Allowing your message to flow freely means that you have to be willing to share with yourself the ability to use your voice. Regardless of whether you try to record a video, write a letter, or use the spoken word to communicate thoughts, ideas, or expressions, being able to master one of these techniques (amongst many others) can help you in your success. Finding your passion, however, is another key ingredient in being able to achieve that kind of greatness. Today's guest, Aeoliana Elliott, the founder/owner of Top Shelf Virtual Services, shares her secrets of success with connecting within the podcast industry, but more importantly, gets to the fundamental core of what it means to authentically tell your story. By being able to express yourself, you will find more than just money & fame, but success in sharing yourself with others that want to hear what you have to say at the right time.

Guest Bio

Aeoliana is a wife, hockey mom, paralegal and podcast launch strategist. She loves helping people start their own podcasts with confidence. Using her BCAME framework—Balance, Communication, Authenticity, Mindset Mastery, and Empowerment—she guides clients through finding your podcast idea, making your content great, and creating a solid plan. She can also help you understand how your thoughts shape your decisions and actions, so that you can launch your own podcast confidently and make a real impact.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089882582085&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3700872426901830/

@aeoliana.elliott on Instagram

Website: https://www.topshelfvirtualservices.com

Visit Our Website: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/

Visit Our Business Website: https://www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

Support The Mission Of The Business! Donate Here: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/support

Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

2

determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

3

This is Speaking From The Heart.

4

Joshua: Welcome back to episode

number 176 of Speaking from the Heart.

5

Today we have Aeoliana Elliott with us.

6

Aeoliana is a wife, hockey mom,

paralegal, and podcast launch strategist.

7

She loves helping people start

their own podcasts with confidence.

8

Using her BCAME framework, which stands

for Balance, Communication, Authenticity,

9

Mindset, Mastery, and Empowerment, she

guides clients through finding their

10

podcast idea, making their content

great, and creating a solid plan.

11

She can also help you understand how your

thoughts shape your decisions and actions,

12

so that you can launch your own podcast

confidently and make a real impact,

13

and boy, did Aeoliana make an impact

today, especially with her interview,

14

sharing all kinds of things, turning

from a probation/corrections career

15

into what she does now to help others.

16

I think that this conversation really

reflects on a variety of different

17

things, not just how we can help each

other, not only how we can support

18

ourselves in ways in which we can

grow, but we all have something that

19

we might feel like we're pretending to

do, but through that pretending, which

20

really is a script to say that we are

really hiding ourselves from our true

21

passion, we can find authenticity.

22

We can find confidence and clarity.

23

We want to be listened, and I think that

when we hear from her story today, we're

24

not only shining a light on finding

that why of how we should be listened

25

to, but that we can build a foundation,

along with a structure, so that we

26

can help people through that process

to become able to do it themselves.

27

This isn't any sort of

coaching type episode.

28

It isn't anything that we have really

talked about on this show either, as

29

it relates to her fascinating story

of why we bring growth, why we build

30

ourselves to help others, but I think

that her story, amongst many others,

31

sheds a light onto why we never close a

door on each other, let alone ourselves.

32

But with that, let's go to the episode.

33

All right.

34

We're here with Aeoliana Elliott.

35

Aeoliana, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

36

Aeoliana: Thank you for having me, Josh.

37

Joshua: Thank you for being here,

and there's two things I have

38

to start off with right away.

39

First off, I'm so happy I said your

name because we practiced it like 500

40

times before we even started the show,

so I'm lucky that I nailed it twice in

41

a row, but the other thing with this is

that your business is meta to the whole

42

reason of doing podcasting, and I love

having this kind of conversation today.

43

We haven't really dived into this

sort of work here on Speaking From

44

The Heart, so I'm super excited to

have you on the show to kind of talk

45

about not only your business, but

also why you're doing everything, so

46

I think the perfect question to kick

this whole thing off is what got you

47

started into helping other people with

their podcasts, and I know there has

48

to be an amazing story behind this.

49

Aeoliana: Okay, so we're going to go

50

as a probation officer, and I had a

client who walked in with pneumonia,

51

and I ended up with other health issues.

52

I ended up contracting pneumonia.

53

I got walking pneumonia.

54

I spent two or three days in and out

of the ER; 103 fever, and one day, my

55

mom decided to take me to the ER, and I

called my husband and I said, "I'm fine.

56

We're just going to the ER.

57

We're getting checked up.

58

Everything's fine."

59

My husband said, "Okay!"

60

He picked up our son from kindergarten.

61

He said, "I'll feed him, take

him to your dad's, and then

62

I'll meet you at the hospital."

63

that was only like maybe

two, two and a half hours.

64

When he got to the hospital, I

was already in cardiac arrest.

65

They were intubating me and putting

me in a medically induced coma.

66

I was in a coma for five days, I believe.

67

The period between February

14th and February 26th, I

68

have no memory of whatsoever.

69

Apparently, I was septic.

70

I had the walking pneumonia, and the

hospital stay lasted an extra week once

71

I woke up, and then it was three months

of physical therapy: learning how to

72

walk, how to talk, how to write, how to

do all of those things all over again,

73

and then fast forward to 2019, I was

hospitalized again with a double kidney

74

infection twice in three months, and

the job I was working for at the time,

75

it was a different job, not probation,

I had gone into a different job.

76

They let me go while I was in the

hospital, so my husband was like, "You're

77

not working as a paralegal anymore.

78

You need to find something else.",

and that was right before the fabulous

79

time in our lives called COVID, so I

ended up getting a job with my brother

80

in a construction company, and I was

doing just admin work; really basic,

81

but the drive was about 30 minutes

from our house, so in those 30 minutes.

82

I had always listened to podcasts.

83

I love true crime podcasts

and, I just, in my drive, I was

84

like, "Let's listen to podcasts.

85

What else am I going to do 30 minutes

going, 30 minutes coming back?", and so

86

I started with listening to podcasts for

more learning as opposed to entertainment,

87

and so I jumped into doing virtual

assistant work, and I learned how to do

88

all that through podcasting, and then

I found out that there's such a thing

89

as podcast management, and I had never

thought about the actual background

90

work behind the scenes of a podcast.

91

I was one of those people that thought

you hit the record button and you

92

publish it and that's it, and boy was I

wrong, so I did that for about a year,

93

and then I started talking to people

more one on one outside of just the

94

management, and I had a client come to

me once and she said, "You know what?

95

You do more mindset work and strategy

work than you do actual like management

96

work.", and so that's when I jumped

into doing the podcast launch strategy,

97

and this past year, I started focusing

more on the mindset piece more so

98

than the tech, which is why I created

my framework, which is BCAME, which

99

stands for Balance, Communication and

Collaboration, Authenticity, Mindset, and

100

Empowerment, because I am a firm believer,

and which is why I love your podcast.

101

I am a firm believer in that we all have

a voice, and our voices need to be heard.

102

There's so much that we have to share

of ourselves, and like I said, back in

103

2019, 2020 with the COVID, everybody

was living a life of pretending that

104

everything was okay, and pretending

that we had this perfect life.

105

Everything was great.

106

Everything was Instagram filters

and things like that, and what

107

COVID taught us in my eyes, is

that our shit-o-meter is so high.

108

We don't want the BS anymore.

109

We don't want the bullshit.

110

We want truth.

111

We want authenticity, and I really

wish we could find a different word

112

for authenticity because it's so

overused, but that's what we need.

113

That's what we want.

114

We want connection.

115

We don't want fake anymore.

116

Those days are gone, because we don't

know how long we're going to be here,

117

and for someone like me who was always

in the background, and never really

118

spoke up, to know that something I

say, or something I share, could help

119

someone else, and I don't take that

time to say it, it's selfish of me to

120

hide in the background, because I don't

think I have something important to say.

121

It has nothing to do with me.

122

It has to do with how it's going to

affect other people, and I can say

123

things the wrong way all the time,

but the right person is going to

124

hear what they need to hear, and

if I don't say it, I can't change.

125

It can change someone's life.

126

Something as simple as sharing my story,

or sharing what I overcame and what got me

127

here, so I hope it answers your question.

128

Joshua: You answered it, and so much more,

so I have to say, not only did I have the

129

sense that when you had seen my posts on

Need A Guest, which I got to give a shout

130

out to the Need A Guest Facebook group for

allowing us to have this connection, it's

131

been an amazing community for allowing

me to connect with a variety of different

132

individuals with their stories, but even

with that said, you saying some things

133

here that I think, even for myself, we

were even talking about this before the

134

show that it's really about the connection

that we're trying to achieve, and I like

135

to call it the relationships because

that's one of the values of even my

136

business for that matter, because without

relationships, without that ability to

137

formulate that connection with somebody

else so that we can empower each other,

138

we really are at a standstill, and I

think the medium of podcasting, which is

139

why I made a decision even early on, even

after I opened my business, to start this,

140

was to not just create that forum, but,

noting exactly what you said, some people

141

are tired of just the ineffectiveness of

whether we're reading about it, whether

142

we're hearing somebody else's truth, which

might not even be the truth, we just want

143

to be in a society where we can hear each

other, but even then, I've had guests

144

that have talked about the differences

between why we need to be careful about

145

what we say, what we do, because it could

be used against us, but even with that

146

said, Aeoliana, you said some stuff here

that I really want to break down because

147

I think it makes a big impact as to why

you created this, and one of the things

148

that really stood out to me is that you

said about true crime, dramas, and stuff

149

like that, and I'm imagining like you're

one of those people are like, "Oh, I'm

150

going to be turned into 48 hours and

watch what happened with this documentary

151

of somebody that got murdered."

152

Yeah, so-

153

Aeoliana: I am a serial

killer documentary junkie.

154

Joshua: What led you into that type

of career in the first place with

155

the corrections, probation, and

then having that interest with that?

156

I mean, did you think that you were

able to give like inmates a voice,

157

like, tell me more about that, because

I think our listeners would like to

158

see how that's even more connected.

159

Aeoliana: You know, it's funny.

160

No one's ever asked me that before.

161

Growing up, I've always

been interested in law.

162

When I was small, I thought I was going

to be a nun, and then I found out what

163

that was, and what you have to do, and I

was like, "No, that's not me.", but then

164

it was like, "I'm going to be a lawyer.",

and then I worked out of college.

165

I got my criminology bachelor's, and

once I got working, I was working at

166

the state attorney's office, and I

realized that if I became an attorney,

167

I was going to have to do one of two

things that I wasn't comfortable with.

168

I was either going to have to

defend someone who was guilty, or

169

I was going to have to prosecute

someone who was innocent, and both

170

of those things were something that

I couldn't wrap my head around.

171

I know a lot of people do one or the

other, but for me, I was like, "I

172

can't be a prosecutor and convict

someone that I know didn't do it."

173

I can't rely on the system to do the right

thing, because we all know the system

174

fails all the time because the system

is built on people, and as people, as

175

humans, we fail all the time, and then,

on the flip side, I was like, "I cannot

176

defend someone that I know is guilty."

177

I could not put someone back on the

street that I knew didn't belong

178

there, and so I stopped that.

179

I was like, "Okay.

180

I'm not going to be an attorney.", and

instead, I jumped into doing paralegal

181

work and I've done paralegal work,

family law, criminal law, immigration.

182

I'm doing probate, which is elder

care, Medicaid, things like that;

183

estate planning, that's what I do now.

184

I've done personal injury.

185

I've done all of that, and the stories

people share when they're going through-

186

and the law firm I work for now, it's

like, he tells me that the stories people

187

tell when they're in that dark hour of

preparing estate plans for a deceased

188

loved one, or they're preparing for

the death of a loved one, or whatever

189

that is, the stories are the same.

190

Whether you're going through a divorce, or

whether you're going through the hardest

191

part of your life and getting arrested,

and going through the system that way,

192

and all of the stories are the same, just

in different scenarios, and hearing the

193

stories, and being with people in those

tough times, and hearing their stories,

194

and having them share, because nine times

out of ten, when people came into our

195

office and they were in that tough period,

all they needed was someone to listen,

196

and from that point, it was so important

to me to understand the importance of

197

people sharing their story; of people,

having someone to listen, not necessarily

198

to judge, to criticize, to give advice,

but just a listening ear, and I think,

199

nowadays, people are understanding that.

200

When I was younger, people

didn't really understand.

201

I come from a Hispanic background where,

as a woman, your voice doesn't matter.

202

You don't speak up.

203

You hide behind the males in your

family and your opinions don't matter,

204

and moving here to the United States,

I've been here for almost 30 years,

205

but it's completely different, and now

with the Me Too movement, and all of

206

that stuff, it's like we have a voice.

207

As women, we need to speak up,

but everyone should speak up.

208

Everyone has a voice.

209

Everyone has a story.

210

Everyone has something that they need

to share, that they need to speak about.

211

I always say this.

212

I'm a Catholic, so I'm religious, but

I also do spirituality stuff, like

213

human design and all that, so I'm

like all over the gamut, but for me-

214

Joshua: You're a very

versatile woman for sure.

215

Yes.

216

Aeoliana: I'm all over.

217

I'm all over, but for me, I say if

God put something in your heart, a

218

message, something that you feel you

have to say, it's because someone out

219

there is waiting for you to say it.

220

They're waiting to hear it from

you, not from somebody else.

221

They are waiting to hear it from you,

and we do people a disservice when we

222

shrink, and we don't speak up, and we

stay small, and this is kind of deep,

223

and it's kind of dark, but you don't

know how your message, and sharing your

224

message, and sharing your voice, could

save someone's life, could help someone

225

that is in the middle of one of their

darkest times, and you just sharing your

226

story doesn't have to be anything that

they're going through, but it could be,

227

and now you've shared that, and they

can look at it and they can say, "Damn.

228

I'm going to be okay.

229

I can do this.

230

I'm going to be okay.", and who

are we to say that we aren't the

231

answer to someone else's prayer

when we have things like that?

232

When we share stories, and

when we share things like that?

233

We don't know that.

234

We don't know how our voice, and

our story, is going to resonate

235

and who it's going to resonate

with, so that's why I do what I do.

236

Joshua: Wow.

237

I have to say that you remind me so

much of why this whole experience,

238

even for me started in the first place.

239

I felt insignificant for such a long

time, felt marginalized, even with what

240

I had, and you were absolutely right

about what you're saying about women,

241

and I'm a guy, and I know that, and

I totally know my lane with this, and

242

I know I got to be careful with how

I say this, because I don't want to

243

be one of those male chauvinist pigs

that are like, "Yeah, you know what?

244

You want me to work harder?"

245

No!

246

I realized that there has to be a better

opportunity, better balance for us to

247

all work together, and I feel like being

bullied growing up, even for myself,

248

really showed that distinction of why

everybody needs to be treated equally

249

to have that voice, so everything that

you've just said the last few minutes,

250

it all makes sense as to why having

this sort of platform to help others

251

to create that voice for themselves is

not only fulfilling in many different

252

aspects, but for some people, they

don't have that ability to do that.

253

They might not have some of the tools, the

gifts, the resources, that say you and I

254

have to be able to project that kind of

message, so I love everything that you

255

say, because it's something that I've

even said in my monologue episodes, even

256

have said with other guests exactly about

having that voice, because if you don't

257

say it, and you hold it in, you might

be doing somebody a disservice by not

258

sharing what is on your heart, so thank

you for signifying that, and even honoring

259

the fact that I know that it's something

that needs to be consistently said.

260

Aeoliana: And I'm going to give you a tip.

261

Joshua: Go ahead.

262

Aeoliana: You said when you

started that you wanted to make

263

sure you said it the right way.

264

You didn't want to sound

like a male chauvinist.

265

The fact that you thought that

shows that you are not, so it

266

didn't matter how you delivered it.

267

The fact that you had that thought

in your head that, "I want to make

268

sure I say this the right way because

I don't want to sound this way.",

269

already shows your heart, and that

you aren't that kind of a person.

270

You really want to do the right thing,

and share the stories the right way,

271

and give everything the importance,

and some stories will be light.

272

Some stories will be heavy, and you're

giving people that platform to be who

273

they are, and say what they feel, without

any kind of barrier, so kudos to you.

274

Joshua: Well, thank you for that,

and for you to say that too, I have

275

to acknowledge the fact that I've

had many different experiences.

276

We were talking about this even too before

the show of all the number of people that

277

have helped me change to where I'm at.

278

I would not have been able to get to say

176 episodes if it wasn't for the fact

279

that I had to put that work in to change

myself, to expand my mindset, my horizons

280

of what it is that is a problem, and I

realized too, through my work, through

281

the things that I've even interacted with

over a couple dozen clients, even for that

282

matter that we are all, at some point or

another, on different pages when it comes

283

to what we believe, and doesn't mean that

we're wrong, or right, or indifferent.

284

It's just that we do need to be heard.

285

We do need to be able to respect each

other, and I think that's a key word

286

is being able to respect, and you say

it as the mindset, or the empowerment,

287

in your framework, which if I want to

do a quick pivot to that, because part

288

of what you even do for your business,

the name of the business for my

289

listeners is Top Shelf Virtual Services.

290

I find that you are trying to

create exactly that kind of

291

conversation that we just had.

292

You're trying to help these sort of

people do that, so can you run through,

293

at a high level, how exactly you achieve

that, because I saw on your website that

294

you do a number of different things as it

relates to management of podcasts, helping

295

people with starting their podcasts.

296

Even for somebody that is starting out,

even if they do want to get out on the

297

airwaves, kind of like what you and I

were doing even today, what would be a

298

single idea for them to get started with?

299

Aeoliana: My biggest tip for people when

they're wanting to start is knowing why

300

you're starting it, knowing what your

mission is, what your purpose is, what

301

are you trying to do with this podcast,

creating this content, whatever it is,

302

and I say that because so many people get

into podcasting thinking like I did, that

303

you just record and you go, and there's

so much more to that, and people don't

304

realize only a third of podcasts that

get started make it past 10 episodes.

305

People quit very quickly

because it is something that

306

you don't go viral right away.

307

It's something that it takes a

lot of time to build for people

308

to find you, for people to listen

to you, for people to follow you.

309

It takes a long time, and if

you don't have that firm, solid

310

foundation of why you were doing it,

when those tough times come, you're

311

not going to want to keep going.

312

You're not going to want to keep going.

313

You're going to want to stop.

314

You're going to be like,

"Oh, this is useless.

315

I'm not going to bother.", but if you

have that purpose, and that intention in

316

the back of your mind of why you're doing

this, and money cannot be the answer.

317

You can't say, "I'm going to

monetize and I'm going to be rich,

318

and that's how it's going to be."

319

it can't be that.

320

It has to be something beyond yourself.

321

I'm a service driven person.

322

I'm a projector in human design, so my

whole purpose in this world is to guide

323

people, and to see the bigger picture,

and to guide others where they need to

324

be, and you can't do something like this.

325

It's 1000 percent a passion project.

326

You cannot do this if you are looking

for a quick buck, or if you're looking

327

for material tangibles, you can't.

328

You can't.

329

You can use it to promote, you can use it

for all of these things, but the deeper

330

meaning behind why you're doing it has

to be more than just to serve yourself.

331

Joshua: I can't tell you how much

I wanted to just scream on the top

332

of the mountain to be like, "Yes!

333

Say it, girl!

334

Say it!", because I felt that

way for so long that I just

335

had to keep churning this.

336

It was something that wasn't going to

happen overnight, and I'll be honest.

337

I'm not the top 1%.

338

I'm not the top 10%.

339

I'd be lucky if I'm the top 50%.

340

The reason I even do this is

not just for the quick buck,

341

I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

342

I am here to make money from it.

343

I want people to be able to say, "Wow!

344

This guy, Josh, is an amazing person.

345

I want to work with him.

346

I want to be better person overall."

347

I'm not going to deny it, but you

nailed it in that this was something

348

that even I've said to listeners that

have known this for a very long time.

349

I started this, and you didn't even know

this, I started this as a 90 day project.

350

I said, "You know what?

351

Let's see what happens in 90 days.

352

If I really like it, great.

353

If I don't, I can trash this

and just forget about it."

354

Aeoliana: Yep.

355

Joshua: Well, here I am.

356

I'm doing this.

357

Aeoliana: Well over 90 days.

358

Joshua: Well over 90 days.

359

Fell in love with it, and

is it a lot of work yet?

360

Yes, because I do everything from

booking the guests, having the discussion

361

beforehand, doing the recording,

editing the recording, so on, so forth.

362

There's a lot of steps to

it, but I've had support.

363

I've had influence.

364

I've had people that come around

me to be able to say, "You're doing

365

the good work of that to help me.

366

You're helping me, Josh.", so

when you say that you're helping

367

other people, I feel that.

368

I feel that passion from you when it

comes to that, because it's not easy to

369

start one of these, I will say hands down.

370

It's an easy investment at the end of

the day, because I spent about less

371

than a hundred dollars doing this:

equipment, buying it off of Amazon,

372

just getting everything tested, set

up with the software and everything.

373

I probably lost more money than I actually

gained, but did I learn a lot from it?

374

Absolutely, so you're saying some of

the things that I think for anybody

375

that's ever considering starting one,

or even being part of one, just think

376

about all the background with it.

377

To kind of wrap this into understanding

this a bit better, what would you say

378

is the number one thing that most people

starting out with a podcast fall into when

379

it comes to like an issue or a situation

that maybe they never anticipated, and

380

I'm sure you have a lot of examples from

clients that you've worked with, but

381

what would you say is one thing that

you often see is consistent across the

382

board that is a problem, and how do you

usually advise them to overcome that?

383

Aeoliana: Probably I would say

thinking they need to over edit

384

their stuff, and it's funny that

you said you're not the top 1%.

385

The majority of the time, the people

that are in the top 1% is because

386

they have the bankroll to do it.

387

They have the bankroll, and

they have the staff to do it.

388

Most podcasters are doing it

all by themselves, and like

389

the Rogans, or like my husband

watches Rich Eisen do his podcast.

390

Those are people who have huge teams,

lots of money, experience, and we're not

391

going to be those people, so thinking

that you have to edit yourself in order

392

to make something that people are going

to want to listen to, and the problem

393

with that is that if you over edit

yourself, if you look at your podcast,

394

and you listen to the audio and you

say, "I got to get rid of all of this

395

stuff because it's too many pauses, too

much ums, too much likes, whatever.",

396

and you don't sound like yourself, when

someone comes to meet you, if you don't

397

sound the way you do on your podcast,

they're going to be like, "Who are you?

398

You're not who I thought you were.",

so I tell people all the time, I'm

399

like, if you want to start, editing

is one of the hardest things to do.

400

It takes the most time, and it's the

one thing people source out right away.

401

Keep it simple.

402

Joshua: You're preaching to the

choir, because I think about when

403

I started out, I was like, "Oh!

404

I have all these filler words.

405

I got to get rid of the ums

and the ahs and all that.",

406

and then I started realizing a

little bit later on, "You know.

407

I'm going way too heavy on this.

408

I need to let some of this in

because the pauses actually

409

do add to the conversation.

410

The nonverbal aspects, and it kind of made

me start to think about my public speaking

411

training and how they even translate into

even podcasting for that matter, so you

412

are saying some of the things that I made

rookie mistakes in starting out that now,

413

even then, sometimes I get myself a little

too worked up and then I'm like, "Okay.

414

Take a backseat to this, let it simmer

for a day, and then take a listen to

415

it again.", and then it actually sounds

pretty good, and I actually do love

416

even some of the later things that

I've recorded as a result of that.

417

Aeoliana: Yeah, and it makes it a little

bit easier for you starting out, for

418

someone starting out, and, I mean, I

am the mayor of imposter syndrome town.

419

Welcome if you are one of those, if

you are in my town, welcome, so for me,

420

I've never liked the sound of my voice.

421

I've never liked recording myself.

422

I've never liked being on a recording,

but I realized that this is who I am.

423

I have to be who I am, and if I constantly

thought about what people thought about

424

me, how people saw me, what people

are thinking, which nine times out of

425

ten, nobody really cares about you.

426

They're too worried about themselves,

but we think that everybody's

427

looking at us in a certain way,

and I had to be like, "Okay.

428

This is me.

429

This is what I sound like.

430

This is how I talk, and it is what it is."

431

That's my phrase for 2024.

432

It is what it is, and we just let it go.

433

Joshua: It is a powerful phrase, even

as we wrap up this year and enter into

434

a new year, because I think that we

need to continue that conversation

435

of, "Is it okay to be just me?", and

I think that this medium even creates

436

that opportunity for us to expand on our

thoughts, our imagination, our feelings,

437

the way that we move ourselves forward.

438

Aeoliana, we're almost out of time, but I

want to ask you one more question that is

439

on my mind, and it's really reading about

more of your BCAME framework and a little

440

bit about how it applies to podcasters.

441

I want to read one part of this

because it stood out to me.

442

One of the things that you have on your

website about how it helps podcasters.

443

You said, "balance growth", which is

funny because we're kind of talking

444

about this concept in itself that we're

balancing a little bit of what we can

445

and cannot do, but you say, "With an

emphasis on balance, you can grow and

446

succeed as a podcaster while maintaining

harmony and other areas of your life like

447

work, family and personal wellbeing."

448

I have to ask you.

449

You've been through some major

medical things in your life to get

450

to this point now that instead of

thinking about yourself, you're

451

thinking about others, and I think

there was a balance between that.

452

Do you think that you're still working

on yourself with that, and if you are,

453

what do you think has been the most

effective thing that you might want

454

to share that could help them achieve

some of that balance growth as well?

455

Aeoliana: Yeah.

456

I mean, I think balance is something

that a lot of people think is a

457

destination, and I think balance

is something that we never achieve,

458

but we're always working towards.

459

I'm constantly working on myself.

460

My family is my guinea pigs.

461

I have my son doing affirmations and doing

EFT tapping, which if your listeners don't

462

know what that is, please look it up.

463

It is phenomenal when you're

under stress, when you're anxious.

464

It's one of the best things

because I can't meditate.

465

I would love to, but my mind just races so

much, but EFT tapping has been something

466

that's been phenomenal, and just learning

more about who I am, about myself, about

467

how I am in relationships , about how

I am in relation to other people has

468

been eye opening, and the only thing

that sucks about learning about yourself

469

is that it opens up more cans of worms

of shit that you don't want to deal

470

with, and it's like an ongoing process,

but it's one of the most rewarding,

471

ongoing shit trains I've ever been on.

472

Joshua: Hmm.

473

Aeoliana: Because the more I learn

about myself, the more I'm able to

474

serve others, the better mother I am,

the better wife I am, the better friend

475

I am, the more I'm able to, if someone

comes to me with a problem, I'm able to

476

realize that maybe they don't need fixing.

477

Maybe they just need someone to listen.

478

Maybe they just need

someone to say, "It's okay.

479

I'm here.", and that was something

that years ago, I would have

480

not been in that position.

481

I would have assumed that if you

came to me, it's because you want

482

a solution, and realizing that's

not the case in all the situations.

483

Sometimes people, like I

said, they just need an ear.

484

They just need a hug.

485

They just need a moment of your time.

486

Everyone wants to feel like they're

important and that they matter, and

487

with the balance piece of it, I think

so many people think that if you

488

have a passion, and as a mother, a

lot of women, and single dads, and

489

single parents can relate to this, you

think that time for you is selfish.

490

You can't pursue your passion and hold a

full time job to provide for your family.

491

You can't do both, and the fact of

the matter is we're multifaceted.

492

There's different aspects of ourselves

and we can be all of these things.

493

We just need to take the time to focus

on one thing at a time, and be great

494

for 10 minutes at that one thing,

and then move on to something else,

495

or however long you want to do it.

496

We can do all the things.

497

We just can't do all the

things at the same time.

498

Joshua: That is some sound advice that

even me, myself, has to continue learning,

499

even as I build out my own business and

actually work a full time job, because

500

that's one thing I didn't say to you too.

501

Aeoliana: Same.

502

Same.

503

I feel you.

504

Joshua: But, yeah, I feel you too, but

part of it is that we will get there if

505

we continue to have that right mindset

and have that balance, so that's why

506

I loved asking you that question.

507

I knew you would have some

amazing insights with that,

508

so, Aeoliana, I'm going to give

you the last few minutes here.

509

I would love for you to pitch

yourself about your business,

510

Top Shelf Virtual Services.

511

How can people get in contact with you if

they're interested in starting a podcast?

512

Maybe they want to reach out to you.

513

Maybe they have an existing podcast.

514

Maybe they want to get

some management from you.

515

How can they do all of that?

516

I'm going to give you the last few

minutes to give you some time to pitch us.

517

Aeoliana: Sure.

518

Like you said, my business is Top Shelf

Virtual Services and I do a lot of

519

podcast launch strategy where we go in.

520

I have strategy calls available.

521

You can go on my website,

www.topshelfvirtualservices.com/everything-page,

522

and that will put you right

into my everything page.

523

I have free resources there.

524

If you don't know how to find your podcast

platform, I have a worksheet in there;

525

how to find your vision, your values,

your mission, pretty much everything

526

in there, and there, I also have paid

services and resources there as well.

527

I have a ton of workshops that

I've done, podcast episodes

528

I've been in, things like that.

529

You can book right on my website a free

15 minute clarity call, so if there's

530

anything that you're stuck on, no charge.

531

I will not pitch you.

532

I do not pitch in my calls.

533

Just 15 minutes, pick my

brain, whatever you need.

534

You can sign up for my

newsletter there as well.

535

Couple of weeks ago, I threw out

a free 60 minute strategy call

536

for the people on my email list.

537

I have a blog also, and

that goes out every Friday.

538

A new blog post goes out every

Friday, so there's a ton of free

539

ways to get in touch with me.

540

You can follow me on Instagram.

541

It's Aeoliana.Elliot.

542

I am on the TikTok.

543

That is AeolianaPodcastStrategy.

544

If you want to find me.

545

I post daily.

546

I have a 365 we're on.

547

I don't know what day we're on right now,

but I'm posting a daily affirmation for

548

podcasters through Instagram, Facebook,

and TikTok, and I do that every day.

549

You can go into my highlights and

you can watch the old ones, and yeah.

550

I would love to help you find your

voice, find your message and get it

551

out there to the world to the people

that need to hear it, so again, the

552

website is Top Shelf Virtual Services.

553

You can see me.

554

You can see my family.

555

You can read about me.

556

You can read about my services,

and if you have any questions, feel

557

free to reach out in any way that

suits you and I would love to help.

558

Joshua: Fair disclosure, there will

be some hockey talk involved too.

559

Aeoliana: Oh, 1000%.

560

Yes.

561

I am a hockey mom.

562

I am a hockey mom.

563

Joshua: Don't worry.

564

The Philadelphia Flyers

up here located near me.

565

They probably would have a bone to

pick with where you are located at.

566

Aeoliana: Go Lightning!

567

Go Lightning!

568

Joshua: There you go.

569

I knew you would give a shout

out if I opened the door, but-

570

Aeoliana: Of course, I will

run right through that door.

571

Joshua: Yeah, exactly, but even with

that door open, Aeoliana, I think you

572

opening the door for so many other people

too to find your voice, and that is your

573

purpose, and to know that we have people

in this world that want to find that

574

purpose in a medium such as podcasts,

which number one, is rapidly growing.

575

It's still one of the things that

is so easy to go into, but like you

576

said, so many people burn out with it.

577

I have to tell you that for people

that have come through stories like

578

yourself, to be able to get to the other

side, to become the best versions of

579

themselves, I appreciate you helping

others to get along the same sort of

580

trajectory, to get through that, to

overcome barriers that might exist, so

581

for all those reasons, Aeoliana, thanks

for being on Speaking From The Heart.

582

I really appreciate our conversation,

the wealth of information, and more

583

importantly, the kind heart that you have.

584

Aeoliana: Thank you so much for having me.

585

Hopefully your listeners got something

and enjoyed it, and hope it helped

586

someone to realize that they matter,

their voice matters, and someone

587

wants to hear what you have to say.

588

Joshua: Absolutely.

589

We do all matter, and I really think

that we need to continue having

590

that conversation of why we all

matter too, so thank you again.

591

Aeoliana: Thank you.

592

Joshua: I want to thank Aeoliana

for being part of the show.

593

It's fascinating to me that somebody

that has turned a career where you're

594

passionately helping others get back

into society helps to turn others

595

into this vision of relearning skills,

opportunities, and other things that

596

maybe we've learned at one time in

our lives, but being able to repurpose

597

it to build a new foundation for a

career, let alone even a skill for that

598

matter, is really exhilarating to me.

599

The last time I could think of an episode

like this, we have to go all the way

600

back to episode number four with my good

friend, Tricia Renzi, who was on the

601

show talking about how she went through

these obstacles of having brain surgery

602

done and reteaching herself ways in which

she can function in society, and I think

603

that hearing these kinds of stories,

especially with her insight, really

604

shines a light on today's guest on how

we can fall in love with a concept, even

605

a podcast for that matter, and be able

to exemplify our greatness, finding the

606

way in which we can make a true impact.

607

You can sense the passion, even in this

conversation today, because as you're

608

trying to pretend to do things that you

might be just going through life muddling

609

along, you start to ask yourself, "Is

this really the truth that I want to live?

610

Is this how I authentically want to

be represented?", and I think that we

611

all have something to share, whether

we want to marginalize it or not.

612

I think that we have something that we

have to give birth to, whether that is

613

an inherent skill or ability, or work

on something that's really hard, maybe

614

challenging, pushing ourselves out of

our comfort zone, so that we can make

615

that all determining impact on others.

616

Perhaps what you're serving is not

actually serving something in the first

617

place, which is why you can't always rely

on the system, and I think Aeoliana's

618

story really points back to the fact that

we have all these different situations.

619

We all have these different

things that we're going through.

620

We have to find passion and exemplifying

what we want to get out of it, and if

621

the system doesn't serve us what we're

actually trying to do, whether that is

622

in a career, we have to forge a new path

forward, which is why stories, sharing

623

them, creating that connection by learning

morals, values, lessons that we can

624

apply to in our own lives really makes

this an important subject in itself.

625

We want to feel like we are listened.

626

I know because I'm doing this, and I

want you to listen to me, but even though

627

I want you to listen, it means that I

have to deliver on something that you

628

will get a tangible benefit out of.

629

You have to feel heard, but what if

that message, that story that you have

630

to share can potentially save our life?

631

It might be able to save other people's

lives, which is why giving back, giving

632

in itself, the concept of actually

sharing your resources, sharing what

633

is your time, is really important.

634

Figuring out that why, figuring out

why you're creating that content, why

635

you're doing that in the first place,

is really, truly important for us to

636

have that in the back of our minds.

637

I think that building that foundation,

having that firm footing so that we are

638

able to be service oriented, is something

that we have to figure out every single

639

time that we're working on a client, we're

working with somebody that is trying to

640

overcome some sort of obstacle, maybe

even figuring out in our own lives what

641

it means to be able to make ends meet.

642

What is it that we have

to do to work even harder?

643

That human design driven system, that

ability for us to have staff to bankroll

644

that, means that we have to create an

experience that everybody can enjoy.

645

That means that we have to create

meaningful content, and I think that

646

balancing the growth and learning about

ourselves at the same time, allows us

647

to figure out what is it that we can

piecemeal out, what is it that we're

648

able to work on so that we can have

creative control, but more importantly,

649

we have to be able to open more doors.

650

We have to be able to fly

open all the things that we

651

have that are in store for us.

652

It's not any secret.

653

Knowing that we're here, and knowing

that we're able to help us is not

654

the only thing that we can do.

655

Even if we seek out that help from

others, we have to be willing to

656

also say to ourselves that we want

more, which is why I love this BCAME

657

framework that Aeoliana talked about.

658

This authenticity aspect, which is even

the foundation of this podcast itself,

659

means that we have to be willing to share

our conversations about our own lives.

660

We have to open doors that otherwise

would have been closed, and be

661

willing to speak from our hearts.

662

That's why I create this context.

663

That's what my purpose is, ladies and

gentlemen, of being able to do this

664

in the first place, but I get it.

665

If you live through life and you live

through experiences that are tough, and

666

they're really challenging in their own

right, why wonder it's so difficult for

667

us to be glamorized, to be galore by

all the different choices that we have.

668

I know that it's easy for us to

tune out of something that somebody

669

is saying, especially if it speaks

truth in our own lives, because maybe

670

we're not ready to swallow that pill.

671

Maybe we're not willing to move ourselves

forward in the right direction, and that

672

isn't because we're afraid of it, it isn't

because we're not willing to take it on.

673

There's something more that is

happening beneath the surface.

674

It's something that sometimes

you can't quite put words to.

675

It means that you have to

figure out why is this feeling

676

always happening all the time.

677

It reminds me of what my life has been.

678

I have been learning a lot about my

own childhood growing up, and why it's

679

been so difficult sometimes to even

move myself into a positive direction.

680

Why do I keep doing the same things

wrong over and over and over again?

681

Because I haven't made

the right decisions.

682

The content that I was creating for

myself was not great, and by not having

683

that consistent, solid plan, in which I

was always going back to my own two out

684

of ten ways, being depressed, feeling

like everything was hopeless, and oh

685

yes, mimicking even what my parents were

doing, was not helping me whatsoever.

686

I can only imagine the skills that

we can learn if we're just willing to

687

break out of those comfort zones, if

we're able to say to ourselves that we

688

can have that best opportunity in our

lives, which I just talked about in

689

the previous episode before today's.

690

It's something that when we fall in love

with a concept, even of ourselves, if

691

we're willing to give ourselves grace

when we do make mistakes, it's okay to be

692

able to say that we are falling behind for

right now, but we're going to catch up.

693

I've learned that even people

generate different types of

694

attitudes when it comes to these

kinds of subjects, which recently,

695

I started reading Thomas Erickson's

Surrounded by Idiots, which, no!

696

When you hear the book title, it's not

talking about how you deal with idiots.

697

It's actually talking about the DISC

methodology, which if you've never heard

698

of, deals with how you handle and respond

to different types of personalities,

699

and what your personality is, but this

book goes a little bit deeper than just

700

talking about DISC, but at its simplistic

nature, talking about different colors in

701

which we have different characteristics

that we are as human beings.

702

As somebody that has been a long life

learner of how we identify with each

703

other, and how we connect on a variety

of different levels, I've learned a thing

704

or two about what it means to have a

different personality, have a different

705

connection with someone, but yet at

the same time, figuring out what is it

706

that I really want to have with them?

707

What it means to serve my interests, but

also serve theirs, and story sharing is

708

something that has helped me so much in

creating that connection with others.

709

The importance for us to know our why so

that we can create that content, to be

710

able to have that firm, solid foundation,

means that we have to keep on growing.

711

We have to keep on leading the way.

712

Whether that is talking to others, being

able to express ourselves, means that we

713

have to be extroverted in our own way, and

it's not the way that you normally think.

714

It could be playing a game in which

you're strategizing with someone else.

715

It could be attending a book club, in

which you discuss what a book is and what

716

it contemporarily means in our culture.

717

It could be attending a play,

looking at all the characters

718

and studying what it means for

them to interact with each other.

719

I know that those might be all boring

things, especially in this day and

720

age where we can watch Reels, TikTok

videos, and so much more, but the

721

truth of the matter is, is that

we have to get back to the basics.

722

As I've been stressing in more recent

episodes, those basics help us to

723

learn, to help us find that foundation

of our why, but more importantly,

724

we can help others through that.

725

Even Aeoliana's framework of balance,

communication, authenticity, mindset

726

mastery, and empowerment can all

change if you're just willing to help

727

yourself start your journey today.

728

You don't have to be a podcast host.

729

You don't even have to be a guest.

730

All you need is the commitment and

the willingness to say to yourself

731

that through your decisions, through

your actions, through the things that

732

have been what it is, you are able

to help others achieve greatness.

733

You can help them find all those things,

and so much more, if you're just willing

734

to make that difference, not just

in yourself, but in others as well.

735

But hey!

736

If you're willing to be a guest, if

you're willing to be able to share

737

your story, if you're willing to tell

your talent, I think that many people

738

would not only give you a microphone in

which you can speak into, but knowing

739

that you're here, knowing that you're

able to do so much more, just shows

740

a testimony to the empowerment of the

human race, and what we're capable of

741

adapting to, especially in this season

in which we're always adapting to the

742

ever changing climate, to the ever

changing circumstances, but remembering

743

that we all come from somewhere and

we all start at a certain point.

744

It's not just about me, myself, and I.

745

It also means involving you in

learning all the lessons that I have

746

learned, so you can become better.

747

Thanks for listening to episode

number 176 of Speaking From the

748

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

749

Outro: Thanks for listening.

750

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

751

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

752

Visit us at www.

753

yourspeakingvoice.

754

biz for more information about

potential services that can help you

755

create the best version of yourself.

756

See you next time.