Accelerating To 5-Figure Months As A Piano Coach & Creating True Security As An Entrepreneur with Ashlee Young

Welcome to captivate and close. I'm Kinsey Machos, business consultant and marketing strategist. And I'm going to show you how to attract and enroll high paying clients using my break through online marketing strategies, all without having to rely on complicated funnels, disingenuous clickbait, or spammy sales tactics. These are the messaging marketing and selling secrets that virtually no one is talking about. So let's dive in. Hey, guys, welcome back to another episode. It's so good to be here. I have a very special guest with me, Ashlee, young Ashlee, say, Hey,

hello, everybody.

Oh my gosh, this is gonna be so fun. Ashlee and I were just catching up for a minute. It's Monday at the time of this recording, and just kind of like, you know, coming into the week and transitioning from weekend festivities into the week. And it's just I don't know, I'm so excited about this interview. So Ashlee, I would love for you to share more about yourself and what you do. I love that really having you on this. This podcast is a fun experience. I think for one you just joined us and female founders board, which is so has been so fun. We've been busy behind the scenes, really crafting and strategizing around some really amazing experiences for your business. And also just the journey that you've had watching you grow and really deepen your own brilliance with your own audience has been really incredible. And so I thought it would be fun for you to share that journey. And also, I think you have a very unique niche. And I think sometimes people are going to assume that, you know, I can't help people make money. So I don't know how to demonstrate an ROI. Or it must not be a good niche. If you know, I'm not helping people lose weight. I think there's a lot of assumptions made in sort of the bigger pockets of the market, but you're crushing it and you don't do any of those things. So why don't you just give the audience a little bit of background of you and what you do?

Sure, thank you so much Kinsey, it's great to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I've been a really longtime listener of the podcast. And so it's just really, really exciting to be here. So as Kinsey said, My niche is piano. I'm a piano coach for piano players, and piano teachers. So my background is in classical piano, I grew up I started playing when I was four. And I didn't really ever stop, I went to college and grad school and got degrees in classical piano performance. And I was on this path of, you know, performing and competing a lot. And I always taught initially on the side, and then eventually as my main business. And for me, teaching was always something that was so fulfilling, because I absolutely love. And I'm so fulfilled by helping people realize that they can do more than they think that they can do. I love kind of like helping people squashed through those. Sometimes those unspoken or unknown, you know, limits that people put on themselves. So now what that looks like is I am mostly in the online space, I do a lot of stuff on YouTube, and Instagram. And I work with adults now who really want to learn to play beautifully. And to get past all of the notes on the page and express themselves through their music. And the way that I teach them to do that is by learning how to practice smarter, not harder. I'm all about being effective and efficient. And if you can come to the piano and show up and do things in an effective and efficient way, you're gonna get those results so much faster. And it's going to be so much more meaningful when you get the results. Because you know, that point from from point A to point B was just so much shorter.

So good. I just love every time we meet and you like to talk about what you do. And just as I even learned more about your process and like your, I think that it's the underlayer that yeah, it's the practicing and helping people play music. But when you talk about like musical expression, and like really breaking through those limitations and doing things that you never thought was possible for you like, I just love hearing about it. And I think it's just you're such a talented, you have such a brilliant mind. But I want to talk so we're gonna circle back to your program because I definitely want to unpack a little bit of that for you to share how you're doing that in your program. But if we were to go back a little bit further, tell us about the journey from when you I think you have or maybe had an entrepreneurial mind when you started to teach piano. We walk us through that journey but also sort of inserting that time when you're realized maybe like, I don't know how to grow this beyond my one to one capacity or tell us more about that experience.

Sure. Yeah. So I always, I always had an entrepreneurial mind, like, even as a child, when I realized that I could babysit and get money for that. That was a big epiphany for me. And so going to school and starting out as a performer, I, you know, I was teaching and I always had this part of my brain that thought bigger, I always thought like, oh, someday I'm going to do something where I'm going to like grow a company, I'm going to have a company, I'm going to do something. And I didn't know what it looked like. But I knew that I wanted that, and my brain would always go in that direction. And so when I was teaching in person, like, you know, face to face, I, for a moment explored, potentially opening up a music school, and hiring people to come do in person lessons. But the logistics of like, getting all the pianos and renting the space, and the insurance and all the business things you have to go through. That is usually my least favorite part of being an entrepreneur. And so those limits felt so large, and they felt a little bit weighty in that I felt like it would put more things that I didn't want to do on my plate, and that that would overshadow the part that I really loved. And so for me, that change really started to happen in the pandemic, I was recognizing that, you know, that was not a great time for most people, I happened to be very lucky, because I moved my studio online, I was still teaching one on one lessons, and I was getting more requests than I had time for. And so I the wheels started turning of how can I move this beyond just myself? How can I create something bigger? And so I started to hire other teachers into the studio that could take on some of that one on one time. And then the wheels just kept turning, you know, okay, now, can I do group classes? can I increase this so that I can help as many people as possible, and I started a YouTube channel, I did so many things. And I got to this point where I was like, how do I make this transition from, you know, what I was doing before and the way that my mind worked before, to what I want to do in the future and for all of the things that I envisioned. And that's about the time that I found enjoined. Ten K is right about that time, when I was thinking bigger, and I knew I needed more information in my brain before I could fully realize and make that a reality.

Oh, my gosh, that's so cool. I didn't realize that was around that time. So you had this. So it was kind of fast, I mean, slow. But that. I mean, like if you think about the pandemic, and I think it's so fascinating, because if you go back to that time, so many people are so afraid. And I remember having a lot of coaching calls with my own planes, and they were so afraid to sell and they're like, everything's so uncertain, I don't know what to do. And there was so much fear around that. But the pandemic was actually such a huge launchpad for so many people, including myself, it was a huge year for us, too. And it sounds like free, it was sort of that just like it propelled you in a direction you needed to go that had you also asking yourself different questions and problem solving at a higher level, which is really, really cool. Can you tell us what was sort of so we heard like, it's like, oh, unicorns and rainbows right all the time. On the other side of that, though, what were some sort of negative emotions or thoughts that you had during that time that you had to overcome?

Sure. Um, so it was hard. I mean, there was just the day to day like, it definitely took an amount of time, before I was really comfortable and confident teaching online, I would say I made the transition quickly. And it was a forced transition. And something that I acknowledged because I had this mental block for so long about doing online teaching, I didn't know that it would be as effective. I didn't know if I could do it as well. And there was like, the technology hurdle for me, I always go back to the fact that, like, my roots are that I'm a classical musician. And so I wasn't super comfortable on Zoom, or working like the microphone, and the lighting and all of that. And so that was really hard for me. But once I got through that, the possibilities seemed endless. And I think that whenever we're at times in our life, where the possibilities seem endless, it can be really exciting, and also really, really overwhelming. You know, I had all of these ideas that I went into, like a little bit naively thinking, like, Oh, this is gonna be amazing. Originally, I was just going to start a YouTube channel. And that was like my business idea, you know, and I had no idea how difficult of a process that would be and how much work it would really take. And that that wouldn't necessarily immediately be a sustainable business model. So there were a lot of little hurdles along the way. And they were difficult, but for me, like those are always the times that spurred the most growth to, you know, I can usually when I'm in a really challenging time, and I'm like, Okay, I'm in the swamp. I feel this. I'm in the swamp. I know one day, I'm gonna be looking back at the swamp, and it's not going to feel this way. And I'm gonna have all the lessons that I learned while I was in the swamp.

Yeah, oh my gosh, I resonate with that. And I think I've shared even on the podcast several times we call them like identity crises right when You're like, in the darkness, you don't know where you're going, you're going, you're moving, right? Because like, you're like me, you just keep going, you don't stop, like the fears there, the doubts there. But you know, if you just keep moving, right, and the only thing that's gonna stop you is if you decide to quit, right, so you just keep moving. And when you're in the darkness, it can feel overwhelming. It's sort of like when my toddler like, puts a bucket over his head and decides to run around the house is like, you're likely going to run into the wall, right? And knowing that doesn't stop him from doing these shenanigans, right. And I think that's what we're sort of doing as entrepreneurs, we're like, intentionally deciding to fail, when we know that by moving by keeping moving in that direction in that sort of like, sometimes it feels like you're going backwards. But again, that momentum doesn't stop. And so I let that such a good depiction of that too, I think in like, the swampy feeling. And what I'll say is like, the more you go through it, the more you know, like you said, it's like, okay, I know I'm here, I'm going to look back on this and realize, like I was in the swamp, and I needed to go through this to get to the other side of that, which again, is I think the most uncomfortable part of building a business and helping more people is because there is a lot of growing pains. Can you talk about specifically, maybe some growing pains that you've had?

Yeah, definitely. So I think one of the biggest growing things that I feel like I'm still kind of in is I do still have one on one students, and I love that part of my business, but I'm making the transition to a different kind of business. You know, I've always had clients that are long term, you know, they stick around month after month, year after year, there are people that I've taught from like the time they were in kindergarten all the way through, you know, middle school. And so I have long term clients. And now the way that I'm focusing my business is getting people into my program, which still is a long term relationship. But it's, it's not necessarily set up so that it's like a monthly recurring charge. It's like they'll pay, they'll join my program, and they'll be in the circle for a while. And it's really hard for me, because there's all of this doubt about like, one, will it work, too? Can I do it? Is it sustainable? Is it something that I can actually do? And I know that other people do it? But there's always that difference of like, what can I really do it? And so I think for me, that doubt creeps in probably on a daily basis. So I do a lot of reassuring myself that like as an entrepreneur, I've literally never been employed by someone. I mean, I've had like side gigs, but my main source of income has always been myself. And so I always have to come back to that, like, I know how to create and sustain a business, I can do that. So even if the business looks different, it feels like this huge risk every day. I doubt it. But I also really tried to reassure myself that I can do that even if it looks different, but it definitely exactly what you described, I feel like I'm a toddler with a bucket on my head. Like, will it work?

This is our analogy for the rest of the year. That's so great. I love what you said too, about all I knew myself was as a classical musician. And I think that a lot of service based entrepreneurs can really resonate with this because it's like, well, I know how to get people results when I'm with them, or when I'm in the gym with them when I'm training them, or when I'm on the phone with them, or I'm one to one private coaching them. But like how is this gonna look from more of that scalability? Right? What is how do I put many people through a program and still get them the same result? And I think even for you, it's like, how do I take this thing that I used to literally write teach side by side with a student? How do I take that online and still create those results. And I think this is the biggest thing we have to overcome, when we're starting to look at scalable offers, is really translating that brilliance to more people while still protecting the results of our claims our students and our members. And but for you to even start with this thought of like, well, I'm just a classical musician, like, I like what like, oh, and I have to also like, set up a ring light and get it you do? What is all these things. But I think what you have done, and what I watched is sort of embracing all parts of that because you've been said the other day, like I love creating content, right? You said that and so you've started to really love and embrace the journey, which I think is where we were you get to have fun. Can you talk a little bit about like parts that you have enjoyed that were very unexpected for you as you've started to really scale your programs?

Absolutely. I think that's been one of the most fulfilling things is learning about these different parts of myself that I had no idea existed, because, you know, and I will I'm so grateful and I credit the time of like the pandemic really forced me online. It did I don't know. I mean, I like to think I would have made that change eventually for a smart savvy business mind, but I don't know that I would have and so Um, I did start, the first thing I did was the YouTube channel. And I am so surprised by how much I enjoyed editing videos. Like I was so hesitant to learn how to use iMovie. And to like, do it all, but I love it, I love the process, I love that I can look back even a month ago, and I can be like, Oh my gosh, I know so much more now than I did then. And I'm doing it better. And there's this constant improvement. And it's empowering to do things that you didn't think you could do or that you didn't think you would be good at. So I think editing videos and conceptualizing the video, or the content, I should say, as a whole now is something that I really enjoy that I used to just be so intimidated by it. And I think it just takes practice, like I know, in two months, I'm gonna look back on the video that I filmed later today, and I'm gonna be like, Oh my gosh, how did I not know these things? That video is not nearly as good as what I'm doing now. And the other thing for me too, and this honestly, the confidence directly ties back to, to you to Ten K is like copy and really using my voice in a way that I'm confident is expressing what I want to express. Because like you said, I I've always been, you know, like, in the back of my mind, you know, just a classical musician. And I know that my mind is brilliant in certain ways, like in being able to learn a piece and perform it and play it and communicate on that music without words level. But when I actually have to speak to someone, and tell them what that process is like, or how to do that, it was so hard. I knew I could teach people but to like, explain how I teach and explain why it works, was something that I was lacking so much confidence in. And so you know, getting to my computer every day, and just writing out content, just writing it out just writing it and that it's the same thing as editing videos. It's just that creation, everyday flexing the muscle, the confidence has come. And I do the same thing. I look back two weeks ago, and I'm like, Oh my God, why did I write it like that. But I always feel like it's getting better and better and better. And it's just it's a very empowering and exciting feeling to know that you can have that lifelong journey, like you're always learning.

Oh my gosh, there's so there's so much there that I want to unpack. But I think first it's this idea of like, I just do it. And that develops the mastery instead of waiting to believe that you're ready and then go right, which keeps you which keeps people stuck. And I think I too even, you know, I talk about all the time how I had severe public speaking anxiety, like even in corporate, I would have to speak in front of older bunch of old men mostly. But but I just remember like clenching up, I was sweating, I would black out even sometimes I wouldn't even remember what I was, I would just remember seeing stars, I had just such a fear. But there was still this desire within me that I wanted to develop that. And I just imagined myself speaking on stages. And so it was like what you said earlier is like there was something bigger there that I knew I just didn't really know what that gap looked like. And so I just leaned in, and I remember a mentor challenge me she's like, You need to go live every day on Facebook for 100 days. That's gonna develop your skill. Mike, are you kidding me? Like there's no way. But I did it. And those videos, they still that was probably I don't know, four years ago, those videos still pop up in my memories. And I want to cringe. I'm like, What was I doing? Like who? What? Like, it's awful. Sometimes I can't even look at him. But it was like, I have to go back and thank her right because those the willingness just to be awkward and learn and show up is what got me here. It's not that I just like woke up one day and was a master in speaking or like knew how to show up. And just like for you. It's not like you just woke up one day and had this crushing YouTube channel and this program that's selling out, right. It's the journey from here to there, and your willingness to just lean in and know that it's not going to be perfect, but the only way you really perfect right, which to your point, nothing's ever really going to be perfect. It's a learning process. And you are just a set, you're the epitome right of that journey. And like the journey of becoming. So I really loved the way that you really teed that up for us. That was really beautiful.

Thank you. I think the one thing that is that has stuck is like, you know, learning how to play the piano and starting when I was so young, you just practice, right? And then what you learn later and when I learned it through grad school is like you never actually reach a point that you're like perfect at it or that you know, everything. You actually it's a lifelong thing. And most of the the benefits come from just showing up every day, that consistency and just doing it. And I think it's scary as adults to admit like we are already the finished product or that we don't know everything and to just allow ourselves because it's kind of like I think most people will not allow themselves to be that consistent. It's too scary. Too much change happens when you show up and do something every day and commit to it whether you feel like it's garbage or not. Too much change happens and I think that it's it can be terrifying, but it's so rewarding.

Yeah, so good. The other thing you said which was really good and I know A lot of people would resonate with is like, I know I'm really good at something, but I don't know how to translate that, you know, through content in a way that's compelling. And this is another skill that's developed. Right. And I think that's something you really started to hone in in Ten K content collective. When you were like like this copy, right copywriting call it, you know, contact ratio, copywriting, whatever, but it's really like you staying true to you and your brilliance, but but aligning that right to the, the people that you want to serve, and bringing them in, in a way that's compelling. And I think one of the challenges is like, well, I just if I just share how good I am at something, why don't people want to hire me? Or why do people want to buy my program? But there's a shift there, right, there's a shift. Can you talk a little bit about like, what that shift look like for you to translate? Like, your expertise in a way that was compelling? Was there any sort of aha? Or was it really just sort of, you know, the putting in the daily consistency and writing?

Yeah. Oh, that's a really good question. I think there were there were many aha was, and definitely the daily consistency and writing was helpful. But in working in Ten K, I think the the thing that kept getting put in my face, you know, when we would work together on coaching calls, or when I was consuming the the videos and things was taking things to a deeper level in what I was saying. And I always felt for me in particular, like, I would joke around, like I play the piano, because I can express things that I can't express with words, like I knew how to connect to that depth, and to connect to that inside myself through one medium through the piano. And I think in Ten K, I learned how to connect and express that in other ways, like, with actual words. And so for me, the big epiphany came one with like, niching down and not being afraid to stand up in a strong way and say, This is what I do definitively sorry, if that hurts your feelings. Sorry, if that, you know, I don't need to apologize, like the right people will be attracted to my message, and the wrong people will be repelled. And that's actually a really good thing. And for me, as a people pleaser, that wasn't a huge epiphany. And then taking it deeper, you know, like, why the learning how to ask those questions like, Why do you do what you do? What does that mean? What does that mean for you? What does that mean for the people that you're working with? And really going beyond those initial thoughts are like the initial content, I now have, like, several drafts of going deeper and deeper and deeper before I posted something.

That's really good. I didn't know you, were you questioning your niche before you came into Ten K?

No, no, I wasn't questioning my niche. I think I was just afraid to really stand up and say this is my niche. Because I didn't want to exclude people, I was trying to kind of speak to like all piano players, as opposed to like just adults who were self taught or coming back to, you know, like, just being very specific about about one person that I had, or the one kind of that I serve.

Good. Awesome. I love that. I love that you reiterated that because that's a really important message. Okay, let's pivot to your program I want to know more about well, I want my audience to know more about your program and how you're doing this, because I think this is so innovative. And I think when we think of like category leaders, right, it's the innovation and you have done this so well, because you have taken something, I think, again, going back to this idea of like, Well, how am I supposed to teach somebody that online? Or how am I supposed to translate this into but you're taking a skill that is traditionally taught in person, and you're teaching it via online and also through a program that can bring many people in at once. So tell us about your program and how you use this online experience, to continue to see how your clients get results and talk about the results that your clients are getting? Sure.

Um, so I think the the best part about being online is that it can be an international program, I have people now from all over the world. And there's this community element that I could never achieve before. I've always been a community lover, I love to bring people together. But when I was teaching in person, it didn't matter how many people were in my studio, or how many people I invited to recitals. You know, there's a maximum amount of community feeling you can have, because you're one on one you're face to face with someone, and you get elements of the community. But now that I'm online, the number one thing that I hear over and over again, is like I had no idea. The group classes where we meet face to face and get to see each other play would be so educational and so beneficial, and that I would get so much from that community, just being able to see someone else do what you're trying to do and recognize that you have the same struggles. I think that that is so it connects people to that sense of like shared humanity. And they don't feel alone anymore. You know, in one on one lessons like I grew up, I thought piano was only a solo instrument because I always had one on one. It was like this thing I did by myself. But there's so much potential for collaboration and so people are really connecting and I think that is wonderful to see because I had dreams in my head of what this community could be like So to now see it actually coming to fruition is really powerful. And then people are also just playing like the the number one thing that people will say is like, I can do what I wanted to do, I can just play now. You know, because they're learning, I work with people that are already practicing, I'm not like having to convince them, they need to practice, but they're practicing in a way that might not be getting them the results that they want. And so to be able to just, you know, tweak what they're doing slightly, or show them a method that helps them break through the the problems that they're experiencing, and they can just have that connection to the music and they can, you know, really make that time for themselves and like, connect with themselves deeply. It's just, it's really beautiful to see. So good.

And I love what you said, I'm not convincing people that they need to practice, I am bringing in people that are already practicing. And I think this goes back to the niche, right. And we talk a lot about like, really identifying where your potential client is on their journey of like, what you do for people. And that was one of the things I think that really separates you, because you're not teaching people from beginning you're not, it's not new, like it's people that are already playing and already practicing, which elevates Great. That's like an elevated version of your of an ideal client. So I love that you said that? And what does it look like? How do you because I think this is a question or this, I think you can be proof for others that you can literally do anything online? How do you actually teach people like, What is the method of like, how are people learning? Is it through live lessons? Are they downloading music sheets, and you're walking them through that process is it really just like step by step the curriculum, and then they're coming to, you know, live sessions with you like talk about that, because I think, what I want people to hear from this, and for you listeners, really, again, being innovative about the type of experience you create for your programs, I think a lot of times we'll get narrow minded, like, I'm going to do biweekly coaching, and they're going to get this as a result. And I think actually what you've done is you've innovated this space, and in such a beautiful way, and I want people to I just want to encourage more people to be innovative. And so really just, you know, getting the juices flowing. So tell us a little bit about what that looks like, and how you're kind of bringing people to the results.

Sure. So I do have curriculum, so I have, you know, videos and PDFs, and all that kind of stuff. And that takes them through a process that is important, where they first address their practice routine and their mindset and things like that. And so that actually does take them through a process of like building concepts on top of other concepts that will really help them have those epiphanies on their own time. And then I also have the live group classes. And so we do meet twice a week, and people can come in, at any point in the process. And that's kind of what I love about the group classes. And that's something that I've never seen anyone else do in an online course or program is it's open to all levels other than beginners. So you have to be able to read music because I, I started out, I knew I did not want to work with beginners, because I've done that my whole life. And I was like, I'm ready to go beyond that. And so they can come in with a new piece. And they can say, Okay, how do I go about learning this, and I'll throw it up on the screen. And as a group, we'll go around, and I'll give pointers and then I'll open it up to the class. And they'll give pointers. And or they can come in and they can play a complete piece and say I've been working on this, I want to play it and I want to get feedback. And what's so great about it is that, like you can learn because my program focuses not on specific pieces. It's not like everyone's going to learn how to play for release. It's everyone's going to learn how to practice which methods are you going to us that will get you which results and so it doesn't matter the level or the piece or the genre, anyone can watch that and leave class feeling inspired with like a new nugget of information to apply to their own practice. So and I I don't I don't know of another program that exists like this. And so it's it's fun in that way. Because it's it's unique and it fulfills me. And I think that that was like I wanted to create something that I really wanted to do. And then it also is very beneficial in getting clients results. So that combination to me is like perfection.

Oh my gosh, so good. And I remember having a conversation with you I think last week or maybe the week before when we were mapping out your perfect What did we decide piano lab or piano practice

lab? Yeah.

We'll have to link up show notes to that. But you said like you're so confident in that your ability to get your claims results and you talk like this works and I think that's really important and you may have not always felt like that in some days. Maybe you don't. But I think when you anchor in that languaging everyday is like I am confident in my ability to get people results. I am confident I love my offer. I love my program and like just build that skill of loving your services have loving your programs. And that's magnetic like and I think that's what makes you so magnetic is like you know, you can get your clients results. There's no question in your mind even though again, some days you might have doubts, but you will back to that foundation. don't believe in you, again, keep running around with a bucket over your head. Exactly. That's so good. Okay. And also, I think it's important to mention that you're making incredible money. I think, again, this can be very hard. There's a dichotomy in our industry of like being hard lead and being a master at your craft. But then what we see is like people not actually charging the prices that they deserve, are aligning to their revenue goals. And you're making really great money and also making really great impact. And I think, again, your proof that these can occur simultaneously, right, we're like, really creating high level services and programs, and also really staying true to like the types of the type of money that you want to create for yourself. And you had like a 17 km month in January or something crazy, like you are 21 rolling. Oh, my gosh, you're growing at a rapid pace, but also, in a way that feels fine and good to you. I think too, you shared it was like making that much money. also kind of like when two out a little bit. Yes. So true. And like nobody ever prepared me for that part, either. Right. And I would love to talk about that for a minute. Because I think what happens is it stretches, it's another identity crises where it's like, you've never made that much money before. And so you start to have this cognitive dissonance almost right of like, like what is happening, right, and your brain wigs out, and then you do weird things. And it's just like, a weird cycle. But talk a little bit about this idea of like making money doing what you love making great money, and also some of the beliefs or thoughts that you've had to work through as a result of

that. Oh, my gosh, so much. I think that it's, for me, what I'm learning is, if I show up, and I operate in true alignment with like, myself, so I am a generous person, like, I want to help people and I want to get them those results. And if I can craft my offers from that place, not from scarcity, not from like, I need this to make a lot of money. But if I can come and show up in my business from like, I genuinely want to help people, I want to get people results. How can I offer an experience that's like mind blowing to them, where they're like, what she's offering what, oh, my gosh, of course, we have to do that. That is so much fun for me. And that's what happened in January. Like I just came out with this, like amazing offer, I felt like it was so generous. It was really like a fast action or a fat, you know, like, it's only available for January just for my program, but with some added bonuses. And it felt amazing to me, it was in alignment with like how I wanted to operate. I felt like I was being overly generous people were so excited that I was doing it. And so in that way, it was so successful. And then yeah, it scared the crap out of me. It really was, it was an identity shift. Because I was like, you know, I actually in working through something in Ten K, I was like setting my revenue goals for 2023. And I was like, Okay, this is what I want for the year. This is what I have to make per month, you know, going through mapping out each quarter. And I was thinking like, probably because it's a slightly unrealistic goal. Like, hopefully I'll hit it by the end of the year, like maybe by q4, I'll get there. And then I hit it in q1 and I are in the first month and I was like, Oh my god. So it definitely Spirit inside of me like, Can I do that again? Is it possible? Did I set like a goal that wasn't high enough? Or did I set this crazy goal, and it was just a fluke that I hit it. And so I think just coming back to that trust, that's what it's all about. For me, I do a lot of reassurance of like, I trust that I can create whatever I want. I know that to be true. I've done it so many times in my life. But I think we get so wrapped up in our heads in reacting to things like what I really look at it, I'm like, No, I know I was in alignment. I know that was a good offer. I know the actual business practices that I did to make that happen. And I can do that again, I just have to come back to that center and reassure myself of that,

that's so good. And nobody can take that away from you, right the knowledge, the skills that you have nobody and I think this is something that we have to work through a lot when we see people like stuck in corporate or avoiding walking away from their secure paycheck when actually that's not secure. In fact, I've had several girlfriends and high level leadership positions that literally walked in one day and got fired, and their multi six figure salary gone right that nothing in life is secure. But other than the skills, the trust that you develop it with yourself, like nobody can take that away from you. And I think when you know how to create opportunity on demand, the like, sky's the limit. Yes.

And it's It's so fulfilling because you're anything that I do in my business, I'm learning my own lessons from and it's like, it's like you're constantly at school, but what you're learning is directly benefiting you. There was a brief moment of my path where I was pursuing academia and wanting to like be a college professor. And when I was teaching at a college, and I got to the point where I was like holy Woah, I'm creating so much content, and just giving it away. Like, I just felt sucked dry of my brilliance because I was like, it is my full brilliance that I'm giving them to do a good job and to be a good employee. But I like the amount that I was getting compensated did not equal. I was like, This is not a fair trade. And I think you're right, like so many people get stuck on the security, but it's not security, security is like, knowing what you have inside of you. And knowing that you can do that over and over and over again.

Oh, my gosh, so beautifully said, I love that I know, so many people will resonate with that. Oh my gosh, so good. What I would love to know, to close this out here in the next few minutes. You recently joined female founders board, which is obviously a big investment, and you are already crushing it, you are crushing it. And we were like, Let's go next level, I would love to know, what was the decision that led you to coming in and sharing that I think I just want to share, I think it's important that people really hesitate in investing in their business investing in themselves, and sometimes have a hard time knowing what is quote unquote, the right investment. And so I would love for you to share your decision process and what that looked like for you.

Sure. Um, so I think for me, because I was in Ten K. First, that was my first experience with you and it to that, it's kind of silly to say like, it seems crazy. But to that point in my business, that was the most I had invested at one time. And now that's like silly to me. Because it wasn't me, it was nothing, you know what I mean? But at the time, it seemed like this huge investment. But I found myself after like two months of being a Ten K saying to people, you know, I spent like 25 times this on grad school. But I have learned more in two months in Ten K that will serve me for the the rest of my life and my business than I ever learned in grad school, like different kinds of education. But like the skill set that I developed is exactly what I was talking about. I can rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, create money from what I learned in Ten K. And so when it came time to think about female founder board, I knew I was going to do it. Like it wasn't even a question. Because for me, I know that if I if I have this larger vision of myself and what I want, I need to be surrounding myself with people that are doing that. And I want to be in rooms with people that are making 10 times more money than I'm making or where their business our businesses are 10 times the size, that's mine. And in order to have a pathway from where I am to that larger vision, I need to be able to see what that looks like and experience that with people that are doing it. And so female founders board has that. So it was actually like the second that I heard you mentioned it, I think on the podcast or in pen pay. I was like, Oh yeah, I'll be there. I will be there. It's just a matter of when and then the I was actually talking to my mom on the phone. And I told her that I joined and I was like, what's wild is, I have literally no feelings about that amount of money anymore. Like I don't, because I know how beneficial it's gonna be. I mean, I've been in there such a short amount of time. And I've already learned so much. I've already been exposed to so many new ideas through all of the incredible women that are there. And so it was like, whereas Ten K felt like this big investment and this big like, decision. FFB did not I was like, No, it's It's that amount of money. But like, I'm gonna make that back times 200. You know, it's not, it's not about the money at all. That's

so good, actually. And I think it's just a testament to the journey, right that you've taken and those steps, right, those baby steps to get to the larger steps, which also, were just a bunch of baby steps. And you have just leaned in every day, and you've done some things that might have been uncomfortable, but you're like leaning in. And it really has just been so fun to watch. And I am so excited for the things that you've been building that I've had insight into and just seeing these things come to life has been super fun. And of course, it is such an incredible niche. And you're serving people in such a way that it needs to be there the market, I think there's a huge gap. And so it's been just such a pleasure. Actually, I would love for you to share where can people find you? Where do you want them to look you up. We'll also include some links in the show notes. But as we wrap up any last words you want to share and again telling people where they can find you. And anything even you might have something exciting coming that you're about to reveal. We can release that too.

Sure. So people want to find me the YouTube channel is a great place to just check out some of my tutorials and see what I'm about and how I teach. Instagram is a really great place if you actually want to get in touch with me. You can DM me on Instagram. And I am so excited to have with the work that I've been doing with you can see I'm launching later this month a really amazing live training opportunity called piano practice lab where I'm going to work with people to help them get beyond the notes to that deeper meaning in the music go through those four days of live training, and it's going to be really, really fantastic. I'm working on it every day. And I'm just so excited to launch it. So yeah, we'll definitely link to that. And then, I think last words to anyone listening. I love to always end like everything, every piece of content with just like, Trust yourself, trust yourself, you can do this, like, just come back to your inner self, like you are strong. You've got this. I know, it's so hard as an entrepreneur. And it can be really hard at every level to like, trust that you can make the leap to the next one. But just through that repetition, like anybody can do it. So good.

Ashlee, thank you so much for your time here. It's so much you know, it's all here. And so I know the listeners are gonna get incredible value. Thank you again for your time.

Thank you Kinsey. Have a great one. You do.

Hey, you, and thank you so much for listening. It's an honor to be able to pour into the hearts and minds of like minded entrepreneurs all over the world. But my most favorite part is being able to connect with you in real life. If you love what you heard here, head over to the community where thousands of female CEOs, just like you are changing the world one human at a time. We go deeper into the topics you discuss here and giveaway tangible roadmaps to help you crush your revenue goals to join this high caliber free community head over to kinseymachos.com/community. I'll see you there