She Did It Her Way

Latest Episodes:

SDH 037: Anything But Average with Yvonne Lyngaas Oct 05, 2015

Show notes

In 2009, Yvonne Lyngaas started her own creative merchandising firm, Monarch & Company, in Chicago. Monarch & Company gives companies the opportunity to express who they are, and develop emotional connections with their audience through personalized products and apparel. With only 18 months of experience in her field, and no business plan, Yvonne’s determination guided her to make her vision come true and the path she followed was anything but average...

Extraordinary Topics With Yvonne
-Recognizing that your mind is a powerful tool
-How her vision has changed from when she was 24, to now at 31
-Realizing the job she wanted because of the adrenaline rush behind it

Leaving a job that made her unhappy & starting her own company in her parents’ basement
-The value of having the support of family & friends
-Why she thinks being average is “gross”
-How to not think of your employees as tools, but as people
Rare Reactions Quoted:
“I don’t think I have a great story... I did not have this huge plan of what I wanted to do. There are a couple of things I did have and I carry them with me... I had a vision and determination.”

“Growing up it was engraved in me that you can be anything you want as long as you set your mind to it. Your mind is a very powerful tool and you are a very important person, and you are different than everybody else.”

“The word comfortable makes me uncomfortable.”

“If you are not always looking for change, embracing change, challenging things, and asking questions, you are doing yourself a disservice in life.”

“Own the fact that you are unhappy. Identify the things that are making you unhappy, and write down things that will make you happier. Put those in front of your face everyday, whether it is when you are brushing your teeth, or after you get home, to remember what you are working towards. ”

“If you could surround yourself with a network of people that genuinely care about you, and you care about them, I think you can find the answers to some of the things you are looking for.”

“I didn’t have a plan. I have written so many business plans,70+ pages long,and when I started this, it all went out the window. Because to me, it was more about how ‘I will figure it out’ and I have.”

“It is really easy to just look at your employees as tools, and the second you start to think that, you have to take a step back and bring everyone in as people again.”

“I always used to worry about what other people were thinking. But, I pushed that aside and focused on growing and what was good for Monarch. The other people that think like that will gravitate towards me, and that is what happened.”

“You probably will fail, but you look back to those situations and say ‘I am doing more than everybody else.’ For me, it goes back to being average. There is something that grosses me out about that.”

[Connect with Yvonne: Twitter (@monarchandco), Instagram (@monarchandco) Website(Monarch & Company) Monarch & Company Blog]
RESOURCES:
Google Drive
La Colombe Coffee Roasters
iCal
Simon Sinek
The Everygirl
Day Designer

SDH 036: Filling in the Blanks with Liz Lidgett Sep 28, 2015

Show notes

Liz Lidgett has had a passion for art ever since she received her first art lessons for Christmas around age 5. Although her love for art was incorporated in her corporate job for the Department of Cultural Affairs for the state of Iowa, her entrepreneurial tendencies - passed down from her parents - left her craving more. She started her own business called Liz Lidgett Fine Art, which expanded to an even larger audience online as Adore Your Walls. Today, Liz is able to help a variety of people, with varying budgets, finally fill that blank wall that has been bothering them forever with a piece that is uniquely molded to fit their personalities.
Liz’s Pallet
-Transforming her passion for art into a career
-How she expanded her first business in order to reach a broader community online
-The advantage of using technology, like Kickstarter, that helped build Adore Your Walls
-Building relationships with other businesses, like ugallery, to develop mutual benefits
-Staying on task in your corporate job, while also planning your own business
-Knowing the risks, but taking a leap into your business anyway
-Strategies to pursue your ideas, while still working in a corporate job
-Tools like day designer, and goal setting post-its that keep Liz on track
Colorful Quotes:
“You are using art as a way to see the world in a different way, [...] It’s a really interesting way to problem solve.”

“After a year in the corporate space, I decided that being in a desk job really wasn’t the path that I wanted to take.”

“A lot of people would probably put a lot more time in between the initial idea and the launch than I do. When I started Liz Lidgett Fine Art it was like 2 months later that I knew I was doing Adore Your Walls and quit my job.”

“I thought ‘I am not crazy wealthy; how am I going to build this website?’ I started to launch a kickstarter and use that to test if there was a need for it, and if people were excited about it, and then it would just help me create the site.”

“I really think that if you have enough people talking to you about your ideas, their unique perspective and vantage point will lead you to that next thing.”

“Be okay with failure.. I fail at least 3 times on a daily basis, but it just doesn’t get me sidetracked, and I keep going.”

“You are going to be told no so many times, but after 72 no’s you will be told yes. And, that will be the most incredible moment, because it will make your idea viable.”

[Connect with Liz: Twitter (@LizLidgett), Instagram (@lizlidgett & @adoreyourwalls) Website: Adore Your Walls, & Liz Lidgett]
RESOURCES:
South By SouthWest
Kickstarter
ugallery
The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz
The Everygirl
Day Designer

SDH 035: Bold is the New Black with Lauren McKeague Sep 20, 2015

Show notes

It is hard to find a job right out of college, let alone start a business, yet Lauren McKeague defied the odds. Immediately after she graduated Columbia College of Chicago in 2007, she took a leap of faith and created her own clothing company, Pink Slip Boutique. Pink Slip Boutique began as a special occasion dress boutique and blossomed into Ready To Wear, and even accessories, with a goal of dressing women for life’s most special moments. Not only is Lauren the owner, but also the buyer, and helps with the operational work. Lauren has utilized technology to expand her company online as well as use her creative ingenuity at local universities through the Pink Slip University Rep program.

TRENDSETTING TOPICS
How Lauren left the corporate world to start her own fashion boutique
The transition from a brick and mortar business to online
The technological tools that help her manage her store
Managing her business without a business degree/background
Strategies for keeping her creative ideas in check
The most amazing part of being a business owner, as well as the hardest part
What she reads to inspire creativity
BOLD QUOTES:
“I knew that corporate America was not going to be my thing and just knew what I really wanted to do.”

“I had this idea [of owning my own business], I wanted to do it; I just didn’t really think much about it. In my head there wasn’t ‘this isn’t going to work.’ I just started [my business plan] and went with it.”

“I had no idea what I was doing when I started, I was only 24 and failure really wasn’t an option. I don’t know if I was naïve; I wish I could say why I was so disconnected from the enormity of what I was doing at the time.”

“For me this is never about the money, it’s about how good I feel after I accomplish something.”

“I like to take direction from people who may not be in the field, because it brings in a new aspect.”

“I put my energy looking into [inspirational materials] that are a little more timeless, or beautiful to look at. Those are the things that inspire me more than hearing how someone else did something; I like to make my own path.”

[Connect with Lauren: Twitter (@pinkslipdresses & @LaurenMichelleM), Instagram (@pinkslipboutique), Website:Pink Slip Boutique,]
RESOURCES:
Shopify
Big Cartel
Light Speed
The Pink Slip Rep Program
The Art and Flair of Mary Blair - Mary Blair
Girl Boss - Sophia Amoruso

SDH 034: DO WHAT YOU LOVE, FULL-TIME with Kat Pummill Sep 11, 2015

Show notes

Kat is a full-time yoga instructor in Chicago and writes a health and wellness blog called the Fit Girl’s Kitchen. She is a certified holistic nutritional health coach through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and runs the wellness website, Fit Girl Wellness, offering retreats, nutritional coaching, and yoga to the world.

We Talk About:
· Kat’s transition from running global marketing for a hedge fund software company in Chicago to where she is now.
· Her experience with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and yoga teacher training
· Her “I can always go back” trick
· Changes she has noticed after making her transition
· Working in a male-driven industry
· Kat’s advice to those who don’t feel aligned with their career
· The making of Fit Girl Wellness, yoga retreats and traveling for work
· Introduction to meditation through yoga and how to develop mindfulness

Notable Quotes:

“I liked my job, I liked what I did, but I wasn’t really fulfilled.”

“It was more natural for me to write about something that I loved, that I was passionate about, and that I enjoyed.”

“I noticed that’s where my energy went, naturally, and that’s what I wanted to spend my time doing. […] How could I weave in what I love into what I’m doing full time?”

“I can’t half-ass my job and half-ass this yoga thing. That’s never going to make me successful. I need to fully commit to one or the other.”

“You can’t listen to other people’s opinions of what you’re doing, and you can’t think about how people are going to perceive you or judge you. You just have to know within yourself that this is the choice.”

“I was using things like alcohol and shopping to counterbalance the stress I was putting into my career, and now that I am more internally satisfied with what I’m doing, I don’t feel the need to do those things anymore.”

“Be comfortable with your silence and start listening to yourself.”

“Mindfully act instead of react to situations.”

“Have a positive mindset and approach things from a standpoint of ‘I have enough’, and anything beyond this is just icing on the cake.”

[Connect with Kat: Twitter (@fitgirlskitchen), Instagram (@fitgirlskitchen), Her blog: Fit Girl’s Kitchen and website: Fit Girl Wellness, email: Kat@fitgirlwellness.com]

Resources:
Fit Girl’s Kitchen
Fit Girl Wellness
Eat Real Food NYC
Deepak Chopra Podcasts
Headspace – online guided meditations
Living with Intent – Mallika Chopra
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – Deepak Chopra

SDH 033: Thinking One Step Ahead with Katy Lynch Aug 31, 2015

Show notes

Katy Lynch is the CEO of Techweek and founder of SocialKaty (now ManifestDigital) a social media marketing firm.

Techweek is a weeklong technology conference and festival that currently happens in 7 cities around the U.S. and one international city. Everything from a conference, expo, hackathon, grand tour, hiring fair – a weeklong celebration for entrepreneurs and people within the community like startup founders, VCs, press, aspiring CTOs and everything more.

We Talk About:
· Her beginning in startups – first community manager
· Starting her own company that helped other entrepreneurs get their footing with social media marketing – SocialKaty (sold to ManifestDigital)
· Building her business, adding team members, and how it was so successful
· Starting another company and the introduction of Techweek
· Growing with her business, knowing when to grow the team and put processes in place
· Favorite thing about running the company and biggest challenge
· Setting expectations with clients when writing proposals
· Transitioning from SocialKaty to Techweek
· Katy’s typical day at Techweek

Notable Quotes:
“It was really just me being incredibly scrappy and banging on the doors of entrepreneurs.”

“One of the reasons why we were so successful was because we specialized in just that one thing. – We really just did one thing and did it well.”

“As all entrepreneurs do, once you’ve started a business, and you’ve raised money for a business, and you’ve sold the business, you want to do it all over again.”

“One of my strengths was always thinking one step ahead.”

“Hiring the right people creates happy clients, but it also creates an awesome culture.”

“You have to just be really diligent about your day.”

“Trust your gut.”

“99% of the time your intuition is right. If your intuition is telling you to do something and you feel really good about that thing, do it.”

“Take more risks.”

[Connect with Katy & Techweek: Twitter (@thekatylynch, @TechweekCHI), Instagram (@techweekinc), e-mail: Katy@techweek.com]

Resources:
Google Calendar
Wunderlist.com
LinkedIn Influencers

SDH 032: Do Things That Terrify You – From Fighter Pilot to News Correspondent with Lea Gabrielle Aug 24, 2015

Show notes

Lea is a correspondent at the Fox News Channel, fills in as an anchor and comes on as a national security and aviation expert on the Business Channel and Fox News Channel. Her background is in the military starting out at the Naval Academy and on active duty for 12 years, leaving as an Officer, Lieutenant Commander. After the Naval Academy she was selected to attend Navy Flight School and flew F/A-18s for the Navy.

We Talk About:
· Lea’s background in the Navy
· Her transition from a female fighter pilot into becoming a news reporter
· What it’s like flying a F/A-18 “Hornet” aircraft
· Her scariest experience and proudest moment in flying
· Training to become an aircraft carrier pilot
· Lea’s self-talk to get through every experience
· Being a woman in such a male-dominated arena, and how to be herself
· Lea’s advice to our listeners based on her life experience so far
· How she tests herself every day and our rapid fire questions.

Notable Quotes:

“It occurred to me that journalists are essentially the ones writing tomorrow’s history, today.”

“Flying an F/A-18, there’s just really no limits. To have that much power, right there at your fingertips is just incredible.”

“If I did it, anyone can. It’s just a mindset.”

“It’s almost a matter of forgetting what to look like, forgetting who you are, and just deciding you’re going to thrust yourself into that environment.”

“It’s being able to compartmentalize – take things moment-by-moment.”

“You do a lot of things that are going to scare you, and you just have to learn to push through your fear.”

“It taught me what it’s like to be a minority – it really helped me appreciate some of the challenges that other people face as they’re going through life.”

“Eventually you figure out that life is not going to be fun unless you can be who you are.”

“Don’t be afraid of failure, in fact, if you’re not failing in life, it means you’re probably leading a mediocre life.”

You should always reach for things that are out of your reach. You should go for things that you probably can’t quite do and go for it anyway. Sometimes you’re going to fall flat on your face, but those failures teach you.

“Trust yourself. Be bold.”

“You really need to do things in life that terrify you.”

“The most fulfilling life is one where you can both trust and love.”

“Know who you are, be your best, be a good person, and don’t waste time on the haters.”

My best advice when it comes to accomplishing goals is to figure out the way other people are doing it and find a different way. Because if you’re waiting in line behind everyone else, you’re going to get there about as fast as they do.

[Connect with Lea: Twitter (@LeaFOXNews)]

Resources:
Lea’s featured articles: Marie Claire | Allure | Northern Virginia Magazine

SDH 031: Embrace the Chaos – Motherhood and Startups with Monica Royer Aug 17, 2015

Show notes

Monica is the founder of Monica + Andy, a clothing brand for children that is majorly organic. The clothing is designed in-house and they source fabrics free of lead, phthalates, and flame retardants. The company also supports other moms in business through their marketplace. They provide an in-store experience but are also heavily an e-commerce site.

We Talk About:

· The Monica + Andy brand and what it’s all about
· The new modern mom
· How Monica got inspired to create a children’s clothing brand
· Taking the leap and getting started with Monica + Andy
· Building her “mom board of advisors”
· Difficulties of starting a business and the things she loves
· Monica’s daily routine
· Our rapid fire questions!

Notable Quotes:

“If I don’t take this leap now, I’m not going to do it.”

“If I don’t love it, I don’t want to bring it to market.”

“It was really inspiration that I brought from the time with my daughter that made the brand what it was.”

“I knew that a brand was so much more than the product that you sold.”

“It’s that team that you build around you that really becomes the essence of the brand.”

“What you start off doing is not what you end up spending most of your time working on.”

“Carve out some time, somewhere, somehow, to do something for yourself.”

“There’s a lot that I don’t know, but I can find great people that do know it and just let them run with it.”

“I’ve just learned to embrace the chaos because there’s a lot of it.”

[Connect with Monica + Andy: www.monicaandandy.com, Twitter (@MonicaAndyKids), Instagram (@MonicaAndAndy)]

Resources:
Bonobo – Her Brother Andy Dunn
Azeeza Khan – Her Designer Friend

SDH 030: HOW TO NAVIGATE LIFE BY ACCEPTING MISTAKES & FAILURES with Heather Hutson Aug 10, 2015

Show notes

Heather is an executive producer at BlackSheep Productions, a company that does production management for corporate meetings, special events, trade shows and other marketing communications initiatives. Heather has seen a great amount of ups and downs throughout her career to find the dream work she is now involved in, and she has accomplished such a task by trusting in another source to lead the way. With a background in theater, Heather offers a vibrant and exciting interview full of personality to boot!

Tune in more to hear Heather's story and how she did it her way!

SDH 029: Create & Cultivate (a behind the scenes look) with Jaclyn Johnson Aug 03, 2015

Show notes

Jaclyn is a master in the digital marketing space, as well as a marketing, branding, design, fashion, and lifestyle extraordinaire. Within the past 6 years she founded and established her company (NO SUBJECT) as one of the go-to marketing and events agencies in Los Angeles and works with some very powerful brands. She was recently named 30 under 30 in Forbes Magazine for marketing and advertising and has been featured in a multitude of popular publications.

(NO SUBJECT) – The “mother brand” started almost 6 years ago – is a creatively driven marketing, events, and influencer agency working primarily with fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to do fun events, marketing campaigns, marketing brands and brokering deals.

Create & Cultivate – started 4 years ago – began as a conference partnership and has grown into a conference for female entrepreneurs in the digital space. (we dive in on this in the #pod)

On Holiday – an experiential pop-up space to work with different brands. Will be changing out the pop-up every month and launching a magazine.

Tune in more to hear Jaclyn's story and how she did it her way!

SDH 028: Setting Intentions and Making Sacrifices with Lyn Filbey Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Lyn is a Broker Associate at Baird & Warner selling luxury real estate in Chicago. She has a fascinating story on the journey she took and the hustle she maintained to get to a place she wanted to be in her life with positive self-talk, ambitions intention setting, and a lot of hard work. In this episode we dive deep with Lyn’s story on how she eased her way out of a lifestyle she knew, wasn’t what she wanted, how she made sacrifices to achieve her goals, and continues to set intentions and make it known to herself and others every single day.

We talk about:
· Her time in grad school and second thoughts on becoming a physical therapist
· Building a business then letting it go
· Writing intentions, goal setting, and visualization boards
· Her introduction into real estate, investing, and getting her license
· Going out on her own – burning the candle at both ends
· Downsizing and listening to her gut instincts
· Updating and making affirmations more objective
· How she budgeted and thought about what expenses to cut out of her lifestyle and what she needed to be successful
· Her fears around making the decision to take control of her life
· Easy steps to setting intentions

Notable Quotables:

“When I was in grad school I just knew I wasn’t where I needed to be. I could see myself being somewhere else.”

“We wrote our affirmations and very quickly saw changes happening in our lives just from writing out these goals.”

“I just knew that I was going to have my own business and I was going to be an entrepreneur, by hook or by crook.”

“All the hours I was working at the clinic was just to maintain this lifestyle. What was the point?”

“As much as those little things make you feel good, it doesn’t make you feel as good as having a good night’s rest.”

“I realized, looking back, that everything that I had done [through setting intentions] had led up to this point.”

“Taking a risk and being reckless are two very different things.”

“Every little thing that was not a necessity had to go.”

“I just knew that I had to hustle.”

“I knew that if every day I put in 100%, even if I had to walk away in 6 months and go back to doing physical therapy, at least I knew I’d given it a shot, and at least I knew I had tried. Because I did not want to live my life regretting it.”

“When you do the hard work and you’re productive every single day, it’s hard to get impatient.”

“Self-talk, positive affirmations, and putting in the work”

Intention Setting Lesson:

What is it that you want for your life? If you could have everything that you wanted to have, what would it look like? Write those goals down.

As things start to materialize you can be more specific.

Tell yourself, and tell others your intentions every day.

[Contact Lyn: LinkedIn, Facebook (Lyn Filbey Realty), Twitter (@FilbeyRealty), www.lynfilbey.bairdwarner.com]

Resources:
The Secret - Rhonda Byrne
The Power - Rhonda Byrne