Unpolished

“I think of failure as a closed door. It’s not a dead end, but it helps me move into a different direction. Nothing else teaches me as quickly, so then I say bring on the closed doors!”

In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk with Sam Kelly—a family film photographer @samkelly_world based in Salt Lake City, UT and co-founder of @photonative, a large annual photography conference. With a Masters degree in Art Therapy Counseling, a self-published author, and experience teaching Stress Management at the college level, Sam loves anything and everything in which personal story, creativity, and healing intersect. Currently, Sam is a homeschooling mama of three and married to the most patient, supportive guy in the world.

We hear the story of how Photo Native came to be, why she almost decided to shut it down, and how it’s so important to approach a business from a place of finding a way to meet your people’s core needs of love and belonging.

We dive into the ideas of failure and fear and talk about how shifting our view on these can have a powerful impact on our life. Sam shares how losing all her clients was one of the best things that ever happened to her, and why not seeing that as a failure was a huge part of the entire trajectory of her career. There are so many ways to define success and making money is only one indicator, not the end all be all. Her best advice is to never stop being vulnerable— truly opening yourself up to others is the way to open doors faster than anything else.

Reframing failure as a closed door has really stuck with both us, and we encourage you to try on this mindset for the week. What would that mean if you looked at your failures as closed doors? Let us know in the comments below!

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

It can be really hard to be all the things.

The idea of having it all is great—but we can’t have it all in every moment and we need to acknowledge the realities of the tradeoffs we make in our choices. Mom life is just really hard, and it’s time we talked about it.

We all feel different degrees of insecurities about being mothers, and these feelings of judgment are our projections of our own insecurities as we seek validation for the decisions we make. There are parallels between this and the early stages of an entrepreneurial journey. Once we have the gift of hindsight, things tend to magically look a lot rosier and the hard parts of these memories truly tend to fade.

Sometimes our best isn’t that awesome, but it has to be enough for that moment. There will always be hindsight, so even in those moments when it seems like too much, one day we’ll be able to reflect and see how it fits into the bigger picture.

How does Mom guilt show up in your life? We want to hear your story.

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

“It felt so much better to give it a try then to keep suppressing what was inside of me. . . We are so capable, more capable than we even know. Be brave and just go for it.”

In this Unpolished Journey Rewind, we have an inspiring conversation with Emily Chipman, founder of Doliray Swimwear. As a wife and mama of four young girls, Emily was looking for a creative outlet and found it in quite the unconventional place that originally felt impossible. She talks to us about how she didn’t ever think she could be capable of doing something like this until she learned to shift her mindset and began to talk about her dream as if it were her reality. Emily shares the lessons she’s learned as she navigated the unfamiliar world of manufacturing and how a combination of bravery, determination, and the willingness to be repeatedly embarrassed is how she approaches her entrepreneurial journey. We also discuss how she manages everything going on in her life to make time for what needs to get done, how she handles both good and bad days, and why she’s driven to set an example for her girls of showing them that anything is possible.

If you want to feel confident and comfortable this summer, check out the rompers and swimming suits on www.doliray.com. Unpolished listeners get a 15% discount with the code unpolished15 at checkout! And make sure to follow @dolirayswimwear for some refreshing real talk in your feed.

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

Going back a whole year with this week's rewind! 

Have you ever woken up the day after you’ve done something vulnerable and thought to yourself – oh my goodness, what did I do?! Well, that is what Brene Brown calls a vulnerability hangover. In this episode, we dive deep into this topic and talk about our recent experiences and what we do to recover.

 

We examine the different roadblocks we come up against as we try to take steps forward on our entrepreneurial journeys—fear, our inner critics, the seeking of validation—and we share different ways we can support ourselves to feel more secure with our progress. We can learn from even the smallest actions we take. The vulnerability hangover can be a sign that we’ve taken a big step forward. The key is to continue to ask ourselves: what did we learn from this?

Here’s a great article on the vulnerability hangover: https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-took-an-emotional-risk-now-what-1478536377

And here’s a blog post on how to identify your Inner Critic: http://www.taramohr.com/2012/01/7-ways-to-recognize-your-inner-critic/

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

In our last Unpolished Journey episode of 2018, we talk with the wonderful Elle Rowley who is the founder and CEO of the baby carrier company Solly Baby. Elle made the first wrap in 2011 in the sewing nook of a little house in Salt Lake City after the birth of her second child, Solomon. Solly Baby is now a globally recognized and award-winning brand, featured in Vogue, Parents Magazine, and the Today Show. She lives with her husband and four children in Carlsbad, California.

We have a lovely conversation with Elle covering everything from the early days of creating her business, what is really was like to have her husband join her at Solly Baby, and her solid advice for every entrepreneur. Listen to the episode to hear more about:

The story of how Solly Baby came to be

The learning curve of how to manage a business with your husband and her top tip for any couple that wants to work together

How defining her own idea of success is key to how she stays grounded in her very full and busy life

The importance of community and connection and why love is at the core of everything she does in her business

You can learn more about Elle on Instagram @ellerowley and @sollybabywrap, on the web at www.sollybaby.com or https://shoparq.com/, and be on the lookout for her upcoming podcast!

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

There is duality present within every situation—joy and pain, dark and light—and we often forget that we have the power to choose what we see.

Our thoughts create our feelings, not the other way around. When we can learn to focus and choose how we are thinking about things and how we are seeing the world, our feelings then change.

We also talk about the concept of seasons in our lives, how comparison is our default setting, and the need to give ourselves permission to feel the feelings. Happiness is more complicated than a choice. It’s the decision to be happy in the series of tiny choices we make every day.

We’d love to hear from you—how are you choosing happiness today?

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

“You need to be bolder than you think you need to be.”

We are so excited and honored to be sharing this Unpolished Journey interview! In this latest installment, we talk with someone who has had a huge impact on both of our lives: Tara Sophia Mohr. Tara is an expert on women’s leadership and well-being, and an author, educator and certified coach. Tara is the author of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead, published by Penguin Random House, and named a Best Book of the Year by Apple’s iBooks. She is the creator of the pioneering Playing Big leadership program for women, and Playing Big Facilitators Training for coaches, mentors and managers who support women in their personal and professional growth. Her work has been featured on The Today Show and in publications ranging from The New York Times to goop to Harvard Business Review. More than 45,000 women from around the world follow Tara’s writing and wisdom. She lives in San Francisco and loves dance, art, and long walks with her family.

This conversation is packed with wisdom you don’t want to miss. We talk with Tara about:

How and pain, self-doubt, and curiosity led to the creation of Playing Big

The early years of her entrepreneurial journey and how she dealt with the uncertainty and frustrations she experienced

The true challenge of balancing career and motherhood (and it’s not time!)

Her personal practices for working with her inner critic

The surprising truth about realizing your dream

And more!

Playing Big is defined as being more loyal to your dreams than your fears. And this conversation will absolutely inspire you to learn more about how to commit to that in your own life. We’d love to hear what resonated most with you from this episode. What is your top takeaway from this conversation?

To learn more about Tara’s work, you can check out: https://www.taramohr.com/ And find her on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/tarasmohr

LinkedIn: tarasmohr

Instagram: @tarasophiamohr

To hear the story of how Tara was the reason behind how this podcast was created in the first place, check out our very first (and very unpolished) episode.

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

 

How we can we ever be successful if we never own what we’re good at? In this episode, we dive into the idea of alignment and how that shows up in a work environment. We talk about:  

The difference between feeling important at work and doing important work

Why it’s so important to truly know yourself and your strengths

How alignment is the key to living a fulfilled life

Our gifts and talents are unique to us and might not fit inside the “typical rulebook”, but we don’t always have to listen to the experts. When we put energy into things that are rewarding, we often find fulfillment in places we least expect. To support our journeys, we’ve found these three things to be the most important: 1) know yourself, 2) hire a coach, 3) find your people.

We’d love to know—how will you find better alignment this week? What’s one decision you can make differently by acknowledging what truly makes you happy and aligns with your strengths?

Here are the resources mentioned to help you know yourself:

Get your free astrology chart

Understand your personality type

Learn your top strengths

Looking for more support? Check out the links below to see if Sarah or Stacy could be the right fit for where you are on your journey. We’d be honored to help you. You can also email [email protected] with any questions or to learn more.

After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success.

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

Success does not find you, you find success.”

Have you listened to last week’s episode yet? Make sure to catch part one of this conversation before diving into today’s episode! In part two, we continue our conversation with Dana Malstaff—the CEO and founder of Boss Mom. Dana is a mother, author, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She is the author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro. Dana has over 20k students in various courses and community that is over 30K strong. With over 10 years of experience in content creation, marketing, sales, community building, and business strategy, Dana grew the Boss Mom brand into a six-figure business in less than a year. Her Boss Mom Movement is all about losing the guilt when it comes to raising babies and businesses at the same time, and believes that pursuing our passions and building our dreams while including our children in the process, is the best way to build thriving businesses and families.

There are even more wise gems to be found in the second half of our conversation. Listen to this episode to learn:

* The importance of following the breadcrumbs

* Why you’re going to overbook yourself and overpromise

What happens when you chase the wrong problem, and why it’s so important to talk to someone when you’re going through any kind of transition

The need to celebrate what you're good at, hire people for what you're not, and find where you waste time

Why starting a business isn’t just about finding your passion

And more!

Let us know what resonated most with you from this episode. What’s one thing you can tweak about your approach to your business? You can learn more about Dana by visiting www.boss-mom.com

Find out if Dana has a program that is right for you. (Trust us she does)

Raising Your Business

Boss Mom Academy (Join and hang out with Sarah!)

 

 

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

Photo Credit: CJ Thomas Photography

 

“Don’t follow your passion, follow your gift.”

In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk with Dana Malstaff, the CEO and founder of Boss Mom. Dana is a mother, author, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She is the author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro. Dana has over 20k students in various courses and community that is over 30K strong.  With over 10 years of experience in content creation, marketing, sales, community building, and business strategy, Dana grew the Boss Mom brand into a six-figure business in less than a year. Her Boss Mom Movement is all about losing the guilt when it comes to raising babies and businesses at the same time, and believes that pursuing our passions and building our dreams while including our children in the process, is the best way to build thriving businesses and families.

Dana talks to us about some rarely shared stories from her entrepreneurial journey in a refreshingly honest and authentic way. The conversation was so good in fact, that we decided to split it into two episode so you can really sink into the nuggets of wisdom she shared. In this first part, you’ll hear about:

The origin story for how her successful business came to be

Mom guilt and why it’s OK to want to build your own business

Lessons you can learn from seemingly random jobs in the corporate world

The importance of understanding your business feng shui

Why the idea of following a sewing pattern is critical to understanding how to learn from people and programs you purchase

The importance of telling the universe what you want and letting it unfold for you

And more!

Let us know what resonated most with you from this episode, and check back next week to hear even more nuggets of wisdom in part two. And in the meantime, to learn more about Dana check out www.boss-mom.com

You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here:

Sarah Carpenter:

Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Stacy Weinstein:

Hello Healing Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook

Feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected]

Photo Credit: CJ Thomas Photography