A Year of Receiving

I recently had some breakthroughs in my business. I decided to put my membership group on pause, focus seriously on 1-1 coaching, and relaunch my online course to run as a community program rather than passive income product. I had my best month of income from coaching in the last 2.5 years. It felt amazing, and I also had the question of "Why couldn't this have happened sooner?!" pop up. I know everything happens when it should and everything I've been through led me to this experience, but I wanted to look back and see what I'd done differently to allow this to occur. 

I'm an avid journal-er and it's so helpful (especially for those of us with poor memory) to have documentation of life & biz experiences over the last few years. And as I'm looking back the theme I notice is active awareness of receiving and my ability to call in, accept and celebrate what I want. I was continuously exploring and examining how I could receive (or why I wasn't), and although it was a mixed bag, 2017 and the beginning of 2018 were a whole lot of receiving of great opportunities, receiving signs, intuitive hits, and beautiful connections- but not much money. And it was honestly frustrating as hell. 

I can see now that it was a long practice in getting ready, in getting into alignment, in releasing old patterns, in gaining confidence, in overcoming fears, and step by step moving myself, my heart, and my head to finally connect the dots to put forth services that spoke to the right people, at the right price, at the right moment for me to stand up and serve at my highest level. 

I think I had been in denial that I was afraid to work with people long term one-on-one. I knew when I talked with people they had great experiences and were very grateful for my insights and guidance. I felt I was great at overcoming fears because I spoke in front of rooms full of people and tried lots of different things in my business. Yet, I was still afraid of not truly being able to help or provide transformation in my coaching. I also had stifled my own ability to receive fully by previously claiming I would never be a coach that charged thousands of dollars. That false income cap kept me stuck and limited because I wanted more money yet couldn't create a way to receive it in a format that actually spoke to my energy and my true needs. When I decided my VIP client work would be over $1000/month I felt ELATED and free. It took 2 more months after raising my price for the first client to come in. Another month for the second. Easiest sales I've ever made. (And, absolutely ideal clients who I adore!!) I created a second option for 1-1 work under a thousand dollars that also excited me and I brought in new clients within a few weeks for that too. I decided that while passive income is a great idea, it sparked no joy in me and made me feel I wasn't giving the very best to clients, so my online course went back to it's original format of a 5 week group program. I was creating based on what felt not just "good" but massively energizing and motivating for me, and finally the fear was outweighed by the excitement. Finally I felt settled in my service. I am doing the work I'm meant to, in the way I'm meant to, making money that feels truly reflective of my goals as well as my bigger purpose of impact. 

And while it was a lot of inner work, mindset work, and energy awareness, it was also allowing myself to change my approach to receiving ideas and putting offers out into the world. With the help of my current coach and guidance on my Human Design, I was finally able to give my ideas time to fully form, expand, be shared and create impact within my communities. And therefore, I wasn't praised for simply acting on inspiration (as had previously occurred from coaches/mentors), and I was actually able to receive new connections, new clients and money, by following through and working off longer timelines. The action was aligned, but still challenging, and yet the receiving was very easy. I no longer feel drawn to the hustle. I rest and still receive.

I know success is not a single end point, and that my path has many more curves and bumps and expansion to endure, but I'm grateful for all that led me here. I'm so honored to be working with people I admire, and still excited and optimistic of the unknown greatness that's to come. My belief that it will all work out is intact and I am committed to keep noticing the evidence of all I am receiving. 

Lessons from a 9 year relationship

Last week was my 9 year anniversary with my love. Here's what I've learned from a long term relationship as it relates to business- haha of course! 😝

1. Passion will get you started, daily commitment and rituals of re-commitment will move you through the years.

2. You will continue to evolve, not always at the same pace as others, your path is your own, stay open & be surprised by the gifts that come from change.

3. Support is sexy. But also, necessary, this is not a solo adventure. (Even if you're a solopreneur.)

4. Expressing yourself fully and honestly is a journey, ups and downs, but keep trying because you need to be heard.

5. More money does not equal more knowledge.

6. Save the drama for your llama. Keep your standards high, mindset positive, and toxic people out of your life.

7. Share your heart with those who will appreciate the gift that it is.

8. Everyone is weird, has baggage, has quirks, has doubts, fears, set backs, challenges, skills, and generally has little idea of how to "adult" in any given situation.

9. Don't forget to have fun, soak up all the good moments, be grateful for what you've got, and above all else ENJOY!!

(Bonus #10 from my guy: Sharing is caring.😊)

How Wedding Planning is Just Like Running a Business

I’ve found the lessons of wedding planning and running my own business are remarkably similar, and unfortunately for both brides/grooms and entrepreneurs it’s not until you’re in the thick of it you really understand the importance of these lessons. So I’ll repeat them now in hopes someone will take it to heart and maybe find more ease in each (ad)venture.

1. You don’t have to obey tradition, do what speaks to you and your life. In this day and age both weddings and businesses can happen in a variety of ways, in different fashions, and while there are some traditional elements that make sense and are widely practiced for a reason, you have a lot of choice in how you do business/plan a wedding. Explore your options and choose what feels right to you. Customization is key for both fulfillment and success.

2. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone. And probably 90% of what other people think won’t align with what you really want. And in both business and wedding planning it’s a great practice to listen, consider, respond politely and continue doing whatever the heck you know is right for YOU.

3. This will impact you and your family for years to come. Obviously a wedding impacts multiple families, but so does starting and running a business. And in both cases you’ll deal with some sticky things- like money, religion, values, power statuses, interpersonal relationships and practicing compassion. So even if you’re sure your partner or business is “the one” it can still feel risky or scary taking the leap.

4. You’re going to discover new things about yourself. Running your own business forces you, almost constantly, to uncover layers of yourself and question how and why you do things certain ways. (At least it does if you’re a conscious creator and open to learning about yourself.) And this is a good thing, it helps you to expand and become more interesting as you learn more about your inner world and the position you want to hold as a professional. And in wedding planning you have to face certain questions you’ve never asked before about what’s important to you and the kind of partner and in-law you want to be. Allow this to be an opportunity of growth. (That applies for every situation in business FYI!)

5. Accept help and support. It’s really a lovely thing when you realize how many people around you want to help and are ready to support you. As a lifelong “I can do it myself” kind of person, the most impactful moment in my business life was when I started continuously asking for help and actually receiving support in ways I had never experienced. And even though most people would hope their friends and family would be eager to support during the wedding planning process, it still feels really nice to hear people ask what they can do, offer to show up for multiple events, and contribute however they can so your life is easier. Accept the help, don’t be a crazy person, it’s a lot of work!!

6. Find the joy. This is what I come back to whenever things start to feel less than great. As a business owner, wearing multiple hats, things can get overwhelming and stressful and it’s not always fun. Find the joy, reconnect with your purpose and personal mission and remember it’s not meant to be a struggle. A wedding should be focused on love, if it’s gotten off course and become more about the “stuff” or certain people’s needs than the love, bring it back and find the joy.

Don't Put Soap in My Egg Pan: Why We Need to Set Boundaries in Business

A few years ago my mom and I were traveling in the Pacific Northwest and booked a room in an Airbnb in Portland, Oregon. The woman who owned the house welcomed us in, showed us the chickens in the backyard, walked us through the house and we stopped to chat in the kitchen. 

"Any rules we should know about?" My mom asked.

"The only rule is don't put soap in my egg pan." 

We agreed, although this was definitely strange to us both that the egg pan was the only thing with a rule. My mom has owned a Bed & Breakfast since I was in middle school, and there were always lots of rules. (She did have 2 young daughters + dog + cats + another business in the house!)

And when you own your business you get to decide the rules. But if you've never had a business before setting "rules" aka boundaries can be tricky. I used to STRESS if I didn't get back to a client immediately. I was all consumed with being "professional" yet what I was- was a slave to my business. I had no set hours, no communication guidelines, and I said yes to just about everything. No boundaries=no good. 

There was one time I was on vacation with my then boyfriend, and I got a client email requesting access to a Dropbox folder of images. We were driving through the mountains of Colorado, I had a total freak out and had to find somewhere to stop so I could try and get internet and complete the task. Mood killer. Was it really needed right that minute, right that day? Probably not, but I took any request as urgent and responded like my life depended on it. Did I mention it was stressful living like this??

And this is something I now discuss with my coaching clients a lot- how to set boundaries in your work and how to communicate with clients when they need to be made aware of these boundaries. Sometimes it's as a simple as an auto email responder letting people know you'll respond in 24-48hrs unless urgent. Sometimes it's including your work hours in your email signature. And sometimes it's just letting yourself know that you are allowed breathing room, you're allowed to respond to people when you're finished with what you're working on, and if you're on vacation you're definitely allowed to put on the "out of office" notice and relax! Notice where your boundaries have been feeling squeezed lately and ask yourself what you can do ASAP to correct and give yourself the space/time/privacy/energy you need to function your best.

These days there's an abundance of communication options, and sometimes that's the issue in itself. I personally am still working on not feeling badly about not responding to Facebook messages right away, especially when they can pop up on my phone at all times. But alas, I'm not an ER doctor and I'm guessing you aren't either, and really pretty much everything can wait.