November 2, 2025 • 23 mins
A cluttered jewellery shelf became a doorway to entrepreneurship, and a new mum’s need for creativity became the spark for a movement. Mel sits down with Krystal Jugarap, a two-time founder, brand visibility strategist, award-winning speaker, and mum of three. Krystal unpacks how a simple product idea led to Book of Bijoux and then to EM/POWEREDbyWMN, a fast-growing platform that gets women founders seen on stages, in stores and across media.
We dive into the practical engine behind visibility: building an open, user-friendly directory that helps people discover women-owned brands by identity and category; creating vendor markets and pop-up programs that connect makers to brick-and-mortar partners; and opening doors to speaking and press opportunities that accelerate credibility. Krystal breaks down what makes support truly accessible for small business owners, why many marketplaces exclude early-stage founders, and how to design resources and pricing that don’t punish women for starting where they are.
The heart of the conversation is mindset and modelling. We talk frankly about mum guilt, the cost of trying to keep every ball in the air, and why choosing yourself isn’t selfish, it’s a lesson your kids will carry for life. You’ll hear simple practices for asking for help before burnout, carving out ten minutes to refill your cup, and letting go of the “super-parent” badge so you can focus on what matters. If you don’t have family support, Krystal shares concrete ways to find or build the room where support exists, from free communities to strategic investments that pay compounding dividends.
If you’re craving community, clarity and the courage to be visible, this conversation gives you tools and proof you don’t have to wait for permission. Follow Krystal @IamKrystalJ on Instagram and explore @empoweredbywmn for directories, events, and their upcoming Bay Area summit. Enjoyed the chat? Subscribe, share with a woman who needs a boost, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:24):
Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.
(00:59):
Welcome back to another episodeof Beyond Organised.
I have Krystal Jogarat herewith me today.
I'm going to give you, well,probably a decent bio this time
on who this lovely woman is.
So Krystal is a two-timesfounder, brand visibility
strategist, award-winningspeaker, podcast host,
(01:21):
philanthropist, community hypewoman, and most importantly, mum
to two little girls and a babyboy.
Through the Empowered by Womenplatform, she continues to
cultivate a community thatuplifts women in their
entrepreneurship through vendorfairs, networking events, annual
summits, virtual workshops, andthe Empowered by Women podcast,
(01:43):
their online woman-owned smallbusiness directory, which now
highlights more than 100women-owned brands and so much
more.
Their community is all aboutcreating space for visibility,
connection, and sharedresources.
It's Krystal's mission toremind women and future
generations that they are notonly capable but so worthy of
creating lives and businessesthey love.
(02:04):
I really love yourstatement. Welcome to the show, Krystal. Welcome.
Thank you, Mel.
I am so excited to be here andI'm excited to dive into
whatever we're about to chatabout today.
Mel (02:16):
Yeah.
Look, I just want to know moreabout you.
Like what inspired you to dowhat you're doing, particularly
with the Empowered by Women?
Krystal (02:25):
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
So I know we have very limitedtime, so I'll try to keep it
brief.
But really long story short, Iknew I was going to be an
entrepreneur since I was in highschool.
The crazy thing is, I grew upfairly traditionally and I
didn't have any entrepreneurialrole models around me.
So to kind of itch thatentrepreneurial scratch, I would
take on these jobs that feltlike they were giving me some
(02:48):
kind of autonomy, right?
Fast forward, I became a newmom.
One of my past jobs was sellingjewelry, and I had amassed so
much jewelry.
And my way back to myself as anew mom, because we all know we
kind of go through that process,was creativity.
I grew up in a very creativehousehold.
And so one day, seeing all ofthis jewelry just completely
(03:11):
overtaking my shelf, I was like,okay, we need to do something
about it because this is a veryvaluable space that we need,
especially, you know, with allthe kids' toys and clothes and
things.
I need to take back that shelfspace.
And as every entrepreneur'sstory goes, you know, I tried to
find a solution online to fitall my jewelry, couldn't find
one that I liked.
So I decided to create one formyself.
(03:32):
And so that's what led me tolaunching my product line, Book
of Bijou.
And in that, in making thatdecision to launch my business,
it just made me think of thecommunity I once had selling
jewelry, where we weresurrounded by so many incredible
women that were doing the samething, that were very ambitious
and supportive of each other,and the energy was just
(03:52):
immaculate.
So I said, How do I recreatethat community for myself?
Because I was adamant thatentrepreneurship was not going
to be lonely for me.
I know it's a it's a it's anotion that is out there that's
commonly stated, but that wasnot gonna be my story.
So I said, How do I startgetting women together in
person?
And obviously building a brandfrom scratch, you have to
(04:14):
recognize the power ofleveraging existing audiences.
I mean, you know very well withyour podcast.
So with my product line, that'swhat I was doing.
I was leveraging existingaudiences with joint giveaways
and things like that.
But it really got to a pointwhere, again, I want to have
some amazing women in my circle.
I want to take thisrelationship a little bit
further and actually get to knowthe people that I'm
(04:36):
collaborating with.
So I kind of that casuallyturned into our podcast.
We I just started interviewingthem for fun.
And then it took on anotherlayer of how do I get these
women together in person.
We hosted one market in 2022.
And although I had no intentionfor Empowered by Women to Turn
Into a Business, that reallysolidified us as an emerging
(04:57):
community where I saw otherwomen basically saying, We need
more of this, we need thiscommunity, we need this energy,
we need this opportunity toconnect with one another.
And I got to bring my twodaughters at the time, which was
a very surreal experiencebecause again, I didn't have
that kind of role model.
I didn't have that exposure towhat else could be in life.
(05:18):
And so that moment just was areally defining moment for the
trajectory of Empowered byWomen.
It's kind of just naturallyprogressed from there.
Mel (05:26):
Oh, that is so cool.
And yeah, it there is somethingthat happens inside of you when
you realize I am stepping intoa different path than the
generations before me.
And I'm breaking free from thattime is money, all that hard
work.
I mean, it this is hard work,don't get me wrong.
Yeah, it's very hard work, butit's so rewarding in being able
(05:51):
to see lives changed the waythat we do.
And the fact that you couldbring your daughters along,
yeah, you'd have thatrealization of going, you know,
you're going to be so muchfurther ahead than I am when the
time comes for you to work outwhat you want to do with your
life.
You're not going to be limitedto just certain careers through
(06:12):
colleges or whatever else thereis.
You're going to seepossibilities of so much more
that you're not always exposedto when you're at school.
So I think that's excitingbecause I've had that a very
similar revelation with my kidsjust going, you know what?
The world is your oyster.
Krystal (06:30):
And it's so beautiful, like seeing the light bulbs
start, you know, flickering onin their own minds and seeing
how their creativity kind ofties in with all this
imagination you're opening upfor them.
Mel (06:42):
Yeah, for sure.
And I'm seeing it in mynine-year-old, he's he's got
entrepreneur written all overhim.
The ideas, the things that comeout with, I'm like, we're gonna
have to get you started soonerthan later.
I think I know.
It's just it's it's incredible.
And um, I certainly didn't haveanything like that growing up.
(07:03):
Even though my dad ran his ownbusiness, it was still the
traditional he was a mechanic,you know, open a shop, work, do
all of that kind of stuff.
So this whole online world isjust it's taken off.
It's completely different.
Yeah.
So I'm curious as to how youhelp women in what you do
(07:26):
through your summits and yourworkshops and that.
How do you help the women thatyou serve?
Krystal (07:32):
So it really started with visibility.
That is and that remains one ofour core focuses and how we're
supporting our women.
So the event that we hosted in2022 was a vendor market.
So we had 20 women vendors,which was amazing.
And from there, after thatevent, I got so many messages
asking me, do you know anyonethat sells this?
(07:53):
And do you know anyone thatsells this?
And do you know anyone thatsells this?
And I was always like,honestly, I go down an Instagram
rabbit hole, clicking onhashtags, looking at who's
following who's following who,and finding my people that way.
And being verysolution-oriented, I was like,
okay, there gotta be a betterway.
Yeah.
So we started by launching ouronline directory, which we
(08:14):
decide uh designed to make itvery intuitive, very
user-friendly.
It's open to the public.
It's not just members only, butyou can also go on there and be
very intentional.
So if I'm I'm Asian, so if Iwanted to find an Asian-owned
jewelry brand that I wanted tosupport, um, or maybe for, you
know, if I wanted to find aLatino-owned brand because it
was Hispanic Heritage Month thatI wanted to support, I could go
(08:34):
on there and do that.
So it was really about makingit more accessible for the
community to find and supportthese women-owned brands.
And from there, we startedattracting all of these
service-based providers for somereason, which was amazing.
But they started seeing medoing more speaking engagements
and that conversation startedof, oh, I want to be a speaker
(08:56):
too.
Like, how are you getting onthese stages and how are you
finding these opportunities?
So we really expanded the waythat we're offering our
visibility from just vendormarkets.
We also have our pop-up programwhere we're connecting vendors
to different brick and mortars,and now we help them get on
stages, whether it's empoweredby women's stages or we're
partnering with otherorganizations and event
(09:17):
organizers, and also giving themaccess to media opportunities.
So the visibility is one aspectof it.
The next aspect is really justmaking support, education,
resources, experts moreaccessible.
And there are so manydirectories and marketplaces out
there, but some of them reallyjust aren't feasible for small
(09:37):
business owners.
And as women, we already haveso many hurdles we face and
expenses and living life.
Yeah.
And then grow a business on topof that, that that's really one
of our core values.
How do we make things asaccessible as possible so that
women, regardless of what stagein business they're in, they can
feel supported?
And then the third layer ofthat is really just cultivating
(09:59):
these opportunities for genuineconnection.
And I say with my whole heartthat we attract the most
incredible, amazing women.
And that's what makes it sospecial, is because the women
that come in, they see thevision and they truly want to
support each other.
Mel (10:14):
So powerful when it when you've got the right people
aligned to your goals and yourvisions because it just it just
works like clockwork.
It's so good.
Krystal (10:25):
It is, and we as women need that, honestly.
And there are so I mean, verybeginning of my entrepreneur
stage, I had to have thatconversation of with myself of,
hey, Krystal, like it's okay toask for help.
We need to start gettingcomfortable asking for help
because we just inherently we wenaturally try to do everything
(10:47):
for everyone and put ourselveslast.
And we continue to take on theload and take on the load, take
on the load, and then wonder whywe're so exhausted at the end
of the day and feelingunfulfilled and feeling like we
don't have time for anythingbecause we don't let anyone come
in and support us.
Mel (11:01):
Yeah.
Oh, 100%.
That's exactly what I say toall my clients all the time
because you know, we have ourto-do lists or whatever, and we
put our own needs at the verybottom.
We never get through the list,so we never get seen to.
It's just it's never-ending,you're always busy, but what
have you got to show for it kindof day?
(11:21):
And it's just it's draining andit's it's discouraging too.
Because you just, you knowyou're capable of more, you can
give more, you can do more, butyou're just so exhausted from
and then yeah, and it does feeldisturb discouraging because you
feel like you've done so muchyet you haven't done anything.
(11:42):
Yeah.
You haven't done anything thatmatters.
Yeah, at least in your mind.
Krystal (11:47):
Yeah.
Right.
Or anything even that you likewant to do.
Yeah.
Because you've made it a pointin your own head that everything
else comes before your ownwants and desires.
Mel (11:58):
Yeah, definitely.
I always encourage people to,particularly the mums, to spend
at least 10 minutes a daypouring into themselves, pouring
into their own cup, because youcan't pour from an empty cup.
So you're going to end upenjoying your day more, you're
going to be more productive,you're going to be more
efficient in what you do becauseyou're recharged.
(12:19):
It's it's like, yeah, driving acar and running out of fuel and
you're just sitting on themotorway waiting for help.
You don't want to get to thatstage.
You want to be refueling alongthe way.
Krystal (12:31):
So exactly.
And I really do look at thework that I do as a form of
self-love and self-care becausethe women that I'm surrounding
myself with, they empowering Isaid, are amazing.
Yeah.
And it feels like so fulfillingto be in this space.
So that even if I have to stepaway for work, I don't come back
feeling exhausted and drained.
(12:51):
And I could be tired, but I'mtired from doing the things that
I love and that license.
So that I can come back to mykids and my family more patient
and more engaged than everbefore when I was going to a job
that was even more drainingthat I absolutely did not like.
Mel (13:07):
Yep.
Completely agree.
Completely agree.
It's a different level ofexhaustion and tired.
It's a real satisfied, I feelso good in what I've achieved
and what I'm doing.
And yeah, I get it.
I really do.
So, what do you find is holdingwomen back in moving forward in
(13:28):
their future, in maybe pursuingtheir goals and dreams?
What do you find is sort of themain thing that holds them
back?
Krystal (13:35):
I really do think the biggest thing for us as women,
especially as moms, is that it'shard for us to put ourselves
first.
Mel (13:42):
Yeah.
Krystal (13:43):
And for me, it really was a conscious choice that I
made when I launched my businessbecause for so long, up until
that point, I had been doingeverything everyone has asked me
to do.
And doing things.
Well, I've I'm still I'vealways been kind of very
untraditional.
So there were still momentsthat, you know, I kind of
followed my own untraditionalpath.
(14:03):
But other than that, I did, Ichecked all of society's boxes
and I made a conscious choiceone day.
I was head home and I was, youknow what?
I'm gonna start betting onmyself.
I'm gonna start living life myway.
I'm gonna do things my way.
I'm gonna do, I'm gonna createthe life that I've always wanted
for myself, but I've neverallowed myself to step into
(14:24):
because I've let everyone else'sopinions and thoughts and
visions for my life be thedictating factor.
Yeah.
Yeah. But it sounds like what I've gone through recently. Sounds like something I could just say.
Exactly.
But at some point we have tohonor ourselves.
And that's a hard decision tomake.
And it's honestly a decisionthat we have to keep making over
(14:46):
and over and over again.
It's constantly.
And it's hard, it's hardcommunication with yourself.
It's hard conversations to havewith your family, but it's
consistent conversations thatyou need to keep on having so
that it becomes a little biteasier every day to keep
stepping into that woman thatyou want to become and that life
that you want to have.
Mel (15:02):
Yeah.
Oh, that's so so true.
Krystal (15:04):
I think regardless of anyone that's listening, whether
they've got their own businessor not, these are concepts that
are worth grasping and gettingyour head around that it is so
important to ask for the help,to put yourself first and just
think about the direction inwhere you want to go as well,
because you've got little onespotentially that are watching
(15:27):
and learning and and they'regonna follow what you do as well
to a certain degree.
You know, they're gonna copy.
So it is important.
Um and the one thing that I say,because mom guilt, parent
guilt, I don't know if youraudience is just women, but
parent guilt truly never goesaway.
There's always gonna belingering guilt in all of those
(15:48):
moments that come up.
And one thing that I love toshare with the people that bring
that question up of like, howdo you deal with that?
How do you deal with puttingyourself first in all the guilt
that comes with it?
Is you're not just choosingyourself, you're showing your
family that they're allowed tochoose themselves too.
Mel (16:06):
Yeah, 100%.
Definitely.
Because what message are wesending our children?
If we don't ever look afterourselves, we don't go for our
own goals, our own dreams.
We're telling them that, oh,you can have your dream, but
when you grow up, that's it.
Then your dream's no longerrealistic, right?
It's no longer valid, it's notworth anything.
(16:27):
You then have to sacrifice yourdreams and your future and your
happiness for your children.
Well, they're gonna go, well, Idon't want children then.
Like whatever, you know?
And I want to be a grandparent.
So it's it's what are we,what's the message that we're
sending to our own children, letalone the other children that
(16:48):
are out there too that arewatching and learning from their
own mums that we're helpinghere.
Krystal (16:55):
So I mean, there's I know your audience is not all
entrepreneurs, but there's justso much knowledge that we can
kind of indirectly impart intoour children simply by the way
that we're showing up forourselves.
Mel (17:08):
Yeah, definitely.
Yep.
And like I said, you don't needto be an entrepreneur to be the
role model that you want to befor your kids.
Like even if you are sloggingit out, working night shifts,
you're doing this, you're doingthat to make ends meet, to to
provide for your family andstill provide a future for them,
then good on you.
You are doing your bit.
(17:29):
If you are at home staying withthe children, raising them
while your partner is outworking and you are up all hours
of the night feeding the baby,doing all of this, good on you.
Like it is hard work, no matterwhat season, what stage you're
at, what choices you've made.
We are trying to do the bestfor our children, regardless of
what choices.
Whether we send them todaycare, we keep them home,
(17:53):
whether we breastfeed, bottlefeed, whatever, we're all doing
the best that we can.
Krystal (17:58):
Yeah.
It's about giving yourself somegrace.
Exactly.
I love that.
We're in sync.
It's about giving yourselfgrace.
And one thing that I learnedthat I heard someone say, I
think it was at the beginning ofthe year, that no one's ever
actually said out loud is thatit's okay to drop the ball.
And that was so powerful forme, and I'm sure it will
(18:21):
resonate with a lot of youraudience that we feel like we
need to keep all of these ballsin the air, but it's just not
realistic.
Yeah.
And we don't need to have thissuper mom badge that other
people have given to us.
You get to determine what makesyou feel fulfilled and how you
want to show up as a parent, asa professional, as a partner,
(18:43):
whatever it is.
And it's okay if balls drop indifferent areas because that
just means you were able to pourmore time, love, and attention
into the things that trulymatter and that you want to.
Mel (18:53):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Couldn't, couldn't have said itbetter myself.
So good.
What is one thing that you wishmore women knew?
Obviously, besides the thingswe've already talked about, but
what's one thing that you wishthey knew looking forward to?
Krystal (19:08):
I want to say that there is, you know, that I'm I'm
a community girly.
I'm a community hype woman.
That was that was part of mybio.
I want to I want to say thatthere is support for everyone
out there.
And I say this because a lot oftimes the conversation could be
about, you know, just ask foryour partner, ask your partner
for support, ask your family forsupport.
(19:30):
Some people don't have that.
And I want to be mindful ofthat.
But just because you might nothave that family or that partner
or whatever, there is stillsupport out there if you're
willing to look and if you'rewilling to put yourself in the
rooms.
Mel (19:43):
Yeah.
And you're willing to invest inyourself a bit.
Because sometimes, depending onthe level of support, you it
might come at a little bit of acost, you know, financially or
with your time or in in anyother way.
But if you're willing to go,I'm gonna put myself first, I'm
gonna invest in myself and in myfuture, which in turn will see
(20:07):
the dividends in my ownchildren, then you go for it.
I I think go for it because youcan only get so much always
doing things for free as well.
You're only gonna get so muchout of it.
And there's amazing freecommunities out there for sure.
But also look at where it isyou want to go and what
resources are available forthat.
(20:28):
And if it requires aninvestment of any sort, time can
be a huge investment too.
Then consider it.
Krystal (20:35):
And if you can't find one, create one.
That's what I did.
Mel (20:38):
Yeah, yeah, that's it.
Oh, well, I've pretty much donethe same thing now that I think
about it.
Yeah.
It's like I created a communitythat fits with what it is I was
looking for that I couldn'tfind back then and now got over
a hundred women in there, youknow?
Krystal (20:53):
It's that's right.
We get to create what ournormal looks like.
And that sounds like yeah,crystal shore, whatever.
You really can.
And it can start with justsmall steps, right?
It can start with just okay,five minutes tomorrow.
I'm gonna go for a walk.
I'm just gonna have a quiettime.
(21:14):
Right.
That could be your self-careand just layer into that slowly
but surely.
And then a year from today,you'll find yourself in this
whole new line by yourself.
Right.
Where it feels more aligned,more fulfilled, and you've
recognized the power of givingyourself grace and the power of
community.
Yeah.
100%.
Mel (21:34):
Completely agree.
Oh, I love this.
I feel like I could talkforever.
I know.
Of course.
Krystal (21:39):
I was trying to be mindful of the time, but now,
like, this has been so much fun.
Mel (21:43):
That's okay.
Uh, it's it's always the way.
We just get chatting, and thenbefore you realize, time's just
completely disappeared.
But I've really enjoyedeverything you've shared so far,
and I'm sure the listeners havetoo.
So, where can they find you ifthey want to hear more and see
more of what you're doing?
Krystal (22:03):
So, my personal Instagram is @I am KrystalJ,
Krystal with a K.
And then if you're interestedin our community uh women's
platform that's @empowered bywmn, all one word, a women is
spelled W M N.
And that links back to all thewebsites.
So follow us on there.
If you're in the Bay Area inCalifornia, in the US, I know
(22:23):
you're not in the US now, but ifanyone in your audience is in
California, we also have oursecond annual summit coming up
in person, November 15th, andwe'd love to have you join us.
Mel (22:34):
Perfect.
Well, I can tell you now thereare plenty of listeners that are
in California and surroundingstates.
So I'm sure it's probably nottoo big a stretch to maybe drive
or fly.
It's gonna be worth it.
Yeah.
It'll be worth it, I'm sure.
And all the details will be inthe description there to make it
nice and easy for those thatare listening.
(22:55):
But thank you so much forcoming on today, Crystal, and
just sharing your story andsharing what it is that you're
doing to help women in thiscurrent season.
Thank you so much.
Krystal (23:05):
Thank you, Mel.
It was so much fun and we'llchat too.
Definitely.
If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/ toolkit. Remember, organising is a tour to live the purposeful life of beyond it. See you next time.time.
Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.
(00:59):
Welcome back to another episodeof Beyond Organised.
I have Krystal Jogarat herewith me today.
I'm going to give you, well,probably a decent bio this time
on who this lovely woman is.
So Krystal is a two-timesfounder, brand visibility
strategist, award-winningspeaker, podcast host,
(01:21):
philanthropist, community hypewoman, and most importantly, mum
to two little girls and a babyboy.
Through the Empowered by Womenplatform, she continues to
cultivate a community thatuplifts women in their
entrepreneurship through vendorfairs, networking events, annual
summits, virtual workshops, andthe Empowered by Women podcast,
(01:43):
their online woman-owned smallbusiness directory, which now
highlights more than 100women-owned brands and so much
more.
Their community is all aboutcreating space for visibility,
connection, and sharedresources.
It's Krystal's mission toremind women and future
generations that they are notonly capable but so worthy of
creating lives and businessesthey love.
(02:04):
I really love yourstatement. Welcome to the show, Krystal. Welcome.
Thank you, Mel.
I am so excited to be here andI'm excited to dive into
whatever we're about to chatabout today.
Mel (02:16):
Yeah.
Look, I just want to know moreabout you.
Like what inspired you to dowhat you're doing, particularly
with the Empowered by Women?
Krystal (02:25):
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
So I know we have very limitedtime, so I'll try to keep it
brief.
But really long story short, Iknew I was going to be an
entrepreneur since I was in highschool.
The crazy thing is, I grew upfairly traditionally and I
didn't have any entrepreneurialrole models around me.
So to kind of itch thatentrepreneurial scratch, I would
take on these jobs that feltlike they were giving me some
(02:48):
kind of autonomy, right?
Fast forward, I became a newmom.
One of my past jobs was sellingjewelry, and I had amassed so
much jewelry.
And my way back to myself as anew mom, because we all know we
kind of go through that process,was creativity.
I grew up in a very creativehousehold.
And so one day, seeing all ofthis jewelry just completely
(03:11):
overtaking my shelf, I was like,okay, we need to do something
about it because this is a veryvaluable space that we need,
especially, you know, with allthe kids' toys and clothes and
things.
I need to take back that shelfspace.
And as every entrepreneur'sstory goes, you know, I tried to
find a solution online to fitall my jewelry, couldn't find
one that I liked.
So I decided to create one formyself.
(03:32):
And so that's what led me tolaunching my product line, Book
of Bijou.
And in that, in making thatdecision to launch my business,
it just made me think of thecommunity I once had selling
jewelry, where we weresurrounded by so many incredible
women that were doing the samething, that were very ambitious
and supportive of each other,and the energy was just
(03:52):
immaculate.
So I said, How do I recreatethat community for myself?
Because I was adamant thatentrepreneurship was not going
to be lonely for me.
I know it's a it's a it's anotion that is out there that's
commonly stated, but that wasnot gonna be my story.
So I said, How do I startgetting women together in
person?
And obviously building a brandfrom scratch, you have to
(04:14):
recognize the power ofleveraging existing audiences.
I mean, you know very well withyour podcast.
So with my product line, that'swhat I was doing.
I was leveraging existingaudiences with joint giveaways
and things like that.
But it really got to a pointwhere, again, I want to have
some amazing women in my circle.
I want to take thisrelationship a little bit
further and actually get to knowthe people that I'm
(04:36):
collaborating with.
So I kind of that casuallyturned into our podcast.
We I just started interviewingthem for fun.
And then it took on anotherlayer of how do I get these
women together in person.
We hosted one market in 2022.
And although I had no intentionfor Empowered by Women to Turn
Into a Business, that reallysolidified us as an emerging
(04:57):
community where I saw otherwomen basically saying, We need
more of this, we need thiscommunity, we need this energy,
we need this opportunity toconnect with one another.
And I got to bring my twodaughters at the time, which was
a very surreal experiencebecause again, I didn't have
that kind of role model.
I didn't have that exposure towhat else could be in life.
(05:18):
And so that moment just was areally defining moment for the
trajectory of Empowered byWomen.
It's kind of just naturallyprogressed from there.
Mel (05:26):
Oh, that is so cool.
And yeah, it there is somethingthat happens inside of you when
you realize I am stepping intoa different path than the
generations before me.
And I'm breaking free from thattime is money, all that hard
work.
I mean, it this is hard work,don't get me wrong.
Yeah, it's very hard work, butit's so rewarding in being able
(05:51):
to see lives changed the waythat we do.
And the fact that you couldbring your daughters along,
yeah, you'd have thatrealization of going, you know,
you're going to be so muchfurther ahead than I am when the
time comes for you to work outwhat you want to do with your
life.
You're not going to be limitedto just certain careers through
(06:12):
colleges or whatever else thereis.
You're going to seepossibilities of so much more
that you're not always exposedto when you're at school.
So I think that's excitingbecause I've had that a very
similar revelation with my kidsjust going, you know what?
The world is your oyster.
Krystal (06:30):
And it's so beautiful, like seeing the light bulbs
start, you know, flickering onin their own minds and seeing
how their creativity kind ofties in with all this
imagination you're opening upfor them.
Mel (06:42):
Yeah, for sure.
And I'm seeing it in mynine-year-old, he's he's got
entrepreneur written all overhim.
The ideas, the things that comeout with, I'm like, we're gonna
have to get you started soonerthan later.
I think I know.
It's just it's it's incredible.
And um, I certainly didn't haveanything like that growing up.
(07:03):
Even though my dad ran his ownbusiness, it was still the
traditional he was a mechanic,you know, open a shop, work, do
all of that kind of stuff.
So this whole online world isjust it's taken off.
It's completely different.
Yeah.
So I'm curious as to how youhelp women in what you do
(07:26):
through your summits and yourworkshops and that.
How do you help the women thatyou serve?
Krystal (07:32):
So it really started with visibility.
That is and that remains one ofour core focuses and how we're
supporting our women.
So the event that we hosted in2022 was a vendor market.
So we had 20 women vendors,which was amazing.
And from there, after thatevent, I got so many messages
asking me, do you know anyonethat sells this?
(07:53):
And do you know anyone thatsells this?
And do you know anyone thatsells this?
And I was always like,honestly, I go down an Instagram
rabbit hole, clicking onhashtags, looking at who's
following who's following who,and finding my people that way.
And being verysolution-oriented, I was like,
okay, there gotta be a betterway.
Yeah.
So we started by launching ouronline directory, which we
(08:14):
decide uh designed to make itvery intuitive, very
user-friendly.
It's open to the public.
It's not just members only, butyou can also go on there and be
very intentional.
So if I'm I'm Asian, so if Iwanted to find an Asian-owned
jewelry brand that I wanted tosupport, um, or maybe for, you
know, if I wanted to find aLatino-owned brand because it
was Hispanic Heritage Month thatI wanted to support, I could go
(08:34):
on there and do that.
So it was really about makingit more accessible for the
community to find and supportthese women-owned brands.
And from there, we startedattracting all of these
service-based providers for somereason, which was amazing.
But they started seeing medoing more speaking engagements
and that conversation startedof, oh, I want to be a speaker
(08:56):
too.
Like, how are you getting onthese stages and how are you
finding these opportunities?
So we really expanded the waythat we're offering our
visibility from just vendormarkets.
We also have our pop-up programwhere we're connecting vendors
to different brick and mortars,and now we help them get on
stages, whether it's empoweredby women's stages or we're
partnering with otherorganizations and event
(09:17):
organizers, and also giving themaccess to media opportunities.
So the visibility is one aspectof it.
The next aspect is really justmaking support, education,
resources, experts moreaccessible.
And there are so manydirectories and marketplaces out
there, but some of them reallyjust aren't feasible for small
(09:37):
business owners.
And as women, we already haveso many hurdles we face and
expenses and living life.
Yeah.
And then grow a business on topof that, that that's really one
of our core values.
How do we make things asaccessible as possible so that
women, regardless of what stagein business they're in, they can
feel supported?
And then the third layer ofthat is really just cultivating
(09:59):
these opportunities for genuineconnection.
And I say with my whole heartthat we attract the most
incredible, amazing women.
And that's what makes it sospecial, is because the women
that come in, they see thevision and they truly want to
support each other.
Mel (10:14):
So powerful when it when you've got the right people
aligned to your goals and yourvisions because it just it just
works like clockwork.
It's so good.
Krystal (10:25):
It is, and we as women need that, honestly.
And there are so I mean, verybeginning of my entrepreneur
stage, I had to have thatconversation of with myself of,
hey, Krystal, like it's okay toask for help.
We need to start gettingcomfortable asking for help
because we just inherently we wenaturally try to do everything
(10:47):
for everyone and put ourselveslast.
And we continue to take on theload and take on the load, take
on the load, and then wonder whywe're so exhausted at the end
of the day and feelingunfulfilled and feeling like we
don't have time for anythingbecause we don't let anyone come
in and support us.
Mel (11:01):
Yeah.
Oh, 100%.
That's exactly what I say toall my clients all the time
because you know, we have ourto-do lists or whatever, and we
put our own needs at the verybottom.
We never get through the list,so we never get seen to.
It's just it's never-ending,you're always busy, but what
have you got to show for it kindof day?
(11:21):
And it's just it's draining andit's it's discouraging too.
Because you just, you knowyou're capable of more, you can
give more, you can do more, butyou're just so exhausted from
and then yeah, and it does feeldisturb discouraging because you
feel like you've done so muchyet you haven't done anything.
(11:42):
Yeah.
You haven't done anything thatmatters.
Yeah, at least in your mind.
Krystal (11:47):
Yeah.
Right.
Or anything even that you likewant to do.
Yeah.
Because you've made it a pointin your own head that everything
else comes before your ownwants and desires.
Mel (11:58):
Yeah, definitely.
I always encourage people to,particularly the mums, to spend
at least 10 minutes a daypouring into themselves, pouring
into their own cup, because youcan't pour from an empty cup.
So you're going to end upenjoying your day more, you're
going to be more productive,you're going to be more
efficient in what you do becauseyou're recharged.
(12:19):
It's it's like, yeah, driving acar and running out of fuel and
you're just sitting on themotorway waiting for help.
You don't want to get to thatstage.
You want to be refueling alongthe way.
Krystal (12:31):
So exactly.
And I really do look at thework that I do as a form of
self-love and self-care becausethe women that I'm surrounding
myself with, they empowering Isaid, are amazing.
Yeah.
And it feels like so fulfillingto be in this space.
So that even if I have to stepaway for work, I don't come back
feeling exhausted and drained.
(12:51):
And I could be tired, but I'mtired from doing the things that
I love and that license.
So that I can come back to mykids and my family more patient
and more engaged than everbefore when I was going to a job
that was even more drainingthat I absolutely did not like.
Mel (13:07):
Yep.
Completely agree.
Completely agree.
It's a different level ofexhaustion and tired.
It's a real satisfied, I feelso good in what I've achieved
and what I'm doing.
And yeah, I get it.
I really do.
So, what do you find is holdingwomen back in moving forward in
(13:28):
their future, in maybe pursuingtheir goals and dreams?
What do you find is sort of themain thing that holds them
back?
Krystal (13:35):
I really do think the biggest thing for us as women,
especially as moms, is that it'shard for us to put ourselves
first.
Mel (13:42):
Yeah.
Krystal (13:43):
And for me, it really was a conscious choice that I
made when I launched my businessbecause for so long, up until
that point, I had been doingeverything everyone has asked me
to do.
And doing things.
Well, I've I'm still I'vealways been kind of very
untraditional.
So there were still momentsthat, you know, I kind of
followed my own untraditionalpath.
(14:03):
But other than that, I did, Ichecked all of society's boxes
and I made a conscious choiceone day.
I was head home and I was, youknow what?
I'm gonna start betting onmyself.
I'm gonna start living life myway.
I'm gonna do things my way.
I'm gonna do, I'm gonna createthe life that I've always wanted
for myself, but I've neverallowed myself to step into
(14:24):
because I've let everyone else'sopinions and thoughts and
visions for my life be thedictating factor.
Yeah.
Yeah. But it sounds like what I've gone through recently. Sounds like something I could just say.
Exactly.
But at some point we have tohonor ourselves.
And that's a hard decision tomake.
And it's honestly a decisionthat we have to keep making over
(14:46):
and over and over again.
It's constantly.
And it's hard, it's hardcommunication with yourself.
It's hard conversations to havewith your family, but it's
consistent conversations thatyou need to keep on having so
that it becomes a little biteasier every day to keep
stepping into that woman thatyou want to become and that life
that you want to have.
Mel (15:02):
Yeah.
Oh, that's so so true.
Krystal (15:04):
I think regardless of anyone that's listening, whether
they've got their own businessor not, these are concepts that
are worth grasping and gettingyour head around that it is so
important to ask for the help,to put yourself first and just
think about the direction inwhere you want to go as well,
because you've got little onespotentially that are watching
(15:27):
and learning and and they'regonna follow what you do as well
to a certain degree.
You know, they're gonna copy.
So it is important.
Um and the one thing that I say,because mom guilt, parent
guilt, I don't know if youraudience is just women, but
parent guilt truly never goesaway.
There's always gonna belingering guilt in all of those
(15:48):
moments that come up.
And one thing that I love toshare with the people that bring
that question up of like, howdo you deal with that?
How do you deal with puttingyourself first in all the guilt
that comes with it?
Is you're not just choosingyourself, you're showing your
family that they're allowed tochoose themselves too.
Mel (16:06):
Yeah, 100%.
Definitely.
Because what message are wesending our children?
If we don't ever look afterourselves, we don't go for our
own goals, our own dreams.
We're telling them that, oh,you can have your dream, but
when you grow up, that's it.
Then your dream's no longerrealistic, right?
It's no longer valid, it's notworth anything.
(16:27):
You then have to sacrifice yourdreams and your future and your
happiness for your children.
Well, they're gonna go, well, Idon't want children then.
Like whatever, you know?
And I want to be a grandparent.
So it's it's what are we,what's the message that we're
sending to our own children, letalone the other children that
(16:48):
are out there too that arewatching and learning from their
own mums that we're helpinghere.
Krystal (16:55):
So I mean, there's I know your audience is not all
entrepreneurs, but there's justso much knowledge that we can
kind of indirectly impart intoour children simply by the way
that we're showing up forourselves.
Mel (17:08):
Yeah, definitely.
Yep.
And like I said, you don't needto be an entrepreneur to be the
role model that you want to befor your kids.
Like even if you are sloggingit out, working night shifts,
you're doing this, you're doingthat to make ends meet, to to
provide for your family andstill provide a future for them,
then good on you.
You are doing your bit.
(17:29):
If you are at home staying withthe children, raising them
while your partner is outworking and you are up all hours
of the night feeding the baby,doing all of this, good on you.
Like it is hard work, no matterwhat season, what stage you're
at, what choices you've made.
We are trying to do the bestfor our children, regardless of
what choices.
Whether we send them todaycare, we keep them home,
(17:53):
whether we breastfeed, bottlefeed, whatever, we're all doing
the best that we can.
Krystal (17:58):
Yeah.
It's about giving yourself somegrace.
Exactly.
I love that.
We're in sync.
It's about giving yourselfgrace.
And one thing that I learnedthat I heard someone say, I
think it was at the beginning ofthe year, that no one's ever
actually said out loud is thatit's okay to drop the ball.
And that was so powerful forme, and I'm sure it will
(18:21):
resonate with a lot of youraudience that we feel like we
need to keep all of these ballsin the air, but it's just not
realistic.
Yeah.
And we don't need to have thissuper mom badge that other
people have given to us.
You get to determine what makesyou feel fulfilled and how you
want to show up as a parent, asa professional, as a partner,
(18:43):
whatever it is.
And it's okay if balls drop indifferent areas because that
just means you were able to pourmore time, love, and attention
into the things that trulymatter and that you want to.
Mel (18:53):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Couldn't, couldn't have said itbetter myself.
So good.
What is one thing that you wishmore women knew?
Obviously, besides the thingswe've already talked about, but
what's one thing that you wishthey knew looking forward to?
Krystal (19:08):
I want to say that there is, you know, that I'm I'm
a community girly.
I'm a community hype woman.
That was that was part of mybio.
I want to I want to say thatthere is support for everyone
out there.
And I say this because a lot oftimes the conversation could be
about, you know, just ask foryour partner, ask your partner
for support, ask your family forsupport.
(19:30):
Some people don't have that.
And I want to be mindful ofthat.
But just because you might nothave that family or that partner
or whatever, there is stillsupport out there if you're
willing to look and if you'rewilling to put yourself in the
rooms.
Mel (19:43):
Yeah.
And you're willing to invest inyourself a bit.
Because sometimes, depending onthe level of support, you it
might come at a little bit of acost, you know, financially or
with your time or in in anyother way.
But if you're willing to go,I'm gonna put myself first, I'm
gonna invest in myself and in myfuture, which in turn will see
(20:07):
the dividends in my ownchildren, then you go for it.
I I think go for it because youcan only get so much always
doing things for free as well.
You're only gonna get so muchout of it.
And there's amazing freecommunities out there for sure.
But also look at where it isyou want to go and what
resources are available forthat.
(20:28):
And if it requires aninvestment of any sort, time can
be a huge investment too.
Then consider it.
Krystal (20:35):
And if you can't find one, create one.
That's what I did.
Mel (20:38):
Yeah, yeah, that's it.
Oh, well, I've pretty much donethe same thing now that I think
about it.
Yeah.
It's like I created a communitythat fits with what it is I was
looking for that I couldn'tfind back then and now got over
a hundred women in there, youknow?
Krystal (20:53):
It's that's right.
We get to create what ournormal looks like.
And that sounds like yeah,crystal shore, whatever.
You really can.
And it can start with justsmall steps, right?
It can start with just okay,five minutes tomorrow.
I'm gonna go for a walk.
I'm just gonna have a quiettime.
(21:14):
Right.
That could be your self-careand just layer into that slowly
but surely.
And then a year from today,you'll find yourself in this
whole new line by yourself.
Right.
Where it feels more aligned,more fulfilled, and you've
recognized the power of givingyourself grace and the power of
community.
Yeah.
100%.
Mel (21:34):
Completely agree.
Oh, I love this.
I feel like I could talkforever.
I know.
Of course.
Krystal (21:39):
I was trying to be mindful of the time, but now,
like, this has been so much fun.
Mel (21:43):
That's okay.
Uh, it's it's always the way.
We just get chatting, and thenbefore you realize, time's just
completely disappeared.
But I've really enjoyedeverything you've shared so far,
and I'm sure the listeners havetoo.
So, where can they find you ifthey want to hear more and see
more of what you're doing?
Krystal (22:03):
So, my personal Instagram is @I am KrystalJ,
Krystal with a K.
And then if you're interestedin our community uh women's
platform that's @empowered bywmn, all one word, a women is
spelled W M N.
And that links back to all thewebsites.
So follow us on there.
If you're in the Bay Area inCalifornia, in the US, I know
(22:23):
you're not in the US now, but ifanyone in your audience is in
California, we also have oursecond annual summit coming up
in person, November 15th, andwe'd love to have you join us.
Mel (22:34):
Perfect.
Well, I can tell you now thereare plenty of listeners that are
in California and surroundingstates.
So I'm sure it's probably nottoo big a stretch to maybe drive
or fly.
It's gonna be worth it.
Yeah.
It'll be worth it, I'm sure.
And all the details will be inthe description there to make it
nice and easy for those thatare listening.
(22:55):
But thank you so much forcoming on today, Crystal, and
just sharing your story andsharing what it is that you're
doing to help women in thiscurrent season.
Thank you so much.
Krystal (23:05):
Thank you, Mel.
It was so much fun and we'llchat too.
Definitely.
If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/ toolkit. Remember, organising is a tour to live the purposeful life of beyond it. See you next time.time.
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