Join Ally and I in our final episode to hear about everything we learned, how we’ve changed in the last year, what’s next for us… and of course… To highlight some of our favorite memories from the stories we recorded. There were so many amazing moments we were lucky enough to share with guests and it made the last year, for us, SO much more enjoyable. The connection we had with others throughout the pandemic kept us sane and focused on our values.

Desiree is an artist who creates and manufactures plant-inspired goodies - including pins, keychains, tote bags, greeting cards, notepads and more. She is in over 800 shops throughout the United States, Canada and Internationally! 

Today, she’s joining us to talk about her journey and the dedication it took to get here - and celebrating the 5th anniversary of it being a true business entity. Shop her line at https://paper-anchor.com/

1. Desiree shares a glimpse into her childhood and how art played a role in her life – from relatives that were self-taught portrait artists to realizing she was always doodling in her notebook instead of doing classwork in school. She always enjoyed drawing and being artistic and is self-taught in watercolor paint.
2. When Desiree first started out, she mainly focused on card stock products - wedding invitations and floral art. She wanted to find a unique niche that was relevant to her – and while she didn’t have a cat or dog, she did have a lot of house plants. Bringing that little piece of herself into her work was a great decision, because her art seemed to take off from there.
3. Desiree has been working on the business for almost 10 years in some capacity, but business really started to pick up with wholesale requests from those who wanted her products in retail stores. In a matter of 6 months, it seemed like she needed to hire her first employee, find a studio space, hire a second employee, and manufacture more of her products for retail stores.
4. Desiree shares a laugh with Ally and Sam when they discuss the fact that she comes up with all the content for her cards and designs – including a strawberry card that says “I’ll always pick you”.
5. As the episode comes to a close, Desiree shares her grand vision for herself and her business. She is focusing on growth and scaling with other employees so she can ultimately have someone run it from the US while she lives in Paris for a few years, taking in more inspiration and coming up with new product ideas.

Sam and Ally have a candid conversation about how we can all get caught up in the hustle of life and the status of achievement whether we intend to or not. We wonder about things like if we’re being productive enough with our time, or savvy enough for our future selves. 

But at the end of the day, it’s important to ask - is all that energy feeding your soul or depleting it? In this episode, we explore the Hustle Culture that seems to surround us today and how that can lead to confusion, frustration, and burnout - plus some tips on  how you can use it to your advantage for what matters most to you.

1. We’re often taught to work hard as a way of proving success even when we have the option of doing something different. We cover the pressures of proving yourself and how that can be a productive energy or one that really drains you quite quickly. We discover how everyone (no surprise) is different! Some like to work towards a big mission and others want to create a legacy they’ve personally created … and yet still others want to build families or live slowly in the moment. The first step is knowing that what may be fulfilling for one person might not be for another, and the second is having the presence to know you can change your state at any time.
2. In order for you to truly believe you can have something you have to identify what kind of limiting beliefs you have already programmed in your mind. This means you have to find evidence to prove to yourself that whatever you desire or might want in the future is something that truly is available to you. Often these are referred to as scarcity and abundance mindsets and Sam and Ally discuss which mindsets they have pre-programmed and the new ones they have developed/are developing. The power of the subconscious and the way you talk to yourself matters and you’ll get so much further with self compassion than you will with self criticism.
3. If there's one thing that you can take away from this conversation and all the different factors that influence our day-to-day lives, please remember that there’s a culture available to you of slowness and ease just as much as there can be one of hustle and grind.
4. Mentioned Resources: I Will Teach You to Be Rich - Book Rec & Find your Human Design type

Alyssa has always loved acting, but she spent a lot of time in her young adult life trying to pour her energy into a more ‘professional’ career that would provide a secure lifestyle. Over time, the passion she had for acting kept leading her back to the stage - so one day she quit her full time job, started auditioning, and created her own business as an entrepreneur to make the money she wanted while keeping a flexible schedule for herself. And now? Alyssa has written and will be performing her very own one-woman show LIVE in October: Always a Banana, Never the Bride: An Ode to Broadway's "Lesser Ladies". Get your ticket today at www.alwaysabananashow.com

1. Alyssa talks about how she got used to reinventing herself all the time when she was  growing up because her dad was in the military – from adopting a southern accent in Mississippi to a skater girl phase in Hawaii. She always had fun assimilating the culture around her into who she was and how she perceived the world.
2. Alyssa discovered dance young and LOVED it – she was on the high school team, which was a huge part of her experience during that time in her life and it took her to dancing in college for the Penn State Lionettes. The girls on her dance team were and still are some of her best friends in life. During this time, though, Alyssa reflects on this desire she also had to get straight A’s and be a great student, really focusing on her studies.
3. Alyssa talks about how she got the idea to write her first book, 35 Days of Confidence, and realized it wasn’t as successful as she wanted because maybe people didn’t want to be told how to be more confident. Sam laughs and shares that she was activated when she found out Alyssa wrote a book on confidence and was annoyed by it – but still bought and read the book.
4. Alyssa drops a HUGE surprise in that she’s written and will soon be performing her ONE WOMAN SHOW - Always a Banana, Never the Bride: An Ode to Broadway's "Lesser Ladies" that she will be performing, on-stage, for one-weekend only in October 2022.

Govinda joins us today to share her journey of growing up with her family, traveling the world, studying sustainability and perhaps most importantly finding what keeps her grounded along the way. She shared how placing her trust in the world over and over again has brought her wonderful experiences, rich memories, and a desire to always explore and let life play out however it was meant to.

1. The first thing that comes to mind is that her parents always lead by example instead of instruction and that really made a difference in how Govinda saw the world and tried new things. We discuss how people will often try to tell you to do things without embodying that themselves and it's an important lesson to learn in leadership, life, parenting and everything in between. 
2. She inherited her talent of cooking and her supportive nature from her mom, and on her dad’s side she’s watched him live his dream throughout his whole life as a musician despite what others may have said which was a powerful role model to have as a child. Then, her adventurous spirit came naturally after following in her big brother’s steps since she was little knowing her brother was someone she could place her trust with. 
3. A memorable life experience was leaving all her things behind for international travel with her brother and their friend, specifically their stint in France when her brother was surfing a lot, they drove up and down the coast for 10 days and slept in hammocks, she would go on runs, tan in the sun, swim, surf, wake up at sunrise … It was a dream! 
4. A recent moment of reflection was during the pandemic when she was forced to sit down and think about what I wanted to do. It was a perfect opportunity to be upfront about what she truly wants and how she likes to spend her time.
5. Govinda shares a little bit about her perspective on trust, as it’s not so much a trust in herself, but it’s a trust in the world. She used a skydiving metaphor to share how some people would prefer to learn how to skydive and pull their own parachute, and then there are others who would prefer to let go and trust an expert to do it with them. It says a lot about control and how sometimes letting go can have many unexpected rewards along the way. 
6. What would Govinda share with her younger self? Stability and routine is more beneficial than you might think, finding what grounds you and maintaining that can have really beautiful effects as well just as much as going with the flow can.

Why are we here and what is the point of living? This question has been debated by philosophers for thousands of years, but is now becoming more relevant than ever in a modern  world where so many of us can share our confusion and anxieties about life globally and in just a matter of seconds.

Join Sam, Ally and Dan as they explore everything from Nihilism to Existential Depression and Angst. This episode explores how humans have evolved past tribal cultures, organized religions, and just getting by in survival mode to experiences that are almost too comfortable - leaving so much to be considered and decided by each individual.

And believe us, you’ll want to save a download of this for when you’re having a mid-life crisis well before you’re at your “mid-life” point. 

Jena was born in the midwest and when she first discovered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, she fell in love with it immediately. She created a lifestyle where she had the freedom to train multiple times a day, every day - getting her black belt faster than most people ever will.

Now, she’s a professional MMA fighter for LFA, with dreams of competing in the Octagon as part of a UFC fight card. Her next pro bout is happening in Phoenix on July 8, 2022. Let’s go Jena!!

1. Jena talks about discovering and falling in love with jiu jitsu, training every day and getting her black belt in just a few years. She discusses her highly competitive nature and drive to be the best at whatever she does.
2. Jena shares her passion for physical intelligence - knowing what her body can do and how to use it masterfully. She is currently training with a dream to be on a fight card for the UFC in the near future and we are ALL FOR IT.
3. Jena discusses the mental toll it can take to sign a fight contract and then have to wait as bout after out falls through. She has a 4 fight contract and is still waiting to find someone who is willing to fight her. After the episode, a nice surprise came through and she was scheduled for July 8th in Phoenix – go Jena!!

From growing up in a small country town to retiring in his 30’s - Noah’s story is one to hear. With two psychologist parents, a college journey into pre-med that he ended up hating, and a vacation safari that almost ended in his death, you can’t make this stuff up. Listen now to add a little more fun into your day.

1. Noah talks about growing up in a small town in North Carolina, where mustangs and shaved heads were so commonplace he assumed this is what the rest of the country was like. His parents were both psychologists and Noah remembers taking tests and assessments that needed to be administered professionally as the “practice student” for his mom.
2. Noah majored in pre-med and reflects on what it was like to have his internship in the cardiology ward - nervous to enter rooms and start conversations with patients that look like they might die right in front of him. He experienced a heavy emotional load that led to depression during this period and he knew immediately this was not the path for him. 
3. Noah talked about feeling aimless - thinking everything would get better after college, but it didn’t. He got his first job using his degree, biology, in a scientific lab. He mainly just felt bored - he was never super interested in his job so he had to learn to reconcile why people work and where else he could find fun and enjoyment in his life.
4. Noah takes us on a recollection of his journey to see mountain gorillas in the Congo… in a war zone. It starts with a trip to the airport in Nairobi at 4am and ends with a police escort to their hotel, in a tank, late into the night.