Unapologetic – Reimagining Hustle with Kayla Pearson

Roxanne: Podcasting from under my blankets. So it’s quiet enough to hear me. This is re-imagining hustle, a podcast for entrepreneurial parents, creating a life or business and parenthood live peacefully in the same space. I’m your host, Drax and market, a mom of two micro business coach and serial entrepreneur on a journey to prove that. It really is possible to do what you love. Without sacrificing all of your precious time. Let’s do this. 

[00:00:34] Meet Kayla Pearson

Roxanne: Welcome back to Reimagining Hustle I am beyond excited for my guest today I have Ms Kayla Pearson the creator of Surf Soap with me. Kayla… what’s up?

Kayla: Hey how are you I’m so stoked to be here 

Roxanne: This is going to be so fun So Kayla and I actually have known each other a lot longer than I realized because we reconnected Kayla you and my brother know each other And so when we uh when I was kinda telling him what I was doing he was like oh my gosh You have to talk to Kayla like you have to And I was like okay I will I will He’s like no Rox have to And I was like got it done We’ll do it He’s like no Rox You don’t understand I was like I’m doing it I’m doing I’m doing it So anyway I’m glad we’re finally making this happen This is going to be really fun It’s going to be a blast Kill it Will you just like dive in and tell us all the things

Kayla: Oh my goodness Uh um first of all thank you for having me I’m super stoked to be here and honored to be on the podcast Um so a little bit about me So I am a self-proclaimed speech baby I was born in California um kind of raised a little bit on the beach um and then taken to landlock Utah where I went to high school And then I eventually made my way to Oahu Hawaii via The army Um so that’s how I ended up here Um so I am currently active duty in the army That’s kinda like my quote-unquote day job um for right now And then I am like you said the creator of Surf Soap and what we are is we’re an eco-conscious ocean safe hair and skincare brand So before I joined the army I went to hairdressing school I’ve got to like long story We’re just going to glaze over all of 

Roxanne: I mean like give us the goods though because listen like I’m going to interrupt real quick and tell you like I know your story and it’s so fascinating So like don’t spare us the details This is good stuff

Kayla: Okay So we’ll I’ll I’ll kind of give a little timeline Um being raised in Utah I’ve always been like super driven and adventurous and it was like one of those like oh I live in a small town I got to get out you know typical teenager stuff Um so I moved to the big city Salt Lake City Oh Um and I went to Paul Mitchell The school where I got a license in cosmetology and I loved it I absolutely loved it Um now a couple of weeks before I graduated I actually had the opportunity to meet my birth father who I didn’t know before that And he was like Hey uh I’m here with my family We live in Alabama It would be great if you came out and to meet every It’s like this huge reconnection And how many times in your life do you have the opportunity to say well should I move to I actually had gotten myself a job as a hairdresser in Austin Texas Should I move to Austin Texas Or should I move out here and take this opportunity Well how many times do you get it So I was like okay I’m going to go ahead and take this opportunity So I moved out there with my dad and his family and met them And so I lived in Alabama lived in Florida which is where I learned to surf and just absolutely fell in love with it And that’s also where I joined the army Um just to kind of expand expand my horizons Um You know I I’ve always been a big believer in you don’t know what you don’t know And especially after going to her school I really got into I don’t know you probably know a bit and a lot of your listeners probably due to the secret and like where I kind of got introduced like that manifestation Um for me that really worked Um so I’ve been doing it ever since just like making goals and like obviously it’s a bit toned down from the secret itself like that formula uh but making goals and going after them So I was like oh I’m going to join the army 

Roxanne: Yes 

Kayla: So joined the army went to South Korea came back met my now husband Ben in um Orlando And we actually got stationed up in Virginia And then um my whole thing I had visited Hawaii for the iron man triathlon competition in 2012 And I was like I’m going to live here. Again the whole manifestation 

Roxanne: The Secret, right? I’m like here it is 

Kayla: It was on my vision board girl I was like I want to live in Hawaii And so we got orders for Hawaii Um Ben was not as happy because his family’s on the east coast and he really just loves east coast but he’s love he loves it Now I got him into 

Roxanne: you you converted him 

Kayla: Yeah I converted him

Um so we actually moved out here and we are so lucky to be able to live on the beautiful island of Hawaii Um and so of course I’m like oh I got to surf again Like I’m just like dying for it So we go and um now I’ve got my little girl so I have a three-year-old girl a little girl named Ellie and we brought her we brought her out here uh and now I’m like oh I’ve got to like figure out how to have hobbies and a kid which uh interesting to say the least 

Roxanne: To put a mildly right Yes

Kayla: So I’ve got to figure that out Plus I’m in the army And if anyone who is in the army or an army spouse not even army military spouse knows um your time is not your time and it does not belong to 

Roxanne: you Yeah 

Kayla: Yeah

so basically long story short I’m doing my favorites is uh going surfing at about six o’clock in the morning when the sun comes up and it’s called Dawn patrol we call it um and it’s just beautiful Just the sunrise over the water and it’s quiet and the waves are just different Um I’m like super hippy-dippy about the about surf 

Roxanne: so here for it I’m like I need to come to Oahu and have you teach me how to serve 

Kayla: it’s yeah you’re always welcome Um So I got out there and I am basically going to From Dawn patrol to quote unquote my day job and I’m showering at the beach shower And I noticed these signs at the beach are they’re like no soap no shampoos And really I had never thought about that Like that’s not something that’s really been on my radar It’s just Like I just want to get in the water and now I have to go to work like um so I was like I wonder why that So I ended up researching and a lot of the um cleansers and and what they’re called they’re called surfactants in our soaps and shampoos especially like the sulfates and the really strong shampoos uh are not they don’t make our fisheries very happy They actually are really bad for our aquatic life Um they changed the surface tension of the water And so basically the fish can’t breathe when there’s like Um collection of it in the water So That’s why using that stuff in the showers um is not recommended 

Roxanne: Yeah 

Kayla: So I 

Roxanne: like the simplest explanation I’ve ever heard of that though Like that that makes so much sense I’m like oh okay I’m there I’m with you Okay good 

Kayla: it makes sense Yeah

And take all the science speak out of it and try and build you know bring it into bringing it into real life And I was like Oh Interesting So now I’m like I need to go research surf shampoos You know also my hair was getting real crappy you know I was like I need what are the surfers use And there’s really nothing out there I was like I know that I am coming to the end of my army journey Uh being a mom in the army is just really really hard And we can go into that later Um but I knew by this time that I was like okay I’m done I also don’t want to leave Hawaii And I was like let me research this So I kind of took my experience as a hairdresser and I also have a bachelor’s degree um a bachelor’s in science and I took my chemistry classes and stuff that I had learned from that and researched for Three or four months just straight research on how to make a cleansing you know shampoo Uh what do we do for conditioners Like stuff that is ocean safe I’m also vegan I’m a vegetarian but I’m really into like our personal care products being very earth conscious um sustainably sourced and uh plastic free Um here skincare which there are a few really good brands but a lot of the times they’re very Lux brands and they’re not as accessible So my dream is to see surf soap you know like in the surf shops right next to the wax And like in your store you know just like really accessible but also you know You’re getting quality and you’re getting a luxury product but it’s Kind of Not really like it the quality doesn’t lose any quality but it’s kind of like brought down and brought into a place that doesn’t feel and doesn’t feel like oh you gotta be a certain person to use this Um so 

Roxanne: brand a little bit 

Kayla: right So we just want to like educate especially people who love the ocean or even if you are landlocked and you’ve got really dry hair and you’re worried about what’s going down here That’s it’s still something that has worked for a lot of people and we’re getting a lot of good feedback And so we’re really excited to keep growing We’ve just been selling since November So we’re still baby But yeah so that is my little kind of backstory and how we got here Um and then my personal journey with surf soap is as well is to provide uh others with opportunities for growth and self-improvement and to be able to kind of control and manage their own lives which I feel like a lot of people don’t get when working for um like bigger companies So when we get there I want to be able to like foster that growth and give people what I didn’t have When I was kind of coming up so let’s just a little bit

about me 

Roxanne: Yeah no but I love that You’re thinking about like the growth of the business on what you want to provide as as an employer as well I want to to pull back for a second the soap So we’re vegan safe for the ocean Good for your hair Obviously you’ve 

Kayla: and 

Roxanne: cosmetology background right Has to work and plastic free 

Kayla: Yeah 

Roxanne: So how are you Like what What am I trying to even ask here I’m curious about the plastic piece of it How do you package 

Kayla: What’s in it

So we actually package all of our stuff in aluminum tins Right 

Roxanne: Ah super cool 

Kayla: Uh and so they’re recyclable Um and the reason we chose that is because they’re going to be around the water They’re going to be around the beach So we couldn’t use uh like cardboard even though a couple of our new products are coming in completely T they’re all cardboard Um but they’re really cool But these ones this first collection We have a all-in-one shampoo conditioner body wash a leave-in conditioner and then a skin healer like a it’s like a lip balm but you can also use it like everywhere else on your body Um they’re all packaged in a 10 and one caveat though we do use um final labels and here’s why we have been researching and researching researching this bioplastic It’s a big thing in the packaging industry Um bioplastic is not actually As compostable and biodegradable as companies make it seem And so for us we would either have to raise our prices and use the bioplastic which isn’t really ready yet or stay within a comfortable price range for our customers And then we label as minimally as possible And so that is the one caveat that we do make And we are working towards a completely plastic free packaging but we don’t want to uh greenwash our brand and be like oh we you know we use all the bioplastic when it’s not really ready yet And it’s it doesn’t really work Like it says it’s going to work So we try and research everything from the ingredients To the packaging Everything is really researched to the best of our ability and as honest as we can be about it So Yeah

I will say that um cause people will you know Hey what about the labels Labels are really hard 

Roxanne: Yeah

Kayla: Um cause then you get into well why don’t you print the labels Well the ink isn’t super safe either So we’re just really trying to manage that with you know um what am I trying to say The costs 

Roxanne: Yeah the cost-effectiveness

Kayla: Yeah exactly So all of it we try to balance out as best we can 

Roxanne: So you’ve started this journey You started selling in November In the middle of a pandemic because why not Which means if I’ve done my math Right You started all this research in the middle of the pandemic as well Yes

Kayla: We started So I kind of jumped at the idea in December of 2019 So it was like almost a year before we yeah Before we started selling And then I got uh I had to go to Thailand for like 10 or 11 or 12 weeks I don’t even remember So it was in Thailand for the beginning of the pandemic which was interesting 

Roxanne: Oh my 

Kayla: uh and that like set back the schedule as well So it’s been interesting 

Roxanne: Yeah that makes sense This I just keep thinking about time management and I know we’re going to talk about it a little bit more but you’re a mom you’re active duty military You’re a spouse You’re running your own company You make time to surf which I’m so here for like that is such a big deal Do you sleep

Kayla: Uh yes actually sometimes Um yeah we can go into the time management piece if you 

[00:13:52] Typical Day in the Life

Roxanne: Yeah Tell me about it Like can you walk me through what a typical day looks like for you 

Kayla: Oh my goodness 

Roxanne: Typical with kids right Like no 

Kayla: day Yeah I got I got so lucky so I at least a really good sleeper She’s a good sleeper She’s always been good

So my day starts at five o’clock or five 15 depending on how tired I am And if I want to get up I go for a walk every morning So backtrack a little bit Um I used to do iron man triathlons marathons and be like a super runner Well Life events happened stress happened And um when your body experiences stress especially in women uh it releases a lot of cortisol which I’m sure we’ve all 

Roxanne: Yes

Kayla: actually stores is belly fat So I’m sitting here running and working out and like killing myself and gaining weight So the last year um I actually I experienced the loss of my little brother um and I was like they’re in the hospital and everything And that really affected me And that was super stressful because I then had to PCs to Hawaii and start my new job Um So for me I made the choice to kind of step back from all of that And I do three things I walk I do yoga and I surf and that’s it Um and you’d be amazed at the changes Like just weight wise I don’t like to focus on numbers but um like I lost like 20 pounds just because I like took a step back and took some time for myself So back forward So my day will start around five and I take a walk with my dog Um we walk for like a half hour 45 minutes and we’re really lucky We live a block from the beach So I walk and I’m like listen to my uh I’m really big fan of the Headspace app So I’ll listen to their little podcast in the morning And and then I listened to my book Um I try to make time to read That’s how I read because the minute I open a book and sit down on the couch someone wants me and I get like two pages in So audible and audio books are my Oh I read So I’ll listen to my book and we’ll get back at around five 30 and then I do yoga and meditation I know that that’ll take me about 45 minutes now on the days that I do surf I’ll just get straight up and I get my board ready and I’m surfing from about file leave at 5 45 and come back around seven 15 Um and so that is my time that I make for myself And that’s really super important and I don’t think enough of us do it or maybe realize 

Roxanne: yeah Oh yeah

Kayla: and that was something I had to tell I had to take a step back and what do I need And that is like a non-negotiable for me So between the hours of like five and seven that’s my time And you have to schedule that time for yourself It’s just not gonna have 

Roxanne: Right

Kayla: Um so after that I get Ellie up seven 30 she wakes up So we get her up and get her ready for daycare Or it’s not daycare anymore It’s preschool she’s in preschool now Um and she goes and then either so with COVID we’ve had um a lot of work from home days and I’ve just jumped at that and taken advantage of that Um so I’ve been in a really unique position Um because my schedule has changed a lot and I take advantage of every single second So this morning I you know I’ve been up since you know 5, 5, 30 whatever and I’ve just been like to use the word hustle in like it’s been a busy day because my schedule I had to kind of work it But um so on a day that I am working from home We’ll get Ellie to daycare and then I’ll start on my list So I like to open up my planner while I’m drinking my coffee and write down what I need to do for the day um or go over it Cause I’ll make my schedule on Mondays usually in like oh here’s what I need to do this week And then just get after it Um and that goes until about 2 45 uh at least done with preschool We go get her up and that is my hour hour and a half where I dedicate to her Um and of course now I’ve heard a lot of people Tell their schedules like this on par I listened to a podcast You get a little bit um it’s not every day And then you know just try to I just try to make the make the base sort of look like this 

Roxanne: Yeah Yeah Well and that’s the thing too is like with these schedules right This is like the ideal right Like if everything goes well this is what it looks like but I also understand business kids health all of these things throw wrenches in our schedules And so this is like the ideal that we aim for Right Understanding 

Kayla: my like ideal day Yeah So um I’ll get her up and I try to make that happen and she loves to help So um I try to help have her So You’re going to have to cut out all of my ums I’m 

Roxanne: You’re 

Kayla: Um I have her helped make dinner and this makes dinner take a little bit longer and a little bit messier but having her help and spending that time with her and creating that love for cooking which I love to cook uh is a way that we bond So that is kind of our our time So my work needs to be done by like two 30 Uh and then it’s Ellie time And then if there’s anything else we have dinner together as a family at the table And then she goes to bed at seven 30 and if there’s nothing else to do then me and Ben will spend time together And if there is stuff to do then we work and we just work and finish up what we need to finish up And then we’ll we’ll um we’ll like watch TV or go to bed Um so I usually try to go to bed at around nine 30 or 10 

Roxanne: That was my next question is like when you’re getting up early I feel like we forget to talk about what time are we actually going to bed to do that 

Kayla: Yeah I wish I could go to bed earlier I’m tired by about three 30 but um 

Roxanne: yep 

Kayla: sometimes you just have to and right now especially you were building a small business we’re bootstrapping it and we’re moonlighting it And So

that means you’re working Your other 40 hours are in the morning and at night So being efficient is a big big part of it as well and working efficiently So that’s kind of like what the ideal schedule look like Otherwise Um my mornings typically look the same and then I’ll go to work at nine and I’ll come home and I come home and then everything shifts to the right So those are usually later nights for us 

Roxanne: That makes a lot of sense Oh that makes a lot of sense Thanks for walking us through it though Because like I said I think that’s helpful just to recognize it can look how we need it to look So Kayla what does success look like to you

[00:20:20] What does Success Look Like?

Kayla: So actually today I’ve been super pumped up because it’s been like a really good morning and success for me Um so I’ve been in the army I’ll have been in nine years when I get out Um Success for me looks like being able to get up in the morning and have complete control over what I do for the day Um I want to be able to choose what I do how I do it when I do it without answering to anyone or having like surprised Like so you you mentioned your husband’s in the military these surprise like 4:00 AM phone calls Like Hey you need to come in for your analysis today or Hey we got to do this or we got to go clean weapons that aren’t even ours like stuff like that that doesn’t quite make sense or Um I’m really don’t need that in my life anymore So basically just the freedom to structure each day how I see fit you know how it benefits me the best and how it benefits my family the best So that is my pinnacle of success That’s what I’m working towards Um and that’s why I decided that for me uh running a company was the best way for me to do that 

Roxanne: Oh I’m here for it I’m so here for that how has being a parent during all of this changed you personally

Kayla: Oh my goodness It’s been it’s been a really welcome challenge So funnily enough I never thought it was going to have kids I was like too driven too Gung-ho like I was like I don’t think I’m ever gonna have kids And then I had Ellie and like I love I love being a mom It is my most favorite thing ever Um so I’ve had to work really hard to take a step back and do some insane To take a step back and do some introspection with myself And look at my goals and look at how my goals fit into you know this little soul’s life that I’ve brought into the world And that’s now my responsibility So how do I fit those in with her life and making sure that I give her the best life that I can give her Um so that’s been a really big challenge Um to do that while not neglecting yourself because you also still have a life to live And I feel like uh especially like first time moms and when you have younger kids you get lost in that Uh especially if you have like I had pretty bad post-partum depression and it’s just easy to just like downward spiral or a downward spiral into that So 

[00:22:49] Mom Guilt

Roxanne: Yeah Do you ever experience guilt around being a parent and an entrepreneur and uh having this full-time full life really military job you know do you ever experience guilt around it

Kayla: Every day every single day 

Roxanne: us about 

Kayla: day Um yes Is the short answer to that question Uh I’m my guilt is around my time Uh this year I So I have a word of the year of a year I turned it

him and this year my word is unapologetic And here’s why uh because I get really I feel really guilty and I feel like I have to apologize for taking time for myself Uh and so that is one of the biggest things that comes to mind when you say guilt like the other thing too is if there’s work that needs to be done um I just try and let Holly help me Uh I’ll bring her home from school If we got packages to pack I mean that is such a good problem to have And so she loves to help with the labels and she helps me pack boxes and she helps me cook dinner like I said Um but I still feel guilty when I’m not able to give her my full attention because I like to put my phone away and make sure that I’m really taking time to give her attention So Yes

that guilt is pretty much always there every day Um and I am still in the middle of trying to figure out how to manage that Cause I’m a very apologetic person And so like even going to bed early sometimes I feel guilty because Ben is Ben is my husband He’s a night owl and I’m a morning person and he will he would stay up on my work if he could I don’t know how he does it Um but the other night for example we were working with And I came down from packing like six orders and it was nine o’clock and he was like sitting on the couch he had cleaned up all the dishes and everything And I was like okay I’m going to bed Like I’m exhausted He was like Oh wow Like I was waiting for you Like we didn’t get to see each other at all So Yeah it happens every day And I think if you are in the midst of a small business or even a career that you really love like all of this doesn’t have to apply to entrepreneurship either I think most of it is really a clickable but um I think that guilt is just it’s always there and it’s a constant management I think in working on it for me particularly 

Roxanne: Oh no I’m with you on that too It’s so interesting As soon as you said your word of the year was unapologetic I just got goosebumps I hear a lot of words of the year right And I’ve never heard that word used as a word of the year and it’s I’m absolutely blown away and inspired by that It’s just such a Uh down to earth way to view your life So thank you for sharing that with us Yeah Kayla 

[00:25:44] What do you wish people knew?

Roxanne: what do you wish people knew about doing all of these things all at the same time

Kayla: Oh I wish that people knew or acknowledged let’s let’s say that I wish people would acknowledge or give validation to just how difficult it is and just how much you’re working 

Roxanne: Um 

Kayla: They don’t see you every day They’re not with you So I don’t get mad at people for not knowing but it’s still it’s like it’s hard not to kind of take it a little bit personally when especially as a soldier when I come in and you know I try and give it my best you know I try and make sure that I’m focused on what I need to be focused on Um when I tell people like they’re like oh what’d you do this weekend I’m like I worked like I worked and they’re like surprised or they don’t believe me Um

I told my supervisor you know the other day he’s like what what do you do Like when you sleep I was like well like I work when I’m not here I work 12 to 14 hours a day And it was just kind of really hard to get through to people especially if that’s not their lifestyle And If you like if you have the freedom of mind to just you go to work and you come home and that makes you happy I think that’s awesome Um and for me I’m climbing that ladder I have a place where I want to be and so I know that I’m going to have to make sacrifices to get there but I mean even like your uh parents I think we don’t talk about this enough to especially if you are a part of a family that moves around a lot and they’re like come visit us come visit us And you’re like I haven’t had a vacation in like five years Like and every time we go somewhere and we’re like visiting and I love my family don’t get me wrong And I love my husband’s family We all get along Um but sometimes it would just be nice to just like have a real quote unquote vacation Um so just that time uh has been really hard to kind of get through to people especially when you’re when you have a day job and when you’re moonlighting and you’re trying to make things work and getting people to understand that you know when they call you up and they’re like oh we need you to come over here and sign this paper And it’s you know an hour round trip or whatever They don’t really understand why that frustrates you or why they didn’t noise You it’s like well what’s the problem Like we just we just gotta do it And it’s like mm Some of this doesn’t make sense Um but also I’m just frustrated because now I have to On my whole day And I just went through my day like it’s planned like it’s pretty on the dot and it has to be in order to get that stuff done and to make this work Uh and so anytime that there is something unexpected like I I tend to be like oh Yeah

I’m a pretty flexible person But when when there’s unexpected things and I have the day planned out and it really throws me off I’m just like grumpy the rest of the day 

Roxanne: Kind of throws you off your groove right Like that movie he throw off my groove That’s totally Oh my goodness Yeah I it’s interesting to as you say that I just I want to give a shout out to everybody listening here Who’s in this same Just space in life of we see you right You’re here We recognize that what you’re going through is really hard and and uh and it is time and uh nobody sees the work that you’re doing So we you know just I mean Kayla I see you doing that you know and I know we’ve talked about it before and I just I mean I honor all those who are doing all this It’s no easy feat you know and and you’re here I appreciate you you know being vulnerable enough to share that with us 

Kayla: Thank you 

Roxanne: No you we we need to be seen you know we don’t necessarily need to be like praised all the time all day long just seen you know seen validated 

Kayla: And validated

I think that is a big thing Like if you maybe you’re on your path already and you’re good And maybe either you’re mentoring someone like we all know someone else who is going through the same thing And I try to be like other people’s biggest cheerleader because 

Roxanne: Yeah

Kayla: so few of us like we don’t do Well Mo I dunno I don’t do it for praise I do it for it’s something for myself but just acknowledging that you’re busy and that’s hard work and acknowledging the little wins I think is a huge way to really validate others and validate yourself like every time Um so we we work through Shopify and so every time an order comes through it makes a little coaching on our phones And even Ellie now she we all go Yeah 

Roxanne: Oh that’s

Kayla: So even making uh making those little things into celebrations for yourself has really helped as well It’s helped me not feel so like oh my God when is this slog ever gonna end Like oh um but yeah just acknowledging and validating that within yourself and then with others too it makes it always makes me feel really good when I’m like sharing other people’s posts And I messaged them and I got a message back the other day And this girl was like you were the only person who replied to my stories Thank you so much Like you never know What it’s going to do for someone and just being other people’s cheerleaders It just make their day like you don’t know what people are going through And even if they never see it like whatever it it costs you nothing but five seconds of your time So um Yeah

I just wanted to mention that just validating others as well that are on the same journey 

[00:31:02] What does Reimagined Hustle look like?

Roxanne: I’m here for it Absolutely Here for it Kayla I want to ask you a question around the name of this podcast So I named the podcast Reimagining Hustle because as you probably know because you are also this way I love this feeling of hustle This feeling of go go go go go Right And I was an entrepreneur before I had kids and then I had kids and my whole world shut down 

Kayla: Yep 

Roxanne: Uh stops It kicks you in the button knocks you down and makes you like it’s like that caterpillar into a butterfly sort of you know disassemble and turn into mush idea And so I’ve been on this quest to re-imagine what hustle can look like now And I want to know how do you reimagine hustle

Kayla: I had to think about this question a lot So it’s funny that you said the go go go right Cause I feel like hustle is typically centered around that connotation that you must always be going all the time Um my little personal mission for myself in life is that I truly believe that a work-life balance can be achieved and it looks different for everyone but it can be achieved Um We don’t always need to be going and climbing and working and sweating and dying on this hill for our next step I believe we always need to be moving forward but part of that is taking that time for ourselves So I wanted I actually had to write this down because I am listening to this book and it is called women work and the art of sub warfare And it’s by the woman who wrote French women don’t get fat I don’t know if you’re familiar with that 

Roxanne: I’ve heard of it but I’ve never read it I’m going to have to read that one 

Kayla: Okay

It’s like you either hate it or you love it and it’s fine Um but her name is what is her Her name is Mariel Gloriana Gilead It’s French Equiano 

Roxanne: Okay

Kayla: She was the CEO and president I think she was or still is but Luke CLICO which is a champagne brand right

She’s like super super French and the French don’t get that book hated her love it She wrote this other book called women work in the artists of our fair and it’s like a mentorship book And it is one of these books that is like not all over all these lists and everything And it actually has Really valuable content versus like some of these New York bestsellers where you’re like I’ve heard this a thousand times anyways So she goes through and she’s talking about these four pillar She’s talking about these four pillars that we Have in order to take care of ourselves and achieve this balance in our lives Um and summed up there our health our social situation which she says like a supportive social group which I thought is really important our employment and she calls it more time Cause she’s very French Um Yeah

And these four pillars need to be there Like she likens it to one of those tents that you set up like at the farmer’s market Um if one of those is that a balanced the whole tent’s going to blow over And so if they’re all set at the same setting and they’re all being taken care of then that is going to stand up Um and She sums some sort of herself as acting with enlightened self-interest and I just thought that was amazing Like I was like oh my God Like why did not think of that Um I think it’s just such like a chic way of saying take care of yourself so you can go and do what you need to do Um so re-imagining the hustle for me Firstly re-imagining what it means to be successful So taking that step back and acting with enlightened self-interest which I think is amazing and looking at what it actually means to you to be successful Does it mean flying first class everywhere Does it mean being able to just pay your bills Does it mean being able to come home at three o’clock from a job that you like and you know sit out in your front yard and just hang out and do nothing else Like what does it mean to you to actually Be successful You don’t have to copy what everyone else is doing because we are also different You don’t have to have exactly what everyone else is working for or seems like they’re working for Cause we surround ourselves with the people we want to be like or hopefully we do And after a while it starts to blend together So make sure that you’re taking a look at that Act with that in mind self-interest get after what you want but make sure that you’re enjoying the ride as well and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself So for me that’s my two hours in the morning Um that’s when I have like my me time and if I don’t get it I’m usually a little off for the day So hustle I love the word I don’t think it should be That you’re awake at 3:00 AM and in bed by 12:00 PM And you’re always working in you’re always on the phone and you’re always doing this and blah blah blah blah blah slow down take a breath take care of those four pillars And I think that it will look a lot prettier It’ll paint a lot pretty ever prettier of a picture um than our American way of killing ourselves to make a dollar 

Roxanne: Yes I can get behind this re-imagined hustle right here I am So here for this Oh Kayla this has been just an inspiring conversation Will you give us a pep talk before we let you go give us a pep talk for other parents on this entrepreneurial journey 

[00:36:29] Pep Talk

Kayla: I think the biggest things to remember is just take that leap you know Um I’ve started I’ve been I’ve wanted to own a business for the longest time Like since I was in first grade like I was selling like Pictures like seriously first grade um take that leap push it take those risks Um and you can take those risks Uh even if you have kids now that’s going to look different So for me I am in the army I’ve ha I have a good base to jump off of so that I can put that money into the business Um but if you want it you’ll figure it out I know you will Um and just always make sure you’re moving forward whatever that looks like And moving forward in balancing your me time moving forward and balancing your business making sure that you’re learning from the past but don’t live in the past and just keep going and know that there are other people out there that love and support you And even if they’re not telling you every day like we are all in this collective journey

together and you guys like we’re all gonna rock it And I’m loving this whole like women supporting women That’s been really big this year Um And just taking that step and making it happen 

Roxanne: Awesome Thank you for the pep talk We need more of you Tell us where we can find you online Your soaps your shampoos Tell us all the things where can we find you

Kayla: Okay So um my personal you can find me on Instagram I’m most active over there My personal Instagram is solely underscore surfer And as a musician you probably know what solely is Um but you can also find us At surf underscore soap That’s our Instagram we’re served soap company on Facebook And then we are just@surfsoap.com Uh you can find all of our contact information there you

can get ahold of us via text via Facebook messenger or email Um and that is probably the best way to find and get ahold of me Cause that’s where I’m most active So 

Roxanne: Awesome And we’ll make sure that we link everything in the show notes Kyla It has been an absolute treat to have you with me today Thank you for the gift of your time I know you got a lot going on so thank you for giving me some of your precious minutes today I appreciate you so much 

Kayla: Well thank you so much

for having me It’s been a pleasure 

Roxanne: Thanks for listening to Reimagining Hustle with Roxanne Merket. If you like the show and want more, check out ReimaginingHustle.com

and please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back next week with another episode. See you soon.