Journey

#014 – Turning Life Experiences Into A Profitable Business with Ashae Sundara (previously Carly Gross)

Leave a Comment / PODCAST / By Alex Beadon

Believe it or not, the biggest obstacle in your path is YOURSELF.

Carly Gross came to this realization in her own journey of self-discovery and it has become a driving force in her life ever since.

“Break that barrier and tell people what is possible.”

Being a relationship and sexual empowerment coach, Carly has been helping women take charge of their identity by activating their higher self, breaking sexual taboos and transforming energies. Her awakening journey taps into the rawest form of self and is unapologetic about it.

But she wasn’t always the voice of sensual awakening. Follow along as Carly details her own evolution of experiences, how she went from working in a vegan restaurant to enriching the lives of women around the world through her business of ecstatic living.

“…I really value bringing wisdom around sexuality, sex and relationships because I think it is such an easy way for us to evolve…”

In this Podcast you’ll learn:

How to get excited when it comes to your business
How de-stressing can clarify your goals
The effect of self-love on entrepreneurship
Why staying true to yourself matters

Get excited with Carly:

IG: @ashaesundara
Website: http://ashaesundara.com/

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
This is episode number 14 of on purpose with Alex Beadon. In this episode, I speak to Carly Gross who now goes by Ashae Sundara. On how to get excited when it comes to your business how de-stress defying can clarify your goals, the effect of self-love on entrepreneurship, and why staying true to yourself really matters. Welcome to on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived? And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose-driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Unknown Speaker 0:53
Hey, friends,

Alex Beadon 0:54
I’m so excited for you to listen to this episode podcast number 14 with Carly Gross. Fun fact, a few days after we recorded this podcast, she officially changed her name to Ashae Sundara meaning this was the last interview she ever did as Carly gross, which is just phenomenal. This is a woman who impresses me spiritually and entrepreneurially. She calls herself a sensuality and love coach and I’ve been lucky enough to have spent quality time with her in real life and get to know her on a personal level. She is someone I absolutely love and cherish. And I think you’re gonna get a lot from this podcast episode on how to bring your true self into your business, and how to create offerings that truly light you up and get you excited. Take a listen. And I hope you love it as much as I do. Carly, thank you so much for joining us here on my podcast. Welcome.

Carly Gross 1:49
Thank you so much. So excited to be here, especially with you. And I know whoever you attract into your space is amazing magic,

Alex Beadon 1:57
all good vibes, people. So my first question for you is, what do you find most nourishing about having your own business?

Carly Gross 2:07
Huh? Wow, definitely the freedom to create my schedule my life where I live, what time I wake up, like really just openness. And for me, the path has always been about my path of like healing and awakening and coming into more of myself into more of just my passions, why I’m here on this planet. And it’s really given me the freedom to explore that. Because without that freedom, there was less time and less opportunity for me to really go Okay, wait, who am I? Why am I here? What do I like? What am I passionate about? What what matters most to me. And so really that journey, and then the daily commitment to my business, but also commitment to that path of understanding myself. And what I need to thrive is ultimately the most free. Yeah.

Alex Beadon 3:11
And I have to say, I love that so much about you like what I think about the first time that I met you, which was back in I think we decided 2014 Maybe when we met for the very first time. You’ve gone through so many transformations since then. And I love that about you like you don’t seem to hold on to any like labels, titles or like any sort of boxes that anyone could fit you in. Today. I was at the dinner table with my family. And they were like, so who are you interviewing today? And I was like, Carly. And they’re like, Well, what does she do? And like she does many things into a box. So I would love for you to kind of take us through that journey of like, how you got started on this entrepreneurial path. Where are you started? What the shifts have been? Take us with you? Yes, absolutely.

Carly Gross 4:02
So it started when I was in college, I was studying health education. And I remember sitting in class and just feeling as if bringing, like, going into the path that they kind of laid out for us. I remember thinking there’s no way there’s just no way. And at the time, I was just blogging vegan recipes because I was just passionate passionate about it. It was my life. And then ultimately, when I started fully doing a lot of healing work on myself because I got sick and college I had to go through all these cleansing processes and I was studying nutrition. And I thought why don’t I just put an offer online why don’t I just say that I can help people in this way. And so I started just experimenting honestly. And I started posting on Instagram and posting on Facebook and making YouTube videos here and there and and

Alex Beadon 5:00
sweet pause before you move forward. I’ve a follow up question on that. So you were blogging first I remember that you had it was called something else. What was it called?

Carly Gross 5:08
It’s called culinary karma. Yes.

Alex Beadon 5:12
We’ll never forget like, I can’t remember if it was after I met you in person or before I met you in person, but I will never forget starting to read your like writings, you were writing about food and about the body. And I was like, Oh my gosh, like, talk about alarm bells in my body. Like, this woman is amazing. I just loved what you were writing. I’m pretty sure I messaged you as well. And I was like, Dude, you are just on to something like keep going. Yeah. So you were you started blogging first. And then you decided to like maybe put an offer out there, or you decided to do your brother first?

Carly Gross 5:48
Yeah, I started blogging first, just out of fun. And when I was about 17, and I, and then I just realized that I loved writing, and I loved sharing, and I loved getting responses from people. And I was oh, okay, there’s, there’s a communication going here, there’s actually and then I started feeling a sense of responsibility almost to it, because I would get people who would be really valuing what I was putting out there. And it was, at that point, before I had a business now I would set now I have a business right before I had this. And I was just kind of in that phase, it was learning about expression really learning about oh, what what do I have inside not just what I studied in school, but what is my journey of life that I can share that I can give to other people to encourage maybe their own understanding of themselves? And how might that serve. And so it was really beautiful learning about expression, learning about releasing wisdom that, that I have, right, so for anyone who’s starting this path, you’re gonna soon realize, or you’ve already realized that it’s almost like your life is not for you. It’s, it’s you, I really started to believe that my experience is my challenges, my pains, my Bliss is my ecstasy is all of it was not for me, it was so that I could share and bring that wisdom forward. So that’s really why over the years, so much has changed in my business, because I allow that expression to naturally unfold. And I go through processes where I’m releasing, who I thought it was, and, you know, stop putting myself in boxes like next I started working with women on body image, and women who were coming out of or who had eating disorders, because that was part of my path. And then then I started, you know, and then it moved from there. And then I started working with women who wanted to be coaches, but they didn’t have confidence to really speak their place. And so it’s really just been a migration of what I call now just activating your highest self and moving into your most empowered state of being. And right now where I’m at is that I really value bringing wisdom through around sexuality and sex and relationship because I think that it’s such an easy way for us to evolve and to, we can work on ourselves a lot and step into more of our confidence and power in that place. And so, right now, that’s definitely it’s definitely my highest sort of service or mission that I really, especially because it’s not talked about much, and I feel like my soul is just like, break that barrier and tell people what is possible.

Alex Beadon 8:52
Yeah, yeah, for sure. And that’s one of the things I love the most about you as well. And that I think your queen art is like, you just show up as you like, you are just whatever is in there, you’re expressing it and you’re like, whether you like it or not, it’s a whole lot of your problems. Like I feel like this is what needs to come out. And that’s what and you can just feel the I know so many people hate the word authenticity, but you can feel the authenticity in every single thing that you put out, which is why I just absolutely love following you online. I think you’re such a breath of fresh air. I just love it so so much.

Carly Gross 9:31
Thank you. I really believe that we’re shifting especially in 2018 I feel like we’re shifting out of the culture that you need to be a PhD expert that in an adult like put yourself on such a high thing and rather say this is me. This is what I know. This is what I do in my personal life. This is my results and if you want to join then beautiful great I will I want to support you on that path. And that’s really where I lead from because it feels more heart centered to me, and it feels more. I guess, I don’t really use the word authentic either, because I don’t know. But it just feels more inviting to people. Yeah, I don’t, I never wanted to be the type of person that was kind of like, I’m here, and you’re over there, you’re over there. And like, you need to get up to where I’m at is no, it’s just, we’re equals here, and we’re all supporting each other. We all have different gifts, right? Like you are a master at certain things. I am a master at certain things. And we get to support and share each other. And I think that that’s really like the economy of entrepreneurship that we’re moving forward into where we’re not putting, it’s no longer about putting people on pedestals. And it’s really just about feeling who were resonating with us. And that’s the power of, of social media and of these different platforms in which we can show up as ourselves or show up and share. And people can decide for themselves does this? Does this resonate with me? Hmm,

Alex Beadon 11:17
I love that so much. I love to use the word resonate, because that’s exactly what it is. It’s like, either you resonate with me or you don’t. And it’s cool either way, but I just love how you show up so powerfully, it’s so good. So I’d love for you to share with us the journey that you’ve had as a business owner, and what it’s been like for you first coming out and knowing that that was what you wanted to do. And maybe not necessarily knowing what to do or how to get money through the door. What does that journey been like for you?

Carly Gross 11:47
So I would say the first two years of my business, my business was a hobby. It was I was calling it a business. But I didn’t feel like it was a business because it wasn’t a business. It was really just expressing and I had a couple clients here and there. But it wasn’t sustainable. It wasn’t consistent. And so I really struggled for the first two years because what ended up happening was, I would be all in and then one day something would feel off. And I would start second guessing myself and I would go maybe this isn’t the path for me, maybe I’m not meant for this, maybe you know, that person can do it. But I can’t do that. And I had a lot of blocks in my throat chakra. And I was just like, I cannot no one wants to hear my voice. And I had all of these self doubts come up. And what I realized in doing a lot of personal development work was that none of that was true. That was all ego. That was all fear. That was all fake. And what was true was the heart knowing. And so if you’re listening to this, and you have that passion, you have that heart knowing you know, you have that gift, you know that you have something that you’re meant to bring for us, like nothing on the outside can or should be able to stop you. And if it is then it’s about clearing all of that away. So for me, I finally made I was in it for two years there and then I gave up one day and I was just like, I don’t think I can do this. And I started making smoothies at a vegan restaurant. I swear. After two weeks, I said, Oh, no, no, no, no. No way. There is no way I commit to this path. And once I commit fully and I said I’m not letting any of that fear. Get in the way. I’m not letting my ego not letting that voice. I’m not letting the how people are going to view me what they’re going to say what my family is going to say none of that. I’m not going to let that scare me anymore. I’m committed. And from that day on, it’s been incredible. It’s been amazing. I launched after I quit that job. I launched my first group program and sold I said there’s going to be 15 women, there were 15 Women like sold and then I’ve just been creating from there and it’s been scary and challenging, but absolutely beautiful. Evolutionary and AI has been one of the fastest path to really stepping into more of myself and my confidence and my ability to really be the creator of my own reality, which is one of the biggest blessings that this path has is that it really shows you that if you really want something that you can have it I would say there’s many on my person Don’t pack there were many segments of okay, so I launched my first group course and it was successful, and then going through the process of like, okay, now I’m going to charge more. And like going through all these different passageways, right rites of passage, if you will, where I, it’s, it’s like that first one told me, okay, I can do this, the second one told me, Oh, wait, I really got this. The third time was like, Oh, this is my life. And it’s humbling and tumbling from there. But I think that people need to know that the first few times, it will feel as if I don’t know if this I don’t know, if I’m meant for this, I don’t know if I can do this. I’m not all of those fears, they will arise. And we have to have the courage and the skill to come and center ourselves and remind ourselves that it’s a process of becoming. And now, if I did it differently, now I would have join, like had more mentors, join my courses, kind of like took more action toward it. Because the first few years, I felt like, oh, I’ll just make this blog post and make an offer. And people get it. And I didn’t really have the back and skill knowledge tools to make it really work.

Alex Beadon 16:29
And that’s really interesting that you ended with that, because my follow up question was going to be you mentioned at the beginning that one of the big turning points for you was really just committing to it and may like, this is this is going to be my life, I’m going to make this happen no matter what. So my question was going to be okay, so you’ve committed, you’re like mentally in the right place, you’ve gotten rid of all your blocks, you feel like you’re in this good energetic space? Was it also a difference in the action steps that you were taking? Or do you feel like you were doing the same action steps, but because you had a different mindset things were different? Or is it because you had a different mindset? So then you felt more confident to actually take the right action steps?

Carly Gross 17:11
Yeah, I think it’s a little bit of both. Personally, I think that the mindset and energetics are definitely the first thing because when that was in place, I could wake up and first thing in the morning, I was excited, I was accepted. I didn’t think, oh, is anyone going to like my thing today? Or comment? Or like, sign up is more? How can I serve? What do I get to do today? Who do I get to like, it brought an empowerment to it. And from that ace, then I started getting more downloads and knowing this, okay, I can study Click Funnels, okay, I can learn this. And I started learning different modalities, different ways to show up online different and started playing around with that and launching different things. And but that all of the all of that I call it more like the masculine side of the, like, the Okay, these are the action steps. This is what you got to do. When I was trying, when I was doing that, before I had the clear mindset. It didn’t work. Because at the end of the day, I would feel discouraged. Like, oh, maybe I won’t do it tomorrow. But when once I was fully committed, it was so easy to study, to learn to test things to launch things, because I knew that it was happening no matter what.

Alex Beadon 18:35
Yeah. I love that. You mentioned the masculine energy and the feminine energy. I love that you said that you believe that the energy needs to be in the right place before you can actually move forward. And that if anything, it is more important, and I’m not sure if it’s more important, but maybe it’s just it feels more important because society is completely not focused on it. But I can’t I love that you said all of those things. I’m curious for those listening who are like, Oh my gosh, my energy is not in the right place. I wake up feeling drained and frustrated and afraid that it’s not going to work. And I feel like it’s just one disappointment after the next. What is your advice to those people who may not have a lot of time? Like how do you advise people to get into the right energetic space?

Carly Gross 19:21
So I mean, the in the simplest two things, the first thing is really simple and it’s follow more of your joy. And if that means you know, going to sleep 30 minutes later so that you could listen to a podcast or go on a go on a walk in the middle of the day or take a hike like literally when you follow your joy. What ends up happening is you are raising your vibration, right and so if you’re stressed if you’re anxious, you’re tired, and you you say I am committed to my joy. I am committed to infuse my day with joy. You Turn a song on and you dance in your, your house in between a discovery collar and but whatever it is, you’re literally you’re literally putting yourself on a higher vibration to actually receive more confidence, more clarity more knowingness of who you are and what your path is. But if you’re kind of in this place where you feel stuck, you feel tired, you feel lonely, loneliness is the entrepreneurial path, all of that, then you’re already operating at a frequency that is lower. And so you’re not going to be able to, to fully believe in the path and to take the steps, right. And then the other thing that I would say absolutely is continue to reconnect with your heart, where we’ve like, gotten so disconnected from our hearts. And you can see the manifestation of that through different business owners, entrepreneurs, whatever it is who you feel almost like they’re talking, they’re literally talking to a screen. And, and so a huge part for me that I’ve learned about this path is emotional intelligence, not only with myself, but with my everyone that follows me, my ideal clients, my the people who join my programs, it’s around speaking to them speaking to everyone from a human soul level. And that is not possible when we’re not connected to ourselves in that way. And so my process of reconnecting to my heart space and really coming into what what is true for me what is true for the planet, what do I feel is right, and coming back into my feelings and coming back into that space is so transformational, because we, you know, we’ve been taught that we’ve learned that following the heart doesn’t get us to the right place. And so we follow the mind. And the mind tells us, you need to do this, and you need to do this, and you didn’t need to get that done. But when we can come through the heart first and then operate from the intellect, we can get things done faster, quicker, with more joy, and they’re more direction because they’re coming place of truth, rather than a scatter mind scatterbrain place, Okay, God, I send this email, I’m dead, it ended up to the point where at the end of the day, we feel exhausted, and we feel exhausted, because we’re not fully with ourselves. And so any process that you have for tuning back into yourself, whether it’s meditation, or yoga, or self pleasure, or going for hikes, or being with friends, whatever it is, that really connects you back into your heart and also back into your mission and why you’re even doing what you are doing. For a selfish reason. And for a service reason I say that they’ve both right, we have self love that, yeah. Lies and then the service reason to have, why why we’re doing it for other people. And then we can connect back into that space. And for anyone who’s listening, just a, the simplest practice is just to place your hands on your heart, right, and you actually feel the emotional epicenter, which is the heart space, and you can feel more deeply where you’re coming from. And then it’s easier to, to commit to show up from there.

Alex Beadon 23:51
So let’s talk about guidance. Because you mentioned that at some point, which is funny, because I feel like we’re connected through this interview, Kylie. I love that you brought up guidance, how you, you, you’re connecting to the truth through your heart, so you have more truthful guidance, right? Instead of just making these decisions, or like I should do this, I should do that. so and so said, I should do this. And your mind is like, constantly doubting and going back and forth. And there’s no right answer. Your brother told you to do this. Your husband said things your sis Baba is like really turning inwards and being like, okay. And for me, it’s just like silence, like I find when I meditate, one idea will come out of nowhere. And it will be like the idea. It’s like, I know, I can just trust that’s the thing that I have to do. And it’s like, super simple, and not super complicated. Like my brain is trying to make it so I’m curious. What is that like for you? Where do you find your direction? And how do you know that it’s coming from your heart versus your head? And if you could give us an example, a real life example of how that’s worked out in your Business, that’d be awesome.

Carly Gross 25:01
Yeah, absolutely. So I just tell a story about I think it was about seven months ago, I was living in Venice in California. And I started noticing that I started to get a little scatterbrained it started to get a little bit stressed. And so my soul just nude, and told me to go spend a month in the desert. So I went through the Airbnb and Joshua Tree. And my intention was to be more in stillness and to let go of distractions and to focus on my body and my health and self care and nourishing the clients that I did have at the time. And I felt like okay, this is gonna be a bigger treat, and I’m not gonna really launch things, all of that I just kind of like picking you to come back into. And what ended up happening was, I went there, and I spent a week and a half really going in going through that process. And all of a sudden, through, you know, my daily practices of yoga and meditation and breath work. I just got this knowingness, you need to launch this intensive, it just came. And so I created a week long self love breast massage intensive, because breast massage is one of my practices, that really opens the heart opens sensuality. And I just got the knowingness and my mind goes, will people sign up for that? Do people know no about that? How am I going to educate about that? Like all of these thoughts? Right? What it’s just a week long, why just a week, why don’t make it a month? Oh, nice. Ultimately, I would just come back to myself and and I would ask, and I just felt excited about it. And so I think that our excitement really says a lot of what it is that we are to do next. So I noticed for myself that when I am kind of creating things, or whether it’s a live video, or a training a webinar, or whatever it is, if I don’t feel excited about it, then it’s probably not in full alignment. Because what that being said, there are certain things like if we are still dealing, dealing with fear of being seen, and guilt and all these things, we have to let all of that go and say, Okay, once that stuff is all out of the picture, am I excited about this? Yeah. And if the answer is yes, then it’s yes.

Alex Beadon 28:03
So I have two follow up questions to that. The first follow up question is, what if you’re super excited about something and like, you get the intuitive hit that like, Yes, this is the best next step. And then you do it and it flops and it’s a huge failure, and it didn’t go the way that you expected it to go? What is your response to that?

Carly Gross 28:25
So my response to that is that God, the universe, love your Higher Self has a better plan for you. And to not get upset? To not take it personally. It could have been the the analytics of it of the online world, right? It could have been algorithm, but it could also have been, there’s something more aligned for you to launch. And so at that stage, it’s really about going through a process with yourself and asking, what is the truth? Because we have we are encoded with wisdom, we know. And so if you really ask yourself, did I really study and try my best and get the support, I needed to get it out and like really launch in a way that was powerful, and that felt really on? And if the answer is no, then okay, then you’d look at that. But if you did all of that, and you were so set on it, and it flops, then I it’s it’s about trusting and believing that the next thing that’s going to come in for you is way more expensive. And, and yeah, and that’s that

Alex Beadon 29:41
beautiful answer. I love that. I see so many entrepreneurs getting upset or like feeling really frustrated when things don’t go the way that they want them to go. And I’m just like, but it’s your path like you’re learning something from it. There’s like you’re being led in the right direction. So just trust that and being upset about like, of course it’s It’s okay to like have the feelings and like go through the motions. Okay, it didn’t go as I wanted it to go but allowing it to slow you down and like, discourage you is not getting you any closer. So yeah, I couldn’t agree with you more. Before I move on to the second question that I have for you something you just said I wanted to touch on you, you mentioned getting the support that you need it, like you mentioned the importance of doing everything you can do. And did I get the support that I needed in order to bring this to fruition? Can you talk to us about the power of support? I think so many people are afraid they want to do everything themselves as how we’ve been taught, you know, like, asking for help, or getting support is almost like a shameful thing. So I’d love to hear you talk about, you know, what has that been like on your business journey? Getting support? Like, how is that what is the power of that been for you?

Carly Gross 30:51
Yeah, I truly put I know, without a shadow of a doubt that if I didn’t have one on one mentors, and many of them, and if I didn’t join courses, and masterminds and all of these things, I would not be here. On one level, having someone who is hope, if you’re working with someone, one on one, and the whole, they’re literally holding you accountable to your growth. So that’s first of all, that’s without even saying what their skills are, what you’re learning through them, what they’re providing what they’re bringing to you and your business. But just feeling held by someone and feeling like I’m not in this alone, and I don’t have out holding all of what I’m creating by myself, that is so huge unto itself. So that is number one. The second thing, too is connecting with other people who are on the path. So for example, you’re in a mastermind that you put together with five friends who are entrepreneurs, right, and you get on a call, once a week or every other week, and you talk about what’s going well, what’s not going well, what you need support in. It’s an instant boost. It’s kind of like a coffee for your, for your journey, because you instantly feel again, I’m not alone in this. We’re doing this together. Because ultimately, we are all doing this together. We’re all shifting into a new way of doing business. And so we are all leading and guiding and helping each other on the path no matter where we are on our journey. So and then the last thing I’ll say about that, too, is if we are afraid to hire other people, if we have the mentality that I can do this all alone, and I don’t need anyone else, well, then our potential clients, I probably can be holding that as well. But if we open ourselves and take a leap of faith to work with someone to maybe spend money spend that spend energy, opening ourselves up to different levels of support, we’re also saying that the people like people are willing to do that for me, as well, people will hire me too, because they have that same mentality that it’s okay to get support. And it’s necessary to get support. But if we’re just like holding on to I can do by myself, then we’re almost setting ourselves up to bring in people who mirror that same belief.

Alex Beadon 33:33
I love that. Okay, the second question, and I was getting to what we had to touch on that you have so many offerings, or at least it seems to me, because I’ve been the kind of business owner who I’m like, Okay, I made this thing, and I’m gonna work on selling it. And then I made this next thing, and I’m working on selling it. Whereas you just need to be like, Okay, I made this, I made this, I made this, I made this, which is awesome. I love it so much. So I’m super curious what that’s been like for you. Number one, as the creator of it, like always just being in this inspired space, but also having to then sell the program. And then you’re coming out with something new? Do you mainly just leave your courses up available for people like whenever they want? Have you taken things down? And also, is it I’m curious, it must be different because you must get a lot of the same people buying things again and again and again and again. So I’m curious to know about that as well. It’s not like you have to find a whole new set of people every single time.

Carly Gross 34:33
Yeah, yeah. So over the years, I’ve launched a, I think five, five different maybe six different group courses and programs and I keep what feels exciting, you know, and it feels as if I take people through this process. Okay, so to Years ago, I launched a program called food, body peace. And it was to help women fall in love with themselves, their bodies and heal any, any sort of funky relationship to food, eating disorders, etc. And it literally felt like after I launched that program filled the program taught the program, it almost felt like that part of my life because I child, I was challenged with all of those things, it almost felt like I completed a journey, I’m not done. And I just got the I was just okay, that part of my life is done. Where as I have radiant heart activation, which is my breast massage intensive that I’ve launched four times already. And I keep doing that, because it’s, it doesn’t get, it doesn’t feel like that’s done yet. And I think with the evolution of the planet, the evolution of my clients, the evolution of myself. And then I also have a magnetic Mentor Academy for new coaches, and that one, I will continue to launch. So there’s, I really just asked, Where are where’s my audience? What are they seeking? And I, we’re so lucky that we have the ability to do quizzes and polls and ask, right? So it’s, it’s a combination of asking, Where are they on their evolution, because when people follow us, they they’re evolving as well. And so some people who may have started following me two years ago, when I was doing work around eating disorders, they might be they’re, they’re, they’re potentially already through with that, you know, because and I trust that people are evolving, that they are in my space are doing the work and are shifting, and I’m moving into more higher states of being. So it’s a combination of asking and feeling into tuning into my audience, and also asking myself, is this something that needs to be offered in the world? And do I really want to continue doing that work? And then I also, honestly trust that if I’m going to bring a program back that was that I did three years ago, I’ll bring it back. But so I don’t ever really, like delete them. They’re just I really just follow the guidance of what what is really true for me. And then, right now I don’t I only offer things when I launched them. So I don’t have anything just up on my website. Right, right

Alex Beadon 37:47
now. That’s super interesting. So I’m curious as someone who like you’re so in tune with your intuition and with your higher self and with what whatever it is that you feel called or guided to do. How do you plan your business? Like, is it that you are at the beginning of the year being like, okay, like, whatever, I feel like doing a launch whenever I feel like it, or is it like you’re like, Okay, I want to have six launches this year, like, how does that work for you as someone who’s so intuitive? Yeah,

Carly Gross 38:15
I definitely plan. And I leave room for leeway. So at the beginning of this year, I plan, okay, I want radiant heart activation to launch three times, I want. Magnetic mentor academies launched three times and I want this new program that I’m creating around self pleasure for women, I want that to launch twice. So like, I definitely plan and kind of like the months right when they’re going to launch. And I also take a step back. And it’s almost like looking at it from an omniscient space of everything is perfect. Everything is working out as it’s meant to. And if something for example, I got invited to speak at a retreat in Costa Rica next month, and then there was this other event in Costa Rica. So I allow room for where it’s like, okay, life is pulling me in this direction. And I trust that more abundance, more prosperity, more joy, more. Freedom follows when I listened to that voice and listened to that path. So it is a little bit of both. I definitely have. I’m Capricorn I have definitely an organization planner energy in me and I love to do that. But I find that it’s not helpful and it brings more stress into my system when I am too strict with that schedule.

Alex Beadon 39:41
I love that. Okay, so I’m curious. And I think I already know some of the answers, but this is more for my audience. How do you take care of yourself as an entrepreneur?

Carly Gross 39:52
Hmm, yes. So one of the most important things for me as an entrepreneur and just as a Human but definitely I’m having a morning practice where I have stillness and clarity with myself. So my morning practice always looks like a combination of meditation breathwork movement, writing in my journal, saying a prayer could I could add self pleasure practice in that sensuality, I teach sensuality, and I teach that path. And so for me, it’s been about also in the mornings, practicing what I preach, and always know like, putting in what I really value in life and kind of putting it in at the beginning of the day. And doing that allows me to show up because I’m so I feel so full. And myself, I feel like, like I’ve done if I went to sleep, the day would be complete, right after my morning practice, because I checked all these things off my list that fill me up. And then from that space, I am so excited to show up for my business. And I think that what can happen is a possibility of happening is we do get really excited for our business that we almost put it before our taking care of ourselves, we put it books for Yeah, we put it before ourselves, because we we think that we need to, we think we need to hustle. And there is a there is a phase where we might be working longer, you know, like having that flow, or we’re working really hard. But we always need to be supporting our body with the foods that that feel right for us and moving and breathing and being with friends and really nourishing ourselves in that way. And it’s releasing, releasing the idea that that that pleasure comes as a reward. And it’s reminding ourselves that pleasure and joy and being our best. That’s why we’re here and like the business is actually to support that the business is to support that lifestyle. And so it’s really just to me about the way I take care of myself is by reminding myself that I mean, I tell my clients to like part of your business is self care, because self care diminishes, then so does your business. And I truly, truly do believe that because if we’re feeling bloated, if we’re feeling tired, if we’re feeling lethargic, whatever it is anxious, that’s going to show up in the way that we speak to people in the way that we feel about our business, rather than coming from a place of fullness and excitement to be alive and to be doing what we’re doing.

Alex Beadon 43:06
I love that so much. What is something that you struggle with as an entrepreneur that you don’t see many people talking about?

Carly Gross 43:13
I think for me, the biggest one has been isolation and doing things different from society and feeling isolated a lot and alone in that journey. You know, like there’s, there’s definitely there’s a definite phase where we, when we choose to operate from our own sovereignty and bring through something that’s pretty unconventional, right? It’s definitely more open spaces more open now than it maybe was 10 years ago. But still, it’s still that process of allowing yourself to really take a step back of what you’ve been taught is the right thing to do for your life. You know, we’ve been schooled our whole since we were children of this is just the way that it happens. And so there’s a process of feeling different of feeling alone, feeling isolated. And that’s why mentors and friends on the path is so key and so important. But even still, I think that there are either subtle or large levels of, of that aloneness. But I think that and I truly believe that. That’s an initiation into itself. Like feeling like, oh, I can be with myself, I can be alone with myself and I can love myself and I can enjoy this life through this. And that doesn’t mean that we have to be alone all the time. And it doesn’t mean that we are actually isolated from people around us but it’s almost like Have a process of letting go of needing approval or recognition from the outside world, and really learning to give that to ourselves. So it’s like mothering ourselves becoming our own lover like trusting ourselves. And that process of sitting with that aloneness sitting with that isolation and being like, and this is the path and this and so much opens up from that space.

Alex Beadon 45:34
I love how you called it an initiation as well, like just these, these really difficult things that you have to go through on your path of becoming this entrepreneur. And like really, expressing yourself and learning more about who you are like, all of these things are so much fun. And I just want to take a second to just say, I just love this conversation so much, because you put to words so beautifully, like, exactly how I feel about being an entrepreneur, like, I just love the fact that, yes, I get to serve, yes, I get to show up, and I get to express myself. But it’s also such a journey of self discovery as well, which like, super, it just gets me so excited.

Carly Gross 46:12
Just, I can only imagine, like, for example, the whole thing that just happened with your YouTube channel, right? It’s like you’re going through, that’s an initiation into yourself, because you’re going through a whole process, almost like a death of the word. And then you’re coming up with all of these fears, and all that. And you have to sit with that. And it will be with that. And you have to transcend that. And then you have to go to the next step. And the next time. It’s yeah.

Alex Beadon 46:41
And there’s uncertainty throughout it all. And I think really what it is, is just like stepping into being comfortable with the uncertainty and being like, hey, uncertainty I see over there. That just means I’m up leveling soon, so high.

Carly Gross 46:57
And that is the honestly, that is so huge, and it transfers to every area of our life. So for example, being able to sit with uncertainty in your business helps you sit with uncertainty. And let’s say you’re starting a relationship, you don’t know how it’s gonna turn out. You don’t know if you guys will be partners for a long time. And you’re, there’s uncertainty, and it’s beautiful. And we get to learn how to sit and be still and be calm, be centered, or be crazy and angry and sad and all of the emotions but ultimately with ourselves and be able to handle whatever comes up in our life with grace and with.

Alex Beadon 47:48
Amen. Oh, I love that so much. Okay. I have a few wrap up questions for you. I need to come up with a name because I hate saying wrap up questions. It’s just really not a sexy name. But I have a few questions for you. So the first one is what is one thing you do that has been a non negotiable in the success of your business?

Carly Gross 48:09
Hmm, it sounds really simple. But honestly, writing morning at night nighttime, I always write my plans for the next day and what I’m grateful for. And in the morning, I always write like stream of thought, just anything that’s coming through like any anything to get off my chest. And also, what my intention and excitement for the day is. And that just really helps me stay on the path. And there’s no, there’s no question of what comes next because I’ve taken the time at night to, to look to write it out. And it’s just a really easy way for me to stay on the path and stay committed because I can easily go into Oh, I’m just gonna can today or, you know, but if I have if I have that if I have that. And I also wrote my gratitude of the day and everything I accomplished everything that I did. It really helps me stay on the path.

Alex Beadon 49:12
I love that. Okay, share a mindset that has changed everything for you.

Carly Gross 49:17
Hmm, I think the simplest one is I am the creator of my own reality. So if I feeling like I can’t do this, or I’m not good enough, or all of that I have to remind myself I’m creating that my thoughts, my beliefs, my actions are actually creating that reality. And then my thoughts and actions a belief can also create the reality that I am fully successful. I’m abundant. People want to hear my voice and so reminding myself daily that I’m creating everything in my experience. I’m creating this cute little cabin home that I’m living in for the month I’m creating this podcast You know, like not only in the moment, but my thoughts a month ago created this. And so coming into that and realizing that I have the power to ultimately kind of like discipline beyond myself with my brain and what I’m thinking was has been huge. I

Alex Beadon 50:18
love that. Okay, fill in the blank, the world would be a better place if more people knew

Carly Gross 50:28
the world would be a better place and more we knew that they didn’t have to be anyone they are not love it have to put on any mass. The book that changed

Alex Beadon 50:43
my life was

Carly Gross 50:47
the book that changed my life, I would have to say I’m gonna say two, the first one was the secret reading that and shifting my mentality. And then the second one was dear lover, which is a David data book and he opened my eyes to a different level of love, sexuality and partnership that is available.

Alex Beadon 51:10
Okay, this is the last part of the podcast, which I’m sad that it’s coming to an end. But I asked all of my guests to challenge our listeners to do something this week like to take some sort of action steps. So what would you challenge? What would you like to challenge our listeners to do this week?

Carly Gross 51:35
If you can write every day in your journal, if I wasn’t afraid of what they thought I would blink, and you can replace day with my mom or my dad or my sister or my friends or the world or whatever? Answer that question if I wasn’t afraid, what they thoughts who they what they thought of me. I would link

Alex Beadon 52:05
Carly, I love you so much. Thank you so much. That was just absolutely amazing. I know everyone’s gonna listen to this and just love it. I’m like so pumped to press publish on this one. Thank you so much for tuning into the on purpose podcast and I really hope that you had as much of a blast as we did. If you liked what you heard and want even more make sure you leave a review because it really helps support what I do here on the podcast. All you have to do is search the podcast app for the on purpose podcast, select it then scroll down until you see write a review and then type away I hope you really enjoy your week and I will see you guys again next time stay on purpose

oh my gosh, you guys look how amazing this shrimp serata cocktail looks meet Beatrice an avid Instagram Stories user and visionary to her followers. I can’t wait till you guys try this out. Yes, I’m talking to all three of you. Um, all two of you. Well, I guess I’m just here by myself now. Don’t be a basic Beatrice on Instagram. Keep your audience wanting more by learning how to edit your Instagram stories like a pro. Visit www.gram-slam.com and learn these simple free tips that will have your friends impressed with your Instagram Stories for years to come.

#001 – Welcome to My New Podcast: “On Purpose With Alex Beadon” – Balancing Hustle With Well Being

4 Comments / PODCAST / By Alex Beadon

I’m so happy to announce that my podcast is FINALLY HERE, and today I’ve got Episode 001 for you!

In this episode I welcome you to the On Purpose with Alex Beadon Podcast. We talk about *why* I decided to name it “On Purpose with Alex Beadon” and I share exactly what I hope the podcast becomes for you.

Once we get over the introductions, I dive deeper into what’s been present for me this week in my business and life including:

Why I decided to hire my BFF as my operations manager

The sacrifices I’ve been making due to my commitment to success

How to enjoy your life when you’re hustling and putting in the work

What I’ve been doing behind-the-scenes of our Evergreen Funnel

Why I’ve been turning to Amanda Bond for all things Facebook Ads

The downsides of unrealistically high expectations

The one part of the podcast that we had to re-do

The important thing to remember when you’re in hustle mode

One simple change I’ve made since being in hustle mode to make sure I’m taken care of

The importance of discerning what’s a productive use of your time and what’s not

Why I don’t subscribe to society’s definition of “productive”

What I’m most excited for this week (Laura’s visit!)

What I’ve been doing with IGTV and what I’ll be doing with it moving forward

QUOTABLES:

“This is the thing about business that I love so much…. You’re taking leaps of faith, really hoping that things are going to work out the way you want them to work out… and simultaneously you have to be strong enough that when you take that leap of faith and it doesn’t work out that you remain grounded and unaffected.” – Alex Beadon

“I’m such a ‘done is better than perfect’ person” – Alex Beadon

“Whenever I’m in a period of hard work, showing myself compassion and kindness is rule number one.” – Alex Beadon

“You have a bodyguard at the front of your mind… Just because a thought comes in does not mean it has any validity. You choose the thoughts you want to believe in.” – Alex Beadon

When you’re done listening, make sure to head on over to our Podcast Page and LEAVE A REVIEW! We have a goal to get 100 reviews within the first 7 days and I NEED YOUR HELP in order to make it happen, so be sure to subscribe, leave a review and then tell your friends 😉

P.S. Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:02
Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lift. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong on purpose.

Hello, friends, it is Alex Beadon here and I am so excited because you were listening to episode number one of my brand new podcast called on purpose. I’m so excited that you’re here that you’re listening. Like I said, this is the very first episode. And so in this episode, I really just want to introduce myself, introduce the podcast and then dive into podcast number one. So in this episode, I’m going to be talking to you all about how to deal with your life when you’re working super hard and when to accomplish your goals. It requires a lot of hustle. So I talk about my experience with dealing with that intense hustle season of my life. But before we dive into all of that goodness, I really just want to introduce you to the podcast and really give you a good idea of what it is all about. So I created on purpose as a way to have the types of discussions that light me up the most, I’m someone who really enjoys meaningful conversations, conversations that really get down to the core of who someone is, what matters most to them, and what it is that they are trying to create with their lives. I believe that it is an honor to be alive and breathing here on this planet. And I believe that we all have a responsibility to show up as our best selves. And to leave this planet better than when we found it. I want this podcast to be a part of your weekly routine that really helps fuel you to be that best version of yourself that really helps you think outside of the box see things from a new perspective, and allows you to see what is truly possible for you. The reason why I decided to call it on purpose is because it has a double meaning. Firstly, you know how you can say like, you can do something on purpose like you do it. Purposely you do it with intention, oh, yeah, I did that on purpose, right. And then there’s also on purpose, which means like the actual word purpose, which has more to do with meaning and fulfillment and being aligned with whatever it is that you believe the purpose of your life is, right. So I love that it takes both of these meanings. And it kind of brings them together, both about taking action on purpose, doing something on purpose, like actually choosing your destiny. And then at the same time, choosing a destiny and taking all of those action steps to make sure that they are in alignment with the end result with whatever it is that you want your legacy to be. It’s about thinking big picture enough to make sure that you’re steering your ship in the right direction. And it’s about thinking small picture enough to make sure that you’re actually doing it with intention that you are in alignment with the person and human being that you want to be. So that’s why I decided to call it on purpose. And it really does define the way that I live my life. And the way that I want to show up in the world is both on purpose and on purpose. This podcast has two weekly episodes, you will get a solo episode on the Monday and a guest interview on the Thursday. Now the solo episodes are really just an opportunity for you and me to connect and get to know each other better. So it’s a place for me to really open my doors to what is going on in my life and business to share with you what has been on my mind that week what I’ve been struggling with what’s been awesome. I think that there’s just so much room in this online space for people to be more vulnerable. And for people to be more authentic. And to really share the nitty gritty, it’s so easy to like go on Instagram and look at someone’s highlight reel and be like, Wow, their life is so amazing. I wish I could be more like them. And it’s so much more nourishing to hear that same person have real life conversations about what is legitimately happening in their life at that very moment. That to me, those types of episodes that I listen to where people are really real, honest and authentic. Those are the ones that I learned the most from, those are the ones that I get the most inspiration from. And so I wanted to create a space where I can have those moments with you, my audience, and then the guest interviews are going to be more about you know, someone’s life really getting to know a creator or a business person or whoever it may be not only getting to know them but also deep diving into like what’s worked for them what hasn’t worked for them. Each one of those episodes is really there to help you walk away feeling inspired, motivated and having learned something that you didn’t know previously. For those of you wondering who I am. My name is Alex Beadon. I’ll tell you a little bit about me. I’m a business coach, and I’ve been doing business coaching now for past five years, and I have loved every single second of it. I’m the kind of person who can just get lost in conversation about entrepreneurship, small business, social media, building a brand, online marketing, all of those things really excite me and light me up. And at the same time, I would say, What makes me super different is that I’m also just as passionate about your mindset and about what’s going through your mind, how are you treating yourself, what’s your energy, self care, self love, all of those things, to me are just as important, and are just as much of a piece of the puzzle as the strategic side of things. So in this podcast, you’re definitely going to get a strong mixture of both, you’re going to get the strategy and you’re going to get the energy and the mindset side of things to one day, I will definitely take you through my full life story and tell you all about my career and how I got to where I am today. But really, all you need to know right now at this very moment in time is that I’ve created this podcast, to be someone who is alongside this journey with you. I’ve actually never had a real job ever since I graduated from college back in 2010. I have been someone who has been 100% self employed, which is something that I’m really proud to say. And I think it also just shows how dedicated and committed I am to figuring this entrepreneurial journey out. And it fascinates me how every single business owner that I run into does it differently and makes it work for them. And to me, that’s what is so fascinating about the entrepreneurial journey, especially as we move into a time where we have the internet, we have access to so many tools at such small cost that can really help us leverage our voice, leverage our message, leverage our products and services. So to me, like being alive at this time is such an honor. And I want to create a platform here on the podcast where we can have really interesting conversations that help support you in your journey of entrepreneurship. One of the things that I stand for the most is that it’s not just about the end goal, it’s not just about hitting that profit goal. It’s not just about getting your business to that specific level or being featured in that magazine. It’s about the journey, if you are not enjoying the journey of entrepreneurship, you’re doing it wrong. And so that’s really what this podcast is all about. It’s about being on purpose, doing things strategically. And also making sure that you are in alignment with the legacy that you want to ultimately leave behind. It’s about creating your own version of success, and being able to define that version of success for yourself. And it’s also about learning to make it happen in a way that’s enjoyable. Like I said, it’s all about the journey. It’s not just about that end goal. Like I said, What matters to me just as much as the end result of creating whatever success it is that I want to create in my life and my business. It also matters so much that I enjoy the journey that I create a life that is worth living. And so to me, that’s what the solo episodes are really about. It’s a place for me to really like connect with you and show you the more of the journey and less of like, oh, this is what I accomplished, or this is what I did. I really want to open the doors and be like, Okay, this is what one right? This is what went wrong. Here’s a failure that I experienced this week. Here’s something I struggled with this week, because like I said, like I have learned the most from people who are open and that kind of way where they’re bringing you into more of like the daily behind the scenes thoughts that are actually running through your brain. So I really, really do hope that you enjoy this format. And I’m so excited to just experience the process of this podcast because I know the further we go into this podcast, the more I’m going to learn from you guys what you like, what you don’t like what’s helpful, what’s not helpful. I’m really excited to watch this podcast morph into something that I can say I’m super proud of. And something that you guys can say confidently is a non negotiable part of your week. Like that’s really what I’m trying to create here is an audio experience that guides you that makes you feel aligned. And that makes you feel as though you’re creating something that you can be proud of. So I really hope that this podcast helps support you in not only creating a very successful and profitable business, but also help support you along the journey in the moments where you feel like oh my gosh, what am I doing? Is this the right step? I failed again what is happening? Like that’s what this podcast is for. So I just want to say thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. This is just the very first episode we have so much more to come. And it is an honor to be here by your side for this journey. Thank you for being here with me. So before we jump into today’s episode, I just want to say a huge thank you for being here with me like for any of you guys listening to this, you were probably my ride or dies and I just want to say I appreciate you guys and love you so much. And I just think it’s so much fun to be on this journey together.

So much of what I do is for you, I have so much respect for you as a person as someone who is a business owner and I know that most of you listening to this are so aligned with everything that I just spoke about, about this podcast, the name of the podcast of just living a life that is on purpose. It is just such an honor to be able to connect with you in this way. And I’m really looking forward to it. Let’s dive in, shall we? Okay, so what has been present for me this week, there’s a lot going on in my business right now. So let me just like get you guys up to speed. I just at the beginning of this year, really focused on launching Grand Slam, which I believe we launched at the end of March, beginning of April. And my goal was to make $60,000. Like, that was what it was that we were aiming for, we ended up making $100,000, right. So we ended up making way more than I was hoping or expecting to make. And it put me in this really interesting position where I was like, okay, like, I need to figure out what I’m gonna do with all of this money and how I’m going to wisely redirected back into my business. Previously, whenever I make large sums of money, to be quite honest with you guys, I just kind of like spread it out over as many months as I possibly can. I just live on it. And like that, just kind of what it has always been like, and now I’m at this point where I’m like, No, I want the business to grow. And in order for the business to grow, I need to reinvest back into the business. So the first thing I did was I got clear on what, what was it that was that I was spending the most of my time on, that was really holding me back from the activities that I love. So I sat down and I wrote a list of like, okay, what are the things that I love doing? What are the things that I could spend all day doing? What are the things that I wish I was spending all day doing? And those that list is really like creative things like I am, I used to be a photographer, guys, that’s how I got into all of this. i My career started off as a photographer. So creativity is so important to me, feeling self expressed is so important to me. So I was like, Okay, I know that I want to spend more time making content, like these, like this podcast, and more videos, and I want to spend more time on Instagram. And I want to spend time like actually connecting to my audience, finding out what it is that they’re struggling with, so that I can be of the highest service to them, right. So like, that was really where I wanted to be spending most of my time. And then when I looked at where I was actually spending my time, it was a very different story. I was spending hours every day just like checking on like, where are we? What needs to get done, and just evaluating like, the priorities of tasks, it was just taking me such a long time. And it’s not my strong point. It wasn’t something I was enjoying, it was something that I was doing, honestly, because it had to be done. So I decided that I was going to add someone to the team. Keep in mind at that point, I already had one full time employee called Katherine. And we had been working together for about a year and you know, had a really good working relationship. And, you know, she’s really in charge of the visual elements. So like the graphics, she’s also in charge of a lot of the behind the scene tech stuff. So I had all of those bases covered, thank God, but I really wanted to bring someone in who could think strategically with me and help me plan and help us basic raise our levels of productivity, and keep an eye on our end goals, where we are what needs to get done. And also fill in any of the blanks like really, this. We’re at the stage in the business where like, there are so many things that need to get done. Every single person on the team needs to be flexible. They need to be able to do multiple things. You’re like when you come and work for Alex bieden you need to be multitalented, right. So I was looking for this perfect person. And immediately the first person that came to mind is my best friend Laura. So to give you the backstory, Laura and I have been best friends since the fifth grade since we were 10, which is insane. We went to the same middle school in Venezuela. And we have been best friends ever since. She actually helped me launch one of my very first courses, online courses, which was called feel good blogging, we launched it back, I believe it was like 2013 2014 that we started working together. And ever since we work together, at that period of time, it was always my dream to hire her because I just realized like, this is someone who I can trust, like hands down not only trust in a way of like, she’s not going to spill my secrets or like that type of trust, but also a type of trust where it’s like, I know that she is not relying on me to to like connect the dots for her. I remember we were launching feelgood logging back in maybe 2020 1420 13. And there was something that needed to get done. And I had forgotten to tell her that it needed to get done. And when I remembered that I forgotten to tell her and I brought it up to her. She was like, Oh yeah, I already took care of that. And that just blew me away. Because I was like, wow, like you’re actually thinking five steps. 10 steps ahead. She’s super organized. She’s really on top of things. And ever since we worked together, back then I was like, Dude, this is the person who I need to bring into my business full time to really help with operations. So fast forward, you know, five years. And here I was making this decision, like, is this an investment that I that I’m ready to make, right. And this is the thing about business that I love so much is that it’s always like this weird mixture between you’re taking leaps of faith, really hoping that things are going to work out the way that you want them to work out. And simultaneously, you have to be strong enough that when you take that leap of faith, and it doesn’t work out, that you’re that you remain unaffected, that you remain grounded, right. So we had the conversation, obviously, I need to pay her a full time salary, she’s like, I don’t know if you can afford me, we had the conversation. She gave me a number that she wanted. And I was like, You know what, it’s a really big number. But I’m gonna go for it. Because I feel like you know, it’s just, it’s not, we’re never like, we need to, we need to jump in at some point, we need to jump in, even if I don’t feel 100% Ready, and we need to figure it out and make it work. So this is Laura’s, I believe this is Laura’s third week working with us, or we might be into week four right now. And it has just been amazing. Like, it’s so nice to have someone who is really super organized, which is something that I’m horrible at. But at the same time, you know, it’s also one of those things where someone doesn’t get used to working with you for like, I would say a good six months, like, it’s not really until that six month mark that you’re out maybe like four to six months where you’re really feeling in flow with someone. So we’re just going through that period of time where we’re getting used to each other getting used to working with each other. And it’s also just really exciting because there is so much that needs to get done in order for us to keep her in the company and in order for us to be able to afford to keep her so because there’s so much that needs to get done. And because we are literally constrained by time, my to do list just feels like it has never been so long. Like I was speaking to Laura. And I was like dude, I feel like ever since you’ve joined, it has just been non stop. And here’s the thing, guys, this is really what I want to speak to you guys about today is that in your business, you’re gonna go through seasons, you’re gonna go through seasons, where it does require you to wake up super early and work almost all night. And you’re going to have to make some sacrifices and not go out to whoever’s birthday party, or you’re going to have to miss some time down the islands, which is something that we do here in Trinidad. Everyone goes on a boat, they go down the islands, it’s basically like you’re on this boat in the middle of the ocean, or sometimes we go to people’s houses. But like, last weekend or two weekends ago, everyone went down the islands. And I was like, Nope, I’m staying at home because I’ve got things to do. And like, when I think about the big picture, right? It’s like, what are you willing to give up the short term sacrifices like, Oh, I’m not gonna go down the islands, which is something that, you know, we do quite regularly and something I’ve done what seems like a million times in my life and something that’s never gonna go away. And something that I can definitely choose to do the next time in exchange for the fact that like, I’m moving forward towards my goal. And I’m actually making things happen within my business that need to happen in order for me to reach that next level. And yes, there always is that next level, but you just have to know that like, okay, for me and my business right now, I’m really setting it up so that I don’t have to be working as hard as I’ve been working. Over the past seven years of running my business, I want to get to a stage where it’s super flexible, and I can decide to take lot days off, etc, etc. But at this stage of my business, it requires a lot of work, it requires a lot of hard work, it requires a lot of focus, it requires a lot of diligence. And that is 100% of what I’m willing to give to it. So it’s weird, right? Because it’s like you want to enjoy your life. That’s why you have your own business. But at the same time, in order for you to get to the next stage to get to the next level, a lot of times it requires you to put in the work. So that’s kind of where I’m at right now. It’s just this period of a lot of focus, a lot of hard work, a lot of laptop time, a lot of learning as well because I’m trying to learn a bunch of new things, really trying to take my business to that next stage where we have Grand Slam set up in an evergreen way so like this week, I’ve been working on Facebook ads I’ve been working on finalizing our evergreen funnel and really not even finalizing it it’s really that I’ve been working on like getting the bare bones of it set up I have to give a big shout out to my girl Amanda bond. If you’re looking for any help with your Facebook ads, she is my go to woman. She’s so knowledgeable in that area. So she’s just been such a great support system for me whenever I have a question I’m just like Amanda

What am I doing wrong? What’s happening and she’s just been super helpful. So I’m very, very grateful for that. But you He has been interesting to, I’ve learned so many new things about Facebook ads. One of them being that when you’re setting up your evergreen funnel, you should start at the end. This is something I learned from Amanda is that you should start at the final phase where it’s like you’re trying to convert sales, right? So you’re targeting the people who visit your sales page, and you’re sending them Facebook ads, so that they remember Oh, yeah, I went to that base. I went to that sales page. And I really did it. I was curious about Grand Slam. And now here are these ads on my Facebook feed that are prompting me to buy Grand Slams like that’s really what I’ve been focusing on this week, along with this launch of this podcast. Like, honestly, guys, I cannot wait until this podcast is live because it has been taking up. So much of my time. It is ridiculous. And again, one of those things where you have to hold space for the fact that like it is quite an annoying thing to have to work on. Especially before it’s live, especially when like, there’s so many different pieces of it that you’re trying to juggle. But at the same time remembering that like this is a long term play like this is not going to be this hectic forever. We’re launching a brand new podcast, we’re trying to get 100 reviews in the first week. So we have goals that we’re trying to accomplish. There’s podcasts that need to be recorded, there’s interviews that need to be edited, the intro had to be recorded. When we did the intro for the first time I hated it. And I was like no, like, I cannot press publish on this. And guys, I’m such like Done is better than perfect person. Like, I’m totally happy to press publish on something, even if I don’t think it’s the best thing ever. Because I realized that my expectations are impossibly high. And it’s just unrealistic. So like I’d much rather just press published and sit on something because it’s not perfect. But the first intro, I honestly hated it, I was like, this cannot be the intro to on purpose. Like, we have to have to have to redo this. So we edited the the intro, it sounds way better. Now. Now it’s at least at a place where I’m like, okay, I can put my name on this and feel proud about it, which is great. The important thing for me during this time has just been remembering to take care of myself, because I think when you’re working so hard, it’s really easy to get into a bad state of mind, where you’re just constantly being hard on yourself and be like, Oh, you didn’t get this done. You didn’t get that done. Whenever I’m in a period of of a lot of hard work compassion, showing myself compassion. And kindness is like rule number one, like, anytime a negative thought comes into my mind, I’m like, Nope, that is not allowed. It’s like you have a body guard, you know, like your whole body guard at the very front of your mind. Any thought that comes in, you’re like, let me judge whether you’re worthy of really believing because just because a thought comes in does not mean that it has any validity, right. So it’s really about choosing which thoughts you want to believe. So that’s been a really big theme for me this week. Also, just doing my best to take care of myself, make sure that I’m well fed, make sure that I’m well watered. One way that I did that is we’ve started ordering meals from someone so she drops off lunch for me every single day. And also giving myself time to do things that aren’t productive. I’m putting productive in air quotes. Because if I look at something that I would normally consider unproductive, not that I would consider unproductive what society might consider unproductive. So like cooking, I love to cook like I find it so therapeutic. I think it’s it’s just a really nice way to connect with myself. It feels like I’m serving myself, it feels like a self love practice for me. But it takes me like two hours to cook and make a meal and eat and then clean up. And it definitely takes a huge chunk out of my day. But I look at that as a commitment to myself. And I’m like, Okay, if I can cook a meal for myself once or twice a week that would make me feel really taken care of. And it would it would give me space to relax and just completely disconnect from work. And actually, that is productive. So for me during this busy period, it’s not necessarily about like working nonstop, but it’s about being as productive as possible. So it’s about getting in bed at the end of the night. And When Nick is like, hey, let’s watch. What are we watching? Billions when he’s like, Hey, let’s watch billions tonight. It’s about having the the wisdom to be like, You know what, if we’re going to watch millions, it’s probably going to take like an hour to finish an episode. Which then means that I’m going to sleep an hour later, which then means when I wake up early tomorrow, I’m not going to feel my best. So you know what tonight, let’s not watch billions because I need to get my sleep. And that’s really important for me tonight. Another great example is like going for walks. Me and Nick are starting to have a commitment with each other where we go for walks like once in the morning once in the evening, like twice a week, right? So we’re starting really slow because he’s he had took a lot to be like, Hey, let’s go for a walk. I don’t think it’s on the top of any of our lists. Like we’re both such highly productive people. It doesn’t feel like the most productive thing in the world to go for a walk and then you start to realize that yeah, it is super productive because number one you’re getting in like a light workouts You don’t have to do like a run in order for it to be productive, you can go for a light walk. And if that’s productive for your body, it’s movement movement is good, right movement is good for the brain, which means that it’s good for my business, it’s good for taking care of me. So that’s good. It’s also great for our relationship. Because we get to talk to each other and catch up in a situation where we’re not distracted by other people. We’re not distracted by our phones. So like, you could look at that. And for the longest time, I know both of us did, where it was, like, we want to go for a walk together. But man, we got so much going on. Like, we’ll just kind of put it off this week, we made a plan where like, Okay, on whatever day, it was Tuesday evening, we’re gonna go for a walk. And Tuesday evening came around, and I had so much work to do. And I was like, gosh, the last thing I want to do is go for a walk, I really just want to sit here and finish my tasks. And then I was like, you know, what, Okay, step back. Is this productive? And the answer is like, Yes, this is productive. Like, even though it’s taking me away from my work, I probably need a break. Because I’ve been working all friggin day long since early o’clock, right? So to me, that’s like the beauty. And the fun part of being in this space is getting to be in that position of leadership with myself where I get to make those decisions about what is productive, and what’s not productive. And sometimes it’s not what society would say it’s productive. But you know, what society’s version of productive, could not interest me any less, I know that if I don’t take care of myself. And if I’m not getting enough sleep, and if I’m not moving my body, and if I’m not meditating and taking care of my mind, I know it’s going to negatively affect my work, I know I’m going to burn out, I know it’s gonna seep through into everything I do in a negative way. So that’s why for me, it’s just super important, make those decisions. What I’m most excited for this week, because I’m recording this on a Friday, this is going to go live on the Monday. So when you’re listening to this, Laura is actually going to be coming to Toronto, to Laura lives in New York, New York, New York. Laura lives in New York. And we decided that, you know, since she’s new to the team, it’d be really beneficial for her to come down, visit Trinidad for a few weeks, see what it’s all about. And for, it’s just to like to get us to come together and really get aligned in the business to allow her to meet Katherine. I think it’s just it’s such an exciting time in the business. And there’s so much work involved, we’re we’re like really powering through to get as much finished as possible. I just thought it’d be like, soul food for her to come and visit and for us to get to be together. Like I said, she’s also my best friend. So like, it’s not just good for business, it’s good for my heart. It’s good for personal reasons. And so yeah, she’s going to be coming on Monday, which I’m so excited for. Not only I’m excited to see her, but I’ve also ordered all of this new equipment guys, IG TV went live last week, right? I’ve been putting out an IG TV video every single day that is live, which I’m super proud of. I’ve been doing a lot of repurposing of old content, but what I really want to get into is creating fresh content specifically for IG TV. But I didn’t really have the right gear, because a lot of my gear is heavy stuff like stuff that I I could put this camera on a tripod, and it would do a really great job. But I’m not going to bring this camera out and about with me, without really thinking about it. Because it’s heavy, it’s cumbersome, it’s just not comfortable. The more you guys listen to me talk, the more you’re going to realize I’m all about flow. And I’m all about ease. And I’m all about things just like I said flowing and being easy. So I bought a bunch of new equipment. And I’m so I’m really excited because she’s going to be bringing it all down with her when she comes. So that’s going to be amazing. And then also today, finally, our Facebook ads were approved for that final stage of like getting the sales, right, because remember, I told you like Amanda bond has me working backwards. So we’re working at the sales part first, where we’re targeting people who have visited the sales page, and we are sending them sales messages. So like, for example, right now we have four videos. One is a what is Grand Slam, another one is Grand Slam for you. Another one is a testimonial. And another one is basically an alive that I did where I answered people’s questions about Grand Slam, right. So I was like, let’s start with these four and kind of see how it goes. So those are currently live, we’ve had our first sale of the day. So that’s super exciting. So I’m just really excited to see like, how are the Facebook ads actually going to turn out? What’s gonna work, what’s not gonna work. And like I said, guys, like, I’m really here creating these podcasts, to share what’s happening behind the scenes and to share the lessons that I’m learning. Because I wish that someone was doing this. Like for me, you know, like, I think it’s really cool to share these types of things. I don’t think it makes you any less of a business owner, like Yeah, I’m still trying to figure all this stuff out or I’m trying to grow in this way. I’m trying to grow in that way. No one ever gets to a stage where they’re like, Okay,

my bet is good. Like, I’m done, right? There’s always a next level of growth. So I think having these conversations is really important, and it’s something that I want to do. So yeah, I’ll be sharing that with you next week. Hopefully I’ll have a little bit more insight into how the Facebook ads have been going, what’s been working, what hasn’t been working and what my big lessons have been. And yeah, I would say that those are the things I’m really looking forward to next week. Okay, my friends, that is the end of episode number one of on purpose. Thank you so much for being here with me and for listening all until the very end. Please take a moment to send me a message on my Instagram. You can find me at Alex beaten and let me know what did you think of this first podcast episode? And what did you like? And what would you like to hear more about? These solo episodes are really just completely freestyle. Like I have not planned anything. I’ve really just kind of like let my mental chatter flow out of my mouth. And I like I said, I wanted to be very open and honest. But your feedback matters to me because I do want it to be valuable for you. And I want you to be able to walk away and be like cool, like I learned this or I can implement that or like I’m going to shift my mindset in this way. I want it to inspire you, motivate you get you in the right place, the right frame of mind. Thank you so much for listening and I will talk to you guys again next time. Bye. Thank you so much for tuning into the on purpose podcast and I really hope that you had as much of a blast as we did. If you liked what you heard and want even more make sure you leave a review because it really helps support what I do here on the podcast. All you have to do is search the podcast app for the on purpose podcast, select it then scroll down until you see write a review and then type away at the beginning of the next episode. I will be picking one review one special review My favorite review of the week and I will be reading it out for all of you guys so you definitely don’t want to miss out on that. I hope you really enjoy your week and I will see you guys again next time stay on purpose.