Shownotes

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In this episode you will learn about:

• Getting stuck on getting started
• Imposter Syndrome
• Drawing a line in the sand
• Taking the leap
• How to be something other than what you currently are
• Shut up and do the work
• The power of asking for help

References/Links:

• Monica Linda’s Girl Squad Website: https://www.girlsquadllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsquadinc/
• The movie Monica made for Lesley with Eric: Self Care Isn’t Selfish https://youtu.be/10i0X3m2qLw
• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert: https://amzn.to/35IeaOF

Transcript

Hello! Hello, hello, hello BE IT pod. Thank you for being here. Thank you, thank you so much. This podcast is literally a dream come true and I pinch myself about the fact that I am even doing it. And when I sent out invites to the first guest. I have to be honest, like every time I saw them schedule like I wanted to cry because their scheduling their interview is like making this more of a reality and you listening to this…it’s because it is a reality, and we’re in we’ve done it and it’s just the beginning. And this woman, Monica Linda, who I have for you today. She is more than a breath of fresh air. She literally wears her emotions on her sleeve and gives you permission 100% to be yourself because she believes that you have a story and it needs to be shared and that’s what pictures do, and she wants to be the person that does that and we’ve known each other for over a couple of years. In fact, I’ve never told her this so hopefully, hopefully, she doesn’t know this but when I saw her first she was doing pictures at a big event like 500 person event, and it was for Lori Harder’s bliss project, and I was just like, Oh my God, I want to have a photographer like her because I saw the pictures at my events and when I have a 500 person event, I just like, I mean, goals right girl goals. So then, we were in a mastermind together, and, you know, she I just had this like eyes like all like Oh my god, I just want to be the girl who gets to work with her. She’s so amazing. And, you know, she, I don’t know why I thought I couldn’t but I just had this mind, like this block that I couldn’t. And she sat there in this room on like the third day and she said out loud what she wants to do with her life, why she wants to do it, who she wants to work with and I heard myself in that, and I’m sharing that with you because had she not done that I don’t know if I would have started to work with her. If I, even if I like we had another meetup, so maybe I would have been, I would have definitely missed out on the first opportunity to work with her and, y’all. This is where you have to tell people what it is that you want to be, right? You have to put it out there even if it makes you so scared, it makes you so nervous, because maybe the people listening…what you want solves their problem, that’s what it did for me. Or maybe they know the problem, a person who you could solve a problem for, right?

So, you have to share it right, it’s, I mean I could talk forever on this but I also met my husband, because I told a friend. I’m out dating different kinds of people. If you know a guy who is not like x, y and z, because I’ve already dated that I want to try. I want to date him. And so, she introduced me to my husband so there you go, so you have to. If you can’t, if I can challenge you do one thing today it is to tell someone what it is you want that you are trying to be and tell it seems to make it possible, because you just don’t know what’s gonna happen and that what happens with me and because of Monica, you know, my goal, my purpose on this planet is more bodies doing Pilates because I do believe Pilates helps us show up better in this world. I do believe that makes better people, and it makes you more connected to others. When we’re all more connected there’s freaking world peace, you know, like that’s, that’s, that’s why I’m here. So she helped me show up and get pictures that will help me tell the story that I want to share that will help more people see that they can make time for themselves, that they can move their bodies and they can connect to their, their mind and body, and their goals through movement. And so I’m so freaking grateful for her. I can’t wait for you to get into this. She’s got an amazing bio in the show notes. Please check it out. Please check her out on Instagram. You are going to love seeing the power that she has and the stories that she tells.

And so without taking up too much more of your precious time, let’s get into this interview after this brief message.

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I’m Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I’ve trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it’s the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It’s a practice, not a perfect. Let’s get started.

EPISODE:

Lesley Logan – 00:02

Okay! Hello, Monica Linda. Oh my gosh, beautiful woman. Thank you for being here. I am so excited to spend this time with you. I’m really more excited for everyone who’s listening to, listen to the words from this woman. She, I promise you that so much of how I’ve gotten where I am would not have happened if I had not met her. If I had not seen her in this group. And you’ve heard me talk about masterminds and people in groups before, it’s because I really, truly, truly believe you don’t get wherever you’re going to go on your own. And I saw her, she spoke up and I walked straight up to her. And I’m like, how do I work with you? And, so when I was dreaming up who I wanted on this podcast I had to bring you on because I actually truly believe that you helped me, be it till I see it, on the days I especially couldn’t. There was a day I was talking to Joanna Vargas about – we can go into it later. But like you are you definitely helped me see where I was wanting to be and become that before I was there. So thank you for being here. Can you tell everyone a little bit about who you are and what you’re rocking?

Monica Linda – 01:12

Yeah. So, my name is Monica Linda. And I’m beyond happy to be here. So proud of all the things that’s going on with you. And I’m the founder/creator of Girl Squad Inc. And we are now calling ourselves a media agency. Because we do video and film and photo. And we really have a group of a team that really helps create an experience, where we get to focus on the real you. And the other thing that I have started to talk about is I feel like the branding world has become this really big daunting, and everyone is freaking out because they’re like, I’m not fully branded, I’m not fully branded. So I just want everyone to know that at Girl Squad it’s just me, you and a girl with a camera. Like, let’s just calm down. That’s really all that it is. And yeah, so that’s what I do. And I’m happy to be here.

Lesley Logan – 02:11

Oh girl, I love that you said that. I think it’s so true. I get so many people who won’t start something because they’re not branded yet. And that is the opposite to me of Being It before you’re ready. Because like, before it’s there…because you can’t brand something that you don’t that you don’t know, right? Like, you and I, I mean, we both have started businesses and I, I didn’t brand…one of my businesses was nine years old before it ever got branded, it had a logo that I made up myself. And it was super successful without it and so I really love, I love what you do. I see so many women taking photos with you. And you truly do show the real them to everyone. And so yes, it’s branding. Absolutely. But it is so authentic to them. And each person you can see their story in their eyes, and you see their joy and and you bring that out in people, which is really, really cool. And I, I wonder, you know, what made you get started in helping women tell their stories like what was it that you were like, this is how I’m going to show up as a photographer, or in this world.

Monica Linda – 03:18

And for me, it’s super personal. I grew up in a family where I just wasn’t seen. And I was always silenced for my creativity. It was too much. I was too big, too dreamy. I thought of rainbows and unicorns all the time, and I was constantly silenced for it. And so, I didn’t go into something creative for college. And I just started thinking really small about how magical the world was. And then I met my wife and moved to LA and that changed everything because I took myself out of that environment that was consistently telling me that life isn’t magical, that things aren’t possible and that you should play small because it’s safe. And when I started doing that more, I noticed that when I worked with women, not only was I healing myself, right, because I was like, every time a woman like you share a story about your experience. It’s so healing for me because I know what it’s like on the other side to feel not heard or seen or for who you really are. And that it’s really personal to me. I fall in love with all of my clients’ stories. I love what they’re doing. I want to cheer them on and yeah, for me, it’s super personal.

Lesley Logan – 04:49

I love this so much. I think so many people. They pretend to not know what they’re supposed to be doing because they didn’t go to school for whatever it is, it’s in their heart. Right? And that was definitely me. I went to school for something else. And I definitely felt seen at home enough to get in trouble. So I was seen, they saw that. (Monica Linda: Yeah, yeah) But I do remember, like, being told not to brag and not to boast and not to, like…when I would get an A on a test, I wouldn’t show it to anyone. I would, like, hide it and fold it up. So, because you’re not supposed to brag, it’s not, you know, any of those things. And, and the truth is, I was basically taught not to celebrate anything, not celebrate my hard work, not to celebrate, you know, anything that was happening and so it became really difficult for me. Now I’m like, making sure everyone I meet celebrates their wins. But going back to that ‘not feeling seen’, it is that, that thing is what made me create more communities and you not feeling seen is why you are a camera woman helping draw out the stories of women and I, I think it’s easy for us to, to ignore the childhood we had. But all of that was really being built so we become the women and the people that we are, right, to bring out, to fix that problem in the world. And I think that’s really, that’s something that’s so cool. So good for you for basically making sure that doesn’t happen to anyone else. I think that’s really (Monica Linda: Yeah), a gift. And it’s…I just really love it. And I have to say like, when y’all if you ever get a chance to work with this woman, what she does do and why I wanted to bring her on and talk to you about this is like, you go through questions with your clients. And it’s not like, Okay, where do you want to take pictures? Or what do you do? Like, you ask questions that really draw out, why they’re doing what they’re doing their story, all these things, and, and you help them step into that higher self or that version of them that they’re wanting to show off to the world, because that’s the woman that they want to be. And maybe they’re just not there yet. Or maybe they are but really like they’re working towards something. And that is a special skill. When you started off as a photographer, is that something you like…how did that happen?

Monica Linda – 07:15

Yeah, well, I mean, me becoming an entrepreneur and a photographer were a complete accident. And it didn’t happen on purpose. And so there’s anyone out there like, you’re like, Oh, I just started liking something, and I’m doing it more. That can be a career! That can be something that you can do all the time. I took a college course with a girlfriend, and my teacher at the end of class said, you’re really great, take more. And so I did, I took more classes. And then people started asking me to come take pictures of different things. And one day, somebody gave me an envelope with the end, and with money in it, and I was like, whoa, wait, my world just collided. I could do this all the time?! But like I had not dawned on me because I was thinking so small, it had not dawned on me that I could actually do something that gave me that I was having so much fun. And I could live my life on my own terms, and still live a better life all at the same time. So I believe that women can do that. And it wasn’t something…I feel like my entrepreneurship has been a small journey of, of expanding. And I feel like the more I step into myself, the more I’m expanding. And every time that happens, the more my business expands. And the protective questions I start asking are different. So, I think I’ve always been really open to staying curious. And to really, really want to try to understand who my clients are.

Lesley Logan – 08:52

This is so cool. That you said this, that the more you go into your journey, the more you lean into it, the more you expand. And I think that that is an amazing sign that people can feel in their bodies. Right? Like if you’re like, I don’t know what to do, just feel your body is doing right. And the more she stepped into it, the more expansive she felt. And that is so cool, because you grew up shrinking. Right? Like trying to shrink into something. And so if you’re not sure what you should be doing. And you know, this doesn’t have to be in business, it could be like, what am I doing next? What am I doing in a relationship? What am I doing with this friendship? What should I be doing as a workout? You know, (Monica Linda: Yeah), what makes you feel expansive? Like what makes you feel like taking up that space? And that should make you feel so good. And I, and that’s something people can feel in their bodies. I think that could be because sometimes it gets stuck in our head like what am I supposed to do? And it’s like, maybe your body will actually just tell you that.

Monica Linda – 09:45

Yes, yes, absolutely.

Lesley Logan  09:48

So I want to, I want to drop into something because um, I mean, I know a couple amazing stories about you. Y’all, I just…the years that I’ve now known her, it’s not been a lot, but the ones that I have, so you have an incredible story how you started doing events and all that stuff. But I actually want to go back to a different story that I heard and maybe haven’t shared. So if you y’all, this is like breaking news. So really, the reason I want to share this one is because this one is so executable, which is like, just so fun, because I know for me, you get stuck on getting started, like, it takes so much money to start the thing I’m going to do, or it takes so much time, or it takes us…so I mean, photographers, you need a ton of stuff to do photos.

Monica Linda  10:35

Yeah, you do! A ton. And the expensive ones.

Lesley Logan – 10:38

Right! Like, this is not just iPhones, like you can’t just, (Monical Linda: No), you can’t just go get one camera either, right? Like, I feel like this is like, you have to have all these things.

Monica Linda – 10:51

Right. And, um, so what I had to do is, one, when I first started, I didn’t have a lot of money. I worked as hard as everyone else was working, I had a 40 hour job that I hated. And I was working for somebody else for like less than $25 an hour. And I did that for years. So when I started this business, I literally took everything that I had extra. And we’re talking like $20, $30, $50 and put it back into my business. And so literally at the beginning, like the cameras that we use, I mean, they start at like three or $4,000. I at the beginning could not afford a three or $4,000 camera. And some I mean, that’s just like a basic, really good one, the other ones are more expensive. So, you have to get super resourceful when you really want something to happen. So I started searching, can I rent a camera? Like that was my curiosity. Can I rent this camera for a while until…? Because this job is gonna pay me, you know, $300 and the camera is $100 for two days. So I mean that, that gets me closer to what I was doing. So for the first two or three years, until I was able to get an entire case full of professional gear, I rented every piece. And my other photography friends were always so surprised because they would say things like, Oh, I love that lens. Because it was like a $2800 lens. And I’m like, Did you know you can rent it for $20? They were like, no way! And I love sharing that information. I was not embarrassed when I would show up with a new lens that’s on the market, because that’s a good thing when you’re renting is everything is fresh and new. And it’s top of the line. And so that’s that was, that was like a perk to renting new equipment. And so yeah, I literally rented every piece. And I’ve never shared that story. I don’t know why I’ve never shared it. But it wasn’t until I think the second year, I finally had enough money to walk in and pay cash for a camera.

Lesley Logan – 13:04

I mean, this is so fun. It’s not insider secrets, either. It’s like, you went in with curiosity. You’ve heard that once before. And I think that is something a lot of us forget to do. We think we’re supposed to know the answers. And so therefore don’t look for the answers. And like you’re like, how do I do this? And what can I do here? And also, I’m sure that there might have been part of you going, I wish I’d just own this (and have to rent it). But the truth is, you renting it allowed them to then sell it used to somebody else. Right? It’s like everybody wins in that situation, and you were able to get started. And it didn’t take you longer to become the person that you want it to be or the business you want to be because it actually just helped you get going, and I heard someone say years ago and I was like okay, I have to remember this…”It is not about money. It is about resourcefulness.” Like most people think they need more money to do their dream, but they just need to be the most resourceful. And that’s who wins the game. Because, you know, in the beginning, you just…no one has…if you’re looking at anyone who’s doing something you want to be doing, they did not have money in the beginning. And if they did, then they didn’t learn a lot of lessons early on, and they’ll learn them later that we all had to learn to be scrappy and everything. And so when you went to go buy your first piece, what was that? Like? What did it feel like?

Monica Linda – 14:24

Um, I was, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it when I could afford it. I think when I bought that camera was the year that I made the decision to go full time. So I’d given myself a year from when I bought that camera. But I was like in 2016, I’m quitting my job, no matter how much money I have in the bank. And I didn’t even have an entire year full of appointments! I was in crazy. I was crazy. I had this new camera, one lens, and I quit my job and, and I mean, I’ve been full time ever since. So, it felt I was proud of myself, I was proud of myself, it kind of felt like buying a car, like your first car, that you end up paying yourself and your parents don’t have to cosign for it or give you the deposit. Um, that’s what it felt like.

Lesley Logan – 15:20

That’s amazing. I can picture it. I know what you mean. I definitely, I think people do get scared leaping, you know, and I mean, I hope you’re all hearing this, like everything she’s doing, she’s just like, okay, I want to be this person. So I’m going to go be that person, I want to be a full time camera person so I’m going to, I’m going to step into that, and I’m gonna find, I’m going to be resourceful on that. And so you didn’t wait for your calendar to be filled to be the sign or the safety net, to allow you to be a full time camera woman and branding photographer, you were like, (Monica Linda: Right) I’m doing this and this is something that’s really key. My husband and I talk about this a lot, because people have to make an investment when they work with us. It’s an investment in their business. And they’re like, I don’t know, like, I’ve never made this kind of investment, I’ve never done this, or they make an investment in their fitness by being Pilates clients of ours. And it’s, you know, it’s hard, it’s money, right, and you have no guarantees that you’re going to see any of it back, or get the results you want. Like, we can’t guarantee that. There’s no guarantees in life. But he likes to refer to stress that you’ve created as like the stream stress that we do with our muscles on our bones, right. So when you work out, you’re actually creating stress on the muscle. And it’s not a ton, you’re not like, this is not people who are like lifting a refrigerator. You lift a weight and it actually stresses the muscle. The muscle has to repair itself and it pulls on the bone. And when you do that, you actually make stronger bones. So by putting some stress on you…like, definitely with stress, you have to make…you got to do it, lady. You don’t have anything else to go back to and you’ve got this much time to do it. By putting that kind of stress on your body, it actually strengthens you, right? It made you work a little harder to do that. And that’s the healthy kind of stress. And I think we tend to give stress a bad name and we tend to avoid it. But by putting that or you can call it pressure, right? Put a little bit of pressure on yourself and it makes you go for it. Like, do the next thing and work a little bit harder and maybe stay up a little bit later. And so I wonder like, you know, if there’s anything that you feel like, gosh, I wish I had told myself this then or I wish someone had told me this then. Is there anything like that? Because I don’t believe in regrets. But I do think sometimes like a little bit of key advice a little sooner might have been nice.

Monica Linda – 17:51

Yeah, on, I want to go back to one second regarding stress. Right after I had received my…right after I bought my camera. I had…a friend of mine had worked for me, this is gonna sound crazy. A friend of mine had worked for a prince of Saudi Arabia, right. And he was like one of his personal assistants. And he was a really good friend of mine. He called me at like 10am and said, Monica, can you be here by noon? And I was like, be where by noon? He was like, the Princes’ son is having a birthday. We need a photographer. I want you to come. And for a second, Lesley, I totally freaked out. Because I knew I needed a certain lens. It was called the 2470 because I only had a 50 millimeter at that time. And I was like, I’m gonna rent the lens. And I’m gonna say yes. And I’m gonna figure it out in the next hour and a half. And I said yes. I immediately went to the rental store praying to God that they would have the lens I needed. They did, I showed up. It was an extremely stressful situation. I had never photographed people that were, that were so rich, first of all, that had a really high expectation, that were super fast. I mean, I literally felt like I was almost going to have a heart attack. But I didn’t. I didn’t have a heart attack. And that moment like I, I’m like, that isn’t what I want to do. Like, I don’t want to, you know, take photos of Prince from Saudi Arabia my whole life. But the experience of being under that much stress has taken me to like levels that I can do now because you like build that muscle. You’re like, oh, if I can do this, then let me, let me do this. And so I think that, that is something I would tell myself later. Put yourself in more situations like that because you’ll grow faster and go for the ask more. I feel like there’s a lot of entrepreneurs and this something I’m working on too is where I know people can like help or give me advice or can like move my career in a certain way. And I don’t go for the ask. That is something I wish I could tell myself earlier.

Lesley Logan –  20:20

Oh, okay. Two things. First of all the chills. This is…the funniest thing is that you will probably be one of two people at least that have worked with Princes of Saudi on this podcast. It such a funny world!

Monica Linda – 20:39

That no one’s ever heard that story either.

Lesley Logan – 20:40

Oh, we’re just dropping all the good stories here. But I love that you said that you would go for the ask and also put yourself in those stressful situations because you do grow faster. You really do. I think we avoid the pain and the problems. We’re like, I just want this to go smooth. I just want to go smooth, but like if everything goes smooth, you have no idea what’s working. And you can’t repeat it. It’s not repeatable. But when things don’t go right the first time I used to get…so I used to get so sad when I would do something…I would go after a goal, go after a hobby and it didn’t work out the first time. Like it’s just supposed to work the first time because recovering perfectionist over here. And the truth is, you learn more from when it didn’t go right the first time. So now I’m like, fail faster. Like, let’s try that thing. Okay, it didn’t work. That’s fine. What did we learn? Alright, let’s do it again next month, okay. And then you know, you just, it’s so much better to go through that pain faster. So put yourself in those stressful situations that you have to learn. Okay, can I like, what can I do in these times? And then what did I learn from that? So always these reflections but I want to go back to that second thing that you said, which is really beautiful. So can you say it one more time because I want people to hear what that second tip was that you tell yourself.

Monica Linda – 21:56

Is that I need to go for the ask more often. A great example of this is I was at an event last March. It was a very small gathering. And at the end of the conversation, when I was talking to the entrepreneur. She just directly asked me, What can I do for you? What can I do for you? And that literally still gives me the chills? Because I mean, that is really how women elevate other women. She didn’t ask anything else, but she really believed in what we were doing enough to where she’s like how can I do that for you? And I feel like that is something we can do more is ask people to help us. Like, Hey, I really suck at sales right now. I just..I’m in this weird funk. And I think something really interesting happens. And it’s something that I think I’m experiencing now is you start at the beginning, you have this dream, dream, dream and dream, and then you have a little success. And then you’re starting to get a lot of feedback because you’ve been Being It the whole time, right? And you’re like, I want to do, I want to build this thing. And then it’s here. The thing is here, and there are other levels that you want to go to, but you have to ask people to help you out. And that is something you have to do.

Lesley Logan – 23:23

Oh girl, I remember you telling me about that conversation with that woman. Because she was…she’s someone I want to have on the show someday. (Monica Linda: Yes) And I hope she can come on. But she said, I remember she’s like…she’s like a whisper, right. And she said, the only difference between us and you in this room is that you got to ask the questions. You got to ask. (Monica Linda: Right) And clearly that stuck with you and you told me about it. And I, oh my God, it’s hitting so home because I think I mentioned this in another episode. But Brad asks people for everything, he does ask. He’s like, let’s just ask them if they can do it. Let’s just ask what they can do it. And I’m like no, (Monica Linda: Yeah) they’re really busy. Like, they’re just (Monica Linda: Yeah) so busy. I don’t want to, I don’t want to bother them right. Like they’re so busy. And I remember, I don’t know if you remember, we were in the same room together. And Angie Lee was answering people’s questions and my husband’s like Lesley, we get two questions. There’s two of us, like, you know, we get two questions. Like, what are you gonna ask? And so I said, well, let’s ask this and then let’s ask this, right. And so he asked and then like, you know, it goes around to other people asking and then he grabs a microphone. I think he’s gonna ask the second question, he puts it up on my face. Do you remember this?

Monica Linda – 24:38

I remember this. I remember this.

Lesley Logan – 24:40

I remember like, literally wanting to go invisible, but we were in the front table because he also wanted to be in the front table so we could, like, be with the people and so you know, I learned so much from him. I also like to think he learns a lot from me too, but, um, but she’s like, What is it? And I was like…shes like…obviously, she’s like what’s happening here? And I said, I just have a, I have a hard time asking questions. And I, that’s terrible. Because like, that’s what being business is all about asking questions I said, but it’s not that I don’t ask questions. It’s just that I don’t want to waste anyone’s time so I’ll just research it myself instead of just asking the source. Hey, (Monica Linda: Yeah), you have really good sales copy. (Monica Linda: Yes) How did you do that? (Monica Linda: Yes) Or who helped you? (Monica Linda: Yes) Or like if I had asked Lori ahead of time. Hey, Lori, who is your photographer? I love your photos. I want to meet you sooner. I had to like, wait until we were in a room, right? And then I was like, (Monica Linda: Right) Oh, that’s the girl, like, and so I learned from that moment, because I was like, this is so dumb. Like, what is the harm in asking a question? There’s a difference between…I don’t like the whole thing like ask for the discount, maybe I’ll get it…I don’t really like that whole thing. But I think I do believe you should be asking people questions. And you saying that like telling your younger self, your beginning self in this, like, ask more. Ask for more. That is something I wish I had learned a whole lot longer, because I guess I found all the answers that I was looking for. But I had to wait, either for the universe to put in front of my face, or for Google to actually understand what it was that I was asking. And, you know, sometimes Google gets it wrong, like that’s not the right answer. And so that is so key because it is true. It goes back to that curiosity and something that I had to be before I could see it is like to do a podcast like this. I’m like, Okay, I’m gonna have to ask all the questions. Conversations just don’t happen, that there’s no questions like, Hey, keep this going. And so this is great. And I think wherever you are in your life, whatever you’re trying to do, that ask is so key. And like getting people to be part of that journey. Like that is so fun.

Monica Linda – 26:49

Yeah. And people like, I have to remind myself people love helping, they really do. Like if I needed something, and I asked, and I have a breakthrough. Oh my god, they love celebrating with me too. And this is the one thing that in addition to the creative part of photography that I love, but I, I’m so happy that I’m also equal. I love the business side. I love that I get to, get over my idea of shame, right? I don’t want to ask because I don’t want people to think that I don’t have my shit together. Right? That’s why I don’t want to ask. And that I don’t know what I’m doing. But every time we do ask, I get to be super courageous and be really risky. And that is an adrenaline that is just so good. And I love to practice that all the time.

Lesley Logan – 27:39

Yeah, you… Anytime you’ve ever asked me for anything. I’ve never thought she would have her shit together. I’m like, Oh, yeah, what a great thought. Thanks for that. I literally have thanked you like that. Yeah, it’s stories we tell ourselves. It’s so…but the stories we tell ourselves are so like, come on, you know what I mean? Like, it’s just so funny. Like, what we tell ourselves about ourselves when we tell ourselves about others. Yeah, it’s like, they’re gonna think I don’t know what I’m doing if I ask them to do this. It’s like, no, they’re just gonna think that like, you thought of something that needs to be answered. Yeah, it’s so true. It’s so true. I hear you. I hear you 100%. Do you mind if I tell one more…one more amazing story about you Being It Till You See It (Monica Linda: Yes, go. I love it.). Okay, so you all heard she said she’s a media company now. Right? So yeah, she is a media company. And she, and you became a movie director, basically. And I got to be part of this. We made a movie. It’s amazing. I’m so grateful for that because again, you helped me, you helped me share a story of mine that I’ve been wanting to articulate and I never could and so I’ll make sure I put it in the show notes. You guys can see it, it’s so, it’s so so good. But you had never been a director and so I got to watch you for an entire day be that director. You were just being it, girl. Like you were bold you were like, you had this like here’s my list of things you have to do, here’s what her motivations, here’s what my motivations are like all this intrinsic stuff and then like execution like you just took action over that day. I never once thought like that you were unsure of anything that was happening and of course you are. Of course like this…you have no idea because we’ve got when you make a movie, you don’t know what it’s gonna look like. Things are not shot in the order that they happen. You’re doing all these things and so you had to just completely be it until you saw that movie that you saw the cuts and I just wonder like, can you share what that was like that first time?

Monica Linda – 29:49

Um, you know, that goes back to like, everyone who’s probably listening if anything that Lesley and I are saying are resonating is because there’s something being whispered to you. Like there is a dream. There is something inside of you that…you literally are driving down the highway a song comes on, you get into the flow. I mean it is giving you sign after sign after sign. Love the book Big Magic, right, for this reason, because (Lesley Logan: Big Magic!) that’s a whole other podcast. But um, there are these whispers and for an entire year all last year I really wanted to make a movie. I really, really did. And it didn’t make sense to me. I was like, Monica you’re crazy. Like you’re a photographer. Stay focused, simplify. Don’t do, don’t do that. Don’t do that. And then like, who are you gonna? Who are you gonna? Who’s gonna film your movie? Like, you’ve never done this before? Um, and I just couldn’t, I just couldn’t stop the whisper from happening. I really, really wanted to do it. And then I met my neighbor, who lives in my building. Can I share? Should I share this story?

Lesley Logan – 31:00

Yes, yeah, the whole thing. It’s so good. You guys. This is so good.

Unknown Speaker  31:05

Yeah. So I heard the whisper for a whole year. And then during that year, I met this gentleman that lives in my building and his family. His name’s Eric. And he’s French. We became friends, his wife is Brazilian, we were friends for a while. And one day, his son comes up to me and says…well, I actually asked Eric like, what do you do? What do you do for work? And he’s like, Oh, I make movies. And his son said, Oh, he doesn’t just make movies. Like he just wrapped Black Panther. And I was like, oh, 1) that’s a really good movie and 2) I immediately went small, really small. I was like, he is so much bigger than me. He is so much more creative than me. Like he’s got years and years and years of experience. And never in a million years that I ever think that he would want to work with me. I told myself that for almost an entire year, every time I would get super, super nervous. And then, in the hallway one night, a friend of mine says, Hey, have you ever asked Eric to like, you’ve been talking about making movies. Have you ever asked Eric to help you? And I said, you know, that’s something I’ve really been wanting to do. I’m like, so scared. Like, why would you want to work with me? No joke, got back to the house, looked at my phone text message from Eric, can you meet me downstairs? I want to ask you something. I was unsure of what that question is. I went downstairs, sat across from him. And in his French accent, which I’m not going to try to redo. He says, So these women you work with, do you think they’ll want movies made? And he was like, not just movies, but cinematic films, not just video. But really heart and soul movies. And Lesley, that is something that I had not told anybody. I had not told anybody that. Like, I didn’t just want to make behind the scenes videos, I wanted to make films because I feel like it’s entrepreneur. Like I am literally giving everything that I have to this business and to this dream that I have. And a lot of people that are listening are doing the same thing, too. We’re giving everything that we have, we’re sacrificing a lot. And so I mean, when Eric said, I told him, You have no idea how many women want to make film. I mean, this is like something we could really do. And literally two weeks, two or three weeks from that conversation. We were filming, like you just like I just, I just went for it. And also, when people like Eric show up in your lives as entrepreneurs, you have to show up too. I mean, you have to show up.

Lesley Logan – 33:45

So we have somehow without this is, we did not thread this together on purpose. But it did totally thread together. So again, she put herself in a stressful, more stressful situation, kind of like the Saudi Prince because now you’re working with a photographer, a filmer from filming the Black Panther. I mean, it doesn’t get bigger, right? And so you did you put yourself in this position to work with someone as big as him in an area that you were just wanting to step into. And that is…goes back to that one tip. You were like, I should do more of that. Then you also were told to do the ask. But the universe took care of that for you, which is super awesome. And this is where I love Big Magic. And if you haven’t read it, it’s so good. It’s so good. But um, I had the idea last March that I wanted to make a movie that wasn’t the behind the scenes that was totally like, this is why I do, what I do on online on OPC which is my Pilates website and I wanted to share that story but I you know my husband and I only have a few people on the team. It was going to take a lot then COVID happened, we had to cancel. It was just so many things. So I just back burnered it, but I kept thinking about it. I kept looking at…I kept having this idea. And so when you call me and you’re like you, You want to do this because I have this idea I want to do this. So this is like absolute Big Magic. Ideas want to be born, they really, really do. And so when you have one, if you feel that expansion itself that we talked about in the beginning of this, right? And you don’t know how to do that thing, that is okay. You don’t actually know how to do the how, the how comes with asking, the how does not have to be something, you know, the how come from asking, but that feeling that idea that is bold. And so then you write it down, you tell a friend, people are so afraid to tell people their ideas. 98% of people do not act on any idea. So you can tell 100 people your bold idea, and literally maybe two of them will take action on it. That doesn’t mean they’ll finish it. So it’s really okay. You know, so you should talk because you never know who can go, Oh, you’ve been wanting to make movies? Have you talked to the filmer and the building? Because he’s been wanting to do that too. Like, (Monica Linda: Yeah), so that is the power of bringing it all together. And so I’m really glad we got to share that story. Because it really, it was, it is exactly all the things that you’ve already said to do more of sooner. And (Monica Linda: Yeah), but it’s done. And now here we are in 2021. And you are a media company. (Monica Linda: Yeah.) You’re media. (Monica Linda: Yeah.) That’s what you’re creating, it’s amazing (Monica Linda: That’s what we are doing) You’re the badass.

Monica Linda – 36:21

And we’re gonna take it one, one moment at a time. And as this media company grows, I’ll grow into it. And it’s going to be, it’s going to be whatever it should be. And I’m okay with that.

Lesley Logan – 36:37

Oh, that’s beautiful. Before I let you go. Two things, where can people follow you? Find you? DM you how much they love you.

Monica Linda – 36:47

Well, you can find me on Instagram. It’s where I’m at the most. So it’s Girl Squad Inc. Inc, as in I-N-C. I am on Facebook. But it goes down in the DMs for me on instagram more. So that’s probably the best place. And I do answer all my DMs. So if you have a question or you want to set up a consultation, or want to learn more about how we work, hit me up and we’ll set something up.

Lesley Logan – 37:12

Perfect. So y’all, before I let her go, I do have an ask for you. I mean, we’ve given so many tips already. So if you want to double down on one I understand. But I want to make sure that people who heard the story are like, Oh my gosh, I grew up like Monica or I’ve had that idea too or how do I do this, I would love to give them a tip from you. Because they, I think that is the most helpful thing that someone can do. I wish someone had done that for me. So what is something that’s bold, executable or intrinsic or targetable that you could share with the listeners today?

Monica Linda – 37:49

I feel like being bold, and it comes in a statement of, if you’re going to take this road of being entrepreneur, you’re going to have to be okay with doing this every day when no one’s watching. Because there are going to be a lot of days when no one pays attention. When you’re not getting a lead, where it feels like one failure after another, you’re not making any movement. And it may be weeks. It could feel like years, but it’s actually probably just a couple of weeks. But just be prepared. Like if this is something you’re going to do. That’s going to happen and you’re going to be okay in the middle of it. You’re going to be okay in the middle of it. Just keep pushing, keep asking, keep being bold. And you’ll look back and then you’ll be like, well wait a minute, I have clients, I have more than one client. And so yeah, that is probably and I got that advice from Jasmine Star. When I did one of her classes. She said, you know, she actually said that to me. And that has been so good. Because I feel like we’re in this time, where we get a lot of validation from other people or sensations like our phones other than ourselves. And that is just a really good reminder that you have to be okay when no one’s watching, like you’re going to make it. And the other thing she told me was, um, now that you know it, like now that you know that shut up and do the work. Like, just stop complaining about it. Just do the work. And so yeah, that’s how we can all be bolder.

Unknown Speaker  39:35

Oh, that is amazing. And it’s true. It’s pretty hard to be bold when you’re also complaining about it. (Monica Linda: Yeah) And so, yeah, that anytime you find yourself complaining, there’s two things I do. I’m like, how many times have I made this complaint? Am I using this as procrastination and not doing the thing I want to do? Or, how do I get rid of this complaint? And if you can do that, that’s pretty freakin’ bold too because it takes a lot to challenge that part of you that wants you to stay small. It really does. (Monica Linda: Yeah) You can’t be bold and small at the same time. Monica, I just, I mean, I love you so much, you know that I know. I mean, y’all, I’m trying to get her to move into my neighborhood. That’s all. I’m just like, keep putting it out there. That’s my next idea. But please, please, please screenshot this. share this with a friend. Make sure that anyone who needs to hear this message hears it. And then, like Monica said, we both actually answer our DMs. And we would love to hear your takeaway. So tag us posted in your story so we can share what those are and we can share you and your and your takeaway with everyone. Thank you so much, everyone for listening. And Monica, for being here and sharing all your amazing stories for the first time. I mean, this is just news dropping. All right. Mwah! Love you.

Monica Linda – 40:46

Love you.

—

Lesley Logan

That’s all I’ve got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast!

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—

Lesley Logan

‘Be It Till You See It’ is a production of ‘As The Crows Fly Media’.

Brad Crowell

It’s written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan

Kevin and Bel at Disenyo handle all of our audio editing and some social media content.

Brad Crowell

Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan

Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can’t see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all the video each week so you can.

Brad Crowell

And to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.