From Overwhelmed to Organized: Systems That Give You Your Life Back

Have you ever hired help—only to feel more overwhelmed than before? More questions. More messages. More mental clutter than ever?

In this episode of Penny for Your Shots, I’m joined by Melissa Morris, founder of Agency Authority, for a grounding, practical conversation about why burnout doesn’t magically disappear when you build a team—and how the right systems can truly give you your life back.

This isn’t about rigid processes or complicated tech. It’s about clarity, intention, and creating simple structures that support you—so your business stops living in your head and starts working for you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why adding team members can increase overwhelm without systems
• The hidden cost of being reactive all day (and how to change it)
• Brain dumps as a powerful first step toward clarity
• How perfectionism quietly fuels burnout
• Building systems as you go—without overcomplicating things
• Using AI as a support tool, not a replacement for thinking
• The mindset shifts that help you reclaim time and energy

Topics we cover:

• Business systems for small teams
• Burnout and work-life balance for women
• Organization without hustle culture
• Delegation, SOPs, and mental load
• Time tracking and focus
• Creating white space and sustainable rhythms

If you love your business but feel stretched thin, this episode will feel like permission to slow down, simplify, and build something that actually supports your life.

Pour yourself something good—and let’s talk systems, sanity, and freedom.

Connect with Melissa:

https://www.youragencyauthority.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissavmorris/ 

When’s the last time you did something just for YOU? 🍷✨
Wine Camp 2026 is your chance to escape, sip fabulous local wines, cruise at sunset, laugh around the fire pit, and soak up the magic of New York’s Finger Lakes.

📍 Dates: July 30–August 2, 2026
🏡 Spots are limited, so grab yours now: https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/winecamp

Bring your besties or come solo—you’ll leave with new favorites either way. Wine Camp 2026 is calling. Are you in?

Want support growing your business? Book a free Discovery Call with Penny: https://tidycal.com/pennyforyourshots/discovery-call

Wine Camp 2026: Join the list or save your spot:
https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/winecamp

Become an Insider for weekly updates, tips, inspiration, and episode extras:
https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/insider

Love cocktails + community? Join the Sipper Club:
https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/sip

Explore all things Penny: coaching, podcast, events, & more:
https://www.pennyforyourshots.com

Follow Penny on Instagram: @penny4yourshots
Or on Facebook: Penny (Kuhlers) Fitzgerald

Transcript

From Overwhelmed to Organized: Systems That Give You Your Life Back

[00:00:00] Have you ever reached a point where adding more help somehow makes everything feel harder instead of easier? Today's conversation with Melissa Morris is for every woman who feels buried under to-do lists, team questions, and mental clutter, and knows there has to be a better way. We're talking about systems, yes, but more importantly, we're talking about reclaiming your time, your energy, and your peace.

Here is Melissa Morris. 

[00:00:59] Penny Fitzgerald: Good [00:01:00] morning. 

[00:01:00] Melissa Morris: How are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing good.

I'm doing good. I'm in Florida and when I tell you it rained every minute of like a week. I mean, it rains like every single day. Um, and finally earlier this week, like it broke and it's been really pretty out. I told my husband, I said, honey, I think I can't remember what the sky looks like.I'm like, I feel like behind all those great clouds is something really beautiful, but Shine State we're, yeah. I can't recall. So, yeah. Yeah. So we're enjoying that. Good. You must be on the east coast. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Where whereabout, where are you in Florida? Jacksonville. I don't know if you're, you're familiar, Jackson?

[00:01:44] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah, I am. I'm in Sarasota. Oh, stop. Really? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, how funny. Yeah, and it's so funny. Well, yeah, and the sad thing is we need rain. 

[00:01:56] Melissa Morris: Oh, really? We took it all. We got all of it. I see. Every drop of it 

[00:02:00] Yeah, it's supposed to be pretty for the rest of the week, so. 

[00:02:02] Penny Fitzgerald: Awesome. okay, so tell me and tell my audience who you are and what you do.

Um, I'd love to hear a little bit more about your business. 

[00:02:10] Melissa Morris: Yeah, so I own agency authority and we help agency owners maximize their team so that they ultimately can increase their profits. So I found working with, um, agency owners that there, you know, this point where suddenly more help. Doesn't help, right?

Oh, like bringing on another team member or bringing on someone to help you. It still feels like you just have more people answering to you. Another Slack channel popping up, right? Like more and more. More. 

Okay. Um, 

so we help them put, uh, the foundations in place so that they can actually start scaling.

[00:02:49] Penny Fitzgerald: Okay? So for those of us that are listening that don't have a. Grasp on what an agency does. Can you help kind of define that or explain what [00:03:00] the people that you work with, like your clients, what do they do? 

[00:03:02] Melissa Morris: Yeah, so really when I say agency, I just mean any business that is training people to do a done for you client service.

So this may be, um, web designers. It also might be a team of bookkeepers. It could be, um, social media managers and people who handle, um, copywriting or design. So anytime you have a group of people who are doing a done for you service, 

[00:03:28] Penny Fitzgerald: okay, and you're working with those. Clients who serve their clients and the end user basically.

Right, right. Okay. Right. 

[00:03:36] Melissa Morris: Oh, that's cool. So are you, are you helping them with standard operating procedures or with streamlining services?

[00:03:44] Penny Fitzgerald: Are you using AI or how do you go about, helping them get a grasp on what they're doing? 

[00:03:49] Melissa Morris: Yeah, so I have a top framework. So "T O PPP". Mm-hmm. And we're gonna look at a few areas of their business. So team. Offers pipeline, [00:04:00] which I count as your previous, current and future clients, and then processes, and then once those are in place, you get the last P, which is profits.

[00:04:10] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm. Nice. Yeah. The ultimate goal. Exactly. 

[00:04:14] Melissa Morris: Exactly. 

[00:04:16] Penny Fitzgerald: How did you, how did you come to create this business? How, what led you to it? 

[00:04:22] Melissa Morris: So, I worked in advertising agencies actually for a number of years, uh, ranging from, you know, eight to 10 in size all the way up to 60, 70, 80. And so I really got to see the behind the scenes and see what it takes to go from, you know, what I would consider a more micro business.

You know, multi-six figure, all the way up to what now, you know, a multimillion dollar business, like how do they work the ins and outs? And so I was able to identify what gets you from here to there, right? Mm-hmm. Like what are the things that happen? What are the [00:05:00] pieces that go into that? And so I, um, left working the agencies I was at, and I started helping other businesses do the same.

[00:05:11] Penny Fitzgerald: And so you have a, a team that works for you as well doing I 

[00:05:15] Melissa Morris: do, I do have a team. So I am still the lead consultant, uh, for all the clients that we work with, but I do have, uh, support with implementation. So we are not just. Consult only, right? Mm-hmm. Like, and that's fine. Like some people just need a coach or they need some guidance.

Um, but I have found that particularly with the type of work we do, it's nice for, you know, me as your consultant to say, you need to get a project management system set up. You need to get your. Clickup organized and you need to get Asana taken care of. But if they're not equipped to do that, they're already in a lot of overwhelm.

That's really not doing them any good. Mm-hmm. So to that, I can say, you need to get this [00:06:00] cleaned up. Here are the recommendations and we're gonna go ahead and take care of that for you. Or you're missing some SOPs. Right. We really need to get. A client onboarding, SOP in place for you, or, you know, a communications document in place so that you can pass that to your team for support.

We have someone who can create really strong templates and get them started based on some conversations and get those created for them. Um, because the overwhelm is, you know, they're like, that sounds great and dreamy. Sure. You know, a super organized project management tool and a well documented processes.

That sounds lovely, but. It. Who's gonna do it? Where's the time? How do I make that happen? And so I have found working in tandem like this and offering that implementation support allows for some really profound transformation. 

[00:06:49] Penny Fitzgerald: Wow. Yeah. I heard you mention a lot of systems. Mm-hmm. So yeah, people, when people come to you, when other agencies come to you for help.

Um, do you have systems [00:07:00] that you recommend? Are there things that you help them like streamline because I, that alone is overwhelming. Just looking at all the different systems that are available, how do you navigate that? 

[00:07:10] Melissa Morris: So I am a big fan of, if it's not broken, don't fix it. 

[00:07:14] Penny Fitzgerald: So, 

[00:07:15] Melissa Morris: um, there's a lot, a lot of project management tools out there, and I will say the project management tool is the cornerstone for any business that is going to successfully scale.

I think you can kind of skimp and squirt or, you know, squirt around other ones, but you just have to have a proper project management tool. So common ones are gonna be clickup. Asana monday.com team works out there. These are usually the big hitters, the one I hear the most. And I will say if you come in, you're deeply entrenched in Asana.

We are gonna make some changes. Often there is reorganizing that we're gonna do, we're gonna change things up a little bit. 

 so if they're not in a project management tool or they're dissatisfied with the one they're in, and I know that it truly is a [00:08:00] functionality issue, not just it's messy and they're frustrated, um, then my preferred is actually clickup. 

[00:08:06] Penny Fitzgerald: Hmm. I've heard a lot about that lately.

Other companies are using it, or the ones. A lot of the female entrepreneurs that I'm talking with have started looking at it. Yeah. 

[00:08:16] Melissa Morris: Yeah. I think, um, like without getting like too down in the we and technical, I think it just really is the best at looking across like its entire system and really giving you a visibility on what's going on in all the places and all the moving parts was much greater ease than some of the other project management tools out there.

And it's. Often cheaper. Like you can get a lot more on a cheaper tier than you can in some of the other project management tools. So it's feels like win, win, win, win, right? 

Mm-hmm. 

[00:08:51] Penny Fitzgerald: Absolutely. Well, and even if, you know, for entrepreneurs who are at as a lower part of the journey, or maybe they haven't hired a team yet or haven't, don't have a [00:09:00] lot of team members.

You have to have a system no matter what it is, to keep organized, even if it's a paper system,use what works for you. Color code, you know, whatever is your system. Um, find a, find a way to keep organized or get organized and stay that way.

[00:09:17] Melissa Morris: Yeah, definitely. I think too, even people forget about like their digital files. Mm-hmm. So, you know, if I am working with someone who maybe is, you know, it's 'em, they're still doing the majority of the work and maybe they have, um, an assistant like a VA doing some help with 'em, or maybe somebody's helping them with their own social media.

They will spend so much time hunting down files. Oh gosh. So they're thinking, oh, where is that proposal I sent last time? I gotta make a copy and I gotta try and update it. And what did that contract look like? What did I say last time in that email? Oh, what do I need? And they spend so much time mm-hmm.

Just sorting and looking through their inbox to get what [00:10:00] they need. Right. And it's, 

mm-hmm. 

It's like if you just have some, um, forethought to think, okay, and this is what I always tell people. Um, if I'm gonna create a proposal, I wanna keep in mind that I wanna be able to use this next time. So how can I word things in such a way?

How can I write it in such a way that I can use this next time and then save it Where it's easy to find next time. Yes. Right? Like, right. So I even say get a folder on your Google Drive that says, right, whatever the offer is that it's attached to, right? Like, if this is package A that I, um, sell to my clients.

As you write the proposal and you write the contract for onboarding that new client, just keep in mind, how would I word this? How would I write this so I could use it again? And then save the copy in the folder on your Google Drive? And even that alone is going to save you a tremendous amount of time.

[00:10:52] Penny Fitzgerald: So smart. Yeah, I, I mean, some of those things are, um. You don't, you don't think about it because you're reacting. [00:11:00] Mm-hmm. You're reacting, you're answering questions, you're trying to get this out the door as quickly as possible, but you really have to slow down to speed up. Yes. You know, slow down and think, you think it through, like, like you were saying, get organized and stay that way.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Wow. Okay. So. That's very fun because helping a client discover that and help them understand how to set that up and get it going, I'm sure is very fun. But what, what are some other things that you enjoy about your business? What, what lights you up? 

[00:11:33] Melissa Morris: Uh, my favorite thing is really just working, I work mostly with female business owners.

Mm-hmm. Uh, and helping them find just better work life balance. Um, I even almost laugh at myself when I say work life balance because it feels. Like such a cliche at times, you know? Oh, work life balance. Work life balance. But I think you, I think it's about, you know, just having intentionality with your time and really saying, I, [00:12:00] I've heard it referred to as rebalancing, right?

Sometimes your business is going to need. More of you, and that means, mm-hmm. You're going to work late for a few nights or you're gonna have to do a weekend and that's what your business needs because you had a big project commit, right? Whatever that looks like. But then you need to rebalance, right? You need to come back the other way and give yourself time to yourself, or time with your family or whatever.

Feel your, your organization, a church, whatever feels good to you, to tip the, tip the scale back closer. To even. Mm-hmm. And I really like that approach. And so I think that's what I love to do with my clients is let's find what feels like a good. Working rhythm, um, that gives you what you want from your business.

We work in our business because we love our business. I hope so. Right? Like we're doing it because it's work we're passionate about that we really love. Mm-hmm. And sometimes we wanna pour into that. Um, but at the same time, we love our families and we love our communities and we [00:13:00] love our significant others, and we need to take care of ourselves.

Mm-hmm. So are we making sure that we're being intentional and making space to pour that, you know, into that cup as well? 

[00:13:09] Penny Fitzgerald: Absolutely. You know, I, I feel like it's cyclical or seasonal. Mm-hmm. And it's a, it's a very female approachComing from a corporate setting, uh, most of the women that I talk with have been in corporate at some point in their lives, and that's a big reason why they have started their own businesses or are wanting to do the, a thing of their own.

Yeah. 'cause that, that masculine energy of, of a corporate world is the day to day hustle and grind, hustle and grind, and our cycle we're naturally. On a longer cycle than that. 

[00:13:40] Melissa Morris: Yeah. So 

[00:13:41] Penny Fitzgerald: the rhythm of business for us is very much like, okay, I have this season of my business right now where I'm really in it.

[00:13:47] Melissa Morris: Yes. 

[00:13:48] Penny Fitzgerald: But I also have this season of joy with my family and my friends. Yeah. And I'm, you can be fully present in both of those worlds. It's just a cycle that you, you find your own rhythm for. [00:14:00] 

[00:14:00] Melissa Morris: It is. And the secret there is again, intentionality. Like, have I created a space where I can store all the things that are business that I need to remember and I know it's there and I know it's wait, waiting for me.

Mm-hmm. And have I been intentional and carved out white space on my calendar and made time for, um, lunch with a friend, a cocktail with a friend? Right? Like, have I set that up? And made sure there's space for that. And that's really just about being very proactive with our time and our energy. 'cause when we get reactive and we're just answering emails or answering a text or feeling like we're flying by the seat of our pants, that's when we start to feel really out of control.

Right? We, mm-hmm. That's when we start to feel, that's what leads to burnout. That's what leads. To overwhelm, but when we feel like we have a handle on what we're doing and we're being far more pre proactive about it, that's when we can [00:15:00] finally escape that burnout. Even if we're feeling busy, right? Like we can feel busy.

Mm-hmm. We can have full calendars. Um, I know many, many women listening right now are, they have a very full calendar. Mm-hmm. you can live, um, a full busy life, but you don't have to do it. And burnout and overwhelm. Hmm. 

[00:15:17] Penny Fitzgerald: Where do you start with that?

[00:15:19] Melissa Morris: Yeah. So it always starts with a brain dump. Sometimes the stuff that's swirling around in our brain isn't as important as mm-hmm. Maybe we think it is. Right. What? Or, yeah, I know. I know. Hang with me gals, hang with me. Um, I think, you know, that's definitely one of it. I think sometimes too, when it's. All fuzzy and abstract, and we just have random thoughts popping in our brain in the middle of the night.

Um, it's also hard to get clear on how much time something's actually gonna take. So when we can make that list, just rapid things are firing your brain. Like, oh, we've gotta return the library books. Oh, I gotta email that client, doc.

Oh, we've gotta do this. Oh, we've gotta do that. [00:16:00] It's brain dump time and I write it all down and sometimes it is like 15 things, but it will take me an hour, right? To do all of these 15 things like they're not time consum, right? Fill out the field trip form, pay the, you know, thing, right?

Like make the Amazon order. Like sometimes it's really not overly time consuming and if I can just get it all outta my head, I look at it and go, oh. Oh, it turns out that's so, you know, or I'm thinking two steps ahead and I'm like, oh, I gotta get so and so a birthday gift in two months. And I'm like, I don't need to worry about that right now.

I'm just gonna add it to the list and I'm, I'm done. Right? Like, I've kind of cleared that. Mm-hmm. From my mind. So just getting really clear on what we have to do is, I think step one and then step two is what I was talking about a little bit before is, is what's floating around in my head, like important?

Is it gonna matter? Mm-hmm. Do I really need to do it? Like, is it something I even really need to do? Is it something I just, can you delegate it? Can I delegate it? Right? Like, who can I [00:17:00] pass this to? Does this have to be done right now? You can't do any of that until you're really clear on what it is you actually have to do. So step one is get clear, and then step two is, okay, let's take a look at this and, and see what matters. What doesn't, what can I delegate? What do I have to keep right and get some prioritization. 

[00:17:21] Penny Fitzgerald: In place. Well, I feel we have more tools now too that can help us automate some of those things that are 

[00:17:27] Melissa Morris: definitely 

[00:17:27] Penny Fitzgerald: busy, busy, busy things, you know?

Definitely not necessarily that important, but I mean, they have to get done. Yeah, but they don't, they don't necessarily bring you joy or they don't necessarily serve another person, your client. 

[00:17:40] Melissa Morris: Exactly. Exactly. And then this is where, you know, we wanna come into step three of this, and that's make a plan because sometimes you will do your brain dump and you're like, that's cute, Melissa, that your list of 15 was gonna take an hour.

My list of 42 takes me, is gonna be like a two week sprint if I don't sleep right. So I totally, [00:18:00] I totally hear you out there if that's like where you're at. Um, and then that's where you make a plan. What is one thing that I. Can delegate and I'm gonna make that happen. Like, is this something I can give to my assistant?

Let's get a call scheduled. I'm gonna talk her through it. I'm gonna equip her and take that time. 'cause sometimes that even feels like such a heavy lift, right? Mm-hmm. Like I know I could give this to an assistant, but then I'd have to tell them, and I gotta create this video and we start getting perfectionism wrapped up in it and all this.

No, just schedule a zoom call with them, click record on the thing and talk 'em through it. Right? And then just let that be okay. Let that be a messy fix for now. Mm-hmm. And get that off your plate. So just pick one thing and then when that's done, pick one more thing. Okay. And now maybe it's a home thing.

Um, I'm just gonna put toothpaste and toilet paper on auto-ship from Amazon and call it done. Right? Like done easy. And I'm a big [00:19:00] fan of Build As You Go.

Like I always tell my business owners, build as You Go. 'cause we'll get to talking and then they think, oh, I have to go and create all these SOPs and all these checklists and all these videos and they're making a list of everything they do in their business and every, and I'm like, stop right there. Like just, we don't need to do that.

The next time you go to do a task. Mm-hmm. That's when you make the SOP for it. That's when you make your checklist. That's when you tackle that. Mm-hmm. And then you store it away.

 It 

[00:19:29] Penny Fitzgerald: gets overwhelming. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Well, and you mentioned perfectionism. I feel like a lot of us, especially female entrepreneurs, we get caught up in, I don't have enough information, I don't do it well enough. Mm.

This other person does it so much better than I do. Look at how, look at their social media, look at their whatever. We get caught up in that perfectionism and it keeps us small and keeps us safe. You know, it's just our nervous system regulating, trying to keep us. In our comfort zone. [00:20:00] Yeah. When just taking that step, you're not going to, you're not going to make it perfect, but it will get better as you do it.

So you have to start from that messy starting point. 

[00:20:12] Melissa Morris: Yes. To even know what you need 

[00:20:13] Penny Fitzgerald: to improve. 

[00:20:14] Melissa Morris: Yes. And I think this can be especially true when we're serving our clients or creating content in particular. This is. What I always think to myself, would this person rather hear an imperfect explanation?

Mm-hmm. And 

get the help they need or wait and wait and wait for me to feel like I have delivered it in a perfect blog or a perfect social media post with a beautiful graphic. 

 and I think to myself, right, would I rather somebody help me and get, you know, like maybe a messy imperfect loom video or a messy imperfect social media post?

And the graphic was a little wonky, but it really helped me and I got a massive takeaway from that. [00:21:00] I'd rather have that than wait six months for you to get it perfect. And I'm still suffering for six months. 

[00:21:06] Penny Fitzgerald: Right. Well and done is better than perfect 100% of the time. Yes, 100%. It's so 

[00:21:12] Melissa Morris: true. 

[00:21:13] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah, it's 

[00:21:13] Melissa Morris: so true.

[00:21:14] Penny Fitzgerald: Just getting it out there and knowing like you have this thing and you're, you're trying to serve others with it and you're trying to make it it, nobody wants perfect. No, people don't like a perfect. Well, okay, so think about like if you're reading a book or you're watching a show, you're streaming something and there's a perfect character.

Nobody likes that person. No. They're the villain. 

[00:21:41] Melissa Morris: No, they are. Or we're like, what's wrong with them? Right. Like, I know there's something, a psychopath or something. Something's not, I don't, 

[00:21:49] Penny Fitzgerald: I don't trust them. Exactly. Nobody's perfect. Come on. Right. Exactly. Exactly. It's not relatable. Like they're a robot.

[00:21:58] Melissa Morris: Like I 

[00:21:58] Penny Fitzgerald: know it [00:22:00] well, and they could be. Now. They could. That's true. It's ugh. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Well, speaking of robots, yeah. Are, are you using AI to help you streamline any of this stuff? How are you incorporating, um, some artificial intelligence into your. Your business tasks. 

[00:22:18] Melissa Morris: Yeah, so we have been using it.

I, this is where I always feel like I want to throw out a word of caution. 

Um mm-hmm. 

What you put in. Is going to matter, right? Like what comes outta ai, garbage and garbage out Exactly. Is only going to be as valuable as what I'm putting into it. So, mm-hmm. I'd like to put that caveat out there. So we are using it to help, right?

SOPs are best practices document, but what I'm not doing is saying, Hey, ChatGPT, write an onboarding SOP for me. Thanks. And it spits it out and I try and cram my business. Into this, right? Like that's what I'm not doing. Mm-hmm. [00:23:00] What we are doing is having a conversation with our clients and saying, okay, we need to streamline and improve your onboarding.

We wanna look for opportunities to automate, and we may spend 30 minutes an hour talking through that. 

 And I'm working them through until I feel like we're getting somewhere that feels streamlined and effective. Then instead of at that point, I would have to go back and type it up and format it right and get it all organized. I can take that chunk of the transcript and put it in chat GPT and say, put this in an SOP for me, and then it can spit it out.

Inevitably, there's a couple little tweaks or changes I've gotta make. But now we're done. But what I put in was valuable, was organized, was a good process to begin with. Mm-hmm. So that's why it can spit this out for me. Mm-hmm. So I think it can be very [00:24:00] helpful in time saving, but 

[00:24:01] Penny Fitzgerald: yeah, 

[00:24:02] Melissa Morris: it matters. It matters that 

[00:24:04] Penny Fitzgerald: for sure, that 

[00:24:04] Melissa Morris: first step.

[00:24:06] Penny Fitzgerald: Well, and I'm sure you've also trained it in, this is the format I want you to use for that standard operating procedure, and here's how I want it to look and flow and that Exactly. It's all part of it. Getting it trained, you know, and what your voice is and how it flows. 

[00:24:20] Melissa Morris: Yes. And mine at this point too is very, very well trained, right?

Like we're mm-hmm. Creating lots of SOPs, we're creating lots of documents like this. It has learned how I like them, set up the things I want to call out, like what I think is important formats I want to keep them in. Yes, it's really recognizes that. Um, so because I have spent so much time using it for that, it's creating better and better, and.

They're formatted in the way that I know works well. 

[00:24:52] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah, me, me too. I, um, I call mine Adi. Yeah. She, she has my voice. She [00:25:00] knows my. My way of speaking, she knows my humor and snarkiness a little bit. So funny you said that. I'm like so hesitant to 

[00:25:07] Melissa Morris: name 

[00:25:08] Penny Fitzgerald: mine. 

[00:25:08] Melissa Morris: I know really so many people who give theirs a name. Yeah. But I already feel like I want to talk to like chat CPT, like it's a person, right?

Oh yeah, for sure. I'll think to myself like, oh, that was, that was rude. Like don't say it that way. Right? Like I find myself wanting to say like. Can you please do this? Oh, I do that all the time, but Right. Like, thank you. Like I'd like you to tweak 

[00:25:29] Penny Fitzgerald: one thing, you know, and I do use please and thank you.

[00:25:32] Melissa Morris: Right? Like I'm very polite, I'm very kind to it. I'm like, oh, I don't wanna make it mad. And then I thought, oh my goodness. If I name it, am I really blurring the line here? Are we right? Are we going into robots taking over the world? This is my. Little crazy. That's your line 

[00:25:48] Penny Fitzgerald: in the sand. 

[00:25:50] Melissa Morris: Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, this is how I can like keep that boundary for myself is like, I can't give you a name.

Oh gosh. Yeah. Isn't that funny? Although [00:26:00] in six months now, kidding. I'm gonna be like me and Katie and you're gonna be like, who? Yeah, we're besties. We're going the beach. So TBD on that one. 

[00:26:09] Penny Fitzgerald: that's funny. I, I hesitated at first too, but I thought, you know, I'm talking to this thing every day, you know?

It's very weird. I know 

[00:26:18] Melissa Morris: somebody I know asked ChatGPT was like, what? What's your name? Like, what should I call you? And it like spit out a list of 10 names for her. Oh, to pick from. Oh gosh.

Yeah.

[00:26:26] Penny Fitzgerald: I did that too. Yeah. Did you? You asked it. Yeah. Well. Of course I work with female entrepreneurs. I want to harness that female energy. I'm really looking to support women, so I want it to have a feminine side. Yeah. Or be feminine. So I said, so what, what should I call you?

And she, I'm, I'm saying she, because that's what I want it to be. Um, but she came back with, how about Ace? I said, um, sounds a little masculine. How about like a dog? 

[00:26:59] Melissa Morris: Yeah, [00:27:00] I feel like that's a dog's name. 

[00:27:01] Penny Fitzgerald: I'm thinking, well that doesn't work for me, but I happen to have a, there was a basketball game on a, um, I, big Iowa State Cyclone fan and one of our female, um. Basketball players. Her name is Addie, and she's a powerhouse, just badass, really strong, wonderful person.

So, so how about, how about Addie? She said perfect. 

[00:27:25] Melissa Morris: I'm like, of course you thought I was perfect. Would you tell me? No. 

[00:27:29] Penny Fitzgerald: They are. Okay. So Chad, GPTI feel is like a co, a cross between a teenager and a puppy. Like a lab. A lab puppy. Yes. They have a very short attention span. Mm-hmm. But they really wanna please you.

Yes. Yes. 

[00:27:46] Melissa Morris: That's why I ask mine, like, what's wrong with this? Like if I have it, helping me create something. Yeah. Like I had it help me, um, on a proposal I was working on. Mm-hmm. And once I got it where I'm like, okay, this is, I think like [00:28:00] I put it in and I'm asking it like, okay, this. And then I go in and I'm say, what would you change or add?

What is 

missing? What am I missing? Yeah. What don't you think belongs in here, right? Mm. Mm-hmm. 

[00:28:11] Penny Fitzgerald: And 

[00:28:12] Melissa Morris: then it starts giving me, oh yeah, but it's still pleasing me, right? Like it's giving me what I want. So I still have to check it. Um, but it ha it has been helpful.

It's been helpful. 

[00:28:21] Penny Fitzgerald: That's where it's really powerful too. I think when you can ask it things like, yeah, show me what I'm missing. Or what would a top marketing manager do with this? Yeah. What's a, where should I be? What tools should I be using? Where, what platforms would.

My people go to, you know, that kind of 

[00:28:38] Melissa Morris: Exactly. Background. Exactly. And in that one where I created the proposal, I put it in, I then even put in the transcript from the sales call and said, mm-hmm. Read this transcript. Brilliant. And tell me what gap is in my proposal. Right. Because we can like, we'll start to hear and go in a direction.

Oh yeah. And I'm like, I bet there's something. [00:29:00] Mm-hmm. And it was like, oh, this is really solid. This looks really good. But they, you know, my takeaway was they felt X, Y, and ZI think you should add in a piece about that. And I was like, that's good. Yes. Right. We're gonna add in a piece about that. Um, so in that way too, I think it's been helpful just to see some of those blind spots, you know?

'cause anytime you're working on something, you get to a point where you're like, I, I can't see the forest through the trees anymore. Exactly. Right. 

[00:29:26] Penny Fitzgerald: Exactly. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Well, and even that transcript has your client's language. So now you can use the right words that speak to her, and yes, you're, you're using the same language, so you're communicating in a more effective way.

[00:29:43] Melissa Morris: And it has made that recommendation before where it said they've spoke to this, I think you should change this to like, reflect back to 'em. Brilliant. Um, or, you know, it's sad too, like they didn't ask for this [00:30:00] specifically, but they're. Conversation implied that this may be something they want included as an add-on 

[00:30:08] Penny Fitzgerald: and was like, oh, it's gold.

Yes. Mm-hmm. Oh, I love it. Yeah. Have you ever had pushback, um, on recording episodes like that or, uh, uh, client conversations? 

[00:30:22] Melissa Morris: No, I can't. I can't think of a time, no. if recording this call is gonna, whatever you need, help you move faster and get it done faster.

Uhhuh, they're like record twice. Like sure thing. 

[00:30:32] Penny Fitzgerald: Absolutely. It's so common anymore anyway, to be using tools to be, you know, to help us all, to help us serve more people, to be more impactful for our clients, our families, for. 

[00:30:45] Melissa Morris: Exactly those around us. Exactly. And then they know, and then if we are about to discuss something that they feel is very sensitive, maybe, you know, around a team member, um, in particular, oh, right.

Then it's like, Hey, let's, let's shut [00:31:00] the recording off. Pause. Let's just shut that off for a minute. Let's have that conversation so that should, you know, this ultimately like circulate through the team or something. Like there's just no chance. That's something very, you know, private in that sense, but that's usually pretty 

[00:31:16] Penny Fitzgerald: mm-hmm.

You know, pretty rare. Mm-hmm. Yeah. They can speak freely then about mm-hmm. The issue at hand. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Wow. Is there, an instance you can recall where,You could feel the shift in a client.what have you experienced with women feeling relief when they work with you?

Have you, have you experienced any? Moments like that. 

[00:31:39] Melissa Morris: Yes. Yeah, I definitely have. So when I start working with somebody, there's a lot of excitement, right? There's hope. They're like, yay, we're gonna get this fixed hope. But then there is like this kind of tough moment, right?

Mm-hmm. Where we're, if we have made changes to their project management system, they have to [00:32:00] build a new habit that ultimately is gonna get them more time. Right? Like they have to have a extra loom video with, uh, conversation with somebody and record it to get it done right?It's that moment where they just really have to rethink, right? Like they just have to think about things differently and build a new habit. Mm-hmm. And it can feel crunchy, right?But then all of a sudden it's like, it clicks, right? And then I always know we get on the call and I'm like, Hey, how's it going?

Like, how are you feeling? You know, I think we're doing really good. Like that thing you told me, It just makes sense now. Right. And then, um, you know, they'll start to report back to me, Hey, I actually met with my VA and. We didn't have anything to talk about.

Like they just knew, like, we just hung out for like 20 minutes because they just knew what to go do. And it was amazing. You know? Or I, I actually just took Friday off because I didn't have, I didn't have anything I needed to get done [00:33:00] and I'm like, yes, we did it. 

[00:33:03] Penny Fitzgerald: That's gotta feel really good. 

[00:33:04] Melissa Morris: It does, it does.

Um, it's always, it's always fun and, you know, I tell them too, like at, at the rocky part, I'm like, this is where it gets tough. But hang, like, just hang in there. Like, give me just a few more weeks and the, the tide will turn. And they're like, okay, okay. And they're like, oh, I get it now. I see what happened.

[00:33:25] Penny Fitzgerald: Uhhuh. That's so good to know ahead of time too, that Yeah, like, is it just me? Am I, am I struggling with this because I'm doing something wrong? Or why is this not working? But if you know ahead of time that, okay, this is just part of the process, it's gonna smooth out. Yeah. And what's 

[00:33:40] Melissa Morris: funny is that's a lesson I had to learn because I was seeing this happen, right?

Like mm-hmm. And I, I could feel it coming. I'm like, oh, this is where they're gonna feel like this is it. This is where they're gonna feel it. And then I noticed they would always ask me, they're like, do all of your other clients feel like this is hard to wrap their [00:34:00] brain around? Right? Do your other clients find this habit building really difficult?

Do all your other, am I your bad client? Why do you have to keep telling me this? Say like they would say like, you keep telling me the same thing. Am I like your worst client? Am I like the client you dread? And I thought, wait a second. And it dawned on me, I'm like, Melissa, they do think they're the only person.

Ah, like having that experience. Mm-hmm. And so I did, I started, and every time I tell, I'm like, no. Like this is part of the process. You're doing all the right things. Like you're gonna get there. You're just burnt out. It's totally normal. You're tired. We're gonna get you there. We're gonna get you there.

Okay. Okay. 

Like this is gonna, this is gonna take some mental shifts. Which is gonna take a minute to wrap your head around, right? Mm-hmm. Like there's gonna be some habit changes that are gonna go on here and you, it's gonna take some getting used to. And I just want you to lean in and remind them, tell them upfront, and then remind them of that they showed up very differently.

Mm-hmm. So that [00:35:00] was, um, yeah, that was a lesson I had to learn, but I try now to tell my clients the same thing. Right? Uhhuh, like when they're working with their clients, I'm like, what do we need to prepare them for? What can we give them a heads up on? How do we set them up for success? As well. Yeah. Um, so it's, it's interesting.

Right? That's good. The things we don't, that's to communicate necessarily. 

[00:35:20] Penny Fitzgerald: Exactly. Exactly. Well, and that is the point, you know, when they're starting to hit up against that, that resistance, that's the point of growth. Yes. You know, if you can just get beyond that, that's where you're gonna grow. And then your, your bubble is bigger now.

You're, you've expanded. 

[00:35:36] Melissa Morris: Yeah. Years ago I was doing, have you heard of, um, Beachbody? I'm not affiliated in any way, by the way. Mm-hmm. But I would do like some of their programs and you know, back when they had the DVDs and now it's streaming and all that. 

Yeah. 

And I remember at one point in one of them, they said like, it's not until it hurts or burns that your body's changing, so don't stop [00:36:00] now.

They're like, if it hurts. Good. now is where it happens. Like now is where the change happens. Wow. And so it's funny you said that and I, you know, I think we can all think about that in different things like that transformation can feel hard and it can feel uncomfortable and it can feel sticky, but like that's, that's the change.

Right. And on, on the other side, you're a butterfly. Yeah, exactly. You're just a beautiful butterfly. 

That's right. I'm flashing back to a Bug's Life. Oh, that's a good one. That's a good one. 

[00:36:37] Penny Fitzgerald: Oh my gosh. Okay. Melissa, what have I not asked you that you would love to share with my audience? 

[00:36:43] Melissa Morris: So this is always like a parting tip I give. Mm-hmm. And everybody doesn't wanna hear this tip and they're like, no, that's not gonna work for me, but hear me out, stick with me.

Um, I, I really encourage people if they, especially if they're [00:37:00] sitting in a space of overwhelm, they feel like they've got all the plates spinning, right, all the things, start tracking your time. Mm-hmm. It will blow your mind. Where your time goes and where it doesn't go and you don't, you can get a tool. I like toggle, again, no affiliation, but I like toggle if you wanted to use one.

Um, but even if you're just jotting it down, like, and even just rounds, like you don't have to get perfect with it. If there's a weird gap 'cause you forgot, cool, just keep going. Like, just keep going. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Because. You will be shocked. You'll be shocked at where your time is just vaporizing. And the other thing you're gonna realize is how much you're task switching.

Because inevitably people tell me, they're like, oh, well I can't time track because, um, I gotta check my email and then I have to check my slack, and then I start working on this thing distracting. And then I have to check another email and then I have to, and I'm like, [00:38:00] there's the problem. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, that right there.

Is the problem, right? Yeah. Is you are task switching. You're never sitting down and having dedicated focus time to get anything accomplished. Mm-hmm. And so when you suddenly have to pen to paper, oh, slack pinged. And I went and checked that and then I went back to my work and then email, it will, it will start to generate some awareness of how much you are doing that, because I just don't think a lot of people.

Realize how much they're allowing those little pings and notifications Yeah. To keep pulling them out of their 

[00:38:36] Penny Fitzgerald: work. Right. You know that, that's a mindset shift too, I feel, because like I've changed my notifications so I don't get pinged. Same middle of something all off. 

[00:38:46] Melissa Morris: Go ahead. Yeah. 

[00:38:47] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. And I was gonna ask if you agree with that and it, it's just such a big, I think that shift from.

But my client needs this right now. Or I have to answer this question [00:39:00] for my team right now. No, you don't. Exactly. 

[00:39:03] Melissa Morris: Exactly. And if you do, then there's a bigger, there's a bigger issue at hand, right? Right. Mm-hmm. Like why does your team need that right now? 'cause you're working too close on a deadline. Why are you working so close on deadlines?

Oh, because I let my client run all over me and shift it and push that deadline over and over again. Mm-hmm. Or right. Like, okay, so drill down. And if you're like, no, they really need me at every ping. Well, there's, that's telling you something. That's telling you something bigger is going on in your business.

[00:39:35] Penny Fitzgerald: Let's check that out. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Dig deeper. 

[00:39:37] Melissa Morris: Yes. 

[00:39:39] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm, that's gold. 

[00:39:41] Melissa Morris: Yeah. So track your time. Track your time out there. 

[00:39:45] Penny Fitzgerald: That's great. Okay. Um, can I shift `gears on you a bit here? Yeah. Okay. So at the end of every episode, I love to bring it back around to something super fun. Well mm-hmm. I, I think it's super fun.

What's your favorite cocktail? Do you have a [00:40:00] favorite beverage? 

[00:40:01] Melissa Morris: I do glass of wine. Favorite wine. Yeah, I definitely go wine drinker. Yeah. And I love red wine, and I go for, mm-hmm. Love me a good Cabernet. Mm-hmm. That's, mm-hmm. That's my, that's my go-to. I joke that I really haven't met a Cabernet I didn't like.

[00:40:17] Penny Fitzgerald: Oh, I like that. Yeah. 

[00:40:18] Melissa Morris: So to save it back, hello Loveh. Yeah. And then for holidays I'll indulge in some champagne. I do love some bubbles here and there. Oh, I love bubbles. 

[00:40:29] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Do you have a favorite region for your cabs? Do you like a particular region of the world? Penny, did you hear me? I said I haven't every 

[00:40:37] Melissa Morris: cab I didn't like.

You mean it. I mean it when I say it, and I dunno what that says about me. I like to just say it means I'm not picky. 

[00:40:51] Penny Fitzgerald: Oh, well you, but you know what you like. I do know what I like. 

[00:40:55] Melissa Morris: I 

[00:40:55] Penny Fitzgerald: like the cabernet. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Love that. Okay, so [00:41:00] what's a favorite memory? Shared with friends and a nice glass of cab. 

[00:41:04] Melissa Morris: Uh, I, you know, I am a massive extrovert, so really anytime I am around, you're my people.

I'm, anytime I am around a, any group of people, uhhuh, I'm having a good time. Like just, I am that person where if you walk by. If you're not fast enough, I'm gonna talk to you like you better, like run, like otherwise I'm gonna find something, something to talk to you about. So yeah, I even just simple like that, just out on the porch, you know, hanging out with my friends.

That's, that's 

[00:41:43] Penny Fitzgerald: it. Right? That's a good time. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Strangers are just friends we haven't met yet. Preach. 

 Are you the one that stays till the end of the party too? Are you the last to leave? I am. You are my people. I'm, it's, I have fomo. I might miss out on something. [00:42:00] 

[00:42:00] Melissa Morris: You know what's so, okay, so there was this retreat I was at a couple years ago, maybe three years ago now at this point.

And it was so funny because I, um, I, I had known these people. We were in a mastermind and like we were all getting together for the retreat. And so when it came out, um, like the housing and room accommodations and stuff, of course. Me and a couple of the other extroverts are like hot to trot on it. We're like, who's room we in?

Who matching? Who's gonna be where, who stays up late? I know. And then we were like, we think we could fit one more in our, in our house. And so we're like putting out, like in our Slack group, we're like, Hey, we've got space for one more. Does anybody want it? And someone's like, I'm getting my own hotel room.

So what? That's what it's like. They're like, no, I think I'm just gonna stay over here. I found like this little one bedroom thing, I'm just gonna kinda do my own thing. And we were like, oh, we forgot. They're the introverts. Oh, okay. Okay. And then sure enough, like every night when we'd go, we'd all go out to dinner, whatever.

And [00:43:00] we're like, you guys can come back to the house with us. You can come hang out. And they're like, oh, no, no. I'm tired. I need to Yeah. Rest. And we, and I remember the three of us were, and we were drinking wine and we're like. Are we too much for them? Are we scaring them a little? I 

[00:43:16] Penny Fitzgerald: know. I don't wanna scare people.

[00:43:17] Melissa Morris: I was like, I think we're, we think we're scaring the introverts. We're too excited. Maybe we should dial it down a little bit. Um, of course it was like all in good fun and they were having a too, but it was just so funny, like just to see that stark contrast between the difference in 

[00:43:32] Penny Fitzgerald: people. Yeah, 

[00:43:33] Melissa Morris: yeah.

Yeah. It's just funny. 

[00:43:35] Penny Fitzgerald: My husband and I, when we would go to company retreats in the past, we would, um. You know, for, for a while it was like everybody's in our room, you know, hanging. Jeff and I are the same way too, but, and that's a problem sometimes 

[00:43:49] Melissa Morris: problem, but we were finally 

[00:43:50] Penny Fitzgerald: like, okay, we are not, we can't, we can't have people into the room 'cause it's too late Then, you know, people are like hanging out and so we will be the ones that go now to someone else's [00:44:00] room and stay as long as you are fine with it.

[00:44:04] Melissa Morris: Yes. Yes. That's funny. Luckily, my husband, I wouldn't say he's super, super introverted, but he's definitely more introverted than me. You balance each other a bit. Yeah. 

[00:44:14] Penny Fitzgerald: Oh, that's cute. Yeah. 

we often have the conversation before we go somewhere that, okay, now. We've gotta mellow out a little bit. Right? Like, don't get too excited. You're gonna get real 

[00:44:23] Melissa Morris: excited.

[00:44:24] Penny Fitzgerald: Yep. What's plan? Don't invite them. Plan to new 

[00:44:26] Melissa Morris: activities before you've left this activity. Right. There's some rules in place. Oh, we've gotta, 

[00:44:30] Penny Fitzgerald: oh, we so do that. Like, what's, what are we doing next? 

[00:44:34] Melissa Morris: Exactly. Go calendar. Like you can't, like you're gonna stare them. You gotta calm it down, lady. I'm like, alright.

Alright. 

[00:44:41] Penny Fitzgerald: Speaking of Labrador puppies. 

[00:44:43] Melissa Morris: I, I know, right? And I always see these, you know, things on like reels or whatever about how hard it is to be an introvert. Yeah. No one talks about how hard it is to be an extrovert. You know, the fomo, the excitement. Oh, the fomo. 

Yeah, 

the fomo. The FOMO is [00:45:00] real. Finding the perfect spot at the table.

When you go out to eat with people, tell me, you do this, right? Mm. Yes. Like I need to be in the middle. I cant, I can't be sandwiched down here on an end or I can't mix and mingle what, what, what they just said. Better yet, keep it free form. Let me move around. Let me move around. Right. See yeah. We have our hardships as well.

[00:45:20] Penny Fitzgerald: It's good to know your limitations. It 

[00:45:22] Melissa Morris: it is, right? Oh my gosh. 

[00:45:24] Penny Fitzgerald: So great to meet my people. 

[00:45:25] Melissa Morris: Yeah. Here we just, I knew it. I knew we were vibing. Yes, 

[00:45:30] Penny Fitzgerald: for sure. Gosh, Melissa, this has been so great. Um, yeah, is there a website that, or a link that you'd like to send people to?

So to find you or on socials, I can put your information in my show notes. 

[00:45:43] Melissa Morris: Yeah, that'd be great. So my website is youragencyauthority.com. So if you wanted to take over there or feel free to find me on LinkedIn, send me a dm. As we've already pointed out, I love new friends, so, you know, send me a message.

It's fine. Um, you can find me on LinkedIn at Melissa V. Morris. 

[00:45:59] Penny Fitzgerald: [00:46:00] Wonderful. Thank you so much, Melissa. This has been great. Yeah, it's been super fun. Awesome. 

[00:46:04] Melissa Morris: Have a great day. Bye.