The Work Different, Live Different Podcast by The Maker's Collective - Season 1, Episode 1
***Opening Music
Jeff: We're back.
Lacey: We're back.
Laura: We're back. Hi gang!
Lacey: Hello everyone.
Laura: I mean, so it's been two years.
Lacey: It's been two long years.
Jeff: Yeah. I feel like I closed my eyes for a nap in 2021 and like two years went by and here we are. I'm turning fucking 36 next week. Also, I forgot my age and was telling people I'm gonna be 37. Only to realize, I was like, Laura, how old am I? She's like, yeah, you're…
Laura: I was like, remember when you reminded me that we will never be the same age?
Lacey: Oh my God.
Laura: Yeah, so that means you're younger. Means you're turning 36, you asshole.
Jeff: And I do like to hold that over you.
Lacey: That's a big one.
Jeff: We're back. I mean, 40 is within sight now, you know. Here we go.
Laura: Mm-hmm.
Lacey: That's right.
Laura: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Lacey: You’re as old as you feel, folks. That's right.
Laura: So gang.
Lacey: Yep.
Laura: We're, uh, we're back. We're back in this familiar space of fucking recording a podcast.
Lacey: That's right.
Jeff: Podcasting. Same. Same but different as we've been saying.
Laura: Yes.
Lacey: Same. Same, but different. So same company, same people.
Lacey: So what are we gonna talk about today? So the fine folks know?
Laura: Mm-hmm.
Lacey: What we're gonna dive into here.
Laura: Well, I mean, I really think that this is, uh, it's a bit of a, like where are they now? Moment for us.
Lacey: Yeah, for sure.
Laura: Um, which I think like maybe what we start with is just like, why we're back. Like what we're all doing here. Um, So, yeah, I think, you know, when we stopped doing the podcast, we made the decision in 2021 to end at a hundred episodes. You know, we were tired, you know, Lace and I were exhausted.
Lacey: Yes. So crispy and burnt out. And we were already into the pandemic at about like a year.
Laura: Just about, yeah.
Lacey: When we decided, okay, we have to reevaluate where we're pouring our energy because this is painful. Um, we loved it and we love it, but I think we just knew internally we needed to take a moment to take a break.
Laura: A hundred percent. And I think that's exactly it. The joy was gone of doing it. It was like no longer a fun thing that we were doing to like, meet new people and like create community. It became a job in like the bad sense of that word. And became a chore. Um, and something, we were even just like having a hard time like, what the fuck are we even gonna talk about? And like, why are we doing this again? And like, what is this accomplishing at this point? Um, just like all those questions were really sort of top of mind for us.
Lacey: I think the truth is that the, the world went into survival mode. And ourselves, we were included in that and like our community was in survival mode. So we, it wasn't that we stopped doing the damn work, which I think we'll get into. Um, I think we just needed to just readjust some things and where we were putting our, our eggs.
Laura: Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. So then, you know, I think cut to now, cuz we can get into what those two years were kind of like for us, but, you know, I think that energy is back in a lot of ways. I feel like, I'm not gonna lie, last year was really tough. I think last year, so that was 2022. One of the hardest years that we've had. Um, and so that took a lot out of us. And I would say by sort of like the midpoint of last year, we were all like, well, this might be it. Like I don't fucking know if we can keep doing this.
Jeff: It was slow going.
Laura: It was hard. Um, and then like we made a, a couple of shifts and brought in some, some new perspectives, um, which again, we can get, kind of get into in a bit. But, um, we we just shifted some things and we moved around some energy and I think we got a bit of our mojo back. Um, which then kind of got me thinking about like, okay, we know as business owners, and just as like humans out in the world, like we need to be like this company is run by humans. We are three interesting, cool people and we need to be like sharing more of that. We kind of, I think that was one of the things that we kind of got away from in the two years since we put away the podcast, um, was just like, how do we do this in a way that feels like authentic and that feels good and that feels not, again, not that energy of it being a chore and something that we have to do, but like what feels authentic to us. Um, and it really like brought back, I was like, oh, like this all started because of a podcast, because of an idea that Lacey had for a podcast and, and that, that was so good for us. That was such a good vehicle for, for us. And like, what would it look like for us to bring it back, but do it in a more sort of like, intentional way. Um, and do it in a way that just, it allows us to kind of get out there and like share ourselves, but it in a way that feels not terrible.
Jeff: Yeah. I think it felt for a while, like we had to do what we saw most people doing with content, which is like short form video and showing up every day on Instagram and YouTube shorts and TikTok. And, don't get me wrong, like that's awesome for a lot of people and you can do really great things for like a personal brand and your business with that. But like, it's just not for us, you know?
Laura: Like we tried so hard, like we really did try to put ourselves out there in, in those ways. And it was just like every single time it didn't work and we couldn't stick with it. And it became frustrating and it also became a way for us to like, talk, talk badly to ourselves and about ourselves and like, think those, like that mindset stuff really came up, bubbled up to the surface. Um, and it was just like, this can't be how this goes. Like we're never going to move the needle. We're never gonna get anywhere if we're trying to do this.
Jeff: Yeah. Never does my self doubt creep up more than when I'm seeing my own face being recorded doing a reel. It's like, holy shit. Like, you know, I dunno if you found that Lace I found like, cuz we do a lot of online teaching you like see your own reflections, so like, you just see yourself so much. Imagine like when we were teaching live, if there was a big mirror in the room the whole time, that's, and you just fucking saw yourself the whole time. Oh, I couldn't do it. So I feel like after years of just like seeing yourself in that tiny little screen in Zoom, it's just like, I don't wanna fucking look at my own face and record stuff anymore. You know? Like I just can't, I, I, that is when like the self-talk and the self-doubt and all of that stuff is like at its prime. And it's like, ooh, that's your face being recorded, saying things.
Lacey: It like gives yourself the ick because, and I think that was also part of the fatigue and the burnout is, um, after we shut down the podcast, we continued facilitating and teaching and, you know, running course content and workshops and partnering with all these people. Right. And it, it was just like constant. Education and showing up and facilitating online over Zoom. I think like everyone can relate to the zoom fatigue that we all experienced, but I think like on top of that, needing to talk about what we were up to on a vehicle that was skyrocketing through a pandemic. Short form content. It just felt so weird because we three, our values are rooted in authenticity and being real and vulnerable, and that's what we built this company on. And honestly, it's like there is built in performance inside of places like Instagram and TikTok and we were trying to show up, but I think like when you show up in a platform that isn't built, necessarily, for the way that you share your authenticity. I always joked with all of our students, like I'm a long form girly in a short form world. Yeah. With content. And I think like without the podcast it was, it was less easeful for us to share those stories and to keep it real. And then you just start beating yourself up and you think you're a piece of shit because you can't show up the way everyone else is that you're looking at online. I know so many people in our community were feeling the weight of that too. How do I run the business, stay alive and also show up online consistently? It's so tough. So, yeah, it feels really cute and full circle to get ourselves back here.
Laura: It does. I'm so happy about it. And it's nice because, it was also a question of like, what's the simplest, like, what's the easiest path to kind of those goals that we're looking at, um, achieving. And it's like we are, we know how to do this. Like a podcast is not easy and, and it is like it is for us because we, we have the tools, we've already done it, we've got the infrastructure in place, we've got the people who can help us, you know, bring it to life. Um, so yeah, it was just a, it, it became a bit of a no-brainer to be like, oh, right, we just need to go back to our roots. We need to go back to, and tweak and like, make it to like align to where we are now.
Lacey: Yeah. It's like muscle memory, you know? It's like this is a well exercised muscle for us, and we do it all the time. And so, you know, pressing record again and doing this just feels so natural for all, all of us and yeah, okay we might be a little rusty, but like…
Jeff: Well, it's like going back to the gym after a while it's gonna be sore. The first like, it's like us trying to get the mic set up before this, you know? It's like, we’re a little out of practice, it took six or seven tries, but like, we're here. We're here. It's recording. We think, anyways, it's recording.
Lacey: We made it.
Jeff: Yeah. So it's like returning back to something familiar but like working out the kinks of stuff that used to be pretty easy. Um, but yeah, it's really exciting. I think it's also neat to have this vehicle, but we can, you know, shape it for what we want in our current context. Um, I think it might be really interesting for us to talk about, even at a high level, like what this idea of like a podcast season and shorter episodes might look like. Um, but I think before we do that, maybe it makes sense to like do a little reflection. You mentioned up front Laura, like bit of a, where are they now? Kind of moment. One of the things I love doing with our nieces when we're visiting with them to get them to reflect on things is that like peak and pit idea, right? You sit around the dinner table, you know, what was the high and the low of the day. Um, so why don't we go through that for like the last couple of years acknowledging that there were probably many peaks and many, many pits, but maybe just picking like one or two of each and you know, we can kind of use that to share a little bit of what we've been up to. Um, so I can go first cuz there's definitely one huge peak, is that we are all cat owners now. If you would've told me before the pandemic that like I would have two cats, one of them I would really consider like a top five friend in my whole world, and that I'd be spending two to $3,000 to take care of this cat when we go away on our trip, uh, like I used to look at people who spent crazy money on their pets, and I was like a judgemental idiot about that. And now it's like Earl and Florence Rose, no, cost is too high. I would pay anything to make sure that those little bastards are like safe and happy. You know, they're like one part therapy animal, one part, like friend to hang out with, one part crazy. Like cats are insane. Um, but like, that's been a peak. I can't even remember. I can't even really imagine being without a pet now. You know?
Lacey: It's so cute.
Jeff: Sources of entertainment too. Lace, I forget if we shared this with you, but Earl fell in the fucking bathtub the other day, right? Cats are cute, but soaking wet cats, they're just like little rats.
Lacey: Oh, it's so funny when that happens.
Jeff: I was like, dude, you're so handsome. We cannot let anyone see you like this. You know?
Lacey: They're like little wet rats.
Jeff: Oh my gosh. Yeah. So that's definitely a peak for me is cat parenthood and the trials and tribulations that go along with that.
Lacey: I love that so much.
Jeff: Yeah. Yeah. What about for you, Laura? I know that we shared that peak with the cats, but what about for you? What comes up?
Laura: Yeah, as a high point, I think a peak for me, even though a lot of the beginning, well a lot of the pandemic of that, that two year, cause we're still, I guess technically covid is still a thing. Um, but like during that two year period, um, while it was very, you know, we obviously had to stay home. We had to do our part. We didn't see people as much as we maybe would. I think that it also deepened the friendships and the connections to the people, and like really highlighted who those like very important people in our lives are and who matters and who is like, worth pushing through the feelings of like, you know, cuz I'm very much a, an introvert, so staying home is not a challenge for me. Um, it's actually, you know, more of a challenge to kind of get out there, but like, who are the people that I'm gonna do that for and I'm gonna show up for and that I'm going to and they're gonna show up for me. Um, and I think it really like solidified a lot of those relationships for me.
Lacey: That's such a good point.
Jeff: And Lacey J?
Lacey: Yikes. Um, well, I would have to agree with both of those things because I have also joined the cat club. I got myself a new critter named Honey Styles. He is our newest little fur baby, and Sydney is still kicking, it's her birthday as we record this. She just turned nine and the two of them are just like the funniest, cutest, oddest little best friend pair. Um, I always fantasized about like, living that life when I could own a dog and a cat at the same time, and now it's real. So that. I think also it reveals your like true soul family. Like the people that are gonna be there for you through the, the peaks and the pits. And there were many. Um, and I'd say a big one is I fell in love.
Jeff: Yeah, you did.
Laura: We were saying the other day about how like, uh, we always would joke about like, oh, I think you and I were talking about this, um, when we were in the car together and that you had said too. Um, to your new partner? Do you wanna say his…
Lacey: Kris, yeah. Kris with a K. Everybody.
Laura: Yeah. Kris with a K. Um, that, like, who we've always talked about and joked about, like who our fourth would be, like Lacey is our third, and then who would our fourth be? Um, when that time came and it, and now we don't have to wonder anymore cuz he's here.
Lacey:It's so cute. Oh my God. I was just like reminiscing with Laura when we drove to Toronto the other day about how, when we, when we began this podcast you two were on this falling in love journey and I was on the falling out of love, breaking up journey, and like into my hot girl era of just being single and dating and you know, like building my dream life. And I really was in this season of like, I'm not gonna settle ever until I find my exact right partner and dah dah da da. I don't care if I'm 60. If it takes forever, I'll wait. And my goodness, it really does happen when you don't expect it, guys.
Jeff: Happens quick.
Lacey: Oh my goodness. Yeah. So that's been like a super fun, new, exciting peak to explore. That continues to unfold.
Jeff: So wonderful.
Lacey: I know. So cute.
Laura: I love it so much. Okay, so those were peaks. Some pits.
Jeff: Are we going in a circle? Is it my turn?
Laura: Yeah.
Jeff: Okay.
Lacey: It feels like that 70 show.
Jeff: It does, except we're missing the best part. Where's the joint? Um, It's in a drawer out there, but, um Okay. A pit. So, I mean, I mean, first of all, I guess permission to be human. We've all probably had so many pits. The last two years has been volatile, and up and down, and workplace uncertainty, pandemic coming and going, the world burning, like, holy shit. It's been, I mean, largely two years of global pits happening essentially.
Um, on a personal level, I'm trying to, it's funny how time like blends together, I'm trying to remember, was this like summer of 2021 or 22? I think it was summer of 2021. Um, I just went through like a really intense burnout stage then, um, you know, it was part I was shutting down an old business, Digital Trades School that I used to run. There was a lot of stress and tension around that, you know, there were slow moving things happening with our current businesses. Things were really uncertain. Um, I started working with some clients who hired some new staff members who like I had a bit of friction with. Um, and so yeah, around August of 2021, I was just, finding myself, like just wanting to stay in bed and not really do anything or like deal with any of it. Um, but then with Laura's support, I made like the really good decision to start seeing a therapist, as you both know. Um, and so that was like a hugely positive outcome of that. It's something I feel like a lot of people say this once they start therapy, but like, I wish I had done it four or five years ago. It's probably the best thing I've done as like a human and business owner ever, maybe. But the thing I wish didn't happen is that it got to a spot where like my mental health was in such a negative place that that's when I finally went and, and started to, to get some support. Um, so a positive outcome from that. But oof, there was you know, a month or two there in that summer where it was like, when is this gonna end? You know, like where is the, what does the other side of feeling like this look like? Um, you know, now I know there is another side to that, but it's a tough thing when you're in a state like that, it's like, does this end? Like, does it, does it go away? Or, you know, is this just like my new default setting.
Lacey: It's so hard. I relate to that.
Jeff: But yeah, I mean, I've gone, that was August, 2021, we’re January 2023. So like a year and a half ago. And I've seen her every two or three weeks since that point. And that's been, um, a huge peak for sure is, is, is doing that. Yeah.
Laura: Woo, woo, woo.
Jeff: Yay therapy.
Lacey: Yay therapy.
Jeff: It's the best therapy. Yay.
Laura: Yeah, I mean, I think I have kind of a similar, um, pit in that, but mine is just, you know, a year later and ends a little differently. But I just, around this past summer, again, like I said at the beginning, like last year was hard as shit and it really was coming to a place of we might have to have a come to Jesus moment of like, do we, are we, do we keep doing this? Is this just, has this run its course and now we need to like figure out kind of what's next? Um, with The Maker’s Collective. Um, but the turnaround for us, instead of going, we kind of went to business therapy, we got a, um, a business coach. Um, her name is Sherry. She's wonderful. Um, and so we started working with her, what, like April of last year around that? Um, and like first session I remember we like, it was basically just the three of us, kind of her asking us some like questions about what we want out of life, you know, what do we want our days to look like, what do we like, what are our goals? Um, and that really like, cracked all of our minds open, I think. Um, and kind of got us just like out of the cobwebs that we were in. Um, and it, it took some time from there. Like it wasn't sort of an immediate turnaround for us, but, um, you know, we made some decisions kind of in the summer, um, mostly to just like calm the fuck down and do less, and just like simplify this shit. We've got some, some things that we've been working on, like side hustle 101, um, and we, we just really haven't been focused on the right, on the right things and on selling the right things and so um, in August we relaunched that course as a hybrid course, so now we have, uh, like the video content that people can watch, and we've got, um, some like, live moments throughout the course. Um, and it's going well. Like since we, it was, you know, it was again a slow kind of build, um, but I feel like doing that work to just like really chill the fuck out and like slow down and think about what actually matters and like what we actually, um, need to be focused on, um, helped us to just again, kind of get that energy back. And it just, by the fall I was like, oh, like this feels good again. Like I feel energized again. I feel like I understand what we're doing and why we're doing it, and I feel like I have some space to like think about what else we might want to be doing. And it got us thinking about, again, like content and like, just how do we work in a smarter way.
Um, but yeah, it was, it was really, it was rough there for a little bit.
Jeff: It's amazing how just getting like an outside perspective on things can just, like you said, kind of change your whole, I dunno, you just get, so you get tunnel vision, right? You get so close to something. Um, you know, I didn't think a reframe like that was possible, really. And then working with Sherry at, yeah, we started to do less, we started to focus on the right things. Um, you know, maybe we'll get into this later, but she also challenged us to start, like, living the lives that we said we wanted to live rather than just like waiting for something to happen. And it was like that conversation that really prompted you and I to get things moving with like, our goal of working and living remotely. Um, you know, like we're fucking leaving for Portugal tomorrow for five weeks of remote work. That would, that was not even on my radar as a possibility. It was something I knew we wanted to do, but it was, you know, working with a coach to sort of reframe like that that's actually way more possible than you think it is. Yeah. So let's go figure out how you can live the life you want now.
Laura: Instead of waiting for some mythical future state that may or may not come.
Lacey: Yeah. And that's the trap that we all get pulled into from truthfully productivity culture, and capitalism and, the state of the world right now, I feel like I, I'm like hearing this and I'm nodding along cause I'm like, yeah, I was right in that pit with you both. Um, personally and together, but like, it's crazy because we were so burnt out to the point where we were doing so much busy work and trying to do so, so much and not feeling like we were getting anywhere. And yet we still helped what, nearly 500 people start businesses over the course of two years. How fucking incredible is that? But I, I also felt like we were so disconnected and burnt out that we weren't even able to sit in that and celebrate that too. Which was like, that's just so tragic because that's incredible also.
Laura: Yes. And it's also like, because we were so in the, the, again, that productivity, the capitalism, all of those systems that we all know suck, and need to just like burn to the ground. Um, we were in also like, what's next? What's next? What's next? It was always like, what's next? And we got so wrapped up in the what's next that we missed the things that were like right in front of us, that were happening, that were working. And it was just, you know, we, we weren't really listening. We weren't really paying attention.
Jeff: We weren't present in the business.
Lacey: Yeah, no, no. Yeah. So I feel like that really carried over into my, my personal pit, which was, I don't know, wide reaching and very deep. Um, I just was very burnt out and very kind of like sad and disengaged. For, for a while. Um, and, and it's hard to like see what you need when you're in it. Like, I agree with both of what you said. Like I felt all of that too. And, um, I think it just, for me, it started to shift probably like, yeah, 2021 as well, where I started to be like, okay, so I've been chronically stressed and burnt out for so long that I don't know anything different. What would my life look like if I actually slowed down and like did some like nervous system healing? And so I got real deep into like studying mindset, studying like your body, your mental health, how your body and your brain connect and like really just decided to practice it, to like really dip into slowness and mindfulness and pleasure again cuz I really got away from all of that. And it's like, um, I remember a coach told me once, they were like, if you're not, um, motivated by your joy, you're going to get disengaged and bored with the work you're doing. You need to be challenged and you need to be full of joy. And those are the two like, prerequisites that you need to be successful in life. And, and I just like forgot and didn't know how to like find my joy anymore. So it really became this like mission of searching for joy again. And it started really small and then it grew and then it snowballed and then I was like, well, I wanna do this for other people too now.
So then I like changed my whole business and focused on helping other people to like, what do you, what does your body need? What is your, like, it's like mental health meets personal development meets like, let's have fun still. Even when the like, life is so tough and everything feels like it's, it's really challenging, which it will always be, that's not gonna go away. Can you still lead yourself through like the process of giving your body what you need and, and like surrounding yourself with the things that help make you feel like well and filled up in the right ways. So it was a long journey actually coming back, crawling back to like feeling like myself again.
Jeff: Yeah, it's like finding your, like the human part of you again. You know, I feel like we've been talking about this you know, progress culture or like busy productivity culture, and it's like, it's like you fall into this trap of being like, I'm just like a unit of labour. That's, you know, like that's my function. I'm like a unit of labour and I like do this work and then I'm not doing the work and I'm like recharging so I can go do the work more, which is just like a miserable existence. But that's like how the workplace is built. It's like you've got these massive corporations that can only be profitable if they have small units of labour performing functions on their like behalf. I read a good quote yesterday. It's like, if you're living that type of life, you are the source of someone else's passive income. Right. And it's like, yeah, jump outta that and try to create something, you know, for yourself. Not necessarily jumping out of the workplace altogether, but reframing your existence that like that is one thing you do. You are not like an expense item on a company's budget. But I feel like we are conditioned to see ourselves like that, which sucks the life out of you, makes you question what the fuck you're doing every day. And so that work you're doing is so important because I think most of us you know, get caught in that trap because that's kind of what we're conditioned to see ourselves as like in the workplace.
Lacey: Yeah. And I think I just got in the pattern of work, work, work, and then, to refill it instead of like doing all that other work, I was just numbing out. Numbing out. Numbing out, numbing out.
Jeff: Yeah, let's comfort rewatch this show.
Lacey: Let's, let's binge watch tv. Let's totally stay in, you know, like you were saying, like sometimes it was hard to get outta bed. Yes, it was. And I just felt that so deeply and it wasn't until like I started to really like, take a step back and be like, whoa, girl. This is not what you stand for either. So like, let's, let's change this, or we can't do this anymore.
Jeff: Totally. Yeah. Um, okay. One thing, this is a bit different, but when, uh, during the pandemic, I feel like we all went through phases of like picking up weird habits or like getting into like just like weird niche things that like you would never do otherwise. So I, I was meeting a friend last week, Trudy, for drinks, and we both were laughing, so I had two weird phases in the pandemic, and then I want to know if either of you had any. So one was, I had this crazy tequila phase. Like, I'm not a cocktail drinker really, but I went deep for like three months in like making different types of margaritas and just like, buying all this fucking tequila. And I was like, who am I? Just like fucking like grinding stuff up and making these cocktails. And then I had another weird little deep dive into like the stock market. And like all that meme stock shit that was going on, you know, I just felt like there were two, three month stretches where I like had an identity crisis and I was like, okay, I'm a tequila guy now. And I'm like, Ooh, I'm a stock market guy now. And then you get out of bits like, what the fuck was that about? You know? Did either of you have, like, can you think of any, any like, like weird little phase that you.
Laura: Um, I took up, so I, yeah, I took up cross stitch for a little while. I was like, I, I need to, I was like in the phase of the pandemic where I was like, you need to pick up a hobby. Um, and so I started doing cross stitch, which was something that my mom did while I was growing up, so I was like, this is cute, and like, kind of feels like a connective like moment with her and like with my childhood and, and all of that. Um, and it was great. Like there's, you know, there's a lot of bullshit out there, um, in terms of like patterns and stuff like that, but, there's also some great stuff. Um, so I found like some cute little patterns on Etsy and went to Michaels…
Jeff: I feel like there was a six month stretch where everybody got gifts from you that were cross stitch gifts.
Laura: Yes, yes.
Lacey: I have a beautiful piece from Laura. And I love it. I treasure it.
Laura: Yes. So I loved that. And then my hands just got sore and I was like, oh, I don't think I can keep doing this. And so I have like a plastic tub downstairs that has like…
Jeff: So much fucking cross stitch stuff in our house, Lace.
Laura: Yeah. Some like, half done cross stitch, uh, patterns and
Jeff: It's like a briefcase. It's a weird look.
Laura: It's, yeah, I mean, maybe sometime I'll pick it up again, but I was like, oh okay. My old ass hands can't be, uh, this is fucking mid thirties, I guess. Jesus.
Jeff: I love it. Oh my gosh.
Lacey: Oh yeah. I got really into asmr.
Laura: Oh my God! Yes!
Lacey: Guys. Ok, listen.
Jeff:I forgot about that, Lacey with the red hair.
Lacey: That's right. Okay. So it kind of started as a self soothing mechanism. So ASMR is just like literally sound therapy, if you will. Um, but it's super niche and super weird and like I'm super weird as well, so it fits. But yeah, I like there are these YouTube creators ASMR artists, who were just like making these weird ass videos and every night before bed would like help me go to sleep and calm me down and whatever. And so I just like got into the habit of just winding down with my ASMR and falling asleep to it, to the point where I got so into it and so obsessed because we're into business building, I got obsessed with like the business side of it too, and I was like, this is so fascinating. People are growing like wildfire. It's like the rates at which people are watching ASMR through the pandemic is rising. This is so cool. I should make asmr. So I got the mic, I got, I bought some wigs. Okay. I bought some wigs. I got all the like trigger sound kind of things, and I just started making asmr and I was like, yeah, this is gonna be what I do for my life now. But like I've done this before where I like get into a thing and then I'm like, oh, I'm gonna do it. And like some of them stick, but not all of them stick. Yeah.
Jeff: While we're here, can you give them, can you show what you're talking about? Do a little tap, do the voice. Give us like a 15 second mid pod, please.
Lacey: This is so embarrassing.
Jeff: I know, but this is the best.
Lacey: Okay, so I have my two best friends just staring at me now. Okay. So basically, so ASMR is very like whispery and it creates like this reaction in your body, like when you hear rain on a tin roof and it's just like [tapping on the mic sounds].
Jeff: Oh, that just made my day.
Lacey: So there you go.
Jeff: Thank you Lace. So good.
Lacey: I dunno if that's gonna translate, but it's just like whispering and meant to be relaxing and you're like, tappy, tappy, tappy.
Laura: Um, I think the thing that I find so funny and like interesting about ASMR is like how polarizing it is. Like you either like love it and then think it's the fucking best, or you hate it, which is like, I hate it. I don't know why. I don't know what, what it is. I think it makes me uncomfortable. It's like so…
Lacey: Well, it's, it's very like, um, it's all about your senses. And it's very sensory. So if you're, like a sensitive, sensory kind of person.
Laura: I, yeah, I am.
Lacey: It can be too much and cringey and like, I, I actually compare it to like, it's like cilantro with people. It's like you either love it or you hate it, like genetically. Right, right. Like it agrees with your system or it doesn't.
Jeff: Yeah. People are deeply offended by cilantro who don't like it, eh?
Lacey: Oh, I know. They're like, it tastes like soap.
Jeff: You're one of those people.
Laura: I don't like it.
Jeff: Maybe there's a parallel. Is cilantro hating and ASMR hating, rooted in the same thing, like the same part of the body or the brain?
Laura: A scientific experiment waiting to happen.
Lacey: But yeah, I got so into it and I'm still very like, I listen to it. Oh man, iff any of you are Trisha Paytas fans, Trisha Paytas is a, she's a weirdo.
Laura: Is she the one you showed us the YouTube videos of that she just like…
Lacey: No, that's, that's someone else.
Laura: Oh, okay.
Lacey: I mean, see I've got like a roster of creators that I'm very into and I, one night I showed all my friends on the big screen and it was like this girl pretending she was, a mushroom decomposing.
Jeff: You showed your friends. We were your friends. You showed that to us.
Lacey: Yes. Yeah. I'm trying to not be too obvious, but like yeah, it was Jeff and Laura, um, and they were like, wow, this is weird. Yeah. I was like, I love this. Anyway, so yeah, it just like really kind of blended well with the other audio stuff I was, I mean, like we were into podcasting and then I got into, like getting certified as like a hypnosis practitioner, and that's all very audio, it's like slow. It's like meant to relax your body. It's very much in the same arena. So I think it was just like my playful version of that that I really enjoyed. Did I continue creating it? No, because then you're just looking at yourself and you're like, you are fucking weird, like you just like really take a step back and you're like, this is strange. Like, like I really lots of kudos to the people that do it for a living. Cause that takes a lot. You have to get over like feeling the silliest.
Laura: Right. Right. Oh my goodness.
Jeff: Okay, gang, so where are we going from here?
Laura: Well, I feel like maybe we do a bit of a, like where are we now moment. Like we've kind of talked about that, like peak and pit of the pandemic, but like, yeah. What are we doing now? What's, what's happening now? I mean like personally and both and with the business, I think like this is a good moment to maybe kind of share a bit about like what we're doing.
Jeff: Yeah. Okay. So, I mean, personally I think the theme for this year, this is probably all of us, is just like, let's work less. You know? Like, let's still do great and meaningful work, but be just way more intentional about what that work is and like holding space for, you know, other really important things. Um, yeah. So for us, as I mentioned, the big thing that's kind of tied to that is going to work remotely. In Portugal, we leave in like 30 hours from this moment. So, um, We're not excited yet. We're anxious. I'll be excited once we're through security. Um, but having the like, freedom of place or space, you know, I think is not something I've ever really had. I think during the pandemic, I definitely recognized that I had a lot of freedom of time with the work that we do, like you control your time. But like, I was in this fucking house all the time. I had no, like, I wasn't moving around, it was causing me to get stale. So I think like this year is really, like, I'm looking at it as a new chapter. Let's like really intentionally, you know, try to work and live differently is language that we've really been using. A big part of that is going abroad and working and you know, Laura and I are both like members of team, no new friends, um, you know, like since our thirties, like we've probably made three or four friends. So it'll be nice to like get out of our comfort zone and like, you know, try to build some new relationships and connect with folks over there. Um, so that's a big thing personally. I dunno, I guess business wise, like same kind of focus we just want to do less and just focus on the right stuff. Like focus on side Hustle 101, focus on our awesome partnerships, focus on these couple of webinars that we do and like stop trying to build a new course every three months and like, just again, leading ourselves to be burnt out because we think we need to like demonstrate forward progress by just building new shit all the time. Um, I think that's kind of the theme is just like do less. But still deliver a ton of value. Um, and do it in a way where we have freedom, you know? To be able to like spend time with people we want to and do the things that we love and go places, you know, where we're again, kind of free to do that.
Laura: Totally
Lacey: Well said.
Laura: Yeah. I think like, I feel a lot of very positive energy from this year. There's something about this year, it just feels lighter and more joy filled. So I'm hoping that that continues. Um, yeah, another thing that happened that I just remembered, um, that happened after we shut down the last podcast, um, was that I officially like quit my job. So I was doing a part-time job. If you've listened to like the old episodes, you would know that I was working at a creative agency here. Um, and again, part-time. Um, but yeah, I, it was the summer of 2021 that I, we finally got to a spot where I was like, okay, I'm out. I can, we can do this. Um, and so that really has then opened up so much more for us. Um, cuz I wouldn't have been able to do a trip like this, um, if I was still working there. So, um, Yeah.
Lacey: That's so cool.
Laura: That's exciting.
Jeff: I forgot that. Seems like that happened 10 years ago.
Laura: I know, I know, I know. What is time?
Lacey: So strange. Uh, I'm so excited for you guys. It's gonna be so fun.
Laura: Yeah. Lacey, what do you have going on over the next few weeks, next month. Oh. Besides hopefully joining us in Portugal.
Lacey: Yeah. We’re gonna see if your girl Lace can get some nice last minute tickets cuz I. Oh man. Before the pandemic, I went to Portugal on a solo trip and it like changed my life. I definitely wanna come back. And I really just see this as like the beginning. Like, this is, you two are going to test this out.
Laura: Yes.
Lacey: And then hopefully we can all do this together again and again and again.
Jeff: Yes.
Lacey: And I, I don't know, I just like really agree with what you're saying. I feel like especially 2021, that felt like the last year of like great transformation and like making different choices about structuring our life, structuring how we work and that. And then 2022 was just, fumbling through, and like learning and growing and healing. Um, and so for me right now it's like the same, doing less, stop being so busy, intentionally choosing like projects and partnerships and things that align with me, and for our business too. But, oh my gosh, personally. Oh, um, I'm, yeah, I'm about to move in with my partner. Yeah, so I mean, speaking of lifestyle, it's been really such a crazy trip to find someone a) that I wanted to like date beyond casual dating. Wow. I'm still in disbelief. But then also just like someone where we're like, we're clicking on all of the things and we have like a shared vision for what we wanna do with our life, and then the fact that he's also a business owner. And so it's really exciting to share this part of like what we're trying to build together as a team. Cuz we've been talking about, oh, it'll be so great when we can work and travel and do it all together. And now I have like this wonderful human who wants to do it too. And, and he's been working toward this sort of chapter of life too. So it's new for all of us. And anyway, so we're moving in together intentionally and that's gonna help us like live differently and save money and just like share things so that we'll be able to like start creating a new kind of lifestyle where we'll be able to travel and stuff more, so I'm really excited about this next, the next chapter. We're like integrating our pets together right now and I've been staying over there, but like the move will be official probably in a couple weeks, everyone!
Laura: Wild.
Lacey: That's like breaking news. I haven't really shared that with anyone, anywhere. Well, on the internet yet. You heard it here first.
Laura: Yes. Everyone feel very lucky that you're getting this information.
Lacey: I love it.
Jeff: I love that. And so I think, yeah, this first episode is meant to be the start of like a season, right?
Laura: That's right.
Jeff: It's kind of how we're looking at it. So we're looking at, we haven't figured out the exact number yet, but maybe six or eight episodes.
Laura: Yep.
Jeff: Um, with kind of a theme of like transformation. You know, we've gone through some changes in the last couple of years. We've got some exciting changes as we've described, like coming up next. And so I think, you know, what people can maybe expect in the next few episodes is us doing some more reflecting and talking about, you know, some of the good things that happened as we were going through this transformation, but also some of the challenging things, right? We'll get into like, It's crazy how when you try to reimagine yourself, there's just like people in your world who want you to stay the same. And that creates just weird friction around that. So I think that would be a cool topic to kind of get into. Um, and we can do a little bit of a look at like what it's like coming out of this transformation. And like, I'm sure when we're in Portugal, there's gonna be highs and lows and it's gonna be really exciting just, you know, try to be really authentic and open about like where we've been and where we're going and how, you know, change is great but messy and just a natural thing for kind of all of us. So, yeah, I'm excited and I'm glad to like be part of the podcast with you both.
Laura: Yes! Welcome!
Jeff: Yeah. I'm glad to be in this chair.
Laura: Jeff is here to stay.
Jeff: It's exciting.
Lacey: Fun.
Laura: Yeah. I mean, I. Another thing we talked about when we were talking about doing this podcast, um, was just like before when we were doing it, it was, I think we kind of got it down to, it was like once a month we were releasing an episode or once or once every couple of weeks. Um, but it was ongoing forever. You know, like we didn't do seasons, we just kept going. We started out doing them weekly and then like, it was like slowly kind of getting going less and less and less until we were like, well let's just end this. Um, so I think the idea of doing a, like seasons, like really intentional seasons and they don't need to be long, is gonna be a way for us to, um, just keep the energy high and like keep the excitement of what we're doing high.
And I think also, We can really like break out topics and ideas and things that we wanna share. It's not like every episode has to be a different theme. It's like the season is the theme and every episode can look a little different, can sound a little different, can be a little different. Sometimes they might be a solo episode. Like Lace, you might do one by yourself. Jeff, you might do one by yourself. You know, Lace and I might do one together. Um, Jeff and I are gonna do some while we're in Portugal, so I just think it gives us more freedom to like, just really let it take us where it wants to go. Like it doesn't have to be the same every time.
Lacey: And I think like for anyone that's brand new to this, um, little universe community, uh, when we first, uh, launched the podcast in this, it was really an effort to bring people together and to grow a community that was aligned on how they wanted to work differently. And I think, um, we really went at it hard with that intention and holding that space and interviewing people. I think we'll still do a lot of that, but I think this time around it feels reimagined. It feels different because now we've got the best community ever. And, I think all of us are going through this season of just redefining what deeply matters to us, both in our work and in our life, and how those things play together. And so this podcast, these seasons are really gonna be about us sharing what that's like. And having a vehicle to share like the stories and the transformations and also what is it to step into a new lifestyle? What is it to step into new work? What is it to change your mind, and how can we all do that together?
Jeff: Boom. I mean, I feel like that is the best wrap up message we could have delivered. Yeah, I love that.
Lacey: Yeah. Cheers everyone. Let's do it together.
Jeff: Yeah, we'll see you on the next one and stop working so much and so hard. You know, I think we all need to just like
Lacey: That's right.
Jeff: Work less.
Lacey: Yeah. Go listen to some ASMR or whatever does it for you.
Laura: Yeah. I love you guys.
Lacey: Love you.
Jeff: Love you both.
Laura: Okay.
Jeff: That's a wrap.
Laura: Bye.
Lacey: Okay, bye everyone.
***Closing Music
