Carving your Own Path with Ann Lewis Roberts

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, unsure of which path to take towards fulfillment and success? With the help of my guest and dear friend, Ann Lewis Roberts, we reflect on the evolution within our careers, and the serendipitous moments that can profoundly shape our paths.

From a chance encounter that led to a career-defining opportunity, we share candid insights into the joys and challenges that come with parenthood, setting boundaries, and the often-overlooked importance of having cheerleaders in our lives.

We also examine how it feels to experience the pressure of conforming to societal norms and the evolving role that academic credentials play in today's job market. Whether it's overcoming corporate pressures or finding joy in aligning with your truth, this episode is a stirring reminder that living a life fuelled by faith and passion is not just possible, but profoundly rewarding.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Career paths and the arc of our professional journeys
• Family and tribal pressures influencing our choices
• Discovering spirituality and self-belief in your own way
• The joys, rewards and challenges of becoming a parent yourself
• Anns illustrious career in TV and media

Guest Bio:

Ann Lewis Roberts is President of the multi-media content company Roberts Media. An entertainment industry veteran who has run divisions and franchises at Disney ABC, Discovery, Comcast, NBCUni and CBS, Roberts has created and produced successful series such as Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, The Chew, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Access Hollywood and Cheap Old Houses. She and her husband, film producer Mark Roberts, live with their two teenagers in Los Angeles.

This episode was produced by: Six-Two Studio

Mari Roberts is an Energy Healer, Psychic Guide, and Lifestyle Mentor with over 15 years of experience in the corporate and non-profit world. She helps high-achieving women rise above the grind, find deeper meaning, and live into their most fulfilling life possible. Through energy healing, coaching and private mentorship, Mari places focus on healthy activations that welcome more balance and joy.

Resources:
Life Activated Course
Radiant Life Program
Community Energy Healing

Find Mari:
Website - marirobertslife.com
Instagram - @marirobertslife
Linked In - @mariroberts

Transcript

Mari Roberts:

0:02

You deserve to have the life that you desire. Your passions are a part of you for a reason, and when you don't follow your passions or listen to your call, things can get rough. You don't have to take some massive, intimidating leap. One small step each day leads to lasting change. So let's get started by accepting our passions are here in the first place, because this is Life Activated. I'm your host and guide, Mari, here to help you recenter life on your passions and purpose, so you can feel good inside, because you deserve it. Hello everyone, welcome to the Life Activated Podcast. I'm so excited for today I feel like I say this a lot, but it's really true because I'm j ust going to toot my own horn. I think I bring on the best guests ever and I am so excited because today's guest is someone that I have known for. Oh my gosh, how long have we known each other? Like 30 years or something, something ridiculous. I've known this person-.

Ann Roberts:

1:13

I mean we're 32, so that's fine. We met really early yeah.

Mari Roberts:

1:14

I know I've known this person forever. I just have always loved this human being. You're going to love this human being. I'm getting to the point. You'll get to meet her in a second. But we met through one of my friends actually, and I just have decided that I'm, you know, stealing this person to be in my life forever as well. I am going to be introducing you to Ann Roberts. I'm going to have Ann take it over, introduce herself, cause if I don't, then I will just be gushing about Ann this whole time and we won't get to the interview. So, Ann, I'm going to have you introduce yourself and then we'll go from there.

Ann Roberts:

1:57

You're so cute and you do have really good guests on this podcast. You really do. My name is Ann Lewis Roberts and I am a mom of two teens and a wife and I am a TV producer. I've been doing that for many, many years and I am a Virgo and I feel like I'm all the Virgo there is. I love lists and organization and I love feeling complete in my seeking of answers and to get to the end of the internet and to the end of the book and to the right podcast. And I don't know that I know, like some of the other people on your podcast, I don't know that I know that much more about me.

Mari Roberts:

2:45

I'm a 17th birthday. Yeah, I don't know that. I know that much more about me.

Ann Roberts:

2:47

I'm a 17th birthday. Yeah, I don't know that. I know more that is perfectly okay.

Mari Roberts:

2:51

That is perfectly okay. When we're done, we're definitely going to get your human design Cause I'm going to be super curious about that and I've been studying a little bit more human design to bring it into how I support my clients. So we're going to find out more about your human design. I'll tell you that.

Mari Roberts:

3:06

And human design is just another tool of getting to know yourself. Human design is a system that blends together astrology. I Ching Kabbalah and I know I'm forgetting something. I always forget something. Oh, gene keys, I think, or gene something, I don't know. It mixes a whole bunch of stuff together. It's not. It doesn't mix gene keys. Gene keys is another system. It mixes a whole bunch of different tools together and it's just another way of getting to know yourself. So you know, we have astrology to get to know who we are a little bit better and know more about ourselves. We have astrology to get to know who we are a little bit better and know more about ourselves. We have human design, but you hear Enneagram or even Myers-Briggs. I just look at them as tools that help us understand who we are. But human design is really, really cool because it is very encompassing and it creates opportunities to have more reflection and to almost decondition yourself from some ways that maybe you've been conditioned to be more your true, authentic self is how I'll say it.

Mari Roberts:

4:19

Yeah yeah, you can go down a rabbit hole with human design and I won't ever do that because I just am not interested in being in a rabbit hole, but I'm interested in understanding enough to be dangerous to support my clients. That's awesome, and myself, to be honest. So when we're done, I will get that information from you. It'll be interesting Something you said even in your introduction. I feel like you glossed over your awesomen and you have been a part of some of the most amazing shows that people I know who listened to this podcast have watched.

Ann Roberts:

5:17

I definitely got really lucky that early on, when I was a junior in college, I took an internship. And no, I'm sorry, I tried to take an internship. This, just this, always feels spiritual to me. I tried to take an internship. I was a broadcast journalism major. I just I was like, of course, I'm going to be a reporter someday. And then I was looking and the teachers were telling us back in that day, they were like and then I was looking and the teachers were telling us back in that day, they were like you know, you have to be tall or beautiful or ethnic or blonde. And the more they said I was like I feel like I'm not the you know, I feel like I'm short and I have brown hair and I don't you know.

Ann Roberts:

5:56

And I was like is this is? Are? Are they telling me I can't do this? And my mom was Italian and my mom was like, yeah, no one's. Like why wouldn't we be able to do it, whatever it is? But I thought like I don't know, there's so many things around this that don't seem right.

Ann Roberts:

6:13

So I walked over from my department over to the other department, which was broadcast journalism. I was in the radio television department and I walked over there and I was like do you guys have any internships? And she said yes, oh, at entertainment tonight. And I said that sounds really special. And I just remember, even from a young age, I loved anything that felt special. I was like I want to be special. And so I was like, oh, everybody over there who had already my professors, had already said you're not that. I was like well, I'm going to wander over here and I'm going to find what's special over here. So I did that internship and I just never left. I stay. I stuck my foot in the door and I felt special from the day I got there and I thought, by hook or by crook, I'm just going to stay, I'm going to be quiet, I'm going to work hard. I'm going to know where the bathroom is.

Ann Roberts:

6:59

You know, I'm going to show up on time and you know, and they and they let me stay, and I felt special and that was enough for me. I mean, eventually I got paid, you know, for many years, um, but you know, for those that first year, but I, you know, I stayed and then I ended up falling in love with it because it's it's very creative and, sure, there were times when I would run into things that I didn't even understand and I didn't know, but I would just sort of go away and think, like, you know, everybody, everybody has to figure it out. So I'm just going to go away and figure out, and I think that's when I I really saw the height of being a seeker, because you know, there the internet was just starting. I'm that old, but you know there was no, you didn't just go find the answer. So I would have to, like call someone, or you know, look it up, or you know whether it had to do with editing or a camera position or a job. I would sit there and think like I don't know what this person is talking about, but if I don't find out I won't get to stay at the special place. So I would just like all I have to do is go find out the answer. So I would go find out the answer and come back with my little tools and, and I feel like that's sort of what I've done the whole time I've got, I've gotten to where you know, to sort of the end of some of these jobs.

Ann Roberts:

8:13

I was at Entertainment Tonight and then we went and did Access Hollywood, which is basically the same show but with different humans and colors for the graphics. But each step of the way I was a little older and a little wiser and it was a little easier, you know. And then I ran into a brick wall, like we all do, where I was like, oh God, I want to get married and maybe have a kid, and this job is 24 seven and what do I do? And so I shifted a little bit, but I took a year. It took a year. I was in my pajamas, you know, crying at home going like what are the other jobs?

Ann Roberts:

8:46

I don't even know. But I took a year and I went out and I met people and I had lunches and informational. You know, people are just nice, they want to give you information.

Ann Roberts:

8:56

And finally, after years, even after I did all that legwork, what really happened is a girl in a yoga class, because I love me some yoga. A girl in a yoga class came up to me and she's like wait, I'm looking for somebody to work at E with me. You know, you used to work in entertainment, didn't you? And I was like, yes, I did. And she was like, come on, in, Cause we were in the yoga class together.

Ann Roberts:

9:19

That's a good interview, and so then I went to E for a couple of years and then I went to ABC for a couple of years and now I'm an independent producer and I take all those tools that I had and I put together shows for HGTV and Disney and I still like it, I still really enjoy it. But there are definitely are times when, you know, when I get stuck and I'm like God, I don't understand what I'm supposed to do yet and right now, and I feel like, whether by hook or by crook, or good or bad, I'm always like I'm going to go find it, I'm going to go interview a bunch of people or I'm going to investigate something, you know, until I get unstuck, and so that's, that's sort of been. You know, that's been my path.

Mari Roberts:

10:01

I love that and I think what is really just calling this out. You met someone in a yoga class and I just want to say one you never know where you're going to meet someone. And two, when the thing is for you, it finds you. Sometimes you're looking, sometimes you're not looking, but it will find you because that lady may not have said anything to you, she could have just thought it and kept going.

Ann Roberts:

10:28

She's still one of my best friends. I'm the godmother of her son. We went on to get married, have kids together. You know she's been sort of a North star for me, always helped me. You know she's the one who put me up for the Disney job and then we've been friends for, yeah, 20 years that is hilarious and hilarious, but nothing is that random, you know I guess you're right. I never thought about it that way before, but I I guess you're right.

Mari Roberts:

10:57

Yeah, that's not really a random. That was just what we call that synchronicities coming together, you know.

Ann Roberts:

11:05

Yeah, I guess all that was meant for me. I, yeah, I usually think like oh, I was so lucky, but you're, you're, yeah.

Mari Roberts:

11:12

I mean what you know. Let's go to Oprah. Oprah says you know something about. Luck is like being being ready, but you know, being something I don't know. I never say all these things, right.

Ann Roberts:

11:21

But I know there's that whole thing about like Timing timing meets, you're ready.

Mari Roberts:

11:26

Yeah, yeah.

Ann Roberts:

11:28

Pope says it better. But yeah, I know Totally, she does.

Mari Roberts:

11:35

I'm not Oprah.

Ann Roberts:

11:36

Okay.

Mari Roberts:

11:39

Her billions of dollars hiking away in Hawaii, whatever. Before we dive into my questions, I actually just have to tell you and acknowledge, like, one of the things that I absolutely love about you is how much of a cheerleader you are for other people, and I just think that it's one of the like. There's many qualities that I love about you, but that's one of the biggest things that I always remember. So you know again, Ann's known me for a long time, so she knew me before I was even in human resources world. She knew me when I was an event planner and truly the best one at the fancy places.

Ann Roberts:

12:22

Oh my gosh.

Mari Roberts:

12:23

Oh my gosh, but you actually knew me before, like right when I was starting, before I even, like, got on, I think, full-time at the winery.

Ann Roberts:

12:32

Oh and.

Mari Roberts:

12:32

I think I was, I think I think so. I think I was still like trying to figure it out or something.

Ann Roberts:

12:36

I don't really remember, but even then I was so impressed because you were always, and you still are, just so in control and buttoned up and in the most calm way. You never hit people on the head with your power. You were just so strong in such a classy, calm way and you know, lots of times people wield their power by yelling or demanding or, you know, making you feel less than, and you just were always so calmly powerful. And that's that I, that's what I feel when I think about you.

Mari Roberts:

13:19

Oh my goodness. Well, thank you Don't make me cry now, but that I just remember you cheering me on before I even was like super successful and in terms of like that career, and that really always meant so much to me. And also, before I forget, I'm feeling all this energy in my head so I know that I can't forget. I have to do your Oracle card. Oh my gosh, before I even get into the questions, this is what happens We'll start talking and then I get off track. So this is an Oracle card that is from the Asia to shore deck. It's just the deck of the podcast. Apparently it's called guided by spirit. I pulled the card before our session, our session it. I pulled the card before our session.

Mari Roberts:

14:07

Our session our call the podcast. It wanted to be a session. We could have a session. I'm going to book a session after this. That's what I'm going to do, and so I pulled the card. I haven't looked at it yet and basically this message will be for you, but it's also for me, it's for anyone who's listening. It doesn't matter if you listen in a week from now, in a month from now or a year from now. So if this message lands with you, it's definitely for you.

Mari Roberts:

14:36

So the card, which I love, this card it's fearless and it basically is showing like someone getting ready to, like they're jumping off a cliff into the water, fearless. So let me just connect in and I'll share what the message is. Then we'll officially get into the questions. So fearlessness is in your nature, it's who you are and this is not something that you have to answer. But the question is where are you hiding? Where are you covering that part of yourself that is fearless? And I feel like I'm hearing a tiger roar. So where are you not allowing that fearlessness to come out and to shine I just heard and to play that's so funny. So I take that when I hear that as, like you can be fearless in a playful way. So sometimes you can think about that fearlessness as you have to maybe break down doors. But what if it's just fearlessness in more play? And it's so funny because the words that are coming is like tackling the challenge with a little more play to open up the doors. Does that make sense? Mm-hmm.

Ann Roberts:

15:54

I think so. I mean something I've been focused on lately which is sort of the heaviest challenge for me and is, yeah, is my teen kids becoming adults and me rearranging my relationship with them so that I'm not a police officer anymore, making sure that they don't die. You know, on my watch and more, that I'm an advisor and a judge. You know an advisor in there, not a judge, definitely not a judge, but an advisor in their journey, as opposed to the police officer in their journey. And it's very hard because I'm very I'm. I realize that I am, I realize that I am.

Ann Roberts:

16:49

I have a lot of fear as a parent, like work is freaking, the easiest thing ever. Like I'll cold call anyone, I'll do anything. You know, someone says like we can't do that. I'm like, oh yes, we can. But when I think about my kids, you know, like what if the wrong thing happens? What if they, you know, don't make the grades or go to that college or take a break from school or fall off the skateboard? I mean a myriad of things. And I was. I was listening to a parenting podcast called feeding the mouth that bites you and the guy's very, very Christian and spiritual wrapped up in the parenting pot in the parenting part. So it's funny. I don't know how many people can get past all of that spirituality to hear what he's saying but I grew up Catholic and so it it, you know it's.

Ann Roberts:

17:35

I went to 12 years of Catholic school. My kids are in Catholic school. So I'm like I don't feel like it's hurting me, but it is. It's very spiritual in there.

Ann Roberts:

17:43

But his thing is like you just can't be fear-based, and especially if you do have some belief in a bigger world or God or the universe or whatever, because you know you should be leaning a little bit to like that's their journey. The world has a purpose, there are no mistakes, all those things. And I'm like, yeah, I believe all those things, except for about these two people with my last name, and I realized that that's very hypocritical. So, like this has been the last year of my life. So it's interesting that you say fearless, because I mean I am, yeah, I am fighting, being so fearful. And his whole thing is, by the way, you're not really you're not. You can't control human beings, whether it's your friend, your husband, your kids. You can't control people anyway. So it's a it's fake to think that you are controlling them with whatever bad mood you're in. So, just to go to the playful part, I've been trying with my 15 year old son to, yeah, to just be a little lighter about it instead of like you can't which no one hears.

Ann Roberts:

18:58

And I've been saying like, hey, what do you think about that thing? I think that's kind of a funny thing I've been trying to. You know, he put in on the rap music. That's like every you know word that I've heard and I've said, and I'm okay with it, but it's like at 7.00 AM I'm like I don't think he should be listening to that. And now I'm like what do you think he means by that thing? Right there, and we, you know, and I realized like it's it's an easier way in to to laugh about it than to try and control it, cause that caps out of the bag.

Mari Roberts:

19:28

Yeah, it's gone, yeah, yeah. Well, there's so much there. One, first of all, the fact that your teenager is 15 and I went to their preschool graduation yeah, just going to say that right there, that is mind blowing, yeah, but I do think that that's an interesting thing to think about. How could you fearlessly approach them in this playful way and for yourself, looking at it from the yeah, it's not fear-based, but what's a fearless way to engage? And then there's something that my mom said to my yeah, it's not fear-based, but what's a fearless way to engage? And then there's something that my mom said to my younger brother that just comes to my mind. I remember she told him when he was in high school I think it was ninth grade. She's like it's your choice. You can make this a difficult four years or you can make this an easy four years. How do you want this to go?

Ann Roberts:

20:24

And how can you blend?

Mari Roberts:

20:27

Yeah, she was. How can you blend that with a little bit of play, giving them the control of how they want their years to go and then playing in there?

Ann Roberts:

20:38

Right Cause I think eventually don't we just all want to have a good relationship? You know, then, having your kid cut you out of their life, but saying like but they got, you know they, they took all those AP classes yeah.

Mari Roberts:

20:53

I mean cause, what's AP class when it could be? You know, potentially all they want is a little more quality time with you and their friends.

Ann Roberts:

21:02

Or or yeah, and just not, uh, leading with a critique. Yeah, you, you've met my niece, um Nina, who's now 32. Stop aging me. Yeah, I don't, I will and we're 32, but I this is a weird thing, but I she is favorite person. That's not nice to say.

Ann Roberts:

21:26

I have children and friends and my sister and you know it's her mom and blah blah, but I'm just saying she's one of the coolest people that I know. And I started doing this trick where I was like and she and I laugh when we talk and I don't get to talk to her all the time, she's married and has a life and all kinds of things but when I do, we just laugh and have a great time. And I thought what if I talk to my kids the way that I talked to her? Cause I would never say, like you know what you really need to paint your bedroom? Cause it's not, you know, like in the authority. I'm like what are you going to do? You just moved into a new house. What are you going to do with your bedroom? I can't wait to see.

Ann Roberts:

22:08

And I was like what if I gave all that nice grace of how I treat people who I don't want? You know who I'm thinking about? I don't know. It's just, it's an interesting like it's fear. It's also letting go. It's, you know, it's giving grace. What if? What if I was just nice?

Mari Roberts:

22:20

Cause you know, sometimes to the people closest to you, you're like, anyway, yeah, totally, why is your stuff on the sink? I love that idea and it sounds like a good thing to play with. And the thing I remember telling my mom this is not about me, but it's just like I feel like it lands will land with you my senior year in high school. I'm going to go to college the next year. Okay, summer, my mom still has a curfew on me. I'm like, okay, listen, lady, I'm going to tell you when I get to college. I'm going to stay out until two in the morning and I'm going to call you, cause back then, like, text wasn't a thing you know, and I'm going to call you because I'm going to stay out late, you know. So, yeah, the cat was out of the bag, yeah.

Ann Roberts:

23:08

Yeah, but your mom, you know again, I think you were growing up and all your hormones were growing up and you were, you were becoming an adult. You were probably an adult very like in ninth grade. You're so together and your mom doesn't have any hormones in her body that we're saying like yeah, your job's to let go like untwine yourself, like from her lady she was just like am I going to go with her?

Mari Roberts:

23:31

Yeah.

Ann Roberts:

23:31

Yeah. Like what the heck it's.

Mari Roberts:

23:36

I don't think it's easy. It's definitely not easy, but knowing that it's not easy and also even just having that conversation to remind them that you're a human and it's not easy for you to like switch gears, is also, I think, helpful, you know, because it helps them see that you're also human, trying to adjust to them becoming grownups, kind of opening the door a little bit on the other side are a little bit on the other side.

Ann Roberts:

24:05

Did you have a moment in, did you have a moment in your relationship with your mom where you weren't as close, and then you came back around Like, did you have like different seasons growing up?

Mari Roberts:

24:14

No, I feel like it was very similar throughout. But also something that my mom and I talk about now is like I never wanted my mom to be my best friend and my mom never considered me her best friend. We are like, definitely mother daughter and that is that role. So you know, there are things I will never tell my mother and she doesn't want me to tell her. You know, and I think because of that, that's where we had sort of that healthiness. But I also know that my mom is my one of my best advisors. So I'm going to always go to my mom when I have a question or concerns or, you know, want to talk through something or have doubts, you know. So I think that's part of it too, you know, just remembering that piece. And then also, you know, my dad was a little office rocker sometimes, you know. So my mom was the go-to and my dad was an office rocker. My dad was just a very difficult human and not very rational most of the time. So I think there's that too right. Like I knew that my mom was like the rational go to person.

Mari Roberts:

25:33

But again, I never tried to, I never tried to have a kind of relationship where it was like best friendy, like my mom would never know anything about you know actually dating life. This is a great example dating life. My old roommate sometimes would be like, oh, mari, dating somebody, and my mom's like I don't know you're dating somebody. I'm like, look, you don't need to know about anybody I'm dating, unless they're worth me telling you. Or else she might be thinking I'm, you know, a loser or worried about something. You know what I mean. So I think there's those healthy boundaries of how much we communicated in that way. But I called her all the time. Actually, I feel more like I feel guiltier now than I did when I was younger. When I was younger, before I started really getting busy in corporate, I talked to her far more often than I do now, and now I feel more guilty because I don't talk to her as much. But I just know that I can't also like she understands.

Ann Roberts:

26:32

Yeah, it sounds like she knows you well and knows your priorities not not your priorities, but your responsibilities and she's not trying to guilt you into anything, which I think with some of those relationships, when they get that intertwined, there's definitely guilt in there. Yeah, yeah, a lot of my friends have a guilt relationship with their, with their parents, and they don't love it.

Mari Roberts:

27:00

It's not fun to have guilt, and I rather not feel guilty, but you can always readjust that you know. But it also that takes a little courage to to have those kinds of conversations. And you know, I'm sure that when the tide started shifting, when I wasn't talking to my mom as much because my work life started getting so busy, because really my work life started getting busy, and then I started getting tired and it's like I don't have the energy or capacity to have conversations with most people, you know, I'm sure that there was a period of time where she was probably just like a little bummed, Right, but also she knows that I'm not not a bad kid or a bad person, Right, and that it's nothing out of like ill intent.

Ann Roberts:

27:43

Right. She knows your heart, she knows who you are to her and who you are she is to you.

Mari Roberts:

27:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think that's just a journey. I think it's just a journey, but having that balance and just playing with that.

Ann Roberts:

27:57

I love this.

Mari Roberts:

27:58

We just totally got off into different things. Now I'm going to start asking you real questions, Okay, into different things. Now I'm going to start asking you real questions, Okay. So for TV and for your world, you sort of touched on this with even just your. You know how you walked over to the other department. Was it a passion instantaneously or, you know, even just even going back to just TV and radio? Right, Was it an early passion or did it sort of come through college? How did it like sort of bubble up in your life?

Ann Roberts:

28:39

When I was younger, I grew up in a small town and everybody there were sort of two or three jobs that people did you were either. I grew up in San Pedro, which is in the port of Los Angeles, so most people that I knew their parents were, you know, their dads were longshoremen. They worked in the port and they made $125,000 the minute you got into that union. Now it's a lot of money. And so most of the most of the kids were you know they're. They were either first generation or second generation and their parents wanted them to go to college. But then you went to college but then you came back home so they would send a kid to UCLA or USC or Pepperdine, but then you knew you were going to come back home and if you were a guy, lots of the guys were going to work on the docks. And then the other jobs that I knew about for women were like lawyers or you know, and my dad was a, was a, worked for a shipping company and he worked on the docks, so I knew that job, but then my mom didn't work and so the other jobs I knew were like teacher, my sister was a nurse, I knew real estate agents and and my brother-in-law was going to be a lawyer. But no one, no one ever talked to me about jobs.

Ann Roberts:

29:46

And I like to write. I was always journaling, I was writing poems, angsty teen. And my next-door neighbor, uncle Ben. One day I remember him going like, hey, ann, I hear you typing a lot, which I know meant at night, and your window's right next to my window and that's annoying. But he was like, oh, you're going to be a writer. And I was like, yeah, I'm going to be a writer. And I don't know what, what does that mean? And so, anyway, when I went to college I was that's when I was like, oh, radio and television, I was going to write news copy, which would have been horrifically boring to me. And so then I was like, oh, I be a reporter, whatever. And then I made that walk, that fateful walk across the street, and I will say them the day that I went to that internship I love pop culture and so entertainment tonight was pop culture.

Ann Roberts:

30:36

I think if I had been writing about like fires and crime you know, I don't even gravitate towards like those kind of shows on tv right now, or the news makes me nervous before I go to bed. I'm I. They just made me think the whole world sucks Um, because that's their job, but I. So I went to the right place and so everything was like celebrities and shenanigans and what are you wearing? And all that, and it was light and silly and they were little stories that I, you know, you got to tell you went out.

Ann Roberts:

31:05

And then I got to go interview people. You know, that was the next job. I, I, you know, I got to go interview celebrities when our big reporters weren't available and that was so fun. I was just asking people questions who were, you know, fancy and things, and I and whatever I wanted to know that's what the viewer wanted to know. So that was fun. And then you came back with your little interview and you went into an edit bay and that was really cool. Someone was like editing together. But as I was doing all that, I was like that editing job's really cool, but I do not want to sit in this little room and become grumpy. To this day, jerry Tenenbaum and I are still friends, but he was like I remember when I came in he was like you're too young to be here. You don't even know what you're talking about. And then I went in the bathroom and cried but I was like I. Then I was like check, I'm checking that off my list Cause Jerry Tenenbaum's very grumpy all the time.

Ann Roberts:

31:58

So that was. And then I was looking at the cameraman and I was literally like that seems heavy. Like that seems heavy, he's got to carry that thing around. I don't want that job. So I literally for those first couple of years I just kept crossing things off and I was like I like talking to people, I like making a story, and that is what I've done my whole entire career. I've never given that thing up. I like talking to people.

Ann Roberts:

32:19

So a lot of my shows have to do with talent. I watch somebody and I'm like they might be fun on a talk show or yeah. So I, you know, I like talking to people and I like telling a little story. And I did sort of stumble on that really quickly. And and then I got paid. So I was like, well, this is a job. And then there was a union and my dad, who was a longshoreman, was like getting a union. I didn't even know what that meant. So then I was like, dad, I'm in the union and my parents, till the day they died. We're still like we're not really sure what you do for a living, but like you get paid. And I was like I do get paid. They were like what is that? Because it was not what you did as a kid who grew up in San Pedro you know, it was not one of the coveted.

Ann Roberts:

33:02

You know lawyer, doctor, nurse, you know teacher longshoreman. So I don't really know how they let me do it and how I let. I don't know how I think, cause I got paid and I was in a union, so they were like okay, well those are all good things.

Mari Roberts:

33:16

You know that my grandfather was a longshoreman, but so funny in San Francisco.

Ann Roberts:

33:22

Oh, you're kidding. That's another really strong union place. Yeah.

Mari Roberts:

33:26

Yeah, that's so wild. I think that's so cool.

Ann Roberts:

33:30

It was a great, it's a great, great job and it's a great family Like it's a family mentoring thing too. I feel like a lot of my friends did it and then their kids are doing it, you know, yeah.

Mari Roberts:

33:42

And then my, my, my mom and dad, for a short period of time, lived in LA. My mom, I think she said it was in LA, and then also back when they moved to San Francisco she worked for I think she worked for a cruise line, but she was like doing bookkeeping, she was the person who paid everyone.

Ann Roberts:

34:01

Yes, out of the port of LA is all the cruise ships this side of the Mississippi come through the port of LA.

Mari Roberts:

34:08

Yeah, yeah, and she said she loves that job. She's like it was so much fun. Isn't that so funny? Yes, so wild, I love that. Okay, thank you. So here's another thing I'm going to ask you and I didn't ask you if I could ask you this, but you did just tell me that you've just finished your degree. What made you decide to go back, just out of curiosity, because you have this long, amazing career already? What was that draw? To say, like I'm going to get the final little stamp, I, just as I pull my hair out for anyone who's watching the video or not watching the video hearing this.

Ann Roberts:

34:43

by the way, your hair is so awesome I can't even take it. It is so dang cute in the highlights and the whole night.

Ann Roberts:

34:49

I know that's not what we're talking about, but the whole time I'm like thank you. So I got that internship my junior year and I lied and I pretended like it was my senior year, but I really just was trying to be done with school and go to whatever's the next thing, and cause I still lived at home, my parents were like you can't go away. You know, yeah, you're an Italian girl and we, you don't move away until you get married, which is so archaic, and what in the hell does that even mean? Anyway, I just was ready to go and so, yeah, my junior year, I got that internship. You're supposed to wait till you're a senior. I lied, and then the internship was going to be over in three months and 30 more interns were going to come in and I was like they're never going to remember me. So I just, I was like I'm just going to get a job there and and do whatever. So I started answering the phones for $125 a week and they were like that's not no money and I was like I don't care, I lived at home.

Ann Roberts:

35:48

And then I tried to go to school at night. My heart just wasn't in it and I was driving an hour to Paramount studios, and then you know, from San Pedro, and then I would drive an hour to Long Beach state and I just I started getting bad grades in college. And so then I was just like I'm done and I was four units away from graduating and my parents could care less. I was in the Director's Guild of America. I was in the Writer's Guild of America, I supported myself, I made good money, could have cared less. They were like did you ever finish that degree? Did you ever finish your degree? Did you ever do? You think you can go back and get there? And I just never could. I was, I was. They were those um, what is that called Upper division classes, and they were only on campus.

Mari Roberts:

36:32

Don't even get me started.

Ann Roberts:

36:34

I couldn't finish, but I carried that folder around with me. This dog aired piece of garbage folder that said Long Beach state on it and it had my transcripts and the Scarlet A's of the classes. I had gotten D's in and one D, and then also I just never took the other class. So I would call every once in a while and it'd be like you know how Jay Leno got an honorary degree, like how do you do that? And they're like you be Jay Leno.

Ann Roberts:

37:02

And I was like okay, I'd say you know what, if I came and spoke at the school, like would you guys help me? And they were like you could come and I'd go speak at the school. And then I'd be like how do I close this? And they're like you come back and you take the course. So when I, during COVID, I called up and I was like can I take this class online? And they were like yes, you can so, but then I don't know if I told you this part then they were like you're, you haven't been here in 102 years and so like, guess what? To graduate is all different.

Mari Roberts:

37:35

They reevaluate it and they're like it's 30 units.

Ann Roberts:

37:37

That is some BS. And that is what I said. I was like, okay, well, I don't need to say I graduated, but like I, I did some shows. Man, I would think you would want to say so. Anyway, uh, I, the head of the journalism department called me back later and she was like I know you're not going to take 30 units. She was like, could you take five classes? And I was like I don't want to, but if you like, that's what I have to do to graduate. And then I took the five classes, all online. They were super interesting and hard and hurt my head and you know, like global journalism and then a writing class. But it was so fun and I read books and I wrote and I sat. I was in there with 22 year olds and I remembered you know that not everybody thinks the way I think and how you know it was all beneficial to me, but man, it was so much work.

Ann Roberts:

38:26

There were finals.

Mari Roberts:

38:27

Yeah, it's amazing.

Ann Roberts:

38:28

Congratulations, thank you Because the answer to your story was one I'm a Virgo and I like to complete lists and to probably like lower on the totem pole, even though I always pretended like it was higher on the totem pole was. You know, my parents were like when are you going to finish? But I did it for me, if I'm honest about it.

Mari Roberts:

38:47

Yeah, yeah, you know.

Ann Roberts:

38:49

I said all these years it was for my parents, but like I think I carried it around feeling weird about it.

Mari Roberts:

38:54

Yeah, for sure. Oh my goodness, I love that.

Ann Roberts:

38:57

And you guys have a lot of college-y kind of things, you and your crew. Yes, we did.

Mari Roberts:

39:02

We did we did? We sure did so. For me for college, I had one class left to take to graduate from St Mary's. Moved to Hawaii. It was undergrad, by the way, undergrad anthropology, and my major was anthropology, sociology, and I had an undergrad anthropology class I needed to take to graduate. Move to Hawaii, we moved to Maui and right after college, and Maui junior college said they had that class every semester. I went every semester. They did not have the class Shut up.

Mari Roberts:

39:37

No, so then when I moved home because, for those who are listening, I moved home because my mom and dad were divorced my mom was working in Santa Cruz, my and I'm from Redding California and my younger brother is eight years younger, so he was still in high school my dad had recorrective back surgery and when they opened him up his he had a staff infection that was dormant, that just like went wild. So my mom asked if I would consider moving home to help take care of my younger brother, so that you know my dad wouldn't be taken advantage of because she was five hours away and couldn't get up to to Reading. So when I moved back home to help take care of my brother, I went to the junior college in Reading, shasta Junior College and took that stupid class in Reading, shasta Junior College and took that stupid class. It was so easy. I got an A because it was my freaking major college and I was just like this class is so easy.

Mari Roberts:

40:38

Okay, I know all the answers. I've done all this upper division crap and I had my. It was intro. I think it was intro to anthropology.

Ann Roberts:

40:48

Oh my gosh.

Mari Roberts:

40:49

Yeah, so that was me. But I mean, like Megan, she had lots of different school before we moved to back and it was all of us basically like around the same time. So when I went back home, but then after that, we ended up shortly after all in Napa and that's when she and. Heather went back to finish school too, because they hadn't finished school. So, yeah, it's just a journey. And my younger brother, I think, just finished his degree. He just went back to school, like last year, just finished his degree.

Ann Roberts:

41:23

So and it's funny because I don't know, 10, 20 years from now, I don't even know that degrees will mean anything if it keeps trending the way it's trending. Although I mean, I went to Megan's graduation and nobody was happier than all of us. You know all the delays and her parents and you know I mean again, it's like it's such a rite of passage. You know that. I don't know the world. The world's going to be very interesting in the next 10 years.

Mari Roberts:

41:51

Oh my God, it's going to be so interesting. But I feel like, even if it's not a college degree, I think even if someone is getting a, you know you're, you know the things that we need electricians and plumbers or whatever trade it is I think that the that celebration or at least I hope that celebration falls into whatever else it is that people are going to you know if you're going to do something and put the time in for it, not forgetting to celebrate it and making it a big deal, whether it is a four-year degree or something else, because not everyone is meant to go to four-year school either, and I think we forget that. And you know my older brother. He didn't finish college but he's had his business for like 30 something years and he's very successful in his business. He didn't need that for the work that he does, that he's super passionate about.

Ann Roberts:

42:45

So and it's funny cause, when I went to go for my best job I had, which was a decade, at Disney, I was engaged with the HR person, who is your lifeline, and she was, like, we're going to offer you the job. I said, oh my God, I don't even know what to say. This is the most amazing thing. And she said we're going to do a background check on you and I was like, okay, that is the weirdest thing I've ever heard. And then and she said, oh, can you send me all your information about your graduate? You know you're graduating, all this stuff.

Ann Roberts:

43:18

And, mari, I had all those years. I just decided one year on my resume. I didn't even really need a resume because I just kept falling around the same executive producer. But one day, when I needed and when I was like I'm just going to put down my what, I'm going to explain to people that I have four units left, I'm just like I, I just did my mind. So, anyway, I called her up and I said you know what I just want to let you know. On the resume I submitted to you, it says that I graduated. But I really am four units away and I didn't graduate. And she said you're so lucky, you told me that because I do check those things and if I had checked it and you, you know this and you had lied about it, you would not be getting an offer from us. The fact that you told me and you have four units up, I don't care, but if you lied you'd not be working. I was like I tell everyone that story because she was gracious enough to tell me.

Ann Roberts:

44:06

And again, that's your world all day long, but I was like, wow, that's a defining thing If you have the guts to write a big, fat lie like that on a resume you might not.

Mari Roberts:

44:20

So here's funny. So I first was in recruiting for finance. So finance does background check galore, like they're drug test all of it. You cannot work there if you got any kind of problems. Okay, which was. So I was like whoa, like you get, everyone gets drug tested. When you start, everyone gets like a major. Like your credit gets checked, all the stuff Fast forward. I go into the tech world for recruiting they don't drug test in tech PS. When you start, everyone gets like a major. Like your credit gets checked, all the stuff Fast forward. I go into the tech world for recruiting they don't drug test in tech PS.

Mari Roberts:

44:53

Oh, interesting, yeah, you know why? Because so many people smoke pot and they would like not be able to hire all the people. Before pot was like legal, legal and you know states, you know, and they know that. So they don't drug test but they do background check. And it was the first year that I went into from finance to tech. That was the first year that it became a big deal with doing background checks and validating college degrees, because some big wig lied about their college degree and it became a huge, huge problem and because of that they all started making sure that if they, if anyone is like you know anyone, but specifically if you are, you know, going in for like a VP, svp type roles. They were like we have to always check If you say you have a degree. If you don't have a degree, we can't hire you, cause it was like some big scandal. I don't really remember what it was, but, yeah, pretty wild yeah.

Ann Roberts:

45:56

I'm told. By the way, I think HR people and recruiters have to have a sixth sense, because you're meeting so many people and to like weed out and all of that. I mean that is a crazy, crazy specific skill because you know you're, you're the one serving up the next, you know the next superstars.

Mari Roberts:

46:21

Well, and I would. I would say that not all recruiters are created equally and I, especially, having been in university recruiting, I feel really strongly that it's the recruiter's job to look at a resume and be able to share a story about a person. And so often that doesn't happen because of just being lazy to be, I think, to be honest. But I have seen resumes of students where I would tell them like hey, I can clearly see that you are working to pay for your school, so I'm going to invite you to put on there like how many hours you work a week, or even that you know you're covering a percentage of your tuition, because usually that's what they're doing. So they can't get necessarily like the type of internship jobs maybe that other kids are getting. But as a recruiter it's also my responsibility to say like hey, I've seen this resume, maybe even spoken to this person, and like this is someone worth talking to, just because they didn't have the little X, y, z fancy thing. Like if, if I'm seeing a kid's resume, that's, you know, 3.2 and above, and they're clearly working to pay their way through school in some form or fashion and they're doing all these other things, it's like lazy to not again. I'm on a little horse because I see it, I would see it so often. It's lazy to not give that person a chance and is to not talk to the managers and articulate why this person deserves an opportunity to at least interview. You know, just because they didn't go to again.

Mari Roberts:

47:55

I'm going to name all the schools that everyone I'm sure I'm going to get a little hate for this just because he didn't go to Berkeley or Stanford or UPenn or Georgia Tech, like I can name all the schools that are the top schools that you know if your kid, if you didn't go there, the managers don't want to talk to them. It's like a whole lot of blarkey BS. Okay Off that. I could go on forever. So my next question for you is I'm cheating. I'm looking at my questions for you talking about joy. How do you connect with your joy?

Ann Roberts:

48:27

I still love to read, like a person with a book and a thing. But I don't have a ton of time for that, so I have gotten into audible in the ugliest way possible, like I can't wait for my credit to come. And I listened to podcasts and I, so I go, I try my best to go for a walk around our neighborhood. We live in the Hills four times a week and I just stick in that. Whatever I'm listening to, some days I don't want to. You know, I don't want to listen to someone amazing who's telling me like a new way of doing something that I, you know, like, if I like, some days I want that. I want to know like, oh my God, so what Oprah wrote a new book like? Or Michelle Obama or like. And then some days I just want to listen to some ridiculous like romance novel. That's just dumb and silly and not a lot of work and it's.

Ann Roberts:

49:24

It's funny because I've joined a hundred gyms. I want to go to Pilates like my other friends, but but I don't know, there's something about going to a gym that makes me feel really guilty. So this walk with my, with my audible, hits all the things Cause in my mind. I'm exercising and I go, I see this really pretty neighborhood which I don't. I know we're probably not going to live here for the rest of our lives, but I enjoy it so much. I've been walking up and down cold water for 18 years and I just love how pretty it is. And I say hi to people and then I'm like, yeah, and I'm listening to this book. So I'm it's free exercise, I'm learning something and it's visually beautiful. So that is one of my favorite things and I also. I also love uh, you know, a mindless television show. I think I was saying that there's this, the lost kitchen show that I've been watching three seasons of. It's the most beautiful looking show. Ship chef's table. I love me.

Ann Roberts:

50:23

I don't even know I'm not going to make any of those things. I'm not, probably not going to go to the restaurant, but it's so beautiful and beautiful shot and pasta and pizza, yeah, I like things that sort of transport me, you know, to somewhere else. For sure I should say something nice like spending time with my husband and kids, but I, yeah, really likes being solitaire.

Mari Roberts:

50:46

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. Finding joy in being with yourself is something that so many people actually have a hard time doing. So to one acknowledge it and admit it, I think, is important, and to give other people like the freedom to enjoy their own time and space with themselves is huge. So just remembering that like, yeah, yes, I like spending time with my husband, I like my dogs, I like my friends, yes, however, time alone is valuable and that fills you with joy. That's more than enough. I love that, and I also love that you love Audible, because I just recently got into Audible and it is what I need in my life.

Ann Roberts:

51:33

So, juicy, and if you put it on 1.5 speed, you get through everything a little bit quicker and you feel like you check more things off. I don't know if that's important to you, but I put it on 1.5 and I listen the speed and I listen quicker.

Mari Roberts:

51:54

I do 1.25. 1.5 feels like a little too fast or I feel like I'm going to miss some of the words. 1.25 is like just slow enough, so I really hear everything, but it's still faster than like regular speed.

Ann Roberts:

52:06

That's interesting. I might try that. I might try that because sometimes I'm listening to it and I'm like man. If this author knew that this is what they sounded like when I was listening to it, they'd be bummed 1.25 still is pretty fast.

Mari Roberts:

52:17

It's still pretty fast. I just got to chill. That's funny. Here's my other question to you around connecting with your inner knowing. That intuition is kind of a two folder and I'm horrible for doing these questions this way, but I am curious how do you connect to your intuition, that inner knowing, and is it any different from like at the work in your professional life, compared to connecting to it with, like, your personal life?

Ann Roberts:

52:45

That's interesting life compared to connecting to it with, like your personal life, that's interesting. I feel like. Yeah, I feel like for work, I know, and I don't need to do anything to know, and it's probably just because I've been doing this thing for so long and I like it and I feel confident with it. I feel like I know. If I don't have it inside of me, I still do that same thing where I like call friends, you know, we call it helping hands, we all sort of like who do we know who can answer this question, but I would say 70% of the time, like I sort of know from, from trial and error, and then I would say, personally, I don't think I know so many things and I I was mentioning this to you I feel like as, again, as a parent and a wife, it feels more cluttered with fingerprints than as a, whatever I do for a living, and I think that's because I am, I do feel affected by social media and all the pictures of people and what they're doing with their kids and you know. And then I get served up like how you deal with teens or or like when you've been married a long time, if you don't have sex, you know, twice a week. That's not a good marriage, you know, whatever. So I feel like I'm served up all these things and it's really hard to be as competent in those areas as social media says you should be. So I feel like I do my.

Ann Roberts:

54:15

I do, yeah, I've less intuition there. I'm sure I have it, I have it, but I second guess myself a lot more in those, in those areas. And then I got to go find some, some podcast or some book or something. And then I'll come back, cause I start lots of conversations with with my husband. I was like I was listening to this podcast and he was like, oh boy, here we go, and I and you know my husband's a great sounding board too, you know I'll go to him and I'll say I was thinking you know this and he, he, you know, and we, we, we, we talk a lot. But yeah, I wish I was more intuitive, I wish I could. I know it's in there, but I always think about it Like it's just covered by a bunch of fingerprints and I'm like, what is it?

Mari Roberts:

55:15

And I think it's such a great image that you were painting in terms of like coverage with the fingerprints of all the other bits of information and noise from the outside, and even just those imprints from your own family around, sort of not hearing yourself and trusting yourself. My invitation to you would be, though, when you are in the know of your personal life, paying attention to how you know do you feel it in your gut, do you feel it in your heart, do you get tingly sensations? And then just slowly testing it and playing with that in your personal life, because it's already there in your professional world. You know what you know. You get a feeling, or whatever it is that. However, it transpires for you in that, and then how do you just like, okay, can I listen to that in my personal life?

Mari Roberts:

55:56

And, whether this helps or not, something that I've been doing with my business social media I started unfollowing a lot of people, which has helped with, like, the noise, partly so I could hear myself and not be distracted by what other people are saying, cause you really do know. You really do know it's just where does it show up for you? Is it a voice you're hearing? Is it feeling you get in your heart, you know tingling in your belly, chills, whatever it is, you know just connecting to that. Yeah, cause it is, you know just connecting to that?

Ann Roberts:

56:27

Yeah, cause it is. It is interesting when I think about professionally and I'm sure it's the same for you. You know I've done it. I know how it ends. You know sometimes it ends and more shows and sometimes something gets canceled. I've survived both of those things. You know I've changed jobs a couple of times in my life and so I'm like I know how those things go and I know how to restart it and I know there's always the next thing and I know it's going to be fine. But I think, yeah, like there's so much pressure on your health as you get older and your marriage as you get older and your you know your adult kids launching into the world. And again, because I've probably followed a bunch of those things, now I keep getting served up everything in that area and and then you can't help but go back to how ever we were raised. Like I said, my whole life I will never say what my mom said. I will never. That is not a thing. So, like some things, I'm better right.

Ann Roberts:

57:28

Nobody at my house said I love you a lot. You were sort of judged by like did you get A's? Did you do as much as your brother did. He was the scholar, athlete, all the things. And my sister and I would be like, well, look what George is doing. And again he didn't. It's not like he turned out perfect. He ended up being the black sheep of our family, but our whole lives we were measured up to him. So you know, and again I think my mom didn't say I love you a lot, because she was afraid if she said I love you we were going to be like great, I'm done, we're what they did. But so I'm like I'm going to say I love you all the time. But that does not mean that I'm not still judging these poor kids by like their grades and their education.

Ann Roberts:

58:14

You know, so I say I love you a lot, but I'm also like, hey, how was the test on India? You know what I mean, and so I, I, I also judge myself pretty hard. I'm not. I know I'm not. I know I'm not great at it as I'd like to be. But yeah, you know, and I'm not, I'm not the you know I mean there's people who are more successful in my career than me, but I'm not sitting there going, oh, I'm not as great, I'm not. Simon Cowell, it's interesting. Yeah, I'd look into that. I got to think about that because you know, I I don't hold myself to the same judgy standards in my work that I do in my personal life. Fascinating.

Mari Roberts:

58:50

Yeah, isn't it though? Yeah, and it's just remembering that we're human. We're just human. It's the journey, you know, but part of the beauty of that is now there's this new level of awareness, so you can say what's this all about? Where did this come from? And it doesn't mean that it's going to like change overnight either. It's just a nice new awareness of something that just got uncovered, and then you can just explore it.

Ann Roberts:

59:24

But is that what you feel when you meditate? Is that what you do? You uncover things like that when you meditate.

Mari Roberts:

59:32

Sometimes I do, sometimes nothing happens, sometimes. Sometimes I'm wanting something to uncover and I hear nothing and I get so pissed off, you know. But sometimes in meditation, yeah, I'll hear a message or, you know, an understanding. Sometimes it's in somebody else talking just like we are talking and then having this realization. Yeah, I'll hear a message or an understanding. Sometimes it's in somebody else talking just like we are talking and then having this realization of something. I was in a group. I want to say like last month we were talking about corporate and working in corporate and the question was asked to me about like why am I so worried? So, like, worried about corporate. You know it came up If I leave corporate, I won't be a good kid, what the hell, what the hell. So what that means is redunculus, but it's awareness and it it was just based on someone asking a question for me to kind of like see it or think about it in a different way. That's a good one.

Ann Roberts:

1:00:30

But right, like yeah, because when you're, yeah, when you're growing up, that's something that is perceived as a good kid, yeah, yeah, and you'd need to reshape. You know the power and what you're doing to, to, to decide that you're a good kid with the power that you're offering.

Mari Roberts:

1:00:47

Oh, yeah, so fascinating, and or what if I didn't put that on anything? What if I was a bad kid? Or that my job, whatever that meant, didn't mean anything, anything about how I am as a human. So, yeah, so it comes up in different ways. It comes up in different ways and I mean sometimes I can listen to something you know, another podcast or see here or something on TV and have like ahas about how in the world have I been thinking about my life in this way, you know, or this situation in this way?

Ann Roberts:

1:01:34

Well, I think that's the blessing of what you give as your gift in coaching and your upcoming class. And you know, and this podcast is sort of stopping people in their tracks and asking questions that bring up, you know, awareness and that stop you and say, hey, you know, your life is worthy of thinking about, to untrick yourself and unburden yourself, you know cause again, nobody, that's not a thing, you know you're, you just like getting through your day, you know, so you can be a good kid, and you know, and, yeah, and you're right, like you know, it's so trite because every once in a while I'll say to somebody, you know, I'll be like, listen, we're going to freaking die one of these days and so if we were going to go do this thing, you know, because we're going to die, and then I'm like, why do?

Ann Roberts:

1:02:25

I have to say it, like I have to throw out that we're going to die in order to say we should go up to Napa Valley for two days, like with my girlfriend.

Mari Roberts:

1:02:34

You know, I don't really it doesn't need to be that extreme, but it is I hear myself saying it a lot Like we're going to die one of these days, so like we better enjoy something right now, you know, and I'm like, oh, and it's almost like putting the pressure of saying that to create the action, versus to what you were saying right before. That is like you are just inherently worthy of those things. You are inherently worthy of experiencing joy, of doing the things that you love in your life and living your purpose, your passion, just because you are you, and that's weird.

Ann Roberts:

1:03:14

That that is. That is a massive gift, you know, getting someone to even believe a smidge of that.

Mari Roberts:

1:03:22

Yeah, and then you know, maybe it doesn't have to be the full thing, it's just one little thing that gets you to take a step, like all I actually want you to do is take one step. I want you to see your truth and take one step, or see how it could be possible. Ideally you'll take more than one step. Ideally you'll, you know, take lots of steps. But if any of you just have the one thing, that's, that's good, because it, if it's meant for you, it's not going to go away.

Ann Roberts:

1:03:54

It will just still linger. That's, that's the thing that is. You know, again, I think religion gets a bad rap. I always say like I'm a selective Catholic because I don't go to church every week, but when I do step in to a church, I automatically have this, this feeling that is so delightful, that there's something bigger than me and and and I'm not the only one in charge of either fucking up my life or making it perfect you know, when I step in a church, I'm like, oh yeah, there's this whole other thing and that and I can give it up to him or blah blah.

Ann Roberts:

1:04:28

And again, I'm not. It's not like that. I'm the most raging Catholic watching, you know, like reading the Bible every night and going to church, but I, I do believe in in something bigger than me. When I can give it up to that, it definitely feels better. And like I have like a bunch of apps like the insight timer and you know all these things like doing the meditation, and like I have like a bunch of apps like the insight timer and you know all these things like doing the meditation, and I feel like everybody's saying sort of that same thing, using different words, you know, which is you can't take every single piece of it on at the same decibel level or your head is going to pop off. You know, yeah, and? And we? I don't think we were meant to do that.

Mari Roberts:

1:05:09

No, no, no, I mean, and it's we weren't meant to do that, it's also just important. I always like to ground it as, like we're human, we're always going to be human, so the experience isn't going to be always a breeze and easy. But if nothing else other than going outside and seeing like trees doesn't tell you that there's something bigger out there, then I don't know. You know, and and if you even think about nature and even the subtle things of nature and connecting into that sort of I don't know image, essence or whatever, I don't even know how I want to say it, but nature is running at a little hum, you know, and then every once in a while, there's a big something that shakes it up, but then it comes back to a little hum, and so to think that we have to always live at some like great capacity is also, you know, reminding of like. Just look at nature, watch how nature is humming along, you know Wow.

Ann Roberts:

1:06:15

That really I feel that, yeah, cause there are some days when you're just done with the day or done with the week and you're like, you know, was I enough? Did I do enough for people or things? Or you know, did I do, you know, did I check everything off my list? And you're right, some days it's probably it could just be enough to you know, not to be at a hum.

Mari Roberts:

1:06:39

To just be us where we are in the moment. I think that's the other thing is remembering that being in the present is like more than enough. It's actually ideal, which is crazy. Yeah.

Ann Roberts:

1:06:54

Cause we're always like I got to get to the thing and then the thing's happening and then your thing, and then things over and you're like, okay, I don't even remember the thing.

Mari Roberts:

1:07:03

I mean. It is a journey, it's a struggle, like I want my business to be blowing up, kicking off like yesterday. It's been the slowest journey ever, but if I could just sit back every once in a while and see how far I've come, and see that it's not as slow as I thought it is, you know, then it becomes less pressure instead of me like racing to the finish line of what of what?

Ann Roberts:

1:07:33

of what Cause you'd have to create a new thing? Yeah, cause we're. That's what we're doing here. Is we're? Yeah, we're doing things. Wow, this is all so good. I'm going to sleep so good tonight.

Mari Roberts:

1:07:49

I'm so glad, I'm so glad, I'm so glad you're here. So how do you know when you are out of alignment?

Ann Roberts:

1:07:58

I think when I am, when I get angry at things that don't need me to be angry about them, you know that that that could be at work or at home, or with Mark or the kids, or you know, I don't usually. I can't think of a time when I get mad with friends, because you know you only do that to the people who are super close to you, Always, Always.

Ann Roberts:

1:08:24

But yeah, I think when I feel like short-tempered, I know that I don't have the bandwidth, you know, to other things are obviously bugging me that I don't have the bandwidth yeah, to yeah, just be, be okay and when you're in alignment, what does that feel like to you?

Ann Roberts:

1:08:44

I mean it feels so yummy it's, you know it feels again it's all the Virgo things. It feels like you know. I mean I'm eating healthy, I'm, I've been kind to people, I've, you know, I've got all my stuff at work, all my emails sent back, and you know it's definitely a yeah Alignment for me is I've checked a bunch of stuff off my list that is important to me and that makes me feel complete and now I can rest.

Mari Roberts:

1:09:18

Yeah, I love that. What advice would you have for someone who is looking to live their purpose? Do what they're passionate about?

Ann Roberts:

1:09:31

I mean, I'm really methodical about it and I totally go back to what my mom said, like why not you, like who you know? And again, we couldn't have been farther away from like entertainment, you know, growing up in my little teeny town, but she did give you know. She may have not have said I love you a lot, but she really gave us a sense of, of course, like, of course, just go do it. You know. And what that's translated to me is and I've seen it happen over and over and over again I'm that person who all of the friends call and they're like I want to do this thing. I don't know how to do that. I'm like let's get on the internet and like who do we know on LinkedIn? Who does that thing? Like, so I just I feel like I think the harder thing is identifying what you really want, without all the blah blah blah around it.

Ann Roberts:

1:10:27

You know, cause, if cause, you could easily go like I'll never have that because I don't look right, I don't weigh the right thing, I don't have any connections above blah, blah, blah, blah. But all those things can be done. But it's just like is that really the thing that you, you know you want? And if that's the thing you want, you just put yeah, point yourself towards it, and then you, I, I do think you have to do the work, which is like connecting with people and investigating what needs to be done, but I just think we could do that. You could do anything.

Ann Roberts:

1:10:52

I laugh because sometimes I'm like you know, I said to my husband you know, if I wanted to become a doctor, I would just go back to school and become a doctor. School is kind of fun. And he's like what are you talking about? But again, in my mind I'm like there's just steps to all these things. You know, if some other human did it, you know you could do it too. So I don't know. I'm sort of practical about that, where I'm just like find out what you really want to do and just like, do the steps, like you know, yeah.

Mari Roberts:

1:11:22

Yeah, I love that, though, because what one? It's been ingrained in you that you can do it. So if you want to do it, you can do it. And then it's just and I know I'm saying just to making it light, but it is following the steps, and I would add to that, like giving yourself grace, knowing that it may not happen overnight and then it may take a little bit longer than you anticipate it to take, but if you want to do it, if it's on your heart, you can do it. And it's taking steps. Asking for help, you know, cause that's the other thing I heard you say is you know people will. Your friends are going to come to you and ask for help. So you know, if you're listening to this, it's not forgetting to ask for help. You don't have to do it all on your own. Get your friends to help, you know. Get your cheerleading team to support you in taking those steps and being okay with the time that it takes to get there. I love that. Thank you for that.

Ann Roberts:

1:12:19

Yeah.

Ann Roberts:

1:12:20

I do, I have the loveliest, I have the loveliest friends, who we all are like so-and-so's son is looking at this, or do we know anybody who does this? And I think it feels natural to us because at some point one of this crew has done it for us. So you know, you're, you're, you're, you're willing to do it. And I was just thinking of the other thing. When you were just saying that, I was thinking either Pope or Maya Angelou. One of them said you know, and if you get on the road and it's the wrong road, like there's no shame, and like get off that road and just get on another road, hello, yes, that one, I think, is a, is a great one too. It doesn't mean you suck or you failed. It just means like there's a 50 million ways to get there and that one isn't serving me right now.

Ann Roberts:

1:13:09

So I'm going to go, try the other one.

Mari Roberts:

1:13:12

Yes.

Ann Roberts:

1:13:13

That's a hard thing too because I think your, your instinct is to say, oh, I suck, but no, that's just like I don't need to be on that road.

Mari Roberts:

1:13:23

No, and also just remembering that you learned something from that. You got something from that that is going to help you when you get to the right road, the right path, yeah I like dating. I think like that isn't that what we used?

Ann Roberts:

1:13:36

to say about dating?

Mari Roberts:

1:13:37

you know, like yeah yes, dating, you know you're gonna meet a toad or two, but you're gonna learn something about yourself right, you had a good dinner, you went to a concert, some fun sex something, yeah, yeah.

Ann Roberts:

1:13:55

And then he's also that's also not a long-term person, and that's okay, yeah, yeah move on.

Mari Roberts:

1:14:00

Goodbye, yeah, yeah, I love it. So for anyone who might want to find you, how might they find you?

Ann Roberts:

1:14:07

Well, I I'm on Instagram at Anne Anne Lewis Roberts. At Anne Lewis Roberts. That's probably the easiest way.

Mari Roberts:

1:14:16

All right, we'll add that. We'll add the link to that, and thank you so much for being here for the conversation and for just being open to go on this journey with me. I appreciate you so much. I know that you're going to inspire other women or anyone else who's listening to this. I always say it's just women, but I hope that there's some men listening. Hello.

Ann Roberts:

1:14:39

Thank you for having me so much. I'm so impressed with everything that you've done in every season of your life and I'm so happy to be here for for this season. It's very, very cool. You are very cool.

Mari Roberts:

1:14:52

Oh, I love it. Thank you again for being here. I appreciate you so much and I love you so much and we'll talk soon. Everyone, if today's episode resonated with you, share your thoughts and feelings in any review section. So let me know where you're at on your journey, sending you big love to bring those passions to life, because, remember, you deserve it.

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