October 21, 2025 • 50 mins
When you're running a business and managing a family, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle. But what happens when life throws a curveball—a health crisis, family emergency, or unexpected loss?
In this episode of Call Me CEO, host Camille Walker sits down with Colleen Watson, CEO of Century Plant Business Services and a legacy consultant with a heart for helping entrepreneurs get their affairs in order before chaos strikes. With a deeply personal story as the foundation for her mission, Colleen empowers small business owners to create plans for the "what ifs" in life—because it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Together, they dive into:
- Why legacy planning isn’t just about death—it’s about peace of mind
- How to start gentle, loving conversations with aging parents or spouses
- What every entrepreneur should have in place to protect their business and family
- Free checklists and resources to begin taking action today
Colleen reminds us that avoiding these conversations can cost more than we realize—financially, emotionally, and relationally. But with small, doable steps, you can build a safety net that brings clarity during chaos.
Camille also shares a touching family tradition that turned a Christmas into a "living will" of love and appreciation—proof that legacy isn’t just paperwork, it’s people.
Tune in to learn how to make the uncomfortable conversations easier and take back your power before life happens.
Ready to build your business and life with intention? Learn how coaching with Camille can help you create systems, find peace, and grow with support. Click here to explore coaching options.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Colleen (00:00):
Your focus gets this narrow in the middle of an
emergency that you forget thethings that are just like out
here.
Like my siblings were out hereand I was in here.
And so, like, that is one ofthe things that I really learned
of this is like, okay, you haveto ask for help.
Camille (00:27):
So you want to make an impact.
You're thinking about startinga business, sharing your voice.
How do women do it?
That handle motherhood, family,and still chase after those
dreams?
Well, listen each week as wedive into the stories of women
who know.
This is Call Me CEO.
Welcome back, everyone, to CallMe CEO.
(00:49):
This is your host, CamilleWalker, and here we celebrate
women building businesses thatchange lives, especially for the
oops moments or the crap lifejust happened, which is
happening to all of us.
Colleen Watson is a legacyconsultant helping entrepreneurs
and small business owners gettheir affairs in order before
the crap hits the fan.
(01:10):
Because let's just be honest,it happens.
And this is an approach of howto dip your toe into estate
planning so that when thingshappen, and or it's really not
an if, it's a when, that youhave a bit of a plan in place so
that you are not overwhelmedand worried about everything
(01:31):
going wrong.
And I love this because I feellike this is a very niche
approach to life in general.
When you're running a businessof your own, things are going to
happen.
Life is always going to befirst, meaning the ones that we
love, the things that happenwith health crisis or our own
health crisis or a pandemic.
(01:51):
You know, who knows?
There are things that arealways happening.
So she is the CEO of SentryPlant Business Services and will
be sharing with us her storyabout how she went through this
the hard way and wants to createa plan for you to go through it
an easier way.
So Colleen, thank you so muchfor being on the show today.
Colleen (02:11):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
Camille (02:14):
Yeah.
I so getting into this, firstof all, I would love to hear,
tell us a little bit about whoyou are, where you live, and
also your life story of how thiseven came to be in your
bandwidth of helping otherpeople do the same.
Colleen (02:30):
So I am a native Coloradan.
Uh, we are very few and farbetween.
A lot of people seem to like mystate.
Go figure if we do like outdoorstuff, and we have a lot of
good outdoor stuff here.
But I was actually born inDenver and we moved away for a
little bit when I was a baby.
(02:51):
Um, moved back in 76 and havebeen in the house that I live in
now since 1977, and we are theonly people who have ever lived
here.
It was a hole in the groundwhen my parents bought it.
So we have been here a goodlong while.
We have seen the state grow andchange.
(03:12):
And, you know, I live in, welive in a little town called
Broomfield.
I went to all the Broomfieldschools.
Um, so I really am a localgirl.
Um and I uh I very customer,you know, service-oriented.
So uh most of my jobs have beenthat way.
So I was in the medical fieldas a medical assistant for a
(03:35):
good decade and a half, and thenI went back to school and I
became a librarian uh for quitea while and enjoyed both those
things.
But like a lot of people um inwhat I call they call the
sandwich generation, um, I hadaging parents, and it came to a
point where um my father gotill.
(03:58):
Um he sadly had Alzheimer's,and my mom could not be alone
with him.
So I had to leave my job as alibrarian and help them out.
And from there, we, you know, Iwe lost my dad.
And then we, you know, I wasready to like get back into the
(04:18):
workforce and be out thereagain.
And this little thing calledthe pandemic hit.
And, you know, I look at Ilooked at my mom who was getting
older, and I thought, I have tofigure out some way to work
from home.
I can't do 40 hour a weekfull-time work plus travel and
(04:39):
all of that and bring the stresshome.
And, you know, there was just Icouldn't do it because, you
know, by the time we got out ofthe pandemic, mom couldn't
drive.
So, you know, she she wouldliterally be stuck in a house
for eight to nine hours a day.
That's not good for hermentally, physically, any other
way.
So, like a lot of people duringthe pandemic, I thought, okay,
(05:03):
what can I do?
And initially, you know, Iloved writing.
Um, I love strategy andplanning and doing that.
And after a lot of throwingspaghetti at the wall and a lot
of pivoting, I started amarketing company to help people
what I called the business planfor their blogs, because
blogging is very easy to start,very difficult to maintain.
(05:25):
It can be a great way to, youknow, build no like and trust
with a small business byshowcasing your expertise and
reaching out to people.
But, you know, it's it'sdifficult.
And that was like I wasstarting to get that rolling.
And then my mom, who at thetime was 84, uh no, nine, 86,
(05:47):
sorry, 86.
Um, I was at home, she was inthe kitchen making her
breakfast, I was in my bedroombecause I'm her caretaker, and I
hear a very big on the floor.
Oh no.
Run out.
My mother has had a seriousfall.
And I'm talking, she hit thefloor hard.
(06:09):
Um, we're talking, she was inthe hospital for a week, she was
in rehab for 10 days, she wasin bed for five weeks after
that, with me giving 24-7 care,uh, and months of physical and
occupational therapy.
Now she's doing great, right?
But after about, you know, sixto nine months when my life got
(06:31):
out of full-time caretakingmode, and I, you know, because
at first it's the physicalaspect of, okay, I have to be
there, I have to make her food,I have to, you know, take her
places and and all of that.
And then you have the mentalthing of, okay, if you go
through a thing of like, I can'tleave the house because if she
falls again, like you're waitingfor that second shoe to drop,
(06:52):
like, and and you have togradually like loosen up, like,
okay, she's getting stronger,it's gonna be okay.
So that took like six to ninemonths, and I got to the other
side of that.
And like during that time,everything dropped.
I had a W-2 job, that wentaway.
I had a business, that wentaway.
(07:12):
And because you're inday-to-day mode, you kind of
don't care because like you youcouldn't focus on it anyway.
But once you get back tosomething called normal and
you're looking at your life andlike, oh, I could have done, I
should have made a plan becausethis is the most logical thing
(07:33):
that would have happened.
I have an aging mom who's hadsome health care bumps.
Now, my mom did a lot of thingsright in her life with her
health.
She stopped drinking andsmoking in her 40s.
She exercised regularly, sheate healthy, she was a reader,
so she engaged her mind.
She had a lot of friends, soshe was active socially.
(07:55):
So, you know, mama did a lot ofgood things for herself.
She had a lot of coin in thathealth bank.
And so when we had health bumpsalong the way, like she
recovered fairly quickly andlife went back to mostly normal.
And all of a sudden, and I, youknow, we all think tomorrow's
gonna look like yesterday.
(08:15):
And all of a sudden, tomorrowlooked nothing like yesterday,
and I had not made a plan forthat.
And so that was the start ofthere has to be a better way,
and I am going to find it.
So that's where I shifted gearsand started like doing, I'm a
former librarian, we know how toresearch.
(08:37):
So I did a ton of research, Ilooked up a lot of things, um,
and I realized like there is away to do this so that all these
things we kind of do ad hoc.
Like, yeah, you know, you needhomeowners insurance and you
have kids, so you need lifeinsurance.
And and you know, they could betogether to be a consistent
(08:59):
plan that supports the businessyou want to have and the family
you currently have, and makesure that when you have an
emergency, the recovery plan isalready in place.
Speaker (09:11):
Right.
Colleen (09:12):
I like I did not have the recovery plan, so nothing
recovered.
Right.
There is a way to do it.
So that's where I got to whereI am today.
Camille (09:22):
Yeah, I like the quote that you said about don't
building, don't build a planewhile you're crashing.
And can you think of a specificmoment where you felt like my
plane is crashing?
Colleen (09:34):
So um my mom had been in a rehab center for about 10
days, and she was coming home.
They get they released her,like she she's met, you know,
the criteria.
And I'm looking around thehouse and I'm trying to figure
out, okay, how do I make thissafe?
How do I, and I was, there werethings I did not see.
(09:59):
And by the grace of God, rightat that moment, my older brother
came for a visit.
Um, he had fortunate, you know,sadly, but turned out to be a
good thing.
You know, it's one of thosethings that's bad when it
happens, and later it's like,oh, thank God that happened.
My brother was part of the biglayoff of tech that happened
(10:23):
right after, you know, and hehad just turned 65.
So he's like, I'm retired.
Um, so he was able to come outand visit mom during these
times.
And literally, like, I foundout she was coming home, and two
days later, Bob came.
And I was like, I was sooverwhelmed.
(10:44):
Like, was like, how do I makethe house safe?
How what do I need to do?
What can I move?
And there were things that likemy brother, who is, you know,
naturally kind of an engineerand a systems person, he was
just, but like for those twodays before he got here, I was
like, how am I gonna do this?
How am I gonna keep her safe?
How are we gonna take a shower?
How are we gonna like all ofthese things?
(11:05):
And and I had a mo, you know,like a good 36 hours where I was
kind of paralyzed because itwas overwhelming because her
entire safety was suddenly in myhands.
And luckily, Bob came in and Ihave a great big brother, and
he's like, okay, we need to dothis, and we'll go to the store
and buy this, and everythingwill be okay.
(11:26):
Like he came in and took overfor a couple of days.
And like all of a sudden, like,okay, so we made sure the bed
was able to be able to, youknow, go down.
We made sure that there wereplenty of places for her to lie
down if she didn't want to stayin the bedroom.
We moved everything so it waseasy to get the wheelchair in
and out of her room.
Um, and and so things workedout, uh, but like sometimes a
(11:52):
lot I forget, like, oh wait, Ihave siblings.
I don't always need to do thismyself.
Um, but you know, they're ifthey're not here, you don't
think I could just pick up thephone and just talk to them.
Um, and luckily Bob was here,but like you're so your focus
gets this narrow in the middleof an emergency that you forget
(12:15):
the things that are just likeout here.
Yeah.
Like my siblings were out hereand I was in here.
And so like that is one of thethings that I really learned of
this is like, okay, you have toask for help.
Camille (12:29):
Because I think that's a good takeaway for any.
I think anytime there's ahealth crisis for yourself, for
a child, for a parent, so oftenwe can get lost in the moment of
it and not think, oh, I shouldlook outside myself and see who
is ready and willing.
It's a matter of asking, youknow, and to take that moment
(12:52):
of, oh, take a deep breath, takea look around.
What resources do I have?
What can I do to make this moremanageable?
And like you said, it's it'sbreaking it down and oh, wait, I
have this, I have siblingshere.
Please.
I need your help.
Yeah.
So legacy plowing, it's aserious topic.
And it's one I feel like wedon't necessarily love to talk
(13:16):
about, as I think we just wantto sometimes ignore the fact
that we are getting older orthat our parents are getting
older.
So I would love to know how doyou help people to enter that
topic?
And what's the hardest part ofthat to start the talk and how
to open that conversation?
Colleen (13:36):
So one of the things that I saw in a survey, it was a
Pew survey that was done, Ithink, in 2022.
And they asked people, like,what and it was like, you know,
elderly, so 60s through 80s.
They were asking them, have youtalked with your children about
or your family about yourestate plan?
(13:56):
And if the answer was no, theyasked, well, why not?
And the number one answer forthese people is there's no
urgency, I'm fine.
Right?
I'm I'm okay.
Like my health is fine and andeverything.
And I think that that is a kindof nice form of denial.
(14:22):
Yes, yeah.
That that like I'm fine.
And and you know, you may thinkyou're fine, but your kids come
for a visit and so and they'relooking at you and they're not
seeing that you're fine.
So the first thing I alwaystell people to do is because
this happens so many times.
(14:42):
Like you you come to visit yourparents for the first time in
say six months to a year, andyou're remembering what was
going on the last time youvisited, and suddenly this time
you're visiting and you'renoticing some major changes that
for them, because it's beenlike day to day to day and
little minor shifts, don't seemall that different.
(15:03):
But to you, who has like thethe longer view is like, oh my
gosh, this is something I needto worry about.
Our first inclination is tobring it up right then because
we're scared, right?
So, what you need to do is youneed to really step back, stay
calm, and make a plan for theconversation.
(15:26):
All of these conversations needyou to one, uh establish some
goals, right?
Why are you talking to yourparents about this?
Is it because you're thinkingmaybe it's time for you and your
siblings to maybe ask if theywould like some uh help just to
come in for a couple hours aday, help with basic tasks, take
(15:50):
them on errands, sort of thing?
Is it you think that maybe thehouse is unsafe?
So you would like to talk tothem about maybe there's a way,
you know, it's time we put somehandles in the bathtub.
Maybe it's time that we did oneof those things on the stairs
where you can just sit down andgo up the stairs if you have
multi-level houses.
(16:11):
Maybe it's time to move thebedroom down to the first floor.
Like, what are you hoping toachieve out of this?
Because a lot of times we comein guns blazing because we're
scared.
And, you know, your parents arestill adults and they still
value their independence andtheir, you know, autonomy.
(16:35):
You have to honor that.
So you have to come in with, Iwant to talk to you about this
and figure out solutions justbecause I want you to be safe.
If the, you know, we're at asituation where you really
think, like, maybe it's timethat we look at a care facility,
(16:56):
that's a whole differentconversation.
And I will say you never startwith that because that's like
you're trying to move them fromwhat is everything they place.
Yeah.
So one is you have to do it indegrees, and two, you have to go
in with a plan and upfrontsaying, okay, I want to do this,
and this is what I hope to getout of this conversation, and
(17:19):
you're doing it right away.
The second thing you need to dois do not have these on the
fly, you schedule it, right?
And it like you're gonna takeserious time.
You want to have at least twohours, you want to have um
snacks that they like, becauseyou know, brain works takes
calories.
(17:39):
You want to have water.
This can bring up emotions, youwant to have tissues, you want
it someplace where everybody iscomfortable.
You wanna be like um takingbreaks, like, you know, do like
30 to 45 minutes and then take15 minutes and just let
everybody go to the bathroom,let everybody get some fresh
(17:59):
air.
You know, if it starts to feelsuffocating, go for a walk and
talk.
You know what I mean?
Like let it flow naturally andlet it let it come from a place
of I'm doing this because I'mconcerned.
Let's figure out solutionstogether so that we can move
forward.
(18:20):
The other thing I like to do,um, and I have created one of
these for people because itreally does help, is I have a
checklist.
And so the checklist um ideacame about from my beloved
daddy.
My father was a single enginepilot for like 30 years, and he
(18:40):
loved flying.
He, you know, every Saturday hewas at the airport.
Like some men golf, my dadflew.
And the thing about that thingis every single time he would
get to the end of, you know, thestart of the runway and he's
getting ready to take off, youstop and he would get down a
list and he would checkeverything to it was working
(19:03):
correctly.
And that was like arequirement.
And he didn't do it frommemory.
He had a list, it waslaminated, it was velcro to the
front door, he would get itdown, he would go through it
methodically because he alsounderstood that hubris could be
as much of a danger if you're along-term pilot as naiv naivete.
(19:24):
So you always you didn't counton that, you had a list.
And like aviation is one ofthose areas where checklists
became crucial because pilotswould make mistakes and they
would be relying on mental mapsthat didn't serve them, right?
And so instead of that, theythey created a whole list of
(19:47):
checklists.
Surgeries have whole lists ofchecklists.
Things that are complicated andrequire a lot of steps are
requiring checklists because itmeans nobody makes mistakes and
everybody knows where we are onin the process, right?
And even policing now isstarting to incorporate
checklists into things, certain,you know, tasks that they do.
(20:10):
So I thought this is a reallyhard task.
Let's do a checklist.
So I start with like, okay,let's get all the things, you
know, let's get the water, let'sfind the good place, let's make
the appointment, let's take,you know, at least, no, it's
gonna take at least two hours.
Um, give yourself four becauseyou never know where it's gonna
(20:30):
go.
And one of the things on thechecklist at the end is give
them a hug because like this is,you know, you need to remind
them you do love them.
This is from a place of love orwhatever they like, you know,
if it's a handshake, whateverthey're comfortable with, but
give show some physicalaffection.
And in the middle, you know,this is when you talk about the
(20:51):
important things.
And, you know, the the youdon't have to do everything on
the checklist.
Maybe you do certain sectionsof my checklist, but uh you give
it to them beforehand andeverybody knows where you're
going.
So you're all rowing in thesame direction, and it prevents
people from, you know, doingwhat I call the slide away,
where all of a sudden they'reuncomfortable and try to slide
(21:13):
away from the topic.
Um, and it it's like, yeah, wecan talk about that later, but
right now we have to talk aboutthis particular thing and you
know, literally say, we'll makemore time later, and we can talk
about that in depth if youwant.
But the the goals for this talkare these, and you reiterate
them.
So it really is about you'retreating it as weird as it
(21:38):
sounds, like a meeting withpeople you love.
You know, you don't go into abusiness meeting without a plan.
And this is so much moreimportant than that.
And most people go in emotionsfirst, and we get that because
you're seeing people you loveand you're worried, and you're
coming from a place of love andfear.
And we don't make the bestdecisions from a place love and
(22:02):
fear.
Yeah, we just don't.
Camille (22:04):
So the emotions are so high.
And I like that the idea ofhaving a list, especially if you
have siblings where everyone'son the same page.
It is nice for everyone to kindof look at the same thing, I
would imagine, where you'rethinking, okay, we have this
direction and we're going to gothrough this together because
there are a lot of differentfeelings and ways that maybe
(22:27):
people are imagining it mightgo.
So I really I like thatapproach.
That makes a lot of sense.
Colleen (22:34):
So yeah, and I mean, one of the things I love about
this is man, if you can dig thisconversation and get to the
other side with the people youlove and have it be productive,
you could handle any difficultconversation.
Yeah, nothing's more difficultthan this.
And the same skills are gonnaapply to all of them, you know
(22:54):
what I mean?
Um, so you know, this is one ofthose, you know, I always say,
you know, dip or toe.
But when it gets to the pointwhere you you actually are like,
okay, we've done the dippingthe toe stuff.
I I I've done everything Icould.
Now it's time to really tacklethe, okay, what are my spouse
(23:15):
and I gonna do with our assetsand how we're gonna divide them?
How what are my parents' plansfor their retirement?
Um, where are their importantdocuments?
Um, because a lot of times, youknow, part of the stress in an
emergency, particularly if it'sfor a family member, you know,
(23:37):
maybe you're you're very closeto your sister and she's not,
she's single and so you, youknow, you're the person in the
emergency, is you don't knowwhere their stuff is.
You don't know where theirinsurance cards are, you don't
know what their bills are, youdon't like, and like part of
this whole process is you geteverything organized into
(23:57):
something called a knockbox.
It's N-OK, it stands for nextof kin.
And so basically, you're tryingto make it easier for the
people who have to pick up thegauntlet of your life by putting
all your important informationin one place where they can find
it.
And I always say the knockboxcan be a physical thing because
(24:19):
you know, certain generationsthey like paper, they want a
physical document.
Younger generations, it's alldigital, so you can put it on a
computer and and just keep it,you know, and the important
person knows where the file isand they know the password and
all the information is there.
But organization is part ofthis.
And, you know, becauseeverybody's organizational mind
(24:45):
is a little bit different, evenif you're related to them, like
how they they organize theirstuff can be completely
different.
And you can be like roamingaround for days trying to find
their medical power of eternityand their advanced directives,
which are necessary things tohave for a hospital in the
middle of an emergency, youknow.
So um, that is another thing II always, you know, encourage
(25:09):
people with a dip the toe.
It's like, let's just put allof it in one place.
Camille (25:14):
Yeah.
So let's talk about that alittle bit more where this is a
a checklist.
And is that available on yourwebsite or okay?
So we'll we will link to thatbelow.
Now let's turn the corner alittle bit for us that own a
business and maybe need to putthings into place.
So if there is an emergency forcaretaking, whether it's for
(25:35):
children or for parents orourselves, what are some
must-haves for us to do to putin place so that if we need it
to take some time, everythingdoesn't fall apart.
Are you ready to reclaim yourtime and finally focus on the
tasks that actually grow yourbusiness?
Whether you're looking to hirea VA or thinking about becoming
(25:56):
one, I've got the perfectsolution for you.
If you're overwhelmed with yourbusiness, I personally connect
entrepreneurs with highlytrained virtual assistants,
graduates of my 60 Days to VAprogram, so you can confidently
outsource and scale.
Or if you're looking for aflexible, profitable business
from home, my 60 Days to VAcourse gives you everything you
(26:16):
need to have to become asuccessful assistant without the
trial and error.
Head to camillewalker.co to getstarted today.
Whether you're hiring orlaunching your own business, I'm
here to help you make ithappen.
You can also grab this linkbelow and schedule a free
discovery call with me to see ifit's the right fit for you.
Colleen (26:37):
Yeah.
So I'm a big believer in fromso there are four pillars.
There's money, there'sinsurance, there's a session,
and then there's will and estateplanning.
So for money, I'm a big fan oftwo things.
One, always knowing what yourbreak-even point is.
Because in small businesses,particularly say you have a
(27:00):
seasonal business, that's amoving target.
And it can be very easy to losetrack of that.
So every month, look at it andknow what your fixed expenses
are and what you need to bringin to cover them.
So you always know where you'reat.
The second thing I'm a big fanof is emergency funds, right?
So some people are big fan oflike the profit first model.
(27:25):
And for like a small business,I think it's a really good one.
And so for me, like if you're aprofit first person, you know
that 1% that goes in your vault.
Until your emergency fund isset, you take all of that and
you put it in the vault.
And a vault for a business anda vault for a life is generally
six months.
Six months set aside ofcovering your expenses, which is
(27:48):
why it's very important, youknow, what your break-even point
is.
Um, so that you know ifsomething pulls you out for six
months, everything is going tobe okay in your business and in
your life.
So you need two (28:00):
one for your business and one for your life.
So your business that comes outof your business, your life
that comes out of both you andyour spouse.
So you're building that onetogether if you have one.
If if you know you're single,obviously you can combine it if
you want, but I like keepingthings separate so that it's all
(28:23):
clean.
So those are the two big onesfor um money.
Insurance, I have um what Icall external insurance and
internal insurance.
So, external insurance, one ofthe most important things I like
people to look at is what doesyour health insurance cover and
what doesn't it cover?
So if you're somebody where youhave a business and your spouse
(28:48):
is the person who has the W-2job and has the health
insurance, or you know, even ifyou're doing it through, you
know, the marketplace, whateverit is, take a real look at what
it covers and what it doesn't.
Um, because the sad truth is,is the number one cause of
bankruptcy in America is medicalemergencies.
(29:11):
And most of the people applyingfor that have insurance.
Wow.
So you need to have even if youhave you're you have really
great insurance from you knowyour partner's job job, you're
gonna need somethingsupplemental.
And one of the things I alwaysrecommend people look at is
(29:33):
something called living benefitlife insurance.
And what that is, is it's alife insurance policy, but it
pays out both while you're stillalive if you get certain
illnesses.
So you get injured, you getcancer, um, you you're you're
you're knocked out for anynumber of illnesses or injuries,
(29:54):
but you can use that policy topay to keep yourself afloat.
Right.
And I really think that's ahugely important investment.
And then if you manage to stayin good health, you know, for
the whole thing, it is a lifeinsurance policy that will pay
(30:14):
out upon your dying to yourbeneficiaries.
But it's a great balance sothat you have a little like it's
a secondary life insurance,it's a secondary health
insurance policy because everyhealth insurance has holes in
it.
And you need to know what theyare and you need to fill the
(30:37):
holes somehow.
And so that's like that thereare other ways, but I that's the
one I like best.
But once again, I'm notperfect.
Talk to a financial planner, uhan insurance agent.
What do you think?
For succession planning, forme, the number one thing is what
is your plan for your business?
(30:58):
I understand that if you'rejust starting a business or you
know, it might be like a way offthing, but like I want to, I
want to grow to sell.
Yeah, great, but what's therunway to that look like?
Learn that as quick as possibleand get yourself on it because
if this is an asset, and if youwant to maximize your asset, you
(31:21):
need to know what to do, right?
And and you know, all of thethings.
And trust me, there are tons ofbooks and articles that tell
you how to do that.
You want a legacy business thatyou pass down to your kids.
There are tons of books andarticles that tell you the
things you need to have inplace.
Know them, right?
Because we have it liketentatively in our mind, but
(31:44):
those things take concretethings that in the world that
you need to do.
And the sooner you understandthat, the sooner you can start
doing them.
Um, at least knowing what theyare is half the battle.
Like, yeah.
Um and then for the will, addyour business to your will.
Most people don't do that.
(32:08):
But your business is an assetthat can be profitable after
you're gone for your family.
It needs to be in your will andyou need to have a plan for it.
What that you discuss with yourspouse, your business partner,
if you have one, so that youeverybody knows what's gonna
(32:32):
happen to it.
Because um, so the firstquestion I ask is do you have a
will?
You'll be amazed at how oftenthe answer is no.
If it's yes, when was the lastI looked at it?
I had a lovely uh gentleman whosells insurance who told me I
was talking to him about, youknow, just picking his brain,
(32:53):
getting information, becoming asponge.
And he said, Yeah, we justredid our will and realized we
hadn't put our third child in.
It had been that long sincethey oh no, well.
So I always say life happensand we forget the paperwork.
So, you know, look at look atyour will and then figure out
the plan for it and put it inyour will.
(33:15):
And if you haven't got a will,for God's sake, get a will.
This is one of the things youabsolutely need to start talking
about because you do not wantto start to die, what they call
intest state, which means it'swithout a will, because the
second that happens, the statedetermines who gets your assets
(33:39):
and if you have minor children,potentially who gets custody of
them.
You don't want that if you haveany sort of problematic family
relationships, or even if youjust have preferences as to who
you want to be responsible foryour kids, who you want to get
your stuff.
And each stake is a littledifferent, you know.
(34:01):
Generally it's spouses first,kids, if they don't have that,
and if they're minor, parents,if it the parents are dead,
siblings like, but you know,what if you have stepkids you
want to have be part of your,you know, estate?
What if, you know, becausedivorce happens, families get
(34:22):
complicated.
Um what if you have like fosterkids you want to include?
Like, there are all sorts offamilies that look all sorts of
ways, but the law doesn'trecognize them.
So you need to make sure thatthe way your family looks and
what is in value to your yourfamily and to you happens the
(34:46):
way you want.
And the only way to make surethat happens is to have a will.
And people, you know, a lot ofpeople are just like, I'll just
let them figure it out.
Like we all have the ugly storyof the family that imploded
when the person died in teststate, and then you just let
somebody figure it out.
So down will.
That's my number one thing forthat.
(35:07):
As hard as it is, get a will.
Camille (35:10):
And do you have access for different options for
getting a will done?
Like, do you have places whereyou point people?
Obviously, there are attorneysthat do this, but there are
other options for doingsomething really simple online.
What's your suggestion withthat?
Colleen (35:26):
So I have locally, because you know, I start local.
So I, if you're in Colorado, Ihave options for you at
different levels of income.
So there are people who do notbelieve it should be complicated
to make a will and charge a youknow a reasonable amount of
money.
There's the mid-level peopleand then there's the high-end
(35:47):
people.
Um, if you have a lot ofassets, then you look at a
trust.
But for most people, a willworks.
Um if you really don't have thethe means to do that, there are
will kits.
Um, it's really important,though, if you're gonna do it
(36:08):
that way.
I don't object.
They're reasonably priced, theycan be as low as like 30 bucks,
but you need to read throughthe instructions very, very
carefully.
Like this is when you getdetail-oriented.
This is when it's like you'redoing your taxes.
You can read every single thingin that IRS booklet to make
(36:29):
sure you're not screwing around.
But the first thing you want todo in any case is to really
talk, like list your assetsbecause people forget things.
Like a lot of times, one of oneof the things my brother is an
amateur photographer, thousandsof dollars of camera equipment,
(36:52):
and nobody else in the familytakes pictures.
Do you want them to just sellit?
Or maybe, just maybe, you wantto donate it to a school or
something?
Like, these are the thingspeople don't think about.
Heirlooms are really big.
Like if you have collected andanother thing I I always like
(37:17):
people to think about is thinkabout the things that are
heirlooms that don't havemonetary value but are gonna be
really important to people.
Family recipes, photographs,baby books, quilts, you know,
those things also need to bedelegated to because you know
(37:37):
the worst case scenario is thevultures come out and start
picking through things, right?
So make sure you have a fulllist of valuable things, both
monetary value and sentimentalvalue, and like get detailed
about who you want to get whatand why.
(37:57):
Because a lot of times, if youcan explain why when you're
having the conversation withlike your kids, your stepkids,
and you can say, I'm doing thisbecause of this, a lot of times
people, it's easier tounderstand whether it's just a
will and you say this and youdon't explain why.
And you know, nothing like thatdollars and yeah.
(38:21):
Because I always think it'simportant to remember in
families, money's never justmoney.
Money is a mirror and itreflects how healthy or toxic
familiar relations can be.
You know, there always is thisthing of when you want to see
what people value versus whatthey say they value, look at
(38:43):
where they spend their time,look at where they spend their
money.
It's the exact same thing withfamilies.
And so, you know, it's reallyeasy to say it's just stuff, but
it's not, right?
You have to be thoughtful.
And if you can show, I've beenthoughtful, I thought this
through, and it also gives thema way to say, yeah, I understand
(39:06):
that, but and you know, talk toeach other.
Like to me, it means this, andmaybe, you know, you change some
things because you've been ableto be honest about why, and
then you you understand wheresomebody else is coming from,
and the person you initiallygave it to understands, and
maybe we make a compromise andyou've solved the problem while
(39:28):
you're still alive, because I'venever understood you invest so
much of yourself in creating afamily, you invest your love,
your body, your time, yourenergy, your future.
You put things on hold foryourself, for these little human
beings that you want to growand create, and you and then at
(39:52):
the end, you just leave them tofigure it out.
Why would you not want to leavethem in the best possible
place?
Camille (39:59):
Yeah.
I know for my parents,something they talk about a lot
is how their number one thingthat they're proud of is how
close of a relationship we havewith each other and what good
friends we are, and that we loveto spend time together of our
own free will.
And I have called them and hadconversations with them many
times of okay, but do you havethe will in place?
(40:20):
And K, but do you know who'slike going to be the executor?
And do you know how you'regonna divide it?
Can you figure that out,please?
Because that thing that you'reso proud of, I would love to
keep that intact because it getsso messy and it's emotional,
and that's the last thing youwant to have to deal with when
you're in mourning.
Like it really is the worstscenario ever.
Colleen (40:47):
It is, and when you're in the middle of it, like you
get brain fog.
You you know, when I lost mydad, there are things I don't
remember that other people do.
Yeah.
Because I was in brain fog, andyou know, luckily they had
everything planned out.
My mother is a natural planner,so as you can kind of tell.
(41:11):
So, like the the funeral waspaid for, the, you know, she the
dad had already written downlike what biblical verses he
wanted, what hymns he wanted.
We didn't have to plananything.
Like, sometimes, you know,these sorts of things also can
be ways to dip your toe in andbe like, what would I like, you
(41:33):
know, my funeral to be like?
Because nobody really wants thefuneral to be maudlin.
Like you actually celebratetheir celebration, sure.
Yeah, and so, you know, that isanother thing I always, you
know, I encourage also people todo what I call living wills,
which are things like maybe youwrite letters to the people you
(41:55):
love and tell them the thingsyou could never tell them for
whatever reason.
You know what I mean?
Because that's a beautifulexercise for you and to receive
on their part because they knowhow you felt about them.
And you know, we hate whenthings are left unsaid, and yet
(42:15):
it's easy to think, I have moretime, I have more time.
And if you just write theletter, and then you then if
you, you know, if you find thetime and and you talk about it,
you you don't have to worryabout it.
You know you've done it.
But like we never, you know,tomorrow is never guaranteed for
anybody.
Camille (42:36):
I'm so passionate about this.
I actually did a Christmas oncewhere I had everyone write a
memory and or something thatthey really appreciate about
someone.
And we did it as a my siblingsand all the kids, and it took a
long time, but everyone actuallystood up and talked about every
person and shared either amemory because I hate when you
(43:00):
go to a funeral or you know, amemorial or a memorial or
something like that, and youlearn so much about what people
appreciate about each other orstories that they had or shared
that they said, I've never toldanyone this, or I never actually
had the opportunity to sharethis or tell this person this
thing.
And I'm and that makes me sosad.
(43:22):
I just think, why not?
Anyway, so I had everyone writeit down, but then we actually
shared it in person.
And that is one of the best.
It was long.
The kids were like, Okay, yeah,that's not maybe next time
adults only.
I don't know.
But I thought it was such itwas one of my favorite Christmas
memories I've ever had becauseit really was a living will of,
(43:44):
you know, taking that time toappreciate each other and what
we represent in each other'slives right now.
Colleen (43:51):
Yeah.
And, you know, I always, youknow, part of this is, you know,
the safety net is it's also anemotional safety net.
You're you're making sure thatbecause you have all the pieces
in place, you know, I always umthere's this great book, and I
forget the name of the author,but it's uh it's called Be Good.
(44:12):
It's a parenting book.
And she talks about the number,you know, we all have wants for
our kids.
We want them to be happy, wewant them to be healthy, but
that's not your job as a parent.
You have one job as a parent,and she says it's this your job
is to teach your children how toexpress and regulate their
(44:37):
emotions.
That's adulthood.
Because if you really thinkabout it, part of, you know,
kids, they express everythingbecause they have no filter
because they don't know whatthey're supposed to.
And as you get older, you know,you say things like, find your
words, use your words, tell mewhat's wrong.
And, you know, as they get intothe teen years where things can
get wacky, you're you have tomodel like, I'm angry too, but
(45:02):
there's a productive way to usethis anger.
I'm sad too.
Let's talk about this.
You know, it's okay to be sad.
It's, you know, one of thethings she always says is you
have to let kids have negativeexperiences to let them know
like disappointment issurvivable.
It's okay to be sad when you'redisappointed, you know, when
something you wanted to havehappen doesn't happen, you don't
(45:24):
get on the team, you don't getthe part you want in the play.
It's okay to be sad.
But you know, then you have to,you know, because it's in those
things that they find grit andthey find their confidence and
they find their purpose, youknow, and and so, you know, that
is what your job as a parentis.
And I love that because that isstill your job at the end of
(45:48):
your life.
Because a lot of times, ifeverything has gone the way it's
supposed to, the kids havegrown up, they've left, are
living their own lives andwhatever that looks like for
them.
And you as a parent, you'restill important.
You still love your kids, yourkids still love you, you still
see them, but you're not doing24-7 parenting.
And it can it could be yearssince you've done 24-7 parenting
(46:13):
because you've done the job,right?
You've you were successful,they became their own people,
they built their own lives.
Maybe you have grandchildren,and that's wonderful, but your
last responsibility as a parentis to ensure that the family you
build stays together.
(46:33):
And one of the ways you do thatis you prevent conflicts by
having the will.
Because trust me, what you maythink like, oh, the things that
my daughters thought about whenthey were teenagers, they've
grown up, they're beyond it.
I'm like, maybe, but trust me,when they're in grief and
(46:55):
they're emotional, thoseconflicts are gonna come right
back.
And it it doesn't make sense,it's not logical, but like the
grief is too big, so you lowerit to something more manageable,
which is sibling conflict,which you know you can survive.
You don't know what a world islike without a parent.
(47:16):
So as a parent, it is your jobto ensure that when you leave
them, at whatever age that is,if you know it's a long life or
it's a short life, and you haveleft your children way younger
than you want, the onlyresponsibility your children
have is to grieve you.
That is your duty as a parent,no matter how old your kids are.
(47:41):
And I always say there's alittle tough love in this
program.
Yeah, I I'm gonna put some sometough love on you because I
know this is hard, but I alsoknow you love your family and
you want the best for them.
And you know, sometimes thatmeans doing hard things.
Yeah, yeah.
Camille (48:01):
Well, they never said being a parent was easy.
Colleen (48:04):
So Jennifer for the week of heart.
Camille (48:06):
No, no.
Well, that is one, I mean,gosh, this has been so helpful.
So many it there's a so manylayers of this to uncover.
I think that you are reallyrepresenting a big, a big part
where a lot of us need help.
And where can we find youonline and access to the
services that you offer?
Colleen (48:27):
So um I am on LinkedIn.
Uh, you can find me there.
Uh, that's where I'm mostly uhso look for me.
I'm just under Colleen Watson.
And uh I also have my websiteat uh www.centryplant business
services.com.
Those are my two big places.
Um it's it's alwaysinteresting.
(48:50):
Aren't you on Instagram?
Aren't you on YouTube?
Aren't you on TikTok?
Like, guys, there's really nota lot of visuals you can do with
this.
You know, I don't have aproduct.
So that those are my two bigplaces to find me.
And I'd love, you know, to seeand talk to you.
And I also offer free consults.
So uh calendarly.com slashcenturyplant.
(49:13):
I'll talk about anything you'reconcerned about in terms of
building this up, um, pleasereach out.
I I want this, you know, I wantpeople to have a safety net.
I want people to learn from mymistakes.
Camille (49:27):
Yeah, well, awesome.
This has been so helpful.
Thank you so much for coming onthe show today.
And for anyone that hasquestions about this, we'll make
sure to link in the show notesbelow so that you have access to
that.
And remember that any effortthat you make, any step forward
that you take or theconversation that you start is
the right thing to do.
(49:47):
And maybe it just takes thatbaby step of what is one piece
of this that I'm listening toright now that I could bring up
in conversation in a loving way,either with a spouse or with a
parent, or what however thisapplies, we all have people that
we love who either we want toprotect as we age or that are
(50:10):
aging and we want to help themin that transition.
So thank you so much for tuningin today.
Please share this episode withanyone who you think it might be
helpful for.
Any rating or review is alwayshelpful and please subscribe.
We will see you next week.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Hey CEOs, thank you so much forspending your time with me.
If you found this episodeinspiring or helpful, please let
(50:32):
me know in a comment in a fivestar review.
You could have the chance ofbeing a featured review on an
upcoming episode.
Continue the conversation onInstagram at CallMe CEO Podcast.
And remember, you are the boss.
Your focus gets this narrow in the middle of an
emergency that you forget thethings that are just like out
here.
Like my siblings were out hereand I was in here.
And so, like, that is one ofthe things that I really learned
of this is like, okay, you haveto ask for help.
Camille (00:27):
So you want to make an impact.
You're thinking about startinga business, sharing your voice.
How do women do it?
That handle motherhood, family,and still chase after those
dreams?
Well, listen each week as wedive into the stories of women
who know.
This is Call Me CEO.
Welcome back, everyone, to CallMe CEO.
(00:49):
This is your host, CamilleWalker, and here we celebrate
women building businesses thatchange lives, especially for the
oops moments or the crap lifejust happened, which is
happening to all of us.
Colleen Watson is a legacyconsultant helping entrepreneurs
and small business owners gettheir affairs in order before
the crap hits the fan.
(01:10):
Because let's just be honest,it happens.
And this is an approach of howto dip your toe into estate
planning so that when thingshappen, and or it's really not
an if, it's a when, that youhave a bit of a plan in place so
that you are not overwhelmedand worried about everything
(01:31):
going wrong.
And I love this because I feellike this is a very niche
approach to life in general.
When you're running a businessof your own, things are going to
happen.
Life is always going to befirst, meaning the ones that we
love, the things that happenwith health crisis or our own
health crisis or a pandemic.
(01:51):
You know, who knows?
There are things that arealways happening.
So she is the CEO of SentryPlant Business Services and will
be sharing with us her storyabout how she went through this
the hard way and wants to createa plan for you to go through it
an easier way.
So Colleen, thank you so muchfor being on the show today.
Colleen (02:11):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
Camille (02:14):
Yeah.
I so getting into this, firstof all, I would love to hear,
tell us a little bit about whoyou are, where you live, and
also your life story of how thiseven came to be in your
bandwidth of helping otherpeople do the same.
Colleen (02:30):
So I am a native Coloradan.
Uh, we are very few and farbetween.
A lot of people seem to like mystate.
Go figure if we do like outdoorstuff, and we have a lot of
good outdoor stuff here.
But I was actually born inDenver and we moved away for a
little bit when I was a baby.
(02:51):
Um, moved back in 76 and havebeen in the house that I live in
now since 1977, and we are theonly people who have ever lived
here.
It was a hole in the groundwhen my parents bought it.
So we have been here a goodlong while.
We have seen the state grow andchange.
(03:12):
And, you know, I live in, welive in a little town called
Broomfield.
I went to all the Broomfieldschools.
Um, so I really am a localgirl.
Um and I uh I very customer,you know, service-oriented.
So uh most of my jobs have beenthat way.
So I was in the medical fieldas a medical assistant for a
(03:35):
good decade and a half, and thenI went back to school and I
became a librarian uh for quitea while and enjoyed both those
things.
But like a lot of people um inwhat I call they call the
sandwich generation, um, I hadaging parents, and it came to a
point where um my father gotill.
(03:58):
Um he sadly had Alzheimer's,and my mom could not be alone
with him.
So I had to leave my job as alibrarian and help them out.
And from there, we, you know, Iwe lost my dad.
And then we, you know, I wasready to like get back into the
(04:18):
workforce and be out thereagain.
And this little thing calledthe pandemic hit.
And, you know, I look at Ilooked at my mom who was getting
older, and I thought, I have tofigure out some way to work
from home.
I can't do 40 hour a weekfull-time work plus travel and
(04:39):
all of that and bring the stresshome.
And, you know, there was just Icouldn't do it because, you
know, by the time we got out ofthe pandemic, mom couldn't
drive.
So, you know, she she wouldliterally be stuck in a house
for eight to nine hours a day.
That's not good for hermentally, physically, any other
way.
So, like a lot of people duringthe pandemic, I thought, okay,
(05:03):
what can I do?
And initially, you know, Iloved writing.
Um, I love strategy andplanning and doing that.
And after a lot of throwingspaghetti at the wall and a lot
of pivoting, I started amarketing company to help people
what I called the business planfor their blogs, because
blogging is very easy to start,very difficult to maintain.
(05:25):
It can be a great way to, youknow, build no like and trust
with a small business byshowcasing your expertise and
reaching out to people.
But, you know, it's it'sdifficult.
And that was like I wasstarting to get that rolling.
And then my mom, who at thetime was 84, uh no, nine, 86,
(05:47):
sorry, 86.
Um, I was at home, she was inthe kitchen making her
breakfast, I was in my bedroombecause I'm her caretaker, and I
hear a very big on the floor.
Oh no.
Run out.
My mother has had a seriousfall.
And I'm talking, she hit thefloor hard.
(06:09):
Um, we're talking, she was inthe hospital for a week, she was
in rehab for 10 days, she wasin bed for five weeks after
that, with me giving 24-7 care,uh, and months of physical and
occupational therapy.
Now she's doing great, right?
But after about, you know, sixto nine months when my life got
(06:31):
out of full-time caretakingmode, and I, you know, because
at first it's the physicalaspect of, okay, I have to be
there, I have to make her food,I have to, you know, take her
places and and all of that.
And then you have the mentalthing of, okay, if you go
through a thing of like, I can'tleave the house because if she
falls again, like you're waitingfor that second shoe to drop,
(06:52):
like, and and you have togradually like loosen up, like,
okay, she's getting stronger,it's gonna be okay.
So that took like six to ninemonths, and I got to the other
side of that.
And like during that time,everything dropped.
I had a W-2 job, that wentaway.
I had a business, that wentaway.
(07:12):
And because you're inday-to-day mode, you kind of
don't care because like you youcouldn't focus on it anyway.
But once you get back tosomething called normal and
you're looking at your life andlike, oh, I could have done, I
should have made a plan becausethis is the most logical thing
(07:33):
that would have happened.
I have an aging mom who's hadsome health care bumps.
Now, my mom did a lot of thingsright in her life with her
health.
She stopped drinking andsmoking in her 40s.
She exercised regularly, sheate healthy, she was a reader,
so she engaged her mind.
She had a lot of friends, soshe was active socially.
(07:55):
So, you know, mama did a lot ofgood things for herself.
She had a lot of coin in thathealth bank.
And so when we had health bumpsalong the way, like she
recovered fairly quickly andlife went back to mostly normal.
And all of a sudden, and I, youknow, we all think tomorrow's
gonna look like yesterday.
(08:15):
And all of a sudden, tomorrowlooked nothing like yesterday,
and I had not made a plan forthat.
And so that was the start ofthere has to be a better way,
and I am going to find it.
So that's where I shifted gearsand started like doing, I'm a
former librarian, we know how toresearch.
(08:37):
So I did a ton of research, Ilooked up a lot of things, um,
and I realized like there is away to do this so that all these
things we kind of do ad hoc.
Like, yeah, you know, you needhomeowners insurance and you
have kids, so you need lifeinsurance.
And and you know, they could betogether to be a consistent
(08:59):
plan that supports the businessyou want to have and the family
you currently have, and makesure that when you have an
emergency, the recovery plan isalready in place.
Speaker (09:11):
Right.
Colleen (09:12):
I like I did not have the recovery plan, so nothing
recovered.
Right.
There is a way to do it.
So that's where I got to whereI am today.
Camille (09:22):
Yeah, I like the quote that you said about don't
building, don't build a planewhile you're crashing.
And can you think of a specificmoment where you felt like my
plane is crashing?
Colleen (09:34):
So um my mom had been in a rehab center for about 10
days, and she was coming home.
They get they released her,like she she's met, you know,
the criteria.
And I'm looking around thehouse and I'm trying to figure
out, okay, how do I make thissafe?
How do I, and I was, there werethings I did not see.
(09:59):
And by the grace of God, rightat that moment, my older brother
came for a visit.
Um, he had fortunate, you know,sadly, but turned out to be a
good thing.
You know, it's one of thosethings that's bad when it
happens, and later it's like,oh, thank God that happened.
My brother was part of the biglayoff of tech that happened
(10:23):
right after, you know, and hehad just turned 65.
So he's like, I'm retired.
Um, so he was able to come outand visit mom during these
times.
And literally, like, I foundout she was coming home, and two
days later, Bob came.
And I was like, I was sooverwhelmed.
(10:44):
Like, was like, how do I makethe house safe?
How what do I need to do?
What can I move?
And there were things that likemy brother, who is, you know,
naturally kind of an engineerand a systems person, he was
just, but like for those twodays before he got here, I was
like, how am I gonna do this?
How am I gonna keep her safe?
How are we gonna take a shower?
How are we gonna like all ofthese things?
(11:05):
And and I had a mo, you know,like a good 36 hours where I was
kind of paralyzed because itwas overwhelming because her
entire safety was suddenly in myhands.
And luckily, Bob came in and Ihave a great big brother, and
he's like, okay, we need to dothis, and we'll go to the store
and buy this, and everythingwill be okay.
(11:26):
Like he came in and took overfor a couple of days.
And like all of a sudden, like,okay, so we made sure the bed
was able to be able to, youknow, go down.
We made sure that there wereplenty of places for her to lie
down if she didn't want to stayin the bedroom.
We moved everything so it waseasy to get the wheelchair in
and out of her room.
Um, and and so things workedout, uh, but like sometimes a
(11:52):
lot I forget, like, oh wait, Ihave siblings.
I don't always need to do thismyself.
Um, but you know, they're ifthey're not here, you don't
think I could just pick up thephone and just talk to them.
Um, and luckily Bob was here,but like you're so your focus
gets this narrow in the middleof an emergency that you forget
(12:15):
the things that are just likeout here.
Yeah.
Like my siblings were out hereand I was in here.
And so like that is one of thethings that I really learned of
this is like, okay, you have toask for help.
Camille (12:29):
Because I think that's a good takeaway for any.
I think anytime there's ahealth crisis for yourself, for
a child, for a parent, so oftenwe can get lost in the moment of
it and not think, oh, I shouldlook outside myself and see who
is ready and willing.
It's a matter of asking, youknow, and to take that moment
(12:52):
of, oh, take a deep breath, takea look around.
What resources do I have?
What can I do to make this moremanageable?
And like you said, it's it'sbreaking it down and oh, wait, I
have this, I have siblingshere.
Please.
I need your help.
Yeah.
So legacy plowing, it's aserious topic.
And it's one I feel like wedon't necessarily love to talk
(13:16):
about, as I think we just wantto sometimes ignore the fact
that we are getting older orthat our parents are getting
older.
So I would love to know how doyou help people to enter that
topic?
And what's the hardest part ofthat to start the talk and how
to open that conversation?
Colleen (13:36):
So one of the things that I saw in a survey, it was a
Pew survey that was done, Ithink, in 2022.
And they asked people, like,what and it was like, you know,
elderly, so 60s through 80s.
They were asking them, have youtalked with your children about
or your family about yourestate plan?
(13:56):
And if the answer was no, theyasked, well, why not?
And the number one answer forthese people is there's no
urgency, I'm fine.
Right?
I'm I'm okay.
Like my health is fine and andeverything.
And I think that that is a kindof nice form of denial.
(14:22):
Yes, yeah.
That that like I'm fine.
And and you know, you may thinkyou're fine, but your kids come
for a visit and so and they'relooking at you and they're not
seeing that you're fine.
So the first thing I alwaystell people to do is because
this happens so many times.
(14:42):
Like you you come to visit yourparents for the first time in
say six months to a year, andyou're remembering what was
going on the last time youvisited, and suddenly this time
you're visiting and you'renoticing some major changes that
for them, because it's beenlike day to day to day and
little minor shifts, don't seemall that different.
(15:03):
But to you, who has like thethe longer view is like, oh my
gosh, this is something I needto worry about.
Our first inclination is tobring it up right then because
we're scared, right?
So, what you need to do is youneed to really step back, stay
calm, and make a plan for theconversation.
(15:26):
All of these conversations needyou to one, uh establish some
goals, right?
Why are you talking to yourparents about this?
Is it because you're thinkingmaybe it's time for you and your
siblings to maybe ask if theywould like some uh help just to
come in for a couple hours aday, help with basic tasks, take
(15:50):
them on errands, sort of thing?
Is it you think that maybe thehouse is unsafe?
So you would like to talk tothem about maybe there's a way,
you know, it's time we put somehandles in the bathtub.
Maybe it's time that we did oneof those things on the stairs
where you can just sit down andgo up the stairs if you have
multi-level houses.
(16:11):
Maybe it's time to move thebedroom down to the first floor.
Like, what are you hoping toachieve out of this?
Because a lot of times we comein guns blazing because we're
scared.
And, you know, your parents arestill adults and they still
value their independence andtheir, you know, autonomy.
(16:35):
You have to honor that.
So you have to come in with, Iwant to talk to you about this
and figure out solutions justbecause I want you to be safe.
If the, you know, we're at asituation where you really
think, like, maybe it's timethat we look at a care facility,
(16:56):
that's a whole differentconversation.
And I will say you never startwith that because that's like
you're trying to move them fromwhat is everything they place.
Yeah.
So one is you have to do it indegrees, and two, you have to go
in with a plan and upfrontsaying, okay, I want to do this,
and this is what I hope to getout of this conversation, and
(17:19):
you're doing it right away.
The second thing you need to dois do not have these on the
fly, you schedule it, right?
And it like you're gonna takeserious time.
You want to have at least twohours, you want to have um
snacks that they like, becauseyou know, brain works takes
calories.
(17:39):
You want to have water.
This can bring up emotions, youwant to have tissues, you want
it someplace where everybody iscomfortable.
You wanna be like um takingbreaks, like, you know, do like
30 to 45 minutes and then take15 minutes and just let
everybody go to the bathroom,let everybody get some fresh
(17:59):
air.
You know, if it starts to feelsuffocating, go for a walk and
talk.
You know what I mean?
Like let it flow naturally andlet it let it come from a place
of I'm doing this because I'mconcerned.
Let's figure out solutionstogether so that we can move
forward.
(18:20):
The other thing I like to do,um, and I have created one of
these for people because itreally does help, is I have a
checklist.
And so the checklist um ideacame about from my beloved
daddy.
My father was a single enginepilot for like 30 years, and he
(18:40):
loved flying.
He, you know, every Saturday hewas at the airport.
Like some men golf, my dadflew.
And the thing about that thingis every single time he would
get to the end of, you know, thestart of the runway and he's
getting ready to take off, youstop and he would get down a
list and he would checkeverything to it was working
(19:03):
correctly.
And that was like arequirement.
And he didn't do it frommemory.
He had a list, it waslaminated, it was velcro to the
front door, he would get itdown, he would go through it
methodically because he alsounderstood that hubris could be
as much of a danger if you're along-term pilot as naiv naivete.
(19:24):
So you always you didn't counton that, you had a list.
And like aviation is one ofthose areas where checklists
became crucial because pilotswould make mistakes and they
would be relying on mental mapsthat didn't serve them, right?
And so instead of that, theythey created a whole list of
(19:47):
checklists.
Surgeries have whole lists ofchecklists.
Things that are complicated andrequire a lot of steps are
requiring checklists because itmeans nobody makes mistakes and
everybody knows where we are onin the process, right?
And even policing now isstarting to incorporate
checklists into things, certain,you know, tasks that they do.
(20:10):
So I thought this is a reallyhard task.
Let's do a checklist.
So I start with like, okay,let's get all the things, you
know, let's get the water, let'sfind the good place, let's make
the appointment, let's take,you know, at least, no, it's
gonna take at least two hours.
Um, give yourself four becauseyou never know where it's gonna
(20:30):
go.
And one of the things on thechecklist at the end is give
them a hug because like this is,you know, you need to remind
them you do love them.
This is from a place of love orwhatever they like, you know,
if it's a handshake, whateverthey're comfortable with, but
give show some physicalaffection.
And in the middle, you know,this is when you talk about the
(20:51):
important things.
And, you know, the the youdon't have to do everything on
the checklist.
Maybe you do certain sectionsof my checklist, but uh you give
it to them beforehand andeverybody knows where you're
going.
So you're all rowing in thesame direction, and it prevents
people from, you know, doingwhat I call the slide away,
where all of a sudden they'reuncomfortable and try to slide
(21:13):
away from the topic.
Um, and it it's like, yeah, wecan talk about that later, but
right now we have to talk aboutthis particular thing and you
know, literally say, we'll makemore time later, and we can talk
about that in depth if youwant.
But the the goals for this talkare these, and you reiterate
them.
So it really is about you'retreating it as weird as it
(21:38):
sounds, like a meeting withpeople you love.
You know, you don't go into abusiness meeting without a plan.
And this is so much moreimportant than that.
And most people go in emotionsfirst, and we get that because
you're seeing people you loveand you're worried, and you're
coming from a place of love andfear.
And we don't make the bestdecisions from a place love and
(22:02):
fear.
Yeah, we just don't.
Camille (22:04):
So the emotions are so high.
And I like that the idea ofhaving a list, especially if you
have siblings where everyone'son the same page.
It is nice for everyone to kindof look at the same thing, I
would imagine, where you'rethinking, okay, we have this
direction and we're going to gothrough this together because
there are a lot of differentfeelings and ways that maybe
(22:27):
people are imagining it mightgo.
So I really I like thatapproach.
That makes a lot of sense.
Colleen (22:34):
So yeah, and I mean, one of the things I love about
this is man, if you can dig thisconversation and get to the
other side with the people youlove and have it be productive,
you could handle any difficultconversation.
Yeah, nothing's more difficultthan this.
And the same skills are gonnaapply to all of them, you know
(22:54):
what I mean?
Um, so you know, this is one ofthose, you know, I always say,
you know, dip or toe.
But when it gets to the pointwhere you you actually are like,
okay, we've done the dippingthe toe stuff.
I I I've done everything Icould.
Now it's time to really tacklethe, okay, what are my spouse
(23:15):
and I gonna do with our assetsand how we're gonna divide them?
How what are my parents' plansfor their retirement?
Um, where are their importantdocuments?
Um, because a lot of times, youknow, part of the stress in an
emergency, particularly if it'sfor a family member, you know,
(23:37):
maybe you're you're very closeto your sister and she's not,
she's single and so you, youknow, you're the person in the
emergency, is you don't knowwhere their stuff is.
You don't know where theirinsurance cards are, you don't
know what their bills are, youdon't like, and like part of
this whole process is you geteverything organized into
(23:57):
something called a knockbox.
It's N-OK, it stands for nextof kin.
And so basically, you're tryingto make it easier for the
people who have to pick up thegauntlet of your life by putting
all your important informationin one place where they can find
it.
And I always say the knockboxcan be a physical thing because
(24:19):
you know, certain generationsthey like paper, they want a
physical document.
Younger generations, it's alldigital, so you can put it on a
computer and and just keep it,you know, and the important
person knows where the file isand they know the password and
all the information is there.
But organization is part ofthis.
And, you know, becauseeverybody's organizational mind
(24:45):
is a little bit different, evenif you're related to them, like
how they they organize theirstuff can be completely
different.
And you can be like roamingaround for days trying to find
their medical power of eternityand their advanced directives,
which are necessary things tohave for a hospital in the
middle of an emergency, youknow.
So um, that is another thing II always, you know, encourage
(25:09):
people with a dip the toe.
It's like, let's just put allof it in one place.
Camille (25:14):
Yeah.
So let's talk about that alittle bit more where this is a
a checklist.
And is that available on yourwebsite or okay?
So we'll we will link to thatbelow.
Now let's turn the corner alittle bit for us that own a
business and maybe need to putthings into place.
So if there is an emergency forcaretaking, whether it's for
(25:35):
children or for parents orourselves, what are some
must-haves for us to do to putin place so that if we need it
to take some time, everythingdoesn't fall apart.
Are you ready to reclaim yourtime and finally focus on the
tasks that actually grow yourbusiness?
Whether you're looking to hirea VA or thinking about becoming
(25:56):
one, I've got the perfectsolution for you.
If you're overwhelmed with yourbusiness, I personally connect
entrepreneurs with highlytrained virtual assistants,
graduates of my 60 Days to VAprogram, so you can confidently
outsource and scale.
Or if you're looking for aflexible, profitable business
from home, my 60 Days to VAcourse gives you everything you
(26:16):
need to have to become asuccessful assistant without the
trial and error.
Head to camillewalker.co to getstarted today.
Whether you're hiring orlaunching your own business, I'm
here to help you make ithappen.
You can also grab this linkbelow and schedule a free
discovery call with me to see ifit's the right fit for you.
Colleen (26:37):
Yeah.
So I'm a big believer in fromso there are four pillars.
There's money, there'sinsurance, there's a session,
and then there's will and estateplanning.
So for money, I'm a big fan oftwo things.
One, always knowing what yourbreak-even point is.
Because in small businesses,particularly say you have a
(27:00):
seasonal business, that's amoving target.
And it can be very easy to losetrack of that.
So every month, look at it andknow what your fixed expenses
are and what you need to bringin to cover them.
So you always know where you'reat.
The second thing I'm a big fanof is emergency funds, right?
So some people are big fan oflike the profit first model.
(27:25):
And for like a small business,I think it's a really good one.
And so for me, like if you're aprofit first person, you know
that 1% that goes in your vault.
Until your emergency fund isset, you take all of that and
you put it in the vault.
And a vault for a business anda vault for a life is generally
six months.
Six months set aside ofcovering your expenses, which is
(27:48):
why it's very important, youknow, what your break-even point
is.
Um, so that you know ifsomething pulls you out for six
months, everything is going tobe okay in your business and in
your life.
So you need two (28:00):
one for your business and one for your life.
So your business that comes outof your business, your life
that comes out of both you andyour spouse.
So you're building that onetogether if you have one.
If if you know you're single,obviously you can combine it if
you want, but I like keepingthings separate so that it's all
(28:23):
clean.
So those are the two big onesfor um money.
Insurance, I have um what Icall external insurance and
internal insurance.
So, external insurance, one ofthe most important things I like
people to look at is what doesyour health insurance cover and
what doesn't it cover?
So if you're somebody where youhave a business and your spouse
(28:48):
is the person who has the W-2job and has the health
insurance, or you know, even ifyou're doing it through, you
know, the marketplace, whateverit is, take a real look at what
it covers and what it doesn't.
Um, because the sad truth is,is the number one cause of
bankruptcy in America is medicalemergencies.
(29:11):
And most of the people applyingfor that have insurance.
Wow.
So you need to have even if youhave you're you have really
great insurance from you knowyour partner's job job, you're
gonna need somethingsupplemental.
And one of the things I alwaysrecommend people look at is
(29:33):
something called living benefitlife insurance.
And what that is, is it's alife insurance policy, but it
pays out both while you're stillalive if you get certain
illnesses.
So you get injured, you getcancer, um, you you're you're
you're knocked out for anynumber of illnesses or injuries,
(29:54):
but you can use that policy topay to keep yourself afloat.
Right.
And I really think that's ahugely important investment.
And then if you manage to stayin good health, you know, for
the whole thing, it is a lifeinsurance policy that will pay
(30:14):
out upon your dying to yourbeneficiaries.
But it's a great balance sothat you have a little like it's
a secondary life insurance,it's a secondary health
insurance policy because everyhealth insurance has holes in
it.
And you need to know what theyare and you need to fill the
(30:37):
holes somehow.
And so that's like that thereare other ways, but I that's the
one I like best.
But once again, I'm notperfect.
Talk to a financial planner, uhan insurance agent.
What do you think?
For succession planning, forme, the number one thing is what
is your plan for your business?
(30:58):
I understand that if you'rejust starting a business or you
know, it might be like a way offthing, but like I want to, I
want to grow to sell.
Yeah, great, but what's therunway to that look like?
Learn that as quick as possibleand get yourself on it because
if this is an asset, and if youwant to maximize your asset, you
(31:21):
need to know what to do, right?
And and you know, all of thethings.
And trust me, there are tons ofbooks and articles that tell
you how to do that.
You want a legacy business thatyou pass down to your kids.
There are tons of books andarticles that tell you the
things you need to have inplace.
Know them, right?
Because we have it liketentatively in our mind, but
(31:44):
those things take concretethings that in the world that
you need to do.
And the sooner you understandthat, the sooner you can start
doing them.
Um, at least knowing what theyare is half the battle.
Like, yeah.
Um and then for the will, addyour business to your will.
Most people don't do that.
(32:08):
But your business is an assetthat can be profitable after
you're gone for your family.
It needs to be in your will andyou need to have a plan for it.
What that you discuss with yourspouse, your business partner,
if you have one, so that youeverybody knows what's gonna
(32:32):
happen to it.
Because um, so the firstquestion I ask is do you have a
will?
You'll be amazed at how oftenthe answer is no.
If it's yes, when was the lastI looked at it?
I had a lovely uh gentleman whosells insurance who told me I
was talking to him about, youknow, just picking his brain,
(32:53):
getting information, becoming asponge.
And he said, Yeah, we justredid our will and realized we
hadn't put our third child in.
It had been that long sincethey oh no, well.
So I always say life happensand we forget the paperwork.
So, you know, look at look atyour will and then figure out
the plan for it and put it inyour will.
(33:15):
And if you haven't got a will,for God's sake, get a will.
This is one of the things youabsolutely need to start talking
about because you do not wantto start to die, what they call
intest state, which means it'swithout a will, because the
second that happens, the statedetermines who gets your assets
(33:39):
and if you have minor children,potentially who gets custody of
them.
You don't want that if you haveany sort of problematic family
relationships, or even if youjust have preferences as to who
you want to be responsible foryour kids, who you want to get
your stuff.
And each stake is a littledifferent, you know.
(34:01):
Generally it's spouses first,kids, if they don't have that,
and if they're minor, parents,if it the parents are dead,
siblings like, but you know,what if you have stepkids you
want to have be part of your,you know, estate?
What if, you know, becausedivorce happens, families get
(34:22):
complicated.
Um what if you have like fosterkids you want to include?
Like, there are all sorts offamilies that look all sorts of
ways, but the law doesn'trecognize them.
So you need to make sure thatthe way your family looks and
what is in value to your yourfamily and to you happens the
(34:46):
way you want.
And the only way to make surethat happens is to have a will.
And people, you know, a lot ofpeople are just like, I'll just
let them figure it out.
Like we all have the ugly storyof the family that imploded
when the person died in teststate, and then you just let
somebody figure it out.
So down will.
That's my number one thing forthat.
(35:07):
As hard as it is, get a will.
Camille (35:10):
And do you have access for different options for
getting a will done?
Like, do you have places whereyou point people?
Obviously, there are attorneysthat do this, but there are
other options for doingsomething really simple online.
What's your suggestion withthat?
Colleen (35:26):
So I have locally, because you know, I start local.
So I, if you're in Colorado, Ihave options for you at
different levels of income.
So there are people who do notbelieve it should be complicated
to make a will and charge a youknow a reasonable amount of
money.
There's the mid-level peopleand then there's the high-end
(35:47):
people.
Um, if you have a lot ofassets, then you look at a
trust.
But for most people, a willworks.
Um if you really don't have thethe means to do that, there are
will kits.
Um, it's really important,though, if you're gonna do it
(36:08):
that way.
I don't object.
They're reasonably priced, theycan be as low as like 30 bucks,
but you need to read throughthe instructions very, very
carefully.
Like this is when you getdetail-oriented.
This is when it's like you'redoing your taxes.
You can read every single thingin that IRS booklet to make
(36:29):
sure you're not screwing around.
But the first thing you want todo in any case is to really
talk, like list your assetsbecause people forget things.
Like a lot of times, one of oneof the things my brother is an
amateur photographer, thousandsof dollars of camera equipment,
(36:52):
and nobody else in the familytakes pictures.
Do you want them to just sellit?
Or maybe, just maybe, you wantto donate it to a school or
something?
Like, these are the thingspeople don't think about.
Heirlooms are really big.
Like if you have collected andanother thing I I always like
(37:17):
people to think about is thinkabout the things that are
heirlooms that don't havemonetary value but are gonna be
really important to people.
Family recipes, photographs,baby books, quilts, you know,
those things also need to bedelegated to because you know
(37:37):
the worst case scenario is thevultures come out and start
picking through things, right?
So make sure you have a fulllist of valuable things, both
monetary value and sentimentalvalue, and like get detailed
about who you want to get whatand why.
(37:57):
Because a lot of times, if youcan explain why when you're
having the conversation withlike your kids, your stepkids,
and you can say, I'm doing thisbecause of this, a lot of times
people, it's easier tounderstand whether it's just a
will and you say this and youdon't explain why.
And you know, nothing like thatdollars and yeah.
(38:21):
Because I always think it'simportant to remember in
families, money's never justmoney.
Money is a mirror and itreflects how healthy or toxic
familiar relations can be.
You know, there always is thisthing of when you want to see
what people value versus whatthey say they value, look at
(38:43):
where they spend their time,look at where they spend their
money.
It's the exact same thing withfamilies.
And so, you know, it's reallyeasy to say it's just stuff, but
it's not, right?
You have to be thoughtful.
And if you can show, I've beenthoughtful, I thought this
through, and it also gives thema way to say, yeah, I understand
(39:06):
that, but and you know, talk toeach other.
Like to me, it means this, andmaybe, you know, you change some
things because you've been ableto be honest about why, and
then you you understand wheresomebody else is coming from,
and the person you initiallygave it to understands, and
maybe we make a compromise andyou've solved the problem while
(39:28):
you're still alive, because I'venever understood you invest so
much of yourself in creating afamily, you invest your love,
your body, your time, yourenergy, your future.
You put things on hold foryourself, for these little human
beings that you want to growand create, and you and then at
(39:52):
the end, you just leave them tofigure it out.
Why would you not want to leavethem in the best possible
place?
Camille (39:59):
Yeah.
I know for my parents,something they talk about a lot
is how their number one thingthat they're proud of is how
close of a relationship we havewith each other and what good
friends we are, and that we loveto spend time together of our
own free will.
And I have called them and hadconversations with them many
times of okay, but do you havethe will in place?
(40:20):
And K, but do you know who'slike going to be the executor?
And do you know how you'regonna divide it?
Can you figure that out,please?
Because that thing that you'reso proud of, I would love to
keep that intact because it getsso messy and it's emotional,
and that's the last thing youwant to have to deal with when
you're in mourning.
Like it really is the worstscenario ever.
Colleen (40:47):
It is, and when you're in the middle of it, like you
get brain fog.
You you know, when I lost mydad, there are things I don't
remember that other people do.
Yeah.
Because I was in brain fog, andyou know, luckily they had
everything planned out.
My mother is a natural planner,so as you can kind of tell.
(41:11):
So, like the the funeral waspaid for, the, you know, she the
dad had already written downlike what biblical verses he
wanted, what hymns he wanted.
We didn't have to plananything.
Like, sometimes, you know,these sorts of things also can
be ways to dip your toe in andbe like, what would I like, you
(41:33):
know, my funeral to be like?
Because nobody really wants thefuneral to be maudlin.
Like you actually celebratetheir celebration, sure.
Yeah, and so, you know, that isanother thing I always, you
know, I encourage also people todo what I call living wills,
which are things like maybe youwrite letters to the people you
(41:55):
love and tell them the thingsyou could never tell them for
whatever reason.
You know what I mean?
Because that's a beautifulexercise for you and to receive
on their part because they knowhow you felt about them.
And you know, we hate whenthings are left unsaid, and yet
(42:15):
it's easy to think, I have moretime, I have more time.
And if you just write theletter, and then you then if
you, you know, if you find thetime and and you talk about it,
you you don't have to worryabout it.
You know you've done it.
But like we never, you know,tomorrow is never guaranteed for
anybody.
Camille (42:36):
I'm so passionate about this.
I actually did a Christmas oncewhere I had everyone write a
memory and or something thatthey really appreciate about
someone.
And we did it as a my siblingsand all the kids, and it took a
long time, but everyone actuallystood up and talked about every
person and shared either amemory because I hate when you
(43:00):
go to a funeral or you know, amemorial or a memorial or
something like that, and youlearn so much about what people
appreciate about each other orstories that they had or shared
that they said, I've never toldanyone this, or I never actually
had the opportunity to sharethis or tell this person this
thing.
And I'm and that makes me sosad.
(43:22):
I just think, why not?
Anyway, so I had everyone writeit down, but then we actually
shared it in person.
And that is one of the best.
It was long.
The kids were like, Okay, yeah,that's not maybe next time
adults only.
I don't know.
But I thought it was such itwas one of my favorite Christmas
memories I've ever had becauseit really was a living will of,
(43:44):
you know, taking that time toappreciate each other and what
we represent in each other'slives right now.
Colleen (43:51):
Yeah.
And, you know, I always, youknow, part of this is, you know,
the safety net is it's also anemotional safety net.
You're you're making sure thatbecause you have all the pieces
in place, you know, I always umthere's this great book, and I
forget the name of the author,but it's uh it's called Be Good.
(44:12):
It's a parenting book.
And she talks about the number,you know, we all have wants for
our kids.
We want them to be happy, wewant them to be healthy, but
that's not your job as a parent.
You have one job as a parent,and she says it's this your job
is to teach your children how toexpress and regulate their
(44:37):
emotions.
That's adulthood.
Because if you really thinkabout it, part of, you know,
kids, they express everythingbecause they have no filter
because they don't know whatthey're supposed to.
And as you get older, you know,you say things like, find your
words, use your words, tell mewhat's wrong.
And, you know, as they get intothe teen years where things can
get wacky, you're you have tomodel like, I'm angry too, but
(45:02):
there's a productive way to usethis anger.
I'm sad too.
Let's talk about this.
You know, it's okay to be sad.
It's, you know, one of thethings she always says is you
have to let kids have negativeexperiences to let them know
like disappointment issurvivable.
It's okay to be sad when you'redisappointed, you know, when
something you wanted to havehappen doesn't happen, you don't
(45:24):
get on the team, you don't getthe part you want in the play.
It's okay to be sad.
But you know, then you have to,you know, because it's in those
things that they find grit andthey find their confidence and
they find their purpose, youknow, and and so, you know, that
is what your job as a parentis.
And I love that because that isstill your job at the end of
(45:48):
your life.
Because a lot of times, ifeverything has gone the way it's
supposed to, the kids havegrown up, they've left, are
living their own lives andwhatever that looks like for
them.
And you as a parent, you'restill important.
You still love your kids, yourkids still love you, you still
see them, but you're not doing24-7 parenting.
And it can it could be yearssince you've done 24-7 parenting
(46:13):
because you've done the job,right?
You've you were successful,they became their own people,
they built their own lives.
Maybe you have grandchildren,and that's wonderful, but your
last responsibility as a parentis to ensure that the family you
build stays together.
(46:33):
And one of the ways you do thatis you prevent conflicts by
having the will.
Because trust me, what you maythink like, oh, the things that
my daughters thought about whenthey were teenagers, they've
grown up, they're beyond it.
I'm like, maybe, but trust me,when they're in grief and
(46:55):
they're emotional, thoseconflicts are gonna come right
back.
And it it doesn't make sense,it's not logical, but like the
grief is too big, so you lowerit to something more manageable,
which is sibling conflict,which you know you can survive.
You don't know what a world islike without a parent.
(47:16):
So as a parent, it is your jobto ensure that when you leave
them, at whatever age that is,if you know it's a long life or
it's a short life, and you haveleft your children way younger
than you want, the onlyresponsibility your children
have is to grieve you.
That is your duty as a parent,no matter how old your kids are.
(47:41):
And I always say there's alittle tough love in this
program.
Yeah, I I'm gonna put some sometough love on you because I
know this is hard, but I alsoknow you love your family and
you want the best for them.
And you know, sometimes thatmeans doing hard things.
Yeah, yeah.
Camille (48:01):
Well, they never said being a parent was easy.
Colleen (48:04):
So Jennifer for the week of heart.
Camille (48:06):
No, no.
Well, that is one, I mean,gosh, this has been so helpful.
So many it there's a so manylayers of this to uncover.
I think that you are reallyrepresenting a big, a big part
where a lot of us need help.
And where can we find youonline and access to the
services that you offer?
Colleen (48:27):
So um I am on LinkedIn.
Uh, you can find me there.
Uh, that's where I'm mostly uhso look for me.
I'm just under Colleen Watson.
And uh I also have my websiteat uh www.centryplant business
services.com.
Those are my two big places.
Um it's it's alwaysinteresting.
(48:50):
Aren't you on Instagram?
Aren't you on YouTube?
Aren't you on TikTok?
Like, guys, there's really nota lot of visuals you can do with
this.
You know, I don't have aproduct.
So that those are my two bigplaces to find me.
And I'd love, you know, to seeand talk to you.
And I also offer free consults.
So uh calendarly.com slashcenturyplant.
(49:13):
I'll talk about anything you'reconcerned about in terms of
building this up, um, pleasereach out.
I I want this, you know, I wantpeople to have a safety net.
I want people to learn from mymistakes.
Camille (49:27):
Yeah, well, awesome.
This has been so helpful.
Thank you so much for coming onthe show today.
And for anyone that hasquestions about this, we'll make
sure to link in the show notesbelow so that you have access to
that.
And remember that any effortthat you make, any step forward
that you take or theconversation that you start is
the right thing to do.
(49:47):
And maybe it just takes thatbaby step of what is one piece
of this that I'm listening toright now that I could bring up
in conversation in a loving way,either with a spouse or with a
parent, or what however thisapplies, we all have people that
we love who either we want toprotect as we age or that are
(50:10):
aging and we want to help themin that transition.
So thank you so much for tuningin today.
Please share this episode withanyone who you think it might be
helpful for.
Any rating or review is alwayshelpful and please subscribe.
We will see you next week.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Hey CEOs, thank you so much forspending your time with me.
If you found this episodeinspiring or helpful, please let
(50:32):
me know in a comment in a fivestar review.
You could have the chance ofbeing a featured review on an
upcoming episode.
Continue the conversation onInstagram at CallMe CEO Podcast.
And remember, you are the boss.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.