Episode 142: Why Telling the Truth Will Grow Your Business with Jen Pastiloff, author of On Being Human

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A few weeks before Do Less was going to launch, I decided to follow my intuition and reach out to a few women who I was loosely connected with on Instagram to see if they’d be open to receiving a copy.

There wasn’t any real strategy behind who I reached out to. I just trusted that if someone popped up in my feed and I felt called to send them a DM that I should. So I did.

One of these women responded immediately, and we got into an instant back-and-forth banter that made me smile and felt like I was texting a lifelong girlfriend.

It turned out she lived in LA. I was headed to LA during launch week. She asked if I was doing an event. I said no…but then I paused and thought, “Maybe?”

She offered to do an “in conversation” (a phrase I’ve seen circulating in the literary world – a world I’m not part of – that means two people talk on stage at an event) to sell books.

This woman I don’t know is offering to take time out of her schedule as a mother of a toddler on the eve of her first book being published to help me spread the word about my book. Wow.

Sparked by the generosity of this big-hearted new friend, my LA book launch was born. Had it not been for her message, I never would have gotten to throw the party that I secretly really wanted to throw but didn’t think I had the bandwidth, energy, or budget to make happen.

This angel of a woman is Jennifer Pastiloff, and she is not only beautifully generous of spirit and freaking hysterical, she’s a damn good writer and is honest AF about her life. It’s a stunning combination.

Jen worked as a server for 15 years and then created her own career teaching On Being Human workshops around the world. Her story is so inspiring, and I’m so excited to be sharing it with you.

This week we have Jen on The Kate & Mike Show sharing about her incredible debut memoir, On Being Human (I lapped it right up and laughed and cried out loud on many airplanes on book tour as I read it) as well as:

Her tips for getting over social anxiety and truly connecting with strangers (this was based on my questions because, believe it or not, I’m so scared to talk to strangers)
How she programs her workshops and how doing less has made them even more powerful
The super innovative way she activated a big group of people to spread the word about her book
Why she doesn’t read her reviews
The thing she started doing that attracted new customers in flocks
How she cultivates a feeling of enoughness that makes her one of the most generous people I know

It was a yummy conversation and when we ended the Zoom call, Mike and I both looked at each other and said, “I love her.”

You will too.

Why Telling the Truth Will Grow Your Business with Jen Pastiloff, author of On Being Human

In This Episode

What is one of Jen’s superpowers and why she says she has always been a “connector” [5:40]
Exercises she recommends for people who aren’t natural connectors [14:02]
What has taken place since Jen realized her dream of being a published author [22:24]
The surprising parts of the book that are resonated with readers [27:16]
A recent experience where Jen doubled down on who she is and just “kept going” [30:06]
How both Jen and Kate handle situations where their work has been copied [35:32]
The journey that Jen has taken to learn that there is enough abundance to go around [39:14]
The way that her relationship with food and her body has changed over time [46:54]
What happened when Jen stopped pushing so hard and started doing less [49:27]
How being a mom has made her a better leader, despite the hard times [53:56]
The ultimate dream Jen has for her book now that it’s been released to the world [57:04]