Transcript:

It wasn't until I worked in the corporate world, that I realized that some people, specifically, what I noticed was the CEO of our company. They travel, like all of summer they were gone, were one in particular but the others were gone for like weeks and weeks at a time during summer, and some all summer.

And it wasn't until I was an adult, I mean I was in my 20s when I realized that people do that people leave for the whole summer with their kids with their families, they go do summer.

And I didn't know that that was the thing. You know, I grew up with two parents that were entrepreneurs and running, you know my dad running his tire business, and my mom running her hair salon and they don't take summers off, you know, They work summers, and so that was what I saw and my grandmother ran her in home daycare she didn't take summers off, you know, she was b usier in the summer because parents were working, and more kids were at the daycare. So, when I saw that the owner of the company that I was working for in corporate he would just take the summer off to just be I was like, that's a thing. And so what they do, this is like common knowledge for people who grow up like this, but not for us, for our son, you know, so it's just a different experience not judging no bad or good or whatever it's just a different experience. And, you know, they grew up around people who also took the summers off and they would travel somewhere up north out of the Florida heat to their vacation homes. And in terms of business, the rest of us that worked at the company, you know, we would stay and hold down the fort during the summer, and then come fall when the kids went back to school, they bosses would return and pick up right where they left off now they might attend a couple of conference calls while they were gone and check in and things like that, you know, but they were on to something.

Not everything right, but like they were onto something there. And that was the story that I shared on my recent staycation was one of those things that we, that I learned as an adult, and that some people are learning that growing up but that's just how you live life. And when I moved into a neighborhood that I, you know, in my late 20s I realized that like it was a much older community of people and people would be gone like June to November, they didn't have young children, but they would get out of Florida for the whole summer. So like most of the neighborhood was gone, all summer, in the heat, and I, and I just, I didn't know people did that I didn't know that was the thing, like I guess I just thought that very wealthy like stars had vacation homes but anyhow.

Fast forward to today and I went walking this morning and I was processing, August. I used to try to fight August kinda, you know, August was kind of a bi tch for me in a lot of ways. And let me explain. So, generally, the kid all of my kids are home, meaning no summer camps for the last month of summer.

We see our kids school starts, like, a few weeks after public school does in our area and so there's nothing even really open, not in terms of camps and things there's not many other activities. And so it used to be me, trying to figure out how to still be 100% in my business and not miss a beat. While having all three of the kids home and trying to be present for summer.

You can imagine that it just didn't always go very smoothly.

So every year, I give myself more space to just be in August.

And this year, I did more and more of that this year August was a month of retreating inward being present with my family supporting my clients, and other life changes. And the thought that came up for me yesterday was that August kind of felt like one long period for me like a menstruation period.

It was a huge just retreating inward month.

And that is not an easy thing, an easy feeling for someone that's used to being a high performing individual.

For someone that

is used to measuring her worth based on her performance.

I'm raising my hand right now, and confession, because of all of this, there was a not so pretty side effect.

Even though I know better. I read all the books I do all the practices I guide my clients through this, I know better. I still fell into the trap a little bit of, quote, you should be doing, blank, blank, blank, blank, blank, let's not with the shoulds.

I've been hard on myself. This month, for not being on an outwardly 24 Seven, for not keeping up for not launching, I haven't watched anything this month for not having a huge social media presence this month. I haven't been all that active on social media.

I don't even know what my analytics on Instagram, I don't even know what they are. I usually don't watch all of those things but I haven't been super active.

If that noise. That's not the point of this, so this is what I was coming to this morning was like wait a minute, that's not the point of our work and our mission.

We are not here to validate ourselves based on the number of likes, the number of views, or the amount of money that you have in the bank.

Even though all of those things can be pretty fun. And like money is important because we need money to live, and I want you to make a whole lot of money, so that you have options.

But that's not why we're here, we are here to change lives.

And even when we're taking a break. Our mission still get to move forward.

I still supported my clients in August, my pre recorded courses are still being watched by the members of the premier coaching center members that have been in there for eight months. They're circling back when things are slowing down or they don't have a birth coming up for a couple of days or weeks, and they're watching some old modules again and implementing things, my pregnancy library, and my online birth classes are still helping new families do birth differently.

Even while I'm having a full month of retreating to myself you know what I mean.

So just in case you need to hear this too.

Here are a few revelations, as we close out August and move into September if you've been feeling this to.

In life there are seasons. You know that you work with new families. That's one of the biggest foundations that we share and teach and guide new families through is the seasons the season of the fourth trimester. The season of teething this season of fill in the blank. And the same goes for your business.

Your business is not going to stay the same day in and day out, there are seasons in your business.

Also, you're an entire human, not a robot. You're supposed to take breaks. You're supposed to rest.

You can't get it wrong. And your mission isn't measured in dollars. It's not the point.

The foundation for sustainable business that you're building, is what will hold you when you need to reset when you need to take your extended period.

This is why we're building this way, because we're not in this for the short term.

If you were trying to go go go go go and be outwardly 24 Seven burnout.

Burnout is not an option, my friends, so we better build accordingly, we are here for those long run.

So what does this mean in terms of building your online business like sustainability holding you while you are taking your extended period or you retreat or wildlife is happening to you because life has happening to all of us, life happens. Not good, not bad. Some of its hard, some of its joyful, you know like life's gonna happen to me today shortly when we start celebrating my youngest child's birthday I cannot believe she's three.

It's good, it's joyful and still life is happening. And there's hard things that happened to.

So what does it mean like, what does that mean when I say sustainable.

It means you're building a business that fits your life. It means that you're going slowly, you're moving slowly and with intention, because this is a journey. It's not a quick fix. It means that the things that you do, you do very intentionally so that they continue to work for you while you rest. For example, leveraging the internet, you leverage the Internet. When you're working in buildings so that your business runs, while you're resting.

It means you create and schedule your rest, as needed, and sometimes you're doubling down.

It means you get to ride the waves, the ups, the downs as you go so when you're on the UPS, you move with intention. And when you're riding the wave downward, you also move with attention, and the business still is running, it means that you're not the one doing every single thing, every single day, day in day out and your business. It's not all on you, you're not trading time for dollars.

Meaning, the only source of your income is not supposed to be being with clients.

It means setting yourself up, so that your business is sustainable. And we are avoiding burnout. And remember, I'm not suggesting that you build this overnight. It doesn't happen that way. You can decide overnight you can decide right now. And then you start with where you're at, you start building right where you're at today,

a little homework for you. After you finish listen as you finish and wrap up listening to this episode. What is the month I'm just curious, what is the season that you're in, what is the, the, is there a month of your year that you tend to retreat inward that there tends to be more of that is it you know winter and winter month, or is it, you know, sometime during the summer, I mean, what is this, and then what is the season you're in right now, because I have, I was writing this and processing it for myself and then I've been, it's been confirmed to me by several of my clients that they were in a similar season, And so I felt like, okay, it's not just me. If one other person is in the season, then it's worth having a podcast episode about. So share with me. Tell me, what's the season you're in, share it to social media if you choose to take a screenshot and easy way to do that is to take a screenshot on your phone while you're listening to this and then post it to your Instagram Stories, tag me and share, you know you can talk about it on video, you can write a post or just share it and say, yep, I'm in I'm in the season right now too. And I think those two words are helpful to leave with us right now. You know that's a phrase that changes a lot of things, when we talk about how we're feeling. I'm in the season also right now. I'm feeling this this this right now, because it reminds us that, Whatever those feelings are.

It's just right now.

I can't wait to hear. I hope I'm not alone in this. So, side note, and extra points. Now you have content for your Instagram Stories, if you are also somebody who beats yourself up for not posting every single day.

Your Instagram stories are posting that's considered showing up in my opinion. So even if you don't write this huge lengthy post today, post about the podcast.

I'm giving you content for your stories and bam, now you showed up for the day, check it off the list and go take a nap or do yoga nidra or go for a walk or veggie on the couch and watch TV or meditate, I mean, fill in the blank, and tell me what you're going to do to rest. Alright, have a beautiful week friends. Talk to you soon.

Okay, really quickly, I need to let you know, date change, we have a date change for the free online business school for birth pros, the three day live event, we change the date, the new dates are September 27 28th and 29th. So if you already had it in your calendar, go back and change your calendar. And if you haven't yet applied, head to the link in the show notes to apply. I haven't started sending out acceptance letters yet but they will be starting to come out soon and I cannot wait to see you there.