111: Ready to Find a Career You Love? Talking Mindful Art + Mindset Shifts with Tracey McGrath

Sabrina 0:00

Hi, my name is Sabrina Gephardt and I'm a member of Kate Kordsmeier Is the incubator. I have loved being a part of this program and I want to share three of my favorite reasons why. So first and foremost is the community. Being surrounded by people who are going through the exact same thing has been absolutely incredible. The incubator is a group of women entrepreneurs, a lot of them are moms, some of us are in different seasons of life. And just understanding the struggles between work life balance, and balancing motherhood and balancing a career has been so wonderful. This is a community where we are able to share our wins and losses and be vulnerable and ask questions and I have loved that so much. I also love the ideas that come out of the incubator, not only ideas that come from Kate and her team, but also again, being surrounded by those like minded entrepreneurs, being surrounded by women in different industries with different levels of experience brings different ideas to the table. And that has been invaluable. And the last thing I want to share is having access to so many people who are experts in their field, tech experts, SEO experts, copywriting experts, money, mindset experts, and so many more. So a lot of masterminds or programs focus on one specific thing and that's great and you learn that thing, but the incubator offers insight and access to information about so many different areas. And that is awesome.

Intro 1:30

You're listening to the Success with Soul podcast with Kate Kordsmeier ex-journalist turned CEO of a multi six figure blog and online business. But it wasn't that long ago that Kate was a struggling entrepreneur who lacked confidence, clarity, and let's be honest money. But all those failures, experiments and lessons learned helped Kate create a thriving business that impacts 1000s and brings freedom, flexibility and fulfillment to her life. If you're ready to do the same and make something happen with holistic, soulful, step by step strategies from Kate and other experts, you're in the right place. Here's your host writer, educator, mom, recovering perfectionist, bookworm and sushi connoisseur Kate Kordsmeier

Indira 2:18

Welcome back to the Success with Soul podcast. I'm your guest host Indira with Team KK and with us today is Tracy McGrath. Tracy is our very own incubator client who has had a ton of wins inside the incubator. She's completely changed her focus from health coaching to mindful art, she's created a digital course she's hosting our parties, she set up her funnel and coincide kartra. She's improved her blog post SEO techniques, oh my goodness, not to mention all the mindset shifts that she's had around money and progress over perfection. And just learning how to be kind to herself and really focusing on where she's at, and what feels good. I am so excited to dive into this episode with y'all today. Let's do it. Okay, great. Welcome, Tracy to the Success with Soul podcast. I am so excited to have you here. And I'd love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself and your business and your entrepreneurial journey.

Tracey McGrath 3:37

Okay, I'm so excited to be here. So I am or I have been a pharmacist for the past 18 years working in community pharmacy. But I've also been an artist and that's been something that I have been drawn to my whole life. And it wasn't until I joined Kate's incubator program that I realized that was what I wanted my business direction to go in. Because when I initially started, I was going to do health coaching because that made the most sense for my experience. And then starting a business it just, but it never really felt like what I wanted to do. So going through her the first module, I really did a lot of soul searching and asking myself some questions about what is it I really enjoy what I'm what I want to spend my time doing. And it led me back to art. So I had also done a lot of training, I guess, with meditation and sort of non traditional techniques to help me with my anxiety and stress. And anyway, it was kind of it all made sense, coming back to art and then incorporating those trainings into art as well. And that's how I came up with the mindful art techniques,

Indira 4:50

which I recently signed up for. So I'm working through that and I know that in one of your emails you said that you weren't As the person that was complaining about your job, that somebody actually came up to you at a party, and you're like, Oh, you're the one who hates your job. And I'm wondering, like, what was your main reason for joining the incubator? Like, what led you to that was that would lead you to the incubator?

Tracey McGrath 5:20

Yes. And no, I mean, I have worked a lot on making peace with pharmacy, and, you know, growing my gratitude for that part of my life, and so I'm not complaining like I used to that was years ago. But definitely, there's always been this part of me that wants to do something more creative that wants to, that feels that pull of like, I've got to do something bigger. You know, I've written screenplays, I started a lip balm business in the past, you know, there's always been this part of me that wanted to do something else. So this was finally getting to a point where I felt like I need to go all in, I need to really invest in this and get some guidance on what to do rather than just kind of dipping my toes in and then getting scared and not knowing what to do and retreating back to pharmacy. Because that is like, that's my little safe place.

Indira 6:14

Yeah. How did you find the incubator? How did you find Kate?

Tracey McGrath 6:18

Oh, that was through Amy Porterfield. I did the DCA. And then during her entrepreneur experience, like one day event, someone just mentioned, what if you still want to blog? Who would you suggest? And she just briefly mentioned Kate's name. And I remember scribbling it down, it totally misspelled the last name. And then I was like, Okay, I've got to, I've got to research this girl, and was googling like, all the different spellings last name and finally found her. And then I just started reading our blog. I signed up for the six figure Buy Academy. And then it was, I mean, it was maybe like, a week later that I signed up for the incubator.

Indira 6:59

That's amazing. Yeah. Wow. So what's the biggest risk? Or the biggest challenge that you've overcome in your business up to this point? I would say

Tracey McGrath 7:11

I mean, hitting publish on a blog post was probably my biggest challenge. Just that. Okay, I have something to say, somebody else might want to hear this. I'm just gonna put it out there. I mean, that was probably my my biggest challenge

Indira 7:29

to overcome. And you've done that how many times you've hit that publish button?

Tracey McGrath 7:34

I think I have like 43 posts now.

Indira 7:37

Oh, my goodness. That's amazing. Wow. Oh, my goodness. So what immediate impact did being inside the incubator have on your business, or the biggest impact?

Tracey McGrath 7:51

So the I mean, I think the biggest was totally shifting gears. And that first module was really tough, because I remember starting out and, you know, I just, I basically worked through six figure bug Academy within like, two or three weeks. And I was like, Okay, I've got these checklists, I'm doing the thing. And then that first module in the incubator kind of stopped me. And I had to really start soul searching and going through those great exercises, but it kind of slowed down everything, thankfully, because then I totally shifted gears and got more excited about what I was doing. But that was probably the biggest impact that it had.

Indira 8:33

Yeah, getting clarity is a huge, huge thing. For all entrepreneurs, I would say, right? Once you get that clarity, everything, all the other pieces kind of fall into place. So how has your relationship to your business changed over the last six to 12 months?

Tracey McGrath 8:53

I mean, I think Kate does a great job of helping you get into that business mindset of really feeling like, this is my business. This is I'm the CEO I'm the founder I created this and not seeing it as just like a little side thing that maybe is going to be something that might turn into something you know, just create like cultivating that CEO mindset.

Indira 9:18

What about spending less time on like social media or organic traffic or, you know, if you've got into like passive income streams or anything like that, that you can share?

Tracey McGrath 9:32

Yes, absolutely. Because when every trainee I had done prior to Kate there was and then I guess just being in the world, you're thinking you've got to do something on social media to get attention so that I was doing a lot of Instagram prior to getting in the incubator just and that was taking up a lot of my time even though I enjoyed creating the graphics but I it was a lot of time and so yeah, completely. I don't do any social media.

Indira 10:00

Really? Oh, my goodness. And how have you seen that to have any negative impact on your business not doing the social media or the blog and SEO kind of compensates for it? Yeah, I

Tracey McGrath 10:16

mean, I think that the positive effect is that I have more energy. And I'm not thinking about, is this going to be seen by anyone? How do I get more followers, and then learning more about how random it is when they even show things and understanding the algorithm of like, they want you to be on their platform. And I understand that. And then I think, just getting into the SEO and realizing that the organic traffic is more of something that can be long lasting, versus the social media is short lived, and kind of very random.

Indira 10:51

Yeah. And are you currently working with any affiliates or you're doing any passive income streams yet?

Tracey McGrath 10:59

Yes, I have several affiliates. And actually, one of the suggestions Rachel gave me a few weeks ago was to sort of narrow it down. So I recently just kind of narrowed it down to four or five that I'm gonna really focus on this year. So one that's focused on meditation, one that's like a mindful art box and like a yoga app. thing. So lots of different things, but kind of it all in the realm of meditation and art. And then

Indira 11:27

how about, you know, your day to day? Are you you know, is your business more systematized? Do you work less? Are you less stress, tell me a little bit about the soul portion of the incubator and how that's helped you. And your business

Tracey McGrath 11:43

definitely has given a lot of structure into how to create the foundation. So that you're, I mean, I think this past year has been a lot of foundation work. So I think going forward, it's going to feel a lot easier and less stressful, and gives me opportunity to sort of branch out and think about other areas that I want to focus on, or how can I make it grow in a different way? But yeah, I feel like, I wouldn't say I was stressed this past year, necessarily. But it was a lot of work. And a lot of effort put into building those foundations. So, you know, learning all of those systems that Kate teaches, really helps you create those foundations that I think eliminates the stress going forward.

Indira 12:29

Yeah, for sure. So if there's one word that you could use to describe your experience inside the incubator, what would that be? I think enlightening,

Tracey McGrath 12:41

probably be my word. Just enlightening to not only what was calling to me, but then enlightening to that social media isn't the way to get people to find out about you that there are different ways that work for everybody that, you know, our mindset is such a huge part of how of our success in lightning. In fact, as far as knowing that there are all these other women out there that want to support each other and want to learn these things and want the same things that I do. And I think that would be the best word to describe it.

Indira 13:17

I love that. And I also love that you brought up the mindset piece. Can you share a little bit about what's been like your biggest takeaway inside the incubator? As it relates to mindset?

Tracey McGrath 13:31

I think it's probably being open. Being flexible. Adapting is a huge part, because I've always kind of been like, No, I want to know how to do it, give me the steps, tell me what to do. And I'll do it. I'm good at that. But this has been more about creating that mindset of like, it could be done several different ways and still work. You know, it's figuring out, what do you want what works for you right now. And what works for you right now might not work in a year, and knowing that it's okay to change. Oh, I

Indira 14:03

love that. You say that Kate says that all the time. Even in our team meetings. She says like, it's okay to change. This is what works now. And then we'll see. You know, once we've been doing it, how it will work in the future. So I love that you mentioned that.

Kate Kordsmeier 14:22

Well, hey, there, it's Kate Kordsmeier and I wanted to play a quick game with you. Let me know which of these you can raise your hand for? Are you wanting to reconnect with your authentic self, soul and purpose to become the woman you want to be? We want you to create aligned habits for more rest and less stress to live intentionally and take control of your daily life, to connect to other women who are on growth journeys, and rediscover your inherent worthiness and value so you can step into your power. Are you wanting to get clarity on life's decisions and your direction? Are you wanting to partner you With your mindset to achieve your goals and find the balance between your priorities and all of the competing roles you serve. If you're saying yes, then you're going to absolutely love our upcoming founding members launch for our brand new Success with Soul membership. Now, this is for all women, it is truly life coaching, not just business and not just for entrepreneurs. During the week of February 8 through February 14 of 2023, you will have a chance to join for 50% off at just $44 per month. And the best part when you join during our founding members launch, you will lock in the $44 price for the lifetime of your membership. That means that for less than $1.50 a day, you'll have access to live monthly soul sessions with leading experts live monthly group mindset coaching calls, monthly journal prompts in accordance with the moon and so much more, including pre recorded lessons and past soul sessions. And some extra special bonuses just for our founding members, head on over to Kate kordsmeier.com forward slash membership to join our waitlist and be the first to know when the cart opens. That's Kate kordsmeier.com forward slash membership.

Indira 16:19

So Tracy, this is my favorite part of the interview, which is our lightning round. So I'm just going to ask you a few questions. Don't overthink it ever comes to mind. And the first one is, what's your favorite way to make time for self care while running your own business. So

Tracey McGrath 16:39

probably my morning routine is a big part of that doing like a 15 minute yoga and then doing a little journaling. But I was sick during the holidays. And that all kind of got thrown off schedule. So what I've been doing lately is using like one day a week to do an art exercise. So just like sitting down with my art stuff, whatever it is making it as simple as possible and just doing something. It doesn't have to be anything involved, like oil paintings or anything like that. I just try to make it as simple as possible. And then even if it's just for 15 minutes, I always feel so much better.

Indira 17:18

Yeah, I love that you're allowing yourself giving yourself permission to meet yourself where you're at and 15 minutes, if that's what you can do. I love that you're just giving yourself permission to meet yourself there. So the second question is, what is one tool or strategy that you use to help you with time management?

Tracey McGrath 17:41

That's a good question. Let's say well, I may have a teeny tiny little calendar every day, I guess I kind of make a list of what I need to work on. And when I want to, like if there's anything I want to research or kind of want to explore. So I guess it's just making it to do lists every day. But then also like, not putting pressure on myself of I've got to check everything off. But that's not a really like fancy answer. To Do List.

Indira 18:09

your to do list. Okay. So well, we can explore the to do list a little more, though, because I know that Briana J had an interesting to do list. So when you do your to do list are you just basically it's a brain dump? Or you're doing it in order of like what you find to be more challenging, versus what comes easy. Like, what is the priority that you take? Okay,

Tracey McGrath 18:36

well, I guess I do kind of incorporate the Eisenhower matrix a little bit where I think about okay, what is it I really need to do, and I'm scared to do. And I'll usually, so it's kind of a brain dump. But then I'm, as I'm doing that I'm thinking about like us a really, I'm scared of this. So I'll move that to the top. And I do that first. Because usually once I do that, I feel better, I feel lighter. And then also sort of recognizing like, is there something on here? I don't want to do and do I not need to do it and eliminating that. So as I'm kind of Yeah, as I'm putting it out there assessing each one like what am I feeling about this thing? And me I don't really have a great method. But other than just like pausing for a moment, I guess and thinking about or feeling what's going on here. And then by that assessment, making a priority or not.

Indira 19:32

I love that. I know there's another team member on our team that uses the Eisenhower matrix as well. Okay, so what's the most powerful business mindset or entrepreneurial book that you've ever read? And this would be the one that you're gonna describe friends over and over again, maybe it's made the biggest difference in your life. Okay,

Tracey McGrath 19:53

this question I was waiting for. Oh, okay. Oh, this one was is you can heal your life. by Louise Hay. So that one I read in 2000? Well, no 2013 And it totally changed. I mean, I read it as a total skeptic that was like this is nonsense. And then it totally changed my life.

Indira 20:16

I love that. You mentioned that book. I love that book. One of the certifications I have is as a life coach, and that's actually required reading for us. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. And I know Kate loves that book as well. I see it in, in her book case during our meeting.

Tracey McGrath 20:34

It's funny because my mom actually gave it to me. And my mom is a total skeptic, too. It's just like, it was a weird confluence of the universe that somehow she gave that to me. And it just totally, I was the first time I've even really thought about mindset, and how that affects your life.

Indira 20:53

So I'm curious, you said that you were a total skeptic. So what changed?

Tracey McGrath 20:57

That book have was like, played a huge part. Because I was coming from this very traditional background, and, you know, from research and everything has to be evidence based. And I was even scared to do yoga, I lived in California for years, and I was a skeptic of yoga, I was like, Oh, my God, I'm gonna go to this yoga class, and they're gonna try to like join, I'm going to join a cult or something. And it was just, I think I was just scared. I was scared of life scared of like, not having good boundaries. If somebody tries to talk me into something, I'm gonna, I'm going to fall for not trusting in myself and who I was and what I believed in. And I think it was just, I mean, part of its life experience growing up. And I think my experience in California, I was exposed to so many new things and different people and ways of thinking. And that helped a lot. I don't know. I mean, I think it was, it was probably a combination of things. But that book really opened my eyes to the thoughts in my head, aren't me. And my beliefs may not even be mine.

Indira 22:02

I love that I'm so glad that you were willing to come from it from a space of open mindedness and just kind of be receptive to it. So I love that. So moving into mindset, what would be your favorite quote, or your mantra or, you know, affirmation when things get tough, and you feel like, I'm out, I'm giving up.

Tracey McGrath 22:27

This one I got from a yoga teacher on peloton, and I just I love, I love her. It is everything you could ever need or want is right here inside of you. And that one just makes me feel just really calm and peaceful. And I don't I don't need anything else. It's right here.

Indira 22:48

Love that too. And I feel that very much is in alignment with what Lewis Hayes says right? That all the answers are within, right. Everything that we're searching for is within. I love that. And finally, you're in the Success with Soul podcast. So what does Success with Soul mean to you? So I

Tracey McGrath 23:09

think it's about doing work and life with passion and incorporating things that you love to create the lifestyle that you want. So for me, that means flexibility, and having fun and having a successful business too. But you know, a way to support my family where I can be me and share what my gifts are to the world in a way that's fun and works for what I need right now.

Indira 23:40

I love that. Tracy, where can our listeners connect with you?

Tracey McGrath 23:45

So I have a free mindful art guide if anyone would like that. So my website is Dr. Tracy mcgrath.com. And if you go to backslash freebie, you can choose your own freebie, but the mindful art guide is what I really recommend for everybody.

Indira 24:01

Okay, wonderful. Great. So we will be sure to add that to the show notes or our listeners can find you. It's been a pleasure getting to know you, Tracy, I personally am excited to dive into your freebies which I have downloaded. So I will definitely be in touch with you about that. Any last words of just thank you so much

Tracey McGrath 24:25

for the opportunity and thank you for the work they do.

Indira 24:29

Ah, thank you so much. Great. So that is it. This is Tracy McGrath, and another episode of the Success with Soul podcast. Thanks so much.

Kate Kordsmeier 24:46

I hope you've been inspired by this episode and feel ready to take action on your dreams and goals. If so, please hit subscribe. This makes it possible for me to continue to provide free helpful content and bring you a amazing guests, just go to iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe so that you know when we released a new episode, and you never miss a thing. Plus, we often put timely opportunities in our shows. So if you don't subscribe, you might miss something valuable.

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