‘Ask yourself, ‘Is this fear real?”’
Christine McAclister is a business coach for high achievers who want to make six figures running an online business. She helps clients overcome doubt and make progress towards their dream life.
‘I believe that 90% of life is made up of how we react to the 10% that happens to us.’
Aside from business development goal setting and valuable business coach tips for entrepreneurs, Christine shares with us life lessons in this episode. Learn about
– acknowledging your fear but not letting it overtake you,
– working with people who understand your value,
– choosing who to listen to for advice, and more.
Learn more about Christine here:
Personal website: https://www.lifewithpassion.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemcalister/
John: Thanks for listening today, don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode. My guest today is Christine McAlister. She’s a business coach for high achievers, who want to make six figures running an online business. Christine helps her clients overcome doubt and make progress towards their dream life. Thanks for being on the show today, Christine.
Christine: Thank you so much for having me.
John: So, I’m excited to dig a little bit deeper about your journey, how you became who you are today. So, if you don’t mind sharing with the listeners a little bit backstory about how you got started and you can go as far back as you want.
Christine: Yeah, Thank you. Well, I always knew that I wanted to do my own thing but I really was a very very good student. I think our school system, at least the one that I was in and the south of the US, trained us to be really good employees, and so I really fit, I checked all the boxes. I got the grades, I got the scholarship, I knew I was teacher’s pet, I knew how to do school right, and so when I got out of school. I had this dream to be an entrepreneur but I had never been taught how to even really think for myself. I had been thought to learn the thing they told me to learn and do well on the test, they told me to take and get the grade and so I did what you’re trained to do and I got a job, and at the very same time I started my own marketing agency doing different things than you and much smaller than what you do, but I started a side hustle. Doing online marketing for small businesses and I had studied media. My first job was as a professor of media and so I knew how to tell a good story and I was able to help these small businesses who needed an online presence to establish one, and that was the business that took me out of my 9 to 5, although it took me 5 years because I was terrified to fail, I didn’t trust myself and I really just, I really just thought that what I needed was a clear plan. Like “Oh if I have a plan that I could control and someone would just tell me what to do then I would go do it already”. I could have created a plan, like I’m a smart person but I just didn’t believe that I knew enough or was enough to do it and so it took me 5 years and when I quit, I replaced my income, my take home income in the very first month and I was like “Why did it take me this long? Right, I was like miserable, I was in a really toxic environment it was like a 90 minute commute heavy traffic and it was, I was just really like wasting away in this soul-sucking environment and so, I was so happy to get free and then basically what I did was I created another job for myself in that agency because I didn’t know any different. So I just, you know I had clients that I loved, I was working at home instead of an office, I wasn’t commuting but it felt like a job again, right. And so, I was really pretty close to burnout after 5 years of doing that full time when I had a turning point that set me on this path and that was a personal tragedy. That I had to overcome which was the full-term loss, the full-term stillbirth of my first daughter and that was very unexpected. I was just waiting to go labor and then I went to a regular doctor appointment and they said “We don’t know what happened but your daughter has passed away now you have to go deliver her anyway.” And so, I really like, really my world just kind of burned to the ground because that was so backwards for how I thought life was supposed to go, right. Like you don’t outlive your children, you know especially one that wasn’t even born alive and I used that to take a hard look at my life as I grieved and to become determined to do something positive, to create something good out of this experience, and it put myself on a path where I was gonna help more people and make a legacy so that people won’t forget her since she wasn’t here to make that for herself and so, that’s when I got serious about like getting over my fear, getting out of my on way doin a work on myself to figure out what it was that I was best in the world at right. My zone of genius and that’s when I started this business, life with passion and really what I’ve done along the way as we do, when we’re in coaching, coaching or mentorship consulting is I’ve, I taught things, I’ve taught things that I had already done and I thought and that I feel like I could help other people with. So, it started when I had to quit my job. I could help people quit their jobs right, then it became like “Hey, I made six figures I can help you make six figures”. Then it was like “I can help you do that part time” Because I went on to have two other children, living children that are now 2 and 4 and so this business I’ve always part-time and along the way i developed this process or method for being a really good guest on podcasts because that was something that I found out I really like to do and that also happened to attract clients to me that I loved working on with and so people started teaching me, asking me to teach that so, I’m doing that now and so, here we are.
John: That’s interesting. I mean, I love your story and sorry for your loss. I wanted to dig a little bit deeper on the upbringing because you did mention your upbringing was very school focused right? Did, were your parents involved in the social system, like or were they educators themselves? Were they entrepreneurs? Like what profession? And did you have people along the way that really pushed you to kinda move away from the corporate you know, school system as a professor to become an entrepreneur? or were there like any influences?
Christine: Great questions, my dad worked in corporate and he and I are similar. He’s very impact driven as well and has helped, he’s been kind of a right hand to a lot of entrepreneurs but so I saw that up close. I saw him support entrepreneurs but his edge was that he did not like or know how, so he didn’t wanna learn to market and sell. He just was really uncomfortable with doing that for his own services and so what wound up happening is he would consult but then he would get go back to a job because that’s where he was comfortable right. So, I saw that my mom stayed at home, I’m the eldest of four and so very conservative upbringing and so, she stayed at home and, and raised us and he worked mostly in corporate and I believe, you know it wasn’t really until my 20’s that I started getting to know and pursuing relationships with people who were doing this entrepreneurial thing. So, it was kinda like I believed it for other people like my college boyfriend was the first person who, my first client, the first person I helped quit his job after college and so I would believe it for other people and I would help them but it was always like I wasn’t sure that I could do it for myself. I didn’t believe myself as much as other people believed in me but I did have mentors, free at first and then eventually you know paid and still do to really help me on this journey because I’m the kind of person tends who tends to only implement something that I’ve paid for, even if it’s amazing material. Yeah, I if I don’t have like skin in the game, I’m just like “Oh that’s nice” but if I pay for it I show up for it, and so, now I know the value of going if this is the thing that I want right, I’m gonna, I’m gonna invest to get the thing and so that’s I would say have been my biggest inspirations up close examples the people that I’ve learned the most from.
John: And that’s great that you acknowledge that, what it takes and what you need to move you along and push you right and guide you. A lot of people aren’t aware of it, not self-aware, they don’t know what they don’t know, right. So, taking that extra step outside your comfort zone. So another question is. I know you have four siblings and are any of them entrepreneurs themselves? Or what do they think of what’s going on in your life? And do they want to replicate? Do they envy you for any of that? Because I have siblings, I’m the fourth child of four kids as well and it’s different because they were all in the educational like they’re all engineers and they have great professions but they don’t even know what I do. They have no idea, they don’t care, they think it’s like fails and marketing and it’s like hokey pokey to them, which is completely fine but I’m making a living out of it and I’m happy and it’s a lifestyle that I chose to go through. So, I just wanted to ask you, in your perspective in your life.
Christine: That’s a really good question. One of my siblings was a wedding photographer for a while and so she did that, I think really just burnt out on that so, no longer, no longer works for herself. I think the, and so, none of them do. I think the envy is probably the or the like must be nice. It’s probably comes from the perception that of freedom right, that I get to do what I want, when I want you know, wearing what I want, with who up right, and that’s true. And also, I think the siblings who feel that way are also like not willing to put in the work. Like “I can help you if you want” they’re like “ no, no, no, I’d just rather be over here and be like that must be nice than actually put in the work” And my younger brother, I have ton of admiration for he has done very well in his profession and he is a very aggressive saver reason being because he doesn’t love his job and he wants to be able to retire early. Like you could, you’re so capable, you could do anything that you want, that’s the thing that feels safe and right to him is instead to save and retire early. So, nobody else you know I’m the oldest, I’m the only one.
John: But that’s great because it’s different people’s perspective right.
Christine: Yeah.
John: And they have different values and they, and you understand that lifestyle choices. Yes it’s a little bit more work and very similar to my siblings right, like they see what I do, and they kinda like and don’t like but they don’t know how hard it is, right. So they don’t want to put in that additional time early days to get through that hump and they’re comfortable which is totally fine too.
Christine: Yeah.
John: Because certain people in 98% of the population will get a nine-to-five job where they feel secure, they want that every day I need to know what my two-week paycheck is gonna be, right. Where a portion of it goes to needs, a portion of it goes to savings and investment and some goes to purchasing stuff, right. So, which is fine, I mean that’s their thing right.
Christine: Yeah.
John: But we are different and that’s what I mean. Entrepreneurs until you’re a business owner, there’s only a small percentage of us that actually get it and will continue doing it because a lot of them give up and we’ll go back to the nine-to-five, but the ones that been doing it for 5 years, 10 years, x amount of more years. They understand that we’re only a small percentage of the population that actually enjoys what we’re doing right.
Christine: For sure, and that’s why, why we do, what we do right. If we weren’t enjoying it, it would be easy to go just go get a job where we’re also not gonna enjoy it.
John: But there has to be a taste of some sort of success for you to continue doing it.
Christine: Totally.
John: If there’s was no success and you’re running around making less than you used to make and you’re more miserable and you’re spending more time then something is not right, right? Then you have to find a mentor or coach or you gotta figure it out, right. Which means put in the time, learn skills, learn how to run a business, all these other things, but a lot of people give up because they are not cut up for business ownership, entrepreneurship which is totally fine too because it’s not for everyone.
Christine: Yeah. Agreed, agreed.
John: So, growing up. Did you have kinda dream or aspirations to run your own shop?
Christine: At first, I wanted to be a vet that was where i was focused for most of my upbringing because I love animals and so that’s what you think about doing when you love animals, at least I did and I took advanced biology in high school and when I was about 16 and I found myself I was not a skipper but I found myself coming up with some reason to not go to school the day that we were gonna do a dissection and I thought this probably doesn’t bode very well but I’ve spent the last you know, 12 years because I could think about what I wanted to do thinking I was gonna to be a veterinarian, and so you know I’m grateful. I’m very gratefully about my parents because they had me take some like preferences type of testing, assessments, and the person who did them was very gifted and she said you know I can tell that you wanna be a vet but I can tell you that you will struggle in the sciences, like you can do it but you’re gonna watch your classmates find it easy because they are more wired for that and that’s gonna be frustrating to you, and that felt really true for me because I’m a great, I’m a writer, I’m a reader, I’m a communicator but I wasn’t taking calculus with my friends. You know, I was like happy to be done with math right, and so, and thinking about things like organic and inorganic chemistry was just like you know, I just, I just don’t think like that and so, I think she kinda helped me give myself permission to pursue something that was more creative. I’m very both brained like I love to be organized, I love a schedule, I love a calendar, and I love to dream and write and do and, and tell stories to be creative. So, I knew I wanted to do my own thing like have my own practice then it morphed in university into I was going to run or have a marketing production company with some of my friends who each had like a specialty like this one’s are great cinematographer, this one’s are great audio, this one’s great at editing and I was going to you know run the show as the producer because that’s my strength, and so that was the idea but none of us had any idea what we’re doing again and we are all scared and dealing with student loans and like we’ll just get jobs. So, that was like the next iteration of it and then after grad school you know I did a documentary that aired nationally on PBS right so, and all of you listening, who are somewhere other than the US. It’s like the, the national kind of government-funded educational television station in the US and I created a documentary and it wound up airing nationally on that network and it wound up winning some awards and I, it also was such a trust builder with the people that the documentary was about and their clients that they wound up being my first round of clients for my agency and so, I really saw the power of building trust you know through the media that way, and helped me get started on my entrepreneurial journey.
John: That’s all you need, right. Like one big impact in either PR or influence and then you already have relationships that have been built right in harvest. So, it’s great to share with the audience members like how you got ball rolling. Is there anything you would like to add or some of the mistakes that you kinda gone through early stages that you maybe now reflect back on that could have saved you some time, saved you from aggravation and stress and you know strong time?
Christine: Yes, what would I tell the 23 year old version of me. Yeah. So, 16 years ago I was pretty dedicated to the idea even though I invested hundreds of thousands dollars in schooling, right. I was pretty dedicated to the idea as a young adult of like I’m gonna figure everything out on my own and for free otherwise like that’s I’m gonna prove to people that I’m smart otherwise somehow asking for help me means I’m not smart, and so I had a mentor but he was free right and so, I again as we discussed I wasn’t really like super like taking risk and doing things that he suggested even though it was super successful and wonderful. So, I think that if i could say “hey here’s sit across from here” and “hey here’s where you’re gonna be” the year that you turned 40, and if you want to be there figure that you turn 30 just take my word for it, do these things. I would tell to like, quit her job, right one year in I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to be doing so, quit your job, trust yourself, find somebody to hold your hand and kick your butt right, do whatever it takes to pay them, to do that and get start doing mindset work right, Growth rather than fixed I see that behind you on your wall of books which I love and put yourself out there right, and not hide behind kind of a thing that feels like “Oh well I guess this is obvious because I studied it” but instead start doing the work to move forward, discovering, uncovering, strengthening the zone of genius so that I could have more impact you know make more income as a result and help more people sooner.
John: And it’s so great to hear like finding your super power, right. Finding your zone of genius but it’s something hard for a lot of entrepreneurs to change that shift from stability and it’s still the life stages of as well. So, if you’re early stage, uncertain, maybe you don’t have influences that you can turn to. You’ve never been exposed to coaches and mentors, you don’t even know what it takes because you don’t know what business ownership is all about, right. And then, looking back because now you’ve been doing it for x amount of years, it’s like even myself I’m like “I should have started five years earlier” if I knew what I knew today I would have tried to figure it out sooner make more mistakes earlier to get me close to where I am today five years ago, right but it’s a lot easier to say that now when you have perspective of a bigger range of you know, years in I would say because you become more wise you have more you know, different perspectives on life in general people you deal with touch, work with everything, right. And so, therefore I actually love speaking to people that are 60,70, 80 year olds entrepreneurs that give me so much wisdom and those are the people that I love just going for coffee, lunch, having conference calls, and and talking to because they have so much wisdom in there that even if you take one piece of advice, it’s worth thousands of dollars.
Christine: Yeah! Totally. It’s such a good point. Yeah.
John: So, you know and the thing in the business ownership there’s only people that you can help. There’s slowly getting to where you are ato so it’s not like you can be an expert overnight, right so like you mention you pivoting because you know that all these people below you or even beside you are struggling. They need support, they need help, and you already gone through those situations so you can help them using your years of experience and expertise.
Christine: Yeah!
John: So, it’s not like you have to be a 10 on the expert level. You can be a 3 and help the 1 and 2’s.
Christine: So, so, so true.
John: Right. So, just trying different things and being an entrepreneur means yes it’s tough, yes there’s struggle, yes there’s a lot of you know challenges that everyone has to overcome. But that mind, if you think you can do it, you probably can like “why is there doubt?” “Why are you doing something?” And you know I’m very fortunate to not just have read a lot but meet a lot of interesting people along the way. So, it’s fun right.
Christine: Totally.
John: And that’s whole purpose of why we’re here, like having fun is the number one thing what you should be doing no matter what.
Christine: Agreed. Yup!
John: So, in terms of like business ownership today for you. What does it mean compared to when you first started? Because now, it’s different, right. You have years of it in and you’re probably your goals are a little bit different. Has it always been the same values? Is that always been the same kind of avatar that you reached out to? The one to resonate it or does it change as you mature into your business ownership entrepreneurial journey?
Christine: Great question. I would say my avatar was pretty steady in my agency and really my agency was a freelance gig. Like, because it was me, because I was terrified to delegate, I would not consider myself like a natural manager of people and so, I was a control freak, right. And so, nobody could do it as well as I could. So, therefore I wouldn’t let anyone and of course that led to burnout. Now, I have kinda leaned into this idea of letting people support me. So, now I have a small team that I do manage and meet with, and I’m always working to be a better leader too. Since that doesn’t come naturally to me but it has become a lot more about living in my superpower, living in my zones, right and really ones those are identified. It’s pretty easy to say is this, that, or not, right but I think like the thing is this I’m growing and scaling this business. Every day I come so face to face with like my shortcomings or the stuff that I intend to do that I don’t get to or you know my perspective on my calendar is too full. Well “Christine you have full control over your calendar” right. How about you, how about you like have a perspective shift about that, right. So, it’s just a constant and you know this I’m sure. Like, I’m just a constant growth and that said the type of person my avatar is completely different than it was when I started this business six years ago then I was working with women who just hated their jobs. They didn’t know what they wanted to do and they you know, they wanted out of their engineering job, they wanted out of their teaching job, they want to find something else that they could do online. And now, you know while I have these amazing humans who I’m helping to create their first six figures in business, I also have this arm of the business that is helping people get on podcasts and those people are at multiple six, seven. I just signed a client yesterday who’s made over eight figures online and like I am far from that right, and I’m like, wow! This is a different level of person who’s taken risks and expertise and all of that, that I get to be in the room with and I get to support with my thing and that’s both terrifying, and really exciting because we have the same values of impact and mission, and you know and service. And so, to get to be in the room with and support those types of people like that’s always been my dream. I was just finding a way to do that where I could congruently say “Yeah. I can help you with that” because if I’m teaching people over here to make six figures, those people don’t need me cause they’ve already made eight. Do you know what I mean? So, now it’s like “Oh okay” this is a different way that I can serve them and we can still be in the same virtual room, we can still be peers you know, while I’m growing in that way which I love.
John: Yeah. And as you mature in your business and at the beginning you mentioned about leadership right.
Christine: Yeah.
John: From a contractor, freelancer, league kinda employee too. Then, delegating, learning how to let go of control and once you start doing that. That shift of you know, even mindset right of trying to understand like what is your role today because now you’ve gotten away from the day-to-day grind of things that you hate doing so you hire for all the tasks that you hate doing. Focus on what you enjoy doing then you control your schedule in your calendar so that what’s more important if you value family, if you value health, if you value meetings, if you value clients. Put that in and nothing should overtake that then you have control of really your life right because not just business but you put that out there and people realize that. Look, these are the things that matter for me most and everything else can wait , and that’s hard for a lot of people to move away from that contractor gate planet mentality because that’s what their DNA has equipped them with but you mentioned you’re always learning. So, you’re the type like myself who wants to grow right. So, taking that new initiative of growing and understanding that there’s much more potential if you let go, if you learn by leading, if you then become working on your business as folks in but that what the shift that everyone has to take in entrepreneurial business journey to get to the next level, to really challenge your, you know skill level and expertise because it’s different. Scaling business is different than only working with a handful of clients.
Christine: Yes. Yeah. I think that having mentors up close I joke that I am willing to get coached within an inch of my life. But it’s true because you know I went on a coaching call the other day, it’s a small group of people and I’m crying about something that happened and another time I’m you know having a conversation about something that I’m scared about doing, and I start sweating and another time I get lightheaded and feel like I’m gonna pass out like these are all things that my body and my nervous system are trying to process all these changes that I’m constantly putting myself into. And you know we’re not wired, we’re not wired for change, we’re wired for safety, we’re wired to stay alive right, and so when we recognize this opportunities that we have it’s like at least for me, my body, my nervous system clearly haven’t caught up with these unlimited opportunities and possibilities that we have in business today and so my job is to kinda bridge that gap be like is this fear real? Like I’m actually going to die? If I put up a post on facebook or reach out to this influencer or that person. If not, okay thank you right, for trying to keep me safe but most of it is, most of it is like self-regulation, like you said you know I just got back from the gym right. Taking care of myself so I don’t burn out because I love to work and so I could very easily work all the time then, look out and look up and be like “I don’t like this anymore” only because I’m tired you know. And, but then also, just consistently working on this person, my skills sets the ways that I make it hard when it doesn’t have to be hard and the way that I show up in business and really really and truly like at this point it’s just with the help of my coaches and mentors because I know when I read a book I might like it, but somebody said it’s like you’re in your own jar and you can’t read the label. So, I love to read, I’ll read a book in a day if I have time to myself and I’m probably gonna be like “that was cool” and not actually implement it unless I have somebody there walking alongside me to make sure that I’m willing to get that uncomfortable.
John: Yeah. So that circle of influence is huge right. Having coaches, mentors but if you have colleagues or leadership team, or friends, or family, or people within your support group.
Christine: Yeah.
John: It doesn’t have to be coaches and mentors.
Christine: No.
John: It could be any colleague, it could be people you respect or not, respect neighbors, it could be anyone.
Christine: Yeah.
John: And that’s the whole point right, finding commonality in people and the, gravitating towards their strengths and weaknesses and helping, assisting, giving, making an impact in any sort. So, that’s why I learned over the pandemic as well, like my community is a lot tighter because I’m spending more time with the people that surround me right. In my neighborhood anyways not in the business world because I can’t see them.
Christine: Right!
John: I used to go to conferences and all that.
Christine: Wow!
John: It’s pivoted, it’s changed, and that’s fine as well, as long as you’re making the most of it and that’s the whole aspect of you learning to pivot because you know there’s a strength there and there’s a need in the marketplace. So you being an entrepreneur it’s like what is the need out there and you’re filling the gap with your own personal experience and expertise that you can help people who are willing to pay for a service that you know you can help and serve.
Christine: Yeah. Exactly and like you said you know, there are so many people with so much knowledge in all of our lives right. However, we connect with them whether it’s online, whether it’s the neighbor next door right. And I think one of my favorite quotes that I often refer to when I find myself like thinking or wondering “Am I gonna take advice from that person? Am I gonna believe what they said about me?” whether it’s critical, or anything, positive, whatever is like and you alluded to this. Would you take advice from that person? On the thing that you are, that they’re get right, like that they are advising you on with or without your permission. So, are you gonna ask the sad, sadly single person how to be happily married their entire life? Are you gonna ask the person who eats McDonald’s everyday how to like get a six pack? And you know, live forever like you could if they’re your partner or your sibling, or your neighbor, but does it make sense to. No, because talk is cheap right. So, what Darren Hardy said the way he said it was “Only take advice from you are trade places with.” So, the other day I had somebody who was thinking about working with me and I knew because we had a call that they weren’t really selling anything and they really hadn’t sold anything this year and they’re thinking about hiring me to do like get on some podcasts, and you know do it with my message. And, they sent me this really long message, they actually had the invoice in the contract like they had given me multiple yeses and they sent me this really long message that was basically like “You have no idea what you’re doing, we’re gonna go with the big name in the industry and you should really know, and you should really pay attention to what they’re offering, and you should price your services, and your packages accordingly because they’re the best in the business and they’ve been doing it for eight years.” And honestly it caught me at a really sensitive moment and I cried. I was like questioned everything, oh my gosh, this is terrible! Whatever, like I felt like this little girl who’d been shamed and condescended to and when I came out of that because obviously triggered something for me right, wasn’t this particular person. When I came out of that, I realized, you know what? Why would I listen to them? They’re not making any money, they don’t know this industry. They’re choosing someone over their perception of prestige and they have no idea what either of our distinctives are and they didn’t bother. They were just looking at the price tag and so it’s like you know what, I don’t even want to work with someone like that right. I want to work with somebody who understands the value of what I do and it was like “No, I wouldn’t trade places with them, I don’t want their business.” Like right, right? Let’s put up like a, what’s the word. Teflon! The bounce right back right, and I think that’s really important because especially early stages and this is early stages of this part of my business for me so I feel more vulnerable around it than something I’ve been doing for six years. Early stages of any business or any new venture, we tend to really look for validation right, we want people to make us okay, we want other people to tell us like “Yes! That’s a good idea.” We care what people think and often I find that I think the reason that I go so much to coaches and mentors is because I’m not surrounded by other entrepreneurs. And so they might have all kinds of advice for me but it doesn’t make sense for me to take it because they have no idea right, and so the people who are, yeah let’s talk about it but I wouldn’t take advice from somebody who worked at the same company for 20 years on how to scale a business right. And I think though that our friends, our family, like a lot of times when we’re starting something, or something new like they want us to stay safe like they might be saying something out of genuine concern and it might come across like a criticism to you but if you can remember that. Like, are they happy in their work? Like doesn’t mean you can’t love them, but are they, do they have the thing that you want in their work on their business? If so, yeah maybe listen to what they’re saying but if not, I would be curious about this for you John. I realized that like the people who’ve judged me and have gone out of their way to criticize me and say you know whatever, things that stick with me of course as negative things do. None of them have been at the same level or further ahead of me in business. Like those people are staying in their own lane, focused, encouraging. Hey you’re on the same journey, let’s help each other out. The people who are behind me or the ones who’ve been the most critical. Have you found that to be true?
John: Yeah. So for me, I put blinders up for a lot of things.
Christine: Yeah!
John: And I keep them separated. Family is different because I love them unconditionally.
Christine: Of course.
John: But they have no business input in what I’m doing.
Christine: Yeah.
John: And, I don’t ask them for advice either.
Christine: Right!
John: Because they have no clue what I do anyways.
Christine: Okay.
John: So, for me I know there’s communities out there and I respect certain people in different industries that are further ahead or people that I like. Listening to, talking to, whatever that I like hanging out with and I’ll reach out and just throw them a message right. So, you kinda and you need people and it’s very similar to when you’re starting your business, you take on any client because you don’t know what you don’t know.
Christine: Yeah.
John: So, you’re gonna make a ton of mistakes, you’re gonna get a really bad client, they’re gonna judge you no matter what, you’re very very critical on every aspect of the interaction from process system to the whole engagement right and then after loyalty as well, and that’s fine as well. Because now, as you’re further along you kinda know who you wanna work with, you will ask the right questions, you will engage properly knowing your list of how you differentiate USP, price benefits, all that value, and all that stuff. And then, it’s okay if they move away and pick someone else because you know what you’re difference in the industry, what you bringing to the table. So, as you mature and you become wise in entrepreneurship, you also become better in knowing who you are, who you wanna work with, who you wanna resonate, and you know align yourself with, and connect with, and this only takes it all boils down to time in because it’s the lifeline of a business. It’s either you stick it out, do it and continue enjoying it, growing and you know making mistakes but growing along the way or you give up right and fail but there’s a lot of people who you know, fail and give up but fail, and give up, or fail and try, fail and try, and that’s okay too.
Christine: Yeah.
John: Right?
Christine: Totally.
John: Because it’s not like the first hit of entrepreneurship is ever gonna be a success it usually isn’t for most influences so, it’s okay right. There’s a lot of people going through the same challenge as you are, you just have to go find them.
Christine: Yes.
John: Thousands of them out there. So, it’s interesting that you’re bringing this up because I feel it, I know what you are going through especially if it’s new journey. I have a lot of different initiatives, I have a lot of projects, and it’s fun as long as you’re enjoying the process.
Christine: Yeah.
John: It’s okay. So, I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions because I know we’re coming to the end of this podcast. Can you share with some of the audience members like, right now I know you have 2 child and you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve learned a lot in a corporate and you know being an educator. What would you have done different? And also, what are some of the major pillars that you see in your life today as opposed to when you first started your business?
Christine: So, yeah. I definitely would have started sooner. I would have gotten help sooner both to help me run the business and to help me learn to be a better entrepreneur, business owner, leader. I think, I would have given myself a lot more permission to try things and not be perfect. Definitely, like have that tendency to procrastinate and be perfectionist, and also, really to play small because you know I was, I picked up early in life that the way to get attention, positive attention was to be nice, not to be like, anything but nice. And so to be a people pleaser and so to make sure everybody else is okay and not really pay attention to what I needed or wanted to the point where I didn’t even know after a while because I was so used to being “Whatever you want. Oh yeah! Okay, that’s fine” right, and not even checking in with myself. So, what I’m working on today as a person is more around like that whole happy fulfilled life because I do know my tendency, I mean the name of my company is life with passion right. If I’m just gonna work all the time that’s not congruent. While I love my work I’m also acutely aware that I can’t work all the time, I have 2 little kids you know, and so I think a big shift that I’ve been very conscious of making is putting my fun, and my self care, and all of that, like you were saying on a calendar first, and then business goes around that. So, I trust myself to take care of my clients and where I’m having to really practice and heal some stuff is okay, and take care of your body, take care of your mind, like be present with your family. These things might sound like of course to someone else, well to me these are some lessons to learn you know. Do things like meditate, do things that help you stay in possibility rather than in luck and stress because those are always the first thing to go when we get busy right. And now, that I’m you know this, in this new part that’s taking off I can feel myself kind of reverting to old ways and so it’s being very, very practicing those things a lot, and then also looking at how my values translate to how I’m raising my own children rather than this is what people say you should do. So for instance, like I realized one day that I was talking about the challenges with what I see my clients dealing with and what I’ve dealt with coming out of a standard US school, great schools. But then, I was like “I’m gonna have school-aged children one day.” And I cannot congruently put them into the same system if I want them to grow up with a growth mindset instead of whatever my perception that they’re gonna be taught to the test or that you know, they’re gonna be, they’re not gonna be met where they are, the confidence and all this stuff that I want to continue to foster and then they’ve been home for a year and half anyway right. Pandemics hasn’t even been an option but now, I’m thinking about what kinds of alternatives, what weird thing that I’m gonna be doing to raise my kids the way that I believe is gonna give them the biggest chance, and then how do I align the business to that.
John: Yeah. And I guess It’s a moving part right like because as you, you know mature as a mom, as you become more wise, as a business owner. You’re gonna have to grow, you’re gonna you know pivot, you’re gonna change along with the lines of what is being thrown at you just like this pandemic. No one knew that you’re gonna be out of school right and everything’s web based but we humans, we’re you know creatures that can adapt to change and resilience in terms of like what’s out there and opportunities and you just trying to stay positive and that’s internal strength. And if you understand how to take care of yourself, your people, your family, your health. Then, everything will eventually come of it better right.
Christine: Yeah.
John: So, I really wanna thank you Christine. Is there any final thoughts or any suggestions or input or any added value you can share with the audience members and listeners on business ownership before I ask for your contact information?
Christine: Well, I think wanna reiterate what you said which is “If you take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your mind, take care of your body.” Like that’s gonna make it possible for you to figure things out right. To figure out the things that are feeling stressful or overwhelming or unknown and I love this quote by a man named Charles Swindoll who said, this is the paraphrase “I believe that 90 percent of life is made up of how we respond to 10 percent that happens to us.” You know I can speak as somebody who’s been through significant trauma and PTSD, and all of this stuff in the last decade. It really is a choice, it really is a choice in how you’re gonna respond and the perspective that you choose in what you think about right, and how you act, and we have unlimited choices. And we might have been trained, or taught, or conditioned to think in certain ways but I think that’s the most powerful shift that you can make is recognizing just how fat choice you are and so no matter where you are in your business building journey, like that’s always going to be true and you can really start to practice it now.
John: That’s amazing! Well, thanks a lot for those final words Christine. So, how can some of the listeners get in touch with you, if you don’t mind mentioning your website, your offer if you have one, or the best way to reach out to you.
Christine: Yeah. So probably, the best thing to do is to grab my free podcast guesting checklist and that also, will link you up with like Facebook group where I hang out and get you in touch with all of my places, it’s just one easy place you can go to grab it and it’s at bit.ly/podcast-guesting-checklist.
John: Perfect! It’s gonna be on the show notes and well, thanks a lot. I really wanna appreciate your time and thank you for all the valuable input and you know, your story that you share with the audience members. So, thanks a lot Christine for all this podcast and hopefully it made an impact on people who are listening today.
Christine: Thank you so much for having me. This is really fun!
John: Thank you.
