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How To Take The Leap with Gabrielle Barba
6 Plays1 year ago
My name is Gabrielle Barba, I’m 27 years old and I was born and raised in Houma, La. I am happily married to my husband, Jonathan and a proud momma to our two babies.
In May of 2023 I launched a balloon decor business known as Swell Design & Media. My goal with this business is to add a special touch to parties, local events and businesses.
I have so much appreciation for our community and my goal is to be able to give back each year through service.
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Transcript
Taking Leaps and Self-Belief
00:00:00
Speaker
take the leap for sure. If there's anything in your life, it doesn't have to be a career change or opening your own business or anything. Maybe it's leaving a toxic relationship that you're really scared to leave or taking the jump on something that you've been wanting to do for a little while.
Introduction to 'Finding My Best Self'
00:00:18
Speaker
Just take the leap and do it scared and rely on your faith and believing yourself and don't be afraid to dream big.
00:00:28
Speaker
Welcome to Finding My Best Self, the podcast that celebrates the extraordinary in every woman. Each week, your host Pam Rivett will share practical how-to advice, empowering you with strategies and insights to navigate life's complexities. We'll welcome inspiring guests, women who have defied the odds, transformed obstacles into opportunities,
00:00:47
Speaker
and are redefining what success truly means. From navigating personal and professional challenges, to celebrating triumphs in fitness, self-care, and beyond, we explore it all. Whether you're seeking motivation or a spark of inspiration, this is your sanctuary for empowerment, authentic conversations, and a whole lot of real talk. So, lace up your sneakers, grab that cup of coffee,
00:01:07
Speaker
And let's embark on this journey together, exploring the lives of women who are making it happen, sharing both the struggles and the victories. Welcome to Finding My Best Self, where every episode is a step towards becoming the hero of your own story. Welcome back to another episode of Finding My Best Self.
Meet Gabrielle Barba - Fitness Coach and Entrepreneur
00:01:27
Speaker
I am Pam Rivet, your podcast host.
00:01:30
Speaker
And today I have with me my very good friend Gabrielle Barba. Her and I met recently, I guess within the last year or so, we met through real estate and come to find out we were both fitness coaches as well. And since then our friendship has just grown and our bond has grown because we are very, very like-minded in a lot of different aspects.
00:01:56
Speaker
Gabrielle, I guess we all call her Gabe, the nickname that everyone calls her. So tell our listeners a little bit about yourself. Who are you? What do you do about your family? So as I was writing down trying to figure out like, how do you even talk about yourself? I don't know why that's so hard to do. But I guess the basic intro is that I'm 27, born and raised here in South Louisiana. I'm a soon to be mom of two, I have a three year old little girl.
00:02:24
Speaker
and a little boy on the way. He'll be here in March and that's why I'm out of breath. So excited. You're having a little. I know one of each. So we're really excited. My husband and I have been together for five years and we just celebrated our first wedding anniversary. So that was really nice. And I own a business called Swell Design and Media where I do balloon decor and kind of dabble and graphic design here and there.
00:02:52
Speaker
Yeah. You had the
Mind, Body, and Spirit - A Journey of Self-Care
00:02:54
Speaker
most beautiful wedding, by the way. Babe's wedding was absolutely stunning. She was stunning, but everything about her wedding was so pretty. The pictures that I saw was like, wow, everything was so perfect. So I guess I want to start with the fact that you are very big on focusing on yourself and mind, body, and spirit. You share a lot.
00:03:21
Speaker
on social media about your practices around that. And that's something that I guess drew me to you because that's something that I do as well. And I just love how focused you are on that. So what, where did that start for you at what point in your life? So I was honestly and truly after I had Emma, I was almost a year postpartum and
00:03:48
Speaker
I kept seeing my friend Brittany on social media sharing how she was feeling so good and she was like having all this time to work out and she was getting her masters and working full time and she's a mom too. And I'm sitting here like hardly able to get out of bed crying every day that I'm getting dressed, showing up enough to be
00:04:11
Speaker
a good mom, but like not in any way for myself, really just for my baby. And I was like, something's got to give. Like I know that there's got to be more. And I wanted the joy that I saw in her, in me. Like I wanted to have that. And so I start, I reached out to her after watching for forever. I'm like, okay, I've got to do something. Like something has to give. I cannot keep feeling this way. I'm working full time. I'm like scraping by feeling good, you know,
00:04:38
Speaker
And we started chit chatting and she introduced me to personal development. And I had kind of not straight away from God, but I wasn't as close to him as I needed to be or wanted to be. And so I wanted to start strengthening my relationship with him and with myself.
The Power of Morning Routines
00:04:57
Speaker
And so I started pouring into my own cup every morning, waking up early.
00:05:03
Speaker
before work, before everybody was awake, before the sun was even up, to have this time to read these books and exercise even just for 30 minutes just to kind of feel good. And then slowly it turned into a really good habit of mine that I wanted to share with everybody. Yeah, so
00:05:24
Speaker
you spoke of waking up early and I know that that's a big thing that I talk about and I know that you talk about it too is just taking that extra time in the morning, whether it's just 30 minutes to an hour of getting up early and taking that quiet time for yourself, whether it's to journal or to read a book or read the Bible or do some sort of
00:05:53
Speaker
personal or spiritual
Influential Books and Personal Growth
00:05:54
Speaker
development. And then like you said, to get some sort of movement in. And I know personally my days in the morning, especially with the kids, because if I wake up and just immediately jump out the bed to go get dressed, things are just like chaotic. You know what I mean? And everybody's like running like my mood and my ability to stay calm in the morning with my kids is so much better.
00:06:23
Speaker
if I just take that time to have to myself and even just to wake up, you know what I mean? To like come alive before, before I'm like, okay, let's get dressed. Let's move. And I'm still half asleep. So it's so important. It makes such a huge difference. And I know it's hard to get to that point. You know, it's that, you know, start with like,
00:06:49
Speaker
15 minutes and do that for a couple of days and then go to 30 minutes and, you know, and gradually increase that. I don't know if you ever read that book, The Miracle Morning by Brandon Bashard. That was when I started that. Yeah. I love Miracle Morning. I read that book years ago and that was what triggered or kicked off me getting up early in the morning and doing that. So what, speaking of books, what
00:07:19
Speaker
is your favorite book. What book do you feel most significantly influenced you? I feel like there's two because when I first started, and I think it's important to recognize that without getting off topic, but that personal development is so personal to you and what works for you might not work for the next person. And I can tell the books that I look at now that I have that I started with versus what I read now and how I have evolved through these books, right?
00:07:49
Speaker
And so I feel like at first, there's a book club, you can do hard things. A lot of people have read it. It's very popular. It is on my list and I have not read it yet. It says on my list. I have a copy. You can borrow it if you want. Yes. But it's so good because it really connected with me because she's a mom and she had these really big dreams. And so did I. And she kind of helped me realize that it's okay to dream big. It's not selfish.
00:08:18
Speaker
it doesn't make you crazy because sometimes in our society I feel like you see a woman dreaming big and it's almost like people question her or people make her feel like why and I think it's because it's intimidating when you see a woman have confidence and like want to do all these really big crazy things, right? So she helped me dream big and connect more with my dreams and
00:08:43
Speaker
realizing the woman that i wanted to be to set that example for my little girl and for my future kids and all these things and then i'm out of breath sorry my second book that i've read recently in the last year is The Compound Effect and that's a really good leadership book and it kind of just if you're a person who looks at things and you see a really big picture and you just need help placing all the things together and
00:09:13
Speaker
You're like, I don't know. I want to get there. I just don't know how, or you can get kind of overwhelmed or overstimulated by the thought of that. Or you have this really big to do list. It helps break down those things and show you how these little compounds have a really big effect. So yeah, it gave that resonates with me so much because I recently said the same thing about podcasts as well.
00:09:38
Speaker
that you said about books. And I guess the same for me with books. I've read so many books in the last two years, especially this year. I set a really big book goal for myself at the beginning of this year.
00:09:51
Speaker
And I will not meet that goal. However, I've read more books this year than I've read in a really long time. But the same thing is that I used to listen to different podcasts that talked about different things than what I do
Gabrielle's Fitness Coaching Journey
00:10:05
Speaker
now. And that's just not because I don't still absolutely love those podcasts, but because where I am at this point in my life,
00:10:14
Speaker
I need to hear something different. And the same thing with reading is that I've read, there are books that I read at one point that even though they are still very, very inspirational, it's not something that I would read today because of the point and the place in my life. And
00:10:30
Speaker
I don't, those were more like mindset books, right? Getting in the right mindset and what to do and how to do it. And so I read all those and I listened to all the podcasts. And now that I'm at a different place where I'm like, okay, I'm there. What's the next step? How do I go further? And those are the books and the podcasts. So that's so true. It's like you, you kind of grow with them and grow into
00:10:55
Speaker
other things. The compound effect, is that what you said? I am 90% sure that one is on my list. I'm going to have to double check, but if it's not, I'm going to put that one too. I'll have to check into it. I love it. Like I said earlier, one of the things that you and I had in common, which I didn't know when I first heard about you or met you, because it was just through real estate, it wasn't until I looked you up on Facebook that I was like, wait, she's a fitness coach too.
00:11:25
Speaker
When at what point did you get into fit? And I guess until the listeners a little bit about that and what you were doing, I guess, and still kind of doing in the coaching world and how you got into that.
00:11:38
Speaker
So I got into it. It kind of goes with the first question that you asked me. I wanted to find that joy. And so I reached out to my friend. I started doing all these good practices, found this great platform known as Body, formerly Beach Body. And I started, I signed up as a customer, I guess, and
00:11:59
Speaker
I was working out every day and I started having not just good physical results, like that was great, but my mindset, the brain fog, oh my God, like that was just, it was such a big difference. I could see it in all of my relationships around me. I work with my husband, with my family, with my siblings, just everything around me had gotten better because I was better mentally and physically.
00:12:25
Speaker
about a month into doing it, I had lost like 14 pounds, which was cool because I was postpartum and starting to fit into my old jeans and feeling really for delicious and good. And I said, I think I need to share this.
00:12:40
Speaker
with the people around me. I don't want to keep it to myself. And truthfully, it was hard to even not scream it from the rooftops because I was feeling so good. I'm like, you need this and you need this and you need this. I felt like I was a generous, like everybody please. Like I'm telling you this. I feel like it saved me in so many ways and I'll get emotional because I'm so hormonal, but it just, I feel like it woke me up again.
00:13:04
Speaker
And I wanted to help the next person that was crying in her closet or was really doing a lot of negative self talk. I was doing that all the time without even realizing how much I was doing it and just
00:13:18
Speaker
feeling better, feeling more confident. Like you hear all these things. I couldn't even accept a compliment from somebody if they were like, Oh, you look nice today. I'm like, Oh, well I got this hanging out in my jeans or I'm feeling like this. And it's like, can you just say thank you? Can you accept something for once girl? Like, so I really, really wanted to share that. And so I started sharing all my stories and my Facebook and my team grew quickly. I, I connected with so many women and,
00:13:48
Speaker
through that helping them find their best self and helping lift them up every day because it's hard to lift yourself up and you need that person. And I needed these accountability partners, but I could not go to the gym. I mean, my husband works 14 and 14 and I worked full time and I had all these big dreams and I couldn't go to a gym. So I needed to do it at home. So we created this virtual community to lift each other up and it's been awesome.
From Corporate World to Entrepreneurship
00:14:18
Speaker
Yeah, you have been so inspirational and motivational to so many people in that fitness world. The videos that you posted, not just about working out because you were so right when you say that fitness is so far beyond physical. And I say that over and over and over again. And that's why
00:14:42
Speaker
When it comes to fitness, I preach that it's not just physical. It is about personal development and spiritual development and every other aspect, but that it starts with moving your body. It's not about
00:14:57
Speaker
getting super ripped up or being super skinny or any of that. It's just about moving your body for exactly what you said. And if you lose weight or you get super ripped up in the process, then even better, great, right? Right. But it's just about moving your body because moving your body does something so much more than physical.
00:15:18
Speaker
Oh yeah, movement is medicine for sure. Yes. It's that mental change that you experience is so far beyond. It's so much better than what you'll get physically. Yeah. The mental flip is the biggest part. So where are you at right now with your fitness? Because I know that you're expecting and I know that you are still moving. So what at this point is, does fitness play in your life?
00:15:48
Speaker
for me, it's so different because I'm not doing these hardcore workouts every day. And look, that's what I love. That's, that's my jam. I've always been the person who like, if I'm sweating a lot and I leave a workout and I'm like,
00:16:02
Speaker
I feel like I really got something done, but this pregnancy has kind of shifted my mindset because you can't do all that when you're pregnant. I mean, maybe you can. I have chosen not to, but the first two trimesters were really, really hard for me. I feel like I've just started to really feel good in my body again. And so I had all these expectations for how I was going to move and show up for myself this pregnancy and
00:16:28
Speaker
Uh, he had different plans for us. You're going to be able to work and that's about it. So it's been a little difficult to navigate through that, but, um, I'm feeling a lot better now. So movement for me now kind of just looks like walking, doing that for exercise, which is great. Just like any kind of movement that I can, that my body can handle at this point is what I do.
00:16:55
Speaker
And it's made a tremendous difference in my mindset because I started seeing that kind of decline and I'm like, I've got to read a book. I've got to pick up something like even just stretching. I'm like, okay, let's get like 30 minutes of stretching. Cause that's movement, you know? And I have to really accept that you don't have to do this hardcore hit workout to have results or like
00:17:19
Speaker
feel like you got something done, you know, because right now, stretching for my body is great for my body. So Oh, yeah, for sure. That's kind of what movements looking like for me at this point. Well, but you are still moving. And I think that that is what's most important. And you know, it's hard. Because like you said,
00:17:43
Speaker
We all set those expectations for ourselves. So you had set this expectation of, I'm still going to lift the weights or I'm still going to do my HIIT training. And like you said, he was like, nope, he humbled you real quick. And it was like, that's what you thought you were going to do. And so it's so hard for us to see past those expectations that we set for ourselves when they may not
00:18:09
Speaker
or we may not be able to do exactly as we thought we could. But the fact that you didn't just say, well, I'm just not going to do it at all is what matters is that you're still doing something. And then not to mention
00:18:25
Speaker
with your business, with Swell, that's a lot of movement in itself when you're going and running balloons around everywhere. So I want you to talk about that because that is one thing that I am so, so, so proud of you for, the jump and the leap that you made from the corporate industry into being an entrepreneur and starting your own business.
00:18:49
Speaker
So, just talk about, because I know a lot of people want to make some sort of career change, even if it's not going from the corporate world into entrepreneurship, but just wanting to maybe change jobs or completely change careers in general and switch, but there's that fear that sets in. That's where you're just scared and you're scared that you're going to do something and it's not going to work or it's going to be the wrong decision.
00:19:17
Speaker
What did it take for you? Where did you find that strength and that courage to finally say, I'm done, I'm out. And I'm making I'm doing my big goal, my big dream that I have. Oh, it's like, where do I even begin? Because it was a two year process of me like, going almost like to war with myself, just thinking about it back and forth, like,
00:19:42
Speaker
You have all these thoughts come through your mind, right? Where you're like, oh, I don't want to put my family in a financial stressful position. I don't want, what if I fail? What if that happens? And what if it just doesn't work out?
00:19:58
Speaker
What if everybody's not going to support me? How am I going to do that? There were so many things, knowing that we wanted to grow our family, but Jonathan's work schedule, and what if I just can't do it? And then I realized, and I've said it over and over again, that faith and fear don't mix. You cannot have both of those.
00:20:17
Speaker
and you'll always get fear. So if you're always going to mix those two together and you're asking yourself that, but then you're also saying, I'm going to pray about it. I'm going to lean on God and you're being fearful still, you're just contradicting yourself. And so I had to stop myself and like snap myself out of it.
00:20:35
Speaker
and say over and over again that God's going to provide. He's always going to provide and it might not, you'll have, he'll provide some romsoms and then he'll give you exactly what you need, but he's going to give you what you need and that's all you need. And so one day my husband and I were talking and he's like, I really want you to do this. And that was so important to having his support because I'm going through it in my head thinking about it. And he's like, I think that you can do it. I really do.
00:21:05
Speaker
back in my notes and like my journal from a year before, like that exact day that we had that conversation. And I wrote down in all caps, take the leap. And so I was like, okay, that's it. Like I'm doing it. I put in my two weeks, well, two month notice and I did it. And it's been such a blessing and so rewarding. And so I guess to anybody who wants to make that career change and who feels like they want to start something, but they're so fearful.
00:21:36
Speaker
I'm very big in my faith and so that is what I feel has gotten me through it. But trust in God and know that he's going to provide for you and stop being fearful in any way and just rely so heavy and so deeply in that faith and know that you can make that change and it's going to be okay. Yes. I'm like over here. I want to scream.
00:22:02
Speaker
Say it louder for the ones in the back. Yeah, that is it. And I say that so much. I say that so many times. I can't like I want to like the like you said earlier, I want to scream it from the rooftops like don't
00:22:19
Speaker
If you are scared, then that's a good thing. That's how I feel. I'm like, if you are scared, then it's a good thing. It's because you clearly feel passionately about it. Because if you weren't scared, it's probably because you don't really care about it as much as you think you do. It's when you get that fear.
00:22:43
Speaker
is that I feel like fear is the thing that's telling you go for it. It's so true. Like everybody says do it scared. Yes. It's so true. Yes. You have to because if you don't think you're never going to do it and change is not supposed to feel good and it's not supposed to feel comfortable. It's going to be when you grow, it can be painful and that's okay because you come out on the other side of it so much stronger and that's what it's meant for.
Introducing MBS Fitco
00:23:13
Speaker
Yeah. This episode is brought to you by MBS Fitco. Excitement is in the air at MBS Fitco as we prepare for our upcoming launch. We're introducing a line of premium activewear designed to seamlessly fit into both your workout routines and daily life. Our versatile collection is perfect for your workouts and equally suited for your day-to-day tasks, ensuring you look and feel your best, no matter the occasion. It's not just clothing.
00:23:38
Speaker
It's a commitment to self-care and embracing your best self. Be the first to experience the fusion of style, comfort and functionality. Subscribe to our VIP list and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for insider information and exclusive perks available only on our launch day. Dive into the show notes for all the links you need.
00:23:56
Speaker
MBS Fitco isn't more than just activewear, it's a lifestyle. Join our community and be part of our exciting journey from day one to celebrate fitness, self-care, and your hero within. Don't just wear it, live it. Alright, now let's dive back into this episode. So you made the leap, you left the corporate world,
00:24:17
Speaker
You started your own company. And by the way, if for anyone who doesn't know or who's new to this podcast, Gabe is a balloon goddess. She's like a magician. Everything that she does.
Stress, Anxiety, and Faith in Entrepreneurship
00:24:31
Speaker
So Swell Design is where Gabe does balloon arches or not even arches. I shouldn't even say arches because she does walls and ceiling things and all kind of stuff. It is amazing. So if you are a local and if you ever need
00:24:48
Speaker
a balloon, anything you contact Gabe with swell because she is amazing. Seriously. She's incredible. But like you said, it's scary.
00:25:03
Speaker
And then you get into it and then there comes the stress and the anxiety because being an entrepreneur and being your own boss and having to make this schedule by yourself and doing everything alone is super stressful. It is. So how do you manage that? I feel like it's important to understand that once you jump into being your own boss and
00:25:30
Speaker
you are fully relying on yourself for all the behind the scenes things that are new to you, especially if it's your first time jumping into that. I always get into my head and I'm like, oh, how am I gonna get here on time? How am I gonna do four things at once at the same time in the same day? And I have to, I can't tell you how many times in a week, I'll stop myself and I'm like, all right, put everything down, take a break, close your eyes.
00:25:58
Speaker
and just think about how you have gotten yourself this far. You have come so far and God's got you. Like you'll hear me say all the time, faith and fear don't mix and always relying on God. And it's because it's so much of who I am and so much of what I embody constantly. And it's what truly just takes that anxiety and lifts it off of me. So much so like it's every day is a stepping stone for me because I'm in my first year of
00:26:29
Speaker
being my own boss full time. And so yes, I'm learning and especially in this busy, busy season. Oh, it's been stressful. Don't get me wrong. Like we had the flu this week and last week I had eight arches do within the 24 hours that my daughter tested positive and I'm learning fever and I'm like, okay.
00:26:50
Speaker
We have to one, accept the help that is being offered to us because that's so hard for moms to do. And two, we have to just rely on our faith and know that it's going to be okay and God's going to take care of it. And when I do that, I'm able to just think clearly. It takes that brain fog away from me and I'm like, all right, bada-boom, bada-boom, bada-boom. This is what we're doing. Put on my worship music, let's go. And then I put my girl boss pants back on.
00:27:18
Speaker
But before, and I'll get into this just because I used to preach about how awesome it was to be your own girl boss. And this was back when I was only coaching. I hadn't launched well yet and I'm still working full time.
Navigating Social Media's Impact
00:27:34
Speaker
And so I had the security of that paycheck that was coming in all the time. And I wasn't feeling that level of stress that I guess I feel now. Does that make sense?
00:27:47
Speaker
Like it was, and I don't even know exactly where I'm going with this. I just know that if you have followed me and you have heard me and you've watched me, one, thank you for your support. And two, I didn't know what I was talking about. I'll be honest and transparent because I'm like, Oh yeah, like being your own girl boss. A side hustle is a lot different from being your own.
00:28:10
Speaker
girl boss and I learned that very quickly and very much the hard way but I use the same tactics during those stressful times and I always have and it always goes back to being very rooted in my faith and relying on God. Yeah, I think what it's important for people to know is that what you're saying is not that
00:28:37
Speaker
we just go about every day and everything is smooth all the time. And that we're, you know, every time that things go wrong, that we just know how to just snap out of it. Right. Because I think, I think some women feel like they're alone in the fact that they have these debilitating negative thoughts that creep in.
00:29:08
Speaker
And they're not, you're not alone. You're not alone because you know, Gabe, social media, I have a love hate relationship with it because as great as it is, and there is a lot of positivity out there and we can put all the positivity out there, but at the same time it creates in some ways
00:29:35
Speaker
negativity for people on the other side. Oh, absolutely. All social media shows is you on there being so super proud, which I say that, but you're not, you're actually very, very authentic and transparent on social media. You have got on there and cried and told everybody, it sucks many times. Oh yeah. You are so authentic and I love you so much for that because
00:30:00
Speaker
And there is several times you've been like, I don't even really want to share this. I might not even hit, you know, I might not even share this, but I'm going to record it anyway. And then you do. And that's so great because it's so real and it's so raw and authentic. And that's what people, what women need to see, what moms need to see is that you're not alone. Like we all have, just like you said,
00:30:24
Speaker
Gabe, I have those thoughts every single day of my life. There is not one day that goes by that I don't have one negative, at least one, at least one, in most cases, multiple negative thoughts that creep in that I have to coach myself out of it and have those conversations, like you said, and being like, okay, hang on, stop. Or just, I always do this thing where thoughts will creep in and I'm like,
00:30:54
Speaker
For listeners, I'm shaking my head really hard. I feel like if I shake my head really hard, I'm going to shake it out and it's just going to fly out my brain. I don't know. Get out of there. Stop. Every time I think to myself, I'm like, why are you even thinking that?
00:31:12
Speaker
I know that you're not the person that you're thinking in your head that you are right now. I know that you are capable. I know that you are worthy. I know all what I have in me. So why are you thinking in the complete opposite? Why are you putting these negative thoughts or these bad I am's, you know, and all of these self deprecating things that I think it's so bad.
00:31:38
Speaker
So that's what I want people to know is that you're not alone. And we have, we all have those thoughts, but it's about finding it in yourself to have those conversations and say, no, because that's just the devil creeping in. It is. And that's, and that's why I try to show up on my really, really hard days to and share those things, because I never, ever, ever want the person who is
00:32:05
Speaker
And deep into motherhood, like me with toddlers and, you know, working full time, doing all the things and thinking that like, I have it all together because I most certainly don't. And truthfully, when I say do it scared, every day I am doing it scared. I am so fearful of judgment of others. I don't know why. It's just something that I have in me.
00:32:27
Speaker
And it's something I've always continuously worked on, but being present on social media and being that positive light comes with a lot of negativity, surprisingly. It's like, you wouldn't think, but you become that girl and you get put into this box of people who it's like, I don't know where they're, I don't know if it's judgment or jealousy or what comes from, but you hear these things about yourself and you're kind of like,
00:32:56
Speaker
That's different, you know, or that's not the message I'm trying to put across. But I think it's important to always understand that like social media is a highlight reel. So if you find yourself comparing yourself to the girl that you see on this beach with her family, like
00:33:12
Speaker
you know, stop comparing yourself to that girl or stop, stop feeling like you don't have it together as much as she does because of what she's posting. Cause you don't know what's going on behind closed doors. So I really tried to be very honest with my people. And that's why in my bio, it says hot mess express 24 seven because it's true. You never know what you're going to get. But yeah, yeah. It's social media. It's like,
00:33:39
Speaker
It's so much a part of our life and our work and our businesses, but it can also be so toxic and negative at the same time. Yeah. It's not to compare because don't compare yourself to what you see just on social media. Like why does she have it all together? They always just the big happy family and all these things. And you don't know. And that's what's so, that's the part of it that I don't like.
00:34:08
Speaker
especially for, you know, there's a lot of people that don't have friends that they can open up to like that and have those conversations with. Right.
Balancing Business and Family Life
00:34:17
Speaker
So especially for those people, the ones that, you know, if you don't have, you know, the friends to be able to have those, those kinds of conversations with and to just be truly authentic and vulnerable and talk about the hard times and
00:34:31
Speaker
you know, to reach out, find someone who can be your person to have those conversations. Everyone deserves to have that friend and that person, family member, spouse, whoever it is to just really be able to open up to because you should not have to carry all of that yourself all the time, you know, and, and to just know who you are and yourself and Gabe, like the people that are perceiving the message that you're putting out there,
00:35:00
Speaker
in a different way than what you meant for it to be, it's because it wasn't meant for them. Right. Right. And if it's not that, it's either that, it's either because it wasn't meant for them to begin with, or B, they have their own internal work that they need to do. So, you know, so and I think we kind of talked a little bit about
00:35:25
Speaker
you know, work-life balance, but you have a family and you have a little girl now and you are pregnant and you have another one on the way and you have a husband who's not always home, right? Jonathan works offshore. I just, he works offshore. So
00:35:45
Speaker
And your job requires you to be on the road a lot, and especially on the weekends. And even like right now, you said Emma's sick with the flu and you have eight arches that are due. So like how do you find the way to balance that? Because I think
00:36:04
Speaker
a lot of women or especially a lot of moms, right? Because we have all the kids have to be in different places at different times and we have work and household chores and all of the things that we have to do. And it's like, how do I even get through this day? When it comes to balancing all of it, I just have to really
00:36:29
Speaker
be very disciplined throughout the week and get everything done. Like everything is made throughout the week while she is at school. And the weekends, I'm very blessed with a really awesome village that helps me and is always there and ready to jump in the fire with me. Like last week was insane. I don't know. I didn't think I was going to get through it and they just jumped in. And so I'm so thankful that I can rely on my family when Jonathan's not home to always help with Emma and
00:36:59
Speaker
to have that discipline during the week just helps me so much. It's like setting yourself up for success, your future self, so like get everything done beforehand. And it's just like how we talked about waking up early, like you thank yourself so much more. It's like think about how much future Gabe is going to be so thankful that you've got all eight of these done while you're
00:37:20
Speaker
These little tiny hands and feet were at school and not all up in your stuff. That way on the weekends I can just run them to where they need to be and then I'm done and then I can focus on making memories with her and having that time with her. Yeah. Do you make a schedule? Yes, I do. I have to. If I didn't, I'd beat cuckoo bananas. Yeah. Do you do that on Sunday or Monday morning? Like when do you do your schedule?
00:37:48
Speaker
It's mostly Monday morning. That's like the only day of the week that I have off. That's like a, my day of I can do all the things. Yeah. All the things for, um, for me that I might need to get done housework, things like that, that all gets done on a Monday. Like my Monday is like a lot of people's Thursday or Friday or Saturday or Sunday. And then depending on how busy that weekend is, we get started on Tuesdays, like balloons are blowing up on a Tuesday and
00:38:19
Speaker
If not Tuesday, then no later than Wednesday. I mean, it's, it's always busy. So sometimes I'll have like a Monday and a Tuesday off, but it's really like Tuesday through Sunday. We are both of them all busy with all the things, but having that schedule really does keep it balanced because if I go off of it and I'm not managing that time the way that I need to and time management has been something that I, I have really had to work on. It's not something I do.
00:38:48
Speaker
Oh man, I'm the procrastinator at heart, but I work good under pressure too. So it's like, if I do get off of it, I'll hustle, but I don't like doing all that. I don't like hustling. I've learned to hustle like anything for me. I need to just be on. No, it creates anxiety. Yes. So much. And that's one thing that I'm like, I've had to figure out through this book, um, how, how we heal.
00:39:13
Speaker
It's a really good find on Amazon. It kind of helps you find your traumas and your triggers.
00:39:20
Speaker
And for me, it was always procrastinating. Like I am inducing all this anxiety because I am not schedule oriented and I need to be that way. I can reduce that stress, reduce that anxiety, and it creates a more positive outlook on the busy weekend ahead. Instead of being like, oh my God, I have to be here and here and here and I have to be in a million places at one time. I can just say, oh, we got that done. This is where we're going to be at this time. And then we're going to finish that and then go here.
00:39:48
Speaker
And so once you start doing that, you'll notice, um, you're able to manage all the craziness a lot better because you're doing for your future self, you know, ahead of time. Yeah.
00:40:01
Speaker
So one thing that I do, and I recently made this change within the last few months, just with me starting up my new business, I was like, I got to figure out how to make all of this work because I also am still, I have a full-time mortgage job as well.
00:40:18
Speaker
I sit down on Sunday and I write out for the next seven days, everything that I know at that point, right? Because things come up all the time. Then you go come in and just like, just like with being pregnant, like, nope, that's what you thought you were going to do today. But guess what?
00:40:38
Speaker
So I sit down on Sunday and I write down all of the things for each day that I know have to get done. Right. So like I have certain calls that happen on certain days, every single week in my little one has gymnastics on certain days, every single week at this time. So I, I manage my time and I break down my schedule into a time block because Gabe, if I don't, if I don't time block.
00:41:05
Speaker
I like, this is so crazy. If I just make a to-do list, which I don't like to call it a to-do list. I like to call it a results list. Yeah. Like if I just make like a little checklist of I need to do all these things, I'm not going to check them off for whatever stupid reason in my own head. Like I'm just not.
00:41:25
Speaker
But if I write down like the hourly calendar for the day, because I get up at four every morning, so like my calendar for the day starts at 4am, all the way until like eight, seven or 8pm.
00:41:37
Speaker
I time block. So on Sundays I write down again Monday through Saturday or Sunday, whatever, and just the times of what I know is already going to happen because they happen every single week. It's the repetitive things, right? And then each morning I get up and I'll write in what the rest of my day, like fill it out. Like this is the time that I'm going to dedicate to myself to work out. Like this is the time when I'm going to do this or
00:42:04
Speaker
And I do that. And if I know like on a Monday that something came up for Tuesday, like I'll add that in, but that's kind of my little method. And so then I'm like on a time schedule during the day. And I'm like, okay, at 10 o'clock, like we're shutting this off. We're not checking emails anymore. We're not, it's time to go work out.
00:42:26
Speaker
And that helps me because if not, if I just have a checklist, I'm like, that's when the procrastination
The Importance of Self-Care and Routines
00:42:33
Speaker
sets in. I'm like, Oh, I'm going to do this other thing on the list because I really don't want to do what that thing is on the list. So I'll come back to that later. So I'm like, if I tell myself at 10 o'clock, we're checking emails at 11 o'clock, we're going to work out at one o'clock. You know, like if, if I'm just like, that's what I have to do at this time, then okay, I'm going.
00:42:55
Speaker
It's a mental thing for me. And when I started doing that, I was getting so much more done. And by the end of the day, I felt so much more accomplished as opposed to looking at my, you know, checklists of things. And I'm like, well, there's four things that I didn't check off today.
00:43:12
Speaker
You know, so that's me and everybody has a different method, right? We all have different methods. But I think at the end of the day, what's important is to have something, have some sort of whether it is a results list, whether it's just like you said on a Sunday or Monday, you just sit down right out the whole week or every day and then making sure to have those time every day to make time for yourself.
00:43:37
Speaker
Right. Every day to have some time that is just for you, whether it is to do personal development, to move your body, or just some me time to go get a Manny or a petty or something for you in some way, shape or form every day. Because if you don't pour back into your cup first, before you take care of anyone else, then that's when burnout sets in. It's so true. You know?
00:44:06
Speaker
Yeah, because if you're, and I don't know about you, but even though you have this routine and like you can have this consistent routine for forever, you can still fall out of it, you know, and you know what works. And so you kind of like feel yourself. This happened to me recently. I'm like, whoa, when's the last time you press play on a podcast? And you know me, I love podcasts. So I'm like always in the car putting one on. Sometimes I'm like, whoa, like I'm feeling all these things. I'm feeling my anxiety increase, my stress increase.
00:44:35
Speaker
I'm not feeling like myself at all. This person I've worked hard to get to, like, what am I not doing? And it's like, haven't picked up a book.
00:44:44
Speaker
haven't talked to God about it, have not at all listened to a podcast. Like we're not doing the things to forward to our cup. And I've always preached about like me time, me time. And a big part of me posting about it is to hold my own self accountable because I'm like, if I ain't posting about it, I'll have people message me and say, what are you doing girl? Like where are you at today? Like what you, you know, where are you been? And so it helps hold me accountable.
00:45:09
Speaker
do those things and I haven't been posting that lately because I've been so busy but I've been doing it. It's just when you're not pouring into yourself like you said it's just you're less graceful with everybody else it's like you just your patience wears thin and you're responsible for so much especially for like
00:45:28
Speaker
My momma's out there, like we have so many things that we have to do. And it's like, if we don't take care of ourselves and just, even if it's 10 minutes of sitting on your couch in the morning before all the toys are scattered everywhere and drinking your, your water, your coffee, your go juice, whatever it is and being still and present in the moment and just taking a second to like enjoy that quietness. That sounds so wonderful right now. If you don't do that, then.
00:45:58
Speaker
you feel it in the rest of your day. And if you do do it, you feel it in the rest of your day, you know?
Final Advice and Encouragement
00:46:04
Speaker
Yeah. So what's one piece of advice after all that we've talked about that you would give our listeners based on some life lesson that you've had? I would say to take the leap for sure. If there's anything in your life, it doesn't have to be a career change or
00:46:28
Speaker
opening your own business or anything. Maybe it's leaving a toxic relationship that you're really scared to leave or taking the jump on something that you've been wanting to do for a little while. Just take the leap and do it scared and rely on your faith and believing yourself and don't be afraid to dream big. Dream as big as you want because the bigger you dream, the closer to your goals you're going to get. Yeah. Gabe, you have been, I said it before and I'll say it again, such a huge,
00:46:58
Speaker
inspiration to me. You are a very part of the reason why I made the leap to start my own company as well. I'm just watching you because you've inspired me and motivated me so much. And so I hope
00:47:11
Speaker
listeners that you're able to have some sort of takeaway from Gabe today, whether it is making a career change and taking the leap. And like Gabe said, do it scared and not being afraid and taking the me time and making a schedule each day, taking care of yourself inside and out, getting movement in all the things. It's all the little things that add up together to build a life of
00:47:41
Speaker
happiness and success and being able to be or move past the stress and anxiety that comes with each and every day and to just be successful and happy in life and not be stressed out in a place that you don't want to be in. Yes. Great. So game.
00:48:07
Speaker
What does finding my best self, the woman beyond the cape mean to you? I would think that it's knowing that there's always room for growth and change. No matter where you are, you're always a student and picking up a book, knowing how you can grow more and always truly chasing your best self and knowing that you can always have room for growth, dreaming, learning,
00:48:36
Speaker
all the things. There's room for so much more. So whenever you think you're at the top or this is your peak, you're not. You're still growing. You're still learning. You're always a student. And there's always more to come. You can do hard things. Yes, you can. Thank you so much for tuning in with us today. I hope you all see that Gabe is very inspiring and motivating just as I do.
00:49:06
Speaker
And we'll chat soon. Thank you so much.
00:49:30
Speaker
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00:49:50
Speaker
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00:50:07
Speaker
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00:50:22
Speaker
So until next time, keep shining, keep striving, and keep celebrating the extraordinary woman you are. Thank you again for tuning in to the Finding My Best Self podcast, where every story is a step towards finding your hero within. We'll catch you next time.