S8E10 - Embracing Transformation: Simona Costantini on Rebranding, Authenticity, and Personal Growth!! #ShitHappens

Ever wondered how to truly transform your life and business? Discover the inspiring journey of Simona Costantini, the powerhouse behind Volt Production, as she shares her personal and professional evolution. 

Simona’s story highlights how crucial it is to embrace change, even when it means tearing down old structures to build something new and vibrant. Through her experiences, we uncover the importance of evolving both personally and professionally to achieve long-term success and fulfillment.

Simona’s rebranding journey from Costantini Productions to Volt Productions isn't just about a name change—it's about embodying a mission full of energy and creativity. She reflects on the power of rebranding and the necessity of transformation in staying true to one's evolving self. 

We discuss the enriching role of travel and new experiences, and how stepping out of comfort zones is vital in seeking personal growth and happiness. The conversation underscores embracing authenticity and self-awareness to live a life true to oneself.

Balancing societal expectations with personal well-being can be a formidable challenge, but Simona provides valuable insights on setting boundaries and prioritizing mental health. From discussing the joy of simple pleasures like cooking and maintaining a clean home to the complexities of dealing with societal norms during holidays and special occasions, we dive into the importance of living authentically. 

Tune in to learn how to navigate social expectations, prioritize your own happiness, and transform your life just as Simona did.

Connect with Simona

https://www.simonacostantini.com/instagram?

https://www.voltproductions.co/instagram?

Transcript

Transforming Yourself for Business Success

Speaker 1 0:00

On the flip side of that, we hear all of these things from different people, and the people that are giving us that advice, they're just giving it to us from their own lived experience, and so it's up to us to figure out and to be discerning of like is that a right fit for me? Like, does that actually make sense for me or not? You know, like, is that how I want to live my life or not? And shit happens, shit happens. Shit happens to you and me.

Speaker 2 0:29

It doesn't matter if you're a wizard, a king or a queen, Even if you are magic, you've got to agree it's worth it to talk shit out, no matter how messy.

Speaker 3 0:42

Welcome to Shit Happens, where shit always happens, and no shit is too insignificant to discuss. From trivial inconveniences to life's profound challenges and everything in between, this show explores every aspect of the unpredictable nature of existence with your favorite shit talker and host P yeah, it's P.

Speaker 2 1:12

Hello, hello, hello, welcome to. Shit Happens, where shit always happens, and my guest just came and I'm so happy to be hanging out with this special human being because I've missed her. I haven't been around her presence in a minute and it's always good vibes when I'm with her. She has been on a talk show with me and now we're going to talk about something that most of us need to do, but we're just not sure how to do it. But, with no further ado, let me bring on the one and only Hi, girl. Hey, welcome to Shit.

Speaker 1 1:51

Happens. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 4 1:55

How are you doing? I miss that voice of yours. Oh my God.

Speaker 1 1:59

I don't know where you've been, but there's that, I'm just saying.

Speaker 4 2:10

I've been around, you know. I've been around in the streets, the street, the streets needed me, but you know what girl?

Speaker 1 2:15

it's okay, we need you too, though, so if you could come back to me, thank you.

Speaker 4 2:21

I got you. I got you, have, I got you. How have you been Miss Traveler?

Speaker 1 2:24

because where are?

Speaker 4 2:25

you right now. Actually, I'm actually home. I see the painting. I remember I made a comment about the painting of your studio, so I'm like, okay, you're home now. Do you like my painting?

Speaker 1 2:36

I love it it fits you, it does you know what it does? It pulls in the branding. But no, I'm good, I just did a podcast interview. It does. You know what it does. It pulls in the branding, you know it does. But no, I'm good, I just did a podcast interview, so that was fun. That was super fun.

Speaker 4 2:52

Nice, were you a podcast or were you a guest? No, I was a guest, nice, you're just guesting today. Who's podcasting this?

Speaker 1 3:02

Literally, I'm like a guest over here, a guest over here, interview over here, interview over there. So, yeah, no, it's been a really fun day.

Speaker 4 3:06

It's been a really fun day you want to give the shout out to the interview you just did. Yes, yes.

Speaker 1 3:21

Yes, I would absolutely love to. It was a really fun podcast episode. He's done like 25 different interviews. I think he said he's released like seven of them so far. But the show is called Business Amplified.

Speaker 2 3:34

Ah, I love it.

Speaker 1 3:35

So definitely check that out.

Speaker 4 3:37

Nice and I can see why they would want you as a guest. Because, boss, woman, you're killing it and that's what we're gonna dive into. Because I feel like transforming yourself or your brand or your business is very important in the growth of yourself. But, um, there's something about that word transforming, like why the fuck do I need to transform myself? Like I'm perfect, like I don't need no transforming. What do you mean? Like there's that fear when people hear that word transforming. Like you know so, but you recently have been doing a lot of transforming in your personal life and in your business work. Like you just revamped your entire. We went from Simona Constantini production to Volt production and a lot of other transforming in your personal. So let's talk about why it's important to transform yourself for your business and dive into that.

Embracing Growth and Self-Discovery

Speaker 1 4:41

I love that case. So I think that we are constantly growing, we're always expanding, we're always tapping into something new and I think that you know, the more I for myself, like, the more that I learn about myself, the more that I become more me, and so, like it might look like transformation on the outside, but like for me it just feels like the next right step, you know, but you know, it's so funny though. I literally took a look at my life last year and apparently I was like burn it all down, like burn it down and restart again, and I was like, okay, let's try again. And you know, it was just a full like I just it was just like a full extension of who I am, you know, and why we transform.

Speaker 1 5:25

I think, honestly, we develop like a little bit of awareness, and then that a bit of awareness turns into self-awareness, and then I think that self-awareness turns into different ways of doing things Right. And then when you, it's like, it's an idea, like when you, when you know better, you do better Right. So why are we going to constantly stay the same all the time when there's a more aligned version of us, or a happier version of us, or a more empowered version of us. Right, why stay the same? I think if we stay the same too much, it's a fear-based tactic to not stepping into our full purpose and potential.

Speaker 4 6:14

That's not true. Like um, I, I, I, I live when everything is said cause I'm all about growth, right, and I tell people it's funny that the reason why I keep podcasting and having these conversations is because from these conversations I personally get to grow and realize the person I am. Because after having that conversation I start questioning myself like, am I really doing this because I love it, or am I doing this because the norm told me? Do I really want to be here? Like, oh my God, I can actually be this person, and sometimes we don't know that that's the person we want to be.

Speaker 4 6:46

Until we are in that space or having those conversations and you realize, like yo, I want to be more of that and less of this, right, and it's funny, you also say, when you look back to your life last year, it's like you were burning it down. So last year my life was being burnt down, not by me, but this year I'm burning down my own life and for a specific purpose of life. I need to make all these crazy changes and I want I call it the year of possibilities I want all these possibilities but I'm not going to get them if I'm just stuck in that space that I'm comfortable, that place where I think I'm supposed to be, and literally like I have a one-way ticket next week going somewhere new and I don't know when I'm coming back.

Speaker 4 7:35

I don't know what my plan is, I'll tell you offline, because I'm trying to surprise a few people, so I don't want people knowing I'm going to be gone. It might be two weeks, it might be. I'm trying to surprise a few people, so I don't want people knowing that I'm going to be gone. It might be two weeks, it might be three weeks, who knows. But I'm like, but I've been here, right and shit ain't working. So maybe I need to go there and see what opportunity there is, because what do I have to lose, right?

Speaker 1 8:02

Well, I feel the exact same way and, like you know, everyone always laughs Cause like I'm always like traveling around somewhere or doing something or whatever, but like my soul wants to go, like I want to go and experience new things, like I really value the ability that we have as human beings to literally go anywhere we want, whenever we want to. I think a lot. You know, I've been doing a lot of this, like back and forth in my mind of, like what do we live our life? In the way that we live it, because that's the way we want to live it, or is that what somebody else has told us about ourselves and who and how we should be and how we should live? And you know we should always live close by to family, you know, because it's it's, you know that's the only way.

Speaker 1 8:44

And like community is important. Like, of course, community is important, but, like you know, do we stop doing the things that we want to do or going to places we want to go because it's more comfortable for somebody else? Right, like, at what point do we owe it to our own selves to step outside of that box and actually do what we want to do for ourselves? So, like I travel a lot because I want to. You know, like that's my soul's journey, though, like that's the growth that in the path that I want to take. And you know, I heard this quote the other day and it said something like you know, you want it so badly in your life because there's a version of you that already has it. And I loved that because that makes everything accessible to us in our lives, no matter what it is we want always.

Speaker 4 9:29

So true, and I envy how you travel. Like I am big on travel, right, I have traveled internationally, I've moved countries, I've lived in places, but right now I'm stuck because of American government and shit that I have to deal with, so I can't travel as much, uh, internationally. But also I'm limited in America because funds right, financial but when I see people who have that accessibility and they're still not doing it, it's like I want to like bang their heads, like what the hell are you doing? Because if I had that, I would not even be in the same place. I'll just be hopping and hopping and hopping.

Speaker 4 10:08

And the thing is you talked about the norms that we have, right, and me also coming from Tanzania, where we are taught like, as a girl, you should learn to be in the kitchen and cook, right, and then you go to college, you're supposed to come back home, get a job, even if you don't get a job. But the most important is get a man, get married right, and then have kids and then be miserable in that marriage until you die, like that's the norm. So when you're like, no, I'm gonna be.

Speaker 4 10:38

Yeah, I'm gonna be 35, I'm gonna be 35 and people look at me with this pity oh my God, you've never been married, you don't have kids, you're going to be 35. And I'm like, okay, but you do know that people have gotten married and have gotten divorced, right? Like that does not determine your success, right? You know people have had kids with people and ended up being single parents because the other parent decided I no longer want to be a parent, like like there's a return policy and and just check that, all right.

Speaker 4 11:10

And you know there are people who are in that corporate job that you think that having a corporate job is what being successful means, but they're dying and they're killing themselves because of depression, because they think if I don't have this, my identity is lost or I'm not successful. And you're here telling me because I am happy with myself and I'm finding the life that I want, just because it doesn't look the norm that we are taught to means I'm not successful. So those things and, by the way, I've been engaged four times. It was by my choice not to walk down the aisle. I could have had four, four divorces right now.

Speaker 1 11:49

Okay one is enough.

Speaker 4 11:53

Okay, one is enough but there's also that the fear of people getting divorced. Like a lot of people um, I don't know in america or canada, but in tanzania people stick out on marriages because of that fear of, oh, you are divorced, you look like you have this disease because you are divorced, like you have failed. No, actually it takes a lot of strength to walk away from everything you have known, because if you have been married for 20 plus years or 15, like there's so much that goes into that, even a relationship that's just two years, you put so much of yourself and energy and all that. So to walk away from that and everything that it had because that was your comfort zone, right, at least you're like you know what. It's going to be mad at me, we're going to shout at each other, but after two days we're going to be happy again. So I will take that. But walking away from that and deciding to rebuild or revamp your life, that takes a lot of strength and actually staying there, Exactly.

Liberating Yourself From Societal Norms

Speaker 1 12:56

Exactly, exactly, one thousand percent. And I think that we live in this like world that you know. I mean it depends on, like your culture and stuff like that too, cause I mean I come from like an Italian culture where it's like, you know, you get married and you stay married because that's the thing that you do. But I remember telling, I remember telling my ex-husband when we first started dating. I said to him if you're looking for a woman who's going to cook and clean for you for the rest of your life, you've picked the wrong girl. Like I am not it, I'm not that person and I'm. It doesn't mean let me caveat, it doesn't mean that I don't value having a clean house or that I don't cook or whatever I. What I meant more was that I'm not the person who's gonna do all of the household things, because that's the role that the woman was, you know, traditionally has. Like that's just not me, that's not who I am. But I really value those things in my life, like I love when my house is clean, I love making food for myself, I love cooking. But it's more of like that expectation piece of like yeah, like don't expect, like no, thank you. But I think, too, that, like, we have a like, we have a narrative that things have to look a certain way, and if you get a divorce, you're, it's bad, and or if you, you know, do something that's outside of the box, that is against the traditional norm, it makes it wrong or this or that. And the funny thing is, though, is people have really strong opinions about this kind of stuff, of course, but also, I think that it's up to it's up to you to live your life how you want to, like you don't have to live your life inside the coloring book lines, like you can color outside of that, and that's something that I've been talking about a lot lately, on different podcast interviews that I've done especially.

Speaker 1 14:44

It's this idea and this notion of like I can literally live outside of the lines because I can, and we forget that we have a choice in life, even though you know, but I have to go to my job, or I have to do this, or I have kids, or I have this, I have, yes, you might have all of those things, and, also, it doesn't mean that you can't do something for yourself on an evening or a weekend when you don't take the time for you.

Speaker 1 15:08

That's a choice that you're making to to not fill your own cup up, and it doesn't mean take every single hour that you have free after you come home from work and ignore your children and your partner and only do stuff for you. But like it's you, I don't think any human should ever feel bad for taking 10, 20 minutes to read a book. Or, you know, go for a walk around the block if that's what they want to do. Or, you know, sit in the bath for an hour if that's what you need. Like, at what point did society become to this point of like? You know we have to, we have to do things in a certain way or we can't take care of ourselves. Like we are the most important people that we have, but we should be taking care of ourselves the most, because if you don't take care of you, you can't take care of anything else around you.

Speaker 4 15:56

So true, and it's funny you say that, because I really hate when women who are mothers keep introducing themselves like I'm just a mother, like, no, being a mother is a lot more and being a mother is not your entire world. I feel like most women feel like, once they have kids, like children, like that's my life, that's my entire life. And then they even feel guilty about going on a girl's trip or on a night out. Like, oh, I have to ask my husband. I'm like, no, he's not a babysitter, he can take care of the kids. That's his kid.

Speaker 4 16:40

Like he gets to go to the bar every night with his boys for a beer or two, unapologetically, without feeling sad or sorry. He gets to go on his business trips or whatever. Why do you have to feel so? Because this is the norm we were taught. Like, oh, women, we already have to deal with the nine months of carrying the baby. Like, come on, man, like the man should be doing 80% of taking care of the child, since we do the whole process of bringing them into this world healthy. So I like that you say that and I am very grateful. Right, I was a loud child and I despised the norms from a young kid and I despise the norms from a young age, like I told my dad from the get-go, like you'll never get to walk me down the aisle. And it was fucked up because our favorite movie was Father of the Bride and we were watching it and I was like I'm so sorry you'll never get to do this Like cause.

Speaker 4 17:40

From a young age I knew I didn't want marriage. Lately I'm kind of you know in between, seeing, like you know, if the right person comes and it's the right time and it feels right, why not? But it's never been that thing. Oh, I need to be married at this age. Oh, I need to, you know, because I saw so many girls who would, even when that age is approaching. Oh, my god, I'm not married. I'm like, but can you see all these other things you're doing? Like, why does marriage have to be the cherry on the top.

Speaker 1 18:08

It's this like dream I think, that we're sold to, especially through, like you know, disney movies and princess movies and like all this stuff, and like there's nothing wrong with that. But like I never envisioned, you know, I was never the little girl that was like, oh, you know, plan my wedding, wedding dress, like all this stuff. I never had the wedding book I never had the wedding book.

Speaker 4 18:31

Maybe, Simona, we should we should hang out together and do our wedding book for ourselves, for the business for the business.

Speaker 1 18:38

No, I'm just kidding, I'm married to the business. No, I'm just kidding, I'm just joking. But what I was going to say, though, is, on the flip side of that, even though that's not how I like live my life, or anything, it doesn't make it bad for somebody else to do it. You know what I mean. I'm not a mother, I don't have kids. I don't know exactly what it feels like to, you know feel guilty about, like, leaving them on a weekend, or you know feeling like you can't take care of yourself, like I don't know what any of that feels like, so it's hard for me to like speak to it, but what I do know is that, aside from anything else, that we are, even my own self like, aside from being a business owner inside, aside from all of the other things that I do, I am a human being, and that human being needs to be taken care of, and I have fundamental needs on a soul level that need to be taken care of. So if I don't take care of me, I can't take care of any of the other things.

Speaker 1 19:30

So you can put any of the other things can be anything. It can be children, it can be a spouse, it can be a business, it can be a job, it could be dog sitting, it can be being a dog mom, like I am, um, you know it could be any of those things. But without without you at the center and like without you prioritizing your own self, it's really hard to, um, I don't know Like it's. I just think it's really hard to to feel fulfilled and like accomplished in what? In what you do, like if you just let yourself like not fill your own cup up. Do you know what?

Speaker 4 20:08

I mean, and I think also one of the reason is most of us are fearful of unlearning the shit we know, yeah, yeah, but it's funny that we at this age this age we are, most of us are fearful of doing that. But my parents age like now most of my parents or my uncles are unlearning the shit, the shit that they installed in us where we ran with it. And now they're the ones coming like, yeah, you can do that, yeah, I want to run this and you're like but if they are willing to unlearn, we should also be there. Like, okay, if I got that from them and now they're unlearning this shit, that means I should allow myself to unlearn and grow and see, because sometimes most of us have that potential of being the version of ourselves that we never even expected that we could be.

Speaker 4 21:03

But because of these norms and because of the society and all the things that our mind is telling us, we feel like, no, it could never be me, I could never do that, and that's just. I hate seeing that, especially on women. Like it really pains me because I'm here looking and I'm like yo, but I literally see the potential, like I know you can fucking do it and and it's just like, it's just really no, but it's true, it's so true, and like I think that what, that's one of the things that like, okay, okay, I hear about this a lot.

Speaker 1 21:38

Okay, I hear, oh my God, like I can't believe, you know. You know, one thing that I hear a lot is you know, I'm so proud of you for, for choosing the things that make you happy, like I'm so proud of you for choosing, like, a life that makes you, you know, that feels most aligned to you, and all of that. And in my mind, I'm like I would rather live a life that feels most aligned to me than ever feel like I'm a shell of who I am. You know what I mean. And like you know, I think that you're like, you're spot on when you're saying this stuff and like the norms and these narratives and stuff like that. But on the flip side of that, we hear all of these things from different people, and the people that are giving us that advice, they're just giving it to us from their own lived experience, and so it's up to us to to figure out and to be discerning of, like, is that a right fit for me? Like, does that actually make sense for me or not? You know, like is that how I want to live my life? Or or not, and I don't know. Like I just I don't know.

Speaker 1 22:38

I think that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to to, to, yeah, like to do stuff in like a certain way or be a certain way, and it can be hard, especially when people don't necessarily agree with your choices. To like, you know people will question the things that you do and, you know, be like oh my God, is this person going to be okay? Like, why is she doing that? She's blown up her whole life. Like, is everything going to be okay? And it's like it's hard to explain to people that you know, yeah, everything is totally fine.

Speaker 1 23:03

Like you know, I'm actually really happy and I feel really good about it, cause if it's not normal to somebody else, it's like wait, what do you mean? Like, why would you? Why would you go into that? But then I think about it and I'm like the happiest and most aligned version of myself that I've ever been in my life, you know, and it makes me sad that a lot of people don't ever get to feel like that, even though they have a lot of joy and stuff in their life. Like, are you living your life in the most authentic way for you Like? Are you living your life on purpose, essentially?

Speaker 4 23:35

I remember one time, a long time ago, I read this saying which said are you living or surviving? And at that time I was really surviving, I wasn't living. And that's when I was like, literally I am. I'm like just on this loop of I wake up, I do what I'm supposed to do, I come back, I sleep the next day over and over and in the year, at the end of the year, I'm like, oh, next is going to be better, next time I'm going to do better, next time I'm going to. But then it's the same and I was like I am tired of surviving, right, because life, the world, is going to be miserable regardless. There's so much shit that's going to happen in the world. I rather be happy with the life I am while dealing with the shit that the world is giving me, compared to live this life that I'm surviving and have to deal with the crap the world is giving me exactly but it's all seasons too right, like everything happened, like there are some seasons where you're like I just got to exist right now.

Speaker 1 24:38

I just got to exist Like you have to. You know what I mean. That was last year for me.

Speaker 4 24:42

The end of last year I was just existing, like I was just surviving. I was just like when I tell you that end of last year really beat me this way this year I was like I know I'm still going have more fighting seasons than tough season, cause the end of last year really bad to the extent. I was like you know what, if I'm going to sleep the whole week, fuck it, that's what I need If I, if I don't. I did not want to go to any Christmas event, be with around family. I did not want to do Thanksgiving Cause I did not want to pretend I'm happy or have the small talk and people talking about what's going on with your life and you're like. You're like just leave me alone. Like I wanted the phone but I was like is?

Speaker 1 25:29

there like can you make it go and I'll just pick it up on the outside, like on this on the curb.

Speaker 4 25:33

Thank you so much, and I did that and I, I told everybody bring me a plate to go, and none of them brought, apart from my mom on Thanksgiving. But none of the people brought me plates and I felt like that was a fuck you for not being there, which I kind of get, but to me it was like the food. Yes, I was missing it, but was it worth putting myself in a position where I knew I was just going to be like I want to be in my bed right now? I don't want to be around people. I don't want to hear the noises of people, I don't want to hear how good some people are doing. Because I am not there and and I'm a person who wants to celebrate my friends when they're doing good, because you need but if I'm not in that position, I'm gonna down you and you're gonna feel like, oh, she's not happy for me or she's not celebrating, and I don't want to give you that in your moment of shining. So I rather just not be around. But you know what's interesting?

Speaker 1 26:24

too, though, is like my I totally agree with you and like. Another thing that's really interesting, though, too, is like other people's expectations. It's like, but it's Christmas, like you have to come, and it's like, no, but like I actually don't, you know exactly, don't and it takes away your own power of being able to make your own decisions, right like maybe there's a reason why I don't want to be there.

Speaker 1 26:42

Maybe there's a reason why I don't want to come. I even think about, like you know, easter coming up and I have so much stuff going on, like so much chaos and, like you know, I come from a family like my parents are separated and all that. So there's like 95 events for every single holiday, which is amazing. Like I love to see my family but, like you know, even just thinking of that, that's, like you know, back to back to back of all these different events and, like I like to, I I dog sit on the side right and so I'm thinking to myself.

Speaker 1 27:06

I'm like I know that I have dogs here that weekend, like how am I going to logistically do it? And I'm like, okay, sometimes I'm just like you know, I just wish that like I could make that decision just to be like you know what. I can't do that this year, but like, thank you for inviting me without getting like backlash. But then it's always like, it's always like you know, oh, but like you should, and like you should this and you should that. And it's like then you start living your life and should and like, of course you want to be there, but like I wish that I could make a choice and not feel guilty about that choice, and that's something that I'm working on.

Speaker 1 27:44

And I've been working on that for like a while and like trying not to feel guilty for you know, for me and say no, and like you know putting up a boundary because if you put up a boundary and somebody isn't used to you putting up a boundary, it's like you know Simona, acting brand new now, yeah, like who is he? Stop that? Like we don't like you, like that, we're not used to you, like that, go back to the way that you were. And I'm like no, but me, happiest version of me. And it's like you know some people just can't understand that. And so for me, as someone like you know I've always been a people pleaser my whole life. And so now it's like you know some people just can't understand that. And so for me, as someone like you know I've always been a people pleaser my whole life. And so now it's like you know I'm I, I want to make everybody happy, but like I want to make me happy more. That's so true.

Finding Independence and Self-Acceptance

Speaker 4 28:29

And I feel that and also I mean, let's do the same. This thing about when you say, oh, but it's Christmas, that's exactly what I got, they're like, but it's christmas, that's exactly what I got, they're like, but it's christmas, you should be around people. That's why I'm even and this person literally told me I was feeling the same and that's why I decided to throw this party, because I want to be around people and that's fine. Some people when they're sad. I have sometimes when I'm sad and I'm like yo, if I continue being here, I'm gonna keep on being sad.

Speaker 4 28:54

I need to be around people and there's sometimes where you don't want to be around people. You just want to be sad in your own sad ways and deal with your own sad way. When I'm sad, I just want to be in bed, order my Uber Eats and watch my favorite TV shows binge watch them and just be in my own zone and maybe have fun on TikTok and watch this funny show, whatever memes. So it was like that guilt they're giving you like and then literally also tagging you on pictures and videos like you should have been here and see what you're missing. And I'm looking and I'm like I don't want to be rude by my head. I'm like no, I really ain't missing you, Like cause that's not where I am right now, but thank you for thinking that I would be missing that. I'll see you on the next one.

Speaker 1 29:41

I'll see you next. No, but it's actually true, though, and yeah, there's like this whole idea around, like you know, and I mean I have to say that I have to say that I come from an amazing family, like my family, like they're amazing people, and it's still like sometimes I just want to know. I just want to be in my house. I travel so much that I just like I want to be in my house, I want to be with my dog, I want to be cuddled up on the couch, I want to drink my tea, I want to have my glass of wine and I want to put on my show and I want to watch a movie and I want to do nothing. I want to read a book, I want to go for a walk.

Speaker 1 30:11

Like you know, I want to like doing right now, in this moment, like what do I want to do right now? Do I feel like going for a walk? Do I feel like doing nothing? Do I feel like working, do I not? You know, what do I want to do? And like how does that add in? Like support the best version of you that you become so?

Speaker 4 30:31

true and for me, as I feel like you know you know I've always been the life of the party people love having me around, so I don't blame them. Like I mean, my energy is desirable, so it's not. It's not their fault for them wanting me. But then I also went from this phase where I used to really love being around people. I used to host dinner, like every Friday night. I would cook and my friends would just bring drinks and would be chilling and drinking and eating every summer.

Speaker 1 30:59

I would get lost in the mail.

Speaker 4 31:01

I think I got lost yeah, you know it came to canada while you were in, I don't know, somewhere in america because we can't keep up. So you know it's probably piled up with all your mail that you haven't opened up yet. I used to throw pool parties. Like almost every month in the summer I would throw two, three parties, like I really loved bringing people together. I would do game nights, I would do slumber parties, I would do literally one time I made my friends buy onsies and do like a girl's onsies with wine and then I went from that to being like I don't want to be around people, like literally where I started loving being by myself and enjoying my company and I'm like I actually like chilling by myself and in my new place before it had a fire, I created my balcony in this cute cozy area where I would just sit outside and I had a nice view, listen to my country music and dance by myself in my underwear on my balcony and that just made me happy, like those little things. So when you tell me to get myself out of that comfort zone where I'm enjoying my own company, to come and just be in loud, annoying places, that my vibe is not there, it's really you like no, I'm having too much fun by myself. But there's something I want to ask.

Speaker 4 32:27

Right, you shared about you have a big family, an amazing family, and also like divorce in your family is not really acceptable. But then you also have parents who are separated. So how was your divorce process like when you were telling your friends and your family like, how did that go? How did it take the support?

Speaker 4 32:52

Because I think most people when they're also thinking about getting divorced, they worry a lot about that right, like in Africa, the parents would be like do you know, especially the moms in Tanzania. They'd be like do you know how much shit I had to go through with your father and I still stick that out. You gotta stick it out, you gotta do this. And then your friends are like but he's a nice man, at least he takes care of this. You might not find another nice man. Like all those shit where people are seeing because they know stuff from the outside, like we can all present ourselves how we want to present from the outside, but you don't know what actually goes on in the inside and the things that we actually deal with day to day.

Speaker 1 33:29

That made me want to make this decision exactly, exactly, and I'm, I, I am pretty mindful of like what I say, especially right now when it comes to all of that. But and I'm so I'm not going to name like anyone in specific, but um, but it was a lot of surprise. Like everyone was like what, like why? Because I'm not someone who airs out all my dirty laundry, like I'm not someone who, you know, shares all of the like, the specifics and outs. Yeah, no, I, I didn't Um, and there was a lot of like, there was just a lot of of that. So there was like a lot of like shock and confusion and all that.

Speaker 1 34:07

And I had just gotten married, you know, a couple of years prior. So it was like wait, what Like did you just get married? And so there wasn't a lot of understanding, there wasn't a lot of support. Actually, like I had specific friends that were very supportive and a lot of um and some family that was supportive, but for the most part, it was constantly, constantly having to justify my decisions and why, and constantly trying to seek validation from people, just so that people would understand me. And then eventually it was honestly, it was like, maybe, like a couple of months ago, I was like you know what I was like? I'm done trying to get other people's validation. Like I don't give a, like I really don't give a fuck anymore.

Speaker 1 34:46

And that's your word for the year Fuck off. That's my word for the year. It's literally as fuck off and it's like if it doesn't serve my. That for me is a really empowering, empowering place to be in, because I don't want to live my life for other people anymore, like I want to live my life for me and you know, I will say, like my ex-husband, he's an amazing human being, he's a great guy. I have nothing bad to say about him.

Speaker 1 35:11

Life goes in different paths and that's also hard for people to understand. Like that was hard for people to understand, um, especially when you don't, when you, when you aren't privy to like the intricacies and like the things behind closed doors, it's really hard for people to understand. But I'm also not someone who's going to take that and blast that, because that's not for that's not for me to do. You know, and if I think, I think like a supportive, like friend or family member, is going to support you regardless of what your choice is, even if they think that you're making the wrong decision, because at the end of the day, you have to. You have to know that people are always making the best decisions that they feel is the best decision for them, you know, and so that was that's it's been. It's been really challenging and it's been a lot of like you know, but like, do you see from my point of view? Do you see why? Like, do you see from my point?

Speaker 2 35:57

of view. Do you see why Like? Do you? Do you understand?

Speaker 1 35:58

why it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter. But there's some people that just you know, I don't know.

Speaker 1 36:06

I just feel like I'm kind of done justifying my life to other people to begin with and I'm going to do what I want to do, but like I've never been like that, so that for me is like a whole new thing of like wait, hold on. What do you mean? You're going to go and move to wherever you're going to move, or you're going to go and live wherever you're going to live, and you know you're going to make your own decisions, independent of other people's advice, like people aren't used to. I'm not used to that. You know what I mean.

Speaker 4 36:28

I'm not even surprising yourself, and I like that, like, who is she?

Speaker 4 36:32

Look at this girl. I like when this, when you change your life and you end up also surprising yourself, it really means that you are on the right path, because if you're not surprising yourself as well, um then are you really doing something right? Because I feel like the element of surprising yourself. And one thing I I come from a divorced family and I've seen divorce a lot and and that's why I I when people come to me and tell me they're getting divorced, I don't even ask why or anything. I I ask are you okay? Whose decision was it? Do you want to talk about it? I say congratulations.

Speaker 1 37:06

I say congratulations because even if it's something that you don't want, it is happening for your highest and best good, always, always, always. It's not always sad. There's so many misconceptions. Yes, it is sad in a lot of ways, but it's not always like the amount of devastating, and it can be both.

Speaker 4 37:23

It can be sad in a happy moment. Exactly be both like yes, I'm sad because this chapter of my life is closing, but I held so much dear and loved it so much, but I'm also happy of what has, what's coming for me, what's in store for me.

Speaker 1 37:37

Yeah, and I think that's what people understand that yeah, people don't understand.

Speaker 4 37:43

Yeah, people don't understand that because people assume when people are getting divorced it always has to be ugly or somebody cheated or somebody did this. But you know there's divorce because we have literally outgrown each other. We have different paths in our journey. We want to go different routes, like there's so many ways. And you say people were surprised because you had just recently got married, but are they forgetting the fact that you were also together for like a little bit longer before the marriage? It wasn't like you had just gotten together, then got married and then here it is, but you were together for a long time and the person who you are when you got together, the person who you are when you go together, the person who you constantly become and the person who you want you will get in mind, and the person who you are now are all different people, exactly, and you have to navigate that. And and also of yourself right, exactly, and people don't need to know the details of your, of your fucking divorce to to understand why you're doing it like you don't get to, you don't get to even have insights or anything. You should actually be even happy that you have the privilege of me telling you that this is happening right, like that's a privilege. But all you're supposed to do is be there for me, whatever insights you have.

Speaker 4 38:57

You are not there in our bedroom. You are not there in our bedroom. You are not there behind those doors. You are there when we are we, when we are together in events. You are there when it's all the good, the stories and the pictures and everything. You're not there otherwise. So you don't know and you don't need to know. I don't need to tell you why. I don't need to. I don't owe, owe you anything.

Living Authentically and Without Regrets

Speaker 1 39:19

Exactly, exactly, exactly. I think that that is like perfect advice for a divorce life, but also perfect advice in general, like anytime you're going to make a decision, like, of course, like you know, the people in your life that love you the most only want the best for you most of the time, right, most of the time but their're a version of the best of you.

Speaker 4 39:38

That's the thing.

Speaker 1 39:40

Yes, and that is so important to remember. And I feel like everything you just said can be applied to every single scenario. Like you don't need to understand why I make this business decision. You don't need to understand why I want to travel 900 times in a year. You don't get to understand. Or you know whatever.

Speaker 1 39:56

It doesn't matter Because at or or you know whatever, it doesn't matter because, at the end of the day, one thing that I think all the time to myself is we are literally on a spinning globe in the middle of nowhere. Why does it all matter? Like, just live, just live, just live in the way that you want to. And of course there's rules, of course there's things that you know, conditions. Like you were saying you can't travel as much as you want to because of the government. Like, yeah, absolutely, because if you probably break those rules, then see you later. You know what I mean. And you can't do that.

Speaker 1 40:25

Like, yes, so like there's things that you need to follow, but you know doing something that feels aligned to you and that lights your soul up why not? We have such limited time here and maybe that's why I'm successful in the things that I do. I don't know At the end of the day, while things are sad and while there's a lot of all these different things, there's also so much power in just knowing that you can literally create anything that you want If you want to go. One of my big dreams in life is to go and buy a villa property on the coast of Italy. That's something that I know one day I'll have not right now, but I know one.

Speaker 4 41:10

Listen, why not? I will come there and house sit for you when you're traveling the world and I'll be your in-house you can come, you can come and you can come and stay in my italy villa anytime, you.

Speaker 1 41:25

But here's the thing, like we put conditions and caps on the life that we can create, but it's because of the things that people tell us we can or cannot do. But, like again, is that thing true for you? Can you do something? Like, where does that come from within you? You can do whatever you want, you can create whatever you want, but like I also will say to like making sure that you're doing it from an empowered way, like my top three.

Speaker 1 41:53

I worked with our friend, our friend, johnny, okay, and he helped me go deep into life values and stuff like that. And my own core values and my top three are kindness, care and connection. If it doesn't have kindness and connection, I don't want it in my life, I don't need it in my life and it doesn't serve me. So see you later. That's life, that's personal, that's business, that's family, that's friends, like it doesn't matter. Those are the way, that's the way in which the lens that I look through my life, and so it's not. I'm not sitting here saying like go and do all of the bad things because that's your impulse reaction and like you really want to do that, like no, you be a good person. You know what I mean. Be a good person and also live your life for you, because you don't owe it to anyone but you to live that exact life that you want to. And I love that 90 day when their version of the best you yeah exactly.

Speaker 4 42:46

And that's what I do whenever somebody tells me you can't do that, I'm like, nah, you can't do that, but I most definitely can and I'm fucking going to. So don't put your, your insecurities, your whatever on me. I'm gonna do whatever and if I fail, it's not failing like at least I went for it. Maybe I learned something from it and I'm going to implement that on the next shit. I'm going to do that. You're going to tell me I can't do that, because I'm going to do it.

Speaker 1 43:13

Because it makes me happy. All that matters at the end of the day is when you get to. Like you know people say this all the time, it can be a little cliche, but like you can say, yes, like I live my life in the way that I want to, I really don't, I don't regret a whole lot when I look back, I really don't regret I don't. Honestly, I don't regret anything. I don't regret getting married. I don't regret the years that I spent in that relationship. I don't regret the memories we have together. I don't regret the life that we built together. I don't regret getting a dog together. I don't regret any place or destination we've traveled to. I don't regret any hardship that I've ever had in my life that's brought me to where I am. Like I do not, I am at peace. Like I am at peace, I'm not like I'm not ready to to. You know I'm not ready to die because I feel like I've got a lot more left. Yeah, me too, right, but like you know, I don't.

Speaker 1 44:02

I don't ever think that I will be at the end of my life and say I really regretted, like that life decision because, honestly, it's all building blocks, it's the next evolution in your spiritual and your life journey. Right, and we? We are exactly where we are meant to be and we're also exactly where we choose to be at every single moment. Right, we choose our life, we choose our reality, whether we think that we're choosing or not. If you're in a job that you absolutely hate and you go to work every day and you're pissed off and you're this and you're that, and you hate your drive and you hate your commute while, yes, it brings you a lot of safety, nothing is stopping you from trying something new. Nothing other than the false illusion of you know, but I have kids, or I can't do this, or I can't do, but you know what? Don't you think your kids want to see you the happiest and most fulfilled version of you?

Speaker 4 44:48

And how are they going to learn to, to, to, to do, to do what they desire, if they're not watching? You do it and I like that, you, you. You say no regrets, cause I am the same way, and even even sometimes when I sit and I'm like I regret that and then I look at it like I don't regret any relationship I've had, I don't regret any moves I've made, because they brought me, they taught me, they grounded me, they grew me, they gave me lessons. They like you know I've learned shit. I have even been in those for me.

Speaker 4 45:22

Like damn, paula, can't believe you actually fucking did that and thought you're gonna get out of it. But it's just like at that moment I did it and it was fun. So when I look back at it, like, yeah, I learned something about it. Maybe that's not the the path I want to head to or something, but it's all lessons in there. They're not. And that's why I always say I'm gonna do whatever the fuck I want to do, because at the end of of the day I can say at least I tried. And sit there and wonder, oh man, what if I actually did that? What if I actually went for it? What if I actually we're not going to do that, and then Sandy says that's it, do you and live your life. Yes, exactly.

Speaker 1 46:02

And you know the other thing too like so, after my, after my ex moved out, like, of course, like we used to share bills when we like lived in our house together, right, so my mind automatically went to even though business is amazing, like businesses, like business is going really well, like I'm very grateful no-transcript here and I'm like I'm literally doing the best that I can to make sure that I can continue to live here and to not end up on the street or living back with my family or my parents or whatever like I will bring you to America.

Speaker 4 46:49

You won't. You won't end up.

Speaker 1 46:51

I'm ready willing and able. Ready, willing and able, Let me, but that's so true.

Speaker 4 46:57

Some people stay in these relationships and marriages because of that fear of losing their comfort, like, oh my God, we pay all the bills. Or some people are in relationships where he pay all the bills. Or some people are in relationships where he pays all the bills and they just do the the little and they're like, oh, if I leave, that means I have to take care of everything by myself. But then I'd rather do that and figure it out than be in a place that's not serving me anymore and that's hard too, though, because there's so many nuances to that right.

Speaker 1 47:25

There's people who that are in like severely abusive relationships, that don't have the confidence to be able to do that, and not by their own fault, just by the even family that supports, like you know, maybe they have like three, four, five kids.

Speaker 1 47:38

you know they've never really been out in the workforce because that was their. You know that was their like agreement. You know you're gonna go out and work and I'm to stay home and like take care of the kids and so like I definitely, I definitely like empathize with that and like the conversation we're having today, like you know, we're both child free. Do you know what I mean? Like we both don't have to, right, and so we have and we have supportive family.

Speaker 4 47:58

I tell people I only survive because that's why even me, like when I, when I stayed, I used to think about suicide I do have get suicide thoughts. I'm wanting to end my life, but when I think about what it will do to my dad and the fact that my dad will go to any means to make sure I'm good, I have a father who's willing to help me, all I need to do is actually talk to him. So at least I have that people. Some people don't have that. That's why they end up being that so I I have. Sometimes, when I get angry, I also have to remind myself like just because I can push myself or I have that strength or I have that support, doesn't mean everybody has that. That's why I sometimes tell people like when you're ready, when it feels right for you, you will do the move. That's why I don't force people into getting out, like in your own time, and for most of us especially, it just comes that day when you just wake up and you're like today's the fucking day, I don't care.

Speaker 1 48:51

You're like today is the fucking day, but you know what, and that's the that's at the end of the day too I think about this all the time you have to make always the best decision for you, always Right, and you will know exactly what those decisions are the best decisions for you. And so like, yeah, like I, like I can never judge, like I have like friends that make decisions that I'm like, oh my God, if I was in your shoes I would never make that decision, but I'm also not living in the reality. You know what I mean. So I'm like, okay, I just have to be accepting and supportive and you know I'll be here when you need me. And like, you know and that's it, and we'll call it a day.

Speaker 1 49:24

But like, if you can, I guess my goal with like everything that I do, with my podcast, with my business, the content that I share online, everything, um, you know, it's funny that you just put up this. The her mission is simple Like, yes, and on a business level, to help creators feel valued, seen and empowered, to bring their voice to them. I can make an impact with their message. But also flip that on a human level to help human beings feel valued, to help people, feel seen in their problems and their challenges and empowered to make the changes that they want to make in their life, and to live outside of the box, to live outside of the four walls that people have painted us in because of who and how we are, that you can make an impact with your own message, in whatever capacity that looks like in your life.

Speaker 1 50:12

It doesn't have to be just through podcasting, it doesn't have to be through business. Right, we get to, we get to decide our life, and I think that you have, like. You have two lives right. Like you have the life that you live while you're asleep, right In life, and then you have the life that you're living when you finally realize the life that you deserve. Those are my thoughts.

Speaker 2 50:35

I was going to dive into.

Speaker 4 50:43

Okay, well, I recycle my thoughts because we have like 10 minutes left Me and you, Simona, can really talk, and that's why I love when we go into our deep conversations I love having deep conversations because we go in. But I want to touch on a little bit while I get my thought back on how you transformed your company as well, from Simona Constantini to Volt Production. So I want you to share a little bit about that for people. I know. When it comes to rebranding, a lot of people get fearful of how that will be accepted and, as a person who rebranded my logo and my show once already and I'm always looking for ways to rebrand because I feel like as we grow, so does our business grow and changes do happen so share a little bit of why you decided to make that change and rebrand and give it a whole new look. 1000%.

Speaker 1 51:35

So I was thinking a lot about the types of messages that I like to share and talk about, and when I started to realize that there's so much more to me than the podcast production work that we do and there's so much more to to what I want to create that like that extends way past just doing podcast production, I thought to myself like you know, I love having my agency and I love the work that we get to do every single day, and also I have an amazing team that helps me bring all of that to life that are very involved in the client work that we do every day, and I wanted people to, I wanted creators, when they work with our company, to feel like they're working, like they're already working with an agency that is top tier and I have no problem saying that because I know it and I've had people tell me it. Like I love that, for.

Speaker 4 52:27

I'm owning it.

Rebranding Agency for Success

Speaker 1 52:28

I'm owning it. I love that, but I want people to feel that way as well, as my clients, like I want them to feel that way too. And so I got this tattoo earlier in January of last year January 2023. And I was in right and I was in um uh, at a mastermind retreat a little bit after that and I kept thinking, like you know, I really want to change the name of my agency because I want to take it away from being under my last name, because the mission is big. It's a big mission and it's bigger than you know. Just me, like, yes, I'm leading it and I will always lead it, but I want to be that household name that people think about when we're doing podcast production. Like that is my mission to be. You know the, the videos you you see on on on YouTube Pat Flynn, think media, like I want Volt Productions to be up there with the best of them.

Speaker 1 53:19

And not that I didn't think that my last name was, you know, strong enough to do that, because that's not what I'm saying at all. I just wanted it to be neutral and I also wanted it to have this like jolt of energy and like this bump in, you know in what you in, in the power of what you create. So, yeah, I wanted it to be electric, I wanted it to be exciting, I wanted it to be, you know, new and I wanted to take it to the next level. And I really felt like it did that. I, when I, when I first started producing podcasts, it literally landed in my lap. But then, further than that, like if I had I word, that's like it landed in my lap, essentially, and I just named it Costantini Productions because I didn't have anything else that I was like, okay, I was like, let's just do that. So this rebrand is very intentional, this name is intentional and I've been thinking about it for a long time, and so I'm just excited to see what we're going to be creating from here on out.

Speaker 4 54:13

I love that. I even love the name Volt. Why Volt?

Speaker 1 54:17

Volt because you always have a. It's like a reminder that you are the volt of energy, that jolt of energy in what you do and what you create and in people's lives, and when you bring your own electricity to what you are creating, you help people. You create content that helps people actually feel something, and so I wanted that to be at the forefront, and that's why Volt I love that, oh, and congratulations.

Speaker 4 54:49

I went on the website. I love all about it and I am just excited for you and, um, everything that you're going to do, because you are amazing and you do amazing shit. You grind so hard. I see you and I am just excited for this new journey of yours.

Speaker 4 55:04

Oh yeah, yeah, I remembered my thought when you said your friend did something and you're like I don't get it, but then again I'm not there, and that's one thing. I've also started understanding that, because I used to say it would never be me, that could never be me, until I ended up doing certain shit that I actually said it would never be me, because I ended up being in a space that I never thought I would be and I ended up making decisions that I say that could never be me. So since then, I was like you know what it could always be me? Yeah, because, because when you're not on somebody's shoes, you really can't tell until you're on those shoes and stuck in your life. Oh, wow, okay. So, but as we come to an end because I see we only have five more minutes and um, I, I love you so much.

Speaker 4 55:50

I always have amazing time um, talking to you and you know shit happens. You're always welcome because I feel like we have so many uh, different conversations we can have me and you, because we are all very deep people like having this deep conversation. So you're welcome back when shit happens anytime. But as we wrap this up, you have two podcasts. I want you to shut them out and let the people know where they can find you and also, um, share a little advice for especially women. I want to just encourage women on those women who are scared of transforming themselves or in that space in between, not sure if they should or shouldn't like just some nuggets for them to encourage them.

Speaker 1 56:35

Love that. Okay, so you can find me on instagram at simona, with two underscores costantini, or the agency page which is at volt, v-o-l-t dot productions. If you want to connect with me on my um, my regular website, it's simonacostantinicom, and if you want to check out everything that we're doing on the Volt productions website, it's voltproductionsco. So V-O-L-T productionsco. So I would go to those two places.

Speaker 1 57:03

My podcast, uh, my first podcast is happiness happens two places. My podcast my first podcast is happiness happens and on that podcast I help people understand what happiness means to them and help change the narrative within their own, their own lives. We combine all types of conversations, whether it's about you know the science behind happiness, the mindfulness behind it and, ultimately, how to achieve more of it. It's a super empowering podcast and those conversations have gotten me through some of life's hardest moments. I'm very grateful for that show.

Speaker 1 57:33

The other podcast is called as it relates to podcasting, and on that podcast, each month I co host a series with an industry professional to deep dive into one specific area of the industry.

Speaker 1 57:47

So, for example, last month the four part series we did was with Anthony and we talked about SEO across four episodes and the intention is that you would go through all of those episodes and be able to implement an SEO strategy that actually makes sense for you.

Speaker 1 58:02

So it's a podcast about podcasting, but I'm not just teaching people the fluff, we're going into it. My advice for women after all the stuff that we've talked about today, the first thing that comes to mind for me is something that I say on happiness happens at the end of every single episode, and it's happiness happens when you least expect it, and I've literally clung on to these words so deeply, especially in the last few years, that you know the choice for happiness is always there and it comes genuinely when you're least expecting it. So be open to the magic of life, be open to the possibility, right, and just be open to all of the beauty that you have within you, on the inside and the outside, and everything that you're going to create. Your intuition will never fail. You tap into it, and that would be my advice happiness happens when you're least expecting it.

Speaker 4 58:50

Thank, you and I love that. And I also want to say, when it comes to your podcast, as it relates to podcasting, I love how you do that, the four series like one month, but like I have not seen that in other podcasting but also again, maybe I don't check other podcasts- no, nobody else I love it, I love.

Speaker 4 59:13

I think it's time I think it, I think it. You know you're next on my uh listening to your podcast and leaving a review. I've started this thing where I I think I've already left a review on happiness happens. I just haven't done that as it relates and I feel like it's about damn time I come to Happiness Happens podcast, like as a guest.

Speaker 4 59:34

Yes, yeah, Like you know, I've been waiting for Simona to invite me, but I think it's time I invited myself. Invite yourself, I'm glad you invited yourself, breaking down the door. Come on, invited myself, like yourself. I'm glad you're breaking down the door, come on down.

Speaker 1 59:50

I'm ready.

Speaker 4 59:51

I'm ready to talk shit with Pete but thank you so much for coming on. It's always amazing having conversations with you. Thank you, uh to Sandy 90 day wins y'all. Go check out our podcast. I was a guest yesterday. I got interviewed on our podcast. She does amazing work. She was on the comment section chilling with us. For anybody who's watching live, I was gonna check the replays, go support, share, leave reviews, listen. That's how we succeed in the podcasting industry. Okay, until next time on. Shit happens where shit always happens catch us next time.

Speaker 3 1:00:40

Thank you, simona. This was Shit Happens on YouTube, at Talk Shit with Pete. If this served, share with friends or family who can relate. Remember we all face challenges, but it's how we push past them that defines us. So until next time, keep pushing forward and remember shit may happen, but so does growth, and you got this. It happens, it happens.