Building Success: Chelsea Husum on Breaking Barriers and Inspiring Resilience

Welcome to the Amberly Lago Show, stories of true grit and grace. Hey there, thank you for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. Today we're gonna have a conversation about reaching your full potential. You're gonna be inspired, motivated. I have Chelsea Husum with us, and she is a leading trailblazing unstoppable female in a male-dominated industry. She's a speaker, in fact, She was in my mastermind and just took the stage at the Unstoppable Success Summit. She's got a podcast and she's got a bestselling book. So, Chelsea, thank you for being here. Welcome to the show.

Thank you. I am so excited to be here.

Oh, thank you. You have just amazed me with all that you have gone through. So, we met, I guess, about 2 years ago at an event.

Yep.

I was speaking at, and you came up and started talking to me, and we just really connected.

Mm-hmm.

And then I've been able to get to know you over the past year because you've been in the mastermind. And I was just bragging on you in the other room saying that you are a go-getter. You are just like— what you've accomplished is mind-blowing. I mean, you've been featured on major media. Your book is a bestseller. You're speaking on stages. So, So, I have loved seeing you soar, but I want to go back a little bit because there are a lot of people that are like, well, good for her. Things are easy for her. And it's like, you've worked your butt off. And through the process of writing your book, you— that was very cathartic. Can you tell us what the hardest thing that you have overcome and how you've turned that trauma?

Mm-hmm.

To triumph?

Yes. Hopefully, can I tell 2 things?

Yes.

I feel like there are 2 defining things that have recently kind of been outed in my life. One was 20 years ago, I was studying, getting my Spanish degree. So, I was studying in South America in Ecuador alone. I was there for 3 months. I had been there the year before with a university group. So, I went back and One night, I was drugged, raped, and left alone in an abandoned home by my Spanish professor there in South America.

Yeah.

And, yeah, I woke up on a dirty mattress on the floor and kind of saw little flashbacks from the night before of being blacked out and then throwing up and he's standing over me and just really, really horrible. And, It took me, I kept getting electrocuted trying to escape and I finally get out. And the really crazy part is—

Was there like a wire?

Well, they have in South America, all the houses have these like garage doors kind of that you have to get out. And I, for some reason, just was trying to get out and it kept electrocuting me. I have no idea if it was made that way because this is where they took girls. I don't know. It was really messed up. So I'm like crying, finally get out. And it was, I And I remember it was a weekday, and so it was school time. I literally hailed a cab, went back to— went to school, and walked in in the same clothes I had on the day before, and I saw his face.

Oh my goodness.

And I literally told no one for 20 years. Like, shoved that so far deep down.

You told this story for the first time at my house.

At your house, yes.

When we— I said, surprise everybody, we're gonna get up and do a 5-minute TED-style talk. And the courage that it took to share that and to hear, I mean, Chelsea, to see where you, the first time you told that story.

Yeah, we literally saw the first time. Yeah.

And it, you know, it is, it's a very hard thing to share, but the strength that I can see in you, I'm just, wow. I just really commend you for the strength that it took and the courage to really share that and to get to heal. I feel like, you know, the truth will set you free.

For sure.

You know, instead of just dealing with these things, how do you think some of the— if you got triggered, or did you see anything from this trauma come out in the way that you would lead your team or your, you know, parent or relationships that you were in? Did you see anything?

Well, okay, and this is how I saw it come out. in real time 20 years later is my other story I forgot to share. But then, fast forward, and I was in a lawsuit that had been going on. It went on 2 and a half years. I was being sued for millions of dollars. And, for some reason, laying in bed at night, it's like I had shoved that other memory so far down and literally almost forgot about it. Put a lid on it. Yeah, locked it, threw away the key. But this new traumatic experience, it was— the old one was bubbling up at night. And I remember laying in bed starting to say, why did you— why'd you do that? You put yourself in that situation. Why did you do that? Why, why were you so stupid? And then I was like, no. So it— at this point where I'm in a lawsuit, I'm being sued for millions of dollars, the most ridiculous lies are being said about me. I'm literally fighting for my life. I'm defending my life.

And you're in the middle of writing your book.

Yes. And I'm running a company. I'm trying to be a mom, a wife. I'm waking up covered in hives. So honestly, the lawsuit was so much worse than being physically raped one time because the lawsuit, I was over and over and over victimized. And it went on 2 and a half years. And I remember waking up now, you know, having gone through that experience in the past, doing no healing. I remember the morning I woke up recently in late 2023 or, you know, '23, and I went downstairs, my family was sleeping, and I just thought, I'm not okay. I can't do this anymore. I absolutely just can't. And I texted a girlfriend and I said, I need help. I'm not okay. And she— I was like, do you know of any like cheaper therapy or something? And she's like, girl, I got you. I know. I know you need help. I got you.

Wow.

And thank God.

Wow.

Because I just couldn't. It was so heavy and horrible.

Yeah.

To just, you know, wake up and like, you'd be— you try to forget about it and go on with your life. But it's always back there. But then you get that email from your lawyer and, oh, the $500 an hour bills, you know, starts— that clock starts ticking. And, oh, you need to provide thousands of documents. And this was said about you and that was said about you. And yeah, it was horrible. And so, it's like I took These 2 completely different experiences, but it was when men made me feel powerless. And I finally wrote this book, took my power back. And I swear, I actually read it the other day. My chapter about the lawsuit is called Hell because that was the only thing I could name it.

Mm-hmm.

And I think it's the longest chapter 'cause it went on so long. I kept writing and using it as kind of my therapy. But I wrote, I said, I'm pissed off. I know at this moment, when it was done on December 28th, 2023, so not that long ago, I said, I know with my whole soul, I will look back on this moment and this is just, this is the starting point. Like, watch me.

Mm.

Watch me go because I'm pissed off. I'm riled up and I've been through hell and I'm like coming. Like, I just don't even try to stop me at this point.

Yeah, yeah. But I mean, I can really relate to— people ask me, you know, sometimes, what's the hardest thing? I think going through my divorce and dealing with a lawyer, and his lawyer would call and harass me, was harder, especially because my daughter was involved. It was a battle for— it was awful. Was harder mentally and emotionally than being hit by an SUV. So I get it. And you were going through this for 2 and a half years.

My kids were like, Mommy, when are we losing Mommy, here's $12. You need it more than I do. I mean, literally, I actually had, in the early stages, apparently my son was at school and he blurted out like, Mommy's being sued. The teacher called me around Christmas and like asked if I was okay and asked if we needed to be adopted for Christmas.

Oh.

This like breaks your heart. And it's not like I sat and talked about it around them, but like, there's no way in 2 and a half years They somehow, they just felt it. They felt that heaviness, that depression. It was horrible.

Yeah, they pick up, they see it. They're sponges.

They are.

Well, you have come out the other side and truly stepped into your power.

Yes.

And so first, yes, you asked for help, which takes courage. What has enabled you to be resilient and to step into your power? Because there are people out there that are, they're struggling. They want to, but they just feel like, Life is hard. Maybe it's their finances, maybe it's their relationship, maybe they're getting sued, who knows? But how do they—

Dig out.

Yeah, dig out and become resilient and rise above?

Yeah. So what I've learned in talking to people, and the one guarantee in life, in this human existence, is we will go through adversity, we will go through hard times. We've had so many conversations about things we've been through.

Mm-hmm.

Everyone I talked to, if you're not going through it now, you're gonna go through it again soon. You know, it's just guaranteed. What I learned through this last thing from the lawsuit was now as a, you know, 41 or 40-year-old woman, I know myself and I was looking around saying, I am not okay. And really what I had to do that besides the asking for help with a therapist that helped me the most, was looking at my habits, looking what I was doing, and, you know, knowing I needed to give myself some grace and be a little gentle on myself at that point because I was already just struggling so hard. It was saying, okay, you know, you're— when you're in a hard time, you want to come— maybe you want to come home and drink a bottle of wine and, you know, emotional eat, whatever.

No, ma'am.

But it's also making you feel like crap. And when you're already feeling like crap because you're in a tough time, that stuff isn't helping. Get rid of it. Go to bed early. I would sometimes, it's 8:00 and I'm like, peace out. I am done. I am exhausted. I literally need to just go to bed and reset. Moving my body, getting out. Me, it's like taking my dog for a walk. I remember those days. It was like I was crying in my office because I'd get another email from my lawyer. And I was like, get the dog. And just, I would go breathe the air and look up at the sun and be like, like, I, it just, I had to just get out.

Yeah.

Change my, change scenery, right? Um, and it was looking at the habits and what was draining your energy, then get rid of it now. That is so not helping you when you're going through it. And then, you know, what are you like? Are you eating healthy? Are you moving your body? Are you saying no to all those maybe meetings that you really don't need to be at. Or like, you know, I don't need to be— didn't need to be going to construction events 3 times a week at night. I was exhausted. I needed to be resting, you know? So, it's— for me, that was so big to look at what I was filling my time with and what my habits were.

Instead of just busywork.

Yeah.

You know, like, what is really— what are your values? What are your priorities? And saying no.

You need to say no.

Yeah.

Especially when you're in it. Yeah, that's not going to help you. And you need to take care of yourself and rest. And if you just need to say no to that meeting and lay on the couch in quiet, do it. You know, that's what you need right now.

Yeah. And I have to say, this is making me feel better because yesterday I watched Netflix. Me too.

It was so crazy.

You did?

Yeah.

Yeah.

In my hotel room.

Yeah. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm watching a movie.

I know.

I never used to watch movies. Like, I was always 7 days a week, just work, work, work, work, work. And now it's like, you know what? I give myself some grace every once in a while. And I do monitor sleep.

Like, I look— I do too.

Monitor my sleep. I look to see how much REM sleep, deep sleep, restorative sleep that I'm getting. It makes a difference. Now you have, I mean, the construction company, especially, it's a male-dominated industry. Which is no small feat that you've taken on. And what's interesting is out of 2 women in the mastermind are in the construction industry.

Yeah.

How wild is that?

That's so crazy.

I love it.

I love it so much.

I do too. You guys are such powerhouses. What has been some of the— what have been some of the biggest challenges? And then how have you worked your way through Yeah.

I think too, just like business owner challenges, managing people is always difficult. And I, you like, for me in construction, if you don't know what you're doing, someone could die. So, it's not, you know, like, oh, you put the wrong fries in the order. Like, no, literally someone could die.

Oh.

You need good people and you, they're, my only goal is that they go home safe every single day. So, like, for me, it's been really cool that I just, I do things totally different than I believe any other company that I've heard of. But like, for example, I knew I needed good people. And if you can imagine at the beginning walking up to people, hi, I own a construction company. Do you want to come work for me? I'm sure they're like, oh my God, who is this lady? Like, what? Right? But I offered to pay them quite a bit more. I have paid my employees 40 hours a week, whether they're working or not.

Wow.

So they might be home on a Wednesday just chilling, but I don't care. I need to make sure they're taken care of. They have families and need to put food on the table, right? So to me, that's important. I do pay a lot more and I pay if they're not working, but I know that means I have really good people, you know, and they know they're taken care of, not worried, oh, is it slow week, right? So, I mean, that, and then for me, construction, I think I have $80,000 in 60 to 90-day late payments out right now.

Yeah.

Not even like just, I bill net 30. It's like not even just the stuff that's current billed. I'm like, okay, everybody, start sending the checks. You know, it's just the cash flow.

Yeah. But I don't like having to chase I don't like owing money. Yeah.

Oh, I don't either. I pay stuff right away. I like, oh yeah, I hate having any bills. But I mean, and I think we were talking the other day, I, back when I started the company, that would've been a major issue. Now I've, you know, it's grown and we, we've gotten, you know, a rhythm. I can handle it. I don't like it. It doesn't mean I'm going outta business at all, but I don't like it. But it's just like the operating expenses are real. And managing people, it's tough. But honestly, that's why you have to be smart about your money. Put like a good month's worth of payroll in a savings account. So, you know, no matter, even if they're late, you're good. And hire the right people. Otherwise, it's never going to work. It's not going to be successful.

Yeah. What do you think is the top tip for being a better leader?

I would say just constantly working on yourself, knowing you're not perfect. I am so far from perfect. Like, I never— and I, I've had people that I've met and they're like, oh, well, when I met you, I just thought you had it all together and you were perfect. I'm like, no. And I— now that's like a mission of mine to say, why are we trying to be perfect? Just be yourself. So it's be authentic, be real, be honest. You know, when you mess up, say, I'm sorry, I messed up, and, you know, that's on me, I'm sorry. You know, and, and constantly learning and growing, and I want to always just be a better person in general. And so, I think that helps me. One thing one of my employees has always said, Chels, you're the best boss I never had. He's like, you do not micromanage us. You just let us go and you trust us and you know that we know what we're doing and you just let us go. And he's like, and you actually care about us.

Oh, and that feels so good. I don't want to micromanage.

Oh, I don't either. I don't have time for that.

In fact, I had somebody on my team. And I'm like, no, it's not my job to babysit you. I will not micromanage. No, I'm not going to do that. I like being able to trust that my team's got it and they are behind the scenes. They're getting it done.

Exactly. Yeah, I don't have time. I have a million other things to do. Like, I run the whole company. You're good. Go do your thing. I'm here if you need me.

Yeah, but like, go.

And he says, He's like, no one cared. He's like, I've worked for all the big companies. No one cared about the guys in the field, but you do.

Yeah.

You care about us, and that's so different, and I've never had that before. And it's like, I send him birthday cards, or he's like, hey, I just see you sent me some money. Like, it's not my birthday. I was like, oh, it's your 3-year anniversary. He's like, oh, cool, thanks. You know, or we go out for a big Christmas dinner. We just like laugh and have fun. And it's just tiny things, but I tell them thank you a lot, and I'm grateful for you, and I try to do little things that typically, I think they don't get from a male-dominated— from their male bosses. And I just— that's just me. And so, it stands out.

You are so thoughtful. You are so thoughtful. Oh, thank you. Like, I remember when I— by the way, y'all, foreword by Amberly Lago.

By Amberly Lago.

But do you know how many forewords I've written for people and praised for book? didn't really get a thank you. Let me tell you the kind of person that Chelsea is. I think about you all the time because I have the candle that you gave me on my dresser. But she sent this beautiful gift to me in the mail. And it's like, to feel appreciated means so much. And there's a friend of mine, his name's Vic Keller. And he is a very successful businessman.

Yeah.

I mean, he's like, very successful. And he said, the best business strategy is to— is love.

Yeah.

Is love your people. And when you love your people, they want to be with you. They know, they feel it. They want to be with you, you know? And so I think that makes a really big difference. And obviously that's what you do. And it's been recognized as well because you were awarded Outstanding Woman in Business by the Denver Business Journal. Congratulations on that. That's amazing. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Yeah. Yeah.

So, what does that mean to you? What, like, to get this award, how'd that make you feel?

It's amazing. And I still don't really, like, realize it, I don't think. But, you know, I went to this just wonderful celebration night, but I'm there with women like really top women from Crocs and like big companies, and then there's little, little me. That's, you know, it's so funny to me, but it's— I guess it's cool that I was even recognized, or it's really neat.

Little old you? Come on now, you are a big deal. You're becoming a household name.

Well, thank you, but it's, it's weird to me to be with these like really big companies that are, you know, huge. And then I feel like, oh my gosh, what am I doing here? It's just weird. But it's, it's, I guess, extra cool to me because I have proven that, okay, I started a company with zero business training or education whatsoever. I jumped into the construction field. I was a teacher, and then I jumped in, got into commercial construction right, right before I started my company.

Yeah.

So that was like throwing me off the deep end. I had no clue what I was doing. I cried a lot, figured it out the hard way. But I'm proving to everyone that you actually don't need to have a degree in that. You don't even need to be trained in it. You can go hustle and find people that are doing what you want to do. I literally found women in Denver doing, you know, that have construction companies or electrical companies, and I became their friend. And we go have lunch and we talk business. And we talk insurance and we talk this stuff that no one else gets.

Yeah.

And we bounce, or if something happens that's kind of, I really think in my gut I know what I want to do, but I'll call one of those women and I'll say, here's what happened, what would you do? And it's like, yes, she feels she would do the same thing. I've found mentors and friends. And so it's just, that's, I guess, what is cool that I've done it my way. I do things differently. And it's being recognized, which is so cool because I would do it the same way over and over again, right? But yeah, to prove you can be successful by doing it your way.

But it's locking arms with other women, other business owners. And I think that's so important. I mean, I just got off of a phone call earlier today and I was speaking at this event and met this this lady there and she's doing her first in-person event. And so I was talking to her. I was like, well, hey, I learned this with my first event and I'd made this mistake with my next one. And if you want to do this, you could add this to your website. You know, I'm adding a chance for sponsorship on my website. But by coming together and just talking and—

Yeah.

I was like, I'll be at your event, help Volunteer, whatever you need me to do. And she's like, well, I'll be at your event, I'll buy a ticket. And it's like when we can support each other, it makes all the difference.

Oh, totally. And you're so good at that.

You—

I've worked with a lot of people and I have absolutely loved your mastermind. So if you're listening and, oh, maybe I should join, like, join yesterday. I'm just gonna say, like, thank you. You are this magical person and you truly I've met very few people that you grab their hand and you're like, let's go, and you want them to succeed just as much as you do and/or more. Truly, that says so much about you.

Thank you.

Because I have— I've worked with other people that they say that, but they don't do it. Or you're like, who do you want to know? Who can I connect you with? What do you want to do next? How can I help get you there? I mean, it is— we, if we lock arms and come together, we can all rise so much faster.

Yeah.

So why are we trying to do it alone? Why are we trying to to be perfect. Like, say, I'm not perfect. I'm a hot mess. But hey, want to be a hot mess with me? Yeah, let's do it together.

And I think too, it's that mindset of abundance. What is meant for you is going to be for you. What's meant for me is going to be for me. But you're right, we can lock arms and, and it's more fun that way. It's way more fun. But I mean, Yes, we lock arms. Yes, I will give suggestions on this, that, and the other of things to do. But you hustle.

I do.

You do it. You're a real hard worker, and I really admire that about you.

Thank you.

I want to know, because you're an amazing mama, wife, do you believe in balance? And if so, how do you balance between your work life and your home life, your mom, your personal life?

Okay. A few things I have learned. Okay. We all think, okay, think of a successful company at the end. They're really successful on the outside. But in order to get there, the owner, the entrepreneur works 80 hours a week. They're stressed. Their health's failing. Their family hates them. They're getting a divorce. I'm sorry, but if that's success, I don't want it.

Yeah.

Now, you know, I started my company in March of 2020. We've over doubled every year. I now work less than I ever have, but when I work, I work really hard. Also, like last year I was turning 40 and I said, hey, I wanna turn 40 in Italy. So my husband and I went to Italy for 10 days. Okay, I run the company. I didn't have a soul to do anything minus my technicians. on the job site. I ran the company from Italy for 10 days, and I was like, this could go real bad, real fast. You know, but I ate so much pizza and pasta and drank Aperol spritzes. And then I'd come home and I'd like, even with the time difference, I made it work. And I was like, oh my God. But I go skiing with my kids on like a Tuesday over winter break, and then I throw them in the pool and I work. I might work weird hours, but I've been to Mexico numerous times.

Yeah.

I literally, because Someday, yes, I will delegate it. But right now, I know it like the back of my hand. It's just, I can do it.

Yeah.

And bust it out. Now also, you know, being a mom and juggling it all, yes, can be hard. Number one, I want my 2 boys to look at me and say that they're proud of me and that I've built something. Like, they know and they're excited. We go get the mail. Like, I have a PO box and we'll go get the mail. And they're like, Mom, how big of a check did we get today?

Oh, is it a good one? Is it a good one?

Like, they go with me to get the mail.

And they also Google your name.

Yeah. They're so proud of you.

I know.

It's very weird. But yeah, it's like, and I'm driving around town, I'm like, see that hospital over there? Mommy helped build that. See that library in town? Mommy helped build that. Like, they're proud of— I want them to hear sometimes what I go through. But also, I mean, it's hard too. Like, I have been— it's like, honestly, a second full-time job. My little son Wyatt, we call him the Honey Badger. He's so sweet, but whoo, that kid is a big spirited child. And we— and honestly, we— he had a horrible kindergarten year, like horrible. And I'm thinking in my mama heart, like, I constantly— I have like PTSD literally from seeing the school district name on my phone because I was like, oh no, what now? Like, and you need to come pick him up. You need to do this. It was just so bad. Well, we found out he has dyslexia, pretty significant dyslexia, and he has a lot of anxiety because of that. And honestly, to even get to this point, now he's in 2nd grade, I have had to step up and be an advocate for him because he doesn't even know what he needs. And I can't even tell you the doctor appointments, the psychiatrist, the psychologist, the dyslexia testing, this, that, Thousands of dollars, which I will happily pay over and over again to get him what he needs. And even now, this year, we switched schools for him to get him in a better spot with a lot more support because he needs that. And so I drop one kid off at one school, then I drive a half hour to drop the other kid off now at the other school. But again, I mean, it's— I make it work because that is my priority.

Yeah.

I'll, I'll get back to those emails and phone calls, or I'll talk somebody in the car. But, you know, it's— so I've, with him specifically, I have really had to step back some meetings at times because I'm like, he needs me right now. And every time I drive an hour away to a meeting, they call me and he need, you know, he's not okay or something. So it's like the— I love being an entrepreneur and that I'm able to like go with the ebb and flow of life.

Mm-hmm.

And I, but I, I, I wanna live my life and be joyful. I'm so grateful now. And I feel like it's— of course, it's not perfect. And some days I'm better at it than others. But like, I'm more fulfilled. And I'm actually doing more. Like, I'm speaking, I'm starting a podcast, I'm writing my second and third book, like, all this stuff that lights me up. And I freaking love it. Yeah. You know, so it's like, if you're doing what you love, it doesn't feel like work.

Yeah, it doesn't.

You make it work.

Yeah, you sure do. So tell me, when is your podcast Launching it soon?

Very soon. Well, okay, so I'm working with your friend who's now my friend, Lou Diamond. He's amazing. But he's like, okay, we're close. We gotta, we gotta tweak it a little bit. We gotta tweak it to make it like amazing when you get it out there. So it's very close. I don't have a date yet, but I'm hoping within a month or two. It's close. Yeah, yeah, I got a lot to say. I'm like, we were laughing about some, some of my silly stories I'm gonna tell, like how I'm trying jokingly trying to get Mother of the Year, which is— yeah, it's going to make some crying, some laughing. It's going to be good.

Are you going to interview your husband on the show?

Oh, I didn't think about that. I don't know.

Maybe. I'm just saying.

I know.

Just saying. Johnny was a big hit on the show.

I got to bring him back for a second encore.

Bring him back. And he's like, well, what are you going to do for me if I'm on your show?

You're like, do I really need to roll out the red carpet for you, babe? I'll take you to a nice dinner.

So you are just talking about a second and third book?

Yes.

Any ideas on the titles for those or can't say yet?

Well, okay. So one, well, my, okay. My second book that I have been thinking about, and I know I'm going to write it, it's a children's book, which is not my, my first book is not that, But I want to write it about a bit like based on Wyatt, my honey badger child, who is the big spirited child that the world's tried to put in a box and he simply cannot be put in a box, nor should he, because he will go out and do something amazing someday. But I mean, literally this child, like when he was 5, he bought a $1,500 dirt bike on Amazon. He couldn't spell, mind you. But I'm like working, somehow he like stole my phone and I get the Amazon confirmation and I'm like, Oh my God, what happened? He, when he was like 3 and a half, he got completely butt naked, climbed a 5-foot wooden fence, and just ran, like walked down the street. And I got a picture from my neighbor. She's like, you got a streaker. And I was like, oh my God. Oh my God. I'm like in my home office working. I'm like, oh my God, he ran away again. Like this child has so many stories. So I'm going to actually use real stories of things he's done, but justify it from a kid like him, you know, who's just living a big life. And so I think, and the more people I talk to, a lot of people have kids that like that, that it's, they're maybe not okay, or they're struggling more than other kids. And it's really hard to be a parent of that child. It's emotionally exhausting. And you cry a lot and you, because all you want is your child to be okay. And when they're not okay, you know, they're not okay.

Yeah.

exactly how to fix it, but you just got to keep going until you find out.

Yeah.

So, that's that book. And then my other book, I realized I— because I've kind of gone into a business without training and figured it out the hard way and do things my way, I want to write kind of an off-the-cuff, slightly inappropriate book for women entrepreneurs.

I think you should. I really—

I have the outline done. I'm like, let's go.

Yeah. I mean, we need that. We need that. And I like learning from someone who has done it.

Me too.

They have, man, they've been through some hard times. They've gotten up, they've figured it out, they've made mistakes. That's— and they've got—

Who's real about it. Like, yes, yeah, I, you know, it wasn't perfect. Here's my mistakes. Here's— right? That's who I want to learn from totally too. Not just someone who seems to like, I'm perfect, I've got it all together.

And that's why I like your book. so much, Real Vibes Only. That's why I love your book. Who is Real Vibes Only for?

I would say it's, well, it's just a bunch of short stories from my life. Some are just me being an idiot and doing stupid things. So, you'll laugh and be like, wow. Others are like some really traumatic things that I've gone through. Some we chatted about today, but how I've worked through it or things I've learned. All of it is You know, giving people permission to own their story. It took me until writing this book to finally own who I really am and put all the good, bad, and ugly out there.

Which can be scary.

It can be scary, but it was so freeing. Oh my God. And I literally feel like I don't have anything to hide anymore. Like, I feel like the fullest expression of myself right now.

Yeah.

And a lot of this was from this. I cried a lot writing it. some stories that every time, man, it was, it was very therapeutic.

Yeah.

You know, but it's, it's me. And all I want, I want people to read it and like, people are like, you're saying what I'm feeling. You're telling me I don't have to be perfect when society does. And I feel alone and I feel judged, or I, I went through something similar and I still have shame and guilt about it. Like, I just want to give people permission to heal, forgive themselves, get rid of shame and guilt, and own your story and just Just be authentically who you are. That's what all I want. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, you have something exciting coming up. I believe you'll be going to New York soon. Oh, yes. Yes.

Yes. My mom and I are doing a very fun event, but I'm not going to— I can't spill the beans just yet.

Okay.

It's a social media surprise.

You'll have to stay tuned to her social media. Tell people where they can find you on social media, where you hang out Yes.

So probably Instagram is the most, and just @ChelseaHughesome. Nothing crazy there. But yeah, follow me there or at my website too. You can find all kinds of social links or whatever.

Yeah. And we'll have all of her links in the show notes so you can easily find where to buy her book, her future book, her children's books. And what is next for you? What is the big exciting thing that you're looking forward to? I know we've already talked about future books. What else are in the plans that you're excited about?

Well, so I got chosen to speak at an event coming up in September in Phoenix. So that's— it's starting to snowball. And we talked about like putting, putting yourself out there, getting to meet people that you feel connected with, right? And yeah, I've done that a lot this year and it's paying off. Which is really cool. So, I'm following things that light my soul up. So, I'm speaking, I'm going to New York with my mom for this fun thing. I'm excited to get my podcast launched, be telling stories that people need to hear. Okay. And just a spoiler, one of the titles, we're still working on it, but it's Elf on the Shelf, Handcuffs, and Things That Go Buzz in the Night. I'm just going to say it's a funny one. I laugh my butt off. Oh, I love it. I'm like, you can't make this up. You just can't. It is so funny. But so, I will be telling a lot of stories about that, but want to get these books out and speak on a national level, world level. Why are we keeping it national? Let's just do world.

World.

But I just— now, it took me a really long time to realize I actually have a story and it changed everything for me. And now, I just want to be unapologetic and I know I have things to share. So that other people can feel less alone or feel connected. So it's kind of, I'm open to anything. It's like follow the magic.

Oh, and wait, you're speaking on the panel.

Oh, I am so excited.

At the next Unstoppable Success Summit.

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited.

Because I really want to feature women from the mastermind who have just like taken the knowledge and just ran with it. You've done it. And I'm just really Really just, I'm so impressed with all that you have accomplished and continue to accomplish. And I can't wait to see you on more and more big stages. And before we go, one last thing. What is some advice that you would give to, let's say, your younger self?

Oh, that, I love that. I would say you are going to go through some really hard times, like things You can't even fathom, but just dig through. You will come out so much stronger on the other side, and then you are just going to fly.

Yeah. You've definitely got some grit, girl. Definitely.

So do you. That's why I love you.

So I love you. Tell everybody one more time where they can find your book and your future podcast and all the exciting events you have coming up.

Yes. Yeah, I would say my website, chelseahusom.com. My book My book's on Amazon, but I have everything, all my social links and any news or fun stuff on my website.

Yes. And she's just redone her website and it's beautiful, by the way. Oh, thank you. So, please take a picture. If you found some value in this, take a picture and share it on your social media. You can tag me @AmberlyLagoMotivation and Chelsea @ChelseaHusum. I always like go, Husum, Husum.

It's hard for me.

Yeah.

It's horrible. My maiden name was Hunt, so like, it was so easy. And then I'm like, thanks, Bev. Thanks. Yeah, yeah, no, no.

But, um, thanks for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show, and we will see you next week.