039. How Owning Your Story Opens Doors with Michelle Salinas

Welcome. I am marketing expert and business coach Melissa Kellogg Lueck. And this is the Doing Business Like a Woman podcast, where we are exploring and teaching you how women are reinventing the way business is done and money is made to help you create greater impact and financial freedom one business at a time. Okay, so I'm so excited today. I have a very special guest with me today, Michelle Salinas, and I'm going to have her introduce herself in just a moment. But I think this is going to be such a great conversation around really owning up to our value and our authority and really the vision for our lives and stepping into that and how we step into that and. And the journey that it takes to get there. Right, Michelle?

Yes.

Yeah. So I would love for you to just introduce yourself and we'll get started there. And just quickly, Michelle and I met just a few weeks ago at a women's networking event here in our local area. And we were at the Women's Success Summit for. Hosted by E. Women Network, which is a great organization that I'm a part of, and Michelle is as well. And then we met one on one, and I was just blown away by Michelle's story, and I couldn't wait to have her come on and share it with you. So here we go. Michelle, hello.

Thank you so much for having me, Melissa. I really appreciate you. And so, yes, my name is Michelle Salinas, and I am the CEO at the Digital Edge, Inc. And we specialize in finding hidden profit for small businesses and without them having to spend on marketing or advertising. And what really moved me to start my business in 2018 was a layoff that I had experienced a few months before that. So towards the end of 2017, I experienced an unexpected layoff and totally not prepared for it either. And then my special needs son, I have two kids, and my special needs son, he, you know, he needed urgent support, urgent attention. And so I then decided to start a business, you know, working from home online and also be able to, you know, spend more time with my son, having him, you know, study online as well. And then that. That whole experience of, you know, being with him online from home, working from home, you know, very few hours. I was not even able to work a lot in. In my business or on it because I was really focused on finding out what was going on with my son, advocating for him in the school system. And so that really led me to uncover a few things. And one is that there's a lot of marginalization going on, you know, in the workforce as a single mom. You know, with the special needs, you know, child, and there's also a lot of discrimination going on. And, and, and, you know, just not. It's not. The marketplace is not structured and set up for, you know, for mothers, especially special needs moms. So I discovered this later on, you know, a few years later, I discovered that and decided to do something about it. So that's when I started to, you know, I pay more attention to, okay, what. What is the vision for my life? What, how do I want to make an impact? How do I want to be an instrument for impact? And so in 2020, that's when I discovered that I really wanted to make an impact for special needs moms. But I didn't know how that was going to happen. Like, I thought, okay, maybe I need to like, you know, start a foundation, start a nonprofit, and then that way I can help them. So I had some idea there, but. But I was like, I'm not ready to start a nonprofit yet. I still have to business. And so two years later, I then, you know, found myself, you know, pretty stuck in some areas and realized that I was not asking for help. I was, you know, there. There were areas in my life that I needed to get a coach, I needed. I needed a mentor. And so I decided to get back on Clubhouse. And I initially was on Clubhouse when it started, and then kind of like was off and on, but then I felt compelled to get back on there. And Clubhouse, by the way, is social audio app, and, you know, there's some really fantastic rooms there. And so I went into this room, Breakfast with Champions, and heard Richard Dolan speak. And I had no idea who he was. And. But just hearing what he said moved my soul. Like, it wasn't even an emotional experience. Like, it really moved the depths of me. And I was like, I need to find out who this guy is. I need to, you know, hear more about what he has to say. And so I went on and signed up for one of his services and, you know, just started, you know, which is like videos and things. And so I just started educating myself more and it just kept moving me more. And I would take lots of notes and then, you know, find, okay, how am I going to take action on this? Then I discovered that he had this scholarship program just for women, and Katie Shea being the one that leads that. And so I went ahead and applied for it, not even, you know, expecting what was going to come out of it. Then I actually got selected. Out of hundreds of women that applied, I was one of the ones that got selected. And so that program has, you know, just recently started at the, towards the end of May. And because of the accountability and the mentorship and coaching that I've been receiving, I am now taking steps and taking action of things that I hadn't before. One of them being, you know, sharing my story and really owning my story by sharing it. So there's that then also, like uncovering and discovering, like, who am I here to serve? Because that was a question that I've had for, you know, it's been in my heart. But I'm like, okay, I made a decision like it is now even more clear that I'm here to serve special needs moms and how I'm going to serve them, what that looks like. And so I made a decision to change the audience in my business. So instead of just serving, you know, small business owners, you know, in certain industries, now I'm, you know, I'm focusing it more on special needs moms and special needs moms that are working or, you know, or that they're about to start a business. And so I started to share my story more. And then I also decided to launch a community. Well, to launch a community that's just for special needs moms. I realized that I needed to also get some sponsors on board, you know, get support with that financially. So that's when I decided to put myself out there and, you know, ask for a loan through kiba.org which is, you know, it's, it's, it's a little bit like crowdfunding, but not exactly so because I first had to get like, people that knew me to, you know, vouch for me and like, you know, lend, even if it was 25, so five people. And then after that, the, the loan was public, and then I got the whole community of Kiva, which is like millions of people, including sponsors. And the, the U.S. national Women's Soccer team was one of my sponsors. And so because there's nothing out there that is, that is specially for, you know, for, for this group of women special needs moms. And so I, ever since then I made the decision, I took action and then started to put myself out there intentionally and, you know, holding myself accountable to this, you know, to this group that I'm part of, all these things have started to come together, including not only getting funded, you know, with my first round, but also I, I, I, I had asked in previous months, Amberly Lago, and I've been, you know, following her for a couple of years now, and I found her through Greg Reed, which is, you know, has been one of my mentors from a distance. And so I emailed her and I said, hey, Amberly, I'm looking for a mentor. So when I made a decision I need a mentor, I started to look, you know, to seek it out. And she was one of the people that I had emailed before finding this scholarship. And she's like, well, I don't. Our mastermind is not open right now, but I would love to give you. You know, she gave me a coaching session. She also gave me a vi ticket to this event that was. That happened, you know, just recently. I had no idea, like, who was going to be at this event. I didn't even know what to expect. But, you know, I was just so thankful and appreciative that she was. That she was showing how much she believes in me. And so. So then I. After that, you know, just that, you know, just for a timeline sake, that's when I found, you know, the. The scholarship for mentorship and coaching. And then I. The. The event came up. Time to attend this event, which is called embrace your ambition. It was here in Denver. So I attend the event, and I was in for quite a surprise. Like, a pleasant surprise. I had never been in such a small room with so many speakers that not only are they a living demonstration of what they speak, but they just, like, exude so much love, like, genuine love for other people.

People nice.

Like, they. They had so much humility. They are just, like, full of. Of. Of light and. And care and love for other people. And they showed that not just on, you know, not just on the stage, but, like, what, you know, after they. They spoke, they would just engage with all of us in. In such a beautiful, powerful way. And I've never experienced that, you know, so many great speakers in one room. Well, it also turns out that most of them are from Clubhouse.

Oh, that's funny.

Yeah. It was so interesting to put, like, a little small picture from Clubhouse and the voice, you know, with the person.

Yeah.

And. And then I heard, like, the speaker that really inspired me the most was just like, oh, my gosh, she moved my soul. And she was really relatable for me, too. And that was Natasha Grano. She goes by Graziano now, but her being a single mom, you know, back in the day, and, you know, she's. She's now, you know, met somebody amazing through Clubhouse. But I just. Her. When I heard her story and heard, you know, not only that, but, like, I met her, I talked to her, I just Saw what, what she's done with her life. Ever since she picked literally, you know, rose from the ashes, I was like, I need to, I need to surround myself more, you know, like this kind of people. Like, I really need to be intentional about who I surround myself with. Yeah, I need to be more intentional about attending masterminds and finding a way. And before I would, I was in the mindset of, oh, you know, I can't afford it or how am I going to even pay for that? Like, you know, I, you know, whatever. I was always like, just looking at, at the circumstances instead of like, you know, finding that place within me where I can transcend my circumstances and find a solution. Now that I put myself out there, it's opened this whole world of creativity where I can find creative solutions for myself. Because sometimes it's easy, especially for a consultant, if we're a coach, it's easy to find a solution for someone else, but it's harder to find it for ourselves. And so, you know, for me, it was very simple. It's like I'm very much in the picture. I don't see the frame of that picture. That's why a coach and mentors, it's so important to have them. And so now that I've put myself out there, I do have, you know, a coach, a mentor, and I'm part of a community and I'm so, I keep surrounding myself with people that have similar values in business and in life. I'm finding that I, I now will, like, find a way to, you know, create the money, like, whether it's crowdfunding, whatever it is, you know, a grant, whatever it is that I need to do to put myself out there, to be able to get the support to invest in myself more into the business because that's what's going to help me serve special needs moms at the highest level. And, and so, and even with what I have right now, I'm able to, I'm, I am able to do that, but I want it to continue to grow. I want to, I want to continue to grow and keep this amazing momentum. And so the synchronicity that's happened in the last, you know, few weeks is just outstandingly remarkable. I, it just blows me away. And I am just so deeply thankful for the, you know, the people that make it accessible and possible for, you know, for people like me that, you know, I, I'm coming from a place of having to, to overcome a lot of adversity.

Yeah, I love it. Such a great story. So I want to kind of thank you for that overview. I think that was awesome. I want to just take a step back to the kind of the beginning of your story and what was the kind of work that you were doing when you left your corporate environment and then what was it like kind of when you, you know, started your own business and what you were offering? And let's kind of go back to that part, that stage.

Yes. So I was working as a customer success advisor. And so I've done some customer success. And then prior to that, I did, you know, consulting work for ADP as a contract. And then so I've also been in sales. You know, I've done a lot of, you know, sales executive work, sales consulting, and, and like, basically all my, my background. I didn't realize it, but like, a lot of the, the work that I've done in the past is what helped me be able to open a business and also be able to, like, you know, get clients and my referral. And I did not advertise or market much at all in my, you know, I've been in business for four years and those, most of those years I have not marketed at all because I, I wanted to, I needed to, you know, I was only able to grow at a, at a certain rate. I couldn't grow too fast. Yeah, but, yeah, like, my experience, you know, prior to opening my business was mostly business development, you know, which is, you know, sales and some marketing, mostly digital marketing, some marketing strategy and customer success. Those were the areas where, you know, that I was working in.

Yeah. So then you, you get laid off from your job and you know that your son needs more of you around and more advocacy and more attention to helping him with school and so forth. And so at that point you're like, well, you know, talk me through, like, what you were thinking. Is it like, well, you know, I'm going to go try to find a job or I'm going to start something on my own, like, kind of that thought process of. Because I think that's. It takes a lot of courage, especially as a single mom, because, you know, the buck stops with you. Right. It's not like you had a, you know, huge support system to fall back on.

Right. Like, I literally did not have a safety net. And that's why it was so scary to the thought of, you know, opening my own business. And it had been for a long time. Like, I've been wanting to open my own business for a very long time. So, like, I would do, you know, side work, like Contracts, you know, sometimes here and there and. But never had, you know, really run, you know, my own business per se, you know, so this was the first time, like really going all in. And my thought process was, you know, I keep running into the same issue. You know, if I ask for flexibility in a job setting, I get, you know, I get penalized for that.

Yeah.

And so it's like, I would have a boss that would be amazing. You know, I. We have a great relationship. You know, I was doing great work and. But then I would have someone else in the company that would be, you know, not okay with me getting that flexibility from my boss. So it was always something that, you know, it was always something or someone within a company just not being okay with or having an issue with me needing the flexibility that I needed. And, you know, and it's one thing when you ask for flexibility and your performance is not great. That's one thing. But, but still, it's like the most companies out there are not structured in a way to really support mothers.

Yeah.

Especially special needs mothers.

Yeah.

And so, so the, the so called security that I had been, you know, that I had grown up to think about a job with like some sort of security. Well, it's not really if I, you know, I'm getting laid off when I least expected, you know, I expected this job to last for many years. And I really loved what I was doing and was, you know, performing well. The clients were happy with me, but it was just one of those things. And so, so, yes, I figured if I'm running into the same issue and there's no job security, I might as well do something that I love doing and something of my own that I have control over.

Yeah, yeah, right. And creating your own security and. Yeah. Which is such a paradigm shift for a lot of us. And I think a lot of corporate people in corporate, especially women in corporate during the pandemic, really, we all kind of saw that shift where it was like, maybe these supposed nine to five jobs are not as secure as we think they are, and what other options are out there? And so I love that. And so that was almost like your first investment right in yourself is like, I'm gonna go at this on my own. I'm gonna invest in my belief in myself and creating my own security and stepping out in that faith. And so tell me what that was like.

It was really scary. Like, I felt very scared, but at the same time there was like this excitement that was, you know, kind of like coming to the surface slowly. But Surely. And. And I, you know, there was also like, a sense of freedom that I felt too in, you know, in starting to create my own path. And again, I didn't know exactly what it was going to, you know, be evolving into or what it was all going to look like. I did not know the how to everything. Like, I started business with a certain focus, and then it started kind of like, you know, moving more into business development and, you know, not just consulting, but also coaching and also like learning to partner with, you know, with other business coaches that had more experience in the field, that were investors that, you know, they just. They license their. Their, you know, they were playing the game at a whole different level. So. So, yeah, so it's like, it was great to start to. To do that. So it's like that's really helped my business to, you know, again, to. To gain more clarity and direction as to, like, where do I want to go and how do I want to do it and for what purpose? Like those big questions that we typically have, you know, not just for life, but also for our business. Because it's so integrated with life.

Yes.

That, you know, I. I couldn't answer them right away. And I also gave myself a lot of grace and compassion. You know, it's like I, you know, I can't answer these questions right now, and it's okay. I, you know, I. The answer will become clear. So I used my own spiritual practice, I used my own resilience that I had to already build in life to be able to, you know, even be a player in life. There's a certain amount of resilience, a certain amount of trust in ourselves and, you know, in a higher power that we do have to have. And so I. I basically used everything that was already at my disposal and kept expanding that, growing that to be able to stay resilient through. Through this journey and. And also continue to grow, continue to learn and continue to, you know, ask, okay, well, what is next? Like, what do I need to do next and who do I need to be? Who do I need to have in my tribe Or. Or what does that all look like? Like, you know, just things like that that we, you know, some of us are curious about but may not always have the answer right away. But then as we continue to take steps, continue to, you know, progress, even if it's slow progress, it's still progress. All of that became more clear. And there were some people that came and, you know, they. They provided something that I needed at that moment. And there was, you Know, some sort of exchange. And then, you know, they kind of like went on in their, their own journey and I went on in mine. Like, there are some people that come and go and we have an exchange and there's a value exchange there, but they're not, it's not meant to always stay that way. So, so that was the thing, is that I just kept, I just kept going and then I started to ask more for help. That was one of the greatest lessons that I had in the last seven years on a personal level and also in business, because I was not used to asking for help professionally and in business necessarily. Like, it was more like on a personal level. Like, you know, being a single mom, it's just, it's one of those things where we quickly learned that, hey, you know, when we need to ask for help, we need to ask for help. And so, but in business, I wasn't used to, like, professionally, I wasn't used to, you know, asking for help. And, and, and it was very uncomfortable. It was really out of my comfort zone to do that. And so, yeah, so let's talk a.

Little bit about that. So you're, you start your business, you're getting some clients, getting money rolling in, and then, but you're still feeling like this nudge that there's going to be more to this or kind of tell me about that part of your journey.

So I kind of. The business model that I've had for the four last. I don't know, what, four years or so. Yeah, it, it's been one where, you know, I, I only can accept a very small amount of clients because of the time that it takes to, to, you know, to deliver.

Yeah.

And so, you know, and keep in mind that it's combining that with my own family. Right. Like, you know, being there for my, for my kiddos. And so, so yeah, so it's like I, I then realized that that model was not the best model. Like, it provided a certain, you know, it served me and it served, you know, the client. Like, you know, like one of my clients that I had, I, you know, made them. I brought in $100,000 in three months. And so, so, you know, so these clients, they're. They're multimillion dollar companies, they're very established and, and it was great to be able to like, work for those type of clients. But I realized that's not the kind of, that's not the business model that's really going to help me serve at the highest level. You know, the, the women that I'M here to serve. Like, that's when I really had to make a decision and get super clear, okay, you know, that you're here to serve special needs moms. Now it's time to move on that. Not just like, let it sit there, but, like, actually do it be a living demonstration of being an instrument of, you know, for impact for the. For this group of women. And so that's when I made the decision, okay, I'm not going to wait anymore. And I'm not going to wait to like, start a nonprofit or a foundation or whatever to do something about it. I'm going to use and start where I am now. And so I decided, okay, I can still use my business to serve these women, because these women, whether it's a working mother or whether it's. That is a special needs working mother or that one that is thinking about starting a side hustle or is already in business and needs support, there are specific things that I can help them with that I've lived through, that I've grown through. And I also can pull in other, you know, specialists and experts to help support as well. Because it's, it's. It does take a village. Like, it's very clear that it does take a village. But we have to voice what we need. We have to be our greatest advocates. Yeah, you know, as mothers, it's often easy to be an advocate for our kids, but we also need to be advocate for ourselves, for what we need on a personal level and in business. And when we are in any type of program, it's not enough to just focus on one area of life. It's important to be able to get support for all areas of life. And there's no one coach or one mentor that is going to provide it all. You know, there's. That's why it's good to have, you know, a healthy tribe and network of people that, you know, share similar values that are in a place way beyond, you know, where we want to go. So that way we're. It's cohesive, it's congruent. Like, there's a combination of different things that are important for each single, you know, mother. And so that's when I made the decision. I'm going to launch a community. I'm going to launch a community for special needs moms and that are either working in a job, they have their career, or they're starting a side hustle, or they're already in business. So that's when I was like, okay, I'm doing this and I Started to, started the funding part of it because obviously anything that we need to do that's going to be big and that we wanted to be world class needs to, to be funded.

So yeah, so talk a little bit about that. Flipping that switch to changing the direction of your business and then your, how you decided to ask for help because, and like, what were you thinking that kind of drove you to say, okay, now you know, I need help with this and I'm going to reach out and find a mentor, find a coach, kind of talk me through how that happened for you.

Well, first off, I, I care about the impact I make in this world. I could have just stayed, you know, working my small consultancy firm and just focusing on, you know, businesses that are, you know, in, in, in either high six, you know, high six figures or seven, eight figures. I could have just focused on that and find ways to grow that and that's it. But I'm someone that really wants to make an impact. I want to be a living, a living demonstration of, of what it is to be an instrument for impact. I want to be a force of impact in this world. So that's a calling that I've had for a very long time. Since I was very young. I just didn't know what that all looked like. Even my parents have always seen that too. And so when I got accepted into the scholarship program, Rich ladies and started to become accountable, I have an accountability call every single week. I am being closely observed. So like, now that I have that awareness and now obviously my actions have to align with what I say that I want to do and want. Those two things have to be congruent in every part of my life because these mentors and coaches are looking at every part of my life, not just one. And so that's when I was like, okay, I felt very moved based on the information that I've been learning lately, to take action and that there's, I can't. I started to believe that I can take action with what I have right now, with who I am now and that I, I can take action. It was just a matter of being able, having clarity and awareness of that and then doing it. And so I did. That's exactly what I did. That's when I launched my, my campaign on, on kiva.org yeah, so tell us about that.

So it's not only like reaching out like and for the scholarship and getting accepted into that program and then, you know, realizing that the organization that you're part of is wanting you to put your money Where. Or their. Your mouth, where their money is. Right, so.

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. It's all about being a living demonstration. And, you know, it's about being. And, you know, and when we're really being, you know, who we really are, everything in our life speaks about that is an expression, expression of it. And it all aligns. It's all congruent. And so those were the pieces that I needed to, to take action on. So. So for all of it to come together that I wasn't before because, like, I just didn't have the clarity and awareness.

Yeah.

And I wasn't asking for help either. To be able to get more clear and become more aware. So. So, yeah, so that's, that's where that, those that all came to. That's how it all came together for me.

Nice.

And. And then sparked this whole new world of possibility.

Yeah. And then you step forward and you decide to get funding for your idea. Because I think that's like a whole other. For me, that's a whole other level of belief and investing in yourself to step forward and say, here's my idea. And I believe that, that it's worth even other people getting on board with and pursuing that. So tell us about that.

Yes. So I am already funded on my first round and I'm also now looking at, okay, my next strategy is basically to get sponsors. And what I mean by that is there are plenty of businesses out there that care about making an impact, being a force for impact. And so those are the businesses that I'm looking to connect with so they can become sponsors and also form part of this community in advocating and supporting, you know, a special needs mom, whether she needs a, you know, to grow in her career or needs, you know, mentoring with, you know, in Korea in her career or is someone that, you know, wants to grow in business. There are plenty of businesses out there that can play a part. They can play the game of being an instrument for impact and be a force in the world for good. So though, right now I'm in the place where I'm looking for sponsors to invest in, you know, in my business and also be part of like, a network of companies that support special needs moms in different, you know, in different capacities. And so that's what I'm bringing together. Because it takes, again, it takes a network, it takes a village. It takes different, you know, companies and CEOs, owners, mentors, coaches that are in a, in a place where they can, you know, move resources, move their contacts and be a force for good use. It for good and be an impact for, you know, positive impact for special needs moms. So that's where this is all, you know, headed now.

Yeah. So I love this that you really are becoming such a great example and walking the talk of owning your story and asking for help. Right.

Or.

And that's kind of the community that you're creating. Right. Of, of women that are coming together, you know, the community coming together, the business community coming together and supporting each other. So I think that's such a beautiful vision. So what, tell me what your vision is for this part of your business. Like, how do you want to help the women? What kind of programs do you, are you developing or kind of what your vision is?

Yes. So it's all still coming together, but right now, like, what I, what I am able to do for, you know, a special needs mom is get, you know, get people behind her, get people that support her with whatever it is that she wants to do or whatever she needs in the moment. So. But in my, in my business, what I, you know, what I foresee is being able to provide, you know, group coaching. I think group coaching not just for business, but also for, you know, in a map, it's like a combination of group coaching. For some things, you know, it's beneficial to have be in that learning environment, but then for other things, it's better to have a mastermind. And that's where, you know, in the Napoleon Hill format of masterminds, where, you know, we're coming together, we are, you know, in a hot seat and we are, you know, stating, okay, this is what I either have a challenge with, please help me, you know, kind of thing. Yeah, but in a very empowering way. Not in a way where it's, you know, it's a big victimhood at all. It's in a very. Coming from a place of strength because it takes strength to ask for help. But still owning, you know, all of takes a lot of strength. So that's the place that we're coming from. And in this mastermind, there's also philanthropy involved. So that's where we, we go out in the community and we provide, you know, our time, our resources, whatever we have available to give that, we give it. And so that's another part of this mastermind. And, and you know, there may be some, some other instances where it's just a matter of connecting, you know, connecting women with the right resource or with the right mentor or the, or the, you know, that specific coach or mentor that they need for that specific need. So Having, you know, a community where everyone is feeling, you know, feel supported, feels heard, feel seen, and there's no, there's no demographic or none of the superficial things that are required. The only thing required is really to. Is to show up, is to really be committed and be a living, living demonstration of that, of that commitment. And so those are the requirements. But aside from that, I see this really growing, you know, on a national level, growing, you know, global even. Like, I already have the Global Women Club. You know, she, you know, she heard my story on Clubhouse and offered, you know, for me to be part of that. If there's. They have like, a magazine, they have like, a lot of different, you know, media venues to, you know, to. To be seen and to be heard. And so she already offered, you know, support through her own organization, which is amazing. She's based out of London. And so. So this was all just sharing my story? Yeah. I felt very compelled in that moment to share it. And I shared it with my whole soul and heart. And she was one of those that felt it, that was moved by it. So that's the thing, is that when we start sharing our story, we never know who it's going to impact and how it's going to impact them. So sharing our story is extremely important. And it doesn't mean that everything has to be shared, every single little detail. It's just about sharing it in a way that, that feels good to the person, you know, when we're. That we're that person that's sharing it. And also that it's, it's. It moves, it moves us when we are sharing it. It's moving us. The one that, that, you know, the sharer and also the listener. It's, it's. It goes both ways. And so I'm super excited. I. I feel this is going to be like my life work. Like my. Literally my life's work. And so I'm really excited to continue. Yeah.

And it already has been your life's work, right? It's like, yes, everything in your life has brought you to this point. So this is what you've been working on for years and years and years, right?

That's right.

Yeah.

Yes.

That's amazing. So I would love to just wrap up by asking what would your advice be to a woman, a mom, single mom, or a mom of a special needs child that's listening right now, that is just in that place where you were in, say, 2018, when you were just feeling squeezed by the job and wanting to serve your job and do well, there while also being a great mom and what advice you would have for her right now or someone that's thinking of starting their own business right now, what would you have to say to them?

So if you have a, if you're having any type of trouble getting your son or daughter the services that they need, especially needs, I would recommend that you, first of all, that you don't give up. Don't give up on them. Don't give up on yourself, no matter how hard it may seem right this moment. Also make sure to, you know, if you're in the Denver area, I have plenty of resources that I can provide of organizations that I personally have worked with so that I can recommend that really, they definitely walk the talk. They're the real deal. They really go above and beyond to help special needs children and their families. And so there's that. But I would say the one thing is don't give up. Don't give up on yourself. Don't give up on your children and any, any area in your life where you feel there's a lack, where there's just some sort of lack or any type of struggle, even ask for help, you know, ask for, for divine guidance. I bring in the spiritual because it does make a difference. It's made all the difference for me. And it doesn't matter what you believe in, but ask the higher power, whatever that higher power looks like for you, ask for help, ask for guidance. And then, you know, on a practical sense, you know, look up organizations that can provide what you're looking for and interview them, you know, like, do, do research, but definitely do not give up. For someone, you know, that single mom, special needs single mom, or a special needs, you know, mother, working mother that is looking to start a business or grow their business, I would highly recommend that before you spend money on resources or on a coach or a mentor, especially a coach, because mentors really shouldn't be charging you anything. Really do your research and but more importantly, really go, you know, do a lot of introspection and ask yourself what it is that you are looking for. What are your values? What are, what are, what do you stand for? Who are you serving and why? And you know, what's, what's it costing you to not take action? So, like, you know, whether it's your family, you know, including yourself, the people you're here to serve, whether you're aware of who you're supposed to serve or not, like what, what, what is life going to be like next year if you don't take Action today, what is it going to look like? And, and just imagine, you know, whether it's your kids, whether it's, you know, the people that you're here to serve, like, all the impact that, the negative impact that would have if you don't take action today. So really think about those things. Have it, you know, take some time to always do introspection and go within yourself every single day that made us. That's making a huge difference in my life. To be resilient and stay resilient. And then community is everything. Being part of a community that aligns with your values, that aligns with what you, you know, what matters most to you is everything and being seen, being heard. We are here to be seen and be heard, but we have to take the first step. We have to put ourselves out there and we have to also voice, you know, what it is that we want and need.

Yeah, I love that. So good. And remember that you're not alone. Right. Because this, I'm sure, could feel a lot of times very isolating. I mean, I know myself as an entreprene entrepreneur. It can feel very isolating. And even as a parent, a lot of times we think we're the only ones that are going through these struggles or whatever. But you're not alone. So.

That's right.

Yeah. To reach out. So I love that. Thank you so much. And will you share with us how we can keep in touch with you, follow you, work with you, all the things?

Yes. So if you go to Michelle, Michelle E L L E Salinas S A L I n a s.co that is my social tab and it has basically all the links of how to connect with me on social media. It has my phone number. You can even download my V card. And yeah, I also have like a free gift where I share, you know, eight strategies to help increase your leads and find profitability in your business. So that's a free book that. That's my free gift to everyone listening if they want to take advantage of that too.

Love it. Thank you so much, Michelle.

Thank you, Melissa. So good to see you.

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