Speaker 1: 0:03

Well, hello. This is Kimberly Brock, and for over 20 years I've been running my own businesses that have not only been profitable but personally fulfilling to me. So now I'm on a mission to help other new business owners, just like you, make money doing what you love to. Now we're going to have some fun, so let's get started.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Well, hello, this is Kimberly.

Speaker 3: 0:25

It's episode 299, and I am so thankful that you're here today, because I'm here to give you some encouragement for those of you that are dealing with any kind of chronic illness, something that maybe has physically been bringing you down for some time, or maybe you have an autoimmune type of cancer, anything that you have Now. Again, many of you have more serious things than I can even imagine. But I'm just saying, if you are in the midst of trying to build a business or even start a business, while you're dealing with some type of chronic issue or illness, then today is for you, because I'm going to give you three ways that you can cope, three things that you can do that I think are very important so that you can actually build a successful business, and I know that you can do it. I'm here to encourage you and I'm excited for today's episode. If you're new here, welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey.

Speaker 3: 1:22

Whether you're in the idea stage, starting or growing, this is for you. And whether you're starting a podcast for your business, this is for you. You know, all I want is for you to be able to build your business dream okay. So I provide you with simple business fundamentals to help you get there and build a sustainable business. The last thing I want is for you to just throw this together and just like hope for the best. Nope, hope is not a plan. You are going to start strong, you're going to start smart. You're going to do things in a way that actually sets you up for years and years of success. So that's what I do. I have all types of free and paid workshops and programs to help you. They are ready for you right now. You can start on everything now and get moving, whether you're in the idea stage, you're trying to nail down that idea, whether you're starting and you're trying to, like, piece this together. What are the steps? Am I doing anything right? Am I doing everything right? What am I doing? How do I do this? Start with my Just Getting Started Boot Camp. If you're starting a podcast, I do have some workshops and things for you with that. And if you're trying to grow your business, you're like, how the heck, now that I'm open, what the heck do I do? How do I start marketing this? Like, what's my plan for getting consistent sales? Make sure you check out everything down below because I would be honored to help you and I know that all of this will propel you forward.

Speaker 3: 2:45

And, if you've been listening a while, thank you so much to all my loyal listeners. Y'all are wonderful and kind and grateful and I am so honored to be working with you. I always say I am so honored to be a small part of your big business journey. This is a big part of your life. No matter what size business you have, it is a big part of your life and I'm so excited for you.

Speaker 3: 3:05

Also, too, if you've been listening to this podcast and you have found value in it and you really like it and you tune in each week and you have never left a review, would you be so kind to hit the 5-star rating right now? Whether an Apple podcast or whatever player it is, just hit 5 stars. And if you have 30 seconds to write a written review, that would mean the world to me. I would love to know if it's your favorite episode, if there's a topic that you love, if you have been encouraged or empowered by this podcast, what's your favorite thing about it. I would love to hear in the review. That kind of thing makes me so happy, so that's it Okay. On to the episode.

Speaker 2: 3:50

Well, hello friend, how are you today?

Speaker 3: 3:52

How is everything going? What is shaking with your business? I need to know. I get so excited hearing about all that you're doing and I just love all the updates in the Facebook group and in my programs to see what you're doing, what you're working on and how things are flowing for you. I do know that today's topic is serious. Actually A lot of my stuff is very lighthearted, but today it's serious. But I want it to be something of encouragement to you and to help you see that you can make it through.

Speaker 3: 4:24

I know a lot of you are dealing with chronic illnesses and I don't know what it is for you. Maybe you have some type of autoimmune, maybe you have some type of cancer, maybe you just have some type of chronic illness that's going on. Maybe it's hereditary, maybe it's something you caught, maybe you've been sick a while. Whatever it is, I want to encourage you today that you get to still pursue your dream and you can still make a difference in this world through your business, even with all of that going on. I'm going to give you three coping mechanisms today because I think they will totally help you, and I want to start out by saying that you know I've got some type of autoimmune going on. That has happened since COVID and when I got it in 2022. And it's been crazy trying to navigate all of that while running a business and having a family and having personal time and and living my life just with navigating this. And I can only imagine for some of you, I've had friends that have gone through cancer treatments and then recurring cancer and then just all sorts of things and my heart just goes out to you. It really does. My heart goes out to you today because I know it can be hard trying to make money, trying to do something that makes you feel fulfilled, trying to have an outlet, a creative outlet all your own. So you don't have to think about that. Maybe you have something going on or you're trying to figure something out or dealing with family issues and things like that it can be. And just a little bit of backstory. Some of you who have worked with me in my programs already know the story, but I just want to share for those of you that are fairly new to, just so you are aware that obviously I stated I got some type of autoimmune after COVID and it happened immediately, within about three weeks actually, and it was after actual COVID. I know everyone asks me is it from the vaccine? I did get vaccinated prior to that, the year before, and I was fine and I had had COVID the year before. So I got it like two Valentine's Days in a row. It was crazy. And so, anyways, I got it February 2022.

Speaker 3: 6:39

And then by March, things were weird with my muscles and all this stuff was going on. Long story short, I'd been to neurologists, rheumatologists everyone's trying to figure it out and I found out that I had adrenal insufficiency in the beginning. That had gone on for almost two years and I didn't know why I didn't have energy to walk. I, you know, worked out my entire adult life, from like 18 and on. I've always been a member of a gym. I worked out six days a week doing fun things like F45, orange Theory, everything, everything. Never had any problems, never really been sick I mean hardly ever sick in my life and after this, some weird stuff starting happening with my muscles. Anyways, I had adrenal insufficiency, so something happened to my adrenal glands.

Speaker 3: 7:28

I had gone to Mayo Clinic, finally, and they had run some labs, not knowing what they were going to find. They were just like didn't really think anything was super wrong with me. It was kind of bizarre. I was getting kind of what's the word? Dismissed a little bit because I looked totally healthy and I don't know weird stuff was going on. That was kind of intangible, like I can't explain it all. Anyways, they ran, ran some labs and found out I had basically zero cortisol. I had like 0.4. And y'all have heard all about cortisol right now, right In the health industry, everyone talks about high cortisol equals high stress and everyone's got it high and mine was 0.4. So not good.

Speaker 3: 8:15

And I started a whole treatment for six months and recovered from that. But in the meantime I knew I've like I still got joint pain, I have weird things going on. I'm not feeling right but like mentally I feel good, if that makes any sense. Mentally I have felt good. I didn't feel like it was in a brain fog or anything like that, just something with my body was weird going on and I kept going to the rheumatologist and I'm like something is wrong. My joints are weird. I still can't really work out. I can walk but I can't really lift any weights, which was bizarre. Again, I was doing a bazillion push-ups before all this started and trying to do pull-ups and all the stuff, anyways.

Speaker 3: 8:59

And my rheumatologist had recently, like I guess maybe about a year ago, said whatever autoimmune this is, it's going to rear its head over time. So for any of you that have had an autoimmune that you haven't really known which one it is, he said it will rear its head. You will start getting more clues. And sure enough, we started getting more clues. I thought we were kind of really close, maybe six months ago, maybe even a year ago. I thought we were kind of really close, maybe six months ago, maybe even a year ago. I thought we were closer.

Speaker 3: 9:26

But come to find out, we think right now, as of recording this, that it's in my spine and it has then affected all the nerves coming out of my neck all the way down to my lower back, and so I have back pain and it's not ankylosing spondylitis which a lot of you may have heard of. That's more of a fusing of your vertebrae, but it is an axial spondyloarthritis and I sound like I know what I'm talking about and I really don't, but it's like an axial, if anyone knows about this. Anyways, it's all in my spine, so it causes inflammation of my spine. That's the easiest way to state it. But it started now to give me headaches because it's all up in the back of my head and so it's like getting worse. But I'm on a biologic and so we just started that. They said it takes like three months to kick in. Anyways, my point is that that's what I'm dealing with, and every day my back hurts somewhere, if not all of it. I have mentally felt totally fine until a little bit recently. My head is starting to feel heavy and I don't know if that's from the biologic or that is from this. I have no idea. But I'm trying to cope, and so my heart goes out to all of you who are trying to cope and deal with life and have fun in life and have this career.

Speaker 3: 10:51

As a business owner, I don't know how I would have had a regular full-time job that I've had to go to with all of this going on. The amount of doctor's appointments that I've been to now I think I've seen is it six neurologists, maybe seven now rheumatologists? What else have I been to? I've been to Long COVID Clinic, because they call it Long COVID, because it's just like I don't feel like I have Long COVID, like I don't feel like I still have COVID, but just like effects of COVID, I don't know, they kind of lump you into that. I've talked to physicians at two Long COVID clinics. I've been to Mayo Clinic, I have been everywhere.

Speaker 3: 11:36

So if any of you have any of this weird autoimmune with your spine, reach out to me. Start with Kimberly Brock is my handle on Instagram. Reach out, I would love to know what is going on with you. But anyways, that is all happening and in fact today I don't feel great. We were on a cruise last week and I started not feeling well and my back was hurting so bad that my clothes hurt. And when my husband just like touched my back a little bit, like all the nerves were just so sensitive you couldn't touch me because the around my rib cage was so sensitive. Very bizarre, very bizarre. I don't have that now this week, but just don't feel super great.

Speaker 3: 12:16

And I came up here to record this podcast episode and I'm like this is sad. Like I love recording this podcast. I mean I love it. Every week I do it, but I'm like pushing in here to the last minute. This is the day before this is to go live and I'm recording it and this is what it is. I mean, this is what it is. I've had like five days to come up here and record this.

Speaker 3: 12:38

I just haven't felt great enough and I'm just kind of moving around, going what am I doing? Like what is happening right now, and the good news is I still get to do this. I still get to do this and it's going to be fine. Like I know there will be an end to all this craziness and somehow, some way, I will find a way to cope right. Whatever medications, however many more rheumatologists and neurologists or whoever I need to go to, like I will do it. Like I don't back down. I'm not going to be a person that gives up. I'll just keep going until I can get the right kind of help, and I feel like I do already have good help. But here's my point For those of you that are going through it I feel your pain and I want you to know that, but I also want you to know that you can't give up on this dream and that you will do what you can when you can. And so today let's talk about it. Let's talk about these three coping mechanisms, because I know they will help you and you can do this. If I can do this, you can do this.

Speaker 3: 13:39

Okay, so the first coping mechanism that you are going to put in place for how to manage your business with a chronic illness, whatever it is that you have. And and again, I am in no way elevating anything I've gone through above a lot of you who've had it way worse, way, way worse, with cancer treatments, and I've known people that have had leukemia and all sorts of things, and it breaks my heart, it really does, and I would never say that mine is any more than yours, that mine is any more than yours, and it's not, it's less Like. I truly believe many of you have had it way worse, way worse. I mean, I have felt good most of the time, but just with physical impairment with my back and stuff. Anyways, number one, give yourself some grace. This is a season of life, whatever is going on in. Maybe you have a disease, a chronic illness. You know, disease activity can be very active, during certain years even.

Speaker 3: 14:46

And to know that this is a season and to give yourself some grace for what you're going through, a lot of us that are business owners are very determined. We're not going to stop, we're going to keep going. We're not going to wallow in our misery. I do not wallow in my misery. I try not to complain ever, unless my husband asks me how are you feeling? And I'll say I have a headache or my neck is hurting and end of story. We are not going to be sitting here dwelling on it.

Speaker 3: 15:10

And sometimes, though, that is hard for people like us, because we put pressure on ourselves to do and go and we want to succeed and we want to be successful, right, but sometimes we just have to go. You know what I have? To give myself some grace. I can't record the podcast episode today, or I can't do this today, but maybe I can tomorrow. And I think you have to have that good attitude, because that's what happened Yesterday. I think.

Speaker 3: 15:37

I came up all three days here to record this episode since Monday. Monday I came up. I knew I could have recorded it Saturday or Sunday, but I just didn't even come up here Monday, I think, I came up, and then I was like I can't do it. Yesterday I came up, I can't do it Today. I was like I'm doing this, now it's tomorrow. This thing needs to go live. So I have to get all this uploaded today and do all of this, but I've given myself grace.

Speaker 3: 16:00

I didn't beat myself up yesterday or the day before. I just said I can't do it today and I think we have to have that attitude. Because we beat ourselves up. It almost gets you in this like loop of misery. It's like this vortex that we can suck ourselves into. Do not let your brain suck you into a vortex.

Speaker 3: 16:21

In fact, y'all, I have a good book recommendation, a really good book recommendation. I actually listened to it on audiobook. It is called Don't Believe Everything you Think. I listened to it on Audible. It was amazing. There is the physical book and other books by this author, joseph Nguyen. Don't believe everything you think. It was like a two-hour audio book. It was amazing. So my recommendation to y'all today don't believe everything you think. Get it on Audible if you want to listen to it. I thought it was so good.

Speaker 3: 17:00

I think we have to not give in to our thoughts a lot of times, because our thoughts will put us in that vortex of like I can't do anything, I'm a victim, I just I'm going to opt out of life and you cannot do that. But at the same time, you have to give yourself grace. So I think it's learning how to be calm when, if you don't feel good or whatever's going on like, you just have to learn to be like, it's fine. I'm just going to rest a little bit, I'm going to get up, I'm going to do other things, but I'm not going to wallow in my misery, I'm not going to make everyone miserable around me. I'm just going to give myself grace that maybe right now I can't do that, I can't do this or that I'll put it off.

Speaker 3: 17:40

One of my one of my clients sits in one of my podcasting programs. You know she was worried about her one of her podcast episodes not being released on time one of the weeks and she's fairly new to podcasting and I said and hers had nothing to do with her being sick, so this is probably a bad example, but she has other stuff going on with her podcast and I said you know what? You don't have to worry about it, you just don't need to release it. On the day that you normally release it it's late, that's fine. Like, give yourself grace, it's okay.

Speaker 3: 18:15

Nobody really cares, and that's a horrible thing to say and I hope that that did not come off rude and I hope to any of you doesn't come off rude when I say, well, nobody really cares, like I told myself that if I can't get this out tomorrow, nobody really cares. They will be disappointed the ones who like to listen to it Thursday morning in their car on the way to work, because I have clients who tell me they do that and that's awesome and such a compliment. But at the same time they will be like, okay, her podcast episode isn't out, and if it was a week late, it was a week late. Like it's going to be okay, give yourself grace, it's not that much pressure. What we do is not like if if our podcast doesn't get delivered or website doesn't get updated. Now, if you had something that you told a client that you would deliver, you need to try to do your best to do that right.

Speaker 3: 19:05

But my point right now is if things can wait, things can wait and give yourself some grace and don't beat yourself up, because the mental side of beating yourself up actually makes all of this worse and it doesn't give you the permission to relax and heal, because then you're on edge, because you're so mad at yourself and you're your worst enemy and you're beating yourself up. You have to just give yourself grace and say this is the season that I'm going through and that's okay. And then that's the big picture is this is the season. But then also the smaller picture of, like today, like I can't do what I wanted to do If I wanted to record a podcast episode. It's okay if that's late, that is not the end of the world, okay, or your website isn't updated or you haven't figured out some kind of technology. So give yourself grace. Please tell yourself that you will give yourself grace, just like you would give a friend grace. Give yourself grace during this time and realize that it's a season. So that's number one, your coping mechanism.

Speaker 3: 20:06

Number two hire out and delegate as needed. If your business requires you to have stuff that needs to get done Like when I had my online boutiques. Like stuff had to get shipped, we had to respond to customers that were asking about their order or wanted to place an order, so I had to start getting help right Now. I wasn't sick at the time. It was because I had three children at home and everything else going on and two businesses, and so I had to delegate. You can delegate personally, which is step one. Anything personal you can delegate Grocery shopping. Get on Instacart, yard people pool people, babysitters, whatever it is, organizers to help you organize your inventory, I don't know what it is. Delegate and get people to help you as needed.

Speaker 3: 20:54

Luckily for my business now this coaching business I can run it very much myself. I mean, I have things that I hire out and I could get people to do more, but really a lot of this. If I just feel a little bit good enough each day, I can get everything done that I need to do. So for me it's not like I have to do. You know I have to outsource anything major right now. Now, if I was doing a lot of videos or things like that, I would definitely have to outsource all editing and do all that. So I would have to do it and luckily now, with me knowing how to edit my own podcast, it's really not that hard. So as long as I just feel good for a little while, I can get all that done. But you have to delegate and hire out as needed.

Speaker 3: 21:35

Again, step one is personally. Step two is within your business. If you need someone to help you ship products and do things like that or work on your website, then you can do that, but you should be delegating as needed right now again, because this is a season and your illness may take a turn for the better here coming up. Your illness may take a turn for the better here coming up, and I'm very optimistic that mine will, once we find the right medication. So I know it's just a season. So, number one, I've given myself grace. Number two I've hired out when I needed to, and that's what you need to do as well. Okay. So, number one, give yourself grace. Two, hire out and delegate as needed. Number three focus on helping people the best you can when you can. Focus on helping people the best you can when you can.

Speaker 3: 22:23

So when you are showing up to help someone, maybe you've got a coaching call, maybe you're dealing with a client, helping them figure out their order, doing a customer service call, whatever it may be, you be the best that you can be at that time. You are here to help people. You are here to make a difference in people's lives with your business. That's what you set out to do when you did this right. This wasn't just some rando business that you're starting. It's actually something from your soul that you wanted to help people with and you wanted to make a difference. Maybe it's to bring more joy to their life, make them feel better about themselves, have better relationships, look better, feel better, have better fitness. Whatever it is that you do, again, you could make candles or sell jewelry and just make people happy. You set out to make a difference for people with that because you knew how much it meant to you. You know how happy it makes you, you know how it's changed your life. So that's what you're doing for other people.

Speaker 3: 23:23

So remember that when you do feel good enough or when you do have to deal with a client, even when you're not feeling good that you do the best you can do. Right then Okay, when you can be the best that you can for your people, don't just be there wallowing in your misery and being like I am not feeling good and not giving them the service that they deserve. I've been on coaching calls. I've been on group coaching calls where I have not felt that great, but you can bet that I'm going to have a little caffeine before it started and I'm going to put my makeup on and I am showing up to help my people and what's amazing is I'm usually on a high when that's happening Now. When I'm done, I may collapse and be like, okay, you know, my head is hurting or my back's hurting or whatever's going on, and that's fine. But that that hour that I was with them, I was helping to the best of my ability and I was hoping that they couldn't tell that I'm any different than any other day.

Speaker 3: 24:36

And that's what I want you to remember is that when you show up for your people, you show up and that's hard right, because you're like, but I don't feel good, I know, but this is what you do for your people. You show up to be the best you can be when you can. Okay. Now, if you have to tell them like I'm not feeling my best today, but I'm on great, tell them that and I'm sure they'll give you grace. I don't think it's something you need to say all the time, especially if they know you have a chronic illness.

Speaker 3: 25:10

Most people are very kind and will give you grace, but the thing is we don't want this hurting your business where people say you know what, I think I need to go somewhere else, I think I need to hire somebody else, I need to order from somebody else. We don't want that ever happening. We want you to keep this rolling along through whatever you're going through, because there is going to be an end in sight. Things will get better. We have to hope that things will get better, right, because we're doing things to get better. We're not wallowing in this and we're not just letting it happen. We are taking whatever measures we need to take, whatever doctors, whatever tests, whatever it gets tiring. It's tiring to be like that, but you can't ever be that person that's just like oh no, I'm just gonna live with this forever and never do anything. Now some of you may be saying I actually have gone through everything and I'm going to have to live with it. Okay, so that's the season that you're in. It can still change. It can still change and get better.

Speaker 3: 26:11

I think we have to have this attitude, or maybe we just don't need a business right now. If we're not going to have that attitude and I don't think you want that I don't think you don't want a business. Now, some of you, it may be true. Maybe you need to close your business for a while, maybe you need to put it on pause, and I think people would give you grace if you said, for the next six months. We are regrouping. Just know that it does hurt your business in some way because you kind of have to regain that momentum after, but you may have to do that.

Speaker 3: 26:43

I hope that that's a last resort. What I hope is that you can give yourself grace enough so that you can you can show up when you can show up, that you can delegate and keep this ball rolling and keep the momentum rolling while you may not feel your best, but when you do show up, that you show up as best you can when you can, so that you can keep the momentum of your business going, keep it rolling so that when you do feel better, then things can still keep moving. We're not starting from zero, we're not backing way up. Does that make sense? So listen, my friends, most people at some points in their life go through some kind of physical season where they don't feel great. Maybe they have something going on, and maybe it's not even with a chronic illness, maybe it's a personal situation. So everyone is going to go through that season and all of these things apply.

Speaker 3: 27:49

So, no matter what you're going through today, if you're saying, well, I don't have any kind of chronic illness and I'm healthy and fine, don't have any kind of chronic illness and I'm healthy and fine. Know that your day will come, even if it's short term, even if it's you get COVID that you have for a long time, or you get the flu or you get pneumonia or you get something that like drags you out. Remember to give yourself grace, remember to delegate as you can and remember to show up the best you can when you can, because I believe that when we do these three things, we keep the momentum going in our business, or we at least maintain what we're doing to keep the ball rolling, so that when things get better, we're not so far behind the eight ball, we are still rolling along. Does that make sense? That's what I'm doing, because I know God's going to take care of me. I'm going to figure out some kind of way, whether it be with medication or whatever, and it may take time, and I'm going to have good days and bad days, hopefully a lot more good days ahead.

Speaker 3: 28:53

But this is our dream, this is what we want to be doing. We want to be helping people through our business, and so we have to focus on the positives and focus on hope and focus on helping those people that we set out to serve, and remember that our businesses are such a gift and this is such a blast that we get to do this that you have to keep all that in front of your mind and when you do that, it actually gives you hope and it gives you a more purposeful life through your business, instead of wallowing in any misery that you may be going through. Okay, what a gift that you get to be a business owner and you get to do this. It's such an honor. So that's it.

Speaker 3: 29:30

Y'all know I'm here If you need help with anything. Yeah, even though I'm going through stuff, I schedule all my coaching calls and everything around my schedule that works for me when I feel my best, and the good news is I'm sure I'll be fine in like a week or so, but I've just kind of had some weird stuff going on. But I hope and I don't feel that it's affected my clients in any way. I'm still showing up for them and I want to show up for you. So I'm so excited to help you and I don't want you to go through this alone as you're starting and building your business. I'm here, I know that you can do it and I'm excited to get you moving on the right foot so you can build a successful business too. So that's it, y'all. Have a great day Again. You can reach out to me down below and through any of the links, or you can DM me at startwithkimberlybrock on Instagram. I'd love to chat with you and hear about your business. Okay, that's it. Have a good one. Bye now.

Speaker 2: 30:33

Now this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to KimberlyBrockcom and, yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey and you know what. You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.