It’s my birthday and I’m celebrating by sharing a big announcement about the next chapter of my life! It’s time to say goodbye to Lake Tahoe (at least for now) to travel and go all-in on my UGC creation journey. And while leaving a place I love is really scary, there are so many inspiring women out there who didn’t discover their passion until later in life, so I’m choosing to trust that I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be.

Follow along with the show, or ask me questions about today’s episode at: Instagram (@notonormalpod)

If you like reading (a lot) and you like socializing (a little) then Silent Book Club was made for you! Now, what is Silent Book Club you might ask? It’s basically what it sounds like! It’s a chance to gather at a cool spot in your city and silently read a book of your choice amongst other book lovers. There’s no pressure to talk about what you’re reading or keep up with the pace of the other people in the group. It’s just a place to relax and connect with others at your own comfort level.

On today’s episode with Laura Gluhanich, one of the founders of Silent Book Club, we talk about how this idea grew from two friends reading at a bar together in San Francisco to a global community of more than 900 chapters on 6 continents! We also talk about following a passion project outside of your 9-5, how to cooperate on a big idea like this with a friend, and how to empower the early adopters of your mission to help spread the word.

Follow Silent Book Club on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/silentbookclub/?hl=en)
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It might seem like everyone has an online course these days, and honestly, I think that’s a good thing! It can save so much time and stress being able to learn from someone who has already achieved the goal you’re chasing.

However, not all coaching programs are created equally, so this episode is going to walk you through the seven questions you should ask yourself before deciding to work with an online coach to make sure that it is going to be worth your time (and money)!

Follow along with the show, or ask me questions about today’s episode at: Instagram (@notonormalpod)

If you want to make money by creating content but you don’t love the idea of pitching products to your followers or you have a small audience, then UGC is your ticket to money and time freedom!

Unlike influencer marketing, UGC (user generated content) is a way for people to get paid to create authentic content for brands to post on social media, and the brands in turn are able to build more trust and engagement with their followers. Win-win!

Oh, and did I mention that UGC even applies in the travel niche and can lead to things like free hotel & Airbnb stays, and paid trips with tourism boards??

I’ve spent the past 3 months learning about UGC and how to incorporate it into my own life. I’m so excited to have my coach, Maddy Garrett, on the show today to share why UGC is such an awesome way to earn money, how to get started with it, and how to tackle the limiting beliefs you have surrounding your own success and potential.

Follow today’s guest on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/maddyoutdoors.coach/?hl=en)

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In this month’s minisode, I’m covering stories about people finding purpose and happiness later in life, and what we can learn from people with more lived experience than ourselves.Today’s stories include:

• A restaurant kitchen run by a rotating cast of grandmothers from around the world
• Long-time best friends who built a tiny home community to live near eachother
• Advice from 14 people who have lived for more than 100 years on how to live a happy and healthy life

If you have a story you want me to cover, DM me on Instagram (Instagram (@notonormalpod) ) or email me: [email protected]Links from today’s episode:

• https://www.today.com/food/restaurants/grandmothers-restaurant-enoteca-maria-staten-island-rcna73999
• https://mypositiveoutlooks.com/best-friends-build-tiny-town-to-grow-old-together/#google_vignette
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/02/02/100-year-old-advice-life-centenarians/

If you grew up watching Gilmore Girls, or if you tune in to Hallmark movies around Christmas time, you’re very familiar with the romanticized jobs like “innkeeper” or “bookshop owner.” And maybe you’ve even seen those jobs and thought “man, I wish I could spend my days like that!”

Well, in today’s episode I’m talking with Caroline Cardamone, known as Inn Keeper Caroline on social meda, about what it’s really like to be a 25-year old innkeeper in a tourist town, how the job differs from the fictional portrayals, and why she thinks so many people online have connected to her day in the life of an innkeeper videos.

If you’ve ever dreamed of quitting your stressful job in exchange for a calm life working in a beautiful b&b, then today’s conversation is for you.

Follow today’s guest on Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/innkeepercaroline)

Stay up to date with No To Normal on Instagram. (Instagram (@notonormalpod))

Before I started this podcast, before I moved to Lake Tahoe, before I did Instagram coaching, I got the crazy idea in my head to buy a mini school bus and convert into a mobile gift shop.

In today’s episode I’m answering the biggest questions about running a mobile shop including how I converted the bus, where I parked the bus, where I found inventory, and the biggest lessons I learned from having this little business.

If you dream of getting into retail but you don’t want to make the big investment of renting a brick-and-mortar location, then a mobile business might just be the perfect solution for you!

Follow along with the show, or ask me questions about today’s episode at: Instagram (@notonormalpod)

Today, we’re talking about one of my very favorite topics…. School busses!

Specifically, we’re talking about converting school busses into mobile retail shops. This is something I have a little experience with, but today is not about me, it’s about Sara Bartlett, owner of Canyon Couture. Not only did Sara convert a school bus into a super cute boutique, but she actually lived on the bus for a period of time, and makes a lot of the inventory herself by up-cycling vintage and thrifted items!

In today’s episode, we talk about how Sara renovated the bus by herself, what it’s like to drive your home to work every day, and how to prevent burnout when you start relying on your passion project to bring you income.

Follow Canyon Couture on Instagram. Instagram (@canyoncouture) )

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This week I’m trying out a brand new idea for the show by sharing my favorite headlines about “not so normal” stories that I haven’t been able to cover in my full guest episodes! Today’s stories include:

• A women’s sports bar that brought in $1M in 8 months
• The reason that January is actually an awful time to start new goals
• And the delightful UK-based series that highlights people living in houseboats full-time

If you have a story you want me to cover, DM me on Instagram (Instagram (@notonormalpod) ) or email me: [email protected]

Imagine going through your entire life knowing exactly what you want to do when you grow up and spending all of your time actively working toward that goal, just to have it taken from you with almost no-notice. And then imagine it’s all happening right before the world basically shuts down from a global pandemic. How would you handle that? And how would you go about finding a new purpose?

That’s what happened to Lauren Bean, founder of Unfinished Apparel. In this episode, Lauren shares how some really tough times led her to turn her little embroidery hobby into a mission-driven clothing brand that aims to improve the experience of psychiatric treatment by providing comfortable and dignified clothing for patients. Lauren shares the downsides of traditional paper scrubs, the amazing impact of clothing on the healing process, how she’s destigmatizing mental health on social media, and how she found the courage to solve a problem that was bigger than she initially understood.

Follow the Unfinished Apparel on Instagram. (Instagram (@unfinished.apparel) ) Stay up to date with No To Normal on Instagram. (Instagram (@notonormalpod))