[00:00:00] kate: Hi, welcome to Plenty. I have a wonderful guest for you today. Her name is Kelly Roach, and she is an incredible entrepreneur. She’s one of the only female founders in the online space to scale her business from zero to eight figures with no funding. No investors. She used to be an NFL cheerleader. She runs six companies.

She’s a mom. She’s been featured all over the place from NBC to Fox and more and she has won many prestigious awards including being number 287 on Inc 5, 000s list. Kelly and I talked about her situation going from a really dark period with a Very difficult lawsuit and how she came through it by needing to access tools within herself other than just working harder.

It was her first scenario in her life where she couldn’t overcome her problem by just working harder and you’re going to absolutely love the insights she shared about that. We also talked about how to teach your kids about money, how to hire great leadership More so enjoy this episode with Kelly Roach.

Intro

Welcome to plenty. I’m your host, Kate Northrup. And together we are going on a journey to help you have an incredible relationship with money, time and energy and to have abundance on every possible level. Every week we’re going to dive in with experts and insights to help you unlock a life of plenty.

Let’s go fill our cups.

 

Hey Kelly. Thank you for being 

[00:01:20] Kelly: here. So happy to be here 

[00:01:21] kate: I’m so excited that you’re here. So when you and I met We actually met through our mutual friend Kathy Heller. Yes, and we were both Going through a really hard time. Yes, business wise for me personally for me You can share whatever you feel like Your journey and it’s been really cool because that was only two years ago and you and I were both in very dark places In certain ways.

Yeah, and I have witnessed you we don’t see each other a ton, but you know A few times a year, and I have witnessed you with a lot of lightening, and just like, wow, like softening, and, and Far more relaxation, and so I want to dig into that a little bit, if it’s okay, and can you share you know, you don’t have to get into the details, but like, what was happening from an emotional perspective for you at the time when we met?

What was going on for you? Why were things so hard or what did it feel like? Yeah, how long do we have?

[00:02:26] Kelly: Yeah, so, you know when we met I was I was going through what I call the best worst year of my life Right because I had started my career journey in corporate America Worked my way up the corporate ladder started my business Build the business to seven figures as a little side hustle while I was still working my job you know, 18 months later, eight figure business.

All these things are happening. Incomes, huge lawsuit from one of the biggest media giants in the world for using the word entrepreneur. And when I didn’t change my name and change my branding and you know, all these things right away they came after me really, really hard, right? And at the same time was going through all the shifts that come with taking a company in hyper growth to really, you know, You’re, you’re putting a lot of strain on the system, right?

You’re putting a lot of strain on yourself personally from a growth perspective. Bad hires on the team. I hired a couple horrible executives. Like, I just made all the bad decisions that you make that are part of the learning process. I mean, I could stack upon stack upon stack all the things that were happening all at once.

But it was really, Kate, I would say the first time in my life. I that hard work couldn’t get me out of the situation I was in, and that is a very interesting predicament for someone probably like you or someone like me that, you know, I came from a family, we lived just above the poverty line and struggled financially and, and prided myself my entire life on my work ethic and my ability to set a goal, hit a goal, make my dreams come true, and I ran that cycle on repeat my entire life.

And got in this situation where there was no amount of hard work that was going to change what I was going through, right? And I know this is a really long answer to your question, but I feel like for the people listening, for all of you that are listening, I feel that everyone comes across situations like this in life where if you’re a high achiever, or you’re a high performer, your go to is hard work.

Right? It’s the thing that is your tool that you feel most comfortable with, that you know the best. And a lot of times, when we’re going through a period of transformation that is leading us to where we’re going next, hard work is not the answer. And that can be really hard for people that pride themselves or have used hard work as their primary tool in life.

Because now you have to access a very different set of tools that are kind of outside of your comfort zone. And for me, when we met, I was going through, and I remember, poor Kathy, she like brings me in, she’s introducing me to the group of friends, and, you know, she’s like, you know, Kelly, tell yourself, you know, tell everyone about yourself.

And I was like, wow! I’m going to do I start? Kind of thing, right? And but I remember the word that I used was discerning. I’m discerning what I’m going to do next. Because I’m not in a good place, and I’m not really clear. What needs to happen next, and I’m trying to figure that out. But sometimes it’s not so black and white.

Right? And I think for everybody listening, you know, you go through these periods in life where sometimes things are very crystal clear. Like, I met the person that I’m going to marry. Right? Like, sometimes it’s very clear. Other times, you know you’re not where you need to be. You know that there’s signs all around you that there’s something more, something different, something bigger that is for you, but in that moment you feel in a lot of pain because you don’t have that clarity.

And so, I don’t know if that answered the question. It totally 

[00:06:16] kate: answers the question. And, and the thing is about times like that, like, we live in a society that tells us or, or I will just say this, like, I was not given the skills growing up or in school. I didn’t, no one ever like taught me how to sit with discomfort.

And, it sounds like you were in a period of time where you were in that gray area, that in between. That transition from, oh my gosh, the way I have operated up until this moment, this operating system is no longer working. That’s not going to get me out of this very painful situation. So I’m going to have to just like sit in this discomfort until I can access a different skill set, or learn a different skill set, or, you know, hit my knees and start talking to God, or, right?

Which, I think that probably happened. So, 

[00:07:09] Kelly: I’m curious, like, what did 

[00:07:12] kate: you do, or, or, if somebody is in that gray area, that sitting in discomfort, they can’t just, Snap their fingers and fix the situation because it’s more complex than that. Yeah. What is some wisdom that you could impart now that you’re like two years on the other side of the moment when I met you?

Again, I can’t make any assumptions about where you are now, but you’ll tell us. 

[00:07:37] Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. No, no. And, and, you know, and I, yeah, I think that’s, that’s, that’s the question, right? Because for people that listen to your show, they’re, they’re proactive. There are people that are trying to make something meaningful of their lives.

There are people that probably have access to those tools of hard work and probably just like you said, you weren’t Given the, the tool of how to sit with discomfort, neither was I. Like, I had no idea what to do in this moment, which is probably why you met me in such a distressed state. Because what I knew to do, which was work hard, take action, solve problems, use my logic to figure out what to do next, none of those things were a viable solution in that moment.

So, you said, well, what do you do if someone’s listening to the show and, and they’re like, oh, that’s me right now, I’m in, I’m in the, the limbo of gray area, well, what does that mean when you are not seeing a solution that you can force control or action? It means you have to go inward. It means you have to sit with the discomfort.

And you actually have to look within your heart and your soul and you have to really decipher if everything’s always working out for me, which we know that it is. Thank you, Abraham Hicks. Everything is always working out for us. And when I was sitting in that horrible discomfort of literally going on walks every day, and I’ll be totally transparent and I hope this will help someone.

I was literally going on walks every day praying not to have a heart attack and die. That was how bad the stress was of what was going on in my business, in my life. Carrying that as the breadwinner of my family. Just moved my family across the country. Like, the whole thing. So when you can’t solve a problem, by externally thrashing and forcing and taking action, what does that mean?

It means that you’re meant to slow down. God had to, like literally, have a freight train stop me, because I am like, I’m the girl that like, I will go like a machine, right? And why that had to happen for me was because he was calling me to level up, to be more, to serve people at a higher level, and he wanted me to go deeper in the way that I was being of service.

And if everything kept going well, exactly how it was, I never would’ve changed anything. Yeah, I would never get to the place that I am today, which is where I feel like I’m truly for anybody that is a fan of The Alchemist. Are you a fan of The Alchemist? Love it. My personal legend. Your personal legend. I feel like now I am actually living my personal legend, which I never would’ve discovered and found if I was not forced to access the tools of going inward, instead of focusing on what society teaches us, which is that everything can be solved outside of ourselves.

[00:10:22] kate: Right? I love this so much. You know you’re speaking my language and I know that our listeners, this is their language as well. But I also, like, we are a group of high achievers, like you said. We are a group of ambitious folks and we have been enculturated to believe that we can solve problems in 3D reality.

And that that’s the place to turn to first, and I’m curious of course everything happens in, in perfect, in divine order, and so, you know, but I am curious, do you think that if you had turned inside more actively earlier, you could have prevented this, or do you think this was just like, the way it was meant to be and everything happened, like, is there anything you would go back and do differently, or are you like, nope?

[00:11:08] Kelly: No. Yeah, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t. I think that. I think that every situation good and bad in our lives is teaching us the lesson that we need in that moment in order to take the next step, and I feel like for me, the person that I am today. I’m I’m such a more. Empathetic and Emotionally present person today than I was a couple years ago.

And so. I wouldn’t have changed anything because I think I needed to have the success that I had. I needed to build what I had created. I needed to go through the highs and the lows. I had to go through the suffering and the joy. Because when you, when you’ve experienced the contrast, I think it’s what really, now for me, I feel like before, everything, when I had success, I never slowed down to enjoy it.

I was always in a rush. I was always pursuing the next achievement. What box am I going to check? What, what new height am I going to achieve? And I’m still motivated. I, I want to build a hundred million dollar portfolio of companies. That’s my mission. That’s my goal. That, that hasn’t changed. However, if I had not gone through this situation, I would have went my entire life, never slowing down.

To truly enjoy like when a win is a win and a success is a success just And I think that’s the part where you just be present and savor that moment and know that the continuum of life is highs and lows. And so you’re never going to stay in the low forever even though you feel like it. When I was in that space, I was like, God help me, like, am I, am I ever, it felt like it was forever.

I’m sure when you’re in 

[00:12:51] kate: that. It feels like I live here now. Yeah, 

[00:12:53] Kelly: it felt like I lived there. I will be forever in the darkness. No, that was it. It really was. And I think that’s the part that… Is the most dangerous is when you start to feel like that’s what it’s going to be for forever. And I think for everyone listening, it’s so important to remember this because that’s when people give up, right?

You give up when you start to believe that a momentary situation is your new reality. And you start projecting the moment of now into the forever future. If you have the ability to say, this is the moment of now, this is not my future, this is, this is this moment, and I can move into the future, and I can create my future, and I can keep learning and keep growing.

You can remain hopeful. You can reset. You can rebirth. You can relaunch. You can start anew again. And then you turn that ceiling now into your floor. Now that’s your stepping stone. I feel like I have an energy now with what I’m doing that I haven’t had in 10 years. Like I feel like I’m a new entrepreneur again.

How fun. Going through that, and I think it’s like you get plunged to the depths of hell, and you either stay there or you come back, but if you come back, you really come back. 

[00:14:01] kate: Yeah. Right? Yes. Yeah. What were some of the skills that you learned during this time that you’re now employing actively, right?

Because we learn these new skill sets because we have to. We’re forced to. But what have you brought forward from that darker time that you’re now building into your days, building into your weeks? How have things shifted on a, on a day to day operational basis as a result? Oh, that’s a 

[00:14:27] Kelly: great question.

Okay, so, a lot. Like, everything, really. I used to wake up in the morning and start working from the moment that I opened my eyes, like literally until night and I would not stop and you know, now in a typical day, I don’t start calls until 11 o’clock. I wake up, I pray, I meditate, I exercise, I spend time with my family and then I start working right?

And so that was like a major life change for me because again, my like tool set

This is the situation that I was in. That was always my go to, and it was almost like the drug that you can’t stop because it’s the thing that’s given you safety, protection, opportunity, right? So this has been the first time in my life that since that happened, I’ve been able to really prioritize well other areas of life, much more in balance, right?

And I have before. So I think just, you know, that piece, you know, definitely re prioritizing, you know, just time and energy with family and my marriage and all of those things. From a, from a work standpoint, I think that I have a much healthier pessimism now. And that’s very important because the balance, I am a forever optimist.

Like, that is my, my natural default state in life is optimism. And that will serve you very, very well to a degree. But for me, like one of the situations that happened when I was in this downward spiral was, I had launched a company, one of my other companies, with a partner, and that partner knew I was being sued by entrepreneurs, she knew everything that was going on in my life, and she had kind of taken advantage to begin with, and it was, it was like a bad situation.

It was a bad choice on my part that I take full ownership of even going into this partnership. So I take full responsibility for that. I did not think through and have a pessimistic enough view of when you go into a business partnership, it’s like going into a marriage. If you don’t see yourself living for 40 years with this person, how is that going to end?

Right? So what I mean by healthy pessimism is I still have my default setting as optimism in life. But my level of wisdom in the way that I approach things to protect my peace is a thousand fold what it was. Before, it would be growth over peace, and now it’s peace over growth. And what I’ve found is when you prioritize peace, you still get unbelievable amounts of growth because you’re doing things in a way that is almost far more precise and engineered, if that makes sense.

Yes. I know these are a lot. 

[00:17:11] kate: I’m sorry. I know these are a lot of answers. They’re great. Yeah. I love it so much. So, do you think, I get this question a lot, I’m curious what you think. Because, you know, I wrote a book called Do Less. I have the Do Less Planner. This is like, you are, we have a program called Heal the Way You Work.

I mean you are literally like a living, breathing example. Yeah. And I’m so thrilled we’re having this conversation today. Yeah. Yeah. But I do get the question from people like okay, but can you only operate a business this way? after You’ve put in the years of sacrifice and hustle. I mean you grew your business from zero to eight figures And I think you’re one of the fortune five a fortune.

You tell me I’m 500. Thank you. Yeah and I mean you obviously like You’re a while into the journey. This is not day one. Can you, and to what degree, as a newer entrepreneur, let’s say within the first five years, put peace above growth? And do you think you can? Yeah, 

[00:18:13] Kelly: so can I talk really specifically about that?

I really would like that. So, okay, so for everyone listening, so my story is, you know, So I did work for a fortune 500. I was a senior vice president. I had a team of 100 people and 17 locations that I was running. So it’s a 50 million portfolio, and it was very, very intense and very aggressive job. And when I told them that I was starting my company, I said, Listen, I said, This is what I’m doing.

I’m going to do it on my own time, and you can fire me if you see my results drop. So I was totally transparent with my employer, and I said, I’m going to do it on my own time. If my results drop, I was the top performing person in my role. I said, just fire me like I get it right and I kept my results.

But what that meant so and then very shortly thereafter, I got pregnant with Madison. We decided to keep my husband home because we didn’t want her to go to daycare. So my story was that I built my company to seven figures while I was working in that job. So to answer your question very precisely, I worked about three hours a day in my business for the first almost five years.

And I built it to seven figures while I was working a day job. And I breastfed my daughter for over two years. And, and had my husband home full time and was doing that, that whole dance as well. So, so, intent always trumps lots of mismanaged flailing about. Totally. If, if that makes sense. Yes. So, so, I think for everyone listening you absolutely can do this from day one, and I did, and, you know, I, I first thought that was my biggest handicap, and I was very, I had a little bit, which I it’s very hard for me to admit this because I don’t see myself as this way, but I did have a little bit of a victim mentality because I was like, Well, everyone else gets to spend 8 10 hours a day on their business.

I only get to spend three hours. I mean, I would go out in my little Jeep Liberty Kate and I would make calls on my lunch break, right? Because I would do an hour before work. I would make calls and send text messages of prospects on my lunch break, or I would do my consults and then I would do an hour at night.

That’s when I would coach my clients like after Madison was in bed or whatever. Yeah. So, I had a little bit of a victim mentality that I was not going to be able to grow and I remember I joined my first coaching program and I felt that the first year. And then the second year, my business really started to take off and I was like, oh shit, okay.

Like this is working, right? And I remember being in that coaching program with so many of the same people that were in it with me the year prior and they would get on the calls and they would the same questions and they would be in the same place and they would be talking about the same stuff that really didn’t matter.

And that’s when it really clicked for me that it does not matter how many hours you have. It is all about intent. It’s all about intent. And if you know where to focus your time and your energy, you can build a seven figure business three hours a day. I did it. That’s 

[00:21:13] kate: amazing. So really you were obviously you knew what activities Yes.

Drove like move the needle. That was it. You focused, that was it. Everything. Everything on revenue generating activities, that’s it. And just didn’t do the other stuff. Content 

[00:21:28] Kelly: because you didn’t have time. That’s it. Content consultations, sales calls, that’s it. And then at night after, and then actually delivering the coaching after at night I delivered coaching.

So in the mornings, create content, write emails, you know, whatever I was gonna do to try and. Audience build, whatever lunch break, consultations, follow up with clients, try and get deals done nighttime code clients. Yep. 

[00:21:52] kate: Okay. This is so great. How has your relationship with your daughter shifted in these last couple of years as you’ve been changing your operating system in your business?

[00:22:07] Kelly: I think that she’s just gotten to be the beneficiary of it. You know, I think about this a lot, and I think. If there’s anything I want her to feel when she grows up. It’s that I was emotionally available and present for her because like, obviously, financially we can do everything for her, but that doesn’t matter.

Like that doesn’t matter. Ultimately like when she gets older, like none of that matters. It feels good for us. It doesn’t matter for her. But I think that what she has seen over these last couple years is my ability to be fully present and my ability to truly prioritize family, not just say I’m prioritizing family, but truly prioritize family over other things and discipline myself to know when it’s time to like shut it down and prioritize what’s right in front of me, you know?

What 

[00:23:05] kate: are some examples of some things maybe in the last six months that you’ve said no to in your business? So that you could prioritize your family. Yeah 

[00:23:14] Kelly: Extra travel. I was just talking to you about that extra travel definitely There’s been certain clients. I haven’t taken on You know, I The biggest thing is just saying no to extra things on my plate.

I actually wrote in my so I have a I have a planner that I create and I obviously use my own planner and at the beginning of the year, I write all of my commitments to myself, not my goals. I have a separate thing for my goals. I never hit my goals anyway. I don’t know if I’ll ever hit a freaking goal.

Actually, that’s not true. Billy found, Billy found one of my little papers I made from like 10 years ago and he’s like, babe, I think you hit all these things. It was like 10, you know, it 

[00:23:53] kate: takes a little while. In the span of time that’s longer, we do, but usually we overestimate. Yes. 

[00:24:00] Kelly: In that year You know, it doesn’t typically happen, but over time, I’m like a honey badger, so I’ll just keep going.

[00:24:06] kate: Which is so good. Like, I think we do need to really zoom out and realize it doesn’t matter. Like, yes, once your basic needs are cared for, so you’re eating, you have shelter. 

[00:24:16] Kelly: Everything else is a false construct. That you made up. That you can adjust at any time. And that you can decide to or not to be stressed out about.

And that is one of the biggest things I have realized. And now I live by that. But to go back to your question, one of the commitments that I wrote in my journal this year that I’ve stuck to is I said, I will not put anything new on my plate this year. For me to agree to that, Kate, like, that, Like never done that.

Like never in my life. Like never ever in my life. And it’s because I’m prioritizing peace. And I do a lot, right? To everyone listening, like I don’t want people to think I’m like sitting around eating bonbons. I have six companies. I have large teams. I have two presidents. I have a nine year old. Yeah, like so it’s not that I’m sitting and eating bonbons.

It’s that I’m And it’s about being high intent about what is the priority and what really is the priority and how do I show up as a good CEO to my leaders and lead them well and play the part that I really need to play not being involved in things that I don’t need to be in. So relinquishing control where I don’t need to be active, but not abdicating power and being absent.

And there’s a difference, right? And so it’s finding that so the nose are for me this year like, I’m Everything. Everything, basically. And it’s been great. And so we’ll see, we’ll see what next year holds, you know? Yeah, 

[00:25:44] kate: I love that so much as having like a guiding principle for the year almost as an experiment of, okay, what’s on my plate is plenty.

Yeah. And now, beyond that, nothing else. And that means, obviously, like, new projects. Like, obviously, you said yes to come on this podcast. Yeah. You know, there will be, like, bits and bobs, but not, like, full on, like, not taking on a new book project. No. I’m not taking on, I’m not. You know, starting a new company.

I’m not right, right? 

[00:26:09] Kelly: Yeah, I’m good with these companies for a while I’m pretty certain I can get to the hundred million dollar goal with the six that I have and that like it’s knowing when is Enough. Yeah, because I’ve had years where I’ve grown a business by over seven million dollars Which means that if I give myself a ten year timeline and I don’t do anything stupid.

I just Consistently let compounding of good decisions happen over time. I’ll get there. And I think, like, to your point earlier, I think so much of the pressure and stress that we feel comes from false constructs that we are the owners of. And when we realize that we can decide Oh, that’s not going to happen this year and it doesn’t even need to happen for another five years.

Or why did I set that as a goal this year so I can make myself insane chasing this thing that is that really going to impact my quality of life? Like one of the things that I, I’ll be transparent, one of the things that I had initially had on my goals list for the year was to get a deal with a publisher for a new book.

Didn’t do it. I didn’t even pitch for it. I did not even write a proposal. I said, that’s stupid. I just came out of, like, handling a behemoth of shit. Excuse me, I don’t know if we’re allowed to say that. But I was like, why? Why am I gonna kill myself to do that this year? And I just said, you know what?

I’m not doing it. I’m not doing 

[00:27:27] kate: it. And it doesn’t make you a failure. It doesn’t make you lazy. It doesn’t make you, literally, it makes you nothing other than prioritizing other things. Yeah, 

[00:27:34] Kelly: like, there will be a time. Maybe it’ll be 2024. Maybe it’ll be 2028. I don’t know. We don’t know. We’re 

[00:27:40] kate: gonna roll with it.

I love that. There’s so much relaxation in this So you mentioned that you grew up just above the poverty level and you’re raising your daughter in a very different environment Than that and I am really curious. I have a few questions about that. One is At what point if ever did you have a realization that you wanted to create?

Really an abundant life because you do have an extraordinarily abundant life. And how did that come to you? Did you always know? Tell me a little bit about 

[00:28:10] Kelly: that. Yeah, that’s a really good question. I think that’s an important question from a mindset perspective for everybody listening. So, my dad was a very religious person.

And he decided that he wanted to dedicate his life to working for a non profit. So we were not above the poverty line where we were because my parents were idiots and couldn’t figure out how to get a job. My dad decided that his priority in life was to work for a religious non profit in which the salary that he earned was not enough to support a family of seven people.

That was it. My mom, obviously, had five children within the span of, you know, 12 years, whatever the case. And so obviously to put five Children into daycare, that would be more than what she could earn in a salary. So those dynamics constructed that situation, and I think it’s important to recognize, and I really want everyone on the show to hear this.

My dad’s false belief was that you can’t make money and do good. And I recognize that at a really young age. I was very, very young when I decided I was going to be wealthy. I was probably, I would say I was probably like a freshman in high school when I decided like my life is going to be really different.

And I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know how, and I had no idea how it was going to come about, but I, I saw, and, and this is how evolution I believe is supposed to work. Every generation should give a foundation to the next generation, and then the next generation should build on it, right? Like, we want our kids to evolve past us, like, right?

So, for me, my dad gave a good foundation of a moral and ethical compass, and I very much appreciate The introduction of faith and spirituality and morality and ethics and all the good things that came with that. And I can also simultaneously separate myself from the idea that you can’t make money and do good.

So I recognized that very young. I knew that I was going to figure out how to bring those two things together in my life. And I feel like my entire life has been this journey in figuring out when I decided to start my business when I was working for a fortune 500. I loved the work that I was doing. I was coaching people and mentoring people and I got to help people be successful every day.

Like I loved the work so much, but I couldn’t work another day where my life was dedicated to helping this big corporation make millions of dollars with no No tie back of how is my talent and gift changing people’s lives like really? And that’s why I started my business and it was, it was just a continuum of how do you acquire skills that can allow you to live the lifestyle that you want to and earn the kind of money that you want to.

And then how do you combine that with doing work that makes a difference, with doing work that changes people for the better, that when you leave and it’s the end of your time, you can look back and say, like, I dedicated my life to a worthy cause. I left this place a little better. You know, there’s a ripple effect that’s still going to continue beyond me and I think that’s the journey that that we’re all on Just we come at it.

Everybody’s lens for life and everybody’s, you know background and family situation is is completely different But I think ultimately like that’s the journey that we’re all on if we have our own businesses, right? It’s like bringing those things together in some way Yeah, 

[00:31:33] kate: and I think you know some more than others some people really are just primarily profit driven Yeah, and they’re like I don’t really care how I’m gonna make the money.

I’m just gonna make the money And then some people really are more purpose driven and they’re like, I don’t actually care about the money, I just want to make a difference. And I think the sweet spot for some of us is where both can come together. And I love the way you spoke about that. So knowing that your daughter is growing up in a very different environment than you did what are some of the things that you are imparting her in her about money, about entrepreneurship and about purpose?

[00:32:03] Kelly: Yeah. So she’s already gone through the whole Courage Academy, which is. It’s one of the programs I developed for young girls to teach confidence and leadership and communication. It’s an online program for young girls. So she’s done the whole academy and, you know, I think the biggest thing is we, we have these long conversations almost every day.

her about about life about why I work about how our family is living the life that we’re living about ways that she can show that she’s building work ethic like I talked to her. I was driving her to gymnastics cheer class on Monday night, and I said, you know, I said. Make sure you are the hardest working person in that class every single week.

I said, I don’t care if you get the tricks the fastest. I don’t care if you’re the best one or the worst one, but you need to be the hardest working one. You have to be the person that. shows up and gives your best to anything that you’re going to do. And if it’s a situation or it’s a project or it’s something that you’re not going to give your best to, then reconsider doing it, right?

I think it’s just, I think, talking to our kids. Like, really, really talking to them. I think one of the things that we’ve done with Madison that has been Successful is just keeping her off the Internet. Like Oh my God. I I I I. Amen. Like, literally, I see her, and I look at her communication skills, and I look at her eye contact, and the way that she carries herself She’s very with it.

It’s delightful. Yeah, and and I think that I give Billy a lot of credit, and I just want to say that because he He dedicated nine years of his life to being home full time with her, right? So like, obviously that has a lot to do with her maturity and development. But also she’s not sitting on a phone.

She’s not sitting on an iPad. She’s not sitting on the computer. She’s reading books. She’s playing Barbie She’s being creative. She’s doing art. She’s interacting. She interacts with you know adults and children like I think Yeah, 

[00:33:58] kate: it’s huge. Yeah, it’s huge. 

[00:34:01] Kelly: What do they say? They say it’s it’s not what’s taught.

It’s what’s caught right? Yeah, and 

[00:34:06] kate: that’s yeah, I think that’s really true I’m curious, as you are in your own life in this semi new chapter and you’re re evaluating where you were, you know, we’re probably still in the active process of re evaluating this idea of like, oh wow, hard work isn’t the only strategy in my, is there anything that you do?

That is literally just for fun and it’s like you don’t actually have to be the hardest worker where it literally can be like the Actual only result I’m after is I had a good 

[00:34:40] Kelly: time. I am putting together a hip hop a class right now So it was supposed to start last month. Actually, you’re teaching it. I’m not teaching.

Okay, you’re going to it. I need I need a break from Yeah, no, I was 

[00:34:51] kate: gonna say I was like damn. Okay. Yeah, no

[00:34:57] Kelly: So it was what had happened was, I was, you know, I was a dancer, I was an NFL cheerleader. And I was like, you know what, I need something in my life for no reason other than just to have fun. And what do I love the most? I love to dance. And so I was like, I am gonna go find a dance class. Well, I did all this research, there wasn’t really anything good.

So I just started reaching out to studio owners, and I was like, listen, I’m like, I know a lot of ladies in the area. Let’s put a class together. So they’re putting a class together for us. I post online. There’s a whole bunch of people interested. Yeah. So 

[00:35:26] kate: great. Yeah, that is also a mutual love of mine and I love that very entrepreneurial.

It was like, what’s out there is not meeting my needs. So I will create it so that somebody else can create it 

[00:35:38] Kelly: and then you can enjoy it. And then they get a new class on their schedule, they make some money, you know, we get to have fun. It’s a total win win. But that’s, I mean, and that’s, that’s I think one of the things that is so important.

And listen, there are seasons. There were seasons in my life where I just needed to put my head down and do the freaking work. Right. But there’s also seasons where you have to balance, like knowing that you already have enough and you already have enough for like a really long time and like you have to be comfortable.

This is what I would say because I was having this conversation with Billy the other day. You have to be comfortable that if you were to die suddenly. That you really felt like you were living the life That you could be and should be living. Absolutely. And that is not one dimensional for any of us Right, and so I think for me This whole situation of everything going through the last couple years really put that in perspective for me and it’s It’s changed how I think about things and it’s changed how I approach things and I think I’m a better business person, you know, and I think for a lot of people when they go through something really traumatic from a business standpoint, and I think a lot of people have gone through this in the past like year, year and a half where like, you know, they had a big high, you know, and then maybe they struggled last year and maybe they’re struggling this year.

A lot of people are exiting the online space this year. A lot of people are closing their businesses down. I think that. And that your confidence gets shaken to such a level that some people never come back from it. And I think remembering that your worth is not performative and that you are your capability because you went through things that are a natural part of the four seasons of life of business of growth of learning.

It doesn’t make you a lesser person than the person that you were when you were having that season of success. And furthermore, what I think is really important is All of our seasons of great success, all that is, is a byproduct of a season when you felt like nothing was working, when you were working your ass off, and you had no results to show for it.

So, if you’re not going through a season every couple years, where you’re working really hard at something that matters a lot to you, and feeling like you’re not getting a result, you’re probably not challenging yourself to do anything new and exciting and joyful, because you’re just riding the success you had in the past, and it’s gonna end at some point.

But that’s not what life is about, growing, right? 

[00:38:10] kate: So what do you do if you are in a season? Where you’re working really hard at something you are super devoted and you aren’t getting that result Do you just do it harder? Do you? It’s so good. What is the advice that you would impart? Knowing that you work with so many six, seven, and eight figure entrepreneurs, like you’ve been behind the scenes of a lot of folks.

Yeah, 

[00:38:32] Kelly: yeah, it’s such a good question and and the answer is different depending on the person, right? Because you have to know in your heart of hearts if you’re working hard or doing what’s required And that’s the number one thing I would say to people. There’s a whole lot of people that work really, really hard, but they don’t do what’s required and they’re never going to succeed.

And I know that sounds like harsh and mean, but that’s the truth. I’ve coached thousands of entrepreneurs. I’ve helped lots of them build seven and even eight figure businesses. Lots of people in the world of entrepreneurship stay very, very busy and stay very, very overwhelmed and put in lots and lots of hours in their business.

Shielding themselves from facing the thing that actually is necessary in order to get what they say that they want. And until we can look ourselves in the mirror and own that, and say, What’s the one thing I’m not willing to do or I haven’t been willing to do that’s going to open the door to everything that I want?

You can work your face off. Nothing’s going to change. And so for a lot of people, I don’t think the answer is working more. I don’t think the answer is doing more. I think it’s really asking yourself. Are you working harder doing what’s required? If you’re sitting here and you’re listening to this show and you don’t know, you’re like, but I don’t, I don’t know.

Well, that’s what coaches and mentors and strategists and all of those things are for you. But I also think that in meditation, in prayer, in introspection, Many times those answers are within us already. 

[00:39:58] kate: A hundred percent. And I know you’re working on a new project called Kairos, and I want to hear more about how you’re bringing this new Or maybe not new, but like, just more of the internal work to the fore in what you’re doing.

Yeah, 

[00:40:14] Kelly: and so the whole thing about Kairos, you know, obviously, and there’s so many interpretations of that word, right? But you know, it’s this moment where you are… Welcoming God into what you’re doing, and there’s so many different ways that you can interpret it and lots of different meanings of it.

But I think that it’s it’s a season of opportunity. A moment of opportunity. It’s opening yourself up to God’s time versus yours. Like it’s just so many things. And to me, it’s really about self trust and self leadership. If I were to narrow it down. And so the work that I’m doing with Kairos now is is really.

Mentoring high achievers to understand how to expand their inner game to access the parts of themselves that they haven’t utilized to gain access to the tools that are already inside of us, right to be able to hold space for bigger and higher levels of success. So the difference, I would say, is between a new tactic or strategy from a business standpoint where you do more.

You employ more you. It’s about action. Right? Whereas many times what I see with leaders is they’re already taking enough action. But because their mindset, their beliefs, their, their inner operating system isn’t a match for where they want to go and what they want to do. They’re going to keep taking action or they’re going to keep doing more and it’s not going to change anything.

Right? So it’s really about Not only accessing those inner tools, but working on the inner game, but also bringing prayer and faith and meditation and that deeper belief in your life where you’re really trying to draw the connection of, you know what? What is this this moment telling you about where you’re being called next?

And I think that that’s a question that I think maybe I was afraid to ask for a little while. I was very, very scared to ever talk about my prayer life or to talk about spirituality publicly. I was very intentional about not touching that topic for ten years. And I got to a point where When all of these things happened, and the only thing that I feel got me through it was not a new business strategy, or new action, or working harder, but instead praying and believing and having faith and allowing God to come into my life in a more meaningful way, it would be fraudulent at this point for me to not be openly honoring God and saying, this is how I got through it.

And so it’s just about being transparent. And the other thing is, is and so with the work in Kairos, I really want to talk more openly about the challenges that leaders face on this journey. And I’ve started talking about this a lot more in the last six months, but I, I think that one of the biggest things that, why so many business owners are failing and getting out of the online world is that entrepreneurship has been glamorized so much.

And the things that you face as a business leader that are in a non I think it’s things related to betrayal or employee issues or, you know, wild swings in the market or, you know, partnerships or, you know, those underlying things like no one prepares you like I know I was blindsided with stuff that I went through from people that I thought were in my inner circle that turned on me or that, you know, did just really crazy, nasty stuff that.

You know, I never imagined someone would do. My tag was totally hanging out that whole time. Oh, I couldn’t see it at all. I just realized it was like right there. But yeah, it’s really exposing and talking about those things proactively so that people aren’t blindsided and then they’re more mentally and emotionally equipped.

Right. To 

[00:43:52] kate: handle them. And, so that they don’t think that when that happens to them, there’s something wrong with them. That they’re bad. And that they suck at entrepreneurship. They think that 

[00:43:59] Kelly: they suck at entrepreneurship. They think that they are bad leaders. They think that they’re not equipped to succeed.

And, and I get this a lot. They think, oh, I’m not meant to go to the next level. All these things are happening. This is a sign. This is telling me that I should just stay down here and I should stay in my place and play small. But they’re actually 

[00:44:17] kate: preparing them for the next level. 100%. Right. 100%. That’s so so important.

Yeah. Okay. I love that so much. So I want to know when you, as you’ve been growing these businesses, you know, six different companies, a lot of different revenue, a lot of team, whatever. Have you ever bumped up against a belief or a block around worthiness?

I don’t think this comes up as much, although it still does, with people who grew up with a certain amount of class privilege. Since you came from a different scenario, have you ever come up against a feeling of like, people like me don’t get to have this, or I’m not worthy of this, or any, any issues around like blocks with worthiness, or feeling like guilt about earning, or any of that?

[00:45:08] Kelly: Yeah, I, I feel like it’s a little different for me, but the answer is yes, of course. Like, who does not have these emotions? I think for me, There have been a lot of times in my journey where like when bad things were happening or when I was having a lot of struggle that I’ve questioned the goals that I’ve set a lot.

And what I mean by that is like, I kind of feel like my role in the world of entrepreneurship is paving pathways for other people. When I set the goal of taking my company to eight figures, One of the biggest things that was in my mind when I did that was I want other female entrepreneurs to believe this is possible for them.

And within one year, I had two clients go from low seven figures to eight figures. And I know damn well that if I had not put that in, and I have another one just crossing over now, I put that in the psyche of possibility for others. And that was my goal. But when I am having a hard time, and when things are not going well, I definitely start questioning sometimes, like, Is this ridiculous?

Like, am I being greedy and stupid? Like, why am I doing this? Like, On one hand, I feel that I’m supposed to be doing what I’m doing because I want to build these bridges and build these pathways for other people, and I kind of see that as my role, right? On the other hand, you’re like, am I stupid? Am I crazy?

Am I stupid and crazy? Right? But I had a really important moment, and I think this maybe will help other people listening today. I had a really important moment a couple years back where I started working with my legacy leader population, which is like my higher level clients that are like seven figures, and I was like.

Really struggling with launching. This is before I designed the live launch, and I was like, You know what? I don’t want any of that. I was like, I don’t want any of that. I don’t want a big company. I don’t want a big team. I don’t want to build a big audience. I’m just going to have like 50 of these high level clients, and I’m going to run a boutique and whatever.

And I prayed about that, and I meditated about that, and I sat with that. And, I was like, that is the most selfish, ridiculous, like, horrible mindset that you could possibly have, because you’re taking away from all the people that you could help, and all the people that could come into your world, and like, learn from you, and grow because of you, and experience what it is that you’re doing, because you’re looking for an easier path that feels safe and comfortable.

And that was when like the switch really flipped for me when I was like, Okay, I have to figure out launching. I have to figure out scaling. And that’s when I got really serious about like, growing my company. And I think like, it’s always good to have these like inner conversations with yourself, both good and bad about anything that you want to do, like Why are the reasons why I want to do this, and are these good reasons, or are these real reasons?

Are these reasons that are coming, like, from within, from what I believe is, like, my true calling, and why I’m here, and what I’m meant to do? Or are these external reasons that are ego, or that are worldly, or that are, you know, just because you see other people doing them? And I think that’s a great way to vet decisions that you’re making.

Like, did this come from inside of me, or did this come from out there? Yeah. 

[00:48:34] kate: Right? It’s, yes. It’s very important. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. So, if there was a piece of advice you could go back and give yourself, give Kelly as like an NFL cheerleader or right out of high school or right out of college, whatever juncture you would want to do, but basically like as you were coming out into the world making your own money.

Yes. What piece of advice about money would you give to younger Kelly? 

[00:49:01] Kelly: Well, I think that a lot of people that either don’t come from a lot of money or even came from money, but their parents maybe didn’t give them like they had to still build it for themselves, which a lot of people are like that, like their parents may have had money, but they still had to build it for themselves, right?

I think that sometimes you can assume. That you need to be like the sophisticated investor or that you don’t have an MBA Or that you need to be a trader in the stock market or that you have to get into all these complex real estate deals Or you know do all these things I think a lot of people feel that they can’t build wealth because they don’t understand finance and so they just pull back from even dreaming and believing and leaning into Making lots and lots of money because it’s like I don’t know how to get it.

I don’t know what to do with it and they almost like their behavior like goes in the opposite direction whether it’s like building debt or not really achieving the income levels that they want to or Whatever the case because deep down there’s like this worthiness thing of like I’m not smart enough.

I’m not good enough I don’t know what to do And I think the biggest piece of advice that I would tell people is number one, I built wealth while I worked in corporate and not in the stock market and not with any complex anything. I just got promoted seven times in eight years, which that was just working hard and showing up and being intentional with what I was doing and living below my means and saving.

And so I think the biggest piece of advice I would give for anyone that wants to increase their financial situation is that, It’s not about intellect. It’s not about investor savviness. It’s not about you having some like crazy insider knowledge that you don’t have. It’s you just deciding. This is how much money I want to have in the bank.

And then it’s you aligning your value system for how you spend money. So you spend money on things that you really care about. You don’t spend money on things that you don’t really care about. And then you keep working on expanding the difference between the money that you spend and the money that you have to do something else with.

And I think the simpler you keep the equation, do a weekly, you know, a weekly update. That’s what Billy and I do, just a weekly update of your net worth tracker. And, and it doesn’t matter. In the beginning, maybe you move it by, I don’t know. It’s like five bucks. Maybe it’s 3. Who cares? But I think it’s just keeping it really simple, not letting the world confuse you into thinking that you need to have some like expert knowledge or investing strategy.

Oh, and by the way, most of what people are teaching about building wealth is all about you getting into loads of debt. And it’s going to create a disaster for most people because it’s been very easy to access debt. People are piling it up. They think that’s going to make them rich. When people don’t pay their rent or deals go bad, like, slow and steady wins the race.

Slow and steady wins the race. Keep it simple. 

[00:51:57] kate: Great advice. Keep it simple. Money is actually not hard. Yes. 

[00:52:00] Kelly: Yeah.

[00:52:05] kate: And the gatekeepers of the financial industry invented all of this jargon to make 

[00:52:12] Kelly: people feel like we need them. We do not. Right? Yeah. 

[00:52:16] kate: Great advice. I love that. Okay, and finally, I want to know, what does the word plenty mean to you? 

[00:52:21] Kelly: Ah, I love that so much. I think it’s just bathing in gratitude for exactly where you sit in the moment that you’re in.

Like, I feel in that moment of plenty right now, and I think it’s the ability to be in gratitude For everything that you already have in your life, everything that you’ve already experienced and created while still having an eye to the future and still loving the journey of growing and becoming and, you know, tapping into more.

I love 

[00:52:52] kate: that answer. Thank you, Kelly. Yeah, thank you. Thank you

for taking the and learn more. Yeah. Where can they go? 

[00:53:04] Kelly: I would say come check out the Kelly Roadshop. I would love to have you come check out the Kelly Roach Show, Kelly Roach Official on Instagram and hope to connect with you 

[00:53:12] kate: guys online. Amazing, of course. That will be in the show notes. Fantastic.

Thank you again. Yeah, it was 

[00:53:18] Kelly: a great conversation. Thank you for having me. Thank you for 

[00:53:22] kate: listening to this episode of Plenty. Kelly is just wise. She’s wonderful. She has a very impressive track record as an entrepreneur, so I highly recommend going and checking out her work. And if you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, share it with a friend.

That’s how we spread Plenty in the world. Thank you for being here, and I’ll see you next time.

 

Outtro 

Woohoo! You made it to the end of an episode of Plenty! Don’t you feel expanded already? So if you liked this episode, go ahead and Leave us a review, subscribe to the podcast, text a friend and let them know they need to listen in. That helps us spread the word so more people can experience plenty together.

 

And if you want to ease your path to creating wealth, I created a money breakthrough guide for you where I interviewed over 20 of my high earning women friends and I asked them what their biggest money breakthrough guide was and the responses were so mind blowing and helpful I knew I needed to pass them along to you.

 

This is the kind of thing that is often only shared behind closed doors but now… You can access it totally for free. So head over to katenorthrup. com forward slash breakthroughs and get the guide. Again, that’s katenorthrup. com forward slash breakthroughs. And I’ll see you next time for plenty.