← What Are You Made Of?
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome back to the what are you made of Show. It's your boy C. Rock here. And I am here today with Carolina. Go ahead, say it again. She said she only cares about the first name. We got that one right. Carolina, welcome to the show.
- [00:15]
B
Thank you so much. I'm super excited to be here.
- [00:18]
A
Yeah. So first of all, I understand the last name thing because my last name, not as difficult as yours. Scirocco. It's a long Italian last name. My friends started calling me C. Rock because they were just like, I'm done with this. So did you have a nickname like, I do?
- [00:34]
B
You know, some people call me Caro, but I actually decided to keep my last name. So it is my maiden name, and I did get married, and my husband's last name is much easier. But I love actually the heritage connection, and there's just a lot of family history with my name. So, yeah, I'm fine. Being a little difficult.
- [00:49]
A
Yeah, that's fine. Yeah, that's right. Who needs to be easy? Anyway, welcome to the show. I want to know the first question we ask every guest when they come on the show is it's an esoteric question. What are you made of, Carolina?
- [01:01]
B
Yeah. You know, when you ask this question, it's a philosophy that, like, really brings something my deeper why to heart. And I am the daughter of immigrants. My grandparents survived World War II. One of them was in a concentration camp. The other was survived bombings and living in a completely detonated city. And, you know, with this kind of perspective, when you know that your ancestors went through really hard times. And, you know, it's not just my story, like, all of us have ancestors that really went through incredibly hard times. Wars, poverty, famine, depressions, lack of equality, lack of opportunity. We have to really recognize that we are living in opportunity era. There's so much more opportunity today than ever before. Now, before I kind of changed my life and started my business, I was squandering that opportunity. And so I know that I was made for so much more than binge watching Netflix and drinking wine on the weekend. And that is really what reminds me to do hard things, to put my mission out in the world, to live a life of purpose, to help as many people as possible. My ancestors literally survived. So I could be here, so I could be that torchbearer. And that's the deeper why that carries me. So that's what I'm made out of.
- [02:08]
A
Yeah, I love it. I love it. You know, it's funny because we're watching stuff now that that's happening in the world. There's always some kind of conflict going on, but particularly from, you know, the US side. And it's like, you know, I had a friend that was flying back from India and he had to go to UAE or Dubai, I'm not sure which one, but he got stuck in the airport because it got bombed and they had to go to the basement. They were in the basement for three days and very little food or water and all this. And he was telling the story and how it put things in perspective as he came back to the United States. But, you know, I also think about, like, did they know they were going through hard times comparatively speaking? Like, we look at it in contrast to what we live in, what we have access to. You know, it's. It's always interesting like that. Think about that, you know, and there's people today still going through this stuff. It's just wild.
- [02:54]
B
Yeah, absolutely. And then like, our problems are like, oh, I'm scared to go live on Instagram. Like, it's just, it's absolutely nothing in comparison. Sometimes the things that we. Petty worries we can have.
- [03:05]
A
For sure. For sure. Yeah. Puts in perspective. All right, so now you're working as an alcohol free empowerment expert. You know, you're helping a lot of people here. And this is very important. What was life prior to this? Like, like, what were you doing? Just you mentioned a little bit about Netflix and drinking.
- [03:22]
B
Of course. Well, you know, I have a brand that really tries to wake up everyone's consciousness around alcohol. So a lot of times when you think of sobriety, it's like, okay, well, you drank way too much and now you're, you know, can't do that anymore. And I really kind of have a brand that questions like, is alcohol serving my goals? Is it serving my dreams? Is it serving my healthy fitness routine? Because that's kind of the position that I found myself in. I wasn't at that rock bottom moment, that kind of scare tactic story. I actually drink a lot. In college and grad school, I was definitely over drinking a lot. But by the time I got older to like my late 20s, early 30s, I saved drinking as something I only did on the weekend. And I had the healthiest weeks in between. Right. I would work out, I would go to yoga classes, I would drink green juice. But every weekend, no matter what, alcohol was involved, no matter what. Right. It was either socializing, it was going out for restaurants, dinners, weddings, some, you know, Netflix and wine at home. It just didn't matter. It was always there. And every Monday morning, I Woke up feeling just like a shell of myself, just very exhausted, let down. All the healthy progress I made during the week was just wiped out during the weekend. And I lived in this, like, cyclical exhaustion, I think, every week to week. And I really wanted to change, but I just didn't see a way out of it. I thought social drinking was just like the code of adulthood. It was the way to belong. And I also didn't want to, like, pack, you know, a label on myself and call myself some word for the rest of my life, you know what I mean? When I didn't really identify that way. And it wasn't until I heard of Dry January that things really, like, unlocked for me. And I was like, oh, I could just take a break from alcohol and I don't have to go around, like, explaining it to everybody. And. And that was the first time as an adult like, that I actually enjoyed a longer period without alcohol. And it's kind of uncanny to think, like, a lot of adults, other than maybe pregnancy, don't actually have that opportunity. And so I went through that month and I just experienced the wildest evolution in myself, personally, spiritually, emotionally. I found my, like, laughter, like, really surging. And coming back to me, I found just such presence and peace and mundane moments. Like, I was going on hikes and getting high, just looking at the clouds and the trees and stuff like that. And I just felt so proud of myself every day. And then February comes around, and I still have this really predominant belief that, well, if you want to be a normal adult, you have to drink. And so I drink a few times that February, and it is the biggest letdown. Like, even one or two drinks, I notice, completely ruins my sleep. Makes me so foggy the next day. And even in the moment, I notice I get cranky and frustrated and kind of petty after a few drinks. So I'm just like, wait a minute. I thought it was doing this to me. I thought it was making me happy and have fun and all this stuff, and it just wasn't really what I thought. And. And so at that moment, I decided to take another break and ruthlessly look at every single belief and association I had ever formed about alcohol. Completely reverse all of that, which is. I'm happy to go over that as well and really discover, you know, the pattern I was living was like, I was working in a cubicle. My job was just fine. I was in a university management. And I recognized, though, that this whole TGIF thing I had going on when I couldn't wait for the weekend, every weekend was as a result of a lack of fulfillment in my career. And so not only did I, you know, ditch alcohol, now I'm eight years alcohol free. So that story happened eight years ago. I also found like, what actually does fulfill me, what gives me a sense of purpose and meaning. And I've been chasing that ever since. And like, you know, everything's changed. Like, I launched a business, I quit my job, I retired my husband, I wrote a best selling book, I've been on stages across the world, I travel all the time. Like I'm living such a night and day difference compared to that version of me. And for me, like when I share about the alcohol free message, it's actually not really like, that's not actually the point to me is the evolution that you're going to go on to actually like reach like as cheesy as it sounds, right? Like your full potential. And that's like the coolest vehicle I've seen happen over and over and over again for people to actually like, question, what do I really want out of my life? How do I want to align my life to my values? What I really want to be doing? And it like seems like going alcohol free, doing something that's already hard in our society, gives them way more confidence and courage than just starting from zero, if that makes sense. So it's like, it's the quick like, you know, quantum leap to all your dreams.
- [07:36]
A
Yeah, yeah. It's really not even about alcohol, right. It's. It's about liabilities and assets in your life. Right? Like is, is this a liability taking from me or is this an asset? And it's giving, you know, so you can apply this to relationships, you can apply this to your behaviors, you can apply it to your talking, your words, it's your talk, how you're talking about. And you can also apply it to how you're thinking and what your thoughts are. And so I always assess that. Thoughts, words, actions, and the people I keep around me, is this going towards my mission or way? And so alcohol is a big part of it. And I took the longest stretch since I had started drinking back when I was, however, 18 or whatever. Last fall I took two and a half months off. Felt great. And then I realized like, you know, I'll just have glass, whatever. And didn't affect me much. But then I went on another three months and it was like, wow, I. And I. And I think it proved to me that I could stop if I wanted to, you know, I didn't have to Go on the weekends and do that. And now, now it's like, you know, once in a while I'll have something, but I know that it's not even something I have to do every week or you know, I was, I'm a one to three drink person a week per week. When I was before I did this gap thing. Right. But even then it's like I don't have to go to the Mexican restaurant and have a margarita. You know, I can, yeah, you know, I can just have iced tea or something and I end up feeling better afterwards. So, you know, and there's something else about this. We, we. We never really heard too much about alcohol being a cancer causer until recently. And I didn't smoke cigarettes because I knew that it causes lung cancer. That's why I've just never smoked cigarettes. But when I heard that, the alcohol connection to cancer, Carolina, I was like, ah, it's the same kind of thing as cigarettes. Why would I do that to myself? We work so hard to stay healthy, right?
- [09:24]
B
So, yeah, and it's uncanny because I think, you know, our generation, like millennials, Gen X boomers, like we were lied to essentially. Alcohol was presented as a health beverage. You know, and there's a really funny story that happened behind it is, you know, actually back in the 80s, more American households would drink soda with dinner than wine. And that's probably also not the best drink to have with dinner. But like there was something that huge happened, like a revolution, and our consumption levels rose higher in the last 30 years and they're just going down now because of the alcohol free movement where, you know, alcohol industries like really started targeting women, for example, and mommy wine juice and wine culture started becoming a big thing. Drinking every day started to become a thing. So instead of just socializing on the weekends, you know, your doctor wanted you to have one glass of red wine every day for your heart. Right? And so it's like this entire alcohol culture, like really the consumption levels went up so high and doctors were seeing all these complications from people who they called non addicted. Right. They're not the classic kind of what you'd call an alcoholic or something like that. Like, what is really going on and what's so interesting is when you look back at this, you know, there was actually one doctor in the 90s, 1991, it was, he was trying to explain the French paradox, like why French people have lower rates of heart disease than Americans, even though they eat like a lot of saturated fat. And he's like, maybe it's the red wine, Right. And so he took that on as a hypothesis. The alcohol industry cap capitalized on that, started funding all these studies to prove that that was true. And then, you know, all of a sudden, you have Dr. Oz telling you to have a glass of red wine every single day. And it just goes to show, in the last, like, 10, eight to 10 years or so, all of those original studies have been completely debunked. Like, they were not set up properly. Basically, there is no safe amount of alcohol. It's actually bad for your heart. It does cause it to sag over time, and it's just basically creating, like, it beats as fast as when you're exercising, but there is no exercise involved. So it actually, you know, increases blood pressure, increases your cholesterol as well because of inflation and inflation, inflammation and stuff like that. And so it's just uncanny how, like, we were really lied to for so many years of believing alcohol is this health beverage. And so now it's coming out, obviously, that it causes cancer. And, you know, we've actually known that since 1988. I believe it's been a, you know, carcinogen. But it was just really like, oh, well, you know, it's not as prevalent or not as big deal, but we even notice it in the smallest levels. So a woman who has two drinks a week and just like you said, one to three drinks a week, like, you don't think you're a big drinker, right? It's just like, a little bit of alcohol here and there. But a woman who has two drinks a week has 15% higher chances of getting breast cancer than having just none at all being abstinent. So it's like the things like, you know, there's so many statistics that go into alcohol deaths and this and this. And they were looking at, like, acute alcohol deaths of, like, this is very directly related with cirrhosis and stuff like that. They're now peeling it back and noticing, like, so much cardiovascular disease, so much cancer, so much dementia, so much of these things are actually related to alcohol. And it's just now, in the last, like, six years or so, that we're finally making this information so much more relevant. But still, 70% of Americans don't know that alcohol causes cancer. Right? And it is just one of those things, like, we can all decide what to do. We're all adults here, right? But like you said, like, we weren't given that information to begin with. We knew about it with cigarettes and stuff like that. So that is a lot of, I think Information and education that's happening around right now. And also just kind of questioning the, like, the habit and the ritual of drinking for socializing, you know, for so long. I think, you know, especially it was like a ritual to prove that you're an adult, right? You turn 18 or you turn 21, and you're like, now I'm an adult. Now I can have the wine at the restaurant. And it's like, it gets so ingrained into our brains as, like, this is how I prove my worth in society. This is how I prove my status. This is how I have significance. This is how I belong. This is how I'm accepted. So it can be really terrifying when you're starting to listen to your intuition that's like, hey, maybe my body would be better served without this, like, toxin in my life. And all of a sudden, you're questioning all of these assumptions and these subconscious programs that you were built up to to understand that, well, alcohol gives you a sense of belonging and camaraderie. So, like, who are you without it? So it's a really interesting entangling process for anyone who wants to, like, lose the desire to drink. Like, alcohol is probably the most complicated inanimate object we have in our society. That and money.
- [13:44]
A
Yeah. You know, I remember, like, when I. I remember when I got married and we used to, you know, the weekends were the thing, right? And where are we going this weekend? And it was all revolving around drinking. And when we stopped drinking like that, my wife and I, like, you know, earlier on, we just didn't want to go party and stuff. We were like, okay, what do we do now? Like, I was lost. I was like, this is the only thing I know how to do. Like, what do you mean you don't want to go to the bar? You know, like, it was. It's so weird, man. You're right. It's. It's crazy. Now the other thing is, like, red wine. The. The benefit in red wine is resveratrol. Resveratrol. And you can get that in other ways to do it, not having to drink red wine. So why would you do that? Like, it's crazy.
- [14:23]
B
So you'd have to drink, like, 8,000 bottles of water, an actual dose of it.
- [14:27]
A
So, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's crazy. Now, the connection part is important because human beings need connection, and it is healthy to have connections, but you just have to find other ways to do it. You know, it's just. It's an excuse that you need to go drinking down the local watering hole or the club to have connection. Especially nowadays. It's getting so much better. There's so much health and wellness stuff out there now. You know, what do you call it? CrossFit and yoga and Pilates and different things now that you can go especially places now. Not as much as here where I live because I'm a little bit more in the country, but where you live, there's tons of cool associations and clubs, right?
- [15:04]
B
Yeah, and that's a great point. It's like you can choose anything to belong to or belong with. Right. And so, you know, obviously we want a sense of belonging, but like, is it really feeding your goals and your dreams or is it something that's just holding you back and stuff like that? And I'd much rather hang out with healthy people. I find a lot of successful people don't really drink or prioritize alcohol. And it's like, you know the, the quote by Jim Rohn, it's like the five people you surround yourself with is what's going to determine your life. And so you always get to choose. We're not saying like to x your friends or all those situations and stuff. First of all, I find that like when you're open and honest about like wanting to change this area of your life, it, it's kind of like the elephant in the room. Like nobody actually feels good the next day after drinking. Like maybe an 18 year old, right. Who hasn't metabolized enough yet. But I mean, most people do not feel great after drinking. And it's like something we just kind of shove under the rug as a society. So I found pleasantly that a lot of people who decide to go alcohol free, they speak up amongst their friends and then their friends are like, oh yeah, I feel like that too. And then it inspires everybody. So now instead of being like the outcast, you're actually the leader, you're the role model, you're the one who's inspir everyone else to get healthier and join the bandwagon. And that's just really cool for a friendship dynamic. And also there's just so many people out there who are already prioritizing their health and their goals that you can absolutely find a community and belonging in a way that is actually aligned with your deeper goals and your deeper dreams and stuff like that.
- [16:26]
A
Yeah, I honestly, I don't, I don't hang out with anybody that goes out drinking anymore. Nobody. And nobody that's doing gummies and smoking marijuana or anything. Like, I don't, I don't have friends like, that it is. It's weird. And now I've been hanging around a lot of the biohacking longevity community, and some of those people still drink despite the being in that community, but not like the ones I hang out with. Like, most of them, they're. They're so focused on how can we optimize and create longevity. That, like, why would I do the opposite of. We work so hard to do what we're doing, you know? And so let's talk about your journey, because you were in a cubicle, and most people don't realize that they have control of creating the life that they want and doing the things that they want. They think that they got to go to this job. They. Once they find it, they secure it. They're stuck in this box, and it is what it is. And then you look forward to the weekend. Like, you're talking about. But what was your journey like with you and figuring this out after you stopped drinking? And then how did you lead that business to that company and take us through that?
- [17:23]
B
Yeah, absolutely. You know, I have to say, like, I was so stuck in those limiting beliefs. I always wanted to be an author, and I wrote, like, short stories and poems and plays when I was younger. By the time I start drinking, though, my writing completely dries up, and I actually can't even journal anymore. So that just goes to show what alcohol was doing to my creativity and stuff like that.
- [17:43]
A
Wait a minute. What did you just say?
- [17:44]
B
You.
- [17:44]
A
What? You can't.
- [17:45]
B
I couldn't even journal anymore.
- [17:47]
A
Do you. Do you journal now?
- [17:48]
B
Now I do. Yeah.
- [17:49]
A
Okay.
- [17:50]
B
Like, there was a period of time where, like, the writing just did not come.
- [17:54]
A
Yeah.
- [17:54]
B
And for years, I still wanted to write books. Like, that was my biggest dream since I was a little girl. So I would make these New Year's resolutions as a drinker and say, this is the year I'm going to write a novel. I'm going to write once a week, every week for, you know, the next 52 weeks. And I would do it one week in January and then never pick it up again. It's like, not only did I not have the creativity, the intuition, the ideas, I didn't have the discipline to be honest. Like, it was so much easier to open a bottle of wine than write the next great American novel. Right. And so I kind of just gave up on that. And I really thought that I just. I was just never going to write a book. So I had a little. Lot of limiting stories there. I also had limiting stories. I kind of wanted to Be an entrepreneur and have this freedom life and help people. But I kind of didn't think of myself as that person. I grew up foreign, I didn't speak English as my first language. I was shyer when I was growing up. I thought entrepreneurs were the guys that lived in Silicon Valley and schmoozed around with capital venturists and just like were tech geniuses. So I never saw myself that way. Right. So I told myself a story. Well, no, you're just an employee. You have to stay, you know, with a 9 to 5 job. And it was when I decided to go alcohol free. Not only did I decide to remove alcohol, but, and you know, by the way, I just started as a break. I wasn't like, I'm quitting forever. But you know, the break just turned into this magical smile experience. Why would I want to like go back? But I'm on this break, I'm going alcohol free and all. I'm so happy. Like I'd never been happier in my life. I'm just really connecting with myself, with nature, with my desires, with my goals and dreams. And I'm like, I never thought I could go alcohol free and actually be happy about it. I thought I'd feel deprived, right? So maybe I was wrong about literally every other belief I've ever had about myself. And if I could do this, what else could I do? And so all of a sudden all these other limiting stories I told myself started toppling. And maybe I couldn't write and be an entrepreneur when I had alcohol in my life, but now I had no idea what I was capable of. And I started chasing that with a fury. I launched a business, I got certified as a coach. I really wanted to share more information about the alcohol free life. So I started my business really teaching people about how to lose the desire to drink and how to do it.
- [19:53]
A
You still had your job?
- [19:54]
B
I still had my job, yes. I was waking up at 5am I was like picturing myself. I would wake up at 5am, go downstairs, brew some coffee and put on this playlist as I was waiting for the coffee to brew and, and I would dance in my kitchen pretending that I already was a best selling author, pretending that I had thousands of clients, pretending all this stuff, none of it was my reality, but that's how excited I was for what I was building. And I was able to leave my day job within two years of starting that business. And I got a six figure book deal that year from Harper Collins which, which produced this book, Euphoric Ditch Alcohol Gain A happier, more confident you. A few years later, I kept just growing my business. I was able to retire my husband, so we were able to grow the business to that level. We now travel the world together. He works in my company. We're going to be in Europe all summer. We go to the Maldives. Like, it's all I ever wanted back when I was in my cubicle was not only freedom to like be able to live my life with autonomy and my creativity and stuff, but also impact. Like, I never thought I was making an impact even though I worked at a university. It's like you think you're helping the next generation, but I was working in spreadsheets and you know what I mean, meeting pointless meetings. So it wasn't until I got into this work that I really felt that visceral impact of like, I'm actually changing people's lives in this way. So that source of like drinking being the highlight of my week compared to feeling fulfilled every single day has been such a rich part of my life. And you know, I obviously hustled. I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning, but like, I just kept going and going and going for this bigger vision and it's completely, completely changed my world. And so I love helping other people who've also gone through a life change, like, really find that deeper purpose and really explore what they're meant to do. I actually run a 5x certification program for other people who want to get certified as alcohol free coaches as well. Because so many people who like find the transformation and find the other side, they just want to turn around and help the version of themselves that they used to be the person behind them and stuff like that. And I think that's such a meaningful thing. And I know, I'm sure that's a big part of what you do as well. You know what I mean? It's like really helping people and making that impact and it's just like you couldn't even tempt me to drink because it's just such a. Like, it's, it's that, it's that buzz, that immediate gratification I was looking for in a life that was starved of meaning.
- [22:09]
A
Yeah, well, and you know, here's the thing too. So you don't just get a book deal. So what did you start doing? Did you, did you start going on social and doing a lot of content? Like, how did it all start?
- [22:18]
B
Yeah, I started with social. I started, you know, posting really regularly on social back in 2018. I started blogging regularly. I would email my Audience every week. I started a podcast that year. It was so cringy. Like I actually had a host back then or a co host now. I do it by myself. But we were so embarrassed the first time we had a conversation. We were in the same room, we were mic'd up, but then we couldn't look at each other so we both like faced opposite walls. We were laughing, we were just so nervous, so embarrassed and stuff like that. So, yeah, I started super cringy. I started super before I was ready. But I built a really strong community of people who wanted to explore an alcohol free life without the labels and you know, as a way to really achieve their go and dreams. Just a really empowering place. Right. I started helping women find their deeper purpose once they went alcohol free. So there was so much more to my brand than just the sober lens, if that makes sense, and just kind of got these, you know, ride or die clients and stuff like that, and started hosting retreats. And I think I just did something that scared me every single year and something really big. And I think that would be the difference between, like, yes, I was consistent, yes, I was posting, yes, I was emailing, I was podcasting, all that stuff. But I also went and like did this really scary thing every year that really, I think propelled my career much faster. I mean, just even writing a book proposal, for example, for a book deal, like, who did. I think I was like, I had less than 5,000 followers when I got a six figure book deal.
- [23:44]
A
So. So take us through that. So you get the idea. Okay, this is the year I'm going to do it. This is real time. So you write a proposal. You weren't. They didn't have the book written yet. Right.
- [23:52]
B
So what I did actually is like, because I told you all about that writer's block I had, I noticed like just even a few months of alcohol free, like the writing was coming back and that churningly, voraciously, just really expressing my thoughts and feelings. And it was my first alcohol free vacation. I'm in Hawaii and I'm having the best time. Like, I'm waking up early to watch the sunrise. I'm doing yoga on the beach, I'm going snorkeling, paddleboarding, like riding bikes around the island. And it was just really refreshing because I would like walk by these bars and I noticed like, they're filled like during the day and I'm like, who comes to Hawaii to hang out in a dark bar? Like you could have done that at home, you know what I mean? And I was just like, really? The contra was so rich for me of like how alive and awake I felt in the alcohol free vacation. And I was sitting on a beach and this beautiful sunset was, you know, appearing in the sky next to me. A ton of people are like racing to go to the bar to try to order a cocktail so they can enjoy the sunset. And I'm like thinking to myself, you're missing it. Like you're missing the beauty of the universe showing us this magic. And in that moment, it's like I get a divine download and it says, carolina, you are Euphoric. You are meant to write a book and launch a business around this concept. And I get home and a week later, every single chapter that was meant to be in my book comes to me in one instant like it was the craziest thing after years of writer's block and no ideas. So I take on that idea. I actually start with a really, really shitty rough draft. Excuse the language, but it was just that bad, right? It was like really, really, you know, just proving to myself that I could get the words on the paper. It wasn't so much about the quality whatsoever, just proving to myself that I could write. So I kind of fleshed out a really bad rough draft and then there I knew, okay, I want to get traditionally published, I want to go for a traditional book deal. So I switched over to writing a traditional book proposal and stuff like that. That took me about a few weeks. I sent it to an agent and her 27 year old assistant was living in New York at that time, was sick of going out with her friends and drinking and feeling like crap. Found my proposal in what they call the sloppile and brought it up to her agent. And they knew that it had a lot of promise. I still had to work to tweak it and stuff like that before I got the agent and the book deal. But it all worked out and by the time my book was published, it was four years later. So between the very first idea of Euphoric on that beach to actually getting it in bookstores, that took four years and I was building my business at the same time and stuff like that. But then the year the book came out, which was 2022, definitely, things skyrocketed. I was on TV multiple times. I've been personally on over 350 podcasts, so I have some catching up to do to reach your level. But it was, it truly was. And that was like, you know, I have so many big goals and dreams. I'm writing a Second book right now. But like that was one of the biggest crowning achievements because there was that little five year old, six year old girl who dreamed of nothing more than getting to that point in her life. So I'm really proud that I made her proud.
- [26:50]
A
Yeah, I love hearing stories like this, you know. Cause we all have dreams and most of us suppress our dreams and then we don't celebrate others because we've given up on ourselves and we don't want to see anybody else not giving up, you know, and I'm not, I, I don't live in that world. So. All right, so then how does it work? So they, the agent says, yeah, this is good. And then they shop you around to different publishers, like HarperCollins, Penguin, different that or they only worked with HarperCollins.
- [27:15]
B
Yeah, good question. So once you do get an agent, they will shop you around and they, they're the best at their job. You know, they know who's to auction or who to, you know, send your thing to, materials to. So then what happens is a few publishers have your book proposal and it's like an auction. So there's like a final cutoff date. Who wants to bid on this book proposal? I ended up getting two book deals, one from like an independent house and one from HarperCollins, which HarperCollins was like six times more. It was a six figure book deal. The other one was like in the 25k range. So we obviously went with the world renowned HarperCollins. And then since then I got book deals to publish my book in the UK and the Commonwealth. So it's out like in Australia and India and stuff like that. And Czech. We were really close to getting a Polish book deal but that one fell through. So I have a few other ones in the, in the world too.
- [28:03]
A
Now do they leave the responsibility of marketing the book on you or do they market the book too?
- [28:08]
B
Yeah, that's a good question. So publishing has definitely changed a lot within the last like 20 years or so. Like where the author does take a lot more responsibility today. But at the same time there is nothing like the connections of a publisher. Whether it's like the different book clubs or TV shows that they can get you on and stuff like that, that really is world renowned. And just getting your book into an actual bookstore, like you're not ever going to be able to do that if you self publish. Right. So that is really, really crazy. So it is a lot more work, I would say on the author than it used to be. But there's still so Many inroads and connections that the publisher does give you and you work on it as a team, which I think is just really exciting. And I think one of the reasons why I got a six figure book deal back when I only had 5,000 followers is I showed so much promise. I was so determined and willing and I was like, I'm going to do this and this and this and this and this to promote the book. And I did it all. Like I spent a lot of money to learn how to promote a book and stuff like that. And I obviously learned a lot of lessons for my second one. So, you know, there's a lot I learned, but from a first time effort, like I went really hard and I went for all of it and stuff like that. And it was a huge learning lesson. I think my biggest learning lesson from that was, you know, I grew up where, you know, when you get disappointed when you're younger and then you're like, well, I'll never ask for help, I'll just be super independent my rest of my life. That's what was really hard about this process is you have to ask for so much help. You know, you're asking for endorsements, you're asking for influencers to help you, for people to review your book. So that really stretched me, my vulnerability that way.
- [29:32]
A
Yeah, yeah. And then once you get a company that you have, you're making some money, then you can start hiring people to help you with that stuff. You know, there's, there's shortcuts, there's a game. I listen, I found out so much going into this world that we're in of how everything is manufactured, celebrity is manufactured, music industry, even movies, influencers, social media, it's all like, there's so much manufacturing that goes on and you just need to know the who and understand how the game's played, you know. So do they get what? What? Like do they make you give the money back if they don't sell a certain number of copies? Is there any kind of.
- [30:04]
B
Absolutely not. So you do get the advance and that advance might be paid out in a few payments and stuff like that, but that's your money to keep. And then you'll get royalties once the advance is made back up as well. So okay, that's great. I would love to get you. I would recommend anyone listening who wants to get a book deal, get a high book deal, that's a much better bet for you and stuff like that. You know, celebrities and stuff like that, they'll get seven eight figure book deals. Just, just a range. But a lot of new time authors could even get like a $5,000 book deal. So I have no idea how I got $125,000, but supposed to be that you universe works magic.
- [30:37]
A
You, you know, I call this is creating an attraction model. You did something and you created an attraction and that was sitting there in a pile and that lady saw it and it was off to the races. But you, you did that like you created that attraction, you know, and not that you knew what you were doing at the time because you were trying to figure it out. Like we all are, right? Like I'm still trying to figure it out even after all these years. And I, I'm very curious. I stay curious and learn, you know, so. All right, so we're up against the clock. I can't believe the time flew by so fast. So I guess one thing I want to just end on is how do you, how do you help people find their purpose? These ladies you're working with, like, can you give us a high level of, of for people listening, like, how can they find their purpose?
- [31:19]
B
Yeah, I think that's a good question. I think in the core we, we really do know deeper about like what we, what really brings us joy, what we're passionate about, what we're fulfilled in. However, we have been told so many stories by society of like, what's realistic, what's safe and stuff like that. So I think the first level, before we can even get in mind into the desires is like, we have to take away all of the limits and all of the ways that like, you don't, you know, for example, I'll just tell you the truth. I remember like looking for careers in writing back when I was like in my early 20s and I was like, what am I going to do? Like submit articles and get like $200 an article? So I was like, writing doesn't pay. And I literally told myself that story. Writing doesn't pay, writing doesn't pay over and over and over again. Well, guess what? It does, right? You can get six figure book deals in writing. And everything we do on the Internet is like through our writing. Unless it's our spoken word, right? We're either typing or talking. Like that's all we're. The word is really, really important. But it's like I told myself this limiting story and a lot of times, you know, I've seen so many of my peers and network, like go into the safest professions, you know, that they're not, they don't care about, and now AI is replacing it anyway. And it's like, get back to the core of what you really, really love, what you're really, really passionate. And, you know, whether it's a story that you told yourself that it wouldn't pay, whether it's something that you think maybe your family wouldn't be accepting of or proud of, maybe it's something that you think you couldn't do because you're a mom or something like that, or it just, you know, you want to travel the world, but you have, like, caretaking responsibilities. It's always usually like you think you're wrong in choosing it. You think someone's going to be disappointed in you and choosing it. You think you're letting people down, or you think it's like a stupid financial mistake that you're going to make. So we have to kind of clear the air on all of those things first to really get to the core desires. And oftentimes it comes to, like, the things we used to love doing as children. Like, I as a child, I used to love to teach. I used to love psychology and change, and I love to write. And what am I now? I'm an online educator now. It all makes sense, right? And I think what's so cool to realize is what you and I do today didn't really exist when we graduated college. So it's like the world has changed so much, and there's so much more opportunity to create something out of what you love in a way that our parents and our grandparents didn't really have the avenue towards as well. So it's like, when you really are passionate about something, you will make money with it, especially in our day and era. But you have to give yourself permission to go for that first and even try new things. Like, you said that when you used to drink on the weekends and then you stopped doing that and you're like, what do we do for fun? Most adults don't know what's fun for them. And it's like, as kids, we had to create our own fun. We had to put on our roller skates and climb trees and put on plays and stuff like that. And as adults, we've learned to just be these passive zombies waiting for a beverage or some TV show to entertain us. And it's like, one of the ways I help people find purpose is just first by exploring what is organically joyful to them and really getting back into that kid zone where you create fun. You actually are an active creator in your life to create these experiences and that's kind of what I had to do myself. I didn't just stop drinking, and I was like, I'm going to start a business and this and that. It did take a process for me to be like, oh, you know what? I really like going to these writers workshops. Oh, you know what? I really like speaking out about my story. You know what I mean? So it's like having these different experiences that really helped me. But I've been like, witness to the coolest stories. For example, one woman I know, she quit her corporate job, moved her whole family to France. That was like a toddler. They all learned French that year. They traveled around her. Her daughter speaks French now. She came back and now got offered to be, like, the CEO of, like, a health company. So it just like, goes to show, like, when you do really follow your heart and your dreams, like, you have no idea what kind of opportunity will lie. And she's publishing her mem more about her experience in France, too. So it's like we have to take our desires. I truly believe, and this is my belief system. But, like, when we get a desire for our life, for our dream, it's. It's like something else is giving us that desire outside of us. It's not selfish. It is our destiny. And if that's the way we're going to make the biggest impact on this planet. And so it's like you have to learn to just trust the desire.
- [35:21]
A
Yeah. You know, and that. The other part of that is imagination. I didn't hear you say that word, imagination. We stopped using it. You know, we use it as kids. Like, I didn't have a store, but I pretended I was a store owner when I was a kid. I was, you know, doing, you know, I. I didn't even have, like, a stadium, but I felt like I was playing in a stadium when I was out in the yard playing baseball. But it was imagination. And imagination is so powerful, you know, so that's one thing for me, man, Like, I'm always like, man, how far can I take this thing? Let's see how far we can take this thing, you know? So I love this Carolina. Where can people go deeper with you?
- [35:56]
B
Amazing. So you can find me a website, euphoricaf.com also look up Euphoric on Amazon, anywhere books are sold. It's such a great, incredible guide on basically a thousand benefits that happen when you ditch alcohol. And a guide to do so as well. And then I'm also on Instagram is where I'm most active. Euphoric af. And whether you're looking to lose the desire to drink or to maybe get started in this industry or even, like you said, celebrities manufactured, I have an incredible program where we position you as a thought leader in the world. Because it is. It's like it's these market signals that you do that make you so much more desirable and irresistible to ideal clients than if you're not doing the market signals. So that's another thing, whether it's writing books or getting on stages. So we have a slew of things for both the alcohol free, you know, sober, curious and or aspiring thought leader and stuff like that. And thank you just so much for having me here. This is a really fun conversation.
- [36:47]
A
Yeah, no, great job today. And everybody go check her out. Right now it's euphoric af.com euphoric af on Instagram. By the way, what's the podcast called?
- [36:58]
B
My podcast called Euphoric Alcohol Free. We just changed. It used to be Euphoric the podcast. And someone's like, SEO, you need to get the alcohol free part in there.
- [37:06]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Very important. I didn't do that very good job with my podcast, by the way. What are you made of? Nothing searchable in there, really. I just.
- [37:13]
B
But then you come well known and everybody loves it.
- [37:15]
A
Yeah. I had a conversation with a guy today and he getting ready to start a podcast and I think he was calling it the Tsunami effect something. Tsunami something. And it was about performance. And I said, dude, add the word performance in there. Trust me, just add it. Don't worry about it. Just trust me. So, yeah. All right, Carolina, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. Hang tight while I wrap this up, folks. That's this episode of the what do you Made of show. I want to make sure you hit the subscribe follow button at the top of your favorite podcast platform and keep coming back. And until next time, be that one.