She Ignites

Candlelit Conversations - When The World Says Shrink, Take Up Space

• Kari

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Ready for a conversation that trades perfection for fire and turns doubt into momentum? Kari sits down with Rebecca Paciorek, online business manager, author ally, and unshakable encourager - to explore what it really takes to burn the rules, rebuild on your terms, and rise louder than before. From a double layoff to a thriving service business for authors, coaches, and speakers, Rebecca shows how reinvention looks when you choose clarity over panic and practice over platitudes.

The heart of this episode is health, honesty, and the long road. Rebecca shares the unfiltered arc of losing 100 pounds over six years, navigating a frightening A1C spike, weight loss surgery that didn’t deliver, PCOS, diabetes, a hysterectomy, and a carefully managed low‑dose GLP‑1 protocol. We dig into the emotional and practical layers: what to do when your body refuses quick fixes, how to partner with doctors, and why stamina, not speed, creates sustainable change. You’ll hear simple, doable habits, tracking, resistance work, inflammation awareness and the mindset shifts that keep you going when results lag.

We also talk visibility and voice. Rebecca can speak to a thousand on stage, yet live video once terrified her. A single cruel comment almost kept her off camera for years. Her comeback is a playbook: short unscripted lives, batch days, compassionate self-talk, and the reminder that other people’s projections are not your truth. For authors and creators, she shares practical marketing steps, media kits, pitching podcasts, email lists, and community accountability, drawn from her Authors Allies membership and podcast. The thread tying it all together is one deceptively simple rule: be nice. Kindness as a practice, confidence as a muscle, and courage as a daily rep.

If you’re building a body of work, a healthier body, or a braver voice, this is your nudge to do it anyway, messy, honest, and on your timeline. 

Subscribe, leave a spicy review, and share this with the woman who needs to hear she’s allowed to take up space. What’s the first brave step you’ll take today?

Find Rebecca here:  https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek

www.sheignitescandleco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheignitescandleco/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thekarilowe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1MLVk3uvJp/

email: kari@girluncovered.com

Post-production editing by SoulFlow Studios - https://soulflowstudios.com/

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to She Ignites, the podcast where we burn the rule book, ditch the shoulds, and light up the lives we were meant to lead. I'm your host, Carrie Lowe, candlemaker, confidence dealer, and your favorite fire starter. Around here, we speak boldly, dream wildly, and show up messy and magical. If you're done playing small and ready to own your own spark, you're in the right damn place. Now let's get lit. Okay, Firestarters. I have been keeping a secret for months, and I'm so ready to share it with you. The guests are coming. This next chapter of She Ignites isn't just me behind the mic. It's women who have burned, rebuilt, and risen stronger. These conversations aren't polite, they're honest, messy, transformative. We're talking to the rule breakers, the dream chasers, the women who have said no to silence and hell yes to their own fire. Because this podcast was never meant to be a monologue. It is a fucking movement. And it's about to get louder. So light your candle, hit play, and meet the women who remind you. Your fire, it was never meant to flicker. It was meant to roar. Welcome, Firestarters. I'm so excited that I have with me today Rebecca Pachoric. I met her at um a women in business event in Columbus, Ohio, or close to there. And it was such an amazing opportunity to get to know different women and their businesses and what they're up to. And I want to share a little bit about Rebecca with you, and then we're going to get into some deep questions. So Rebecca has over 20 years of marketing experience and has worked virtually since the year 2000. With a bachelor's degree in communications and a concentration in marketing, she specializes in content creation, particularly for authors, coaches, and speakers. Rebecca published magazines for almost 20 years and did the majority of their writing and editing. Since the onset of social media, Rebecca has narrowed her niche to creating content for digital marketing projects, from social media strategy and management to newsletters or blogging. She's well versed in putting it all together for your brand. In addition, she does graphics and short social videos to go with her content projects. So she is a woman of large resume, huh? And that's so exciting. I love when I am surrounded by women that um embrace every bit of talent that they have and use it to help others. And it's so exciting. So Rebecca.

SPEAKER_00:

Good. Thank you, Carrie. I'm so excited to be here. And you know that long resume is basically a nice way of saying I'm old, but it's all good. Girl, me too.

SPEAKER_01:

One of my, I remember years and years ago, um, I had, I can't even remember what my job was, but it was a grant funded position, and they were talking about doing away with the program. And I had said something about um, I was thinking about going to culinary school, and I had three young kids at that time. And my oldest said, What is that thing that people write in the paper about you when you die? And I said, You're obituary. And she said, Yes. She said, We're never gonna be able to write yours because you do so much, we're not gonna be able to list it all. I love that. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but I took it as one. So I think so. Go that route. I did not, in fact, go to culinary school. I decided against it. Yeah. So, Rebecca, my first question for you. And of course, this is all about igniting the fire within yourself as a woman who is rebelling against the rules and expectations that society, family, life, whoever has put on us throughout our life. And I want to know what belief about yourself did you have to burn away before you could step into your own power?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh, I love these questions. These are so great. You know, I would say for me, it was that I couldn't do it myself. Um, my husband and I both lost our jobs in 2010 within two weeks of each other. It was horrible. Like, lost everything. We had to totally start over. It was crazy because he got a job again almost instantly. And coming from advertising sales, oh my gosh, I could not find another job. I I was just struggling to find anything that would pay decent money, right? And so I was like, you know what? I just created my own job instead. So you know, we always thought we couldn't, right? Like growing up in the 80s, it was like everyone worked the same job forever. So that was kind of how we always thought it would be. And you know what? It doesn't have to be like that. I created my own. That's amazing. I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that it was crazy. Yes. So, what is one rule that you were taught as a woman that you have gleefully broken? And how did it change everything?

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, this one is great that men make more than women. Oh, or that they should, right? They still do. Like a survey came out recently, and there's still this decent sized divide, right? But it's not that way for all jobs and all men and women. And my husband and I like to joke when we met each other, I thought I was getting a sugar daddy and he thought he was getting a sugar mama, which it did. I mean, I was a nice sugar mama for a while. Ad sales is good. I was I was selling advertising sales, so I did originally make good, you know, money. But like we thought that's the way it had to be, right? And that is not that is not the way it has to be.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. That's absolutely correct. I love that. And with me in my day job, I'm in the workforce industry, and so there's a lot of conversation about that. Um, I bet around how how that's changing, if it's changing, what industries that is um, you know, more prevalent in. And it's it's kind of interesting. And you know, of course, there are different each side seems to have a different take on that, right? I'm sure. I'm sure a lot of yeah. So this is one that I was really excited to ask you. If the world were listening to you for 10 seconds, what truth would you shout?

SPEAKER_00:

I love this one. And it's so easy. Just freaking be nice. Oh my goodness. If you've gone on a cruise, you are sitting at a table, typically with people you don't know from all countries, all religions, all political backgrounds. I'm getting chills, just thinking about it. You're all talking, you're chatting, you're having a good time. Why can't we go home and do the same day? Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

To people that you see every day and that are things about them that um enrich your lives. And um, you know, it's so it's so funny you said that because I have a good friend that's on a cruise right now that I got on a cruise with in November of last year. So I'm a little jealous that I saw her ocean water picture a little bit ago. Um, and I'm sitting in a rainy West Virginia. But anyway, it was crazy. Like you're on the the dance floor or waiting in line for an event, and you're like it's crowded, and you're shoulder to shoulder, and no one's pushing, and no one's being mean, and they're just happy to be there. And absolutely, what um a very simple yet important um thing to share with people. Absolutely. You be nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Absolutely. Kindness costs nothing, right? Okay, so what do you want to be remembered for? Not the pretty version, but the real raw one.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. I want people to remember me to be caring, supportive, and fun. I don't always say the right things many, many times. This part works way faster than this part for people who can't see. I'm pointing to my mouth. My mouth works a lot faster than my brain a lot of times. But when it comes down to it, I will do anything for the people I love.

SPEAKER_01:

That's exciting. So when you say fun, what kind of fun things are you talking about? Like what is your um definition of fun?

SPEAKER_00:

I I just I try not to take myself too seriously. You know, I joke around, I'm a little sarcastic, um, a little snarky sometimes, you know, but it's all in good fun. You know, so many people now don't know how to take a joke, and everybody's all uber sensitive and all of that. I mean, I pick on myself more than I pick on anybody. You know what I mean? And it it again goes back to that just being nice. Don't take it, don't take life too seriously. Right.

SPEAKER_01:

I remember when we were at that event together um when Courtney was filming for a little thing that they were doing after the event was over, and we all had to walk in and do some kind of dance. Yeah, our little thing. Yeah, and like some people were really nervous and like, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? And like that was one thing that that I remember about you that you were just like, girl, I'm doing what I'm doing and I'm gonna love it. And I'm smiling and laughing at the same time, and so I admire that about you for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you. Well, I mean, you can see I have a unicorn in the background, and that stays through my podcast. So, you know what? Surround myself with fun, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Okay, so let's see. The next question: what is the wildest, most impossible dream you let yourself chase?

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so I wrote something down this morning, and then when I was showering a while ago, I completely changed my mind. So my original answer was that I could create my own business, but I recently reached a goal that I thought I would never achieve in my entire life. I lost a hundred pounds.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my goodness, that is amazing. Six years. So exciting. I'm very excited and proud of you.

SPEAKER_00:

Six years. That's amazing. Thank you. But like, you know, I fought my weight my entire life. I've always been overweight, always like, you know, last person chosen for every single game and gym class. You know what I mean? And I thought it would never happen. And um, yeah, like I and I've gone through so much to get there, was the hardest thing I've ever done. And I spent a month in the hospital to have our child. So this was harder than that. And yeah, that it felt like an impossible dream. I was like, that's the answer. That's the obvious answer to that question, because it felt impossible. And even earlier this year, it felt impossible. So love it.

SPEAKER_01:

That is so exciting. And someone that is also overweight. I wasn't, I've not been overweight all my life. It was started with my first pregnancy. And so I think it's interesting, you know, this is a big thing that, as you know, affect women, their mental health, their self-esteem. And, you know, I've had conversations with women that have been overweight their entire life and don't know any different. And then women, you know, like myself, that I was I was pretty fit, um, you know, up until the point that I gained um like 90 pounds with my first pregnancy. And then I've struggled the the rest of my entire life um with this weight, and I've tried so many things to get it off. And I have, you know, and as women, perimenopausal here. So you've got the hormones you've got to deal with. I've got some autoimmune stuff going on, and so it's very difficult. And um, you know, this is a story for another day, but I have actually done the weight loss injections to try to help jumpstart my weight, and I know so many people that have had success on them. They ruined my life, and so it is it's so crazy to see what we put ourselves through um to try to meet expectations of others now. I want to be healthy and I want to be, you know, I don't want to be skinny. I just want to be healthy for my children, my grandchildren. And so I, you know, to piggyback on you sharing that, and the reason I kind of went off on a tangent with that is I think that, you know, it's so important for women like yourself that have been successful in losing the weight, and it took you six years, so it wasn't overnight, and it you did it the right way, obviously. You know, the as far as the if the right way is different for everyone. I don't mean that maybe the way it sounded, but you know, it doesn't take us, oh, we didn't gain the weight overnight. So as far as losing it, um, sometimes fast is not always a good thing. So what was it? What was the what was the click in your brain, the the switch that flipped that put you in the space where you were ready to start fixing that part of your life?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, actually, I I had been trying to fix it my entire life. And I had done every diet on the planet and everything. And um, in 2019, I had lost, I had lost 40 pounds from 2018 to 2019. I lost 40 pounds on Weight Watchers. However, when I went to my doctor's appointment, my A1C jumped from six to 12. I I already was pre-diabetic. And somehow, even though I lost 40 pounds, my A1C went up to 12, which is dangerously high, dangerously high. Yeah. It should be under six. And my doctor told me I was going to um, like my kidneys were gonna shut down. Like she was really worried about that. And she had been trying to talk to me about weight loss surgery for about 10 years, and I kept saying no, because I I have the willpower and I was willing to exercise and do all the things, but my body would not allow it for working, right? And even losing the weight, like that wasn't sufficient. And so I did finally go because I loved my kidneys. My mantra was I I want to be a grandma, I love my kidneys. I want to be a grandma someday, I love my kidneys. So, my whole goal, like you said, was just to get healthy. And I went through all the things. My surgeon was from UC Health, Cincinnati, U UC Health Hospital, and he actually created the tools for weight loss surgery. And with the surgery, I hardly lost any weight. I got all my stomach cut out basically for nothing. And we later, like we found out over the last six years, basically, that it was probably because of the autoimmune issues with type 2 diabetes. And I had polycystic ovary syndrome my whole life. So all these reproductive, metabolic, hormonal things were probably the problem. So I ended up with a hysterectomy at the end of 2023, and I did start taking GLP1s for my diabetes. Right, right, for sure. For my diabetes. And that really did jumpstart it. So, but really, if I could go back, I think if I could have just gotten the diabetes and all the hormones in shape. Sure. I don't think I would have needed that certainly. You would have needed it, gotcha. Yeah, and the GLP ones have actually been good for me. I take a very low dose. Um, I I took a higher dose, and then you know, we've been able to back off. But for me, it was a lot of food noise because I was constantly thinking about food. I felt like my whole life revolved around food. Um, any side effects I could have with that were still less than being 100 pounds.

unknown:

Sure.

SPEAKER_00:

So that I mean, so I really have tried all of it. You know what I mean? Um it's it's the craziest thing. But ultimately, I wanted to be healthy. I mean, you can see I have a rebounder, I have a walking thing, I have all sorts of weight stuff. I do the exercise, I track the food. And it just my body just did not want to play nice. And so it took a long time. Um, so the switch really, the short answer is I I basically was told I was gonna lose my kidneys before I started really seeking that medical intervention because I was trying all, I mean, I've done every diet you could think of. I mean, I have done all of that, all the fad diets, all the real diets, the Weight Watchers, the diet workshop, the food replacements and all of that. All of it. All of it. And so, I mean, I just had to really dig in and get help from the medical community because I just didn't do it. And I have a nutritionist, I'm very holistic. Um, so yeah, I do all the things, and you'll love this. My goal in life has always been to be overweight. So, you know, you look at the BMI thing, and I was obese. Nothing can make you feel worse than being morbidly obese. Absolutely. I I hit my goal, I'm finally overweight. I hit my goal in the overweight, you know. Isn't that crazy though? Like the craziest thing, but I feel better than I have my whole life, pretty much finally have that, you know. Yeah, and people do treat you differently. That makes me do, they do for sure. They do for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, that was a great conversation about that. I know because you know, the same things don't work for everyone. And I think, you know, so for me with using the GLP ones, you know, I'm not diabetic. And um, you know, I was so frustrated because I didn't lose weight on it. I lost like 12 pounds. That's surprising. Yeah. And then, you know, I landed in the emergency room four times, a four-day hospital stay, had to have my gallbladder removed. And so the effects of that over the last year have been detrimental to my health. And um, well, not detrimental to my health, my daily functioning, I should say. Um, so but then, you know, I would see my friends that were taking it, and like everything's working perfectly for them. And I'm like, why? Why isn't it working it for me? You know, I've tried all of this stuff, and like, you know, and that's when the voice am I not a good person? Like, why? Come on, like I deserve this too, you know. And so it's so um, it's so powerful what we what our brains can do to ourselves, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh, good and bad, right? For sure. I went through that same thing, you know, especially after the weight loss surgery, because you would see all these people who would get this surgery done, and then they'd lose a hundred pounds in six months. It was the craziest thing. And I kept thinking, why am I not losing weight? I seriously did not like I lost 18 pounds instantly. That was my stomach. And then I didn't lose weight for years. Wow. After getting my stomach cut out, I didn't lose any weight. It was very frustrating. So I mean, you just don't know. Like that's when you really have to dig in more and look at the blood work and all the things and the inflammation and just, you know, it is it is hard. And it is it is frustrating to see when you're working that hard like you were, you know. Why does it work for everyone else? I mean, I got three quarters of my stomach cut out. Why, why is this girl size four? And all I wanted to be was a 14. I'm like, I just want to be a 14.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's crazy. Oh, goodness, what a journey. What a journey. Well, I have to help me that you are overweight.

SPEAKER_00:

Me too. I love being overweight. It's my favorite thing ever.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so let's hop into the next question. Um, what is your favorite way to unapologetically take up space?

SPEAKER_00:

You know what? I would say my membership and my live videos, it has taken me a long time to be able to be confident on those live videos. And you were in some of those classes that we took back in June. And you know, Chrissy's very um, you know, get out there, just do it. It's not that easy when you have those self-confidence issues. It's really hard. And it took a lot. Um, and then when I'm in my membership and, you know, I can pick on myself and show them that, you know, hey, you don't have to be perfect to write a book to get your book out there to do this stuff. You can be a human. And so I it's really fun to do that.

SPEAKER_02:

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

So, what fear did you have to face before stepping into your boldest self?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh. The video thing was really the fear. Um, Chrissy and another lady had a big event back in 2023, I believe it was. And I was telling them at this event, there was probably maybe a hundred people there. I know I can't do it. I could speak on stage. I have spoken on stage to like 500 to a thousand people. No problem. But getting on video freaked me the heck out. They made me get up on stage with them and then they filmed a live video right then with me on it. Like it was goodness, right? It was insane. And after that, I did some videos and a guy came on and he made a nasty comment about how I must be doing really well because my double chin said that I could afford a lot of food. Are you kidding me? How rude. So I had to face the fear again, right? So, like I thought I faced it, and then I stayed off of video for a couple of years after that. And then last summer, uh, one of my other mentors ticked me off. She said, I dare you to go live every day for a week. And she said it like that kind of, you know, and I said, Oh, I'd double dog dare you. I went live for 30 days straight. It made me mad, right? And I was like, wait, why am I why am I letting this jerky person I don't even know? Right. The things we do, it was crazy, but um, yeah, I had to get over that and it took a lot, but I did.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I saw a thing the other day that said, um, why would if you if you wouldn't take advice from someone, why take their criticism? And I thought, that is good. That's right. So I I keep trying to remember that. So I want to ask you a follow-up question to that. So um what was the specific fear? Was it just showing up? Was it fear of failure, fear of success, or fear of those type of comments coming back to you?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, it was all the comments. I mean, because you know, like I said, I and I get on there now and I screw up what I say and I forget a word, you know, menopause life, right? Sure. But I don't care if I look stupid, but I care if you think I look stupid. You know what I'm saying? Like it's one thing for me to laugh at myself, but it's a whole nother thing for someone else to do that. And so it's all about the comments. I I didn't care if I, I mean, you know, didn't matter what I look like, don't care if my office is. I mean, I try to straighten it up a little, you know, but it was it's it was always all about what everybody else would say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And so I haven't, I I get that. And that's one of the reasons that I think that, and I I feel like sometimes, you know, we have these thoughts of things that people are gonna say that they're never gonna say. Um but then the one time that it comes through. So, like the other day I had posted a TikTok and it was just me lip syncing a song. I can't even remember what one it was, but there was someone that commented, This is cracking me up. That's all they said. And I'm like, and so I sat with it for a minute because it wasn't a funny video, it was not, it was about um, why don't you be you and I'll be me? It was that song. And let it go, you know, why don't you be you and I'll be me. And I'm like, there's nothing funny about that. So were they insulting me, or are they from another country and there's a language barrier, and I'm misreading what they're saying, or they're misreading what my post was. So I was so confused about it, and I thought, how am I gonna handle this? Do I ignore it? And then I thought, no, I'm not gonna ignore it. And so I just commented that I replied back to them and I said, I was so happy that I could make you laugh today because there's not enough laughter in the world, and I am so glad that I was able to help you with that. And so, and then they replied, I love you. So I have no idea. But I it was probably a bot or something, you know, because it was like an odd picture and everything. But still, anyway, I was like, you know, and then our brains like start doing this like circular motion of what did they mean by that? And um, so we always have the ability to let that fear take over us. And I'm so glad that you have have been able to step out of that. So I have one more question for you before we get into a little bit more about you. So, this is a question that I ask all of my podcast guests, and I want to know if you could light a fire in every woman that's listening today, what would you want that fire to say?

SPEAKER_00:

I would say, do it anyway. Do it scared, do it even if you think you suck, because all you can do is fail and grow. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that. Do it anyway, so important. And that's what we're doing, right? That's what we every day. I love other women that encourage women to do it anyway, um, and then you know, support and help them along the way. So now I want you to tell me all about your business, give um our listeners a chance to um know how to find you, what kind of support you can be to them if um your offers resonate with them. And then know that I will share all of this information in the show notes so that you can link directly to Rebecca. Um, but tell us all about what you do.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure, thanks. So um I am an online business manager, I'm a certified online business manager, and that basically means I'm like your office manager, but online. So it's pretty simple. It's it's kind of just what it sounds like. I have had my business since 2009, and I've actually worked from home since the year 2000. I had one of those old-time fax machines with the like roll-up paper on, you know, um, have a full office here, so I can do all sorts of things, tried all sorts of apps, stuff like that. Uh, as you said earlier, I work with authors, coaches, and speakers. So I do a lot of one-on-one services for people. I produce podcasts, blogs, email lists, social media, all the things. And then in addition, this year I started a podcast myself as well. It's called Authors Allies, and I interview authors, but then I also have solo episodes where I teach authors how to promote their books. Okay. Things like that. And I also have a membership that is the Authors Allies Roundtable. It's a done with you marketing membership. And the whole goal of that is that I work with authors. We have like weekly meetings, um, or you can listen to the replays kind of a thing if necessary. And then I provide like templates and stuff like that to help them to get their media kits done, to get their sales sheets together, teach them how to promote their books, how to do events, how to get on podcasts as a guest, um, what to do about their websites and their emails. So all of the things, but the main thing that the members tell me they like the most is the community, you know, sharing ideas with each other.

SPEAKER_02:

Sure.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, the accountability and not being alone. Um, and then I have a blog, uh, I have a blog with uh over a hundred blogs now because I've been in business so long. And there's a lot of good freebies on there. Um, so between that and the podcast and my videos on YouTube, there's a YouTube channel too. You can get a lot of free advice from me, basically that way. And then if you need um, like the membership is, you know, a lot less expensive ultimately than doing one-on-one services. So I have a variety of ways that I can help people out to grow their businesses and spread the word about what they're doing.

SPEAKER_01:

Great. So is the office management that you do, is that um for businesses um like brick and mortar places, or is it online businesses like we have that you help manage that, or is it a variety?

SPEAKER_00:

It is a variety. I actually got initially involved in it um because I was in the real estate industry. And so I started working with realtors, which I mean, I don't even know what you call them. I mean, they're online, but they go out, they have it off, they do everything. And then somehow I also got into the dentistry. Field, kind of a strange dichotomy there. Um, so I've done that. I have done um, I have a jewelry store that I worked with for over 10 years. So I've done a little bit of everything because most everyone now, regardless of what kind of business you have, whether it's all online or you have a brick and mortar, they realize the need to have email, the need social media. And so, and I can, and I still do like I've done print ads for people for the newspaper still. You know, we could do all that. Um, it just depends on what you need. But, you know, a lot of offices, uh, regardless of what they are, they can't necessarily afford to have a full-time marketing person, right? Don't feel the need to do that. And so that's when it's nice for someone like me to be able to step in and just take care of those tasks. Right. Right. So I can do I can do pretty much any kind of a a thing that they need when it comes to that. Yeah. And I have gone in person to places and done some things. Like I've done the events and stuff like that, but um, most of the time it I'm kind of more behind the scenes. Virtual, sure.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so what when did when did you at what point? See how how am I gonna ask this? At what point, what shifted as far as you adding in the support to authors? Like how did that transition and what made that come to be?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I've been a big time reader my whole life. I don't know if you've seen any of my videos, but um, my great-grandmother used to bring me Nancy Drew books from Goodwill. She worked at Goodwill, she would bring me the old Nancy Drew books, and I was reading in kindergarten. I was reading Nancy Drew. And so I've always loved to read. And in 2015, I was on upwork uh because I was looking, I decided to expand and I was looking for some new clients, and I came across an author, and I was like, ooh, dream world, right? Dream World, yes. Because I don't watch TV, like I can't talk TV with people. There's very few things I watch. Right. Um, so I'm a big reader and I applied to work with her and I did, and I've been working with her since 2015. And I I was like, you know, I should go after more authors. And so as my realtors, typically my clients end up being long-term. And so, like, I have several realtors that I worked for like five or six years with. And as my realtors would retire, or as some of my dentists retired, um, and I had a person who actually passed away. I mean, I would go after more authors to try to get more authors. And then uh I realized, oh gosh, I could do this on a one-to-many basis, right? And I realized how much more fun it would be to have a group of authors work together. So uh that's how I kind of got into starting the membership because it's a lot less expensive for them. And a lot of them do want to do the stuff themselves, they just don't know how. Right. And so it it's helpful to teach them. But yeah, it just kind of morphed from from real estate to dentistry to authors. And so now um I don't have any realtors anymore, um, but I have uh people in the dental world and then the authors. So I still have the dentist, but now it's dentists and authors instead of sure. Yeah, yeah, I even had a plumber H V A C guy in there for a while. And so just Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So I was I was curious how that came to be. So I'm I'm an avid reader too, and it's um one of one of my favorite things ever to do. And I'm actually working, you know, I'm a candle maker and I'm actually working on testing um a line of book-ish candles, and so really excited about that.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, you're gonna have to share that with me. Uh and I share that with everyone because I have a few bookish products too. I do that for fun. But I've created um, I've created some journals and some other things that you know go well with the author world, but I just do that for fun. Sure. Sure. I don't make much money off of it. But oh, I bet I bet I have some people who would love your candles. Oh, well, uh, we will talk about that. Yeah, happy to share. Happy to share. And of course, I'm sure I need one.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, of course. Do you have any special offers right now that you would like to share that you're excited about?

SPEAKER_00:

I do, I do. So um, if anyone wants to test the membership, I always do a free one-month membership. So if anyone wants to test it out, um, you're gonna share. I'm probably gonna just give you my Link Tree link because it's got makes it easier for everyone. So someone could test the membership for a month if they want, if they're an author. Um, and the other thing I have most people, authors, coaches, speakers, you know, a lot of the people I work with, and most of the dentists are speakers too, believe it or not. Um, you need a media kit. And so right now I have a really cool freebie that I'm giving to your group here. So I I'll send you the link for that. Um, they can get a little checklist of how to put their media kit together. People don't know what to do. Like I said, what that's why I started the membership. It's it's overwhelming sometimes when you go to think about it, right? And it's like, I don't I don't even know how to do that. So I need to do that myself. Oh, you do. So you need to download that. And um, it's really a lot easier. Like we can make it complicated, of course. I mean, I have templates and Canva and all sorts of things. But truly, it's just a matter of gathering those few materials into a little Google file or something. So you you can make it easy to start, uh, but they just don't know what to do. So um, I've got a little freebie that uh that I think will help everyone out.

unknown:

Okay, perfect.

SPEAKER_01:

So, Rebecca, I am so excited that you joined me today to talk all about igniting the fire within the women and about you and your business and your journey. Um, and it's been great getting to know you on a more personal level. Um, I'd love going to those events, but sometimes they're so packed full of amazing information and don't have a lot of time to connect. And so I love, you know, maintaining those relationships outside and you know, for years to come. And that's how I've made some of my closest friends, and I just love it. So, do you have any final words that you want to add before I end our recording?

SPEAKER_00:

Gosh, I can't think of anything. I mean, in general, I do I love your podcast because it's so different. I think I told you this when we were before we were recording. I listen to podcasts all day long um instead of radio and stuff like that, just because I figure get a little inspired. I mean, I do have a little dance party break now and then gets hey, you gotta dance it out. You gotta dance it out, but um, but yeah, yours is really different. So I love that. I I I can't wait to hear more of them because we need more, we need more girl power. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01:

I appreciate it. It's it's my heart and soul for sure. Oh I am going to end this and I am so excited to share all of your resources with everyone and hope that um you might get a few more people in your membership from it. And I will talk to you soon. That's good. Thank you so much. Thank you. Well, that's it for today, babe. But your fire is just getting started. If you're feeling lit up, go ahead and hit subscribe, leave a spicy little review, and tag me at SheIgnites Candle Co. so I can hype you up. Remember, the world doesn't need a quieter version of you. It needs the bold, blazing, fully expressed you. Until next time, keep glowing, keep going, and never, ever dim your damn light.