The Kenza Pod The Kenza Collective

In May of 2021, we interviewed Candice Elliott to learn what it’s like to be an HR Consultant. At the time, she was pregnant with her first son and shared with us all of the plans she’d made to prepare for maternity leave.

More than two years later, we catch up with Candice to hear how those plans actually panned out (hint: it didn't quite go as expected...), what it’s like transitioning into motherhood as a business owner, and what she’s doing differently the second time around. Candice’s candor and words of wisdom will be helpful for anyone navigating maternity or paternity leave as solopreneurs. 

But wait, there’s more!

Candice has been in business for more than 5 years, so I couldn’t let her go without hearing more about that journey. We dive into her personal and professional growth, the various mentors and training programs that have helped her evolution, how she's incorporating AI into her biz, and invaluable advice on keeping clients satisfied.

Tune in for a deep dive into Candice's journey and gain invaluable insights that are sure to inspire and educate you!

You can check out her first interview right here (episode 41). All of the other resources we mention are linked below. Enjoy!


Connect with Candice:
Website
The My First Hire course
The Hearth Podcast
Instagram

Other: 
All So ya wanna be a… Episodes
Resources on Kenza site
Nadine Zumot: Money Coach
Kat Lee - Business Alchemist Mentorship
Mama Collaborative: Maternity leave planning and coaching
Join the Kenza Slack
At Scale Newsletter by Ylva Predan

In this episode, Tiffany sits down with Kenza community member, mama of 3, and freelance Digital Business Manager, Ylva Predan, to talk all things new-tech.

For the first 20 minutes of the conversation, you’ll learn why Ylva decided to quit her career in the nonprofit sector to pursue freelance copywriting. We talk about how she found her first few clients and how she transitioned into being a Digital Business Manager.

We then dive into her new side hustle—At Scale, which is a newsletter about tech - in simple terms. The newsletter focuses less on “how it works”, and more on “what it means” – for entrepreneurs, businesses, and entire industries.

In this episode, you’ll learn simple, digestible definitions for Web3, NFTs, Blockchain technology, Smart Contracts, AI, and ChatGPT.

We discuss why it’s critical to stay up to date on new tech, not only for our businesses and our clients, but also for us to understand the world in which our kids are growing up in.

You’ll discover how she uses ChatGPT to stay in her zone of genius, why Ylva says “Web3 and AI will definitely impact anyone who is making a living online; it’s only a matter of when…”, and much more. 

Be sure to follow Ylva on LinkedIn and Twitter, subscribe to her newsletter At Scale, and chat her up in the Kenza Collective Slack channel! Links below. 

Enjoy!
✌🏼Tiff


Links from the episode: 
Sign up for Ylva’s newsletter right here. Read past articles from At Scale right here. Follow At Scale on LinkedIn.Follow Ylva on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Ylva's website for her services as a Digital Business Manager. Connect with Ylva and other freelancing parents in the Kenza SlackCheck out our Digital Business Manager episodeEnjoy what you heard? Consider supporting Kenza each month :)

Additional Resources to Dive Deeper into New Tech:

Web3
Podcast episode - Bankless -The Ownership Economy - with Li JinPodcast episode - Women in Influencer Marketing - NFTs and the creator economyAI
Elements of AI, a free online course created by MinnaLearn and the University of Helsinki This is a great place to start if you are a complete beginner and want to learn more about the basic concepts in AI.Podcast episode - Marketing Against the Grain - “6 marketing opportunities that AI unlocks for businesses”

I had a stark realization the other day.

I’ve been stuck in a hypervigilant, fear-based way of living, thinking, and acting ever since March of 2020.

I also recognized that I never used to be like this, and I don’t like it.

Sure, there are other reasons why I’m in this place: the transformation of becoming a parent for the first time, starting and running a business, getting older, etc.

But regardless of how I got here, I don’t like it.

I feel like I've gone from being a pretty easygoing, laid back, and excited-for-the-future type of person, to a hypervigilant and always-on-guard individual, mother, wife, and business owner.

I've been constantly looking ahead to what bad things might happen and trying to plan and strategize my way out of it. It's not a fun way to live!

So, I invited Kat Lee for her third appearance on The Kenza Pod to share her wisdom around fear. I wanted her to not only help us understand how we got here, but also offer practical tools and strategies to get ourselves out.

Originally, Kat and I had a private 1:1 coaching session scheduled where I had planned to talk through all of this with her. But we decided to hit record so that you can get an inside look at how we worked through this, and how I walked away feeling empowered with wisdom and tools to help me move through (and out of) this way of thinking.

If you're feeling anything like what I've described, then this episode is a must-listen. 
We will challenge you to look at who you are on the other side of the global pandemic and make sure you recognize and like that person.We share practical strategies to help you get through moments of panic and overwhelm, and help you loosen the grip that fear can hold us back.We’ll help you to recognize when you’re being hypervigiliant, and then understand not only why that’s happening but how to alleviate that stressful and all-consuming feeling. 
I can’t wait to hear how this episode impacts you!

Hit me up on instagram @kenzacollective, or join our free Slack community to talk even more: kenzacollective.com/slack.

Links from the episode
Learn more about Kat Lee and her podcast, Empowered CuriosityOther episodes with Kat: How to Harness the Power of Our Emotions to Make Smarter Business Decisions and How to Create an Abundant Business & Life by Listening to Your BodyThe Mel Robbins podcast episode mentioned “You’ll never be truly happy until you start doing this”

Human Design is an incredibly specific way to help you: 
learn more about and appreciate your unique personalityunderstand how you take in and process energy from the worldhelp you understand your unique way of decision-making (some should wait up to a month before making a big decision, while others are meant to make decisions in the moment!)work more effectively with clients and teamsbecome a better parent & partnerHuman Design is a system based on your exact time, date, and place of birth. It’s a mix of Kabbalah, I'Ching, Myers-Briggs, astrology, biochemistry, genetics, and the chakra system all in one. 
I know, I know…. It all sounds a bit out there, right? 

But if you think about it, don’t all systems, religions, beliefs, etc sound a bit out there? 

I am forever curious about all types of wisdom and ways of understanding myself and the world. And for some reason, Human Design just really resonates with me in a way that no other teaching ever has before.
To be clear, Human Design is not a religion. It doesn’t predict your future or your health. It is simply a system that helps you understand who you are at a deeper level. 

For me, understanding who I am through the lens of Human Design has helped me to accept myself and my quirks, get better at my decision-making process, improve my relationships, lower my stress and anxiety levels, and so much more. Crazy, right?!
Before you dive in to this episode, I would highly encourage you to get your chart. It’s free and easy—all you need is your birthday, location, and time to get started. If you don’t know the time you were born, we cover what to do in the episode. For now, just put a guess in and you’ll learn what to do if you’re unsure.

Get your chart at MyHumanDesign.com or Mybodygraph.com. 
I invited Human Design expert, Nadia Last, to the pod to talk us through the origins of Human Design, the 5 energy types, our Authority, and our Strategy. We weave in and out of practical applications of this system, and I even share a bit of my labor and delivery story on the pod for the first time ever. 
Buckle up for a a deep, intuitive, and insightful conversation that will surely have an impact on your business, your relationships, your decision-making, and so much more. 
Enjoy!

Links from the episode: 
Nadia’s podcast, The CurrentNadia’s WebsiteFollow Nadia on InstagramGet your chart at MyHumanDesign.com or Mybodygraph.com Watch this episode on YouTube

Connect with The Kenza Collective:
Explore mentoring with Tiff or BethJoin our Slack communityFollow us on InstagramSign up for our NewsletterCheck out our website

In this deep dive episode about the Operations of your business, Tiffany walks you through the four phases of a project and helps you understand how to set up a solid operational framework that will help you: 
keep projects on time and on budgetcreate healthy communication boundaries with your clientestablish yourself as an expert and a leaderensure that your clients have an incredible experience with you, leading to longer term relationships and more referralsmake more money through higher-ticket offers and the ability to take on more clients and projects

If you're experiencing any of the following symptoms, it's time for you to take a look at your operational framework and make some changes ASAP: 
Your projects keep going over the projected timeline and you don't know how to prevent it.You are waaaay too integrated into a client’s communication channels—you have their email address, you're in their chat and PM apps, etc—and you don’t like it but you don’t know how to get out of it or how to prevent it. You keep losing control of projects—your clients question your decisions or suggestions, they don't get back to you when you ask them to, they continually ask for things that are out of scope, they push project timelines and deadlines, etc.You are just feeling a general sense of disorderliness, overwhelm, and like you're constantly treading water trying to manage your clients and projects.It's easy to think that maybe you need to create a new framework for the services you offer, or that you need to re-brand or do something else drastic to fix these symptoms. When in reality, it's quite likely that the real issue is a lack of leadership on your end and an operational framework that's repeatable and reasonable for both you and the client.
Operations are the heartbeat of a company. They are the foundation of everything: your client's experience, how much you can grow your company, and ultimately how much money you can make and how stressful (or not) it'll be to accomplish your goals.

In this episode, you'll get to take advantage of Tiffany's 15+ years of operations in TV production, creative agencies, and coworking spaces, and learn what it takes to create a stellar experience for both you and your clients so that you can make more and work less! :)

Links
Watch this on YouTubeExplore mentoring with Tiff or BethFree class: Using Sprints to Manage Fixed Timeline ProjectsPodcast episode: The Magic of the Discovery PhaseJoin our Slack communityFollow us on InstagramSign up for our Newsletter

Learn How Kenza Can Help You Grow Your Biz and Network + 2 Important Lessons that Tiffany Learned this Summer
Kenza Pod Season 5 Launch! 
Get the inside scoop on: 
How The Kenza Collective can connect you to the professionals, courses, and programs you need to succeed as a parent entrepreneur2 important lessons that Tiffany learned this summer and key takeaways to help you not repeat the same mistakesHow we're expanding The Kenza Pod to bring you even more valueEnjoy!
Visit us: https://www.kenzacollective.com/ 
Follow us: https://instagram.com/kenzacollective 
Subscribe to our email list: https://www.kenzacollective.com/newsletter-signup 
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MyyhJ5B_8s


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