Episode Summary

Carrie Coffin joins Jenna on the show to share why sometimes the steps you think you need to take in life or business aren’t the steps that are right for your business.

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Show Notes

Have you ever wished you just knew the right steps to turn your hobby into a real business? Or have you ever wished you could take your current business and turn it into the well-oiled machine of your dreams? You might feel like you know the next step you need to take, but what if that next step isn’t what you need? What if you need something else entirely?

Today I’m bringing you the second installment of the series, where I’m welcoming women just like you onto the podcast who have made the decision to get clear and, as a result, have radically transformed their businesses. This week, you’ll hear from Carrie Coffin, who went from charging $65 an hour to multiple thousands for her packages. Carrie thought that she needed to figure out the right next steps to take in her business, but after our very first conversation together, she walked away with a completely different way of thinking about what she really needed. She joins me this week to share more about her experience.

Carrie was a client in the very first round of The Clarity Accelerator, so tune in this week to hear more about her experience in the program, the thought processes required to transform her business, and how she learned to move through resistance and transform into the confident women and CEO she always wanted to be.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

• What made taking the leap into entrepreneurship less scary for Carrie.

• How Carrie moved away from her scarcity mindset and gained more confidence in her business.

• The problem with downplaying your strengths and superpowers.

• How Carrie learned to give herself permission to give herself exactly what she needed.

• The power of believing that change is possible for you.

• Carrie’s advice to anybody on the fence about building an uncommon business.

• How Carrie now helps people organize their lives, not just their homes.

Listen to the Full Episode:

Featured on the Show:

• If you'd like to talk about working together, book a call here.

• Click here to sign up for my newsletter and find out how the Connect The Dots Method has helped clients in all stages of their business.

• Follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes content and daily value bombs!

• The Life Coach School

• Ep #23: How to Run a Business Without Social Media

• Carrie Coffin: Website | Instagram

Full Episode Transcript:

Have you ever wished you just knew the right steps to turn your hobby into a real business or to take your current business and turn it into the well-oiled machine of your dreams? And you find yourself thinking, if you've just had that, you be completely satisfied and that's really all you need. Well, chasing the steps might not be what you need. You might need something else entirely.

You're listening to The Uncommon Way Business and Life Coaching Podcast, the only podcast that helps you unlock your next level in business and life, by prioritizing your clarity and your own Uncommon Way. You will learn to maximize your mindset, mission, messaging, and strategy in order to create a true legacy. Here's your host, top ranked business coach and reformed overanalyzer turned queen of clarity, Jenna Harrison.

Jenna Harrison: Hey, everyone. Welcome back to The Uncommon Way. Today I have a special gift for you. I'm bringing my client, Carrie Coffin, on to continue the series about a woman just like you have made the decision to get clear and then radically transformed their businesses.

And like I alluded to in the intro, Carrie came to me thinking that what she needed was to figure out the right steps. And typically, I attract people who really know they need to get clear on something or they want to get clear on something in their business, they want to take it deeper. They want to align all those pieces and have this thing be such a full expression of themselves. But Carrie wasn't in that boat. She was looking for a business coach, and she just happened upon my website, thank goodness, and decided to book a call.

And in that very first conversation, she walked away with a completely different way of thinking about what she really needed and will talk about this. We'll tell you the whole story. But needless to say, it was not what Carrie expected. And this is the second installment of this series where I'm bringing on clients that are able to really share their thought process and how they move through resistance because this is my year-end gift to you.

I've found proof and other people's stories to be so powerful and finally, integrating these concepts that I've been hearing about. But when I hear an actual person speaking it out loud and talking about it, it always just hits me in a completely different way. I don't know if you're the same. I hope so. That is why I'm doing this because I've been able to take just a way of thinking from someone on a podcast and really transform results in my own life.

And I would love for you to be able to see what these women have done and A, believe it's possible for yourself. B, believe it's possible sooner than you think. C, believe it's possible more easily and with less aggravation and stress than you might be anticipating. But on the other hand, I want you to understand that if there is aggravation and stress, that's all part of the journey. It's all good, and we get where we're going.

And I also want you to be able to absorb the high level energy that these women are putting out. I believe so deeply that this is how we all help each other up and why things are accelerating so quickly in this time, it's through this kind of connectivity. It's like electricity just pulsing through our industry, our generations, our environment. I love contributing to that and I hope that this is deeply meaningful for you.

Carrie is a woman who went from charging $65 an hour to charging multiple thousands for her packages. And oh, by the way, completely invented a new industry and deeply transformed who she was. She finally stepped into the confident CEO that she had always wanted to be, and the confident woman she'd always wanted to be. She was in the very first round of the Clarity Accelerator, so what a huge blessing for me.

And in hindsight, it's so easy for us to look back and say, "She obviously always had that in her." Look at her, she's amazing and look what she was able to do. But friends, that was not her experience in the beginning. And so many of us downplay our strengths or just can't recognize our strengths and our superpowers and it keeps us from really stepping into that very powerful and magnetic way of being in the world.

And it really keeps our clients and every other person we come in contact with from experiencing us in that fullest place. Which is why I'm so excited for you to meet her because she will be reflecting back to you parts of yourself that are already there as well. And through this conversation, you will hopefully sense recognition and also feel permission to fully step into them in 2023. Okay. Let's get started. Hi, Carrie.

Carrie Coffin: Hi, Jenna.

Jenna: Thanks so much for coming on.

Carrie: Thank you so much for having me.

Jenna: So nice to see you again. So I thought, as I always do, we just dive in to painting the picture for everyone about where you were before we started working together, just so that they can really tune in to, "Is this something that I can relate to and that can actually give me value?" They'll know like, "Oh, yes, I was thinking that too." And they want to see how you move through it. So I know it's hard to rewind the clock, but can you go back to that point in time and tell us a little bit about it?

Carrie: Yeah. It was a very pivotal point for me. I was really dedicated to starting my own business and trying to build it sustainably, but I was really just lost in what I should do next and what next step would be the right next step and what would have the most impact. So I was spending a lot of time overthinking and not taking action. I was also really at that point, afraid of failure. I think I was probably a little bit paralyzed by it. And so that was also preventing me from moving in a positive direction that would have those lasting results.

Jenna: Yeah. So there were a lot of shoulds in there, I remember that. You led into it, but I was going to ask, when you think back about that time, how were you different?

Carrie: I really didn't believe in myself fully, I would say. I knew that I was meant to do something outside of the traditional 8:00 to 5:00. I had that calling, but I wasn't incredibly clear on what that would be and the value that I would bring that would be something that people would be interested in buying.

Jenna: Mm-hmm. Can you just tell people a little bit about your story, what happened after college, and then how you ended up moving into the line of work that you were doing when we met? And just tell them all about that, about you, what that was.

Carrie: Sure. I knew I wanted to do impactful work, so I ended up in the nonprofit realm, which I really learned a lot there but felt frustrated that the best hours of the day I was in an office behind a computer, and I really identified with the missions, but I still felt that there was something more for me. And ultimately, I had a supervisor lay into me more on a personal level. And that was pretty painful. And that's what made taking the leap into entrepreneurship less scary.

Jenna: So much easier, right?

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: You're all fired up.

Carrie: Yeah. So it was still pretty scary. And so I was trying a lot of things on my own and just not seeing consistent results. And so I started interviewing business coaches. And I wasn't very impressed with the ones that I had interviewed. They were very structured and basically said, "If you do exactly what I say, then you'll get the results." And that felt really inauthentic to me. I wanted to build a business that was authentic to me and not put me in a position where I had to sacrifice any integrity in order to build this business. So that's actually when I happened upon your website, The Uncommon Way, and I said, "Ooh, I want something that's unique to me that will help me build a unique business."

Jenna: I love it.

Carrie: So yeah, then we hopped on the call.

Jenna: Yeah, yeah. It was meant to be. So you were doing home organizing at the time, right?

Carrie: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Jenna: So tell them about that and how you moved from nonprofit work into that and where you were at when we met.

Carrie: So when I was in nonprofit, I really honed in my project management skills. It was a survival tool, and I realized that I just had a little bit of a different perspective than a lot of other people and so that's what got me curious about home organizing. I also witnessed a family member go through a very abrupt downsize, and that was really, really difficult for her just because of the overwhelm.

And I just had the snack for, "Okay. Well, let's look at it from this perspective, or let's break it down in this way, or let's take this baby step." And so that's when I really got rolling and I got certified as a KonMari consultant, but I wasn't attracting the right clients, I think. I wasn't very clear on who my ideal client was at all. And that caused me to spin my wheels in terms of where I was putting my energies because I didn't have those priorities very clear.

Jenna: Yeah. It's so fun now to think back, but I went back and looked at your intake form and our first discovery call, and I remember you really wanted someone that could give you really good tactics for being on nextdoor.com or something. There was very much like this magic place that would allow you to do things. And do you remember what I... Well, I don't want to lead you, but I remember that when we hopped on the call, I said, "Carrie, I actually see a lot of money mindset coming through your site."

Carrie: Oh, yeah. That was a big light bulb moment for me. Just hit me like a ton of bricks like, "Whoa, I had no idea that was going on." Yes. You said, "I can see some scarcity mindset on your website." And then you explained it and I said, "Oh my gosh, yes." And that's why I'm attracting these clients that want to just work on their laundry room or maybe one part of their office. I was just so amazed at that outside perspective that I knew I wanted to work with you from that moment.

Jenna: Oh, I love it. And I of course knew I wanted to work with you immediately. But I do also remember thinking this is something that I see so clearly reflected on her website that she doesn't see, and I have a feeling there are so many other people that also would never notice it. And I remember we weren't even working together yet, and I wrote you, and I'm like, "Carrie, I know we just talked, but can I use your story in an email because I think it would really help people?" Do you remember that?

Carrie: Yeah. I do.

Jenna: Yes. Yeah. And that was helpful. I remember there were a couple people that were like, "Wow, I never would've thought of it." Because I know there was one thing I was seeing people are going to be like, "What was she seeing that was so indicative of scarcity?" I remember your pricing structure. And it was targeted to very small packages like that, one room or one hour, I forget what it was. And then there was like they could buy bulk packages and they'd get things cheaper.

And I remember saying that you're not Costco. You don't sell in bulk. I really just longed for you to step into your value because I remember also about you, you had really great visuals. You had invested in photography, and you already had a website when you came to speak. And so I picked up so much from that branding. I already felt like I knew you and had a fair idea of what was possible for you. And that wasn't reflected in the copy in the messaging.

Carrie: Yeah. That was something else. I think I was trying to be too concise and not really showing people who I was. And so after we worked together, I ended up scrapping the whole website. I kept the photography, but all of my language, everything. And I had spent six months building that website. So that hindsight, I was like, "Wow, I really wish I worked with Jenna before."

Jenna: Earlier. Thank you. I did not pay Carrie to say that, by the way. And she came up with it all on her own. But let's get into your story because I really want them to see, I'm sure there are a lot of people that relate to that, that also are completely aware that they have scarcity in the way.

You weren't thinking about it all the time, but as soon as I said it, you were like, "Yes." And I remember you were even able to tell me when you graduated college, that was right during the recession and that really got burned into your, what is this word, vigilance factor. It was something you really had to watch out for spending money. And that really was translating to how you thought your clients were thinking.

Carrie: Yeah. Absolutely. It was so ingrained that I wasn't even aware of it, graduating in the recession and then I went into the AmeriCorps. So it's technically a volunteer position, but you get paid a small living stipend. And I had student loans. So that living stipend went basically towards student loans. And that was just my, quote, "jolt" to what I thought was the real world. And so it was really helpful to have a perspective that not everyone is operating from that lens. And if I'm operating from that lens, then I'm attracting people that are operating from that lens.

Jenna: Yes. And just to jump ahead, I can't help, this is such a perfect segue, but do you remember when you got that client and she was basically saying, "Can I pay you more?" She was like, "If I could invest this, I want to do it right." Do you remember?

Carrie: I do. I remember I was on the phone, and I was so glad I was on the phone and not on video because, my face, I was just flabbergasted. And I think I got off the phone with her and she had signed on, and I just totally cried.

Jenna: Yeah. It was so good.

Carrie: It was just also releasing all of those old beliefs that, "Oh, what if I can't do it? What if I'm on the wrong path? What if this isn't going to work out?" And that was just confirmation that I was on the right path. It's hard to have that faith having never done it before.

Jenna: Right. It's so, so, so true. And that's why I'm so grateful that you're coming on the podcast because there's someone else out there that's thinking that right now and needs one more bit of hope and inspiration from a woman that's gone through it. It's just this last year. You just went through it.

Carrie: Yeah. I feel like so much has changed.

Jenna: And I think you... Yeah. And you made your investment back with that one client, right?

Carrie: Yes. And I remember when we were first on the phone, I said, "Do your clients make their investment back? And if so, in what timeframe?" I really wanted-

Jenna: A guarantee.

Carrie: ... a guarantee. And then-

Jenna: And I'm sure I said no, right?

Carrie: Yes. No. You said-

Jenna: I'm sure I'm like-

Carrie: ... there's no guarantees, because really it's me doing the work and that willingness and having you as a guide. But yes, I made my entire investment with you back in one client.

Jenna: Yeah. Yeah. And then you'll keep doing that for the rest of your life, which is so beautiful. It's so beautiful.

Carrie: Yeah. I know. It was pretty magical.

Jenna: Yeah. All of you that are coaches out there too, and you're wondering how to handle questions like that, of course, it's totally up to you and always do what's in integrity. But I've always found it so helpful just to be like, "I absolutely don't know what's going to happen." And say, "I have some clients that make money so quickly, and I have others that work with me for a year and they're doing deep mindset work."

And I honestly, in my heart, do not believe that there's a qualitative difference that one way is better than the other, I really believe. Like with me, I always say I was the one that took the longest to work through all of these issues. And I think it serves me now that I spent so long in that place and that I had so many issues come up that now I can help people with different issues as well. But I always try and be honest with that. And I will tell you all listeners that I've never had a person say no because of that. It's like people need to ask the question and they just want an honest response, I think. Carrie, I don't know, can you think of questions like that your people ask you in a fear state and that you're able to respond like that? Does anything come up?

Carrie: Yeah. I think what I get most often is, "Well, how do I know that this will really work for me? I have a hard time letting things go." And that is because in a way we're trying to solve a new problem, which is a lot of clutter and overwhelm with an older mindset of acquire things, maintain them, organize them. And so just working through that perspective shift of, are the things that I own, owning me, and how much is enough, and what is the right amount, and what do these things bring value?

So that is something that is a little bit difficult to answer on a call, on a first call with someone because what's on the other side is just so beyond what they could imagine that at some point they'll say, "This is actually really fun. I'm enjoying letting go of these things."

Jenna: All right. It feels so freeing.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: Yeah. But you're right. When they're there, you really don't know how attached they are to that old self. And shedding that identity piece and transitioning, reinventing yourself is something new. There's not always a timeline for that. That is certainly not predictable timelines.

Carrie: Yeah. Everyone works at a different pace, and I just like to work with the pace that they're comfortable with so that they are happy with the results, and they don't regret some of their decisions.

Jenna: Yeah. And I think also so that it sinks in. There are so many times where I know, and I started out coaching with the military, so I know there are ways that I could motivate a person to take action and I could make the action happen, for instance. And I also know that it won't stick that way, that I'd much rather go at their pace and have it be real. So good. Okay. So tell us what it felt like to invest this.

Carrie: It was terrifying. I remember we had gotten off the phone and I had decided I was ready, and I felt like I was swinging on a pendulum between sheer terror and euphoria. And I just kept going back and forth. And so I knew the euphoria, this was the right step for me, but it was my old self just saying, "You're going to starve to death."

Jenna: Yeah. And everyone's going to tell you how foolish you were and why did you spend this much, and I remember that so well. I love that visual of the pendulum. I think every single person can relate to it. I can, I certainly can. So let's just walk through some of the things, some of the main shifts that were going on throughout the program. So when we first started working together, I think that you were doing $95 an hour was your price point. Wasn't it like that?

Carrie: Actually, it was less. I think I was closer to 65, and I was still in that scarcity mindset. And I remember very clearly you said, "What's the risk of charging more?" And I rattled those answers off very easily. And then you asked me, "What's the risk of charging less?" And it was again, one of those light bulb moments of something that I had just never even considered in terms of would people see me as a liability or that my services don't go above and beyond. And that was a huge shift for me.

Jenna: Yeah. I remember one of the stories you told me that I use so much in my life now that I think about, and it was about buying the expensive hummus. Do you remember?

Carrie: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Jenna: Can you tell it quickly?

Carrie: My mom was visiting from out of town, and we have a great little grocery store with locally sourced things, and I said, "Oh, you have to try this hummus. It's the best." And I was planning to treat her to some travel snacks and whatnot, and she said, "Oh, I just can't stomach the idea of you spending $7.99 cents on hummus."

Jenna: So good. It's one of those light bulb moments. I get it too with my mom where I'm like, ding, ding, ding. And that's part of why I think this way.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: So good. So how did it work for you to move to the place where you would recoup your investment with one client?

Carrie: I really had to do a lot of the internal work. And I remember you said it might have been in our first coaching call together that there's no greater spiritual journey than entrepreneurship. And that really carried me through because a lot of what I perceived as adversity and that I was not on the right path where I was doing things wrong was actually the growth that I needed. I needed to face my past because it kept manifesting in my future a lot of those fears and fears of mistakes.

And so just working through that and choosing to let it go really just set me free and on a much more productive path. And then the knowing yourself, part of the Clarity Accelerator was so awesome because we think we know ourselves, but there are parts of ourselves that are just so ingrained that we don't even recognize them. So I remembered in one of the exercises getting feedback from several people that I was adventurous. And I just thought that was so interesting because I don't consider myself adventurous, but I'm just so adventurous, I don't realize I'm adventurous again.

Jenna: Yes. Yes. We don't know our secret sauce because it's so normal to us.

Carrie: Right. Yes. And so there was a lot of parts of myself that I didn't recognize were there, or I was really undervaluing. And yes, I loved the secret sauce. It was just so fun to really learn those strengths and how to play on them, and just that uniqueness that makes you, you, no one else's you.

Jenna: Yes. I love it. So you took that and you combined it with a few other things. I think there was also, well, we haven't even touched on the fact yet, that you created a completely new industry.

Carrie: Oh, yeah. Yep.

Jenna: So let's talk about that. So you were doing KonMari organizing, right?

Carrie: Mm-hmm.

Jenna: Home organizing. And as we did the connect the dots work, and as you were doing the secret sauce work, you were realizing there was actually a deeper meaning to what you were doing and why, and that your clients would want to be working on that. They didn't want a part of you, they wanted all of your mission. Okay. Tell us about that.

Carrie: So when I was working with clients, I was noticing it's not about the stuff. There's something much, much deeper. Our items hold so much meaning. And my favorite part of the organizing, it was just helping walking people through that journey of letting go of things that aren't serving them, and then also being intentional about what brings value to their life and what direction they want to go. And even when we had finished the whole house, it just felt like our work was just beginning.

And so my clients would say, I'm just so bummed that our time together is over. And so it got the wheels turning, and it was at this time I was going through the Clarity Accelerator, and I just had this secret dream of also doing life coaching. And I think I was so shocked by it on our call together, I said, I don't know if I'm ready to say this out loud, but I also want to do life coaching and I want to help people organize their lives as well as their homes.

Jenna: Not just their homes. Yes.

Carrie: Mm-hmm. And that was just the beginning.

Jenna: Yeah. I think I was expecting it that I even say like, "Oh, I'm waiting for you to say that or I had a feeling that was coming."

Carrie: Mm-hmm. You said, "Carrie, I always knew from, I think even the moment we met, that there was more to you than just home organizing." And that was really cool to hear as well.

Jenna: Yes, yes. And not in a disparaging way that home organizing is just home organizing, right?

Carrie: Mm-hmm.

Jenna: But there was always this other component to Carrie that I wanted to bring out and I thought her clients would really appreciate. So now she is a home and life organizer, which I love. And it's such a beautiful tie between we'll start organizing your home but really there's so much more reflected in your life, how you do one thing is how you do everything. And so let's start with the home.

That's a really tangible entry point for us. It'll start bringing up a lot of the things we need to work through. But why not make your whole life as simple and beautiful as your home now is? I get shivers still. I just love that so much. I think everybody and their dog needs this service. It is so good. Our lives, our planet would be so much better if we were all living that way. Okay. So also we can't move on without talking about human design.

Carrie: Yes.

Jenna: If you're comfortable with it.

Carrie: Absolutely.

Jenna: Absolutely.

Carrie: That was another just huge shift for me. I love the human design element of working with you. And I think that really helped me step into my power learning that I was a projector. It explained a lot in terms of not always being understood or often being misunderstood and just seeing things from a different perspective that used to make me feel isolated. And then after working with you, it really made me realize those were my gifts. And that's feeling isolated in that way can be a good thing because not everyone has that skillset and you're there to help them.

Jenna: Yes. Exactly. So for those of you that don't know about human design, a projector type is a person who has this innate wisdom. They just know things, and they're here to bring very specific gifts and knowledge to the world and really to help guide all of the generators and manifesting generators out there, which is the majority of the planet. And so they really are our guides here on earth. And when a projector doesn't know that about themselves, what they're noticing instead is that they have all these good ideas or they really see how things should be done, it's so very clear for them. So many people just aren't paying attention. And it turns out it's designed to work that way. They're meant to connect with the people who can hear them on that frequency, and they're just like the lighthouse.

So they don't have to go out and really do anything. They just have to be in their truth speaking. And I equate it often to the Buddha, just sitting under the Bodhi tree, and yet people found it. And so when they're in that energy, they start receiving interest and invitations from people. And then I know many very successful projectors, and I know that I also tend to attract them. We have several of them in the Clarity Accelerator. And it's fun for you guys to find each other and be able to compare notes and feel that support, I think. Would you say that?

Carrie: Oh, absolutely. That's one thing I was not expecting from your program at all. I think even initially I said, "I don't know how I feel about the group coaching. I want more one-on-one time with you, Jenna." And the amount that I learned in the group coaching was just beyond anything that just working one-on-one that we would've covered because there's different human design types and then also people were in different stages of their business.

So if someone was asking for coaching on something and they were much further headed than I was, I was getting that coaching now. And so I didn't have to go through those rabbit holes and try to navigate all of that. So that's something that surprised me was the group coaching and just the amazing benefit of it. And then like you said, the connections. I'm still in touch with a lot of the original Clarity Accelerator group, and we plan to meet in person next year, which is pretty cool.

Jenna: I love that. I didn't know it. That's so fun. And yeah, I haven't mentioned that Carrie was actually in the very first inaugural round of the Clarity Accelerator. So it has transformed a little bit since you were there, but you really got to see it at the ground level and I believe help it grow into what it is, 100%. Yes.

Carrie: Thank you.

Jenna: Yes, absolutely. And going back to human design, just want people to know that part of the beauty that I see is that whether you believe, "Yes, 100%, I am a projector," or you say, "Interesting, this chart says that I'm a projector. I guess that I can take these aspects of it and that would be a nice way to think about myself. I think I'll keep that." Either way it serves you, which is so fun. So how do you think knowing about this, about human design and about being a projector has served you in your business? Has you showing up differently tangibly? What might it look like?

Carrie: Prior to learning about my human design type, I did struggle with confidence and showing up confident in my business and then learning about my authority, which is waiting for the invitation. So rather than trying to impose my ideas on others, I just wait for them to invite me. And that has completely changed those moments of self-doubt where I'm like, "Wow, they really weren't listening to my ideas here because I was trying too hard to send that message and now I just wait to be asked." And so I feel much more confident, if that makes sense.

Jenna: Yes. And it's really hard. Every projector has this quandary in the beginning of what does that look like? It doesn't feel right to be so passive, or they perceive it as passive. And also, does that mean I can't do anything? Do I just have to sit on my sofa? And that's not it at all. It's really owning the fact of the ways people are inviting you and, I would say, showing up as your best self in those venues. Is that how you would experience it?

Carrie: Absolutely. Yes. Interestingly, I had someone text me to my work line and it was a wrong number, and somehow, we just continued communicating throughout the day like, "Oh, it wasn't... No big deal. Your message gave me a giggle." And just connecting with someone over a wrong number, and we still stay in touch several weeks later. It's just this quiet knowing of, "Oh yes, okay, I'm connecting with this person. They have invited me."

Jenna: Yes. Yes. So good. And talk to us about the rest component, because that is so big for projectors.

Carrie: Oh, yeah. Wow. I had a lot of guilt around self-care, I think, and taking the time for myself because when I'd compare myself to others, they did not need as much sleep as I did. They did not need as much downtime, time to recuperate or time between a lot of travel or larger social engagements and those types of things.

Jenna: Or client appointments maybe.

Carrie: Client appointments, yes, absolutely. And so I just felt like I needed to just suck it up and do what everyone else is doing is how it felt. And then learning that my magic, I guess, really comes through when I rest and I have that quiet time. And then also time to just relax and play is when those great ideas come into my mind. And so giving myself permission for that and also being very proactive in it. So I actually put on my calendar, I call it projector time, and it's an hour or it's three hours depending on how the week has been. And that's my to-do list is just get some reading, go for a walk, make a fun meal. And I treat it as if it were any other meeting.

Jenna: Oh, Carrie, gosh, you were just so good. This is such a prime example of how I want people to transform through this work together. And I'm not one of those people that says, "Nothing will happen for you if you're not in alignment." I really believe you could hustle your way in business. We'd get results. It's okay. And yet it doesn't have to be that way. And it can be even so much better when you are in this place.

Carrie: Absolutely. It has created just a quiet knowing that if this next phone call, this potential client doesn't want to sign on, that's okay because there are plenty of clients out there, and there's really no reason to be discouraged. It just wasn't the right fit at that time.

Jenna: Yeah. So good. So good. So now being where you are and what has shifted for you in the past year, what do you see for yourself going forward?

Carrie: I'm excited to tell you that I have signed on with The Life Coach School.

Jenna: Oh, really? How fun.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: Oh, great. Okay. I love it. When do you start?

Carrie: I started three weeks ago.

Jenna: Oh my goodness. So good. So The Life Coach School is where I was certified later in my career, but it was a place that I knew that I needed to avail myself of in order to enhance my coaching skills. And so I love that you loved that method as much as I did.

Carrie: Yeah. The thought work.

Jenna: And that you’re taking it on.

Carrie: Yeah. The thought work that you'd done.

Jenna: Oh, so nice.

Carrie: Yeah. It was.

Jenna: And so in terms of your business then, growing out your business with this also under your belt, what do you see for your business going forward? What do you see for you?

Carrie: I'm launching a goals program at the start of next year to just really empower people to see what might be possible for themselves. And having been through this last year with you, Jenna, and seeing results that I never could have imagined, I just want to share my experience with others and inspire them to do the same. So I'm doing a goals program and I just feel like the opportunities are infinite, whereas before I felt like I didn't have options.

Jenna: Oh my gosh. I love that. And I love that I have been so influenced by so many amazing women and that has allowed me to influence women who will be influencing more people, male or female, or non-gender.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: Oh, I'm so excited. And I hope there will be plenty of $7 hummus in your future.

Carrie: Oh, yeah.

Jenna: So, so good. So let's talk about your business a little bit just so that people can listen in if they're interested in this for themselves or for somebody they know. What is so hard about being in that place for your clients before they come to you? What's it for them?

Carrie: It's really a tough environment. Most of my clients are not able to relax in an environment that ideally should rejuvenate them. And so they come home from their stressful lives and they're in an environment that is also very stressful with clutter and projects and just this heavy weight of almost reminders of all the things that they're not doing or maybe feeling like they're mismanaging their life in some way. And it's really common to feel down on yourself when you're living in that space. Yeah.

Jenna: Yeah. Yeah. So what do you think that's costing them that they don't even realize they have a certain amount of pain, but are there other things going on that you end up being able to point out to them?

Carrie: Yeah. Kind of linking together some small things. For example, I've worked with clients that have mentioned, "Yeah. I have some fight or flight," or they have issues with TMJ, which can obviously lead to some very costly dental procedures, unfortunately. And that's just in the financial tangible sense, but it's also costing them quality time with their family because they're stressed and feeling like they need to fluster about and run from one fire to the next and put their energies there.

I've had clients tell me that after working together, they're just able to sit on the couch as a family and watch a show together and not feel distracted by the projects and the cluttering the things that they need to do.

Jenna: Wow. Yeah. That is priceless, right? That's what it's about.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: And I would imagine for those of them working outside the home that they're bringing that energy from the home, and then they already start off on a bad footing as they're even driving into work.

Carrie: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I have had a client, she mentioned that she had to leave the house in such a hurry. She got to work late and was wearing two different shoes.

Jenna: Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. And if that's not the kind of thing that makes you just go, "What is going on here?" Yeah. And so then was there somebody you mentioned that had been snapping at their partner or their child or something feeling frustrated about something or whose job it was to deal with X or Y in their house?

Carrie: Yeah. One of my clients, she mentioned the mornings were incredibly chaotic for her and there would be tension between her and her husband about who needed to do what to help get their young son ready for school. And so the mornings just started out very frustrated. They also couldn't navigate around their kitchen very easily to even get coffee, which is important, especially when you have little ones.

And then that energy's just carried into their morning. And so when their son doesn't want to put his shoes on, there's frustration, there's tone, and they just felt like they were leaving the house in a frenzy and hoping that he had enough for breakfast and it was a very tough point for them.

Jenna: Yeah. And wasn't there also somebody... Because not all of your clients, it's not like they're hoarders. A lot of them just want that look and lifestyle that maybe they see on Instagram. And wasn't there somebody who didn't want to have people over guests for dinner parties or something because it would involve so much cleaning or organizing or something?

Carrie: Yes. Oh, yes. When I asked her how this was impacting her and her social life, she just mentioned, "I really hesitate to invite people over because I end up just panic cleaning and just shoving stuff into the guest bedroom anywhere it will fit. I just have to hide things. And then even when it does look nice on the outside, I'm still really nervous when people are over because I'm afraid they might get a glimpse of my real life."

Jenna: Oh, "My real life." And I love that term, panic cleaning.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: Love it. So, so good. So first tell us, what have they told you is different about their life? Some little details you just gave us examples of having people over or something or sitting with the family. Give us some more. What's the after?

Carrie: My clients, their shopping habits completely changed. So not only do we work through the home and bring the number of items down to a manageable level, but the way that those items make their way into our lives completely changes. I had a client text me, she was at Walmart, she said, "Normally, I would just grab the candle and I'd put it in the cart, but I held it and I said, 'Do I really need this? Do I like this enough?'" And then she was also able to say, "Oh, wait, I have six more candles at home that I need to use." And she put it back on the shelf. And so that was a real aha moment for her that she took the time to just text me and tell me exactly what happened.

Jenna: Yeah. That is everything. Because if you can do that with one small thing, think over the course of the year how many useless, crappy pieces of whatever you bought that really don't end up fulfilling you.

Carrie: Yeah. It seems shiny and new at the time. And that can also happen when the things that we do care about are buried in clutter.

Jenna: So good. So what is maybe one piece of advice or a new thought or something that you could give to people that are feeling any sort of recognition with this pattern that your clients are in?

Carrie: I think one thing that's really tricky is we tell ourselves that we don't have time. And I just encourage people to tell yourself that, "You do have time. If you don't have time or if you tell yourself that you don't have time, you won't look for time." And so that's been a big shift with my clients as well, is saying, "Okay. I don't need to block off seven hours, but if I could find 15 minutes to put the laundry away." Just believing that you do have time and then creating those opportunities to just do something small.

Jenna: So Carrie, before we hop off, is there anything else that you want to say or share with our listeners?

Carrie: If you're on the fence about building an uncommon business, your dreams are waiting, your life is waiting, start being the CEO of it.

Jenna: And make some great decisions. I love that, Carrie.

Carrie: Yeah. Yeah.

Jenna: Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much. So good. So where can people find you?

Carrie: I am on Instagram, which has been really fun for me. I've never really had social media prior to having this business, so it's really been a fun, creative space for me. So I'm at Elevated Home Organizing. And then I also have a website, which you might enjoy checking out to say wait for the old one, it's elevatedhomeorganizing.com.

Jenna: Yes. And I love that I just did a podcast on how you don't need social media for your business, and I'm planning on a follow-up one about how you can also love social media for your business. So I love that you're coming in at the perfect time. And the way you just described it is that it's so much fun and creative.

Carrie: Yeah.

Jenna: Yeah. And interestingly enough, I do notice that my projectors, to answer that question again of, "Do you just need to sit on the sofa?" You guys seem to just be killing it on Instagram so naturally and so easily. So I love that you're able to shine there and you really, you guys have got to check this out because it is so fun just looking at the befores and afters and the creative ways that Carrie sharing this. It's just social media candy.

It's like the thing you want to do when you've been feeling a little stressed and you want to look at cat videos or something, go look at Carrie's feed because it's so nice. You feel cleaner after looking at it. Oh, and we haven't mentioned the most important thing, which is that you work online. So people may think that home organizing the home organizer comes to my house and that's an option for you. You do travel as well.

Carrie: I do.

Jenna: But you're also available to work online and you can help people in real time with their items without actually being in the house, right?

Carrie: Right. So that can be helpful in terms of scheduling and fitting in those quicker sessions if you're not quite ready maybe for in-person intensive.

Jenna: Yes. Yes. So if any of you are with partners and you want to give them a good Valentine's idea for yourself, that would be a great one. Just saying. All right. My friends, I am so happy to touch base with you again, Carrie, and see you. I'm so excited for everything going on.

Carrie: Thank you, Jenna. It's been so fun to just share all the new things and just take a look back at how things have transformed. So thank you so, so much. It's been so fun to be here and having this opportunity to know you.

Jenna: Bye.

Carrie: Bye.

Hey, if you're a coach who wants true clarity about your secret sauce, your people, your best way of doing business, and how you talk about your offer, then I invite you to join us in the Clarity Accelerator. I'll teach you to connect all the dots; the dots that have always been there for you. So that you can show up like you were born for exactly this. Come join us and supercharge every other tool or tactic you'll ever learn, from Facebook ads to manifestation. Just go to TheUncommonWay.com/schedule and set up a time to talk. I can't wait to be your coach.

Thanks for joining us here at The Uncommon Way. If you want more tips and resources for developing clarity in your business in life, including the Clarity First Strategy for growing and scaling your business, visit the uncommonway.com. See you next time.

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