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Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto
Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto is a podcast dedicated to inspiring intentional living, personal growth, and transformation. Hosted by design expert and lifestyle expert Sabrina Soto, each episode dives into conversations about wellness, mindset, home and self-improvement with leading experts and thought leaders. With a mix of practical advice, heartfelt storytelling and empowering insights, Redesigning Life is your go-to space for creating a life that feels as good as it looks... one thoughtful choice at a time.
Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto
The Authentic Shift: Finding Your Core Purpose with Anna Crowe
Anna Crowe, founder of a global PR firm, author, and TEDx speaker shares her journey of personal reinvention and finding authentic purpose through life's challenges and transitions. Anna shares her journey from corporate accounting to global entrepreneurship, revealing how following your passion and recognizing your unique strengths can guide you toward your authentic path. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of a complete life overhaul, she offers practical wisdom how to make small changes that honor your responsibilities while still moving you toward fulfillment.
We dive deep into energy management, identifying relationships and activities that either energize or drain you, and creating personalized recharging practices that restore your vitality. Anna's approach to authenticity, especially in our hyper-connected world, provides a new framework for expressing yourself genuinely while remaining strategic about your personal brand.
For anyone feeling stuck or uncertain about their direction, Anna's insights on overcoming self-doubt, redefining success beyond material possessions, and creating compelling personal narratives provide both inspiration and practical guidance. Her three-part approach to authentic storytelling: being clear, consistent, and compelling; applies beautifully to both brand building and personal transformation.
Connect with Anna Crowe
https://www.crowepr.com/our-nest/anna-crowe
Anna Crowe on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/acrowepr/
Anna's book, Get Real:
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Real-Leadership-Transparent-Authentic/dp/1544502516
Connect with Sabrina:
https://www.instagram.com/Sabrina_Soto/
Welcome to Redesigning Life. I'm your host, sabrina Soto, and this is the space where we have honest conversations about personal growth, mindset shifts and creating a life that feels truly aligned. In each episode, I'll talk to experts in their fields who share their insights to help you step into your higher self. Let's redesign your life from the inside out. Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Redesigning Life. This week I have Anna Crow, who not only runs a huge PR firm, but is also an author and a TEDx speaker. That's like a big deal. So today we're going to talk about shifting perspectives, shifting careers. If you're stuck, how to get unstuck? I want to get started, anna, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2:I'm so excited to chat with you, Sabrina.
Speaker 1:So can you give my listeners a little bit of a background of where you came from and sort of like what your stick is?
Speaker 2:Yeah, how much time do we have now? Yeah, I'll do my elevator pitch. So, as you mentioned, I run an integrated PR firm. We're a global firm called Crow PR and in addition to that, I write and I volunteer and I'm a mom and I really you know my background is I came to the US as a teen and, have you know, been in pursuit of figuring out who I am and where my greatest power, my superpowers are and my skills, and just following my passion. So over the course of my life, I've changed my career several times, but all leading to this path of entrepreneurship and creativity and, yeah, and just finding joy in life.
Speaker 1:So, you are. You have a book already Get Real and now you are working on your second book, the Real Shift. I mentioned to you that I think a lot of people who listen to this podcast are in a space in their lives that maybe they want to start over, or maybe they're stuck and they don't know where to begin to figure out what to do next. So, even though the book's not out yet, can you give us a little bit of an insight of what you know, what you're writing about and how that real shift happens?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I think with the first book, get Real. You know, we talk about the topic of authenticity, right, and it's really about figuring out who we are at the core because, as we know, the privilege of a lifetime is to become who we truly are. And I was actually just listening to Bruce Lee's daughter's book I don't know if you've read Be Water, my friend, really beautiful book but it talks a lot about self-actualization and figuring out who we are and how life molds us and shifts us and how we're looking as we age and become older and wiser. Try to come back to who we truly are meant to be. So, when the first book focused a lot on corporate and your professional journey as a leader as starting at a company, growing and then pursuing other interests and also building a transparent company of culture, this book that I'm working on now is really more about peeling off the layers that we have found in our lifetime due to a lot of different stretches and pulls and things that happen right, and to get back to what's truly ours, to our passion, to our purpose, to all that stuff.
Speaker 2:But the thing is that it can be really daunting and there's so many things around. Do I deserve it. But I need to do this. I have these responsibilities and it can be overwhelming. So the idea is figuring out what our truest path is and just making sometimes subtle shifts and sometimes big leaps, like for me when we talk about my background. I started I was in New York in corporate, worked for a big four CPA firm. If you told me then that I'd be starting a PR firm many years later on the West Coast, becoming an entrepreneur doing the Inc 5000 route, writing a book, I'd be like no, this is my area.
Speaker 1:This is what I do right, so it's like reinvention too, yeah, so if you're saying like finding the core of who you are, and it sounds like easy on paper, but I think there's probably women out there that like, yeah, I want to shift I don't really know who that is but at the same time, I have kids at home, I have a partner, I have to pay bills.
Speaker 2:How am I supposed to completely make a sharp right turn when I need to keep this train on the tracks Right? And sometimes, to your point, it's not sharp turn. It could be a subtle shift in perspective, a subtle, and it doesn't always have to be professional. I think sometimes as women, especially as moms, you may think well, this is my responsibility, now, this is what I'm committed to, this is what I have to do, and sometimes it's professional or personal. We make that choice, but it doesn't always have to come out in a making all this money way.
Speaker 2:It can also come out as what's the word? Not habits, habits, not habits. I'm thinking of the right sorry, english is a second language. It can come out as things that we like to do in our spare time. What do we call that? Hobbies, hobbies. My goodness, see what happens sometimes. We should do a game show together. Yeah, I swear, I'm in communications. Sometimes they come out in different ways or personal connections. Right, you may be having such a beautiful gift of giving people time and sitting down with them and hearing them, like someone else cannot do so. It's figuring out what lights us up inside, what makes us vibrate at that higher frequency, to be a little woo-woo, if we may, and then doing more of that, as opposed to doing things that completely drain our energy day in and day out, because that's the game right, the energy is what we're really bringing and doing more of the things that recharge us and light us up, versus that dim us.
Speaker 1:Okay. So I'm going to give you an example in my own life that I've now realized. So I'm totally into the woo-woo. I mean, everyone who's listening to this already knows that I always put a little dash of woo-woo in every episode. But I do believe in frequencies and I believe that when we are sort of vibrating at a higher frequency it's a lot easier to be happy to manifest new opportunities, new friendships, new connections, new everything, health, wellness. I started realizing there's a few people in my life that every time I would get off the phone with them I'd feel drained. That doesn't mean they're bad people, but I started giving less of my time to those draining people and I have felt a shift in my life. So if anyone's listening, would you agree that it's not about these huge starting fresh, moving to a farm, never talking to anyone. It's just shifting in a tiny little bit to make a change in your life.
Speaker 2:I think you're spot on there, because the relationships are a big part of it. We've heard the term toxic relationships that could be with your partner, could be family, could be at work no one's physically poisoning you, right, but there is toxicity that you're feeling that maybe someone else next to you may not be. So there is this energy exchange and it's either productive and super positive or it's really draining. It doesn't mean also that we have to eliminate all people from our life that don't light us up all the time, but it's that understanding, it's that awareness, and sometimes, when I know that I'm going to be dealing with people that may be more difficult, that drain me. I have to charge myself up to prepare for that.
Speaker 2:So I mean okay so I mean, there's different methods. I call it my toolbox, right, but we all have different toolboxes. So if I know for a fact that I'm going to have this, I will probably do one meditation over another one. I may exercise that morning, I make sure you know I maybe get a better breakfast. So whatever it is that I feel in that moment that I need to be prepared, I'll do that anytime I can. Life's not perfect. Sometimes you just have to get up, pick up the phone and somebody calls and you're like okay, I'm just going to make this quick and then I'll go recharge myself after. That's the other thing. It I'm just going to make this quick and then I'll go recharge myself after. That's the other thing. It could also be something you do after. Sometimes it's just taking a few breaths. It doesn't have to be super intense. But we, I think, as part of this journey, we have to understand and test the different tools and see what makes us recharge and bounce back from things that are inevitably going to hit us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there's not a one size fits all scenario, because I love to hike, love it. It brings me joy, peace. I get to be in nature. A lot of my friends cannot stand like being with the dirt, and so it's just you have to find what really feels good to your soul.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent Like sometimes. We live in California. Sometimes it's just looking at the ocean for five minutes right. To some people it is hugging a tree. Everybody has their own methods. Sometimes it's picking up a book, whatever it is, or calling a friend. We have so many different tools at our disposal. The key is to just be aware and that goes back to our authenticity what works for me, what is the right thing?
Speaker 1:You talked about in your book, get Real, the power of authenticity. And I think now, especially on social media, you're seeing a shift of people wanting less of these polished feeds and more of why, more of somebody's life, more of who they are instead of what they're selling, and I think that's because we got so tired of seeing everyone's perfect lives. So how does someone, how can somebody, find their voice and be a little bit more authentic in their space, regardless of what sort of business they're in?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Social media is so interesting, right, and in the short time that it's been on this planet with us, it's already evolved so many ways and it's created a lot of beautiful things and a lot of chaos as well. And you're right, it is changing again, as just the whole world of marketing and reputation and branding and all that stuff. So I mean, I think that it seems so obvious, like, well, just be yourself and just do what feels right Seems so easy, but to your point, in this world it is a little bit harder because we always want to put a little bit of polish on it or we always want to look at it from another perspective. So I think for me, like, if we're talking about social media, look, I can't say that I've cracked the code, but it depends on what you mean by success on social media or success of cracking the code. Like, for me, the most important thing is, hey, like leaning into my intuition, what feels right, and striking the right balance between strategic and curated and just real, and I'm always going to lean on the side of real as much as possible.
Speaker 2:But at the end of the day, you also can't share everything and be an oversharer, because why do that. So I think it also just goes back to your why. Why are you sharing what you want to share? What is the end result? And it's going to be different for different people. To your point, there's some monetization that some people will go to create a business to make money off of it Fine. Some people because they want to connect and engage. Some people because it gives them a sense of creativity. So, understanding, going back to what's my why and how do I do it in the best, in the way that's the most genuine to me, and if I have to edit a little bit, that's okay too, but just don't overdo it.
Speaker 1:And then if somebody is figures out what their why is, but then at like the, the normal imposter syndrome that many people, including myself, deal with. How do you push through that when you're feeling a little bit like you're questioning whether or not you're capable of doing what your goals are?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just did a blog on this. Four out of five people have imposter syndrome, or I like to reframe it as self-doubt, because syndrome just seems so like ah, there's nothing wrong with me?
Speaker 2:We all have it. We all have self-doubt. It's like a virus, I know. Right, yes, pandemic. No, we have doubt, totally normal. If we didn't have doubt, we probably wouldn't survive as a species, because we do have to have that. So I think A understanding that's normal.
Speaker 2:Sometimes we do have to convince ourselves a little bit, and what I love to do in my career, if I've ever gotten promoted and I thought, shoot, I don't know if I'm ready for this, I don't know if I'm, what are they seeing that I'm not seeing? Why do they think I'm ready? I would sometimes actually list out, make a list of the things that I've done, why I'm qualified, why I belong here, just to convince myself. It's all real things. But sometimes that just creeps in and we are, we can be our worst critic and we have to understand that, realize and actually communicate with that part of us that is, for whatever reason, perking up at that point.
Speaker 2:I also noticed that when we're healthy mind, body, spirit it is easier to put down any of that negative sentiment. Yeah, right, but when we're stressed, when we're not getting out of nature a lot, when we're not exercising, we're not getting enough sleep, which can be very easy for especially like new moms and other women, working women like it can be easy, but when when we get ourselves into that busyness, race and the hustle culture, it's a lot easier for that stuff to creep in and take over.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Right, and so we have to step back and find our tools to ground ourselves Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Right, and so we have to step back and find our tools to ground ourselves. Yes, I mean, I hear this there's a shift in this boss babe mentality of work, work, lean in and everyone's burnt out. And the truth of the matter is we can obviously be CEOs and run businesses and do all this stuff and be great moms and great partners and sisters and friends and fill in the blank. But there are times that one thing's going to take precedence from the other, and that's okay. There's going to be a shift because, at the end of the day, we can't be boss babes if we're exhausted. We can't be good moms if we're exhausted. There has to be balance and I think a lot of women, especially in my circle we're all discussing like what does that even look like? What does it look like to be able to have all the things we want and take care of ourselves? So what's your take on like self-care while being a business owner and a mom and a wife?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I think it's so interesting because, to your point, it's changed over the years and generationally there's a change to whether it's Gen X or Gen Y or whatever. Right, we have all this information coming at us too. I'm fully aligned with that, and it might be just because I'm older now too, but I used to feel really guilty if I needed to take time out for myself, like no, no, I could just work, or I could just go out to dinner with my friend, or I could take care of the babies, or whatever. No, no, no. But what happens when we don't take care of us? I mean, we are the most important person that we have to physically take care of, because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of anybody else.
Speaker 2:That's right. Can't take care of our businesses, can't take care of our families right? So I think the sooner you realize that, the easier it becomes to feel to incorporate that into your life naturally and make that a habit. See, I'm using that in the right way. Now that actually has to become a habit. And also figuring out what is my self-care routine For me.
Speaker 2:I love massages. I'll go get a massage once a week and I don't feel guilty about it because I know that I'm a better human and I show up better when I have that in my life. Or doing a sunset walk, I know that I'm a better human when I get to do. That Doesn't mean I have to do that every day, but if I can squeeze that in a few times a week, fantastic.
Speaker 2:So, understanding what that is for us and we used to have this perception of being busy is being productive. Yes, yes, yes, but we've learned we don't have to be busy to be productive. In fact, we could do 10 X things by being less busy, because we're more intentional, we are more strategic and it's a cultural shift and it's still. We're in the process of it. I don't think we've gotten quite there, because there's also the other side of it where, like I don't have to work, I can just post content and not do much. Whatever. It is Right, like there's, there's't exist, yeah, so you have to come in moderation, but yeah, I'm with you, I think, and we can't do it all every day, and I think it's a false perception that every day you have the same routine. Things are gonna go great.
Speaker 1:They don't no, and it is okay, like I used to be. I'm a Capricorn, so everything's like buy the book, I love a list. And there were days I don't do it anymore that I just felt guilty when I wasn't keeping up with the self-care routine or my gratitude list. And now I realize that it's okay, because if it now becomes a burden, whatever your self-care routine is, if it's a burden of just another thing on your to-do list, that is the opposite of how it should feel and I think letting go of that pressure too, I hope that people are starting to realize like just doing your best is good enough 100% Like giving yourself grace.
Speaker 2:I think we always have to give ourselves grace. We know who we are. We know if we're working hard or we're not working hard, and that's okay. Some days, whatever it is right. Like, as long as you are happy with the person that you are, you are making a positive impact. You're doing the things that are moving your life forward in some way, shape or form. Some days it's just a little bit, some days it's a big leap. That's okay. And showing up healthy, and you know there's so many things that I think we can we showing up healthy, and you know there's so many things that I think we can we. There's so many ways that we can describe success. That's another conversation that I love to have is just, the definition of success has changed and continues to change, but not everybody's on the same page and nor should we be. We all have different definitions of it and I think just understanding what your definition is and it may look very different than someone else's, and that's okay, you don't have connection and experiences than stuff Like stuff.
Speaker 1:To me now it doesn't really matter, I think it's just clutter, whereas 15 years ago, when I lived in New York City or whatever, I loved a pair of high heels that were designer and so you know some really fancy schmancy bag. It's just, I think, that sometimes our tastes change and what we need for our soul changes.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I'd like to think that we do Our eyes, you know, we do open up. As we develop, as we grow, we see more things, we go through different life experiences, and so we weigh these things differently. And in 10 years we weigh differently again. And that's okay, right, that's a journey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, somebody was telling me yesterday on another podcast that every seven years, as women or as people, a lot of the times we change the people around us, our friendships, and I think that that goes, and I believe that there's a change in that timeframe of your taste buds too. I think it's okay to change and grow, and your life shouldn't look the same 10 years later, you know. And it's okay to outgrow belief systems, it's okay to outgrow people, and you know what's important to you as well, yeah, and similar to that statistic.
Speaker 2:a friend of mine who wrote a book called Ikigai, which is about purpose, he shares that every eight years or so our purpose changes. So if our purpose changes, of course it's so natural that these things that you're talking about are also starting to change, and that's okay too.
Speaker 1:I know that you also. You face thyroid cancer and breast cancer in a very short amount of time. Those sort of illnesses can just shift your mindset and your life completely. After dealing with those two cancers, how has that showed up? How do you show up differently and what has changed in the way that you move through life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the first one. So the thyroid cancer was 2019. So that's six years ago. That felt extreme at the time, but it was very short lived. It was okay. You have this. It's not the worst thing in the world Surgery recovery good to go. So I think that one was just a bit of a bump or a misstepped sort of thing like a tripped on a step. That's how it feels in hindsight. The second cancer, which was 2023, was definitely a lot more profound and made a greater imprint in me. I'd say because that one A there was a lot more uncertainty I've lost family members at this age to that type of cancer and the way it was diagnosed and all these things. There was a lot of stuff that was very and there was a bunch more surgeries. So, long story short, I think that one number one I definitely became a lot more woo-woo, I mean, if you-.
Speaker 1:Like how, so Tell me, I need all the juice.
Speaker 2:If we were talking about manifestation 10 years ago, I'd be like, okay, I mean we're all manifesting. But okay, if we were talking about crystals, I'd be like, sure, nice, now I'm like buying crystals, you know, like it's just such a different way and it's and it's normalized it. For me it doesn't, you know, it doesn't sit all the way on the other side of the spectrum for me anymore, it's part of everyday life. I think, because when you're dealing with things that may really impact your future, to the point where you may not be in the future, and you have to think about things, you just start the little things that mattered start mattering a lot less. Right, give me an example. Like, okay, so you know, I used to, let's say, I was in a conversation with a girlfriend and we would complain about something silly, like, oh, the, the, the traffic on the BQE, or, you know, talking about going back to New York, right, or this happened and that happened, and you kind of put a little energy into this and that stuff. It's just, it, just it takes no energy anymore. It's just like that's not, that's not important, that's not changing my life, that's not just changing course in my life, and I sort of leaned into this belief that everything does happen for a reason and into that surrender experiment type of belief, right when things are going to happen. What can I learn from them? I'm going to let them, I'm going to watch them, I'm going to see where they take me, I'm going to flow with them, them, I'm going to see where they take me, I'm going to flow with them and I'm not going to put a lot of energy stressing out over them.
Speaker 2:But I used to stress out a lot about things. I mean working, living in New York I think everything was stressful and just the noises alone. And it doesn't mean you can't live in New York and not be stressed anymore. It's just a different mindset now for me. Where it's like that's not, it's not worth my energy, that's really the biggest takeaway, that's not worth it. Or if somebody's you know, like we talk about people that are someone's going off of you about something and they're upset, okay, that's maybe in the past. It would get me riled up, that's okay. You know, I'm trying to give other people more grace now too, and I think the last thing I would say about it is just just believing in the greater, the universe, the world way farther than us, you know, and just knowing that we're just such a small, we understand such a small part of what's really happening, and being okay with that and being curious about it.
Speaker 1:What are your favorite books that you've read in the last few years that really help with your mindset and keep you focused?
Speaker 2:Oh, I have so many. I love books so much. Well, I'm currently reading I mentioned I'm really enjoying it so far is Be Water, my friend, which is Bruce Lee's daughter. I love Michael's books like the Surrender Experiment or the Untethered Soul. But I also will complement that with a lot of leadership stuff like Good to Great and 10x is easier than 2x and kind of like. They get me excited and inspired. But that doesn't mean that I have to grind for 14 hours a day to get them done. It's more just like okay, think bigger, think bolder, get inspired. And then how do I do it? In my own way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as a PR, like owning a PR firm and with social media, storytelling is such a big part of people. Everyone's got their own brand, everyone has their way of storytelling and it's such a powerful tool in leadership and branding and owning a PR firm. What's a common mistake you see people making when they're trying to share their story and doing their own storytelling?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think a lot of people don't know where to start. Well, first of all, pr. It's such an interesting misconception. A lot of people don't really understand what it is and a lot of people will assume it's just a lot of you know parties in New York and you know velvet ropes, okay. And then some people believe it. It's like, oh, it's just a bunch of press conferences and oh, it's a press release. There's just so many misnomers around what we actually do.
Speaker 2:But at the end of it, it's really about the reputation, right, it's the reputation and awareness of the brand and the company. And it could be a thought leader, it could be a person, it could be a celebrity or it could be, you know, a big corporation. And it's about, I mean, we. Everything we do goes back to our reputation. When people meet us, when people interact with us, it's our reputation, right it back to our reputation. When people meet us, when people interact with us, it's our reputation, right, it's a huge asset for us. And so in this world, we focus on building that reputation, protecting it, maintaining it and getting the stories out there.
Speaker 2:And then the other thing is just connecting through stories. I mean, storytelling has been around for how many years? Right and in general fables, all of those stories by the fireplace, fireside, and we as humans connect through stories. So when we talk about brands versus products, customers engage with brands because they can form a connection, more of a human connection, versus a product. But a lot of people will think, well, but I can just advertise, I could just throw a bunch of dollars and talk about our product being the best. That doesn't connect the same way as a great story of a founder who traveled millions of miles, who had this idea, who created this company. That's changing the world or maybe changing the way customers do something, or consumers do something or humans do something. So it's a big difference and I think a lot of people don't understand how critical it is and how much our reputation affects everybody in our everyday life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and when it comes to reputation and this, the storytelling and the the why is like how how can you, how do you see in all the years that you've been doing this, the success stories and doing that and sort of merging all of those together? What does that look like? You mean what we've done at the company? Yeah, you work with so many different brands, right? So how do you see, like, a campaign going really well and then the difference between one that's not really hitting? Where do you think the disconnect is, so that people don't make that mistake in their own brand?
Speaker 2:Yes, so we go back to authenticity. Authenticity is storytelling, right, it's do what you say, say what you do. You know a company can't say we're sustainable, we're amazing, but actually then do something completely opposite. So I always think about being clear on what you do and what you're offering is what your value proposition is. To be consistent in it, so repeating that message across different channels so it's consistent. And then be compelling what makes you different, what makes you unique, what are those three Cs?
Speaker 2:Because if you're missing one of them like think about how much noise is coming at us as consumers between phones, social media, right and we can get really excited about something and then forget about it five minutes later because something else comes into our feed or in our purview or someone tells us. The consistency is being able to show up and tell your story in a similar way across different channels and then just show what makes you different. Why do people want to do business with you? Why do people care about what you're doing? And then maintaining that, like you've seen, I mean in the press every other day, if not every day someone's reputation gets tarnished by something they did or didn't do.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:And so how do you protect that? How do you mitigate that risk? That's an important part of what we do.
Speaker 1:When is your new book coming out?
Speaker 2:2026. Okay, of what we do, when is your new book coming out? 2026. So, yeah, so working on it, putting some touches on it and excited to you know, really tell this side of it, because when I wrote the Get Real, the first book, I really thought I cracked it. I was like I know everything there is to know about authenticity. You know, I was an immigrant who tried to fit in and then I found my way back and I was in corporate, I was in accounting, I was in marketing, I was in whatever. And then after that, after my first cancer journey, I started getting into neuroscience and spirituality and all these other techniques and I thought, oh, my goodness, I was just scratching the surface and it's so cool to actually challenge yourself and go deeper. So I'm really excited about it.
Speaker 1:I love it. Well, if anyone's listening, I will have in the show notes how to get in touch. Also link to your past book, get Real, and then obviously I'll update it when the new book is out, Congratulations. Thank you so much for joining me. It was such a great conversation, thank you.
Speaker 2:Sabrina, great chatting with you.