AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast

The Journey to Becoming a Soul Aligned Owner: Embracing Inner Wisdom with Leighann Lovely from Love Your Sales

In this episode of the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, host Katherine Breuss discusses with Leighann Lovely, owner of Love Your Sales, how aligning personal values and business objectives can significantly impact success and satisfaction. Leighann recounts her journey of recognizing misalignment in her business and life, particularly after a profound comment from her daughter. She shares her strategy of focusing on 'revenue-generating tasks' and highlights the importance of clarity, personal well-being, and the courage to pivot when necessary. The conversation emphasizes listening to both internal and external advice to maintain a balanced, purpose-driven approach to entrepreneurship. 
 
AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast – www.accelerategrowth45.com 
Katherine Breuss: welcome Leighann. Lovely to the AG 45 Soul Aligned Strategy podcast. It is so great to have you on here. I'm looking forward to our conversation. 
Leighann Lovely: I'm excited to, to be here too, Katherine. And, I was about to say, I'm excited to have you on my podcast. I know. I'm, I'm thrilled to be here and talk with you. 
Katherine Breuss: You have a great podcast, one of which I've been on. And that is Love Your Sales, correct? Yes. Yep. So, I first, before we get into the, the great, juicy questions of Soul Line Strategy and your business why don't you tell or share with the audience a little bit about you and your business? 
Leighann Lovely: I would love to, yes, I am Leighann. Lovely owner. Of Love Your Sales. That has been, well a journey, quite the journey, over the [00:01:00] last. Two and a half years, since it started. Today I will say that what we specialize in is really sales and sales strategies. 
And that comes with a, you know, CRM solution that is really powerful, a powerful tool in order to, get you focused on what matters. And I like to say revenue generating tasks.. Because when it comes to sales, that's what you need to be focused on. Um, so we work with, businesses to help, create a clear path to, to that, to revenue generating tasks in the sales realm. 
Katherine Breuss: Nice. I love it. Uh, and I can vouch for your services 'cause AG 45 has worked with, love your Sales. So I wanna do a big hats off, to you and your, your company. 
Leighann Lovely: Thank you. That means a lot coming from you 
Katherine Breuss: in terms of, soul aligned strategy. And you know, the way [00:02:00] that we see it, at AG 45 is that, you know, whether you're soul aligned, if you are receiving the results and enjoying the journey. 
And so what we find is that many business owners. Are getting one or the other, or they might not be getting either or not high enough in terms of of rating. And in my view, I kind of sit and go, man, we got one life that we know of, so let's make it count. So let's figure out how we can combine both. So when you think about a soul aligned business, what does that mean to you? 
Leighann Lovely: It's such a, a loaded question, yet simple at the same time. Right. Because the first time, you know, obviously you and I have, you know, a relationship beyond just this [00:03:00] podcast, and the first time that you had said that, the, the first thought that came into my heart was. Or ahead was heart. Um, you know, following what my heart tells me is important to me, not only in my business, but also in my home life. 
And having those two come together and I had kind of a. Breakdown not too long ago realizing that those two things were not coming together. You know, a comment from my daughter, which was a slap in the face of, oh, mommy doesn't have friends, she has clients. Um, was quite an eye, right? I know quite an eye-opener when you go, wow. 
Um, do I work too much? Do I work, you know, too hard? Am I too focused? Am I not? Present. What, what is, what does that mean? Um, so for me it's really about going back to the reason I started my [00:04:00] business. I wanted the freedom to work when and where I wanted, and yet I was working way more, way harder, and way more stressed out. 
And that just doesn't, it doesn't make sense. That's, that is completely not the reason why I started my business. 'cause it, it kind of got so soul aligned. Um, taking the, my values, my passions, my love of, of what I do and being able to implement that into my business and then have that translate to my clients and actually having them love sales again. 
Having them love what they see happening in their business. Through the systems and the processes that I'm putting in place for them, and then having that translate into direct revenue. Uh, it's awesome. I mean, I, right, I, I remember the first time I made, like the first [00:05:00] sale I made and I was like, oh my God. 
Like, oh my gosh, like I can write my own ticket like. If I just do this the right way, I, and nobody taught me how to do sales. I was just kind of like thrown to the wolves. Like, here you go. You wanted to be a salesperson. Like, yep, I did. Um, well, I shouldn't say nobody taught me. I grew up in a sales family, but I. 
Katherine Breuss: I was gonna say, you told me that you, you learned from your father, like you, 
Leighann Lovely: yes, I grew up in a sales family, but when real world experience, like nobody taught me how to cold call, nobody taught me, you know, the, the actual process I learned, you know, early on how to network and how to, from my dad and from, you know, my, my mom and from just sitting around the dinner table, listening to them talk about. 
You, the real estate world, and you know, and I watched them do the hustle thing, you know, so 
Katherine Breuss: the hustle. [00:06:00] So what do you, okay, so you, you saw misalignment. Yes. In terms of who, you know, what your heart was telling you in terms of what you want, who you are, and then, and how you're running your business. And there was a significant impact on you. 
Leighann Lovely: It's funny, even people in my network, a lot of people in my network were like, I would love to bring you on as a cli. You know, coaches and, one in particular who really focuses on women's health. It should have been like a major red flag, right? She's like, you, I'd really love to bring you on as a client. 
I'm like, no, no, I'm fine. I'm fine, I'm fine. And then I'd find myself, you know, in a ball crying. It's like, you think there's some misalignment here? Um, you know, and sometimes the most obvious thing isn't obvious to you [00:07:00] until. Until it 
is and you know, and we're laughing and it's not, when you're going through it, it does not feel very funny. 
No, I've been there. I think most people have been there at least once in their life, if not many times. 
And those who are not entrepreneurs. Are thinking about becoming entrepreneurs. Again, I'm not gonna discourage you or encourage you in any way, shape, or form. That's your own decision to make. But so many people are like, are you sure you wanna do this? 
And I'm like, oh yeah, I know all the warnings. Oh yeah, I know. It's hard. Yeah. Nobody could potential or nobody could possibly have explained. The rollercoaster of emotions that you go through of one day you're like, I'm on top of the world, and the next day you're like, oh my God, I'm failing everybody. And it's [00:08:00] so, it's just, it's just that back and forth and, but you, there are significant moments that I can go back to and go, this is the beginning of when I hit this, this last low that was like. 
I mean, I, I was ready to say I'm, I'm done like I am. I'm gonna, I'm shutting the doors, I'm walking away, I'm going to into corporate. I'm, I'm done. And lemme tell you, going into corporate would've been really, really difficult. Um, 
Katherine Breuss: but it's, we love you corporate, but it is a different animal. I dunno that 
Leighann Lovely: corporate has ever, like, I dunno that corporate likes me. 
I'm, I'm one of those people who speaks my mind and says what I think when I think it, and that's not good politics in the corporate world. 
Katherine Breuss: Oh yes, it is a completely different animal. You [00:09:00] know, I love this whole thing of, that you said is that, you know, when things are great, you got your ups and then you know, things are, you know, down, you got your downs and, and, and. 
I hear this so much with not only business owners, I mean with just han beings. And, and here's the thing. When, when we talk about soul aligned, it's really having that strong base, that strong core, and that strong core is you, you as the business owner, and it's internally. Found. And when that internal strength and understanding is awakened or recognized, whatever's hitting you from the outside doesn't seem to have that rollercoaster effect. 
Um, and this is what I call like true alignment. Mm-hmm. [00:10:00] Um, it's not to say you're not gonna have the tough times, it just. It doesn't necessarily feel as rollercoaster. Um, and going down that, oh my God. 
Leighann Lovely: Well, and just being in your orbit, Katherine has, has created that questioning in me of what can I do better? 
Just seeing how you go through your process of thinking about things and identifying different things and seeing things differently has made me start to really think through and, and I'm not one of those people who makes decisions. Like I don't sit on things for months at a time or weeks at a time. 
Like when I make a decision, I make a decision. I stick with that decision. And then if at some point we need to pivot, we pivot. Right? [00:11:00] And that, that's just the way that my brain works. Um, and, and watching you and seeing you strategically think through things and then make those decisions and, and, and solid decisions, not, you know, off the cuff, like, oh, we're gonna do this or We're gonna do solid. 
This is the path we're gonna follow, we're gonna follow it until we see results, and then pivot and then. You know, that really has, well, one, having a strong, successful woman figure to see in your, you know, orbit, in your, you know, that has really impacted my ability to, to just have confidence again in, in where I'm at. 
And so I, I mean, I can't say enough about, about that and where, where I'm at because of that. Um, [00:12:00] you've had a huge impact on my journey as well, just from that standpoint of watching you and you know, how you've done things. 
Katherine Breuss: Well, you know, it's interesting and, and first of all, thank you for that and it's been great being in your orbit as well. 
And,. You know, I make decisions quickly sometimes, when I'm really aligned. So the thing is, is when we are really soul aligned, when we know who we are at the core and know what we want, we, we, we have a better decision making power. Because we know what is going to align with us. And also that when, so with that, in terms of now you saying that you are getting more aligned to your business.[00:13:00] 
What are, what are you doing now differently than what you were doing when you were misaligned? 
Leighann Lovely: I'm finding more clarity in. It is not that. No, it is. I'm finding more clarity in who I am and what I need to be for my family, what I need, really, it comes down to my daughter. She's seven years old. I look at her and I, and, and again, the comment that she made to me not only shook me, it. 
It hurt me to the core. I, I and I, I was sitting in the car. My, my husband was driving and again, she, she's seven. She has no idea. When she was in the back, she was goofing around and she was playing a game where she was pretending to be me. She was pretending to be her father and I. She goes, I'm Leighann. 
And she was then pretending to say things that she thought that I would say, and I was in the front seat and I, I started, tears started streaming down my [00:14:00] face because I realized while this is what my daughter thinks of me, and I mean, I, I got really quiet because I didn't want to. I didn't want her to realize that I was crying. 
You never wanna hurt your child's feelings for expressing themselves on what they, from that point, I realized this is how she perceives me, and that, that was just my God, I was, ugh. So that is where I'm getting true clarity in what I need to be for her. And it feels more and more, the more I realize that the more I'm, I'm okay with giving myself grace in what I do. 
Work if I have to. I, I used to feel horrible if I had to [00:15:00] stop working and go take care of my daughter. 'cause I was like, oh yeah, but my clients are gonna suffer and this is gonna suffer. And then I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions. But the reality is, is that if my family and my daughter are not okay, then nothing is okay because I am doing this work for my family. 
And I think I've had that so confused. Maybe in my head, not so much in my heart, but I need my heart and my head to align. And once those two things finally come together, and I realize that this is the entire reason I started my job, is that I had the freedom to be with my family and be there when my daughter needs me. 
All of the sudden, some of the pressure that I put on myself of thinking, oh, if I, if I go and have to pick up my daughter from school, or if I have to do this. It's okay. Like that's the reason I'm doing this. And if I tell a client or if I tell somebody like, I'm really [00:16:00] sorry that I didn't get to that today because I had a personal thing come up with my child. 
If they tell me to go F myself, well then I don't want them as a client and I'm okay with that now. I would've been okay with it back then. I just put the pressure on myself to think that maybe they wouldn't have been okay with it. And that's on me. That's me not having clarity and understanding of the reason I originally started to do this, and now it, it's, it's just gotta be a discipline of not falling back into where I was. 
And now getting that to be a, you know, a muscle memory of what comes first, where's the priority, and then keeping that, keeping that importance of what I truly wanna get out of this for me and my family, and. I [00:17:00] think once that's all really organized in my head and my heart, everything else will come naturally. 
And it's strange because the minute I stepped back and said, because my business was very, I mean, and I haven't even really announced to the world that my business has completely changed. I haven't even updated my website to, but as soon as I decided I'm dropping all of these services, I'm going to completely step back from. 
Other areas of things that I was offering and downsize. I had more work. I had more work on my plate than I had before, but less overhead, less, less responsibility. 
Katherine Breuss: Gino and to that point, and you know, there's a couple, I mean, you said some really great stuff here and two things came to my mind. You are definitely moving towards clarity and, and one, you know, I would [00:18:00] even wanna challenge you in a, in a friendly way of even reaching a bit further in and, and understanding who you are. 
So without the business, without the family, without anything external. Who are you? What is really important to you? Because when people do that and you really connect, align with that, those areas in your life such as your daughter and and your family and your business there in your life that are important to you. 
It's easy, you know what to choose. It, it, it's, it's not something that necessarily has to be a habit. And what's so, interesting as well is when you said when you dropped, so you're moving towards more alignment for sure. I can see it as well, but you know, when you dropped those other services and started to become more aligned and you got, you know, more work on your plate. 
And less overhead, and [00:19:00] I'm guessing probably more enjoyment in terms of what you're doing. Yes. That is what happens when we are aligned because we do start to attract the people who wanna work with us. You know, we start to attract how we wanna work. And it's not. Now I'm by no means am I seeing her saying like, you just become aligned and then you go, come on work, you're gonna, like, the money's gonna just flow. 
I mean, no, I mean obviously there's, there's, you know, stuff that we have to do, but, it's, it's the first, it's the first step and it's the first step towards real results, but also in sustainable results. So that, I really wanna make that clear as well as enjoying the journey. Um, and with that, in terms of, you know, my last question to you would be, you know, now that you've got this, this more of a flow and alignment with [00:20:00] your business, how well do you understand the value of the business and what is needed? 
Leighann Lovely: Yeah. Um, that'll be the next step. 
So I'm, I, I actually, actually just had, dinner with my best friend who, who is, an accountant. And I, I actually told her this. I said, I am a complete and total mess when it comes to knowing what's going in, what's coming out, what's should be going into my pocket, what should be going to the government. 
I said, I wanna hire you to just monthly. Do my books. And she's like, yeah, I can, I can do that. And she's like, it's perfect because I'm looking for another client and I'm like, [00:21:00] great, will you give me the best friend discount? 
But as far as, as far as that, that is the next thing that I need to really clamp down and get like hyper specific on. Okay, now, now we figure it out. All the things we've done wrong. Not wrong. I, I'm not one of those people who regret. Hmm. I've, this journey has been. You know, it's been really fun at times. 
It's been, like I've said, extremely hard. At some times it's been, I, I mean the amount of people across the globe that I have had the honor and privilege of, of meeting, I wouldn't take any moment of it back. Um, but now it is time to really. Get serious and say, okay, what, what does all of these nbers, what [00:22:00] does all of this look like? 
What can I put a value on this business? And is this business just me as a, basically kind of becoming a, a contractor under a business name? Or is this a sustainable business that could in fact scale and grow beyond? Me and what do I want that to look like? 
Mm. Yeah. I mean, 
Katherine Breuss: that's key. That's key right there. 
Leighann Lovely: Right. Do I want it, you know, because six months ago I was on the like, okay, let's grow in scale. Let's make this, let's continue to add on. And then I went, I don't wanna do that. 
Katherine Breuss: But you know, to that point, and this is what I say when people say, you know, I wanna grow, and when we talk about accelerate growth, it doesn't necessarily mean bigger. 
So it, it's more about the quality. So I've known businesses, they've grown, their [00:23:00] revenue is, you know, a couple million now, or even more than that. But when they look at their profit and what they're taking home, they're actually taking home less and or the same, but their workload has gone up exponentially and their business isn't worth anything at the end anyway, in terms of a sell. 
So it's about being really strategic, not only mm-hmm with your business, but first. With you. Right? And then it's that marriage, it's that aligning the two and ensuring that they fit and that you're not gonna get divorced from it. 
Leighann Lovely: And, and, and that's what happened is that I went through a massive growth period where I brought on a lot of contractors. 
We brought on a lot of work, but that quickly. I was concerned about the quality and my name being attached to it, and I was, I couldn't oversee everything that was happening at every moment, [00:24:00] and I didn't, I, I was getting scared and I'm like, okay, but the quality here, qu Now understand that the contractors that I had, they were amazing, but they were not seniored. 
Contractors, they were not a hundred percent like, okay, you can take this project on, do it a hundred percent on your own. There was still oversight that needed to happen, and that's where I got sucked into the, wait a second, why am I working 80 hours a week making the same amount that I was before? In fact less because now I'm working three times more. 
Mm-hmm. And it's like, this doesn't balance out like this is, this isn't making any sense. And, and three times more stressed out. So. Grow. Yes. 
Katherine Breuss: It's the value in that. 
Leighann Lovely: Exactly. And, and, and if you were to say, could somebody come in and step in and be you so that you can go on vacation, the answer would've been, no.[00:25:00] 
Nobody would want to. I'd be like, Nope, day one, sorry. Peace out. I'm not doing this. So 
Katherine Breuss: what, if, if there was any piece of advice, you know, along the soul line. Strategy that you would give to other business owners, what would that be? Ooh. Besides working with Ag 45, no. Right. 
Leighann Lovely: Well, the, I mean, my gosh, just the amount that I've known. I mean, just, okay. Just from knowing you, you've helped me. Um, but. First, the biggest mistake that I made is not listening to, I guess the, the, the red flags that were going off in my head [00:26:00] along the journey. And, and they were there, there were red flags in me saying, eh, I don't know if I wanna do this. 
I don't know if I wanna do this. Um. So my, my greatest advice is listen to those who are highly respected, vetted people in your network that are willing to offer advice when it comes to personalized advice, personal advice that they have experienced, often. When they're willing to offer personal advice about what they've gone through of, Hey, don't let this overtake your life. 
Make sure you spend, you know, time taking a vacation or time off. Give yourself grace under listen to that stuff. Working more and [00:27:00] working harder is not the answer. Working smarter. Is the true is truly the answer because that is going to follow more in line typically with what you want, typically with the reason you started your business. 
And I, I just stopped listening to. 
Katherine Breuss: Can I also add, you know, you, you said that you had red flags going off internally, so it's not only listening to outside, listen to your own. My gosh. Listen to your own. Because we have, we do have our own internal wisdom when we are, open enough to hear it. And. I love that you said that you had red flags going off, that you Oh, yeah. Just ignored. 
Leighann Lovely: I, I have a tendency to, 
Katherine Breuss: we all do. Oh my god. You know my history, so [00:28:00] I had it for 30 years. A red flag going off. 
Leighann Lovely: Don't jp in that water. I think there's an alligator. There's no alligator. There's, there's no alligators around it. No, don't, I'm, I'm serious. Don't jp in that water. I'm gonna jp in the water. 
Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Um, well, Leighann, thank you so much. This has been a real pleasure. Um, I really appreciate you sharing and, and actually being vulnerable enough to share this with me and also everyone else who's listening because I guarantee you are not 
alone. 
Leighann Lovely: Thank you so much for having me, Katherine. It's been an awesome, awesome talk and yeah, I, I appreciate you and everything that you and your business does. 
Katherine Breuss: Thank 
Leighann Lovely: you, Leighann. 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 

The Power of Commitment: Tyler Marcus CEO and Co-Founder of Gradmor on Aligning Your Soul and Business

The AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, hosted by Katherine Breuss, explores the intersection of business, personal growth, and enjoyment. In this episode, Katherine interviews Tyler Marcus, CEO and co-founder of Gradmor, a company specializing in workforce intelligence using data and AI. Tyler discusses the evolution of his business and the importance of soul alignment, which he discovered through personal growth and internal reflection. They delve into the impacts of AI on workforce productivity, the importance of aligning personal and business goals, overcoming imposter syndrome, and being adaptable in business strategy. Tyler emphasizes the significance of meditation and yoga in achieving personal alignment and how it positively influences business success. The conversation concludes with insights on evolving strategies and the importance of aligning with external opportunities while staying true to one's personal values. 
 
[00:00:52] Katherine Breuss: Tyler, welcome to the Soul Lined Strategy Podcast. It's great to have you, and I would love for you to introduce to everyone else who you are, and tell us about your business. 
[00:01:06] Tyler Marcus: Sure. Yeah. So my name's Tyler Marcus, CEO of Gradmor founder, co-founder. Uh, we started the company in 2017. Uh, I've been running the business for eight years. Uh, our main business is workforce intelligence, it's helping businesses understand how to improve workforce productivity, performance efficiencies, using data, data science, analytics, and now ai, depending on what the situation is. 
Uh, our business has evolved, , over eight years and not only has my business evolved, but I feel I've evolved with it, , as it's grown. Uh, that's, that's, that's the essence of what, what my company does. 
[00:01:43] Katherine Breuss: Very cool. And especially, I bet, your business with everything that's going on in terms of AI and how work is changing, I could see the real, need for what you do. 
[00:01:55] Tyler Marcus: Definitely. Actually, when we started it, I felt we were a bit early in the cycle of data and analytics within people and talent. Uh, it was mostly enterprises were focused on it. But now, since AI has become more mainstream, smaller businesses are starting to realize the value of that data. 
As when you're using AI chat GBT or something, you're how can I apply this to make us more productive? So people start to think more about it as opposed to being why do I need data around employees and people? And, when it's really one of the key parts of a business success. 
Uh, it's, it's changed how people think about this topic. Which has made our business, easier to, to, work with companies and, and go beyond what we doing. So. 
[00:02:39] Katherine Breuss: I can echo that. I, I currently work with a business in Illinois and data analytics has become one of their number one strategic priorities over the next few years. 
Um, looking at it from all realms. So, if businesses aren't looking at it, they should. 
[00:02:55] Tyler Marcus: Yeah, no, definitely. it, and data analytics has been, in marketing we use it. I'm, I'm, my background's in marketing, digital marketing, data science. I worked in digital marketing for seven years. 
Facebook ads, Google, AdWords, things that. Data was always that's how you drive your ads, right? If you're optimizing ad campaigns, you would use data to make the cost per click drop or to increase conversions, everything. Same thing in sales. People use sales data to drive business, but when it comes to people and data, a lot of times they don't really understand how to leverage it. 
What can be used? Um, I, I obviously, if your company's 10 people, it's very hard to use people data because you don't have enough sample. Once you get up to a couple hundred or more, depending on your business use case and what you're doing there is, there is potential applications to not drive better business, but to make your revenue increase cut costs. 
Like people don't realize the power of people data. In business success and it's, it's even now today, sometimes it gets overlooked, but it's starting to become a little more, , I don't mainstream if you want to call it, or something along those lines. 
[00:04:01] Katherine Breuss: Cool. That's a really, really cool, I'm, I know I'm learning more about, data and how to utilize it from working with businesses who are, or wanting to. 
So, , very cool. And I can appreciate getting into a business maybe sooner than the market isn't necessarily ready for it, because when I was in Asia, that happened to me as but I'll save that story for, for another time. So, as a G 45, we. Are all about soul aligned strategy and for, the power when a business owner really understands who they are, what they want, and integrating that, , and aligning it to their business. 
So I would love to hear from you, , how soul aligned you are and the impact that has made on your business. 
[00:04:53] Tyler Marcus: Great question. I, the concept of soul alignment for me, has come in the past few years, I. I started the company eight years ago. We started the company and obviously when you're your entrepreneurship journey, I feel a lot of it is your own personal journey is has to be aligned with it because you're, it's forces you to grow in a certain way. 
And if if you don't, you either are very stressed or disconnected or you quit because there's no, you don't have anything tangible holding onto what you're trying to do. And I, I felt in the first. Like two years, three years. It was a struggle for me. And post COVID, it was a struggle because COVID we had a business and then COVID ruined it in a sense of what we were doing because of the changes that happened and it forced a readjustment. 
So we almost had two businesses in the same eight year frame where you had this startup version and then you figure it out and then we have to restart it back up again. But what I realized is when we were doing it the first time, I felt we were misaligned with what we wanted to do personally. 
So we were let's do this stuff because it makes us money and this is what we wanna do. But then you're ending up doing things that you don't want to do. The problem with that is you end up draining energy, I find over time you're doing things you don't enjoy. It's working at a job and then being I hate what I'm doing, but now you're doing this all the time. 
It's very hard to really wake up in the morning and wanna push yourself, or do it the way. Mm-hmm. So what we learned is how do we do things that add energy to what we're trying to do and what's the impact we're trying to make? Yeah. So if for me, I get the energy from business development, right? 
So I'm, my whole thing is networking and events. I get energy from that. I could do that 10 hours a week. Most people are I, they're burned out. I'm I don't, it adds energy for me, but that's me. Like my personality is I it. So if I'm doing my ener, my things that are more that and spending less time on things that I don't find add energy in my business partner the same way you, I we outsource it or we find another solution because we used to try to do all this stuff and then we're doing things you don't and then you're why am I even doing this? 
Meanwhile, if you put all your energy into things, you're good at. You compound that. It adds up. 
Yeah. Right. 
[00:07:10] Tyler Marcus: So when about soul alignment, a lot of it's who you are as a person, authentic to yourself and how that comes out for what you're doing. a lot of times when we start companies and we do things, we get disconnected from it. 
'cause we feel then you have to do this because the media says you have to do that. Right? Or hustle. You have to be, you're not pro if you're not spending all your time on social media. Well, that's not for me, but hey, my power is in person we can outsource social media. Or maybe that's not a strategy we need. 
So that's how about it and I think. Then you enjoy the journey more and you start to be more present and it comes off more with people 'cause they're wait, this person's pretty tapped in now there, there's a lot of reasons why and it often gets overlooked more than anything. 
Yeah. 
[00:07:50] Katherine Breuss: I love, I really love that you brought the energy drain into it because how we see soul alignment. Ultimately, you are getting results. And you're enjoying the journey and results mean different things to different people. You know, in terms of what that is and what I see, a lot of businesses, they're either getting one or the other or they're getting neither. 
And some I'm going, what are you doing? Like, get a job 'cause you're gonna end up making more money, spending your time better and, enjoying the journey overall. But I love the fact that you said that you're the first go round you felt was more of a, of a energy drain. 
Yeah. And that's probably, a really good clue to someone that maybe they are spending their time on things that aren't necessarily feeding them or nourishing them and draining them. And that could be a first clue that maybe you're not aligned. 
[00:08:54] Tyler Marcus: Right. Yeah. I, that is, that is because it's you're doing something that you feel you have to do and that it's over, it's fine for a few months, but over the years it can start to wear. 
It does. It's over time you're why am I, I. Spending five hours a day doing things I don't enjoy. Yeah. For the thing I started myself. 
[00:09:15] Katherine Breuss: Well, here's a question. So for those who are sitting in the first, first few years, and they might not have the resources, they're, they're, you are having to wear all hats, when you are, in the first few years of a business, what would be your advice in terms of the whole energy drain versus energy? 
Inspire or, that's 
[00:09:41] Tyler Marcus: a great question. I, alI think here's the thing, I don't know if you can hack the journey in some senses, right? Like you launch a company, you're gonna do everything you can to try to get it going. That's gonna require to do things that try things that you don't probably like. 
it's the nature of it, right? It's it's, you're, you're gonna be forced to do that. over that journey instead of, I feel part of the problem is we get caught up in that and it's we're trying to do these things, but you have to see it as I. We're testing these things out and then this is not a permanent thing. 
And if it starts to become and you're growing your business, maybe after a year you can start being where's my energy best served? a lot of times we go in, we don't really know that, I knew that I doing business development, but I don't think I really truly understood , this is why I it and here's how and here's how I can build off that. 
I think. So the first year or two is you have to see it as a discovery. In a sense, and it's, I don't think you can be expect to be fully, solely aligned within the first three months. it's very hard to, unless you're very set on what you're doing. So I wonder, I, part of me thinks it's part of the journey to have this suffering moments. 
I know it sounds pretty you have these suffering things to build better. But there, there is a purpose to it and it's to help you define what truly matters and where you really excel. 
[00:10:59] Katherine Breuss: So you hit it, you hit the nail on the head in terms of the purpose, what truly matters. 
Um, because even, yes, we are what we're saying, you and I, we're not sitting here saying that. Okay. Once your soul line, you are gonna be waking up and being life is great and I love everything I do. You know, there are gonna be e even when you are soul lined, there are gonna be things that you're doing that it's ah, I'd rather be doing something else. 
But it's not that you're doing it all the time, and when it funnels up into this bigger why and really understanding who you are, those. Little things that maybe aren't your favorite thing to do, don't seem to bother or drain you as much if you didn't have that alignment at that higher level. 
[00:11:50] Tyler Marcus: Yeah, no, totally. 
Like, that's really, that's really a great point in a sense of how do you figure that out? And I, I, I think being, being aware of it is better. Like I was never really aware of, I wasn't my first year of working in my company. I'm trying to achieve soul alignment. 
Like you don't really think about being aware of it. You that over time. After much suffering, you're how can I, where, where am I? Like when you start to realize where am I spending my best time? And if I double, triple down, quadruple down on those things, the results are gonna be there. 
Because you're in a place of flow essentially, right? It's like. I cutler's book about flow states. Like you are, because you're in your most best place. You're not in a place of doing things that are taking away that, that piece of it. So that's a really important, important distinction. 
Um, my advice for early stage founders is use this as a discovery, help figure that out. What does that mean to you? Like, what do you, and you could get better. Like if I, if I knew six months in that Hey, your soul's aligned with this, maybe I would've allocated my time better. 
Or done something, honestly. But there is gonna be, there was always gonna be a growing pain part of it. You know? It's, it's not, it's, and there's a purpose for it, I guess. Just to help you build 
[00:13:07] Katherine Breuss: Absolutely. And, suffering. We learn from it as long as we, as long as we are aware and, and are willing to look in and evolve and grow. 
[00:13:18] Tyler Marcus: Right. Well, and the thing is with suffering with anything, it could go one or two ways. Like you can grow and evolve or you can. Honestly create mental stress for yourself or, yeah. And it could build within you. So you wanna make sure that you're seeing it from that perspective of this pain is leading to a fail forward type mentality. 
A growth, not as taking it personally and being this means I'm a bad business person. Right. Or there are times where I had imposter syndrome where I was all this, it was maybe I'm not, good at this. And then you start to dream, that's not good. 
'cause now you're you're losing your confidence. By your own self-sabotage, you know? Uh, those, those types of things are very important to understand when you're building something or working on something. Uh, and that mentality shift, is what makes you better on a day-to-day basis, unfortunately, like. 
Uh, we're all subconscious in a sense of people's, when, when someone's in a relaxed state, people pick up that energy mm-hmm. More than if you're seeing stress, they pick up the stressful energy. It's we to think we don't, but we are, the energies do matter. Like it's all subconscious. 
you could, in the sense when, a really good speaker walks in the room, right. Or you could pick up a certain energy. There's certain reason it's under great, there's a certain energy to their essence that captures that. And that's why historically really good like. 
Like, let's use Barack Obama or anyone, that's a really good speaker. They capture a certain gravitation. That is what it's a, as a subconsciousness. It's not what they're saying, right? 
[00:14:51] Katherine Breuss: They show up in a certain way. You feel it. You absolutely feel it. we are all made up of energy. 
We are. That is, that's who we are. We're energy. And our, our. We give and take off of each other. So a hundred percent everything you've said, I am one hat's off that you are saying it because not a lot of people speak this way. Um, but you're spot on and, and we've all, I love that you brought up imposter syndrome and in a lot of ways, I find that it's such now an overused. 
Term, but it's true. I have yet to meet a human being who has not said at one point they have felt a fake, or that they didn't have the confidence or imposter syndrome. And what's interesting is that. I feel that if we are all more real and more soul aligned, we show up more authentically and with more vulnerability and that energy of Hey, it's okay. 
We're both humans. We've both made mistakes. You know, we've seen the good, the bad, the ugly. And we can learn and grow from each other. Um, and, and that's the other thing that I want to see more owners experience because it can feel very lonely as an owner and a CEO of a business. 
[00:16:23] Tyler Marcus: Totally. Yeah. 
And imposter syndrome, I don't most successful people have it. that's the other thing. And it's part of, I had, I used to have it a lot with my, data work. It's my, my data science abilities. I've this imposter where I wasn't good enough. It's based on what? 
, You know, where you think I'm not I'm not good enough to be doing this stuff. And it's you literally been doing this for 12 years, 15 years now. , Why are you doubting yourself? And sometimes it's because you're stuck in a tech bubble too. Like I'm in conversations with high level data science people, they're also in the top, percentage of data analysis. 
So you start to think they must have knowledge, everybody else. But it's most people don't have that knowledge. Like, most of my clients, on a, if I'm working with talent, hr, they're the opposite of data and they're, they're met for different reasons and it's the stuff I'm doing is, I, I, that imposter syndrome is hurting me because. 
It's coming off as maybe you're, you're not confident in what you're doing when you're giving them huge impact in how they think of things. So I, I feel that having a understanding of impostor surgery and where it comes from can be helpful. And a lot of mine came from being in school or something and not, who knows because not being good enough or grades and you're this pressure. 
I went to such a, a very academic high school, I was used to being put under high pressure situations at a very young age. That obviously has two sides to the coin, right? I feel there's the good and bad of that. 
The good thing is you're used to that, right? So I'm used to being in high pressure situation, right? Because I've been doing it since I was 14. Problem with downside is that you doubt yourself a lot because you're am I good enough? Right? You're all these other people are better than me. 
And it's like. So you have this double sized coin, how can you use that as a superpower versus a negative, right? If I'm used to high pressure things, it allows me to relax better maybe in a meeting, versus feeling doubt. Like, it's everything I feel has anything has two sides to the coin of how it can be perceived in your head, right? 
So it's that, that's, that's really how about it. 
[00:18:25] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Um, that's, I, and I love that you said superpower because we, point people to their superpowers and connect that back many times in terms of with their business strategy , and bringing their superpower more to it because the business owner. 
You are the engine behind it. So how you show up in your mind in the sense of you're the one that's making decisions, you're the one taking action. And how aligned you are within yourself absolutely impacts. Everything you do and, and the way I see it is this domino effect of you have soul aligned people, not only you, the business owner, then the people in your business, and then that domino effect, that energy that goes and then beyond out to your customers, your clients, and then the communities and that whole ripple or domino effect, um. 
Yeah, that occurs. Um, that's what really drives, that's what really excites and, and, and drives me. 
[00:19:32] Tyler Marcus: the soul alignment thing too is a lot of it is as business owners we become very, self, I don't wanna say self-centered, but we could become it's all about what we're trying to build. 
I feel when you have more of the soul alignment, you start to see it more as the impact and things you're doing. So when about my business now, we started in this way and I feel it was very much here's what we're trying to do with our workforce stuff. Since I feel I've been more aligned, I'm more how can I help these people do this? 
Um, I now, I'm starting two other businesses for because I find that I work better as serial entrepreneur than I do as a one business owner. But also I'm thinking about how, how can this make an impact in the Milwaukee community, right? Or what I'm trying to do. 
And I feel when you're tapped in that way, you don't become as self. Absorbed in what you're trying to accomplish for yourself, you start to because the concept of the soul, a lot of it is through connection and through impact. we don't have to go down the road of souls and how they, how our lives may have, may have, have happened, but when you think about concept of the universe and all that, it is from that. 
Standpoint, it's not from a self-absorbed standpoint. Mm-hmm. So that's the thing. So it's, that's where the alignment comes and it's it's much more natural for me to think about how's this gonna impact the greater community and what we're doing? Yes. Like workforce can help make things efficient, but are there other things that I'm doing that I could tie in that help? 
And that's really one of the key DA key points to it as well. 
[00:20:57] Katherine Breuss: I love it. Well, if there, Tyler, if there was one thing, or piece of advice that you would give any business owner, and particularly when it comes to this, soul alignment piece, what would that be? 
[00:21:11] Tyler Marcus: So, my thing is meditation and, and yoga, as I find that, that was the biggest thing. 
I, there's something about it forces you to go inward. Over time. Now people with meditation, they're I, no, I found you. It, it compounds. It's one of those things you have to do consistently, but I find that forces you inward and then you start to, you start to be more in tune with yourself, even from a business perspective. 
So I find that that's my, I, if I was here's your one thing I would say, do something along those lines because I think. That then you really start to, you feel more and you're more in tune with what you're aligned with because you're not out outward. Right. You're now, you're balancing out the inwardness. 
That would be my suggestion. 
[00:21:54] Katherine Breuss: Another fabulous point because, it is very dangerous and if, if any of anyone out there is connecting their, um. Enjoyment or their purpose or their who they are to the external. It's a very dangerous place to be. It should always be pointed inward, to you. And curious Tyler, what yoga do you do? 
[00:22:18] Tyler Marcus: So I'm a hot yoga person. Like, it's, it's, they do vinyasa ish. Uh, there's a little kinda lean influences, but it's, I'm very into hot yoga because for me, I'm a little a DD, yoga sometimes, my mind will wander in a more, when it's hotter. It forces you to, to be in tune with your breath because it, that regulates your body temperature. 
More people, if you're in your breathing zone and it's a hundred degrees in the room, you're regulating your body temperature and you're keeping your heart rate at a limit. If your mind starts to wander, you're not focused, you can you could start to feel a little vertigo. So it's almost it does force you to act in that meditative state. 
So I've always, I've been a hot yoga person. I used to do yoga, but now I'm consistently a hot yoga person. Because of that, I find it keeps me more focused, when I'm in class and that that reverberates for me. 
[00:23:07] Katherine Breuss: I get that. So I am, 'cause I, when I lived in Asia, in Singapore and I did quite a lot of yoga with other things, I'm an Ashtanga yoga teacher. 
Uh, or certified. I wouldn't say I'm a teacher. I don't actively teach. I took it from my own personal, I really wanted to understand it. Um, doing it in Singapore is doing hot yoga. 
[00:23:27] Tyler Marcus: Yeah. Yeah, pretty much, right? It's always hot yoga in Singapore, 
[00:23:32] Katherine Breuss: it really is. But I will say there is something really, when it is hot, it, it does make, it does make yoga in my personal opinion. 
Um, I. Easier to connect and easier. Well, one, you're warmed up your body will stretch more. It can also be dangerous, but anyway. 
[00:23:49] Tyler Marcus: Yeah. Well, yeah. Not suggest ob Yeah. Like in the wrong circumstances, but yeah. Do I suggest someone with a heart condition who's do that? No. Like, there's, there's certain elements where it's not an ideal thing. 
Um, I find for me, for, I found it keeps me more focused because my, my thing is that I can get very distracted. Easily, a lot of founders, too, they could be a little ad most of my friends who are entrepreneurs are have a little A DD or I guess in, in the sense that they're we're all cra running around this allows you to come back to the center in alignment. 
So that's, that's where I found it. But a lot of the Eastern influences around this stuff, is helpful. Like I, I know I mentioned Buddhism before, parts of Hinduism too, certain eastern religions. They, they speak a lot about the soul in its own way and align in its own self. 
And there's a lot to learn from that in how you operate a business. I know people think that might sound farfetched, but there is in how you think about what you're doing and how it aligns with what you're trying, what, what your purpose is. And it allows you, they, you the tools to tap into that in a way versus the western culture we're very much results driven. 
It's the nature of the west to be here's what we're doing. And even our religious concepts can be that. there is elements of benefit to understanding and learning historically about, those types of religious taoism, the balance of the yin and yang. But those things matter, in, in how you approach what you're trying to accomplish and it will make it easy. 
Absolutely. 
[00:25:20] Katherine Breuss: Absolutely. Like you don't, if you have results, but you're not enjoying the journey, in my humble opinion, it's what's the point? You know? Yeah. And if you enjoy the journey, but you're getting no results, again, I'm what's the point? 
[00:25:33] Tyler Marcus: Like, exactly. Exactly. So it's or Yeah, and, and the thing is, is a lot of people fall into I'm doing really great, but I'm not really enjoying this. 
And it's you gotta take a step back and be how can you make this more enjoyable? Or maybe it's not what you expected it to be, but. You gotta, you gotta find that happy medium. Mm-hmm. Balance of it, the results, purpose, alignment. That's what you want. You don't wanna be I'm doing all this stuff, but I don't feel it. 
This is why people who work in, jobs that make a lot of money sometimes feel disconnected. Right. Many corporate people who work in corporations that make. Like, top 1% money, but they still don't feel great. And it's why is, that's not good either, because you're getting financially wealthy. 
But in the end, your present day to day is what matters because that's what the, it is about in the end because how you feel in the moment, it's not necessarily how you're gonna feel when you retire or something. Uh, there's, there's a lot to be said. 
[00:26:33] Katherine Breuss: Yeah, there's this, this statement that I hear a lot of people, owners as as, employees that say, I'll be happy when, and the moment I hear someone say that, I know that they're coming from an outside in approach. 
And that's where it's we gotta start looking inward in order for you to get the outward, coming towards you. So Tyler, if there was one thing where you are now in your business that you want to evolve. Or grow? What would that be? 
[00:27:05] Tyler Marcus: So specifically in the business itself or any my, my, my business strategy or, and could be anything, 
[00:27:12] Katherine Breuss: anything, any in terms of your next for you that kinda I really wanna focus on this next growth for myself and or for my business. 
What would that be? 
[00:27:22] Tyler Marcus: Great question. Uh, I feel as I'm always evolving and I feel as a person, as you, as you should be, that's also one more thing is I. The involvement of yourself is part of it. I, I to compare it to musicians, think of the Rolling Stones or versus other bands. 
Okay, Rolling Stones, they've been musicians since 1965 up till now. Their music, if you listen to it in 1965, listen to it in 1977. Their albums, you listen to their albums in the eighties, their music evolves with the time. Right. At the sixties it was more psychedelic, rock the seventies, it was more, had a little disco vibe. 
The eighties, it had more of this synth. That you have to think about your business that way. So when about my business, it's I'm, I'm always thinking about how are we evolving now with ai? We're evolving more into that because that's the time, and now that's what's the focus is, right? 
And our whole thing is how can we evolve our business with the times? And that's what we're trying to align with as much as possible. So for us, our growth could be, now is a lot of it's with manufacturers where, how could they apply AI to help worker productivity. In a unique way, right. 
And help those things. So, but in five years. That might not be the case. You know, five years ago, if you asked me where we were with the business, it was about getting people to understand people analytics. Like no one really did it except the, except a, a Fortune 500 now. It's people, some people are trying to get it. 
It's different. So it's a different time. So. for us it's more about evolving into and aligning with the times and how we can fit into that as it goes. Nice. 
[00:28:55] Katherine Breuss: And that is important. I'm, again, I'm glad you mentioned this too, because it's about soul alignment and when you are soul aligned, you are more likely to also be able to see then what's external and then aligning. 
With the environment around you and where it's not necessarily about jumping to the next thing, but it's being strategic and smart. Um, and it sounds you and your team think very much in that way. 
[00:29:20] Tyler Marcus: Definitely. Yeah. No, that's, and that's, a key part of it. you're right. 
I think being more tapped in allows you to see more externally, which sounds counterintuitive, but more opportunity for some reason it's and, and in different ways that you didn't think before. Right. It's and that's because you're releasing, maybe I don't wanna call it fog, but it's there's this, you are, you are percent, it's, it's you're, you're releasing this fog that's blocking the, the what you're trying to see through the clouds. 
So now you're able to see all these opportunities because you're not, you're energy is not being focused on things that are draining you, bringing you down, not aligned. And your brain then goes to things that are. It, 
[00:30:00] Katherine Breuss: I love how you said that and, 'cause you're absolute, it is a fog and it's if your cup is already full and it's full of fog or not necessarily stuff, stuff that's draining you, there's no room for anything else to come in. 
Right. And very said, Tyler. It has been a real, real pleasure and I've really enjoyed our conversation and not only, learning more about you and your business, but also your journey, with your business and, and being soul aligned. So I really appreciate your time. 
[00:30:37] Tyler Marcus: Oh, thank you Katherine. 
Love this conversation. I feel we could talk for hours about it 
 
Song: The Way To You 
Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 

The Power of Environment in Business Success: Featuring Michele Tonkovitz, CEO/Founder of Green Onion Creative

In this episode of the Ag 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, host Katherine Breuss speaks with Michele Tonkovitz, owner of Green Onion Creative. Michele shares her journey from being inspired by her media-buyer aunt to owning a strategic and creative marketing firm. She emphasizes the crucial role of a positive environment in both personal and professional life, recounting her experiences with a less-than-ideal advertising agency and the importance of surrounding oneself with uplifting relationships. Michele discusses achieving business alignment, the impact of intrinsic motivation, and the significance of building a supportive team. She also offers advice for business owners about the value of networking, hiring the right people, and focusing on one's ‘why’ to make the entrepreneurial journey more fulfilling and successful. 
Find Michele - https://www.greenonioncreative.com/ 
 
[00:00:52] Katherine Breuss: welcome Michele Tonkovitz to the Strategy Line podcast with AG 45. Uh, you are from Green Onion Creative, and I would love for you, Michele, if you could share with audience a little bit about you, but also your amazing business. Well, thank you much Katherine, for having me on the podcast. 
[00:01:14] Michele Tonkovitz: This is very exciting. Um, I am currently the owner of Green Onion Creative. I started my strategic and creative marketing firm rooted here in Milwaukee back in September of 2013. But my passion for marketing and advertising started when I was eight years old because my aunt was a media buyer here in the Milwaukee area, and we got to go to the Wisconsin Dells theme parks. 
Um, the lucky Admirals games, she always got tickets to events. She got to meet Mr. T and Jay Leno back in the eighties. And as a child of the eighties, I was  this is the coolest thing ever. You get to do this for your job. I want that to be my job when I grow up. Yeah. And I took my passion for creative writing as a child and had that man out my career path as I was going through high school, going through college. 
Going through the different jobs until one day I sat at my table after leaving an advertising agency and going, I don't know if I wanna do this anymore, because I didn't enjoy that last advertising agency environment that I was in. Hmm. I thought about taking a career shift until my phone started ringing and people were asking, Hey, can you write a flyer? 
Hey, we have somebody going out on maternity leave. Can you fill in, do our social media? We need public relations, media relations, and that's how the green onion started growing. It's from people in my network who I worked with, either as clients or colleagues along the way, and it's through them and their belief in me that the onions here today. 
[00:02:50] Katherine Breuss: The onion. I love it. And  and funny, Mr. T, I have not heard that name in a very long time, but I remember that the A team. Yes. Oh my God. For those of you who are too young to know that you go online and look up the A team. Well, who doesn't know who that is. Yeah, I know. Um, gee, I  I'm glad you brought up something. 
Because this is, how I see it's a key component to being aligned. You mentioned your environment and the, the environment of the last place you worked in, the last agency you worked in didn't align with you. So can you share a little bit more in terms of the impact of our environment and how that can create or destroy what we want? 
[00:03:44] Michele Tonkovitz: Absolutely. the environment that you're around, whether it's personally or professionally, impacts every bit of your being. Because if you are in a place that makes you feel icky, that you can't focus, that you feel restricted, that that people are talking outta both sides of their mouths, you are not going to feel good within yourself. 
You're not gonna feel good within the work that you're doing. I am such a relationship builder, right? And if I don't have a good relationship with my coworkers, the space that I'm in, the people that we're doing the work for, I'm not proud of the product that I'm pushing out. the same thing holds true in our personal lives. 
Sometimes it can feel more of a. Oh, you're being tied to certain environments because of tradition or family or your ability to financially get out of the situation. But you also need to step back and look at yourself, and this is a journey that I'm also going on from a personal level of there are brighter things, better things, things I deserve, that I want, that I need and I can get them. 
And  Basically with your personal life and your professional life coming together and making sure that you're having positive environments in both. I, I know for myself that anything is possible in my future. 
[00:05:16] Katherine Breuss: Yeah, and, and you're a hundred percent on when you talk about that alignment between personal and professional. 
And I to use this,  metaphor of. When there's, I, I say toxicity, whether,  whatever level that is, whether that's a person, whether that's a group of people,  whether that's even,  where we are hanging out. Is an anchor, and it's you're swimming through the ocean of life, whether it's your life, your business, whatever, and you've got this anchor that is making it hard to move forward. 
And  even though you are wanting to move in that direction of more soul alignment and getting what you want, if you have that anchor tied to you, it's, it's impossible to,  get there. And it's hard to make the decision to try to untie or cut off the anchor. Yeah, it is hard. It is not easy. 
'cause you, a little bit about mine as  that,  there was an anchor that,  I had to let go of. Um, in terms of. So environment is key. So having,   good relationships and a, a positive or, and I don't using the word positive 'cause then some people think we all mean  oh, we gotta show up all  happy and whatnot. 
But an environment where people are lifting you up versus pulling you down. You, you would say that that's key in terms of that first step of being aligned. Absolutely from, again, both the professional and the personal standpoints with my clients. Anytime I get a bit of positive feedback that they had a great experience with one of the members of our team, I may ensure that I'm passing that along because those little lifts along the way can change the trajectory and brighten somebody's day and give that, that environment of I'm feeling supported, I'm feeling empowered. 
[00:07:31] Michele Tonkovitz: I'm doing the things. I'm in the place with the people. Mm-hmm. I know by, from a personal perspective, I'm an aunt of five nieces and nephews, and I know it annoys the crap out of them, but I'm always  I love you. I'm proud of you. You're good. And they're  I know. And I'm  but I need you to know that I feel it in my heart and soul. 
And they do. So even those little things of telling your, your neighbor  Hey, thanks much. Like your flowers are beautiful. Thank you for sprucing up my yard. By having that beauty in your backyard, those little things can mean very, very much. Absolutely. It's,  you're celebrating their wind and you're happy for their wins. 
[00:08:13] Katherine Breuss: Not feeling  I don't know, overshadowed or, or jealous of the,  wins. You  you want the people around you to do  Mm-hmm. Which is huge. Which is huge. And in terms of, then,  what we talk about here at Ag 45 of Soul Lineman is this,  marriage or two sides of the coin. 
It's, it's getting the results you want. And it's enjoying the journey and it's having both, and of course it's, nothing's gonna be perfect. It's not gonna be a perfect balance. Um, what for you do you find is easier,  in terms of if, if one or the other, more of that enjoyment piece or the results piece, or how do you even see that? 
[00:09:07] Michele Tonkovitz: The results are what you have to work for. And sometimes that's going through the muck, right? Mm-hmm. Look up the sleeves. It's not always great trying to get those results because you have to put in the work. But my grandpa used to say, if you plan the work and work the plan,  you're gonna see the results. 
And I have a lot of belief in mindset and approach and strategy. By working to get those results with my team, with myself, with my spirituality, with others colleagues in the area, seeing those results brings me the enjoyment, right? Mm-hmm. And even the littlest wins, you were saying, can mean much. 
And then when you have a big one, you're  heck  we are going to celebrate. We're going to eat tonight. Right? Um, but  even the little wins. And the hard work that you have to put in in your personal life too, whether it's you're saving up to buy a new car, or maybe you do wanna take that vacation, even if it's  Hey, I've done a couple extra walks the last two months, and now my summer clothes are fitting a little bit better than they did last year. 
Those are things that I find enjoyment in too. I try to look at all the things and try to be as positive as possible. 
[00:10:30] Katherine Breuss: And what do as in terms of for, for someone, a business owner? 'cause that's who we're speaking with a business owner to be truly aligned. How do the impact of a business owner knowing their own personal power and harnessing that? 
What do the impact of that? 
[00:10:55] Michele Tonkovitz: there's a lot of impact in that in the fact that business owners myself, our professional life trickles into our personal life. So very, very much, and I'm gonna give an example of that recently. Um, I'm the president of the Milwaukee chapter of the American Marketing Association, and we had one of our biggest annual events. 
It's a networking, social, happy hour. I invited my cousin and her boyfriend to come. They are not in marketing, but they need to see what I'm doing they can understand what makes me me, and what brings me the success. What gives me the ability to have the flexible schedule, to be able to travel, to buy the things, and also what keeps me up at night when your personal life can be seen by your. 
Uh, professional life and vice versa. It, it helps you make, it helps me become a more well-rounded person and then they can understand both ends, whether it's my employees or my family, where maybe some of the stresses and the struggles and my lack of time at times can come from, and you take what you're good at in your professional life. 
And also look at how that can apply and impact your personal life. So I have in communications in general, telling you I love you, showing the support, doing all of those things, inviting you to the events you can see what I'm doing. that helps me get that soul alignment. It's not always easy. 
[00:12:37] Katherine Breuss: No, it's not. And  it's interesting, one of the things that I hear as we're talking is that communication and relationships have come up,  for you,  quite a bit. And I see that. Something around that is your superpower is one of your superpowers, and regardless of what you're doing, whether it's green onion creative, whether it's with your family, whether it's with friends, whether if it's something completely different, that you bring that, that personal power, that superpower with you no matter what is on the external. 
[00:13:16] Michele Tonkovitz: The joke is, I've always said from the movie Clueless. I'm the social director of the crew. So it, it is very much,  I'm a planner and that's where my business mindset and my strategic mindset from work and project management and. The creativity also trickles into the personal life. I'm going, getting ready to go on a trip with my niece and,  another family member goes,  what's your entire itinerary? 
I go, the beauty is I didn't have to plan this trip. And they were  whoa, are you gonna be okay? Letting go of control and  I'm, I'm gonna go in with a curious mind and relax, knowing I didn't have to do everything. Mm. Which is probably nice because you still know that you've got that superpower of yours that's all about  it sounds connection and relationship and communication, and that's still there, even if the planning's not  
So then I don't have to feel I am communicating, here's what we're doing, this is what's next. I can go and give help, give the joyful commentary and embrace the beauty and the moment in which we're living in. Now I hear a lot of times,  owners and even,  non-owners equate their experience with results. 
[00:14:42] Katherine Breuss: So their their journey or enjoyment with results. So what happens though if the results don't show up the way you'd them to? How does that impact the journey? So this is interesting that you're talking about how if the results show up, but not quite I had expected because,  I was speaking with an advisor currently who I posed that same thing. 
[00:15:08] Michele Tonkovitz: I said the things that I want, I'm getting them, but they're slightly off. And,  she said to me, are, am I focusing on the why? It's not what. I want, but why I want it. Bingo. And, and I sat back and go, no, I, I've been fo focused on what we're trying to achieve, that the Y hasn't been brought up as an equal partner, if not greater. 
[00:15:40] Katherine Breuss: The strategy. And that bit of my mindset from a personal and perspective, personal and professional perspective is changing. And I'm excited to go into the next few months with some of these new clients that we're bringing on,  great clients that we've had before that are renewing contracts, looking at the results exactly from, from the previous year or up until  where we are today and saying. 
What was good? What did we do to get those results and why? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And why,  even greater in terms of how we show up. And   where I to challenge,  or point, I guess might be a better word,  people, is to go,  results are very important. They are, I'm all about results. The enjoying the journey though. Comes from,  when it, when it's not dangerous, should come from intrinsically inside versus outside. So when we have that, I'll be happy when that always is a flag for me going, Ooh, danger. Danger. Because if that when doesn't show up, then what happens to your experience? 
Mm-hmm. 
So. Finding and harnessing our personal power starts within. And then what's interesting is the flow happens and the results come. Of course, you gotta do work for it. It's not you   sit back. Um, is there a time, Michele, that you have found that you were connected with? Who you are and your own why that even when the results didn't necessarily show up the way you liked it, you were still  no,  I'm good, I'm  
[00:17:39] Michele Tonkovitz: Absolutely. Uh, from a, from a business perspective, examples that make me come or that came to mind for me about that, it makes me think of a lot of our public relations and media relations efforts. So we work hard with our clients to identify what media outlets, bloggers, influencers, would be great in,  points of connection and picking up their unique story. 
But sometimes you don't know what else is going on in the world. And what you think would be a great pitch to get out there, maybe up against some more timely news, perhaps not some great things. Um, and  You may not get the, the, the volume numbers, right? So when we're looking the data of those greater results. 
But a case in point, we did a bunch of media efforts for,  a nonprofit in the Milwaukee area. They were doing a summit. And again, in a time where there's a lot of other news stories happening. There was one reporter for the local TV station who was very, very interested and she scheduled multiple interviews with them and invited them to the station to do an on air interview. 
And while we didn't get the volume of pickup that we had initially anticipated, the quality of that one. Story and the experience that the client had, that whole journey for them was fantastic and they were very pleased with it and said that they would be coming back to Green Onion Creative for more of their public relations and media relations needs in the future. 
So again, when you look at it from a data standpoint, maybe it wasn't the the most fulfilling plate, but that bite that we had was satisfying. 
[00:19:38] Katherine Breuss: So is it was more about the quality versus the quantity in that particular piece? 
[00:19:43] Michele Tonkovitz: Yes. 
[00:19:44] Katherine Breuss: Um, if you were to give,  one piece of advice because being a business owner can feel,  it's lonely, it can be very lonely and,   there's a lot of listeners who are in our position. 
What would be looking at it from a soul line strategy piece, what would be the one piece of advice or suggestion that you would want to share with fellow business owners? 
[00:20:16] Michele Tonkovitz: Interesting that you said the word lonely, because I've recently been talking to a business owner on the east coast, and in our conversations he has said it's lonely at the top. 
Speaking to you makes me feel I am with somebody else who understands, and that's one of my pieces of advice is as much as our family and our employees and our colleagues love us, or we hope that they love us and they're cheering us on, I do believe that the networking component of finding other like-minded business owners is important that you don't feel lonely at the top. 
They don't have to do the same business as you. Mm-hmm. Other people who share similar mindsets, and then also with that being lonely at the top. If you are a small business and you're wearing all the hats, the best advice I can give that I wish I would've done even sooner than I did it was to hire. Like employees, subcontractors,  trusted advisors. 
You don't have to do everything because when you're wearing all those hats, the pressure on your shoulders is immense and it doesn't allow you to give focus and strength to the real reason why you started your business, because you're awesome and amazing at doing that one thing. And that's where your heart is and why you got to this place today. 
So don't let all the other pressures feel they're bogging you down and preventing you from continuing the passion that you had to start the business in the first place. Go out there and spend the money. Have a belief in that these people are the people because the law of attraction and the returns can be great. 
[00:22:12] Katherine Breuss: Absolutely. And, and it, it inhibits. If you don't do that, your ability to grow. And to that point in terms of hiring people, the more clarity you have with who you are and what you want, that whole and your business is more soul aligned, you will know and you will attract the people who are supposed to be working with you. 
Um, I've seen it, I've seen it happen where,  there was misalignment and I've seen it happen when there was alignment and the people who showed up it, it's crazy. It's crazy. But you also know who you want as from a, a hiring standpoint, 
[00:22:53] Michele Tonkovitz: and that goes back to that agency I was talking about at the very beginning, that it wasn't the fit. 
Mm-hmm. I had known somebody who worked at that agency and I thought, oh,  they're a cool person. This seems a cool place. Sure, I'll take the job. This will be cool if it ended up not, not being that at all, and I would have those icky feelings. Mm. Even though the environment was laid back and Right. 
Everybody was chill and creative. It. It worked for them, but it didn't work for me. And you also need to know from your own perspective of when you're not in the place that's for you, that environment. 
[00:23:43] Katherine Breuss: Absolutely. 
[00:23:44] Michele Tonkovitz: I realized I needed more structure, which I never thought that I did until I had more freedom than I knew what to do with. 
[00:23:54] Katherine Breuss: Which is interesting. Most people wouldn't equate freedom and structure,  when there's more freedom,  things can get   chaotic for some. Uh, but  in terms of knowing who you are and what you want and not ignoring those icky feelings,  because my guess is, is that you are operating with a lot more resistance and now you're operating with a lot more flow. 
[00:24:22] Michele Tonkovitz: Correct. 
[00:24:23] Katherine Breuss: And when we're operating in more flow,  which I call as we're, we're aligned when we are or more aligned,  the results do come. 
[00:24:34] Michele Tonkovitz: Mm-hmm. And I feel them coming. I feel them in my heart. Right. I, I know them in my brain. I see them within my eyes. The computer systems that we use, right? 
The bank account, the, the emails, all the stuff, and. Again, it's the law of attraction and you plan the work, you work the plan, you be smart about it, you build your team and it will come. You have to be patient too, which is not my strongest virtue. Um, but there is a, a bit of patience that has to be mentioned in that whole equation too. 
[00:25:09] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. And there's that piece about being clear about. Who you are and what you want with that and aligning that to the plan, which is key,  in terms of getting that. Two sides of the coin. The enjoying as as the results. 
[00:25:30] Michele Tonkovitz: Mm-hmm. So if and why. 
[00:25:33] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Yeah. And in terms of the, your next evolution as a person and  as a business owner and or as,  the business itself, what for you is that next evolution that you want to experience? 
[00:25:54] Michele Tonkovitz: I would love in the next three to five years to continue to grow green onion creative that I don't have to wear as many of those hats that I was talking about earlier. I would love to, to get my agency to the point where it is more leadership driven, where I have. Dedicated chief marketing officer. I have a dedicated chief operating officer, somebody who's in charge of all the finance, all those things that I can focus more on the parts of the business that are very fulfilling to me and add a lot of value. 
That's the networking, that's sharing the story, that's empowering, that's mentoring and coaching. I. Have such a belief in our young marketers who are in school now, or those who are graduating. I feel it's my responsibility and one that is not a burden, but a joy to share my knowledge with them. I wanna help preserve the integrity and see the growth of marketing versus doing much of the daily. 
Business to business operational. I wanna be involved with the bigger ideas and pictures, but my powers, my superpower, you said, is that communication and relationship building. And when I build that great team of leaders, which I'm already working towards doing in the next three to five years, I want them to be in a place of total confidence and empowerment. 
You go and be awesome at what you're doing. And I will continue to bring in the layers that keep the onion growing not only for our business perspective, but for our clients and our community, and again, the professionals that I work with. And that will also give me more freedom. Hmm. Perhaps in a time perspective financially. 
I, I don't know, but I'm, I'm hoping it's gonna give me that more fulfilling freedom in my personal life as  That I can grow beyond the onion 
[00:28:01] Katherine Breuss: and it should, if you do it in a soul line way. Um. Absolutely it. And what we call it AG 45 is you're wanting to go from owner, run to leader run. And  we work with businesses who,  who do that. 
And, and it can give you that freedom in your time, in your personal wealth, and it creates value in your business. Um, Michele, thank you. So much for joining us. It's always a pleasure, , and would love to have you back again. 
[00:28:36] Michele Tonkovitz: I would love that too. I would be excited to share how the onion continues to go and grow and evolve. 
Um, and if there's anybody, whoever wanted to talk about marketing or perspectives from my end, I'd be happy to have that conversation too. 
[00:28:54] Katherine Breuss: Nice. All  Michele, speak to you again soon. 
[00:28:58] Michele Tonkovitz: Thank you. 
 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou  
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw  
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free  
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com  
 

From Girl Scouts to Landscape Entrepreneur: Loriena Harrington's, Owner of Beautiful Blooms Landscape's Story

Summary - In this episode of the Ag 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, hosted by Katherine Breuss, Loriena Harrington shares her entrepreneurial journey, starting from her early experiences with the Girl Scouts to founding Beautiful Blooms Landscape & Design. Loriena emphasizes the importance of soul alignment, family values, and aligning with other successful individuals who share similar values. She discusses the significance of intuition and personal experiences in guiding business decisions, highlighting how aligning one's business with personal values can lead to more fulfilling and successful outcomes. 
 
Find Loriena - https://beautifulbloomslandscape.com/   
 
#BusinessAlignment #podcast #personalpurpose #soulalignment #Personalwealth #Enjoyment #entrepreneurjourney #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurstruggles #authenticityispower #Authenticity #authenticityjourney #ExitStrategy 
 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 
[00:00:52] Katherine Breuss: welcome Loriena Harrington, , on the Soul Aligned Podcast. Really thank you very much for taking the time to,  meet with me and then share your story to everyone who's listening. , And to that. I would love if you could,  introduce yourself and share what you wanna share about you and your business to everyone that's listening.
[00:01:22] Loriena Harrington: Sure. Well, first of all, thank you for having me. Um, the. The story that I can tell about being an entrepreneur is that it didn't happen two or three years ago. It happened in my childhood and I give a lot of credit to the Girl Scouts of America,  for how I. Gained my first entrepreneurial experience, and that is through their Girl Scout cookie sale.
You know, I was the, the little brownie out there going door to door as soon as I got off the bus because the cookie order sheets were handed to us at school and I wanted to be the first around my neighborhood to get that market share. I had no idea it was called market share at that time, but that's what I was doing.
And the confidence grows as you knock on doors and talk to strangers and. Many years later,  in my twenties when I was starting Beautiful Blooms Landscape, which is my company,  I employed that same,  marketing,  Genius of the Girl Scouts. So I went door to door knocking on, on people's doors in a brand new neighborhood that didn't have a blade of grass and sold landscape design services.
I was qualified, I had my degree in horticulture and I had experience as a designer,  that I had picked up through school, and then I needed customers  I printed flyers and I went door to door, and that's how it all got started. But between selling the first boxes of Girl Scout cookies and knocking on that first door as a business owner,  officially a business owner.
Um, there was a lot of experience that I got,  starting at age 12, working at a golf course local to me,  on their ground staff, and I fell in love with meticulously maintained landscapes. Um, went to school to study turf and horticulture and landscape design at the University of Minnesota, and that gave me the educational background for.
The trade that I was entering, but it didn't necessarily prepare me to be a business owner. Um, that's where I made up the rules as I went along. Um, I did not ever work for a landscape business, but I had worked at golf courses,  but I had never worked for a landscape business before, but yet I started one on.
Sorry, go ahead.
[00:03:51] Katherine Breuss: That's cool. No, that's  normally you hear people, they've worked with someone for a few years first and they learn, but you  you jumped
[00:04:01] Loriena Harrington: in. I did. Um, going,  another childhood memory that I have of my entrepreneurial spirit was, it was probably 12 or 13 years old, and I remember.
This vivid memory of me kneeling at my bed, scribbling in a notebook, if I mowed the neighbor's lawns. 'cause I did have a small mowing route in my neighborhood. If I, and I was maxed out, I had five lawns that I would mow. But if I wanted to mow more, I would have to maybe have a friend help me.
If I got paid $15 to mow the lawn, maybe I could give $10 to a friend. And again, I didn't know the words, but Right. Like you're making profit, you're, and I have the notebook still, but I don't have those pages. I wish I had the pages of where I was scribbling out that math before the Excel spreadsheets were even in existence,
Um, but that's a real early entrepreneurial memory that I have. Wait, how old were you? Like 12, 13, 14, somewhere in there. Wow. So quite young. And it's a unique thing in our industry. And I keep saying our industry, it's the landscapers, the green industry as a whole. Anything to do with vegetation that grows outside the landscape industry has had some hand in it.
And,  the. Uh, the industry is filled with entrepreneurs that started their businesses at the age of 12 or 13 or 14 as the neighborhood kid that went around and mowed people's lawns. Um, when you have the opportunity to hire the neighborhood kid, know that you might be hiring the entrepreneurial for life, and that's, that's pretty cool.
[00:05:55] Katherine Breuss: That is cool. And you're  I've, I've spoken with a few people in your industry in some shape or form,  business owners, and they seem every single one far, they knew they wanted to be in this space at a young age. There was, there was a passion or a love,  in some shape or form to either outside or,  to,  you said the meticulous aspect of,  and golf courses for sure.
Mm-hmm. Um,  I would imagine you would get a   high level training in that. Um,  I'm being meticulous. I don't know much about,  that I'm a horrible,  in terms of gardening or landscaping or anything. So,   I could learn a lot. Um, now one of the things that we have,  talked about is soul alignment in terms of the importance.
Of it. And  I, myself and at Ag 45, we have an idea of what soul alignment is, and I call it,  harnessing your personal power and bringing it to, to what you do. How would you describe soul alignment for you and the impact that has had on your life and, and your business?
[00:07:19] Loriena Harrington: That's a great question and it's one that has a lot of different answers to it.
For me, it's not a single answer. I can tell you a single answer for what it means to me for today, but my company has evolved, it start, I started it 25 years ago. As an experiment. I didn't know if it was gonna work. I still was employed at a golf course and I started it as an, as a little side hustle experiment.
Let's see if this works. And it was very successful in that first season. Uh, I,  I guess the, the first life decision that I made with regard to the business was. Geographically, where am I at? And I was up in Minneapolis, but I was originally from Milwaukee, born and raised here. All my family was here and it was important to me to be near family and therefore I uprooted myself.
All puns in the landscape industry are fully intended. Um, I uprooted myself and transplanted myself back to Milwaukee that I could be in the support of family and some friends that were still here locally. Because once you start a business, you generally don't move it. And I, and I had the foresight to know that.
I was  I don't wanna get 10 years into this and have to restart. If I'm only one year into it and I restart, that's not a big, big loss or a big risk to take. So aligning my values early on with family, that's always been number one to me, was very important. I. Um, as the business grew, and again, I started as a sole proprietor and I didn't think that I was going to grow it into a business where I would have,  employees.
And then after a certain point, the business turns into a company less reliant on a sole owner per se. And now I've got. Um, two minority shareholders in my company. You know, this is 20 years later. After the start,  we, I took on two additional owners, and now for the past five years, my purpose, my personal purpose and motivation has grown and changed to be beyond me.
So what that means is I am motivated to provide opportunity for others. I see. Our ranks are about 32 employees now. That's a far different story than a sole proprietor. And they have families, they have children, they have people relying on them. So the touch,  or  the effect of beautiful blooms is a ripple.
And those waves continue to radiate out and affect a lot of people's lives. So that's. Again, going back to that very first value of family and making sure that we're a good place to work, that we're culturally aligned with that, that is important to me.
[00:10:32] Katherine Breuss: And what, what would are the. Results if you weren't aligned.
Like what could happen for a business owner if they're not aligned? If they're not aligned with themselves and then their business isn't aligned with them.
[00:10:48] Loriena Harrington: Catastrophe, struggle, stress. Not to say that it's stress free if you are aligned, but it's a different stress. Um, being true to yourself and your values. It adds much clarification and it makes things much more, I don't wanna say easy 'cause good Lord. Owning a business is not easy, but,
Establishing your values, identifying your values,  through,  some soul searching, some quiet reflection time. Looking back on your past experiences as an employee. Deciding what you loved about certain places and what you despised or reflecting as a consumer. What, what do you love about experiences at other places of business that you may wanna replicate in your own way?
Um, that helps to establish or to identify what the values of a company are. So once those, then you can tie everything. And everything back to those values. You know, we hire people based on the values. We do business with people based on our values. If those aren't being supported, our vendors have to support our values.
And a lot of ours is revolving around relationships, making sure that. We are feeling appreciated, making sure that we show appreciation, making sure that our work is,  valuable, not only monetarily, but that there's an exchange of value there between us and our clients, or our vendors and us. You know, there's three legs to that stool as a.
Small business owner is, I have clients, I have my employees and I have my vendors or my suppliers, right? Like the supply chain of materials and equipment. Um, and, and we're gonna do work with the people who support us the best. And time and time again, it's other small businesses that have similar values as us.
Downside to that, if you don't find people that you're aligned with, it's struggle after struggle. The red flags for clients, the,  something that's  I guess joked about a little bit in our industry is when we're writing up quotes in a service industry, writing up quotes for people who you already know based on the first phone call or.
Face-to-face interaction. Like there's something that's a misalignment and  you put that extra factor in the quote to try to make it worth your while if you do end up doing business with them. But I will tell you time and time again, whatever that factor in the quotient is, it's never enough.
It is never enough to put up with that misalignment and we're better off. Skipping that opportunity and, and saying, no thank you. Because it's painful for them too. It's not painful for us. It the, it shouldn't happen. So recognizing that, whether it's with a client or an employee, it's the faster we can identify that misalignment and pass on that opportunity, the better we are.
So. That's a long answer to your question. No,
[00:14:44] Katherine Breuss: it's a great answer. And  and to your point, you had said at the beginning, it's not to say that when you're lying that, oh,  you've got no stress and it's easy. You know, we, we know it's not,  the way I to describe it is it's a, it's a difference of working in resistance versus working in flow.
And it's not to say that. You know, all the time, every minute is flow and it's, and it's easy, but it's swimming in an ocean and you're not swimming against a tsunami of waves every day. That would be  Misalignment. It's  You're swimming in an ocean. Can be hard work. Sometimes there's a little bit of waves, sometimes not.
But you get the boats and you get the,  maybe,  some,  a life preserver or something that can help you along, but it's not, you're not swimming against the current day in and day. Mm-hmm. And I find,  work when you are living in, in misalignment or working,  with,
People or, or  situations that are misaligned. It feels very much you're swimming against current.
[00:15:58] Loriena Harrington: And that can be very draining. It's exhausting,  there's that good muscle burn and even mental. Fatigue after a good workout or a good day of work, it's  oh yes, I'm tired, but I feel good.
But then there's also that exhaustion that never goes away, and you have that bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. And some people call it intuition. Other people,  you might have a name for it, but it's that. The, I'm not on the road. Like I know that I need to make a change here. I need to get into a different lane and, and then continue on.
So recognizing those barriers and not consistently running into them,  we can be stubborn, but we have to be smart and, and being smart always is better than being stubborn. I. Mm.
[00:17:04] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. And,  and being true to yourself, mm-hmm. Along the way and, and when you are listening to your intuition, I love that you brought that up because,  we're taught.
Not to,  when school and they want you, what's the logical answer? And, and it can be bashed out of us, that wisdom that all each and every single one of us has inside. Um, and when we do listen to it, it is yet to steer me in the wrong direction. for a lot of people, and even me at times, it's, it's, it's trying to recognize, is that intuition or is that something else?
I'd be curious, what is, what for you is along that lines of intuition or your gut? How do it's that talking to you and not,  something else?
[00:18:02] Loriena Harrington: Yeah, I have two stories. One is personal and one is business,  related that I can point to. And  it's whispers, it's whispers that you have to pay attention to.
That are either,  the guardrails of  Hmm, we, we wanna keep you on track, or it's, you need to make a u-turn and go back and, and realign. Um, or it's confirmation,  it's the whispers of people cheering you on. And what by all of this is  there was a time. Over a decade ago that I had some personal cha, some personal health challenges.
And prior to that though, I had an array of people come into my life that were quite random and I started recognizing that God, I don't know why these people are coming across my life and into it and aligning with me. And then after the storm began and then it passed of this health concern, it, I recognized that each of those people that seemingly were random had a very important part to play.
During that time,   advice from a healthcare, somebody that was,  background in healthcare, a listening ear of a new friend that had a similar past experience. You know, those types of things. So being open to new things coming into your life, even though you might not understand exactly why, it's all there for purpose.
Then eventually you can put the, the frame around it and be  oh, now I get it. And there's some clarity there. And that's faith. Like you're trusting that you're on the path. You,  in my, in this case, these were people that I wouldn't have normally only been in the same social circles with, and I was feeling pretty uneasy about it.
But then in the. Long run. It was all there for a very, very good purpose. Um, then a different time,  very business related. We moved into a brand new, beautiful facility and we're blessed with that. And we've been here operating out of this space for a year. I started the process two years prior, beginning to end from meeting with the realtor for the first time to getting the occupancy permit was two years.
And that's a pr, that's a in fast process having to find the land and it was a brand new ground up build to being able to move in and pull operations out. All within two years. And the only way that that happened is that there were no obstacles, we were certainly meant to be here. The stars aligned.
There were no barriers. It wasn't easy, but it was.  it was, it was, and it wasn't easy. It, it was easy in the sense that there were no obstacles and we had confirmation along the way, the whole way through, that we were on the path. But I hear other people go through that business development and building stage, and they're battling with the city.
They're. You know, contractors are horrific. They're,  banker isn't coming through with the loan on time or  all those different red tape things and at some point you gotta question Yeah. Like, is this where I'm supposed to be at? So there have been times,  not,  I know that there have been times when I've been on the wrong path and you  I.
It's hard. It's harder than  you're
[00:22:11] Katherine Breuss: banging your head against the walls sometimes.
[00:22:13] Loriena Harrington: Yeah. And you're, you're maybe looking at a competitor or a colleague and you're   you have it figured out, how are you doing it? And then I'm trying to do what is the same thing and it's incredibly hard because I'm not meant to be there.
Like it's not the time or it's not the space. So you have to be. Open to perceiving that and then making a pivot and being true to yourself. Like, keep going where, where there's less obstacles.
[00:22:45] Katherine Breuss: You know, I, I, I thank you for sharing both those stories and, and I love,  hearing that and I can,  identify in terms of that whole piece of.
W when you are truly on the path that you're supposed to be on, and sometimes you don't necessarily understand it fully. Um mm-hmm. Those obs it's still hard, but it's  it's though you get this here, here, it's it keeps getting laid out for you. Yes. And you, and that part is easy and, and when my kids and I moved here back to the US and to Wisconsin, that's how it was.
 it was insane. Mm-hmm. It felt things were dropping out of the sky and it was   the house, here's the house. Oh, you need the, here's this. Oh, you need the school. Here's the, and I was   this is, we are meant to be here. Like, this is, it was hard, you know? It was hard work in terms of,  a lot of pieces, but it,  the obstacles were removed and, and things  the path was laid out, you know?
Yeah. That. Um, now if there was one piece of advice, I'm sure there's a lot,  but if there was one piece of advice. That,  that you would to share or an insight or something for other business owners who,  may feel they're more on that resistance,  that resistance path or it's feeling hard, hard beyond running a business hard.
What would that be?
[00:24:30] Loriena Harrington: So the most important. Thing that I've done with that has allowed me to develop personally into the the business woman that I am and have the success. The long-term success that I've had is to align myself with other successful people that are aligned on the same values,  that were.
Truly and genuinely interested in doing  that we're not trying to skirt the system in any way that we're operating with integrity through and through to our clients, to our employees, to our community, to our vendors,  all of that. And. Success breeds success. Mm-hmm. I used to be afraid of success, and one of the reasons why is because I felt it would be the rug would be ripped out from under me at some point.
I,  I don't have childhood trauma or things that, that would allude me to believing that it was  I don't have an entrepreneurial,  Background from a scholastic point of view, I wasn't taught how to. Open a business and run a business. So,  I said earlier I approached it as an experiment.
Like that there was put in my mind of   if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. This might not work it. You know? So there's a lot of that negative talk and there's plenty of naysayers all around entrepreneurs. Like, you're crazy. That's a pipe dream. It'll never work. You work too hard.
You're working too many hours. Like all of that clutters our minds too. So to be able to still love those people if they're meaningful people in your lives, but disassociate yourself from that recording and be able to lean into networks of people, other peers that offer you the support that you need as an entrepreneur that has been life changing.
So I joined a peer group. I now run and coach peer groups and that. Support network has removed the loneliness of entrepreneurial,  to, of being an entrepreneur. And it has made it incredibly fun. And,  the, the challenges that come up, I can now go and speak freely to my peers, whereas I might not be able to speak.
Quite freely to my employees or to competitors or  to your clients. Like they don't wanna hear it. No. They want you to show up and do the work with a smile on your face. So that would be my, if I had to only give one, which it's hard to only give one, but that would be my, my one thing is to surround yourself with success.
[00:27:46] Katherine Breuss: Actually, I do wanna add one more question because Yeah. Um,  you said at one point you were fearful of success, which is Absolutely, I hear this from many, it's common. It's very common. It's very common. And,  was there anything in particular that shifted? So where you're  what?
I'm not gonna be afraid of that anymore.
[00:28:16] Loriena Harrington: Um, what changed was the repetitions to know that for, for me and my, my company's history is it's been successful. So stop thinking that it's gonna go away. That success is. Not a destination. It's something that you work at continuously and as long as you're always doing the next thing, it's not gonna go away.
There's going to be challenging times, there's going to be circumstances that pop up that make it incredibly difficult, but the past experience that you've had of navigating a smaller challenge prepares you for the next bigger challenge. So. Just, I, I would say that the fear has taken a way, way, way backseat because of longevity.
So if somebody's listening that is facing huge challenges and they're  oh, I  I, is this worth it? I can't tell you how many times I've an asked and answered that question of, is this worth it? And the answer is always yes. And you have to keep on going, but you don't have to go alone and you also need to listen.
To all of the cues around you to know if you're on the path. You might have to pivot and then keep on going, and that pivot is not quitting. That's a realignment.
[00:29:53] Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. I love it. Laina Harrington, thank you much for sharing your stories and your time with all of us here. I appreciate it.
[00:30:07] Loriena Harrington: You're welcome. I hope that I've given at least one little bit of inspiration to somebody out there listening.
[00:30:13] Katherine Breuss: I'm sure you have. Thank you.
[00:30:17] Loriena Harrington: You're very welcome.
 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 
 

What Does Soul Aligned Mean? Katherine Breuss CEO and Founder, AG45

The AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, hosted by Katherine Breuss, blends business strategy and personal alignment. Katherine, who has 30 years of international business experience, emphasizes the importance of aligning personal passion and business goals. Katherine shares her journey and introduces her business, AG45, which aims to help entrepreneurs achieve both business success and personal fulfillment by clarifying their true desires and aligning them with their business strategies. Special guest Leighann Lovely, interviews Katherine, on the meaning behind soul aligned and explores her motivations and the unique approach of the AG45 strategy.  
 
Find Katherine – www.accelerategrowth45.com
 
[00:00:52] Katherine Breuss:Welcome to the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. I have Leighann Lovely with me, and I'm turning the reins over to her as she interviews me today.
[00:01:12] Leighann Lovely:I'm thrilled to be here! I’m Leighann Lovely, CEO and founder of Love Your Sales and host of the Love Your Sales podcast. I’m excited to learn about your business and this podcast journey with AG45. So, Katherine, who are you?
[00:01:52] Katherine Breuss:Great question. I recently moved back to the U.S. after 22 years abroad. I’d call myself an explorer. I left the U.S. in early adulthood to experience the world—London, Singapore (where I started my first business), then Australia. I have four kids, ages 11 to 17. I love the outdoors—dirt biking, sailing, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing. Since moving to Milwaukee, I’ve taken up golf. I've run several businesses—some successful, others not so much—so I’ve seen both sides.
[00:03:45] Leighann Lovely:Let’s talk about AG45—Accelerate Growth 45. What is your business about, and who do you serve?
[00:04:05] Katherine Breuss:When I returned to the U.S. two and a half years ago, I asked myself: who do I want to serve? I had worked with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses in the past. This time, I wanted to work with entrepreneurs—people like me who bet on themselves. I saw a gap. Many small to mid-sized businesses were working hard without the results they wanted. So, AG45 was born to bridge that gap—helping businesses grow and also exit successfully.
But there’s another layer: alignment. Many business owners are misaligned—with who they are, what they want, and how they run their business. AG45 helps align the business strategy with the owner's personal clarity and purpose. We are multidimensional, and the business should reflect that.
[00:06:31] Leighann Lovely:Absolutely. Even business owners who think they’re aligned often aren’t. I had a coach keep offering to work with me, and I kept saying I was fine—until I wasn’t. I was working so much my daughter noticed. My family noticed. And most small business owners don’t start a business just to be consumed by it, but it happens. Then we forget why we started.
[00:08:02] Katherine Breuss:Exactly. Many people attach their happiness to results—“I had a good day because we closed deals.” That mindset creates volatility. True alignment means understanding your personal power and values first. Then align that to your business. That’s when results improve and the journey becomes enjoyable—not just about outcomes.
[00:09:34] Leighann Lovely:Right. And we wear so many hats. It's easy to confuse competency with passion. You might be good at something, but do you love doing it? Do you wake up excited for it?
[00:11:15] Katherine Breuss:And you won’t find that clarity until you know who you are. Then, it’s about removing the anchors holding you back—habits, relationships, decisions. Some of it is hard. But once you shift, it’s powerful. That’s why AG45 is built on the "Five A’s of Success"—rooted in personal power. We combine true coaching with business consulting. Both matter.
[00:13:05] Leighann Lovely:So, let’s talk about your podcast—the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. What does “soul aligned” mean to you?
 
[00:13:35] Katherine Breuss:(Highlighted area - unchanged as requested)
 
[00:15:51] Leighann Lovely:I love your car analogy. If one tire is off, we wouldn’t drive—but we push forward when our mindset or health is off. We make decisions based on unclear thoughts or the wrong advice. Then we wonder why things don’t work out.
[00:17:34] Katherine Breuss:Right. You end up throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping it sticks. Even if your business is successful, are you enjoying the journey? I’ve met incredibly wealthy people who were unhappy or unfulfilled. Soul alignment isn’t just about performance—it’s about how you show up and who you are. When your life and business are aligned, the impact ripples outward.
[00:19:24] Leighann Lovely:Maybe in that parallel universe you mentioned, you're mountain biking and paddle boarding every day!
[00:19:26] Katherine Breuss:Exactly! But in this life, I want to make it count. And that’s what AG45 is about—helping others do the same through soul aligned strategy.
[00:19:51] Leighann Lovely:That's amazing. One last question—why did you start this business?
[00:20:02] Katherine Breuss:The soul aligned part is deeply personal. I worked at Goldman Sachs, ran businesses in Asia—but I wasn’t always aligned. I had success, but I wasn’t enjoying the day-to-day. I made poor decisions—wrong partnerships, wrong environments—because I didn’t fully know myself. Once I let go of toxic anchors, everything changed. That clarity fired me up. It’s not just about business success—it’s about showing up powerfully in life too.
Look at who you're surrounding yourself with. If they lift you, great. If they weigh you down, that’s your clue. When I cut ties with the wrong people, I could finally move forward. Soul alignment gave me the clarity and strength to build something bigger than just a business.
[00:23:07] Leighann Lovely:Thank you so much for sharing. I’d love to hear more of your story another time. If you haven’t tuned in to previous episodes, make sure to check them out, like and follow, or sign up for the newsletter on Katherine’s website—accelerategrowth45.com.
Any final thoughts, Katherine?
[00:23:51] Katherine Breuss:Just this—the podcast’s purpose is to awaken people to their greatness. By sharing stories of alignment and misalignment, I hope listeners see themselves and start to shift. You’re not alone. It can feel lonely, but support is out there. I want this podcast to be that support.
[00:24:50] Leighann Lovely:And it's not just the podcast. Working with you has already made a huge difference in how I show up. Thank you, Katherine.
[00:25:15] Katherine Breuss:Thank you.
 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 
 

Soul Aligned Success with Leticia Guzman Owner of Leticia Guzman and Associates: Embracing Authenticity in Business

In this episode of the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, host Katherine Breuss speaks with Leticia Guzman, owner of Leticia Guzman and Associates with American Family Insurance. Leticia shares her journey towards achieving 'soul alignment' in her business over the past five years. Initially unaware of the importance of aligning her personal values with her business, Leticia gradually invested in personal and professional development, hiring a coach to help her gain clarity and confidence. This alignment led to significant changes in how she approached her business, attracted clients, and built a cohesive team. Leticia emphasizes the importance of investing in oneself and the profound impact it can have on one's business and life. The conversation also touches on the integration of core values into business practice and the positive outcomes of being truly aligned in one’s personal and professional life. 
Find Leticia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leticia-guzman-71305812/  
 
[00:00:00] AG45 Intro: Welcome to the Ag 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, where business meets purpose growth feels good, and results meet enjoyment. Hosted by Katherine Breuss, CEO, and founder of Ag G 45, this show is built on 30 years of hands-on experience across four countries, three businesses, and one incredible life. 
Raising four children. Katherine brings a rare whole person perspective to business strategy and leadership. I. This podcast is for business owners ready to stop spinning, start aligning, and build a business that delivers real value while creating a life that feels yours. At the end of the day, you are the engine behind it all, and when you're clear and aligned, everything moves with purpose. 
It starts with you. Let's dive in. 
[00:00:52] Katherine Breuss: Leticia, welcome to the AG 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. It's amazing to have you here. I appreciate your time. Um, and I'd love if you could share with the audience who you are and, and your business. 
[00:01:10] Leticia Guzman: Absolutely. Well, thank you first off for having me. I appreciate being here. Um, I'm Leticia. I have,  I am the owner of Leticia Guzman and Associates with American Family Insurance, downtown Waukesha. Um, been down here for 18 years. Um, and I, I love my town. I love. I love our agency, our, our, our team, our community. 
It's, they haven't been down to Waukesha. It's a great place. It is. Yeah. I'll,  
[00:01:36] Katherine Breuss: I will say it's pretty cool. Like I wasn't very familiar with,  Waukesha until the last couple years and it is such a lovely area.  
[00:01:46] Leticia Guzman: It is. Yeah. Coffee shops and little shops and we love it. I'm still here 18 years later. 
I'm still here.  
[00:01:54] Katherine Breuss: That's amazing. So 18 years,  you must be doing something  And   I, I would say more than something,  Yeah. And since this podcast is, is focused on the power of being soul aligned mm-hmm. As a business owner. And the way that we see soul alignment is understanding who you are as a human, what you want, and aligning it to your business. 
Mm-hmm. Um, my question for you, Leticia, is, is how important is. Alignment or sole alignment,  for you and the success of your business?  
[00:02:36] Leticia Guzman: So,  I, I feel this, if you asked me this five years ago, I would not have been able to articulate or be able to explain this  Um, but over the last five, I would say the last five years, over the last five years. 
I became aware of the, of being aligned and within the business. And that for me was one of the biggest breaking points. Um, I feel  I feel it was always aligned to some degree. But there are times where you have to, sometimes I realized that I wasn't that confident, right? 
To, to know that, hey, listen, this is who I am in my personal life and this is translating into my business world. It's hard to, 'cause some people will say,   you have to be one way in your personal life and you have to be another way in your business. And I've heard that for long. And for many years I was   who am I here? 
But who am I here? And eventually. I realized it's not, it, it's, there is no separation. It's all everything, right? So your whole world, if you're, and, and if you don't bring that alignment of who you truly are into the business, I feel you, I feel you wouldn't always say yes from an alignment and maybe out of obligation, right? 
Mm-hmm. And in the last five years, I've done some intense,  Maybe not soul searching is a word, but maybe some, some alignment. Um, and confirmation in alignment. And now I, now I see it, now I'm   I, I see it. I am who I am outside of my office. I am who I am in my office, and I am who I am with all the people, whether you're a member of the community, whether you're a member of my agency and even on my team. 
And it's. I feel I can say yes from alignment now and not out of obligation. And that is important because every offer, every partnership, every piece of content that I create is, is a full body. Yes. Right. Um, I'm not launching from the sake of launching. I don't, I I don't move out of pressure or fear. 
I'm  I, I, now, I, it's all about how I Right. And I wait until it feels  And that's been the biggest game changer. And I said, five years ago, I've been   I do. And now I'm  no, I know I do.  
Um, it's  
[00:05:15] Katherine Breuss: I, I'm curious in terms of the impact. So there was a time in your life where you feel you weren't a soul aligned. 
 there were some part of alignment, and then the last five years you've become more soul aligned in your business. What is, what are the. Biggest impact that you have seen from being more soul lined than previously?  
Okay. That's a good question. So, I, I lead, I, I lead with a mission. I lead with who I am. 
Um, I, I'm confident in my, in what I deliver. I am very confident in what we're expecting. Um, we. I'm very aligned with my core values and my agency are very in alignment with who I am. Okay. And now that gives me the opportunity to lead with my best foot forward and my most authentic self. Okay. And now I'm attracting  
mm-hmm. 
[00:06:22] Leticia Guzman: The, I'm attracting people that are in alignment with, those are my people. Yeah. In business and in my personal world. Over the course of the last five years, I'll, I'll tell you,  I can reflect on the, the days where I was attracting wrong opportunities because I wasn't very clear. I wasn't crystal clear. 
I wasn't, those my, I wasn't clear on, I. I wasn't aligned, period. It's the end of the,  that's it. Um, and also the other thing is that when you're not aligned and you're misaligned, it creates resistance. Yeah. Which is gonna create burnout,  Um, you, you do lose clarity and confidence because you're not even clear on what you're, on, what you're trying to convey. 
And I feel when you can get to that point, you transition everything. Now I attract people on my team. Hmm. That are more in alignment with what I believe, and those are the people that, that are working in your world with you every day. I also attract people that are me in my personal world. 
And when you are attracting that and you are surrounding yourself around people that are in alignment with who you are, it's a completely different lifestyle, right? You do show up as your authentic self. And that that has, that has been incredible. And I can see how our opportunities that we're attracting are much different. 
[00:07:50] Katherine Breuss: So you're seeing the results from it? 
[00:07:52] Leticia Guzman: 100%. Yeah. I'm seeing my, I'm seeing different results from my team members too, because I'm showing up in a very specific way. Right. And they're almost matching that those people that aren't matching that are also the people that were. Hard in ways with, and that's  hard. 
It's hard to to know. And I knew that that would happen. Um, and it was difficult, but until it was for me, I had to kinda sit back and say,  let that go and let the opportunities come into play. Um, it was about being able to see the bigger picture.  
[00:08:31] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. I love that you said that it's not easy. 
It's, God, it's not easy to, to let go of the weight. So  and I, I use the,  metaphor of,   being in an ocean and  when where you wanna go and who you are,  that, those are first steps. Um, it, it becomes  oh, I can do this. I can swim to there, I can do that. 
However, if you still have. Dead weight. You have anchors onto you, the wrong people or the wrong opportunities, or the wrong environment or whatever that inhibits you. It makes that swim a hell of a lot harder and it can even  pull you back or, or bring you down. Right. And even recognizing that you had some,  some,  people or, or circumstances or opportunities that you had to say no to or let go of. 
It's not an easy thing in particularly at first, but when you do. It's that swim, it's that resistance starts to,  go away. But it's not easy,  
[00:09:41] Leticia Guzman:  one of the,  the most rewarding five years to, to be able to experience that transition and get aligned. One of the most difficult, but one of the most rewarding. 
Because I, I, I feel completely different and I believe that my audience and my team and my, my, everybody around me can feel it. Right. Um,  it's, it's difficult. Not easy, but here we are.  
[00:10:12] Katherine Breuss: So what did you do in particular? Was there anything in particular that you did that helped you get more soul lined starting five years ago? 
[00:10:23] Leticia Guzman: So one of the biggest things,  I hired a coach. Mm-hmm. Okay. And I felt, at that point in my life, I felt  I thought I knew who I was and I, I, I did. I was  oh, I know who I am. I know who I am. I can tell people who I am. But I took a step back and said, do I truly know and am  and one thing's knowing. 
And the other thing is truly feeling confident. To say, am I okay? And confident telling people this is who I am. And that's where I found the biggest opportunity because I don't know that I felt confident to be able to say, this is who I am and this is how I'm going to show up and these are my boundaries. 
And maybe I didn't, maybe I thought I had boundaries and maybe I didn't. And I started doing some more internal. Internal thinking and, and I ended up connecting with a gal,  that was incredible for me. She was phenomenal. And she made me do homework and I was doing hours, oops, hours of homework, Katherine , every week for her. 
And I told her I wanna know who I am, and I wanna be confident in explaining who I am. I wanna be confident that it spills out into my whole world. That's where it started to align. Um, that was the biggest thing. That was, I, I felt I was in college going through all the homework and the learning, but it started there. 
Then I hired a business consultant,  and more of a business standpoint. And then I started working through leadership. And through the leadership learning is where I started to recognize and learn. Internal pieces and how it started to all pull play together. So that's the one of it. 
But yes, 
[00:12:14] Katherine Breuss: I love it because,   in terms of what we do is, is this whole piece of, there's coaching to it, there's consulting to it, and whether it's us or it's someone else, the importance of business owners, having the advisors on their table and the power of investing in yourself. And the power of investing in your business,  is, is huge and I am. 
And I'm guessing that you would say it was one of the best investments you've ever made?  
[00:12:47] Leticia Guzman: Yes, it was. It was one of the biggest investments, to be honest with you as  And that was, those are the one, the resistance,  But I knew that if I was trying to achieve this for the long haul, I had to start internally with me. 
And understanding that and being completely aligned internally before I could expect anything else in my world to be in alignment. Mm-hmm. It went hand in hand. And now I live, I feel I live this life of in full alignment, which again, five years ago I would've been  I don't know what you're saying to me. 
I don't understand that completely. I'm aligned. But the work that I've done in the last five years has been intense and incredible. Um, it's,  I. I, the three ladies in my life that have all coached me to some, to some degree,  therapy,  coaching from a individual standpoint and then from a,  a business standpoint. 
So there was different areas where they all had to come together. Um, and I am a completely different person than I was five years ago. Um. It's, it's hard to be able to reflect back and look at where I was then, and I didn't know any different. Right? But now in reflection I'm  wow, what a, what a world of a difference. 
[00:14:08] Katherine Breuss: It's amazing and hats off to you for doing it because,  not a lot of people do. And the, and, and even people do, but they don't go to the depths because it does take work. It takes work to get to know who you truly are and then start aligning because there is weight, there's those anchors that you get used to, and that can be pretty scary to snip and cut away. 
And it's moving more into the unknown, which a lot of people feel more safe in the known, even if the known isn't good for you. Sure.  
You know, people stay 
[00:14:44] Leticia Guzman: Yeah,  And,  comfort. Right. I would say comfort kills,  comfort can completely kill the future of,  where you're going or that moment 
Um, it is, it's, it's, it's been, it's been a journey for sure. But  when you're, when you're hiring people to do the things that they're great at, and you hire someone to, to coach you and help you become more in alignment with who you are and spread that there are deeper things that you sometimes discover or uncover that need to be addressed in order for you to progress. 
So some of the challenges that's from a leadership standpoint, I maybe wasn't comfortable in certain spaces or having certain conversations, things that. Well, that comes from somewhere. It could come from a skillset that you need to develop. It could come from childhood trauma. You, it can come from anything. 
So there's, there's a whole piece of it. So it's, it's, it was a, it's been a journey.  
[00:15:45] Katherine Breuss: So if there was. One piece,  of advice that you would give to a fellow business owner that's maybe looking to, to take their business to the next level. What would that be?  
[00:16:02] Leticia Guzman: Obviously becoming more and,  being aligned. 
Right. Um, taking that, that to understand where you are and how confident you are. In and then under and, and looking at your business. So taking a step back and understanding this is where I'm at, this is where I wanna be. Um, I would, for, for me, it was hiring a coach. Mm-hmm. Um, that was the transformation that I needed because that, that making that investment in myself opened up much more. 
Initially, I was   I'm gonna hire this coach. I'm gonna make this investment. A part of it is making that investment in ourselves. So sometimes we feel guilty doing something for ourselves, and I'll be the first to say that I will do anything for anybody and not question it. When it comes to myself, I'm   do I reinvest in myself? 
This is a lot of money. This is all things. Honestly, what that did for me tenfold has come back to me in many different ways. Um, that that's where it starts,  is hiring that individual and. Kind of releasing and giving someone else that opportunity to say, help me. Right. Um, but when you it, it's, it's hard because when you're not doing that, you're playing small. 
Right? Yeah. Because when you're playing playing small, you play small because deep down you don't feel safe being seen. Mm-hmm. Right. And when your business isn't in alignment with who you are, it's hard to fully show up for yourself and. If you wanna show up for yourself and be your biggest, authentic self, you, you're gonna have to  you're gonna have to expand. 
Um, and for me, I would say  get yourself a coach. Um, and, and be, I. Just kinda release that,  and, 
[00:17:49] Katherine Breuss: and I've gotta say, and I love,   I love you're, you're preaching to the choir. Like, I love what you're saying and I need to make a note to everyone listening. I did not ask Leticia to say these things or pay her to say these things. 
That is,  it is, it is a hundred percent true, and it's hard for people to make that investment for the reasons that you've said in terms of,  investing in yourself,  people can feel guilty, but al  it's ki it's an intangible, it's an invisible thing when you sit and you say, work on yourself. 
And it's not   we're gonna hire a sales coach where it's   that person is going to get me X amount of sales. Each year,  which there's more of a of an ROI on that. 
[00:18:35] Leticia Guzman: Right. 
[00:18:36] Katherine Breuss: Whereas with a coach or,   even some of the business consulting, depending on what it is,  because,  we work with some businesses that get them to be leader run. 
It's not much on the bottom line results. You know, the ROI is is a little bit. Um, murky. It's not  this is what I'm gonna get. Yes. Uh, end it. So that can be hard. That could be scary investment.  
[00:19:01] Leticia Guzman: I,  I'll, I'll be honest with you, during that timeframe, I,  it was difficult to invest that money. 
I had never invested that first payment. I was  this payment's only gonna cover me for the next six months, which means that I also have to come up with another one, and then another one and another one because I knew it was gonna be a couple years of working with her. Um, and then I was   I'll, I'll, I'll do it for six months and see where we're at. 
Well, I couldn't stop because there was, the evolving from there was a constant. And if I didn't do that, the work that I did with my business consultant would not have been the same. Right. It went hand in hand. Now I didn't see that initially. I didn't see that coming. Um, but it was, it was probably one of the biggest investments that I made. 
And it was the toughest because it was for me. Mm-hmm. And again, it's hard for us to sometimes do those things for ourselves, but I knew that everything starts with me.  
[00:20:05] Katherine Breuss: Yes. It's, 
[00:20:05] Leticia Guzman: I day  
starts with me. My mindset starts with me. My life starts with me. My business starts with me. I lead a team of eight that starts with me. 
So I have to be able to center, align my,  align myself appropriately in order to be able to show up for my team and for the people, right? The people that rely on me. And most, most incredible amount of investment, best investment. And it's  it's a start. It's a snowball of everything. I believe that. 
[00:20:39] Katherine Breuss: It is because  we are, I,  I say that we're the engine behind everything we do because the ripple effect of the decisions we make, which are the actions we take and the people around, and if you are misaligned, those decisions are gonna be misaligned. Those actions are gonna be misaligned. 
The people you're attracting are gonna be misaligned. And  You're gonna be living in a life of resistance,  versus when you're in alignment, you start to, the decisions are aligned, the people are aligned, the opportunities are aligned, and it becomes this life of flow. And yes. Um, and it is in my 30 years of doing this in varying forms,   I can attest to that. 
This is true. What you are saying,  is this is why I love it. I'm  oh my God, you are, you are  You, I couldn't have paid anyone to say anything you said. Um, but hats off to you because it's also not an easy process. And I love that you said that your coach gave you,  homework to do and that you did it. 
Because it's not a matter of showing up and being   now you do this for me. It's you have to invest the time. Um, not only the money, but the time. Um. To do the work. And you gotta be hungry and you gotta be open to be evolvable.  
[00:22:03] Leticia Guzman: Yes. One of the things that,  that helped me, and this, and I, I say this because this helped me when I was continuously reinvesting by keeping her on as my coach, right? 
Because I went through this every six months, I'm  oh my  here we go again. I'm going through those feelings again. Like, how am I going to afford this? Um. One of the things that she taught me, and this was again, one of the million things, but  money is meant to be circulated. Mm-hmm. Okay. 
I had to understand that because what that meant to me was money is meant to be circulated somewhere. Where would this money be best spent now? 
Not on objects where. We reinvest in our businesses and our family and our friends all the time. Right? We reinvest in all different places. But that investment had to start here because that's where it all starts to flow, right? Um, and that's, one of the things that she, she helped me continuously keep her on as my coach. 
Okay. Um, but I, one of the things that I feel she was also rem reminding me is  when you're misaligned, it's creating that resistance, which you've talked about, right? But that resistance is what causes burnout.  
Absolutely. Right? Oh   
And then you're you. You lose clarity, which you're gonna lose confidence. 
And now when things come to me, I'm attracting opportunities. So if I'm attracting wrong opportunities all the time, I need to ask myself. Where am I going that getting me these wrong opportunities, right? But helping me get in front of the opportunities and attract the opportunities are me putting myself in a space where I know,  it, where I'm in the line meant, right? 
And all of that goes hand in hand. Um, but  it, here we are. 
[00:23:53] Katherine Breuss: That's awesome. I love, again, I said, you are singing to the choir. I love everything that you've said and I,  again, hats off to you for,  taking investment in yourselves because, and  and this is what I love about business owners, regardless of results. So regardless if their business is doing or not. 
What I love is that they're taking a risk and they're betting on themselves already By doing that. They're, they already have this belief of  I can do this, I can, right? And then it's this whole thing. It's  wow. Now imagine if all these business owners were aligned with themselves first and then aligning it to the business. 
Imagine what can then occur. That excites me because then there's this ripple effect even beyond them. So it's that ripple effect you talked about. Leticia,  your employees,  and the impact and the leadership that you have with them and how,  what you do rubs off on them. And there's that ripple effect. 
And then it will, you, it'll show up within your clients and then it'll show up with all the businesses around. And    I see these, the, the waves, the, the, the ripple of alignment going out into the world and. That excites me.  
[00:25:17] Leticia Guzman: Yeah. You know, and for, for business owners, and this, this may not, I feel it goes hand in hand, but one of the things that I never, one of the things I had was I believed I had a core values. 
Okay. I believed that we had a core value here in this agency. Well, come to think about it. If you're not discussing your core values, you. And you're not, you're not holding people accountable to adhering to them. You're gonna have some challenges, okay? But here's the thing. If I am not confident in who I am and how I'm showing up every day, and if I'm not aligned,  my core values  what are they? 
They go, but  
then I, what are they? I'm not holding anybody accountable for 'em. So for me to be able to be in alignment helped me create my core values. Which now helps everybody understand where we all need to be to be in alignment, right? And that was one of the things that I was   what is it for core values? 
We talk about 'em, we need be kind, this, that, and the other thing. They weren't written out, but it wasn't until I started to, until to implement them and everybody understood them. In the agency, the shift, but I believe that it was in the process of me becoming very aligned to be able to develop these core values that I live to as  
And then your team lives too. Right? So that was another thing that I thought, man, I had, I had, I,  meet people you. That,  and then also have this core value. I'm  man, I, I feel I was way behind the eight ball. That's far behind.  
[00:26:56] Katherine Breuss: Oh, oh my God. Actually, you are,  ahead, you are doing things next level that   a lot of people aren't, aren't doing, or they're doing it at a surface level. 
 I hear a lot of business talks about core values. Oh  I've got values. And then I say, what are they? Um, it's, and they, they,  they think about it and there I sit and I go,  they're not. Right, because  it, it's integrated everything. It's not a piece of paper on the wall, it's not a tick the box. 
We've done it. It is the way you show up and it's,  and it should be, it should support the identity of,  of the business. So. I,  again, Leticia, I love our conversation,  when we were in the coffee shop. I loved our conversation. It was amazing. Uh, this conversation is,  amazing and, and I'd love to have you on again and, and continue this because you've got such great insights and experience to share with everyone else. 
So,  I appreciate everything you, that, everything that you've shared and said. Is there one last thing that you wanna share with everyone else before we,  we say goodbye?  
[00:28:17] Leticia Guzman: Um,  I, I've shared all of it. I,  I don't Thank you fully. Can be who you are. And when you, when you get to a point when you are aligned in, in facets of your life,  I don't live a perfect life and I am not perfect and my life is not perfect. 
But I'll tell you what, it opened up the doors for me to be in spaces that I would never have the opportunity to be in today. And if I was in the opportunity or had that, I would never have been able to fully show up and that opportunity would've been. An opportunity that wasn't a successful opportunity. 
Um, and I, I truly believe that. And now, now when I show up every,  I, I wake up every day and I'm showing up. I see it. I, I see the opportunities that come that,  opportunities are  we, we track such a different opportunity. And, and I've been in spaces now where I'm   five years ago, I've been in a situation this before and my situation today, and the outcome of it is completely different. 
Of all the work we've done. Um, that's it. That's all I have.  
[00:29:28] Katherine Breuss: I love it. It sounds to me, you're doing the first day of being all in. So even if you are a little bit    you're going, Hey, I'm here. I'm gonna  I'm gonna, even if I'm a little bit scared or this feels a little bit stress, might as be all in it, because why not? 
Yep, yep.  
[00:29:48] Leticia Guzman: We didn't come this far as business owners to come this far. Right. You gotta continue to evolve.  
[00:29:54] Katherine Breuss: Yeah.  
[00:29:55] Leticia Guzman: And starts with us.  
[00:29:57] Katherine Breuss: It does. I love it. Leticia, thank you much. I, it has been such a blast and I appreciate, again, your time and sharing all your wonderful insights.  
[00:30:06] Leticia Guzman: Well, thank you for having me. 
It's been, it's been a pleasure to, to get to know you and you're amazing. Love talking to you.  
[00:30:14] Katherine Breuss: Well,  We're gonna do this again, Awesome. 
Leticia and everyone, thank you for listening in. Um, and we will have Leticia back on for sure. All.  
 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou  
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw  
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free  
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com  

Aligning Your Business and Health: A Conversation with Dr. Nick Lundbohm, Owner of ChiroWay

In this episode of the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, host Katherine Breuss interviews Dr. Nick Lundbohm, a chiropractor with ChiroWay Chiropractic in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. They discuss the importance of aligning one's soul with their business and the significance of chiropractic care in maintaining overall health. Nick shares his journey of opening his own chiropractic practice after working under various doctors and the challenges he faced, notably starting his business during the COVID-19 pandemic. They both emphasize the necessity of self-care for business owners to ensure they can effectively manage their businesses and personal lives. Nick explains the different types of stress and the holistic benefits of chiropractic care, while Katherine advocates for the importance of mental and physical clarity in achieving business success. The conversation culminates in recognizing the value of supportive networks in overcoming business hurdles. 
Contact Nick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chirowaymfalls/  
#BusinessAlignment #podcast #personalpurpose #soulalignment #Personalwealth #Enjoyment #entrepreneurjourney #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurstruggles #authenticityispower #Authenticity #authenticityjourney #ExitStrategy  
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou  
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw  
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free  
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com  
 
[00:00:52] Katherine Breuss: Welcome, Nick to the Soul Lined Podcast. Um, everyone, I'd to introduce Nick Lund Baum from Cairo Way. Um, I'm gonna pass it over to him though, and I'm gonna let Nick share with you who he is and his business before we get started. 
[00:01:12] Nick Lundbohm: All  good morning, Katherine. Thank you. Uh, my name is,  Dr. Nick lbo. I'm a chiropractor with,  ChiroWay Chiropractic in Menominee Falls, Wisconsin. Um, I have been a chiropractor for over 20 years now,  and had decided to finally be able to open my own small business about five years ago. 
After working for numerous other doctors in different ways and in many different. Chiropractic offices,  and found chiro way through a few connections from one my brother and two, a few other connections through business and found that ChiroWay was a, a very good,  model for chiropractic for me to be able to run my small business by myself. 
ChiroWay is a,  up and coming franchise of locations. That allow,  convenience and affordability of chiropractic care to allow people to come in more often to receive the chiropractic care long-term, rather than utilize chiropractic care as a short-term band-aid solution. Uh, ChiroWay has added that convenience and affordability to make chiropractic more part of your life rather than something you seek out when you need it. 
[00:02:38] Katherine Breuss: I love that. And  as we were talking earlier,  I studied,  chiropractic in Australia,  because I have a huge love for the human body, but al  our spine is a communication system,  I highly support,  chiropractic care. I've seen the difference it has made, not only in my own life, my children's, my mothers back in the eighties when,  chiropractors back then were considered   witch doctors. 
[00:03:10] Nick Lundbohm: Yep. Um, and Yep.  
Discriminated against. Exactly. All of those things.  
[00:03:14] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. And  the cool thing was is that you had the, the more,   the, the spine surgeons, they wanted to put my mom under the knife and she met this amazing chiropractor,  and she ended up going that direction and she is thankful for it. 
So,   
[00:03:35] Nick Lundbohm: excellent.  
[00:03:36] Katherine Breuss: Yeah, I have a huge, huge, huge,  love of chiropractors, but as we were also saying, not all of them are created equal. Um, Nick, we,  are talking about soul lined and the way that we see soul lined is,   It's understanding who you are and what is important to you, and then aligning that to your life and or because we're talking to business owners, your business where most of us spend the majority of our time. 
[00:04:10] Nick Lundbohm: Correct. So,  
[00:04:11] Katherine Breuss:  for you,  what do is being aligned and what impact does that have for you and your business?  
[00:04:23] Nick Lundbohm: Well, a big part of, I would say that with my business is, and it also ties back into why I ended up with a franchise with Chiro Way,  is being able to spend a lot of time, the dedicated time that you need to spend opening and running your business, but at the same time, allowing you to have that life. 
That will balance you away from your business,  such as your family, such as your children, your hobbies, whatever it is that you have, that is gonna be a unique aspect for everyone. But I feel that as a business owner, that balance needs to be there because you can't spend. Every waking hour on your business, no matter how much of a passion it is for you without having the mental wellness yourself, of being able to be away from your business, and whether that is having someone else with you to support your business, to run your business, for you to be able to step away and have your business run itself, whatever that would be. 
I think that is a big. That would fit a big,   purpose in, in your soul aligned aspect of balance that needs to be part of your life when you are running a business.  
[00:05:52] Katherine Breuss: Yeah, and it's, it's great speaking with someone yourself who is about,  health and wellness and. You know, for many of us business owners, and even not business owners, but  business owners in particular, we usually put ourself last. 
Correct. I see it in from a sense of taking care of yourself physically, mentally, but also financially as  Mm-hmm. Um, I see a lot of business owners pay themselves last, from a, a health and wellness. Perspective. Um, what would you recommend in terms of how a business owner should look after themselves to ensure that then they can look after their business and their family and everyone else? 
[00:06:40] Nick Lundbohm: Well, exactly, and. I, you, you hit hit it, hit on most of it is, is, is being able to be away from your business. Um, I, of course am, am not gonna say this in a biased manner, but I, I firmly believe business owners would benefit from being a chiropractic patient, mainly from being able to balance that,   natural innate ability for their body to. 
Respond to stress and, and heal and strengthen, and be in a powerful position to benefit themselves. It, it is something that most people don't realize that they're missing until they add it into their life. Much exercise, much   proper nutrition and diet,  much getting enough sleep. 
Um, those are all pillars that I emphasize with all of my clients. Um, but adding that regularity of getting adjusted that your spine is working the way it's supposed to, which supports your nervous system, which supports the entire body. If that is not functioning at 100%, you cannot function at 100%. 
That is not a chiropractic. Religion that is science, and that is a science based philosophy that,  I can, and, and I don't to use the word debate because it's not a debate, it's how the body works. And a big part of, of,  health and wellness,  from my perspective is making sure people are,  seeing some chiropractic service, but then at the same time. 
Getting their proper exercise, getting their proper sleep at night. Being hydrated is a huge one that people mostly overlook and getting some form of exercise, whether it's,  whatever it is that you to do. So, oh,  
[00:08:38] Katherine Breuss: it's interesting, the hydration piece. Um,  when I lived in Australia, I was pretty good at it because it was warmer and we were outdoors a lot and whatnot. 
And since moving here. Gosh,  I'll, I'll go through majority of the day and it'll be towards the end and I'll sit and go, oh my  I've only had this amount of water and I  
[00:08:58] Nick Lundbohm: very much  
[00:08:59] Katherine Breuss: completely forget. And to your point, it does make an impact. I can see how differently my system,  functions two. 
Okay, a lot of people, and because I, yes, I do love chiropractic. So I'm gonna go a little bit more into this from a health perspective. Um. Most people, when they think of chiropractors or chiropractic care, they think, oh, you're gonna crack my back. And it's  if my back is outta whack or something that, that's why I would go to you. 
But I know that it's a lot more than that. So,  I love that you brought up the neurology and  'cause the spine is the, it's the communication to everything. Correct. So what, in terms of, you mentioned stress, how would chiropractic. Care help someone with regards to stress.  
[00:09:51] Nick Lundbohm: Okay, stress is threefold. 
Everybody knows the word stress when we're talking about emotional stress, that is,  how is your life at home? How is your life at work? What's,  outside stressors are you dealing with? 24 7. That is emotional stress. However, people fail to realize that,  there is another ver, there are two other versions of stress that is physical stress and there's chemical stress. 
Physical stress is what you physically put your body through every day. You know? Do you, does your job require a lot of sitting? Does your job require a lot of repetitive motion? Does your job require a lot of standing? Working. You know, I have a lot of hairdressers that are clients of mine. You know that physical stress of your body is going to physically affect your body and you can even call exercise physical stress if you are doing regular exercise as you're supposed to. 
That is a good thing. But what does exercise do to your body? It's a question I ask all my clients that come in that do a little exercise, they're   I take good care of myself. I exercise. Okay. What does exercise do to you? What is the point of exercise? Hmm. It breaks down your muscles. It shows you that you are weak in order to have proper exercise. 
You are wearing yourself out. You're doing a lot of lifting, you are running, you are doing yoga, you are stretching muscles beyond what they are. Currently capable of doing because that breaks down the muscle tissue, tells your body that you are, Hey, we are slightly weak. We must heal this and become stronger. 
Whether it is a stronger muscle, whether it is stretching the muscle, whether it is increasing your lung capacity, by doing aerobic exercise, you are breaking down your body, your body must heal to get you back to a better position That requires. Um, utilizing calories that requires,  building your body up. 
So it is a stress on your body to have to do that while at the same time doing your body's normal functions. I. And then to go all the way back to what we were saying, another version of stresses, that's chemical stress. That is what you take into your body. It is what you put onto your body. It's what you consume. 
It's what you use to wash your hair. It's what you are exposed to with every day as far as your environment. I. Um, levels of pollution, how much inside you are, whether you are breathing in allergens on a daily basis, that your body must combat with whether you are constantly exposed to pathogens in your job. 
Are you a nurse? Are you a other healthcare practitioner that sees a lot of people? How is your immune system functioning? Those are all chemical reactions happening in your body. 24 7 365. You add up your physical stress, your chemical stress, and your emotional stress, your unique stress,  
[00:12:54] Katherine Breuss: that's  
a lot of stress. 
[00:12:54] Nick Lundbohm: It's a lot of stress. And when you are dealing with that 24 7, 365, eventually your body is not gonna have the capacity to overcome everything on a daily basis. And you start running at what we call a deficit. The human body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism. It knows how to be healthy. And before I get onto too long of a,  ramble of this because it's something I can talk about for forever and ever. 
So if you,  if, if you have anything, feel free to jump in before I go too long into my,  new client orientation where I try and explain to people that when you have all that stress every day. Your body has to react. It has to adapt and overcome. You know, one of my favorite, one of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies is, is Heartache Ridge, and I'm dating myself, and he's always talking about how the Marines are one of the greatest branches in the history of the world of warfare because Marines adapt, overcome, and succeed. 
That is exactly what your body does. It tries to adapt. It overcomes what you're dealing with, and it succeeds by healing. Hmm. The problem is when you build up too much tension in the back, in the, in the muscles, in whatever it is that you're dealing with, and subluxation occurs. Hmm. The definition of subluxation is a vertebrae that is not working through its normal range of motion the way it should be, and that is going to cause, go back to the neurology that you were talking about, impingement of the nervous system. 
And when you are pinching on the nervous system, it's not working as as it can be because your body then has to heal that as  And you are running at a deficit of trying to get back to that adaptation point of normal health and wellbeing.  
[00:14:48] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. And  I see that as,  When your body has stress mm-hmm. 
You've got your  your mental stress,  your emotional stress, you've got your physical stress.  
Correct.  
And  to me it's  it's a fog then you're living in,  
[00:15:07] Nick Lundbohm: mm-hmm.  
[00:15:08] Katherine Breuss: You have the mental lack of clarity. You are making decisions,  in a fog. Then if you add on top of that, you've got the physical. 
Stress, whether that's chemical,  whether it is physical, and then that it is in itself a fog. And again, decisions aren't necessary as clear because messaging and, and all of that isn't working as  Right. And   I say that we are the engine behind what we do and we are. And   I do see taking care of your physical body, being soul lined as  because it's not your mental clarity and your mental understanding of who you are and what you want. 
You, we are our body are the house we live in and correct. So if that house isn't clean and clear,  that's gonna add a whole nother layer of fog.  
[00:16:05] Nick Lundbohm: Correct. And again, it, it, it goes all the way back to taking care of yourself and as business owners, you, you already touched on that. It is one of the last things that most people consider because their business and their family comes first and they tend to come later on. 
[00:16:22] Nick Lundbohm: Um, the entire point of adding chiropractic into your life is to make that simpler. Because when you have a properly functioning nervous system, everything else is easier, your exercise is easier, your mental clarity to make those decisions is clearer. The,  the, the intake of your chemical input. 
Your nutrition, your,  everything else is something that functions better. Your body processes that stuff better. So it is all, it all goes back to your nervous system. The, the, the key communication system in your body, the thing that runs everything. And if you're not taking care of your immune, your immune, or your nervous system, your own innate intelligence is going to be depressed, which is going to depress. 
The rest of your life.  
[00:17:17] Katherine Breuss: Hmm. I love that you said you're innate intelligence, but you've hit it. You've hit it. On the head. Mm-hmm. Um, and we all have that innate intelligence and it's there, sometimes it doesn't feel it's there because it can feel, it's, it's through the fog, it's  
[00:17:32] Nick Lundbohm: exactly  
[00:17:33] Katherine Breuss: of lack of clarity, whether that's through our body, through our mind,  emotions. 
And the more clarity we have, then the easier it is to know what it is we want, where we wanna go, and then to be able to align to it. Um mm-hmm. So,  you'll love the fact probably that we use the word align because,  chiropractic is all about chiropractic.  
[00:17:56] Nick Lundbohm: Exactly. It's, it's a solid, solid analogy. 
[00:17:59] Katherine Breuss: It is. Um, and I could sit and talk about, I could, I could sit and talk about,  chiropractic work all day long because it is,  it is phenomenal and, and what can occur,  when you do go to a qualified and experienced,  Chiropractor,  the change is not only physically in your body, but also mentally,  can shift and change. 
Um, which,  I said earlier, I need to come and see you because mm-hmm.  
[00:18:35] Nick Lundbohm: Correct.  
[00:18:35] Katherine Breuss: I don't do it as, I don't do it as much as I used to. Mm-hmm. And, and that shame on me, that is a time aspect. Um,  So I'm at fault. I'm at fault as  Sometimes I'm always putting my mask on. You know how they say, on the airplane, you put your mask on first and then you help  
[00:18:53] Nick Lundbohm: others? 
It is. It is. It is. And that, that is a, that's a wonderful analogy too, is that you do need to be able to take care of yourself. In order to help others. Um, and whether it's a,  whether it's because you're a business owner, whether it's you're be a, a, a family,   family person taking the primary role in your family, you still need to take care of yourself in order to take care of others. 
And, and I that, that. Aspect of,  being aligned is something that I found with Chiro Way and why I have a Chiro Way franchise. Um, because they do allow you to take care of yourself,  in order to become a better practitioner to then take care of your clients. Mm-hmm.  
[00:19:41] Katherine Breuss: Yeah, because imagine,  it's, it's, it's obvious when we say it out loud and we're talking about it   if you're not taking care of yourself, then you're not gonna be able to show up as for others and take care of others. 
 it sounds obvious. You know, when, when we see.  
[00:19:56] Nick Lundbohm: Mm-hmm.  
[00:19:56] Katherine Breuss: And yet though, time and time again, we don't do that. You know, we, we put ourselves last, mm-hmm. And. And, and it does no one any, any good. Um, mm-hmm. And part, and you've,  Nick, do you have a family? I do. Yeah. So as as parents as  Mm-hmm. 
You know, we can put everybody else first and then we're run down. Just   I have to say on the weekend, by the end of it, I was run down and I was putting everyone else. First and I, and I could feel it within myself, and I wasn't showing up. I wasn't as present with my children. 
I was a little bit snippy. Um, and I literally was   stop, pause. What's happening? Mm-hmm. And I was in my head,  and, and,  had a tornado of thought, which I, I took me to a completely different place that I didn't necessarily wanna go in that moment. Um, and I wasn't taking care of myself, and I literally had to,  at least I was smart enough to say pause before,  I became grumpy. 
[00:21:06] Nick Lundbohm: Mm-hmm. Correct.  
[00:21:09] Katherine Breuss: Now, what would you, I'm gonna shift gears a moment. Um, and,  as a business owner, you, you've been in business, you said five years. Um,  
[00:21:21] Nick Lundbohm: as a business owner, I've been, I've had my office for five years, correct.  
[00:21:24] Katherine Breuss: What has been the biggest challenge for you as a business owner?  
[00:21:32] Nick Lundbohm: As a,  as a business owner? 
You know, ki it's, it's unique to running a chiropractic business. I guess,  you can probably talk to anybody. It's a business owner and, and they'll say the same thing. Their business is unique. Um, when it comes to running a chiropractic office, there is a. I, I hate to use the word stigma,  but making yourself known to the general public of, of where you are, who you are and, and what you are. 
And, and,  that was one of the more difficult things for me to learn because I needed to be different. I needed to,  Get out there and let people know where they could find me and why they'd wanna find me compared to somebody else. Because even though not a lot of people, as far as if you took the percentage of the,  American population that regular, regularly see a chiropractor, we're talking probably 10 to 15% based on a lot of estimates to, to have that population as your, there's a lot of my key. 
You know, potential,  clients. There's a lot of chiropractors in a general given area for them to choose from. Mm-hmm. So making yourself that unique,  they all,  anybody that started a business, there's always that unique selling point. What is your unique selling point that people can,  decide to utilize your business or services? 
Um, that was one of the initial challenges that I faced was I. You know, getting that message out there of how we are different, why we are different from a traditional insurance-based chiropractic office.  
[00:23:29] Katherine Breuss: That's a   I'm glad you brought it up because Yeah, you're  Every business,   I would say 99.9% of businesses,  have to ask themselves what is unique about us, the USP unique selling point. 
Mm-hmm. Um, and this is where I would. You know, when, when we work with businesses is to first look at themselves and go,  who are you? Like, who are you? Mm-hmm. And then how does that align to the business? And then who is that business and integrating that because that's who then you attract. Um, and there's a lack of resistance there when it's more of wearing someone else's model, if that makes sense. 
[00:24:12] Nick Lundbohm: Mm-hmm. Yep.  
[00:24:14] Katherine Breuss: Um,  
[00:24:14] Nick Lundbohm:   
[00:24:15] Katherine Breuss: So what would be one, if you had a, a piece of advice, one piece of advice for another business owner? Because it can feel lonely as a business owner. The,  we all have struggles of varying sorts. Um, what would be your one piece of advice to other business owners that,  may be struggling or, or maybe not sure how to do something? 
What was key for you? 
[00:24:43] Nick Lundbohm:  it's something that is,  again, from a business owner aspect, it, it, it talks with about everybody talks about the first five years in business.  
[00:24:52] Katherine Breuss: Mm.  
[00:24:54] Nick Lundbohm: And I have a unique position of, yes, I've been in business for five years, but do the first two years of my business even count. 
[00:25:05] Katherine Breuss: Because,  when did you start? Yeah. So tell me, tell me about when you started your business.  
[00:25:10] Nick Lundbohm: So if anybody can do math in their head, and I'm sure everybody loves this. Um, my official opening date of business was April 13th, 2020 because I signed a lease, a five year lease in January of 2020. In June of 2019 is when I decided to. 
Branch away from being a, an associate doctor that I had worked at for,  a number of years for other doctors, and decided that I finally had the ability to open my own office and,  had the conversation with my wife to, to take that step. Uh, met with the franchise or,   the franchise of Caraway and signed by my franchise agreement and got support to open my new business. 
And January of 2020, we signed a lease and began a build out and started planning a grand opening. And that grand opening was scheduled for the middle of March of 2020. And as that date approached, more and more problems in the COVID world, a arose and the the stay at home orders began,  closing of all non-essential businesses and,  stay away from people and don't go into work. 
Unless you have to. And as a business that had not opened but was supposed to open, what were we supposed to do?  
[00:26:39] Katherine Breuss: So were you considered essential or no?  
[00:26:42] Nick Lundbohm: We are chiropractors in the state of Wisconsin considered essential business. Um, we are due to our license labeled as primary care physicians,  through the state of Wisconsin. 
So being a brand new business, we chose. To pause our opening to see what was happening and what was going to happen in the world at the time, because there was a lot of uncertainty. People didn't know. There were some obvious fiery debates between many, many people, but at the, but it was not,  going to, going to my office and opening at,  March 12th, didn't seem the idea. 
Mm. Now when we got into April, it, it seemed   not a lot is gonna change because in my situation, I may have. The choice of not opening, but I didn't have the choice of not paying my rent. Yeah. Because I signed a five-year lease two months before that. And at that time there was no support in place for small businesses that hadn't opened, or small businesses that didn't exist. 
[00:27:59] Katherine Breuss: That's tough.  
[00:28:00] Nick Lundbohm: I can't,  There was the decision of,  I am a non, I am an essential business. We can open, and I did have half a dozen people that were  Hey, we don't care about. We don't care about,  not that they don't care about COVID, but COVID wasn't gonna scare them away from coming into my office because they understood the need for chiropractic care and how it can improve your immune system and improve your position of handling COVID. 
That's a whole nother discussion we can have for 45 minutes probably, of how the immune system and chiropractic care can support your body's ability to fight off viruses and germs and flu and COVID. So I had enough clients to begin to get things open because I had a landlord that needed his rent money as much as anybody else. 
I, I didn't, I didn't look at that as a bad thing from his perspective, because he needed his rent money as to run his businesses, and I had to pay rent. So I needed a source of income to support me. So it was, let's get open and let's see what we can happen to do.  
[00:29:12] Katherine Breuss: So how did you,  what was key to getting through that phase mentally and emotionally? 
Because I can imagine the toll that that probably took.  
[00:29:25] Nick Lundbohm: It was, and a big part of it was having some support from outside your business, whether it is your, whether it is your family, whether it is friends. Um, ChiroWay is a franchise, I did have franchise support. Um. It was tough to make that support work because it was another unique situation that nobody had dealt with before, which is how do we respond to COVID and how do we make our protocols COVID safe based on a lot of these requirements that were placed on businesses,  that we had never had to deal with before? 
So how do we make those work for us and stay compliant? Even though it's a lot of things that we disagree with,  but whether you disagree with them or not, you can't run a business in defiance of laws, regulations that come down to run your business. So we had to find ways to make our business COD compliant. 
I'm using my air quotes to be able to be open and stay open. So that was a bit of a challenge, but the support of having other. Business owners in your group that were trying to do the same thing is a big thing. So,  we touched on earlier about having business connections, having networking connections. 
Um, a lot of people have a stigma of having business connections. People that do the same business you do. And that is something that is more key for a business owner than people realize is that you're not in competition with other business owners that do the same thing as you. If you find ways to support them. 
[00:31:10] Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Oh, I love that.  
[00:31:11] Nick Lundbohm: 'cause they will in turn support you. So having fellow people to do the same thing. In your support network is a, is a very big thing. I love that. And,  
[00:31:24] Katherine Breuss: and one of our,  we've got this five A model and the, and the fourth A is advocates, mm-hmm. Or advocate. So you advocate yourself, you advocate for others, and you find the advocates for you. 
The ones that elevate you, not hold you back and make this. Mm-hmm. 
[00:31:42] Nick Lundbohm: Correct.  
[00:31:43] Katherine Breuss: So Nick, thank you for sharing that story. Um, and  I'm glad that your business is thriving five years later.  
[00:31:53] Nick Lundbohm: Mm-hmm. You know, I've always, I've always, that's, that's one thing that I always have to keep telling myself too, is that I. 
You know, everybody always has that old,  rule of thumb that the first five years of business is the most difficult and a lot of businesses fail before they reach five, five years of, of operations. And I can still look at my past and are, and present and, and wonder why I'm maybe not as successful as I would to be. 
After five years, but I always have to constantly remind myself that my first two years were COV years that are very difficult to count as official years in business. Mm-hmm. And I still tell myself I'm probably only in year three of operating a, a business that that needs five to six years of good growth to be a successful chiropractic business. 
[00:32:50] Katherine Breuss: Nice. I love it. I love it. And, and I,  I will say,  the work that you do,  chiropractic work is incredibly impactful. 
And,   communities need it. Um, and that hats off to you. I wish I had finished. Thank you. My degree. Um, I did it out of more of curiosity and love and studied undergrad of medicine with chiropractic and then COVID hit, I couldn't do. Yep. I I couldn't finish it. I was close. But,  I love it and it is a  
Um, honorable profession. Um, and I thank you for that and I will be coming to see you because you are closer than Brookfield for me as   
[00:33:37] Nick Lundbohm: It's, that is the convenient location as far as having a caraway office set up as  So it is something that an is easy to, for people to stop in.  
[00:33:49] Katherine Breuss: Well, Nick, it has been a real pleasure. 
I appreciate your time,  sharing,  about you. And your business and what align means to you,  and wish you all the best,  in your business and I will be coming to see you.  
[00:34:06] Nick Lundbohm: Awesome. I appreciate it, Katherine. Thank you for having me.  
[00:34:08] Katherine Breuss: All  Thanks Nick.  

Unlocking Business Value: Strategy and Team Alignment with Melanie Varin

Katherine Breuss hosts Melanie Varin, CEO of Top Line Results, on the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, discussing the importance of effective CRM systems and the alignment of sales and marketing teams. Varin shares her career experiences at GE and in her own business, emphasizing the value of employee engagement, strategic business alignment, and personal well-being. She also highlights her support network, particularly her women's leadership organization and church, which help maintain her alignment and support in both professional and personal challenges. 
Contact Melanie – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrvarin/  
 
Song: The Way To You 
Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 
 
#BusinessAlignment #podcast #personalpurpose #soulalignment #Personalwealth #Enjoyment #entrepreneurjourney #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurstruggles #authenticityispower #Authenticity #authenticityjourney #ExitStrategy  
Katherine Breuss: Welcome, Melanie Varin to the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. It is [00:01:00] great to have you here and I would love for you to share with the audience about who you are and also about your business as  
Melanie Varin: Awesome. Thank you, Katherine for the opportunity. Really appreciate it. So again, I'm Melanie Varin. I am the CEO and owner of a business called Top Line Results. I'll come back to that in a minute. But I'm also a mom and I'm also a very active member of my church and I'm al  in a great neighborhood and,  
As of a couple years ago now, live on a wonderful lake, and that's a big part of what we do, especially this time of year, given that it's summertime in Wisconsin. But,  
Katherine Breuss:  jealous.  
Melanie Varin: Yeah. Back to the business. So Top Line Results is a tech company that helps our clients put together the tools for building valuable relationships. 
So we support three of the,  Best known CRMs in the business, [00:02:00] and one is Microsoft Dynamics. Anybody who's using Microsoft could benefit from that. Another is Zoho, which is maybe a little more cost effective option for folks who,  wanna watch their,  investment. And then HubSpot is the third option, and that's an option where if somebody's leaning into marketing, that's a great option. 
'cause it started out first as a marketing tool and then as a CRM, but. Um, in addition to the CRM work that we do, we help connect our clients' marketing efforts to their sales efforts, their sales and marketing are aligned. So we support the marketing side of all three of those platforms, plus many other platforms Constant Contact and MailChimp, and even Marketo and Pardot and whatnot. 
So we support a wide range of platforms for building relationships that our clients can grow as they get the word out about themselves and stay in contact with their current clients. Reach out to prospects or optimize some of their operations and whatnot. So we help select the platforms, implement the platforms, [00:03:00] train, help, drive,  engagement, tweak, add capabilities as they grow and they need more stuff. 
And,  that's what we do day in and day out. Our team is about 16 people. All but one are based here in Wisconsin. One is in the Chicagoland area, but we sell to people in about 26 states. So a big reach, even though by and large most of our clients are in Wisconsin and Illinois. Um, and we work with all types of businesses, small to medium sized businesses typically, but manufacturing, financial services,  nonprofits, professional services, industrial services. 
Just a huge variety, it's fun. Um, every day is different and we're generally helping people live into their dreams for growing and expanding their reach. And when we help our clients succeed, then we feel pretty happy and successful as  So.  
Katherine Breuss: That's cool. I, I love that. And,  and [00:04:00] CRM, the world is CRM. 
Um, for the last couple years I was, I knew you needed to get CRM,  and, but there is such a, oh my  there are many CRMs out there, and it's   if. And it's not my forte it, it can be overwhelming. So does your firm, do you support businesses and the owners to not only choose the ser but then setting it up and then utilizing it in the best way possible? 
Because A CRM, you could use this much of it, or it could be  You know?  
Melanie Varin: Yes.  
Katherine Breuss: That much.  
Melanie Varin: Yeah. Well, it's any other software we buy, think of Excel. You know, Excel has many functions and most of us use the most simple of them in, are barely scratching the surface. Um, we do help our clients try to get as much out of their CRM investment as possible because if you only use the superficial stuff. 
Then you have an electronic Rolodex and  there are cheaper ways to do that. But,  there are [00:05:00] many things in CRM now, especially with the advent of AI and some of the new capabilities that that brings to bear, that we try to help our clients get as much out of their investment to use the functions that make sense for them. 
Hide the functions they don't care about and don't need because we don't wanna overcomplicate, but then also train and assist and as they grow and need more capability, then help them understand what the options are. So then hopefully they can stay in the same platform they have and with an add-on or some additional support or a portal or something else, they can have even more capability to keep growing. 
So.  
Katherine Breuss: That's great. And I, and I wanna, 'cause one of the things, at Ag 45,  you  
know, we help owners with time. Yes. And I cannot emphasize enough. A CRM for those out there who are not using a CRM or not utilizing their CRM  I would applaud or, or,  support and say, go and [00:06:00] figure this out and, and,  contact Melanie or someone  who is an expert in it because. 
It does save you time. And I am even gonna say as  it is worth investing having someone who knows how to set it up, how to use it. Um, because that in itself can be overwhelming for someone that then you don't even do it. Or you said, you're  it's sitting there and it's a Rolodex, right? 
Um, but from a time and effectiveness and efficiency and all of that highly. Highly recommend. So  
Melanie Varin: yes, I, I couldn't agree with you more.   Most of the, let's face it, most of the information you need out there is on the web somewhere and you can probably figure it out, but it will take you a very long time to do and you can fall into some rabbit holes or some pits that you don't wanna be in. 
We've done much of this often that we know which rabbit holes to avoid, [00:07:00] which pits to sidestep and, and can do things probably a lot more efficiently. Part of what you do when you invest in A CRM is not only invest in the software itself,  but invest in the services to help you get up and running efficiently. 
And that's what we to do is get our clients up and running,  as efficiently as we can they can be productive. 'cause that's what it's all about. It's a productivity tool by and large, that you can sell better and faster and smarter. Yeah. And   improve your own business. 
So,  
Katherine Breuss:  And get more of your time back, you know? Yes, yes. Letting these systems do a lot of the heavy lifting. Um, that's, I, I, I am a huge fan of what you do, and it is   needed. Um, thank you. And,  we were talking earlier about,  soul lined, soul lined strategy and,  that is,   probably one of the key aspects of Ag 45,  because we [00:08:00] believe that. 
The owner, the CEO, the leaders, the people who are making the decisions, taking the action. It's important that they are taking care of themselves, that they're,  as I call, they're the engine behind everything. So it's ensuring that it's clean, you're having clarity about who you are, where you're going, what you want. 
Because when you show up that way, then you can  that impacts the decisions in the business. So I,  I'm interested in terms of how other,  business owners and leaders think of soul aligned. So, Melanie, when, when you think of soul aligned, I'd love to hear your take and also what as the impact of your business and your life when you are soul lined, and also when you're not.[00:09:00]  
Melanie Varin: Well, let me give you two similar but different answers to that because they both apply, at least in my case. So I'm gonna rewind a little bit. Before I came actively involved in my own business, I worked for a corporate and  when I was a GE Healthcare, I was leading a marketing team and my boss tapped me on the shoulder and said, Hey, I want you to lead the sales team as  
I had no experience doing that, but I quickly learned once I got in there and, and learned from my sales professional peers who were great at what they did, that some of what my marketing team was doing and some of what my sales team were doing were not very aligned. You know, talking about alignment very often sales has had it off in one direction and marketing in a different. 
When I realized that, and I didn't know that before, I had both roles, but once I had both roles and I could see both sides, I put several things in place to get those aligned, and it became a superpower  We had higher revenue, higher margins, higher [00:10:00] employee set, higher customer set, less turnover. 
Everything was  All, all of a sudden, way better than it had been before. And that alignment made a huge difference. So I became a huge fan of that alignment from day one when I experienced it and I ended up writing a book about it. Um, and I did that because I want other people to know and experience the benefit of that. 
One of the thing that makes me aligned about our business is that's exactly what we try to do for our clients, is try to make sure their sales teams. And their marketing teams are aligned. And to that end, we support both types of platforms, but we've also written integrations to connect the platform. 
So if you're using Microsoft on one side for sales and HubSpot on the other side for marketing, we can now help those platforms talk and that data can be shared back and forth. And you can keep your teams looking at the same data, even if. They're in different platforms because the platforms are connected. 
So that [00:11:00] alignment is very much in line with who I am and one of my big passions. So in that regard, I would say that aspect for me is very soul aligned. The other side of things is,  sometimes I take on too much and I try to do too much. And when I was the COO,  which was the case up until about six weeks ago. 
I had certain roles and responsibilities. Now that I've recently been named the CEO, I need to transition out of some of those responsibilities and into different ones. Some of them will be the same 'cause as an owner, some of them I own from being owner. Um. I'm not quite through that transition yet. 
And in that regard, I'm not perfectly soul aligned because I'm doing two big jobs now instead of one. And I need to find a way to get rid of some things and a way to take on some other things. And I haven't successfully made that transition yet, partially because some of the projects I was working on got bigger, not smaller since  the announcement happened. 
And I'm [00:12:00] working my way through that. But it's all good stuff. Um. So to your point, taking care of myself is something I have to keep in mind and do. And I will say for the last oh 15 months, I've been much, much better about exercising. So that's one of the things that keeps me soul aligned is having that routine and saying, no matter what, I'm gonna do this for me. 
And,  that helps a lot. So.  
Katherine Breuss: Well first,  will you share with the audience the name of your book and where they can find it?  
Melanie Varin: Oh, yes,  Um, my book is called Ignite Top Line Growth, and  there's a subtitle, how Rev Ops and Go To Market Alignment, spark Success. So Rev Ops or Revenue Operations is where. 
All of the revenue generating teams, sales, marketing, customer success and whatnot, all come under one umbrella in alignment. Mm-hmm. Um, and that's the subtitle, but it's written a Patrick [00:13:00] Lencioni book where,  he always tells a fable in the beginning and then summarizes the concepts. 
I've done that as  got the permission of one of my clients to use them as the, the target. Uh. Company that I referenced and then summarize the concepts. It's not rocket science, but it's fundamental. A lot of people aren't doing it. Like when I did research for the book, the cost of misalignment between sales and marketing is a trillion dollars a year. 
A trillion with a,  You can buy the book on Amazon, both as an ebook or as a,  paperback, and then it's available at any bookstore. If you ask them to order it, they can order it. They tr probably won't have it on the shelf. So if on their shelf, if you have a favorite independent bookstore and you shopping there, you can go there, give them the title, they can order it and,  get it for you. 
But otherwise, Amazon has it in stock.  
Katherine Breuss: Oh, I love that. Support. Support the local bookstores, you know? 
Melanie Varin: Yes.  
Katherine Breuss: The local [00:14:00] shop. Um, that's,   'cause when about it, there's not a lot of them anymore. Like 
Melanie Varin: no, there aren't. And they're fun to go into and, and spend a little time and shop around. 
And they always have great informed,  You know, owners or proprietors who can tell you what to look for and where to find things and make recommendations. And it's great to see folks who are passionate about books and willing to stick it out against all the big guys,   the Amazons and the Barnes and Nobles and the others out there. 
So,  I know, not that I have anything against those folks, but Yeah, 
 I know. I,  I don't either, but they obviously,  I've got a love for small to mid businesses and with, in terms of Ag 45 and ensuring that they don't only survive,  but they're, they're thriving. I love what you said. 
Going back to talking about aligning the sales and marketing and how the results [00:15:00] soared and, and you saw that. And from an aspect of when we think of ourselves as if we are not aligned with how we're showing up in our life, whether that is in business, whether that is outside of our business, we are not going to get the same type of results. 
As if or when we are aligned that the results that we get are going to be much more,  exponential. Is that the word? Yeah. Yeah. Well, exponential result and enjoy the journey.  
Yeah,  exactly. Well. I agree that alignment has a superpower of its own. Uh, certainly on the sales and marketing side. 
I've lived through that, but I know that when I am in that spot where I need to be doing the things I need to do and balanced in terms of taking care of myself as [00:16:00] as the business, I know that I'm in a much better spot. I'm gonna think of things differently. I'm gonna call on people,  who might give me ideas instead of try to do things on my own. 
And all of a sudden it's  wow, this is much more fun than what I'm trying to figure it all out by myself. Um,  I agree. Alignment, whether it's soul alignment or,  go to market alignment or whatnot,  it has a huge, huge impact and it's always very positive. So.  
Katherine Breuss: It is. And  
And even,  to the point of,  when you go beyond you, with a lot of,  people who are listening, they have teams and you have a team of,  yes. Team. Mm-hmm. And you have,  leaders, other decision makers in that team. And it's not only ensuring that you as the business owner or the CEO that you are aligned, it's also ensuring that your team. 
Is aligned to the business [00:17:00] and where the business is going. Otherwise, to your point when sales and marketing,  they were going off in different directions,  you're not gonna get the same results. So have you, can you share maybe an example of the impact when leaders are involved? In the strategy of the division or the business and getting them aligned to the direction you wanna take and the impact that has. 
Melanie Varin: Yeah,  Um, a couple things came to mind. One, I'm gonna give you a small example of making yourself available and being more aligned with the goals of the business. So back in my GE days, at one point when I had my third child, I went part-time. And that was good for me. That helped me stay soul aligned because I had other priorities than work, work, work. 
Um, but when I was doing that, I [00:18:00] would come to work, I'd keep my head down, I'd do my work, and I'd leave because I,  I only had many hours in the day and I wanted to get it done and go back to the, the rest of my life. Um, one of my boss called me aside and said, Melanie. You need to spend more time at the water cooler. 
And I'm  what do you mean? He's   no one else is getting them benefit of your work. 'cause you're head down, get the job done that you're not being part of the team. Sharing ideas, offering suggestions, mentoring others. You've got a lot of experience and things to share. You need to offer that up. 
That's a gift you can give to others. So spend more time at the water cooler, even though there was no water cooler, it was a figment,  a a, a virtual water cooler per se. Um. And it made me stop and slow down and think, oh  it's not all about checking the boxes and getting the stuff done. 
There's a much bigger picture here. And being a part of the team is part of being aligned with the mission of the, the larger group. Because I could help others, they could help me. And it became a a, one plus one is three [00:19:00] things. So,  that was, that was back in my earlier career, but it stuck with me because I'm  that's true today. 
Even now here. Um, I try to make a point when I'm in the office, which I try to do at least three days a week 'cause we have a lot of virtual people, but at least three days a week I try to be in the office and I try to make sure I talk to everybody in the office every day when I'm there, even if I only have a few minutes to check in because I wanna know that I care. 
I want them to know that. I'm interested in what they're doing and I wanna be there to support them and that we are all part of a team. And that alignment goes a long way. And then when you start talking strategy and you start talking tactics and you start talking goals and whatnot, now you've got a team that feels you care. 
They know you, they're, they wanna rally behind you and,  it helps everything come together better. Plus they often, because they're doing a lot of the work, they can offer. Suggestions that I might not think of. And then [00:20:00] that also becomes a a one plus one is three thing because otherwise it's if I have to figure it out by myself, I'll probably head down the wrong path and realize that,  weeks, months later and realize, oh shoot, I shouldn't have done that. 
And, but somebody else might steer me correctly. And if I'm open to their ideas and willing to engage and ask questions and learn more,  we're  Better together,  that collective, mm-hmm. Wisdom is better than,  somebody trying to do it on their own. So that whole team effort, building the team and keeping that dialogue going,  has been, been awesome. 
It's been  helpful and that's one of the first things I did when I became CEO is have sit downs individually with each member of the team to understand where they are and what they're doing and what's important to them. One of my management team leaders. Said. I challenged you not to ask them what they're doing, but tell them what you think they're doing to see how close you [00:21:00] are, and it'll give them a sense for whether you know what's going on or not. 
So I took that challenge on and did it, and for the most part, people were pleasantly surprised about how much I knew about what they were doing, and that was reaffirming to them as  that hey, she knows she cares. And she's paying attention. And that went a long way,  toward alignment. And it was also fun too, to have those conversations. 
Katherine Breuss: So it might not be the best strategy to do that if you don't think that you are gonna get it  because  
Melanie Varin: No, no. If you're not gonna get it  better not try that. But I was, I was fairly confident I would get pretty close. So,   
Katherine Breuss: So what,  the way when you were talking,  I envision, and I, I use this a lot is,  a rowing team and  when you   have someone helping to direct and the direction you're going and everybody knows that direction. 
Um, and then the more people you have in the boat and they're all wanting to get you there and rowing, you're gonna [00:22:00] get there a lot smoother, a lot faster than if it's you. Yeah. Or if you have people in there and everybody's rowing,   not in a cadence and rowing in different directions and what, that's what I was envisioning as you were talking through. 
Um. Talking through the alignment of your team. Um, and then al  when you brought up water cooler, which is interesting,  there was a time yes, where it was an actual water cooler and you would stand by the water cooler and have chats. Uh, yes. those days are gone. I don't know. 
Yeah.  
Melanie Varin: Yeah. I'm showing my age with that one, but   
Katherine Breuss: Hey, I'm there with the,  I,  that was,   there were some special moments  It was,  is it the coffee machine or is it the water cooler? Where you'd get some of those,  most impactful,  conversations. 
And it's now about being more [00:23:00] creative about,   if we're in a virtual world,  how does that happen? Um,  But pretty cool that you do it and you go into the office and,  and get to understand and have clarity about,  who the people are that you're working with, and,  them having clarity even about you. 
And,  and that alignment. So I have another question. I'm gonna change gears a little bit. Okay. Towards value,  and value in terms of,  a business. What would you say if there was,  one or two things that you think regardless of the industry, regardless of the business that you go, this is your most valuable. 
Um, asset in terms of when you are growing that within your business?  
Melanie Varin: Yeah, I. Most of the time, your most valuable asset are your, your employees, your team [00:24:00] members. Um, they're going to be the ones who,  get the job done and they're gonna be those faces to your customers or clients and,  either making it work or not. 
So employees are some of the most valuable assets, obviously. Um, your strategy is pretty important because you wanna know where you're going and if you are. Uh, leading a team of rowers, you wanna make sure you're headed in the direction and you're all rowing in a way that's gonna make sense for the business. 
So I would think strategy has gotta be up there. Obviously clients. Um, getting them and finding them and keeping them happy and keeping them coming back for more is another valuable asset. I know sometimes when companies are sold, they're sold because another company wants those that company's clients,  and that's another valuable. 
Asset,  as  If you're a huge enterprise, certainly there's a lot of value in, in certain brands and things that. We're not a big enough brand that,  our top line results brand is probably gonna matter at the end of the day when it [00:25:00] comes to our valuation. But,   I would say you're. 
Your employees and your customers and your strategy, your direction, knowing where you're headed and why are probably some of the most important,  values that any company, regardless of industry, regardless of size, that's gonna   make the biggest impact.  
Katherine Breuss: You're speaking my language strategy,  it's, and, and strategy. 
 for some people when they think strategy, they're  oh, strategy. But,  about it as the, the rower. It's knowing where you're going and it's   who's the team, how we're gonna do it? Um, what's the pace? Um, I don't know. That to me is   cool. Yeah. 
Last question I have, and then I'm gonna, I'm gonna let you,  you go and probably have some dinner or something. Um, but in terms of, there's fellow business owners listening,  and as a business owner, as a CEO. Running a, [00:26:00]  a company regardless of the size,  it can feel lonely. There are challenges,  that we face that might be a little bit different than if you were,  an employee, what would be. 
One piece of advice that you would to share with the, the owners who are listening to this podcast that might help them feel less alone and or even get some golden nuggets that they can take away.  
Melanie Varin: Well, one of the things that I value most in terms of,  my support network, which is important to have a support network,  are two different types of networks. 
One is I belong to a women's leadership organization called Tempo Milwaukee, and one of the best things they offer are mentor circles. And monthly I get together with my mentor circle, and that's where I can share things that are challenging for me in business or whatnot. [00:27:00] They have learned a little bit about my business over time, but  they have good business sense. 
They're women leaders who are successful and they can offer suggestions. So that group has been very, very supportive. They were super supportive when I was writing my book because I was doing that nights and weekends and burning the candle on both ends. And then,  super supportive when it came out. 
So,  having a support network is great and I find that in,  You know, a leadership organization that is great. I know Fred was involved, my husband was involved in,  CEO round tables through various chambers and whatnot. So that support network is  good, especially for owners or CEOs who. 
Wanna bounce ideas off, but maybe don't feel comfortable doing it with the employees or the team because maybe it's premature or whatnot. Having that independent support network is good. The other support network for me is my church.  I'm very involved there and have friends there who we might not talk business, but if I'm having a personal challenge or [00:28:00]  issue. 
Um, family or whatnot,  in fact, I have a, a son who's ill now. Um,  they're super supportive and that goes such a long way to making me feel I'm not alone. And I have,  people who care, people who love me, people who are willing to pray for me or call me or send me a note or whatnot and let me know that hey, they, they're with me and them. 
And that they think I've got this, and, and I'll find a way through. You know, that's, that's my offer, suggestion to offer is get that support network, whether it's personal or professional or whatnot. That to me, that goes a long way or toward helping. And  when about soul aligned, that's a great way for me to feel I'm soul aligned too. 
So  
Katherine Breuss: I love that. And, and we, we have that as one of our. Five A's in terms of success and it's having,  advocates, you know? Yes. And, and it's, it's looking and, and asking that question of the people who I surround myself with, [00:29:00] whether in business or outside of business. 'cause we're more than our business. 
You know, we, we, yes. We're more, we're more than even three dimensional, but,  do they lift me up or are they bringing me down? And obviously we want. Those advocates and that support network to, to lift us up. So I love that piece of advice 'cause it is,   important. Um, thank you Melanie. 
Thank you much for your time. Um, it has been a real pleasure,  to have you on the podcast and,  maybe we'll have to have you back in six months. Yeah.  
Melanie Varin: Thank you Catherine, much for the opportunity. It's been a pleasure. I, I watched some of your earlier podcasts before hopping on this one, and you have a lot to offer business owners, best of luck to you and   hopefully we will be con stay connected in the future,   
Katherine Breuss: I would love that. 
Yeah. Thank [00:30:00] you. Okay.  
Melanie Varin: Have a good evening. You too.  

Succession to Soul Alignment: Lessons in Business Culture and Growth with Al Leidinger

In this episode of the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, host Katherine Breuss speaks with Al Leidinger, President of Matheson Manufacturing. Al discusses his journey in manufacturing and buying the company 13 years ago. He shares insights on achieving work-life balance, succession planning, and the importance of building a strong company culture. Al emphasizes the significance of hiring the right people, providing growth opportunities for employees, and maintaining open communication to create a successful and enjoyable business environment. 
Contact Al - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleidinger/  
Katherine Breuss: Al I want to welcome you to the Ag 45 Soul Line Strategy [00:01:00] Podcast. Um, everyone listening,  I wanna introduce you to Al Leidinger. Um, and I'm gonna let him, I'm gonna hand the mic over to him,  and let al share with all of you who he is and also about his business. So, Al, take it away. Thank you Katherine. 
Al Leidinger: Uh, pleasure to be with you. Uh, my name is Al Leidinger. I am president of Math and manufacturing. My wife business partner, and I purchased the company 13 years ago this month. Um, I am married with two kids. My daughter is 38, living in New York, and my son is 36 living in Montana. So I have two places to visit whenever I  
Um. Overall, I, I have a wonderful life. I'm very blessed with who I have. I've had great business advisors. The business has been growing for the last 13 years. We're looking at succession planning over to a few employees now. Um, and in general, I have [00:02:00] an alignment with my work-life balance. 
Um. I enjoy being here. I'm very passionate about the business, but at the same time, when I'm not here, I'm enjoying life and not missing it. Where in the past, all of us, in our younger days,  you go on vacation for a week and for two days you had to learn to relax. Then you have about a day or two that you relax, and then the last few days you're thinking about work again before you get back. 
So,  We, my wife and I, we love gardening. We to travel. Uh, we being active, bicycling, paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking,  you name it. We live in Oconomowoc and we're a five minute walk from downtown, we enjoy living there. There's lots of activities,  wonderful area and, and great neighbors, great friends, it's a very nice, nice life. 
Like I said. Oh, that's fabulous. Al can you tell us,  [00:03:00]  first of all, I wanna ask the question,  and I know this isn't gonna indicate which child, it's more of a place, what do you visiting more New York or Montana, Montana? I was  I was, I was guessing that I was, and even, I, I, even though I haven't been to Montana, it is on my bucket list. 
Katherine Breuss: Um, I watched,  Yellowstone, of course the show Yellowstone, and it's Montana, and I sit and go, oh my God. It looks beautiful. And, and you, I love kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking,  skiing. So I'm jealous. Although I do to go to New York, it, it is an exciting, vibrant city and having a daughter there who knows, she's been out there 10 years, she knows the city. 
Al Leidinger: Um, it is fun either way, but  mountains and outdoors a little bit better for us. Yeah. When you need an injection of city life Yeah. New York would be the place to go. Right? Right. Definitely. Um, but [00:04:00]  So Al, will you share with us a little bit more about your business? So,  maths Manufacturing is a contract manufacturing assembly company. 
We specialize in light gauge sheet metal,  think computer chassis, panel boxes. Uh, we also make medical carts. We make a urology cart for a customer for the past. God, probably 20, 30 years long before I've been here. And we reverse engineered that. So they were not happy with their vendor. They sent us a cart, we redesigned it, and then now we make them from the turnkey 30 to 70 a month. 
Uh, we also do simple brackets for,  companies ge. So we do,  MRI repair kit components, brackets, quick disconnects, things that. Um, my. Background and my partner's background are machine building, that's where the assembly comes in and we're trying to drive more growth into more medical devices [00:05:00] now, trying to get into aerospace a little bit more. 
Um, but we are as diverse as, I said, a simple bracket to a medical carts, to, we have a customer realtime purity,  California, and we build them a. System that will tell you the contaminants and water in real life at taking an X-ray and shooting it through a thin film of water. And it'll tell you any, anything on the. 
Periodic table, the contaminant in real time in the water. So,  we're trying to grow with them that we build from scratch, test ship. Uh, we also do a blood flow simulator for a company called Menis. Uh, probably about once a year. And it mimics the flow of your blood in viscosity, temperature, everything. 
And they can put an artificial heart or kidney on one end of this machine and they can practice surgery before they ever cut URI open the first time. Oh wow. So we're, we're. Big gambit. Uh, [00:06:00] the other unique thing about Matheson is we're a high mix, low volume company. So it's not we do the same part 10,000 a month. 
We do anything from a single part that we never see again to our repeat customers doing 50, a hundred, 150, 200 pieces at a time. Uh, we're anywhere from medical to water technology to,  sports equipment. We do a lot of treadmill stuff for a customer. Um. And a lot of, I said, chassis works. So more of these utility company panels,  embedded technologies. 
Um, one of our customers, we make chassis for them that go into semiconductor making machines. So,  we're all over the place as far as markets go, which is fun because you have a nice variety of things and the guys never get bored. Well,  and I'm interested,  because this is foreign to me in terms of,   doing any of that. 
Katherine Breuss: It is, it's out of my wheelhouse, but I'm fascinated. Um, [00:07:00] how did you get into this? Like what, what drove you in this direction? Um, I've been in manufacturing all my life. My father had an induction heat treating company, I. I pretty much grew up in the shop, machining, welding,  designing heat, treating equipment, building it,  testing it. 
Al Leidinger: And I've always been involved in some manufacturing. I'm, I've been in probably. Five, 10 different industries from,  plastic extrusions to injection molding to foundry,  to peripheral equipment for injection molding. So building dryer systems and the, the,  vacuum movers and all the refrigeration units and that. 
And I've always wanted to own my own company. And I had the opportunity,  when I was in my early fifties and,  went through a. Basic, quite frankly, a rough time. Got divorced from my first wife. I [00:08:00] only had much money left and she never, she was very risk averse and I'm more  let's do it. 
So my current wife and I are very much business people and I got this job at Matheson with a potential to buy in if there was a fit. About a year and a half,  into the journey here as general manager,  Judy Matheson pulled me in the office and said, let's put a deal together. So I thought, why not? So that's how I came to be here, and that leads me, that is a perfect lead in, and I had no idea. 
Katherine Breuss: So people,  listening that to me sounds incredibly soul lined. So what happened is that,  There was soul alignment there,  when you decided what you wanted, that you wanted to go down this business route, and then things, it sounds that your life started fall into place to fall into place. 
So, to that,  Al I, I love it. How, [00:09:00] what do as soul aligned? Um. For me, it, it's getting that, that balance and being confident and comfortable in what I'm doing at work and also outside of work. And then   now that we're looking at succession planning is what is that next purpose in my life and what should I be doing next? 
Al Leidinger: And be very ingrained in that before I even sell the business. And now we've made quite a bit of an effort where two individuals are pretty much running our company for us, and I literally have nothing to do, which is great. That's how I want to be. So I can help sell network. I do a little bookkeeping,  and I'm very comfortable with what these two guys are doing with the company and it, and it's running very  
Part of my soul alignment is I want to leave a legacy with the people. When, when Judy Matheson hired me and we started going through the sale, [00:10:00] the very important thing for her and her husband was that the employees are treated  Mm-hmm. And I grew that way. I was always taught the guys of the shop make you the money. 
I don't make money. I'm overhead. And I've always had that with all of my, my jobs throughout my career. And that  Was good for me to know when we took the company over, Judy and Bill were very comfortable that I would take care of the employees, which we still have. We try to do succession planning for anybody from the shop floor to,  the guys who want to take it over. 
Um. My engineers are both shop floor guys from decades ago. Um, the gentleman that have been coming in over the years since we purchased the company. We try to figure,  what do you wanna learn next? Where would you to go? Give those opportunities to them to,  learn stuff. And if it's something they try and they don't it, it's,  skin off, off your nose, right? 
You   go back to what you were doing. So,  you're aligning them as  [00:11:00] So even I would consider that aligning in a way of finding out, hey, what are you interested in? And,  how can we maybe make that work and support you in that? And it's, it's somewhat of a, not a selfish move, but it, it's a preservation move, right? 
If I put you in a position where your strengths aren't being used, but your weaknesses are, we're all gonna fail and that employee will be miserable as  But if I know you have a strength, even if I didn't hire you for that, and I learn that,  you are good over in this area, let's move you over there, and we're all successful and they're happier and. 
The company grows and we share the profits with everybody every quarter. And  it helps the culture grow. And that's something we've been working on for many years,  
Katherine Breuss:  So I love, I love,  everything that you're saying 'cause you are speaking my,  I don't know, you're speaking my language. 
Um. With [00:12:00] culture and culture is,  such an important aspect of business and I would even consider culture,  a, a business either is aligned with it and the people who are,  in the company are aligned with the culture or they're not and, and the impact. So what do the impact? When a culture is misaligned or the people within are misaligned versus when a culture and everybody is running and and it's meshing and you're rowing in the same direction. 
Al Leidinger: So the best, I guess, examples I have for that, Katherine, are as we were growing the business and we needed more and more people, it's very hard to get some of the skilled trade positions brake press. It's very, very difficult to find a brake press guy. Or gal and we went through literally over 40 or 50 break press guys [00:13:00] in five years. 
Wow. And it was  I had to get bodies in the door and  you get 'em in here, you train 'em, they weren't working out, or they literally would not show up one day. And you found out they took a job down the street and we took a step back. And even though it was painful, it's we have to have the people here. 
We're not gonna hire 10 or 20 people. Go through 'em and then not, still don't have that skill set inhouse. So we worked with,  breakthrough Technologies. It's Jerry Gena and Paul Shaw's company, and they taught us what they call their stuck method. And that's, they run their company on a single page and one of, and, and it's financial customer innovation,  production. 
And the last one is Great Place to Work. And as part of that, the very first year we did this, we went through and said, what do we want and a good employee and what culture [00:14:00] do we want to have here at Matheson? Then we started rewriting all of the job descriptions and we, we focused on breaking it down to three sections, and that's something I learned when I worked at JW Speaker when we were. 
Putting together job descriptions on that, we have three priorities. Tier one or priority one. Tier two is priority two, and tier three is the boilerplate stuff. You know, lift 50 pounds, show up for work every day. So in tier one, you not only have the responsibilities and what that job description is. But the behaviors are in there as  
So focus on number one and then number two, you have even more behaviors. That should be an everyday thing,  cultural courtesy,  work with each other. Um,   a list of other priorities that we and that helped us drive. What are we gonna do when we interview somebody and who is gonna come in permanently? 
The other thing that my wife taught me for years that I'm finally listening to after [00:15:00] all this time is hire slow, fire fast. Mm-hmm. And we were doing the opposite. Mm-hmm. We'd hire fast, we'd hang on to mediocrity errors because we needed that pair of hands.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. Which  
Al Leidinger: was a detriment to the company after a while. 
Right. Because you can only do that long. Um,  that answers your question  
Katherine Breuss: in a It does. And  we'll to that and with some of,  the clients we work with, they have,   the same pain points,  in particularly in the trades too, in terms of finding bodies. Sometimes it's  oh my God, we need bodies. 
Yeah. And it's,  where do we even look for them? So that whole,   higher slow fire. Fast. So what would your, what would. Your advice be to owners out there now listening. So let's say they have a mediocre employee, but they are [00:16:00]  it's, it's hard to find, even the bo it's hard to even find the bodies to do the work much less, let's say they know who they want. 
The ideal, looking at the,  they want them to,  align with the culture. But they, they can't even find the bodies and then trying to find that ideal, but they need that person in there, but that person isn't great. What would, how did you handle that? Like, what would be your advice to other owners? 
Al Leidinger: Well, first thing we. Started doing,  even with the mediocre ones is  back to play on your strengths. You know, a lot of guys would walk in and say,  I can run a brake press. And you find out they didn't, but they had the aptitude to do it, we would start training 'em. And a lot of companies, even in our situations, you gotta make sure you communicate with these people from day one. 
You can't let 'em go 30 days and Okay, if the 30 day review comes on, you haven't talked to 'em for the first month.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. [00:17:00]  
Al Leidinger: And then look at training. You know, we spend a lot of money on training. Uh, our vendor that, that we buy our equipment from, they have brake press training every once in a while. 
They have laser training every once in a while, and we'll send the guys to it, and then they can grow on that with our two engineers who were brake press guys for 20 years out there training with them. So now they have the basics. Then we continue the mentoring and training process. Now, obviously that person that you're training has to have that attitude, but I have found if you talk to people regularly and also get their input,  we've, I've had some people in here, and then you get another new person in there, and the guy next to him was  oh, I'm not gonna teach him anything because he's gonna take my job. 
It's  no. You are gonna get in trouble. If you don't share information, you're going to make more money and be happier here if you work together, collaborate, teach us what  We'll teach you what we [00:18:00] know. Let's find the best way.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. And you  
Al Leidinger: still go through some people, but our, when we finally said, regardless of how desperate we are, we're not gonna hire it unless it's the person. 
I think that's where the changing point was. And now,  We have a great two shifts of great break press guys. We've got people that collaborate. The shifts are talking to each other. We have a situation where the leads didn't each other, nobody talked to each other. And for me to go out there and,  I don't want to browbeat anybody, but it's   I don't want to run the place this. 
I'm gonna let you guys run it, talk to each other.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. Um,  
Al Leidinger: we now finally have that set of people that talk to each other. I've got people now, even my, my roughest employees and. Unfortunately we don't have, many of them are coming and offering ideas and talking with the other people and it's   it, everybody else is doing it. 
[00:19:00] You're either gonna come on board or you leave.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. Yep. Um, I  that's   great,  to hear. And how long would you say that it took for you to  You know, get the culture, everybody on board, the people in the seats. And where you are today, how, how long did that take  
Al Leidinger: you and your team? 
Until two years ago, and it'll be 13 years that we've owned it this month. So, took a long, long time. And the other thing that, that helps Katherine is you have to look at people human beings. So we probably go overboard as far as our flexibility, but  if somebody's got a sick kid at home or they got a court date or a doctor's appointment, you can't make it outside of work hours. 
We have a, a verbal rule. It's   go to your court date or whatever. Just make up your time you don't lose any money and I don't lose your production time. Also [00:20:00] getting to know these people. You know, there's 23 of us total, 14 in the shot, the rest of the office. We all know each other's lives. 
We know our kids. We, we, we know the good times, the bad times with our employees. So you have to be personal with 'em. And one thing I learned a long time ago is I have to say hello to you every single day. I walk through the shop first thing in the morning and say, good morning. How you doing? Stop and talk to the guys every once in a while individually, and when second shift comes in, I make sure I get out there and talk to them as  
So you get this. That's,  how the culture finally, with the people and continuing to communicate, that that was the, the breakthrough we had.  
Katherine Breuss: I saw on your website, which I thought was cool,  I saw the word mindset.  
Al Leidinger: Okay.  
Katherine Breuss: So one thing it was, you talked about, and, and specifically I'm not quoting I could be,  [00:21:00] veering off from, but the gist of what I heard was that,  lots of other companies,  they have their values and they have the things listed and you wanted it to be simple that people can remember. 
And it said,   it said mindset and then you talked about how the mindset that you wanted people to show up at work. Where did that come from? That because I, that  I was  h that's interesting. That's a different way of looking at it. And I'm huge on mindset.  
Al Leidinger: Well, it comes back to getting those people that have some pride in what they do. 
And that mindset is gonna be, I'm gonna be at work every day. I'm gonna do my best job I can, I'm gonna help the company out. And I, that's where that came from.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. And did that start, when you said it took. Until two years ago to get everything,  rowing in, in the direction and everybody's on the boat and great culture. 
Um, when though, [00:22:00] was it that you, it seemed to me you woke up of going,  we gotta hire slow fire fast. Was that,  11 years ago or was that five years ago? That that was a realization?  
Al Leidinger: Um, probably more five to six years ago. Okay. Um, again, prior to that, we were growing quickly that I needed a pair of hands and bodies and we were churning through. 
Um,  it it took quite a while. So would you, but the mindset was always there. It was a matter of,  a do I have the discipline to follow it and. I to say we're the best company with the most amazing ideas. We are the most inconsistent on following through on anything. So, and that's a true statement. 
We still do  but,  it is shiny object, right? It's  oh, squirrel. You know? Um, [00:23:00] you're not the only ones. Yeah. I'm finding that out with my peers. Um, but it's. The mindset was there, but it as a matter of the discipline to follow through on it and also being realistic about it. Yeah, I can have all these disciplines in face place and these goals and things that if you're not hitting 'em, yes, you should be reprimanded and then fired. 
Right? If it gets too bad, I wouldn't have a business anymore. So you have to find that balance of when to do what.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm.  
Al Leidinger: So.  
Katherine Breuss: And I would say it sounds too that maybe it didn't take necessarily 11 years to get you to the place where you are.  obviously all this stuff. But when you realized five or six years ago of this higher,  slow fire fast, was that when you, would you say it was then that you started to then. 
Consciously and actively,  [00:24:00] harness this mindset and put this culture in place. So it didn't necessarily take you 11 years to build what you have in terms of a team, but it was more conscious,  five or six years ago, or am I completely Yeah,  
Al Leidinger: it, it was fits and starts from the beginning. 
You know, we'd have these good times and then people go away and we'd have to start over again from the culture standpoint. But,  it was. Just a a side thing. People, when a good candidate, you gotta move on 'em that. And we lost a few good candidates, but looking back it's probably a good thing that we didn't hire them. 
'cause then you hear through the recruiters what, where they went and what they did. So as we started looking at doing this, we put our foot down and said we have to hire the employee.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. And looking  
Al Leidinger: back what the needs are, and then,  even with the job descriptions, the business has changed. 
So you gotta keep that in mind [00:25:00] even though this position is for x. That has changed a lot. And being a small company, you wear a lot of hats. So even in a shop,  I may need it for break press, but you have to be willing to go to these three other areas when there's no break, press work, and vice versa. 
Um, and finding those individuals that want to do that is what helped us succeed. Mm-hmm. Uh, the other thing we learned is we are  Finding people that are not happy at their current jobs 'cause they can't grow. And that's where our succession planning helps drive that culture because we will give them a growth path. 
Katherine Breuss: Hmm. People want, it's,  it's interesting. Um, it doesn't matter the industry,  I shouldn't say maybe some, there are some industries out there that people don't care about growth and their own evolution. It's not money that it, that,  That motivates [00:26:00] people. It is al Hey, what, how am I gonna grow? 
What's my next level? What's my next stage? And, and businesses yours that,  consider that, that put that into practice. Um, your people stay and you, and you can attract and retain,  to people that fit your culture,  
Al Leidinger:  And also the, the wages have increased and we pay probably as as companies 10 times our revenue. 
But we keep these people, they're happy, they've been contributing, and they help the company grow. So what's that worth? Instead of,  other places that'll drive people through, make millions of parts at a time. And,  18 bucks an hour instead of 25. And. That's a nightmare in itself from an HR standpoint,  
So  
Katherine Breuss:  I, and   what you're talking about in many ways is soul [00:27:00] alignment. And you are,  you,  became more soul aligned,  you said in your fifties, and then you decided to buy,  the business with your wife and this is what you wanted to do. And then as you grew through that business, it became even more aligned. 
And then the, the, even the things that you're doing within the business. By aligning your,  your team to,  what interests them, but also aligning them to the business and where the business is going and how they fit into it.  
Al Leidinger: Right, exactly.  
Katherine Breuss: Um, if there was one piece of advice that you could give a fellow business owner, what would that be? 
Al Leidinger: Take care of your people, especially the shop people.  everybody does great work, but people that make you the money or the people producing the product, make [00:28:00] sure you have, make, make sure they are successful. And by that  Not only the people, train 'em, make sure you communicate with 'em, make sure they know the, the company goals and what we're doing. 
Um, teach 'em how to, how the business works. I share my cost of good sold statement of my income statement to teach people,  they'll see a big revenue number. It's   how come we've barely made any money? It's   here, here's the cost that hit us this month. Oh, I didn't realize that. 
So when I first started as gm. The old owners didn't even share sales revenue on a monthly basis.  
Katherine Breuss: Mm-hmm. They gave  
Al Leidinger: out a Christmas bonus once a year, nobody had any clue what, what sales were, how our profits were,  cash flow, all of that. So I started teaching people, here's what affects the business. 
Hmm. Again, back to communication. Be open and honest. My guys know me. Sometimes they don't me, but I'm brutally honest when it comes to [00:29:00] financials and,  the business as a whole if we're in trouble, if we're not. And they appreciate that. Um, the other big advice I would give any owner, and it's difficult because it hits you financially from time to time, is we don't lay off here. 
If we get slow, I don't get rid of half my staff. A, it took too long to train 'em. B, they're great fits now and the culture's there. So I have a very clean shop when it's slow out there. Um, if you can afford to do that, if you could   if people leave on their own or it's a performance issue, if you can limit it to that and try to hang on to your good people, no matter what,  you're gonna be successful. 
Katherine Breuss: And if it's would, is there anything that you would suggest or an experience you had where you couldn't afford it but you figured out a way of doing it?  
Al Leidinger: Um,  Then,  the [00:30:00] first step would be cutting hours or having rotating guys take rotating days off, things that. Fortunately, we have not had to do that more than a couple of weeks throughout my whole tenure here. 
That's great. Um, but. Be creative and there's always projects you never get to,  back to the squirrel thing,  we wanted to do this project for two years, but we've been too busy and now we have nothing to do with this project will help the company. So it is investing in an outside consultant coming in. 
Well, if what you want to do for your project, put the money into that. You're gonna pay 'em either way. So you get that and then when business returns. Then you've already got that, that better efficiency or lead manufacturing process in place.  
Katherine Breuss: Al this. Uh, I  enjoyed our conversation and,  it sounds your business and you,  operate,  as aligned [00:31:00] as you can. 
 we're never all perfect with it. You know, we we're humans, we go,  our in and outs. Um, but I do appreciate. Um, you spending your time here with all of us and sharing,  your experiences and your ups and your downs. Um, thank you.  
Al Leidinger: Well, thank you. It was fun. 
Katherine Breuss: Well, I appreciate it, Al. We, we must have you back. Um,   thank you.  
Al Leidinger: All  Thank you, Katherine. 
  
AG45 Outo: Thanks for joining us on the Ag 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. If you are ready to align your soul with your business, take back your time and grow with intention, we'd love to connect. Visit accelerate growth 40 five.com to schedule a call, apply to be a guest, or take the next step toward building a soul aligned business. 
At Ag 45, we believe when business meets value, wealth meets legacy, and time meets freedom, the [00:32:00] journey becomes truly enjoyable. Until next time, stay aligned. Stay inspired, and keep building your legacy. 

Brain spotting and Beyond: Embracing Whole-Person Healing with Patrice Flanagan Morris

In this episode, Katherine Breuss interviews Patrice Flanagan-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and brain spotting consultant, who runs Empowerment Within LLC, an outpatient mental health practice in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Patrice discusses how she broke away from the traditional medical model of therapy to create a more holistic approach to mental health. She explains how brain spotting, a therapeutic tool, helps clients process deep-seated issues from the lower brain levels. The conversation also covers the unique elements of Patrice's female-led practice, her hiring strategies, and the importance of staying aligned with one's business goals and personal values.
 
Contact Patrice - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-flanagan-morris-6a61455b/
 
#BusinessAlignment #podcast #personalpurpose #soulalignment #Personalwealth #Enjoyment #entrepreneurjourney #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurstruggles #authenticityispower #Authenticity #authenticityjourney #ExitStrategy 
 
 
Song: The Way To You - Composer: Sapajou 
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7q5R_ITPYFttJn7PyHzmw 
License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free 
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 
 
Katherine Breuss: Welcome, Patrice to the Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. It is great to [00:01:00] have you here. I wanna introduce, uh, Patrice Flanagan Morris, uh, to the show today. And to that, I'm gonna pass the mic over to her because she's gonna do a much better job at sharing, like, sharing about you, but also then, um, sharing with the audience about your business.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Yeah, thanks Catherine. Uh, my name's Patrice. I am a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Wisconsin, which is just fancy letters for being a mental health therapist and going through a lot of school and post grad hours. Um, and I am a brain spotting consultant. And then I run an outpatient mental health practice in Waukesha, Wisconsin called Empowerment Within LLC.
So I started empowerment within now five and a half years ago to help support in breaking out of the medical model of therapy. I saw a lot of pathologizing, a lot of, um, not supporting clients in the way where they can like really holistically heal. And so [00:02:00] I decided to go off on my own and it's been crazy how much we've grown in the last five and a half years.
I have. State clinicians now that work for me, um, all are very aligned in innovative practices. I really value making sure that we're providing the best services that we can for the clients that we have that really help them heal, um, like deep in their bones. And then I just get to provide the kind of same.
For all of my employees. And so, uh, the business is really created around supporting our community and then making a really supportive workplace for everybody that I have on my team.
Katherine Breuss: I love it. So I am a huge advocate for, um. You know, therapy or self or help or whatever, you know, however you want to, um, describe it.
I've gotten, um, in various forms throughout my whole life, whether working with a therapist or working with a coach or working within, um, even [00:03:00] Asian practices of, um, uh, meditation and reiki and energy work and stuff. And so huge, huge. Um, so I have a question to that though. So you mentioned two things. So you mentioned.
Brainspotting. So I wanna understand a little bit more about that. But also then the second is. You said that your practice is different, so I, I'd like to understand a little bit more too about that, but brain spotting first.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Well, I could talk about brain spotting for hours, but I'll try to keep it short and simple.
Um, brain spotting is a practice of a therapeutic. Tool to help clients process from the bottom up in their brain. So traditional therapy really helps us cognitively look at things different. And what we find, and probably what you've experienced in your life, is you can know how you're supposed to think about something.
Um, but if you don't feel that way and it's really not embodied, then. You have a tendency to not follow through with that. Um, and [00:04:00] so what Brainspotting does is really helps us process at a very deep subcortical or lower level in the brain, some of these files of information that are acting into the present moment.
And so it's really about shifting a lot of your automatic thoughts and feelings towards a more aligned and authentic kind of way of being in a really non-shaming way. So I think it's hard sometimes in, um. The therapy context. When you know what you're supposed to do, you're getting this information, you know the skills that you're supposed to use, and yet it just doesn't feel like things are shifting and you're not feeling all of it kind of settle into your body.
And so that's really what Brainspotting does is helps us process. The past stuff, whether it be, you know, trauma, family of origin stuff, social conditioning for a lot of the women that we work with and processing through a lot of that so that they can act into who they know they really wanna be in the here and now.
And so, you know, we're different in a practice of I really value [00:05:00] innovative strategies. I value all of my clinicians understanding how the mind and body work and having really nice body-based tools to support clients because. There are a million talk therapists out there, but if talk therapy was working the way that it's supposed to, like we wouldn't have talk therapists anymore.
And so I really value making sure that my employees are specialized in what they're niching down on. And then getting that enhanced training to be more innovative, cutting edge, and really neuroscience. So like understanding the brain, understanding the body, understanding what interventions we're interweaving to actually help change the way the brain works, rather than trying to get the brain on board with the new information that we're giving.
Mm-hmm. That's really cool. That's super, super cool. And, um, you know, again, you're speaking to my heart and my head and, and I've done a lot of, um, studying in terms of the [00:06:00] mind, in terms of the body. Even went to undergrad school in Australia to study, um, medicine for fun and with a flavor chiropractic because the spine is the communication and I wanted to see how the body and the mind, um.
Katherine Breuss: Interact. So I, I love it. It's very, very, very cool. Um, so real quick though, on the Brainspotting, I mean, it's not like you're like setting some, you know, you're putting something on somebody's head and like. Spotting. No. I've had people call it like brain mapping and train spotting before. So what brain spotting is, is that we, um, have bilateral music that goes from ear to ear in a non patterned way, and we actually find a brain spot in your field of vision.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: So I use a pointer and we find there's somatic cues that your body will give us that there's like a little file stored there because. The muscles around our eyes connect into, directly into that survival system in our brain. And so it's why sometimes if we see like a flash of a shadow, um, [00:07:00] or you know, there's like a bird flying overhead and you see the shadow come around, what your eyes will automatically do is orient towards that thing to assess.
For danger or safety and some people's orientation is much more heightened than others, and those muscles around the eyes connecting into the survival system actually give us direct access into that lower part of the brain instead of trying to think our way There. Wow. Okay. So that sounds, it sounds like something I did.
Katherine Breuss: 'cause I'm a master practitioner of neurolinguistic programming and it was something we did with the eyes and we were looking at kind of where the eyes were going and if there was a bit of a, and then it was like doing this figure eight thing. Mm-hmm. Um, sounds, sounds like it could be a little bit, uh, similar, but Yeah.
I, I have to be honest, I never really, I never really used that. Technique. I did it more from the, like, the communication aspect, but, um, so you already, you already, um, mentioned a bit in terms of how your business is different from [00:08:00] Yeah. Maybe the more traditional talk therapies. Um, is there anything else you wanted to add in terms of what differentiates, um, your business from others?
Patrice Flanagan Morris: I, you know, we're female led and we're an all female staff, and I think that that provides a lot of comfort, especially when we're working with a lot of high performing and overachieving women to help find settlement in themselves again. Um, is really like a big umbrella of the people that we see. And then, like I said, every clinician I have has specialties, so I have a perinatal focus.
We all have a trauma focus. Um, we've got OCD and um, I do more of the expansion women in business and leadership now. Um, and more of you could probably. Not categorize it necessarily as mental health therapy. It's gonna be more of like an emotional wellness, um, little edge to it. We have couples, therapists, so everything that we do, I really try to make sure that my clinicians are, [00:09:00] what they are speaking to as what they're good at is what they're good at.
Um, I really don't believe in clinicians being overarching generalists. Everything because then you just can't support people the way that they need to be supported and you don't understand them the way that they need to be understood. And my goal is from the time somebody calls in and makes that first step in connecting to us to the time that they have moved through a therapy process with a clinician, is that entire time they feel seen, they feel heard, and they feel held.
Katherine Breuss: Yeah. Cool. I love it. And, and do you work with men then too? Yes, we do have, um, probably, I'd say like 30% of our clientele is men. Okay. Very cool. So, so you're on the Soul Line Strategy podcast. Yeah. So the question of, you know, that I ask everybody, um, on, on the podcast is, you know, what is Soul Line mean to you and the impact that you see when you either are so aligned or when you're not [00:10:00] so aligned.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Yeah. I think being so aligned for me as a clinician and as a business owner is really finding that balance between being compassionate and connected with everybody, but also making sure that I am doing everything on the back end of things to provide what they ultimately need, which is a good income and that clients need, which is good care.
Um, and being so aligned is really about. Taking that time and reflection and space, making sure I'm not pressing myself so much against the glass that I get kind of lost on what my values are or following in integrity and just staying really paced to make sure that I'm making the best decisions to ripple out.
Because the whole reason I made the business, and that's really what I try to go back to, is the whole reason I set this up was because I wanted people to have a different experience and. In business, it is so tempting as you get a little bit bigger mm-hmm. [00:11:00] To lose yourself in, you know, some of the ease that can come, some of the corners you can cut, like there's just opportunities that kind of show up that are really easy to pull you out of that alignment.
And really staying in that soul alignment means choosing the hard thing, even if, um, even if the easy thing is like right there and nobody would know it. Really just like staying in your integrity, I think. So being, so it sounds like, you know, what you're saying is being aligned to yourself, you know, in terms of what's important to you and why you're doing it, and making sure that that alignment is there in the business.
Speaker: And I hear you too. Like it is, you can definitely slip, um, out of or be misaligned. Um. As business gets easier, um, or as it gets harder too. Yeah. Like that can, uh, that can really, uh, I think mess with, [00:12:00] with people and mess with yourself because you can get so in the weeds of life that you can forget why you are doing it to begin with.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Yeah. And there's such a temptation to like, make money. Um, and, and you know, all of, so my last few years have been, as I've grown the business, I've had to spend a lot of time educating myself on owning a business. When I first started things, it was just me, you know, I could kind of do whatever I wanted to do, and then as I'm hiring people, I'm like, oh, I really need to have a business structure here that supports.
The people that I hire. Um, and so I've spent a lot of time educating myself on business, and if you connect into the wrong resources, a lot of it gears towards how do you just like create this massive money funnel instead of really being aligned with what your purpose is and understanding that you know, in time the money will follow.
And there are definite ways that I could make more right now if I wanted to, but it would have to come at the cost of my [00:13:00] clinicians and our clients' happiness, and I'm just not willing to sacrifice that at that point, at this point in time. I love hearing that. So that's, it sounds like you have a really clear foundation, not only of um, you and what is important to you, but also what's important in your business.
Mm-hmm. That's great. That is really cool. So have, is there been a time in your life, uh, or when it's been a time because we're human and so I'm sure there has, I'm sure there has at some point. The answer is yes. When, when, um, when you've been misaligned, um, you know, whether that it showed up in business or maybe it didn't show up in business, um.
Speaker: Would you be willing to share? Um, you don't necessarily need to share, you know, the, the exact story or anything if get into it. It's too personal, but, you know, how was that, like, what was the impact of misalignment? Yeah, I'll say even, you know, [00:14:00] my best kind of thing that I just point to right now is even when I started the business, um, and I started hiring, I hired a friend because she was in a, a bad work situation the same way that I was and why I started off on my own and I was kinda like, well, I can't be that hard to hire somebody.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Um, and it turns out it's a lot of work. Um, but once I did it once, I was like, well, now I might as well recreate the wheel and in not recreate the wheel, like just keep. Bringing people in. And you know, in that initial excitement of growing the business, I ended up hiring people that just were not a good fit.
And I knew in my gut when I was interviewing them, I was very one foot in, one foot out. Like, I can make this work. And I try to remind everybody, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Um. And so I hired them because I was new and I wanted to, I had like just rented the space and I wanted to make sure I was making enough and all of that stuff.
And that just ended up being a very messy, hard learning experience for [00:15:00] me. Um, that kind of made me have to snap back into integrity of you need to go at a pace. You need to slow yourself down. Like if you're really trying to grow what you're trying to grow, it's. Not just going to happen right away. And I'll say just even throughout my life, that's something I've really struggled with is like, I wanna be good at something right from the start.
I want to be advanced right from the start. Um, I have high perfectionistic tendencies. You know, so much of my own personal work has been allow, allow for things to grow. Don't just focus in on, okay, I've planted all this over here and now I'm gonna go focus in on this garden because you end up letting another garden completely die.
Um, and so that really helped me kind of shift and get really clear about understanding my hiring practices, who I'm bringing in, being cautious and not just jumping to bringing somebody in because the pain and impact that it has on the business, on me on, and that other person that I brought in that just isn't a good fit.[00:16:00]
Um. Is really immense and I don't, I just don't wanna cause that for anybody else anymore. And so, you know, since that time, everybody that we've brought on has been, the group of women that we have now is just so wonderful and I couldn't be more grateful for all of them. I feel very lucky and blessed to have them, and I feel very grateful for myself of, of even in times of scarcity, not just giving into what's there because it's there and I need it right now.
Katherine Breuss: Hmm, I, so I, you're absolutely right in terms of hiring people, it's not easy. It's probably, well, I would say it's definitely one of the hardest things, and even the whole, um, you know, keeping them retaining and, and, and ensuring that there's that balance that they are getting the results they want and enjoying the journey too, which, you know, is also on them as well.
But how did you do it? So, so you. Started off, maybe not, you know, so great. You said you were one foot in, one foot out with the [00:17:00] people you're hiring. Um, how, what did you do differently that allowed you to hire the people that were the right fit for, for your business and for you?
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Yeah, I think it was a couple of things.
So the first was that in the time that I went through the firings of people I had also miscarried, which um, really kind of gave me a fire to not care as much and to be like, if I'm, you know, I'm going through this like hardship and this traumatic thing, like I refuse to let my business be any more challenging than it needs to be.
And so that kind of gave me the reminder of. You know, you're growing this for you and you're growing this for a purpose. You need to have some, some more authority in this. You are the business owner. That was my first kind of wake up call to be like, you own this business. You take the liability of it, you have the impact of it.
You need to be a leader and an owner in this. You can't just be like a friend and community to the people that are here. That unfortunately doesn't get to be your [00:18:00] role here. Um, and so while I can be real and I can be in connection, I also need to be the leader at all times. That's just what. Owning a business requires of you.
Um. So going through that really helped me kind of stand back in knowing who I needed to be. And then in bringing new people on, I made a new system of, I do a phone interview first because that actually helps me assess, even in that 15 minutes, I can get a very good feel for if somebody is going to jive in the environment that we have here versus not.
And then I get really clear before I hire somebody, what kind of specialties are we looking for? What are the personality dynamics that would benefit the team? So initially I feel like I hired a lot of me, and then it was kind of like. I have a lot of energy and I'm like, you know, but it's, it's, you put five of me in the same room and it might be a little bit too much.
Um, and so we started kind of [00:19:00] assessing the characteristic traits that really blended and complimented each other. So I feel like, you know, I would look for. Some people who were a little bit more introverted, but they had a very, like, calm and steady kind of demeanor about them. People who were always open to learning, always open to feedback, always willing to assess their own blind spots.
Um, just really looking for good character and people. And then the clinical aspect of things of like, how do you wanna grow as a clinician and where do you
wanna
be five years from now? How does this environment support you in getting there?
 
Katherine Breuss: I love that. And you know what? I was laughing 'cause when you, when you're saying like, you know, you had five of you, you know, I was just even thinking of myself going, oh my gosh.
If I had hired even just one, that would be enough of, you know.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Yeah. I, and I think that, you know, we're really, we often are like really comfortable. I guess I'm really comfortable with my own personality because I've done so much of my own personal work and I really [00:20:00] adore myself, but I also know where.
My blind spots are in that personality type. And while I can work on them, it's really helpful to have a staff that balances out who can also put me into check. So, you know, that's a big thing that we all value too. And something I look for in hiring is how do you manage direct? How do you manage communication?
Because I don't tolerate passive aggressive communication. Um, it's not for me. And I don't think it builds a, an environment for anybody to thrive. And so we really do open and honest, direct feedback. I provide. Anonymous, um, surveys for my employees every single year to be like, you tell me what the blind spots are.
You tell me how you're succeeding, where you're not, what concerns you have, so that I can really take that an assessment of looking out at my next year and kind of decide like, what, what do things need to look like? What needs to shift? What's going well? That's really cool. And I think because I do all of those things, our retention rate is [00:21:00] really amazing.
Most of my clinicians have been here, like the oldest has been here four years now, and the newest is, um. A year and a half. And so people stick around for a while and usually their next step out is starting their own practice, which I'm happy to support and I feel like everybody kind of is well aware of that.
Um, so just like really working on staying in integrity, being transparent and offering what I want them. To give back to me, I think is the best thing that I can do. And then as a, I saw, um, all over when I was hiring, you know, if it's not, if it's not a hell yes, it's a hell no. Like you gotta be, when you're hiring somebody, you really have to feel like, okay, this is going to, you're gonna fit in.
We will find a space for you to be a part of this community culture. I'm not just hiring somebody to fill a spot and bring clients in for them if I don't trust them.
Katherine Breuss: Hmm. Well, and in particularly to, I mean, in any business, but in particularly your business, I mean, you know, that is so people [00:22:00] centered and it's helping and supporting.
Mm-hmm. If you don't have that trust in the people who are working with you. It'd be hard. You know, I, I think there'd be that resistance then of the clients coming as well in terms of, um, that, that they can feel it. Because, you know, I see that when we are out of alignment, there's this resistance there, um, that.
It's like, it feels like an uphill battle. And so that can even be, you know, in terms of the type of people who are coming your way or um, even how you are like going out to the people. And so. Yeah, the universe takes care of you. It's a bummer, but it's also a good thing, like anytime that I've had any hesitation around anyone, it becomes very clear in our referral streams and everything that happens.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: It's like I could be doing all the same stuff, but all of a sudden everything's on a pause. And that's usually a sign to me that I've [00:23:00] gotta take a step back and assess things and go like, Ooh, what did I miss? Like, oops, I moved too fast again, and I. Took on a little bit too much and now I need to find a way to kind of pace myself a little bit differently because really it you, you will see it like within weeks impact your business.
It is so wild to me how it happens. It is, it is really cool. Um, I'm a big believer in, uh, the universe and, um, even when we are in like maybe that misalignment resistance, the universe will actually show us. Mm-hmm. We just might not be listening. A lot of times we're not, and then the universe pushes us.
Speaker: Yeah. It's like you haven't listened. Damn. Yeah. And then you're like, um, but so, okay. Um, Patrice, in terms of, um. Business or I mean anything. It doesn't necessarily have to be business, but is there a time that you were like, oh my gosh, besides like hiring the friend, but you just, [00:24:00] things did not go your way.
Like you literally were like, this was. And, and I don't like using the word stupid, but you know when you look back and you're like, oh my God, why did I do that? That was just not a good, um, decision. Was there, was there a time that that happened and what did you learn from that experience? I mean, I think the reality of owning a business is that happens all the time.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Um, because we. I always believe I have the best intentions, but sometimes, especially when you don't know what you don't know, you make decisions that you shouldn't make that aren't gonna be, I think the biggest ones that I can see for myself is making decisions that aren't gonna be sustainable for the business.
They're only sustainable for the people that I hire. Um, and that's been a really hard lesson for me to learn. Over the course of owning my business this entire time is it becomes very clear that there are some things that I'm doing because I just love to give back. And I'm like, well, here, let me give you more [00:25:00] PTO, let me give you more CE reimbursement.
Like what do you need to be happy? What do you need to be happy? What do you need to be happy? And there's a balance of, part of that is really good, but it has caused me to make business decisions that are just not sustainable and give so much to people. Um. So something I worked through personally actually earlier this year was just the understanding that as much as I wanna make this a ceiling list place, it's still a business and it has to have a ceiling, otherwise it's going to get flooded.
And so, you know, I've really had to put some things into place that I know. Don't always feel good for the people that are working here because they've had this like ceiling less kind of mantra and like belief and, and I want that, but it, it just can't exist. Like there is a business that has to be sustained here.
And so I think. What I'd really encourage people in general is when you see something that's not working, even if the intention is really aligned with who you are, the intention also has to have the impact that it's going to be [00:26:00] good for your business, and you don't have to only be focused on something being good for your business and not the people in it.
But there has to be a balance between the two and me working towards transparency with my staff around that of like, Hey, when we were small and I was bootstrapping a lot of this, like I could make this work. And what I've realized is I can't bootstrap this much farther than where we're at. So if I want us to continue to grow, you know, I'm gonna have to make some structural shifts here so that the business can still thrive while we still have community and connection here.
Um. Because it's really easy to get caught up in wanting to be a kind and compassionate person that you also forget that you are running a business That depends on systems outside of itself.
Katherine Breuss: Dear. It's interesting 'cause I hear it a lot from, um, business owners in your profession. Yeah. Or similar profession because people who go in this.
Profession are usually they wanna help, they wanna give, they wanna support, they wanna, and so there is that [00:27:00] learning, that boundary. A bit of going, okay, actually is that giving too much? And, and you know, with businesses, like I kind of, I don't know, I. The family came to me when you were talking in the sense of like, okay, when you have one child, the way that your family unit works is one way, but then when a second child comes, it's like, oh, well we gotta shift a bit.
We gotta change our systems a bit. Mm-hmm. And then when there's a third, so I have four there, four, you know, and then, and so it's kind of the same as a business grows and goes through the different. Um, cycles, um, just because you were doing something last year may not make sense this year anymore because of either what's happening outside or because you've grown internally or whatnot.
So, I mean, first of all, hats off to you for actually, you know, being able to do that because it's, it's not easy. I can, I can feel you in the sense of, I tend to, uh, probably give lean towards like, [00:28:00] okay, yeah, I'm gonna give, I'm gonna give, and
Patrice Flanagan Morris: well, and you know, women are taught how to give, like we're terrible oftentimes at receiving.
And we are so conditioned to over give and overextend ourselves and see that as our worth and our value. That even if the, even if working on it, you know, and, and. Helping it resolve at a very deep level. Like there are ways that it's just gonna pop up that you didn't anticipate. And like you said, there are just growing pains that you can't anticipate with a business getting bigger.
Um, and I think what I really have learned too is I can provide the best space that I can provide. I can keep being mindful of that. And then if the way that the business is shifting. Doesn't work for some of the people in it anymore. Like it's okay. I can let them go. I can let them, like I really, I want everybody who works here to be happy and fulfilled in the best ways that they can.
And if at some point the way [00:29:00] the business shifts that just doesn't work for them anymore, then I'm happy to support them in whatever that next step is, rather than trying to like continue to contort my business to fit everybody's needs. Mm. Um, it's too much to keep up with. It's very overwhelming.
Katherine Breuss: It's too much.
And it's, and it's also not, it, like you said, it's not sustainable in Yeah. Uh, in the long run. You know, there's, I, when I speak with business owners, a lot of them, um, and even people who are not business owners, uh. This whole concept of paying themselves first or, um, wealth. Um, and actually it's not just about the business.
The business is there also to support you. So I, I can see a lot of business owners focusing so much on the business, the business, the business, the people. Mm-hmm. But forget, you know, you in terms of time and wealth. So how, do you have any advice, [00:30:00] um, or experience that you wanna share with regards to that whole, the importance of that wealth creation for yourself as well as growing the business?
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Yeah, I think it can be, um. It can be so challenging as a business owner. I think there's a lot of guilt, especially in my profession of, you know, me seeing less billable clients, but maybe making as much or more as like some of my employees who see a lot of billable clients and, um. I think there's this idea sometimes that we can get caught up in, in like selfishness or other stuff like that.
But what I try to remember is at the end of the day, as long as I am leading with integrity, as long as I know I'm doing what I need to, to give back in the ways that are sustainable, as long as I am reassessing that continually inside. And I'm open to hard conversations. If, if anyone here feels like I'm not doing that, then I also am building a business [00:31:00] so that I can have some freedom too.
And I'm not stopping them from doing that. Mm. There's no point that I have ever said like, no, you can't leave. Right? Like, if that's the financial freedom you want, in the same way that I have it, please go chase it. Go find it. That's fine. Um. I'm not building a business to be. I mean, I am connected to it, I think at all times, but I'm not building a business so that I don't have the flexibility to.
You know, run out in the afternoon to take my girls to urgent care. Like I, I'm, I want to be able to be home by dinner time so that I can be there to support them and take care of them, especially in their younger years, so that I have time to take off in the middle of a day to go take care of myself, to go to my own therapy appointment or whatever it is that I'm doing for self care that week.
And. I think it's hard to get, sometimes you get caught up in the weeds, but there is a full benefit to being an employee and that means you get to come in, you do your work and you leave. [00:32:00] Um, and I don't. Get to do that. I, this business lives with me. It is quite literally, my logo is tattooed on my arm, so it is always with me.
Um, and so, you know, there are benefits, just like my employees have benefits of just being employees. There are benefits of being the boss. And so I think what I've done is kind of try to see. What are the benefits of my role to make sure that I'm also incorporating those into everything else I'm doing for everybody else.
Katherine Breuss: Nice.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: And I think that's what's helped me create some sustainability. It's like job description and benefits for me and job description and benefits for my employees. And that helps me kind of find a little bit more peace and balance with it.
Katherine Breuss: Let's see. The tattoo can, you said it's on your arm. Can we?
Nice look at that. Love it. It's a purple lotus. Love it. Well, yeah, the Lotus, um, so lived in Singapore, uh, Lotus is, um, very important out there, [00:33:00] uh, in Asia. Mm-hmm. Um, so Patrice, thank you very much. This has been, um, really wonderful spending time and, and, and hearing about. Your business hearing about you, hearing about, you know, soul aligned and, and when you're not soul aligned and really appreciate you taking the time, uh, to have this conversation.
And I need to come out and see. 'cause I'm really interested about this brain spotting. I've heard of it, but I'm kind of, you know, I didn't really know what it was. Anytime I, I'm always happy to give people a little experience of it, so. Love it. Well, thank you so much Patrice, and would love to have you back on again sometime.
Patrice Flanagan Morris: Thanks so much for having me.
AG45 Outo: Thanks for joining us on the Ag 45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. If you are ready to align your soul with your business, take back your time and grow with intention, we'd love to [00:34:00] connect. Visit accelerate growth 40 five.com to schedule a call, apply to be a guest, or take the next step toward building a soul aligned business.
At Ag 45, we believe when business meets value, wealth meets legacy, and time meets freedom, the journey becomes truly enjoyable. Until next time, stay aligned. Stay inspired, and keep building your legacy.
 [00:35:00]