21: How the pivots in your journey might lead you to where you’re meant to be

Foreign.

Welcome to the Becoming Bulletproof podcast. I am your host, Tracy o'.

Malley. I'm a mom to millennials, an author.

Enneagram expert and multi million dollar entrepreneur.

And master performance and business coach.

I've gone from rock bottom to building a bulletproof business and life. If you're looking for the unfiltered transparent truth and ethos, an extra kick in.

The ass, you will discover that here.

Each week, I'll be bringing you success stories of high level entrepreneurs as we discover how they became bulletproof and created their empire. You'll learn the story behind the glory along with Enneagram inspired truths so you can ignite your own purpose, profits and build your legacy. It's time for you to become bulletproof.

Buckle up. Let's go.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Becoming Bulletproof podcast. And today is going to be a feisty conversation. I just feel it in my bones. It is cold outside. So I'm all toasty now. And I'm just feeling fired up. And I've been looking to this interview since the day I met her. And it was not that long ago that I met her. You guys know me. I don't really like to interview people I don't know very well because I need to be completely inspired by them. And I'm here to tell you, like, I felt this chick's energy and her soul before I even saw her face. I knew there was somebody in that room that was going to speak to me in a way that lit me up. And, you know, in the past, that used to scare me because I could feel that before. And all of a sudden I would go into judgment. And I've learned.

Over the years and through 48 years of wisdom now that that is a sign that that's somebody I need to meet, not to be afraid of it. And as soon as I saw this beautiful girl's red hair, green eyes, and yellow, bright yellow sweater, I was like, oh, that's her. That's the one. And so immediately it was like, hey, do you want to be my friend? You want to be my friend? And I don't do that, y'.

All.

Like, I'm more like the asshole in the corner of the room, like, scoping everybody out. But I knew this girl was something else. And then she opened her mouth and blown the fuck away. She is a entrepreneur, business coach, but she's like the queen of the pivot. When I was looking at her bio and my own kind of investigative reporting, I was like, holy shit, this girl is kind of like me, I've been in pretty much every industry. I've experienced a lot of things like bulimia as well, and trauma and tragedy and pain and grit and just grinding it out. And she, like, her and I have the. We both have the same phrase that makes the hair on our back kind of like stand up. It's like, can I pick your brain? Like, seriously? And I need to reframe that. But anyway, we'll get into that another time. But she doesn't like that either because of what that means. It's like, what value are you adding? And that's the thing. Like, if you knew her and you're going to. Through this conversation, like, every single moment this girl opens her mouth, she's adding value to your life. And always. And so when people come in hot with the can I pick your brain? It's like, dude, if you only knew. Like, you just shut down like solid gold I was about to throw at you. But you didn't come in with throwing things down, Right? Am I right or am I right?

Oh, my gosh.

The other thing I loved about her is she makes scary things. Not so scary because she is a born natural teacher. And in fact, she was a super school teacher for many, many, many years, until three years ago, actually two and a half years ago, before she decided that all those side hustles while she was teaching have paid off and she was going to go solo. She lives in Manhattan, where my buddy Howard Stern lives. She has been a personal trainer to the stars in New York City. She's been in all sorts of magazines and TV shows, on the Today show, all the things. Right? But the thing is, is she wants to cause a ripple effect that inspired change for generations to come. And, you know, knowing parts of her story, I'm sure that that comes from a deep desire because she broke that those generation, generational patterns for herself. The shit stopped with her like it did with me. And I know that that's what's motivating her today. To do what she does is so she can help others realize, like, you don't have to do what's always been done. You can. You can rewrite the story right here, right now. And she is leaving an impact. And mark my words, this girl will be more world known than she already is. I'm so honored that she came prancing into my life with that beautiful energy and beautiful soul. And my friends, you are about to get a beautiful dose of miss Jess Glaser. Hello, my friend.

Oh, Tracy o', Malley. Can you Just do that every morning when I get out of bed.

Well, you can just replay this over and over and over again. Start your morning. This is your new alarm bell.

Yeah, I think I'm going to. Honestly, that was the most beautiful intro. And I can't say enough about just that instant connection that we had. And I'm so incredibly grateful to have you in my life. And the feeling was mutual. And your name was one that I kept hearing. People kept telling me I needed to meet you. And it was the same thing when you walked in the room. I had never seen your picture before, and I knew that you were the Tracy.

Oh, now you can say that to me every day. And what's cool about her, too, is she knows the Enneagram a little bit. And she goes, I'm a three. I'm like, no shit. Like, no shit. Like, reading her bio, it's like, duh.

You think? I guess it's obvious, huh?

Yeah. Maybe it's the fiery red hair. But, yeah, you're totally a three. And we'll get into that, too. And what that means and how you've actually used that to have more compassion for yourself. Because, you know. You know, I have a decade or two history with bulimia as well, and, you know, that sense of control and the cycle, like, it's a great high and then it's a low low, and it's a great high and it's a low low. And, you know, once I understood about my own personality, obviously healing a lot of trauma, but once I understood myself, instead of beating myself up for all sorts of shit that I used to do, I have love and compassion, and I know that you got there, too.

So. Yeah.

How did you decide? Like, you have this entrepreneurial blood in you, yet you end up teaching elementary school.

Yeah, it's so interesting. I don't. I mean, I do have. You do, I guess, but it's. It's not in the family. And it was very much out of the norm for my family. It was never. I don't have any entrepreneurs in the family, so it wasn't something that I knew was even a job or an option. And looking back now, hindsight is 20 20. Right. So looking back now, even as a young child, I used to paint hair clips with nail polish and sell them to my gymnastics teammates. And I just have a lot of different things in my life where I kind of had that entrepreneurial spirit. So, yeah, it was always there. But ending up teaching phys ed was one of the many pivots and paths that I took. So it's not what I went to college for. It's not what I went to my second degree for.

That overachiever. Three coming.

You know, I guess it's. I don't know if it's overachiever or just confused and looking for myself and not feeling aligned and so skipping around until I felt that alignment, that's really where that came from.

But I love that you said that, you know, when you were out of the norm for your family. I know I am out of the norm for my family as well. And depending on the environment that that family has, that can be really encouraging or really, really the opposite. And trying to bring you back to, you know, don't you know where you belong? That's not what we do. And air quotes did you face? Which one of those did you face?

You know, I'm so lucky. I'm so fortunate to say my parents have always supported me 100% and they've been nothing but supportive. And I think I put the pressure on myself a little bit more than they actually did because I think I felt as though I needed to fit into the box of the doctors and lawyers that everybody was. They have always been supportive, but it was a longer road for me to get there. And some of those conversations I had growing up and making those pivots again, I think I put more pressure on myself because sitting them down at the table to tell them I was leaving my job actually ended up being really easy. And I'm really, really grateful for that. My dad was actually the one who said, well, you didn't go to school to be a teacher anyway. Which I was shocked. And I had waited probably too long before I was able to quit because I was so afraid of what they were going to think.

That's amazing. Yeah, like that's what a gift that is. Because that's not usually the case. When we start breaking the mold of what's been done, it isn't always well received. So that's beautiful. But you and I both know when you have disordered eating and struggle with those kind of things that you did. And I have that. Usually that comes from not feeling like we have control in a situation in our life. So I will happily assume that that's probably what was happening in your life and maybe where all these pivots came from, like just trying to find what, what is it? What am I here for? What am I here for? Because I know that I experienced that as a nine year old going through the traumas that I had I remember specifically asking God, like, please tell me this is going to all matter for something. And then obviously the eating disorders kicked into high gear shortly after that. But what was it for you?

Yeah, it's so funny. I tried to really wrap my finger around what that is. And it started in about eighth or ninth grade. I was a really high level competitive gymnast. I traveled around the world. I was living in France when I was 12, you know, training over there. And I think just the environment that I was in, the pressure that I put on myself, um, it kind of stemmed from that. And I struggled for about 10 years with pills and, you know, addiction to whatever it was, fat burn relaxatives, Adderall and bulimia. And I don't know that control. Nothing in my life was ever out of control. It was the opposite. I love to be in control. And I love to be like. Even as a kid, my. My weekend chores that I had to do, I would Write them on 3 by 5 cards and put them in a file box. Like, that's just how I was and not because anyone told me to. It was my own perfectionism and my own, I guess, just wanting to feel enough and have approval of everybody around me. And I'm super competitive and I have to be the best at everything. And it's interesting because I have an older brother and we are best friends, we always have been. And he's the complete opposite. Like, could care less, is not competitive at all. And we, again, didn't really have the pressure from my parents, but I think the better that I did, the more praise that I got. And I really just thrived off of hearing, you know, we're so proud of you. Even though I could have gotten, like a poor grade and they still would have said they were proud of me, I just really wanted more of that, I think. And it was, how good could I be? How smart could I be? How fast could I be? Whatever it was, I just wanted to be the best.

You remind me so much of my son. He is very much driven. Like. Like, for him, it wasn't necessarily that things weren't in control. He just liked to be in it.

Yeah.

And. And the same thing. That's beautiful.

So.

So your brother was the opposite. Cause that's how my kids are. My daughter's like. She's like, whatever.

Oh, that's him. Whatever we say, he's on Jeff time. Like, he just. It's its own. He's just in his, like, own bubble, own world. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Super successful. But just like, goes with the flow, whatever, doesn't matter. And I'm like, we need to schedule Clipboard of Fun.

Like, oh, my God, a clipboard of fun.

You are the greatest.

And so what would happen when things wouldn't go according to plan for you?

I can't think of any time that that was necessarily the case. Obviously, things didn't go the way that I planned. Often I think I would just adjust, pivot, and figure it out. But I can't think of anything that made, like, made such an impact or made me crumble. I think the worst thing was a couple times maybe getting grades that I wasn't happy about if it wasn't an A. Um, but, yeah, I don't really imagine. I worked really, really hard. So if I tried out for something, I made it. If I, you know, wanted to do something, I did it. And I just really would grind and hustle and figure it out. And I have a pattern in my life of grinding myself into the ground and working myself into the ground and making myself physically sick. I've had multiple surgeries because I've just pushed so hard that my body literally breaks.

And I'm finally starting to learn what the universe is telling me. So I'm finally starting to slow down and really listen.

Yeah, that's hard. I kind of had a same lesson. I mean, mine wasn't the same. Like, obviously, I'm an eight year. Three very different motives going on. Mine is more like stuffing it to not be vulnerable. And I had the same thing. Like, our body will shut down on us if we don't pay attention. Right.

So what did you go to school for if it wasn't to be a teacher?

Yeah, I went to school for my doctorate of physical therapy. I kind of grew up going to physical therapy and gymnastics. It just was part of my, you know, part of my day. And I grew up working in a gym. I was a gymnast. I was a coach. I was a gymnastics coach. At age 13, I was working in a gym. At 14, I worked in the daycare room. And then I worked my way up to the front desk and then got certified on my 17th birthday to be a personal trainer. I taught group fitness classes all through college. So it just was. That was always in my blood. And so I went to school for my doctorate. I ended up taking a, quote, leave of absence during my first year of my doctorate program postgraduate. And I was very unhappy. And again, hindsight, now I know I just was actually healing myself. And that's when I was really in, like, deep with my healing of My eating disorder. But I had taken a leave of absence. I actually moved home from Rhode Island. I was at University of Rhode Island. I moved home to my parents house. They were giving me space to sort of figure it out. And in that time, of course, I couldn't not be doing something. So they said, take your time. Figure it out. Give yourself time. And the day after I moved home, I walked into the local gym and I got a job as a trainer because I couldn't just sit around. And so just started working full time as a trainer while I was figuring it out. And that's where the first really big pivot came in. And ended up in fashion school.

Oh, my God.

Yeah. Yeah. Made no sense whatsoever, but made all the sense in the world now looking back. So I had always made my own clothing and jewelry, accessories. And people would ask me, you know, where's that from? Where can I buy it? Oh, my God, you made it yourself. Why don't you sell it? And the gym that I was working at, shout out to Spa 23. I love them in New Jersey. They let me set up a booth, a little table in the lobby, and see if I could sell my stuff. I didn't have stuff. I had a couple pieces that I wore. And so I brought those handbags. They were handmade handbags. I brought them into the gym. I set them up kind of as a prototype, and I said, let me see what could happen. Actually, Tracy, fun fact. My Facebook memory popped up yesterday, 12 years ago. Yesterday was the day that I set it up, the little table, and it said, like, come to spot 23 today. Check out my handbags with glaze accessories. That's what I called it. How lame.

Oh, my word. No, it's beautiful.

And I ended up selling $6,000 worth of orders. I didn't have stock. Yeah. So I sent my mom into the basement to work the sweatshop for me. Started pumping out, pumping out purses while I was working as a trainer. And I decided to apply to FIT here in New York City. I lived on my brother's couch, went to Fashion Institute of Technology for a year, and still was not aligned and still was not happy.

So when do you go from selling six grand a bags to the next pivot?

So those amazing parents that I was talking about before, amazing, they had me get a teaching degree while I was going for my doctorate because they said, why not just have it to fall back on? You love kids. You've always coached. It makes sense. And so when I was really unhappy living in the city, Going through fashion, I decided, let me see if I could get a teaching job. Looks pretty good from the outside. All of my friends at that point had been, you know, working for a couple years. I had dilly dallyed in multiple schools and so applied to school district. I got the job and I stayed for eight years. Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah, that's amazing.

You know what you said about like the purses, like you weren't afraid to sell an idea before you actually had the product. And I think, you know, a lot of people that are listening right now have men and women that listen to this podcast. And I think that's what. And this is the thing I love about you. Like you are not afraid to just go fucking all in. Like from the second I met you and when you were teaching us just the things like the posture and the confidence, like, I know it's not bullshit, like you actually believe you are, you're going to crush whatever it is. And you walked into that, that gym and put up a little thing and said, buy my back. And $6,000 worth of orders came in. And I think that's just a true testament to, you know, fast forward 12 years later where you are now not afraid to go all in before it looks picture perfect. Before you have all the PDFs and the workbooks and the, and all the perfectly branded shit. It's just, this is. Jess. I know, I know what I can deliver you. I will deliver. I will like over deliver for you. And I think for those of you that are listening right now, take that in. Like, take that in. That is probably the only thing standing in your way is actually taking some action. Would you agree with that?

Yeah, it's so funny that you said that because it's something I'm actually working on. I am a recovering perfectionist, so that action has never been easy for me. And last year I have a bracelet on with a word, and I do every year. And last year it actually said messy action. And in 2019, I 10x my revenue and my business. And I totally equate that to taking messy action. And the funny thing is, in my course, that is exactly how I teach. We do not create anything before we sell it.

I fucking love that because anytime that I've had success, it's when I get out of my own head and out of my own way and just go on, you know, those beautiful gifts, like take the strength with me, take my strengths and go for it, whatever that looks like. And if it's messy, I think that's what makes you and me both so credible, lovable and.

Relatable is because we just go for it. And that's. I think the world needs more people that are just willing to go for it.

Yeah.

About you. So you end up after that. I mean, I know while you were teaching you had a few side hustles going on. What are the. Like, you had several. Right. And I have met a lot of teachers and I know that your job, I mean, PE is a little bit different because you don't have to come up with like crazy curriculum and grading papers and shit like that. However, like, there's a lot of stuff that happens outside of like the classroom or the gym that most teachers could not even fit. One side hustle, let alone however many you had going on at that time. What are all the side hustles you did as a teacher?

Sure. So in my eight years I taught phys ed and health, so I did have papers to grade.

And that's true.

I was on the curriculum board. Come on.

Of course you were.

Yeah, Obviously I was a part of everything. So side hustles, Let me think. Well, I always did personal training and group fitness. That just was. I ran programs over the summer for the young girls that were in my district. I put together programs just to help them with body positivity and confidence and self worth and all of that. And then I had messed around with online fitness coaching. So back in 2012, I started doing fitness competitions and my coach was in a different state than I was and I was paying her just through email, back and forth. And I light bulb went off. I said, I can do this too. So in 2013, I started messing around with charging people and sending them programs. And so I had this little cute online business where I was coaching people. And then that kind of spiraled into putting out some ebooks and like 12 week workout guides, and then that turned into paid Facebook groups. So I was running a Facebook group for quite some time that had 700 women in it worldwide. And I would host challenges in there and give them all sorts of information. And from that birthed a need for wanting to connect with them in person, but also myself needing to find more of those women locally because it was great that we had all these women online, but I felt like my circle in real life was not the woman who was willing to go try a new fitness class in New York City for 40 bucks and get a $20 smoothie. After a lot of the circle I was surrounded with, you know, maybe wanted to sit around and have wine and Whatever. And that's fine. Or they were having kids. A lot of my friends were having kids and I wasn't so out of that Facebook group. Really birthed, I guess you could say, a company that I ran for four and a half years and it was called Fit Trips. And I actually just let go of it in April of 2019. It grew really quickly. It was incredible. We did monthly women's only fitness based field trips. Go figure. Kind of came off of a school thing. Yeah. And we did international retreats. I had ambassadors all over the country running them in other cities. We were in, you know, Shape magazine, this, that and the other. Got sponsored by a lot of really cool publications. And we had a charitable component. So we gave back every single month to a different charity and donated thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over the years. And it was really, really cool. So that was my, probably my biggest, my biggest side hustle. And of course, that doesn't sound like.

A side hustle to me. It's amazing.

Yeah, it was cool. And I, and I dipped my toe in the network marketing industry for a couple of minutes. And that is really where I started to gain confidence around myself and sales and just understanding that like I could actually run a business because again, that's not. Business is not in my family. So.

That's amazing. That is absolutely. Like, I just feel like I'm underachieving right now. Just listen.

Oh my gosh.

It's like. No, I mean, it's, it's beautiful. It's actually inspiring. It's, you know, you just get in, get your hands dirty, you know, because you are such an intuitive. I know you already know this.

Just based on what I know about you and being around you. When you can tap into that intuition and know that it isn't about what it is, it's what you can solve for people. And the problem you can solve for people, they will bust down walls to be part of whatever it is you do. And like, because you are a problem solver and you've always had to figure out how to do this, so you solved your own problems in figuring this out. When you are a pivotal problem solver that is relentless about that. Like, it's no wonder that you are successful in every fucking thing you've ever touched.

It is.

And it, and it comes from us. You know, I know you have this drive to be the best and all that, but you have really recovered a lot of that. Perfect. You have. You are a recovering perfectionist because you've swung that to make it about the greatest good. Yeah, Right. And I think when myself included, I'm a recovering perfectionist myself. When we can get out of what's in it for us and can speak what's in it for them so elegantly like you do, like, they will come in droves. And that's like, that's what's happening. Because in 2017, then you have the moment where you're going to walk away from your career, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

What was, what was that like? What was the final kind of like, now's the time. Because a lot of people that are listening right now have a full time job, a side hustle. Nobody has as many side hustles as you had. No question, you get the Guinness Book of World Records for side hustles while working full time. But I know that there's a lot of people and there's a lot of irresponsible coaching out there saying, just quit, don't do it. Like, just fuck it, go. You know? You know, it's all Bali and butterflies, right? No, it's not. Yeah, my friend Tiffany that I'm hooking you up with, she talks about that. It's not fucking Bali and butterflies all the time. Yeah, but how do you know, like, now's the time.

I love this question so much and I love going back to this. So one of the things with these quote unquote side hustles is none of them were started to be a business. Like, I never even thought they could be a business. I didn't have the business brain. I just was like, this is cool, this is fun. I want to do this. It's filling my cup. And what happened with me with teaching, teachers are incredible and they do not get enough. No, they don't get enough anything. Recognition.

You all are saints, truly.

And so in my time off, during the weekends and nights that I had and summers, I just, I needed to fill myself up with, number one, doing, because again, I love to do. And I have a hard time being and just sitting. We know that. But also, I wasn't fully fulfilled. And so the eight years that I taught, I was obsessed with what I was doing. I love teaching, I love kids, I love fitness. But I was very unhappy all eight years. I was just very unhappy. I didn't feel like I was in the right room. I didn't have friends in the school. I was the kid's best friend, but I just didn't. I just didn't relate. And so I was always searching for something outside. And that's kind of where all These side hustles came from because I was unfulfilled. And what ended up happening was it was a combination of starting to see how people were using social media and they were creating businesses, starting to see people were interested in what I was doing, but I wasn't really monetizing it, not the way that I could, and also just being really unhappy. And so those things coupled together started to really light a fire under me. And I was actually driving to work. It was October 2017, 2016, I guess. And I was listening to a podcast. I could not tell you whose it was. I wish I could remember. And a man was interviewing a woman. She was a teacher, and she had a jewelry line on Etsy. And she wanted to quit to go all in on her jewelry line, but she was scared. So he said to her, what would happen if you quit and you gave yourself a year on Etsy? What's the worst case scenario if it doesn't work out? So she replied, I'll probably just go back to teaching. I'll probably have to go to a different district, but I've been a teacher for a decade. No big deal. And it was his response that she shifted my entire life. He said, cool. How does it feel to wake up every day and live in your worst case scenario?

And I just, like a dagger through my heart. I pulled the car over, I was bawling. I text my husband, I said, I can't do this anymore. I'm quitting. Because for me, the worst case scenario, like, yes, I could go back to teaching and I could go back to personal training full time. I could be a waitress, I could be a bartender. I could work at Kohl's, I could work at Starbucks. Like, there were so many things that I could do. I wasn't going to go from being a teacher to being homeless. And I just couldn't do it anymore. So I made the decision that day. I ended up telling my principal right when we got back from our holiday break. So January, whatever it was, January 3rd of 2017. And that was the last time. That was the last year I left.

I got goosebumps, too. So those of you that are listening right now and you're playing it safe, and her and I both agree, don't be irresponsible. But really, what is the worst that could happen, worst case scenario, and if that's cool, then you go for it, right? I love that. What a beautiful story. I wish I knew that podcast too, because that's beautiful.

I know.

So obviously you had a lot of Experience in the health and fitness. And you know, you've lived through the Instagram booty popping girls and I know that's not you, not even close. I mean, you could because you're beautiful like that, but that's never been your jam. But then you decide to pivot again as an entrepreneur, from the health and fitness to becoming a business coach. The girl who didn't have an ounce of entrepreneur spirit in her mind, who's built several side hustles that actually became full blown fucking businesses. Like, this is the, this is a good business coach. I would. Wouldn't you all agree? Like, clearly she knows how to make shit happen. So when do you decide? Like, I know it was after 15 years of health and fitness and training celebrities. I mean, you were training some powerhouse celebrities in Manhattan and you decided, yep, now I'm a business coach.

Well, it was the same thing again, right? People were asking for it and it kind of accidentally happened. It wasn't something that I thought I was going to do. It wasn't something that was, I was setting out to do when I left teaching, needed a job. I needed something to help pay the bills. My husband and I moved from New Jersey into Manhattan. And so when I moved here, the first thing that I did was of course, got a job. And so the job that I could get was in training because that's just what I've always done. If we can just back up for one second, this is the way that I plan. I knew we were going to be moving into the city and I knew that I was going to be getting a job in fitness. So for the six months before we moved, I hustled and three nights a week I got on the train and I came into New York City after my day of teaching at school school and I started taking fitness classes where I wanted to meet the other trainers that I wanted to work with. So I inserted myself in the rooms that I wanted to be in and I started making a name for myself. I started becoming friends with the trainers that I wanted to be surrounded by and not in a manipulative way. I just was thinking ahead and I said, this is where I want to be. I'm going to put myself in the room. So the day that I moved here, I ended up getting an incredible job and I was actually picked up by another even more incredible place as a founding trainer for them and was blessed with some really incredible opportunities because of that. And so while I was working as a trainer, when we first, the first year we lived in New York I did 10 to 12 sessions a day. I mean, I had no life. I was absolutely grinding and happily doing it because I knew that it was a stepping stone and I knew it was temporary, and I knew it was kind of what I had to do because of the transition that I was making. And so in between those clients and while I was eating lunch and if somebody would cancel, I was on my computer working through building that online business that I had and really trying to make that online health and fitness business something bigger than just the cute little side thing. And what ended up happening was I did. I built it up enough that I started Shocker. I peeled back on the amount of clients I was seeing, and then the pendulum started to swing. So it was like this full time fitness that started to shift into, like more of a 80, 20, 70, 30, 60, 40, 50, 50. And right around the time that I was doing 5050 in person client and 5050 online training, a lot of my peers in the industry here in New York were asking me, how, how did I make all this money? What was I doing online? Could I teach them how to create a course? And so I just started sharing with them. And one or two friends turned into like six trainers sitting around every Thursday at noon in the fitness studio where I had my laptop out and I was just teaching them what I was doing. And probably a month or two into doing that, I was working with the business coach at the time, and I told them what I was doing. They were like, jess, you have to charge for that. What are you, like, what do you want? Yeah.

So it just kind of accidentally turned into this business coaching. And it took a couple months before I realized it was really something real and that I was actually very good at it. And a few clients turned into a group of clients turned into a group course. And here we are, a year and a half later. I had over 150 students go through my. My Empower University course, which is the 90 day coaching program. And they made just under a million dollars for themselves last year in 2019. And it's just been the coolest, most incredible ride. And talk about the ripple effect.

Yeah.

Wow. You guys. Okay, so this is where you and I are a lot alike. And that that phrase, can I pick your brain? Why it irritates us so much? Because if you looked at, you know, the Instagram story highlights or whatever, you would say, oh, my God, that Jess is so lucky. Like, oh, must be nice to be her. But, like, the grind and getting on a train after a full day of teaching to insert herself in rooms where she wanted to be. Not to manipulate, not to just suck the life out of the room, but to be in an environment where it would breed that. And that didn't happen by her saying, walking up to all these people, can I pick your brain? Can I pick your brain? Can I pick your brain? She absolutely added value. And eventually, like, the stuff was coming at her. And that is why, like, if you're one of those people, just a little public service announcement. If you're one of those people that says, can I pick your brain? Stop it right now and ask yourself, what are you doing? You know, if, like, what she. I have done this my whole life, too. I've always put room, put myself in rooms that I am not the smartest in that make me feel so incredibly uncomfortable because that is the only way we're going to learn. And just by even using my own voice or my own opinion of, you know, because you do have value. All of you have value. And when you go around asking to pick brains, you're not even using the wisdom you have. You're trying to become somebody else in a lot of ways. Right. Would you. Would you say that? And it's so funny that I know the back end now of this story, like, to see where this has taken you, of you inserting yourself into room after room after room and saying, I'm going to be in that room next and I'm going to be in that room next. And that led you into the room that I was in.

Yeah.

Right. But before that, for the 18 months before, you ended up in this room, which is, you know, a room with 30, 40 people making 500k or more a year.

Yeah.

So she's making 500k or more a year two years after leaving an elementary school PE teaching job.

Yep.

That is not an accident. That is not luck.

Right.

All that hard work and all that willing to problem solve, not just for yourself, but then show other people how to solve their problems. Like, it's incredible what you have done.

Thank you.

So incredible what you've done.

Thank you so much. And I want to just say.

One of the things that I learned from gymnastics that I really, truly have taken with me my whole life is something that I think is missing now for a lot of people. And that's delayed gratification and understanding at a really young age. Like, if there's a certain skill you want to learn, it could potentially take you years to learn that skill. Because when you reverse engineer it, you first have to learn the smallest Part and then the next part and the next part. And so growing up, that was just something that I was normal. It was normal. I was used to practicing delayed gratification. And so this particular room that you're talking about, it was presented to me three years ago when I was a teacher. And when I heard about the room, I said, that's something I want. And I don't care how I'm gonna get there and how long it's gonna take. And I don't know, because I'm a teacher, this makes no sense. Like, I don't have a business, so I don't know how I'm going to get into the room, but that's something that I'm going to do and I will be in that room. And yeah, so to be there two and a half years later is pretty cool.

I love what you said about falling in love with delayed gratification. Because we live in a time, you know, and I'm quite a bit older than you. So like we had phones with cords on them attached.

Hey, hey. So do I. I did too.

You know, we didn't have caller wait, call waiting or caller id. We had, you know, we didn't have colored TV at eight tracks, things like that. So we were used to delayed gratification. But I'm not gonna lie, I let. Like, if my Internet isn't like a top speed like it was last night, I'm throwing shit. And like, that's no different in the entrepreneurial. Entrepreneurial world is people want to be like, I went from 0 to $14 million in 2.4 seconds and I can show you how to. And we all know it's bullshit, but people are buying that shit. Like they are all about, show me how to have it fast, show me how to have it now. And I love that you said that because nothing that is sustainable or really great happened overnight. I mean, you heard Jess, like decades of grinding it out and figuring things out and not being afraid to be messy. And she carried that 20 years later into the business world. Like, this did not happen overnight. Yes, she left her teaching job two and a half years ago and ended up in a room with people making 500k or more. But this lesson started long before it was presented to her. Yeah, right. Would you agree? So how do you. Because this is hard, you know, And I'm in. I'm obsessed with transformation like you are. I am not like a one hit wonder. I don't want to sell shit unless I know for a fact you're going to Have a transformation. I know this is probably why we connect so much. I'm obsessed with transformation.

Yeah.

And it's hard in a world where everybody wants it now.

Yeah.

And so how do you personally, yourself, Because, I mean, you're a go get shit done kind of girl. I know that you and I both like instant gratification. We're not immune to it. But how do you navigate that for yourself? And then when you sell out, you know, group coaching and I mean, you sell out all the time and help people make millions of dollars at this point point, how do you help them overcome that highlight reel that they're seeing Susie on Instagram doing, saying she made $14 million in two seconds? And how do you, like, reel that back in not just for yourself, but then show that? I mean, you have to do it yourself in order to do it for other people. But what's that process like? Because it's hard.

It is hard. It is hard. And comparison is real. And the stuff we see on social media, even knowing you still get caught in it. Right?

Yeah.

So I think for me, it's reflecting. It's like the more I can reflect on the journey that I've been on and the more I can share it and the more that I'm just open and vulnerable and honest and not vulnerable in the hashtag trending way, but like actually vulnerable and truthful, the more it just reminds my. I remind myself of what actually what it looked like. And it's funny because the sexy headline is from, you know, phys ed teacher to whatever, millionaire in two years. And that's just not. That's not what happened. And so I'm not even comfortable using that type of headline. I'm a very black and white tough love coach when it comes to coaching and teaching. And I actually recently went on a rant on Instagram stories about the programs you're talking about. And the word that you use, sustainable, is the word that stands out because is it possible to make six figures in 90 days? Absolutely. Absolutely. We had a student graduate last night who made six figures in 90 days going through the program. Is it normal? No. And is it sustainable? I don't know. You have to do the work. And so I try to just instill into my clients the long, you know, the long game. Playing the long game and just being really honest with them. I peel back the curtains, I show them everything, financials, fails, wins, all of it. And really going deep into the, like, why? Right? Like, why are you building this? Why are you doing this? Is it because everybody else on Instagram is building a business. Why do you feel like you need to be putting out a course? Is it because your neighbors and your college friends are doing it? Is it really because you want to impact, you want to help? So, really going to the core of what are you doing it for? Because if it's in alignment with your true core values and passions and your purpose, you're not going to care how long it takes. Because you're obsessed with the journey. You're obsessed with the transformations along the way and the people that you're helping while you're doing it. And so I can kind of see through the clients that are like, how fast can I make the money? I'm like, I don't know if this program's for you. Sorry. I don't take everybody. I don't work with everybody. That's just not. That's not my jam. And I'm not here for a get rich quick scheme. And I'd like to last longer than Instagram does, and I'd like my clients to last longer than Instagram does.

You know, that's amazing. I love that. See, that's why I love you. And I knew that, like, straight shooting, no bullshit. Like, it takes hard work, and it takes, you know, being willing to look messy and. And screwed up along the way. Or. Or maybe, maybe, just maybe, what's the best thing that can happen?

Oh, I love it.

Like, how can it get better than this? Right? Our mutual friend Joanna says, how can it get better than this? Right? And you are living that. Like, and tomorrow you could decide to pivot again, and that's okay. And I think, you know, I've pivoted a lot the last few years, and it's uncomfortable, and it's like, it's part of the journey.

Yeah.

And it doesn't mean we're flakes, right?

No, I think if you're pivoting, it means you're growing, and that's a good thing. Like, I'm glad I'm not the same person I was 12 years ago selling handbags. I'm glad I'm not the same person I was three years ago doing fitness programs. I'm growing. I'm doing a lot of growth, and I'm doing a lot of internal work. And whether that's spiritual work or business work, like, I'm just. I keep getting in rooms that make me uncomfortable. I keep being the dumbest one. I keep learning. I'm a student. Like, I'm just a forever learner. And the more I can learn, the more naturally I want to pivot because my interests change.

The thing that you and I have, we have lots in common. But another thing that we've had in common is the willingness to go first. And that's why we are as effective in transformation. Because we have walked that journey over and over. Not just like one hit wonders do. Not just for a weekend event or course we didn't like. I know for her and myself, certifications don't necessarily mean jack to us. It's like, but what have you lived?

Right?

And I think that's what makes you so fucking powerful, incredible and a legend at what you do. Like, I. I am not easily impressed. Big shocker.

I wish you could see Tracy's face right now.

I'm just not. Like, I can see through bullshit before I even see it. Like, I can feel bullshit. So I don't even like, look that way. But you know, I had the opportunity to learn from you, even for just five minutes, and I was like, please let her go all day long. Because not just is it the way that you teach, but it's the heart in which you do it. You love, you serve, and you care at the most extreme level. And it's. It oozes out of your pores. And for me, there's nothing that is more exciting. I don't give a shit if you're in a gym selling handbags. Like anybody doing something that they're passionate about and you have chosen and all these different things you've talked about, you exude the same passion about each and every one of those things as you are talking about empower you today. And there is nothing sexier or more attractive or more exciting to watch than somebody in their zone. And you, my friend, I'm not quite sure I've ever met somebody that does it like you.

You are too.

And I mean that. And I fucking mean that. Like, I have goosebumps even saying that because it's so fun to watch you. Not only because I'm learning a shit ton in very short amount of time that I know moves the needle, which, you know, I'm obsessed with that. But in which the heart. The heart in which that you come to the table with that it is unmatched. And that is why you are the best at what you do. No question.

Thank you so much for that. I'll have to replay that. I'm telling you those moments when I'm feeling a little stuck. I'll have to replay that.

Yeah, put me on speed dial because I could Speak that into you all day long. Because you.

You do realize that we're just a mirror, though. So, like, what you love in me is what I love in you.

Yeah, I do know that. And it's hard for me to hear that, but I do know that and receive it. I am. I need to hear it today, too.

So thank you for saying you're fucking amazing. So you.

Thank you. Thank you. We are a lot alike, but very, very different, too. And I love that. So I know that everybody is like, okay, I need this. I need this firecracker in my life. I need to learn from her. Because seriously, five minutes I've. She taught me. She taught her whole. That whole room, by the way. The room met three years ago. She had no business, you know, and said she was going to be in. She ended up the MVP of the entire weekend, y'.

All.

Like, the MVP is the person who added the most value to a room of 40 people making 500 grand or more per year. A girl that, three years ago that didn't have a business. She is. And it was unanimous, let me tell you.

And I bawled my eyes out in.

The bathroom, as you should, because that, like, that is pure heart and grit and service, which is what she does. And I know everybody listening right now, like, if. If you. If you spend 90 days with this girl, can you even freaking imagine? So I know everybody's like, okay, how does that happen? How does that happen? Jess? Tell me, how does it happen?

Yeah, so Empower University.

That'S the baby. That's one of the courses. So Empower Your is the 90 day coaching program where we take, you know, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, side hustlers, whatever that looks like, and we really bring them through every single step of the way, from branding and course build out to, you know, sales, strategy, organic marketing on social media, the whole thing. Soup to nuts. I mean, we have a lawyer on staff, we have an accountant on staff. We really just make sure that everything is very much a curriculum, if you will. And it's very much like a teacher built it, if you could imagine that. So, yeah, and it's.

It's live. It's not like a plug and play thing. Like they get. Just live in the flesh, like in real time.

They do every single week. They get me live, they get my other coaches live. I have a team of incredible coaches that work with me. We cover everything. We even have a mindset coach on staff. I mean, we have really, really mastered this program and taken the feedback from all the clients that have gone through it. And even the feedback that made me want to cringe and I just, I run with it. I make the changes that need to be made and I listen to what they have to say and I'm so, so proud of what we have.

That is something that I've learned because it's really hard for me as an enneagram8 to take feedback that makes me cringe. But that is a game changer.

Yeah.

Because if we don't take that feedback, even the feedback that makes us cringe from time to time, we're making it about us.

Yeah.

And I'm here to tell you, if you work with Jess, everything she does is for you and for your transformation. And so let's say, because I, I got quite the following myself of firecrackers. And I know there's one of you out there that is like, this girl is speaking my language and there's another Jess sitting in this audience, probably in a carpool lane or in, in rush hour traffic saying, I. Okay. Okay. And I know that you have another program that's going to be coming in the summertime for a Jess because you know why you do what you do is because you would have died for you probably 20 years ago. Why I do what I do is because I would have died for me 20 years ago. And I know there's somebody in rush hour traffic right now listening to you and needs more than just a group coaching program. What's that?

Yeah. So grind to aligned. That's our hybrid mastermind. So I call it a hybrid mastermind because I truly believe the word mastermind is being thrown around a lot right now in the coaching industry. And I just want to be clear, you know, a mastermind truly is just a facilitator opening up a container for people to help each other and teach and learn from. From each other. And so I created a hybrid mastermind because of course, that's what I wanted. So it's a six month container for these women to, yes, help and learn from each other. But I'm also offering one on one and group coaching in there. And we do two retreats, one domestic, one international. And it is just a massive, deep dive into crazy amounts of growth and some business. You know, my goodness.

And y', all, I want you to know that she told me the price points on both of these. I was like, girl, you're not charging enough. But you know what? She's doing this for you. She wants because she knows the ripple effect. That one Jess, one Tracy that takes this Information and runs with it will impact millions and millions of people. And there is more abundance in that than sometimes the stuff in our bank account. And I know that she feels that, and that's why she does it. Class fucking act. You are my friend. It is such an honor to learn from you, to love you, to watch you shine. Where can people find you other than in those? Obviously they're gonna start Googling the shit out of, empower you and. And grind to a line and all that. But where can they find you on the daily. Because I like her Instagram stories and her Instagram posts more value, let me tell you. And that's free. So where can they find you to find out all the things Jess Glaser.

Yeah, Instagram is probably the best place. I'm on there all day. I try to, you know, just add value every day. My content and I'm on stories all the time. I'm in my DMs, I talk to every single person that dms me. So please reach out to me. I'm at Jess Glazer G L A Z E R and I would love to offer your audience a free gift.

Yeah. Oh, my God. What are they getting?

So, okay, so when we were in the room together, you know I pulled the Post it notes out, right?

Yes. So you guys better hurry, because I'm going to. I'm going to get these. I'm obsessed with Post its.

Yeah. I have a thing with Post its and I actually, I use them in many, many, many of my trainings. And one of my favorite things to teach is how to actually chunk down what you have in your brain and turn it into a course or some sort of a PDF or whatever it is you want to create. I have this method that I use Post it notes, and if anyone knows Post it people out there like, can you hook me up with 3m?

Because she needs a sponsorship, y'.

All. Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. I need a sponsorship for sure. I actually have an idea. I want to pitch them, but I use these Post it notes to create so many different things. And so if you're someone sitting and you're listening and you're like, I have all these ideas and I just. I don't know how to organize it. I've put together a training where I teach you how to turn a $4 pack of post it notes into thousands of dollars in revenue for yourself. And so if you go to JessGlaser.com Postit to profit free, you can get an entire free video training on It.

Oh, my word.

Yes.

One pack of post its to thousands and thousands of dollars.

Yeah. That's literally what we teach. I mean, yeah, that's what. That's what we do. We teach off post it notes.

Damn, you're amazing, girl. What a gift got dropped in my life when you walked into that room. So you deserve to be in that room.

MVP all the way. For sure. Not just. Not just for a weekend, but you showed up into this lifetime as an mvp. You came out of the womb as an mvp, and I know you'll exit this world an mvp. So thank you so much for just being here, for being my friend. It's such an honor to know you, to love you.

Thank you. And I just want to acknowledge you for everything that you're doing. And I watched you put this podcast out and I know how much resistance there was and the amount of people that you're helping and the lives that you're changing with it are incredible. So despite the resistance, it was worth every single painful decision that you had to make getting it out there. Because truly, it's a game changer. So I love you.

I love you too. We'll see you soon.

Thank you for tuning in to the Becoming Bulletproof podcast. If you learned a thing or two from our show today, it would mean a lot to me if you shared it. Tag me so I can hear exactly what landed on your heart. This will help me to bring you even more episodes with the topics and guests you want. Please head over to itunes and leave an honest and loving five star review. If this made an impact on you, you can find me on Instagram tracyomalley and I have tons of free resources for you@traceyomalley.com as always, if you are wanting to ignite your purpose, profit, and build your legacy, it's time to stand.

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