From Wall Street to Entrepreneurship: Finding Fulfillment Personally and Professionally

Hello everyone, I am Reena Vokoun and I am the host of Your Power Move by PassionFit podcast, and I'm so excited to be bringing you another episode. I have an amazing guest. I had the honor to be on her podcast recently. Her name is Erin Koop and she is the founder and CEO of Authentically EC, which is a company that really focuses on working with leaders and professionals and helping them with their performance and their human soft skills as well. She is a powerhouse. She spent 17+ years on Wall Street working for Goldman Sachs, CBRE, and other, uh, brand name companies. And she has taken her skills from her own experiences and is now helping other executives transform their personal and professional lives. So everyone, please give a warm welcome to Erin Koop. Erin, nice to have you today.

Oh, thank you, Reena. It's so great to be here.

Oh, well, I'm really excited to dive into our conversation today, and I would love for you to share with our viewers and our listeners a little bit about your background and kind of what brought you to where you are now.

Yes. Well, you know, I, I would be remiss if I didn't start at the sort of early years. Um, you know, I grew up as a child underneath the poverty line with a father who was terminally ill most of my life. So, um, what that really taught me was that I, I could persevere through anything and create my own life, and And that's exactly what I did. Put myself through college, first in my family to earn a 4-year degree, you know, out of everybody in my family, aunts, uncles, you name it. And then I always had this yearning desire to move to New York City. I grew up in the Midwest and, you know, seeing the Statue of Liberty on TV was just something that I was always enamored by. And what she stood for was just something so beautiful to me. So I moved to New York and didn't know a single soul, had my first job at Reuters. Couple years in, you know, I was about 24 years old, I was recruited by Goldman, and I spent many years at Goldman in various roles in pretty hardcore, uh, finance positions. And what I realized is that, you know, the prestige and the, I would say, accolades that come along with working for an investment bank like that were something that I didn't realize that I, I would, uh, forego my well-being in order to, you know, attain or to achieve. And that's exactly what happened. I had so many, uh, reactions, you know, physically and physiologically to the stress and the anxiousness that I was, um, perpetuating on my own, but dealing with in the environments that I was in. And fast forward, I got myself out of finance and moved into a different part of the corporate world and was no longer dealing with those, um, physiological issues. My health was very good, but what happened is that I realized I'm not living a life that is fulfilling. I'm living according to a societal-driven lifestyle that I was basically told by, you know, society and structures and systems that this is— this means success. Like, if you do these things and if you check these boxes, you have all of this stuff, then that means you have made it. And it just was not at all authentic to me and didn't feel good. I didn't feel good in my own skin, essentially. So I stepped— I stepped into a path of personal transformation and growth where I said, I've got to do some work on myself because if on paper everything is good, why doesn't it feel good? Why doesn't it feel great to be me if I've done everything I'm supposed to? And that inner work is a big part of my journey and my story. I know we'll get into a little bit more in our conversation, but it really was opening my eyes to how I was living and treating myself and treating my life. That was a major, major mark of a pivot for me.

Wow, what an incredible story. Even from your beginnings, you know, with your father being terminally ill and living below the poverty line, I mean, you went through some really big challenges at a very young age. And to be able to then recognize when you're in another challenging situation in your adult life, I think it really takes a lot of courage to walk away from that. I can completely, you know, empathize with you. And I, you know, your story resonates with me as as we've talked about in the past, about having left corporate America and Silicon Valley and tech, also because of the issues that it caused for my well-being and the burnout. So I can understand that. I think a lot of women and just people in general go through it. But I think to be able to recognize it and also know that you need to focus on yourself before you can help others, I think is huge. And I think this, you know, I wanted you to share a little bit more about, you know, the challenges that you faced. I mean, this is a big one. There are several big ones that you just mentioned, but, you know, what were some of the steps steps that you took to really come out of that?

Yeah, you know, one of the things that I, I noticed in myself was there was this level of resentment that I carried that would show up in places that it didn't really fit. And I didn't understand why when I was in it, because, you know, everything in hindsight always looks different. But in reality, what was happening is that resentment was a part of me, this anger was a part of me, because I never felt like I had space for the things that I wanted to do, or I didn't have time to do the things that actually fulfilled me and that I felt joy from. And so I was in that monotonous sort of rinse and repeat lifestyle, which was just, you know, the same thing every day, going through the motions, you know, working 60-hour weeks, commuting 10 hours a week, you know, being a mom. You know, being a wife, you know, taking care of a home, like all of the things. And I was so utterly exhausted and drained, but I was also choosing to give time and attention to a lot of distractions, a lot of habits that I had built over the years that were no longer serving me. So the first thing that I started to look at was, okay, I'm going to pull back the hood and I'm going to look at where am I actually giving energy, time, and attention to things that do nothing for me, that literally add no value and in fact probably even drain me. So this was things like the 5:30 glass of wine that took the edge off. Well, when my kids were young and I'd get home from school and the nanny would leave and I'd think, oh, I deserve a 5:30 glass of wine to take the edge off. In reality, did I really need that? No. And so why was I choosing it? So I had to start to look at things like that. Now I still like wine. I don't— I do drink wine, but it was just in that time frame, it was like, I don't need that every day. That's just a bad habit. Same goes for news. I mean, the amount of news that I had on just as background noise, and then I had the breaking alerts coming into my emails, and then I would see it online and I'd read articles online. And I realized, geez, there's so much of this negativity that is taking up space in my head, and that is a complete distraction. It was also just a bad habit. I didn't need to have that on all the time. Um, on top of that, I would say there were things like in my evenings, okay, was I watching Netflix 5 nights a week? Well, couldn't I just do something different? Could I read? Could I journal? Could I take a salt bath, take a walk? Like, there was all these other things that I was telling myself I didn't have time for, but I was not being truthful. I had time for them. I just didn't want to change my ways of being that had become so habitual. And that's why I was ultimately very drained. So the big piece of it initially was looking at what I needed to cut out in order to start to put things in. That were actually going to bring me joy and fuel me.

Yeah, that's— it's really interesting when you were talking about the resentment in the beginning. I feel like you probably felt a lot of pressure being the first in your family to go to college. You probably felt like you needed to have a stable job, you know, once you had your own family to be able to provide for your kids. So I can understand that that would cause that resentment. But it's great that you had that self-awareness and then you really took a deep dive into your habits. I think that's one of the biggest things that sometimes we just get so in the daily grind of things that we don't even realize that we're doing things that are detrimental to our mental health, to our overall wellbeing, and of course our physical health as well. So I think that's really interesting that you highlighted some of the things that I think we can all relate to, right? Watching Netflix too much, being on our phone, consuming negative news, or consuming things in our bodies that may not be the best for us all the time. So I think that's really powerful. And what would you say was the— through this whole time, what was the most pivotal year in your life? Imagine when you were making this transformation, it might have been that year or maybe a different year in your life, but, um, you know, what would be so significant about that year and how did that really change your life?

Yeah, so, you know, I believe that we're always on this journey of evolving and, um, a journey of becoming, right? So we're always— we don't reach perfection, we're always growing, there's always opportunities to learn and to shift and to change. And The year for me that was probably the most pivotal, because it's the year that I chose to really be intentional about this inner work, was about the fall of 2017 until all through 2018, actually. And those were the times that I was the most intentional and the most, I would say, honed in on these practices of self-awareness and creating new rituals in my life that were really fueling me and doing something to add value to my life. And it's all started with a question I asked myself. What is the meaning of all of this? Like, why do we do this to ourselves? And that is where I was like, geez, okay, now when I ask myself that question, like, how does that feel in my body? And like, even for your listeners, you know, like when I say that, like, why do we do this to ourselves? It's like, well, do what? Like, this is just what we do in life. Like, we just grind it out and then we make it to 65 and then we retire and we don't have to work and then that's living life. And I called BS on it in 2017. When I started asking those questions, they were very deep. They were almost existential. And I called BS on the fact that we fall into this trap of believing that we're just meant to grind it out and then retire and then live life. Because, you know, my own father died at 58. His quality of life after 45 was awful. And so who are we to say that we get that time? You know, who are we to actually have to believe that? And so why can't we live now? Living is not not working. And when I realized that, oh my gosh, like my job is important, I'm important, I bring so much value to the people I serve. And even when I was in corporate, when I'm working on myself, I was shedding old parts of myself. I was shedding these old identities. Where I was no longer just, oh, I'm a vice president at a Fortune 140 company. I was Erin Koop, and these are things I'm interested in and this is what excites me. And I was sharing myself more authentically and vulnerably because I realized that connection's everything, like relationships are everything. Like we're social creatures. Like this is what life is about. And if I am going to grow into a better version of me, I need to show up as me, not as just the person wearing the collared shirt who's going to do your real estate transactions. You know, it was, it was a very, very big year of that shedding old identities, releasing limiting beliefs, and really shifting my mindset to believing in myself again and believing that anything is possible for me. And then I just needed to get out of my own way.

Yeah, I mean, I think you really also were challenging societal norms, as you mentioned, of, you know, you work, you do the, the corporate career, you stay with a company for 30 years, you retire. All those things are, um, you know, in some ways outdated in modern world, I think, especially after COVID, when people have been really trying to figure out, you know, why am I here? You know, and that was what I wanted to ask you in terms of your purpose and your why. You alluded to some of it, but what, you know, today in your work, what drives you to do the work that you do and serve the people that you serve?

Yes. Well, I've had this company now for— it'll be almost 6 years, which is astounding. I can't even believe it sometimes. I sometimes feel like the pandemic years were, you know, just one year, and it was actually 2 and a half. But, um, you know, a big part of, of what it is I'm now doing— first of all, it's my passion. What happened is when I was doing a lot of that inner work on myself, and I was literally transforming from the inside out— of course not overnight, this was over periods of time, and I, I think it's still happening, right? And it does for all of us. But what happened is that the first year and a half felt so profound because I really did become a different version of me. And in releasing a lot of that stuff that I just talked about that was weighing me down, and, you know, and removing some of those habits that were exhausting me and draining me, I was not only more energized, but I was more connected. I was more connected to nature, to my family, to my job, to my clients. And I just felt like I was more alive, like I had more vitality to me. And along with sharing myself authentically, came talking a lot about the work I had been doing on myself. And that was hard at first. It wasn't an easy thing to do. People weren't talking about this stuff in 2018. Like, this was not mainstream at all to talk about self-awareness and inner work and meditation and, you know, barely journaling. You know, we didn't talk about that. But I started to talk about it intentionally because it was really, really important to me. And so if I'm going to give people parts of myself and let them know the real me, This is a big part of my life. I carved out all kinds of time and space for it, so I needed to talk about it. And as I was talking about it, I started to be asked to deliver speaking engagements on these topics. Oh, can you come to our town hall and talk about what it means to be emotionally mature? Oh, can you do a workshop with our leadership team and talk to us about how we build self-awareness and how we be more authentic and how we lead ourselves well so we can lead others well? So the universe was giving me signs every time I said yes.. And I said yes because it lit my soul on fire to do it. I was so lit up every time I got asked. And then of course, every time I did that work, and that is where I, I'm, I set out to, to start the company and say to myself, you know what, if this is what I'm being called to do, because it was my own lived experience and I lived through it, then this is where I need to put my time and energy and really focus. So I didn't leave corporate because of the burnout. I left corporate because I needed to do this on a bigger scale. I can't just do this at one company. I need to give more people the opportunities to grow in the ways that I know are possible. So that was my journey to launching the company.

Yeah, I mean, I think it just goes to show that transformation can happen for anyone at any stage in life, any time in their life. And I think that's where so much of your journey resonates with me. I feel like we've lived parallel lives. And I agree, when I've been asked to speak to different organizations about my story as well, I think people want to hear those stories because people want to be able to relate and to feel like they're not alone. I think if we present ourselves in such a way where everything's perfect and we're moms and professionals and we launch these great companies and it's been a smooth ride, no, it hasn't. We both know that it can be bumpy. It can be really hard, some of the hardest, most challenging times in your personal and professional life. But I think if you have that passion, as you mentioned that you have, will push you through. And when you do come out on the other side and you can tell people about it and share your story, I think so many people can see themselves through you, and that's what's going to encourage them to want to make those changes in their lives as well. So I love your purpose. The work that you're doing is so needed and so powerful, and I think more and more people can learn from your experiences. As you know, Erin, this podcast is called Your Power Move, and the concept is really all about, you know, when we have those tough days when we just feel exhausted and burnt out and we just don't feel like getting out of bed in the morning or whatever it might be, what are the things that we can do? Each of us has our own unique things in different areas of our life that can motivate us. It's that first single step that can really help us to get motivated to then continue, whether it's with a project, whether it's with something for our health and fitness or, um, you know, our family, our relationships, or other things. Um, and once we get going, then we can really kind of see our peak performance, we can see that potential coming out and really be our best selves. So for you, what would you say? You can pick whatever areas of your life are most relevant. And I think in the beginning you shared some of the things that you took out of your life that were no longer serving you. So what are the things that you do, those first steps when you're not feeling motivated?

Yeah, so for me, it's all about rituals. And I talk a lot about rituals. I've written a book about rituals. Rituals are energizing, they're uplifting, they're connecting. They are the activities that we choose with ourselves or with our loved ones or even our colleagues that really are purposeful and intentional. And so if you think about something like a routine, that's the opposite. Routines over time become really numbing. They become very draining because why? We do them to check them off our list, right? What's energizing about that? Oh, I got it done. Okay, moving on to the next. Like, we're just not present with routines. So rituals are are my key to every single day. Where am I putting a ritual in my life and a place that I know I'm going to need it that day? My mornings are always a ritual, and that's like I say, I've ritualized my mornings. I've been doing that for years. So each day looks different, but they always include a few certain activities that are, that are one-to-one with me. It's my time to really connect to myself, and I like to do this before anyone else in my house is awake. So for me, it's a meditation, and that could be 5 minutes to 20 minutes. It's just, just kind of depends on where I am mentally, what's coming through, what I'm feeling in my body, how relaxed I am, that kind of thing. Journaling I do almost every other day. So I like to jot down just what are my feelings, what are my thoughts, what's actually moving through me so I don't get too into, you know, I got to fill out the question prompt or anything like that. Just, just kind of mind dumping, right? And then I love to read and I've been an avid reader for many, many years. And so I will read sometimes a chapter, sometimes 10 chapters. It just depends. What time did I get up that day, right? Was it 5:00 AM? Was it 5:45? It depends on how much time I've got. And then I mindfully make my coffee. I actually brew my own coffee. This was something I started a little bit before COVID actually. I used to be the person that was on the fly, stopping at the coffee shop, scrolling through emails, listening to news in my earphones, and then just chugging my coffee down. And I switched that up years ago to say, I'm going to actually brew my coffee and just stand there for the 4 minutes that it takes and just allow myself to be present. And that is a part of what that ritualized morning looks like for me.

I love that. That's such a unique, special thing that you do for yourself every morning. And I love what you said about, you know, every day looks different. I think that is a key point that I hope everyone that's listening and watching hears is that when you do have power moves or you have those rituals or those habits, it's not going to always be exactly the same every day because we're human. And life is chaotic, it's busy, sometimes it's calm. You just never know what's gonna come your way. So I think by being flexible and recognizing the imperfection, the beauty of that imperfection in day-to-day life, and picking and choosing what are those things, those power moves that are gonna motivate you for that day. As you mentioned, sometimes your motivations, it could be 5 minutes, it could be 20 minutes. Your kids wake up at different times, you wake up at different times depending on what's happening in your life. And I think that that is the key. Key is to just recognize that you have to kind of be in the moment and ask yourself, what is it that I need right now to feel better, to feel like I can actually take some actions and move forward with my day? Because yeah, every day is different and it's not easy. And I think the less we feel like it has to be rigid and so specific all the time, um, you know, the more we can free ourselves to figure out what's going to help motivate us in that moment. So I love that, and I think those are really great between the journaling, the meditation, the coffee. Those are really great power moves to have. So that's fantastic.

Thank you.

Yeah. So what would you say a decade from now? I know you had your big transformation in 2017, 2018. We're now in the back half of 2025, which is crazy. So if we fast forward to 2035, where do you see yourself?

Oh, this is an interesting question. I've never been a 5-year plan kind of person, so a 10-year is certainly not up my alley, um, but it's a good challenge. And I would say I'm more of a manifester in the sense that, you know, I like to hold visions when I, when I meditate, visions of the future me. And so I'm always kind of using my imagination in that way where I'm picturing what is possible. And sometimes it's about specific things, you know. I used to picture myself on the news, and then last year I was on the news 3 times, and So, you know, it works. It just— I have no control over how fast it works, but, you know, it eventually works. So I see that I am certainly going to be building out some really incredible retreats and cohort programs. I already run a virtual cohort, but I have a lot of requests for doing things that are in person but also longer. So rather than a 5-week virtual cohort, like a year-long container where people can really, really work on themselves and really grow personally and professionally. So I think that that's a big part of the next, I'd say, 5 years. And I'm in no rush, but I know that that's something that I'm calling in and will be working towards. And then actually, my husband joined my business last year and I— I mean, we've been together for 18 years and he's truly my soulmate. I've always called him a heart-centered man, and he didn't fully understand what that meant until about 6 months ago. And so it's really neat to see his evolution. I never thought that we would be to be in a business together ever. That was never my goal with launching my company. And he came to me a couple years back and said, I really want to join your business. It's so purposeful. You know, I, I want to do work like this in the world that really matters. And so it's been a really interesting journey. You know, the first few months were not, uh, not easy, but we worked out some of those kinks, and it's been a lot of fun since then. And, um, I, I would say that we'll be doing some things together actually with couples as well. I see that as a part of, call it, the next, you know, 5 to 10 years. And so what it like, I don't, I don't know for sure, but it is something I'm gonna, I'm gonna start to manifest.

I love that. That's— my husband's my CFO. He works full-time in tech.

There you go.

Yes, that's like— yeah, and it's great. It's great to do projects together and to grow together. I think that's the longevity of your marriage speaks to that, right? When you can both have your own transformations and growth but do them in ways that are complementary, complementary to each other. I think that is huge. Um, and would you say, do you have a preference for working one-on-one with individual clients or organizations or a little bit of both?

Yeah, so I don't really work one-on-one with many people. So I take about 5 people at a time. And so it depends. Sometimes that's 5 people in one company. Other times it's just individuals that find me through referrals. And so I do one-to-one coaching. I'm very specific that it is not executive coaching. So I don't use a particular style from a certification or anything like that. I bring in a lot of other modalities. You know, I'm a certified Reiki master, so I can bring that in, you know, remotely. A lot A lot of things I do are about that inner self and really aligning the person's energy to the life they're living. And so it's very, very deep work and it's energetically, um, pretty taxing on me, which is why I don't do a ton of the one-to-one. I do a lot of group coaching, so I go into companies and work with teams and do it that way. And then I have my private cohorts as well. And then a ton of speaking. I mean, my speaking engagements are a big part of my business, so a lot of energy there.

Yeah, that's fantastic. And as you mentioned, you are an author as well, and you recently wrote a book called I Can Fit That In. So maybe take some time to tell our viewers and our listeners a little bit about your new book.

Oh, thank you. Yeah, so it's I Can Fit That In: How Rituals, Not Routines, Transform Your Life. So obviously they got to hear me talk about rituals and the importance of them and how much they've really transformed my life. I can fit that in is not just a phrase, it is literally a mindset shift. And when I was in that resentful phase of my life, when I was, you know, burning the candle at both ends and never felt like I had had any time or space for myself, let alone for the things that I actually wanted to put into my life. I remember saying a lot, I just, I can't do it. I can't do that. I can't do this. I have no time for this. I have no time for you. You know, and I was always a little bit like angry about it. And it was not overnight, but this, this shift, this, this way of being that I started to embody, which was I can fit that in. Because it matters to me. When I started to do that, it was amazing where my life would just start to rearrange itself and certain things would fall away, other things I was intentionally removing. And all of a sudden there's a perfect space, almost like a shelf where I could put in the thing that I really wanted to. And so, oh my gosh, why not teach people that if you can change your mindset? And I, I give people the framework essentially to help them do that. I can't do it for them, but I can help them through self-awareness actually do that. If you can change your mindset from "I can't" or "I don't have time" or "It's never going to happen for me" into "I can do that. I can fit that in because that matters to me," it's incredible how much your life will transform. And so I go through the book in Part 1 all through the self-awareness practices that it takes to shift the mindset. And then Part 2 is all about designing your own rituals because they're unique to you and they're yours forever and you can evolve them whenever you want to. Like you said, they're not rigid. And then part 3 is how this actually transforms your environments and your teams at work. Wow.

I really like the concept of when you say, "I can fit that in," you are still prioritizing the things that matter to you and that you want to do. Because in so many self-development books, you hear people saying, "Learn the art of saying no," right? Say no, don't say yes to everything, don't try to fit everything in. But I think your message is unique and special because it's not saying, It's saying, you know, the things that you really want to focus on in your life, that you can fit those things in. And I think that prioritization is really key. And I'm sure this book is gonna help so many people. I'm excited to get my copy and to check it out. Where can people find the book?

Yeah, so on my website, which is erincoupe.com, E-R-I-N-C-O-U-P-E dot com, and you'll see all kinds of, on the homepage, all kinds of places to order it, or just go to the book page, which is which is right at the menu.

Wonderful. And we'll have all of this in the show notes as well. And yeah, I mean, as a fellow author, I always love asking for you, what was kind of your— the most challenging part of writing the book and what was the most rewarding?

Oh, I actually feel like the entire process was pretty challenging. Getting started was probably the most challenging. You know, just I was doing so much mind mapping and just brainstorming and I felt like I had ideas everywhere. And I had started to type the book several times in the last 3 years before actually committing to it. So I needed to get all those Google Docs and all the materials together of what ideas I actually had. So getting started was definitely a challenge. I'd say the most rewarding has been getting to this point now where I've launched my preorders on my website. The book is officially available November 5th in retailers. So I'm kind of in this sweet spot for a couple of months where I get to ride that momentum and excitement around people buying the book, people bringing it into their companies, some of the speaking engagement opportunities that are coming up. So I think this is definitely the part that I'm the most excited about.

Yeah, definitely. I would agree. I think the writing part is obviously the most challenging, especially on those days when you have writer's block, right? And you're lacking creativity and you're trying to pull together your research and thinking about, okay, is this going to Does this resonate with my audience in the way that I'm writing it, or do I need to shift or change? But I know in my experience as well, it was getting to, okay, but once I get through this, to get to know how this is going to impact people's lives. Yeah, to get to kind of— you and I are business people, so to figure out the channels of distribution and how I'm going to promote it and market it, I think that can be very exciting as well for authors if you like that side of being an author. So I think that's great. And again, I think so many people are going to just connect to this book. I think the message is really powerful. So as an author and an entrepreneur, a wife and mom, what is a fun fact about you that not everybody knows that you'd like to share with us?

I will say that, I mean, this is so funny. I was voted most likely to be a DJ in high school.

Oh, wow.

Yeah. And I know, you know, obviously dating myself, but you know, this is back when I used to carry CD cases that held, you know, like 500 CDs to every party because I just loved finding whatever stereo system was in the house where the party was and actually putting the music in and getting everyone, you know, kind of jazzed up. I love music and I love to dance. It's just, it's something that literally moves my soul. So you will find me in my kitchen. I know this is, this is where I am in life. There's no more nightclubs and there's no more parties in high school. So I go, I go into my kitchen and blare my and I will cook and I will just, you know, have dance parties with my kids. And it's just, that's how I stir my soul and keep my creativity alive.

I love it. I'm like you, I love music and love to dance. And I honestly think music is another power move for people, right? Having that power playlist, those songs that really fire you up, light you up, even bring back memories, right? Of a time in your life. I know my older son's getting ready to go to college in a couple weeks. And so we've been talking a lot about freshman year and that college experience. And I'll literally play songs for him and I'll tell him, this just takes me back to a very— like studying in the library or being out with my friends or, you know, this place on campus. And, you know, music can transform you back in time. It can have you enjoy the present moment. It can take you into the future. It's so powerful. And when you have movement along with that music, I think it's so powerful. So I love that. That's pretty cool that you were most likely to be a DJ. That's very fun. Fun. And so in terms of a key takeaway for our audience today, if you had to share one thing that you'd want them to remember from your experiences, from your work, from your, uh, mottos in life, what would that be?

I would say the one thing is that I want them to remember that they have choice, and because they have choice, they can be intentional. You can be intentional with what you put into your life, what you take out of your life.

Yeah, that's huge, that, that choice is— yeah, we're not always victims of our circumstances or, you know, situations in life. We always have a choice as to how we handle it, how we view it, what our mindset is, and how we come out of it. So I completely agree with you. I think that's really a strong message to leave with everyone. And, um, is in terms of where people can find you, you mentioned your website and where people can find you on the book. Are there any other places where people can connect with you to learn more Yes, on LinkedIn.

So you can look up Erin Coup on LinkedIn. I'm pretty active there and always have been. And then I'm also on Instagram at Authentically EC.

I love it. And is there anything else you'd like to share with our listeners and viewers today, Erin?

I think we covered so much. This has been a lot of fun. And, you know, I just want people to remember that, yeah, I mean, life doesn't have to be this grinded-out scenario. You know, work is a big part of us, but, you know, if you're in a toxic culture Maybe that's not the right place, but your work can be very fulfilling. It's not about not working. It's not about waiting for some time in the future to be fulfilled. It's about making the choices right now to put into your life what you actually want to. And you have to, you know, you've got to get real with yourself in order to do that and to transform from the inside out. You don't get there by accident. So, you know, make it on purpose and be intentional.

Yeah, that's so true. I feel like we're living longer, right? Hopefully, if we're all so lucky. And so people are also working longer. And your career should be a form of fulfillment. It doesn't have to be this thing that you're just grinding out and that you resent and that makes you just feel bitter and angry. I think, uh, to your point, if you can find work that really fulfills you and lights up your soul, I mean, that's just a whole different level of professional fulfillment that you can have. And obviously it's gonna look different for everybody. We're not saying to just quit your job and go start your own business like we did, but I think, you know, there are lots of different options and you can seek it out even if you're working for somebody else. It's just a matter of being intentional. And as you mentioned earlier, making those choices that are going to serve you well. So I think that's so powerful. I just want to thank you again, Erin. I'm so happy that we have connected, and it's been such an honor to have you as a guest on the podcast today. I hope everybody listening in will go buy her book, I Can Fit That In, and check her out. She's got such great work and so many great things to share with clients. So feel free to check it out and feel free to rate and review and provide your feedback on this podcast. As mentioned, I'm always trying to make it better and better to serve your needs. So I will be back with another episode soon, but thank you all for tuning in and take care.