Sahara Rose · 339: Transitioning to Your Dharma with Krista Williams + Lindsey Simcik of Almost 30 Podcast

TRANSCRIPTION

Episode 339: Transitioning to Your Dharma with Krista Williams + Lindsey Simick of Almost 30 Podcast

By Sahara Rose
 

[00:12]

Namaste. It’s Sahara Rose and welcome back to The Highest Self Podcast, a place where we discuss what makes you, Your Soul’s Highest Evolvement.

[00:20]

I have lived in Miami now for the past six weeks or so and I’ve got to say I am so happy that I am here. I had a lot of fear leaving LA where I have lived for seven years and that is where I met my husband, and just so much gratitude for that city and place, but this quarantine really got us thinking – with my husband’s business being shut down (working in the music industry) and my business being online of “Well, do we need to be here? Do we want to be here? Where would we prefer to be?” And that got us thinking of so many different places and really landing on Miami because I love the tropical weather and the beach and just living closer to a beautiful turquoise ocean I can swim in. And for him, he loves the music and the city and being able to see the lights at night, so we found this beautiful place that’s right on the beach and also has a beautiful city skyline, so it has been amazing being here.

[01:16]

And one of my biggest fears was losing touch with my community. I am someone that has a form in my human design, meaning I am all about the community. I am the founder of Rose Gold Goddesses, the Sacred Sisterhood Collective all about embodying the goddess within and community is something that really, really, really matters to me. I feel my best when I am around friends doing rituals, diving deep, masterminding; I really get my best thoughts when I’m around people and it’s something that I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years of doing this Podcast and how much I prefer doing that to just writing alone and how much deeper I can get to my own truth when I’m in that communication. So I had a lot of fear around leaving LA – having made so many friends and people who are doing such great things with their lives. And the great thing I have to report is that since moving to Miami, I have actually been able to see more people than I have been in LA because Miami is such a kind of a holiday spot for so many people, so people will stop by, be here for a couple days, I’ll get to see them and it has been amazing because I’ve seen so many of my friends from LA including the two who will be on the Podcast today – Krista and Lindsey from the Almost 30 Podcast.

[02:33]

So, I met Krista and Lindsey I want to say three-four years ago, three and a half years ago, and it was right after I had started The Higher Self Podcast. So, at this time, my first book “Idiots Guide To Ayurveda” was coming out and linked up with them, and they had me on their podcast, and I had them on mine, and we just became friends. And it has been amazing to just witness their spiritual growth journeys, their personal growth journeys over the past couple of years; and to learn more about their backgrounds.
And when I was writing “Discover Your Dharma”, which is a Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose, I was really trying to think of as many different examples of people living their Dharma as possible. I feel like, often times when you think of someone finding their purpose it’s like they quit their job and they lived in a van and then suddenly they thought up of Uber, and here they are, they’re living their purpose with a billion dollars. That’s awesome and that’s someone’s story, and it’s not everyone’s.
So I wanted to offer as many different perspectives as possible; different ways that you can find your service, and in this book you can really tell that I have an Ayurvedic background because everything I’m like “Well, there are different archetypes for this and there are different archetypes for that”. So for example, I list out, there are three paths to

; there are four types of Dharma; there are nine Dharma archetypes; there are five stages of Dharma Discovery; there is a five part Dharma Blueprint process – it’s all of these different frameworks that you can really plug into to – the point of it is so you can understand yourself better, and you’re not going to be totally able to be defined by one thing but you’ll be able to see yourself in something that is so much greater than you; and see the synchronicities and the commonalities between yourself and your journey and other people.

[04:18]

So, when I was writing “Discover Your Dharma” I really wanted to share, also the story of someone who didn’t take this big leap, who didn’t just quit their job and try to make their thing happen then it just happened; I wanted to share the story of someone who transitioned; someone who step-by-step was building their thing and understanding what their Dharma is and trying to get it off the ground while having a 9-5 job. And I feel like we don’t hear that story that much; we don’t get to hear those success stories. And I immediately thought of my friend Krista who is one of the hosts of Almost 30 because that was her experience, of meeting her and then finding out she had this 9-5 job, for me it was “Wait! What? How? You have this amazing podcast?” but I was like “Oh, that makes total sense because the podcast is still new!” And as we know, it takes a long time to monetize something like a podcast, social media platform, blog etc. So, it was amazing for me to witness, over the course of the year, her finally growing her podcast to the point that she could quit her job and be supported by the podcast. So, I wanted to include that story in the book and then have them on the podcast today to talk about both of their journeys towards their Dharma which are unique, and intertwined and beautiful.

[05:33]

So, this Episode is really like three girlfriends telling their stories and talking about fears and what has held them back, and then also where we are today as female business owners, as content creators, as people who are focused on bringing spirituality and wellness to the world, the roadblocks that we still experience today because that never fully ends. So you’re going to hear their stories, their limiting beliefs, their roadblocks. I also wanted to talk about just the common obstacles I’ve heard from community members such as feeling imposter syndrome; like you’re not good enough; you don’t have anything important to share; how they’ve overcome those feelings. And we also, at the end of the Episode, dive into different obstacles that we are having in the stages of our businesses that we are at right now, just to show you that it’s not like this one time stop that you’re just there and then you’re at your Dharma and that’s it, it’s more of a mountain range and you reach one hill and then you go down, and you reach another and you go down, and it’s more of a spiral than it is this ladder that you go up.
So, I’m really excited to share this conversation with you, it was so much fun to be a part of and I hope it’s so much fun for you to listen.

So, without further ado, let’s welcome Krista and Lindsey to The Highest Self Podcast.
____________________________________________

[06:47] Advertisement:

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So, this month in Rose Gold Goddesses, the Sacred Sisterhood Collective all about embodying the goddess within, we are diving deep into Shakti, which is this principle, this essence of Divine Feminine Wisdom. I take you on a journey to learn about how Shakti shows up you; how she is your breath; your body; your desire to be immersed in all things rather than separate from it. We dive deep into the differences between the Spirit and Soul, and I guide you through practices and rituals to connect more to the Shakti essence that lives inside of you.
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[08:40] End of Advertisement
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[08:42] Interview

[08:42] Sahara:
Welcome Lindsey and Krista to The Highest Self Podcast! It’s so great to have you guys here in beautiful Miami! We just did your amazing Almost 30 podcast and I’m so excited to jam with you today!
And the first question I’d love to ask you both is what makes you your highest self? So we’ll start with you Krista.

[08:59] Krista:

Oh my gosh! What makes me my highest self – I feel like when I am, I think, interviewing, to be honest. I love; I’ve always been a question-asker and it was almost my trauma being young that there was no attention on me so I got attention by asking people about themselves and by listening. And it was sort of my way to also maneuver in the world because it was like “How can I distract people? How can I move the attention off of me but on to them?” So, being like with a narcissistic mother that really happens. So it really is though my Dharma because it has been traumatic for me but it is also where I can use all my gifts and it’s where I feel the most valuable and I feel the most present. There’s a presence of asking questions and interviewing that I really, really enjoy – so I think interviewing and asking questions.

[09:49] Sahara:

I love that! And you have; we were just talking about, the Researcher Archetype too. What about you Lindsey?

[09:55] Lindsey:

I’m my highest self – truly, when I was reading your book actually and I was doing a little quiz, there’s a question about; there’s a question and one of the answers I most resonated with was ‘creating by yourself’. No offence taken, it’s more like when I’m by myself and I’m able to – especially singing with music – I’m an empath so sometimes when I have a lot of energy around me I forget what my own energy feels like, so when I’m by myself I really feel the resonance of my highest self. And lately it’s really been music.

[10:34] Lindsey and Krista:

This is our announcement. Goodbye.

[10:40] Sahara:

You’re on the Highest Self Podcast.

[10:43] Lindsey:

We’re looking for press!

[10:44] Sahara:

But this is so exciting for me because you guys are the first people I get to interview who, first of all, are written about in the book, but also I’m like “I want to talk about your archetypes” because it makes total sense because you are the Artist archetype. And the Artist archetype, one of the main things about them is, the reason why they’re an Artist is they take in so much energy. So they’re able to feel the texture of the room and the sound and the vibration, that’s what makes them the Artist, and that’s also what can overwhelm them the most. And they need a lot of time in their own space and their own presence to be like “Who am I? What are the things that I’m holding onto and then how can this creation come through me?” So they can be really sensitive to for example loud sounds, crowded places, chaotic energy, and that’s part of their Dharma.
And for you, with the Researcher, specifically, asking the question and listening and observing, and even that being related to trauma and your soul even choosing your mother and choosing that experience to make you really good at that because it was preparing you for this career. It’s just so in alignment to – that’s why I love seeing examples of people living their Dharma in this way and then also your different archetypes coming together to create Almost 30, it’s just so beautiful to see and I’m already just so excited about this conversation.
So what’s the meaning of life?

[12:05] Krista:

I think that’s what part is, being in the spiritual space (on the meaning of life) is that we’re so exposed to so many ideas and different meanings and it can almost be confusing because you’re like “Well, I thought this was the meaning; and then I understood this as the meaning; and all these things” but, yeah.

[12:23] Sahara:

And it’s interesting because it’s like all if these different frameworks really say the same thing. It’s like I can have my languaging around it and someone else can have theirs, and it kind of just shows all of our missions, all of our Dharmas are all the same – to raise consciousness. But all of our cultures, backgrounds, experiences are going to make our way of expressing that so differently. And I think that that’s the greatest reminder for people too, is, it’s like choose whatever language works for you, it’s really all the same thing.

[12:52] Krista:

I feel like this year, with consciousness, has been so apparent for me, how we just are completely unconscious and just all the ways in which we are brought back to unconsciousness through media, through our phones, through the news, through all these different distractions that we live and exist with. It’s very traumatic and hard to be conscious all the time, or that’s the belief or perception, and it’s been interesting to see, how, as we raise consciousness, naturally, all the ways in which that the opposite side is trying to keep us unconscious.

[13:24] Sahara:

Yeah. And I think that’s one of the stages of awakening, of being like “Oh, shit! The world is fucked up! How am I going to live in this world?” And then you feel like you’re going crazy and you’re like “How is everyone doing this?” You just want to leave and escape and figure it out, and you need to go through that process, and then you find integration. And it’s like you go from in, you go up and you back in, and it’s like “Okay, how can I, in this world now, obviously, if I’m born here, there’s a reason why I’m here too; I’m not free from it and how can I make it a better place?”

[13:57] Lindsey:

And I think there is that disconnection of “I am here for a purpose”. A lot of people are like “Why am I even here? Am I needed?” There is just that disconnection from like “No, you were created perfectly, by Source; by God”. And I’ve definitely had those moments too where I’m just like “I don’t know what to do; I don’t know why I’m here”. But truly, some people are living that truth of “I don’t know why I’m here and I shouldn’t even be here” and it could be so sad; it could be really, really sad.

[14:31] Sahara:

Yeah, and I mean that’s part of their experience to remember and it’s like those different points of rock bottoms we have to experience.
So, I want to talk about both of your journeys because I’m sure a lot of listeners listen to Almost 30 as well and have seen your own journeys, the past four years (I want to say) that you’ve been podcasting, and it going really from a hobby, of something you’re like “This could be fun” and it becoming both of your careers and your missions, and something so much greater than you.
And I wrote about you Krista in the book about your transition. I know you’ve spoken a lot about transitioning from corporate into doing this full time, so can you share a little bit more about that journey?

[15:09] Krista:

Yes! So, I grew up in a small town in Ohio. In Ohio, no one really had the idea or belief that you could do what you loved. So everyone around me was just living this life where they had a job, they didn’t find their passion, they didn’t pursue their passion – so that was sort of my ideal. Is that you go to a school; we all go to college, that was kind of the goal (to go to a college) and then you just work in a job, and you have kids, and you get a car, and you get a house and all the things. And for most of my life I felt really uncomfortable with status quo and really uncomfortable wherever I was. I was really happy, I was popular, people really liked me, but in my head I was never really satisfied with anything that was going on. So I went to college, where I was deeply unhappy, internally, although on the external you would think that I was really, really happy and thriving. I remember I used to drink and just get drunk because I was like “How do I escape these boring ass conversations and this life?” And so, after that I got a job in management consulting and finance, I was excited by the money and really didn’t have any dream for myself outside of anything. And through that I got multiple jobs in the corporate world because I was always trying to find and just search and see if there was something else that was a better fit for me. I was in management consulting, I was in digital marketing, I was in events, so I was all over the board and I never felt happy. I thought if I found the right job, I would eventually be happy and I could be normal, I was like “I just want to be normal”. But when I found Soul Cycle, when I was in New York, I fell in love and I decided I want to be a Soul Cycle instructor because I loved the energy, I loved the movement, and I thought it was for me. So I tried to manifest it as best as possible and really just did everything I could. I lost all the weight, I got super fit, I got in with all these instructors and when I auditioned I didn’t get it. So, I was like “Okay, I have to figure out another way to get it!” And what made me the most uncomfortable in my audition was hearing my voice on the microphone. So I went to a vocal coach in New York every lunch break for a year and got really, really comfortable with myself on a microphone. I learned how to use my voice, I learned how to use my breath, and would just pay out of pocket and leave for lunch every day at work (or every Wednesday at work). And what I didn’t know was that would be for Almost 30; it would be for my career now but I thought it was for Soul Cycle at the time. So I said I needed to get connected with a Soul Cycle instructor, I needed to get connected to someone else that was in the company to help me with my audition. Someone connected me with Lindsey, so we got connected, and although I didn’t my make my audition the second time, I was connected with her. So we started to have these deep conversations which eventually led to Almost 30, but in that time I had moved to Los Angeles and quit my job to pursue blogging. I thought I wanted to be a blogger full-time so I was like “I’m going to have a podcast as a passion and I’m going to blog full-time. It’s going to be my thing!” So I tried to blog, didn’t really work, got myself in maybe $9000 in credit card debt and just was “I need to find another full-time job. I’m just going to be in these jobs my whole life!” So, I found a full-time job that I was at for two years but that was really important to me because it was what allowed me to build Almost 30 with Lindsey.
So, where I followed the prescriptive advice of “Follow you dreams and your passions, quit your job and try to make it work” that was what I did with blogging and it didn’t work for me. I got in debt, I had no plan, I had no strategy and I really didn’t know what I was doing. So, when we were going to quit for Almost 30 and make the transition from me being at my corporate job and her being at Soul Cycle, I knew we had to be much more strategic.
And when we talk about the transition, like in your book, when we’re talking about that transition from being at the corporate job to pursuing my passion full-time, it never really was comfortable and it never really was easy but it was something that I knew in my heart – if we worked hard enough, we would make happen! So it took over two years and I never thought we would be at this place but right when we quit I knew that, we saw how much money I made, I knew the Universe would support us in the way. So, it’s been a really long journey but it’s been really beautiful to see all the ways in which that I’ve been supported in all of the decisions that I made.

[19:25] Sahara:

I love that story so much because we so celebrate the leave and we think everyone who has made it has taken this leave and she moved to LA and became a blogger and now she’s in Almost 30. And that wasn’t the case for you, it wasn’t your blog, it was you actually going back to having the stability of a job so you wouldn’t have to stress out and get into further debt and be trying to make this thing happen that wasn’t working for you instead of having the stability and this knowing that you could build something that’s authentic and you don’t have to strive and monetize it and make decisions that you probably would’ve regretted today had you from day one just been trying to make money off of it. So my question is – was it hard for you to have the time to create this podcast and community and do all of the things related to your Dharma when you had a full-time job?

[20:11] Krista:

Yeah, that’s the one thing when I know people who want to find their purpose and their passion; they’re really excited about it. You really have to put in the time and I see so many people that have full-time jobs, essentially making excuses “I have my job where we’re working all these things! – When you want something, you’ll make it happen.
So, for me that was in the morning before work, or at the lunch break at work, or on the weekends or nights. And we really just used our time as flexibly as we could – I would take Fridays from home, we would do interviews and it wasn’t as honest as I could’ve been, I definitely was pushing the boundaries a little bit. But I knew what I had to do make what happens happen and my work really wasn’t my heart goal or priority. So, as another thing too, with my work, I wasn’t ever hanging out with anyone at work, I wasn’t ever reading blogs at work, I wasn’t looking at the news, I wasn’t on Facebook, I was barely on social media because I was so focused on what we’re doing. So, when we look at our day, really, analytically, which is what I did, I would see “Okay, how much time am I spending in the morning on social media – 20 minutes. I could probably cut that out and really focus on Almost 30”. With lunch – am I talking to people at work that I really love or really inspire me – No I wasn’t. So how much time could I save for myself at Almost 20? And then I just did that throughout the day and found these pockets or windows of maybe three extra hours a day, four extra hours a day that I really dedicated to Almost 30.

[21:40] Sahara:

I love that so much because I think people feel like you’re either at a job and you do all the things related to the job; you hang out with the people; you go to the happy hour; you do the things, and you’re like “Here’s my boundary”. So did you join the job knowing that you were going to use this as your way out too or you just thought this is just my life?

[22:02] Krista:

No, I thought it was my life. I thought “Oh, it’s just my life!” I intuitively know that it wasn’t but I thought it was going to be my life. I was like “I need to get out of debt, I need to be realistic, I need to be responsible”. And we were building it; I always wanted to be it, but I really went in just like “I have to get myself out of debt and I have to get myself away from the discomfort of feeling broke” because I hated to be broke. And I also, too, when we were building Almost 30, I was blogging and then I was serving and I was nannying, so I was doing all these jobs. And I remember I was like “I’m working maybe 60 hours a week and I’m making $1000 or something” and I’m like “Damn, if I’m at a full-time job, I’m working 40 and I’m making $2000 maybe ($2000 a week)”. I’m like “The hours, I have to be making more” I was like “If I want more hours for Almost 30, say from 60 hours, doing all these odd jobs, to 40, I need to find a full-time job!” So I used to think about things as the hours spent and how much more time I could get back.

[23:00] Sahara:

I love that because we tend to feel like it’s from a full-time job you go to freelancing and then freelancing you to entrepreneurship or doing your own thing, but you actually kind of went the opposite way. Because being a freelancer is juggling a lot of different people’s schedules and times and contracts and expectations etc. that for some people it’s having that full-time thing actually gives them more time at the end of the day.
So, did you tell people that you were friends with the time of the full-time job, like “Hey, my plan is to make Almost 30” or did you just try to keep that to yourself?

[23:34] Krista:

I remember I had my boss at my job, I had a realization, or a re-realization that people at work don’t have my heart interests in it for me; they are not interested in what my heart wants. So I would tell my boss everything about Almost 30, I’m like “Oh, this is happening, this is happening” and then I remember having this sit-down talk with her where she was like “You are not spending enough time with this, I’m worried about you and Almost 30 and all these things” and kind of gave me a talking to that she was uncomfortable with what I was doing with Almost 30; she didn’t like it; she didn’t want me to be spending too much time on it if it was going to take away from work. And I was “Oh, yes, you cannot share that kind of thing in this corporate structure where a lot of people have killed their dreams to exist in this structure” so I said (in my heart) “Oh, I can’t share my heart desires in this sort of space”. And I think for a lot of people within the corporate world, I had to realize that over and over and over again, many times, when I would share things that were outside of the box. But it was a thing where I told friends that I really wanted to first get out of debt and I wanted to eventually make Almost 30 my thing, but it probably was over a year until we started making money, where I was “Oh, this could be a thing”. We made maybe $250 in our first year and I was like “Oh my God, this is a great side hustle!” I was like “I’m going to be able to buy dinner or something!” And then, when I really leaned into it and she really leaned into it, that’s when we started to make money and it started to be possible.

[25:00] Sahara:
I love that so much! And what about you Lindsey, what was this journey like for you?

 

[25:05] Lindsey:
Yeah, I grew up just down the street from Krista, in Pennsylvania, just north of Philly. And I’ve always been passionate about, and encouraged, to pursue performing. Whether it was dance, dinging, acting, I was definitely lucky enough to have a track supported that would get me there. So, that was dance classes and all the things – overscheduled child for sure! But I really did love it, I was very, like you, just kind of – I have a lot of home movies, my mom took a lot of home movies and when I watch those I’m like “Oh my God, that’s me!” You know what I mean? When you kind of lose that – all kids truly, just have that spirit of no judgment, they’re going from thing to thing and they’re like “Whatever, I want to do this!” It’s really sweet and I was always like that with performing.
So, I actually went from a public school to this private school and it specialized in performing arts. So, what was interesting and why I bring up early on like that is because I did, I did start to get the lead roles and I was “successful” at that school within the theater. But what was interesting was the dynamics, it was an all-girls school and there was some jealousy, as there is at that age and in schools in general. But there was some bullying around it so I was never actually celebrated. I was celebrated at home like “Good job! You got the lead!” But we’d never really celebrated it in school in the way as a kid, I would’ve hoped that my friends were supportive and really just love seeing me in my – living my Dharma in a way, at a young age. And I think that has stayed with me for a long time because when I had the decision to go to college, I applied to NYU Tisch, I applied to the specialty program at Northwestern, for theatre which is really hard to get into and I was really like “I want to do this!” And then there was a part of me that was like “Can I do this?” I knew that was kind of my shadow from my high school experience of just “I don’t know, maybe I’m not made for this” because I really did love the validation and people telling me “Yes, you can do this!”
So, I ended up going to Boston College, it’s a great school but it’s Liberal Arts and thankfully (God is good) and that year that I got to Boston College, the theater department only, was given, anonymously, like $1 million, so they just ramped everything up. It was already good but they were bringing in visiting professors, so I really got so much from that program and I had the distraction of boys and football and all of this and I definitely felt myself just kind of pulled in every direction and not as focused as I could’ve been (it’s the story of everyone in college I think, at times). But anyway, I say that to say after college I was like “Okay, I still am passionate about performing. This is definitely when I feel most in my power” and I moved to New York and I had three bartending jobs, I was working at three different bars, restaurant and working every night until at least 2am, sometimes 4am because bars are open late in New York, and then waking up at 8 or 9 to start prepping for auditions and seeing what I had that day. I had classes; I would go to workshops and just running myself in the ground. In the back of my head it’s like “Starving artist, this is what you do, you have side hustles!” I started bartending in college knowing that after college I would move to New York and get a bartending job, so I would have the cred to get a bartending job. So, hustling like that, although I think what has prepared us for early years of Almost 30, just doing it, just juggling a lot of things and just doing it. There’s no question but it also ran me to the ground. So, as an escape I found Soul Cycle. So I was bartending, I was fit-modeling which is kind of the non-glamorous version of fashion, you’re just kind of behind the scenes. That was kind of pulling me out of the bars, which was nice, and then I found Soul Cycle as a way to wake me up in the morning. It was fun, it was dance on a bike, I was like “Ohh, this feels good, to be in my body!” And eventually, I went so much that two of the instructors like “Do you want to ride the podium?” And if I rode the podium, I would get the classes for free. I remember looking at my bank account one day being like “Okay, so Soul Cycle class is $35, so I probably won’t get dinner” you know what I mean?! It literally would come down to that, something so stupid, but I would go. Started getting classes for free and they were like “You should audition” I was like “No, I don’t have time, I literally don’t have time, I’m bartending still, I’m fit-modeling” doing all these things. And I was like “What’s the worst thing that could happen? You’re right!” So I did and I ended up getting it. Ten weeks of training, every single day, five days a week, four hours a day, I was still working on top of that trying to juggle it.

[30:12] Sahara:
Wait, how many years?

[30:13] Lindsey:
10 weeks, five days a week, four hours a day.

[30:23] Sahara:
I took your class, you were amazing, that was like three years ago.

[30:26] Lindsey:
And three months into teaching in New York, I was going to the burbs, I was kind of doing that work for them and then they called me late one night, at nine o’clock like “You can say no and we don’t have to have the conversation but we would love to have you open up a studio in LA, would you want to move to LA?” At the time I was living with my best friend – just a lot of connections to New York and the East Coast in general, I literally didn’t blink, I was like “Yes, I’ll go!” I didn’t know how I was going to get there, how fast, I didn’t ask any questions, I was like “Yes, I’ll go!” And four weeks later I was living in LA and just started teaching there and opening up a studio, and Soul Cycle taught me more about being in my holding space in a room, building a community and it was the best, it truly was. I had such a blast and there was just a cycle of; that Soul Cycle life, and it ended a few years into the podcast and it was such a beautiful transition because we worked so hard with Almost 30 (continue to) and it was just like I knew exactly why Soul was in my life and I was like “I’m ready to go”. It was just beautiful.

[31:37] Sahara:
Yeah and it brought you guys together.

[31:38] Lindsey:
Exactly!

[31:39] Sahara:
Which is also so interesting because it was an accidental Dharma for you. You weren’t seeking it, it just happened. And for you, you thought that was going to be your leap and it wasn’t, so it was like you took the exact pass that you needed to take and also looking at your childhood of being overscheduled and that became your norm of you’re supposed to always have ten things to do and not have enough time for and you were more like “Okay, let me look at this from the other perspective of how do I really monetize each of the hours of my day” and now you are bringing that into what you guys are doing. So, that is so amazing – Soul Cycle Gods!
So what was that conversation like for you guys of like “Hey, we’re really going to go for this full-time”, how did that come up? Was it one of you that wanted but not the other one?

[32:25] Lindsey:
From what I remember (correct me if I’m wrong) we both wanted it but we just didn’t know… I remember many conversations of just like “Can we?” Just weighing “Okay, so, we make this much in our jobs, separately, how much are we making with Almost 30?” But then also weighing the time and energy. If we put even more into Almost 30, we know that would equal making more money with Almost 30 and reaching more people, and all the things. So, I think we both definitely wanted it – Krista went first.

[33:00] Krista:
I quit first because my job was just killing me. I just noticed – I remember I had a friend over one day (this is how much I cared about my job) and I was taking calls and I got off the call and she was like “Honestly, hearing you on the phone at work and then hearing you on the podcast is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard!” She was like “You are like a dead person when you are on the phone” and I was talking about Hidden Valley Ranch Advertising; I was talking about something ridiculous and I was like “That is so true” and I was so grateful for that. But I always, I’m very Capricorn too, I have four houses in Capricorn and so I’m very quantum in the way I try to understand things, and I’m thankful for my first job, for really kicking my ass with not having money and being in debt, and being in scarcity because when we quit we had to look at how much money we had in the bank; how much she was making; how much I was making; how much we could last for six months; cash forecasting; there’s a lot of things that people, I don’t think, take as seriously as entrepreneurs learn to do and you really have to play in manifestation, in truth, in worthiness, but you also have to play in 3D and really be serious about how much money you’re making in the way that you’re living. And when I first quit, I didn’t really know how much money I was spending a month; I didn’t how much my rent was; I didn’t know how much money I had coming in. So we really both had to look at that – do we have debt; do we have debt we have to pay off and really take those into consideration. And we had a situation too where it was like a few months before I quit and we were asked to speak at this event and it was in downtown LA and I remember she was like “We’ll have black cars pick you guys up and we’ll pay you X amount” and I was like “Okay, so me lying about at work, saying I had a doctor’s appointment; taking a black car downtown; going on stage in front of people, speaking my truth, having fun, interviewing, being in my Dharma” I made more money in that hour than I was in two weeks. So in that one hour I made more than 80 hours and I was like “Oh, this is actually the laws of the universe and action; when, when I’m aligned and when I’m in my truth I can actually, truly make more money”. And I’ll never forget that, I was like “Oh, this is what people are talking about when they’re talking about that”. And so, I vowed to follow that and the month that I quit; and then when Lindsey quit short after, we just made so much more money, it was like – I’m not talking so much more money; for us it was so much more money than it ever was.

[35:24] Krista:
That’s when we hit 9 figures.

[35:27] Sahara:
All about the abundance! Not but, I love that and it kind of feels like almost having a double life. It’s like you have this life that you are when you’re at your job and then this person who you really are, and I feel like living your Dharma is being you full-time. Not so much about your job full-time but it’s being you full-time. And when you’re having to step into a situation where you’re not yourself, and that’s a daily thing that you do, that’s taking you away from more time that you’re incubating in your own truth.

[35:56] Krista:
Yeah, think about, so many of your listeners I’m sure and so many of Almost 30’s listeners – it’s like how much of our existence do we spend in two lives? I spent most of my life in Ohio, in this world that I never felt was my own, so I was used to being two people almost; I was used to being multiple people; I was used to being myself, which was emotional, creative, all of these things and then having to be fake and having to be like “Let’s talk about shopping; let’s watch TV; let’s drink”, so it was really normal for me. I never thought I’d be able to merge two worlds and I never thought I’d have to be just one person all the time. And that’s really what I’m most grateful for in my life and what I never take for granted is that I move and operate through the day mostly myself, of course there’s always times when I’m in and out of alignment, but to be myself most times is the greatest gift.

[36:47] Sahara:
Absolutely. So, I want to talk about imposter syndrome because it’s such a huge issue that we all experience. And for you guys interviewing all of these people who are the best in their fields, whether they’re authors, or spiritual teachers, or wellness gurus, or whatever else, did that ever bring up imposter syndrome for you guys and this feeling of “Who am I? What story do I have to share?”

[37:10] Lindsey:
We do, we interview so many incredible people like you do and I don’t know if I experience imposter syndrome with our guests. There is deep respect and kind of this overwhelm of wanting to dive more deeply into what they were teaching or their expertise, or implemented in my life. For me, the imposter syndrome came from those closest to me. Having a business partner who is just so sharp in business and all of these things, it’s like when you’re with it every day, you’re like “I should be more like that; I should be more like that”; or with siblings, with my sisters, I always say my siblings are so much more talented than me, I just wanted more spotlight, but comparing myself to them in a lot of ways, I do have a comparison thing and therefore that translates into I guess it would be imposter syndrome of like “Should I be here? Am I enough?” But as of late, I’ve really, really been working on it, in therapy, in breathwork and other modalities, and it feels really good and it’s just simply to love the parts of you that you tend to hate the most – just really being in love with it and being in that heart space of like – I mean, our conversation with you on our podcast, just that, you are here for a purpose and all the parts of you are working together to work for that purpose and contribute to the collective Dharma as well. And I just started to recognize that in so many different ways and really love the uniqueness of that, but it’s a constant thing I have to check myself with.

[38:51] Krista:
Yeah, I’ve always – Sometimes I think about being an imposter in a good way. It’s like I’ve always been the most conscious awake person and for a while it was really painful but now it’s like one of my gifts. And if we can really see that moment where we’re feeling ‘other’, we’re feeling different, it’s like what is that conscious awareness that we’re bringing to this situation that we can alchemize within ourselves? But I think I feel most imposter syndrome when I’m with our friends; not because our friends are not loving and kind and warm and all of these things, but we hang out with very talented, successful people. Our friends are incredible, they’re people that most people look up to so it’s in those moments where we’re talking about business; we’re talking about “I’m making this much money. I’m doing this. I’m doing these things” and it’s not that I feel ‘other’ or ‘less than’ but I feel that moment of “Oh, who am I? Look at them! What am I doing? Am I doing enough? Am I doing these things?” And it’s amazing that we can be in these spaces with people where you’re like “Oh, I remember that I’m hanging out with them! They see something in me that I also see in them”. So it’s really that healing, too, of female relationships, where I lean on that healing to also alchemize the imposter syndrome that I have with our friends.

[40:06] Sahara:
Yeah and I think that we can take people being more successful than us in two ways. We can take it as “I’m not worthy; I’m not good enough” or we can take it as “That’s really inspiring” and they’re hanging out with me, that means I have something to give too and it takes relearning and retraining your mind to go to the latter but that’s actually what I love about (I don’t live in LA anymore) but being in LA you meet so many incredible people that it really expands your horizon of what’s possible for you too because you see all these other people doing it. And I think having a podcast too is you get to have conversations like this for your job, so it’s like, I feel like in our society we’re so quick, we’re just like “Oh, let’s shoot each other a voice note” and that’s almost what a friendship is these days and a podcast actually gives you the time and space that both people want to be there and you can really dive deep. And then I’m sure for you guys it has been ultimate personal development of being able to sit with the exact people you want to sit with and talk to them about all these things and have that first hand perspective, and just witnessing both of your spiritual growth journeys over the past three or four years that I’ve known you guys, when we did the podcast three and a half years ago (in 2017) I had just started my podcast, and I can feel all of these conversations, effects and impact on you guys too and it’s also your soul choosing that for that reason.
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[42:41] Krista:
What do you do with imposter syndrome? When do you feel it the most?

[42:44] Sahara:
Yeah, I mean, for me it’s pretty motivating. I don’t really take it as “I’m not enough thing”, I take it as “Oh, I want to get there and get there”, maybe it’s the Capricorness but it’s just more so, it puts a fire under my ass to keep going. And I also have that desire to ask questions and learn; I just want to learn more about how they did it etc. But yeah, I think the times that I did feel the most imposter syndrome were before I had actually done anything, when I would read a book, I could feel in my soul I could write a book like this too but I hadn’t, so I would hate knowing that person “This book sucks! This is so basic, anyone can write this book!” But it was because my own soul knew that I could do it, but I was so triggered that these other people stepped into their purpose in a way that I had not yet.

[43:35] Krista:
That’s the thing for so many people – is once you have that consciousness to realize what triggers you and what triggers you is really like a guide post to where you should go, everything changes. And I’ve had that this year with people that I’m very close with, just seeing them be very much in their truth and feeling this year like I wasn’t in my truth, or haven’t been fully in my truth, for a while. It wasn’t incredibly triggering for me but I would really notice, I’m like “Oh, I don’t want to read their content right now because I’m feeling like I should be saying that. I’m feeling like I want to speak my truth. I want to say those things” but now it’s really like “Okay, what’s my guidepost to really come back to myself and really see that as a perfect example of what it feels like or looks like when someone’s actually speaking in their truth.

[44:20] Sahara:
Yeah and I think that – I mean I get messages, I don’t know if you guys have gotten them too, of people being like “I was super-triggered by you and I would want to do something and see you but you had already done it”.

[44:32] Lindsey:
I don’t think we’re successful enough.

[44:34] Krista:
You know who else gets those all the time? Jordan Younger.

[44:36] Sahara:
Really?

[44:37] Krista:
Yes!

[44:38] Sahara:
Yeah, I guess Jordan and I have been blogging for a long time, but I get them a lot and in kind of a way it kind of hurts.

[44:44] Krista:
Of course! That’s what she said, she said “This is not…”

[44:48] Sahara:
It doesn’t feel good, I’m not sure what to do, I’m just trying to be liked too. But it’s interesting because for example, Deepak Chopra is more like a grandfather; someone like Gaby Bernstein – Oh my God! I wish I could do something like that! I know for you guys too, she said she had a great role model of someone who really stepped into her power and has done it. To me it was almost like – it was so inspirational, it was too much, whereas now I know her personally as you guys do and I’m like “Oh, my God! I love her, she’s amazing” and she’s still someone who is super inspiring for me.

[45:21] Krista:
Well it’s like Shaman Durek said in his sessions once or something, he’s like “If you’re not triggering people, you’re not trying”. And it was really true, it was like the thought of if you are not triggering people, and it’s not in the way of you’re running around talking about things that are triggering, but people being in their power, in their truth will be triggering to people that it’s not. And so, it’s an interesting way to think about it and I do think about that often when we get feedback or something like that, I’ll be like “Okay, I’m going to take that critically and understand it but also it’s my soul doing its job to activate people”. And I’m going to activate people; either they’re going to be excited or mad or all these things, and that’s normal.

[45:59] Sahara:
So how do you guys navigate that? Because for me that was one of my biggest fears of my first book coming out of like “People are going to write bad reviews and they’re going to hate me”. So how did you navigate towards putting out podcasts and getting bad reviews and bad feedback and not taking it personally?

[46:15] Lindsey:
Yeah, it’s been a process. I think towards the beginning it would stop us in our tracks, it would ruin the day. We could have a hundred good things happen in a day and that one review we’re like “Why mean?!”

[46:29] Sahara:
I would go back to it and reread it eight times and the good one I’d like “Oh, another time”.

[46:34] Lindsey:
Now I just feel like we have a better understanding of (to your point) triggers and people’s shadows and just like how they’re playing out; and the projection; and really, individual healing that is happening. And that’s not to say that sometimes we don’t get a little rocked, but now it is so much, it’s like what you focus on will definitely grow and continue to perpetuate. And so, it’s just been a practice to not focus on it. There is an acknowledgement and if it hits us truth, we will absolutely take a moment and be like “Hmm, that’s a good point. Let’s move forward and change it or improve it”. But if it feels like personal and a little icky, I’m like “Oh, this has nothing to do with us”, so we move on.

[47:27] Krista:
Yeah. It’s hard for me because I have that Aquarian side of me that sees so many sides and I understand so many things and I seek to understand. So whenever I see something I seek to understand it, I’m like “Oh, that’s an interesting point. What would that mean about this and what does that mean about this?” And really, I take things seriously in the way that I analyze them but it’s also been something where I’m trying to move away from that because you can’t be as nebulous to change for the perception or approval of other people. So in the way that I don’t take critical feedback seriously, I don’t take positive feedback easily because I can’t just be taking one side of the coin and just leveraging people’s positive feedback of me and then ignoring the rest because that doesn’t make sense. So I’ve had to really learn with it and what was helpful for me too was the Love One, which is a spiritual text that I subscribe to and believe, and they talk a lot about how the greatest catalyst for growth happen within community and they happen with mirrors. And so, to understand that people are seeing within me something that they relate to or something they don’t, and I’m essentially their mirror. So it’s almost like I’m this projection, I don’t even really exist. I exist in their mind but they’re using me as a way for them to grow and see. So, as long as they’re going to take it as their own catalyst for growth, then they will grow and if they don’t and they’re choosing to not see in the mirror their opportunity for growth, then they will not grow. And so I see that with the way I look at life and I have to hope that people will see that way, but I think it’s something that for most people will deter them from doing what they want; is the belief about what other people are going to say. And I’ve had to, like when you were talking about earlier on our podcast, learn from a young age that I can’t really care what people think. With my parents, I never really was one that was – I never cared what my parents thought, to be honest I never did, and it’s worked out in my favor where I just don’t really mind what other people are doing because I know my path but that doesn’t mean that stuff doesn’t bother me when we see it.

[49:28] Sahara:
I remember my husband’s reading “The Artists’ Way” and one of the quotes in there was “There’s never been a statue of a critic” and it’s like these critics, it’s so easy to go around and be like “This sucks and that sucks. This documentary is the worst and your podcast stinks” and no one’s going to remember you because that’s what you’re spending your time to do. That’s why I try to think that I don’t write a bad review for anyone, even a bad Uber driver; I’m like “Whatever, five stars!”

[49:54] Lindsey:
Same!

[49:55] Sahara:
So, for someone that takes the time to sit down and write this bad review, where are they at?

[50:00] Krista:
Think about all of our friends who are successful and all of these things – they would never, they would never. If I saw something I didn’t like, wish them well, that’s their journey, God bless ‘em. You can’t be spending your time in that criticism with doing anything, it’s just no way to live your life, it’s like “Okay, that wasn’t for me, I’m going to move on to something else”.

[50:22] Sahara:
So, I know a lot of people listening, they want to build a community but then they’re afraid of all the feedback that comes with it. You guys, community is such a huge part of what you guys do, how do you guys build a community and try to hear all the different voices when the voices are opposing or maybe the voices are not in alignment with the choices that you’re making?

[50:44] Krista:
Yeah, I think that’s probably one of the greatest learning lessons for us with community. The reason why we build Almost 30 was so people would feel less alone. Being a star seed (all of us are) it’s like I felt alone my whole life, I felt misunderstood most of my whole life, so I wanted people, through their spiritual awakening, to feel supported and to feel less alone. When you’re becoming conscious things get really funky and things get really scary and they can be really crazy. So, our goal was to have people feel supported and especially to heal the mother wound; to heal the sister wound; I think we all have a deep sister wound that needs healing. So, that was the goal of our community and we’ve done an amazing job. Our community is responsible, and kind, and fun, and just amazingly supportive to one another. But I think this year we really learned that there is something in the collective around a narcissism that people have online. And that narcissism is related to, and this isn’t talking about our community specifically but it’s talking just in general about the celebrity culture and the narcissistic belief that people need to change for you. So it’s saying that “Sahara, it bothers me when you wear that pink top, I want you to stop wearing that pink top”. When really it’s narcissistic to believe that you would do anything just for me because it’s not me that needs to change, it’s you. So I think that’s really going on in the collective where people think that the world should change for them rather than changing for the world. And we see that quite often where people want you to say something or talk about something or have your podcast, dive into this issue or whatever, and they fail to remember that this podcast is something that Lindsey and I created, and it’s really the entity that channels through us that we’re working with and not their perspective. So, we’re really had to, sort of, change our relationship to feedback in the community in the ways in which we want to operate because it really needs to be our relationship together that is going to create this thing because that’s what started it from the beginning.

[52:46] Sahara:
And this is gold by the way, gold!

[52:49] Krista:
And when you get big, and you know this, when you get big what happens is, then you’re responding to them and you’re doing something for them and then you’re not creating what people fell in love with; then we’re not creating this podcast that people loved (of us in our closet floors) it’s this thing that she said we should talk about and they said we should talk about, so, it’s been a learning process and it’s been one of the most interesting processes to go through but I feel better about it than before, than ever.

[53:14] Lindsey:
And I think the piece on allowing and supporting really cheering each other on to evolve is something that I’m noticing – it’s really a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. So there is some pain in change and evolving, there is, because a part of you has to die, and so I think as we’ve slowly evolved as a brand, as individual people, which is also a complication of having a brand where you are the face of a brand, where the audience, the community, is a little earthquake, they’re like “Wait! You’re changing. I came to you for this reason and you’re changing. What does that say about me? Can I change or should I change, or do I have all that I need and support to change. And yeah, it’s just been a restructuring of the relationship and owning, as founders, as best friends, as leaders and as sisters to one another, that we have a responsibility too to really own our evolution and not waiver when the community is pulling (and this is very general talk), but just holding us to one standard, to one time in our life, to one thing, because we want people ultimately (as I know you do) to come back to themselves. We know we are “public figures” but we pray that we are not on this pedestal where you’re like “You are perfect; you are this; you are always this”, we hope that there are pieces of what we do that inspire you to come right back to who you are because we all share in that love of just evolving and just finding what feels really good to us. I think the idealization thing that happens, especially because of social media, it gets really tricky and happens very slyly. We’re not up here being like “We are the best” but just in what we do because we are so on purpose, there is an idealization of sorts that can happen and I just pray that we can do all that we can to just empower people.

[55:30] Sahara
Yeah, I see what happens too, is people think a podcast or a blog or whatever is a product. “This is the product. This is the Coke I drink. This is going to be the recipe for the rest of my life” and it’s not, it’s human beings speaking their truth and that’s always going to change; your friend’s going to change, your mom’s going to change, everything’s going to change. So they’re like “Well, I signed up when you were this way. So this was the product that I subscribed to and now the product is changing”, so it’s this feeling of entitlement. And I’m seeing this entitlement in the narcissism you mention of this feeling of “I’m entitled to get you the exact way that I want you – for free too, because when you’re listening to a podcast or reading somebody’s Instagram post, you’re not paying for that. So, I’m entitled to getting you exactly to how I wanted to be for free, and if you say anything that I don’t like and is not in my direct viewpoint, not only will I not listen, I will go out of my way to tell everyone that you suck and that you’re a fake, and that you’re a this and you’re a that” because suddenly you are not meeting my particular needs at this moment of time. That’s entitlement. And it’s really important especially for people who do want to put their voices out there to recognize this because it’s something I never thought about, it’s something I never really realized. I think my big fear when I went from Eat Feel Fresh (and my blog name; I know you were going under your blog name) and that was more focused on food and nutrition and health, and changing it to I Am Sahara Rose, I had so much fear and anxiety of “Will they all unfollow me? Will they not like me anymore? Will I be received if I’m talking about all these other sides of my life and not giving them the thing that they want to do?” But the thing is, it couldn’t have worked, I couldn’t have sustained myself to continue to fill this role that I no longer was anymore. And interestingly enough, the total opposite happened, that when I shifted into becoming me and not talking about this thing that I feel, people want to know about this thing, they don’t want to know about me. When I started to put myself in the picture, I’m sure my audience is 99% different right now, but it’s still bigger than it ever has been before, so, we do have to trust that when we do pivot, we’re going to be met by the right people and that it’s not our responsibility to make everyone happy. And some people are going to be with you for couple months of your journey; some people are going to be for a couple of years; some people for a couple minutes, and that’s okay, we can’t pivot to make everyone stay with us forever because guess what – it’s never going to work.

[57:55] Krista:
A hundred percent! With our coaching program for people with new podcasts, it’s been something we’re hammering in, which is having a thousand loyal fans. Kevin Kelly’s book about having a thousand loyal fans is really the goal over having millions and millions because you can make a great living, you can make an impact, you can have a really deep relationship with them but you’re not in the position where you potentially have people that are going to turn on you or hate you or just kind of be fair-weather friends, or all of these things. So, when people come into the world or podcasting, or blogging, or social media, it’s really focusing on how you can make a deep impact with a smaller amount of people and then grow it from there – not that I’m saying that people shouldn’t have the goal to make impact on millions, but when you start really smaller you can kind of grow into those numbers if it’s part of your Dharma to reach millions.

[58:44] Sahara:
I love that! And also not being tied to those one thousand people now own you. Because those thousand people will shift into another thousand, to another thousand, another thousand, and that’s fine too because everyone is also on their own growth journey and sometimes you grow in different ways and sometimes you come back together and sometimes you don’t and that’s all okay.

[59:03] Krista:
A hundred percent, yes!

[59:05] Sahara:
So, for people out there listening who are like “I really want to find my voice. I really want to speak my message. I want to just share my truth and show up more online. I know it’s part of my Dharma but I’m really afraid of doing it”. What advice do you have for them?

[59:20] Lindsey:
I guess first, I would say reflect on what scares you the most about it because I think when you bring awareness to that fear it just becomes less powerful. And I think that there are so many moments when people feel like they have to do it a certain way and really feeling into what that expression feels like to you. Maybe it is an Instagram post, maybe it’s an Instagram story, maybe it’s written word, maybe it’s something that someone’s never done before. We get so tripped up about “But she did it this way and it was really successful, and she got that many likes” and all the things, but really feeling into ‘What feels like me? What lights me up the most?’ We had Susie Petets on our podcast a long time ago, but she describes when she got the feeling for potpourri and she had that, it literally was electricity throughout her body, and just feeling into that and that takes kind of unplugging from all of the opinions and the social media, that’s where I would start.

[1:00:22] Krista:
Yeah, I think too. People are like “How do I speak my truth on a podcast or a blog” and it always is speaking their truth for the approval or the eyes of others and it’s like “Are you telling your boyfriend what you want for dinner or are you telling him that you don’t know, even though you fucking know?” It’s like how in these small moments of “Are you telling someone you’re having a great day and you’re not?” It always has to be “How can I speak my truth for the approval of social media or the perception of others” and people can’t even see their truth to themselves. “How do I feel today? I feel good” – Do you feel good today? Actually tell the truth to yourself; tell the truth to people you love; to people that you’re close with and don’t worry about telling your truth on a podcast, to social media, all these things, that will happen in due time if it’s meant to and if you’re doing it in true servitude for the collective and not for your ego.

[1:01:12] Sahara:
I think that’s so important. The more that you can speak your truth to the people around you, the easier it gets on doing things online. You actually can’t do it online without doing it in person. And your method of communication, your feeling, your being more in your heart, the only thing it can come through is living it and living it in every single choice; having that hard conversation; saying that thing that you want to say. I know for me, whenever there’s a conversation I need to have but I’m not, I repeat it over and over and over again in my mind until it’s just like “Okay, I need to say this because I can’t use any more mental energy on this anymore and it’s like try not to get to that point, try to just say it when you want to say it.

[1:01:52] Krista:
Yeah, there’s like quantum residue when we’re having those conversations and we’re not in the moment, it’s like – that’s just using your energy, expeditiously, when you’re having that or you’re having the fight or you’re having the conversation you never had and you’re just using a lot of your energy that you don’t even know about it in that way.

[1:02:10] Sahara:
Well, yeah, 80% of our thoughts are recycled thoughts from the day before. So imagine if we used those 80% on new thoughts, how far we would come!

[1:02:19] Lindsey:
And I also think those hard conversations or that fear speaking your truth is never as scary as you build it up to be, so it is kind of a leap moment, you know what I mean? And I think especially those conversations and telling the truth to either yourself or the people that you love – they’ve been waiting for you to tell the truth. People feel!

[1:02:44] Sahara:
And most people don’t know how to start it.

[1:02:46] Krista:
Yeah, the starting is the hardest because you’re so – I think once you start it, it’s good, but it’s just the starting!

 

[1:02:53] Sahara:
The starting can feel really awkward because we’re not taught. Here’s how to bring up a really difficult conversation you’ve mentally been rehearsing in your mind for nine months. How does that happen?

[1:03:03] Krista:
Oh my God, it’s so true!

[1:03:05] Sahara:
But then, once you do bring it up, that person’s been rehearsing their role and waiting for you to bring it up, so it’s like why have we been waiting so long to say this?

[1:03:13] Lindsey:
And it’s such a gift to other people, because I’m sure, whether it’s with you or someone else, they’ve been meaning to do or speak their truth.

[1:03:20] Sahara:
Yeah! And just the last question, for you guys being a team, doing this together, and for me, this year has been around figuring out team and finding someone who gets me, who I can work with, and then also the challenges of trying different people and not working. And you guys have shared podcasts of different healing and stuff you have done. So, what advice do you have for someone who is wanting to start some sort of business, project, podcast with someone else that you wish you had known going into it?

[1:03:48] Krista:
I think I wish I would’ve known – I think we had everything, not we had everything we need to know, but I think we’ve learned so much along the way, so, I wouldn’t do anything differently if we had not succeeded, I would say “I wish I would’ve known that”. It’s so much more serious than people think and I think a lot of times people are like “Oh, I want to start a podcast so I’m going to hitch my dream onto someone else because I’m really insecure to bring it to life myself”. I think that that happens the most, where that wasn’t the case with us, but people will be scared to bring through what they want to bring through by themselves, so they want to have someone else be a part of it. And I think that happens more, particularly, with women than it does with men because of our fear of judgment and failure.

[1:04:27] Sahara:
It’s like in high school, you couldn’t do anything alone, you were looking for someone to do it with.

[1:04:31] Krista:
Yes! “My friend said that you bla bla bla!” It’s funny because when I used to be in my art class, this used to be my tactic with boys I was dating, I used to be like “Well, my friends said that you don’t bla bla bla” and I’d communicate through my friends to them, I’m like “Well, my friends said; what do you think about that?” – so annoying! But, we share dreams, vision, money, time, energy, so many things, so it’s so much more than just us having fun on a podcast. Our business is a living, breathing things, so, we’ve really had to work super hard on our relationship and it’s been really hard at times. We’ve had those conversations in our head all day long where we’re not speaking our truth, we’re not talking to one another, we’re not being really honest. And I think this year has been the best year for us because we’ve been able to just really realize how special what we have is and sort of step outside of ourselves and really be in service to Almost 30 as a whole rather than our fears or insecurities or shadow that was being brought up for the first couple years.

[1:05:36] Lindsey:
Yeah! And I would also say, just back to the imposter syndrome, just a way to combat that, it is to really continue to illuminate your own gifts and put them into practice. That doesn’t mean I didn’t learn things to get better at them, but there is something to really owning your own gifts and having that be the puzzle piece, and she is a particular puzzle piece. And I think that that generates a momentum, because if you’re too caught up in “I’ve got to learn this and I’m not there yet” it always is that energy of “I’m not there yet, I’m not there yet, I’m not there yet”. So, it’s like, in the present moment, can you really practice your own gift, give your own gift to this business, this thing, this living, breathing entity. And I think for me, that just generated most ideas, inspiration, the next thing rather than spending so much energy – like you said, the 80% of thoughts from the day, previously, like “I could’ve done that better! Gosh, I wish I was like that!” And then yeah, I would just echo the communication piece; it’s so important! And I think that’s just been a theme for us this year of speaking our truth and it really starts with ourselves and then the next closest thing, truly, on a day-to-day basis is each other; and just being able to honestly communicate, and really just honor each other’s uniqueness, too, has been really cool because it just creates, or it gives a dimensionality to Almost 30 that keeps showing itself, where it’s like “Oh, yeah, you’re so good at this or you love this” it kind of opens a new flower on the bush, we’re like “Wow, it could be this and this and this”. And then, building a team is a whole other thing; it’s the first time we’re doing it and I’m like “Wow! This a whole other learning about yourself experience!”

[1:07:33] Krista:
Yes! I’ve had my karma come through from my previous jobs where I’ve had (we’ve had) on our team, not anymore, but someone that was kind of doing their own thing – it was me, it was me. It was so crazy, this person, I was like “You are driving me crazy and you are me! You have your own passion and goals and dreams outside of the business. You are not spending a lot of time on the business. You are entitled, you are all of these things” and I was like “God damn it!” And I felt so blessed…

[1:08:03] Sahara:
Well, it makes you feel for your former boss.

[1:08:06] Krista:
Yes! I literally reached out to my bosses that week and was like “I just want to apologize for being a complete asshole at times; I know you had your thing” but hopefully that karma is done, but a team is a whole entity, as you know.

[1:08:19] Sahara:
Yeah, for me, the most important thing is making sure everyone’s actually in alignment with their Dharma and I think people sometimes feel like “Oh, my Dharma can’t be…”

[1:08:27] Krista:
…or they cycle.

[1:08:30] Sahara:
Kind of like “If you’re not seeing this as part of your mission” you know, if your mission is not in alignment with my mission or you’re seeing this as a stepping stone to something else, I’m not your person for that. I’m trying to build people who are like “I love to organize. I love to be in the back-end. I love to support – this is actually my Dharma and it’s giving me life” because all of that is needed to take action. It’s not like we just hop on this Podcast and that’s it, there’s a bazillion steps that people don’t see that goes behind the scenes; and there are so many people whose roles are to be that; they want to be that. But I think for me, the most challenging part is finding those people because often times the people that we speak to or people who want to do exactly what we are doing, so it’s like “How do we find the people who love organizing technology, where are they? Hit me up! Slide in!” But they’re there and now we’re slowly finding each other in the realms.

[1:09:24] Lindsey:
Totally! And I think it’s…

[1:09:27] Krista:
I was just thinking about Tiffany (on our team) who’s been with us for four years. Her Dharma is like – she is organization, support, back-end management, people – that’s her, and she’s never wanted to be in the spotlight, she never wanted to be anything but, just a deep support, and is, first in service and share it too, I would say – first in service to our mission, that’s something, too, that I’ve learned with our team, is that they need to be in service to our mission, over in service to Lindsey and I, because if they’re in service to Lindsey and I, we are human beings, and so the mission stands still and the mission is what’s tried and true, and the mission is what we seek to serve – make people feel less alone, help them in their conscious evolution. But Lindsey and I are going to have days where we’re not on point, we’re not being organized, we’re not well, we’re the worst. So, if you’re in service to that, you’re going to be let down, disappointed, whatever, so you need them to be in the service of the mission first.

[1:10:21] Lindsey:
And it’s also really challenging because – not what we preach at all, but we’re like “You can be an entrepreneur, you can create your dream life, you can, you can, you can do all these things” which I stand by, and I feel guilty sometimes when I’m like “You’ve got to be about this! You’ve got to be about this mission!”

[1:10:44] Sahara:
Exactly! And I think it’s also, it’s not everyone’s path to be an entrepreneur, to be the face of the brand, to be the person on the book cover. And I think what’s hard is, because it’s ours, it’s hard to understand why that wouldn’t be someone else’s, so I feel this element of maybe guilt or like “You must want to just do what I’m doing”. But it’s no, actually some people really don’t, and then it’s just finding that. And I think, yeah, for me, the best way I have found it is to actually to go into totally other circles, other Facebook groups. And the people who work for me, some of them listen to my Podcast for years and some of them didn’t know who I was until they started working for me, and I actually love that balance.

[1:11:26] Krista:
You have to have the balance, there can’t be the guru quality, because then they want to impress you, they feel like if they get feedback that they’re bad and you become this mother archetype or this guru archetype where they’re trying to please you or impress you the whole time rather than, again, serve the mission.

[1:11:44] Sahara:
And I think that’s the hardest thing, too, that happens when you build something it’s like you build something of you doing all the things. Like you guys, you started the podcast, you’re editing it, you’re doing the graphics and you’re coming up with the ideas, and you’re all of the things, and that’s how it blew up so quickly. And then when you have all of these other people to fulfill the roles, now your jobs goes from just a creator to a CEO, and that’s a different skill set, that’s a managerial skill set. So, not all creators are good “business people” because that requires (like we were talking about) checking in with people and having an organizational chart and having everyone have KPIs and all these new things. And what I’ve realized in that is I don’t like doing that. How can I stay in my creative and stay in my zone of doing what I do best and not hindering the growth of the stuff that I’m unwilling to do because it’s new for me and learn about it while still honoring my own gift.

[1:12:42] Lindsey:
Yes.

[1:12:44] Krista:
Yeah, that’s a whole vibe that people, I think learn, I think all of our friends learn and you’re like “Wow! I got here for this thing, but now I’m…” And we think about it too, with our podcast, how much are we recording versus how much are we on calls, how much are we bla bla bla?”

[1:12:58] Sahara:
That’s what I realized, I’m like “I’m working all the time but I’m not working on the book. I’m working on everything behind the book!”

[1:13:05] Krista:
One hundred percent! When we think about – when I go back to my time thing where it’s like I made that same amount in two weeks as I did in that hour, I’m like “What am I? How am I not honoring that zone of genius?”

[1:13:17] Sahara:
And also, for people to know, that that one hour talk that you give isn’t every day. There’s a lot of work and a lot of free stuff and a lot of podcasts and a lot of things that you had to do to get to that hour. So I think people also see of like “Oh, I can make $2000 speaking in an hour! Oh my God, I’m going to be a speaker or whatever” and it’s like “How many free?” And it’s like hundreds or thousands of free…And that’s an interesting thing about this time. Social media is awesome because we can get our messages out there, and coming back to the entitlement, it’s like this feeling of “You have to give me so much free content day after day, year after year, for me to even consider, maybe ever, having some sort of energetic transaction with you”. So it’s hard because I talk to a lot of older, spiritual, elders and medicine people and they’re like “I wrote on Instagram six times, these whole long posts and no one’s signing up for my thing” and I’m like “It’s not six times, it’s six years”, they were like “But I’m giving all my energy for free and they’re not signing up” because they’re used to someone pays them for a session and there’s an exchange, whereas with social media, there’s just, the playing field is “This person has given this much free stuff, so now I also have to”. So, it’s going to be interesting to see when the tipping point of this is and I feel like we’re experiencing this now, especially as content creators. I do my Podcast twice a week, I think you guys are twice a week too, but then it’s like Joe Rogan is five times a week, and then this person is seven times, and this person is three times a day” and it’s like, what is the level that we are going to get to until we’re like “Yo, this isn’t sustainable!”

[1:14:48] Krista:
Yeah, that’s always the thing too, with people that want to create something or do something (podcast or speak) it’s like you’re not just speaking, you’re not creating a course, you actually have to service an audience or customer. And people will create things, products, courses, whatever, and it’s not going to do well because you need the audience first, you need the customer first. So I always find that people are kind of doing things backwards where it’s like, you have to facilitate the people that are going to buy your product or trust you enough or be it in your community first before you actually sell or make money or do anything. And it’s the long game; it’s the long game of it all and hopefully it will pay off for most people, but most people aren’t willing to do the long game forwards, so it’s people posting six times, writing long captions, being like “Hey, buy this thing”, there’s a hundred of those things, you really have to differentiate yourself and build that trust first, by cultivating that community. And so, a lot of our job is essentially, being present, showing up, giving free things, being ourselves and being active in whatever quantum world exists, or digital world that exists, and then every once in a while offering them something that they want selling to them.

[1:15:54] Sahara:
Yeah and I think, I mean, there’s a whole other conversation of dropping the guilt. I know for you guys, started with, just focusing on podcast sponsors and sharing your own thing, and I think a lot of times too, as creators who are so used to giving everything for free, it’s like this feeling of “Am I going to come off as salesy or people are not going to like me anymore?”
I remember I didn’t even have a podcast sponsor for the first year because I thought people wouldn’t listen to my Podcast if I had a sponsor. That was my story, people hate sponsors and they’ll just cancel me forever. And that’s what the mind is like, it just “How do I be liked? How do I fit in?” And it’s hard because our Dharmas are also to provide for us. And back in the day there was the healer in the village and she was totally supported, so she didn’t have to figure out a business plan, she was supported and so was the story-teller, and so was the shaman, and so was the this and that, and our society doesn’t support that anymore, so we have the story of “Oh, you’re doing something that helps me, then it should be for free. If you’re charging for it, you must not really want to help me”. And it’s like when I go to a doctor and be like “Yo bitch, you fake” because they’re charging me.

[1:17:00] Krista:
There’s a martyr complex that we have, within all of our leaders have been martyrs in a way so it’s like you have to martyr yourself to be spiritual. But it’s like, when I look at – say you’re charging $300 for a course that’s going to change someone’s life, help their relationship, there isn’t a price for that. But if you’re working at some place, making toxic chemicals for something, it’s like “Why do we think that they should be paid” but then we think that when we provide something of value, that’s conscious value that we shouldn’t be paid. Think about all the jobs where people are making tons of money and they’re actually doing damage to the Earth.

[1:17:30] Sahara:
A hundred percent, and no one questions that.

[1:17:32] Krista:
No one questions it! That’s how backwards it is.

[1:17:35] Sahara:
Yeah, exactly and I really think that this is such an important awakening that people are having. I remember at the beginning it was a lot of guilt around selling and now I’m seeing the conversation on not being the martyr, not being the healer, that can’t afford her own healing, is coming to the table. But I still see people who are not in those conversations be like “Oh, you’re trying to make money, you must be an unintegrous person” and it’s like “Um, no, I need to pay my rent and live”.

[1:18:06] Lindsey:
It’s also just such a comment on conscious circulation of money. It’s also, I know that if you pay for this thing that could potentially shift your life, you’re more likely to show up for it because you are investing energy into it, that money energy. So, yeah, I completely agree.

[1:18:29] Sahara:
I remember, my mom was just here and she was like “Yeah”, I was like “What’s your Dharma?” trying to help her find it, and she was like…

[1:18:35] Krista:
I love mom conversations.

[1:18:37] Sahara:
“What’s your purpose?” Come on, let’s get out there! And she was like “I don’t know, maybe a Life Coach” but she was like “But I don’t want to charge people”.

[1:18:45] Lindsey:
Oh my God, that is so our moms, it’s ridiculous!

[1:18:46] Sahara:
Yeah, I’m like “People aren’t going to take your advice seriously if you’re not charging them”, she was like “No, but you know, people don’t have money” and I’m like “Well, at least create; maybe they give you flowers or something”. Because even in India, for example, the sadhus for homeless people are “Bring me fruit; bring me flowers; bring me something” so there’s an energetic exchange because you’ll actually take my advice more seriously when you’re doing something to contribute to it too. And that to her, she was like “I don’t know, I don’t know!” Because they’re so used to just giving for free. And also, people need systems; people need to know “Okay, I’m going to be working with you for the next three months; we’re going to work together every two weeks and the result is going to be this” and that’s actually going to make someone way more likely to do it instead of you just listening to them talk one day for six hours and then you’re exhausted from it and you never help them again, and you think you’re helping but you actually aren’t. So, we actually do need to create more systems and frameworks around healing and spiritual transformation to actually get the results that we want.

[1:19:46] Lindsey:
Yeah!

[1:19:47] Krista:
Yeah!

[1:19:48] Sahara:
Ah! So many good things, I could talk to you girls forever, and you guys have a flight to LA!

[1:19:53] Krista:
I want to stay here all day! We’re moving into this gorgeous place!

[1:19:56] Sahara:
Yes! I can’t wait! Well, than you Queens so much for embodying your Dharmas and sharing your missions and your truths so freely on your podcast. And where can listeners listen to your podcast and connect with you more?

[1:20:08] Krista:
Almost 30, on anywhere you listen to podcasts. So, we talk about health, wellness, spirituality (mostly spirituality), and then we’re Almost 30 podcast on Instagram, and you can find us on all the socials.
We have Podcast Pro which helps people launch, grow and monetize, so if guys want to start a podcast, we can be your coaches for that; if you want to monetize your podcast, we can support you on that. And then, we have a bunch of things in our shop – our workshops, our workbooks and subconscious apparel.

[1:20:34] Lindsey:

Yeah! And I’m Lindsey Simcik on Instagram.

[1:20:37] Krista:

And I’m @itskrista. Sorry!

[1:20:40] Sahara:

Thank you Queens!

[1:20:41] Krista:

We love you, bye!

[1:20:43] End of Interview
____________________________________________________

[1:20:44] Sahara:

What an amazing conversation! I literally could talk to them forever! And it was hilarious, because when this conversation was done, they looked at their phones “Oh, shit! We’ve got to be at the airport in 10 minutes” which is 30 minutes away, and they rushed to the airport and then forgot their phone and had to come back, went back into the Uber, luckily they made their flight, they made it back okay, but it was just hilarious. But that’s what happens when – I feel like when women get together we just want to talk about all of the things, so it was just so much for me for to be a part of and I hope it was fun for you to experience.

[1:21:17] Sahara:

So, if you want to dive deeper into stories of how people discover their Dharma and allow you to see their frameworks of how it happened, what path they took, what type of Dharma it was, what archetypes they had and how this can be related to you. I really think we learn so much from hearing other people’s stories and it really shows us what’s possible for ourselves as well. So, I share all of this in my new book “Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose”.

[1:21:45] Sahara:

Now, you can head over to my website iamsahararose.com/dharma (the link is in the show notes) and all you’ve got to do is order your book wherever you get your books (local book store, Amazon, Barns and Noble, whatever that looks like for you), it’s available internationally, but submit your receipt number on my website and you’ll actually get epic bonuses including tickets to my Virtual Book Launch event where I will be answering your questions about the book, about living your Dharma, my Meditation Practice, Tapping Practice and so much more. I also have resources available for you to start your own Discover Your Dharma Book Club (with four orders), or even teach it to your community (with ten orders). So you can find all of that over at iamsahararose.com/dharma, the link is in the show notes and I am soul excited to share this book with you.

[1:22:34] Sahara:

You can also take my quiz, thedharmaarchetypequiz.com to learn more about your Dharma Archetype.

I hope you loved this Episode. I hope it inspired you to live your Purpose out on the Planet because the world needs it and you never know how instrumental to the world’s elevation it can become. So thank you for being you and I’m so grateful to have you here. Namaste.

See you all in my next episode based on Ascension vs Embodiment , The Approaches to Spirituality.

Episode 339: Transitioning to Your Dharma with Krista Williams + Lindsey Simick of Almost 30 Podcast
By Sahara Rose