Girls Who Do Stuff

Sarah, says, "like everybody, I have been through some trauma and come out stronger on the other side of it." She lost her mother as a teenager in a car accident. At the time she was entering college she decided to do what she "liked to do" and got an English degree because of her passion for reading.

She later worked in admissions at a college that focuses on the music and film industry. After that she found herself working for her "future husband." Although their relationship didn't start until years later after the working relationship ending. She remet Steven at a networking event. They went for a walk one morning. She wasn't aware it was a date. Nine months later they were married.

She talks about the early days of Rockstar Connect and her involvement in the development of many of the processes and courses that allowed them to grow. They started with five events and last year they did 811 live events across the country. 

We talked about how social media can be emotionally draining and tips for using it intentionally. 

Sarah shares about what makes Rockstar Connect different from many of the other networking events. 

• They are free
• They are fun
• They are casual

We talk about the social anxiety that many people feel about networking at a networking event. Sarah Mandras shares her story about getting over her fear and how the universe rewards courage and the difference that networking can make in her business.

We talk about the "magic" that comes from networking. 

COVID-19 has made running events, well, complicated. Rockstar Connect has pivoted to virtual events and looking forward to offering in-person networking again. The need to pivot was really sink-or-swim for a company like Rockstar. The first few were, as Sarah described, "loud zooms." But they quickly got a process in place and a structure that maximizes the virtual environment for networking.

Sharing successes is a discipline that is incredibly effective for business owners. Hearing the stories of others, and sharing your own can be hard, but it's a big step toward success. You can share your success without sounding arrogance if you make sure it is grounded in gratefulness.

Sarah describes their next endeavors and non-profit work. 

As parents, the Girls Who Do Stuff and Sarah discuss the online schooling and the dreaded "screen-time" conversation. Virtual Academy, learning centers, and homeschool options feel overwhelming right now.

Find out more about RockstarConnect by visiting their website or call at (800) 205-2327 or Carefreeclosing.com her new venture.

Our guest today is retired Holly Springs Police Department Cheif John Herring. He recounts some stories from his time on the force. Many people used to think of Holly Springs as a "bad" town. It had it's share of drugs and crime. Today it now thought of by many as a one of the safest towns in the USA.

We talk about growing up in towns that many would see as dangerous, how it shaped us into who we are today and effects our lives.

With all the events in recent history and civil unrest, John says the police might have a problem, but he firmly believes that the answer to the problem is in better training. 

He also identifies the struggle of police offers who by the nature of their jobs are put in harm's way and in the path of traumas and often they are told to "man up" and hold it all inside of them. This creates a pattern for officers that is difficult to break.

New officers need to feel safe to report things that don't seem right to them. Until new officers feel that kind of freedom we will still know we have a problem with the culture of our police departments.

John is also involved in a new venture that you can check out at:

Hemplab-usa.com

Amber started her entrepreneurship journey four years ago, she opened her studio in downtown Holly Springs, which was her personal studio. She opened it up as a coworking space for creatives. Then this past year, she now the leader and owner of Vend Raleigh, which she'd been a part of them for about six years.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Her studio is moving over to the Block on Main this fall.

Topics discussed. How do you deal with people when they feel like you are too much? Women with grounded confidence can be intimidating to other people. We talk about how we "own our extra" and overcome these perceptions.

We talk about getting shamed for not reading the latest and greatest personal development books.

Amber unpacks her entrepreneurial journey so far that led her to currently own three businesses on top of working closely with a tight-knit community of women business owners.

" I can support the small business community and the female entrepreneurs with Vend Raleigh. I can give them a space to grow their businesses and have a place to call home with a studio. And then I can still serve them while doing my photography. It was taking these three completely different concepts and finding a way to make them all work together."

In order to figure out how to do it all, you have to figure out, what's the most important thing for you? What fills your soul? What makes you happy? And then figure out a way to make it work.

We also discuss the community chats that have been happening at Vend Raleigh. When COVID-19 hit there were a lot of coaches telling you what you need to do so you don't fail. She decided she didn't want Vend Raleigh to be another voice to talk about what you should be doing. Instead, she decided to focus on the soul. She missed sitting next to other women in coffee shops and have a chat.

We started just talking through hard things. The idea was to put a smile on one person's face it would be a success. After what happened with George Floyd and the racial unrest they pivoted to talk about racism, white privilege, and the lack of the diversity in their community.

They've had amazing black women business owners to talk about their experience and have their community ask honest questions to foster a conversation.

Find out more about Amber Foster Smith:

Amber Foster Smith Photography
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Vend Raleigh

The Girls Who Do Stuff talk with a kindred-spirited business owner about surrounding yourself with the right people and choosing the right kind of friends. Scott discusses the principle of "Bringing your own sand to the beach" that he heard from Bill Davis. It means stacking the deck with the people you want to surround yourself with so when working in your business you know you are going to have fun.

Scott grew up in central North Carolina, and with the best of intentions, found his way into a couple of different careers that were poorly suited to his talents and interests.

He decided there must be a better way and found his passion for coaching. Eventually, he chose to focus on Career and Small Business coaching because of the difference they made in his own life.

We also discuss the limited belief known as imposter syndrome. How you move through it and still show up when the feelings of "not enough" creep into our thought lives.

Scott discussed the technique called "Step Left." In this technique, you are consciously taking a moment to look at the other possibilities that exist for you right now and then make a choice. What else is possible?

What question is Scott really in? He says "I'm in the wisdom transportation business."

Scott talked about the Kolbe index, A personality assessment that focuses on ‘Action Modes’, I recommend that anybody who wants to improve the efficiency of their work habits take this.  Especially entrepreneurs and coaches!

If you are interested in taking the assessment, He has a link provided on his website.

Scott hosts the Triangle business breakfast that happens every Friday morning in downtown Cary, NC. 

Jenny overcomes her fear and demonstrates bravery as she is a little hesitant because she's scared something will happen beyond her control. Stacey does a reading on her using Tarot cards. They discuss the results together and unpack the possible meanings.

We talk about how some people are scared of what they might hear, but it is a safe place and done in the presence of someone that wants to encourage you on the path.

Sarah gets her physic reading saying that she is going to have changes in her life soon but it is mostly going to be around her career.

Jenny gets a tarot card reading and how she needs to go with the flow more and just accept the changes that are happening in her life and stop micromanaging. They discuss the challenges of this particular situation.

We talk about the difference between intuition and ego and how to let your intuition come through with plenty of examples from Stacey.

Stacey does a show every Wednesday at 8 pm on her youtube page if you'd like to know more.

We speak with Stacey about her childhood. She was born with the ability to see things others didn't see. She describes her family growing up and the dreams she would have a child that would predict the future.

Her parents didn't believe her so she shut it down and stopped talking about it. Looking back she wondered what would have happened if her parents were more supportive.

This part of her remained dormant for a long time. It wasn't until college that she found people like her and who were accepting of her. It was at this time that she bought a pack of tarot cards which she didn't open for a long time because she was scared of what she might have found out.

She shares about her struggles with mental illness, her journey of converting religions, and what it was like being the black sheep of the family.

She talks about her journey of letting go of the pain from her past and what the process of moving on has looked like for her.

She also shared with us what her clear cognizance feels like to her. She describes it as feeling cold, and the different kind of chills and aromas she smells when she senses spirits trying to get her attention. She describes it as very subtle.

She also described a lot about how many different gifts manifest for differnet people.

In this episode we hear about her story and we were having such a good time we invited her back to do a reading on both Jenny and Sarah so come back next week to hear the conclusion of our interview with Stacey the Black Feather Intiutive.

TheBlackFeatherIntuitive.com
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Less than two weeks before we sat down with local pizza entrepreneur, Johnny, from Johnny's Pizza, his company was engulfed in a suspicious and racist post that went viral. This post spread quickly.

Although initially dismissed by Johnny as a joke, in reality, a fake account was created with his profile picture and screen captured with hate speech against black people. 

Johnny talks about what happened, the FBI investigate, out of state death threats, and Facebook subpoenas, and the fallout that has impacted his family, (which is staying in a separate hotel because of the death threats), his business, and the platform that this situation has afforded Johnny to talk about these issues.

Johnny is 10 years in recovery and has had some run-ins with the law. We talk about how people in that situation are "damned if you do, and damned if you don't" when it comes to being given the benefit of the doubt by public opinion.

Johnny answers the question: "What do you say to people who want proof?" 

Hear Johnny's thoughts on what he believes is next for the future of dining. What the changes forced on businesses due to COVID-19 caused many restaurants to pivot to offer curbside that has fundamentally changed the dining experience.

"All that did is take fast-casual, and now we're competing with Chick-fil-A. The mom-and-pop-pizzeria-experience is gone."

"Executing on the quality of food that is delivered, that is the niche. That's what's going to be the difference-maker for people who are still going to want the dining out experience. I just think that they're going to have to tweak it and say, I want the food of the dine-out experience, not the actual dining experience."

The NIH mission is science in the pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.

Heather came from a poor family and had a child in her senior year of high school. This was a very challenging time for her as she became the first generation of college student in her family, all with her child. But she did it! She credits this in part to incredible and powerful female mentors.

Getting her break into her current role came when she met her now boss while she was waiting tables at a restaurant. This led to her being offered her current job which has allowed her the ability to travel to many different places and live the life she dreamed about.

Heather shares about how growing up in a large family and how she learned the mentality of "we are all in this together." She is grateful for the lessons and how they serve her today.

Even though she was raised in poverty it did not stop her from having the mindset that she had worth and could do anything that anyone else can. 

Her daughter has several learning disabilities and she speaks transparently about the challenges that they face as a family and the rewards she feels she gets from working at the VA hospital in Durham. Although her field is mostly a male dominate field she shares about what it was like to break into the profession and how rewarding the work is and encourages other women to join her in the field.

Heather and her husband have built a little "speakeasy" in their garage to keep the tradition of date night alive during COVID-19. She shares the story about how she met her husband.

Jenny and Sarah are a bit jealous of her husbands skills as a professional chef.

Scott talks about his approach to business and connection as well as how he received his unique name. He is a micro-influencer for the small business community.

Scott credits much of his success to his talent to listen to people and understand what fuels them. Serving people in this way helps feed his heart and keep him motivated.

Learn more about J. Scott Rutter's background and his favorite networking opportunities around the Triangle.

"You have to know about your ideal client to know which networking event will be best for you." This is an important step to research what networking opportunities will be the most beneficial to you and your business.

Scott shares about his journey as an awakened man, his early relationship with his wife, and how having kids forced him to grow up in the best way possible. He also shared about having a hard time learning to say "no" and how that forced him to grow, his parent's divorce, and alcoholism.

We also discussed the topic of selfless acts - is it possible to perform a selfless act or is Phoebe from Friend's correct in that there is truly no selfless act?

J. Scott Rutter is an insurance agent and talks about how he gives advice to his clients and people who are seeking counsel. This approach fosters brand loyalty. The simple truth is that you need to care about your clients and be passionate about what you do.

Learn about Rockstar connect and how to join this networking movement. https://rockstarconnect.com