Bella Grayce Podcast
Welcome to The Bella Grayce Podcast, your go-to source for transformative life coaching and recovery insights. Hosted by Teresa Mitchell, a professional coach and certified addiction recovery specialist, this podcast is designed to help you take control of your life—mind, body, and soul.
Whether you're grappling with finding balance, battling unhealthy coping mechanisms, or seeking to uncover the root causes that hold you back, The Bella Grayce Podcast offers personal stories, actionable tips, and expert advice to guide you on your journey to a fulfilled life. Tune in for honest conversations, practical strategies, and the support you need to unlock your full potential.
Bella Grayce Podcast
Walk Away Energy to Live Authentically with Zoe Share
In this episode of the Bella Grace podcast, Teresa Mitchell interviews Zoe Share, a multifaceted marketing executive and entrepreneur. Zoe shares her journey from being a kindergarten teacher to running a successful marketing agency, and how the pandemic prompted her to reevaluate her career path. She discusses the importance of authenticity, setting boundaries, and making intentional choices in both personal and professional life. Zoe emphasizes the need to break free from conventional expectations and embrace one's unique journey, ultimately finding joy in simplicity and clarity.
Connect with Zoe:
zoeshare.ca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoeshare/
Key Takeaways:
Zoe transitioned from teaching to entrepreneurship, realizing her energy was drained in the classroom.
She started a marketing agency that grew significantly but led to dissatisfaction during the pandemic.
Zoe emphasizes the importance of authenticity and not being tied down to one career path.
Setting boundaries is crucial for maintaining energy and preventing burnout.
Finding joy in simplicity can lead to greater creativity and fulfillment.
Intentional choices in life and work can lead to more meaningful experiences.
Breaking free from societal expectations allows for personal growth and exploration.
Zoe encourages listeners to embrace their unique journeys and potential.
Understanding how you want to be used can empower decision-making.
It's okay to take a pause and reassess your career direction.
"You should know your numbers."
"You have endless potential."
"I love to connect with people."
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Hello and welcome to another episode of the Bella Grace podcast, where we are helping high achievers break free from mindsets, behaviors and substances that are holding them back from reaching their true potential. And this week we are doing that by talking to my new friend, zoe. I am so excited. We just spent like 10 minutes just chatting about life and it was so fun. I'm so excited for y'all to get to meet her.
Speaker 1:She is a seasoned marketing executive, consultant, speaker and writer who helps organizations and leaders communicate clearly, connect authentically and grow sustainably. With a background in agency leadership and brand storytelling, zoe brings deep expertise in marketing strategy, thought leadership, development and cross-generational engagement. Known for her collaborative approach, zoe has advised companies across sectors, from education and real estate to health and professional services, guiding executives and teams through moments of growth, succession and transformation. She thrives at the intersection of people and possibility. She thrives at the intersection of people and possibility, with a talent for helping brands and individuals articulate their purpose and take aligned action. Zoe is also a published children's book author, publisher at daddiesdigestcomcom, and a dynamic speaker and facilitator, with leading strategic workshops and mentoring entrepreneurs or mentoring entrepreneurs. She's driven by a passion for clarity, creativity and meaningful impact. Welcome to the show You're so multifaceted.
Speaker 1:I am so excited to learn more about you. Okay, so tell us a little bit about your journey, how you got to all these places, so many places? Yeah, so tell us about yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm happy to Thanks for having me. So I started my career as a kindergarten teacher. So I went to teacher's college and once I had my classroom, everyone's like you're settled, you got your pension, you're going to be good for life. And for me I was like I don't think so and it's not because I don't love kids I do, but my energy was drained in the classroom. It wasn't the right use of my energy and you know I didn't realize it at the time, but I would start noticing a pattern in something feels not right about this and that kind of sets the tone for all of the different things I've done. I've been on a search to try and find what's right for me.
Speaker 2:I left teaching and went to business school, which was at the University of Waterloo, which is in it's kind of like the Silicon Valley of Canada, and so there's lots of startups and entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs. And I thought to myself what are all these people like? They're not going to make it. This is ridiculous. There's going to be like one in a thousand that's going to make it. And you know, everyone in my program thought they were going to be an entrepreneur and I thought that's just ridiculous and not practical. And lo and behold, I became an entrepreneur. You know, fast forward. I started a marketing agency right out of my master's program and before I knew it I had too many projects on the go and I needed to start hiring people. So I grew from zero to 15 people over eight years and that was part one of my business career journey. So teaching and then running an agency.
Speaker 1:Wow, even that is like a huge jump. It was, it was the marketing.
Speaker 2:It was a huge jump and I think a lot of people it was. It was a compelling story for people, so I gained a lot of traction and people paying attention because I was able to say things and I can still say them. Here's what I learned teaching kindergarten and here's where there's alignment and similarities in running a business. So you're trying to market yourself, You're trying to build something, You're trying to take your business to the next level. What do you want? Where are you going? What is step one, two, three.
Speaker 2:I break things down, goals down, just as I would breaking down learning to read for a child, and so we don't want to treat adults like children, but we do want to make things simple, and so I think my agency was successful in a lot of ways because of the energy I bring and because I think I helped people feel like a little bit of a beginner's mindset when they were approaching their brand and building their brand. We got a good reputation. It was called Schmooze and it was formed on the belief that you know. If you know who you are, you know what you're going to be proud of saying in five years from now. Your social media is going to be just fine. So let's just like not worry as much about the trends and every single thing and let's just make sure that what you're creating will stand the test of time. And it built. It was a really solid business and then the pandemic hit, so that was. That was where things started to change, Wow.
Speaker 1:So how did the pandemic change things? Where did you go next? What did you do next?
Speaker 2:So a few things happened in the pandemic. We actually got bigger because more people there were, fewer events and more people were looking for digital solutions for their marketing. And the bigger the business got, the more unhappy I was their marketing. And the bigger the business got, the more unhappy I was and it was just doing the same tasks over and over again and a lot less of the creative problem solving and a lot more of the business administration and I realized I don't want to be the CEO of this company.
Speaker 2:This is bizarre. I built this company. How can I want to walk away from it is bizarre. I built this company. How can I want to walk away from it? And you know, I had just had my second child, I had just written a children's book and writing the children's book felt so much more energizing than the agency did that I said I think, I think I'm done. I think I'm done, yeah. And I sold the client list to people on my team so that the clients would still have continuity and I walked away and people were really surprised, really, really surprised, because it didn't look like anything was wrong. But it wasn't. It wasn't for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, Go ahead. No, I was going to. Yeah, isn't yeah, go ahead? No, I was going to say isn't it crazy when on the inside, like you're screaming, this doesn't feel right, this isn't good, this is taking so much from me Like it's draining my energy, but on the outside it looks like everything's fine. People are like oh, she's got it all together, Like she's got the agency. She built this successful business.
Speaker 2:Like she's written a book, she's doing charitable things, she's rocking it. And I think what I've struggled with in my life and in my career is just feeling like, is it ever going to be enough? Am I ever going to be satisfied? And so it's not that I can't achieve great things, it's that I don't know what's actually going to make me feel fulfilled. And so at that point I decided you know, there's a lot of stuff that's happening's happening in between all of this, and I'm gonna get the order wrong, and it's totally unimportant what the order is.
Speaker 2:But I had, um been working on daddy's digest, which I still work on as a passive revenue builder. Um, it's a dad blog focused on telling the stories about parenting from the dad's perspective, so dad writers write into me and it's a great publication, and I'm also not a dad, so I wanted to keep doing it. It's a great side project, it's a great passive revenue stream run ads, whatever. But the Daddy's Digest portion of my life came from a place of struggling with postpartum depression, seeing my husband step up and all he could find were mom blocks, and it just drove me crazy. So what I've started to realize about myself at this point is that I like to jump into things and solve problems.
Speaker 2:And then once their problem is solved, then I kind of get bored and I need to move on and solve problems. And then, once their problem is solved, then I kind of get bored and I need to move on and I decided to go with that for a little while and try and figure out what that meant and that's looked like taking on interesting consulting projects. So I've done a whole bunch of interesting work. That's a short-term defined project scope and then I leave and that's been really, really powerful for me and I never thought it makes very little sense to people because they don't really know what I'm doing and sometimes it looks like I have a job and sometimes it looks like I have a three-month project.
Speaker 2:I think I kind of look like a job hopper, but it works really well to find that flow and sort of say I'm not married to one company or one particular thing. I am in this phase where I want to try on a lot of different. You know I'm kissing a whole bunch of frogs and seeing which one sticks and for someone who was so committed and had so much responsibility at such a young age, every time someone tries to pin me down I want to run so instead of pretending that that's not true. Now I'm designing a career where that's okay, and that I don't have to be pinned down to one thing to be successful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's authentic to who you are and that is so. This whole month I've been talking about burnout on my Facebook lives, and so it started out with, like what is burnout? What are the consequences of ignoring burnout? Then last week we talked about and this is going to air in in May, so in April I was talking about I think yours is anyway, whatever, and this is going to air after these lives, but so I don't have the calendar in front of me. But so then last week we talked about reclaiming your energy in the wake of burnout and how to start reclaiming back your energy to try to get through the burnout or in the immediate aftermath of burnout.
Speaker 1:And this week we're talking about getting back your confidence, because burnout takes your confidence and it sounds like teaching and the agency were trying to burn you out and you had the courage to say no, no, no, I'm not going to let this take me down and pick something that aligned with your authentic self. And it is okay to be that like flighty person who is like okay, I get bored easily, I don't want to be tied down to a job, even though it means I have a pension and I'm set for life. Like that doesn't have to be. I think so. I'm an, I'm a millennial, I was born in 85. Yeah, yep, and I think that we were taught go to college, get the job be secure.
Speaker 2:One thing, one thing, do one thing, know what you're doing. It's never worked for me.
Speaker 1:No, and I don't think it worked for many millennials, and I think that many millennials struggle with their identity because they're trying to fit themselves into that box that we were told we should fit into. Like we were told get the degree and you will get a good job and you will be set for life.
Speaker 2:Well, and that's just what happened. Right, I didn't have just one degree, I have three, right? So I have an English degree, a teaching degree, a business degree, and then I had the business that people understood. They're like, oh, zoe is like the social media marketing girl. And now I've gone and I've totally messed that up. Sometimes I meet people and they're like you're so brave. And then other times I meet people and they're like I don't really understand. And I said, yeah, sometimes I don't understand either, I'm just figuring it out. And I'm paying my bills, I'm healthy, I'm present for my kids, and when that stops being true, I will make a pivot again.
Speaker 2:And what I've learned after all of this, all these different things because you guys can go find me on LinkedIn and see all the different things I've done you can be confused or you can say, wow, this is someone who's really looking to make her life meaningful. And so, when I reached out to you about energy, what I'm learning and there's two real things that are happening in my world right now One, I started thinking about this concept of walk away energy. And two, in front of me, right here in front of me, on my, on my wall, I have a piece of paper and some people don't like this, but I'm going to say it anyway it says how do I want to be used Instead of how do people want to use me. And this is a big deal for me because I can say yes to so many things. My brain is an amazing place. It's got a lot of experience, it's got a lot of ideas and flow and I can activate people very, very quickly. But what I don't do is pause before I say yes and I'm like, oh, I could do that for you, I would love to do that for you. Like, oh, I could do that for you, I would love to do that for you. Of course, I can do that for you. So I will.
Speaker 2:Now, instead of just saying, well, this person wants to use Zoe and Zoe's brain and Zoe's experiences to help them reach this, now I'm saying, well, hold on, so they want to use me to do this with their business. I just had this the other day, so I can give you an example. But I don't want to be used like that. If I'm going to be used, which is fine, I don't have a problem. Use me as long as you pay me. Use me, use my mind, use my experience. I want you to take advantage of me. That's what we should do. We should be available so people can flourish because of what we've done for them, as long as it's fair and equitable.
Speaker 2:But now I'm saying I don't want to be used like that, but I will allow myself to be used like that because that has something in it for me that I'm hungry to learn about, that makes me feel alive, that doesn't give me those signals that I need to run away, and so that is guiding me. I have, like walk away energy. Don't be afraid to walk away. And how do you want people to use you? Not how do they want to use you. How do you want people to use you?
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and that is so powerful. I literally had a conversation with someone yesterday and she was like my kids just need to be around me all the time, all the time. And she has young kids. My daughter is 18. So I'm a little far removed from the young kid situation.
Speaker 1:But I was a single mom in college, getting my undergrad degree, getting my bachelor's degree with. I was pregnant and then I had an infant, a toddler. I graduated right before she started kindergarten and it was just me and her. So I had to have healthy boundaries for her and I. And I would tell her mommy needs a break, so you're going to have to go to your room and shut the door and play by yourself for a little bit. I will come get you when it's time to come back together.
Speaker 1:And I tried to tell this person that yesterday. I was like, hey, you have to set boundaries, Like you have to tell your kids like mommy needs a break, Can you please go to the other room. And she said I feel bad because they only see me from when they get out of school until they go to bed at 830. And then on the weekends. And I said yeah, but you can't show up 100% for them as a great mother, if you don't take the time to replenish yourself and recharge, and so when we're allowing people to use us the way that they want to use us rather than how we want them to use us, we have that energy suck and there's nothing left.
Speaker 2:It just drains our cup and so how it's so, it's so, it's so like to go into burnout as well. You know, I would say that I'm a high functioning burnout person. You know, I can keep going, I can go on to autopilot and still probably be more productive than most people, even in burnout. But then it goes back to what I said right at the beginning Is it ever going to feel like enough? Right? And so then, when you start removing not burning everything to the ground, not just quitting your job or being impulsive, but just start intentionally removing some small things, oh my gosh, what's happened for me is more creativity, like I was. I was creative before, but now, with these changes I've been making, I'm showing up for my kids. So my kids are seven and three, so I'm right there in that young kid phase and one of the biggest lessons is okay. So I'm going to tell a story to make this point make sense.
Speaker 2:So the other day, you know, I was trying to get my kids to calm down and I was like, oh my gosh, you guys, do you see that button over there? And no button. I just pretended it was there on the fireplace and I said can you go? Can you go, click that button and my kids were just like bewildered, completely shocked at what I was saying. And luckily I was a kindergarten teacher, so I have these types of things in my back pocket, these ideas, and I said, when you click that button, you get to go wherever you want to go. So go over there and click that button, and then let's tell each other about where the magic button takes you. And so I did this with my kids and then a few days later I did it with a client and so, right. So you're like, what is when you press that magic button, where are you? Right? So it's, this is a meditation, this is a, this is a, you know, cognitive, behavioral, behavioral therapy technique. My therapist does this to me, not in the same language, it's more like go to your safe space with your container.
Speaker 2:But when I started to think about it for a child, when you press that button, what is your magical world that makes you feel joyful? And, yeah, work is work and work can be boring and you can press that button whenever you want and have freedom. But you have to choose. You have to choose to push the button, you have to choose to remember the button. And so I always think to myself how do I get back to that place? How do I help my clients to get to that place as well? Or the people I'm consulting with, so that they can have clarity of mind, so that they can put their energy into the things that are actually going to serve them in their business, as opposed to drain them, because there's so many things, from a marketing standpoint, that you can do to grow your business.
Speaker 2:But the question is do you want to keep doing this over and over and over again? If this thing that you're doing works and it's sucking the life out of you but it works how long are you going to keep doing it for? Is it really worth it? And for some people, the answer is yes, it's worth it. I don't mind. But for some people, they're going to know if they're actually honest with themselves. Okay, I'll do this thing over and over and over again, because when I repeat this, it works, but then they have no out and they're trapped and they're just like now. I can't stop, because this is the thing that makes me money and I'm stuck in it. You got to be intentional about what you're going to show up and consistently do, as opposed to just, of course, I'll do it. That's what the guidebook tells me to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And I think, as you were saying this, I'm also thinking about it like as a not just from a business standpoint, but from a general life standpoint. Right, like my dietitian, I re, I started working with a dietitian at the beginning of the year and when, anytime she presents new material to me like new food options, new whatever she presents a total list and says okay, what on this list are you willing to try? What is completely out of the question and what do you love? And we literally go through the list and highlight it based on those three characteristics.
Speaker 1:That way, when she's helping me plan a meal plan for the week or a meal plan for the day, like she knows what ingredients to stay away from Yep, because she knows what I'm going to hate, because she knows if I hate it, I'm not going to eat it and then it defeats the whole purpose.
Speaker 1:Right, because I'm not going to stick with it long term. If she's telling me that I have to eat, I love kale, but if she's telling me I have to eat kale every day and I hate kale, I'm not going to work so good, it's not right. And then, if I get healthy and I get to where I want to be and all the things, and I have no out because I think that I have to eat kale for the rest of my life. Like you start to lose your joy, you start to lose your hope, you start to lose your energy. Like your drive, everything goes out the window. So it's not just, like you were saying, with your business, it's in life too. We've got to figure out how to have that awareness of what our hard lines are, like what, what are? What are you willing to do? What are you not willing to do? But I think so many people are after the end result, like I want to have this.
Speaker 2:I would argue now. I've seen enough businesses and I've failed enough times. Not like in a boohoo, I failed, but I've tried. I've tried the tactics I've. I've seen the different startups, I've seen the companies and I really don't know everything. But what I do know is that the thing that you're doing, that you're trying to keep doing, and it doesn't feel right, eventually it's going to end up being a problem in your business, right?
Speaker 2:So that faking it, faking it to make it it's kind of used to be my mantra fake it till you make it. And now I'm like throw it all away, whatever. I'm just going to be myself and the energy that I'm creating, the things that are natural and easy for me are going to be the thing that brings opportunities to me. So, what's interesting? I'll give you an example of that. I just walked away from a new business idea that I was building and I also walked away from a contract. I gave notice. I basically said no, I'm done with both of these things. I had to send an email to 300 people, sort of being like hi, I just wanted to let you know you're these people in my network. I have a big following, but it's 300 people that I wanted to let know. Hey, letting you know. I'm taking a step back from this and this. I'm taking a little bit of a hiatus before I say yes to whatever the next project or role is, and thank you so much for your you know, thank you so much for your support in my career endeavors. I don't know something like this.
Speaker 2:I got five job offers from sending that email Just telling, not saying I am looking for da-da-da-da-da-da-da or. This is the polished reason that I'm no longer doing these things for these companies. This is the reason I walked away from my latest business idea. This is the reason why I said to the last role, marketing director of a large real estate brokerage, that I just needed to walk away. I just said I decided I needed some space to walk away, get back to myself, spend some time with my kids, and I'm just letting you all know, because I respect you and appreciate your support.
Speaker 2:And what came was five full-time job offers. And guess what, teresa, I turned all of them down and I've never I've had such a scarcity mindset my whole career. Like, just hold on, hold on so tight because you don't. How could a 20 something and now a 30 something woman be so egotistical to think that more is going to come her way? It's just like oh my gosh, thank you so much for hiring me. You think I'm good. Oh my gosh, that's amazing. And now I'm like yeah, that's great. You think I'm good. And it's not from a place of ego. It's like think I'm good and it's not from a place of ego. It's like I could say yes to you and then quit in six months, because I've seen my pattern and I need to take a pause, mindfully, to decide what's next, so that I make a sustainable decision, so that I make a decision that actually sets me up for success and is coming from a place of knowing that this is the right move for me moving forward.
Speaker 2:And, of course, I'm coming from a place of privilege. My last roles have afforded me enough money to give me this pause. So I'm not saying that with any. You know I may be a bit more dramatic than some of your listeners will be able to be, but I would urge people to say be. But I would urge people to say I don't have to say yes to the first thing that comes my way. I am allowed to not give as much information about what I'm going through and just create space for what's to come in the future.
Speaker 2:And I've found in the last few months walking away again, not burning it all down, not like you know what was it called Unhinged, not going around being like I hate everyone. Business is horrible. No, I'm saying I've learned a lot. I'm taking a pause. I'm looking at the traffic in front of me. I'm saying I need to decide which direction I'm going in next. Am I making a lane change? Am I staying in the same lane? Am I getting off at the highway? I'm still driving the car I didn't go crazy, right, but I need to decide for myself not in a hurry where I'm going. And so even if I decide to stay in the same lane, that's okay. But then it's making the decision, not because someone's honking the horn behind me. Come on, zoe, make a decision.
Speaker 2:Already Society is telling you that you should be more normal and find a job and be stable and stick where you're meant to stick. Stop being so annoying and just stay in your lane. Girl. But I'm like you know what? I think I'm going to ignore you a little and I'm going to just take a little bit of time to decide what lane I actually want to go on.
Speaker 2:And I see it over and over again in employees and teams and people I've worked with over the last whatever 10, 12, 15 years of my career they're just going through the motions because they think that's what they're supposed to do. And then I say, but what if all of that was quiet for a minute? What are three things you would just actually stop doing. And what are three things that you would keep doing? I mean, forget three things. One thing you're going to keep doing and one thing you're going to stop doing. And you could stay in the exact same lane, driving forward in the traffic, driving forward in the traffic, but still change one or two things and everything in your life right Could just feel so much better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and for me I think it was kind of what you were saying like learning what to say yes and no, to Like that was one small change that I made. I no longer say yes to answering every notification that comes across my phone the second it comes across my phone. I have said yes to setting boundaries around certain times that I am working, so literally no watch. You can see my tan line because I took off my smartwatch because I don't want to be disturbed during this time. Yeah, I usually have my notifications on my computer so that I can at least see what it is and then decide whether or not I'm going to mess with it. Those are turned off, phone on silent, because for this hour, this is it, this is me, yeah, this is us spending this is.
Speaker 2:this is me. Yeah, this is spending together right now.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I do the same thing when it comes to spending time with family friends, Like if I am visiting your house and we are sitting down to have coffee. My phone is going to be in my purse.
Speaker 2:I am not. I would say I haven't been there for a long time and now I'm saying it's enough with all of this keeping up with the Joneses right, and keeping up with every trend. And I can tell you as a marketer, someone who has to keep up with the trends social media specifically it doesn't always work. You're doing all the trends, you're doing the trending reels and the carousels with the right, with the arrows going in the right direction. It might not work for your business. And often when I tell business owners, when they're at the point where they're continuing to add more to their marketing stack, like let's just audit everything you're doing and you can apply this to your life. Obviously too right. But audit everything you're doing and you can apply this to your life. Obviously too right. But audit everything you're doing in your marketing to try and get people to pay attention to you and start to understand how long each of those things take you or your team. Start to understand what the return is that you were looking for and then actually be honest if it's giving it to you, because if you're just doing it for the sake of doing it, because you have to do it, but it's not moving the needle at all. Yeah, you should be honest. You should know your numbers, you should know what drives results for you and if you have no idea, put it all on the table and actually do the work of looking through it, analyzing how long it's taking you or how long it's taking your team, and then saying what would happen if dot, dot, dot, whatever it is. What would happen if we templated everything and stopped caring about social media results? What would happen if I phoned a current customer every week and spent an hour with them asking them how to improve my service?
Speaker 2:Some of the things we don't like doing are really the most effective in marketing. We keep trying to look for a quick fix. It's not usually the thing that works. Sometimes it is, but it's like what I said about business school Maybe it's one in a thousand, maybe it's one in a million. They keep coming up with new things to try because the old things aren't working anymore. Go back to basics. It's really going to be okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have a friend who has a very successful, very successful. She's a child therapist. She is not on social media. She is. She literally does not have any social media. She has grown her business organically. I mean she has a Google, google my business account, but that's about it, like, and she some of the some of the least sexy businesses are the ones that are making the most money.
Speaker 2:And so it doesn't look like anything, it doesn't sound like anything. You're like, oh, it's a, it's a, it's a plumbing pipe company and they, they, they fit pipes. And you discover, like I go and I discover this business. I'm like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. And they're doing no marketing. And I said, well, what would happen if we did a newsletter to your existing clients? Because even though they're making millions of dollars in revenue, it's just because what they're doing is good, it really solves a problem. It's so interesting. And it's like, well, what if you actually thought about your product or service and really solve the problem and really like got curious about your 10 customers that are paying your bills, what would happen and how much more time would you have to actually enjoy your life?
Speaker 1:have to actually enjoy your life. Yeah, yeah, it's true, it is so true and thank you for breaking it down like that. You're kind of preaching to the choir right now, cause I'm I've been adding too much to, uh, too much to my plate and I'm like and I actually recently scaled it back I'm like you know what All this crap, all these trends, like it's not working. I'm just going to do what I know works for me and that is showing up authentically. That is being helpful to people who watch my stuff. Like just being me and it has been. I feel better. I am so much less drained. I'm talking to more people, having more genuine conversations like it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, getting back to the thing like do all the things, take good notes about what's working and what's not working, and then decide or just pick one thing to do and do it well. Yeah, and I've worked with businesses that are startups like one or two people, and I've worked with people businesses that have hundreds of employees. So this is not advice just for a solopreneur or a corporate or corporation. This is what I've seen across the board. I'm going to tell you a story about a large corporation. They had a newsletter list probably about 15,000 people on the newsletter list. Okay, and it's corporate, it's professional services.
Speaker 2:And I went in and I was like so who are the people who read your newsletter the most? They have no idea, because they send the newsletter out, they have the drip campaigns, they have it all set up with the lead magnets and the download to this, and then it sends that and it all connects. It's beautiful, it's a great system, it's optimized. And I say so, who clicks the most on your newsletter? They have no idea. When I go to the back end and I look at who is clicking the most, just who is clicking the links in your newsletter, just that one thing alone and I say, oh, that person doesn't pay us. That person doesn't pay us, that person pays us, but maybe we could give them an upsell. And I said, okay, so why don't we do nothing else for the next month, except let's call the 25 people who are the top readers of your newsletter, top clickers of your newsletter, and see if it improves your business. Let's not acquire new leads for your list, let's not come up with a new drip campaign that might get more conversions. Let's just look at the 25 people who clicked and see if we can make them into customers. And guess what? It was the easiest month ever, right? It was just like hi, thanks so much for all your engagement with our newsletter. I wondered if you had any other questions. We came up with what they were going to say some different prompts, nothing creepy, nothing like. I know you clicked on that link and now I want to know what you really think.
Speaker 2:They converted people already on their list. They spent significantly less money and you know, like as a market, as a consultant, they could say like well, now we don't need you anymore because you just gave us so much new business. We don't need you anymore. And I'm like great Bye, I'll go on to the next client yeah, and it can be that easy as helping them see things in a slightly different way and not having to say like here's the huge scope of work we're going to do together. Here's one thing to look at, and if that's all you need to make your business successful, no problem, I'll go work for someone else who needs me to do something more involved. I think that's what makes that's what like now that I'm there, instead of holding back the thing that's probably going to get me fired, I just tell them well, you probably don't need me. Here's what you should do. Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. Like it that there's such freedom in that.
Speaker 2:And I'm not. I'm not trying to control the client, I'm not trying to manipulate them to buy more of my services. I'm setting myself free. I'm going to get a ton of referrals from that and I'm like I'm here if you need me. Bye.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you solved their problem, which goes back to what you were saying Figure out your problem and solve it well. Figure out the problem that you solve and solve it well. Out your problem and solve it well.
Speaker 2:Figure out the problem that you solve and solve it well, and that's what you did. Yeah, yeah. And then I don't have to. I don't have to, I don't have to have. I don't have to go to every event, every networking event. I can go if I want to because I enjoy meeting new people, but I don't have to because I know what I'm good at, I know what I can do and I can speak about it with clarity. Yeah, it's beautiful. I want everyone to have the opportunity to get there, because everyone has something to offer that's valuable, and I've known that since I was a teacher teaching three and four-year-olds. That's what I see in people is you have endless potential. Just get really honest with yourself and walk away from what isn't actually serving you. Your business, your, you know your business, your job. It doesn't have to be your crappy boyfriend. It can take you for dinner and you can have fun.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yes, see, my daughter. I'm so glad that she has mastered that, like understanding that you can hang out with people and have fun with them and but you don't have to be in a relationship Like it does If it's not serving you. It's so funny.
Speaker 2:I'm like oh, break up with the business that you're like not the business that you're in or break up with a component of the business you're in. Break up with, you know, a tactic that you think you're supposed to be doing. Be like I'm sorry. I'm sorry, instagram Reels, I don't like you very much, but you were so kind to me and I learned so much from you and I just think I'm going to say goodbye with respect and kindness and love, but have fun on your journey, instagram Reels.
Speaker 1:I set you free. Break up with the parts of your life that aren't working. Bye, bye, for real. And yes, oh yes, I wish, but then what's the worst that's going to happen.
Speaker 2:It's going to. Everything's going to fall apart and then you start doing it again. Just try letting go, Just like a little try. You can always get it back together Exactly. It's not going anywhere. It just keeps getting more complicated.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I absolutely love that, like if people can get, because I'm like you.
Speaker 2:I have finally embraced that I I am a little flighty. I am, but I'm not flighty. It's not flighty, it's that your brain requires a different type of stimulation to be its best self. And so, like you, have to recognize your strengths and say I'm going to do more of the things that I'm strong at and less of the things that I'm not strong at. I am not. It's not that I'm not loyal. It's not that I'm not responsible. It's not that I'm wishy-washy. I'm very direct, I'm very clear, I'm very kind, but I don't do well sitting in one place or sitting in one room, and that's okay. And that doesn't have to be defined by a doctor and it doesn't need to be medicated. It can be. If that's what you need, it's okay.
Speaker 1:All good, it is okay, and when we stop trying to force ourselves into a box, we give ourselves the freedom to embrace who we are and live authentically in ourselves, in us, in who we were made to be like, who we were supposed to be Everyone. But I think all too often, like you were saying, we say yes to too many things. We go on autopilot and we say yes because of whatever reason maybe you were taught not to say no to authority figures when you were a kid, or whatever it is but for too long we have said yes first without thinking does this serve me? Does this align with who I want to be, who I am, where I want my energy to go? And we've got to stop doing that.
Speaker 2:And it's so, and I'm not an expert at it yet. But the more time I spend, you know, recognizing this doesn't serve me, and it doesn't mean that I spend. You know, recognizing this doesn't serve me, and it doesn't mean that I'm judging you. If it serves you, it's great. If that's what works for you, it's all good. It doesn't work for me, and and and I, I, I wish it would be easier if I could just have a job and stay stable in a job. It's not.
Speaker 2:I actually thrive in chaos. How bizarre is that? But you know what I got to start changing those words. It's not bizarre, it's just Zoe and all of this. You know non-judging and it's.
Speaker 2:You know these mindfulness things. I never thought that I'd be like I'm going to hold a rock in my hand and feel my feelings and like I didn't want to be like I was, like I'm good, I'm so business-like, I don't need anything like that. And now, after all that I've been through and all these different businesses I've seen and how, how, how many things I've kept up with in the startup ecosystem, Now I'm like I'm going to hold a rock and I'm going to concentrate on what that rock feels like. And when I'm done holding the rock. I'm going to know what I'm going to do and I'm going to move with decisiveness and with swiftness because I can execute once I know what I'm doing and with confidence. So it's not. It's not wishy-washy, it's not flighty, it's just taking the time you need to listen to what's happening in your body, make a decision and follow through on it and then, when it's done, turn the page and start a new chapter. Yeah, so weird. It's so weird.
Speaker 1:Being a grown-up, you know yes, yes, it is, oh my gosh, I love it. Oh, this has been so good, so good. I feel like we could like talk for hours.
Speaker 2:I agree, I kind of knew it right from our first Facebook back and forth kind of knew it right from our first Facebook back and forth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, I love it. Okay. So where can people find you if they want to connect with you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the best place to find me is LinkedIn. That's my favorite platform. I don't do a lot else anywhere else just to stick with my messaging here. I like LinkedIn. I like like philosophical debates and interesting insights into things. Facebook's where I mean Facebook. Linkedin's where to find me. Zoe share, z-o-e share, s-h-a-r-e, message me, connect with me. I have a website that I'm building. I'm available for speaking engagements or facilitating a workshop or one-on-one coaching and consulting, and if I say no to you, it doesn't mean that I disrespect you. It just means it's not where I'm energetically moving. But I love to connect with people. I love to hear where people are at in their journey and I'm an open book. It's enough of this hiding everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, agreeded, I'm the same way. I tell people all the time I'm like stick around here long enough and you'll know everything about me. So, yeah, yeah, well, thank you for being on. I am so appreciative. This was amazing, amazing, amazing, and everyone, thank you for listening. Until next week. Be well, be kind, and may you find some joy this week. Bye, bye.
