Episode 56: From Teacher to Creativity Coach With Beryl Young
As you’re navigating the twists and turns of your life, there’s one thing that should be in your mind at all times: is what I’m doing now working in my life? That idea is something that my guest, Beryl Young, resonates with and uses to make personal and professional choices. Her career journey also goes through pivots and changes, but they all have ultimately led her to own her own business and still make time for creative space. In today’s episode, she shares how she transitioned to a creative coach and what she always keeps at the forefront when making professional and business decisions.
Being a former teacher herself, Beryl has learned to use her skills as an educator to positively impact her business and other jobs. Likewise, she discusses why teachers make great entrepreneurs and gives key advice for those wanting to work beyond the classroom while still keeping their core values and skills a priority. So, if you’re looking for ways to create more space creatively and need the next step away from fatigue, this creativity coach has what you need to have a healthy balance between it all.
Topics Discussed:
How to redefine your “calling” as a teacher
The one thing you need to be reminded of as you’re transitioning or searching for a new career
Acknowledging that your business will shift, change, and need to be re-evaluated through the years
Reasons why teachers make great entrepreneurs and advice for those wanting to work beyond the classroom
Resources mentioned:
Take our FREE quiz to nail down your next best career step in education
If you’re enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts
Related episodes and blog posts:
Meet Beryl Young
Beryl Young is a creativity coach who supports women in finding greater productivity through sparks of creative self-care. Formally diagnosed at age 38 with ADHD, she realized just how much she’s relied on creativity throughout her life to harness her neurodivergent traits and thrive. Using tools like mindful photography, intentional journaling, and conscious doodling helps women cultivate more space in the chaos of daily life and show up with greater courage and confidence. Beryl previously was the creator and founder of the Momtography photography method, and her work has been featured on TODAY parents, Huffington Post, PicMonkey, Digital Photography School, & The Shameless Mom Academy.
CONNECT WITH beryl
Read the transcript for this episode:
Lily
Beryl Young is a creativity coach who supports women in finding greater productivity through sparks of creative self care. Formally diagnosed at age 38 with ADHD, she realized just how much she's relied on creativity throughout her life to harness her neurodivergent traits and thrive.
Lily
Using tools like mindfulness photography, intentional journaling and conscious doodling, she helps women cultivate more space in the chaos of daily life and show up with greater courage and competence.
Lily
Beryl previously was the creator and founder of Momtography photography method, and her work has been featured on Today parents, Huffington Post, PicMonkey, Digital Photography School, and The Shameless Mom Academy.
Lily
Hey, there Beryl, so glad to have you here.
Beryl
I am so excited to be here. Thank you for having me.
Lily
Yay. Well, I'm so excited to talk with you. And I would love to start with a very broad question that I always ask, which is tell me about your journey as an educator.
Beryl
Yeah, I have to go back like 20 years, I became a teacher 20 years ago, I graduated college in 2003. And I was that college student, I was like, I know, I want to be a teacher. I know, I want to go in education. I moved back to the school district where I grew up. So that was kind of fun to work in the community where I lived for most of my middle school and high school life.
Beryl
And I started out as a kindergarten teacher, I lasted in kindergarten, I say lasted in kindergarten for about two years. And then I had a great group of students that I looped with, which was such an awesome experience to work with them for a second year. And really work with them through that like learning to read process.
Beryl
Had a really good experience, but then decided that being in a classroom was not for me. And I decided to go back to school for technology education. So I pretty quickly moved out of the classroom, became a specialist did technology support in an elementary school for seven years, and love that.
Beryl
I worked in the schools as a technology resource teacher during the time when digital whiteboards were just coming onto the scene. Yeah, so yeah, so I spent a good deal of my time doing tech resource, helping teachers and students embrace this new technology tool in their classroom, which was a whole lot of fun. And then I became a mom, and I needed to find my way out. That is my journey through education in a nutshell.
Lily
Yes, I relate as much to the being a mom, you know, and figuring out like, hey, this doesn't actually work for me. So I'm curious about both the transition like was it easy? Or did you find yourself grappling with the decision to both leave the classroom and work in technology, and then leave the schools entirely and kind of what what came next?
Beryl
Yeah, that was about a, I used to say it was a five year process, but it actually got condensed down into about three years. So one thing that I'm pretty upfront about in my business, my outside of education business, which we'll get into a little bit later, is that I had a really tragic life circumstance, losing my first pregnancy at 20 weeks.
Beryl
And I bring that up, because it's difficult no matter when you experience something like that. But it was one of those transformative like, Oh, I was just walking this path that I thought I should be on. And I was like, Is this the right path for me? Like it just made me rethink everything about my life.
Beryl
And it was very difficult working in the schools and going through pregnancy loss, because for any of your listeners that maybe have been through that. I had the loss and then I went back to work like, maybe a week after it happened. Like I didn't get a maternity leave after pregnancy loss.
Beryl
And it's one thing to have to go to a group of adults and kind of mask your feelings and how you're showing up. But I had elementary schoolers that I was visibly pregnant. They knew that I was expecting a child, and then trying to explain that to students was very, very difficult too.
Beryl
And so that was really the time where I went, Well, I don't dislike my job. But that loss led me to taking lots of pictures and discovering photography, which happens for a lot of moms, whether it's through loss or having a living child. And I thought, well, maybe I want to have a photography business.
Beryl
So I started building that out on the side. And I had always said, Okay, this is a fun side thing for me to do, we'll see what happens. And I'm so glad that I started building that out because three years later, kind of the landscape of education, that was when I really started to see it, shift and change, education is always going through change. But it was a shift in change that didn't love watching.
Beryl
And there was staff turnover, lots of reasons why I just wasn't as happy. I definitely grappled with the decision. But it was actually my husband, who is usually a very, like stable structured, we need to make sure that everything all of our ducks are in a row. He was like, You're coming home crying, like every week, maybe you should just give this a go and see what happens.
Beryl
And it was really getting that permission from him that made me go, Okay, I'll take the leap. What's the worst case scenario? I still have a teaching license, I can go back in the year if I need to.
Lily
Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think that, I don't know if it's different for teachers, I think it is, you know, just this idea of like, feeling limited. I felt like that too. Just like I felt like this was this path that I had to be on. And, you know, through that just couldn't even see other possibilities.
Lily
And so I think it's really beautiful of like, you know, in this tragic loss, so that you found your way forward, right, and found more possibilities. And I love that sometimes we do have to see it from other people, right? Like your husband or friend or somebody just being like, there are other ways, right? There are other ways of doing it.
Beryl
I want to speak to that idea of like, we don't always see when we're a teacher the other possibilities, because I think so many of us grow up with that idea. And it's instilled through the education community that this is a calling, and we're called to teach.
Beryl
And I think there's a certain level of guilt or shame that if we step away from that, that's Oh, gosh, I'm not living my calling anymore. So there's a lot of that to untangle as well. So I think you're 100% right. But I also think the what ifs filled my brain I had gotten to a point enough with my business that I was like, I'm gonna regret it if I don't try this and see if maybe there's something else here.
Lily
Yes, absolutely. So tell us about what happened when you started your photography business and how that evolved over the years.
Beryl
Yeah, well, much like I realized pretty quickly that I didn't want to be in a kindergarten or first grade classroom, I realized they didn't really want to be a photographer. I would go do photo sessions, I get so nervous, I would be worried about how the kids were going to react if the parents were going to be laid back. If I get along with them.
Beryl
I am diagnosed with anxiety and ADHD, which came in adulthood. So the whole, like, pre shoot anxiety makes a whole lot of sense now. We were very lucky in that quickly after our loss, got pregnant again, almost a year after the loss had my one daughter who is almost 13 now, or is there she just turned 13 like a week ago. I know.
Beryl
When she was born, I was like, well, now I don't want to be gone every weekend taking photos of families, what else can I do? And then it hit me. I'm a technology teacher. A camera is just a big piece of technology. And I taught myself how to use this big piece of technology. I was pretty much self taught with the camera.
Beryl
And so it's like, what else can I do with this? This is 2011 ish. When if you can remember back to like 2011 DSLR, the big fancy cameras had just hit the scene. Every parent wanted one, they were starting to become affordable. And so I was like, Oh, I bet I could develop a curriculum.
Beryl
Because any class that I did try to take was very like bro centric, like what gear do you have? What lens do you have? Let's look at the technical tools and take pictures of birds and sports and I don't know that was not what that was not how I wanted to learn. I wanted a community that spoke to me.
Beryl
So I was like alright, I can try this out. Let me let me create a class. So what it was actually was on maternity leave with my now 13 year old, that, instead of teaching, I built a curriculum to teach a local class, and I taught one local class that filled up with 25 people. And then I started doing those quarterly. And I got a business coach, and built it out into an online program.
Beryl
So it was it was a slow burn, it was exhausting burning the candle at both ends for a good year and a half. But at least in my case, at that time, it was 100% worth it.
Beryl
I felt good about my decision to leave when I did leave on a bunch of different levels, not just from the emotional like, Am I ready to leave the classroom? But also have I built the financial stability to take this leap for a little bit? So yeah, that was I left the classroom with this kind of photography education company that was ready to take flight.
Lily
Yes, it is so interesting, too. I mean, I have found this too, that we don't really know what we want to do until we do it. And part of that process is realizing what you don't want to do. And sometimes it's just in that moment.
Lily
So like you said, like, you know, you learn through teaching kindergarten, it really wasn't what you wanted to do forever. Cool. Like, sometimes we don't know until we try it. And then same thing with the photography business. Like, it worked, I'm sure for a little bit and then you were like, oh, actually not for me.
Lily
So I think it's just this constant, almost like invitation or permission to try things out. And like, see how they go. And half the time, maybe more than half the time will be like, yeah, not the right thing right now.
Lily
But I think that I felt paralyzed thinking about leaving the classroom for a long time. I'm just like, but what can I do? Like, it has to be perfect. You know, like, I have to have it all planned out. And then it was like, that's never gonna happen. So I just try it out, and learn on the go and learn what I liked doing and what works for me and what doesn't.
Beryl
Teachers are planners, we want to know what's what's happening. It makes total sense. The other thing that I was gonna say about that, like, once that light bulb moment happened of like, Duh, you need to be teaching photography. It was Where do my passions and my skills intersect? Yeah.
Beryl
Which I think will weave itself. Yeah, I'm taking you on a journey in this episode. I've had, I've had lots of pivots and twists and turns in my story. But the one thing that is stuck is that what skills do I have? What am I passionate about? And, and how can I make that work for my life?
Lily
Yes, absolutely. And I think that's so cool too thinking about, like, you know, with your photography business, you brought in that teacher side of you to have like, doing the curriculum and leading these classes, and you know, you were being a teacher, and also using your passion for photography.
Lily
And so I think, yeah, always thinking about those overlaps to have, like, the passion isn't the skills and also what do people want? You know, what will people pay you for? Or like, what jobs are out there? You know, and thinking about really that intersection?
Beryl
That is an important question to ask too if for your listeners that want to leave the classroom and maybe start their own thing. The what will they pay for at that time? That was the thing that people wanted that my audience was willing to pay for?
Lily
Yeah. And I think it's like having some evidence of that, too, right? Like you live that first workshop 25 people showed up like, Great, let's do it again. Like we keep filling this up, and just testing it out and seeing where that magic intersection is, yeah, then take us on the next phase of your journey.
Beryl
So I was fortunate enough to be able to successfully run that business while my daughter was young. So from about 2013, was when I left the classroom until about 2019, I would say. Although things started to kind of take a dip and drop off around 2017.
Beryl
I kind of had this like midlife business crisis around then. The one thing I realized through my business journey is that my personality is that I'm Creative At Heart. So the photography was a very creative avenue for me to pursue.
Beryl
But as I taught classes and taught workshops, my clients would come to me and be like, well, you built this successful business, you've done photography, how do I do photography? What else can I do? I want to print photo albums. I have all these photos sitting around, and I haven't printed any of them.
Beryl
So I kept developing workshops that kind of dabbled in photography, but then it's like, Well, I'm a teacher. I'm a mentor, like why don't I try business coaching or like I kept trying on different hats. And it's what I needed in the moment, but it definitely diluted things to the point that it was like, oh, gosh, now I now I am spreading myself too thin and too different to many different directions.
Beryl
And so I think I spent like three years trying to figure out what why do I want this grown up business to look like? Am I scaling this thing? Am I working with clients one on one? What am I doing? That was all fine and good. I was in the process of figuring it out. And then we had the pandemic happen. Yes, now they're big change. Absolutely.
Beryl
And the business I'm, I'm an open book, super transparent about it all now. But it was financially struggling when the pandemic happened. And I was in the middle of a pivot when the pandemic happened. So I pivoted again. It's like, all right, parents don't want to do anything right now. Because they are scrambling to take care of their people while everything shut down during COVID. But I can teach teens.
Beryl
So you know, I did whatever it took to keep things moving forward, and marching forward, because it's what I needed to keep my own sanity. It's what my family needed, because we needed the financial means to be able to move forward. But I definitely hit a spot of burnout in there. And I started to question if it was worth it to be an entrepreneur, like, is this stress worth it?
Beryl
And it was actually, during that whole period, Lily from like, 2018, like you and I connected during that time. Yeah. And I was I was part of your community. Yeah. And you happen to post a like job listing in your community for a consulting gig with a educational software company. And as I can do that, it's part time.
Beryl
So I applied, got a short term gig with them. That was pre pandemic, I just did a small like six weeks span. But I opened that door. So during the pandemic, I was able to do some consulting with them, too.
Beryl
So education never really left, it was like, Okay, I still have this skill set, I can still be involved in the education world in some way. Because I have tech knowledge, I have entrepreneurial knowledge, I know the systems and structures that these businesses are using to run their business. So there was just a lot of juggling balls in the air.
Lily
Again, is like doing the thing and evaluating in this moment, what's working and what's not, and that there are always other possibilities. And so I think, you know, in that moment, right pandemic or pre pandemic, being like, is it worth it?
Lily
And then thinking about, Oh, I have these other skills and can try this other things, and you tried it out on a short term, and then, you know, figured it out through doing it. Like there's no one way and there's no one, there's definitely no right way. Like it's always this constant.
Lily
And I think also, it's like, it doesn't go hey, like, in my business in my life, like I'm always reevaluating, like, Oh, do we run this program like this? Or do we do it like this? Like, does this get sunsetted? Do we start this new thing?
Lily
Like, it's always this constant questioning of like, what's working financially, emotionally, like, intellectually, all the things and what's not working? So just, you know, celebrating that, too, is an ongoing process.
Beryl
Yeah. And for the educators out there, like, you're constantly doing that as a teacher too with your students evaluating what's what's working, what's not working? How do we need to remediate? How do we give these kids what they need in the moment?
Beryl
But education is such a fast paced, busy world. And teachers are givers that are that like best givers they're giving to their students are giving to everyone else. We don't always do it for ourselves.
Beryl
And I speak from my own truth too that it's been a it's been a hard lesson to learn to go, okay. evaluate what's working, took me a very long time to realize that I had to completely sunset my business for a period because I was burnt out.
Lily
Totally. And it's like, as a teacher, you don't get those choices, right? Like, it's like, we're doing all these things, kind of because we have to, and we see all these kids who need all these things, and there's not really, I mean, like in the classroom for kids. Yes, absolutely. I agree. But like for us, personally.
Lily
You know, I remember thinking like, oh, like, and I did, you know, change schools. That's really what I saw as my option. Make it easier, I could change schools. I'm like it kind of did. But my view was very limited.
Lily
And so you know, I think it's like, we have to take that same mindset that we do with with kids and being like, Alright, there's so many ways to like help you learn how to read or like help you get this concept. Like I'm trying this, I'm trying this. I'm trying this, and almost take that for ourselves, too, of like, hey, this isn't working. I'm trying this. I'm trying this. I'm doing this and see what kind of lands.
Beryl
Yeah. And it's not easy. So like taking the harder road and finding that other path. Like I think inherently like we can we can talk about this and go, Yeah, we have to evaluate those options. And I'm talking like this happened over the course of like months, but it was, it's been a 20 year journey of figuring this out.
Lily
Yes. And ongoing. So I think like, yeah, tell us about the next phase, you know, from the pandemic on to where you are now.
Beryl
Yeah, I feel like this is really important for educators and for entrepreneurs. Because I've talked to a lot of burnout entrepreneurs too recently.
Beryl
I got to the place where, like, 2019 2018 2019, I let my teaching license lapse, I knew I probably was not going to back go back into a classroom. So I wasn't keeping up with like, the education credits that I needed to or you know, the degrees to keep that license active. And at that time, it felt like the right thing.
Beryl
And then during the pandemic, I was like, oh, no, I need to do something else. But I felt like I had pigeonholed myself into not having skills to go anywhere else. Like, I was like, gosh, I was a teacher. 15 years ago, I don't have a license to go back to a classroom and with the age of my kid and what she needed, I'm like, do I want to go back into a school right now? I don't know.
Beryl
And then I was an entrepreneur. But I was like, Okay, I wear all the hats. I did my social media. I did the programs. I did the sales. I did the marketing. I did. I did all the things. I didn't work in corporate.
Beryl
So applying for jobs was a whole thing in my head. Because I was like, I haven't written a resume and how long? What goes on here? What jobs am I even searching for? What am I have the skill sets to do?
Beryl
So my job search journey, it was like having a child, I think it was like nine months long, I knew I needed to go back to work. I was part time at that educational consultant company, and trying to decide if I wanted to try and go full time with them. But at the time, it didn't really have something that fit quite right.
Beryl
There were a lot of late nights just spent on like, Indeed, or LinkedIn, sure, searching job listings, and just getting curious and going, Okay, what actually seems like something that I could do? And then I took clues from those job titles, and went, Okay, these are the skills that I need to put into my resume somehow, through my business.
Beryl
And most of those jobs, were marketing related. They weren't all education related. Because I had been out of the classroom for so long, that I wasn't quite sure if that was going to be the right fit. Sure.
Beryl
But I had a lot of interviews. And I would get to like the second interview in the process. And then it would be of someone else with the right credentials came up or job searching is a whole thing. You have to you have to put on some armor. Absolutely. job searching.
Beryl
And then I came across a listing. That was I was like, did they write this job description for me? It was for a webinar moderator. And it was all about coming on to these webinars for an educational company. But it was it it's for grownups. It's in the accounting fields, because accountants need to have almost as much continuing ed as teachers, if not more.
Beryl
And they needed somebody to come on and work with these presenters, make sure that the technology was working properly, make sure the attendees of the webinar were well taken care of. And I was like, Oh, well, I've done webinars through my business. And I've taught technology in the past. And I've worked with adults, and I have marketing skills to work for this small business.
Beryl
And so I actually applied during the pandemic, I at that time was homeschooling my daughter, so I chose not to take the role at that time. But I had worked up enough of a rapport that by the time I was ready a year later, I reached back out and they hired me in 2021.
Beryl
So that's what I'm doing full time now. I spent the last two years working for this continuing ed company for accountants and nursing. My creative burnout.
Lily
Yes, I love that. And I think yeah, job searching is like a whole deal. I love that it sounds like you gave yourself time to explore in the process, you know, just like, what's out there. You know, I think sometimes again, kind of going teacher fraught.
Lily
We just be like, we're doing this like I'm throwing out a whole bunch of resumes. And I do think it's something to point out of like how you look to it with curiosity at these postings and kind of thinking about, it's almost like this reflective moment when it works well, right when applying for jobs of thinking about, Oh, what have I actually learned? And how does this connect to these other opportunities?
Lily
And I think that's like, valuable cognitive work, when it's done well of just like, hey, what, what is my experience? And how does it connect there? And then also just loving the fact that you were like, Hey, I'm applying actually not the right time right now. But then I'm gonna reach out a year later.
Lily
And I think sometimes we can get into this mode of like this opportunity is going to pass me by, I have to just take it right now, even if it's not the right fit. And so not saying that every job opportunity is going to be open a year later. But I do think, again, it's like assessing what works for you and like your family, your loved ones, right now. And then keeping those connections and doors open as possibilities going forward.
Beryl
I have a funny story there. Yes. Because that interview process, I met with a recruiter first. He was so nice. This was the first year I applied for that job. And I think it's really important to be authentic and transparent. And be you during the interview process.
Beryl
Because I didn't shy away from the fact that I had been an entrepreneur that I had my own business. We had our initial interview, and then he called me back, because he was like, why we want to forward you on to the actual team at the company, which is when I told him, You know, I'm homeschooling my kid, I'm gonna work on my business for the next year. And, you know, my family is most important.
Beryl
So then this recruiter told me, he has like, seven kids, he homeschools them, what do you do? You have a curriculum for teens? He started trying to give me ideas and suggestions on how to make my business work for me. Don't give up yet. And I'm like, this is like the best interview process ever.
Beryl
And I also think it's really important to not only look at your skills, but look at your connections too. Who can get you to the right place at the right time. And so, you know, that recruiter a year later, when I reached back out, I'm like, I noticed the same job is here, this company grew leaps and bounds during the pandemic, they needed lots of people.
Beryl
He immediately was like, yes, let's do this. I'm gonna forward you on to the hiring managers. And it was not a big deal at that point, I think because I had been upfront and authentic and open about my circumstance.
Lily
Yes, absolutely. That's great. And so I know, you mentioned like, the creative fatigue, which I appreciate that, you know, surfacing of just like the even though words for what that is, can you talk to us about kind of the process?
Lily
That like, how is I guess, yeah, how has it affected you personally, professionally, going from running your business to working with another company, making that shift? Talk to us about that.
Beryl
Yeah, the creative fatigue, I'm sure, there are plenty of teachers that can relate to that, as well. It was difficult, you know, I feel like starting with this company, and having this job, one of my non negotiables was that I still got to be fully remote. Because I've been fully remote as an entrepreneur, I loved it. So that was really, really good.
Beryl
And I was like, Oh, I can make time for both. I can wear both hats. Like it's not unknown, that I have a business outside of work. That was okay, at my company. That was another important thing for me.
Beryl
But I think I had grand visions of going, Oh, I just need financial stability. And once I have that, I'll be able to dive back in and do both. And I needed my creative challenge to be who am I at my day job? And what do I want to do here? How can I bring creativity into that before I could give it back to my business?
Beryl
There was a lot of, I think, feelings around my business when I went back to work that I was putting a lot in and not getting a lot in return. And I think we can feel that way in education too. Yeah. So much of ourselves into what we do with our students or for our colleagues.
Beryl
And my business started with grief. I had to go through the grief process in my own business and go okay, I'm sunsetting this for now. I mean, I thought maybe I was going to blow the whole thing up and create something completely different.
Beryl
But after I gave myself enough space from it, I kind of circled back to going well no, I maybe don't want to just teach photography anymore. Now that my daughter is getting older, like teaching parents of young kids didn't feel like it resonated quite as much and there's a lot more competition in the space now than there was when I started. I was like, I just don't think that this is the hill I'm trying to climb at this point.
Beryl
And so it was asking the questions of like, okay, what creative tools do I want to teach others at this point? And I think the start of my business was nursing my own grief. And coming out on the other side with the tools that I could offer. I've had to do that same thing over the last two years.
Beryl
And go, what do I need to give myself? Maybe I need to read a book today. Maybe I need to go on a walk today. Maybe I need to take pictures today. Maybe I need to journal today.
Beryl
And now I'm coming back to this place in business of going okay, photography is my primary tool like that is the tool that I want to help others find their creative spark again, but it doesn't have to just be photography. And so what does that look like? And what can I play with? And how can I find the capacity to coach in this new way in this new space?
Beryl
Because it's gonna have to look different than it did when this is my full time job. So it's been a process of being gentle with myself. And also all the things we've been talking about up till this point about really listening, like taking time to go, did that feel good? Or did it not? Did I want to do that again? Or is that not the right direction to go in?
Lily
Absolutely. I mean, I think one thing, but like, I personally, and teachers, I think, struggle with is capacity. Like, we, we all as humans have limited capacity for all sorts of things. And I think as teachers, we're like, pushed to the brink of that, and like working way beyond our emotional time capacity, like all the things.
Lily
And so I think like one thing I hear you say is like just this idea of like creative capacity. Like even though you thought like, Hey, I could do this thing, maybe I can still keep this business going on the side while trying this new job. And at the beginning, it's like, you were like, hey, I need to use my creativity and like my mind space in this area, and also like, personally.
Lily
And so I think just like that ebbs and flows, and I just find myself like, on, you know, like, as my business has grown and evolved, and all the things like oftentimes, I'm just like, I just need space to think, like on days where I'm like, I just need time to think you know, where it's like going into a week, it'd be like meeting meeting meeting like, Thing, Thing, Thing.
Lily
And so I think for me personally, like just realizing, like, I do have limited even just like thinking capacity, like big remain kind of capacity.
Beryl
I've been talking to my clients about this quite a bit recently, like, for the first time in two years, I decided to teach a small group coaching program, and we're just coming. Yeah, no. And the funny thing is, is we're using the same framework that I had in my business five years ago, that hasn't changed.
Beryl
Yeah, the core of the business hasn't changed. The creative framework that I teach, it starts with curiosity, it goes to commitment, then it goes to connection. And the last piece of the framework is consistency.
Beryl
And I decided recently, I'm like, I don't like that term consistency. My ADHD brain doesn't do well with it. Sure. Because consistency to me is so tied to success factors or doing the same thing in a repetitive way. And there's a lot in the creative community too, about being an artist, and you just have to sit down and do it. Like you have to grind through and do it consistently.
Beryl
And I'm like, No, that's not what consistency is. It's part of consistency. If you want to build something, you have to do it on a regular basis. But it is about creating that capacity. So you have to have that time where you're creating, but creators also need that space to think and dream and process. I think it's Liz Gilbert that talks about being hit by a train when the creative idea when you've given yourself enough of that space.
Lily
Hmm, yes.
Beryl
So you've to build up that capacity, where it's like, oh, once I have the idea, then I'll be ready to go.
Lily
Absolutely. And I think it's like a balance of, yeah, you have to do the thing, right? Like you have to carve out time to do the thing, but also like honoring that like life and people ebb and flow. And sometimes you're not going to be able to do the thing because it doesn't feel good, or you know, things come up or whatever, you know, you don't have the capacity.
Lily
And so I think it's like this, this balance of true sustainable progress, like kinda has to be that push and pull up like you're doing the thing, but you're not being so rigid about it that you burn yourself out.
Beryl
100% And you and I had a shared business coach, who one of her favorite things that she shares with clients that are just building their business on the fringes and maybe have a full time job.
Beryl
She likes to share that like, allow that full time job to be your business loan. And I've had to shift back into that mentality. But what I've seen that that's given me is because I have the financial stability in the day job and I enjoy the people that I work with. And I enjoy. You know, it's not my passion work, it's I enjoy the work that I'm doing. But it's not. It's not like what I was made to do.
Beryl
But it's built up that space for me to go, I don't have to chase the next sale, I can build the capacity to think and develop the next right thing without worrying, like, is this going to pay the bill next month? Yeah, so seeing the good and having gratitude for maybe the circumstance or the situation that you don't love being in is very, very important too.
Lily
Absolutely, absolutely. And it takes the pressure off, right? You know, like, if you're not just like, hey, I have to, like, keep the lights on. It's like hierarchy of needs. Like you can't fully be creative when you're like, but how am I going to pay these bills, or pay myself or pay make payroll, or like, whatever the things?
Lily
Yeah, and so again, it goes back to there are always so many different solutions. And there are always so many different possibilities. So it's really awesome having the financial stability, of having a day job. And then being able to use whatever and whenever, you know, capacity, you have to keep going on your business or being creative, you know, and, again, so many different ways to get our needs met, and our desires met.
Lily
Let's shift a little bit to other teachers who might be considering moving beyond the classroom or starting their own business. What do you think in terms of teachers and entrepreneurship? Like, why do teachers make great entrepreneurs?
Beryl
I used to say, all the time with all my clients that come to me that were teachers, they're like, I want a photography business, or I wanna do this, I'm like, uh, we're gonna work really well together, because teachers really do make the best entrepreneurs.
Beryl
I think as teachers, you know, there's question out there as to whether or not multitasking is a thing our brains can actually do or not. But teachers have to hold space for a lot of different things in their brain happening at once. And they're great decision makers.
Beryl
It's like when you have a student that's coming to you and poking you, you know, telling you one thing and then you've you've to make a decision in the moment like, which, which emergency which fire do I need to put out first.
Beryl
Yes, teachers are also inherently creative. Like we have to build lesson plans, we have to, we have to create things, it we're given tools to develop our lessons and structure. But the fun is in how we can put our own spin on what we're doing with our students and make it memorable and meaningful for them.
Beryl
So as far as teachers becoming entrepreneurs, like, being able to create something out of thin air is really easy for them. And, you know, I needed a coach to kind of show me along the way, like, this is what you need to do to be an entrepreneur and have a business.
Beryl
But I think teachers make good marketers, too, because we can think through what do I need to prioritize now? Am I building the curriculum? Am I connecting with people? What am I doing? And we can kind of hold space and our brains for bringing all those things together and also prioritizing which happens when.
Beryl
Not that it's not stressful, not that we don't like overthink what to do. But it's easier for teachers to hold space for all those things. And teachers have good people skills. I don't care if you're an introvert or an extrovert, you have to have conferences with parents, you have to meet your students where they are like, you have to be good communicator. And so I feel like that lends itself really well to entrepreneurship as well. All those things.
Lily
Yes, I love all of those. Absolutely. And I would even expand on just going back to this idea of like a calling or a mission. You know, I think that the best businesses are mission driven. And if you're starting your own business, it definitely wants to be something that you feel really passionate about and excited about.
Lily
And that can also be kind of like, again, not taking like the baggage of like the calling as teachers, but to you know, this feeling that you can do work that feels important to you. And that that can be something that like kind of propels you forward.
Beryl
100%. The one caveat to that, that I'll give is that if you choose to make your mission, your business, ask yourself if that's what you truly want, because it does shift and change things.
Beryl
I ask every single one of my photography, business clients, are you sure you want to shift your relationship with your camera and your photography? So I just want to like throw that out there too. But I 100% agree with you. My business was born out of having this like spark of a mission that I needed to go after, but it changed.
Lily
Yeah, I know. So funny. My sister had a shoe store like years ago, she was like, you know, really into fashion and all these things, but she was mostly into like clothes fashion. So she was like I'm gonna start a shoe store because I don't totally love shoes. I don't want to like kill my passion for clothing and I was like Okay.
Lily
So yeah, again, like capacity, right? And it's like a balance of like, yes, your mission, but also not your identity, like your business should never be your identity. And your job should never be your full identity. Like it's a piece of the puzzle. And so I think like a healthy connection to the why, but not overly attaching ourselves to, you know, the our next step.
Beryl
I think that that is a very important thing to bring up. Because that a big part of my burnout was having my identity wrapped up in my business. I was a personal brand for many years. So I was the face and the business, and then going into this new journey and going, oh, gosh, who am I outside of this? That was part of the grieving process, too.
Lily
Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. So thinking about people who want to start exploring work beyond the classroom, what advice would you give them?
Beryl
All the things we just talked about. No, but I think the thing that sticks out to me is, first of all, being open and getting curious. If you're in this stage of going, maybe there's something for me beyond the classroom, do some research.
Beryl
I give my clients when they're stuck in their heads of like swirling thoughts. I'm like, set a timer for 10 minutes, go on Google research the thing that pops into your mind, you're not committing to it.
Beryl
And even with my job search, I had to remind myself over and over and over again, you need to get as curious in your interview with them as they're getting with you. Because just because they say yes, we want to offer you the job, doesn't mean that I'm going to want to take it or that it's going to be the right fit.
Lily
Yes. Great reminder.
Beryl
There's no commitment in getting curious. You can get curious, do your research and code nope, that's not the right thing. I asked myself if I wanted to turn part of my business into a nonprofit, and then I looked it up and I was like, that's a lot of work for right now.
Beryl
A lot of my coaching work, I've had people come to me be like, I feel like I just had a therapy session with you. I question going back to school instead of my day job and maybe becoming a therapist. Nope, not the right journey. So I've researched all these things that I haven't gone after. There's no harm in getting curious.
Beryl
I also get clues with the journal prompt. What if dot dot dot? I love that. Because sometimes that pen to paper like physical journal, no guardrails, no, like write whatever comes out of your head. Sometimes you surprise yourself with what comes out. It's like, oh, maybe that's the thing I need to research and look more into. So that's a journal prompt your listeners can use and try.
Lily
I love that. That's awesome. Yeah, I think it's like the exploration is necessary. Going back to kind of what we talked about the beginning, like the worst is when you feel paralyzed. And so just allowing yourself a chance to be like, Well, yeah, what if something that like you're pretty sure you don't want to do right? What if go investigate it?
Lily
Maybe you'll like say no, that's definitely in the no pile or like, maybe it moves into the maybe like, who knows? We don't know till we go and explore.
Lily
Well, thank you so much Beryl for coming on the podcast. It was so nice to hear about you and all the things that you're up to. Can you share how folks can connect with you?
Beryl
Of course, so Instagram is one great place to connect with me. My handle on Instagram is @creating.courage. I feel like that's what I'm doing every day in my business creating the courage to move forward. But my website is beyoungcreative.com.
Lily
Yay. Awesome. Well, thanks again.
Beryl
Appreciate you having me.