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Ep. 191 - Business advice I'd give you if I wasn't afraid to hurt your feelings… Eden Strader
62 Plays11 days ago
This week on Get a Heck Yes, I’m joined by Eden Strader — a wedding photographer turned seven-figure business coach who’s on a mission to help creatives build businesses that are both wildly profitable and deeply aligned with the life they want to live.
Eden knows what it’s like to start from scratch, hustle nonstop, and sacrifice weekends — only to realize there’s a better way. By age 28, she had transformed her passion into a thriving online business that supports her lifestyle, her creativity, and her sanity. Now, she helps other photographers and creatives do the same through a mix of soul-based brand building, data-driven marketing, clear workflows, and sustainable strategies.
In this conversation, Eden gets real about what she would tell business owners if she wasn’t worried about hurting their feelings — and trust me, these truth bombs are worth hearing. We dig into:
- 🚫 Why cold-pitching strangers in the DMs without connection or personalization is the fastest way to burn bridges.
- ❌ Why following your competitor’s followers isn’t an effective marketing plan (and what to do instead).
- ✅ How the quickest path to growth is often staying in your own lane and doubling down on your unique strengths.
Beyond business strategy, Eden also opens up about her commitment to destigmatizing mental health, raising awareness about abuse, and empowering women to reclaim their power — making her work as heartfelt as it is strategic.
If you’ve been craving a business that doesn’t run you ragged, but instead fuels your creativity and freedom, this episode will feel like a deep breath.
Listen now and get ready to rethink the way you grow.
Connect with Eden https://edenstrader.com/
Connect with Carissa instagram.com/carissawoo
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
Before we dive in, huge thank you to 17 Hats for sponsoring today's episode. Use code HECKYESS for 50% off your first year. Their new features let you add photos to proposals and contracts, making it easier than ever to get that HECKYESS from your dream client.
Meet Eden Schrader: Business Growth and Enjoyment
00:00:17
Speaker
Automate your whole entire business wedding pros. So today's guest is amazing Eden Schrader. She's pulling back the curtain on the biggest mistakes that are killing your growth and and the exact shifts that will help you stand out, book dream clients, and actually enjoy running your business again.
00:00:35
Speaker
If you want more fulfillment, more fun, and yes, more money, you do not want to miss this one. And also, if you've been wanting to turn your expertise into a digital product, join my 24-hour AI challenge for just $27 and start making money in your sleep.
00:00:52
Speaker
But enjoy this episode!
Carissa's Background and Podcast Introduction
00:00:58
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all.
00:01:08
Speaker
I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:27
Speaker
Time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey.
00:01:39
Speaker
i hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesdays so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon.
00:01:49
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to Get Heck Yes. It's me, your girl, Carissa. I got a new mic, so I'm super excited. I hope I sound good. I have a very special
From Wedding Photographer to Business Coach
00:01:58
Speaker
guest today. Her name is Eden Strader, destination wedding photographer turned business coach who built seven-figure brand by 27. I'm so jealous.
00:02:08
Speaker
She helps creatives scale with clarity, sell out workshops, and design a business that supports a beautiful life outside of work. She just signed a sapphic lesbian and queer studio space in Chicago, and she is your favorite serial entrepreneur.
00:02:25
Speaker
Welcome, Eden. Oh my gosh, thank you for having me. I'm like, I'm going to listen to that intro when I'm having a bad day. That like was so sweet. Thank you. No, I told you like at the end of our podcast, when I was on your podcast, that I was just been a huge fan of yours ever since I went Evolve Workshop like over 10 years ago in Palm Springs. And everyone was just raving about you um not just your work but your spirit and your personality so it's been amazing watching you like on the gram and now in real life oh my gosh thank you that's so sweet I know I'm like it it is crazy to think about like how long it's been going on I'm like hearing a evolve I'm like oh my gosh I haven't spoken in there in so many years it's crazy
00:03:12
Speaker
Yeah, it is so crazy. It's like we're not babies anymore, right? I know. I know. I'm like 30 – I turned 30 in a couple months. I'm like, okay, new decade. Here we go. oh you are You are a baby? Never mind. I'm exactly exactly a decade older than you. so We love. not baby. Yeah.
00:03:31
Speaker
For everyone, um for my Heck Yes listeners, tell everyone a little bit about you. Yeah. So I'm
Pandemic Pivot: Queer Collective Success
00:03:38
Speaker
Eden. i started as a wedding photographer ah ah decade ago now, which is really crazy. I was living in Utah at the time. So i i have always been a lover photography. I was the child running around with my parents point and shoot. so It was a very natural evolution to become my career, and Utah is notorious for weddings. So I kind of fell into those, but I fell in love with them. And was such a beautiful part of my career, and I did that for several years. And then when the pandemic hit, I shifted little bit more into coaching and consulting, which I've done full-time.
00:04:15
Speaker
up until a couple months ago ah where i launched a sapphic collective here in Chicago. I just moved here last year from Brooklyn. And it was going to be just like a community gathering or party once a month. And it just exploded lack of a better term and like just took off at a pace that I've personally never experienced nor really even seen, ah which has been really, really wild and very different and and very fun. Even as a business coach who knows a lot about businesses and has my hands in a lot of businesses, I've never dealt with anything like this, even adjacently. So it's been a lot of learning and it's really beautiful.
00:04:59
Speaker
Wow. Okay. So it's like a space for other photographers or all all wedding pros? No. So yeah. So I started hosting events and I started kind of in the industry hosting events a couple years ago. And then really as I came into like my queerness and was building queer community, I kind of shifted that way. So The studio is a queer studio. So we really, we host like co-working hours during the day, which I'm really excited about. And we opened that this week, which is really exciting.
00:05:31
Speaker
And then it's going to become, you know, the place for us to host our craft classes and sound bath classes and things like that. And just kind of be a safe, reliable third space. That's a little bit more sober forward in Chicago.
00:05:44
Speaker
um So yes, it's a total shift from my business. I'm not you know dealing with photographers or or wedding professionals ah in the same capacity I have for like the last decade. That's been like my entire life. So it's been a really interesting shift to kind of you know put my 10-year-old business into a part-time model while this rapidly became full-time.
00:06:10
Speaker
Wow. Okay. I normally ask you about your childhood, but want to ask one more question about the studio.
Inspiration for Queer Studio and Community Needs
00:06:14
Speaker
ah Let's, let's talk up a little bit about the inspiration behind it. Like what was your aha moment? And then like, how did you begin the process and execution?
00:06:24
Speaker
Yeah. So when I started the collective called Garden of, which I think I mentioned before, but I'm like, i'll I'll say it again for the sake of clarity. But when I started Garden of, I really thought it would just be like a party once a month that we would just, you know, maybe collaborate with other business owners and bars.
00:06:41
Speaker
And the more that it exploded, the more i was like, okay, like one, we kind of need our own space. like This is happening so frequently. This is happening so consistently that you know it's probably going to be best to have our own space. And in probably about June, so the collective was about four months old, I i kind of had that moment where you're like, okay, this is so busy. We either have to quit or we have to like go in guns blazing and see and see what happens. So I'm always going to choose the latter. like i love starting businesses. i love the I mean, it's like I'm a business coach. so I always want to see what's going to happen with the business. So decided to dive in. And we right now don't have a ton of third spaces as Americans in general, but we also definitely don't have them as the queer community, especially sober forward ones. So that was really the the inspiration behind the studio is like, let's have this space where people can,
00:07:37
Speaker
gather and mingle and socialize and feel comfortable outside of their house during the day and then have a space to host things like our craft classes or sound bath classes. and Working from home post-COVID has really changed a lot of things. and I've, like I said, been self-employed for 10 years now. So And while you know it is really nice to have that flexibility and and be at home, like it does get lonely. It gets lonely. And it's eights it does start to wear on you that you like don't see people sometimes like five days a week, especially if you're... you know like
00:08:15
Speaker
Me, for example, the last several years I've lived alone. So it it was just me. And so that was another really big inspiration for the space was just like, let's get us out of our homes and let's get us around people, even if we're not even talking, we're on our computer, but just like feeling the presence of other people.
00:08:32
Speaker
feeling this presence of community in a really sober forward way. And so that was kind of an inspiration for the studio. And we can talk about it a little bit more later too, if we want to get into marketing, but I've also just been really intentional with this business in in talking with our followers and with our community and, you know, creating resources and ways of them communicating with me in a very open way on what they want to see. And I think that's a huge part of why it's exploded in the way that it has, because it it feels like the community has built it. Like it hasn't, it's not me running Garden of and me running the studio
00:09:13
Speaker
you know, ah the entire community has really had their hands in it and had their hands in building and and dreaming about it and thinking of what we want it to be. So that's been really, really powerful to its success and the formation of the studio in general.
00:09:31
Speaker
Oh, that's so good. Community is everything.
Artistic Upbringing and Personality Evolution
00:09:33
Speaker
Were you like that as a kid? Like where you did your parents instill something about community and into you? Like, um I feel like it's like, it's so young and so successful. And you created, I feel like everything you touch turns into gold. But tell me like the more of like the upbringing. I'm sure you had so much experience and other things.
00:09:52
Speaker
Yeah. i My parents very much instilled the arts in me. So my mom is an art teacher. My dad used to be a graphic designer. So we we really grew up in the arts and that that's what led me to so much of my career and so much of my passion for the arts. And while I've always had a huge passion for you know my friendships and my chosen family,
00:10:16
Speaker
I definitely used to be more introverted and that was way more powerful in my early 20s. I was married actually and in a bit of a nasty marriage and it really manifested in me being a very private closed off person.
00:10:34
Speaker
And it's it's always so funny to explain to people now. I'm like, no, I used to be like the quietest, most private person you knew. Like I used to be so quiet. I kept to myself so much. And that's really inconceivable for a lot of people now that know me because I love Yapp and I'll take yeah converse with a stranger on the sidewalk.
00:10:55
Speaker
ah But I – that's – yeah, it's it's kind of been a later in life development. I was always very friendly and obsessed with my friends as like a teenager. But i I wouldn't say I was, you know, this like huge community builder. Like I was a little bit more on the introverted side up until probably I moved to New York about four years ago. That I think was like a really big shift for me and really where I started to step into being a lot more extroverted and a lot more open about my life and myself on the internet. And that I also, I mean, I talk about it all the time on my business page, but like being a human being online and and really letting people into
00:11:40
Speaker
my being and myself and my world and my life is I think why my not I think I know that's why my businesses have have gone the way that they have is because people feel like they they know me and they're a part of it and um that's something that I've always really tried to lead with within my business over the last several years.
00:12:01
Speaker
I feel like that with your social media, it's like you're just talking to a friend. Like it's not scripted. um you do it gorgeous and you're in good light and you have cute like decor in the back. But it's very just like talking to a friend. um So I actually, yeah, listen to your stuff and I don't do that for many other people.
00:12:23
Speaker
What was it about New York that kind of changed you and like opened you up and into this new butterfly version of Eden?
New York Transformation: Identity and Community Skills
00:12:31
Speaker
Yeah. I think New York was, i think it's a very multi-purpose. I think timing wise for me personally, i I was married very young. i was Mormon.
00:12:41
Speaker
um i had met my ex-husband in high school. And so when we got divorced, we got divorced two months before the pandemic. ai And so i I still didn't get to like go out and be like a normal person and like discover who I was outside of this relationship and outside of this person. And When i moved to New York City, that really was – 25, 26. And that was the first time in my adult life I got to be on my own and, like, figure out who I was outside of this religion, outside of this relationship I had been in since high school and outside of Mormonism. Like, there was just so many changes going on. So I think timing-wise played a huge part that, like,
00:13:26
Speaker
This was my first time ever getting to like be myself and and discover who I was and what I wanted out of my life. And then the second part definitely is the city itself. like i I love New York with my whole heart. That is my favorite place I've probably ever lived.
00:13:41
Speaker
It is such a powerful city and it's definitely not for everyone to live in um i always tell people that I'm like, only move there if you're in love with that city because it it does chew you up and spit you out.
00:13:55
Speaker
But I loved that about it. I think what's really cool about New York, if you're on board with it, is that it is the reformers fire. like you You get tossed in and it's like you are going to have to figure out...
00:14:11
Speaker
who you are and what you want to do and what that looks like because otherwise it's not survivable. I think like it's it's so expensive. It's so fast-paced. There's so many things going on at all times that unless you are really on it and you are on yourself and staying in touch with yourself and in touch with your career and the way that you want that to go and you have to be extremely hardworking.
00:14:37
Speaker
um That's kind of the magic of New York. And you get to, you know, I grew up and spent the first half of my 20s in Utah. So is the only other people I was interacting with were other Mormons. Like ah there was no diversity of of thought within, you know, the first half of my 20s. And that was really powerful to move to New York and not meet a singular other person like me. Like there was just everyone is so different. Every day you're having a conversation with someone that has lived a completely different life than you.
00:15:11
Speaker
And that gave me the opportunity to learn so much about the world and in turn so much about myself and like who I wanted to be. and community. You have to build community and you have to rely on it in New York City to survive. And I think that is what really kicked off like my passion for it.
00:15:31
Speaker
Wow. You live like a thousand lives. No, literally. I'm like, I feel 70 years old.
00:15:38
Speaker
Yeah. Like you are 70 years old.
00:15:45
Speaker
I feel that like you could write a Many novels about your life. That's so interesting. um We are going to get into Hot Topic. What is your hot topic? It's a fun one today and it's so relevant to what's going on right now and like some trend right now. But what is your hot topic, Eden, and why is it so near and dear to your heart?
00:16:07
Speaker
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00:16:23
Speaker
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00:16:38
Speaker
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00:16:50
Speaker
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00:17:02
Speaker
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00:17:13
Speaker
Yes, 50% off. Go check it out. Set yourself up for a success. And big shout out to 17 Hats. I couldn't run this podcast or my life without you.
00:17:25
Speaker
All right, quick plug for myself, but this is really for you. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I'm all about helping wedding pros make passive income. That means making money while you sleep.
AI Challenge for Passive Income
00:17:38
Speaker
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00:17:53
Speaker
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00:18:05
Speaker
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00:18:17
Speaker
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00:18:30
Speaker
back to the
00:18:33
Speaker
Yeah, my hot topic right now is is kind of the trend of what I would tell you in business if I wasn't scared to hurt your
Business Advice: Genuine Interactions
00:18:42
Speaker
feelings. um That's like a really fun self time fun trend going around right now, and I have so many opinions on it.
00:18:51
Speaker
Yeah, I shouldn't do it today now that it's on my radar, but let's get into it. Yeah. so I think my first one, because I think what's been really interesting too is like I'm in the beginning stages of a business again for the first time in a very long time. yeah I started my original Eden straighter business back in 2014. So like it's, this is like very, it's a new experience to be in the beginning stages again and to also be in a business that's exploding. So my first first
00:19:25
Speaker
My first, what I would tell you if I wasn't afraid of hurting your feelings is that pitching to people in the DMs when you do not follow them nor personalize the message nor offer anything in return is one of the quickest ways to like blacklist your business.
00:19:45
Speaker
And I got this a lot. when I first started coaching and it's been very interesting to kind of watch as Garden of Socials grow grow very rapidly is i'll have people I'll have people DM me or like I used to even get it over email where they would like sometimes say like, hi, Erin, instead of hi, Eden.
00:20:05
Speaker
And I'm like, okay, so immediately whatever you're going to ask of me is not happening because like that was the easiest start was to get my name right. Or I'll get DMs that are like, hey, like i'm I'm hosting this event next week. Would you mind sharing your stories, on your stories?
00:20:23
Speaker
And then I'll like click on their page to learn more. And it's like, you don't even follow me. like We don't know each other. You don't even know my name. And you're like asking for free marketing.
00:20:33
Speaker
um Or like, yeah, just stuff like that or or not even not even like offering something in exchange. And I think that is a lost art that sometimes people miss the mark on, especially in the beginning. They they just see people that – or they see businesses that have similarities, maybe an ethos or brand type or business type.
00:20:56
Speaker
And you're like, oh, I'm sure they'll be very excited about this thing and they'll want to share it too. But in reality, the best way to ever pitch yourself to anyone is to offer something, something, like anything.
00:21:12
Speaker
um And that can be as little as saying their name correctly or like being involved in their business and following them and sharing their things and being like, oh my gosh, hey, I've been loving what you're doing. Here's some stuff that I'm doing. If it aligns with you, I'd love for you to reshare.
00:21:31
Speaker
Um, and I, I'm sure you've experienced this as well, but I'm like, it is so off-putting to get a DM from someone that I don't know, doesn't follow me, has never supported nor shared my business, has never, i don't even know. They don't even introduce themselves. And they're like, Hey, can you share this? Like, make sure to share this on your stories. And I'm like,
00:21:53
Speaker
I don't know you from Adam. Like you you can't be doing that. And that's, it's a really easy way. And this is my own personality, but like it icks me out so quickly that like, I'm probably just never going to follow you at this point.
00:22:07
Speaker
Um, or, or really engaged. I would never do that. I would, I would like feel bad asking my friends to share. Same, same, but it's crazy how much it happens.
00:22:18
Speaker
no literally it's crazy how much it happens. And then, My second thing, which like, these are all things I don't talk about that often because like they all happen behind the scenes, right? It's like not very like public facing, but I've experienced each of these things several times that I'm like, I do need to make a post talking about this is taking other people's, let's say Instagrams and following all of their followers as a marketing tactic, right?
00:22:50
Speaker
um to like if they're your competition. Like if they're your competition, they're doing something similar. You go to their followers and you start following all of their followers so that they follow you.
00:23:01
Speaker
ai I have caught people doing this multiple times throughout my career, even when I was doing photography in Utah, because my friends and family follow me. And so this happened in Chicago. Another queer collective launched like a month after I did.
00:23:19
Speaker
And the owners had been following me. And then right as they launched, they unfollowed me. And then for the next few weeks, all of my friends and family, including my like children, siblings that live in other states, were texting me screenshots of this business being like, who is this? like Why are they following me?
00:23:42
Speaker
And so it was so obvious that they had like gone through my following um to to get followers thinking it would it would grow their page. And I'm like, you're following Mormon children from Utah, babe. Like this does not help your queer collective in Chicago.
00:24:02
Speaker
and it was crazy. And it happened, it happened in Utah too. Photographers would do it. They would go through and they would follow everyone in my following list, including my family, not realizing it was my family. And that's, that's always how I flag it. Cause my friends and family will be like, what is this? Like, um, yeah. And this one, yeah, it's crazy. and like this one in particular, I DM them and i was like, Hey, like, I know you're a new business. And like,
00:24:31
Speaker
You might not know what's up yet. And I know that like in the beginning, we're all trying to like try out different marketing tactics. But like one, there's enough room for all of us. And like two, I noticed that you went through and you followed all of my followers. And I'm really uncomfortable with that. Like I'm really uncomfortable with you using my platform as a way of marketing without talking to me.
00:24:52
Speaker
and um and I like said my reasoning. I was like, hey, like I keep, you know, my family really private and I keep my friends pretty private. And I just, I wish that hadn't been breached. And they tried to be like, oh, we have no idea what you're talking about. Like, we've been following lots of people. Some must have like slipped through the cracks. And i'm like, babe, this Mormon 20 year old was not on your suggested to follow. I promise you that. Like the only way you found them was through following. So that's another thing I always tell people. i'm like, don't use other businesses
00:25:27
Speaker
success and don't use other businesses hard work to like sure it might work you did you they did garner about like 500 followers from my list and that's fine like it's gonna work but it's it's grimy and the likelihood that you're going to get caught is very high.
00:25:47
Speaker
Very, very high. <unk> I'll say one um cringy thing. I was at an event and um I sat next to this girl and then she barely like wanted to get to know me, but she was just like, hey, does this um organization have like a directory?
00:26:05
Speaker
Like that's like the only thing she wanted. um and it was just felt like um people like that I feel like they're not really going to get that far because they're trying to like cut so many corners.
00:26:17
Speaker
Like what are you going to Just like spam everyone and like use the directory as your own audience, you know? So I was just like, okay, bye. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's, I mean, that's kind of like my next, yeah, i guess like hot take is I'm like the quickest way to grow is to stay in your lane.
Networking and Individuality in Business
00:26:35
Speaker
Yes, you need to network and you need to make friends and you need to, one, it's just going to be fulfilling to get to know people in the industry and build those friendships because friendships in the industry are so important. They're going what, they're to what keeps you going and keeps you alive.
00:26:50
Speaker
um But there's no quick hack. There's no quick hack to success other than hard work and And I think especially when we get started, we we really hope there's going to be like this one thing that we can kind of use to hack the system and and get successful very quickly. But I'm like – the The thing that is going to fast track your success is like putting on your blinders and being like, how do I grow my page? How do I do this myself?
00:27:18
Speaker
What does this look like for me? Rather than being like, well, what is this person doing? Let me go like copy that or let me, you know, go follow all their followers or let me look for the directory. Like that's not, that's not going to work ever.
00:27:35
Speaker
I feel like if they go that way too, like they're not going to have longevity because it's just gonna be tiresome to just keep copying and, you know, maybe copying the next person, the next person and the next shiny object. It's just kind of like you have to know yourself and, know,
00:27:52
Speaker
you have to create in like your own way. Like even when Pinterest got really big, I didn't want to go on it because I didn't want to be like, Oh, I have to like make it look like this. It would get kind of confusing. I'm just like, go to the freaking venue and see what's pretty in your eyes.
00:28:07
Speaker
but Like look around. no so yeah So I'm just like, I don't go to like the website. Like maybe I should, but I just feel like, I'd rather just pick what I want to pick. Like you have your own vision. Like everyone, I tell like my second shooters, like, yeah, they could have ideas, but like, let me run the show because like, I have like my set things I want. So I don't want to be confused. I'm like, Oh, well we should go over there. Well, you should go over there.
00:28:34
Speaker
you know, like I just have to like trust myself. And I think after COVID and having two kids, I lost that a little. And I started like trusting some of my second shooters and like interns and,
00:28:46
Speaker
um And then like later on, I look back on the work and I'm like, I think my intuition was better.
00:28:53
Speaker
I should have just trusted myself. um Absolutely. Yeah, i totally resonate with that. Yeah. And I think like something I always have strived to do and I coach a lot of my clients to do is regardless of what business you're doing, right?
Finding Inspiration Beyond Your Niche
00:29:09
Speaker
But I started it when I was doing a wedding photographer is if you want to be inspired by something else, let's say you're feeling in a rut or you or you do you just need a surge of inspiration, try to find it outside of the niche of what you do.
00:29:23
Speaker
So if I was feeling uninspired as a wedding photographer – I was not going to look at wedding photography. I was going to look at paintings. I was going to look at fashion photography.
00:29:34
Speaker
i was going to go into, you know, an artistic magazine store and just scroll and flip through pages until I felt something. You know, I would take my point and shoot out on the subway. Like,
00:29:47
Speaker
you, if you look for inspiration within the niche that you're in, you are just going to end up copying. And that's inevitable, whether it's intentional or subconscious. And like you said, like it starts to fry your iner intuition. Like it will ruin your relationship with your intuition and you will have to spend a very long time rebuilding that relationship with your intuition if you if you fry it like that.
00:30:13
Speaker
I'm 10 years older than you, but I feel like it did take me a long time to really tap into my intuition and kind of know when – like I feel like now it's easy for me to like know my yeses and know my no's and that's like the most empowering feeling because – when you just say yes to everything, get really burnt out and like almost resentful.
00:30:36
Speaker
Um, but it does take, you know, time and experience and, um, just getting to know yourself. Um, but I wanted to ask you like, because you asked me so many good questions on your podcast, but what is it like to be like a serial entrepreneur and like, what's like your drive and your passion and like, what keeps you going every day?
00:30:56
Speaker
ah I, one I love diversity in task. I think that's something that's one, like I'm a Sagittarius for anyone into into astrology. I'm like, and it shows my my whole chart is Sagittarius and Capricorn. So I work hard, play hard.
00:31:13
Speaker
um And I also have ADHD. And when I got diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago, i it One, it made everything made sense make sense, right? Like I think receiving those diagnoses, can be extremely helpful to be like, okay, this is like why my brain is constantly trying to do 10 million things and bouncing around.
00:31:35
Speaker
And... ah While, yes, I like started you know you Adderall or got on medication for it to help, like I kind of made this conscious decision where I was like, I'm actually going to lean into this and like this is how my brain works and my brain works differently and my brain really thrives differently.
00:31:53
Speaker
having a lot of things to bounce between and having a lot of diversity in thought and task. And so rather than trying to stifle that and and focus on one task or focus on one business, let's just see what happens when i let myself pursue what my brain wants to pursue.
00:32:12
Speaker
And i think that sounds really obvious, but it is hard in practice to be like, I'm going to let my brain you know just bounce around in the way that it needs to. And I've found that between you know taking photography gigs again when I want to or photographing again as a hobby and you know taking on coaching clients when I want to and than maybe doing a YouTube video and then having this other business, Garden of, which is a perfect example of like truly a business owner with ADHD because like we we're doing different activities and we're doing different events and we're doing different classes almost every week. And so it's been so good for my brain to be able to just like let myself hop around and have a lot to do.
00:33:04
Speaker
And I think that's been really, really helpful for me in terms of inspiration though.
Living Without Regrets and Building a Legacy
00:33:10
Speaker
Like truly my, my biggest fear in life has always been that like, I will regret things that things that I did not do. Like I never want to regret not trying something and I never, I never want to get to the end of my life and feel like I didn't make a difference in some, in some way.
00:33:29
Speaker
um i want to I want to have a legacy. like Whether my name is attached to it or not, that doesn't matter to me, but it is so important to me that like my time here on earth is spent making a difference and doing something. like My worst fear and my worst nightmare is that I lived a mundane life at the end of it like That that would break my heart to not feel like i took all the risks that I could and that I tried everything that I wanted to and that I made a difference and I uplifted people where I could.
00:34:03
Speaker
And so that is a huge motivator for me just in the capacity of like, I do not want a mediocre life. I want a really beautiful one. And I want a beautiful one that does not just serve me. i want it to serve other people.
00:34:19
Speaker
and like, We truly have one life. And I know that's such a cliche, but it's like when you really like sink into that mentality and you keep it front of mind, I'm like, I want to feel that like morbid. But if I go at any time, i would go with no regrets and I would go feeling like I did all that I could.
00:34:42
Speaker
Wow, that's beautiful. It almost like brings me to tears just because um this went this one girl, I've done a couple shoots. It's called the Early Bird Club, but she got breast cancer and then she wanted to like leave her legacy. So they started like these early bird um like dance parties.
00:35:02
Speaker
Wow. And then so they blew up in like a year and they like did it all around the world. And, you know, she went as much as she could and then with her best friend. And then I just saw yesterday that she passed away. so I was like, it just, but she left like this legacy and like people, you know, women come out at like 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and they just party and like let go and like,
00:35:26
Speaker
It's like this community of people that I don't know she created. So I just, I never really think about legacy for myself, but you've inspired me on this conversation. So I'm sure you're going to inspire like everyone that listens.
00:35:41
Speaker
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00:35:53
Speaker
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00:36:05
Speaker
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00:36:16
Speaker
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Vision for Inclusive Communities
00:36:25
Speaker
Oh, thank you. And that's so beautiful. Like what a beautiful legacy she left behind. Like that's such a beautiful, I'm sure that was such a beautiful experience for her. And then on top of that, like such a beautiful experience for us everyone that was a part.
00:36:41
Speaker
Yeah. And the fact that like what you said in the beginning, like the community and like your purpose, that's – I mean it's because of you, but it's also because people feel like they want to be a part of your your vision and your mission and that community. And then because of that, it's just like – people just want to be there. They want to be involved in any aspect, whether it be a sound bath or like, you know, paying for a coworking session or, you know, um, going to a party. It's like, that's what you created. And it only compounds as the years go on. So, and it's something that you don't really even have to be there at the end the day. Like, it's like,
00:37:27
Speaker
what you created, the community and the vision and the purpose. So that's so cool. Yeah. Yeah. No, it was was actually a week or two ago. i had a huge event planned. we We do these free events called Only Come Alone where everyone is required to come alone so that they – feels more comfortable coming together and meeting new people and making friends because you know that everyone else is kind of entering on the same scene as you.
00:37:56
Speaker
it can be very intimidating, right, to like go to a party alone or go to an event alone or go to a social alone and not know anyone and think that everyone else knows each other. And so we started these events, Only Come Alone, and I had a really big one, like our biggest yet scheduled a couple weeks ago, and I ended up getting so sick. I ended up getting so sick like hours before the event and – I was so stressed out because I was like, a can't go to this event this sick. I'm going to have to pull out, but I'm not about to cancel on the 200 people that had RSVP'd and were planning on being there. Wow.
00:38:40
Speaker
And so I ended up just letting the event happen. And i we had like a group chat for the event on on the platform we host on. and I said, I was like, hey, like I'm, I'm so sick and I'm, I'm not going make it, but I really do not want you guys to not gather just because I'm not going to be there.
00:38:57
Speaker
And I was like, for, you know, those of you that are are frequent goers to our events, like, will you kind of carry the torch for me tonight? Will you make sure everyone feels welcomed? And will you, would you mind making sure everyone knows where to meet? Like, are you guys, is anyone willing to kind of uh, take that responsibility for the night. And so many people were like, yes, like this is my seventh one. Like I got this. Um,
00:39:23
Speaker
And it was so emotional for me more than I expected and so beautiful to like that night see everyone's Instagram stories and all of these videos of like 200 people gathering under Garden of and I was not there. And it was just like this really beautiful moment of like – This is exactly what I wanted it to be, which is ah something that is beyond me, something that is more than me.
00:39:52
Speaker
And like, while I'm so grateful and honored, I i get to facilitate it. Like- what a beautiful reminder that like if I'm not there or again, God forbid morbid, but i I pass away or even I move, like people will still continue this legacy of connection and friendship and safety because that is what I wanted this to always be. And it's so much more than myself.
00:40:16
Speaker
um And that was really cool to watch. Like it it happened without me being there and I didn't have to you know, i didn't have to be there in order for the purpose to be fulfilled of connection and community.
00:40:32
Speaker
That is so powerful.
00:40:36
Speaker
I'm so inspired Eden. um We've come to an end. I wish internet wasn't spotty, but I did get every pretty much everything that you said and it's going to record because it's on two tracks. So I'm sure the audience is just going to adore you.
00:40:52
Speaker
um But where can everyone find you, work with you, connect with you, um your podcast, all the things.
Connect with Eden Schrader: Social Media
00:40:59
Speaker
Yeah. so you can find all of my business stuff at Eden Strader, just S-T-R-A-D-E-R.
00:41:08
Speaker
And then if you're interested in following the collective and what I'm doing there, that is Garden of Dot Collective. And then my podcast is That's My Personal Business. And we just talk about all things business, all things personal, all things in but in between and how all of that intertwines as human beings who happen to be entrepreneurs.
00:41:31
Speaker
Thank you, Eden.
00:41:37
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine.
00:41:52
Speaker
See you next time, wedding pros.