Mind, Body, Business: Why a Holistic Approach is Key for Solopreneurs

Episode Transcript

Carly Ries: Is your personal growth the secret ingredient to your business success? In this episode, we dive into a holistic approach to solopreneurship with Maddie Kelley, the host of the Mimir podcast. She shares why your business will never outgrow you, the power of journaling and meditation for decision making, and how saying no strategically can actually lead to more success. Plus, Maddie opens up about the real entrepreneurial journey, and spoiler alert, it takes time, patience, and a whole lot of self awareness. So tune in to hear how to integrate personal growth into your business strategy, practical tips to build a business that aligns with your values, and why prioritizing yourself as a solopreneur is non negotiable.

So if you're feeling the grind but craving more balance, this episode is for you. You're listening to The Aspiring Solopreneur, the podcast for those just taking the bold step, or even just thinking about taking that step into the world of solo entrepreneurship. My name is Carly Ries, and my co host Joe Rando and and I are your guides to navigating this crazy, but awesome journey as a company of one. We take pride in being part of LifeStarr, a digital hub dedicated to all aspects of solopreneurship that has empowered and educated countless solopreneurs looking to build a business that resonates with their life's ambitions. We help people work to live, not live to work.

And if you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the show for you. So if you're eager to gain valuable insights from industry experts running a business the right way the first time around, or want to learn from the missteps of solopreneurs who've paved the way before you, then stick around. We've got your back because flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone. Maddie, I feel like there are a gazillion things we could talk about on the show today because we're very like minded in the approach that we take to our podcasting. We could even talk about your podcast, but instead we were talking offline about the importance of a holistic approach to entrepreneurship.

And I'm curious, how do you define a holistic approach to entrepreneurship and why is it crucial for solopreneurs?

Maddie Kelley: Yeah. This is something that I have recently discovered is that entrepreneurialism is very much a reflection of your own, self growth journey. So to me, a holistic approach to entrepreneurialism really just means that, your professional success is deeply interconnected to your personal well-being and your growth. I think this is particularly important for solopreneurs because you are your business. Like, from the very beginning, your idea is birthed from you.

You are the one who drives not just vision, but also execution, especially in the early days. So, like, how much of yourself you put in your business, you can't really quantify because to me, they're so deeply intertwined. And when you think about it from that perspective, it's like, especially that you're driving. If you are not in a good place, your business will not succeed. I've seen it time and time again with so many, founders.

It doesn't matter what industry you're in, but if you are not self aware and you're not, able to identify where you're holding yourself back and thus your business, you'll never be able to grow. So, somebody said something interesting to me that I think really put it into perspective that your business will never grow beyond the level with which you are also able to grow. So the reason that I'm so passionate about, prioritizing yourself as a CEO is because truly without that, your business will never be able to be what you imagine that it will be.

Carly Ries: Yeah. Such a great response. So let me ask you this. What strategies have you used personally to integrate personal growth with business strategies in your own journey?

Maddie Kelley: I think you guys will be able to relate to this because I find that part of the beauty of being an entrepreneur is, you get to decide what your business looks like. You get to, take all of the experience that you've had with previous jobs and be like, okay. I didn't love this. I loved this. And then you're able to create this, like, beautiful Frankenstein of a business.

And with that so much means that, a lot of that business is coming out of your core values. So to me, it's actually not super challenging to ensure that your business is working alongside your personal growth. But, if I can give some practical tips, I think personally, I prioritize a lot of self reflection, a lot of self awareness. So things like, tools that personally help me with that, I think, are meditation. I personally struggle a lot with overthinking and, being stuck in my head, and that gives me some quiet time to really just be in my body and to just be an observer of my own personal experience.

So that helps me to be more self aware. It helps me deal with my emotions better. It helps me process information more effectively. And then the other thing that I always give as a first tip and something that I personally did is journaling. I think this is sort of like stage one if you've never really done any personal growth journey before.

And the way that I like to do it is you have to pick a time of day, whether that's first thing in the morning. lot of people prefer first thing in the morning, sort of like a brain dump, but I'm not a morning person, so I won't I be doing that. So mine tended to happen right before bed, but I always recommend that people do three full pages. And the reason for this is that it sounds like a lot, and it is. But the reason for this is because typically the first page and a half is just like garbage nonsense if you're just trying to get into the flow state of writing.

It's usually like, today I did this and I woke up and I did this and then this happened at work and it really bothered me. And then by page two and three, that's where you get into the really important stuff of like, oh, this bothered me because of this. Or oh, I'm starting to understand why that happened and why I reacted this way. And, that's where the real magic happens. So this practice, I think I did mine for, like, a year and a half, two years straight of every single day.

You know, I'm not perfect. Like, maybe on the weekends, I had a little too much drink. I didn't do it that night. But, you know, we're all human. But, the point is that it was a consistent effort over a long period of time, and that really set the foundation to be able to, you know, you don't need it anymore.

You're much more self aware and self reflective, and you can identify patterns a lot more quickly. So typically, I recommend people start with three full pages a day, once a day, whenever that time works for you.

Carly Ries: How long does it because I journal every morning, but I try to do five minutes of journaling, five minutes of meditation, and five minutes, like, visualization from the journaling.

Joe Rando: Which is probably about seven minutes more than your kids wanna give you.

Carly Ries: that's why it has to be fifteen minutes and no more because I have to do it when it's just me up in the morning. But I feel like I get three quarters of the way and that's already five minutes. Like, it takes a little bit to fill those pages. So I'm wondering why the three pages, but also do you have any concrete examples of the benefits that you've seen by implementing meditation and journaling from a business standpoint?

Maddie Kelley: Yeah. This is key for making big decisions. I think, the person that I was before all of this started was very much like a yes man. And that works for a hot minute when your first business is starting. So, let me ground this into the perspective of the podcast.

So I'm sure you guys experienced this when you were starting the podcast, but, you know, you say yes to everything and to every opportunity because you're trying to build something from the ground up and you don't have a bank of episodes. and, you know, it feels good to have the momentum at the beginning because you're like, okay. This is working. And then, eventually, your business will reach a place where you're like, okay. I can be a little bit more picky.

And this is also typically around the time when I find that there's also a correlation to you're starting to feel anxiety, like, there's so much going on. It's always happening. Maybe you didn't have a great interview, or maybe you felt like after the fact, it wasn't a great interview. And so at the same time, you're like, okay. I have a choice here where I can continue the same way that I was going before, where I can continue to say yes all the time, or you can start to say no more.

And so, personally, for me, I have a hard time saying no, especially when it comes to business because you want to continue that flow of revenue generation. You wanna keep getting in for example the podcast, you wanna get guests all the time. But long term, that's not the right choice. So through some self work, I start to understand why it's hard for me to say no, why there's, that level of discomfort around that. So then I can work past it, and it's a lot easier for me to say no.

And that has a direct correlation to business success because then that allows me to create better content. I'm not embarrassed to say no, and I'm not, using that at the expense of the success of creating great content for everybody to listen to. the priority is to make the best experience for your customers. And in order for me to do that, I had to get over my own x and, issues internally. So then that way, I can do better and be better for my business.

Does that make sense?

Joe Rando: A question? It does make sense. What did you do to kind of formulate when to say no? How did you decide?

Did you come up with some kind of policy or set of criteria that you used to then be able to say, no. I can't because of this?

Maddie Kelley: Yes. Also, frankly, I'm not gonna lie. A lot of it is just vibes. Like, if I'm on a phone call with somebody, I can pretty much tell almost immediately whether or not they're gonna be a great choice for the podcast. And half of that is just I think sometimes, you get a gut feeling about somebody and you think that they're gonna be great. the other half, it's like on paper, they're great. And then the other system that I use is just over time, I think, with businesses, so much of it is a slow drip. Right? It's like small tweaks over time and small learning lessons over time. And so as I continue to refine what the podcast is and what that looks like, then so do my guests.

And so, for example, early on in the days, I was getting a lot of consultants, you know, business consultants, marketing consultants. And I was like, yes. They have some really great helpful information, but the point of the podcast is to interview successful founders who built, a full business. Maybe, some of the people coming to podcast who are listening wanna be coaches, and that's fine. And I have some episodes for them, but I can't continue to focus solely on these types of individuals.

I had to branch out. So, if I wanted to put it down on paper and say these are the systems that I'm creating to where if the a guest takes all of these boxes, yes. Great. But at the same time, I think a lot of it is intuition as well. You really have to trust yourself in order to make good decisions because sometimes, a guest might seem really great on paper, and this has happened to me before, but I've gotten on the phone with them.

And they don't know anything about the podcast. They didn't do any research ahead of time. It seemed like a very egotistical, narcissistic driven conversation. And so I'm like, okay. Technically, yes.

This person might sound good, but I can just tell and I can feel it that this isn't gonna be the right call for me.

Joe Rando: You Get those people that all they wanna do is sell their business.

Maddie Kelley: Exactly.

Joe Rando: We've had a few of those, and they didn't air.

Maddie Kelley: Yeah. And, I also had to create, a system where I do, meet and greets beforehand, just like a quick fifteen minute call. It's like a quick vibe check, make sure that it's a good fit for both everybody because at the beginning, I didn't have that system, and I had a similar situation where I did an interview, and I was like, oh, no.

This is not a good interview. We can't be posting this. And I'm like, now I've wasted my time and their time.

Joe Rando: Right.

Maddie Kelley: So you just learn these things over time.

Carly Ries: Yeah. No. That's a good point. Well, so for people, they're listening. They're like, I need to journal.

I need to meditate. I need to learn how to say no. Get some systems in place. If they're starting their business and they're still having a hard time trying to figure out their work life balance, what advice do you have for that?

Maddie Kelley: I love this question because this is really funny. I actually was recording a solo episode the other day, and it was a comprehensive look back at one year of podcasting. And this was something I talked about.   I get asked this question all the time is how do you have such a great work life balance? Time management is my personal superpower. So people are always like, oh my gosh.

Like, teach me your ways. And I had to be honest. I was like, listen, I am still figuring it out. It is hard. I have a full nine to five job that I do, and then the podcast is my passion project, and I'm also simultaneously building a tech platform with my cofounder.

So, work life balance for me is a daily struggle. But I guess the easy answer that I'll give first is set boundaries and honor them. So if you're starting a business for the first time and you still have a nine to five, like, promise yourself that you're gonna leave your nine to five at five. Do not be available to respond to things outside of your working hours. Like, you're not being paid for that.

You're not obliged to do that. So if that's a boundary you wanna set, you have to be firm and honor that. So then that way you can, do what you need to do outside of work. The other thing that I recently did that really helped me, is now that it's January, you know, I think everyone's sort of thinking about 2025 goals, setting goals, achieving them. Vision boards are all over the feeds right now. I did a workshop the other day to do a vision board. I'd never done a workshop before. I've always just sort of done them for myself for fun. But what I learned this time that really helps put things into perspective is sort of creating themes for your year of what you want to achieve and then setting those themes in priorities. So for me this year, my priority is my career.

And then, everything else underneath that. So, my health goals are underneath that. My relationship goals are underneath that. My financial goals are underneath that. And then that helps me to prioritize where I put my energy into every day, and it gives me a little bit less guilt about having to say no to those other things.

Joe Rando: So I'm an old guy. Can you help me by telling me and maybe some other people listening, what is a vision board?

Maddie Kelley: Oh, yeah. Totally. So a vision board is essentially just like a big poster board. You can do it digitally also of images that are representative of the goals that you want to achieve. So when you think about visualization, for example, let's say, you wanna buy a new house this year.

It's what does that house look like? Is it modern? Does it have white furniture? How many rooms does it have? It's like getting very detailed into those goals, so then you're sort of visualizing them and looking at it every day.

Carly Ries: So, Joe, I think I showed you my phone. I have, images on my phone as my home screen that are my goals for the year. because I obviously look at my phone a million times a day regrettably, but I do. And so I'm like, oh, well, it's right in front of my face as a reminder of these goals and everything.

So that's what I do.

Joe Rando: Thank you. Yeah. You know, like I said, just for the the curmudgeons and the listening audience.

Carly Ries: The curmudgeons.

Maddie Kelley: It's been really helpful because I think, one of the big things that people struggle with is they have all these things that they wanna accomplish, and it becomes then overwhelming to think about how do you actually approach that. And to be able to look at things comprehensively and then create priorities around that and then be like, okay. Yes. Like, my career is my biggest my priority right now. So it's a lot easier than to absolve yourself of any guilt around, maybe deprioritizing other things in your life, which should in turn help create a better work life balance.

Because the issue is, we all just try to do too much because we think that's what we should be doing as opposed to sitting back and thinking about what do we want to be doing.

Carly Ries: Joe, I have to ask you. having been further into your career than Maddie and I are, have you seen a shift in people approaching work more holistically because I feel like people are starting to realize that the grind is as impactful and that a holistic approach is more. Am I right?

Joe Rando: here's what I observed. When in the eighties and I think into the nineties, there was a ethos of the more you worked, the better person you were. Right? So it was like, being in the office at 11:00 at night was a badge of honor.

Maddie Kelley: Yeah.

Joe Rando: You know, working sixteen hours, eighteen hour days was like

you felt like you were doing the right thing. And it was really warped, but it was everywhere. It was everywhere. It was in in media, in television, in movies, and just the whole you know, the heroes were these people that were just doing all this crazy stuff and working all these crazy hours.

So, yeah, it's changed a lot for the better. I mean, it can obviously potentially go too far the other way. You know, we've seen some comedy videos of millennials and, you know, I think it was one I remember a while back, and she's interviewing for a job, and he's like, well, work starts at nine. She goes, oh, that doesn't work for me.

I mean, I know it's a joke, but it's just that to get to the level where it's so much about your personal needs balance that there's gotta be a balance in the balance. yeah, it's much better now.

Carly Ries: Well, we're talking to solopreneurs, and the solopreneurs have the benefit of, playing their schedule and aligning their business with their values and not having to if the 09:00 schedule doesn't work for them, then it doesn't have to work for them. They can figure out what does. But for people that are still in corporate America and they are thinking about jumping ship and going into the world of solopreneurship, how do you recommend that they align their core values with the business that they're thinking about and their strategies so that when they do leave, their work is more fulfilling for them.

Maddie Kelley: Honestly, I really like this question because to me, it's a very simple answer. Like, it's not that hard. I think anybody who's in the position that they are working a nine to five that has a business idea, it's typically born out of a necessity that they have themselves or a passion that they have in some sort of industry whether they realize it or not. Like, some of the best business ideas come from a personal need or, gap in the industry. And I find that most of the time, already people are pretty passionate about what they're building, and that passion is coming from a core value.

So the first thing that my business partner and I did when we decided that we wanted to build this tech platform is write out our mission and values, before we even started our pitch deck because

Joe Rando: but that's mission and values for the business.

Maddie Kelley: Correct. Yeah. And these were essentially, the reasons why we wanted to build the business. We had worked together in corporate, and there was so much that we saw that we didn't like and so many things that we were like, you know, one day, if we build something, we wanted to do it really differently. And so, yes, these are things like growth mindset, but at the same time, that's how we run our business. you know, we prioritize progress, not perfection. We prioritize our people and their growth because we believe fully that the growth of everybody around us like, if you're a better person, you're gonna be a better employee. And so a lot of that is also tied into the foundation and not just how we are as, you know, future employers, but also how we literally, build the business from the ground up. So it's things like that where I think it's not a complicated answer on how to build a more fulfilling business. It's like if you have a passion and you wanna build it, then you're working in fulfillment.

Joe Rando: But let me jump in here. You're building a traditional entrepreneurial employee based business here.

Maddie Kelley: Correct.

Joe Rando: Carly's question was building a solopreneur business. If you're giving up employees, you're saying no to employees, you're basically giving up the best scaling tool you could have. Agreed?

Maddie Kelley: Right. Yeah.

Joe Rando: So a solopreneur, it's a different calculus, I think. And starting with the business, and I've done this, starting with the business can lead you into a place that maybe you don't wanna be if you're doing this for other reasons than scaling. So if your business is successful, you're gonna be working those sixteen hour days for a while. That's what's gonna happen.

I mean, you're talking about a scaling business, hiring employees, making payroll.

Maddie Kelley: Yeah.

Joe Rando: But solopreneurs make a decision not to go that route. So to me, I think you have to start not with the business mission vision, but with your personal life. What are your goals? What is your why? And then build the business to serve those.

Because if you don't, you're gonna wind up with a business that you're serving like you are going to with this business you're building now. You are going to serve that business.

Maddie Kelley: I guess I never thought about it that way because to me, they're so deeply connected. Like, the life that I wanna build is happening at the same time as I'm building this, like, both businesses, but my podcast and our tech platform. Like, that is the person that I wanna be works on these kinds of projects. The person that I wanna be, has multiple streams coming from that. And then they're both actually working under the same mission and dream that I have, which is to help entrepreneurs build their own dream lives and empower them to do so.

So, for both of those streams for me, they're working towards the personal life that I've always wanted.

Joe Rando: Got it. But, you mentioned before we got, recording that you like spending time with your niece and nephew. I'll predict that if things go well for you in this venture, that's gonna be limited. there are gonna be some limits on that that you're probably not happy about. And a trade off that you do when you do a start up.

It's not not a bad thing. I'm just saying if you said, you know, my one of my big priorities is having time with my niece and nephew, you probably wouldn't do a tech start up.

Maddie Kelley: Oh, for sure. And, I mean, that goes back to the vision board thing that I was talking about earlier it's like, I know for this year that my priority is my career, and everything else, is underneath that. So, of course, and listen. Entrepreneurship is a journey. It's not perfect.

And as much as I love to sit here and say, you really have to be prioritizing yourself, like, I make mistakes, and I experience burnout just like everybody else, but it's how you are identifying it and how aware you are of it that helps you grow beyond it. Because, entrepreneurship is a hard journey. I always say this to people. It is not for everyone. It is not the easiest path that you can choose in life, and you have to be cool with that, and you have to roll with the punches and understand that it's an ebb and flow, and there will be times of great joy, and there will also be times of great stress.

But being in a position of, healthy mind, healthy body, healthy spirit will help you grow through those challenges and deal with them or just be better equipped to deal with them.

Joe Rando: And adjust. Totally. You know, you wake up one day, and I've done this, and go, this is not where I wanna be. This is not what I wanna be doing. And I have to say, what happens now?

And, fortunately, I've been able to navigate that and, have a pretty good time. But, anyway, I just think that, like I said, from the perspective of solopreneurs, it has to be a different calculus than if you're starting an entrepreneurial tech startup or an entrepreneurial anything because you've either deluding yourself that you're gonna become a millionaire with no employees, which happens, but so doesn't becoming a rock star or famous movie actor. So if you're doing solopreneurship, there should be some other reason why you're going solo, and you gotta make sure that those things are served by the business. So I'm a broken clock on that one. Carly will tell you.

Carly Ries: No. But for good reason. Well, Maddie, you were saying that, entrepreneurship is a journey. You're not perfect.

Nobody's perfect. Progress over perfection. Looking back, what's one thing you wish you would have known before you started this whole entrepreneurial journey, and how can it apply to solopreneurs specifically?

Maddie Kelley: Time. It takes time. I definitely thought that I was gonna be different and that I would be one of those Instagram stories where it's like, oh, I got, you know, a hundred thousand followers in one year or, because I think some part of social media deludes us into thinking that if we work really, really hard that we can, defy gravity. And what in my experience, that's not always the case, and it's typically not the case. Like, I've never met one person that this has happened to.

And so if I could go back and tell myself one thing, I think it would be, to focus instead on metrics, focus on the journey. Like, focus on enjoying the experience. That, I think, will keep you renewed through the hard times, and it will also fuel you to focus on, things that are exciting, and it will help keep your compass pointing in the right direction as opposed to being too focused on ego. Like, if I can ground this into context with the podcast for me, like, when I started the first year, I was unemployed. So I was like, okay.

Great. I can go all in on this experience, and I can just work, work, work to achieve the impossible. You know, I could have a hundred thousand subscribers. I could be paying my rent by next year. I had all these goals, and had written them all out, and I had made a business plan and had this whole idea of how it was gonna go.

And I was grinding, grinding, grinding. I was, not making any money. And as life was life ing, I was starting to find that I was enjoying the experience less and less, obviously, you know. And I had to make a call where do I go back and get a full nine to five to sustain me and to sustain the podcast, or do I keep, quote, unquote, grinding until I can get to where I said I was gonna get? And so I made the choice take a nine to five role, but the role that I chose was very specific because it did allow me the freedom and time to focus on what I wanna focus on.

But at the same time, I had to take a look back at those goals that I set and not necessarily feel totally like a failure or like I was so disappointed in myself and feel shame around the fact that I didn't reach those goals because frankly, one, they were unattainable. But also two, entrepreneurialism is a process and something that takes time. And even founders that I've talked to who, sell a product or service, like, for them, things take time. And that's one of the things that I like to focus on on the podcast is, let's be realistic about how long it actually took someone to start from the idea to get, anywhere near, not even a big break, but to get their first client. Like, how long did that take?

So then that way people understand exactly what goes into the journey, and then they can be a little bit more prepared because I was, like, full delusion.

Joe Rando: Maddie, I just wanna point out, you know, you didn't get a hundred thousand followers or subscribers, but your podcast I don't know how many episodes you have, like, 65 or something?

Maddie Kelley: Yeah. It's well, technically, 56.

Joe Rando: 56 And you're in the top 5% globally on podcast. That's nothing. I mean, that is impressive. you did a aim for the stars and got to the moon, I guess, but it's still pretty pretty good. but, yeah, making money off a podcast, that's the realm of being a rock star or movie star. Right? You get your Joe Rogans and a few others and everybody else. I mean, some of these really great high rated podcasts, you know, top 1%.

These people are, like, begging for Patreon donations because it's not happening.

Maddie Kelley: Yeah. And it's tough, well, it's also one of those moments in business where you go back to why are you in it. Are you in it because you wanna be rich? And if that's the case, you're in the wrong industry, and you should be doing something else because, you know, you'll find success much more easily in another space. But that wasn't why I went into this, and it's not why I continue to stay into it.

It's truly something that brings me so much joy, and I'm always learning something new. And it fulfills it goes back to my mission. Like, it fulfills this dream that I have of creating something to help other people. And that's why I stay in it regardless of whatever challenges come my way. And knowing that it's had a great impact on somebody, like, that's all I need to know.

Carly Ries: Absolutely. Well, Maddie, you do have a goal of helping entrepreneurs find success. So we have to ask you, we ask all of our guests, what is your favorite quote about success?

Maddie Kelley: There's this quote by Winston Churchill. It's success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. And I think that sums up entrepreneurialism perfectly and something that I am personally all about.

I think the beauty of this space is that we are a wonderful community of people who, put, emphasis on trying rather than quote, unquote success. Like, if you tried something and failed, that's almost held with greater esteem than not trying at all. And it's really the difference of courage and whether or not you are willing to take the chance and to just simply, give it a shot. And everyone else around you that's doing the exact same thing will be there to cheer you on and to help you answer questions and to talk you through what you think you could have done better or connect you with somebody that is gonna help you succeed next time. And that's, the best part about it for me.

Joe Rando: This sounds so familiar.

Carly Ries: So familiar. Where have I heard this?

Joe Rando: This is what we do at LifeStarr. the whole thing is helping solopreneurs.

Carly Ries: Well, Maddie, this has been great. Where can people find your podcast? Where can they find anything they need to learn more about you?

Maddie Kelley: The mimir is anywhere you get your podcast, Spotify, Apple, any of the other ones. If you guys want to learn more, check out the podcast episodes. You can also head to my website, mimir.ink. That will have links to all the episodes and also my socials.

Joe Rando: M I m I r?

Maddie Kelley: Yes.

Joe Rando: Mimir.ink.

Maddie Kelley: Yes. I could tell you the whole story about the name, but that's a whole other thing. Well You can learn on my website.

Carly Ries: Perfect. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show today. I feel like reminding people that they need that balance and that holistic approach is key to success. So thanks again.

Maddie Kelley: Thank you guys for the opportunity. It was a blast.

Carly Ries: And listeners, you know the drill. We would love it if you would leave that five star review. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, including YouTube, and we will see you next time on the Aspiring Solopreneur. You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes, running a one person business and figuring it out as they go.

So why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures? At LifeStarr, we're creating a one person business community where you can go to meet and get advice from other solopreneurs. Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com.