Do you ever feel like the grind of business ownership is wearing you down? What if you could run a successful business while feeling deeply rested and fulfilled?

In this inaugural episode of the Deeply Rested podcast, host Maegan Megginson dives into these questions with guests Arianna Smith and Annie Robershaw. Arianna, a licensed therapist and strategic copywriter, and Annie, founder of Delightfully Free, share their stories of burnout and their transformative journeys toward aligning their businesses with personal values. Together, they explore the power of practices like sabbaticals, personal growth, and redefining how they pay themselves as business owners.  Maegan, Arianna, and Annie unpack the reality of balancing the financial, creative, and relational aspects of business for true well-being. This is the foundation for becoming a deeply rested entrepreneur, and we can’t wait for you to listen. 

Tune in for all of the restorative gems, including:

The real reason we go into business for ourselves (00:26)

Annie and Ari’s dark days of burnout (05:42)

The pivot point for many burned-out entrepreneurs (22:41)

Maegan’s big “ah-ha” that led to the creation of this podcast (39:24)

How you can embody ‘Rest as Revenue’ (45:50)

Tips to integrate personal growth into your business (49:54)

Unexpected ways deep rest can transform your life (01:04:51)

If you’ve been seeking ways to build a business that supports your well-being without compromising on success, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to start redefining success on your own terms.

To watch a video version of this, check it out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YpvuoD2jO9w

Connect with Annie

Visit https://www.annierobershaw.com/ to subscribe to Annie’s newsletter and stay updated on opportunities to join the Delightfully Free Community or work with Annie individually.

Connect with Arianna

Join Arianna's newsletter, The Weekly Wordsmith, for results-driven copywriting advice infused with heart.

Link: www.ariannasmith.com/newsletter 

Want deep rest inspiration delivered directly to your inbox?

Join the Deeply Rested newsletter for weekly emails that will help you deprogram from hustle culture and opt out of urgency in your life and business. Plus, you'll be the first to hear about new podcast episodes, Deep Rest Retreats, and other offerings from Maegan.

Subscribe today at www.DeeplyRest.com/newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

Applications for the Deep Rest Retreat are open!

Join Maegan from October 24-28, 2024 in Portland, OR. This 4-day restorative retreat is for spiritually-curious business owners who want to release what's no long serving them, recharge with deep rest, and revitalize their businesses with fresh insights and new inspiration. Check out the details on the website:

Deep Rest Retreat

[00:00:23] What does it mean? How do you do it? And I couldn't think of two better people to have this conversation with me today than my former clients and current friends Ariana Smith and Annie Robershaw. Annie Robershaw is the founder of Delightfully Free, a soulful community for child free folks rooted in seasonal living, simplicity, and liberation.

[00:01:09] Ariana Smith is a licensed therapist, strategic copywriter, and witchy soul who specializes in helping therapists and healers evaluate their practice through heart centered, purpose driven copy and email marketing. By blending clinical insight, intuitive wisdom, and no fluff content strategy, Ariana helps providers express the essence of their heart's work, authentically connect with their audience, and attract right fit clients to grow and scale their practices.

[00:02:28] If you enjoy today's show, be sure to subscribe to this podcast and join our weekly newsletter at deeply rested. com slash newsletter. Now it's time for the show.

[00:02:53] Arianna: Hello.

[00:02:56] Maegan: So you all, I'm starting a podcast.

[00:03:04] Arianna: Is that why we're here?

[00:03:26] Annie: Oh my gosh, so excited to watch this happen and see it reach so many people that need to hear what you have say.

[00:03:39] Arianna: I am so excited. When you first mentioned it, I just felt like a full body: yes. Like this is what Maegan has to do, and

[00:03:57] Maegan: Oh, my goodness. You are both so sweet. So, I have with me today Annie Robershaw, Ariana Smith. Annie, say hello so people can hear and feel your voice.

[00:04:10] Maegan: That's Annie. Ari, what about you?

[00:04:14] Maegan: I am so excited, Annie and Ari, to have the two of you as my first guests, because I love you and I know we're going to have a really fun conversation. And also because Annie and Ari are two people who have been with me through the arc of this deeply rested journey. They came to me as clients several years ago.

[00:04:47] one's going to get in trouble.

[00:04:50] Maegan: I love that. We've moved through the full cycle of, you know, client into friendship together. And Annie and Ari started working with me back in my quote business coaching days. I don't do traditional business coaching anymore, but I was years ago and the two of you came to me because I was talking about doing business coaching in a different way, in a way that aligned more clearly for the two of you.

[00:06:00] And this is really hard. And this is way more stressful than my nine to five. Why did I make this transition in the first place? I want this podcast to be a beacon of hope for the people who are questioning why they got into business for themselves and hopefully pave a path for those folks, just like the three of us, to find a way to do business that really does allow them to be deeply rested and, of course, financially successful. So let's rewind. Let's go to the beginning of the journey. I would love to hear thoughts from both of you about why you think people who are in nine to fives want to go into business for themself. Now what's the fantasy that gets us to take that huge leap into entrepreneurship? Ari, let's hear from you first.

[00:07:27] Maegan: Hmm. Yeah. Annie, what would you add to that? Why do you think entrepreneurs want to leave their nine to fives to start their own businesses?

[00:07:58] I'm more introverted and calm and peaceful, and need four hour work days. And that ability to just be who I am and follow my own track as I work is super pivotal, but also just the creativity, like to have an idea, to have an inspiration and be able to follow that and run with it... That's what attracted me and probably continues for me as I go...

[00:08:25] Arianna: I mean, I would also add I, Annie, I love naming the... how our cycles and our energy levels can shift from day to day. And the nine to five treats us like machines, right? That we have the same amount of energy every day from nine to five. And those are the working hours. And if you don't, you're suffering.

[00:09:08] Maegan: Yeah, well to do more that's in alignment with

[00:09:36] Or of a traditional nine to five. They want out of that. I love everything that you're both saying. It feels so true. And I would encourage people listening to this conversation to take some time to really reflect on: why did you decide to go into business for yourself in the first place? This is a fantastic starting point for any kind of introspective work you're doing as a business owner.

[00:10:23] There are some through lines in what you're both saying. We go into business for ourselves because of freedom and flexibility. Really, I think it all kind of boils down to those two words. Like you said, we want that flexibility to do the work we want to do and to do it in the way that we want to do it. And we want freedom. We want freedom to take time off. We want freedom to, you know, be able to, to make more money when we need more money, and make less money when we need less money. We want to have control over our lives and our visions in a way that we just don't when we're working for someone else.

[00:11:19] and our people-pleasing gets turned up to, you know, 10 times what it was when we were working for somebody else.

[00:11:29] back and forth all the time.What do y'all want to add to that? What do you think in your own experiences and, and your conversations with friends and colleagues, like what actually happens when we take the plunge and open our own shops?

[00:12:09] And not really having an honest accounting about how much work this thing that was supposed to lead to freedom would cause me. I did that over and over and over again until I didn't even know what end was up. And I think that, that probably was the biggest trap for me.

[00:12:30] You hit the gas and then fell into what I call the "when / then" trap. You know, okay, when I make this much money, then I'll be able to take time off, or

[00:12:45] Annie: Totally, totally. And also just responding to all the needs. You know, every time you add more complexity, there's just more things to distract you and like kind of being in a hive mind and just responding to things as they go. Losing the strategy and losing the vision in the day to day grind of it all.

[00:13:08] Maegan: Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:13:17] Arianna: Yeah. Yeah. Well, the "when / then" makes me think of something that you said repeatedly when we were working together. What got you here won't get you there, you know? And so I wanted to just echo that seed that was planted so many years ago. I think a lot of business owners, even if they're not quote unquote helpers or healers or therapists, get into their own business also to be of service.

[00:14:11] It's really hard to say no. It's really hard to disappoint. It's really hard when folks are projecting their needs on you, and you have your own conditioning, you have your own baggage and patterns that you bring that are how you show up when people project their needs on you and their wants on you and are unconsciously or consciously being like, help me, save me, fix this for me.

[00:14:59] Maegan: I do feel like that's one of the biggest shifts from working for someone else to working for ourselves is that you don't realize when you're working for someone else all of the things you're not carrying.

[00:15:20] The weight of making sure clients are happy and enough clients are coming in and you know, how's our cash flow? Is it in a good place? You don't think about that stuff. You just kind of show up, do your work, and leave. And people don't prepare you for that change when you go into business for yourself.

[00:15:55] And we're really not prepared for any of it. So it hits us like a tidal wave, right? Okay, we're going to talk more about that in just a second, but I just, I want to zoom out here for a moment and say that the Deeply Rested podcast is based on my belief that your business should serve you first and your clients second. And this took me many years as an entrepreneur to figure out inside of myself. But when I discovered that part of the reason I was so burnt out and exhausted was that I was people pleasing to the max, right? I was trying to make… I was trying to create a business that served everybody first, and maybe there would be some crumbs left over for me at the end. I was like, that doesn't make sense. I need to reverse that. The reason that I'm not working for someone else is because: Rewind to that vision, that fantasy that you painted when you decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. Like, that's why I did this. So that needs to be my measuring stick, right?

[00:18:39] Annie: I remember it so well. It was January 2021. After sitting on an uncomfortable chair for a year in my dark basement apartment, looking at a fence, seeing clients every day who were panicked, distressed, And I was somehow supposed to, provide calm, as I was panicked and distressed, in my basement apartment in my uncomfortable chair.

[00:19:40] Arianna: It was the worst. I mean, totally.

[00:19:48] Maegan: I had friends who were like, oh, I, I'm getting paid not to work. And I'm like, baking sourdough. And I was like, fuck you guys,

[00:19:55] Arianna: Sourdough starter, and your crochet projects.

[00:20:21] I just felt like I was swimming in the soup of disturbance, which I think was also leading to the burnout. I was working harder, but seeing less of the results that I had seen over the course of my career, while also holding space for employees who were distressed. My hopefulness, my sense of self was demeaning. I was tired.

[00:20:57] Dr. Google. Yes, as you do... I don't know that I was that familiar with what... Burnout was just maybe starting to come on the horizon, the word, in any kind of significant way. So it wasn't like in my consciousness, but

[00:21:22] Arianna: I know the loom.

[00:21:33] And I was like, I, I messaged back: I'm too burnt out to read the thing on burnout.

[00:21:41] Annie: Yeah, yeah, so that was kind of the start of our relationship and I just remember you responding, and I just started to see what was happening. And it was probably I think about six months later, but at that point, I started to get curious about a sabbatical, and this was so revolutionary at the point that I... But I was desperate.

[00:22:17] Maegan: Thank you so much for taking us back there, Annie. I know it's not comfortable to

[00:22:38] And we were really suffering. You know, we were scared. It's like when, when your clients start drying up because scary things are happening in their lives, and

[00:23:00] So there's that stress on top as well. So that feels really unique, right? Like this unique moment, this strange moment in time, Annie, when your burnout hit. But I think the reality is, like, that burnout was going to hit you. So, even if the pandemic didn't come, it just sort of sped up,

[00:23:19] Maegan: The trajectory, yeah, but like you were on that trajectory, because everything that you're describing, it's like you were making all of these decisions in your business that you were supposed to make.

[00:24:26] And in some ways, it can be really hard to discern. When you're deep in burnout, it can be hard to discern, is this burnout or is this depression? Because they feel so similar. I really appreciate you naming that. Okay. Totally heard, Annie. Like, we've been there. We get it. Ari, what about you? How would you describe the dark days of your business?

[00:25:08] group practice exchange, because, and you talked me out of starting a group practice, thank fucking god. and so,

[00:25:19] Arianna: Yes, like hearing… I remember that conversation because I think I was driving in my... I was like sitting in my vet's parking lot, or something, and you were like, do you really want to do this?

[00:25:54] Arianna: Oh my gosh, I just listened to every single episode and there was just something about it that felt dramatically different than any other message I was getting from business owners and then ultimately, from like business coaches.

[00:26:31] And so I also was staring at this blank screen. I was seeing clients, sometimes from like 7. 30 a. m. to 7. 30 p. m. And. During that time for therapy, like before the pandemic, my practice had a nice natural ebb and flow, I would say. You know, clients come in, and clients come out. But once the pandemic hit, everyone was doing therapy.

[00:27:19] And I was starting to have really bad physical symptoms and neurological symptoms, and chronic pain, which was not something that was part of my bodily experience before. So I was feeling really scared of how my body was responding to this burnout. And then also, my copywriting business at that time... you know, all these therapists couldn't rely on physical marketing methods and they're like, let's update our copy.

[00:28:03] And also I didn't have the infrastructure for this growth, either. There was no intentionality to this growth. It was almost a parasitic type of growth, right? As opposed to an intentional, slow seasonal growth.

[00:28:20] appreciate, maybe that's better, like, I appreciate all of the themes, like the themes in both of your stories and my story around burnout, and how burnout, I'm realizing this moment, it can come from two sources, right? It can come from a place of real scarcity. Where you don't have enough clients, you don't have enough money, you can't pay your bills. Like your business is not succeeding in conventional terms. And you get burnt out because you're just running so hard on that hamster wheel.

[00:28:54] We've all known people who have, have been in that place. And, and that burnout is, it's real and it's hard to get out of.

[00:29:03] Maegan: Similar but different than the type of burnout that comes from what the two of you are describing, which I'm going to call, as you know, coming from a place of having abundance problems, right?

[00:29:14] Maegan: When we have abundance problems in our business, it's like, it's, it's really complicated. It's paradoxical because

[00:30:22] I think, for a lot of small business owners where they're sitting on this precipice of having to decide, I love what I do, but I can't continue doing it like this. Or maybe, I don't love what I do, and I definitely can't continue doing it like this. Either way, we're not sure what comes next. Right? We're not sure how to get ourselves to a better place. And that is where the deeply rested work comes into play. Because we all know, the three of us know, as therapists, right, that you have to be resourced and rested in order to see clearly, right, in order to be able to, to find the answer to your own questions so that you can navigate yourself out of sticky situations.

[00:31:16] All right. We're entering act two of the conversation. Let's get out of the dark days.

[00:31:23] Maegan: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Exiting the sourdough era and entering a season of hope. There are so many metaphors we could draw on here, but I won't go down that rabbit hole. So for years, I knew. This work started for me in 2018, right? I hit burnout. I was running a group practice. I was doing business coaching.

[00:32:03] I'm so unhappy, and I'm so stressed, and I was having a much needed meltdown, right? Like that meltdown really needed to happen. And I connected, in this meltdown, to this kind of core truth that I needed to take a sabbatical, like I needed to break, a significant break.

[00:32:49] Like I had to be rested. Everything for me starts on a foundation of rest.

[00:32:55] Maegan: So I spent the next year really swimming in the philosophy of that idea. You know, like, okay, deeply rested, wildly successful, love the sound of that. How do I do that? I want to figure out how to make that real. There were several years when all of my offerings were more philosophical in nature. We were talking about the idea of it; I hadn't yet really figured out, how do I make this practical? And I'm saying that for anybody listening who's sitting on like a really great philosophical idea. Like sometimes we do just have to be with really good ideas, and let them unfold over time, like let the path to the big idea reveal itself to us over time. And I will say it took two and a half, three years before the idea of being deeply rested and wildly successful was really translated for me in practical terms. So I'll share a brief story of the moment when deep rest, as I work with it today, was born. It was a couple of years ago; I think it was about two years ago. And I, again, was really stressed out. Just had too much on my plate. I was feeling pretty crispy, really needed a break, but I felt like I had all of these to-dos on my plate, like I couldn't take time off. I was just stuck in an old pattern, right? Old, old pattern, but I was stuck in it. And I woke up one morning, I think it was a Tuesday, and I could not open my laptop. Like I just couldn't do it. I also happened to be in the middle of reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J.

[00:35:06] I'm going to sit in this love sack. I'm going to read this book. And I was like, I'm going to do it. So I did it. I took the day off, emailed my assistant, told everybody who needed to know, like I'm not coming into work today. And I laid in my Lovesac, and I proceeded to spend like the next six hours going through this process where I was both reading the book, and feeling horrifically guilty for reading the book. I felt, like, so guilty. I felt so bad. My inner critic,

[00:35:49] You know, I was like, this, what is happening? Like, this is so messed up. And that was the moment when the switch was really flipped for me. And I was like, Oh, hold on a second. Why did I go into business for myself? Because I wanted to be able to care for myself, in whatever way I needed to, whatever way I wanted to, I wanted freedom.

[00:37:32] To generate time to rest. And then I was like, Oh my God, rest is revenue. And I was like, am I having a great idea that's also an alliteration at the same time? What? Freaked out. I was like, hold on. I have a great idea. It's coming. It's right. Oh my God. It's an alliteration. I was freaking out. I had finished the book at this point, so I needed something new to obsess over. And it was this idea! And I was like, rest, rest is revenue. I want my business to generate rest. I want my business to generate time. I want my business to generate creativity and inspiration, like Annie was saying earlier. And I want all of those things to be just as valuable as the money that I create, right?

[00:38:33] for that journey on the client side of my offerings. So. I'm going to shut my mouth now.

[00:39:10] Annie: Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm still on it. Yeah, it's fluid. It's just so interesting. Well, let me take a step back. The fall of 2021, which was the time at the time I was starting to work with you. I took a three month sabbatical with my husband, and we left California and came to Washington, a place that I had dreamed of living in for over a decade, but really didn't feel was possible.

[00:40:11] And so I, I feel like that period of time and, and also investing in coaching…

[00:40:38] And there had never been a moment where I was like, what do I need? I thought that I was investing into myself, and to some extent I was, but it was never oriented to what do I want? What do I need? What am I feeling called to? It was very service oriented. So this, this whole shift to taking rest.

[00:41:22] It's pretty wild. And I, whenever I support somebody in this process, especially in taking a sabbatical, it's like, you're not really going to understand what time means for you. for, for you'll understand as you go, but more in retrospect. In that process was just space to start to calm my nervous system down.

[00:42:05] that had been obscured and suppressed started to emerge and, and with it possibility that wasn't connected to how can I make myself better for other people, but how, how do I want to be in the world? What am I really about? Like long, long standing dreams and, and passions and ideas started to come back and merge with who I was.

[00:42:52] Yeah.

[00:43:03] Oh, money and constant upward trajectory,

[00:43:12] Is the profit increasing? You know, are we like climbing the ladder to nowhere? And it takes really conscious decision making to slow ourselves down and to say, actually, I don't want to climb that ladder to nowhere. Actually, I want to get really clear about how much money I need. Actually, I want to make sure that the work I'm doing in the world feels really aligned

[00:43:42] the left and then two years later, take a sharp turn to the right, and let

[00:43:54] Annie: mm hmm.

[00:44:04] Annie: Totally.

[00:44:05] Annie: Yeah, and even probably on top of all that, and most importantly, the question of what is it all for? What is it all for? And, that's a big question to ask, and there had been no space or capacity to ask that question. What is this all for?

[00:44:29] Right? When we leave the jobs we're working for someone else, we get to say, what is my work all for? What is my business all for? And the possibilities are so much more expansive than when we're working for somebody else.

[00:44:44] Maegan: Ari, what do you think about what Annie is sharing?

[00:45:08] Thank God. and then I was like, Oh, but I want to scale my copywriting business. And I remember this was October of 2021, where we were talking about ideas for my lead magnet and stuff. And you said, with your like piercing kindness, do you need a sabbatical? And I started sobbing, and it was just… My body was just like, yes, yes, yes.

[00:45:48] Don't decide while you're on sabbatical. And so then when I was on sabbatical, that was my first experience, visceral experience. skeptical at first that rest is revenue because everything that happened in those two months that I was not quote unquote, making money transformed the way I do business.

[00:46:11] benefits from that today. And so being able to detox from, to rest my nervous system. A lot of people imagine sabbaticals to just be this great time. I was actually pretty miserable during that time. I got covid for, I think, the first time. So two weeks of that, I was really sick with covid. My nervous system would not relax for about two to three weeks, and so there was a juicy period in there... And that's, though, on my sabbatical when I started to really reconnect to like my natural rhythms, and the way I wanted to work and my energy flowed. And so, the biggest way that my rest is revenue shows up for me now is my slow mornings. Before I went on sabbatical,

[00:47:21] m. is my cut off. So that's a way that like rest is revenue for me right now. I also have started, you know, I feel it's a little bit more of my copywriting business because I do do creative work... But I talk about… I write when I'm walking, when I'm thinking, when I'm dreaming, when I'm sleeping and I come to my desk when I need to execute it.

[00:48:05] I have a whole list. I'm not looking at it now. I'm just going off where my heart's going, but the slow mornings, being able to pursue whatever interests I want. So for me, learning is so nourishing. And so now my business, I don't care if it's quote unquote clinical or not. It's paying me in order to learn what I want to learn because it is nurturing

[00:48:44] And then rest is revenue, I mean the traditional time off. Freedom. Flexibility.I know this isn't the case for everyone, but I pretty much can do anything I want with my schedule, anything. And that I feel like is revenue. Like that's revenue that I get a last minute invite to go do this;

[00:49:18] Maegan: Wow, it's so juicy. I love hearing both of you give us these really practical examples of what your business is generating for you. And again,

[00:50:24] and the more you let your business be an expression of your own personal growth and the quiet whispers you hear from your intuition, your soul's calling, however you want to conceptualize it. The more you prioritize those parts of your lived experience, the juicier and more profitable and more sustainable your business becomes.

[00:51:28] It's not easy to work up to the point where you can step away and still pay yourself while you're gone. I think of sabbaticals as opportunities for deep personal healing,

[00:52:26] It's not possible. Annie, Any reflections you want to offer to Ari's story before we move forward?

[00:53:11] And that has always been a huge value for me. But initially the way that I was working was taking me away from that value. And so often the people that I'm providing service for are struggling with that as well. So if I'm caught in that same system, and I'm providing a service to help people with that. How does that work, if I'm out of alignment myself?

[00:53:53] And I'm also living in alignment with myself, which I have found that that seems to really provide a much greater foundation for the work that I provide, right? I'm being what I need.

[00:54:08] Annie: I, exactly, exactly. And when you're showing up to somebody who is out of alignment and is prioritizing you in a way that's at their expense, like, what are you signaling to, to that person who's probably struggling with that as well?

[00:54:40] Maegan: And the gift of the, the ripple effect, right? When we break a rule… When we say like, okay, I'm not going to follow this rule of late stage capitalism. I'm not going to adhere to like this branch of conditioning from the patriarchy...

[00:54:54] Maegan: When we break those rules, like we ripple effect magic out into the collective, right? We give other people permission to do the same, and the change just, it ripples, and we need more people throwing stones in the lake.

[00:55:10] Arianna: I mean, it's, it's courageous work. right? Like, I think it's worth naming for anyone listening. Like, this is courageous work. When I think of the rest is revenue… just bouncing off what Annie shared, part of my sabbatical, you know, when I had that experience of what is revenue that isn't financial, it's really relational.

[00:55:55] I mean, they are to an extent because we do live in capitalism, but that was something that I really took away from my sabbatical is like, Oh, my clients aren't going to be there. And so why am I investing so much energy in that, if it's not actually leveraging me to build a life for after my business, when I'm no longer working, right? So once again, our business is paying us to get on this call and foster and nourish it, nourish this relationship between the three of us as friends.

[00:56:45] Maegan: You're not? Shh. Shit.

[00:56:51] Arianna: Right. But I think I really want to name this because this was a really hard one for me as someone who's ambitious and driven, and can sometimes avoid intimacy with my work. I think there's some real courage when you start to decondition and you start to see the ways that you've been hiding through overworking, right?

[00:57:31] It's the friendships that I have. It's the way I prioritize what's important to me.

[00:57:42] Arianna: I know, right?

[00:57:50] and the pie chart is like business revenue. Right now, probably 100 percent of that pie chart is money in the bank.

[00:58:12] You know, we're all separate people kind of fighting for our own, you know, fighting for our piece of the pie. And then we're just obsessed with money, and there isn't intimacy there, there isn't this relational component that for many of us is what makes life worth living. So think about your pie, and ask yourself, what do I want more of in my life?

[00:58:53] Rewind 45 minutes ago when we said, Hey, take a second to remember why you wanted to go into business for yourself. Before you did when it was just a fantasy, and you were painting that picture of what you thought your life would be like, how life would be better when you weren't working for someone else. What were the specifics of that picture? Because that's going to give you a really great idea of what your business needs to pay you in today, right? Is it more time to be with your family? Do you want to be able to pick your kids up from school when they're sick? Do you want to be able to travel more? Do you want to be able to experiment with, like, different ideas and different offerings? It doesn't matter. It could be anything. It could be literally anything. And what's true for you should be different than what's true for Annie, what's true for Ari, what's true for me. That's part of the magic of becoming deeply rested is the way in which we deeply attune to ourselves. And get really honest with ourselves about what we want in this life. And then we reverse engineer and ask ourselves, How can my business be the thing that creates the freedom, the flexibility, the financial abundance, the relational abundance, the creativity, the magic? All of it. I want all of it. And we can have all of it, as long as we're willing to break

[01:01:43] But my heart was saying, actually, you want friendship with Annie and Ari. And, and they want friendship with you, so have a big grown up conversation about how to change boundaries and, and expectations in your relationship, and, and experience with something new, and trust that more clients are going to come your way.

[01:03:20] individually and together right now. One way that that has shown up for all three of us is in really connecting and being more out with our woo identities, our witchy identities. Our relationship to magic and intuition and spirituality, and we have actually, the three of us in our group chat…

[01:04:16] Arianna: Yeah, I will start. I mean, my sabbatical was when I started reading tarot and working and expanding my spirituality every day. If I were to describe a quote unquote spiritual awakening would be that.But I feel... You named it. Like, I get to be more out around my witchy woo ness. And talk about copywriting and tarot.

[01:05:02] Maegan: Whoa, having who I am be the medicine as opposed to, quote, what I do, what my certification is, what my offering is, like, those are all external packages, right, that are like bundling up what has always been inside. And you're just reversing it, right? You're like, let me just lead with who I am, and what I do is, it doesn't really matter.

[01:05:29] Arianna: Yeah. And if who you are is what matters and creates a transformation, then of course that is going to be your biggest investment, is in yourself and in your personal development. Right? Like you were saying.

[01:05:44] Beautiful. Annie, what's coming up for you?

[01:06:11] And, I'm really good at it and created a whole business around it as a therapist. And, and I, but, but in that was this process of disowned parts of myself not being nurtured, or when they showed up in my work feeling like I was guilty or bad or shameful for, for letting those parts of me emerge but as stepping into this, piece that Ari is speaking so eloquently to realizing that I can't continue to do work that doesn't allow an integrated whole to be there that that who I am, and the way I show up is the medicine and I'm co creating an alchemy with whoever I'm serving. The whole needs to be present and what emerges out of that is the medicine.

[01:07:20] It is to me, the foundation of freedom is like really showing up who, who, and how you are to the best of your ability and wisdom and knowledge now and, and trusting the process that, that you will be guided. And, it's, it's a lot of work to trust the process. But it's a beautiful journey, and the magic that unfolds from that and part of that is just like letting your woo-y witchy self be present, right?

[01:07:54] is the business you're creating for child free women. I just want to shout out that Annie's been hosting these

[01:08:09] And it's like a place, I think, correct me if I'm wrong, Annie, where you're really stepping into the truth of who you are with other people.

[01:08:40] Maegan: It literally is magic.

[01:08:42] Maegan: Like, that's like, it is pure magic and I'm really opening the doors to bringing more of my witchy spiritual self into my work, in my writing, and through my newsletter, through this podcast. but really specifically in stepping back into retreat facilitation.

[01:09:50] That's where I started with this idea. And here we are today talking about it.

[01:09:57] Maegan: our witchy identities and our beautiful abundant flowing businesses while also speaking truth to the challenges. Like it's still

[01:10:13] It's not for the faint of heart, but it is for the brave and the courageous and the people who are feeling called for more. And I really hope that this conversation today is planting seeds for the people who we were those years ago, you know, when we first started this conversation. So I'm just so full of deep gratitude to both of you for your friendship, for your presence, for your vulnerability, and this conversation today for being the first guests on the Deeply Rested podcast.

[01:10:54] Annie: So honored to be here with two of my favorite people. And like, I just wish I could send this podcast back to the me of 10 years ago.

[01:11:21] Maegan: Yeah Mmm, thank you. Ari. Me, too. I love being surprised. I just want to be surprised every day. I want to be surprised by, you know, what happens when I follow those quiet whispers of intuition. It's always a delight. And, and I'll shout out, you know, you mentioned earlier, Ari, that you originally found me through the Rest and Success Code, which was our fundraising event. And we're going to be sprinkling those Rest and Success Code conversations into the Deeply Rested

[01:11:52] Annie: They're so good. They're brilliant.

[01:12:27] Arianna: Ah,

[01:12:31] Maegan: I love it.

[01:12:33] Maegan: We’ll live in the woods. Ha.

[01:12:46] Annie: Singing.

[01:13:11] Annie, Ari, I want you to please tell listeners where they can find you. Ari, where can listeners find you?

[01:13:49] And of course, you obviously are going to get content around ,copywriting, but also you get some woo in there. You get some, how does tarot and human design enhance your copywriting? How can you align your natural seasons to your writing process? So I'm really trying to have my newsletter be the only anti grind copywriting newsletter out there that's just like, no, don't work harder.

[01:14:26] Maegan: I love that so much, Ari. Ari's newsletter is phenomenal. It's such a delight to read. Even if you're not a therapist, if you're any kind of business owner, I think you're going

[01:14:47] Arianna: I know. I know.

[01:14:52] Arianna: I think it will turn into that in October. You know, it will just be a seasonal weekly word witch or something like

[01:15:03] Annie: Yeah, you can find out more about Delightfully Free if you're child free, and you're interested in joining a community of other child free folks who are rooted in seasonal living and the spiritual liberated paths, that's where you'll find me at Annie Robershaw, A N N I E Robeshaw. com, and you can join my newsletter as well and learn about the Moon Circles and other offerings.

[01:15:34] Maegan: My alter ego. Oh, that's so delightful. I will include links to both of your websites and your newsletters in the show notes. So if you want to connect with Annie and Ari, feel free to get on their newsletters. Highly recommend. Annie, Ari, I am so grateful to both of you for our friendship, for your sharing on this episode. I'll see you back here in one year, yeah?

[01:16:01] Arianna: The dark coven reunites.

[01:16:07] Maegan: Right.

[01:16:11] Maegan: thank you, Annie. Okay, bye for now.

[01:16:16] Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Deeply Rested. If you enjoyed this conversation, I would love to invite you to join the Deeply Rested weekly newsletter. You can sign up at deeplyrested.com/newsletter. I hope to meet you in my inbox very soon.