Crystal Uncorked

Some stuff came up for me on my vacation surrounding anxiety. We are back from Maui and I started to have some serious anxiety come up during our trip. I am not sure if it's getting worse as I am getting older or it's all that is going on in the world, but it's at a high level for me right now.

have some serious anxiety come up during our trip. I am not sure if it's getting worse as I am getting older, or it's all that is going on in the world, but it's at a high level for me right now.

During this trip I took a social media and contact break, I turned off all my notifications and hid the icons. This made me so hyper aware of how many times I picked up my phone and even gave me FOMO because I was so concerned with what was going on without me. This is coming home with me, though, I really want to change my habits and change the way I interact with my socials. I can't control the content I see, and it's possible the things coming up are creating another source of fear and anxiety for me, that was also prevalent on my vacation.

Some anxiety came up on our vacation. It was coming up out of nowhere in some ways. I was getting physical symptoms like sweaty palms and nervous stomach, which would even cause more fear for me. On night one, I started getting anxious about the water and the way it was making me feel and being in the waves. The anxiety was so fierce that It started to restrict my feelings and desire to go to the beach during our trip.

When I brought my concerns up to Dustin, he challenged my feelings by saying, “Don’t look at this as anxiety, look at it as excitement, you're excited to go into the water”. I found this really interesting and started swapping this word surrounding statements of fear or anxiety I have in a variety of scenarios. I am excited to be in the water, I am excited about what people think of me. This made a lot of sense to me and I really feel like this mindset is going to work, even if it's going to take practice and effort.

I plan on seeing a therapist and I feel like it's a really healthy thing to do, in order to get to the deeper issues. However, I feel like breath work and a mindset shift can really be the start of changing my anxiety and not looking at it as fear. In my research, I found that fear and anxiety are really the same thing. Fear is a feeling in response to a real thing happening, and anxiety is the same feeling in response to imagination.

I am not afraid, I am not anxious… I am excited. I really can't wait to speak more on this and on the effect of changing my social media habits. If you really relate to what I shared today, or it resonated with you, and you want to reach out, I'd love to hear from you! Just email [email protected], you’re not alone. 

What's Inside:

• Anxiety on my vacation.
• Strategies and advice for anxiety.
• How are fear and anxiety different?

Mentioned In This Episode:

Lajota Vineyard 2014 Merlot
Merriman's Hawaii
Connect with Crystal
Crystal on YouTube
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal on Facebook
Crystal on TikTok

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

Once upon a time before I started Crystal Media, I had the honor of working with Ted Teele. My mentor and friend Ted is here today to share his wealth of wisdom. Ted is a Harvard BA and MBA and an expert in digital marketing. In this episode, you get a snippet of his brilliant business mind with information on marketing, building a business, and the importance of strategy.

Building and growing a business starts with the foundation. At the most basic level, you have to make sure you pick the right industry, hire the right people, communicate effectively, allow for mistakes, and most importantly have a strategy for growth. The best time to strategize is at the beginning. Ted compares formulating your business strategy to The Scientific Method. Your strategy is your hypothesis, and you have to test it, analyze the data, and modify and repeat. It's key to remember this idea that business is a science and do not be tied to your theories!

Know your industry and know where you and your business belong. Ted shares that too often people try to move in the wrong direction, and unfortunately, you don’t know what you don’t know when it comes to other industries and their buyer needs. If the competitors are totally different in that market, it's not a good idea to keep starting over and rebuilding. Know what is possible for your business and the market that you are in. That being said, it's impossible to build a business without taking risks. Just be sure you are taking moderate and incremental risks. Be intellectually honest and build your risks in a direction that's growing your business.

What grows your business? Reaching buyers and consumers. That's where marketing and strategy is so important, you want to find people that are interested, and you want to make it easy. Ted works with orthodontists, so he provides the example that if their goal is to get people to make appointments, it should be easy to make appointments. Whatever it is you're doing, make it easy for your interested consumers to find you and do what you need them to do.

I could listen to Ted talk for hours, he is such a great source of information and knowledge! At the end of our episode, he shares a few excellent tips for consuming content in a convenient way and some special advice on building a strong business with a happy team. If you take on Ted’s challenge to write down what you learned after listening to today’s episode, let me know!

What's Inside:

• The foundation for growing a business.
• How to scale a business.
• Risk-taking in business.
• Managing your team.
• Critical advice from Ted Teele.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ted Teele on LinkedIn
https://thekaleidoscope.com/
Connect with Crystal
Crystal on YouTube
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal on Facebook
Crystal on TikTok

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

You’re not always perfect in business and in life. That’s okay! I talk about a real fear that holds some of my clients and people that I know back. One thing about me is that I definitely put myself out there. I love to do videos and go live. I like to have that personal online presence. Many people are afraid to join me on the podcasts or even utilize Facebook live for their own business. Why is that?

What I am hearing from a lot of different people is they are afraid to mess up, afraid to make mistakes, afraid to look bad or get unwanted feedback. We are all human, and being human is messing up sometimes. That's what makes us who we are. I have plenty of stories of my mistakes, and some are really embarrassing. The key is to play it off, push through. Don’t end something just because you made a mistake. People actually love to see the mistakes, it's what makes you real and what makes you, you!

Another thing people are held back by is the fear of being wrong. I say own it. I think I really have the gift to admit being wrong and learn. Sometimes people feel like being corrected or getting feedback is an attack, but it’s not. People care about you, they care about your business, they want to help you and see you succeed.

In my own business, I have been guilty of wanting to be perfect and leaning on the ideas of people who already have success. There is no shortcut; when you try to make yourself like someone else you're sacrificing your authenticity.

If I want you to take away anything from this episode, it is that you are a gift. If you don’t put yourself out there as unapologetically as you can, you are stealing something really beneficial from the world.

As you are listening, I am off on vacation. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

What's Inside:

• Being YOU: human, real, and authentic.
• What to do when you mess up.
• The fear of putting yourself out there.
• Crystal’s thoughts, ideas, and mistakes.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Connect with Crystal
Crystal on YouTube
Crystal on Instagram
Crystal on Facebook
Crystal on TikTok

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

What was once a photo pinned to the wall like a dream and a goal, is now the reality of Akash Winery. I am talking with Akash, the owner, and namesake of this Temecula, CA winery. His family bought the land in 2010 and 9 years later in 2019, Akash opened their doors only for COVID shutdowns to begin 6 months later. Now on the other side of the pandemic, I am able to sit with him in the vineyard and enjoy an Akash Wine while he enjoys one of their new beers.

My conversation with Akash truly showed how much heart and hard work he puts into his business. He looks at the brighter side of the shift in business due to COVID. When the world was at home, he brought Akash Winery to them, restructuring his business to include more virtual components. Now that we are reopening in the world again, Akash is excited to see not just his winery but all of the valley’s wine community thrive and bring more people to the area.

One of the awesome things about Akash winery is how authentic they are to their individual style. From their beautifully unique etched bottles to their quirky wine names, they are committed to quality wine and beer and good culture.

In an area like Temecula that has a lot of wineries, they all have the common goal of success, Akash says there is more than enough to go around. He reminds our listeners to get after it, keep going and keep trying no matter the mistakes you make along the way.

This was such an amazing stop at the end of the epic SoCal Sidecar Wine tour. I hope you enjoyed this episode and if you're in the area be sure to check out Akash Winery.

What’s Inside:

• The origin story of Akash Winery.
• How did COVID impact this small business.
• Turning competitors into your community.
• Authenticity and unique touches in this small winery.

Mentioned In This Episode:

2018 Estate Three’s a Company Red Blend
Akash Winery Website
@AkashWinery
@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

I am finally introducing you to my dear friend, team member, and integrator, Pauline Blasetti. Pauline has been working with me for 8 years, bringing me balance and pushing our business to the next level with her anything is possible attitude.

You wanted to hear from my integrator, and she tells us about how her job came to be. Years ago, Pauline told me I was a “Bad Manager” and she was right. As I talked about in episode 003, I discovered the book Rocket Fuel, which laid out a plan that I felt was right for shifting our businesses and would maybe even remedy my bad managerial skills. Pauline was on board and optimistic about her new job title and the clarity is provided.

An integrator is the person behind the visionary, making it happen, managing projects, managing the team, managing the calendar. Pauline does it all behind the scenes, and when I say do it all, I really mean it. The job description I gave her on our retreat to hammer out the details of our new plan and her role as our integrator was 3 pages long! Adding an integrator to your team is life-changing but it doesn't happen overnight. It was an almost two-year transition for Pauline into this role and we’re still learning.

Just as the process to become an integrator was slow for Pauline, so is the hiring process for the rest of our team members. “I'm interested and I’m awesome” is the theme for our applicants. We want an email that says I'm interested and I'm awesome with a 3 minute or less video telling us why! Another unique part of our hiring process is our questionnaire, we eliminate the after interview response regret by giving our applicants time to truly use their experiences to best answer the questions with plenty of time to think and process.

Open communication and the ability to dive right in is a major benefit we see in our small business. Pauline and I’s work relationship and friendship is another benefit. Pauline is a great asset to our team and my business and her parting advice shows just how compassionate she is!

What's Inside:

• Being an integrator
• Process of getting an integrator to the desired point
• Benefits and challenges of a small business
• Our hiring process

Mentioned in this Episode:
@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel
Pauline's Drink
Crystal's Drink
Central Coast Jeep Tour

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

I got to chat with Rusty Sutton about how he is changing the retail shopping experience with The Green Monkey. Between his bright personality and the well-placed bar in his store, he created a one-of-a-kind gift shop experience.

Rusty set out to create a new way to shop. Instead of a traditional gift shop, he built a community in Raleigh, NC. Customers may initially come in to purchase an item from the retail gift shop, but they stay to hang out with other monkey fans at the bar. What he loves most about his business is the community, and I can’t blame him. Monkey fans are just as invested in the store as he is. They are eager to welcome new patrons, and they are sure that each new customer gets their first visit button. Yes, they really get a button for their first visit. It’s like Disney!

Like every business, The Green Monkey was affected by Covid. But that is when the community he created really showed their loyalty to the store. Even when the store was closed due to restrictions, many customers came by every day to buy more beer. What did they do with all that beer? He asked! But he already knew. They were supporting him and giving him part of the love back that he has given them. How cool is that? And he hasn’t just been doing curbside orders. He has fully embraced the challenge to keep the community alive. By streaming live videos and hosting weekly virtual bingo, Rusty has used his creativity and heart to keep the monkey fans connected.

Stop in and have a drink while shopping, shop online, or attend a virtual event. What’s your order: beer or wine? Let me know in the comments. Cheers!

What's Inside:

• Opening a new kind of store is a challenge that Rusty embraced, and maintaining his authenticity and his vision helped him thrive.
• Having clear roles for employees helped Rusty use his strengths and delegate other jobs to the people he worked with. Stepping back and letting them figure out how to complete tasks has helped him maintain his relationships (like working with his husband)!
• The “gift of gab” has helped Rusty cultivate relationships that have built a community.

Mentioned in this Episode
@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel
Get this wine on Winc, and they can try Winc and get $22 off their first box by using my link
Rusty’s Website: http://www.GreenMonkeyRaleigh.com
Rusty’s Drink – Southern Pines Brewing Company, Single Action Blaster

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

Today we are celebrating me! This is my birthday episode and I’m going to share 5 things that I’m hoping to achieve over the next year. I always ask friends celebrating their birthday what they want to achieve. What’s in store for them this year? It can be a tough question but it’s worth taking time to think about it.

Here are my five things:

1. To Write More

This past year, I’ve been writing more of everything and anything imaginable. My goal for the coming year is to write a book or some short stories, maybe mystery or horror stories or even a business book. Wouldn’t it be cool to publish a book while I’m still 36 years old?

2. To Grow Crystal Uncorked

I love producing this show and I love the responses that I get to it. I want to create content that you like and is worth your time listening to. I want this show to be fun, I want to learn something, and I want to inspire people. So if you like this show and you find it valuable, I’d love you to connect with me. And if you don’t, I’d like to hear that too so please share your feedback.

3. To Grow Crystal Media

I’m working on a secret project right now. If we build this, it will help small businesses to post content on their social media in an easy, cool, and fun way. There’s a long way to go and I still need to talk to my team about it, but I’d love to grow it out.

4. To Get Engaged

If you listened to episode 3, you heard Dustin and I speak about this. He’s on his journey, working through stuff, and I’m on mine. It’s cool, we love each other, but I’d love this year to be the year I finally stop being a girlfriend and get engaged.

5. To Spend 6 Months Living in New York

We’re moving. We bought a house in Colorado so we will be leaving California. But it’s always been my dream to live in New York, so I’d love to spend 6 months living in a rented apartment, checking out the different areas, and figuring out where I’d like to live eventually. It’s a crazy real estate market at the moment so who knows if it will happen, but it would be so cool to live in New York. I’d just love that.

These are my five big goals, but I definitely have more things that I want to do this year. Taking care of my body, getting stronger, staying hydrated, all that stuff. I really want to read a book a week. I love reading but I just never make time for it. It would be cool to say I read 52 books when I was 36.

So cheers! Thank you for being part of Crystal Uncorked. It means so much to me.

What's Inside:

• It’s my birthday!
• Why I set goals.
• My 5 goals for the year.

Mentioned in this Episode:
@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel
Mercana, 2020 Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina
Crystal is giving you $22 to try Winc!

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

In this episode, I’m so excited to be talking to my doctor and friend, Dr. Michelle Wolford. Dr. Wolford runs a successful private practice treating children and adults for a variety of acute and chronic conditions. She combines her training in western medicine with her profound knowledge of eastern medicine, including plants, energy medicine, nutrition, body movement, meditation, breathwork, and spirituality.

Dr. Wolford recalls one of her first patients and the profound impact that she had on her. The patient first came to her with digestive issues, but digging deeper revealed that she was stuck in the grief process after losing her partner 12 years earlier. Oftentimes, digestive issues stem from a difficulty digesting the outside world, so not just a physical problem but also an emotional one. Dr. Wolford was able to use the power of homeopathic medicine to completely change this woman’s life. It’s these transformations that she loves to be part of.

Death is something that affects every single one of us, but Americans don’t have open conversations about death, which leads to fear. Other cultures approach death differently. It’s not just physical death that we have to cope with. Any loss is a type of death; the loss of a job, loss of identity, and we’re not equipped to deal with it. There are many ways to support someone dealing with death. Herbal remedies keep the body in rhythm so the nervous system doesn’t go too far out of balance, but flower remedies, mantras, and meditations can also be helpful.

Many women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime and it takes courage to speak out. Perpetrators often use psychological tactics to turn the blame onto the victim, to make them feel guilty. It happens too often and we need to step forward and speak out if we want anything to change because it’s almost accepted as normal and it’s really not.

Post-2020, people are asking themselves what they want. Covid flipped the whole world upside down and was a catalyst for self-reflection and personal change. When you take time to pause and reflect, if you don’t like what you see, you desire to change. Dr. Wolford urges us to be brave & bold. Just go for it. If you’re approaching life with AIR: authenticity, integrity, and responsibility for your life and mine, life will always support you.

Social media & developing technologies are having a profound impact, particularly on children. There has been a lot of research into the negative impact of technology on developing brains. Since technology has been more prevalent, drug use has sky-rocketed.

Social media creates false images and expectations. It feeds on our desire for connection. We seek connection so we scroll social media. Dr. Wolford’s tip: take 15-20 minutes to yourself every day to check in with yourself. Every one of us has something to discover with ourselves every day. So doable and incredibly powerful!

What's Inside:

• The power of natural remedies.
• Everybody needs AIR - Authenticity, Integrity, and Responsibility.
• Social media & developing technologies and the impact on children.
• The importance of setting aside time every day to reconnect with yourself.

Mentioned in this Episode
@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel
Dr. Michelle Wolford
Dr. Michelle Wolford on Instagram

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

We all struggle to maintain balance and productivity in our business lives, as well as our personal lives. Today I discuss the tips and tools I use to stay organized and productive in my home and professional life. People define success and freedom in different ways. I define success and freedom as more time. Staying organized means that I buy myself more time in the day to do things I want and need to do

To stay on track in your business, you need to define a few things:

• What are you trying to achieve? What are your goals? Have specific goals in mind and write them down.
• Why are you trying to achieve these goals? Are you trying to reach a specific financial goal? Are you trying to reach more people and grow your audience?
• Who can help you achieve these goals? Are you great at speaking and coaching, but don’t want to mess with your social media marketing? There is someone out there who LOVES social media marketing, and you should find them and hire them. It’s worth the investment. You can stay in your zone of genius, and your team can stay in theirs.

You’ve defined your goals, now you need an organizational tool to cover the “how.” Asana is an amazing project management tool that I use to keep my business and personal life organized. All of our projects are in there, and we are able to assign different projects and tasks to different people or teams. We can leave comments and attach documents. It’s a great place to keep everything organized and your team on track.

Implementing these strategies and tools has propelled my business forward and kept me organized and on track, as well as buying me more time. They can help you manage your time, team, and future.

What's Inside:

• Who needs help with time management?
• Time blocking is an incredible tool.
• What is an impact filter, and why is it important?
• The importance of regular accountability check-ins.
• We discover “janning” and how it can help you.
• The power of accountability.

Mentioned In This Episode:

@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel
Book: Who Not How
Asana

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎

When so many businesses were considered non-essential last year, many business owners turned to Josh Orr to finally help them get online and still reach their customers. Like it or not, the last year has dramatically changed consumers’ shopping habits, and “Retail Josh” has been guiding business owners through this transition. A beautiful website is the bare minimum online presence for a retail business today, but retailers also need to understand the backend parts of a website. That’s where Josh comes in.

If you think that Shopify is just software, you’re going to miss how powerful of a tool it can be. And oh my gosh, you’re going to love how quickly Josh cuts to the chase and points out how smaller retailers need to chart a new path through this post-pandemic world. If you’re a retailer just getting comfortable with e-commerce, Josh wants you to start from square one:

• Don’t obsess over bells and whistles
• Focus on what is essential on the website
• Focus on your customer: Who are they? How do you serve them?

Before the pandemic, people shopped online, but now, post-pandemic, people are suddenly a lot more comfortable shopping online. Josh feels like shopping trends accelerated ten years in 2020. If you don’t adapt to that change, you’re going to get crushed. If you leaned into online selling last year, you’re going to kill it.

Josh is the absolute king of analogies and he lays down some amazing golden nuggets of wisdom. I loved this amazing conversation, and I’m thrilled that we’re both going to be at the Retail Success Summit on June 7th-9th, 2021. Get your tickets now, and get ready for two full days of more awesome conversations just like this one.

What's Inside:

• How Josh creates a fake commute and schedule to get himself ready for virtual working.
• We discuss the shift to online shopping and how it’ll play out for brick-and-mortar stores in the next few years.
• Imposter syndrome shows up in everyone. We talk feelings and Josh gets deep on how he figures out if he’s really an imposter.
• Josh is providing some free resources for my listeners at StreamlineRetail.com/crystal. Check it out!

Mentioned In This Episode:

@CrystalunCorked on Instagram
@CrystalUncorked on Tiktok
CrystalUncorked.com
Crystal Uncorked YouTube Channel
Tickets for the Retail Success Summit June 7-9th, 2021
Tickets for Social Media Day, June 10th, 2021
2017 Burtech Cabernet Sauvignon
Runs Wild IPA Non-Alcoholic
StreamlineRetail.com
@RetailJosh
Retail Initiative
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Let's stay connected:

• Follow my journey on Substack: https://buildingmyepicempire.com
• Email me: [email protected]
• Instagram: @crystalvilkaitis

I'll CU on the next CU! 😎