#190: Starting Your Business is Like Giving Birth

Come explore the softer, more feminine aspect of starting a business. After all, your business is your baby. Let’s breathe through it together. Join Michelle’s FREE community event, Build your health coaching business without overwhelm at http://HealthCoachPower.com/community.

Subscribe to these episodes on YouTube, or:
Apple Podcasts – https://apple.co/2sOjwVA
Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2K3UaN6
Spotify – https://spoti.fi/2Y0Eu1r
Google Podcasts – https://bit.ly/3E1yMAq

Full transcript:

Michelle Leotta:
Hello there, health coaches today is gonna be a little bit different than usual because typically, you know, I'm like a real get or done kind of person. But even I have moments, yes. Moments of needing a certain softness to a certain relaxation. It's like we can't just push, push, push all the time in our businesses. And especially not as health coaches, I don't even know if other, in other industries how they get away with it. But as health coaches, we cannot do that. We have to walk our talk. So today we're going to be talking about the more feminine aspect of starting a business or giving birth to your business, so to speak. Meaning: full of power, but also full of self-awareness and necessary relaxation. So if you hear live with us, go ahead and say hello in the comments. We're always glad when you join us. And Katey is with me today to help me out on this topic because Katey helps me in the, my business to stay relaxed and tap into my inner knowledge. And, uh, and maybe today we'll even share parts of our own actual childbirth stories as well as business stories. But anyway, Katey, thanks for joining us.

Katey Caswell:
Thanks Michelle. Thanks for having me. It's always fun.

Michelle Leotta:
I mean, there's no better person to talk about this topic with. I feel like you bring that energy that I sometimes lack. We've talked about this very yin and yang.

Katey Caswell:
Very yin and yang. Yes. Yeah. Worked very well together. I love it. Love it. Love it.

Michelle Leotta:
And you need both, right? Like for a successful business, you can't just have one or the other. I would've burned out many, many years ago. If I wasn't able to also find a way to breathe into the whole process.

Katey Caswell:
Gotta breathe. You can't not breathe. Yes.

Michelle Leotta:
Well, let's all breathe now. And we know that a successful health coaching business relies on this relies on your health and happiness being intact. And that's why we're adding a whole new component to this year's fast track semester. We want you to have a business doula of sorts. So we're gonna be offering all the same hard hitting business growth tactics as we always do, plus a way for you to get the personal support that you need along the way. So the wait list is open now for fast track. You can put your name on that puppy for free. You'll get access to the very best bonus package as no obligation at all. Just go put your name on it. Now it's at healthcoachpower.com/waitlist. Like I said, we're gonna have this sort of business doula aspect to fast track this time around, before we hit record earlier, Katey and I were just discussing like if we had doulas when we were giving birth. So what your experience like Katey?

Katey Caswell:
Oh my gosh. It was such a long time ago. My kids are in their twenties, right? Um, doulas were a brand new thing with my second daughter and I was very excited. My first birth did not go as planned. There was the football game and there were onions and there were forceps. And we're not gonna talk about that. But my second one, I said, I'm gonna get a doula. And I actually looked for like a hard hitting kind of doula, cuz I was like, I don't want someone who's gonna get all wishy washy and let me have the drugs that I don't want have. I want someone who's gonna say, no, you can do this. No, we can and do this. And my doctor, he even said, don't you want... Or the nurse? She said, don't you want the nicer doula that's in that practice? And I said, no, no, no, no. This is exactly what I need.

Michelle Leotta:
Yin and yang.

Katey Caswell:
Exactly. Right. That's exactly what it was. I needed someone who wasn't me. And so one thing leads to another, go to the doctor and as well, you know, we have to deliver your baby right now. So we did not have a labor. I did not get to have my doula, you know, focus me. She took videos. Um, and that was nice to have, you know, videos of your C-section, how many people get that. Um, but I was really looking forward to having someone cause my husband is great. I love him. We've been married almost 30 years. Wow. But this was not, this was not his role. This is not a role that he would have excelled in. And I love that. I recognized that. And I went out and looked for something that was gonna help me be that, that counterpoint, that yin and yang. Yeah. What about you, Michelle?

Michelle Leotta:
Um, funny, you mentioned that about your husband. Cause I think if we think about our businesses often, and I'm not saying this about your husband, Katey, or about anyone in particular, but often our spouse, our closest friends and family can be the worst at helping us with our own business. And it helps so much to have that third party to have someone come in and um, and help you as opposed to someone who you live with. Who's just like, what are you doing? When is, when are you ever gonna get your business going? How come you're just fussing around on Facebook all day? You know? So, uh, so I'm not surprised that he wasn't a great help. I sorta had the opposite story with mine, cause I also have two kids and my first was a c-section where you just don't know what you don't know when you're new to anything, right?

Michelle Leotta:
When you're new to your business, you don't know what you don't know. And so things went all wrong for me with that. And I was very unhappy with the first birth, although he is a beautiful child. And um, with my second though, then I knew what I didn't know, or I knew a lot more in general. So I did hire a doula. I had the chiropractor, I had acupuncture, I had all the things and I did actually have like the birth of my dreams. So, um, it made a world of difference and my doula was the best, the best. She even made me a placenta smoothie for anyone who's into that kind of stuff.

Katey Caswell:
I am so jealous. I wanted a placent smoothie.

Michelle Leotta:
I think you, and you know, a handful of people listening to this are about the only people on the planet who would say that. But I I'm with you. I am with you. But you know, this kind of goes, um, back to this idea of having a plan, um, a birth plan, right? Cause I had this big old birth plan for my first son's birth and then that went capo and then I had a plan for my second and that went a little, a lot better. But when you have a plan, um, with birth, as in so many other things in life, things don't always go according to plan. And I think birthing our business is similar in that way. Would you agree?

Katey Caswell:
Absolutely. A hundred percent. I, I don't know anyone, all the, all the students that we've worked with, I don't know anyone whose business has gone from point a to point B. Exactly. Like they expected.

Michelle Leotta:
Yes. I'm uh, I mean, how many times do you think something's gonna work out really well and it bomb and then something else is like, oh, I never thought that was gonna catch fire. Oh, there's interest here. How cool.

Katey Caswell:
Yeah. Like, I mean, you talk about it all the time. We have this impression where I'm gonna put up my website and then I'm gonna have a full practice. Everyone's just gonna come and get me and that's the expectation and it doesn't happen. And then you're like, but, but, but I have have the website, but, but, but I have a birth plan. Yes. You know, I have this birth plan. How come the baby's not paying attention? I mean, the baby can't read the birth plan. Can she/he?

Michelle Leotta:
That's right. And your business isn't necessarily gonna happen overnight just cuz you're like now my website is ready or now I got my domain name or my logo. Right? Sometimes we think as long as we've got that logo, all set, we are just gonna smooth, sail in from here on out. And that is just like thinking that you're gonna get to your 40th week and your baby's gonna be born on that day that your doctor told you.

Katey Caswell:
You date, right? Yeah. Yeah. What if they call that a due week? You know?

Michelle Leotta:
Oh gosh. Mine was like a, my first baby went to 42 weeks. I was enormous.

Katey Caswell:
You're so tiny Michelle.

Michelle Leotta:
It was hilarious. But yeah, nut, our birth plans do not go according to plan very often. And it is, it is exact same way with business. So we need to be, be flexible. How is this coming into play for you in your business? Like when have you had to be flexible and maybe you didn't want to be in the first place?

Katey Caswell:
I mean, when have I not had to be flexible? When has my inter ... I mean, your internet goes out and you've got this big day of either meetings or calls or like everything's online now there, back at the beginning. When I first started out, I had everything on my hard drive. So that would be okay if internet went out, but I store all my documents online. If I don't have internet, I have nothing. So I need a backup plan. Okay. I need to go to Starbucks or the grocery store have somewhere else to work. Um, technology. Oh my gosh, stress, stress, Ugh, stressful. I'm getting even stressed talking about it is technology. When you know, I'm gonna press this button on Facebook and we're gonna go live and it's gonna go over here and then it doesn't work and everyone's watching and everyone's watching and then your stress level just bills.

Katey Caswell:
And you feel like, oh my gosh, I can't, I can't do that. I can't tell you how many times technology has tripped me up and made me feel about this small. And it's really hard to bounce back from something like that. Especially if you're working in a vacuum, cause for the first five, six years of my health coaching career I had, I didn't have any, anyone else. I didn't have a community. I didn't have a, you know, a course. I didn't have a mentor. I didn't have anything like that. So if I did something wrong, I was the only one in the world who did the wrong thing. I had no one to tell me, not just you, Katey, no one can get Facebook to work. Zuckerberg changes it all the time. Like I didn't have that. So that's why I love your community. Cause we get that and we can talk to each other and we can, and we can do that. And I'm so excited for fast track, um, where we're gonna have that opportunity to do it in a much magnified manner when you're in the thick of it. And you're making your freebie and the technology isn't working or you don't understand, you can't get your headline, right. Not just the technical aspect of it, but the stressful part. The part that makes you wanna go cry in the corner.

Michelle Leotta:
Oh yes. When you're talking about this, it's reminding me of my first mommy group. So did you have a mommy group? Like when you first became a mom?

Katey Caswell:
La Leche League. Yup. And then Gymboree, we had two, yes.

Michelle Leotta:
Right, La Leche league. Oh my gosh. I still have La Leche league members on my mailing list that I met when I walked in there and became friends with. Cause I was just sobbing. Right? Like I, I think I'm the only one who's having trouble with breast feeder or I'm the only one that's having whatever, trouble getting my kid to do anything. My mine was my first baby was one who only slept in a stroller. So I walked for about four hours a day as he napped, you know, his two big naps of the day, all around where I used to live in old town, Alexandria, Virginia. It was a lovely walk. But let me tell you it was hot. And I thought I am the only person having these problems. And that's where the mommy group kind of came in. You're right. Our community here is a little bit like that. We're all doing the same thing. Everyone's trying to figure it out at the same time.

Katey Caswell:
Yes, yes. Yeah. My La Leche League group was, was great and I had horrible trouble breastfeeding and everyone else seemed to do it like that. You know, milk squirting out all over the place. Uh, that was not me. So it was really nice to see other women cry over not being able to do that. And it just makes you feel better. It makes you feel more confident. Whereas the lactation consultant said, I can't make your baby latch. That's the mommy part. You need to calm down. Like, wow. Even this, you know, professional, she's like all about the mechanics and no empathy whatsoever. She's like, Nope, you just gotta do it. It. And like it was impossible. Cause I needed someone to give me a hug to tell me it was gonna be okay to tell me my baby was not going to starve. And that formula where, whereas it's not, you know what I wanted. It was there, you know, know it was not the end of the world. And there's another path that a lot of times you can't see when you're so caught up in where you are.

Michelle Leotta:
Oh and doesn't that just happen all the time in our businesses too. We get people all the time like inside mentorship or HPU students who are like, I have to figure this thing out and it's driving me crazy and I can't figure it out. And, and it's like, actually, do you even need to do that? And oftentimes we can just eliminate the problem so quickly. And I love that. Cause that's the power of having that consult, that lactation consultant or the older sister or you know, just someone who's been there and done that and can be like, actually you're stressing about the wrong thing. Like, you know, you can relax around this. Yep. Um, if anyone who is watching by the way, has their own birth stories or can think of other ways that giving birth to a child is similar to giving birth to your business, throw your thoughts into the comments because I would, first of all, I'd love to hear your birth stories cuz I'm just a total birth nerd after going through my own experiences.

Michelle Leotta:
But there is just so many crazy parallels. And I think that if for, for those, of course not every health coach has had a baby, but for those of you who have, or you've been with someone who's had a baby or you know, someone in your family has gone, you know, you've gone through the childbirth process with draw from that energy, you know, we can draw from that sort of mama power that comes out and sometimes you don't think it's going to, like, I remember getting very overwhelmed with, especially in my, with my second pregnancy cuz I had the, the midwife telling me exactly like how I needed to eat and how I needed to take like three walks a day and how I had to do this. And if I wanted to have, you know, she was right by the way it all worked. But um, I had a lot of overwhelm with like all the stuff I had to do plus take care of my, my older son. Um, so overwhelm was another thing that comes up in building business. Of course. How have you dealt with that, Katey? Katey, you are on mute. I cannot hear you.

Katey Caswell:
Okay, I'm back. I don't know what happened there... Computer, see computer technical glitches. Yeah. So other than crying in the corner, you mean Michelle? How have I dealt with the overwhelm? Cuz that's, I've gotta tell you. That's the number one. Um, I mean seeking out someone who understands, who can listen and, and like you said, Nope, that's not important or what are you, what are you kidding me? You're the best person I've ever seen do that. Why are you stressing over that? So a lot of times we don't even, um, appreciate our gifts. And I know that I've done that quite often. Uh, I'm so focused on what I don't have. Like what I, I don't have the business mechanics is definitely not something that is innate to me. I have to try and practice, uh, but connecting and communicate with people. That is something that comes naturally more naturally to me. So me stressing over a communication. I need someone in my ear telling me you're really good. You can do that. This is easy. This is not something that you need to stress about if you really want to stress. I think sometimes we like to stress about things. I don't know. Sometimes I like it.

Michelle Leotta:
What is that? Yeah.

Katey Caswell:
Yeah. Um, so sometimes overwhelm is welcome, but when I'm done with being it, that being okay, like I said, seeking someone out, um, to listen, following a process does not help me with overwhelm. It just kind of adds to the pile when I'm already feeling overwhelmed. When I can clear all that out of my head and say, okay, now I'm ready for what comes next. Then I love a good process, a good list, like cross things off. But when you're in the middle of overwhelm or when I'm in the middle of overwhelm and I see that in front of me, I just wanna go cry in the corner.

Michelle Leotta:
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. I mean, and that is where like the doula comes in, right? The doula's not there to be like, and you have to do this and you have to do that. The doula's like, how are you feeling? And you're like, waaaaa! You know, that's, but this is necessary. This is so necessary. Cause I think we get so locked up. Uh, I mean physically really literally when, when, when it comes to childbirth, but even just in our businesses, we get really locked up. We're in that overwhelmed state. I can't do it. Can't figure it out. Uh, and I know for myself, that's when I start making mistakes. That's when I... You know, my health starts suffering. My sleep suffers, you know, when I let myself stay locked up. So we need to be able to find someone or something that gives us that kind of feeling.

Katey Caswell:
Yes, it's going to be okay. Someone else can see what I can't. That's that main part of it. I think that other people can have that bird's eye view and can look down and say, you're fine. Yeah. It feels crappy right now. The baby's gonna come. You're going to get that optin page done. You know, your email is it's gonna work for you. It's all going to be okay. And if for some reason, this iteration isn't working, then we move on to something else. You know, you can't burn birth on your back. Let's move to all fours. The same, same kind of thing.

Michelle Leotta:
Exactly. Yeah. And on this topic of overwhelm, this is reminding me, we have a free community event coming up. It's called building your health coaching business without overwhelm. And I love doing these community events. We did one a couple of months ago. It was huge hit. So if you missed that or if you were there, you know how much fun that was? It's a casual gathering. It's not like a slideshow presentation type of thing. It's very much let's meet. Let's talk, let's meet each other. Let's have like actual community. I mean, I wish we could do these in person, but it is gonna be held on zoom just like last time. And you can sign up for that at healthcoachpower.com/community. Again, that's building your health coaching business without overwhelm. We'll spend more time here talking about how to avoid that overwhelm and keep yourself grounded.

Michelle Leotta:
But very much goes in line with what we were just talking about. Cindy wrote here in the comments that her first child took 18 hours from the time her water broke and her second only took four hours and she barely got to the hospital in time. That is actually, that is perfectly timed. Thank you, Cindy. Cause I wanted to talk about how in business, as in childbirth, sometimes it takes much, much longer than you thought it would. And then it speeds up all of a sudden, this is the, I guess this goes back to being flexible, doesn't it?

Katey Caswell:
Yes. Yeah. Yes.

Michelle Leotta:
But so true. Like you're like, oh my God, are we there yet? Kind of thing. I remember with my first baby, I had been in labor for 24 hours and they're like, you're still at two. I'm like, I mean, no, really the flames that just shot out of my face, you know? Like you have to be kidding me and if it can feel that way and how many of you have been in business for a while? You know, you've you started seeing your first health coaching clients maybe a year ago or two years ago or maybe many years ago, but it still, you're still not where you thought you would be like, it can take longer, but then sometimes boom, bunch of clients fall on your lap at once or boom, you get this great opportunity that just kind of came out of nowhere. Who was I just talking to one of our HPU members. Oh, that's right. When I, when Isabella and I were talking just on the podcast last week about how she's got this possible op... Corporate opportunity, that could be nothing that could be like, you're still at two or that could be like the biggest boom that ever happened to her business. That's an unknown right now, but that does kind of just come out of blue sometimes, which is exciting, but also...

Katey Caswell:
Overwhelming.

Michelle Leotta:
Yes. Terrifying.

Katey Caswell:
How do I deal with this now? I have had no time to get ready. And it's usually something that you have to do right now. And you really feel overwhelmed. I've had a few things like that where five people contact me and are like, okay, we all wanna start now right now this week. And I'm like, oh, I had, you know, I was gonna go to the beach and I was gonna go for coffee. I, you know, that's the flexibility of being an out coach. You don't have a lot going on and sometimes you can make time for that, but right. Let's clear that all out make room for everyone reorganize. I mean, that's what being your own CEO is constantly about. Right. Reorganizing and being okay with it.

Michelle Leotta:
Yes. And uh, might I say motherhood as well? Oh yep. Uh, somebody pooped their pants. Okay. We're not gonna do that. We are gonna go clean up. Oh, someone's hungry. Okay. Change of plans. I mean it's like pivot, pivot, pivot. So, for the mothers in, in our community, you're all like very well suited for this. I really, really think health coaching and motherhood go well together or because you're well trained in that flexibility in the pivoting, in the oh no, diaper overflow kind of moments like in handling it. Right. And, and that sometimes it's like that. Even if those moments are like yourself, just overflowing with frustration or overflowing with, you know, the overwhelm Melissa's saying she's been coaching for six years now and she wants to get off the roller coaster. Melissa, here's my question for you. What about childbirth? Can you see reflected in your business birthing?

Michelle Leotta:
You know, what can you learn from how women give birth? Which is my goodness, the most amazing, like incredible miraculous thing that we could possibly do. Right. And, and then say, okay, if we can do that, we can do this. If we can bring, you know, life into the world, I'm pretty sure we could get that opt-in page up. Or we could start that mailing list. It starts to feel like small potatoes, doesn't it. So that's what I want everyone to do. Like reach into that inner power that we all have and let's use it. You know, like sometimes you haven't run a business like this before I never did. Before I started, it's not like I had another coaching business or another online business or something before I got into this and I'm like, oh, what's going on? But you can, you have these transferable skills.

Katey Caswell:
Yes. And parenthood and running your own business. You're exactly right. So many, so many parallels, um, you know, even the birth you think, okay, I had the baby, that's just the beginning. You know, you, you get your first few clients, you get your business rolling the way it is and then, well then you wanna grow or is it gonna go in this direction? It, you know, it's, it's constant. Um, and having tools so that you don't give into that overwhelm or don't always feel like things are beyond your control, even though they are, you just don't have to feel that way. Um, like it's a great lesson to start doing at the start rather than when you get like super successful

Michelle Leotta:
Melissa saying, stages I went through in pregnancy and now being a mom. So I guess likening the stages of pregnancy and motherhood to stages of business.

Katey Caswell:
Yeah.

Michelle Leotta:
I mean, I remember lots of different stages in my business. Looking back on the past 13 years. There was like the stage where I was still teaching yoga and doing a lot in the yoga studios. There's a time when I thought I would be a health coach for yogis, which is hilarious because every Yogi I knew was broke and they spent all their money on yoga classes. So, there was no room for health coaching in that world. Um, you know, there's just been all these different phases like that. You're exactly right. Just like, just like in raising kids or babies. Right. Cause don't babies change dramatically. Like just one week to the next one

Katey Caswell:
Week to the next, you can really see that on Instagram stories. Right. You follow a baby and oh my gosh, weren't they just like this big and yeah. Harder to see when it's your own baby. And I think that's true about your business too. You don't really realize how far you've come. You know, you kind need to look back like you were just doing, talking about the yogis, where was I right out of health coach school. How did that start? What was, what was I doing? Was I Uber focused on that website? Or was I open to all right now I need some more business sense because you know, the health coach school doesn't really doesn't really provide too much of that.

Michelle Leotta:
Oh gosh. The first things I did out of health coach school, I remember holding cooking classes in my kitchen. And not only was I not, uh, whatever kitchen certified or, you know, whatever, like the proper thing is to do, if you're gonna be serving food. I mean, I didn't even think of it. It didn't even cross my awareness. That that might be a thing. I didn't know what I didn't know. And in some ways that's glorious cuz you know, you just take messy action, but it's, it's funny to look back on how far, how far we've all come. Yeah. Um, let's talk about that point in childbirth. And uh, I, I remember this point in my, in my, my second son's birth where you think it is not doable, this is not going to happen. And actually I'm glad, I'm glad that Melissa's here because I remember Melissa, when you were like, I just feel like I'm going to give up, like it's either I'm gonna do or I am going to give up now. And, and that, that is the same feeling in many ways transition. That's what they call it.

Katey Caswell:
Yeah.

Michelle Leotta:
Yeah. Yeah. You look at your husband or you look at whoever I remember doing it and I was like, it's never, ever going. He's never coming out. And that's when they were like, oh, reach down. You can feel the baby's head. And I'm like, no kidding, No kidding. Right there.

Katey Caswell:
You have to reach down to do that.

Michelle Leotta:
Oh my goodness. I mean, it was like he was crowning. I had no idea. So, um, so in business, yes. Like who, who has been there where you're like Uh uh, throwing the towel, this is it. We are done here. Have you hit those points? Or I should like how many times have you hit those points?

Katey Caswell:
I mean, I can think of four distinct times when I, when I hit those points, um, in my, in my, in my health coaching career and um, yeah, I was done. I was, there was still something tying me to it. Oh, I don't wanna give up my really great practice better reign just in case I changed my mind. Um, but everything else, I was like, Nope, not talking to anyone about anything, health coaching. I'm gonna go have an ice cream sundae right now. Cause I don't even wanna think about healthy food or health or anything, anything like that. So yeah, those the really easy to fall into that place. Especially like I said, I like I had no, no support at the beginning. It was me and my computer and my daughter's playroom and my kids' playroom.

Michelle Leotta:
Yeah. It used to be me at the kitchen table. Yeah. So let's remember that the point at which you think I cannot do, this is a transitional point and it likely means that you are ready to change something about a, the way you're approaching your business. Something you're gonna open up to in a new way because what you are currently doing, doesn't feel like it's working like this is the growth where the growth really happens, where you're gonna go. Well, I never, I did a, B and C, but I never tried D now's the time and things are gonna open up for you. I think that's really important, but there's always that analogy with like a seed, uh, or you know, turning in you think life is over, but that's actually when it's just beginning. Yes. Yeah. I'm not phrasing this correctly. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Katey Caswell:
I know it's exactly what you're talking about. Yes. Yeah.

Michelle Leotta:
You guys have all seen the memes.

Katey Caswell:
Yes. Yep. Looks like nothing's happening. And then, there, there, it is like almost like magic cause you need that time to kind of percolate. I mean, isn't this what we talk, talk about to our clients? Uh, I know I working in the weight loss field for a big chunk of my career, people would say I losing weight. I'm not losing weight. And I would say, it's coming. And then they would be like, oh my gosh, my size, my pants are down two sizes in three days. It's just boom. It's like all, maybe not that much, but yeah,

Michelle Leotta:
I was gonna say that's kinda, that's kinda a lot, but yeah, it's it's that it is that it's uh, I think it's like total destruction has to come for like we're to a seed it's total destruction, but that's the beginning of the, the plant growing that's um, so when it feels like I'm gonna throw in the towel, you're ready to just throw your business. Yes. Or when you're like this baby is never coming out, put it back inside me and let's just go home. Like, it's just very interesting how we hit those points, don't we?

Katey Caswell:
Absolutely absolutely caterpillars too. The seeds. Right. And caterpillars caterpillar has to die to become the butterfly. Like there's no caterpillar anymore. It doesn't...

Michelle Leotta:
Maybe just lean into it when we're having those moments. All right. I'm a hot mess and I'm crying in the corner or I'm, you know, everything's just going wrong with everything I'm trying to do in my business or how come I'm not growing. I've been doing this for six years. Right. That there's going to be like that crack where you see the light and you're like, well, let me try that. And that's going to lead you in the next direction. Oh, there's so many analogies. I am loving talking childbirth. I wanna talk about one more aspect cuz I think it's the key key to all of it. Everything seems to work better when we relax. Right. That's why they give you the epidural to relax everything and just let it open up. Although that did not work in my first pregnancy. Um, and I don't think there's any type of epidural for business. Do you know of anything like that?

Katey Caswell:
Um, ah, I have not come across anything like that, Michelle? I can't say that I have.

Michelle Leotta:
No, they haven't been researching drugs for us to get past those business blocks. No, but what helps us relax? Here's one that I do. I cancel something. There's something I'm planning to do. And I notice that time. I think about it. It gives me an icky feeling inside. Has that ever happened to you?

Katey Caswell:
Oh, all the time. Yes. Yeah.

Michelle Leotta:
Right? Or you know, you have a task or you have a project or even a client, but it's like, eh, just, you know, dragging on you. Sometimes the most productive thing to do is to actually cancel it and I'll wipe it off my calendar. I'll cancel that obligation or whatever it is and it frees up my energy and then things can flow again. So that's one way that like, especially if you're very busy, you don't have to do it all, you know? And sometimes if you can get rid of the things that are really draining you, that's gonna help out a lot.

Katey Caswell:
Yes. Yeah.

Michelle Leotta:
I mean, we see coaches all the time who are, uh, all amped up, worried, stressed out. You know, you can even tell when someone just types in the Facebook group that they're in that state and you're always so good at working with what is the magic behind that decompression that you do?

Katey Caswell:
Oh gosh. I don't know. I think, uh, having been in that place so many times myself and having to like talk myself out of it, I think that that's part of it. Uh, and then that like honest understanding that like we are all awesome. You know, like if you are looking at someone in front of you and you know that they are awesome, they can feel that they can feel that that total acceptance where anything that you do is gonna be okay and you don't have to worry that something's gonna be wrong. I think that's where a lot of that negative energy and business comes from is that we're gonna do the wrong thing. We're gonna ruin our revenue. We're gonna put something out there. That's going to be embarrassing and just getting in front of someone who says no, you're great. You're great. You're great. Do, should you change a little bit in your opt-in page? Sure. Maybe, but that doesn't mean that you're not great. I think that's kind of like the underlying message that I like to that I think when I type, I don't know if that maybe comes through that way.

Michelle Leotta:
Oh, it definitely comes through definitely such a, a way with, um, yeah, just kind of taking that fire that's burning and minimizing it for somebody or, or putting it out entirely and then they go, whew. And I think we all need that. So that's a beautiful thing we and all do for our clients. Isn't it?

Katey Caswell:
Yeah. Yes, absolutely.

Michelle Leotta:
Everything works better when we can relax. So we do have two opportunities for you. I don't wanna be confusing here, but I do wanna repeat them. So whatever stage you're at in your business, we have something for you. If you are ready to put the petal to the metal. Build your business in 2022. Make it profitable. Do the thing. If now is your time. I want you to put yourself on the wait list for fast track. We're only doing it once this year and you wanna be on the wait list in order to get first crack at it and the best bonus package. And we are gonna be offering a sort of business doula aspect to the program to take care of you the whole way through. So the wait list is at healthcoachpower.com/waitlist. I have to remember, like I have to pay attention I'm saying the URLs correctly, get jumbled up in my mouth healthcoachpower.com/waitlist.

Michelle Leotta:
Now on the other hand, if you are not sure, or if you are stuck in that overwhelm. Oh my gosh. Don't give me anything else to do because I am already up to here or I am just as starting. I don't know what's appropriate for me right now. It's cool. We got you. We've all been there. And for that, I want you to make sure and join us for upcoming community event. Building your health coaching business without overwhelm. Katey will be joining me for both of these. Um, if you wanna be there for the community event, live with us, we will be, um, doing this on April 5th and you can sign up at healthcoachpower.com/community entirely free. And we can't wait to meet you there.

Katey Caswell:
So excited about that.

Michelle Leotta:
Katey, I'm happy we're doing this again. Cause the last community event was awesome.

Katey Caswell:
It was so awesome. Yes.

Michelle Leotta:
We like being able to meet you. We would like to, we would like to be able to meet more of you. So let's uh, let's put that on the calendar if it's not already there for you on April 5th. Um, and Melissa wrote here, she's trying to focus on what is, is working, practicing gratitude and also her other yoga business that's doing really well. So, that's a great example of businesses going through stages. You'll look back at some point and be like, oh, remember when my yoga business was doing really well, but I wasn't doing this other thing yet. Yeah. So it's just part of the process. Cindy's saying thank you for the meetup. Yes. I can't wait to meet up with you guys. Katey, thanks so much for joining me today. It's been, uh, fun to talk about our babies. I got one of my babies downstairs now cause he had a half day at school. So I'll go give him a hug.

Katey Caswell:
Oh my kids are not here. I can't do that. Darn it. Find them.

Michelle Leotta:
Oh it's nice to see this, this side. Right? Like yeah. We're so always the like the mailing list and the target markets and stuff. But um, we, we are creators.

Katey Caswell:
We can't do that. If we don't have the other part, you know, you can't just be a business. You have to have like more in your life. Well rounded, fulfilling. Sorry , didn't mean to interrupt you there.

Michelle Leotta:
No, that's a really good point. And I also think it makes us better coaches because our clients are not one sided either.

Katey Caswell:
No.

Michelle Leotta:
If all you know, it's not just the diet, it's not just the, you know, what did you eat today? There's so much more to them as well. Yes. Always a pleasure. Thanks for being here and thanks for joining us. You guys we'll back next week.

Katey Caswell:
Thanks. Bye bye.