's been already impactful across the 50 states over a million dollars. I mean, what's the exact number I want to be sure just

    over 1. 5.

    Yeah. Yeah. Operating out of your home while you're looking at your child and your husband is. Your support.

    So I think, I think there's a lot to be said in terms of getting to know your organization, getting to know you and really supporting you. And I want, I want to just ask you something that's like, so, so bold. I mean, like we're talking like. I don't even know another planet, right? Kind of bold. So let's just imagine, let's imagine that there is someone listening to this conversation right now.

    And this person has, they got their tax money back, let's say, right? So they got like some thousands of dollars back from taxes and they themselves Maybe they're a rainbow baby, right? Or maybe, or maybe they have suffered some sort of a loss or have some reason to kind of want to support moms. Like what would be like that magic wand check that you would want that person to consider cutting and give it 30 days?

    Yeah, so I will tell you my, my goal right now is by the end of 2024 is to raise an additional 50, 000. The reason for that amount is we are budgeted right now to be fiscally responsible. We are budgeted, we give away 5, 000 every week and the need is far out far exceeding what we're giving out. We are always looking and so like any extra dollars that we can do, we are always trying to do a little bit more.

    Then that, but that's what we can responsibly know. We do. 50, 000 would allow us to go up to 6, 000 a week, which means that every week we would be helping between one and two more families. So our average giver give right now is about 500 a family. We do have up to a thousand with some families who just really need a lot more assistance And so it would really end up being probably a hundred more families next year that we could help And so that's that's really my goal So if anybody wants to write a fifty thousand dollar check today I would absolutely adore it and I would then be able to spend the rest of the year Perhaps just maybe getting we can get to 200 families, right?

    So that's really what I would say, but I think You On the donation piece, and I, and I really, this is something we've really worked hard for is we have worked with certain donors and they cover our overhead costs. And like Melissa said, we are very lean organization is mostly me. My husband helps me review applications just to see, I brought on an assistant to finally help me who works 20 hours a week.

    So we are very, very lean organization, but we have worked with donors. And so we have a couple of donors who cover our overhead. Expenses. And so every donation that comes in goes directly to the financial assistance program and directly to a family. So I, for me, that's always something I have looked at at other organizations.

    And I think there's some really big organizations that if you did, if you looked at. They are giving your, your donations going 50 percent to marketing or to anything like that. And that was something I wanted to be really clear that that was not our goal with raising money. Our goal was to help a lot, as many families as we could.

    And so it's going directly. 100 percent of that is going to a family in need.

    Perfect. Perfect. And so then I just wanted to slice that number up a bit because I know that someone listening might be like 50, 000. Oh my God, from my personal family budget. But no, let's think creatively, right? Let's use our imagination.

    So. What would be some other ways that someone can help who is listening to this conversation? And let me just like, start with this one idea. First of all, for the most part, if you work for an employer, they have a matching system, so that's an option available to you. So let's just imagine 25 is like, Not possible.

    So let's just say whatever the half of 25 is work was possible, right? Let's just imagine. Then you would ask your employer to have the other half. And again, I'm just thinking very big. That's one way, but something that you shared with me as a result of being in my group coaching program was this idea of using your birthday and how that was really, really helpful.

    So why don't you explain that? Cause that might be. An alternative for people

    listening, right? Yeah, we found the birthday really started on on Facebook and that you could have fundraisers for your birthday that your friends and family could donate to and that they would do it through Facebook. They would get tax receipts.

    Yeah, that way. And so it was a really good way. And so what we found was that families and friends who are doing that we're having pretty good success rates and right. And it could be anywhere from 100 to 100 up to it's really dependent on what the person would want us. That is a goal and much sort of promoting they want to do of that.

    Really, we were finding that that was a great way. I think, especially, I mean, as all of us get older, right, I don't want a lot of stuff. And so I would prefer that somebody donate, you know, those funds to a cause I would really believe in. Like, I would prefer those kinds of, Things. And so I think that's a great way to tell people, like, don't, don't spend your money on a gift for me.

    I don't need a gift. Could you instead donate to a cause I really believe in? And I think a lot of people are willing to do that and really willing to say, okay, that's great. One of the things, I mean, just today, my mom and her birthday is in October. So she's already thinking ahead that far. She said, I'd like to go to dinner with the family and then anything that you would have spent on me, I would like to be donated to the foundation.

    And that's a really, it's a really beautiful way to do things. And it's a really great way to just sort of say, I'm going to do it. And that a lot of people, I think we all can. Generally afford from time anywhere from 25 to 50 if, and that's saying you don't really have a lot of money, a lot of wiggle room in your budget.

    And so if you have good friends who would spend that amount of money on you to take you for dinner or for for drinks or something like that, or who would give you a gift saying instead, okay, don't don't do that and donate to a cause that I really believe in. And so that we have found is really been a huge.

    Like way that people can, can take advantage of, and it doesn't just have to be birthdays. It can be, I have a friend of mine from college who had twins in the NICU and she always promised that if everything worked out and they came home, that she would do a donation every year on their birthday. And so she does it for her kids birthdays.

    Right. And so I think it's just really great ways to, to kind of continue that. And

    Yeah, absolutely. And so before we close, just because you have a t shirt and I know that you have merchandise that is also in light of this organization, what does your t shirt say? It's a blue shirt for anyone listening

    to the audio.

    And then it says mama of an angel. And so. Yeah. And we have all of the, like we have of angel and of NICU warrior. We have mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, siblings. So my son wears often wear a brother of an angel shirt for NICU or NICU babies. We have onesies all the way up through kids shirts so that they themselves are NICU warriors.

    And then even in adult sizes, we have that as well. We have an IVF line that we have recently come out with. Yeah. For something that is really at risk and, and really trying to be challenged in a lot of different ways. So again, it's IVF baby all the way up through adult t shirts, IVF mom, dad, all of that.

    Yeah.

    And then, Oh, and then we also just added, I was like, I knew there was another area, but we just also added at a recommendation of a social worker we work with who said, I don't have personal experience, but I really want to root for people. So we now have an advocate line. So it's NICU advocate, IVF advocate, and loss advocate.

    And so really just trying to, I think, Okay. And you said this one time was like a t shirts, not just a t shirt. And I think that's really important when I wear this shirt and I have a NICU warrior and I have an IVF advocate and all of those things, when I wear this, I feel closer to Colette and, and it's also something that.

    My joke is always, I talk about a lot of taboo topics, right? When I wear these, I'm also telling other people like it's okay. And you are not alone. You're not the only other person. And it's so interesting how I get such great feedback where people will come up to me and say, well, I also have an angel baby or my sister.

    Lost a child or anything like that. And I think that's a really great just connection way to know that you're not alone and to know that other people are experiencing that and talking about it. So yes. And the proceeds go to our financial assistance program as well. So

    perfect, Michelle. So let's just give everyone a sense of where they can go to learn more about you and the organization.

    So website, social handles, what are they?

    Yeah. So it's Colette one L two T's Louise. com is our website on Facebook. We're Colette Tisdall T I S D A H L on Instagram. It's Colette Louise Tisdall on Twitter, which is my, my personal favorite. It's the Tisdall and, and then we're on YouTube, LinkedIn, and just really Google us.

    We come up and you can kind of check out all the different things.

    Thank you, Michelle. So I wanted to just close by saying the following because I think it really, it, it, it's important that, and this needs to be said period, but this idea that somebody else is doing this or somebody else must be doing this, or somebody might be paying attention to this topic is, is so like, that's a really dangerous thought.

    It's a really, really dangerous thought, and I think we have evidence of that in our surroundings and the world at these, at this time, and I think it's also, it's also something that needs to be really, really, you need to sit with this idea that, guess what? What if it's you? What if it's you who is supposed to be the advocate of that cause?

    What if it's you that's supposed to solve that challenge? What if it's you that's supposed to open your mouth, use your loud voice and amplify someone else who is no longer here on this earth? What if it's you? And I'm saying that to Listeners, I'm saying that to myself, I'm saying that to Michelle, like, I think it's really, really unfortunate that oftentimes when we see things, it's almost like we're desensitized, and we look the other way, like, oh, they must not be talking to me, there must be someone else handling this, that's super powerful.

    Here's the reality, oftentimes, there just is not. There, there really is not, there is not. And so I invite anyone that's listening more than anything else. There might be something on your heart. There might be a message that you want to share that you are thinking to yourself. Nah, they, I couldn't possibly make a dent in that world or, or someone else must be handling that.

    And I want you to just. Really thoughtfully sit with that, even meditate and consider the idea that maybe somebody else is not handling it and that somebody else is actually supposed to be you. And so I want to just end right there. Thank you so much, Michelle. And, and all of your links, you're welcome.

    And all of your links are going to be in the show notes. So if you're listening to this. Just look at the device at the bottom, look in the description and you'll see all these links at the same time. Michelle is super, super approachable. So if you want to know what's the best way for you to donate money to the organization, reach out to her.

    Would Instagram be the preferred place to kind of just send you a DM? That's totally

    fine. Any of the social media, any of that, like I said, we're really lean. So I'm, I'm checking all of those. There's no, nobody else is doing that. So, yes,

    it is definitely a very lean team. So thank you again, Michelle and anyone that's listening.

    If this really caught your attention, if you want to be that somebody else for this organization, do not hesitate and reach out to Michelle, or if you want to reach out to me, cause we're already hanging out on Instagram and I could reach out to Michelle, I'm happy to be the conduit. So thank you again, everyone.

    And until next Tuesday. I never do this, but I wanted to just share a conversation between Michelle and myself pertaining to her very specific experience in the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success group coaching program. Certainly, if you have any questions pertaining to being one of my Five mom founders this summer.

    So that this way in the fall, you are as confident and competent as Michelle is in distinguishing her organization versus anyone else. And the confidence that she had to reach out to the first IVF baby. If you want some of that confidence by this fall, go ahead and send me an email. Melissa dot Lorena at gmail.

    com or sign up for 15 minutes with me on my calendar. You can see all this information in the show notes right on your device. All right. Enjoy the conversation. It is really raw and candid, and I hope that it really answers any questions pertaining to what it would be like to partner with me and to have me as a mentor, I would love to have the conversation and I'd be honored to support you and your company.

    All righty, so Michelle wanted to have an understanding like when you were first or not even like what were you thinking at the time that you and I spoke pertaining to the program, like what were you trying to accomplish? How did you feel before deciding to go for fertile imagination to networking success?

    Right.

    I had really reached kind of a turning point in my work. I spent the first few years just getting the word out so we could get applicants and families to apply. And I did a lot of work on that. And, and now it was shifting to really trying to fundraise and grow our program. And so, you know, I knew that that wasn't necessarily my strongest suit, I can go find community and tell people about resources all day long, right?

    And I can do that. And that was like a very, although it took a lot of work, I was very easy for me to come up with. But now to flip it, it's, it's hard. And I'm not great at, I'm not great at it. Asking for money, and I'm not great at all these things, and I knew I had to do it, and I knew I had to network, and I knew I had to do everything, and it was also coming at a point where we really closed ourselves off during COVID, and that was because we were expecting a baby, and then we had a baby, and we didn't have a vaccine for him until he was almost two, and so we were really protective of him, and so not only had it been that I Was much more of an introvert and that a lot of those kind of crowds and everything stress me out and I had to really prepare for it and be on top of it.

    But then we had had this like long hibernation where hadn't done any of it. So it's kind of a skill that wasn't my best skill and then it was rusty. So I think that's really where I was at. I think the program came along and I just thought to me, it felt like one of those things that I thought would really help me a lot.

    And that. It would feel like one of those things, if I didn't do it, I would regret it. And so that was really, that was my thinking and how I was feeling going into it.

    That's so interesting. What, what made you think that if you didn't go into it at that moment, you would regret it? What, what kind of went into that?

    I think it was just, I didn't even really know where to start. And I think I just. I needed somebody who would work with me to develop a better plan. I needed some of that, like outside motivation that I wasn't, that I was lacking because it's hard when you're doing this day in and day out, especially when you are on your own, largely, it's hard to know, am I doing things the right way?

    Is this, what is this? And so. I think in talking with you, I was like, this is somebody who's going to push me out of my comfort zone. And I need that right now. And I wasn't getting that. In any other way, really, I was getting it sort of informally here and there, but it wasn't getting somebody who's going to like, be like, no, let's push you out of this comfort zone and everything.

    And so I really just wanted that. And I, and I knew I needed that. And so that was really where I thought if I Don't do this program. I don't know how I'm going to find somebody who's going to do that. And I don't know that I have it in me right now to do it for myself and really push myself.

    So before starting the program, what sort of doubts or uncertainties did you have about joining and then how did you overcome them?

    Yeah, I think it was, I think doubts are just, it's hard for me to invest in myself and hard for me to like, kind of take that step back. That time to say I'm working on myself, but it does have another goal. And also it, we should be invested in ourselves. And so I think that was really one of my biggest doubts.

    I didn't feel like in some other programs and things that I've looked at, I felt like I don't really know that this is going to be successful. I more felt like really, I was like this. I was like, Melissa is going to kick my butt a little bit and, and get me out of my comfort zone. And that was what I needed.

    And I knew that that's what I needed. So I think that was really where the, kind of the doubts settled it. Like, yes, they were there when I first started, they were still there a little bit. And then I think it was very quickly, it was like, Oh yeah, no, no, this is really what I needed was I needed that push.

    Yeah, and you know what? I think it's interesting. So your background like you're like a JD Like weren't you like were you a trial attorney? I was yeah okay, can I just put context here because the the assumption would be that a trial attorney would be like Crazy intense, totally like gunhole, super loud.

    I'm just kind of curious, like, like this was not you then, or was it simply because of all the emotions or what was it that?

    Yeah. Yeah. I think it was definitely the emotions. I think I was never super aggressive. I knew how to like turn it on for the little bit of the case, but I wasn't really super aggressive outside of court.

    And so I think it was kind of like, I didn't have that same platform of saying like, okay, in here, in this context, this is what I have to do. I didn't feel that same way. I think it was definitely the emotions, right? It's really, it's really hard in fundraising because I think there's this part of me that's like, what do you mean?

    You're not going to give money to my daughter. And I think that's a really hard position to be in where it's like. I have to separate that out and understand that it's, it's not the same emotional thing for most people who are going to encounter it. And so I think I needed that. I think it was also just tired, right?

    Like, I think fundraising is really tough. I think there was some things of growing up and just culturally is like, you're not supposed to ask other people for money, right? It's supposed to be, stay within the family, all of that. So I think it's a very foreign concept to me to ask for money and ask, And really ask for help.

    I mean, I think that that's something that was tough for me. Right. And so I think all of those things kind of Combined into this point where it was hard for me to, to, to do it and to think of how to do it. And fundraising is known for taking a really long time to come to fruition. And I was exhausted and, and I didn't know how to start.

    And that was the really big thing. So.

    So then what aspect, what aspects of the program set it apart from other experiences and how did those differences contribute to your success? I

    mean, I think the first thing is I had never really seen a program that fully integrated the fact of being a mom and what that took, as well as your work.

    And so I think it was just this, I was like, this quote always thinks of me as like, you're supposed to, in the same age, you're supposed to work like you don't have a kid and you're supposed to parent like you don't have a job, right? And that's not the reality. Right. They're both hand in hand, things that happen with your child affect work and things that happen with work affect your child.

    And so kind of that tug and pull, what I always liked was that you were very forthcoming of like, this is you working within all of your obligations and all of the things that are going to pull with, pull at you. And you were going to have to adjust things as, as it goes on. And so I think that was one of the biggest things that felt like Dad was saying, you want to be the best mom you can possibly be, and you also want to do the best job you can possibly do, and that is going to ebb and flow on both ends, depending on, you know, needs and what's going on, and that's okay.

    And then how can we do this? And so one of the things that I think was really good That I really appreciated always was how being with your kids was like a way to sort of work on your imagination and to sort of play with life and, and see it through their eyes. And that to me was really helpful because I think there was a lot of, if I, if I did all this stuff with my son, that was great.

    But then I was also thinking about all the stuff that I didn't do and vice versa. And so I think it was just very much being able to say like, Even spending time with our children, we are developing ourselves and, and really thinking and playing it out of it and getting out of our own heads, which I think was like one of the biggest benefits to the program was I was forced to get out of my own head, which is a dangerous place to stay in and, um.

    Yeah, I would agree I said that to myself yesterday. I was like get out of your head What is it in your head you're dead or something like that? Okay, so then the other question would be Okay, so is there a particular aspect of the program? So something specific that exceeded your expectations or significantly contributed to your growth and success

    I think the strategies of networking, not just being when you show up to an event, but doing a lot of the pre work, I just had never really thought of it.

    And I had looked at networking, uh, In the terms of like, you show up to this event. It's super awkward. Maybe you meet a few good people, but then there's not really a great, it's just awkward. And it's, you know, weird to do it. And instead to convert that into making some context saying, Hey, I'm going to be here at this.

    Let's connect all of that removed a lot of that awkwardness. And then I think that also, cool. The other thing was, like, helped with how do we follow up afterwards? I think it was so much easier when you had had some pre conversations to then do the follow up of you had a little bit of a dialogue already going into it, and then you had the dialogue at an event, and then you had afterwards, and so it was much more seamless, and for me, who has some of that inner dialogue and that imposter syndrome, everything, it then put me in a space where people We're already connecting with me and it wasn't me going in cold to an event and not knowing anybody not Having any sort of connection with anybody and I think that was a big difference, too

    Yeah, people were trying to give you hugs, which I'm not saying that we could promise hugs at all networking events, but They go.

    Wow, it's a really it's pretty intense. Okay, so then let's talk about results or achievements that you're most proud of Proud of. So how do you see them impacting your future endeavors?

    I mean, I have been making contacts and reaching out to people that I never would have thought to reach out to. And so we had had some success probably last year and a little bit before that with Some of the doctors that were from the hospital we delivered at and just being very gracious and very, we had a big fundraiser and the neonatologists were all coming up to me independently and saying like, we know, like how much good you're doing for our families.

    And that was huge, but I didn't really know how to like, start that connection, right? Like that connection started because we had been at that hospital. We had all these great relationships with social workers and they like helped us with all of that. But it didn't, I didn't really know how to do it. And instead it was like, okay, so how do you capitalize on those, you know, strategies for how you're on showing up on LinkedIn strategies for who you're looking to connect with and getting past sort of that.

    I mean, there's a lot of noise in this area and getting past that noise to say, okay, let's start thinking about who is the strategic person. To connect with and who is, and then also like defining our, our goals and setting them out and saying that I had never felt like I could say, this is my goal and not sound like I was.

    Being too salesy and instead saying, like, this is my goal and like, I want to work with people who believe in this mission to get me to that goal.

    So what would you say is like the boldest thing you said or did throughout our time together?

    So I will say that, so Elizabeth Carr, who is the first IVF baby born in the U.

    S., I have followed her on LinkedIn, and she's very much an advocate for reproductive rights, and we started an IVF line after the decision in Alabama, and all that we really wanted, I think one of the ways that we're going to combat this is for all of us to start telling our stories, and how IVF has helped us grow our families, I think that that's huge, and that's One of the first things that we can really do and so it just so happened that during infertility awareness week, which was about a month ago She posted something and orange is the color for infertility awareness And she said every year I remind myself that I don't have a lot of orange and I always mean to buy more orange And I don't and I just commented and said I would love to send you A t shirt that says IVF baby in adult sizes, and we have them in orange, and so she, like, said, yes, I would love to wear one, and so we sent her a shirt, and she has agreed that once she gets the shirt, she will wear it and post on social media, and I think it was just one of those things, right?

    It was just It kind of like came to me and I was like, you know what? The worst case is she can ignore it and it's not going to change anything of like what I'm doing. Right? And the best thing is she can do what ended up happening, which was like, yes, I'll do it. And here's my address. And how do we do that?

    And so I think that was probably one of the boldest. Things I've done, and then I think really just putting myself out there saying it. My goal is 50, 000 by the year, saying that to people and explaining why that was the case and what that was coming from. There wasn't an arbitrary number. It was a very well thought out plan and in terms of the numbers.

    And then This is what I want to do. And so how do I do that?

    That's amazing. Okay. So the first IVF baby now has a t shirt and it doesn't even stop there because now you establish that relationship. Okay. So final question. So if you were to recommend this program to someone considering investing in their personal or professional growth, what key insights or benefits would you share to help them make an informed decision?

    I would say that Melissa is a very, is very good at The balance of pushing you out of your comfort zone, but also telling you what you're doing is really that you're doing well and having those things. And I think that's a, that's a delicate balance. And I think you achieve that very well. And so, and then reframing things and really allowing yourself.

    We get so in the weeds about what we're doing and it's hard for us to regularly take ourselves out and look at the big picture. And I think that that is. Something that you forced us to do. I think also you really forced me to like, look at what my goals were and in a year, five years, 10 years, and then push me like, well, why couldn't it be this?

    And it was very different for me to think that way. And to not put in all of the, the normal judgments that come up like, Oh, we're never going to do this. We're never going to do that. That's not realistic. And just really say like, okay, what if that was your goal? And I think that was really helpful for me.

    I think creativity and imagination piece was really helpful. And I think learning from our kids, I mean, My God, like the stuff my son says and comes up with is, is hilarious and is really, it's amazing to see. I mean, he, yesterday we took him to the children's museum and we were in the elevator and there was a baby and I waved at the baby in the stroller and then he took that as a sign and he said, hi, it's me, Elliot.

    And I just kept thinking, oh my God, the boldness. Like I would never, like, I wouldn't think of saying that, but he was like, okay. And, and just the confidence of like, he knew it was, it's me, Elliot. Like, of course you should know who I am and that kind of thing. And those, and I just remember sort of really sitting there in that moment and kind of trying not to giggle because it was so adorable and cute and all that, but also thinking, you know, Hey, there's a big lesson to be learned here of the directness, the boldness, the he wasn't afraid, he wasn't thinking all the things of like, are they gonna think I'm annoying?

    Are they gonna, are they gonna judge me? Are they? And none of that mattered to him. And that's a huge lesson for all of us, how kids are, don't have that. And yet, because they don't have the time of like all the years of questioning and self doubt that have factored into us, and that that's something we can really learn from our kids.

    Yeah, and I think that's a lot of times when we lose sight of the fact that the, the source of information and insight almost doesn't matter in a way, right? Like here's this child teaching what this fancy smancy leadership guru could be teaching an executive at an organization, which is to be bold in your vision, right?

    Right. And, and be open to conversation with anyone at all. And I think in the program, that's something that I wanted to just really highlight, which was that we have imagination experts in residence right under our nose, and they always have these little sayings like, Oh, tell me your, your company vision.

    Like if I were a five year old, well, hello, a lot of us have like legit five year olds in our homes that we could filter some of this communications and messaging and we could just like. Get down to what really matters, which is simplicity and just making sure that we're talking to the right people and that we have what it takes to, to solve the challenges that we want to solve.

    So thank you so much, Michelle, for this. I'm so sorry. I was like, hijacking you. I'm like, Oh my God. No, it's fine. I'm like, Michelle still would be, but yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So yeah, this was fantastic. I will go ahead and pause it.

  • 230: How to Increase Mental Bandwidth: Mindful Maycember

    230: How to Increase Mental Bandwidth: Mindful Maycember

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    Hello, fellow mom founders and corporate executives! Before we dive into today's episode, let me paint a picture for you: it's Maycember, and life is throwing everything it's got at us—projects, unexpected snafus, and plans shifting faster than we can keep up. But amidst this chaos, there's a beacon of hope: a way to navigate this month with more presence, less stress, and a whole lot more emotional and mental bandwidth. Today, we're going to explore how to increase your mental bandwidth through mindfulness, drawing from valuable insights and personal experiences. From the power of loving awareness to the neuroscience benefits of mindfulness, we'll uncover practical tools to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. So, grab a cozy spot and let's dive in! Be sure to find me https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

    First off, let's talk about the power of loving awareness. In our fast-paced culture, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to reach our goals. But what if, instead of constantly striving for the next thing, we practiced loving awareness? This means being fully present with what is, without judgment. This loving awareness is also a synonym for mindfulness and one way that has helped me increase my mental bandwidth is by training in and practicing meditating with the big idea of responding to what is with loving awareness. Ultimately, meditating in this context is about embracing the beauty of the present moment, even amidst the chaos of Maycember.

    Next, let's explore the concept of mindfulness as a tool for softening our approach with our kids, employees, even clients. As a second-generation New Yorker, I know firsthand the benefits of moving swiftly through city streets. But I also learned that this intense approach wasn't serving me well as a mom and sometimes as a coach/mentor. In business, when I am helping a mom founder do from timid to bold in her goals, and asks, there is always impostor syndrome that pops up, old stories, deep insecruties, emotional challenging moments. I have learned over the last 12-years that there is a time for tough love but also for compassion and empathy
.what’s I can bare
.is different than what you can bare and sometimes you can bare more than me. That's when I decided to learn how to meditate and embrace mindfulness. By softening our approach and practicing mindfulness, we can cultivate a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for ourselves and those around us." Chances are we work with fellow working moms and everyone has their own situations they are working through to make it through this Maycember.

    And finally, let's consider the neuroscience benefits of mindfulness. Studies have shown that mindfulness practices can lead to increased resilience, stability, and the ability to concentrate. For me, this has been an incredible shift. Imagine that you are confronted with a highly stressful and high stakes decision. This is the norm for mom founders and corporate executives. Full stop. Chances are you will say one thing or decide one way if you are operating from a reactive point. Meanwhile, if you have mindfulness tools in your back pocket then you can use them even if it means taking the world’s deepest breathe and then be able to thoughtfully respond to a touch situation and say a completely different thing and in a different tone that will be received favorably
.ie. in a non-scathing way. I want to help you do that at work and home.So, by incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives, we can enhance our mental bandwidth and better navigate the challenges of Maycember.

    Now, let's talk about how mindfulness specifically benefits working moms in business. As a mom myself, I understand the unique challenges we face in balancing our professional and personal lives. Mindfulness offers us a powerful tool to manage stress, increase focus, and make better decisions. It helps us stay grounded in the present moment, even when our minds are racing with deadlines and responsibilities. By cultivating mindfulness, we can become more effective leaders, more empathetic colleagues, and ultimately, more fulfilled individuals.

    In fact, committing to becoming a meditation practitioner and getting certified in Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield's two-year program has transformed my life. It's made me a more patient mom, a better listener to my husband, and has helped me increase my emotional and mental bandwidth. And I want the same benefits and more for you.

    Join me for a LIVE Intro to Mindfulness Course, starting on May 20th at 7 pm CST. We'll meet for four sessions, each session focusing on a different aspect of mindfulness. But remember, this is a LIVE course and will not be recorded. Spots are limited, so don't wait!"Also, there is zero experience necessary with mindfulness nor do you need any privacy either – that’s why we have a mute button!

    Go to Instagram @melissallarena and send me a DM today. Otherwise, email me at [email protected]. Let's embark on this journey together!"

    https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

  • 229: Zibby Owens, BLANK: Revealing Leadership Secrets Learned Through Motherhood: Lessons Business School Misses

    229: Zibby Owens, BLANK: Revealing Leadership Secrets Learned Through Motherhood: Lessons Business School Misses

    · Mom Founder Imagination Hub

    What if your everyday mom moments could fill the pages of a book? What if motherhood has taught you leadership skills unmatched by any book or top-tier business school? What if the only thing holding you back from sharing your message with the world was simply not recognizing and appreciating your own value and the support others can offer once you do?

    These personal topics, especially if you're a bookworm or entrepreneurial mom, are discussed in today's episode with Zibby Owens, bestselling author of "Blank". Zibby is also the award-winning podcast host of "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" and the founder and CEO of Zibby Media. With four children and a Harvard Business School graduate, Zibby's journey is nothing short of inspiring. Check out her full bio below.

    In the meantime, don’t forget to say hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ to let me know who else you’d like me to have as a guest. I love guest and topic ideas.

    This episode is sponsored by my book, "Fertile Imagination," A Guide for Stretching Every Mom's Superpower for Maximum Impact. In this episode, I realized that Zibby Owens possesses a fertile imagination, the ability to conceive of something that a mom may not have done before.

    I mean, how many moms do you know who, after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom, decide to disrupt entire industries? That's precisely what Zibby is doing, and that's why I was so inspired to have her on Unimaginable Wellness. Through my podcast and the guests featured in my book, I aim to showcase individuals who harness their imagination for good, making an impact that can reshape opportunities for their children and future generations.

    Helping moms ignite their imagination to solve meaningful problems is what truly ignites my passion. As your host, Melissa, I urge you to consider: Do you know what truly ignites you as a mom, a human, a woman? If not, and if you're unsure how to rediscover your interests, then "Fertile Imagination" is here to guide you.

    As a mom of three young boys, I've experienced the Groundhog Day feeling and the endless cycle of sibling squabbles. That's why I wrote "Fertile Imagination," to help readers like you embark on a journey of activating your imagination, listening to its whispers, and integrating what excites you into your daily life.

    So, whether it's Zibby's story or your own journey of exploration, "Fertile Imagination" is your roadmap to unlocking your inner powerhouse and designing a life aligned with your passions.

    This is an amazing conversation for you to absolutely take notes and maybe even look some stuff up because if you want to be an entrepreneur, Zibby does drop some nuggets of wisdom in terms of some tools you might want to consider.

    But at the same time, it's important to appreciate that Zibby was able to create and is still in the process of building an empire. She's authored several books based on everyday life moments that many moms, myself included, often overlook as potential sources of inspiration and revenue as entrepreneurs.

    There's undeniable value in our daily experiences, even if we don't always recognize it. My book, "Fertile Imagination," guides you in harnessing these moments that ignite your passion and shows you how to share, sell, or leverage them to make your maximum impact on the world. Visit http://www.melissallarena.com/fertileideas or fertileideas.com to grab a free chapter of "Fertile Imagination."

    Now, let's delve into the official bio of Zibby Owens.

    Official Bio

    Zibby Owens — like Pippa Jones — wears a lot of hats. She is the award-winning podcast host of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books; founder and CEO of Zibby Media, which includes the publishing house Zibby Books, a book club, retreats, classes, and events; and is the proud owner of Zibby’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Santa Monica.

    Her previous books include Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature, children’s book Princess Charming, and two anthologies that she edited. A frequent contributor to Good Morning America, Katie Couric Media, and other outlets, she is – most of all! – the mother of four fabulous kids ages 9 to 16 — and wife to Kyle Owens, founder of Morning Moon Productions.

    Follow her on Instagram and Substack where she tells it like it is.

    Learn More

    · https://www.zibbyowens.com

    · https://www.instagram.com/zibbyowens/

    TRANSCRIPT

    How are you? I'm great. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited. So I just got through your book, Blank, and oh my goodness, talk about like the turns and tosses and like the silliness. It was really entertaining. And as someone that reads nonfiction, for the most part, I was like, Oh, wait a minute, I'm missing out.

    Thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I'm so curious, Zibby. I mean, I asked my listeners kind of what was on their mind, right? What did they want to learn about Zibby? Mom of four, someone that is disrupting the entire publishing industry. I mean, you're making us feel like rock stars. Let me just say any author out there.

    But what is it about Zibby? You that makes you so like inventive and innovative in terms of the way that you approach business, mom, life, and this book tour right now with blank. What is it about you? Where did you get that spark? That is a good question. I don't know where it came from, but I will say I like to have fun with anything I'm doing.

    So I feel like, for example, the book tour, which I'm calling the Zippyverse tour and going to all these stops and I have tour t shirts and friendship bracelets and sunglasses. The point of that is to make it feel fun for the end user. to make authors, to make myself an example of how an author could be treated as a rock star.

    I'm just like doing it myself. But also, I think most things that I'm doing are in response to something else. So this tour is in response to my last tour where I had a few stops, well one stop in particular, where literally two people showed up to an event and I'm like, I cannot have that happen again.

    So instead of just blindly walking into places, I decided to be more in control of it and have my own tour website and then have people so I can be aware of which events are doing well and which aren't and monitor my own marketing. So I guess the tour is an example of how I do most things, which is get a lot of data, figure out what works and what doesn't work, try something new, do something different, have fun, and see if it works or not.

    And it might not work, and if not, then I switch gears and try something else. And as to where it came from, I don't totally know. I think it's just who I am. I love it. I love it. And I think it's, it's so interesting because we physically met at Mom 2. 0, and I was just like smitten beyond belief. I was like, oh my god, just like, it's like you're like Shakira for us at this point.

    Also on tour. By the way, like you guys should parallel share tour buses and such you're living parallel lives. Right. But I was so excited that you were there and I thought it was really, really interesting that you were sharing your perspective on the publishing industry. And you just mentioned data.

    And I will say as someone who is excited about building a community of moms that have this like Fertile imagination, like really like expansive thinking approach to problem solving in their lives. I was thinking to myself. Okay. So what shifts are coming up? What do you know? Is there some sort of like magic eight ball in terms of what's happening in publishing?

    Based on your right now real time experience on this Zibby tour Is there any are there any shifts in publishing? I'm sure like During other times in this industry, there are different genres that, for whatever reason, have been rising to the top. Right? Like, romanticy is huge right now, and I look at some of these festivals I'm going to, and the lines for the fantasy authors are wrapped around them.

    So, um. The buildings. I mean, it's crazy. Why does that happen? I don't know. Like, why is, why did the rom com market take off right now? Not sure. Did anyone predict it? No. So what's coming after this? It's hard to say. I think that, People are looking more and more for escapes than more hard stuff. I mean, I love a good hard memoir that'll make me cry, I really do.

    But I think for the most part, life is so heavy that people Need an outlet and books are becoming that obviously, as you well know, TikTok and Instagram have changed how books are consumed and found and all of that, which is really interesting. So I'm definitely watching all of that really closely and I find it very interesting and always wondering like, what else can I be doing?

    Definitely have not mastered TikTok, so open to any. Anything, any suggestions, but the way that other people have adopted it and promoted books and have books and industries take off just points to the fact that sometimes you don't know where the next thing is going to come from, but the point is to be aware as it's coming.

    Everybody bemoans the state of the industry and will people stop reading and I find it incredibly encouraging that so many younger readers are just totally into these things and I, these types of books and it speaks overall to the need for community around books and connection and that's what books provide and having people um, It doesn't have to be books that are on the bestseller list.

    It can be books that are taking off on TikTok or that somebody you really respect likes or something like that. But there will always be that as a way to connect, which I think is great. And I think in terms of that idea of community, that is something that I secretly have always wanted to ask you, because I sense that the reason, or one of the reasons why Blank is doing so well right now, I mean, bestseller, is that because of the support that the community has been giving you, but then you've been nourishing this community too.

    And so I'm just curious, like any stories of like meeting people in person who are part of your community and how we can continue to help this book, like keep skyrocketing. Oh, that's so sweet. And yes, I think you're right in, in part. I mean, I have been doing the podcast, Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books, since 2018.

    And there are a lot of people who have sort of been on this crazy ride with me. I mean, in 2017, I went on social media for the first time. Like, I didn't even have an account. And I had been at home with my kids for 11 years, and I had been out of, I've just been out of it, even though prior to that I had been working in different things, marketing and writing, and I had ghostwritten a book and things like that.

    But. I had been out of it for a while, and as I've gotten back into it, I've done what I always do, which is sort of share from the heart and share the backstory and share my deepest feelings, which I've been doing since I was 14 and started writing for Seventeen magazine about like how I felt about my body and gaining weight and all of that.

    So I've been really open about like how excited I am when good things happen, how dejected I feel when like, years ago when I first lost the Webby Award. So now here I am like six years later and this year I won the Webby Award. So like there have been people who have been along the way. So for me, it's more a symbol of things than the award itself, although I'm very excited, but it's like My kids helped me that first year try to campaign and get their friends to vote and all that stuff and then they were there when I didn't win like comforting me and now this year I could tell them that like we won and they could all like hug me and now they're older and so anyway people I think are rooting for me because I've been really open and yes I help lots of other people but I love that I mean it helps me just as much but I love getting to know authors and talking to people and and and you Just because other people have helped me so much by sharing in their memoirs or their essays or whatever, I give back by doing the same thing and hope that it, you know, I'm paying it forward and that it helps other people.

    And I'm, I, I do think that my community has turned out to read blank and that makes me really, really happy. I think it's also a quick read. I think people are enjoying it and it's more, it's more fun. I think, I just think people are looking forward to it. Now for something like that, that's just a little more fun, and I totally agree with you in the sense that a lot of the moms around me, like I've noticed, there's like this like book club mentality.

    Either you're in a book club to like escape family life, and it's just like chit chat with girlfriends about like really random things. Or like a book club and you're an aspiring author. And like, you want to get in the minds of perspective readers. And so the escape society, I'm just going to like name them that.

    I wonder like, okay, like fact and fiction are so blurry right now. And I was reading blank and I couldn't help but think like. Does Zibby have like a secret Instagram where she's like going to open houses? So what's the secret there? What's fact? What's fiction? And, and I loved the book. It was very unexpected.

    Thank you. Yeah. I love going to open houses. I have gone to 8 million open houses. I always like pull the car over and pop in. It's something like the kids are like, I'll be like, open house. They'll be like, no. So I just love doing that. I love seeing, I love design. I love just seeing how people live their lives too.

    Like I, I don't know the fact that like people just open up their homes. It's amazing. So I do not have a secret Instagram account, but, but I do love open houses. So that part is absolutely true. That part. And then there were So many other moments in the book, and I'm not going to give any spoilers away, but there were so many moments that I was like, yep, that visual.

    I know it. I've seen it. Like, let's just talk about, for example, one, like the Benihana Onion Volcano, like it. Yeah. When you said that, or when I heard it in the book, because I have the audio version, I was like, yep, I know what that looks like. I know those volcanoes. And it's like one of those mom moments, like, should we get like a fire extinguisher kind of a thing?

    But where did you pull out these different sort of like visuals that were like, so quote unquote, gettable? I mean, that's my life as a mom, like, I, I mean, I, I am doing all these things, I am in it, like, I have four kids, like, this is my life, and it has been for a very long time, so, I'm just putting in all the things, they just come out, like, I'm, I wasn't like, oh, I need to be sure to put the Benny Hanna image in, in fact, I barely even remember where that is, but, It's, it's just like, I've been, I've seen that so many times, and I have, I could fill endless books with just the kid stuff, so I think that I've noticed as I write fiction, which is new for me, I mean, this type of process, I, I, things are coming out that I don't even know.

    I mean, I'm writing my next book now, and I have this huge outline, so I really just have to like, put the words in, like I've already figured out the whole story, and it's, I actually made it kind of a little less fun for myself, I think, because I already know everything, and now I just have to, like, write it and make it fun, but.

    Anyway, I started writing it with this detailed outline and like, I wrote 10, 000 words about something totally not even in the outline. Like where is this going? But it's like I had to, I invented this whole backstory. Point is like my subconscious kind of takes over, I think, or whatever happens. But fiction is something I don't totally understand how I'm doing it.

    But I know that it's like a mishmash of all these things that are in my brain, like a. Okay. The endless trips to Benihana and like the fact that my daughter's hydroflask like never fits in the car and like they pushed me out of the way to like get to the radio thing and I'm like always about to get crash my car like all those things are just my life that's just my day to day life so and I know I don't always post that stuff like on social media and in my newsletters like I'm very intentional about not including my kids and things that are too specific to them.

    Um, But that is my life. I mean, I post the glamorous parts and I post, I mean, I hope to, I hope, I hope I post like enough real stuff that people know, but I don't want to reveal personal things about the kids. So anyway, all to say, yes, I've been there many times. You have like best customer out of Benihana, right?

    So it's, yeah, totally like, okay, it was just hilarious to me. Like when that mention happened, cause I was just like, taken there immediately and then wanting teriyaki chicken. But anyway, that withstanding, you're actually making me hungry right now. I know it's, it's early, but like I could, I could have a turkey right now.

    So this, this, so this is something that I find really common with so many women that Have been either out of the workplace or they're like starting brand new. Like you just mentioned these tiny, regular, banal moments of motherhood. And what you managed to do, my interpretation of it is make it into a story, make it into something that matters to a reader and like engage the reader.

    Like, why is it that. In, in your situation, I assume like that that's enough for a story, enough to engage a reader. And I found so many other moms are like, but I have nothing to write about. And you can write a whole like 10, 000 word thing about that. Well, I think it's how much we value those stories. I think a lot of moms don't put worth into what they're learning, but we're learning lots of things every day as parents.

    I mean, I learned more from being a mom than through all my education and I've gone to lots of schools and da da da, but it's an on the job, constant learning, constant changing, like full body experience and no one can tell you how to do it and you can't study for it In that way, it's like a nightmare, right?

    You have to just, it's the most important thing in the world. And, you know, for people who like to prepare, there's not that much you can do that will actually help, right? Until you get to know what you have, what you're dealing with, the sleep books. Do they work? I don't know. I mean, I've read a lot of them.

    Did they help me? Not so much. So I think that as we are dealing with our kids, and learning and ingesting information. It's, it's information that others are ingesting in an equally unsure point of their lives. And by reflecting it back, I think we're reminding each other that none of us are in it alone, even though it can feel very isolating.

    I mean, a night at home, my kids are older now, like my youngest is now nine, but Like the the tantrum not ending at home at bedtime. I mean, I have felt like well, is this ever gonna end? Will this kid ever stop crying or will this child ever fall asleep or how am I ever going to get out of the situation?

    And There's nobody to call, like, it doesn't matter, you can't, so, anyway, it can feel very lonely and isolating and terrifying, but really we're, so many of us are going through similar things, so as long as we share it, it makes it, and add some humor to it, I think it will help get through those day to day moments that can feel really difficult.

    I agree. And I also think about my kids almost like imagination experts in residence. It's like, they help me imagine how a situation can be more fun. They help me imagine how I can like, lighten up. Mom, I've heard that before. Like they, they really do help me navigate the, the, the stuff that is impossible to just kind of navigate with just my thinking, rational brain.

    Right. Cause things don't always make sense. And, and what you mentioned right now, as far as motherhood and loneliness and just like solitude, that's how I felt when I was writing my book. And when I was reading your book, I was like, wait a minute, like, how is it like, I almost feel like we all need an outlet, like if we do embark on writing a book, right?

    And so maybe I haven't found one yet. And like, I need to go get one. But at this point, it's It's going on artist dates for me, so I'm all about like Julia Cameron's like idea of like going and doing fun things. So as you're on this Zibby tour, I'm just wondering like, do you have an outlet? Maybe one where you just kind of step it up in your enthusiasm and feel energized and things like that.

    Hmm. Outlets for me. I really enjoy design, like graphic design and all that and like Canva and creating things and I'm not good enough at it. Like it's very frustrating to me. I want to be and I keep trying, but I seem to, I know what looks good, but sometimes I don't know quite how to get there. So I have a lot of fun.

    Doing that and trying always to improve and also teaching myself new things like this morning for instance Like I had a bunch of files on Dropbox that I'm like, I need to get these files onto YouTube There must be a better way So like next thing, you know I'm like learning how to use Zapier and like trying to schedule zaps and I'm like, I don't even know what I'm doing I'm probably about to make a huge mistake.

    It ended up not totally working now I have to go back and figure it out But like Okay, that's fun for me. I, I, I just enjoy a challenge. And even if it's something as simple as that, so I realize that's not as lofty as Julia Cameron, but also I have so many things that I do. I mean, I have my podcast, which I have been doing daily for four plus years, and I still have tons of episodes each week because even though I've gone to three times a week, I had booked so many that, uh, the ones I'm doing now are coming out so late, which is ridiculous.

    Like, I really have to, now I might have to change it all again. But anyway, I have all these different things that I am constantly kind of multitasking. Doing the podcast or having a meeting about, like, the marketing of a particular book or helping another author or writing an essay or maybe I should do a gift guide for Mother's Day or like, I mean, like, I, I am always like that.

    So I feel like my life is one procrastination from something else all the time. But it sounds like productive procrastination, which I want to make a thing, like, I think, I think we need to celebrate productive procrastination, because if you have so many ideas in your mind, it's kind of like, all right, follow this thread and then go follow this other thread and something's going to work for sure.

    And. And I'm wondering, like, when it came to your own business and when it came to, I'm not sure if it was like a clean transition from podcasting to publishing, but when it came to your own business, how did you like follow the thread in terms of like brick by brick building out this Zibby verse, which is like, wow.

    I mean, I didn't try to start a Zibby verse. Like, I'm literally wearing a sweater today that says Evyverse, that these two amazing women, Susie and Andrea, who live in Minneapolis, who I've gotten to know, and I went, and they offered then when Blank came out, to your point, to like host me in their town and introduce me to all their friends.

    And I was like, I'll go to Minneapolis. So I went, and they gave me this fabulous event, and then they gave me this sweater as a gift that like a friend of theirs like sewed on. I mean, it's so nice. I, that was not the plan. Like, I really started out, to be perfectly honest, just trying to sell a book. I didn't have a platform.

    I wanted to write a book forever. I'd written, I'd ghost written a book. I'd had a novel rejected in my 20s and I wanted to get back to it. And I had a bunch of parenting essays I'd been writing. That I wanted to turn into a book and so I started a podcast and I just, I think I'm just good at taking something and growing it and turning it into something else or just seeing opportunities of what comes next or if somebody else suggests something like testing it out or trying it or like mulling it over and figuring out how I would do it and just trying.

    I mean, it was so frustrating at the beginning. I was like, okay, no one is ever going to download this podcast. I'm going to be stuck at 86 downloads an episode forever. And I was like, but you know what? I still love what I'm doing. So even if I only get 86 downloads an episode, I'm not going to stop. And even if I have like five different books rejected, I'm not going to stop.

    Like, this is what I want to do. I, I, I'm very persistent when it comes to things that I enjoy and that I feel like I'm on the right path, even if it's not being validated to me externally, so I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and see and that's how I've gotten here and The publishing, obviously, was a different level because it took a lot of investment and hiring and all of that.

    So I did a ton of research. It took me a couple years to decide to do it. Like, I thought about it for a while before I did it. I had lots of calls. I had, there, there is some method to the madness. But in the end, I just thought, what's the worst that happens? I try to start a publishing company to help authors and it fails.

    Still, still cool. So, that's sort of my attitude. What's the worst that's going to happen? Yeah, and I think, I think a lot of times we just like assume like the worst is like total demise, the end of, of all our finances and just like, it's very catastrophic, I think, or maybe it's just my anxiety or something, but I, I see that, I see that, and so right now, just to kind of like put it out there, as I think about it.

    Cool. My book, and I think about, okay, how can I bring together a community of moms who want to think expansively about what's possible for themselves, who want to use their skills in ways that have never been used by other moms around them before, like What would you suggest would be, like, my first step?

    Okay, so, developing a community. Well, you already are doing a community. You have a podcast. You wrote a book. I mean, you don't need You don't need my help. I should be asking you, like, what has worked for you? Seriously, you know, for me, what worked for me is really taking like activating my chutzpah, honestly, that is what has worked for me so far, like talking to people who I know the book will help feel empowered, like one of the people that read my book, for example, she's like, I felt like I was back in fourth grade when I read it.

    Fertile imagination, like that teacher who's like, you can do it. And a little bit like Navy seal ish too, but you know, more like the teacher that's kind and generous. And like, that is what I was going for. So I wanted to just like, put myself out there intentionally to your point. Right. So it was kind of like, okay, like, where are these moms who need this information and who are super educated too?

    And I think. That's like a tiny little nuance, but it's like, I don't know about you. I know you went to HBS, I went to Tuck. We have our MBAs and I can't say that doing a ZAP on Zapier was something we learned in our relative business schools. I'm just saying. Right. Do you know how to do zap since Zap, zap year?

    I know. I'm a zapper. Yeah. I zap. Yeah. Oh yeah. We zap. We zap. We zap a lot. I get my emails with all my little zaps and this is how Zapier saved me time, right? So yeah, I'm happy to go in there and like help you zap stuff. Yeah, I might need that after this call. For sure. For sure. But like, this is not what we were taught like in business school.

    It was more about like how to plug into an organization and how to lead and how to like look at P& Ls and stuff. And granted, of course, we have our respective PNLs, but I'm just wondering, like, what would you say is the most valuable thing that you've learned as an entrepreneur, like doing it here in your space that you think should be taught in a business school?

    That's a great question. Because yes, I did take these things in business school and they, did they help me? Right, exactly. Like, I mean, honestly, I think they should teach you that You can watch a quick YouTube tutorial about literally anything and teach yourself how to do it. That is how I started a podcast.

    I was like, Google, how to start a podcast. You know, how do I? I watch videos all the time. Like we got locked out of the car the other day and everyone's like, what should we do? And I was like, I'm sure there's a YouTube video about this. And like, there was. So, I think it's, it's knowing that like, there are so many experts in so many things that anything you want to do, there is a guide.

    And now it's easier than ever to take people's advice and have them teach you. I think being open to learning and innovating, and this is something we learned is, The ability to sort of shift gears and be, pay attention to market trends and da, da, da. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like we learned that, but you know, I feel like my cases in business school were like operational challenges and, you know, the cranberry manufacturing and like, I was like, what?

    And like, then in like our one conversation or one class, it was called leadership about like all the ways that people led wrong. And, and so I think about that, but I'm also like, I don't want to ever lead as the professional only version of myself. Like, I've decided that the best way to lead is just to use myself, even if it's my mom's skills.

    in the workplace. Like, I feel like I lead as a mom and I feel like it has only made me a better leader and they don't talk about that at business school at all. There is something about like taking care of people and gathering people and the softer skills or moments. Like with my company, I decided like three days a week, we all, Like take a break and go and have a nice lunch together every week.

    That's what we do. It's part of our culture. It's just like what we do. And I have them to my home and we sit around my dining room table and have lunch. And it's so nice. And it's like, I want to take care of them. I want to my teammates, like my most important dinner guests, because that's what they are.

    They are so important. And why would you treat an employee any differently than that? Like, if you don't want to have them. If you don't feel like they deserve that, they probably then should not be working for you. Do you know what I mean? So, and, and leaving, like I leave every day at 2. 30 and go pick up my kids.

    And I get it all done the rest of the day, but like, do I need to be in the office? So I just think there are so many things we could have learned about there are ways to make it work and finding flexible environments and leading by example and Making it work. And, and then I guess just always, like, I think that businesses, leading a business is like raising a kid in that as soon as you feel like you have it down, everything changes.

    Right? I got it. And now, suddenly, they're a year older and I don't know what I'm doing again. And none of the clothes fit. Like, I have to start again? Are you kidding me? And that's what it's like in business. Like, things are constantly changing. Oh, okay, maybe it's an external change that's impacting the organization.

    Maybe it's an internal growth change. But we have to be ready to, like, run to the gap and get new clothes. It's so funny. I was just telling a client yesterday that using your imagination is like the perfect change management tool. Like, I mean, so many people that have businesses are able to just go from one thing to another quite quickly, just really edit, change, refocus, and then, and then not feel like, kind of like, I don't know, maybe it's just me.

    Like for me, I would kind of feel like men. I did it wrong. Embarrassed. Like I was going this way and now I'm like, no longer doing this thing. What people are going to think. And so I think that's something else that stops you. And the same could be said when you're at a target and your kids have a meltdown and you have a choice, be the mom that you intended to be in front of other people or care what they think.

    And then be that another kind of mom. It's. The parallels are striking between motherhood and entrepreneurship for sure. So on that point, I'm just curious, like, can we name the superpower that you got from being a mom that you apply in business? What, what would you name that superpower? Being humble. 100%.

    The superpower is the ability to constantly learn and change. Honestly, I mean, you have to constantly adapt to changing conditions as a mom. So adaptability. Yeah, I think constantly being able to adaptability. Yeah. Regroup to do lots of things at once and to deal with things that are ultimately out of your control even when you care Yeah, and that's when it's like the hardest, right?

    It's like when it's your heart when it's your name when it's the Zibby verse, right? It's different than if it were this third party entity and I think I think we can, we can close the conversation there because I think right now a lot of listeners are probably wondering to themselves like, holy cow, maybe there is value in my like super regular mom life moments.

    Maybe I could write a story, right? Much value, so much value, so much value. And I think now the onus might be on people that have these like MBAs and things to put that value in like an income statement, like goodwill, at least, right? Like just like find a place. To, to demonstrate that we, if we use the success markers of the world, like finances and money and all that, like, how, how can we translate that to like real income financial security for moms?

    I mean, I think, I think the value is huge. And so my hope, my intention is through your story, Zibby, through this conversation that anyone listening feels like, what? Heck yeah, I matter. I matter. And I think that's so true. Thank you so, so much, Zibby. This was amazing. Where can people buy your book? Blank. Yes.

    Please buy blank. You can buy it literally anywhere. Go to your local independent bookstore, order it online. My website is zibbyowens. com. You can, there are links to lots of places to buy it there. You can get a signed copy at Zibby's bookshop through my website. You can. Get it, I don't know, wherever you get books or you can listen or you can read it on Kindle or whatever and you can follow me on Instagram at Zibby Owens or and or my sub stack zibbyowens.

    substack. com and you know, I tell it like it is. Absolutely. Thank you again, Zibby. Thank you. Here are the three things that I would love for you to just really reflect upon after this wonderful conversation with Zibby Owens. Point number one, if you are a mom, even if you have not, I don't even know, use social media for the last decade, I want you to realize that it doesn't matter.

    Everything that you want to know about launching a business, you can just Google it, you could even use AI. to help you get started. There is no reason not to explore your entrepreneurial muscles. Absolutely zero reason. So Google it. If you want to build an empire, launch a community or write your own book.

    Point number two, We underappreciate ourselves. Let's just imagine what it takes in order to run a house. Imagine what it takes to raise a wonderful human who is going to contribute to society after we leave this planet. There's so much value in what a mom does and no, we do not need to see that value demonstrated in the bank account in order to appreciate it.

    You have value that I promise you can absolutely change the world, but we need bravery. That might be what's missing. Bravery. Just be brave to demonstrate to the world that you can do A, B, or C. Be brave to actually start taking the steps and figuring out how you want to express your skills and talents with the world.

    And realize that whatever it is that you're doing at home, someone else is paying someone to do that too. Please be aware. So. Underappreciating what you're doing at home, even if it feels like it's, you know, what every mom would do, of course, is, is something that needs to be re evaluated because you have so much value, and I think it's very obvious in the conversation we had here between myself and Zibby.

    Point number three. So here's a very big call to action. If you went to a business school anywhere in the world, right, I would invite you to actually speak to a dean and ask that person, whoever they are, if they're open to having you teach a class, maybe on how to be a humble leader, maybe on how to be Empathetic as a leader, maybe on how to really, um, be a more nurturing leader.

    These are the skills that you already have built in, in terms of being a mom. And these are skills that you can a hundred percent teach at a business school, and I would invite you to have that conversation with a Dean. As a matter of fact, I plan to do that myself. And so there you go. That is my action item.

    Other than that, be sure to buy Zibby's book, Blank. It is available everywhere that you would ordinarily shop for books. Also buy my book, Fertile Imagination. Imagine double fisting two books by moms who might not have time to read a lot of books, but made the time to write books. And I would encourage you to think about your own life experience as worthy of filling the pages of any book.

    Thank you again. Next episode drops on Tuesday. Make sure that you follow Unimaginable Wellness.

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