Aileen Axtmayer is a career coach and wellness coach who helps exhausted professionals manage their stress and land work they love. When we’re healthier, we’re better able to thrive in our jobs! Tune in to hear how Aileen has built momentum in her business.
Join the Better Collective: https://www.jesscreatives.com/better/
Connect with Aileen: www.aspirewithaileen.com
TRANSCRIPT:
Jessica Freeman
Welcome to the work your wellness biz podcast, a podcast for nutrition and fitness professionals. I’m your host, Jess Freeman here to help you save time and look good online. Hello, Hello, everyone. I am excited for today’s episode because it is kicking off a new series here on the podcast. And you may or may not have heard me mentioned before, if you’ve been a listener for a while I have a membership called the better collective.
And this community is for business owners who want help streamlining their business and turning more website visitors into clients. And so I want to highlight some people from my community over the next several months, or years, or however long I decide to do this. But I just want to highlight these amazing business owners, because I just have some really incredible people in there and love the kind of work they’re doing and all that kind of stuff. So today I have my friend, client, member, whatever else I can call her. Aileen, thank you so much for being here.
Aileen Axtmayer
Thank you so much for having me. Jess, I’m excited to be here.
Jessica Freeman
Yeah. So let’s start off with let’s talk about what your business is, what do you do? Sure.
Aileen Axtmayer
So um, basically, my business name is Aspire with a lien. And the whole kind of overarching umbrella mantra, so to speak I have for is that when we’re happier in our career, we’re healthier. And when we’re healthier, we’re better able to thrive in our jobs. So I have two main kind of components that my business is comprised of. One is career coaching. So I help people land work they love. So that’s everything from resumes, cover letters, interviews, job search strategy, and I take all that that can be really paralyzing and overwhelming and help people move forward to land those jobs.
And then the other side is that no, stress doesn’t go away for people once they’re in their professional lives. So I also approached the wellness aspect through company and corporate wellness program. So everything from yoga and meditation, to signature workshops on stress and sleep, so kind of looking at helping people, both one on one, as well as in those group settings to really feel like they’re doing what they love. And they feel while while they’re doing it.
Jessica Freeman
I love that. And I know, I know a lot of people in my audience do like one to one work just with animals, everyday people who want to work, whatever you want to call that. But I do you know, some are in the corporate world or interested in getting into that. Would you mind sharing, like how you got into like corporate wellness?
Aileen Axtmayer
Sure. So I basically originally was just doing career coaching. So I started off working in higher education, and then never thought I have my own business. And then here we are almost my five year anniversary in a couple of weeks. And so I initially started off just with the one on one work, but I really realized through some things, my personal life, that wellness was a passion of mine, and my brother was sick.
And that was kind of a big wake up call for me. So then I studied integrative nutrition, I studied my 200 hour yoga teacher certification. And then I had that aha moment of Wait, this is so connected to the career space, too. And so that’s when I started to weave it into my work more. And then I think my first corporate wellness gig came through as many things to do networking, right.
So I had a friend who had a friend who had a relationship with a company already established and she was moving, and she didn’t want to leave them in the lurch. So she reached out to me. And then I connected and I was able to take over that relationship. And then I basically kind of continued networking proactively from there, I realized, I really enjoy this, this is a really nice way to connect. I missed the teaching components of my work that I had when I worked at university.
So yeah, like most things, unfortunately, unfortunately, it kind of works out with you have to put your message out there and then see who you know, who might know someone and then build on that momentum from there.
Jessica Freeman
Absolutely. Networking is everything. Like I tell people all the time, like relationships are what are most important in business because you never know who knows somebody or can connect like I remember when I first started to niche down to wellness, you were one of the people that I reached out to and I was like, hey, like I’m niching down like, I don’t I don’t remember what I asked you now, I think I think I was like Do you have any like ideas? Do you have any feedback? Do you have like, what podcasts Do you listen to in the well you know, like, just because you were in that niche and you One of my few connections in that niche because we had worked together prior to that, and I was like, Hi, can I just like, questions?
Aileen Axtmayer
So it was just it Really? Yeah. And I think that’s it. I love that you gave that story as an example. Because I think when people think of networking, they’re like, transactional, but it’s just really a fancy way of saying, talking to people to learn from them, you know, and hopefully it ends up moving you forward and whatever your goals are. But I always love reminding clients, and just friends who are asking about this, that it’s really what it’s about people like talking about themselves, and people like me, for the most part, like helping other people. And that’s truly for networking.
Jessica Freeman
Yes, yes. So you were one of my very first members, you were a founding member, if you want to say that, the better collective and I’d love to hear just like why you decided to join.
Aileen Axtmayer
Yeah, so I joined for a few reasons. One is I love you and I loved the messaging you put out there and all of our interactions with when we work together, you helped me a lot with actually creating for people listening I I kind of do work similar in a similar model, the better collective. So when I’m coaching clients, I have an on demand library of content, videos, where I’m teaching people on things using my subject matter expertise.
So then people can look at and learn on their own in their own time in a way that fits with their lives as chaotic as they often are. And then we do that one on one support. And so that model for the better collective really resonated with me. And I’ve always loved just your approach to, you’re just always on top of everything, like something new comes out something important, some updates in the tech world, I’m never going to learn that on my own.
Because I’m not passionate about it. But because I’m not, I’m just in my own weeds here. So for me, it was a really nice way of both working with someone that I know, knows their stuff is really approachable, and informed, but also has that model of one on one accountability and support. But then that ability to deep dive on stuff when it works with my schedule.
Jessica Freeman
Yeah, and that’s what I wanted to have the ability to work, kind of, or may not work, but support people one to one when they need it. But still, like here, I can educate you. And when you’re ready, you can dive in, and it and like you said, like, I’m not gonna, like you said that you weren’t gonna stay on up and up with like tech stuff and website stuff? And I’m like, Well, yeah, cuz like, your energy is better spent diving into what you help your pilots with. Yeah. And totally. So it just, it’s like we can’t, as business owners, we can’t stay on the up and up on every single thing in our business. Like, we would have no time for actual client work.
And so I think just whatever that looks like, whether it’s just following people, podcast memberships, working with someone, one on one, like whatever that looks like, I think there are a lot of different avenues we can take to just learn from somebody who will stay on the up and up. So I’d love to hear, because it’s been about a year and a half, almost since you since we started the better collective since you joined. What’s one of the like, your biggest takeaways from being in the community?
Aileen Axtmayer
I think the two biggest things that come to mind one with the community aspect is that I’m not alone, right? Like I often feel super novice at a lot of this website and SEO stuff. And hearing and seeing other people posting in the Facebook community saying, What is this or like, oh, man I have I’m finally looking at this module. And I have no idea what I’m doing. That just solidarity there’s super, it’s really helpful, right? Because I work by myself, I don’t have any employees. I’m kind of wearing all the hats. And so I miss, you know, the water cooler talk to other people. And just seeing that and other people saying, Yeah, I have no idea what I’m doing here. And knowing I’m not alone in that, as a business owner is really, really helpful.
And then I think on a more kind of tactical side of the content itself. I think one of the biggest takeaways is that, you know, we I certainly was kind of like teaching myself website stuff, throwing stuff up there and hoping I’m doing the right things or some semblance of the right things. And then, like you were talking about before my energy mostly spent in the client work and in kind of the corporate wellness world. And so my biggest takeaway in the better collective is like you got to give your website some TLC and I know that intellectually, but the program has really helped me realize that done Doesn’t have to take over my business, it can do it in really incremental ways that can still do that, and then make a difference.
And so I think I was just so overwhelmed in the past, knowing that but then kind of shying away from it saying, Yeah, but I don’t have time for that. And I don’t know what I’m doing. And now this program has really helped me realize, okay, here’s step by step things you can do and different things you can focus on. So if something is too energy draining, I can put that to the sides and say, Okay, I can make these types of updates, and they feel better for me at this point, they’re still gonna move me forward.
Jessica Freeman
Yes, I love both of those things. Because one with the not feeling alone, because so many people, when we’re on client calls, or in the better collective, or just like, in my Instagram, DMS people are like, so what, what is an SEO? What are like, what is this thing you’re talking about? And they’re like, Oh, my gosh, I feel so stupid. I don’t know what’s going on. And then like, You’re not the only one like, websites and all that are a whole, like other world. Like, they are confusing if you’re not in it day to day. And so I just like, it sounds bad. But I love that like when there are threads in the butter collective when people are like, what is this and people like, I think you jumped in on one you’re like, Okay, I’m glad you asked this, because I also didn’t know what this was, or like how to do this, or you know, whatever. And I was like, Yes, see, like, you guys can see finally that you aren’t alone. And I’m not just like lying to you.
And I say like, You’re not the only one who asked these questions, I promise. And also, like you said, like incremental changes on your website, because that’s one of my favorite tips for people is not everyone needs like an overhaul on their website. Sometimes it’s just like, click delete a few times on a page like to declutter, or change all the buttons to be one cup like little little changes can make a big difference. And so that’s what like, that’s my goal is to make sure that you guys don’t feel overwhelmed and like, okay, go redesign, like, my January 2021 workshop is not like, let’s redesign your site entirely in one week. You know what I mean? Like, it’s, that’s not the goal, the goal is to just help you guys make small changes that have a big impact.
Aileen Axtmayer
Yeah, and I think that also builds momentum too, because then I know for myself, the longer I don’t deal with website stuff, it just becomes a bigger beast, and then I just get more procrastinating, for lack of better word, like, no, I now it’s a whole thing, you know. And so I think, like earlier today, I was doing some action items from the program. And I was like, Oh, this actually feels kind of fun. I feel like I’m checking these things off my list. I can see now and I’m running this, how many broken links I have, and now the numbers going down, and then you get kind of those dopamine hits. Alright, what else can I do? So I think those little wins can then build you up to get more momentum. Yeah.
Jessica Freeman
Dopamine hits from fixing broken links. Yeah, like…
Aileen Axtmayer
…getting loyalty on Friday.
Jessica Freeman
I love it. So one of the reasons I wanted to highlight my members is, like I said earlier, is because you guys do really great work. So I wanted you to be able to share a tip that you have for your fellow business owners that are listening.
Aileen Axtmayer
Sure. So I think one, one main tip, it kind of comes back to a little bit of what we were just talking about is to not especially for those of us starting out to not be afraid to delegate and figure out what your time is really worth. So when I first started off five years ago, I just assumed, okay, I’m the CEO, CFO, all the names and titles, and I’m the Career Coach, and I’m the wellness speaker. And so I was rabbit holing on trying to teach myself everything from building my own website to, you know, managing the books and invoicing and things like that, all of which I have no training.
And so I feel like I learned the hard way, like many business owners do have, what is your time really worth? And what is it best spent on and sometimes you do have to learn the hard way but overall, I think at least being open to recognizing sometimes you have to invest some money to then save money and making money right? If I’m trying to if I tried to learn half of this stuff, you teach in the better collective that would be a full time job truly, right? Because I’m learning a new language like SEO and all these programs and add ins and I’m not even extensions. That’s what so I think you want to really think about what is your why what what are the main things you went into your business to do? So this is my nerdy career coach kind of lesson here. I love it.
Like what is your Driver write what makes you happy because so many people end up doing so much in their jobs after leaving, working for them and to do stuff they don’t really like doing. And so of course, you want to look at what makes sense financially. But I think a lot of people are hesitant to put more money out when they’re already leaving a paycheck. And so really being intentional about knowing sometimes that can be the best way to spend your time, money and energy.
Jessica Freeman
Yes, and I know delegating is so hard, like, it feels scary, because you’re like, Oh, I don’t know, like, do I trust you to do this, and I would just encourage people to start small, like, and also be aware that not everything when you’re delegating has to be this like, ongoing thing. Yes, you know, a lot of virtual assistants It is like, Okay, now we’re gonna have like a monthly agreement, or whatever. But I remember whenever I switch, this is a very specific example. But when I switched from MailChimp to ConvertKit, I had like, I don’t even know how many blog posts on my site that had the opt in email opt in, that was connected to MailChimp, I did not want to go through all 100 200 however many there were, and switch them to ConvertKit.
So I found a virtual assistant, who was actually a friend of mine, who was willing to do kind of like a one off project. And she like, I was like, these are all the blog posts, here’s the login to my site, here’s the embed code from ConvertKit. Just delete the MailChimp, one, and insert the ConvertKit one, that’s all I need you to do. Like, that’s literally it. And that was if it wasn’t an ongoing thing, but I was able to delegate something that my time was, it wasn’t going to be a good use of my time. Could I have done it like, in the evenings while watching TV, because it’s like mindless work, yes. But then I’m not actually getting to like relax and take time off of work.
And so start with those like small things, and work your way up. It doesn’t have to be these huge projects, it doesn’t have to be these ongoing agreements, though, I would definitely encourage you to get somewhere, like get to the point where you are delegating things, month to month where you’re like, I don’t have to do this anymore. Like this is off my plate, my virtual assistant doesn’t my copywriter like whatever it is, because it’s just going to give you more time to focus on what you truly love doing. And you don’t have to wear all the hats in your business.
Aileen Axtmayer
Yeah. And I think that I love that point. It’s it’s not even necessarily work delegating with a person that you’re hiring to. I think when I say delegate, people might just go right to that. And sometimes it takes a little time of doing and trying different parts of your business to realize what what was there just a learning curve on and there was a time suck in the beginning and is not going to be as much and then what do you just really not enjoy doing. So sometimes it takes a little time.
And then it might be hiring someone but it might just be doing a program like the better collective where you’re outsourcing the learning part and like the education to someone else. And then you’re still doing yourself. So I’m not hiring just to do all these updates. But I’m collating all the information to an expert from an expert and then doing that, versus going to Google and then rabbit holing for many hours, days…
Jessica Freeman
…months. Yes. Yes, the dark place, it gets confusing and overwhelming out there. So the last question, what is your favorite tool or app that you love to recommend to people?
Aileen Axtmayer
So I love this question. And this is hard. I’m always I always struggled, coming down to one thing I probably in past questions, you just asked like this, and this and this. No, it’s totally fine. But I’m gonna try. So a favorite tool in general that I find that I recommend in all aspects of my business is breathing. So this is a different answer than people might be expecting. But most of us don’t bring in the most productive and really best way for our bodies, especially women, we’re kind of often in this chronic stress state. And for women in particular, we’re taught to kind of suck our stomachs in and all that stuff.
And so we’re doing a lot of shallow breathing in our chest. And that perpetuates that stress cycle in our bodies. Because when we breathe deeply into our bellies, we’re actually stimulating the vagus nerve, which is a nerve that runs from the crown of your head down to your belly. And that’s what turns on the parasympathetic nervous system so your rest and digest state versus that fight or flight mode. So a lot of people are like what breathing it’s something you just do, but I find that it’s a really powerful tool.
My clients are going for job interviews, and they’re super, super anxious and something that we can work on and can really calm them and ground them. Same thing. It’s something I teach in my yoga classes, as well as my stress and sleep workshop. So an app, there’s a lot of different apps where you can actually have some guidance on this. But the tool itself, that’s not even an app is the power of the breath. And then, for an actual app, I like recommending the tapping solution. It’s a free type of meditation, Emotional Freedom Technique.
So you’re tapping on different parts of the body, I find that a lot of people want to do meditation, but sitting in stillness is like night and day compared to how many of us are living most of our lives? Yeah, right. Like even your relaxation, you’re on that you’re watching something on Netflix and checking your phone and petting your dog, right. And so that’s going from 60 to zero. And so it can feel like traditional sitting and breathing and meditation can feel really challenging for a lot of people. So tapping is a way of meditating where you’re actually moving, and you’re following these prompts. And that app has a lot of free practices and tools to you know, it’s clinically proven to reduce stress and anxiety. So that’s a tool. I’ve been recommending a lot lately given 2020.
Jessica Freeman
Yes, yes, very important. I love that. I was not expecting that. But that is so helpful. And I, like you said earlier just about like your business, like we are better when we’re healthier. And so like, that is important. So I love that you shared that. That is perfect. Perfect. I was like Nick language nerd flag. Yeah, no, I know. I was like, nerding out with you. I’m like, What do I know? And which I was like, Oh, so that’s why cuz sometimes if I had trouble falling asleep, I will just focus on my breathing and like, take deep breaths, and like breathe from my belly. And it makes me fall asleep so quickly. And now I’m like, Yeah, oh, there’s like a reason I thought maybe I was just like, not thinking about sleep. And so it helped me sleep, you know, and that’s definitely part of it.
Aileen Axtmayer
Multiple you intuitively knew it already. Yeah, there’s an actual breath pattern for seven, eight breathing. So you breathe in for a count of four. Hold for seven, exhale for eight. That is supposed to help with sleep a lot as well.
