Unpolished

“I think of failure as a closed door. It’s not a dead end, but it helps me move into a different direction. Nothing else teaches me as quickly, so then I say bring on the closed doors!” In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk with Sam Kelly—a family film photographer @samkelly_world based in Salt Lake City, UT and co-founder of @photonative, a large annual photography conference. With a Masters degree in Art Therapy Counseling, a self-published author, and experience teaching Stress Management at the college level, Sam loves anything and everything in which personal story, creativity, and healing intersect. Currently, Sam is a homeschooling mama of three and married to the most patient, supportive guy in the world. We hear the story of how Photo Native came to be, why she almost decided to shut it down, and how it’s so important to approach a business from a place of finding a way to meet your people’s core needs of love and belonging. We dive into the ideas of failure and fear and talk about ho

It can be really hard to be all the things. The idea of having it all is great—but we can’t have it all in every moment and we need to acknowledge the realities of the tradeoffs we make in our choices. Mom life is just really hard, and it’s time we talked about it. We all feel different degrees of insecurities about being mothers, and these feelings of judgment are our projections of our own insecurities as we seek validation for the decisions we make. There are parallels between this and the early stages of an entrepreneurial journey. Once we have the gift of hindsight, things tend to magically look a lot rosier and the hard parts of these memories truly tend to fade. Sometimes our best isn’t that awesome, but it has to be enough for that moment. There will always be hindsight, so even in those moments when it seems like too much, one day we’ll be able to reflect and see how it fits into the bigger picture. How does Mom guilt show up in your life? We want to hear your story. After listening to this

“It felt so much better to give it a try then to keep suppressing what was inside of me. . . We are so capable, more capable than we even know. Be brave and just go for it.” In this Unpolished Journey Rewind, we have an inspiring conversation with Emily Chipman, founder of Doliray Swimwear. As a wife and mama of four young girls, Emily was looking for a creative outlet and found it in quite the unconventional place that originally felt impossible. She talks to us about how she didn’t ever think she could be capable of doing something like this until she learned to shift her mindset and began to talk about her dream as if it were her reality. Emily shares the lessons she’s learned as she navigated the unfamiliar world of manufacturing and how a combination of bravery, determination, and the willingness to be repeatedly embarrassed is how she approaches her entrepreneurial journey. We also discuss how she manages everything going on in her life to make time for what needs to get done, how she handles both goo

Going back a whole year with this week's rewind!  Have you ever woken up the day after you’ve done something vulnerable and thought to yourself – oh my goodness, what did I do?! Well, that is what Brene Brown calls a vulnerability hangover. In this episode, we dive deep into this topic and talk about our recent experiences and what we do to recover.   We examine the different roadblocks we come up against as we try to take steps forward on our entrepreneurial journeys—fear, our inner critics, the seeking of validation—and we share different ways we can support ourselves to feel more secure with our progress. We can learn from even the smallest actions we take. The vulnerability hangover can be a sign that we’ve taken a big step forward. The key is to continue to ask ourselves: what did we learn from this? Here’s a great article on the vulnerability hangover: https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-took-an-emotional-risk-now-what-1478536377 And here’s a blog post on how to identify your Inner Critic: http://w

In our last Unpolished Journey episode of 2018, we talk with the wonderful Elle Rowley who is the founder and CEO of the baby carrier company Solly Baby. Elle made the first wrap in 2011 in the sewing nook of a little house in Salt Lake City after the birth of her second child, Solomon. Solly Baby is now a globally recognized and award-winning brand, featured in Vogue, Parents Magazine, and the Today Show. She lives with her husband and four children in Carlsbad, California. We have a lovely conversation with Elle covering everything from the early days of creating her business, what is really was like to have her husband join her at Solly Baby, and her solid advice for every entrepreneur. Listen to the episode to hear more about: The story of how Solly Baby came to be The learning curve of how to manage a business with your husband and her top tip for any couple that wants to work together How defining her own idea of success is key to how she stays grounded in her very full and busy life The impo

There is duality present within every situation—joy and pain, dark and light—and we often forget that we have the power to choose what we see. Our thoughts create our feelings, not the other way around. When we can learn to focus and choose how we are thinking about things and how we are seeing the world, our feelings then change. We also talk about the concept of seasons in our lives, how comparison is our default setting, and the need to give ourselves permission to feel the feelings. Happiness is more complicated than a choice. It’s the decision to be happy in the series of tiny choices we make every day. We’d love to hear from you—how are you choosing happiness today? After listening to this episode, come join our growing community on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear your story, support you in your struggles, and celebrate your success. You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here: Sarah Carpenter: Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook Stacy We

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

How we can we ever be successful if we never own what we’re good at? In this episode, we dive into the idea of alignment and how that shows up in a work environment. We talk about:   The difference between feeling important at work and doing important work Why it’s so important to truly know yourself and your strengths How alignment is the key to living a fulfilled life Our gifts and talents are unique to us and might not fit inside the “typical rulebook”, but we don’t always have to listen to the experts. When we put energy into things that are rewarding, we often find fulfillment in places we least expect. To support our journeys, we’ve found these three things to be the most important: 1) know yourself, 2) hire a coach, 3) find your people. We’d love to know—how will you find better alignment this week? What’s one decision you can make differently by acknowledging what truly makes you happy and aligns with your strengths? Here are the resources mentioned to help you know yourself: Get your fr

Success does not find you, you find success.” Have you listened to last week’s episode yet? Make sure to catch part one of this conversation before diving into today’s episode! In part two, we continue our conversation with Dana Malstaff—the CEO and founder of Boss Mom. Dana is a mother, author, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She is the author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro. Dana has over 20k students in various courses and community that is over 30K strong. With over 10 years of experience in content creation, marketing, sales, community building, and business strategy, Dana grew the Boss Mom brand into a six-figure business in less than a year. Her Boss Mom Movement is all about losing the guilt when it comes to raising babies and businesses at the same time, and believes that pursuing our passions and building our dreams while including our children in the process, is the best way to build thriving businesse

“Don’t follow your passion, follow your gift.” In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk with Dana Malstaff, the CEO and founder of Boss Mom. Dana is a mother, author, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She is the author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro. Dana has over 20k students in various courses and community that is over 30K strong.  With over 10 years of experience in content creation, marketing, sales, community building, and business strategy, Dana grew the Boss Mom brand into a six-figure business in less than a year. Her Boss Mom Movement is all about losing the guilt when it comes to raising babies and businesses at the same time, and believes that pursuing our passions and building our dreams while including our children in the process, is the best way to build thriving businesses and families. Dana talks to us about some rarely shared stories from her entrepreneurial journey in a refreshingly h

It's time to rewind to one of our oldies but goodies. Have you listened to this episode yet?  What happens we finally take that leap and are able to move past our fear? In this episode, Stacy talks about her experience finally doing something that she had avoided for a while, and what happened as a result. We talk about why doing the scary things our intuition is pushing us toward is so important, and how we can view this process as a game instead of a scary mountain we have to climb alone. Being authentic, vulnerable, and telling our story - whatever that may be in the moment - is all part of the process. The key is to find ways to learn from the experiences and adjust your actions from there. We also remind each other that confidence is not about having all the answers before we do something, and how important it is that we each share our unique gifts with the world. All we need to do is share what we’ve learned on our own paths so far. We mention how Brene Brown’s work (especially this idea of courage o

Things aren’t always supposed to feel good, and things aren’t always supposed to be easy. But, we’re never taught to accept this so when difficult circumstances happen to us it feels “wrong” or “bad”. We also often refer to life as “busy” or “crazy”, but isn’t that exactly what life is all about? Instead, we can choose to feel peace, or choose to feel balanced, and look for all aspects of life instead of focusing on the uncomfortable parts. It’s important to acknowledge that our lives are not perfect pie charts—life changes often and we need to adjust the requirements we have for what areas need our attention and what we need in order to truly feel balance. Our challenge is becoming aware of what we uniquely need and building the ability to know where and how to adapt to what shows up. Our reminder to you is that it’s not broken just because it’s not awesome all the time. Becoming comfortable with discomfort is truly a superpower skill worth working on. So our challenge to you this week is to give yoursel

It’s important to take a moment to celebrate the wins when they happen, regardless of their size. The entrepreneur journey never really looks like what we imagine, and it’s important to remember that it truly is a process. All we can do is take action on whatever is calling us and simply see what happens. When you plant a lot of seeds and take steps to water them, whatever that may look like, you’ll eventually see which seeds are meant to bloom and learn from the ones that aren’t blooming. By focusing on building trust and authentically sharing the gifts we have to give, everything will somehow come together in the way it is meant to, because there are people out there who need what we have to offer. If we’re honest with ourselves about what works for us and what doesn’t, especially around setting goals, we’ll more easily build the confidence we need to continue the momentum. It’s also important to be mindful of falling into the trap of doing things just because you think you should be doing them and know

“We have the power to create what we want. It might take time or effort, but if we’re really committed to creating what we want and have a clear vision, we can absolutely do it.” In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk with Crystalee Beck, a mama of two cute mess-makers (with one more on the way!), writer, six-figure entrepreneur, and co-founder of The Mama Ladder International, an organization that empowers women at the intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship. After leaving her corporate ladder job, she "created her own ladder" to fit her family in 2016. You can learn more about the programs they offer here: www.themamaladder.com and follow them on Instagram @themamaladder We talk about how the idea for the mama ladder came to be, why the moment her son was born powerfully changed how she approached her life, and how balance and motivation are the keys to managing running a business and raising kids. So many people feel torn between a career and kids, and Crystalee shows us that you can

Being vulnerable, confronting our fears, taking a leap—the entrepreneur life can get super serious at times, and we thought it was time to bring some lightheartedness to this podcast and share more about who we are on a different level. So in this episode, you’ll learn some fun facts about Sarah and Stacy including: Our first jobs Our spirit animals Our go-to karaoke song Our irrational fear Our favorite TV show Sometimes it feels like we don’t bring enough of who we are to our businesses, and this is a reminder that we’re all humans, we need connection, and we need community. So how can you take a fun fact about yourself and weave it into your business? We’d love to hear it. Here is Stacy’s wedding cake topper mentioned in the episode: If Sarah or Stacy is the right type of support you need, we’d be honored to help you. You can learn more about us and the businesses we’re building here: Sarah Carpenter: Candelera Coaching Website  I  Instagram  I  Facebook Stacy Weinstein: Hello Healin

“I think of failure as a closed door. It’s not a dead end, but it helps me move into a different direction. Nothing else teaches me as quickly, so then I say bring on the closed doors!” In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk with Sam Kelly—a family film photographer @samkelly_world based in Salt Lake City, UT and co-founder of @photonative, a large annual photography conference. With a Masters degree in Art Therapy Counseling, a self-published author, and experience teaching Stress Management at the college level, Sam loves anything and everything in which personal story, creativity, and healing intersect. Currently, Sam is a homeschooling mama of three and married to the most patient, supportive guy in the world. We hear the story of how Photo Native came to be, why she almost decided to shut it down, and how it’s so important to approach a business from a place of finding a way to meet your people’s core needs of love and belonging. We dive into the ideas of failure and fear and talk about

We often spend so much energy trying to convince people of our value or make ourselves into someone who we are not. It’s a disservice to people who could benefit from what we have to offer if we don’t own our talents and gifts and simply share who we truly are. Our people will be drawn to this—we don’t need to spend time explaining ourselves to our critics, yet this is what we often do. Getting clear about who we are and what we’re passionate about is where we need to start. Working with the right type of support during this process (whether it’s a coach or a healer or someone else), can really help yet we can sometimes write these things off for being “too expensive”. There’s always a match of someone who we can afford, and it’s always worth it to make the investment in ourselves for the transformation that we will go through from working with the right person. We need to stop waiting for the people who we think are judging to validate us. The easier route is actually to own who you are and just put it o

Continuing the conversation we started last week, this episode looks at how our privilege shows up in the context of trying to build businesses in the wellness and coaching worlds. We start by discussing themes from @andrearanaej’s The Color of Wellness class including the lack of diversity we see, elitism, the difference between survival and having/wanting wellness, and the difference between equality and equity. We talk about how blame arises when we feel shame or guilt about privilege, and how important it is for us to instead confront the discomfort and do the work in order to use our privilege for good in the world. We know this is a complex conversation, and we want to keep this dialogue open so we can all learn from each other. The first place to start is by examining our own contribution to the larger problem. We would love to hear your voice - please reach out and share your experience with us and let us know if you’d like to join an upcoming episode to continue the conversation. After listeni

This is the start of a much bigger conversation. This episode is our first step in recognizing the privilege we both are afforded, how that shows up in our lives, and what we can do to start to process it. The most powerful place for us to start is self-awareness. We can't take action until we recognize in ourselves our own biases and privileges and see how we are contributing (even unconsciously) to the problem. The world changes when we change. We must do the uncomfortable work, to be honest with ourselves about what this truly looks like for each of us. Our guilt and shame are not productive and are certainly not going to help anyone. We often don’t understand the influence we have, so it’s important to do the work and use our voice to speak in support of others who may not have that same privilege. So this is the start of our commitment to dive deeper into this, and we are sharing this conversation in the hopes that it will spark the same within you. Discomfort is part of the process, and it’s not a r

“Be confident in your message. Know that there are people out there who need to hear what you have to share. Something that may be common sense to you, may be life-changing to someone else.” In this episode of the Unpolished Journey, we talk to Reelika Schulte, an international business coach with an honors degree in business, and the founder of Design Dream Lifestyle, where she teaches women from around the world how to use their life experiences to launch their own thriving online coaching business. Reelika shares her story of working a corporate job as a single mom, to launching a finance blog that turned into her own business which allowed her to have a more flexible schedule. We talk about the roadblocks she faced around putting herself out there, attracting clients, and taking on debt while learning to live more modestly as she pursued her dream. We discuss how sometimes we feel like we have to be focused on a million things, but if we instead pick one or two things to give our full attention to and