Ep #110: Becoming Unstoppable and Making a Scene with Susan Hyatt

Susan: I get it, like having to deal with people who it’s like, “Oh you’ve got to have a literary agent and then they’ve got to get the publisher.” And so, I basically found myself sitting in this beautiful loft in New York City. I was filming videos for something else, but I had this full expectation that this trip would result in all these meetings with publishers. And not one publisher set up an appointment with my agent.

And I was sitting around looking at this beautiful Airbnb I had rented and I was like, “You know what? I choose me.” At that moment, no one wanted me, I thought. And I was like, “I choose me. I’ve got this videographer lined up for something else. I’m going to shoot videos about the book. I’m going to create my own book advance.”

And when I stepped into that, “I choose me,” energy, I created my own book advance with a digital program for the book and then, lo and behold, an offer from a publisher came through. And what I would say to people who are like, “What about the gatekeepers?” You’re your biggest gatekeeper. So, don’t fall into that, like, “Pick me,” energy. You pick you.

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That was a clip from my recent conversation with Susan Hyatt. Susan is a master certified life and business coach, and one of the world’s leading voices on mindset, motivation, and how to become an unstoppable woman.

As listeners of this podcast and members of the Art School community, you know how passionate I am about sharing with you what really works, what works to unleash your genius and become a creative force of nature and an unstoppable one at that.

I’m a big fan of Susan’s and have also worked with her as a private client and as a member of her mastermind. So, I know her work up close and I expected she would have some incredible wisdom and energy to share with you to help fuel your unstoppable creative success as well. And in true fun and power-packed Susan fashion, she delivers.

You are listening to The Art School Podcast; a show for artists and creatives who want to become the next greatest version of themselves. Learn how to cultivate an extraordinary way of being and take the mystery out of making money, and the struggle out of making art. Here is your host, master certified life coach, artist, and former lawyer, Leah Badertscher.

Hello and welcome to The Art School Podcast. I hope you all are doing well. It is a beautiful day, unseasonably warm and sunny here in Michigan today. Unseasonably just seems a little strange because I’m sitting next to our beautiful Christmas tree. We went to this sweet place, Pine Crest Farms, a little ways north of us in Michigan. It seemed way out in the boonies, but perhaps not too far out because we got there and it was so crowded, in social distancing fashion.

We rode a socially distanced hayrack out to acres and acres of pine trees and just had a great family day picking out our perfect tree, our first tree in our new house. And it’s huge. It seems huge. It’s about 12 feet tall and we got it decorated and the kids are all jazzed about that.

Also, my mom helped up the Christmas spirit and ante by sending out the first box of wrapped presents. I haven’t wrapped presents yet because I know then the temptation is too strong to peek. But my mom has sent out some wrapped gifts. And so, the kids about lost their minds to see that.

So, that has been fun. We’ve been balancing all of that Christmas cheer with the youngest two being back to home schooling and also just getting outside to enjoy this weather and take advantage of the sunshine and the warm temps, while we have it. Although, to be honest, I am actually quietly – I guess not so quietly now – pulling for snow.

I love some good snow, especially if you live in this part of the country. I think bring it on. And my children agree, the snow activities are so fun. The sledding. My husband gets out the Gator, the John Deere Gator. It’s like a mini tractor/golf cart if you’re not familiar with it, gets a long rope and pulls them all around the farm on their sleds. And so, that’s a blast. And I would love to get in some cross-country skiing during the day but also moonlight cross-country skiing is amazing.

So, yes, I’m sorry if you don’t like the snow and you live in this part of the world. I don’t mean to jinx you or curse you. But I love some good snowfall this time of year. So, that’s one thing, I guess, that is on my wish list for the season. As well as continued health for family, wishing you all continued health and that you are staying safe and well and planning special memories for this time of year, even if it looks differently than it does and has prior years.

And also, in keeping with the spirit of the season, we’re heading into the solstice, into the darkest time of year. And I love December for this mix of dark and light, where you head into the dark and yet there’s the reappearance of the light, like the promise of hope. And it is also the season infused with the impossible coming to be, right? And the miraculous.

And so, in the spirit of that, I wanted to let you know I have a very fun and magically charged workshop that I will be offering, a free workshop on Friday December 18^th. I believe that’s the right date. Yes, Friday December 18^th at 12pm Eastern.

It will be an hour long and it really is to help you sow the seeds for the impossible dreams and the miracles and magic that you would like to experience in your life in the near term, but also planting seeds along the horizon, into 2021 and beyond. And it is also a great preparation for the week-long workshop series that I’m so excited about coming in January, which is called the Possibility Immersion week.

So, we’re going to move from impossibility with this free workshop class Friday December 18^th and that will set you up to have a glorious New Year’s Eve season. And then also, if you’d like to then join us for the week-long Possibility Immersion in January, that information will be coming available soon as well.

And if I could sum up these workshops, the impossibility one that’s free in December and then the week-long possibility workshop series in January, it would be that it is a fusion of the fun factor is very high, the magic factor is very high. And so is the orientation on creating real results. And that is something that my process and my love and passion for were greatly fueled by the woman you will hear me talking with today, Susan Hyatt.

She has been a very important mentor in my own journey as a coach, as an artist, as an entrepreneur, and also I would say as a woman. I know I was drawn to her because she has this unstoppable magic, fun, sparkly energy and she gets so much done. The woman is a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with and she has such an amazing time doing it.

Her ability to create success and fun and magic is infectious and those are just a few of the reasons I was so delighted to be able to have this conversation with her and to be able to share it with you.

I have shared on recent episodes a glimpse into my three-year vision and even my five, 10-year vision for my work and the Art School. And part of that includes helping many of you – some of you I know already, some of you we have yet to meet. And it’s to help you move across the finish line with what your great creative dream is. Whether that includes a six-figure or multiple-six-figure business, or for some of you moving to seven figures and beyond, whether that includes finishing the novel, getting the book deal, publishing, becoming a bestseller, or whatever that same degree of success looks like for you in your creative career, but also to do it on terms where it is soul-affirming and life-enhancing and is not soul-destroying in the process.

I know that with my own creative dreams, there were some pivotal criteria that once I had those in place, things really shifted. And one was finding a mentor who could hold a big enough space for my big dreams and visions and the vision I also had of doing it on my own terms and could look me straight in the eye and say, “Absolutely, that, go do that, of course.”

One way of phrasing my mission in life is to be unstoppable; an unstoppable creative force of nature. And to bring as many people along with me as want to join. And one of the women who has modeled this for me by example and also through coaching and mentoring has been Susan Hyatt.

So, let me first introduce you to her via her official bio, and then I’ll let you jump right into this juicy power-packed conversation. Susan’s number one passion is helping you get more of whatever you want; more money, more confidence, more energy, more joy, more free time to hang out with your kids, take that long overdue vacation, or anything else you’ve been longing to do.

She has been featured on national TV and in magazines like Oprah, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Woman’s World. She was a finalist for the ATHENA Award, recognizing leadership in the field of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship.

At the country’s largest TEDX conference, she spoke to a sold-out arena about why women need to stop obsessing about their weight and instead focus on earning money, gaining power, smashing the patriarchy, and running the world.

A multi-passionate creative and self-made millionaire, Susan’s ambition is boundless. She’s the CEO of three companied, because why run just one when you can be a triple boss? Susan hosts Go Time TV and the Rich Coach Club podcast, and is the number one bestselling author of BARE, a book that has inspired thousands of women to stop shrinking their bodies and start expanding their lives.

I do think you will find this a life and creativity-expansive conversation. So, listen in and enjoy.

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Leah: Today, I am so excited to welcome the one and only Susan Hyatt to The Art School Podcast. Welcome, Susan.

Susan: I am so thrilled to be here as a major fan of Leah, and your art. I am just so delighted to be here with you and your peeps.

Leah: Well, thank you. And it is a mutual love and respect party. So, so many reasons that I wanted to have you on. You have been a tour de force for many women and for me in particular in my journey both as an artist and as a coach. And we were recently having a conversation on your podcast actually about how I gifted myself a weekend retreat one time with you so I could learn from you energetically.

And I was thinking about, of all the things I would love to talk to you about for hours and hours, like, trying to zero in on the heart of what I’m thinking some Susan Hyatt magic is and why we met and where that intersection is. And I think it’s at this intersection of creativity and power, which I think creativity is power, is one of the ways that we flow, the essence of who we are.

And you are a very creative woman and entrepreneur and author, coach. And I’ve been in groups too where people are like, “I want to have what Susan’s having.” So, can you tell us, what is Susan having?

Susan: It’s so funny. First of all, it took me a long time to accept the compliment that I’m creative, because I always associated, wrongly, creativity with being able to paint or draw or sculpt or things like that. And it wasn’t until I became a coach really that I accepted that business is creative. And I’m certainly a writer and podcaster. And now I have a YouTube show which is a huge outlet for my creativity.

I just watched a blooper reel that I should probably give you to put in the show notes so people can be like, “Oh my god, this lady, what is she talking to her for.” It is hilarious. Anyway, what am I having? I would say what I’m having is honesty and flexing – I think the way that I’m most creative is that I flex what I got.

So. I finally became free, if you will, when I stopped trying to be what I wasn’t and just really owned and embraced who I really am. And I think that’s where I’m most creative. So it’s like, I don’t have a TV deal. I don’t really want one. But I’m going to work what I have. Which is, on my team, I have a videographer and we have a lot of fun creating whatever I want for these episodes. And so, I think it’s freedom. I think it’s honesty, authenticity, and freedom is what I’m having on a regular basis.

Leah: Honesty, authenticity, and freedom. And so, I want to go back for a moment. Because when you said you learned, you know, “Flex what I got,” and no longer tried to be something you’re not, what point was that along your own journey and was there a single moment that you can reflect back on and point to? Or was there a buildup?

Susan: Both. I mean, there were certain moments that are sort of seared in my mind. And then I’m still growing and expanding and uncovering as a woman. But I would say my – so, I started this company in 2007 and probably for the first year-ish, I was really hiding in the sense that – people who knew me would disagree with that. They’d say, “No, you were always how you are.” Not true.

I was very much trying to be a professional – I’m using air quotes around this – professional life coach and kinder than I am. And I’m a very kind person, you know, but I was like, “A good life coach doesn’t drop F-bombs on the regular. She dresses conservatively. She’s Mother Theresa,” you know.

And it was exhausting to – I won’t say I was pretending. But I definitely wasn’t unleashing who I really was. And I remember actually interviewing Martha Beck for – I had a column in my local newspaper. And that was back when people were still reading newspapers. And I just asked for a column and they gave me one because I live in a pretty small town, like, “Sure.”

And I remember asking Martha if she would let me interview her. And miraculously she said yes. And I remember during the interview, she said something like, that she purchased her khakis from the boys’ section at Target. And I remember being so tickled by it, because that’s so Martha. That’s so her. But coming away from that interview being like, that is so not me. And realizing that I was really hiding who it was, which is somebody who loves fashion. And Martha doesn’t.

But I was trying to emulate someone who had her own brand and her own brilliance, and realizing that I just needed to come out with who I was because my clients in session seemed to like how I really was. It was more of this outward-facing persona, if you will.

And so, over time, I started getting braver and braver and braver and talking back to those voices that were like, “Oh well if they really knew that you curse like a sailor or you watch trashy TV,” or fill in the blank. And I remember, I was talking about this with another guest on my podcast. It was about two things, about 2012, I started getting irritated by coaches in our industry using our own tools against ourselves, so using things as an excuse.

Like, “Well, I don’t think my spirit guide wants me to,” fill in the blank. Like, they would commit to doing something and then back out using some coaching tool or metaphysical reason why not, “Oh, that feels very shackles-on.” It’s like, no it doesn’t, you just don’t want to do it.

And I wrote a piece and it was something like the top 10 bullshit excuses life coaches give. I was really nervous to publish it because I knew it was going to make a lot of people mad. But it was really what I thought at the time. And that was a real turning point for me.

I published it. I did annoy or irritate or offend certain people. But the people who – all of a sudden, my business really started to take off in new and different ways because I was really showing myself. I was really being me.

And those are a couple of times when I can really remember being like, “Okay, I need to just be who I am.” And certainly since then, I’ve become braver and braver about just saying what I think and helping in a way that feels better to me than maybe what everybody else is doing.

Leah: And so, you know, that ties in perfectly to what you said when I asked, you know, what is Susan having? And two of your answers, honesty and authenticity. And that fuels your creativity. And your creativity is obviously fueling a very successful and fulfilling career.

Susan: Yeah, I mean, I honestly look at the platform, that the life coaching industry is, to me, so fun and it has given me a platform to really creatively express myself in ways that I can say what I want on my blog or my podcast or my show. I can go on social media in an unfiltered, unbridled way and just deliver whatever it is I think my audience most needs to hear and I wouldn’t trade that for anything, the expression that this platform gives me is priceless.

Leah: there is this quote from Women Who Run with Wolves where Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes, “I love my creative life more than I love cooperating with my oppression.” And it’s like honoring your authenticity is the antithesis of cooperating with oppression. You’re like, hells no, it’s not my spirit guide that would ever ask me to cooperate with my own oppression.

Susan: Totally. And there was an example of this, was there’s a very popular blender company that approached me, maybe it was 2012-ish also, maybe before. I was obsessed with green smoothies at the time. I wrote an eBook called Jacked Up on Greens. I still love greens; green juice, green smoothies, whatever. But at the time I was so passionate about it.

And they approached me about doing maybe some kind of sponsorship deal. And before we got super-far into any kind of conversations, the word was, in order for this to work out, because they’re a family company, I would not be able to publicly drop F-bombs. That was not going to be okay. And I was like, never mind. I was very quick to be like, “Keep your blender money.”

Leah: Not worth it.

Susan: I love your product, but this girl is going to curse. And so, I think that that, that quote, like, I value being able to say what I want more than feeding into that kind of toning it down or filtering of how I want to speak or express myself.

Leah: That’s something else I love about you and the example you set is you also seem to have no time for permission paradigm or permission culture. Like, “That blender company is going to pay me to promote, so then I have to behave in a way so that they give me permission to be successful.”

Because you seem pretty determined that you’re going to create success on your own terms and not need permission from norms. Because also, at various times, there’s always a lot of talk in the coaching industry about how you need a niche. And while you have your BARE book too and you do work with entrepreneurs and women and building businesses too, you also don’t subscribe to that.

Susan: Yeah, I don’t, for a couple of reasons. One is, I find through my experience training coaches, that most coach entrepreneurs aren’t in a position to claim a narrow niche in the very beginning because they just haven’t coached enough to be able to do that. So, I’m much more of a fan of, “Hey, coach your face off.” Like, narrow it down to a few. And then, over time, your niche will make itself apparent to you.

But right, I’m multi-passionate. I have a couple of niches. I’m still 14 years on, unwilling to say I do this one thing. Now, are marketers correct that if you are only talking about one thing, it’s easier? Sure. That makes perfect sense. That’s true. But for many of us, that’s just not going to be possible and so I’m just very much like, “Screw that.”

To me, it feels much more like a prison. And for many creatives, that can feel like a prison and just stall you out. So, no thanks. And permission, yeah, even you saying that word, I’m like, I ask for forgiveness. I don’t ever ask for permission. I mean, of course, obviously I do ask permission of my clients, like, “Can I say you said this?” I’m not a jerk face. But by and large, I am never asking someone permission to do what I want to do with this business.

Leah: So, I love to sprinkle some Susan Hyatt magic on listeners who may not be in the coaching industry but they’re artists or they’re in other industries where the mindset that may still be operating in their mind at this point in time is, “Oh, but what about the gatekeepers?” What would be your response to that?

Susan: Okay, so what about the gatekeepers? Say more, Leah, because that doesn’t even compute.

Leah: Well, it doesn’t compute to me either. But I think one of the reasons that is, is because I have never been on a traditional artist’s path. I don’t have an MFA. I didn’t have that conditioning of you have to be in a gallery. I’m like, “Why would I be in a gallery? They take 50% to 60% and they don’t want me to set my prices, why would I do that? And I don’t have any feeling that I’m selling out or not a legit artist. But others are becoming that, “In order to get my play here or my book deal here, I’ve got to…”

Susan: I’ve got you. So, I went through this when I was trying to get an agent and then a publisher for BARE. And BARE, for those listening is a non-diet approach to body positivity, anti-diet. And most publishers want a gimmick. They’re like, “Don’t you have a sugar-busters thing up your sleeve?” And it’s like – and so, I get it, having to deal with people who it’s like, “You’ve got to have a literary agent and they’ve got to get the publisher.”

And so, I basically found myself sitting in this beautiful loft in New York City. I was filming videos for something else, but I had this full expectation that this trip would result in all these meetings with publishers. And not one publisher set up an appointment with my agent.

And I was sitting around looking at this beautiful Airbnb I had rented and I was like, “You know what? I choose me.” At that moment, no one wanted me, I thought. And I was like, “I choose me. I’ve got this videographer lined up for something else. I’m going to shoot videos about the book. I’m going to create my own book advance.”

And when I stepped into that, “I choose me,” energy, I created my own book advance with a digital program for the book and then, lo and behold, an offer from a publisher came through. And what I would say to people who are like, “What about the gatekeepers?” You’re your biggest gatekeeper. So, don’t fall into that, like, “Pick me,” energy. You pick you.

Leah: That is amazing. You are your only gatekeeper. So, about BARE, what that process of actually writing the book, from conception, the idea, the inspiration to the sitting down to try to get your ideas to line up, like what worked for you? What was that process like?

Susan: Well, I can’t remember who said it, but it’s accurate that, like, you will love having written, but the actual process can be arduous. So, the thing that worked for me was first creating an outline, like a table of contents. And then, I would play games with myself in that I would carve out creative time and I had to show up for the creative time. And the only rule was I either had to sit there for 30 minutes or write a paragraph, whichever.

And what I found was that when I just consistently showed up for those appointments, I would get much more than a paragraph written. That worked for a while, and then I had to call in some help. Like, I know you’re a fan of being in community and not being a lone wolf. And when I was lone-wolfing it, it was painful. And when I got some help, it just flowed so beautifully. And then, towards the end when it was like, “I’ve got to get tis complete,” I did what I call a grand gesture, which is – what book is that from?

Leah: Deep Work, Cal Newport.

Susan: Yes, so my grand gesture was devoting seven solid days at my lake house at the time. I sold it and I’m bitter about it. I didn’t have it during COVID. I was like, why did we sell too soon?

But when I was writing the book, I had Alexandra Franzen, who is the head copywriter for my company now. But at the time, she was helping me with the book. I flew her out. We holed up in that lake house. We didn’t do a thing but write, really. And that grand gesture got it done. But it was like making the appointments, being willing to show up, no matter what. And then getting help, and then setting aside some time. Otherwise, I have just found that I will drag stuff out and procrastinate on it forever and ever.

Leah: And it’s one of those things though too that one of my clients said recently a yoga teacher of hers years ago said, “Cave early and cave often.” So, like, you know you’re going to write, so just figure out how you’re going to get it written. Like, that dream of the book is not going away. So, fly someone out, hole up for a week, and get it all done in a week than, like drag it out forever. That’s so painful, procrastination.

Susan: Yes, it’s so painful and it’s also expensive. It’s expensive. So, when you think about – if any of you are stalling on something, like whether it’s choosing a name for something or sending the pitch letter or whatever it might be, the longer you stall on it, it’s like taking money out of the bank. That’s all it’s doing.

Leah: And money that, if it were in the bank, it would be compounding, like assets. I mean, the book for you is an amazing piece of intellectual property that is compounding in the bank and you have used it in many different ways.

Susan: Totally, I just got, in October, a royalty check. Well, they direct deposit it. But they emailed me. And I was like, “Whoa, second year, it’s still paying me. It’s amazing.

Leah: So, in BARE, are there parts that you are most proud of in that process, in the book?

Susan: The content in the book, I think I’m so proud of the whole thing really. But part of what makes me most proud is there’s a step in the BARE process and a chapter called Make a Scene. And it really speaks to I was raised in the south. I can’t tell you how many times my mom would say, “Now don’t make a scene.” Because I’ve always been kind of mouthy.

And it was like, “Don’t embarrass me. Tone it down. Don’t make a scene.” And I had a wonderful mother. But that was just something that southern mothers would say. And I’m sure many listeners have heard that as well. And I had a situation one day running when I encountered a young man screaming – they were both college age – at a young woman.

And this mama bear thing took over and I intervened and the kid kind of sped off and the young woman sunk down to the sidewalk in tears and she was like, “I’m just so embarrassed that we made a scene.” And in that moment I was like, “You are worth a scene. You are worth a scene.” And that phrase, I couldn’t shake it.

And I thought about all the ways that women need to make a scene in their lives. And in the book, it’s really articulated, like, where do you need to make a scene? Is it professionally? Is it in your family? Is it speaking up on social justice issues? What is it? Because we need women feeling confident enough to make a scene.

Leah: I do love that, of many things in your work and in your book. And so, for our listeners, I just want to reiterate that, where in your life right now do you need to make a scene? Like, on your own behalf, on behalf of what you stand for, on behalf of your creative dreams too. Like the example of the grand gesture.

Because a lot of people say, “I can’t do that. It disrupts my family. It’s money away from my business. That is a version of making a scene, a grand gesture on behalf of your dream.

Susan: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I would venture that most every woman listening, I would be surprised if there is someone listening that’s like, “Nope, I’m good. I don’t need to make a scene anywhere.” You’re lying. Yes, you do. What is it? And it’s forever. I’m always finding ways and places where I need to make a scene.

Leah: I’m going to be thinking about that for the rest of the week, I know. It’s not accidental. I’m sure that’s speaking to me in an important way. So, I also wanted to ask you about pleasure and productivity and pleasure as fuel. Because that’s something that I first energetically learned from you. And I love how you teach it.

It’s something that I intentionally explicitly infuse into all of my work. And it’s this way of nurturing that moves you from, like, point A to point B, that you don’t have to be violent to yourself or force, but pleasure works.

Susan: Pleasure does work. And I always joke that pleasure saves lives because we’re literally wired from head to toe. Our physical bodies are wired for pleasure. And yet, especially with women, culture teaches us, you know, work first play later and, like, eat then dessert, and retire, then you have fun and travel, and all this nonsense.

And honestly, women in particular, we’re taught that we need willpower, but we don’t need any more willpower. We have plenty of willpower. Look at everything that we do. We need more pleasure on a daily basis. And when we stop denying our physical bodies pleasure and we start giving ourselves simple pleasures on a daily basis, that’s like rocket fuel.

And so, the other thing that happens when I talk about pleasure is that people assume I’m talking about sex, which physical intimacy, whether solo or with a partner is a form of pleasure. But we’re talking about, yes, what you eat should be pleasurable, but how you move your body, beauty, spirituality, intellectual pursuits. There are so many ways to experience pleasure on a daily basis that don’t cost a thing.

You know, playing with my new dog is wildly pleasurable and set me up today for such a beautiful day. I’m a big fan of the Danish practice of Hygge, H-Y-G-G-E, for all of you who have been pronouncing it like used to, “Hygge.” That’s how you say it, “Hooga…” But that’s the Danish word for coziness. And it’s really, like, a warm blanket, sitting by the fire, watching the birds, you know, allowing the sun to be on your skin, forest bathing, walking in the grass barefoot, but not right now because it’s cold.

But there are so many ways that we can give ourselves pleasure that we’ve denied ourselves because we’re taught to be efficient and productive and that whole hustle grind thing that you talk about, Leah. A great way to give the middle finger to the patriarchy is to devote yourself to pleasure.

Leah: Yeah. One way we talk about it is serving the non-rational. Because it answers that part in the brain that’s like, “But this doesn’t’ make sense. What does sitting down and taking an hour for yourself in the morning do for your day? Get to work.” It really serves the non-rational and it works.

Susan: Yes, serves the non-rational. I freaking love it. I want that on a t-shirt.

Leah: One way I know this works from personal experience, and it has to do with you, is your retreats. Because they are beautiful and the details are so thoughtful and beautiful, from the locations, the environments that you choose, that resonates with me at a deep level, like one of the places that you rented in Savannah, you just walk into this old historic mansion and instantly the retreat has begun just the moment you walk in the door from the vibe and then the food.

And that all, coming back from those retreats, I felt like this renewed sense of, “I am pretty much unstoppable. I’m pretty much unstoppable.” And I wasn’t always feeling that way going in.

Susan: That makes me feel so good. I do think it’s important that the clothing that you put against your skin has energy, the food that you eat is either going to power you up or power you down, the environment in which you’re working is going to do the same. And so, I think that women make do all the time and think they’re doing it in service of their family or their community. And it’s imperative that we start becoming women who prioritize our own pleasure.

Leah: Yes, I love that. I agree. And I think too, it’s something that’s contagious, like other women doing it and then it works, it works for you. And seeing what you are able to create, that this is a value and a principle that’s really powerful.

There is this quote that I was revisiting recently. It was a congresswoman from New York. She passed away. And I can’t remember her name right now, but she said, “In the 21^st century, it’s going to be about women changing the nature of power and not power changing the nature of women.”

Susan: That is some powerful business right there.

Leah: That is you. That has your name written all over it.

Susan: Thank you. That means a lot to me. I’m going to have to find out who said that.

Leah: I’ll forward it to you. So, what are some projects – because I will have in the show notes, links to – you are the author of three books now?

Susan: Well, Bold isn’t out yet. But I did finish book number three called Bold.

Leah: Which is…

Susan: Bold is BARE but for girls, young girls, say eight to 18. And the process is curated a little differently to be more the way that they would talk and what’s relevant for their lives. And I’m really proud about that. I’m actually holding the prototype of the Bold deck, which is a card deck that girls can use and pull a motivating empowering message about their bodies or their lives. And so, I’m super-excited about that.

Leah: Is that available yet or is that on Amazon?

Susan: Neither one are available yet. I’m sorry, I’m talking about things we can’t link to. I would say the Go Time Planner, so the 2021 planner is available. We could link to that. We have Rise and Soar Magazine that’s free that I just finished editing and that will be available by the time this podcast is on the interwebs. And those are the product type things.

Leah: But you have the BARE membership, and On The Six is your mastermind.

Susan: I have the BARE daily membership. I have On The Six, which is a mastermind for women who are trying to achieve their first six figures. And then a higher level one that you were part of, Miss Leah, called The Mastermind, which is for women who’ve already earned their first six figures and they just want to scale their business and streamline and take good care of themselves.

Leah: Yes, so powerful. So amazing. And you also have a new creation, the Life Coach University.

Susan: Yes, I do, the University for Life Coach Training, which is enrolling now. And we start the third week of January. And what I’m most proud of about that project is it has a strong diversity, inclusion, and equity training that’s built in. And it’s my goal to train the best coaches in the marketplace who also will be coaching through that DEI lens. So, obviously a Black queer woman is going to be coming to coaching with a different set of circumstances than, say, me, a white cis heterosexual woman in Indiana.

And so, we want to equip our coaches with the right assessments and tools so they aren’t damaging, they aren’t creating harm, but they are spreading joy and light and happiness.

Leah: It so needed. It’s important work.

Susan: Thank you.

Leah: So, my last question for you, I remember the conclusion, the last dinner for when I was in The Mastermind. You had asked us, what self-concept do you need to step into this next year? I love how that stretches, like through the architecture of your brain so you can live into it. And then I asked you and you said you were stepping into the CEO. And you were not lying.

Susan: I would still answer that question the same way.

Leah: That was going to be my question. So, what’s your vision? What are you excited – what are you living into now?

Susan: So, another thing that I didn’t mention is that we also launched Susan Hyatt the Agency, which is a full-service marketing agency. So, this year has been, like, a life coach university, an agency. I mean, on and on.

And I’m really still learning how to be the CEO that I can be. I’m a visionary and I have a COO who is amazing. But I think that I have grown my leadership skills considerably. But I’m really still growing that and becoming – my concerns have really shifted from can we sell this program, to being more like, how can I pour as much as I can into my people so that we can have a bigger impact? And that’s something I’m still growing into.

Leah: Yes, and so I guess my last question for anyone listening, whether they’re growing into their own CEO role or a different concept for them, what are you doing to support that creation from the inside out?

Susan: You know, I noticed through 2020, I’m most proud, when I give myself a report card for 2020, what I’m most proud of is showing up even when it got dramatically difficult, like through the pandemic and the election and civil unrest. And there were some family things.

And I would say that what I noticed that I’m reconnecting with is I’m somebody who’s joyful and delighted and dedicated to fun. And I feel like I lost a little bit of that with the collective trauma and the collective heaviness that has been apparent in 2020. And so, I’m rededicating myself to the simple daily joyful things, like November roses in my garden and my puppy and making the best chili that exists. I really do. Put me in any chili cookoff, Leah, and I’m going to win. I’ve never been part of a chili cookoff, but I love my chili.

Leah: I would not run against you.

Susan: But I would just say, returning to my natural champagne bubbly vibe, which has suffered a little bit this year.

Leah: Yes, well I’m excited for that for you and for everyone that is in your sphere because you do have that champagne bubbly vibe and you’re an incredible leader in this space and for so many women’s lives. And you are a visionary, which is one of the reasons I’m so excited to have you on the podcast. So, thank you, Susan.

Susan: Thank you. You are such a delight and such a gift to this world. Please keep doing what you’re doing.

Leah: Thank you.

—

This brings me to the part of the podcast where I want you to do more than just listen. I want you to lean in and really work with me, coach with me. And today, you have a two for one. You get to coach with Susan and me both. So, you may already suspect what the coach with me is going to be today. We gave it away a little bit earlier.

You heard one of the things Susan is most proud of in her body of work is this concept of making a scene. So, think back to that part of the conversation and think in your own life, where do you need to make a scene? Where do you need to take a stand for yourself, your creativity, your career, your health, your wealth, your legacy, or for someone else, a cause, something that you believe strongly in and you need to raise your voice, put some stake in the ground, perhaps undertake a grand gesture.

Where do you need to make a scene? Making a scene, I promise you, can make all the difference in your life and in someone else’s. I know for a fact that some of the most important decisions I made that have grown my life, increased the strength of my soul and self in this world, expanded my creativity and also my bank account and my reach and my confidence started with places where I made a scene.

Also, I think the places where I have made the biggest difference, have had the honor and the privilege of playing a part in other people’s lives and have made the biggest difference, made the biggest contribution have been on the other sides of making a scene. So, again, where in your life are you being called to make a scene?

Thank you so much for listening to another episode of The Art School Podcast. If you’ve loved this podcast, if it’s been useful, inspirational, empowering for you, expansive for your creativity and your bottom line and your life in general, the best thing you can do to pay it forward is to share, is to subscribe, and is to go to iTunes and leave a review.

And if you have been loving what you’ve learned int his podcast and you want to implement concepts in your own life, but not on your own, together in community, concepts that will change your life and change the world, if you want to be surrounded by others who are making scenes and making tremendous difference and impact in their lives and others and you want to be mentored individually along the way and learn how to apply and implement these concepts to the exact circumstances of your life, then I would encourage you to check out the Art School.

The best way to make sure that you do not miss out on any free workshops, programs, or early bird discounts is to email us at support@leahcb.com and we will make sure that you are on the waitlist to receive any information that pertains to those offerings as well as early bird discounts. We can also answer any of your individual questions.

We are already filling seats for the winter/spring 2021 sessions that begin in March of both the Art School and the Art School Mastermind and we also have bonus bridge opportunities. So, two coaching calls a month, and it includes the Possibility Immersion Week in January as well at no additional cost to early enrollees.

So, to take advantage of that as well, you can also email us at support@leahcb.com or you can enroll directly in the Art School by going to my website.

As for the mastermind, we have a few remaining seats and we are also still taking applications for those spots that remain. So, to learn more about that, you can also visit my website or email us directly at support@leahcb.com. We’ll get you the information you need and we will take excellent care of you and help you get started on really setting yourself up to crush those impossible goals in 2021.

Like Nelson Mandela said, “It’s only impossible until it’s done.” And the Art School is a special corner of the universe where we are getting it done and having so much fun, normalizing the extraordinary and an extraordinary way of being along the way. I would love to have you join us there.

To close today, I thought I would share with you one of the greatest lessons I have taken away from Susan Hyatt, having been her client. Again, I was a private client at one time, and also in the mastermind. And that was something she alluded to in the call today about the energy of everything that we choose to bring into our life has a very powerful effect on us, and also our ability to create what we want in life.

So, one of the ways I would sum up one of the lessons I’ve learned from Susan is raise your standards, Raise your energetic standards. I’ve also heard her say, again and again, “You’ve got one life, and make it count.”

So, with everything that you bring into your life, from the food you eat, the way you move your body, the clothing against your skin, what you listen to, the conversations you have, the community with which you surround yourself, the mentorship, the opportunities, the joy, the fun you give yourself, raise your standards. Give yourself permission to allow into your life that which really nourishes you.

Have a beautiful week, everyone, and I will talk to you next time.