There She Goes From TV Casting to Her Soft Power Era - with Hutton Salvatore

From high-pressure TV casting to building a business rooted in alignment, systems, and soft power.

What happens when the career you worked so hard for no longer fits the life you want to live?

In this episode of There She Goes, I sit down with Hutton Salvatore, entrepreneur and systems strategist, to talk about her journey from the fast-paced world of TV casting to stepping into a softer, more sustainable way of building success.

After years of long hours, high-pressure environments, and navigating major life transitions like marriage and motherhood, Hutton realized something powerful:

She didn’t want to build success at the cost of her life.

✨ In this episode, we talk about:

• What it’s really like working behind the scenes in TV casting
• The moment burnout became undeniable
• Navigating identity shifts through entrepreneurship and motherhood
• Letting go of the pressure to prove yourself
• The evolution from hustle to alignment
• What “soft power” actually means and how to embody it
• How systems and structure can support your growth without burnout
• Why you don’t have to put yourself in a box to be successful

💌 Work With Hutton

If you’re building a business and feel like your backend systems are messy, disconnected, or taking up too much of your time, Hutton is offering a special opportunity for the There She Goes community. 

✨ Systems Audit: $97 (normally $250)
Get a full audit of your business systems to identify what’s working, what’s not, and where you can simplify or automate

✨ Website Build: starting at $1,000 for the first 10 listeners (normally starting at $2,800)
Custom website builds designed to support your business growth and simplify your operations

Reach out to Hutton and mention the TSG community to take advantage of her special offers. Find out more information at her website, and more details on these offers specifically here.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed behind the scenes, this is your sign to get support 💖

⏱️ Timestamps

00:42 Welcome + introducing Hutton Salvatore
01:44 How we met + aligned energy
03:04 Giving a stage to behind-the-scenes creatives
04:06 Growing up in the entertainment industry
08:48 Breaking into casting + first major opportunity
12:20 Discovering her strength in systems and organization

13:42 Vulnerability moment + embracing imperfection

18:57 Burnout conversation + unsustainable lifestyle
19:43 Working the night before her wedding + wake-up call
21:57 Entrepreneurship pivots + starting a clothing business
27:09 Letting go of proving herself + finding alignment

30:28 Realizing her zone of genius

33:54 Delegation, community, and asking for support

36:25 Navigating visibility vs staying behind the scenes

39:00 What “soft power” means and why she built a brand around it

40:55 Nervous system regulation + building success without burnout

46:41 “As a mom, I am the soft power”

48:50 Hutton’s offers: systems audit + website builds

51:07 Final advice: don’t put yourself in a box

52:17 How to connect with Hutton

🔗 Connect with Hutton

Her Soft Power Podcast

Hutton's Instagram

Soft Power Founders (Free Facebook Group)

Follow @thereshegoesclub for updates and community events.

Join the There She Goes Club to activate joy, fun, and wonder back into your life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

But with casting, it's been my career, it's been my bread and butter. But again, I was trying to figure out can I be something else outside of casting? Can I be something outside of entertainment? And what does that look like?

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to the There She Goes podcast. I'm your host, Grecia Ruiz, and I can't wait to dive into everyday stories where we find the magic in the mundane. This podcast is inspired by real stories, tiny steps, and brave women. For so long, I was looking for permission in songs, stories, and other people to trust myself, follow my dreams, and take the lead. If this podcast can be that tiny spark of permission for you, then here we go. Yay! Welcome, welcome to the There She Goes podcast. I have a very special guest today. I'm so excited for you all to hear from Hutton Salvatore. Welcome, welcome to the show, Hutton. So you'll find me. Of course. Let me quickly introduce you to everybody. So Hutton Salvatore is an entrepreneur and systems strategist. She helps women build the back end of their businesses so they can grow without burning out. Hutton actually comes from the TV casting world. I can't wait to hear more about that. Where everything runs on systems and organization. And now she brings that same skill set into the online business space. Welcome, Hutton. Thank you for being here today.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Yes, thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for recapping. It's nice to meet everybody in your audience. And yeah, let's dive in. Do you have any where do you want to start?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Let's, yeah, well, let's start with super quick introducing how we met. But this is gonna be a really fun conversation because even though we did briefly meet at Chantel's She Is Worthy community, shout out to Chantel. Um, I've been very excited to dig a little deeper. So we connected online. Um, Hutton was a speaker at the latest uh Galantine's event that Chantal hosted. And I, you know, preemptively connected with Hutton, and we were just following each other from the online space, and I think both of us were curious about each other's lives, curious about what we were putting out there, feeling like this really cool energy and vibe that we talked about. Uh, and then we met briefly in person, but actually, I think that's gonna be really fun because you all get to see live some real questions that I have, just genuine curiosity and that I actually don't know. So you get to learn a little more about Hunting as I do, real time.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yes, I love that so much. And yeah, I'd say we were just talking about how energy just doesn't lie. And I mean, you and you can't deny when you feel an energy like that, we both really felt like we wanted to meet each other. And I think I followed you from a speaking event that you were doing, so it just the the timing and alignment is perfect, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

So um, okay, I am so excited that you told us I'm you know very particularly excited to hear a little bit about the TV casting world. I am not very familiar with that side, and actually, so I don't know if you know Hutton, but part of this podcast for me is also a way to give a stage to the creatives that are behind the stage, typically are behind the scenes. So, whether that's songwriters, screenwriters, so and anybody really in the behind the scenes video producers. And so actually, I think that that, you know, you are such a perfect example because you're also this, you've got this great entrepreneurship side and motherhood side, soft power, and I'm super excited to dive into that. But you're also in the category of the creative field and specifically a creative that works typically behind the scenes, right? So I would love to hear how you got into the entertainment industry, specifically how you got into casting, and what does that actually look like?

unknown 4:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Yeah, great questions. Um, so the casting world, I'd say I started, I grew up in the entertainment industry. I mean, my parents both kind of worked in the business. My mom's a production accountant. Um, my stepdad is a transportation coordinator and captain. And so kind of grew up around, you know, big sets and stuff, going to Paramount premieres as a kid and stuff. So it's kind of a different lifestyle than most people. Um, and at the same time, that's only half of my life. I have, you know. Anyway, let's just talk about casting. Um I don't want to go too far away from the subject. But um, so yeah, this is sort of the environment I grew up in, kind of learning about production and that it was a great industry to get into. My parents really didn't want me to get into it though. They really wanted me to go to school for something, you know, a smarter. I don't know, you know, they wanted me to maybe be a doctor or whatever, but my whole vision was seeing them and, you know, behind the scenes and working those jobs. And I could see my mom was, you know, she worked in finances, so I would see like a lot of big budget and things that she was handling. And, you know, I loved watching her and her power and doing that. And same thing for my stepdad, he definitely showed me a different way of like running things and having a work ethic and all the things he would wake up at, you know, 3 a.m. to get to set and be home after we were done with dinner. So, like, those are the kind of you know, and it was hard growing up, I would say, because my parents often put us in, you know, daycare or after school centers, things like that, because that's just what they had to do to work those hours. So the one thing about production you'll find is that you do work like 12, 14 hour days, and that's obviously really hard for most families to sustain and have a functioning household. Um, so I quickly kind of figured that out going into the business. Um, but I wound up going to college for production. Um, and I wanted to, I didn't know exactly what field I would be in. So I did a multimedia um, sorry, what is it called? My my BA is in multimedia. And um with that I learned basically everything like editing, audio, web design, coding. Um, we made video games, we made 360 videos. So, like anything that encompasses media was what I was working on in school. So, going into the workforce straight out of school, I obviously applied at, you know, entertainment companies and different studios. Um, and I got a couple little gigs, you know. My mom helped me with like accounting roles, got me in my first couple jobs. Um, and that was like clerk work. So you're like filing and a lot of payroll stuff. So that's where I kind of got a good foundation for structure and like organizing, and slowly realized that I felt very um kind of trapped. There was no creative work in accounting, so I kind of knew right away that I didn't really want to stay in it. But funny enough, so you mentioned there was an NCIS poster back here. So I got a job on NCIS, and it was a killer job. I mean, it was on Paramount Lot, I had all the perks, all the benefits, but I quickly discovered, like, I'm telling you, a month in, I realized this is not for me. And so I wound up quitting, no shame. I really like and I've never quit a job like that where I felt like, you know, I don't know, in the past, uh, quitting a job is is serious, it's emotional, you know. And this one was like, I knew right away this isn't for me and I'm okay with it, and I walked away from it. And so after that is when I started applying to new jobs and wound up going into casting. Um, but I had a leg up in casting because I had done some PA work. I'd done, you know, PA is like a personal assistant on set, so they run around and they make sure everything's set up and you're there early, and sometimes you're driving the big trucks and stuff. So I'd done a bit of that while getting into the industry and trying different jobs like accounting. And um, one of the jobs that I got to do was a true crime show, and it was called Ice Cold Blood. And on that show, I was hired as basically a talent wrangler. So I would take the talent to set and you know, approve their wardrobe, make sure they look good, and send them out. And so these were like recreate. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

So these were I've never heard that term. That's hilarious. Talent wrangler. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

So these were like recreation scenes, so they had to like look like people that they were depicting. And so we had such a small budget on this show, and this is when production really, I think, started to kind of decline with the way that you know things have been going. I don't know if you're aware, but obviously the entertainment industry in Hollywood is very much suffering, I think, still to this day. There is work, but it's not the way it used to be, and that's due to a lot of you know new media.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Um but technology, like AI, CGI, all that.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

Yeah, well, and like the way of doing things with big um production studios, like you've seen all these sales going on, Paramount buying, you know, different lots. Uh, what was it? Which which lot was just up for sale. But there's been a lot of that, like Netflix buying things, you know. So um yeah, consolidation everywhere, yeah. Yeah, consolidation everywhere, and just like that's where the money is now. It's YouTube, it's things like that. So um, but yeah, so the the true crime show was my big break in casting. So casting world, I I was working, like I said, I was doing talent wrangling, but then our casting director quit on the set on the site. And so um I sort of just got roped into it, and it was like I didn't mind at the time I was hustling, I was so excited. I had just gotten engaged, so like I was in a good space in my life, and I was like, I want to work my way to the top and make more money and you know be in a good place with our life financially, physically, um, and then eventually have hopefully a family. But yeah, so working on that show kind of gave me a leg up. I got myself into casting by just because I had been recording continuity for these actors, like their their what they were wearing on set and everything. So I had already like been documenting all their information because I'm an organization freak. So I had spreadsheets already with everything needed, and so when it came time to like, hey, we need to call these people back for reshoots or whatever next scenes we had with them, but the casting director quit, you know. So what are we gonna do? Are we gonna hire somebody new? And it just sort of like I just fell into both positions and sort of handled both. Um, and it was really cool, it was way too much work though for one person, and so um I think they brought me back the next season, and I was able to hire on one of my friends to do the personal like assisting with me. And so, and that was really fun. We held like in-person auditions 2019, just before the pandemic, and like it was fun, and we were in Encino in our office, and people came in and just live auditions like improv and so a really good highlight high point in my career. I'd say it was very fun time. Um, and then after that, the show ended. Um, that show kind of didn't get picked up for another season, and that's when I started applying to new casting companies because I realized, hey, this is creative, I really like this, and it kind of gives me both of the things that I love organizing, creativity, people, all of it. Um, and so found um Cornwall Casting, which is the company that I've worked on and off with for the last like five, six years, and they do um reality shows, game shows, um, they've done some big projects. Our last show, our last big thing was the 1% club. So it's just the thing with that show, it's like it's a hundred people per episode, so the volume on it is pretty high. So um there are not many shows that do that, and the fact that we were doing it episode after episode, season after season, um, I just became very like skilled in that and creating the systems that were needed and learned from an extremely like well-skilled um director who's been in the business for you know, I don't know how long, but way longer than I had. And so um, and and yeah, she took me under her wing and she just taught me everything that she kind of knew, and now I've been able to now bring a lot of these skills with me into other industries because, well, like I was saying, since you know, television, the the studios, things have changed, and so there's not as much work. And so the last five years have been me trying to figure out where do I go? Do I still keep doing casting work or what is my my skill set? And that's why, you know, I've started side businesses and gone the entrepreneurial route and trying to figure it out. Um, and in the last I'd say like year, it kind of just all has been making a full circle where I'm like, okay, I actually see what the common denominator in all of this is. Like, I'm really good at systems and really good at organizing. I create like a lot of these things for this business already in casting. Hey, I can do this for other companies, and so that's just kind of the big overall picture of what I've done and where I feel like it's going because media has changed so much. And so this most recent project I'm doing is with a big YouTube channel. Um, and so anyway, that's just the evolution I think of media and how my roles might I play a role in it.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Yeah, that's so cool. I'm I'm definitely really excited. No, no worries. I I was gonna say, I'm actually it's so funny. I'm gonna be super like authentic and vulnerable too. I don't know if you noticed, but in uh previous takes I didn't have my microphone in front of me. So I completely forgot. And so hopefully you could hear me. You probably can hear me a lot better now because the mic is actually on my face. Um, so no, please don't worry. We've had some technical difficulties on this episode, and you know what? It's been fun. And you know what? That's what makes this user-created content, right? That's what makes this. You talked about how different media is nowadays and media has evolved, and YouTube is where it's at. And I firmly believe that's because we're human, we're not AI. Like, and this is the kind of thing that you know shows you that we are. So, um, Hutton, I definitely am not, you know, I'm a multi-passionate entrepreneur myself. I know you are too. Not just entrepreneur, but multi-passionate creative, right? And person. And I do firmly believe that, you know, we can't, none of us can be put into a box. So, yes, I'm gonna be asking a little more. I want to dig a little bit more into casting, but that's genuinely because of curiosity. Do you know that I want to hear about all aspects of like really where this led you, especially to where you are now? And you know, you do so much, like way outside. Actually, I didn't even know you did casting to give you a sense, right? So before like I started following and we talked more, that was like it's like casting was like the least on my mind. So, like you said, no, I don't think you could be put in a box. Uh, you do so much outside of this, but I just from an entertainment um kind of background or performing background, I'm just so excited to hear some of this behind the scenes. So it super quick before we dive into some of your other journeys and stories, when it comes to casting, I would just love to know maybe if you could do some myth busters or or talk about like, you know what I mean? Like from somebody that's like zero knowledge of what it's like to actually cast someone. Like, is there a time where you've ever gone to a coffee shop and go like that person would be perfect for the show? You know what I mean? Like, what does it actually look like uh to be in casting?

SPEAKER_00 15:56

Yeah, I mean, it also depends on the project that we're doing. So I did Farmer Wants a Wife last year, and that's such a different like realm of casting where you're you're looking for people who look good and they might be interested in a farmer. So that was a different type of typecasting where I am like I'm seeing people out in person, and I'm like, oh my god, I'm at the gym. This girl has like a what is it, like camouflage sweater on, and she just looked like she fit the role. And I was like, I've got to talk to her. So it's little things like that, and it depends on what show we're casting for. But I do find a lot of times, yeah, or I'll think of somebody I know, and I'm like, hey, this is a perfect fit for you, you should apply, or you know, and it the connections you make through casting are unlike any other because it's mass scale of meeting people too.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah. Oh my gosh. So if you're hearing that out there, yes, that's uh it's not a lie. Go sing at the coffee shops, go to the gym. You never know who you're gonna meet.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Yeah, and you never know what they're thinking about for you. And with somebody like me, I think that I'm constantly trying to produce people, whether that's for a project I'm working on or for what they're interested in. And that's sort of why I think I started, you know, my show, because I was like, everybody has something to share, and I I like I want to know what your passion is. Same like you said, like you're you've got this stage to also share my story, and so yeah, I've done the same thing, but I feel that even with having my own show, I'm not necessarily sharing as much about myself, so it's it's interesting. You know, I think I don't know. I don't know if you find that too while you're recording, but yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

I I think that that's I think to your point about casting, same with podcasting, I find that it's it creates so many connections, and I I think it's such an easy ask. It's like, hey, like you want to get to know somebody. I've never come up with a better way to get to know someone than say, Do you want to be a guest on the podcast? Like, I'm like, wow, it's just such an easy ask. And I think it's like reverting back to elementary school, like, hi, do you want to be my friend? Like, I don't know. I feel like nowadays it's so hard to do that. And I don't know, I feel like podcasting opens a door to be like, yeah, hi, I find you interesting. Would you like to talk about your story? Um, it is really cool. And I think to the difference, obviously, with casting for something specific. Um, I think with this podcast and like with yours, it's the same thing. It's more, it's actually about the everyday stories and finding the magic. There is a common thread for sure, finding the magic in those everyday stories, but everybody has magic. Everybody has something to share. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I love it. I love this. So beyond um the world of casting, so maybe talk a little bit about you. You've mentioned um that you found yourself in a place where you were burnt out from uh, you know, being in high pressure environments such as entertainment and entrepreneurship. Um and I guess finding this need to constantly prove yourself to build a life that actually feels aligned. So what is like, what did that look like for you? Was there a moment where you were like, hey, I'm burning out? Was it when you became a mom? Was it like, was there a moment or was it a series of moments that led you to be like, oh, I need to make a change?

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Yeah. Well, the first moment that I had like that when I realized, wait a minute, I don't know if this career is sustainable to have a family and the lifestyle that I want to have, was my wedding the night before my wedding. Um, I was still working on the ice cold blood project, and I wasn't obviously gonna be on set that day because it was my wedding day, but I was still the director, the casting director, like in charge of everything and making sure that people were where they were supposed to be. And the way that we were casting it, since we had no budget, no time, I mean, everything was very much down to the wire. Where I was like, I was putting together our call sheet at midnight before my wedding. So that's when it really hit me. And I was like, I can't do this forever. What do I do when I'm pregnant, have kids? Like, how am I going to make this sustainable for me? Um, and so I don't know if the pandemic was just a blessing in disguise for some of us because it kind of was that for me. Um, because I quickly like I was, you know, I was actually pregnant during my wedding. So I don't know if we talked about that yet. But I was a couple months pregnant already. So my husband and I had gotten engaged. We found out that we were gonna have the baby, so we rushed our wedding. And we're grateful we did because it was 2019 in December, so literally pre-pandemic. And then things happened for a reason. Yeah, and so I literally wrapped up this show, Ice Cold Blood, and within a couple months, I started with the company Cornwall Casting, and we were going into the office every day, and like you said, this need to prove yourself. So I had a boss say something to me that was something that I didn't know. I never knew how I would share this because it's somebody I really respected too, and I didn't want to put a bad image on the person or a relationship with them. Um but it's so far behind us, I'm sure this person doesn't even know what they said to me. Um but we were on set and I was, you know, fairly pregnant at this point, and this was I think right after the wedding. Um, I'd come back and you know, doing what I do. And my boss had said something to me like, Oh, you're gonna come back, or are you gonna come back? Are you gonna be able to come back? In a way that was very condescending, as if once I have a baby, I can't do this job anymore. And so that's what really started this like imposter syndrome, this need to prove. Um, and that's when I started like, well, what else can I do? What else can I be good at? And so, how can I use my skills wisely? And so I started to like build online, and I was like, I don't know, I had come, I had saved a bit. Of money up too, and I was like, I think it's a good time to start my own business, you know. So, um, and that's when I started a clothing store and quickly found out that that was a lot of manual physical flavor, and then sales, which was something that I had no experience in, and I'm still not very good at sales to this day. So, um, so I really struggled in fashion. Um, and then and that could I ask to go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

Yep. I I actually it's because I really wanted to dig into that too. It's just like, okay, you like you said, so you makes total sense, by the way, why you would be burned out. It sounded like a you you talked about the hours, like really long hours. I mean, now you're telling me you're you're having extremely important milestones in your life. You're about to get married and you're working and you're pregnant. And so, yeah, I mean, in in general, it sounds very stressful, high pressure, you know, lots going on. And you did mention, like, okay, like if they're crunching on budgets, that means you're probably doing multiple people's jobs. And so, yeah, that definitely sounds like high, you know, pressure cooker. But what like what made you go? Oh, I think so. Your clothing line is shop. I re from your daughter's name, right?

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Yeah, so basically, yeah, clothing was like, well, I'll actually backtrack a little bit because I would say I, you know, like multiple passions, entrepreneurship, whatever. It's because it's not my first venture, I guess. The first clothing store was Hunt and Nicole, and so it's just named after me. Um, that's still my LLC to this day. Um, and so yeah, it's just I eventually rebranded it. Um, so like I said, I was doing in-person pop-up sales. I decided I'm gonna invest in inventory, I'm gonna start a clothing store. One, because I had just gotten out of college. Um, and I was in a sorority, and we did those, you know, weekly, every weekend was something new, a dance, a fun event, whatever. And we were always trying to look the best and have the newest stuff. And so I think in 2018, 2019, that's what was trending, you know. And so I was like, how can I make money right now? What are people interested in? People want clothes, so let's get into clothing. And so that's just sort of how my mind kind of works. Um, but you know, and and I I was like, I have so many amazing women around me I can work with who want to be featured, who want photos. So let's do it, let's put all our skills together, let's create the website, let's take the pictures, let's do it all. And um, and it was fun, it was like a you know, a branding project basically. Um and and then I think quickly I discovered like you know, if you're not selling the items and you have too much, there the styles change quickly. So that's what I went into. Styles were changing, people weren't buying my stuff, and they were like, when are you gonna get new stuff? And I was like, Well, I haven't sold the other stuff. Yeah, I can't get new stuff until I get rid of stuff. So I started sourcing for options like how can I have new products without throwing away everything that I've invested. Um, and so that's when drop shipping was already like becoming a thing and becoming more popular. And so it was easy for me. I mean, like systems and and stuff like that, computer stuff. I'm like, okay, easy operation, like okay, I can plug a store into my shop. Oh, I can add products that I don't even own and I don't have to worry about it. This is amazing. This is the solution to the problem right now. So at the time, you know, and that worked. And then I was like, why are people still not buying my stuff? And so a friend of mine was like, Oh, you know, it's just like if if it wasn't named after you, I'd probably buy more. And I was like, Oh, okay. Oh so it's a branding thing, then you know, people who grew up with me don't want to buy from me because my store is named after me. Okay, and that like festered obviously in my brain, where I'm like, Okay, yeah, you gotta change, you gotta pivot. What could it be? And so I had just had my daughter, and her name is Iri, so that's why Shop Iri Girl came. Um, I was looking for like a nature theme, something that just fit with me, and like what I was trying to put out there, peace, harmony, like I don't know, wearing clothes, and then it slowly turned into like dressing with my daughter, so mommy and me clothes, and so there's been like a lot of pivots in it. Um, and I think, and you know, and then you see this influencer culture online, and so you're trying to kind of mimic things that you see, and I would see mommies in matching outfits, and I would try to do that with my daughter, and I had the products on the website, but my daughter wouldn't take pictures the way that other kids do, and so there are like little things where you're finding, like, oh my god, this just isn't working, this just isn't working, and so I think that if it feels that way where you're constantly, you just pivot, obviously, but you know, figure out what is working um or what aligns with you, and so each point I've had to go, okay, this isn't working, this is pivot, you know, align again. And um, but yeah, and then in the last you know, year or two, I've been trying to decide do I keep the store, do I get rid of it? And again, in a in a thing of like trying to prove something to who, to myself at this point. Um, and so after speaking at Chantel's event, um I realized I enjoyed it. I really liked speaking. I don't know if it's my 100% passion. It's like even just doing this or like my podcast, I find myself like I have trouble going back and listening and editing, so I don't know if speaking is my passion yet. And that's still something I'll try to figure out. But as I'm like discovering and learning and pivoting, I've really like figured out I'm good at operations, I'm good at systems, building things like that, creating things that people are lacking in their company. Um, and so I don't know if I lost you at all.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

No, I love that. I I think it's like really becoming clear to me how unapologetic you are about trying new things, about pivoting, changing your mind, and and and unapologetic about not knowing if this is the path you want to continue on. Like, I love that because I'm very new to that uh kind of you know take on life and career. And so I used to be very hard on myself that it's like, well, if you're putting something out publicly, you better know that that's what you want to do. And now I'm like, no, that's not the case. Like, if anything, I I'm being I'm hearing new voices that have been really encouraging telling me how uh they admire the fact that I go and and do things that I say I'm gonna do. And when I do it, I fully commit. Now that doesn't mean I'm gonna fully commit forever, right? I, you know, you fully commit to trying. But if it's not for you, it's actually doing you a disservice to keep going because you're like you said, you end up just doing something out of proving your worth ultimately, and you can't prove your worth because you're worthy innately. Uh, there's nothing you could do. So I just love that you seem to have gone from the burnout to trying things to not pressuring yourself to figure it all out, and you're kind of in this in that middle phase though, where where things are starting to click. You're seeing some patterns, and I love that because I feel like that's where I'm at. So, I mean, I definitely hear the operations side of things coming through when you mentioned this is a big detail-oriented piece when you mentioned that you had to be responsible for making sure that, you know, from one day to the next, the cast looked the same as they did in the previous take. And I love that because I have seen, I'm not the most observant person for this, but I've noticed here and there where it's like that hairstyle is so off, like from that, you know, previous scene, or like, ooh, like, I don't know, the outfit looks completely different. So the fact that you take those details and you were responsible for making sure that they looked the same, that speaks to your detail-oriented uh, you know, nature. So maybe can you talk about some of the other ways that you found that building systems and you know operations was actually something you were doing this whole time and that you actually enjoyed doing it?

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Yeah, well, I'll say like one of the like really aha moments I had was in the last few weeks. I've just started with this new company. Um, it's a bigger YouTube streamer, and I've never worked with a YouTube channel before. Um, so again, it's all new, they don't necessarily follow normal production standards. Um and then not the standards, I'm sorry, but like the systems and the things that we are used to, I guess, in production. It's changing because the needs are changing, of course, too. Um, but so like quickly, like day one or day two, I was just kind of thrown into some of these projects, and I was like, oh, okay, I know exactly what to do because again, I've done this with other companies. Um, but like five minutes in, I was like, why are they doing so much manual work? Like, I don't understand. And so, like a a day, I think same day or next day, we got on a Zoom call, and that was one of the first things I said. I was like, Why are you guys doing so much manual labor? You can automate so much of this. And they kind of were like, I think one girl was kind of taken aback because she had like built a lot of it and taken her time to do it, you know. And so, and I come in day one and I'm like, why are you doing all that? You know, so I think that just really showed me where I was like, wait a minute, you have a lot of years in this industry and it transfers into other industries, and and you know what you're doing. It's not like you just started and you're figuring it out like everything else I've done. I kind of just started and I'm figuring it out and seeing how I do. But with casting, it's it's been my career, it's been my bread and butter. But again, I was trying to figure out can I be something else outside of casting? Can I be something outside of entertainment? Um, and what does that look like, I guess, you know? So I've always known that I wanted to have some kind of leadership, um, you know, a little bit of authority over whatever it is I do. Um, and I've wanted freedom, time freedom, especially to be with my kids and all that. And so um trying to figure that out has been a challenge. But now that I'm realizing, okay, there's service in this, and right now with AI taking over, like I've done the courses, I've done the, you know, uh products, I've done a lot of different things, but it realistically people need services done for for them because they can look up anything on AI now. You don't need to buy a course. I mean, I'm not talking down on anybody who has a good course. I've obviously built it, built one myself, but um what I found is that people really want help, physical help. So um and and and it's not that hard to just be able to figure out what you're good at. Sorry, I don't know why I said it's not that hard. Sometimes it's really hard, but but once you figure it out, being able to package it, talk about it, sell it, that's kind of usually the hard part. And what I found with me with this is like, I'm like, wait a minute, I'm talking about this so naturally to people. This isn't work for me. This is alignment, this is what I'm good at, this is what I know and what I do. So, how can I do this for other people rather than and again, and I'm doing this all in all my businesses that aren't necessarily benefit, they're not paying me what I need them to pay me. So why don't I look outwards and see who else needs this help? And so that's sort of that evolution, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 33:55

Yeah, I love that. I literally distinctly remember you posted about it on your social media, like, oh hey, like I do websites and oh hey, if you need help with your systems, I do that. And I quickly was like, you do? And so I was like, cool, because um, I've actually quickly learned that that is not my area of expertise. That that's actually to your point. I'm like, wow, like it just I love hearing about the strengths of every that everybody brings to the table because I do firmly believe in community. I believe in I'm learning to believe more in delegation and hiring support. Um because I am learning where I'm like, oh, this I can't do everything always by myself forever. At some point, you need to invest and you need to commit to you know, you following your passions and strengths and and letting people help you again, where that makes sense for you and at the moment that you can. Um, but at some point you do have to make those decisions, investments, et cetera, partnerships, collaborations. So I'm all about that. And so yeah, I was very interested to hear that. Um, because you from everything that you do, I think I would assume from from the outside looking in that you're very much used to being maybe in the spotlight, right? Where so you spoke, or you've got your shop, you're doing casting, you're um you have your own podcast, right? So very much like those kind of uh public-facing roles. Turns out you're actually really good over here on the you know back end too. So I'm like, wow, that's it was really cool to see that.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

Thanks. Yeah, I think that's been one of the hardest things to figure out because it's like, okay, wait, I mean, I'm really good at this, and I kind of have an interest in, you know, becoming forward-facing and becoming a brand. And I think I've gotten more comfortable with it over time because of obviously social media, things that we're, you know, just trying to live in this different digital world. Obviously, we kind of have to be more forward-facing. Um, and that's like one of the things that one of my coworkers, he's doing too now, not a current coworker, but I've worked with him producing in the past, and he's like literally turning turned his skills into a course too, where he can help people produce themselves on video for interviews for social media, whatever it is, but basically taking our role, our our roles and our skills in production and pivoting them and expanding them so that we can help other people like that. Um there was something else I was gonna say. Oh, and the yeah, and so becoming forward-facing. So that's something that I've just been really like trying to figure out over the last few weeks, too. Um, and I and I think that's sort of where soft power comes into play, too, because for a long time, like oh, you know, for like a year, so this isn't my first show. I started the I Your Girl podcast um when the I when I girl store was more active and vibrant and all that. Um, and same thing, like five episodes in, I was like, I don't know if this is for me, but mostly because I was also feeling burnout, just taking on too many things and being a mom. The show part, I think that's just something that I've been trying to figure out. Am I good at this? Do I like this? Do I really want to do this, or do I just want to be in the background? But I think that there's something to be said about the fact that you kind of have to put your face out there to get the service, the roles, whatever you're looking for, too. So I think they go hand in hand, and I think that's where soft power really plays a great role and why I created it in the first place, because I think people do perceive you as one or the other, and I feel like there can be both.

SPEAKER_01 37:31

So yes, yes, I was about I really wanted to hear you talk about soft power, just like what that what does that term even mean to you? You know, your tell us a little bit about the podcast, what inspired you to start it. But super quick, before you get into that, thank you for validating that because I I wanted to make sure that you know that's kind of back to what I was saying about not putting people in a box. And and it is easy to do that. It's like I think as humans, we like to categorize things. We do like to think in boxes because it's like, oh, that makes my brain happy. There's a category. And so, to your point, I do think that there's this misconception that just because you are, you know, public facing doesn't mean that you're actually you can't excel in the back-end systems, um, and vice versa. Um, you know what I mean? Just because you, you know, it you can do both, you can actually excel more in one or the other, but both, like they're not mutually exclusive. And I do have a friend who she is very, she's a creative executive assistant, and she's a coach, and she has a podcast. I'm like, no, like she could be amazing at the back end, and she's really good in front of the camera too, you know? So that doesn't happen to necessarily be my skill set. Project management, yes. So there's some back end, don't get me wrong, I'm organized, you know, I could do some of the back end editing, things like that. But when it comes to like building out my like customer systems and like workflows, I'm like, oh wow, I've I've got a little challenge there.

unknown 38:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

So yeah, talk to us about what soft power means to you, why you chose that term, why is that something that you launched a whole podcast about?

SPEAKER_00 39:05

Yeah, so I think again, so I started my first show as I re girl, and I felt like that is not something that's searchable, it's not something that people are looking for, obviously. So I kind of struggled with promoting it, putting it out there, all of that, just because I was like, the name just wasn't really what I was sharing. So that being said, it took me literally like a uh two years, I think, to really re-rebrand, figure out what is my message, what do I want to put out in the world that is more me. Um, because I was like, at this point, I'm just like sharing a lot, and and that's what it turns out to be with when you start on too many side passions and projects, it can turn into like you have so much mixed messaging going on. What do you do? What do you offer? And so that's sort of the problem that I've been dealing with for the last few years, and just trying to figure out how do I like streamline, how do I figure out one lane. Um, and so I think I was holding on to the clothing business for so long that it was really like kind of eating up at me, you know, and I was like resentful, and I'm like, why am I not making as much money? And I got involved in network marketing and to try to make a second income, you know, separate income, and and it just quickly gave me like the same problems, and I was like, I'm just not living in alignment, you know. And I tried another company, and I so it's just like I was keep I was continuing the cycle and not solving the problem or getting down to the root of it. Um, and so within this last year, I I was like, okay, I really need to figure out my problem, figure out who am I, what am I sharing, what do I want to put out in the world? Um, and so I was like, I need to work through some of my own like trauma that I had just I I've done therapy over the years, you know. I feel like I'm in a good place when I started a lot of this, but as you go through the entrepreneurial journey journey, a lot of old stuff came back up. So I definitely had to like work through a lot of that. And in the last year, I took um some life coaching courses, and I started getting like just super disciplined with fitness just because I never really had that in my life. I wasn't very fit, I was kind of the party girl, you know, I just didn't really care. And um, so the last year I just started like really doing that, and like as I'm getting my alone time, because I hadn't had alone time either in the last you know, five years because of my kids. And so taking that time for me, I was starting to like really recalibrate like my brain, my thinking, my wiring, my nervous system. And so I really was focusing on nervous system regulation, and soft power came from that. Um, trying to rise, build something successful, big, but also do it softly and in like in a way that won't burn me out in the ways that I had experienced prior. And so I think that came with like a lot of the um external pressure or internal pressure that we put on ourselves. So from having to have a new episode on the podcast every week. That was something that really, really, yeah, I see you, I know, because that really made it hard for me. And instead of continuing on with my first show or whatever and just working through it, I just quit. And I was like, I'm not gonna let that happen again. It's okay if I don't put an episode out every week, but I do want to keep going and see where it takes me and if this is something that I want to do, right? Because I don't know until like keep going.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

I think that it's really interesting to hear you talk about that. Um, I don't know. I firmly believe in that. I think that that's why I asked why you what soft power meant to you, because I think I think that's like it is a term maybe that like I think I'm hearing more often, but yeah, maybe uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 43:02

Go ahead. No, that was the weird thing, is like as soon as I kind of figured out what I was going to do and how I came up with the thing, her soft power and all of that, I started creating my web pages and branding. And then next thing I know, it's popping up left and right. Like I hear my friend talking about it on a podcast. I see other people posting about it and talking about the soft girl era is is not this, it's not that. And I'm like, wait a minute, what are you guys talking about? You don't even know how awesome it could be if we could make soft being powerful. Like you're you're a woman. Being a woman means you have to be in your feminine. Being in your feminine means becoming softer, but so much of our lives as like children and teenagers, we're hardening, we're not softening, you know. So we're becoming more masculine. And so that's sort of just where I was like, okay, connect with myself, where I'm at in life, motherhood, being present for them is number one priority. Um, and so. How can I like really like dial in on this feeling? And it's and really what came to me was just like I can be powerful, but I can also be soft because I'm not an angry, aggressive parent. I'm like, and same with business or whatever. Like, if something's not working, I'm not going to yell at somebody, I'm just going to simply pivot, you know. So that's that's the time. I'm like, okay, pivot. So um, yeah, you're just figuring it out as you go. So I think that's just softening in life.

SPEAKER_01 44:36

Yeah. And I think it's also I do see it as like soft power. I guess I do see it like a feminine power. Um, and I think it's this idea, right? I mean, just think about the fact that, you know, the business world or just the working world has been dominated by men since always until very, very, very recently. I mean, what, 60 years, maybe a little over that. But, you know, I there is something to be said about that where I think we're the way we see power has been framed as like maybe more masculine or aggressive. Uh, and that doesn't have to be the case. There is power in embracing that softness. And it could be anywhere from literally like someone who's more soft-spoken, which kind of goes to, hey, you could be introverted or soft-spoken. That doesn't mean that you can't be in front of the camera. Um, and so that's one way too that I could see that, or literally soft power in just the sense of like um tapping into that emotional side of things too. So instead of just the logical, you know, side of things, also that emotional piece, because I think there is something soft about that, the sensitivity. Um, and actually, that's I think how women are starting to dominate business nowadays is through that soft power. And then some women like go for it. They they do have this like really masculine power and energy, and like, you know, like go for it. Um, but there's this whole other side too that I feel like uh we're just validating that there is there is power in that. That's why the word power is in there.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

Yeah, and I think as a sorry, I was gonna say as like growing up, I think I struggled with this so much too. Because again, like I said, you kind of you're hardening as you're growing up. You're learning not to cry over spilt milk, you know, you're learning that your parents don't have time for your emotions because work is more important, or what these little things that kind of they do make you harder. And for me, it just resulted in ways that like like we didn't really touch on this, but I went into like a very toxic relationship really early on, um, things like that because I was so like I was hardening, I was becoming so masculine, like I was doing things that just women don't do, you know, or or trying to be one of the boys, or trying to be like them, so be recognized, I can be powerful in work and business, or you know, even just in regular daily life, right? So um, and then as I became a mom, that's when things really shifted. I mean, when I got married, it it definitely shifted a little bit because I was like, okay, I can now trust somebody to now become that anchor that I needed when I, you know, that's what I've been looking for, obviously. And um as an adult, I realized, okay, or as a mom, I realized that that's me. I'm the soft one. I'm the one who brings softness to this. And you know, it it actually is the thing that the that the family runs on. I am the power source.

SPEAKER_01 47:41

So that yeah. You are the power. I like that. But I also like that I think it just validates how it's like no role in life, in career, in business, right, is one is better than the other. They just they're all equally important and they're all very valuable and they're all necessary. So that's why I think that's why we all have different strengths and weaknesses. That's why there's different forms of power, because they are all valuable. And so it's really just that. It's not one is better than the other, it's they are all valuable, they all have a seat at the table. They're they operate differently, they operate, there's different roles and responsibilities, but they are actually like equally powerful, equally as valid. Um, so I love that. So I would love to hear uh now that you know that you are, you know, kind of honing your like skills and services to really offer um, you know, support in building systems. Uh, do you want to talk a little bit about what your current offers are looking like and what you want to maybe share with the listeners?

SPEAKER_00 48:50

Yeah, sure. I want to offer you guys some of my services. I do like an auditing service. So this is something that's I think a nice, easy starting point for everyone. Um, just to have somebody come in and look at your business, see what's working and like where your systems aren't connecting, where they're where they could just use little fine improvements, or where we could maybe automate some things. Like a lot of times you guys are doing manual labor that we can automate. So um it takes time, you know, it usually will free up your payroll a little bit because you don't have to pay somebody a salary if AI can do that, and not trying to take away jobs from other people, but it does free them up for things that they can actually that they need to do, like the creative work and those kinds of things. So um, especially like with productions, that's mainly the back end pulls people down and we can automate a lot of it. So um, and I find the same thing with other businesses. So um, but the offer I'm gonna be doing is uh$97 for the audit, so it's normally$250. Um, and then our websites, the web builds, I mean, they're very custom to what your needs are. So I obviously will quote you different rates. But if you need a build starting from the ground up, um just from scratch, it starts at 28, 2,800, 2800. Um, but I'm gonna do it for a thousand for our listeners for the 10 people who tune in and reach out and need help. So I hope that these serves to help somebody.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

That's amazing. Thank you so much, Hutton. Uh I think you know, you're you're you have this really great energy about you. Like you said, we we vibed for a reason, and I love hearing all the different things that you've tried along the way. You I feel like you're stepping into something that takes everything you've learned from all the different experiences and starts kind of packaging it into one. We're hearing it live as you are figuring it out, literally. And so I just can't wait to see where this goes, where this continues to take you, how you continue to hone in on it and keep finding what you know, what works for you in this season and what feels aligned for you. So if you could have listeners uh take something away from this conversation, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 51:07

Yeah, I would think that I mean, I would say that it doesn't have to be one or the other. Don't put yourself in a box um and don't be afraid to try new things. Um, that's one of those things that holds people back, is that they're just afraid to get out there and try something new. Um, for me, trying new things has been the most valuable thing or the most uh the most progressive experiences I've had is from trying new things. So I would definitely put yourself out there too, because you can't grow if you don't put yourself out there.

SPEAKER_01 51:39

It makes you more interesting too. Look at that. Like you've got stories to tell, and yeah, it's just like wow, there's so much content here. We clearly could have had like a podcast episode about each and every one of your different ventures legitimately, and you probably should create a podcast episode of your own of all these uh all these like different ventures. So to that point, how can people connect with you?

SPEAKER_00 52:04

Yeah, absolutely. So you can connect with me um on my podcast, it's called Her Soft Power. We do uh Spotify, Apple, and I'm trying to get me onto YouTube, but I just haven't had the time quite recently. But um so you can find me anywhere there. We have a free Facebook group, it's called Soft Power, Soft Power Founders. So that one's great for anybody to just get involved, start getting tips. Um, people are in there sharing what works, what doesn't work, what they're struggling with. Um, and then I just happy to give you guys free advice in there. So um, those are two great ways to connect with me. And then you can find me on social media. Um, I'm Hutton Salvatore, or you can go to the podcast page, it's her softpower pod.

SPEAKER_01 52:47

Love it. So many great ways to connect. Obviously, all of that information will be in the show notes in the description. And I just joined, by the way, the Facebook group, the soft power Facebook group. So I'm excited to be on there. And so if you join too, uh, I'd love to hear from you and see you on that uh group as well. Well, thank you so much, Hutton, for being on the show. Thank you all so much for listening, and we'll see you next Thursday. Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the There She Goes podcast. If this episode resonated with you, here's how you can be part of it. Subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a review. Your reviews don't just mean a lot, they help the community grow and reach other women who could be served by these conversations. I created this podcast to connect with women on this journey. So please reach out. I'm a real person. DM me on Instagram at There She GoesClub or reply to my emails. I can't wait to celebrate your own There She Goes moments. Until next Thursday, let's see where she goes next.