← So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
1763: The Power of Saying ‘Enough’: A New Blueprint for Success
00:29:10
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- [00:00]
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a.
- [00:11]
Farnoosh Torabi
Thing Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium Wireless how many?
- [00:14]
Faye McCrae
Get 30. 30 get 30.
- [00:15]
Farnoosh Torabi
Get 20. 2020.
- [00:16]
Faye McCrae
Better get 20. 20 get 15. 15, 15 15. Just 15 bucks a month. Sold.
- [00:20]
Ryan Reynolds
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch $45 upfront.
- [00:25]
Farnoosh Torabi
Payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees. Extra Speed slower above 40 gigabytes.
- [00:30]
Shopify Representative
Detail selling a little or a lot? Shopify helps you do your thing however you cha ching. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the launch your online shop stage to the first real life store stage, all the way to the did we just hit a million orders stage. Shopify is there to help you grow. Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the Internet's best converting checkout 36% better on average compared to other leading commerce platforms. Because businesses that grow grow. With Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com work shopify.com work.
- [01:14]
Farnoosh Torabi
So Money Episode 1763 the Power of Saying Enough.
- [01:19]
Canopy Representative
A new blueprint for Success.
- [01:22]
Farnoosh Torabi
You're listening to so Money with award winning money guru Farnoosh Torabi. Each day get a 30 minute do financial inspiration from the world's top business minds, authors, influencers and from Farnoosh yourself. Looking for ways to save on gas or double your double coupons.
- [01:40]
Faye McCrae
Sorry, you're in the wrong place.
- [01:42]
Farnoosh Torabi
Seeking profound ways to live a richer, happier life.
- [01:46]
Ryan Reynolds
Welcome to so Money.
- [01:49]
Faye McCrae
My relationship with Pace is probably one of the things that I've loved the most, you know, throughout this journey is just this. I don't know why I felt the need to rush to everything like it was completely false. And I can't take complete credit for this because this is therapy. This is constant annoying conversations with friends. But this idea that there's a deadline on anything is a fiction.
- [02:10]
Farnoosh Torabi
Welcome to so Money everybody. I'm Farnoosh Tarabi. What would happen if you decided to just walk away from burnout expectations, from a life that looks successful on the outside, but leaves you feeling hollow inside? My guest today, Faye McCrae, has lived that transformation. A high achieving lawyer turned storyteller, strategist and wellness advocate, Faye made the bold decision to leave corporate life and redefine.
- [02:37]
Canopy Representative
Success on her terms.
- [02:38]
Farnoosh Torabi
It's kind of scary though, right? We're going to explore what led her to this breaking point, how she navigated the uncertainty of starting over, and how she's helping others bridge the gap between their personal identities and professional lives. Faye opens up about her lessons on slowing down, prioritizing health, and finding fulfillment beyond titles and actors accolades. Plus, we talk about breaking free from hustle culture, redefining work, life balance, and why it is okay, I'm telling you, I'm giving you permission to end the year strong without crossing every item off.
- [03:12]
Canopy Representative
Your to do list.
- [03:13]
Farnoosh Torabi
If you're feeling stuck, if you're feeling burnt out or wondering how to make peace with your pace, this episode is for you. And yes, we even revisit the wild story of how Faye and I met. Our friendship began in the streets of Charlotte, thanks to a heckler. Yeah, life is interesting. Let's dive in. Faye McCrae, welcome to so Money. It's been a minute. We last met in person. Do you remember crossing the street? The guy was catcalling you.
- [03:43]
Faye McCrae
He was. It was wild.
- [03:45]
Farnoosh Torabi
It was crazy. It was. And. And I did react with a wow. And I. And. And it wasn't like I was. It was. It was really coming from a place of beguilement. Like, I was like, this is still happening in 2020. I don't even know when it was. 2022, 2021. And he was so. I don't know. And you were so generous with him in the sense that I would have just stuck my middle finger, but you were like, okay, have a nice day.
- [04:13]
Faye McCrae
I think I was a little in shock, too. I think when you're a woman of a certain age, you're like, is this still happening?
- [04:17]
Farnoosh Torabi
Like, yeah. He was in his car and he was. What did he even say to you? Do you even remember?
- [04:22]
Faye McCrae
You are so beautiful. Like, it was a very, like, over the top. Yeah.
- [04:27]
Farnoosh Torabi
It wasn't like a. It wasn't like a whistle. It was like a poetry thing. He said. Yeah. Which was part of why I was also like, I don't know what to make of this. Like, he's being. It seems like he's being genuinely. He doesn't want to date out of this. He's just telling you you're beautiful, which you are, you know, and that's how our friendship began.
- [04:47]
Faye McCrae
Your face said everything I was thinking. I was like, I need to know this woman. Yeah.
- [04:51]
Farnoosh Torabi
And as do I. I need to know Faye McCrae. And that' I wanted to have you on the show because you are doing some really important work and you have since pivoted since we met. That fateful day in Charlotte where I was working for CNET and you were with, was it Health?
- [05:07]
Faye McCrae
Healthline. Healthline Central, the mental health website.
- [05:11]
Farnoosh Torabi
Right. And parent company Red Ventures brought us all down for a retreat. And since then you have left corporate America and you've taken your expertise as a lawyer, as a storyteller, as a media consultant, as a brand strateg to go out on your own. Tell us what you're up to.
- [05:28]
Faye McCrae
Right now I have, you know, a little, little bit scary still kind of scary, but also super necessary and aligned. But you know, right now I'm working with brands and individuals just on storytelling and sort of aligning like who they are with, you know, how they present themselves in the world. And I mean it really came about, I think for years of me kind of navigating the space between personal identity and corporate identity, you know, and realizing that we need more reflection and time to think about like, who are we, how are we showing up and like how is it aligned with sort of our values?
- [06:03]
Farnoosh Torabi
This is really what I want to get into with you is this connection, relationship between who we are as individuals and how we show up in other domains outside of our comfort zones, at work, in our professional lives. And you've been really focusing lately on wellness and preserving your personal identity in the corporate world. Would love to know your journey to this real, to this realization of just how important this is. I would, I'm going to predict that there's a, there was a little bit of like friction there for you.
- [06:36]
Faye McCrae
Yeah. You know, I think any lesson in life is like hard earned. Right. Anything like you, you completely and passionately believe in, you know, and I'm a high achieving woman. Like I've always been very ambitious. I was raised by a very ambitious woman who went back to school post divorce, got her bachelor's and master's and became this fancy savvy, you know, kind of businesswoman when I was growing up. And she was like the prototype and the model. So for me it was all about kind of achieving the next thing, you know. And like so many folks who kind of go all in with work, I reached the point of burnout. I was in a role in particular and actually just wrote about this recently in an article for Newsweek. You know, I don't know if you've heard of the glass cliff, but it's sort of you brought into these companies when they're already in the period of turmoil with the expectation to fix things and it's like a perfect storm. Right. For a type A personality who wants to fix everything. So I threw myself into this role and found myself sick. Like, just physically, emotionally, you know, all the things. And ironically, like, my big kind of moment, I was leading a panel at south by Southwest on burnout in the health and wellness industry and realized, oh, gosh, like, I have every symptom, you know, of burnout that I am describing in this conversation. So I had to have a moment. I was just thinking, like, I could either continue to work this way, you know, and it could result in me losing my life. I mean, that's just how much, you know, I was bringing myself to the brink of exhaustion, and it just forced me to this point of reflection. And, you know, I just thought to myself, I have to make a change. You know, I have to make a change in my life with how I'm showing up, with how I'm treating myself. You know, I wasn't respecting my body. I wasn't respecting my limits and my boundaries and walked away.
- [08:28]
Farnoosh Torabi
Wow. Whoa, whoa, whoa. So I want to know, though, what was the burnout stemming from? I know you said, like, busy life, a lot of overwhelm, but, like, actually, what was going on?
- [08:40]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, I mean, I think it was just that. I think it was. I was not turning off, you know, and I think a lot of, you know, of us, that sort of went remote during the pandemic. You know, we didn't.
- [08:52]
Farnoosh Torabi
Mom of three.
- [08:53]
Faye McCrae
Mom of three. We didn't really train ourselves to turn off, you know, so it's like you're hanging these 24 hour seven, we're open signs from your desk, and I would wake up, get the kids off to school, come in my office, and be at my desk until well after everyone got home. And I just wasn't turning off. I was just working, working, working, working, working. I wasn't taking walks. I wasn't, you know, taking rest. It was always on my mind. It was just really a complete blurring of the line between where I began and where work sort of ended. So for me, it was just the lack of boundaries, for sure. And again, just the neglect, the neglect of myself and of my health that really led me to that sort of pivotal turning point in my career.
- [09:41]
Farnoosh Torabi
Had we met at this point?
- [09:44]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, we had met for sure.
- [09:46]
Farnoosh Torabi
Yeah.
- [09:46]
Faye McCrae
Yeah.
- [09:48]
Farnoosh Torabi
I couldn't tell. Yeah, I can say, like, I thought Faye had it all figured out and was, you know, just on her rise. And then you said you left. Did you have a plan?
- [09:59]
Faye McCrae
Yes and no. You know, and I'll say we knew each other at the point where I met you, I was not at that point yet, so.
- [10:06]
Farnoosh Torabi
Wow.
- [10:07]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, thankfully, I think I was in sort of a good place, you know, in that particular work environment. But remind me your question again.
- [10:15]
Farnoosh Torabi
Well, you said when you sort of quit the corporate life or you kind of like, abandoned what was not working, you wanted to resolve the burnout, what were. What. What did you do? Because that's where a lot of us get stuck. We, we. Our intellectual brains are telling us every minute of the day you're taking on too much, you're too tired, this is not sustainable. But there's the bigger fear of actually stopping and having to really, you have to see pieces fall. That's going to happen, and we don't want that to happen. So how do you reconcile and what did you do to sort of get to that place of, okay, I'm gonna. It's gonna be messy for a while, probably, but that's better than what I'm experiencing currently.
- [10:58]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, I mean, that's right. I mean, I think we tell ourselves all sorts of reasons, right, why we can't walk away and why we can't leave. And top amongst them, I'm sure you know better than anyone, is finances like you don't want to walk away from, especially when you're a certain level in your career, big fat salaries, the titles, you know, all. And we almost tell ourselves this narrative of impossibility, like, there's no way I can leave, there's no way I can do this. Or we set it up that we have to sort of work into, walk into this perfect sort of alternative in order for it to all be okay. And for me, it was life and death. You know, it was me saying, if I stay like this, I will not, you know, live long enough to see my children grow up. And I say that heart disease runs in my family. Stress impacts our body. My dad, former cop, you know, macho, macho guy, suffered from anxiety. You know, like, we just feel things differently. And I think that's not uncommon with a lot of folks. So I knew that I didn't have the luxury of be, you know, waiting for that perfect moment to be able to go. So I, you know, I planned, because I'm a planner in a sense that I had to look at, like, when is bonus season? And like, do I have enough in my savings? And like, all of those things. But at the same time, I couldn't plan everything. I couldn't cross every T and dot every I. But I knew my, my emotional, my physical, my mental health was sort of Hanging on me, being able to step away from that environment.
- [12:23]
Farnoosh Torabi
Was there a point where you realized, I'm Faye McCrae, I'm a lawyer, I have done some things, and, yeah, I will need some money for a while until I figure things out. But was there a point where you remembered who you were?
- [12:39]
Faye McCrae
It takes time, you know, I think that's sort of the lie of busy, too, is, like, when you're in the haze of, like, working all the time and all the things, you don't take inventory of your successes because you're too busy hustling to the next thing. Right. So I wasn't thinking, oh, you're great, you'll be fine. I was thinking, oh, my gosh, what's going to happen? It's all going to fall down, you know, so, you know, I certainly wasn't convinced of that. But I will say this. This is the power and value of community, because I had a lot of amazing women in my corner, like, watching you from afar and, like, knowing the people that I know who were telling me, you're going to be all right, like, it's going to be okay. You're going to be fine. You're smart, you know how to network, you know how to do the things that you need to do. But that sort of internal, like, validation of that, it took some time coming out of that haze, you know?
- [13:27]
Farnoosh Torabi
How do you define success now? How were you defining it?
- [13:31]
Faye McCrae
Yeah.
- [13:31]
Farnoosh Torabi
And what has this period now, I may be post burnout now, a life of more intentionality. Where have you moved towards and what's your definition of success today?
- [13:44]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, I think so much of what kind of feeds into this culture of burnout is defining your success externally. Right. Like, you want people to see the fancy title. You want them to see the fancy things. So I think for me, it was chasing whatever that next thing is, and I was defining it externally. I think what shifts shifted for me and what I've done a lot of work to sort of define for myself is a life built on impact. You know, like, what are those things that make me feel good? You know? And I realized that's title agnostic, you know, like, the things that you can do that really bring value to you, that are aligned with who you are, that at the end of the day, you close your computer, you lay down whatever kind of marks the end of your work day, and you're like, wow, like, I did some amazing things today. So it took for me some really dedicated reflection, you know, and asking myself, what are those things? What are those threads that I found that I keep returning to throughout my career, you know, that bring me joy, that bring me value. What are those things that I can talk about and be passionate about all day, you know? And am I doing things to sort of impact. Impact that.
- [14:50]
Farnoosh Torabi
Yeah. In recent years, I've started to get more comfortable with the idea of doing less.
- [14:56]
Faye McCrae
Yeah.
- [14:56]
Farnoosh Torabi
Not to say that I'm doing, like, I'm being lazier or I'm. I have limiting beliefs about my potential, all that, you know, Hoo ha. I just feel like I know me. I know what my priorities are more than ever. I also know what kind of financial Runway I need. I know that how much money I need to keep in the bank so that I can afford to maybe not hustle so much in Q1 so that I can think more about what I want to do for the entire year. And this comes with practice, and this comes with, I think, just longevity and. But it does really require, which not everyone does, checking in with yourself. And I'm the first one to say the comparison culture is a creep.
- [15:38]
Faye McCrae
Yes.
- [15:39]
Farnoosh Torabi
And when I hear of other people's successes, there's a part of me that's like, oh, hmm, I guess I'm not as good, or, why didn't that happen for me? But then I remember, like, I didn't actually pursue that because I know what that takes.
- [15:56]
Faye McCrae
Yeah.
- [15:56]
Farnoosh Torabi
And I did make an active decision, and it's. But, you know, it still hurts sometimes. There's still that moment of, like, ooh, I'm not doing enough, or I'm not, like, at the top of my game. But I do think it's important. Like, I'm hearing what you're saying, and I believe it. And I really want people to embrace this. Like, your health, your lack of burnout is worth its weight in gold.
- [16:18]
Faye McCrae
Oh, yeah.
- [16:19]
Farnoosh Torabi
And no trophy, no medal, no, like, fancy media, opportunity. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because if you can't enjoy your life, you can't live your life. What good is it for? And I know that's advice that, like, is hard to accept because we do still want all the things. Do you miss the Hustle a little bit? Do you miss a little bit of, like, all the congratulations, maybe, that you were getting? Because I think your work is quieter but more impactful.
- [16:48]
Faye McCrae
Yeah. You know, I definitely think the quiet was an adjustment. Right. Like, this idea of this quiet part where you're not getting validation and the accolades and all the things. And the fact is, and I'll say this for anyone, sort of considering withdrawing. It really is going to draw a line in the sand between people who are there because they think you're amazing and wonderful and people who were there because of your title. Right. Like, there are callbacks I can't get now that I could have got when I was in these, these industries. And that's just sort of the reality of it. But there you have, there has to be a little bit of being okay with that, you know, And I think there's a lot of beauty too in sort of being able to move without the constant like scrutiny of people kind of examining sort of your every move. Because you really do get to spend some time with yourself and think, is this bringing me joy, Is this bringing me happiness? Is this aligned? You know, so I don't miss it. You know, I think I'm a hard worker anyway, so I'm always going to be working like, you know, whether or not it's on my own thing or otherwise. But the piece that I've gotten, again, it sort of trumps any validation I got from the hustle.
- [17:59]
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Farnoosh Torabi
How do they do that?
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- [20:15]
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- [20:56]
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a a thing.
- [21:07]
Farnoosh Torabi
Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium Wireless 3030 better get 30 better get 202020 better get 2020 better get 15151515 just 15 bucks a month.
- [21:16]
Faye McCrae
Sold.
- [21:16]
Ryan Reynolds
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch $45 upfront.
- [21:21]
Farnoosh Torabi
Payment equivalent to $15 per month New customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees, extra speed slow or above 40 gigabytes detailed in honor of giving us more permission to do things that are scary but long term. This is December when we're recording and I want us to reiterate what we were talking about before we were going live, which is that if it hasn't been done in 2024 yet, listeners don't pressure yourself to get it done in the next 12 days or 10 days. Right. Like, why do we do this to ourselves? But tell me more about how to, like, sort of finish the year feeling strong and still impactful, even if we didn't do all the things we had hoped.
- [22:03]
Faye McCrae
Yeah. My relationship with Pace is probably one of the things that I've loved the most, you know, throughout this journey, is just this. I don't know why I felt the need to rush to everything. Like, it was completely false. And I can't take complete credit for this because this is therapy. This is constant annoying conversations with friends. But this idea that there's a deadline on anything is a fiction, you know, like, especially when it comes to our own personal growth, especially when it comes to these successes. This idea that new year, new you, you have to have this drastic shift by January 1st. All of these things just throw that out the window. That my constant check in with myself is if I feel like I'm growing, like, are you growing? Or even if it's one step at a time, you know, as long as it's forward movement, I find contentment in that, you know, So I think Pace, above all things and is just so valuable and so important, you know, as we take these journeys. I mean, you know, life is so unpredictable. It is so unpredictable. And time is our most valuable, valuable asset, you know, so why rush it?
- [23:10]
Farnoosh Torabi
True, True. So true. And when I look at more of what's in my schedule these days, there is more spending time with friends. It's doing things with my kids, you know, helping my daughter. She's auditioning for a musical, and they.
- [23:26]
Canopy Representative
Really need parents to be involved.
- [23:28]
Farnoosh Torabi
And it's really like, I'm auditioning for this musical. Let's be honest.
- [23:32]
Faye McCrae
I'm a basketball mom. That's how I feel with.
- [23:34]
Canopy Representative
Yeah.
- [23:35]
Farnoosh Torabi
And like, carving out time. And also it's. It's investing in creative projects. You know, I've talked about a little bit on this podcast, but I'm starting a local podcast about Montclair, New Jersey, where I live. And I have no financial ambitions yet of this taking off, but I do think it's of great service. And it's taking me back to what originally, originally got me into this field is journalism, curiosity, getting questions answered, following leads. It's so much fun. As much as it's like, killing my schedule right now a little bit to get this out the door in 2025. But has. Have you ever had that happen to you where you pursue a creative endeavor without any sort of, like, financial or career ambition? Behind it. But then it does somehow feed your professional and financial pursuits.
- [24:35]
Faye McCrae
Yeah.
- [24:35]
Farnoosh Torabi
Beautiful thing when it happens.
- [24:37]
Faye McCrae
Yeah. I mean, honestly finished. That was my whole media career. So I was, as you mentioned, I'm an attorney. I practice law for 10 years. Started writing and interviewing for fun. I, you know, was a mommy blogger. I used to talk about my kids all the time, different articles. Before I knew it, I was starting a website that I was doing this and that, and next thing you know, I had a completely, you know, separate career path. And I remember I was having dinner with my sister in law and she's like, you have two jobs, like, which one are you going to do? And that's when I sort of made the decision that like, let me see what this media thing is and let me pursue it. But completely passion driven and purpose driven. But this is too what we kind of talk about with pace and taking inventory of your growth. Because I just realized I was growing in a different direction. As much as I love practicing law, there was this other interest that was calling me and it turned into something pretty magnificent and, and beautiful and something that I still continue to be passionate about.
- [25:30]
Farnoosh Torabi
You have a new book coming out in 2025. I want to learn all about this. Tell me, tell me everything.
- [25:36]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, I mean, it is all about work. The intersection between work and our personal identity. Why we work, the way that we work, how we've arrived at this. You know, I've just started doing a lot of interviews for the book and talking to a lot of people. There are so many cultural factors that impact why people work the way that they do. Personal things, like things that people have been through that have been deeply traumatic that contribute to why they bury themselves in the pursuit of work and external accolades, but really with the purpose of kind of breaking it down and returning us to ourselves, you know, and kind of re establishing who we are. You know, I find one of the first questions that we get asked is what you want to be when you grow up. Right. And one of the reasons why I chose the legal path is because the grownups went wild when I said I wanted to be a lawyer. When I said I wanted to be a writer, it was like, oh, okay, you know, that's, that's gonna be an interesting one. You know, no respect.
- [26:28]
Farnoosh Torabi
I didn't get any. You know, by the way, writing is one of the hardest things.
- [26:33]
Faye McCrae
It's. And it's, I mean, it's, it's amazing.
- [26:36]
Farnoosh Torabi
You know, even, even if you love it, it's still hard. You know, I love having Written is a. Is a quote. Yeah, because it's true. I hate the process, but, man, I love reflecting on my writing and editing and all that.
- [26:50]
Faye McCrae
It's a. I mean, it's a deeply reflective. I think there's no. No greater value than kind of the written word. But, you know, we. We answer these questions a certain way. We pursue certain careers. You know, it. We tie our work identity to who we are, and then when you try to break it apart, it crumbles everything. So, you know, it's really kind of my offering through not just my personal experience, but through some amazing people that I've met along the way of, like, how do we redefine what it looks like to live without centering work?
- [27:19]
Farnoosh Torabi
And you speak often through this lens of being an only or a first. I know as a reader of your substack, it's called what if It All Works out, which I love. I love that. Explores identity and growth and navigating your career when you're the first to walk that path. I maybe should have asked this initially as to start us out, but maybe as we're finishing here, would love a story that you feel like, really encapsulates this. This triumphant story, really, of a woman may have started in her path as an only or a first, but landed on her feet and is now creating a legacy.
- [27:59]
Faye McCrae
Yeah. You know, part of the reason why I named it that is because I kind of am a. A little bit of a Debbie Downer sometimes. Like, my husband will be the first to tell you, I go down a completely catastrophic path when I start to think about something new to do. And I was having lunch with a girlfriend one day and contemplating another pivot, another change. And she was like, faye, every time you're thinking about something else, it's fine. Like, you ultimately land on your feet. It's okay. But this is part of your process to have to think about all the things that can go wrong, you know? And I thought, man, what if I just start reframing that question and just ask myself, what if it's all right? What if it all works out? And, you know, that sort of became my, like, okay, I'm just going to write about it and talk about it and interview folks who've kind of taken those risks. But I will say that I feel like I am living that right now. Right. Like, this idea that you can walk away from something that's so big and so visible and say, I'm gonna bet on myself. And, you know, I think it's gonna be okay. You Know, six months after I left my role, I was in Greece. You know, who would have thought, like, laying on the Aegean Sea, eating way too much cheese. And like, you know, there's no such.
- [29:08]
Farnoosh Torabi
Thing as way too much cheese.
- [29:09]
Faye McCrae
No, I have learned because I definitely tested.
- [29:12]
Farnoosh Torabi
Maybe there is, if you're but writing.
- [29:16]
Faye McCrae
Meeting new people, and, you know, all of these things. And it was because I took the risk. It was because I moved in spite of being fearful and afraid. So, you know, it doesn't always work out right away. You know, there were bumpy moments and, you know, all of those things. But I'm happy that I'm not left asking myself, what if, you know, And I just went for it. So, you know, I think that that has been the most instructive thing about my journey. It's going to be okay. Even if it's not okay, it's going to be all right.
- [29:46]
Farnoosh Torabi
Yeah. Although 2025 feels so uncertain as we look ahead to the new year post election, I think there's a lot of, like, sort of above average anxiety right now in. In our country, at least, and more so if you are, say, a woman or anyone who identifies as a minority, an immigrant, and so what. What would you say to that person who is feeling very anxious because of things that may or may not really be in their control but still would impact their lives?
- [30:20]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, I mean, it's completely valid. I mean, I think, you know, like many people, the day after the election was a really tough day for me, and I had sort of the blessing and the curse of having a very early meeting that day with a group of women entrepreneurs that I'm mentoring who have these just ambitious dreams and plans for the future. Rightfully worried about how some of those dreams may be impacted by sort of the changes that are oncoming. And I think the perspective that that gave me was that we can only control what we can control. You know, to your point, so much of it is question marks at this point. You know, I think we've heard some things that we know are kind of campaign promises that we. We should rightfully be worried about. Right. But there's only so. But so much that we can do, right, to control those outcomes. So my message to my group was, you know, they are all such smart, savvy advocates in their community. Focus on what you can focus on. Focus on those kind of on the ground, grassroots changes that have marked particularly many communities of color. In times of challenge, people get to the ground and they get to working, and they change what they can change. I hate to be that person. But for me it's like, okay, now it's time to roll up our sleeves and do the work and impact those things that we can impact. But. But for me, that is what I cling to and what I hold onto. I'm also a kid of grandparents that grew up in Jim Crow south who fled and experienced all sorts of things. So I also know they survived what they survived, will survive this time as well. And those are the things that I hold onto.
- [32:01]
Farnoosh Torabi
The perspective is so needed sometimes. My mom and dad immigrated here. They left tyrannical regime Iran in the 70s, late 70s. And she said to me, it's gonna be okay.
- [32:14]
Faye McCrae
Yeah.
- [32:14]
Farnoosh Torabi
And you don't feel like that at all? Especially like on November 6th. Right. I'm like, are you kidding? Save all your money. But to speak to people who have been through really, really hard times and have done the work too and had the luck, let's be honest, sometimes it's just luck to get on the other side is important. So if you haven't done that yet, audience, you know, find someone in your life who has actually been through some things and get their perspective. And it's not because they're going to tell you everything will work out, but you want to learn. Like, how did they actually do it?
- [32:49]
Faye McCrae
Yep.
- [32:50]
Farnoosh Torabi
Faye McCrae, thank you so much. I'm so glad that our meet cute resulted in a friendship and a workshop and I had the opportunity to be in your newsletter. Everybody check out Faye's amazing substack. As I mentioned, it's called what if it all works out and there's so many ways to work with you. Tell us. There's like content coaching, storytelling. You said you have entrepreneurs that you coach.
- [33:14]
Faye McCrae
Yeah, you can just find me@fayemccrae.com. my company is called Culture and Quill but love meeting people. So reach out. And I also want to shout out the Charlotte stranger who brought us together. Thank you. If you're listening, thank you.
- [33:27]
Farnoosh Torabi
Happy end of 2024 and wishing you all the best in the new year.
- [33:31]
Faye McCrae
You too. Take.
- [33:35]
Farnoosh Torabi
Thanks so much to Faye McCrae for joining us. You can learn more about her by following the links in our show notes. I'll see you back here on Friday for AskFar Nouge. I hope your day is so money.
- [34:00]
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