555: Finding Peace in the Chaos with Pamela Ahart-Steward & Beth Greenberg Cotell
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Ever feel like your business is running you instead of the other way around? Pamela Ahart-Steward and Beth Greenberg Cotell, founders of Monarchs in Motion, share their journey of discovering balance and intentional living as business owners. They discuss the challenges of burnout, the importance of setting boundaries, and how saying "no" can create space for what truly matters. Drawing from their 26 years of experience, they offer actionable advice on transforming your approach to business and embracing personal growth. Packed with inspiration and practical tips, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to build a business that supports both their life and their goals.
Main topics:
Balancing business and personal priorities
Strengthening partnerships through respect
Recognizing and overcoming business burnout
Setting boundaries to prevent overwhelm
Transformation and intentional goal setting
Main takeaway: "The power of saying no isn't about rejection; it's about creating space for what truly matters."
As pet business owners, it's easy to feel like we need to say "yes" to every client request, every opportunity, and every demand on our time. But saying "yes" to everything often leaves us overwhelmed, burned out, and unable to give our best to the things that truly matter.
Here's the truth: "The power of saying no isn't about rejection; it's about creating space for what truly matters."
When you say no, you're not just turning something down--you're prioritizing your time, energy, and mental well-being. You're setting boundaries that allow you to focus on the clients and services that align with your goals and values. You're building a business that supports your life, not the other way around.
💡 Pro Tip: Practice saying, "Unfortunately, I'm not available," without adding unnecessary explanations. It's a small but powerful step toward owning your time and creating balance.
Remember, you don't have to be everything to everyone. Your business is yours to shape--and sometimes, saying no is the most empowering decision you can make. 💪✨
Have you ever struggled with saying no? Share your story below! 👇
About our guests:
Pamela Ahart-Steward: Pamela Ahart-Steward is the co-founder of Monarchs in Motion and All Friends Pet Care (AFPC), a pet sitting business she started with her best friend, Beth Greenberg Cotell, in 1998. With a lifelong passion for animals and over two decades of entrepreneurial experience, Pamela is dedicated to helping pet care business owners thrive through personal transformation and intentional practices. After nearly hitting rock bottom 15 years ago, she discovered the life-changing power of prioritizing self-care and balance. Pamela is now a certified NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) coach, using her expertise to inspire others to align their business and personal goals. Outside of work, Pamela loves 80s music, working out, sushi, and watching the sunrise. Her mantra, "Love your neighbor as yourself," reflects her commitment to holistic living and personal growth.
Beth Greenberg Cotell: Beth Greenberg Cotell is the co-founder of Monarchs in Motion and All Friends Pet Care (AFPC), which she launched with Pamela Ahart-Steward in 1998. Best friends since age two, Beth and Pam built AFPC into a thriving business while navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship, including the transformative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beth is a certified NLP coach who is passionate about helping pet care entrepreneurs find balance, reduce stress, and achieve greater success by focusing on systems and intentional decision-making. A certified fitness instructor in several programs, Beth finds joy and grounding through teaching classes and staying active. She is also an advocate for self-awareness and setting boundaries, empowering others to prioritize their well-being. In her free time, Beth enjoys pasta, cruising, the beach, and spending time with her four rescue dogs.
Links:
https://www.allfriendspetcare.com
https://www.monarchsinmotion.com
Email: hello@monarchsinmotion.com
Tel: 571.245.5000
https://www.instagram.com/monarchsinmotion/
https://www.facebook.com/MonarchsNMotion/
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
self care, business owner, monarchs in motion, pet sitting, Northern Virginia, friendship, business challenges, transformation, resilience, burnout, goal setting, client management, intentional self care, networking, personal growth
SPEAKERS
Pam A., Beth C., Collin
Collin 00:00
Music, welcome to pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Today, we are brought to you by our friends at time to pet and the peaceful pet. Music, calm music for pets, YouTube channel, self care as a business owner, can mean a lot of different things, and unfortunately for most of us, it means something that's not all that important or relevant to us, because we think we have it all under control. But the self care as a business owner is something that is critical to leading a successful not just business, but our personal lives as well. And so I'm really honored to have both Pam and Beth from monarchs in motion on the show to talk about their journeys and their discovery of the importance of self care and tips that they've learned, and how we can be better at this and finding value in this in our lives and for our business. I had the immense pleasure of getting to meet both Beth and Pam at the Florida Pet Services Association Summit just a couple months ago, and super excited to have both of you on the podcast. For those who didn't have the pleasure of seeing you speak and getting to talk with you or haven't checked you out online, could you both tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you do?
Pam A. 01:15
Hi, Collin, well, thank you. Well, this is Pam, and yes we well, I'd like to start by saying that monarchs in motion was birthed from our pet sitting business. All friends pet care. We are here in Northern Virginia, and I am best friends and business partner with my dear friend Beth, but yes, our 26 year old business here in Northern Virginia has just flourished. And I think what many can appreciate are the highs and the lows of business, and hence why we started monarchs. But before we go into that, I am a wife, I am a pet parent, and I have many other Now, other hobbies that I've incorporated into my life, really focusing on the importance of self care and the balance in my own business. And I'll turn it over to Beth. Yeah. So
Beth C. 02:28
hi everyone. I am Beth. I'm the other half of all friends pet care and monarchs in motion. And as Pam mentioned, 26 years in business, but we have over 50 years of friendship. You can go to our website, all friends, pet care.com, and see our picture of us at three years old. I am also a wife. I'm a dog mom, and I am also a part time fitness instructor, because, like Pam, you have to incorporate hobbies and other outlets to help you as you deal with all the stresses, not just of daily life, but of running your own business and and now, certainly two businesses
Collin 03:05
notice each other since you were both three years old. I want to start there. What's it? How do you keep your friendship going, especially working together? And now, not just one, but two different businesses?
Pam A. 03:17
Yeah, well, you know it. A lot of people ask us that, and I think there is just such an overwhelming amount of respect for each other, and I think the respect comes with what our weaknesses and strengths are truly when I came to Beth back in 1998 and said, Hey, let's start a pet sitting business, we knew what our strengths and weaknesses were, and we respected that throughout our journey, and that allowed us to just do what we do best. And yeah, so right, three years old, and now all these many years later, we still can just kind of look at each other and just look at this great appreciation we have for this relationship, not only personally, but, you know, on that business front, but it really is being able to, you know, if you have a partner, and this is for anybody who might be listening and they have a partner, really being able to sit down and appreciate the strengths and the weaknesses and let them run those areas and not cross over, you know. And then, and then, yeah, we can work through just about anything.
Beth C. 04:31
And honestly, I mean, when we started the business, people warned us and said, you don't want to go into business with your best friend. You know, the business is not going to survive, or the the friendship won't survive. And we looked at them like they were crazy, and we said, Well, who else would I go into business with but the person that I know, you know almost as well as I know myself, that I've known and loved for all of these years, that I would trust with my life, and it's the just the biggest blessing in the world has. Having my best friend by my side, because if there are decisions that need to be made and she's not available, I can make the decision comfortable that she's going to be fine with it, because I know how her mind works, and I know you know what her her reaction is going to be. So it really has just been just a wonderful blessing, just having my best friend by my side for these 26 years
Collin 05:22
well, and when you started marks in motion, I wanted to know where the name came from, because it's very unique and kind of what the reasoning behind that?
Pam A. 05:33
Yeah, I'll let Beth take this one.
Beth C. 05:34
Yeah. So you know butterfly, the imagery of a butterfly just represents transformation of change. The story of the monarch is inspiring to us, and once we started researching it, we said, Yeah, we have to have monarch in our name, where the monarch butterfly starts its journey and flies over 2000 miles every year, and the butterflies that start the journey lay eggs along the way, the eggs hatch come into turn into more butterflies that continue the same journey. And so the end of the journey is the children and grandchildren of the butterflies that started the journey. But they all are reaching towards their common purpose, which is reaching their destination. And so we just love just the theme of the butterfly going through so many changes, and starting and ending over and over again, and reaching towards the common goal,
Pam A. 06:42
yes, and I just like to add to that, um, you know, everyone loves a butterfly. Their their beauty. You know beauty. And when you see, when you're like, oh, a butterfly, you know, because you don't see them often. And when you do it just, you just take a moment to just take in the beauty of a butterfly. But it also is a symbol of resilience. When we talk to people and they might be burnt out, you know, we really want to pull the you know, the resilience in them out hope is another symbol of the butterfly. So, right? Although there is a connection to the pet industry. If you do look at our logo, you will see a paw print within our logo of the butterfly. But and then finally, you know, Collin, it's just, I think everyone knows the metamorphosis of that butterfly, like Beth mentioned. And so right now, I'll be very honest and transparent. I'm in a little bit of a cocoon stage. I was, I'm in a cocoon stage. I'm still kind of marinating in that, with some business ideas and just kind of getting some clarity while I'm while I'm in my cocoon. So when I come out as a butterfly, if you will, I'll be ready. So there is a lot, if you will, that's in line with business and where you are in your business, and maybe needing to step back and get some clarity. But yes, that is how monarchs came to be.
Collin 08:14
I love that so much. We every year we plant and grow milkweed around our home. So excited when the monarchs come, especially whenever they then make their chrysalises, and getting to explain to our to our kids of like, this butterfly that just laid this egg is from Canada, or maybe this is the one that's from, you know, Mexico, depending on where, where we are in the seasons and going, this butterfly started this journey and the way they are now is not going to finish it. And I love that imagery that you brought up Beth, because it does have hope in it, like you said, of there's hope later down if we're going to go through a lot of changes, and the person I am today is not going to be the person that I'm going to end this race with. And that's a good thing, and we'll often, we get afraid of that though, right? Because we there's a lot of unknowns, or we like what's going on right now, right?
Pam A. 09:08
Comfortable, comfortable. Yes, yes. Very good. I'm so glad. And, gosh, we'll have to come visit, going around your house.
Collin 09:19
We, we, when we, when we went to go to the conference, we had a chrysalis that was growing on one of the plants, and we worked to get a to set up a webcam to focus on it so we could check in on it while we were away and see how going on. So it's always, it's always a lot.
Pam A. 09:40
It is it is a nice butterfly garden. Yeah, I
Collin 09:44
love it. Great. Now this, you know this topic, you two are obviously extremely passionate about, this topic of self care and of investing back in ourselves. Why is that? Why is this topic so important to both of you?
Pam A. 09:58
Ah, well. I'll just start, you know, I think for both of us, you know, it comes from a very personal place. This business was birthed by experience. And just, I think again, you know, really seeing how we can maybe help that business owner, not maybe go down the path. It's not a bad path, because we, we had a lot of learning lessons from it. But, you know, I'll have to say what, what really stands out to me Collin is about, you know, 15 years ago, I hit a really good rock bottom. I had just about lost everything, you know, everything I cared about. It was just a really, a really, just tough time. And when I think back. You know, there was times I didn't even like recognize myself. You know, my health was starting to deteriorate, the burnout. I was just in a really tough place, and it was critical for myself and for everyone that I loved around me and my business, that I really just kind of stepped back and put myself first, put myself first. And it was, like, I said it was, it was, gosh, I feel like, if I did not do that, I don't know where I really would be. And with, you know, diving into some meditation and working on my mind and working on my body and working on my Spirit did give me the clarity I needed to really just allow me to navigate, you know, where I am now and where I want to be. I just seem to be living day to day, you know? And goal setting was difficult. There were just so many things that were becoming difficult. There was just this, this cloud over, over me, and that's when I knew at what price Am I gonna pay? You know? Because, wow, you know, we're starting a pen sitting busy. You got all these dreams, goals, aspirations, you've got this vision, but at what price? And so that was a tough time, but actually very blessed time, because now looking back, I'm not the same woman. I am practicing self care, you know, first, and now it's allowing me to create those innovative ideas, you know, by putting myself first. And so that's that's kind of with me personally, you know, I'll let Beth share her her experience. One could say you transformed. One could say I transformed. There you go. I love that so kind of similar,
Beth C. 12:45
similar story with me, where I thankfully didn't hit a rock bottom, but, you know, just went through a lot of changes in life. And you know, got to a similar point where I was asking myself, What is the point of this business? If I'm going to, you know, just run and run and run and run and run and run and and it was losing the enjoyment, you know, it was losing the this the answer to the question, Why did I start my business? You know, why did I choose to work for myself? It was becoming much less enjoyable, and we were losing sight of the direction that we wanted to take when we started the business. We started the business, we grew very, very quickly. Collin we we hit six figures in the first year, and we just grew exponentially from there. And I call it the band aid method. That was our method of growth in that, you know, something springs a leak, and you just slap a band aid on it, you keep going. This isn't working, okay, let's just fix it like this, and then keep going. And you get to the point where you sit back and you go, Okay, we need, like, some sort of an overhaul, because growing growth in this manner is just not sustainable, and so it became necessary to take a good hard look at the processes, the procedures, the systems we had in place within the business, and really set some things in place to work. You know, it's a cliche, but work smarter, not harder, to have the business work a little more for itself and a little less required of us. And so that's where, where my personal, you know, drive for self care came from.
Collin 14:29
Have you heard of time to pet? Doug, from bat to the bone? Pack here has this to say?
Doug 14:34
Time to pet has made managing my team and clients so much easier. Our clients love the easy to use app and scheduling features. And our sitters love being able to have all of their information organized and easily accessible. My favorite feature is the instant messaging. By keeping conversations on time to pet, we are able to monitor our team and ensure nothing ever falls through the cracks.
Collin 14:54
If you're looking for new pet sitting software, give time to pet a try. Listeners of our show will save 50% off your first. For three months by visiting covid.com/confession you know, both of you touched on some topics that I've, you know, Megan and I have, have even had discussions over, you know, you know, Pam, when you were talking about how it's kind of hard for you to, you know, goal set or look to the future or stuff. You know, I had a friend who asked one time, you know, what's your, what's your one in five year goal? And you know, when you're burned out, you just kind of go, I don't know, survive like, right? What's that? Or like, like, like, you Beth. You go, I don't know, kind of, what's the point of all this right now, I don't really want to set goals, because it's, I don't, I can't, I can't move past the the muck and the mire right now where I am, and it really does. It hurts us in a lot of different ways. One, we stop enjoying life, and two, when you start kind of self sabotaging the business through decisions and things that we wouldn't have made
Pam A. 15:56
otherwise, right? That's good. That's so good. Yep, that that's it, exactly. And one last thing I'd like to add is that, you know, Beth and I have each other, you have Megan, and there's so many people that we talk to that are sole proprietors, yeah, and those are the ones that tend to suffer the most, and, and, but we work, you know, we work with partnerships as well, but they're really having a more difficult time finding themselves in it all, because they're really just trying to maintain, make it day to day. And so we take a lot of gratitude and being able to just peel back that onion a little bit and, you know, reset, restart, refocus, you know, and just take it back to day one. Let's just take it back and then maybe allow them to incorporate, because it is self care for yourself and self care for your business, you know? So, yeah, yes, that that is, that's good, that's good. And we're happy we're here. We're so happy to be here.
Collin 17:10
Well, that that's a really good point. If you know we're when we're in business by ourselves. We don't have somebody to see the kind of negative self talk that starts happening. We don't have that person to lean on. We don't have somebody to bounce ideas off. Of all of a sudden, it is extremely solitary and lonely to be stuck in a place where you can't see a way forward and you don't have that cheerleader on your side. So for people who do feel like that, where, where can they start going and getting getting that in their lives? What's a good first step for them?
Pam A. 17:46
Oh, that's a good question. Um, you know, I think it's always important. I mean, when it's a silver pride and you're by yourself, I think one of the big things is Beth, and I really want them to know they're not alone. So we do encourage, you know, the networking, you know, to network, to get involved with networking with other sole proprietors, so you just can feel in line with others that might be going through the same thing. And I think that's just a good place. That's why the conventions, and when we come together and we're able to commune with one another, it's just really good, because you do feel this sense of relief, you know, amongst all of the people that come together, like, I really am not alone, because majority of pet owners, I'm sorry, pet business owners are sole proprietors, so I think it's, it's more important when it comes to networking, that that that happens, and it happens even more than maybe once a year. You know, we encourage, encourage that more. There's
Beth C. 18:52
also, you know, there's so many Facebook groups out there, and so you can join a group and find people that are going through the same thing. You know, people have created communities that way. Something that we suggest with people who are just kind of stuck is and we did this exercise at the Florida conference. We did the wheel of life, where it's an exercise that allows you to sit and evaluate your status, your your place, how you feel about where you are in nine different areas of life. You know everything from spiritual to emotional to you know all the different areas, where do you feel you are at this time. And the purpose for that exercise is, if you are going to solve a problem, you first have to know what the problem is, and that's, you know what you were saying, Collin, that feeling of kind of being stuck, and you're stuck because you don't know exactly where to start. You know, I know I need to fix this, but where do I start? Well, so where. We start is by figuring out what the problem actually is. Is it, you know, inability to say no to clients. Is it you're taking on more clients than you should? You're driving farther than you should. Maybe you need to reduce your service area. Maybe your prices are too low. Maybe you need to look at a price increase. And so an exercise that we do with clients is write down for us, what is your ideal client. What is your ideal day in pet sitting, if you have pet sitters working for you, what is your ideal pet sitter? And that really just helps you get that clarity, so you can see okay, if I had it, everything is my way. This is how many clients I'd like to have. This is the service area. And then we kind of work backwards from there. How do we so this is our goal. Now we work backwards. How do we achieve that goal? And that's where we put the systems in place. The price changes in place, communication changes in place. But it really just starts with knowing what the problem is.
Collin 21:04
Because as as business owners, one of the things that takes up the most of our time is our businesses, right? That's where, why we're doing this stuff. We're out there, we're doing a business, all this kind of thing. And when we talk about the imbalance that we have in our lives, it's kind of like, well, we need to talk about the elephant in the room, right? We need to talk about the business, and maybe, maybe that's why we're not getting sleep, or maybe that's why we're not we're getting stressed, and maybe that's why we're we have this off, so we need to address that. And many times we can be afraid to make changes to that, because we feel like we're going to lose something, or I don't right. I don't want to rock the boat, because it's fine, and I'll just, I'll just adapt. I'll just be okay. I'll just take a 15 minute nap when I can, and I'm just going to let that rule my life, instead of me being intentional about what actually takes place.
Pam A. 21:55
And that that is, that is exactly it. And with these sole proprietors. What Beth, and I love, is when they don't have someone to bounce this off of. That's what we do, you know, because they don't, they they in and again, with with us being able to kind of peel that back a little bit, we get into some areas that they haven't dealt with for a while, and it's so helpful to deal with. You know, the problem. We really need to talk about the problem. And then we lot of times, Beth and I say stuff that they're thinking, you know, because it's just, you know, that's and then they're like, you could see the relief. Start to just come through, like some breakthroughs, you start to see some breakthroughs. And then it allows us to set another goal and what have you. But what's exciting with Beth and I, as well as we are both Neuro Linguistic Programming coaches, and what that means, it's a big old fancy word, but what that means is, we are coaches, and how you communicate with others and how you communicate with yourself, and when you said negative talk thinking, that is exactly what we hone in on a lot, and this is what we And we're actually getting ready to go, we're looking at, you know, even getting more education on this subject, because understand what we what we've also figured out Collin is a lot of people go into this business because they love pets, but they don't have the business sense. And so, you know, and there's plenty of books out there on how to start a pet sitting business and what have you. But there is, there is the power of how you speak to yourself and how you deliver to others is also a part of your self care. Is a part of your self care. So when we self care, when we say self care, it's way bigger than a bubble bath. And, you know, it's way bigger, you know, people like self care, I'm gonna take a bath tonight. I'm like, Well, that's good. You gotta get clean. It's, you know what I mean, but it's bigger, you know? And so we're really trying to have a new meaning to what self care is in the business. But a lot of the way we communicate to are ways that can help us. You know each day with without causing more frustration, or you know how you communicate with your pet sitters. You know people that there's a need, there's a need. So there's so many levels to this. But again, yes, I just wanted to share that as well, because Beth and I, we have to listen intently. It's a very big part of what we do is listening. So yes,
Collin 24:52
well, maybe let's dive into that. If you know, you said self care is more than a bubble bath. I think of that a lot of. Well, I just need to carve out a little bit of time. I just need to go and we talk about it too. If I need to go, you know, read a book that I like, or I need to go meditate or go to yoga, get some tea or coffee with a good with a friend. But from from both of your perspectives, what are some misconceptions, some common misconceptions that pet business owners specifically may have about self care and and what it means for them.
Beth C. 25:23
Well, so first, let's talk about the challenges that pet care businesses have with even admitting they need self care. Because self care is admitting to yourself that you need to put yourself first. And so that is a really big challenge for many of these business owners, particularly as Pam mentioned, the the sole proprietors, because they've built their business by putting their clients first, by being there when they need them. By you know, we hear stories about people that cancel vacation plans because the client needed them that weekend. The client needed an extra visit that evening, so they had to miss their anniversary dinner, because to turn down the client is then putting themselves first. But that is the critical part of committing to self care, is that you have to say, I need to be able to draw a line somewhere and say, for these next 10 minutes, my well being is more important than anybody else's. I'm going to sit and read a book for 10 minutes. I'm not going to read my emails, I'm not going to answer my phone, I'm not going to answer a knock at my door. These 10 minutes are mine, and so it's changing that mindset first, to be able to commit, to admit to yourself that these 10 minutes are critical to my well being.
Pam A. 26:51
And, you know, I'd like to add that, you know, you said it earlier. And I love this word, being intentional. You know, being intentional on your self care
27:07
it is
Pam A. 27:10
to be a thriving entrepreneur. It's when you can prioritize and find balance in both your business self care and your personal self care, that is that thriving, and that's what everyone wants to do. You want to thrive, and to thrive, there's the feeling that comes with thriving, and that's when you get a little bit more control back. And I think that's what happens, is a lot of the pet business owners like lose control. One of my favorite lines is when you put too much rope out, it's really hard to pull it back. So again, it's identifying, obviously, the importance of self care and what it just does for you as a person, and the importance, because you deserve it and you you know you're valuable. You need to be healthy for your business. You need to be sharp mentally for your business. And so it's being intentional on what that is. Real quick story, we had a client who didn't have any problems in her business. She actually was very happy with her business. She had a little trouble saying, No, you know, it's she started to become that person that would take last minute, you know, just and it was starting to bother her, because she may have plans, and she might cancel her plans, but one of her biggest desires was to be able to carve out some violin time and journal again. And it was just when we started talking to her, it just started to confirm, like what we were doing is needed. It's like, you know, she was very clear on the areas that she needed some help in, but to just carve out some violent time that she loved and some journaling, and we only needed a couple sessions, and she reported back and was thrilled at the fact that just with just moving a few chess pieces here And there, that she was able to carve out that time that she needed. But being intentional is very important in all of this, because, you know, life be life and and you know, one day it's good, and the next day it shifts. So the intentional part is huge.
Collin 29:43
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Beth C. 31:47
well, and that's a really good point Collin, and that's an exercise that we have our clients do. One really big point that we always make is know your why. So going back to what is your ideal client, what's your ideal service area, what's your ideal pricing. When a client requests service, does that client fit within the parameters of what you're trying to create and build? Yeah, because that's going to help you to say no to your point with confidence. Because if you're just saying no because you're burnt out. That's very different from you're saying no because the client's outside of your service area, you know. And so one exercise we do is, if you say yes, what are your reasons? If you say no, what are your reasons? Your reasons? Are your reasons. But just like identifying your starting point with that, you know, wheel of life, knowing why you're saying no will help you to identify where you are, so that you can then move forward with a little more confidence. So the next time it happens, no, I'm unfortunately, I'm not available. And that's a phrase that many of our clients are uncomfortable
Pam A. 33:02
with. But there is power in it. It's
Beth C. 33:06
there's a lot of power in it there. Unfortunately, I'm not available. Yeah, that's a period at the end of the sentence. There's no more explanation that's needed. There's no more extra words. That's just the end of that sentence. If the answer is no, yeah,
Collin 33:21
Megan will ask me that sometimes, if we're going back and forth on a client, and she'll be like, you know, what are you feeling on this? I'll say No, right? She'll go, she'll ask that. That question is so illuminating, and in the moment will be so frustrating. Of why? Why'd you say no? And sometimes I don't know why. I'm just like, oh, but my gut just says, and I've got to work through, okay, oh, man, I'm actually untangling a lot of emotions about this, because sometimes business is slow. It's been slow for a little while, and this is the first new client who's reached out to us, and they're like, just like, one mile outside of our service radius, right? And I, I'm angry that they weren't one, they didn't move one mile closer to use my services.
Pam A. 34:04
I That's funny. Oh, that's funny, yeah, but it's good. It's a good practice. It's good to bring up, it's good to talk about. And there is a we found always find that there's a lot of appreciation around the word no and and to, to use some of the the different scenarios that that we do. Yeah, it's for some it's so difficult, but they're burning themselves out by being the yes man or a woman, if you will. So you know, they're like, We got to find a happy a happy medium here. One,
Beth C. 34:39
one other exercise we do real quick is, you know, just asking. What would happen if you said no, and it's, it's very thought provoking. You know? What would happen? Well, they'd have to find somebody else. Okay, so what would happen if they found somebody else? Well, I'd lose out on money, you know, whatever? Reasons are. But just those simple questions get people to really think about, you know, the the kind of the, not the cause and effect, but it's, you know, the the action and then the reaction,
Collin 35:11
yeah, and then I again, I just, I love this idea of making sure that we are, that we have a business that allows for that balance. And I think that's what we we, too often try and go, Well, my business just is the way it is, right? It's just a monster over there in the corner, lurking and sometimes spooks me at night time, like that's just what is I just have to live with that. And I'll just and that that is such a different perspective than No. I'd like to be able to sleep at night. I'd like to be able to go to lunch with friends. What does my business look like in order to make that happen and to have that kind of life? And when we start reverse engineering, okay, what's my life like? You know, you both work through what's my life, okay, what's the business that's going to allow that is when we start looking at that holistic approach of not just being reactionary all the time and and it really does change and strengthen
Pam A. 36:07
our decisions, that's it, that's and then you own it. Yeah, you own your decision. And that's what we like to do. Beth, and I don't tell you what to do. We want you to find it within yourself. Yeah, so this is where we get our joy from. Is when we find someone that we can talk to. And again, we're going through all the different, you know, the practices that we do, and then they find it within themselves. Because, you know, we could tell you what to do all day long. Do this, do this, you know, but it's not going to stick. We want it to stick so that that that's where the joy comes from for us.
Collin 36:49
Well, I know, for both of you, you know, you early mentioned on Pam about finding things that you know filled you, and finding these, these hobbies and these things that that you love in your life to make a whole you you know. And you mentioned, you know, you do. You're a cycling instructor and like, you know, 80s music and sushi and stuff. If somebody is sitting here listening and going, I don't even know myself right now. I don't know what I like and don't like because I've been consumed by my business for the last forever. How do we go about finding those things that can fill us outside of our business?
Pam A. 37:35
Yeah, you know, this is, this is the fun part of the conversation, where we just kind of go back even to childhood. Sometimes it's interesting how conversations will go when we when we talk to people about, you know, just what did they do before this? You know, what was your life before? Pet Sitting, yeah. What was your life before? Children? What was your life before? Just to get to know them on a level of what was, what did you love and do before this? And we stay there for a minute. We stay there for a minute, and we laugh and we cry a little bit, you know, because it brings on some great, some great memories, and then we just find where, where their joy lies, and what they're missing. You know, what's, what's kind of, you know what's, what's been depleted, if you will. You know what fills them, what can fill them outside of, outside of, you know, the business in the day to day and and so that's what we do, to find out, you know, what might be missing, that that that could fill their lives. And then we just kind of go from there. It just seems to be a natural progression. I really can't honestly say you know what it is, but again, it's about them finding it and us helping them find it within themselves. On what might be missing, yeah, think of anything well,
Beth C. 39:12
and then the next step is find where all the time is being used up. That's good, yep, and seeing where we can carve out some time to add in these activities. And so maybe, if your time is being consumed because you're doing, you know, 15 visits a day, so the only options for that are take less clients or bring on some help. And so, you know, kind of weigh out which those options are. Maybe your time is consumed because your service radius is, you know, 45 miles. So then we look at, can we reduce that service radius? And now you're not spending as much time on the road. Now you're saving three hours of drive time a day. There you go. Now we can work out 30 minutes so you can play the violin or go bird watching, or swim in a pool, or you. Just sit and stare at the clouds. So it's a kind of a multi pronged approach, and once again, knowing where the problem lies helps to find the solution.
Pam A. 40:11
And I would, I would finally say to one of the biggest things we promote are baby steps. There's a big sense of relief, because it can get very overwhelming and almost like unreachable, still, like, I just don't, I don't see how this could ever happen. I, you know, they can't wrap their head around it. So we, we really love just now, just, you know, chunking this down, if you will, and taking baby steps. And if we can get some baby steps, you know, some five baby steps, and we meet again, and we got three out of the five done, huge. And that in itself, is a recharge, that these goals are attainable, that these goals are attainable. And I think that you know, to keep it very realistic, and then setting some, you know, 2025, goals. You know, because we could talk today, we've got some work to do. So let's see where what we can do between now and February, 2025, and again, it's about being intentional. So the baby steps really work well, because it allows, again, our client to see that I can do this, and then we eventually get that list done, and then we tackle our next list to their ultimate goal of being able to free up some time or whatever it is, for themselves. Yeah,
Collin 41:41
if we're already in a position where we kind of can't see the horizon anymore, we don't see a direction suddenly dropping down and going, Oh, well, your problem is you just need 200 more clients. Need a higher 15 staff. Like, exactly, right? It's like, wait a minute, I need to start working up on time, like that. Maybe
Pam A. 42:01
Exactly, yeah, exactly. You hit it right on the nose, Collin, and that is you can, you can almost hear them take a deep breath, yeah? Because when we start to really chunk down and they're like, this is what I needed so it can look, it can look realistic, like I could actually do this. And that's where it gets very fun for us as well.
Collin 42:22
Well, I do have to ask Pam for the for the 80s, are you a slayer, person, Smiths, Pixies, what's your what's your pick from the 80s music? Straight
Pam A. 42:31
across the board. Okay, straight across the board. But, you know, I'm a journeys girl. I'm stick six. Yeah, journey. Um, I mean, you know, Cyndi Lauper, I mean, my first job was at a roller skating rink. Oh God, in the 80s, that was my first job. So I was just turned on to everything 80s. But I do it just, I feel so good when it comes on, and I can understand everything they're saying, Yeah, let's not forget that I'm like, Oh, I can actually sing along. That's huge for me.
Collin 43:10
But it is. It is finding the those things, those those places where are carved out, that are ours, right? That are kind of because then what we can start doing is we can start defining a little bit about who we are too, what's important to us. And as you do little things and little things, you start to see the whole picture of who you are. And that is so freeing to be.
Pam A. 43:37
It is. It's good, well. And
Beth C. 43:39
keeping in mind, Collin, you know, like we were talking about the monarchs in the beginning, who you are today doesn't have to be who you are next month, you have the freedom to transform yourself personally and professionally. And
Pam A. 43:55
we just want to help you. Own it. I love it. Own that. Own that. Yes,
Collin 44:01
well, Pam, Beth, I want to thank you both so much for coming on the show today and walking us through the importance of this, what it means to look forward to hope and balance in our lives and taking those intentional steps. I know this is a whole lot and that there's just this, just this is just work like this. This does take work, intention and time and dedication, and there's just a lot of information out there. So if people are wanting to get connected with you all see and learn about this more, how best can they do that?
Beth C. 44:35
Yeah, absolutely. So our website is monarchs in motion com, and the best way to reach us is via email, which is hello at monarchs in motion com. And we want to thank you, Collin, so much for inviting us on to this podcast and having the opportunity to to chat with you and just share with people the important importance and the joy of. Of prioritizing self care.
Collin 45:03
Well, it's been an immense pleasure of mine, and I'm so thankful for your time coming on the show today, and I'll make sure and have the website, the email, those links in the show notes and on the website, so people can get connected and start following along again. I want to thank you both so much for coming on today. It's been a real pleasure. Thank you. Thank
Pam A. 45:21
you, pleasures ours. Thank you. Collin, tell Megan, we said, Hi,
Collin 45:25
what kind of business are you running? Are you putting your clients first or yourself first? How you answer that will determine everything about your business and how it operates, everything from the cancelation policy to the pricing to the services offered, to the service area offered, and everything in between. Are you putting yourself first? In your business may seem counterintuitive. Shouldn't we be serving our clients first? Shouldn't we be making sure that their needs are met? Well, yes, but we need to be serving them in a way that serves us first, and it's how we want to operate. That means one of two things. One, we're going to be more in balance, more in alignment, and have a much more holistic approach to solving concerns for ourselves and making sure that we're in balance. And secondly, it means we're not going to be for everybody. It means that part of our businesses will not fit with how people want to be served. They may want the dog walk, but they might not want the walk. How we do it, and we have to be okay with that. Build and cultivate your clientele based off of how you serve, so that you have raving fans and a balanced life. We want to thank today's sponsors, time to pet and our friends at the peaceful pet music, calm music for pets on YouTube, and we really want to thank you so much. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your support. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, and we'll be back again soon.
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