 All right, I'm excited to be here with Tara Whitney and we're going to be talking about some of the progress she's making in her business so that you can learn. Those of you watching this will be able to learn from some of the things that she is doing has done you'll get encouraged by her progress. And this is what I, I'm going to be start doing more of these kind of case study interviews. Tara is in my master hard business mentoring group. And, Tara, it's great to have you here. I'll let you kind of do a brief intro and we'll get into, you know, the progress and the learning. Absolutely great to be with you George. My name is Tara Whitney, and I am a certified intuitive eating counselor. I'm a transformational coach, and I guide professional women, business leaders and entrepreneurs to reclaim time, energy, and their presence that they've lost to emotional eating and dieting. Wonderful. Wonderful. So, let's see here. One question I'll ask, I mean, there's there's actually several topics we can talk about that I think are useful for, for the audience. Why don't we start with one of my favorite topics which is productivity. You know, because I think everyone can benefit whether or not they are whatever level of business they're at so you have been working on your productivity in the past, you know, a couple of weeks as you've been a master heart. I can also talk about anything prior to that too. You know, yeah, I don't have to take credit for it for anything. All I care about is that you're, you know, that you're observing your own journey of growth and, and there's something that I think will be helpful for for everybody watching Yeah, so tell us what what have you been been learning regarding your own process. Sure. Well, I think there's perspective and then there's action. In the past, I was really good at working hard and keeping busy. So before I came to your work. If you said, you know what are you busy with I probably would have listed out a whole bunch of things. Now what's changed and I did take your joyful productivity class is that I infuse a lot of my own intention in the time that I spend and your energy reboot. I know it's, you know, infamous at this point, but I do that five or six times a day. I'm actually right before I'm about I'm changing tasks so I do that in my transition. And what that helps me with is it makes me it, it puts me into a place where I won and mindful about what I'm about to do, but then I'm also clear about what I need. What I want when I'm doing that task so if I'm writing I might be asking for clarity. If, if I if I'm doing something challenging I might ask for strength or for anything and so that to me has been create has created a lot more quality, higher quality than spending my time. And I, I find it get really excited about my days because I because of of the small piece and it's not small because it really helps me navigate my time really well. I also. Oh, good. Yeah, no I just I just say I mean I'm so glad and it seems so for the people who haven't yet developed a practice of doing energy reboot or whatever it is that people do. Use to check in with themselves multiple times a day. Again, you know, for those who don't know the energy reboot I will put a link in the notes of the videos you can actually read about it or watch me practice it. But it is meant to be short. And it takes half an hour. Well I mean everyone has a different length of how long they do it but for me it takes me. I mean literally 20 or 30 seconds and I end up doing it multiple times an hour because I catch myself in a less than, you know, optimal state and I'm Okay, let me just do do some breathing it's essentially breathing. The way I do it is essentially breathing with some intentional, you know, intention put into it but it for those who don't don't know that practice it seems so And almost silly that you have to check in with yourself, but maybe maybe everyone watching this at this point in my audience knows how important it is but it's like the power of constant consistent pauses throughout the day that are intentional that are that are embodied that are sort of like optimistic or connected to an optimistic view of life and existence is, I don't know I mean it really had just like you say it's changed my life and I'm glad that it's it's making a benefit for you to but go ahead you were saying Well, I mean now you reminded me that I share the practice with my clients, because a lot because really at the core of the work I'm doing is I'm connecting them with their body. And you know the second mice, so it's four four breaths you know but the second breath is awareness, and I check in I do that you know internal check in, and, and then it's like thank you thank you for waking up enough to recognize what's going on in my body, because I know that my work, and my business is coming from my body so doesn't it make sense that I want to check in and see how it's doing ask it for something let it be a conduit to what I want to offer the world, and so it's, it's pretty magical, and it can elude us in its simplicity. Right, yeah. Yeah, so you were going to say there's anything else about your productivity. Yeah, I just jumped into focus me, and which is something that you're always using I know and some other other other members of master hard of using as well. And I use that is just that collaborative online place where we can be productive and we use 15 minutes of the time to work with somebody online. But yet, when I schedule it during maybe times of my day where I might be a little more inefficient or I might creep into other maybe non productive things. And I always boost because I'm able to say oh 15 minutes can I get this one thing accomplished and then they do and then I move on to something else. Yeah, so so far so good. I'm so glad you're you started using it. And it's another one of those things that people before they have tried it. It sounds strange, like wait, I'm getting on a video call with somebody and we're not talking. I mean, we might talk in the first 30 seconds or minute to say hey what are you up to in this hour what am I up to. Okay fine let's check in the first minute. And then we just keep the camera on while we on our thing. And it sounds so strange and it sounds like well is it really going to. I do it literally at least three hours every day Monday through Saturday, sometimes up to six hours a day. And I now have done it for several years I was part of focus mate I was one of the original users I mean, one of the first 1000 users I think. Yeah, I just promise I promise everybody watching this, if you haven't yet tried it it is a revelatory experience at least you should try it and see if it works for you. I have a focus mate group that I will put a link below. Now I have to say, people who joined my focus mate group what that means is that you get paired up with me and others in my group more often. I do allow my master or members to be part of the group and some of my core students but. But now that I've said it I'll put the link below people can join that group but I do I do hold people to a higher standards who are part of my group you got to show up on time. And your lighting has to be decent meaning, like right now. You can see your face just fine you can see my face just fine sometimes people are kind of in the dark you can't see them. That's not that's not okay for my group anyway. So anyway, it is a wonderful school. So glad you're using it. Can we talk about your productivity or can we should we talk about your content now nowadays. Yeah, let's talk about content. Yeah, so it would be great. So maybe you can give a sense of what maybe like a kind of bit of a before and after so maybe before, you know, we started working on it or maybe your content was this way or you were unclear about this and now, now that you've been practicing something different or trying different things. What is it. How does it show now what's it like now. Yeah, well probably the biggest thing was before I got introduced to your work and started really following your many processes, I would say, I was often trying to sell from my content. And because I thought that was the right thing to do now I wasn't trying to sell in a pushy way, but a lot of what I was doing was, I'm going to write this really smart email that has emotion and understands a problem, maybe offers something and then someone, something that in, you know, currently launching. And there were a couple of things about that that I didn't realize was really hurting or hindering my content production. One, I had, I was putting pressure on myself so I felt like, if I was writing really good content and that meant I would do a job site. And then, and then if no one bought from the content, I would be like what's wrong with the content that I just wrote because I thought that was pretty good or people would say that was a nice piece but then they still wouldn't buy. So, when I was producing content in line with offers. It was exhausting to me because one, I was completely attached to what the content could do for me. And then two, I often felt so depleted after I put out a lot of content thinking that it needed, you know, it needed to get me something and so obviously that was a recipe for not a lot of creativity, a lot of pressure, and not a lot of fun, I think will be in the bottom line. But what I how I now look at my content is in a couple different ways. One, I love producing content with no ask with like no, nothing, just, I'm going to just share this, because I want to share it, and there's nothing that I'm selling, so I still do sell but I'm not selling from it with the intention of that. Two, I have completely embraced the belief that my content is a catalyst for my own transformation and my businesses transformation. And three, that means I am really curious around what content I get excited about sharing. So, when I have an idea, and it comes in and now the ideas are coming in fast and furious I have to write them all down pretty quickly because I often will think I need to get this out like ASAP, because this is so good. But I'm noticing that I have this platform, my own internal platform for thinking that I am meant to share this and I have full permission to share this this is my coming from my own growth and this will help me grow my business. So it's really freeing if my content production feels really freeing right now. I am so happy to hear that. Oh my gosh. Yes. And just to clarify for everyone watching this and then you, there was a bit of an internet issue. But you will you used to write or make videos, like with this ulterior motive. I'm conscious of it that, okay, or newsletter or whatever that like, okay, I'm writing something. And they better sign up, they better buy, they better inquire, because this is such a good article is such a good video or whatever. And now you're doing it, because it is public journaling right sometimes I call it that it's like, it's like it's something meaningful for you. You share it knowing that it's probably going to be meaningful for other people to at least people who are similar to you will find this meaningful because, you know, yeah, you're kind of on a similar similar journey with your with your clients, of course. And if people find it meaningful, and they don't feel like they're being sold because they're not. They're more likely to say, who's Tara Whitney who you know, let me go and see what else she's about what you and then over time they follow your content more and more. There's trust there. I love it, I love it. How does that. So you make, I mean you're actually, you know, you have you write, you make videos, and you have a podcast. You actually have all three forms, and now you're also making the carousel images, right. I just did that. Yeah, I know I just saw it. So good job. So you really, you really are experimenting with all these different forms and I love it and you'll you'll I'm sure you'll find your rhythm with it. So, but you mentioned that you also sell. And I think that's important. You know I always tell people listen. You know, in ministry content as exploration and personal journal, public journaling, but that's 80%. There's 20% of what you put out there your posts your article or your newsletters or whatever should make an offer otherwise they think you're just writing for fun. So yeah, how is that going how is making an offer. How is that going these days. Well, it feels really light. First, I'm finishing up a course right now. And I approached it so differently than I have in the past. And it was all just a light launch. It was, I don't know, maybe so it was, it was, maybe two emails, couple of posts on Facebook, you know, but there was no, there was no pressure around it. And now I have the energy for my next course, or my next group coaching program. And so the biggest value for me was that it's all sustainable. And, and I'm excited about my next offer in my next whatever that is I'm debating between two of them, but I really feel energized around that. But that came from two places George that I want to make sure I'm really clear about one, one place was your, your business planning class, where you took us through the stages of business. And you were able to the levels of business, excuse me, I think, and you were able to, I was able to see myself in a certain stage or level of business. And for that, I felt relief, because I, even though this is only my third year being full time in my business, I kept thinking, I should be in a different place. My business should be bigger, I should have more clients, I should blah blah blah blah blah all of that. And when I took your business planning class and you said, why would you expect if you sold to, why would you expect 20, what, what numbers did you read, what information did you see that created that expectation. And I think either somewhere along the way because maybe I'm watching people who are filling their classes or they're saying they're filling their classes that therefore I should be in that place. It left me feeling like, Oh, I must be doing something wrong in my business. And so, so that was a huge shift for me. And as a result, I was able to create a business plan that is doable. It's a doable business plan based off of real numbers, which I've never done before, which is ironic since I'm a CPA. But, like, this was the first month, January was the first month I took my planned information and my actual data, I compared them and I was pretty close. I mean, I was pretty close, which was in the number I had for my course was exactly the number that I sold. It's beautiful. I mean, to me, I'm killing it. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So, so I it's important to, I want to share how like how I did get there because it wasn't like, Oh, I have lightness around courses right now. I created a plan where I said, I want to launch nine courses in 2021. I'm doing it based on real time data, and I'm doing it in a way where I have confidence, and I'm relaxed about how I'm executing against that plan. Oh my God, that's music to my ears. I mean, yeah, it's amazing because first of all, you are redefining success. You are no longer taking some random, really random number someone else gave you to say well that's what success is you say no wait a second. Success can be defined in a doable way based on my current, you know, level and stage. And therefore, guess what you can celebrate more often. It's like, success, success, success. Who has more momentum the one thing success, success, success, success, success, or the one going, oh failure again, oh failure again because I can't, you know, I can't I can't jump seven feet yet. Well, of course you can you haven't practiced your muscles aren't even there to jump four feet that why seven feet, you know, so it's like but yes one day, by continuing to practice those muscles you will jump seven feet or even 10 feet I don't know what the high jump unusual. But yeah that's that's the idea I mean in our business it's like okay right now you're making this much. And of course next month it's hopefully a little bit more probably a little bit more, but the trend is going in this direction rather than some expectation of like this it's like, if you go like this. Is it really sustainable, or is it just going to go back down, you know, which creates a lot of angst. So I love it I love I love it. Well, and I always wanted to know. Yes, how do I grow my business, what are the things I need to do to grow my business and it was always a mystery. It was always like well you know I'm hearing this information and this information, but to now see the levers and then oh I press on this oh look at that. Oh, I do this look at that. And so that's really been huge because now I feel like I'm in the real driver seat in my business now, which isn't really how I have felt in the past. I love it. Yes. And the key I hope to it all is that it is joyfully sustainable. Like, you can you can actually see yourself doing it as you as you continue honing the process of daily work, and of monthly and quarterly trends that you can see yourself so okay I can see this as a long term thing and if you have staying power. That's really that's really where the real power is because that's really where the real growth happens, you know. Well, we have a few minutes left I want to make sure people know something about you and you know you've taught me for example you mentioned that you're, you're creating nine courses is here just FYI for everyone who's listening and watching. You have to create nine courses, but Tara is already I mean you've actually have years of kind of practicing certain business skills and so now you're implementing and, and I think you can create nine courses, probably not a great thing for anyone to start with who's just starting out but but tell us though what are some of the topics that you're going to be teaching this year. Sure. Yeah, I teach four topics. So the first topic is around emotional eating. And that's the topic that I, of course I'm just wrapping up right now. The second topic is around intuitive eating, which is really a profound and powerful movement that's happening right now in the health and wellness space. And I'm a certified intuitive eating counselor. And what is intuitive eating just in a nutshell for those who are sure it's it's an anti diet approach to eating where it prioritizes eating to satisfaction but eating based on body cues. So being able to root. Yeah, I know right. But of course if you're aware of your body cues. Okay. So just to, it's, it's tuning back into the body trusting our bodies, and knowing that, you know, it has the wisdom to guide us into eating in a really nourishing place. The third places around the third area is around body image, and guiding people to really appreciate love respect and honor their bodies. And then the fourth is the one I'm playing with a little bit, which is, I feel like now I have the, I can give my permission myself permission to do which is talking about in general like empowerment like how do we really be visible, bring our power back within ourselves really create our voice. What do we want in our life be safe being seen. So I'm exploring that but I'm really excited to start to play in that space in 2021. Amazing, amazing. Well, I will have the link to your website and any other social media link. I think it's good for people since we talked about content to kind of see at least your Facebook business page and your Instagram and you know, whatever we want to share we do that. Thank you so much for willingness to kind of share your progress and learnings. I hope this is encouraging for everyone who's watching this. Feel free to comment below if you want to ask any questions or share your own reflections. Thank you so much Tara. Yeah, you're so welcome George I appreciate it and thanks for just all your teachings it's really changed my business and myself so much. My honor, it's my honor and my, my deepest gratitude to know that it's actually making a difference. So, yeah, it absolutely is thank you.