Training with Sydney A, 60k on TikTok, & Balance with Taylor Kenney

Taylor also shares her invaluable experiences working with the renowned Sydney Adams, giving us a glimpse into  that collaboration. Plus, she reveals her top tips for balancing a demanding job, intense workouts, content creation, and homeownership – all without sacrificing personal well-being.

Ever wondered about Taylor's incredible growth on TikTok?  We discuss how social media played a role in her fitness progress and learn about her unique interests in Sonic Water and Sleep Obsession, and how they contribute to her overall wellness.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on the latest episodes of "Get Out of Your Own Way." Connect with Taylor Kenney and learn more about her journey on her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/taykenn_/) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@tayykenn_?lang=en).

Q&A: https://www.eastcoastcreativemedia.com/getoutofyourownwaypodcast
IG: instagram.com/samdesalvo/

#GetOutOfYourOwnWay #FitnessMotivation #WorkLifeBalance #MarketingGuru #HealthAndWellness

Transcript

0:08

Hello my friends and welcome back to another episode of the get out of your own way podcast. I'm your host Sam DeSalvo and if this is your first time stopping by, I'm so glad that you are here. I post episodes every single week, usually on Wednesdays they come out and we get to talk all things healthy living. I'm super passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and I am just so happy that I have this platform and I get to bring you guys just different topics about business, wellness, motivation, productivity. Productivity and I get to bring on guests to that may excel in a certain area and they get to bring their knowledge To both you and me so I get to learn from these people too and I get to bring this to you So I absolutely love that. I have the opportunity to do this and talk with an amazing Diverse group of people it has been so amazing since I've started this podcast and I feel so blessed So today it is a guest episode and I got to bring on Taylor Kenney. You guys may recognize her from TikTok. She has recently blown up over the past four months and she's worked with Sydney Adams. She did her training program with her. So we talk a lot about that today, but it honestly just felt like I got to sit down and like chit chat with a best friend. She's so sweet and humble. And we got to talk. content creation, digital marketing, healthy living, and what it was like training with Sydney. So I hope you enjoy today's episode and don't forget to rate and subscribe to this podcast. And you can connect with me on social media at Sam DeSalvo. I would love to connect with you and get to know you guys a little bit better too. So hope you enjoyed this episode and let's just jump on into it. Hello, Taylor. Thank you so much for jumping on the get out of your own way podcast with me. I'm so excited to talk to you today. I've been following you since you kind of blew up on Tik Tok. So you went through like a transformation period and I was following you since the start of it. And I feel like a lot of people probably know you for your 4 30 AM wake up videos, like your little morning routine videos. So some of you guys may know Taylor, but for my audience that doesn't know Taylor, can you give us a little background about who you are? Yeah, so my name is Taylor. I am from South Dakota, originally from Minnesota, and I kind of started sharing my life on TikTok in like March of 2023 and didn't really think anything of it. I'd always kind of wanted to share, but never knew, like, what to share. So I just started a fitness program, and we can dive into that a little bit later, too, but started a fitness program, started sharing that. I was kind of like nervous because I feel like most of my like day to day life is pretty like boring is how I would see it. Yeah, I mean people resonated with it and were like loving it. So it's kind of where I started. But yeah, awesome So first of all, South Dakota What's that like there? I'm from Rhode Island Okay very flat. I feel like South Dakota is like, it's a pretty big state, but it's like, depending on if you're like east side or west side, it's a completely different state. So I live on the east side of South Dakota, so very flat, like not a lot here. And then if you go to the west side, it looks like Wyoming. Like it's really tall hills, like that's where the Black Hills is and trees. It's beautiful over there. So yeah, not much going on on the east side for like scenic. Yeah. Do you love it there? Or do you plan on like, you think one day you'll spread your wings? I don't know. So I grew up in Minnesota, like an hour and a half away from where I live now, and then went to college in South Dakota. So it's like, where I went to college about an hour away from where I live now, and got an internship in where I live now, and Just kind of like stayed and then got a full time job. We got another full time job. So it kind of just like all fell into place and then I bought a house. My two year house versary was this past week, which has been in my house for two years. Thank you. So, I don't know. I've kind of, I never would have predicted that I would have ended up here. But I think I'm always open to the option of moving. I don't. But I just, like, my problem is, like I say, I always want to move, but I don't have this, like, one place in mind that I'm like, gosh, I want to go there. So if they can tell I have that feeling, I'll probably just stay here. Sounds beautiful. And you have your own house. So that's amazing. Love that for you. So this is your first podcast, like being on a podcast. So I'm excited to host your first podcast. Cause I'm sure, I mean, I'm seeing your growth on Tik TOK. I'm sure you're going to be on many more podcasts in the future. So I'm happy to have you for your. First one, but so you worked with Sidney Adams. I feel like a lot of girlies know who Sidney is and we have followed her journey too, for a while. Can you kind of tell me how you chose to start working with her? Yeah. So I had followed her for probably years before, like ever even considering working out with her or honestly, even really knowing that she was a personal trainer that you could like hire. Like in my head, I thought personal trainer, like personal trainers I'd worked out with before it's all. Like in person, I can only think you could be successful working out with somebody who lives in a completely different state across the country. But back in like January of 2023, I was just like, kind of unhappy with like, like the routines in my life. And like, kind of where everything was at. And like my body obviously was a big motivator too. And so I just kind of looked into training with her, but everything I had heard was like, it's impossible to get in with her. Like she, Put them like these training sessions live and they sell out within a minute. And so I was like, okay, I'm going to do it. Like, I want to sign up with her. I want to be in her program. And so I was at work when they went live. I set my alarm and was like in there five minutes early like and hit checkout and I got it and I was like, all right, meant to be. Yeah, that's kind of how I started working out with her and then everything was virtual and the success I've seen with her is like insane. Like it's, she talks about this all the time but it's like it's So life changing, but in more ways than just like your body. It's changed so many aspects of my life. And obviously sharing on TikTok has kind of contributed to that too. But yeah, it's the growth and the transformation that I've seen just since March. I started in March of 2023 with her. And it's insane that that's not even that long ago, but it feels like forever ago. Yeah. What was your background like before working with her? Were you an athlete growing up or were you into healthy living before that? I would never, so I'm from a really tiny, like, town, so I played sports growing up, but I would never consider myself an athlete. Like, I played sports because, like, there was eight girls available to play sports, and I was one of them. So I played. I wasn't very good. And then, I don't know, like, I never really, my parents didn't model, like, Super healthy lifestyles for me, I didn't teach me about like health and fitness really. And even like a year before I started my fitness journey, my parents kind of went on one too. And my dad had this massive transformation. I think he's lost like 80 or 100 pounds. Wow. Like just seeing his life completely transformed through that. I was kind of like motivated. Yeah. a completely different person. Like he wakes up every morning at 6 a. m. and like gets on his Peloton and goes for a long walk. And like, it's all about healthy foods. And now that we're kind of in this together, we're talking about like, what fitness supplements are you taking? Like, it's a super fun body and experience for us. So that was super motivating, but nothing really like like Sydney talks about how her parents like taught her to build a plate growing up. Like she's always kind of had that support from her family and it's not really something I was ever taught, but I've learned a lot from her. And that's kind of something I want to model like in my future too, like I want to be able to teach my kids those things so they don't have to struggle with like, you know, getting to the point where like, oh my gosh, I need to make this huge transformation in my life. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, no, I definitely understand that. What was your... What would you say, like, your overall like, vibe was with Sydney? Is she just as sweet as she's perceived online? Or like, what, what was your, did you get to, like, chat with her every, like, month, week, check ins? Yeah, so we do weekly check ins with her and they're check ins via email, but then we also use an app, and so you can message back and forth with her, and I think I was intimidated by her. I mean, like, you just, like, look at her life online, obviously look at anybody's life online. So I think I was nervous right away to make a mistake, like I am such a perfectionist. Yeah. So for the first couple weeks, like, I mean, I made no mistakes in my macros, no mistakes in my like working out, but then obviously, I mean, life does come up and I had to go to a wedding, so I had to miss a workout, stuff like that. And I was like, genuinely surprised how, like. Open and like accepting of those things she was she's like it's life like that's not gonna happen Like you have to be able to live your life and I want you to be able to balance those things so I was just genuinely surprised at how like Real. She was like the fitness industry online is portrayed as like, you have to be perfect all the time and you have to do all these things to be successful. But she's, I think, really helped me balance the mental side of working out a lot of help from her. She's just so like, motivating in that sense. And like, But also wanting me to still have a normal life. Like she understands, like, I mean, I still have a full time job. I don't need to work out whenever I want all day long and only meal prep and eat healthy foods, like you still have a life. And that's one thing I love about training with her is her mindset around like your entire lifestyle. Okay. Yeah, that's, that's great. So did you work with her for like 16 weeks and then are you like set free now? So, I love that. It kind of, like right away, honestly, when you're doing a fitness journey, it does feel like a little bit of like, not a prison, that sounds so dramatic, but like, you're kind of just like trapped and focused on that 100%. So, I did 16 weeks with her, and then I added on an additional 8 weeks. So I'm technically in that 8 week period. But these past eight weeks have just been a little different than my first 16 looked my life. Like in the summer is just crazy. I don't know like what the weather is like in Rhode Island, but in like the Midwest, we get four months of nice weather. And then the rest of the year is like absolutely miserable. And so when the summer comes, I'm like, I'm constantly going to the lake or going out with friends in the evening. So I haven't been like as perfect. And I've kind of tried with her about that too. We've made some adjustments. It's like my macros, my workouts and stuff, but yeah. Yeah. Well, so out of working with her this entire time, what would you say is the biggest thing you learned? It sounds like it was mostly mental for you. Yeah. A hundred percent mental. I struggle with just being an absolute perfectionist and like, I don't like doing things. If I'm not going to do it full out, like if I'm going to do something, I'm 100% in. I think she kind of taught me that like, it's okay. Like if fitness, I mean, you can be a hundred percent in on your fitness journey. If you're looking at like. A time span, like 16 weeks. Eight weeks. You know, if you're trying to get to a specific goal, but like if you want fitness to become part of your entire life, you've gotta be able to like mentally give yourself grace because you can't perform at a hundred percent no. Every single day forever. No way. Yeah, absolutely. Would you say that is kind of something that held you back from going on your fitness journey in the first place was like the idea of being perfect all the time. You're like, it's just something I can't sustain. A hundred percent. Cause I would like start working out. Like I would, so I started trying to like, I knew I was going to work out with her starting in March. So when I signed up with her in January, I kind of tried to like ease myself into it. I didn't want to go from like. Zero to a hundred in one week. So I would start like working out and I'd work out like Monday, Tuesday And then Wednesday would come and I'm like, I don't want to do that So then I wouldn't work out Wednesday and I'd like well, I didn't work out Wednesday So I might as well just not work out the rest of the week and eat like not crap But you know not be as like cautious with what I'm eating. So yeah, I think being a perfectionist 100% I was like, I'm not doing it. Perfect. Why am I even doing it? And I would just like fall off Yeah, no, I feel you on that. And I think a lot of people fall into that category. So if there's some girls listening or guys listening to this right now, and they are wanting to start their fitness journey and they want to get healthier, but they're kind of falling into that same category as you did, what would be your advice for them? I think for me it was finding something I loved and I knew like watching Sidney that she did a lot of strength training I've tried several different workout classes in college All my friends loved going to like group fitness like Zumba bar body pump all that stuff and I would go with them And I'm like do I just hate working out? For me like I don't find this fun that for some reason for some people that group atmosphere is so motivating for me It does the exact opposite. I'm sitting there Like, comparing myself to people and I'm like, I'm not as good as you, I can't push myself as you, hard as you, or you're next to somebody who's not pushing themselves. As hard when you like slack a little bit. I don't know. For some reason that environment is just not for me. So I would say the first thing for me was finding like something you love. And for me that's like strength training. I absolutely love how Sydney formats the workouts, it's a ton of strength training. Not as much like hit and cardio, which I don't love. So that was really helpful for me for sure. It's like waking up in the morning knowing I'm going to do a workout that I love definitely gets me outta bed. Yeah. That makes sense. And then would you recommend if you're new to the fitness journey, like working with an online trainer or somebody that kind of was there to like motivate you and guide you mentally through it? For sure. I feel like finding accountability is huge when you're like starting a fitness journey. I found accountability obviously through Sydney. And then like sharing on TikTok has honestly been more of an accountability than Like anything, like I, in the beginning, remember the days when, when you're waking up, I didn't always wake up at 4 30. So in the beginning, when you're waking up at 4 30, it's exhausting, like you're tired and you don't want to do it now. It's more like second nature, but in the beginning it was super hard. And I remember laying in bed some days and I'm like, well, I don't get up and I don't post a tick tock. People are going to be like, what the heck? What are you doing? Like you're lying. Like, so that was, Super helpful for me. So I think finding accountability wherever you can, either that's like a fitness or like sharing on social media or finding a gym buddy who's like looking to do the same thing. Accountability is huge when you're starting out. Yeah. I think that is like the opposite of what most people would think with social media. Like I don't want to post on social media, like I don't want people to think about me and things like that. But you're saying the actual opposite of it, you're like post on it, show up and like you have to, because people are going to be like, Oh, she's just posting. Whatever, she fell off and you're like, no, I'm going to prove myself that I'm not like that. Yeah, there was one day I was in the beginning. I've obviously changed like the content that I post now, just like you can't post the same thing every day as a creator. Like it's exhausting, like mentally, and it just doesn't feel as creative. But in the beginning, I was posting basically morning blogs every single morning. And kind of like I talked about earlier, there's that one weekend I had a wedding. So it was a Saturday morning and I got up and had to just run a few errands before I left for the wedding. And I posted like a, spend a Saturday morning with me TikTok. And I had several people comment like, no gym this morning. And I was like, I mean, they were like a hundred percent keeping me accountable. I was like, no, I know not today. Like I have to go to a wedding, but like, I just knew like, if I wasn't posting those people would say something and it like a hundred percent held me accountable. Yeah, yeah, so I know you kind of said you like accidentally fell into growing on TikTok and growing a following What has that been like for you? It's been so fun and so encouraging, challenging at times for sure. But I think it's just been like so accidentally fun. I shared like my first TikTok just saying that I was training with Sydney and gained like a, I mean, a decent amount of followers from that. But the funniest thing to me is like the one that I feel like really jumpstarted my growth was like a night routine video that I posted, which I was like sitting at work going like, What am I going to post tonight? I don't know what I'm going to post. And one of the girls was like, maybe you should just post like a night routine, like you do your morning routines, maybe do your night routine. And I was like, no one is going to like that. I'm literally so boring. Like I do like the most basic boring stuff after work. And I posted that one and it blew up. Like I think it has over 200, 000 likes. It's still like over 2 million views. It's still like going every once in a while. So it's been kind of crazy, but I always thought like you watch people like. Alex Earl like I feel like I was kind of watching her at that time and like her life is so cool Like she's doing all these fun things doing all these trips going out Like she just shares like the coolest stuff and I was like, that's why I like watching her Her life is so interesting. I was like, there's no way anybody is gonna care about like what I'm posting Like I think in that first one I like made dinner. I took my dog on a walk I watched Wheel of Fortune and I pulled the laundry like that is so Boring. Like, like, you know, it's so basic. It's just like every day. I think people, it's kind of refreshing to see. I know for me too, like, refreshing to see normal lives. Yeah. Like, I've always been like an early bedtime girl. I would so much rather go to bed early and get up early, but people would always make fun of me. Like, why are you going to bed so early? You're a grandma. But I feel like posting that, there's so many people who are like, Oh my gosh, me too. Like, I go to bed that early. I love it. Like, I go to bed early. I wake up early. So that's been like kind of fun to be like, okay, like I can actually own it and not feel like I'm like, Oh yeah, I go to bed super late too. Yeah, I think relatable content is becoming more popular nowadays and people are resonating with more because there's always been so much like cool content or people doing crazy things, different things or living a very aesthetic life. I feel like that's one that's kind of being debunked recently where people are like, come with me through my un aesthetic life. And I, I love those ones because it doesn't feel like you have to live up to some standard. And I think I actually know what video you're talking about, about your nighttime routine. Cause I remember like you were in bed super early or something. And I think that's like, people are like, what? Like she goes to bed, but you wake up so early. So you have to, you literally have to. Yeah. I think that was the first thing people are like, why are you going to bed? Like, what time do you get up? And that kind of started the whole spiral. So I feel like now when I post those, it's like they'll spiral off of each other. If they're not familiar with like my videos, I'll be like, if I post the early morning one, like, well, what time do you go to bed? If I post this, I'm like, well, what time are you getting up? So yeah, it's kind of like a whole spiral effect, but no, it was crazy. I, that was like the last thing I ever thought. Would gain any traction with like, what I do after work because it's, to me, like, so boring and basic. Yeah. Do you feel as if you have like a nice side of the internet? It's interesting. So I was thinking about this earlier because I had a feeling you were going to ask about that and I feel like 99% of the time, yes. And I feel like most of that stems from like, like some of Sydney's following. Like I said, her followers are all so nice and supportive, especially in the beginning. Like they were all like the ultimate hype women. Like she has amazing hype people behind her that just like ride or die for it. Like everything she does, even like her clients, like it's, I've met several of her other clients who are sharing their journey on tick tock to, and so that's just been so cool, but it's kind of goes in waves. Obviously, when a video goes viral, definitely not the nice side of the Internet, but like, yeah, for a couple months, it was really good. In the beginning, Yeah. It was a lot of like, this isn't living, your life looks miserable, like, you don't, like, you don't even have fun ever and I'm like, literally, it's a Monday night, like, you know, Monday night, but that for me was pretty easy to deal with, like, because it's my lifestyle and like, I obviously didn't like it. I could change it. But it started to kind of shift a little bit when I shared my dog, Mila, she's sitting at my feet right now. But when I started putting her in my videos, people loved her. Like I would show myself taking her on a walk or she would just, you know, be sitting with me. And then other people would be like, that poor dog has to go to bed at 8 PM. Like she's so miserable. You spend no time with her. You shouldn't even own a dog. You're a terrible dog parent. And I was like, Oh my God, wait. Cause I struggled with that kind of hard when I first got her like balancing how to like. Have a dog and have a life like she's four years old now, but when I first got her, I was like working out and doing things and then I had her and just felt so guilty leaving her outside just like my working hours. So, like, I stopped working out, I stopped doing a ton of things for myself, stopped hanging out with friends. So that was like a huge mental struggle for me in the beginning. And so then it felt like, I mean, I think I finally kind of found that balance of like. Giving her a happy life, but also giving me a happy life. And I was like, can you read address on Tik TOK? And I'm like, Oh my gosh, like, is she miserable? I don't know. Kind of hard. And then, but it was, it's been good for a while, but then like last week randomly like I had, it was like one night my sister, I was texting my sister and I'm like, I just had to block and delete four comments within a span of like 10 minutes. Yeah. People like attacking how I look and like that's where I just, I'm like. I'm, I'm fine if you attack my lifestyle, like it doesn't fit for you. That's totally fine. But like, I don't know, it's, it's insane to me how people are so easily willing to attack someone's looks. Like I, in some of my morning videos, I'll say like, I work out for 60 to 90 minutes every morning, just to kind of introduce the videos and give you a background. And I've had people comment, like, if I worked out every day and looked like you, like I would never work out again. Like that's so, you don't even look good. Like, so some of those I'm like, Okay. Well, that's been like a little bit of a struggle. I, you know, consider myself to be a pretty confident person, but like even talking with my sister, she's like, if I ever got those comments, like I would delete TikTok. Like, no, you're literally human. I mean, like, first of all, those people that are commenting, like they're hiding behind a screen, like we can tell ourselves all those things and stuff. And it does help, but at the end of the day, it's like. Okay, still ouch. Like, okay, ouch. But I love that you delete the comments. Oh, for sure. You're like, I don't need to see that. This is my page. Goodbye. So I think that's very, very smart of you. So it's not lingering there. You can't, do you like sit and kind of scroll through your comments ever? Do you try not to? I normally do because I like to like engage with people that are there. I feel like if you're going to Like if you're wanting to comment on my video, it's like, you know, I want to engage with you if you're here and watching and supporting. So I, I know I probably go through like every single comment that I get. So yeah, those ones I'm always like, okay, well. Yeah, well, see the door. Goodbye. In the beginning, I would respond to some of them, like with the video, like right away when I started posting, the biggest critique I got was like, well, you could never do this if you had kids or you could never do this if you had another. And I'm like. Well, but I, but I don't, so I don't know. But I don't. Yeah. So I would reply to those with some videos. I did that a couple times and I was like, okay, this is like, just a thought. It's not worth it. No. No. Not at all. Yeah. I want to just say that I resonate with you with the dog thing though, because I have a six year old black lab who's like just mine and I actually have so much guilt around the same things you do of like, Not wanting to go on like a long weekend away or not wanting to leave your house for too long of a time or going to sleep over somewhere else if they can't go. Things like that. Like, I feel that so hard. And then other people are like, it's just a dog. Like, whatever. Like, there's those people. Some people are like, it's just a dog. But then like you said, there's the other people that are like, your dog has a terrible life and they only live for so many years. And then you're like, I know, like Ryan, but I also have, yeah. Cause I was like so unhappy in the beginning when I first got her, I'm like, this was the biggest mistake. Like, I literally am living for this dog, but then when they're puppies, obviously it's a little bit different. But now even like, I'm, when I, I work from home every Friday and like, I've noticed that she doesn't, 90% of the time she doesn't even hang out with me or she's just sticking anyway. Like it's fine. It's fine. It's not that big of a deal, but no, I'm like, I don't think you guys understand how much stress and anxiety I have about this dog's life. Like I put her first most of the time and then you're coming at me saying that she has a miserable life. I'm like, Okay. Okay. Oh my gosh. No, the same though, because I mean, even you have a smaller dog, right? Yeah. I have a big black lab and he is like the most chill guy, like, like you said, he sleeps the entire day. Like he wouldn't, he doesn't come hang out with me while I'm working here, you know, he's doing his own thing. He goes on a walk every single day. Like, I think he lives a pretty good life. I don't like, I'm walking Mila twice a day now that it's like. Like, and I felt and people are like, that's not even a long enough walk. Like I take my dog on a three hour walk. I'm like, okay. I'm like, you got more, you got more hours in your day than I do. I'm like, I don't think she'd want to walk three hours. She'd be looking at me like, girl, pick me up, take me home. Oh, well with Tik TOK and growing on Tik TOK and your social media platforms in general, have you have you got to work with any brands yet? Or any opportunities? Yeah, for sure. So I actually, the first brand I worked with was one up. So they're a nutrition company and they actually reached out to me, like. Right away. Like it was my first ever brand deal. I think I had like 3, 000 followers at that point. Like nothing significant at all. And they reached out to me and I got to work with them and I'm still working with them and I absolutely love working with them. They're amazing. They do all of like the supplements I take. So protein powders, greens, my beauty dream, which I swear by. Absolutely love them. And then I was like looking for a big part of like working out for me and staying motivated. It is like. Having cute clothes like I love having a cute gym fit. And so I like was looking for like new places I'm gonna shop at gym shark before I was like looking for new places to shop. So I just was looking on google And found tlf and I ordered from them a couple times shared like a couple Like Instagram stories about them and then they reached out to me and I've been working with them for a couple months. So that's been amazing. They do. Yeah, I literally pretty much only wear their workout clothes now and then Jaya's health I work with them pretty consistently, too. They make like vitamins So I use them for like my detox and deep bloat gosh, I have so many of them like my am energy. That's like one of my absolute favorite from them. I take that every morning kind of helps me like that mid afternoon slump. So those are like my top three that I work with consistently. And then I've worked with like a few between just like random. Yeah. Do you like doing that kind of work? Like that kind of content creation? Yeah. So it's really interesting because I work in marketing. I'm a marketing manager for a clothing company. So it's like I've managed those kinds of brand deals with influencers before. So. So interesting to be on the other side. Yeah. Like it's honestly kind of completely changed the way I look at the influencer industry, like when you're looking at it from the brand's perspective, it's so different than when you're looking at it from the actual influencer perspective, like making the content and like, it's really helped me determine like what makes a brand like fun to work with and easy to work with. And how do you determine like who you want to work with? So yeah, no, it's been very eyeopening, but I, I absolutely love it. Would you ever want to do that full time? Like content creation? Yeah, be like a content creator. 100%. I would love that. I would love that. I am like my biggest thing in life It's like I would love to be my own like boss, make my own schedule Like kind of be in charge of me and be super flexible but obviously it's like that looks glamorous and then you actually get into it full time and it's It's a lot of work. Content correction is a lot of work. Like, when people doubt that it is a full time job, like, no, it's a full time job. A full time job, yes. Like, and even balancing it right now, like, with a full time job and doing it, I'm like, Oh, yeah. Like, I'm constantly thinking, like, okay, I'm, you know, getting my work done at work and then work is done and I'm like, okay, it's basically going into like a second job of like, okay, what content am I going to create today? What's going to be different? What's going to resonate? And then I'm having to edit it, film it. Like, there are so many times it's like, My sister lives with me and I'm just like walking around with my tripod and I'm like Don't mind me just like in the kitchen and I'm like I kind of need to film this You gotta go or she'll be like playing music. I'm like, sorry, this is like an asmr one You turn your music off and she's like, oh my gosh. I said we live in a set sometimes. I'm like, oh, I'm so sorry that's great. Did you start a YouTube channel recently too? I did. And I've been horrible at it. Like absolutely terrible. I, like I told you, I go all in when I do things and like, I bought the camera. I bought the tripod. Like I have everything and I'm just like, it is one thing to like carry your phone around and film yourself. I'm still like a little shy about it, but then having a full camera. I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is just too embarrassing. So there's like, I have made like two and I'm like, I need to be better about it. So I think come like when summer is not going on and I'm a little bit less busy, I'll probably get, get more into that and focus on it. But right now life is just like. There's too many other things going around and I just it's I actually honestly enjoy making YouTube videos more because I think it's more content like this Yeah, I'm like, okay, how can I fit everything into a minute and a half? Yeah, like how can I fit an entire morning? How can I fit an entire evening? Whatever with YouTube? It's just like so much more relationship like focus and then you get to be more your authentic self So I definitely want to do it more. I just I actually just need to do it. Yeah, no, I love YouTube. YouTube's like my favorite platform. And I have made other podcasts about this that I like just for my personal self, cause I love to be creative. I want to do YouTube. I want to do my channel and all that stuff. And it's like, when it comes back, like you're saying you need to just do it. No, me too, girl. Like I need to just get on there and do it. And like. Do it for me, not for anyone else. Because I, like you said, I genuinely enjoy making that kind of content. And what do you think your kind of YouTube will be? Just like vlogs, day in the lives, like things like that. I think vlogs, day in the life, but I also love just like the chatty ones. Like I did, I posted an Instagram like question and I was like, just ask me anything, like, let's just get to know each other. And so I answered those. And I love that one because it's like not, it's really easy to film. Cause I could just. Sit here and talk, and I feel like I could honestly talk to a wall most of the time, which I'm like literally sitting here talking to a camera. But it's also a lot easier to edit. Like I'm not sitting there for hours editing it. So I really like those where you're just like getting to know a person. But yeah, probably like a day in the life. Honestly, probably more weekend in the life or like week or a couple of days just because I'm not like most of my day during the week, I can't film. Like I'm not going to film myself sitting at work. Like, yeah, but yeah. And like healthy living content too. Do you think you'll share some of that? Yeah. I think it'd probably just be like what I like post on Tik TOK, but like longer edition, like I post a lot of like recipes, meal ideas, so I could see that. But like, instead of just doing like quick. You know, choppy little clips like doing, okay, let's make dinner together. Let's here's the meal prep for the week. Let's go grocery shopping. Here's, you know, a little longer form content of what I'm already posting on TikTok. Yeah. Well, it sounds like we're going to be entering the YouTube industry, the YouTube world at the same time. So we'll have to, you know, support each other. Just be there for one another because it's a whole different ballgame. And it's so much work. It's like, so I, in college, so like I said, I have a marketing background. So I took a ton of classes on like video editing and all that. And so I still have those skills. So like, that's nice. Like I'm pretty fluent in like Adobe Premiere, it's like what I use to edit. And so editing, it's like not hard. It's not like I don't know how to do it. It's just like so time consuming. Like it's hours. Especially if you're doing like a whole weekend in your life. And if you want to make it like fun and creative. Like some of my favorite YouTube videos to watch are Kylie Ross. She does, like she's Kylie Holbeck now. She just got married. But she, the way she edits her videos is just so sick and cute. Like it's the cutest thing ever. She always puts like little graphics into them. And like just little sound effects. And it's just day in the life vlogs. But they're just. The way she edits them are so cute. Yeah. Do you know Becca Watson? She's like in the UK. Do you know who she is? She's a YouTuber. She also does, she has a really cool film style too. She basically does short films every single time she does like a YouTube video. It looks like so much work, honestly. I mean, it's her full time job, but her style is so unique because it's literally like a short film, like the B roll on top of everything. And it just flows so nicely. I'm like, girl, that's a lot, like a lot of talent. Video editing is not easy at all. Like really good at it. It's yeah, it's a skill for sure. Yeah. So I kind of want to get into digital marketing because you know, that's what I do for work too. I'm in digital marketing. So I feel like we both have a lot in common in these areas. So how did you kind of get into that field of digital marketing? So it started way back in high school. I feel like I'm kind of lucky. Like I always knew what I wanted to do, or I mean, at least. And so like, when I was 16, since I was 16, I knew what I wanted to do. But I'm from, like I said, a super small town. So we had not a lot of, like, unique, fun class offerings. But we brought on an instructor my junior year, and she taught a marketing class, which was like, so, like, it's insane that our school even had that. She taught a marketing class, and I was like, wait. I love this very sports focused and I've kind of always grown up like a huge Minnesota Vikings fan and so like ever since then, I was like, I want to work in sports marketing. Like, I want to work for the Minnesota Vikings. Like, that is my dream job. So, going into college where I went to school, they, the year I started, they just introduced a major. I was like, this is lining up perfectly. Like it is a hundred percent meant to be like everything is falling into place. So I did a year of that. And then my summer after my freshman year of college, I did an internship with a local baseball team and really learned what like working in sports was going to be like starting with like the khaki pants and the polo outfit that was not my style at all. And then just like the hours it was. I mean, baseball games, I mean, they only have a shorter season, but they're playing all the time. Like, they have huge homestands, like five, six games in a row. And I was commuting from Minnesota to where the baseball team was, it was like an hour and 15 minute drive. Every single time they had a homestand. And it was, yeah. You know, the way the internship was described was it was like a marketing promotions internship. So in my head, I was like, I'm going to be on the field running games coming up with like, you know, how to use their sponsors and like sponsorship activation, basically, and it ended up being like, Free labor is how I would describe it like we're picking up Like garbage in the outfield and babysitting a bounce house with kids on it Like it was just not at all what I wanted. And so after that internship, I was like Maybe this isn't what I'm looking for. And so I did a few career fairs and talked to people that had kind of like worked in the industry and just really learned I'm like I I don't think this is for me. So, but I was already at that point, like two years into my degree and I was going to be graduated in three years. I graduated a year early. And so I was like, well, I'm not going to change my degree now and add on an extra year. Like, I'm still getting all of this marketing knowledge. It's not going to really matter. So I did an internship for a health care organization. And learned a lot about like marketing. I feel like I learned, like, obviously college is super important, but I learned way more in the industry than I ever did in college of like, you know, how to actually work in marketing. So I did an internship for them and worked for them, but just, it was really not a creative job. Like healthcare, obviously you can only be so creative. You're dealing with pretty sensitive situations, you know, cancer, surgeries, not making fun TikToks with that. So then I, my friend actually sent me in like a job application for my job that I'm at now and it's with a clothing company and so creative and so fun and I work with an amazing team of girls who are like all my age. Like, we always like joke that we go to work and by the time we're done with work, our social batteries are drained because we just have so much fun together and get to be so creative together. Yeah, so I kind of ended up in marketing, but yeah, I always knew I wanted to do it. I would have never guessed it would be in clothing, though, because I would never consider myself, like, a fashionable person. No, I'm definitely not either. Definitely not. Like, I, the way I Me too. That's a question I get all the time on my TikToks, because in my morning routines, I'll be, like, throwing on sweatpants, in a, like, tank top, and they're like, where do you work? Like, what? I'm like, no, I literally have, like, a Full time. I'm a man. I'm somebody's manager and I'm wearing something, but it's the best. Oh, I love that. And sports marketing. Yeah. I think a lot of people are interested in that because it seems glamorous, but from what I heard and what it seems like, it just seems like really hard to end up where you want to be in sports marketing. Like you, I think anywhere in sports that you want to start off, like you got to start at the bottom, like the more, like you said, doing trash in the outfield. That's like the start of it. So it's, it's very glamorized, but I love that you found a spot that you feel like you love and you love doing it and that you get to do your passion every single day and doing digital marketing has trans transferred into what you do online too. Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. I feel like, cause people ask me all the time, like, how do you know how to film and you know, all that. And I'm like, I actually, I mean, I have a master's degree, not in TikTok, but like, you know, master's degree in marketing strategy and like, Digital marketing and social media. And I, I mean like eight hours a day, that's what I'm doing. Like I'm putting together strategies for business, like a business all day long and looking at trends and analytics and all that. So I think that really helped me like jumpstart on Tik TOK. Like I wasn't starting with no knowledge. Like I'm starting with a pretty deep knowledge base. Yeah, absolutely. And if there's anyone listening to this, who wants to do content creation, like they like to do it, but they don't really know where to start with it. What would be your advice to them? I think this is so, like, shamed on the internet, like, copying someone. Like, there are so many people, like, that, like, you just copy Sydney and blah, blah, blah. I'm like, well, number one, she's literally forming my entire life in my routine. Like, she's helping me determine what I'm eating, when I'm working out, all these routines. Like, my life is obviously going Similar to what hers is because she's formatting it. But I think find a creator that you love and that you resonate with and find a way to share content in your own way. But like, it's kind of similar to theirs. I mean, no one on the internet is a hundred percent unique. And if people think they are like. You're just not seeing the whole internet. I don't think that not necessarily that you should copy someone directly I don't make the exact same videos as them obviously have to make it about yourself I think it's 100% fine to take inspiration from people Because I mean I think at the end of the day like it's like a huge compliment. It's like I love your content I love the way you share your life. Like I want to do the same like But you have to get your own spin on it. Otherwise, it's, yeah, never going to go anywhere. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's what we all do on TikTok. Anyways, that's why there's trends and stuff because we kind of hop on each other's lives. And even if you were copying someone's format from head to toe, your life is literally different than theirs. You're living in a different state. You're doing different things. You're in a different house. Like, it's different anyway. So, and I think by you doing your content based off Your life. It makes doing content easy because you're, you're just filming your life and people find it interesting. You're like, cool. You're like, it's not all that interesting, but hey, I don't know why you want to watch this. Cause there's even like to this day, people have been with me like since the beginning, they're like, I just look forward to these videos every day. I'm like, well, thank goodness. I'm glad you do. Because sometimes I'm like, I know I've, I've been here from the start too. I was here since like you started with Sydney. Yeah, it's crazy. Going back the other day looking at my old TikToks, I was trying to find one, and I was rewatching them and I was like, Ooh, these are cringy! Like, I don't know why, like, it wasn't even that long ago, but for some reason, going back and watching them, I was like, Oh, facts. I'm embarrassed. I have a YouTube channel out there from when was that? That was like 2017, and I went back and watched it, and I could have died. Oh, I think, and I think I'll probably continue to do that. Like, now I think you'll make nice, cool videos, and then Absolutely. I'll look back and be like, Oh my goodness, what were you doing? Literally same. I think about that with this podcast, think of that with my YouTube channel, like all these things, I'm going to look back and be like, yeah, but it's, you know, we get to see our growth in it. And then we also can, like I said, reflect on how far we've come. And it's almost like a little, like at home video for us. Like we get to look back and be like, Oh, look at us. We're so cute. Yeah, I remember our journey. Yeah, I grew up with so my grandpa was huge into video. I like kind of consider him like my first like vlogger that I knew but he constantly had like a video camera in our face growing up like all the time. He had videos of everything and now we just have like You cases and cases and cases of home videos and he's passed away now. So it's so amazing to like be able to go back and like watch like me literally like growing up with him. Like, on my birthday, random times, he babysat with us. And that's kind of how I view like my TikTok too. Like I can go back and be like, gosh, I remember how I was feeling that day. I remember I was struggling like, Oh my gosh, I remember getting to do that. That was so fun and so exciting. So it's kind of like my version of, yeah, you're right. Like home videos, but on the internet. He was for us to see, but now I'm just sharing it with way more people. Yeah. And you just made such a good point. Cause I do that with pictures too. Some people like, why don't you like delete old pictures, whatever it could be a past relationship and stuff. Cause I'm like, I like to remind myself how I felt in that moment, even though I had a smile on my face, I can look in my own eyes and be like, girl, I know how you were feeling them. You were a hurting unit, you know? And I like to keep those reminders for myself because it can be easy to like almost backslide thinking you. Like you almost romanticize things in your head and if you can look back at like a chapter of your life and be like, no, like I remember like how I felt looked etc. It's like you catch yourself in that, in the act. Yeah, no, I love being able to look back. The only thing I, I need to do this, I need to get a bigger phone. Like, story wise, because I, every time I film like a morning in life, evening in life, whatever, I have to delete all the videos. I cannot record another one. So I need to get more storage because I wish I could keep more of those like raw videos before I edit them. But yeah. That is such ever gets taken down. I'm gonna be like, dang it, There they go. See you. So the other thing I wanna ask you is you, so you own a house, you have a full-time job, you're a fitness girly, now you are creating content. How do you manage to do all of these things and still say sane? I don't know. That's a really good question. I wish I had this, like, formula or advice, but I feel like I just, honestly, I feel like it helped me be more productive in my life. There was a time, like, I constantly think back about this time. It was, like, one of those, like, canon events. You see those on TikTok where, like, this is a canon event and I can't disrupt it. Like, I was in a relationship and it was just, like, not healthy. And going through, like, after we kind of, like, ended things, I would come home from work and I would lay on my couch. From like 4 p. m. until 9 p. m. and I would go to bed and I'd wake up and over and over and I was just miserable and I think like doing all these things, I prefer, I am just like such a better person and I'm more productive when I'm too busy than when I'm like not busy enough like I love like being able to pack my mornings with like personal time, me time, and then like go to work obviously, Do my job and then come home and get to do things like that. I either need to get done or enjoy doing like, I love having a clean house. Like I come home from work and I clean it. I just have more time. But I think when I'm busy, I am just a better person. Yeah, I'm like that too. Yeah, I'm like that too. And like. Even I'm in a relationship and I feel like when I'm working on myself, I can show up as a better partner. And it's so important to have that time for yourself. And I think the more that you are working on things, other things in your life, you have less time to kind of self consume and like self pity. And I think there's a lot of people in this world I mean, like, I don't have the time to do that, but then they'll have two hours to give to Netflix at the end of the night. Like, those are two hours in your life that, you know, you had, or waking up early. A lot of people, I struggle with waking up early, honestly. But, if we wake up early, that's just more time in our day that we have to us. Like, I see those TikToks, and it's like, oh, have a more have a day, like, before you start your day. And these girls are, like, going on a hike. They're going for a swim. I'm like, Yeah, I want to do that. I need to wake up. I was like, that's amazing. Yeah, it is so nice. Like, I feel like because otherwise I was waking up and just going to work. Like, it felt like my entire day was work. And I have all these other things like on both ends of work where work just feels kind of like a middle filler versus like it be my entire life, even though the amount of time that work is still the same. It just feels like I have more life outside of work. And so it probably makes your work even more enjoyable. Like I think I was talking to someone the other day and we're kind of talking about this. Like not everybody is going to love every part of the job. Like work is still going to be work at the end of the day. And we kind of need to just view it as work. It's a job. It's like, what do you do outside of your job that makes your life feel full? Yeah, because I mean, I get a lot of like, I think my job is so fun. It's very different. Like, I'm very fortunate to have the job that I have. Like, I consider my coworkers to be like friends more than coworkers most days. But like, there was a time when I was trying to make work my hope, not my whole personality, but like, that's where I was trying to find my enjoyment and my fun. And it was like, putting so much pressure on work being. Always having to be perfect, like nothing can ever go wrong. It always has to be a good day. And so I was like, okay, we need to take the pressure off of that because at the end of the day, this is just a job. Like even though I love it and I love the people and I love what I do, it is just a job and it can go away in an instant. And so I love to do like before work and after work were like huge. I think I just enjoy work more now too because I just view it as like it's a job. I get to have fun there, but I don't. Have to have like the most from there all the time. Yeah, I think that is so encouraging to maybe young girls listening to this that are trying to find their career right now. I feel like there's so much pressure. You have to find something you love and you'll never work a day in your life and things like that. And it's. You're kind of taking the pressure off that like, find what you love outside of that and it's going to be a job. Work is work. Yeah, I know. I definitely am like a huge proponent. Like, I mean, I and my job prior to this was miserable. Like, I have never counted minutes. Like, I would get to work at 730 and look at the clock and be like, 736. And my gosh, how has it only been six minutes? It feels like it's been six hours. I mean, I definitely think it's so important to find something you're passionate about that you love. But I think, yeah, like that whole, like, Find what you'll never work a day in your life like I don't know like their work is never gonna be perfect I could just used to have this viewpoint that it had to be Always perfect if I had any complaints or any problems like that, I need to leave and it's not for me But that's just not true. I mean you're At the end of the day, it's work. Even if you started your own business, like even with my content creation, there's days where I'm like, Oh crap, I have to do, you know, this ad or record this or use this. And even if you're your own boss and creating your rules, there's still going to be things about it that you don't enjoy. Oh yeah. I am my own boss. I own my own marketing agency. And I will tell you that entrepreneurship is also not what it's cracked up to be like there is ebbs and flows in entrepreneurship too. And it's. It's a job too. Yeah. So I work for a clothing company, but it was started like it's an entrepreneurial, like, so she started it and I work with her very closely and I think I've seen that firsthand. Like it looks like it would be so glorious of just like own your own business and be able to make your own hours and do your own things. But I mean, it's like as the business owner, you feel stressed from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed in the middle of the night. Yeah. Cause as an employee, you can kind of turn it off. Like once you leave your nine to five, you can kind of turn it off. But as an entrepreneur, you never turn it off. You're thinking about work. Like you just said, you hit the nail on the head from morning to night. So sometimes it keeps you up at night. Cause you're like, Oh, did I do that? Did I pay my taxes? Did I do this? Like, yeah. So there's definitely pros and cons to that. I have one last question for you before we end. And my last question for you is what is your number one tip? You would tell people to get out of your own way. Ooh, that's a good one to think on that one. I think it, for me, it was, like, just not being afraid. Like, I think, like, I was talking to a girl at work about the name of your podcast, and, like, that is just 100% a depiction of what I was doing. Like, this idea of having to be perfect and, like, being 100% and never being able to make mistakes, like, I 1000% was in my own way. Like, there were so many excuses I could come up with, but I think it's just, like, You just have to set a goal, find your whys and just keep pushing forward towards a goal and like, yeah, not get in your own way. Like, it's just that your, the name of your podcast is honestly incredible. I love it so much, but I think it's such a real thing. Like there's so many excuses we can come up with every single day. Like, at the end of the day, we are just making excuses that don't even exist. We're creating our own barriers. So I think it's just like finding something you love and just going for it and not worrying about what other people think. Absolutely. And you kind of just summed up my mission statement. That's exactly why I started this. I'm very big on, you know. Not letting your excuses consume you and that you have a choice at the end of the day to move past those and move past your fears and become the person that you always dreamt of or the person you look up to, you can become that person. You just need to put in the work to get there. So you definitely just hit the nail on the head with that one. So where can everybody find you and connect with you? I am on YouTube, kind of YouTube coming soon. I have a YouTube page. But, so you can go subscribe there if you want to and I will get content up. And then mainly TikTok and Instagram. Awesome. And what's your handles? So my TikTok one is Attken underscore, but that one has two Y's,'cause one with one Y was taken And then Instagram is at Take Ken with one Y and then YouTube I think is at, take Ken with two Y's with the underscore. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming on this podcast. I wish you luck with all your content creation. I'm praying that you can do content creation full time in the future. I could definitely see that happen for you, girlfriend. You are on the rise for sure. You're on the rise and I will definitely be connecting with you on YouTube and we'll be growing our accounts together simultaneously. So. Absolutely. Oh, I love that. That's actually such a good idea. So thank you everybody for listening. I really appreciate you guys. Don't forget to just share this episode with somebody that you might think will find it helpful. And until next time, I'll talk to you guys next time. Thanks guys.