It Has to Be Me Tess Masters

Andrew Wilder, founder of NerdPress, tracks his journey from theater lighting designer to food blogger to web solopreneur to tech CEO. Andrew recalls his dad’s advice, to walk different paths and see what you like. Doing this got him to what he is passionate about—enabling people to use complex tech solutions. Once Andrew let go of the need to define his identity through professional labels, he freed himself to measure success by his own standards and metrics. Key among those was targeting excellence rather than perfection. Andrew explains how in his leadership role, coat-checking his “control freak” tendencies, delegating, and collaborating on decisions empowers his team and fuels NerdPress’s growth. He emphasizes how core company values apply to both customers and staff, and how checking in with those principles helps him and his team make decisions that align with their mission. A strong company culture, robust communication system, and strategic partnerships enable Andrew’s work family to have fun while providing exceptional services. Andrew shares how just “showing up” and talking with people led to unexpected opportunities in his career. He encourages listeners to be bold, take risks, and stay open to possibilities that may lead to the next big thing. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS 
Be bold and take risks: Just showing up and connecting with people leads to opportunities and growth. Many of the pivotal moments in Andrew’s journey were the result of unexpected conversations.
Let go of labels: Andrew shares his journey, from attaching his identity to labels to building a company and defining success his own way. 
Strive for excellence, not perfection: The pursuit of excellence leads to success and fulfillment, while obsessing about perfection can hold you back. 
Collaborate, empower, and trust: Hiring good people, leveraging the power of communication software, and forming strategic partnerships, Andrew ensures that NerdPress clients enter a collaborative orbit for “WordPress support that feels like family.” 
Core values as a tool: Andrew and his team work by a fundamental rule: When you’re struggling to make a decision, use the company’s core values as a guide. 
SOUND BITES
“Just showing up is huge. You never know what's gonna happen. Be bold and take a risk. It's so easy to reach out to somebody. Where I am now is a result of all these little interactions that I never could have predicted." 
“My dad just encouraged me to try stuff. He would say, ‘There's always going to be a bunch of paths in front of you, and you should try going down them and see what sticks and what you like.’ Walking down a path isn't a huge commitment. It sometimes feels like it is, but it isn't.”
“I'm not going to let go of excellence, but it doesn't have to be perfect. There's a difference.” 
“I found myself not really liking the work. I loved having done it, and being proud of the work. But I didn't like the actual doing. The idea is one thing, but the day to day is another. We are the sum of our days. And if we're miserable each day, we're going to be miserable. One of the things I look for when hiring is intrinsic motivation. One of my favorite interview questions is, ‘What gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning?’ I love hearing how people answer that question.”
“If I'm struggling to make a decision, I look at our core values. If we have a company culture that’s resilient, and is a shared set of values, as long as somebody on my team is living those values, I'm going to back them 100 percent.”
“There's a cartoon that’s, like, two panes. One side says ‘What people think success is.’ It's just a graph of a straight diagonal line, going up right with an arrow. The next pane is ‘What success really looks like’—a...

Ashley Koff RD - renowned dietitian and founder of The Better Nutrition Program - reveals how childhood struggles with weight, anxiety, and bullying led to a cycle of extreme dieting in a quest to be skinny and perfect. She gets candid about hiding in other people’s stories to avoid being seen. When she let go of chasing perfection and allowed herself to be vulnerable she was able to celebrate her own story. Ashley explains how ditching diet dogma and healing her digestive system impacted her career. She charts the evolution of her “Better, Not Perfect” approach, and shares how freeing yourself to focus on the next better choice is the key to sustainable change. Ashley and Tess discuss the value of personalized nutrition, and the importance of partnering with a practitioner to find solutions that fit your specific situation. Ashley recommends using a mixture of anecdotal and clinical data to inform appropriate diet and lifestyle changes. She also stresses the value of defining success in your terms in order to set markers and track progress. Ashley closes with the power of having a diversity of friends who can advise you in different ways.

KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
Value your story: When Ashley embraced her uniqueness and vulnerability she allowed others to “see” her to create more meaningful relationships.
Define success your way: By letting go of the need to compare herself to others, Ashley started defining success her way - which made her a happier person and a better practitioner.
Better Not Perfect choices: Ashley stresses the futility of chasing perfection, and how meaningful change and impact occurs as a result of focusing on the next better choice.
Find a curious practitioner: Truly personalized nutrition empowers you to make informed and appropriate changes for better health. Find a practitioner who wants to understand your whole story.
Assemble your cabinet: Ashley tells how she learned from Steph Carter the importance of having people in your friendship circle who can counsel you in different ways.

KEY MOMENTS IN THE PODCAST
“The issue with ‘perfect’ is that it’s done. It can only be perfect for a moment, then what? Part of letting go of perfect was feeling better and being empowered to know what was better for me. I realized that ‘better, not perfect’ choices and balance were going to make me happy. We're learning and growing and wanting to be better all the time. We're never done.”
“Injustice drives me. Nutrition is a form of justice. I'm correcting an injustice by saying that this is something that we should all know how to do. When I figured out that nutrition could fix things, I realized I could help lots of people fix themselves.”
“People come in and tell me all the things that they do wrong. I challenge people to tell me something that they're successful with, something that is good. Successful people see themselves as successful. Start as a success because if you see yourself as a hot mess or a failure it is much harder to actually do something.”
“Instead of setting goals, I invite you to ‘experiment’ with something to see how your body responds. Let's see what your body is telling us and make decisions from there. We decide together - What are the markers of success? Instead of thinking that you're a failure if something doesn’t work, we've actually just learned that you are not going to respond to that thing.”

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Kristin Kirkpatrick - renowned speaker, best-selling author, and one of the most respected dietitians in the United States is giving us the gold about liver health. Kristin shares how her struggle with childhood obesity fueled her desire to help people improve their relationship with food. Then traces her journey from White House intern, to lobbyist, to cardiovascular genetics at the Cleveland Clinic, to lead dietitian of their Department of Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine. She speaks to the value of humility and generous mentorship in finding your own path and helping others find theirs. And how stepping out of your comfort zone fast-tracks personal and professional growth. Kristin’s talent for simplifying complex medical information has made her a powerful force in nutrition education. She explains why we need to care about the liver, and why Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease has become an epidemic. With an estimated 1 in 4 people affected, and many unaware they have it, the disease is a silent killer. Kristin defines the four metabolic types, why knowing your type is critical, and gives practical strategies for preventing and reversing liver disease. In closing, she shares her next mission: Helping women embrace menopause with humor and love their older bodies!  
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How childhood affects our food choices: By sharing her story of childhood obesity, Kristin emphasizes how early life experiences shape our body image and relationship with food.  
Does your practitioner understand your needs? Kristin stresses the importance of finding medical practitioners who take the time to listen and understand you.
What is your metabolic type? Kristin explains why it’s crucial to know your metabolic type, why controlling your blood sugar is the key factor, and why it’s not your weight, it’s where you carry your weight.  
The Dangers of Fatty Liver: Most people who have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease don’t know they have it. Kristin shares why regular check-ups and early diagnosis can save your life.
What’s your button-popping incident? Kristin is asking this question to inspire women over 50 to celebrate their older bodies and embrace menopause with humor. 
SOUND BITES
“You can go through so many different versions of yourself. Eventually you're gonna land on who you're meant to be. And sometimes you gotta go through all those versions to figure it out.”
“A lot of times we'll take on different things in our life because we didn't have it. So we take that on as a goal to give back what was not given to us.”
“When the view doesn't change, you can't necessarily grow. It's the stuff that makes you uncomfortable where you're forced to learn about something you didn't know before.”
“There's a whole world of health practitioners. Connect with someone who speaks your language and can sit down and have a conversation. How does the advice relate to your “why” and path of longevity? It starts with looking at your own worth before having to accept the worth that others give you.”
“We think liver disease is about booze. But, the liver plays a huge role in blood sugar management. When the liver becomes overwhelmed, it doesn't understand what to do with the blood sugar and turns it into fat. This creates a cascade of inflammation, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. We have to take away the stigma that if you're fat, then you're unhealthy. And that's just not the case.” 
“1 out of every 4 people has liver disease and probably don’t know it because there's no symptoms. We think it's closer to 30% of individuals who have it. It's very much in line with type-two diabetes and insulin resistance. It is an epidemic and a silent killer.”
ABOUT KRISTIN KICKPATRICK, MS,...

In this episode, Tess interviews Dr. Michelle Robin, founder of Your Wellness Connection® and Small Changes Big Shifts®. Michelle tells how she redefined success, gained clarity about her purpose, learned to practice self love, and achieved fulfillment. Keys for her were letting go of the expectations of others, and building more truthful connections with herself and in her relationships. Michelle emphasizes the power of listening to your inner voice, getting clear about your “why,” and practicing kindness to feed joy within yourself and people you serve. Dr. Robin shares her Quadrants of Well-Being, tips for healthy living, and how to simplify your approach with basic steps that are sustainable. She also talks about the importance of owning your unique medicine to nurture meaningful connections and contribute to your community. Knowing what’s yours to hold and what isn’t is a core part of Michelle’s decision-making process. To help you get what you want, Dr. Robin shares strategies for how to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
The Importance of a Wellness Plan: Dr. Robin shares her practices for maintaining healthy boundaries, being present in each moment, and finding a balance between self care and care for others.

The Four Quadrants Of Well-Being: Michelle explains how to embrace the Mechanical, Chemical, Energetic, and Psycho-Spiritual approach to holistic healing.

Small Changes Big Shifts: Simplify your approach to healthy living to make it doable and sustainable. Dr. Robin gives you the basic things to do today that add up to positive change.

KEY MOMENTS IN THE PODCAST
“For me, church is not Sunday to Sunday. It's not Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday. It's not day to day, it's moment by moment.” - Michelle

“I want to own 100% of my 50% in the relationship. It’s not all mine.” - Michelle

“Know your medicine. We are implanted with medicine that only we can uniquely give. Use your own medicine to help others, and figure out how you can give back to the world.” - Michelle

“The gap between where you are and self-love is self-care. When people are struggling to get to self-love, just take the next step in the gap. Being well is so simple…It's shocking how hard we make it.” - Michelle

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE

Wellness Programs: https://onlineprograms.smallchangesbigshifts.com/course/
Small Changes Big Shifts Podcast: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/podcast/
31 Days Of Kindness: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/kindness/
Wellness Deck: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/snackables-deck/
Wellness On A Shoestring Book: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/wellness-on-a-shoestring/
The E Factor Book
https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/the-e-factor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmichellerobin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmichellerobin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellerobin/

CONNECT WITH TESS

Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/ 

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In this episode, Tess interviews Melissa Lanz - award-winning entrepreneur and business coach helping other solo-preneurs achieve financial freedom. Melissa shares the wake-up call that got her to give up the security of a high-paying corporate job for a kitchen-table start-up that she grew into a multi-million dollar company. By making value-guided choices, and focusing on the feelings she wants to have rather than the things she wants to have, Melissa achieved financial success and fulfillment. She insists that “It must be your ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ that frame your story.” Melissa gives practical strategies for blocking out the noise, listening to your intuition, and trusting yourself to overcome doubts, fears, and negative input. She emphasizes the value of strategic planning, personal audits, and investing in the little tasks to build momentum and confidence to stay on track. Then highlights rest, reflection, and leveraging your existing resources as fundamental elements that contribute to productivity. In this conversation, Melissa takes listeners inside the methodical way she guides clients to leverage the resources they already have and take the next three steps toward their goals.

KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
Stay Close to Your Mission and Values: Melissa explains why making choices that align with your “WHY” lead to success and fulfillment.
The Fresh 20: Leveraging her internet knowledge, business acumen, and skills as a chef, Melissa built an online meal planning service to fulfill her mission of helping families eat healthy and reduce food waste.
Plan With What You Have: A firm believer in being scrappy, Melissa helps clients recognize what they already have, and gives them the next three small steps so they can take immediate action.
Relish the Grunt Work: Melissa shares the value of patience and confidence, and being invested in the process. Making mistakes and learning are a vital part of bringing your vision to life.
The Power Of Personal Responsibility: Give yourself permission to believe you can do it. Have the courage to trust your intuition, and own the consequences of your actions.

MELISSA LANZ BIO
Melissa Lanz is an award-winning entrepreneur and business coach. She launched The Fresh 20 with an investment of $2500, and grew it into an 8-figure business and a leader in the meal-planning space. Through The Subscription Lab, Melissa is on a mission to help others achieve financial independence and flexibility. With almost two decades’ experience in e-commerce ventures, Melissa is one of the go-to digital resources for individuals and companies looking to build membership sites and leverage their portfolios. A seasoned chef, Melissa is also the author of The Fresh 20 cookbook.

CONNECT WITH MELISSA
Meal Planning: https://www.thefresh20.com/
Business Mentoring: https://melissalanz.com/
How To Build A Membership Program: https://thesubscriptionlab.com/
Cookbook: https://www.thefresh20.com/resources/cookbook/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissalanz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaBakerLanz

CONNECT WITH TESS
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/

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In this episode, Mia Moran shares her journey from graphic design firm owner to wellness advocate, author, and productivity coach. Mia takes us inside her FLOW planning system, and how slowing down, being present, and listening to your intuition help you make decisions from a place of calm, and prioritize your time. Mia shares strategies for connecting with yourself in order to gain clarity about what you want, and making a plan to take action on it! She emphasizes the value of listening to your body’s signals, and how self care expands your capacity to give to others. Mia and Tess discuss the trade-offs of saying “yes” and “no,” and the importance of letting go of what doesn’t serve you in order to lean into growth. She gives a personal example of why changing her diet improved her quality of life; and how her personal transformation led to writing a book, teaching others, and developing her FLOW 365 program.

KEY THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
Listen To Yourself: Mia shares the importance of getting slow and quiet, and listening to signals from yourself to make decisions from the inside out, instead of the outside in.
Find Out What The Need Is: Doing her book tour, Mia asked lots of questions to get clear about how she could use her skills, knowledge, and experience to provide planning solutions for busy women.
Connect with Your Future Self: Mia devotes time every week to getting to know her future self, by writing as her and meeting her in meditation to get clear about what she wants to make happen now.
“What do I really want?”: Mia shares her practice of giving yourself permission to dream big without any limits.
The FLOW Planning System: Mia talks us through her four steps to making decisions that align with your dreams, and strategies for putting those choices into action.

MIA MORAN BIO
Mia Moran is a mom of three, productivity coach, and planning expert. She is the host of the Plan Simple podcast, bestselling author of Plan Simple Meals, and creator of the FLOW Planning Method, and FLOW365 program. Mia has struck her perfect balance between wellness, work, and family; and she helps busy women and female entrepreneurs reduce overwhelm, find balance, and make a strategic plan that enables them to achieve their goals.

CONNECT WITH MIA
Website: https://plansimple.com
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plan-simple-with-mia-moran/id1089766926
Book: https://plansimple.com/plan-simple-meals-book/
Instagram: instagram.com/plansimple.co/
Facebook: facebook.com/plansimple.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-moran/

CONNECT WITH TESS
Website: https://tessmasters.com/
Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/

Product Sites:
https://www.skinny60.com/
https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/
https://www.theblendergirl.com/
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