#5: The Hunger for a Positive Impact in Entrepreneurship

What are my structure capacities? What are my creative capacities and what needs resources to grow and foster? So that both of these skills, which are necessary, can merge into this holistic picture that can catalyze and create something that your heart is yearning to create. Hey friends, welcome to Voice and Impact, an honest podcast about the journey of entrepreneurship. We're not here to tell you how to live your life. We're here to have real conversations about real things. My name is Adam, and I'm so grateful you're here with. So just, just to clarify like, well, what is voice and impact? Because this is a question that I often am asking myself and I'm learning that there are two umbrellas within the Voice and impact brand. There's voice and impact media. This is a full service media agency that does branding websites, automation systems, uh, media development, storytelling, yada, yada, yada. For brands that have values for people who are aiming to build a community around ideas. Or services that aim to better their community. Right. That's the media agency right now. I'm learning there's a huge demand in this particular area. Okay. That's the one side. The other side is Voice and Impact Academy. This is going to be a education platform to provide all of the lessons and growing opportunities that I've learned on. Entrepreneurial journey to try to help. I mean like I wish I had this kind of stuff when I was fresh. Now I had mentors, but a lot of my learning was experiential. It was throw myself at the wall, see what sticks, and like hopefully the bills are paid right?, like that's every entrepreneurial's beginning and entrepreneurs beginning, and I am so inspired to create an environment that has real. Tangible, actionable things that we can be doing to empower our entrepreneurial trajectory, and so I'm really excited about the trajectory of voice and impact. I've definitely. We're only eight months old. Right? It's already a six figure year for our first eight months. That's amazing. That feels good. Um, but there's still a lot of growth. You know, I see this agency growing into the millions and I see the academy. The academy isn't really gonna be the money maker now, long term. It'll be the money maker, like anybody who's trying to build a community. Just a gentle reminder that, that this is a long-term game. Um, eventually it'll make all the money, right? And I'll, I'll be giving more talks and, and, and keynote events and workshops and like those sorts of things. Um, but right now it's just about giving value. Right. Like I don't wanna start charging people for, um, voice and Impact Academy yet because I'm still forming. Like I'm not, I'm not really a credible guy yet. Like, I have ideas and I know these ideas transform lives. So like, I'm just gonna give and try to build a, a community around these ideas. Um, and then eventually we'll monetize with courses and whatnot. But really in terms of like monetary game, it's all about the agency in terms. AC Academy side of things, it's all about service. And I got that model from, um, Alex or Mosey, you know, like he's, he's doing this model. To an unbelievable degree, right? Like he made all of his money in business. He's already loaded the, his education stuff. He doesn't need the money. So he's just given and look at how fast he's growing. It's constant. And so I'm doing my best to not sell anything. I just want to give value. I'm doing workshops. I'm, I am, we're creating content very regularly. I'm trying to get better at like telling my story and day to day, but really like all of voice and impact is. This yearning sense of contribution that I have, uh, to how I think I can best serve from a loving place, uh, that really understands who I am, what my talents are, and how I'm inspired to give. Um, and that's really what it's all about is, is this is my skillset and this is how I feel inspired to serve, to serve the world right now. I think that's really beautiful and.. Yeah. Like the number one thing in terms of building up a community of like-minded people. Not really being the like money maker, but being like the overall like mission and vision and all of that. And you know, there's a couple things I think in terms of what you mentioned, how. business is, it takes a lot of like a great understanding of like yourself and that you are now working with a lot of people that have businesses that are really rooted in their values and bringing that to the world. And I wanted to know, like everything, everybody is different, right? But what is your definition of impact under the voice and impact brand or ethos? That's a great question, right? Because it's right there in, in the title of the company, and I feel like it's important. I mean, I think those two ideas are kind of inseparable, right? Like the idea of you have a voice. One of our core values is we believe everybody has a voice and a message. Every single person on this earth is worthy of being heard, genuine, heard, genuinely heard, feeling underst. And then there's impact and, and, well, what is, what does impact mean, I guess is your, is your essential question. Um, to me it's just like, what are the, the general byproducts of how you show up in the world, right? Like no matter what we're doing, we're leaving an. Right. Every decision, it's like every decision has a consequence, right? Like, like boy Scouts 1 0 1 is leave no trace, which means leave it better than you found it, right? Like that's to me, what impact is, is when you enter a room, how has that room changed because of your presence? When you accomplish something or, or, or effort something or, or follow through on something. What is the ripple effect of that thing? When you say something, how does it influence the people around you? And there are a lot of people in the entrepreneurial uh, environment who acknowledge that humanity is facing some of the most challenging times in recent decades. You know, I think it's really important to remind ourselves that you guys, humanity has accomplished some really fucking incredible things. I think sometimes we get so caught up in like this really, really short, you know, last couple of decades, even last century, even F y I, the United States is still unbelievably young. Like even that is just a fraction of humanity. But we have accomplished some unfathomable. Things in humanity's deeper history, right? We look at the Library of Alexandria, we look at the Great Wall of China, like, humanity has done this before, and we can do it again. Like, there's no fucking doubt in my mind that we can do this. And I think there's, there's a hunger for that message right now because I think we, it's, it's so easy to lose hope. It's so easy, easy to lose hope. On one side, there's the idea of impact and like tra and like changing the trajectory of humanity, right? Like that's big picture impact. But I don't think impact is synonymous with big picture. I think impact is how do you, how do you influence your immediate environment? You know, it's as simple as picking up your garbage when you leave no trace, everything you touch is better than you. No, that's not always the case, right? That's an ideal to strive for, but there's a lot of complexities in the human experience. I still cause harm. Like I'm not perfect. I'm doing my best to eliminate it, of course, but I know sometimes harm is still caused. Um, I think someone isn't as an illusion if they feel like they are never causing harm, ever. Um, in fact that delusion could be causing harm to yourself right there. Um, anyways, little bit of a ram. But impact has a lot of layers to it, and I think it's important to understand all of the different complexities, um, within the greater community narrative right now. Yes, definitely lots of layers. And I love how you mentioned that because.. One of the layers I think that we can chat about, you are musicians. We're all artists here. So I'd love in terms of talking about the universal language of music, , and just like that art form, like how do you feel that, that that art facilitates impact in the world? I'd love to hear from you both. You just opened a can of beans. I could give four hour lecture on. Um, right, like this is a really deep and intimate thing for me, and a lot of people don't know this, but, um, I also own a music studio. Music studio is called Elation Music Studios. Really what we stand for is empowering artists to use music as a modality of healing and becoming self-aware and thus empowering the communities in which whom engage with that music to do the same things. Um, we organize music festivals. We produce full-length albums and records. We've got a whole rich community of inspired, empathetic, loving artists who are welcoming. Um, and it's a really, really fun. Fun thing for me, it's like another octave of service and really a lot of the ethos is the same, right? So like the idea of voice and impact is all about doing good for the world and empowering people who are doing good in the world. In the entrepreneurial space, Elian Music Studios is about empowering people who are doing good in the world, in the music space, right? Same sort of idea, different medium. Um, but music I think is, is. And I mean this in like the most grounded approach. I don't mean this in, uh, like the traditional sense of the phrase, holy, I don't mean this in, in the, in the, in the like association with church. I mean this in the sense of it's, it's the only thing in my mind. That has the power to bring the vision back to a common ground of shared human experience. I believe music has the power to transform communities. I think music has the power to transform yourself. Um, and if we look in the sixties, It played a huge role when when wars were occurring. We look at the current world, it's about as polarized as it gets. And to be clear, this isn't new. Before Facebook was even around, there was something called Google search bias, which is essentially you only ever get the information that you are actively looking for. Therefore, confirming and strengthening your position for your already believed, believed. Assertions, right? Like you're only finding the evidence for the thing in which you already feel to be true, um, that was already existing. And then you apply the powers of media and all of these other advertising platforms at the full capacity of what's happening with all of the data. Now, polarities are growing even further apart and at a faster rate, right? There's all sorts of. Current real world scenarios that depicts the extremism of our current Polaris polarized society, right? We got Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter. That's a very polarized thing necessarily. Both statements are factual. Like very simply, yes, black lives absolutely matters. Yes, Mexican lives absolutely matter. Yes, all lives absolutely matter. Now, there's all sorts of nuance in the policy and politics. I'm not necessarily a political guy that are worthy of dialogue within those conversations, the fundamental here is everybody wants to feel welcomed and. That's true of both sides, right? And so I think music does a really great job at finding the core needs that are actually present within perceived divisions that are, we actually are sharing. That, that both sides actually have yearning for. And music can come in, create a welcoming, empowering environment, and actually meet that need so we can have the hard conversations that humanity needs to have right now to find real solutions to real problems. Because the fact is, the problems aren't gonna solve themselves. I don't think it's a doomsday thing. That's not my perspective. I think humanity can totally step up to the plate and already are, and so music, I think plays a huge role in that process of empowering us, of inspiring us, of like feeding our inner nature so that we have the juices necessary to make the impact that we feel inspired to. 100% . Like that's all I could think about to say, right, is like that is the work of being human, right? Like it, we're not just supposed to like be here and like, you know, just be distracted until you die. Like we're, we really are able to contribute at such a massive scale. And I think all of the nuances in that are, yeah, so beautiful and necessary and I'd love to hear your perspective as well. Well, I think we've touched on this before, but music is, and it's an extension of what Adam said, music is a conduit for healing in so many ways and. I can just draw from my personal experience in that there are a countless amount of times that I have discovered a new song or an artist or something that the second I hear it, I immediately know it's for me at that time. And it takes me to, it takes me to, I don't wanna say the next level, but it takes me to the, it takes me to. It helps me evolve. So like when I hear a song that captures a feeling or emotion or something that comes from somebody's pure hearted expression, their voice like alchemizes my relationship to my current experience, and it could make things that are really difficult, easier. Um, there was a time last year where I was grieving, and I remember this one song came on that's about comforting a friend who's grieving, and as soon as I heard it, just the softness of this woman's voice and like, it was like a chill, lofi kind of song, but it was like sweet and somber and it just gave me this like safed space to feel what I was feeling. Even though what I was feeling was really scary and I didn't necessarily wanna feel it, that song like carried me through that difficult process. So I think music is such a wonderful way to support ourselves, cuz being human is not easy. and, um, like I'm a. I'm a very, not, this isn't exclusive to me. I think everybody's sensitive in different ways, but I am a very emotional person, and so to have music, to connect to, and feel heard and seen, and like, help evolve my perspectives in ways that I could never imagine, um, is it, it's life. I mean, it's, it is.. When I listen to a good song that makes me wanna dance, it connects me to my primal, vital life force. It helps me show up in the world and like experiment. And I, music to me is like a reflection of life's ever unfolding lessons. Um, some people, uh, stick to like the same. Genre or array of artists that they like forever. And that's awesome. There's nothing wrong with that. I, I tend to experience something different where every year it's like I receive a new download of different artists and songs and styles that I like. I, I just love hearing new things and connecting with new things. Cuz to me that is evolution. Uh, and I don't know, I think the music that we're into always reflects. What we're going through. Um, and it's just a, it's a conduit for healing in so many ways and creating it, geez, is like another level, um, a whole other level of healing because when you create music, you're creating, it's almost like you're creating your own medicine and. In the process of practicing music, uh uh, learning a new song, singing a new song, sharing it. Everything that is going on within you is going to come up. Your relationship with yourself is going to come up. And when you engage with music, just like any activity, uh, for me, I particularly think of meditation. You show up to it, things come up and you learn about yourself. Um, The experience is just transcendent. And when you share it with others and you experience their receptivity of your experience, it's so fulfilling. And you realize how, how much it can, it has the power to connect humanity. Uh, so beautiful. Like it's, it, it really. I, I'm feeling at a loss of words right now as well, but just in terms of thinking too of. our, like our collective desire to have a voice and to have an impact in the world is so well captured through all of your words. Right? And the thing that I love about it as well is that not everybody will. You know, be super creative or be super artistic in their lifetimes, but we're all creators, right? Of like our reality and our culture. And I think there always is that process that we're working through to, um, to bring more into the world. And, uh, Adam, you're like the king of Yes. And or, but, and or something like that, right? And you have this. This quote or this saying where it's that like progress happens at the intersection of structure and creativity. Right. And I'd love to know. and that one is actually original. Yay.. Yay. Of course. Yeah. No, it's so beautiful. Right? Because, uh, uh, like, I'd love to hear a little bit more about this belief in how they're not actually opposites. And I think it whole, it feeds into this whole larger narrative as well of like, we're not really opposites in society. We're all just like kind of coming together. But I'd love to hear about it in terms of Yeah, like being an entrepreneur and really bringing your, your voice and impact into the world. Well, I mean, I I actually, before, before we do that, I wanna, I wanna backtrack just a second, but asterisks that, and if I, if I forget the question, please repeat it back to me so that I ensure to give it, uh, my earnest attention now. But one thing that you said, Jade, that I, I would, I wanna, I want to talk about a little bit, and that is you, you said a particular phrase, I'm very emotion. And I want to, I want to look at that because I feel like that phrase, given the context of our world, has a kind of a negative connotation to it. Right? Like, uh, Alicia, you've said this before as well, and when it's said, go ahead. If you have something to say, go ahead. Sorry. I was just gonna say yes, but, and one of my like main limiting beliefs that was like so hard to overcome, especially in the entrepreneurial journey, was like, I'm too emotional to be an entrepreneur. Right. I'm just too emotional. That's absolutely right. Um, and it's common. It's totally common. And a lot of people tell themselves that story, which only then what of course, strengthens that experie. And so anybody who identifies as being overly emotional or too emotional, I would encourage an alternate way of expressing that. And that is, I feel deeply because you do and that's great. That's just fine. And there are other people who don't feel as deeply, and it's their job to become more aware and feel. And sometimes it's our job to learn how to feel more shallow, a little bit less exaggerated and polarized because there's that polarization theme again, in a polarized world, everything is polarized, which includes our emotional challenges. We're either a fucking amazing or absolute garbage. Where the middle ground can sometimes feel missing. And I bring this up because I think it also directly correlates to your question. There are oftentimes creatives that identify as too creative for the entrepreneurial journey. They've told themselves the story of, oh, I'm just very creative, so. I'm not good at the structure stuff, so I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna leave it at that, and whenever the structure stuff requires my attention, I'm gonna bitch and moan about it. I'm gonna complain the entire time and it's gonna take me 17 more hours longer than it would've taken had I just fucking bit the bit the bullet and just got it done. Like, Hey, entrepreneur, like I don't care if you're creative, you're the only one that's gonna build your business. Period. And, sorry. But businesses require structure legally. That is what's necessary. So if you feel like you are a hundred percent unwilling to do that, you're not, you're not going to be an entrepreneur. So creatives, my encouragement would be to, and not with a sense of like, You know, like grow some balls and like do it, you know, like, not, not like that, but like, I would just encourage you to accept that structure is a part of the process. You gotta, you gotta have an entity, you gotta have a bank account, you gotta have agreements with people that clearly define what you're providing for. You gotta have structured services. You gotta be able to put together, um, like an offer, how, what, what you're going to be able to give, and how much you're going to be able to charge. You gotta be able to discover your processes and try to optimize those processes as much as possible to increase r o roi. Right. You've gotta have great structure and time management because no one's going to be holding you accountable anymore. Like there's all of these things that matter. You're not just going to stumble your way to success. Well, yes you are, but you gotta also find growth and opportunity within the structure side of that process. It's not just going to make itself happen. And I say this all the. What is a river without a riverbed? Riverbed is structure. Riverbed provides the container for the flow of that water to go, but without the riverbed, it's a flood. It causes harm to itself and others around them, intentionally or not. And that's not like a blanket statement, that's not always true. But you get my point. And so, um, you know, and then on the converse side of that, there are a lot of people who are very. Oriented, right? So like they're very logical. They're in touch with their not as touch with their emotions. Their sense of creativity isn't quite as, uh, encouraged, inspired. And so they're a little bit more like rigid and could use some of that creative energy that they tap into. And again, the challenge in this is that we're told the narrative, you're either one or the. You're either creative or you're analytical, and that's just not true. They're both capacities that we all have and they deserve our attention. It just so happens, we've been told we're either one or one or the other at a very young age, so we just give our attention to the one we think we're good at, and then therefore one of them excels and excels and excels and grows, and grows and grows. And the other one is like super stag. Right, and so this is where awareness comes really in, so we can understand what are my structure capacities, what are my creative capacities, and what needs resources to grow and foster. So that both of these skills, which are necessary, can merge into this holistic picture that can catalyze and create something that your heart is yearning to create. And you're not gonna be able to do it without both of them. 100% gear run teed. And so again, there's kind of like this theme of p polarity here even. Um, and it's just important to have the rational understanding of yourself. To try to ensure that both capacities are empowered and that's going to require experimentation, and frankly, that's gonna require you doing things that you probably don't wanna do because of the stories you're telling yourself. Well, my encouragement would be to suck it up and fucking do it. You're the only one who can make it happen. But, and there's a lot of healing involved in that process, so provide. In that experience, but never stop learning. You know, that duality, that intersection is always present, right? But it doesn't need to be polarized. Um, I, I wanted to, I guess, emphasize what you're saying, Adam, in terms of, you know, we're, we're in society, it seems like we're. encouraged to like find one, either one or the other, and then go full force in that. But I was reading in, um, out of Grant's book, originals that, and I forget what year it was, but it was a while ago, but all Noble prize winners within the STEM category, they all had in common that they had a creative hobby.. They had some sort of painting or music or something like that that they did on the side, obviously that they weren't known for, but it was very present in their life and it was like, it's so crazy that all of them had that in common, but they're all got the Nobel Prize for something in the stem, right? And so, I think it always needs to exist. They facilitate each other. Right. And like that engineering brain, that creative mind can really come together and be a beautiful life. Um, and there are some where it's like you can lean more into one, but Absolutely, yeah. the structure to actually get it out there in the world. I love that. Is there anything else you wanted to add? Yeah, yeah. I don't know if I've ever shared the, that. Um, I have a dual degree in mathematics and music.. So like I've always been obsessed with numbers since a very young age. Like I was known for it growing up and I've always been obsessed with music from a very young age, and I was known for it growing up. And I got this really unique opportunity in college to do like a two year study on the correlation of mathematics and music. It was a paid internship. It was fucking awesome. It was. It was just, I loved it. I soaked it in. Um, and they're not all that different. Um, they're actually a lot more similar than you think they, than, than you'd think. Um, and, but just like a, a, like, I think, I think also we're ready for a re-imagination, a different perspective of what is mathematics. I, I'd like to explain that for a second, just because I feel like I, I'm gonna nerd out. So humor me. I love talking about this shit. Um, but if we think about the brain and we think about what the brain does is, is one of the core functions of the brain is to observe and gather as much information as possible about our environment, right? This is what our senses. Right. There's our eyes, there's our nose. Our eyes are obviously gathering information from light. Our nose is obviously gathering information of smell ears of sound waves, right? Taste is a sense. Um, touch what our bodies feel, right? And then there's even other things like an electromagnetic field within our heart. There's a real electromagnetic field that's happening and there's information being passed there, but as you can obviously tell, it's a huge amount of information. And so our brain, in attempt of efficiency to ensure. It's not consuming too much energy. Instead of, instead of analyzing and, and figuring out all of the data simultaneously, it looks for patterns within the data. Within the information that it's receiving, and depending on the patterns that it is hardwired to find is how it builds your reality. It's how it builds your literal perception mechanisms of your environment and your life. So patterns is the language of perception. Mathematics is the study of patterns. It's not just numbers. And so what we can do with that is teach and and facilitate processes that empower the awareness of understanding patterns and therefore reality. Event happens, my perception of the event in my patterns of recognition, your perception of the event, in your patterns of recognition, what actually happened, right? Usually there's a difference in these things, and the idea here is that there is a reality that is objectively true outside of each of. Right. Like if I put water in a a, a freezer at 32 degrees, it will freeze. That is an objective truth that is true for everybody, but I have no idea if your blue is my blue. Right? So there are also things that are individually true, but the, but the, the idea here is that how can we. Empower the pattern, recognizing processes to empower our civilization to see truth, real truth, objective truth, and so I think just mathematics is really, really, really, really ripe at a cultural level to reimagine what it means to engage in mathematics for our children, to really empower them to think independently about their life. It's highly correlated. Like if, if, if you are, I believe, if you have strong, um, real mathematical tendencies, not just algorithmic tendencies, math and algorithm are not synonymous. Um, but if you have mathematical abilities that are empowered and enliven, you're going to be very well equipped to build your own reality, to feel inspired, enliven, and clear to understand the patterns that you're wanting to create, or even better the patterns that you need to unlearn. To open the veil to a better truth that you are destined for and you can't put that on a fucking test. Right? And so, like now is the time from my perspective, uh, to really reimagine that process. And that's a sacred language, right? Then it's no longer this abstract. Numbers that are meaningless and have no qualitative relationship component to them. They're just black and white numbers on a sheet, and it, it humanizes that process and I think empowers potential, um, and individual thinking as opposed to what's currently happening, which is using mathematics as a tool of control. As a tool of saying, this is right, this is wrong. You need to be right because I said so. And if you don't pass this test, you know your teachers aren't even gonna get funded. So like, no pressure kid, right? And so like, I just think, I just think on a subconscious level, you know, that is borderline catastrophic for our younger generations. Um, and it's time for re imagin. Which by the way, is true of the whole education system. And that is no, that is, no, that is nothing innovative. Me saying that is not innovative. Ask any teacher, they would agree. Uh, maybe not any. A lot of teachers that I know agree with that idea. So thanks for humoring me. That is a little fun spiel of something that I love talking about and don't get the opportunity to talk about very often, and I hope your mind is. Okay. My mind is blown. 100% . Like it's so empowering because, okay. Yeah. I wish I had you as my math teacher,. That's what it makes me think about because I grew up with this idea, this belief, like deep belief, like I'm not good at math, but if I was empowered to think about it as just recognizing pattern on patterns on a page, and then like you're saying, everything else that it translates to. 100%. And you know, that has led to a whole bunch of other things in terms of me not wanting to do my taxes or finances or whatever. Cuz I can't look at the numbers cuz I'm like, I'm bad at math, but it's not. So that's su such an interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing that Power of story. Yeah. Is there anything else, um, I guess that's come up for you over this time that, you know what I mean? We've been doing the first season of the podcast that you either wanna comment on or follow up on or anything like that? Well, I could just share with you what this podcast was for me. So obviously, well there's podcast season one. I'll say excuse. Is for me cuz it is going to continue. And, uh, uh, Alicia, I just want to acknowledge and, and thank you for the role that you've played in this as I've not actually shared this with either of you. Um, now obviously the hope here is that whatever we've talked about over the span of the last eight episodes has been valuable to whomever. Little ear holes it fall, finds itself in. Right? Like, that is obvious, but actually, My pursuit of this first season was unbelievably selfish, and let me explain what I mean by that. When I started Voice and Impact, I made a commitment that it was time to share my ideas and my voice in a bigger way. When I signed and put together a contract that said I was hiring somebody to help me co-produce eight episodes, hiring two people actually to help me co-produce eight episodes. My inner desire to be a leader now says I have to show up and follow through with what I've committed to, to create these eight episodes, which was a direct opportunity for me to face directly experientially, not just intellectually, the imposter syndrome that I found myself feeling as I made the commitment to myself to share my ideas with more wholeness, introspection, and amplifi. Um, and that's really what this has been for me, is really just to sit down, share from the heart, keep going, even when it feels like that my, I feel like my ideas aren't unique or don't matter, whatever, it's all bullshit, of course. Um, and so for me, this has just been an experience of, of learning to be able to hug. That inner I imposter and calm, calm him down a little bit, you know, take the ease off the shoulders a little bit and to just encourage, uh, to do his best to wield his voice for love. And I feel like I've done that over the last eight episodes, and I feel more capable and empowered to continue doing. To the best of my ability ongoing. And that's really what it's about for me, like at its deepest level, is just being vulnerable, honest, and hoping, hoping that it gives value to the ear holes, you know? And I'm curious too, you know, I wanna, I wanna really reflect this back to you two. You know, what has this journey been like for you? What is, what have, what have, what have you discovered, learned, or, or, um, felt awakened inside of yourself through these enriching conversations? Because also, in addition to that selfish component for me also very equally was to try to be of value and of service to my two dear friends that are taking an hour out of their day once a. to have a conversation with me. You know, I care for both of you very much. And so this was also an act of service to try to provide insights that maybe you two, your two, your four ear holes may find, find value. And that, that's also been very important to me. Um, it's certainly easier than providing value to a faceless, nameless person through the internet. It's just now it's just been, I'm talking to my friend Alicia and my friend Jade. Hey, great. I like these people. Let's talk, but yeah. What is, what is this uncovered for you? What, what have you learned? What are your reflections? From our eight weeks of recording, but probably closer to like four months together. Um, , kind of similar to what yours is in the facing the imposter syndrome. I mean, you know, from working with me for the last. Uh, however, however many months it's been since I joined Voice and Impact that perfectionism is a fucking bitch that lives in my brain . And so even now, like today, um, it's, I. I think this podcast has helped me source value from the present moment and reinforce that practice actively, um, this very moment being an example because during this particular podcast, I like don't feel very connected to myself. Feel like my thoughts are invaluable. I'm scrambling for the right words. I feel kind of heady and out of it, and that's just my reality right now. Right. And. I think this podcast has helped me show up to something that challenges me to face my present moment and see that it's okay. Um, and also just like sit with the discomfort of having your thoughts like open for broadcast. Right. Um, and it's also helped me. Really like step into a role as somebody who likes to talk about stuff , like, I love talking to people. I love connecting with people. I love expressing my thoughts and, and, um, I watch so many podcasts, right? And I think to step into a space and then see like, wait, this is something that I wanna do, like just claiming that desire has helped me in. A lot of areas of my life. Um, it's also been a wonderful vehicle for me to get to know you both better. I mean, Adam, I've known for years and still I'm getting to know you better. I mean, we always will be, but it's through this podcast I've gotten to hear stories from your life that I had never heard. I've gotten to, uh, understand you deeper and, um, just connect in in new ways. And then Alicia, we met through the fruition of this podcast and it's so wonderful. I feel like I have. We've got a sisterhood thing going and it's so great to like see to be connected on our journeys. I just feel like it's given me a sense of connection that, um, is very new and exciting and lovely and, uh, has also challenged me in some ways that I'm really happy for. So yeah, I think sometimes we forget that challenge plays a real role in our. Sometimes it's like, oh, I'm challenged. Life sucks. What's wrong with me? But there's meaning and challenge. There is real meaning and challenge. Yeah. Alicia, what about you? I'm really curious to hear this. Yeah, so. This podcast and just overall the relationships that we've cultivated has really been, I think, yeah, like a catalyst for my confidence in, I guess like career as well. Like to think. In my first year in entrepreneurship, not only have I been able to co-host and produce this a, a podcast, but with amazing people that have become friends, like, you know what I mean? Plus like actually talk about incredible topics. Like not just be like, okay, we're promoting your brand through a podcast. You know what I mean? It's like, and, and not only that, but being able to have like creative. Free creative direction. Well, what is the, what is the term? Creative direction? Freedom.. It's just been so fun, such a blessing, and I can't wait for part two in actually releasing it and promoting it and all the things, because I think it's really important, some of the things that we've spoken about, and if I even just like reflect on some of the conversations we had. I've never really listened to a podcast like that, so I'm really exciting for what this is gonna turn into. And, um, it's just been so wholesome for me to meet with you guys because y'all are my people. Well, that's what it's all about for me, . So, um, just to kind of like close a season, you know, this is the first time we've done this. First time I've done it, I mean, I've done it for clients, right? I've, I've built plenty of podcast. For other people. Um, but just to close this out, why don't we just go round robin and share sort of like closing thoughts, call to action, words of inspiration or, or, or words of wisdom that you feel you would like to share to the listeners who have checked out season one of our. Yeah, like finding your people and having the courage to really express yourself like as your true self, even when it's ugly, even when it's scary, even when it's painful, is something that is so important because A, those are things that we need to normalize more as a human experience because we all feel that on some level, and B, you'll be so celebrated when you're finally. living that truth, and it'll help you uncover more real truth within the world. Um, more objective truth of, of what we all are and, and how we interact here. That's my 2 cents.. Jade, what do you think? Gosh, I feel like I, I couldn't have said it better than that. Um, I'm always inspired. I, I believe. Really the only advice or thought medicine that I can give is stuff that I'm currently receiving that is helping me in my life. Um, and I would say really it's another version of what you said is accepting where you are is so powerful and. Having a bird's eye view, of your experience, Adam's miming, the except where you are. Ask yourself, what is mine to do right now? Discern the answer to that and follow through. I would say that four step process has been really medicinal for me. Being the parent to the inner child and the child at the same time, and dropping into the present moment and doing what is yours to do is. Where it's at. I think mine is pretty simple. First of all, beautiful shares to both of you. I think this, this podcast has proven to be a valuable experience for all of us, and that's all that matters from me, my perspective, and I hope that your whole listening have also, uh, experienced a sense of value or, or improvement in their life or heart smiles or hugs. Practical implications or whatever else, but for me, I think it's twofold. One, never underestimate the impact that you're already creating. And two, your potential is far more powerful than you are giving it to self credit. You could do anything truly. Now the naysayers may say, well, you can't fly. Okay, well put your mind towards something else then , right? So when I say anything, you know, I'm not saying you can turn yourself into ice or throw fire from your mouth. You know, be a human being , but you can accomplish whatever you would like to accomplish. That's the real question. What do you want to accomplish? So from the bottom of my heart to the bottom of yours, thanks for tuning in. Thanks for listening to me ramble. Thanks for holding great space. Thanks for asking great questions. Thanks for sharing such powerful insights. Um, you know, I think, I think there are people who would like to hear this. You know, I don't care if it's one or a million, I've kind of surrendered to, to, to just what's happened is gonna happen. But, um, thank you to all the f all the people tuning in. We love you. Uh, keep, keep doing what you're doing. Keep learning. Don't give up and we'll see you in season two. Well, that's a wrap. Again, this is Voice and Impact podcast. My name is Adam. Thanks for being here. Thanks for being you. Thanks for doing all the good things you do, and we'll see you next week.