That Salty Girl: Confidence, Reinvention, And Figuring Out What's Next

Holly Taylor: Navy Veteran, Entrepreneur, Mentor

You don’t have to have it figured out to start. After spending 26 years in the Navy, followed by a stretch in corporate America, Holly Taylor found herself starting over again in her 50s, this time, building a business from scratch. That business became The Salty Spray, a mobile spray-tanning company. If you’d told her at 18 that this would be her path, she probably wouldn’t have believed you. And that’s the whole point of this show. When Holly retired from the Navy, the transition was harder than anyone had warned her it would be. What helped her through wasn’t advice or a perfect roadmap. It was hearing from people who had already been through it. People who reminded her that what she was feeling was normal. Now, she wants to be that person for you. Most weeks, you’ll hear directly from Holly, talking to you the way she would talk to a friend at her kitchen table. No five-step formulas. Just honest conversations about starting over, rebuilding confidence, rediscovering your identity after a big change, and navigating that stuck, in-between feeling of not knowing what comes next. Some weeks, she’ll introduce you to someone in the middle of a reinvention of their own; a client, a friend, or someone standing right where you might be now. Through the women Holly tans in their own homes and the people who unexpectedly find their way into her DMs, she hears versions of the same story again and again. The woman ready to leave corporate for good and finally work for herself. The woman rebuilding her life after a divorce. Different ages. Different circumstances. But underneath it all is the same quiet question: Is it too late for me? Holly’s answer is simple: it’s not. You don’t need to have the entire path mapped out. You just have to be willing to take the next step before you feel ready. Whatever’s next, you’re not behind. Subscribe and listen to a new episodes every week. Also, join Holly’s newsletter, The Salty Scoop, for personal stories, photos, and pieces of life she doesn’t share anywhere else! thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop thesaltyspray.com instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

  1. Oct 5

    11. My Breast Cancer Story: The Appointment I Put Off For 7 Years

    I put off getting my first mammogram for seven years because I felt fine and breast cancer didn't run in my family. Then, at 47, the appointment I kept avoiding found my cancer. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'm finally telling the whole story, my diagnosis, the treatment decisions I made, my military burn-pit exposure, the Marine whose advocacy changed screening access for other women veterans, and why I will never again assume that no family history means no risk. If there's an appointment you've been putting off, this episode is for you. In This Episode: (00:00) Why I'm finally telling my breast cancer story—and the mammogram I put off for seven years(03:17) My first mammogram at 47, having no symptoms, and finding out it was cancer(05:38) The treatment options I was given and how I made my personal decisions(09:28) My Iraq burn-pit exposure and the connection made through my VA claim(10:40) Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas and the fight that changed breast cancer screening access for women veterans(12:46) No family history doesn't mean no risk—and why early detection mattersWant to start or grow your own spray tan business? Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray? Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow Connect With Holly: The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast Website - thesaltyspray.com

  2. Sep 28

    10. Interested or Committed? There's a Difference.

    There's a big difference between wanting a result and being committed to everything that comes with getting it. This week, I'm talking about what commitment actually looks like, the boring parts nobody claps for, the micro-quits that keep us stuck, starting before we know if something will work, and knowing when changing direction isn't quitting. I'm also sharing some very real examples from my own life, including the podcast microphone that sat untouched for three years, what the early days of The Salty Spray actually looked like, why I walked away from a successful VA business, and the pile of calligraphy supplies currently waiting for my next garage sale. Because sometimes you're committed. And sometimes you just really like the idea of something. There's a difference. In This Episode (00:42) Interested vs. committed—and why taking action changes everything(01:41) My very short-lived interest in becoming a calligrapher(02:55) Wanting the result vs. wanting the actual work that comes with it(04:21) What commitment looks like when it's boring and nobody is watching(06:26) Fitness, consistency and doing something even when you don't feel motivated(08:58) Micro-quits and the podcast microphone that sat untouched for three years(11:14) What the first year of The Salty Spray really looked like(13:16) Why commitment doesn't mean stubbornly sticking to the original plan(14:25) The successful business I walked away from because I realized I didn't want it(15:59) How to start something without blowing up your entire life(17:30) The question to ask yourself: Are you interested or committed? Want to start or grow your own spray tan business? Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray? Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow Connect With Holly: The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast Website - thesaltyspray.com

  3. Sep 21

    09. Advice I'd Give You If I Wasn't Afraid of Hurting Your Feelings

    What would I tell you if you actually asked me what I think? Probably to stop waiting for the perfect time, stop researching something you already know enough to start, quit letting other people's opinions live in your head, and do something about the things you have the power to change. This week, I'm talking about networking, perfectionism, micro-quits, self-trust, comparison, bitterness, purpose, and why sometimes you just need to make the damn decision. In This Episode (00:27) What I'd actually tell you if you said you wanted something in your life to change(02:12) Hate your job? Start creating another option before you need one(04:47) When learning, researching and perfectionism become procrastination(06:38) Micro-quits and the tiny decisions that keep you exactly where you are(09:17) Why confidence may start with learning to trust yourself(10:21) Getting your mind right, comparison, resentment and the stories you keep telling yourself(15:06) Make the decision: act, learn, adjust and keep moving Want to start or grow your own spray tan business? Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray? Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow Connect With Holly: The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast Website - thesaltyspray.com

  4. Aug 31

    06. Are You Rushing Through Your Own Life?

    What if the season you're trying so hard to get through is actually part of the life you're going to miss someday? After finding old letters I wrote to my husband while deployed to Iraq in 2003, I started thinking about how much of my life I've spent looking ahead, to the end of deployment, the next promotion, retirement, or whatever came next. In this episode, I talk about what those letters, getting older, a breast cancer diagnosis, and 26 years in the Navy have taught me about time, ambition, and being present in the life I'm actually living. I'm not done setting goals or looking forward to what's next. I just don't want to rush through what's here to get there. In This Episode: (00:00) Finding old letters from Iraq and realizing how much of my life I spent waiting for the future(05:23) When ambition and achievement quietly become part of your identity(08:15) Turning 52, starting new things, and realizing usefulness doesn't have an expiration date(11:19) The people we don't realize we're going to miss while we're busy trying to get through a hard season(13:03) How a breast cancer diagnosis changed the way I think about being alive(15:05) Every season has a purpose—and why the ordinary Tuesdays count too Want to start or grow your own spray tan business? Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray? Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow Connect With Holly: The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast Website - thesaltyspray.com

  5. Aug 24

    05. From 26 Years In The Navy To Building A Mobile Spray Tan Business (The Salty Spray Story)

    How do you go from 26 years in the Navy to building a mobile spray tanning business? Holly gets asked that question all the time, and the answer involves a lot more twists and fresh starts than you might expect. In this episode, she shares the unexpected story behind The Salty Spray; from leaving the military and bouncing through jobs, business ideas, and career pivots to eventually building something completely her own. She also opens up about nearly quitting when the business wasn’t growing fast enough, the turning point that changed everything, and why the chapters that felt like failures were just preparing her for what came next. If you’re in a season that doesn’t make sense yet, this episode might change the way you see it. In This Episode: (02:00) When a hobby turns into a business idea(05:00) Using LinkedIn networking to rebuild a career after the military(08:00) The fear of starting before you feel good enough(10:50) Helping other spray tan artists and creating something new(13:00) How seemingly failed seasons can prepare you for what’s next Want to start or grow your own spray tan business? Grab Holly’s free guide: thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/start-spray-tan-biz In the Birmingham area and want your own Salty Spray? Book a mobile spray tan with Holly: thesaltyspray.com/booknow Connect With Holly: The Salty Scoop Newsletter - thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop Instagram - instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast Website - thesaltyspray.com

Trailer

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

You don’t have to have it figured out to start. After spending 26 years in the Navy, followed by a stretch in corporate America, Holly Taylor found herself starting over again in her 50s, this time, building a business from scratch. That business became The Salty Spray, a mobile spray-tanning company. If you’d told her at 18 that this would be her path, she probably wouldn’t have believed you. And that’s the whole point of this show. When Holly retired from the Navy, the transition was harder than anyone had warned her it would be. What helped her through wasn’t advice or a perfect roadmap. It was hearing from people who had already been through it. People who reminded her that what she was feeling was normal. Now, she wants to be that person for you. Most weeks, you’ll hear directly from Holly, talking to you the way she would talk to a friend at her kitchen table. No five-step formulas. Just honest conversations about starting over, rebuilding confidence, rediscovering your identity after a big change, and navigating that stuck, in-between feeling of not knowing what comes next. Some weeks, she’ll introduce you to someone in the middle of a reinvention of their own; a client, a friend, or someone standing right where you might be now. Through the women Holly tans in their own homes and the people who unexpectedly find their way into her DMs, she hears versions of the same story again and again. The woman ready to leave corporate for good and finally work for herself. The woman rebuilding her life after a divorce. Different ages. Different circumstances. But underneath it all is the same quiet question: Is it too late for me? Holly’s answer is simple: it’s not. You don’t need to have the entire path mapped out. You just have to be willing to take the next step before you feel ready. Whatever’s next, you’re not behind. Subscribe and listen to a new episodes every week. Also, join Holly’s newsletter, The Salty Scoop, for personal stories, photos, and pieces of life she doesn’t share anywhere else! thatsaltygirl.myflodesk.com/saltyscoop thesaltyspray.com instagram.com/thatsaltygirlpodcast

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