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Kathi Burns  0:04  
Hi there, I'm board certified professional organizer Kathi Burns. I'm really glad you're here. This podcast is designed for busy entrepreneurs just like you who want to take better control of your business and move forward with less stress and more success. If this is your first time listening then thanks for coming. The Organized Energized podcast is produced for your enjoyment and show notes are found at ThePodcast@OrganizedandEnergized.com. Come back often and feel free to add this podcast to your favorite RSS feed or iTunes. You can also follow me on Twitter at organizing energy and Facebook. All links are in the show notes. Now let's get into the show. Hi everyone it's Kathi and I'm back with the Organized Energize Podcast. I'm here with my friend and colleague Carolyn Gross. Carolyn helps executives and companies redefine their leadership strategy as they rise above the chaos. She's an award winning keynote speaker. She's been coaching executive business owners and medical experts for over two decades. Carolyn's forte is helping people reinvent their life for greater business success in these uncertain times. And here we go. These are a bit uncertain. Thank you so much, Carolyn, for being here. I am just excited to talk to you today.

Carolyn Gross  1:21  
Thank you, Kathi. It's my pleasure.

Kathi Burns  1:24  
Ah, we have so much to talk about. But let's start out for people who don't know you. What do you do? And how did you start doing it? Where did you how did you begin your business?

Carolyn Gross  1:36  
Well, I always say a lot of times when you're gonna start your own company, your hobbies will be an indication of what you really want to be when you grow up. So my hobby when I had a sales job in the in the food service industry was on natural health, I was cranial sacral therapist, I did all this mind body kind of work. And then eventually what I found out even though I had healing energy in my hands, and I could give people great treatments was I always had ideas when they were on the table. And so I was just really a natural born coach, you know, and but that's what I did before it was health and wellness and of course sales for a professional career. Yeah, did you know that?

Kathi Burns  2:25  
I knew a little bit. Gosh, we go back for so many. So long. So tell me now what do you do? What problem? What challenges do you help clients resolve?

Carolyn Gross  2:36  
Well, I'm really somebody who when people have unexpected crisis in their business in their life, I'm the person who can help them kind of put the mosaic pieces, especially if they feel like shattered by what's happened. And you we all know what's happened in the last two years. I'm just rounding it up to two years at this point, right? Yeah. So um, I help people really redefine and reinvent their lives. And you know, as you know, so many of us have gone from being out in the world to now being in an online. So that's a huge piece of it, too.

Kathi Burns  3:17  
Absolutely, absolutely. So for people who are reinventing themselves, what's the one tip that you can give to people to help them kind of get clarity on how they want to refine and redefine their life?

Carolyn Gross  3:31  
Well, if you really have to majorly make the change, I think you do need outside support. I do think you need to get into some type of group or hire a coach. And now that there is so much access available online, but don't do it alone is kind of my don't do it alone. You need a navigator. You need a navigator. Yep.

Kathi Burns  3:58  
Yeah. In and outside person to kind of see your life because we get so stuck in the muck of our life that we can't even see clearly where we're stuck oftentimes, right?

Carolyn Gross  4:08  
That's right. Yeah. So even though it sounds promotional, it's actually actual and factual.

Kathi Burns  4:16  
Yeah, I'm working on that. It takes Masters higher Masters is one of the chapters in my book, it's so very important that you understand that you can't do everything. You can't be everything, you can't see everything, especially your life.

Carolyn Gross  4:30  
Well, and some people are sort of giving up and what's the point? You know what I mean? Especially if they're past a certain number in their age, and I'm like, girls and boys, you know, 100 is the new 70 reinvent yourself, be vibrant, be fabulous. Do that thing you dared. You've always dreamed and dared wish you would dare to do, do it.

Kathi Burns  4:55  
Absolutely. It's never never never never too late.

Carolyn Gross  4:58  
Yeah, yeah.

Kathi Burns  5:00  
Okay for so for those of us who are who are in our business, and we're feeling a little bit depleted and overwhelmed and stressed out and freaked out, what would be a tip that you would give them to help them re-energize what they're doing?

Carolyn Gross  5:14  
Well, you don't really want to look at your business when you're freaked out. So the first thing you have to do is you have to get your mojo, you've got to boost your confidence, you've got to get your creative juices flowing. We can't solve the business problems of today When we're in freakout mode. So the first thing is always get your mindset in the right place before you initiate or engage, you know, and then the magic will happen.

Kathi Burns  5:44  
Yeah, shift away, stop looking at what you don't want to look at, for sure. I love that. So you've been through a lot. I know a lot and we go back, but what would you say is the one lesson that your business has taught you? Like what would you say is that little aha moment that you've had?

Carolyn Gross  6:06  
Well, you know, I, I had such a strong desire to be a keynote speaker on tour on stages all over the place. Now, again, as I said earlier, a lot of time your hobbies will tell you, you know, what you really want to be and do you know, with your life, or when you grow up. However old you are, when you're watching this, and the thing is, I used to go and see these great keynote speakers, these great, fabulous presenters, and I was like, ah, that is what I want. And then as you know, you know, I was on the rise. And my first book was staying calm in the midst of chaos, which I, which is, of course, applicable today. But I wrote that before 911. And sure enough, I got a book tour 24, city book tour from 2002, and 2003. So I was really on the trajectory of me realizing my life, dream, performing, changing lives being on stage, and then I found a lump in my breast, and I had stage three cancer. So here's the tip. The tip is when life delivers you surprises and crises that you had no desire to experience, you've got to work them, you've got to capitalize versus awfulize.

Kathi Burns  7:35  
That's a good quote, capitalized versus awfulize. Absolutely. And you're a remarkable example of resilience, and what people can do to take crisis into chaos into calm, and I know.  So that's what you did to overcome it was you just kind of started putting systems together? I know, I think at that point, we were starting to work together a little bit and you were calling in other people to join forces to help you right?

Carolyn Gross  8:06  
Well, I mean, I redefined my business model and became a consultant in the medical realms and a medical researcher on the immune system of all the things on the immune system because I used immunotherapy when I had cancer rather than having surgery. Yeah, look where we are now. Like, if, if you don't know people ask me questions about you know, health all the time. And I will, they will, you know, ask, well, what is the biggest secret you have for you know, anti aging and staying and I'm like, oh, a strong immune system, you know, and they're thinking of something else, right? Like acupuncture diamond glow facial or something. And I'm like, Oh, no strong immune system. You can't, you can't go through aging unless you're here.

Kathi Burns  8:55  
And you add another quote. Okay so people want to build a strong immune system. Where what step one if someone's like, clueless about this.

Carolyn Gross  9:09  
Oh, well, vitamin D, vitamin D, and vitamin K. Yeah, this is the number you know, you got to start. You got to start with vitamins, that's for sure. You got to start and then detoxify, fortify and simplify. So we can't have these really toxic lifestyles and take vitamin D and K and think we're going to be okay, right. That's your lane. You know, simplify get rid of all the muck.

Yeah, so that's what you did to overcome your big obstacles. You just decided to just focus on holistic healing, building your immune system learning all about it. Now I know you're a go to expert to some medical people as well for what you've done.

Yeah, so it's funny because I do coach business owners that have medical practices and doctors as well. And it's only because a that I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, be that I healed it and then see that I became a researcher on immunotherapy and a patient advocate. So I, you know, I went away from the stage for, if you will, 10 years of that dream life where it's all about me, and then it became all about health. And now, you know, I get to rebuild and re navigate because we do have so much chaos in the world, and that is my subject matter expert. I'm a subject matter expert in chaos and rebuilding your life.

Kathi Burns  10:47  
Yeah, I'm with you on that. And you're really, really good at it. So if you had one big organizing obstacle that you had to overcome in your business life, what would it be in? How did you solve it?

Carolyn Gross  10:59  
Well, I hired you.

Kathi Burns  11:02  
Well, I wasn't heading there. But thank you.

Carolyn Gross  11:05  
You're welcome. Yeah, I mean, if you, I didn't have the systems in place, you know what I mean? It was like, here's, here's 2020. You know, of course, those files are smaller than 2021. But no, I didn't have the systems. I didn't realize all the cute fun things I could do to organize my business from the freedom flyer tabs and folders and, you know, ways to just have the past be organized and have the present be right in front of you. And you helped me with that. So I didn't know how to, you know, categorize it effectively.

Kathi Burns  11:49  
Yeah it's funny, we all have different things that we know what to do. And it goes back to it's kind of been a resounding thing through all my podcasts is number one, masters, higher masters. But another thing is that we're all collaborative, like a lot of us know things that other people don't. I mean, if I ever had immuno issues, or actually I've referred people to you, that are on the healing journey. It's like, let's call on the people who've been down that path. Yeah. And if you want to reinvent your life, do it with something that you're passionate about, because then you'll have the energy to keep going forward.

Carolyn Gross  12:25  
That's absolutely underlining an exclamation point to what I just said, have it be something you're passionate about. And some people probably find new passions during COVID because they went, Oh, I never knew I love to paint or cook. You know what I mean? They might have found a new passion. And I know you've always had good food over at your house.

Kathi Burns  12:51  
You love to cook. Thank goodness, you know, good thing to do. Togetherness during COVID. That's for sure. Although we didn't get into the sourdough bread thing. Did you start making sourdough bread?

Carolyn Gross  13:01  
No, no,

Kathi Burns  13:02  
I never. I never went there.

Carolyn Gross  13:05  
That is not in my health profile. I don't eat a lot of wheat. Yeah.

Kathi Burns  13:10  
How about kombucha? Did you start doing kombucha?

Carolyn Gross  13:13  
Oh, that's how I healed from cancer. I had kombucha when i and that was actually somebody my husband works for Whole Foods. And one of his team members may gallon jugs, the homemade stuff from the bathtubs, whatever, you know, yeah. versus what you can get in the store. Now, of course, the health food stores, there's so many really great companies, but there's nothing like getting kombucha on tap, I will say to people, you know, there's a big difference in the intensity, if you get it on tap versus in a bottle because it just isn't as strong.

Kathi Burns  13:47  
Yeah, and it's easy. I mean, it's kind of prolific if you want to you don't want to take over your whole cupboard. Oh, yeah, we're getting ready to start kombucha in our house.

Carolyn Gross  13:57  
Oh, my God. But that's fabulous. But again, good for the immune system and good for detoxify perfect. Yeah,

Kathi Burns  14:04  
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. So there's going to be a free resource that you're going to offer the people down below, we'll put the link in that. Whatever you want to give the link will be right there.

Carolyn Gross  14:18  
Seven tips for reinventing your life, that's going to be the resource.

Kathi Burns  14:23  
Very, very appropriate right now for all of you who are looking to switch careers or reinvent or readjust to whatever you want to do with your company or redefine just yourself. Make sure to download that the freebie from Carolyn because she knows what she's talking about. And definitely check it out. Now. Okay, my final question is always what should I have asked you that I didn't ask you?

Carolyn Gross  14:49  
Oh my gosh, well, you could have asked me you know, who's my favorite type of client to work with? And, you know, what really became came fun when I started doing this reinventing your life as I started doing customize Lux retreats so that I could pull people out of their environment. Because you know, it's coaching is fabulous when you work together an hour two, you know, and the frequency, the consistent frequency that's really good. You know, it's like pumping town. But when you go away, and you just focus on how are you going to redefine your life? How are you going to do you know, a new blueprint for your business, whatever, and you you know, sequester yourself the genius happen. So that was something that really became a big part. And now you know, I live in the north Palm Springs area. So I have this beautiful landscape that I get to do that work.

Kathi Burns  15:49  
I love it. Let's put the link below as well. So make sure that we have the link underneath this podcast and perfect Yeah, because you know, getting in again, going away I think you're spot on with that because going away you've now eliminated the distractions from your regular everyday life and you are able to focus and and you're around like minded people and you're around amazing, amazing coach like Carolyn. So if you're looking to redefine and you want to go to Palm Springs for a little while, do it. It's so good to see you again. You look fabulous. I thank you so much for being a guest on my show. Thank you.

Carolyn Gross  16:30  
Absolutely. You're welcome.  

Kathi Burns  16:32  
Hey, thanks for listening to this podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you want to hear more, feel free to subscribe on the platform of your choice. Also, if you feel so inclined, I would truly appreciate a good rating from you, to me, Have a stellar day.