I’m Pregnant & Lessons Learned From My Italian Adventure

 

It wasn’t the logical thing to do.  

 

Leave my business, my clients, my daughter, my hubs, my bird and the whole flow of my everyday life for 2 weeks.  

 

And it’s not like it was for business, either.  No promise of a return on my investment that would show up immediately in my numbers.  Nope. Just a full blown, let’s-go-explore-the-world kind of an adventure in a country I’ve been longing to visit for decades.  

 

It wasn’t logical at all.  

 

And yet, I knew I needed to go.

 

You see, back in April, we found out that we are pregnant with baby #2.  For the first two days, I was pure sunshine, totally ecstatic that our little family is expanding.  And then…something unexpected happened.

 

Hormones, debilitating nausea and waves of uncertainty engulfed me and I completely unraveled into a sea of emotions.  

 

All I saw were the beautiful plans I had created for Biz Women Rock for the year ahead, crumbling brick by brick as I realized that they were no longer possible in the way I had envisioned.  I couldn’t start my 6 month Masterminds in the latter part of the year because the baby’s coming in early December. I couldn’t launch my high end Mastermind for the $1million + business women because I needed to be fully present for the entirely of that program and I couldn’t guarantee that with a newborn.  I couldn’t host my 3rd Annual Retreat in November because that would be way too close to my due date. And oh my god, I had to get started on my course asap because I needed to get that up and ready to be on autopilot when I’m on maternity leave.

 

Of course I knew all I had to do was re-think and re-work how and when I would do things.  But, there were so many voices in my head drowning out any kind of rational strategies (which I totally blame on hormones).

 

I felt nauseous and exhausted all the time (damn that first trimester!).

 

I was uncharacteristically unfocused.

 

I was frustratingly unambitious.  

 

And while I was so wonderfully excited about my growing family, I felt so lost in my business.  

 

And that’s when I saw my friend Allison’s post about her Vegan Italian Retreat.  

 

You might think that it was an escape for me.  But it was far from that. The Italy trip represented my opportunity to get quiet and clear with myself so I could realign with my business…and my purpose.  

 

The logical thing would have been to hire a coach and figure out a strategic plan that I could immediately put into practice.  

 

But, I do not take action based on logic.  I make decisions and live my life based on what my heart and my internal voice say to me.  

 

And that’s why, at 4 months pregnant and with my business in a complete holding pattern, I stepped onto a plane to start my Italian adventure.  

 

While I knew the time alone to think and meditate would be powerful, I had no idea the entire experience would impact my business – and my life – to the depths that it has.  

 

So, as a way to give you a glimpse of this incredible experience, I want to share a few things I learned about myself on my Vegan Italian Retreat and give you a related business lesson you can carry with you as well.    

 

1. I am deeply in love with women.

I could spend hours describing the lusciousness of the Italian food, the overwhelming beauty of the landscape and the calming cadence of the language, but the truth is that the women I was with were the outstanding feature of the entire trip.  My experience with them deepened my love for you…for each of the beautiful, complicated, strong, perfectly imperfect women who are a part of this community that I am blessed to lead.  

 

All week long, I watched each one of them (myself included) integrate themselves into a tapestry of diverse interests, personalities, cultures and experiences.  And they did it with such grace and love for the whole, for the community, and also with immense respect for themselves. They were each in their own right, brilliant, gorgeous, flawed and loving and it made my heart sing that these are the women who I get to be around all the time!  My clients, the ladies in my masterminds, my community, my listeners, my guests, my friends, my mom and my sisters…literally every single woman who is in my life embodies these qualities and I am so humbled that they surround me and that we create a beautiful blanket of love in this world as we support each other.  

 

Each one of these women made a permanent impression on my heart and I was reminded that this is what happens when women come together…we impact each other, we cry with one another, we make each other laugh, we love one another…we bring out the LIFE in each other.  

 

BUSINESS LESSON: Reconnect with the deep love you have for those you serve.

 

2. Slow the hell down

 

I have come to loathe the concept of the entrepreneurial hustle.  The supposed right of passage that we all have to go through in order to experience “success.”  The sleepless nights, the penniless times, the endless feeling of going, going, going that must exist inside our bellies.  

 

I’m over it.  I’ve been over it for a while now, but this pregnancy and the trip to Italy was the cap on my commitment to #nomorehustle.  

 

That commitment plus the physical changes of pregnancy has meant a big slow down for me.  I’ve felt in slow motion since I found out about our new baby and the trip to Italy made it clear as to why that slow down has been vital during this particular season in my life.  

 

Before all this, I was getting up at 5:30am, journaling and busting out some big to-do’s before the household ever woke up.  Now, the need for sleep is so deep that the few times I’ve tried to jump back into my old schedule in order to get things done have knocked me on my butt.  

 

In Italy, 5 course dinners make it impossible to end a meal before at least 4 hours have passed.  Which forced us all to get out of our addictive habits of jumping from one agenda item to the next and actually be with each other.  We came up with dinner questions so we could all get to know each other better and told elaborate stories during which we didn’t feel the pressure to shorten details for the sake of time.  Even at our hungriest, we took our time with each bite of food, savoring the flavors, textures and tantalizing aromas. More than once, I sat out by the pool, overlooking the deep blue Mediterranean waters after finishing a meditation and quieted the voice in my head that told me it was time to do something productive.  Instead, I just sat a little longer.

 

Moving slower has given me the gift of going deeper.  Deeper with my conversations. Deeper with my intentions.  Deeper with my questions. Deeper into myself. Deeper into my purpose.

 

And, deeper into my business.  

 

While this season has not been fast moving for Biz Women Rock, it has been transformational at its core.  Because I’m going deep with my intentions and my dreams and my connection to my business…listening to my inner voice who is directing me where to go next.  

 

BUSINESS LESSON: Take time to slow down in your business.  Maybe a daily meditation practice, a weekly day off or even a regular retreat for yourself.  The time out of the normal cadence of your business will be the exact fuel you need to continue growing it with purpose.

 

3. Evolution is Uncomfortable, Necessary and Exciting.

Sometimes, we need to unravel a bit in order to see things clearly.  

 

The beauty of being out of flow and in a funk is that you’ll be asking yourself a lot of questions as you try your best to get out of it.  You become a seeker – someone who seeks a deeper understanding of herself, her world, how she fits in it and how she’s contributing to it. And a seeker understands and accepts the complexities of evolution.  

 

During the most tear-soaked weeks of my early pregnancy, I went on a lot of walks with my husband, sharing with him all the competing thoughts about my business and how I felt like it was a big sign that I was experiencing a transformation.  But what direction do I head into? What is my next move? I was SO SURE about things just weeks before and now it all seemed so unclear.

 

My husband listened patiently and lovingly reflected an idea back at me that I had had earlier on in the year.  “You haven’t moved on it yet,” he said, “and it feels like it would be the perfect next step for you.” After a few brainstorms, I realized that not only was this business idea incredible, but it was an exhilarating opportunity to live out the next version of my evolution as a business woman.  

 

And I became excited.  

 

I saw clearly how the Biz Women Rock brand would thrive as it gave birth to an entirely new brand that would support women in a powerful way.  

 

But I was still moving slow.  And truthfully, my entire personality is based upon the belief that when I want something, I go after it HARD and FAST and FEARLESSLY.  But I was not moving hard or fast and I was still working on the giant moments of fear that arose because I wasn’t moving at my normal pace.  

 

What’s going to happen if I’m not as visible on social media?

 

What’s going to happen if I don’t send out my email this week?

 

What’s going to happen if I’m not doing as many Facebook Lives as usual?

 

What’s going to happen if I’m not launching a new program right now?

 

When we fear stopping or slowing down because it might make us look bad or unprofessional or, even worse, irrelevant, then we deprive ourselves of the silence we need to evolve into our best selves.  

 

I packed all that excitement and fear in my luggage as I flew to Italy and I returned with none of it.

 

Because as I swam in the cold waters of the Mediterranean, ascended and descended thousands of mountainside stairs, listened to the church bells ring every morning and savored the magical flavors of vegan gelato, I kept getting reminded to TRUST the evolution.  

 

Every morning, the girls and I would pick from a deck of Angel Cards and over and over again, I would get cards like this one, reminding me that the change in direction or the transformation I am experiencing is divinely guided and to just TRUST.

I realized that all I had was a brilliant idea.  The beautiful vision of what that idea could flourish into.  The belief that I could do it. And, most importantly, the dedication to take action in line with my heart.  

 

The fear of the unknown, the comparisons, the “keeping up with the Jones’” business version, the need to be seen in order to be relevant, the giant closet of “shoulds” that I stare at every day in business…

 

…they all disappeared in Italy.  

 

And instead, love and trust took hold.  

 

BUSINESS LESSON: There is no such thing as “made it.”  You and your business are always an evolution in progress.  And YOUR EVOLUTION is what is guiding your business’ path. Find silence so you can be guided and TRUST in the changes happening.  

 

* I am deliberately not sharing more details about this new business yet…but you’ll be hearing about it soon!

 

4. Live courageously in the magical space between your reality and your wildest dreams

I’m not going to sugar coat it.  There have been very real business repercussions to my slowing down.  I have not launched the Masterminds I had planned, which has an impact on my bottom line.  I have not been as visible as usual, which means I have to continue showing up with authenticity.  I paused the Biz Women Rock Academy, which has left a hole that was once filled with the most loyal of my community members.  These were all the right decisions, but ones that impacted the direction in which my business was going.  

 

But being an entrepreneur takes courage.  Courage to make sudden changes. Courage to stop when everyone else tells you to go (or to go when everyone tells you to stop).  Courage to not follow the same path everyone else seems to be following. Courage to BELIEVE IN BIG DREAMS that seem impossible to everyone else.  But mostly, the courage to keep doing the inner work it takes to stay connected to your true voice so you know how to move ahead and how to live magically between your reality and your dreams.   

 

I have never felt so comfortable in my skin than I did in Italy.  Literally and figuratively. Belly popping out, in my bikini, cracking jokes with the girls and staying by myself at the villa when I felt like I needed the alone time.  Eating beautiful meals every single night. Exploring the breathtaking countryside every day. Breathing in the fresh air and the sights of the deep blue ocean around me.  

 

But Italy is not my day to day reality.  My reality is that I am a mom to a vivacious 2.5 year old.  Wife to a creative entrepreneur and dedicated husband and father.  A pregnant and growing 39 year old. An entrepreneur who is simultaneously established and still trying to find her place in the business world.  A passionate business woman who has great lessons to teach and has never felt comfortable being called an “expert.” My reality is just like yours.  I’m doing my best to live a full, vibrant life and design a business that I love that provides abundantly for my family.

 

My reality is pretty damn good, let’s be honest.  But, still with the typical struggles we women entrepreneurs have.  

 

So it’s my dreams that I lean on to fuel my journey.  Dreams of bringing joy and love to as many women as possible in the world.  Dreams of creating more abundance in my life. Dreams of more freedom. Dreams of meeting more amazing women.  Dreams of bringing creative projects to fruition. Dreams of living into my highest good in the world.

 

And somewhere between these dreams and my reality is where I choose to live.  Because this is where the magic of manifestation takes place.

 

Every single one of the ladies on the Vegan Italian Retreat had a different reality at home.  And yet the entire Italian experience had been a dream of ours at one time. And simply by living in the possibility that this dream was possible, we all ended up together for a life-changing week of delicious, breathtaking and beautiful adventures.  

 

BUSINESS LESSON: Living in the space between your reality and your dreams gives you the opportunity to stay present in your life and manifest the most creative of your dreams!

 

At the time I write this, I’ve been back for 5 days and I have never felt more grateful for my life.  I have never felt more inspired to LIVE my life and take baby steps towards my highest calling every single day.  I have never felt so in love with you and the podcast and business you have supported all these years. I have never felt so motivated with a calming and trusting energy to take action (and, thankfully, after 4 months, I am filled with the energy to do it!).  And I have never felt so peaceful about who I am and where I’m headed.

 

Thank you for being on this journey with me.  I’ve always been up front with you about how imperfect and full of ups and downs this business journey is.  And I continue to share mine with you in hopes you can feel a little more inspired to embrace the beautifully imperfect journey you are on.  

 

To Ali, Leslie, Laura, Ashley, Desiree, Suzy, Noor, Carrie and Nicole…thank you for making this experience so magical and far beyond what I could have possibly dreamt it to be!

 

Special thanks to the amazing Allison Melody of the Food Heals Podcast and Leslie Durso, Vegan Chef extraordinaire for putting it on!  Definitely check out more about Allison’s podcast and Leslie’s delicious recipes here!

 

Check out the Food Heals Podcast HERE → http://foodhealsnation.com/

 

Check out more about Leslie’s delish vegan creations here → http://lesliedurso.com/

 

No matter what season you are in on your business journey, whether you’re getting up at 5:30am and running and loving every minute of it, or you’re in a slow down and questioning what you’re doing, I honor you for being on the journey and for letting me be a small part of it.  

 

Love,

 

Katie

 

Some of my coaching clients come to me because they are so incredibly determined to get to that next phase of their business and they just need some help doing it. Some of my clients come to because they’re so overwhelmed and in the throws of chaos and they come to me for focus and clarity and intentional strategies.

 

But overall, all of my clients come to me because they crave to do more. To show up more in line with who they are and what they love to do in this world in a way that gives them the business that they love.

 

Some people call me a business coach, some people call me a business strategist. Others call me their business therapist.

 

Whatever kind of support you need, that is what I am here to provide. If you are ready to get your business to the next phase that you KNOW you are ready for, or you are so done with all of that chaos and overwhelm and you’re ready to make some serious moves, and push through that chaos, then lets chat.

 

Right now I have 3 spots open for private clients. And if you are ready for the clarity, and the results, and ultimately the joy that comes along with a customized support then working privately with me might be exactly what you need.

 

Go to bizwomenrock.com/workwithkatie and go schedule a free 15-minute match session that you and I can get on a call and make sure we are the perfect match