Podcast S2:E6 - Harnessing the Power of Self-Expression with Sasha Glasgow

You can connect with the wise and kind Sasha over on Instagram or on her website!

Show notes:

(Please note that these are computer generated and therefore imperfect).

Ellie: Welcome to the capable collective podcast, a place for women who want to ditch the overwhelm and learn to run their business with ease. I'm your host, Ellie McBride. And I firmly believe that as women and non-binary folks, we are best as a collective. So together with my expert guests. We are sharing the tools, systems and ethos behind a simple yet thriving business.

This season, we are talking all about working with your natural rhythms and the episodes will be coming out every other Wednesday. I'm so excited to dive into topics like working with your menstrual cycle, living with lunar cycles, living seasonally, working from a place of rest and creating boundaries and so much more.

Ready to dive in. Let's go!

Sasha classes herself as a writer, doubter and doer, even though she's been writing in some form from the age of eight, she only started calling herself a writer last year and rebellious act against herself, doubting nature. She's an avid journaler and lover of words who wants to use them to challenge the negative narratives that women can have about themselves.

She does this through what she calls, remind hers. Little notes of thought dotted around the internet to remind women of what has always been there. Our internal North star it's light, somewhat shrouded by responsibility should ingrain narratives. And self-doubt Sasha writes about her own journey as it unfolds on learning self-doubt and tuning back into self-trust.

In the hope that her doing so through her creative outlet proves as small, powerful remind hers to those who come across her words. 

So excited to have you here today. 

Sasha: Sasha, how are you? I'm good. I'm good today. Um, the sun is shining and spring is oncoming. So it makes for a good day plus it's Friday. And even though I'm furloughed from my day job at the moment, I still get the Friday feeling.

Ellie: I think there's nothing as good as a sunny Friday, I guess.

Just nothing. Oh, Oh, well, although I'll say I also have this overnight bread recipe, I use all the time and I bake. So essentially you just wake up and then you just throw it in the oven and I had nice. 

Sasha: Yes. You also cannot be fresh bread, like are freshly toasted when you catch it like that perfect moment where the butter melt up.

Yeah, I don't understand. Yes. 

Ellie: Yes. Like when people ask me what my favorite food is, I'm like any form of. Freshly baked carb. 

Sasha: My favorite is, um, any form of potato. I am very, very passionate about potatoes. Yeah, I really am. 

Ellie: I have learned like a lot about potatoes since living in Ireland because I've never before.

And I'm sure there's other places that do some more things, but like a Sunday dinner here has like three types of potatoes on the plate and I was just, God. Yeah. It's like in America you get maybe roasted potatoes or maybe mashed potatoes or maybe boiled potatoes or whatever, like you get. 

Sasha: Sounds like it's just heaven to me, to me.

Yes, I love. 

Ellie: All right. So let's start with the rapid fire round. Kicking us off. Where are you from? 

Sasha: I grew up in London. I'm a Londoner. Um, I've now moved to West Sussex, some closer to work. So West Sussex is kind of near Gatwick airport, which if the airports were operating right now would be wonderful.

Cause I just like jump, hop, skip, and jump to wherever I want to, but not the case right now. And then in terms of like my background and my history, my mom's side is from Jamaica. And my dad's side is from Guyana.

Ellie:  Very, very cool. It's like, there's probably so much, that'll just say, you know, like how Americans love to say, like, I'm my family would be like, Oh yeah, we're Irish.

And I'd be like, okay, like six generations. Like I have the red hair, but that's about it.

I'm kind of stuck around before I got married too. I had a, I went fromMcConnell to McBride it and change all that much, but all right. So, uh, what are your preferred price? 

Sasha: Uh, she and her. 

Ellie: And when did you start Frank and Feel? 

Sasha: It feels like, know me. I'm very funny about numbers and dates and stuff. So I'm like if, if I'm using the remote control on the TV, for me, it has to be on an even number.

Or it can be a multiple of five. I don't know why it's just me. So I feel really, really happy when I say I started Frank and feel on the 1st of January, 2020, it just feels fresh and it just, right. It wasn't a random day. It was. Best of the year! 

Ellie: That is also going to be like, probably feels really nice from your birth business, birthday rolls around.

Cause you like, everybody's already sort of off, you kind of have already some celebrations happening around you that you can just add to. 

Sasha: Uh, yeah. I, I, yeah, I, it feels like a very satisfactory date. Like I've seen a lot of people talking about, um, online houses. This February has been a very satisfying month because like, it starts on a Monday and ends on a Sunday.

And everyone's like, look at how, like, look at how satisfying that looks on a calendar and it's that. 

Ellie: Yeah, because it's so tidy and organized and just how our brains like to categorize things. And how did you start freaking field? 

Sasha: Cool. Well, I just started up an Instagram and, and went from there. Really.

Um, I knew I was, I wanted to have some sort of creative endeavor. I've always been interested in words and creativity and craft and doing things with my hands and reading origami. So I think, I guess my creative endeavors have always been with me, but, um, yeah, I think Frankenfield really started there. I started the Instagram.

Ellie: And what do you love about Frank and Feel?

Sasha:  I really love that I can connect with people who identify as women, um, and just be very free. I love that the whole, that the very name is its feelings, frankly. So I write about how I feel. I write about. How I deal with, um, self doubt and self-trust, and I just love that in me sharing my stories.

It makes other people feel seen related to it makes them feel like, um, they can try things if I can try things. And I just love that I'm adding my voice to the cacophony of voices online, because I don't think we can never have enough to be honest with you. I think we need as many as possible. Everybody has a story to tell that I think can benefit someone.

It doesn't have to be through a business or on nine, but I think we, we absolutely must share our stories. Ugh. I just loved that. 

Ellie: I think that that. A lot of people need to hear that whether they're running a business or not. I think so many people are like, Ooh, what do I have to say? What do I have to say?

Especially what do I have to say that hasn't already been said? 

I think that using our voice and practicing using our voice is such an important thing. 

Sasha: Yeah. A hundred percent. Because I even find that through this journey, that's kind of meandered from creative interest and hobby to business.

Everything is cyclical and it all feeds into something else. So while I've found my voice in terms of a creative stride, that then kind of infiltrates real life situations where I might speak up in situations where I wouldn't have previously. So everything informs the other. Yeah. I liked that a lot.

Ellie: First off. I just want to say like you do a lot of really gorgeous posts on Instagram. Um, and there's. I mean, I, I would say if I had to choose a couple of like favorite styles of your million good posts, I liked the ones where they're like really meditative and you have words of what I can really slow moving video.

Those are just like, so serene and also it's kind of that thing, like they're really satisfying. And then the other one. And I think it's just because it's sort of ballsy is like you, when you just post pictures of your diary, entries or journal entries, think that's such a, for me, feels like it would be such a vulnerable thing.

And just opening your direct thoughts up to the word, like essentially on edited. And I love that you do that. 

Sasha: Yeah. I'm, I'm quite an open book I have to say. Um, and that feels okay for me. I think everybody needs to approach all things in life with boundaries. And for me, it doesn't feel particularly vulnerable to share my thoughts just on a page.

So I do that because that feels okay for me. 

Ellie: I think that's very cool. Um, and I think that it honestly like inspires me. Well, I probably won't ever like, be just sharing my journal entries. Like it does inspire me to take my vulnerability a step further and feel okay. And safer in that. So question I'd like to ask everybody is what helped you have in your business.

And this, I know a lot of the people I talk to are small businesses and I I'm talking, not just like, if you don't have a VA or whatever, even if you do, or you do, but even things like in my business, you know, for awhile, I had therapy and that was super helpful. And I have my husband or, you know, for awhile, we ha well, cannot wait for her to come back.

Sasha: We have a, these types of things. Okay, what kind of help do I have? I have a few bits. So firstly, I think it's sort of the, I wonder if they're creative visionaries. I don't even think they are. They're just the people who I have connected with who are also sharing their voices and their stories that I was just attracted to and have worked with either personally or related to Frank and Phil.

So there's a couple of people who I've worked with over the last year or so, and am working with now. Um, there's Tammy Thomas, who, um, is of LA live three 60, and I'm doing a program with her at the moment called sovereign, which is kind of learning how to learning or coming back to, um, understanding yourself as being powerful.

Um, In all its meanings. And I'm really loving that because again, in empowering myself as a person, it kind of makes me more empowered in terms of the things I'm doing in work and in business. The very first person that I worked with, it was Nick  of a life, more inspired and she believes in sulfa marketing.

And she just really took me under her wing. Um, because I was like, I've just got an idea with an Instagram. That's all I've got. Group coaching thing, where there are people who would like set up their businesses, not as like, well, I opened my Instagram two weeks ago. Um, and, um, she really just helped me to, she find my voice by using it.

That is one of her, her mantras. And I always, always, always come back to it. So I think for me, my, my, my helps have been people, but then you could also look at help in terms of I'm a Google girl. So like Google drive, Google, keep, I could not live without Google, keep on my phone because some, when I say to people that thoughts just come into my head, they just come into my head.

So grab them before they disappear. It's really annoying when I'm like, if I'm like, Oh yeah, I'll write that down in a minute. And then I go three minutes later, literally. And I'm like, I'm gone. So, um, having got Google, keep on my phone is brilliant for me. Uh, uh, pen and paper. I've always got like notebooks handy.

Um, I've just started using notion as well, which, because I'm trying to bring all of the streams of thought into one lace. 

Ellie: Notion is lovely. I think notion for me. So this is me jumping on because I love tech stuff. So I just love the whole tech tools. But notion for me feels a little like. There's not enough of a plan in place.

Like there's two, it's almost like Minecraft. Like you can do anything you want with it. And that stresses me out because there's not enough structure. 

Sasha: And it's like, I've downloaded the app for my phone. So I'm like, right. So we can sync in between it and I've got everything, but I still find myself immediately go into like Google key.

Cause I'm like, it's what I know. And it's just easy. And. Yeah. 

Ellie: Yeah. I think that there's, I mean, there's nothing wrong. We'll try out a new system and this, and maybe it works and maybe it grows on you and maybe you're like, eh, it doesn't want to stick with what I love. I kind of know what you mean. I don't typically have like lots of random, like great thoughts popping into my head.

But when I do, they're always in that like half asleep state, first thing in the morning. Yes always. And they can be business ideas. They can be normal life ideas. And most of the time I'm like, I like one of three things happened either. I felt like I forced myself to go back to bed and forget them all. I try to be like, I will remember them.

I will remember them. I will remember them. Yes. And then I can't sleep or I sleep really fitfully or three. I take the time to find a way to write them down and everything's fine. 

Sasha: No, I always get that thing. And I've just learned this about myself now, if I say, Oh, I will remember that going right down.

Right now the second, because you will not, the thing you say you will remember is the thing you will not remember. So I do that. And actually what I've started doing is I'm using the voice recorder on my phone. So there are a couple, there are a couple of really random recordings that I've gone to listen back to where I'm clearly half asleep.

And I kind of, when we start to tail off at the end and I'm like, where were you going? 

Ellie: Yeah. All the ways we work though, like it all sort of, they all come together. So speaking of this, this kind of perfectly leads into my next question, which is what systems are you using to do business with ease? 

Sasha: Yeah, it's notion, it's Google drive. Anything that kind of syncs between my phone, which is typically, always with me and, um, a desktop I've just set up a website and. Cause I'm practicing imperfection for the, when she does another one of, uh, Nicola Ray Wickham's isms. It's just a very basic Shopify website, but. It's helped me to just get going.

So it's like, it's clunky and it's basic, but it does what I needed to do. And I think having tools like that, that way you don't have to be a designer in order to like, just get something started, are really useful at the start. As long as I separate my like perfectionist brain from the actual goal and objective of like getting started, I can always make it pretty and make it.

Better and make it a nicer user experience down the line. But if the goal is getting started, stuff like that, being there is, is golden for me. Yeah. Yeah. 

Ellie: Something I practice saying to myself all the time is done is better than perfect because. I would be somebody who would middle and fiddle at something until forever.

Sasha: Yes, this is my third go at, I think starting a website, it was paying for a square peg square space website for a good few months and like trying to kind of tinker. For ages and like, you know, I w it was that thing that, like, it was an open-ended goal. So I was like, so how do you know when it's ready?

When is it done? If you're just always going to like, log into this private space that you're paying for that no one knows exists, like tinkering, and I don't know, I just, in the end I was like, no, I'm going to try this and I want this, and it needs to have these couple of pages. And actually, I think I'm going to go here.

Ellie: So, yeah. And I think that ultimately Shopify, like Squarespace has some really good, good. Um, features and obviously like that's all I ever talk about is Squarespace, but Shopify, if you want to have like, Squarespace's really up their game as far as commerce features in the last year or so, but for certain things, Shopify still is just the better way to go commerce wise.

Sasha: But sometimes though, honestly, I feel like I get in my own way so much because, um, it, my day job. It just didn't it seems like it didn't even click to me that the backend of the website that I've been using for the last maybe seven or eight months I've been in my job is Shopify. I don't know why I didn't connect the dots to think.

Just set up a Shopify website. What is wrong with you? Honestly, it didn't click to about. Three three, four weeks ago. 

Ellie: And you're like, Oh, I already know a website platform. I know how to build and design 

Sasha: I already know how to use bits of this. Why was I making so hard? 

Ellie: We have definitely all been there.

All right. So today we're going to be talking about, uh, living and working with our natural rhythms. So tell me a little bit about how you do that in your life. 

Sasha: For me, it starts on, I think on a very granular level. I'm very, very big on journaling and, um, it starts with a pen and paper. Um, for me every day I journal on three very basic points.

I class myself as a typical. No, not a typical atypical, if anything, um, rebel journaler. So it's not like reams and reams and pages and I'm like interrogating questions. It can be, but it doesn't always need to be that. And so each one, and I just ask myself, how are you doing in your mind and your mood? How was your sleep and how is your body.

Because those three questions for me, help ground me and know how to navigate for a day. Am I feeling tired? Have I got a Crick in my neck? Um, you know, um, what kind of thoughts and space on my end does that affect how our, what work I'll do you know? Is this on a deadline, but could it actually be pushed because today just isn't the day.

So that's, that's what I, that's what, how I start my day and. I just find it really useful to kind of check in with myself before I like step into the world. So I think that's one way that I manage my rhythms. Um, I'd say in the last year and a half ish. I've started to, um, track my cycle, just using like one of the free apps.

I use one called flow, um, and just reading more into it. And it's honestly the most amazing discovery it's like, It's like Sasha, you've been menstruating for the best part of two decades. And there's some things you're only just learning now. And it was hilarious to me how I'm like, okay, this cycle, it lasts roughly four weeks and it's been happening for goodness knows how many years.

And the amount of times I'll get caught out thinking why such a mood? Or why am I bloated? Or why can't I stop thinking about food or, and stuff like that. And then I'm like, Oh, that's right. I'm in my cycle. And it's like, But this happens every four weeks or so. 

Ellie: Why are you still surprised? 

Sasha: But then even in that, that's how I manage, I'm learning to manage my rhythms because I'm learning when I kind of like peak points for, um, you know, engaged activity, things that require brain power.

And when am I quiet at times when I need to kind of stay away from everyone and everything. 

Ellie: I did cycle tracking for a while. Um, and really liked it. Honestly. I was one of the really lucky ones that from the time that I started, um, on the pill, I was just like, I could count, I could count a year in advance that I would start my period on that Tuesday.

Like it was always a Tuesday and it was always really predictable and it was lovely. But before I moved to the UK, I was like, I don't know how long it'll take you to get set up with the doctor and blah blah. So I got an IUD. I kind of hate it, 

but I've only got a year left. And so, and it's a pandemic, so I'll probably stick it out and then go back to getting to, yeah, well, yeah, but I think, yeah, it was really interesting because even then, like, I wouldn't say that I was when I was still talking and I was using an app and everything.

Like, I don't think I always would have been super aware either of like, Of everything being like, why? Well, because I'm me and everybody who knows me knows this, but like I cry very easily and be like, why am I crying right now? Like, there is nothing happening. Like, why am I going to be honest? Like, I don't have to be in any phase of my period for that to be any phase of my cycle for that to be a fact.

But obviously I'm more prone to certain stage. 

Sasha: Yeah, yeah. I a hundred percent. Yeah, I get that. And 

I think the other thing that I'm getting used to asking myself, and it's only come about since the pandemic is asking what my capacity is, because I'm realizing that we are different every day. Even if we do go through these kinds of cyclical cycles and you know, it's spring outside and we go through four seasons, we are... within those seasons that happen routinely we are different every day. So another way that I'm kind of checking in with myself and managing stuff is just saying, what have you got space for today?

Ellie: I love this question because... Again, I think 90% of the reason I'm recording this season of the podcast is because I'm really bad at like all of this. And I love hearing from people and learning from people who are doing this in a more mindful and better way than I am. And I just love the idea of like checking in and saying, what is my capacity? 

Because I'm much more of a person that's just like, I have a, to do list I'm going to do. And that is not always good for me.

I sometimes find that I am really, really stressed out that, um, I ended up having to like shut myself in my office that I don't stress my husband out by my down. Um, I will find that like, I've gotten a little bit better since I've simplified my business model at being like, you know, my, one of my very good friends lives across the street and she has a four month old baby and is trying to get outside more.

And so she'll be like, you want to go for a walk today and I'll be like, okay, I only have a call at such and such time and we just go for a walk and I try not to care how long it takes me and whatever else, because. I'm starting to trust that the work will get done a little bit. 

Sasha: Yes. Yes. 

Ellie: The work will get done and I don't have to have even, you know, I have deadlines with my clients, but they're not like hard and fast.

Like I have a two to three week design window and I also, you know, if I set a project for myself with my business or have something, um, coming up for visibility, like the three-day challenge, I'm going to be planning. Like right now, I'm like, I can push myself and have it ready for the 10th of March. Or I can just wait and have it ready for the 17th.

Sasha: Give yourself the extra week. Why not? Yeah, there definitely is that thing. There's a few pieces for me in that. Yes. I, I can trust myself. I know. And it's something I've been learning since I was in school. I'm actually quite a last minute person and I'm a weird planner. I'm very, very strange. I do like everything in its place and I like to plan things and, um, I've been a PA in past lives.

I like planning other people. And I will do something where I'm like, right. Something's going to be happening in three months time. Cool. So I will do all the preliminary planning in like the first two weeks. And then I will leave it maybe like the week before the thing is due. I can come back to it, but I don't know.

It's just something, we've how my brain works. Like you, I know the work will always get done because. It will, that's just, I can trust myself in that, but I can also trust myself in knowing that firstly, the preliminary planning was really good. And secondly, that it's always kind of sitting there in the back of the mind and just that I get that sort of that fears and that, that frost off of.

Kind of like last minute deadline type stuff. It's just my arm. It was really irritating, but I've like just accepted. 

Ellie: I think though, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I think we all need to learn those types of things about ourselves and when, so it's sort of like learning when and how we work best.

So I think it sort of in your case, I would be actually quite similar is that I would like to plan. Have it planned, let my brain sort of, and I do this when I, a lot of content creation too, actually, which I don't talk about a lot, but having the like loose framework of like what I want to talk about, what, or what I'm going to do, if it's a project then to step back and without really knowing it, my brain is solving that problem.

It's writing the blog posts. It's creating the video. It is making the three-day challenge happen in the background. And then when I come back to it and more focused on clear on like the objectives of things. And I can just kind of bang it out, like, um, and I think I'm okay with that. And I think the other thing that I want to quickly say is that a lot of people need sort of that extra stress and it's not always a bad thing.

The extra stress of an impending deadline to really do their best work. And that's not a horrible thing either. Sometimes I tell people to put into full step lines so that they can like tell themselves it's due two days earlier than it really is. If that's going to help them. 

Sasha: Yeah, for me, I need. Because I'm such like a deep feeler and, and stuff.

It's, I have to connect with any of the work that I'm going to do. So I do sit and do the outline and stuff, and then I kind of just, I let it marinate and eventually I have to just trust. Because it always does it, it just comes, it just turns up. And I don't know if I could work with anyone in terms of Franklin field, because they would be like, okay, it's nice that you think that it's just going to turn up, but it works for me. 

Ellie: So as somebody who's been in the back end of loads of businesses, like that's where. Setting things sort of in advance really comes in handy. So if you're, you know, you create the content for March and February so that you have that really loose framework of it can just come to me at any time and those types of things, but that doesn't work all the time.

And I think that it also like part of your, what makes a lot of what you do really special is it always seems so relevant for the moment. 

Sasha: There are things like, I let my, I started getting into morning pages, which I quite like just kind of the free meandering of the mine. And when things come to me, like I say, with Google, keep I'll just make sure that I write them down.

I like give them a little label and then kind of leave it be like, as long as I've got the, I've got the words down, I've got the main thing down. And I just let it sit and simmer. So sometimes they'll have been something that I've written six weeks ago, two months ago, who knows. And I just kind of leave it there until it feels right.

Sometimes there are things that, you know, I've I use, um, planner lead to kind of plan out my Instagram and stuff, and there is a loose plan, but then sometimes I'll just wake up and I'll just write something down. I'd be like, that needs to be said right now today. So you ditched the plan and go with what feels right.

And then you resume. I love that. 

Ellie: So that you do have some space to plan ahead, but you also have the flexibility to say like that, that thing that I just said is so important for other people to hear right now. That's really cool. So you have a few things that you're doing essentially to recap, to tracking your own rhythms and cycles and such.

And so the biggest one is checking in with yourself every morning and you check in on your mind, your body and your sleep, and all of those are pretty big indicators as to your, your wellbeing for the day. Um, and then you use that to plan. How you're going to go about the rest of your day, which I think is such a simple, yet very profound thing to do every single day.

Since I've met you, I've done this a couple of times and it has been so good, but I need do more. 

Sasha: I also, I don't make it a big deal. So sometimes it's literally like, Three words against each bullet point. Sometimes it could go in for a page. If I've got that in my head, I just write it down. If not, I don't stress about it.

Ellie: Right. So you're not holding yourself to this like standard. You could literally say sleep. Shit or whatever. 

Sasha: Yes. 

Ellie: Or, you know, great. 

Sasha: Nothing's like, sometimes it's like seven out of 10. I've got nothing more to say, that's it? 

Ellie: I mean, that's all you really, you, that's probably all you need to know about it.

And then on top of that, you cite, you track your your menstrual cycle, so that you kind of know where you're at in that cycle as well, because you're right. And that's something that I hope by this stage of the season, people are kind of starting to grasp is that all of these seasons and cycles work together, we've got nature seasons, and we've got menstrual cycles, and we've got your daily energy levels at different points of the day.

And you've got those types of things that you need to kind of be thinking about and knowing. That's different for every person. So it's really a lesson and like tuning into yourself, which is the part that I think I struggle with the most. So if we were going to talk about other people who are kind of getting started about listening to themselves or tuning into their own cycles and rhythms, what tips would you have for them?

Sasha: I would say make it really easy and manageable. I like the work of Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. He is a GP British GP, and he's turned into kind of somewhat of a media personality. I think he's got a radio show and the podcast, and he's written a couple of books. And I really, really tap into, um, one of his, his things, which is about the power of what, like what you can do in five minutes.

So, you know, I think we went through the period where we had these grandiose morning routines. It's like wake up at five and do this and, you know, just have this stretch and did it. And it's like, I don't have two hours. I've probably got about 25 minutes maybe. And maybe seven of those will be spent in bed.

Pretending that I don't have to get up. Um, I think is finding the place and it's making it really easy. So there's something else that I'm experimenting with at the moment, if people are kind of wanting to get into journaling, which is my thing, which is the idea of like a sprint list. I love, I love lists, but I'm finding they've got more power in actually not being about to do lists.

Um, I liked them because they're quick, they're easy. You just, it's kind of, if you were writing your shopping list, you would just write what you needed. You really like and why, and all the explanation of why you need it. You just be like, okay, I need eggs. I need this, I need that. So I keep a notebook next to the kettle and I put the kettle on to boil and I've counted it.

A kettle takes 90 seconds to boil. And in that time I will just write down something on the list. It could be. What's in my mind that I just need to get out. It could be the mind, sleep and body, um, bits. It could be, um, a question I want to, it could just be reflecting on something, but I literally give myself 90 seconds to do it.

And I think, yeah. Anyone can find a 92nd pocket in their day. And then at the end of it, you've got a cup of tea. And if you want to spend the time it takes to have the tea continue in the reflection, then great. That builds you up to like five, six, seven minutes or so. But I think it's definitely about finding your pockets and going with them.

So if you're a night owl, maybe it's something you do at night. If there's time after you've dropped the kids off, but before you drive to work where, you know, there's that golden little minute, then, then it's. Then I also think it's about not worrying what it looks like. So I used to drive for like kind of an hour plus each day to him from work.

And I would listen to, um, like podcasts or like audio books. But I would also just as I pulled in for work or before I set off for something, I'd use the voice recorder, um, app, just to record things that were on my mind. Like I've got two hands on the wheel. I can't right. But I don't think there's any one way to kind of get self-expression right.

As long as you're kind of getting it out in those kinds of ways where it's like, it's a voice recorder or it's like a really quick list, it's a good way to kind of tap into. Asking yourself, those questions. If you've never asked them, sometimes I think, you know, you can buy the lovely journal and the gorgeous pen, and then you just sit, sit there intimidated by a blank page because you're like, and now I need to fill it full of.

Ellie: Like like me, what?

Sasha: And I think if you're not used to doing that sort of self-reflection and like spending so much time thinking about, Oh me, me, me, me, me, because at the best of times, but always about giving out and others and what we have to do for others and surface, those are like really good places to start. 

Ellie: I totally agree.

So taking some time, essentially to find your form of self-expression in the pockets that you have them to tune into who you are and where you're at at the moment. Yes that, and then from that, you will be more aware of what your own cycles and rhythms, and then be able to respond accordingly. 

Sasha: Yeah. Yeah.

You are very good at summarizing. What took me like three minutes to say, 

Ellie: be honest, like creating organization is my super power. That is like the one thing in this life that I'm really good at. And I, you channeled that in other ways and have made a business out of it, but like in general, I'm just really good at orientation.

All right. So what has been your biggest win in your business so far? 

Sasha: I think there've been a few, I think getting started to be honest with you getting started before I knew what it was going to be, but starting anyway. Massive huge. Yes. I think we're used to seeing a lot of, kind of like the before and after transformations, the gloss, like you work behind the scenes and then you just see this thing appear and it's all singing the new dancing.

I just knew that for me, it was never gonna come from that. I, I regard myself as somewhat of a, like a slow entrepreneur. If, if, if that's the thing. I kind of take my steps and I retreat and I review and I stepped back out. So I'd say I'm starting, there've been a few things that I've done, um, holding my first workshop, um, for journaling, um, which was really cool.

I've got some really interesting, um, creative, freelance contracts and work that I've done purely because I just gave myself permission to do the thing that I like doing. And I think when you do that, like, all you all that's asked of you is that you create your thing. Like you create it because you love it.

You create it from your why. I think a lot of people can get stuck or caught up on thinking that they have to create meaning for other people, the people who are drawn to you will create meaning for themselves. You don't need to do that. That's just going to be another thing that kind of holds you back and makes you procrastinate.

So, yeah. And then I think, was it August last year? Yeah, it was, it was on my birthday actually. Um, a friend kind of nominated me to take over the stories of, um, an influencer, um, cool Africa. Um, she's at the vitamin D project and she's got, goodness knows how many thousands of followers and I did it. And.

Yeah, they've just been like little small wins, but they're big things. They're big things to, to me, which means they're, they're big and definitely big to someone who was like approaching business with curiosity, wondering if it could be a thing. And it is a thing 

Ellie: I have no, it's like, this is just such a beautiful conversation because it's so.

Different. It's so different to how businesses traditionally talked about. It's sort of different to how people usually say their business has come about. And on top of that, a lot of people would talk about their wins and you have so many like, Oh, I don't even know what I'm trying to say. Essentially. I love that you're celebrating multiple small wins.

And some of them aren't really that small, like. Have taken over a giant influencer account. It's not a small way. And that is amazing. Um, but remembering all of the smaller steps, as opposed to just these big, big things, the small things, all the big things.

Sasha:  I've a friend who, Oh gosh, I've just known her now for about least 10 years.

I'm sure. And I always remember walking into her living room and seeing this poster that said, um, these are the good old days. And it just always makes me think that like it's the, it really is. It's the little things. And when you do something like the morning journaling or something, and just acknowledge these very, very small things about yourself, these little nuances between the day, they have massive ripple effect.

So to me, then it makes sense that you, you do focus on. The smaller things cause they make you, they're like the little milestones, the little mini milestones between the big leaps. And I hope that I never forget about them because I don't ever want to be in a place where I'm like, Oh, I'm just, I made this much in my business this year versus last year.

No. Okay. What happened on March the 30th? So in this one, you can remember that got you to this point because, um, Yeah, I think it helps you stay in tune with why you're doing it in the first place and gets you to those points. 

Ellie: Absolutely. Absolutely. And on the flip side, what would you say has been your biggest mistake or learning experience?

Sasha: Not fingers crossed because it happens. I don't feel like. I've made too many big mistakes or too many mistakes. And I want to say it's because I'm going so slowly. It's like, how could you possibly make a mistake when you're building a business driving at seven miles an hour? Bye.

I think learning experiences. Yeah, they've been huge starting before. I'm ready. Giving myself permission to do so learning that you. You don't find yourself, find your voice by being a perfectionist and researching everything to the hilt. You find it by starting and by doing, I was very resistant to, to learning that, but it is true.

Um, yeah, I think it's just, I think it's mainly mindset shifts that have been. Really key for me. So I'll often see people say, Oh, I want to start something, but I can't start with like, you know, a social media following that's only like 17 people. And for me, I'm like, no, you want to thank those 17 people who have cottoned on who have clocked you from the beginning.

And I like, I like what you're doing. Those are your OGs. You say, thank you to them because they have seen you when you would like trying all these different things that may not have worked. So then by the time you grow, like 70 times that you're ready to talk to that new audience coming through, I don't believe in this kind of like hop, skip, jump to the massive.

Sort of the massive audiences and stuff because okay. You could buy yourself an audience if you really wanted to. But what are you going to say to them? Do you know what you're going to say to them when they're there? No. So this is, this is good time. Don't my Nan always used to say don't despise small beginnings and it's just ringing so true for me.

Um, as I navigate all of this, because I'm like, Oh, she's really right. 

Ellie: Yeah. I feel like that needs to be like, I need a point on the wall or something like 

Sasha: love it. 

Ellie: And then finally, are you working on anything exciting right now? 

Sasha: So I'm actively pressing on with my, um, online journaling workshops. I really love them.

They're really cool spaces. I'm doing, um, journaling within other people's memberships. Um, I'm doing, um, a lot of kind of creative work and in doing these small things there. Making me expand and think, okay. I dip my toe in there and that felt okay. Hmm. What else could I do? So, yeah, I would love to work on potentially a product by the end of the year and also a podcast sometime soon.

But yeah, I think these are the main. Main things that I'm working on at the moment, maybe I'll have a nicer website by the end of the year, but I make no promises. It could still be the same clunky thing, but it works. Okay. 

Ellie: Very exciting stuff. Like  I've been in some of your journaling workshops and it's just, it's so lovely.

And it's just such a really. Nurturing space. I think that's probably the right word for it. I really enjoyed 

Sasha: it. I know. And a lot too. And I don't, I just think I firmly believe that we're all students and we're all teachers and some of the things that other people come out with at that time, like really nice.

And I liked providing the space that where you can take intention. And turn it into action. So you can just take the hour for yourself. You make yourself a priority and you make that space it's boundaried space. And I think it's really, really important that we have it, especially, I think as we're kind of looking to come out of this pandemic lockdown period, that we don't just go back to what we were doing before.

Yes. We're excited to see our friends and our family and be outside and do all the things, but. Boundaried space needs to remain boundaried space. Yeah. I 

Ellie: think one of the, like a couple of the only things that were properly good about this pandemic were people learning to tune into themselves a little bit more and also learning to slow things down a little bit and create boundaries around both of those things.

Sasha: Yeah, well, I can't speak for everybody, but I was going way too fast. 

Ellie: Yeah. So I think that I really appreciate that. Like staying in tune to all of these things we've talked about will help people stay where boundaries and centered as we progress into what inevitably will become a busier and busier world again.

Sasha: Yeah. And, you know, I say all of this and my intention is always not for it to come across as idealistic. Um, because sometimes to do lists, have to get done, you have to do things at work that maybe you don't want to do. You have to operate at a fast pace. Um, just because that's, what's required or demanded of you.

But I think that when you do these things and you've you ground yourself in them, you now have to take care of yourself before, during and after, or even when you're in the midst of those things. It doesn't mean that you live at seven miles an hour. Like I said, like. That's that's not realistic, but at least you can help kind of slow down your mind when you're in the midst of that stuff.

And I think it will help. 

Ellie: Yeah. It allows you to take those moments and you can say, okay, well, I was going 60. I'm going to go five for a week. See how it goes. All right. Well, thank you so much for coming on here. Um, can you tell people where they can find you? 

Sasha: Yes, of course. So you can find me my main hangout is, um, Instagram.

Um, It's uh, @frankandfeel all as one word together. Um, I love DM chats. There are wonderful, wonderful people out there. Honestly, my, my, my Instagram and I people have like, love, hate relationship with it, but me I'm like one of my favorite places, the high out, um, you can also go to my website, which is, uh, and fields com.

Uh, and that's where you can find me. And in both of those places, if you like my words and stuff, you can find out to my newsletters that go out on a semi-regular basis every like between two to four weeks. That's fantastic. 

Ellie: Thank you so much. 

Sasha: Thank you for having me.

Ellie: thank you for listening to the capable collective podcast. I really hope you enjoyed this episode and have gotten value from it. If you did, please subscribe on your chosen listening platform. And if you happen to be listening over on Apple podcasts. Please take a moment to leave a review. It helps other people to find and trust this podcast.

And it would mean the world to me, this episode was edited by Emily Crosby media. She's amazing to work with. And if you are looking to start a podcast or for some practical media solutions, definitely check her out. Thank you so much. Again, have a great day.