183. Guest: Sylvia Hall - CEO of Lifted Naturals - MOOD probiotics

This conversation with Sylvia Hall unravels the intricate relationship between gut health and mental wellbeing, highlighting how mood-enhancing probiotics can have a positive impact on our emotions. Sylvia's insights on holistic wellness, parenting, and entrepreneurship inspire listeners to prioritize self-care, creativity, and authenticity in a rapidly changing world. 

• Exploring the gut-brain connection 
• Importance of holistic wellness approaches 
• Consumer challenges in the supplement industry 
• Parenting dynamics and unschooling philosophies 
• Balancing entrepreneurial spirit with family life 
• Understanding the benefits of specific probiotics and prebiotics 
• Addressing misconceptions in the wellness space 
• Encouraging individuality and creativity in children 
• Navigating business success with integrity and authenticity 
• Lasting messages for future generations on embracing creativity

https://liftednaturals.com/

Chapters

• 0:00 Revolutionizing Wellness With Lifted Naturals
• 3:21 Balancing Wellness and Entrepreneurship
• 13:46 Embracing Presence and Balance in Entrepreneurs
• 24:51 Parenting and Education Philosophy
• 34:06 Building a Strong Foundation for Growth
• 43:35 Email List Benefits for Mindful Living

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Yeah, it's Mindset Cafe. We all about that mindset. Gotta stay focused, never settle for less. It's all in your head how you think you manifest. So get ready to rise, cause we about to be the best. Gotta switch it up. Gotta break the old habits. Get your mind right. Turn your dreams into habits. No negative vibes, only positive vibes. What is up, guys? Welcome to another episode of the Mindset Cafe podcast. It's your boy, devin, and we are joined, and I'm honored to have her on the podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:33

Sylvia Hall she is an inspiring founder of Lifted Naturals supplement. As well as she is in the personal development, she is in the mindset space with all of her socials as well. So make sure you guys check that out in the show notes. But Lifted Naturals it's a company that has been revolutionizing wellness right. With her mood products and mood probiotics. She's helped tens of thousands of people really feel better naturally and at the end of the day, that's a huge aspect of the Mindset Cafe. We're trying to feel better, look better, do better. So, sylvia, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to hop on and drop some knowledge for the audience.

Speaker 2: 1:08

Hey, I'm happy to be here. I love the intro. Back when I was doing my show, I would sometimes turn on my intro to get me hype before the show, because it kind of gets you in the zone. So great intro, love it. I'm sure we're going to drop some really good stuff for people today.

Speaker 1: 1:22

Awesome, I appreciate it. So let's dive in. Let's start with your story. How did Lifted Naturals start?

Speaker 2: 1:29

So I really like to share it from the perspective that, as someone always interested in mindset and how our mind works, I found that sometimes it was really easy to manage my mind and sometimes it was extremely difficult, and I'm sure everyone can relate to that right.

Speaker 2: 1:44

There's different moods, just different funks we get into, and for me it was really this realization that I am working way too hard to manage my mind on my own and that was kind of what led me down the rabbit hole. That was the gut brain connection and how the gut and the brain are continually chatting it up, having this two conversation, and that we can support that and those neurotransmitters with specific probiotic strains. So it was my own struggle of managing my mind, feeling like there's got to be more to life than just managing our mind and trying to stay on top of that. And for me I really have shifted a lot in the seven years that Lifted's been around to feel like there's some shortcuts, that we don't have to just manage our mind as far as probiotics, but even beyond that with other let's see psychological hacks, if you will.

Speaker 1: 2:32

No, that's awesome. So I want to dive in a little bit on the gut brain connection, right, I mean I take probiotics, I take, you know, multivitamins. Actually, before we go into the gut brain connections, honestly it's something that it even interests me and people, I think, don't understand how much they are actually connected. So, before we go into that, you know what is in your opinion. Obviously you know you're going to have a little bit of a bias, but it is a good bias, I think. What is the importance of taking not just a probiotic but like vitamins in general? What?

Speaker 2: 3:05

is the importance of taking not just a probiotic, but like vitamins in general. So I actually this answer might surprise you I feel like the wellness industry is inundated with fear-based tactics that I absolutely do not subscribe to, and I feel like that fear is the weakest link in our nervous system and in our health and wellbeing, and so I have actually exited that game. Check, please. No, thank you. I would much rather people reach out to free resources, which I believe are the sun, laughter dance connection. I feel like those are always available to us.

Speaker 2: 3:34

And then, beyond that, when it comes to supplements, I do think it is a supplement to all of the other things that you can do. And so, as far as probiotics specifically the strains that we've included in our formulas it's tied back to neurotransmitters and how they're created in the gut and then transferred as far as communicated to the brain. So it's not just random strains, like you could eat some sauerkraut and that'd be really good for you and has lots of probiotics, but you may not be getting the specific strains that we've found to really help with mood and stress and how the body handles stress. So I'm very passionate about gut health being a really great momentum generator, as I like to call it, um, but it's not of course any sort of fix, all cure, all um thing, and I don't think something like that really even does exist, other than maybe like energetics and like tapping into the divine. But that's a whole nother thing.

Speaker 1: 4:32

So actually, your answer doesn't oh, it did kind of surprise me, but it didn't disalign with what we actually say. Like, I actually own a gym and a franchise, you know, and what we tell our franchisees and our trainers is the fact that, yes, we have supplements, but the key word is in its name. It is a supplement, right. We also have a meal plan app, right, and that meal plan app is what we try to get people. We try to get people to eat the food first. Right, do the things first. You know, you said the sun, the dancing, like you could feel better. You don't need a pre-workout. You, sometimes you just need to get in the gym, right, you don't need to. You know, take all these things to be a hundred percent optimized, but if you can't get it in or I will be completely honest, I'm not eating sauerkraut, right, you know, but it is one of those things if you can't get it in from your nutrition or from going outside or whatever the case, then then you supplement it with a supplement, right, yeah?

Speaker 2: 5:28

Yes, I agree.

Speaker 2: 5:29

I do think, though, that I've went down some really crazy rabbit holes.

Speaker 2: 5:31

For instance, we used to have a product that had vitamin D in it, and then, the more research I learned on it vitamin D being more of a hormone than something we should supplement it's really controversial.

Speaker 2: 5:42

It's one of my least favorite things about being in the supplement industry is that, once I put my name on it, I feel this ownership and this weight and I really care very deeply.

Speaker 2: 5:50

It's probably one of my biggest flaws, because, uh, as much as I care about others, I really don't want to compromise my own health or well-being with that over concern of what people think or that sort of thing, and so it's really wild out there to be someone who really is sensitive and cares deeply and yet is a business owner. That is the face of all of this. So, uh, yeah, when it comes to supplementing something like the sun, I think that it's much more complex than just a vitamin d that we could consume, and so, for me, integrity is that top priority, and I feel like I continue to think, if I take these steps that really show people that I care, and I really will only sell something I believe in that it will come back you know, tenfold or whatever but instead it's just sometimes a slow slog to be the one that actually has integrity in this industry.

Speaker 1: 6:37

Oh, no, 100%, and we actually might have to have a conversation, you know, off air, about you know linking up and stuff, because I mean, that's one of our biggest things, right, and so we're always looking for those partnerships and stuff that are with like-minded individuals like yourself, you know that actually do have integrity, because there is so many misleading things in not just the supplement industry but also in the fitness industry as well. So we'll definitely have some more talk on that, you know, because I think that's so awesome that you've had that core value building a brand, right, it's about the customer, it's about the truth, it's about you know all those things first and, at the end of the day, it's your reputation, right. So I think that's so awesome With you creating your supplement line and everything that you do. You mentioned diving into the gut brain connection. Can you explain a little bit, like what is that connection and how did it play a role in your own healing?

Speaker 2: 7:31

yeah. So for me it was honing in on that sensitivity that I noticed I wasn't feeling well and I noticed that when I took different types of probiotics I actually experienced an improvement or even a decline in my mood. So some were making me more irritable and some were making me feel lighter, and so I understand that not everyone has that kind of time to take every single strain and test it and keep a journal and see how they feel. And so from there I began to research. Basically there's a genus, species and strain when it comes to a probiotic, so lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. So GG is that strain number and I was looking at the specific, very end strain number that said which one of these is the most targeted to help with mood and stress, and basically that communication. And there's different studies that say we had 500 people take an exam and the ones that were administered administered this felt better, easier, lighter, um, and of course, plenty of studies on rats as well, and for me it was really about testing personally on myself and combining that with the research I could find about each specific strain and then creating a synergistic formula.

Speaker 2: 8:42

So, uh, that sensitivity, the research, a little bit of a wrath of the mother is what I like to also say. I was a mom who didn't feel like I was showing up for my kids, and the options that were given to me felt crappy and they felt like they made me feel worse and so maybe better at first and then worse, and then just really confused and then kind of hooked on it and it was a whole mess that really transformed my journey of. There's got to be a better way to feel better, and those specific strains are really what led to me saying I'm going to put this together because I think I can do it better, and that's the entrepreneurship in me. It's always been there, I like to say. I've always had this drive to create things and to make something from nothing, and that evolution is really exciting.

Speaker 2: 9:28

So for this particular endeavor, though, I knew it was going to require some outside sources, and by that I mean a manufacturer that's GMP certified here in the United States, and also my husband's buy in, because prior to that I was the stay at home mom who was also kind of making jewelry and doing personal development, studying to become a coach, and all of that was very just kind of in my own lane, in my own time, fill up my own cup, stay happy, happy wife, happy life. And when I came up with the idea for Lifted Naturals, I'm like, but this is actually going to be big. And so his buy-in came pretty quick and that was really exciting. And I'm not just talking about like an agreement of how much we could spend of this shared family income, but also just believing in it and going all in. And yeah, for us, that was what we really launched it with was a movement of a better way to feel better.

Speaker 1: 10:18

No, that's awesome. So how do you balance? You know growing the business with being a mom, with being a wife, and yet still trying to prioritize. You know growing the business with being a mom, with being a wife, and yet still trying to prioritize. You know your own peace or your own happiness.

Speaker 2: 10:29

Yeah, so that's really at the core. I have this visual that I have of only giving from an overflowing cup. So everybody knows you can't pour from an empty cup, but a lot of us just imagine the cup going down. For me, the powerful visual of a very full cup that just overfloweth, and the overfloweth go into my kids and to my husband and to our home and running a house, and I always like to say that if you're running a house, whether you have children or not, this is legit work, this is fine art. This is where art and science meet. We are planning meals, we are making sure people are eating somewhat healthy things, and that's always up for debate. So good luck, cause now I have a 15 year old and he brings his opinions to me and we're constantly debating what's healthy and what's not.

Speaker 2: 11:11

Um, so you know, we're wearing the clothes that need to be washed and all of this is like a ship and we're keeping the ship running, and so you're very right that this takes a lot of attention and effort, and really that passion for keeping my own cup full is the ticket to be able to like give from that overflow, and for me, the essence of that has been and always will be creativity. So I keep my cup full by staying connected to the creative essence. That who I am, and because of that it actually feeds really well into making meals or running a house. That's very creative. It plays into being a business owner and coming up with products and coming up with creative ways to stay energized. That's also very creative, right.

Speaker 2: 11:58

And then, of course, all the other passionate things I do of um, actually I have a publishing company as well. I started honeypot publishing because I wanted to do a side project, I wanted to do some gratitude journals and because that sounds like it's taking from the cup, right. But anything creative it's filling up my cup so that I can continue to do those things. So that's how I roll.

Speaker 1: 12:17

That's awesome. So I mean I do want to dive in that a little bit too, because I think that's so awesome. I mean that that analogy is something that I've used as well, and not a lot, and a lot of people do think of a cup only can go down or up and it's like no, your cup can can overfill, right, and that that flow off essentially is what you should be pouring into others, just like how we say you know. I like to say that there's a ripple effect, right. Every time you're inputting into yourself, you're creating a ripple to your, basically your circle and to their circle and so forth. So the more you put into yourself, you know, the more you're able to give back and and bring people up with you.

Speaker 1: 12:52

But I do want to ask, you know, with the family dynamic, right Cause, being an entrepreneur, let alone a parent, I mean, I don't have a 15 year old, I have a three year old and it's, you know, it is, she is a handful, you handful, but it's one of those things where we can get wrapped up in our business. Let's say there's an obstacle or something that's a struggle point, and sometimes it can take us away from family life. What is your view on your and I hate to use the word balance because I don't think that it's 50-50. But how do you optimize your work-life family balance and how does your family play a role in it?

Speaker 2: 13:32

So there's one keyword that I feel like if everyone took this and ran instead of that word balance, and it's the word presence. So I have not mastered this. Don't take it to mean that suddenly you could be a fly on the wall and be like, wow, she's a Zen master, right but.

Speaker 2: 13:46

I do understand that there's really high quality presence that I can offer each individual in my home. That is the highest caliber offering that I can give them. And when I'm able to offer that on a one-on-one basis, that means like I'm going into the room, I set my phone down, right. I'm going into the room, I like, take a phone down, right. I'm going into the room, I like, take a deep breath and try it Like how do I want to show up? And that question has served me really well. It's like how do I want to show up before an interview? How do I want to show up?

Speaker 2: 14:11

You know, tapping into that energy, that creative essence, and so for me, balancing really requires presence, and presence is the most beautiful gift we can give to someone.

Speaker 2: 14:23

And as someone with a lot of ideas and I'm a beginner more than a finisher, so my husband, he's more of our implementer and I can be a little flighty, I can be a little up in the stars and in the sky, and, and so presence is something that I've seen again and again to be a powerful antidote to create connection.

Speaker 2: 14:43

And I'm not saying I'm going to do it for an hour, right, it might just be 90 seconds of just like oh, really Like, tell me about that and eye contact and heart like. Really, to me, the real key is just like opening your heart. As I talked before about the struggles of being in this industry and feeling like I want to help people but then there's still always going to be your back against the wall, like I feel. Like in some of the years of owning the business, I feel my heart close up and my goal is always just to keep it back open. Oh, it hurts and it's so hard, but just keep your heart open. And I think when it comes to your family, that's the same thing the presence, the heart open, the eye contact, the connection and then, okay, it may be a 90 second tap out, but that's still actually way more than a lot of people are doing.

Speaker 1: 15:28

So that embodied presence, no, I think that's so awesome and I love the fact that you mentioned the 90 second. It may only be 90 seconds, right? Because the reason I hate using the word balance is because some days you may only be, you know, get an hour of family times, other days it might be, you know the entire day, and so there's no, in my opinion. There's no, it has to be. You know this amount of hours at work and this. You know everyone's different.

Speaker 2: 15:54

It's easier for me too, because I have teenagers now, so they really only want about 90 seconds as well. I'm more like wait, tell me more about your day. You know it's such a weird transition, like new level, new devil is for sure, like this teenage stuff it is. It is really something different. But I remember also when they were toddlers and they were like hanging on me, I was like I've got to have space, I've got to run away like to the bathroom and close the door for just a little bit. Right it's, it's a new level and a new devil and it definitely requires a different way to embrace that, that time of life. So for me it is easier than 90 seconds. That's probably not going to suffice for a three-year-old. Like 90 seconds, bro? No, I'll take 90 minutes minimum.

Speaker 1: 16:37

Yeah, 90 seconds is her her explaining to me what she just did, you know.

Speaker 2: 16:43

Yes, hey, real quick too. I want to loop back to the cup. I feel like the one reason a lot of people can't give from the overflow is because they don't know how to fill it up. And I think that if you say, hey, that's me, how'd you know? That's very common and that is now your job Just finding ways to fill up your cup and finding ways that you feel more alive, more like yourself. Finding ways to fill up your cup and finding ways that you feel more alive, more like yourself, finding ways. That is the job until you can. And then, once you find those ways, then you do those things so that you can stay energized and lit up, and I want to add on to that exactly what you said.

Speaker 1: 17:16

I love that. And when you are doing it and you found what works, don't just do it until it, you know, because it's working and now everything feels good, and then you stop doing the things that got you to that position, right? Because a lot of people will start to, you know, overfill their cup. Everything's going right, let's say, in business or in life and the relationships, and then they start to take their foot off the gas of all these things that were leading up to them. Feeling like that, whether's gratitude practice, whether it's, you know, listening to podcasts or reading, or, you know, family time, whatever the case may be like, you have to keep doing that thing, not only when things don't feel like you're overfilled, right, yeah right, that's definitely.

Speaker 2: 17:56

I think I find myself in that like, yeah, I get to that point, but really it's that idea of like I got to do this to feel good, when really the whole picture of everything we're chasing, creating, achieving, is because we think we'll feel good in the creation of it. So, if we can see the shortcut, that we're feeling good now and so, um, yeah, sometimes I get a real weird relationship with goals, right, right, because if it's like I know I don't need that to make me whole or worthy or to be good enough, I've hit some different goals that feel really freaking good. One of them was that my husband was able to retire as an engineer because of our, our business I almost said our little business, cause that was sometimes what was.

Speaker 2: 18:36

Oh how's that little business going Right? And so whenever he was able to quit his job as an engineer from that little business, it was really freaking cool and that that was like a high that I rode for a while because I was a stay at home mom and I love being a stay at home mom and I love being with my kids. But I always had that entrepreneurial earning, yearning excuse me, to earn, yearn to earn. It was like no, you don't have to. Like this is a very important job, like I know, but I just want to make some money because it's kind of fun, I want to make an impact, I want to make something that makes an impact and it makes money.

Speaker 2: 19:05

Like what cooler feeling is there in the world if you have that entrepreneur spirit? So anyway, he was able to retire because of my business idea and all the impact we created and I rode that way for a while and then there was like oh, shoot, like it's, like it's tapering off, like I'm not feeling the high from that anymore, like what do I need to do next? And in some ways that dopamine chase is what makes us human and in some ways it's what keeps us miserable. So a nice beautiful balance of goal setting because it's fun, because of who I'll become, but not because it'll fix me, or because I'm not worthy just the way I am.

Speaker 2: 19:42

No, I think that's so awesome, so you actually know that?

Speaker 1: 19:45

no, but it's so true. And it is so true and that was actually going to lead into my next question was you know you had mentioned your husband, you know, basically believing in you and you guys coming to an agreement on it? Cause I think that's one of the biggest things is one, dating, let alone marrying, an entrepreneur. It's tough, right. You know my, my girlfriend, now wife, you know kind of knew what she was signing up for because you know she was dating me when I was already in that mindset. But if you guys, you know, already married and you're starting a business, like it is tough and there has to be that open communication. So you being able to reach that level and retire your husband, I think that is hats off to you, that is amazing.

Speaker 2: 20:25

So I will say, like his, his, he's been a very good employee. He was prior a very good employee, a very good provider, a very good you know. He kept very focused on moving up in the companies and that sort of thing, and that really created the structure of safety and support that my creative, feminine desire to create needed, and so that container of we're safe, this is we're provided for, like that was the ultimate gift for me to be able to create what I did, and so I don't take that privilege lightly. And yet there were so many road bumps and so many hurdles and so many people that didn't believe. So it's not like it was easy per se, but that agreement of of what we each brought to the relationship really did help significantly.

Speaker 1: 21:09

Oh, no, a hundred percent. So I mean, I want to ask now, with that being said and with your husband, you know, being a great employee and working with you, how has that been? Because some people they can struggle, you know, working together, let alone running a business, you know. So how has that dynamic been, with you being his boss and you guys being married and and so forth?

Speaker 2: 21:33

it's not quite like that. Um, we joke about it like that, of course, like like an ongoing joke, but so to give a little context, lifted is about seven years old and he was able to quit about five years ago, so we've been in business together, at home, doing this entrepreneur thing, for five years together.

Speaker 1: 21:51

Wow.

Speaker 2: 21:51

And I said he was a good employee, and he really was. And so what happens when a good employee becomes an entrepreneur?

Speaker 1: 21:58

They don't know.

Speaker 2: 21:59

They don't know what to do he was always trying to stay busy and he's always trying to get work and to-do lists. I was like we gotta settle down a little here, like that's not how I work, like I get in the flow and I get my space tidy and I tap in and like I do things differently. And some of that's masculine versus feminine energies, some of it is, uh, more of his implementer and actually he's a generator, whereas I'm a manifesting generator. I'm not sure if you're familiar with any of that stuff, but just very different personalities. Try to keep it light and not make it all about work and not make it such a do, do, do sort of thing, because that is like that ingrained employee quality that was so helpful in the beginning for us but then kind of becomes this almost curse, because that's not really how you level up in the business realm. It's not just work harder because you're just running your head against the wall at the point that we're at.

Speaker 2: 23:01

Because everything about Lifted has been set up in a way with my values in mind, which are, of course, integrity and impact, but also personal values, time freedom, creativity, and so everything about the Lifted brand was set up in a way that it's scalable and leverageable. So we send our products straight from the manufacturer to the warehouses. We have Amazon and then we sell also from Shopify, our direct website, and so we have these places it goes, and systems in place that we don't package or ship or do any of that. It's all done for us. And I do still stay in touch with the customer service communications because I really with the like customer service communications, because I really there's not a crazy ton of it and it just having a really good touch is really important to me, and so it also helps with my marketing. Like what are the questions, how can I answer it? So having a bead on that is useful, but yeah, the so that's kind of a little bit of the entrepreneur versus the employee and kind of joining forces, but as far as like a relationship aspect, I say the biggest tip if you are kind of a little bit of the entrepreneur versus the employee and kind of joining forces, but as far as like a relationship aspect, I say the biggest tip if you are considering doing this yourself, is to continually, continually find ways to appreciate your partner's gifts that they bring to the table. They are going to be different, they need to be different. If they're exactly the same, it's probably not a good business partner.

Speaker 2: 24:17

And also, I don't ever want to share a business with someone who I don't share a bed with or a bank account with. Personally, I can't imagine splitting my profits instead of everything we make. Every idea he has, or brain child I have, it's like a multiplier for us. So for me that's really fun and I wouldn't want it any other way. I know some people. They need to do that. Right, they're like I'm not good at this and my spouse has no interest in this, so I have to go outside of my bedroom and find a business partner. Some people may need to do that.

Speaker 2: 24:46

And if you find yourself, you know, lacking some skills, like, for instance, I love to share that. I'm really kind of bad at algebra. My eighth grader got my help because my husband wasn't available and we failed it twice in a row and I actually like to share with that, because I guess I told my daughter I'm like, look, I made a million dollar business, I need you to know that. And she's like I know, mom, and what I was really telling her was that you don't have to be good at everything. You can't be good at everything. You don't need to be good at everything.

Speaker 2: 25:13

And if I for just a moment started to feel bad about myself because I couldn't do this eighth grade algebra, just think about the repercussions in my business and life. But instead I'm able to see more clearly. This is not my gift. No, thank you, I don't want to do this pass. I'm going to tap into the things that I am good at, that I do love to do, and I just feel like that message for me is one of my core messages right now is you don't have to be somebody you're not. You don't have to be good at everything and don't beat yourself up for the things you're not good at.

Speaker 1: 25:42

So I do want to ask a parenting tip, right, because I love everything you just said and I heard something on social media the other day and it had me thinking, because I was always a student, that I wanted good grades. Personally, that was just something I was aspired for. But as a parent now to a three-year-old and stuff, like I view it differently, especially being an entrepreneur and stuff, how have you been with like your teenagers and leading up to like with them with grades and studying and stuff? Like are you strict that they get good grades or are you, you know, telling them just try your best? Like how does that work out with you know?

Speaker 2: 26:21

no. I say what do you want? And they say, well, I want to stay in the school and if I get these low grades I can't be there. I'm like let's make sure we get these level of grades so that you can stay in this school. What do you want? What do you really want? So I like to view my schooling as more of an unschooling. But my children have chosen school because as unschooling which is kind of this idea that you don't actually have to force feed education to children.

Speaker 2: 26:45

Children are wildly good learners. They pick up everything you do and say they pick it all up. So I had this approach, especially during COVID, like, well, can't go to school right now. Anyway, let's just like dive down this pathway. So I read the book called free to learn. I highly recommend you check it out.

Speaker 2: 27:02

Free to learn help me see that children will naturally learn. There's nothing you can do to stop them and so they may not learn every single subject. The way that state standards have been set per se and for my husband and I were always like they need to read and write and do math pretty well. Um, some of the rest of that will fill in. Like, if there's a passion for history, we can study history. If there's a passion for science, we'll study science, but some of that felt like ways that we would just incorporate. So it's interest-based learning is when they're younger. It's like you like dinosaurs? Great, we've got two dinosaurs here and two dinosaurs here two times two. You know, we're getting into all sorts of ways of learning that involve their interests.

Speaker 2: 27:38

So the unschooling approach is that it's interest-based learning. They lead the way, and so, even though my kids are in school, I still try to look at it as like this is great. This is how they're learning about the world around them and continually asking them what do you want? Well, I don't really want to go to school, but I also want to be around my friends. I'm like sounds like we got to probably stay at the school then, and so like, what do we need to do to stay at this school?

Speaker 2: 28:01

And so a lot of times, when it comes to grades, I also got good grades and I'm trying to figure out, really, did I care or did it? Was I programmed to care? And for me, you know, I wanted to make other people proud and I wanted them to see that. You know, I was just as smart as my sister. My sister is four years older and she's definitely smarter, book smarter than me, has that memory where she can just read it and then she knows it and I was over there. Like two plus four is the only way I would remember. It is with the song, is with the song or snapping, and like so I did note cards and I did songs and and I just feel like that was such an example that, like, people learn differently and people have different skill sets and so uh, yeah, I would say. I know a three-year-old may not be as easily able to say here's what I want, I'd like to go to an Ivy league, you know that's probably not going to happen, but allowing their interests to lead the way.

Speaker 2: 28:56

Um, and I think that you'll easily and effortlessly see those gifts, because I'm sure you've heard the quote like if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it'll spend its whole life believing it's stupid or something like that. And it's that idea that we all have gifts and that when you put a child into a class with seven subjects, they're probably not going to be good at all of them. And then what happens? And so my goal has always been like stay confident, stay tapped into what you're good at. I'm not saying this is always really like made it all the way into their mind and heart, but it's kind of what I'm trying to say that when you find something you're good at, the rest of it doesn't really matter that much. And honestly, with entrepreneurship, so you're, if you're not good at you, hire it out in school. That's called cheating right unfortunately.

Speaker 2: 29:44

So there we are in our pickle because I'm like that's the ultimate hack, we hire it out yeah that's called cheating. So here we are. Like you, you can be good at business and you can be good at school, but it's not going to always align um. And yeah, it's fun times to to always be presenting my kids with these unique things and they're like everything you say is weird, because that's the teenage vibe.

Speaker 1: 30:08

No, that's awesome. No, I mean, it does make a lot of sense. I mean, I think I was just always hard on myself because I'm very competitive and even if it's with myself, and so if I studied for something, then I wanted an, a right and it was like not getting it. It was like, oh man, like I didn't, I didn't need to show everyone, it was just, you know, personal, a personal thing. But at the same time for me, like my whole idea going into, like you know, trying to teach my daughter is like one I care more about is like is she a good person? Do you know? When people come up to you, you know they're like oh, my goodness, like your daughter is so sweet, like she is so kind she is. You know, you know all those things means so much more than you know she got b's or c's instead of a's. It's like did you try? Did you try your hardest? Is this something you know? Okay, you tried your hardest. You can't be mad, are?

Speaker 2: 30:52

you ready for the next level of this, the evolution that she's so good and she's so kind that she then doesn't listen to her own wants, needs and desires and so she blends the boundaries and then ends up with headaches because she lies to herself. This is me right. I wanted to be so kind. I wanted everybody to say like she was the nice one, she was the one that that kid was not included and she brought him in right. And like that was my goal was always to cause. I think I was commended for that by my grandma once. Like the teacher said to my grandma like Sylvia is just so kind to everybody. And then I was like, oh my gosh, I got to really step it up, grandma believes in me.

Speaker 2: 31:29

Grandma believes I'm kind, um, and so that idea of um, honoring your personal values and your personal boundaries uh, not at the cost of yourself, so not just bending to the will of being a good person, but actually honoring your own body's needs and desires and that's another thing about school is just even that idea of, well, I need to go to the bathroom, but I couldn't, oh my gosh. And I understand to the extent from a classroom perspective, these teachers are trying to create a little bit of order. They're trying to teach an actual lesson. If children are going to the bathroom nonstop, it's just not really set up for bodily autonomy and comfort of physicality, so it's a complicated.

Speaker 2: 32:10

It's not like I have an absolute solution, but how do you raise someone that is actually kind and considerate to others, self-aware and also takes good care of herself? That, to me, is the tip top priority, because so often, when we prioritize how we look or how others perceive us, we do abandon ourself and that self-betrayal can really come around to bite you in the butt. So finding a way to honor your own needs and self and also those around you with consideration, that's the beautiful sweet spot. Good luck with that.

Speaker 1: 32:43

No, thank you. I do agree with that too. Like you know that that is a huge thing, cause if you tell someone they are good at this or they are this, then they try to do everything that they can to do that, and it's like you can't sacrifice yourself to to try to fit that role. You know, and being being you is the most important thing, so I think that is so awesome. But I mean, my daughter is very stubborn and she knows what she wants. She looks like my wife, luckily, and she has my personality, so hopefully it stays that way.

Speaker 2: 33:14

It's a great combo, I'm sure.

Speaker 1: 33:16

So let's circle back real quick to Lift to, you know, to lifted right. What separates lifted? I know we've kind of talked about this a little bit, but what really separates that lifted probiotics and some of the others on the market and maybe what are like some of the misconception of probiotics? You know, in mental health maybe?

Speaker 2: 33:34

Sure. So we started our company with this one product idea and it was mood boosting probiotic and it was based on my research of the specific strains and there were nine of them. And then I wanted this one specific prebiotic which worked synergistically with the probiotic, so it's a fiber that feeds the bacteria, kind of getting it where it needs to go. And we launched it with that and it really was going well. But I was getting a lot of feedback from customers that well, I have a histamine intolerance, I have histamine issues, and so from there that was really what propelled me into creating a few different formulas. So to date we have four different mood probiotics and if you don't have any histamine sensitivities, we say probably start with that first one, mood boosting probiotic. It's got the most strains, targeted help with mood, targeted help with stress. But if you are someone who deals with histamine sensitivities so lots of headaches, allergies, congestion, there's some other things, but those are kind of an indicator you might be dealing with some histamine issues then you may want one of the other three formulas. So we have bifidus mood boost, which has probiotics and prebiotics as well, but it has bifido only bacteria. So lactobacillus is really one of those key types of bacteria that can cause or initiate more histamine issues. So, and then from there, we created mood super strains, which has a special type of lactobacillus, the rhamnosus GG that I mentioned before, which is non histamine producing, plus five other types of bifidobacteria.

Speaker 2: 34:56

And then, last but not least, we created a spore-based probiotic, because we really saw that as a very potent digestive support in conjunction with mood and, a lot of times, people that don't get a lot of results from probiotics. We found that spore-based is really kind of this ultra class that can help people that maybe hadn't gotten help from other probiotics. So for me, those formulas, um, were really my way of saying I've got you, like, what are you dealing with? Uh, what are your issues? Out of those four, I have a feeling one of these will really help you, and I will say that's yet again another place. I didn't take traditional business advice, which was sell up, make a product and make another product that you can sell to that person, and I was no, I just want to keep making sure that people can have access to a mood probiotic that works for them, despite their sensitivities. So all my sensitive girlies and boylies out there, I got you.

Speaker 1: 35:49

No, I think that is a smart way to go.

Speaker 1: 35:50

I mean, yes, you can build, essentially, a stack and sell another thing to that same customer, or you can develop a foundation, a wider foundation that when you do end up creating a stack, you have a bigger client base, Right? So I think, I think, honestly, the route that you took, in my opinion, sounds a lot smarter, because you're staying true to your mission, you're solving the problem for more people and, if you do want to, you know, level up and create something to add into it and stack the supplement, you know, quote unquote, like then you have more people to do so and they've already trusted you because you've, you know, done the due diligence to not just be like oh, this is a one one case fits all. Right. So I think that is a huge thing and again, a round of applause to you for that, because most people don't do that. They take the fastest way to how do I just sell more to this one person? Right? Can you explain what the difference is, you know, between prebiotics and probiotics to the audience?

Speaker 2: 36:44

Yeah. So probiotics are good bacteria, whereas prebiotics are fiber, and fiber is generally what that good bacteria likes to eat. And so by having a kind of synergistic approach of having them both together, it's added benefits, because you can take a prebiotic alone and you can also take a probiotic alone. So really for me, what I found is that some people like it probiotic only and some people do like them together, and so that's why we have both. So two of our formulas are probiotic only and two are probiotic and prebiotic. So, once again, really just trying to make sure it's like oh no, I can't take this, because you know I can't handle prebiotics. It's like, ok, yeah, there's, there's something for you.

Speaker 1: 37:22

No, that's awesome. So you know, you mentioned, you know, creating a wider foundation base versus doing a linear growth pattern. Right, but what are maybe some of the other challenges that you face as an entrepreneur and how has it shaped your journey thus far?

Speaker 2: 37:37

Well, I feel like one of the key lessons or benefits of Lifted was that we got in. When we did so, it was seven years ago and Amazon was a different place, and in order to sell on Amazon, we did have to get ungated. We had already paid for a course to learn Amazon. We paid for 750 bottles of mood boosting probiotic, which felt like such a leap right. It was oh my gosh, what am I going to do if I can't sell this? I'm going to have to sell it out of the back of my Subaru. It's going to be crazy. Luckily, it never came to that, but whenever I found out that Amazon had an ungating fee that was, I think, $2,000 at the time I was like, oh my gosh, $2,000 more. Should we do it or not? And, of course, I'm very glad we continued to be a huge generator of customers, or sales for us, if you will. So the reason I bring all that up is because I do feel like continually there are opportunities presented. So seven years ago I had this nudge. We jumped in. Now, if you try to buy, you know sell probiotics on Amazon. It's going to be much harder.

Speaker 2: 38:32

The market's fuller and I don't even know what it looks like to try to get in. And the same is kind of true for even, for instance, my husband. I've encouraged him lovingly to launch his own crypto company. So he does data service provider stuff through a side brand that I've been he's doing, it's all his, he's doing great, but everyone's fine. I got to kind of poke him a little bit because he's got a little bit of that employee stuff going on and I'm like we have vision, everyone's fine.

Speaker 2: 38:58

I got to kind of poke him a little bit because he's got a little bit of that employee stuff going on and I'm like we have vision, vision, vision. That's the entrepreneur right. It's not just like the day to day, but the vision. And that's another thing that I feel like there is an opportunity and so staying open to the opportunities. Things won't always go as planned. Some of our lifted growth was really fast and then kind of held steady, and so for me it's not about just beating my head against the wall, but instead just staying open to other opportunities and also tapping into the natural gifts. So, as advertising gets more and more expensive, I've thought you know what in 2025, I'm going to jump back into more of a podcast game because it's mining those natural resources, pizzazz and you know, allowing some of the money to become profit rather than just giving it all back to meta.

Speaker 1: 39:44

No, I think it's true, though. People buy from people, and so you could have a brand, you could have a cool logo, and I think this is what people forget, especially new entrepreneurs. They spend so much time building a logo and it's like, at the end of the day, your business is going to start from you, people are going to buy from you, and then you build from there, and then a brand becomes a brand, but still, at the end of the day, your team, everything is built around your core values, everything that you do, so you have to make sure that you know doing things that are going to. For us, like one of our biggest things referrals. Right, you know, yeah, we market and stuff, but I would say, for every one person we market, we get two to three referrals right, and that's, that's our gold.

Speaker 1: 40:25

Exactly, and but you can only do that if people trust you and they like what you're doing or like what you're selling. So you got to make sure that you're staying true to that. So I think the podcast route is definitely a an awesome approach at it, because, I mean, it is such a huge part to the market. But now again, even though you have a brand, you're putting a face to that brand and people connect with people.

Speaker 2: 40:42

So I think that's so cool. I think one of the things that scared me away from it or I had done it for a while was just that idea of like, I don't want to go on and say the same things. That's so inauthentic and for me, as I continue to give myself permission, you don't have to be somebody. You're not. You don't have to do the same thing every time. Instead, in fact, it's more fun if you can bring something new to each show. So just tapping into ways that make it fun like that's the best marketing strategy is having fun, because then you want to keep doing it and keep showing up.

Speaker 2: 41:10

And the other thing I want to say, too, is really about when you said a brand is not just a logo. Of course not, but I do think it is about establishing an identity, and it's this identity that you either are reflecting to your customers or you're kind of allowing them to see as a possibility. To me, that's the ultimate idea of building a brand. If somebody is wanting to infuse their brand with more personality, it's really about identity. And what is the identity that these customers or prospects are chasing or wishing that they had access to?

Speaker 1: 41:41

100%. I agree with that. Now, before we wrap up, I'd like to ask this one question, and I know I didn't text this to you ahead of time because I want the authentic answer. The first thing that comes to mind right, there's a wall. It is your legacy wall. So, on the Sylvia Hall legacy wall, what would be the one lasting message that you would like to leave for the up and coming generations? It could be anything from your life, from entrepreneur, from relationship, anything but what is that one most impactful message?

Speaker 2: 42:11

oh, shoot, okay. So I think it would be something like she was wildly creative. So this idea of wildly creative continually is the pulse that as you show up as a wildly creative mom who doesn't let things bogger down, or a wildly creative business owner that is able to find solutions in tough spots. I think the essence of creativity is who we all really are, but a lot of people die with their light inside of them still that they haven't put it out into the world, and so my goal is to continually create, create, create, make something from nothing and to be wildly creative and to to share those gifts, to really make an impact and to also to change the trajectory of yes, my, my namesake and all of my kids and maybe grandkids that come along the way. That's so awesome. I love that. You know everyone does my namesake and all of my kids and maybe grandkids that come along the way.

Speaker 1: 42:59

That's so awesome. I love that. You know everyone does have a light and if you're listening right now and you don't think you do, I promise you you do right. If you, if you're just being a sheep, you're going to get lost in the herd, dig down, be you, be authentic to who you are. Don't try to be someone else's you know idea or version of you. So I think that's so awesome. Sylvia, where can people connect with you and learn what you got going on with Lifted?

Speaker 2: 43:22

Yeah, so they can check out. Liftednaturalscom is our website for that. I also have a personal brand, sylviahallcom. They can check that out. And then I do show up on the socials, sometimes Facebook, instagram, and then also on our websites. There's opportunities to sign up to stay connected via the email list.

Speaker 2: 43:38

I actually really love email because I treat each email kind of like a pen pal message and it takes away that that crazy like got to act fast social media feeling that can really deter us from living our best, truest, deepest life. We do a lot of surface level things. I think when we get sucked into the algorithm and I'm speaking from personal experience, not like a finger pointing judgment I have a lot of self-awareness to say, oh wow, I really just got sucked into this. And so for me it feels most aligned to grow my business through an email list because it's a heartfelt, connective way that doesn't then steal your time and put you down a rabbit hole of more scrolling. So each of those brands have email lists that you can sign up to learn more or actually to get inspired. There's offerings for each of those.

Speaker 1: 44:28

Well, guys, all that will be in the show notes. Sylvia, thank you again so much for taking time. And, guys, if you got anything from this episode and I know I personally did so, if you're saying you didn't, I know you're lying Make sure you guys share this episode with a friend and make sure you guys leave us that five-star review, because it does help out, spread the word so that other people can help themselves on their journey. But again, sylvia, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to drop knowledge.

Speaker 2: 44:51

My pleasure. Thanks for having me Only positive thoughts missing the game of life. My set calls the shots, got my mind on the prize. I can't be distracted. I stay on my grind. No time to be slackin'. I hustle harder. I go against the current Cause. I know my mind is rich to be collected.