Whether you’re brand new to photography or you’ve been in business for years, you’re probably familiar with feeling the constant overwhelm during busy seasons. The solution, as we’ve been told a thousand times, is to take a step back. But how do you slow down and press pause when you’re working 24/7?

In this episode, I’m chatting with coach and photographer Krista Marie about breaking the overwhelm cycle and finding balance and alignment in your business.

Krista is sharing her advice for minimizing overwhelm and pressing pause, even when you feel like you’re covered up with work. She’s explaining why it’s so important to find systems that work for you. We’re also opening up about showing up in our businesses and making our voices heard. Plus, we’re chatting about pricing and why it’s important to disconnect your rates from your self-worth.

What’s in this episode:

• How Krista grew her business from a college side hustle to a full-time job [2:20]
• How to prioritize your to-do list, minimize overwhelm, and find balance [3:55]
• Shifting your mindset around content marketing and making it something you truly enjoy [10:30]
• How to press pause and regroup when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work [15:07]
• Disconnecting your prices from your sense of self-worth [19:31]
• Why it’s important to reconnect with your creativity by pursuing passion projects [22:27]
• Krista’s tips for managing your time effectively and setting goals [25:36]
• Finding systems and strategies that work for you, even if they’re different from other business owners’ [29:40]
• How Krista has worked through her challenges to create a business that aligns with her [32:57]
• Accepting that not everyone’s going to like you, and committing to showing up anyway [34:53]

If you want to create a business that reduces the overwhelm and feels aligned with you, tune into this episode.

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

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Resources Mentioned

When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

Listen to my episode on money with Denise Duffield-Thomas

Meet Krista Marie

Krista Marie is a photographer, business coach, and creator of the She Calls Her Shots Membership & Podcast. She helps creatives & photographers ditch the overwhelm and create thriving businesses by focusing on the tactical strategies, habits, and mindset & confidence work that’s crucial to seeing long-term growth. She loves to educate and mentor fellow photographers and creatives & help them turn their wildest business dreams into their reality via social media, her blog, her Podcast, and inside her membership. 

Connect with Krista

Visit her website

Join her free masterclass

Join her membership program for photographers and creatives

Follow her on Instagram

Follow her on Pinterest

Follow her on Facebook

Did you love hearing from Krista about building a business she loves while minimizing the overwhelm in her life? Check out another episode from Katie Lamb

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Krista Marie: Overwhelmed by that paralyzing feeling of when we try to put too many things on our plate at the same time, I think that as entrepreneurs we are go-getters. We want things done yesterday, not because we want them to be done, but just because we want to be able to show like, this is what I accomplished, this is what I did. And so really remembering that like a business’s long term big picture, because I think for me, even sometimes all, oh, I want to launch this new thing, okay, I’m going to launch it in six weeks. And it’s like, wait, does it have to be six weeks? Could you give yourself a little bit more time? And so kind of starting to just get really aware and cognizant of your timelines that you’re giving yourself, I think is kind of the first thing. But at the same time, overwhelm is inevitable. I mean, I feel like no matter how much we can prepare ourselves, no matter how much we can try to avoid it, I think it’s something that we will always experience.  

[00:00:55] Lisa DiGeso: Welcome to the Art and Soul Show, where we dove into heart opening chats on photography, business, life and that messy in between. I’m your host, Lisa DiGeso, a mom, a photographer and entrepreneur. And I’ll be sharing honest conversations and advice for photographers with insight on mindset, entrepreneurship and creativity. The goal of this podcast is for you to be able to gain insights and strategies that will get you real results. Because, let’s face it, having a photography business can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. This is the place you can go when you need a boost of encouragement, a kick in the pants and inspiration to pick up your camera. This is the Art and Soul Show. Hello, my beautiful friends. Welcome back to this show. Today, I’m hanging out with Krista Marie. She’s a photographer, a business coach and creator of the She Calls Her Shots membership and podcast. She helps creatives and photographers ditch the overwhelm and create thriving businesses by focusing on the tactical strategies, habits and mindset and competence work that’s crucial to seeing long term growth. She loves to educate and mentor her fellow photographers and creatives and helps them turn their wildest business dreams into their reality via social media, her podcasts and her insider membership. I am so excited to dove into this conversation with her today. So without further ado. Welcome, Krista. 

[00:02:19] Krista Marie: Hello, Lisa. I thank you so much for having me.

[00:02:22] Lisa DiGeso: I’m so excited to dive in. So tell us who you are and what you’re passionate about. 

[00:02:26] Krista Marie: Yes. So I am Krista. I am a wedding and a brand photographer, also a podcaster and coach. But I live in Northern California, so I just have a very brief background. I started my photography business back when I was in college in 2010, had no idea what I was doing, like most of us don’t. And I kind of grew my business on the side while working full time for about nine years. I moved back and forth throughout that time from Florida to California. That’s kind of something that we can get into later, if you’d like. But yeah, in the last 12 months, well, in 2019 I took my business full time officially. And then in the last year I’ve kind of expanded to also launching the podcast into coaching and really found my passion for it. I’m still very passionate about photography, but it’s so fulfilling getting to educate and help others starting their business too.  

[00:03:14] Lisa DiGeso: Isn’t it? I never knew I was going to be a podcaster or like a photography educator. No, I.  

[00:03:20] Krista Marie: Same. Yeah. 

[00:03:21] Lisa DiGeso: And like, just like seeing your students go from like where they start in the beginning and that big mama bear pride you have of them when you see them, like reaching their goals and having those successes like.  

[00:03:33] Krista Marie: Oh, I know. And I actually I’ve learned, you know, because I think you kind of learn from the experience and really are one of the best teachers. And that’s what I found, is that after ten years of growing a business, it’s like you’ve gone through so many things and then it’s like, Oh, let me just help you. Like, not do some. do some other things I did or like me. How do you navigate through all of this? Exactly. I love that. 

[00:03:55] Lisa DiGeso: So you’re a mindset and business coach for your students now. Can you share what your specialty is and how you help your students? Yeah. 

[00:04:02] Krista Marie: So my biggest focus because of what I found, I think that sometimes the things that we learn in our business are the things that we are the best at teaching because we’ve been through that and we know what it feels like. So my biggest like number one thing that I help my other photographers help my students with is really to eliminate that feeling of overwhelm and help be that person that helps give them clarity, prioritize their goals, kind of take that step back and see the bigger picture of what really kind of matters right now and what maybe does it matter so much because everything feels like it matters. So I just want to kind of help them get that clarity, see the bigger picture and gain the mindset pieces that are really needed to create that sustainable and thriving business. Because I think that as photographers, as creatives, we can go through the season. Some seasons we feel like we’re on top of the world, we’re crushing it. We know exactly what we need to do and we maybe don’t need as much support or we don’t think we need as much support. But then it’s like then we hit that other season where it doesn’t feel like that so much and so really helping, helping them figure out how to balance and like figure out the mindset needed to be able to go through all of those seasons. So I never want my students to feel like they like have to have me 24/7, I like to think that it’s like we’ll work together for a certain length of time to where then I can just help support you here and there when you need it, but really help kind of give them the tools they need to know how to find that support on their own. 

[00:05:30] Lisa DiGeso: I guess I love that. It’s when I recently went to a naturopath and she pretty much said the same thing. She’s like, my goal is to like you. It’s like you actually don’t need me anymore.

[00:05:38] Krista Marie: Yeah, like, exactly. That is awesome. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Love that. 

[00:05:44] Lisa DiGeso: So let’s talk a little bit about being overwhelmed because this has been something I personally really have battled my whole life. I honestly love a good brain download and getting it all out, but sometimes for me it leads to almost. Like an overwhelmed paralysis, the feeling of too many clients, too many tasks, and it kind of brings on a bit of an anxiety attack. And I really had to focus on my own prioritizing and really focusing on the priorities instead of looking at the magnitude of this giant list it created. So what tips or advice do you have with your students on working through that overwhelm and just diving in and getting productive? 

[00:06:16] Krista Marie: Yeah, and that’s such a good question. And I feel like I talk about overwhelm a lot because we all experience it all the time. So kind of two things there. And I think one thing is this overwhelm, that paralyzing feeling of when we try to put too many things on our plate. At the same time, I think that as entrepreneurs we are go-getters. We want things done yesterday, not because we want them to be done, but just because we want to be able to show like, this is what I accomplished, this is what I did. And so really remembering that is like a business’s long term big picture, because I think for me, even sometimes I’ll say, oh, I want to launch this new thing, okay, I’m going to launch it in six weeks. And it’s like, wait, does it have to be six weeks? Like, could you give yourself a little bit more time? And so kind of starting to just get really aware and cognizant of your timelines you’re giving yourself, I think is kind of the first thing. But at the same time, overwhelm is inevitable. I mean, I feel like no matter how much we can prepare ourselves, no matter how much we can try to avoid it, I think it’s something that we will always experience. So a few things that I found that have really helped me is just, number one, accepting that this is going to happen. Because I think a lot of the resistance happens when we feel like I shouldn’t be going through this, I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed, I should know what I’m doing. And we start to like to tell ourselves all these feelings and then we feel guilty. 

[00:07:37] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah. 

[00:07:38] Krista Marie: So I think number one is just accepting that like this is going to happen and it’s going to continue to happen throughout every season of growing my business. Yeah, finding our triggers, finding those things that are like, you know what? This really kind of makes me feel like crap. Like, whenever I’m on social media, whenever I’m doing this, like, this doesn’t feel great. And then recognizing at least what those are. I think also finding someone that can help encourage and support you, not in a way that minimizes what you’re going through. Because I think especially for non business owner friends, I found that I can’t really confide in them when I’m in a season of overwhelm because they’re like, oh well you’re you’ll, you’ll do great, you’ll like it’s kind of this advice. It’s like, oh, it’s like it’s.

[00:08:19] Lisa DiGeso: Actually toxic positivity. And like, you’re right.

[00:08:23] Krista Marie: You know that their heart’s in the right place.

[00:08:25] Lisa DiGeso: You’re almost entirely. 

[00:08:26] Krista Marie: Unhelpful.

[00:08:27] Lisa DiGeso: This is not helpful. Yeah. 

[00:08:29] Krista Marie: So I found, like, I have someone. I have an accountability partner. We meet once a week, virtually, and for, like, the last year. And it’s been great because, you know, when you’re in that season, that person is there to be like, you know what? Like, you’re still doing this. You’re fighting your way through it. You’re figuring it out. You’re, you know, like, so she actually kind of gets it and like, is able to kind of talk me through it a little bit more. And I think that that’s really important. And then this kind of circles back to the first thing. The last thing is just releasing those timelines, because what I found is that when I start to get in a season of overwhelm, once I start to get out of it, all of the timelines I originally had on myself are still there. And now I’m like three weeks behind and I’m like, Oh, well, now I have to work even harder. So then it’s like reevaluating like, okay, this didn’t work. Let’s completely release those original thoughts and timelines and let’s kind of start fresh and figure out how we can move forward.

[00:09:20] Lisa DiGeso: I think a lot of the time, especially as entrepreneurs and photographers, we forget to have grace with ourselves and we are so hard on ourselves. Yeah, because it’s so easy. We are such visual creatures and just seeing other people’s highlight reels and you know, it’s so easy to fall into that trap of comparing and it does feel overwhelming and you especially on social media. So my friends out there, if you are finding that you are falling into that overwhelming trap with social media, just really be mindful of how you’re using it. If you’re using it to help yourself, to inspire yourself or to hurt yourself. So yeah, I know that I have used them in all those ways myself, definitely.

[00:09:58] Krista Marie: And it’s hard to do because I think photographers, or at least a lot of the business owners I’ve connected with that are photographers, were givers. We want to give so much and it is so beautiful. But then the problem is, is that then we come to these platforms where we see all these other things and now all of a sudden the things that we’re giving aren’t enough and that we’re not. And it’s just like we are natural givers and we love to make people happy. And it’s like staying in that lane of remembering that like everything that I’m doing is enough and good and I don’t need to look like this other person.

[00:10:30] Lisa DiGeso: Exactly. I love that so much. So I love that you have an episode on your podcast about content strategy overwhelm because we do have a tendency to overcomplicate it. I know that. I sure do. So what advice do you have to make it a task that you’re looking forward to versus something to tick off that just feels really big? 

[00:10:48] Krista Marie: Yeah, this was a big shift, to be honest. That happened in my business and I for the longest time. Content felt so hard because the lens that I was the lens, the lens, was looking at, It was this idea of trying every month or every week, like, what do people want me to talk about? Or What do people want me to share? And because I think sometimes we get advice to like, Oh, ask your audience what they want you to talk about. And while that is wonderful in theory, if you don’t have a super engaged audience it can feel really paralyzing because you’re like, Well, I don’t know what they want me to talk about. And then we look to other people. What are they talking about? And like, do what I should talk about what they’re talking about. And because of that, we overcomplicate it. And then all of a sudden we’re just stuck and we feel like we don’t know what to share. And the biggest shift that I had for me was when I kind of took. I shifted the lens and I looked inward and I was like, what have I been through? What am I experiencing? What am I going through? What are some things that I have learned or experienced? It’s like those are all the things that are in my control. I know these things and I know them well and I feel confident talking about them. And so when I was able to kind of shift that perspective, to start talking about like looking inward, I mean, it also was great for personal reflection and like all these other things that it helped, but just even content specific, it just helped me start to have those more authentic pieces of content because they were coming from me and not me trying to mimic somebody else. And batching, I mean, batching can feel really overwhelming. I know. And I resisted it for so long because just the idea of batching stressed me out. But now I found that I think the reason it stressed me out in the beginning was because I was like, Content already feels hard to create. Now you’re gonna tell me I need to do it all, like, on a weekend or something? 

[00:12:41] Lisa DiGeso: Yep. No way. 

[00:12:43] Krista Marie: But when I had that list, when I whiteboard, did the list of all of these content ideas. Now it’s so easy because I can sit down and just be in writing mode and just be in creation mode. And it just totally shifted the way that I thought about it. 

[00:12:56] Lisa DiGeso: I love it. I batch everything I can possibly batch. Like, for example, today I’m recording four podcasts, like love it. Right? Like it’s working in batches on Sunday nights, we prep my son’s lunches for the entire week. Yeah. Like, so all we have to do is he grabs a Ziploc bag and everything’s ready to go.

[00:13:13] Krista Marie: It’s so amazing how much time it takes us to shift our eyes. I mean, we think about so many things and to be able to just every week know that, Oh, I don’t need to worry about that because it’s already taking care of like one less thing, like.

[00:13:29] Lisa DiGeso: A batch of vitamins, like all the vitamins. I put them in the Ziploc bags and I’m like, I got my vitamins for the week. So can you do, like, pop it in my purse? I won’t forget to take them. Yeah. So it’s just like anything that you can do to, like, do once, but something that you do repetitively, but you can batch. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. My friends like it. Starting pitching starts. But it really does. It will change your life. 

[00:13:49] Krista Marie: We make so many decisions and I don’t think we realize how many decisions we make on a day to day basis, but we make so many decisions and the more that we can automate some of that and not even have to think about it, the more we can stay in the mode of like the things that are bigger. Exactly harder to do.

[00:14:06] Lisa DiGeso: Today’s tangent. But do you remember that movie Clueless?  

[00:14:08] Krista Marie: Oh my gosh. Yeah.

[00:14:10] Lisa DiGeso: Sure. I was right. I was talking to a friend the other day and I was like, You know what? I wish? I remember that app she had for her clothes?

[00:14:16] Krista Marie: Her clothes. Yes.

[00:14:17] Lisa DiGeso: I was like, I need that app in real life. 

[00:14:20] Krista Marie: You know, like I’m actually really surprised that here we are in 2022. And that hasn’t been like that.  

[00:14:25] Lisa DiGeso: There’s things that we can do with things like our own closet. Like, here’s a pair of these pants on me and hers. Put them together. I’m like, does somebody just, like, put them together and tell me what to wear? Because that’s what I need in my life. 

[00:14:36] Krista Marie: I think we need to find a developer and we need to create this because this could save us. I mean, maybe not so much now because now they work from home. It’s the same outfit on repeat. But it would help so much. I have to go out more.  

[00:14:46] Lisa DiGeso: I know. Like I’m a newborn photographer. Like, can you imagine if this was like for me, like all your props and stuff? Like, I was like, maybe I shouldn’t, like, put this out publicly. Put a little, like, copyright, trademark patterns and another episode another idea for me. 

[00:15:05] Krista Marie: I love that. I love it. 

[00:15:07] Lisa DiGeso: So there’s this saying that you often need to slow down, to speed up. And I truly love this analogy of an archer pulling back their bow, setting up their shot and then shooting. So I find myself in this current space in my photography business. I’m planning a sabbatical to refresh, rebrand and restart my business in 2023. So what advice do you have for those that might need to press pause and regroup but are just kind of struggling just to get off that hamster wheel?  

[00:15:32] Krista Marie: Yeah. So a couple of things with this. I think a lot of the time and I’m going to call it guilt because that’s kind of the first thing that comes to mind. But the guilt that we feel around taking a step back and not showing up is usually, at least I find for me, often self-imposed. Oh, like no one is telling us we have to do this. We just have this belief that in order to run a successful business, we need to be in it all the time and that we can’t take breaks. Which is ironic because a lot of the business owners that I look up to and I follow like everybody now are talking about, like the four day workweek. I feel like everyone I know, it’s like, oh, four days, they take a whole day off. And in my head I’m thinking, like, I often work on the weekends, like even weekends I’m not shooting, like, I’m working. So I see this and I but I’m starting to recognize that for myself is that no, no one is making me be here. And truthfully, sometimes I have found that the times that I show up the best in my business is after I have given myself a break. Like when I purposely give myself time away from my business. So I think this hamster wheel, the hard thing about it is that we could be on it forever. Like we could just continue to be on it. There will never be any breaks. And so it’s recognizing that we are allowed to give ourselves space. And not only that, but we will be better for it when we give ourselves these breaks. So it’s a lot easier said than done. It’s a lot easier to say, Oh, well, don’t feel guilty about taking a night off when you think about all the things that you have to do. But I think breaks like this are so important.

[00:17:07] Lisa DiGeso: It’s interesting because I have found myself and I love my clients and my clients love me. And what I was finding is that my clients were like Pre-Booking and Pre-Booking and Pre-Booking, and I was really struggling in finding the space to even raise prices because I felt like I was just booking. So my regular clients, like they’re having a second, their third or fourth babies and I’m like, okay, but I need to change things. Like, I just need to stop, I need to press pause. So. And I mean, I like, I started my business way back in 2010 and I really hadn’t given it much, much overhaul since then. Yeah. So I was like, you know what? It’s been a long time coming. So I ended up messaging my clients in January and just gave them Give me guys notice I’m not shooting this year. And they were so lovely and so gracious. And in my head I was like, Oh my God, they’re going to hate me. And there’s going to be all this like push back and stuff. But really it’s been lovely. And they’re like, Don’t worry. Like, whenever you’re ready to come back, we’ll still be here. We love you. Yeah. You know.  

[00:18:09] Krista Marie: And I think sometimes it’s the hardest thing we have to fight. There is this fear that we’re going to the well and it’s going to run dry and we’re going to run out of people like, you know, we won’t be able to find new people or there won’t. But like, in reality, that’s.

[00:18:20] Lisa DiGeso: It’s so not true. It’s not the case.

[00:18:22] Krista Marie: It’s not no matter where, whether you’re a portrait photographer or whether you’re a wedding photographer, like all of your clients that you’ve worked with are still going to love you and still want to work with you. As soon as you come back and let them know that you’re back, you’ll always be able to find new people because your people still love you and they’re going to continue referring to you. There are going to be new people that you can market to like. There’s this fear that we will, oh, if I take this break, I’ll lose all this money and I won’t be able to gain it back. But it’s just it’s just not true. 

[00:18:48] Lisa DiGeso: We’re human. And we’re meant to rest. We’re not meant to hustle all the time. And, you know, if you are feeling that burnout, like start listening to it because your body will start telling you if you don’t listen to it.

[00:18:58] Krista Marie: Absolutely. And it doesn’t get better. It doesn’t just go away. Yeah. Yeah. And then the problem with that is that the more that you avoid it, the longer it usually takes for you to bounce back because you’ve just continued to kind of break yourself down.  

[00:19:12] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah, I just bought a book yesterday. I haven’t started it yet. It was Gabor Mate or Matteo or something. It’s about what stress does to your body. And I was like, Wow, it’s going to be a good read. 

[00:19:23] Krista Marie: Yeah, yeah. I love a good, science-like body. Yeah but I need something. 

[00:19:28] Lisa DiGeso: Neuro or neurobiology. 

[00:19:29] Krista Marie: I love it. So interesting. 

[00:19:31] Lisa DiGeso: So so interesting. Okay so I want to chat about it because you moved to a whole new place and restarted your business. So I’d love it if you could share your experience on that and what worked and maybe what didn’t.  

[00:19:42] Krista Marie: Yeah. So yeah, that journey, I mean, to give a quick recap, so I started my business in 2010 while I was still in college in Florida, and I in 2012 moved to California for about six months. And then yeah, I lived here for six months, moved back to Florida for about two years, and then in 2014 came back to California. I’ve been here ever since, so it’s been like eight years now. But my business went through a little bit of a transition a couple of times, so I would say some of the things that worked really well for me, especially when I first like, well, just think about when I moved from Florida to California. Well, first of all, sticker shock to me on the vendor end was huge because the clients I had been in business for two years, like I was still very early in my business. And so, you know, the majority of my clients at that time, whatever my pricing was, I think on average it was like 22 to 2500 was kind of like and that to me was like a lot. And then I moved to California and like people who hadn’t had as much experience as me and like the base price was like 3500. And so that was really hard because it was like. Almost. I mean, I had to, the mindset part of that was so hard for me to grasp because I was also working full time. So it was so hard for me to feel like I could justify not only almost doubling my prices, but I’m also working like it just was. So I, I guess I’ll start with what I wish I had done is a little bit more mindset work as you mentioned my business hadn’t really changed a whole lot and I didn’t give myself that time to really like to reflect to see what was right for me. So I wish I would have given myself that space a little bit more and done a lot more mindset work because at that point in time I was very much relating my price point to my value. It was very personal.  

[00:21:37] Lisa DiGeso: We all struggle with that. Yeah. Now, it was very personal. It is so hard. And I am still struggling with it. Oh, same, right. I mean ten years always.

[00:21:47] Krista Marie: Well, I mean. I think that and I think that as we grow because our prices will, I mean, maybe you’ll get to a point where, you know, they might only increase a tiny bit, but I think they’re always going to be increasing. And it’s hard to disconnect that sometimes. I feel like over the last six months, I’m really starting to understand, but it’s taken me a very long time to get to that point where I don’t feel as tied to the pricing in the value. But I would say some of the things that did work really well for me, I mean, one, I was really excited to move. So just like I didn’t, I kind of pushed past all of that fear and all those voices and I just told myself that I would make it work. And so I think when we’re in that kind of a headspace, it’s so freeing because we’re, we’re willing to try things like we’re not worried about, Oh, what if I try this and it doesn’t work? It’s just kind of all an experiment at that point. So I was really comfortable putting myself out there. I was really comfortable networking in groups like doing shoots to collaborate and meeting new people and I remember one day, Oh my gosh, I like we. It was like it was raining. And I just had this random idea. I went to Michael’s and I bought this papier maché book thing. And I came home, I was painting it yellow and I got yellow flowers and I’m sitting with my camera. I liked doing some styled things. Looking back, I mean, there is no point to that shoot whatsoever. But I like to let myself feel those creative moments and share out of creativity. And I think that really helped because I just was willing to show up and put myself out there. And I think that was a really big help for me. 

[00:23:20] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. I think we forget to play. I know for me, like for some reason I’m creative, yet I almost like to put myself in like creativity, purgatory or something. Like I will not let myself play. Yeah. And I just. And then I start getting sad and they get depressed and I’m like, what is wrong with me? I’m like, and I, my friends are like, Well, when was the last time you did something in a shoot for you? Just for you?

[00:23:46] Krista Marie: Don’t remember.

[00:23:47] Lisa DiGeso: So why don’t you go do that? So you go do that and like, let us know how you feel. And then I come back and I’m like, weeeee. 

[00:23:52] Krista Marie: Yeah, it makes a difference. It makes such a big difference. And it, I do think it has gotten harder because when I started my business, Instagram wasn’t really a thing. Pinterest wasn’t really a thing, so it was a little bit easier to not compare quite as much. But I think that because now we see so many things, we don’t pause and let ourselves do the things that make us excited. We’re constantly kind of looking outward for what we should be doing? And it’s like that reminder of like, just turn that off for a little bit and just ask yourself like, what do I want to do? That would be really fun to like feel creative.

[00:24:27] Lisa DiGeso: For me it’s actually, it’s actually looking at who masters paintings on Pinterest. Yeah, it is. When I find it, my jokes like that, like that little spark that like gets in your belly, in your leg, like it floats into your chest. You’re like, I want to try doing something like this. And I don’t feel that when I’m on Instagram or social media looking at other photographers work, I have to see something that is something that I can make into something else.  

[00:24:54] Krista Marie: Yeah, for me, it’s. I bought a cello two years ago. I had to, I’d taken cello lessons a couple of years ago. I’ve always kind of been like my family has musical stuff in it. And so music has always been my thing where it’s just like my meditation, I guess almost. And so I bought a cello. And for me, that’s when I find that when I can remove myself, like play music, like really get in there. It’s like that’s when I feel that same. Like, Oh, this just feels so good. And it’s just like you’re so in the moment. And I think that’s the thing for me is that it presents you. It’s so hard to get that on a lot of other things where you just feel truly present and like able to enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing.  

[00:25:35] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. So I’m going to be totally honest. Time management is probably my kryptonite. I get very easily distracted and I often find myself down a rabbit hole somehow watching YouTube videos or somewhere where I’m not supposed to be at that time. So what tricks are tips for you? How to manage your time effectively and stay? On track. Yeah. 

[00:25:56] Krista Marie: So for, goal setting and time management, those two kind of go hand in hand for me because I realize that if my goal setting hasn’t really been on point, that my time management is also right on points. Oh, true aimless aimlessness. Yeah, exactly. So I feel like I kind of zoom back out to goal setting. And what’s really worked for me is kind of this. I call it almost like a brain map, but it’s like kind of starting with when you’re thinking about your goals for the year. And I always used examples like building an email list. It’s just like the first thing comes to mind, but like a lot of us will kind of set this goal of, I want to build an email list, and then that’s kind of like the center circle. And then outside of that center circle, there’s like a couple of other circles that surround it. And usually that’s where we kind of stop at our goal setting, like, okay, well, what do I need to do to build an email list? Well, I need to, you know, create an email like choose an email service provider. I need to create a freebie. I need to figure out where I’m going to share the freebie. And that’s kind of where we create our goals. The problem is, when we sit down then to be like, okay, you know, I need to create a freebie. Where do I start? Like, what do I do? And then it’s so easy to start researching. And Googling and looking at all this stuff. And now I’m on Pinterest and now I’m downloading someone else’s freebie, and I’m like, Wait, what am I even doing? So I’ve found that when we take it that next step further of like one intentional goal setting. Okay, I need to create a freebie. Okay? I need one, I need to choose my topic. I also need to figure out, is it going to be a PDF? Is it going to be a video? Is it going to be a masterclass like answering all of those questions ahead of time? Because then when you sit down and say, What am I doing today? Okay, I’m choosing. If I’m creating a PDF and if I’m creating a PDF, what is the title going to be? And then it’s so much more intentional and it’s easier to check off those boxes and it’s still easy to get sidetracked and do other things. I think that’s like a different problem of like, maybe you’re trying to do too much in a short amount of time like, you know. But yeah. I found that when we can really break down our goals into like super, super bite sized pieces, it becomes easier to sit down and check those things off instead of getting pulled down the rabbit hole of, like, research and looking at things and then feeling like, where? How did I get here yet? 

[00:28:10] Lisa DiGeso: And it’s so true. What I found is that sometimes everyone pops up with me, like grabbing my phone and like going on TikTok or Instagram, and I’m like, okay, this isn’t not what I need to be doing right now. Yeah, like you can tonight, Lisa, after like 7 p.m., you can have an hour, you can take revenge, scroll to your heart’s content and that’s your time. But right now we’re going to put the phone down and we’re going to get our work done. So. So it’s like I usually have to parent myself.  

[00:28:39] Krista Marie: I know. And I think sometimes though I do find little breaks though they are really helpful. And because that’s another thing is I used to be such a stickler of like I would my Google calendar looked like a nightmare because it was literally just like back to back blocks of chunks of things that I needed to do. I pretty quickly realized that that just doesn’t work for me.  

[00:28:57] Lisa DiGeso: Not for everyone. Yeah. 

[00:28:58] Krista Marie: Yeah. And some people really love that structure. I mean, and if you’re purposely building in breaks, that’s great. But for me, it just didn’t really work for me. And so for me, I, I now in my planner, I choose, okay, what are the three big things I’m doing today? Sometimes they don’t always get to them, but because I’m only doing three, if one kind of goes over to the next day like it’s not a big deal. 

[00:29:18] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah.  

[00:29:18] Krista Marie: And I do usually find the big things that have to happen. They get done. Yeah. Sometimes it might take a little longer than I want them to, but I really think so much of business is like just that acceptance. Like I think we put so much pressure on ourselves, my day needs to look exactly like this. I need to get this done. And then when we live from that place, it’s just, it’s just not fulfilling. 

[00:29:40] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah. You will hear all these things about the 5 a.m. Club.

[00:29:43] Krista Marie: Yeah. 

[00:29:44] Lisa DiGeso: That is not for me. Yeah, that is not for me. I am a 7:00 wake up kind of girl, maybe 6:30, throw in a little yoga and then I am out the door like doing nothing, getting kids ready for school, all the things. I think what’s so important is when you hear about these things, it’s working for someone else. It may not work for you. And just being okay with that, like it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you that you’re broken. It’s just someone else’s system and you’re wired differently and that’s 100% okay. Yeah. 

[00:30:11] Krista Marie: And that was actually really important to me when I started coaching other photographers because I, I don’t know. I don’t know if you if you’re into the enneagram, I’m like all into the enneagram.

[00:30:20] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah, I am.

[00:30:23] Krista Marie: I’m a nine. I’m very much. I think it’s interesting because when I speak to other business owners, I find a lot of them are like three or like seven or eight. I’m like, Yeah. And I’m always so attracted to that high energy. And like that’s always like something that I always am pulled to but it’s funny because I’m the business owner that doesn’t want to make anybody uncomfortable. And so there were a whole slew of things that I feel like I had to overcome just in that, like starting a podcast. Are you okay with my voice being out there? I might say something that might upset somebody in like kind of a lot of things about overcoming perfectionism. But I also think it was important for me to not sell or not teach like one system because, again, I’ve found as business owners, we’re all so different. And I have purchased, I can’t even tell you how many courses throughout my time as a business owner. The list is long. 

[00:31:22] Lisa DiGeso: I probably have an MBA from Harvard at this point.

[00:31:26] Krista Marie: You know, and like some of them, I finished them and I got most of the way through. Some of them I barely did. But it’s interesting how my biggest takeaway from all of those things is that there is no one right way of doing things. And I don’t I don’t know that it may be needed, that I needed to buy all of that to come to that realization. But that was really important to me, like recognizing that there are some things that you could use to support you as a business owner. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be the thing that feels in alignment for you. It’s not going to be the thing that someone is telling you is like their one way of doing something. Like there’s so many factors.

[00:32:05] Lisa DiGeso: So many factors and you can’t outsource your thinking. And I think it’s good to have that right. Like I really, I really had to learn that one that, you know, buying into the course or seeing how someone else is doing it eventually does show you what you want to do and what doesn’t work and what does work for you. But when it comes to actually thinking about it, you have to do that work. 

[00:32:26] Krista Marie: Totally. Yeah. And that’s one of the things that was really important to me is now before I buy a course, I get really intentional about what am I looking to learn from this? Like what is my take away? Because it’s not just like what they’re selling. It’s like, what’s the bigger thing that I’m trying to take away from me? 

[00:32:40] Lisa DiGeso: I’m a nosy Nellie and I want to see what they’re like behind the scenes and how they run things.  

[00:32:43] Krista Marie: Yeah, I really didn’t realize either. Oh, this isn’t that different for me. Or like, Oh, I’m kind of doing the same thing. 

[00:32:49] Lisa DiGeso: Or I like that idea. Okay, I’m going to try something similar, right?

[00:32:51] Krista Marie: Yeah.

[00:32:52] Lisa DiGeso: It’s funny because half the time it’s never about the content. 

[00:32:55] Krista Marie: Yeah. 

[00:32:57] Lisa DiGeso: So what challenges have you faced as a photography business owner, both personally and professionally, that have helped you create a business that really aligns with you? This is. 

[00:33:07] Krista Marie: This is perfect because I feel like I kind of just kind of got used to some of this. I think for me, being that person who was always really uncomfortable, not really comfortable sharing their opinion, not wanting to upset people when I was starting my business and there wasn’t quite an online presence, I don’t think I felt that quite as much because I was like, Oh, this is fine. I can just build relationships with my clients and get referrals. But they had changed and the marketing world changed quite a bit in 2010. So over the years I’ve had to start accepting that I okay, this means I do have to show up in like there’s a possibility that I might say something that someone may not love or like people just may see me and just be like, this person is not for me and like kind of just realizing all of these things. And it’s interesting because none of that is necessarily business focused. A lot of the blocks and the things that I’ve had to overcome are all very personal to me as a business owner. Business things are hard like it, but I, I am a true believer that that experience and having support and going through it and trying things out like you’ll learn the things that work for you, the harder things are, the internal things like how you said you can’t outsource or thinking like you can’t. You can’t scoot past your mindset and your blocks and your imposter syndrome. Like those things will always be here. So for me, I would say like Money Mindset blocks, which kind of when we talked about pricing like that has been a really big thing that overcoming perfectionism. 

[00:34:29] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah. 

[00:34:30] Krista Marie: When I started my podcast, it was so terrifying because it was like, you just have to get to the point where I’m just going to release this and it’s not perfect and I don’t love it, but I know that I have to release this if I’m going to get to that point. Yeah. I liked that episode. I’m sure you can relate to that feeling.

[00:34:46] Lisa DiGeso: I’m like, I’m going to be awkward probably for the first 100 likes. Yep. Or a hundred like. Yeah. And just. But just keep showing up. 

[00:34:53] Krista Marie: Exactly. Yeah. In the beginning, the amount of times I said like on a podcast episode and sometimes even when you really I know you do because when I really get going about a topic, I have an outline for myself now. I started with the script because I was so I just didn’t know how to do that. I was like, I’m just going to start with a script and we’ll just go from there. And then I realized that is not sustainable. Again, you learn, you live in, you learn. And then so now I have outlines, but sometimes I get really fired up on the topic and I just start going and all of a sudden it’s like you were talking to me in person and like sort of just coming out everywhere. But you also just have to accept. I had to accept myself. You know what? Some people might listen to this be like, wow, she kind of says like a lot. But then I’m like, you know what? If we had a conversation in real life, this is what I sound like, so that doesn’t really vibe with you, that’s okay. But yeah, that was something I really had to get comfortable with. It’s just like being okay with the fact that some people may not love me. And that’s okay.

[00:35:45] Lisa DiGeso: It’s funny because I just assume everyone’s going to love me, which is ridiculous. Like which just like I know. And it doesn’t like ignoring. Nothing like that. I’m just like I just going to assume that everybody’s nice and everybody wants to be my friend, and I’m just going to have to live from that space. And I find when I get myself in that mindset, I just worry so much less than if we do get the haters and stuff, which is so rare. I’m just like, Well, I’m not for everyone. Like, I’m not pizza, obviously. That’s okay. Yeah.

[00:36:12] Krista Marie: I know. And actually one of my favorite mindset that I am obsessed with her, I feel like every podcast I’m on, I need to pitch her for my podcast. 

[00:36:20] Lisa DiGeso: Do it. 

[00:36:21] Krista Marie: I don’t even think I’d be able to talk to her in my presence but you feel like, dude, okay, I know. So her name is Denise Duffield-Thomas.  

[00:36:28] Lisa DiGeso: I love Denise. 

[00:36:28] Krista Marie: I’m literally obsessed with her.  

[00:36:30] Lisa DiGeso: She’s yeah. Oh, my gosh. Okay, I love Denise. Okay, well. 

[00:36:34] Krista Marie: Now I’m like, okay, because we’ve had like I’ve tagged her on Instagram, we’ve had conversations. I’m like, I need to just listen to her books on repeat on Audible literally four times all the way through. But one of the things that I mean, she, I, she’s been crucial for like money mindset blocks and like helping overcome that. That has been huge in my money mindset shift but even in what she talks about, she lovingly talks about if you ever want to feel good about yourself, she’s like, go, go and look at my like one star reviews on Amazon. And she talks about this in the sense of and I just love everything she does. I know that I’m coming from a place of like I am one of her just like, amazing. Amazing. Yeah. But it’s when you realize that I can love somebody so much, but there will be a lot of other people out there who have very opposite feelings. And it’s that feeling of like, well oh, well, if people don’t like her, like, well.

[00:37:28] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah. 

[00:37:29] Krista Marie: Of course, like this is and she talks about it as a rite of passage and like you’re just going to get refunds and you’re going to get people who, you know, all this stuff. And it’s that when we can mentally prepare ourselves ahead of time to know that this is just no matter what, this is going to happen.  

[00:37:43] Lisa DiGeso: Yes, Denise, I think like 2014 when she first came in my vortex and what I find what I find so interesting, what you just said there was you were right, like because I adore her and I love her that much, too. I think she’s spectacular. But someone’s going to feel that way about you, right? And isn’t that amazing? So just keep showing up because that person that you’re admiring so much, you’ve got someone who may or may not be out there yet or they may be out there that you wouldn’t even know about. Yeah, I feel that same way about you. Totally.  

[00:38:14] Krista Marie: They could be that person who’s like and from day one on your podcast and they’re with you the whole time and they’re just, yeah.  

[00:38:20] Lisa DiGeso: And if you’re out there, we love you. 

[00:38:24] Krista Marie: You like, you make us keep showing up. Yes, it’s true. It’s true. Yeah.  

[00:38:29] Lisa DiGeso: All right. So, ah, I’m going to switch gears a little bit. Are you ready for our lightning round for you?  

[00:38:33] Krista Marie: I didn’t even know, I didn’t even take notes for that. It was like, I’m just going to yeah, I’m going to let it go from loving it.

[00:38:40] Lisa DiGeso: Coffee or tea? 

[00:38:41] Krista Marie: Coffee.  

[00:38:42] Lisa DiGeso: Most luxurious vacation you’ve ever been on.

[00:38:45] Krista Marie: Oh, Amsterdam. 

[00:38:47] Lisa DiGeso: Oh yeah. 

[00:38:47] Krista Marie: It was a solo trip, so that’s why it felt really luxurious.

[00:38:51] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah. Favorite TV show as a kid. 

[00:38:53] Krista Marie: My first instinct is Full House. I don’t know. That was fun. First one. 

[00:38:59] Lisa DiGeso: Last thing you did for yourself as an indulgence. 

[00:39:02] Krista Marie: Oh. Well, every month I get a massage, so that’s kind of a personal priority for me. Yeah, love it.

[00:39:10] Lisa DiGeso: Morning person or night owl?

[00:39:12] Krista Marie: Well, recently I’ve been a night owl, but that is very against what I normally am. Where I think. I am happiest when it’s like that 7 a.m. club. I think I’m kind of you and I am the same in that. 

[00:39:23] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah I had like a 7 a.m. club. It’s like. 

[00:39:25] Krista Marie: Yeah, it’s like the best time. The sun’s coming out a little bit. Like, I feel like I should be awake. 

[00:39:30] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah, because I was like, I was setting myself alarms and I was trying to, like, be that morning person. And I was like, how about you just like, get up when your body tells you to not exactly get up and you feel rested and then you’re going to start your day and it’s really good to sleep in.

[00:39:43] Krista Marie: The 5 a.m. club always results in the 2 p.m. nap club for me and I’m like this is not. This is not productive. Yeah. 

[00:39:51] Lisa DiGeso: I mean I like to be on naps anyway, but.

[00:39:53] Krista Marie: I mean, me too. 

[00:39:56] Lisa DiGeso: What did you want to be when you grew up?

[00:39:58] Krista Marie: I always wanted to be a marine biologist, which is such a strange thing because I am not really into science. But that was just like being able to work with animals and like in the water muscle lowkey. Now as an adult, I’ve grown to be terrified of the ocean, so that’s probably not the best place for me to be. But yeah, that was it, it was either that or the weatherman. Those are the two.

[00:40:21] Lisa DiGeso: I love it. I love it. Go to karaoke jam. 

[00:40:25] Krista Marie: Spice Girls for sure. Some sort of Spice Girl song. 

[00:40:29] Lisa DiGeso: What makes your soul light up?

[00:40:32] Krista Marie: My dogs. That’s just the first instinct. My dogs. 

[00:40:37] Lisa DiGeso: What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given?  

[00:40:40] Krista Marie: Ooh, that’s a good one. I would say the best piece of advice ooh, I. Maybe I should have taken notes. And I think. I think most recently. That I’ve gotten the most recent best advice was to not over strategize and to just, like, share from my heart. Hmm. And that was a big one for me. I think that as business owners, sometimes strategy is helpful, but I think we actually get to a point where we make it more difficult when we over strategize things and we forget to just show up as who we are. So recently that’s been like a really big life changing one.

[00:41:16] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. What advice do you have for someone who’s just getting started? 

[00:41:21] Krista Marie: Yes. My biggest piece of advice is to give yourself space, whether it’s every day or every single week, and just dream about what your business could look like or what your life could look like. I know that for me, I felt like I had so many limiting beliefs. I put caps on my business and what that would look like, and that was a big struggle for me to overcome. And I wish I would have early on just let myself dream about how I can go full time. I can’t do this. I can’t. And just letting yourself think about what that would look like, because it’s so much when you come from that empowering space, it’s so much easier to create that. 

[00:42:00] Lisa DiGeso: So where can our listeners learn more from you?

[00:42:03] Krista Marie: Yes. So if you enjoyed this conversation today, the next best way to connect is I actually have a free masterclass and specifically for podcast listeners. As a photographer, as someone who has grown a business, I understand that the three biggest things that were hardest for me to learn and start to master were the mindset, the financial piece and business strategies. So I created this free masterclass called Planning for Profit, and it’s coming from a space of understanding how overwhelming it can feel. So I really just take the time to break down each of those pieces and help you start to think about how to focus on these things to make sure that you’re setting yourself up to create a thriving business. So that’s my gift to you for listening today. You can find that on my website as she calls her shots dot com slash profit plan and I’m also on Instagram so I’ll share my links. I’m sure they’ll be in the show notes if you want to connect with me there. I’m pretty active there too.

[00:42:58] Lisa DiGeso: And I love to end my interview with this. Last question is what are you currently curious about or artistically curious about?

[00:43:06] Krista Marie: Oh, that’s a good question. I would say right now, the thing I’m most curious about is this idea of working less. So I talked about the four hour workweek earlier. I have come from a place of not practicing that at all. And I’ve been really curious about what that could potentially do for me and my business. So that’s been something that I don’t know that I’m ready to quite take action on it yet, but I’m interested in starting to put some of those practices in a place.  

[00:43:37] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. Well, Krista, thank you so much for joining me today. It’s been a pleasure having you.  

[00:43:43] Krista Marie: Yes, thank you so much. It was such a blast, Lisa. And I’m just so grateful we can have this conversation. 

[00:43:50] Lisa DiGeso: Oh, my friends, what a fantastic conversation. So it’s homework time. Is there anything you’re currently feeling overwhelmed about? Is it your process of updating your website, writing your e-mails? I would love it if you would just carve out a little time this week to identify what it is that’s making you feel overwhelmed and start creating an action plan on how you’re going to get over it. And maybe you just need to check in with someone too for accountability. I am sending you so much of my light and my love today and every day. We’ll see you next time.