During this episode of Chat with Crystal, Crystal chats with Johanna from Finland.

Johanna starts the call by asking, “Is it possible to just be an author without having a company?”

Johanna shares that she’s written and self-published three books but is a “very bad salesperson” and says she loves writing but doesn’t know how to sell the books. At the same time, she ran a company for ten years, but is in a different stage of her life, having since gotten married, had a child, and is now in her 40s, in her perimenopause and wants to minimize stress and enjoy this next phase of life, while also ensuring her child is old enough for her to have more time for herself. But, she feels conflicted because she has a big vision, message, and dreams that she believes will help the world.

This is a conversation about women in business, publishing, menopause (and perimenopause), hormones, and more!

In honor of International Women's Day, for the first time, we opened up our private conference lines for another hour of Chat with Crystal this month! This is a chance for more women to get 1-on-1 coaching with Crystal, free of charge and anonymously. Yay!

During this episode, Crystal first chats with Joscelyn, who shares that as a coach-in-training, she's having trouble remembering her "why," and is experiencing some limiting beliefs that are causing her to self-sabotage. Some of these beliefs include, who am I to be a coach? Who would I work with? Who would my client be? While at the same time, Joscelyn also shares that she's at a stage in her life where she doesn't want to feel that she owes anyone anything. She'd love to be able to create a career on her terms, like a coaching biz. Joscelyn also shares that she's always been introverted and that the sisterhood and community within the school have been so significant for her, as she's been emotionally hurt by female friends over the years that she's never really been able to recover from fully. She also shares that she often worries about her adult daughter, whose partner Joscelyn believes is a narcissist, and wishes she could have done a better job in some ways while raising her to help her see her worth. Crystal helps Joscelyn see things in both her career and coach training and the situation with her daughter through different and more empowered lenses.

Danielle then joins the call and shares that she has big dreams and feels she's not reaching her full potential, which frustrates her. Between her and her partner and their blended family, they have a lot of children to care for, which they love, but she's often so busy taking care of everyone else. There are also some financial limitations and situations that could be better for Danielle. As a natural comedian, she says that she secretly loves making funny TikTok videos to make light of things. However, she feels a little nervous and "cringey," sharing them with the world. Crystal and Danielle talk about taking the first step toward her bigger dreams and how small steps of courage lead to giant strides.

On this episode, Crystal kicks it off by sharing some of her own experiences since our last Chat with Crystal episode, including how she was able to “release” 40 lbs during our hiatus. Although it feels incredible, it’s really not about the weight. Crystal shares how enforcing more boundaries, speaking her truth, and inviting more “temperance” into her life (her “word” of the year) has made such a massive impact.

Our first caller is Amy. Having chatted with Crystal before over one-on-one coaching, Amy shares how although she’s gotten everything “ready to go” for an upcoming project she’s launching at her already established and super cool business; she’s finding herself stuck in fear and unable to execute it and share it with her world (and her already “warm” list), in fear of being judged. Crystal helps Amy identify where she’s feeling this fear in her body, work through it, and help reframe things in a more accurate and Self-loving way. As we always teach in Empowerment Coaching: emotions first, strategy second.

Sonia joins the last bit of the call. She expresses that she’s having a bit of a rough time after her daughter shared with her that she was sexually assaulted as a 7-year-old little girl by another boy her age. Sonia says she’s having trouble understanding it and figuring out the best way to support her. Crystal discusses Active Listening versus Reflective Listening and how Sonia can make space for her daughter to ensure she feels heard and validated.

On this month's Chat with Crystal, Sarah joins the call.

Sarah shares that she feels she's been struggling for a long time. She says she feels 'stuck in a rut' and knows she needs to push forward with her own business and get financially secure but feels the lack of motivation in her personal life has taken over.

After chatting further, Crystal tells Sarah that she thinks there's something deeper happening, and rather than directly talking about Sarah's messaging and her business, she wants to help figure out what the block is in Sarah's life that's keeping her stuck.

Together, Crystal takes Sarah through a body scan exercise to understand where she's feeling resistance in her body and help her open up her heart to be vulnerable. After doing so, Sarah shares that she knows what the thing in her life is that keeps her stuck — her abusive marriage. Together, they work through some fears and obstacles that Sarah has around leaving to help solution them and make them seem not as scary, as well as some small action steps to help Sarah put boundaries in place.

On this month's Chat with Crystal episode, Jenn joins the call. Jenn shares that she's been a student at S.W.A.T. for the last ten years in the original Master Empowerment Coach Certification (MECC), and in that time, she feels like she's taken more time than she "should have" to complete the program and get clarity on her business. However, Jenn's now at the end of her MECC studies getting ready to graduate and is ready to put herself out there. Still, she is having a bit of a disconnect with her current business that she'd love to marry with her Empowerment Coaching business. Crystal asks Jenn if she could wave a magic wand and do anything; what would she do? Jenn shares that she's doing a lot of it now. As a dog trainer, teacher, and coach for the last 20 years, she knows how so often with her clients, when a dog comes in with a behavioral issue, it almost always has to do with the owner. Our dogs often mirror us back, and usually, both the owner and the dog need coaching. Crystal reassures Jenn that this is a brilliant and niche business idea and shares some tips with Jenn to get her going on the right track.

Ellen then joins the call and shares that as a student in the brand-new MECC program, there's an assignment she's gotten stuck on, one about triggers. Crystal and Ellen walk through the assignment together, and Crystal asks Ellen (as per the assignment) to think about a person in her life that triggers her and what it is about this person that does so. Ellen shares that this specific woman in her life that triggers her can be a b*tch — that she is a know-it-all, master of all, judgemental, patronizing, and condescending, and that she makes Ellen feel insignificant. Crystal asks Ellen to think back to a person in her life growing up that treated her the same way or a time when she decided that behaving in that way was not who she wanted to be. Ellen shares that it was her older sister. Crystal leads Ellen through a trigger exercise to find her own buried 'bitch,' and help her heal this trigger.

On this month’s Chat with Crystal episode, Nicole joins the call.

Nicole shares that she’s been in a 7-year-long custody battle from hell with her ex over their daughter. Living with autism, Nicole is a brilliant and educated software engineer and expresses the impact this custody battle has had on her life and the injustices she’s endured by the courts because of her disability. Now living in an RV, desperate to get custody of her daughter, Nicole is looking for a discrimination advocacy contingency lawyer who can assist her. Listen as Crystal talks through the details with Nicole to see if there’s a way we can support her in staying in her most empowered energy while going through this journey.

Angelika also briefly joins the call to share that she too has an ex-partner who makes things difficult for her and her young child. She also shares that she’s been struggling day-to-day to stay in her Woman Energy. Crystal shares some advice with Angelika on how she can stay feeling empowered while reminding her that we are human.

On this month's Chat with Crystal, Ginny calls in.

Ginny shares that she always thought she was confident for most of her life, but lately, she's been catching herself in self-doubt.

She says that she listens back to things she says at work and thinks to herself, "shut up, Ginny!" When Crystal asks what she means, Ginny explains that she is in constant people-pleasing mode, always apologizing when she doesn't need to and over-thanking people for every little thing. She wants to be her most empowered self but feels like this people-pleasing energy is holding her back. Ginny also explains that she quit drinking months ago, which has made her feel great, but since then, she started noticing these behaviours. She acknowledges that drinking was definitely part of her confident 'mask' that got her through many situations in life. Crystal works with Ginny to identify her two parts, or archetypes, that are coming to the surface -- little 8-year old 'Sarah' and 'Ginger' — her teenage 'addict' daughter energy. This call is filled with so many gems! Be sure to tune in.

On this month's episode, Elka calls in.

She shares that although she's trying her best to stay high vibing, she feels discouraged. After chatting with Elka more, Crystal learns that apart from being in the healing and wellness industry for 30+ years, Elka is now a part of a network marketing company that sells essential oils. Elka also has an expertise in oils that she carries from her 30+ year-long career. She says she keeps trying to share her business and connect with clients but is having trouble getting them to sign up. Elka also shares that she's been doing this business for a few years. Crystal asks Elka why she's continued to ''do the business'' if she finds it difficult and isn't feeling successful with it. As they chat, Crystal asks Elka to dive deep into her ''why.'' Initially, Elka shares that she wants to help people feel good and be happy, essentially to make the world a better place. Crystal asks again, "why?" And as they dig in, Elka uncovers her real WHY for doing this business and how she needs to change the way she's approaching it.

Ellen then joins the call and shares that her life overall is pretty good, but the one thing that she feels is holding her back is her weight. She's not happy with how much she's put on over the years and doesn't like the reflection in the mirror. Having chatted with Ellen before, Crystal asks her to do some reframing and recognize that the weight might have been an unconscious ''safety blanket'' that Ellen created to keep herself safe from past traumas. Ellen shares that years ago, after losing weight in her 30s, she became promiscuous and received harsh comments from women in her life. After chatting this through more with Crystal, Ellen agrees that she's healed and is ready to take some action for herself and her life.

On this month’s Chat with Crystal, Michele calls in.

She says that she doesn’t really have anything specific to talk about but knows that Crystal often has a knack for getting to the root of an issue. As they dive in, Michele shares that she left her husband of 34 years and sold her business right before the pandemic hit. Since then, she’s been trying to start fresh — getting her own apartment and working four days a week. She also shares that, in a way, she feels as though she’s rebelled - letting her greys grow in and not feeling the need to wear makeup. As they chat, Crystal uncovers that Michele is feeling a bit of guilt, as she wants to continue prioritizing herself but has been so conditioned to put everyone else’s needs before her own. Crystal asks Michele if she could dream something for her life, what would she dream up? Together they chat about Michele’s dreams and goals and put together some next steps.

Sharon then joins the call. Having recently joined back up for our Empowerment Coach Certification, she shares her excitement. She and Crystal chat about how Sharon, despite living on the opposite side of the world in Australia, has been in Crystal’s world for 15 years -- before our school, the S.W.A.T. Institute, was even founded. She talks about being a single mother, but now as an empty nester, she’s ready to step into her power and launch her dream business empowering and supporting women.

If you are ready to step into your power and the next stage of your life, this is a feel-good call that will leave you feeling motivated!

On this month's Chat with Crystal, Catherine calls in.

She shares that she's feeling disempowered financially. Having lost her job last year due to the pandemic and now being 18 weeks pregnant, she's having anxiety about how she's going to manage as a new mom. Catherine feels scared that she isn't going to be able to care for her baby and angry that she might end up with a minimum wage job, as she's on the hunt to secure something, so she's able to get maternity leave, but having issues finding anything. Now 33, she's having flashbacks to being 19 years old, pregnant with her first child and trying to manage.

Crystal goes through Catherine's options with her.

She reminds Catherine that it takes two to tango, and it's not just on her shoulders but on her husbands as well to figure out a plan of action. Crystal also asks if worst came to worst if they could sell their home and downsize. Catherine says that her parents wouldn't let it get to that point and would help if that were the case. Crystal helps Catherine see that things aren't as dire as they feel. And on top of that, she's also working away on creating a business of her own that she's genuinely passionate about. Together, they make some next steps to help Catherine get in a better place.

Angelika then joins the call. She shares that she can relate a lot to Catherine's first half of the call. A single mother in a new country with a new language, she's had to learn to navigate and take care of her infant son while also working full-time. Crystal gives Angelika a massive pat on the back for how gracefully she's handled it with zero support around her. Angelika shares some of her dreams and visions for her future as well.

This is a feel-good, must-listen call for any new mom or anyone feeling helpless in their life.