Fur Covered Wisdom A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World with Gila Kurtz

Hello and welcome to Deborah, is that playing? Wonderful. Gila, you out there?

I am. Okay.

Do you hear the introduction?

I don't hear anything. All right.

Yeah, it went silent on my end as well. All right. That's okay. So we'll just— I'll put that in afterwards and we'll edit the program. Welcome everybody to Shitting the Bitch Radio. Pardon that interruption from our BlogTalk studio here, but I am thrilled that you're, that you're with us today. And Deborah, you back?

I'm back.

All right, we had a little—

I think BlogTalk dropped me.

So yeah, they did, they did, they did. That's okay, that's all right. Well, welcome everybody. It is a beautiful I want to say spring day, but it's not. It's February 20— what, 21st? And here in Atlanta, Georgia, at least, I've been talking about this for quite a while. I sound like a broken record that we're experiencing like 70+ days in the middle, or I guess it's the tail end of winter, but it's crazy. Hey, Deborah, what's it like where you are?

Yesterday it was about 70 and humid, and it rained a little. Today it's going to be 60, and it's going to be cloudy all day. So we're getting some funky weather out here.

Yeah, you're in California, right?

Yes, I'm in Bakersfield, California.

Right, it's just absolutely crazy, but I'm not complaining because it is absolutely beautiful. Uh, yes, I do have, um, allergies already. The season has kicked in. Uh, fortunately we're not doing this on video because right now my whole face is swollen and, uh, I will be popping, uh, Claritin, uh, weeks before I normally have to because I get impacted by allergies very severely during this time of year. And sadly, since we're talking dogs today— well, somewhat dogs— Charlie also, you all know Charlie, he also suffers majorly from the allergies and the pollen and everything else that's going on in the world. But I hope wherever you are in the world, morning, noon, or night, you're having a beautiful, beautiful day. We're going to have a lot of fun today because we are, like I said, talking Fur Covered Wisdom, and I'll talk about that in just a second. I have to tell you though, uh, it's been one of those weeks. Last week I had mentioned I was sick and kind of taken to the bed for days on end leading up to our show last week, and, uh, found myself back in it periodically since then. And it really did a number on me, if you can relate, which I'm sure you can. It did a number on my energy, my focus, my clarity, my momentum. About everything I was doing. And I very much feel like and believe in the concept of— if you're— we've talked about it before here on the program, but Three Feet from Gold. And yes, it's a book, it's a real story, it's a, it's a following in a movement that is led up by Greg Reid, if you haven't— if you're not familiar with it. But really, bottom line, it talks about the fact the fact that here I was really struggling to kind of keep going and keep moving. And yet I always keep the concept of 3 feet from gold in my mind because it means that, you know, don't give up on your dreams because you could just be 3 feet from, you know, your achievement, 3 feet from the success, 3 feet from the riches that you want. And so I kept having to kind of talk, talk myself into that whole thing over the last, I would say, 4 or 5 days. And so, so, so glad I did, um, merely because yesterday I just had an unbelievable fabulous day of just confirming everything that we are working on here at Shutting the Bitch. And not only our programs and our coaching and our radio, but also even the books and, and the movie that I've mentioned to you in the past. So I'll, I'll share more on that as we move forward with what's going on right now. But at the same time, my bottom line point is, you know, we all have those days where we just feel like we're— we want to give up, that it's just too hard or too tiring, or it just doesn't seem to be reaping the rewards that you might have laid out for yourself. And all I will say is to just keep moving, even if it is those small little steps you need just to keep yourself, um, motivated and energized around what it is that you're doing. Because again, you could be 3 feet from the motherlode, and, uh, would hate for you to miss out on that. So, uh, on another note, our private Facebook page, uh, Shift to Riches— take a look at it, don't feel free to join, and we'd love you to as we start to roll out more and more programs going forward. We have a big year planned for the Shutting the Bitch community, and we'd love you to be a part of it. Our upcoming guests, we are loaded. Jill Lublin, she apologizes greatly. She was gonna be with us last week to talk about the Prophet of Kindness, and I had shared with you just moments as we were getting on the air last week that she landed up just not able to drag herself out from her own sickbed to join us. And so she apologizes, apologizes profusely. And as a result, we'll have her back on in May. We'll open up some time slots in late May, early June to make sure that she's back on to talk about it. However, I want you to go to the program. Deborah and I had a hoot of a time. We still talked about kindness. We still made sure that we delivered on our promise of our conversation that we were going to have. And I just gave you kind of my experiences and my expertise and my learnings and my tips and advice all around kindness and how you could be leveraging that not only to build your business and how kindness can, you know, support what goals and dreams that you have for yourself. But at the same time, you know, a lot of you, most of you come to me all around being stuck, all around, you know, feeling like you're struggling and that you're just needing kind of some mental shifts to go on in your, in your mind, body, and spirit. And kindness is one of those things. Smiling at someone or just a random act of kindness. So go back and listen to that program. It turned out to be a great conversation. Then next week we're going to be talking to Sarah Ellison, and then we have Ask Bernadette coming up at the last— I'm sorry, the first Tuesday of the month. I can't believe February is almost over. So obviously we want your questions, stories, and challenges that surround your career, business, and life, and you can post them on Facebook or Twitter, even on LinkedIn. In, and I get a number of emails coming directly to me. And you can certainly do that at BernadetteBoas@ShuttingTheBitch.com, uh, because that is your hour. But it's also your time throughout the month to just get any kind of advice or tips or guidance that you might need that might be cover— um, that might be causing you to be stuck or struggling. And then in March, we are covered up with guests: Sharon Bolt and Gleb Tepersky and Ed Brudeau. We have a number of people that will be joining us throughout the month of March. Let's see, what else would we have going on? I think that would be it. So let me introduce you the topic, then I'll share with you what you're going to hear from our guests today, and then we're going to get into what your rich question is. It's your one question that we'd like you to think about, and then as you're listening to our guests and myself discuss the topic, I'm pretty sure our guest typically gets to answering your question. And if not, then we certainly are here to, to make sure that we can fill in any blanks or any additional questions that you might have for yourself. So we are talking fur-covered wisdom and how a dog can change the way you see the world. So we all know that dogs can certainly be significant teachers when the student is ready to learn, and according to our guest, the Dog is Good founder Gila Gertz shares how to live inspired by your dog or your pet, and you can fetch a life worth barking about by living more simply, working more efficiently, and learning how to play again. So, um, excuse me. So some of the things that you're going to hear about is how, um, our guest turned her love for dogs into an award-winning lifestyle brand for dog lovers, and how can you do the same around your own passion.. And then we're going to talk about identifying the common struggles women entrepreneurs specifically have. But again, we do have a large corporate and entrepreneurial audience, so I would just kind of strip it down to say the common str— struggles women have in business and how to implement some key points from her book and from her brand for Covered Wisdom around chasing your dreams, keeping your eye on the ball, and making time for play, because all of those things are important for your life and for your riches, as we say, and they're inspirations in the Dog is Good line as well. So your rich question I want you to be thinking about is, what is that one area of your life that you are struggling to live simply or to be more efficient in your work, or to be able to find or have time to play often. So that's your question: what is the one area of your life that you're struggling that you would like to make some shifts in when it comes to living simply, working efficiently, or playing often? And you can tag us throughout your tweets and Facebook posts and whatnot with #DogLover or #ShedTheBitch, as always. So we're going to take a brief break, and when we get back, I'll introduce you to our guest for today, and we'll dive into this fur-covered wisdom conversation. We'll be right back.

You are listening to Shedding the Bitch Radio with Bernadette Boas. We are inspiring individuals around the globe to discover, confront, and shed their bitches of fear, insecurity, insecurity and negativity so they can create the riches in their career, business and life they deserve. Be sure to check out Bernadette Boas' book, Shedding the Corporate Bitch: Shifting from Bitch to Rich in Life and Business, available on Amazon and sheddingthebitch.com. We also want to thank our sponsors, TSR Consulting, who offers a broad range of tax services for small to corporate size clients. Go to TSRConsulting.com consulting.com to learn more. And Parker House Virtual Services, who provides virtual assistance and social media support for small to medium-sized businesses. Email Deborah Parker at deborahparker78@gmail.com for more information. To become a sponsor or advertiser on our program, email us at media relations at sheddingthebitch.com. Shedding the Bitch Radio airs every Tuesday at noon Eastern time. Be sure to go to blogtalkradio.com/sheddingthebitchradio and follow the program for all of the updates and announcements of our guests and show topics. Now let's return to Bernadette and Shedding the Bitch Radio.

Welcome back everyone. I am so looking forward to this conversation today because you know I'm a dog lover as my dog is sitting next to me. Like literally like drooling over some treats I have in front of me to, you know, keep them quiet. So today's conversation with Gila Gertz, our guest, who is a successful serial entrepreneur who found her deepest passion is in working with dogs and their people. In addition to building a successful dog training business wherever the Navy moved her, she co-founded and co-owns Dog is Good, an award-winning lifestyle brand for dog lovers. Gila focused on filling the void in the market for exceptional gifts to celebrate the essence of the dog-human bond. As a result of her dedication and vision, Gila has turned her dog— love for dogs into a 7-figure-a-year business by growing revenue through wholesale to retailers, online e-commerce, and licensing to other manufacturers. Not one to ever sit still, she recently rebranded her dog training and is having an absolute blast getting back to her roots as the founder of Your Dog Is Good Expert Training and Coaching at Both Ends of the Leash. She is the author of Fur Covered Wisdom: A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World, which quickly became a number one international bestseller on Amazon in both the pet and self-help categories and speaks professionally on life lessons, business development, leadership, building relationships, and parenting strategies inspired by dog. Additionally, she is the recipient of several business awards, including recognition as one of the top 25 women of influence in the pet industry. Gila is a master of Blissphalene. I'm gonna— we're gonna talk to her about that. Bliss— blissphalene. I'm gonna have to ask her for pronunciation lessons. She loves her active lifestyle and is number one fan to her daughter Abby. Welcome to the show, Gila.

Thank you, Bernadette. Thank you for that nice introduction. Do you want to tell you how to say that word?

Yes, please.

Okay, okay, it's blissipline, the discipline of putting bliss back into your life.

All right, well, now that I definitely understood, and it's very clear. I just seem to have a— seem to have a twisted tongue when it comes to saying it, that's for sure. Well, welcome to the program. I'm so excited to talk about— talk to you about, um, everything that you do when it comes to Fur Covered Wisdom. So let's back up a little bit and just, if you could, give us some background and share with our listeners just how you came about wanting to take your own experience with your dog into first the, first the book, and then we'll talk about the business.

Oh, okay, great. Well, my background, as you mentioned, is as a professional dog trainer. I've been doing that for 16 years, and it was through my experiences with my own dogs and the experiences that I saw families having with their dogs, that I saw very clearly dogs absolutely can and do change the way that you see the world, particularly so if you are open to that. So as I've often said, when the student is ready to learn, the teacher will appear, and then it's up to that student as to whether or not they will actually take those lessons and put them to heart, use them for shifting, for change, and for growth. And so it was a few years ago, actually, as I was running Dog is Good, and being the overachiever that I am, I was taking on quite a few extra ventures, one of which was a component of our corporate giving program, where I took on raising a guide dog personally so that I could create awareness for this organization while we were raising funds. So I took this puppy on, which stayed with me for a year, and during the course of that year, while I was raising funds and while I was training the puppy very publicly and while I was managing my team and doing production of products and selling and getting things into distribution, little by little I started to to find myself disappearing within everything that I was doing. And at one point, you know, suddenly realized I— gosh, I just didn't even know who I was anymore. And when you hit places like that, you often, you know, it kind of can go into a downward spiral, if you will. Um, but what I discovered was one day I was sitting on my bed, actually, and not wanting to get out of bed and looking at this beautiful yellow lab who had actually been— had gone through the whole program. So, I had raised her for a year. She was beautifully trained. And then, the objective is they go back to the guide dog organization and they finalize the training before giving them to the person in need. And just to back up a second, 'cause this is very relevant. When I dropped her off, obviously, you know, when you've spent a year raising a dog, you become incredibly attached and it's very difficult to give them up.

Oh, right.

You are.

Yeah. But the director of philanthropic giving was just so powerful in his interaction with me. He never once addressed my sadness for giving the dog up, but brought me to his office to share stories of impact that these dogs were having on lives of individuals who now had a whole new world open up to them because of the service that these dogs were providing. So I left Michigan feeling awesome, you know, like, "Wow, I'm really making a contribution in someone's life in a very small way," but I just felt great. So a few weeks later when— actually, it was about 7 weeks later, I got a phone call from the organization letting me know that they had chosen to, what they call, career change the dog, meaning they're not going to make it all the way through the program, and they— many of them don't. About 50% of them don't for a variety variety of things, right?

Yeah. So this—

her reason was she actually just didn't want to work. She was not up for going through, um, what was required of her. And they respect that and know that, you know, this is a dog that's just not meant to be for that. But when the director called me to share that with me, my perfectionist interpretation was, wow, I just failed.

Right?

I, I failed her. I failed the program. I failed some needy individual, and I failed myself. And so I took on this very, very self-defeating mindset, and coupled that with everything else that was going on in my business, it really did lead me to a very dark place. Very dark place. But so I took the dog back of course, we get first right of refusal as puppy owners, and took her back. And fast forward now, I'm sitting on my bed, this year-old dog is now in my home, and I'm watching her wake up. And I've never seen anything like it. In fact, the entire year that she was with me, I had never seen anything like this, and I've been around dogs, you know, for quite some time. This dog would wake up with such exuberance, with this full-body wag, with this gleam in her eye that just never ended. And would literally— it was as though she was saying, oh my gosh, it's another day. This is like, this is unbelievable, this is another day. And I just remember sitting there thinking, oh man, if I could wake up like her, I think my day would be so much better. And in that moment—

well, let's—

before you move forward from that though, let me ask you a question. Do you think it was really something different in her, or was it your perspective? Perspective of how she, you know, how she welcomed in the day?

No, it was very unique to her because I have several other dogs. I pet-sit for dogs. Dogs wake up and they're, you know, they're generally happier than probably most people, but none I had ever seen wake up like her with, you know, I can't quite describe it. It's just this amazing amount of energy, but not hyper-energy. It's right, full body wag. It's greeting everybody and everything, including my other dog. It's looking up with this glow and a smile and a level of exuberance that truly I had not seen before in most other dogs, at least the ones in my care. So it was in that moment for sure I said, you know, I am going to do this. I'm just going to follow her lead, and I'm going to try to emulate whatever she is doing and experiencing. And through that, hopefully I can shift and get out of my own way, because I don't want to be in my way right now. And so over the course of that year, I really did take to heart a lot of the anecdotal lessons, not only through her but through other dogs in my life, and then put that down on paper, uh, to, to do those things that I mentioned, you know, fetch a life worth barking about and make that shift in order to design the future that I truly wanted to live personally.

Right, right. Well, you know, well, I have a number of questions leading from that, but first I'll just say I can absolutely relate whether or not the experience I have with my dog each morning is one of the same, but I certainly know that my dog was sent to me from my father who had just passed and I was looking, you know, I was basically looking for something or someone to kind of come in and fill that void. And the next thing you know, good old Charlie here, who's now 11, he kind of popped up into my life and has been here ever since. And it's just absolutely has changed every aspect of me. So I can certainly relate. But I— but the question that I have for you, back to you, is Okay, so you definitely get this, this calling or this, this sense that you should just follow his spirit. Is it a he or she?

She.

She. And what is her name?

Her name is Bolo. It stands for be on the lookout.

Oh, that's cute. Uh, so, so you decided to follow Bolo's spirit and follow her energy and whatnot, but What made you think that there was some relevance in what it was you were learning from her and experiencing from her that you even put it in paper? Forget that, you know, we're not at the book yet, but what made you say, well, I want to write this down and capture this?

I think it wasn't me making that decision as much as it was just sharing a story with another person. Um, it had been 5 months since I was making my own personal shift and taking back my power, if you will, to control how my day would unfold. That I had— I knew I had that choice. Anyway, I was sharing this, just a simple story about it, and the person I was speaking to was so moved by it, she said, gosh, I really wish you would— you should put this down on paper. You should write a book about this because I'm just I'm just moved by what you just said. And quite honestly, I had never considered writing a book. I had never— that was not one of the goals that I had written down on paper. But I thought about it and figured, gosh, you know what, that would be a new adventure for me. I'd like to try to do that. And so I did. And, you know, it was not an easy task to accomplish, but once I did, it was you know, it was a very cathartic experience to go through that process.

Well, and, um, and I, you know, again, I can so relate. But, um, staying on— so you decide to actually— you take that, you heed that person's advice, and you do decide to write it. What was the— not the writing process, I don't want to know that— but what was kind of like the catharticism, as you mentioned, of actually kind of compiling your experiences, and maybe you, you shifted your, your perspective and viewpoints on what that experience is that then could translate into lessons or tips and advice for other people, um, to kind of, you know, take a perspective from their pet, whichever kind of pet they have. What made you, or what helped you, guide you through what you felt was going to be important for someone else to learn from?

Right. Um, I guess I could touch on 3 points to that. The first being, uh, going back to how I approach my clients in dog training. So when, when new puppy owners hire me, um, they are very clear as to what they do not want their puppies to do, right? I don't want them peeing in the house. I don't want them jumping. They're very clear on all these I don't wants, but they never can tell me what they do want. And so I often open the the session with, tell me what success looks like to you, and giving them parameters on which to kind of fill in the blanks to help them along. And what happened for me with the book was around that too. So chapter 1 is Chase Your Dreams. I had to really sit down and ask myself that very same question, what does success look like to you? Because it's very different from what I thought it was going to be. You know, after hitting major success milestones within my company. And so finding the opportunity to really dig much deeper within my heart and soul as to what success would look like and what were the real dreams that I wanted to go after and how could I. So that first process became an opportunity to really look ahead and to also come to the conclusion, you know, You really do have choice. Everybody always says that, but you really do. And it is a matter of just putting the stake in the ground in order to move forward in the direction on a daily basis. So I felt that that would be a relevant thing that I— a lot of the women that I connect with that I know via business, via friendships, variety of relationships, we were all kind of sharing a similar thing like, oh, you know, What's next for me? Or am I really doing what I was supposed to be doing? You know, so I felt that was very relevant. The other thing that I found that was very relevant actually was there was a period during the writing where I remember sitting in the room that I was writing in and just started to go through this whole series of emotions from frustration— as to the words weren't coming out the way that I wanted them to. Then that frustration moving into anger and then ultimately into a little bit of despair or victim mode. And I remember just kind of breaking down in that moment and just crying and thinking, "Oh, this is silly and who's going to care? Nobody's going to want to read this." You know, just like all this terrible negative talk. And then in that moment, there was the breakthrough. Where I was like, gosh, you know what, I don't really care if anybody reads this. I need to get this out. I have so much— it's just pent up there that I can't move forward unless I get this out. So that was a very freeing moment for me. And I think the lesson there became not so much from the dog as much as it was, um, knowing that it doesn't matter what anybody thinks or what anybody says, because at the very crux of it, nobody gets to wake up in my head and in my body on a daily basis. They don't get to feel what I feel. And so if I don't make those shifts and change myself, if I don't just do the uncomfortable or do things that frustrate me and plow through that, just like you were saying, you know, being so close, that 3 feet from gold— I loved your opening reminding people about that— then, then you will always stay stuck.

Stuck.

So I thought that was the lesson in that. And then the final lesson really boiled down to when I was writing the chapter on Make Time for Play. Quite honestly, I had forgotten what play was. I can't— at the time, I can't remember the last time I was really laughing or enjoying times with friendships or just feeling content to just be in the moment doing something that was fun. I couldn't even think about what I'd like to do, much less engage in it. And right, but you know, you have a lab and you live in California where there's Dog Beach, and so you go to the Dog Beach. And it was a particular day during this process that she loves to play in the waves, she loves to body surf, and we throw the ball. And I don't like to get in the water, kind of scares me a little bit, the ocean, plus it's a little cold. But that particular day, it was like she just called to me, and so I started wading out a little bit further, a little bit further, and then all of a sudden together we just were playing. And I felt like after an hour, just such a shift in who I was in that moment. And I was laughing and I was having fun and I was, you know, kind of whooping it up with some of the strangers there at the beach. We're also having a great time. And that was a reminder, like, you know what, you get to a point sometimes as adults, particularly, particularly if you're a workaholic perfectionist, you not only forget how to play.

You just—

I mean, you don't— it not only make time to play, you almost forget. And it's a process of relearning that. And that's—

or you feel guilty that you shouldn't be playing and you should be working or taking care of the family or taking care of your friends. And, and God, you know, God forbid you're out there actually like kicking up the waves with your dog because you know, there's other more serious, more important things that you should be doing when exactly you're doing exactly what you should be doing.

Exactly. I mean, it's so true. It's so right.

It is so true. All right, well, I want to first remind everyone and give you some information in regards to Gila before we take a break, and we'll come back. We have a lot more to talk about. Um, but I want to remind you of her book, Fur Covered Wisdom: A Dog Can Change The Way You See the World. Please go out to Amazon, take a look for that. Like, like we said, it was a number one international bestseller, so pick that up. Also be sure to check out her website, dogisgood.com. And like her intro said, she's got a lot of gifts and a lot of resources that you could be using. And I would also have you think about, everyone, I have a lot of friends who are cat lovers, not dog lovers, and yet all these things that we're talking about, even the things that, you know, her story and the lessons you can learn from her story, um, forget the fact that it's dog-specific, though you dog lovers, you should be picking it up immediately, um, but you can, you know, there's still life lessons that we can all learn. And we're, when we get back from our break, we are going to dig a little deeper into those things, uh, of the lessons that she learned around chasing your dreams and and playing more and all that kind of good stuff. So please also follow her on Facebook and Twitter. She makes it really easy on you, everybody. Everything that she does is around Dog is Good. So Twitter, Facebook, her email is gila@dogisgood.com, and of course her website dogisgood.com. So please be sure to check her out. And when we get back, we're gonna talk more around what lessons you could take from her own story to really help you kind of tap into what you— what makes you chase your dreams and play more and achieve whatever it is in life that you want to achieve. So we'll be right back.

You are listening to Shedding the Bitch Radio with Bernadette Boas. We are inspiring individuals around the globe to discover, confront, and shed their bitches of fear, insecurity, insecurity and negativity so they can create the riches in their career, business and life they deserve. Be sure to check out Bernadette's book, Shedding the Corporate Bitch: Shifting from Bitch to Rich in Life and Business, available on Amazon and sheddingthebitch.com. We also want to thank our sponsors, TSR Consulting, who offers a broad range of tax services for small to corporate size clients. Go to TSRConsulting.com consulting.com to learn more. And Parker House Virtual Services, who provides virtual assistance and social media support for small to medium-sized businesses. Email Deborah Parker at deborahparker78@gmail.com for more information. To become a sponsor or advertiser on our program, email us at mediarelations@sheddingthebitch.com. Shedding the Bitch Radio airs every Tuesday at noon Eastern time. Be sure to go to blogtalkradio.com/sheddingthebitchradio and follow the program for all of the updates and announcements of our guests and show topics. Now let's return to Bernadette and Shedding the Bitch Radio.

Welcome back everyone, we are talking with Gila Gertz. Who is the co-founder and co-owner of Dog is Good. I want you to check it out, dogisgood.com, an award-winning lifestyle brand for dog lovers. At the same time, whether you're a dog lover, cat lover, people lover, whomever, life lover, her book is a number one international bestseller, and it's all around her fur-covered wisdom. A dog can change the way you see the world. However, what we're talking about is life lessons that you can take whether you are a dog lover, an overall pet lover, lover, a people lover. And she has a great deal of wisdom, as she says, wisdom to share with you in regards to how you can kind of tap into the various lessons that she's learned in order to kind of keep your eye on the ball, play full out, chase your dreams, and really just, ah, enjoy life. Now, I love our guests that give you special treats and opportunities. So, if you were to go to dogisgood.com, you will save 15% and receive a free dog lover tote with a purchase of $15 or more. But you have to use the special code that she provided for us. And that code is STB, as in shed the bitch, STB2017 at checkout time. So go to dogisgood.com, check out all of the gifts and the treats and other things that she has there, and you'll save 15% and receive a free dog lover tote with a purchase of $15 or more. Isn't that wonderful? All right, so Gila, I love how you were talking about how that one experience running around in the, in the water kicking up and playing with your dog, how it really made you think about the fact that it doesn't really matter what anybody else thinks about what it is that you're doing or what dreams you're chasing. And can you share with us, or can you convert that into lessons or tips for our listeners, because a lot of people say, yes, I wish I could get past, you know, caring what other people think, but, you know, I, I don't know how to go about doing that. What did you do to kind of get past having that foreshadow out there?

Well, I think getting past what others think, that's a challenge that many of us face, particularly women, on a, on a daily basis. And I can't say that there's never moments that I don't— that those fleeting thoughts don't cross my mind. But I think what it boils down to is, you know, you get to a place, a point in your life at which you know that if you do not do what is best for you, regardless of what other people think, then you are the one that is living the life and unhappy. You are the one that is never pursuing what it is that you actually really, really want. And what I've often found is people really aren't thinking about you that much, you know. It's a little— they really aren't thinking about it. That's something that you're imposing on them. They might, you know, a group of people might say something in one second, and then the next instance they're on to the next thing. They have their own stories and struggles and dreams and hopes and goals, and that's what they're concentrating on. And if we've spent a lot a lot less time worrying about, you know, everybody else thinking this thing and that, you know, we definitely would be designing our lives differently and with more intent.

Absolutely. There is actually an— I would— I have about 5 windows up on my machine right now, but yeah, there's a famous quote about people would be surprised how little other people think of them. Yeah, when I heard that that statement, and as I, I'm listening to you share your own view of it, I could just remember the, the years I was so consumed about what everybody thought of me, and, and I cared more about what they thought of me than what I thought of me. And this, that statement that you made about, you know, people would be surprised at how little other people are thinking about them, I actually share that with anybody and everybody dealing with the same because You know, it is quite eye-opening when you really think about it. You know, people are not thinking about you as often as you wish they were thinking about you or you think they're thinking about you. So I love that, absolutely love that.

Thank you. And just to add on that, somebody shared with me a quote the other day which I also found brilliant, and that was, "What other people think of me or what other people may say about me is none of my business." None of my business. That's in their own— that's in their world. It's not my business, right?

Exactly. And, and it's, it's really— I mean, I don't know if you learned this, but I just learned that it's just letting go of wanting to control everything. And, and can— and, you know, it's a, it's a form of control that you think that you're going to be able to control what other people say or think or do, and you just can't. You just can't.

Right.

So question for you, how are people impacted by your lessons? What shifts do you see they're making as a result of the stories that you tell in your book and the things that you, you know, speak on and whatnot? You know, what kind of impact are they having?

Yeah, so one of the things that I found fascinating, and then I was so grateful that I did it. Which I want to share one other point to that. After the book was published, obviously, you know, my family, my friends, every people in my immediate circle of life, of course, got the book and read it. And, you know, we enjoyed it very much so. But where I was really moved was when I started to receive emails from people I didn't know. And hearing, you know, I think a lot of my story resonated with a lot of people. I think when you are going through a depression, and particularly if it's incredibly deep and challenging, and you're struggling to keep up the persona of this amazing human being and live up to the expectations that others— that you have imposed on others that they think of you, does that make sense? You know, the assumptions of what others speak of us. And, um, I think a lot of— I think a lot of people could relate to that. So I found that the emails that I was receiving were helping people through that. And also, you know, most of my audience are dog lovers, and so there is a very unique bond that we have with our pets. It's unlike anything, any relationship that we have with our friends, family, children, spouses, et cetera. And because we feel— because they provide that unconditional love, and because we feel so safe with them, we're more open to taking on some of those anecdotal lessons and trying them on for size and testing them out and working to, to have those shifts. I also got a couple phone calls from people asking me to mentor them, which really surprised me. I was like, wow, well, that's an incredible honor. And in that moment, I thought of something Way back when I was in, you know, chapter 3 or 4 trying to write the book and having my little, you know, personal meltdown in that moment, and I thought about where I was sitting reading these emails or taking these phone calls after the book was published and thinking, what if I didn't? What if I gave up? What if I robbed people of a little gift that I could give that could change or impact or influence them in some positive way? How selfish, how selfish it is. To hold on to our gifts when, um, out of our own fears, you know. So that was a big epiphany for me, and that, that those are, you know, I guess an answer to your question is just people, you know, identifying with the story, and then also because of the, the unique bond and relationships they have with their dogs, being very open to seeing, uh, the world a little bit more clearly through their eyes because they trust their dogs. And dogs reinforce, reinforce them.

Right, right. And, and everyone, I think, you know, Gila is making such a profound point around the fact that though you may, you know, have your own bitches of insecurity around whether or not you have something to say and something to teach and something to mentor, as she mentioned, and something to share so you, you know, so other people are impacted, You know, you questioning that is not uncommon. However, where you're cheating yourself and cheating other people is allowing that insecurity, allowing that fear to stop you from pursuing the goals and the dreams that you have, because you could be impacting other people's lives for the positive, just as Gila is. So just think about that. I mean, just you know, think about the fact that you, you are here on this earth for a reason and a purpose and, and up for other people to learn from you. So if you have a dream, have a goal, you want to be doing something, uh, don't cheat yourself or cheat the world of what it is you want to share. Whether it's about a dog, the life lessons you've learned, just like Gila did, whether it's, you know, very much like what I did with my story take Gila's advice and chase your dream, play full out. And, and I want to get back to, um, her other lesson, which I thought was interesting, and that is around keeping your eye on the ball. So I hope I summed that up okay, Gila, because I just think it's really important. What you're sharing is, uh, profound when it comes to just, um, you know, making sure that you're, you're sharing your life lessons and goals and dreams, right?

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, one of the things I love about, as I'm learning about your program and shedding the bitch and the concepts around that, yeah, those little bitches in our heads that, you know, prevent us from doing simple things like, you know, even just going to a meeting or an event. Like, I know a lot of your audience are incorporating going to a networking event and those stupid insecurities and fears that you have when you walk in. And I have always found my favorite part of pushing those little insecurities aside is that there's always somebody that ends up being like the coolest friend.

I—

and I think, right, uh, I would have totally cheated myself if I had let my little fear or my feeling like my dress doesn't feel right today, you know, stop me from, you know, going into something like that. But yeah, no, so I thought you— you definitely—

I—

you and I are thinking along those on the same wavelength here for sure, for sure on that. It robs yourself and it robs others around you. And as it relates to keep your eye on the ball, what I love about that, and in that chapter I have two examples. I had a Dalmatian Labrador mix who loved to chase her ball, and of course my dog currently who loved to chase her ball, but the two are very different. So the Dalmatian Lab would play for a little while, she would never bring the ball back to me, which I always joked was because she was only half lab. But she would get so distracted by scents, by sounds, by other things that she was— while she was playing and having fun, she wasn't ever really fully engaged in that process, and she would get pulled off any number of moments. And then I was left trying to, you know, pick up the ball and throw it again. And the yellow lab, on the flip side, is so laser focused on her ball. There is nothing that gets in the way. There is no sight, sound, other dogs, let's say at the dog park or at the beach, whatever. Nothing pulls her off her focus. And right, so what I got from that is in our world today, as you can relate, and as I'm sure many of your listeners can relate as well, we have so many things pulling our attention in a gazillion directions. The obvious, it's people, it's interruptions during the day, it's the sound of that stupid ding on our phone that, you know, causes us to stop what we're doing just to check it out. It's the emails coming in and the meetings we need to go to and the webinars we want to watch. It's just so many things. And I find that the more— that so many people really have a challenging time just focusing on one, and you have to be incredibly proactive to make that happen for yourself. And I believe it starts first with knowing what your high priority action items are for the day. And that doesn't matter if you're an entrepreneur, a mom, you know, raising her children, or an employee working for a company. All right, have high priority action items that if those things do not get done, we do not move the ball forward. We just don't. And so then how can one take what those high priority action items are and ensure that there is a very focused approach to plowing through those without interruption? And that takes intent. You have to set the boundaries. You have to set yourself up for success, ensuring that you've time blocked it in such a way that you can actually stay the course until complete. Because as we all know, multitasking just doesn't work. And I know that myself included, you know, would pride myself on the millions of things that I was doing at any given time. And I would, you know, be working all the time. And I would kind of say that with pride. And really at the end, it was, I was getting pulled off so often in so many directions that I couldn't take things all the way through to completion. And that adds to a level of stress that is, you know, it's challenging.

Right, right. So your tip is to kind of identify your top priorities for the day, shut out all distraction, and then just go to heads down, almost like a dog on its ball.

Yep, totally.

And get it done, right?

Right. And yes, and I have to be clear though, The high priority action items, those are the critical, the critical, the critical things, not the list of your things to do. On every list of things to do, there are at least 3 that if you do not get them done for sure, you are not moving the ball forward, whether it's a project you're working on or something, or growing a business or managing a household. If those things don't get done, because we get pulled off by the littler things like, "Oh, this will be easier to do now. I'll do this one first. I can knock this one out." No, you gotta go after the high priority stuff first. And then you have to tell other people. So at my office, they know from 8:30 to 11:30 you cannot interrupt me. You can't. I'm working, I'm focused on, you know, sales. And if it's other things, like, I'll just time block it in my calendar so people know, don't schedule a meeting for me, or don't schedule meetings back to back. And then the other biggest thing and this was a challenge, was I just put my phone either in another room or turn it off. Because I know in 45 minutes the world is not going to come to an end if I don't answer a text, you know?

Right, right. Amen, amen, sister. Amen, amen. Uh, we're going to take one last break, and when we get back, I, I definitely want to, um, ensure that each and every one of you are going to dogisgood.com check out the gifts, check out the resources. Absolutely check out Gila's book, Fur Covered Wisdom: A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World. And it's the number one bestseller on Amazon, and she's got great lessons that you can learn and apply to your own life. So when we get back, we'll wrap up our conversation, but we'll end it with some other additional great tips from Fur Covered Wisdom. And our guest Gila Gertz. We'll be right back.

You are listening to Shedding the Bitch Radio with Bernadette Boas. We are inspiring individuals around the globe to discover, confront, and shed their bitches of fear, insecurity, and negativity so they can create the riches in their career, business, and life they deserve. Be sure to check out Bernadette's book, Shedding the Corporate Bitch: Shifting from Bitch to Rich in Life Life and Business, available on Amazon and sheddingthebitch.com. We also want to thank our sponsors: TSR Consulting, who offers a broad range of tax services for small to corporate-sized clients. Go to TSRConsulting.com to learn more. And Parker House Virtual Services, who provides virtual assistance and social media support for small to medium-sized businesses. Email Deborah Parker at deborahparker78@gmail.com for more information. To become a sponsor or advertiser on our program, email us at mediarelations@sheddingthebitch.com. Shedding the Bitch Radio airs every Tuesday at noon Eastern Time. Be sure to go to blogtalkradio.com/sheddingthebitchradio and follow the program for all of the updates and announcements of our guests and show topics. Now let's return to Bernadette and Shedding the Bitch Radio.

Welcome back everyone. We are talking with Gila Gertz. She is the author of Fur Covered Wisdom: A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World, as well as co-owner and founder of Dog is Good. So go to dogisgood.com to learn more. But Gila, in our last minute or so, I want to go back to what you talked about in your opening, and that was around how you just noticed all of a sudden how your dog Bolo woke up with such energy and vivaciousness and, and excitement. Is there a tip that you can share with our listeners in regards to what can they do to ensure that they're waking up with that same type of energy or, or excitement?

Right. Um, well, one of the things I would have to say is I don't think that we all have to wake up with that same level of energy and exuberance, but that when we wake up, we wake up with intention. And what I mean by that is— and this goes back to that blissipline that I talk about— that we all as human beings have different levels of energy. I happen to be a highly energized, motivated person in the mornings, you know, but 10 o'clock at night forget about it. And there's others who, you know, their energy flows is a little bit different. But the point is waking up and not just, you know, uh, you know, putting on my stuff and then going through the motions and starting my day, but getting up even a little earlier so that you have time to sit down and set the intention for the day. So my form of blissipline is waking up, and I do happen to wake up very early, but that's— I've always woken up very early, um, and I take time to journal to write down my visions and actually sit for a moment and really see those. I write down what I'm grateful for, so I know that if I'm grateful for things, that there's just no room to be negative. And then I— then I take time to meditate. And that has been a huge thing, something I thought I could never accomplish.

But I understand.

Mm-hmm. And then I actually write out these very words: today is a day in my life and I only get one chance. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. So how am I going to be in this day? And I think about it, I think about it, you know, how will I be? And, and I write it out. And then I go to the gym and do my own personal stuff and then spend time with my dog. So my day starts with intention versus starting with getting up and going right to my email and starting work. And yeah, you know, it gets crazy after that.

I absolutely agree. Fabulous, fabulous tip to close out this great conversation that we're having with Gila Gertz. I'm so grateful that you joined us today to talk to us about your fur-covered wisdom and your book, A Fur-Covered Wisdom: A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World. Thank you so so much for joining us. I so appreciate it.

You are so welcome. I'm so honored and humbled, and thank you for the opportunity to share my message. I do want to say just real quick, um, my last name— I must have had a typo in there, but it's actually Kurtz with a K. Gila Kurtz.

Oh, oh, I'm so sorry.

No, I thought I was hearing you say Gertz, and then I was like, did I hear that right?

Yes.

So I just wanted to share to correct that because, um, Could have been a typo that I had sent over.

No, no, it's— no, no, no, it's listed as Gila Kurtz, so it was obviously my, you know, I'm having pronunciation issues today.

Okay, no worries, no worries.

Yeah, so go everyone to dogisgood.com and learn all about Gila. I so appreciate you joining us. And of course, as I mentioned at the top of the hour, we have some great guests coming up. Sarah Ellison will join us next week. And keep in mind, your Ask Bernadette episode is the first week of each month, first Tuesday, when right here at Shedding the Bitch Radio. So be sure you're posting your questions, stories, and challenges out on Facebook and Twitter page, and we'll be addressing them right here on our Shedding the Bitch Radio program the first Tuesday of each month. For everybody here in the Shedding the Bitch community, for Deborah Parker and myself, I want you to all have a very rich and prosperous week, and we'll look forward to having you right back here next Tuesday at noon Eastern time with our guest Sarah Ellison. Talk to you soon, everybody. Thank you. Thank you for listening to Shedding the Bitch Radio with Bernadette Boas. Join Bernadette every Tuesday at noon Eastern as she helps you shift your bitches to riches. And the dialogue is always going on at sheddingthebitch.com. See you next week.