Saying Goodbye to Podcasting and Continuing the Outlaw Legacy

Speaker 1 (00:02):

Hey, outlaws, I have been procrastinating on recording this episode for at least two weeks, maybe longer. Um, I knew it was coming. I knew that I needed to record this final episode of the show, but it's been really hard to both figure out how I do this, what to say, what even feels big enough and worthy of this, this episode. And also, it's just been a little bit emotional and I've been in a, a really weird and uncertain and unknown phase of business Just recently. I have been procrastinating. As I said, I probably hit record about 10 times this morning, and I just decided, you know what, we're just gonna outlaw it because what else would you do on this final episode of Entrepreneurial Outlaws? So, Haley, I'm sorry that I procrastinated so long, but here we are, <laugh>, we are now recording episode 94.

Speaker 1 (01:05):

You all are here to listen. And I just wanna start by saying thank you. Thank you for your listenership, Thank you for the last two years. Thank you for making this a reality because without you and you listening, I would not have been able to do this. I would not have been able to record 94 episodes of this podcast. I wanna extend some gratitude to all of our guests who gave us their time over the last two years. I am so grateful for that, grateful for their knowledge, their expertise, those moments where I'm sitting listening to them going, Oh my gosh, this is such a great episode, which happens every time. And I just, I just wanted to highlight that at the beginning of this episode.

Speaker 1 (01:53):

And I also wanna talk about business in general right now. And, you know, this is gonna be a very casual episode, I feel like. What else would we do? Um, I am in a really, I wanna say weird, but I feel like that's not even the right word. Un unsettled phase of business. I made all these really big decisions that were definitely right and aren't right for my business, for my personal life, for my career. At the same time, it's meant that I feel as though I've lost some momentum. You all know I left Instagram back in September. It's been now two months since I've been gone, and I don't wanna go back. If I go back, I know that I will be adopting a very different strategy. I will be doing a nine grid. Um, if you don't know what a nine grid is, I will just link to it in the show notes rather than going through it in detail now.

Speaker 1 (02:56):

But this is something that I'm seeing a lot of people, um, starting to adopt as their Instagram strategy, even social media creators and content creators. So I know that if I go back, that will be my strategy, my focus, but right now I have no desire to go back. And I wanna talk about that. I want to talk about that because I've been doing some reflection. And when I look back at the last 93 episodes that we've recorded of this show, especially the solo episodes, you know, me chatting with you guys, I can see this really clear journey. Back in 2020 when I started Entrepreneurial Outlaws, my business looked really different. That's the first thing. But in addition to that, I was really different. I was really fed up, frustrated, angry, and quite emotional about the business coaching industry. Now granted, I still am this stuff, The we were talking about back then still exists today. But the last two years, the conversations you and I have had on this show and on social media and emails and everywhere else, they've been really healing. They've really, really helped to gain clarity and insight over what kind of business owner I wanna be, as well as hopefully the kind of business owners we all wanna be. Collectively,

Speaker 1 (04:37):

We have spent time discussing what it means to be an outlaw. We've talked about the anatomy of an outlaw, and I'm so passionate about continuing this legacy of entrepreneurial outlaws, even when we won't be publishing new podcast episodes. And as I've journaled and reflected on this clear journey for me personally over the last two years, I noticed how in 2020, and even in, you know, early 2021, we were still very much talking about marketing, social media. Um, we were talking about how to do business, right? How we do business. Those were the conversations we were focusing on. And we talk extensively about doing business on our own terms.

Speaker 1 (05:30):

And one of the conversations that I had yesterday with a friend who also is a business owner, we talked about why are our goals not enough? She was sharing a personal experience and story around her business, and she said to me, But why is it not enough, Melanie? Why is it not enough? And I really deeply resonated with that because I thought to myself, two years we've been having conversations about being an outlaw and doing business on our terms, but we are still, we are still vulnerable to these conversations of what ambition should look like for us, what success should look like for us.

Speaker 1 (06:17):

And the more and more I divest from hustle culture and diet culture, the more and more I see how the two live in unison in my body, in my brain, in my business. They are both systems that focus on minimizing our choice. They are systems that work on keeping us chasing goals that are usually external. They definitely, definitely reduce, drastically reduce how much we trust our intuition, they damage that relationship with ourselves. And it really got me thinking. I am in a very different outlaw phase now than I was in 2020 back then. I needed to heal from the negative impacts online business coaching had on me. And I did that, I did that through journaling. I did that through having conversations. I did that through, through speaking up on social media, um, sharing content during a time where we had no idea what was gonna happen in the world.

Speaker 1 (07:45):

And you all came alongside me and said, We agree. Like this is. And we didn't know there were other ways, or, you know, let's talk about the other ways. Let's discuss what we can do instead. And we've done that, we've done that for 93 episodes, but now it feels different. It feels different. That is still out there. But our lenses are super squeaky clean. And that was always part of our mission to help us see that we can make different choices to help us recognize what we need for ourselves and for our businesses. And so when we talk about doing business on our own terms, I think what that means now, it vastly different to what it meant in 20, 22 years ago. It meant changing the way we marketed our businesses, being more honest, being more open, recognizing where we were, perhaps making choices and our sales mar sales pages and, and our copy, you know, when we were launching it also meant trying out new things and seeing what worked for us. But now doing business on our own terms.

Speaker 1 (08:58):

I feel like for many of us, it's recognizing that we make choices in our businesses at the cost of something else. We have made choices in our businesses at the cost of something else. Oftentimes our mental health, I've made choices in my business over the years at the cost of having a social life. I've done it, you know, I didn't spend time with my family. I was always working. Everything else got put on the back burner because when we start a business, we're promised these glorified big results. And then when they don't happen, we get stuck in this loop of, what am I not doing? What's wrong with me? Why can't I not build a business? And just recently, I said to somebody that my business is gonna be seven, my business is going to be seven in January, and I'm still building a business.

Speaker 1 (09:57):

And I, I was saying this from the point of view of curiosity. I wasn't judging myself, but it made me laugh because I thought when I started this in 20 16, 20 15, I, I really did have these rose tend glasses. I really did believe in what everyone was telling me, which was how, you know, if I just worked really hard and I had the right mindset that this would all happen for me. And she said to me, my friend, she said to me, You know how to build a business. This was never about you building a business.

Speaker 1 (10:37):

She said, this was about you peeling back the layers of who you truly are. And it hit me in that moment that that is exactly what this has always been. Which, you know, whilst I can sit here and say that was a very expensive and long journey, <laugh> with many highs and many lows, I also recognize how much I've gained from this journey. I can recognize that the freelancing I work, the freelancing work I currently do would not exist without this journey. I wouldn't have the skills, the knowledge, the experience. If I hadn't started a business, I would not have met so many of you, whether virtually or in real life. I wouldn't have the incredible friendships I have now that I craved my entire life. I wouldn't have those without starting a business. We can obviously play a devil's advocate and say, Well, you don't know that. I know I don't. But for the sake of this, we're going to assume that I wouldn't. Because most of these friendships and connections were built on a mutual desire to work for ourselves, a mutual desire to work for ourselves and on our term own terms. And I am so grateful for the connections, friendships, and community that I have now got as a result of having a business. And so, whilst yes, seven years in, I may still be building a business and still peeling back some layers, although I think I'm very close.

Speaker 1 (12:13):

I also think to myself, look at what we've accomplished in seven years. Look at what we've accomplished in two years, the growth that we've experienced, the shifts that we've made, the ways in which we've stretched our wings as outlaws the different decisions that we make now, the length of time that we perhaps spend feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. The ways in which we are able to bring ourselves back to the goals that we actually want, the intentions that we have set, the journaling practices that we now have, pen paling, the ways in which we pick up connections in different ways. We have done a lot as outlaws in the last couple of years. And that's song, I wanna look at my business now. I wanna look at all that I've accomplished outside of that traditional business strategy or the way that we are supposed to look at businesses or told we should look at businesses, which is how much growth we've had.

Speaker 1 (13:28):

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be realistic and making money obviously allows us to continue living our lives. And right now, that is very important. I am not pooing that. Um, I'm very fortunate that my freelancing work is the thing that pays my bills. It is the thing that allows me to kind of take this time and go, Oh, this is, where am I in my business? And so at the time of recording this, what I can tell you is that I've been able to really simplify things. I've been craving simplicity in my business and probably in life as well. Um, and I'm ready for this next phase. You know, there's different outlaw phase I'm in. I feel like the things that I am really passionate about have evolved. It hasn't changed. My values are still very much the same, but the energy I put in to those values and where I'm placing that energy is very different.

Speaker 1 (14:27):

Um, by that I mean the impact online business coaching has on me now is very minimal. If I see, I call, but I'm not in that bubble. Um, I have definitely healed from that negative impact. I can definitely see the, the things I needed to learn, the opportunities that I had to learn and grow. And I'm kind of in this phase of forgiveness now. People can run their businesses in the ways they want to. Forgiveness is just really hard for me. By the way, this is something I've been working on for years, um, especially when it comes to myself. Um, but I can recognize that we have choices. And I think for most of us, we're at a point where we can see the kind of ethical and unethical sides of business. And we get to choose where we land. We get to choose what side of business we're on.

Speaker 1 (15:28):

So moving forward in my own business, I'm going to be looking at how I can continue building that outlaw legacy, continue bringing that to the forefront of my business because it means so very much to me. And it has been an incredible part of my business and life for the last two years. And in the year previously, I hadn't, you know, I wasn't even aware what it was setting me up for and which is wild. But here we are. You know, we, we recognize that being an outlaw is something that we are constantly working on and constantly working towards. And I think what's really powerful is how that we've come together from different parts of the world, different industries, different goals, different niches. Yet collectively, this is the thing that brings us together. And that is the part of this that I refuse to let go of.

Speaker 1 (16:38):

And now as we come to the end of this version of entrepreneurial outlaws, I will be, as I said, taking the time to build that legacy and continue to bring entrepreneurial outlaws to the, for the forefront of our businesses to continue being a conversation that we have because we still need to have that conversation. Um, it's still something that we need to be reminded of. And there was a period of time this year, I think, where I wasn't really thinking about it. I wasn't thinking about being an outlaw. Um, I was very much going through the motions of business this summer. I felt very, very confused about what I wanted to do. And I think I, I thought that leaving Instagram would be a solution. It was not <laugh>. It did not have the, the impact I was expecting. I did not leave Instagram and suddenly have all this inspiration or creative inspiration.

Speaker 1 (17:44):

Um, and I'm recognizing now that being a content creator in itself, this is why it is a job for people. Because it requires so much creative output and so much creative energy. And at the end of the day, for me, I really wanna be able to do the work. I wanna be able to do the thing that I'm here to do. And I don't want to have to create content about the content or content about the thing that I'm really good at doing. I understand that that is a part of business, but again, I want a cool on that. I'm like, is it, can I look at it in a different way? And these are the kinds of things that I'm journaling and exploring right now and really digging into that self-inquiry because I'm, I'm wanting to challenge myself to, to really look at what I need in my business, what I wanna grow, what I want to work towards, and figure out, okay, if I go back to Instagram, is that really going to make any difference?

Speaker 1 (18:46):

It might be really nice to go back and have conversations with people, but I could do that in other ways in different places. And this year, from creating small bus snail mal and facilitating that back in January and throughout this year, and pen paling with people to creating Patreon and having this wonderful community where I can connect with people away from our algorithms, where I can share conversations and we can share out a a half moments and talk about the journaling practice that we have. It feels like I'm in this phase though, of changing what has always been done. You know, I think, I don't know if you've, you heard this, but I definitely heard it back in 2020 that some of the worst or one of the worst, um, phrases that we can say is that's the way it's always been done.

Speaker 1 (19:50):

And I don't, I couldn't agree more. I couldn't agree more. And so again, I feel like this is this next step for, for me, definitely. And if you feel the same way than I would love to, to hear from you. I am in a phase of, I refuse to ignore what I need because this is the way it's always been done. You know, I refuse to back down and assume that I can't have a complete and whole business that is aligned with my values and my, my soul and also do it on my terms. So that's really what I'm exploring right now as we come to this kind of natural end of entrepreneurial outlaws, this version of it. Um, I am looking at what's next. I've been doing a whole heap of journaling, um, and continue to, and I continue to use within Pat. We have our new Moon and Full Moon Journal circles each month, along with, I host Oracle readings as well.

Speaker 1 (20:55):

And even just doing that, sometimes I hear myself say something and I think maybe you should take your own advice, <laugh>. So there are so many opportunities right now for us to continue exploring, connecting, and being open to what is possible, and really learning how to have these businesses on our own terms. Because again, my terms are very different to what they were two years ago. You know, um, life has changed rapidly and now that things are, quote normal or quote back to how they were, or things are open, there is still a huge amount of change. There are still things that are very different. And my response to things I used to do is different. My reaction, how I feel about them, you know, it feels very different. And I'm more open to having those conversations than I would've been two years ago. I feel like I'm much more, I'm much comfortable with myself.

Speaker 1 (21:56):

I'm much happier with who I am. I'm much more take it or leave it, but I'm not gonna change who I am. And that's, that's pretty huge. So I've learned a lot in these last two years. I've learned a lot from each of you, from these conversations, from just evolving my business. And it's not always easy. It's not always easy. There are times when I think to myself, I would quite happily just not do this. I'm not gonna lie, but I also know deep, deep down, there is a reason why we're all here. Whatever you believe, I believe there is a reason that we are all here. There is a reason why we were brought to Earth. And whilst I may not have it all figured out exactly why I'm here, I know that I'm here to continue facilitating these conversations in small and micro ways.

Speaker 1 (22:49):

And what I mean by that is I'm not here to be famous. I'm not here to go viral. I'm not here. I'm not here to have a massive impact on a massive amount of people. I think I'm here to have a lasting impact in small communities, and I'm really okay with that now, which is something that I would've, I wouldn't have been okay with a couple of years ago. I think when I look back at 2020, when I started this podcast, even though we were talking about small audiences, it was all well and good because my audience, you guys, my communities, and I think the rest of the world was super engaged online because we had nothing else to do. Um, and then all of that changed. And when all of that changed, it was really hard because a lot of us saw this massive drop when the algorithm changed again.

Speaker 1 (23:50):

Um, we saw this massive drop when rules came out, and it's been slow and steady and, and I think, so it's, it's this stuff. It's, it's the conversations. You know, back then we were having conversations specifically about marketing and Instagram and, and how we do that. And now I feel like we've shifted and evolved to a place where we're having conversations about what do we actually want, right? Taking back some of that control, not giving up so much of ourselves to an algorithm or to a social media platform. And I think that's where the power is. You know, we can take back our power. I know that social media isn't going anywhere. Totally understand that. I also know how many places, different places, I hear people saying how much they hate it there. But I think until we know there are other options, until we can see that, until we can feel that, because sometimes seeing doesn't need to be believing.

Speaker 1 (24:45):

We need to feel it for ourselves. But that also takes some privilege to be able to take that time to explore and see, you know, risking, risking changing what you have been doing. That's really scary. That's the reason I didn't look outside of my business coaches for the longest time, because not trusting them meant that, or not listening to them meant that perhaps that wasn't right for me. And I had a huge amount of guilt and shame because I spent so much money on that, you know, to recognize that perhaps it wasn't the right move was really hard. So I feel like this is where we're at. This is where I'm at. Um, I've been having this conversation with a number of people over the last few weeks, really in this kind of doing bare minimum, figuring out what's next. And at the time of recording this, and I think even when this final episode airs in mid-November, we're still gonna be in this very high energy.

Speaker 1 (25:45):

I've just recorded today a full moon in a Taurus, um, Oracle reading for our Patreon. And during this full minute tourist, it will have just happened. When you hear this, the energy is high, right? We've been feeling very emotional during school p season, moving through this full moon. There's gonna be a lot of like decisions that we wanna make and we'll be able to kind of move through them, but they're not going to be final. And then we're gonna hedge hedge head <laugh> head into Sagittarius season, um, later in November. And with that, I'm hoping, and the research says <laugh>, there will be some clarity and insight. So I'm looking forward to that. And I hope if you need that, that you will find it too.

Speaker 1 (26:39):

So we hope that this final episode did disappoint. As I said, I have been procrastinating for a good two or three weeks, if not longer, on recording this. And I just resign to the fact that we just need to have an conversation. We just need to keep it real. We need to be honest, we need to be transparent. And this is where I'm at in my business. Um, I'm really happy right now. And that's the other thing that I have to keep reminding myself. I keep telling myself I need to decide how I wanna spend my days. And I write down the same three things every single time. And then I'm like, this is well and good, but I'm not unhappy. There's nothing broken. There's nothing broken. I'm not unhappy. I'm in a really good place with myself. My business, we are still figuring out, but that's okay.

Speaker 1 (27:34):

And I'm still saying to myself, There's no rush <laugh>. So I may go back to Instagram, but right now, I have no desire to. I miss some of the conversations, but I also really like not having this additional thing to think about. So I may pop back up there at some point in the future. Who knows? I am recognizing how different my personal life feels without Instagram. And what I mean by that is, for example, at the weekend I went to see the Backstreet Boys. Yes, it was awesome. Um, it was really great, really sad, um, as well because, um, of Aaron Carter's death, but it was really, really great to a feel like I was back in the nineties. It was amazing. Just they did the whole, like, matching outfits and everything. It was great. Um, but what I also recognized is like, my husband was taking some photos and some videos and putting them on Instagram, like, on his stories.

Speaker 1 (28:52):

And I thought to myself, you know, how much time I spend at concerts, thinking about what I'm gonna share or like recording videos and I don't go back and watch them and I record snippets maybe for my son, but I just, I, I'm recognizing in those moments how much more joy I have, um, experiencing them in the moment and not having to record it and not feeling the pressure that somebody else needs to see it. Um, yeah, it's, it's, it's a really interesting, it's a really interesting experience. This, this Instagram. This Instagram, I was gonna say detox, but it's not even really when it's been. But me leaving Instagram this time has been very different to previously. And I think one of the reasons is this was fully intentional. There was full intention behind me leaving, whereas previously I'd kind of left by accident. Um, and I left with the intention of figuring out my relationship with Instagram. And all that I'm seeing is that it wasn't healthy, it wasn't the problem, but it was a contributing factor. So with that in mind, I will be continuing to nurture my platforms. My soc um, sorry, <laugh>.

Speaker 1 (30:31):

With that in mind, I will be continuing to nurture the communities that I facilitate away from social media. I will be continuing to grow Patreon. Um, I will be adding additional tiers to Paton. So right now we have the Outlaw Collective on Patreon, which is where we host our New Moon and Full Moon Journal circles each month. Um, you can get more information about that in the show notes, or you can go to pet com slash v oc yes, like the TV show. Um, and I will be adding additional tears, uh, in the, in the coming weeks and months. Um, I don't wanna give myself a deadline on this chat because I'm still working on it, but that will be happening. And of course, I will be continuing to grow my shop, um, and grow my sticker collections there. And, and sharing how more, more blog content in particular, um, how I use the stickers, the inspiration behind them, and have those kinds of conversations because these are places that I feel I can focus my time and energy on, um, without it really disrupting my kind of mood or my rhythm or my creative output.

Speaker 1 (31:48):

I feel like I have a little bit more control over things in those areas. So I will be continuing to create and journal and figure out what's next. But in the meantime, if you would like to continue connecting with me, feel free to, um, you can join my email list. Um, I don't have some fancy freebie right now, which I feel like is the most, It feels so funny to say that because I have had some kind of like quote, lead magnet, freebie, whatever the kids are calling it nowadays. I don't even know what it's called. I've always had one of these from like 2015 onwards. I've had a version of that currently. Don't have a version of that. Um, if you would like to hang out with me in your inbox each week, you can send me a message and I will add your email address.

Speaker 1 (32:44):

If you are already on the list, then you will continue to get emails from me each week. Um, I will be sharing kind of news and what I'm working on and anything new in the shop, um, each Monday. And as I said, you can take a look at our Patreon. Um, if you would like to join us over there, it's a wonderful community. It's eight pounds a month, and you will receive these two journal cycles along with a journal prompt PDF each month. And I also host live Oracle readings. Um, I'm also in the process of creating a kinda a living document, um, with an introduction to Astrology and the Zodiac. We'll also be looking at the moon phases, and I'm just sharing some resources that I use so that in between those cycles, you can continue to strengthen your practice.

Speaker 1 (33:35):

So we've come to the end of this episode. I wanna thank you again for all that you have done for me and this business for the last couple of years. I am so grateful for your listenership. I am so grateful for the downloads, the reviews, the conversations, sharing this podcast with your friends. I really, really appreciate everything, because as I said, without you, this wouldn't exist Without you, I wouldn't have been able to do this. And from the very beginning, you'll have just shown me so much support and I'm so grateful. And as I said, this is not the end. This is just goodbye for, for now. Um, and I will be continuing to grow and evolve the Outlaw legacy, um, in various ways. Um, and I will keep you updated as I do that. So thank you so much for the last two years. Um, I hope that I get to continue connecting with you in one of the other ways that we currently have available. Um, and I will see or speak to you very, very soon. So until next time, outlaws, whenever that may be.