Author: Shauna

Shantanu Starick: How I Went Two Years Without Spending Any Money

Ellen Fondiler | Grab Bag

Ellen Fondiler | Read Of The Week: Shantanu Starick

In GRAB BAG, I share extra stories, discoveries and gems that don’t quite “fit” anywhere else on my blog — but are too good not to share. Kind of like a piñata or a mystery box: you never know what’s going to be inside! Enjoy!


This video features an amazing photographer — Shantanu Starick — who shares how removing money out of the creative process led him to a wider array of jobs and a much more fulfilling freelance career.

From 99U:

In 2012 he started The Pixel Trade project, a photographic journey to all seven continents of the globe. In exchange for life’s basic necessities Starick trades his skills as a professional photographer, reintroducing the bartering system into day-to-day life. No currency, no contracts, only his camera and an eager smile.

Halfway through the second year of the project Starick has set foot on four continents capturing leading designers and chefs in New York City, chewed on mangrove worms with Indigenous communities in rural Australia, traversed Irish farmlands with an injured ankle and came face to face with Atlas Mountain goats, who strongly suggested they share his fruit salad.

I loved his story. I loved his determination and grit and the fact that he hasn’t swayed from his mission. And I also loved how his journey has brought out the best in people- willing to share food clothing and shelter. It is really fascinating how we think we need to live a certain way — when in fact — if we just change the story, anything is possible.

Find great work. Do great work. Unlock every door in your way.

ELLEN_SIGNATURE


Image: The Pixel Project.

UNLOCKED Stories: Brandon Weeks, Pastry Chef and Entrepreneur

UNLOCKEDSTORIES

Ellen Fondiler | Unlocked Stories: Brandon Weeks

To do the work you love, you’ve got to unlock a few doors. UNLOCKED Stories are honest conversations with people who chose a path and made it happen.

A note from Ellen: I’m excited to feature this interview with Brandon Weeks, a pastry chef and entrepreneur based in Portland, Oregon.

He’s in the process of doing something that thousands of people dream about: opening up his own restaurant. He’s got a great story — and some sound advice on what it takes to get big things done.

Read on… and try not to drool on your screen!


What do you do?

[Brandon]: I’m a pastry chef. I currently work in a restaurant where I handle the dessert menu, breads, pastries and cheese plates.

My dream — which I am pursuing right now — is to run my own sexy shop specializing in ice cream and hot donuts. Like a “treat lounge.” It’s going to be called: Hunnymilk.

You’re about to do something that thousands — if not millions — of people dream about: start your own business! Where did the original idea for your ice cream and donut “treat lounge” come from?

[Brandon]: I’ve always had a huge sweet tooth — ever since I was a little kid. When mom would bring home a big tub of ice cream for me and my brothers and sisters to eat, that was always the happiest day of the week!

Sweets just make people happy. But as a chef, I’ve noticed that many desserts are prepared really poorly — made with low-quality ingredients, fruits that are out of season, bad oil for deep frying, or served when they’re not at peak temperature.

It always makes me so disappointed to bite into a treat that’s just… mediocre. Especially when — with just a few upgrades — it could taste so much better!

About six years ago, I wrote the original menu for the treat lounge of my dreams, but didn’t take it any further. After selling off my egg farm — a side-business that I ran for a couple years — last year, I was left with much more free time to re-focus on the treat lounge concept.

During a picnic in the park with my girlfriend, we sat down and came up with fun names for all of the potential ice creams — silly and sexy names like Brunch, Girl Talk, Man Cave and Morning After. Seeing the newly-written menu down on paper re-invigorated my excitement for the project.

I started experimenting with new flavors, frying up new creations, photographing everything… and got things back in motion!

EEllen Fondiler | Unlocked Stories: Brandon Weeks

What were you doing before you worked as a chef?

[Brandon]: Before I decided to take the plunge and enroll in culinary school, I was young and a bit of a vagabond. I remember fun times working as a street performing juggler, and gross times working as a pest control technician.

I wasn’t one of those people who grew up cooking at grandma’s knee. The honest truth is that I saw a TV commercial advertising a local culinary school program, and I figured, “Sure, why not?”

My career started as a whim, but I learned to love food and became more and more obsessed with food and cooking as I went along.

I feel lucky to have found a career I love, working with my hands, and making people happy!

Like many entrepreneurs, your biggest struggle in getting Hunnymilk off the ground has been getting funding to open the first shop. That’s a major “locked door.” How did you open it?

[Brandon]: Getting my dream off the ground requires a good bit of startup capital. I had intended to finance it through a traditional business loan, which can be a long, tedious process.

I’d heard about the website Kickstarter, a cool crowd-funding resource, so I decided to give it a shot before going forward with the bank loan.

Ellen Fondiler | Unlocked Stories: Brandon Weeks

Putting together a Kickstarter campaign forced me to really evaluate and refine my menu and concept. I built a website with a full photo gallery, developed and tested dozens of new recipes — essentially writing half a cookbook. This was an extremely important exercise in clarifying what, exactly, I wanted my future business to be.

The bad news is that I didn’t reach my intended fundraising goal. However, about two days into my campaign, I attracted the attention of an investor who just happened to come across my Kickstarter page. He liked my concept, wrote to me, we met several times, and now… we’re taking it all the way!

In the end, Kickstarter did help me to get the funding I needed — just not in the way I expected!

I now have a very business-savvy partner who is just as passionate about opening Hunnymilk as I am, and who can offer great insights, financial support, networking abilities, and be an overall great asset to what I’m trying to build.

What’s next for you — and when can I come to Portland to eat one of your treats?

[Brandon]: I’m now on the path of living the “American Dream,” in a sense — opening my own business and pursuing my own path. That in itself is pretty exciting, but I know this is only just the beginning.

There is still a ton of work to do just to get my first shop fully operational, and even more work to become successful and ultimately grow and expand into other locations and cities.

I am currently negotiating a lease on a location for the first Hunnymilk shop — which is very exciting. Now all that’s left is finalizing the terms, hiring an architect, and building it out!

I can’t wait to see it take shape and come to life. If all goes well, we should be up and running just as the weather here in Portland turns warm, sunny and ice-creamy: in late spring 2015.

Lastly: What’s your biggest piece of advice for anyone who wants to stay motivated, do amazing work and unlock major doors?

[Brandon]: Take daily action.

Until there’s commitment, there is hesitation.

Once you decide what path you’re going to take, just do something every day to move forward in that direction.

It could be something as small as making one phone call, or as big as launching a website or signing a lease. It doesn’t matter, just as long as it’s something.

Keep your mind focused and in the game.

Ellen Fondiler | Unlocked Stories: Brandon Weeks

UNLOCK yourself

Three questions to think about, write about — or talk about with a friend.

1. Brandon became a chef somewhat “accidentally.” He saw a TV advertisement about a culinary program and thought, “Why not?” He followed the impulse to check out the program, and the rest is sweet, glazed, sprinkled history!

: Have you ever had a little whisper inside of you saying, “Just try this” or “Why not?” Did you listen?

2. By creating a Kickstarter campaign to get funding for his treat shop, Brandon was forced to “get his ducks in a row” — clarifying his business concept, writing a new menu, developing flavors, coming up with a budget, and more.

: Do you have a business or career project in the works right now? What are some of the basic, foundational steps you need to take? What would help you to buckle down and get it done? (A mentor to push you, a deadline, doing it with friends, doing it in public, reporting your progress on your blog…?)

3. Brandon says that if you’ve got a dream, you must take action daily to make progress towards it — even if your “action step of the day” is something as small as one phone call.

: What is one action step you could take to move closer to your goals, today?

ELLEN_SIGNATURE


To learn more about Brandon’s delicious project, visit the Hunnymilk website here.

For more UNLOCKED interviews, click over here.

Know somebody that ought to be spotlighted? Write to me here.

See you next time for another inspiring conversation!

Miracle Worker: Grit, Nerve, Courage, And What It Takes To Create A Magical Career

Ellen Fondiler | Miracle Worker

You want to launch a business, but it’s so risky and hard.

You want to ask for a promotion or a raise, but you’re not sure you’re worth it.

You want to shift into a different career, but there are so many steps to get from here to there.

You want. You wish. You dream. You ache… for a career that’s exciting and that allows you to earn the amount of money you truly want. If only. Now that would be a miracle.

If that’s your situation, I want to give you a loving reminder:

It is your attitude — not your upbringing, your degree or the points on your résumé — that will ultimately determine your happiness and success.

If you believe that you can create a meaningful career — you will.

If you believe that you cannot create a meaningful career — you won’t!

If you want a magical career… if you want to unlock doors and magnetize amazing opportunities… if you want to look at your bank account balance with pride and satisfaction… if you want to make a difference in other people’s lives…

Everything starts with your attitude. Your mindset. What you believe you can do.

So… how’s your mental wiring these days? How’s your confidence? Are you taking action to create the career that you want, courageously and consistently? Or feeling frustrated by your lack of progress?

I can tell you, from personal experience, everything is easier when you’ve got expert guidance and a community of people cheering you along.

That’s why I’m so proud to introduce MIRACLE WORKER: a course on grit, nerve, courage, and what it takes to make a magical career.

It’s a collaborative effort I’ve cooked up with an extraordinary woman – Gala Darling. I met her last fall in New York while attending her amazing workshop – The Blogcademy.

We hit it off instantly and quickly began talking about one of our favorite mutual topics: how to help women find meaningful work.

For those of you that don’t know Gala – she is an inspiration. She started a six-figure business on a laptop in her bedroom and is the creator of the Radical Self Love Method, a powerful technique which helps women transform their lives. Her site, galadarling.com, helps over 1,000,000 women a month find their voice, live without fear, and fall in love with life.

She is also the co-founder of the incredible The Blogcademy — a two day workshop — offered both live and online – that has helped countless women learn the ins and outs of having a blogging career.

I knew- on the spot – that she was a person I wanted to work with!

Over the course of many phone calls, visits back and forth, and late nights spent strategizing, we created Miracle Worker!

Miracle Worker is an 8 week e-course designed to help you figure out what you really want to do… And then show you exactly how to get there. It’s a combination of seriously useful and groundbreaking workbooks, weekly action steps, and a series of super- inspiring audio interviews with some of our favourite entrepreneurs and mentors (people like Danielle LaPorte, James Altucher, Paul Jarvis and the Astrotwins).

There’s also a thriving (and secret) Facebook group, live Q&As with Gala and me, mini mixtapes to keep you motivated, and plenty of bonus surprises to thrill you!

Miracle Worker is open for enrollment now – and until April 13th, we have a special pre-sale price! Class begins on May 4th, and we’re only running it once!

Click through to learn more!

Ellen Fondiler | Miracle Worker

Here’s what I know:

Life is too precious and short to waste in a career you don’t like.

If you’ve been fantasizing about taking your work in a different direction, it’s time to make up your mind and start making things happen.

I can’t wait to watch you step into your power. It’s time to make miracles.

To your success and nothing less,

ELLEN_SIGNATURE


Image: Made U Look.

Why I walked away from everything… to unlock a new door.

Ellen Fondiler | Why I walked away from everything... to unlock a new door.

Three and a half years ago, I walked away from everything I had fought to create.

I had an enviable position as the director of a non-profit. An organization doing tremendously good work in the world. An organization that I had personally founded — and one that I had nurtured for over twelve years.

I knew — in my heart — that my time at this particular organization was complete.
I knew that I had reached the end of one adventure and that “something else” was waiting for me just ahead.

Except… what?

The truth is, when I chose to leave my position at the non-profit, I was totally clueless about what my “next step” was going to be.

Friends and colleagues would ask me, “Now what?” and I would say, “I’ll get back to you on that.”

The path ahead of me seemed vast and unknown.

This wasn’t the first time I had been in this position. Over the course of my life, I have launched and sold four different businesses. I’ve worked in a wide range of industries — from practicing law to lawnscape design. “Starting over” is not a foreign concept for me. It’s actually something I’m quite good at.

I figured I’d have a brand new business or job rolling within a matter of months. Just like every time before.

But this time proved to be different.

For whatever reason, this time, I felt… murky. I tested out different business concepts and ideas and nothing felt right. I launched a website and then tore it down. I attended workshops and seminars trying to find my “next step.” It just wasn’t clear to me yet.

I began to grow frustrated. “Why can’t I just choose something already?” It was tough.

I had to learn how to be gentler and more patient with myself. I learned to be present and grateful for what I did have, instead of fretting about what I didn’t. I learned to “keep the faith” that whatever career I was meant to have, next, would reveal itself to me in time.

It was not easy.

There were moments when I felt lost, sad, and totally convinced that I would never have meaningful work — or a steady income — ever again.

I was wrong.

I can’t pin-point exactly when my breakthrough moment arrived, but I know that I found the clarity I was seeking once I allowed myself to get still, calm, and quiet — and once I answered two questions:

– What do I love to do?

I realized: what I love to do, more than anything else, is help people find exciting, meaningful work. (Land incredible jobs, make unbelievable connections, launch amazing businesses. It’s something I’ve always done, throughout my life, for hundreds of friends and colleagues. I’ve always been my community’s go-to “career mentor.”)

– What do I believe about the world — that I wished other people believed, too?

I realized: my core belief is that every door can be unlocked. Nothing is outside of your reach if you’ve got grit, courage and focus. Even a career that seems “too good to be true” can be yours if you’ve got the right attitude and approach. It’s all possible!

Once I found my answers to those two questions, everything became vibrantly clear:

I want to launch a new business that helps people find exciting, meaningful work.

I want to show people that every door can be unlocked.

With that: I found it. My next step.

My “next step” is what you are looking at today: a brand new website, blog and collection of services and resources for you — and for anyone who dreams of having a career that makes you want to leap out of bed in the morning!

This new business has been over a year in the making. Over the past twelve months, I’ve been hard at work producing The Unlocked Academy: a series of 12 workbooks to help you identify your strengths and talents… get through insecurity and resistance… write a résumé… get funding for your business concept… and unlock every door in your way. I’ve also rolled out a small collection of 1-on-1 services for people who need extra mentoring, strategy, editing and motivation.

They say it takes a village to make big things happen — and that is so true. I could not have brought this new business into the world without the help of so many people. Alexandra Franzen, Shauna Haider, my amazing boys, Lexy and Willie, my dear friends, and the hundreds of amazingly talented and creative people I have met along the way: they’ve all been part of the Unlocked story.

One of my favorite poets, John O’Donohoe, once wrote:

Awaken your spirit to adventure
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you

I hope that my work helps you to “awaken your spirit” to the adventures that await you.

I believe that you deserve to have a career that you absolutely love. Quite honestly, anything less is a waste of your time.

Thank you for being on this journey with me. It’s all just the beginning…

Find great work. Do great work. Unlock every door in your way.

ELLEN_SIGNATURE


Image: Unlocked Academy. Grab your free workbook right here!

UNLOCKED Links: March 2015

Ellen Fondiler | UNLOCKED Links

Once a month, I curate the best links on how to find work that you love, be excellent at what you do, and unlock any door that stands in your way.

This month’s links are about motivation — where to find it and what to do when your energy sags and your motivation dribbles away.

In truth, I am the kind of person who loves the building of things more than the actual doing of things. I love creating something from nothing. Gathering the investors, raising the money, putting all the pieces in place. But once things are rolling, I lose interest. My mind meanders, and I start thinking about all the other NEW things I could be doing. And before I know it — my motivation is g-o-n-e.

Staying motivated + excited about your work for the long haul is kind of like being in a relationship: it’s beautiful, it’s rewarding, but it takes some effort to keep the passion alive. For me, it’s about opening my eyes to the bigger world — expanding my vision and opening my heart.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Ellen Fondiler | Unlocked Links: March 2015

Move your body. Many of the world’s leading entrepreneurs + visionaries — like Sir Richard Branson and President Obama — make exercise a priority, every day. Even a five-minute walk around the block can re-energize you, big time.

Spend time with your friends. Say to them, “Tell me EVERYTHING that’s lighting you up right now. What are you creating?” (You’ll get a “contact high” from their enthusiasm!) But mostly, fill your heart with deep connection with people that love you.

Watch a master at work. A master wood carver, chef, attorney, martial artist, musician, an expert in any field. Remind yourself that true mastery takes time — but it’s so worth it.

Go to a bookstore. There is nothing like an afternoon spent wandering around your neighborhood bookstore. It is the heart of your community, a place to get inspired and let your imagination run free.

Break your routine. Do something out of your comfort zone. Your sense of adventure will be re-kindled, your adrenaline will soar and you will have a new outlook on your life.

Hire pros to help you. Whether you are just starting out or are on your way to Olympic gold, a support team makes all the difference. So hire a media coach, a communications guru, a personal trainer — anyone you need to get you to the next level. It will be well worth every penny.

Help out a stranger. There is no better way to put your life and work in the right perspective than to help someone in need. So go tutor, work in a soup kitchen, help your neighbor — whatever it takes to make a difference.

Write a love letter. Receiving an unexpected love letter from someone is amazing and heart opening. Writing one is even better. So celebrate the people you know — and even the ones you’ve never met — and give them a gift they will never forget.

Refocus your priorities. Sometimes we wake up and realize that the life we are living — regardless of how comfortable it is, or how hard we worked for it — is not a refection of our true values. It might mean we need to simplify our lives and give away some of our bling in order to change the way we are living in the world.

Slow down. By slowing down and noticing the small things that bring you happiness — your children, your friends, your pets, time in nature — your life and your work will reflect your joy. Better work does not make you happy — happiness helps you do better work.

Check in. Get an astrology or tarot reading and allow yourself to be witnessed by a master intuitive. These seers can help you identify the patterns and solutions that elude you, especially in times of stress. Not ready to make an appointment? Watch these videos and then decide.

Check out. It seems counter-intuitive, but an afternoon doing NOTHING may be just what you need. Curl up with some old West Wing or Scandal episodes or just catch up on a few heartwarming videos from your friends.

Take a class. Learning something new always lifts me out of the doldrums. It doesn’t have to relate to your business or even be anything you ever thought you would do. Feel like you need a burst of creative energy? Do you have the hankering to start writing? Or take on an online photography class? No need for perfection. Just do it.

Plan a great vacation. There is nothing like going away to someplace new to refresh and revitalize your outlook. Don’t have the money? Go camping. Or rent an elf hut in the forest.

Get out of your chair and dance! Whether you enjoy the classics or prefer to flash mob around the world, dancing gets your endorphins going, makes you happy, and re-focuses your energy. Every. Single. Time.

Try something new for 30 days. Is there something you’ve always meant to do, wanted to do, but just … haven’t? Try it for 30 days.

Listen to music. There’s just something about music that brings people together and helps us to shake off the blues. It makes no difference if you sing old Beatles tunes in the shower, blast music in your car, form a garage band or listen to Pandora while you work. Music is a magic elixir.

Learn how to say I love you in 100 languages. You never know when it might come in handy!

Celebrate thanksgiving, every day. Be grateful for all the big and little things that make your life better. If you do nothing else — do this!

Find great work. Do great work. Unlock every door in your way.

ELLEN_SIGNATURE


Image: Willie Franklin

Laurie Wagner: Author, Writing Instructor and Founder of 27 Powers

Ellen Fondiler | Pick My Brain

Ellen Fondiler | Pick My Brain: Laurie Wagner

Ever wish you could sit down with a super-accomplished person and ask, “What does it take to break into your industry? What’s it like to be you?”

With Pick My Brain, that’s exactly what we do.

Enjoy this new installment featuring my dear friend Laurie Wagner — author, writing instructor, creator of the Telling True Stories e-course, and founder of the 27 Powers writing center in California.


Question:

Lots of people stop themselves from writing because they think, “So many other people are much better writers than me! What could I possibly have to say that anyone would want to read?” 

Any words of advice for those people?

What would you like them to know?

[Laurie]: You know, the person who answered this question best was the dancer Martha Graham when she said:

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

I like this: “It’s not your business to determine how good it is.”

Your business, as someone who wants to write, is to get busy getting interested in the world around you.

Get curious. What do you think about? What are your obsessions? What do you find yourself talking about to friends? That’s what you might want to consider writing about because that’s what’s moving through you.

It’s really that simple. There’s nothing better to write about. And those writers who are “way more experienced,” they started with nothing but an idea for a story once too.

My writer friend Becky Ruiz Jenab is all about food. She’s an attentive chef and can mesmerize you with the details of sorting lentils or squeezing lemons for pie. When I asked Becky why she writes about food, she said, “By writing about your obsession, whatever it may be, that is where you ultimately discover where your sources of vitality come from.”

I love that: “sources of vitality.”

That means Becky doesn’t write about food because she thinks other people want to hear about food or because she might win a prize for it, but because sorting lentils or picking lemons from a tree fascinates her. She loses herself a little when she’s doing those things. She gets curious and she comes alive.

Becky went on:

“Anything you’re obsessed with or preoccupied by is worth writing about. No one will pay the same sort of devoted attention to it that you will; no one will bring it to life the way you can, because of that devotion; no one will see it the way you do, or live it or love it or feel it as you do. If it occupies that much space in your heart, it’s best to get it out, tell its story. It will resonate with others and have a life of its own.”

So what’s important here is not to ask yourself why others would care, but ask yourself why you care, and trust that.

Excellence comes in time after much practice. You might have to sort a lot of lentils to realize that, my goodness, they’re all different in size and color.

We live in a culture where everyone is supposed to rise to some superstar level immediately. We’re supposed to make a big splash if we’re any good. And we may, but it doesn’t happen because we’re special or have something more important than someone else to say: it happens because we get deeply interested in something so much that it wants to burst out of us. We want to share what we love.

So get busy loving.

I love racquetball. My friend Joel loves tennis, and my friend Lisa loves being a mother. That’s some of what we write about.

What do you want to write about? What do you love?

Ellen Fondiler | Pick My Brain: Laurie Wagner

Find great work. Do great work. Unlock every door in your way.

ELLEN_SIGNATURE