The Kenza Pod

The virtual assistant industry is booming due to the normalization of working from home, and the push for businesses to start outsourcing. 

But how do you get started in this growing industry and how do you know if it’s something you’re qualified for, or even interested in?

We sat down with Rebekah Hebdon, a virtual assistant and mom to three kids (4, 2, and 2 months), to hear all about what life is like as she juggles remote VA work and family life. 

Rebekah started mingling in freelancing work back in 2020, and from there, she began her own Virtual Assistant/Social Media Marketing business in February 2021. She now has a passion for helping woman-owned businesses free up their time so they can focus on their zone of genius. 

We picked Rebekah’s brain about what her life looks like as a virtual assistant: What exactly does she do as a VA? How she juggles motherhood and running her own business from home. How she hopes to continue growing her business in the next year, and tips for anyone looking to get started in the VA world. 

In this episode, you’ll learn about: 

• Rebekah’scareer path that got her to where she is today 
• How she got started in the VA world, and what made her start her own business
• How she “accidentally” landed her first client and the power of following up 
• Services she offers as a VA
• A day in the life as a VA - How she navigates work and personal life 

If you have any other questions for Rebekah, you can find her in our free Slack Community! Head over to Kenzacollective.com/slack to join us.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode:

• @rebekahbusinesssolutions
• If you’re looking for a virtual assistant or knows someone looking, check out linktr.ee/rebekahbusinesssolutions!
• Join our free Slack community to collect with like-minded parents, get advice on everything from proposals to invoices, and browse our jobs board: kenzacollective.com/slack

Running a small business is hard enough without adding the complexity of understanding how to do your taxes every year. That’s why in today’s episode, we talk with CPA, Shannon Weinstein, about how to get prepared for the year-end so that you can keep more of what you’ve earned and avoid expensive mistakes.  

We discuss: 

• Shannon’s story and the bet she lost with her dad that kick-started her CPA career.
• Her passion for accounting and why her goal is to disrupt the accounting profession. 
• Financial Preparations you need to take for the year-end and when to start thinking about it.  
• Ways you can save more money on your taxes before the end of the year. 
• Tips on how to keep your finances “fit” all year round so it’s not a mad dash at the end of the new year.

About Our Guest

Shannon Weinstein is a CPA, business mentor, and coach. Her company, Fitnancial Solutions, provides tax and accounting services to small business owners. 

Shannon’s career started back in 2008, where she worked for large global firms serving corporate bottom lines. In 2013, she became a certified group exercise teacher and discovered her love for teaching others. It was there she decided to take her two passions - accounting and teaching - and use them to create enjoyable experiences for her clients and show that their money can work for them, not the other way around. 

Links and Resources Mentioned 

Text Shannon with any questions that you may have at 860- 609-6374.

Still, stuck on what to do with your finances? Enroll in Shannon’s course Financial Foundations and build confidence with your finances. Use the code KENZA for $100 of her course HERE

Keep What You Earn Podcast 

Shannon Weinstein on Instagram 

FitnancialSolutions.com

The importance of separating personal and business money + how to do it [Ep. 3] 

Welcome to season three of The Kenza Pod!

Over the last year, we’ve connected with dozens of talented, hard-working, ambitious parents who are tired of working for The Man and ready to transition into freelance or consulting work, so that they can create a life, a schedule, and a career that actually works for their families. 

If that’s you, you’re in the right place! 

We know that many of you have questions and concerns and that you might be feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation as you consider what it’d be like to hand in your notice and never look back.

And that’s why The Kenza Collective exists. 

We demystify what it takes to make that leap as a busy parent that has many responsibilities to consider. 

We meet you right where you are—whether it’s beefing up your financial literacy, writing proposals, finding clients, figuring out your services and pricing, or anything in between. Plus, when you join our free Slack community, you can browse our jobs board and connect directly with our founders and members to ask specific questions.

Whether you’ve already stepped into entrepreneurship, or you’re still considering the transition, be sure to give this episode a listen! In it, you’ll hear from Kenza’s co-founders—Tiffany and Beth—about: 

• The 6 ways to get the most out of our Collective (4 of which are free!)
• What you can expect to hear in our season 3 podcast lineup 
• Details about our shiny new 1:1 Mentoring program, including the 4 key features that make this program especially useful & practical for busy parents (flexibility, affordability, customization, and working sessions)
• How you can get support from like-minded parents who are right there in the trenches with you

Remember, this is a Collective after all—we are here to provide a platform, but you all are here to help us shape it into something as useful as possible for you. So be sure to DM us on Instagram, Slack us, Email us….wherever you are, we're here for you. And if you find this useful, please tell your friends about the show and drop a review if you have a moment. 

Lastly, always remember: you can do this! We’re here to help. 

Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Website and 1:1 Mentoring: kenzacollective.com

Instagram @Kenzacollective

Join our Free Slack Community: Here

You Can Do This. Our Self-paced online course: https://www.kenzacollective.com/kenza-courses 

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Wealth consciousness coach AJ Bishop focuses on helping women define and create their own wealth consciousness, eradicate their financial anxieties, and empower themselves to be in full control of their wealth and financial futures. 

AJ spoke with Beth about the ways COVID impacted her as an entrepreneur and stepmother to 4 teenagers, why she chooses to coach women, and dives into what “women-centric” investing looks like. AJ also gives her insights into other financial health and advice topics, like:

• The shift from corporate to freelance life, and why you need a mindset shift in order to ramp up your finances
• The “soul work” that needs to be done to cultivate wealth consciousness
• Why you need both a personal and business finance plan
• Aligning with your partner or spouse on personal and business financial goals
• The 12-week course designed to help you create and shift your money mindset

Tune into this episode and then be sure to check out AJ’s Insta for more info on her upcoming Wealth Consciousness Club!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

• AJ Bishop on Instagram
• My Wealth Conscious Coach
• More finance episodes on the Kenza Pod

Lisa Cumes—six-figure freelancer, business owner, and mom of three—visits the Kenza Pod again to discuss how to cultivate a mindset of abundance, in order to achieve the success you desire and deserve both in your personal and in your business life. 

Lisa has created a thriving copywriting business, and also serves as a coach for freelancers through Full Thrive, where she teaches people to “stop hustling, and start thriving.”

Delve into how to shift your mindset with Tiff, Beth and Lisa as they discuss:

• How the pandemic served as a catalyst for an awakening around work, parenting, and life as a freelancing parent
• The amazing reading list that Tiff and Lisa put together, and how these books have helped them do the work needed to shift their own mindsets
• The daily practices, routines, and workouts Lisa incorporates in her life to create a thrive mindset
• Why transcendental meditation is a lot less creepy than it sounds, and how it helps Lisa sow the seeds of creativity and productivity 
• How and why to give your mind the quiet space for new ideas (and why parents especially need this)

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

• Lisa Cumes Instagram
• Lisa Cumes Upwork course
• Brene Brown podcast episode mentioned
• So Ya Wanna Be A… Freelance Copywriter with Lisa Cumes

Tiff and Lisa’s Reading List for a Successful Mindset:

• The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
• Illusion of Money - Kyle Cease
• Man's Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl
• The Road Less Travelled - M. Scott Peck
• Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
• The Road Back To You - Ian Cron & Suzanne Stabile
• The Untethered Soul - Michael Singer
• The Big Leap - Gay Hendricks
• Super Attractor - Gabby Bernstein
• The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz
• Ask and It Is Given - Abraham Hicks
• The Surrender Experiment
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

Kat Lee is a licensed acupuncturist, intimacy and relationship coach, and host of the Empowered Curiosity podcast. She joined us on this week’s episode of the Kenza Pod to talk to us about how listening to what our body is telling us can help you feel more rooted in yourself, so that you can create an abundant life and business. 

We discuss:

• The healing benefits of acupuncture
• What a trauma knot is and how to untangle it
• How mysterious digestive issues can really be a sign of untangled trauma
• How you can diagnose emotional issues you need to work through by looking at what kind of digestive issues you’re experiencing. Tiffany shares her personal story of healing a decade of digestive issues through acupuncture and therapy after dozens of tests and doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. 
• Why mystery pains and symptoms might actually be your body trying to tell you something
• Why sometimes our body can completely crash weeks or even months after a stressful event, and ways that us busy parents can fill our gas tanks during stressful times to help prevent or even just accept these crashes.
• How to incorporate breathwork into your personal development journey

Links:

• Podcast episode mentioned by Kat: Healing Your Emotions by Listening to Your Gut with Integrative Alignment Practitioner Brian Donahoe
• Kat Lee’s website
• Kat Lee’s Instagram
• Kat’s podcast: Empowered Curiosity

About the Speaker

Kat Lee is an Intimacy and Relationship Coach, Host of the Empowered Curiosity Podcast + Creator of The Heart Lab. Her passion for the last decade has been to walk beside her clients as they learn to cultivate Conscious Relationships by alchemizing emotions, integrating their stories, and coming back home to the Truest version of themselves.

She facilitates conversations through coaching and on her podcast that guide people to remember their True Self - who they are beyond the conditioning, the "shoulds", the trauma stories + the overriding of desires. If you need permission to step into the wholeness of your emotions and Being, she'll show you that you’ve been the one holding the pen.

If you’ve ever asked yourself how you can attain more freedom in your life, better manage stress, be a more present parent, and continue to crush your professional goals, get ready to take notes! This episode with CEO Coach, Edita Atteck, will teach you how to be a better, healthier parent entrepreneur today. 

Edita works one on one with women who want to become the CEOs of their life, master their mindset, and work better with the stresses of life. Her book is touted as the “busy professional’s roadmap to freedom,” and Tiff sat down with her to ask her all about how we can take actions today to improve our mindset. In this episode, we take a closer look at:

• Edita’s definition of the “Human Operating System,” and what is needed to master it
• How emotional intelligence connects to the awakening of our inner leaders
• Why we need fear, and why our kids do, too
• Recognizing patterns in ourselves and how that shapes our parenting
• How our emotional flow relates to cash flow in our business (and our health)
• Why our success is hinged upon sleep and diet
• How to live in a state of flow

Edita also gives us some “homework” that you can try today to start learning how your mind, body, parenting, and work life are all intimately interconnected. Give it a shot, and let us know on Instagram how it went!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

• Edita’s book
• Edita’s website
• Edita’s LinkedIn
• Dan Siegel's books
• More Kenza episodes

Is healthcare the ball and chain holding you or your partner to that 9-5? Would you be more willing to take the leap into full-time freelancing if you knew you had affordable healthcare and a supportive community of like-minded independent workers? 

In this episode, we sat down with Freelancers Union Executive Director, Rafael Espinal, to answer the most common question that people have when considering the leap: But what about healthcare?

The Freelancers Union was founded in 1995 as an advocacy group that helped freelancers obtain health insurance by collectively bargaining. They’ve since morphed into a vast network of community resources, a political powerhouse, and all-encompassing platform for independent workers. 

Tiff and Beth spoke with Executive Director, Rafael Espinal on how he got his start as a freelancer advocate, why the Freelancer’s Union is so important, and how you can take advantage of all the Freelancer’s Union has to offer, including access to affordable health care and a ton of other benefits traditionally offered by larger companies. 

In addition to learning about how to obtain affordable healthcare as a freelancer, you’ll also hear about: 

• The Freelancers Union policy work, and the “Freelancing Isn’t Free” act
• How the Freelancers Union connects independent workers with healthcare providers
• The numerous benefits (including tons of discounts) offered by the Freelancer’s Union when you become a member
• How the Freelancers Union continues to advocate for policy change and a more equitable healthcare system
• What the Freelancers Union is doing to support independent workers during and after COVID
• How to join the Freelancers Union (hint: it’s free!)

If you are ready to stop being a “captive employee” and learn how to navigate health benefits as a freelancer, be sure to check out this episode and then head on over to the Freelancer’s Union and sign up for a membership!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

• Freelancers Union
• Freelancers Union Instagram
• More Kenza Pod episodes

If you have ever considered a freelancing career with a focus on helping people solve HR challenges across myriad industries, you won’t want to miss this episode with Candice Elliot.

Candice Elliot is a human resources strategist with a focus on community-building and teaching. She’s a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, specializes in California Labor Law, and works with students in her Wholistic HR incubation program. Candice has built these businesses from grassroots in her community, and that community is what has allowed her such success.

She is also expecting her first child (a boy!), and shares with us how she is preparing her business, and her life, for motherhood as a consultant. In this episode, we dive into:

• How Candice got her start as a consultant and business owner
• What kind of qualifications you’ll need to become an HR consultant
• How to find the right clients
• Why community is so important to business owners
• How to prep your business and clients for your maternity leave

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Candice’s business, Fortress and Flourish
• Hopkins and Carley Law
• Baskin and Fowler Law
• Explore more successful freelance careers in our So Ya Wanna Be A… series

2020 taught us all that the unthinkable can happen in the blink of an eye. When it comes to your business, you have a responsibility to your clients, your family, and your employees or contractors to be prepared for an emergency - whether it’s a death in the family, an illness, an evacuation, or anything else that suddenly takes you away from your work. 

In this episode, Tiffany tells us the story of how she weathered the perfect storm of evacuating from a devastating wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California during the Summer of 2020. While in the midst of a global pandemic, two weeks away from escrow closing on their house, with half of their belongings in boxes, trying to organize a move 8 hours south, hold down their jobs, and launch The Kenza Collective, a massive wildfire broke out and threatened to completely change the course of their lives. 

Tiffany takes us through all of the emergency prep that saved her sanity (and her business), as well as the prep she wished she would have done for both her life as a parent and a busy freelancer. We also have a handy dandy (and FREE) checklist that you can use today to start planning for your future peace of mind should the wheels fall off. 

We’ve all heard the sage advice to “expect the best but plan for the worst,” and Kenza Collective is here to guide you on how to tailor that advice for your family and business. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from someone else’s real-life experience, and make sure that your business is prepared for whatever life throws at  you.

Resources and Links:

A FREE checklist to help you plan for any emergency

Red Fora, emergency kits and supplies

Nora Roberts on Juggling Kids and Work

More Kenza Pod episodes