The Inspired Talks Podcast

Faithing Forward: The Road to Resilience & Mental Health in Business with Seneca Williams

• Soflo Inspire, Inc • Season 1 • Episode 9

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When life's unexpected turns meet the challenges of entrepreneurship, how does one navigate the storm? Seneca Williams, a licensed mental health counselor and founder of Conqueror Network, joins us to recount her extraordinary journey from an immigrant family to a beacon of mental wellness in the business world. Her story, infused with cultural nuances and the relentless quest for purpose, unfolds in a conversation that promises to resonate deeply with anyone striving to harmonize their personal and professional lives.

Embarking on a path that twisted from the law to mental health after a life-altering car accident, Seneca's experience spotlights the transformative power of listening to one's inner calling. From overcoming self-doubt and family expectations to working with children with disabilities, her narrative serves as a testament to the importance of perseverance. As she outlines her venture into entrepreneurship, the dialogue takes a heartfelt look at the mental health obstacles business owners face and the strides necessary for personal growth and business success.

Closing on a note that connects physical health to mental well-being, Seneca and I offer insights into the lesser-discussed aspects of maintaining a work-life balance. We share candid anecdotes about the impacts of diet, exercise, and medical awareness on our overall state of being, encouraging listeners to take a holistic approach to health. Whether you're an entrepreneur or simply seeking ways to improve your mental wellness, this episode is laden with supportive advice and relatable experiences aimed at guiding you toward a healthier, more balanced life.

Speaker 1:

And I remember just feeling so devastated but also very empowered. Here's why the work that I was doing for them, the work that I had done previously, all it felt like preparation for me to do it for myself. I'm like, if I can do this for them, I could do this for me. I could do this for me.

Speaker 2:

Hey guys, welcome back to another Inspire Talks podcast, and we're super excited for today's podcast because we have special guest, seneca Williams. She is the owner of Conqueror Network and she's also a certified health and coach for entrepreneurs and just dealing with mental health issues. So today we're super excited to dive into some of the things about mental health and just dealing with anxiety in the business world, and also just some tips that you guys can leave with before the end of the episode, before we get started, and we just want to know a little bit more about you, seneca, and just how you got into this whole entrepreneur space and led you onto this path of mental health primarily, but before we get into it, can you just share to the audience a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely so. Thank you for that introduction. That was really good. Just to go a little bit deeper into it, I am Seneca Williams LMAGC. I'm a licensed mental health counselor. Some people always ask are you really a therapist Like? I am a licensed therapist. Oh, wow, that's crazy. I'm great, I didn't even know that. I am a licensed therapist and I have an online therapy practice where I support entrepreneurs and career entrepreneurs who are building mental health for work life and business.

Speaker 2:

I love that. And so, Seneca, before you even got into this space, what inspired you or led you on this path of entrepreneurship?

Speaker 1:

Okay, so it's like a short story and a long story. Which one do you want Both.

Speaker 2:

Both. You want both. You want both. Anything you feel like sharing yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know, when I was growing up, I came to this country as a baby. I'm an immigrant, my family is from St Vincent and the Grenadines, so shout out to the Caribbean. And when we came here they both had city jobs, they worked for the government, they had government jobs. And growing up I always learned that you get a government job, you go to college and you get a good education and then you get a government job. And at the time when I was growing up I was influenced by them. But I was also influenced by television and I remember seeing the Cosby show and thinking like, oh man, I want to be like clear huckstable, I want to be an attorney.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Somehow she seemed to be able to like have a career and like five kids and cook dinner and do everything and I was like that's what I want to be.

Speaker 2:

Like superwoman.

Speaker 1:

Superwoman, right, like that's what I wanted to do. And the interesting thing about it is I never thought about what a career meant, or entrepreneurship, like I had no understanding of it. It was just like, okay, I just saw people go to work, like I didn't understand all of that. So, as I was growing up, that was what I was following the whole time. I'm going to be an attorney, I'm going to be a lawyer and that's what my parents were telling me Like you know, you could be a doctor, you could be a lawyer, you could be a nurse or a teacher, something like that. So now I'm going to fast forward a bit. I get to college and I don't go to pursue law, for some reason. I go to pursue computer information systems.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, where was the switch?

Speaker 1:

It doesn't make sense, right, I know it makes no sense, but my mom she was like. You know, people are going to be making a lot of money in this, so you should probably pursue this. So I kind of just was like, okay, I'm going to pursue that. I went and I started taking the classes and realized I'm not good at math. Yeah, same.

Speaker 1:

I also don't like computers, like technology, so probably did two semesters and then that time was just so depressing. I started questioning myself and I saw my you know colleagues, classmates from high school. They were like picking their careers, they knew what they wanted to do, they were on track, and I'm here, like going from major to major and different colleges and back and forth, and I'm like what's wrong with me? You know, there was a lot of tears. I didn't know about anxiety or depression at that time. That's not a thing that you talk about in a Caribbean household. So I was experiencing it but not knowing this is what is happening to me. I ended up, you know, really liking psychology, really liking it. So I would take psychology courses just to take them, because they were fun. And by the time I got to probably my fourth year in college and my fifth college, I should say but fourth year in college, like I, was transferring.

Speaker 2:

That's insane.

Speaker 1:

I was transferring. I finished one, so I give you a pop. I'm sharing this because I'm letting people know, like they see where I am now and they don't understand. They don't understand how I got here, like they think it was so easy.

Speaker 2:

Like for the people that are looking back at the old Seneca, like what is something that you like? Mindset wise. Where were you back then versus now?

Speaker 1:

Scared all the time. A people pleaser. Whatever someone told me to do, that's what I'm going to do, afraid to make the wrong decision, because what are people going to say? Or because I'm going to be embarrassed.

Speaker 2:

That makes sense and I mean for me, similar like I went to college. I mean I only went to college obviously because, like you said, grew up in the Caribbean background my family's Jamaican, Her family's Puerto Rican. You know, all you hear is growing up, Go to school, get good grades, go to college, go to school. And honestly, when I went there, I was like, okay, what can I do? That can make some good money, but you know, it doesn't require too much math, because I hate it math. And so I decided to pursue physical therapy, to be like a PT, a physical therapist. Wow, yeah, which is crazy, because I was like, okay, maybe I do like science or maybe I do like you know that whole spill, but it is crazy, you're giving me a neck massage.

Speaker 2:

I'm like, yeah, so I did enjoy it. You know, I did enjoy one aspect of it, but I just knew, you know, my purpose wasn't in that, you know, and my gifts and talents wasn't in that. And once I immediately realized that and I wasn't happy, like I was feeling, you know, some thoughts of you know just feeling like purpose, like purpose list, like I had, you know, I wasn't doing something important yet, so I wanted to pursue something that was more meaningful and that's what led me into, you know, my first business that I got off the ground in 2017 was like a clothing brand called a Gappy supply, which means you know the love of God, and then it transitioned into you know me investing into my first camera, and then it just kept going on and on like that. So I wanted to know from you, like what are some challenges that you face early on in your business that contribute to your entrepreneurial journey now?

Speaker 1:

One of the challenges was figuring out what I wanted to do, you know. So, when I eventually figured out what I wanted to do, which was become a therapist because I had to find that out first Sometimes we want to start businesses, but we just want to start a business and you're starting a business and it's not your purpose or your calling. You're just starting because you want to just do something. So the first, the hardest part was figuring out what do I actually want to do? What am I good at? And it was finally figuring out from being called like. It was a calling. It was a faith based calling that I have to be someone that helps people.

Speaker 1:

It wasn't very clear in the beginning, and how I came to that calling was from being in a car accident. So I was in a car accident. This was back in probably 2008. And around that time I was also laid off from a law firm because, remember, I told you I wanted to be an attorney, so I'm working in a law firm. At the time I get laid off, I get in this car accident. In that car accident, my car flips over in the air multiple times. Like you know how to say take your hands off the wheel. Let Jesus take the wheel. You can't drive when your car is in the air.

Speaker 2:

No, you know control. That's insane.

Speaker 1:

So hands off the wheel, I'm in the air flipping and I'm like this is how it's going to end.

Speaker 2:

That's wild.

Speaker 1:

That is wild. That's wild Like this, is it? And what came across my mind was, you know, this is it, this is how it's going to end, but also like this, is it? Like I didn't do all the things that I was supposed to do. I wasn't done yet I didn't even get started. That's why I usually tell people if you have a calling, do not delete, block or mute that calling. Do not mute, block or delete that calling. Wow, because there's something that we're here for. Obviously, I'm sitting here.

Speaker 2:

Yep.

Speaker 1:

So the car landed. It landed on the side. I come out. No scratches, no bruises, nothing. I remember like a group of people were driving by and when they stopped they were like, oh my God, like you're not dead. Yeah, my mom was also driving on the highway in front of me. She saw my car flipping. She came back, she thought I was dead.

Speaker 2:

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 1:

And that day, if those people didn't believe in God, they were believers. That day I asked God, okay, I'm still here, what do you want me to do? And he said save lives. Wow. So whatever I do in business, it always comes from how my saving people, how my helping people. The first thing, the first obstacle, was figuring out what I wanted to do for entrepreneurship.

Speaker 2:

I love that yeah.

Speaker 3:

So that was that time, so that car accident was it? You said it was right around the time you're working for the law firm and so from there you had the accident. What happened next? You know, as part of you know, when God, when he felt like God was telling you to help save lives. So where did that lead you next?

Speaker 1:

I actually went back to school and I thought I was supposed to do nursing. So I went and enrolled in school and started doing like the science classes, but I got a D in microbiology. So what was that? Microbiology and chemistry. Also didn't do well in chemistry.

Speaker 1:

And then I realized, you know what, maybe this, this isn't it. This is not what he was. He wasn't telling me to do this. Okay, let me try. You know some other things. So it wasn't like a straight line. It was like a lot of zigzags and trying things out, taking risk yeah, taking one step and then figuring out okay, is this the right step? It's not taking another step and like praying my way through it. At that point you know I knew it was psychology, because I always loved psychology. I always loved psychology. I always loved helping people, learning about the mind, learning about how people function, emotions. I love that. So I ended up taking like an entry level job and that's how I got started working in mental health. It was an entry level job working with children with disabilities, with autism. They were foster children, so I would go into their homes and I would help them learn behavioral skills. And then from doing that work, I was like let me go back to school and do a master's degree in mental health counseling.

Speaker 3:

A lot of students.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Congrats on that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

That's incredible.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. And so now you've gotten your, it was an internship. What do you call it an internship? What's that?

Speaker 1:

I wouldn't say it was an internship, it was like an entry level position. Okay, so you got your entry level position, like minimum wage.

Speaker 3:

You're ready to go now. Yeah, Me too, Me too. So you got this, you know entry level job, and now you're realizing like, okay, I love psychology and I love helping people, and so where did that lead? Into your? You know the business that you have today.

Speaker 1:

Taking one step in front the other. So I got my master's in mental health counseling. I started working for agencies. I ended up then working for, like group practices you know where there are multiple therapists working for group practices and I was like you know what I really like? This this is good. So I actually I had a pretty good job in 2014. And I think I shared this with you.

Speaker 1:

I had a pretty good job in 2014. It seemed like a safe, secure job and I worked there probably about eight or nine months and things were going well. I was seeing clients who had anxiety, depression, substance abuse. They also were on probation, so they were dealing with like criminal justice things. And I'm thinking like this is where I'm going to be. And then I got laid off. They were like, oh, we can't pay you, we can't afford to keep you on, we're going to lay you off. And I remember just feeling so devastated, but also very empowered. Here's why the work that I was doing for them, the work that I had done previously, all it felt like preparation for me to do it for myself. I'm like, if I can do this for them, I could do this for me.

Speaker 3:

I could do this for me that moment right there, Cause I feel like I experienced something similar, for sure before we fully went into SoFlo as well. I experienced that moment where it was like you know what, if I can do this for someone else, I can do it, you know, for me and for other people.

Speaker 2:

That's the beauty of entrepreneurship, you know. It's that you at first, everyone is. You know, an employee, everyone is. You have to start somewhere right, you should.

Speaker 2:

You have to have leaders to follow and you have to understand what does that look like? So, if you're on your entrepreneurial journey, or if you're looking to start your entrepreneurial journey, like and you're working a nine to five right now, like it's okay, like it's okay to take this time or the season to learn and pick up new skills and sharpen your craft so you can get to the next level and take that next step to get to the next thing you know, so what would you say to the person that is, yeah, looking to start or take that next step?

Speaker 1:

So, once you figured out what you really want to do not I'm doing what's trendy, or I'm doing what's in style right now, or I'm doing what someone told me to do Once you figured out what you're supposed to do, you're good at your gifted and talented. It's probably something so natural to you, Like how you guys are doing this, very naturally.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it wasn't always like this, but we get better and better, you're into something right, like I wasn't born a therapist but I grew into it or a coach or a speaker. Like I didn't imagine I would do any of these things like sitting here on a podcast you know, Shout out, shout out.

Speaker 1:

I wouldn't have imagined this, but you lean into what you're good at and what you're called to be One. The second thing you said, a very important thing get experience. People want to skip steps and they want to skip to the good part. You have to be an employee at some point, because if I didn't learn how to run the business, how am I going to run my own business? You know people want to open a restaurant because they know how to cook well, which is awesome, but do you know how to run a restaurant? Do you know about the permits and legal things that can come up? You know, like all of these things, that you don't understand. You need to learn that, and the best way to learn it is in the safety of having a job. Yes, right, so it's not your own thing. And you climb and you grow in that position and then you start your own. So I tell people, don't go out here looking at social media and quit your job Because, as we know, like when you're starting off, it is very unstable.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

You know, if you're not starting off with, like, investment funding, you don't have a trust fund. Like you know, we all love these stories where we see, like these people starting businesses, but they may have a trust fund that helped them right, or they may have had investors or something right. You don't know that. Some emergency funds, you don't know that, so you're already like I'm going to quit my job and live my dreams. Make sure you are financially secure because when it comes to mental health, we have our hierarchy of needs. You all probably seen that triangle, the hierarchy of needs, and on the bottom, food, clothing and shelter. You need to have that. You need to have that security, because that's the reason why so many entrepreneurs are struggling with their mental health. Things aren't stable in their lives and they're building on the shaky foundation.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, that's. That's a great point and, honestly, what I want to know is, in terms like mental health practices, like we're, some of the things that, as business owners and entrepreneurs, can do to help with our mental health. Because we're dealing with a lot, right. We're dealing with sometimes managing your team. You know managing the ups and downs and revenue and an income. You know, one month you have amazing month in sales and the next month is drives like where everybody's at right. So we want to know, mentally, how can we prepare for those challenges.

Speaker 1:

I love that you're asking this question at this point in time because I can answer it from a space of not only helping so many entrepreneurs over the years and talking to them. Be very secure in who you are. A lot of people start businesses and they're comparing themselves to other people's businesses, they're comparing themselves to people on social media and they're not securing who they are. How do you get secure in who you are? You know you have to do things that make you grounded right. So for me, that's my spirituality who am I Right, not just who am I, who people think I am Not. Who am I? Like my degree or my title or my license or my certification, but who am I? And I have to be okay with that. Because when business change and when you know some people are your fans today and tomorrow they're not, you're still okay with who you are. So that's a major thing, like for your mental health is be secure in who you are.

Speaker 3:

That is so beautiful. That is amazing. I'm so glad you said that and.

Speaker 3:

I pray like that whoever's listening to this, that it just blesses you, because I feel like yo from the beginning, like when I think about my timeline. You know, I was chopping lettuce in the back and I remember being there and chopping the lettuce and I was like it's got to be more, you know and it's not to say like there was anything wrong with that but I just felt like my soul was desiring to do more. But from that point until now, I feel like, no matter what happened in my life, I always want to be me and that's why I'm just so grateful that the business that we do have, you know, we have been ourselves and our clients like I don't know they appreciate us for being ourselves and we appreciate them for being themselves. And so I love what you said, because when things do get hard, we look at ourselves and we're like, okay, but we did the best that we could, we gave everything that we could in this scenario and, yeah, I thought that was so beautiful.

Speaker 2:

So yeah you explained it like we were just talking about this on uh, actually maybe our previous episode. I'm just about I'm not comparing yourself. Yes, you know, and and that's something that I personally struggled with early on in my journey when I was comparing myself to the social media you know the algorithm that likes this and that and what other People in our space were doing and we're not doing. And you know, having that imposter syndrome and mentally it did take a toll on me and, like you said, you had to find those things that keep you grounded. So, like the first thing I always do when I'm feeling like mentally off, I run to basketball. Like like physical activity for me is just a way to I can just easily just let everything out. And then the second thing I do run to is prayer. Right, just prayer works. You know. Everything changes with prayer, you know, and and it just gives you, it postures your heart into the sense of gratitude and just being grateful for the moment and be where, where you are currently. So that's something that helps me stay grounded.

Speaker 2:

And you know, even for Anyone that's listening, that are entrepreneurs that are probably in relationship similar to me and britney. You know, being married In a business can be a toll as well. Right, and something that we implemented. Man be implemented is a while ago, but it's just until this year. We actually Honor it and do it like every consistently. Every monday is have like these weekly meetings where we check in and having that check in time yeah, yeah, yeah, we don't buy the beach away from home. Um, and before we even have our business meeting, we have our personal meeting.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I love it. Yeah, so we ask each other what's, what's, what's our love tank for the day, like how do we feel? And that's something that you know holds each of us accountable and also so brings up anything to the surface mentally that we can share. Yeah you know. So I want to know, like, how important is Community when it comes to mental health, or having someone to actually speak to when it comes to mental health?

Speaker 1:

We, as humans, are not designed to be alone. We're designed to be in community and be with others. Your first community is your family. For many entrepreneurs, they feel very alone Because the family does not understand. Yeah, what are you doing? What do you mean? Why? Why aren't you doing what we thought you were gonna do? We don't understand, and, and it's okay, you can't get mad at them. Don't get mad at the family. They don't understand. But now you don't have co-workers, you don't have a boss to tell you what to do or a supervisor, so you're very isolated. That is not good for mental health. So I usually tell people when they're starting off find communities. If you can't afford to join a community, there are free communities. Find a free community. Find a co-working space, just so you can go there, like people were going to Starbucks. They have so many co-working spaces. Now you can also go there, and a lot of these co-working spaces now have community. They have workshops, they have events, they have things like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah so that you're not isolated. And then you need to have yourself your own advisory board that sounds, that sounds pretty.

Speaker 2:

What is that? When I hear it, I'm like so you know how large corporations.

Speaker 1:

They have an advisory board the people that they go to that help them make decisions as a solo entrepreneur. Right, you're right, like we can't be sitting on all the parts of the table, right.

Speaker 2:

That's what it feels like, so I'm like what is that? So that makes sense, okay, so I continue.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, it was me. For a long time it was like I was my my board. Right, I'm coming to me for everything. I can't do that. So at that point you have to be like, okay, who do I need on my advisory board? You're gonna need a coach, you're gonna need a mentor, you're gonna need accountability partners Definitely those. Then, when it comes to the mental health, do you have a therapist? You know who's helping you with your wellness? Some people have life coaches, nutritionists, different people so you decide who are the people that's gonna help me be my best self to run this business. That's your advisory board.

Speaker 2:

No, that's great. So the way you explain that now, you know, brings back to what we enjoy the most, like our relationship with our mentors. So that's something that, early on, we made sure that be invested into, you know in the last few years and has changed everything for us mentally.

Speaker 2:

Just having the access to someone that understands the internet, to business and just the mental aspect of it has been a game changer for us. And yeah, I love that you touched on that, because I think you definitely need someone that could, you can go to and bounce Ideas from, but also just to let all out there like what you're feeling, you know and what you're thinking, stuff like that like.

Speaker 3:

Sometimes it could even be a bottleneck, like the things that we deal with internally. Sometimes can be a bottleneck in the business. Because for me, I'm unashamed. I've had therapists in the past and I had therapists growing up when I was, you know, my teenage years and then I recently got a therapist shout out to her amazing. But you know, it's beautiful, because when you have these sessions with the therapist, there's things that you're unpacking and a lot of times I feel like when you sit with it, you know Not run away from it, when you sit with it and you tackle it head-on, you know there's a level that's unlocked in the business because now, what you've learned in your personal life, you can apply it in your business. The way that you treat people, the way that you show up. You know what I mean, and so I'm a I'm a fan of therapy. I believe that it's, it is necessary and it's been a blessing for me. So, yeah, that was, that was my TED talk.

Speaker 2:

No, but I also want to ask you what do you say to the people that feel like they had it, so they went through therapy there. Yet they probably have a few coaches by now, but they feel like it doesn't work. What do you say to that person?

Speaker 1:

Okay, this is a question that comes up a lot. One of the things that I usually ask clients who've had different therapists is Was this therapist Equipped to handle what you're dealing with? Because sometimes we just choose therapists Because they're available, because they took our insurance, yeah, but maybe they weren't equipped for the particular issue you have going on. So that's one question I'll ask, like all these different therapists, were they equipped? Did you ask the questions like this is what I'm dealing with, this is my trauma, or this is my challenge, or you know, this is my thing, and Are they equipped to handle that? That could be a reason why it's not working. You know, it's kind of like if you go to, you know, a podiatrist, but you really needed to go to a different kind of doctor, yeah, you know like, so they might be helping the wrong thing or they're they're helping you, but it's not. It's not making sense because really there's some other ailment. So sometimes that's what's going on.

Speaker 1:

I'd say that. I'd also say, um, some people's understanding of therapy is that it's passive. You know, passive meaning you go to therapy, you sit there for an hour, a Therapist talks to you and then you go home, you go back to your usual, whatever you do, and you go back the next week and, you know, do that again. And I usually say it's like going to church every Sunday you pray and then you go back to your regular life, you don't do anything different, you're not praying every day. And then you're like why is my spiritual faith not growing? Why is my relationship not getting better? So I usually ask people what do you do in between your sessions? Are you doing work? Yeah, right, are you practicing? Your therapist should be helping with that like, hey, do this in the week. Here are some tools. Here are some tips. Try this out. Here's homework.

Speaker 1:

Yeah so that could be a reason. Actually, there's two more things. Sometimes we do need medication and we don't realize that, and the only way to find that out is to talk to a psychiatrist. Because it could be it's not your fault, it's a chemical situation, it's hormonal, it's hereditary and you don't know that. So sometimes it's going to a psychiatrist and finding out is something else going on? And Then there's just not ready for change and we have to be real about that.

Speaker 1:

There was a long time that I wasn't ready to start setting boundaries. I Wanted them, I knew what they were, but if you set boundaries you have to deal with what comes after it. I Might lose some friends, I might have to break up from this relationship, I might have to quit this job, I might have to move. I'm gonna have to do something scary and hard and I'm not ready to do that. So I'm gonna keep talking about it. It's like you know, watching workout videos but not doing the exercises. You can't do that. You have to be ready for the change and you have to be ready to do the work on your journey of just in life.

Speaker 2:

You Pursued therapists. You know I haven't had the opportunity to pursue it at all, or felt, you know, to that level yet to pursue it in that way. So I wanted to know, like what we, you, say to the person that feels like they need Just? You know they need help, but there's just not sure if they're busy, like you know pretty much help them.

Speaker 3:

This is such a loaded question, but there's so much beauty on the other side and the crazy thing is, when you're in it you can't see that beauty, like when you're in that space where it's like you feel pulled down and you feel dark. You don't even believe that. But that's why me and Seneca and Ej are here to sit here and tell you that there is beauty on this other Side and it does come with what Seneca said, which is the scary stuff we have to face it. In my journey, I wouldn't say that I was Super, super addicted to alcohol, but it was a hundred percent at a point in my life, a crutch, and I realized that through drinking alcohol I was often running away from what I felt and I wasn't facing things head-on. And it wasn't until I said you know what this memory hurts and it scares me, but I'm not gonna drink this time, I'm gonna face it and I'm gonna face it with God. Honestly, for me it was God. I didn't like.

Speaker 3:

Y'all might know a little bit of my story, but I wasn't a Christian growing up. I didn't know about Christ and it wasn't until four years ago, you know, christ radically changed my life and that was a big turning point for me going to those dark places with God and being vulnerable, because it was hard for me to be vulnerable growing up and yeah, so I would really encourage you to try it and to keep trying and to not stop because, like I said, I had therapists when I was a teenager. A couple of times I think I had three or four therapists God bless them. They were a great, you know, during that time, but I didn't give up. I'm 28 now.

Speaker 3:

You know I was 15 back then when I had a therapist. I'm 28 and I still want a therapist. I want a therapist next year. You know what I mean. So I think there's always layers that we can uncover and, like you said, when we have somebody in our corner to sit with us and that you know it's, it's so helpful and beneficial and I don't think, I think it's for everyone. Honestly, I think it's great to reflect and I Think we're gonna get therapists together next year for sure, for sure, and you know, appreciate your response.

Speaker 2:

Those people and In regards to mental health, seneca, like let's talk about the beauty of it now, right, like for the, you know, let's just just get rid of the misconceptions of physical, having a physical therapist in your life and mental, mental health, can you talk about like just the beauty of it and what it can do for the business owner to get to the next level in their business?

Speaker 1:

when you Feel trapped by your own thoughts, your thoughts. You know like people talk about imposter syndrome a lot. I'll use that as an example. Imposter syndrome is a figment of your imagination, imagination unless you're an actual imposter which I actually found an article that said people that are actual imposters Do not have imposter syndrome. They don't.

Speaker 1:

So you have to ask yourself, like why do I feel like an imposter if I'm not? Maybe you're just learning. You're a new entrepreneur. You're supposed to make mistakes. You're not supposed to know everything. You're learning, you're growing. So it's shifting your mind, so that you're free from that burden of these fears of what if I make a mistake? Okay, you might make a mistake. What if I fail? Okay, you might fail. Fail forward. What will you learn? Failure is just information. It's just telling you do this next time or don't do that next time. That's all failure really is. But when we remove our ego from it, then we're not worried about being embarrassed, or what are people gonna say? Or people are gonna laugh at me. When you remove your ego from it and you don't attach emotion to failure, failure is just a word.

Speaker 3:

Just because I feel like being gracious towards yourself is important on this journey because, like you said, it can get lonely and sometimes we can be hard on ourselves.

Speaker 3:

I know growing up I was super hard on myself, like crazy hard on myself, and you know, there was just a lot of grace and love in what you said and I believe that's something that we should practice more, like the way that you would talk to a friend. You know, when they make a mistake, how loving are we to them. We're like girl, don't worry. Like, you know, don't worry. But to ourselves we'd be like no play, you know, just just going crazy. So, um, you know, just just be gracious and kind to yourself during the process.

Speaker 2:

Understanding is a process, right, and not none of the successful people out there entrepreneurs that went through the process and it was easy. You know they went all through their went through ups and downs, just like the real closer and, um, you know, there's still things that I'm sure they're still dealing with. You know, at any level, because there's always another level when you're you get to the next level. So, um, you just got to be, uh, the question that we like to ask ourselves is who do we have to become now, like, who do we have to become to achieve in the next level in our business? And that's something that we were constantly working on and, um, you know, if it wasn't for God and our community, our strong church community, and our friends and family and um people that, like you guys, are online, that's sharing information, this valuable information about um mental health, because it's something that I probably didn't want to even think about, honestly, you know, um, until we actually met you. So you put you, putting that in the forefront is very, very key and helpful for um, you know, I feel like generations to come um next.

Speaker 2:

So, um, as you wrap up wrap up this podcast I do want to talk about just burnout Like um. Was there a time in your journey that you dealt with um burnout or film overworked Cause? It's something that I know that we personally felt. Um, especially when we have so many ideas and wanting to do so many different things in our, in our business, um, we can hit a wall sometime. So where's some of the things that you probably went through in regards to burnout Um?

Speaker 1:

there's two parts to burnout that I've experienced. Um, the first time that I experienced burnout as a therapist in private practice for myself was trying to please everyone, thinking that I could like change a systemic issue, which I can't on my own, you know, because we want mental health to be accessible. But I'm one person, so if I have low fees, it means that I have to see a lot of people to be able to pay my bills and and live, and, um, I had to understand that I have to find another way to be accessible and to help people and this wasn't going to work, so I have to raise my fees. There was a time where I had all the ideas and I felt like I had to implement everything at the same time. Yeah yeah, I felt like, okay, I have 10 ideas, I got to do all of them, like this year, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we got to get all done this year. Yeah, that's honestly something that we're going to do. Like, we have so many different things that comes to our mind, um, just in the last few months. So this week we're actually going to take our own little retreat in the next four days just to really laser focus on, like, what are the top things you want to get done for 2024? Um, because it's so many different things. So I love that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, we can't do all the things all at once. You can do all of them, but not all at once. Mm hmm.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that may send. So, um, I guess what do you like? What are some tips or strategies that you have in place to manage? I guess you know the ideas, the goals, um, so you won't hit that wall, so you won't fill that burnout and stress.

Speaker 1:

Well, I had to tell myself I'm not running out of time. You know, this is a marathon, or not even a marathon, it's a journey. Right? I plan to be on this journey as long as I'm alive. So if that's the case, if I don't do something this year or next year, it doesn't mean it's not going to get done. Just because someone else launched there is now doesn't mean you can't launch yours in two years from now. So I had to get to a place of I'm not running out of time, right? So that was one thing, um. The other thing is just understanding that life is just so much more. Entrepreneurs have a really hard time Of separating themselves from business. It's always on your mind all the time, and sometimes people with like nine to fives don't get this because even though they're thinking about work a lot and I remember, you know having a nine to five you still turn it off. You go on vacation and you turn it off. Entrepreneurs on vacation are thinking about oh my God, let's get content.

Speaker 2:

Yes. And I'm not calling y'all out but you know, like let's say, call us out. You understand me, you be like babe, put the camera down. I'm like babe, but I just want to get this. So we tell you understand that, right, come for us please.

Speaker 1:

Or you're thinking like oh, I got a like network, I got to do this, I got to do that. Oh, I got these ideas. So something I started doing is leaving my laptop at home. I don't even bring it.

Speaker 2:

We did that today yeah.

Speaker 1:

I don't even bring the laptop with me, like if I go on a cruise, I don't get the internet package. Oh, so I am away.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

I am totally away. I'm unplugged. I'm not plugged into the matrix, I'm out.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we talk about that all the time.

Speaker 1:

Like you don't, do not want to get stuck in the matrix, I'm out, I'm out, so like that's important for our mental health, we have to be able to like shut it off and be like there's a whole real life that we have to live, has nothing to do with money, that has nothing to do with social media or the business, so like that's a really important thing is remember that you have this life, you have family, you have friends.

Speaker 3:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

You have your whole self as a person. Like you know what are your hobbies? Yeah, what do you like to do? What makes you happy? I ask people stuff like that and they look at me like with the blanks there.

Speaker 2:

Huh, what do I like to do? No, it really be like that and that's something that it's always in our conversations Like we have to do more outside of this. We love our business. You know God bless us, you know the beautiful business and you know be able to service or gifts and talents, but we hate the idea of thinking about work all the time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

You know, something we're doing now, too, is we're really looking at our calendar and scheduling. In those other parts that you're talking about Like okay, I want to learn about herbal remedies, I'm going to put like an hour of blockage time on a Sunday or a Saturday, versus like the week, the weekday. So, um, yeah, yeah, I think definitely, if there's somebody listening right now, they're over words. Take some time to identify some of those things that used to light you up and cause we. How can you pour into like people if you're just drained?

Speaker 2:

It's true, and, like she said, one of the things that helped us was um time blocking, pretty much. I uh allocating time for the things that do light us up, that fuels us and can ground us, because if we don't put it in the calendar, it's probably not going to get done, right, you know. And honoring that time block, though, or only honoring that time where we do cut off work, because, as entrepreneurs, we don't. No one makes our own schedule for us. We make our own schedule, so we have to treat it like we were working at nine to five and um, there's something that has helped us in our business, in our life, to manage as much as possible. I actually want to ask you what do you think about work life balance? Do you think that's possible to achieve, or is there in such there's, no such thing of that?

Speaker 1:

There's no such thing as balance, um, because there are things in life that are out of our control. As we learned a few years ago, we can't control everything. What you can control is doing things that are in alignment with what you value. That is really work life balance. If you value having um time for exercise, make time for exercise. If you value spending time with friends and family, like schedule it on your calendar, call them and make an appointment. Like I have friends where I set dates with them. Like hey, let's go out next month, let's do this thing. Um, my daughter, you know she's a teenager, she's heading off to college next year. We have movie nights so we'll be like, oh, what movie are we going to watch on um Friday or Saturday? You know we're watching like the golden bachelor, now together.

Speaker 2:

Is that Netflix?

Speaker 1:

That's not a movie. It's like the bachelor, but they have like senior citizens. Have you ever heard of the bachelor and the bachelorette?

Speaker 2:

It's a series. Yes, yeah, it's a series yeah. Yeah, okay, wait, wait.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, they're doing senior citizens. Sorry, we've been watching this show. I've never watched it before. It's so good.

Speaker 2:

We've been watching. Love is Blind. You remember that one.

Speaker 1:

Love is Blind is awesome yeah yeah, yeah, you watch that too, yeah we're watching that. You know and um, there's nothing wrong with that. Like you can still. Like. When people see my social media and like they see the things I'm doing, they swear I'm working all the time.

Speaker 2:

Like no, that's what it says. Like I thought you was working, I'm like nice Feelin' work Technically we're a little work, yeah, like no.

Speaker 1:

I'm like watching Love is Blind, I'm watching Bachelor. You know I'm going to the movies, I'm going to the beach, I'm doing things. You know, it's just being intentional about work when you're working, when you're working, you work, and then you're intentional about the other things that you do. Ooh, I love that.

Speaker 3:

I'll end this off. There was one thing that I wanted to add about mental health, and I think that it's something that's skipped over. A lot that I learned in my journey, um, but for me it was really my health. So I feel like my health was actually playing a part in, like my physical health was playing a part in my mental health, and the reason why I say that is because I was affected by toxic mold. I know it sounds weird every time I say this is like what? Toxic mold? What, yeah, toxic mold.

Speaker 3:

I was affected and I had to start getting tested and stuff like that, because toxic mold can colonize in your nose, in your gut, and so it led me on this journey in the last year to work with, like naturopathic doctors, and you know I did gut testing. You know I did a hair analysis test where you know you cut your hair, you send it to a lab and they will analyze like the minerals in your body. Are the minerals like off balance, you know? And so I wanted to mention that because I learned that you know if there's like certain food that I'm always eating, it actually makes me depressed and he'll see it Like if I'll keep eating. You know like it sounds crazy, but ice cream sandwiches like I bought literally a box of M&M ice cream sandwiches and I ate the whole thing one time because I was like I don't know, I just felt defeated and I was like, so I'm just going to eat six M&M sandwiches and I literally felt horrible. My stomach was so bloated I mean, I had no energy, I felt crappy. I just wanted to mention this because sometimes we may not even think about our bodies, like what we're putting into our bodies and how that can play a role into our mental health. But yeah, like me and EJ, we do try to. We try our best to eat a certain way, just more like fruits and vegetables, you know, vibrant, colorful things. That's easier on our digestion and we do feel a difference, you know, in our business and in our personal lives. So, yeah, I wanted to bring that up.

Speaker 3:

Even like people might experience like adrenal fatigue, things like that, and I think a lot of the times our first response is like, oh, let's drink a cup of coffee. But what I'm learning from, like the naturopathic side is that coffee can actually burn out the adrenal glands. So there's just a lot. There's like the minerals I mean right now.

Speaker 3:

For example, like my test, I have like high calcium levels but really low like potassium levels, and I guess because of the imbalance of the calcium and the potassium, it shows that like I have low thyroid or something like that, like low energy and fatigue, which I do feel a lot. I feel very fatigued and stuff like that. And so when I saw the mineral test and the explanation, I was like, oh, I was like, okay, that's why you know I'm tired. So now I'm trying to implement, like eating more bananas, you know, has potassium in it, and just looking at the nutritional side, because I feel like that is skipped out a lot. You know when we're talking about mental health. So that was my last thing, and do you have anything else that you want to add to that?

Speaker 1:

personally, around like no, I totally agree with that and I've been seeing like a functional medicine doctor for the past few years because I've been dealing with a lot of autoimmune issues like currently am dealing with autoimmune issues as well, and sometimes people don't know what's happening to them because they're not going and getting a physical exam, they're not, you know, getting checked up. So they're thinking like, oh well, what's wrong with me? That was probably another addition to white therapy may not be working. What's going on physically? Yeah?

Speaker 3:

That's so good, so I hope you know whoever's listening to this. Let it inspire you. Don't be scared of the doctor. Just go get that yearly blood panel, Check your vitamin D levels. I mean, that's, that's a big one too. I had very low vitamin D, so I had to change my nutrition. Do a little supplementation, obviously, but I'm not a doctor. Talk to your doctor.

Speaker 1:

Yes, talk to your doctor, do not. We're not qualified to diagnose.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, just something to explore and just bring to your attention, because the thing is like, I only learned about this because somebody else was talking about it, so there was an awareness part, so I just take this as an awareness thingy and, yeah, we love y'all.

Speaker 2:

We do, we do and this has been awesome, I mean, I learned so much is about you know the different aspects of mental health and just your story, seneca, and everything. So I'm super excited for just the listeners here today. It's about your story and how they can overcome some of the things that they're probably dealing with mentally, that they're probably keeping it within, you know, but hopefully this, hopefully this encourages you to go out there and seek help if that's needed, or medical advice, or maybe your diet or nutrition wise. So before we wrap up, can you just share to the audience you know some ways they can connect with you, learn more about your services, maybe ways they can, you know, grow on their mental health journey.

Speaker 1:

My advice to you that if you are trying to run a business and you're thinking that there's shame in asking for help, there is no shame. Part of being mentally strong is asking for help, and you can reach out to me at SenecaWilliamscom or you can find me on social media at askcom. You can also find me at the Conquer Network where I can help you with building mental wealth for business, breaking through your business anxiety or beating business burnout.

Speaker 2:

I love that. I love that. Thank you so much, seneca, for being on the show today. You did amazing. I'm super excited and, for everyone, thank you for listening in. If you're on YouTube, thank you for watching and let us know in the comments you know some of the ways that you probably overcame mental health in your life, or if there's any resources you want to share to any of the community down below and just feel free to like, comment, subscribe and thank you so much again and we'll see you guys in the next one. Take care everyone. Bye-bye.