The Ultimate Creative

Today we’re talking about creating a productivity mindset for entrepreneurs with Lianne Kim, business coach and founder of the online community Mamas & Co. The Entrepreneurial Journey Lianne began her entrepreneurial journey after many years in sales. After she became a mother, she felt a pull to connect with other mamapreneurs, to share business strategies, parenting while entrepreneur...ing help, or just to have a glass of wine! This quickly turned into Mamas & Co., which is now an international community of seriously cool business owners who also happen to be moms. Free Content Strategies Lianne shares her theories around free content and why it’s important to include this in a strategic sales funnel. By providing potential clients with content (like her podcast, The Business of Thinking Big) she’s creating a direct line in to what it’s like to work with her as a business coach. The Productivity Mindset She also shares her favourite content productivity tips, and how to get more done by switching to podcasting! Her number one strategy? Batch recording and batch production. Listen to the full episode to learn how she stays productive! Links mentioned in this episode: Lianne Kim’s Website: https://www.liannekim.com/ Mamas & Co. Website: https://mamasandco.ca/ The Business Of Thinking Big Podcast: https://www.liannekim.com/blog How To Be Productive Mini Course: https://mamasandco.ca/productive Live With Purpose Planner: https://amzn.to/2DrnR9g Start your own podcast! Take my free mini-course “How To Start A Podcast!” It’s totally free, and your next step to attracting the right customers with your podcasts! https://theultimatecreative.com/startapodcast Subscribe to The Ultimate Creative and ring the bell to get notified when new episodes come out every Tuesday! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHDkJqjnTHuFfdbUl4k3rGw Follow The Ultimate Creative on Instagram https://instagram.com/the_ultimatecreative

In this episode of The Ultimate Creative Podcast, Karen Craggs (the Oprah of Diversity & Inclusion) gives us actionable steps to begin incorporating equality into our businesses right now. It’s important for me to say again, that equality is not a trend or a bandwagon that people should jump on and hop off whenever they feel like it. Equality is everybody’s responsibility, and I am certain that I have more work to do. I feel incredibly privileged to have met Karen a few months ago, when we started talking about what her podcast could look like, and I have learned so much from her since meeting her back in the spring! Karen’s work is what we need now, what we have always needed, and what we will continue to need as we all move towards global conscious equality, which is Karen’s vision for our future. I am thrilled to bring you this conversation Karen Craggs and I shared last Friday, and would love to know how you are bringing global conscious equality into your business! Interested in starting a podcast? Take my free mini-course “How To Start A Podcast!” It’s totally free, and your next step to attracting the right customers with your podcasts! Subscribe to The Ultimate Creative and ring the bell to get notified when new episodes come out every Tuesday! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHDkJqjnTHuFfdbUl4k3rGw Follow The Ultimate Creative on Instagram https://instagram.com/the_ultimatecreative Read more: https://theultimatecreative.com/conscious-equality-karen-craggs Links mentioned in this episode: Karen’s programs: https://www.karencraggs.com/ Twitter: @KarenCraggs https://twitter.com/karencraggs Instagram: Karen_Craggs https://instagram.com/karen_craggs

Since the dawn of podcasting, people have been hooked on making money with podcasts. Why? Everyone wants a return on the effort they put in of course! And if people can listen to your podcast for free, why wouldn’t you want to see some sort of return on your bottom line? Making money with podcasts is definitely possible, just ask Justin Decloux, co-host of The Important Cinema Club. How the podcast generates revenue is the real question. How do you know if you can start making money with your podcast? First, decide whether your podcast is part of your marketing mix that attracts people to your business, or if the content itself is the main revenue source. Read full show notes at https://theultimatecreative.com/making-money-with-podcasts Interested in starting a podcast? Take my free mini-course “How To Start A Podcast!” It’s totally free, and your next step to making money with podcasts! Links mentioned in this episode: The Business Of Thinking Big with Lianne Kim - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-business-of-thinking-big/id1448374420 The Important Cinema Club - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-important-cinema-club/id1067435576 Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ Anchor.FM - https://help.anchor.fm/hc/en-us/articles/360018999351-Anchor-Sponsorships-Overview- Stitcher Revenue Share - https://medium.com/stitcher-blog/stitcher-revenue-sharing-8905eba5bda Gold Ninja Video - https://goldninjavideo.com/

If you’ve ever felt like “gosh I hate working with this client,” you’re not alone. It’s not uncommon to attract customers or client that are totally the wrong fit for you and your business, especially when you’re just getting started! So what can you do to start attracting the right customers, even before the sales call? Give them a taste of what it’s like to work with you. Full Notes at https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-17-attracting-the-right-customers-with-your-podcast First, Start A Podcast! Obviously my favourite method to attract the right customers is through podcasting, because it gives potential clients an opportunity to engage with me before they click “book a discovery call.” They can decide for themselves if they like me, or if they don’t, just by listening to one episode. Heck, even a few minutes of an episode! NOW. Let’s get into the real reason you’re here! These are the steps I have taken to start attracting the right customers through my podcast: Step 1: Think back to your why. Give yourself some time to reflect on your goals and understand the motivations behind why you do what you do. Step 2: Do an audience avatar exercise. If you’ve never done one of these, you can find lots of templates with a quick Google search, or you can do the exercise I’ve created in my free mini-course “How To Start A Podcast” Step 3: Be yourself. Give your listeners an opportunity to get to know the real you. Not the fake you with the weird voice you put on every time you go into “customer service” mode. WE ALL HAVE THAT WEIRD VOICE! Just be your normal self! If you’re being fake, you’ll attract the people that like fake you. And if you are not fake you, then you’re not going to like the leads that are coming your way. Right? Right. Step 4: Create An Experience. The experience is so important - think back to your audience avatar and really dig into what motivates them to set the tone for your podcast. Step 5: Close the lead. What does your audience NEED? But actually? Make sure you subscribe to The Ultimate Creative Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like the show and want to share a little love, please rate and review! Not only does it help other people JUST LIKE YOU find the show, it also makes me feel like a million bucks! Interested in starting a podcast? Take my free mini-course “How To Start A Podcast!” It’s totally free, and your next step to attracting the right customers with your podcasts! https://theultimatecreative.com/startapodcast Links Mentioned In This Episode: Episode 10: Being Yourself On Your Podcast - https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-10-being-yourself-on-your-podcast/ How To Start A Podcast Mini Course: https://theultimatecreative.com/startapodcast The Mel Robbins Show - https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/xs4iw-a0b6c/The-Mel-Robbins-Show-Podcast Episode 16: Being Yourself Consistently (On Video!) With Nia Lee - https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-16-being-yourself-consistently-on-video-with-nia-lee/

This week on The Ultimate Creative Podcast I had the absolute pleasure to interview Nia Lee from Socialee Savvy! She's a true entrepreneur, unafraid to take on challenges and try new things to see where they can take her next! And what I love most about her entrepreneurial spirit is her authenticity. “Are you getting this?” I first came across Nia in this post on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-hlA5zD7rf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link I mean, if you’re not instantly hooked on Nia’s content, you’re definitely confused about what great content is. "Video has always been a great way for me to be myself, be super personable, and get people to see my personality. The more consistent that you are with it, that's what sets people (and brands) apart."⁠ Nia’s authenticity shines through in her videos, which really is what everyone is striving to accomplish with their content. Plus, you really get to know her before even meeting her! This makes it incredibly easy for her to find clients that match her personality (like moi!) "It's not even necessarily what's being filmed, it's not even the quality, it's, it's about consistency. It's about, your willing to show up as much as possible and getting people engaged in you. They really want to see if they can invest in you.” It’s also about community. Like a true entrepreneur, Nia saw an opportunity to start building out a community with a membership tool that came with her course builder, Podia. It was a natural fit for Nia to begin building out a membership that focuses on creating amazing video content, and because she already had a base of followers that LOVED her video content, the memberships started rolling in! “The women who joined my accelerator were automatically in the membership. And then when I started promoting it just a little bit more... slowly but surely, it has become a continuation of the community.” This is an episode to SAVE!⁠ She is truly inspirational especially if you're thinking about working on your video presence and don't know where to start. ⁠Truly, I spent 2 hours with her and she completely changed my capacity to produce videos to elevate my brand!⁠⁠ "We live in a world where everybody's out here doing something. As human beings, we're always looking for touch points. We're always looking for ways to relate to people. We're always looking for ways to be somebody's friend, or buy from someone. Video has been such an integral part of building that touchpoint.⁠” Links mentioned in this episode: Socialee Media Agency: https://www.socialeesavvy.com/ Podia: https://www.podia.com/ Episode 10: Being Yourself On Your Podcast: https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-10-being-yourself-on-your-podcast/ Nia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialeemediagency/ Work With Nia: https://www.socialeesavvy.com/services Socialee Membership/Accelerator: https://www.socialeesavvy.com/accelerator-membership

Episode 15 - How I Plan My Content In this episode I give you my entire framework for content planning. Yeah! The whole thing! WOO! Goals & Strategy You know me, everything starts with a goal. Right now my goal is to relaunch Podcast Rocket in the first week of September, and get 100 registrations for my course. So my content is going to be extremely focused on sharing valuable information for anyone who is considering starting a podcast right now. When planning your content, consider the campaigns and activities you’ll be running throughout the year and do your best to tie your content closely to those activities strategically. It’s fine to include some topics that are timely or that are maybe more off the cuff and less relevant, but the more time you spend thinking about what your audience is actually going to want, the easier it will be for you connect with them in a meaningful way. Also consider that planning your content in advance (i.e. quarterly instead of monthly, or even weekly! eek!) will allow you to produce polished content consistently. There’s nothing worse than editing your podcasts and videos the night before they’re supposed to come out. Trust me, I know this one all too well. Spreadsheets You can create your spreadsheet annually, quarterly, monthly or weekly. I like to plan quarterly so that I can take a more strategic approach to everything I produce so that it all points to one goal in a shorter amount of time. Topics Now that you have your strategy laid out and your spreadsheet framework built, you can start listing topics that will support your strategy. Use my free mini-course “Your First 52 Podcast Topics” https://theultimatecreative.com/free-podcast-mini-course/ to generate a list of topics in 30 minutes. You can use this for any type of content, blogs, videos, podcasts, heck - even IG Lives! Staying Organized and Consistent Once my content is roughly laid out in my spreadsheet, I will add it to a tool called StoryChief (which I am using right now to type out this blog) using the content calendar. This way, I can see at a glance whether I need to add/remove or adjust my content schedule to fit different timelines. Production Schedule Make it! Keep it! Stick with it! I always bulk write/record/edit my blogs/podcasts/videos because it’s just SO much easier to stay in that headspace for one day a month than it is to try to be excited about it multiple times a week. That works for me, you might prefer to record weekly instead! But keep that schedule consistent so that you’re not stuck without content at the last minute. It’s a slippery slope to skip a week here or there! Read the full show notes and get all the links at https://theultimatecreative.com/how-i-plan-my-content

In this episode of The Ultimate Creative Podcast I chat with performer and comedian Alicia Carrick from Toronto. After making the decision to move to Toronto to pursue comedy, Alicia realized that she had been moving further and further away from her goals without really noticing. And that’s when she decided to make a change. She signed up to take improv classes at Second City (which is where I met her! Yay!) and joined the comedy troupe Weird Town which performed sketch and improv all over the city, and produced comedy web series. In the summer of 2019, she auditioned for the Second City Conservatory program and was granted a place on her first try - which is largely unheard of! But right around then, her health took a turn, which ultimately forced her to take stock of what was really important in her life. Not only was it now essential for her to focus on getting better, but it was also crucial to choose the activities that made her feel good - because she didn’t have the capacity to pursue every opportunity anymore. Through all of this, Alicia maintained an amazingly positive attitude that had a ripple effect across everything she was involved in. “Looking back, I'm like, thank God for it, because [it] just really cemented the fact that I need to prioritize me and my own self care. And so that became the era of saying no to things that I don't really care to do.” Alicia started vocalizing her needs more both at her day job and with her comedy, choosing to work with people that were on a similar trajectory to her that she felt she could really connect with. Through daily journaling and practicing yoga, she began to realize that she was choosing to only surround herself with the things that made her feel good, making it much easier to say goodbye to the things that didn’t anymore. “I just can't fall into, this or lose time in life, dictated by something I can't really control. What I can control is my stress level, and being, or stage performing, all of that is a stress relief. Everybody needs their creative outlet. It becomes medicine at that point. And so if you don't take your medicine, you're going to revert back. So I just made changes because I don't want to lose time anymore. Comedy has been a bit of a life saver.” By prioritizing her own needs, she set an example for the people around her to do the same. SO, with that, I hope you enjoy this episode and that you take some inspiration away from Alicia’s story! Choosing to keep a positive attitude and choosing to stick with things that make you feel good are possible when you are able to do so and have the capacity! Try some of the things that Alicia suggests, like journaling, yoga or comedy if you’re feeling a little stuck right now and need a bit of a boost to start moving forward! Links mentioned in this episode: https://bigchickenergysketch.com https://weirdtowncomedy.com https://www.secondcity.com/courses/toronto/general-information/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mouth_(TV_series)

In this episode I talk about how my business has changed and evolved over the last two years, and how I was able to make big decisions that affected my business and my life while adapting to new changes. Morning Routine: Morning routine is so essential for making big positive changes in your life that can go and expand all over the place, not in just your community in your business, but globally. Mel Robbins (The 5 Second Rule, Take Control Of Your Life) recommends that instead of hitting the snooze button, you just have to get up and be a whiny baby about how early you’re up. But only for the first couple of days, because she says by then, you will get over it. So I’ve been waking up earlier than normal for the last week and I am getting SO MUCH MORE DONE. This small step to adjust my morning routine has shown tangible results in one week. I mean - you can see the transcript below... that wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t get up at 7:00 AM. The Classic Pros and Cons List: I love making a pros and cons list because it helps me to organize all of the thoughts that are in my head. Oftentimes if I feel like there's just so much happening, it get stuck in “analysis paralysis.” But when I write down specifics on what I like and what I don't like, it makes it a lot easier to make decisions based on evidence. Be realistic with your pros and cons list and be strict with yourself. If you're making stuff up just for the sake of making it up, then maybe it doesn't belong on the pros and cons list. Get really clear and really refine that list down. Financial Stability: Another thing you might want to consider when you're deciding to do something new or make a really big change, is financial stability. Are you able to float yourself for a long period of time if you are deciding to leave your full time job to start your own business? Most people will tell you that it makes more sense to work on building up the business while you working a full time job, and then transition into your business full time, Because it's going to be easier for you to actually sustain this business going forward. Long-term Vision vs. Short-term Ideas: I am like a classic short term idea person because my ADHD brain just operates like that. It's just, it's very like, what's next what's happening, let's execute, let's get it done, the end. Think about whether it's going to serve you longterm or short term, and which one is going to serve the whole long vision. Taking The First Step: If you’re serious about change, you need to take at least one step today to do make it happen. Commit to one thing. And, BONUS, tell me what that thing is! I’ll help hold you accountable! Drop a comment below! Links mentioned in this episode: Take Control Of Your Life by Mel Robbins - https://amzn.to/37wnzc0 The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins - https://amzn.to/3cZe9qM Impossible Horror - https://impossiblehorror.com Steal This Onboarding Questionnaire - https://theultimatecreative.com/steal-this-onboarding-questionnaire/ Sunk Cost Fallacy - https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/sunk-cost-fallacy/ You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero - https://amzn.to/2N0oCI3 You Need A Clear Mission Statement - https://theultimatecreative.com/you-need-a-clear-mission-statement/ Don’t forget, if you liked this episode and want to hear more, leave a review on your favourite podcast app! It helps more people like you find the show, and it helps me to create more content that’s helpful for you!

In this episode I had the opportunity to interview my wonderfully talented friend Aba Amuquandoh about her career as a sketch comedian in Toronto. Not only is she hilarious, she’s an award winning playwright and member of the well-known sketch comedy troupe The Sketchersons, AND, I’m lucky enough to call her my friend! I met Aba almost a year ago in our conservatory class at the Toronto Second City Training Centre. In this time I’ve been so grateful to have the opportunity to learn alongside her, for many reasons. As a writer and performer, one of Aba’s key talents is her ability to rapidly generate deeply layered points of view with improv and sketch comedy, which consistently blows me away and challenges me to work harder at the craft. Add the bonus of her unwavering support for her troupe members, her ability to cultivate an inclusive community of learning AND her friendship, and you’ve got one of the coolest people in Toronto. Aba also shares how she holds herself accountable for jumping on opportunities to grow and develop her career as they come her way. By recognizing imposter syndrome when it emerges and reminding herself that she absolutely can accomplish her goals, she continues to challenge herself to keep moving forward. Often times imposter syndrome will come out of comments she hears about her work from others. “At the beginning of my career I definitely took those comments for face value. I thought they were worth something. Newsflash, they’re fucking not.” “Sometimes I have this, I have this habit of making things feel a lot bigger than they are in my mind. You know, you make them so grand in your mind, you inflate them. they seem way more important than they are. And when you don't do well, it can, it can be a blockage. It can feel as though, while this is the end of the road, or like, why try anymore? Like, I embarrass myself so bad that I don't, maybe I'm not cut out for this and all those things, all those moments that I felt two years ago, now that I look back, you know, they they're absolutely nothing.” And the big takeaway from this conversation was understanding our own definitions of balance within our careers, and how it looks for everyone individually. “I think near the, end of last year, though, I did begin to realize that I need to take more time for myself as a creator, as somebody who is, who has to be on. In order to do the jobs that I do, It's important to have periods of rest. I think that for a lot of young creatives or people who are up and coming, we sometimes imagine that our schedule is going to have time for a day job that gives you a good paycheque every two weeks. And then underneath that, you're going to have your creative career where you can perform at night. Then you can schedule vacation time and hang out with friends. “And unfortunately it doesn't work like that at all. I think I expected that. And instead what I got were these weird periods, like two, three months at a time where everything is so busy and I'm getting not that much rest, but then a month or so after that I'll have an extended period of not working and not getting gigs and kind of just chilling at home. “I think that is also a type of balance. And for everybody our balance doesn't have to look the same. It can be this organized schedule of taking time off, or it can be working in these crazy spurts and then having extended periods of rest.” Links mentioned in this episode: Nostalgique Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/nostalgique/id1492223483 The Sketchersons https://www.sketchersons.com/ (Note: Sunday Night Live has been put on pause as they reassess their diversity structure) Aba’s Twitter https://twitter.com/abaistalking Aba’s Instagram @abaquann https://www.instagram.com/abaquann/

If you’re working on building a network, this episode is for you. I interviewed Toronto comedian and podcaster Matt Ardill about his journey of podcasting, and how it helped him to go from watching comedy, to rubbing elbows with the likes of Patton Oswalt and Weird Al’s PR team, to performing it. Matt’s podcast “Comedy Album Book Club” invites comedians to talk about the comedy album that most influenced their careers, book club style. Everyone watches the same comedy special, and then they chat about it! But where to find guests? Matt and Jason would attend comedy festivals, clubs, you name it – and quickly started booking bigger and bigger names. And then one day, they booked Patton Oswald! Kind of a huge deal amiright? Meanwhile, Matt’s rolodex was getting bigger and bigger with more names of comedians than you can fit into… a rolodex! So he got a smartphone like everyone else. Alright maybe I made that last part up, but he did interview Patton Oswalt and he does know a LOT of comedians. It wasn’t long before Matt started feeling the itch to try comedy himself. Being around so many funny people gave Matt the boost he needed to try his hand at COMEDY SCHOOOOOOL! Which is where I met him! Taking improv classes, Matt started to feel a different sense of community building, one that supported his ambition to get up on stage with a microphone and tell jokes – one that is very scary to do and something I myself have not yet even attempted. After finishing the improv program he switched into stand up, and started crushing it immediately. Since he knew the ropes of the industry, finding opportunities to get on stage was a cinch, and because he knew what to expect when he got up there, it was much easier to finally achieve his goal of being a stand up comedian. Producing Podcasts and Comedy Shows Now you can find Matt producing the podcasts of other comedians around the city (like Love is Everywhere, a podcast by comedian Tracy Hamilton), AND producing comedy shows via zoom, drawing from his huge network of comedian friends with Comedians in Apartments Drinking Water! Links mentioned in this episode: Comedy Album Book Club: https://comedyalbumbookclub.podbean.com/ Love Is Everywhere: https://www.loveiseverywherepodcast.com/ Interview With Patton Oswalt: https://comedyalbumbookclub.podbean.com/e/comedy-album-book-club-vol-7-supplemental-our-interview-with-patton-oswalt/ Read More: https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-11-building-a-network-start-a-podcast/

If you struggle with stage fright or tripping over your words, this episode is for you. In this podcast I’m going to give you my strategies for getting past that little voice in your head that says “don’t be such a dumb dumb” so you can start being yourself on your podcast. 1. Warm up before you record 2. Have your notes handy but don’t just read them 3. When you’re starting out, try recording the same episode a few times 4. If you stumble over your words, accept it and move on 5. If you catch yourself feeling totally lost, choose a point that sounds very interesting to you, and ask your guest to elaborate on it. 6. Pretend you’re talking to a super close friend or sibling 7. Think about the tone you want to set, and adjust your actual face to match it. Fun = smiling. Serious = serious. Fun never equals no smiling. Smiling’s my favourite. 8. If you totally zone out because you’re nervous, practice bringing yourself back to your main focus. 9. Take a deep breath 10. Remember that you are 100% amazing and so frickin’ cool - people want to be around you. They want to hear from you. So let them have it! You can read more details at https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-10-being-yourself-on-your-podcast If you're thinking about starting a podcast, book a call with me to see if my new course Podcast Rocket is right for you! https://theultimatecreative.com/podcast-rocket

In this episode I interview comic book author and editor Stephanie Cooke. Stephanie shares with us how she developed her career through podcasting. She joined a regular weekly comic book show and interviewed people for 3-4 years which spun off into other shows and other projects, including a podcast radio play called VRMP (which yours truly co-produced!) and ultimately built out her network of industry professionals. If it had’t been for podcasting, Stephanie’s career would have been totally different. The opportunities she created for herself by jumping in and being the industry expert she is on various shows absolutely helped her along her thriving career journey! Thinking about starting a podcast? You’re in luck! I’ve just launched Podcast Rocket, a brand new course that starts on May 25, that will take you from just a podcast idea to a fully launched show with 4 episodes ready to go in just 5 weeks! I’ll teach you everything you need to know starting with your podcast purpose and how you’ll use it to generate income, as well as different types of recording setups (including interviewing guests for great sound quality), and how to edit your podcast. Then we’ll cover how to use your podcast content to make your content marketing strategy more effective as we prepare for launch and develop a marketing campaign that will help you get into Apple Podcast’s New & Noteworthy section! If you’re thinking about starting a podcast there has literally never been a better time, and you can absolutely establish yourself as an industry leader now, and stand out from the crowd with your expertise. Plus, I’m offering this course at 50% off right now which is a one time offer! Interested? Check out https://theultimatecreative.com/podcast-rocket and book a free podcast strategy call with me to find out if Podcast Rocket is right for you! Links mentioned in this episode: https://stephaniecooke.ca/ http://twitter.com/hellocookie http://instagram.com/hellocookie http://www.facebook.com/hellocookie

Episode 8: The Podcast Launch Checklist On this episode I’m going to give you the essentials you need to get your podcast live! Use this podcast launch checklist to make sure your show is accepted to the podcast apps the first time you submit! 1. An intro and outro 2. Podcast Artwork 3. A Podcast Host 4. A podcast! 5. A Marketing Plan More details in the blog post! https://theultimatecreative.com/episode-8-the-podcast-launch-checklist Still need help? On May 24, I’m launching a brand new program that will give you everything you need to prep, launch and run your podcast! Everything from which microphone to choose, to how to get on the iTunes New and Noteworthy list when you launch! Get on the waitlist here! https://theultimatecreative.com/podcast-rocket/ Links mentioned in this episode: Podcast Rocket - A complete guide to launching your totally successful podcast! - https://theultimatecreative.com/podcast-rocket/ Sounds Like An Earful - https://soundslikeanearful.com/

In this episode I interview Westin Grove, a multi-hyphenate creative entrepreneur who is both a trained audio engineer and social worker. He combined his two career streams to create the Mobile Arts Program with his business partner, which brings a music recording studio into different types of assistance facilities all over Toronto. And it all started more than 15 years ago. Wes tells me how his passion for helping others through music was always part of his life. In his teens, he volunteered at a bereavement centre, helping other youth manage loss. He brought his guitar in one day to help them find another way to express what they were feeling, and the rest is history. As the Mobile Arts Program grew, Wes and his partner decided to start telling the stories of the front-line social workers who manage the clients that take part in their recording program. Their podcast, Bittersweet Stories was born. Wes explains that the podcast developed out of a desire to tell the stories of the social workers, and it ultimately ended up being a great marketing tool for the Mobile Arts Program. Not only is this guy super creative, he’s got some fantastic business savvy to make his ideas a reality! Of course, Wes has more than one creative passion! Wes also talks about the value of having multiple creative passions and how they can be an influence on one another. One of his “hobbies” is woodworking, which he gets a lot of creative fulfillment from. Working with organic material is a challenge that really gets his creative juices flowing! He also plays music with others and for others both for work and for fun - AND, he’s an avid baseball fan, which led him to develop a second podcast called Jays Jam (for those of you who are especially missing sport right now!) It’s all about flexibility. In order to do everything he does, Wes says that he has balanced his creative career along with part time work as a bartender and server. He says that it has afforded him the ability to actually pursue his creative career to the point that he’s now able to do more on the creative side than ever before. Wes’ advice? Be patient, it takes time but it will happen if you keep going. Links mentioned in this episode: http://mobileartsprogramming.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mobileartsprogramming/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/jays-jam/id1499291163

In this episode I want to give you some tactics to help you relax. I know, scary word right? Especially for those of us that are just constantly working (I say this having just “finished” an 8 hour day and I’m jumping into more work!). Look, it’s really not easy to relax when you’re ambitious and you have so many ideas. There’s just no way that you can justify not working hard on everything! But in order to really move forward, you have to. I know this, I’m learning this, I’m still struggling with this. I wish it was easier to relax. If you’re in the same boat as me, here are a few ideas you can use to try to consciously relax so that you don’t totally burn out on all of your amazing projects and businesses: Schedule in time to do physical activity - even if it’s just jogging in place while you stare out the window wishing you were outside. Spend dedicated time away from screens. If you’re not in a mentally awesome position to read, do some very light housework for an hour. You’ll feel accomplished with the benefit of time away. My favourite chore is supervising my Roomba whilst it deals with my messy floors. Call someone! Randomly! And talk about anything! Don’t make a big deal about it, just do it! Stretch every morning and every evening. It’s also great for your physical health. Practice meditation, even for 5 minutes a day and hold yourself accountable to it. You’ll be amazed at how much more present you can be with just 5 minutes a day. What do you do to relax? Drop some ideas in the comments! Let’s support each other together while we do amazing things!