006 - Brooke Haynes - Success Through Strategic Entrepreneurship and Self-Care

Brooke Haynes, co-founder of Consurgo World, shares her revolutionary approach to entrepreneurship during the pandemic, emphasizing the power of positivity and community building. Her journey of creating meaningful global connections and maintaining a clear vision amidst chaos serves as a beacon for those looking to make a significant impact. The episode delves into the nuances of virtual event management and the vitality of online communities, offering valuable insights for entrepreneurs on balancing multiple roles and strategically planning for business longevity.

Brooke's personal practices of setting daily intentions and expressing gratitude are highlighted as transformative tools that shape interactions and foster a supportive community. These reflections not only underscore the importance of self-care in the entrepreneurial journey but also illustrate the ripple effect of a positive mindset on the wider world. As Brooke (along with co-host Lin Schueller-Williams) continues to inspire through their Frequency500 podcast, we invite our listeners to dive deeper into the narratives of empowerment and challenge that Shiro Cafe brings to the forefront, encouraging a journey of growth and resilience.

Connect with Brooke Haynes
Brooke coaches entrepreneurs on how to align with their passion, build community, and multiply their impact.  She is the Co-founder of Consurgo, a global personal development community. She founded Be You Virtual Event Planning and Platform Designer where her team hosts podcasts, virtual conferences, and builds all-in-one marketing platforms and online communities. 
www.ItsSimplyReal.com

---CONNECT with Shero Cafe---
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shero.cafe.podcast/
Email: thesherocafe@gmail.com

---CONNECT with Deborah Edwards---
Let's Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborah.edwards.372
Self Care Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/624202641785785
Website: https://gratefulom.life/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahedwards-selfcarecoach/

---CONNECT with Debbie Pearson---
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/debbie.pearson.921
Facebook Group (Self-Discovery Lab): https://www.facebook.com/groups/selfdiscoverylab
Website: https://www.debbiepearson.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiepearsoncoach/

Transcript

Debbie: 0:02

Welcome to the Shero Cafe, where you'll find heaping helpings of delicious wisdom that heals the soul, with Devorah Edwards and Debbie Pearson. Welcome, welcome, welcome. I just want to say you guys, how incredibly excited I I am, both for you and for us, because we've got another wonderful show with an incredible guest who has a fascinating story, and I don't want to go on and on, although I could. I'm going to leave it up to Deborah to introduce today's guest shero, over to you do what?

Deborah: 0:41

okay, thank you, Debbie. I am so excited to introduce our esteemed guest, Brooke Haynes. Brooke is known for her work in guiding entrepreneurs to align with their passion and multiply their impact. She's a co-founder of Consergo World and establishing BE You Virtual Event Planning. There's a lot more. Check out her website and that will be in the description below.

Deborah: 1:15

But we here at Shero Cafe are grateful for Brooke, who was very instrumental in getting our podcast up. She helped us come to you, so we're again wanting to express our gratitude for that. Welcome, Brooke, and I have got to tell you again I am grateful for the contributions that you make, and there are so many. I have known you for years and I am grateful to you for the contributions you have made to my business and for your friendship. It means the world for me. Over the years I have watched as you have navigated through many transitions in your life with ease and grace, not to mention that beautiful boy of yours. I just want to oh, he's so cute. But can you share with our audience a little bit about your own personal Shero story?

Brooke: 2:13

Oh, yes, oh, you know there's a lot to my story. Of course. We all have these different phases and turning points and journeys and all of that turning points and journeys and all of that. So when I think of Shero cause I don't know if I ever looked at myself, if you all hear a background, I'm sorry my dog is just decided to get the zoomies right as we start talking, so he about knocked me down just now, but he, but I don't think I ever saw myself as a Shiro before, before the last five years or so of my life. And so when you say your Shiro journey it started, it starts right about COVID.

Brooke: 2:58

Honestly, I and where I really went in and zoomed in to really help in the world in a way that I was never, that I know I'm here for and that I have looked back and seen I've done in the past but it really struck out through COVID and it was working with doctors and business owners and people that had all of this confidence and knowledge and wisdom and watched it go right out the door because of what was happening with COVID and to help them transition and pivot, give them new vision and now take it online, grow and expand their businesses, grow and expand their teams and really a lot of coaching in the background. Personal of no, look here, look here. You know, and I really, if you ever asked me, when did I ever feel like a hero? I can look back and honestly say 2020, I felt like I didn't in the midst of it. But looking back, I did. I said I did my job. I really did my job.

Deborah: 4:16

Wow. And how about that ripple, right? I mean, when you think about it, you know you're, you're looking at maybe just this one person that you helped to pivot, to move in, and what the ripple is the fact that they're having on the people that they connect with. Wow, that's huge.

Brooke: 4:34

Absolutely, and these communities became where they couldn't go back to, only in-person right. They grew globally and found their own voice in a bigger way and it was, it was, it was for me a very beautiful time.

Deborah: 4:55

So I'm hearing that during that time you're saying you didn't see yourself as a hero or as a shero. I'm, I mean, I'm, I'm hearing that during that time that you became more connected to yourself as well and to your nevermind my brain works so funny your special purpose I was thinking about the jerk, do you remember that movie? But anyway, connected to your special purpose, to your purpose, and that aligned, you became more aligned with that purpose during that time.

Brooke: 5:28

Yes, yes, and I'm not going to tell you and I wasn't. I understood what was going on. I had people affected by COVID. I had, and COVID led into a lot of other things that year. You know that happened and I had. I was extremely aware so I wasn't blinded by it, but I felt like I was. I had a coach at the time that said you're like the phoenix rising, because I was upset that I have offended some people because I was too positive during COVID. And she's like you're just like the phoenix rising. You're down here in the ashes Cause I could see the problems, I could.

Brooke: 6:08

I was affected by some of those problems, but I still saw where this was going to head and what was happening and what we were witnessing, and and how this could be a bigger impact, you know, a great impact and a good way to yeah, and that vision is how her, she rose right yeah. Yes.

Deborah: 6:26

Yes, Because it's so easy just to see the ashes, you know it is so easy.

Deborah: 6:32

So I have to ask you about connection. I want to. I want to tell you, you and I were involved with a Be More conference several years ago, and one of the things that you brought to that conference so powerfully was connection, the idea of connection and how we can help each other and how connecting is really the answer to you know to so much and so powerfully, and so, as co-founder of Consurgo World, I know that your focus is on building a personal development community where lifelong learners connect and grow together and, by the way, I love the tagline we rise together. Can you tell me more about that?

Brooke: 7:18

Yeah, so one of the things that came out of that time period of COVID is I met John Drennan, who is my partner in Consurgo, and we pivoted one of his yearly events online and then afterwards he was like I think you might can help me with a project. And I said he's like it's not even started yet. This is what I'm thinking about.

Brooke: 7:41

And he sat there and described something I've almost started several times and I said, oh, this is my project and we, we, just we, totally aligned with what we saw. And even at the time when COVID happened and people who were in brick and mortars bakeries, local bakeries, I was like, just put your product on my website, we'll get it shipped, we'll do something, we'll figure it out how to get there. Like, just put it on my website, just, anybody who needs to use a website, just put it on my website, you know, or or out, we'll, we'll get it, we'll get. We will collaborate and get this rolling right. We'll figure out how to take the artists whose shows didn't get seen. How can we view these online? How can we take it either? Showing there are online and also, how can someone go in the art building and do filming and project it out to the world?

Brooke: 8:35

Like I was just like it was happening and he was somebody that saw that. He saw well, he didn't see what he saw a place where people can come and get lots of different information and like a resource center, and together we just really aligned and our skill sets along um were very much as as as different as they needed to be to make something like this launch um and and john is a is a new paradigm kind of man I mean. He's. He speaks, what he talks about, he listens, he takes it in, he allows people to, he allows everyone to have their voice. So he was very easy to work with and it was in September of 2020, we started meeting every every Friday and we still meet every Friday.

Brooke: 9:29

And and what Consurgo is is we launched. We launched with about 80, I think, 80 members in the very beginning and we're experts, we like to say, who haven't made it to Oprah yet, right Experts who know what they're doing, who know their stuff, who help people transform themselves all the time, who just haven't made it on the biggest stages yet For them to come on and share their wisdom. However, they share their wisdom and then our members can have a dose of that. So it's a membership community platform and the people, the experts. We call them experts because everybody's an expert at something right, and so it could be like how to grow the perfect orchid. I mean, there's a lot of people who don't know how to help to have an orchid around around.

Deborah: 10:27

I kill them every time.

Brooke: 10:30

So it could be that simple or it could be, you know, like what you all do and how you all affect the world every day, and, and, and, and. We share this wisdom through um. We call them C- talks and they're like a Ted talk, which is a one directional, 20 minute, little informative idea Like. This is the idea, this is what it is, this is what it, how. This is the solution is how you bring it home Like the whole package in 20 minutes, like a Ted talk. And then there's also masterclasses and workshops and courses, book clubs, and so people come in and enjoy what parts of it they like to participate in.

Debbie: 11:10

Cool, cool, cool and I'm I will have looked at the uh, the website and it seemed like it was a really reasonable price per month. Is that? Did I look at the right?

Brooke: 11:21

yeah set with seven dollars for your first 30 days and 17 thereafter amazing.

Debbie: 11:28

that's actually. That's a incredible. Um, what am I trying to say? Like quality for the price, that's amazing. Thank you, value. I knew the word was in there somewhere, yeah.

Deborah: 11:43

Amazing and I know some of the, some of the people that are members there. You know these are some pretty heavy hitters, some pretty they're. They're quality people that are dedicated to really helping all of us rise together. I just love the concept. I love it, love it, love it. So that's not the only thing that you do, my dear. I know Consurgo World is one of the things, as a co-founder, that you do, but that's just a tip of the ripple that you you know, like we mentioned earlier, you helped us get our podcast launched. So what else are you up to and how does that support you and your mission for the world?

Brooke: 12:32

Yes. So the mission is the key to this, because if you look at everything I do, you're like, hmm, how does this all go together? But the key for me, the mission, is micro communities inside of a bigger community, a community of micro communities right right With that are able to weave in together. So they have they have enough overlap to support and collaborate together and yet enough uniqueness where everybody keeps their own identity and keeps their own uniqueness to call it this for everyone to feel that community, the special of that community, the uniqueness of that community. And while they're there and entrepreneurs are often the ones, just because they are often the ones who are building something around a passion you know, they don't, and so I don't have it didn't have to be an entrepreneur, but usually it is who have, um, this mission, this vision, and they want to build community around it and the and there's lots of ways to do that like a podcast. So I got learning. I learned how to do podcasting and what works with podcasting and different ways people do podcasting to grow their community. I did like online platforms and marketing platforms that allow people to come in and do courses and memberships, and I learned how to build them so I could help my clients go, build community and and inside their marketing platforms so they didn't have to rely on social media and gosh, what else?

Brooke: 14:11

Oh, virtual events. You know virtual events. You know, during COVID I hosted Sunday school parties, I hosted family reunions, I hosted a fashion show I mean it was a church fashion show and and and let me tell you, I mean it was, it was what do you call it? What's the word Amateur night? What do you call it? What's the word Amateur night? But I mean they got, they had a runway, they did it, they did their thing, you know, and they weren't, we weren't going to let it stop us, we were going to let it bring us together and have something to do, and and we had so much fun and people were, you know, seeing their families this way and and all kinds of things. So I digress a little bit. But so, virtual events I was already doing that before COVID hit and I was doing it with conferences and coaches and seminars, kind of thing.

Brooke: 15:06

But you can imagine that's just what took over it. Just, I mean, I had there were. I have a picture of me with four computers and I'm managing four computers and four Zooms and so. But that was community and you could see virtually on these computers the different energy of the groups, like I'd have one group like a doula group and that computer was vibrating and like it had light coming out and it was just like you can you know, because they were self-help and self-love and they were nurturing each other.

Brooke: 15:43

And then I had some like meetings and people who didn't want to be there and they didn't like it and they were full of fear of what was happening over here. It it was like doom and gloom and you could see the energies in Zoom and I thought that was really interesting. And so therefore I continue to support people in building their communities virtually as well. I don't do a whole lot of that anymore. I have a team. I give a lot of that to my team, but I still do some and just because other things have grown and I just felt like my purpose was to help people transition.

Deborah: 16:23

Awesome.

Debbie: 16:25

Yes, totally.

Brooke: 16:29

So and then I help. A lot show up is with is helping um when we build those communities is coaching the streamlines, the offers, the um looking at your business as like, as a project, not the projects inside of it, but the whole business as a project. And how do you step into marketing that? You know that um makes your soul come alive like don't tell me to go do SEO if that's not something I want to do. Or you know how does networking work when you don't like people?

Deborah: 17:02

I mean you know.

Brooke: 17:04

So you really need to step in line with your own marketing strategy, and so I help people with that. I'm not a marketer, I'm not that. I just help people align with it and figure out what they need to do and how they can go do it, and then, if they need to hire more people past me, they can. To go to go, they want to market yeah, thank you. To go implement.

Debbie: 17:30

It's really challenging when you're a especially like a solopreneur or micropreneur, and you're like okay, it's just me. How do I wear this hat for, you know, 20 hours a week, and then this hat for 20 hours a week and this hat wait a minute, I've already topped 40 hours, but I got 60, 80 hours to go. What do I do? And then it's so overwhelming, I'm lost and so I love. It sounds like that you like bring that together or help somebody figure out and and what's what?

Brooke: 17:59

the theme has been around me, and I don't know if it's my, it's, it's where I am in business, and so therefore there's where my clients are in business, um, which I do believe a lot in that or or if it's the world, or both, or who knows. And this, what you just talked about is when we're becoming aware that we don't want to work that way, we don't want to overwork. We're sitting here coaching people, self-care, working eight hours a week, 80 hours a week, is not cutting it, it's just not. We have to be who we want to be, who we want our clients to be, what we wish for our clients, or how we show up. So how do we successfully do that?

Brooke: 18:44

So a big theme that's happening right now to me is how to build a team with that can lift the load, where you really stay, where you shine, and of course, that's like a no brainer for companies that are growing.

Brooke: 19:02

But how do people who are making or who are working businesses, a solopreneur, who don't really have a whole lot of like extra cash yet or maybe they're just making it and they're there now, but they are not looking to give it all away to a team how can we really identify how to start building a team and what's the exit strategy? I mean, a lot of us are so attached to our businesses because they're our passions. They're almost offended when they get asked what's your exit strategy? Well, I'm doing this forever. I'm like no. Well, you can, of course, you can also just say I quit, and quit it when you're ready. But do you want the legacy to go on? And let's look at that. And what would that? How would we build this business if you are no longer in it every day? So that's got to be part of the plan.

Deborah: 19:52

I love that. I love that too. And one thing that I'm sorry, Debbie, I'm going to just jump in here, but one thing that I was thinking as you were saying that and the plan for getting people around you that's going to help you to stay in your zone of excellence, that's for us too, for us people. Well, I'm in a business, right. But if I don't have a business, if I'm a mom with four kids, that should still be my strategy. That still applies, right? So how do I create the support that I need around me for me to stay in my zone of excellence? You know, maybe when the kids leave or whatever, after I'm done with this particular project, what's my exit strategy? So I love that. That applies to everyone, all of our listeners, even if you're not in a business.

Brooke: 20:49

Beautifully said beautifully said before this call, I'll tell you what happened to me. Said beautifully said before this call. I'll tell you what happened to me. Um, I have a new dog in our life. He came about. Oh look, he got silent and I got real scared. Oh, where did he go? Speak?

Debbie: 21:03

to that dog when did he go.

Brooke: 21:04

Um, and this little buddy is just so full of joy and he's jolly and he has more energy than I've ever seen in five dogs together and he's and I've noticed. So the point where I'm going with this is he's been getting out of the fence and my neighbors are being very tolerant of this. You know, dog coming that looks like a Rottweiler, coming at them at full speed just to wag his tail and go like this and I was starting to feel very insecure just the last like 24 hours about. My neighbors are going to think can that girl not control her own dog? You know I was starting to have some head stuff pop up.

Brooke: 21:47

Well, right before this call, I'm sitting here working and he hops the fence and I go outside and catch him and of course he's not going to let me catch him. He's on my neighbor's porch and he spots a woman digging through the recycling bin. Now, in my neighborhood I haven't ever seen someone go through our trash or something. I mean I've seen it all around but not in my particular neighborhood or something there. I mean I've seen it all around but not on in my particular neighborhood. And I saw him jump, I saw him sear and he scales the porch and runs and I just yell he's friendly. So she didn't like get really scared and he just, she just received him.

Brooke: 22:29

So I patiently walked down there and this woman was such a peaceful energy and she was and she just sat there and she pet him. She was like, oh, he looks like a Rottweiler and he tells she tells me all about Rottweilers and she's got a gash on her head. That's. You know, that's been been dealt with, but it's new. And she says here, let me help you with him. And in this moment I'm just like she calmed me down, she helped me real. She's like, oh, they got so much energy and they're fence jumpers and they love to roam, they're hard to keep and she was like letting me be okay with who I was.

Brooke: 23:12

Right and and she and she's taking him and she's like here, let me help you take him up to the, to your porch, and I, and he's big, or, and so he dug around a little bit and then I took over and she did and I was like I mean, she made me feel so good and I went inside and I started grabbing all the food I had. I mean, it was all open stuff, but I just grabbed it anyway and said I had $5 and 50 cents in cash on me because I'm just I'm not a cash girl and I've grabbed some stuff to help with her head and I'm like I don't know if I want to offend her, I don't know, but I was just so gracious for this moment and when I went back outside, I gave her this. I said well, I don't know what you're looking for and I said but is food something you might want? And she said oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll take it. And so she took it and she said I'm looking for things out of people's recycling bins, specifically that my I could use and recreate to make something new out of, to sell it. That's what she was doing. And I said okay, and um, and she was wonderful. And she said if you ever need someone to walk your dog I mean I don't know how you'd get ahold of me, but if you ever see me I would I was like, okay, what I'm taking away from that story?

Brooke: 24:30

When you said that, um, deborah is like that was someone I would never knew how much I needed to run into, I, I was feeling a lot of feels over the weekend about a lot of different things and then, heavily, I was feeling really insecure about my dog over the last 24 hours and his behavior. And she, just she, just like picked me up. This homeless woman digging in the trash with this wonderful energy, picked me up and it really shone the spotlight on all that I had, on all that was working well, on all the abundance in my life, the people in my life, my circumstances, my knowledge, how I can make things happen on my own. And yet I was provided with this experience and that's what my takeaway of it was. Was the universe designed this? I say God, god designed this for me to have this experience to self, for my own self, love for my own self love allowed me to have grace for myself and appreciation and gratitude what

Debbie: 25:48

not not using specifically the that that she's um, what did you call her? Like a homeless lady or something? So not specifically using the term, but we're just going to call this lady an angel and what I see is that is who you are to the people that have dogs running around, jumping fences, flying after other people and they're going oh my God, what is everybody thinking? And they're running around in their head with all these issues and problems going on and I don't know how I'm going to contain all of this. And then you come up with your calmness because you've already got it figured out. You're like let's take that information and assimilate it in a way that's going to make sense to you, help you calm down. It's a beautiful storybook that you see it from your perspective of you know it gave you this other way of seeing yourself in your personal life, of who you are, but I also see it as this beautiful analogy for what it is that you do to help other people come to their own heart, to be able to do the thing that they want to do the most, depending on what, who they are and what it is, but they want to make that difference and so, overwhelmed with all this other stuff going on, can't see that, so I'll just call you an angel, as she was for you.

Brooke: 27:19

Well, that was beautifully said. Thank you, that was very touching and I will take that to heart.

Deborah: 27:28

Awesome. And so now my final question and I think we've kind of talked about it a little bit already is like can you share with our audience your perspective on self-care and self-love and how that shows up in your life and, ultimately, how they contribute to your success and living your best life?

Brooke: 27:54

Yes, I can present time my. The best self-care I do for myself is grace and time out of and time out of my head. Like time out of my head, whatever that means, whether it means running to hug a tree, whether it means in the morning, I'll always set my intentions like that. If I don't do anything else except wake up, thank you God and set my intentions. That's the thing, because and sometimes my intentions start to show up with energy and sometimes my intentions are to be you know. But then sometimes I have a list right, a big long intention, and what that does for me is it already puts me ahead of it immediately. I'm already ahead of the game because I'm the one who set the attention of how this was going to go, and we all know how life takes off as soon as those feet hit the floor right.

Brooke: 28:52

But, if I woke up feeling out ahead of it, if I woke up feeling empowered, then I can at least have a good start to the day. And then stepping out of my mind helps me help my clients with not what I think they should be, but like holding space to bring it out of them, for them to line up with who they are, and so that's why it's so important for me to make sure I'm out of my head during the day as much as I can be. And then the impact that makes in the world. We're all affecting not one or two people that the person we're talking to, but everyone they talk to and who they talk to and who they talk to. So it is a huge ripple effect. And who they talk to and who they talk to. So it is a huge ripple effect.

Deborah: 29:41

Absolutely.

Debbie: 29:42

Awesome, awesome, and it is a huge ripple effect. It goes on. What do you call that Infinity, like you literally don't know where that that, if it ever ends, it could really, really go out there. So I have a last question, and that is what is your deepest wish for our audience?

Brooke: 30:05

That everyone's able to stand up in their passion and move forward in it, with it, in it, with it, around it, and that is their, that is what brings them forward, that is their forward Beautiful.

Debbie: 30:17

Thank you so much.

Deborah: 30:18

Mm-hmm. Thank you, thank you. Thank you you, Brooke, for being with us today. We are grateful that you have been able to join us and sharing your wisdom and sharing what you do, and I would like to invite listeners to connect with Brooke and to subscribe actually we didn't talk about this today to your Frequency 500 podcast. We'll have those links below in the description, and so I am just so, so grateful, so grateful.

Debbie: 30:54

So, yeah, absolutely All right, well, well, and if you haven't already subscribed to the Shero Cafe podcast, we invite you to do so at sherocafe. com. And, as always, we invite you to love and care for the shero in you. T hank you, bye, bye.