← The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
877: Meet The Entrepreneurs Who Turned Pain Into Purpose (And Are Changing Lives)
00:55:20
With Tonbra, Maris, Chelle and Jenna Kutcher
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- [00:02]
Jenna Kutcher
The Pinterest Lab is officially open and it is back, better and totally refreshed. This isn't just another course. It is the only Pinterest strategy program created by me, a verified Pinterest educator, which means I'm trusted by Pinterest and over 25,000 students just like you. We have completely redesigned the course from top to bottom to reflect what is working right now so so that you can start getting more traffic, more leads and sales in under an hour a week. If you're tired of content that disappears in a day or you're sick of relying on platforms that make you pay to be seen, this is your better way. Inside of the Pinterest Lab, you'll learn how to make your content go further and keep working while you rest. Head to teachmepinterest.com to join us. Let's build that strategy that your content deserves again. That's Teach Me Pinterest P I N T E r e s t.com I'll see you inside. I am genuinely excited to share that this episode is sponsored by the Real Real. Now you can get $25 off your first purchase when you go to therealreal.com gold digger therealreal.com gold digGER but I.
- [01:18]
Tamra Wiswagu
Kind of feel like what is actually your unique message? What is your thing? What are you here to contribute to the world? And I feel like everything is rooted in identity. So I literally started my message around identity. I want you to know who you are so that nobody can take it away from me.
- [01:38]
Jenna Kutcher
I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a $300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks. All from my house in small town Minnesota with my family here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical no fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered. This is The Goal Digger podcast. Have you ever heard a story so raw, so real, that it physically stopped you in your tracks? The kind of story that makes you put down your to do list, take a deep breath, and remember why you started this journey in the first place. May is national Small Business Month, and while I love hearing from the headline makers and household names, today is about something even more special. Real stories from real listeners of this podcast. These are the kind of women who tune in when they're juggling kids and client calls, who build their dreams during nap time or after their nine to five. They may not have gone viral, but what they've built is powerful. It's personal, and it matters. Tamra, Maris and Shell didn't just build businesses. They built something beautiful. From heartbreak, identity shifts, and unimaginable challenges. From learning she had cancer to grief, to reinvention, these women turned their hardest chapters into platforms that now help others. This isn't just an episode about resilience. It's about rewriting your story mid sentence. It's about what happens when you let your hardest chapters become someone else's survival guide. So if you're walking through your own hard chapter or you just need a reminder of what's possible on the other side of pain, this one's for you. And hey, if you want to be a part of this kind of community where we don't just talk about business, but also the heart behind it, I would love to invite you into the Gold Digger Podcast Insiders group on Facebook. It's where these stories start and where yours might just be next. We'll link our Facebook community in the show notes in the show description for you. I would love to have you in there and and let me know if you like this episode because I want to create more just like it. I loved hearing from listeners just like you. Let's dive on in. First, we're going to hear from Tomra Wiswagu, who is an amazing life coach for women over 40 looking to live lives that feel more purpose aligned. She is an incredible teacher and oh my gosh, I could have just geeked out with her for so long. I absolutely love her and you will too. Let's dive on in with Tom Brahman. Tamra, I am absolutely thrilled to be with you. Now I want for you to take me back to a moment or a season of life that shifted everything for you.
- [04:56]
Tamra Wiswagu
Okay. It is wonderful to be here and for me it was 2020. 2020 changed absolutely everything for me. Like when the Knockdown was announced, I had A corporate job, you know, normal nine to five. But I'd had feelings in my heart. Like, I was misaligned. I wasn't doing what I was created to do, but it just wasn't loud enough. But when the lockdown happened, I was basically laid off because the organization I was working with was just like, you know what? Completely risk at bias. And they were like, everybody who isn't absolutely crucial to the work that we're doing was going to be laid off. And I was. And I just kind of felt in that moment that the world was giving me a chance. That was my moment to really reassess, reset, realign, and really, really think. Like, if my life were to end today, would I feel like I was living worthy of the calling that I had been called to live? And the answer was like, no. The path I was on didn't feel authentic to me. And, you know, it doesn't feel authentic when you go on maybe Instagram or you see other people who have, you know, are doing things that, you know, that you also have the capacity to do somehow, but inside of you, you don't feel worthy of. And then you see those things and you see those people and you see those parts, and it's just constantly almost indicting you. You're feeling like. And I said, you know what? This is my moment. And I basically just took it and ran with it. I was like, I am going to realign my life. And that's what I did.
- [06:31]
Jenna Kutcher
Oh, my gosh, that is so visceral. And I think, you know, I think 20, 20 for so many of us, if you didn't wake up then and ask yourself those bigger questions, what were with all the time we suddenly had, you know, I want to know, like, what made you decide to build a business kind of out of that experience? Like, yes, we have ideas and we have callings, but, like, how did it become this, like, fully formed business?
- [06:59]
Tamra Wiswagu
So I very. First of all, I started by podcasting. So the very first thing I did, it wasn't even a business necessarily. I just wanted to get my voice out there. I felt like I had much more than I was living. Like, I was giving to the world. And, you know, the truth is that the only thing that makes you truly immortal is what you create. And somehow in my mind, at that point, I realized that I wanted to leave something here on Earth. So I thought podcasts would be the best place to start. So I started podcasting. And immediately, it was so interesting. The very first podcast that I dropped, like, literally in the very first, like, 20 minutes, somebody reached out to me and said, oh, I just seen your podcast. You've dropped. I love it. I'd love to do my own podcast. Podcast as well. And that was it. I immediately started podcast coaching. So I started doing bootcamps and running this boot camps or podcast coaching. But then again, as I normally do, I felt like there was still something missing because people were starting all this podcast, and it wasn't rooted in anything necessarily. Oh, I like this. I'm going to podcast on this. Oh, I like that. I'm going to podcast on it. But I kind of feel like, what is actually your unique message? What is your thing? What are you here to contribute to the world? And I feel like everything is rooted in identity. So I literally started my message around identity. I want you to know who you are so that nobody can take it away from you.
- [08:22]
Jenna Kutcher
Wow. Okay. That is huge. And I agree so much in terms of the power of identity. And if that is not fully formed, I feel like anything is built on a shaky foundation. Right. Like, it's like anything you build is so easily removed or shakeable. You're not tethered to anything that's real. And so I love that. So what part of your story kind of gave you this unique approach? Like, when you figured out, okay, identity is really like, the common through line for all of these people, where did you go with it?
- [09:00]
Tamra Wiswagu
I was like, okay, how was I going to start teaching it? So for me, I felt like I came my background, I had. I had childhood trauma. You know, it's not very pleasant to say, but I did. And I felt like people needed a way to demystify understanding who they were and really getting a starting point for aligning with their purpose. And I say starting point because purpose really does change. But not a lot of people teach that who you are is centrally fixed. And the calling, what you've been called to do ultimately in the world is static. But the purpose of your life will change per season depending on what your calling demands in that season of life. Right?
- [09:49]
Jenna Kutcher
Yes. Oh, I feel this so much, especially as a mom of young kids. I'm like, what is my purpose right now? Because I can't even think beyond this current stage.
- [09:58]
Tamra Wiswagu
Exactly. And I think the message out there is just such a mishmash of stuff, because what it does inadvertently is keep people stuck. Everyone is looking for purpose, and they're looking and they're looking and they're stuck. But I'm like, no. Who you are, your strengths, your natural abilities, your Talents. All of these things speak to your purpose, and you start where you are, literally with what you. What you know. As you go, it will become more clear to you, because what movement is, is what gives, you know, momentum is literally gotten when you move. You don't get it without moving. It's not something that you get. And so that's why I started. I just basically said, you know what? I want to start with identity. I want to help people understand who they are. And the key three things that I feel like every single person must know, what they must consistently keep in their minds. Three things. One, in every season of life, you have to learn how to release. Release and release, align and activate. Those are the three things release from limiting thoughts, limiting views about yourself, things that don't serve you. You align with your purpose in that season, and you activate. So if you're constantly doing that, most of people in the world, they live linearly. A lot of the people that I serve before they come to me, they're just, you know, going, and they're living linearly. And I'm saying, no, that's not the way to live. You think about how the world was created. Everything in this world was created in. You have the summer, you know, so it's this principle of cyclical living. So that's what I'm completely for. So in every season, it's releasing. What are the things that have stopped me where I'm going now? What are the things that are causing me to hold on to perspectives and paradigms that don't shape me? Then you are aligning. How do I align better with what I know about myself in this moment? And then activate. How do I go forward and do what I could do in the most powerful way? And you get to the end, you start again. And this is what saves people from burnout. A lot of times people just burn out because they're constantly, like, just on this one track lane. Doing, doing, doing, doing, and never stopping to reassess.
- [12:11]
Jenna Kutcher
I think this is like, if anyone just does these three things, and you do it twice a year, quarterly, like every time the full moon happens, like, whatever that is. Right.
- [12:22]
Tamra Wiswagu
Actually teach it quarterly. You got to hold on. I actually like that. If every. Every year you should have this phase and this thinking four times a year, every single quarter, you should be releasing, aligning, and activating.
- [12:36]
Jenna Kutcher
Yes.
- [12:36]
Tamra Wiswagu
How most powerful part of you.
- [12:39]
Jenna Kutcher
And it's, like, crazy, too, because I feel like I so connect with this, like, linear idea is I think that one people either are, like, waiting for their Life's purpose to, like, knock on their door and show up, and they think it's like this one grand thing, and until it arrives, they're just going to keep going with the fl. And it's like, I love how you teach movement. Like, you just got to be in action, because action is going to teach you where you need to go and what you need to learn. Right. But I also think, too, especially for women, and even thinking about, like, our monthly cycles and just all the different ways that we are also in rhythm, we need to constantly be in conversation with ourself on these things. And so I can only imagine how transformative your work has been. One of the things I'm really interested in is you are kind of working with women in their 40s in that era of life. Why that era? Like, what do you find about women of that age? I'm. I'm nearing that threshold.
- [13:37]
Tamra Wiswagu
Because I think, for me, I really feel a connection because when I turned 40, I started asking myself a lot of reflective questions. I do it a lot, but I think most was I turned 40 and I realized again, seasons, that there are four seasons of every human being's life, life. And the first season is our season of preparation. So imagine when you're just born. You're, you know, you're learning, and you're being prepared. Your mom is saying, this is how you should do this. Your teacher is saying, this is how you should do that. Then you go into your second season, which is your season of planting, which is when you start to really start to do stuff. I'm going to do this. I'm going to try that. I'm going to, you know, you're trying different things, and then you get into the third P, which I call the season of proliferation. So this is when you get some wisdom off of the things that you've planted, and then you now start compounding, just start growing. You start up. You know, you started a podcast from your, you know, your cupboard or your wardrobe or your car, and now it's just like this massive platform because everything is compounding and multiplying. And then you enter into your season of passing. And the idea, remember what I said at the start, the only thing that truly makes you immortal is what you create, but not only that, what you pass on to the next generation. So for me, I realized that 40, when you think about this, four seasons, once you start to. A lot of people were stuck in this season of preparation, and sadly, it's not a chronological thing. So you have people who are 50 that still preparing, constantly learning, constantly going from place to place, never ever actually planting stuff. Or you have the people that are planting, but they don't have full conviction. So they plant a little bit and they're turning around and it's just no conviction. So they can't actually yield and multiply. Right. And then you now have the people who are then multiplying but don't have their idea that my. My what is my legacy, what's going to be here when I am gone. Right. And then they're not thinking about how do I make this so that it's immortal, so that beyond me, it's there. So for me, 40 is just this whole opportunity. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to really, really reassess, to start to think, like, look, life is not promised. Like, we. We must use life not just in length but in breadth. Use life and make sure that we max single second that we have here on earth. So it's. I think I then got into this, like, how can I help people? I thought that the people that I feel that are probably not as aware about the urgency of, you know, their time is 40. Once you hit that 40 mark, I want you to get serious about your life. I want you to get serious about the conviction that you have in what you carry. And I want you to get clear about how you're going to serve the world.
- [16:21]
Jenna Kutcher
I love this. So I just turned 37, and for some reason, 37 felt like so much closer to 40 than 36. And it's beautiful though, because I was just out to dinner with some girlfriends and we were just talking about how like, 40. It feels like you are more sure of yourself.
- [16:40]
Tamra Wiswagu
Yeah.
- [16:40]
Jenna Kutcher
You are less influenced by people's opinions or what they say. Like, it's just like, you kind of find that, like, confidence that maybe you are seeking and like, you approve of yourself and you're not seeking the world's approval at such a high level. It's just an interesting stage of life and I think it's just beautiful. And I love. One thing I love about your work is like, you are specific about who you serve. Now, we have often talked about, like, the riches are in the niches in that space. But I also think that right now people need clarity in. Okay, is this for me, is. Does this make sense? So have you found that in kind of narrowing your niche and saying, this is who I serve, you've offered your clients clarity of, like, this is who I need?
- [17:27]
Tamra Wiswagu
Yes, absolutely. Spot on. You know, I wasn't. I Didn't have that niche very narrow down until probably, I would say, maybe about six or seven months ago. And I say, I feel like it's made such a considerable difference because when people say, see me now, especially the women that I speak to, they feel I'm speaking to them.
- [17:46]
Jenna Kutcher
Yes.
- [17:46]
Tamra Wiswagu
It's not just me having this conversation. It's this coach who speaks specifically to women over 40. And that thread runs through everything that I do in the world because I'm thinking about who they are. I'm thinking about how they're living in their lives. I'm thinking about their family dynamics. I'm thinking about the fact that they're being turned in multiple directions. I'm thinking about how they feel. You know, they feel this sense of like something is missing for some of them. You know, they feel the sense of something is missing. They feel this sense of this, you know, how do I amalgamate everything? How do I make everything come together? And I don't really know how to do a 9 to 5 job. I have this business, but what is everything going to stand for in the end? So I pull everything together just so that I speak your language. I'm making sure that you find a home. You feel seen. I think that's the key thing. I want to make women over 40 or I make women over 40 feel seen, feel understood, feel supported, so that they can activate truly that thing which they carry on the end inside of.
- [18:49]
Jenna Kutcher
Them that is beautiful. And I just caught something beautiful that you did. You said, I want to, and then you corrected yourself and you said, I make you do it. And I feel like even just those tiny nuances are the things that women need to be reminded of and empowered by and also shown. Right. Like you are a mirror to them. And another thing that I think is so beautiful, just as I'm pondering exactly who you serve, is not everyone is on the same timeline. But for a lot of women, if they have children, when they're hitting their 40s, a lot of times their kids don't need them as much. Right. They're entering a different season of caregiving where your kids need you in a different way. Right. It's not necessarily packing the diaper. Diaper bags and getting the snacks. It's more of like the emotional support. And so it's just a beautiful. A beautiful way to support women who maybe have more time than they have in the past, but also have more questions than they maybe had anticipated.
- [19:48]
Tamra Wiswagu
Oh, that is so good. Because another thing I didn't say is when I turned 40, I was actually diagnosed with ADHD. Oh, so adult ADHD at literally at age 40. Because everything just felt a little more chaotic than before. I started forgetting that brain fog, lack of focus, every. And I was like, what is going on? And I think for me, that experience just made me feel like there must be other women out there just like me who everything was all right. Because there's this increase now in women over 40 who are being diagnosed. I know you were diagnosed slightly earlier, you know, so I said, you know, what can I pull together to help them? And that's why I do this whole cyclical framework, this non linear framework because it really, really does support people, especially people who struggle with just doing just the one thing and that just linear track because then you can, you know, always reassess and it just works, basically.
- [20:46]
Jenna Kutcher
Tom bro, where can everybody find out more about you, connect with you, listen to your podcast, learn from you? This conversation was far too short and I feel like we should do it longer next time, but give us all the places of where we can connect.
- [21:01]
Tamra Wiswagu
Oh, love it. So I'm on Instagram. It's Tombow Swagu. You'll see the name spelling in the show notes. I'm also. My podcast is created for more the podcast, what else? And my website is tomba.com and I've got a crystal clear thing that helps you with your identity. It's called the Crystal clear toolkit. And if you're unsure about who you are, you don't really know where to start from. You know, hit my Instagram, it's a link in my bio and then you go on there and it helps you literally walks you through five powerful steps. Steps that helps you get clear on your identity.
- [21:33]
Jenna Kutcher
Thank you so much for being a part of the Gold Digger community and our Small Business Month. I am so grateful for the work that you do and thanks for hanging.
- [21:41]
Tamra Wiswagu
With me today so much. Thank you.
- [21:45]
Jenna Kutcher
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- [24:55]
Maris
Yes. Yes, I can. So I'm gonna tell you just the tiniest bit of the backstory. I was voted Estonia's best wedding photographer at the age of 24, then Estonia's best home chef. And I was nose deep in all the materials, all the things I could learn. I was even in your newsletters. I printed them out. I studied them religiously on how you do it, how is she making her think, and how can I copy it to my business? So I was an overachiever at the time, and it was a cold winter stay with my son sleeping next to me. He was three months old at the time, and I was at the top of everything. Snow was falling down, and I was just looking out the window. And I should have been happy, Jenna. I should have been happy. And I was devastated. I was sad. I was dissociating. I just literally wanted to die. There was no life left in me. And I didn't know at the time that it was postnatal depression. My then husband urged me to seek help, and as an ambitious woman, I wanted deep help, and I wanted it quick. It has to be deep. It has to be quick. And I was searching for some kind of means to get it, and the traditional ways just didn't do it. So I went online, and I was like, on page 46 of Google, and I found the hypnotherapist. 30 minutes of Skype call, and I got instant relief. And I knew at that moment that even my dad's a scientist. I've been grown up in a lab. I'm the two feet, kind of on the ground kind of girl. And it helped me. So there's something to it. And I rushed to study hypnosis, and I saw the possibilities I could do with it at the time. My son was diagnosed with autism. So I was going to London, starting hypnosis, coming back to Estonia, going to therapies with my son, offering my services everywhere, offering my services as a photographer, as a therapist, calling magazines. And I got published here and there, until a producer contacted me and said that, hey, we've been thinking of doing a pilot. Do you want to be in it? And I thought that what I've got to lose just my dignity, but I can always get it back. So, yeah, we're going to do it. And that started my career as a hypnotherapist. We went live on national TV for two seasons, primetime Saturday night, more than a hundred thousand viewers. My son still autistic, me still going to therapies, and that crackled up my marriage, it broke up, I got a divorce. I moved, moved into a relationship that was narcissistic and abusive. I burned out. I got the diagnosis myself. It's a whole season in there. And that led me to neuroscience, which I'm currently graduating as, as, as a masters.
- [27:58]
Tamra Wiswagu
Wow.
- [27:58]
Maris
So that's a season that changed, doll.
- [28:01]
Jenna Kutcher
Wow. I mean, that's not even a season. That is like a million seasons in one. Right? Like that's. Wow. Wow. Wow. So I am so curious, like out of all of that and out of all of that life experience, how did that lead you to starting a business? And like, how did you logically tie it all together into some sort of business?
- [28:22]
Maris
Yes. So the thing with having this kind of fame that much, that fast, it brings a lot of clients to my doors. And I've had the opportunity to work with more than 3,000 individuals, most of them high achieving people. And they also want results fast. So I saw the gap in the market. There was not a union of developmental psychology, of neuroscience, of hypnosis, that was tailored towards the high achieving entrepreneur who want results, who wanted to know themselves, who wanted it deep, and who wanted it tailored towards their team as well, if needed. And there was a gap in the market. And I've always been adventurer, so I thought that, why not? Again, what I've gotta lose is my dignity. I will get it back, no problem. Let's roll.
- [29:24]
Jenna Kutcher
Wow, that is amazing. What I'm so curious about is like, this is obviously a unique approach. And one thing I love is that how you were talking about your own experience and you're like, I don't have time to mess around. Right. I feel like especially high achievers, they're like, I don't want to waste time and I don't want to waste money. But more so time, I think, because at the end of the day, time is our curr. And so how did you kind of take what you needed and apply it to your business? Because it sounds like you did just that.
- [29:54]
Maris
You're asking me the how.
- [29:56]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [29:59]
Maris
I wish I had a good unified answer for that.
- [30:02]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [30:03]
Maris
But, but I think the, the best answer I can give you is I just did it. I just went through the whole season. I took all the experiences. I failed a lot.
- [30:15]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [30:15]
Maris
But there was like an invisible force inside of me guiding and just pulling me through all the deeper, darker areas, just feeling that this is right, I need to pursue it. And then of course, me being an overachiever, I studied meticulously, everything I listened to Gold Digger podcast. I listened to other podcasts. I saw what others are doing. I got a coach, and it's all like a big, chaotic movement of me working through it.
- [30:49]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [30:49]
Maris
But that's just how I did it.
- [30:51]
Jenna Kutcher
I still do that. I love that. What was something that you clung to when things got hard? I feel like there's mindsets and mantras and reflections and just different things. Like, what was the vision or the thing that you clung to throughout all the hard seasons? Because it sounds like you had a lot of them.
- [31:10]
Maris
I did. Sometimes I still do.
- [31:12]
Shell Chapman
Yeah.
- [31:12]
Maris
Because our brain is wired to find out that negativity and get us protected from all the change. But I've got two. I've got two mantras. The first one was a quote from Helen Keller. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. And I was asking myself, maris, what do you want? Do you want the adventure, Maris? Or do you want the nothing at all? It's like you can have the nothing at all as well.
- [31:39]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [31:40]
Maris
Being faced with that question, I will choose the adventure, the daring adventure. But it's the mindset behind that is me pushing myself out of fear or anger or just pure force. And it worked up until a point, until it doesn't. It didn't work anymore. And I was viewing myself from a distance with meditative practice. I do it at times. And I was seeing myself putting myself constantly in a victim position. And I asked myself, like, Maurice, do you really want to continue being a victim, or can we release this as well? Because you're safe now, Maris. You are safe, finally safe. You can move on. That is what is getting me through to this day. Now.
- [32:31]
Jenna Kutcher
That is beautiful. I feel like, too, that sounds like a lot of nervous system regulation. Like, exactly. I feel like for so many women, and as a mom, too, I feel like a lot of times you have to remind your kids, you're safe, you're okay, everything's okay. Even yesterday, we were pushing our daughter on the swing and the wind got really windy, and, like, she panicked. Right? Like, it was just panicking. And it's like, okay, come back home to yourself. What do you see? What do you feel? What is real? And I think that's so beautiful. One thing I think that is often a common thread for so many entrepreneurs is that our businesses are born out of our own experiences or our own needs. And I smiled when you said you were on page 46 of Google. Right. Like, this is the reality, especially when you're searching for answers. That's real. What made you Recognize that, like what you were searching for, you were someone who wanted to provide that. Because oftentimes we can see the need, but we don't qualify ourselves as a person to fill it.
- [33:33]
Maris
So I think it comes down to the person who, who is Maris, who is me, the person who grew up as an eldest daughter, always being the mom of the other siblings and always taking care of others. So taking care of others is in my blood.
- [33:52]
Shell Chapman
And.
- [33:52]
Maris
And that was the first thought, that when I got help with hypnosis from someone else, that this means if it helped me, I can help someone with this as well. It's natural to me.
- [34:04]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah, that's beautiful. What would you say to somebody who is listening to this and they're in the middle of a hard season and they're wondering if their story can turn into something meaningful?
- [34:18]
Maris
I would like to tell them that first of all, you're not to blame in this situation. There's no one to blame. And definitely you're not to blame yourself as well. You don't have to do it, but you could understand that the reaction you're having is your brain trying to keep you safe. Your brain probably has you in a beautiful loop of keeping you safe. And it's a loop of experiences you have gone through in your lifetime that build upon something. So you experiencing this moment here, you may not be of your current age. It may be your 7 year old fearing to move forward or your 13 year old just wanting to get attention. If you can recognize what age you or what experience or what the thought is that that's keeping you in the loop in here. You can move forward from this and there isn't ever something too small that you do that doesn't make a change in the world. Just look at me, just studying religiously Jenna's PDFs and printing them out and just marking out or my clients showing me papers and notes they have kept with themselves or just listening from podcasts. Your one tiny step forward, like taking a walk or smiling to somebody, can make their day. So you being in this world is just enough.
- [35:51]
Jenna Kutcher
That is so beautiful. Tell me a little bit about your business right now and then I'm going to ask you where can everybody find you and connect with you and your work? So what is your offer? Offer? And who do you help?
- [36:05]
Maris
I help. Ambitious entrepreneurs especially love women. But men are welcome and I help them to overcome the loops they are going through in their lives. Whatever it may manifest as, as an issue in their team or as a stop in their way or feeling of being stuck. And I help them with therapy, with coaching and sessions. We put it all together and you can find me. Well, the best way is going to the homepage of marisar.com you get all the socials. From there you can join them. Email list I did Jenna's email list challenge. I loved it. It grew me more to 250 people. I grew it to a thousand. So it's a win. Highly suggest it.
- [36:56]
Jenna Kutcher
Amazing. Amazing. In closing, what is one goal that you're digging right now? We always say, until next time, keep on digging your biggest goals. What is something you are working on right now?
- [37:10]
Maris
I am working on a system to rewire burnout in the easiest way possible. It has to do with lasers, infrared lasers. It has to do with hypnosis and development and psychology. So we can make the healing loop not as wide as it is, but narrower. We can get the result faster and, and that's the goal I'm digging right now.
- [37:38]
Jenna Kutcher
Ooh, I love that. Well, now you put it out into the world in an even bigger way. We can't wait to see what comes from that. Thank you so much for being a listener of this podcast. Thank you for coming on the show and sharing a little bit about your story and I hope everybody goes and checks out your incredible work.
- [37:55]
Maris
Thank you for having me.
- [37:56]
Tamra Wiswagu
It's.
- [37:56]
Maris
It's been a dream.
- [37:59]
Jenna Kutcher
When I created my first course, I had no systems, no team and I kept wondering if anyone would even care. But if I had waited, I might have given into the doubt and missed the business that changed everything. What if the only thing standing between you and your dream business is just starting? You don't need a perfect plan. You just need Shopify. Shopify powers 10% of all US E commerce, from brands like Chamberlain Coffee to Thrive Cosmetics to businesses just getting started. You get beautiful ready to go. Templates, no code required and tools to manage everything in one place. Payments, inventory, emails and more. Shopify's AI tools can write product descriptions, clean up photos, even generate discount codes. And with built in email and social tools, you'll actually reach the people who need what you're selling. Whenever you need help. Shopify's award winning support team is there 24 7. So what if you didn't wait? Turn those dreams into and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com golddigger go to shopify.com golddigger shopify.com golddigger we had one of those Classic Minnesota mornings. The snow is blowing in the driveway, bundling the kids up in five different layers and trying to get out the door. Out freezing. It was pure chaos. But we had flights to catch. By that same evening, we were in Florida, watching our girls run barefoot through a beach house in their swimsuits. We basically went from parkas to palm trees in about 12 hours. We were staying at a friend's, Airbnb, and they had created such a magical experience. A mermaid tent in the living room, dress up, clothes tucked into a basket, sweet treats on the counter. After a wild travel day with little kids, it felt like landing in a a hug. That trip reminded me how special hosting can be, but also how much goes into making it that special. That's why I love that Airbnb now has a co host network. You can team up with someone local who can handle the guest messages, the check ins, the details, so your space keeps shining even if you're not there. If you've been dreaming about hosting but wondering how you'd manage it all, this is your sign. Find a co host today@airbnb.com host lastly, I'm so excited to introduce you to Shell Chapman. She is such an inspiring story of turning her pain into purpose. I think this conversation will inspire anyone who's ever felt like their dreams had to be put on the back burner and decided to take action anyways. All right, Michelle, can you share a little bit about your story and how it led you to creating your company?
- [40:45]
Shell Chapman
Absolutely. My background is in uniforms and Mum retired and at the start of 2024, I took over her agency. So I had big goals for 2024 and halfway through, I received a breast cancer diagnosis. No family history, and it was a complete curveball. It was unexpected and just something I think you don't. You don't think it's going to happen to you. I probably felt the most healthiest I had been for a long time and it, yeah, it definitely turned my world upside down. And I remember the day I received my diagnosis saying to my mum, I believe something good is going to come from this. I didn't know in that moment that was Akoya. I just believed that you don't face journeys like this through life and something beautiful not have the chance to come from them. So that, in a nutshell, is really how Okoya came to be. Had I not had my breast cancer diagnosis, I don't know that I would be having this conversation with you right now or starting my business in a different direction.
- [42:15]
Jenna Kutcher
I first just want to say, I'm so sorry for your diagnosis and I am so glad that you showed up in the beautiful way that just birthed something so beautiful out of something so challenging. How did Akoya start? What stage of your journey? How did you ideate it? Where was it like birth from?
- [42:38]
Shell Chapman
My best friend, who is more like a sister to me, is an emergency nurse and we don't close together anymore. She had to move far away. And I rang her when I was sent for a scan. And then when I received my diagnosis, it was her idea, actually, in all honesty. She said to me, oh, we need some pajamas. You need something, there's going to be drains and you, you need something practical. And we both got searching and. And she is a great researcher and we could not find anything locally. And from there, Courtney got in touch with my mum, who sews, and we bought some pyjamas from the shop, just a nice local shop. And mum put these internal pockets inside them so I could take them to hospital with me and then bring them home as well. Because the alternative was not very appealing. And that that's where the idea formed from and it really grew. I kind of wanted to jump in straight away, but a lot of people around me were like, you need to focus on your surgery and recovery. And from there, it was really those initial weeks of receiving the diagnosis, even before my surgery, that the idea started.
- [44:16]
Jenna Kutcher
You know, what's so interesting is I feel like people handle big things in different ways, right? And, like, I know for me, when I went through my miscarriages, like, I just poured myself into work because it was something that was like, to get my mind off of things and something I could control when I felt so out of control. And it's just interesting how, like, there is no one way to grieve your reality, right? There's just no one way. For some people, it can be to be still, and for others it's to stay in motion. And I think both can be healthy if we're conscious of the choices we're making. But I love how people are like, no, no, just sit down, sit down. You're like, so what has been kind of your purpose in this? Because I feel like a lot of times when we go through these things, we realize there's this a lack of resources or the things that people need, and there are people searching and they can't find the answers. And so, you know, Akoya, clothing isn't just pajamas. It. They have a purpose. So talk to me a little bit about them.
- [45:21]
Shell Chapman
The purpose it all really ties in together. So it starts with the name, which I'm so blessed to have an incredible community around me already. And one of the of my other best friends is in marketing. And so we started talking about names and brands before we even went into the other stages. And the idea of a pearl came up and I loved the concept of that because to me, a woman's journey through breast cancer is really personal and so unique to each individual that I really, even from the name I wanted to meaning behind the purpose. And Akoya is actually a type of pearl and it represents how a pearl is formed and this foreign body that enters the shell and the nas wraps around it to create this incredibly beautiful pearl. And to me, that aligned with a woman's journey through breast cancer, no one pearl is the same. So each journey is unique. And the pyjamas are made with that in mind that they are designed to wrap around the patient to help them through a truly vulnerable time and just hopefully provide a little dignity and comfort in, I guess for me, in a time that I just didn't feel myself and recognize that I, I couldn't possibly be the only woman feeling this way. That it was just. It's something small, but to me still significant. So. And that's, I suppose, the emotion behind Akoya. But the practicality, Jenna, is that the purpose was I was given this incredible donation by my breast care nurses and they were two reusable shopping bags. And they're designed to put over your shoulders so you can put the drains in them. And I take a lot of pride in my appearance. And when I received them, I thought, there is no way I want to walk around. I may as well put like a neon sign over my head. And I was like, this is a no. And that kind of goes back to where we started the conversation of finding something practical. So along with the meaning, the practicality is, is giving that overall sense of dignity to the patient as well and the functionality because of the post op restrictions that you have after a mastectomy. So I went through a bilateral mastectomy which meant I had multiple drains. And the Recovery time is 6 to 12 weeks. And during that time you're really restricted with your movement and so button down tops and pajamas are necessary. And trying to find something stylish and practical on the market was really not there.
- [48:33]
Jenna Kutcher
Yes. Oh my gosh. Wow. I am just like so amazed by you. One thing I think that is so beautiful is like having the chance to highlight business owners that are at the beginning stages. Right. Because a Lot of times we hear once people have made it and figured out all the things and they can laugh at the mistakes, but when you're in it, it. It's a very different experience. And so what is one lesson that you've learned from your experience so far that could maybe help others that are in those beginning stages of entrepreneurship?
- [49:04]
Shell Chapman
I think that saying of feel the fear and do it anyway is probably vital. Regardless of my situation, I think it's applicable to any person wanting to start in business is that we can come up with a lot of excuses to not get started. And a big lesson I have learned probably not being scared to ask for help if I didn't know something. So despite my experience in uniforms, I am limited in the manufacturing space and I was kind of catapulted into sourcing. And I have definitely hit some speed bumps along the way. But being vulnerable and willing to ask for help and remembering that the worst someone can say to you is no, that's not going to stop you from getting out of bed each morning. It's not going to, like, hinder your income if they say no. Maybe they're just not meant to be part of your story. So don't give up when you. I think when you hit those initial speed bumps, my lesson was I thought it was going to be easy to find a manufacturer, and it took me three attempts, which is still like, that's not a bad number to go through. But if I had have just said, I think this is too hard at the first hurdle of that manufacturer not aligning with what I was looking to achieve, it would have been very easy to not be in these initial stages still of getting a coy already.
- [50:42]
Jenna Kutcher
Wow, I. I love that. And let me also just say all of that advice still stands, no matter what stage of business you're in. I'm like, she is preaching to the cho. It is true. And I feel like too, when you face something like you faced a no is like nothing, like, keep them coming, like, whatever, moving on. And I think that's so beautiful. But I also do think that is something that absolutely holds people back. And what beautiful lessons. Do you have any advice for someone who is listening that may be struggling to turn, you know, their story into their purpose or their testimony or the way that they show the world. World.
- [51:19]
Shell Chapman
Yeah, that's a really good question. I think one thing that was said to me repeatedly through my experience was this is a time that you can be selfish in your life. And it's true. Absolutely. But for me, shifting the focus off of myself was what changed my pain into a purpose. And having an attitude of gratitude, which is another great saying that I love, really was impactful for me. And I think if I was to give any advice, it would be, yes, you can be selfish, absolutely. You need to do what you need to do. But when you take the focus off of yourself and no matter, it doesn't have to be big. It could be something very small. But it is amazing to then watch that shift in how that pain transforms for you.
- [52:22]
Jenna Kutcher
That's beautiful. You're making me smile because my grandpa who just passed away always said, have an attitude of gratitude. So I feel that where can everybody find out more about you, connect with you? Check out Akoya Clothing. Give me all the places.
- [52:38]
Shell Chapman
Well, like you said, we're still in the initial stages, but socials have started so you can find Akoya on Instagram and Facebook. The website is coming in the next few days as well. If not already up and running by now. We're working on that rapidly in the background, and then the rest will follow in terms of threads and LinkedIn as well.
- [53:03]
Jenna Kutcher
Go slow. Pace yourself, girl. It's a marathon, not a sprint, right?
- [53:08]
Shell Chapman
Yes.
- [53:09]
Jenna Kutcher
Oh, thank you so much for being a part of this community. I'm so grateful that we have the opportunity to share your story. Thank you for being so open and vulnerable. And thank you for using your gifts to change the world.
- [53:24]
Shell Chapman
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.
- [53:27]
Jenna Kutcher
This episode was such a treat. There is something so special about connecting to the people who are influenced by your work, but also who are a part of your community. Like, I am consistently blown away by how incredible you all are, you the listeners of this podcast. And I am also just blown away by how global the Gold Digger movement truly is. It's absolutely remarkable and it always stops me in my tracks. I hope that you love our celebration of small businesses all throughout the this month. I think it is the most beautiful way to celebrate the hard work that you are doing behind the scenes, the way that this show might have impacted your moves, your strategies, your decisions, and also celebrate the stories behind the businesses that you are building. Please, please, please let me know if you liked today's episode. I would love to do more just like it, but I want to make sure that I'm meeting you exactly where you're at. And featuring these listeners of the podcast was such a treat. As a reminder, make sure that you're following us on Instagram at Gold Digger podcast and you're a part of our Facebook community. The Gold Digger Podcast Insiders Group. That is where we are curating these types of interviews and features for our platform and I would love to feature you next. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. Until next time, keep on digging your biggest goals. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. I hope today's episode episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action, and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to gold diggerpodcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more. And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time. Gold Diggers.