Ep. 3: Getting Real About Visibility with Vegan Travel Influencer Anna McKitrick

I hate the word busy. I really do. I don't think it's like a good word, but like you should be like too busy working on it, working to worry about it not working.

Not working. That, that's a quotable. Welcome to the Prosperous Woman Podcast. I'm Claire Sellers, a business mentor and coach who is absolutely obsessed with helping you create the business of your dreams and your most prosperous life. Tune in for inspiring conversations with extraordinary women that will propel you towards becoming the prosperous woman.

Yay.

I'm so excited. We are here with Anna McKittrick, one of my clients, my friends, my sisters. I'm so excited about this conversation. Welcome to the show.

Hi, thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here.

Yay. So I'm just gonna kind of like fill people in. I, I always like to give a backstory. So Anna and I met through one of my other clients, Lauren Bates, the founder of Wild Terrains. And Anna came to me, I'll let her share a little bit about what we worked on later in the show as a client. But Anna came to me and we worked on, she's got So many things going on that we're gonna deep dive into. This woman is a, I would call a serial entrepreneur. And Anna loved me so much that she decided to move to Mexico and become my neighbor.

True. True.

Which is just a dream come true. So we are just two peas in a pod, and we have so much in common as just people and And it's just been such a joy to work with you and growing and scaling your business over the last year or so.

Yay. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here.

Me too. So your story is very interesting because unlike a lot of my clients, you do not come from like a traditional corporate background. Like you have a very interesting story. So just kind of like give us the high level from like the acting to the restaurants, like How did you get here and tell us what you do now?

Yeah, yeah, it's been for sure an interesting journey. I basically like knew I wanted to be an actor since I was a kid from like watching TV shows. I decided when I was 18, I finished high school, I was just going to move to New York by myself and pursue that. And it started going really well after a while, definitely not immediately, but I ended up doing this really cool movie with Denzel Washington. I did a Netflix show with Colin Kaepernick. And then I really stopped liking it at all. And I think in hindsight, if the social media landscape looked like it did now back then, like when I was graduating high school, it was all like these very aesthetic, like bikini photos. It was just Instagram. It wasn't TikTok. Being a content creator didn't as much exist. You were just like an influencer in like a bikini, or that was not your job. And so I think if it existed the way it did now, I would have always been interested in doing that instead. But I started to get a really big pull towards social media, particularly as I really started to kind of just care more about things and wanna have a better impact. And I just felt like a lot of people I was working for, or like companies I would be doing commercials for, were very misaligned with what I was. So I had the pull to post on social media. I really didn't know what was gonna happen. I kind of figured I would make a living off of brand deals. But then when I went to Guatemala to do like a language immersion program, people kind of just started commenting like, oh, you should do a group trip. That would be so fun. And it really was all, all uphill from there. I was like, okay, we're gonna do one. Like, let's do it. I'm just simply not capable of like, just being like, yeah, let's just like throw one together and do one. And that's that. It had to make it an entire company.

So you launched a travel company, a vegan travel company. Travel Company, which I would say is kind of like the go-to leading vegan travel company. It's a very niche market and you've really cornered it, I would say.

Yeah, for sure. And I think what I've— just to like pat myself on the back— what I do think I've done that other people who host vegan trips have done is I've really leaned into like— because a lot of the people that are vegan aren't just sort of vegan, they do really care about ethics and a lot of aspects of their life, and they want to travel in a way that's, that's more ethical and more local. And we've decided to just only work with locally owned hotels, restaurants, and businesses, and really also go into more what those people are actively looking for when they travel as well. So that's really exciting.

And you have, you know, a philanthropic arm of the business that you're, you know, focused on building out right now. Like, I think that's really amazing also. Tell us about that.

Yeah, so for every trip we do, we donate a percentage of the proceeds to a local charity. It's always a local charity. My big thing is I just feel like the biggest issue in the travel industry right now is that if done carelessly, it can be harmful to a local community, especially as we're getting more and more globalized. It's becoming easier and easier to essentially travel. There's kind of this risk of these international companies coming in and profiting off of that at a lot of times the expense of the locals. It's worse in some areas than other, but we really wanted to make a commitment if we were gonna do a travel company to make sure we're not just benefiting the local community as a whole. So in addition to working with the locally owned businesses, we also decided to donate a percentage of the proceeds to a local charity, and always a local charity that helps create permanent jobs and businesses in some way. So in Guatemala, we work with this local trade school that helps indigenous people gain sort of this trade knowledge to help them get jobs in that community. In Mexico, as per your recommendation, we, um, worked with this, um, this charity that is basically a scholarship fund to help young people in rural areas start their own business, gain business knowledge. So that's really what—

I love that. I love that. And Anna kind of— she's so humble, but I always, I always say I'm like her stage mom. Anna is an influencer. Tell us, like, what is your reach? What is your following? Like, tell us that, because you kind of glazed over that. So you built— I mean, you built a huge following by being you. And what we're going to dig into in this episode is like, you built a following by being you, and then you've created businesses based on the things you love and are passionate about using that platform. So tell us your— tell us your stats, because it's very impressive what you've built.

Thank you. I think I have around 80,000 followers on TikTok at the moment, and I think 38,000 followers on Instagram. Which is very exciting.

Yeah.

For the ego, for sure.

For the ego, but also, you know, I think it, it, you, you, because you built that and because you followed the opening of kind of showing up on Instagram and TikTok in the early days, learning the strategy. And, and, you know, if you go to Anna's, Anna's TikTok and Instagram, you'll see like she's not just like posting pretty pictures and praying, like she has a strategy around the way that she creates content. And, you know, now she helps other business owners and other brands do, do this effectively because, I mean, she's tried to teach me and it's, it's like a, it's a whole science to create content that, you know, converts and, and you've just, you were kind of one of the pioneers in that field doing it so early on. And so the result of that was that you came into this idea of, okay, I wanna start a travel business and you already had an audience, a hot audience as we call it, which was amazing.

Yes.

And, and, and that was, that was hugely advantageous for you. Yes.

And I wanna yell at people sometimes because I feel the need to tell people like I sold out the first group trip I had. I think I had, I had less than 2,000 followers on Instagram. Like, right. It was just a page I started for vegan travel and was posting a lot of Guatemalan small content. So I'm like begging people, like, it really doesn't matter the following that you have. Like, there are people with more followers that, you know, don't sell products as well. There are people with less followers. And even now, as we continue to launch more and more, like, it gets easier and easier to sell. Like, the better that the con— because if you have 2,000 people that are specifically there that are like, you've brought them through with content that is specifically designed to help your target person, it's just gonna be so much easier to sell those products because you are cultivating. It doesn't matter how many people are there because 2,000 people is a lot of people.

It's a lot.

Like when they're the right people.

Right.

And, and it's hard because like a good video is so different than just a good idea or a good concept. And I see things all the time that I'm like, this is technically helpful, but it's just not formatted in a way way that makes it a good video. Like it doesn't properly hook the target audience. It's just not formatted in a way that someone scrolling can properly like digest this.

Right. And I think that's like something that is so specialized and, you know, as we build out kind of this, I don't know what number business we're on with you, but like third, third or fourth now, like, you know, this consulting arm, like what you just said is so invaluable because people don't understand and like it is not As someone who, you know, you helped me with like my first TikToks, I was like, this is like a whole other world. Like it is very—

Yeah.

And it comes second nature to you just the way Instagram is second nature to me. Like TikTok is an entirely different animal, entirely different beast. And, and you really need someone like you, like in the back pocket being like, that hook isn't strong enough. People are gonna scroll past that. Like, Because what, what, what is frustrating, and I'm with you, is like, and I see this on Instagram, which is my primary platform, I see so many women, you know, with online businesses, and I call it they just post and pray, you know, it's like, yeah, join my 3-month program where I'll help you live your best life, and it's like, I don't know what that is, I don't want to sign up for it, like, who are you, like, it just—

Yeah.

And it's sad because I'm, I'm sure that that woman has an incredible product, an incredible skill set that need that is needed, but she doesn't know how to message it and she doesn't know how to convey it in a way that gets into, you know, her audience's hands and hearts in a, in a fluid way.

Yeah, for sure. And like, don't necessarily know how to post content. Like, they don't necessarily know how to like post content that is what their target audience needs and is gonna bring like more of those people to their page. And also how to kind of like almost repel people who are not your target person, to be clear enough. I see that a lot too, is people kind of just like— I was, I was looking over a health coach's thing, and like, in the health coach space, I'm like, there are so many different things you can do or be, and there are so many things that will specifically— like, I don't know, there's like the vegan people, there's kind of like the raw milk carnivore people, there's like the gym bro bulk up man, there's like the helping new mothers get, like, feel like themselves again and make time for what they need in a completely new space. Like, you really need to be clear and, like, know how to create content for the specific person that you're looking for. And many people don't, and they're kind of just like, I'm a health coach, or I'm, like, a fitness coach, or I, I don't know, whatever people are.

Yeah, and it just doesn't work. It just doesn't work. Like, and especially, you know, maybe, like, 6 years ago it worked maybe a little easier, but now I think it's, it's so important. So how did you like learn all of this? Like, did you self-teach? Like, how did you get to become like what I would consider like the leading expert in, in kind of millennial or whatever you wanna call it, social media strategy and creation and content?

I mean, it is impor— if, if you look at my screen time, it makes sense. Like I'm on, I'm on the apps a lot. Like, I do kind of live and breathe it for sure, and I love it. Like, I find it such a fascinating medium. The same way, like, kind of a TV show is different from a movie is different from— like, there are these structures, and I, I think acting helps a lot. I did also just simply, like, learn a lot. I've, like, taken courses on it that really helps.

And then—

But they're all a bit different. You do kind of need to formulate your own voice because at the end of the day, what has worked for— the whole point is you need to be a little different. Like, you need to stand out and you do need to be able to evolve. Like, I remember at the beginning I did a lot of restaurant videos and those were really popular. Like, oh, check out this fun new restaurant, but no one cares anymore. It needs to look a little different. Like, unless somebody— unless something crazy happened at the restaurant, like, it's just not going to be engaging enough for people to see. But I also want people to know, like, you can— whatever. I think people are also so scared to really, really niche. Yeah. Niche down. But like, there's this one woman who she basically reviews— she's very, very dark-skinned, and she reviews the darkest foundation shades of different companies for inclusivity. And obviously I'm not the target demographic at all. I watch them all to the end. Like, I am like, oh my God, this is so fascinating. Like, because it's something I would never even think about.

Yeah.

But if you really are clear about your messaging and like so like specific about who you're trying to reach and you think about like a hook of like, what do they, what do these people need to hear? That's another big mistake I see people make is they're like, what I did, what I do, what I'm doing, what I'm putting like, and those, I hate it. Like it, it's just not gonna like what I do in a day or like kind of just make like me, me, me content or things like that. Right. Where If, if maybe you wanna be a regular influencer, that's fine. Or you have like a super interesting life. But like many, many of us just are just on our computers for most of the day. But if you're gonna be selling products or services, it's really important to focus all your content on your target audience and speak to your target audience. And even if like you make that one shift of instead of being like my 5 favorite restaurants in New York City to If you're someone who loves to eat and wants healthy options or something, here are 5 restaurants you need to try. It's gonna get like double the views at least. Like, it makes a huge difference in messaging and also being clear even at the beginning of your video, because people don't understand. Like, I don't know you. Like, I have never seen you before in my life. I don't trust you. You might as well be a stranger on the street talking to me. Like, there's a lot of complete garbage on the internet. Like, if you don't specifically in the first 1 second, literally 1 second, speak to the person that you're trying to reach and like their needs, they will scroll. Like you can't wait till the end to get interesting. Like if you're watching a show on Netflix and it's not, and you were told it was gonna be funny and it's not funny in the first 5, like you're not gonna give it that much time before you pick another show.

Right.

Like there's so much stuff out there. as they should. And like, no one's— you're not like— I know this sounds harsh, but like, you're not entitled to anybody listening to you just because you're posting on the internet. Like, you do have to earn that. Like, you're not entitled to views just because you already have followers and people followed you. Like, you're not entitled to likes and engagement. You're not like— you need to wake up, not every day, but you, every time you post a video, you need to make it valuable to the person that you're trying to reach. Like, you cannot just get lazy and rely on, I already have followers, or whatever it is.

That's— I think that's such a good point. And I think what I see happen so often, especially with people who have smaller followings, is they don't do what you just said, and then they get frustrated, and then they quit, or they decide it's not working, and it's—

The algorithm hates them.

The algorithm hates them. Like, you know, and it, it's just not true because, like you You know, if you, if you have a, you know, one-on-one coaching business and you have 200 followers that already know, like, and trust you, a lot of friends, a lot of family, friends of friends, whatever, I mean, you for certain, if you speak to them in the right way, you could convert probably, you know, 10 people out of the 200.

Yeah, for sure.

Right? So I think that it's important to, the niching part is important and then You know, creating a brand, which you've done so well. Like, tell us, how did you like get clear on your niche and kind of like what your brand is? Because you span from vegan travel, you know, a little bit of influencing, you know, I would say activism, social, social justice. And then we also, you know, Anna also is a member of Socially Ambitious, which is an online course program for those who want to become influencer assistants. And they also have a podcast by that name. So you know, you've kind of got like a, a span of, of things working, but somehow it all works and you're known for that. So how did you do that?

Yeah, I started, it's important for everyone to know I didn't start like this and like, right, you know, it's chapter whatever.

Right.

But I started with vegan food and a little bit of like vegan travel.

And why did you do that? Like how did you know that that's what you you wanted to do? Because I think a lot of people are like, I want to be an influencer, I want to have a platform, and they're like, I don't have anything to talk about. So how did you know like that was the angle for you?

Yeah, I definitely really cared about it. I always liked it. I really liked going out to restaurants. I really liked eating. I liked cooking. So I definitely recommend if you're lost on finding a niche to think about, you know, what could I just— if someone called me up on a podium, what could I talk about for 2 hours or more without needing a break, without needing to do any additional research? What am I actually excited to wake up and make content about? What am I, what am I doing all day? Like for fun.

Yeah.

And for me, that was going out to restaurants. Like, that's one place, like, I just, you'll find me at the restaurant. And it evolved over time because I really started to care about You know, when I, when I did the group trips, I was like, you know, I, I really only wanna work with locally owned businesses. And I started making more videos kind of educating people about why and why that's important and what's kind of going on in the travel industry at the moment. And then I really started incorporating more activism in there. In the beginning, it was kind of like like, you know, I don't care if anybody's— whatever your vibe is is fine. It's just, I just want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who wants to eat vegan to do so. And I think over time I just became more comfortable. I mean, when I started posting about, um, Palestine and Palestinian businesses, I think I also just got so much hate that I'm like, I don't even care if, like, whatever, I'm saying something about veganism or whatever, like, people are just gonna be hateful regardless. And I also just started leaning more into that. It was a bigger part of my business. It was a bigger part that people— I also saw that people who were coming on the trips really, really cared about the locally owned portion. Because I also, I didn't want it to be like, oh, everyone come on my trips because it helps the locals or whatever. I wanted everybody to come on my trips because it's the best trip. I didn't want it to be like— Right. Oh, if you're— if you don't come on my trip, you're a bad person, or if you don't, whatever. I, I wanted it to be the best trip regardless.

Right.

But when people started becoming more interested in that and asking more questions about that, and when I started seeing kind of other influencers post trips that I, I didn't feel like were something I would do, I also just wanted to make educational content on like the difference between different types of group trips that you can go on and that they're not all the same. And at the end of the day, it makes sense because kind of the reason I like left acting was because I didn't want to do a stupid McDonald's commercial.

So I'm like, maybe I wasn't aligned. Yeah, yeah, I love that. And let's, let's— since we're on the topic of the, the trips, like so many women who come to me, they want to start travel businesses. And, you know, I've helped so many women like you build, you know, really successful, thriving, sold-out travel businesses. And it wasn't always that easy for you. Like, when you first came to me—

No.

We were, we were having some frustration. So, like, let's just kind of peel back the curtain because I think, like, a lot of people are like, I want to start a travel business because I love to travel. And travel businesses are amazing. And I'm like, I would say that's, you know, I've worked across like 20, 30 different industries. I would say travel is like one of my, you know, most specialized just 'cause I've done it with so many women. But like, talk to us about like where you were when we first started working together and like what was, 'cause you were really frustrated, you were really burnt out. Like paint the picture for where you were.

Yeah, so I had done 2 trips. I had done 2 trips to Guatemala and they went well. They had both sold out in like around 2 months, which is great. And then I had kind of, I knew like, I have no idea how to scale this. Like, I don't know what also like full, if for legal reasons, this is a joke, but like I didn't have insurance either. I didn't even know that that was something that you were supposed to have.

You were literally just figuring it out.

I was just figuring it out. I, I really didn't know. I mean, I, the trip was great, but in, on the whole, on the back end of things, I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't really launch either of those. I had no launch strategy. I just kind of dropped them one day and I had to listen. And they sold. And they sold, but I had to work really hard. Like I had to go live every, all the time. Like I had to go on, I had to have kind of like mental breakdowns of like, is this gonna sell? Is anybody else gonna sign up? Like, like, what do I even post about this? I had launched another one and like zero spots had sold, and I was like, no, like, that's not the vibe, you know, that we wanted to go for. Yeah. And yeah, I was really stressing.

Yeah. As you remember, you were exhausted. Like, I remember you were exhausted. You were just like, you were I'm doing the lives like you were doing. And I think this is so common, like you were doing all the things. It wasn't like you just like posted it once and you're like, no one signed up. I mean, you were like showing up and it just wasn't converting. I was hustling it up. Yeah, we weren't converting.

Yeah. And I, oh my God, there was definitely so much that I learned from that. I think I, In hindsight, I think I wasn't super in touch with what people wanted when they go on a trip, group trip. And I think at the time I was honestly pretty like disconnected from my audience. I had only done the 2 trips at the time. I wasn't 100% sure, like necessarily fully why people were going on my group trips beyond, I don't feel like planning a trip and this looks fun.

Mm-hmm.

And I think that was my mistake. I mean, I definitely had, I redacted that trip, but I had launched locations that I don't think people would want to go on a group trip necessarily because it's a place that they feel comfortable going with on their own, even if it's a place that they wanna go. I had, I was, I was not launching, like there was no launch process. Yeah. There was no launch period. There was no incentive. There was no deadline. There was no, yeah, there was nothing.

Which just doesn't work. You got lucky with the first two because I think it was a hot off, it was new, it was a hot offer. But, you know, the first thing we did was really look at, you know, I always go back to, you know, my process, which is, you know, if you have an irresistible product, which you kind of had, but like, as you're saying, it was revealed to you that like what you had created wasn't like really what people wanted. It wasn't the type of thing that people were like, oh my God, I want that.

Yeah.

Which we discovered what that thing was later. And then we had a marketing problem because there wasn't a launch strategy. And like, people, like, buyers need a container in which to feel inspired to press pay.

They just—

Yeah. They just do. Like, unfortunately, they just do. And then, you know, the icing on the cake for you was like, you were burnt out and depleted. So we had to like really address all 3 points.

Yeah.

And once we did that, I mean, things really flipped quite quickly when you launched Greece.

Yes, it definitely was like the first Greece trip sold out in a week, which was crazy.

Yeah.

And then the second one, yeah, in like 8 days, I think.

The same.

Yeah. 9 days. Yeah. And it just was also a completely different vibe of like coming into it.

Yeah.

Because when I wasn't launching, I was just kind of like, here you go. Right.

You know, and people can feel that.

Yeah, they can. For real. So yeah, I'm glad that— I'm glad. And now I'm excited to launch. I used to like hate it and I used to like cry and like throw up. Yeah. And now I'm like, yeah, let's launch.

And it's fun. I mean, like, I love launching too. And I mean, Anna uses the Party Method and I use— I use the— I teach and use the Party Method in so many different ways. But, you know, Anna creates— she has a waitlist strategy where she essentially invites a bunch of people into the room, which is her waitlist, gets them really pumped up about it's, it's coming, it's coming, it's coming, it's coming. You're gonna get the best price, you're gonna get the best price. And then boom. Yeah. And we have— I mean, how many people were on your waitlist? Like, wasn't it—

I think I had like 2,000 on like the email, email list. Yeah. Yeah.

Like, I mean, incredible. So then it's like a duh, no-brainer. Like, yeah, it was like you didn't even have to do anything, right? And so—

Yeah, they got time, especially for big purchases, to kind of like wrap their head around it without talking themselves out of it. Because I feel like if it's available, they're more likely to kind of talk themselves out of it, be like, especially with these trips, like, at least I think it can be so scary to go on a group trip with a bunch of strangers, with like a stranger from the internet. Yeah.

And people will talk themselves out of it. And so, you know, it's not manipulative. It's again, creating a container that inspires people to buy into, you know, the vision of what you're offering, which is community, giving back, you know, seeing the world, experiencing vegan food, like saving, saving the planet. You know, it's like you're, you're inviting them into a, a vision and an experience and an opportunity. And by using, you know, the Party Method, you're able to really focus in on those 2,000 while also on your front-end marketing, you know, you're, you know, you're, you're sharing and doing your thing there as you always do, but you can really like work the, work the audience, work the room, so to speak.

Yeah.

You know, your 2,000 people on the list, right? And then this is how we can effectively scale a travel company. Because, you know, travel, travel businesses are amazing, but they're not fun when you can't fill seats. Yeah.

And they're not fun when there's no—

When there's not fun when there's no travelers. So, so the way that, you know, you're— I mean, how many trips are you run— will you run this year?

5.

5. Yeah. And, you know, next year probably 8 more, you know, and you— and it's the other thing I love about about, you know, what you're doing, and this isn't your only business, is the other thing to note, but like you're growing at a, you know, it's 3, 5, 8, 10, you know, I think our goal is like eventually like 20-something.

Yeah.

And you're not necessarily going on all of them because again, then we kind of move into level 2 scaling where it's like, okay, how do I start training trip leaders, you know, who can, who can be an extension of me on these trips? Yes. And that's like the level 2, because I mean, you know, you can do 5, you can do 8, but past that it's probably gonna get to be too much. So, you know, you're, you've really like, we've, we've tested the Party Method launch strategy like multiple times at this point. And I think it's just really important to inspire people who have a travel business and they feel like they're not filling seats. A, this is normal. Like I see this, women come to me all the time trying to fill retreats. Dates, trips, you name it. And I'm like, what's your strategy? And they're like, I don't know.

Post one time.

Yeah. And I'm like, okay, well, good news is we've identified the problem. Better news is we can fix it very easily. And it's freed you up to work on other things that you love as well, you know?

Yeah. Like, I only kind of have to worry about the filling portion for for a week, a limited amount of time, right?

And then it's done.

And then it's not like 2 months, whatever, where it just takes up all my brain power and, and everything like that. The good news is too, like, people are actively looking to travel.

Travel.

People are traveling. Like, there's definitely— whatever, you know, the company is— there's definitely space for it in the market. It's just about kind of those those, those tweaks for sure.

And, and I think the niche around it, because like, you know, I'm not vegan, but I mean, that would be very stressful for me. Like, you found, you found a problem. Again, like the POP method— pick one problem, pick one person, and pick one product. Like, you nailed it. Like, people who want to see the world, you know, that's, that's your person. And their, you know, their problem is like I would imagine, I mean, especially in places like Greece and Mexico and Guatemala where like people use lard and butter and things.

I mean, there's a language barrier.

Yeah, like it's probably super stressful. So you're solving that problem for them and, you know, you started with your signature product, which was Mexico, and then we, you know, expanded it to Guatemala. Oh, Guatemala was first and then— First and then— So, you know, like I think that's when you're thinking about travel, it's super important to niche in on a specific type of audience that has a problem that you can solve. And this is with any business, but, you know, I think that, that, I think that that is another thing that you did really well from the get-go is you, and it, it happened organically, right? Like you started the, you started the influencer thing and then people were like, oh my God, you should do a group trip. And I think that's another really important thing to talk about is like, give people what they want.

Yeah. I mean, people were specifically commenting. I went to Guatemala not to do a scouting trip, but I went to do a language immersion program actually. Yeah. And I was posting about the vegan food that I was eating and people were specifically commenting. And that's the, like, will you do a group trip? And that's the other thing, like when you are making content for like an audience that you're aligned with, they will tell you what they want. Like they will specifically more say like, you should do this. Like I was getting comments like, you should do an event in New York. Like, I want you to do an event in New York. And if you are like specific about your target person, they will also want you to do the things like they don't want. There's plenty of vegan events in New York. There's plenty of vegan restaurants.

They want you.

Yeah. And, and they also know that because— and this is kind of an underrated thing, especially about how vocal I am about any of like my political views or like activism views is that they also know that the other people there will be in a like-minded—

Like-minded.

Yeah. Yeah. And that's why, like, there's so— there's so many people on my trips who become really close, who become really close friends.

Don't you have a married couple?

No, they're not married yet, but they are—

Maybe by the time this airs they'll be married. You know, I'm a sucker for a good love story. I hope so. Yeah, a girl found her vegan man and I'm like, I love that for them. I mean, like, that is just— I mean, is there any— like, I'm done.

That's it. I'm done. I'm done. We don't need to do any more trips. Like, I completed my mission on Earth.

Like, it would be fun to do a singles vegan trip, actually.

That would be really fun. I think most people, most people end up— sometimes I have couples. Most people end up being single.

Because I've seen that, you know, in programs that I'm in where women feel very strongly with— they only want to be with a vegan or vegetarian partner. Yeah, like, and I get that because they don't want meat in the home, you know. Like, I—

like, it's also more annoying, like, when you travel, then, like, you want— you don't want them to have to stay at, like, a vegan hotel with you or to not be able to, like, like try the things they want to try, or like, yeah, it's like a whole thing.

Yeah, you know, so that, that's a new idea. We're always, we're always DMing with, with me being like, Anna, you should start an apparel line.

Yes, I just got out of the shower. I had like a new business idea for you while I was like, I'm like, it's 2 AM, like I can't stop.

No, but I mean, but this, I mean, this is an important thing to talk about is like what you've created is, is what I've created also. And that's why, you know, I love working with you and women like you because you have what I call an expandable brand. Like, you've, you've built a brand by being you. Like, you've built a brand. Like, and that's why, to your point, like, people meet me in person. Like, we actually met physically for the same time when you came here, and it's like, you were exactly who you were on all of our Zoom calls, and I was exactly who I was on all of my Zoom calls. Like, you know, people have to know, like, and trust you. And once you've developed that You could literally, I mean, like, you could literally launch like a vegan apparel line and implement the Party Method strategy and probably sell it out.

Yeah.

Yeah. Like, it doesn't, the product is like, again, you have to follow the POP method, you know, and you have to, you know, you have to make sure that your product marketing and energy are on point. But like, you've developed a brand, which is the type of brand I love I mean, I love helping women build any business, but I love expandable brands because, you know, like when I get married, like I wouldn't be surprised if I did something around, you know, marriage or baby stuff or whatever it might be. And like my people will come with me.

Yeah.

You know, and that's when building businesses gets really fun because it's like I can literally, like I know the formula to build an offer and I know how I know how to sell it and I know people are going to buy. Yeah.

And it also helps, like, I think you're a great example of this and me too, I guess. But like when you really, really like your target customer, like not everybody does. Like I'm genuinely like, I keep in touch with so many people from the trips. Like I'm genuinely excited to like meet them on the trips and be there. You're like, it doesn't matter what's going on. Like if it's 2 AM, like you're texting me about ideas that you had for like like my brand, like you're invested in the launch and things like that, like you're genuinely invested in those things. I mean, I think that's a really important thing too when people are starting travel businesses is like you really have to care.

Really have to wanna do it. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that goes with any, to your point, like what I would do, I mean, like ask any of my friends in Mexico. I mean, I'm making Canva flyers for people. I mean, I am like, I'm every woman I'm see, I see, I'm I'm like, what's the deal? Like, what are we building? You know, and someone's like, well, I tried to start this, you know, it's just I'm a walking billboard for helping women build businesses and, you know, make money and live the life they want to live. Like, I love doing it. I do it all the time. I just really try not to do it on dates.

Yeah.

Because then that just gets messy. So that's a new rule I have is I can't talk about business on dates. I had to put that boundary up for myself.

Oh, like guys ask you?

Yeah, well, or they're like, I really want to start. Yeah, or they tell me what they're doing and I'm like, this is over. Like, I just can't. That's not a viable business option.

I've had a couple of guys kind of— they basically be like— I'm like, that's a bad idea. I mean, especially with men, because I do feel like a lot of men start things with like money in mind that they don't care about. And I'm like, I can tell you hate this. Or they start start things that are like— I feel like men a lot more times start things that like require like venture capital and like 5 years where I'm like, this is terrible. Like, yeah, I'm— or like, you find a lot of guys too that I don't want to say a lot, like whatever, but who are very like, oh, like I really want to start my own business and like I don't know what to do. And I'm like, okay, like talk to somebody about it then.

Yeah, get—

why am I already your therapist? Like, why This is the first— I haven't even gotten my entree yet, and you already like need a mom?

Like, what do you mean? I know, I know. And I think, you know, and it's— I think that's the thing. Like, I can be very direct with women in a way that I never would with, you know, someone I'm on a date with. So I just kind of have like a hard rule. Like, you know, they say, what do you do? Oh, I'm a business coach for women. And they say, oh, I could really use your help. And I'm just like, sorry, I don't work with men. In at all. And they're like, I just shut it down. I have to, because otherwise I'm gonna be all up in their business and it's gonna be over before it began.

Yeah, yeah, fair, fair, fair.

One thing I think, you know, I've always admired you for, and I think is probably like the— once, once I get my clients, especially in the Dream Accelerator, which is like my level 1 business building program, the idea to launch once I get them to the place of clarity of like, okay, I wanna start, you know, a travel business, for example.

Mm-hmm.

The thing that without fail comes up is they're so afraid of being seen online. Like, they're so afraid of showing their face, you know, like doing face stories. They're so afraid of, of really going beyond kind of like the post and pray where it's just like, here's a pretty graphic I made. Afraid, like they're so afraid of being seen because, and you can speak more to this, like they're afraid of Aunt Sally judging them or, you know, their coworker's gonna be like, you can't start a travel business. Like they're just so afraid of being seen. And I really experienced this when I was starting my business. And what I actually did is I blocked anyone who I felt that way about so I could feel free. And I actually block, and I communicate this, but if I'm dating someone, I block them because I don't want to feel like I'm performing for them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So there's different things, but, you know, you are just like such a good example of this and like overcoming visibility fears and speaking your truth. Like, how did you get there? And what would you say to people that are afraid?

I'll be so honest. Like, I really never, ever, ever gave a shit. Like, I never cared. And I know that's hard. Like, I wish I could give like a more inspirational speech, but like, in my mind I'm just like, literally, who cares? Like, to me, first of all, like, literally, like, take the scales out and it's like, here is you and like your dream business and here is you and like your dream life. And like, this is Aunt Sally's judgment. Like, is this truly like that serious? Like, is this really worth it? Worth it. Second of all, like, I know that there's some, like, a lot of negative talk about, like, influencers are like, oh my God, it's so annoying. They have like their tripod or whatever online. I'm like, there are literally people like killing each other. Like, there are people killing children. Like, there are people in jail. Like, there are people not in jail who should be in jail. Like, there are people who are mean to their relatives. There are people who are mean to their kids. Like, you are just taking a picture. Who cares? Like, and I can't even imagine, like, literally as someone on the other side, like, if the friend is judging you and I lost friends, I did. I'll tell— I'll be honest about that.

To share, like, I have too.

Yeah. Like, but what?

But they're jealous. I find. Yeah. They're judging me. It's projection. They're jealous.

If someone has a— like, if we can, like, be serious, like, if someone has an issue with you posting on the internet, like, that is so weird. Like, that is so weird. Like, I wouldn't— and it's 100% on them. Like, and I know, I guess it's easier said than done, but also, like, just be serious in your brain. Like, no one cares. Like, no one cares for the most part. Second of all, some people do care. And if they do care, like, that's weird. Like, people who make the comments on my page that are like, you're so ugly, like, I hate you, they, like, make— people make videos that they like.

Which is she and a guy. Gets all the time, by the way.

All the time. I literally got a death threat like yesterday.

All the time this happens.

All the time. There was one time I was like getting particularly canceled for like a video, and I was like scrolling through my bed at night. It was like video after video of people like talking about how they didn't like me or that I was annoying or that I was wrong. And that's— I think that's weird. Like, I think that's a bizarre thing to do. And like, I would never care about somebody's opinion that makes— who just does that. Like, I just think that's weird.

Yeah. And I think what you said in the beginning, like, I got chills when you said it. It's like, literally look at the scale. I've never thought of it this way, but like, you literally have like your dream life, like everything you've ever wanted.

Yeah.

Like the money, the love, you know, like the businesses, the scaling, like the clothes, you know, the impact.

Things that you never even thought about.

Yeah. Like everything.

A new group of friends.

Yeah. Like everything is possible. And then it's literally probably like 2 to 3 people, Aunt Sally and colleague George who, you know, hates his job. Like.

Who are gonna be real quiet when you start making more money than them. I will also say like the, the weird questions and like side eyes go away very quickly. Like, it's just not worth it. Like, who cares? Stand up on the restaurant, like, take the food photo from above.

Like, right, who cares?

And I— You'll find like the— sorry, you'll find like you'll find better friends. And I never would have had the friend group I have now, which is so amazing and so supportive. Like, I had a really good friend who literally paid to come on one of my trips. Like, because she wanted to and told other people about it. Like, always will go to restaurants and take pictures with me and will do whatever. And I never would have had that had I not been willing to.

Sabrina?

Yeah.

Shout out to Sabrina the Vegan.

Shout out to Sabrina the Vegan. We love her. We love her.

She's in the Dream Accelerator. Keep your eyes peeled. She is in the Dream Accelerator.

Yeah.

No, but I mean, that's so true. Like, such a pure-hearted person, you know?

Yeah.

It's—

Over the people who were like literally making fun of me in like a separate group chat for what, posting food? I'm sorry, but posting posting food videos on the internet. Like, it was never that serious. Like, again, people are killing each other.

Like— Yeah. And I think that it's, you know, I, I actually kind of love your answer to when I said, like, how did you overcome the visibility fears? You were just like, I didn't have them, you know. And I think for me, like, I had them. Yeah. And, you know, I have a background in acting and in performance similar to you and Sabrina also. Um, we should just bring Sabrina on and do it.

Yeah, let's—

You know, I think a lot of coaches and influencers, at least in my world, like, seem to have like an acting or performance background, which I do think comes in handy. It's not necessarily— not necessary, but, you know, I had that. Like, I wasn't afraid of, of being, you know, seen. I was afraid of of what everyone was gonna say. And I have to say, like, you know, I have like, I don't know, almost like 10,000 followers at this point. I've been online pretty much every day for like, let's call it 6 years. I think I could count on one hand, and again, I keep things very PC, unlike you. Like, you know, I'm like, I don't talk about politics. Like, I intend— it's just not part of my brand.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

Which is a choice, you know, I've made. I will speak to things at some points, but it's not like— I wouldn't say I'm like in any realm like a social activist. So yeah, but I've had, I would say, like 5 people in 6 years, 10,000 followers, say something that was like not kind. And one was a guy that I dated who was like kind of crazy, and then, you know, one was a family member, and like the other 3, I don't even remember. It just was like kind of insignificant, you know, like compared to what I've built, like, you know, multiple, multiple 6 figures, like hundreds of women's lives changed, you know, like living anywhere I want in the world. Like, I mean, all the things I have, like for the sake of, you know, 5 people, like—

Yeah.

Yeah. It's, you know, and so I think for me, what I did to overcome that that fear, because it was really real in the beginning.

Yeah.

Um, is again, I just blocked. And this is what I tell the girls in the Dream Accelerator. I'm like, if you, if you literally like feel stifled or held back because of specific— because usually it's specific people, it's like, you know, your mom or your sister or your best friend or whatever— you can have like, you know, I'm super big on being like open and just saying like, hey, I'm starting this new business and I'm noticing there's a part of me that is afraid you're gonna judge me. Like, I just wanted to share that with you because it's stopping me from like really going all in on this.

Yeah.

And you can share that, or that's like option one. Option two is like you can say, you know, hey, I'm starting this business, and in order for me to feel like I can like really fully express myself, I'm just gonna mute you from my stories or block you. And yeah, know that it's nothing personal, but I wanted to be transparent about it up front. And like, I love you, and and, you know, I'm just— I'm really trying to like go all in on this journey, and this is what I need to be able to do that. Yeah, like, and let it set you free, you know? Like, I mean, again, like, any guy I'm dating, I block them, and I tell them, I tell them. But the reason is because I won't show up because I'll be like, oh my God, like, I have a zit, or they're— you know, I like to do stories when I'm in bed, like, I don't want them seeing me in my— you know, it's just—

and and like my story views are like a graveyard of like all the guys that I did. I just let, I just let them like stay there and hang out.

And that feels good for you. Like more power to you. I certainly have some of that, like the lingerers.

The lingerers.

But you know, if I'm like seriously dating someone, and I actually started doing that because I was dating like my most conscious loving relationship, um, in Austin actually. I was dating someone and he was quite a bit older than me and he didn't have social media.

Yeah.

And he was like, I just want you to know, like, I'm never gonna look at your social media. I don't have it. I'm not interested. Like, I wanna be like and see you in real life and who you are and like what you do on the internet is your thing. And that was so freeing for me. And it just kind of set the precedent of like, this is what I need in order to show up fully. So I think like just a little empowerment and inspiration to anyone. Like, do what you need to do to set yourself free so you can show up and like share what you need to share. And yeah, people will either love you or hate you, and that's just— you can't control that. So do what you need to do.

Yeah. And I, I will say too, like, I feel like the more— because I do post a lot of controversial stuff and like That's my decision. I can't be bothered with this controversy. Yeah.

And it's part of your brand, you know?

Yeah.

Like, that's, it's who you are. Again, like, if we were out at lunch, you'd be talking about all the things you care about.

Yeah.

It's who you are.

Yeah. But every time I get, like, I don't wanna say, like, badly canceled, 'cause it's not that serious, but like, every time a video go— I remember, like, I had first posted, like, this video and it went super viral and it was, like, very controversial. And a lot of people were like, mad, and I would see videos about how people hated me. And from that same video, 5 people that I really, really admire that I had followed for a long time followed me. And I was like, these are people—

Okay.

Like, these are the people that I would actually care about. Or like, I had another one, same thing, and it was very controversial. I got a lot of hate for it. And like, from there, I had multiple like major publishing companies like reach out to me and be like, hey, we wanna send you some of our new books, like if you want to reference them in your videos or things like that.

Yeah. And I just—

It could be an opportunity. Yes. And like, I, I feel like especially if you get some hate, like it can be— it would affect me more in the beginning. Like I wasn't as much like scared to put myself out there, but when someone was like, I want to kill you, I was like, I would get sad.

Yeah.

About And now not as much, but it is a, it's a real thing. But like, it, it happens to everybody. And like, yeah, just think about like, like Nara Smith. I'm obsessed with her content. Like, she's so good. I think she's so funny. Like, her recipes are so cool. And like, you literally go in the comment section, it's all like bitter, like angry people, like hating on her. And it's like, who cares? You know?

And I, and I think like the other thing, like about the bitter and angry people was— I mean, I've had people judge me, and then I've had them, like, in the same year tell me, like, you're the reason I left my job.

Yeah.

You know, like, so you never know, like, who you're actually inspiring through triggering them.

Yeah.

And like, at the end of the day, you know, like, my mission is to, you know, help people step into, you know, their, their higher highest purpose and highest level of prosperity and all of that. And like, I mean, if my content triggers you because I talk about money or I talk about love or I talk about how, you know, I'm a magnet for, you know, everything I desire, which is true, like, and that triggers you and it flips something in your mind to where like that creates a shift, you know, that helps you make a change, then it was worth it.

Yeah. And people like, remember that the mo— like normal people really don't comment that much. I don't think I've really ever commented on a lot of my favorite content creators' videos. Like, like the people that are like, if you're getting hate, it's just like a very small subset. Actually, I had this one girl come up to me on the street one time. She was like, oh my God, like, I love your stuff. Like, you're my favorite content creator. It's like my dream to go on one of your trips one day. I looked, she had never DM'd me before. Like, I didn't—

You never know.

Yeah.

You never know who's watching. And I think that's the importance of like staying committed to the vision, like staying committed to, you know, what you've committed to doing, like, and, and continuing to share from a place of truth and, and what's in alignment for you at that time. And like, the right people will come with you and the wrong ones will fall out. And like you said, like, you didn't want them anyway.

Yeah. And not everything is forever. Like, share a 7, like, who— I like—

is not for everyone. Sprinkle, sprinkle. Gull. She was just voted number— did you see? Yeah, on 10 financial books. I think it was like Wall Street Journal or something.

Yeah, but I even have friends who even are in like happy relationships that don't like her, don't agree with anything she says, and that's totally fine. Like different things are just for different people. Totally.

You know? Yeah. Um, so one question I had as we kind of round, round up here— well, I have a few remaining questions If you, you know, you've had such a like interesting journey. If you could go back and do anything differently, would you?

That's such a good question. The thing that I can think of is no, I wouldn't do it differently, but I don't know if I— basically, I made the decision to go all in very quickly. I transparently, for everyone listening, I made the decision to to quit my job before I was ready, empty out my savings account, go all in, grow as fast as possible. Um, and there were definitely some negatives to that, and that brought like some hard times and like tough decisions that I would not have had to make otherwise. But I do think that was the right decision for me, and I don't regret it at all, honestly.

Yeah.

But it was a, it was a lot for sure. And it's not, that is not for everybody.

But that's the brand for you. That's how you are with everything.

Yeah. Like, I don't think it would've been possible to do it a different way.

Yeah. And I think, you know, that's actually a great point is like, I talk a lot about like half in, half out energy. It's not gonna work.

Yeah.

You know, like, like with every launch, with every product, with every business, it's like, I'm going all in. This has to work. There's not a reality where this doesn't work.

Work.

There just isn't. There's not a reality where the trip doesn't sell out in 7 days.

Yeah. And not available for it. Yeah. And like, if you— I think you should— I don't wanna— I hate the word busy. I really do. I don't think it's like a good word, but like, you should be like too busy working on it, working to worry about it not working.

Not working. That, that's a quotable. You should be too busy working on it working to be busy about— to be worrying about it not working. I don't know, I'll have to listen back and I'll put that in the show notes. That's a gorgeous quotable, Anna.

Thank you.

You should put that on your vegan apparel line.

Okay, I will.

I will. Okay, my other, my other question before we close out is like in terms of, you know, you have such a good pulse on just like the social media world, like what do you see as like the future of social media? Like what's out, what's in?

I think value more than ever is out. I think people, I mean that this has probably been the case for maybe 2 years, but people wanna follow people who give value. And I think especially in the current political and economic climate, people wanna follow people for a greater purpose. Like they wanna follow people who they feel like are doing good, who they feel good about following. They want something beyond just like the new lip shade, the new whatever. They want to know more and more about the story behind what you do, why you do what you do, and how— I think people are really craving like an anti— I don't wanna say anti-capitalism because like if we're all just like selling things, but they're craving anti-mass consumerism. I think they're really craving someone with like a lot of intention in what they do and they want to hear about it and they really want brands that are amazing that they feel good about buying from. And I think that people are now more likely to like spend a bit more money on that as well.

Totally. Yeah, I agree. And I think, you know, I'll just shamelessly plug you for like the 9th time. Because I just believe in you so much. Like, you know, if you're trying to grow your social media following or if you're just starting out, like, hire Anna because like, it's, it's, I mean, I would have hired, if I were starting over, like, I would have hired you in a heartbeat because like, this stuff is just, it's so nuanced, it's so layered, and there's a strategy behind all of this. And it's, you know, it's the same thing with like you investing in coaching with me. Like, I mean, I, you know, not to toot my own horn, but like I saved you a lot of time and money.

Oh, a billion percent. Probably the whole thing. It probably wouldn't even— there's a lot of people that wouldn't be going to Greece this summer, you know.

But like, it's— I think, and that's something you've done, is like, you know, you've invested in yourself when you weren't sure, like when you didn't have, you know, all the money, like you invested in yourself like over and over and over again. And so I think like investing to work with you, you know, in terms of social media growth strategy, branding, is, is is, is an amazing opportunity because you just get it. And like, someone who's not in the world doesn't get it the way you do.

Yes. And I will say it's the same as like even working with you, where like the things that I learned from you are things that I use forever. Like, I don't— it's not kind of a super— I don't want to say handholding situation, but like the things that I took from you are things that I use over and over and over again. And it's the same with social media. It's not something where you're gonna need somebody in your pocket the whole time. Like, it's a very simple, like, strategy that you can work on and implement on your own and get better on your own once we kind of go through. Yeah.

Once you get the hang of it, just like, it's like literally like riding a bike, you know?

Like, yes.

And it, and it felt that way. Like, you know, I mean, I'm not saying I'm like an Instagram master or anything, but I'm super comfortable on that platform.

Mm-hmm.

And I started trying to use TikTok and I just was like, this, it's, it's like a foreign language to me.

Yeah. It feels like that.

So, you know, I think it's, it's important, you know, your social media is your storefront.

Yeah, it, it really is. And there's so many times, like, you don't know how easily findable you are on social media when you have everything up and what a difference it makes when it's optimized for sales. Like, people should come to your page. You should feel really good about your page being What?

Storefront.

Yeah.

Like the most like gorgeous, enticing, sexy, whatever it is storefront that makes it like so easy, duh, to buy.

Like that's— And I tell people like your content should be so clear that people should be able to recognize your target audience in the wild. I had a girl come to me and she said because she ordered a vegan meal on a plane, the guy Next to her said, I follow this girl on Instagram that does vegan trips. Like, you should check her out. But that's how clear, yeah, like your target audience should be to the people watching your content that even the anyone who ever sees it should remember it and recognize your target person in the wild and be like, this is the person, you know.

Totally. Yeah, I love that. It's such a good point. Okay, my closing questions I ask all my guests. What does prosperity mean to you?

I think prosperity means— that's like—

Be honest.

I was thinking about it. I feel like prosperity really means like being able to like know and trust in yourself that you have what it takes to make whatever you want happen. Like, I do think it comes from within. And I do think it, it involves like a lot of just knowing and trusting in yourself that whatever, whatever you see, whatever you hear, if it's like, oh, I want a million-dollar business, that you know that if that's something that's on your mind, that you know that you know that you can achieve that.

I love that. I love that. Yes. And you're such an embodiment of that.

Thank you.

What is the next dream that you are bringing into reality, creating, devoted to?

I really want to make vegan travel and, um, just more ethical travel a lot more accessible to a lot more people. I want it to be normalized. I really wanna get rid of all the smoke and mirrors around that and to really just make it a lot easier for, for people to be able to travel in a way that's in alignment with them and in alignment with their ethics, whatever that looks like. If it's going to be doing more trips, because also, yay, thanks to you, I now have more demand for the trips than I can keep up with. So whether it's figuring out how to do even more trips, whether it's, um, about doing more like corporate tours, whether it's about just more accessibility, I'm really excited for that to grow.

Scale time. Scale time. Level 2. I love it. Yeah. So we're gonna link like all the different businesses, you know, Anna has Socially Ambitious, she has a podcast for that. She has her brand. Is the best way for people to find you Anna Thing But Animals on Insta? Yeah. Okay.

You can slide into the DMs.

Send her a DM, tell her hi, that you love the show. We'll link all the things and you will have, did you say a Guatemala trip launching?

Yes, I'll have a Guatemala trip launching in June, I believe. And also if you wanna go on the trips, the best way to do that is to get on my email list in case, cuz they do sell out quickly. So you definitely wanna make sure you're being notified.

And that's linked in your bio, I'm sure.

Yes. Linked in my bio.

Link in bio.

Amazing. Link in bio.

Well, Anna, I just think you are such an incredible human. You have a heart of gold. You are just like so vivacious, and it's just a joy to be your coach, to be your friend. And I'm just so excited about what's next for you in this, in this evolution of the empire that you're creating.

Oh my God, thank you so much. I am so, so, so grateful our paths crossed. I could not have done it without you.

Me too. Me too. Thank you for coming on the show, and I'll see you soon.

See you soon. Bye. Bye.

Thank you for tuning in to the Prosperous Woman Podcast. I am so grateful for your presence and for being a part of this community. Feel free to DM me @itsclairesellers on Instagram. I would love to connect with you and hear what resonated with you in this episode. Don't forget to subscribe to the show. And if you enjoyed what you heard today, leave a 5-star review. Your feedback means the world to me and helps me reach more incredible women just like you. And because I love to spoil you, just DM me a screenshot of your review on Instagram and I'll send you my free Prosperity Activation Course as a thank you. It's my way of investing in you and your dreams.

Thank you.