Episode 247: Ruthie Searcy: From Chronic Illness to Business Success

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacy Lauren. Well, guys, I am so excited. I am really lucky where I have this amazing community of people that are just pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone and really open to trying new things, which then leads them to get to know themselves better. And I have an amazing community member on today who has been in several do the Thing challenges and has been really putting herself out there in a way that is transformational to watch and to see the growth that she's gone through through the challenges. So I wanted to bring her on today to talk to her about how she's been doing through the do the Thing challenges, get a chance to celebrate her for doing the challenges, and then also talk to her about her health and wellness business as well. So I am so excited to bring on Ruthie to the show. Hi, Ruthie.

Hi, Stacy. Thanks for having me on. I'm super excited to be here this morning.

I'm so excited. And I'm excited for your patience with me because we just literally repeated this because I did not hit record, and.

I'm like, oh, my gosh.

I did not have recorded. So here we are again.

That is one of the things we've learned through all of your challenges. Right. If you run into something that causes you to maybe stumble a little bit, you just pick yourself up and do the thing anyway. Right?

Yeah, I love that. I was actually just talking to my daughter about that this morning. Something was going on with her car. I was like, you always just want to restart. And I'm like, oh, that's actually a really good life lesson. No matter what, just restart, and it's always okay. I would love to just start off and hear what got you to join the challenges in the first place.

Okay. I started in the Get Fit challenge in, I think that one was in the singles group, and I was already getting ready to start my exercise routine over again. I had been kind of slacking, and I was in a small accountability group with just three or four people. And I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw it was probably, I guess, one of your ads for do the Thing. And it said, get fit. And I'm like, oh, let me go check this out. I had never seen one before, but I was like, cool, let's go check it out. So that's kind of just how I even first heard about you.

That's so great. And so you joined for Get Fit, and you were already in a small accountability group, but was it just not enough and you wanted more or did it just seem interesting to be able to kind of add something else, to be able to get fit?

It just seemed interesting. And my personality is. I can tell myself that I'm going to do something, but it means more if I say to somebody else I'm going to do something. I have an anchor. It's called an anchor strength of responsibility. And so when I say something to somebody else, that holds me more accountable. So I was excited to be like, oh, there's going to be a bunch of people in here, not necessarily watching me or judging me, but then I know that I've said I'm going to do this. Right. That I feel like I can't let them down, if that makes sense.

Yeah, definitely. And so you mentioned anchor strength. So is that something. Is that a test you took to know what that is? I haven't heard of that term before.

Yes. Gallup has this test called cliftonstrength. And it's. I don't know. There's a lot of questions, but it's kind of not a personality test that more hones in on. Everybody has the same 34 strengths, just in different combinations. And we're taught as children to improve where we're weak. Right. And make that better. But they've kind of flipped this around to focus in on where you're strong and learn how to really do anything in your job, in your business, whatever you're trying to accomplish using your actual strengths instead of focusing on your weakness.

So, yeah, and I love that you know, that I talk about it with the do the thing formula, because the A and I'm game is accountability. And it's really important to know in the different areas of your life where you may need more accountability. And I love how you mentioned it. It's like that accountability of responsibility where you're gonna have to do it because someone else is counting on you to show up. So it kind of adds more. But you might not need to do it in some areas of your life. It just might need to be specific things that you want more accountability for.

Right, Right. Yep.

So, okay, this is the moment to celebrate you for just being a shining star through the do the thing community. And I would just love to hear what has the experience been like for you, just going through the different challenges?

It's been really good in a lot of different ways. I'm focusing on the first one right now, the get fit one, even more than exercising every day. I mean, that was one thing, but on top of that, just meeting a new community of People that have the same goal. That's important. Sometimes I feel like being an introvert, I'm just kind of out here alone in the world, even though I'm not, when I know I'm not. You just get wrapped up in my own little world sometimes. And so being able to reach out to other people, support and encourage them is always something that's important to me because I get a lot of joy from seeing other people succeed, too.

Yeah. And so what do you think has helped with the do the thing community and being able to just kind of open yourself up in that way? Because I think there's so many people that might say, oh, I'm an introvert. I can't do this challenge, or I can't do whatever at this time. And how do you think that's really helped you kind of open up?

I think, for one thing, it's a safe community. Nobody in there is going to judge you or think differently of you if you make a mistake or something doesn't work right or whatever. And I really found that in the Go Live challenge because I wasn't real excited about going live, but I knew it was an area that I needed to grow in, but I was nervous about it. And knowing that other people were just there to support and not criticize, I guess, was what gave me the courage to just be who I am. And it was okay. It's actually better than okay. Who else are you going to be? Right.

And so when you mentioned the area I need to grow in, how do you think the different challenges helped you grow? And in those different areas, it really.

Got me a lot more comfortable talking to, even online, talking to people that I don't actually know. That has always been a struggle for me, even as a kid. And I knew that was a place that I wanted to grow in for a lot of different reasons. But having it in a safe community like that made it a lot easier.

And what would you recommend to someone that maybe sees do the thing somewhere, hears about it from a friend and that wants to participate in the challenge, but they're just, can I trust this? What is this? I'm too blank or whatever. Insert whatever thing that might be scary to them? What would you say to that person to get them to join?

I would say just really having that little bit of fear or trepidation is okay. I think we all have it. But I think it's also important for us to rise above that. So whatever it is that somebody has they feel like is holding them back, just jump in and do the thing right, because that is where you're going to grow, where you're going to have people support you, and you're not alone. And, I mean, I really can't say anything more than just do it. Right. Just. Just do it.

And then you did the dating challenge also.

I did.

Do you think you would have joined if you had just heard about the dating challenge, or do you think, as you were already in the community, it felt easier for you to be able to do that? You already kind of trusted the way it worked.

I think for me personally, I probably still would have joined, because that's a season in my life now where, again, I'm looking to expand. Right. I've been single 14 years, and 12 of those, I took care of my mom, and so I just didn't feel like I had the time or the energy necessary for a relationship. So I didn't even try dating. She's passed, and I'm kind of opening myself back up again to that. And so I probably would have joined anyway.

What was that like for you? It was kind of cool because you had just come from Get Fit and Go Live, so you're already in there able to do live videos and really helping. I felt like you were wrapping a hug around everyone in the community through your presence of just being there, kind of supporting and encouraging them through the dares that you were doing.

Yeah, that's kind of part of my personality, too. I'm a developer and a nurturer, so I, like I said, I get a lot of joy from seeing other people kind of come out of their comfort zone and maybe go through some hard things and were able to be successful with that. So it was good to see other people doing that. But for me personally, it really helped me hone in on what I really want in a relationship. Why it's okay that I'm not necessarily dating. Like, I still am not dating, even though we've been a month out of it. But I am getting myself out of the house and into social activities and that kind of thing. And the reason I'm okay with it is because I know exactly what I want in a relationship, and I'm not gonna settle for anything less. Right. And so it's okay if it takes time.

Yeah. It's almost like the button was turned from off to on, where now you're open and subtly looking, but not.

Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to events just to go, okay, let me see what kind of guy there I might be interested in. But if it happens Organically really is the best way, I feel like. And so I'm open for that part of it.

Yeah. How would you describe the dating challenge to someone that hadn't heard of it before?

Well, I mean, I think a lot of people came into it thinking it was a way to find somebody to date. Right. And it is broad picture, but that's not what the challenge is about. Right. It's really about getting to know yourself. I really like the challenge where you asked us to think about our stereotypical boxes and which ones we can let go of. Right. Does it really matter if somebody is six foot tall? Yeah. So it's not a dating experience, except that you learn more about yourself, I guess. Yeah.

Yeah.

Cool.

Well, I would love to hear about what you're working on because, I mean, through the Go Live challenge especially, I got to see so much of you come out and talking about health and wellness and just all the fun things that you've got going. I'd love to just kind of give you a chance to talk about that too.

Sure. So my health and wellness business started eight years ago now, and I kind of got into it because of my mom. She had a lot of chronic conditions, and at one point she was on like 30 different medications. And I was like, there has to be a better way than this. Right. And I'm a researcher, learner by nature. And so I just kind of started delving into the world of homeopathy and natural medicine, just trying to see kind of what was out there. And so we started with essential oils, using those for common problems and that kind of thing. And the more I did that, the more I've learned about nutrition and movement and managing stress and getting enough sleep. I've kind of learned the whole gamut of things, and I've just helped other people kind of of go down that path too. Right. And for my own journey, I was really struggling with losing weight, and I didn't realize it was because I had all these other things off. Not good supplementation, not enough sleep, too much stress. All of that takes a toll. And it's just been really cool for my own journey, helping my mom and just helping other people. And again, I love seeing people reach their goals and just to feel better in their bodies. We only have the one.

Yeah. So, I mean, doing something like that and getting something like that started, I mean, that's a lot. How did you get yourself to overcome the things that you have to do to overcome to start something new like that?

Well, I'm a faith based person I'm a Christian. And so when I first kind of stumbled into the essential oil industry, I was also looking at maybe having to take a part time evening job. That's just how finances were. And I really didn't want to do that. I mean, I was already gone all day and I didn't want to leave mom by herself all night or even several hours a night. And so when I prayed about it, God just kind of told me, this is the ministry I have for you. Help people heal. And I'm like, okay. And so it's like any business up and down kind of with my learning. It's just the flow of business sometimes. But that's what's helped me stick through it is because, I mean, it's a business, but it's a mission. It's my purpose in life. So just keep going.

And if someone's listening and they're like, oh, Ruthie sounds so great, I want to work with her. What would be kind of the way that you would work with someone directly?

The easiest way probably to get started is you can find me on Instagram or Facebook and then just reach out to me there. And I usually do like a 15, 20 minute consultation with people kind of just to see where they're at, what they want to do and how they want to move forward.

It's like you're living what you're doing by you doing these challenges, stepping outside of your comfort zone, working on being your best self. You're working on it internally while you're helping people, which I think is great. I think sometimes people can tend to just do it one sided, but you're living it 360 degrees degrees.

Well, I can't remember who I heard this from, but it stuck with me. The only thing that you have to do to be a leader is to be one step in front of the person that's following you. And I'm like, wow, it's just true. So that's kind of what I stick by. Right? Like, I don't need to know all the things. I just need to know how to find out how to help people.

If I don't already, I would love to hear. So you're in the group right now, and a lot of the people right before you joined in the challenge group, they had started podcasts. So you're seeing all the momentum about that. Has that been something that you've been thinking about since you're kind of around it now?

Yes. And I know you had done one recently before I joined too. So I'm seeing it on the front and kind of the back. It would be interesting to do a podcast. I just haven't really had the time to think about what I would want it to look like. But it's back. There is growing little seeds in the back of my mind. So maybe someday.

And I wanted to ask. Well, number one, because we get to document the moment, the seed has been planted. But then number two, I'm just wondering. And that's why I asked you about the dating challenge. I'm wondering because sometimes when people hear something and they start doing it by doing the thing, you end up doing things you never even thought you would want to do. Right.

And.

And so Pamela Nichols, I don't know if you've seen her in the community yet, but she kind of says, I joined today. Now I have a podcast. I don't even know what happened. Because you can see how it happens now, right? Because you're just getting so caught up with the different things that we're doing and it compounds over time. And so I'm just curious, before you join, is the podcast anything that's been on your mind or is it because you're seeing the people doing it and you're interacting with them, it's all of a sudden like, why couldn't I do that too?

Right. I never have thought about it again. Going live before a couple of months ago was a big issue, right? Even just to talk to somebody, not video. So yeah, just between the challenges and seeing what other people are doing and kind of how easy it is. I know it's not easy. You take steps, but to get started seems pretty easy because you just have to get started, right? So yeah, it's not something I would have thought about before, but I'm definitely thinking about it now. Yeah.

And so what do you think that is? Because that's been something I've been trying to articulate. Kind of like me, where I started to write a book and then my book turned into a podcast. The podcast turned to a community. I never thought I'd be running challenges. If you told me a year ago I'd be like, I just want to write a book. But because I kept my mind open, all of a sudden I don't know what's next. I'm thinking about doing a multi day event where I could help people gather, comfort zone even more in person. And so I don't know what's in store, but it's just keeping my mind open to what is out there. But what do you think earlier when you Were talking about surrendering, right. Is it something with that? How do you get yourself to just open up where now you're letting things sort of happen for you versus fighting against it?

I think for me, and I don't know, there are seasons when we don't do this with ourselves very well, but when we do take the time to sit down and really consider what we want our life to be, be like, what we want in it, what we don't want in it, and then you have to ask yourself, am I doing the things that are going to get me what I want? Right. And if you're not, then nothing changes. If nothing changes. And so for me, that's just kind of how my mind works. Like, okay, well, this may be hard and uncomfortable or whatever, but if I want something to change, let me at least just try it. Right?

It's such a good point, because I think so many times we have this buildup of fear of trying something new. But when you don't put a pressure of, I need to do this forever around it, and you're like, I'm just gonna see how it feels, and then I could decide not to do it anymore. It gets you to take the risk, I think, a little bit easier.

Right? I agree with that. It's not a forever thing. And I love that. Your challenges are 10, 14 days, and so people, I think, feel like, oh, I could make it for that, and if it wasn't for me, then it wasn't for me, and we move on to the next thing.

And do you think through the skills you've learned through the challenges, is that helping you in other areas of your life where you're like, oh, I did that, so now I can do this?

It is. The most specific example I can think of is Renaissance Festival is happening now, and I work out there, and there's a new guy running one of the star throw games, and he was trying to get me to come throw stars. And I was like, eh. And I'm like, wait a minute. I can just go talk to this guy, throw a couple stars, see what happens. And it took the pressure off myself about talking to a guy. And we're kind of getting to know each other, so we'll see what happens there. But just things like that where I don't feel like I have to perform, I guess, for people. I can just have a conversation with people and nothing has to come from that other than a conversation.

What do you think helped you get to that point?

Doing it over and over again in your challenges? Really?

Okay, I'd love to hear first, just advice going back to your business. I actually wrote this down earlier this morning. I think the question was, I'm filling out this questionnaire for a program that I'm in right now, and it was like, what are your major priorities in your life? And it took me a while to really think, what are my major priorities? Because I have so many things I'm spinning, and I'm like, honestly, number one is health, right? Because if you don't have that, you have nothing. And so I wanted to see if you would mind sharing what would be your best tip for someone to be able to live that healthy lifestyle and be in that wellness state.

Sure. What I tell my clients that I coach is there are a lot of reasons why we can be unhealthy and trying to tackle them all at once. Some people can do that, but generally it's not the best course of action. So I start people out with just one habit. What new habit can you do this week? Can you drink 64 ounces of water every day this week? Right. And then we start stacking on those the next week. Can you drink your water and go to bed 10 minutes earlier every night so you get more sleep? And then they learn as they start stacking habits, oh, now I can start changing my nutrition. Oh, now I can start doing some movement, those kind of things. So that's my best tip is start somewhere. Start. Start small. What can you do right now that's gonna make a difference?

How do you help people through that patience aspect? Cause when you're changing one thing at a time, you just have to be really patient, right? Cause it's gonna take a while before you kind of see any difference through that. I'm just curious if there's something that's helped you get into their mindset to just be patient with what's coming.

I don't know. I just try to encourage them. Sometimes I have to do that to myself, right? It's like, I'm not seeing any change. It's like, oh, yeah, you just started this new thing two days ago. Give it some time, right? Just be in that person there for them where they can rant and release a little bit if they need to, and then come back to them and say, you know what? Just keep plugging along. I promise that if you stay consistent, it's not the big things that we do once that make a difference. It's the small things consistently over time.

Okay, another question, Ruthie. Is the person that we're going to Talk to the person that's sitting on the couch and watching tv and just in that safe comfort bubble of protection around them and just saying, I don't want to get up. I don't want to meet new people. Whatever they're rejecting in their mind, what do you suggest for them to be able to just start to get out of their comfort zone and do something new?

I think that's kind of the same concept too, right? Can. Is there one day a week where you can go out and maybe walk in a park? Right. Or just go to the grocery store and be present with the people that are there too. Anything that can get you around people, not necessarily even talk to somebody, but you're around other people. And then again, I think we just really have to think about what do we want differently in our lives and what does it take to get there and are you willing to make that small step?

And what would be your biggest piece of advice for people on doing the thing?

I think no matter what it is, if it's something that is interesting to you, I say go for it. I have learned so much again about myself, made new friends, just getting out of my shell. Just do the thing. It's worth it.

Well, I again, just want to celebrate you for being an amazing person and with going through the challenges and getting to see your growth and just every day I feel like you've added another level of energy that's just so exciting to be a part of. And so I just appreciate you being a part of the community and being there to support and encourage people as well along the way.

Thank you. I have enjoyed doing that.

And please share for the listeners. Again, you mentioned it earlier, but just in case people are driving and so they can have a spot to note it down what your Instagram is. So if they want to reach out to you for coaching, they can.

Sure. My Instagram is R L C or C 13 and my last name is S E A r c y. So r l s c e a r c y 13 on Instagram.

Perfect. Thank you so much for coming on. I appreciate it.

Yeah, thanks for having me. This is a lot of fun. Yay.

And for the listeners, do the thing, don't wait for opportunity, create it.