Should You Pivot Your Business or Podcast? Featuring Insights from Melissa Llarena | #235

You ever notice how things you experienced as a kid turned out to be key components of how you show up as a woman in your business?

God uses ALL. OF. IT.

Discover 3 things to consider determining whether it is time for you to pivot in your business with my professional podcasting guest, Melissa Llarena, with my incredibly gifted grandson James helping me out in the intro.😍

Melissa invites you to imagine this:
What if today's efforts in your business guaranteed you'd feel like you made significant progress at the end today?  Imagine and learn with us as we explore email campaigns, launches, childhood trauma, and how those things combine to teach us exactly when we are in the right place.

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Transcript

Time To Simplify
Jen Rogers | Creator of the 90-Day Sprint | Certified Coach | Keynote Speaker

I help startup Christian entrepreneurs leverage resources so they can stop running around with their hair on fire and have time for the people, places + play they treasure most.

How Do You Know When It Is Time To Pivot Your Business or Podcast? Featuring Insights from Melissa Llarena | #235

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[00:00:00] Jen Rogers: You ever noticed how things you experienced as a kid turned out to be key components of how you show up as a woman. I remember getting scolded often as a kid talking too much, especially with Mr. Literski, who I'm sure was a tap dancer masquerading is my fourth-grade teacher because with every step he took, his heels clicked. As I recall his keys also jangled! And he called me noisy for all my talking. He may have had a point, but still. This very thing that created many a groundings at home, turned into who I am becoming as a woman after God's own heart. A voice of encouragement and support for Christian entrepreneurs. My guest, Melissa Llorena co podcaster, author and networking coach shares how her childhood experiences significantly impacted how she shows up today and who she shows up for. Here's what she said, when I asked, how would you define imagination?​

[00:01:07] Melissa Llarena: Imagination to me is like a survival mechanism, when I was raised as a little girl, I was the daughter or am the daughter of a mom who was a single mom who has manic depression. And what you may not know about this mental illness is that someone with this diagnosis is able to imagine themselves being like superheroes, becoming the president.

[00:01:35] Melissa Llarena: It's like in the mania side of things. And as a little girl observing my mom saying that she could do everything and anything. However, not. Actually being able to do everything and anything that sparked in me, this curiosity to imagine the possibilities that were available to me, someone who's healthy from a mental health perspective and someone who was and still is a nerd, and I love learning and schooling.

[00:02:06] Melissa Llarena: school, and I'm very much into achievement So I paired this idea that, wow, okay, my mom says she's going to be a doctor, but then she practically is not able to. But what if I wanted to be, I never wanted to be a doctor by the way, though, cause I'm afraid of blood and bones. But what if I wanted to be.

[00:02:24] Melissa Llarena: Supreme Court justice, who's thinking small these days, not me. and so that was an ambition. And so for me, it was a survival mechanism at first because I was raised in a 650 square foot apartment. I had half the living room as my bedroom and I really had to get, in my mind to imagine myself in a completely different life experience, traveling to different countries, maybe becoming, an ad agency owner, which was sparked by a TV show that I would watch all the time, who's the boss. So for me, imagination, that's how it began. 

[00:03:02] Jen Rogers: What if. You could do the very thing you set out to do. What if. Your fertile imagination could turn what you've been dreaming about into what you live? Perhaps you felt like for too long, you've been forcing square pegs into round holes. 

[00:03:23] Jen Rogers: As I mentioned on Monday's episode, you might be like Melissa, where you've placed 300, one hour calls with zero. Yes. Zero sales. In today's episode number 235 of Time to Simplify, you'll walk away with fertilizer, your own spark for your imagination as it comes to light. 

[00:03:45] Jen Rogers: when you consider whether this is the right time for you to pivot. Listen, even if it's not, that is totally cool because when you know, for sure this is the direction to move in in what comes next for your business. You carry yourself differently. You experienced renewed purpose, focus, and your energy level is so much higher. You're spurned to greatness with each micro action. 

[00:04:13] Jen Rogers: Step you take. And, you know, we love micro action steps around here. Join me in welcoming Melissa Llarena to Time to Simplify. She's the founder of fertile imagination to networking success. She's a business strategist, a boy mom, a mom of twins, a wellness junkie. A best-selling author and a fellow podcaster. I know when you reach the end of today's episode, you will walk away with clarity about the steps you're taking right now in your business. 

[00:04:47] Jen Rogers: And that's exactly what we need to keep moving forward. And you know, that you know, that, you know, the only way to get clear on whether or not this is the right next thing is to take. Action. 

[00:05:02] Jen Rogers: Which is exactly why this podcast is here for you because running your own business, this takes a lot of chops sister friend. 

[00:05:10] Jen Rogers: It absolutely does. And we need to spur each other on, we need to encourage fertile imagination. We need to collaborate together. We need to consider and reconsider and then decide. And again, we decide through taking these small mini action steps. Hey there I am your host, Jen Rogers Rogers. I absolutely know that. 

[00:05:33] Jen Rogers: I know that I know that podcasting is my jam. I am 100%. Certain I am not pivoting from podcasting.

[00:05:42] Jen Rogers: Like Melissa, I have a passion for serving you the Christian women entrepreneur, to build your business. or launch your podcast successfully. 

[00:05:53] Jen Rogers: If you're just starting out or you're wondering what are your next best steps, I invite you to head on over to www.CoachJenRogers.com/VIPcoach. Let's get started on creating and imagining your own personalized 90 day sprint together.

[00:06:12] Jen Rogers: Just like there's no business like your business. There's no creative individual sprint. Like your sprint.

[00:06:20] Jen Rogers: P S if you are wondering if a sprint is right for you, I have someone standing right next to me is I'm recording this episode. Who wants to give me a shout out, meet my grandson, James. James, why should they join a 90-day sprint with me? 

James Lansford: Because my grandmother, is an amazing woman. And grandmother. The reason you should take this 90-day sprint is because we want you to grow in your imagination, but especially your imagination in the Lord, in the Bible. And all of that biblical stuff. But most of all, because your imagination helps you see things that you wouldn't usually see. 

[00:07:03] Jen Rogers: Oh, that's really great, James. Thanks so much. 

James Lansford: You're welcome. 

[00:07:04] James Lansford: Okay. Let's get started with today's episode. Can't wait to see how you learned about creative imagination and hope you have a great time with my Gigi, Jen Rogers.

[00:07:16] Jen Rogers: think about The last week, what's the very first thing that comes to mind?

[00:07:21] Melissa Llarena: Emails, to be honest, as I'm preparing for a big campaign and, yeah, it's just been back to back to back. So that's the first thought that comes to mind as a business owner. 

[00:07:33] Jen Rogers: And how do you feel about those emails that popped into your head right away? 

[00:07:37] Melissa Llarena: I feel better now because a lot of them are already, in the right systems and in place, and it's just like a labyrinth for me.

[00:07:45] Melissa Llarena: And I think a lot of people that, have a business, it just feels very tangly. so you want to iron it out, which is not the right metaphor to go with tangly, but you want to iron it out and you want to be sure that things are smooth and flowing so that this way when you have to perform, you could perform.

[00:08:01] Jen Rogers: That's good. that's an uncommon description. 

[00:08:04] Melissa Llarena: Yeah. It's like the knot in the back of your head. You know, the one that's hard to get out that you just have to use a scissor for eventually. 

[00:08:11] Melissa Llarena: I have very curly hair, so that's very common for me. 

[00:08:14] Jen Rogers: Got it. Got it. 

[00:08:15] Melissa Llarena: Got it. 

[00:08:16] Jen Rogers: So let's talk about this email campaign for a moment. How do you start? With the end in mind, so you don't have so many snarls to untangle. 

[00:08:25] Melissa Llarena: for me, I would say, so it's been 13 years in the making. I can't say that, when I began, I was thinking this forward, but for me, what's really important is something super tactical and, I want them to be.

[00:08:40] Melissa Llarena: Opened. So no matter what I say on the inside, it's must open, please. I'm important. And I'm not like your typical Macy's email that I always have a sale on Wednesday. It's that's the thought that pops into my mind. It's okay, I am legitimately a mother who is typing out these emails in my kid's bedroom.

[00:09:03] Melissa Llarena: As an example today, and I honestly want to help you. And so with that thought in mind that I want the emails to be opened and to stand out versus a typical, and I'm just a New Yorker and that's why I said Macy's, I could have said Dillard's or insert any department store that I'm not that, having that thought makes me then imagine, okay.

[00:09:26] Melissa Llarena: How can I tell the story in this email so that it's entertaining? Maybe the person listening on the other side is like, okay, Melissa is so wacky. I will definitely open up her next email and next email. And then of course it's just, pounding the keyboard and just putting it out there.

[00:09:44] Melissa Llarena: And now with the beautiful magic of chat, GPT, 

[00:09:48] Melissa Llarena: Chat GPT can now help me, make everything that I put together more succinct. And if I am having a tone that's annoyed or whatever, even take out that tone for me. I've done all these things.

[00:10:03] Melissa Llarena: and yeah, end in mind, it's I want this to be opened at minimum. I want this to be entertaining and at maximum, I want them to click the blue hyperlink. This is the ambition. 

[00:10:15] Jen Rogers: It's really important that we start with the end in mind. Okay. So you're launching, which means that it's like.

[00:10:21] Jen Rogers: birthing a baby. There's a lot of prep work that goes into it. And you and I, we have creative minds and we definitely want to spur people to open our stuff because we do want to help. And I know one of your passions is using your imagination. So talk to me about what imagination means to you.

[00:10:42] Melissa Llarena: Imagination to me is like a survival mechanism, when I was raised as a little girl, I was the daughter or am the daughter of a mom who was a single mom who has manic depression. And what you may not know about this mental illness is that someone with this diagnosis is able to imagine themselves being like superheroes, becoming the president.

[00:11:10] Melissa Llarena: It's like in the mania side of things. And as a little girl observing my mom saying that she could do everything and anything. However, not. Actually being able to do everything and anything that sparked in me, this curiosity to imagine the possibilities that were available to me, someone who's healthy from a mental health perspective and someone who was and still is a nerd, and I love learning and schooling.

[00:11:41] Melissa Llarena: school, and I'm very much into achievement So I paired this idea that, wow, okay, my mom says she's going to be a doctor, but then she practically is not able to. But what if I wanted to be, I never wanted to be a doctor by the way, though, cause I'm afraid of blood and bones. But what if I wanted to be.

[00:11:59] Melissa Llarena: Supreme Court justice, who's thinking small these days, not me. and so that was an ambition. And so for me, it was a survival mechanism at first because I was raised in a 650 square foot apartment. And so for me, I had half the living room as my bedroom and I really had to get, in my mind.

[00:12:19] Melissa Llarena: To imagine myself in a completely different life experience, traveling to different countries, maybe becoming, an ad agency owner, which was sparked by a TV show that I would watch all the time, who's the boss. So for me, imagination, that's how it began. And ultimately when I went to university or college, I started applying it for other things.

[00:12:46] Melissa Llarena: For example, I remember, being a student leader and I wanted to bring in six time Grammy award winner, Jose Feliciano. He sang Feliz Navidad again, no tall order, but yes, I am big on imagining and visualizing and making things happen. And I wanted to bring him in to be a speaker for one of the student organizations that I was in.

[00:13:08] Melissa Llarena: no one could have imagined that I would have made it happen. And I figured out how to make it happen. And it was very hard to come, for him to go from Greenwich to New York city, but it was a Testament to me that if I really desire something. If there's this pull inside of me that I will do what it takes to execute on that vision.

[00:13:30] Melissa Llarena: So imagination is not just survival. It's also to thrive. And it's also something that is not just, it's unlimited. It should not just be in your mind's eye. You have to then execute on this vision. And when it comes to being a mom. In terms of the book I wrote, Fertile Imagination, that's who it's for, what was important was that a fertile imagination, which is different than just a regular imagination, is one that can imagine or have a vision of doing something, accomplishing something that she has never seen another mom do or accomplish in the past. you have to carve out your new pathway.

[00:14:14] Melissa Llarena: And the way that it begins is by really just, reawakening your imagination, because a lot of us, especially if we're parents,someone's sleeping and, and that's what it tends to be our imagination, not us. So that's the beginning of that process. 

[00:14:29] Jen Rogers: When you think about dreams that you had as a kid, and you thought for sure, You were closing in on a gap, and then it didn't happen.

[00:14:38] Jen Rogers: Can you think about a time and share a little bit about that experience? 

[00:14:41] Melissa Llarena: Let's see, a time that a dream when I was a little girl didn't actually happen. That's a great question, because Something that my mom told me was that I am one of the few people that has goals and actually accomplishes them. So for me, when I was about 12 years old, my dad, actually went to Australia for two weeks and I was so jealous.

[00:15:11] Melissa Llarena: the thought of going to Australia was I was enamored with it. For me, it was wow, going to another country. Cause I was very used to going and traveling domestically to be with my respective grandmothers in, 110 degrees weather. Humidity and no air conditioning scenarios.

[00:15:29] Melissa Llarena: So for me, Australia was like the best. I was like, wow, that would be amazing. International net didn't go. And so that was really disappointing. But then,as God would have it, when I was already a mom, had three boys, my family and I relocated to Australia for three and a half years, which certainly beat

[00:15:50] Melissa Llarena: two weeks of a vacation. Yeah. But at the time I didn't know that. Like when I was 12, I was just so just jealous. I was like, Oh man. Cause one of my little sisters did get to go, but I didn't get to go. So that was a bummer. 

[00:16:06] Jen Rogers: Yeah. So when you reflect on that time, that three and a half years that you spent in Australia.

[00:16:10] Jen Rogers: What did you learn about yourself and your entrepreneurial imagination? 

[00:16:16] Melissa Llarena: Australia for me was a time frame where, it happened during the pandemic. So it was very unique of a moment. I would say, what I did realize about myself entrepreneurially is that I am very resilient. In terms of my actual business decisions, too.

[00:16:37] Melissa Llarena: So during the pandemic, there was this like sprint, is what I'll call it today, where I was having all these sales conversations with people and it was before my pivot. So I pivoted during the pandemic. First, I was coaching marketing executives, and then I've pivoted to coach mom founders on the art of networking so that we can make it work for us.

[00:17:01] Melissa Llarena: And ultimately I was pitching people and I was on like 300 sales calls and I got rejection after rejection, add to that, the fact that I was in Australia and a lot of these calls were folks in the United States who I felt. Based on my experience, we're experiencing the pandemic in a way that was a lot more extreme than we were experiencing in Australia for various reasons, geographically, we were so far away.

[00:17:32] Melissa Llarena: And of course the population in Australia is much smaller than the United States. And there's other reasons, I realized. In that moment when I was, 300 sales rejections in, I realized that, okay, something must be off here. maybe I am intended to support someone else because it just felt so harsh for me.

[00:17:58] Melissa Llarena: And it also felt like it must be God, right? Because if you think about it, as everyone does, who's reading the Bible and such,like some doors that he wants open, they're going to be open no matter what. And then of course, doors that he wants closed shall never be opened by a human.

[00:18:14] Melissa Llarena: and I felt like if that was not a sign, 300 conversations in one hour long sales conversations, then I don't know what it is. So in that moment. I was in Australia and I realized, okay, I'm going to get up again. However, I need to look a different direction.

[00:18:33] Melissa Llarena: that was the beginning of who will I now support? Who does God want me to support? And also might there be another way for me to start, that pivot? And that was when I made that really hard decision to write for moms specifically, that was a tough choice for me.

[00:18:51] Jen Rogers: Let's dive into that, because you said 300 sales calls, so that's at least 300 minutes. Plus a whole bunch more, right? And so you think about time and you think about the energy, you think about the mental prep, you think about the technology, you think about having to make the kids be quiet, you think about the time zone difference between Australia and the United States.

[00:19:13] Jen Rogers: So you were working your tail off for 300 no's. 

[00:19:17] Melissa Llarena: Yeah, pretty much. 

[00:19:18] Jen Rogers: Yeah, past the tissue box, right? If you're crying now, it's okay, because that's really harsh. 300 no's. When I reflect on my personal journey, In business, I was ministering to stepmoms, and that's what I geared all my things towards, and it was so freaking hard.

[00:19:41] Jen Rogers: And I remember getting a message in prayer and in coaching that, I had the sense that my business was going to go 70, 30, because I really want to work with entrepreneurs, which is what I do now. So I experienced a pivot and I want to dive in here because our pivot experiences and reasonings were different.

[00:20:00] Jen Rogers: Yet, I bet there's some similar things we landed on. if you're listening and you're considering a pivot right now. Yeah. Maybe you and I could brainstorm three things to consider if it's time to pivot your business. I realize this is not at all what we had planned on talking about, but I want to go where the conversation is leading.

[00:20:21] Jen Rogers: Are you okay to be a rebel in three? Let's, let's see what we can brainstorm for three signs that it may be time. To pivot. 

[00:20:30] Melissa Llarena: Yeah. I think, one, one sign is just that you don't have it in you anymore. it's so simple. Just like that. You, it's like I remember, for example, sitting again, back to email again, that's top of mind for me.

[00:20:44] Melissa Llarena: but I remember sitting down, looking at my laptop and saying to myself, if I have to write another. Email, okay, about how to market yourself to some sort of fortune 500 organization and tell people that they must do a, B or C. I am going to scream like straight up, like at that point I had, cause I've been 13 years with my business.

[00:21:09] Melissa Llarena: So at that point, I don't know if I was 10 years in, but a decade, that's pretty, pretty, respectful. And I write a lot of those notes out. And so for me, I didn't have it in me. And I think that some people might call that burnout. you might say, I feel burnt out. Or I feel like,what's that saying in terms of a candlestick and burning on both ends?

[00:21:34] Jen Rogers: Yeah. You burn the candlestick on both ends. Yeah. 

[00:21:36] Melissa Llarena: Yeah. and for me, I just didn't have it in me that, that was one sign and it wasn't like I didn't have it in me because I didn't sleep one evening or not even when I was a mom of my identical twins that first year where I decided to nurse them exclusively.

[00:21:53] Melissa Llarena: I didn't have a lot in me at that point, but, I was still able to care. About my business, so I knew it wasn't that and sometimes it's subtle, but one tip, one glaring thing for me was just didn't have it in me didn't 

[00:22:13] Jen Rogers: I appreciate that you went to the, it wasn't just a one moment. Oh, my gosh, I quit.

[00:22:19] Jen Rogers: Because if you're an entrepreneur, you have said I quit way more than 300 times. Way more than 300 times. So let's normalize that. It's normal to say, I quit. I want to throw in the towel. But this energy thing, I think knowing what jazzes your soul and what really revs you up, it's important to be able to identify, yeah, this is an outpouring of what's inside of me.

[00:22:42] Jen Rogers: And when it doesn't feel like that anymore, it's time to begin to ask yourself the question, Yeah. Is this really the direction that God wants to keep me in? So it's not a simple decision, it's not a fast decision. Although the day you make it, it might feel fast, Oh, right, I realize. But it's taken some time, so we want to encourage you to take a little bit of time, but recognize what's happening with your energy level.

[00:23:05] Jen Rogers: Is your energy level and your joy aligned with all those emails that you're typing out? That's a pretty good one off the cuff. That's a good one. Okay. So we have two more to go. What? You got another one? 

[00:23:16] Melissa Llarena: Yeah. that's what happens when you interview a fellow podcaster, yeah, I could just whip one out.

[00:23:22] Jen Rogers: Let me 

[00:23:23] Melissa Llarena: think about this. Okay. The second tip in terms of knowing that, it might be time to pivot. it's really the market I would say. So if the market is telling you, I don't. Want what you have to sell. I actually am curious about this other thing that might be a hint that maybe what you're trying to sell is not actually your greatest gift.

[00:23:51] Melissa Llarena: for me, it's so interesting because I lean heavy on my analytical skills and I have very light analytical skills. Let me just add, I do have my MBA. However, on a spectrum, I cannot say. Say I am this like quant savant, but let's just go with it. My analytical skills in this scenario, we're talking about business strategy skills.

[00:24:14] Melissa Llarena: So I lean on the fact that I have these like core business skills from reputable organizations, and I have those credentials and my assumption, going into my business was I can only get paid for teaching people how to build their business using those, fancy schmancy MBA analytical skills. That was my assumption going into this whole thing 13 years ago, and What turned out to be the case was that while I was talking to people about, how to position themselves and how to market themselves to, land these opportunities or create their own opportunities, what they were most curious about me was soooo personal! I would be asked things like, how do you do it, Melissa? You have three kids and you have a business and you did this and that and the other.

[00:25:12] Melissa Llarena: So how do you do it? How do you have the courage? For example, on my podcast, I interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk and this one very analytical guy who actually went to my business school was my client at the time. And he asked me, he didn't ask me how I got Gary Vaynerchuk. He asked me, how did you have so much confidence to ask him questions and be in his presence?

[00:25:34] Melissa Llarena: and it was so interesting to hear that people were more curious about a, how I was able to be a mom with a business and then B,, how is it that I have this courage inside of me? And those are quote unquote, softer skills, which by the way, you need at the very top at big organizations. And I know that because we did the fancy business school stuff, but.

[00:25:58] Melissa Llarena: I didn't see the value in them until the market started telling me, Hey, but what's this? But what about that? So the second point is that one, how do you know it's time to pivot? it's time to pivot, or at least start thinking about different things when you're talking to someone and they're asking you questions about.

[00:26:19] Melissa Llarena: Maybe other categories of your life or other experiences that are not as logically tied to what you're trying to sell to them or talk to them about, or present yourself as an expert in. 

[00:26:32] Jen Rogers: That's really good. So this is a great time for you to press pause on this episode. And write down some of those questions without thinking about it, what questions are people asking you?

[00:26:42] Jen Rogers: Write those down and you can come back to those a little bit later on. So we've covered whether or not it might be time for you to pivot your energy level and what the market is telling you. And as my fellow podcaster and savvy business savant, We know we have one more. What do you got? 

[00:26:59] Melissa Llarena: let's see.

[00:27:00] Melissa Llarena: So we got the jazz, the joy that was the first one in terms of the energy. The second one is the market. The third one is curiosity. Like when you look at your receipts, this is the most practical and most boring. So you've got two options here. You could either look at the receipts for the things that you purchase or invest in, and just do this from a, huh, I tend to spend a lot of money in wellness, or I tend to spend a lot of money in musical instruments or a particular hobby or a particular, thing.

[00:27:37] Melissa Llarena: Or here's a second like sneaky place you can poke around and it's your google recent searches So if you find yourself, really like down that path of I really want to understand, Health and wellness or nutrition or I really want to understand how to meditate Whatever it is for you, if you Invest your money in something and it's really interesting to you, right?

[00:28:03] Melissa Llarena: It could be a different, sector or whatever it might be, or if you spend your time, your discretionary time, not that we have that much of it, but when we do in, poking around another sort of topic or area, then that might be a sign that maybe you should explore that option, this option, this new option as a potential.

[00:28:25] Melissa Llarena: Pivot endpoint, the first two were a little bit more about people telling you, or not even just people telling you, but the first two might be a little bit more like opening yourself up and listening to outside stuff. And this one might be more like, just What are you naturally drawn to?

[00:28:43] Melissa Llarena: So it's curiosity. I think, curiosity, I could be having the most buzzing business on the planet. However, if my business has been, in one category, but then all of a sudden I'm really excited about AI. there's just something about it that fascinates me or helps me. Maybe that is something that you need to really explore and go towards.

[00:29:07] Melissa Llarena: So curiosity, it's just that curiosity and with proof. So I'm legitimately saying, go to your credit card receipts and really see where you invest money. Cause that tells you about, your values and your priorities. And if not go to Google search, and that tells you about your curiosities and that's data like that straight up data.

[00:29:29] Melissa Llarena: Yeah. 

[00:29:30] Jen Rogers: That's really good. I thought you were going to send me to my financial statements and look and see how my business was doing financially. And if it wasn't doing so well to consider. So I love that you didn't go there, 

[00:29:41] 

[00:29:41] Melissa Llarena: and it's, you know, where he got that from Jen Rogers. for as much as I'm off the cuff, part of it is also the fact that

[00:29:47] Melissa Llarena: when I was a coach to marketing executives, they always wanted to know, Oh, I don't know what my next step should be. I don't want to be a, whatever it is that they were, brand director, I might want to do something else. And then I would just have them go and do these self assessments. And then I would come up with these concepts.

[00:30:05] Melissa Llarena: It's you can't, I guess you can't lie about your Google searches. But it's data, it's tangible stuff that, just puts you in a place where you can't deny it, You can just say no, I tend to really like gardening, I'm constantly looking up the tools and all of that.

[00:30:21] Melissa Llarena: And so that might be one place you go. 

[00:30:24] 

[00:30:24] Jen Rogers: we've got these three Areas where we can explore when we're deciding whether or not it's time for us to pivot. you may not have the answer by the end of this episode. You might, I don't know.what do you think we could recommend for women to do next?

[00:30:39] Jen Rogers: let's say they go through these three points and they explore them with a spirit of curiosity. My carryover word from 2023. Thank you very much. And they get to the point where they're at this decision point, how do you help your clients move forward with a major decision? 

[00:30:57] 

[00:30:57] Melissa Llarena: it's funny because right now I'm applying the same question to everything that I'm doing.

[00:31:04] Melissa Llarena: And so for me, I asked myself before what I perceive to be a life changing, oh my goodness, everything's going to change decision. I always ask myself, okay. What if this were easy, just what if this were easy? What if all of a sudden my credit card receipts point me in the direction that I spend a lot of money at the gym, which I personally do, or I spend a lot of money in, organic food markets or whatever, 

[00:31:33] Melissa Llarena: Great. So now we have that information. So then I think to myself, okay, I have a business that has a group coaching program for mom founders. What if it were easy and I could actually find a way to infuse living a healthier lifestyle, which gives you a lot of energy. Which you need for a big business 

[00:31:53] Melissa Llarena: So you don't have to burn your entire life down in a second. It's really about, finding one baby step forward and one that. you could kind of undo if it doesn't feel right, but I do suggest actually taking one step forward, just one baby step, and it could be as simple as this; literally, if you have a partner in your house, you could literally turn over to your partner and say, I really want to write a book.

[00:32:24] Melissa Llarena: That's what I did when I was in Australia, I was sitting on a futon. This was so unglamorous. And I told my husband, I said, I really want to write a book.and it's it was in my mind and it came out of my mouth. And I told someone that I respect and who respects me and my writing abilities, and that gave me the confidence to then be open to what the next step might be.

[00:32:52] Melissa Llarena: So it could be literally. Any one of the five senses, however, you might want to think about it. So you could even write, you could even write a song if you want about this new concept.but get it out from your head, put it out there. if it's doing some sort of secret, like substack or something, or you just give yourself a fake name and be like, I will now do this.

[00:33:16] Melissa Llarena: Or I will now write about that, whatever it is. Yeah. Step one is okay, now let me do something that takes this from the inside of me to the outside. And what if it were easy? What if it were as simple as buying myself sneakers for runners, even though I don't run, but I want to go to the gym.

[00:33:36] Melissa Llarena: it could be that simple. a lot of people I have noticed, they want to do 87 things on January 1st. And then they do zero things, by March 1st or whatever. I believe for me personally, that today could be my January 1st. Like I just declare it.

[00:33:54] Melissa Llarena: I actually don't care if it's a Wednesday or Thursday or 2 PM or whatever. For me, it's you know what? Today's my January 1st and I'm going to go ahead and execute on whatever idea I would have waited for January 1st to come today. And treat it like a new year and a new day, but tiny steps as soon as humanly possible.

[00:34:17] Melissa Llarena: and yeah, create your own celebratory day, 

[00:34:20] Jen Rogers: I love it. So if you find yourself stuck in a hallway with Jen Rogers and Melissa, you're not getting out with declaring an action step. We did not know how much we had in common, and she may not know this right now, but these are many of the things that she's shared.

[00:34:35] Jen Rogers: I am all on board for, in fact, when I give talks, I often invite people when you walk out that door, I want you to think and say to yourself that one thing you're going to do in the next 24 hours to make this thing move forward because we do want to do 87 different things there. We do want to wait for January 1st.

[00:34:53] Jen Rogers: I think that's the absolute worst date that you could do anything new because that's the world's way. It's not God's way, that's the world's way. The world says January 1st, this is what we do. Now, but what is God calling you to? What is he asking you to do in your business? Maybe he is asking you to pivot.

[00:35:09] Jen Rogers: Maybe he's not. Maybe you're just experiencing some resistance because you're in the middle of the hard right now. The messy middle, as Robin Sharma calls it. and it's a tough place to be, but it's glorious at the end. It really is glorious when you get over that hurdle that you're currently experiencing.

[00:35:26] Jen Rogers: And if that hurdle is, do I pivot? It's okay. I want you to embrace it and acknowledge it and say, okay, I am considering a pivot and that's okay. I'm not making any other decision than accepting it and see that is actually making a decision. That is taking one action step towards pivoting or not pivoting because you need a decision.

[00:35:47] Jen Rogers: I'm working with a client right now who's that kind of maybe well, what if I do this and what if I do that and I don't know I need a little bit more time to think about it and I'm thinking, No, you don't. Because the more time you take, the more unbelief you create. You invite unbelief in when you delay decision making.

[00:36:05] Jen Rogers: your mission today, if you choose to accept it, is to decide what is your one next thing that you're going to do. And even if you hadn't considered pivoting before right now, I invite you to make a declaration that I know I'm not pivoting. I'm moving forward because this is where my energy comes from.

[00:36:20] Jen Rogers: This is how the market is responding to me. And I'm still curious about what I'm doing and I'm going to keep moving forward. 

[00:36:27] Melissa Llarena: Excellent. Well said. Nice little tie up there. Amazing. what you said, Jen Rogers, is spot on. one client of mine had 30 years of experience in a particular topic working at, a university tenure track and I believe actually already tenured, she still didn't feel ready to call herself a thought leader in terms of having her own business on the side.

[00:36:52] Melissa Llarena: 30 years or 30 seconds, does it really make a difference? I don't think so. 

[00:36:56] Jen Rogers: I don't think so. And this is why you need a coach. This is exactly why you need to hire someone. 

[00:37:02] Jen Rogers: The illustration I'm going to use is that I am outside of the car and I can see a whole bunch of stuff. And you're inside the car and you cannot see all the genius that I can see about what you're capable of. And that's why you need to hire a coach. if you have not imagined that before, we invite you to be curious and imagine what it could be like, how much faster you can move forward with clarity when you decide to take action, when you decide to work with someone who's all for you, who is mission oriented, who loves the Lord and wants to support you in your mission.

[00:37:35] Jen Rogers: Melissa, where can people find you? 

[00:37:38] Melissa Llarena: Absolutely. Fertileideas. com is my one stop place. You will absolutely enjoy a free chapter of my book, Fertile Imagination, right there on my website. And I am so excited to support anyone that's on an entrepreneurial journey and who really wants to be successful.

[00:37:57] Melissa Llarena: To, focus on things outside of social media and these emails that we have roaming around our lives. And the way I apply my imagination and help my clients is really helping you build profitable relationships so that this way you can base your business and grow your business on your terms through the power of genuine connections and also just, skipping gatekeepers and all that jazz.

[00:38:22] Jen Rogers: I like it. I like it. Because, some of those gatekeepers create a lot of havoc in your life. 

[00:38:26] Melissa Llarena: Yeah, a lot of time, is spent trying to navigate, gatekeepers. And so that's why my podcast, I skipped them all. And I've been able to land amazing humans on my podcast.

[00:38:36] Jen Rogers: I love it. I love it. the links that you've referred to, we'll definitely put those in the show notes. And if nothing else, that is one thing you can do is grab that first chapter of the book. Thanks so much for joining us. I loved having you on the show today. 

[00:38:49] Melissa Llarena: Thank you, Jen Rogers. Have an awesome one. 

[00:38:51] ​

[00:38:51] Jen Rogers: Hey there. Thanks so much for joining me today on today's episode, if you'd like to connect with Melissa, be sure you check out the links in the show notes. If you're looking for your next best step. A 90 day sprint may be just right for you. 

[00:39:10] Jen Rogers: Be sure you head on over to www.CoachJenRogers.com/VIPcoach  . All right, that's going to do it for today. I will catch you in the next episode.