What would I tell you if you actually asked me what I think? Probably to stop waiting for the perfect time, stop researching something you already know enough to start, quit letting other people's opinions live in your head, and do something about the things you have the power to change.

This week, I'm talking about networking, perfectionism, micro-quits, self-trust, comparison, bitterness, purpose, and why sometimes you just need to make the damn decision.

In This Episode

• (00:27) What I'd actually tell you if you said you wanted something in your life to change
• (02:12) Hate your job? Start creating another option before you need one
• (04:47) When learning, researching and perfectionism become procrastination
• (06:38) Micro-quits and the tiny decisions that keep you exactly where you are
• (09:17) Why confidence may start with learning to trust yourself
• (10:21) Getting your mind right, comparison, resentment and the stories you keep telling yourself
• (15:06) Make the decision: act, learn, adjust and keep moving

Want to start or grow your own spray tan business?

Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz

In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray?

Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

I had a completely different birthday episode planned, hated it, and decided to scrap the whole thing. So instead, I'm catching you up on life lately, what I'm loving, what's happening with The Salty Spray, what I'm learning, a military case that's been sitting heavy with me, and a few things I'm finally saying yes and no to at 52.

In This Episode:

01:52 — Why walking has become one of my favorite ways to work, think, and get new ideas
04:13 — The Salty Spray's summer slowdown, and the numbers that completely changed my perspective
06:10 — Creating spray tan training, updating my website, and what's happening behind the scenes in the business
09:51 — Everything I've taught myself lately, from publishing a podcast to changing how clients book
12:51 — Losing a military case I'd worked on for almost two years and why that one bothered me
15:31 — What I'm saying yes to right now, and why 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. spray tans are officially a NO

Want to start or grow your own spray tan business?

Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz

In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray?

Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

Have you ever talked yourself out of doing something because you were worried about what people would think? I went down a rabbit hole on the spotlight effect, the imaginary audience we carry around in our heads, and how much power we give people who probably aren't thinking about us nearly as much as we think they are. I'm also talking about confidence, being uncomfortable, and figuring out whose opinions actually deserve a vote in your life.

In This Episode:

01:54 — The spotlight effect and why we think people notice us more than they actually do
05:37 — Social media, imagined audiences, and the six people we're really thinking about when we post
08:44 — Are you actually not ready—or are you afraid of being seen trying?
11:57 — Why confidence usually comes after doing the uncomfortable thing
12:48 — Somebody probably is judging you. Now what?
15:16 — How to decide whose opinions actually deserve weight in your life

Listen & Follow That Salty Girl:

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If this episode hit home, follow the show and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. And then ask yourself the question from this episode: If I knew nobody was going to judge me for doing it, would I do it?

What if the season you're trying so hard to get through is actually part of the life you're going to miss someday? After finding old letters I wrote to my husband while deployed to Iraq in 2003, I started thinking about how much of my life I've spent looking ahead, to the end of deployment, the next promotion, retirement, or whatever came next. In this episode, I talk about what those letters, getting older, a breast cancer diagnosis, and 26 years in the Navy have taught me about time, ambition, and being present in the life I'm actually living. I'm not done setting goals or looking forward to what's next. I just don't want to rush through what's here to get there.

In This Episode:

• (00:00) Finding old letters from Iraq and realizing how much of my life I spent waiting for the future
• (05:23) When ambition and achievement quietly become part of your identity
• (08:15) Turning 52, starting new things, and realizing usefulness doesn't have an expiration date
• (11:19) The people we don't realize we're going to miss while we're busy trying to get through a hard season
• (13:03) How a breast cancer diagnosis changed the way I think about being alive
• (15:05) Every season has a purpose—and why the ordinary Tuesdays count too

Want to start or grow your own spray tan business?

Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz

In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray?

Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

How do you go from 26 years in the Navy to building a mobile spray tanning business? Holly gets asked that question all the time, and the answer involves a lot more twists and fresh starts than you might expect. In this episode, she shares the unexpected story behind The Salty Spray; from leaving the military and bouncing through jobs, business ideas, and career pivots to eventually building something completely her own. She also opens up about nearly quitting when the business wasn’t growing fast enough, the turning point that changed everything, and why the chapters that felt like failures were just preparing her for what came next. If you’re in a season that doesn’t make sense yet, this episode might change the way you see it.

In This Episode:

• (02:00) When a hobby turns into a business idea
• (05:00) Using LinkedIn networking to rebuild a career after the military
• (08:00) The fear of starting before you feel good enough
• (10:50) Helping other spray tan artists and creating something new
• (13:00) How seemingly failed seasons can prepare you for what’s next

Want to start or grow your own spray tan business?

Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz

In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray?

Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

What happens when the role that defined you for years suddenly disappears? For 26 years, Holly knew exactly who she was. Then she left the Navy and found herself asking a question she never expected: Who am I without the title? In this episode, Holly opens up about the identity crisis that followed, the humbling transition into civilian life, and what it took to rediscover herself outside the uniform. If you’ve ever tied your identity to your career, accomplishments, a relationship, or a role you thought would always be there, this episode will make you think differently about who you are underneath it all.

In This Episode:

• (01:00) Why Holly's Navy career became so deeply connected to her identity
• (03:40) The humbling experience that followed her decision to retire
• (07:00) The grief that can come with losing a role that once defined you
• (09:45) Why your accomplishments, job title, and roles don't determine your worth
• (11:20) The question to ask yourself when you're figuring out who you are next

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

What if you make the big decision and regret it? Leaving a career. Ending a chapter. Starting over after you’ve already invested years building the life you have. Sometimes the hardest part is wondering whether you’ll look back and realize you chose wrong. In this episode, Holly shares some of the biggest decisions of her life, from leaving her small Louisiana hometown at 18 to join the Navy to eventually walking away from a 26-year Navy career without knowing what would come next. She talks about why staying with what’s familiar can feel safer than listening to the voice telling you it’s time for something different, and why the years you’ve already invested aren’t wasted when you change direction. Because your past isn’t a sunk cost. It’s seasoning.

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. Also, join Holly’s newsletter, The Salty Scoop, for personal stories, photos, and pieces of life she doesn’t share anywhere else!

In This Episode:

• (02:00) Holly’s decision to leave home at 18 and join the Navy
• (07:45) The difference between staying because you want to and staying because it feels safe
• (12:00) Why starting over doesn’t erase everything you’ve already accomplished
• (13:30) What to do when that little voice keeps telling you, “This isn’t it”

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

Comparison can steal your peace in seconds. One minute you're perfectly content with your life, then you scroll past someone who seems more successful, more confident, more put together, or further ahead…suddenly, what you have doesn't feel like enough. But what if comparison itself isn't the problem? In this episode, Holly unpacks why comparison gets blamed for something it isn't always guilty of. She walks through what the Bible says about comparison, why measuring your insides against someone else's outsides is a rigged game from the start, and shares her own business slump as proof that a slow season doesn't mean you're failing. Plus, she gives you one simple challenge to try this week if there's someone on social media who always leaves you questioning whether you're doing enough.

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. Also, join Holly’s newsletter, The Salty Scoop, for personal stories, photos, and pieces of life she doesn’t share anywhere else!

In This Episode:

• (02:00) Why comparison isn't always bad
• (05:00) Why someone else's success doesn't mean you're falling behind
• (08:00) Why different seasons shouldn't be measured against each other
• (10:30) One simple social media boundary that can help you reclaim your peace

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

You don't have to have it figured out to start.

In this first episode, Holly gets honest about the question most people are too embarrassed to say out loud: "What do I really want to do with my life?" She shares her own winding path of twenty-six years in the Navy, folding leggings at Lululemon while chasing a PhD, a corporate job at Amazon that looked perfect on paper, and finally building The Salty Spray, her own business, from nothing. If you've ever felt behind, stuck, or like everyone else got a manual you never received, this episode is your permission slip to stop waiting until you feel ready.

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. Also, join Holly’s newsletter, The Salty Scoop, for personal stories, photos, and pieces of life she doesn’t share anywhere else!

In This Episode:

• (04:00) Why feeling stuck doesn't mean something is wrong with you
• (06:00) The real story behind Holly's decision to retire from the Navy
• (11:00)The moment Holly realized quitting wasn't failure, it was self trust
• (15:00) How to reframe a hard season as being seasoned, not being behind
• (18:00) One small step you can take this week

Connect With Holly:

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com

You don’t have to have it figured out to start.

After spending 26 years in the Navy, followed by a stretch in corporate America, Holly Taylor found herself starting over again in her 50s, this time, building a business from scratch. That business became The Salty Spray, a mobile spray-tanning company. If you’d told her at 18 that this would be her path, she probably wouldn’t have believed you. And that’s the whole point of this show.

When Holly retired from the Navy, the transition was harder than anyone had warned her it would be. What helped her through wasn’t advice or a perfect roadmap. It was hearing from people who had already been through it. People who reminded her that what she was feeling was normal. Now, she wants to be that person for you.

Most weeks, you’ll hear directly from Holly, talking to you the way she would talk to a friend at her kitchen table. No five-step formulas. Just honest conversations about starting over, rebuilding confidence, rediscovering your identity after a big change, and navigating that stuck, in-between feeling of not knowing what comes next.

Some weeks, she’ll introduce you to someone in the middle of a reinvention of their own; a client, a friend, or someone standing right where you might be now.

Through the women Holly tans in their own homes and the people who unexpectedly find their way into her DMs, she hears versions of the same story again and again. The woman ready to leave corporate for good and finally work for herself. The woman rebuilding her life after a divorce. Different ages. Different circumstances. But underneath it all is the same quiet question: Is it too late for me?

Holly’s answer is simple: it’s not.

You don’t need to have the entire path mapped out. You just have to be willing to take the next step before you feel ready.

Whatever’s next, you’re not behind.

Subscribe and listen to a new episodes every week. Also, join Holly’s newsletter, The Salty Scoop, for personal stories, photos, and pieces of life she doesn’t share anywhere else!

The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop

Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

Website - thesaltyspray.com