Girls Who Do Stuff

Mike Doyle moved to Raleigh, NC, after selling everything and traveling the US in 2015. When he’s not sketching random thoughts, he’s running a podcast about the NJ Punk Scene from the late 90s to early 2000s. He also owns an animation company and still writes and records music from time to time. His dream is to one day own a ton of high-end log cabins all over the world.

His new book, the Couple's Checklist, was created to start a real dialog between couples to see how much they do or do not know about each other. He hopes to bring people closer or save them from making a gigantic f#$king mistake.

 
Mike is a great example of how anyone with drive and passion can create their own economy. We learn about his many entrepreneurial endeavors and have a blast along the way.
 
After his divorce, Mike sold his belongings and traveled the country. We talk about his journey. His divorce and how he dealt with his ex and moved on with his life.   

We talk about being a creative entrepreneur. Mike has been on his own for 16 years now and shares his experiences dealing with criticism and finding the motivation to keep going.

You can connect with Mike on Instagram @yourdailybred or his website yourdailybred.com. 
 

Susan Vernicek joins us on today's episode. She is your mindset and "achieve" expert. She has been in business for 13 years. It started from a passion project. She then hit rock bottom emotionally, physically, and came back before she was married and had her twin toddlers, and started her current business.

Businesses evolve and when you go all in they just naturally grow and we talk about her journey.

She travels the state speaking and hosting signature workshops and now she has Online Magazine called Identity Magazine that empowers women to transform through self-acceptance, appreciation, and personal achievement. And after 13 years she has her signature mindset and achievement course and coaching program where she teaches her A Game Formula. 

She is also starting a podcast! 

What are the ingredients of her "A" game formula

• Self-acceptance of responsibility
• Appreciation of "the suck"
• Achieving

Going from "Why is this happening to me" to "Why is this happening for me?" is an important mindset shift that we need to make at the moment we find ourselves in "the suck."

 Our thoughts create our feelings. Our feelings create our actions and those actions will ultimately create results.

TFAR = THOUGHTS - FEELINGS - ACTIONS - RESULTS

You can get in touch with Susan at SusanVerinicek.com

More about Katelyn from her website KatelynScottPhotography.com: 

Hi All! My name is Katelyn, and I am the boss lady behind Katelyn Scott Photography, once formally known as Kali Klicks.  If you are curious about the name change and rebrand hop into the blog and read all about it.  

I am based in Raleigh, NC, and have traveled as far as Australia to capture the perfect moment.  I have been shooting since 2012 and full-time since 2016.  In that time I have come to learn that photography is incredibly important to document the little moments in life.  I have a very strong belief that no matter who you are or where you are in life, you are worthy of getting in front of a lens.  I specialize in body-positive photography and encourage women to lean into the vulnerability of getting in front of a camera.  Your story matters and I am here to walk with you through that journey.  My passion sits firmly in the belief that the female form needs to be celebrated just the way it is, not to be altered, manipulated, or changed.  

Women deserve to be unapologetically seen and I am here to help in that journey.  Embrace all stories, especially yours.  

Transformative change starts with a spark. For many dealing with body images, it can start with being sick and tired of being sick and tired. 

We discuss the culture of an unhealthy body image perpetuated by marketing and people selling products designed for healthy living.

"With boudoir specifically, all I'm trying to do is hold up a mirror to who you are and how beautiful you are in the body that you currently reside in because it is a shock. When you see it the way somebody else sees it, it's a shock. We stand in the mirror, we never see ourselves joyful. We never see ourselves in an intimate setting. We never see that sparkle. So that's what the world sees." - Katelyn

We have a blast talking about our body image journeys in classic raw and authentic "Girls Who Do Stuff" style. We talk about living without a scale and the benefits it could have in your home. 

We've been told to be nice and Seryna feels like being nice is the curse of the modern woman. It is the thing that really gets in the way of us chasing our dreams, speaking up, or honoring ourselves. We don't prioritize ourselves because we're so busy taking care of everybody else because that's what nice girls do.

"When I'm fighting with my spouse, I will even say I'm really sorry for how I said that but I'm not sorry for how I feel." - Seryna

Emotions are not something we should be sorry for, but they are all valid.
 
We talk about the culture of apologizing especially for women.

Seryna shares about her journey in dealing with anger, going from avoiding it to dancing with it. She spent time in her early 20's as a phone sex operator and she believes this contributed to her not dealing with her anger.

We spend time unpacking how as women we often feel compelled to fulfill certain roles in social situations.

Seryna shares her experience with dealing with uncomfortable truths. She dealt with body image issues in her 20s. She had an awareness that if she stayed on her current track she could end up with serious health issues, but she didn't care. She even went so far as to try to make herself undesirable so she could feel safe. She had a traumatic sexual experience around that time.

We talk about the importance and power of empathy and just being willing to sit with someone going through something difficult as opposed to trying to fix them. This allows them to feel like they belong because they are accepted where they are and that can be transformative.

"There was a time when I was afraid of the intensity of my own emotions. After years of hardship and growing up too fast, I’d developed a chip on my shoulder that it took years to heal – and if I’m honest, it’s still a work in progress.

I know I’m not the only one.

I’ve spoken to women in almost every corner of the world, and very few are comfortable with their anger. We’ve never been taught how to express it, we’ve been shamed when we do, and many of us have been in the scary position of dealing with someone else’s inability to cope with how they feel.

Even in spiritual circles, this topic is dismissed as ‘low vibe’ and dismissed as being an expression of the ego, when in reality, anger can be our greatest teacher, if we let it. It’s big stuff. It’s universal. Denying our anger gets us nowhere. It’s time for a new approach." - Seryna Myers

SacredAngerBook.com

It feels like it has rained 50 of the last 60 days here in North Carolina. Add to that January usually comes with some mental health issues for Jenny who shares about being diagnosed with depression and feeling aware of her condition even as a young child. Now in her 40s, she looks at it as a part of her while the first part of her life was spent trying to "fix it."

There was self-harm involved, there was suicidal ideation. For her, it wasn't so much about wanting to die, but not wanting to live. Mental health does not fit into a box, and the experiences can be unique to everyone.

It can take a long time to dial in the kind of medication that works for you. That was Jenny's experience. There is a stigma with using medication. 

Think of inside your brain as a bunch of tree branches, but some are snapped and so the nutrients can't flow. Your body is lacking that chemical to complete the tree, there is no shame in that.

Another important component for Jenny has been connecting with the right therapist. 

We also talk about the role of self-care and the stigma attached to self-care. 

Whatever "help" is for you make sure to make time in your life. What works for other people may not necessarily be what works for you. Jenny shares what elements have helped her through her journey and the insights she has learned along the way in hopes that it will be helpful to others who may be going through a similar experience.