156 | Navigating the Transition from Corporate to Entrepreneurship and Becoming a Mom with Andrea Barr
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:
Andrea Barr, one of our incredible Mastermind Members joins us on this episode where we talk about her journey of Transitioning from a Corporate Career to entrepreneurship as well as the transition of becoming a Mom! We also dive into our love for podcasting, setting big goals and reframing how we look at productivity.
Andrea Barr is a certified career coach for parents, and the host of the "All Figured Out" podcast, She offers support and solutions for parents who want to achieve new career heights without sacrificing family time. At the time of recording this, she was about to have her baby and she Is now officially a Mom of 2 which is so exciting!
Connect with Andrea Here:
@andreabarrcoaching
www.andreabarr.com
5 Step Guide to Career Clarity: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/638bfd7976e92737f1b755b0
Listen to the "All Figured Out Podcast" here: andreabarrcoaching.com/podcast
MASTERING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SHIFT - IS THERE ONE “RIGHT WAY”?
Do you go all in right away? Or should your transition to entrepreneurship slowly graduate from side hustle to full-time?
There’s not a single formula or one-size-fits all strategy for every entrepreneurial journey. Yours will be unique to you and you need to look at the factors and circumstances in your life and find a strategy that best serves you in the transition to entrepreneurship. Figure out your risk tolerance and how it aligns with your vision and go from there!
It’s messy, but you figure it out!
Embracing Effective Time Management: Shedding Shame and Thriving in Your Daily To-Done List & Big Goals
We can be our own worst critics - especially as entrepreneurs who don’t usually operate in the normal 9-5 schedule. Beating yourself up about time management is far less productive than celebrating your wins!
Try writing a “to-done” list at the end of your day, rather than only a “to-do” list at the beginning to honour your time well spent. Remember to note and celebrate the big and little wins!
Don’t be afraid to set big goals - even if you don’t accomplish them as planned, the trajectory takes you far further than inaction! Big goals keep you on course and in alignment with your values and vision.
PUTTING THE PIECES INTO PLACE
It’s amazing to look back and see how your goals guide you - you may not be exactly where you planned, but you’ll see the value of the lessons and people you collect along the way!
We want to skip all the hard parts, but it’s pushing through the hard parts that gives us the beauty and experience we need as entrepreneurs to truly succeed.
Bottom line - KEEP GOING! Look back and see how far you’ve come!
Take Advantage of Your Free Gifts:
Get Access to the Breakthrough Growth Workshop here: www.businessbabescollective.com/breakthrough
Profitable Business Masterclass: How to Create a Profitable Business Without Working Around the Clock
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3 Ways To get Support for Your Business:
Action Takers Club: Our Signature Business Program - This is a self-paced course to help you scale a profitable business without working around the clock. The beautiful thing about this course is that it also comes with a community with monthly group coaching calls, and monthly virtual networking and it’s the most accessible and affordable way to get access to me and my coaching. You can find out all the details on ATC at businessbabescollective.com/actiontakersclub
1:1 Coaching: Danielle is taking on a VERY limited number of 1:1 clients between now and mid-April as the baby is on the way! So if you feel stuck and need a strategy on what direction to take next to grow your business, or community or monetize your idea, you can apply for 1:1 Coaching at businessbabescollective.com/coaching
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transcript
[00:00:00] Danielle: Welcome everyone to another episode of The Business Babes Collective podcast. Today we have an incredible guest, Andrea Barr, who is a certified career coach for parents and the host of the All Figured Out podcast. She offers support and solutions for parents who want to achieve new career heights without sacrificing family time.
[00:00:22] At the time of recording this, she was just about to have her baby, and she's now officially a mom of two as well, which is so exciting. I so enjoyed my conversation with Andrea today. We talked about navigating the transition from corporate to entrepreneurship and being a full-time business owner.
[00:00:45] We talk about motherhood, we talk about, uh, podcasting, we talk about goal setting. So many juicy things within this episode, and I think you're gonna so enjoy it. Another really fun thing is that Andrea is actually [00:01:00] a member of our mastermind. So as you all know, I love bringing on members of our mastermind and showcasing the incredible women that we have a part of our community. And something that I just absolutely love about Andrea is that she is just so thoughtful the way that, uh, the thoughts and the feedback and the questions she asks when any of our mastermind members are in their hot seat is just so powerful and she has actually been a part of our community for, since, we figured out on this podcast since 2019.
[00:01:38] So it has been just such a joy to get to work with her, get to know her more, and have her a part of our community for, for such a long time. And so I can't wait for you to connect with her and meet her. And so without further ado, let's go ahead and jump into today's episode.
[00:01:59] Welcome to the [00:02:00] Business Babes Collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Wiebe. in this podcast, you'll learn tangible business tips and strategies on how to grow successfully and sustainably. We'll also interview seasoned entrepreneurs so you can listen in on their stories and see behind the scenes of what it took to grow and scale their businesses.
[00:02:20] Let's dive in as we discuss the wild, exciting, crazy challenging, rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.
[00:02:28] Welcome, Andrea to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you here. Can you share with people a little bit more about who you are, your business, and all the fun things and personal life a little bit as well?
[00:02:41] Andrea: Well, thank you so much for having me, Danny. It's such a pleasure. We've known each other for a few, a few good years now.
[00:02:47] Danielle: I'm trying to, yeah, it's been since 2020 at least, so yes. I don't know when it was we originally connected, but I think it was back in 2020.
[00:02:55] Andrea: I think probably 2019. So I was part of, uh, a couple different variations of your mastermind, a couple different [00:03:00] groups of lovely women.
[00:03:01] So it's such a treat to be here with you, and I'm a huge fan of the podcast. Listen, every, every day or every, every other day. So, yes, thanks for having me. My name is Andrea Barr. I grew up in Ontario. I now live in Vancouver with my husband and daughter, and I am, I keep saying 12 years pregnant. I am 37 weeks pregnant at the time of this recording in March.
[00:03:25] So baby number two is on the way, which is very exciting. So obviously my, my mind goes to the personal things for first and foremost right now as I'm, um, taking a bit of time, a couple weeks off for the baby. But in my business life, I spent, uh, nearly a decade in the corporate world doing everything from, uh, being in the advertising industry to then moving into learning and development kind of on the HR side, uh, within the fashion retail space and had a great career, but then realized that, and actually while I was still in my corporate job, I was in the mastermind with Dani, and [00:04:00] got that encouragement from the group to be slowly building this business of mine, which is in the coaching space.
[00:04:05] So I did go back to school and get a graduate certificate and executive coaching and became an ICF certified coach, And decided to specialize in career coaching specifically given I had gone through some career transitions and just felt like there was this gap and missing, you know, support for people who were kind of like me, like someone who was younger, but super motivated and really wanted to find a career that just worked well, for me and my dreams and my ambitions.
[00:04:31] If I'm being honest, it kind of felt like there was like these career agencies and like services, but they just didn't resonate with me. They didn't, it didn't feel like me. It didn't feel like I could be working with somebody who was like me or understood me.
[00:04:44] You know, that whole angsty like 20 somethings feeling. So I, so I did that. So I was doing career coaching in the nights, weekends, in the mornings, while I still had a corporate job, and I will say before kids, of course. And I, and I loved it and finally made the transition after having my [00:05:00] first child, I went back to my corporate job, realized, you know what, there's no time like the present, life is short.
[00:05:05] And with the support of my yourself and my mastermind, Other wonderful people in my life. I decided to quit the corporate world and go out on my own. And so I, my business is just me, Andrea Bar coaching, and I do career coaching now specifically for parents because take that gap that was there for career coaching services in general, and then I would say times up by a hundred for those who are parents who are in the working world and trying to navigate all the changes that come with being a parent.
[00:05:35] What your outlook on work looks like and how you can be equally so motivated to continue on in your career trajectory and at the same time be like, I am desperate to raise these children with so much love. And, um, so that's, that's a bit about me. That's a bit about the work that I do.
[00:05:52] Danielle: Uh, so good. So good. And yes, I can absolutely relate to that and I'm sure so many listening can too if, if they are parents [00:06:00] of having these two things that seemingly want to pull in different directions, but it's like, how do you actually create a life where you can have both? And you know, I love that you always say like, you, you believe that you can have it.
[00:06:15] And, and it's so, it's, it's so encouraging just to like, hear you talk about that and how you've done that for yourself. I would love to know just that transition phase. Cause I think a lot of people are curious about if they're in a job right now and they're wanting to transition potentially full-time into their business, what was that transition like?
[00:06:35] Was it scary? Was it exciting? How did that go? And then as far as managing your time, because I think sometimes when we go out on our own and we, we jump into entrepreneurship, it can be this whole like, oh, I have so much time now. But then almost that's like a detriment at the beginning because you have too much time and you're like, well, what do I even do?
[00:06:58] Whereas when you're building your business [00:07:00] on the side, it's like every little moment you can kind of like capitalize on. So what was that transition like for you?
[00:07:06] Andrea: Oh my goodness. You've, you've hit the nail on the head in terms of some of my shower thoughts recently. You know how your, your mind wanders in the shower.
[00:07:14] I, I'm gonna be honest, so I will, I will get there and answer that, but it's so funny cause I was thinking about that, the, the time element of it, um, recently and so that's such an interesting conversation. So my transition out of the corporate world, yeah, it was, I would say it was it long in terms of my heart was being pulled in a direction of entrepreneurship.
[00:07:35] Probably from the age of like three or four. I think it's so funny when people say stuff like that, like, oh, I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And sometimes you kind of roll your eyes at it. It's not that I was like, oh, I'm gonna like raise funds and like be this like, I don't know, business builder or whatever.
[00:07:50] But I've always genuinely be in, been interested in entrepreneurship and would always have these little businesses. My first business was called Hairstyle Mania. It was in my house. I, [00:08:00] I also wanted to be a hairdresser when I grew up So growing up and love. Your hair looks fabulous today, by the way.
[00:08:06] And uh, so yeah, so I've always just been like, I always loved just that. Um, I have, there's some entrepreneurial bones in my family and, and that sort of thing. So, so it's always kind of been this, this seed in my mind, but truly believe that I have these two sides to me where I really actually loved the corporate world and environment. So I'm not one of those people that was like, screw the man I, I need to get out of here. I really enjoyed my career. I had a lot of fun. I learned so much.
[00:08:30] So I, when I was recent, when I was leaving, uh, the corporate world, I was working at Aritzia, which is a fashion retail company based here in Vancouver, and I was on the learning and development side.
[00:08:41] I had an incredible team, an incredible VP that I worked for. We did really fun work. We got to build development programs for people. It was personal development, all that. So I was leaving a really good situation and there was, you know, elements like any job where I was like, oh, I just, I don't fully align with this or X, Y, or Z.
[00:08:59] My [00:09:00] time doesn't feel like my own. These are all the things that were kind of percolating in my brain and it, so it was always a thing that I was kind of contemplating. Then it was I, so before I actually went to Aritzia and worked there in that, um, in that capacity, I had gone to do this graduate certificate in executive coaching.
[00:09:16] So I actually did that before working there and had taken it like a little bit of time off and was working part-time to do that. So I have this skillset now that I know is a very marketable quality, that I can go out and very easily go out and go out on my own and that sort of thing. I mean, easy in quotes.
[00:09:32] And so there was this pull, but the interesting thing was that I had then been recently married. We were talking about having a family. I share very openly about my husband's health journey where he had some different cardiac related surgeries and there was just a lot of factors. And so I always encourage people.
[00:09:47] There's no one way to do it. People are like, should I go outta all? Like go all in, just quit my job? Should I do a side hustle? There's so many factors. I know that can be a very annoying, you know, answer too. Um, but really look at the factors of your life and [00:10:00] just really think about like what will serve you.
[00:10:02] So at the time, staying put and having that stability from a paycheck, from a community of people that I really enjoyed working with and doing work that no wasn't, I don't wanna say easy, but like, Like, I knew what I was doing.
[00:10:15] Danielle: It was very consistent.
[00:10:16] Yeah. You felt confident in what you were doing. Yeah.
[00:10:19] Andrea: Yeah. There wasn't uncharted territory. I was very supported, so I just, I really wanted to set the stage for kind of like what I was leaving and, and why. And so I'm really happy that I, that I did go on maternity leave from that position because my husband did end up going to the hospital. Suddenly my maternity leave started early and I got to just walk away from my corporate job and I actually just, it was incredible. I got to go into maternity leave, I got to take care of my husband, take care of our new baby, like it was just everything aligned and then for factor, for a variety of factors. I did go back to the corporate world for only a couple of months, if I'm being honest, just to kind of, I wanted to have one more shot at it.
[00:10:57] I wanted to see. Are things different? Am I [00:11:00] different? And reevaluate. So that's another piece is always just to reevaluate, you know, where you're at. And so long-winded way of saying, I ended up having conversations with my husband. We had just been through a lot. And again, life is short. And so he said, you know what?
[00:11:13] Let's just do it. Let's go for it. The time felt right, and especially having children at that point. So those were kind of all the decisions that were going on in our brain. Another thing that I kept thinking about was nothing's permanent. You know? Like, yeah. They were like, come
[00:11:25] Danielle: That's so good. Ugh. That's amazing. Well, and I think that that's, that's such a good point, and I love that you, I love that you touched on a few different things there. Like, first of all, we're all so different, and like we need different things and we have different personalities. And I, I think it's so interesting because like as a coach myself too, like when I talk to women, you know, they're always looking for like the perfect formula or like the perfect, okay, I'm gonna do this, this, this, and this. And it's like, yes, there's strategies, yes, there's ways to build your business. There's some specific [00:12:00] things that work really well if you, if you kind of follow the system.
[00:12:04] That is true. However, it's. You're always gonna have your own spin on it, right? And so even like for example, in some of like the, the programs that we run and all that kinda stuff, like I have templates and all those things, but it's like, I always tell people like, take it and make it your own and like make your own decisions because you are you. And that's what's gonna make your business or the strategy that we're teaching unique and special and amazing is because of the twist that you put on it.
[00:12:35] So that's what I was thinking of when you were talking about the fact that like everyone has a different journey. Everyone has a different like formula, quote unquote, if they're maybe wanting to transition into full-time entrepreneurship.
[00:12:47] Cuz my transition was that I was working for my mom's business and so it was already part-time and it was flexible, but then I kind of jumped [00:13:00] into entrepreneurship. But then I also had like all these other like side hustles to my business too. It was like weird, like I had all these like side jobs or side things that I would like support my friends with or support like other people in the community.
[00:13:13] And so it was just this mesh of things. And then it just sort of like grew into, and then, okay, now I'm just focusing on sort of my own stuff and my own business. And when I think back to that, I'm like, that was like a really, it was super, I enjoyed it, but it was a super, like messy time. You know, it's like all these like random side gigs that I had, people just think that it's gonna be this perfect like transition and, and sometimes it is, but sometimes it.
[00:13:43] It's messy and you just kind of figure it out.
[00:13:46] Andrea: Totally. And everyone, I, you know what it was making me think about is when you go to your, your person who you work with at the bank or your financial advisor and they have you fill out those stock forms that are like rate your risk tolerance and you like go through these questions.
[00:13:59] I actually, I'm [00:14:00] like, hey, maybe I'll do like a quiz on that or something online. Cuz it's interesting just to think about and everyone's totally so different. I can think about people in my life who. Absolutely would not do it the way that I did it and it wouldn't work for them and it wouldn't feel good for them.
[00:14:13] But for me, just being like, okay, I'm just gonna go and do it, now's the time, hustling morning and night. Like I loved what I did, so that worked for me. But I know people who would have a spreadsheet, they would wanna save a certain amount of money, they'd wanna have this like very thoughtful nest egg and that's great.
[00:14:28] Like, you know, you just have to kind of go with your own comfort level and what will make you feel good, um, based on your risk tolerance
[00:14:34] Danielle: Yeah, it's so true. And I think too, it depends on your situation that you're in as well. Cuz I know there's some people who they're just like, I cannot do what I'm doing anymore.
[00:14:45] Like I need to go all in. And that's a factor too, where it's like, They're not enjoying what they're doing and like what they're doing is draining them to a point where then they're not able to pour into good business. And so it doesn't even work to do it part-time. You know? So [00:15:00] there's just so many different factors and I love that you shared that because it, it's just so real.
[00:15:06] And um, that's why I love like having conversations like this on the podcast cuz it's like there is no real cookie cutter answer for anything, which is why coaching is so important. Yeah. Podcasts and learning from other people's experiences because you can really just. Be like, okay, they did it this way, but then this person did it this other way and I can choose how, how I wanna move forward.
[00:15:29] So yeah. Thanks for sharing. I would love to hear, you know what you're working on now. You also have a podcast, so tell us a little bit about that and launching that. And then also how has your transition been into, okay, you're full-time now, and then also navigating. What you're doing, doing today, and then navigating into another break for Baby.
[00:15:55] Andrea: Yes. And oh, I will get into the time management piece. And that then, because that's been [00:16:00] very interesting. So yes, thanks. I do have a podcast. It's called All Figured Out. It has been so much fun to work on that project with the Danielle Wiebe was the person I was sitting on my bed at my cottage in Ontario.
[00:16:13] It was like in the summer we had a coaching call and you said, Andrea, you need to start a podcast yesterday. And I was oh, the reception up here is really bad. Can you say that again? And you're like, you need to have started a podcast yesterday. Like go for it. Buy the mic. I was like, what? So thank you for this important encouragement.
[00:16:32] And by the way, Danielle is not that directive all the time. Like she'll give you options and things, but I knew when she said it so bluntly like that, that I was like, okay. Let's think about this. She seems very passionate right now.
[00:16:44] Danielle: I just knew, I was like, I know that you're gonna be amazing at it. Yeah, I just knew it and so I was like, I just want you to get it out there.
[00:16:52] But yeah, I'm so glad you've enjoyed it.
[00:16:52] Andrea: I've had, oh, I've had more fun than I could ever imagine. Getting to speak with different people. So the podcast is all figured out, and it's a podcast for those [00:17:00] who are working, parents who are trying to navigate both, you know, like you say, the messy and the magical, and just the, the different highs and lows and the working and wanting to grow a career and wanting to grow your family, wanting to be the best everywhere. It's just all about that. So I have guests on who have, you know, information and expertise in areas that I could have no idea. Yesterday I interviewed a woman about estate planning.
[00:17:24] She's a lawyer, and I was like, what do we need to know about, you know, being a parent in this space? So it's been so much fun and been such an incredible journey to just learn a new skill. Can I just say that too?
[00:17:34] Danielle: Yes.
[00:17:34] Andrea: Getting to learn some things new. So fun and stimulating.
[00:17:39] Danielle: Yeah, and like have a challenge and then have it feel like, wow. I figured I love, I'll figured out podcasts. I figured this out, like I was able to figure this out and that's so cool. You know? And something that like in is intimidating. I think a lot of people, I don't know if you felt this way, but I definitely felt intimidated by [00:18:00] podcasting. Cause I'm like, well, I don't know.
[00:18:01] How does it get out into the world and people's earbuds, like how does that even process happen? Like what? And then figuring out how to do it and then how to edit and how to. Market it and man, it's, it's a whole thing. But it's so rewarding when you. Do something like that, and then you're like, wow, I, I figured it out.
[00:18:22] Andrea: Totally, totally. And, and yeah, it's just, it's such a competence booster that like, yeah, this thing just seems, it's like TV you know, television production or any of those things where you're like, I don't even understand how I'm looking at this moving picture on my screen right now. It's like, that was, I totally felt that way too.
[00:18:37] So it's been, it's been amazing. So much fun. So the podcast is definitely a really big heart source for me right now. And you know, from a business perspective, no, it makes no money or there, but I don't care. And that's how I know I'm onto something because I love it so much. And I'm not just saying that I'm having so much fun and I know I just get feedback from people that I know or people I don't know who [00:19:00] are like, wow, you know, I just learned something today or you just gave me the encouragement, um, just to keep going and then I'm on the right path and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is incredible.
[00:19:07] And just in a different way than career coaching. So that's been a lot of fun.
[00:19:11] Danielle: So that's so cool. I think podcasting is such an interesting thing because it's like, it's very, very difficult to, um, translate like an r o roi. Like a direct r o i, right? Um, because you have no idea who's listening when.
[00:19:25] And like I have people, I had someone reach out yesterday and say, oh, I've been listening to your podcast for, for a year. I was like a year? Like, that's amazing. But like I had never heard from her. I, I never had connected with her. And so you just never know, like who's listening or how, how it's impacting people. And I think it's really cool.
[00:19:46] Like you see the download numbers, but you're like, oh, interesting. And, but I mean, I think one of the thing that things that also, it can support you depending on your business. To have people be aware of [00:20:00] you, your brand, build that obviously trust, but then also networking opportunities like you were just saying about being able to interview people that you know you might not otherwise have a conversation with.
[00:20:12] And so, Having a podcast gives you that ability to network and have really cool conversations that then you broadcast to the world. So it's a it's a cool concept. Anyhow, we're trying, we're trying to convince you to, to start a podcast, but if you do want to...
[00:20:29] Andrea: no, but, and the mutual benefit, I mean, we can go off on this forever. Uh, but like the mutual benefit is also just so cool. And I know you talked about that on your podcast and we've had, there's been episodes where you've talked about that and it's just, Getting to sit here with a lawyer who is absolutely adorable. She was born in Nairobi. She's like just such a cool woman and getting to be like, tell me how people can work with you.
[00:20:51] Like people are gonna wanna get their wills from you because you're such a wonderful person. And she's like, wow, thank you so much for asking that. Um, here's how you can work with me. And [00:21:00] just in my mind, getting to picture people contacting her and getting their wills created from her because they might have heard it on the pod.
[00:21:07] Like, I actually have goosebumps thinking about that. That's so cool. What a cool platform. It's so platform. Yeah. So, so cool. Yeah. I love that. Um, so the, so that's the podcast. We could talk about that forever. Um. It's so much fun and, uh, and I actually have this, I'm, so we're about to hop onto our Mastermind in about an hour and I'm in the hot seat.
[00:21:26] And what I wanna talk to my, my mastermind, uh, sisters about and Danielle is just this secret part of my business that has just transpired, which is curriculum design. So I'm actually, when I was working at Aritzia my corporate uh, background is in course building curriculum design. So building personal development programs, online programs, in-person programs, uh, and educational platforms for, yeah, educational purposes.
[00:21:53] And so I'm actually kind of, kind of techy. I really like technology and so I help people build, you know, Kajabi [00:22:00] programs. And my sweet spot is really in helping people design. So I do curriculum design, so it's like how do you put all the pieces together? How do you get all that stuff out of the entrepreneurial brain, which I totally get, and translated into a really great platform that people can learn from?
[00:22:14] So I have taken on some curriculum design clients, which is something I did not expect to happen, but I've had so much fun with it. And what a cool bridge between my corporate world and this entrepreneurial world. Um, again, I'm like a Taylor Aller who you've had in the podcast a few times.
[00:22:29] I'm for sure a Multipotentialite who's been like, no, no, no. I don't know that that's me. I'm a Multipotentialite through and through. Um, and so that's work that I've been doing, which has been a lot of fun and I've worked with some really cool, cool, cool clients. And, um, and then in terms of just moving into maternity leave and, you know, quote unquote maternity leave, whatever, however that looks, I feel I resonate with what you had said on an earlier episode, Dani with just taking, you know, a shorter amount of time, probably, you know, eight solid weeks, I would say [00:23:00] for me off, and then not doing one-on-one work until about maybe the fall, but being super flexible in all of it.
[00:23:07] Um, but in this season right now, uh, to go back to the whole time management piece, I was just thinking about the fact that I've been, uh, On my own. I would say as an entrepreneur, leaving the corporate job for, I think my anniversary would be about a year, almost to the day. And it's so funny when someone, when I was talking about the shower thoughts, I was standing in the shower being like, what have I done this past year? And, and I don't know if anyone listening can resonate with that, where you're like, beating yourself up.
[00:23:33] I am my own a, I'm my own worst boss. B, I'm my own worst critic. C, I'm a bit of a bully sometimes to myself, so I'm standing in the shower. What have you been doing? Like, what have you even been doing? Like you haven't, you should be working out more. Like you have time now, or you could just be working out, you know, all these things going through my head and you should be, you should have been doing this, you should have been doing that.
[00:23:54] And then I was just, I literally had to like, in my head be like, stop. Like yell at myself and be [00:24:00] like, I've been growing a human that's still in my belly right now. I launched a podcast at my first trimester of pregnancy, which it's a bit tough,
[00:24:10] Danielle: but yeah. People who've been pregnant before are like, oh boy.
[00:24:14] Andrea: Yeah. What was I thinking? You're, I don't think you are thinking at that point. I made the leap. I've survived. I've had fun. I've met incredible people along the way. I've got to commit more to the Mastermind than I was able to previously. I've joined, you know, wonderful events and I've met those amazing people.
[00:24:30] So that has been just a, like a kind of a, you know, a piece of where I've really like, looked back and been like, what have I even been doing? And if I were to give one practical tip or thing that I've learned as a practice to help to combat that, for me it was actually starting to write down my done list versus my to-do.
[00:24:49] So I have a planner that I like, a paper planner. I use everything in Google Calendar, but the paper planner is to just my task list of the things that I've done in that day, because [00:25:00] I also have a terrible memory most humans do. Yeah. And so I'd get to the end of the day and be like, what did I even do today?
[00:25:06] What did I even accomplish? Turns out I accomplished a heck of a lot. But I just forgot, like those little things, right? That take time, like the 15 minute tasks take a lot of time. So that has been something that's really, really helped me. Also in, in this, I am literally, uh, 10 days away from having a baby and I'm like, ah, there's all these things to do.
[00:25:25] And the to done list. To done list. The done list. I don't even know what I should, I should find a better way describe it.
[00:25:30] Danielle: That's great.
[00:25:31] Andrea: Like to done list. My to done list has been really helpful in that, so I don't know if that it's helpful to anybody out there listening, but yeah.
[00:25:38] Danielle: It's so good. I mean, man, I think that's just so important too. And that's why like on the mastermind, I always have people share a win of the week and you know, sometimes people are like, I don't know, like, I don't know if I have any wins. Okay. Just think of just one thing, like just one thing, and sometimes it's so true.
[00:25:57] We are so hard on ourselves and you know, if [00:26:00] we really did track the wins in our, in our days, okay. I think of one way. Even if it was the worst day you've ever had, you're like, no, there's no way. It was just so bad. What is the win? It's like, You're still here, you're breathing. You're, you've, you've gotten through it.
[00:26:18] You've been able to somewhat manage your mind just thinking of the wins. And I think life throws so much at us, and I think it's so important to recognize what you have accomplished and like how far you've come because there's always, I think as entrepreneurs, a lot of times we just see where we wanna go, the goals that we set for ourselves, which is amazing.
[00:26:39] I. Like, I'm very vision oriented and goal oriented, but I, I actually shared this on the pod, uh, podcast, I think at the beginning of the year, is like I have set so many goals for myself that I've, that I haven't hit, but, but in setting those big goals, I've gotten so much farther than I would've gotten if I didn't.
[00:26:59] Andrea: Yes.
[00:26:59] Danielle: So [00:27:00] it's like kind of like almost reframing the way that we think about our vision and our goals. It's let's set, let's dream big. Let's like set these really big goals, but then realize that it's okay if we don't hit them. That doesn't mean we're a failure. That's actually amazing cuz most people, they don't set goals because they Don't wanna fail or they don't wanna be disappointed in themselves.
[00:27:21] Mm-hmm. Um, and I totally, I get that. Like, I understand that, um, as someone that's really ambitious, but at the same time it's like, wow, think of how far you've come and that the little steps that you're taking, so thanks for sharing that.
[00:27:35] Andrea: Of course. It's like we're in bc, both of us are in British Columbia, Canada right now.
[00:27:39] And if we didn't have any semblance of a huge vision, like if we were like, Hey, I'm gonna walk to Prince Edward Island on the East coast in the Atlantic. And if you don't set that and then you just start walking, you could end up in Texas. Totally. So you might only make it to calgary, and that's okay.
[00:27:56] Danielle: Yeah.
[00:27:57] Andrea: But you've actually gone in the right direction of some, [00:28:00] you know, some semblance of a path that you've wanted, right? Yeah. And you're like, okay, cool. I can take a pause here for a couple years and I can like, keep walking to PEI. Um, and you're walking in the right direction. You're not, you're not veering off course.
[00:28:11] So I like, I mean, I'm, I'm super visual as well, so. Those types of visuals, I'm like, okay, it's okay. Like, I'm going in the right direction. And yes, there's a goal that I have not hit that I thought I would be hitting, um, a year back, but I'm going in the right direction. And more beautiful things have happened than I didn't even expect.
[00:28:26] I launched a podcast. I'm doing curriculum design, like I did not think that that world was coming back to me. But boy, am I happy that it has.
[00:28:34] Danielle: Totally, and that's a thing. Sometimes things change and then our goals change and shift too. So I think that that is something to consider as well, is that it's okay to have different goals a year later, like a year, although it goes by really fast, like it is like a long time.
[00:28:50] So sometimes, The goals that we had set at the beginning of the year are not really relevant a year later, and that's okay too. So, you know, continuing to kind of like pivot and re-look at [00:29:00] where, yeah, the direction we're going, like you said. I love that visual. That's so good. Okay. I would love for you to share because you've been able to accomplish a lot.
[00:29:07] You have launched a podcast, you're full-time in your business. So exciting. What are you most proud? Of your entrepreneurial journey so far.
[00:29:15] Andrea: I knew this question was coming, but still I didn't wanna overprepare. I was like, this will come up in the moment. I. I think that I have, and I think I shared this at your, uh, your conference that you just recently hosted in person, which was incredible.
[00:29:28] And I think for me it's just been the, just setting up small building blocks that at the time felt very small or insignificant or, you know, will this actually help future me? Um, just things like. I mean, it's not small, but going back to school and getting a graduate certificate, it's not a huge educational undertaking, but it was something like, it was, it was a lot of work and I, it really poured a lot into that and I just set up some fundamental pieces to support this life.
[00:29:53] I didn't even have kids at that point, but I knew I wanted and hoped to God that that would happen for me. And there was just all these, um, [00:30:00] small decisions and small things that I just took leaps of faith in. I followed my gut and my intuition and I just feel so incredibly grateful that today I'm, uh, 10 days away from having a baby and I have a business that I love.
[00:30:13] I see my daughter all the time cause I work from home and we have childcare. Like, just all these things that have just kind of quote unquote fallen into place. But haven't, and I'm gonna own that. And I'm gonna say that I put those pieces in place and I feel so proud of that, and so proud of this life that we've built, that we truly love and are continuing to refine.
[00:30:33] So it's not like we've hit this, like, okay, we haven't hit PEI, we're not at the end point, but it's just it. Ugh. I just feel so grateful and proud. Proud of myself. For, for having the foresight to just start to make little tweaks to help future Andrea.
[00:30:48] Danielle: And it's so good because it is, it's those little, little tiny steps that all add up to like the, and all the little decisions and, and things that we, that we make that [00:31:00] add up to where we are.
[00:31:01] And I think it's so easy to wanna skip those things cuz some of those things are hard, right? Like some of those things, like, you'll have days where you're like trying to figure out how to do a podcast and you're like, what am I even doing? Like, I would've like, why? Why? Why am I, why did I decide to do this?
[00:31:17] And there's days that are really, really hard and it's like pushing through those times. And I love that you said that cuz it's like, yeah, anyone who needs that encouragement to just keep going if they're feeling ugh, is what I'm doing. Like really, really paying off. First of all, see how far you've come.
[00:31:34] And then also, yeah, like those little baby. So thank you for sharing that. That's so amazing. Where can people connect with you, find you work with you, all of the fun things. Can you tell us where, where they can go? Yes. So
[00:31:47] Andrea: I am @andreabarrcoaching on Instagram and if I remember anything about my last maternity leave or baby early baby days, Hate to admit was on my phone a lot.
[00:31:59] [00:32:00] So, uh, I will be just breastfeeding and scrolling on my phone, so please come say hello. I, uh, would love to have some people to chat with. And, uh, so that's me on Instagram and andreabarr.com is my website where I share a little bit about, you know, uh, coaching and curriculum design and speaking and that sort of thing.
[00:32:19] So you can email me through there, but very accessible so you can just reach out in all the ways and I have to continue to remind myself. My podcast is called All Figured Out. I always forget to mention it. So you can find, uh, me on the podcast anywhere you get the podcasts, uh, wherever they download to your phone magically.
[00:32:37] Danielle: Thank you so much. I'm so grateful to have you, and thank you for being on and sharing, sharing all of the things.
[00:32:43] Andrea: Thank you so much for having me, having me, and for the community and platform you've created. It's so special and I am so honored to be in your world.
[00:32:51] Danielle: Mm, thank you. I'm honored to be in your world too.
[00:32:58] If you love this [00:33:00] episode, make sure you screenshot post and tag us on Instagram @businessbabesco. Want to know when the next episode goes live? Subscribe on your podcast app and while you're there, leave us a review. Until next time, keep dreaming big, setting goals and taking action.