Nadia Carta - The Power of Purpose

As the leaves in Central Park whispered their secrets, I found myself walking beside the remarkable Nadia Carta, a beacon of hope and transformation whose life's tapestry is woven with threads of liberation, ambition, and the sheer power of technology. Nadia, with her roots in Sardinia and branches reaching high in the New York skyline through her roles at Google and as the entrepreneurial mind behind Sparkier Zeal and 99 Humans, shares her poignant escape from the confines of her Jehovah's Witness upbringing. Her journey underscores the essence of pursuing one's true calling and how technology, particularly AI, magnifies our abilities to touch lives far and wide.

Imagine the sheer potency of AI not as a distant concept, but as a present force, catalyzing change across data analytics and numerous industries, preparing us for a cookie-less future and empowering global communities. Nadia's intimate account of leading a team at Google peels back the layers on the humanity within the machine—how curiosity and the human touch shape the algorithms that are reshaping our world. This episode is also a treasure trove for those stepping into the workforce, igniting a spark of inquisitiveness and the importance of crafting intelligent queries for our ever-learning machines.

Our conversation then takes a turn into the world of podcasting with a spotlight on 99 Humans, a series capturing the unfiltered narratives of industry trailblazers. Nadia and I dissect the challenges and triumphs of podcast creation, from the steadfast goal of recording 99 meaningful conversations to navigating the waters of partnership dynamics. The episode's crescendo is a deep dive into the nurturing of one's 'garden of zeal', pruning life's 'dead ends', and embracing the serene touch of nature, all of which paint a vivid picture of a life lived with purpose and peace. Join us for a heartening story of growth, transformation, and the relentless pursuit of a life that's not just successful, but also truly fulfilling.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Alright. So, Nadia Carta, are you okay with being recorded on a podcast?

Speaker 2: 0:05

I'm very okay Well there goes that liability.

Speaker 1: 0:08

This is. I Took a Hike. I'm your host, darren Mass, founder of business therapy group and Parktime Wilderness Philosopher. Here we step out of the boardrooms and home offices and into the great outdoors where the hustle of entrepreneurship meets the rustle of nature. In this episode, we experience the life of Nadia Carta, an Italian-born American with a warm personality and a heart of gold. Hike along as we experience the ambiance of a bustling central park filled with inspirational conversation. Our topics include thoughts of AI, fear as a metaphor, authentic values, your time calculation and picking yourself up when you fall off the bike of life. I was delighted, inspired and energized when I took a hike with Nadia Carta. This episode is sponsored by Challenger Network Services. Embark on a tech adventure with Challenger Network Services, proudly veteran-owned and dedicated to the full life cycle implementation and management of your core technology infrastructure. Whether you're scaling the technology heights of hospitality, conquering new developments or orchestrating events, they've got your connectivity covered. Visit ChallengerTelecomnet or call 646-723-9999 to experience the peak of reliability. Challenger Network Services where technology meets the trail for a connected expedition, all right. So who are you and where are you from? Let's start with that.

Speaker 2: 1:42

So, as you can tell from my accent, I am Italian.

Speaker 1: 1:47

I can tell.

Speaker 2: 1:49

It's always. I like to get it out of the way, because then people start wondering and then my accent is more the attraction rather than what I say. Okay, so I'm Italian and I moved to New York three years ago with my family and I work at Google. That's my nine to five and I run two side gigs. One is called Sparkier Zeal and the other one is called 99 Humans.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Wow, okay, so you are a very busy person. So when you were living in Italy, did you find that growing up there offered you the ideal life?

Speaker 2: 2:23

Not at all I dreamed about finding a place that was large enough to contain me, and I guess I was in a soul searching path.

Speaker 1: 2:33

Okay.

Speaker 2: 2:33

That eventually blossomed here in New York. I always believed that everyone has a purpose in life and our job is to find that and, once we find it, to gift it to the world.

Speaker 1: 2:44

So what is your purpose?

Speaker 2: 2:45

Well, so it's a big question to be answered in one sentence.

Speaker 1: 2:51

It's a big question to start an episode, but you let us there.

Speaker 2: 2:55

I found through deep searching that my job is to transform lives by kindling hearts of people. There was this pattern that was happening that after I was meeting people, everyone would say I get so energized by being with you and you really grins me all the happiness and the joy. And so I started working with a coach to find out what it was because, this was a consistent pattern, and so I decided two years ago to channel it and again to create this spark your zero thing, because my desire is that everyone eventually is able to live in a state where they are passionate about whatever they're doing in life. Like you with your podcast, like I love. You have so much passion on it, you do it so professionally and so thoughtfully and my dream is that everyone can get to do that, because life is too short. I believe we live in a moment in society that is so unique. We have so much technology in front of us and literally with just a phone and an internet connection, you can really create magic. That's right. So the difference is really are you living in existence where it's only about yourself, which is fine? It's not judgment, and there are people that are happy like that, but then those of us that have a purpose. So the life call is a bit will was a concept, but I believe there are individuals that are brought into the universe on the planet with a mission and unless you unleash it, this energy is going to stay in your body and it's not going to be good. I had a moment three years ago that I said unless I'm creating a channel to release this energy, I'm afraid it's going to make me sick because it's too much. And so what you said about the scale when you have this call, finding a way for people to hear it it's what you're meant to do.

Speaker 1: 4:55

You choose your medium, yes, and you have a podcast and obviously this is a podcast and this has become the medium, the megaphone. Which is beautiful. So, I want to take a step back, though, to Italy, though, because I am curious about Italy. What is it like to grow up in Sardinia? You said that Italy couldn't contain you. Is it Sardinia couldn't, or all of Italy could not contain you?

Speaker 2: 5:14

Without getting too personal, there are a few things that, for me, were extremely limiting. First and foremost was that my mom raised me in a Jehovah Witness community.

Speaker 1: 5:26

Oh, okay, that's interesting. That's a world that many of us have heard but don't really understand.

Speaker 2: 5:31

And it's a very and again, no judgment. I believe in freedom and I'm very progressive and I believe that everyone should do whatever they feel compelled to do in the respect of others. What I found is that I don't sit well with limitations and you know, these type of communities are very limiting to the individual freedom Okay, which means that you need to obey to very restrictive rules and it's all about the time that you spend preaching. You know, I was going door to door to preach the Bible at age 10.

Speaker 1: 6:08

Okay, so that's what I know of the stereotypical Jehovah's Witness is yes, you come to my door. It's usually around dinner time. Yes, and most people are probably not super kind.

Speaker 2: 6:20

Yes, they're very persistent.

Speaker 1: 6:22

Persistent and rude and not understanding, so I'm sure you've had a lot of doerslammed. We also know that you don't celebrate certain holidays. Right Like birthdays and all that.

Speaker 2: 6:31

Which was highly traumatizing as a kid.

Speaker 1: 6:33

So do you know where I'm going with this?

Speaker 2: 6:35

Yes, so I knew a kid.

Speaker 1: 6:37

His name was James. We'll leave his last name out, doesn't matter. He was a Jehovah's Witness growing up and nobody understood it, and he did a very bad job explaining it. Yes, because we always used to say to him when's your birthday, right? So what is that? What is the reasoning behind it? And no, this is not a religious show. We'll move on beyond that. I just I'm curious.

Speaker 2: 6:55

Yeah, yeah, no, of course I'm happy to so, because all of these celebrations have pagan roots. So even the act of blowing a candle is for the spirits to, I think was to be channeled or going away, something that is about spirits, and so Jehovah's Witnesses have a big repulsion for anything that is esoteric. I grew up being terrified because they were brainwashing me about being scared about the devil, about spirits. You know, heavy metal music was something absolutely forbidden, so a lot of things that you know. For them, anything that is outside the box of control, which is their own Bible and their own dogmas, are something not to be practiced, especially and, by the way, this is the same for Christianity. I did a lot of research on Christmas, for example, in Eastern time, all of those celebrations. Eventually, before becoming Christian things, they were pagans.

Speaker 1: 7:58

All religions do borrow from the next and sometimes it's very purposeful. And we also know that some religions will borrow certain holidays or traditions to almost erase these other religions holidays and traditions.

Speaker 2: 8:10

There you go. That's exactly it, and so. But the thing that for me, was the tightest about the Jehovah's Witness communities was this concept that I couldn't have the freedom to date where I wanted. I couldn't have the freedom to even decide which college or very limited, and as a woman, because I'm also a big feminist as a woman, any position of leadership within the community is assigned to a male, and so I grew up going, which you also see in lots of religions.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Lots of religions there are lots of extreme religions and cultures, which it's crazy. It's crazy.

Speaker 2: 8:46

Right, and so for me that I was a bright kid, I was very good in all my studies. We were going to this thousands of people, conferences I'm sure you've seen it and all these men were on stage preaching and preaching and preaching. I mean, eventually I found my love to public speaking through that. But as a woman I didn't have access to any of it, and so eventually, when I was 16, which is a story I tell often in my events when I do public speaking my mom bought me a Commodore 64 and the internet, and through the internet I started chatting with strangers.

Speaker 1: 9:31

Now, did your mom know this? No, okay so you know, just to jump ahead a little later on. Did your mom ever think back and say I should have never bought you that computer?

Speaker 2: 9:41

So I never confessed her. Okay, and you know, she passed away 10 years ago and this is one of my biggest regrets in life, that she and I never sat down to have that conversation. Eventually she forgave me for leaving the community because I left at 18 and I said I don't want to even hear about you guys. And when she passed away she passed away being a very loyal and faithful job witness she still said I'm sure I'm going to see you in the afterward pre-convert and I said well, mom, I don't think it can happen.

Speaker 1: 10:19

But you kept the communications with your parents even after you left.

Speaker 2: 10:25

Well, she didn't speak to me for six months after I left and then she forgave me and then, you know, when she was sick with a very bad cancer, I was her primary caregiver and so I had a relationship with her that eventually started to heal. It took me many years. I actually healed it this summer. You know I do a little spiritual work with her. It's a whole. I wrote a book about it that is going to be published next year. My dad I didn't speak to him for 20 years.

Speaker 1: 10:57

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: 10:58

It's a whole new chapter that's going to be hard, but then he decided to visit me in New York this September and he was absolutely fabulous.

Speaker 1: 11:04

Out of the blue.

Speaker 2: 11:05

I forgave him two years ago. I sent him a text and I said let's, you know, water under the bridge, let's be a family. And he was so happy. And then he said you know, I know you're not going to come back to Sardinia because you don't enjoy it fully, so I'm going to come to you. And I said, wow, okay, Wow that's big. So, age 66, without seeing it started for 20 years, he decided to come. It's the power of forgiveness, like it makes your life. I feel so light now and healed, and I had huge rocks holding me back and now I feel at peace.

Speaker 1: 11:37

Okay, we'll get into those, but. But the power of forgiveness is huge, right, it's. You don't have to be religious to understand that when you hold on to these negative feelings, right, these vengeful feelings, it holds you back, right, so it's. You have to be willing to forgive. There's, there's been plenty of times where I've held a grudge and then, you know, the inner voice in me says you know what? Figure out a way to apologize for, give, get past it, because it's holding you back.

Speaker 2: 12:05

Well, yes, and I want to dive or click on that on a minute. I've wrote, I've read an article about it a few weeks ago, because I believe that when you're holding grudges, any grudges that, whatever, that is not only I believe it makes you sick, and there's a lot of Eastern medicine that is proving that it also hinders your relationship in the workspace and in life. Like I was always super angry, I was always whipping myself down and the moment I found the bliss, everything around me is starting to flow, corporations especially. There's so much conflict between people. I've been a guru for 15 years now and I worked in any region. I can tell you I have worked with people that were not very nice to be around.

Speaker 1: 12:51

Oh, I can imagine so, the people that are not very nice. There's no balance, right? You know that something is wrong in their lives. And it's hard to call those individuals successful Right. They could be successful at the job or a position, but they're not successful in life. And that's really the purpose of this podcast, is one not only to teach some business inspirational messages, but it's also to find that successful balance, because that's what's most important. We all know can't take money with you. You can leave it to your family and destroy them if you have too much of it, but the happy people that die happy, the ones that feel fulfilled, they found that balance. So, amen, we are going to explore balance. Hey, listener, thanks for hiking along with us. Discover more episodes at iTokaHikecom, or to recommend an adventurous guest, apply to be a sponsor, discover books along the trail or to simply drop us a line. So let's pivot now. So you work at Google, I do. What is your role at Google?

Speaker 2: 13:52

So I lead a team in charge of data transformation for agency clients.

Speaker 1: 13:56

Okay, what does that mean?

Speaker 2: 13:58

Well, so I'm sure you've seen the two letters that are the most used, two letters in the internet these days, which is AI.

Speaker 1: 14:07

Yeah, I've seen that. I've dabbled in it.

Speaker 2: 14:10

It's absolutely amazing all that you can do and scale and transform. And my team mission we, let's say we aspire to help our clients to leverage all the data that they have and all the data that they see on, and transform this data and meaningful insights to then scale and grow and maximize their ROI. Everyone that has we're talking about big clients right, I mean the business of big clients, enterprise business. Any enterprise company sits in a big wealth of data and not always they know how to utilize it well to maximize and optimize and scale.

Speaker 1: 14:49

Okay.

Speaker 2: 14:50

And so what my team and I do is that we show them and teach them how, by utilizing enterprise technologies specifically applied to advertising, they can not only get prepared for the changes ahead in the industry, like next year with the cookies and all of that but also we show them that they already sit into a wealth of information that can be activated anytime.

Speaker 1: 15:16

Okay, so that's boring, I know that's right. Can't hold that back. Yeah, that's a snooze fest right there. So let me ask you the honest question Do you love what you do at Google, or is that the reason why you have ventured on your own to do other? We'll call it more inspirational?

Speaker 2: 15:39

So I'm gonna give you a super honest answer. The piece that I love about my job is the people angle. What I found is that All that I do that surrounds my life actually makes my job more effective and more interesting and more appealing. And then the business element of it. There are some pieces, especially the most transformational one, that are really, really, really making me extremely curious and awful, because the moment in time where we are right now so I'm a geek at heart right In high school I was coding Really Nice, what language? Well, I learned in Kabul.

Speaker 1: 16:25

Well, I knew you were going to say Kabul, for some reason.

Speaker 2: 16:28

It was so whenever I was on my computer 64 at night coding. Then I had another little window chatting with a stranger, and so I'm really attracted by understanding our systems work and our technology works and how it can help and all of it. Now, the reason why I'm in love with AI lately and it's not just to say but who cannot be is because, when utilized well, this technology can really help people at scale in the world fulfill their basic needs. I give you an example I have a podcast, I spoke about it and my podcast editor lives in Nigeria and with the salary that he gets, I might live in New Mexico. All right, there you go. And we found this through LinkedIn and with the tools they utilize this and with the salary that he makes, with the salary I give him monthly I mean I don't know the cost of living in Nigeria, but I'm sure I am helping his family and himself to give a better life or my graphic designer is in Bali. So, with the use of AI, if you are a solo trep in or if you're someone that even you are finding your own path, you don't have to wait for a corporation to hire you. That's right.

Speaker 1: 17:49

And if I real quick, if I may. We live in a world today where Gen Z doesn't really want to go work there you go. The work force in the traditional corporate world, but the opportunity to create, to start a business, which is my passion you will always hear me speak about. You know, if you have a vision and a passion, quit your job, go embark upon that road. Now. It's so easy to start a business. Yes, follow your passion.

Speaker 2: 18:16

And you know, if I think about when, 22 years ago, I was in Sardinia and I was feeling miserable and I didn't know what to do, fast forward now. Everyone that has a phone, everyone that has a little of curiosity, you can download free tools. There are free tools everywhere.

Speaker 1: 18:34

So what would be your advice to somebody who is starting out in the work world, but they do have this concept or this notion should they go to work?

Speaker 2: 18:42

Look, I do a lot of mentoring in colleges and when I think about myself in your place, I'm like I wish there was someone back in the days that would have lifted me. I mean, it would have saved me a lot of traumas. My advice is to get out and be curious, and if you are a human on this planet, you cannot not know what's going on, digitally speaking, and you know I have a lot of people that work, for example, in agriculture or farming the way these technologies are transforming and making also that better. So to say that if technologies, if digital, is not your thing and maybe you're more into nature, also that there's applications or health oh my God, I've never searched in health. You know, my mom passed away from cancer because she found it out too late. All these screenings that are now available with AI technologies embedded are going to change the world of health, so you can detect cancers 10 years in advance.

Speaker 1: 19:44

Just to clarify she's saying health, yeah, health, health, health.

Speaker 2: 19:50

Yeah, my accent. Anyways, what AI is is a system able to analyze an enormous amount of data and make predictions out of it. Yes, so that means that if you have your lab results from 10 years, for example, and they are analyzed by a platform, that platform is able to identify series of behaviors through that data and apply that to predictive insights.

Speaker 1: 20:20

So if you had kids that were getting ready to go to college, right? Fast track what would be the advice you would give those kids? What type of career or major should they consider?

Speaker 2: 20:29

I talk about it a lot of months, and for me it goes back to developing an intelligent way to understand and question, because those machines are going to be only as good as the questions that you're going to prompt them with and the systems. And so it's when you have a conversation with someone, there are coaches out there that charge you $2,000 per hour, and some person might say what is it in these two hours, in these 2,000? Well, it's their ability to ask you powerful questions to get to the root cause or whatever lies in subconscious. And so for me, if you are a kid that you're going to college unless you're deciding to take a very technical discipline meaning yeah, trade a specific trade. You know you're like OK, I want to learn how to build a generative AI app for the farming industry. Ok, then you need to go into a technical side Software development.

Speaker 1: 21:26

Software development exactly CES or something. There you go.

Speaker 2: 21:29

But if you are more into the, let's say, usability side of things, I would go and study how to prompt those tools. And there's a lot of new disciplines that are coming out. I mean, we're going to experience in 10 years from now, when my daughter we'll have to go to college, there will be disciplines that today we don't even know about it.

Speaker 1: 21:48

But even when I Well true, 10 years ago, I didn't know what AI was, did you? When I applied to you might have, you would Google.

Speaker 2: 21:54

No, I didn't know, because when I was 18 and I was in Sardinia and I said to my mom that I wanted to start communication and marketing, my professor also told her she should go in information technology.

Speaker 1: 22:07

And I would be miserable.

Speaker 2: 22:08

You know I would be like, oh well, I'm not in a software development industry, like I love hanging out with people. Actually, one of the reasons why I didn't go to information technology? Because I could code and I was coding really well. But then I was isolating myself and I started having mental health problems because I would stay in my laptop coding for weeks without even living in my bedroom. It suits some personalities. And then it's about searching.

Speaker 1: 22:32

But it's a depressing personality because you're spending zero time on yourself, zero time Including physical activity. You're sitting at a desk and literally just coding and hacking away.

Speaker 2: 22:41

Which, by the way, again it goes back to AI. There are going to be technologies Like there wouldn't be the need of doing the things you and I were doing of coding programs of two, three thousand of lines, because the system is going to do it. The systems that corporations, including Google and Amazon and you know there's an AI council Like there's people, very smart individuals, that are working on it as a collective. This, for me, is not anymore one of those industry projects where there's competition. This is about the collective to come together and define what good looks like so that we can all benefit and we can all mitigate the associated risks. What excites me is that at least we are talking about it right. Think about it. These technologies have been available and companies were working on it since seven plus years.

Speaker 1: 23:36

Well, they've been working on it before we even knew what it was.

Speaker 2: 23:38

And then like everything.

Speaker 1: 23:39

It just popped up Chat, gbt and Poof, now everything is a Exactly Too fast, too fast.

Speaker 2: 23:45

Wow, I don't know, because I mean the action that OpenAI took about making it public. They made public a very small piece of it. That is about using this tool to write your emails or writing articles and creating pretty images and journey and things like that. Now, what we are talking about about machines, recreating yourself and et cetera requires a level of skill set and a level of sophistication that I wouldn't assume is available to the masses. So promptly.

Speaker 1: 24:21

I hope that some of the stuff that we have is not as readily as available.

Speaker 2: 24:25

Exactly what I'll say is that I would rather have it on her face than in hiding.

Speaker 1: 24:34

Yes, I will agree that if it's out in the open then hopefully more people can police it. And I know we're only talking surface level. But I don't want to sound negative because I love AI and what I can do. Anybody in this industry is being affected by it, like journalism. There's a screen actors guild, which we saw right. They were on strike for a long time because of AI, or at least primarily because of AI. Yeah, they're going to have to pivot. They're going to have to pivot their own careers.

Speaker 2: 25:02

That is the negative side Transform it, transform it. And I mean I don't know how much people are using it, but all the time that I personally use it, it does require humans again to use it.

Speaker 1: 25:15

Well, you have to be the conductor.

Speaker 2: 25:16

Exactly, and it's not the magic wand that suddenly it's going to solve everything. My POV is that it will enhance a lot of activities and a lot of industry and possibly making it better.

Speaker 1: 25:33

Hey listener, thanks for hiking along with us. Discover more episodes at iqtokahikecom, or to recommend an adventurous guest, apply to be a sponsor, discover books along the trail, or to simply drop us a line. By the way, this is my favorite spot in.

Speaker 2: 25:46

Central Park. I know this is gorgeous.

Speaker 1: 25:48

Might be one of my favorite spots in the world, to be quite honest.

Speaker 2: 25:50

It's so beautiful.

Speaker 1: 25:53

Let's talk about your podcast for a second. What do you do on your podcast?

Speaker 2: 25:56

99 Humans was born from a book Okay, meaning my co-host, jeff one day. So he's a writer, he published several books, he's a very successful New York mass seller and one day he comes and says would you like to write a book with me? And writing a book has always been my dream and I'm hoping to publish next year two of my books and it goes and says I know I'm dreaming about it and I'm close and he goes would you like to write a book with me about leadership? So both he and I lead teams at Google. We've been leading for a long time and we have very strong leadership principles and I said yes, so I lead with yes. That's one of my life principles.

Speaker 1: 26:41

Absolutely Opportunity.

Speaker 2: 26:43

Right and abundance. And so I go yes, let's do it. I never done it before, but if you're choosing me, it means that there's a reason why you're coming to me with us and we start interviewing people and it's about authentic leadership. This is not about the entrepreneur magazine leadership. It's not about how good I am and how fantastic I am. This is about what are the times that I messed up as a leader and what did I learn about it and how that makes me a better leader. So it's all centered around stories. Anyway, we start interviewing folks and when we were around 15 interviews, I looked at them and I said these interviews are amazing. I said there's no reason why we should keep them as notes. Why don't we start publishing them if the guests are okay with it? And so we designed all the brand and we decided it was 99 humans, because 100 is too perfect, whereas 99 and 9 is a little bit that thing. That is not there yet, but it's imperfect. And it became very quickly an industry reference point, sometimes actually also last week I was advertising week and people were like, oh, I heard them. I was listening to the last guest. It was so awesome and people start talking about it, can I be on the show and things like that, and so what I like the most about it is really getting personal with the people around things that, for them, are so moving. On Friday I cried twice with one of the guests. Oh wow, it was so emotional. They were talking about things about their lives and everything.

Speaker 1: 28:16

What was the aspect that made you cry?

Speaker 2: 28:18

Well, this is a very successful man that has his own startup and has done many years in the corporations. But his story started when he was 15 and living in a very small, rural Italian city, italian town, and he says how he broke his leg at a very young age playing football and how that event eventually changed. And you know, it was the whole thing. I don't know if it's how it was saying in it, but I projected myself in it.

Speaker 1: 28:52

It was a personal enough story to really resonate with you.

Speaker 2: 28:55

It was so personal and I got you.

Speaker 1: 28:56

Didn't break his leg riding bike, did he?

Speaker 2: 28:58

No, that was not riding a bike, even though I know plenty of people who broke their legs riding a bike, which is probably why I don't hit it.

Speaker 1: 29:05

I never broke anything. Well, I don't want today to be the first day.

Speaker 2: 29:09

I never broke a leg or thing, nothing.

Speaker 1: 29:12

All right, well, hopefully we're not wishing that in the universe.

Speaker 2: 29:16

Maybe the time's good. Anyways, we will record 99, and that's it we decided. Then you stop then, we stop, then we're gonna be done. I don't know if maybe there will be a season two, season three.

Speaker 1: 29:30

I have no idea about what we decided you record 99 episodes, since a season is normally 12. I need my handy calculator for this one, but that's multiple seasons.

Speaker 2: 29:39

Yeah, well, it's two years of show because we publish on a weekly basis. Okay, so we published 43 right now, so we're off way and.

Speaker 1: 29:54

That's a lot of podcasts. A podcast is a lot of work, huh.

Speaker 2: 29:57

Is so much work so much. I don't think many people understand how much work goes into an episode is so much work and it's a dedication because it's so much work, we can only get where we get Yep, and so our priority, we always said that Three are the things that are holding us into this. We're gonna do 99, and the reason why I say this is because when you decide that you're gonna do something, regardless we like, regardless of views, regardless of feedback, regardless of we for time, we are committed. We're gonna 99. So you set a goal, you commit to it exactly like no flags, no changes until we hit 99. We keep going and, and you know, when you have a partner in a project, I think it's important to declare what the north star is and that there's no way out. We looked ourselves in the eyes my cost and I and we said we are doing 99, do we agree?

Speaker 1: 30:50

And so we said so that, right, there is an important we'll call that another asterisk Fact that we can apply to business as well. Right, doing something on your own as a solopreneur is one thing. Setting goals you are beholden to yourself. Having a trusted partner that completes you, so to speak, fills in the gaps of your weaknesses, right, and you do the same for them. Now, you're beholden to each other and it's magical. If you have the right partner, right, you could succeed together. And when you commit, you're committing and boosting each other up. Together you have a better chance of success. As a partnership.

Speaker 2: 31:25

Yes, it's important to set expectations. So that's right, because if let's say, for example, that I wanted to do 99 and maybe he was, oh, I'll do 99 only if, because there's money investment, you know of course, episodes are expensive. They're so expensive and you know on everything platforms, editors and services with that same what time?

Speaker 1: 31:52

we always forget that. You, you forgot it too. We always forget our time has a monetary value. Totally set. What your monetary value is on your time. Everybody should do that. What is my time worth on an hourly basis? I can assure you this.

Speaker 2: 32:06

Yes.

Speaker 1: 32:06

If you set a number, what is it? 150 an hour, 200 an hour, a thousand, two thousand an hour? Whatever you think your time is worth and just be honest with yourself, right? If you're not a two thousand an hour player, then don't book yourself at that rate. But, now, whenever you're going to do anything, something that you don't want to do, calculate how much that's going to cost you in time value. Yeah, that right, there is going to be the differentiator In outsourcing. We're just not doing it at all. Oh my god. Hey, listener. Thanks for hiking along with us. Discover more episodes at I took a hikecom. Or to recommend an adventurous guest, apply to be a sponsor, discover books along the trail. Or to simply drop us a line.

Speaker 2: 32:49

I'm so grateful you brought outsourcing, because that was my point number two, which is, once we committed to the 99, we had a conversation about what, what, which were the things that we Enjoy doing and which were the things that we were dreading, because we said we only gonna do it if we have fun and happiness and it's a high vibrational experience versus dragging in it. And that's where we say because initially we were doing all by ourselves. We even tried editing ourselves and managing all the game. It was like a mountain bootstrapping it.

Speaker 1: 33:20

What boots? It's called bootstrapping. Oh my god, bootstrapping absolutely works. I am a fundamental believer in bootstrapping. You should bootstrap every startup concept, and I don't care how wealthy you are. Bootstrap your business and put yourself in every single aspect of your business, and then you could determine what needs to be outsourced. Yes, yes, but if you don't go down the road of working every position. You don't know how to spend your money wisely.

Speaker 2: 33:44

I agree because that will. That will let you appreciate the people you hire so much more, because you know what gets into it. I still, on friday, I was coding my old newsletters. I told you about this and I said I want to understand what is the work and everything. Anyway, with my partner, jeff, we said, okay, let's list it all out and let's understand how much investment each of us can put into it to outsource those um Activities. And so we did. That was the second thing. And once we outsourced and we found people, that was 10x better. And then the third thing is that we are very I don't know what would be the good word for this but we wanted to really hold ourselves into our values and into picking the right guests and make sure the stories we're hearing Are in line with our integrity. So you're.

Speaker 1: 34:37

You're authentic. Your values are purposeful and authentic.

Speaker 2: 34:40

There you go, and this happened it only one time. We were in a situation where we saw a guest was a type of guest we wanted and during the interview it turned out very differently, and in that moment we were confronted with a choice, which was do we let the guest going wherever they're going or we interject and we bring it back? And so I had this conversation. We haven't published it yet. We will if the guest will give us their approval. But in this conversation the guest was sharing something that was absolutely opposite to some of my values as a feminist and as a woman in the work environment.

Speaker 1: 35:22

Strong opinions.

Speaker 2: 35:24

Strong opinions and I had to interrupt and you know we had a little bit of disagreement on the show. And then when at the end my partner and I always do a reflection on the show and I had to say out loud that I was fundamentally not in agreement with those things because I didn't want to give the perception that suddenly I'm flipping, like my values are so important to me.

Speaker 1: 35:51

Well, that's all we are, is a collection of our values. So it's, I am proud of you and I applaud you for that. But you know one, it is your show. And two, you know you, at least from knowing you. You at least listened to the other person's opinions, but your values will never be wavering.

Speaker 2: 36:08

Yeah, totally, I will always listen and offer the space, and. But there are certain things. Look, I'm typically a center person, like I'm not an extreme individual, outside of very few topics. For me, there are a couple of topics that are like red zones, in which my ideas are so anchored, and these typically are freedom. Freedom until you like. I want to explain freedom, because it's not that now everyone is free to go and kill people and do whatever. Freedom with respect, yeah, like you are free to live your life as you wish until you are expecting those around you and you are ner her thing and you are offering the same freedom to others. Ok, so for me this is number one, and then the second one is women's rights. For me is a complete red zone. My heart broke last year with all the things with abortion and because I have two daughters, this is a topic that I like. It's so dear to my heart.

Speaker 1: 37:18

I mean, I'm a woman, so it's kind of dear to my heart. I married a woman and I have three daughters. So I live in a bubble where I must say I think women have more power today than men. I hope I look at my children and I want them to succeed very well.

Speaker 2: 37:36

But it's funny because you would think that that's the norm.

Speaker 1: 37:40

It is not the norm outside of this country. That is not the norm.

Speaker 2: 37:43

There are so many micro aggressions, even in this world. I mean again, remember, in places like Texas you cannot get an abortion, and yeah, that's because we allow politics and religion to intertwine, and we're not supposed to, because I'm fairly certain this country of America was founded on religious freedom, but separation of religion and state, right, church and state. I don't want to get political. I'll tell you, though, that I you know both my daughters, so Barbie the movie with me, and that sparked some deep conversations, and in my family we actively talk about what Patrick means, and I work in a primarily male dominated industry, and it's it's not done. Women now. I don't remember the year, but women started voting not long ago.

Speaker 1: 38:38

I probably going to get the date wrong, so I will say it was in the 48 40s, 50s, I don't know yeah. I don't know what year was the Seneca Convention. I do remember that figure.

Speaker 2: 38:50

It was 48.

Speaker 1: 38:51

Yeah, it was the Seneca Convention.

Speaker 2: 38:52

But so this is to say that, even if we believe that we have freedom, we are hanging in such a thin thread that it scares me, and so, especially when it comes to respecting women's needs around our health and our minorities, you're telling me yes for women in my house.

Speaker 1: 39:16

I'm doomed.

Speaker 2: 39:17

Oh you are. You are very tough live, and not to mention your expenses for tampons.

Speaker 1: 39:23

Yeah, so are you saying I need to start up a business that makes tampons?

Speaker 2: 39:28

I mean now. It's all about your reusable underwear.

Speaker 1: 39:32

Great, I'm doomed.

Speaker 2: 39:34

What I'll say is that women, for the first time in history we I don't want to generalize, not everyone, but let's say that women finally have financial freedom to access and buy whatever. You know, back in the days, a woman needed to ask their husband permission to spend. Like, if we think about it's crazy.

Speaker 1: 39:54

So this is the world that I clearly do not know about and I don't claim to know about because you know more recent than I've been in this world with, with my children being young. So, yeah, I'm learning every day. I had I have no idea that women had to ask to spend.

Speaker 2: 40:15

It's well, think about it. A woman was just in the kitchen preparing food and administering the house, and the man was the one that was producing and bringing money. And so I'm not talking about the super privileged and wealthy that they were just taking the check and sending their husband to pay. I'm talking about a woman that even to go to the hairdresser maybe needed, you know, her husband to give her fifty dollars or whatever that was. Anyway, the bottom line is that having our freedom financially, our freedom of action, our freedom of thoughts, also comes with responsibility, and so women rights is another. The subject where I'm completely Faithful is there's no negotiation.

Speaker 1: 41:00

So, nadia, what are some of the most important learning lessons that you can offer as a conclusion to this show?

Speaker 2: 41:08

Oh, such a tough question.

Speaker 1: 41:10

I ask tough questions sometimes.

Speaker 2: 41:12

Well, I mean, look, number one is what we started Like find your life purpose, whatever it is. If your life purpose is to make people happy by baking the most amazing cakes in the universe, do it.

Speaker 1: 41:23

Make the best cakes in the world.

Speaker 2: 41:25

Make the best cakes in the world. So it's really about taking the time to understand what are your gifts, what are your talents and what are you brought into the universe to accomplish, because that, for me, is the definition of utmost happiness, and it's so unique and it's special, and when you will be busy doing that, that's when you'll be one of the most amazing people to hang out with.

Speaker 1: 41:51

Yes, so I love that right. I could summarize that in saying follow your passion, do what you love right. Money will follow a passion if you do pair that as your desire. But you will become a more interesting person and at the end of the day, people want to hang out with interesting people.

Speaker 2: 42:08

Well, you'll attract the opportunities that are meant for you. The journal notebook that I will publish next year, which is the Eleven Ways to Spark your Zeal. One of the eleven is to build what I call a garden of zeal, which is building your life, as it was a beautiful garden with flowers and trees and anything, so that the bees, which are the opportunities, are going to fly your way and they're going to come and make your life rich, versus you spending time chasing. For me, this is one of the most magical and transformative principles of life. So this is one. And then number two is I'm going to say it's going to sound, probably very rough, but it is cut the dead end. Cut the dead end. And for me, the cut, the dead end, means really taking an inventory of your life on what is holding you back and finally, like sometimes, as people, we all have that friend that likes to complain. Sometimes it can be family members, sometimes it can be content. There are people that are addicted to consuming content and it's not uplifting them, and it's actually bringing them down.

Speaker 1: 43:20

Oh, it's so easy to get sucked into the negative today.

Speaker 2: 43:23

So cut the dead end.

Speaker 1: 43:24

Cut the negative Negativity.

Speaker 2: 43:26

Yeah, whatever it takes to protect your zeal that's how I call it, because eventually that's the only thing you need. And then look the number three. I want to quote something you said in one of your shows. I mean not to make you happy, but Thanks.

Speaker 1: 43:40

You don't know. Please don't make me happy.

Speaker 2: 43:45

We have all that we need accessible to us in a way, and so this walk, for example today in Central Park, really reminded me, for me, like this place is half an hour from where I leave, and being in nature changed completely my perspective on my day of the week or everything. And again, it's about centering on what we need to be happy and to be motivated and be grounded, and so nature, I find, at least for me. Again, all the witches will agree that nature is one of those elements, and I know in cities sometimes it's not always possible, but even in a city like New York, you know, there's a park, there are trees like same trees, there's tons of parks in the city. Right, and so finding what makes you grounded and centered for me is nature. Yeah, it really. Nature and water really allows you to be at peace with yourself.

Speaker 1: 44:40

Well, that does make me happy because the message is being heard. That's an important message. I appreciated this journey through Central Park. Certainly. I know we took a winding road and a winding path and a winding journey and conversation, but you are certainly an inspirational person. Do you believe you are successful?

Speaker 2: 44:59

And going on a bike.

Speaker 1: 45:02

Let's go with life first.

Speaker 2: 45:04

My biggest success is that I'm in peace with myself. Well, so that's my success.

Speaker 1: 45:09

So you are successful. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Speaker 2: 45:12

I think it's been a pleasure.

Speaker 1: 45:17

Next time on, I Took a Hike. We learn from the creative mind of an artistic genius, Ricardo Royg.