Transcript 0:00 [upbeat music] We're gonna help get this out. 0:11 Okay, guys, it's time to get a little energy for the night, and I gotta make sure that I'm drinking some water, so we're just gonna try and bang them both out at the same time. So I'm going to be reviewing Hydro Rush. 0:25 It's time to get up, start moving. Gotta reach out and grab my Crypto Rush from Hydro Rush. Let's go. We gotta get this generator started, and we're gonna need the energy to do that and to go exploring. Bye. 0:38 What's up, fam? Give this a taste test. I mean, I heard you gotta rush it, but you're not a rush fan. Cheers, fam. Some creatine. Okay. You guys have magnesium in here, 66 milligrams. 0:56 Sodium, sea salt, 1,000. All right, that's pretty high. You got some potassium, keeps you nice and invigorated, keeps your bones and your joints going good, muscles from cramping up. And then creatine. 1:10 Um, a lot of people have been telling me about creatine, you know, um, very good things from, uh, from the weight training community. Yeah, let's see how this tastes. Okay. Not bad. All right. This is Hydro Rush. Okay. 1:24 Thank you so much for joining me, Ariel, on One Eleven podcast. How are you feeling today, fam? I am feeling so good. I've been looking forward to this call, and like, well, our podcast. 1:34 I've been looking forward to our podcast- Yeah... and just what's gonna come out about all the season of change and transition and- Mm... everything else in between. New beginnings, for sure. 1:45 So I am just, like, elated that you're here, Ariel. Thank you again. I'm very grateful for you. Very grateful that I was able to meet you in Denver just a few weeks ago, and, like, at a biz conference, right? 1:59 Entrepreneur conference we went, Achieve. Mm-hmm. Achieve Biz, and I was just, like, just blown away. I've never been to a conference like that. 2:05 So when we connected and I was like, wait a minute, I, I, I gotta meet this person- Yeah, yeah... across the aisle. I was like, she, she looks so cool. And I'm like, let's start there, you know? First impressions, right? 2:17 Yep. We always talk about when we work with people in business, obviously we gotta like them, we gotta trust them, right? Yes. 2:23 And so it's like, what was kinda your first impressions when meeting me, and then what convinced you that you had to get on this podcast? Let's start there before- Ooh, okay... 2:33 we do introductions because- Good question... I love that because come on, you could be on any podcast, Ariel. [laughs] There's a lot of different podcasts out there, you know? 2:41 So what attracted you to what I was doing, and what is just, yeah, what was your overall first impressions? Yeah. So when I met you, I, the first thing, I was like, "The hair! I love the hair." 2:53 [laughs] Who is this man behind the hair? I love it. [laughs] Thank you. Thank you. I need to know more. I'm super curious. Um, and then as we started to talk, it just felt very natural. Mm. Like, like very engaging. 3:07 We both are very curious and inquisitive. Um, and then, you know, we started to talk even more and I'm like, you know, I'm in this, you know, stage of transition, you know, 3:17 with life and with business, and I was like, this just makes sense. And, you know, when you were talking about One Eleven and being, like, the spirit of change and things like that. 3:27 So, well, I literally listen to signs from the universe all the time, so, [laughs] um- Awesome... maybe this is a great place to talk about all of those transitions, talk about, you know, the good and the bad. 3:40 Nothing's been ugly, let's be real. 3:42 Nothing's been ugly, but, um, talking about all of those things in a way that it, it resonates with people and, and they, they, they see themselves within me, but then also are inspired to do their own thing. 3:54 So that's, that's why I'm here today. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much, Ariel. 3:58 So, yeah, would you mind introducing yourself, telling the audience a little bit about yourself, what you do for a living, and then maybe just a little bit about your family and where you're coming from. That'd be great. 4:10 We'll start there. Thank you. Yeah, so thank you for having me, Daniel. I'm Ariel Balogun. 4:15 I'm a go-to-market consultant, and what that means is helping early-stage founders understand how to create op- operations that support their revenue growth rather than revenue leakage. 4:27 There's ways that we see it all the time. It might be very blatant and in your face, but very silent and under, under the guise of, like, good processes, workflows, and AI. 4:37 And so I'm helping those types of founders really understand how to uncover those gaps in terms of their sales to post-sales processes and mitigating those risks so that they can, um, make more money and go for their next round of funding, if that's where, where they are, um, and build their business holistically. 4:57 Um, I have also decided to niche down, so that's part of this, this season of, of change and transformation. 5:04 So my background includes over a decade and a half of experience in Silicon Valley tech, where I was working in B2B SaaS or software as a service, and now I'm looking to pivot towards bringing that same operational rigor to female technology founders, health tech founders, and parenting tech founders. 5:26 So, um, I'm building my new f- my, my new tribe, my new community. This is, this is great. Um, it's also personal for me, so you talked a little bit about it, but I am a mom. I have two boys. 5:38 Um, right now they are currently three years old and 19 months old, so babies [laughs] still. Um, they need their mama. Um, but that's, um, part of the journey of the transition. So 5:51 I, you know, in my process with my partner becoming parents, that wasn't easy. Yeah. It was very tough, very hard, very arduous, years-long process. Um, we actually did IVF. 6:03 Um, and so that's part of [laughs] like some of the, the hurdles, um, in understanding and really being able to come together as partners, um, in this journey toward parenthood. 6:13 And I found myself advocating in ways that I never have before, um, now that both of them are here, advocating for them as, you know, their parent. And 6:24 we together, you know, with my, my spouse and I, together, like really trying to be as intentional as we can be to make sure that we are, um, shaping them in ways that they are, you know, strong, resilient, um, curious, adventurous, um, bright little boys, um, to become bright young men and men later on. 6:47 But, um, that's very intentional for me. 6:49 And so having the parenting technology piece in there, like how are we all trying to manage all of this on top of making sure that we have wonderful human beings, um, that are watching, and they need great role models as well. 7:03 So that's been part of the change, but it's been highly personal for me. 7:07 And I said, "If I can use my superpowers in revenue operations or go-to-market strategy specifically for those types of founders, then I can help with impacting millions of women and millions of parents as we have this, 7:24 our next technological advance." So we're in the age of AI right now, so it's, it's very personal to me. Um, you know, and I, I just wanna keep it going. 7:34 I, I'm really, really, really excited around the connections and folks that I'm meeting. So long-winded answer, Daniel, but [laughs] Oh my gosh. It's Donald. It's Donald, by the way. Oh. [laughs] Okay. Oh my gosh. 7:45 Where's Daniel coming from? I haven't had enough coffee. [laughs] You're good. You're good. Oh my gosh. I have so much to follow up with you on- Yes... 7:52 so many different topics, but, uh, let's first start with, how did you get into your consulting side? Like, did you go to school? Like, how did you go about getting, you know, that started before having the family? 8:06 Because it, uh, uh, it sounds like the family came later. Your, your career kind of started first, right? Yes. Yeah. So take me back a little bit of like how that started. Yeah. 8:15 So that's, that's going back into my, like, Silicon Valley tech days. [laughs] Oh. Startup days, for sure. Wow. 8:22 Um, so being in that environment where the business move fast, we need to be able to respond fast, we need to be able to get teams and departments of people to also operate with the speed that we're expecting, that is... 8:37 It's, it's a good exercise to know how to do. Like, that was always a great challenge for me. But there's oftentimes a lot of great ideas and, um, thoroughness of execution that's missed. Mm. 8:51 And so when I say that, it's not to say that we're just cutting corners, but sometimes you kinda have to. You can't think, you know, through your process A through Z. 9:00 You kind of get through A through D, and you're like, "Gotta keep moving on." 9:03 But in those, those moments where I'm s- where we could have, like said, "Well, if we go from A to D, can we just get to A to G and maybe just think about it a little bit more?" 9:13 And that's where a lot of my, my best and brightest ideas were kinda, like, left on the table, or- Mm... we circled around and we, we started to see revenue leakage. We [laughs] yes, we started to see gaps in process. 9:25 We started to see where things were breaking down because of some of the shortcuts that, you know, as a, as a company it was decided to make. And so did I always want to be a consultant later on in life? 9:37 Not quite right now, but, um, a few things happened. Um, so one, a lot of my good ideas and strategy were left on the table. 9:46 I said, "Well, where can I leverage that to b- to have that, you know, enterprise level rigor for companies that are just starting out and need that kind of expertise but don't necessarily wanna hire a full team to do that?" 10:00 So that's some of the learnings that I was there. One part that I'm, I haven't touched on yet, but was around coaching. Mm. So after leaving my career, I decided I would go into career coaching first. And, um, 10:17 if we just think back- When, when was that? When was that? When did you start? Oh, yeah, that was in 2023. Oh, okay. So here specifically, that's when a lot of layoffs were happening. Mm. 10:25 This was when the, the, the start of AI and starting to take off and understanding what this wave of AI will actually mean, and things were really, really hard in the market. And I feel like I can't figure it out. 10:39 I can't do this. I, I've been able... Like, I've got years of experience, I've just been able to, like, put in my resume, and I'll hear something back, I'll get an interview. 10:48 And then now we're seeing it's taking three months, six months, nine months, 12 months. I've even met people that have been job searching for 18 plus months, yes, to try to find their next role. And I said, "Well- Wow... 11:02 what can I leverage based on what I know and my, my own personal brand, which is making complex things simple? How can I do that on the career side?" 11:11 Because I, I can't bang on the doors of these executives and say, "Hire these people back. Don't you understand what is happening to their family and how things are really breaking down? 11:21 And you will need these folks again." [laughs] You know? We can't, we can't just put all of our eggs in the AI basket and, and hope for the best. You're going to still need humans and humans in the loop. Mm-hmm. 11:33 So, uh, started the business 2023 with career coaching, um, understanding with working with my clients on either the job search coaching or professional development coaching, 'cause they're like, "I don't have a, a manager that's giving me the time of day [laughs] 11:46 to understand how to move certain projects, um, you know, ahead or forward, or getting the granularity of the context that I could give them or share with them- 11:57 So that they can, um, be more influential and impactful in their own roles. So- Mm-hmm... 12:02 that was the first part, and I'm like, wow, these executives are still saying the same things when I left, [laughs] you know, tech. And now it's like years are going by, I'm like, "We still asking this question? 12:14 That's still a silo. This is not actually strategic at all." Like, and so it's in my work with my coaching clients that I said, "Well, if I had to take a stab of going back into startup worlds or corporate- Mm... 12:29 um, what would that look like?" And I said, "Well, I don't want to be an employee right now because I think my values and my ability and capability can s- be spread so widely." 12:41 Like, still within my niche and my focus area, but spread so widely across founders that actually need that rigor. I can do... I can have more impact in more places. And so that was the thought, like, "Hmm." 12:53 And then I had one conversation that changed everything. Um, this was last year, right around, um, Dreamforce, so that's Salesforce's, um, largest, uh, like, annual conference here- Mm... 13:08 um, in San Francisco, and I met with a, a very high up [laughs] go-to-market, um, executive, um, at a prominent company. And I won't name his name, but we had a, um, a one-on-one conversation. 13:22 He's like, "How would you tackle AI right now at the enterprise level? What do you think is missing?" And so we're talking about that, I was like, "Hmm, I never really thought about it that way." 13:32 Or, like, if I were to come up with a solution leveraging AI, what would that look like? And I started to- Mm... literally the wheels are turning. 13:41 [laughs] So I'm like, all of the things that I've learned over years in Silicon Valley tech, how can I then use that to say, like, "We can really leverage AI in a really good use case here. 13:54 Like, that's gonna be super cool to do." Um, and so the wheels were turning. 13:58 I started working with AI, pumping everything that I know into my chatbot, um, [laughs] to, like, just extract those learning lessons and then begin to organize it. 14:11 So categorizing different go-to-market initiatives, when certain things should be, you know, prioritized first versus second or not at all in some cases. [laughs] Um, so building that 14:23 revenue infrastructure through AI is really where the work took off, and I'm talking about hours. Hours upon hours of me dictating right into AI. Um, this is like l- when people say walk and talks, I talked with my... 14:38 Walk and talked with my AI [laughs] for quite a while, um, to get my, my IP and everything started, which was really fun- Mm-hmm... and phenomenal. 14:47 And, um, yeah, and getting to a place where I could actually build this and, like, it makes sense and, you know, it's... there's traction happening. Like, those are the things that really take off and that I love. 14:58 And so now people are emailing me and saying, "Hey, are you still doing this?" And like, "Hey, how is that going?" You know? So that means a lot to me. 15:06 Um, and leveraging both, you know, my relationships with the folks that I've coached or I've at least had some type of networking session to talk about their career. Mm-hmm. 15:15 Leveraging my LinkedIn newsletter to keep, you know, keep a pulse on, like, what people actually are seeing and hearing out there- Mm-hmm... 15:23 so that content that I create is actually useful for them and not another piece of noise or- Right... something that they, they're just like, "You know what? I'm gonna send it to the spam folder or archive that. I got... 15:35 It's not meaningful for me." So that's where, um, a lot of things have really taken off, and I'm really proud of it, and I'm, I'm just, you know, on the cusp of taking it even further. So that's- Yeah... 15:48 that's where I'm at, where I am now, why I'm super excited, what keeps me up late [laughs] um, and sometimes gets me out of bed early. Um- Right. Yeah, yeah. That's where I'm at. I love that. 15:59 So you were mentioning earlier about leveraging AI. When did you first start getting into AI? And what are some ways... Well, y- you already said it. It's like you... It was like your best friend. 16:09 You're dictating certain things to your AI to, to find the answers to help your clients, especially with your career coaching aspect. 16:18 But yeah, take me back, like, when you first started with AI and maybe some advice that you would give the audience, you know, ways that they could leverage AI too to help their businesses grow. Yeah. Um, I... 16:28 The first thing I would say, don't be scared of AI. Um- Mm-hmm. Yeah. It... We're all still in, [laughs] I w- I called it this morning, AI beta. 16:36 So it's, as AI changes and evolves, we're always gonna be constantly experimenting with it. Mm-hmm. Um, but what I consistently tell folks, on top of, like, not being afraid of AI, is really 16:51 find your own voice when it comes to AI. What do you like or not like about AI? Developing an opinion around which LLMs do better or not, you know? 17:03 [laughs] You know, what use ca- Like, and I'm not gonna pick on some, but, uh, [laughs] if I had to name one, like, this just cannot deal with complex asks at all. So I just do this one. Which one? Tell me. 17:16 [laughs] Gemini. [laughs] Oh, no. Yeah. Really? That one's not my fav- fave. Okay. If, if I have a simple task- Mm-hmm... it does well with that, but- Sure... um- Complex, it's not good at complex... 17:31 complex it, it, yeah, it kinda breaks down- Okay... and it, it feels like a little AI hallucination, and I'm like, "What is happening here?" [laughs] Um, and then your journey will change and evolve. 17:41 That's what I will say too. So with me, um, I started out on, um, ChatGPT. Okay. So just asking it random questions. 17:49 Sometimes I would throw a few questions in there about, like, how would I deal with this, you know, on the home front? Um, how would I deal with this? 17:56 Or what's an alternative way to think about this approach with working with a coaching client? Just to, like, tease it out, like- Is this actually better? Are these things that I know? Like, ha, I know that. I know that. 18:07 That one's interesting. Um, and then one thing I started to do is give, uh, asking AI to give me a surprise or bonus addition to whatever prompt or question that I have, and letting it kind of do its own thing. 18:20 So that's my own way of letting, like... I would say not letting, but like accepting and inviting AI to kind of do the little mini hallucination or like geek out, if you will, to see what that, what that could look like. 18:34 Um, and surprisingly, they've been really good surprises. [laughs] Nice. [laughs] Yeah. So that, that's something that I, I kind of experiment with when it comes to AI, but it, it serves two purposes. 18:47 One, again, it kind of gets me out of a, a box of how I think about it. Mm-hmm. Um, and then also exploring like where, where can I really play with AI? Right. 18:57 There's definitely business ex- you know, expectations and outcomes with it, but you still have to evolve. And, um, one of the statistics that I heard, um, from a conference I went to a few weeks back, um, was that 19:10 AI will inevi- inevitably change every three months. Mm. So, and it's... And that timeframe is going to get tighter and tighter. I mean, it, it, at some point it'll hit a apex. But- Mm-hmm... 19:25 at right now, like if you look at AI three months ago f- to where it is now, it actually has come a very far, a, a very long way. And so that we have to keep thinking about it, keep iterating, keep 19:38 testing the waters, if you will, so that you- Mm-hmm... kind of stay on par when it comes to AI. So that's, that's the biggest thing for me, is like- Yeah... 19:46 just really understanding that things are going to change and honestly, it'll get a little easier. So for those- Oh, okay... yeah, for those of us that are not as technical, like I do not have a engineering degree. 20:00 I am not a developer. Okay. There lies. But it is starting to level the playing field. Like, I love technology. I love using it. Mm-hmm. But now being at a- Right... place where I can 20:11 kind of think like an engineer or build things to my, my standards and what I like and how I want to see it, that is something that is literally mind-boggling to be able to do. 20:26 To say like, "I want it this way and I'm going to find a way to do it through AI." And so I've, 20:31 I've vibe quoted my own, my first, my, my first, um, webpage, not my actual, uh, website homepage or anything like that, but there's some other stuff. I was like, "If I were to do this, how could I do it?" 20:43 It was so fast and pretty accurate. You still have to tweak it- Wow... a little bit, but having that. I talked about, you know, my, my AI, um, infrastructure as well, revenue infrastructure as well. 20:55 Like that is something that I'm like, wow. And so taking it to the next level. So what... When, when it's time, I can have developers come in. 21:03 That's, that's also part of my, uh, my brand from back in the day too, like a good show and tell. 21:08 So I would go in and whiteboard and show them, "This is what I'm building, um, and this is the expectation and the outcomes we're looking for." 21:16 And so then being able to say from like my MVP or, you know, what I've built now, like, "This is the expectation. This is the goal. Now, how can we make it even better from there?" 21:26 That's, that's what's really nice about this, this age and this stage with AI. Right. No, I think it's incredible what we can do with AI these days. And like, I use AI for a lot of my business. 21:40 Um, a lot of my automations when I handle clients' social media, let's say, and then also with the proposals, the contracts. Like it's not... 21:49 Like it's made it so much easier, but still it's like there's a very small percentage of people that actually use AI, right? Mm-hmm. So it's, it's just so fascinating. And, and I know it's takes time, right? 22:01 Technology, anything, right? Takes time. Right. Even like with when the iPhone first came out, right? [laughs] A lot of people were suspect about it, right? Mm-hmm. But Steve Jobs gave us another reason to care, right? 22:12 Is- Yeah... and we need more people like him to actually stand up and promote and share and like, "Hey, guys." Like, and he wasn't a tech genius. Mm-mm. He was, he was a marketer, right? Essentially. 22:23 And he was a really great public speaker, right? And so it's like we need those types of people as well in technology to take it to just, um, the everyday person, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. 22:35 So, um, I think it's, it's really, it's we need all, all different types of people. So you don't need to be super tech-savvy. You don't need to be a developer, right? You just have to... 22:44 Honestly, I think it's just asking better questions. Yeah. And I think AI's really helping us with that. And I feel like we're not curious enough. Most people, they're not as curious as us, Ariel, you know? Yeah. 22:55 So it's like, you know, I, I almost thought in another life you could be a great journalist, Ariel. I'm not gonna lie. Ooh. Like, I think you would definitely be a very good... You know, it's, it's all about research. 23:06 It's all about, you know, uh, interviewing people. And I, I felt like when I first met you, I was like, "Oh, she's gotta be some kinda journalist background." I mean, I don't know. That was my first thought. 23:14 But, you know- Yeah... it's, it's still, still, you know, where you came Silicon Valley. And like, I wanted to even take it a, a step further back from Silicon Valley- Mm-hmm... of like when- where you went to school. 23:25 Yes. Like where Ariel got started before going to Silicon Valley, 'cause I feel like the audience needs to know a little bit more about your backstory, you know? 23:34 Like, is this what you always wanted to do or was this just like something that it was like, "Oh, it's there. I'm in the vicinity," or, "I met someone"? 23:42 Like, I, I really wanna dig a little bit deeper, if you don't mind, about your, your own story of like how your career really, really got started. It, it... Was this like from high school? Or anyway, I'll shut up. 23:54 I'll, I'll let you take it away. [laughs] It's a lot. There's a lot there. [laughs] I know. I bet. I wanna hear it. I wanna know. [laughs] Um, so I grew up in the Bay Area, actually. Okay. 24:01 So I am a Bay Area native- Okay, cool... um, specifically Richmond, California. Uh, I went to, um- I'll talk about high school, but- Mm-hmm... because that was one of the more pivotal experiences that I had. 24:13 So I actually went to St. Mary's College High School in Berkeley. Uh, I was part of a, um, a program called Making Waves that supported me from fifth grade all the way through undergrad. 24:26 So I had, um, support in terms of tutoring and SAT prep, um, you know, scholarships, uh, to help with, you know, the cost of tuition and things like that. Um, so that... 24:38 I, I literally had no choice but to succeed, [laughs] you know? So I had this very rigorous program from- Mm-hmm... fifth grade through, you know, undergrad. 24:48 And, you know, I had a team of people behind me, a- a- along with like 49 other of us in our, in our age group, um, and that are, like, telling you every single day, "Yes, you can make it. Yes, I'm gonna go to college. 25:02 Yes, I'm gonna graduate from college." Like, a lot of these affirmations and community building. Wow. So that was very integral in terms of who I am and what I do now. Um- That's cool, yeah... 25:13 I will say that, you know, having Silicon Valley in the background, I was like, "Oh, I'll get there one day." I saw it as, like, my playground or my sandbox. Like, I'll get to play there. I'll get to do that. 25:23 Um, it doesn't seem so out of touch or so out of reach for me- Mm... um, because it literally was in my backyard. Mm-hmm. And I was like, "There's no reason why I can't do it." 25:33 [laughs] Like, there's a lot of people telling me I can do anything, so why not? Um, so that's, like, young adult me. Um, I talked a little bit about undergrad. I went to Cal State Long Beach. I came back. 25:45 I did my, uh, master's with, uh, University of San Francisco. And, you know, while I was doing my master's, I actually was... [laughs] In my cohort, it was a small cohort of us, there... 25:58 the running joke was like, "What's your new job now, Ariel?" So, [laughs] because I worked so hard and, you know, I started my career in finance, you know... I'll talk about my undergrad, too, like, 'cause 26:10 I got a bachelor's degree in communication studies and sociology, so you're not far off on the journalistic route. [laughs] Okay. That's what I thought. Um, yeah. You're a great communicator, by the way. Thank you. 26:20 Just throwing that out there. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, I was a theater kid in, in undergrad as, as well, and so, you know. I can, I can see that, yeah. [laughs] That took off, um, a l- a little bit, but- Ah... 26:31 I was never planning to be famous. But having those backgrounds, communication studies, sociology- Mm-hmm... and going to grad school for business, I'm like, "How do I bridge this together?" Mm-hmm. 26:41 So then I started my career, um, in finance at Hewlett-Packard, one of the largest companies I've ever worked for, and I was like, "This is too big", [laughs] you know? Right. Yeah. Um, I really wanna make change. 26:53 And, you know, what I thought at the time, I would become a CFO, and I was like, uh, "Okay, this... I think this is the route we're gonna take." So I took classes in finance, accounting. 27:03 Um, and years go by and I said, "Hmm, I'm not sure finance sparks joy anymore." [laughs] Aw. I'm not sure this is it. That's- Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. Talking to, you know, CFOs in my network- Mm-hmm... 27:15 working alongside them- Right... and I was like, "Mm, I don't know if this is what I want." 27:19 And it, it's part of being in that environment where, like, you have month-end close, you have quarter-end close, you have blackout periods where you cannot take off. And so, you know, I missed a lot of life. 27:30 I missed a lot of, you know, you know, milestones with family and friends because of- Yeah... because of work. And I said, "I, well, I don't wanna do that anymore. What else can I do?" 27:41 And my same background, "You could do anything." Like, that's also a great thing, but also a really, really hard place to navigate [laughs] from that. Yeah. 27:50 Um, and it took a few conversations while working on the job, and I'm like, "Hey, you know, I, I don't like the way I'm working. I'm working really long hours. These contracts don't make sense. 28:00 I can't invoice these customers. The... I can't collect on this now. Like, this is all a lot of work." And so part of this was, like, some of my relentless curiosity coming up, um- Mm-hmm... very early on. 28:12 Like, how can I just help the people that are... that obviously need some support, and just be that resource for them? And what that looked like was, you know, at one of the companies I worked with after Hewlett-Packard, 28:26 um, it... we had new sales leadership, and that's always fun. Um, [laughs] being in finance, like, people in finance usually just complain at sales not being a catalyst for change. [laughs] I feel you there. And it's... 28:39 Yes. I said, "Hey, new sales leader, I just wanna be a fly on the wall as you're having your team discussions. I wanna understand how these deals are progressing, how they're making- Mm-hmm... 28:48 their way through opportunities, because I'm, I'm seeing a lot of, you know, gaps on my side, and I don't wanna become the bottleneck. I wanna become- Mm-hmm... 28:55 the resource that helps folks get from this is just a prospective deal to deal closed and won. So how can we do that and make sure that we're working together?" They were totally amenable to that. 29:08 They started to see that people b- you know, on their teams were just coming. 29:12 You know, sometimes they would literally sit in my chair at my desk and wait for me to come out of meetings so that they could hel- I could help them on their potential... 29:21 like, you know, their contract or things or where they're, they were a little stuck. Mm-hmm. And then one day, one of the leaders says, "You know you're not doing finance anymore?" I was like, "Well, what am I doing? 29:31 Like, this is just my job. I have to do my job well." He said, "You're doing sales operations." And I said, "Oh. Tell me more. Tell me more about this sales operation." 29:40 So then I was able to partner, like as the finance person in the room, partner with sales operations, say, "That's just not gonna work. That's gonna fail every time. This can be more streamlined- Mm-hmm... 29:49 and this is what it would look like." And that started my path to revenue operations. Mm-hmm. And so I said, "How can I now look at the entire picture?" 29:57 Um, so from marketing to post-sales or customer success, and say, "How can we start to really dance well together?" We're all on the dance floor dancing, but we're not dancing to the same song. 30:09 [laughs] We're all stepping on each other's toes. Mm-hmm. How can this be a little better? And so that was- An integral part for me to say, like, "Oh, I'm actually really good at this. I like this. 30:21 I like being able to use the data and understand people to re- create better processes that serve the business. Like, that's, that's my jam. I like this. And, like, people pay good money for me to do this? I love this." 30:32 [laughs] Love it. So- Spark story. Let's go. [laughs] Yeah. Loved it. Um, became so well at, you know, moving from startups as well, um, that eventually I was promoted, um, to become the, the project manager office. 30:47 Mm-hmm. So to run all of the, um, initiatives that the C-suite cared about. If they cared about it, I cared about it. I... 30:54 My goal was to make sure that people were moving in the right direction, to make sure that, yes, we are making money, and we're actually keeping to our deadlines when we have certain projects or initiatives. 31:05 So that was, that was a really fun time. I got to see lots of different parts of the business, but still use that operational rigor with pro- program management for people that are like, "I just can't stay organized. 31:16 [laughs] I just can't stay on..." I got you. Don't worry. And this is before AI had really taken off, so we really- Mm... needed that support. Um, um, so then fast-forward, um, to just where I am now. 31:31 I said, "Okay, there's a lot that I've learned across the years through education- Mm-hmm... academia, on the job, um, you know, life experiences." 31:40 Like, oh, man, if I would've just did this one thing slightly different that we could have had a different outcome. Um, or seeing competitors starting to do the things, I'm like, "See, guys? 31:50 I told you that was a good idea. Let's do it." Like, come on. [laughs] Let's go. Um, yeah, so, like, just, just having those experiences, you know, across the board and saying, like, there is value to this. 32:02 There is value in knowing, and there's value in a good process, [laughs] in, in how you usher people throughout the process and not just, you know, burn them out. 32:12 And so that's a lot of what I talked about in coaching, like preventing burnout, you know, from all, like tops up, top down and bottoms up because that's super important if we wanna move fast and agile. 32:24 Um, and also you have to have a good stop button. Like, i- is it time to stop this madness and keep it going in a different direction that is actually more efficient and fruitful and worthy of our attention? 32:36 So, um, that's a lot. I know I gave you a lot there, [laughs] Donna. Sorry. You did give me a... No, it's good. It's g- Hey, this is your interview, not mine, all right? [laughs] So I'm just asking questions. 32:45 I'm actively listening, letting you grab some water because I'm sure your throat's parched. It is. But no, I... It sounds like you've been in the corporate world for a long time. Mm-hmm. 32:54 And so now you're kind of like in your new beginning stage of your own business, so to speak, right- Mm-hmm... with your, um, your coaching career, career coaching, but also your consulting work. 33:07 And so, and, and just remind me, um, so are you trying to do more coaching now? Is it more consulting? Because I know they're two different things. Yeah. 33:16 [laughs] So would you mind kind of sharing a little bit about, I guess, both of those and then what you're, I guess, more focused on now and what you're trying to attract with the type of clients as your own business, right? 33:28 So- Yes... which I think is really exciting. Yeah. So take it away. Yeah. So right now I am focusing on more consulting engagements. I have, you know, have, um, you know, consulting in the past. Um, but this w- this... 33:41 The way that I'm doing it now is basically coming up with more structure. Mm-hmm. 33:46 So before, like, I was more of the founder's, like, eyes and ears and support to create strategy, and, um, that kind of took me on a tangent, and I said, "This is not my superpower that I want to actually offer to the world. 33:59 So how do I actually package it in a way that makes sense, um, that is actually useful because I'm actually, you know, stepping up with the AI component of everything. 34:09 So how can I consult better and more wiser in where things are today?" So when I was consulting, it was like the very early stages of AI. I had a few engagements. 34:18 Um, they went well, um, but I was like, "I can do so much more, so much more." 34:24 So I had to defi- like take time, build it, define the packaging, and so that's where I am today with more consulting and building relationships in a completely new space. 34:33 Um, the female technology, parenting technology, health technology spaces. So that is, um, also something I'm very, very passionate about because I also get to learn along the way as well. 34:44 So, like, the new and interesting technology, I get to pass it along to my friends, you know- [laughs]... and fa- and family members as well. Um, and I, yes, I still do coaching. Mm-hmm. 34:54 So there are folks that still find me. 34:56 Um, uh, the LLMs still, um, return my information as a result when folks are looking for, uh, career coaching specifically in the go-to-market field or revenue operations specifically. 35:09 And when I say go-to-market, it ca- it could be anything from marketing, sales, customer success. So I've had clients all, um, in, in all of those areas. 35:19 Um, and when I ear- started very early, I, I was helping engineers. I supported, uh, UX designers, HR, like the, the full gamut. So that's why I niched down after a while. But- Yeah... um, is the rigor still there? Yes. 35:33 Is the knowledge still here? Yes. Um, and do I still love it? Yes. And the way that I have come to b- I don't wanna say blend each side of the business, but the consulting work feel- fills a mission that I have, and 35:50 the coaching work fills my heart. So- Mm... like, transform people's lives, um, you know, people... Like, literally there was one client that I had, she got the offer. She was so excited. 36:03 Her daughter had graduated the same week that she got the offer, and they were, like, jumping up and down on Zoom video. Wow. Let's go. 36:11 Like, just in excitement of, like, both of their change, both of their transition, and, like, that is the amount of... change that I want in someone else's life. So her daughter- Mm... 36:22 how mom steps up and speaks for herself and, and starts to p- chart a path to something new for her career at the time that she says she wanted it. 36:32 And then, you know, the daughter also being excited to be able to now go on to college. Like, lots of transition there. Um, 36:40 clients that say, you know, "I, I can't afford, you know, starting my family because it's too expensive at my current salary. So how do I either get a promotion or find a new job so that I can actually start my family?" 36:53 Mm. And now they're building a family. Like, this is... Those are the kind of conversations that you never get to, like, see on, like, if you're just, like, heads down in the work all the time. 37:04 And so, like, when I say it fills my heart, it truly does, because I love every single client that I've worked with. Um, they are doing some amazing things. And part of the business, Infinitely Elevated, so elevated 37:16 means that we're constantly going to up-level ourselves. Um, and the infinity part of it is that we can always come back around. So that means, like, the door's always open to come back to Elevate. 37:27 That's the meaning behind my business name, and that's literally what I do. So, like, I'm, quite frankly, in the middle of reconnecting with everyone, um, that's in, that's subscribed to my LinkedIn newsletter- Mm... 37:39 to say, like, "Thank you for subscribing, listening, watching, whatever." Uh, 'cause I have YouTube as well. Like, what's content that you want to see? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. What's going on with you? 37:49 Um, one of the folks that I talked to earlier this year, we reconnected earlier this year. He said he's getting ready to adopt two little girls, and I'm like- Aw... "That's amazing." Like, oh my God. Yeah. 37:59 Like, you, you don't get that unless you ask. And so this is- Mm... a very human-centered, um, human focus that I have with all of the work that I do. So how does it impact people? How do they continue to, you know, 38:14 up-level themselves, become better? Um, and if that, if I'm a small catalyst to that change, that means everything to me. Yeah. That is huge. Oh my gosh. 38:24 That, yeah, thank you so much for sharing, because yeah, it's not... Like, I love careers that you can really impact other people in a very intentional, meaningful way. Mm-hmm. 38:36 And with what you're doing especially, it's just, it's, it's extraordinary, you know? And, and it gives you that sense of accomplishment. It gives you that sense of meaning, of purpose. Yes. Right? 38:50 And, and it's like those are the stories that I absolutely love to hear and to share with others as well. And I wanna know more about, like, 39:01 what advice would you give someone, since, you know, we're talking about career coaching, right? Yep. And they're still trying to figure out their career, right? 39:11 And they're, you know, just they're trying to find purpose, meaning, essentially, right? Like, that's kind of the, the why you get a career, right? It's like- Mm, mm-hmm... what is your, what is your why? 39:19 What is your why, right? So, um, what would, yeah, what would you start talking to them about? How would you, um, dig deep into their life, and how would you pull that out of their, out of their life, you know? 39:34 Because a lot of people, I, I feel like that's kind of the number one thing with a lot of people, especially, you know, um, at a nine-to-five job that they just don't wanna be at, you know. 39:43 And you know that's a lot of people- I know... but they just don't know how to get out of that. But it's like, what can I do if I just had a coach, right? Or someone to help me along that journey. 39:51 And I feel like that's, like, that's such an in- invaluable, um, asset for people. And so, like, I guess, where would you, where would you start with someone? Yeah, we'll, we'll start there. Yeah. 40:01 Where I start every conversation is, "What do you want?" Creating your what do you want statement. Mm. That's not easy to do. I have a You- uh, like a literally a three-minute video on YouTube- Mm-hmm... 40:13 um, that, like, is the catalyst to get people to start thinking about what it is that you actually want. Mm-hmm. 40:19 Whether it is for your career or it is for your business, what do you want, so that we can start to chart the path toward that north star. I can hold you accountable in some places. 40:30 Um, you know, I always want people to know that they're in good hands. You are supported. Mm-hmm. But I will push you. 40:36 I'm gonna comfortably and sometimes uncomfortably push you so that you can get to where you say you want in your north star. So that's always it. 40:45 And, like, listening, so a good part of, like, coaching is, like, you can't just be, like, so focused on you as, like, "I'm trying to hurry up and help this client." 40:52 No, no, no, they're not on, they're not on your timeline. Mm. You have to sit back, and you have to listen. Um, so I always start with the what do you want, and then 41:00 for folks that are like, "I'm still trying to figure it out," like, I have a lot of those conversations. Um, I do understand nine-to-five creates, um, stability- Mm-hmm... 41:10 consistency f- you know, and stability in so many different forms, like fi- financial is a big one. Yeah. Um, you know, like, sense of self is another one. Like, I, who am I if I don't do this work? 41:21 So a lot of people have challenges with that if they are laid off or, you know, things happen or reorg, whatever. So that identity shift does happen as well. So, like, the what do you want. 41:33 Um, also I understand where you're coming from if you have the nine-to-five. But thinking about what is it that you could talk about every single day in every single way. It just comes up all the time. 41:45 [laughs] Quite frankly, it's rev ops. It's not the sexiest, like, party trick. It's not... [laughs] Mm. It's, it's not a conversation opener, but it's everywhere. 41:55 And it's like, yes, I've been at happy hours and talked about revenue operations. Yes, I've been at conference, and I talk about revenue operations. Um, it inevitably comes up. Mm-hmm. 42:05 I have my thought processes about it. I am very quick to give people, like, advice and, you know, like, mini coaching or y- you know, things to help move the needle or... 42:17 'Cause I could see, like, their wheels are turning, but something- Mm-hmm... not connecting, and I'm like, "Maybe if I just give them this li-"... itty bitty piece of information that'll help. 42:26 And it'll, and nine times out of 10 it's like, "Ah, that's what I've been looking for." Mm. So that breadth of that I was incorporate, I'm still doing that. That is still inevitably who I am, what I'm all about. 42:38 I want people to know that it's very easy to work with me. Um, you know, I have standards and I have structure as well, but we can do this in a fun way. We can do this in a very structured way. 42:50 Um, and I've worked with, you know, C-suites and executives with all different backgrounds, um, and that they're bringing different things to the table, and I have to learn to... 43:00 I, I had to learn how to communicate very well, how to still get things done even though we have different makeups or backgrounds, um, things that, you know, drive us nuts, you know? So, [laughs] you know, it's, it's... 43:13 I, I laugh now because it's like, okay, those things were very serious at the time, but c- out of... 43:19 coming out of those situations where you're like, "Oh, that was tough, but we did it," like, those are the, the moments I'll never forget, you know? Very pivotal mo- moments that I'll never forget. 43:28 Um, so coming back to folks that are still trying to figure out their career, be curious. There are free resources out there, um, to help. 43:36 I would say do not go about doing this in a silo or just, like, ta- quit your job and tail off and [laughs] go, go figure it out on the fly, because even if you're deciding to go fractional, it's going to take a while. 43:50 Mm. You have, like, lots of connections, people that can introduce you. Um, you have your structured packaging. Like, all of that takes time to build, and you don't wanna just rip out- Mm... 44:00 your financial stability just because you want to be an entrepreneur. It sounds great, but it's a lot of work. [laughs] Like- Sounds so fun. [laughs] But you have to have true business work ethic and, uh- Mm-hmm... 44:16 and balance and- Yeah... um, determination to keep going. Like, no one's gonna set your alarm for you and say, like, "Hey, it's time to get up and go work." 44:24 Like, you just have to create that for yourself, and it's not easy, but you c- but it is doable, I will say that. Yeah. Mm. Other question. I love that. [laughs] I love that. 44:33 Well, a, a question actually just prompted when you were- Ooh... mentioning towards the end there. Um, how do you avoid burnout? Ooh, balance. Um- Mm... balance, balance, balance. So 44:45 I'm actually in the middle of moving everything to my summer schedule. Okay. Um, just to c- How long- Yeah. So, so let me give you one example. So- You have a summer schedule. So y- S- Do you have a seasonal schedule? 44:58 Do you have a fall schedule- Ooh... and then a winter? [laughs] Just summer. Um, you know, the kids are more available- Sure... so I want to be available for that as well. 45:06 And it's not that b- business won't pick up or things. Mm. It depends on the seasonality of your business, but I know naturally, like, it kind of... Like, people wanna enjoy the sun. People wanna enjoy- Sure... 45:16 their kids, you know? Sure. People go on vacation, so why not figure out how to make that part of my process too, right? So- Mm... 45:25 um, big thing that I see with folks, if you are thinking about entrepreneurship, is get your calendar in order. Like, I, I say that, I know it's a... that's a big ask, but being available... 45:36 And I've seen some folks' calendars. They're like, "Oh, just go on my Calendly and book some time," or, "Go on my Google blah, blah, blah and go book some time." Mm-hmm. 45:43 And I see that they have time frames from, like, 9:00 AM to, like, 7:00 PM, and they're like- Wow... 30-minute blocks, and it's Monday through Saturday. I'm like, "How will you ever get anything done?" Right? You know? 45:56 If, if you're just... If you have cal- you know, and my, my Calendly is all over my LinkedIn, my You- it's everywhere, so people can literally- Mm-hmm... 46:05 book at whatever time it makes sense for them, but that doesn't mean- Mm... I have to be available Monday through Saturday, you know, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. That just is not gonna work. No. 46:16 Um, and if you have so many open calendar, that, that's also very s- telling around, like, your business as well. So, [laughs] like- Mm-hmm... 46:24 people are not actually booking, and you don't have, you know, enough of control of your own calendar. So- Mm... right now, summer schedule is, like, partial Monday, long day on Tuesday, partial Wednesday. 46:37 That doesn't mean I just get to go, like, sip mai tais, you know, all- [laughs]... week or on the other days. [laughs] I just- I don't, I don't picture you doing that- You know?... Melanie, necessarily. 46:46 [laughs] I can get more into, like, deep work. Um- Mm. You know- There you go... deep work. I can get more ingrained with my clients. I have time- Mm... for them. 46:57 Um, you know, so I'm not like, "Ooh, let's wait till next week." Like, that's not a conversation people wanna hear if they have a challenge that they're working through right now. So I do need to- Mm... 47:06 make sure that part of my calendar is reserved for my client coaching or consulting to say, "Hey, like, I've got time later today. Let's talk," or, like, "Actually, can you take this slot? This is open." 47:16 You know, and then still having time to work on my business, because there is still work to be done on my business too. Like, I've still gotta make sure the bills are paid. 47:24 I still have to make sure that, you know, the accounting's straight, and I actually do my expense reports and, you know, set up my content and work with my assistant and, you know, build out more AI bots and all the things. 47:35 Like, I still- [laughs]... need [laughs] time, time to do that. Mm-hmm. So if your calendar is wide open- Yeah... 47:39 that's just one example, but if your calendar is wide open, the one thing I would say is just really think about, like, what your business hours are if you're an entrepreneur or if you are starting to think about your career next steps and you do want to invite people for a chat, being very, um, 47:56 time-bound about it. You know, I only, I only- Mm... wanna do this on Tuesdays and Thursdays because my work calendar is easier on those days. 48:03 Or, like, I only wanna do it on Friday afternoons because we have summer schedule. That's where it came from, honestly. Um- Mm... startups, some startups observe, like, summer Fridays, whereas, like- Wow... 48:13 you kind of, yeah, work half the day, and then the rest of the day you just kind of monitor to make sure everything's okay, but then you kinda, like- Mm... check out by the afternoon. Sure. 48:22 So I was like, "Well, how can I just move that to, like, my whole calendar and make it-" There you go. There you go Yeah Sounds like the life. You're an entrepreneur, you can do what you want, right? 48:30 [laughs] You can do what you want, but you can do what you want, and there's a lot to be done, so [laughs] That's another thing. 48:36 So I'm hearing a lot of structure within your day, which is very paramount, of course, when you're- Mm-hmm... running your own business. 48:44 However, a lot of people get into entrepreneurship because they want that independence, right? They want that freedom. Mm-hmm. So, um, how do you find that balance between having the freedom, right? 48:55 And also, you know, like, having that structure? Because I feel like there's kind of a fine line sometimes, uh, because I almost see entrepreneurship as, like, a lifestyle. 49:05 Especially for, let's say, a single guy like me, where I'm literally, you know, I, I always priorit- prioritize myself first before I serve others, right? So I always have to get my health and fitness in. 49:18 Let's say at the start- Mm-hmm... I always have to do my meditation, my reading, my journaling, my great- Yes... you know, um, just my routines of serving myself first. That's how I structure my day. 49:28 But I'm just- Mm-hmm... curious, like, how do you do it and, I guess, like, in, in such a, a way that you're serving yourself, right, before you serve others, right? Because you need to have your cup full, right? Mm-hmm. 49:40 In order to actually, uh, fill others. So I'd love to hear your take on that. Thank you. Yes. Um, well, before we even start the day, let's figure out how we end our day, because sleep is- Mm... the most important thing. 49:52 So if you're not getting enough sleep, I don't care how much structure you have, you're going to fight and- Fight... fuck all day long [laughs] and it's just gonna... 50:01 There's no amount of coffee that's gonna, like, be able to- Mm... make that back up. Um, so starting with a good night's sleep. Um, just like you, Donald, I have a morning routine as well. 50:11 Um, so s- I started it earlier this year 'cause I felt a little off. I was like, "Ah, I don't know why these days feel like that." 50:17 I'm like, well, when you start your day looking at emails from clients or things come in, you gotta get back to this perspective, da, da, da, da, da, then your body already starts to, like, hold that as, like, stress. 50:31 Mm. Like [laughs] we've gotten, like, the buzz starts going and I wake up pretty early, so I'm up now at 5:15. Wow. But that's... Yeah. Uh, like I said, I have two little ones, so they get up pretty early, but- Oh... 50:43 keeping them on schedule and keep, keeping them on routine as well is helpful. Um, but yeah, waking up to take care of myself work first. So getting- Mm... water, meditating, doing some light stretching. 50:53 If I feel up to it, like a full workout. So I think I'm actually gonna work up- wake up a little bit earlier so I can get more of a workout in, um, like in the mornings. 51:02 So even if it is, like, light strength training or I do a little bit of- Mm... you know, cycling or something like that, that's going to help me start my day. Mm. 51:11 When you meditate, it's all about what you are putting into yourself, um, in terms of, like, affirmations. What are you telling yourself every day? If you wake up and telling yourself, "Self, this sucks. 51:22 I never wanna do this again," like, then your body's gonna feel that and carry that with you throughout the day. But if you- Mm... start with, 51:29 uh, you know, I don't do water anymore, it's more, like, lemon water with a little salt. Um- Mm... to digestion and stuff like it. So just having, like, those rhythms that you're creating, um, starts your day off right. 51:42 And not to say I don't ever look at emails. Like, I just kind of gently look at my calendar to see if anything has switched, because sometimes life happens. People reschedule. Mm-hmm. Things happen. Right. I get it. 51:51 Right. So I just peek at it and then go about, like, my morning routine so nothing's urgent. Got that off my plate, got that off my chest, and then keep going. 51:59 And then it goes into, you know, uh, getting myself together for the day, getting the boys ready. You know, my husband helps out as well. Um, and then, you know, we have our days where we do drop-offs at school. 52:11 Um, or we call it school, but it's daycare still. Um [laughs] Yeah. So- I was gonna say, they're pretty young. [laughs] Yeah. I mean, that was a cognitive- Yeah... choice though, like, that we made- Mm... 52:22 to call it school so that they didn't feel- Mm... like it would be a transit- like, so many transitions down the line to call it school. Oh. Like, because there is structure. 52:32 It's not just like you go there, eat Froot Loops and watch TV. Like [laughs] Why, you don't? [laughs] No. No, it's more structured. Mm-hmm. Like, they're- That's cool... it's a bilingual daycare. Oh, wow. 52:45 They, they, um, the, the... It's a husband and wife team, and they are phenomenal. They, uh, the, the wife actually was a teacher, um, in Mexico for quite some time before she started her daycare business here. Um, 52:59 and so they, they have structured time where they're learning and they're, you know- Cool... my, my [laughs] kid came back, back home one day talking about the trajectory of 53:09 cars jumping, or monster trucks jumping over a certain thing. I'm like, "Oh my gosh," [laughs] at three. So [laughs] That's cool. Wow. That's amazing. Yeah. But I talk about structure, they have structure. Mm-hmm. 53:21 Um, and then, you know, I, I talked about the time-bound nature of, like, my calendar. Um, and really just staying put with that. Like, one task- Mm... at a time. You can only do so much. 53:31 And if you can't do it, figure out how to get support or outsource. So that I, like I said, I do have an assistant who helps me quite a bit, um, because I can't- Oh... I can't run this business by myself. Mm-hmm. 53:41 You literally burn out doing that. I could see. So getting help, finding balance- Mm-hmm... finding structure- Mm-hmm... finding times for yourself before serving others. Yeah, it sounds like you definitely have it down. 53:54 Um, there's still a little more adjustment, it sounds like. Some tweaks maybe. Yeah. But for the most part, you've got it pretty much down. And it'll ch- And I w- yeah, no, go ahead. It'll change. 54:04 As your business grows, you'll grow, and you'll change- Right... and your needs change. I'm sure, like, once the kids will get a little bit older and a little bit more independent, it'll change again. 54:12 But, like, not being scared of that, just knowing that it'll happen, and rolling with it, so. But yeah, what were you gonna say? Yeah. No, no, I think that's fantastic. 54:20 And I was just gonna say, you know, as your family grows up, you know, as you start to become- I guess, well, you're gonna be a mom for a while obviously, but you know, like, 10 or 15. 54:32 I'm just saying eventually, you know- I'll be a mom forever... it gets to the next level. But I'm like, you're gonna f- have more time obviously to dedicate to your business as your, as your kids grow up and stuff. 54:42 But, you know, obviously, you know, they- they're priorities, right? So it's just, um, uh, figuring out ways that you can spend the most time with them as well as continuing to run your business. 54:52 And, uh, we haven't really got too much into your family, and I'd love to, you know, hear more about mom life, you know, because I think this is really important, um, especially for all the moms out there. 55:03 Um, like, how do you, um, how do you function? Like, how do you do it? Like, I feel like- How do I do it? [laughs] Yeah, how do you do it? 'Cause I feel like a lot of moms would love to know because- Yeah... 55:11 they're, you know, they're, they're, they're struggling out there, you know? So they, they need help too. So yeah. Yeah. How do you... how do it? It sounds like you're, like, super mom over here, so I just- I do my best. 55:20 The cape's on all times, but I do my best. Yeah. Um, I, I will start, before I say anything, is always give yourself grace. There's no- Mm-hmm... 55:29 like, when people say that there's no playbook in raising children, there is no playbook. Um, you are figuring it out on the fly. You are doing your best. 55:37 You're, you know, researching all the things, showing up, being present. Um, so I would say mom life, you know... I listen to my kids. I think that's part of it. Mm-hmm. And I watch them. 55:48 Like, some, so- so sometimes people see me, like, staring very intently at my kids. I'm just paying attention to, what are, what are you doing? Mm-hmm. What are you like? You know, my three-year-old's very vocal. 55:58 What are you saying to me now? Um, he likes to go on walks when he gets home, so, like, that's something that we're just making part of the routine now. Yesterday the, the... 56:07 it was the al- my allergies were so bad, I was like, "I can't." But, so we went to the library instead. And so I said let... my youngest loves books, and he loves flipping the pages. 56:18 Um, he's learning his little voice, and I, I had a proud mom moment, um, because he's still learning language and he's very expressive. Big smile, he ran up to this family. 56:28 They're sitting down looking at books of dinosaurs. He looks at the mom and belts out, "Hello." And I was like, "I've never seen him do that before." [laughs] Hey. You know, so confidently- That was funny... and happy. 56:41 Wow. Um, and he's grabbing books. My oldest, he's grabbing books, and they're really excited. Um, so really leaning into, like, what their interests are. Mm-hmm. 56:50 Um, and, and having intention around what you want for your children as well. Like, um, so, like, Thursdays, today is a Thursday, so I'm going to do more laundry. [laughs] I am going to meal prep, um- Mm-hmm... 57:04 so that they have healthy meals, so that when the days are long and I have things happening, like I, I have an event tonight, like, I won't be able to, you know, be home for dinner, but dinner's still served. Mm-hmm. 57:15 Right. You know, so having that, that presence without being here, or boundaries. Like, I'm not gonna be out every night at events. Uh, you know, meeting people and networking. So- [laughs]... 57:25 which ones are, you know, are a good use of time if it's going to s- you know, kind of take away time from my family. Um, my husband- Mm... travels. He travels for work. Um- Mm... 57:36 and so that, that is something that we are learning to adjust to. You know, my, my oldest is, you know, using his language, like, "Oh, Daddy's on the airplane? Where is he this time?" [laughs] You know? 57:49 [laughs] So that, that's, that's been interesting. But then also leaning in for support. So I know- Mm... we are very, very supported. Like, my mom comes by. 57:58 We- I told you, we have the daycare as well, but my mom comes by- Yeah... um, when my husband travels. And we are, you know, coming up with rituals now. 58:06 Like, now we see that, you know, our, our oldest actually pays attention to when he's in town and not. 58:12 And so, like, how do we find a rhythm or r- or a ritual that we do before he come, before he leaves and when he comes back so that, you know, they can both be excited about some- you know, something. 58:23 Or it's not always gifts or gift giving, but something that- Mm... we do as a family that's really cool and they're excited about. But, like, we take it in stages, but it's... we're intentional. 58:33 We listen, and we do our best. And the days and the weeks that you can't, give yourself grace. Like, like I said- Mm-hmm... I'm gonna do meal prepping, throw a bunch of stuff in the freezer so I have it. 58:45 So, like, when the kids get sick or you get sick, like, there's still things to eat and you don't have to worry about that on top of now health and wellness. So. Mm, definitely. But- I love it. 58:56 So it sounds like a lot of planning. A lot. A lot. [laughs] To be a good mom, you gotta be a good planner. [laughs] You gotta be a good planner. Um, or, you know- Okay... be able to work on the fly. Like, I, I- Mm... 59:07 that's very hard for me. And so that's, this is... what you're hearing is part of me understanding my strengths and my weaknesses. Mm-hmm. Like, if you ask me to do a lot of things, like, on the fly- Mm-hmm... 59:17 super hard. Okay. Super hard for me. [laughs] That's a weakness. That's a weakness. Yes. Yeah. That's a weakness. It's my Achilles heel. Okay. All the things. Um, in the moments that I need to, I will, right? 59:28 Like, I- Mm-hmm... I can show up that way, but I reserve that for the moments that really need those, like, instinctual, like, responses rather than things. I'm like, food, we can plan that in advance. That's a easy one. 59:40 Easy button. Plan it in advance. Like, you know, activities- Yeah... plan that in advance. Um, so that when things come up, like, you can act and you're not feeling kind of... 59:51 I think that's some of the times as mothers, like, we get caught off guard when something is not to plan and you're like, "Ooh, what do I do now?" 59:59 And so now you have to spend all of your time and energy on that thing- Mm... to solve that thing, and then everything else kind of goes by the wayside. 1:00:08 So this is part of what you're seeing, like, me being, like, intentional about kids do the darndest things. [laughs] You know? Like, one time my kid- Yeah... fell at daycare and, like, really hurt his lip. Oh. 1:00:21 Um, it, it... he didn't need stitches or anything, but we thought- That's good... I thought he was gonna lose his two front teeth. Oh my God. And so now... I know. It was really bad. It was, like, on a cement floor. 1:00:30 So- Geez... um, mm-hmm. And so I had to like cancel all of my meetings for the rest of the day. Wow. Go rush and pick him up. Yeah. You know, now I gotta think about popsicles and like how... 1:00:41 what's, what's soft enough so he can eat, and the crying and the tears. Mm-hmm. 1:00:45 And you know, that moment it was like, oh, wow, like things can happen lit- like all of a sudden, and they're out of your control, but you have to just be able to say, "Well, what is my game plan?" 1:00:55 Well, everything that... And if you're, if you're booked all day long or have, [laughs] you know, your schedule's all over the place, it was easy, easy for me to say, "Can we schedule for this time tomorrow?" Mm. 1:01:06 Move it. Move it, done. You know, or I have these two options, move it, done. Mm-hmm. And I don't have to like, uh, compete with someone else that needs my support or attention at that time. And so 1:01:17 I was lite- literally able to spring into action, figure it out. 1:01:21 I think, uh, my husband also was out of town for that, that too, and so like I had to schedule the dentist and get that going, um, so that we, you know, doing our best to make sure that he's okay. 1:01:32 Um, so there's just things like that, like give yourself grace. You don't, you may not always have the answer, but like business stuff, this is not life and death. [laughs] Like- Right. Right... 1:01:41 you can easily say like, "Let's move the meeting." Like I... Would I want to? No. But like life happens. Right. And letting- Life happens. Yeah. Yeah. Priorities and- Yes... 1:01:50 your kid's obviously way more important than a biz meeting, so- Yes... you're definitely gonna take care of him. Yeah. So I totally understand that. Yeah. 1:01:57 So I guess it's just, yeah, finding your strength and weaknesses, seeing what you're good at, what you're not good at, but also, yeah, prioritizing and planning. And it's just like, I don't know, life. 1:02:09 Life be lifing sometimes, right? Yeah. So it's just like [laughs] having that grace. And- Having that grace I think is so important. A lot of people they're, they're, they're not... 1:02:19 You know, we're our worst own critic, right? I've heard this so many times. Totally. And so, and I'm sure it's true for you as well, you know, you've been too hard on yourself. 1:02:28 So maybe that, that's another great question. I'll just throw that. You know, how do you, how are you showing up for yourself and how are you not being so hard on yourself? Like what are some ways or some affirmations? 1:02:40 I feel like that's one of your love languages actually. Yeah. Is it affirmations? Yes. [laughs] Okay. That, that's what I thought. I was like, what's... 1:02:45 You know, I, I'm sure, um, you know, you probably call your husband every time, "Hey, give me some affirmations, baby." [laughs] The idea. 1:02:51 But like other things, ways maybe, tips, tricks, I don't know, just ways that you psych yourself up because, you know, let's be real, some days you just, you don't wanna do it, right? 1:03:01 [laughs] You don't wanna be a mom, you don't wanna do work. You just wanna lay in bed all day, binge Netflix. I don't know, you know? So it's just like how do you psych yourself up? How do you... 1:03:10 H- how are you so positive? Because that, that's one of the things that always struck me about you, just- Yeah... you're so happy. You're so positive. I am happy. [laughs] I'm like, where does she... I know. 1:03:18 And I'm like, how can she show up for herself every single day? Like I, you know, Simon Sinek, I'm sure you're familiar with him, but he's always like, "You wanna find joy. 1:03:26 You know, when you get up in the morning, you wanna be excited, enthusiastic, to, to do what you love," right? And you wanna find that, your, your why. 1:03:33 And so it's like, you know, and, and maybe that's what it is for you. I'm just answering your question now. [laughs] Yes. You know? But I'm like the... 1:03:40 But, but we're humans still at the end of the day, so it's like we have our ups, we have our downs, but that's... Yeah, yeah. 1:03:47 That's my question to you though, like how do you, how do you keep being positive every day no matter what? Um, well, to, to be honest, like just starting with like the fact that I opened my eyes today and I have- Mm... 1:03:59 air in my lungs, like that in and of itself is- Gratitude... I'm grateful for that. Mm. This is a blessing to be like, okay- Love that... I'm, I'm waking up, I'm able-bodied, I can keep going. 1:04:09 Um, you know, I have great children, great family. Like- Mm... that, you know, the grounding myself in that too to say like, "Life isn't that hard." [laughs] Yeah. Like I said, I'm not, I'm not in a, you know, in... 1:04:22 I'm not a doctor where things can be life or death. That's not the vocation that I chose for myself, so- Mm-hmm... anything that I can do today is like table stakes. This is easy. This is easy. Mm. 1:04:34 Um, so just kind of grounding in that, that awareness and that reality that like I can show up for myself today. There are days where I'm like, "Today is not the day." [laughs] See? Same. 1:04:46 [laughs] And being very gentle with myself. And I say, "Well- Yeah... we can't just, you know, lay on the couch and binge Netflix all day." Right. Like that, that's not the goal. 1:04:57 Uh, if I can't do what I set out or planned- Mm... as the things that I needed to do today, what can I get done? Mm. And being very real and saying like, "Today is not the day where I have the full scope of energy. 1:05:09 I don't have- Mm... the brain is not braining right now. I just can't formulate two sentences, and so like what can I do?" Mm-hmm. 1:05:17 Um, and so being real with yourself because there's, as an entrepreneur, you always have a task list. So go back to your task list- Yeah. Yeah... 1:05:23 and be like, "Let's just choose some of those easy button tasks and get those out of the way." Mm-hmm. 1:05:27 Um, and then once I get those done, maybe it's time for like maybe an hour or two of Netflix, and then you go back to something that's easy. Mm. Um, but some days are harder or like when I get sick. 1:05:38 Um, so I said I have the little ones. Sometimes they come home when they have a cold and like I'm trying to figure out a way to get ahead of it. So if anybody has tips, please. 1:05:47 What are y'all taking to make sure you stay on top of your health and immune system- Mm... when kids come home sick? But they've- Mm... um, they've been good the last few months, so that means I've been good. Good. 1:05:58 Uh, and I can show up and I don't ha- I don't have that drag that, that inevitably happens because you're like, you're sick, you're tired, all the stuff. Um, I do a lot of self-talk. Mm. "You got this, girl." 1:06:09 If, if, if my brain had a mic, it would probably, "You got this, girl," um, all the time. Um- Mm... and then just kind of looking back. 1:06:19 So I've, I've been actually journaling a lot more, not in the sense of like sharing my deepest thoug- thoughts and, and ideas, but more so like tracking my activity. Because you- Mm... 1:06:32 as an entrepreneur have a lot of things to do, and you can like look back past like the last 30 days and you're like, "What the heck did I do?" Mm. Do I... So like- Yes, actually. 1:06:43 Like, when I take a look at it, like you've done podcasts, like you got your content out, like you're responding to like your subscriber base and like you're moving the needle on things where the consistency and the follow-through actually compound- Mm... 1:06:57 rather than just like letting it drop and then you're kind of always starting from scratch. Um, and not being afraid to get help. Mm. So that's, that's one thing. 1:07:05 Like, I know I don't know all the things, but I have great networks of folks that I know, like people I truly honestly enjoy, um, and in different spaces. So I have my RevOps crews, like multiple of them. 1:07:18 Um, y'all know who you are. Um, I have mom founder groups, so other moms that are building something, um, you know, w- to like help with either children or whatever their ideas. 1:07:30 I saw someone today's coming up with a, a pancake and waffle mix that's clean, like for children. What? I'm like- Cool... you know, I wanna follow that. You know, so like just seeing all... 1:07:41 and it's like, how can you not be inspired when every day someone's coming to this group and they're sharing their ideas, they're putting themselves out there. 1:07:49 A lot of us are in the Silicon Valley Bay Area, and, you know, that's, that's specific to the group that we're in. Mm. 1:07:56 And so we're all of these women taking bets on ourselves in different ways and building these businesses and believing- Yeah... in dreams. It's like, how can you not? Wow. How can you not? 1:08:06 So like finding your tribe, I talk about that a lot, but finding your tribe, finding your community of people where- Mm... you just need a pep. I need a pep in my step. I need a little... 1:08:15 just, just read something really quickly or inspiration- Mm... to keep going because, like I said, some days are easier than others. 1:08:23 But the days that are hard, like finding those inspiration or being able to like tap into, I got a good set of girlfriends as well, like, so every now and then, you know, touching base with them, "Hey, this is what I'm working on. 1:08:34 This actually really sucked today. Have you dealt with something like this?" Mm. Um, but support systems, tribes, that's what I call them, but- Mm. Um, and then it al- I love- It comes down to you too. 1:08:45 So if you, if you don't have that support system, you know, finding ways to pep yourself up [laughs] if you will, and like doing that. 1:08:54 I've even, like honestly, like back in the day, I recorded saying to myself like, "You got this." Like a, like a lot of affirmations. Um- Mm... until you actually believe it. Mm-hmm. 1:09:04 I think that was one of the things, like you have so much doubt very early on in your business or any move that you're making, like, "I don't know if I can actually do this. I don't know if this makes sense. 1:09:13 People in my circle are doubting me. Like, why, why that business? You could do anything else. Like, why that? You don't have a AI thing by..." Like, there are a lot of naysayers out there. So 1:09:25 I was like, "Just listen to it." So like on the way to an event, I'll just like listen to my 30-second little blurb and be like, "You got this. Things are gonna work out. 1:09:32 You will meet the people that, that are, um, in, you know, pivotal to your success." Like things like that until like you actually believe it, and then you start to see it in real life. Mm. 1:09:42 And you're like, "This is maybe bec- I put that on my vision board and the vision is coming true. Holy smokes." Like [laughs]... Wow. That's- You know, so that's- Mm-hmm... 1:09:51 that's the w- the power of your own brain and your own mind and aligning your activities with where you say you want to go. Mm, I love that. 1:10:00 So having a great network sounds like having a good group of people, part of your tribe, and, um, people that will not only support you but also cheer you on. Yes. You know? 1:10:11 So, and, and also affirming yourself, it sounds like. So brainwashing yourself essentially every day. [laughs] A little bit. So, um- A little bit... which isn't a bad thing, you know. 1:10:21 [laughs] I know it's kind of been a negative connotation, but, but still, you can brainwash yourself in, in good ways as well. And so this is what I do every morning, you know. Um, I actually... 1:10:31 I, I, I did a lot of journaling, like typing for a long time, and then I found like voice memos- Yes. Yes... seem to be a lot better for me because I just do so much more talking and it's quicker for me. Mm-hmm. 1:10:43 So I'm like, I'm doing these daily voice memos, and I'm almost like getting to the point of like, oh, this would maybe make a great podcast after I've made it, you know? Good idea. 1:10:51 [laughs] I put it out because it's most about my to-dos or like about who I'm meeting or, um, um, how I'm building the business because that's literally like my go-to, you know. Mm. 1:11:01 And I, and I find especially, m- maybe this is true for you too because I feel like you're an extrovert as well, I find energy in the people that I talk to, right? I find energy- Interestingly- Hmm? Sorry... 1:11:11 I'm not an extrovert. You're not? I said, interestingly, I'm an introvert. Really? Yeah. [laughs] Okay. That surprised me, honestly. [laughs] Honestly, I, I swear. Yeah. Okay. Yes. 1:11:20 I've just learned to be really great with people. Like I'm a- There you go... I'm a people person. You're a people person. You're a people person. I'm a people person. I can tell. Yeah. 1:11:26 Um, I am an introvert, so definitely after the long conference we went to- Mm... I needed some time [laughs] to just like- Yeah. Okay. Okay... yeah, to sit and like decompress- Mm... 1:11:35 and like start to, again, organize, you know, where, where, where are my next steps. I met a lot of people. You met a... Like, there was like three different round tables, 10 pe- 10 or 11 people. Mm-hmm. 1:11:46 Each time we had other, um, networking, you know, tables as well, so you're learning. Like, it was a lot of folks. I wanna say like probably touched on about at least 50 to 60 people, like- Wow... holistically. 1:12:02 So my, my, my granola AI note taker was just like, "Oops." [laughs] Nice. Yeah. But, um, yeah, lots of stuff. And I use AI where, where I can. And it's only for my use cases, like I don't share it out, you know. 1:12:16 And it's basically to help me remember, and that's how I'm able to recall like, "Oh yeah, that was that one thing." Um- Mm... and then I have my system where I actually track it holistically. 1:12:25 So once I reach out, I'm like, "This is the note that I had from the conference. I remember this conversation." That's so helpful. "I remember this." Yeah. So I have... I can't keep it all in my head. 1:12:33 That is not a good way to go. [laughs] Um- Yeah. I don't think anyone could. [laughs] Nope. After that, those two days, I, I felt tired too. 1:12:42 Even though, like, I find energy in connecting with people, at the end of the day, I was exhausted those past two days. I had to have a little bit of alone time reset- Mm... which is good, you know. 1:12:53 But I don't know, like- To me, a- and I, I'm sure maybe this is just a me thing, it's like I really find my purpose in serving others. 1:13:02 I find my purpose in meeting up with people and talking with them, and doing these interviews, and doing even the podcast, and getting to know people. It really brings me a lot of joy, right? Mm-hmm. So it's just like... 1:13:14 And sometimes when I'm by myself too, if I'm not working, I, I kinda like it- I get the opposite. I'm like, "Oh, man, you're the worst damn critic again." 1:13:22 I'm, I'm down on myself, I'm negative, and I'm like, "What am I doing with my life?" You know, it's, it's [laughs]... Not to say I'm not that time all the time. Sometimes, some- I'm not gonna lie. 1:13:31 You know, just full transparency. Yeah. We have moments at least. It's just... Yeah. Yeah. It's that modality. Yeah. It's just the, the highs and lows we go through. But I always have to, like, reaffirm myself. 1:13:41 I always have to, like, brainwash myself. Even with these voice memos that I do, it's just like I'm, I'm, like, pumping myself up in the mornings of like, "Okay, you got this. 1:13:50 You know, you're gonna have a great interview with Ariel. She's gonna- Mm. [laughs]... definitely just put a smile on your face. It's gonna be great. Uh, we're gonna, we're gonna come up with some amazing questions." 1:13:59 And by the way, most of my questions are impromptu. Like, this is how long I've been doing this, you know? I kinda just follow where you're going, and I just kind of like... I, I'm your, I'm your guide in a way. 1:14:09 Or you're my guide almost, actually. Yeah. I should say that. And it's like... And I used to do that, and I know some, you know, interviewees do this, is they, they have a set of questions. 1:14:18 [laughs] But I never thought that was great, because I'm like, "That's so stagnant. It's not natural." And it's like if you're a really great interviewer, like, you should know the questions. 1:14:27 Like, I've been doing this long enough, you know? So it's like then that's just the little bit secret about why I do what I do, and of, of like how impromptu is so important as well. 1:14:36 And I know a lot of people, they can't do that. So it's like I know this is a skill that I can leverage and I can bring to the table. Mm. Because a lot of people, they like that, right? And it's like- Yeah... 1:14:46 and, and coming to terms with just being confident and being assertive in what you're doing, but also, like, doing that for yourself to kinda psych yourself up. Because- Sure... 1:14:57 like you said before, you know, like, w- you know, you don't always have great days, right? Mm-hmm. Not every day is a great day. 1:15:03 But as, as long as you're just continually showing up and, and just doing, doing what really, really needs to, to be done, the bare minimum at least. Like, for me, it's like I gotta work out. Mm-hmm. 1:15:14 I have to work out in the mornings. If I don't, then it was a wasted day. I'm like, "What?" You know? "You didn't do anything today. You didn't work out." You know, that... 1:15:21 But that's how I've done, because I was so focused last year, Ariel, about my fitness, about my health. Mm. You know, about doing this marathon, this ultra-marathon. I did a half-marathon a few months ago. 1:15:31 You know, so I've done, like, so much health and fitness over the past year, year and a half, and I used to be, like, really overweight too. Full transparency. 1:15:39 [laughs] I, I was, I was, I was on the bigger side, and I wanted to do something about my weight. I wanted to change that. 1:15:46 And it was so funny, I was looking at a photo I took last summer of me training for my Pikes Peak, and I had a friend, she was looking, and she, she was like, "Oh my gosh, your face, it's different. It's not as big." Mm. 1:15:56 Mm. You know? "It's thinned out a lot." And it's like, yeah, because I keep showing up for myself, you know? So it was like last year was myself. This year it's about others. It's about- Yeah... improving my business. 1:16:08 It's about really showing up, taking ownership, having agency with what I'm doing. Mm. But also how I, what I'm bringing to the table, and what I'm going to be continuing on building something really meaningful. 1:16:22 Just not with this podcast, also with this creative agency, but also with the people that really need my help, right? Being useful, right? 1:16:32 And, and I find throughout your career, Ariel, is you've always found ways to be useful. Mm-hmm. And I feel like that's what's been a really magnetic draw into us too- Yes... 1:16:42 is like I see this usefulness, and I really love it, you know? And I feel like I can learn so much from her, you know? So it's like this was one of the biggest reasons of, of getting this, uh, interview on the books. 1:16:55 Yes. Because I know you're useful and help so many more people when they listen to this, when they watch it. You know, it's like they're going to really figure out within themselves of like, "Oh my gosh, she's right. 1:17:08 Maybe I- Mm-hmm... should be doing this more than this. You know, this doesn't spark joy. I need to get here in my business or in, even in my life." 1:17:16 Like, I could even see you being a great life coach, and I know, you know, that was probably one of the things- [laughs]... you were maybe thinking of before. I don't know. That's, that's funny that you say that. Yeah. 1:17:25 Like- Yeah... a few people have asked, like, "C- can you be my life coach?" [laughs] And I'm like, "What?" [laughs] Like, "Aren't we all figuring it out at different phases and stages?" Right? 1:17:35 Like, and I think at some point, like, you know- Yeah... I, I don't think that my career will stop at just this business. I think there's... And it, and to your point, it's always- Mm-hmm... 1:17:45 how can I be of service of others? Mm-hmm. Um, that's very important to me. Like, not, you know, being a, a doormat, if you will, but literally if you have a goal, I think there's space and there's room for everyone. 1:17:59 And there are, you know, nuggets of information that can be useful to tell... Take someone... I just had a call yesterday. She, um, 1:18:07 she was, uh, initially thinking about going into career coaching with me, and she's like, "I just started my own business." I was like, "What?" So we connected. 1:18:14 [laughs] Um, and so I gave her just, like, some tips, like, from when I was very early on in, in growing the business, and, like, things to look out for. And she's like, "Oh, that's so good." 1:18:23 I was like, "Don't worry about taking the notes." I was like, "My, my, my notetaker will send it to you." Like, power of AI, thank God. Um, but- Mm-hmm... 1:18:31 you know, it'll send it over to you the full recording and the notetaker so that you can come back to this when, when you have time and space to do these tasks- Mm-hmm... and activities and research, right? 1:18:40 But, like, getting back to the point, how can I be of service of others? That is, that's so important to me. Um, and not just from a business perspective, but just, like, a people perspective. Like, if I can just- Mm... 1:18:52 make a connection, I'll make the connection. You know, if I know someone and the, and I see that there's-... a challenge and two people are coming at it from different sides. 1:19:01 How do I get these people to talk to each other? Because, like- Yeah... this will be amazing. You know, it's like matchmaking, but for businesses and people who need... who can support them, [laughs] if you will. 1:19:11 There you go. There you go. I like that. Yeah. You should brand yourself with that. That's a- Yeah, I- That's a fun slide... there's a lot. There's a lot. [laughs] But, um, but just, yeah, being in service of others. 1:19:21 Um, so right now it, it just takes- Mm-hmm... shape of careers and, like- Mm-hmm... business development, if you will. Mm-hmm. Um, and how to help these companies that really want... 1:19:31 These companies, but the founders more specifically, and getting their product or service off of the ground. Like- Mm-hmm... I do routinely go back in and, like, test their product from time to time. 1:19:42 I just, I get curious. Like- Mm-hmm... is it matching up to what we say we're doing? Yeah. Does it live up to what we're saying? We, you know, I used to ta- Like, in corporate I used to go back and talk to customers. 1:19:53 Mm-hmm. "Hey, like, I'm the RevOps person. Like, I just wanna understand." Like, very few times, but does this actually make sense? Do you like this? What don't you like about it? This is a safe space. No judgment here. 1:20:06 You know [laughs] you know, that's- Mm-hmm... that's the whole point. Like, because once we have those layers of transparency, I think then we can get to the next phase of life or the next phase of- Mm-hmm... 1:20:16 careers or business, et cetera. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, to your point, like, we're... Like, being someone's life coach, I think later on, definitely. I think I wanna go through just a few more life experiences- Fair... 1:20:29 to be- to help, you know, like, especially as the kids get older and as they grow. Mm. You know, moving around. Um, like I said, Bay Area native, but, like, moving around. 1:20:40 Um, understanding, like, so much more to be able to provide somebody, someone else that amount of value for their life and, like, what they're going through. Mm-hmm. Yes, but not yet. [laughs] Definitely. 1:20:52 So it's in the works. Actually, that's a great segue to my next question of, like, the future of Ariel. Future of your- Mm-hmm... careers. 1:20:59 You know, like, looking forward, you know, in hindsight, are you still gonna be doing what you're doing right now? Or do you feel like you're gonna be doing something different? Like, what's, what, what do you see on... 1:21:10 Like, like, I know it's all subject to change. We can't predict the future, obviously, but, like, I'm sure you dream, right? I do. I do. 1:21:16 Like, I'm sure you have some aspirations of something that you always wanted to do but you haven't done yet or something, or maybe some future business endeavors. I don't know. Yeah. 1:21:27 Like, everything- I have ideas, right? Mm-hmm. They're not concrete. They're still forming. Mm-hmm. Um, I can tell you, like, in the different ways I'm kind of shaping those ideas. Sure. 1:21:36 So one, um, as my children see me as an entrepreneur and see my husband and his work ethic, what will come up for them? And, like, being able to make space for them as, like, children entrepreneurs. 1:21:50 Or, like, help them if they have a business idea and, like, support them with their journey, um, and partnering with them on some stuff, um, as they grow. Um, I do really lend myself to health and wellness. 1:22:03 Like, that, I... To your point earlier, um, I was about 35 pounds overweight, and so I went into a really... Yeah. This was- Wow... a few years back, um, before the kiddos were in the mix. Um, but- Oh... 1:22:19 my health journey, like, doing, like, like, 1:22:23 making sure that I was consistent with my workouts, making sure that I was thinking about the food and the intake and how I feel when I eat certain foods, and so that was important to lost a lot of weight there. Yeah. 1:22:34 And people would say the same thing, "Oh my God, your face is so slim." I was like, "Yes." Right. Um, but that was being sedentary- Mm... um, for a very long time. 1:22:43 And, like, the reality is that, like, you don't have to do that anymore. You can change things around. And so now that you're kinda on the other side, you're like, "I don't wanna lose that. 1:22:53 I don't wanna go back to what was because I know how I felt- Mm... that way." So, um, I think of some type of health and wellness retreats of some sort. 1:23:03 I don't know what that will entail or where it will be, but just health and wellness. Um, mental health as well, um- Mm... for people of color. 1:23:11 Like, m- again, continuing to chart the path to say like, "Hey, it's okay to talk about these things. 1:23:17 It's okay to, like, figure it all out in a safe space and, um, not have, you know, judgment and things like that that can come from people who love you, honestly, um, and are, are... mean very well. 1:23:30 But, um, you need some times to kind of steal away a little time to focus on yourself and figure that out. So I think the kids business, if that's what they want, a health and wellness something. Mm. 1:23:42 Um, definitely life coaching and some- something like that. But, um, yeah, I'm not sure. I'm, I'm open. I, I'm... have many lives, [laughs] a cat with many lives. Mm-hmm. 1:23:54 I've had, like, so many careers and career pivots, changes, transitions- Mm-hmm... um, that, you know, this is where I'm, I'm, I'm staying put for the, for the, for a good chunk of time. This is where I want to be. 1:24:07 Mm-hmm. This is where I'm aligned in how I shaped how I want to have my business, so I plan to be here for quite a while, um, until I decide, like, what will an early retirement look like or encompass. 1:24:20 So that's, that's where I am. Mm. I don't think you're gonna retire. I think you just love what you do. I don't think so either. [laughs] If you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life, right? Yeah. 1:24:31 You're right. Dang it. So why even retire? Like, I heard it's miserable when you retire, right? You're always trying to find things to do, you know? To do. Yeah. Like, why do that when you can just keep building, right? 1:24:42 [laughs] So if you enjoy it that much... And honestly, like, I'm not planning to retire this podcast anytime soon, you know? I wanna keep going. I wanna keep doing it year after year. And I know consistency is key. 1:24:54 With everything we love, we do, eventually it's going to hold value for so many more people out there, and I'm just, like... I'm really blown away by your consistency. 1:25:05 Showing up- As a mom, showing up as, uh, a consultant, a coach, you know, as for yourself, showing up for your family. 1:25:13 Like this is, this is really huge and it's very heartwarming to really hear your journey and see how you've just like slowly just kinda just climbing up the mountain, you know, and you're just like continuing to climb. 1:25:27 And it, and it's really, it- it's, it's, um, yeah, it's just really exciting to see that, um, in a, in a person's life. And it's one of the, the really pure stories I find when I talk to people on this podcast. 1:25:39 So I really appreciate you taking the time to share with me. And, um, and yeah, um, just a few more questions. We're kinda winding- Sure... down here, as you can see. A little bit. Uh, but I, I really... 1:25:50 A- and I've been having a great time, by the way. I hope you have as well. Same. Same. Okay. That's what I thought. That's what I thought. No, I've been getting everything. [laughs] We're getting it all in, but yeah. 1:25:58 I was, I was gonna ask, that was kind of my next question. Was there anything that you feel like we haven't covered yet that you wanted to cover? Hmm. 1:26:05 If it's about your business or some, maybe some inspiration for others about the meaning of life or purpose or something. Like your history that we didn't cover that you wanted to cover- Yeah... just before we end. 1:26:17 I just- There is one thing, actually. There's always one. Good. Go for it. Always. There- [laughs] Go ahead. Just kidding... search, yeah, search for, search for inspiration. Hmm. 1:26:26 Um, because I, at least for me, sometimes I, I doubt what my abilities and capabilities are. Mm-hmm. Um, sometimes as a mom, sometimes as an entrepreneur s- you know, stepping out into something that's new and different. 1:26:39 But until you actually see like, "Oh, someone's done this before," or, "I know I'm- Hmm... charting a path for something completely different in terms of my business and how I'm structuring it." 1:26:49 The, the, the blue ocean strategy may be super tiny for right now, but like there's also been other people that were in your same shoes. It may not be directly equivalent, but it is an... 1:27:02 You can use those as strategies and inspiration to say, "You know what? If they were able to do it without AI, [laughs] 1:27:09 or if they were able to do it without all of the support, then what can I do to then start to either m- mimic that success or chart a path toward my own success?" And I think that has been eye-opening for me. Hmm. 1:27:23 Um, there are things that I literally have dreamt of, and I was like, "There's no way that'll happen. Like, there's no way." You know? And you, you kinda, like open yourself up to opportunities where it's like, "[gasps] 1:27:38 It happened. [gasps] Oh my God, I did it." Or, oh, like I'd never thought I'd be on a podcast. [laughs] And now I've been on plenty. And I'm like, oh, there is a lot- Hmm... to stay in there. Um, you know, let it out. 1:27:50 You know, b- if you, if you feel so inclined to talk about what is important to you and what you're building and what you're doing, talk about it. 1:27:59 And I feel that the more you talk about it, the more you cement within yourself that, yes, I'm not trying this or trying to do it. You are doing it. Hmm. And you are moving things forward. 1:28:11 And it may not be very apparent to you, like 1:28:15 in the way that you need to see it, right at the, that right space and that right time, but thing, the, the things are changing, and you're doing the right things and you're trusting your instinct. 1:28:25 And, um, when that gets to be too much, take a break. Hmm. 1:28:30 I literally, one of my mentees yesterday, I said, "Just sometimes you gotta kinda slow down, sit in silence, and feel what comes up for you and what resonates so that you can listen to your own instincts rather than the noise." 1:28:43 Hmm. Yeah. I love that. I love that. Yeah. That, that's a good take. I love that. Slowing down- Mm-hmm... goes a long way. Sometimes we're just, we take it too fast, we burn out too quick. 1:28:54 But slowing down, being intentional, right? And listening to ourselves, right? Yep. I think that's really important. Uh, where can people find you if they would want to contact you? What's the best place- Yeah... 1:29:08 uh, to go to, uh, schedule a call with Ariel? Yes. So on my LinkedIn, Ariel Balogun, uh, you can... Right at the top, it says book an appointment. 1:29:18 You can choose from currently four different slots, whether it is just networking, getting, getting to know me. 1:29:23 Um, but more importantly, if you need a business discovery call, I have those available, as well as career strategy sessions, uh, for those that are looking to up-level in their careers. 1:29:34 Um, I also have my website, infinitelyelevated.com. And, um, you can also see me on YouTube, some of the, the videos and podcasts and webinars that I've had from the past on YouTube as well under the RevOps Career Coach. 1:29:47 Awesome. Well, thank you again, Ariel. This has been such a pleasure getting to know you. And, um, yeah, I'm very looking forward to publishing this episode- Great... probably within the next few weeks. 1:29:59 I'm a little backed up, as always, but I think that's al- also a good problem, right? Yeah. That's a great problem. Always have content. Always have content. [laughs] And I'm actually due for another episode already. 1:30:10 I don't... But yeah. So thank you again, Ariel. You've been amazing. And, um, yeah, I appreciate you so much. So take care. All right. Thank you. Take care as well.
