Entrepreneurship on Accident with Morgan Specht

 

Catherine A. Wood  00:03

Morgan, I’m so excited to have you here today. Why don’t we just jump right in, I’d love for you to share with my audience a little bit about who you are, and, and your story, your entrepreneurial journey.

 

Morgan Specht  00:15

Yeah, I’m so excited to be here. Also, thanks for having me. So I’m Morgan, obviously, I’m a brand strategist and designer and website designer, my business is spectin. Co creative studio. I’ve been in business full time since 2018. And kind of was like doing the side hustle thing from about 2016 to 2018. So we design brands, obviously, Squarespace websites, Kajabi websites, and like courses and memberships. And then I also do like ongoing design support for clients on like a monthly basis. And kind of, I don’t know, I like to tell people that I wound up here by accident. So I knew like in high school that I wanted to be a graphic designer. And so that was very easy for me to like, be like, Okay, well check these boxes, follow these steps, get a job, yada, yada. And I did that and everything went exactly according to my plan. And then I got into my agency role that I was so excited about. And it took me like six months to be like, I don’t like this at all. And it wasn’t the work that I didn’t like I I got to work on some like really cool projects for big companies. So it was great experience. But it was just like the culture was not a fit. And then I started talking to other people who worked at other marketing agencies, and learned that that’s just kind of the way it is. And I was like, I can’t do this for my entire life. So I like did some job searching found another full time job as an in house designer, that was more of like an energy match, I guess. Which afforded me a lot more free time. And then I was like, Well, I don’t know what to do with my free time. I’m just gonna start freelancing. And then after the first year, I kind of realized, Oh, I could, like turn this into something. And maybe I could work for myself sooner than I thought. I remember being like, oh, maybe when I’m 40. And I have kids or whatever, then being self employed would be cool. But I’d never really thought it was a possibility now, until I kind of fell into it. And then the real.

 

Catherine A. Wood  02:32

I mean, I so appreciate that, like that pathway to entrepreneurship, the idea of falling into it because I think many of us become entrepreneurs by accident.

 

Morgan Specht  02:44

Yeah, if you had told me when I was like 19, and my like, first or second year of college, oh, you’re gonna own your own business and work from home and hang out with your dogs all day? I would have been like, that. Sounds nice. Like, good joke. Thanks.

 

Catherine A. Wood  02:59

I’m literally over here muting myself because one of my dogs keeps wagging her tail in her sleep.

 

Morgan Specht  03:08

Yeah, they make the best coworkers.

 

Catherine A. Wood  03:10

What was that journey like for you of, of transitioning to business full time?

 

Morgan Specht  03:18

Um, well, I had a business coach for like that whole period, which was very, very, very helpful. I don’t think I would have made the leap without her. Because I’m, I’m very, like, security oriented. Like, I know that no one’s going to take my house away, and I’m gonna have a paycheck next month, but all those things. And entrepreneurship is very uncertain. Some months you make five figures, and some months, you’re like, scraping together pennies, and eventually it all evens out. And the longer that you’re in business, the the ups and downs kind of become less extreme. But yeah, I think having that support was really helpful. And like, having someone to go do whenever I was having a bad day and have her remind me like, No, you look at all the evidence that you can do this. So that was good. My husband was also really supportive. So that was nice. And I think it just the biggest hurdle for me was like proving to myself that I could do it, I guess is the best way I can put it. I want I’m like a planner and I want to know how everything’s gonna work out. And I couldn’t really do that. But I could look back and be like, well, last year I made this much money or I worked with this many clients so and that was only doing it on nights and weekends. So if I can devote my full time, then I should be okay.

 

Catherine A. Wood  04:50

Gosh, I so resonate with everything you’re sharing because I also am very fear averse. And as entrepreneurs, I think our work is about about becoming more comfortable with fear, learning how to weather the storm, learn getting kind of gaining more resiliency with taking risks. And sometimes we think that some of us have it and some of us don’t. But honestly, I think it’s just a muscle you, you strengthen and get more comfortable with overtime. And I see laughing over there.

 

Morgan Specht  05:22

Yeah, I just like, couldn’t agree more. I don’t know, I think that it’s funny because like, now I’m, I’m very okay with taking risks. And I can like, look back and be like, Well, I tried all these things. And some of them works. And some of them didn’t, but like, I’m still here, and my business hasn’t burned to the ground, and things are fine. So I think it’s a lot about learning to trust yourself. And being like, okay with it, if things don’t work out, I don’t necessarily like associate myself worth with every single thing I try working out anymore. So that’s been helpful. And then also, I don’t know, when you’re a kid, and you think of like, oh, adults, have it all together, and they know what they’re doing. And then you get there and you’re like, oh, none of us know what we’re doing. We’re all just making it up as we go. Which is, could be a little unsettling, but also kind of makes me feel better, because I’m like, Well, okay, everyone feels this way. And most of us are doing all right.

 

Catherine A. Wood  06:28

Totally. Yeah. I mean, I think we think that the idea is like that we’re supposed to get somewhere in adulthood, when in reality, like I think, adulthood is really is about embracing the journey.

 

Morgan Specht  06:43

I, for my whole life, expected that like, someday I would, I was gonna wake up and be like, Okay, I got this. And then once I like really accepted the fact of like, that’s never gonna happen. It’s a forever work in progress. And that’s fine. I don’t know, I don’t want to say life got easier, but I felt more equipped to like deal with the ups and downs.

 

Catherine A. Wood  07:10

I mean, yes. 1,000%? Yes. You know, when we were chatting about you coming on my podcast, I asked you if you identified as being an empath, and I remember I remember you said, Well, I think I, I mean, yes, I think I was like, I respond, like an empathetic listener. I think you responded that way. And then you shared with me earlier, before we hit record that you you did some research after that call, so I’d love to hear what you discovered about yourself.

 

Morgan Specht  07:43

Yeah. So um, yeah, I mean, after like, we had that conversation, then I was like, Well, I don’t know. Like, instinctively, I want to say yes, but is there a test for? Are you an empath? Like, No, there’s not. There’s a lot of like, lists of characteristics and checklists and stuff on the internet. And I looked through some of those and was like, okay, yeah, a lot of these fit. And I also remember back to like, several years ago, a friend of mine, talking to me about how she felt like she was an empath. And like it to all the stuff she was telling me totally fit her. And then I was like, well, actually, some of that fits me, too. So like the experiencing other people’s emotions, as if your own emotions. Not so much. Like, I don’t feel like I’m necessarily highly sensitive. But if I’m like, around somebody who’s in a bad mood, or like, or they’re in a really good mood, or whatever, like, they can be hiding it. For some people, and I’m like, No, something’s up. Right? I mean, I noticed that, well, actually, I noticed that like, in my personal relationships, like with my husband is the best example. But also with clients. So like, my husband will wake up and be like, having a bad day, and I’ll be like, what’s wrong? And then he like, doesn’t want to bother, like, burden me with it. He’s like, nothing. And I like I, Okay, whenever you’re ready to tell me, like, you know, but then with clients, too, like, a lot of what I work with them on is like stepping into that next level of themselves and their business, and how does that show up online? And there’s always a point where they’re, like, a little unsure of themselves. And they’re like, Well, I don’t really know if this is the right thing to do, or, like, kind of like feeling that like imposter syndrome. And over the years, especially, I’ve gotten pretty good at like, I know that that’s what they’re feeling even though they don’t know, but that’s what they’re feeling. And as such I can kind of like support them through that. So that’s been nice. The other things I think that I noticed, like whenever I was doing research online was like you’re probably an inch Ever like I am absolutely an introvert, there’s no probably about it. So yeah, I think those were, like, the really big ones. And it also started to make a lot of sense of like, why I found the career path or like the specialty,

 

Catherine A. Wood  10:25

Oh, tell me more, I’d love to hear about that. I don’t

 

Morgan Specht  10:29

want to be the center of attention. Like, I finally over the last like year gotten comfortable, like showing up on Instagram and recording videos and stuff. And that’s great. But even when my husband and I got married, he had to, like pretty much forced me to do a first dance with him because I was like, I don’t want everyone like standing in a circle staring at us. And it was, it wasn’t that I was like, embarrassed, I just was like, I don’t like we don’t need to waste time with that it’s not that important. So as a brand designer, I get to put my clients in the forefront, and I get to kind of like, hang back. And I don’t know, pull the strings kind of. And I get to know them really well. And I can express who they are and help them like connect with their audience, through branding and design and websites and etc. And I get to kind of sit in the corner where I’m comfortable. I

 

Catherine A. Wood  11:29

mean, I feel like you’re speaking to so many gifts that Empath entrepreneurs have like the idea that we can encourage and support others when they’re doubting themselves or questioning who they really are or their potential. And, and also the idea that we’re really great at making our clients. I guess like being like being of service, right? We’re natural givers, we’re good at making others feel. I don’t know special, like, just being like having an amazing customer experience.

 

Morgan Specht  12:11

Yeah. And that’s like, one of the most important, like, core values or pillars, or whatever you want to call it in my business is, I don’t ever want a client to leave, feeling like they were not like 110% and fully supported. And it’s interesting, because there’s a lot of like web designers out there. And often I get clients who come to me that have had a poor experience in the past. So they’re like, little apprehensive, and we have to work through some of that. But to me, it’s just like, I can’t help, but give them everything that they need and more and like, you know, I could never imagine ghosting them or being like, oh, no, you need to pay me more for this just because that’s not who I am. And it took me a while to realize that like, everyone is not that way.

 

Catherine A. Wood  13:09

I think that’s powerful. The like the reminder that, you know, we don’t want people to have a negative experience with us. I think it can get in the way of, of getting hired. But then I think it can also kind of hold people back from I don’t know off like saying everything that you see that there is for your clients to, to do or to take on. So I’m curious, the like the experience, the commitment of, of giving your clients like everything you’ve got right of contributing 110% How does that like what do you see as the gifts of that in your business? And are there ways in which that challenges you?

 

Morgan Specht  14:01

Yeah, so as you were saying that I was just, I had a bunch of thoughts of like, it’s, it’s definitely a double edged sword. Like the the thing that makes me and anyone who was like, empathetic, I think the best at what they do is also the thing that they need to like, be careful of. I feel like the first year that I was full time in my business, I like severely burned myself out. I was making a ton of money and my clients were all super happy with me. And that was awesome. But I was having to spend like an hour in the morning like psyching myself up for work because I was having so much anxiety and it was because I didn’t have any boundaries. Before we hopped on this call. We were chatting about taking Monday’s off a CEO days. So that’s just one like really small example of things that I’ve kind of implemented For the last, I don’t know, probably two years or so, that has helped me to not so much like separate life and work, like, I’m really of the belief that everything is just intertwined all the time, like there’s no perfect balance, sometimes one thing takes up more of your time and your energy that sometimes that will shift to the other thing, and that’s fine. But it took a long time for me to learn that, like, having good boundaries was not just for me, it also allowed me to serve my clients better. Because like you said, like, I want everyone to be happy with me and to have everything that they need. And I will do that at the expense of myself. And then once it got to the point that I was like, I couldn’t show up for my clients anymore, because I was so stressed out, or I was getting sick or whatever, that’s when I was like, Okay, there’s got to be like, some type of happy medium here. And I figured out like, you know, what boundaries I needed to put in place. And turns out my clients were super supportive. But I, I guess, had to get to like that really uncomfortable place before I was willing to, I don’t know, be a little bit vulnerable with people and be like, hey, so for my own sanity, I need to have like these roles and expectations. And then of course, they all were like, oh, yeah, no, I totally support that. That’s great. And things have gotten better and better since then.

 

Catherine A. Wood  16:33

Absolutely. I mean, I like I, first of all, I totally acknowledge you for being on that journey and finding your own way. I think that that is something I see all the time with all of my clients. And it is such a journey. It’s such a journey of being able and willing to articulate your needs and your boundaries to the clients and people that whose opinions you care about, and trust that they care to.

 

Morgan Specht  17:05

Yeah, um, and I think that’s the thing is, I don’t know, this might seem kind of unrelated, but I promise it’s not. So like, whenever you first start your business, and you like looking for, like looking through Pinterest for how to figure out who your ideal client is, or whatever. And a lot of advice will have you go through all these exercises of like, where do they shop? And how much money do they make, and do they have dogs or cats or whatever. And I always, frankly, was like, these are stupid, like, this isn’t helping me at all. And it took me a little while to kind of realize, which I guess is another good sign of like, being an empath of like, it’s not a, these people have to check all these boxes in order to be my perfect client. It’s like an energetic match, and I need to talk with them. And like meet them, even if it’s on Zoom. And I know right away, and they know right away. And at the point in my business where I was really burning myself out, I had not yet made that realization. So I really thought that these people only valued me for the service that I could provide them. And not like, because I was a person who they enjoyed and cared about. And the fact that I was a great brand and web designer was wonderful. But that’s not all I was to them.

 

Catherine A. Wood  18:33

Coming up, I mean, I couldn’t agree more. Coming back to what we were talking about earlier about some of the gifts that Empath entrepreneurs have in business. I think that that quality of just intuitively knowing whether clients are for us or not, is such a game changer in business. Because when you can start to trust those decisions and either bless and release them, or just make that gut instinct choice. It just creates so much more flow and fluidity in business.

 

Morgan Specht  19:07

Yeah, and that’s, I talked about this in the beginning as far as like, making the jump to running my business full time. But learning to trust my own gut has been huge. I used to suffer a lot from like decision paralysis, like I was so afraid to make the decision that I would just not do anything. And now that I’ve kind of learned to like I don’t know, listen to my intuition and press to the like, I do know what the right answer is. It’s made a huge difference in like, not taking on clients who are not a good fit, which is bad for me and bad for them. And just normal like everyday life stuff. My husband and I moved recently and there was Like two options of houses that we could pick, and he kind of was like, okay, whichever one you want, it’s all the same to me. You decide. It’s like, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. And then I kind of like just stopped and was like, okay, like, which one is the right one? And like, just took a minute and listen to myself. And I was like, Oh, it’s this one. And so far seems like they made the right choice. So that trusting your gut thing is huge. And it’s doesn’t come easy. Like you were saying earlier, it’s like a muscle. I feel like it’s one of those things that a lot of people think I should just know, I should just be able to do this. And at least for me, that was not the case.

 

Catherine A. Wood  20:42

Oh, man, I feel like we’re having a kindred spirit conversation right now. I feel like I could be talking to a coach, because these are conversations I have with all my colleagues. But I guess my question is, are there practices? Or what was that journey for you to get to a place of trusting your gut? or learning how to because I think that is the million dollar question for so many of the people that I talked to all the time.

 

Morgan Specht  21:10

Yeah. So you probably feel like you’re talking to a coach, because I’ve worked with a few really, okay, coaches in the past. So it works. There’s your little plug, to hire coach. Um, one of the things that the last business coach who I worked with, and like, I don’t, I don’t like to be like, Oh, just a business coach, because it’s, like I said, there’s not a separation between business and life. But she used to have me write down. Like, examples. In the past, one things have gone right for me, whenever I like made decisions I wasn’t sure about and then it worked out better than I expected, or exactly how I wanted or whatever. So she would have me do that. And at first, it was really hard. And then it started, like, I got to the point where I could like, fill a whole page pretty easily. And then I would notice things like that, as they were happening, like in real time. So I think that was a big one. Like I said, I’m a big, like, planning research, like I need to have hard evidence of things. So being able to, like stick up a list on my wall next to my desk, it’d be like, Oh, look, there’s 10 times where I made a scary decision, and it worked out for the better. I would say that is probably like my single most helpful, one, and also not rushing, like, you might not know what the right decision is now. And then you might think about it again tomorrow. And it might be obvious.

 

Catherine A. Wood  22:52

Oh, I love I love that practice from your coach. And I, I also, it makes me think of what you were sharing earlier about, like tracking your data, like trusting the ebbs and flows of business because it makes me think of something I say a lot in my mastermind, which is the idea that what you track you manage, like what you track and keep tabs of you can make conscious choices around.

 

Morgan Specht  23:21

Yeah, um, the the way that I’ve heard that explained is what gets measured gets improved. And it’s kind of like, I was like really focusing on like health and fitness, all of last year. And that was one of the things that I was like, I don’t want to take progress pictures and write down my weight and lock my food and bla bla bla bla bla, and my husband kind of encouraged me of like, just try it, like do it for a month and see if it makes a difference. And sure enough, it makes it it’s and I think mostly it has to do with like just keeping it top of mind. And like I said having that list that I can just look over and be like, oh, there’s some evidence really makes a huge difference. Even if it’s kind of subconscious.

 

Catherine A. Wood  24:06

You’re I love it. I’m just smiling. Your husband sounds super amazing and supportive.

 

Morgan Specht  24:12

He is He else he’s pretty good at pushing me whenever I need it, which I think as like an empath and an introvert. I don’t like to be uncomfortable. But that’s like where growth happens. Right? So I’m very grateful that I have someone in my life who can gently nudge me when I need it.

 

Catherine A. Wood  24:33

And it’s so true. The idea like what and I like how you the the reframing the what you measure gets improved because we so often don’t want to know, like, we don’t want to know the weight on the scale or the dollars in the bank, or the number of clients whose contracts are coming up on completion, right. I’ve heard that one a lot and we can’t improve what we aren’t aware of Have we can’t close the gap if we don’t know what the gap is?

 

Morgan Specht  25:05

And I think in my experience, at least, it, it’s never as bad as you think it is, like, you’ll like psych yourself up and be so worried of like, oh, I can’t log into the bank account or step on the scale or whatever. And then, at least in my case, every time that I’ve done it, I’ve been like, Oh, okay. We’re okay. Like, that was not as dramatic as I thought it was gonna be. So it’s also like, not letting it have that power over you, I think.

 

Catherine A. Wood  25:33

And not letting not letting it have that power over you. I could not agree more. Gosh, well, tell us more like I, you know, I, I shared a podcast about this. I think last year about my own rebranding experience last year, it was a very long year long journey with a whole new brand, a whole new website, like everything. And one thing I really appreciated through that process was I mean, my my brand or was also a coach. But there felt like there was actually a lot of overlap between visualizing the next iteration of my brand, while embodying and stepping into the next version of who I’m becoming. So, you know, like the branding conversation in the coach conversation, there was a lot of overlap there. So I’m curious. I mean, has that first of all, is that your experience? Having worked with a couple coaches and being a Brander? And designer?

 

Morgan Specht  26:33

Ah, yes, absolutely. In fact, and so I like that a 23 Slash 2024 goals list to go get a coaching certificate, because I’m like, I’m already doing it. So you are you like to learn more and get better at it?

 

Catherine A. Wood  26:52

Especially as an empath, like picking up on your clients, imposter syndromes, and being able to remind them of who they are, and normalize that experience, right like that. We all have that.

 

Morgan Specht  27:03

Exactly. So yeah, it’s funny that you bring that up. And yeah, I have hired several coaches, like worked with them myself, which has been an absolute game changer in my life. And in my business. I also have had many different types of coaches as clients. And I had to put a number on it, I would say, probably at least 80% of my non coach, clients have coaches that they work with. So I interesting, our worlds are very much intertwined. Um, and I think, I think part of it is that anybody can go design a pretty brand, right, or buy a premade template off of Etsy, or whatever. And it will look great, but it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to connect you with your people. You mentioned your own rebrand. And I think I mentioned this to you a while ago of like, it’s beautiful, it looks great. And all I had to do was like, I didn’t even have to listen to your podcast to know that like, this is somebody that I want to learn more from. And that has everything to do with your colors and the way your website’s laid out and your photos, that’s a huge one. And that’s not by happenstance, like the person who you worked with did all of that very, very, very purposefully. So I think that’s also the big difference depend like kind of were coaching and being an empath, and being a designer, on all of those things really kind of work together to like, make something really special is that I can get to know you and I can make your website and your Instagram and whatever we’re working on. Speak to your people in a way that grabbing something off the internet, or if DIY and Canva just is not going to be able to do

 

Catherine A. Wood  29:08

Mm hmm. I like how you use the word purpose purposeful. Because I think that that is something I mean, it’s hugely important for me like it’s one of my values, but But I do think that business owners who are thriving online these days are purposeful they bring a lot of intention. And Claire clarification of their mission and their vision and you can tell

 

Morgan Specht  29:43

Yeah, absolutely. I I used to get like, kind of irritated when people would tell me Oh, you’re so lucky that you get to work from home or you’re so lucky that you and your husband have such a great relationship or you’re so lucky that way Fill in the blank. I was like, I am the least lucky person in the entire, like I’ve won on a scratch ticket, like one time in my entire life. I never win games at the fair. Like, I don’t find money on the ground, I’m not lucky. All of that was on purpose. And I think that same goes for business. Like if you’re actively deciding, this is who I want to work with, this is what I want to do. This is where I want to be in five years. You can’t just let things happen to you. Which is an interesting balance between like the path introvert thing, of like I said, like not wanting to be uncomfortable and not wanting to like push myself outside of my comfort zone. Because you’ve kind of have to

 

Catherine A. Wood  30:48

100% Like, I can so relate with that idea. Like, oh, must be nice. Working from home must be nice. earning that much money must be nice. Only taking client calls three days a week. Yes, it is nice. And do you know how many years and hours that it took to get to this place of consciously choosing it and creating it and pivoting and revising and realigning and learning,

 

Morgan Specht  31:19

I was going to be able to see because this is just a podcast, but I like had a huge eyeroll whenever you said, Oh, must be nice, because that’s like, I’m like, I didn’t just like wake up one day. And this was my life. Like, all my like specific phrasing, as always, like all of this has been very on purpose. And it’s been a lot of work and a lot of time. And I’ve had to like, make myself very uncomfortable. So it gets to the point where I get to wear slippers to work and take my dogs for a walk whenever I want and choose only which clients I want to work with. It wasn’t always this way.

 

Catherine A. Wood  31:59

It is absolutely a practice in surrender. And trust to know you have an opening in your business and to say no, because it’s an unaligned a misaligned fit.

 

Morgan Specht  32:13

Yep, one of my I actually just did this recently big, like, things that I never realized would be so liberating was firing clients. So I had, because in the beginning, you take on everybody, you’re like, I need money, I need the experience, you have money. Great, let’s do it. And just recently, I had a monthly design support client who It wasn’t my fault or their fault, it was just what they were wanting was kind of a departure from what I was wanting to offer. And our businesses were growing in different directions. And like any relationship, like they don’t always last forever. And I was able to very empathetically, kind of approach them and be like, Okay, so I’ve really loved working with you. And you’re great. And this has been great. And I’m so appreciative of the time that we spent together, but based on what you’re telling me you need, I don’t think I’m the person for the job anymore. And that’s okay. And if you want I can help you find somebody. But I don’t want to be taking your money and your time and your energy and agreeing to do something that doesn’t feel in alignment with me because you’re not going to get a good final product. So let’s figure out how to get you that. And they were very appreciative, which I think some people wouldn’t always expect.

 

Catherine A. Wood  33:39

I appreciate that you used the word energy, because I think specifically for prosperous empaths it is so important to manage and honor your energy. Because we’re such natural givers that when we are expending our energy to misaligned fits or people or commitments you know, we only have a limited amount of energy so we’re not offering it to the places and people that are you know, just tell yes, opportunities and engagements.

 

Morgan Specht  34:17

Yeah, um, before I don’t know, I guess just learn those things about myself. I frequently used to be like, think that like I was acting crazy or being unreasonable or I just needed to like suck it up and work harder be nice to these people anyway, or there’s no reason for you not to like them. And then once I kind of started looking at it of like, Oh, it’s just for whatever reason, working with this client really drains my energy or even things as simple as like, looking at my calendar and being like, you know, I don’t have anything that needs to be done today and I really feel like I need to go for a walk or rest or just take it easy this morning and like, realizing that that’s okay. And then everything was easier. It was amazing.

 

Catherine A. Wood  35:14

I am like totally chuckling over here. Because for someone who only recently distinguished that they were an empath, you have so many of like natural empathic tendencies and ways of being and habits.

 

Morgan Specht  35:29

Awesome. We kind of like touched briefly on this before we started recording of like, I think I have always known that I was an empath I just didn’t know. That’s what it was called. Like, I didn’t have words for it. But I knew all of those things about myself. Like that wasn’t. That’s not a new discovery. It’s maybe a new discovery within like, the last 10 years. But it’s interesting once you can, like put a label on it kind of changes things.

 

Catherine A. Wood  35:58

Yeah. I mean, totally. Well, if people are interested in connecting with you, or wanting to learn more about you, where should they reach? Where should they reach you?

 

Morgan Specht  36:15

Yeah, I would say Instagram is probably the best place. If you’re just wanting to like learn about my services, then my website’s great. But as far as like, getting to know me as a person and being friends and making connections, I spend most of my time on Instagram, my handles at specter unco. Awesome.

 

Catherine A. Wood  36:34

We will totally put that in the show notes. And for someone who’s considering a new website considering a rebrand how, like, how would they know how, and specifically for our empathic listeners, like what should they be listening or tuning into?

 

Morgan Specht  36:55

Yeah, um, yeah, so if you’re, if you’re not like me, and can just have a gut feeling, but just you just know, my kind of top three. And I think goes for branding or website are? Well, actually top one, I’ll just give you one because that’s really the the kicker if you’re not showing up for your business, like if you’re like, I don’t want to post on Instagram, because my graphics are ugly, I don’t want to send people to my website, because it doesn’t work correctly. I don’t want to, like apply for Comcast guest opportunities, because then people are gonna find me and I don’t like what they’re gonna see, then it’s probably time to evaluate your brand.

 

Catherine A. Wood  37:39

Oh, my gosh, that is gold. That’s why I That’s why I rebranded last year. Literally legit that reason.

 

Morgan Specht  37:48

Yeah. And people make all kinds of other excuses for like, oh, it’s, it’s because this or that, or I just need to do this thing or do that thing. But it’s really, I sometimes like to liken it to, like, clothing. You never want to leave the house, because you’re like, I don’t have anything to wear, then it’s time to go shopping and get some new clothes that make you feel good.

 

Catherine A. Wood  38:13

I’m like, it’s so true. I literally two years ago, I was on my my mastermind call I that I run and we were talking about being authentically self expressed online. And one of my clients reflected, she’s like, cat, you know, I look at your Instagram. And these pictures, they don’t feel like you. Like it doesn’t feel like you. And I was like, Oh, it’s so true. Yes, up, right. Because for all the photoshoots that I had done for my first five, six years in business, like, I put on makeup, I straightened my hair. And I tried to be someone other than who I was. And you know, we’ve just met each other, but like, I don’t ever wear makeup, and I never straighten my hair. So it was so wild, you know, just to not even feel like yourself.

 

Morgan Specht  39:10

Yeah, and I think that’s very common. I especially when you’re like newer in business, you, you do the thing that you think you’re supposed to do.

 

Catherine A. Wood  39:20

And then you spend a lot of money. So you think Oh, but I need to use it. Don’t

 

Morgan Specht  39:26

especially, especially especially especially if you’re a coach. I think that creates a really big problem whenever you have the heels and the makeup and the hair and the whatever. And then someone shows up to a call with you. And you’ve got your dog in the background and your hair is more natural and you’re wearing like a really cozy sweater. That first of all, they’re not getting what they expect. So there’s a disconnect and kind of makes them feel like well, I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t trust this lady. But then also You’re missing out on all of the people who need exactly what you are. Because they’re not going to approach the lady with the red lipstick in the hills. They want the lady with the dog and the cozy sweater.

 

Catherine A. Wood  40:13

Absolutely, like Morgan, you are talking to my soul you’re talking to like, like my people’s soul. So I love that we had an excuse to connect through this podcast, it’s been really fun to get to know you. And, you know, I started this podcast because I was committed to normalizing prosperity for empaths. Because I am such a believer that if we brought more wealth and success, to those who care, so empathetically and generously as empaths that we could truly transform the business world. So what has supported you most in becoming a prosperous empath?

 

Morgan Specht  40:56

Oh, boy, that’s I had to pick one thing I would probably say, investing in myself. And not just financially, I think is a big thing. I for a long time, kind of back to the people pleaser thing, like, didn’t want to take up space and thought, I’m fine. I don’t need to, like, go get my hair done. That’s like one of the things that like really makes me feel good. Or I don’t need to buy the fancy coffeemaker so that I can be like, feel good through my work day. Or I don’t need to spend money on a business coach because I could put that money somewhere else. So really, kind of embracing the fact that like, I deserve to spend money and time and energy on myself has, I think made the biggest difference and allowed me to then like we said, like, pour into everybody else so much better.

 

Catherine A. Wood  42:00

So so good. Like when you feel your best. You do your best. Do you serve your best?

 

Morgan Specht  42:07

Yeah, good. It’s not selfish to do all of those things. Yeah.

 

Catherine A. Wood  42:14

Morgan, thank you so much. I can’t wait for this episode to air.

 

Morgan Specht  42:19

Me too. Thank you so much for having me. I feel like we could talk for hours. Totally.