19. Erika Brechtel: Transforming Brands from L.A. to London

Good morning. This is Janae Luciani Senna. And if you are listening right at 8am on a Sunday morning, when the episode drops, which I hope you are, because I hope you're subscribed, you are listening to Visible Panty Lines, the podcast. And these are transparent and inspiring stories of encouragement and inspiration and overcoming adversity. And I have talked to so many guests so far who now not only have their own story to share, which, I mean, who doesn't have a story, right? So we all have some inspiring story to share. But some of my guests like my guests today, their work is focused around inspiring and helping others, which is something that really resonates with me because that's pretty much what my work has been like for the past 20 years, and especially the bra aspect of it, and helping women feel better with the right bra and empowering them and in turn, you know, just talking to women out there and really just helping them feel better about themselves. And Erica Brechtel is with me today. She is a brand builder for women leaders and the founder of Eleanora, Inc. Welcome, Erica.

Hello. I'm so thrilled to be here this morning.

Well, I'm thrilled to have you.

So I love that, you know, when your publicist, Cosi introduced us, I loved what you do right away. Like, as soon as I clicked on what she sent me and saw a little bit about you, I was like, absolutely. I have to talk with her because I just think that anyone out there, especially in this, like, day and age that we're in, where everybody's, like, disagrees so much and everybody's fighting and bickering online, and it's like, especially with women like us, women really got to stick together. We really got to support each other, lift each other up, empower each other. And really, that's what you do.

Right? I mean, essentially, why don't you tell listeners that may not know a little bit about your business, why don't you share with us?

Yeah, sure. So I just, as you said, I've been doing brand building for women leaders and founders for 20 years.

And I absolutely love working with women. And the reason is because I think most of us, when we go into creating something, we're coming from the heart space. We really are thinking about how can we create something for the betterment of all, not just ourselves. And so as we're kind of looking at the business landscape, the current business landscape, that traditional way of doing business, as you were saying, that competitive, aggressive, very masculine, winner takes all type of business model, it's just not flying anymore. You know, we know this for ourselves. Like consumers expect so much more now when they're engaging with a company, purchasing from a company, they want to make sure that their purchase aligns with their values and beliefs. And a company has to not only know their values and beliefs, but also share those value beliefs, values and beliefs and, and their words and actions need to back it up. So as women, you know, I always like to point out because I feel like we hold ourselves back in so many ways, which we can talk about what I've discovered in my past 20 years working with women, but that we have so much to offer in this new business landscape. Like we already are several steps ahead. And so whereas I think like a lot of times women and you know, the corporate world or those of us who are business owners, we may think, oh, I don't know enough about business, you know, that I don't really know what I'm doing. And what I have found is that, you know, most of the time women feel like they have to know 85% to put themselves out there, whereas like a man is like 10% and they're.

Crushing it, you know?

Right.

So true.

Yeah. So what I find is that I'm really just a facilitator. Like I really just help the women that I have the chance to work with, whether that's through my brand consulting work. So my clients, my one on one work or through I have an online course, brand building foundations. I led a branding masterclass in person, Branding masterclass pre Covid and now through Eleanora, with this group of global women founders that I bring together and we do these travel with impact retreats is. I'm just helping to get those answers that are already within each of us. They're just there. Right. But we're not owning it. And I'm giving them some clarity around that, around what their unique value is and what they really care about, what really matters to them and how they can give their value to that and to the people that they want to help. And then that in turn gives them the confidence to really step into it and own it and put themselves out there.

Well, right. I mean, it's really fear, right. When you think about it, like fear is really what holds us back. Like, I know you mentioned briefly there are a number of things that, you know, women are doing specifically to hold yourselves back. But I feel like, I feel like it's fear. I really do. I feel like fear is really a culprit. Like to give you an example, I spent all these years you know, working for all these major bra brands and going on national TV as a bra expert and all this stuff. And after having written the bra book and even having all this credibility, everyone would say, when are you gonna start your own line? And I was like, oh, no, I'm not ready for that. And it was really the pandemic happening, and I ended up losing my stepdad, who I was very close with. He was married to my mom for 25 years, and he passed away. And within that same week, I was working for Soma, the bra brand, on qvc, and for two years, and they decided to just. I had no contract. I was in between contracts, and they were like, okay, we're good. We're not going to do this anymore. You know, everybody freaked out during the pandemic. And so there I was, like, at a crossroads, left with a choice. Do I sit here and twiddle my thumbs and wait and see what happens, or do I do something? And so I went to, you know, Walmart and I made a prototype of a bra, and I cut, you know, cut apart a bunch of other bras, and I just literally was like, let me, you know, see what I can do. And I had this idea for a crystal healing bra, and I pitched it to qvc and then I got the deal. So it was like. It was almost like being forced out of that fear, you know, like, here I am, like, no other choice. Essentially, like, give up and curl up and, you know, cry or.

Right. Do something about it. Right. It's what Elizabeth Gilbert calls your bathroom floor moment, where you're on the back floor, you've been knocked down.

Yeah.

And you can decide, just as you said, I can continue to sit here and feel sorry for myself, which may feel good for a little while, but then you're like, no, I'm going to get for a bit that. And that happened to me as well, about four years ago. It was a brutal business betrayal. And I will tell you, what I did in that moment that has. That worked for me, continues to work for me. I mean, thankfully, I haven't experienced something like that again, but. Right. It's really, like I said, I mean, really understanding at your core who you are and what you believe, what makes unique and, you know, whom you're here to serve. And that's what I call your four P's. So that's your people, your purpose, your positioning and your personality. And so I do all these exercises with women, your people being like, as I said, you know, I know Simon Sinek talks about Start with the why. But I really believe it's about starting with the whole whom are you here to serve? And you knew that's why it was easy for you to come up with a solution. I don't want to say easy, but easier for you to come up with a solution because you knew.

Yes.

Who you wanted to help. Right. And so we start with the who. And with the. In the people category, I would say also look at who inspires you. That's a really good indicator for you to see, like, okay, this is kind of the path I might want to go on because I'm really inspired. So like, for example, for me, I'm inspired by Amal Clooney and what she's doing. So that was some of the inspiration behind creating Eleanora. So that's your people, your purpose. You know, Simon Sinek has an amazing TED talk from 2009. He covers this topic really well. In terms of what your why is and why it's so important to know your why because it's actually the emotional connection that we create with people that drives behavior. Right. So, so important to know your why. And it's.

It is always if your why is money, right. If your why is money, start. Start over again.

Exactly.

Like, seriously.

Well, it shouldn't be because if you pass the first p, right, then you know you're here to serve someone. And I will say, like, when you're thinking about the people that you want to serve, you know, it's not just about demographics because I think a lot of like, strategy, you, you're breaking down audiences according to types and, and, and demographics. But it's really like, what are the.

Their audience has that you identified when you were creating your product line? You know, so we, we gotta get down to that emotional level. Of course, you need to check all the boxes, what I call the mind of your brand. So that would be in the next one P. Your positioning. Like, how are you unique? The mind of your brand is sort of like all the rational reasons why someone would choose you, right? And it's all about sort of trust and credibility. Like, get. Making sure that you got those down, then getting to the heart of your brain. And that's the emotional connection. Like, okay, what. How am I actually connecting with this person emotionally? How am I actually benefiting this person emotionally? Or it's creating a better life for them, right? It's making them feel good at the end of the day. That's what we all want.

The emotional aspect, I think, like, whether you're a, like nail Tech or you are a, you know, woman who's running a big financial company. Like, whatever it is, you have to have some kind of connection to your clients who you're serving to the topic matter. And especially like if you're, if your demo or your base are women, like we are emotional beings by nature. And so if you're not kind of tugging on, you know, someone's heartstrings or some, something in them, then, you know, you won't stand out. And I think that authentic connection to whatever you're doing is important too. Like you really love it and believe in it, then everyone else will love it and believe in it.

Yes, absolutely. And you know, and that's such an important part in terms of overcoming those fears that you discussed earlier. Because if you know that it's not about you, that it's, you're really here to serve other people or that you have something special to give and you're clear about what that is, like you're through those, you know, those first three Ps, as I said, then, then it's not like it's about you. Right. It's, it's, you don't have to feel like, oh, I'm showing off or, or I might make a mistake. Yeah, you might, but it's okay. Like, you know, that you, you're coming from a good place. And that's really important, I think, for women to remember, like always keeping those four P's in your back pocket and, and especially the people whom you're trying to serve because when you have those setbacks, you can kind of get over yourself a little bit, you know, and remember. Okay, you know, I got to keep going because this is, yeah. Bigger picture of what I want to do and who I want to help.

That's so helpful.

Yeah. And I was going to wrap it all up with the fourth P. Just so I finished that, that part of this is all about personality and so that's really being authentic to who you are. Right. And I created, as a resource for your listeners, I did create a free 40 minute workshop on brand personality to help you figure out what your brand personality types are. That's at brand building foundations.com workshop.

Oh, that's awesome.

And you can take it.

Yeah.

And so what I have found, I created this archetype framework of 12 different archetypes. And what I found is that typically, you know, through my many years of doing this, we kind of fall into three different categories or three different personalities. But what it does is it allows you to really own who you are and not try to be everything to everyone. And you can really again, like step into your light. What makes you shine, what makes just feels right to you and what doesn't. Right. And that it's okay. And I like to use this example. I'm definitely not one of my types is entertainer. I am not an entertainer. I'm not theme like you. You're probably an entertainer, you know, and having a podcast. I'm definitely not like the Ryan Reynolds of the world. Right. And that's totally okay. That's just not who I am. And I don't need to try to be. It's not my comfort zone. So it's kind of understanding where you're comfortable and then from that you're able to better understand how to communicate with your audience. Right. Communicate in your com through from your comfort zones.

It's so true. And I pretty much like have had a crash course on that, you know, essentially like all those years doing segments on the Today show and stuff like that. And then I got to QVC and they make you do like this training class and they were like, almost like a hazing, hazing me. They knew I had all this TV experience. So they were like, oh, we're going to put her in her place, you know, and they were like, well, this isn't the Today Show. And I didn't understand what they were talking about until I started doing these on camera appearances. And it's like the thing I really struggled with, with that was like I was always about helping women giving advice on tv. Yes, I would show products, you know, yes, I would make recommendations, but I wasn't always trying to sell them on something. But then here you are in this situation where on home shopping, like you have to sell. That's your job. Like you don't have a job if you don't sell sell products. So I was like, okay, how do I still show? A lot of me still show, you know, how much I care and my bra expertise, but not come across like I'm trying to just sell them. So that was like a little bit of a struggle, you know, a hump to get over, I would say, because it was like, you know, I'm. Yes, you're a pitch person, but like you still want to stay true to who you are. So it was kind of an interesting dichotomy, honestly.

Right, right. And in those situations, you know, just as I was saying, there's a little bit of that remembering connecting back to why would some emotionally, what is this going to do for Our audience. Right. That's not just an aesthetic thing, necessarily. And just as, you know, it's about how you feel and what the effect. The end effect of that is. Right. So when we make these women feel better about themselves and they're going out and they're. They're just happier around their families, around their team, their co workers, you know, and just to the grocery store clerk. And that's so important, you know, just as you said at the very beginning, in a. Now we're in this social media world of everyone's disagreeing and everybody's mad and everyone has something to say.

Yeah.

You know, and kind of going back to what we're talking about of the blocks for women and the competition and the contrast and all of this and how we can sort of come together, there is definitely a need, as I said, for us to. And in a way, I mean, I know it's contradictory. Contradictory to what I was just saying, but there's. There is a little bit of, like, you have to get over yourself. Right. Like, when we are so focused on our own fears, I mean, it's really keeping you down because you're not in the place of service for the whole. So it's. It's what I call, like, you got to go from the me to the we. And three of the blocks that I have seen in my many years of doing this. Imposter syndrome, perfectionist syndrome, and martyr syndrome. Right. And so imposter syndrome, we all know what that is. We all know what that feels like. And it's so deeply rooted in our society because, I mean, if you think about it, it goes back all the way to, like, hunter gatherer days. Right. When we all had to kind of force survival. You had to stick with the pack.

Yes.

And you couldn't be an outlier and you couldn't show off too much or, you know, rock the boat.

So true.

Right. And so that's really where it comes from. I mean, for. For women anyway. Right. Well, the men were out hunting and being aggressive with each other. Like, we really had to st together otherwise, you know, like. Right, yeah.

Women have always had to have this sisterhood, you know, to kind of get through life.

Yeah, we definitely. And we do. We have that fear of exclusion. Right. Yeah. And so how we can kind of overcome that is to really hold space, space for each and every one of us to feel comfortable when we're expressing our true selves. I mean, if you think about it and. Yeah. And we don't want to participate it because we don't want to perpetuate that. We don't want to signal to other women that they can't celebrate their true selves, you know, and. And it's designed to kind of keep women small, right? So if you don't ever stray from the pack, then we're all stuck together, and then that's what causes all that competition, right?

Yeah, it's so true.

Celebrate and support each other and. And I think a lot of us grew up thinking, like, well, you know, I'm just being humble and that being humble is honorable.

Right.

But it's really, if you're really honest with yourself, it's really like, well, you just want to be well liked, right? And so that's. You just want to be likable.

That's so true. And it's like, I don't think anybody's saying go out there and, like, be a braggart and, like, be obnoxious, but it's like, feel free to highlight your accomplishments, you know, talk about what you need to talk about and not really have fear of any, like, kind of, you know, repercussion from it, because anyone that's going to support you is going to support you no matter what. And that definitely is evident when you embark on something that is like, you know, I have people I know, like, I post all my TV appearances or whatever, and then they'll, you know, I'll get the people, like, great job, as always, Janae, or whatever. And then someone, like, make a snide comment about, like, what I'm wearing or something, and it's like, backhanded compliment or whatever, and like, just beating through, like kind of the noise of people and just powering through, I guess, like, as yourself.

You know, And I every. No matter what happens and like, what criticism comes, I always, like, bring it back to. But I know, like, I was out there helping and inspiring people. And so, like, my intentions are pure and, you know, I don't really other that. Other than that, like, I can say that at the end of the day, you know, that that's where I'm at. And the thing with the qvc, which was really cool, is like, I kind of brainstormed on it and I said to the producers, like, why don't we do some on air bra fittings and all this stuff? And they've had a bra brand in house for like 30 something years and all these other brands in, and no one had done that, so. Which I thought was so crazy because I was like, here's a service for the viewer that like, you know, because I was trying to figure out a way so it wasn't so salesy. And since then all the other brands, like the in house one, you know, started doing a lot of stuff like that. And you know, I was like, let's give tips on like what the faux pas are and whatever and especially, you know, when we had more time. So I think like, there's a way that you can always, like where there's a will, there's a way you can always figure it out to kind of stay true to yourself and still like achieve your goals.

Absolutely. And what I love about that example too is that you're willing to try new things, you know, because so many of us.

Yeah.

Kind of leading into that second. What I. These are the three syndrome sisters, I call them. The second syndrome is I'm going to.

Be writing an article on that. She just sent me all the information.

So. Yeah, yeah, it's, you know, it's, it's really. That's another one. Like we all grew up as little. Well, not all of us, I'll say most of us, many of us women, we all, we grew up with sort of this idea that we had to be pretty and perfect and clean and not messy and so we. And not color outside of the lines for sure. Again. And so there is this fear about like losing control, right? Yeah, totally. And fear of failure. And so. And what it does, unfortunately, like just, you know, as I was saying with the example that you gave, is like a lot of us won't start that thing. A lot of us won't try that thing because we're so scared of failure.

Yeah.

And I love what Oprah says about failure. She says that she always thinks it when it comes into her life. Right.

Which is such a great attitude.

Great attitude. Because it's. There's always a lesson there. There's always something. Yeah. To learn. And I mean, at the end of the day, in reality, like, we can't avoid it. Like, if we had control over every aspect of our life, like, how boring would our lives be? Right. True.

That's another way to look at it. Especially when we're trying to control every little aspect from like our kids schedules to our like husband and planning something for Valentine's Day to our careers, you know?

Yeah.

It's like all about control. Trying to control every aspect so you can produce like the outcome you want. And it's like, it's. You can't do that. You'll kill yourself trying to do that.

It's unattainable and we, we can just, I don't know, we just have to insert a little more laughter, joy, present, moment, thinking, you know, because that's all about, like, fear of the future.

Right.

That something's going to go wrong in the future.

Yeah.

And I don't know, just like, like we were saying earlier, like, celebrating the bravery it takes to try new things, you know, and that it's so true. Is not the end of the road. Right. And. And the examples that we both shared at the beginning, like, it's not the end of the road. It's an opportunity to change direction.

And it'll take.

Yeah.

All those people that had. Oh, my God, you could name any major entrepreneur, like, and, and they will share with, you know, they have shared public all of the businesses that they had that failed before that one that made them who they are, you know, so it's like I always, whenever I'm going through a situation like that, I'm like, remember, you know, blah, blah, blah, had this happen, you know, three times before.

Yeah.

Whatever it takes to make you look at it positively. Right.

Yes. And it's. And as hard as it is, I mean, you kind of have to come into it with a belief, with a belief that everything is working out as it should and in your highest good, you know, so even those failures, you have to believe this was meant to be. Because I wasn't meant to go down that detour. And I love that you said that.

Because I literally just said this to somebody earlier today. She's like, panicking over text message to me, and I completely understand why. And I know the whole situation. And I was like, listen, you just have to know that everything's gonna work out and it's gonna work out in the way that it's supposed to.

So just let, like, let go.

Let go of the rain, like.

Yes. Like, let go of the control. Yes.

And I have plenty of moments where I struggle with that. But it's like, it's nice to feel like you're in the mode of like, okay, just especially lately, you know, you go into the new year with so many high hopes, and then you're like, things start to go wrong. Like, so many things have kind of gone wrong in the past, like, week or two. And I'm like, oh, you know, So I think it's just a little reminder, like, just like, you can't control. Just like let go and, and let it happen, you know, like, as long as you're taking proactive steps in your life, you're good. Like, like My, my dad, you know, who passed away in 2020. Like I remember, we, my, my stepsister and I, we used to, I'm very close with her too. And we used to go to him and say, like, oh, we feel like we gained so much weight or like we feel like our pants don't fit or whatever, you know, throughout like 20s or whatever that time period. And he would go, well, are you doing something about it? And we'd be like, well, yeah, I'm kicking walks or I'm going to the gym. And he'd be like, okay, as long as you're doing something about it, don't worry. Like if you are taking, even though if they're like baby steps, don't worry. There's no point, literally no point in worrying.

Well, in the criticism, the self, I mean, we're all so hard on ourselves, aren't we? But the criticism also is a little bit of an exception. Excuse to stay where you are. Right. So if you're, if you think like, oh, I'm aware of this, I don't, you know, it's kind of a lazy way of, of saying, like, I don't really need to do anything about it because at least I'm aware of it. But just as you said, as long as you're taking action, I'm being solution oriented, I should say. And, and because you're forgiving yourself about it, like, if you're not taking it so personally, that's like, it's okay, let's move on. Let's figure out a solution and, and just get moving. Unless, you know, that's, that's all we can do and enjoy the ride. You know, as hard as that may be sometimes to really enjoy the ride, enjoy the journey, and especially as business owners, I mean, you know, there's ups and downs, roller coaster downturn. Right, right. And it's, it's just so important, as I say, to go back to the core, those four Ps, you know, and, and really remember why you're doing this, who you're doing this for, like what, what you have to give and yeah. That belief and that trust that it's all working out as it should.

I love that you break it down so simply. And I also love that it can apply to so many different industries. Or like I use the example earlier, like you could be a nail tech or you could be like, you know, running a major financial firm. Like, it doesn't matter because Those points, the four Ps that you call them apply. So I think that that's really nice. And it's, I think, nice for people to have a plan that they can, like, understand in easy steps so it doesn't seem so overwhelming. Like, here you are maybe at the start of the new year, you're trying to make a big change, or maybe you're like, embarking on a new business venture. That's scary. But you have, like, a simple plan that you can kind of follow. And, like, as you were talking, I'm, like, thinking about all the things I'm going to go do. Like, I'm like, oh, I have to take personality quiz. And I have, you know, and I. Because sometimes, like, for me, I feel like there's so many aspects of my business. And so, yeah, a lot of people know me for the bra thing, but then I do other, you know, I'm a writer and an editor and all this other stuff too. So it's always like, oh, how do you incorporate all these things? Because people tend to put you into, like, a box or little categories and then won't view your talents elsewhere.

So.

And what you can bring to the. To the table, really, the proverbial table. So that is always like, my challenge is like, oh, if I don't want someone to, like, putting together a resume for me is like a nightmare because it's like, I don't fit into the box of like, a normal. I haven't had a corporate career. You know, it's like I don't fit into that box. And so it's about, like, thinking outside the box. But then many people don't. So I think just having like, a more of a clear path and a clear plan. And I used to feel like, oh, I have to choose. Like, I have to choose one of the things. But I don't think that that's necessarily true anymore. I think you can be all of the things you want to be as long as.

I mean, right back when I was doing the branding masterclass and I was traveling around the country and, you know, teaching these workshops in different cities, you know, I had no idea that I would end up creating a social entrepreneurship company for global women founders. Like, no idea. But they're all connected, right? To that. To, again, my four P's, I'm all about elevating women globally. I know that. And so when you, you know, your listeners, you are thinking about your 4Ps and your why especially. It's like you want to go really big with it because, yeah, then all the solutions that you create fall within that. So just as you said, you've Got all these things going on, but you know how they connect. Right? Connect to your bigger.

Why, yes, that's so true. And that is like brilliant, honestly. Because it's like, I'm like, oh, wow. It's simple enough. Like, why didn't I think of that? But you know, you, I would say got this down to a science.

Well, you know what's really into when you take the personality workshop that I, that I created, one of the, you know, I'll just tell you what my three pillars are and you can see. So my first pillar is original because I'm creative. That's, you know, that's what I do. I design brands. So that makes a lot of sense. My second pillar is guide. Right. So it's me being on this podcast. It's me create, taking all of my knowledge and breaking it down into these bite sized pieces, just as you said. Yes. And then my third is achiever. And I think that I'm just a type a personality type. I think a lot of us founders are. And so when you, when I, because I know that about myself, I'm an original guide achiever, it's really easy for me to communicate with my audience and know the direction that I want to go in because it's like, oh, this is just who I am. I'm not confused about it. I'm definitely not rebellious. I'm not a rebel, you know. Yeah. And it's great too, about that workshop is you'll, you'll recognize other people in your life in the other brand types. So for example, my daughter is an idealist and I love her. She's sunshiny. You know, I call them like the Audrey Hepburns of the world and I relate to that. I would say that. Right?

Me, yeah.

Right. And so it's, it's, it's really fun to see that on not only about yourself and identify these different aspects of yourself and go, oh, that's actually special and unique. But then also to recognize that in others and not get so frustrated when they're not another type. Right. And we can, we can talk about that in our personal lives. I mean, in say you're managing a team, you know, and, and stop trying to go against the grain. Right. It's just sort of who are we? Sort of like strengths finder in a bit.

For sure.

That's such a good point too. And like my husband always says, don't put your expectations on other people. Like how you would do something. Like oftentimes I think we fall into a trap where it's like, well, I would have sent a thank you note or I would have, you know, whatever you would do. And you, like, automatically expect the other person to reciprocate. And it's like, you can't put your own expectations on someone else. Like, yes, everybody's different and you're.

Everybody's different. Yeah. I. Especially for women, which. It's so great that you said that, because I was thinking, like, oh, I got to talk about the third syndrome, sister, which is martyr syndrome. And that is all about us not recognizing that we are responsible for our own happiness. Like, we can choose. Right.

That.

And we have to recognize and take accountability.

Yeah.

For the fact that, like, no, it's nobody else's responsibility. It's our responsibility, I always say, because a lot of. I'm a mom, so I get it. And moms are very guilty of this, Especially during the holidays. We just came out of the holidays of, like, I have to. I have to. I have to. I have to do this. And everything has to be perfect. Right.

Everybody has to be happy. And the smiling faces and, oh, my gosh, it's all in our go on us.

And. But if you really think about it, like, you don't really have to. You want to. Right. And.

Yeah, because. Yeah, for sure.

Because there's a couple of reasons. Like, you feel like it's a reflection of you. Right. So there's a little bit of ego involved there.

Of course.

Like, let's be honest with ourselves.

Yeah.

But also, you know, that I have to. I have to. It's like, you don't have to. You choose to.

And.

Yeah. And even better, like, you get to. Right. And when we can bring gratitude back into it, change our perspective a little bit about all the things that we feel like we have to do. And just like, you know what? Let's, like, take a step back here.

And what do I. What can I be grateful for? What do I get to do that's like, wow, I have. You know, you were sharing examples earlier about managing your children's schedules and your husband and meals and stuff and being like, wow, I have a family. I have all of these things that I've always wanted. You know, And I'm here now, and look what I get to do. And I'm not saying, like, oh, just take whatever comes your way and don't ever complain. But I'm just saying, like, get some perspective around.

Yeah.

How lucky we are, how lucky you and I are even here recording this podcast and talking about this. Right. Yeah. They were not, like, in Survival mode that we're able to take the time to do this and both of us living authentically, purposefully, intentionally, and getting to empower women as we, as we really want to do, as we know we can do. Amazing.

So true. And you have like such a good voice too. Like, I mean, we're, we're talking over, you know, audio only. We don't have video, but it sounds like hypnotizing.

You really do have such like a soothing voice. And I'm like, I really want to do every single thing she said.

It's not everyone has that ability.

Like, I've interviewed a lot of people over the course of 20 something year journalism career, you know, and it's like some people are like, they have a good message, but they don't deliver it properly. And like you have all of, you know, you check off all the boxes. So.

Thank you.

Yeah. So I can clearly hear or see why you're, why you're so successful at what you do. So I. Our time is up badly because the podcast world, they don't like to tune in more than 25 or 30 minutes for whatever reason. Got it.

I wouldn't have talked so much.

I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh. No, you were great. And this was perfect. I've had some that have gone a little longer and it's. And I always feel like people, generally speaking, like they want another episode with the person, you know what I mean? Which I feel like people will be like, wait, I want to hear more about this or I want to hear more about what she said. So I feel like you are definitely one of the people that we will have to revisit and do a part two. Yeah, that would be great.

I'd love to talk about. Because there's a whole nother level to this. You know, we got to talk about that elevating from the me to the we kind of getting over ourselves a little bit. We got to talk about aligning with really what really matters to us. But then it's actually like the creation part, right? Like, how do we actually build what we. What we want to build and really think coming to it from a place of impact, like, what is the legacy that we want to leave behind? What's the impact that we want to have? And looking at that from that perspective and then creating right, those bits and pieces in our lives, in our daily lives, like, how do you actually want to live your life? How do you want your days to go? Like, what is going to be the most fulfilling to you? So we can definitely. We have a lot more to talk about there. Talk about Eleanora and the, the Global Founders retreats. And if I could, I would love to mention that we are going to Morocco next month for our second Global Founders retreat. It's a week long business retreat for women founders. We go and we do workshops and of course we do a lot of sightseeing and we have all this wonderful connection. We share our meals together but we also go and volunteer. So that's amazing. Go and volunteer for an organization called Project Soar and they empower local teen girls because child marriage is a big issue there still. And one of the reasons why it's such an issue is because girls are not getting education in it because they don't have period supplies. So think about it. If you don't have period supplies, you're not going to go to school for a week out of a month. Right.

That's crazy. Think about.

So yeah, so that is a huge part of what we're doing with Eleanor. We're incorporating these impact initiatives. It was really important to me to get this in person volunteer experience and it was so transformative for all the women there. And then we also donate 10% of all the retreat fees to the nonprofit. So we're going to be going into other countries and doing this. This is our second one to Morocco. I'm so excited. We do have one spot left, but anyway.

Yeah. So where can people go to? What's the website again that people can.

Find out information about eleanora.com and eleanora is E L A N O U R A And the way that you can remember that is Elon. What I why I do branding. So I came up with the company name. It's a made up word but Elan is life and aura is light. So the life. Oh, I love that so much. Yeah. So eleanora.com you can go on there. You can see there's a tab for Global Founders Retreat. Join us. We're going to be doing virtual enrichment, cohorts, mentoring. We're gonna have speaking opportunities. So there's all these different ways that you can connect with women from around the world. We have women in our collective globally. It's very exciting. So 2023 is here. I just launched it last year and last summer. So. Wow. We're gearing up for a lot more this year. Yep.

Awesome. Thank you so much, Erica. It has been, this has been such an enlightening combo and like I said, we're schedule and we're gonna do a part two. Yeah. So thank you so much. And everybody out there, you've been listening to Visible Panty Lines, the podcast, and join us every Sunday morning. New episode drops at 8:00am thanks again, Erica.

All right. Bye. Bye.

All right, take care. Bye bye.