In the world of podcasting, a lot of newbie hosts get nervous about their voices and the stories they want to share. In this special holiday episode, Melissa teams up with the amazing Anika Jackson to chat about juggling motherhood, entrepreneurship, and podcasting. Anika shares how she helps podcasters find their true voice, streamline their workflow, and grow their influence—all while cracking us up with some hilarious stories (yes, there’s even a squirrel costume involved!). Scroll down for image 🔥

 

If you’re a mom dreaming of starting a podcast or just need some inspo on how to juggle creativity and family life, this episode is full of practical tips, laughs, and moments you’ll totally relate to!

In this episode, you will hear:

 

• Overcoming the fear of hearing yourself on recordings.

• Tips for creating a quiet recording space (even with little ones around).

• Why quirky and personal stories (like Anika’s Playgirl experience!) can captivate audiences.

• How to align your unique story with your audience's needs.

• Leveraging podcasting communities for guidance and encouragement.

• Practical steps for getting started, staying consistent, and embracing imperfection.

This episode is brought to you by:

 My free anti-burnout 30-day resource for mompreneurs! Momentum usually comes at the cost of burn-out because what it truly takes to build something upfront is more energy and effort than a lot of us have to spare....which is why....I created this planner.

 

This mom-friendly planner links your vision to daily actions, helping you stay focused and energized as you build profitable relationships. Whether you want to find a new job, get new clients, or launch up your ultimate podcast while focusing on mission critical consistent action steps each day...starting with a 30-day timeframe...this action tracker and planner was made with YOU in mind. Set yourself up for a successful year and an even bigger one ahead! It also sees to it that you replenish your energy to prevent burnout. ($97 value, helps avoid a $2,400 trip to the ER from exhaustion).

 https://bit.ly/imagineaplan

Squirrel found in the wild.

 

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About Anika Jackson

Anika Jackson is passionate about creating ecosystems where technology, education, and philanthropy intersect to tackle global challenges. As Philanthropy Manager at the ICL Foundation, she drives community impact initiatives. Anika also teaches at USC's Annenberg School and co-hosts the Mediascape podcast. Her podcast, Your Brand Amplified®, launched in 2020, ranks in the top 1.5% globally on ListenNotes.

Anika serves on the UC Santa Barbara Women in Leadership advisory board and Intuit’s Small Business Council, offering expertise to a variety of organizations. She’s pursuing an MBA at Villanova with a focus on AI/ML and Marketing and is training for Zen Activation certification. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, baking, traveling, and guiding her daughter through her driver’s permit and college tours.

 

Quotes, that can change your perspective:

 

"It's not about you. It's about the message and the connection you're making with the person you're speaking with and the magic that happens when you really connect with a guest or when you are a guest on somebody's podcast. It takes time, but you have to keep practicing. And the more you practice speaking, the more comfortable you get with it, the less you're gonna be concerned about the way you look or the sound of your voice.” - Anika Jackson

 

“Just practice, practice, practice. So even practice with friends, practice with smaller, newer podcasts before you get to ones like you and I have hundreds of episodes. So, and I find that for myself, I even change every hundred episodes or so. I tweak something, the way I ask questions, the way I introduce guests, what I put at the front of further intros. There's no one way to do it. You just have to get comfortable speaking and then you'll find your way and you'll tweak it as you go.” - Anika Jackson

 

“The biggest impediment is just this idea that I have something important to say. I think, it's really really like the worthiness of sharing a message and maybe in the past you weren't heard or you were ignored maybe as a little girl.” - Melissa Llarena

 

"Chances are that one time or that story that you're kind of embarrassed to tell but really shaped who you are is the one that you should lead with on your podcast." - Melissa Llarena

 

SHARE this episode with a friend or fellow mom entrepreneur who’s been thinking about starting a podcast or anyone who could use a little inspiration on balancing creativity with family life. Trust us, you don’t want to miss the laughs, tips, and stories (yes, squirrel costumes included)! Hit that share button and spread the joy!

Supporting Resources:

Website:  https://www.yourbrandamplified.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/amplifywithanika/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmplifywAnika

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifywithanika

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

 

I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

 

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

00:00:00 A: A lot of times we don't like the sound of our voices or we don't like the way we appear on video. But you just get over it because it's not about you. It's about the message and the connection you're making with the person you're speaking with and the magic that happens when you really connect with a guest or when you are a guest on somebody's podcast.

 

00:00:00 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing, so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have re-imagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. 

 

00:00:43 Melissa: Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.

 

00:01:13 Melissa: It is almost Christmas. First of all, I wanted to just wish you Merry, Merry Christmas if you celebrate. This is Melissa, your host. And today's episode is going to be perfect for you. If you've ever had the desire to start your own podcast. We're going to cover how to be a present mom and a professional podcaster. We are also going to cover some things like tech.

 

00:01:39 Melissa: A lot of new podcasters really worry about what sort of microphone to use, what sort of technology is the best. We're also going to go through this idea of maybe not liking the sounds of your voice. I think that stops some incredibly amazing human beings from pushing record. And I don't want it to stop you. And then of course, there's this one big idea that I've heard from so many mom founders in particular, which is what if my story is just not that interesting? And as you might figure, folks that are podcasting are sharing their personal life stories. So I wanted to just share one recent story of mine relative to the holiday season.

 

00:02:23 Melissa: This holiday season, my kids are doing a school play called Willy Wonka Kids, and I decided to volunteer. I volunteered to create from scratch squirrel costumes. I believe it was the second Johnny Depp version of Willy Wonka, where there was this major appearance of a bunch of squirrels, or a scurry of squirrels. And so, of course, I had to get my costume designer hat on, figure out what materials I needed, consult with AI so that I could articulate the actual materials that I was going to request at Joanne's Fabrics and all the like.

 

00:03:07 Melissa: Let's put it this way. I feel like I bit off a bit more than I could chew, but I got it done. I got it done and I will put a picture of said squirrel costumes in the show notes. So here's what I encourage you to do. On your device, wherever you're listening to this episode, you're going to see the opportunity to look at the description. In the description, you're gonna see a couple of things. First, you're gonna see that squirrel outfit, which it is worth the look, that is for sure.

 

00:03:36 Melissa: Second, I wanted to just say before launching into who today's guest is, that this episode is brought to you by something that I also made with my own two hands for you. Here we go. So this episode is brought to you by my free anti-burnout 30 day resource for mompreneurs. It is an action tracker and planner. And here's what makes it totally unlike anything you've ever seen in your life. First of all, it's totally free, so that is a little nuanced. But then second of all, what I know to be true, especially if you're an ambitious human being, is that you're expending more energy out than you are refilling your source of energy. And that is what leads to burnout, especially for moms.

 

00:04:29 Melissa: So back to the squirrel concept, I was very happy with creating two squirrel outfits, but then I realized I had to create 17 by hand. We're talking couture squirrel costumes. And in that moment, if I had to think about how can I adequately refill my cup, that means about 17 massages. I mean, that's how I calculated it, right? As a squirrel would.

 

00:05:01 Melissa: And so in this very amazing action planner and tracker, which you can just grab in the show notes. It's a bit.ly link, so it's bit.ly/imagineaplan. What I do is I give you an opportunity to focus on mission critical tasks over the course of 30 days. And here's what that means. So this can be used for launching a podcast. This can be for building any sort of profitable relationships, maybe it's even networking for a job. It can also be getting new clients if you already have your own business. What I also do is give you an opportunity every single day and I hold you accountable to refilling your cup in an imaginative way. These ideas come from my book, Fertile Imagination, which I wrote. I think it's been two years almost at this point, almost, right? So I want you to really take advantage of this. And here's what I know to be true.

 

00:06:05 Melissa: So this resource, action tracker and planner or the inverse really is something that I will absolutely mark at $97. And that is something that I'm going to wave for podcast listeners today. So you will have an opportunity to go to the show notes, grab it for free and plan out what you intend to do over the course of the next 30 days. This is perfect now as we are almost on the cusp of New Year's, almost 2025. Why not get ahead of the game, feel like you are totally ahead of the game, maybe for once as a mom and plan out your course of action.

 

00:06:46 Melissa: So grab your action planner and tracker today. It is an anti burnout resource for mompreneurs. It is something that you can fill it in using your desktop and absolutely apply to your one beautiful business career, professional life. Subtle hint, you can even use it to track your steps every single day, as in you heading out the door and executing on that one wonderful weight maintenance, weight loss idea.

 

00:07:22 Melissa: Back to today's conversation, we have Anika Jackson. Anika Jackson, she is actually working at the USC's Annenberg School. She shapes the next generation of communicators and utilizes her extensive background in public relations, digital media, and strategic communications as a part-time faculty member for the master's program in Digital Media Management. She's also the co-host for MediaSCape: Insights from Digital Changemakers Podcasts and her Your Brand Amplified Business Podcast, which she launched in 2020 and currently ranks in the top 1.5% globally on ListenNotes.

 

00:08:12 Melissa: You can read more about Anika again in the show notes, same exact place where you might see the YouTube description or you might see the show notes on iTunes or Spotify, wherever you're hearing this conversation. So something that I thought was just really fun about this conversation with Anika is the fact that she is such an interesting storyteller, which is why you saw that coming up clip about her Playgirl time experiences. And that really stood out for me and made me chuckle a lot and I hope it does the same for you so enjoy this conversation.

 

00:08:50 Melissa: If you're watching this on YouTube, please go ahead and subscribe, follow, hit whatever needs to happen digitally and we will absolutely stay connected and you will get instant access to episodes every single Tuesday. Thank you so much for your time and enjoy the conversation and don't forget to grab the action planner and tracker for free, for now, in the show notes before this conversation ends. Thank you so much and Merry Christmas if you celebrate. Happy Hanukkah if that is the season, the timeframe. Happy everything. Happy holidays. May you feel loved, may you feel hopeful and excited about what's next in life. Bye.

 

00:09:36 Melissa: Anika Jackson, I am so thrilled to have you on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. How are you this day?

 

00:09:44 A: Melissa, I am fantastic and I'm so happy to be here. I love speaking to other mom founders.

 

00:09:52 Melissa: Yeah, this is gonna be really cool because, because this is like a meeting of the minds, right? We've been in podcasting for some time. I know my approach has been about, oh, getting the best guests and figuring out how to leverage those relationships. It's a lot of what I do with mom founders. But what is it that you do in terms of helping someone who's like, okay, I know that I have a message to communicate. I wanna launch a podcast. What's my first step? Like, how is it that you go about having that conversation with people?

 

00:10:24 A: I get asked that a lot. How to get started, what equipment do I need, and, or even how do I monetize even though I don't have a podcast yet? So I try to level set with people that it can be really easy to get started, but it's really important to be consistent. So I've built a structure around that based on the tens of thousands of dollars I spent when I thought it was just a hobby and a fun thing to do and then realized it was a business, right? And all of the hours and time and years that I've spent working on other podcasts and then my podcast.

 

00:10:58 A: So I'm like, I don't want other people to have to go through that same experience. So I want them to understand how to set up their brand, their business structure, all of the things that they need to think about. They need to get a trademark. What is their competitive set? What's their market differentiator? All the things that you would do in any business.

 

00:11:16 A: And then get into production so how to be a good guest. If you're going to have a guest podcast, you need to be a guest on other podcasts to understand what's missing, what's great about it, and what you can do to give back to your guests in the best way, right? Set up your SOPs and your policies and procedures and your systems so that from the time you book somebody, you have all the right information. It's a very clear roadmap. You do the interview, editing. And then what you provide your guest with, and then what you also utilize for your website for social media. So how you're using it to promote, right? Because it's no good if you just do an episode and you're not actually marketing it.

 

00:12:01 A: And then, honestly for me, this is such a great networking tool, like yourself. I meet the best people. I have met people I never would have thought I'd have the opportunity to meet. And so, and then a lot of them now we have check-in calls with each other, maybe once a month, once a quarter and we refer business to each other. So it's been an amazing experience.

 

00:12:24 A: And then we get to the organic growth using paid advertising, because I'm a believer in the whole integrated marketing strategy for any business, including the business of podcasting. And then monetization, so I'm on an ad network. I have advertising. I've had sponsors. I've gone to podcast conferences with companies as a brand ambassador to talk about the user experience of using their product for my podcast.

 

00:12:50 A: So I have this, and then my background is in PR marketing, brand strategy, and digital media. So I take all of that, put it together to create a platform where people can feel empowered and understand what it will take to gain success for their podcast, whatever that means to them.

 

00:13:08 Melissa: So here's something that I think is going to be so mom specific. So anyone that's listening, I suspect this is on your mind. So there's a couple of things. So one is having access to a quiet, like you could hear a pin drop full space in order to have an optimal podcast. As a parent, I have three little boys. I have identical twins who are 10 and I have a 13 year old. I am currently in their nicely carpeted bedroom, right? So of course we have the whole sound stuff. However, during the summer seasons or other moments, it's just really hard for me to find a space that's quiet, provided I don't wanna pay those thousands of dollars for that fancy studio that's outside. So let's just crack that nut. How do we solve for that? That's just practical.

 

00:14:11 A: The first thing you mentioned was having good sound, having good equipment. I don't have -- I haven't upgraded my equipment yet. You have fabulous. I have a Blue Yeti mic, which is under a hundred dollars. It's off to the side, but I have it set so that the sound is only coming from me. So my daughter is 16. She's at school. So I try to also bank episodes because I know when her winter breaks are going to be. I know during the summer I want to travel and not be tethered to my laptop and doing interviews and I want to make sure I'm giving her that time.

 

00:14:45 A: So if somebody is doing, for instance, a weekly podcast, do a few episodes in advance. I always recommend that before somebody launches their first episode that they have banked episodes. So for me, my only issue during the day when she's at school is my dogs and if they're barking, making noise. So I'm in my living room right now because it's gotten a little warm here in Southern California, warmer than usual. But normally I'd be in my office space in my garage, which is set up with sound barriers, carpet, all of the different things to help create a little bit better sound quality.

 

00:15:29 Melissa: Okay. So speaking of sound, it's so funny. I had a little ding in the background. So I had my LinkedIn open. Bad Melissa, bad Melissa, you crazy networker. Yeah. I am always networking, but okay. So now we have one way of thinking about podcasting, which is to batch episodes, which means that we have to have a clear idea of like the school calendar. We have to have a clear idea of anything else that might require our attention. And what I'm hearing here is by planning ahead and batching these episodes, we can then be more present moms and present podcasters, which I love.

 

00:16:13 Melissa: Okay, so now the other question that I know is a big one is some people don't like to hear the sound of their voice. Like this is a thing. And it's so funny because I come from that time of answering machines. And I remember hearing the sounds of my voice and it would just be like, not my thing. So I don't know. Like, how do you think about that? Has that ever even been a thought for you or new podcasters out there anyone listening definitely reach out to us if you have questions about your voice. But go ahead, Anika, do you have any thoughts on that?

 

00:16:53 A: I've been a lifelong performer. I did debate, did theater in high school and then a little bit in college. I've always loved public speaking, so I'm weird like that. So I've emceed a lot of things. This is a funny story, but the first one was when I was a club promoter in Chicago and it was Playgirl Magazine's 25th anniversary. And they were going around to cities doing a search for the man of the year, whatever. And they were coming to the club I was working in. And so, the powers that be decided I should be the emcee. So I had to just be able to talk on my feet because sometimes somebody wasn't ready to come out and have questions answered and just ask questions on stage.

 

00:17:44 A: It was definitely probably the most interesting experience I've had, but it was a good lesson on how to be present, how to take a pause when I needed to, to think about my next question, or if I was going to have them do one-armed push-ups or whatever from the stage. And I think that it's really important to realize that a lot of times we don't like the sound of our voices, or we don't like the way we appear on video.

 

00:18:09 A: But you just get over it because it's not about you. It's about the message and the connection you're making with the person you're speaking with and the magic that happens when you really connect with a guest or when you are a guest on somebody's podcast. It takes time, but you have to keep practicing. And the more you practice speaking, the more comfortable you get with it, the less you're gonna be concerned about the way you look or the sound of your voice because that's what I tell PR clients as well. It's not about you. Let's take the ego out of it. You have a message that is different than what somebody else will share, a different perspective. And that's the magic. That's the beauty.

 

00:18:48 A: People want to understand from your lived experience. They wanna hear the good, the bad, how you balance life. If you're a single mom, all the ups and downs that we have. And so if you think about that and think about what is something I can share, whether I believe that people are interested in or not. That's where you kind of forget about the voice, the way you look. Of course you want to look polished. You don't want to come with crazy hair if it's a video podcast, but I think those are the things. Just practice, practice, practice. So even practice with friends, practice with smaller, newer podcasts before you get to ones like you and I have hundreds of episodes.

 

00:19:36 A: And I find that for myself, I even change every hundred episodes or so. I tweak something, the way I ask questions, the way I introduce guests, what I put at the front of further intros. And so it's not, there's no one way to do it. You just have to get comfortable speaking and then you'll find your way and you'll tweak it as you go. And nobody cares if you tweak it.

 

00:20:00 Melissa: No one notices, just saying. This is so true. I think we have this false belief that other people are thinking about us and our nuances as much as we are. And ultimately, the answer is no. Honestly, and I think the next logical question that comes up for me, because you mentioned this idea of a message is the following.

 

00:20:31 Melissa: How is it that someone who's considering putting out a podcast, how can they land on the actual message that they want to share with the world? Because a lot of moms, we're going to have opinions about motherhood as an example. We might have opinions about anything, right? Our businesses, if we have businesses, our careers, et cetera. So we have opinions. Like how is it that we choose maybe the one focal area and do we have to, or can you be broad? What are your thoughts?

 

00:21:09 A: There are a lot of more niche down podcasts. Mine is not. I have two actually, I have one with University of Southern California, where I teach. And that podcast is Insights From Digital Changemakers, right? MediaSCape: Insights From Digital Changemakers. So we talk to people who are of the moment who've maybe had careers but are in the digital space and see what's on the horizon. So that might be a lot of AI people.

 

00:21:35 A: My podcast, I like to have real conversations. It's Your Brand Amplified. So that's my ethos for what I like to do. I like to help people really shine, figure out what their message is, whether they're an entrepreneur, a small business or an individual. And I wanna help propel their message forward. So the best conversations I have are a little bit all over the place. We'll talk about their business. We'll talk about their background, but then we may, if they're comfortable, weave in being a parent, real life stories, because the storytelling is what helps people get really engaged and see you as a person, not just person on a mic, right? And want to engage with you further, follow you on social, follow your podcast.

 

00:22:19 A: So my advice would be if you have a specific niche, skincare, beauty, you can weave that in with being a mom, right? But you can also interview people who are, you can do it a couple of different ways, moms in that industry, or you could say, hey, I wanna interview brands and I'm gonna keep the mom part out of it. I might mention it in my podcast, but I'm not going to hit people over the head with it.

 

00:22:47 A: And I appear on a variety of podcasts. So some are more about business and podcasting or AI or marketing or public relations. Some are about my nonprofit volunteerism and work. Some are about being a mompreneur, a mom founder. And what do we have to do that's a little different probably than other people? How do we balance like you talked about? How do we deal with figuring out where the money's coming from, whether it's from our podcast or other areas of our business and help each other grow and support each other on our journeys.

 

00:23:20 A: So I always take people through a brand visioning, brand blueprints. So what is your purpose? What do you feel like you're really here and called to do? And then you figure out your vision, your mission, your positioning, and that helps you really fine tune. Oh, this is not where I thought I was going, but this is really who I am and to stick true to who I am. This is the kind of content I wanna put out. And then that can help you shape and formulate. And then you do competitive analysis, see what other podcasts are in the space, see what they're doing really well, or what might be missing. And that's when you figure out your sweet spot.

 

00:23:58 Melissa: Yeah. And I think something else to kind of just consider, anyone that's listening, is that you can always change course.

 

00:24:06 A: 100%.

 

00:24:07 Melissa: I mean, I started my podcast, it was called an Interview with Melissa Lorena, and then I changed it to something else, and here we are, Mom Founder Imagination Hub. I think you evolve as a human being, and that's how you show up to the microphone as the most present moment you. So I think there's grace in that. It's not like, oh my goodness, I just picked a topic and that's it. I'm doing that for life. I'll be 70 or 80 still talking about having babies. No. You know what I mean? Although I probably could.

 

00:24:42 Melissa: But at this time, I think people have to just realize it's a podcast which is different than a book, might I add. When I wrote my book, Fertile Imagination, for me, I was so petrified. I was like, oh my goodness, here I am writing these sentences and they will be there forever. They'll live through perpetuity. But with a podcast, it's different. There's more flexibility there. And so my question now, and I got to stop saying my question, but for some reason, that's my thing today. Pardon listeners, if it's becoming over the top.

 

00:25:18 Melissa: But my inquiry, how about that, is the following. So okay, here we go. So here's this person, they're listening, they're driving, and they're saying to themselves, okay, yes, I want to launch a podcast. Now I know that I have to do this analysis and be thoughtful about it. And I know that if I do podcasts, I should thank them because I'm a mom and I don't have quiet space all the time. But I'm really, really just scared and it's beyond the I don't like the sound of my voice. I'm just scared. For no reason in particular. Let's just say that someone is just scared. Period. Any advice there?

 

00:26:01 A: Yeah. It's like any business. As you mentioned, you can pivot. Nobody cares. Many podcasters I know have had multiple podcasts. Mine started out as just interviewing publicists because I had a PR agency. And then I was like, this doesn't really feel exciting and good and I want to expand to actual businesses and brands and learn their best practices. So what I would say is approach it like that.

 

00:26:27 A: And also podcasters are probably the most friendly community I've ever come across. We want to help each other succeed. So it is really easy to find your people in this world and you can go to anybody. And there are a lot of resources online. Podcasters United is a great nonprofit that has a lot of information on how to get started or find a community. I mean, there's so many that I could mention.

 

00:26:51 A: I am starting a community with coaching because I want to help people set up for success and not be scared. I wanna give them, here's the approach that, I'm not gonna give you the exact approach I took because I did this for three years before realizing it was more than a hobby and really got deeper into it.

 

00:27:12 A: But with that, I'm helping give people a structure of here are tools that I use and let me help you walk through them so that you're not scared and feeling you have to go to five different websites or research different things in different ways. I'm gonna shortcut that for you and then build up a community. And I'm also going to help you with hosting, right? Because I have found a platform that will work with me to create a community where I can host everybody for free for the first year, if they go through my coaching system or I can also give them other options if they don't want to do that.

 

00:27:47 Melissa: Yeah, absolutely. And I think for me and what I've heard word on the street is what's scary beyond the, oh my goodness, what are people going to think of my message? Are they going to hate me, etcetera is also just this idea of like technology. And I wanted to just share a super quick story that tells you how ridiculous I was at first.

 

00:28:10 Melissa: When I interviewed James Altucher, I went to his house and I brought my tech stuff. And I also brought with me, by the way, a former podcast guest and a former client as well. So I had a production team because you're going to someone's house that you don't really know. Point of the matter, I basically had no idea where to plug in my thing that I don't even know what it is, but I use the Focusrite tool thingamajig. And so I MacGyvered something in the moment sitting on James Altucher's sofa so that I could get the audio and it worked. And fast forward to today, it was actually plugged into the wrong hole of my device, but it actually worked.

 

00:28:58 Melissa: So all that to say, where there's a will, there's a way and technology definitely is not end all be all. There's other options even like a clunky iPhone or whatever but I think the biggest impediment is just this idea that I have something important to say. I think it's really a worthiness of sharing a message and maybe in the past you weren't heard, you were ignored, maybe as a little girl. And I just want anyone that's listening to this conversation between me and Anika to just imagine to yourself what would be possible if that belief was just pulled out of your head and you really went for it.

 

00:29:50 A: Yeah. Stories are everything and it helps people really understand and realize that they can aspire to do what you do. Because you might, whatever your path was. I got divorced, single mom, spent all my money moving back to California because my family wanted to be there, be here. I had to go on food stamps until I found a new job. So we all have our ups and downs, but by sharing our stories, we help give hope to other people and inspiration. So whatever your story is, you have a message that other people need to hear.

 

00:30:25 Melissa: 100%. So on that wonderful note and I would say I resonate deeply with that idea as far as personally not having grown up with a lot of resources. What I will say to just add a little bit to that is that that tends to make you even more resourceful. Just saying, right? Like if you grew up if you're listening to this and you're like, yeah I was not surrounded by millionaires and billionaires.

 

00:30:54 Melissa: But I'm trying to do something big in my life right now as a mom, the leader of my family. That's like a gift that keeps on giving that I don't think is heard often enough. And it applies if you're trying to launch your own podcast. Like there's definitely inventive, imaginative ways to set yourself up and find that quiet cornering your house or find the guests that you want to bring on your podcast.

 

00: 31:26 Melissa: So, Anika, how can anyone who is hearing you, anyone who's at least intrigued by the Playgirl story, might I add, reach out to you? Because yeah, that was pretty cool.

 

00:31:40 A: Thank you. Honestly, and I hate I'm going to be that person that I'm like, here's this way to reach out to me and this way. My website, yourbrandamplified.com is the easiest way. I do have a link for coaching, but I need to add in the form for people being interested in the podcast program. So I'll make sure that that gets up before this is released. And my email is anika@yourbrand amplified.com. Super easy.

 

00:32:09 A: Always happy to speak to anybody to help you walk through whether it is being a mother, single mother, trying to find your next step, or you're launching a podcast or want to or PR, marketing, brand strategy, digital media, any of those areas, I'm always happy to just have a conversation because that's what, again, that's where we connect and this is what we need in the world. And so I really appreciate being on your platform today.

 

00:32:36 Melissa: Thank you so much. And if anyone is listening, just look at your device and look in the little show notes and you'll see all these links. It'll be so, so easy. But thank you so much for this conversation. And I would love the day when you have a 50-50 of podcast hosts, like 50% men, 50% women as an example, or anything in terms of what's out there. And I mean, I just think it takes bravery, but I think the right messages need that oomph. They need that lift. And so may they be amplified, right? Thank you, Anika.

 

00:33:13 A: Thank you.

 

00:33:14 Melissa: Okay, I'm so grateful for you sticking through and listening to the conversation with Anika and myself. And I hope that you were able to put into action some of her key ideas. What does that mean? So for example, this idea of having a lack of confidence around your voice, it really doesn't matter. We actually want to hear your unique story. It can help someone else.

 

00:33:35 Melissa: Second point, when it comes to technology, it is something that you can so Google and honestly, it's not make or break. It's something that at the beginning, you might want to just explore what works for you from a budget perspective, and then ultimately graduate to the more sophisticated tools and solutions. What I will do is put in the show notes a link to my recommendations in terms of my technology uses, okay? So go ahead to the show notes and you will see that for free.

 

00:34:01 Melissa: Then the third point that I want to just mention here is the following. Chances are that one time or that story that you're kind of embarrassed to tell, but really shaped who you are is the one that you should lead with on your podcast. For me, I mean, I spoke with Anika months now and honestly, that Playgirl moment is what stuck out in my head. She could have mentioned the most glorious experiences that she has had as a part-time faculty member at USC. But that's what stood out for me.

 

00:34:32 Melissa: And I promise you, chances are, if there's something quirky in your history or background, that might be something that you can feel encouraged about sharing. So here's what I would love, love, love to know. Please grab the action planner and tracker, first of all. Second of all, reach out to me. I am very accessible. If you got this in your email, definitely just hit reply. Let me know how they served you.

 

00:34:59 Melissa: Otherwise, share this with one mom. This makes for a perfect holiday present. She will get a chuckle out of it and a lot of value, especially if she is looking to launch her own podcast. Until next Tuesday. Happy, happy holidays.

In this heartfelt podcast, a mom (Melissa Llarena your host and mom of three) shares the raw, beautiful reality of holiday preparation. From a hilarious Target shopping adventure with her three sons to a powerful love letter recognizing the invisible labor of mothers during the holiday season, this episode is a must-listen for every mom navigating the magic and chaos of Christmas.

Key Highlights:

• A unique approach to gift-giving after revealing the truth about Santa
• Comedic tale of shopping with three sons and avoiding potential "holiday shoplifting"
• Intimate look at the emotional and logistical challenges of motherhood during the holidays

What You'll Hear:

• The story behind teaching kids about thoughtful gift-giving
• A moving tribute to moms who create Christmas magic
• Raw, honest moments of holiday preparation and emotional complexity

Memorable Quotes:

• "Jail time for the holidays is not on my Santa wish list"
• "We can all use some encouragement"
• "Dear Santa, you are the magic during Christmas"

Call to Action: Share this episode with a mom who needs to feel seen and appreciated this holiday season.

🚨This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide for Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower for Maximum Impact

This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me a picture of your copy of Fertile Imagination (under the tree by the candles) using this email address melissa [at ]melissallarena.com , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season! Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook

About Fertile Imagination You can be a great mom without giving up, shrinking, or hiding your dreams. There’s flexibility in how you pursue anything – your role, your lifestyle, and your personal and professional goals. The limitations on your dreams are waiting to be shattered. It’s time to see and seize what’s beyond your gaze. Let’s bridge your childhood daydreams with your grown-up realities. Imagine skipping with your kids along any path – you, surpassing your milestones while your kids are reaching theirs. There’s only one superpower versatile enough to stretch your thinking beyond what’s been done before: a Fertile Imagination. It’s like kryptonite for impostor syndrome and feeling stuck when it’s alert!

In Fertile Imagination, you will awaken your sleeping source of creative solutions. If you can wake up a toddler or a groggy middle schooler, then together with the stories in this book – featuring 25 guests from my podcast Unimaginable Wellness, proven tools, and personal anecdotes – we will wake up your former playmate: your imagination!

Advance Praise

“You’ll find reality-based strategies for imagining your own imperfect, fulfilling life in this book!” —MARTHA HENNESSEY, former NH State Senator “Melissa invites the reader into a personal and deep journey about topics that are crucially important to uncover what would make a mom (and dad too) truly happy to work on…even after the kids are in bed.”

—KEN HONDA, best-selling author of Happy Money “This book is a great purchase for moms in every stage of life. Melissa is like a great friend, honest and wise and funny, telling you about her life and asking you to reflect on yours.” —MAUREEN TURNER CAREY, librarian in Austin, TX

Where can you find Melissa Llarena?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissallarena/

Transcript

Around Thanksgiving, I took my three sons to Target with a unique mission: help them pick out gifts for each other.

 

When we'd revealed Santa wasn't real, I proposed a new tradition. "Buy a gift for your brother," I told them, "Think of it like knowing someone has your back."

 

My youngest brought a Nordstrom bag to hide gifts in the basket. My middle child, a Trader Joe's bag. My eldest? Nothing. Just determination.

 

I stood by the cashier, watching them navigate this new territory. What I didn't anticipate was how suspicious they would look - like they were potentially shoplifting in the same aisle, taking turns, eyeing each other's selections.

 

Realizing this could go sideways quickly, I alerted a store worker. "Jail time for the holidays is not on my Santa wish list," I thought to myself.

 

One by one, they bought gifts. One by one, I watched $50 after $50 go to Nintendo. The young cashier - on his first day - had to create separate transactions for each item, hiding them like you'd discreetly handle a maxipad purchase.

 

It's December 17th now. Like you, I've been operating on full steam ahead mode. Ensuring everything arrives on time. Making sure nothing gets discovered. Keeping the house from falling apart - or at least fixing what breaks before the holiday buzz begins.

 

My business and conversations with moms everywhere have made me realize: we can all use some encouragement.

 

I'm not a runner, but I imagine these last school days feel completely out of control. So here's my hope - that you feel a bit of a lift.

 

Here's a letter. To you. To us.

 

Dear Santa,

 

I see you.

 

I see you trying to make this hectic week work. Juggling a million tasks, moving through chaos with purpose.

 

I see you doing the laundry, pre-packing for the holiday trip - meticulously checking what you have, what's missing, calculating what you still need to buy.

 

I see you helping out for the school holiday play. Gathering cardboard, duct taping backings to make designs stand up, secretly hoping nothing falls on your precious children's creation.

 

I see you crying in your car. Thinking about the family you'll see this year, wondering if this might be the last time - yet putting on your brave face to get through the visit.

 

I see you hoping your Christmas cards reach everyone on time. So many people have moved, and keeping up has gotten harder and harder through the years.

 

I see you updating your spreadsheet. Tracking the guest list, planning foods you'll order or make, asking for help, making sure you remember everyone's food restrictions and requirements.

 

I see you frustrated. A leak in the garage you now have to fix. Your dryer blew out - all during this crazy, busy week.

 

I see you trying to remember: PJ day, the winter party, a concert band - all on the same day, for kids at different schools.

 

I see you waiting in long lines alongside other moms, searching for organic lollipops or stumble guys figurines to put into the precise stockings that keep falling off your fireplace mantel.

 

Dear Santa, I see you trying to figure out when you'll get your hair done, or when you'll finally have a moment to breathe. I see that you added this to do on your list and yet you first need to do so many other things that you just might skip what makes you feel good….

 

Dear Santa, you are the magic during Christmas.

 

I see you keeping your magic hidden with your little ones, and navigating a less magical Christmas with your older children.

 

Dear Santa, my hope for you is that you get what you wish for - and never have to clean it, dust it, or find a way to maintain it.

 

May it all work out. May you feel loved. May you feel magic too.

 

My call to action is simple: Send this to a mom who is out there, busily navigating the logistics of being Santa for her family.

 

Give her the gift of recognition. And may you feel its presence too.

Ready for a fresh episode that’s brimming with big dreams, family stories, and some real-life hacks to build a better business without burning out? This week, we’re chatting with Leah Remillet, a mom, entrepreneur, and systems whiz who shares her journey from hustling 24/7 to finding that sweet spot of success and balance. 

 

Leah breaks down how she took a 100-day break (yes, you read that right!) and still came back to a thriving business, totally inspired. Plus, if you’ve ever had genius ideas pop up while you’re in the shower or driving, Leah’s got tips on capturing those “aha!” moments without missing a beat.

 

So, grab a cozy seat or hit play on your next drive – we’re diving into all things systems, sabbaticals, and sustainable success!

In this episode, you will hear:

 

• Allowing yourself space to step back can reignite passion and motivation.

• Transitioning from a “hustle harder” mindset to finding balance by setting boundaries and systems.

• Nurturing creativity without the interference of day-to-day tasks.

• Shifting focus to small, everyday positives can improve both business and personal well-being.

• How small tools like shower notepads and car voice memos are great for capturing fleeting creative thoughts.

• Capturing inspiration right away helps turn ideas into actionable steps.

•  

🚨This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide for Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower for Maximum Impact 

This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me a picture of your copy of Fertile Imagination (under the tree by the candles) using this email address melissa [at ]melissallarena.com , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season! 

Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook  __________________________________________________________________________________

 

About Leah Remillet Leah Remillet is the host of The Balancing Busy Podcast, an international speaker, and the balance strategist. Leah helps women do less but better. Simply put, if you’re a woman with a mission, but you worry that scaling your business means failing at home, then Leah can show you how to spread your message, make an incredible income and do it all in less time! International speaker, podcast host, and systems strategist for time-starved entrepreneurs. Leah has helped thousands of small business owners ditch the overwhelm and start scaling - without sacrificing their home life, health or happiness.

Quotes, that can change your perspective:

 

"I have a notepad in the shower because I'm finally alone, creative juices are flowing, I'm always getting ideas. I can't tell you how many times some new offer concepts, some new experience has been completely flushed out in the shower and I'm writing it on that notepad." - Leah Remillet

 

“Having those systems and just implementing them and putting it in place has saved me because it saves tons and tons of hours. And I'm all about making it as simple as possible to create those systems. So a lot of times I just set up my systems in real time as I'm doing a task.” - Leah Remillet

“Growth time is my time to brainstorm or to watch that training that I've been really curious about or to study some email sequence that I saw somebody do that I thought was really good. Whatever I want to do, that time is there and available to me to just really use my creativity. So that is one very simple way that I actually make sure because one of the problems is when we probably are doing a lot of learning.” - Leah Remillet “Pivoting is a natural part of business and it's imperative if we're going to stay successful and if we're not going to fade into the oblivion, right? So pivoting is going to be part of our businesses. Plus we learn more, we grow more, our passions change.”  - Leah Remillet

 

SHARE this episode and tag a fellow entrepreneur or parent who could use a dose of inspiration and a few tips on finding that elusive work-life harmony. Whether you're scaling your business, juggling family life, or just dreaming of a little more freedom, Leah’s story is proof that it’s possible to do it all without burning out.

Supporting Resources:

Website: https://balancingbusy.com/

Instagram: @leahremillet

 

Sabbatical for the summer or the holidays for that matter?

When things have felt the best has been when I’ve been most intentional.

Finding simple systems for everything!

Go to the gym or spark my creativity or how to pivot and yet have a system or how to capture your ideas in the shower....or on where to double-down......seeking results....

Go to this link to see what a system looks like: Gift.balancingbusy.com

Balance is a feeling

 

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

 

I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

 

This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me your picture (under the tree by the candles) using this email address melissa [at ]melissallarena.com , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season! 

Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook  

About Fertile Imagination 

You can be a great mom without giving up, shrinking, or hiding your dreams. There’s flexibility in how you pursue anything – your role, your lifestyle, and your personal and professional goals. The limitations on your dreams are waiting to be shattered. It’s time to see and seize what’s beyond your gaze. Let’s bridge your childhood daydreams with your grown-up realities. Imagine skipping with your kids along any path – you, surpassing your milestones while your kids are reaching theirs. There’s only one superpower versatile enough to stretch your thinking beyond what’s been done before: a Fertile Imagination. It’s like kryptonite for impostor syndrome and feeling stuck when it’s alert! 

In Fertile Imagination, you will awaken your sleeping source of creative solutions. If you can wake up a toddler or a groggy middle schooler, then together with the stories in this book – featuring 25 guests from my podcast Unimaginable Wellness, proven tools, and personal anecdotes – we will wake up your former playmate: your imagination! 

Advance Praise 

“You’ll find reality-based strategies for imagining your own imperfect, fulfilling life in this book!” —MARTHA HENNESSEY, former NH State Senator 

“Melissa invites the reader into a personal and deep journey about topics that are crucially important to uncover what would make a mom (and dad too) truly happy to work on…even after the kids are in bed.” 

—KEN HONDA, best-selling author of Happy Money 

“This book is a great purchase for moms in every stage of life. Melissa is like a great friend, honest and wise and funny, telling you about her life and asking you to reflect on yours.” —MAUREEN TURNER CAREY, librarian in Austin, TX 

TRANSCRIPT

00:00:00 Leah: I have a notepad in the shower. You can buy it on Amazon. I think it's called, like No More Ideas Down The Drain maybe, but if you literally just put in Shower Notepad on Amazon, it'll come up. There is a notepad in the shower because I'm finally alone, creative juices are flowing, I'm always getting ideas. I can't tell you how many times some new offer concepts, some new experience has, like, been completely flushed out in the shower and I'm writing it on that notepad.

 

 

 

00:00:00 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business. Find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. 

 

 

 

00:00:52 Melissa: Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out. And stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.

 

 

 

00:01:23 Melissa: Leah, I am thrilled to have you on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. How are you today?

 

 

 

00:01:30 Leah: I am excellent and happy to be here. Thanks for having me. 

 

 

 

00:01:33 Melissa: You are so welcome. I am so excited to have a conversation with someone that's like a OG in the online, her own business is a mom space. I feel like I am OG'd out right now. And I feel like you haven't come back from your 100 days of sabbatical are like what I need right now and listeners who have been at it for some time. So there's an intro for you. I need to know everything. I mean, like, what was it like to just, you know, be in the ocean watching, is it your son, like surfing the waves and stuff, and like not having to be out and about online? Like, what was that like? Help us all feel that freedom.

 

 

 

00:02:22 Leah: You got it. Okay, so I'm Leah Remillet and I am a business and success strategist, and where I love to focus is helping women entrepreneurs do less with better results. So that's what I'm, that, that's what it gets down to of what I do. And I've been in business for 16 years. So that is raising babies and a business simultaneously for a long, long time. My kids were not even in elementary school yet. They were like four, three and newborn when I started a business. 

 

 

 

00:02:54 Leah: And, you know, I have worked hard. I've gone through all kinds of phases, you know, times where I was… are sole provider for several, several years, times where I was part, you know, half and half provider. I mean, I've just, I've experienced it all. And I have never let myself take an extended break. I mean, I've gotten on vacation, like, don't get me wrong. Like I've gone on vacation for, you know, 10 days or something like that. But even that, you know, it's just a little bit hard to be fully unplugged. And I feel like I'm actually pretty decent at that. I unplug on the weekends entirely. I absolutely have fully unplugged on a vacation, but nothing like this. 

 

 

 

00:03:35 Leah: So I started playing with this idea at the beginning of the summer of, like what if I just took the whole summer off? I was having a really hard time convincing myself that that was acceptable. All of the fears were coming in, right? Like ideas, like I'm gonna lose all my momentum. I'm gonna lose my rankings. I'm gonna lose, you know, just all of the things. I have my own podcast, Balancing Busy Podcast that you're going to be on. And, you know, there's just, there's all these fears, right? And so I kept just mulling the idea around without actually committing. And then one day I've, you know, been thinking about it for weeks now and I'm thinking about it. I'm sitting down.

 

 

 

 

00:04:14 Leah: And I just thought, well, if I email my podcast producer, then it's just done. And so it actually stayed for a few days. The original draft sounded something like, maybe sorta I'm thinking we could possibly, and then by the time I finally sent it, it was, this is what we're doing. We are doing this. And so I sent the email, and the second that I sent it, I felt giddy. Like I was, like so excited, right?

 

 

 

00:04:44 Leah: And I started out giving myself like, oh, I mean, maybe I'll do it all summer, but maybe I'll just do it, two months. Maybe it'll just be one month. I can decide, I can figure it out. Turns out I loved the break and I fully embraced it for over a hundred days where, I mean, there was a couple of things I had to do. I would say I maybe worked, maybe two hours a week, some weeks never at all, but maybe about that. 

 

 

 

00:05:09 Leah: But yeah, I was checked out and it was incredible. I happened to, our… Well, so two things, big that were happening during our life over this summer is number one, our middle was heading off to college. So I got to spend all this time with her and just like soak up every moment I could be so intentional as we, you know, just enjoyed the summer together and then prepared to send her off to university. 

 

 

 

00:05:35 Leah: And then our youngest who's 16 years old, he is in the world of Competitive  Wake Surfing. So this is actually not surfing on an ocean. It's actually surfing behind a boat, which is different. And he started competing this last year and he made it to the world championships, which were in Geneva. And so we just got back from there a couple of weeks ago. 

 

 

 

00:05:59 Leah: And so I took the entire summer off, really up until getting back from Switzerland and then got back to work. And it's been incredible. A, the break was incredible and I can kind of share about that. But also coming back, I am so inspired, excited. I like that fire is back, which feels so amazing. 

 

00:06:21 Melissa: Oh, my God. So everyone tells me this, but I'm so hesitant. They're just like, Melissa, you have to step away in order to like find it back, right, to get that mojo back. And I'm like, no, no, you know, got to be hardcore. Keep going. So I saw this post, which was like, totally like, oh my goodness, is this serious right now? 

 

 

 

00:06:40 Melissa: This person said, and I don't know if it's true, she has a podcast and she's like, oh yeah, I paused my podcast for a year and I retained my status or whatever in Listen Notes. And I thought to myself, what? I know, I know, right? We gotta be mindful of what we read online. But I just thought to myself, I was like, okay, so here I am trying to figure out what to say every single week.

 

 

00:07:02 Melissa: And here's someone who was like, totally dead to the world for a year and like, retained her spot. Okay. So whether that's true or not, that's for another day. So then here's the question. Okay. So there you are. You're in Geneva, which I love. I love, I have such stories about Lake Geneva. You're in Geneva, maybe you're having that fondue and all that good stuff.

 

 

 

00:07:23 Leah: Oh yes.

 

 

 

00:07:24 Melissa: And you're enjoying life. You're enjoying life. And also like this very specific stage in terms of like your family, your two kids. Right. So let me ask you this question. It just popped up earlier. So I think about growth spurts, right. And our kids. And then I think about the same growth spurts maybe in our businesses, right? I just wonder, like for you, did you ever notice that there was a particular stage maybe when your kids were doing, like, super well and your business was doing really well? And like what mind space were you in? Because I want that. 

 

 

 

00:07:54 Leah: Absolutely. Okay, so first thing I'll say is just to answer that, you know, that Listen Notes that I'll say, I saw my office, but that out there three months of no podcast episodes at all. I did see mine drop barely, but I think it's going to come up really fast. I got how many downloads like back there and above, probably because I've been, everybody wants to know the story and all those things. So there's a little on, you know, just a little glimpse on that. 

 

 

 

00:08:20 Leah: I think of times in my business where it's been especially great. It's always been around when I have been very, very intentional with trying to have both things feel great. And I'm using that word feel, because that's really what balance is, is, it's a feeling, right? Like we feel, like everything in its alignment, everything feels good, everything is some forward motion. 

 

 

 

00:08:50 Leah: And I think about early, the first couple of years didn't feel so good. I'm feeling like, I'm like, I was in that hustle harder mentality where you just keep trying to figure out what else you can give up to work harder in your business. And I'm also the primary caregiver for our three kids who are all super young while my husband's in graduate school, right? And I mean, it didn't feel good. 

 

 

 

00:09:19 Leah: And then I really decided to make some changes. I knew I couldn't sustain what I was doing. I knew I had to find a better way and I got really determined. And I was making great money, like I had hit the six figure mark at that point in those first couple of years, but it was, like at what expense?

 

 

 

00:09:38 Leah: And so I made this decision that I was either going to find a better way or I would walk away from my business, which was scary because I'm the one who paid the mortgage. So it was like, well, I really hope I can figure this out. And I did. And as I figured that out, then I really had this explosion of just growth in all areas. My business continued to grow and make more money, even though my hours were going down.

 

 

 

00:10:03 Leah: Things felt great with my kids. I volunteered in each of their classrooms every single week. Like all the things were there and it just felt so good. And the truth is, is, that life is this ever flowing thing, right? So things go great and then something shows up unexpected and things get a little bit harder for a while, and then you work to bring things to grade and there's this ebb and flow that happens. 

 

 

 

00:10:28 Leah: But if I had to get down to when things have been at their best, what is the common denominator? I guess I would say it's two things. One, being very intentional. Intentional with my time, intentional with my energy, and intentional in my most important relationships. And I'll even put my business in there as one of my relationships, we could say, right? 

 

 

 

00:10:50 Leah: Like very intentional with my time with my kids, with my time with my husband, making sure that we have weekly date night and that we get away once a quarter for a night away and that we get away once a week for just, you know, just us a year and then making sure that we're having lots of great family quality time, one-on-one time with my kids, and in addition, time for my business. 

 

 

 

00:11:12 Leah: Now that might sound like how in the credit do you fit all that in? And that comes down to systems. I am very obsessed with systems. I am constantly looking for how could I automate this, how could I batch this, how could I implement a simple system for this so that I don't have to keep redoing it myself over and over? So those would be some of the things that I did. And then the other thing that I would say is keeping a very strong practice of gratitude, just looking for the good everywhere, writing it down, focusing on it. But that combination every time is when I'm doing my absolute best.

 

 

 

00:11:48 Melissa: Yeah, I would say, you know, the thing that really popped up for me was this idea. So I start out as an example with the system, and then I want to pivot. And so I'm just like, really, you know, kind of not as enthused, right? Cause you work very hard upfront to set up these systems. And the assumption is that your, the intention for your business, well, I don't know. For me, it started out with this one thing. This was in 2011. My whole thing was this, okay, I just had a baby. I started my business with my firstborn on my chest. He, like, did a diaper blowout on my first client, basically.

 

 

 

00:12:26 Melissa: And then I've had two more kids since, but I started out my business because I was like, you know what? I want to keep my tip toe. That was the idea, tip toe in the world of commerce. So I was a coach to marketing executives, but then I had one set of systems for that target audience, right. And then, okay, it's been a long time, but I wrote a book for imagination. And when I wrote the book, my intention was to pivot, talk to moms that are working moms and have their own businesses.

 

 

 

00:12:51 Melissa: And so now the old system, sure, I could copy and paste, edit and update, but because of the cluttered market, the competition right now, I don't have much confidence in systems. So how can you help someone like me and listeners, right? There's a lot of people that they're like, man, it takes a lot of effort to put together a system, you know? So how do I know that it's going to be worthwhile if I myself tend to change my mind or decide that I want to pivot because the market is not favorable for whatever reason. 

 

 

 

00:13:25 Leah: Absolutely, I love this question. Pivoting is a natural part of business and it's imperative if we're going to stay successful and if we're not going to fade into the oblivion, right? So pivoting is going to be part of our businesses. Plus we learn more, we grow more, our passions change. And so it's a natural course that there's a good chance that we are going to eventually pivot into something completely different. 

 

 

 

00:13:50 Leah: I have pivoted multiple times, right? So my very first business was a photography business. I love to joke that I feel like it's the gateway business for like, stay at home moms, and then I got into this creation. I built that business very fast. I just inherently get the business side of things. And so I was like, I need to teach other photographers how to build a six figure photography business like I have.

 

00:14:14 Leah: And so I created this course that was back in 2010. I did that for years. I taught mastermind retreats. I spoke at tons of conventions and conferences. Then in about 2015, I wanted to do this major pivot where I realized I actually want to help all kinds of entrepreneurial women. Because at this point, I've had a brick and mortar. I've had a location-based business. I've had an online business. I've taught and spoke and had events and retreats.

 

 

 

00:14:41 Leah: Like I've done so many different things. I've gotten each one of those to be wildly successful, and I want to show all kinds of entrepreneurial women, especially my heart is to moms, and show them how to do less but better and get those results, right? So then it shifts again. I have this major shift. And then after my sabbatical, I don't know that it's really a shift. It's still helping those women, but what I'm super passionate about right now is building a business without social media. 

 

 

 

00:15:09 Leah: So, implementing everything for your reach and your visibility and being able to do it without having to count on the very, very inconsistent, unreliable social media. And so that's what I'm super excited about. So each time there's pivots, there's gonna be adjustments. So let's talk about in my mind first what I believe a system is. It is just a simple set of steps that allows you to duplicate the same results or the very best results over and over and over. 

 

 

 

00:15:41 Leah: That's all a system is. So one of my simplest systems is that I work out every morning. I don't particularly love exercise. I don't know that I'll ever learn to love exercise, but I do it because I'm supposed to. Right? And so I have a simple system in place, which is that every night before bed, I make sure that my water bottles, filled, that all my workout clothes are out, including the rubber band on the very top. Because if I can't find a rubber band, I can convince myself I can't do the workout that day.

 

 

 

00:16:10 Leah: And they're all just sitting there, right? Like the simplest little system, but it allows me to be successful. Now in our businesses, we're just constantly looking for, where is there something that I have to do all the time? That I'm duplicating all the time? And is there a set of steps I can put in to number one, create a better experience for my customers and myself and my team, and number two, to simplify it for myself. So I don't have to sit there and think through, what am I going to do next, right?

 

 

 

00:16:39 Leah: And so having those systems and just implementing them and putting, in place has saved me because it saves tons and tons of hours. And I'm all about making it as simple as possible to create those systems. So a lot of times I just set up my systems in real time as I'm doing a task. Maybe I open up Loom and I literally am just recording myself doing it to make it really, really easy. 

 

 

 

00:17:06 Leah: Or maybe I'm writing an email and I'm like, gosh, that was a really good one. And I have to send this kind of email all the time. So I open up my auto-signatures and I save it as an auto-signature. So now the next time I have to write that email, I can just drop in the auto-signature, adjust it a little bit to be for somebody else and then go on. Then, of course, there's bigger systems too, like a sales funnel or a customer experience funnel or referral funnel. Right. So there are the bigger ones for sure. 

 

 

 

00:17:36 Leah: But even just starting wherever we can to get those little wins, to get a little bit of time back, that's huge. And then I'll say this, for anyone who's visual like me and you're like, if I could just see this, that would really, really help. They can get a little sneak peek into a couple of my systems and see the behind the scenes. And all they have to do is go to gift, G-I-F-T dot balancingbusy dot com and they can access a few of my systems and just literally see some of the more medium sized ones. I shared some really tiny ones, but some more medium sized ones to really see what it looks like. 

 

 

 

00:18:12 Melissa: I love that. And I think, you know, it's so funny because you say the word system, and then I think to myself, how can we systematize expansive thinking or the use of our imagination? So let's go there to kind of like, you know, take the conversation to the place where I guess it's like, Willy Wonka style, right? So thinking creatively, divergent thinking, coming up with fresh ideas, now having come from your 100-day sabbatical. How have you maybe systematized the act of coming up with great ideas or that creative flow in your business as a business owner or as a mom? 

 

 

 

00:18:51 Leah: So this is going to be, again, one of those very simple systems, but I have it scheduled, in every single week, growth time. Growth time is my time to brainstorm or to watch that training that I've been really curious about or to study some email sequence that I saw somebody do that I thought was really good. Whatever I want to do, that time is there and available to me to just really use my creativity. 

 

 

 

00:19:23 Leah: So that is one very simple way that I actually make sure because one of the [problems is], when we don’t have enough clients, we probably are doing a lot of learning. We're doing a lot of research and studying. So our creative juices are really flowing because we're seeing ideas, it's sparking new ideas. But then when someone gets busy, you don't have time to do all that research, to do all that looking, right? Like those things go away, and then we're surprised that our creativity seems to feel stifled. 

 

 

 

00:19:52 Leah: The easiest way to fix this is to just schedule in a reoccurring date with yourself, that is time to get to learn, grow, be creative, brainstorm, try new things, adjust things, whatever you wanna do with that time. So that would be the first thing that I would suggest. The second thing I would suggest is having a place or multiple places where when an idea does come, it's easy to get it jotted down. 

 

 

 

00:20:20 Leah: So two very funny odd places that I document my creativity is, I have a notepad in the shower. You can buy it on Amazon. I think it's called, like No More Ideas Down The Drain maybe. But if you literally just put in Shower Notepad on Amazon, it'll come up. There is a notepad in the shower because I'm finally alone, creative juices are flowing. I'm always getting ideas. I can't tell you how many times some new offer concepts, some new experience has, like, been completely flushed out in the shower and I'm writing it on that notepad. 

 

 

 

00:20:55 Leah: The other time that I have a tendency to feel more creative is when I'm driving. Why? Because again, I'm not distracted. I'm locked in my car. I don't, I like silence. So a lot of times I'm just sitting with my thoughts and I'll start getting some ideas. So I turn on, voice memo and I just start recording an entire voice memo of all the thoughts I'm thinking.

 

 

 

00:21:16 Leah: And then I text it to myself so that I can then review with all of those ideas in that scheduled time that I have allotted every single week. So there's some really simple systems to put in place to help, make sure that that creativity that there's time for it. 

 

 

 

00:21:32 Melissa: So I love this because first of all, like in the shower waterproof, like I'm just like, okay, yeah, that's a purchase. 

 

 

 

00:21:39 Leah: It's seriously epic. I love it. 

 

 

 

00:21:41 Melissa: Like who thought of that, right? And it was probably thought of in a shower, but you know, I digress. So that's amazing. So, okay. So just to kind of close the conversation. So here you are after those 100 days, you have this idea in terms of supporting, you know, entrepreneurs, you know, growing their business without social media, right? So like, what is the system that you have in place now to get this idea that is inspiring to you out into the world? Like, do you have a system for that? Like, okay, idea to reality?

 

 

 

00:22:15 Leah: I actually do, absolutely. And so yeah, I'll share with you kind of what this is looking like. So I really started flushing out and brainstorming, looking at all my analytics, looking at all my revenue streams, all these different things and being like, where do the clients come from? Where is it all really coming from? 

 

 

 

00:22:33 Leah: And the honest truth is, it's not social media. It never has been. I mean, yes, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely gotten sales off social media, of course, right? But I love tracking things. And when I really look at everything, I know where the bulk of our email traffic come, or not email, website traffic comes from, and it's never even remotely social media, never.

 

 

 

00:22:56 Leah: And I know where my big clients have come from and right, so I really started looking at all this and then flushing out and building out. Well how can I help another business owner do all of these things? And a lot of it, I've already, have in the past but like how could I make it very actionable, easy to implement and not overwhelming, and so I'm flushing it all out but then I came to a realization. 

 

 

 

00:23:18 Leah: Here's the truth. One of the biggest things that I'm a believer in is Pinterest as a marketing strategy. I look at Pinterest as a search engine, not a social media platform. And it is where 97% of my traffic has been coming from directly to my website for years. I mean, I think we're on a solid eight years. And so it's like, oh my gosh, like, I kept spending more time on reels if I'm being totally honest, because that's where everybody says we should be instead of doubling down on this thing that has clearly worked for so, so long. 

 

 

 

00:23:50 Leah: So I obviously in my own business, am doubling down. I have my systems in place for making sure that we're really prioritizing our Pinterest, and then I also wanna figure out how to teach it to others. But I came to this realization, I've had Pinterest in place in my business for I don't know how long, but it is definitely over eight years. I'm a little rusty, right? I haven't set up Pinterest in a very, very long time. I mean, it's all automated and pretty, it just flows now. So I thought, okay, I want to help.

 

 

 

00:24:20 Leah: Business owners do this where I literally get my hands dirty and I'm gonna implement it all for them, which is not something I would normally offer because that's very, very time consuming. But in order to build the DIY version where I can walk entrepreneurs through, here is exactly how to do it. I wanted to make sure that I was in it and I knew all the most recent information. 

 

 

 

00:24:39 Leah: So I decided, okay, this is gonna be the system. The system is I will take a maximum of three entrepreneurs who I will implement it all for them. We're gonna build it out together. I'm gonna figure out their business plan and strategy, their ideal customer, all the things. I'm gonna help write out all the copy and I'm gonna implement it into their businesses while simultaneously building out all the processes so that I can build this more affordable version where people can just do it themselves. 

 

 

 

00:25:10 Leah: And so that is the system that I created for myself. So now it was really amazing. We filled the spots in 48 hours. And so I have the clients that I'm working with where I am helping them implement everything into their businesses, simultaneously documenting, getting it all set up to be able to show someone and then that'll become the membership. 

 

 

 

00:25:33 Leah: So that's the system that I created for being able to actually make this big pivot, or at least the original one. There's gonna be a lot more systems that I start placing in between and throughout everything, but that's kind of the big one of how I'm taking this big idea and actually making it manageable. And that was a reason why I was very, very careful to say, I'm not gonna take more than three. 

 

 

 

00:25:56 Leah: And actually I decided to stop at two because I got the two in the first 48 hours and I was like, okay, I can get that third. Or I can just say, I'm still very, everything I'm about is balancing our home life and our businesses. And I just thought, I know I can keep everything in balance if I have two customers, two of these mastermind clients, plus I'm building the system and everything else. I don't know for sure that I can do it if I have three plus. 

 

 

 

00:26:25 Leah: So I just said, okay, I'm capping it too. I'm excited, I'm gonna work with these two businesses. I love what each of them stand for. I cannot wait to help them grow and then I'm going to build the program simultaneously. So that's kind of a real life version of me making these things happen right now.

 

 

 

00:26:44 Melissa: I love that. And I think, you know, anyone that's listening, I guess, like there's so many lessons here, but one big lesson is that it's about making one decision and then just being comfortable and trusting yourself to then make the next decision. And it might be like the opposite from the first, right? 

 

 

 

00:27:01 Leah: Yeah.

 

 

 

00:27:02 Melissa: And it's like, I mean, we've been in this space for so long at this point that it's kind of like, I mean, I don't have whiplash yet, but you know, kind of on that at that point. But you know, whatever idea you have right now, like it's good enough as is right now to just start getting your feet wet, you know, in the market. And then I think just the other idea is, you know, systematizing creativity. I know for a lot of people that have MBAs like myself and maybe some listeners, we're just like, kind of out of it.

 

 

 

00:27:32 Melissa: But, I love hearing it from your perspective, Leah, because it's more entrepreneurial. It's more like rolling up your sleeves and just like, okay, just document what you do. You know

what I mean? You simplified it for us. And then the other idea is just the whole like stepping away. Like, you know, the world is not gonna implode technically. So give it a go. If you've been at one business challenge for a long time, especially. So where can listeners learn more about you and your systems? I know you shared a little URL earlier, but where can we learn more about you and follow you? 

 

 

 

00:28:07 Leah: Absolutely. Okay. So they're already on their podcast platform getting to listen to your amazing episode. So my suggestion would be to go search Balancing Busy and follow my podcast and you'll hear more stories and examples and ideas all around time management, productivity, doing less but better. Just, but in all areas. So yes, of course in our businesses, but I also love focusing on the family life and all of those places too. And then of course they can go to balancingbusy.com. And if they want to see my systems, they can go to gift.balancingbusy.com

 

 

 

00:28:43 Melissa: Thank you so much.

Reflecting on Success: How to Dream Bigger with Fertile Imagination   In episode 259 of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, host Melissa Llarena reflects on personal growth, sharing a powerful quote by former pro volleyball player Gabby Reece: 'Never let your successes be bigger than your dreams.' She draws from personal anecdotes and her book, 'Fertile Imagination: A Guide for Stretching Every Mom's Superpower for Maximum Impact,' to inspire moms to dream bigger and leverage their imagination. Shop the book this holiday season using this LINK: https://bit.ly/fertilebook   Melissa reads the introduction to her book, highlighting the importance of energy, enthusiasm, and imagination in achieving greater dreams, and encourages listeners to reflect on their past successes and envision even bigger goals for 2025.   00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview 02:17 Reflecting on Success and Effort 05:47 Pursuing Bigger Dreams 09:05 Introduction to 'Fertile Imagination' 10:07 Reading the Book Introduction 15:03 Stages of Rediscovering Imagination 25:06 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Want to be a guest of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast? 

Sign-up HERE to get on the list if you are interested in bringing your story, insights, or wisdom to the podcast. Or, use this link if you prefer (both go to the same place): https://witty-thinker-2643.kit.com/ba49a6d870 – I cannot guarantee that you’ll be a guest however I do refer to this list every quarter to determine who would be a good fit.

Share this episode with one female leader today who wants to dream bigger than her successes and needs to find her own way to gather the energy necessary in 2025 to do exactly this!

About Melissa Llarena

Melissa is a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins). Connect with Melissa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissallarena/

Supporting Resources:

Email Melissa: melissa.llarena [at] gmail.com

Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissallarena/

Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur’s Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87 

Transcript

  Welcome to episode  259 of the mom founder imagination hub. This is your host, Melissa Lorena. So today's episode is really a reflection on a quote, a life update, and a reading of the introduction of my book, fertile imagination. I think as we draw near to the 1st of January in a month, I wanted to just kind of do a little bit of self reflection because I Do not even believe in January one goals and resolutions.

Instead, I believe in making a decision today. Now this moment, even if everything doesn't seem comfy. So I was listening this weekend to a podcast by Gabby Reese, who clearly is very, very like myself. She's over six feet tall. She was a supermodel in her heyday. She's an. Athlete, volleyball pro player, you know, kind of like the opposite of who I was and who I am.

I am like five feet tall, last kid to be picked at the gym for any team sport and athlete and pro is not in my vernacular, but I do like the word vernacular. So I was a bit more of a, um, cerebral entity, I guess you could say.  And when I was listening to her podcast, which is really about, you know, making sure that you're optimizing for your health, when you are either a perimenopausal, menopausal, et cetera, I really grabbed onto a quote that she said, she actually says over and over in her house.

And by the way, her house is not just like Gabby Reese and some random. guy and three girls. No, her house is Gabby Reese, pro volleyball player and layered Hamilton because he is an ultra surfer, extreme athlete himself. And I'm sure probably towering over Gabby Reese. So, all right, let's get to the quote that is constantly articulated in their home. 

Never let your successes be bigger than your dreams. When Gabby Reese shared that, I really swallowed quite hard because I thought to myself, the amount of fricking effort that I have had to put in order to make my successes Come true  have been fricking extraordinary. And you probably feel the same way.

If you are into success, accomplishing, having some source of significance. So in my mind, I. Immediately went to, as an example, pursuing business school. Now I was not, am not, and will never be a quant person. I'm not into like math Excel. I think if you've been around for a little bit on this podcast, you know, that I have a disdain for Microsoft Excel.

Um, but you know, whatever I honor those who use it. The whole point is I think I had like five or six cavities in my business school experience because of the number of granola bars that I was chewing on in order to get through working through all of that quant work in such a competitive environment.

I certainly gained weight because that's what happens when you're just Eating granola bars, but then on top of that, like it was extraordinary of the effort that I had to put forth in order to complete my degree. And I had to complete my degree. I didn't see this as a nice to have, could I stretch it, et cetera, et cetera.

No, I was on a scholarship and like, I needed to fix what I had kind of created, which was this desire and need to fix Feel more fully baked and get my degree. All of that to say, I was like, Holy cow. I didn't have three kids back then. And that was a shit ton of effort. So here's Gabby Reese saying never let your successes be bigger than your dreams. 

Wow.  I literally have my book right next to me and I'm thinking to myself, holy mother of guacamole. It took two years for me to write fertile imagination, a guide for stretching every mom's superpower for maximum impact. I would say that is my more recent success. It took two years and it's so interesting because I started it in Australia while we were there for about three and a half years and finished it here in Austin, Texas.

And I will say that if getting my business school degree, um, resulted in five to six cavities, trust me, my dentist can certainly show you the receipts for that. Then getting my book definitely done as a self. Published author from the beginning to the end that actually led me to the eye doctor, physical therapist, and God knows what else I had to go through in order to fix what I had to do.

Sort of created, which was some issues because I was looking at the screen for way too long at the tail end, trying to finish my book with copy editing, um, being kind of put up against the wall to figure out what needed to get done as soon as possible within a short period of time and in a very unpredictable way.

So, okay. It seems to me that for me personally, I don't know about for yourself and you might want to really give this a thought, but like for you, like think about your very last success, like for real, think about the amount of effort that it took in order for you to accomplish that success. Okay. Take a big, deep breath.

Now, Can you imagine something that is bigger to pursue or to become in 2025? And right now I'm recording this on December two, and I wanted to just be mindful of the fact that I get that January one is that time and we're like, Oh, all of a sudden I never was, but I can actually become this person on January two, but I want you to just.

Think through your prior successes. I really want you to dig deep and really figure out for yourself, what did it take? What sacrifices did you have to make? What is it that you had to say no to in order to say yes to your self and your ambitions? And here's what I know to be true with regards to any success I have had. 

The unfortunate thing is that the world doesn't stop when I, all of a sudden, write down a goal. Instead, the world keeps worlding, for lack of a better word choice, and basically stuff happens in your favor and some stuff happens in a way that makes your goals harder to achieve. And the idea is you have to keep going, no matter what, whether you're in that up or you're in that down.

So now as you consider the fact that your successes have to be, um, smaller than your dreams. Oh my gosh. So. Like where's this extra effort and energy going to come from? Like, that's a question I ask myself all the time because yeah, I'm a morning person this morning. I was singing from West side story. I feel pretty because I was just feeling happy today, but, but I know for a fact, when it comes down to executing on some of my ambitions, like.

It's not glamorous. Like right now I was like, okay, let me create a landing page. Holy cow. Now I have to go onto this platform and relearn it because I did not have a landing page done in some time. And that is where you get some sort of resistance, right? That's where you kind of feel like, ah, crap, this dream doesn't feel so exciting anymore.

Anyway. So I want to leave you with this thought. Because I want this to be brief. So my book, fertile imagination, the entire concept is about figuring out where you are going to find that energy, where you are going to get that life force, where you are going to get that spirit, that enthusiasm, that excitement to actually execute on your dreams, which as Gabby Reese said, should be bigger than your successes.

And it's like, holy cow, maybe Maybe it's just these like, you know, strivers in us that kind of intimidate ourselves. But man, if I have to have more energy than I've had in the past, I feel like I myself need to reread what I wrote in my book, fertile imagination. And so I want to leave you with that. I'm going to go ahead. 

and read to you the introduction of my book, fertile imagination in the show notes, you can absolutely purchase your copy for yourself or a friend. Here's that link in case you're not looking at your device. It's B I T dot L Y. forward slash fertile book and you could go ahead and purchase a copy of fertile imagination right there that'll be in the show notes again it's it's a bitly link so bit.

ly forward slash fertile book  but right now i want to just read this to us i want to read this to us because this is a A really great starting point. If your  dreams have to be bigger than your successes and you're trying to figure out how the heck you're going to get the energy, enthusiasm and motivation to execute on these dreams in 2025.

So here we go. Just think about this, like reading rainbow, but you know, I'm not LeVar. So here we go. Lessons in an imagination superpower from my podcast guests and me. And this is again, just the introduction. So I do invite you to purchase the book fertile imagination. The link will be in the show notes.

It's also on Amazon as well. Whoever thought mom jeans would be in style again, you know, the ones They seem to rise up to your armpits when I see them on young childless girls. I squint to see if I can imagine them looking remotely cool on me. My Puerto Rican ass would fill the entire real estate of their extra long height from crotch to above my navel area.

I'm not yet convinced this will look flattering. Can I pull it off? My waist is small, especially for someone who has three kids. I'm still curious if I could make mom jeans look un mom like.  I just never imagined that moms could set trends for anyone without kids. I have filled the past 11 years with a mental game to see how un mom like and sometimes un Melissa like I can design my life.

I wanted to reframe what I'd seen or been told a mom should do. What about all of the other identities I had before becoming a parent? Was I relegated to burying them along with my, my placenta back in 2011? By the way, that was a powerful placenta. I had identical twins in 2013 and they were sharing one placenta. 

This is the thing.  My  so funny. I go ahead and I decided to skip my  desire to not act like a mom is making for a magnificent life. It's enhanced my family's experiences and expanded what they think is possible too. As I reflect on the crazy things I've done and continue to do, I'm feeling kind of confident that perhaps I can work it in mom jeans, even if it's only in my imagination, seemingly mine has gotten quite.

Fertile, a sense of wonder, access to wisdom, limitless energy, a willingness to dream and a playful spirit culminating in bursts of daily fulfillment. This book, fertile imagination is for moms who want them back. Maybe it's been a while since you felt like you were back. bursting out of your skin with hope and expectancy with your own ambitions.

If this is the case, then I have great news for you. You are in the right place. This book is for moms who refuse to buy into the BS that being a mom means stomping on their personal ambitions, unless they are directly tied to the happiness of their kids. Once you relied on your dreams and big ambitions to feel alive, your dreams may have been your life.

Force. Heck, your dreams may have made you bounce out of bed without an alarm clock. This book is for you. If you feel you have lost the greatest parts of your before kids life,  if this is where you are today, then I want to help you transform from feeling limited by your inherited motherhood scripts, quote unquote, to being excited and thrilled by life.

Imagine feeling as Jack up in a good way for yourself as you do when your least athletic kid scores a goal at soccer one glorious Saturday.  You deserve to feel that wide eyed, hopeful, and tickled hot pink about the possibilities. This is the book I needed when I paired motherhood with entrepreneurship 11 years ago.

I think it's been 13 now. In my case, I was so desperate to hang on. My pre mom dreams and desires that I determinedly set out to discover what I could do, even if that meant bringing my kid squarely attached to my nipple to a prospective client meeting. I'll save that story for later. I'm convinced moms may have just misplaced these things along with their house keys.

Chances are you can find them by retracing your steps. The best way to achieve this is to engage an imagination, your own, the ones around you. Or your kids  in new, unexpected, yet practical ways, ways that fit for us moms, whose minds are full of internal dialogue and need a spark to untangle what matters most.

Since 2011, as a coach to many moms, untangling what matters most has meant helping them decipher decipher what other people expected of them and what they really wanted for themselves. Once this knot is smoothed out. It becomes possible for my clients to focus on best how best to use their distinguishable gifts for maximum impact. 

This clarity inspires my clients to then share their ideas with other people. As I reflected on the specific ways that worked for me, along with the key lessons I tailored into my life, I uncovered my signature method of coaching, both myself and others, my imagination to impact method, which includes three stages into which I've divided this book.

You can follow them sequentially or skip ahead. Let's walk through the three stages to rediscover and fuel your imagination. Quick Pause. The reason why I wanted to read the introduction of my book right now is because when I heard Gabby Reese say that quote, never let your successes be bigger than your dreams.

And I noticed the gap of like, how the heck am I going to get the energy to dream bigger than my prior successes?  This is the first idea I had. I was like, you know what?  I wrote about this in fertile imagination and fertile imagination itself. The book is one of my greatest successes personally, as someone who struggled with writing early on.

So again, I just want to invite you to truly, truly, truly reflect on your successes, but that I want you to feel like you have a tool, your fertile imagination to help you dream Even fricking bigger in 2025. So let's get cracking. Let's get through the three stages that you need to rediscover and feel your fertile imagination, because you know what your fertile imagination is your superpower, dear mama, it absolutely is.

And it's mine as well. And this is a reminder to myself too. So here we go. A fertile imagination can cast a powerful and compelling vision that will drive you to turn it into your reality, even if it's never been imagined as possible for mothers before. It produces fertile ideas whose impact can transcend generations.

This superpower is versatile. It has revitalized flat out tired moms to enable them to tandem nurse twins for one year. Yeah, that was me. It has come up with unexpected strategies that have helped creative entrepreneurs bounce back, and it has helped generate visionary ideas to sustain the pace necessary to lead massive global efforts.

The route to your fertile imagination can be found by First, focusing on ways to reawaken your imagination, which takes building awareness of why it's been missing or more like hibernating along with why it might not want to wake up. If fertile imagination requires a favorable environment to sprout its best ideas, you'll want to set your internal environment in particular  for the greatest benefit.

possible harvest.  Second, once you've revived your original playdate, your fertile imagination, you will want to play with your imagination. You'll have ample opportunities to engage it, it in novel and unexpected ways to uncover what you'd like to experience more of in your life. The key is to plant several seeds in the best environment possible to see which show signs of the greatest growth.

In this case, growth includes feeling positive emotions, including excitement and presence, essentially experiencing what your kids feel when they are playing. You know, what's really interesting as I'm reading this, I'm like, holy cow, this is biblical, A, B, and it's aligned with some frameworks that I am playing with right now. 

Anyways, I digress. The third stage is to stretch your imagination. And here's what I know to be true. So I'm kind of getting outside of this copy, but what I know to be true is that as a mom, you might feel stretched from a mental bandwidth perspective. That is not at all what I'm doing, but I am playing with that concept.

When I say stretch your imagination, what I'm saying here is that kind of like silly putty. Like I want you to really stretch it out and help it almost take new shapes. And the way to do that is by sharing your ideas with other people in that way. You can absolutely reshape whatever idea you might have to make it fit.

Some sort of greater purpose and really help you create a maximum impact. And this is what it takes to stretch your imagination. This takes learning how to creatively gather the support of others so that you can make the biggest possible difference with your ideas. Imagine making a bigger mark on the world than you ever thought possible. 

Let's go back to Gabby Reese's quote. Never let your successes be bigger than your dreams. There are seasons of motherhood.  Amen, sister. You may feel as if you've fallen behind your ambitions during busy ones. This is why it's important to find ways or get tools so you can sprint toward your dreams during the steadier mom life moments.

And I want you to really think that through because  Right now, you know, they, they coined December, Maycember, and it's really busy right now for moms. So this might not be your moment, but maybe when the kids go back to school in 2025, maybe that is the right time. Now your fertile imagination to get back into the introduction has its best shot at impacting future generations.

If you commit to experiencing all three stages to maximize your own impact. You want your kids to achieve greatness on their terms. The best path is to learn how to use your photo imagination to achieve greatness on your terms. First,  want to see what that looks like  within each stage to help you tap into the power of your imagination.

I'm going to share some stories with you. You can expect to hear about my outrageous adventures, the result of unleashing my imagination and going for it. Some are the opposite of anyone's expectations of a mom with three school age boys. I've also included surprising stories from my podcast. I have been producing mom founder imagination hub since 2017.

It's a place where I. I'm going to explore with my guests, a whole range of wellbeing topics aimed at supporting entrepreneurial moms who want to get more out of life. I have interviewed incredible people whose adventures and achievements were enabled by their chutzpah and very fertile imaginations.

I'm going to tell you more about how I started my podcast as you read on, but as expected or as unexpected as it may sound, I believe. I believe us moms can learn a lot about achieving personal fulfillment and happiness from people who are not moms, not from our country of origin, outside of our socioeconomic group and completely unfamiliar with our situation.

I'm never going to suggest that non moms, that non moms get a say on how you should be a mom. My intention behind including non moms is to challenge you to set aside the baggage that came with taking on your mom identity and talk about.  How to go to the edges of what is possible. The idea is for you to get buck naked.

It should be okay for a mom to step away from the expectations of society, culture, and conventional thinking. I want to help you have the best shot at teaching your fullest or reaching your fullest capacity on this planet.  Whew,  we're almost there, my beautiful listeners. Some of my personal accomplishments since becoming a mom were never on my menu of options based on what I was told.

If I'm being honest, which I don't even know why I wrote that because I don't like that phrase. I've done some things that may be found on the kids menu. And that is true. You may never want to emulate some of my podcast guests and become a New York Times bestselling children's illustrator or make the Forbes list of self made female millionaires, but their stories will inspire you if you let them.

I wanted to just add that a thorough imagination is a resource. You will see how others have harnessed its power. As a mom, can't you use all the resources you can get? I can. I have curated these stories because I am able to relate to them. I learned from them. And if you keep an open mind, I promise you will too.

None are telling you how to mother. Instead, you will see a fuller picture of how people are finding their own way. own fulfillment and happiness in their lives. The only tool you'll need is your superpower, your fertile imagination. The permission I'm gifting you is this. Use it to propel you towards your dreams.

You will uncover why as a mom, you should give yourself the permission to use a superpower. You can jump into any chapter that you might need at the moment. So I'm talking about my book and the way that it's organized and how you do not have to read it end to end. This book was written for moms who can appreciate that reading an entire book in one uninterrupted, cozy sitting is as rare as finding two 100 sheet, wide ruled, red covered composition notebooks at Walmart in New York.

A week before school begins. If you're having a I can't go to the bathroom without company kind of day then just read some journal questions to get your engines going. Meditate on them even if you don't have the time to read the chapter. You can also download the imagination warm ups i. e. journal prompts right here fertileideas.

com. The idea is this, just like those crystals you can buy at stores when you look at my chapters see if anyone calls to your attention. Start there. You truly can choose your own adventure. I trust that you will know what you need when you need it and be able to make this wisdom your own. However, if you're a nerd like me, then read it sequentially,  meditate and journal using the questions at the end of each chapter, then take a dive in, then take a dive, implement that chapter's one key idea consistently for one week.

You might be an active reader like me.  Break out the highlighters and stickers make it a thing in my life The ideas in this book lifted me another mom up and they can do the same for you It's time to use your fertile imagination to really make a difference Back to the quote never let your successes be bigger than your dreams.

I am so excited for whatever is going to  Open up for you This upcoming year, I wanted to just have this episode to be about you, your dreams, and really reflecting on your last three greatest successes. Because guess what? That is the bar that you set for yourself, and it's time to jump Higher. Thank you.

So go ahead to the show notes, wherever you're listening to this on this device and go ahead and shop the book, fertile imagination, a guide for stretching every mom's superpower for maximum impact. Thank you so much for my listeners. And again, if you have any questions whatsoever, I'm going to put my email address in the show notes as well. 

If you are open or interested in being a guest on this podcast, I do accept guests. Absolutely. Go ahead to the URL where you'll see an opportunity to add your name to the wait list. And yeah, you are amazing. And Hey, what are you going to dream in 2025? Definitely. Let me know. Again, my email will be in the show notes.

 Are you a people-pleaser who struggles to say “no” without that lingering guilt? Get ready to meet Suzanne Culberg, "The Nope Coach," who’s here to help you set boundaries and reclaim your time with confidence! In this conversation, she dives into her bold journey of starting a podcast and the adventure of recording 100 episodes in 100 days. Spoiler: it’s no easy task!

Suzanne shares her refreshingly honest approach to content creation, recording straight from Zoom without worrying about fancy editing or scripts. If you’re feeling uninspired in your business or struggling with burnout, this episode is a fun reminder to stay authentic, let go of perfection, and bring more “you” into everything you create!

 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The term "business period" to describe cycles of self-doubt and reevaluation in business.

• Setting firm boundaries and saying no without guilt can prevent burnout and focus on their goals.

• How Suzanne’s informal, unscripted approach helped her connect more authentically with her audience.

• The value of experimenting in business without overthinking or perfecting.

• Prioritizing action over perfectionism empowers entrepreneurs to share their ideas and develop essential skills.

 

🚨This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide for Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower for Maximum Impact 

This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me a picture of your copy of Fertile Imagination (under the tree by the candles) using this email address [email protected] , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season! 

Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook  

 

About Suzanne Culberg

Suzanne Culberg is ‘The Nope Coach’ who helps over-givers and people pleasers learn to set boundaries and say 'No' without feeling guilty.

Suzanne is known for her straight-talking and her wacky t-shirts. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and 2 awesome children.

 

Quotes, that can change your perspective:

“First thing I always ask myself is, am I on my business period? You know, it tends to happen about once a month. It's kind of like, oh, are you rethinking your life choices? And it's like, maybe I should just quit and go stack shelves at the supermarket because then at least I can listen to podcasts and get paid for it.” - Suzanne Culberg

 

“But I think there's something about the real and raw nature of like, I'm doing this, yes, in service to my business, but also primarily in service to me, like a space to talk about it.” - Suzanne Culberg

 

“On my podcast, I hit record and that's it. And I went against that for my daughter because she was so uncomfortable and we had to keep restarting and keep restarting. On the fourth restart, I said to her like, this is it, honey. It's this episode or you're not on the show. Like I'm the boundaries queen. I'm gonna do that with my own child.” - Suzanne Culberg

 

“If you're listening to this and you're like, my kids have nothing to do with my business. I don't want their faces on the internet. Like that's totally okay. That's your choice too.”- Suzanne Culberg

SHARE this episode and start setting those boundaries! Learn how to reclaim your time and energy confidently whether you’re facing burnout or just want to bring more authenticity to your work, Suzanne’s journey of recording 100 episodes in 100 days will inspire you to embrace imperfection and stay true to yourself.

 

Supporting Resources:

Website: https://www.suzanneculberg.com/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzanne_culberg/

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanneculberg

Exclusive free offer for listeners of the mom founder imagination hub - Building Boundaries Bundle, Normally $50 AUD free to listeners if you use the coupon code MOMFOUNDER

Link: www.suzanneculberg.com/bbb

Use the code: MOMFOUNDER

 

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me your picture (under the tree by the candles) using this email address melissa [at ]melissallarena.com , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season! 

Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook  

About Fertile Imagination 

You can be a great mom without giving up, shrinking, or hiding your dreams. There’s flexibility in how you pursue anything – your role, your lifestyle, and your personal and professional goals. The limitations on your dreams are waiting to be shattered. It’s time to see and seize what’s beyond your gaze. Let’s bridge your childhood daydreams with your grown-up realities. Imagine skipping with your kids along any path – you, surpassing your milestones while your kids are reaching theirs. There’s only one superpower versatile enough to stretch your thinking beyond what’s been done before: a Fertile Imagination. It’s like kryptonite for impostor syndrome and feeling stuck when it’s alert! 

In Fertile Imagination, you will awaken your sleeping source of creative solutions. If you can wake up a toddler or a groggy middle schooler, then together with the stories in this book – featuring 25 guests from my podcast Unimaginable Wellness, proven tools, and personal anecdotes – we will wake up your former playmate: your imagination! 

Advance Praise 

“You’ll find reality-based strategies for imagining your own imperfect, fulfilling life in this book!” —MARTHA HENNESSEY, former NH State Senator 

“Melissa invites the reader into a personal and deep journey about topics that are crucially important to uncover what would make a mom (and dad too) truly happy to work on…even after the kids are in bed.” 

—KEN HONDA, best-selling author of Happy Money 

“This book is a great purchase for moms in every stage of life. Melissa is like a great friend, honest and wise and funny, telling you about her life and asking you to reflect on yours.” —MAUREEN TURNER CAREY, librarian in Austin, TX 

TRANSCRIPT

00:00:00 Suzanne: I'm just going to start with the frame of when that feeling happens, like that general feeling of blur and what am I doing with my business and whatever. First thing I always ask myself is, am I on my business period? You know, it tends to happen about once a month. It's kind of like, oh, are you rethinking your life choices? And it's like, maybe I should just quit and go stack shelves at the supermarket because then at least I can listen to podcasts and get paid for it. But you know, so it's kind of like, is this a business period type moment or is this a time for, you know, making some changes.

 

00:00:33 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're gonna get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going, and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. 

 

00:00:56 Melissa: Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out. And stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs, who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.

 

00:01:26 Melissa: Hello beautiful listeners and viewers on YouTube as well. It's Melissa Llarena, your host. And I'm so excited because I have been in a little bit of a hiatus, but here we are. The first podcast interview back and live just for you is with Suzanne Culberg. She is in Australia. She is the "Nope Coach," as in no, and she helps over givers and people pleasers learn how to set boundaries and say no without feeling guilty. She's known for her straight talking and her wacky t-shirts. She lives in Sydney with her husband and two awesome children. 

 

00:02:03 Melissa: So in this conversation, what I thought was absolutely amazing and totally relevant to you is she gave me a term to kind of explain how I feel. She said you might be on a business period, as in the menses, as in aunt's flow is in your home, pertaining to your business. And I think you may have felt this way if you have had a business for longer than, I don't even know, three months. I'm pretty sure there have been moments that you have felt kind of cranky and a little bit crappy. And Suzanne absolutely shed some light on really actionable, tangible, and exciting things you can do to get out of your funk.

 

00:02:44 Melissa: Suzanne also shares how she brings her kids into the loop of her business on her podcast. And I love it because one of her kids is able to really work through some anxious feelings by being a podcast guest on Suzanne's podcast. And I think that is a blessing. And I think it is something that we might wanna consider bringing our kids into the loop and helping them work through the nervous energy that is very real if you are speaking publicly.

 

00:03:15 Melissa: The other idea that I love about Suzanne is that she's very much about execution and feeling free to execute on the ideas that she has on her mind, whether it's her podcast, during which time she has had like 100 day, 200 day sort of sprints where she was recording every single day, releasing to the world pretty real-time. But at the same time, she shares the real benefit of putting any creative work out into the world and having your own business. And it's not what you think at all. So enjoy this conversation. 

 

00:03:46 Melissa: This episode is brought to you by my book, Fertile Imagination. So here's the thing, hold on a second. Like this is so in the raw that I'm just gonna like leave the screen and get the book right here. Okay, so Fertile Imagination. My book is something that I would say took, oh, I don't know, two years to write. Let me make sure it gets on the screen because for some reason we've got some in and out sort of there we go. Oh, this is an art right here is an art. So it's a guide for stretching every mom's superpower for maximum impact. You can find it in the show notes. So bit.ly/fertilebook. 

 

00:04:29 Melissa: This book is really meant to inspire a mom. And right now for this holiday season, I have a challenge I need your help with. Here's the challenge. I would love to see photographs of this book under holiday trees or by Hanukkah candles as you see fit, as you celebrate all over the world. If you can buy this book for yourself or a mom who needs to feel like she has what it takes to carve her own path, whether it's as a business owner or as a mom, a mom who maybe was given the script that she did not want to play. She wanted to be her own kind of mom, then I will be so thrilled and I would love to feature all over my social media. 

 

00:05:12 Melissa: So, go ahead to the bitly link, bit.ly/fertilebook. Grab a copy of this book for the holiday season and just take a picture under the holiday tree or by the Hanukkah candles. Send it to me, [email protected]. This is going to be in the show notes. And I will feature it, I will tag you if that is your heart's desire or your favorite mom friend's desire on my social media so that this way you get some love virtually this holiday season. Here's what I want to say about the book.

 

00:05:45 Melissa: So this book, beyond the fact that I wrote the book and I started the whole book in Australia, which is where Suzanne happens to live, and I finished it here in Austin, Texas, beyond that, here's what it is. It is my intention with this book to wake up every mom on the planet who has an ambition on her heart that she cannot yet see herself executing on. Your imagination is not a conversation only geared towards children. 

 

00:06:14 Melissa:  As moms, we have to model what it looks like to actually pay attention to our imagination and feel that we have the resources, the guts, the conviction, whatever it takes to bring that idea to life. It could be a business idea or could be how you intend to mother your children. So it's pretty broad. You could be a working mom, you could be a stay at home mom, you could be a mom who is really at a crossroads and wants to make sure that 2025 knocks her socks off, but doesn't really understand where to start. 

 

00:06:46 Melissa: Where to start? Read the book, Fertile Imagination. So here's what I did with the book.  I actually divided it into three sections. So we're starting with reawakening your imagination, then we're going to play with your imagination, which is really cool because Suzanne in this episode plays with her imagination alongside her kids. You will get it once you listen to this episode. 

 

00:07:05 Melissa: But then, the third one is about stretching your imagination. And I'm doing that right here with you right now, which is asking for help. So if you're listening to me right now or you're watching me on YouTube, the one thing I would love to help get your help on is in purchasing this book using the link in my show notes for a mom who you believe, who you think has what it takes to bring her best ideas to life, whether it's a mom or it's as a business owner or even if she's working for someone else. 

 

00:07:37 Melissa: So, I wanna leave you with that and enjoy the conversation between myself and Suzanne. This is definitely one that's gonna make you chuckle. Pinky promise. 

 

00:07:47 Melissa: Suzanne Culberg, I am so excited. I wanna be in Australia. I wanna be there right now. How are you?

 

00:07:54 Suzanne: I am fabulous. It's a good time of year to be in Australia too. 

 

00:07:58 Melissa: Don't remind me. 

 

00:08:01 Suzanne: Coming into summer, baby. Or as we call it here, sprummer. We don't have spring in Sydney. We go straight to summer. So it's sprummer right now. 

 

00:08:09 Melissa: Sprummer? That sounds like a spritzer, but okay. That's okay. I don't know. I'm just like, oh, I need a drink right now. But okay. So no more joking. This is serious business. We're moms,we are serious, okay. So Suzanne, I have to ask you this question and I'm positive that anyone who has launched a business has felt this way. 

 

00:08:29 Melissa: So today, I was having a moment, right? It wasn't like a tantrum. It was a moment where I was like, okay, 250 episodes out there in the world. What is my next step? And on top of that, how can I get re-excited about this whole process, right? I don't know if I'm on the path to like a thousand episodes in total or what exactly I want to do with this podcast. So this is coming at you from a really raw perspective but I have to hear all about your year of podcasting every single day. I feel like there's some inspiration there and I wanna say yes, I do not wanna say nope. 

 

00:09:17 Suzanne: So, I'm just going to start with the frame of when that feeling happens, like that general feeling of blur and what am I doing with my business and whatever. First thing I always ask myself is, am I on my business period? You know, it tends to happen about once a month. It's kind of like, oh, are you rethinking your life choices? And it's like, maybe I should just quit and go stack shelves at the supermarket because then at least I can listen to podcasts and get paid for it. 

 

00:09:42 Suzanne: But you know, so it's kind of like, is this a business period type moment or is this a time for, you know, making some changes. So for me, the year of podcasting, how it came about is, it wasn't actually my first podcast. So I had another podcast, which was done all the ways that you're supposed to. It had a jingle, had the intro, it had the outro, it had the call to action every episode, it had the show notes. It was like profesh or as professional as Australians get. And I hated it. Like it did well.

 

00:10:17 Suzanne: But I didn't enjoy it. I didn't love it. I don't like editing. I don't like writing show notes. I don't like jingles. I never listened to them. So then one day on a tear, my biz wife, like the person who does all the behind the scenes stuff and I turn up and be like the man at the barbecue and get all the accolades, kind of dared me to do my own solo show. She's like, why don't you just talk about all the things that you like to talk about and, you know, just see what happens. I was like, why not? 

 

00:10:48 Suzanne: So like eight o'clock at night, I hit record in Zoom. I recorded three episodes. They're all quite short. They're still there. They're the first three of the show. And then I made some really lame cover art that has since been updated, but everything else about it is the same. And I put it onto Apple and I went to bed. Like, it took me an hour. Like the first show took me a year. I had a podcast producer. I had all this stuff. It's this other podcast I created in the hour. And I went to bed.

 

00:11:15 Suzanne: And then I thought, we'll see what happens with this. And then when I woke up, I was like, this was a dumb idea. What were you thinking? Like you've got no plan. You've got no show notes. You've got no whatever. Like take that down. So literally had, when I woke up the next morning, had the plan to remove it. But I already had emails like, oh my God, this was the best thing. That's just what I need to hear today. Like, what are you doing with this? And I was like, oh shit, I must be onto something here. Oh, I didn't ask if I can still hear on your show.

 

00:11:42 Suzanne: Anyway. I was like, so from there, I was like, maybe I'm onto something. So I gave myself the goal of doing a hundred days straight of just recording whatever came up for me that day. Sometimes I had guests, sometimes I didn't, but I would just do a hundred days. And that's how that started. When I go to day a hundred, I liked it so much. I was like, why don't I go for 365? And if anyone listening, this is where I think I went wrong because ideally if I had my time again, I would have gone for 200 days because, from 100 to 365 was a big jump.

 

00:12:14 Suzanne: I reached this slump at about like day 180 where I was second guessing what I was doing and similar to how you were saying you're feeling right now. And it was really tough for me to keep going. And then one day I was like, this is dumb. About day 180 something I kind of micro quit. And about four o'clock in the afternoon, somebody sent me an email and they're like, hey, there must be something wrong on your end. Your daily episode hasn't come out yet.

 

00:12:40 Suzanne: I was like, it hasn't come out yet because I'm not doing it anymore, this is really dumb. Anyway, I was really honest and frank with this person and they were like, how will you feel tomorrow if you wake up and you haven't done it? Like who will you be at the end of 365 having done this? And I was like, oh man, that's like a me for me. You know, that's something I would say to my clients or whatever. I needed that in that moment and I still credit that person, Rebecca, if you're listening, you know, for that, because that was the turnaround moment. 

00:13:07 Suzanne: And I think for anything that we do, we can get disheartened. We can get, it's like when you're pregnant, I know, you know, this is the mum show, we're both mums. You know, every day of a month has 30 days except the last month of pregnancy, which has like 1,370 days. But it's just like, is this baby ever gonna come? And sometimes we can feel like that with things that we're doing in our businesses. 

 

00:13:28 Melissa: Yeah, I can't say I enjoyed my pregnancy. But, It was a beautiful pregnancy, but with the twins, I was just desperate at the end for sure. And I think in business too, right? There's some moments like at the end of a marketing campaign. I'm not speaking from experience. Yes, I am. You're just kind of like, I actually just want this to stop. Like, it's like before anybody even comes in, it's kind of like, can I just get paid for the marketing? My God, I did so much, you know, just for that piece of it. 

 

00:14:00 Melissa: So okay. Let me hear this out then. So for anyone that's listening and feels like they're in that place, and so it's like a business period. Fun fact, I actually am on my period, but it's like my biological period. So there could be some sort of coincidence or not in that. But let's see. So you're in your business period. I love where we're going with this. And you're having one of those days and you're just like, this has to stop or someone's gonna stop or something's gotta happen. So, okay.

 

00:14:31 Melissa: Now you're doing the podcast and it's different. There's like a different intention behind like that, you know, 100 episodes every day podcasts. I think the intention matters. So I wanna understand like that first or those first three episodes, was your tone totally different? Like, were you saying things that were coming more from like a raw place? Why do you think people emailed you and actually responded to those first episodes? 

 

00:15:01 Suzanne: That is such a great question. So when I did create it, so I made the three episodes, I published it. I did email my list before I went to bed and said, Hey, I've got a brand new solo show, here's the thing I'd love a review. Cause the thing is people respond really well when you ask them, but so often we don't ask people, we just assume or we just hope, or we just kind of hint. Like in the outro of your show, if you like this, please leave a review, which is, you know, no one even really listens to that part anyway. 

 

00:15:31 Suzanne: But I did say to people, and can you do it now? Like in the first 24 hours, because then Apple will prioritize. And I think when you ask people for something to give people a deadline, because you know, if someone asks you for something and you'll be meaning to, especially a review, people overthink that all, all this, like, I don't want to say something that's not good enough or whatever. So like I basically emailed and said the show's brand new.

 

00:15:53 Suzanne: Can you review it in the next 24 hours because I wanna get ranked. So I think that's another reason that people then gone on a listeners to it straight away. But your question about the energy. And I think it's just because I felt free. Like I didn't have a marketing plan and he's the steps and he's like, cause the thing is as soon as I listened to something, the six steps to that or the seven steps to that, I'm like, so where's the step, now you're gonna try and sell me your stuff. Look, it's written and it's done in a way. 

 

00:16:24 Suzanne: And I'm not saying don't sell because if you're not selling and making money in your business, you don't have a business, you have an expensive hobby. I get that. But I think there's something about the real and raw nature of like, I'm doing this, yes, in service to my business, but also primarily in service to me, like a space to talk about it. And because I didn't have, pillars and I still don't to this day, I'm over 400 episodes in, I don't have pillars or like I need to touch on this point or whatever.

 

00:16:51 Suzanne: So now I have it broken up on YouTube by playlist because I have so many topics, people pleasing boundaries. I even have a whole playlist on scam, questionable business practices, because you know, some of the stuff you see online where they're like selling air really gets my goat. But then at the end, I just, I record it and then I'm like, Oh, which category does this fit into? And then I do it that way rather than having, I'm not saying don't have a business plan, but sometimes it's like, as you said, I'm doing a launch.

 

00:17:18 Suzanne: I need you to touch on this point. I need to send this many emails. I need to have the, and here's the benefits and here's the testimonials. And it's just, I find that so exhausting and so formulaic and so not how my brain works. So I think the flexibility of the show and then, the duration of the episode, I was never married to how long they went for. Like some people I've guessed it on, I've guessed it on nearly 200 podcasts now, a really strict, like it has to go for exactly this amount of time. 

 

00:17:46 Suzanne: And you have to answer these questions, even if the questions don't flow. Like sometimes the topic ends up over here, but no, no, we've got to stick to the thing and if you're a medical doctor doing a patient history, cause you're trying to diagnose something, yes, stick to the formula a hundred percent. If you're doing brain surgery and you're drilling a hole into someone's head. 

 

00:18:04 Suzanne: Yes, please follow procedure. But you know, I think sometimes, you know, podcasts or things with our business, we've lost touch of the more lighthearted nature of why people listen and why they engage. Instead of trying to stick to reaching numbers and stats. And a lot of these stats are vanity stats anyway. 

 

00:18:22 Melissa: That's true. That's true. And they don't look so beautiful sometimes. But you're right, they're vanity stats. I think, you know, it's so interesting that you say that as far as the way that thing could kind of turn in completely different directions. I've got to ask you, so now that 100-day time frame, right? Thinking about that journey. Would you say that you ever went into a direction surprisingly and you're like, yeah, yeah, that's it. That's the sweet spot. That's the topic I really want to talk about. Or maybe like you discovered something about yourself that you were just surprised about, but it wasn't planned. It was just like, here I am back at the mic and oh my God, yeah, I do like talking about this. Did you have one of those moments?

 

00:19:12 Suzanne: Well. Originally, because I don't edit and I still don't to this day, I thought of the topic before I hit record. So I'd be like, this is episode 100, we're gonna talk about your business period. I actually have an episode called your business period. It's not episode 100 or whatever. But once I got out of the 365 days and I was like, I'm still doing the show, but I'm not stuck to a schedule. Now when I record, I just kind of hit record and I start talking. 

 

00:19:40 Suzanne: And then I come up with the topic afterwards as in like, and that's been the real sweet spot for me, cause I might go in thinking today, I'm going to talk about this, but instead of having like, it has to be the idea fully formed beforehand, it kind of, it grows and ebbs and it flows. And then what I do is I listen to the episode back and somewhere along the line, I, or my guests, when I have guests will say something that will be like, oh, that's the title of the episode.

 

00:20:05 Suzanne: So, instead of saying ahead of time, we're gonna talk about how to overcome perfectionism or how to build boundaries or whatever, I get the topic afterwards. So I have a little, like, I don't have no idea. I don't hit record and be like full on, what do you call it? Where you jump onto the stage or improv. Not full improv style, have a bit of an idea, but I don't have like, these are the points or these are the pillars. It's just kind of, it's a lot more fluid. And I love that, because sometimes, especially with guests, we'll start in one area. 

 

00:20:35 Suzanne: And then we'll end up totally over here somewhere and people will be like, Oh, I'm so sorry, I bet. No, no, this was great. Cause it's organic. It's like, you're not going to a play and peddling out the same thing you've said on 500 other shows and everybody's bored, including you. And I think, you know, one line or one tangent. And sometimes people don't like that. Some of the reviews I've got, like someone said to me, I was non-tangential, whatever that means, and I couldn't string a coherent sentence together to save myself and I was just like, awesome. You know, you can hit stop.

 

00:21:07 Melissa: At least you got a really, right? from the top line. It's a number. 

 

00:21:11 Suzanne: Yes. But I just, I just think it's funny. It's kind of like, if you want, here are the three steps and here is this and here is, you know, organized and thought and planned out, there are shows that do that. But not mine. I think so often we try and tell people like it has to be done in this way. And like says who, I love the shows that I listened to as a listener. 

 

00:21:32 Suzanne: Where they update, what's happening with their families? Where have they traveled to? Like obviously not so long that it's just a personal diary, but like I love that little bit of taste of behind the scenes as opposed to here's just another clinical thing that's trying to sell me something that I probably don't even want. 

 

00:21:48 Melissa: Yeah, you know, it's funny. I was thinking about a podcast that I listened to, Story King podcast, and he was interviewing his wife. And he was like, yeah, and we're in a closet in our house because the sound quality is great here. And I don't know that behind the scenes information was so irrelevant to the conversation, but it made it, kind of like endearing. 

 

00:22:14 Melissa: I was like, I could imagine two people in a tiny little closet, you know, making sure that the sound is right and probably sweating bullets too, because maybe you have all this like, curtains and all this jazz to kind of get that room, you know, just right. So, okay. So here we are 100 days and you have two kids, right? 

 

00:22:34 Suzanne: Mm-mmm (agreeing).

00:22:35 Melissa: And so they existed during those 100 days. 

 

00:22:39 Suzanne: Yeah. And they've both been on the show as well. 

00:22:41 Melissa: During that time you had them on the show? 

 

00:22:43 Suzanne: Yeah, I guess both of my kids have guested on my show in the first hundred days and then in they've both been on once more each between day 100 and day 365. So they've done two episodes each and my son is so proud of himself whenever he introduces selfless that does something at school. He's like, yeah, you should choose me. Cause I'm good at public speaking. I've been a podcast guest. 

 

00:23:03 Melissa: How cute. How cute. Okay. So that's interesting. Cause what I like to say is that it's so helpful in terms of mom guilt to like bring our kids into our world of business, right? And it gives you a different purpose. It's like, oh, okay, now my child can learn this skill, learn Canva, or now my child can edit my audio. By the way, my three boys, they've seen my audio and I can't say I'm editing it, but they critique it and they're like, mommy, that sound sucks. 

 

00:23:38 Melissa: But like, you know, whose kids has access to this sort of software and can tinker and learn and explore all these modern tools. So I love that you involve them. So what do you think, what did you get out of those conversations with them on your podcast? And what do you think they got? I hear confidence on one end. 

 

00:23:58 Suzanne: Well. For me, like my daughter is, she has anxiety and she's very introverted. And I have a one-take, no fake policy. Like I hit record and that's it. And I went against that for her because she was so uncomfortable and we had to keep restarting and keep restarting. On the fourth restart, I said to her like, this is it, honey. It's this episode or you're not on the show. Like I'm the boundaries queen. I'm gonna do that with my own child. 

 

00:24:27 Suzanne: And, you know, so it's just kind of like how, what I learned was sometimes how we make, not excuses, exceptions for the people closest to us. And sometimes it has to be like, you know, when they say no friends in business or no family in business, it's got to start, you know, from the top.

 

00:24:42 Suzanne: And, you know, from my son, it's, he's been a lot more involved. There's been a few episodes where he's just appeared. Like we did a Christmas edition that he was in. And then last year on Halloween, cause it was the 31st, he walks past in a Grim Reaper costume. So, you know, it's just how people will roll with it as opposed to, and it's your conscious choice. Like I've chosen to include my children in my business. My podcast is video as well. So they, you know, on the video, they're very much included. If you've chosen, if you're listening to this and you're like, my kids have nothing to do with my business. 

 

00:25:16 Suzanne: I don't want their faces on the internet. Like that's totally okay. That's your choice too. But you get to choose what suits you best, but having my family involved, whether they've been on the actual episodes or when they just knew I was recording, it was really cool. It's like, you know, it's time for mommy to do her episode today. I never had a set time. I just recorded whenever and how much they would like turn down their music or, you know, be quiet or you know, be involved in it and, you know, how many stats did you get or reading the reviews, it became a family thing. 

00:25:45 Suzanne: And this year, as my goal is to grow my YouTube channel, the kids are keeping an eye on how many likes it's reached or subscribers or whatever, or, oh, look at this comment. So, and also too, sometimes the comments aren't favorable. So they're learning that, you know, people on the internet aren't always nice and how you respond to that, whether you leave it there or get to, you know, bless and block, because my attitude is if I wouldn't let them in my house, I'm not letting them in my space. So, I'm being part of all the process. 

 

00:26:11 Melissa: Yeah, I love that because I think, you know, sometimes especially before the era of working from home was as evident, like our kids would just see us like, it's, you know, kind of like the book ends of our day, right? So before we went to work and then after we came back and they would see us going to work, maybe a little bit like, oh, great, I'm going to work. And then you come back home and then it's just like, you know, throwing yourself on the sofa or whatever, but they had no idea like why, why that was, right? 

 

00:26:44 Melissa: Like what was happening in the middle? Like what is this mysterious world of work where you're leaving not so happy, coming back totally exhausted? You know, it doesn't seem that fun to me. And I think with the pandemic and the homeschooling moment we had, especially in Sydney, I remember it was like, what, 160 days or 90 or 190 the second time around.

 

00:27:04 Suzanne: That's crazy. It was the longest continuous lockdown in the world and it was not, not pleasant. Zero stars. Don't recommend. 

 

00:27:11 Melissa: I counted them. I counted every day, but anyway, you know, it was also just an opportunity to kind of have the kids witness like, oh, this is what they're doing, you know? And like, oh, this is what it is. And, just kind of give language around, you know, disappointments and language around like exciting moments, you know, in our business, in our lives and have them see it. So I think that's amazing. And I think that's an opportunity for anyone that's listening to kind of invite your kids into your world as well. So 100 days just to kind of keep going back to that because it sounds so big. 

 

00:27:48 Melissa: Like I'm talking to some people that, for them, one podcast episode is like, oh my God, kill me now, I can't do it. You know, it's this fear thing. And I just spoke to another podcaster who told me that in order for her to get the listeners or the downloads that she wanted, she needed to start doing two episodes every single week is what she was told. And she burnt out from doing two episodes every single week. How did you navigate like or prevent or maybe you experienced burnout during that time of a hundred days every single day podcasting? 

 

00:28:26 Suzanne: Well, I think, like anything, there is so many ways to do it. And when you do it in a specific way. So like I've been podcasting this last couple of years, I've been writing a newsletter since 2017. And when I first wrote my newsletter, it would take me all day. Like I would, write it and then I'd edit it and then I'd rewrite it and then I'd format it and then I'd and like you know I was like why am I treating this like the Mona Lisa I'm sure that took more than a day but you know what I mean it's like it's a newsletter woman. Now I do what's called the Sue special. I use the Pomodoro technique set the alarm for 25 minutes. 

 

00:29:02 Suzanne: I write, I edit, I schedule, I post, I send, I don't care if there's spelling mistakes like I'm not saying I'm trying to write crap but I'm not attached to this is not a published book. And with the podcast, I think sometimes people, if they script it, if they come up with their pillars, if they're like, okay, what am I gonna sell at the end? And how my, what am I gonna say is gonna lead to this? And how am I gonna give value, whatever that means. Cause who do we get to decide what the value is? Cause it might be valuable to us and somebody else might be like, yeah, that's so boring and basic, but we think and overthink plan over plan, edit and over edit. And that takes so much time. And it was interesting to me.

 

00:29:44 Suzanne: I have no next to no social media presence. I gave up Facebook and Instagram in 2024. I do put some reels up from time to time when I feel like it, but my show has grown and I think it's because if you basically ask people, and people like I ask every episode, I'm like, but do you ask or do you just put the outro on that nobody listens to because, I've listened to it the first time and it's the same every time, like genuinely ask people. Who do you know who might benefit? Have you had benefit from this episode? Share it with them. Like genuine outreach, genuine connection. 

 

00:30:18 Suzanne: And also too, not to get so stuck on the numbers, which is a vanity stat. Because I've had episodes where, if you look at the tangible numbers, it didn't have that many downloads. But when people get on a connection call with me or buy something of mine, and I'm like, oh, how did you find me, whatever. And they say the episode, I'm thinking that one tanked. Like from, you know, so sometimes, I think we get caught up, like, do you want to be an influencer? 

 

00:30:44 Suzanne: That's a different business than being like, I'm not an influencer. I'm a business owner. I don't need hundreds of thousands of downloads, but I do have quite a number, but I don't need that many. And how, and what's your capacity? What are you selling? How many is fully booked for you? And also trusting that like a podcast episode has a very long half life.

 

00:31:04 Suzanne: If you put something on Facebook, it's got a half-life of three hours. After that, it's lost in the scroll. But a podcast episode, like I guested for years before I had my own show, people still reach out to me about an episode I did in 2020 in the self-isolation series. They found that four years later. So you might be like, oh, well I put this podcast episode out and nobody listened to it. Like I had a guest on recently. I love her fiercely. And she messaged me and she's like, well, nobody's joined my list yet. I was like, give them a minute. The episode came out yesterday. Like, It's not like social media where it needs to be instant. It can have quite a long shelf life. 

 

00:31:40 Melissa: Yeah, I would agree. I would say, yeah. People are still finding me from things that I've written in 2011, this was, yeah, it works. It works. And I think it's also, you know, as you're putting out the episodes, intention, energy, the fact that you're sincerely consistently and in a different way asking people to take action. So, it doesn't sound like just, you know, rote, memorized kind of sentences. I can see the value there. And so then now I heard that you also involved your kids over the course of 100 days. So, okay. So did you, during those 100 days, feel invigorated at any point about what you were doing. Did you actually? 

 

00:32:31 Suzanne: Oh, the first 100 days was magic. I don't think I had any slumps in that that I remember. As I said, the big slump I know came in about day 180. But I had days where I was like, you know, like we all do. But then I think about how I'd feel afterward. Like, you know, afterward, I feel like, Yes! And sometimes I'm sure if you watch them on YouTube, you can see at the beginning, I kind of like robotic, this is day, whatever. But then. So excited about this topic and then I get into it and then how you feel afterwards. And I think, you know, if you are doing a podcast and afterwards, you're like, now I've got to edit, now I've got to make reels, now I've got to do this. Energetically, that's like B.O. Your potential clients can pick that up. Even if you read the script, even if it's beautiful, if you're not excited by it, they're not going to be either.

 

00:33:19 Melissa: Oh my God. Yeah, I get it. I totally get it. And I've gotten that reaction too, from different listeners. And if you're a listener right now, let me know if this one hits home for you because I think Suzanne's definitely sharing some wisdom for any business owner that is in that, you know, slump or that period, that business period moment. We've got the Advil right here to prevent any cramps, right? We got to stop the cramps and we got to keep on going and find our bliss. So, okay, Suzanne, where can someone, and I don't even know if I finished that question, did I finish that question or am I like leaving you hanging right now? I'm like—

 

00:33:54 Suzanne: No, that's all good. 

00:33:55 Melissa: Okay.

 

00:33:56 Suzanne: I think the point, if you're in the business period, and also too, to that point, sometimes, you know, when you're in a physical period, you're like, you know, it's gonna be over in five days. As you said, have some Advil, get a heat pack, give yourself some chocolate, read a book. Like you don't need to reinvent the universe today, it's still gonna be there tomorrow. And the same with your business. The thing that you've creating, making, like recently I launched something. I'll share this. It flopped! The thing that I launched. I, sold one. I was like, what is wrong with it? This thing was amazing. But if I just focused on that, but what, what you can't control, like I was so laser focused, I wanted to sell this thing. I sold 15 of the other things that are pre-recorded and available on my website. Like people come across, people find you, things grow, you have results. But sometimes we're so laser focused. The podcast needs to bring in income or this, this course needs to sell. And then we're so busy looking at this that we don't notice what's happening over here. And I think, you know, with my original podcast, I was really disappointed cause I did all the right things.

 

00:35:04 Suzanne: And it just didn't do anything for me. And then the thing I did on a tear works, but what about the skills I learned in that first one about how to speak and how to upload and, you know, how to be consistent. So sometimes, you know, they say an overnight success is 20 years in the making because all the things that you learn along the way contribute. 

 

00:35:24 Melissa: Yeah, I agree with you. So Suzanne, where can people find you? Who are you? How can you help them? And the yeah, and you're in Australia, but I'm sure you're global, right?

 

00:35:35 Suzanne: I certainly am. Mostly I work with the US because I work in the morning before my kids wake up. So I'm Suzanne Culberg, the nope coach. I help women set boundaries and say no without feeling guilty or mean. And I do that through online courses and coaching. Best place to find me is my website, suzannecolberg.com. If you're a rebel, you'll see it and go straight to the don't click, which is what I want. (Laughing) And that's the best place to contact me. Yeah, my contact form's fun. I don't do social media. I do have a podcast called The Nope Coach, which is on all the downloadable places and YouTube. And yeah, if you'd like to like me on YouTube or subscribe, that's the word. Amy, my goal is a thousand people. So if you can contribute to that, I would love it very much. 

 

00:36:19 Melissa: Absolutely. I subscribed. It's official. We're like now, like, you know, besties or YouTube besties. So Suzanne.

 

00:36:26 Suzanne: I love it.

 

00:36:27 Melissa: This was sensational. I appreciate you. I love your pineapples in the background for anyone that's watching this in video format. Yeah, this was sensational. I appreciate you. And I hope you keep podcasting a thousand more episodes. 

 

00:36:42 Suzanne: That'd be awesome. Thank you. 

 

00:36:44 Melissa: So, I wanted to just leave you with these thoughts. So with regards to Suzanne, what I want you to really just consider is in your life, where are you stopping yourself from executing your best work? Are you stuck in the nuance of details and the nuance of how this is going to look perfect or who's gonna think what? Are you stuck because your idea doesn't feel good enough? I want you to just take a page out of Suzanne's book and just execute. Forget about the perfection. Forget about the, am I gonna get this right? Am I gonna perfectly tailor this podcast episode or perfectly write my first book draft? Like, You've got to really let go of that sense of I will be judged up front so that you can benefit in learning the skills. And Suzanne shared some of the skills she got out of really podcasting for 100 days consecutively. So, I invite you to just try that one thing. And again, buy my book for a mom that you believe in, whether it's yourself or it's someone else. It's Fertile Imagination, A Guy for Stretching Every Mom's Superpower for Maximum Impact.

 

00:37:54 Melissa: And the link will be in the show notes, wherever it is that you're listening to this. The link is bit.ly/fertilebook. Grab the book today. I want to see it under Christmas trees. I wanna see it next to Hanukkah candles. I want to see it everywhere so I could definitely feature it on social media and give you my love back. Thank you again.

 

 

In this minisode, I explore the fourth pillar of energy management—emotional unburdening—a critical component in reawakening your imagination and maintaining the energy to bring your ideas to life. This concept is one of the key insights from my #1 Amazon bestseller, Fertile Imagination: Every Mom’s Superpower (grab your copy today— https://bit.ly/fertilebook ; it makes for an excellent holiday gift!).

This episode is part of my health scare series, where I share a 30,000-foot view of the four pillars that contribute to your zest for life and the ability to light up like a Christmas tree while getting things done. Today, we’re focusing on emotional well-being and how to release the burdens that drain your energy.

The Four Pillars of Energy

1. Nutrition: How food choices, like avoiding dyes, play a role.
2. Movement: Why something as simple as walking can protect your health.
3. Sleep: The mindfulness behind a restorative night’s rest.
4. Emotional Unburdening: The focus of today’s minisode.

What Are Energy Vampires?

Energy vampires are the mental and emotional suppressions that drain your reserves, such as:

• Suppressing how you really feel at work.
• Suppressing your personal stories and life experiences.
• Suppressing your honest thoughts about people infringing on your boundaries.

These acts of suppression are costly and can leave you depleted, stealing the energy you need to pursue your dreams.

The Solution: Journaling

Journaling is a powerful tool for emotional unburdening. By writing out your thoughts and feelings, you can uncover the reasons behind your emotional suppression and gain clarity on what’s holding you back. This awareness empowers you to reclaim your energy.

Let’s Connect!

We all benefit from hearing each other’s stories. If something in today’s episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Your story could inspire someone else in our community or provide hope to a fellow mom during this holiday season.

Here’s how to share your story:

• Email: melissa [at] melissallarena.com
• LinkedIn: Follow me and send me a private message - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissallarena/

Your voice matters, and your experience could be the message of hope that someone needs right now.

Want to be a guest of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast? 

Sign-up HERE to get on the list if you are interested in bringing your story, insights, or wisdom to the podcast. Or, use this link if you prefer (both go to the same place): https://witty-thinker-2643.kit.com/ba49a6d870 - I cannot guarantee that you'll be a guest however I do refer to this list every quarter to determine who would be a good fit. 

 

Keywords: Female leaders podcast, Mom founder tips, Entrepreneurs who are moms, Health tips for mom entrepreneurs, Managing energy as a mom entrepreneur

 

 

 

Imagine a mom who decided to have her child a bit later in life. She’s built a career, a life she’s proud of, and now, with her child in the picture, her priorities have shifted to focus on being there for the long haul. She’s not just aiming to add years to her life but to feel energized and healthy—able to show up fully for her family and her business, now and for years to come.

But there’s one hurdle that keeps her from living that vision: sleep. Almost every night, she lies awake, thinking about her family’s future, overanalyzing the day, running through endless lists, and planning for what’s next. And despite her best intentions, these sleepless nights leave her feeling drained, worn down, and struggling to keep up with the demands of her day.

Sound familiar? It’s a story that so many of us can relate to—feeling constantly pulled between doing more, being there for everyone, and somehow still running on empty.

In today’s minisode of my podcast, I talk about how this pattern of sleeplessness can become a serious health concern and how one mom fixed this concern real-time by attending one of my free offerings this last summer so that you can too! 

Why am I releasing these minisodes?

Over the last 13 years, I’ve found that my highest-performing clients are those who prioritize their health. They understand that to imagine their best lives or careers, they first need a limitless source of energy—and that energy reserve comes from focusing on four key pillars: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and emotional well-being.

This realization inspired me to create these minisodes, each packed with ideas to support you as a leader, whether in the office or at home. And because I know that taking an honest look at where we stand is easier with someone fearless about accountability, I’m offering you, my podcast listener, a free 30-minute energy audit. There’s no catch, no sales pitch—just a chance to help you assess where you are and how to boost your energy.

Take advantage of this opportunity to see what this podcast can do for you, and let’s work together to support the life you imagine.

Sign-up by 11/15 - https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

In a free, 30-minute Energy Audit session, I’ll help you uncover exactly where you’re losing energy and how small, strategic adjustments in areas like nutrition, exercise, emotions, and sleep can make a meaningful difference.

Imagine how it would feel to:

• Sleep restfully, waking up ready to face the day
• Run your business with focus and clarity
• Be present and energized with your family

This isn’t about a full lifestyle overhaul but about finding sustainable solutions that work for you and your lifestyle.

If you’re ready to understand your unique energy needs and make shifts that last, click here to book your free session  https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

Looking forward to helping you reclaim your energy!

-Melissa Llarena

You might be wondering, “Melissa, how am I supposed to find the energy to reawaken my imagination and then actually bring my ideas to life—for my business, my family, or even just for myself?”

I know the feeling well. It can seem like I’m on one wavelength, while so many moms out there in business are on another. My heart’s wish for you is simple: to wake up each day with renewed energy, excited enough about your vision to leap into action—maybe even brave enough to go live on social media! Imagine a world where your passion for your business sustains and energizes you. That’s been my mission since I wrote Fertile Imagination, yet I know many of you are still searching for the spark, still yearning for a way to get out of bed with fresh ideas and the energy to make them real.

This is why, in this minisode series, I’m stepping away from my usual interview format to focus on the essentials of health. Without good health, there’s nothing I—or anyone else—can say that will magically give you the energy you need to bring your best ideas into the world.

In this bite-sized series, I’m diving into four pillars of health that I discuss in Fertile Imagination, each crucial for reclaiming your energy and sparking your imagination:

1. Nourishing Food: There’s a profound connection between what you eat and how you feel. Nourishing your body with whole, nutrient-dense foods fuels your vitality. When you choose real food over processed options, you’ll find yourself feeling more energized and focused.

2. Energizing Movement: Adding regular movement into your day isn’t just for physical health; it also invigorates your mind and boosts creativity. Even short bursts of activity can enhance your clarity, mood, and energy, empowering you to face challenges with renewed vigor.

3. Restorative Sleep: Quality sleep is non-negotiable for keeping up your energy and mental sharpness. Restorative sleep allows your body and mind to recharge, boosting your productivity and creativity. By prioritizing sleep, you’re setting yourself up for success each day.

4. Emotional Unloading: Managing stress is essential to freeing up energy. Whether it’s through mindfulness, journaling, or a quiet moment to yourself, releasing emotional weight helps you approach your work with clarity and resilience.

In last week’s minisode, I introduced the topic of “Health Scares” and shared a story about Gil, who experienced a career-stopping stroke ten years ago. If you missed it, be sure to catch up. Today, I want to explore the idea of “fake vs. real food.” It’s baffling, really—many of us, myself included, know better but still struggle to make the healthiest choices. Remember, you’re in control of your health, and that’s a message I want to reach your kids, too.

I’m also extending a special invitation to my listeners for a limited-time, free 30-minute Energy Audit Session. During this call, we’ll take a closer look at where you stand in terms of food, movement, sleep, and mental health. Why? Because your health is the foundation of your success. I believe that by sharing my journey with you, I can empower you to prioritize yours.

This energy audit is especially for moms who want to make today their January 1—a fresh start. Let’s build the health foundation that will help you pursue your wealth and happiness with renewed energy. Sign up today: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/

Side note: the ingrediant that I do mention in this minisode is linked to these things so be sure to have a listen especially if you have a ton of Halloween candy around your house.

• Allergic Reactions: Some people experience allergic responses to this additive, especially those with asthma or aspirin sensitivities. Reactions can include hives, itching, and, in rare cases, difficulty breathing.

• Hyperactivity in Children: Studies have shown that this and other artificial food dyes may be associated with increased hyperactivity in children, especially those with ADHD. This has led to calls for its removal from certain products aimed at children.

• Migraines: This additive has been linked to migraines in some individuals. People with a sensitivity to this dye may experience headaches or migraines after consuming foods or drinks containing it.

• Potential Hormonal Disruption: Some research suggests that artificial food dyes, including this one, may interfere with hormone function, although more studies are needed to confirm this effect.

• Digestive Issues: Sensitive individuals might experience digestive symptoms such as bloating, cramps, or nausea after consuming products containing this additive.

Oh to add insult to injury this ingredient requires a warning label if included in food in other parts of the world. Book mark this episode and get educated around this.

Welcome to this urgent minisode – created with one goal: to protect your well-being and help you access the energy you need to bring your boldest dreams to life. This episode is specifically for female leaders and founders in high-pressure roles, who often put their health on the back burner as they push forward in their ambitious careers. Consider this your wake-up call.

In this unedited, real-talk episode, I’ll share two immediately actionable tips designed for the busiest high-powered executive out there. These simple yet powerful strategies will help you avoid burnout, reclaim your energy, and start fueling your imagination to execute on your most ambitious dreams. This isn’t just about self-care; it's about survival, stamina, and success.

Keywords to Get You Tuned In:

• Energy Boost for Female Founders
• Avoiding Burnout in High-Pressure Roles
• Health Tips for Ambitious Women
• How Leaders Can Prioritize Self-Care
• Mental and Physical Health for Female Entrepreneurs
• Finding Energy for Your Big Dreams
• Self-Care Strategies for Busy Women Leaders
• Balancing Leadership and Personal Well-being

Call to Action: Take action now – buy my book Fertile Imagination using this LINK right here for only 16.99 USD, or type: https://bit.ly/fertilebook and as a thank-you for your purchase, you’ll get a chance to join me for a free 30-minute energy audit call. I’m genuinely worried about you, and your health is more important than anything else you’ll do today. If you’re feeling drained, exhausted, or in need of a reset, this is your sign to listen in and make a change. Don’t let another day go by without addressing what truly matters – your health and energy.

Tune in, take care, and let’s make sure you’re equipped to conquer everything you’ve set your sights on.

As a female entrepreneur with a child or children, you’re juggling many roles, but what happens when life throws an unexpected emotional curveball? Whether it’s a breakup, the loss of a loved one, uncertainty, or even receiving tough news about someone close to you, the weight of emotional pain can feel overwhelming. And yet, your business still demands your attention. In this episode, we’re discussing how to balance emotional challenges with the need to keep performing, sharing practical strategies and an inspiring case study of a woman who faced emotional hardship and found a way to keep going.

This is a direct and to the point minisode with precisely the next steps you can take today to feel better tomorrow. This minisode is brought to you by my anti-burnout 30-day productivity resource for mompreneurs! Grab it today before I put it behind a sales wall soon because it THAT's good: https://bit.ly/imagineaplan

Greater context on the resource: let me help you figure out what to do next especially if you just burned yourself to the ground and currently feel stuck or unclear or what to do next. Take my Profitable Relationships Action Tracker and Planner today. It's free and a great mom-friendly planner! It links your vision to daily actions, helping you stay focused and energized as you build profitable relationships. Set yourself up for a successful year and an even bigger one ahead! It also sees to it that you replenish your energy to prevent burnout. ($97 value, helps avoid a $2,400 trip to the ER from exhaustion) - https://bit.ly/imagineaplan

Share this episode with one female founder today who is facing an emotionally tough moment yet has a big meeting or opportunity that she's been working towards and as they say "the show must go on" for her and for the wellness of her family too.

Episodes referred to here include:

https://www.melissallarena.com/unrealistic-expectations-and-the-power-of-word-of-mom-marketing-with-three-wishes-ceo-margaret-wishingrad-episode-181/?

About Melissa Llarena

Melissa is a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins). Connect with Melissa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissallarena/