06 - Accidental Entrepreneur (with Kara Goldin) - The Balanced Girl Podcast
Kara Goldin has been an entrepreneur running after any and all opportunities her whole life. She joins us on the balanced girl and takes us on a journey from working at Time Inc, to moving to silicon valley for a start up Steve Jobs started, to now where she is most widely known for being the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., best known for its award-winning Hint water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. I feel in love with Kara a long time ago drinking her water but after Her first book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, was released October 2020 I had to reach out to have her on ‘the balanced girl’ and is now a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Best Seller.
She has received numerous accolades, including being named Entrepreneur of the Year and InStyle’s 2019 Badass 50. She hosts the podcast The Kara Goldin Show.
-Listen to the podcast episode-
I am not going to ask if you have been paralyzed by fear or doubt before, because I am 100% certain you have. I am going to tell you; you are not alone in that feeling. When you think of fear, you could think of spiders and heights. When in fact, the fears that affect us most are more everyday life – new career paths, starting a business, living a healthier life etc. The fear is planted from that little doubtful voice in your head and the doubtful people around you. Saying you can’t, when in fact – actually you can.
People ask me the difference between success and not having success and I really believe it comes down to belief! You either believe you can or let fear drive and in turn believe you can’t. I didn’t stop to let fear in when I wrote my cookbook, moved to Ireland or even when I went knocking on the police door to shift how they viewed prostitution. I just moved into action and believed it would all work out. I really believe if you have a passion, see how to do it, move into action you will succeed. Too many times we let fear drive us which causes us to be paralyzed and we end up staying stuck. That doesn’t mean there won’t be highs and lows or times you may want to quit but I promise you it will be worth it.
“It doesn’t matter whether you feel confident, it matters what you actually do”
-Kara Goldin
There is another fear that I have come to face recently; the fear of missing out when I say no to more work, more meetings, more projects! With the cherry on top: fear of what people will think when I say no. Where does that get me? It gets me living out of balance, burning myself out and losing touch with myself. Too exhausted to connect to God, too exhausted to even read or cook! The things that give me life! All because I’m afraid to say NO! I could have also sold my fear and doubt by the dozen when I was bringing together things for anti-human trafficking, my cookbook, the website, and my podcast! It was a rollercoaster of emotions but hey here we are and the world isn’t on fire! It’s actually looking pretty rosy!
I wanted to share with you, some of the tools that will help you feel the fear but allow you to do ‘the thing’ anyway:
Never compare yourself with others, take inspiration instead!
I always remind myself to stop looking at the highlight reel on my social feed, think of the Instagram vs Reality meme....right? LOL! But in all seriousness, if you’re doubting yourself because you’re looking at others’ level of accomplishment -STOP right there! Focus on your own path and where YOU want to take it, that is what you can control. Cheer the others on and inject their passion into your passion!
Look at what you’ve achieved! SHOUT IT!
It helps me to think back to times in work or even school/college and remember that feeling of doubting myself for that big presentation or handing in your thesis. Yes, it was scary but I DID IT! The world did not end. You are capable of great things and always remember that. Remember that comfort and growth do not coexist for a reason!
Journal what you want!
It always helps me to start with gratitude. Sometimes I forget what is important and by leading with gratitude it shifts the fear. Then I journal what I want in my life, my ideas, my passions and what gives me life. When I look at what and why i want to move into something I get fired up and the fear loses its control. Journaling is a very powerful habit.
Soak up the support from family and friends
For me, my mom and dad have always taught me that I’m capable of great and bigger things. It really helps when I pick up the phone and we talk it through. My mom has always been so grounded and connected to GOD, she keeps me focused on what is important and how to get there. My dad taught me to dream and never let fear get in my way. I also have a circle of friends that are my biggest cheerleaders, forever grateful for these people – they remind me of my talent and resilience!
Mistakes will be made, learn from them!
Can you count on both hands the mistakes you’ve made in your life? Heck no! Mistakes are how we learn, we take stock of it and we try better the next time. My day-to-day life is a constant learning curve for me. I like to wave bye to fear and doubt by reminding myself I’m only human and to be kind to myself.
It also helps to read books that provide you with tips and tricks to deal with overcoming those ridiculous fears and doubts. I’m OBSESSED with this book “Undaunted” by Kara Goldin. It spoke VOLUMES to me. It reinforces how to take control and to move forward, despite any uncertainty, not listening to your inner critic and transforming it to motivation! I was also lucky enough to have this amazing woman on my podcast ‘the balanced girl’ !! Kara is the CEO of Hint Water, yes, the leading unsweetened flavored water! I would say THAT was a scary thing to overcome – building your own business and product!!! We went into depth about how you can move past your fears and defy any doubters but also underlining that it doesn’t matter whether you feel confident – it matters what you do! Feeling the fear and doing it anyway!! Check out our incredible episode of ‘the balanced girl’ now!
Kindsey XO
Transcript
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