[00:00:00]
Adam Baruh: Hey everyone. Adam here. I wanted to take a moment before today’s episode to ask for your help in supporting the beautiful and kind residents of Maui as they mourn those lost in the terrible wildfires.
And look to rebuild following the recovery efforts. The stories I’ve been hearing and reading about are so incredibly frightening, and I can’t come close to imagining the suffering and loss. Those in Maui are dealing with today’s guest lives on the big island, and while she and her family are safe, their community needs all the support they can get.
I’ve made a small donation to the Maui Strong Fund in the name of our guest here today, and I ask that you make a donation as well. The Maui Strong Fund is providing resources that can be deployed quickly with a focus on rapid response and recovery. For the devastating wildfires on Maui, visit www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong today to help those in need in the beautiful, aloha state.
You can find this link in our show [00:01:00] notes. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this very special episode with Kristen Morrison. Mahalo.
Lyndsay Phillips: Are you seeing the rise in entrepreneurs using podcasting to grow their business? And maybe you wonder how to host or guest on a podcast in a way that will help you generate authority boosting content that attracts your ideal client. Or maybe you’re looking for a way to stand out. And optimize your podcasting efforts to skyrocket your R o I.
I’m Lindsay Phillips, host of Leverage your podcast show where I bring insider secrets from podcast industry experts, including myself, who have created a successful online business through podcasting. So join me every Wednesday morning as we drop a new episode, sharing tips, tools, and strategies that cover all parts of podcasting from launching to editing.
From guesting to speaking to lead conversion and monetizing so you can leverage podcasting for your business. Head to leverage your podcast show.com to start listening.[00:02:00]
Adam Baruh: Welcome to Beyond the Microphone, a podcast about podcasters and the stories of how their shows came together grew, and what they’ve discovered along the way. I’m your host, Adam Baru, so I wanna talk a little bit before we get into our guest interview today about mindset and avoiding burnout because it’s un, it’s unfortunate, but a lot of podcasters don’t make it past the one year mark, and a lot of that has to do with burnout. It’s something that I’ve definitely experienced and had to find ways to, you know, kind of modify my mindset, maybe reevaluate what I was, you know, doing my podcast for, and then also set up ways to really just stop doing the mundane stuff, the stuff that really was not a good value add of my time.
And, you know, just make sure that what I was investing my [00:03:00] time in, um, Were the right strategic uses of my time, such as focusing on marketing, focusing on creating the content, um, like I’m doing right now. So, you know, in terms of burnout, you know, you get started in podcasting with such passion and purpose.
You’re super energized. There’s a lot of motivation there. And everything feels amazing. And then you kind of get into a cadence, whether you’re publishing or interviewing weekly or biweekly. I mean, even at every two weeks it could get a little bit overwhelming. If you’re kind of like a one person operation, you might have another full-time job that you’re balancing your podcast with your regular full-time work and you may have families with, and kids that you need to also, you know, make sure you’re giving them the time that they require.
So, you know, how do you manage that? I mean, always check in with yourself like when you, because it will happen. Like you’re gonna get to moments where you’re gonna be [00:04:00] like, what am I doing this for? Again? Like, remind yourself of the passion and the purpose and the meaning of what you’re doing, because you just gotta keep going.
I mean, the show must go on, right. So how can you do that? Definitely look for tools. There are tools out there that can help you automate and systemize a lot of, you know, the mundane tasks, um, that really are not great uses of your time. But, you know, it’s all about balance. You know, everybody talks about balance, work-life balance and, and so on and so forth.
But, you know, make sure you’re giving yourself the time. But like your podcasting life shouldn’t just all of a sudden take over. Your personal and you know, your own personal needs, your family needs, like that stuff all has to come first. And then you should be journaling. I mean, journaling is a great way to kind of check in with, um, you know, your motivations, what your higher self, your higher spirit is [00:05:00] connected to.
So, um, just wanted to maybe, you know, leave it, leave it at that today and, and just, you know, remind everybody that’s getting started that might be running into that stage, like power through it. Definitely take care of yourself because everything else will follow after that. Okay? So, you know, with that, um, let’s introduce our guest here today.
It’s Kristen Morrison in her twenties, she built a highly successful pet sitting and dog walking business that. Grew to be the largest of its kind in California. She’s been featured on Yahoo Finance, the New York Post, a B C N B, C, and c b s. She now hosts the Business Pathfinder Podcast, an intimate and rare opportunity for listeners to hear actual coaching sessions with business owners.
Kristen uses unconventional methods to guide business owners toward mindset shifts and to make left and right brain actions that. Unlock their potential and empower them to make bold changes in their [00:06:00] business and personal life. So Kristen, welcome to Beyond the Microphone.
Kristin Morrison: Thank you. I am really happy to be here. It’s great to hear your intro too. I really appreciate all that you shared. I think it’s so important.
Adam Baruh: Yeah, super important. Um, and I was thinking about that as I was kind of reading your bio. I mean, that’s something that you, that you focus on and um, I mean, you know, I don’t want to get too much into it here, but, um, I’ve spoken on other episodes like, you know, stuff that I was dealing with at around 20 20, 20 21, um, even before that, like 2019 when my fourth kid was born, just, uh, You know, the burnout, the stress, the anxiety and stuff like that.
It’s really important, um, to get to a place of mindfulness where you can, you know, just kind of like, look at how important mindset is. And so, I mean, I guess let’s start there with you today. Like, I. You know, leading up [00:07:00] to you creating a podcast, I mean, you’ve done some other stuff like, you know, I mentioned the pet sitting business, and I definitely would love for you to speak about that because I’m, I’m pretty fascinated by that, just as an entrepreneur, but you know, for yourself, like where have you found.
You know, relationships with your own mindset and given the experiences that, that you’ve gone through, and I know also you’re living in Hawaii right now, so what a great place to keep your mindset in just the right balance. So
Kristin Morrison: Well, it’s funny. Yeah, thank you for all of that. And it’s interesting because a lot of people think, Ooh, Hawaii and it is absolutely fantastic. We live on nine acres of very wild land in the jungle, um, in 120 year old house. And it’s magic a lot of the time. But you know, no matter where. People are in the world, they bring themselves with them, right?
So some of my coaching clients try [00:08:00] to do a geographic and move somewhere beautiful or where they’ve always wanted to live, and then they realize, wow, I, I am my same self. And so, yes, it’s amazing living in Hawaii and it is a constant reminder of. What really matters because actually the people that live here are very focused on family,
Adam Baruh: Mm-hmm.
Kristin Morrison: friends, connection.
That becomes first before work.
Adam Baruh: Yeah. And
Kristin Morrison: My other home is in the Bay Area in Marin County, California, which is a very different mindset. You know, work comes first there. So it’s just interesting to navigate between the two and notice how relaxing it is just from being around that. But I’m also, you know, having to practice what I preach too, which [00:09:00] is.
Morning pages, you were talking about journaling, and that’s something that has very, very important for me and has impacted my life in such a powerful and positive way. The morning pages by Julia Cameron, not sure if you’re familiar with them, it’s called The Artist’s Way. She wrote a a 12 week kind of workbook on unlocking your creativity and I feel like.
Adam Baruh: feel like
Kristin Morrison: A lot of business owners may think, well, as a business owner, you know, I can’t be creative. But really it’s an opportunity to be creative in your business. And so I found that book The Artist’s Way to be really impactful in my own business, not only, um, the different exercises she has, including scheduling an artist’s date with yourself every week just with yourself doing something that you love.
But the morning pages were something that. That she wrote about, and that was a practice that I created about 25 [00:10:00] years ago. And so almost every day I do three pages of journal writing. And according to Julia Cameron, it’s writing three pages, unedited, not critiquing, just writing. It’s sort of like taking out the trash in the beginning from the mind.
Adam Baruh: yeah.
Kristin Morrison: You know, um, different experiences of maybe upset or anger or sadness or, you know, all those feelings that may be there have an opportunity to be let out. And that’s the unlocking process really
Adam Baruh: Yeah.
Kristin Morrison: is just not critiquing it, just letting it out, you know, as hateful or hurtful as it may be on paper. It’s only for you to see and you as the writer.
And then also what has come up for me in those three pages almost every day is my to-do list. I get so much clarity from the writing [00:11:00] and I feel like it’s really helped me develop and cultivate a deep intimacy with myself, which I believe when we can tap into that, we can really get tuned into. Business ideas, you know, new passions.
We may be able to, when we stop and, you know, begin the writing, we may remember a customer who said, Ooh, I’d really like it if you did this and that, that then becomes a business idea. You know, it’s, it’s really an opportunity to do self-reflection, to just let it out,
Adam Baruh: Yeah. And I, and I, I look at that too. It’s like, what a great way to be in the moment. Yeah, because, you know, I live here in Southern California. You mentioned the different locations and, and so on and so forth. So, you know, there’s such a hustle and bustle here and you know, being in North San Diego County, I mean, anywhere I want to go, there’s gonna be a million other people there.
I want to go drive [00:12:00] somewhere. There’s gonna be a million people on the freeway. I want to go to the beach. There’s gonna be a million people there. So we don’t, you know, here in this kind of. Community, it’s really difficult to to be in the moment because we’re constantly going from here and there and, you know, gotta get the kids over to the birthday party or whatever it may be.
So, journaling I’ve found is such a, I mean, it’s like a gift to yourself, right? Because it, it allows you to be in the moment and it’s, it’s also showing. Gratitude for yourself by making that space available for yourself and for the needs that, that we all have. I mean, ’cause that’s the other part of it too, especially when you have young kids, and I’m definitely guilty of this, but you know, we just trudge forward every day.
It’s like, what do I need to do for everybody else? Okay, I gotta do this. I got a job, I gotta do all this stuff for my boss and my clients. I gotta get home and make dinner for the kids and blah blah. Next thing you know, it’s. 10 30 at [00:13:00] night. How much time have you spent for yourself today? Maybe
Kristin Morrison: That’s right.
Adam Baruh: at that.
Like it’s,
Kristin Morrison: Yeah.
Adam Baruh: it get away.
Kristin Morrison: It’s true. And I love that you brought that up because, um, when I was single, it was very easy to do these things, to do these practices. They were just such a, A habit for me, a regular part of my, my daily life. And then I met my husband and we got married and I’m very grateful and happy in our relationship.
And you know, that is another person that then has needs, wants and desires. And so sometimes when I am doing the journal writing, you know, he has said, I feel kind of lonely. Like you’re. In in another room doing that, and I like to hang out with you in the morning. So I’ve really had to explain to him just how crucial this is.
When I don’t do it, I feel off a little [00:14:00] bit. There’s something that doesn’t, I don’t feel as grounded, centered, calm. It’s like a meditation of sorts, and so, It gives him an opportunity too, by me setting a boundary around that like, this really matters. I have to do it.
Adam Baruh: You know, I understand that it impacts you and I’m happy to spend time with you after, you know, and it gives him an opportunity to be able to do something that will serve him as a morning practice.
Hey there, fellow podcasters. This is Tori Barker of the Creative Visionaries Podcast, and I’m excited to introduce you to podcast the All-in-One platform, designed to streamline your workflow and take your show to the next level. If you’re tired of feeling [00:15:00] overwhelmed by the task required to manage your podcast, Then check out podcast where you can easily streamline your podcasting process and simplify your workflow.
Tori Barker: Say goodbye to the stress of managing multiple tasks and deadlines and hello to a more efficient and productive podcasting experience. And it doesn’t just stop there. Podcasts also offers AI based marketing tools that give your podcast a competitive edge. As a fellow podcaster, I know from experience how important it is.
To have a reliable and efficient tool like podcast to keep you on track. It helps save me so much time in post-production, which allows me to focus on what really matters, creating great content for my listeners. I. So if you’re ready to take your podcast to the next level, head over to podcast.com and sign up for a free forever plan and get started today.[00:16:00]
Kristin Morrison: So, you know, but I, it took me a while to be able to navigate that. And so I think the more people we have in our house, in our life, that can then lead to it perhaps being more challenging or difficult to do these things. And so maybe, you know, you don’t write for three pages, maybe you write for one or two, and then you come back at night and you know, Write about your day.
So I think it is important to perhaps, especially when we have a lot of people in our life like you do. You said you have four kids. I can see that. That would be, they would be tugging on you a lot. You know, and it tugging on your [00:17:00] mind too. You’ve got a lot that you need to do and, and. you to be able to do some of these things is going to help your relationship with them as well as I know you know that,
Adam Baruh: that. Yeah. And kind of when, you know, when you’re talking about that, the way that I’m kind of relating it to my kids is, um, you know, It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do this.
’cause we have like a, a rotating cast of babysitters, but you know, for a while we had like a consistent, every Saturday my wife and I would go out on a date and it’s, it’s really difficult for the kids like to have us leave the house and leave them with a babysitter. Sometimes it’s a new babysitter and they don’t get it.
But like, I hope that over time, What we’re modeling for them is that, you know, mommy and Daddy’s relationship is very important and it’s kind of the foundation, um, for all of our happiness. And so when, you know, as, when they become [00:18:00] adults, you know, they’ll, they’ll look back and, and understand the importance of making that time and not always doing, you know, It’s not always about, you know, just us being here for the kids and, you know, mommy and daddy have lives too.
It’s like hard for them to imagine, you know,
Kristin Morrison: Uhhuh,
Adam Baruh: know, that’s normal kid stuff. But, uh, let’s, let’s bring, let’s bring it to your podcast. So, but maybe even a little bit further. So you had a pet sitting business, and you’ve described it as being, you know, a very, you know, largest business of its kind and.
In California, I think you mentioned having hired like 250 employees, so I’m fascinated how you, you were able to grow a pet sitting business to that volume and then ultimately sell it and you know, how did that experience ultimately play into you developing a podcast?
Kristin Morrison: Yeah. So I never thought that I would ever become a business owner, but I [00:19:00] always loved animals. And, um, I started working for somebody who had a dog walking company, uh, in my twenties. And within three months I realized I could do this. Um, I really would like to do this. And I realized there was. This feeling of this is part of what I’m here to do, and it was very surprising and very reassuring.
At the same time, I had been looking for different opportunities, um, had gone to college and hadn’t really found the right major for myself and. And in part I think it was because dog walking wasn’t even a thing then, you know, it was very new. There was one woman in a very affluent town who had a business, and I began working for her.
And so, um, I started a business and I realized pretty quickly that I love being my own boss. I love setting my own [00:20:00] hours. I love creating. There were so many aspects to the business that were just a really good fit for me. I love animals. Being able to be with them, being able to exercise and walk dogs, just a dream come true.
And then to get paid for it on top of all of this was just really amazing. And then I started to get busier and busier and gradually my time got. Less and less I began hiring people and then that really began to transform my business into.
Adam Baruh: you know,
Kristin Morrison: me doing the service to actually hiring people to do the service.
And my business was not, um, the biggest in California, but it was one of the biggest, uh, business pet businesses in California. And through the course of running that business for 18 years, I hired over 250 people. And when I sold it, I had 35 dog walkers and pet sitters and four managers [00:21:00] and. About halfway through, I realized, wow, I have money.
I had been making really good money from the company, but I have no time. And I realized I really want both. I wanna create both. And I looked around. I didn’t see any other business owner that I knew. I didn’t know very many business owners, but I didn’t see the business owners. I knew having both timer money.
They either had one or the other. They either had, you know, a lot of clients like I did and not a lot of time, or they had a lot of time and not a lot of money, and they were really stressed about that. So that’s like two sides of the same coin. And I realized for me, the key in that particular business was hiring more people, hiring managers so I could actually get.
A break, and I went from, in the course of a year, I went from working seven days a week. Um, I wasn’t doing [00:22:00] any of the pet sitting or dog walking at that point. I was just managing all my staff members and doing a lot of admin to, um, working three days a week doing the admin and having managers manage the other days.
And then I realized, was talking to a friend one day and she was talking about how she was gonna go traveling for a few months, and I realized how jealous I was and I feel like jealousy is really, for me at least, and for a lot of my coaching clients when I’ve kind of unearthed it with them, is jealousy is often a wink from the universe of like, this is an opportunity, this is a desire, and how can this need be met?
Right, and so for me, I really wanted to see if I could run my business without actually being in the country so that I could travel. And I ended up hiring a couple more managers and they ended up running [00:23:00] it for me, and I was gone. I lived in Bali for a number of months in India, and my business ran without me while I was doing that.
And I. Initially I started coaching pet business owners. That was the first foray into coaching. I started my business pet sitting and dog walking business in 1995. And then in the year 2000, I got calls from people saying, can you help me? And so I began doing that. I began helping them and then other people started asking me, you know, they would say, you look like you’ve created a successful business.
Will you coach me? And so I began coaching all types of. Business owners. And then about seven years ago, I started a podcast called Prosperous Pet Business. So that was my first podcast and um, It has, I think about 130 episodes now, and it’s been a pure [00:24:00] joy to create that. And then I realized I wanted to create a podcast for all types of business owners.
And what I decided to do is actually have it be coaching sessions with people that applied to be coached on the podcast. And so we’re both, whoever I’m working with and I, we’re taking a deep dive into the great unknown, and that’s the. Thrill of this podcast is like often I don’t. Really know what they need help with.
My podcast team has gone through the applications. They’ve picked people that they thought would be a good fit for the podcast, and then maybe I know a little bit like where they’re located or what kind of business they have, but that’s generally it.
Adam Baruh: it,
Kristin Morrison: And then they have all their questions and then they ask me the questions, and it’s generally about 45 minutes of coaching.
And where we end up is often. Very different than I anticipated. We’d end up at the beginning and often where my coaching client [00:25:00] had no idea we’d end up. And so I just, I love it. It’s always a thrill and a surprise, and I’ve heard from a lot of listeners that they’ve gotten a lot from the coaching clients.
Adam Baruh: Awesome. Are you still doing both podcasts or are you
Kristin Morrison: I am. Yes. Yeah, yeah. I’m really, my main focus right now is Business Pathfinder, the coaching podcast for all types of business owners. But I, I do release, I release an episode every week for Business Pathfinder on Wednesday. Uh, the prosperous pet business is generally two or three episodes each week, or sorry, each month.
And generally it’s on released on like a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, so,
Adam Baruh: So,
Kristin Morrison: yeah.
Adam Baruh: so let’s go back to, you know, just getting started in podcasting in general. Like how, what was your process in terms of going [00:26:00] from like concept to reality? Like how did you even know where to get started, what to do, technology to use and invest in?
Do you remember like how putting it together?
Kristin Morrison: Yeah. So it’s seven years ago, you know, is when I started my first podcast. So I really wanna think about that time period and kind of go back in time. And in some ways I’m very fortunate because my husband, he’s a corporate attorney now, but he used to be, um, an audio producer, a music producer.
So he’s very familiar with Mike’s with, you know, the whole realm of audio production. Um, and so he got me some really fantastic microphones. I’m not using one right now. I’m actually using a SE Hauser headset, which is quite a nice mic. I’m in Hawaii and we haven’t, yeah, we haven’t really gotten the Hawaii house dialed in [00:27:00] yet for the podcasting, so I have a handheld.
It’s like a lavalier actually, um, when I’m doing intros and outros for my podcast. Um, and that I believe is a se houser as well. Um, and then the one at in Greenbury in, at my house in Marin County. Um, I think it’s a, sure, Mike, I’m not sure exactly what type it is, but I could ask my husband and, you know, we could put it in the show notes.
Um, but he, he got me the box, um, the. Uh, this box. And so I’m not, that’s not my forte. He, he actually did that. Um, I read a lot online too. Like I explored a lot at that point to see. I was very nervous about starting my podcast, which was very interesting to me because I do a lot of public speaking and a lot of coaching and webinars, but anytime I try something new, there’s often [00:28:00] some nervousness.
Adam Baruh: totally
Kristin Morrison: pretty, I know, but it was very surprising to me given the amount of speaking that I’ve done. And here I was speaking to no one really yet. Right? I was recording it, um, for a future audience. But if you go back to my very first prosperous pet business episode, which is, I believe it’s called Create Your Best Year Yet, um, I say I feel really nervous. I feel really nervous and it’s surprising to me. So, you know, if there are brand new podcasters out there that feel nervous before they begin or as they’re interviewing, I think that’s so normal and I. What I’ve discovered is the more I do something, it’s just become second nature. I used to feel really nervous before podcast interviews like this one, and now I just hop on [00:29:00] and I, I trust myself.
It’s like I know that I’m gonna say what I need to say
Adam Baruh: To say,
Kristin Morrison: and I also let what wants to be said to come out, like I get out of my own way.
Adam Baruh: Yep.
Kristin Morrison: And don’t try to control the conversation, you know, I also prefer not to know the questions beforehand.
Adam Baruh: Yeah, totally advise for that. Like I, there was a couple of episodes where the guest kind of like really kind of persisted on wanting to get the questions in advance.
So I relented and.
Kristin Morrison: Yeah.
Adam Baruh: And I had to, like, one in particular, it was actually a close friend of my wife’s. And so I’ve known her for a while and she’s a nutritionist, and I, I had to stop the interview and just say, you know this, it’s not coming across very authentic. Let’s try this another day and I’m just gonna, I’m not gonna send you anything.
And the second attempt was, was beautiful. And so, yeah, I, I, I definitely advised for that. Like, don’t, don’t give away. [00:30:00] Don’t give away what is gonna produce a lot more authenticity in your podcast episodes and interviews.
Kristin Morrison: right. That’s right. Yeah. And when I’m coaching people on the Business Pathfinder podcast, I say, write your questions. You know, when I send them the information or my assistant does. Yeah, you have that. It’s like, write your. Questions to them. I, I say to do that, but don’t send them to me. I don’t want to know what questions, and this is also for any coaching session that I do.
I really don’t wanna know because I want what wants to come through to come through. And if I know it prior, it’s, you know, my brain is already gonna be thinking about it. So have it be fresh, have it be new. And that also leads the listener on an adventure. You know, they don’t know what’s coming. And if you don’t know what’s coming, then you’re in, you know, you’re holding hands metaphorically and like stepping [00:31:00] in to this experience together.
Adam Baruh: And it feels more like a conversation than,
Kristin Morrison: Other,
Adam Baruh: you know, something that’s prepared. Which I think most listeners of podcasts are, are gonna find more engagement like they’re gonna themselves be more engaged when it feels like they’re a fly on the wall and a really, you know, interesting conversation.
Kristin Morrison: That’s right. That’s right. And I think it’s important, like people can feel it too. People can hear it and they can feel it. They know when something’s authentic. They know when it’s not,
Adam Baruh: yeah.
Kristin Morrison: and. Yeah.
Adam Baruh: I, I almost cut you off there.
Kristin Morrison: okay. That’s okay. Well, what I wanted to say is I was telling my husband the other day, I feel like if the pandemic has given us anything, and for a lot of people, there’ve been a lot of gifts, a lot of challenges.
Same in my life. This Hawaii house probably wouldn’t have existed. We wouldn’t be here if the pandemic hadn’t happened. ’cause my [00:32:00] husband had to work in San Francisco before the pandemic. So, um, If the pandemic gave us anything I was telling him, I feel like it’s cracked all of us, or at least most of us open to be able to talk about the challenges that we go through to stop being so perfect all the time, because that is impossible to maintain and sustain.
And why would you wanna do that anyway? What kinda life is that? A
Adam Baruh: I totally agree. I a hundred percent agree with you. And I think even for me, I experienced that and I think it led to a lot of imposter syndrome. Um, and I’ve spoken about this before and I won’t get into it too much here, but you know, just in terms of running my company Suite centric, which is a NetSuite consulting practice, um, you know, for me being a c e O, it wasn’t a natural role for me.
I am, you know, I’ve been a wedding photographer. I have been in the NetSuite space for 17 years, but more as a developer and, [00:33:00] uh, You know, I, I thought that I had to be something that other people expected me to be. And it wasn’t until really the pandemic and I started to explore this that I was like, you know what?
No, I’m, I think the answer is to be myself and you know, here I have an opportunity as a C E O and something that I’m very fascinated by are these conversations around, like leading with empathy. Um, a lot of the Gary V messaging that you see, um, you know, Gary V is popular on LinkedIn and some other platforms, Twitter, you know, and, and so that’s kind of where I ended up becoming the c e o that felt more naturally who I was, which was.
Ultimately how my podcast, the, my former podcast, the change got started, which, which was, uh, talking about servant leaderships and mental servant leadership and mental health and the workplace and so on and so forth. But [00:34:00] I like, you know, one thing you said that I, I, I really resonated with, and you said it earlier talking about jealousy, and I think you used the word something like, it’s a tickle from the universe.
I think if I
Kristin Morrison: It’s a, maybe
Adam Baruh: the right word.
Kristin Morrison: the, a wink from the universe. Yeah.
Adam Baruh: why I thought tickle,
Kristin Morrison: Well,
Adam Baruh: I I went from wink to tickle. Anyway, so a wink from the universe and going to that nervousness that you were describing when you go on podcasts, it’s almost that same wink from the universe where it’s like, okay, you know, if you go into this, it’s gonna be a little scary, but the magic is on the other side.
So
Kristin Morrison: right.
Adam Baruh: tell us about the magic that you’ve found. In podcasting and the conversations that you’ve had there.
Kristin Morrison: Oh my goodness. Well, I’m thinking about, I. Business Pathfinder and episode number 14, which is called [00:35:00] Project Postpartum, and it’s, I’m working with a coaching client named Miriam. She is in the midst of getting her doctorate. It’s an unusual episode in that she’s not yet a business owner. Most of the people I work with are actually business owners or actively starting a particular business, so she is not quite sure what she wants to do or where she wants to go, and she is
Adam Baruh: is
Kristin Morrison: feeling so much anxiety over not knowing.
She’s feeling a lot of angst because this project, as part of her schooling is nearly over and she has put so much energy into it. So in that way, a lot of people think of postpartum in terms of women who give birth, right? But when we put like a. Big something out there into the universe, whether it be a business or make a big [00:36:00] life change like retire, or the kids fly the nest.
That can lead to a feeling for men and for women of postpartum. Like something has shifted
Adam Baruh: Mm.
Kristin Morrison: and who we were before is no longer, and so there’s an identity crisis. That’s really what Miriam was going through in this episode was having an identity crisis. And, you know, in the beginning of this episode, as with most episodes, I think I know where it’s gonna end up.
Like, if I, if somebody said, where’s this gonna end up? I would’ve said something very different. And that would, that’s always the case, you know, so I have to let go and, and just sort of like I let go with not knowing. What questions you are going to ask me. You know, here we are doing a deep dive into the great unknown, and that’s where the magic happens, really,
Adam Baruh: Mm-hmm.
Kristin Morrison: in my [00:37:00] experience anyway.
And so in this episode, it is a wild ride. There are tears, there is, you know, upset. There is fear. There is a bit of anger, you know, that comes out in her session. Just, you know, she’s going through the feelings and not because she’s in so much angst over this project being about to end and she doesn’t know who she is on the other side of it,
Adam Baruh: yeah.
Kristin Morrison: and so, We do a walk through.
It’s almost like because she is actually a dancer, she’s a flamenco dancer and other types of dancing and, and, um, a scholar. She’s a professor. She does a lot of different things and she is becoming a doctor. You know, she’s getting her doctorate and so she is going through this journey and [00:38:00] you can hear the journey in 45 minutes. There is the beginning, the middle, and the end. It’s almost like the hero’s journey, you know? Yeah. I mean, my podcast editor heard that episode and she immediately texted me
Adam Baruh: me
Kristin Morrison: ‘ cause she was editing it, you know? And she said, Kristen, that coaching session, I’m crying right now.
Adam Baruh: Wow.
Kristin Morrison: is so powerful and Miriam is so open, you know, and that’s the gift I think when you are either interviewing somebody or like me, you know, if you’re coaching somebody on the podcast, for both of you to be open, vulnerable, willing, it’s scary. But what can arise can just be absolutely moving and heartfelt and [00:39:00] powerful. Or it could just be like a meandering, you know, that can be just as beautiful. Sometimes this like gentle exploration rather than like crashing through the forest or hacking our way through. Yeah.
Adam Baruh: Yeah, I mean this is why I love podcasting and why I love podcasts and especially, you know, as you know, the pandemic really is the thing that, you know, I think propelled podcasting to be where it is today, which I think it’s grown a lot because of, and since the pandemic, but, You know, for example, most of my workforce here at my company is remote, and I think that’s the case for a lot of people.
And so we’ve become a little bit more disconnected, um, just in our day-to-day. And I find podcasting to be very fascinating because it’s in the conversations like you’re describing with [00:40:00] Miriam. Where even as a listener we’re invited in to what feels like a very authentic and vulnerable conversation between two people.
But we’re kind of invited into that as a listener, we’re part of it, you know, and I find that there, that feeling of connection is there, even though I’m not present or part of the, the actual dialogue. The connection is happening, and that’s why I think podcasting is such a beautiful medium of, you know, connection for people in this day and
Kristin Morrison: Yeah, I loved how your voice got a little softer. There is this intimacy, and the thing too is that people who are listening to the podcasts that we produce, Are wandering around, right? They’re maybe doing the dishes, going on a walk. They’re at the gym, [00:41:00] they’re driving. We accompany them in their life typically while they’re doing something else.
Adam Baruh: else.
Kristin Morrison: And so we have the opportunity to be a friend. Them and they often feel like they know us because we’re whispering in their ear or, you know, gently talking or, you know, getting very passionate about something. And so there is this intimacy, this beautiful intimacy that we have the opportunity to experience, um, with ourselves as podcasters, with the people that we’re interviewing, or that in my case, that I’m coaching.
Also the listeners, right? They have an opportunity to feel like they’re a part of, even though they’re not right there with
Adam Baruh: Absolutely. All right, well, as we wrap up here today, I’ve got one, you know, kind of final set of, it’s a two part question, but what [00:42:00] discoveries have you made about podcasting since you started doing it? And then what discoveries have you made about yourself? Through your podcasting journey?
Kristin Morrison: Yeah, so I would say what I’ve been reluctant to do for some reason until recently is to include video clips of my podcast on social media. I. I’m not quite sure why. I think it’s just an edge that I felt a little shy or something, you know? Whereas I began to get really comfortable with the audio part.
But the video snippets have been really important for bringing people in, for giving them the opportunity to get kind of a quick little. Taste of who they’re gonna be hearing, you know, in terms of the coaching session in my case and, and who I’m working with. And also [00:43:00] to have a visual. It’s really fun for them to see where I’m actually doing the podcast, you know, and, and, um, and to see the person that I’m working with.
And so that’s been a new discovery that. I am glad that I’ve done. Um, and then the other thing in terms of myself, what have I noticed? Well, in terms of being a coach, I used to be a coach who really did like step-by-step, you know, do this, do that. Um, because of the large amount of inner work that I’ve done the last few years, I’ve really. I work best when I can infuse the life coaching with the business coaching and really help people from both sides and most people. That’s helpful for, if it’s not, then I don’t do that. You know, I wanna be the most helpful that I can be, but if I’m feeling like it’s, there’s an [00:44:00] opportunity there, I’m willing to do that.
And so, because that’s been so successful for me in terms of my coaching clients, really getting a lot of value for me, bringing inner work in. Like sometimes I’ll lead somebody on. A meditation in a coaching session where it’s an active meditation. It’s actually like active imagination in terms of young, you know, he did this when somebody had a problem.
It was like, imagine the problem, talk to the problem. And so I will guide people through that sometimes.
Adam Baruh: Yeah.
Kristin Morrison: That’s one example of some inner work that, you know, I think has been really successful in my coaching. So there you go. I.
Adam Baruh: Well, thank you so much and you know, thanks for your time and for being my guest here today. Um, you know, where can people find out more about you?
Kristin Morrison: Yeah, so my website is kristen morrison.com and it’s K R I S t I. Morrison, A lot of people wanna put the E K R I SS t [00:45:00] e n, but it’s actually two i’s um, kristen morrison.com and then Business Pathfinder is the name of my podcast. It’s on all the apps, so wherever, and also on my podcast page, on my website, and then Prosperous Pet Business is my other.
Podcast and I have six Figure Pet Business Academy. For those listeners that are interested in perhaps starting or growing a pet business,
Adam Baruh: Yeah, well, we’re gonna have all these links on in the show notes as well as, um, on YouTube and on the website. As well as the link to the artist’s way. Um, I believe you mentioned the author is Julia Cameron. So, we’ll, we’ll put a link up to that as well. And you know, again, Kristen, thank you so much for carving out time.
I know you’re, you’re, you have a busy schedule, so thank you so much for being here today.
Kristin Morrison: My pleasure. Thank you, Adam.
Adam Baruh: Kristen Morrison is an author, speaker, and online educator and provides monthly webinars and workshops to [00:46:00] business owners. She’s the founder of Six Figure Pet Business Academy, where she continues to help pet business owners. She also provides business coaching for all types of business owners, entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives.
Kristen is the host of the Business Pathfinder Podcast, where business owners can apply to be coached on the podcast. Kristen can be reached through her website’s www.sixfigurepetbusinessacademy.comandwww.kristenmorrison.com. Don’t forget the two is Beyond. The Microphone is sponsored by podcast.
Whether you’re just starting out in podcasting or you’ve been at this a while and are looking to save time so you can create amazing content for your listeners. Go check out podcast, a podcast management and marketing platform designed by podcasters for podcasters with podcasts, automated workflow, and AI-based marketing tools.
You’ll save time and sanity and be better equipped to grow your podcasts. Thank you all [00:47:00] for listening. We’ll see you next time on Beyond the Microphone.
EIQ Media: Beyond The microphone is produced and distributed by E I Q, media Group L L C. Elevate your Emotional IQ with podcasts and content focused on entrepreneurship, overcoming adversity, stories of emotional courage, women’s health, aging, and more. [00:48:00]