fbpx
Categories
Podcast

All Kids Included with Annie Hoffman

All Kids Included

Can you imagine a world where all kids felt included and safe to be themselves? Just for a moment, imagine living in a world where all kids learned to treat themselves and others with kindness because they saw it modeled in their homes and schools, on TV and movies, video games, stages and theater performances in their communities. If envisioning that kind of world makes you smile and ignites a spark of hope, then don’t miss this short and inspiring conversation with Kindness Influencer and Podcast Host, Marly Q, plus special guest, Annie Hoffman, who’s doing her part to create a world where all kids are included, every day!

Join our Kind QREW community – Click here

Upcoming Event

 

MANkind Summit May 17-19, 2023
www.mankindsummit.com

 


“Kindness is not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can.” ~ Andrew Iskander


Listen to this Episode and Discover…

  • How one South Florida event makes sure ALL Kids are Included in the arts*
  • How kindness and the arts are parallel driving factors for wellness 
  • How the arts plays a role in reducing stress, for kids and adults alike!
  • Specific ways that the arts can be used a healing modality and means of connection

About Marly Q:

Kindness Influencer, Leadership Trainer, and Community-Builder on a mission to create a kinder world for over two decades. Through her podcast, she invites listeners to make “Time to Be Kind” each week to receive a spark of kindness, connection and community.

Connect with Marly Q:

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/MarlyQ
Instagram: https://instagram.com/MarlyQ
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theMarlyQ
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarlyQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarlyQ
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theMarlyQ

About Our Guest:

Annie Hoffman is the Education and Outreach Manager at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, a division of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. In this role, Annie oversees a wide range of programs and initiatives designed to promote arts and culture throughout the community. With her expertise and passion for the arts, Annie has become a well-respected leader in the field, known for her ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences. Her dedication to promoting inclusivity and accessibility in the arts has made a significant impact on the community, and her tireless efforts have helped to ensure that the arts remain a vibrant and vital part of Miami-Dade County’s cultural landscape.


Connect with The Dennis C Moss Cultural Arts Center

Website: mosscenter.org
allkidsincludedmiami.orgInstagram: @the_moss_center

Other Links:

Upcoming Event: MANkind Summit May 17-19, 2023 – www.mankindsummit.com
Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group:
https://facebook.com/groups/kindqrew
Join our Kind QREW+ Paid Membership: https://marlyq.com/kind-qrew
Programs & Courses: https://marlyq.com/programs
Marly Q Speaking, Training & Retreats: https://sparkcsr.com
Listen to Marly Q TEDx Talk “Kindness is your Superpower”: ​​https://bit.ly/MarlyQTEDxTalk


Other Episodes you’ll enjoy:

EP 16:  World Youth Skills Day with Spirit Cheer Camp
EP 15:  Planting Seeds of Kindness with Marlon Hill
EP 30: Welcome Back with Marly Q

 

TRANSCRIPTION:

00:00 Marly Q

Imagine for a moment a world where all kids grew up feeling included and invited in and safe to be themselves. If imagining that world makes you smile and gives you hope, then stay tuned.

**Kind Update about MANkind Summit**

Oh, and one more thing. If you don’t already know, next month we’re hosting our second annual MANkind Summit. If you want to be the first one to know and have the details to this, you better be in our Kind QREW. If you haven’t joined our private Facebook group yet, now’s the time you can find the link to join that over at Marlyq.com forward slash this episode number.

00:48 Marly Q 

Hello and Welcome. Thank you so much for making Time to Be Kind with Marly Q and our special guest, PARKer today, she is a friend and a client. We’ve been working together for many years. This is the education and outreach manager at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center with the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. It is a mouthful and it is a huge undertaking. And this role that this beautiful woman takes on so gracefully. Please welcome to the show Annie Hoffman.

01:15 Annie Hoffman

Hello. Thank you so much for having me. Marly.

01:13 Marly Q

Yay. Welcome. How’d you like your grand intro?

01:20 Annie Hoffman

I loved it. I loved it. Thank you.

01:23 Marly Q

I see you blushing. I’m going to make her blush a little more, because not only is her job about creating arts in the community or uniting the community around the arts and making it accessible for all, she’s also a board certified and registered art therapist and a licensed mental health counselor. She has spent the majority of her career advocating for and educating about the healing and community building aspects of being involved with the arts. She is passionate about the arts and making it accessible for all, and that passion just lights me up. So again, thank you so much for making Time to be kind.

01:56 Annie Hoffman

Well, thank you again for inviting me to join you today. I’m so excited to talk to you. Anytime I get to talk to you, I just get excited. So thanks, Marly.

02:05 Marly Q

Ditto ditto. And for our friends who are listening and spending time with us maybe for the first time, could you remind us or tell us what’s a PARKer?

02:15 Annie Hoffman

Yes. So a PARKer is someone who performs acts of random kindness and they’re led by their desire well, I’m just speaking for me, I guess, but their desire to do things in community with others and connect with others.

02:30 Marly Q

Yes. That is beautiful. My goal is to have this in the dictionary and have it be like a standard of human behavior. And how you identify? I identify as a PARKer, a person that Performs Acts of Random Kindness. And April is Stress Awareness Month, and I’m curious how you feel that kindness and the arts play a role in reducing stress.

02:54 Annie Hoffman

I think they have a huge role. Kindness just fills you up when you are being kind, having community with other people, connecting with other people, you’re filled up. And that contributes to your overall reduction in stress and it makes us feel better. The arts go hand in hand with that most of the time. I find that artists want to engage with their communities. And when we engage with arts, we are able to do so with others, whether that might be as a spectator or a participant. And the act of creating or the act of being in a space where art is happening, like a live performance that makes us feel connected. And being connected helps us reduce our stress and just makes us feel better overall.

03:41 Marly Q

Yes, absolutely. Are you listening? It sounds so simple, but when it becomes an actual standard and a value and a practice more than anything else, then we really could experience like an elevated sense of wellness, regardless of the amount of stressful events happening outside of you or whatever life throws at you, right? Like just having this be part of your lifestyle. So can you share with us what sparked your interest in the arts and specifically as like a healing modality?

04:15 Annie Hoffman

I grew up with the arts. I learned how to draw and paint and sew from my grandmother and my mom. And it was something that I just kind of remember doing always. I know when my mom would take me and she was going to class or she was going to something, she would take me and I would just kind of be sitting somewhere coloring. And so for me, I think I just always used the arts as a way to express myself and to calm myself, to soothe myself, no matter really where I was. And I found a way to connect with other people through the arts. And so as I first learned about what art therapy was, the minute that I learned about what art therapy was, I thought, oh, this is it. I felt like I was missing something. As going through art school, I felt like I needed a little bit more. I wanted to go in a little bit of a different direction. And then I kind of found my community. And so to me, being an art therapist and working in the arts as an arts administrator and an arts education, it gives me that sense of opening the world up for other people and for myself too. And that’s kind of what I think the arts and healing is all about, is just opening up the door to folks so that they can experience all the benefits that art making, engaging with the arts have to offer.

05:36 Marly Q

I love that and I love how it is parallel to kindness. Right. Because the arts don’t just benefit the artist and the one making the art. Art benefits the spectator. It benefits a participant. And that’s how I feel kindness is as well. It doesn’t just benefit the person that’s performing the act of random kindness. It’s also the person that’s receiving it, someone that might have observed that or witnessed it and it creates a ripple. Right. Can you speak to that?

06:03 Annie Hoffman

Yeah, I mean, that’s one of the things that I love about the job that I do currently as the education outreach manager at the Moss Center is that I build these programs and create opportunities for folks. And so I see that kind of rippling out effect as being shared amongst the community. Right. And the arts have a way of doing that in terms of just bringing people together from all different backgrounds to have this shared experience. And there’s this bonding kind of thing that happens. It’s hard to put it into words, but it’s just such a magical experience that happens. And I’m always so grateful that I get to be part of that. That also happens when I’m facilitating an art therapy group. We have this shared experience where we’re coming together and there’s this rippling of energy going out and yeah, it definitely has that parallel with kindness.

06:56 Marly Q

I agree. Well, I love the Moss Center and what you all do year round. I mean, I’m only a part of this one particular event that we’re going to be hosting next Saturday. We’re going to tell you about that in just a moment. But can you tell me about the year round programming that’s offered at the Moss Center?

07:12 Annie Hoffman

Yeah, I would love to. We have something for everyone. So if you haven’t been to the Moss Center before, I would encourage you to come down. Whether it’s music, dance, theater, you name it. We’ve got so much going on throughout the year. We also have free parking and it’s super easy to get to us. We’re just right off the turnpike. But as we were just talking about that rippling out effect, there’s nothing like being able to experience live arts performances. So it’s part of our mission to help people access the arts. We have several free events open to the community throughout the season. We also have a really great family series that provides opportunities for families with children to experience the arts together. Just this past season, we had Disney’s, Winnie the Pooh and we had a big fun, big top circus on our back lawn. We also have an incredible dance series that brings in some of the top dance companies to our stage right here in Cutler Bay. So if you don’t already follow us on social media, we’re at the Underscore Moss underscore center and you can keep up to date with all that we have going on. It’s a lot that we have, so we hope to see you there.

08:19 Marly Q

I love it. And for our friends who aren’t from South Florida, we will still put these links and the social media handles in our Show Notes page to connect. Because there are also some virtual opportunities that you offer, right?

08:31 Annie Hoffman

Yes, we do. We partnered with some of our local arts organizations. This is our third year now doing it, but we do provide free virtual field trip opportunities each season to students in Miami Dade County. We partnered with the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami Theater Center, and the Culture Shock Miami through the Department of Cultural Affairs to form the Miami Dade Arts Education Collective. So that’s a virtual programming that happens each season. In addition to those dance performances that I was just speaking about, we usually do a virtual free pre show talk, which sometimes features the artistic directors or choreographers, and those are on our website, our YouTube channel. So we do definitely still embrace virtual, which is something that came out of the pandemic, but it’s sticking around because it helps us connect beyond just our local community.

09:24 Marly Q

Yes, it is sticking around. And this retired recovering event planner made the pivot over to virtual. And I never thought in a million years I would say, wow, like, virtual is here to stay. And at least as a kindness, influencer, and a leadership trainer, a speaker, a community builder, the work that I do, virtual is like the way that I can better amplify this message and really unite people around the world that really want to create a shift in this world to a kinder one, right? And I think you’re doing that work in small ways and maybe ways that we don’t see right away the impact of that. But I do believe in the ripple effect of kindness and the arts and these experiences that you’re creating for all people, right? These are like accessible art programs and I love that. So could you tell us about the all kids included Family Arts Festival? That I’m so excited about it’s next week. I get to Emcee, I get to be a part of the team. I mean, I’ve been a part of the event for over a decade, so I’m bragging here. But this is one of my favorite events of the year. Not only because it is completely aligned with my mission in life, but it is also just a spectacular outpour and representation and embodiment of community. Community coming together to celebrate the arts, participate in the arts, and more importantly, make it accessible and available to all. Can you tell us more about the All Kids Included – Family Arts Festival?

10:49 Annie Hoffman

Yes, I would love to. It just so happens to be one of my favorite events every year, too. I look forward to it. It’s part of what drew me to this job and the Moss Center. So, this is our 17th annual free all kids included family Arts Festival. It’s an incredible day where we invite everyone to come out to experience a fun filled day of inclusive arts experiences for children and families with and without disabilities. As you said, this year it’s on Saturday, May 6, from 10:00 A.m to 03:00 P.M at the Dennis Sea Moss Cultural Arts Center, or the Moss Center for Short, which is formerly known as the South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center. It’s the same place. We just have a new name.

11:31 Marly Q

That’s important to say. That’s important to say. The South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center is now the Moss Center. There you go.

11:37 Annie Hoffman

Yes. So we will have sensory inclusive mainstage performances where we have modified light and sound. We also have a quiet room that is staffed by the amazing folks from the Advocacy Network on Disabilities. We have some amazing performances from our local arts organizations, such as the Children’s Voice Chorus. We also have something I’m really excited about. We have an immersive digital based arts installation called Light Waves by South Florida artist Monica Lopez de Victoria. We’ve got great food options. We just have so much to do. So I really hope to see you all there. One other thing to add is that we have put up the schedule already on our website, and we do this as also a way to think about accessibility so that folks can have a chance to look at that schedule and think about how they want to plan out their day. We also have what’s called a social narrative, where you can download that right on our website. And that’s something that kind of goes through what an experience of coming to the center might be like. And that’s really helpful for any folks with sensory sensitivities or anxiety. And all of that is on our website at mosscenter.org.

12:50 Marly Q

I love that some people listening may not have heard what a social narrative is or may not be just familiar with the accessibility features right. That an event could include. Could we dive into them a little bit more? Because I think this is really important and I’m not sure that we highlight it enough right. When we say that it’s accessible, that we provide accessibility for all. Let’s get really specific. Right? I know you mentioned that inside the theater, with the theater performance, there’s the light sensory component to it, but you also have, like, captioning and ASL, right?

13:19 Annie Hoffman

Yeah. That’s great to add. Yeah. So we do have, as I mentioned, we have a sensory inclusive performance. So that means that we’ve made slight adjustments to the performance in terms of light and sound. And we have that quiet room available so that if any point during the performance anyone is feeling a little overwhelmed or they just need a little bit of a sensory break, they can go to that quiet room. They’re still actually able to watch the performance through a window that we have, but they’re able to kind of modify their experience a little bit so that they can enjoy the performance, too. We also have ASL interpreters, american Sign Language interpreters, throughout the entire venue. That day at all of the different things that we have going on. We have audio description at the main stage performances, which happens to be for folks that are blind or have low vision, where they’re actually describing what’s happening on the stage, that happens through headsets. And we have open captions, which is where someone might be hard of hearing. They can actually get on their device and see a transcript of what’s being said, any kind of verbal dialogue that’s happening on the stage. So we’ve really tried to think about these different layers of accessibility so that everybody can enjoy what we have to offer that day. We also always have noise canceling headsets available, assistive listening devices. We also have a braille program and a large print program. So these are just some of the various things that folks would find if they come that day.

14:52 Marly Q

Yeah, different accommodations. Very carefully and kindly thought through accommodations that unless we tell people, unless we share that this is available, some families may just assume that it’s not, right? I can definitely imagine being a parent of a child, maybe that’s on the autism spectrum or that maybe has a particular disability or in a wheelchair or what have you, and I want to go to this event. I’d love to take my child to see a performance, but I feel stressed or I’m worried or there’s anxiety. Right. So to be able to deliberately tell families, hey, at this event, we got you, we’ve created this safe Place. I’ve experienced through the almost a decade that I’ve been a part of the event. Many families and kids that maybe are a little bit overwhelmed, there’s too much going on, and they just go to the quiet room, and a little while later, they come outside and they’re smiling and they’re having a good time, and they want to take a picture with me as the Emcee because they think I’m a big deal, right? I’ll never forget that. I’m going to share. 

15:48 Annie Hoffman

Well, you are a big deal, but okay.

15:50 Marly Q

One of my favorite memories at the All Kids Included – Family Arts Festival was this one year. I come off stage, and this little girl, she’s looking right up at me, and she’s like, hi. Wow, are you somebody? Like, with these big eyes. She’s like, wow, are you somebody? And I got down. I kind of whine. I looked at her and I’m like, yeah, my name is Marly Q, and guess what? You’re somebody too. That little girl was like she had me sign, like, her program. I did an autograph. Her mom took a picture. It was like, so sweet. It was one of these memories that I will take with me forever. It’s like, are you somebody? And so are you. And I feel that feeling, that kindness just permeates throughout the entire event. All of the staff, all of the volunteers, everybody that comes together really does come together in kindness in a community building effort. And I really wanted to share my platform and this audience. Even though it’s not only South Florida, I really wanted to let the world know that the all Kids Included family Arts festival happens each and every year in South Florida. And it’s not just this one time event, right? It’s part of a larger initiative from the Miami Dade County Cultural Affairs Department. Can you tell us about that?

17:02 Annie Hoffman

Yeah. So the all kids Included Family Arts Festival is supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs and with support from the Children’s Trust. And it basically is connected with this year long program that the department runs called All Kids Included and that has so many different facets that go on. The festival is kind of our culminating event. We also have a student art competition that runs every year, and at the festival, we have the award ceremony. We also show all of the artwork. We have the winning artwork in person, but we show all the artwork as well. They also do teacher training so that teachers throughout Miami Dade County can have access to learning from some of the best and new techniques, best practices in working with children with disabilities. They run summer camps. There’s an animation camp that they run that is led by a woman with autism every year that fills up every summer. So there’s just so many things that All Kids Included Miami does, and I am just so happy to be part of it and be able to create and work with them to develop all these programs that we have for people throughout Miami. You can find out more about that at allkidsincludedmiami.org.

18:21 Marly Q

Oh, great. We’ll include that link as well. I love that we are just a wealth of resources here, just a little sneak peek at the amount of resources that are available when you connect with the All Kids Included Family Arts Festival. We have a beautiful list of community resource partners that all come together and basically volunteer their time this beautiful day to make available the resources that we have for families with and without disabilities in the community. So I love you and the work that you do and the great team over at the Moss Center. I am grateful anytime that I can be a part of this initiative. And I just want to thank you for making the time to be kind with us here today and tell us about it.

19:01 Annie Hoffman

Thank you again for having me. I love talking about the All Kids Included Festival, and I love getting to work with you on it because you always just bring this positive radiating energy out. So I really appreciate you inviting me on today.

OUTRO

So there you have it. If you live in South Florida, friends, and even if you have kids or not, I invite you to check out the All Kids Included Family Arts Festival on May 6. Connect with the Moss Center and the all kids included Miami initiatives. You can find the links for those details over on my website at Marlyq.com this episode number. So whatever episode number this is, go to Marlyq.com that number.

 

Oh, and one more thing! If you don’t already know, may is Mental Health Awareness Month, and next month we’re hosting our second annual MANkind Summit. If you want to be the first one to know and have the details to this, you better be in our Kind QREW. If you haven’t joined our private Facebook group yet, now’s the time you can find the link to join that over at Marlyq.com forward slash this episode number. Thank you so much for making time to be kind with Marly Q. See you next time.

Upcoming Event

 

MANkind Summit May 17-19, 2023
www.mankindsummit.com

Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group:  Click here to Join Now

Categories
Podcast

My Someday is Now with Kim Walsh Phillips

My Someday is Now

If you’ve been waiting for “someday” to go all in on your dreams and goals, today’s short episode may be the spark that inspires you to decide “my someday is NOW”! Join Kindness Influencer and Podcast Host, Marly Q, plus special celebrity guest, Kim Walsh Phillips, an MBA-free self-made millionaire who was recently named #475 in the Inc. 5000! Kim is the founder of Powerful Professionals and author of multiple best selling books including her most recent book, The Shift: Scale Your Business and Multiply your Wealth Without Sacrificing You. This brief conversation is filled with wisdom and practical take-a-ways from entrepreneurship and parenting to simple ways we can create a culture of kindness at home and at work, even if you’re super busy!

Join our Kind QREW community – Click here

Upcoming Event

MANkind Summit May 17-19, 2023
www.mankindsummit.com

 


“Kindness is lighting someone else’s torch with your own inner flame.” ~ Unknown


Listen to this Episode and Discover…

  • You can be a successful entrepreneur and present parent (just not at the same time)
  • The 1 question you want to ask yourself (and your kids) at the dinner table, everyday
  • You can stop sacrificing your time, family, and health grinding 24/7 to grow your business
  • How promoting a culture of love and kindness at work enriches lives and your business
  • 3 ways you can spark kindness, connection and community at work, even if you’re super busy!

About Marly Q:

Kindness Influencer, Leadership Trainer, and Community-Builder on a mission to create a kinder world for over two decades. Through her podcast, she invites listeners to make “Time to Be Kind” each week to receive a spark of kindness, connection and community.

Connect with Marly Q:

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/MarlyQ
Instagram: https://instagram.com/MarlyQ
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theMarlyQ
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarlyQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarlyQ
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theMarlyQ

About Our Guest:

Kim Walsh Phillips is the founder and CEO of Powerful Professionals, a business coaching and education company. She’s a bestselling author and has been named “#475 in the Inc 5000” for having one of the fastest growing companies in America. Kim has spoken on stages around the world, co-hosts a top business podcast with American Idol Season One Alumni, Justin Guarini, and has worked with some of the biggest names in business, including Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank and Harley-Davidson.


Connect with Kim Walsh Phillips

New Book: The Shift: Scale Your Business and Multiply your Wealth Without Sacrificing You. https://theshiftbookbonus.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/KimWalshPhillips
Instagram: https://instagram.com/TheKimWalshPhillips
Website: https://powerfulprofessionals.com

Other Links:

Upcoming Event: MANkind Summit May 17-19, 2023 – www.mankindsummit.com
Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group:
https://facebook.com/groups/kindqrew
Join our Kind QREW+ Paid Membership: https://marlyq.com/kind-qrew
Programs & Courses: https://marlyq.com/programs
Marly Q Speaking, Training & Retreats: https://sparkcsr.com
Listen to Marly Q TEDx Talk “Kindness is your Superpower”: ​​https://bit.ly/MarlyQTEDxTalk


Other Episodes you’ll enjoy:

EP 24:  Drop the Ball with Tiffany Dufu
EP 26:  How Dare You Not with Luly B
EP 30: Welcome Back with Marly Q

 

TRANSCRIPTION:

00:00 Marly Q

Someday I’ll turn my purpose into a real business. Someday I’ll take that dream vacation with my family. Someday I’ll start a podcast, write a book, and host my own events. If you are waiting for someday, today’s episode might just be the spark that inspires you to finally decide my someday is today!

00:35 Marly Q

Hello, and thank you for making Time to Be Kind with Marly Q. Have I got a special treat for you today PARKers. Our special guest today is a celebrity. She’s one of the most impressive business women that I have personally met in the past two years. Some of the biggest names in business, including Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank, Dan Kennedy, my friend Mike Mccallowitz, who’s the author of Profit First, and so many others call her their secret weapon behind the scenes. This woman has spoken on stages around the world, including Dubai, Moscow, London, and all around the US. She is the co-host of one of the top running business podcasts, and she’s also the author of multiple best selling books, including her latest brand new book called “The Shift Scale Your Business and Multiply Your Wealth Without Sacrificing You”. I’m talking about the Founder and CEO of Powerful Professionals. Welcome to the show, Kim Walsh Phillips.

01:30 Kim Walsh Phillips

Hello. Thanks so much for having me, Marly. I can’t wait for this conversation.

01:35 Marly Q

Yes,  you know I said someday, when I relaunch my podcast, I’m going to invite Kim Walsh Phillips to be a guest on my podcast. Someday I’ll do that. I need to get a lot more episodes out. I need to make sure I have a bigger audience. I need to do a lot more. But someday I’m going to ask this incredible woman to be on my podcast.

01:57 Kim Walsh Phillips

And guess what? My someday is today.

02:00 Kim Walsh Phillips

That’s right. Yay. And I’m coming to you right now from the Bahamas. That’s what’s behind me. I don’t know if you can see that at all, but we are. Let’s see if I put on this nah. It’s not coming through. But yeah, it’s beautiful here. And I picked one afternoon that I was going to take a break and meet with important people. And you are that important person. So I am thrilled to be on here with you today.

02:23 Marly Q

Oh, I love it. And you know who else is super important people? Those listening who I call our PARKers. Do you know what a PARKer stands for, Kim? Can you tell? Our PARKers listening, in case they don’t know?

02:33 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yes. This is somebody who makes sure to make the world a better place by sharing random acts of kindness.

02:38 Marly Q

Yes, that’s correct. So, PARKer Beautiful People is an acronym for people like you, me and Kim, who perform acts of random kindness. And we use our voice and our skills and our talents and our resources to create a kinder world. That’s what we’re doing here today. Thank you for making Time to Be Kind. And let’s get right into it. Before we dive into business, I’ve got to talk to you about motherhood for a moment because you are proof, living proof to me that you can be a businesswoman, you could build your empire, you can serve at the highest level and be a present parent. Can you talk to us about how important that is for you?

03:14 Kim Walsh Phillips

It is very important. And I also know that I can’t do all the things at the same time. I cannot work and be a present parent at the same time. And a piece of advice a friend of mine had given me when I first found out I was pregnant, she was the first surgeon general for the state of Pennsylvania, Dr. Wanda Filer. And she told me, never tell your daughters. She didn’t know I would have two at the time. Never tell your baby that you have to go to work. Like never make it, that you are sacrificing time away from them in order to work. Show them from the very beginning that you are all the things you are a business owner and a mother. Not or not if, not, then, but. And that you get to go to work. You get to go make an impact. So what I’ve done since the very beginning with my daughters is enroll them into the fact that they are part of the impact that I make in the world by me going away from them sometimes and making that impact. And then when I’m with them, I’m fully present in a conversation with them. And I build those moments of intentional real time with them every single day. And some days it’s just picking them up from school and driving them home or being at the door when they walk in or spending time before bed having a conversation. It may literally just be 15 minutes of one-on-one quality time in that day, but enough time that they feel seen and heard and that they matter. And by doing that, I’m able to be all that I am without feeling like I should be doing something else at each time. And that lets me show up in a way that allows me to treat them the way they should be treated and then be more likely to treat others that way because they know that they matter.

04:53 Marly Q

Yes. And I know that by doing that, you are also modeling kindness. You’re modeling being kind to yourself and your calling and your purpose. You’re modeling kindness for them by including them in it, right? So can we talk a little bit about how kindness is a part of your life and your parenthood with your kids?

05:11 Kim Walsh Phillips

Every night at dinner, we have a conversation saying, who did you impact today? Positively impact. And we talk about it so that they are seeking those opportunities throughout the day to create a positive impact with the people in their life. It could be a teacher that they said something kind to a teacher or it could be a friend that they helped them in some way or it could be each other or it could be something they did for me. So we make that conversation part of our dinner every single night and so they not only are being held accountable to making an impact but they’re seeking ways to do it so they have something to talk about each evening.

05:45 Marly Q

Aww! They get to share. And how old are your daughters?

05:47 Kim Walsh Phillips

Ten and Twelve.

05:48 Marly Q

Ten and Twelve. So I love surrounding myself with people who are ahead of my journey, right? So that I can see. I have a two year old and a four year old and I’ve started these conversations already and I do make them part, they see myself and my husband, we’re both entrepreneurs doing our thing and I just love that. So I just wanted to start off our conversation by saying thank you for not just being a role model for me in business but also in parenthood and I just love that. So thank you. And I know that you especially don’t miss softball games and I hear you do a little DJing out there too.

06:22 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah, so that’s one of my priorities is that I’m there and present for my daughters when they play softball and their dad is their coach, but I am the DJ at the games. I do all the announcing of the players when they come up to bat, play them each their walk on song and play all the music before, during and after the game.

06:39 Marly Q

I love that. I love that. Talk about making powerful memories, right? So let’s shift over to business because your business is called Powerful Professionals. So I love it. You already have me just at the name, right? Being a powerful professional. Can you tell us more about this incredible business and how you started from just about 30 clients or so and went to what is it, like 1000 or 11,000 clients? Tell us this journey.

07:01 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah. And this is all tied in beautifully with the theme of your show. As I was going through this really painful period where I couldn’t make payroll and I didn’t know what I was going to do, I knew I needed to do something different. And I had a young baby at home and I couldn’t go out and hustle like I used to. And so I actually had to start relying upon marketing and automation and webinars to grow my company. And it started to work and I knew when I discovered like how to make it work that I wasn’t just going to learn for myself. I was learning so that I could help other people. And once I figured it out and I was able to grow my company, I sold my company and I knew my whole mission. My entire mission of life is to show other entrepreneurs how I did what I did so that they can do it too. So my whole business is built around the purpose that we are not just created to work. We are created for many things: faith, fitness, family, finances, and fun. And we need to build all of those things. We get to build all of those things into our life in a way that actually works. So my goal every single day is to show people how they can multiply their impact and income without working around the clock so they can still have time for all the other things that are important to them while they make an incredible living doing it.

08:15 Marly Q

Yeah. And how is kindness, like a part of this? Not just for the people that you serve, but also for your team, right? Because your team is super important to you. I’ve heard in your story you even had to pawn your engagement ring in order to make payroll. So I mean, if that’s not a sign of like I care about people and the kind act, I don’t know what is. right? So how is it a part of your business? How is kindness a part of your business?

08:35 Kim Walsh Phillips

There’s a few things. One is that we only have people work in their zone of genius. So we don’t, even if someone’s out of office, let’s say we don’t have somebody else jump in and work on their projects if that’s not what their strengths are. So we allow each person to show up and fully work in what they were created to do. So that’s one way. A second way is every Tuesday at our we call it Town Hall. That’s our Tuesday staff meeting. Where we share you make a difference, where we share one of our clients, what they did, the impact that that had on the world and the team members that were participating on that project so we could show the impact those staff members make. And then we also do team shout outs every week so different team members can put in notes of appreciation for other team members. And we read those aloud every Tuesday meeting. So we’re building intentional kindness into all of our staff meetings.

09:31 Marly Q

Yes. And would you say that building intentional kindness into your staff meetings, into your team each and every week is generating what I call the currency of kindness, right? Something that enriches your life and your wellness, but also brings business to your business, right?

09:48 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah. It really, It creates this culture of love and treating everybody with respect and making sure each person matters. And when you are that way, that’s who you attract to you, as we say, right? Your vibe attracts your tribe. So my whole community is filled with amazing people just like that. So, like, at one of our business retreats, you’re finding all people who are just super awesome humans who want to help other people be super awesome humans. So it’s just an incredible community that we’ve been able to create because of that culture that we have.

10:17 Marly Q

And you’re definitely embodying that because you somehow attracted my energy into your world. And I’m like, I am all about it. This is my woman. We must connect. And here we are. Thank you, universe. Just a moment to thank the universe for making this happen, right? Because it was effortless, and I’m just so grateful. I want to talk about your new book because you’re creating things all the time. You create events and programs and running your business in such a way that inspires me to streamline mine as I continue to grow. But talk to us about your book, because the shift, especially this other tagline, how to scale your business and multiply your wealth without sacrificing you, that part right there is definitely a hook.

10:59 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah, it’s my entire business model. And I talk about this book being a storybook, a playbook, and a workbook all in one. I wanted to bring it up for you. So a storybook, a playbook, and a workbook all in one. Storybook is that I’m telling you fun stories from behind the scenes so you get to see the journey, and there’s a lot of historical moments that happen, and I share those. Right? And then it’s a playbook because I give you the step by step on how you can do it, too. So every marketing strategy, lead generation, I give you every single one of my slides from my webinar, you get full scripts to use. It’s all included in the book. And then a workbook, because I actually give you exercises that you can follow in order to get done the things that we’re talking about inside. So here we go. It’s the shift, how to multiply, how to scale your business and multiply your wealth without sacrificing you. So we put it all in there, and then what’s really fun is, when you get the book, you get over $3,000 worth of bonuses, all included, that are all yours in order to make that massive impact without using more of your time.

12:03 Marly Q

You’re so generous, Kim. It just flows like you’re like, oh, this is just what I’m doing now. It is an incredible, generous offer, right? And the amount of time that you need to dedicate in order to put this together. So it’s not just another book on your super wildly successful book list that you’ve authored or co authored, but it’s really, like you said, it’s a guide, a workbook to help people get from that someday mindset to the someday is now. And I actually have a plan, a playbook and support of a community to get this going right and create that shift that we’re looking for in our life or in our business.

12:38 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah, exactly.

12:39 Marly Q

I love it. I love that I exactly get it. Because I am your people. That’s why I get it. So for our PARKers that are listening, that are interested in the book. I mean, is it already launched? Are we, where can we find it?

12:52 Kim Walsh Phillips

You can go to, TheShiftBookBonus.com you’ll be able to get the book and then you also will be able to score all of your bonus goodies.

12:59 Marly Q

I love that. And then when they’re in your world, folks, when you’re in Kim’s world, you’re going to get access to these amazing emails that will inspire you, that’ll make you laugh. My favorite part of your emails is how you close them and you put your name is already long “Kim Walsh Phillips”. She’s like no, let’s just add.

13:16 Kim Walsh Phillips

I mean, I’m extra all the time. You know that, Marly.

13:19 Marly Q

I so love the extra. I love all of the extra and I receive it. And it really does, you know, serve as a light that illuminates the path for people that are trying to build their business on their calling and their purpose, right? And my business, my calling is to spread kindness. And I will tell you and friends listening, it’s been really difficult and it’s been a struggle for me to figure out how I can build a business with my purpose, right? And using my skills. And you have been someone who has again illuminated the path for me, but has also, more than anything, been like embodiment of it, allowing me to witness and be a part of your events and your programs and what you’re doing. And it’s just such an inspiration to me and thousands, thousands of other people.

14:00 Kim Walsh Phillips

I love that. Thank you so much. That’s so kind of you. Thank you very much.

14:04 Marly Q

Yeah. So I know kindness is really important to you, too. And there’s a quote that you shared with me that I’d like to share with those listening. And if you want it’s, “Kindness is lighting someone else’s torch with your inner flame”, is this your quote? Because I haven’t heard this one before.

14:18 Kim Walsh Phillips

No, it’s not my quote. I found that online when you asked about the quote. And I love it so much because I feel like that’s what we do with what we do as content creators, as coaches, as mentors. That’s what we’re doing. We’re taking what we learn, our experience, and we’re gifting it to others so that they may be inspired, so they may see the light on the path forward. And I just loved it. I thought it embodied all that we try to do.

14:43 Marly Q

Absolutely. And I think that one of the things that I’ve learned from you, again, through observing, through following, through listening, like Clubhouse or your Instagram or your Facebook or all the lives that you do on the challenges, is the power of showing up in kindness, right? Showing up with that energy to me is so obvious, it’s so authentic, it’s received, right? So I think the power and even how you started your business, when you sold your business and started Powerful Professionals, didn’t it start with a webinar a week. Wasn’t that the story wasn’t like a webinar a week and you showed up or a webinar a day. Can you remind me?

15:21 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah, I did a webinar 119 times.

15:23 Marly Q

That’s what it was. I was like, this woman did the same webinar and showed up every week, and it was like your most profitable hour. And I’m here listening intently. Like, I can do that. I can do what we have been on.

15:34 Kim Walsh Phillips

We will say, like, how do you do that every week? I’m like, how would I not do it every week? 1 hour a week to fund all of my business. Yeah, it’s amazing. I mean, I think we sometimes get bored of things that work, and we stop doing them. But our marketing is not about fascinating us. Our market should be about fascinating our market, right? And so when we find something that works, we need to keep doing it.

15:55 Marly Q

And how do you keep doing it, even if you do get, quote, bored with the same message or the same program or the same service? right? How do you keep yourself?

16:08 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah, I find other ways to get fascination in my life besides my marketing.

16:12 Marly Q

There we go. Good. And you keep the purpose in mind that, listen, I’m repeating this not for myself. I’m repeating this for you and for new people that are listening, right?

16:20 Kim Walsh Phillips

Exactly. Exactly.

16:22 Marly Q

Yeah. And I always think of that. Thank you for sharing that, because I speak a lot at schools, and I do career days, right? Like people don’t usually have a philanthropist come in on career day, right? And I come in, I’m like, that’s what I do for a living. I’m a philanthropist, and I speak sometimes at the same school for a couple of years. And I remember this one time, I was speaking at, I think, a fifth grade class, and I was sharing my Kindness is Your Superpower story and et cetera. And a boy in the class raised hand, he’s like, I heard this story before. You’ve been here before. You always share the same story. That’s what he said. And I stopped and I looked. I’m like, yes, thank you so much for remembering that. You know, I do share the same story, and I have a TED Talk about it called Kindness is Your Superpower. I will link it in the show notes. And I do share the same story over and over again because it’s not about me and my story and how great I think it is. It’s about the act of kindness and how a simple, so simple and totally free act of kindness had the power to shift, to create a big shift in my life and set me on a path that I’m on here today, right? So repeating the same message over and over again, thank you for doing that, for modeling that, and go find other things to keep you the new and variety do it yourself. Thank you for that.

17:35 Kim Walsh Phillips

Yeah, for sure. I love it. I love that story. That was great, Marly.

17:39 Marly Q

Thanks. So, my beautiful friends, I hope that you enjoyed this time that we spent with Kim. Help me say thank you to Kim Walsh Phillips and give her a virtual hug all the way from Bahamas, from Miami to Bahamas. Big hugs to you and safe travels back home. I know you live just outside of Atlanta, back with your family. Thank you so much for what you do every single day to spread kindness in this world. Kim.

18:02 Kim Walsh Phillips

Thanks for having me. It’s such a pleasure to be with you and all the PARKers, too.

OUTRO

Thanks. All right, my beautiful friends, so if today you got that spark of Kindness, Connection and Community to inspire you to make today your someday, we want to hear about it. If you’re listening on Apple, go ahead and rate and review. If you’re on YouTube, subscribe so you don’t miss any of our episodes spotify, you can rate us five stars. And if you are not a part of my Kind QREW yet, make sure that you click the link in our show notes to join our Kind QREW. It’s our private Facebook group. We have well over 300 people from all over the globe. Our PARKers are people who Perform Acts of Random Kindness, who together each and every week, are making Time to Be Kind. Thank you for being that spark. Visit MarlyQ.com forward slash this episode number for all the transcription, the show notes and the links to connect with Kim and get her book today. Thanks for making Time to Be Kind. See you next time.

Upcoming Event

MANkind Summit May 17-19, 2023
www.mankindsummit.com

Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group:  Click here to Join Now

Categories
Podcast

But I Want to Fly with Michelle Villalobos

But I Want to Fly

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you went all in on your dreams? If you’ve got big dreams and perhaps afraid to take flight, then you’ll love making time to listen to this episode because Kindness Influencer and Podcast Host, Marly Q, plus special guest, Michelle Villalobos, will awaken your inner superstar, spark your courage, and remind you that it’s never too late to dust off your dreams and dive into your destiny. Tune in and be prepared to FLY!

Join our Kind QREW community – Click here

“The wound is where the light enters you.” ~ Rumi

Without a clear and compelling vision driving us forward, there will be no progress for mankind. In order to “be the change we wish to see in the world” we must first be able to envision that new world. A world where all humankind is responsible for upholding a standard of kindness towards ourselves, each other and the world we all share.

Listen to this Episode and Discover…

  • The spark that awakened Marly Q’s inner superstar to step on stage
  • Michelle’s inspirational journey becoming an author 
  • How inspiration can come from embracing pain, anger, loss and grief
  • What happens when you befriend your fears
  • The power of taking responsibility for your life – all of it
  • The importance of self-kindness first 
  • How having standards and boundaries is actually kind

If you’ve ever dreamt of doing something so big that it seemed crazy, scary or just impossible to achieve, then tune in to this short episode to receive the spark of inspiration you need to start flying today!

About Marly Q:

Kindness Influencer, Leadership Trainer, and Community-Builder on a mission to create a kinder world for over two decades. Through her podcast, she invites listeners to make “Time to Be Kind” each week to receive a spark of kindness, connection and community.

Connect with Marly Q:

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/MarlyQ
Instagram: https://instagram.com/MarlyQ
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theMarlyQ
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarlyQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarlyQ
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theMarlyQ

About Our Guest:

Michelle Villalobos is devoted to “activating Superstars to uplift humanity.” She’s an International Speaker, Business Coach and the Founder of Superstar Activator. She’s also the Host of the Awaken Your Inner Superstar Podcast and Author of “But I Want To Fly” – Adventure Book for Dreamers of All Ages.


Connect with Michelle Villalobos

Book: www.ButIWantToFly.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@michelleevillalobos
Website: https://superstaractivator.com/

Podcast: Awaken Your Inner Superstar Episode 51 with Marly Q: https://blog.superstaractivator.com/podcast/marly-q/


Other Links:

Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/kindqrew
Join our Kind QREW+ Paid Membership: https://marlyq.com/kind-qrew
Programs & Courses: https://marlyq.com/programs
Marly Q Speaking, Training & Retreats: https://sparkcsr.com
Listen to Marly Q TEDx Talk “Kindness is your Superpower”: ​​https://bit.ly/MarlyQTEDxTalk


Other Episodes you’ll enjoy:

EP 37:  LOUD about Kindness with Adrianna Foster
EP 36:  Seizing Happy with GiGi Diaz
EP 30: Welcome Back with Marly Q

 

TRANSCRIPTION:

00:00 Marly Q

Have you ever dreamt of doing something so big that it seemed scary, crazy, or just impossible to achieve? Well, this short Episode will inspire you to awaken your inner superstar and remind us all that it’s never too late to dust off your dreams and dive into your destiny. 

00:31 Marly Q

Welcome. Thank you so much for making Time to Be Kind with me, Marly Q, and our special guest PARKer today. I can’t wait for you to meet this superstar. Welcome to the show, Michelle Villalobos.

00:42  Michelle Villalobos

Thank you, Marly. I’m excited to be here. 

00:45 Marly Q

So before we dive in, in case you’re new to my world, that this is the first time making Time to Be Kind. What is or who is a PARKer? Michelle, can you tell our audience listening? 

00:55  Michelle Villalobos

Yes, I can. A PARKer is a person who Performs Acts of Random Kindness. And I heard that term from you, Marly maybe 13, 14 years ago. 

01:07 Marly Q
Yes! And now it’s part of the lingo and we’re spreading these acronyms and this lingo worldwide. I have this dream that one day it’ll be like in the dictionary. It’s just a verb. It’s a, you know, it’s a noun. It’s a PARKer, my verb PARK, and all this lingo will be part of our normal language. What do you think?

01:23 Michelle Villalobos

Wooh! I like it. I like that world. 

01:25 Marly Q

So PARKers listening. Michelle Villalobos was one of my very first business coaches and really one of my first big clients when I first started my business over 12 years ago. Michelle Villalobos is the founder of the Superstar Activator. She’s an international speaker. She’s a coach. She’s the host of the Awaken Your Inner Superstar Podcast, which I’ve been on. I’ll link it in the show notes. And she is the author of the beautiful book “But I Want to Fly”, which is an adventure book for dreamers of all ages. I’m so excited about this new creation of yours. And I just want you to just dive right in and tell us about the inspiration behind this beautiful book.

2:06 Michelle Villalobos

Great. Okay. So the first thing I think is important to understand is that I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s way, way outside of my area of expertise, my comfort zone. I’ll just show you this is the book right here. So anyone would have thought that my book would be a business book, right? But this, it’s a poem. It’s about a four-and-a-half-minute-long poem. It rhymes. And it came to me in a dream about two years ago. And it just wouldn’t let go of me. The story, the word, the journey that that character goes on. It became, you know, I just couldn’t not follow the path or follow the signs and follow the calling is what it was. So it’s my story. It’s your story. It’s pretty much I think all of our stories. It’s an archetypal mythic journey of breaking down, breaking through, and then finding the blessing on the backside. 

3:02 Marly Q

Yes, that’s such a beautiful and succinct way to put that. This you know, because you might look at it and think, oh it’s a children’s book, right? It’s an adventure book for dreamers of all ages, right? And I actually read this book with my two kids, a two-year-old and a four-year-old. And I don’t think you had a two-year-old and a four-year-old in mind for your audience, right?

03:19 Michelle Villalobos

Well, the truth is I didn’t have anybody in mind for my audience. It came to me in a dream and I just woke up in the middle of the night and wrote the whole poem in about two hours, most of it. And then, you know, fleshed it out more, but I never intended it for anybody. It was just a thing that poured through me. And at one point I did text it to my clients. I was like, hey, look at this poem I wrote. And they responded and I was like, wow, that’s interesting that they loved it so much. And I just started to share it with my friends and my family and people. They felt something. And because they felt something, I knew I had something important. And so I just started to let it unfold. And it was a series of just random conversations with people that led me to even find an illustrator. Somebody’s like, you could turn that into a book and you could do a keynote about this poem. And I was like, yeah, I kind of could. And it just, it sort of took on a life of its own. And here it is. And it was a very easy, graceful process, which I think, honestly, in hindsight, you know, I had made a claim for myself a few months before that, that I was going to start creating from pleasure. The reason that happened was because I had a realization that I always wanted to be creative. I was a creative person. I am a creative person, an artist even, but that I hadn’t created anything for myself ever or in many years. I’d only created for money, for clients, for selling. And the realization I had is, you know, I excuse the language, but that I was pimping myself out, pimping out My inner artist wants to create for pleasure. And so I had made that claim. And then I don’t know, I guess it was a few months later. I don’t know the exact timeline. This thing happened and I took on whatever I create with this. It’s going to be from pleasure. It’s not going to be, yeah, maybe I’ll sell it. Maybe I won’t, but I’m just going to pursue it because I want to not because I’m trying to sell something.

05:10 Marly Q

That’s so beautiful. And let’s speak to that because, for our audience, that’s listening that may not know, right? You started off by saying, this is something completely brand new and not something not we would  have expected maybe from Michelle Villalobos who talks about business and personal branding. I mean, if we look back to when I first started my business in 2010, my first company, which was an event planning company, and I was running and managing an event and you were speaking and I heard you talk about personal branding and how you need to be, you know, like the face of your business and promote yourself, right? And I’m here in the back of the room eventing like, what is she talking about? It was like this novel idea to me and I was hustling and working so hard. And I’m like, let me listen to this woman. She’s got something, right? I gave you my card. You put me on your list. Back then you were producing Miami’s largest two-day conference for entrepreneurial women, the wildly successful women success summit. Which I was so forever, so grateful to have worked alongside with you. For four years she produced multiple of those events. And I will never forget. I’ll never forget. One day you needed an Emcee, you needed someone to come on stage and introduce you or like stall or something, right? And you were like, Marly you go to do that, you are a natural speaker, go and get the mic. And I was like, no, my immediate reaction was like, no, no, no. Like I’m backstage, I’m behind the scenes. I’m supporting you back here. I’m not going to get on stage and this is your spotlight. I’m not going to steal your thunder. And I remember you laughed at me. Like, that’s so cute. You’re a natural get out there and you’re not going to steal my thunder. Like, do you know who I am? You didn’t say it like that, but basically, you were like, you’re not going to steal my spotlight. If anything, you’re going to amplify the light, get out there. And I remember being super scared. And up until that point had Emcee that had spoken, but I wasn’t selling, you know, my voice, so to speak. I wasn’t selling my voice as a speaker and MC. And from that day, you know, like you pushed me to fly. You pushed me out there and kind of see me or see me as more than I saw myself at that time. And that wasn’t just dozen years ago, Michelle, you have continued to be that, like beacon of light and inspiration kind of like 10 or 20 steps ahead. Right. I have a dream of writing a children’s book. Now that I’m a mom, you come out with one and I’m like, yes, I need to just keep, you know, feeding from this beautiful energy and that from which you create, which is energy richness. I think it’s safe to say you and I both were not operating from an energy-rich place back then. Right? 

07:30  Michelle Villalobos
Absolutely not. What I know now from so much personal development and spiritual work that I’ve done is that well, this is what my mentor said, this is her line, her name is NaniLea Diamond. I think you know of her. You do know of her. I introduced you to her. She says, “the energy from which we create guides and determines the energy of what we create”. And it’s so simple and it’s so profound. And because back then I was creating from desperation, fear, pride, needing significance, needing security. You know, there were all these, I was creating everything I created, including that amazing event. And I’m not saying it was all, it was wonderful. And it was from the energy of that proving myself. And now I’m much, much more attuned to what energy am I coming from as I leave anything, market anything, produce anything, sell anything, much, much more aware. It changes everything. Yeah, it’s a game changer.

08:27 Marly Q

It is definitely a game changer. You know, what else is a game changer? Tell me about what happens when you decide to make fear your friend. 

08:34  Michelle Villalobos

That’s a line from the book. Yeah, it’s a signal. I mean, it’s here. Let me backup a second because there’s something that precedes the fear, or I hope it does anyway. I would like to bring this forward, which is desire. And desire is becoming just such a big important word that describes a really important phenomenon, which is what I’m calling now. I’m saying that desire is destiny’s calling card. Desire is destiny’s calling card. So first, the desire, like when we tap into real desire, you know when it’s from deep within from our truest self when there’s a desire like that’s really important. And I never thought that was important. I always thought that really honestly almost thought the opposite that if I really desired something I should stay away from it because it was dangerous or that it was impossible or I shouldn’t have real desire. I didn’t want to get too excited about things or too attached to things because then I’d be disappointed like my relationship to my own desire was really kind of messed up in hindsight. And so what this book does as it puts desire first. Desire and dreams, right? And desire is distinct from like, I desire a cheesecake, right? That’s different. That’s a craving. Or I desire, you know, the latest handbag or, you know, those are often cravings to cover up desire. And what I’m talking about is like tapping into your truest desire. What is your heart’s desire? And my heart’s desire has always been to create and share what I create with people. Like, you know, an artist, create live experiences. I mean ultimately the Women’s Success Summit was born of that desire also. So that’s the underlying desire. And so from desire and from honoring our own desire, then what can happen is the fear pops up. And I honestly think that fear can be a friend because it’s a signal that there’s something valuable here that matters. That it’s a signal for, yeah, that it’s significant, that it’s important. And it’s a way to highlight what needs to be done, right? Like, so if V in the book weren’t afraid of crashing probably wouldn’t have made a very good set of wings to fly, right? So that fear became her friend because it fueled her focus towards making an excellent airplane, right? So I gave away kind of that. But that’s that’s how the fear we can turn it around and make it our friend by focusing it and funneling it and fueling it towards something that’s going to serve us and support us rather than letting it stop us. 

11:02 Marly Q

Absolutely. I think that that’s also a game changer. When we learn to be aware of fear, when it comes up, right? In all its different ways that it comes up, be aware of it. And rather than allowing it to kind of dim our light or keep us from pursuing that desire relating to that fear with like, okay? I know why you’re here, right? To keep me safe and small and in my little, you know, world where I don’t, you know, risk, right? Risk being seen or risk failing or risk falling, right? I absolutely love the journey that V in the book goes through. I do agree with you that I think it’s all of our story, right? It’s kind of the dark knight of the soul is definitely portrayed there. So can you talk to me a little bit about or talk to us about the importance of like self kindness, right? When you’re talking, when you’re thinking about your desires and your goals and what you wish to achieve. What’s the role that self kindness plays? 

11:57 Michelle Villalobos

Well, I think that it’s so easy to not be kind to ourselves and to beat ourselves up and to right like? I know for myself, I’ll speak for myself and maybe it’ll resonate. One of the ways that I would get myself to do things was to like beat myself up or to like force myself or you know, like I never trusted myself enough. I didn’t trust myself enough period. And so because I was almost in like mind games and manipulation games with my own self, like how do I force myself to do this? How do I force myself to do that? You know, and I created a lot of ways of being that were around forcing myself to be ways and do things that I wasn’t naturally, that I didn’t, you know, that were not natural. And so that’s really unkind. And I think that being kind to ourself is about honoring our experience, honoring what we’re feeling when we’re feeling it. That was part of the story too. And it’s my story as well, which was that I had suppressed so many emotions for so long that the minute my heart cracked open even a little bit to feel some pain, it all kind of poured out, It just spilled out. It was very destructive in my life and it needed to happen There’s you know, there’s absolutely zero regret now. Because I know that, that was my body trying to clean out and clear out stuff that it had been holding onto for a really long time and that was kindness. I don’t know that I did it consciously, but I gave myself the space in 2014 when I had my breakdown to be broken for a while to like let myself just break all the way down. I don’t think that you necessarily have to break all the way down to break through like I did. I think that I had plenty of warning signs and red flags that I ignored. And for me, that’s what it took. That’s the wake up call I needed. 

13:46 Marly Q

I so understand that you and I, for PARKers listening, Michelle and I are both Virgos. And I think that Virgos have this interesting quality of being a little bit stubborn, maybe a little critical and we’re like the worst critical with ourselves, right? So I really, that does resonate with me. And there’s this beautiful quote that I know you quote often from Rumi. Can you share with us ?

14:08 Michelle Villalobos

The wound is where the light enters you. 

14:10  Marly Q
Yeah, right. So what happens when you go all in and accept responsibility, right, for your life, for all of it, right? And embrace all of it, right? Whether it’s pain and sadness and regret, right? What happens when you embrace and accept responsibility for all of it?

14:26 Michelle Villalobos

It’s the ultimate empowerment. It’s the only, it’s the avenue toward true empowerment, different from force, right? From forcing, manipulating, power play, all the ways that we try to manage life. There’s that. And then there’s real power, which is literally just like, I own it, whatever it is. It doesn’t mean I’m to blame for it, but I own it. It’s mine. The example that’s very hard for some people to get. So it can be a little triggering for people. So I want to be mindful, you know, how I express it, but it is the best example that I know, which is I have a friend, a client got pretty serious cancer, you know, like a very advanced aggressive cancer. And she spent months, Why me? Why is this happening? Very, very disempowered and sad and angry. And she had a breakthrough, you know at one point where she basically said, what if I just choose it? What if I just choose it now? I wouldn’t have decided. If you’d given me choices, cancer, no cancer, I wouldn’t have picked cancer. Nobody would. The fact is that I have it. I have it. It’s here. What if I just own it? What if I just say, all right, I choose this path. I choose this. Whatever is happening I’m choosing it. And from that place of choosing it, all of a sudden, her whole attitude around it changed. I mean, first of all, she chose like, if I’m meant to die from this, I’m going to choose that too. Like I’m going to trust whatever is happening here. And what that looked like for her ended up being a huge breakthrough in faith, in empowerment. She ended up, you know, walking away from a relationship that she’d been in for many years. She ended, she made all these changes to her life from this place of, okay, I’m choosing this thing that nobody would ever want. I’m choosing it like I chose it for real. And that changed everything. She was empowered around it. So I’m not saying you take responsibility from a place of like, I’m my fault that I got cancer. I deserved it. I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that she just chose it because it was. 

16:24 Marly Q

That makes perfect sense. You know, the way that I relate to responsibility, because the old me would kind of associate with responsibility. Like it’s the whole, you know, the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I am, you know, the one that needs to come in and save the day or the one to blame or the one at the end of the day. And with events, honestly, like my toxic relationship with events definitely contributed to this belief because at the end of the day, something goes wrong in an event. I’m the one that’s going to take the face, you know, in the blame quote unquote for it. But now in a much more empowered state, when I say that, you know, I’m accepting responsibility for all of my life. I just mean that I am able to respond to all that life throws at me. “Responsibility” I have the responsibility, the ability to respond, right? And that is an empowered state because you have the ability to respond to cancer, to a diagnosis, to a job loss, to the pandemic, to losing your business. You have the ability to respond right? And if you come from it, from that place, then, you know, your new creation or your pivot or whatever it is that you’re meant to do next can actually flow through, right. Rather than kind of staying stuck in old identity right? Can you talk to us about how to avoid like freezing yourself in like old stories that disempower you?

17:35 Michelle Villalobos
Yeah, I think one of the things that we do. I don’t think I know that one of the things that I do is I become very identified with roles with certain roles that I’m, you know, I had a role in high school. I was an excellent student. I was a high achiever. I took on the role of, you know, like up and coming executive, right? Like role of speaker, role of coach, role of author, you know, I’ve always, I think we, a lot of us do this very much identify with what I do as if it were who I am. And so one of the biggest things that I’ve worked on with mentorship and with the personal development and the spiritual development has been disidentifying from roles and understanding that these are roles that I play. These are things that I do. These are not who I am. And that there’s a true center that is beyond all of that. That’s beyond all of this. And that’s very empowering as well to know that at any moment I can choose a different role. I can choose a different way of being rather than getting caught up in an identity or a role that requires me to act certain ways, right? Like that’s what I’ve been letting go of. I don’t know if that was your question though. 

18:49 Marly Q

It does because we kind of freeze or box ourselves into these roles and these hats and these identities. You know, you’ve been part of my journey, Michelle It has taken me over a dozen years to detach from the role of event planner. I am a master event planner. I’ve been doing it for 20 years or ten thousand hours of event planning and strategizing and managing, right? And I’m like, and working with you and Jessica Kizorek, the both of you kind of gave me this first like perspective of like, you’re more than that. Like you have so much more to offer. And I’m like, really? I do? I don’t know. But that’s what pays my bills my whole life. Like that’s my bread and butter. And it’s taken me all this time. It took a pandemic and pregnancy and me to be like Ahh!, what am I going to do to kind of detach or decondition from all of the roles, all of the hats now. I’m a new person now. I’m a mom now, I am. And so when I go back out, quote unquote, into the world, do I want to tell people like what I do? Or do I just want to tell people who I am and what I’m passionate about and what I feel I’m called to do? And who I am? 

20:17 Michelle Villalobos

You are particular, your mission is, is, is something you can lead with, you know, your knowledge. 

20:21 Marly Q

Yes! You’ll be so happy to know that now I identify, I say, I am a Kindness Influencer. I am a Kindness Influencer. That’s who I am. What do I do? Well, now I speak and I Emcee thanks to you. I Emcee now all over, all over the place, right? I speak and I Emcee, I’m doing leadership training and workshops and retreats, right? Which is also something that I’ve seen you model and do, right? And I’m following your retreat blueprint for success as well. I’m on the way, right? But it really took, it really took a pause and it took like Time to Be Kind to me, right? I took a big pause on this podcast. I took a pause to do personal, like healing and development and be able to come back with standards. Well like a different standard of how I treat myself, a different standard for how I treat others, a different standard for how I value time and boundaries, right? Can we talk about the importance of setting boundaries and standards and how that’s actually kind? 

20:50 Michelle Villalobos

Absolutely. Well, it’s funny because we’re just now, yesterday was the equinox, I think, or maybe Sunday, but just now we had the equinox, which one of my mentors who I mentioned earlier, NaniLea, the lot of the work that she’s taught me how to do? Is how to align to the seasons and rhythms of nature. And so we have just moved from the season of winter to the season of spring. Season of winter being the season of receptivity in her blueprint, the season of receiving the new message, the new dream, the new idea. It’s where we get bare, just like the trees are bare. We just get bare down to the essentials. And then from that place of the seed germinating underground in the dark months of the winter, now we’re at the beginning of the spring where the seed starts to pop through the surface and that you know,  the things start to flourish again. And in the world of us as humans, how that looks is moving into this from the season of listening deeply, being receptive, getting the new message, the new dream, the new idea into the season of embodiment, which is the season of beginning the build. So in the world of V, it’s the season where she gets into the workshop and she starts to make the thing. She starts to plan and envision and create and glue and cut and sew and all of that. And that’s the season where standards and boundaries really start to come into play. Because now we’re bringing something from up here, where it’s in our little world, in our mind. Now we have to create space for it in our lives. And when we create space for something in our lives, we’re going to need boundaries around it. We’re going to need, like you know boundaries around who can give their opinion about the thing we’re building, boundaries around our time, so that we have time to focus on it, right? There’s all sorts of ways that we need to, we get to create the standards and also create the boundaries to make space and make possible the new thing that we’re birthing.

22:43  Marly Q

Absolutely. I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of how I witness and observe how you have transformed and like alchemized, right? So many things along the path and I’m just here for it. I’m here for all of it. And I want to hear from you. Where can people buy your book? I mean, and what’s your vision for your book? I know you wrote it for your desire for yourself, but now that it’s out, now that I have it, hot in my hand right here. And I am gonna link it to my show notes. Tell us, what’s your vision for the book and how can we support it? 

23:12 Michelle Villalobos

Well, okay. So first thing is you can get it and you can watch the video and you can get free tools that go with it at butiwanttofly.com, butiwanttofly.com, which is a line from the book that I pulled. And the picture that I pulled is the line that goes with it. So that’s the cover. It’s interesting that you should ask me this question about what’s my vision for it, because I literally have a different answer today than I did three days ago. And so I’ll share because and somebody.

23:39 Marly Q

You are hearing it first here, people hearing it first here.

23:42 Michelle Villalobos

You. Somebody gave me the exam, the feedback, I think yesterday like, gosh, Michelle, I love how you’re just not afraid to share where you are right in the middle of your creative process. I’m like, well, you know, here I am. Here we go. And he meant it as a compliment. I’m joking that he definitely meant it as a compliment. I took it as such. But what I’m seeing is I love to build events. You know this about me. I love my whole world is I always well, we could do this together. Then I come here and then we’ll do this, you know, have this conversation. Like I love events. I love philosophizing with people. I love going deep and having deep, meaningful, rich experiences. And over the last nine years, well, over the last 15, but in particular over the last nine, I’ve gotten really good at creating, taking people on a journey in a live event. So what I want to do is I want to start leading a, But I Want To Fly journey and experience. It’s like a three hours half day kind of vibe, basically to take people on their own journey toward agh! clarity of vision, purpose, like to walk through, like letting go, building courage, right? It’s a whole experience, you know, laying down, integrating it with breathwork, like a breathwork, you know, somatic experience that will be, you know, some sort of breakthrough for people. 

25:05 Marly Q

I’m so excited! 

25:06 Michelle Villalobos

That’s what I want to do, and the way I see it connecting with everything is, you know, people come in, they get the book, maybe they come to my live experience. And together, you know, the call to action is essentially if you want to lead your own groups and experiences and workshops and what I’m doing, I lead retreats, I lead this half day thing, I lead a group of people for you know, in a group coaching program, a mastermind, if you want to lead a community, create a culture of people doing something together then I can help you do that let’s have a conversation. So that’s the, that’s how it all ties together now. 

25:41 Marly Q

Oh, the alignment is beautiful. The alignment shines. I love it, friends. I will link everything in this episode’s show notes. Michelle, thank you so much. So, so much for making Time to Be Kind, and thank you for all eternity. As many times as I can share it on as many stages as I can. Thank you for awakening my inner superstar and just being such a supporter and a light in my path and my journey. Thank you for making Time to Be Kind.

26:08 Michelle Villalobos

Thank you, Marly.

OUTRO

I know you found that conversation just as inspiring as I did. And I want to leave you with this quote straight from Michelle’s book in case that it resonates with you. “Her heart whispered, it’s time to let go. And her mind shot back. Why? All we need is in this nest. But I want to fly.” If you want to fly too, then I invite you to visit marlyq.com forward slash this Episode number to get all the links to connect with Michelle, check out her book, and to share it. And I also wanna make sure to invite you to join our Kind QREW. Over 300 people have already said yes to being a part of our worldwide community of people who perform acts of random kindness. And I hope that that includes you. Again, easily find the link to join our private Facebook group plus the links to connect with Michelle at marlyq.com forward slash this episode number. Thanks for making Time to Be Kind. See you next time.

Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group:  Click here to Join Now

Categories
Podcast

LOUD about Kindness with Adrianna Foster

LOUD about Kindness

It’s time to get LOUD about kindness! In this short episode, Kindness Influencer and Podcast Host, Marly Q, spends time with 2x guest Adrianna Foster, Mexican singing sensation and founder of LOUD Women Nation, for an inspiring conversation about the power of authenticity and kindness.

Join our Kind QREW community – Click here

“Kindness disrupts the energy of fear and opens up flow for love, abundance and wealth.” ~ Adrianna Foster

Without a clear and compelling vision driving us forward, there will be no progress for mankind. In order to “be the change we wish to see in the world” we must first be able to envision that new world. A world where all humankind is responsible for upholding a standard of kindness towards ourselves, each other and the world we all share.

Listen to this Episode and…

  • Realize the importance and impact of authenticity.
  • Discover the #1 foundational tool for stepping into your authenticity, starting now! 
  • Be reminded of why (and how) kindness is your superpower!
  • Be inspired by the story of how one simple act of kindness, from a stranger in a bathroom at an event, changed someone’s life and created a powerful ripple effect.
  • Learn how kindness disrupts and shifts energy from fear to abundance. 
  • Leave feeling empowered to be “LOUD” and step into your authenticity.

If you want a spark of inspiration and the “secret formula” for experiencing greater levels of grace, love, happiness, abundance, and wealth – this is a must-watch/listen episode. Enjoy!

About Marly Q:

Kindness Influencer, Leadership Trainer, and Community-Builder on a mission to create a kinder world for over two decades. Through her podcast, she invites listeners to make “Time to Be Kind” each week to receive a spark of kindness, connection and community.

Connect with Marly Q:

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/MarlyQ
Instagram: https://instagram.com/MarlyQ
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theMarlyQ
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarlyQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarlyQ
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theMarlyQ

About Our Guest:

Adrianna Foster is an Authenticity Architect who specializes in supporting women in stepping into empowerment and building a life based on Authenticity through her philosophy of being LOUD: Loving, Open, Unapologetic, and Deserving. She does this through hypnotherapy, public speaking, experiential trainings, and her one-of-a-kind motivational concerts – “Foster Nights” –  where she fuses music and consciousness to inspire transformational growth. Adrianna is the founder of LOUD Women Nation, a uniquely curated Immersive membership program dedicated to educate, empower and inspire women through the power of Authenticity. With over 17 years in the music and personal development worlds, she’s worked with thousands of people, guiding them in their own unique journeys back to truth, authenticity, and freedom.


Connect with Adrianna Foster

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriannafosteroficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loudwomennation
Website: www.loudwomennation.com


Other Links:

Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/kindqrew
Join our Kind QREW+ Paid Membership: https://marlyq.com/kind-qrew
Programs & Courses: https://marlyq.com/programs
Marly Q Speaking, Training & Retreats: https://sparkcsr.com
Listen to Marly Q TEDx Talk “Kindness is your Superpower”: ​​https://bit.ly/MarlyQTEDxTalk


Other Episodes you’ll enjoy:

EP 04:  Why Smile? with Adrianna Foster
EP 35:  The King of Kindness with Patrick Morris
EP 32: Let’s Start with Why (and How)

 

TRANSCRIPTION:

00:00 Marly Q

Let’s get LOUD about kindness. Just in case you thought I was quoting J.Lo here, I’m not. But I am quoting another internationally known singer who empowers women to be LOUD. And she’s making Time to Be Kind with us today for a second time. Let’s listen.

00:30 Marly Q

Hello and thank you for making Time to Be Kind with Marly Q and our special guest today, this PARKer is an internationally known singer, she’s a star. You may remember her from Mexico’s La Voz or The Voice singing competition, but you may also remember her from Season 1, Episode 4 of Time to Be Kind with Marly Q. Welcome back to the show, Adrianna Foster.

00:52 Adrianna Foster

Yay! Thank you so much, Marly. I’m so happy to be here. I love the space that you’ve created. And I’m so, so honored to be here.

01:02 Marly Q

Oh my goodness, talking about the space we’ve created. Do you remember our first episode, our first, you know, interview together? It was Episode 4. I just gotten started. I was so scared to put my voice like out there into the world. Do you remember this?

01:16 Adrianna Foster

I do. I do and I am so proud of you. Every time I see you, how much you’ve grown and especially the way that you serve, Marly, that’s, that’s awesome. I’m very proud of you. How, how dedicated and intentional you are of really spreading kindness and serving through your voice. That’s beautiful to watch.

01:36 Marly Q

Oh, I love it. Can we take it back just for our PARKers listening, just in case you’re new to my world, that this is your first time listening to Time to Be Kind of Marly Q or connecting with me. Adrianna, can you tell our PARKers listening? What’s a PARKer? Or, who’s a PARKer? 

1:49 Adrianna Foster

Yes. So first of all, most important PARKer is your beautiful son. But I love that you name him like that. It’s like awesome. But a PARKer is a person that Performs Acts of Random Kindness, which I feel that acronym is just beautiful. 

02:07 Marly Q

Thank you. I really do think it’s part of our identity, right? And part of the call to action here with the podcast is to unite our community of PARKers. You’re out there, people that Perform Acts of Random Kindness. You are out there. What we need is to come together to build this community so that together PARK by PARK, right? We can create the shift that I believe this world desperately needs. A shift to one that is more kind than of service to one another. And you mentioned my son Jude PARKer, he’s turning five in July. And when we chose to name him Jude PARKer, PARKer as his name, my husband laughed at me. He’s like, you’re naming your kid an acronym. And I’m like, yes.

02:47 Adrianna Foster

I love it.

02:47 Marly Q

Yes. Yes, I am.

02:49 Adrianna Foster

Because you’re the queen of acronyms too. Like everybody knows that Marly is a queen of acronyms. Of course, your son had to have an acronym.

02:57 Marly Q

No, and also really as a guiding like North Star, like as a parent if I teach my kids anything, I have two kids now. I had a pandemic baby now, so now there’s two of them. And if I teach my kids anything, it’s to know who they are. Right? And if you know that I am PARKer, I am a person that performs acts of random kindness. I think that, that North Star, you know, really serves to guide your identity, your behaviors, how you treat yourself, how you treat others. And I think if I only do that, I’ll do a good job as a mom. What do you think?

03:26 Adrianna Foster

I 100% agree. I couldn’t agree more.

03:30  Marly Q

I love it. You know, let’s take people back in case you haven’t heard, you know, Episode 4 and you don’t know kind of how Adrianna and I met. And how we sparked this beautiful, like over a decade long relationship now and all the beautiful projects and the motivational concerts and the things that we’ve been able to launch and work on together and support each other through kind of some dark and difficult times as well. Like how did it start? What was the spark of this beautiful relationship? Can you share?

03:56 Adrianna Foster

I love it. Of course. It’s one of my favorite stories to share because when I met you, Marly,

at a very low point in my life. I had just come back from Mexico from a failed attempt, which I do this because as we go through it, we’re going to understand that it was just perfectly right. It was what my soul needed. Air quotes failed attempt in my career and I was homeless. I had no money and a friend of mine gave me a ticket to go to this event. And then there were so many powerful women and where they were talking about branding and this and that and I just got super overwhelmed because I had nothing I didn’t even have money to buy lunch that day. So I go into the bathroom and I start crying and then suddenly here she comes beautiful Marly with her beautiful light and she saw me that I was crying and everybody else let me tell you everybody else went in and saw me but everybody else kind of like you know, mind their own business and left I felt it feel uncomfortable whatever but you did in Marly you did not I don’t know if you feel uncomfortable but if you did you work through it and you approach me and you said, are you okay? And your smile, your smile girl, that changed my day. And I can say, and I know this is gonna sound very, you know, cliche and whatever, but that literally gave a turn to my life because you totally shifted my perspective. We, you know, spoke a little bit. I felt the received, I feel like I had a friend in the audience that I was not rejected or, you know, seen as less than. And then that completely changed my energy. I came out and I made the most incredible connection. From then on, I started having, I had a job. Three months later, because of that job that I connected in that event, I had a house, I had a car, and everything just started sparking and happening for me. So that moment when you came into the bathroom and you smiled, it was just a turning point. And that is the reason why an act of random kindness can change someone’s life. Look, I’m in goosebumps right now. And we’ve had other situations where the same thing has happened. When I’ve been in my worst moments and God just puts you there, puts you there with your beautiful energy and you shifted my life a couple of times. So I’m just, I’m your fan. Marly, what can I say? 

06:04 Marly Q

I am receiving that fully. Thank you. I am your fan as well. And I love, you know, what you emphasized in that super simple story is the, that uncomfortable feeling. I walked into the bathroom and of course there’s, you know, discomfort at seeing another person in pain or crying or upset, right? I think there’s a natural human reaction to be like, oh my God, you know, what’s wrong? And should I say something? Should I, you know, interrupt? Should I just leave them alone? Is that what they need? I think it’s a very difficult thing, right? For, for, and someone that’s just at an event coming kind of in and out of the bathroom, do we want to deal with it? Do we want to like get wrapped up into a longer conversation? So, you know, actually even having kindness with the people that just kind of came and went, right? And noticing, because I did feel uncomfortable, I’m like, oh my goodness, like I just needed to, you know, use the restroom, right?

06:52 Adrianna Foster

Or is it because you were Emceeing that day?

06:54  Marly Q

I was Emceeing.

06:55 Adrianna Foster

You were like, you were even doing your past life event thing. So it was like a lot for you to take in.

07:01 Marly Q
No, but to really be able to see one another, to see another person right where they are and meet them there with kindness, with just presence, with a smile, with something as simple as that, has the power to be the spark and to create a shift in your energy in that moment.In your ability to even like be present and be like, oh, I was just in my mind about, you know, everything that I’m worried about that I don’t have that I lack that I’m overwhelmed that I’m anxious. Right, but this person in front of me, this present moment, this present spark of kindness, what I call the currency of kindness. If you received it, which you did, and we exchanged this currency of kindness, put you in a state, in an emotional state of feeling better right away. And that’s why I call it a superpower of kindness because you went from a place of like, I am crying. I feel like crap. Nobody sees me. I don’t belong at this event to somebody just saw me. Maybe I do belong here. Let me take a breath. Let me smile, wipe off my tears and get back in there. And now you’re in a better state to receive the gifts and the kindness and the quote currency or business that was available there for you to receive. Right?

08:13 Adrianna Foster

The currency of kindness shifted my perspective in that moment in my energy to abundance from fear to abundance and to knowing that I deserved, like you said, being there. And that was not only in that moment, Marly. That created a pivot, right? That persisted after that in many other instances as well. So this is what you do. You bring in, you shift, you disrupt a pattern of energy with kindness. This is what kindness does as well. Disrupts the energy of fear, lack, anger, just poof kindness stops that flow and opens up a flow for love and abundance, and wealth. That’s kindness and that’s Marly Q. In-person.

09:00 Marly Q

Yeah, I love it. So let’s get LOUD about kindness. I love it. Let’s get LOUD about kindness. Friends, I haven’t even told you. I don’t really read bios here too much, but I want you to know that Adrianna, on top of being an internationally known singer and an amazing gifted voice at that, who sang at my 5K PARK Fest, who has sang at my MANkind Summit last year, even though she was in Mexico doing her own concert. She did a zoom-in and sang at my first virtual event. I mean, there’s just so much that I can go on and on, you know, about the singing, but Adrianna does so much more than be a singer, right? She’s an authenticity architect and she’s going to talk to us about what the heck an authenticity architect is, right? But she’s also a public speaker. She’s a hypnotherapist. She’s a corporate trainer. And she’s founded the LOUD Women Nation. And I want you to talk to us about LOUD Women and how we can get LOUD about kindness, because you’ve been working at this for a while, right? Like you said, it wasn’t just a pivot, it’s like this ripple effect that has happened and I’ve loved observing your growth, right? And your continued building of all of your gifts. So could you tell us about LOUD Women Nation and what your awesome acronym for LOUD stands for? 

10:12 Adrianna Foster

Yes, thank you so much. I’m so excited. I have so much to say. Thank you for giving me this space. So LOUD Women Nation is, I have to say, it’s my dream come true. And Like you said, it was not born from a spark of an idea. It was born from a mountain of different eras of my life and different opportunities that I had to really become authentic myself and to have a one-on-one experience with the process of people becoming authentic. Authenticity for me, I think it’s, you know, in my personal life, authenticity has been the missing piece that I had for many, many, many years. I built a career, a life, personal, professional, based on inauthenticity for many years. And when it finally erupted and exploded in my face, I realized that, that missing piece, that lack that I felt was the connection with my own truth. And that’s when I was able to realize the importance of authenticity and how it is, at least I believe it is the core for everything that we wanna build in our lives, whether it’s a career, a relationship, anything. We get to be authentic. And when we show up in our authenticity, we not only serve at a greater purpose and in a greater capacity. But we also experience a greater level of grace, love, happiness, abundance, and wealth. It’s the formula, right? For everything that you want. So throughout my life, like you said, I’ve been a professional singer. I’m a professional clinical hypnotherapist. I’ve been doing one-on-one sessions for more than 10 years now. I work with people. What I do is that I teach people how to unblock their unconscious beliefs or their toxic self-worth systems that they learn in their childhood and step into the truth, which allows them to build a healthy life and make choices to design their lives. So this is how the term authenticity architects started coming up, because this is what I do. I teach people how to design and build a life that fits for them, right? Kind of like when somebody tailor’s a dress just for you, like designs a dress just for you, that you wear and you’re like, oh my God, this feels so great. That’s exactly how life can be. And I truly a thousand percent believe it. I’ve experienced it. I’ve seen it. So LOUD Woman Nation was born last year. Because I went to La Voz in Mexico and I had a wonderful incredible time. It was three months of fully immersing myself in what I, one of the things that I love to do the most, which is singing, and not only that but also serving my community, helping other participants there and and watching, right, watching people with so many dreams, be courageous, be vulnerable and step into their voice and share themselves LOUDly, it was just a beautiful, beautiful experience. And it was a little bit of a refresher, right, from my one-on-one clients all this stuff. So when I came back, I just woke up one day in the morning and I said, listen, I need to create a space where I can put all my gifts together. I felt a little scatter. I feel like I’m doing motivational concerts here, mastermind here, one-on-one clients, audios, music, blah, blah, blah. Why can’t I build one place where I can put everything together? I can pull all my energy, my soul, myself into it and serve women into stepping into their authenticity and a place also where we can connect, Marly, where we can find these spark moments like you and I had in the bathroom that we don’t have to go to public bathrooms and events to find these type of spark in between women, women that are going through the same thing, women that want to support you in your path, that want to witness you in your path, and they can also support you in your business, in your relationship, and a very authentic, organic networking platform. So that’s when I decided to create LOUD Women Nation. For me, LOUD Women Nation is a collective of liberated women living life in full authenticity, where they can find all the tools they need to learn how to break their silence, their toxic self-worth systems, regain, reconnect with the purpose of life, which is their truth, their voice, and learn how to express it LOUD, how to show up in full authenticity and learn how to step into this beautiful space of being LOUD, which is also an acronym that means-

14:16 Marly Q

Tell me, tell me! 

14:17 Adrianna Foster

Loving, Open, Unapologetic, and Deserving. Learning what true love, unconditional love is, and the act of love that it is to accept yourself fully, to be open to seeing yourself in different spaces that you’ve never even thought that you were possibly, that you could possibly step into, to be unapologetic about your gifts and share them with grace, knowing that every time you share yourself, you serve and deserving to know how to receive, how to contain and create wealth and receive all the beautiful miracles and abundance at the world and life has for you. Once you step into those four qualities, your life will take place the way that you truly desire. So that’s LOUD Women Nation. 

15:02 Marly Q

In authenticity, let’s get LOUD. I love it. So I feel that I’ve been on this journey myself of really tapping into the power of my voice. I mean, I’ve been a speaker for a very long time and an Emcee and I get in front of people all the time, but really the podcast really put me out of my comfort zone because it’s just you and I here on this microphone, right? And there’s no script and there’s no like real like teaching or like it’s community building. And I really wanted to create this space for people to genuinely exchange this currency of kindness, of connection, of community and get LOUD about the importance and the value of kindness in our lives, kindness towards ourselves, each other, and this world that we share. Let’s get LOUD about that. Let’s be Loving towards ourselves, each other, and the world. That’s the L in LOUD. Let’s be Open to each other’s differences, right? And what makes us unique and our skills and what we all have to contribute. Let’s be Unapologetic about who you are and your gifts and what you have to bring to this world, right? And Deserving, knowing that you are deserving of all of it and you all by yourself are enough and have enough of a superpower of kindness in you to be as LOUD as you want and make the difference that you want in your home, in your work, in your community, out in the world, in whatever capacity is available to you. You can be the LOUDest you that you can be. And one thing that you say that I love is that there isn’t anything more powerful than a human being who shows up authentically and isn’t afraid or ashamed to be themselves. Can you talk to us about the relationship between authenticity and kindness?

16:36 Adrianna Foster

Absolutely. I feel like kindness is the number one tool that we can use to step into authenticity. We live in a society where both you know our environment, our parents, our peers, siblings, in the first seven years, eight years of our life of our childhood and society, they program us to be a certain thing that we might not wanna be. As we grow up, we start learning how to judge ourselves, how to tame our light, how to shrink so we don’t affect others or how to change who we are so we can belong. And those type of behaviors become very judgmental and it becomes a resistance towards our truth. I deal with people all the time that they come to me and they are super afraid to even say, what would they do if they had the complete freedom and their truth would not even hurt anybody around them? It’s like, I can’t even think about it, right? Because, or people that don’t even remember because we’re so separated from our truth based on our self-worth systems. And the way to step into our truth is to learn how to accept every single part of us, the good, the not so good, the not so pretty. And that requires kindness. Requires that element of acceptance where I’m not gonna judge myself. I’m going to see myself for who I am. I am going to accept my flaws, my mistakes, as well as see and recognize my strengths. And I am going to love every part of myself, every single part of myself. I’m going to love my pain. I’m going to love everything because I believe that there isn’t there isn’t anybody more powerful in this world than a man or a woman that is not afraid of who she is. Right. It’s not afraid of their truth. And I believe like Marianne Williamson says that we are very afraid of our light because in the past we were told that our light was not accepted, was not loved, or that it would disrupt systems or environments. So learning how to have kindness and how to see ourselves in a complete wholeness and love ourselves, that is the step number one to step into our truth. And once we step into our truth, we can build a life that serves that truth. We not only have the capacity, we not only deserve it, but it’s our birthright. To build a life that serves our truth. And that is where fulfillment comes in. So kindness is the element number one. We have to have that towards ourselves. And also that is how we learn how to see others for who they are, how to accept them, how to not take anything personal, and how to understand that when others come in a judgmental way or with anger, it’s because they have pain and they haven’t they haven’t looked at themselves the way that we might be looking at ourselves. They haven’t used kindness to step into authenticity. Make sense?

19:21 Marly Q

Absolutely It makes sense to you. I’m just here like nodding. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Everything you’re saying because I really believe that when we and that’s why I named my kid PARKer to go back to that is because when we understand that that’s our identity. Once you understand who you are, I am kindness. I am MANkind. We are one humankind. Once you understand that’s your identity or standard of being with one another, then it’s really easy to check in and be like, are we being authentic with that or not, it’s very easy to define are we being is that kind or not kind? Right? It’s elementary. That’s why it’s so simple. That’s why children can understand this. And that’s why it’s so important to teach children about kindness. Because once you identify that that is at the core of who I am, then it’s very easy to step into authenticity and not have that judgment, right? Or that self-criticism or that talk, right? Or the limiting beliefs. It’s it really is the foundation and step one. So I love that you are emphasizing that for us today because I totally believe it. And that’s why I think we need to get LOUD about kindness and why you know we’re doing this podcast and why I have overcome many self-limiting beliefs and doubts and self you know all of that, in order to be able to step behind this mic and come back and do it again and keep doing it until you know I feel that I have fulfilled my purpose and calling in life, which is to be the spark of kindness, connection, and community. Thank you so much for being a part of this movement of my Kind QREW from the beginning. I’m so grateful for the invitation to be a part of your LOUD Women Nation as you’re getting it started. And I’d love for you to share with our PARKers listening, how can we connect? How can we learn more about LOUD Women Nation and sign up? 

21:03 Adrianna Foster

If you go to loudwomennation.com, you’re gonna find all the information. We have three tiers of memberships, depending on the commitment that every person is ready to do. And I’m constantly doing different types of events, different types of free seminars around authenticity to also educate and bring value, and to teach women that they have the power to build the life that they want. All they have to do is be kind to themselves, accept themselves for who they are, and really also adding this space of like, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to not be perfect. That’s also being authentic. That’s also being kind to yourself, knowing like, you know what, today I messed up, I made a mistake or I’m not feeling it. It’s okay. Once you are able to connect with your truth, you can regain your power and your graceful power, right? Gracefully because power doesn’t come from rejecting other people. Power doesn’t come from guarding yourself, from closing and stopping yourself from being vulnerable. Power is vulnerability. Power is courage. That is the graceful feminine and this is what LOUD Women Nation is here to teach. So, loudwomennation.com, you can find all the information and I would love to have you there. Yay, I would love to see you.

22:18  Marly Q

Thank you so much for inviting our PARKers. Thank you for making this Time to Be Kind with me again and our PARKers listening. I hope that you continue to answer the call every time I knock on the door and say, hey, you want to make some Time to Be Kind?

22:31 Adrianna Foster

Every time. My heart is always open for you, Marly. And thank you for inviting me. Thank you for wanting to share my voice and for being an advocate of authenticity and LOUD Women Nation. And most importantly, thank you for the work that you do because the world needs more you, world needs a lot of kindness. And especially right now, what you are doing is specifically what human needs, what human beings need. So thank you. Thank you for having the courage to share your voice and be kind to us. 

23:01 Marly Q

Ah, thank you so much. I received that and thank you PARKers listening, for being part of this movement and being the PARKers and the change that we all wish to see in this world. Thank you so much, Adrianna. 

OUTRO

So what do you say? Let’s get LOUD about kindness? I hope you found this episode as inspiring as I did. Make sure you join our Kind QREW and be the spark of some great conversations over on our private Facebook page. If you haven’t joined us yet, we have over 300 beautiful, kind-minded people that engage in our private group. So join the party! You can find the link in our show notes. Just visit marlyQ.com forward slash this episode number. So whatever number this episode is, you can easily find the transcription, the show notes, the links to connect with Adrianna and LOUD Women Nation at MarlyQ.com forward slash this episode number. Thanks again for making Time to Be Kind. See you next time.

Join our Kind QREW Free Private Facebook Group:  Click here to Join Now