June 2, 2026

If I Started Over, This Is What I'd Do (10 Years Into Business)

If I Started Over, This Is What I'd Do (10 Years Into Business)
Be Life Changers with Kathy Coates
If I Started Over, This Is What I'd Do (10 Years Into Business)
YouTube podcast player iconApple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconAudible podcast player icon
YouTube podcast player iconApple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconAudible podcast player icon

S2E5 - Welcome to Be Life Changers – https://linktr.ee/kathycoatesevents


Sharing Local Love… stories of purpose, impact, and growth in business and life.


----------


After a surprise party celebrating my birthday and 10 years in business, I sat down and got a little emotional. It wasn't the decorations that hit me; it was the realization of how many relationships, struggles, prayers, and pivots were connected to this incredible journey.


If you are an entrepreneur, creator, dreamer, overwhelmed mom, or a small business owner trying to figure out life while figuring out business, this episode of Be Life Changers is for you. We are talking about the real, behind-the-scenes reality of building a business, before everything looks perfect. From failing events and online criticism to navigating burnout and redefining what success actually means, I am sharing the biggest lessons from the last decade.


----------


Subscribe for more Be Life Changers with Kathy Coates. Link in description.


----------


Brought to you by your host Kathy Coates


----------


Drop your questions in the comments!


----------


Follow The Host on Instagram:


@kceventsforme


----------


Become A Sponsor!


https://jtvsuals.com/sponsor

WEBVTT

00:00.111 --> 00:18.938
[SPEAKER_00]: After my surprise birthday party in 10-year in business, I set their emotional because what hit me the most wasn't the decorations or even the celebration, it was realizing how many relationships, lessons, struggles, pivots, prayers, and people were connected to this journey.

00:19.258 --> 00:24.100
[SPEAKER_00]: And it really got me to thinking, what I really learned after 10 years of building business

00:24.620 --> 00:33.203
[SPEAKER_00]: hosting events, networking, raising a family, showing local love, and trying to figure life out while figuring out business too.

00:33.483 --> 00:45.127
[SPEAKER_00]: This episode is for every entrepreneur, creator, dreamer, overwhelmed the mom, small business owner, or person who's trying to keep showing up, even when life gets hard.

00:51.207 --> 00:53.188
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to Be Like Changers.

00:53.628 --> 00:55.008
[SPEAKER_00]: I am Kathy Cose.

00:55.449 --> 00:59.070
[SPEAKER_00]: You're host and I am so excited to have you guys join us today.

00:59.850 --> 01:05.952
[SPEAKER_00]: As I walked in a JT visuals today, I was just overwhelmed at the whole experience again.

01:06.772 --> 01:13.155
[SPEAKER_00]: Thinking about starting the podcast a little over a year ago, thinking about being a business for 10 years.

01:14.635 --> 01:24.085
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just so overwhelming sometimes to look back and then see where you are today and how far you really come and how thankful I am.

01:24.446 --> 01:32.654
[SPEAKER_00]: For each and every person, I thank each and every one of you who come out to help me celebrate for 10 years, who help me celebrate my birthday.

01:33.175 --> 01:36.879
[SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate each and every one of you you made me feel so special.

01:37.159 --> 01:42.741
[SPEAKER_00]: Those of you that sent me comments, messages, I appreciate it so much.

01:43.221 --> 01:44.602
[SPEAKER_00]: You are so dear to my heart.

01:44.722 --> 01:55.106
[SPEAKER_00]: And I hope that being able to watch be life-changers helps you in a special way, whether it's through encouragement, or maybe you're learning something even if it is from my mistakes.

01:55.346 --> 01:56.426
[SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate that.

01:56.546 --> 02:04.488
[SPEAKER_00]: But here at JT Visuals, it's nice because it's the one place I can come in, sit down, and even have my water brought to me.

02:04.548 --> 02:06.389
[SPEAKER_00]: Grace does it every single time.

02:06.429 --> 02:09.249
[SPEAKER_00]: She has my water sitting right here waiting for me.

02:09.509 --> 02:14.290
[SPEAKER_00]: Azaria is ready to take those clips and get them ready out for you to see.

02:14.811 --> 02:16.071
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's so important.

02:16.131 --> 02:22.532
[SPEAKER_00]: And if it wasn't for Jared running those cameras and smiling and doing funky dances back behind the scenes,

02:26.454 --> 02:27.935
[SPEAKER_00]: that's all that happens here.

02:28.015 --> 02:31.218
[SPEAKER_00]: They are like family, and I love it.

02:31.278 --> 02:32.339
[SPEAKER_00]: So thank you, J.T.

02:32.379 --> 02:35.221
[SPEAKER_00]: visuals, for helping make be life changers possible.

02:35.861 --> 02:40.525
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's what we're going to be talking about today is the 10 year journey.

02:41.125 --> 02:44.028
[SPEAKER_00]: And I am so grateful for every moment of it.

02:44.588 --> 02:51.333
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you get ready to start a business, it can be a little scary, as Michelle said, and you could go watch that episode from way back.

02:51.373 --> 02:53.375
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's a very first episode.

02:53.835 --> 02:56.456
[SPEAKER_00]: where she talks about that she had to kick me out the boat.

02:56.936 --> 02:59.437
[SPEAKER_00]: And literally she had to kick me out the boat.

02:59.917 --> 03:01.537
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm so glad she did.

03:01.958 --> 03:06.139
[SPEAKER_00]: But there was many things over the time that was kind of overwhelming.

03:06.639 --> 03:10.180
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just wanted to share some of those moments today because it's real.

03:10.780 --> 03:11.681
[SPEAKER_00]: Life is real.

03:12.061 --> 03:16.182
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you are an entrepreneur, you're going to understand, but if you're not,

03:16.562 --> 03:23.226
[SPEAKER_00]: is going to take you in our lives for just a moment so you can see the heart behind a small business.

03:23.626 --> 03:24.486
[SPEAKER_00]: What happens?

03:24.526 --> 03:25.867
[SPEAKER_00]: What are some of the struggles?

03:26.167 --> 03:35.713
[SPEAKER_00]: And then maybe you'll understand why some of the attitudes might be there at times or you know just wondering why we may not have answered right away.

03:36.653 --> 03:41.296
[SPEAKER_00]: So today I'm going to start talking about before everything looked perfect.

03:41.876 --> 03:44.098
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, our first event was amazing.

03:44.378 --> 03:47.520
[SPEAKER_00]: We had 350, 375 people at it.

03:48.020 --> 03:49.021
[SPEAKER_00]: It was amazing.

03:49.061 --> 03:50.922
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I mean, I was like, oh, yay.

03:51.463 --> 03:53.784
[SPEAKER_00]: And things took off so quick three months.

03:53.864 --> 03:57.466
[SPEAKER_00]: I had to go part time, which was awesome.

03:57.506 --> 03:58.847
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, oh, this is great.

03:58.947 --> 04:01.109
[SPEAKER_00]: And then within six months, I was running.

04:01.849 --> 04:14.754
[SPEAKER_00]: All on my own, with Michelle, we were running all over Kansas and Missouri, hosted in events and castles, mansions, golf clubs, wineries, pop up events were so fun, and they were so popular back then.

04:15.174 --> 04:26.458
[SPEAKER_00]: And so we're talking about 2016, but you know, with that big high at the beginning, when some of those bump started hitting in the road, we were like, not always so ready for it.

04:26.558 --> 04:29.059
[SPEAKER_00]: So I was just like, what do we do now?

04:29.439 --> 04:33.081
[SPEAKER_00]: So there was a few times that, you know, we would get things going.

04:33.161 --> 04:35.903
[SPEAKER_00]: We had lots of vendors finding up quickly.

04:36.283 --> 04:42.606
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's where you learn the processes behind the business and making sure that the communication is there.

04:42.806 --> 04:48.509
[SPEAKER_00]: And that took a little bit while, you know, we're finding pivoting and switching to what's working and what's not working.

04:48.930 --> 04:55.413
[SPEAKER_00]: And that can get a lot when you're trying to balance a family balance friends and all those types of things.

04:56.214 --> 04:58.595
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think probably the first bump in the road.

04:59.035 --> 05:05.640
[SPEAKER_00]: is when we didn't have a good crowd, but we had did everything exactly the same.

05:06.281 --> 05:15.668
[SPEAKER_00]: And so having to have those moments of that you did everything right, but then all of a sudden, the results weren't the same.

05:16.168 --> 05:27.257
[SPEAKER_00]: So the first thing you go to do is thinking, you're like, oh my goodness, like you know, because it is hard because we're dealing with anywhere from 25 to 50 vendors at that time who've signed up for an event.

05:28.017 --> 05:31.481
[SPEAKER_00]: And so you're like, whoa, but we were new to the industry.

05:31.501 --> 05:35.385
[SPEAKER_00]: We were new to what the pivots and changes that happen.

05:35.945 --> 05:44.154
[SPEAKER_00]: And some of that comes with the source, but that's when we started learning different ways of marketing.

05:44.674 --> 05:56.503
[SPEAKER_00]: different ways of reaching out to our vendors at the time and really encouraging them to share too because that cross promotion is so important.

05:56.903 --> 06:10.513
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think that was the first hiccup that we had at the very beginning and then feeling that kind of almost imposter syndrome like you're thinking oh my goodness all these other people look like they have it together because you

06:11.874 --> 06:19.418
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course back then social media was just getting him as getting bigger and bigger the video's and reels and all that stuff hadn't quite hit.

06:19.498 --> 06:25.220
[SPEAKER_00]: So but you still were like feeling like you were the underdog.

06:25.581 --> 06:32.144
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you felt like you weren't doing as well because coming up with just a few hundred followers to a few thousand followers.

06:32.744 --> 06:36.526
[SPEAKER_00]: It was really hard to get the word out there because we always heard.

06:37.346 --> 06:52.810
[SPEAKER_00]: If I would a new about it, I would have been there and they'd find out like maybe a week after or two weeks after wins your next event and so those things can be very overwhelming and it doesn't matter what business you're in or industry, we all have those moments.

06:53.490 --> 06:59.032
[SPEAKER_00]: of our information that we got out to our community didn't get to them in time.

06:59.572 --> 07:05.214
[SPEAKER_00]: So it can be very overwhelming, but we had to sit down and really look at our systems.

07:05.675 --> 07:09.636
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, what was working, what wasn't working, figuring that out.

07:09.676 --> 07:14.258
[SPEAKER_00]: So that was probably the first thing that I was just like, oh my goodness, we...

07:14.938 --> 07:15.758
[SPEAKER_00]: What are we going to do?

07:15.858 --> 07:22.840
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, because, but then realizing that other people and other coordinators were having some of those same issues.

07:22.900 --> 07:27.322
[SPEAKER_00]: And these were even coordinators that had been in the industry for many years.

07:27.542 --> 07:31.803
[SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of times you can get down on yourself and hard on yourself.

07:32.263 --> 07:37.765
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you really look into it, you find out that even the experts

07:38.145 --> 08:01.935
[SPEAKER_00]: even the people that's been in the industry for many years of the niche that you're in have these same issues so don't get overwhelmed at first really you still have to look at yourself you still have to look at the data what you have to realize who you are and you know speak to yourself whether that means you know a lot of times i take and i have affirmations that i write for myself

08:02.515 --> 08:06.478
[SPEAKER_00]: And every morning I read them because it can be super tough.

08:07.098 --> 08:08.259
[SPEAKER_00]: It is tough out there.

08:08.740 --> 08:17.586
[SPEAKER_00]: And especially when you hear those negative comments, and I have to say that's probably the second thing that I had to learn was to get tough skin.

08:17.966 --> 08:25.171
[SPEAKER_00]: When you really care about people, I find that people that really care about people, that's very authentic.

08:25.592 --> 08:29.074
[SPEAKER_00]: We sometimes we take it very seriously what people say,

08:31.996 --> 08:55.402
[SPEAKER_00]: in the shoes of the other person, dealing with like in my case with like vendors, a lot of times they have a lot going on to, they have to come into the show that they've paid for, and then of course they have to make enough money to make it worth it, and of course that's where I also teach that, you know, your brand is a way that it stands out within itself to make

08:59.783 --> 09:04.185
[SPEAKER_00]: is important to make that connection because that could be a long time client.

09:04.325 --> 09:23.832
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't tell you how many times I've been in vendor events where I didn't sell anything but then later those connections I've made like or continual customers who bought from me over and over and over again just because I had made that authentic connection at the very beginning.

09:24.772 --> 09:39.448
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you look at mine, there's a lot of times people will say something about your product or about what's going on, vendors will say something about with authentic reason why, but sometimes they will have something negative to say.

09:40.289 --> 09:47.753
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'll never get, we were in Wichita doing an event at the castle, which is one of the great, I love the castle in Wichita.

09:48.133 --> 09:49.073
[SPEAKER_00]: It was so fun.

09:49.333 --> 09:53.155
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember a lady there, got really disgruntled.

09:53.195 --> 09:56.237
[SPEAKER_00]: I tried to, you know, she didn't like where she was set.

09:56.457 --> 10:04.121
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, oh my goodness, I just tried to like tell her, you know, the things that I know that this really was a hot spot.

10:04.221 --> 10:05.221
[SPEAKER_00]: It would work fine.

10:05.381 --> 10:09.223
[SPEAKER_00]: And those type of situations in a castle were in a room.

10:09.383 --> 10:13.468
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not like a six by eight foot spa or a 10 by 10 foot spot.

10:13.828 --> 10:17.973
[SPEAKER_00]: You literally had to use the room like what was open in the room.

10:17.993 --> 10:22.879
[SPEAKER_00]: You had to use what was available and which makes it an experience.

10:23.260 --> 10:27.145
[SPEAKER_00]: And so when people come through, they weren't just looking at a table, they'd find stuff.

10:27.625 --> 10:32.752
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, on the tables that were there, spread on the bed, or on the on-war, or whatever was there.

10:32.812 --> 10:35.636
[SPEAKER_00]: It was just super cool how you could walk in and see it.

10:35.736 --> 10:43.347
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I started showing her how she could lay her things out, how she could put stuff outside the door that would drop people in.

10:44.208 --> 10:47.891
[SPEAKER_00]: And at first, you know, it just seemed like she still wasn't happy.

10:48.572 --> 10:52.555
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, oh my goodness, well, she blasted me online.

10:53.096 --> 11:00.402
[SPEAKER_00]: And that was the first time, like, I've always been able to handle it, like, upfront person to person, but online, I felt like I needed to answer.

11:01.063 --> 11:04.345
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'll never forget the advice my brother had given me at the time.

11:04.606 --> 11:05.266
[SPEAKER_00]: He said,

11:06.367 --> 11:14.719
[SPEAKER_00]: don't answer and I thought well I need to answer because I need to defend myself so that they know this isn't what happened like I literally helped.

11:14.919 --> 11:22.690
[SPEAKER_00]: I literally give several solutions to the problem what is being said is not right and he's like that's okay, Kathy, but

11:22.970 --> 11:26.512
[SPEAKER_00]: everybody that knows you already knows that.

11:27.212 --> 11:38.078
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, but what about the people that don't know me that can really think about about me in first impressions or big things and he's like, but you're fans and your friends will take care of that.

11:38.598 --> 11:40.039
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, oh, no way.

11:40.239 --> 11:40.880
[SPEAKER_00]: Not really.

11:40.900 --> 11:42.981
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, okay, well, I'll try his advice.

11:43.601 --> 11:53.089
[SPEAKER_00]: And so literally I didn't say a thing, which is unusual for me because I'm always commenting back to everybody, because I love to have that conversation back and forth.

11:53.730 --> 11:57.873
[SPEAKER_00]: And literally people started chiming in saying, no Kathy isn't that way.

11:58.013 --> 11:59.594
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure there was something that happened.

11:59.614 --> 12:01.476
[SPEAKER_00]: It must have been a misunderstanding.

12:02.056 --> 12:04.939
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I learned real quickly that you don't

12:05.279 --> 12:08.080
[SPEAKER_00]: always have to have an answer online.

12:08.480 --> 12:13.802
[SPEAKER_00]: When people say things to you, don't be like feeling like you have to defend yourself.

12:14.162 --> 12:18.384
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you're out of control when you come to the point you think you have to defend yourself.

12:18.604 --> 12:20.084
[SPEAKER_00]: You know who you are.

12:20.704 --> 12:27.807
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that was probably the second lesson and that was a two-fold lesson because the first thing I learned was don't be quick to draw.

12:28.307 --> 12:32.032
[SPEAKER_00]: don't be quick to have to explain over explain yourself.

12:32.412 --> 12:41.464
[SPEAKER_00]: Second was to put myself in their shoes because I didn't know that this lady at the time was going through many things.

12:41.865 --> 12:45.009
[SPEAKER_00]: She had just found out she had cancer, did not know that.

12:45.830 --> 12:59.892
[SPEAKER_00]: She was finding out that she was gonna have to pivot and not have the job that she was gonna have did not know that And but I was still I stayed kind I stayed very and I'm glad I did because that opened the relationship for us to talk later

13:00.713 --> 13:10.244
[SPEAKER_00]: and I reached out to her when I found out that she had cancer and I offered prayers and I offered how could I help you and we became friends over that.

13:10.724 --> 13:17.231
[SPEAKER_00]: And so you can blow up things and it would come against you or you can just be who you are.

13:18.092 --> 13:32.304
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes it may work out and sometimes it not because there's times that later in life when people say things online, I've had to have tough skin and just be realized that that's how they feel and they are entitled to how they feel but not carry it.

13:32.505 --> 13:42.994
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I think especially these days, sometimes if we can just take ourselves out and put ourselves in those people's shoes and realize they're going through something and that probably

13:45.716 --> 13:56.488
[SPEAKER_00]: leave it alone is not going to help anything to sit there and argue back and forth because everybody's set in their ways a lot of times and you're not going to change it by arguing at all.

13:56.828 --> 14:02.514
[SPEAKER_00]: But a kind answer can turn away wrath and I think that's important to remember.

14:02.574 --> 14:05.758
[SPEAKER_00]: So that was a couple of lessons I learned along the way.

14:05.978 --> 14:11.763
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think people realize most entrepreneurs don't start because they have it all figured out.

14:12.284 --> 14:17.389
[SPEAKER_00]: They start because they have to believe there's something bigger inside of them.

14:17.509 --> 14:20.151
[SPEAKER_00]: Purpose usually starts messy.

14:20.792 --> 14:23.915
[SPEAKER_00]: And so there is a few messy things that happened when we first got started.

14:23.955 --> 14:27.298
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, you know, we had events that didn't go as well.

14:27.318 --> 14:29.080
[SPEAKER_00]: They were up and down and everywhere.

14:29.600 --> 14:44.957
[SPEAKER_00]: and then of course learning to how to navigate those comments that would come through or people that weren't happy or you'd have a free event and customers coming through and complaining about stuff when things were free weren't even charged for a ticket.

14:45.437 --> 15:01.395
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it can be pretty messy, but it is so worth it, that time that you get that you're able to, I'm able to spend with your family and the income that comes in and you're able to handle your schedule, it makes it all worth it.

15:01.635 --> 15:11.265
[SPEAKER_00]: Business has changed so much over the past 10 years and I have to say life has changed a lot over the 53 years of me being here.

15:11.966 --> 15:22.297
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean we're talking about back in the day I have records and now we have like in a device we don't even need a device from record players to CDs to

15:23.038 --> 15:29.861
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I should say eight tracks to CDs to now that it digitally is a sound.

15:30.161 --> 15:38.565
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so many things that's changed and there is so much going on that's changed in business just over the last 10 years.

15:39.126 --> 15:41.607
[SPEAKER_00]: So the pressure can be hard.

15:42.027 --> 15:49.751
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure to consistently post to feel like you have to perform all the time and comparing yourself to one another.

15:50.671 --> 15:51.893
[SPEAKER_00]: is really there.

15:52.073 --> 15:53.134
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a real thing.

15:53.555 --> 15:55.296
[SPEAKER_00]: It's hard when you're in business.

15:55.397 --> 16:04.507
[SPEAKER_00]: You're trying to do what you're good at the gifts, talents and abilities that you have, but yet having to realize you cannot do it all.

16:05.067 --> 16:10.874
[SPEAKER_00]: The algorithms that you face, the burnout that goes on, and sometimes let's just face it.

16:11.074 --> 16:24.619
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes we feel unseen, like all the hard work that we're doing is not being seen by people, definitely not seen by your family, and it can get very overwhelming.

16:25.139 --> 16:29.181
[SPEAKER_00]: The businesses winning right now aren't always the loudest.

16:29.661 --> 16:32.102
[SPEAKER_00]: They're the ones that stay connected.

16:32.602 --> 16:33.723
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's what we

16:39.705 --> 16:49.176
[SPEAKER_00]: is, stay connected to your clients, stay connected to each other, and then collaborate as much as possible to help some of these things be relieved.

16:49.737 --> 16:58.648
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at times can be overwhelming, finding systems that work, one thing that I have found over the time is really, especially with having Gabriel.

16:59.248 --> 17:08.430
[SPEAKER_00]: and the different things that I have going on in my home is I've had to step back and realize just because I can, doesn't mean I should.

17:08.450 --> 17:17.893
[SPEAKER_00]: And realizing where I am, everything evolves within its time, the pressure of everyday life of making us feel like we have to go more.

17:18.233 --> 17:25.718
[SPEAKER_00]: working from sun up to sun down, all the pressure that we have can get just overwhelming and it can create burnout.

17:26.098 --> 17:33.323
[SPEAKER_00]: So finding out what is most important in your business, focusing in on that and going forward.

17:33.443 --> 17:41.748
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is one of the things as I pivoted that I had to learn, being connected, staying connected, seeing what works and going one step forward.

17:42.209 --> 17:43.710
[SPEAKER_00]: Knowing I'm right where I'm

17:44.470 --> 17:46.732
[SPEAKER_00]: for a reason and for a season.

17:47.312 --> 17:52.355
[SPEAKER_00]: And those things will keep going if you keep staying consistent.

17:52.796 --> 17:55.958
[SPEAKER_00]: It's all about being consistent where you are.

17:56.538 --> 18:00.160
[SPEAKER_00]: And remember what you do every single day matters.

18:00.200 --> 18:02.402
[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't matter if you are

18:03.122 --> 18:14.750
[SPEAKER_00]: Working every day in corporate America, or if you have your own business, or if you have the pleasure of staying home with your kids, knowing every day is its own day.

18:15.271 --> 18:23.136
[SPEAKER_00]: Do what you can do be grateful for the things that you've got done, oversee what you didn't get done, and go to the next day.

18:23.496 --> 18:27.119
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if not that pressure is going to overtake you and making you feel like,

18:27.539 --> 18:32.941
[SPEAKER_00]: you're not far enough, you haven't accomplished enough and that you're failing.

18:33.261 --> 18:34.602
[SPEAKER_00]: You are not failing.

18:35.022 --> 18:39.844
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just that it is the society around you that's so fast pace.

18:40.344 --> 18:44.706
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we take time enough to slow down and just enjoy the day.

18:44.986 --> 18:46.607
[SPEAKER_00]: Enjoy the talent you have.

18:46.787 --> 18:49.728
[SPEAKER_00]: Enjoy the business that you've created.

18:50.249 --> 18:54.350
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I realize that over the weekend, my birthday actually fell on mother's

18:55.791 --> 18:58.933
[SPEAKER_00]: And so this weekend I literally shut everything down.

18:59.173 --> 19:04.816
[SPEAKER_00]: I unplugged even though I had a lot to get done because I mean, hey, I had a surprise birthday party, right?

19:04.916 --> 19:06.637
[SPEAKER_00]: That clip needed to get out there.

19:06.937 --> 19:12.981
[SPEAKER_00]: I had done a piece at a piece of shop here in town that I needed to have that clip out.

19:13.321 --> 19:17.023
[SPEAKER_00]: So I was feeling a lot of pressure because there was a lot of things that had to be done.

19:17.463 --> 19:30.710
[SPEAKER_00]: But I said, you know what, there's times that we just need to unplug, unplug and realize that there is birds actually singing outside and you can actually hear the trees, like, clap their hands.

19:31.430 --> 19:32.590
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, oh my goodness.

19:32.730 --> 19:39.434
[SPEAKER_00]: But this, this weekend, I just literally just didn't, I if I needed to feel like I needed to sleep, I slept.

19:40.114 --> 19:40.695
[SPEAKER_00]: And I did.

19:40.735 --> 19:58.748
[SPEAKER_00]: I took a long nap because of course last week was very high pressure from all the things and then actually went outside and just said it's been absolutely gorgeous outside the weather we have had has been amazing and so I said you know what I'm going to stop and enjoy it.

19:59.268 --> 20:11.059
[SPEAKER_00]: So I literally went out and said on my beautiful patio, and thank the Lord for all the little things from having a patio to sit on to the mimosas that I bought from hometown length of family farm.

20:11.100 --> 20:17.526
[SPEAKER_00]: I was so happy to be able to go out there and enjoy their mother's day festivities, and that was super fun.

20:17.626 --> 20:23.772
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm being able to just enjoy the whole weekend and just relax.

20:24.212 --> 20:27.256
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen to the bird singing people mowing their lawns.

20:27.377 --> 20:34.727
[SPEAKER_00]: I can hear kids laughing and sometimes I just don't even notice those things because it's always moving to the next thing.

20:35.147 --> 20:39.193
[SPEAKER_00]: But what I didn't realize and I have to keep reminding myself.

20:39.693 --> 20:42.975
[SPEAKER_00]: because it happens every time I do it, but then I quickly forget.

20:43.075 --> 20:44.276
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if you guys would like that.

20:44.336 --> 20:45.217
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you guys like that?

20:45.277 --> 20:47.398
[SPEAKER_00]: You quickly forget what you just saw?

20:47.478 --> 20:50.300
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that's what happens every single time.

20:50.340 --> 20:56.504
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not sure why I was so surprised by it again, because it does at every time I let myself do it.

20:56.544 --> 21:00.927
[SPEAKER_00]: But I realized that when I woke up on Monday, I was ready to face the day.

21:01.387 --> 21:06.889
[SPEAKER_00]: I was ready to get stuff done, and I was able to catch up quickly because I had the energy to do it.

21:07.349 --> 21:19.673
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead of making myself feel like I had to push through, get this done, and then force a time out, force time with my family, or force time to celebrate me and my birthday, or celebrate Mother's Day.

21:20.173 --> 21:24.535
[SPEAKER_00]: I was able to just really enjoy the weekend, my best friend, and I went out.

21:25.095 --> 21:48.077
[SPEAKER_00]: on Saturday night and enjoy dinner and drove around the city, which I haven't done for a long time since you were driving, but you know it was just fun to get out and just experience people, experience each other, laugh with friends, spend time with family, and then pick it up on Monday, making sure that you're having time every week is so important.

21:48.537 --> 21:57.504
[SPEAKER_00]: But I always find myself in a donor about you, but I always find myself going back to that, trying to hustle and bustle, but we have to fight that all the time.

21:57.564 --> 21:59.525
[SPEAKER_00]: So you're not the only one fighting it.

21:59.985 --> 22:09.993
[SPEAKER_00]: We have to slow down and really when we do slow down, we end up going further and we become more successful and have more happening.

22:10.273 --> 22:14.254
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think that's what the hardest part is that nobody talks about it.

22:14.614 --> 22:16.135
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody talks about the burnout.

22:16.255 --> 22:18.535
[SPEAKER_00]: Nobody talks about being overwhelmed.

22:19.656 --> 22:23.857
[SPEAKER_00]: People don't talk about losing confidence at times or having to pivot.

22:24.417 --> 22:31.199
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that was probably been one of the lessons that's been hardest for me as realizing it's okay.

22:31.699 --> 22:33.340
[SPEAKER_00]: It's okay to feel burnt out.

22:33.480 --> 22:35.521
[SPEAKER_00]: It's okay to feel overwhelmed.

22:36.101 --> 22:38.602
[SPEAKER_00]: It's okay to know that you have to pivot

22:40.342 --> 22:45.107
[SPEAKER_00]: In a way that you may not have planned, just because it can, doesn't mean you should.

22:45.167 --> 22:48.410
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like I had pointed out earlier, it is the truth.

22:48.550 --> 22:52.413
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that is what became really hard for me.

22:52.613 --> 22:57.918
[SPEAKER_00]: There were as a season where I questioned everything, but I had to keep showing up anyway.

22:58.058 --> 23:01.401
[SPEAKER_00]: When we came out of COVID, of course, I've talked about this many of times.

23:01.902 --> 23:05.866
[SPEAKER_00]: I had pretty much two businesses, you know, we had built Kathy Coats events.

23:06.446 --> 23:16.333
[SPEAKER_00]: and we had lots of great events going on pop-up shopping all over Kansas and Missouri and then we also had a great networking system going on.

23:16.413 --> 23:17.534
[SPEAKER_00]: Knowledge networking.

23:17.854 --> 23:21.937
[SPEAKER_00]: We have lots of businesses meeting together and that was going strong as well.

23:22.478 --> 23:25.400
[SPEAKER_00]: But I had to realize what was most important.

23:26.020 --> 23:30.623
[SPEAKER_00]: And at that point in time, I was having a real struggle at a home with gay world.

23:30.723 --> 23:38.529
[SPEAKER_00]: He had a lot of different changes going on from coming out of high school to going into day services.

23:38.969 --> 23:44.633
[SPEAKER_00]: And then now after COVID being home, there wasn't anymore shifts that he could take.

23:45.094 --> 23:46.394
[SPEAKER_00]: It was as too much for him.

23:46.455 --> 23:52.038
[SPEAKER_00]: So I had to really decide what was it that God wanted me to do, what position was I

23:54.380 --> 23:58.804
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of times that we don't talk about is pivoting is definitely not easy.

23:59.304 --> 24:00.866
[SPEAKER_00]: It feels like turbulence.

24:01.226 --> 24:05.269
[SPEAKER_00]: You feel like you're making the wrong turn every time you make something.

24:05.730 --> 24:09.413
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you really pick the right thing, it doesn't go easy either.

24:09.833 --> 24:12.215
[SPEAKER_00]: And so a lot of times, I think that's where people quit.

24:12.656 --> 24:14.257
[SPEAKER_00]: We quit because we wonder...

24:14.557 --> 24:16.078
[SPEAKER_00]: was that the right decision?

24:16.278 --> 24:18.620
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really see anything right now.

24:19.101 --> 24:21.383
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not making money right away.

24:21.823 --> 24:24.765
[SPEAKER_00]: Are those some things that maybe you have experienced as well?

24:25.186 --> 24:28.488
[SPEAKER_00]: Because sometimes just because you're not making money right away.

24:28.568 --> 24:35.013
[SPEAKER_00]: Just because it doesn't seem smooth does not mean that's not the right direction to go.

24:35.534 --> 24:40.197
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that has been a pivot and something I've had to learn along the

24:42.399 --> 24:49.282
[SPEAKER_00]: really having to hone in and look at things very carefully when pivoting and making changes.

24:49.522 --> 24:54.204
[SPEAKER_00]: Because at that point in time, I had to realize I needed flexibility.

24:54.664 --> 24:56.064
[SPEAKER_00]: Flexibility matter.

24:56.205 --> 25:04.388
[SPEAKER_00]: It mattered to Gabriel and it mattered to me because even health-wise, I was starting to feel it trying to take that pressure of everything.

25:05.288 --> 25:06.048
[SPEAKER_00]: on my own.

25:06.248 --> 25:08.469
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot run a business all by yourself.

25:08.629 --> 25:10.410
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to start letting go of it.

25:10.910 --> 25:19.352
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to redefine what success means sometimes and success looks different when life requires you to move differently.

25:20.093 --> 25:23.894
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes survival is success for a season.

25:24.334 --> 25:26.855
[SPEAKER_00]: So I had to even realize that sometimes just

25:28.199 --> 25:30.221
[SPEAKER_00]: survival was a success.

25:30.821 --> 25:35.505
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that we kept going on the every month there was something new going on.

25:35.985 --> 25:40.369
[SPEAKER_00]: I had to realize that was a success and that's hard to look at sometimes.

25:40.649 --> 25:44.892
[SPEAKER_00]: So if I was to say what the 10 years have taught me in a quick way.

25:45.453 --> 25:47.654
[SPEAKER_00]: Relationships matter more than money.

25:48.395 --> 25:50.476
[SPEAKER_00]: consistency beats perfection.

25:50.977 --> 25:52.618
[SPEAKER_00]: Collaboration is powerful.

25:53.158 --> 25:58.201
[SPEAKER_00]: Community changes everything, stop waiting until you feel ready.

25:59.462 --> 26:00.702
[SPEAKER_00]: Your story matters.

26:01.423 --> 26:02.804
[SPEAKER_00]: Small business matters.

26:03.244 --> 26:04.965
[SPEAKER_00]: Your networking matters.

26:06.046 --> 26:10.729
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't build alone and purpose matters more than popularity.

26:11.529 --> 26:13.570
[SPEAKER_00]: The biggest opportunity in life didn't

26:18.293 --> 26:23.079
[SPEAKER_00]: and relationships they take time, so realize building takes time.

26:23.420 --> 26:28.406
[SPEAKER_00]: Showing local love means a lot to me, supporting people means a lot to me.

26:29.027 --> 26:36.376
[SPEAKER_00]: I love my city, I love Kansas City, and I love showing up every day, even if I don't get paid.

26:37.277 --> 26:39.518
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's when you know you're in the right lane.

26:39.978 --> 26:46.701
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're doing what you're called to do, you'll know because you'll do it even if you didn't get paid.

26:47.201 --> 26:52.163
[SPEAKER_00]: And so those 10 years have been amazing and I'm looking forward to the next 10 years.

26:52.844 --> 26:58.186
[SPEAKER_00]: I am loving what we're doing now would be life changers where I'm able to come on and showcase.

26:58.746 --> 27:04.971
[SPEAKER_00]: stories right here in our community that are so powerful, businesses that are making a change.

27:05.432 --> 27:10.456
[SPEAKER_00]: People that are choosing to stay home and raise their families, that matters.

27:10.996 --> 27:20.624
[SPEAKER_00]: And you as a community shopping, small shopping locals showing up to these fun events, helps people be able to live every single day.

27:20.764 --> 27:23.106
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why I love being here.

27:23.606 --> 27:34.109
[SPEAKER_00]: on Be Life Changers, bringing those stories to you, going out, doing clips that you see roll through Kathy Coats events, Facebook and Instagram and TikTok.

27:34.469 --> 27:38.950
[SPEAKER_00]: You can go there and see just powerful stories, one right after another.

27:39.310 --> 27:45.611
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, you can see Gabriel giving to he loves being in the community, shouting out his favorite place.

27:45.651 --> 27:46.851
[SPEAKER_00]: We're getting ready to do

27:55.054 --> 28:08.383
[SPEAKER_00]: So, of course, if you're watching on YouTube, please shout out your favorite ice cream spot right here in Kansas City because we're going to need them because he loves ice cream and we're going to have fun this summer doing it.

28:08.623 --> 28:22.083
[SPEAKER_00]: If this episode encouraged you today, share it with another entrepreneur, creator, or dreamer that needs this reminder, and I would love to hear from you, what's one lesson life or business has taught you lately.

28:22.764 --> 28:29.795
[SPEAKER_00]: Until next time, keep showing local love, keep building community, and keep becoming who you're created to be.