258: The Power of Saying "No": Avoiding Burnout to Foster Success for Female Business Owners and Founders

 Are you a people-pleaser who struggles to say “no” without that lingering guilt? Get ready to meet Suzanne Culberg, "The Nope Coach," who’s here to help you set boundaries and reclaim your time with confidence! In this conversation, she dives into her bold journey of starting a podcast and the adventure of recording 100 episodes in 100 days. Spoiler: it’s no easy task! Suzanne shares her refreshingly honest approach to content creation, recording straight from Zoom without worrying about fancy editing or scripts. If you’re feeling uninspired in your business or struggling with burnout, this episode is a fun reminder to stay authentic, let go of perfection, and bring more “you” into everything you create!   In this episode, you will hear: The term "business period" to describe cycles of self-doubt and reevaluation in business. Setting firm boundaries and saying no without guilt can prevent burnout and focus on their goals. How Suzanne’s informal, unscripted approach helped her connect more authentically with her audience. The value of experimenting in business without overthinking or perfecting. Prioritizing action over perfectionism empowers entrepreneurs to share their ideas and develop essential skills.   🚨This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide for Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower for Maximum Impact  This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me a picture of your copy of Fertile Imagination (under the tree by the candles) using this email address melissa@melissallarena.com , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season!  Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook     About Suzanne Culberg Suzanne Culberg is ‘The Nope Coach’ who helps over-givers and people pleasers learn to set boundaries and say 'No' without feeling guilty. Suzanne is known for her straight-talking and her wacky t-shirts. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and 2 awesome children.   Quotes, that can change your perspective: “First thing I always ask myself is, am I on my business period? You know, it tends to happen about once a month. It's kind of like, oh, are you rethinking your life choices? And it's like, maybe I should just quit and go stack shelves at the supermarket because then at least I can listen to podcasts and get paid for it.” - Suzanne Culberg   “But I think there's something about the real and raw nature of like, I'm doing this, yes, in service to my business, but also primarily in service to me, like a space to talk about it.” - Suzanne Culberg   “On my podcast, I hit record and that's it. And I went against that for my daughter because she was so uncomfortable and we had to keep restarting and keep restarting. On the fourth restart, I said to her like, this is it, honey. It's this episode or you're not on the show. Like I'm the boundaries queen. I'm gonna do that with my own child.” - Suzanne Culberg   “If you're listening to this and you're like, my kids have nothing to do with my business. I don't want their faces on the internet. Like that's totally okay. That's your choice too.”- Suzanne Culberg SHARE this episode and start setting those boundaries! Learn how to reclaim your time and energy confidently whether you’re facing burnout or just want to bring more authenticity to your work, Suzanne’s journey of recording 100 episodes in 100 days will inspire you to embrace imperfection and stay true to yourself.   Supporting Resources: Website: https://www.suzanneculberg.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzanne_culberg/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanneculberg Exclusive free offer for listeners of the mom founder imagination hub - Building Boundaries Bundle, Normally $50 AUD free to listeners if you use the coupon code MOMFOUNDER Link: www.suzanneculberg.com/bbb Use the code: MOMFOUNDER   Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms. This holiday season purchase a copy or two of Fertile Imagination, email me your picture (under the tree by the candles) using this email address melissa [at ]melissallarena.com , and then on Christmas day I hope to share these images across my social media. Let’s support the moms we are and love this holiday season!  Shop Fertile Imagination for the holidays! – https://bit.ly/fertilebook   About Fertile Imagination  You can be a great mom without giving up, shrinking, or hiding your dreams. There’s flexibility in how you pursue anything – your role, your lifestyle, and your personal and professional goals. The limitations on your dreams are waiting to be shattered. It’s time to see and seize what’s beyond your gaze. Let’s bridge your childhood daydreams with your grown-up realities. Imagine skipping with your kids along any path – you, surpassing your milestones while your kids are reaching theirs. There’s only one superpower versatile enough to stretch your thinking beyond what’s been done before: a Fertile Imagination. It’s like kryptonite for impostor syndrome and feeling stuck when it’s alert!  In Fertile Imagination, you will awaken your sleeping source of creative solutions. If you can wake up a toddler or a groggy middle schooler, then together with the stories in this book – featuring 25 guests from my podcast Unimaginable Wellness, proven tools, and personal anecdotes – we will wake up your former playmate: your imagination!  Advance Praise  “You’ll find reality-based strategies for imagining your own imperfect, fulfilling life in this book!” —MARTHA HENNESSEY, former NH State Senator  “Melissa invites the reader into a personal and deep journey about topics that are crucially important to uncover what would make a mom (and dad too) truly happy to work on…even after the kids are in bed.”  —KEN HONDA, best-selling author of Happy Money  “This book is a great purchase for moms in every stage of life. Melissa is like a great friend, honest and wise and funny, telling you about her life and asking you to reflect on yours.” —MAUREEN TURNER CAREY, librarian in Austin, TX  TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Suzanne: I'm just going to start with the frame of when that feeling happens, like that general feeling of blur and what am I doing with my business and whatever. First thing I always ask myself is, am I on my business period? You know, it tends to happen about once a month. It's kind of like, oh, are you rethinking your life choices? And it's like, maybe I should just quit and go stack shelves at the supermarket because then at least I can listen to podcasts and get paid for it. But you know, so it's kind of like, is this a business period type moment or is this a time for, you know, making some changes.   00:00:33 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're gonna get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going, and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood.    00:00:56 Melissa: Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out. And stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs, who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening.   00:01:26 Melissa: Hello beautiful listeners and viewers on YouTube as well. It's Melissa Llarena, your host. And I'm so excited because I have been in a little bit of a hiatus, but here we are. The first podcast interview back and live just for you is with Suzanne Culberg. She is in Australia. She is the "Nope Coach," as in no, and she helps over givers and people pleasers learn how to set boundaries and say no without feeling guilty. She's known for her straight talking and her wacky t-shirts. She lives in Sydney with her husband and two awesome children.    00:02:03 Melissa: So in this conversation, what I thought was absolutely amazing and totally relevant to you is she gave me a term to kind of explain how I feel. She said you might be on a business period, as in the menses, as in aunt's flow is in your home, pertaining to your business. And I think you may have felt this way if you have had a business for longer than, I don't even know, three months. I'm pretty sure there have been moments that you have felt kind of cranky and a little bit crappy. And Suzanne absolutely shed some light on really actionable, tangible, and exciting things you can do to get out of your funk.   00:02:44 Melissa: Suzanne also shares how she brings her kids into the loop of her business on her podcast. And I love it because one of her kids is able to really work through some anxious feelings by being a podcast guest on Suzanne's podcast. And I think that is a blessing. And I think it is something that we might wanna consider bringing our kids into the loop and helping them work through the nervous energy that is very real if you are speaking publicly.   00:03:15 Melissa: The other idea that I love about Suzanne is that she's very much about execution and feeling free to execute on the ideas that she has on her mind, whether it's her podcast, during which time she has had like 100 day, 200 day sort of sprints where she was recording every single day, releasing to the world pretty real-time. But at the same time, she shares the real benefit of putting any creative work out into the world and having your own business. And it's not what you think at all. So enjoy this conversation.    00:03:46 Melissa: This episode is brought to you by my book, Fertile Imagination. So here's the thing, hold on a second. Like this is so in the raw that I'm just gonna like leave the screen and get the book right here. Okay, so Fertile Imagination. My book is something that I would say took, oh, I don't know, two years to write. Let me make sure it gets on the screen because for some reason we've got some in and out sort of there we go. Oh, this is an art right here is an art. So it's a guide for stretching every mom's superpower for maximum impact. You can find it in the show notes. So bit.ly/fertilebook.    00:04:29 Melissa: This book is really meant to inspire a mom. And right now for this holiday season, I have a challenge I need your help with. Here's the challenge. I would love to see photographs of this book under holiday trees or by Hanukkah candles as you see fit, as you celebrate all over the world. If you can buy this book for yourself or a mom who needs to feel like she has what it takes to carve her own path, whether it's as a business owner or as a mom, a mom who maybe was given the script that she did not want to play. She wanted to be her own kind of mom, then I will be so thrilled and I would love to feature all over my social media.    00:05:12 Melissa: So, go ahead to the bitly link, bit.ly/fertilebook. Grab a copy of this book for the holiday season and just take a picture under the holiday tree or by the Hanukkah candles. Send it to me, melissa@melissalarina.com. This is going to be in the show notes. And I will feature it, I will tag you if that is your heart's desire or your favorite mom friend's desire on my social media so that this way you get some love virtually this holiday season. Here's what I want to say about the book.   00:05:45 Melissa: So this book, beyond the fact that I wrote the book and I started the whole book in Australia, which is where Suzanne happens to live, and I finished it here in Austin, Texas, beyond that, here's what it is. It is my intention with this book to wake up every mom on the planet who has an ambition on her heart that she cannot yet see herself executing on. Your imagination is not a conversation only geared towards children.    00:06:14 Melissa:  As moms, we have to model what it looks like to actually pay attention to our imagination and feel that we have the resources, the guts, the conviction, whatever it takes to bring that idea to life. It could be a business idea or could be how you intend to mother your children. So it's pretty broad. You could be a working mom, you could be a stay at home mom, you could be a mom who is really at a crossroads and wants to make sure that 2025 knocks her socks off, but doesn't really understand where to start.    00:06:46 Melissa: Where to start? Read the book, Fertile Imagination. So here's what I did with the book.  I actually divided it into three sections. So we're starting with reawakening your imagination, then we're going to play with your imagination, which is really cool because Suzanne in this episode plays with her imagination alongside her kids. You will get it once you listen to this episode.    00:07:05 Melissa: But then, the third one is about stretching your imagination. And I'm doing that right here with you right now, which is asking for help. So if you're listening to me right now or you're watching me on YouTube, the one thing I would love to help get your help on is in purchasing this book using the link in my show notes for a mom who you believe, who you think has what it takes to bring her best ideas to life, whether it's a mom or it's as a business owner or even if she's working for someone else.    00:07:37 Melissa: So, I wanna leave you with that and enjoy the conversation between myself and Suzanne. This is definitely one that's gonna make you chuckle. Pinky promise.    00:07:47 Melissa: Suzanne Culberg, I am so excited. I wanna be in Australia. I wanna be there right now. How are you?   00:07:54 Suzanne: I am fabulous. It's a good time of year to be in Australia too.    00:07:58 Melissa: Don't remind me.    00:08:01 Suzanne: Coming into summer, baby. Or as we call it here, sprummer. We don't have spring in Sydney. We go straight to summer. So it's sprummer right now.    00:08:09 Melissa: Sprummer? That sounds like a spritzer, but okay. That's okay. I don't know. I'm just like, oh, I need a drink right now. But okay. So no more joking. This is serious business. We're moms,we are serious, okay. So Suzanne, I have to ask you this question and I'm positive that anyone who has launched a business has felt this way.    00:08:29 Melissa: So today, I was having a moment, right? It wasn't like a tantrum. It was a moment where I was like, okay, 250 episodes out there in the world. What is my next step? And on top of that, how can I get re-excited about this whole process, right? I don't know if I'm on the path to like a thousand episodes in total or what exactly I want to do with this podcast. So this is coming at you from a really raw perspective but I have to hear all about your year of podcasting every single day. I feel like there's some inspiration there and I wanna say yes, I do not wanna say nope.    00:09:17 Suzanne: So, I'm just going to start with the frame of when that feeling happens, like that general feeling of blur and what am I doing with my business and whatever. First thing I always ask myself is, am I on my business period? You know, it tends to happen about once a month. It's kind of like, oh, are you rethinking your life choices? And it's like, maybe I should just quit and go stack shelves at the supermarket because then at least I can listen to podcasts and get paid for it.    00:09:42 Suzanne: But you know, so it's kind of like, is this a business period type moment or is this a time for, you know, making some changes. So for me, the year of podcasting, how it came about is, it wasn't actually my first podcast. So I had another podcast, which was done all the ways that you're supposed to. It had a jingle, had the intro, it had the outro, it had the call to action every episode, it had the show notes. It was like profesh or as professional as Australians get. And I hated it. Like it did well.   00:10:17 Suzanne: But I didn't enjoy it. I didn't love it. I don't like editing. I don't like writing show notes. I don't like jingles. I never listened to them. So then one day on a tear, my biz wife, like the person who does all the behind the scenes stuff and I turn up and be like the man at the barbecue and get all the accolades, kind of dared me to do my own solo show. She's like, why don't you just talk about all the things that you like to talk about and, you know, just see what happens. I was like, why not?    00:10:48 Suzanne: So like eight o'clock at night, I hit record in Zoom. I recorded three episodes. They're all quite short. They're still there. They're the first three of the show. And then I made some really lame cover art that has since been updated, but everything else about it is the same. And I put it onto Apple and I went to bed. Like, it took me an hour. Like the first show took me a year. I had a podcast producer. I had all this stuff. It's this other podcast I created in the hour. And I went to bed.   00:11:15 Suzanne: And then I thought, we'll see what happens with this. And then when I woke up, I was like, this was a dumb idea. What were you thinking? Like you've got no plan. You've got no show notes. You've got no whatever. Like take that down. So literally had, when I woke up the next morning, had the plan to remove it. But I already had emails like, oh my God, this was the best thing. That's just what I need to hear today. Like, what are you doing with this? And I was like, oh shit, I must be onto something here. Oh, I didn't ask if I can still hear on your show.   00:11:42 Suzanne: Anyway. I was like, so from there, I was like, maybe I'm onto something. So I gave myself the goal of doing a hundred days straight of just recording whatever came up for me that day. Sometimes I had guests, sometimes I didn't, but I would just do a hundred days. And that's how that started. When I go to day a hundred, I liked it so much. I was like, why don't I go for 365? And if anyone listening, this is where I think I went wrong because ideally if I had my time again, I would have gone for 200 days because, from 100 to 365 was a big jump.   00:12:14 Suzanne: I reached this slump at about like day 180 where I was second guessing what I was doing and similar to how you were saying you're feeling right now. And it was really tough for me to keep going. And then one day I was like, this is dumb. About day 180 something I kind of micro quit. And about four o'clock in the afternoon, somebody sent me an email and they're like, hey, there must be something wrong on your end. Your daily episode hasn't come out yet.   00:12:40 Suzanne: I was like, it hasn't come out yet because I'm not doing it anymore, this is really dumb. Anyway, I was really honest and frank with this person and they were like, how will you feel tomorrow if you wake up and you haven't done it? Like who will you be at the end of 365 having done this? And I was like, oh man, that's like a me for me. You know, that's something I would say to my clients or whatever. I needed that in that moment and I still credit that person, Rebecca, if you're listening, you know, for that, because that was the turnaround moment.  00:13:07 Suzanne: And I think for anything that we do, we can get disheartened. We can get, it's like when you're pregnant, I know, you know, this is the mum show, we're both mums. You know, every day of a month has 30 days except the last month of pregnancy, which has like 1,370 days. But it's just like, is this baby ever gonna come? And sometimes we can feel like that with things that we're doing in our businesses.    00:13:28 Melissa: Yeah, I can't say I enjoyed my pregnancy. But, It was a beautiful pregnancy, but with the twins, I was just desperate at the end for sure. And I think in business too, right? There's some moments like at the end of a marketing campaign. I'm not speaking from experience. Yes, I am. You're just kind of like, I actually just want this to stop. Like, it's like before anybody even comes in, it's kind of like, can I just get paid for the marketing? My God, I did so much, you know, just for that piece of it.    00:14:00 Melissa: So okay. Let me hear this out then. So for anyone that's listening and feels like they're in that place, and so it's like a business period. Fun fact, I actually am on my period, but it's like my biological period. So there could be some sort of coincidence or not in that. But let's see. So you're in your business period. I love where we're going with this. And you're having one of those days and you're just like, this has to stop or someone's gonna stop or something's gotta happen. So, okay.   00:14:31 Melissa: Now you're doing the podcast and it's different. There's like a different intention behind like that, you know, 100 episodes every day podcasts. I think the intention matters. So I wanna understand like that first or those first three episodes, was your tone totally different? Like, were you saying things that were coming more from like a raw place? Why do you think people emailed you and actually responded to those first episodes?    00:15:01 Suzanne: That is such a great question. So when I did create it, so I made the three episodes, I published it. I did email my list before I went to bed and said, Hey, I've got a brand new solo show, here's the thing I'd love a review. Cause the thing is people respond really well when you ask them, but so often we don't ask people, we just assume or we just hope, or we just kind of hint. Like in the outro of your show, if you like this, please leave a review, which is, you know, no one even really listens to that part anyway.    00:15:31 Suzanne: But I did say to people, and can you do it now? Like in the first 24 hours, because then Apple will prioritize. And I think when you ask people for something to give people a deadline, because you know, if someone asks you for something and you'll be meaning to, especially a review, people overthink that all, all this, like, I don't want to say something that's not good enough or whatever. So like I basically emailed and said the show's brand new.   00:15:53 Suzanne: Can you review it in the next 24 hours because I wanna get ranked. So I think that's another reason that people then gone on a listeners to it straight away. But your question about the energy. And I think it's just because I felt free. Like I didn't have a marketing plan and he's the steps and he's like, cause the thing is as soon as I listened to something, the six steps to that or the seven steps to that, I'm like, so where's the step, now you're gonna try and sell me your stuff. Look, it's written and it's done in a way.    00:16:24 Suzanne: And I'm not saying don't sell because if you're not selling and making money in your business, you don't have a business, you have an expensive hobby. I get that. But I think there's something about the real and raw nature of like, I'm doing this, yes, in service to my business, but also primarily in service to me, like a space to talk about it. And because I didn't have, pillars and I still don't to this day, I'm over 400 episodes in, I don't have pillars or like I need to touch on this point or whatever.   00:16:51 Suzanne: So now I have it broken up on YouTube by playlist because I have so many topics, people pleasing boundaries. I even have a whole playlist on scam, questionable business practices, because you know, some of the stuff you see online where they're like selling air really gets my goat. But then at the end, I just, I record it and then I'm like, Oh, which category does this fit into? And then I do it that way rather than having, I'm not saying don't have a business plan, but sometimes it's like, as you said, I'm doing a launch.   00:17:18 Suzanne: I need you to touch on this point. I need to send this many emails. I need to have the, and here's the benefits and here's the testimonials. And it's just, I find that so exhausting and so formulaic and so not how my brain works. So I think the flexibility of the show and then, the duration of the episode, I was never married to how long they went for. Like some people I've guessed it on, I've guessed it on nearly 200 podcasts now, a really strict, like it has to go for exactly this amount of time.    00:17:46 Suzanne: And you have to answer these questions, even if the questions don't flow. Like sometimes the topic ends up over here, but no, no, we've got to stick to the thing and if you're a medical doctor doing a patient history, cause you're trying to diagnose something, yes, stick to the formula a hundred percent. If you're doing brain surgery and you're drilling a hole into someone's head.    00:18:04 Suzanne: Yes, please follow procedure. But you know, I think sometimes, you know, podcasts or things with our business, we've lost touch of the more lighthearted nature of why people listen and why they engage. Instead of trying to stick to reaching numbers and stats. And a lot of these stats are vanity stats anyway.    00:18:22 Melissa: That's true. That's true. And they don't look so beautiful sometimes. But you're right, they're vanity stats. I think, you know, it's so interesting that you say that as far as the way that thing could kind of turn in completely different directions. I've got to ask you, so now that 100-day time frame, right? Thinking about that journey. Would you say that you ever went into a direction surprisingly and you're like, yeah, yeah, that's it. That's the sweet spot. That's the topic I really want to talk about. Or maybe like you discovered something about yourself that you were just surprised about, but it wasn't planned. It was just like, here I am back at the mic and oh my God, yeah, I do like talking about this. Did you have one of those moments?   00:19:12 Suzanne: Well. Originally, because I don't edit and I still don't to this day, I thought of the topic before I hit record. So I'd be like, this is episode 100, we're gonna talk about your business period. I actually have an episode called your business period. It's not episode 100 or whatever. But once I got out of the 365 days and I was like, I'm still doing the show, but I'm not stuck to a schedule. Now when I record, I just kind of hit record and I start talking.    00:19:40 Suzanne: And then I come up with the topic afterwards as in like, and that's been the real sweet spot for me, cause I might go in thinking today, I'm going to talk about this, but instead of having like, it has to be the idea fully formed beforehand, it kind of, it grows and ebbs and it flows. And then what I do is I listen to the episode back and somewhere along the line, I, or my guests, when I have guests will say something that will be like, oh, that's the title of the episode.   00:20:05 Suzanne: So, instead of saying ahead of time, we're gonna talk about how to overcome perfectionism or how to build boundaries or whatever, I get the topic afterwards. So I have a little, like, I don't have no idea. I don't hit record and be like full on, what do you call it? Where you jump onto the stage or improv. Not full improv style, have a bit of an idea, but I don't have like, these are the points or these are the pillars. It's just kind of, it's a lot more fluid. And I love that, because sometimes, especially with guests, we'll start in one area.    00:20:35 Suzanne: And then we'll end up totally over here somewhere and people will be like, Oh, I'm so sorry, I bet. No, no, this was great. Cause it's organic. It's like, you're not going to a play and peddling out the same thing you've said on 500 other shows and everybody's bored, including you. And I think, you know, one line or one tangent. And sometimes people don't like that. Some of the reviews I've got, like someone said to me, I was non-tangential, whatever that means, and I couldn't string a coherent sentence together to save myself and I was just like, awesome. You know, you can hit stop.   00:21:07 Melissa: At least you got a really, right? from the top line. It's a number.    00:21:11 Suzanne: Yes. But I just, I just think it's funny. It's kind of like, if you want, here are the three steps and here is this and here is, you know, organized and thought and planned out, there are shows that do that. But not mine. I think so often we try and tell people like it has to be done in this way. And like says who, I love the shows that I listened to as a listener.    00:21:32 Suzanne: Where they update, what's happening with their families? Where have they traveled to? Like obviously not so long that it's just a personal diary, but like I love that little bit of taste of behind the scenes as opposed to here's just another clinical thing that's trying to sell me something that I probably don't even want.    00:21:48 Melissa: Yeah, you know, it's funny. I was thinking about a podcast that I listened to, Story King podcast, and he was interviewing his wife. And he was like, yeah, and we're in a closet in our house because the sound quality is great here. And I don't know that behind the scenes information was so irrelevant to the conversation, but it made it, kind of like endearing.    00:22:14 Melissa: I was like, I could imagine two people in a tiny little closet, you know, making sure that the sound is right and probably sweating bullets too, because maybe you have all this like, curtains and all this jazz to kind of get that room, you know, just right. So, okay. So here we are 100 days and you have two kids, right?    00:22:34 Suzanne: Mm-mmm (agreeing). 00:22:35 Melissa: And so they existed during those 100 days.    00:22:39 Suzanne: Yeah. And they've both been on the show as well.  00:22:41 Melissa: During that time you had them on the show?    00:22:43 Suzanne: Yeah, I guess both of my kids have guested on my show in the first hundred days and then in they've both been on once more each between day 100 and day 365. So they've done two episodes each and my son is so proud of himself whenever he introduces selfless that does something at school. He's like, yeah, you should choose me. Cause I'm good at public speaking. I've been a podcast guest.    00:23:03 Melissa: How cute. How cute. Okay. So that's interesting. Cause what I like to say is that it's so helpful in terms of mom guilt to like bring our kids into our world of business, right? And it gives you a different purpose. It's like, oh, okay, now my child can learn this skill, learn Canva, or now my child can edit my audio. By the way, my three boys, they've seen my audio and I can't say I'm editing it, but they critique it and they're like, mommy, that sound sucks.    00:23:38 Melissa: But like, you know, whose kids has access to this sort of software and can tinker and learn and explore all these modern tools. So I love that you involve them. So what do you think, what did you get out of those conversations with them on your podcast? And what do you think they got? I hear confidence on one end.    00:23:58 Suzanne: Well. For me, like my daughter is, she has anxiety and she's very introverted. And I have a one-take, no fake policy. Like I hit record and that's it. And I went against that for her because she was so uncomfortable and we had to keep restarting and keep restarting. On the fourth restart, I said to her like, this is it, honey. It's this episode or you're not on the show. Like I'm the boundaries queen. I'm gonna do that with my own child.    00:24:27 Suzanne: And, you know, so it's just kind of like how, what I learned was sometimes how we make, not excuses, exceptions for the people closest to us. And sometimes it has to be like, you know, when they say no friends in business or no family in business, it's got to start, you know, from the top.   00:24:42 Suzanne: And, you know, from my son, it's, he's been a lot more involved. There's been a few episodes where he's just appeared. Like we did a Christmas edition that he was in. And then last year on Halloween, cause it was the 31st, he walks past in a Grim Reaper costume. So, you know, it's just how people will roll with it as opposed to, and it's your conscious choice. Like I've chosen to include my children in my business. My podcast is video as well. So they, you know, on the video, they're very much included. If you've chosen, if you're listening to this and you're like, my kids have nothing to do with my business.    00:25:16 Suzanne: I don't want their faces on the internet. Like that's totally okay. That's your choice too. But you get to choose what suits you best, but having my family involved, whether they've been on the actual episodes or when they just knew I was recording, it was really cool. It's like, you know, it's time for mommy to do her episode today. I never had a set time. I just recorded whenever and how much they would like turn down their music or, you know, be quiet or you know, be involved in it and, you know, how many stats did you get or reading the reviews, it became a family thing.  00:25:45 Suzanne: And this year, as my goal is to grow my YouTube channel, the kids are keeping an eye on how many likes it's reached or subscribers or whatever, or, oh, look at this comment. So, and also too, sometimes the comments aren't favorable. So they're learning that, you know, people on the internet aren't always nice and how you respond to that, whether you leave it there or get to, you know, bless and block, because my attitude is if I wouldn't let them in my house, I'm not letting them in my space. So, I'm being part of all the process.    00:26:11 Melissa: Yeah, I love that because I think, you know, sometimes especially before the era of working from home was as evident, like our kids would just see us like, it's, you know, kind of like the book ends of our day, right? So before we went to work and then after we came back and they would see us going to work, maybe a little bit like, oh, great, I'm going to work. And then you come back home and then it's just like, you know, throwing yourself on the sofa or whatever, but they had no idea like why, why that was, right?    00:26:44 Melissa: Like what was happening in the middle? Like what is this mysterious world of work where you're leaving not so happy, coming back totally exhausted? You know, it doesn't seem that fun to me. And I think with the pandemic and the homeschooling moment we had, especially in Sydney, I remember it was like, what, 160 days or 90 or 190 the second time around.   00:27:04 Suzanne: That's crazy. It was the longest continuous lockdown in the world and it was not, not pleasant. Zero stars. Don't recommend.    00:27:11 Melissa: I counted them. I counted every day, but anyway, you know, it was also just an opportunity to kind of have the kids witness like, oh, this is what they're doing, you know? And like, oh, this is what it is. And, just kind of give language around, you know, disappointments and language around like exciting moments, you know, in our business, in our lives and have them see it. So I think that's amazing. And I think that's an opportunity for anyone that's listening to kind of invite your kids into your world as well. So 100 days just to kind of keep going back to that because it sounds so big.    00:27:48 Melissa: Like I'm talking to some people that, for them, one podcast episode is like, oh my God, kill me now, I can't do it. You know, it's this fear thing. And I just spoke to another podcaster who told me that in order for her to get the listeners or the downloads that she wanted, she needed to start doing two episodes every single week is what she was told. And she burnt out from doing two episodes every single week. How did you navigate like or prevent or maybe you experienced burnout during that time of a hundred days every single day podcasting?    00:28:26 Suzanne: Well, I think, like anything, there is so many ways to do it. And when you do it in a specific way. So like I've been podcasting this last couple of years, I've been writing a newsletter since 2017. And when I first wrote my newsletter, it would take me all day. Like I would, write it and then I'd edit it and then I'd rewrite it and then I'd format it and then I'd and like you know I was like why am I treating this like the Mona Lisa I'm sure that took more than a day but you know what I mean it's like it's a newsletter woman. Now I do what's called the Sue special. I use the Pomodoro technique set the alarm for 25 minutes.    00:29:02 Suzanne: I write, I edit, I schedule, I post, I send, I don't care if there's spelling mistakes like I'm not saying I'm trying to write crap but I'm not attached to this is not a published book. And with the podcast, I think sometimes people, if they script it, if they come up with their pillars, if they're like, okay, what am I gonna sell at the end? And how my, what am I gonna say is gonna lead to this? And how am I gonna give value, whatever that means. Cause who do we get to decide what the value is? Cause it might be valuable to us and somebody else might be like, yeah, that's so boring and basic, but we think and overthink plan over plan, edit and over edit. And that takes so much time. And it was interesting to me.   00:29:44 Suzanne: I have no next to no social media presence. I gave up Facebook and Instagram in 2024. I do put some reels up from time to time when I feel like it, but my show has grown and I think it's because if you basically ask people, and people like I ask every episode, I'm like, but do you ask or do you just put the outro on that nobody listens to because, I've listened to it the first time and it's the same every time, like genuinely ask people. Who do you know who might benefit? Have you had benefit from this episode? Share it with them. Like genuine outreach, genuine connection.    00:30:18 Suzanne: And also too, not to get so stuck on the numbers, which is a vanity stat. Because I've had episodes where, if you look at the tangible numbers, it didn't have that many downloads. But when people get on a connection call with me or buy something of mine, and I'm like, oh, how did you find me, whatever. And they say the episode, I'm thinking that one tanked. Like from, you know, so sometimes, I think we get caught up, like, do you want to be an influencer?    00:30:44 Suzanne: That's a different business than being like, I'm not an influencer. I'm a business owner. I don't need hundreds of thousands of downloads, but I do have quite a number, but I don't need that many. And how, and what's your capacity? What are you selling? How many is fully booked for you? And also trusting that like a podcast episode has a very long half life.   00:31:04 Suzanne: If you put something on Facebook, it's got a half-life of three hours. After that, it's lost in the scroll. But a podcast episode, like I guested for years before I had my own show, people still reach out to me about an episode I did in 2020 in the self-isolation series. They found that four years later. So you might be like, oh, well I put this podcast episode out and nobody listened to it. Like I had a guest on recently. I love her fiercely. And she messaged me and she's like, well, nobody's joined my list yet. I was like, give them a minute. The episode came out yesterday. Like, It's not like social media where it needs to be instant. It can have quite a long shelf life.    00:31:40 Melissa: Yeah, I would agree. I would say, yeah. People are still finding me from things that I've written in 2011, this was, yeah, it works. It works. And I think it's also, you know, as you're putting out the episodes, intention, energy, the fact that you're sincerely consistently and in a different way asking people to take action. So, it doesn't sound like just, you know, rote, memorized kind of sentences. I can see the value there. And so then now I heard that you also involved your kids over the course of 100 days. So, okay. So did you, during those 100 days, feel invigorated at any point about what you were doing. Did you actually?    00:32:31 Suzanne: Oh, the first 100 days was magic. I don't think I had any slumps in that that I remember. As I said, the big slump I know came in about day 180. But I had days where I was like, you know, like we all do. But then I think about how I'd feel afterward. Like, you know, afterward, I feel like, Yes! And sometimes I'm sure if you watch them on YouTube, you can see at the beginning, I kind of like robotic, this is day, whatever. But then. So excited about this topic and then I get into it and then how you feel afterwards. And I think, you know, if you are doing a podcast and afterwards, you're like, now I've got to edit, now I've got to make reels, now I've got to do this. Energetically, that's like B.O. Your potential clients can pick that up. Even if you read the script, even if it's beautiful, if you're not excited by it, they're not going to be either.   00:33:19 Melissa: Oh my God. Yeah, I get it. I totally get it. And I've gotten that reaction too, from different listeners. And if you're a listener right now, let me know if this one hits home for you because I think Suzanne's definitely sharing some wisdom for any business owner that is in that, you know, slump or that period, that business period moment. We've got the Advil right here to prevent any cramps, right? We got to stop the cramps and we got to keep on going and find our bliss. So, okay, Suzanne, where can someone, and I don't even know if I finished that question, did I finish that question or am I like leaving you hanging right now? I'm like—   00:33:54 Suzanne: No, that's all good.  00:33:55 Melissa: Okay.   00:33:56 Suzanne: I think the point, if you're in the business period, and also too, to that point, sometimes, you know, when you're in a physical period, you're like, you know, it's gonna be over in five days. As you said, have some Advil, get a heat pack, give yourself some chocolate, read a book. Like you don't need to reinvent the universe today, it's still gonna be there tomorrow. And the same with your business. The thing that you've creating, making, like recently I launched something. I'll share this. It flopped! The thing that I launched. I, sold one. I was like, what is wrong with it? This thing was amazing. But if I just focused on that, but what, what you can't control, like I was so laser focused, I wanted to sell this thing. I sold 15 of the other things that are pre-recorded and available on my website. Like people come across, people find you, things grow, you have results. But sometimes we're so laser focused. The podcast needs to bring in income or this, this course needs to sell. And then we're so busy looking at this that we don't notice what's happening over here. And I think, you know, with my original podcast, I was really disappointed cause I did all the right things.   00:35:04 Suzanne: And it just didn't do anything for me. And then the thing I did on a tear works, but what about the skills I learned in that first one about how to speak and how to upload and, you know, how to be consistent. So sometimes, you know, they say an overnight success is 20 years in the making because all the things that you learn along the way contribute.    00:35:24 Melissa: Yeah, I agree with you. So Suzanne, where can people find you? Who are you? How can you help them? And the yeah, and you're in Australia, but I'm sure you're global, right?   00:35:35 Suzanne: I certainly am. Mostly I work with the US because I work in the morning before my kids wake up. So I'm Suzanne Culberg, the nope coach. I help women set boundaries and say no without feeling guilty or mean. And I do that through online courses and coaching. Best place to find me is my website, suzannecolberg.com. If you're a rebel, you'll see it and go straight to the don't click, which is what I want. (Laughing) And that's the best place to contact me. Yeah, my contact form's fun. I don't do social media. I do have a podcast called The Nope Coach, which is on all the downloadable places and YouTube. And yeah, if you'd like to like me on YouTube or subscribe, that's the word. Amy, my goal is a thousand people. So if you can contribute to that, I would love it very much.    00:36:19 Melissa: Absolutely. I subscribed. It's official. We're like now, like, you know, besties or YouTube besties. So Suzanne.   00:36:26 Suzanne: I love it.   00:36:27 Melissa: This was sensational. I appreciate you. I love your pineapples in the background for anyone that's watching this in video format. Yeah, this was sensational. I appreciate you. And I hope you keep podcasting a thousand more episodes.    00:36:42 Suzanne: That'd be awesome. Thank you.    00:36:44 Melissa: So, I wanted to just leave you with these thoughts. So with regards to Suzanne, what I want you to really just consider is in your life, where are you stopping yourself from executing your best work? Are you stuck in the nuance of details and the nuance of how this is going to look perfect or who's gonna think what? Are you stuck because your idea doesn't feel good enough? I want you to just take a page out of Suzanne's book and just execute. Forget about the perfection. Forget about the, am I gonna get this right? Am I gonna perfectly tailor this podcast episode or perfectly write my first book draft? Like, You've got to really let go of that sense of I will be judged up front so that you can benefit in learning the skills. And Suzanne shared some of the skills she got out of really podcasting for 100 days consecutively. So, I invite you to just try that one thing. And again, buy my book for a mom that you believe in, whether it's yourself or it's someone else. It's Fertile Imagination, A Guy for Stretching Every Mom's Superpower for Maximum Impact.   00:37:54 Melissa: And the link will be in the show notes, wherever it is that you're listening to this. The link is bit.ly/fertilebook. Grab the book today. I want to see it under Christmas trees. I wanna see it next to Hanukkah candles. I want to see it everywhere so I could definitely feature it on social media and give you my love back. Thank you again.