Ep 188: (Pursuing your “Thing” with Stacey Lauren
8 Oct 2024 · 38 min
This podcast episode (Ep 188) is an interview between host Rita Black and Stacey (Stacy) Lauren focused on finding your voice, pursuing personal goals, and using community to create accountability and momentum. Stacey tells her story of exiting a 20-year staffing company after divorce and COVID, discovering a new purpose through fitness camp and coaching, and founding the Do The Thing community and podcast. She outlines practical frameworks she uses: comfort circles (gradual exposure: written → audio → video → live) and the "I'm Game" formula (Identify why, Mindset, Goals/ Dares, Accountability, My people, Educate). She discusses running multiple Facebook communities (singles challenges, general challenge group, and a Collaboration Network), growing engaged membership (bio cites ~6,000 members), and recently delivering a TEDx talk titled "The power of community to help you achieve your goals." The episode emphasizes incremental action, vulnerability in safe groups, and co-creation as engines for change.
Questions this episode answers
Ep 188: Pursuing your 'Thing' with Stacey Lauren.
October 8, 2024.
"The power of community to help you achieve your goals."
Over 6,000 highly engaged members.
Chapters
Have you ever wondered if you had a voice, a vision of the world that is uniquely you and you want to communicate it in some way? Today, we're diving deep into a topic that so many of us grapple with. Finding our unique voice and turning our dreams into reality. Whether you want to write a book, launch a business, start a podcast, or simply take that next step forward towards a personal goal, one thing is certain. The key to success starts with finding your authentic voice and believing in your ability to make things happen. In today's episode with do the Thing expert Stacy Lauren, who is fresh off her recent TED Talk, we'll explore how to break down barriers that hold us back, uncover the confidence to express ourselves, and develop the mindset needed to pursue our passions. It's about taking control of your path, overcoming self doubt, and creating your own opportunities rather than waiting for them. So if you're ready to stop holding back, embrace your individuality, and chase the dreams that have been calling your name.
This episode is for you.
Let's get started on the journey to.
Unlocking your full potential.
So find your thing, bring it with.
You, and let's do it.
Did you know that our struggle with weight doesn't start with the food on your plate or get fixed in the gym? 80% of our weight struggle is mental. That's right. The key to unlocking long term weight release and management begins in your mind. Hi there, I'm Rita Black. I'm a clinical hypnotherapist, weight loss expert, best selling author, and the creator of the Shift Weight Mastery process. And not only have I helped thousands of people over the past 20 years achieve long term weight mastery, I am also a former weight struggler, carb addict and binge eater. And after two decades of failed diets and fad weight loss programs, I lost £40 with the help of hypnosis. Not only did I release all that weight, I have kept it off for 25 years. Enter the Thin Thinking podcast where you too will learn how to remove the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling. I'll give you the thin thinking tools, skills and insights to help you develop the mindset you need not only to achieve your ideal weight, but to stay there long term and live your best life. Today we are going to talk about something I love. We're going to talk about dreams, finding our voice, and the power of community to support us in doing so.
And I want to thank you, my.
Finn Thinking Community, for being such a.
Powerful place to come to our mighty worldwide cohort. It's hard for me to say that word cohort.
So thank you for being here. I love the support we give each other all over the world. We have listeners from Japan to South America, from Alaska all the way to South Africa and all around the globe. We are a powerful community of like minded thinkers seeking the best for our.
Health, our mindset and being confident out in the world. Fully expressed. I also want to shout out to.
My fall 2024 shifters who just started their journey of weight mastery. It's such a joy to see all the support and generosity in our new community, the coaches and the new shifters. It's just something magical that I always love seeing unfolding as we get started. So shout out to everybody. Glad you're there.
So today my amazing guest Stacy Lauren is fresh off of her TED Talk about the power of community.
We are going to talk about that.
But also dive deep into finding your own voice and pursuing your dreams. So without further ado, Stacy Lauren, founder of do the Thing Community and Podcast, is a passionate entrepreneur and GO to expert in online community building.
After two decades at GO Staff, she.
Sold her share to pursue her true calling, helping others discover their purpose and achieve their goals.
She has grown engaging communities like do.
The Things Singles Challenge and Collaboration network to over 6,000 highly engaged members, inspiring thousands to overcome barriers and chase their dreams. Her innovative approach, encapsulated in the do the Thing formula and I'm game framework, breaks down personal barriers and fosters success. Stacy lives by her motto, don't wait for opportunity, create it. And inspires others to do the same. Through her flagship programs, the Find your Voice Challenge and the Audience Accelerator system, they have helped countless individuals write, write their first book, start their podcast, build their business and monetize their offers.
Hello Stacy and welcome to the Thin Thinking Podcast. I'm really excited to have a conversation with you today.
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. You came wildly recommended so I'm like super excited to have this conversation.
Well, so did you.
You.
We have a mutual friend and.
Our.
Thin Thinking podcast listeners will know Julie Trainor, who brought us together because you helped Julie start her podcast about grieving and I just did. We just aired that. Or we will be airing that podcast soon. I haven't aired it yet, but it's so exciting to see her transformation not only with releasing weight but with then taking that energy and focusing it into doing something that she's always wanted to do. And it's. I know you tell us about you and how you help people like get going on what they Want to do, just as you know, because I've read your bio. Stacy is all about doing the thing. So tell us about how you got to do the thing and what you're all about.
Yeah, and it's funny, I love that you mentioned Julie. We could start with just her because she started with me right after she released the weight with you and was ready then to find her voice, which is when she joined my community during my find your voice challenge. And that's when she had this podcast on her heart for years and, you know, got the courage and the confidence after going through her weight loss journey with you, getting that result, reaching that goal. Then she was able to find her voice, start her podcast. Now she's got an amazing community of people where she's helping them find the hidden gifts after loss. So it's just really cool. So that's pretty much what I do, is I help people take action on the things they want. But at the core of it is you have to, like, figure out what you want, who you are first, you know, before you kind of go in the wrong direction. Right. You want to be able to really tap into what your own desires are. Because what happens to so many of us, especially imagining maybe some of your listeners have been like me, where, like, you've been caring for other people, you know, taking care of families, working, you know, really focused on giving, giving, giving. Right. Not really taking time for ourselves. And so that's when I like to really help people, is when it's like, yes, it's okay. We have permission. Like, now it's our time to get to know who you are, what you want, and then find your voice and then decide what you want to do from there.
Yeah, I think that is so critical. How did you come to it? Because how did you come to this? What's your journey with doing the thing?
Yeah, so I had a business for 20 years. I owned it with my ex husband. It was a staffing company, and it was a lot. It was a lot. We had like 60 internal employees, 600 external employees, four offices all over Southern California. It was one of the biggest staffing companies in the area. And we got divorced. We built the company together, and then we got divorced and we tried to keep it going because I had the. I was the CEO, he was the cfo. So we thought it could work. But two years later, and Covid and I was like, yeah, this is not working. So I exited that business and just kind of fell into an identity crisis of like, who am I? You know, like what am I supposed to be doing? What have I been doing? It was almost like I was living in this fog, you know, of just life, right? Like, constantly going through fires, of just trying to push through all the things that can get thrown at you, right? And so all the noise suddenly stopped, and I'm just, like, left.
With myself, like, my own thoughts, you know? And luckily, I went to a fitness camp. Actually, funny we're talking about what you do, but I went to a fitness camp and was really kind of going through a depression time, you know, where I'm, like, kind of just confused and. And all this stuff. And I just really wanted to kind of like a safe place to heal, right? Where I wanted to be with people that wanted to be healthy, wanted to be active. And it was a group of just amazing women. And that was where I met my book strategist who was like, I actually help people write books. And I'm like, well, that would be cool to write a book. And at the time, I thought it was going to be a sales book, because that's kind of like my long background. Even with my staffing company, sales actually drove that business. And so I thought I wanted to help people with that because I see a lot of blocks people have about selling. But at the same time, I started dating and realized that a lot of the principles I learned during selling also applied to dating. And I don't mean, like, charisma or, like, communication. I mean, like, handling rejection, positive thinking, goal setting, and being able to handle all those things. And that's when I was in my mastermind. I'm talking about the book. And all of a sudden I was like, I just want to help people do the thing. And they're all like, yeah, let's do the thing. And the trademark was available. And so that's when the start. The podcast started. And you would think it was all good from there, but no, I had so many, like, kind of, like, kind of, like, issues with just, like, even putting myself out there, because even with my company, like, I owned this big company, but I wasn't comfortable, like, doing, speaking, or, like, ever, like, talking outside the business. I always just dealt with everything really internally. And so when the podcast came, I would have the video off for the first 80 episodes because I just couldn't even watch my video. And then. And then it sort of just evolved from there and then from there. It's been a. An evolution of starting these Facebook groups, really successful on building communities and running these challenges, and have been really just having a lot of fun from there, enjoying helping people take action on the things that they want.
That is such a gift. That's so amazing. What is the thing that when people come into your group to do the thing, because that's your main Facebook community now. It's called do the thing as well. Is that correct?
Yeah. So I have three. I have a singles group. Yeah, I have a singles group. It started with dating challenges, so I have that one. And then I have a challenge group where I run all kinds of other challenges, but for everyone, not just singles. And then I have my newest baby, which is probably the one you're talking about because that's the one I'm like in love with right now, which I love them all. I'm good. But like it's, you know, your newest one, it's a collaboration network. Because I really, I had a lot of people start coming to me like, wanting to collaborate and do things and, you know, we only have so much time. So I was like, I need a space where everyone can really like help support each other because I saw that seeking, you know, that need that was out there. And so it's just a really cool way for me to help connect other people together and help support them and their goals.
That's fantastic. And I think I see that too. We do. I have my community. And it's amazing because I think a lot of people think of themselves as not a group person, you know, because I get that a lot. Like, I offer community and some people are like, no, no, I don't want it. But when we do the. I do a. What is the shift weight mastery process Live, which is a live 30 day process where everybody's going through it together rather than doing a self study version. And there's magic that happens in that time because so many people are in the bigger community supporting each other. Julie does coaching, you know, and we have people come back who have, you know, lost all the weight, have maintained it.
And there's. I just.
And I'm. And you were saying something earlier before we turned on the microphone, which is just like there is this sort of magic, like it's all one mind versus everybody in their own little silos. You got. You have this collective unconscious that is supporting you and you, you can feed off of that. You get, you know, you put something out into the community and you get all this feedback and makes you feel like you are part of this bigger idea versus your small little self in this small little silo all alone with all your limiting beliefs.
Oh my gosh. You said that so perfectly. Because so many people say they. They think they're going to do it alone, right? Because they are. I already have a support network. I already have friends and family. But what they don't realize is unless they have the same goal as you, it's hard, you know, they don't understand it. They could be like, why would you want to do that? You know, they could say, like, oh, eat the banana. I don't want to say banana, but eat the chocolate chip cake. It's not going to kill you, you know, whatever. It doesn't talk about your stuff. But, like, they're. They're like, they don't get it, right? You know? And, like, for me, you know, as an entrepreneur, sometimes I' working, you know, till midnight. If I'm, like, wanting to, like, finish a launch, right? But if I'm with, like, my regular friends that aren't doing launches, they have no understanding for what it is. And they might say, why in the world are you doing that? Like, you don't need this. And I'll be like, well, I want it, right? But if I'm with someone like you that gets it, we, like, can bond over it, and we get to encourage and support each other. And so it's so important, no matter what your goal is, to, like, have a group of people that are. That have the same goal, and whether that is maybe just going to an event and getting it started and finding the right people in the right groups that you can join, or it's joining, like, an actual community that you can stay in and live in while you're trying to achieve the goal. It's really, really magical because you're able to create this space of vulnerability. And like you said, you're, like, opening up. I call it. I have this thing, I do a dare in my communities where the very first one is, what are your excuses and how are you going to overcome them? So we're automatically saying, like, what's going to get in our way and how are we going to overcome it? But then we're declaring it to the group, and because we're doing it in a group, all of a sudden you're saying something that someone else is thinking. And I just had someone say this this morning in one of my zoom calls is they were like, I can't believe we all have the same excuses. Like, it's so weird. You know, we think we're alone, you know, in these thoughts. So it's really cool.
I love that. And I also love the accountability, because when you declare something to a group, that declaration, you can say it to yourself all you want, but you can, like you said, always come up with the internal excuse like, oh, but I don't have the time. Oh, but no, the money's not there this week. But when you say it, you know, we, as human beings, we want it other people to think of us with a higher esteem. And so we, we want to be our word. We want to say, well, if I say something, I'm going to do it. You know, when I make a declaration like that, I mean, it's just a.
Lot harder to let yourself off the.
Hook once you've put it out publicly. And, and it has, it takes on a life of its own rather than living in our mind in that as that idea.
Oh, totally, yeah. And it, it brings it alive and it adds more momentum. And then you get to almost like co create, create it with other people, which is, I mean, that is really fun when you get to do that.
Yeah. Now, speaking of like, declaring something and doing it, you just did a TEDx talk, which a lot of people I'm sure have thought about, like, would be a cool thing to do. Tell us about that. Like, how did that happen and how, what was the experience of going and, and doing that? It seems amazing.
Thank you. Yeah, I just keep kind of like, it's kind of great when you have your own community. You get to like, I just was saying this today where I was like, it's so weird that I get to do things that I want. And then it inspires the people in my group, you know, to do things that they want because they're hearing it. And so I love that. It kind of adds a layer of extra accountability for me. And one of the people actually, that I helped build a community for, he just talked about that too. He has a small community. He's kept it small because his dreams are like, big different than the actual, like, group. So he's meeting with them weekly, just talking about their goals. And he's like, just by me talking to you guys about your, your goals, it's helping me do my goals. And he just got found out that he just got a TV show selected for that. And so I think that kind of answers your question about the TEDx. It's like, by being with people that are also wanting to do things, it's making me more accountable to like, do things out of my comfort zone because it does, like, motivate and inspire them. And so since starting my community, I ended up doing standup comedy I've done improv. I applied to TEDx like, a year ago from the same one that I got into, like, now, and they said no. And then I just applied again and they said no again for the one that I applied for. They ended up picking me for a different one. But the point is, is, like, I didn't, like, stop right when I heard the no. I just wanted my idea was important to get out there. And so that's really what I would encourage people listening to do whatever that thing is, like, you're wanting to do, whether it's a TEDx or it's a book or a PODC podcast, or just even meet someone or lose the weight that you want. It's like meeting yourself where you are and then being able to, like, go another step. So you don't need to start at the TEDx or you don't need to start at the £50, you know, start at the. The smaller goal, and then you're able to. To push it through. And so the TEDx thing was interesting because I didn't realize that I was going to fall into the same, like, kind of, like, things that I was had when I started my podcast, you know, where I told you about the 80 episodes. No video. Like, I fell into the same thing where I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is so scary. And then I started meeting the other speakers, and they're amazing. I fell into imposter syndrome, you know, like, all this stuff.
But.
But what happened was as soon as I opened the space up for vulnerability, and I was like, oh, my gosh, you guys, I am, like, in massive imposter syndrome right now, like, with the other speakers. And then they all, like, acknowledged me and said, I feel, like, terrified about doing this. All of a sudden I'm like, I'm not alone, okay? I feel so much better. And then I kind of got that, like, feeling of, like, tapping into my voice again. And so it was really cool. So then I thought it was good. I did the talk. Everything was great. And then the talk just came out yesterday. And then as soon as it comes out, I'm like, oh, my gosh. I don't like my makeup. I don't like my hair. Like, all the stupid stuff that, like, doesn't matter, you know, and I'm standing funny. And I paused too much. Whatever, all that, like, inner critic Stu stuff, right? So then I did a live in my. I have a small group for one of my communities, and I went live in there telling them all that, you know, just like, super vulnerable. And then it just got those thoughts out of my head by being able to say it out loud, but not in the wrong room. Like, you can't be doing that with people that, like, don't get it. Right. I'm in a room with people that are wanting to find their voice, you know? But if I did it in a runner's group, I don't know if it would have made as much sense. But because I did it in the find your voice group, it was great because they got it, you know, and then I watched it today, and I actually felt a lot better about it. But the point is, a lot of people will write the book, do the TEDx, create the product, and then they're scared to put it out there again. Yes. So that's what we don't realize is every phase, we kind of have to, like, push our comfort zone and realize, wait, I've already done this before, I could do it again.
Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, I've had to.
And my audience knows this. Like, with technology, for me, it's technology and having to push that because I've owned a business now for over 22 years. And every point, like when I was a hypnotherapist, just seeing people one on one, it was cassette tapes, and that was easy. You pressed play and you would record and you would give somebody their cassette, and then it became CDs and then became all these things. I was like, I don't know how to do this, and I don't know. And every. I. So just to the point, like, yesterday, I did a masterclass on a new platform. And I said at the beginning of the masterclass, I said, I've never used this platform before. And I had been practicing, but every time the slideshow would, like, go away or do something, I was like, you guys, you're going to have to give me some grace here on this, just in case. And the audience was, of course, lovely. But, yeah, the moment I said that, it was like giving myself the space to. And then you do something like that. You do it a couple of times, and you're like, okay, I got this one down. And now you have to push yourself. So what I'm hearing you say, and I think this is a great.
A great topic, is you have this.
Comfort zone, and you called it a comfort circle.
Like, you have a comfort circle. Tell me about that. And that's a group, or it's within your group, or it's a concept. What.
What is the comfort zone?
Yeah. Thanks for Asking. Yeah, it's basically a comfort circle framework. So for any challenge I do or any kind of like, thing I'm working people through, I always, like, meet them right where they are. So that way it's not as scary. So there's a lot of people that like, will listen to a speaker or an author or podcaster or whatever it is, and they're like, I'll talk through this visual as I'm showing if anyone's listening. But basically they're like all the way, like too far for them to get there. There's too much of a gap, right. So I just meet people right where they are with the comfort circle and then they, they do it and then they get to move, you know, and so because they do it, they're like, the movement becomes compounding and it is magic. So an example with finding your voices, this is people that either want to like, figure out who they are again, you know, or even start dating or maybe even like self love, right. I want to love myself again, you know, because I don't even know who I am anymore. Right? To people that are like doing TEDx talks, bestselling authors, doing like, really, you know, really big things in the world in terms of activating other people's voices. And so I'm able to help like all of those people. And that's because I have the framework of the comfort circles, which is like, the first circle is like, okay, I'm gonna like, I give them a self reflective dare for this challenge, specifically for an example. It's like, what is something you've done that you're proud of? Right? And so they're able to type the answer or they could like write the answer, you know, and then they post it in the, the private group. The next comfort circle is they're doing an audio recording of it, like a voice note on their phone. And then the next circle is like, okay, now I'm going to video myself giving this answer. And then the next circle is going live in the group. And then I have more circles now too, because I help people build their own communities. But I always every my brain, I have like comfort circles all over my whiteboard right now. Brain, brain thinks in comfort circles. And I do it for everything, whether it's selling or it's community engagement, you know, and how to engage a community. And so everything that I do, I'm always like, okay, what's the comfort circle for? People for it. And it's so, it's so cool.
Very cool. Yeah, I love that. So what Are the first steps that, you know, you have find your voice, which I love. If somebody was trying to find their voice, what would be the first step that they would take?
Yeah, I, it's really important that you have some kind of processing tool. So I use I like voice notes. And I, and I discovered that system because I call it a system, but I discovered it because I was going through a breakdown myself, right. And I had a therapist or coach, a couple different people at the time trying to help me put, put myself back together. And what I, what I did was I don't know if you've ever done this before, maybe with friends or anyone that you've worked with is I'm like literally on my phone leaving a voice note. And I'm like, this happened and this happened and I don't know what I'm going to do about this. And okay. And then I'm like. And then I send it, right? And then when they send it back they're like, oh, maybe if you did this or can you pause for a minute and think about this? You know, whatever. Their advice is like in a micro session. And then there was one time I like did the voice note and I was like, wait, I don't have to send it anymore. I already feel better. Because sometimes just getting the thoughts out of your head is like all you need. And so in find your voice, I do it a lot with like helping them process. But I also have something called a venting voice note that people don't have to share, but it just gets all the, the thoughts out of your head. And then I also do it in the other way with dreams. So processing our dreams because a lot of times people keep their dreams stuck in their head, you know, and then there's no place for them to breathe or live. Like we talked about earlier, there's no co creation process. And so whenever I'm like brainstorming or I'm doing something about my dreams, I like again put it in my phone on a voice note. And then I even access it deeper when I say like dream, Stacy, dream. You know, and it helps kind of like go deeper layers and because with they could do it on their own, but when I do it it's in a group because it's like the magic happens when you're able to hear other people processing too and people can type it too. But that's as old as time with journaling. Right? But I, I like the voice notes, but whichever again, comfort circle. So meet yourself where you are. So that's really the first step to finding your voice.
I love it.
And so people find their voices and they start to think about more.
Is that that first step of like, who am I? What am I? What do I truly want? What's truly next for me? Because we might have a bunch of different ideas and. Or we might have a bunch of people in our life that are saying, well, you shouldn't do that, that's silly, or that it's too hard, or what have you. But you, your, your, your group helps bring out the authentic idea or passion that that person might be thinking about. But that again, subconsciously or consciously, they're just like, well, I don't know, should I do it? And then it starts to grow. Like it's like planting a seed and giving it some life. And some of these processes that you're doing bring that out for people.
Totally. Because when you get it out of your head, it totally like. Whereas most people live in their head, right? And then it just kind of like junks it up. So I do work them through a. It's like a six step formula inside the group where like, it's called I'm game, it's an acronym and the I is identifying the why. So whenever you have a goal, that's the first thing we do. And a lot of people know that with Simon Sinek, but we do it in a group. So it's like, why do you want to do it? But then you're sharing it with others, so it brings it to life, you know, like, what are you looking to get out of it? And then the M is mindset. And I do two things with mindset. One is, what are your excuses? What are you wanting to, you know, how are you going to work through your excuses? Because when you, when you figure it out in the beginning of whatever you're doing, all of a sudden you're able to like give it the energy to say how you're going to combat the excuses. Whereas when you're in the middle of it and you don't want to do it, it's hard to think because you're already exhausted from the energy burn, you know. And then the second piece of mindset I like is I like fun. Fun is a mindset. So I bring fun into whatever it is that I'm doing. And I think that. And everyone can do this at home pretty much. And then the G in game is a goal. I use dares. That's my fun way of doing a goal. And so with finding your voice specifically, it's asking Yourself a question. Just getting yourself like, we are, we are like, we are living like a lot of times, I don't want to say like zombies. It's not that bad. But sometimes we're just living in this autopilot mode. Right. And we're able to ask ourself a question. It pulls, it pulls us out.
Yeah.
And then. Yeah. And then the A is accountability. And we talked about that earlier. Accountability is amazing. When you could declare it and say it out loud, have other people around it. And then my favorite piece is the M, which is my people. That's what my TEDx talk was on, which is you have to be with a group of people that have a shared goal. That's why I love that you have a community around your program. Because how important is that, like for the people that say they're going to do it alone?
Yeah.
I mean, that is so much harder. Right. If they're with a group and they're doing the same thing at the same time, like you mentioned, with that 30 day experience. That sounds amazing. I'm like, oh my gosh. Like to have people that are going through those similar things and similar feelings and they're able to express it in a safe space. I mean, it's so, it's so beautiful. And then the last letter is E in game, which is educate. And there's two parts to educate. One is like learning from others, like people like you listening to podcasts, books. But the other piece that I love is education by contribution, which is not keeping what you know by itself. Like you mentioned Julie. I love that she's coming back in your community and now she's helping others. So you're giving her the space to now educate by contribution. And she does that in my community as well. And so it's just amazing when you're able to feel that fulfillment by being able to help others too.
Absolutely. It's such a big part of it. I mean, I have that baked in when people have progressed to start to teach because they are coach, because they. That is an essential part of owning what they learn. Yeah, that's great. I love that acronym. That's a really cool acronym. I like how you've and, and people, I mean, our minds work so much better when we have a structure that, you know, feels doable, definable. So that's fantastic.
What have you learned? Like, because you now help people build their own communities and you know, maybe we have people in the thin thinking world who, you know, it's like, that sounds good. Like you probably need, you know, I'd love to get a group of people who are gardeners or people who are a group of knitters or, you know.
Any number of things.
How.
I mean, I'm. Of course we're going to share all your information with everybody so that they can find you. But how. How do you suggest to people that they start a group? Like, how do they find that courage? And then, you know, who am I to build a group? Do you have that? Like, are people shy to get started?
Yeah. I love that you asked that, because when I did, I did a. Start a podcast challenge where I helped hundreds of people, like, at the same time start their podcast, right? And the majority of the people are like, who's going to listen? What am I going to say? You know, like, and all that stuff. And so when I started helping people build and activate groups, the same things came up. Right? And so I would say if you already don't consider yourself an expert, then that's actually even better. I mean, you could be an expert and have an amazing community because you're able to tie in your programs and everything within the group. But if you're not, this is really how I started, because even though I owned a company, I didn't consider myself an expert in dating. You know, like, I had just met my boyfriend, and I wanted to help other people meet someone. So it wasn't like I was a dating expert. You know, I'm good at handling rejection, but that's about my, you know, con the. So I brought in other experts. So the thing that I love with the group is you're just curating the space for connection and conversation, and everything in that group comes alive from those conversations. So I build it with a shared goal that's kind of like the starting point. Then everything comes activated from there. And so that's what I would recommend is, first of all, think about what your goal would be. Like, what is your goal, your personal goal? Like, what makes you feel the most alive? And then if you don't know, then you're welcome to come and join my find your voice challenge because that helps you identify more of what your goals are and what you want. But. But then from there, you're creating that goal. And now you're like, what do I want to learn around this goal? And then bring in experts that actually you can interview and get to talk to them. And so it's an amazing way to learn about people. I mean, I've learned so much just by the experts that I bring in. And I get to talk to. And then it's cool because the people in the community, they like it, to hear it in a way that's, like, really real. Because I'm asking questions that maybe they're not comfortable enough asking yet because I have the curiosity and the knowledge for it that they. They're like, really interested in learning. That's what I've noticed a lot about what really helps people.
Wow. Yes, I. I agree. Having a podcast or. And community is a great way to. You don't have to always be the leader. You can open it up and. And engage and have other people step into those roles as well. And it's exciting to see and, and yes, by even having a podcast, I've learned so many things. It's so great.
Yeah.
So tell us what, you tell us about all these things that you're up to and how people can find you. And tell us the name of your TEDx so we can find you and watch that too.
Yeah, it's so funny. They changed the name. So I like to look and see what it's called. It is called. There it is. The power of community to help you achieve your goals. And yeah, it just landed on YouTube. And so I would love you to. Yeah. Watch it and feel free to share it with people. It's been. It was part of my kind of go through my experimentation process of how I identified. So I only talk about the my people piece of the formula because that's the piece that people don't really talk about or know. Like most people talk about the other pieces. And so that's what it's about. And yeah, I'd love you to come join my collaboration network. It's on Facebook, but you can get to it through do the thing collaboration.com, it's really great. Even if you're not in business, it's great if you are in business or you have a podcast or a book or something that you actually want to promote, but it's also good if you don't, because I have a community full of people that want to support each other and help each other. And, like, you can't really go wrong. You know what I mean? Like, to be in a space like that. Plus that enters you into my world, which then gives you access to some of the things that I'm doing, which. Which is always really fun because sometimes I'm doing, like, things that I don't even know what they are now because the energy comes from the people that are in the group, basically.
So very cool. So collaboration Network, which is a Facebook group. And the power of community to help you achieve your goals on YouTube. Head X. And you also have a podcast called do the Thing.
Yes.
And I'm assuming it's all about doing the thing.
Yep. Yeah, it's everything from like dating to business to hiking to travel. Because, you know, I really wanted to interview people that were doing like, really cool stuff. I mean, it's even leaving a job because that's doing the thing right. Like, we can get stuck in the fear of staying or a bad marriage. Like, it could be whatever it is, but it's taking the weight off. You know, it could be any of those things because everything that we have to do in life is like a crazy, a courage step. And it's like, it's, it's hard when we get out of that comfort zone because it is very easy to want to stay safe and do the same thing. But what fun is that?
You know, it is not fun at all.
And I love it.
I love how you have created this way of helping people move from one space to another. Our subconscious mind. Yeah. Just wants things to stay the same. So you kind of, I, I love how you have all these little systems to open that up and move people through. It's very, very cool. Well, thank you so much for coming on and sharing, sharing all of this wonderful wisdom with us. And you can find the links to the collaboration network and to the YouTube TEDx in the show notes, everybody. So please go get more of Stacy Lauren. Stacy, thank you so much for being.
On the Thin Thinking podcast.
It's been so great to have you.
Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.
Wow, wasn't that great? Thank you, Stacy for joining us.
And I will have all those links for our listeners in the show notes. So please visit the show notes and get some more goodness from Stacy Lauren.
And so I hope you have a wonderful week. Remember that the key, and probably the.
Only key to unlocking the door of the weight struggle is inside you. So keep listening and find it. See you next week. Thanks for listening to the Thin Thinking podcast. Did that episode go by way too fast for you? If so, and you want to dive deeper into the mindset of long term weight release, head on over to www. Shiftweightmastery.com that's www.shiftweightmastery.com where you will find numerous tools and resources to help you unlock your mind for permanent weight release tips, strategies and more. And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about my book, from fat to Thin. Unlock youk mind for permanent weight loss and to learn how to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode engine.
More from Stacey
Stand Up. Speak Up. Show Up. How Deborah Drummond Built a 1,200-Woman Global Media Movement
From Notes App to Published Author: Avery Brenna Crumrine on Turning Intention Into Action
Why Not Me? Geetha Sreedhar on Startup Exits, Bold Pivots, and Living a Life of Impact
The Why Not Today? Podcast - Season 3 - Episode 9 with Stacey Lauren, Podcast Host and Community Builder, Do The Thing
Emotional Resilience in Business: Insights from Stacey Lauren on Living a Purposeful Life